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Wednesday, April 26, 2017
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E. L. Crossley eats up third annual VegFest Fruit smoothies in service of saving planet The VOICE
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Column Six
BY LEON EVANS
Special to the VOICE
M
For the past decade, MacDonald has lived in St. Catharines, where he resides with his wife and two-year-old son. Raised in rural Alberta, he found himself thrust into an entirely new world when his father’s employment took the family to urban New Jersey when MacDonald was in high school. He moved to Niagara to study at Brock University. After graduating with a
Y L O V E O F flying dates back to pre-school in Exmouth, Devon in the South West of England. I arrived in Canada in 1958, joined the air cadets and in 1963 earned my pilot's license. The 2,000 students at the St. Catharine's Collegiate then became a venue for passengers to build my "flying time". A buck-fifty would get you 20 minutes over a Collegiate football game in a Cessna 172 with Leon. After instructing at the St. Catharine's flying club, I joined Air Canada as a Second Officer on the L-1011 Tristar and spent the next 34 years as a First Officer on DC-9s, Boeing 727s, DC-8 freighters, and the Boeing 747. In 1990, I was promoted captain on the DC-9, then transitioned to the Airbus 320 & 319, and the Boeing 767. On my last trip, March 27, 2006, I commanded an Airbus 340 to Frankfurt, returning the next day on an Airbus 330 for an absolutely wonderful arrival and end to my airline career. I was really not ready to retire!
See MACDONALD Page 10
See COLUMN SIX Page 15
Eco-Club members Julia Labricciosa and Tessa Piccolo (right) with Science Program Leader Sharon Keller.
NATE SMELLE PHOTO
Town hires new public relations and marketing officer The Town of Pelham recently hired a new public relations and marketing specialist to fill the position created after the restructuring of staff, which brought about the dismissal of marketing and communications officer, Ana McKnight. Described by the Town at the time as a “cost saving measure,” the job posting for the new position was posted in the range of $52,404 to $70,089 — significantly less
Since 1989, “BILKO” has been working overtime assisting clients with all of their Real Estate needs. Call today and put “BILKO” to work for you!
Across an ocean, and back in time
Recognizing that the human species depends upon the Earth for its survival like all living beings, students from E.L. Crossley Secondary School’s EcoClub decided to show their appreciation in an extraordinary way — by giving up meat. From April 18 to April 21, the Eco-Club held its 3rd Annual VegFest to raise awareness of how a plantbased diet can “heal the planet” and improve one’s health. Funding for the week-long event was provided by The Jane Goodall Institute of Canada's Roots and Shoots Program, Learning for a Sustainable Future, and the RBC Foundation.
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Larry “BILKO” Bilkszto
than McKnight’s salary. As the newest member of Town staff, Marc MacDonald will be taking over the responsibility of managing communications for the municipality. “The people I work with have been an absolutely fantastic support,” said MacDonald. “They’ve been making sure I am comfortable and settled in, so it’s made for a really smooth transition.” Immersed in the new role since he started on March
27, MacDonald said he has been very busy learning about all the new developments going on in Pelham. He said he is especially excited to be working with the Town as the new Community Centre approaches completion. “I’m very excited about this opportunity, especially as I witness the growth that is taking place in Pelham,” said MacDonald. “I look forward to building relationships within the community and serving as a
They've been making sure I am comfortable and settled in conduit between the Town and its residents when it comes to disseminating news and information.”
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Page 2
The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
IN THE NEWS
PUBLISHER’S CORNER by Dave Burket
So much to say, so little space… We all know people who write such great letters or email that we wonder why they aren’t doing it professionally. Such is the case with Jim Pitt, whose name you may recognize from his recent series of letters to the editor concerning various Pelham issues. Starting this week, Jim will be writing a new column, “Follow the Money,” focusing primarily on the Town’s finances, but also on whatever catches his interest. Jim and his wife, both retired teachers who taught in Niagara for nearly three decades, moved to Pelham in 1989. “We both came from small Southern Ontario towns which are no longer small,” he says. “We moved here because this town reminded us of the towns of our youth: small, friendly and well-managed. I like to follow politics and finance in the media. I like to delve into issues of interest to discover the truth.” We anticipate that Jim will have plenty to delve into and plenty of truth to find as the months proceed, and are pleased to have a dedicated writer, with time on his hands, to do it on all of our behalf. Welcome, Jim! In huge, safe hands… Pelham’s own Leon Evans is over your house regularly. He’s one of the few pilots certified to fly the Lancaster bomber—the WWII-era aircraft that’s a common sight in Niagara skies in fair weather. It flies out of Hamilton. On one memorable late afternoon last sum-
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mer, as cloud descended and VFR was quickly turning to instrument-only flying, the Lancaster flew over our house so low you could count the rivets. It was headed west in a hurry! We have yet to repair the plaster cracks. In this week’s Column Six, Evans takes us along on his Lancaster reunion tour in England a couple of years back. In person, Evans strikes you as utterly trustworthy, in whose hands you willingly place your life. And little wonder—he has the largest hands I’ve ever seen. Shaking hands with Evans is like shaking hands with a baseball glove, with the same reassuring sense of comfort and familiarity. With his tiny little feet… Pelham Library’s third annual Trivia Night last Saturday was a blast, despite some questions that would give our Puzzler a run for the money. The biggest laugh and round of applause was in response to the question, “What’s the largest rodent in North America?” From off to the side of the fire hall came the irrefutably logical answer, “Trump.” Let the camp-out begin… Last year there was a line two blocks long for Gelato Village’s ice cream giveaway. We wouldn’t be surprised to see tents go up Friday night in anticipation of Saturday's opening. The pistachio flavour is worth the wait. Don’t stitch us up… The Library’s clothing sale is next week. Go back to the future for a bargain!
Free scoops on Saturday
For the second year in a row, Gelato Village in Fonthill is opening its season by giving away the store— free scoops to the first 100 takers. Owner Rocco Spano says he likes to “push the limits” on flavours, which include red velvet cake, sea salt caramel, skor, and Ferrero Rocher. “We pride ourselves on sourcing the finest ingredients locally and from around the world to bring a premium gelato to Fonthill,” says Spano. Gelato season runs April 29 to October 31, and opening hours are noon to 10 PM daily.
Speeders nabbed near Crossley
A Niagara Police Traffic Enforcement Unit recently conducted speed enforcement in the 70 km/h zone near E.L. Crossley High School and issued six tickets.
Stolen auto and trailer
Police say that overnight last Saturday a 1983 Chevy K20 pickup, black, and a homemade attached trailer, also black, were stolen from the driveway of a residence on Foss Road near Balsam Street.
Spring branch collection
Spring branch collection starts next Monday, May 1, and continues until Friday, May 26. Curbside branch collection is available across the region to all residents
le, 37, of Port Colborne, has been arrested and charged with two charges of Luring a Child under the age of 18 years for the purpose of facilitating the commission of an offence with respect to making, distributing or accessing child pornography; two charges of Luring a Child under the age of 16 for the purpose of Sexual Interference; one charge of Access Child Pornography; and one charge of Fail to Comply with a Section 161 CriminalCode of Canada Prohibition Order.
living in single-family homes and apartments with six units or fewer. When setting out branches for collection, it is important to remember: Branches must be tied in bundles; Maximum weight of bundle = 22.7 kg (50 lbs.); Maximum size of bundle = 1.5 m (5 ft.) in length and 0.5 m (1.6 ft.) in diameter; Individual branches inside of the bundle must not exceed 7 cm (2.8 in.) in diameter; Branches must be at the curb by 7 a.m. on your regular collection day. In addition to curbside collection, branches and yard waste can also be dropped off by residents at one of the Region’s Waste and Recycling Depots year round, free of charge.
Bait your hooks
A family fishing tradition continues as the trout season opens at St. Johns Conservation Area, on Barron Road at the border between Fonthill and Thorold. In addition to fishing, the site features wheelchair-accessible facilities and an abundance of natural beauty and scenic trails. Admission is free. A valid fishing license is required, and conservation limits will apply. Please check the Ontario Fishing Regulations for further information at www.ontario. ca.
Port child exploitation arrest
Police officer arrested
Niagara Regional Police say that members of the Internet Child Exploitation (I.C.E) Unit have continued an investigation that had been initiated in the U.S. after a suspect had been identified allegedly exploiting children over the internet from within the Niagara Region. After two search warrants were executed, Bryan Leslie Pring-
On Tuesday February 28, the Niagara Regional Police Service entered into an investigation after being contacted by a member of the public regarding an incident in the Niagara Region. As a result of the investigation, last Tuesday Niagara Regional Police ConstaSee IN THE NEWS Page 7
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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.
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Vol.20 No.48
CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR
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Column Six
Growing up British Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation
Vol.20 No.32
Wednesday October 12, 2016
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Apple Day comes to Fonthill
BY JULIE MANNELL
Special to the VOICE
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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
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-
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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
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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
See COLUMN SIX Page 14
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BY VOICE STAFF
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-
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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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
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Second year Beaver with the 3rd Fonthill Group, Russell Letford offers a fresh apple to shoppers in Pelham during the 2015 Apple Day campaign. SUPPLIED PHOTO
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.
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Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn
Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932
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Column Six
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 of Pelham, April 26, 2017
Yiddish in Pelham, plus a sax Giller Prize winner Gary Barwin visits to read from his novel Yiddish for Pirates BY SAM PICCOLO
Special to the VOICE
Gary Barwin pulled his saxophone from its case, moistened the reed, and hitched the instrument around his neck. He closed his eyes and began to play, his toe tapped to time almost imperceptibly, the pads of the saxophone’s keys clapped against the frame, and there was a gentle hiss of air escaping the mouthpiece just audible beneath the melody. His face filled with strain and reddened. After finishing, to generous applause from the crowd of five, he reached for a glass of water before speaking. When Barwin had informed the room that he would be opening with a ‘nigun,’ a Jewish religious song, the audience was visibly surprised, though pleasantly so. They had come to the Fonthill branch of Pelham Library last Wednesday evening, after all, to hear Barwin speak of, and read from, his book, Yiddish For Pirates, and it is uncommon to find authors who provide their own musical accompaniment. But it would have been less surprising had the audience known that the writer in front of them was not just ‘Gary Barwin, Giller Finalist,’ but also ‘Gary Barwin, PhD in music composition.’ “My parents paid for all those years of music lessons,” he said. “So I might as well put them to good use.” Even though he has 19 other books to his name, Yiddish For Pirates is Barwin’s first novel for adults,
and it draws from, like his performance at the library, all that he has learned in his 53 years. Barwin’s grandparents were Lithuanian Jews who, sensing a burgeoning hostility, fled for South Africa in the 1920s. His parents grew up there, but left for Northern Ireland in their 20s to avoid participating in Apartheid. Barwin was born in Ulster and lived there until he was nine, when his parents, troubled by The Troubles, finally moved the family to Canada. As Barwin puts it, things have been all right here: “So far.” This familial theme of perpetual exile is something Barwin tried to capture in Pirates, set in the years around 1492. The protagonist, Moishe, is also a Lithuanian Jew who goes to sea, ending up in Spain during the Inquisition and joining Columbus’ crew, before becoming a pirate in the Americas. Moishe’s parrot Aaron narrates the story, and he ricochets, manically, between Moishe’s entanglements and inevitable expulsions. Barwin’s delight in language is evident in the work, as it filled with lyrical flourishes, and, as the title suggests, Yiddish. “There’s an old saying,” Barwin said, “that ‘the tongue is not in exile,’ that even when everything else has been lost, a language can remain.” Yiddish is used in the book to communicate Moishe and Aaron’s capacity to resist their displacement, but also to disorient readers not fluent in the language. Though Barwin himself does not speak Yiddish (he
developed word lists and consulted with experts to ensure accuracy), writing Pirates was an opportunity to crib countless stories from his Jewish heritage. Though Moishe has, by the book’s end, been separated from his betrothed Sarah for many years, Aaron suggests that Moishe might return to protect her, since he had promised to do so decades before. Barwin took this idea from a friend of his parents, who procured a Swedish passport for his ex-wife and her mother while they were being crammed into cattle cars bound for a camp. Though they had divorced, he risked his own life to save theirs because he had sworn an oath to protect his wife, an oath no separation could affect. Barwin wiped his eyes after finishing the story. “It makes me… the proper word is ‘verklempt.’” Ten of Barwin’s other 19 books are of verse, and he retains a poetic playfulness in his prose. Aaron is incessantly making puns in Pirates. Searching for gold, Columbus’ crew is directed toward the Carib peoples. “Oh, and by the way,” Aaron tells us, “the Caribs are the people who eat people. You can pick your friends. And you can pick your teeth. And you can pick your friends from your teeth.” Many of these puns are Jewish ones, too, including “Pochahontowitz,” a play on “Pocahontas,” which Barwin’s son suggested. Pirates nods to weightier works as well, including those of Plato, Machiavelli, and T.S Eliot. He said: “I can steal from my son, and I can steal from Dostoyevsky.”
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When it was time to read, Barwin picked up his book and opened it to the beginning. He shook back his shoulder-length hair, which is near uniformly grey, and rubbed a hand across his short-cropped beard, which, although salting too, retains enough pepper to sneeze at. Barwin gestured animatedly as he spoke, putting on a gruff brogue for a sailor’s lines and seeming unbothered by the thinness of the audience, made up entirely of book-club-aged women. He read three passages, ending with a scene of “gay Yiddish parrot sex” that, he said, any writer who has written such a passage is obliged to read. Barwin, who lives in Hamilton, took four years to write Pirates, and says of his wife, Beth Bromberg, “this book––as most things––would simply not be possible without her.” Bromberg is a lawyer, and when the two became engaged, his parents thanked him “for marrying the person we’d always hoped you’d become.” Bromberg’s family is Jewish, too, and Barwin takes great pride that his father-in-law, who
Author Gary Barwin.
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left school after ninth grade, read and loved the book. “The Giller prize and all that, it’s great, but I like it when real people just come to me and talk about what the book meant for them,” Barwin said.
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“I think that it’s for everyone, since, the question for us is, am I the same as someone in 1492? Do I love my children the same way? The answer is both yes and no. But I’m trying to figure out just how much.”
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The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
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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
FOLLOW THE MONEY By Jim Pitt As its own developer, Town is in conflict with itself
W
HILE SEARCHING through the agenda for the Town Council meeting for April 18, looking for information on the Community Centre’s construction oversight committee, I found none. However, I ran across a 48page document outlining a new development, set for approval. This is a private developer in the early stages of building 20 single-family detached houses. Building a new development is a complicated and expensive undertaking. The project was originally proposed in 2005, but was delayed and was to begin in June 2013, was extended in March 2014, given a 2-year extension in June 2014 and another one-year extension in 2016. There were to be no more extensions after June 2017. As stated, these projects take a long time. The document laid out a primary plan (water mains, storm sewers, roadway, streetlights), a secondary plan (driveway aprons, sidewalks, topsoil and trees), and Town fees (administration and final approval fees, street signs and stop signs). The plan was detailed and listed all costs to be borne by the developer. Almost $1 million.
Then the developer could start building the houses. The council was voting to either approve or turn down the project.
I was struck by the level of transparency required of this private developer
I was struck by the level of transparency the Town required of this private developer. This was a legal and binding agreement. The plan looks to be approved and if you want to buy one of the last of the large-lot new homes in Pelham, these will have 60-foot frontages. Anything new to be built in East Fenwick, behind these new houses, will be on much smaller lots. The new bylaw for this development will make sure of that. Unlike the development described above, the East
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Fonthill Development is difficult to get a reading on because the information is scattered around many documents. The draft plan was approved in March of 2014 and the groundbreaking occurred in June of 2015. In that period of time Pelham residents have been led to believe that a number of facilities were to be built on the Town-owned lands, consisting of 32 acres adjacent to the Community Centre. In 2013 it was announced that Baybridge Senior Housing was building a 120- unit building along with 12 townhouses. As well, Little Lake Senior Care and Health Centre was building a 30,000 square foot medical professional building. Since the province deemed that Pelham had enough doctors, the medical building is delayed or cancelled. The senior residence plans are unknown at this point. In March 2015 the Town paid $20,352 for a study to see if a hotel could be supported in town. The study said no. Wellspring was donated a parcel of land in 2016. The East Fonthill development is actually two ongoing developments. The See CONFLICT Page 8
Letters Mid-peninsula expressway threat to Pelham There is a critical issue which, although the subject of little debate, is a major threat to Pelham’s environment. This is the possible resuscitation of the mid-peninsula expressway. The mid-peninsula expressway was first proposed by the government of Mike Harris in 1997. Its defeat was primarily triggered by public outrage in Burlington against the crossing of the Niagara Escarpment in the vicinity of the majestic Mont Nemo. The mid-peninsula expressway was planned to in Burlington in this vicinity, cross the Niagara Escarpment to connect with the Queen Elizabeth Highway. It was to circle around the City of Hamilton, go south through West Lincoln and then con-
nect again to the Queen Elizabeth Highway in either Niagara Falls or Fort Erie. The mid-peninsula expressway would require one of the existing tunnels under the Welland Canal. The only way it could possible by-pass Pelham would be if the southern tunnel under was employed. This would be highly unlikely, since to be at a four lane divided highway standard, the current rail tunnel here would have to be converted to highway use. This would result in the closing of the Canadian Pacific rail line from Hamilton to Niagara Falls. The route of the mid-peninsula expressway has never been defined. If it were to See EXPRESSWAY next page
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Letters
The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
continued
EXPRESSWAY continued from previous page pass through Pelham however, it would enter near the Pelham Hills Golf Club and head towards Hamilton south of Fenwick. The fact that the expressway would exit Pelham near the Gainsborough Conservation Area, would have been a factor that made its sale appealing to some in the past. (While there were unofficial discussions, in the end the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, NPCA, rejected such property sales.) The City of Burlington went to court in order to stop the construction of the mid-pen expressway. A quite laborious environmental assessment process finally prompted the provincial government to terminate the scheme in 2013. The former Niagara MPP Tim Hudak was a vigorous advocate of the mid-peninsula expressway. It had been hoped that with his retirement as leader, and subsequent departure from politics, that the issue of the mid-peninsula expressway would go away. However, it was revived when the new leader, Patrick Brown, met with the Flamborough Chamber of Commerce in August 2016.
Nine months into his term as PC leader, Brown stressed that the revival of the mid-peninsula expressway should be seriously considered. One phrase that he used was having “empathy” for Hudak’s position on the project. The use of the term “empathy” by Brown is terribly revealing. Empathy towards his fellow Conservative politicians, but none for the wildlife whose habitat would be painfully disrupted by the construction of the scheme. I was a member of the Community Liaison Committee that was deeply involved in the mid-peninsula expressway. The meetings located at a hotel in Grimsby had a car pool but at one session my designated driver had a change of plan. To ensure that I could actually get to the meeting, (it is normally possible to get there by transit from St. Catharines, but not at the last minute), I took a taxi. Naturally, with my mind being so focused on the issue of the mid-peninsula expressway, I became focused on the issues with the taxi driver. He told me about the likely environmental impacts of the scheme based on his early experience with the Red Hill Creek expressway a few days after
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Nine months into his term as PC leader, Brown stressed that the revival of the midpeninsula expressway should be seriously considered it opened. There was he noticed a terrible slaughter of wildlife from car collisions. What he found quite disturbing was the massacre of deer. He believed that the all the deer in the valley were killed off by motor vehicles one-byone until all had died off. The massacre of deer on Red Hill brought back other painful experiences of the term empathy. I took part in efforts to block the construction of the expressway through non-violent occupation of the site. During this time I wtinessed giant trees being pulled out from the Niagara Escarpment. It looked like the Escarpment was having its teeth pulled out. My experience of empathy regarding expressways
is profoundly different from that of Patrick Brown’s. It is for the trees that will be felled and the deer to be run over. I have no empathy for the legislators of the PC party who feel for their colleagues that went down to defeat by their aggressive support for the mid-peninsula highway. At the time of the last provincial election Hudak’s support for prison labour was widely ridiculed, suggesting that building it would be a venue for an operatic version of chain gang choruses. In terms of land use planning, the impacts of actually building the expressway would be horrific. With an expressway plowing through Pelham from the south east of the town near Welland to likely at least as
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If one examines the various forests carefully designated in Pelham’s Official Plan, it is clear that it is not possible to wiggle the expressway around them. Ecologically diverse Carolinian forests that would be at risk of being chopped up include the Northeast Fenwick Forest, the Welland Airport Woodlot and the Sumbler Road Woodlot. It is to be hoped that people in Pelham will wake up to the threats caused by the mid-peninsula expressway. Burlington should not be the only impacted community fighting this ill-considered scheme. Dr. John Bacher St. Catharines
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far north as Foss Road, land use planning reasons would be triggered to justify the urbanization of around a third of its rural area. The provincial government’s Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) is based on protecting large blocks of farmland. Essentially, if the mid-peninsula expressway were to actually plow through south Pelham there would be no large blocks left. The entire area of excellent Class One farmland would easily be lost through this basic application of provincial land use policy in a region fragmented by an expressway. There also would be a tragic loss of natural areas.
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Page 6
The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
Letters
Town wants to know how to communicate with you
continued
T-shirts, a smartphone app, an iPad—ink nowhere in the mix
Community comes out for kitty My wife and I moved to Fonthill on Good Friday and we all know what moving is like. We had a great day Saturday and a much needed rest. Then on Sunday evening our cat Disco went missing. On Monday, my wife, Disha, canvassed the immediate neighborhood and her parents drove in from Toronto and joined the search no avail.... He was nowhere to be found. On Tuesday we commuted to work and our hearts and mindset drifted to worse-case scenarios and we became stressed and a little frantic. We would search in our car until midnight all week long. My lips were sore from whistling and Disha lost her voice from calling. On Wednesday Disha circulated posters with a $100 reward for Lost Cat with Disco's picture and details. The response from the community was unbelievable. People were genuinely welcoming and sincere and everyone wanted to help, offering support in some fashion. We are amazed by the good nature of the Human Spirit here in Fonthill. The kindness of all the people is so heartfelt, it rejuvenates one's belief in people in general. Coming from Toronto where neighbourliness isn't always present, we are extremely happy and proud to to live in
such a community of good souls. On Friday afternoon John from the Fruit Barn on Hwy 20 called and said he saw a cat that matched Disco's description taking shelter in his barn. We went out after work and found him an hour later, shell-shocked and emancipated from five days of no sleep nor food. John declined the reward and was happy for us. We were and still are elated. The happy ending to this story isn't just Disha and I finding our cat, it's the wonderful connection we feel to this community. It's the rejuvenation of our belief in the goodness of Human Spirit, of people knowing that together we are stronger and it's only through each other as neighbours and as friends, anything can be accomplished. We found a needle in a haystack because people cared enough to reach out and make that call, to post a picture, to keep an eye open, to send a text or have an encouraging word. Awesome! I'd like to say thank you to everyone that offered their support and helped us. We are proud to live here in Fonthill. It is a wonderful place to call home. You are all heroes in our eyes! Dean, Disha, and Disco Litzenberger Fonthill
BY VOICE STAFF An interdepartmental team of Town staff have been compiling data and developing “new and creative ways” for the municipality to communicate and engage with residents. The team presented their findings from Phase 1 of the study to councillors during the April 18 Council meeting. Bylaw officer Craig Genesse explained to Council that one notable outreach initiative was designing the “Did You Know” t-shirts handed out and worn by Town staff at the Pelham Easter Egg Hunt and Pelham Home Show. Also mentioned was the development of the Town of Pelham “app,” and the installation of an iPad public information-gathering tool placed at the main reception desk at Town Hall. The iPad survey gives citizens a chance to tell the Town what their preferred means of communication and receiving information is: email, Canada Post, phone, or newspaper. So far, public response to the iPads has been slow, to put it mildly. Only one individual filled out the survey since the iPad was installed in January. The team said they plan to step up promotion of the iPad survey in the second phase of their initiative. The team also determined that the Town’s automated call-out system needs to be upgraded. Currently the system is used to contact residents for utility billing, accounts in arears, continuous leak calls and broken meters. Water billing clerk and interdepartmental team member, Krysten MacLeod, said the upgraded system will increase efficiency, save staff time and provide clearer-quality calls.
The improved system will also be able to contact the public regarding water main breaks, emergency road closures or public announcements. Upgrades to the software and the additional lines are estimated to cost between $6,000 and $7,000. Special events and festivals programmer, Sally Jaeger, said the Town’s printed Community Guide had been an effective way to show people what the Town has to offer. She said the group has received several comments from residents who found it to be a useful resource that provided a diverse range of information about community events and organizations. “We have all the information online but sometimes people like to just sit and look at something physically in their hands,” said Jaeger. “When we did have the [printed] guide, we had so many comments where people were saying ‘I didn’t know the Town did this.’ I think we are missing that resource right now.” Councillor John Durley suggested reaching out to the business community to sponsor the community guide with paid advertisements, since it would be a way for them and the Town to engage with the people of Pelham and new residents. [Editor's Note: Previously the Voice, and then the Pelham News, printed the Town guide.] The Town of Pelham “app,” or smartphone application, is another way the group believes the municipality can improve communications. The app provides smartphone owners with detailed event information and calendar, press releases and news items, Community Centre information and updates and public service requests. Since it launched last December, 98 subscribers have signed
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up. MacLeod said the group plans to focus on boosting subscriptions in the next phase. The Town’s general email announcement list has just 358 registered subscribers, according to Town public relations officer Marc MacDonald, who acknowledged that the Town does not know how many of these may be non-Pelham recipients. (Pelham’s residential population is approximately 17,000, across 6,500plus households.) Councillor Peter Papp commended the team on their work, stressing the importance of their study. “Communicating and engaging with people — those that are here and those that are coming in here is crucial,” he said. “They need to get the right information at the right time in the proper way.” A unilateral move by Town staff to entirely eliminate communication with residents by print was stopped by Council over a year ago when Councillors asserted that they were blindsided by the decision, which had already been announced in another weekly newspaper. The issue was referred back to staff for "review." Numerous follow-ups by the Voice over several months have garnered similar responses along the lines of "we're still looking into the matter."
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The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
Page 7
IN THE NEWS continued from Page 2 ble Mark Taks was arrested. Taks will be charged with the alleged offences of Criminal Harassment and Harassing Telecommunications. Police say that the incident occurred while the officer was off duty. Taks was held in custody pending a bail hearing. He has been a police officer with the NRPS for two years, and is presently assigned to uniform patrol. In accordance with the Police Services Act of Ontario, Taks has been suspended with pay pending further investigation.
Police officer arrested for assault
Gina Shaffrick in her Fonthill studio.
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Architect builds practice in Fonthill BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Two years ago, Gina Schafrick along with her husband and daughter decided to leave the city behind and move their family from Toronto to Niagara. As the owner and chief architect at Design Nine Architects, Schafrick also decided to move her business’ head office to Fonthill — the community she and her family have chosen to call home. Ever since she was a child, Schafrick remembers having an appreciation for the arts and architecture. It was while she was in high school, she said, that she discovered she was destined to become an architect. When her older sister purchased a house that was still under construction, Schafrick said she fell in love with the building process as she watched in unfold. “To see something under construction and see the entire process, where something is being built and going from all the mess of construction to the finished product was really interesting to me,” she said. “I like being able to refinish, reshape or reform a space, and to notice its on-
Design Nine's Gina Shaffrick on design going evolution.” Schafrick spends part of her week working with her team out of the Design Nine office in Toronto, and the rest of her time working out of her office on in Fonthill. Spending time at each of the projects she is working on allows her to connect with the space. She believes this helps to give her a better understanding of the context in which the building she designs will be situated. Currently, Schafrick is putting this design philosophy to work on a cottage renovation in Georgian Bay. While visiting the site she said she takes time to note where the prevailing winds are coming from, where the sun shines and the shadows fall. All these factors contribute to the functionality of the structure, she said. “The site and the context are everything. I don’t think people understand that with cookie cutter homes they’re not getting these types of benefits. Every site is unique, so every
building that is built on a site should be unique to that context.” Likewise, she sees engaging with her clients throughout the entire process as another important element essential to designing a quality space. This allows her to deliver a design that is tailored to their specific needs. “I like helping people get to the point where they are happy with the end product,” said Schafrick. “Taking a client through the process, really listening to their needs and creating that product. It’s really about bringing value to the space in the end. Seeing what it was and what it becomes — the before and the after — are something I really enjoy.”
In early March of 2017 the Niagara Regional Police Service entered into an investigation after being contacted by a member of the public regarding an incident in St. Catharines. As a result of the investigation, last Friday Niagara Regional Police Sergeant Jake Grant was arrested. Grant will be charged with the alleged offence of Assault. Police say that the incident occurred while the officer was on duty and involved a member of the public. Grant has been released on an Officer in Charge Undertaking. He has a future court date in the Ontario Court of Justice on May 26, 2017, at the Robert S. K. Welch Courthouse in St. Catharines. Grant has been a police officer with the NRPS for 15 years, and is presently assigned to the Quality Assurance Unit. At the time of the incident he was assigned to uniform patrol. In accordance with the Police Services Act of Ontario, Sergeant Grant has
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Niagara Region has already begun the 2017 season of road construction activities. Each year the Region undertakes an extensive road and road infrastructure improvement program aimed at the reconstruction, rehabilitation and repaving of roadways throughout Niagara. In 2017 the Region will invest almost $60 million into this program and has identified more some 70 kilometres of roads to be resurfaced. This year the Region has eight road reconstruction projects across Niagara underway that will see deteriorating roads rebuilt, repaved and refreshed. These reconstruction projects include: Glendale Avenue (Regional Road 89) between Tremont Drive and Burleigh Hill in St. Catharines; Niagara Stone Road (Regional Road 55) between Concession 6 and Four Mile Creek Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake; McLeod Road (Regional Road 49) between Pin Oak Drive and the Hydro Electric Power Canal in Niagara Falls. Projects completed in 2016 included: King Street (Regional Road 81) intersection, roundabout and watermain improvements at Greenlane and Durham Road in Lincoln; Thor-
old Stone Road (Regional Road 57) extension east of Stanley Avenue to the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls; and rehabilitation of the Central Avenue Bridge over the CNR rail tracks in Fort Erie. The Region also undertaking road planning, design and Environmental Assessment studies on a number of roadways in Niagara including: Martindale Road (Regional Road 38) from Fourth Avenue (Regional Road 77) to the QEW; and Creek Road (Regional Road 45) from Wellandport Road (Regional Road 4) to Canborough Road (Regional Road 63).
Veggies for kids
The Town of Pelham’s Recreation, Culture & Wellness Department, working with the Healthy Kids Community Challenge Niagara, is launching the “Choose to Boost Veggies and Fruit” initiative to encourage kids and families to eat healthier, and to make vegetables and fruit part of their everyday lives. Whether fresh, frozen or canned, fruits and vegetables help provide children and families with the vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and overall energy needed to be physically active. Local programs and activities will encourage families to include more fruits and vegetables in every meal and snack.
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Page 8
The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
CALLING FOR ELECTRONICS! This Saturday, April 29, Wellington Heights Public School will host an Electronics Recycling event. Bring your old computers, network equipment, laptops, monitors, and all peripherals, plus pretty much anything else electronic. Drop-offs may be made starting now at the school, 1165 Centre Street Fenwick. From left: Grade 7 students Coleby Kaman, Emily Hendrick, Laura Phillips, and Robert Morrow. SUPPLIED PHOTO
CONFLICT continued from Page 4 Community Centre is one, the East Fonthill Development in the other. Both are being built by the Town. In essence the Town is acting as the developer. This January, the Mayor announced that Deloitte was to be retained to audit Pelham's books, and he reflected, "An unusual part of Deloitte's work will be looking at the financial matters of the Town as developer in the East Fonthill area." As noted above, as a developer, there are costs involved. Unlike the private development above, the costs are not immediately obvious or
itemized in one document, at least not one posted on the Town website. In 2014 Council approved $5.4 million for East Fonthill street construction. In 2016 Council approved $37 million for the Community Centre, $200,000 for public art and $2,473,963 for construction of Summersides Boulevard, a new street in the development. This year approval is sought or has been granted for $2,088,774 for Summersides (Station Street to Wellspring). In 2018, $7,496,090 will be potentially approved for secondary service of Summersides and a Cultural Plaza Development. In 2019 approval may be sought for secondary service and landscaping for Summersides.
Cost: $2.9 million. In 2020 another $2.9 million may be approved for secondary service and landscaping. All told $45,073,963, it appears, has been approved, with another $15,384,864 that may be approved. These costs are the only amounts directly itemized in the Town of Pelham’s budgets between 2014 and 2017, and the forecast budgets for 2018 to 2020. Other costs, such as consultants, design, studies, approvals etc., were not readily identifiable, so they are not listed. None of the budget items approved or to be approved were specifically outlined in the budget document to the level of detail required by the private
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KINSMEN SUPPORT The Fonthill Kinsmen recently gave financial support to Pathstone Mental Health and Women's Place of South Niagara. Proceeds were generated at their annual craft show. From left: Kin Dave Kuchyt presenting to CEO Shaun Baylis of Pathstone and Amanda Braet of Women's Place accepting from Kin President Ryan McKay. SUPPLIED PHOTO
developer previously mentioned. But I did find a document entitled, “A Stronger Pelham.” “A Stronger Pelham” was presented by the CAO at the April 18 Town Council meeting. It was a preliminary document. The discussion around it was peppered with phrases like, “moving forward” and “intensive development.” Councillor Papp remarked that “towns used to pay as you go and that didn’t work, some municipalities were close to being out of money. What is the tolerance level here for taxes. People here are wealthy. There’s different kinds of wealth. Who is moving in. So what’s their taxation tolerance? What are they willing to pay? If you want to create wealth you gotta invest.” I wondered if Councillor Papp was expressing concern for taxpayers or looking for a tax rate people would pay. Among other things it appears to address the income shortfall faced by the
Town, by suggesting more intensive growth within the urban boundary of Pelham. It is too involved to address here, but it contains an itemized budget breakdown for 2016. Under the heading, The Disconnect, the Town's finances are laid bare. Rounded to the nearest thousand, under Operating expenses the Town spent $13,510,000. Capital expenses were $8,358,000, of which $7,705,000 was for transportation, meaning new roads. The total spent was $21,868,000. Income was $13,514,000, of which $11,345,000 was from taxes. This left a deficit of $10,523,000. Add this to the $37 million for the community centre and the Town has $47,522,615 of debt on its books or pending. In the first, and so far only, East Fonthill update from September 2016, the CAO outlined a number of components of the plan as underway or completed. It was a long list. Items listed were underground infra-
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structure, road base, utilities, pond and “Woonerf” (don’t ask) with a number to follow. These costs, as listed, are being funded through debentures, “debt” for a better word. Other than the Community Centre, which the Town is building, and the Food Basics plaza, which was privately built, there appear to be no other projects announced by the Town in East Fonthill anywhere I looked. I found it odd that the private developer was required by the Town to provide a detailed proposal with specific demands for anyone to review prior to approval, while the Town, as developer, has not provided the same degree of scrutiny for the public. The appropriately named section of the above plan, The Disconnect, tells us that the Town is at a debtto-income ratio of 4.1, i.e., there is four times more debt than income that the Town collects for all expenses, including operating costs like wages and dayto-day expenses. When a private developer builds a project, the Town oversees and monitors all aspects of the construction, as they should. Everything about the project is made public. When the Town is the developer they also oversee the construction but very little is publicly accessible. This sounds like a conflict of interest, and the public ought not to tolerate it.
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The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
Page 9
2nd Annual 2 e th m o fr Snapshots arden Show G d n a e m o Kinsmen H
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Page 10
The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
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Section of Poth Street closed for a year BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Celebrating the Life of John Bradford The family of John Bradford would like to invite all who knew him to join us for a brief service at Pleasantview Memorial Gardens followed by a light lunch and beverages at the Fonthill Legion. Please bring your memories and stories. Raise a toast to a long life well lived and a cheer to the start of gardening season which was Dad’s favourite time of year!
Town staff were notified by the Niagara Regional Police on April 1 that a sinkhole had caused Poth Street to fail at the dual culverts north of Webber Road. The road was immediately closed due to safety concerns, and will remain closed until a safe means to cross the municipal drain has been established. As it stands, this section of Poth Street will likely remain closed until at least the summer of 2018. During their April 18 meeting, Council discussed options for repairing the culvert, and addressed concerns from the public about the road closure. Responding to the question of why the culvert cannot just be replaced, Mayor Augustyn assert-
ed that it wasn’t a simple fix, given the culvert’s 47-year-old age. Providing clarification, Director of Public Works, Andrea Clemencio explained that any replacement culvert must meet current standards. Councillor Gary Accursi recommended that the Town consider getting quotes for a design and build in order to speed up the process, instead of just seeking quotes for a design. Clemencio told Council this was a possibility, however it would mean the Town would need to set aside the $702,000 in funds required to complete the construction. Councillor Marvin Junkin asked whether the Town would have the funds available now if Public Works were to speed things up by acquiring a contractor to complete the
The condition of Maple Street was actually worse than Poth
project this year. “That’s a loaded question,” said Treasurer Cari Pupo. “We certainly would have to look at the reserve balances. I know we have had the discussion already about the road balances this year with all the reserve balances so we’d have to look and see if there were any other proj-
ects that could be dropped off for this year and swapped for next year.” Junkin said it was unfortunate that the road repairs were already underway on Maple Street, suggesting that it could have been delayed to allow for the Poth Street repairs to take place. Pupo said the Town had considered this, but the repairs on Maple Street were deemed more urgent. “The condition of Maple Street was actually worse than Poth,” she said. “We prioritized all [roads] that were due for replacement based on last year’s assessment and usage of road and traffic counts. That’s why Poth Street dropped down one year. The grading was actually poorer and it had a higher traffic count, so we decided to suggest that [Maple Street] become the fi rst on the priority list.”
It is with great sadness that Kevin and Kim Wiley announce that their son, Mark Wiley, went to be with the Lord on April 12th at the age of 33. He died of injuries sustained in an attack in Fort McMurray, Alberta on April 7th. Memorial (Open House) to be held at Ridgeville Bible Chapel, 418 Canboro Road on Sunday, April 30th from 2 to 5 p.m. Donations may be made in Mark’s memory to Graphite Bible Camp.
MACDONALD continued from Page 1 degree in Popular Culture and a minor in Professional Writing, he went on to work at the university for five years with the Faculty of Education as the manager of communications and development. MacDonald also spent time working in the media — first as an editor with The Brock Press and then as a local reporter/photographer with the Niagara Advance in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and at the Fort Erie Times. “I think I have a bit of a unique perspective in this role as I’ve spent time working both sides of it,” said MacDonald. “It’s been nearly three weeks since I came on board and I am in awe of the support, dedication, and ambition by everyone at the Town. This is a place I hope to call home for a very long time.”
Saturday May 6th, 2017, Pleasantview Memorial Gardens, 2250 Hwy 20 Fonthill At the columbarium, east side, across from the Garden of the Apostles. Service at 12:30 pm. Royal Canadian Legion, 141 Hwy 20 Fonthill. Lunch at 1:00 pm
MARK WILEY
Marc MacDonald.
NATE SMELLE PHOTO
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The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
Page 11
Living with war and finding peace—new Canadians adjust Syrian family settles into Niagara, thankful to be alive BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Last August, Rana Bshara and Antoun Maalouf decided to leave their home city of Jaramana, Syria in hope of finding sanctuary from the civil war ravaging their nation. Harbouring a deep love for the country where they were born and raised, the decision to flee was not an easy one. Coming to Canada with their two children, Soleil and Ghassan, meant they would have to split up their extended family. "The kids are growing up without seeing anyone from their family, and we have a big family so it is very difficult,” said Maalouf. “Before the war our country was a very beautiful place. We still have many family members there, and we are praying for peace to return to the people of Syria.” Adding to the difficulty of their decision was the fact they also had to give up their careers. In Syria, Bshara worked with Air France as a sales and marketing agent and Maalouf as a technician for a printing company. When they arrived in Canada, neither of them had jobs. However within two months both had found work. Bshara is
currently working at a daycare in Welland near their home and Maalouf is working at Sobeys in Fonthill. Now that they have settled into their new community, found work and made friends, Bshara and Maalouf said they know
We just want to live, to be safe, to go to work without being terrified that we will be killed they made the right decision. Thankfully, Maalouf said their family has had the support of the parish at St. Kevin’s Church in Welland. Bshara said she they are continuously reminded how much their new network of friends and neighbours truly cares by their generosity and through their empathy. When the news broke of the gas attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in northwestern Syria, she said they immediately started get-
Mortar damage to a vehicle, missing Antoun Maalouf by seconds in 2014. ting calls from community members telling them how happy they were that they were here in Canada. Bshara said the images of war from her homeland on the news are too painful to look at, because they know how terrifying it is to live
in a war zone. “We know how bad it is when you are just walking down the street and mortar shells or rockets fall down near you. It happened to me at my office,” she said. “We just want to live, to be safe, to go to work with-
out being terrified that we will be killed. We want to be able to send our kids to school without having this fear that something will happen to them." "It happened to me too," said Maalouf. "I went out of the house
SUPPLIED PHOTO
with my kids to move my car. Just when I moved it a mortar shell fell down right behind me. If I had stayed there one second longer it would have hit me. That was the first time." See PEACE Page 14
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Places of Worship and Events Bethany Christian Church Fonthill Reformed Rlectric Ltd 1040 Balfour St., Fenwick
The Voice of Pelham ad size First Presbyterian Service Directory ad Church w:2.5” x602 h: Metler 1.75” Rd., Fenwick
Glad Tidings Church of God 1 Pancake Lane, Fonthill
Pelham Evangelical Friends Church 940 Haist St., Fonthill
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Color Info Fonthill Baptist Church 1414 Pelham St., Fonthill black only
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Ridgeville Bible Chapel 418 Canboro Rd., Ridgeville
Kirk on the Hill Presbyterian Church 1344 Haist St., Fonthill
St. Alexander’s Roman Catholic Church 50 Pelham Town Sq., Fonthill
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Due DateHall of Jehovah’s Witnesses Kingdom Friday, March 18 Rd., at noon 1369 Rice Fonthill Rundate(s) Fonthill United Church Mar. 23,42Apr. 6, 20, May 4, 18, Church Hill, Fonthill June 1, 15 and 29. Cost $42 per insertion plus HST. Terms: Due on publication
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PEACE continued from Page 11 Politically, Bshara and Maalouf said they support neither the rebels nor Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Like the majority of Syrian citizens, they are concerned for the country itself and the innocent people who live there. "It's politics, and inno-
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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca cent people are paying the cost,” Bshara said. “It doesn't matter if a child is killed — if he is from the rebel or the regime side or in the middle — he is an innocent child in the end. I don't know why people are doing this. Why? I don't understand the concept of the war, other than there are evils in this world who want to see people fighting each other. I don't understand how a terrorist — a human being — can put on an explosive belt and explode themselves. For me, as a Syrian citizen, I cannot understand what's going on in their mind. They say God will be happy? How? So, who is right? No one is right." "What would you say to a mother who lost her son, or saw her kid killed in front of her? Would you say to her, he was killed by a mistake, killed by war or killed by the rebels? No words can justify to her why her son was killed. That was not his destiny." Maalouf said when he hears people and governments say they are going to liberate Syria, he believes they are saying this to satisfy their own interests. From their point of view, trying to eliminate violence with more violence is not the answer to war. Launching 59 missiles towards Syria while eating dessert on the other side of the world, as U.S. President Donald Trump did three weeks ago, is not the way to end the conflict and nurture peace. Bshara also believes there are many ways to stop the war without resorting to violence.
"Have a dialogue, speak, use your words not weapons or guns,” she said. "It may not be possible to change the world, or change your country, but it is possible to change your attitude, change yourself. Starting with yourself, change yourself for the better and you will see the country and the world change for the better. You can have a bad president, you can have a bad government, but if you start with yourself, your family and your community everything will change." Their son Ghassan, 6, and daughter Soleil, 8, both grew up in Syria during the war. One month after they moved to Canada, Bshara said they travelled to Toronto for the Labour Day weekend to enjoy the celebration. Hearing the planes flying overhead, Ghassan panicked and refused to get out of the car. "He wanted to find somewhere to hide, because we had told him in Syria that if he heard that sound he should run to the bathroom because that was the safest place,” Maalouf said. “We spent a half hour convincing him that it was safe and it was just a show and finally he accepted it,” said Bshara. “But, that same night when we came home, he was sleeping at midnight and I heard his voice crying out loud in his sleep. I don't want to see my kids afraid any more. It's our responsibility to put them in a safe place. That's their right and it’s our responsibility to let them live in peace."
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The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
Page 15
Arriving back in Canada, at Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay, Labrador. SUPPLIED PHOTO
COLUMN SIX continued from Page 1 I began flying with the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) in 2000, a non-profit organization at the Hamilton airport, flying the North American Harvard "Yellow Peril,” a WWII advanced trainer that did not deserve that nick-name. The museum acquires, restores, maintains and flies airplanes flown by the Royal Canadian Armed Forces to honor our veterans. Some 20,000 students visit the museum annually learning about aerodynamics, theory of flight and learning to appreciate the sacrifices made by our veterans. I flew the twin-engine Beechcraft 18 (the Wichita Wobbler) a most comfortable passenger airplane from the mid 1930s — the Lear Jet of its time, but very demanding of the pilot's attention and skills, at all times! After a local flight in the Douglas DC-3 Dakota, the museum’s CEO, Dave Rohrer, asked me to consider flying the Lancaster. This was the fastest decision I ever made. The Lancaster is a heavy four-engine WWII bomber, powered by four 12-cylinder Rolls Royce Merlins, and was capable of carrying 22,000 lbs. of bombs. The Canadian Lancasters were built at the Victory Aircraft Co. in Malton, and the Merlin engines in Detroit by Packard. The museum's Lancaster first flew again on September 11, 1988 after a 10-year restoration, and was dedicated as the, “Andrew Mynarski Memorial Lancaster.” Mynarski was a "mid-upper-gunner" and had attempted, in vain, to save the tail-gunner, Pat Brophy, trapped in his turret, in a burning airplane over Cambrai in France. Pat rode the pilot-less airplane down and survived the crash. Andrew died of severe burns received during this heroic effort, his Victoria Cross awarded posthumous-
ly, and his was the last V.C. awarded during the war. In January 2014, the museum and the Royal Air Force decided to unite the two remaining Lancaster bombers for a "Reunion of Giants" tour. Two Lancasters had not flown together in some 50 years. On August 4, 2014, to prevent brake overheat, we towed our Lancaster C-GVRA (VeRA) to position on Runway 30 and proceeded with the "start" check. The number-2 engine wouldn't start! It didn't want to go flying that day. Back in the hangar, after an all-night troubleshoot, our Chief Engineer and volunteer support crew resolved the issue. August 5th, second attempt, we roared down Runway 30 in Hamilton with 2,154 imperial gallons of avgas, headed for our first landing, Goose Bay, 6 hours and 960 nautical miles away. (A nautical mile is about 15% longer than a land-based statute mile.) In Goose, after dinner, we reviewed the flight plan for the next day, checked the forecast and got a good night’s sleep. Departing on the 6th, we turned east for the Atlantic Ocean. I had crossed this mighty ocean some 400 times, but never in a vintage bomber and never at these low altitudes and without inflight service. It may be surprising to learn in this era of advanced navigation technology that there is no radar coverage for either the Atlantic or Pacific oceans once an aircraft is well over the water. Passenger jets making a trans-oceanic crossing follow one of several tracks, which change periodically depending on prevailing winds at upper altitudes. Aircraft are assigned slots on the track, well away from each other, and pilots are required to radio in position reports stating where they are in terms of latitude and longitude, and where they expect to be when they call in with their next report. This is the only way that controllers on the
ground know where a given aircraft is until radar contact is again established. It's a system that's worked since the start of oceanic flying, but it can feel a little lonely out there, knowing that only you really know where you are. In our case, we were well below the current tracks, limited to 13,000 ft. as we were without supplemental oxygen. On our route, we passed just south of Greenland's rugged coast, a spectacular sight, and flew directly to Keflavik, Iceland, 1,323 nautical miles away. Each 10 knots of tailwind would speed-up our flight time by 27 minutes, so we were hoping for strong tailwinds both going to England and for the return to Canada — we were dreaming! Keflavik is three time zones away from Goose and with an 8-hour flight ahead of us, we would be arriving at just about sunset. Later that night after others dined on Minke Whale (not me!), it was still light outside as we walked back to our hotel. We were, after all, only about 100 miles from the Arctic circle and the sky never really did get dark. The plan was to arrive at RAF station Coningsby to be part of a service presenting medals to 84 surviving veterans of Bomber Command. There were 150,000 airmen in that service of which 50,000 never returned. 10,695 were Canadians. We left Keflavik as planned on August 8, heading southeast toward the Hebrides, Scotland and England, a six-hour, 900-nautical mile flight, but over the Atlantic a heavy line of thunderstorms crossed our flight path. We would have to circumnavigate this weather without radar or anti-icing systems, forcing a route change to the east of Scotland and then down the east coast to our destination. We were only miles from Coningsby and face-toface with the thunderstorm which had just drenched the
The controllers at Coningsby had turned the approach and runway lights to full intensity and out of the mist and gloom came our VeRA
RAF station. We decided to go under it and have a very careful "look-see.” The rain became very heavy and ground contact difficult to maintain. Captain Schofield was reaching for the throttles to divert to Humberside airport behind us when something caught my attention. We were coming out of the weather! I saw a canal, then a road and houses—“Hold it, Don", I called. “Ground contact and approach lights in sight.” The controllers at Coningsby had turned the approach and runway lights to full intensity and out of the mist and gloom came our VeRA. The waiting and soaked crowd did the lovely "Three cheers for the Canadians.” Wonderful! F TER THE M EDA L presentation, with tears in everyone’s eyes, I was able to meet my wife, Mary, who had flown over to be with us, then we all headed to the Petwood Hotel in the quaint town of Woodhall Spa. The Petwood, a most beautiful hotel, was the "Officers Mess" of 617 Dam Buster Squadron, filled with artifacts of the famously successful raid on the dams of the Ruhr Valley with their "bouncing bombs.” Lincolnshire, in the British Midlands, was known as "bomber country,” the pubs with their low ceilings and old wooden beams, with coins jammed in the cracks. These coins were left by airmen prior to their "sortie" for good luck, to be removed upon a successful return.
A
The sight of those coins still stuck in the beams after all these years, waiting for some airman, even as I think of it now, I get a lump in my throat. Four of us remained with VeRA for two months, performing at 60 events including 20 airshows, viewed by millions of spectators, while flying just behind and below the British Lancaster "Thumper,” accompanied by a Spitfire and a Hurricane of Battle of Britain fame. Later, during a fly-past to honor Andrew Mynarski at Middleton St. George, we had a supercharger failure on the number-4 engine while on short final approach to land. After landing, we were grounded. The RAF loaned us a Rolls Royce Merlin engine and with the help of some local volunteers and their tools, we were able to switch the engines in only three days, a remarkably short period of time, allowing us to complete the tour. The "Once in A Lanc Tour" also visited Ireland, Scotland and the Channel Islands to be greeted constantly by thousands of spectators. September 23 was a very emotional day as we loaded our bags onto VeRA for our return flight home to Hamilton. For the first time in two months we took the lead, with the British Lancaster "Thumper,” two Spitfires and two Hurricanes behind us. We started up the east coast of England for Keflavik.
Over Lincoln Cathedral, we said goodbye to our RAF "wing-men,” our friends, and continued alone toward Scotland, the Hebrides and Keflavik for the first step of the return flight home. The north Atlantic weather in late September is not a pleasant place to be in a 70-year-old bomber, but it was time to go home. The return flight would be a great challenge, commencing with gale force winds delaying us in Iceland for days. The second leg found us picking our way through the clouds. Just past Greenland, while hoping to fly direct to Goose Bay, we ran into 40-knot headwinds, and knew that we wouldn't have the range to continue. We turned back and headed up the long fjord to Narsarsuaq and some very expensive fuel. This unexpected landing would add two hours to our day. With the sun very low in the sky, Captain Dave Rohrer flew VeRA out of Narsarsuaq and down the fjord westbound for Canada, a night landing in Goose now assured. The east coast of Canada became visible in the fading light of September 26th. Dave began a cheerful rendition of Oh Canada and we all joined in over the roar of the great Merlins. A proud moment and wonderful memory. The Landing in Goose was late at night, in a light rain, shown in the picture accompanying this article which was captured by a Canadian airman. We were back in Canada! On the beautiful Sunday afternoon on August 28, we surprised our waiting fans and family with a sneaky fly-past from behind. VeRA had brought us all home safely. Our documentary, "Reunion of Giants," produced by Suddenly Seemore Productions, tells the whole story and is certainly worth viewing. Now, please come out to CWHM and see VeRA and the rest of our collection! ♦
Page 16
The Voice of Pelham, April 26, 2017
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continued from Page 1 Science program leader, Sharon Keller, was instrumental in founding the first VegFest in 2015. She said she is inspired to see how the event evolves and student participation grows year after year. "Veganism and vegetarianism is on the rise within the youth population in our nation and around the world," said Keller. “This week's events are a way of raising awareness about how adopting a vegan or vegetarian diet can reduce the size of our ecological footprint.” One’s ecological footprint is the measure of their demand on nature to maintain the lifestyle they are living. It can be measured for an individual, a community or on a national basis. Keller said the Eco-Club chose to make VegFest an annual event because they want to encourage people to take a look at their own ecological footprint and then make a conscious effort to reduce it. “It doesn't necessarily mean they have to adopt a vegan lifestyle. Even committing to eating vegan or vegetarian one day a week will make a huge difference,” she said. “If a family of four were to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet for a week, [it’s like reducing] the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere as removing one car from the road for 35 weeks.” Last Tuesday, Eco-Club members handed out 450 fruit smoothies to their classmates. Keller said they expected to serve 325 colourful plates of salad with vegan dressing on Wednesday.
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On Thursday, students had the chance to watch and discuss an environmental documentary, and on Friday they were treated to vegan desserts. Grade 10 student Tessa Piccolo helped to organize last year’s VegFest. Taking a break from serving salad on Wednesday morning, she explained why she decided to become a vegetarian three years ago.
...when I saw a bunch of videos from slaughterhouses, that was it
“When I learned more about the impact of meat production on the environment and about the animal cruelty that takes place I decided to stop eating meat,” she said. “I have always loved animals, so when I saw a bunch of videos from slaughterhouses that was it.” Piccolo said transitioning away from meat was easy for her because her mother is a vegetarian and an environmentalist, so she has had a lot of support. The more she learns about environmental issues the more she wants to get involved in making a difference. When Justin Trudeau was elected as Prime Minister in 2015, Piccolo was hopeful that he would keep his promises and become a leader in the fight against man-made climate change. So far, for the most part he has been a disappoint-
Hungry students swarm the veggie buffet set up in Crossley's lobby last week for VegFest. ment to Piccolo. “In the beginning, he said he was going to be doing a lot of great things, but then he's gone ahead with all of these pipelines. I understand politically he wants to make everyone happy, but as an environmentalist who doesn't want to see any new pipelines it is still disappointing. I do support his carbon tax though. I
think it could do a lot to reduce greenhouse emissions.” This is the first year for Grade 11 student Julia Labricciosa as a member of the Eco-Club. She decided to become an environmentalist after meeting primatologist, activist, and author Jane Goodall. “One of the things I learned from her that really stood out
NATE SMELLE PHOTO
for me was the idea of thinking globally and acting locally,” said Labricciosa. “If you look at the big picture and keep sustainability in mind, you can find ways to make a difference in your own community and your own school. Joining the Eco-Club and getting involved with VegFest is one good way I can contribute.”