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Charles Duncan case proceeds
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Piccolo on picking putters and others
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EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
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Darcy Richardson, CPA, CA | Broker
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Published every Wednesday
APRIL 7 2021
Vol.25 No.14
page 17
Breaking her silence
DARCYRICHARDSON.CA darcy@darcyrichardson.ca 905.321.6292
Column Six
Six years after being struck by a hit-and-run driver, Faith Flagg speaks
Vaccine vexation BY COLIN BREZICKI Special to the Voice
I
DON RICKERS
Faith Flagg, with her mother, Sharon Crowe STORY PAGE 10
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read somewhere that positive thinking and laughter will keep you in touch with your inner self and strengthen your immune system. If that shot in the arm doesn’t work for you then maybe you should get the vaccine. I received my first Pfizer dose last week, but getting there cost me a good deal of positivity and didn’t provide many laughs. On the day the Ontario government opened up vaccine bookings for my age group I went online first thing. In minutes I had entered my health card details and cruised my way through to the appointments calendar. I hit a wall. The calendar was unresponsive. It had zero vital signs, and not in a good way. Like Monty Python’s parrot the calendar was bereft of life, had shuffled off its mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible. I went back and tried again. Several times. Same result. I spent a good part of the morning trying to pick the lock. I ran through all of April and May, at centres in St Catharines, Beamsville and Grimsby. Nada. See COLUMN SIX back page
Page 2
The Voice
A April 7 2021
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IN THE NEWS
PUBLISHER’S CORNER by Dave Burket
Easter assault, collision
At about 6:30 on Easter evening, 3 District (Welland) uniform officers, the Welland Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services attended the area of Alberta Street and Ontario Road, in Welland, regarding an assault/motor vehicle collision. According to police, investigation revealed that a 28-year-old male was allegedly assaulted by two males with a crowbar. As a result, the victim fell on the street and was then struck by a black Chevrolet pickup being driven by a 69-yearold male. The victim was transported to a hospital with life threatening injuries. Suspect 1 is described as: Male, white, 45 years old, 6’4”, 240 lbs, wearing a tan colored coat. Suspect 2 is described as: Male, white, 25 years old, 5’9”, wearing a purple and white hoodie. Police say that detectives have determined that this was a targeted event. The investigation remains ongoing by detectives with 3 District and the Collision Reconstruction Unit. Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 905-688-4111 ext. 1009077
Justice, the rule of law, and Faith
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hat is justice. More specifically, how should a society treat those who break its laws. It’s a philosophical question that is as old as human culture. The ancients largely decided that justice was retributive— that offenders be punished, and punished proportionally to the offense—the Christian Bible’s “eyefor-an-eye,” although this principle was already long established, appearing in the Code of Hammurabi, the Babylonian legal text, some 1800 years before the birth of Christ. On the other hand, Social Contract theorists argue that the most just outcome is that which benefits the largest number of people. The Canadian justice system tilts toward the latter—particularly when it comes to sentencing. Lengthy prison sentences as a form of incapacitation and deterrence are comparatively rare, even for the most heinous crimes. This despite a 1996 Supreme Court decision specifically noting that retribution be factored into sentencing: “Retribution is an accepted, and indeed important, principle of sentencing in our criminal law,” said the court in R. v. M. (C.A.), a case involving the lengthy sexual, emotional, and physical abuse of children by their father. Yet ask most Canadians whether our legal system is too tough or too lenient and polls consistently report the public says that it’s too lenient. A 2018 Angus Reid poll found that 62 percent of respondents said that the justice system was “too soft.” Which brings us to the case of Anderson Wormald, the driver who ran down the subject of this week’s main story, Faith Flagg, and injured another teenager, six years ago last week. To be clear, Wormald has served
Voice
of doing so safely. Yet I also know that alcohol clouds judgment, rarely to the benefit of the drinker. There are always at least two sides to any story, and Wormald surely has his. Unfortunately, he has declined our repeated invitations to tell it. Upon his release from jail and our hearing community expressions of anger at what was perceived to be a too-short sentence, the Voice offered Wormald a platform to speak to that community, to express contrition (or not), to acknowledge the ongoing suffering of Faith Flagg and her family (or not), to share how jail functioned as a rehabilitative influence (or not). This past weekend, we again attempted to get his perspective, again to no avail. Similarly, Sharon Crowe says that Wormald has never reached out to Faith or her family. Of course, this is his right. His debt to society has been paid. A phrase I’ve occasionally heard related to this case is that “it’s been difficult for everyone.” Maybe so. Turn to page 10. “It” has been a hell of lot more difficult for some than it has been for others—and will continue to be for a lifetime to come. Although it is paused now, the original 2015 GoFundMe page for Faith still exists, at www.gofundme.com/f/faithforfaith While we did not receive word before press time as to whether the page would be reactivated, if you want to consider making a contribution, take a stroll by there sometime in the next few days to see.
his jail time, and, as far as we know, fulfilled the other conditions which the sentencing judge imposed upon him, and he has not re-offended. By the lights of the Ontario justice system, the best outcome for the largest number of people has been achieved. Not included in Helen Tran’s excellent story is the victim-blaming that arose in 2015, as details of the collision emerged, then again around Wormald’s trial, and then again upon his release from jail. The gist of it was that “those kids had no business being out so late,” and were by implication in some part culpable for their own injuries. While not widespread, some proponents of this repulsive argument were louder than others, and the loudest one that I remember was Marianne Stewart, then the owner of the Fenwick Pie Company, next-door neighbour to The Broken Gavel Restaurant, which Wormald ran with his partner, Yvonne de Jong. After selling her business, Stewart would go on to work at the Gavel. She was elected to Pelham Town Council in 2018. Stewart did not acknowledge a request for comment over the weekend as to whether she still held this view. I hope not. It’s the equivalent of blaming a sexual assault victim for “asking for it” through their choice of clothing, or for having had a drink too many. I recently criticized someone I otherwise generally respect for lacking sufficient empathy. I don’t want to be found wanting in that department myself. I have had drinks at bars, and I have gotten in a car and driven home. That said, I don’t believe I’ve ever driven while legally impaired, and certainly never driven when I thought that I was incapable
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Just back from a cruise of the Caribbean, Joan Kruger and Wayne Hosick are enjoying lunch at Evita’s in Ocho Rios with their copy of the Voice.
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ment, the Town said that street sweeping lessens the opportunity for skids and collisions. Regular street sweeping also reduces the likelihood of pollutants making it into stormwater systems and harming fish or wildlife. It also reduces the chances of flooding in the event of heavy rainfall, as it helps to keep the gutters and drains clear. With periods of heavy rain already this spring, Town staff have been patrolling and monitoring roadways, clearing debris and keeping catch basins clear. Residents are
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Vol.20 No.48
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The Comfort Maple myth
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Growing up British
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
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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Apple Day comes to Fonthill
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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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
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-
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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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Digital identity service arrives at Niagara Health Patients to have greater access to services, control over personal data BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent A digital identity service has just streamlined the process for local residents to access secure health information online. Built on the Niagara Health System’s mobile app technology launched in 2019, called Navigator, NHS has joined Southlake Regional Health Centre, North York General Hospital, St. Joseph’s Healthcare-Hamilton, and their technology partners, IDENTOS and SecureKey Technologies, in the introduction of “Ontario trusted account,” a service that allows patients to prove their identity online, just as they would in person using their Ontario Health Card or Ontario Driver’s License. Patients in Ontario are currently served by an array of digital tools and online health services
which require them to use multiple login usernames and passwords to access these services, each with different levels of privacy and security standards. Offering a solution to these challenges, the Ontario trusted account allows patients to access health-related services without having to log in and out each time, while providing them with control over the information they choose to share and with whom they share it. Encrypted data allows a patient to seamlessly and securely access digital health services, or their own personal health information (PHI). The app provides such information as hospital emergency department wait times, and hospital COVID-19 resources, including test results, and allows pa-
tients to provide feedback about their care experience. The March 2021 release of the Ontario trusted account is available to patients of Niagara Health, and in the pilot phase, a subset of patients at Niagara Health’s Niagara Falls site will be able to securely check in and confirm ul-
trasound appointments. As the Ontario trusted account evolves in the future, it will deliver an expanded number of features, and the Ontario Ministry of Health will monitor and evaluate the initiative for potential expansion beyond the initial four hospitals.
In a press release, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott said, “The Ontario trusted account is an example of how made-in-Ontario innovations can enhance the patient experience and support better, connected patient care.” Lynn Guerriero, President and Interim CEO of Niagara Health, said, “We are excited to be leading this initiative, which will empower patients by giving them increased control over their personal health information and access to virtual care. Once fully implemented, the Ontario trusted account will create a more connected health system in which patients have one application to access their information from a range of providers, including hospitals, family doctors and other community providers.” For more information on the Ontario trusted account, visit http://mytrustedaccount.ca. The Niagara Health Navigator app, with updated features related to COVID-19, may be downloaded free from the App Store or Google Play.
every year. stroys thousands of lives deaths in Canada and deleading cause of criminal Impaired driving is still the ment programs like RIDE. offenders through enforceand the apprehension of offences through education reducing impaired driving lice Service is committed to The Niagara Regional Po-
Pelham David M. GEORGIEV, 36, St. Catharines Andrew DEGRAVE, 22, Welland Allan G. HIPPSLEY, 32, Niagara Falls Michael P. VANHELVERT, 33, Lincoln Richard W. PARRY, 48, Orchard Park NY Jamie HIDALGO, 39, Oakville Justin D. GODDERIS, 33, blood sample. refusing to provide a breath / alcohol in 100 ml of blood, or centration above 80 mgs of with a blood alcohol conby alcohol or drugs, driving nally with impaired driving have been charged crimiThe following individuals vention of the suspension. who are driving in contraStoppers to report those fic Safety Hotline or Crime gional Police Service Trafto contact the Niagara ReThe public is encouraged motor vehicle on a roadway. prohibited from operating a cense Suspension and are Administrative Driver’s Litry of Transportation 90-Day areNow alsothat’s bound by a Miniscruising, charged, Club these individuals Azamara Cruises Book now before this disappears. In addition to being proved in court. all seven continents lowing charges haveimmerse been yourself in No lines, no hurry, the Region. None of the folon smaller ship’s. Extended stays offence in port, some overnight impaired driving in with an alleged criminal people included. who are charged tuities Selectlast spirits, wines, Int’l Beers & Grayear! reports the names of those tique hotel at Police sea. Service one cruise at a time araExplore Regional thetime world onboard your bouThis Pelham St., Fonthill 2019—a year to explore the world, alcohol or1400 drugs, the NiagPAST www.niagara.cruiseholidays.com driving while impairedoffi byce@thevoiceofpelham.ca http://www.hooahhvideos.ca/ select voyages Enjoy a and veranda an interior price onyourSanta Raidy Manso (center), attention deterrence toreaders! and we’ll share it for with our Email photoCayo, with aCuba! brief description to BLAST FROM THE DOUBLE UPGRADE EarlyON's Fenwick United Church location. In an effort to bring further Send us Sue your Lough picture withholding daughter The Tamara, Voice, of whether Fenwick, across with new townCuban or abroad friend
toEarlyON go chargesCentres closing driving planners 83 days instead, sayRESULTS Fenwick and South Pelham NRPS impaired Peace on Earth Existing community facilities toand beAirbnbs used in Pelham At Hoo-Ahh Aerial of theHome Week qr 905.892.7900 THE VOICE POLL: Hotels
Pitch In Week April 18-24 As part of the Town of Pelham’s ‘Team Up to Clean Up’ program, recreation, culture, and wellness staff invite residents to help keep Pelham beautiful and participate in Pitch in Week. The program provides all the tools needed to run a cleanup, including gloves, masks, recycling bags, and specially marked garbage bags. For more information or to register, please contact Jodi Shishkov at 905-892-2607 x341 or jshishkov@pelham.ca.
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The Voice
A April 7 2021
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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
COTÉ'S COMMENTS Larry Coté
Some cheers and jeers during the pandemic
T
hroughout this pandemic, there have been a number of unsung heroes and heroines. Too many to list here but there are some that deserve to be heralded for keeping the larger population safe from harm. Then there are a few others who scared the beejebers out of the larger population. At the top of any such complimentary list are the frontline healthcare workers who risked their lives to keep people from contracting or succumbing to this terrible virus. The doctors and nurses who work in the hospitals were the most at risk and deserving of a virtual standing ovation. Sadly, some few of these professionals contracted this deadly disease, and many others were so overworked that they suffered from fatigue levels ranging from episodes of sleep deprivation to PTSD. The rest of the population owes a great debt of gratitude to this group. Grocery clerks and other food store staff, who risked contracting the virus due to their frequent exposure to the many shoppers who frequented their stores, form
another under-recognized group. From among the large number of shoppers there were likely some who may have been asymptomatic but potential carriers
Such a refusal was a slap in the face to those who worked to reduce the spread and duration of this deadly disease
of the disease. Some measures were taken to protect these workers with PPE, but this novel virus proved to be among the wiliest and worst of the bunch. There was some effort to increase the compensation of these workers during the severest period of the virus. They were certainly deserving of that little extra in their pay packets. There is another group that needs be identified—
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not for heroism but rather for not heeding the medical community. This is the small number of people who, in spite of scientific evidence to the contrary, refused to wear protective masks during this pandemic. Such a refusal was a slap in the face to those who worked to reduce the spread and duration of this deadly disease. It is difficult to fathom what the rationale might have been for this rebellious minority. Fortunately, there were few of them who believed they knew better than the scientists and medical experts about healthcare regimes. Some people were unable to wear masks for valid reasons and these persons are free from any disapproval. Finally, for now, our hats are off for those who worked so diligently to develop the vaccines to protect people from being infected. The short time frames to create these vaccines and the efficacy these potions render are near miraculous in scope. These vaccine developers are worthy of the highest of acclaim for they See CHEERS next page
Letters Vaccine booking system a nightmare The usual fiasco is happening for booking appointments for 70-plus adults. We hoped that being in Fonthill, we could book to have our vaccine given at the Meridian Centre. Lucky for me, I got the 2nd last appointment for April 8. My husband saw he could book, but when he finally got a person to speak with it turned out the Meridian Centre wasn’t even listed as being available after April 8, and the other sites—Port Colborne, etc., all the way down—were not available! How are people supposed to book when there is nothing available? Why, in Toronto, is Mayor Tory say-
ing on the news there is so much vaccine available—or is it just in their area? First we couldn’t get information for Niagara COVID-19 updates, now we can’t book our appointments. When will the people in charge get their act together. It’s been over a year, cases are rising, variants are getting worse and we won’t have enough people vaccinated in our area in time. Doug Ford, in his wisdom, cancelled March break for everyone and moved it unSee NIGHTMARE next page
7
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament
Electoral District: Niagara West
Dean Allison, MP 4994 King Street Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 Dean.Allison@parl.gc.ca 877-563-7900 Member of Provincial Parliament
Electoral District: Niagara West
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
Mayor of Pelham Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2986 Members of Pelham Town Council Ward 1 Councillor Marianne Stewart mstewart@pelham.ca 289-821-0840 Councillor Wayne Olson wolson@pelham.ca 905-933 6033
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Ward 2 Councillor Ron Kore rkore@pelham.ca 905-933-3805 Councillor John Wink jwink@pelham.ca 905-892-4475 Ward 3 Councillor Lisa Haun lhaun@pelham.ca 905-892-5877 Councillor Bob Hildebrandt bhildebrandt@pelham.ca 905-892-5647
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Page 5
A April 7 2021
OPINION PELHAM AND COVID-19 Mayor Marvin Junkin
REGIONAL COUNCIL UPDATE Diana Huson, Regional Councillor for Pelham
COVID caseload evolves as vaccination access increases Vaccination clinics continuing during lockdown
I
n what seemed like a cruel April Fool’s joke, we received news on April 1 that the Province was applying a province-wide “emergency brake” in response to the escalating caseloads and greater prevalence in new variants. This meant that effective last Saturday the colour-coded zones were paused. The Province will reevaluate our situation after one month to determine if restrictions should be lifted or extended. Regional Council receives regular updates from Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Hirji regarding Niagara’s caseload, vaccination schedule and response. Based on the update provided last Thursday, we learned that the new variants now represent about 35 percent of our COVID caseloads. These new variants carry a 60 percent greater risk of hospitalization, double the risk of ICU admission, and nearly 50 percent greater risk of death. These information workshops are posted publicly online, are approximately one to one-and-ahalf hours in length, and are well worth the watch if you’d like to keep informed on how the pandemic is evolving in Niagara and our public health response to it. Vaccination statistics have also been added to the Region’s website to help
keep everyone informed on the number of doses administered and also the percentage of age groups vaccinated with either the fi rst or second dose. Niagara has now vaccinated 78 percent of our 80-plus population, 53 percent of our 75-79 aged population, and 18 percent or our 70-74 aged population. As a bit of good news Niagara has vaccinated about 11.6 percent of our population overall, which seems low but is actually higher than the provincial average. New variants are primarily responsible for pushing Ontario into this third wave as they spread more quickly and are more severe in nature. We’ve been told we cannot vaccinate our way out of a third wave and need restrictions to help temper the impacts. We have seen a shift in who now represents our caseloads. We’ve seen an escalation of cases amongst those 59 years or younger and a subsequent decrease of cases amongst the 60plus population. This shift may be attributable to the impact of variants or may show that vaccinations are starting to take effect. We’re also seeing the majority of spread taking place in the community instead of being attributable to specific spaces such as workplaces, the agricultural sector, or restaurants.
There’s also been an escalation of cases in schools, which now represent the majority of our outbreak locations. Another good news item is that Thursday the Province opened up appointments for the AstraZeneca vaccine in select pharmacies for eligible people aged 55 or older, including in Niagara. You must have an appointment to get vaccinated at a pharmacy and contact the participating pharmacy to book the appointment. Where can we find these pharmacies? You can search online based on postal code at https://covid-19.ontario. ca/vaccine-locations In the meantime, this means we should all continue to follow public health protocols, limit close contact to your household, and limit trips outside of the home except for necessities. In hindsight, I never thought we’d be still be dealing with public health protocols a full year out. Last March seemed to last for years and this March flew by in a matter of days. What a year it has been! I hope everyone took the time to rest and recharge over the Easter holiday weekend and fi nd solace in that fact that warmer weather is ahead, and with it comes spring flowers, sunshine and fresh air. Stay well, everyone. ◆
I
t is important to note that Niagara Region Public Health vaccination clinics will continue to be open during the Province-wide shutdown. As more and more clinics open and run simultaneously in the Region, there is the problem of unused doses at the end of the day. These doses cannot be refrozen and must be used within a certain time frame. The Health Unit must try to make use of these unused vaccines. To this end, they are compiling standby lists. To qualify for the current standby list, Niagara residents must be 65 and over and must be able to arrive at a pre-chosen clinic within 30 minutes of receiving the notification call. Residents are asked to sign-up even if they already have an appointment, and are still encouraged to book an appointment through the Provincial booking system, as those on the standby list are not guaranteed to get a vaccine. As of last Thursday, the total number of vaccine doses administered in Niagara was 77,984. When word of the availability of the
CHEERS
continued from previous page are truly life-savers and high on any list of heroes. The vaccination protocols appear to be working
COVID-19 vaccine was first announced months ago, I was on the fence as to whether or not I would get vaccinated. Having been raised on a farm surrounded by a lot of different animals and a lot of time getting up close and personal with various forms of their manure, I felt that my immune system, like all other farm-raised kids, was stronger than average. However, with these new variants being more contagious and having the potential to more adversely affect those they infect, I have changed my tune and will get vaccinated whenever the offer is given. As always, visit www.niagararegion.ca/ health/ for up-to-date information. On the Town front, staff were very disheartened to have to completely shut down the community centre for this latest lockdown, especially when residents were returning in droves to use the facility. Health officials are quick to point out that residents must continue to get outside for exercise, do their walks, or runs, while maintaining social distance. Hang in there, everyone— that light is getting brighter every day! Until next time… ◆
as planned and the light at the end of the tunnel is a bit brighter. Those who designed that system are also deserving of high praise. Regrettably, medical experts predict It will take months
NIGHTMARE
continued from previous page til April. Hospitals will be overwhelmed and families will be in jeopardy. It would make much more sense to vaccinate households than go by age if you ask me. That way, at
to achieve that so-called herd immunity status. Many a sermon has proclaimed patience is a virtue. We may be called upon to put into practice what is preached. ◆
least the family is safer and all in one place. I hope our Mayor Junkin, or someone in the Niagara Region, can give us some answers as to why we are, it seems, always at the end of the queue. R. Obelnycki Fonthill
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Page 6
The Voice
A April 7 2021
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Letters continued Better place to install arches?
Open letter to Pelham Town Council Happy spring! Hoping all is well with you and your family. It has been awhile since we have communicated. We would like to thank Councillor John Wink for presenting his motion, and council for passing the motion for not allowing any more road crossings on the Town's trails. We are proud of Councillor Wayne Olson’s efforts to get Pelham recognized as a centre of a United Nations Geopark. These are major wins for citizens of our town and the peninsula. We are confident that all of you are very aware of the volume of pedestrians, cyclists, runners, bird watchers, and other nature seekers that use our green spaces, which include the Steve Bauer Trails. As you are aware, in mid February we sent you a petition with over 850 signatures from Pelham and another one with 300 from Welland due to our citizens who actually live in Pelham that have a Welland mailing address. We hope you have viewed the 19 elementary school children posters from St. Alexander, Glynn A. Green, and A. K. Wigg that were in the package. We also hope you enjoyed our video starring Steve Bauer with a lot of Pelham residents. We are concerned residents who value nature and stand by protecting our community’s natural spaces for all. The following are updates on more accomplishments that have been done and are ongoing with the Steve Bauer Trail (SBT). We have created not only a Facebook group page but also a website to educate and to inform the general public of the issues of trees in Pelham and our issue with the SBT. Because of the planned residential development on both sides of the trail south of Port Robinson Road, there are concerns about the future of the sidewall trees and shrubs. That begs the question—
will they be preserved? For this reason the Pelham Tree Conservation Society has conducted a tree count from Port Robinson to Merritt Road, with help of a tree professional. This was conducted in late January and early March. A trail clean-up was organized and completed during the weekend of March 14 so as not to destroy emerging spring veg-
We want respectful and responsible developers to make our Town a better place to live
etation. Many pictures have been taken of both regular and occasional users of the trail. These have been posted on both Pelham Tree Conservation Society sites. We are currently establishing a pictorial record of the entire length and width of the trail that is the focus of our concern. Recording of birds and frogs have been taken as our migrating birds have been returning from the winter homes, and frogs awakening from hibernation. We are now working with other environmental groups through the Region and the Province to help preserve natural areas and to oppose Schedule 3 of Provincial bill 257. We are asking on behalf of over 900 residents of Pelham who signed the petitions, the 19 children who made posters, and the 457 members of the
Pelham Tree Conservation Society, what besides receiving our petition, poster and video for information are you doing about our petitions? We want respectful and responsible developers to make our Town to be a better place to live. The following issues from the petition have been left unanswered: 1) To permanently protect the tree, shrub, and other vegetation of the SBT between Port Robinson Road and Merritt Road. 2) To work with the Kunda Park / Forest Park developer to preserve the SBT in its present form and minimally disturb its natural setting. 3) To replace the roadways crossings with entrance access (non- motorized) for pedestrian users and new residents of the development. 4) To move the proposed storm water management drainage ditch running alongside the STB off Town of Pelham land and locate it on the developer's property. 5) To further preserve the Town of Pelham's trees and natural landscape by the addition of a natural buffer zone between the SBT and the road, by the relocation of the planned Station Street extension by offsetting this new road by an additional 10 metres to the east. 6) To ensure that any SBT closure necessitated due to the construction be kept to an absolute minimum. With all due respect, our organization, citizens, and children of Pelham, and the 5000 people (people from all over the globe as well as from Pelham) who signed, are anxiously waiting to hear from you of what you are doing with their signatures on their petitions and the unresolved issues. Mike Jones Pelham Tree Conservation Society
How do the proposed arches fit within parameters of Infrastructure Canada? Tucked away on a Fonthill street close to properties which will be developed with likely much higher structures, i.e., Toronto Dominion. the arches will become a moot point. If Pelham is to be wholly inclusive, the arches should be located in a more visible and public space. L. Morgan Fonthill
Coronavirus frustration Where to start? This pandemic is getting ridiculous and exhausting. I would like to have a normal Canada Day in Pelham this year. It is looking less likely with coronavirus cases rising once again. Large gatherings at parks and residences will lead to more cases. The original virus was contagious enough, but now we have these three variants to deal with. I have been lucky that I have evaded getting infected so far. There is no guarantee I won’t end up in the intensive care unit if I somehow catch this dreaded virus. I may be a healthy 32-year-old, but my view differs from a lot of young adults who think they are invincible. My main frustration is with the vaccines— when do I get my COVID-19 shot? If I receive my fi rst shot soon, I will be very thankful. My chances of getting severely or even mildly sick from the virus will drop considerably. I want to know when we can travel out of province again without having to self-isolate for two weeks. Public health officials are still advising against non-essential travel within Ontario, but you don’t have to self-isolate when travelling to another region or municipality within the province. Will the Atlantic provinces fi nally get rid of their screening checkpoints by summer? Wearing a non-medical mask and getting even one dose of a vaccine offers all of us substantial protection from getting severely ill. I’m against getting rid of Provincial mask laws for the rest of this year and even into 2022. If the mask mandates are kept, then out-of -province travel should be allowed to resume soon. On the topic of the Canada-United States border, it would be nice to see it reopen by July. Congressman Brian Higgins of south Buffalo is pressuring Justin Trudeau to reopen the border. The moment that the border is reopened, I would like to go for a day-trip to one of the southern towns in western New York. Going to the various attractions and then going to the Cracker Barrel restaurant are my plans for my next trip across the border. It is scary in some of the US states because they have abolished their mask mandates. I will continue to wear a mask to protect myself and others, even if it is no longer required by the state or local government where I’m vacationing. Brian Higgins and other Democrats are working with Republicans and President Joe Biden on plans to reopen the border safely. Justin Trudeau and the premiers have to be convinced that travel can resume safely between Canada and the United States. In conclusion, the COVID-19 pandemic is getting outrageous and gruelling. All I can say is I hope this is the fi nal wave of the virus. Please continue to follow public health advice and don’t plan on hosting any large parties. There could be potential consequences at these super-spreader events. Brendan Young Fonthill
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The Voice
Dr. Charles Duncan, second from right, confers with lawyer Michael DelGobbo, far left, and his sons outside a St. Catharines courtroom in February, 2020. JOHN CHICK
Your turn is coming soon.
Charles Duncan case proceeds Final pre-trial meeting set for May 10 BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent The charges date back to the fall of 2019, but Charles Duncan will finally face justice this coming summer. Duncan, who practiced family medicine in Pelham for decades, resigned from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario in October of 2019, after the college commenced an investigation into allegations against him of professional misconduct and incompetence. Duncan agreed to never reapply for registration as a physician in Ontario or any other jurisdiction. After an alleged sexual assault victim of Duncan’s told her story to the Voice in the fall of 2019, several other women came forward with similar allegations. After a Voice editorial ran questioning the Niagara Regional Police’s apparent inaction in the face of the multiple allegations was Duncan formally charged and arrested in November of
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A April 7 2021
2019. The Crown is pursuing charges related to five females, and Niagara Regional Police have laid a total of seven charges of sexual assault and one of sexual exploitation. The women involved were aged 16 to 64 at the time of the alleged incidents. Duncan, along with his attorneys Seth Weinstein and Jill Makepeace, were present in a video conference broadcast from a St. Catharines courtroom last Wednesday, March 31, presided over by Justice Deborah Calderwood. Assistant Crown Attorney Todd Morris represented the prosecution. Her Honour advised the court that certain details of the charges against Duncan were subject to a publication ban. It is uncertain whether Duncan himself will testify in the predicted 12-day trial, which is set for dates in late May, June, and July. May 31 is the first trial date, and the preference of all parties was that it be in-person, should pandemic restrictions not preclude this arrangement. A confirmation hearing date is set for May the 10 at 10 AM at the Robert S.K. Welch Court House in St. Catharines, at which time additional submissions will be discussed.
Ontario’s COVID-19 vaccine plan is helping to stop the spread and save lives. Thousands of people across the province are getting vaccinated every day. As vaccinations continue, we need to stay the course to protect those we love. Wear a mask. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. Find out when, where and how to get vaccinated at ontario.ca/covidvaccineplan or call 1-888-999-6488 for assistance in more than 300 languages.
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A April 7 2021
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IN THE NEWS
PEOPLE AND POLITICS
continued from Page 2
by David Siegel
Freedom (and responsibility) of expression
S
ection 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms says that everyone has “freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication.” This and all the other rights mentioned in the Charter are “subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.” We now live in a society in which many people are quick to exercise their freedom of expression, but they are less adept at recognizing that they must take responsibility for how they exercise that freedom. As a political scientist, I am the sort of policy wonk who likes to see a strong and spirited discussion about the value of a particular public policy. I even enjoy it when people express highly unpopular views on policies. This kind of debate moves the discussion about policy issues forward and frequently results in the improvement of the policy. Of course, the debate needs to be reasonable and based on facts, but when people focus on debating policy issues, there is a certain self-correcting mechanism in the debate. If I
make a statement that is not reasonable or grounded in facts, my opponents will respond by presenting a factual rebuttal to which I will need to respond and so forth. This is how reasoned debate sheds light on an issue and moves the debate forward. Unfortunately, there is a style of debate now that focusses more on the personal characteristics of the debater than on the facts involved in the debate. Donald Trump did not initiate this style of debate, but he certainly moved it forward. One of his opponents was not to be believed because he was too short, another lacked energy, and another suffered the infamy of having an “ugly” wife. These personal jabs make for lively television, but they do nothing to move forward the debate on a policy issue. In fact, they lead me to believe that the person who makes these types of attacks has no reasoned argument against her or his opponent and so must resort to personal attacks based on gender, ethnicity, or some other personal characteristic. People engaging in this style of debate will cite their constitutional right to freedom of expression. However, the fact that something
is legal does not automatically make it the wisest or most appropriate course of action. There are some limits on freedom of expression grounded in the preamble cited above as being “demonstrably justified in a
People who engage in this type of debate need to be held responsible for the hate that they create
free and democratic society.” We have relied on this to outlaw hate speech, but this still gives people considerable latitude. Except in extreme cases, it is probably wise not to take legal action against people who engage in this type of debate. This only creates martyrs and allows these people to claim that they are being forcibly silenced. I have always believed that everyone is entitled to respect, and my default assumption is to respect everyone I come in contact
with. However, respect is not automatic; it must be earned. As I get to know someone, I give them respect they deserve. This brings us back to my earlier point about making arguments based on policy issues and not personal factors. If people make policy arguments that I disagree with, I can and should engage them in debate and try to explain why my view is superior. In turn, I must accept that they will likely respond in kind and that sort of exchange could well result in an improvement in the policy under discussion. I have a great deal of respect for someone who engages in this style of debate, even if I disagree with their position. Unfortunately, this is not always the way debate proceeds. Social media gives everyone who has access to a computer a voice. Some people use that voice to attack others on personal grounds such as gender, skin colour, sexual orientation, or whatever. These people should be given the respect that deserve, which is none. People who engage in this type of rhetoric need to be held responsible for the hate that they create. Responsible members of society should ostracize people who engage in these tactics and
make it clear to the protagonists themselves and anyone who might be drawn to them that they will not earn respect from others. I recognize that simply ignoring these attacks is small compensation for the people who are the victims of these attacks, but these “shock jocks” glory in the attention that they receive. When their oxygen is cut off, they will become tired of wandering in the wilderness (to mix several metaphors). When people who hold respected elective offices engage with these irresponsible people, they are giving these shock jocks the credibility and the oxygen that they need to survive. It is reminiscent of what former President Lyndon Johnson supposedly said about wrestling a pig: You both end up dirty, and the pig enjoys it. As a society, we are just learning how to deal with social media. It would be good to establish a culture that delights in debate around statements that begin with phrases like, “My policy idea is better than yours because . . . ,” and avoids destructive and irrelevant arguments based on personal attacks. ◆ David Siegel is Emeritus Professor of Political Science, Brock University.
asked to assist in this effort, when and where safe to do so. If these basins become clogged, street and basement flooding can occur. Residents are asked to avoid parking on the streets when possible so that sweepers can make their regular passes. Delays are expected between passes as sweepers must empty their hoppers, refill with water, or stop for a break from time to time. If a sweeper has to maneuver around a parked car, the operator will attempt to return to the area at a later date to complete the street.
Officer arrested
On February 27, 2021, 1 District (St. Catharines/ Thorold) Uniform officers were called to a disturbance involving two males at a gas station in Thorold. On March 30, as a result of that investigation, Constable Josh Wood, a one-year member of the Niagara Regional Police Service, currently assigned to Uniform Patrol, was arrested. He has been charged with assault. According to an NRPS statement, the incident occurred while the officer was off duty, resulting in minor injuries to an adult male. Wood was released from custody on a Form 10 Undertaking with a future court date. In accordance with the Police Service Act of Ontario, at this time Constable Wood has been suspended with pay. Police said that as the matter is now before the court, there would be no further comment made.
ACTIVE IN PELHAM ROAD SAFETY. IT STARTS WITH YOU. As the weather warms up for Spring, the Pelham Active Transportation Committee will present an informative campaign to help protect residents and keep all road users safer. Enjoy our many trails, bike paths and sidewalks safely! Watch for our weekly safety messages on the Town of Pelham’s social media, in the community news source MyPelham.com and in our local Voice of Pelham.
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Page 9
A April 7 2021
Emergency healthcare gets shot in the arm $8.2 million earmarked for Niagara EMS BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent Niagara Emergency Medical Services (EMS) just got a nice Easter present: $8.2 million in provincial funding to expand community paramedicine for long-term care in the Region. Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff delivered the good news last Tuesday at the EMS station in Fonthill, located behind the Pelham Fire Department Station #1, at 170 Highway 20 West. He was flanked by Niagara Region Chair Jim Bradley, Pelham Mayor Marvin Junkin, and Niagara EMS Chief Kevin Smith. Oosterhoff said that the initiative, “will help more seniors on long-term care wait-lists live in the comfort of their own homes for longer periods. It will allow access to health services 24/7 through online supports, provide non-emergency home visits and in-home testing procedures, and enhance the connection between seniors and their families and community supports.” Oosterhoff noted that Niagara EMS has 54,000 patient contacts each year, with its ambulances and emergency vehicles racking up some 2.4 million kilometres on Regional roadways. Smith said the additional funding will allow for recruitment of about a dozen more paramedics, as well as other frontline health professionals, such as mental health nurses and occupational therapists, over
Paramedic Kelly King welcomes the prospect of additional staff. the next few months. He referred to his paramedics as “an exceptional group of individuals who perform in unique situations and circumstances and under dire conditions at times.” Smith said that the process of transitioning from a reactive to proactive type of organization started in 2019, with a “model of care that embraces mobile, integrated health,” and has provided
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“tremendous value for Niagara.” Bradley thanked the provincial government for the “substantial investment being made here in Niagara,” and said that the funding will enhance Niagara’s EMS as a “model of community-based healthcare.” Paramedic Kelly King was on hand to describe what the additional funding will provide at the grassroots level. She said she gen-
erally works a 12-hour shift, commencing at 9 AM, and responds to all 9-1-1 emergencies. Some of her calls can take minutes, others hours. Niagara EMS currently has two platoons of five medics each. King is stationed at the fleet centre, located at Glendale Avenue near the QEW, but responds to calls throughout the Region. “There have been gaps in care at night that we've been trying to cov-
DON RICKERS
er in the morning,” said King. “But they often end up calling 9-1-1, and are sent to hospital when there's an easier fix when a paramedic is available. So the additional staffing will be a definite improvement.” She also noted that the funding will allow more time for training. “It's very exciting to be able to spend time with patients and really invest in their support system,” said King.
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Keeping
FAITH BY HELEN TRAN Voice Correspondent
S
ix years ago last week, high clouds and low fog obscured a bright, waxing moon as midnight passed into early morning. The breeze was cold—just above freezing—with westerly gusts making it feel colder. It was a chilly walk for a small group of teenagers trudging west along Canboro Road, under orange streetlights, a little after 2 AM. No one could know that within seconds all of their lives would be changed forever— none more so than 17-year-old Faith Flagg’s. Behind them a ten-year-old Toyota convertible was climbing the steep incline of Church Hill. At the wheel was 41-year-old Anderson Wormald, owner of The Broken Gavel restaurant, in Fenwick. He had been drinking at a Fonthill bar until closing time, and was now heading home. Just after bearing left from Church Hill onto Canboro, on level ground parallel with the Fonthill United Church, Wormald rammed into Faith Flagg and a male teenager. While the boy sustained minor wounds to an arm, Flagg was thrown into the windshield, carried along on the Toyota’s hood for dozens of feet, then thrown airborne an additional 60 feet, suffering further critical injuries on hitting the ground. Wormald didn’t stop. Instead, he fled five kilometres west, parking his car at his Fenwick apartment. He would be taken into custody later that morning after a civilian gave a crucial tip to the police. In a plea deal a year later, Wormald would be sentenced to 12 months in jail, two years’ probation, 75 hours of community service, and a three-year driving prohibition, for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm. By the time Wormald finished serving his one-year sentence, the Flagg family was only just beginning to come to terms with the severe brain injuries that Faith sustained that night, and the stark truth that she would never be the same again. After six years of near silence, during which her family focused on Faith’s long and arduous recovery process, she and they are now ready to speak about what happened the night of the accident, and its aftermath. By providing a more detailed account of the events of April 3, 2015, and the severity of Faith’s injuries and her recovery, they hope to shed light on the seriousness of brain injuries, and to raise funds and awareness for MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Canada.
N
ow in her mid 20s, Faith continues to recover in the home of her mother, Sharon Crowe. These days, Faith is no longer bedridden, but she remains mostly housebound as she continues to undergo rigorous physical and emotional therapy. “This was something that happened to me, and it changed my life,” said Faith. “But I survived, and now it’s time to tell my story.” See FAITH Page 12
The Voice
A April 7 2021
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The Voice
A April 7 2021
Page 11
Six years later to the night—Canboro Road last week, just west of where it intersects with Church Hill. After being hit, Faith Flagg was thrown 60 feet, landing near the fire hydrant, centre right. DAVE BURKET
Page 12
The Voice
FAITH
continued from Page 10 Seated in Sharon’s living room, Faith smiled as she explained the significance of her t-shirt: the hashtag #ABI standing for “Acquired Brain Injury,” a term defined by the Ontario Brain Injury Association as “damage to the brain that occurs after birth from a traumatic or non-traumatic event.” Between questions, she would often pause either to smile at her mother, or pet one of the four newborn puppies that one of the family dogs had just birthed. As her long recovery from the collision continues to progress, Faith has been re-learning how to do things in public that many take for granted, such as grocery shopping, or eating at a restaurant. While the COVID-19 pandemic has paused some of these outings, it has also shifted the focus to reflecting on how the accident has changed their family’s lives, and what the future may hold. “It was really hard to move forward,” said Sharon, smiling through tears, “because she is completely different now, the Faith that we knew is gone.” “For the past six years, I call
the anniversary of my accident my celebration of life,” said Faith. “I feel that it is my second birthday because after that night, I became a whole different person. Six years ago, someone made the choice to drink and drive and then chose the rest of my life for me. Everything that I knew in my 17 years was taken from me in one night, but I don’t want it to be that way forever, so the life that I still have—I’m gonna make the most of it. Over the past six years we have been slowly rebuilding our lives and building back myself, my happiness, everything.” Before the accident, Faith helped her mother raise her younger sister and brother. Described by her siblings as the family’s “Uber driver,” Faith would take them to school, and accompany them to events and parties. She would go to the gym with her grandfather almost every night. Faith and Sharon were a team with Faith as a “mini mom,” cooking dinner if Sharon was busy with work, Faith always there to cheer up the family and “make them smile and laugh every day.” All this would change in a gruesome instant that she, her family, and her friends can never forget.
A April 7 2021
F
aith herself has no clear memory of what happened. What she knows from that night she has pieced together from remembered fragments and from eyewitness accounts of friends and family. Faith’s younger brother, Wyatt Flagg, who was there the night of the accident, had walked down the same street just 20 minutes earlier with his own group of friends. He made it to their friend Brianna’s residence without incident and sat down to wait for Faith and her group to join them. It was a walk they had done many times before, at the same hour of night, without incident. The neighbourhood was known for being safe and quiet, yet nonetheless the teens always practiced basic safety by walking in pairs and keeping to the side of the road. A sidewalk runs along the south side of street, while a green boulevard strip runs along the north side. “It was supposed to be just another normal night,” said Wyatt, who was 15 at the time of the hitand-run, “in a normal everyday teenager’s life.” While he was sitting inside the house, Wyatt suddenly heard a “crazy crash, bang, then all [Faith’s] friends screaming and
calling her name.” He ran from the house, barefoot, to find his sister “lying there on the grass, bloody, bruised, with vehicle parts all around her. She was moaning, wheezing, just not verbal at that point. I was in shock and hysterical while holding her. I thought: this could be the last time I see my sister alive.” The group of teenagers that night was comprised of six friends, one of whom described how Faith had been pinned to Wormald’s car and carried on the hood and windshield for some distance before she was thrown. While Wyatt held Faith and tried to absorb the enormity of what had just happened, one of the teens’ mothers called 911. The other teenagers in the group took turns comforting Faith. Wyatt distinctly remembers one friend holding Faith’s hand and saying. “Faith, stay with us, we’re right here, we got you.” The Niagara Falls Review would later report Wormald telling police that he thought “teenagers had thrown garbage” at his car, and he drove away because he didn’t want to “confront a group of teens.” While questioning Wormald at 8 AM, an officer detected “a strong odour of an alcoholic beverage”
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and said that Wormald appeared to be intoxicated. Because Wormald did not remain at the scene of the accident and was not subject to immediate testing for impairment, the Crown was unable to determine whether he was driving while impaired at the time of the collision. According to Sharon, during the 911 call, one of the teenagers was asked to describe the driver and his justification for why he described them as drunk. He was driving erratically, the boy answered, with the tire tracks weaving in and out of peoples’ lawns. Wyatt described that night’s toll as “heavy,” and that the entire group was in shock from what they had witnessed. “In a literal instant, this happened and she was laying there, and from that moment on it’s never been the same. That image of her laying on the lawn, that image will never leave my head.” Faith’s injuries from the accident were catastrophic. Every bone in her face was shattered. Her forehead was in pieces. Complete fracturing of her skull had pierced her brain in multiple places. The brain had been pushed down into her sinuses, and parts of her frontal lobe were destroyed—which
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has impacted emotion regulation, decision-making, memory, her vision, and sense of smell. According to Faith’s family and the medical professionals who tended to her that night, her survival was miraculous, yet she will never make a full recovery. The massive injuries to her internal organs, and the physical and mental toll of healing, has meant that she will experience constant pain for the rest of her life. She is unable to bear children. She has not regained full control or mobility in the left side of her body. Another injury to her head, however minor, could be fatal.
F
aith has had hundreds of medical visits, and with a team of physiotherapists attending therapy feels like a fulltime job. The costs have been astronomical—what the family describes as a small settlement received from a civil lawsuit against Wormald hasn’t even begun to cover the expenses. What helped the family get through the initial years following the accident was support they received from relatives, friends, and even strangers who would make donations to a GoFundMe campaign set up early on, as well as
people who dropped off food and gift cards. “The scary thing is,” said Faith, “if I was alone that night, I would have just been found dead in the morning.” This was the fate that met one of her relatives years ago, a boy riding his bike alone one night when he was struck by a drunk driver. He was found dead the next morning. He was also 17. Sharon revealed that the civilian who gave the critical tip to police was Faith’s own grandfather, Wes Crowe. Soon after the 911 call and after Faith had been taken to the hospital, Wes followed the trail of debris from the scene of the accident until he came upon unmistakable evidence that Wormald’s convertible was the car that had struck the teenagers. “He had run over a street sign,” said Crowe, “and then parked sideways in his parking area — the [windshield] was smashed, the driver’s window was down and one of mirrors had broken off. The whole hood was smashed.” The car smelled of alcohol and vomit, and there was blood on the vehicle. Crowe returned to the scene of the accident and told police what he’d found. Wormald was questioned and arrested. Although
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A April 7 2021
Crowe, like the rest of the family, was disappointed by the brevity of Wormald’s prison sentence — he would like to have seen “the key thrown away”—he had much praise for how the police handled the investigation.
W
hen this guy was getting released from prison, Faith was just starting to try to get basic motor skills back,” said her brother Wyatt. “She was still having a hard time going through daily life, even getting up and going to the washroom. She was bedridden for years. After, it was tough for me to go out and do things that Faith would normally do with me every day, knowing that she couldn’t be with me. Thankfully, thank God I didn’t lose my sister that night — but in a sense I did lose her, because she will never be the same person I grew up with for 16 years. That is something [Wormald] took away from me, our family, because of something he chose to do.” At his trial, Wormald’s lawyer asked the judge to sentence him to six months. The Crown requested two years less a day. According to reporting by the Niagara Falls Review, Crown Attorney Tyler Shuster told the
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court, “The kids were doing nothing wrong that night. They weren’t rowdy. They weren’t harassing anybody. They weren’t walking down the middle of the road.” Asked by the judge if he had anything to say, Wormald turned to face Faith’s family and friends seated in the public gallery and said, “For the past 15 months, there have been threats of violence … and social ostracization from a community that I love. Individuals have used this terrible incident for their own purposes, but none of this ever clouded my concern for you and your family and your loved ones.” “We thought [Wormald] should have got more time,” said Wes Crowe. “Let’s hope he learnt his lesson.” (Wormald did not respond to multiple requests for comment attempted through various channels. The Voice continues to welcome an opportunity to interview him. See Publisher’s Corner, p.2, for a discussion of community reaction to the hit-and-run.) Faith’s grandmother Patti described the accident and the years following as “just a nightmare, and very hard to get over. But we are blessed to still have her. Her positive attitude carried us through it
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W
hen Faith finally regained consciousness in the hospital, her eyes were swollen shut and it was her mother who explained that she had been hit by a car. Faith’s first words were to ask Sharon about the shift she was supposed to work at Tim Hortons the day after the accident. Faith described the fol-
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— we would go up to the hospital in tears, and she would tell us: ‘happy thoughts, happy thoughts.’ We moved forward. It was very tough but we did… but we still don’t want to forget.” To this day, Patti says that family members will feel goosebumps when they drive past where the accident happened, or past the restaurant where Wormald still works, though no longer as its owner. Wormald’s partner, Yvonne de Jong, told the Voice that she is now the sole owner of The Broken Gavel. She responded to a Voice request for comment with an expression of sympathy. “My heartfelt thoughts and best wishes are with Miss Flagg and her family,” wrote de Jong in an email.
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A April 7 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
FAITH
continued from previous page lowing days and nights as a haze of confusion—with her brain injuries she was unable to communicate or fully understand what had happened to her. Faith initially hoped that she only had a few broken bones and that she would be back in school within several days. Three weeks after her release from the hospital, Faith and Sharon realized that brain fluids were leaking from her nose, a harrowing experience Faith described as feeling like drowning. She was rushed back to the hospital for emergency surgery. During a full craniotomy, Faith was a surgically cut from ear to ear as the surgeons reconstructed her forehead and face, and attempted to lift her brain back into position to stop the leaking. Wormald’s legal defense team would later describe this operation as a “minor surgery.” The pain during recovery was so great that Faith would lose hope many times. “She just kept saying, ‘Mom just let me die,’” said Sharon. It was also at this time that Faith began to realize the full extent of her injuries and what they would mean for her future. She struggled to sit up, or even walk a few steps without the aid of a walker, and she was also devastated by the changes to her appearance. Her head had swollen from the brain surgery, and she could barely recognize herself after the facial reconstruction. It would be a full year before the Flagg family could start putting together a complete picture of the extent of Faith’s injuries and what that would mean for her future. “For someone else, Faith looks beautiful,” said Sharon, “and they say ‘You would never know what she’s been through,’ but for us, and Faith, even though she does look beautiful, she looks completely different.” Sharon gently swept back some blonde locks from Faith’s hairline to reveal the surgical scar, and the slight bulge in Faith’s forehead from the bone reconstruction. Even six years later, Faith still leaks fluid from her brain, and the bone in her reconstructed forehead is deteriorating, which means that a
Faith Flagg at 17.
FLAGG FAMILY
second surgery might be necessary in the future. The family is trying to avoid this for as long as possible, due to the risk that it might damage Faith’s frontal lobe even further. “Brain injuries are like a loss of who you are and who you feel like,” said Faith. “My therapists always tell me that you can’t think about what your life would have been, because those thoughts will eat you up, they make you miserable. For the past six years, I have woken up thinking where would I be if that person didn’t drink and drive that night.” “It was a huge struggle,” said Sharon. “I was working when it happened, two jobs, and just like that I was done. The accident just changed everybody’s life so drastically. I pulled everybody together, to keep everybody strong and all I focused on was that Faith was alive.” Faith used the analogy of someone trying to function day-to-day as if they were a car running starting out with a full tank of gas. For someone with a brain injury, they are starting each day with only a
partial tank. The frustration of being unable to do simple things with her hands, like brush her teeth and open a shampoo bottle, as well as problems with her eyesight, racing thoughts, insomnia, and mood swings, would transform the previously happy teenager into someone who would struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide. Going on sleep and mood stabilizing medication helped, but there would be good days and bad days as she got used to the effects and dosages of each medication. “I just wanted to get back to normal so badly,” said Faith, “and it took me a long time to realize: Faith, you’re not going to be back to normal — I was so embarrassed for the longest time [because before] I was such an independent person. I went from being a 17-year-old to literally a child again, relearning everything and learning a new way of life. That is what living with a brain injury is, learning a new way of life.”
A
turning point occurred when Faith attended a MADD conference and found similari-
ties between her and a speaker at the gathering, who also had a brain injury. The young man, who stuttered frequently and admitted during the speech that he had a tendency to forget what he was going to say, likened the experience of living with a brain injury to the image of ducks swimming —all people saw was how smoothly the ducks were gliding across the water, but no one realized how hard their feet were working under the surface to keep them afloat. To Faith, this was exactly how she felt every day. The invisibility of brain injuries, and the complex challenges of their recovery, are the issues that the Flagg family wishes to draw attention to. Since the nature of a brain injury is not only internal, but also psychological, it is common for people who don’t know Faith to make false assumptions about her personality. “A brain injury is an invisible injury,” said Sharon. “People can be mean when they don’t understand.” She described days where she
would take Faith out shopping and experience ignorance, or impatience from others, because Faith needed extra time to complete basic tasks like counting change, or she would sense judgment from onlookers when Faith needed to stop and rest, or needed special accommodations. Over the years, Sharon and Faith would try to educate others on an individual basis about brain injuries, but as Faith began making more progress in her recovery, she began to think about how she could help on a larger scale. Faith hopes to do public speaking once the pandemic is over, and the family is planning to write a book or fi lm a documentary about her experiences. She has been contacted by a member of the Canadian military and asked for permission to share her story to bring awareness to brain injuries and PTSD. Eventually she hopes to build an animal sanctuary called, “Keep the Faith,” to provide a space where people can go to feel safe and protected. On her Instagram page (www. instagram.com/keepthefaithco), Faith sells necklaces and resin trinket dishes that she has created. Fifty percent of all proceeds are donated to MADD or brain injury awareness. To Faith, it is important for her to try to give back to a community that has helped her and the Flagg family so much. In particular, she wants to be a voice for her specific age group, with a focus on connecting brain injury awareness with mental health issues. She believes that if her story can help even one person with brain injuries, or to convince one person to take a cab home instead of drinking and driving, then she will have done some good. “This happened to me, and I want it to be remembered. But I also want to use it for good. I want to be a voice for people with brain injuries, to help people with brain injuries. A voice of hope, a voice of faith.” A particularly loud snore from one of the newborn puppies interrupted the conversation, and Faith and her mother laughed through their tears. They embraced on the sofa. “I cracked,” said Faith, as she squeezed her mother’s hand, “but I didn’t break.” ◆
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BUSINESSES. FONTHILL BANDSHELL PRESENTS DE TEMPS ANTAN & and ShedCentral MOVING ofYard Pelham Niagara Burke’s Masonry SALE, Large collection FONTHILL Since 2003, Éric Beaudry, André Brunet Pierre-Luc Dupuis have THEand VOICE IS 100 PERCENT E. L. Crossley Keith’s Restau $10 gift card time-honoured of Christmas and OF holiday been exploring and performing melodies from the stomp- Bricklaying, tuckpointing, COMMUNITY-OWNED CELEBRATING 25 YEARS PUBLICATION Churchill Natural Meats Target Store decorations and household step repair, granite ing grounds of Quebec’s musical past. Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, Shoppers Drug Mart Pennzoil Quick coatings, brick slices items, SAT. AUG. 30, 8AM- Fonthill Library guitar, bouzouki and a number of other instruments, our three virtuosos Lazy Loon 1PM 625 METLER RD, 905-682-7061. blend boundless energy with the unmistakable joie de vivre found only in Town of Pelham Pharmasave FLOORINGP18-28 NORTH PELHAM MASONRY REPAIR P18-23 traditional Quebec music. Show runs from 7-9 p.m. Cafe on Main Avondale Stor ALLTYPE MASONRY
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PELHAM LIBRARY CARD MAKING WORKSHOP Make six cards with fall themes, learning a variety of techniques. Materials are provided. At time of registration, please enquire about tools needed. Tues., Sept. 16 10 – 12:30. $10. Please register ahead. Visit www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca or call 905-892-6443 for more details. FABULOUS FENWICK LIONS FISH FRY Tasty treats with funds heading straight back into the community. Haddock, french fries and much more. Runs Sept. 9 from 4-7 p.m. PELHAM MINOR HOCKEY EQUIPMENT SALE Buy, sell or trade used equipment at the Pelham Arena. Aimed to provide cheaper options for players in this upcoming season. Runs Sept. 6 from 9-12 in the morning. PELHAM MUDFEST Men and women will be back in the mud as the second run on the year is held at Bissil’s Hideaway. NIAGARA REGIONAL EXHIBITION Rodeo, games and live entertainment headline this years exciting event. It runs from Sept. 11-14 at the Welland Fairgrounds. BIG MOVE CANCER RIDE The Big Move Cancer Ride is a non-competitive ride taking place on Sept. 7. Proceeds for the Big Move stay in Niagara and support the Walker Family Cancer Centre. WABBIT The Fonthill Lions raffled off a large chocolate Easter BunWASCALLY, CHOCOLATY ny last week, and the lucky winner wa Tammy Pettes, currently of Milgrove, ON, but headed back to Fonthill, she says, after 30 years away. “It was a great surprise for my children on Easter.” Nigh’s WALKING CLUBmade the bunny, and Pleasantview Funeral Home donated it to the LiChocolates, in Stevensville, Interested in Pelham? Joinmother, themLinda Tuesdays theFonthill Pelham ons. Taking deliveryinofwalking the chocolaty prize is Pettes’ Lafleur,atfrom LionArena Gerry Glaves. SUPPLIED from 9-10 am and Thursdays at Fonthill Bandshell for 9-10:30 am. There
is no fee for this program. For more information, please contact jcook@ pelham.ca or call 905 892-2607, ext 329.
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The Voice
A April 7 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
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PLACES OF WORSHIP
Bethany Christian Reformed Church www.bethanycrc.ca
First Presbyterian Church 602 Metler Rd., North Pelham
Holy Trinity Anglican Church holytrinityfonthill.org
Pelham Evangelical Friends Church www.pelhamfriends.ca
Concordia Lutheran Church 105 Welland Rd., Fonthill
Fonthill Baptist Church www.fonthillbaptistchurch.ca
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1369 Rice Rd., Fonthill
Ridgeville Bible Chapel ridgevillebiblechapel.com
Fenwick Church of Christ www.fenwickchurchofchrist.ca
Fonthill United Church www.fonthillunited.com
Kirk on the Hill Presbyterian Church 1344 Haist St., Fonthill
St. Alexander Roman Catholic Church www.stalexander.on.ca
Fenwick United Church www.fenwickunited.com
Glad Tidings Church of God www.gladtidingschurchofgod.com
Pelham Community Church (United Church) www.pelham.cc
St. Ann Roman Catholic Church www.stannfenwick.com
FAITH LIFT
continued from Page 19 team of evangelists who turned the world upside down. Most of them were martyred for their faith and preaching. A man will die for the truth but not for a known lie. These men knew Jesus had risen from the dead. Experience Strobel’s sixth (and last) piece of evidence is personal and subjective. It’s his own story. With great reluctance, he followed the evidence to its logical conclusion and finally accepted intellectually that Jesus must have risen from the dead. But that is not enough for salvation. True faith needs to go from the head to the heart. It leads to repentance, commitment and obedience. So, following his wife’s example and the “formula” of John 1:12 (believe + receive = become),
Strobel accepted Jesus as his Savior and Lord and became a child of God or true believer. He then experienced firsthand how God can change a life which is surrendered to Him. Gradually Strobel was transformed from an angry, immoral, proud (and sometimes abusive) husband and father into a man who was at peace with his God and the world around him. His young daughter noticed the change and said, “Mommy, whatever happened to Daddy, I’d like too.” The first five “E’s” above are objective. And when you put them together, they are also impressive and persuasive. But at the end of the day, it’s the last one that really counts. May it be your experience too this Easter season! ◆ Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
CLUBS
continued from Page 17 Quality again is not an issue unless your child is particularly good or strong for their size. Often we lean towards a bigger size so they can grow into them but if the clubs are too big or too heavy (why cutting down adult clubs is generally difficult) it can ruin a kid’s chances before they start. Do $800 drivers and $700 putters make a difference? Not physically. I put my putter together for $40 15 years ago and haven’t found anything that works any better. My irons are 20 years old and don’t officially suit my swing speed anymore but still feel good (hell, some of my grips are older than my children). I got my driver as a selloff the year after it came out for $200 and wouldn’t trade it for anything four years newer. Three hundred dollar wedges are about as import-
ant to the average player (or even the better player, to be honest) as knowing the barometric pressure before you choose which club to hit. There is one other big problem when you’re in the market for some clubs these days. Can you find them? The demand last year took everyone by surprise and it was very difficult to source product. You would think that manufacturers would have caught up by now but shipping is a massive issue at the moment. Normally there is a healthy used club market available on kijiji, or wherever else you shop online, but a rising tide raises all demand and prices. One thing you should do is ask around. I know from experience there are thousands of sets of clubs sitting around in your parents/grandparents garage or basement. Try the local second-handslash-junk shop. Friends have sets lying around. Dig them out and let them breathe. They may need some new grips but they are relatively
cheap. Summarizing, if you are just kicking the tires of this game you can easily get away with three or four irons, a hybrid, driver, and putter, and Bob’s your uncle and Roberta’s your aunt. All the extra stuff can be decided on later depending on how seriously you decide to play the game. By the way, don’t spend $5 a ball either. You are going to lose a lot. Get them in the bargain bin and supplement with the $5 balls you find on the course. If the $5 balls helped people play better you wouldn’t find so many of them. Hope this helps. If you have any other questions about equipment or the game reach out to me at Eagle Valley or send an email. ◆ John Piccolo is a golf instructor at Eagle Valley Golf club and is in his 25th year of running Piccolo’s Custom Golf Shop. Reach him at picgolf@vaxxine.com
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
The Voice
Page 17
A April 7 2021
ANOTHER ROUND
by JOHN PICCOLO
No need to break the bank when starting out
G
olf enjoyed a massive resurgence last year thanks to it being one of the few activities not particularly affected by the pandemic. People who would normally be playing or coaching or taxiing to other sports found themselves with extra time and not a whole lot of choices with which to fill it. For the next few months it seems golf might still be one of the things we can still do and keep ourselves safe until the vaccines can forcefully kick in. One of the biggest issues for all the newcomers was getting ahold of some clubs to play with. I thought I would talk a little about the options as the new season starts. If you are completely new to the game, the club-acquiring part can be almost as intimidating as the game itself. There are 98 drivers to choose from on a major retailer’s website ranging from $200 to $1000. Huh?
BALANCED LIFE
continued from Page 18 the headlines from despots, dictators and profiteers? It’s unlikely, but they are bringing together those that understand the value of decision- making that provides universal benefits, allowing the world to explore the possibilities of global cooperation before the next pandemic or crisis arrives. This international consciousness of global community seeps into our local neighbourhoods too. Much as we dread another conversation with distant relatives and semi-strangers about COVID, we’re learning more about our commonalities, how many of our experiences are shared, and how important we are to each other on a spectrum that runs from moral and mental support to providing transportation and warm meals to those on their own. We are coming to this
wedges at $50 to $270 (you’ll need one of them to start and one or two more as you progress). Then, the club with the least amount of engineering needed, that you will use from 30 to 50 times per round (but who’s counting?), the putter. Cheapest I found was $39.99 (but I
bet you find one at Canadian Tire in a barrel for less), and they go all the way up to $1099.99 for the Bettinardi Totally 80s BB 1-W. Yes, apparently there is a market out there for a putter that cost more than my first car ($950 for a 1960 Chevy Biscayne). We complain taxes are too high? If you are willing and able to pay a grand for a putter you need to pay more tax, not less. So what is a beginner to do? First of all take a deep breath. If money is not an issue just make sure you get clubs that are suited to your size and ability. There is some leeway here but if the clubs are way too heavy/ light, long/short or don’t have enough forgiveness for your speed and swing, it will make the game more difficult to enjoy. If you are an average-size woman or man most standard clubs made for your gender will give you a chance to succeed. If you are
awareness as individuals too. Everyone is facing challenges deciding how to spend their daily income of 86,400 seconds, and recognizing this as an opportunity to break free from categories and stereotypes. The communication technology that many of my generation have derided or ignored for years has become as critical to our mental and physical well-being as it is dangerous. Will we continue to spend our precious seconds in complaining, or will we invest our time to understand technology’s benefits, and how we might come to grips with the problems it is bringing our way? The words and slang idioms of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram may be foreign, and the grammar atrocious, but the message is the same. Every time you lurk an ex on Facebook, or obsess over another blogger on social media, is a second
you didn’t spend looking at a loved one. Or an hour you didn’t spend working towards something you’re truly passionate about. Working parents may now be part-time or full-time stay-at-home moms and dads. The nature of every role parents play, and how the time they spend with their kids is shaped, is being redefined. Their role as wage earners, kids’ mentors, and caregivers is in constant flux. COVID has given us a crystal-clear understanding of what urgency means. We knew it before, but not in our guts the way we do now. John Muir, the Scottish-American naturalist and environmental philosopher stated it over a century ago: “Our world is beautiful and many lifetimes wouldn’t be enough time to see everything worth seeing. Spend your time wisely and get a good look at as much as you can before it
Then some fairway woods or hybrids from $100 to $350 each. Irons from $350 a set to $500 per club (this is not a misprint). Don’t forget the
If you are willing and able to pay a grand for a putter you need to pay more tax, not less
much taller/shorter, stronger/weaker, or have disproportionate length limbs to your torso, the clubs can make a significant difference. If you aren’t living in the La La Land economy of people spending more money on digital art than the value of the average Pelham home (look it up; some crazy poop going on out there), there is some sanity if you search. If you are older or have a slower swing you can definitely
get away with a package under $500. There will likely be more clubs in there than you need and the driver will not be of the highest quality but they will give you a chance to play and come with a bag and everything but the foot wedge. You may get fewer clubs but slower swings will never notice this. If you don’t wish to compromise on quality you likely need to spend upwards of $1000 to $2000 for a full set. Don’t confuse quality
with the name. If you want the big names on your clubs the numbers go higher. I can build a top-of- the-line quality set of clubs for $1500 or less, depending on what clubs are suitable for your swing. Use that as your barometer of whether you are paying for quality or a name. For junior clubs you are looking at age compartments. Five to eight. Nine to twelve type of thing.
gets dark.” This thought is intuitive for seniors planning ahead, looking to maximize their enjoyment of retirement by rekindling buried passions for outdoor activities and travelling. COVID has also shouted Muir’s metaphorical message loud and clear to university and high school students scrambling to maintain focus among shifting priorities and an uncertain future few had planned for. How willing will they be, or should they be, to assume their expected place in a line or an order they did not have a hand in making or defining? They will surely think again how they will spend or invest their time, perhaps making their choices with an eye now more skewed toward personal fulfi llment. I’ve never been accused of being the sharpest knife in the drawer, and frequently it takes a little longer for the
train to arrive at my station than for most. It’s much easier to watch an inane movie than read a philosophy book when you’re pounding away on a bike trainer in the basement. Consequently, I’ll credit Burt Reynolds, portraying a woke mountain man in Without a Paddle, for inadvertently delivering COVID’s message to me in the simplest of terms.
“Piece of advice—you can lose your money. You can spend it— all of it. Maybe work hard, get it all back. But if you waste your time, you're never gonna get it back.” Every second we have on this beautiful earth with our amazing friends and family counts as never before— good luck to us all as we invest our 86,400 seconds each day. ◆
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Page 18
The Voice
A April 7 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
THE BALANCED LIFE by John Swart
Spending our daily 86,400 seconds wisely—the gift of COVID
T
ime is what this is really all about, isn’t it? COVID has taken control of our time, stripped our ability to be in charge of the one resource over which we fight so hard to maintain that control. How we dispense our time defines our relationship with ourselves, our friends and loved ones, and the world around us. In essence, time defines who we are and who we want to be. Rich or poor, black, brown or white, male or female, student, working age adult, or senior, time is the currency we each get to spend only once. We may delay and dither, but time does
not. Carl Sandburg, an American poet and three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize, is unequivocal in his opinion: “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.” Eighteen months ago, many of us would have chosen to interpret this quote and philosophy hedonistically, justifying our need to put ourselves first. We would have understood that not letting others spend time for us meant that we should spend it on our-
selves, unconcerned how we make our choices, who our choices impact, and what the consequences may be for all concerned. I prefer the maxim of TRADINGWALK, an unexpected source. “You have a daily income of 86,400 seconds. Spend wisely.” Sandburg’s thirty five words condensed to ten, and the all-too- common escape hatch of blaming someone else for our choices has been removed. We must resist the urge to throw our hands up in resignation because COVID has stolen so much of our time, and search for the lessons hidden in these recent experiences. We’re beginning to glimpse the value of each second, and for each one we waste on a pointless Zoom meeting, we must make those left to us more worthwhile.
Is this the gift of COVID? We have been forced to reexamine the routines and rituals that have guided us for so long. Our eyes have been opened to the opportunity of seeking out what is genuinely important, casting away the fluff, and going for it. We are doing this as a society. The people of every community and culture around the world are becoming “woke” as never before. Those struggling to ensure Black Lives Matter understand now that time is fleeting, that the fight against the effects of racism and poverty cannot wait. Has COVID helped inspire this challenge to the patient strategy of Dr. Martin Luther King? Has the LGBTQ community throughout the world seen the inequities in care
and consideration in the harsh light of COVID, and said enough is enough? Has the world’s battle with COVID shown believers that science is not the enemy, and cooperation regardless of ideology will be the best way forward? Leaders in every corner, inspired by the World
Health Organization and GAVI, a public-private vaccine alliance, are calling for vaccine equity via Access to ACT (Anti-Coronavirus Therapies) Accelerators and COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access). Will these organizations steal See BALANCED LIFE Page 17
V oice HOROSCOPE ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Now may be a great time to reevaluate your finances, Aries. Investments could be the right path for now, but you may want to seek some professional advice. TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 A message from a business partner could bring welcome news, Taurus. This might be the break you are waiting for at this juncture in your life. Career changes could be in store. GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, expect to engage in a very interesting conversation this week. This person has not crossed your path in a while, and the reconnection sparks new goals. CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, frustrations could arise that make you want to vent some anger. Channel your energy into something productive, such as a kickboxing class. LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Obstacles at work or home interfere with your ability to work efficiently, Leo. Even though tasks may take you a little longer, don’t throw in the towel just yet. VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, do your best to lighten the atmosphere around the house this week. Encourage others to kick up their heels and keep the focus on fun and fun alone. LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Avoid any drama or chaos that may surround you this week, Libra. Others may seem on edge, but you can remain calm. Quarantine yourself at home and the storm will blow over. SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, even though a few setbacks come your way, your
financial situation still looks very promising this week. Figure out how to capitalize on this favorable position. SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 You are usually laid back and calm, Sagittarius. However, when something goes against your beliefs this week you are ready to stand up for morals or concerns. CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 This may not be a good week to travel, Capricorn. Look over your itinerary again and try to reconfigure them so you can travel later on instead. AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, trust your gut instinct about big financial moves regardless of any advice you’re gett ing from others. You’ll likely see that now isn’t the time for spending. PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 A bumpy start to the week that has you questioning several choices will smooth out, Pisces. The weekend will be very productive. FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS APRIL 4 Robert Downey, Jr., Actor (56) APRIL 5 Lily James, Actress (32) APRIL 6 Zach Braff, Actor (46) APRIL 7 Franck Ribery, Athlete (38) APRIL 8 Skai Jackson, Actress (19) APRIL 9 Elle Fanning, Actress (23) APRIL 10 Maren Morris, Singer (31)
SOLUTIONS DOWN 1. SEMI 2. HAMM 3. IDES 4. FIT 5. TEE 6. SSR 7. MALAR 8. SCAR 9. BEN 10. SOMEHOW 11. THALAMI 12. RAJAB 14. MADISON 17. HAS 18. ABIDE 20. BET 23. THERESA 24. IOWAS 25. MU 26. ETA 29. AG 30. UCA 31. BIGOTED 32. TERRORS 35. SAE 36. ACCRA 38. AARON 40. MERE 41. PALE 42. ODOR 43. RIIS 44. SPF 45. STM 46. TAI 47. EBN
CROSSWORD ANSWERS
SOLUTIONS ACROSS 1. SHIFTS 7. MSB 10. STEADIES 12. RACE 13. OHMMETER 14. MALAN 15. MAIMS 16. AJAR 17. HEL 18. ADAR 19. AHAB 21. BIB 22. SOMETIME 27. IS 28. WITHOUT A DOUBT 33. EW 34. AGENCIES 36. ARA 37. AGRA 38. ACES 39. ORE 40. MACS 41. PORTO 44. SERRA 45. STEADIER 48. PROA 49. TABLOIDS 50. FEN 51. MINERS
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The Voice
Page 19
A April 7 2021
FAITH LIFT
by Pastor Rob Weatherby
The “E’s” of Easter
L
ee Strobel is one of my favorite authors. One reason is his dramatic conversion story. He went from being a skeptical “lawyer/journalist atheist” to becoming an enthusiastic Christ follower. How does that happen? Well, watch the movie, “The Case for Christ” and find out. Strobel has a gift for communicating clearly and memorably. He summarizes the evidence for Easter using six “E’s,” Here are the results of my gleaning…
Execution
Roman flogging and crucifi xion were truly terrible. Many were sickened by Mel Gibson’s portrayal of it in, “The Passion of the Christ” (2004). Strobel once asked Gibson why he didn’t “tone it down a bit” in the movie. Gibson replied, “I did.” There is no dispute that Jesus really died on the cross. The Romans made sure of that.
considered trustworthy. This detail is in the Gospels simply because that’s the way it happened. Again, no one disputed the claim of an empty tomb. Instead opponents argued that the disciples had stolen the body while the guards were sleeping (see Matthew 28:11-15).
Eyewitnesses
Over a period of 40 days, over 500 people personally encountered the risen Jesus. Some have suggested that these people may have hallucinated. However, hallucinations happen individually and not en masse like they did here. Jesus appeared
to individuals and groups, both large and small. The apostle Paul records a list of six such appearances (see 1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Emergence
Within a short time, the Christian church not only emerged but exploded. It happened at the Jewish feast of Pentecost which was 50 days after the feast of Passover when Jesus died. About 3,000 people became believers in one day (see Acts 2:41). The original disciples were transformed from a fearful band (who had either betrayed, fled or denied their master) into a fearless See FAITH LIFT Page 17
Early
Historians agree that written reports of the resurrection appeared very early (only a few years after the crucifi xion). Legend requires at least the passage of two generations to develop. There were many living witnesses of Jesus’ death when these early reports began to circulate. Yet no one disputed the claim of an empty tomb or could produce a body to squelch it.
Empty
The Gospels record that it was the female followers of Jesus who first reported the empty tomb. If the story had been concocted by Jesus’ disciples, it would surely have claimed that Peter or John or James had first discovered it but not women. This is because the testimony of women in 1st century Palestine was not
Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Word Search: Easter
Find the words hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and backwards. BASKET BONNET CELEBRATION CHOCOLATE CHURCH CROSS
DINNER EGGS FAITH FAMILY HIDE HOLIDAY
HOT CROSS BUNS JELLY BEANS JESUS LAMB LILY MARSHMALLOW
MIRACLE PASTEL RABBIT REJOICE RESURRECTION SPRINGTIME
ANSWERS ON PAGE 18
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Page 20
The Voice
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RECIPE OF THE WEEK
4 Burgoo
Every year at Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby takes place on the first Sunday in May, capping a two-week-long festival known as the Kentucky Derby Festival. Home chefs may garner inspiration from the foods of Kentucky, such as Burgoo, a stew, similar to Mulligan stew or Irish stew, that is served at big gatherings. It is a celebrated dish that helped make Kentucky famous and is often made with ingredients readily found in the refrigerator. Burgoo Yield: 12–15 portions 6 ounces raw bacon, diced 1 boneless turkey breast, diced 2 pounds diced chuck roast or other beef roast 1 pound diced lamb stew meat or lamb shoulder 1 pound smoked barbecue pork shoulder 1 pound smoked chicken, meat only 3 white onions, diced small 2 heads celery, sliced thin 4 carrots, peeled and diced small 3 ounces (2 shots) Makers Mark® Bourbon plus more for garnish 1 quart Kentucky Wonder beans or other flat, Roma-style green bean 2 pounds fresh-dug new potatoes 6 ears of corn cut from the cob 1 head of cabbage, chopped 1 pound of lima beans 2 pounds diced tomatoes 8 quarts chicken stock 1 cup Maker’s Mark Gourmet Sauce (or other barbecue sauce) Worcestershire sauce Salt and pepper Tabasco® sauce Use a large, thick-bottomed pot. The key to great burgoo is to simmer slowly over a long time. The thicker the pot bottom, the less likely you are to scorch anything. At medium-high heat, add the diced bacon. When it starts to render and release fat, stir. Remove bacon when crispy and reserve. In batches, sear the diced beef, lamb and turkey until golden brown. Remove meat, keeping the fat in the pot. Add onion, celery and carrot and stir well. Pour in the Maker’s Mark and stir to deglaze any bits sticking to the bottom of the pan. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes until vegetables soften. Add chicken stock and barbecue sauce and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add only the seared meat back to the pot and cook over low heat for 3 to 4 hours or until all meat is tender. Add all remaining vegetables and the smoked pork and chicken to the pot and cook for another 1 to 2 hours. Constantly stir and taste your burgoo. Season with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco® sauce as you go. Once all vegetables are tender and broth tastes good, let burgoo cool completely (at least overnight, but a few nights is even better). Rewarm slowly in another thick-bottomed pot and taste for seasoning. To serve, ladle burgoo into a large soup bowl and top with a splash of Maker’s Mark on top as garnish. It will add an incredible aroma and flavor.
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A April 7 2021
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COLUMN SIX
continued from Page 1 I switched from Safari to Firefox and back again. Meanwhile my friends were posting how positively easy it all was. One got an appointment for ten o’clock that same morning. Several got appointments at Brock, others at Seymour Hannah, neither of which even showed on my list of centres that, according to my ex-calendar, had miraculously filled up in minutes. My own positivity tank was empty and I was running on fumes. I made myself laugh out loud a couple times to keep my immune system ticking over. Then I called the government hotline. The menu alone lasted six minutes before I was put on hold. The musical accompaniment was a jazz trumpet thing playing on a very short loop and interrupted every five minutes by a voice telling me to stay on the line because my call was important to them. An hour later someone came on the line, but being almost comatose by now, I didn’t respond. “Hello, are you there?” the voice said. I came to with a start and began to describe my predicament. The woman confessed to being unable to access any Niagara centres. “We don’t have that information here in Ottawa,” she explained. “I would guess you can’t get a day or a time because they’re all booked.” “But how is that possible when they only became available this morning?” Though now I began to wonder if all the spots had actually filled up in the time I’d spent on hold. “I mean I tried first thing this morning and couldn’t get an appointment all the way through to June.” “That does seem strange,” she said. “Let me try Hamilton. Can you hold for a mo-
The author gets jabbed, courtesy of Dr. Parascandalo. ment?” A minute later she came back on. “Okay, I can get you in at First Ontario Centre in Hamilton tomorrow at 5:40. Will that work?” I nearly wept. I thanked her profusely, then pinched myself, partly to check that this really had happened and partly to raise my pain threshold in anticipation of the needle. I asked about the second jab and she told me that was also booked for me. “When will it be?” “July 21st.” “But that’s four months from now. Aren’t they supposed to be three weeks apart?” “Not any more.” I refrained from asking if the extended time period had to do with insufficient supplies because I didn’t want to appear ungrateful. She had already sent an email confirming the details of my appointment and so I thanked her again and signed off. My vaccine experience in Hamilton made up for all
the frustration and sent my positivity level to an all-time high. There were more staff than patients, all wearing colour-coded vests and all of them welcoming and smiling broadly. I couldn’t actually see them smiling broadly because they all wore masks, but their positivity was palpable. And infectious. My immune system was on steroids. Did I even need the vaccine? Well, I’d come this far so what the heck. I was directed through a sequence of stations, confirming my identity, filling out disclaimers and agreeing to all conditions until I ended up at the desk where I was to receive my jab. Dr. Parascandalo greeted me with a smile (I just knew), explained the procedure and asked if I had any questions. “Um, is there anything I shouldn’t do after I get this?” “No sex for six months,” he said with a straight face. “You mean until after the second jab.” He laughed, which I took
SUPPLIED
as a good sign. I had brought my camera along, and he got his partner, Dr. Szarka, to take the picture while he inoculated me. Fifteen minutes later I walked out of the centre feeling immortal. I drove home feeling grateful for the many staff who had already put seven hours of their shift behind them and still made me feel that I mattered. As for my exasperating day on the computer and telephone it seems I was not alone, as many Niagara residents experienced the same frustrations. Niagara’s Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Mustafa Hirji, said the Region is working with the province to let them know about the problems and “they’re working to try and figure out what’s happened. If people are having trouble getting into clinics I ask them to be patient, try again in a couple of hours and hopefully it’s going to start working again.” In other words, think positively. ◆
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