CannTrust securities investigation page 3 Public cannabis meeting coming page 11 Christmas in July page 15 EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
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Column Six Hong Kong's slow fade
Lowlands, lowlands away...
A childhood home will never be the same BY JOHN CHICK
I
The Bluenose II, launched in 1963 to commemorate its legendary namesake, sails into the sunset on Lake Erie last month. This summer, the schooner is participating in the Tall Ships Challenge Great Lakes. Departing Buffalo, she made several other American stops, and was in Kenosha, Wisconsin last weekend. After calling on Brockville, Ontario at the end of August, she'll sail for her home port of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. RON MACDONALD PHOTO
Special to the VOICE
N MY EXPERIENCE, three cities in the world have distinctive smells that permeate. In Vegas, it’s air conditioning, perfume and cigarettes. In New York, it’s peppers, onions, car exhaust and urine. And in Hong Kong, it's the heat. The humidity punches you in the face, overwhelming your olfactory senses with traces of Chinese cooking and rotting tropical vegetation. For an idea of how humid it gets in Southeast Asia between March and November, start with how hot it was on Summerfest Saturday last month, then multiply by ten. This is far from a complaint. You haven’t lived until you get in a 6 AM run on Victoria Peak to beat the 35-degree mark, and then spend the rest of the day drinking San Miguel beer on the blast furnace streets, feeling the See COLUMN SIX back page
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IN THE NEWS
PUBLISHER’S CORNER by Dave Burket
Falls doctor charged
Random tidbit: Chatting with some Fenwick old timers the other day I learned an almost unbelievable bit of village history—at one time there were seven gas stations in Fenwick, all operating at the same time. One was at the corner of Canboro Road and Balfour Street—Iftody’s Esso, now a veterinary clinic. What and where were the others? Have a photo? Send it in or drop it off for us to scan!...Archival additions: Via “Mayor of Fenwick” Gary Chambers, we’ve received a nice batch of old papers and clippings from Jim Edsel—thanks, Jim!...Summer on the wane: With Monday’s Civic Holiday behind us, we’re well on the season’s downslope. “Civic Holiday” has such a flat, bureaucratic sound, eh. Other municipalities have adopted custom names for the day—Simcoe Day in Toronto, George Hamilton Day in Hamilton (sadly not for the actor, but the founder), Joseph Brant Day in Burlington, Founders’ Day in Brantford, McLaughlin Day in Oshawa, Alexander Mackenzie Day in Sarnia, James Cockburn Day in Cobourg, Peter Robinson Day in Peterborough, and John Galt Day in Guelph. Surely Pelham can come up with a suitable moniker, possibly by selling naming rights? You know who would have found such a proposal darkly delightful? John Galt (see Guelph, above). A Scottish writer of the early 1800s, Galt is considered the first English-language political novelist for his stories about the Industrial Revolution. He was also the first superintendent of the Canada Company, formed to settle Upper Canada (i.e., southern Ontario). This didn’t go as well as he probably hoped, considering that he was recalled to Blighty in 1829 for mismanagement, and jailed for failure to pay his son’s tuition. So, moral of the story, I suppose, is that whoever we name our Civic Holiday after does not have to have an unblemished record...Oosterhoff is preparing to grill: The MPP’s annual summer BBQ (see ad, page 11) is set for next Saturday, August 17...Just peachy: This coming Sunday consider a short drive to the north, where Niagara-on-the-Lake is holding its 29th annual Peach Celebration (ad, page 9). Peaches are also in at DeVries Fruit Farm (ad, page 3)—where, by the way, we bought a few ears of fantastically delicious sweet corn last week, picked fresh that morning. Supermarket corn, in transit for who knows how long, just can’t compare, something proven over and again each summer as the harvest starts coming in...Sailing away: Special thanks to Ron MacDonald for this week’s cover photo of the Bluenose II. Her namesake schooner has graced the back of the dime since 1937, appeared on three postage stamps, and is the centrepiece of Nova Scotia’s license plates. We lived in Nova Scotia for a bit, and sad to say we never got down to Lunenburg to see the majestic gal…Fun fact: When Tricia and Duncan McNaughton were in Alaska (see below), they were walking around in 21 hours of sunlight per day. Yikes! Pull those blackout curtains, please! ♦
Officers from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Anti-Rackets Branch, Health Fraud Investigation Unit have charged a Niagara Falls physician with fraud and other offences in relation to billings that were submitted to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) for services that were either not provided or billed inappropriately. According to a police statement, Andrew Taylor, 53, of Toronto, has been charged with one count of Fraud Over $5000 contrary to section 380(1)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada, and Uttering a Forged Document contrary to section 368(1)(a) of the Criminal Code of Canada. The Health Fraud Investigation Unit of the Anti-Rackets Branch is comprised of OPP investigators who investigate allegations of fraud relating to the Ontario Health Care System on behalf of the Ministry of Health.
Bradley named Coffee Break chair
The Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region needs funds “more than ever,” according to a Society news release, as some 10,000 Niagara residents are living with a progressive form of dementia, and that number is projected to increase. Regional Chair Jim Bradley found this to be “disconcerting” and is “honoured” to lend his assistance and leadership as Honorary Coffee Break Chair for
Voice
the campaign kicking off September 19 at Regional Headquarters. “For as long as I have been at The Alzheimer Society, Jim Bradley has shown his commitment and dedication to our organization,” said Teena Kindt, Chief Executive Officer for the Alzheimer Society Niagara Foundation. Said Bradley, “We in Niagara have the most seniors on a per capita basis and many of us know someone with dementia or who is a caregiver.” Coffee Break events are held in homes, offices, community centres, schools, churches, city halls, retail outlets, and health facilities—just about anywhere coffee or other items can be served and a donation collected. Over the years, Coffee Break hosts have become creative in their fundraising efforts, hosting everything from BBQs and socials to dress-down days and movie nights. Register for a free Coffee Break kit today at www.alzheimerniagara.ca/coffeebreak or cbest@alzheimerniagara.ca
St. Kitts kitty bylaw
keeping of cats in St. Catharines aims to protect the health and safety of both residents and their feline companions, according to a city news release. The bylaw allows residents to keep no more than eight cats at their homes in urban areas of St. Catharines. Generally, when cats live in large colonies many behavioural issues can arise, especially when there are too many cats in a home, said Kevin Strooband, president of Niagara Region Animal Services (NRAS). Too many cats can also be difficult to care for, cause property damage and may result in health problems for both animals and humans. “There are several issues that can lead to keeping too many cats,” said Strooband. “For many people in these situations, it begins with kindness. However, it can quickly get out of hand.” When St. Catharines and NRAS become aware of too many cats at a property, the first step is to encourage the pet owner to voluntarily rehome some of their animals. In cases where the person is unable to care for the animals to the point of neglect or creating a harmful environment, the humane society may take custody of the animals and provide them shelter, food, water and care. When someone is unwilling to rehome their animals, the City can seek a court order through its bylaw regulating the number
A bylaw regulating the
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Oops: No fire trucks for you Haist Street traffic-calming measure a little too effective BY VOICE STAFF
The Niagara Regional Police Service is committed to reducing impaired driving offences through education and the apprehension of offenders through enforcement programs like RIDE. Impaired driving is still the leading cause of criminal deaths in Canada and destroys thousands of lives every year.
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In an effort to bring further attention and deterrence to driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, the Niagara Regional Police Service reports the names of those people who are charged with an alleged criminal impaired driving offence in the Region. None of the following charges have been proved in court. In addition to being charged, these individuals are also bound by a Ministry of Transportation 90-Day Administrative Driver’s License Suspension and are prohibited from operating a motor vehicle on a roadway. The public is encouraged to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service Traffic Safety Hotline or Crime Stoppers to report those who are driving in contravention of the suspension. The following individuals have been charged criminally with impaired driving by alcohol or drugs, driving with a blood alcohol concentration above 80 mgs of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, or refusing to provide a breath / blood sample. Nathan D. GRANITTO, 26, Thorold Gregory M. PRZYK, 33, St. Catharines Matthew J. FINCH, 32, Thorold Zachary C. OLSSON, 23, Welland Jerry CONNORS, 46, Oakville Kelvin J. L. MALE, 26, St. Catharines Gary V. WILHELM, 69, Niagara Falls Michael B. MUTTON, 49, Welland
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Tricia and Duncan McNaughton at the entrance of Mount McKinley National Park, Alaska.
NRPS impaired driving charges
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Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn BY JOHN SWART
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Page 3
Regulator opens investigation of CannTrust BY JOHN CHICK
Special to the VOICE
The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) is investigating CannTrust in the wake of a report that former executives sold $6 million worth of company stock in the weeks after discovering unlicensed cannabis was being grown at its Fenwick site. “Staff of the OSC advised the Special Committee’s legal counsel that an investigation has been opened into matters and parties related to CannTrust and the investigation has been assigned to the Joint Serious Offences Team of the Enforcement Branch of the OSC,” a statement from CannTrust said last Thurs-
day. The Joint Serious Offences Team is a partnership between the OSC, the RCMP Financial Crime program and the Ontario Provincial Police Anti-Rackets Branch. The OSC handles securities regulatory matters in Ontario, similar to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). CannTrust, which is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange, could be subject to SEC investigation, but as of Friday that agency had not publicly announced a probe of the company. The Globe and Mail first reported July 29 that a holding company controlled by former CannTrust chair Eric Paul began
selling shares the same day last fall that he received an internal email outlining illegal growing at the Balfour Street facility. The unlicensed cannabis was eventually discovered by Health Canada regulators in June, after whistle-blowing former employee Nick Lalonde alerted them to the infractions. The subsequent meltdown of CannTrust resulted in the resignation of Paul and the firing of CEO Peter Aceto on July 25. Stock in the Vaughanbased company has plummeted from a high of $13.90 per share last October—not long before the executive shares were reportedly sold —to less than three dollars on Friday. CannTrust said in their state-
ment that they have established a blackout on trading by directors, officers and other insiders with the company, which is currently being overseen by American former sports equipment executive Robert Marcovitch. The company added it will likely miss its filing deadline of Aug. 14 for an interim financial report of the period ending June 30. As a result of the Health Canada infractions, CannTrust halted sale of all cannabis on July 11, freezing a total of 12,700 kilograms of the product and shutting off revenue streams. Their own estimate, according to their statement, is an impact of $51 million. The company faces several
class-action lawsuits related to the plunge in share price, and multiple media outlets reported last week that the firm had essentially put itself up for sale. The future of the Fenwick facility is unknown. CannTrust was in the process expanding its growing space on Balfour Street after just beating the Town of Pelham’s Interim Control Bylaw to the clock with an application last fall. Approximately 300 people work at the site, although in a June statement to the Voice, the company acknowledged that only about 5% of staff reside in Pelham. The municipality derives minimal revenue—essentially only agricultural property tax—from the firm.
SOME VBS TIME TRAVEL In July, Pelham Community Church hosted its Vacation Bible School, or VBS program, whose theme was "To Mars and Beyond.” Teams competed to bring in the most supplies for the Open Arms Mission Backpack and School Supplies Campaign. The winning Grade 3-4 class was rewarded with an ice cream sundae party. Pictured packing it in, the Children and Youth Ministry’s Karla Morgan-Ward and her winning kids. MEANWHILE Back in its August 26, 1981 edition, the Pelham Herald ran the photo at right, the caption reading: 75-80 young people attended
the Fonthill Baptist Vacation Bible School last week. Here we see a group of youngsters with some of their crafts. Front, from left, Jeanette MacLeod and Adam Zugec. Back, from left, Susan Roe, Jennifer Martin, Kevin Keith, and Darryl Hayes. SUPPLIED AND PELHAM HERALD PHOTOS
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OPINION
The opinions expressed in submitted commentary and letters to the editor are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Voice of Pelham.
The Voice of Pelham is a 1211858 Ontario Limited publication David Burket, Publisher 2-1428 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S1E0
COMMENTARY / OP-ED Colin Brzezcki On the waxing—and waning—of common sense
A
BIZ A R R E C A SE of groin grooming came before the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal recently, causing a small brush fire. In brief: a self-identifying woman with male appendage wished to have herself depilated in the modern fashion. The procedure, called Brazilian waxing, is named after seven sisters from this South American country, who opened a salon in New York back in the ‘80s. The practice, now a multi-million dollar industry in the west, is apparently centuries old among some cultures in the Middle East. Who knew? A Brazilian is more than a bikini wax. Technically speaking, it’s also less than a bikini wax because it’s a full take-off, unless you request a landing strip. Advocates claim depilation is more hygienic, easier on the eye and way more fun than letting your garden grow. With men it’s called a Phoenix wax, and the mind boggles at the possible derivations of that term. Unless you’re a contortionist, either procedure requires a second party with good hand-eye coordination and the right equipment.
Jessica Yaniv, plaintiff. TWITTER PHOTO While I believe people are free to design their interiors as they like, I wouldn’t call waxing essential to life— unlike breathing, hydration, shelter and nutrition. As far as I know, the right to be waxed isn’t included in our Charter, while these other things are. But nothing is guaranteed. In fact, an increasing number of people in the world who can barely draw breath have few if any of the others. Calling them rights doesn’t make them happen.
NEED HELP? MAKE THE CALL Distress Centre For depression, distress, and crisis. 24 hour help line: 905-688-3711   Mental Health and Addictions Access 1-866-550-5205 (Toll Free) Gambler’s Anonymous 905-351-1616
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Civilized societies have hammered out further rights over the years: freedom of movement, the rights to vote and to gather in public places without harassment or fear, to read and think as we like, to speak our minds responsibly, and to be equal to everyone else. But again, calling them rights doesn’t mean they happen. Sometimes they can even cancel each other out. The inconvenient truth is that rights often collide head on—think of a busy intersection where the lights in all directions are green. Former President Jimmy Carter recently found that his freedom to practise his religion slammed up against another freedom that he deemed more important: women’s right to be equal in status and dignity to men. Because his Southern Baptist church preached otherwise, he left it. Rights can be a tangled web. See HAIRY next page
Letters My personal Cold War with self-checkout machines One of the surprises of middle-aged life happened to me a year or so ago, when my eyes refused, almost on cue with my 46th birthday, to focus on anything that I could hold in my hands. I will share that life for me has flowed past with a steady string of misplaced stuff, and adding reading glasses to the retinue of items that accompany me everywhere may well be the straw that breaks this camel's back in my struggle to avoid “Murse-life.” Due to this wandering spectacles problem, I now frequent our local pharmacies more frequently than I used to. This is my
new reality if I want to be able to actually read a menu when considering Sriracha Lobster Mac and Cheese at my favourite local eatery. Last week I made one of my trips to the nearby big red drugstore to purchase some squarish Foster Grant 2.0 readers that didn't insult my facial asymmetry too much. After grabbing my selection from the rack, I lumbered (this is how my friends describe my gait) toward a bank of desolate cash registers at the front of the store. See RISE OF THE MACHINES next page
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
Mayor of Pelham Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 289-929-2681 Members of Pelham Town Council
Member of Provincial Parliament
Ward 1 Councillor Mike Ciolfi mciolfi@pelham.ca 905-892-0077
Sam Oosterhoff, MPP 4961 King St. East, Unit M1 Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 sam.oosterhoffco@pc.ola.org 905-563-1755
Councillor Marianne Stewart mstewart@pelham.ca 289-821-0840
Electoral District: Niagara West
Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 289-929-2681 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
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 905-892-2607
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Page 5
OPINION Raves for Robb
Bandshell seating indeed unfair
Kudos to Pamela Robb, in her letter of July 31 [“Comes with a side order of suspicious,” p. 5]. Pamela is dead on: we are gun-shy. Town staff and
previous council let the residents of Pelham down. As taxpayers, we “assumed” our elected council Town staff were work-
ing for our common good. Well, we all know what to “assume” means. Unfortunately, the new council will have a lot of work to do to
regain the trust of our taxpayers. Thank you Pamela, well said. Joan Eby Fonthill
Proposes Summersides contest I really think we need a contest to find out why Summersides Boulevard was designed and built like it is. There's got to be a reason, no one in their right mind would do this. Have people make guesses as to its existence and the closest to the truth—if there is a truth— could win an all-expense-paid trip down south to Dain City to watch the submarine races. With the bridge now gone, the view must be great. I have my thoughts as to why. My
RISE OF THE MACHINES continued from previous page
Crickets. From my peripheral view, a youngish girl sheepishly peeked from behind a soon-to-be display of Halloween candy, and for a split second she hesitated... looked down… and then politely made her way toward cash register number 1. This poor kid was almost apologetic in tone as she asked, "Will you be paying with credit or debit?" I quickly nodded before she hopefully invited me to please join her at an available robo-register, where I would be offered a quick 101 on paying for my glasses solo.
HAIRY
continued from previous page Like the waxing thing. The B.C. claimant, Jessica Yaniv, 32, demands her right to be waxed, but as a woman with male bits she presents an unusual challenge. Her suit (so to speak) has been brought against no fewer than 16 women (mostly of East Asian origin) who run waxing salons but who declined to handle the merchandise. One salon owner, of Brazilian origin herself, is mar-
wife and I have ridden our bikes along that narrow “boulevard” a number of times, and, as Murphy’s law states, we must be immediately followed by several wider forms of transport, who, to their consternation cannot pass us. Being on the far end of 70-ish, my legs just do their best to scoot along, but the hooting and tooting make my hearing aids ring. Anyway, we noticed that on each side of said “boulevard” there has been enough space left to build a bunch
This is when time slowed down. A lot. In the next three seconds, my mind invented and cross-referenced four fictional conversations. In one, I politely suggested that I was aware of the robo-registers' existence, and confident in my ability to master their use. In the next, I was kind of ticked off: "Did you maybe consider that I went to an employee-operated checkout on purpose?" The third was a 10-minute lecture, outlining my fear that humans will soon be entirely purposeless. Beyond the reach of personal will, my mind kicked scenario number four into the VCR and I awkwardly smiled. "I am sorry," my mouth stam-
ried, to a male partner, who is uneasy at the thought of his wife deforesting another woman’s male privates— yes, it’s confusing—as part of her job. It’s also a dangerous procedure for one not trained to wax the male parts of either gender. One could argue that salon owners should find another career if they’re uncomfortable about whom they wax. In fact, several have had to do just that, as a result of the tribunal’s decisions. One could equally argue that this waxee should engage a male waxer, though
Offering
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of those little box-houses you've seen going up out in Vancouver. And to think about it, the center boulevard also could accommodate a few hundred of these little structures, too. Could someone check the Town planning office? Any requests for little box-houses on Summersides? My guess for the contest is box-houses. Yeah, box-houses. Makes sense, eh? Ken Edwards Fonthill
mered with a cold quietness I now regret. "I will put these back myself." This comment probably doesn't exist in any customer service training manual, and I think it startled both of us slightly. Younger people usually do not like conflicting with unknown elders, and I could sense that this poor girl was teetering as she tried to be a good worker, making customers happy, while following the instructions her manager likely trained her to perform. The rest is a calm blur of me walking to the back of the store and returning the glasses to their rack, with an imperceptible tremor that betrayed my regretted annoyance. Next, I silently maneuvered to the
presumably she finds that thought uncomfortable. And so it goes on. Who has the greater right not to feel uncomfortable? My question reads differently. Who should assume the responsibility of behaving with a degree of common sense: the waxer or the waxee? A footnote to all this concerns the complainant’s Twitter history. She has
exit, past a guy who didn't carry my self-checkout baggage. The girl stood, watching, her mouth ever so slightly open. I didn't check closely, but my imagination generated a look of mixed confusion and annoyance on her face. So I am squinting as I type this, straight-armed on my phone, sitting in the window of a local Tim Hortons. Frequent interrupting loops keep breaking into my thinking where I ask forgiveness of that girl, and plead that my intention was never to make the subtlest of “scenes.” I know it wasn't her fault. To the franchise owner who likely was told to invest in the future, I offer a quick view into what I think lies at the heart of the issue.
recently slammed social justice warrior and new mother, Lindsay Shepherd, and made ugly remarks about her genitalia. (Shepherd retorted and lost her Twitter account as a result). The complainant also made some seriously bigoted comments about immigrants. They “aren’t the cleanest of people, they’re also verbally and physically abusive, that’s one reason I
in as a person who requires a cane or walker. We tried a couple of times last year to go where they say there is handicapped parking, but to no avail. A lot of people walk there, which I cannot do, and as far as taking a shuttle bus, it’s pretty difficult for us, as we are retired, and my husband couldn’t manage the chairs and a walker on the bus. Sadly, we are unable to take part in the evening. The venue is getting quite small for the number of people attending. Maybe someday it will move to a place more able to accommodate everyone. Pauline Davis Fonthill
Making money is hard, and when I am at work I do my best to cater to the needs of everyone I serve. No matter if you are a business owner or an employee, most of us spend a lot of time doing our best to make our customers or bosses happy. When I spend the fruits of this labour, I insist on feeling positive and empowered with my purchases. I will not be told how I am going to spend my money, as long as I have a choice. Now, I will head up the hill, to get the exact same glasses, and maybe a piece of fudge that seems somewhat out of place when displayed in even a small-town pharmacy. Dale Smith Fonthill
joined a girl’s gym, ‘cause I DON’T want issues with these people [the waxers].” “These people” themselves have reported verbal abuse and even propositioning by some clients equipped with what are termed female penises, a matter of understandable concern to some feminists who are following the case. Finally, the complainant claims that the non-com-
pliant waxers’ transphobia amounts to neo-Nazism, apparently the go-to term used now when someone doesn’t get exactly what they believe they should have. In the end, one can only hope that people don’t judge the LGBTQ community by one individual who represents only herself, and trivializes the real human rights issues. ♦
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My trip to the post office this morning prompted me to write and wholeheartedly agree with the comments regarding the chairs and the Peace Park on Thursday. This morning, as every week, the park was about full at 10 AM, and as we are leaving the post office, many cars are parking and people getting out with their chairs. I don’t agree that this should be allowed at all. As the writer last week said, it is akin to putting towels on chairs at resort. I notice that an attendant has to be there, just to keep everything in order. Another aspect of the Thursday bandshell for myself is my inability to join
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Page 6
The Voice, August 7 2019
Letters
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
continued
Call to "clean house"
Pelham sustainability should not include wind turbines
Kudos to William Duffin for his letter to the Voice of July 31 [“Summersides ‘design disaster,’” p.5]. Kudos for his honesty in calling the Town Hall what it is. Now with the former council gone it appears the dirty deed-doers are staff in Town Hall. What is happening is the senior staff completely disregard conventional means and policies of procurement—Summersides Boulevard, the controversial arches, and the community centre design and tendering for construction. The staff had to hire a "professional" PR mouthpiece to spin stories on the performance of Town Hall staff and the deeds they do, using our money and hurting our professional integrity. It’s my understanding that the Niagara Association of Architects wrote letters to the Town outlining that the Town ignored proper process in openly and fairly issuing an Request for Information (RFI) for the Gateway design and construction proposal.
The community centre was also skewed and steered to one result, which caused the residents to lose out on potential large savings that would have resulted from open public tender. In the end, the questionable practices of Town staff will cause professional associations and members to steer away from future bidding of Town work, and residents lose the savings. Time to clean house at Town Hall. Sweep away all questions and concerns once and for all. Support Mr. Duffin and demand accountability from Town staff who caused this mess. Don't let them spin this and blame outside engineering. Our staff and Town engineer is there to protect us from these types of things. They didn't. In the private sector we would fire them! Curt Harley Fonthill
As a Pelham resident, I was pleased to read of the efforts the Utility Sustainability Committee. I would caution, however, against the introduction of industrial wind turbines (IWTs) into Pelham. Unfortunately, many Niagarans are already experiencing the negative effects of industrial wind turbines on their property values, well water, as well as their health and the health of their animals. Numerous people have had to vacate their homes in West Lincoln and Pelham because of the effects of the turbines on their health. Dr. Riina Bray, Medical Director, Environmental Health Clinic, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, has written specifically about the effects of the Niagara Region Wind Farm on Niagara residents. She draws extensively on peer-reviewed global research dealing with acoustic, infrasound, electromagnetic, and other forms of pollution that explain why dizziness, heart issues, headaches and
many other symptoms can be attributable to the existing industrial wind turbines. She concludes that the following steps need to be taken: 1. Widely acknowledge the potential risks that IWTs represent. 2. Fully respond to the thousands of demonstrated complaints of adverse effects of IWTs across the province. 3. Carefully measure noise, infrasound, and electromagnetic emissions in and around all of Ontario’s IWT installations. 4. Follow mitigative steps around electromagnetic pollution (high frequency distortion, ground current/stray voltage) as suggested by the wind industry’s own publications and by other non- invested experts 5. Re-site IWTs to other locations without human populations when mitigation cannot be effectively undertaken. David Fancy Pelham
Don't lose sight of Bandshell achievements in seating debate I was sorry to read the critical remarks regarding advanced seat selection for the Fonthill Bandshell concerts. Not one word of encouragement for the fantastic team of volunteers, who probably spend many hours in the planning, organising, preparing and clean-up of these events which, judging by the crowds always present, are extremely well received. Not a word about the generous merchants who contribute time and cash to make these amazing concerts possible. Not a word about the sound guys who at every concert ensure that the
reproduction is of top quality. Not a word about those establishments who willing allow parking in otherwise empty lots. And not a word about the Town staff who erect the temporary blockades to limit vehicular traffic to the area and thereby ensure safety for one and all. Instead, all we read is negativity. Me, me, me. I don’t like this so why should anyone else! It’s your choice whether or not you go to the concerts. The entertainment is always first class and though it may not always be everyone’s type of music, that has nothing to do with
the performance. Anyone is perfectly at liberty to join the hundreds of other people who arrive early to stake their claim for their favourite spot. Perhaps is has not occurred to some that others have to work and maybe cannot arrive until close to the time the concerts start? For them, placing their chairs prior to their workday ensures that they will have somewhere to sit and enjoy the performance after a tiring day. In the recent past, there have been news stories about “scalpers” scooping up large quantities of tickets for na-
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tional events and then reselling them at a huge profit. Dread the thought that that could ever happen here. But for someone to place 30 chairs—and then not show up—pretty well amounts to the same thing. And what would someone do with chairs after the concert? Try to discreetly show up to retrieve them or simply leave them to add more work for the volunteers? I would respectfully suggest that anyone considering this forget about it, unless they wish to suffer the wrath of the hundreds of regular attendees. Invariably, those who do arrive early to place their chairs also patronise the food vendors, which means more revenue for the Fonthill area, and they usually stay until the end of the concert!
Complaining without proposing a better alternative is not a solution
Whilst on the subject, I fail to understand those who attend but then choose to talk amongst themselves throughout the performance. On one occasion, my wife and I were obliged to sit at the back, where a view of the stage was certainly restricted. What made it worse, however,
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was the group of people standing nearby who incessantly chatted amongst themselves! Why were they there? Yes, it is their prerogative to stand wherever they wish in a public space, but surely they could respect the performers and exhibit some manners in allowing other people to enjoy their reason for also being in that public space. I’m sure that if those same people were to behave similarly in a cinema—or theatre, which it is probably unlikely they would ever attend—then they would quickly be ejected. So, to quote the old adage, “If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it!” Complaining without proposing a better alternative is not a solution. Mike Athay Fonthill
Let's not throw towels in the pool Firstly I would like to commend the volunteer Bandshell committee for the great job they do. In regards to Mr. Edwards’ letter [“Considering guerrilla warfare tactics on Bandshell seating,” July 31, p. 6], his approach seems somewhat vindictive and not helpful. I would like to hope that Mr. Edwards will also make a considerable donation to the Bandshell committee for the empty 30 seats that won't be contributing. My wife and I are among the mostly retirees that set up our chairs on Thursday mornings. We have been attending the concerts since they first began, when you could arrive at 7 PM and find plenty of seating room. Each year the popularity of the event has grown and so has Pelham. I think our time would be better spent trying to come up with a viable solution instead of throwing towels in the pool. M. Harbaruk Fonthill
R
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The Voice, August 7 2019
Page 7
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Page 8
The Voice, August 7 2019
2019 Bandshell Series
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
ANOTHER ROUND
by JOHN PICCOLO
90% mental, and 10% mental
E
Freedom Train BY JIM CASSON
Special to the VOICE
This Thursday, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Fonthill, steaming hot and heavy into the Fonthill Bandshell it’s Hamilton's Freedom Train, putting a spin on their huge variety of classic rock, R&B, country and funky songs. This power-trio features the four octave vocal range of vocalist / bassist Carl Jennings, the inventive two-piece kit drumming of Tim Jennings, and the creative guitar stylings of “Big Ed" Mitchell. The show runs from 7 to 9 PM. There is no cover charge but donations are greatly appreciated to allow the volunteer Bandshell committee to continue to bring you great concerts each week. For more information visit www.fonthillbandshell.com
Trig Wa g e r rnin this gs for is " G r s u e: " D a a p e s" ch "Pa shun d " pe "Cin rback" nam o n"
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Everyone who's anyone reads the Voice
V E R Y S O O F T E N, all of us who golf need a friendly reminder that we will never completely figure this game out. Some of us, on occasion, have thought we had it, but alas it was but a fleeting moment. Be that moment an hour, week, month, or year, inevitably our mastery vanished in the vapor of curse words that rushed in to fill the void. Sometimes only by a little, sometimes by a lot. Sometimes slowly, sometimes crashing down in a heap upon our unsuspecting shoulders, but never has anyone maintained their mastery without interruption. You can grow to understand the game, but if you ever figure something out that allows you to hit your best shot over and over forever and ever, you will be the first. It’s quite amusing when a Phil Mickelson comes away from a session with his putting guru and states he has found the “secret.” He may actually putt quite well with this “secret” new information (or he may not), but it doesn’t last. If the tip was so earth-shatteringly insightful why does it not continue to work? Much was made of Steve Stricker giving Tiger Woods a putting tip a few years back which spurred him to putt very well and led him to win three out of the next five tournaments he played. You think Stricker really knew something about putting Tiger doesn’t, some secret code? Nonsense. What he gave Woods was hope that he was doing something technically wrong and now that it was fixed he could be confident and start to sink putts the way he had in the past. It worked for two
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months, until Tiger had perhaps the worst putting performance since grade school and the spell was broken. The thought had gone stale. That’s golf. When you find a thought that clicks, whether for putting or full swing, run with it. Use it on every shot, but accept and understand your time together will likely be shorter than a celebrity marriage. When the thought stops working you can spend some time looking for that loving feeling again, but it’s likely gone, gone, gone, and if you can’t go on, get over it. Let it go. It may come back and be helpful at some point, but desperately searching and forcing a feeling causes the tension and trouble it originally eliminated. You end up trying too hard to swing and think properly instead of backing off and feeling the force. This process crosses the boundary of all activities. I was a competitive bowler as a kid. I remember one particular Saturday morning at Parkway Lanes when I was on fire. For whatever reason, and I remember it clearly to this day, I had the song Rasputin, by Boney M, in my head. Between every turn I would sit and sing this tune to myself. I had the best game of my life. Of course the next week I tried to replicate the conditions which
produced such grand results previously and of course it didn’t work quite as well. Still a rocking tune though. You can’t force yourself into a groove. If you have done your homework and have workable fundamentals the shots are in you. You have to let yourself make them. Bounce some different focus thoughts around until one clicks and ride it like a rented mule. Being too inconsistent in this game is no fun. Being able to hit your best shot all the time would be no fun either. Any activity that is easy to master will be abandoned by all but the dullest of minds (apologies to any out there still playing Pong). Embrace this about golf and be open to new distractions. Success often means changing less rather than more, but change is still a necessary part of the equation. Sometimes checking your fundamentals finds you have drifted away from certain elements and a correction gets you back on track. If the basics seem fine sometimes you just need the temporary lobotomy. I sell kits if you’re interested. ♦ John Piccolo is a golf instructor and runs Piccolo’s Custom Golf Shop at Eagle Valley Golf Club in Niagara Falls. Email him at picgolf@vaxxine.com
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The Voice, August 7 2019
Page 9
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In celebration of the local peach harvest, come join us for the
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10:00 am The Fort George Fife and Drum Corps. Will start the day off with a performance down Queen St. 10:00- 2:00 Back in the Daze Band 10:30 -3:30 Caribbean Steel Band
11:00 -1:00 St. Catharines Pipe Band 12:00 - 2:30 Melodie Italiane Choir 12:00 - 5:00 Toronto All Star Band More entertainment throughout the day including The Ben Show and Caroline Caricatures
PEACH PIE CONTEST AT NOON OUTSIDE THE COURTHOUSE AT 26 QUEEN ST.
The Shades of Summer Dinner
Pies are to be submitted to the Chamber of Commerce office in the lower level of the Courthouse between 9 am and 11 am for the judging at noon. Prize will be awarded to the top 3 pies.
Tables still available for
visit www.niagaraonthelake.com for tickets
Sunday, August 11th • 7 pm - 11 pm
A delightful Niagara-on-the-Lake celebration of the peach harvest — we’ll set up the tables and chairs in advance on Queen Street in the Heritage District and provide the inspiration for a memorable evening under the stars.
St. Vincent de Paul, Niagara-on-the-Lake, is hosting its annual Peach Festival August 11, 2019 from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. • 73 Picton Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Participants will experience everything – peach pies, crepes, slices, sundaes and more – as well as crafts, jewelry, used books, clowns, kid’s corner, live entertainment, burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, pork on a bun and baked goods.
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Page 10
The Voice, August 7 2019
OBITUARY
OBITUARY
Letters
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
continued
Bandshell concerts are reflection of community
TOTH, Barbara
David George WRAGG
Peacefully, on Friday July 26, 2019, at Lookout Ridge Retirement Home, in her 90th year. Beloved wife of Lloyd for 70 years. Dear mother of Kate Boyd and her husband Michael. Also survived by her son David (Cindy). Barb will be missed by her grandchildren, greatgrandchildren, nieces and nephews, extended family and friends. Predeceased by her sister Margaret Smith (2011) and survived by her husband Arthur Smith. Loved sister of James Roszell and his wife Donna and Pat Roszell and his wife Cathy. Barb was retired from the Welland Hospital after 29 years of service. Barb and Lloyd shared their home on Canboro Rd. for 70 years, “the house with the pond” as Barb would describe it. In 2018 they moved to Lookout Ridge Retirement Home. The family wish to express their heartfelt thanks to all the staff of Lookout Ridge Retirement Home for their care, kindness and compassion. Private family arrangements have been entrusted to PLEASANTVIEW FUNERAL HOME (905-892-1699). Please share condolences, memories and photos at www. pleasantviewcemetery.ca
David George Wragg died July 18, in his 96th year at Port Colborne hospital. The youngest son of Thomas and Mary (Houseman) Wragg, he was predeceased by his wife Irene, sister Gladys and brothers Ron, Gordon and Dr. Laurence Wragg. He served in Italy and Holland and returned to Oshawa to garden with his father on the RS McLaughlin Estate. He was the last Head Gardener to live on the estate. He was uncle to Marian Little (Mike), Elly Smith (Bill), Mary Morris (Neil Cattermole), John, Don and Steve (deceased) Wragg. He was great-uncle to Pam and Marcus Little, Tyler and Byrne Smith and Tanya Morris. He was greatgreat-uncle to Morgan and Arthur Little. His last 15 years were spent at Short Hills Villa in Fonthill. A memorial service will be held at Scott Funeral Home - Woodbridge Chapel on Monday August 12th at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Woodbridge United Church or charity of your choice.
Each week during the summer, my daughter and I eagerly attend the Bandshell concerts put on by our dedicated volunteers. What a great evening visiting the Farmers’ Market, having dinner out, seeing friends, and all culminating with an incredible concert! As we walk to Peace Park, I enjoy seeing concertgoers who have set up chairs on the grass behind the plaza, along the sidewalk by the post office and library, and even as far up as behind the hardware store, as well as on the closed section of the road— and, of course, on the hill in the park. It’s always a sure sign that the concert will be a popular and successful one. Friends are greeting each other, everyone is happy. I also see children running and playing on the closed road, up by the picnic tables and drawn to the shiny fire truck posted behind the Town office, where our incredible firefighters are on hand every week to welcome the children while using the time as a teaching opportunity! There is space for all to sit or play and enjoy the music…truly room for all and no one turned away for lack of seating. The physical location of the concert seems ideal. The committee is able to access shelter for the musicians and their equipment in a defined area.
There is a power source for the equipment, an abundance of seating space, and portable washroom facilities can be set up. Also the Farmers’ Market and Supper Market greatly enhance the evening. Nearby churches and other establishments graciously allow parking to supplement the street parking, and the shuttle bus has access to the area, making numerous runs to transport concertgoers. There are seniors living nearby who can walk over to the concert where they may have difficulty accessing another location due to mobility issues. There is a wonderful abundance of trees for shade from the sun on the hot evenings. The natural incline of the hill at Peace Park allows for most attending to be able to see over or around heads in front of us, and if we cannot see the entire stage we can still enjoy the music! For those who really need to see the band, the road offers great alternative seating where an unobstructed view of the band may be from the back, but it is still great. How can you do better than that! Let’s celebrate how very fortunate we are to live in a town where volunteers spend months planning and arranging musicians for our enjoyment, countless hours every week in the
summer setting up before and cleaning up after the concerts … all with smiles on their faces and kind words of greeting to all. What a great group of people! Much appreciation goes out to the sponsoring businesses as well for supporting the concerts so generously and the Town of Pelham for the many ways it supports the evening. How fortunate we are to have a community where people can set their chairs out and not have to worry about them being vandalized… this astounds out-of-town visitors. Let’s also celebrate how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to enjoy this high calibre of musicians in our own front yard and we get to enjoy them on a donation basis! Concerts with these musicians would cost considerably more if you were to purchase tickets and you would have to travel to see them. I do hope a few unhappy people are not heard too loudly over those of us who are immensely grateful and appreciative of the Bandshell committee and the outstanding concerts they put on for our enjoyment. Many, many thanks to these volunteers and all who support them! Heather Seidenberg Fonthill
NOTHING TO SEE HERE! At Fonthill Rotary’s Niagara Family FunFest in June, as well as on Canada Day, Zachary Snack built a booth and sold candy to visitors at both events to raise money for charity. He donated his sales of $150 to Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of South Niagara. Receiving Zac’s cheque on July 31 are, from left, Barb van der Heyden, BBBS Executive Director, Zachary Snack, and Jessica Trapani, BBBS Events and Fundraising Coordinator. There are laughs all around as van der Heyden tries to cover an incorrect written amount. In fact, later Fonthill Rotary also donated $8000 to BBBS, proceeds of this year’s FunFest..
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Page 11
Cannabis Control Committee to hold public information meeting, September 10 BY GLORIA J. KATCH
Special to the VOICE
Little did David Cribbs know that his “initiation” as the Town’s new CAO might include leading a public meeting on cannabis legislation that could result in being pelted with rotten tomatoes, teased a few members of the Cannabis Control Committee at their meeting last Wednesday. Although Cribbs opted for “peaches” in this scenario, the committee discussed plans to obtain the public’s feedback during an information meeting scheduled for September 10 at 6 PM at the community centre. The time may be subject to change, but there will be a public notice officially released 20 days prior to the meeting, and in the Voice. The angry mob wielding tomatoes quip was made after committee member Jim Steele said the public meeting would largely attract residents opposed to marijuana facilities in town. Committee Chair Tim Nohara said he wanted to deliver a presentation during the public meeting that would not be tied-in with Town’s staff recommendations. Barb Wiens, Director of Planning and Development agreed, but stated the Town would need to present some concrete numbers and “something on paper,” for any professionals attending the meeting, but it would be clarified that any bylaw recommendations were from Town staff and not the committee. (Following the committee meeting, Senior Planner Shannon Larocque said any bylaw amendments proposed are also drafts that the Town is seeking “constructive criticism on.”) The public meeting would be considering amendments to Zoning Bylaw 1136, with respect to cannabis production in the Town of Pelham, which would attempt to exclude future cannabis facilities in an agricultural area. However, while the bylaw’s intentions were strong, its clauses regulating the distance between cannabis grow-ops and residences were not far enough to satisfy committee members. In the draft proposal presented last week based on other communities and areas, the distance allowance between
grow-operations and residences or other farming concerns is 150 metres. Member John Langendoen said he met recently with planners in other municipalities, and they stated 300 metres from the property line as being appropriate,
We don't know how they got that number and where they got it from
especially considering large operations like CannTrust. Member Jim Jeffs said the allowance should be based on knowledge and research in the community, which should be the “number one” consideration. Wiens noted that there are houses within 150 metres of CannTrust. “If this [setback] number will result in the same situation that we have, then it won’t help this committee mitigate concerns,” pointed out Nohara. Vice Chair Carla Baxter stated, “We don’t know how they got that number and where they got it from.” Cribbs told the committee a distance allowance should be determined to “tell us what road to go down,” and “start the discussion.” Comparing the public meeting to a mid-term re-
port card, Cribbs said it was not meant to indicate that these recommendations were final or that their job was complete. “I think that most people will say, ‘Why didn’t you do the most – not the least,’” said Steele, pushing for a farther setback. Larocque later told the Voice that the 150-metre setback was adequate to prevent the problems the town has experienced if all the systems were in place and working properly. Unfortunately, Pelham residents have had a bad experience with cannabis facilities, that she noted has understandably left, “a bad taste in their mouths.” Nohara reported the committee was not prepared to decide on a number as yet, and if anything, he would rather err on the side of caution, and choose a larger distance allocation to initially present to the public. Larocque then reminded the committee, “this bylaw is not to work alone and you can also look at the site plan agreement,” for more specific control mechanisms. Baxter asked what the term “obnoxious uses” was and noted it wasn’t included in the draft proposal to the proposed bylaw amendment with regard to cannabis. Larocque used the example of spraying fields as obnoxious, but that was a smell that was considered a part of the common practise of farming. Wiens cited another example of bird bangers that scared off birds, and stated the noise would be considered obnoxious to other people. “I don’t know that you can say that cannabis is not
From left: Tim Nohara, Louis Damm, and John Langendoen discuss quality control options for cannabis growers. GLORIA J KATCH PHOTO obnoxious and there isn’t somewhere we can’t deal with it,” noted Nohara. In reference to Wien’s comment, Damm asserted that it depends on how often the bird bangers go off. There are standards that have to be developed around practises, pointed out Nohara. Damm suggested a definition might be needed for cannabis production for its different types and stages of production, i.e., the flowering or harvesting stage, in order to mitigate odour problems. The bylaw amendment also included sufficient parking spaces for and cannabis facility’s employees on its largest shift, and an abutment area of a 1.5 metre planting strip from other land uses. The latter being
a green strip or buffer area added between properties, also considering that most houses and facilities are not on their property line, noted Larocque. Damm presented a report on growing cannabis that included detailed information on soils, fertilizers, water and air emissions. Reverse osmosis will be required if well water contains water, manganese, aluminum, arsenic and sodium over World Health Organization (WHO) limits. Damm said Health Canada bases their requirements on WHO standards. Other methods of water treatment include ultraviolet, ozone and other filtration systems. The question the committee was concerned with: How are these heavy metals
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The Voice, August 7 2019
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IN THE NEWS
continued from Page 2 of cats and rabbits. According to the City’s statement, last month, the owners of a York Street property pleaded guilty to a City bylaw charge of keeping more than eight cats. The Ontario Court of Justice issued a prohibition order that the number of cats at the home be reduced to eight. The property owners had been keeping approximately 28 cats at their home and stated in court they will work with the NRAS to find new homes for the cats by the end of August. “Collecting multiple animals creates complex issues with far-reaching affects for the animals, the pet owners, their families and friends and the community,” said Strooband. “We encourage those aware of situations where someone has more than a reasonable number of animals to contact their local humane society or animal service provider for assistance.” Residents with questions or concerns regarding animal welfare can call the Lincoln County Humane Society at (905) 682-0767.
Better rural internet
Families and businesses in rural and remote communities can look forward to high-speed internet and better cellphone service as the province releases its “first-ever,” $315 million plan to improve and expand service, according to a statement released by Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff’s office. “Our government is committed to help businesses, families and farms
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stay connected, no matter where they live,” said Oosterhoff. “Our investment will get shovels in the ground, get infrastructure built, and get people and business connected.” The plan includes a $150 million commitment for a new broadband fund, which will “leverage private sector funding along with support from other levels of government,” to drive investment and expansion to unserved and underserved communities. According to the statement, the plan is expected to generate up to $1 billion in total investment over five years, resulting in new connections for “up to 220,000 homes and businesses.”
“Squatter” arrested
Since mid July, there have been a number of complaints with regard to “unknown individuals unlawfully taking up residency in an unoccupied cottage in the Crystal Beach area,” according to a Niagara Regional Police statement. Police say that on Friday, August 2, members of 5 District Criminal Investigative Branch and uniform members attended the cottage, located, and arrested 28-year-old, Printisor Cox, who was charged with one count of being unlawfully in a dwelling house. Cox was released on a promise to appear.
Brock to Niagara: Help
With Brock University continuing to draw more students to Niagara region — last year’s enrolment crept past the 19,000 mark — the institution wants to identify more rental properties in nearby commu-
ing grounds of Quebec’s musical past. Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, guitar, bouzouki and a number of other instruments, our three virtuosos energy with the unmistakable joie de vivre found only in nitiesblend whereboundless students may live. traditional With its own 2,400 Quebec music.3Show runsRoutes from 7-9 p.m. Fonthill
Attention!
residence beds always fully booked, the University has an off-campus hous- CARD PELHAM LIBRARY MAKING WORKSHOP ROUTE 5 - Blackwood, ing office that helps stucards learning a variety of techniques. Materials Cherry, Pancake, Valiant dentsMake find asix home in with area fall themes, neighbourhoods. As part Haist-78 homes; please ROUTE enquire about tools needed. are provided. At time of registration, of the effort, Brock invites 40 -$10. Vinemount, Canboro Tues., Sept. 16 10 – 12:30. Please register ahead. Visit www.pelhamlandlords to advertise on a twnhms, Haist Haist details. dedicated webpage or that library.on.ca callis905-892-6443 forSt,more a high-traffic destination Crt-94 homes; for students seeking acROUTE 6 -FISH Brock St, Donahugh Dr, Shaldane Ln, Petronella FABULOUS FENWICK LIONS FRY commodation. But through Pky-92 homes a statement released in late Tasty treats with funds heading straight back into the community. Haddock, July, the university is also french fries and—much more. Runs Sept. 9 from 4-7 p.m. asking empty-nesters or anyone with a surplus room or two — to consider rentPELHAM MINOR HOCKEY EQUIPMENT SALE ing out to the students who comeBuy, fromsell across Canada or trade used equipment at the Pelham Arena. Aimed to provide “and more than 100 countries cheaper around theoptions world.” for To players in this upcoming season. Runs Sept. 6 from support landlords, Brock’s PERSONAL ASSISTANCE 9-12 in the morning. off-campus housing staff LET ME HELP YOU… hold education sessions Organize, Stage, Decorate, or throughout the MUDFEST year on PELHAM Downsize landlord and tenant rights, Men and women will be back in the mud as the second Wendy Arscott run on the year is meet with property managCall or text: 905-964-1515 ers, and visit students heldalso at Bissil’s Hideaway. living in local communiOCNA Network Classified Ads ties. Brad Clarke, Brock’s (AD CENTRAL) APARTMENT FOR RENT NIAGARA REGIONAL EXHIBITION Director of Student Life and Community Experience, FORthis RENT Rodeo, games and live entertainment headline years exciting event. It says renting to students WeekModern of 2-Bedroom Unit in New Building! runs from Sept. 11-14 at theAugust Welland Fairgrounds. can be more than a way to 5(1518 Pelham St, Fonthill #102) help pay the bills. · Available ASAP · $2,200/m plus hydro · 2-Bed, 1 Bath · In“Renting to students unit laundry · Assigned parking · Contact Liam: 905-617-5426 RIDE can BIG be aMOVE really CANCER positive Posted experience,” The Big says MoveClarke. Cancer RideJuly is a 31 non-competitive ride taking place on Sept. “We’re looking to expand APARTMENT FOR RENT Proceeds for the the 7. accommodation op-Big Move stay in Niagara and support the Walker FamCentral FOR RENT tions ily forCancer our students who Centre. Modern are coming to Brock from Region Ads 2-Bedroom included Unit in New Building! (1518 Pelham St, Fonthill #301) outside of Niagara and · Available ASAP · $1900/m plus hydro · 2-Bed, 1 Bath · In-unit have WALKING diverse preferences CLUB laundry · Assigned parking · Contact Liam: 905-617-5426 as to the types of living arInterested in walking in Pelham? Tuesdays the PelhamOntario Arena This adJoin is tothem be printed by allatparticipating rangements they’re seeking.”from To advertise 9-10 am rooms and Thursdays at Fonthill Bandshell for 9-10:30 am. There CUSTOM MILL or rental properties on the is no fee for this program. For more information, please contact jcook@ Brock Off-Campus Living Portable sawmill service. pelham.ca or call 905 892-2607, ext 329. website, or to talk with someone about potentially I will come to your home or farm and custom mill your logs. renting to students, visit Firewood & lumber also available. Call Rob Patterson, HAMPERemail DAY ocl@ FOR PELHAM CARES brocku.ca/ocl, brocku.ca, or phone 905-401-4948, Purchase fresh 905fruit and vegetables at the Market or bring a non-perishable 688-5550 x3721.
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Places of Worship and Events Bethany Christian Reformed Church 1040 Balfour St., Fenwick
First Presbyterian Church 602 Metler Rd., Fenwick
Glad Tidings Church of God 1 Pancake Lane, Fonthill
Pelham Evangelical Friends Church 940 Haist St., Fonthill
Concordia Lutheran Church 105 Welland Rd., Fonthill
Fonthill Baptist Church 1414 Pelham St., Fonthill
Holy Trinity Anglican Church 1557 Pelham Street, Fonthill
Ridgeville Bible Chapel 418 Canboro Rd., Ridgeville
Fenwick Church of Christ 765 Welland Rd., Fenwick
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1369 Rice Rd., Fonthill
Kirk on the Hill Presbyterian Church 1344 Haist St., Fonthill
St. Alexander’s Roman Catholic Church 50 Pelham Town Sq., Fonthill
Fenwick United Church 1050 Church St., Fenwick
Fonthill United Church 42 Church Hill, Fonthill
Pelham Community Church (United Church of Canada) 461 Canboro Rd., Fenwick
St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church 834 Canboro Rd., Fenwick
Page 14
The Voice, August 7 2019
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
A Little Book About Us
O
UR CHILDHOOD DEFINES OUR personalit y. It shapes who we become. When Vilma Moretti had grandchildren, she realized that her childhood and theirs were worlds apart. They had absolutely no idea what life was like for Vilma when she was their age. Theirs was a world of computers, iPods, cellphones, texting, Instagram, and YouTube. Vilma thought that when they were grown they might be interested to know what it was like for other generations to grow up. She started collecting recollections—her own, and those of some of the many people she met every day while running Keith’s Restaurant, her family’s business at the intersection of Pelham Street and Highway 20, in Fonthill. The result was, “A Little Book About Us,” published in 2009, from which this series is excerpted. Keith’s is gone, but the stories remain.
If your message to Pelham isn’t in our pages,
noted that good business practise in the farm industry included maintaining records, some of the members of the committee appeared sceptical of the recordkeeping and statistics offered by some of the current cannabis grow-operatives. At one point in the meeting, Damm said of CannTrust,“Who the
The paper that Pelham reads.
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Wednesday, February 8, 2017
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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
The Voice PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY IN PELHAM
Vol.20 No.39
NIAGARA’S BEST-READ WEEKLY SINCE 1997
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
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Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation 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
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to improve the 2017 Summerfest is by sponsoring and working with the organizers of the Thursday Night Bandshell Concert series to select the artist performing on the first night of Summefest. They also intend to make more use of the smartphone app they launched in 2016. "We are really going to push it this year," Ashbee said. “It really helps to get people to see what events there are so they can plan out where they are going. We will be able to actually help the merchants and local businesses ad-
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Growing up British
Haist Street traffic-calming measure a little too effective 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
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Oops: No fire trucks for you
Column Six
Request made of community still peeved at name change
See DSBN Page 9
Food 111Health Hwy. 20 E., Unit Store 5, Fonthill
The Comfort Maple myth
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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FTER LUNCH ON Saturday, Mum and Dad had my afternoon cut out for me. Mum had more brass than anyone I knew, and it had to be cleaned. In addition there was the set of silver fish-knives and forks which were never used, but which had to be cleaned and put back in their velvetlined box. Next was a walk to the newsagents to pay for the daily delivery of the Daily Mirror. As I said, Dad was a printer, but when he was 37 he had been rejected for a job, as being too old, by the printers of the Beano. For that reason, my favourite comic was not allowed in the house, but while I was paying the papers, the newsagent let me have a 'shoofty' at the Beano. I'd explained my predicament and he understood completely. Sundays were different again. Dad would play golf on summer mornings and billiards in winter. Then he'd stop for a 'refresher' at the local and would pick up the prawns, cockles, winkles or whelks we'd be having for tea later. Meanwhile, Mum was roasting the 'joint' and potatoes. I got to make the Yorkshire pud, and mint
See CHANGES Page 5
See COLUMN SIX Page 14
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NIAGARA’S BEST-READ WEEKLY SINCE 1997
Wednesday October 12, 2016
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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.”
BY NATE SMELLE
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
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T 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.
“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
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 The VOICE
Office 905.892.1702
Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn
Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932
The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and well-rounded individuals
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.
“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
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 SIDEWALK Page 2
See AUTUMN Page 3
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CELEBRATINGOUR OUR 20TH CELEBRATING 22NDYEAR YEAR
FONTHILL
Ross School for their 50th anniversary and there was Hugh MacMillan, I wondered what we had seen in him. He had either shrunk or we had grown! On the weekends, especially Sunday, it was church at Holy Trinity, Welland, then skating at the Port Colborne Arena and watching young Railton learn on his double runner skates. He then became a chief surgeon at the Welland Hospital. Oh boy, shopping in the 1930s! It was usually if you didn’t need it you didn’t buy it. Money was scarce and at Christmas we would take bundles to Windall Village in Thorold to help these people have a Christmas. I remember going into their steamy homes, hardly able to breath and giving them what we had brought. Their children looked so afraid. It’s hard to realize but I felt that if they said too much, it would all disappear. We were lucky, in summer, because my great uncle Ed gave two lots in Muskoka to my father and three others, none of whom were interested. So, from 1931, we went to Windy Shores and mother, who was never an outdoors girl, learned how to swim (so we wouldn’t drown), cook on an open
fire (so we wouldn’t starve), and care for us in the bush (so we wouldn’t get lost in almost 20 acres of wild growth). Shopping meant the Ross Stores or Wallaces in Welland. I was not interested in clothes—poor Mama, as she could sew and made them for me. My cousin, a year younger, came to Windy Shores. Her dad had the local five-and-dime and her clothes were “store bought.” In later years we both wanted to trade each other’s stuff and laughed a lot about it. Margie and I are still best of pals. Ross Stores had a cash system—unbelievable now. Mr. McEwan put the money in a slot and it would slide down along wires to the cashier who would send change back. Meanwhile, you had a conversation, and through this relationship Mr. McEwan and his wife spent their holidays on the same lake that we were on. My best friend was Audrey and she and I enjoyed learning how to sew. Broomstick skirts—oh help! I do think I finally wore it. Audrey and I are still friends. I remember I was always interested in my parents’ stories. Ed and Mary, whose paving stone is in the Font-
hill Bandshell, had many. My mum didn’t have a white dress when she married my dad, and his brother was the only one, from his family, who could come to the wedding. His parents were in Ottawa. His father met my parents at the station in the morning, after the wedding, took them home to find a crying mother and sister. Their son had married a woman who worked! Dad quickly whisked Mum to St. Margaret’s Cove, N.S., where he built the first power station. Mother had a sewing machine and without power Dad turned the handle and Mum fed the fabric to make him a dressing gown. This is our 76th year of going to the “cottage.” The 12 foot by 15 foot holiday cottage isn’t used any longer, but the True North has been built and we are all enjoying it. The silence is deafening—as there is no hydro still. There are no vacuum cleaners, loud music, etc. Hurrah! I can hardly wait for July when I sail in the race on Lake Nipissing, from North Bay to Colender Bay—a two-to-three hour sail. Then we pick strawberries at Beckers’ and then a short drive back to Muskoka and Windy Shores. ♦
hell knows what goes on in there.” In his past experience in the hog industry, Damm said any air filtration-type systems are designed for the size of the facility. In his case, each hog had to have so many square feet of space, while these requirements do not appear to exist in the marijuana regulations. The efficiency of the carbon filters should be considered as a part of a peer review. At
best, he believed the carbon filters should be a “back-up system,” and not the main component to remove odours from the air. He also pointed out that due to the cleanliness standards of CannTrust, many chemical cleansers like hydrogen peroxide and isopropyl alcohol are used after a cannabis growing room is scrubbed that could easily “burn your eyes.” Damm later told the Voice that because of the smell
of the odour pollution and masking agents used to control the odour emitted from large facilities like CannTrust, other farming crops are negatively impacted. “How does someone's strawberries taste, because of that odour? How does the hay taste, and what if the horse won’t eat it, because it smells funny?” said Damm. While not opposed to marijuana facilities, he said they need to learn to co-exist with other farming businesses. “I don’t like the way they just seemed to bulldoze their way into communities.” Larocque asserted that the bylaws proposed by Town staff will put restrictions on future marijuana grow-operatives, but the difficulty is that even with criteria in place, because of the size of agricultural properties, an expansion of even 10% can create problems. While everything is still up for discussion, staff is attempting to determine “what’s reasonable,” and, “it’s a challenge we’re trying to wrap our heads around,” Larocque said.
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Apple Day comes to Fonthill
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-
Hi, my name is Barbara, although my brothers called me Barb. I was born in St. Catharines, and my mother was in hospital for two weeks, always in bed, then driven home in the ambulance. They did that in those days. My parents lived in Thorold, on Welland St. South. I thought we had a huge back yard at the back of the house. There was my dad’s vegetable garden, then a “summer house,” sand box and then our garden. We didn’t have kindergarten in the Lorimer School in Thorold. My mother was a school teacher and she taught us kindergarten. We had Ruth, who walked me to school because I was a “scaredy cat” and didn’t want to go on my own. My big brother went on his own. Halfway to school was Miss Eddy’s shop. My brother found that the pennies he could shake out of the “Little Helper’s” box could buy lots of candies. Unfortunately, Miss Eddy shared news of Ed’s largess with my mother and it stopped abruptly. I don’t remember much about Lorimer Public or Welland Central but I do remember Ross School in Welland, when we put on a play. My brown hair was in pigtails which I could almost sit on and I was chosen for the princess in the play. But another girl, Jeanne, who had lovely long blonde hair, was chosen, and I was given the role of the witch instead. The good news was that I had a solo. Mr. MacMillan was our Grade 7 teacher and we were all enamoured of him. Why? When I went back to
continued from Page 11
The Voice CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR
Born 1926 St. Catharines
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Barbara
Centennial Secondary School, Thorold Road, Welland, Ontario
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CROSSWORD SPONSORED THIS WEEK BY
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Why I read the obituaries Do you read the obituaries in the paper? I do. For three reasons.
Reason #1
To make sure my name’s not in the list! Seriously though, there was a man who was shocked one day to read in the papers that he had died. In 1888, Alfred Nobel’s brother, Ludvig, died while visiting France and a French editor confused their identities. What shocked Alfred even more was to read what the obituary said about him. It condemned him as the inventor of dynamite which had led to great loss of life around the world in warfare. He was grieved to think that his memory would be forever linked with death and destruction. So he decided to bequeath a large portion of his fortune to an annual prize given to individuals who contributed to world peace and human progress in science and literature. The Nobel Peace Prizes help us remember Alfred Nobel for good and not for bad.
Reason #2
My second reason for checking the obituaries (often placed at the “end” of the paper) is to see if I recognize anyone’s name. If I do, I am then able to send a card or email, make a phone call or attend the visitation time or funeral of that friend or acquaintance. God is our great comforter, but He also uses caring people to bring support, encourage-
ment and comfort to others experiencing the grief and adjustment of losing a loved one. God’s word tells us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15).
Reason #3
My third (and final) reason is that it reminds me that my life will come to an end someday as well. When we’re young we often feel invincible. But as the years click by and the aches and pains become a bit more frequent, we begin to realize that our human bodies are not made to last forever. What shocks us sometimes is to read the ages of the deceased. Yes, many are in their 80s and 90s, and it’s true that modern medicine has increased the average lifespan of Canadians. I confess at age 64 that I’m part of the “greying of the nation.” But it’s also true that the obituary list also includes quite a few who are middle age or pre-seniors. I think to myself, “Wait a minute, that person was a lot younger than me!” When we read that memorial donations are directed to the Cancer Society or the Heart and Stroke Foundation, we can easily surmise the cause of these “premature” deaths. And most sadly, we occasionally read of a baby, child or youth whose life is taken by accident or terminal disease. Although sombre and sobering, this reality can
be very helpful for the living to make sure that we have the right priorities in life. Like Alfred Nobel, it can lead us to make a decision to use our lives and invest our time, treasure and talent differently. The most important decision I believe we can make is to re-evaluate our relationship with our maker. If we believe there is a God and we hope there is a heaven, then it only makes sense to find out from God’s word how to get there. On that important topic, the Bible is very clear. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) This verse is telling us that the way to heaven is not through a religion of morality or rituals but through a relationship with a person whose name is Jesus. When we sincerely pray to the living savior asking Him to forgive us of our many sins and asking Him to live within us… He does. Our sins are forgiven and our lives begin to change for the better. So what about you? Someday your name will appear in the obituaries. You won’t be reading it but your family and friends will. The “true you,” your soul, your spirit, will be somewhere else. The good news is you don’t have to go through life wondering where. Pastor Rob Weatherby served congregations in Nova Scotia and Ontario over the past 40 years.
CHRISTMAS (FOOD DRIVE) IN JULY Complete with cards for the holiday, an industrious trio of elves collected food donations for Pelham Cares on July 25 in the Lookout subdivision. Helping restock the shelves for the months to come are Jacob Grande, Nicholas Capretta, and Abbey Grande. SUPPLIED PHOTO
ANSWERS ON PAGE 10
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The Voice, August 7 2019
COLUMN SIX
continued from Page 1 periodic surge of air conditioning jetting out the wide open doors of a Zara or Louis Vuitton store. I love Hong Kong. Yet, my childhood there (my dad worked at the Canadian Consulate) of guava juice, fried rice, swimming lessons—and the two trips I’ve taken back over the past seven years—were sort of byproducts of its unique history. Imagine leasing some land in 1897 for 100 years. At the time, nobody thinks about the end of the lease, because quite frankly, nobody that’s around then will be alive when it expires. During this hundred years, the leased land rapidly grows from an obscure fishing and farming village into a superpower of global commerce. At the same time, the much larger landlord also grows —albeit more slowly— from a collection of obscure fishing and farming villages into a superpower of global commerce. As a result, 13 years before the lease expires, negotiations begin. The landlord flexes its growing muscles, while the declining empire that is the lease-holder retreats. A lease extension is not considered. Instead, not unlike a Hyundai Sonata with 20,000 kilometers on it, at the end of the contract, the land is ultimately returned to its original owner. This is the story of Hong Kong in a nutshell. But when Britain handed back the 1,100 sq. km. territory and the fate of its 6.5 million residents to China 22 years ago, the two sides negotiated caveats. Mainly, that Hong Kong would keep its democratic freedoms, separate currency, free press, and British-based judicial system under a “one country-two systems” pact for 50 years, until 2047. On the surface it appears to work. Unlike China, you don’t need a visa to fly into Hong Kong. When you turn on your phone in the airport after buying a SIM card at 7-Eleven, all of your apps aren’t blocked, as they are in China. And at last check, you don’t really run the risk of disappearing into a prison system in Hong Kong —even if some of the current pro-democracy protesters may be seriously challenging this. Yet the protests, dissent and turmoil of the last two months are being fed by something deeper. Sure, Hong Kong has lived under the fear of China’s iron fist since the aforementioned handover negotiations in 1984. Almost immediately from that point, native Hong Kongers began fleeing the territory. In time, a large number of my elementary school classmates from the late ‘80s relocated to Canada, the U.S., Britain, and Australia. Many stayed put, though, because in addition to the fact that it’s their home, life in
Hong Kong is pretty good if you can afford it. It was always expensive to live there, but this reality has been on steroids for the last two decades. Housing in Asia tends to be smaller than what we’re accustomed to in North America, and in Hong Kong’s case is mostly limited to towering apartment buildings, given its overall lack of space between snake-riddled mountains and the South China Sea. A unit like the 2,000 sq.ft. apartment I spent a portion of my childhood in now retails today in the neighbourhood of $6 million dollars (we didn’t own it, the Canadian government did). Rents for infinitely tinier, one-bedroom units (250 sq.ft. anyone?) start at around $2,500 a month. While much of this was originally driven by Hong Kong’s status as a financial centre, in recent years real estate speculators from mainland China have helped push prices up astronomically, as they have tended to do in other major cities—looking at you Vancouver, and to a lesser extent Toronto. In other words, many of the same millennials that complain about being priced out of major North American urban centres are hitting a bigger dead end in Hong Kong. The difference is they don’t have a cheaper Whitby, Stoney Creek or Pelham to move to. After a lifetime in Hong Kong, many of the protesters— at a quick glance, mostly in their 20s and 30s —are deeply frustrated and more petrified than ever by increasing Chinese government interference. “It’s caused a lot of heartache for young people, and families living in subdivided flats,” a Canadian-born billionaire named Allan Zeman told me in his Central Hong Kong office. This was two years ago, and I was in town mostly to drink, but figured if I was going to fly 14 hours to get there, I may as well get some interviews in. “It’s caused the polarization in Hong Kong between the haves and the have-nots … this ‘populism’ word, like Donald Trump, has come forward.” It should be noted that Zeman gave up his Canadian citizenship to become a People’s Republic of China (PRC) citizen in 2008. He was one of the major political backers of Beijing’s hand-picked Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, the presumably moderate lifelong Hong Konger who has governed the city since 2017, and taken the brunt of the protesters’ criticism of late. Zeman moved from his native Montreal to Hong Kong in the ‘70s to export clothing. He stayed and ended up developing the area known as Lan Kwai Fong—a playground of bars and nightlife than runs up a steep hill from a major Hong Kong Island thoroughfare—based on, as he told me, Crescent Street in Montreal. Every night of the week, Zeman’s Lan Kwai
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Messages left by protesters on the wall of the Hong Kong Government Complex in Admiralty, Hong Kong, during earlier protests in 2014. DANIEL FUNG PHOTO Fong is packed with rich locals, expat bankers from Europe and North America, and tourists pounding drinks on the scorching streets. Sometimes seen from that vantage point at afternoon rush hour are dead-eyed others, ascending past the bars on something called the Mid-Levels Escalator, a literal outdoor escalator that climbs the sloped city streets up to the residential areas above. But in reality, many rank-and-file Hong Kongers—likely most of the people currently protesting — live in high-rise housing estates across the harbour in Kowloon, and in planned towns not far from the Chinese border, like Yuen Long, where some demonstrations recently shifted and highly-suspicious individuals in white t-shirts began beating back the protesters with sticks. The sort of mass-scale destitute poverty seen elsewhere in Asia was never historically a problem in Hong Kong. While it existed in places, the city was heralded for decades as a flat-tax haven with minimal regulatory hurdles that allowed anyone with enough capital to open a business within a few days. In that era, Hong Kong was the sort of capitalist paradise that some conservatives who claim to be capitalists know nothing about, complete with a public health care system. Last year, however, Hong Kong’s official poverty rate reached an all-time high of 20 percent. It’s the sort of thing that makes people pine for the good old days, especially when looking at the specter of totalitarian Chinese rule down the road. On July 1 — the anniversary of the handover — pro-democracy protesters made their most ballsy move yet, storming Hong Kong’s legislative council chambers in the middle of the night, defacing anything related to Chi-
na—and, in a scene that might make some modern-day leftists’ heads explode, hung the old British colonial flag on the podium. (Aside from Japanese occupation during the Second World War, Hong Kong was mostly spared the worst aspects of colonialism, such as genocide and residential schools). “Better to be a foster child in a good home,” my old Hong Kong friend Bernard Wong commented, after I posted the picture on Instagram, “than to be abused by natural parents.” In truth, Hong Kong should have become an independent city-state, similar to Singapore, in 1997. It had the infrastructure and a century’s worth of democratic knowhow to do it. But China saw it as a golden egg, and wouldn’t concede it. Ever since, Beijing’s influence has slowly been chipping away at Hong Kong’s unique identity, even as more and more Western staples like Starbucks pop up all over the city. It’s difficult to say where it’s all going. The Hong Kong Police— formerly known as the Royal Hong Kong Police under British rule —are becoming more heavy-handed with each protest, and that’s not insignificant. I wouldn’t have called the HKP passive, but I once watched a severely drunken man shout obscenities in five motionless cops’ faces for 15 straight minutes over his unpaid bar bill. At this point, I turned to the Australian next to me and opined that if the guy were in North America, he would have been in a chokehold with his face buried in the pavement. In the end, he was not arrested, and the club’s Nigerian bouncer told me this was probably because “he works in finance.” The worst fear remains China rolling in tanks and crushing the dissent like they did in Tiananmen Square in 1989. While it’s possible, it’s not likely— yet. The aforementioned white t-shirt guys have clandestine Beijing operations written all over them, and maybe this and more hard-line police tactics are enough for now. But with the protestors not backing down and some being accused of outright terrorism, the game is getting dangerous. Help or pressure on China isn’t coming from the British or the Americans either, given their own internal distractions with populist politics. Canadian supporters met in Mount Royal Park in Montreal on Saturday to express their solidarity with the demonstrators, one of many such gatherings reportedly held across the country over the weekend in cities including Halifax, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Vancouver. While Hong Kong’s ultimate long-term fate is sealed, as Bloomberg’s Tyler Cowen wrote in June, what’s happening there could be seen as a statement about liberty in the rest of the modern world. ♦
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