The Voice of Pelham, August 30 2017

The Voice

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More study means Poth Street repairs stay on hold

Chile's Carretera Austral

Town staff say new regs leave old repair styles in the lurch

A safe and spectacular soft adventure

BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

The VOICE

Every now and again a single moment captures the world as it is. One such moment occurred last week during a Pelham Town Council meeting, when Council’s resident Old-Schooler, Marvin Junkin, had a lengthy exchange with the Town’s Director of Public Works, Andrea Clemencio, over the failed culvert on Poth Street.

Public Works advised Council that a further engineering analysis was needed before a full replacement plan could be drafted and approved. Previous analysis had shown that soil under the bridge, which has been closed since April, cannot hold new culverts, and so special supports will need to be installed.

There is a problem with this, too, as surveyors have already drilled down some 15 metres without finding sufficiently strong ground in which to plant the supports. Public Works concluded that $5,000 to $10,000 in additional funds were required for further, deeper, testing of the soil.

Junkin was not pleased.

“I’m a little puzzled,” he said. “Why [do] we have to spend more money on a geotechnical investigation…the reason those See POTH back page

BY JOHN SWART

VOICE Correspondent

I

A section of Poth Street near Webber Road, closed since April, awaits repairs.

VOICE PHOTO

Ontario West Nile epidemic just "weeks away" First Niagara case confirmed; forecast of some 340 infections to come across province

BY VOICE STAFF Ontario this summer is headed for one of its worst outbreaks of West Nile virus in the past 15 years, according to research by Brock University scientist Fiona Hunter and PhD student Bryan Giordano.

Testing of mosquitoes in recent weeks found that Ontario’s second West Nile epidemic since 2002 is imminent, and on Monday Niagara Region Public Health received its first laboratory-confirmed case.

The Brock researchers’ paper, West Nile virus in Ontario, Canada: A twelveyear analysis of human case prevalence, mosquito surveillance, and climate data, was published Tuesday, Aug. 22 in the journal PLOS ONE. The paper, written by lead author Giordano, along with Hunter and recent Brock graduate Sukhdeep Kaur, highlights the data that can be used to predict the number of human cases of West Nile each year. For the past 15 years, Public Health Ontario has been conducting a comprehen-

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sive West Nile surveillance program, setting mosquito traps around the province.

“Because we’ve had such a comprehensive program in Ontario all these years, we have an amazing data set to work with,” says Hunter, one of Canada’s leading mosquito experts. “It explains why some years we have outbreaks and other years we don’t.”

By taking the total number of West Nile-positive mosquito pools reached by mid-to-late August, and multiplying that number by two, the predicted final number of positive mosquito pools for the year can be

NIAGARA REAL ESTATE CENTER, Brokerage 1815 Merritville, Hwy 1 FONTHILL, ON

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Remember, school is starting up again.

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NIAGARA / FONTHILL, ON

NIAGARA / FONTHILL, ON

T’S THE NOISE, not the wet, that stays with you after cycling the rain forests of Chile.

Noisy rain pounding on steel roofs, beating on my guaranteed waterproof Marmot jacket (utterly useless in this deluge), rivulets of water racing helter-skelter between the potholes and tire tracks of the worn out gravel road, and the never-ending gurgling of water cascading down the streams, ravines and waterfalls that surround me on all sides.

This is Southern Chile’s Carretera Austral, a 1,240-kilometer string (too remote and unforgiving to be labeled a ribbon) of washboarded potholes, muck and dust.

Chile stretches 4,300 kilometres north to south, but averages a mere 175 kilometres in width between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes, making it a maritime country by nature.

For decades, its south-central region of Aisen and northern Patagonia was accessible only by coastal freighters from the sea, or by a very few mountain tracks from Argentina See COLUMNS SIX Page 8

PLEASE DRIVE CAREFULLY!

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Page 2

The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

by Dave Burket

The grandkid scam: A reader called our office last week to alert us to a possible scam-in-the-making.

She answered the phone and found herself being asked, “Granny, is that you? Can you hear me?” When she asked what the caller’s name was, he said “Michael,” at which point the reader hung up since she did not have a grandson named Michael.

Wrong number or the start of a con, who knows, but you have been warned…

30-LOVE: Fonthill Platform Tennis is looking for a few good lobbers (page 6). I’d give it a go, but what with the ol’ carpal tunnel I don’t think I’d have much of a grip (something my spouse often suggests I “get” as it is).

Still, as a winter alternative to ice sports, it looks pretty tempting… The doctor will pump you now: Robert Williams, aka, The Pump Doctor, loaned us a September 1975 copy of the Pelham Herald last week. It seems to have been a Pelham Arena special, with at least half of the paper dedicated to the facility that would eventually be built on Haist Street (by Wainfleeters, yet, I was informed by another reader recently). The edition, printed shortly before that year’s election, also features a large ad for one Ron Leavens, NDP candidate for Lincoln—“Tomorrow Starts Today.” Ah, what could have been!…

Rarer than a teenager who doesn’t text while driving: Two apartments are on the market in downtown Font-

hill. Atop the Pelham Street Grille, they offer easy walking to anywhere you’d want to go. See the Classifieds, page 13. Plus you’re a mere floor away from breakfast, lunch, and (four evenings a week) dinner… Meanwhile, across the street: The former Keith’s Restaurant, opposite the Grille, won’t be coming back as a restaurant after all. Hopes were high earlier in the summer when it appeared that a local buyer would restart the eatery. Instead, the owner of the Pelham Street Grille’s building (but not the business) has bought Keith’s with plans to renovate the apartments upstairs and offer retail space on the ground floor. We’re told there’s no time line and no hurry… More urgently, however: Fancy getting a kid or two out of the house and off the smartphone?

We have a paper route that needs filling! See the Classifieds… Tanned, rested, and unready: As anyone under 18 knows, and the rest of us should remember, this is the last week of summer.

Sure, scientists with fancy degrees will point to the “equinox” that officially ends the season on Sept. 22, but we know that the real last week of summer is the last week of summer vacation. Buck-up, kids. It’s only nine months, then freedom will once again ring… Eyes peeled: Speaking of which, echoing Debbie Pine’s front page reminder this week, school’s about to open.

Please drive carefully.

Voice on vacation!

Fonthill Lions Sliderfest success

The sun shined down upon Pelham’s first ever local slider throw-down, hosted by the Fonthill Lions Club to fund raise for their community service.

Attendees at the event savoured delectable slider recipes ranging from Chipotle Cheddar Bison Slider with double smoked wild Boar Bacon to BBQ Beef Brisket Slider with horseradish cream, caramelized onions topped with a dill pickle.

There was Fennel Maple Smoked BBQ Pork Belly with special cider apple slaw and a Red Wine Braised Pork Belly Slider, served with Brie and sweet red pepper relish. Zest Kitchen offered up a Cumbrae Farm 'Hog Burger' Slider, with Fenwick peach & corn relish, Kozlik's mustard aioli and Rumar Farm lettuce.

The event was held last Saturday at the Fonthill Lions Club. The $30 entry ticket entitled attendees to one of each five sliders from competing chefs as well as fresh cut fries and corn served by the Fonthill Lions and a soft drink.

Some 430 people attended what was originally intended to be a 300 person event. “Ticket sales took off like crazy and we were suddenly sold out. It was a shame to have to turn people away but the chefs had limits with the last-minute surge in sales” said Fred Arbour, Fonthill Lions Secretary.

HE ROM T F T S A BL PAST ime This t r! ea la s t y

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IN THE NEWS

Merrittville Speedway robbery

tion site located at 287 Silverthorn Street in Welland entered his office to find a note on his desk warning the job site had been mined with explosive devices. The note indicated that several devices had been planted on site and were to explode at prescribed times with the intent to cause harm to as many people as possible. The worksite was evacuated and all personnel were removed to areas of safety. The Niagara Regional Police Service, Welland Fire, and Niagara EMS all responded to the scene. A police investigation was commenced and as a result of that investigation a male was taken into custody.

Welland resident Christopher Reece, 55, was subsequently arrested and later charged with the offences of Break and Enter with Intent, Utter Threats of Death, and Mischief to Property. In accordance with GE Job site and Niagara Regional Police protocols, the job site was examined for evidence of explosive devices after the deadlines for the explosions had passed. No devices were located and constructions crews were able to return to work by 2PM. Police say that investigation into the motivation behind this incident is continuing. Anyone with information can contact detectives at the NRPS 3 District

Last Saturday, at approximately 9 PM, police responded to Merrittville Speedway in Thorold for a robbery that had just occurred. Police say that an adult female, volunteering for a local youth organization selling 50/50 draw tickets, was walking through the main parking lot moving from one area of the speedway to another. She was approached from behind and robbed of her ticket sales by an unknown suspect.

The suspect fled the area on foot through the parking lot with an undisclosed amount of money. The incident occurred away from the main grandstand area while the event was taking place. Police attended and searched the area for the suspect with negative results. The victim was not physically injured.

At the time of the incident, there may have been people in the parking lot who were unaware of the events that had taken place. Police are asking anyone with information pertaining to this incident to call (905) 6881111.

Bomb threat at GE site

Shortly after 9 AM on Tuesday, August 22, police say that an employee at the General Electric construc-

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DSBN wants portion of Town park

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Oops: No fire trucks for you

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Haist Street traffic-calming measure a little too effective

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Growing up British Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation

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Apple Day comes to Fonthill

BY JULIE MANNELL

Special to the VOICE

W

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

NATE SMELLE PHOTO

Public meeting tonight on school issues

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It sure is getting there, Julie.”

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

BY VOICE STAFF

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

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

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

BY HEATHER McLAREN ROHRER

Special to the VOICE

A

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

While waiting for the contractor to return to fix

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

VOICE PHOTO

bourhood in the short-term.

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

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

Petition-inspired changes coming to 2017 Summerfest

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

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

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

sidered.

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

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

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

Another way the committee plans

Debbie

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Pine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BY VOICE STAFF

See COLUMN SIX Page 14

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Your Fonthill real estate connection.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Joining their principal, Karen Simpson, at the Sept.

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

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

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

After delivering to Council a petition containing

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

podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case.

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

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

www.pennylanesold.com

H EATHER AND P ENNY L ANE S ALES R EPRESENTATIVES

BY JOHN SWART

VOICE Correspondent

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

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

Town Council approves sidewalk to serve E. L. Crossley

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

Cell 905.933.3049

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.

Office 905.892.1702

Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn

Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932

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

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

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

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

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

FREE

The Niagara Regional Police Service is reminding residents to be cautious of the ongoing Canada Revenue Agency-related scam.

Residents have been receiving phone calls from criminals attempting to extort money from their victims by telephone, mail, text message or email. It is a fraudulent communication that claims to be from the Canada Revenue Agency requesting personal information such as a social insurance number, credit card number, bank account number, or passport number. Fraudsters are either fishing for your identification or asking that outstanding taxes be paid by a money service business or by pre-paid debit/credit cards. They may insist that this personal information is needed so that the taxpayer can receive a refund or a benefit payment. Cases of fraudulent communication could also involve threatening or coercive language to scare individuals into paying fictitious debt to the CRA. Other communications urge taxpayers to visit a fake CRA website where the taxpayer is then asked to verify their identity by entering personal information. These are scams and police say that taxpayers should never respond to these fraudulent communications nor click on any of the links provided. To avoid becoming a victim, police advise you to first check with another family member or trusted friend to verify the information before sending money or providing credit card information by phone, e-mail or online.

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Karen Kemp with her daughter,Teri Lynn Biedenbach, at the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse glacier, Austria, at an elevation of 3,798 meters.

- Welland office. 905-6884111.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The hues of Autumn are outstanding.

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

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

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

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

Indulgence Bakery Mossimo’s Pelham Street Grille Sobeys Fonthill DeVries Fruit Farm Beamer’s Hardware & TV Fonthill Library Black Pearl Fish & Chips Bob’s Boys Antiques Moku’s Fonthill Fitness Curves McDonald’s Fonthill Legion Semenuk’s Gas Bar Target Store Tim Horton’s Giant Tiger Pelham Town Hall Shoppers Drug Mart Zee Lube Express Care Lazy Loon Minor Bros Stores Avondale Stores A-1 Market Sobeys South Pelham Broken Gavel Restaurant Grill on Canboro Petro Canada Mtvl. Hwy. Renewed Thrift & Vintage Ridge Berry Farm Circle-K

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The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

Page 3

TOWN COUNCIL NEWS

BY SARAH WHITAKER

Special to the VOICE

Emmett Street plan accelerated Residents of Emmett Street will not be getting any short term relief from flooding of their properties.

Pelham Town Council has instead chosen to move up reconstruction of the street to provide a long-term solution.

Several property owners on Emmett Street have complained to the Town that during rainfalls water runs down the street, overflows the ditch and culverts and causes flooding of their properties. In an effort to resolve the concerns councillors asked Public Works staff to find a solution to the flooding that can be implemented sooner than the 2019 scheduled full road reconstruction of Emmett Street.

Pelham's Director of Public Works, Andrea Clemencio, explained that rain water currently crosses Pelham Street and runs down Emmett, causing the flooding, adding the longterm plan for storm water management in the area is for water to be rerouted down to Port Robinson Road where storm water construction has taken place to accommodate those flows.

In a report to the Committee of the Whole on Au-

gust 21, Public Works staff recommended moving up reconstruction of Emmett to 2018, noting any shortterm action would simply move the water problem to other areas of the neighbourhood.

Clemencio noted the project would still need to go through a prioritization process, that all capital projects go through, before being scheduled.

In response to questions from councillors, Clemencio noted the long-term reconstruction would not likely cause flooding issues further downstream because it is part of a larger plan and culverts have been designed and constructed to accommodate the flow when the water is rerouted.

She also noted that some small pilot projects on individual properties have been effective but they are not suitable for every situation on the street.

Noting extreme weather events are not likely to slow down, Councillor Peter Papp said he looks forward to prioritization of the project in the budget as the committee accepted staff's recommendation to move up reconstruction of Emmett by a year to 2018.

No new downtown parking Anyone who heads to Pelham Town Square on a Thursday evening in the summer or when a particularly interesting Library program is scheduled knows there is a need for more parking in the area.

While Public Works staff couldn't find any additional parking spots on the downtown square, they will paint the spots that do exist to make them known to drivers cruising the downtown area in search of a legal parking space.

Staff went looking for additional parking on Pelham Town Square as part of the municipality's 2017 Strategic Plan, which calls for the creation of an environment that would help businesses thrive. Staff looked at parking stall dimensions, site lines, emergency vehicle requirements, access to driveways, and the future reconstruction of the Station Street intersection.

Based on those criteria, no additional parking spots could be found.

To "aid slightly," staff recommended painting lines where parking is al-

ready permitted on Pelham Town Square — for two hours along the southern straightaway of Pelham Town Square, on the plaza side, and 30 minutes on the northern straightaway.

Andrea Clemencio, Director of Public Works, explained that while some of the areas on the square appear to have plenty of room for parking and good site lines, the addition of vehicles parked there would block driver views and increase the risk of accidents.

The recommendation to paint the existing parking spaces, which was accepted

by Committee of the Whole, would be in addition to the 2017 street marking plan which is already at the maximum budget for this year of $35,000.

Clemencio said staff would try to include the additional work, approximately a half day of painting, in this year's budget if there is room, or a project currently slated for this year's street marking program changes. If not, it will be part of the 2018 program.

Snow clearing in jeopardy Winter is coming and Pelham may not be able to handle it.

Due to a budget shortfall for this year, the Town will likely not meet minimum service levels for snow clearing in the first months of winter without major changes to the winter operations and the budget.

The 2017 winter operations budget, approved at $502,261, was meant to cover the end of last win-

ter and the beginning of the coming season. That half a million dollars, however, is not expected to cover winter maintenance for the end of 2017 at the levels Pelham residents currently enjoy.

In addition to the fact that weather in Pelham is notoriously fickle and can't be predicted with 100 percent certainty, the addition of contracting sidewalk clearSee SNOW Page 14

Deconstruction last week at the Timmsdale House, on Highway 20. VOICE PHOTO

Timmsdale House demolished

BY VOICE STAFF The long-threatened demolition of the Timmsdale House, at 202 Highway 20 West, began in earnest last week. A crew of three operating different sorts of no-nonsense machines took part in bashing down the house’s outer frame.

An excavator clawed at the walls, pulling the grey facade off and digging to the red brick underneath. A backhoe and bulldozer pushed and sorted the debris one it had been detached.

The process, which the workers on site estimated would take a week, signifies the end for what was an iconic home in Pelham. Last summer, nearby residents petitioned the Town to give the house heritage status, protecting it from destruction, but after receiving an assessment of $2.2 million for its maintenance, the Town declined to accede to such a status. Council encouraged the preservation of architectural features, ones that could potentially be preserved in future development— and perhaps certain elements of the interior have already been removed— though the demolition crew indicated

that they would be destroying the entire building.

“It was a nice place, in its day,” the excavator operator said as he returned to work, punching a hole in an upstairs wall and revealing a blue-tiled bathroom within.

Built in 1942, the Timmsdale House was originally the home of Reg Timms, an immigrant from England. Timms’ father owned a construction company there, and when Timms moved to Canada, he started a similar business here in Niagara. When building his own home, Timms imported supplies from England and designed the home in Tudor-revival style.

For a time, the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources possessed the property, which initially included many acres to the west, then sold it to other private owners. In the first few years of our present century, this family severed the western acreage and sold it to a developer, who in turn built the enormous homes that comprise Timmsdale Estates. Seemingly little time or money was put into repairing the main home.

In the 2016 report that the Town received, Shoalts Engineering detailed the extensive deterioration of the house—and especially its interior. The entire electrical and plumbing systems required replacing, the roof leaked heavily, substantial mould was present, and the firm thought it probable that both asbestos and lead were prevalent throughout the structure. While the report began by saying, “The interior of Timmsdale is impressive at first glance,” it quickly notes that this, “first impression is soon replaced by concern.”

Nevertheless, the report’s attached photos still depicted a majestic place.

Even in the gloom, the wood paneling glinted, and a long-case clock kept watch at the end of the main hall. An A-shaped conservatory, roofed with blue cathedral glass, clung to the back wall.

But not anymore. Where was once the greenhouse stood the excavator last week, breaking apart the imported bricks. Restoring the house would have been, in Shoalts’ words, “a monumental task.” Tearing it down was less so.

Throwing 'shoes Pelham horseshoers hold annual tournament

BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

The VOICE

The Pelham Horseshoe Pitching League held its 20th annual tournament last Sunday, drawing several dozen of its members to Centennial Park in Fenwick.

The league, which meets every Wednesday night during the summer, is comprised of players ranging from 22 and up, and this is one of the things that league organizer Virge Parvu so loves about horseshoes.

“It’s such a great game because everyone can play it.

We have kids come out, older people, younger people—we have some women in the league, too.”

While the club’s turnout had been down slightly this year, Parvu said that there are typically 35 people who play on Wednesdays, most of

whom came out on Sunday, too.

Horseshoes is a deceptively difficult game, and this was apparent early on.

“Shoes,” as initiates call them, must be thrown onto a metal pole from 40 feet away, but often even perfect tosses will bounce off the post, or skip off the surrounding sand and come up just short.

Even Larry Vervaeke, who is known to take the game the most seriously of all the club’s members, says that he only throws “ringers” (when the horseshoe hugs the pole) about 20 percent of the time.

Vervaeke recently competed in the Canadian championSee SHOES Page 10

Winning team members Brian Mann, Marj Thalen, and Brad Vaughan hoist their trophy.

SUPPLIED PHOTO

Page 4

The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

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 Sarah Whitaker If Macdonald is bad, then surely Wellesley is worse

I

F EV ER THER E WA S an indication that the District School Board of Niagara’s decision to rename E.W. Farr Memorial Public School to Wellington Heights is out of touch, ill-advised and just plain wrong, it’s the suggestion that the name of our first prime minister should be scrubbed from all Ontario schools.

News last week emerged that the union representing Ontario’s public elementary school teachers is calling on all school districts in the province to rename schools and buildings that are named after Sir John A. Macdonald.

MacDonald was a dominant figure in Canada’s confederacy, Canada’s founding father in many eyes, and served as the first prime minister for 19 years following the creation of the British North America Act in 1867.

Macdonald’s accomplishments were staggering, there is no doubt. There is also no doubt that MacDonald’s record is not unblemished. He resigned the office of prime minister over the Pacific Scandal in 1873 and made the decision to execute Riel.

He was also prime minis-

ter when the Canadian government approved the first residential schools in the country.

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario members look to Macdonald’s role in the creation of residential schools as reason to eliminate his name from the province’s schools.

This comes after a student-led campaign at Toronto’s Ryerson University pushed last month to scrub Egerton Ryerson’s name from their school.Ryerson is widely believed to have helped shape residential school policy through his ideas on education for Indigenous children.

While many are trying to find a way to acknowledge history without glorifying the unforgivable views of historical figures, our local school board staunchly refuses to acknowledge it’s a problem.

While some are suggesting that schools named after Macdonald be renamed because of his involvement in racist policies, our local board is choosing to name new schools after racist men who have no connection to Canada.

Wellington Heights Public School’s name is connected to, and honours, Ar-

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(905) 892-8690

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca PUBLISHER & EDITOR Dave Burket publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca REPORTERS Samuel Piccolo, Sarah Whitaker ADMINISTRATION Lori Gretsinger office@thevoiceofpelham.ca CONTRIBUTORS John Swart, Larry Coté, Nick Saltarelli, Carolyn Botari, Melissa Wells

thur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington. Wellesley was a military man and former prime minister of Britain. His political career is marked by his staunch opposition to election reform in his country, which would have expanded voting rights beyond its wealthy elite.

It’s also marked by his work against the Jewish Civil Disabilities Repeal Bill — a bill that would have put Jews on equal footing with other men in the country, including having the right to vote.

Given that Wellesley refused to come to Canada to aid in the War of 1812, never set foot in the country, never mind in Ontario or Niagara, and given that his political career included policies and beliefs that caused harm to hundreds of British citizens, surely his name is less suitable for a school than that of our first prime minister.

If Sir John A. Macdonald is being questioned as a suitable name for a school then isn’t it about time that the DSBN accept and admit they made a mistake, and take steps to correct it now—rather than pull a racist name from a school building at some point in the future.

If Macdonald is bad surely Wellesley must be worse.

Letters Haist parklands a shared benefit Remember the old song,"Big Yellow Taxi," by Joni Mitchell?

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot With a pink hotel, a boutique And a swinging hot spot For those of us old enough to remember this song, the issue then was the environment—it is as relevant today as then.

Unfortunately in Pelham it appears paving over the land is quite popular with some politicians.

Some call it progress.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are welcome. Letter submissions should contain the writer’s full name, address and telephone number. Names only will be published.

Names may be withheld if compelling reasons are provided. The newspaper reserves the right to change, condense or reject any contribution for brevity or legal reasons. All material in this publication is protected by copyright. Reproduction is prohibited without express, written permission of the publisher. ADVERTISING: The Voice of Pelham regrets any errors or omissions that appear in advertisements in this newspaper, however, we will not be held responsible for more than one absent or incorrect insertion or for any damages beyond the cost of space containing the error. The Voice is an independent, locally owned and operated publication.

Others dispute the presumed added value.

Our neighbourhood includes a public space which

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament

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

Mayor of Pelham David Augustyn mayordave@pelham.ca 905-892-2607 Ext 317 Members of Pelham Town Council

Member of Provincial Parliament

Ward 1 Councillor Richard Rybiak rrybiak@pelham.ca 905-892-2105

Sam Oosterhoff, MPP 4961 King St. East, Unit M1 Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 sam.oosterhoffco@pc.ola.org 905-563-1755

Councillor Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-684-4870

Electoral District: Niagara West-Glanbrook

Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor David Augustyn mayordave@pelham.ca 905-892-2607 Ext 317 Councillor Brian Baty brian.baty@niagararegion.ca 905-892-5317 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607

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Our neighbourhood includes a public space which has a variety of uses

has a variety of uses and many participants. The vitality of the Haist Street parklands has successfully linked residents for many years.

Effective long-term planning should consider the joyful organic land as it exists and not pave over this park. We who avail ourselves to walk, bike, kick balls, fly kites or navel gaze are all healthier because of the proximity of Haist park.

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Page 5

OPINION Letters

FOLLOW THE MONEY By Jim Pitt

continued

Divining political identity, blog by blog

Don't let greed win in Wainfleet On July 18, 2017 at the Wainfleet Town Council meeting, the decision on the Lakewood Beach Properties draft plan of condominium was brought forward.

This is the largest most controversial development every brought before Wainfleet Township. This development has been on the table for over 11 years now.

The development consists of 41 single family dwelling condominium units to be built in the space of less than 24 acres of lakefront property. Minimum lot size per home in Wainfleet is 2.5 acres as per Official Plan and bylaws. This development will have four (4) homes per acre. Also included in this plan is a communal septic system and water storage tower with water from the Long Beach Water System.

Communal septic systems are not allowed in Wainfleet as per the Official Plan.

This decision to approved was 3-2 (approved by Mayor April Jeffs, Alderman Ted Hessels and Alderman Terry Gilmore; opposed by Aldermen Richard Dykstra and Betty Konc) even though the municipal planning department had not provided council with all planning reports as would be deemed necessary, along with legal advice, in order to make an educated decision. They made a decision without valuable information that will affect the Township of Wainfleet drastically for generations to come. This decision was directly against the wishes of the majority of the residents in Wainfleet as per the documented results of the “visioning” exercises that the Township conducted and hundreds of letters to Township.

By calling it a condominium community they are changing all the bylaws for this to meet the requirements of this development. If so many bylaws and policies in the Official Plan have to be amended to provide for a development such as this high density development, I think that shows it is not a good fit for a community.

Bylaws are put in place for reasons: protection of surrounding homeowners, protection of natural features, protection of the environment, safety of the residents both existing and future.

Biodiversity, releasing “kill permits” for endangered species, removing

natural features of a property that removes natural land protection — this is not smart planning. This property is located in flood plain, and a dynamic beach hazard zone which in itself should have stopped this development.

By calling it a condominium community they are changing the bylaws

At least 3-4 of the proposed homes will be built in an MDS (Minimum Distance Separation) zone as there is a horse farm adjacent to this property. Legal?

Over 100 trees were knocked and/or cut down.

Many of those trees were supposed to be protected as they were pine trees planted by the Boy Scouts in a reforestation program in the early 1980s. These trees provide flood protection to surrounding homes and properties during Lake Erie storms. All done without permit. Natural beach protection was removed last summer as not aesthetically pleasing to the developer, resulting in at least 15 feet of erosion this past winter.

This type of development is opening up Wainfleet to developers for undersized lot sizes. It isn’t just threatening the lakeshore area but all of Wainfleet as developers are already gobbling up prime agricultural land for subdivisions.

One already approved in the north end and another proposed for the area of Wainfleet known as Winger. This site wants lot sizes of less than an acre per home. Lakewood has set precedence.

Two applications for OMB appeals have been requested. We are gathering resources, people and hopefully funding for these appeals.

We need our community’s support. Please help us stop this greed-based development before it’s too late.

Lee Bott Wainfleet

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ty they do belong to. ccording to people who are supposed to know such things—in this case RBC and Ratehub—Canadians are spending too much of their income on mortgage payments. According to Canada’s Mortgage and Housing Commission, we should spend only 30% of our income on our mortgage. In the GTA, people are spending 72% of their income on mortgage payments. In Vancouver, it’s 80%. Saint John, N.B was lowest at 34%. The average mortgage amount has climbed 5% to around $200,000 this year. There are 6 million mortgages in Canada right now. Other debt is averaging $22,154, for things like credit cards and car loans. Unsecured, high-interest, short-term debt, which 6.4 million Canadians hold, is up 5.5% to an average of $20,500. This debt is for things like furniture and appliances. You can even buy a blender or coffee maker on the monthly payment plan. Isn’t credit a wonderful thing.

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions is worried. So worried that measures I mentioned in an earlier column have evolved from mere rumours to a name: B-20. The Residential Mortgage Insurance

A

Underwriting Practices and Procedures regulations will solidify some fairly drastic measures.

As mentioned before, stress-testing all mortgage applicants, insured and uninsured, especially uninsured, for 2% above prime and 3% for more risky borrowers, will try to contain the pending damage from the housing correction that is now going on in Ontario and across Canada. As Central Banks move to tighten credit, they can raise interest rates or tighten loan regulations, or do both. The amount a qualified buyer will be able to borrow could fall as much as 18%. So either a house buyer can borrow more from the Bank of Mom and Dad, which is averaging $40,000 today, or the prices of houses will continue to fall. How much they fall is unknown, but a return to the historical average is likely. Check your MPAC statement from 2016 to find that particular number.

Prices do tend to overshoot the average downwards in a correction, sometimes by as much as 20%, depending on the severity of the bubble.

This was a severe bubble.

The OFSI is charged with one task: to protect financial institutions from bad debts. B-20 could take effect later this fall. It’s not personal, it’s just business.

Sidewalk issue a little more complicated Your August 23 article on the Circle K sidewalk situation is partially correct [Circle K sidewalks incomplete, p. 2].

The Town explained why the sidewalk at the corner isn’t complete but didn’t discuss why the sidewalk on Welland Road isn’t complete nor the one on Pelham Street that ends in the ski jump.

There really isn’t any rush to complete the sidewalk at the corner of Pel-

ham and Welland because other than the north side of Welland, there are no connecting sidewalks on either Quaker or Pelham (other than the dead-end to the south).

Quaker Road doesn’t even have proper shoulders and is particularly dangerous to walk on. Pelham Street isn’t much better. The Welland Street sidewalk isn’t complete because the Hy-

dro One pole that was moved from the middle of the Circle K driveway to the middle of the new sidewalk now has to be moved again before the sidewalk can be completed. The sidewalk along Pelham south of the Circle K dead-ends in a gravel drop back down to road level.

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cial government, stating, “How can anyone blame the government for inaction?”

The problem was clearly tardiness on the part of the Region, finger-wag.

We can now safely assume that the Mayor, and by extension, the Town of Pelham, are not supporters of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Since we are looking at party affiliation in municipal politics, let’s see which party the our Council could belong to.

We certainly spend taxpayers' money freely, so maybe we are supporters of the NDP. But when we spend this money freely, we only pay for the best and most municipal administrators, and the biggest, most elegant Town buildings, so maybe we support the Liberal Party. They certainly like to buy expensive stuff like gas plants and wind turbines.

Then again, in the same message, the Mayor points out the Town’s desire to preserve green space and keep the urban boundary in check, so maybe we are Green Party supporters.

For sure, we can safely assume that the Mayor and possibly a majority of Council are not Conservatives.

We can also make a pretty good guess as to which par-

F F I C I A L L Y , political parties are banned in Ontario municipal politics. There are moves, sometimes, by local politicians in various locales to introduce the notion, but so far parties remain verboten.

When I read the Mayor’s weekly blog last week, which will, I suppose, be entered into the official minutes of the Town’s next Council meeting, I wondered why the Mayor was so political in his admonishment of a certain politician.

Near the end of the Mayor's summary of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario meeting earlier this month in Ottawa, a gathering which was well attended by Town Hall figures, the Mayor wrote, “Shockingly, one party leader also spouted a lie that needs to be quashed.

Mr. Brown, leader of the opposition, told the hundreds of delegates that the Government broke their promise of extending GO Rail to Niagara.”

Frankly, I’m more shocked when a politician isn’t lying, but that’s just me. The Mayor’s claim was followed by an explanation citing a problem with the timing of the request from the Region and subsequent reaction time from the province. The Mayor defended the provin-

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Page 6

The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

2017 Bandshell Series

The Story of Rock 'n' Roll

Letters

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

continued

BY JIM CASSON

Special to the VOICE

Johnny Gems and the Red Hot Bananas brings back to life every major hit, from every major artist, from the Rock ‘n’ Roll era of the ‘50s and ‘60s.

You’ll hear hits by Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Fats Domino, Bo Diddley and Bill Haley and the Comets. Also included are the Rockabilly classics by Eddie Cochrane, Gene Vincent and Buddy Holly. The Doo Wop era with groups like The Diamonds, The Del Vikings and Dion and the Belmonts. Into the 1960s with The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Herman’s Hermits, The Animals, Gerry and the Pacemakers

Wainfleet—A developer's dream

and many others from the British Invasion. And also including American Pop artists like the Beach Boys, The Young Rascals and the Motown and Soul sound of The Four Tops, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Smokey Robinson and the

Miracles.

Thursday, August 31, 7-9pm at the Fonthill Bandshell Concerts - The Story Of Rock ’n’ Roll - presented by Pelham Auto & Briggsy’s Sportswear. For more information, please go to fonthillbandshell.com

The Statistics Canada Report, based on the 2016 Census, confirmed that Wainfleet remained a community of zero growth, based on the past 15 years and more of actual statistical evidence, with little or no economic growth likely to occur.

The population remains static at around 6,400, all of whom accepted that the price of living in a rural community was without those services and amenities most urban dwellers demand.

Last month’s Building Report confirmed just one single detached residence was completed in July, making a total of 16 for 2017 so far.

A recent decision by Wainfleet’s mayor and two councilors has rejected those facts and instead chose to defer their planning authority to Niagara Region as the upper tier government.

With their approval of Lakewood, they have committed Wainfleet’s rural community to two new

singe detached residences built per day for the next 15 years to satisfy Niagara Region’s target of a Wainfleet population of 29,800 by 2031, requiring 11,130 new homes.

No wonder Wainfleet is now the developer’s best friend.

Shame no one thought to ask the residents of Wainfleet what they think about it.

Andrew Watts Wainfleet

SIDEWALKS

sidewalk.

To complicate matters, it seems that the developer stopped paying the contractors as soon as the store opened in March. Hence there has been no sideway

completion nor any landscaping.

The lack of landscaping is obvious and the proliferation of weeds only get cut when the neighbours complain. The lack of landscaping obviously has nothing to do with the developer waiting for the Region to raise the traffic signal pole at the corner.

I believe the developer has until mid-September (6 months after opening) to complete all the site work or the Town can cash the developer’s performance bond and use the money to complete the sidewalks, landscaping, etc.

Name withheld by request Fonthill

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The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

Page 7

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Page 8

The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

COLUMN SIX continued from Page 1 in the east.

The area remained Chile’s last frontier, home to clusters of hearty European settlers and indigenous populations.

In 1983 Chile’s General Pinochet committed to “Chileanizing” these remote villages and ports, and began construction of the Carretera Austral. By 2003 it became possible to drive, and theoretically cycle, the

Carretera Austral, a twisting, marginally maintained, gravel road that passes between massive mountains swathed at their base in temperate rain forests and topped by hanging glaciers.

The track follows pristine rivers raging unchecked by dams or energy projects, and drops into arid valleys with vistas stretching beyond sight, often unimpeded by any sign of humanity, for the two summer months each year that the road is passable.

On this day the rain is neither cold nor unpleasant, and the steady climb to a 700 metre pass warms me. Near the summit, a washed-out section of road has left the Armco steel barrier—designed to protect vehicles from the most precipitous cliffs —swaying in the wind, its concrete anchors hanging in mid-air above where the road has slid into the Rio Baker far below.

At the next corner I’m besieged by an enormous bull, its origin a total mystery. I realize that my new Brooks bike seat is made of sturdy cowhide—hopefully not from a relative this brute may wish to avenge.

As I pull two squashed white buns with jam from my pannier for lunch, I realize I haven’t encountered another vehicle or person on the road yet today. Below me, the milky, glacier-fed Rio Yelcho roars into the crystal-clear Rio Palena, both headed to the Pacif-

ic Ocean. Beyond my rocky lookout, the rain forest is truly impenetrable.

Every inch of space is jammed with broadleaved, thick-stalked, monster-sized versions of the tiny tropical plants available on florists’ shelves here in Niagara. At the roadside, thin-beaked yellow and tan coloured birds resembling long-legged seagulls or pipers pick at slugs and snails, improbably quacking to each other like mallard ducks.

A wide grin perpetually covers my face, and the essence of this solo bicycle adventure along southern Chile’s Carretera Austral is clear. There are no must-see cultural icons or traditional tourist spots. The road itself delivers stunning scenes and improbable experiences in every kilometre, and the infrequent villages and hospedajes—Chilean homes renting space to travelers— ensure unscripted interactions each evening.

At La Junta, a small town

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The road itself delivers stunning scenes and improbable experiences in every kilometre at the junction of a gravel track into Argentina and the Austral, I’ve splurged for a decent meal at eco-lodge Hotel Montana, and share the simple dining room with one couple. American Linde Waidhofer, an internationally acclaimed photographer, introduces herself, and hands me a copy of “Unknown Patagonia,” her stunning coffee table book of the landscape I’m cycling in.

She, and others, are crusading to stop what will become the largest hydro-electric plant in Chile from harnessing the Rio Baker. This book is her contribution to public

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awareness.

Days later, I stand conflicted at the mouth of the Rio Baker, having cycled its entirety. The river and its mountainous valley are truly the most spectacular natural landscape I have ever encountered.

I’ve ridden above the clouds here, stood beside waterfalls whose roar drowned out my thoughts, and cycled for hours without a glimpse of another living soul.

I’ve also watched an educated young Chilean, briefcase in hand and backpack slung over his shoulder, trace a cow path to his home village where there is no electricity or running water.

I've shared a bus seat with two gutted pigs being sent to market by an indigenous farmer who couldn’t afford the trip for himself. These people want the tremendous economic benefits and jobs of the hydro project, and are resentful of foreigners meddling.

I consciously maintain no opinion; thankful only to have experienced this magSee COLUMN SIX next page

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The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

Page 9

COLUMN SIX continued from previous page nificent area as it is today.

People’s stories, like the vistas, are endless.

Katrin and Thomas arrived from Germany ten years ago to build hospedaje Campo Alacaluf, which stands isolated 44 kilometres down the dead-end road which leads to Laguna San Rapheal Glacier in Valle Exploradores. Katrin designed and constructed the home while Thomas cooked their meals and built the 10,000 KW water-powered turbine that produces their electricity.

While spending the night with them, a 4 AM trip to the shared bathroom found me interrupting Katrin, casually enjoying a glass of rye and a cigarette, sitting on the toilet in the dark.

Mirtha, owner of La Pasarela Lodge, explained over fresh salmon that her other business was importing tulip bulbs from Holland, training them to bloom six months out of sync, then air-freighting the cut flowers back to an eager winter market in the Netherlands.

My quiet coffee on a street bench in Coyhaique, the provincial capital of Aisen, is shattered by hundreds of women who’ve congregated from local villages, shouting “Presidente malo con los ricos” —the President cares only for the rich—as they march through town protesting their lack of job opportunities.

At another hospedaje, the curtains of one window were fashioned from

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The Carretera Austral is no super-highway. a most unique material. I had to ask.

Pointing and touching, I queried, “Que este?” of my 75 year old host Ensalmo Soto Cerna, exhausting most of my Spanish vocabulary. His face lit up, a huge smile beamed, and he shuffled from the room, returning with a few grainy, well-worn black and white photos.

One photo portrayed him standing tall and fit, beside a huge boa constrictor, its skin destined to shelter his kitchen from northern Patagonia’s intense sunlight. His voice rose in excitement as he explained through

JOHN SWART PHOTO

gestures and photos that he’d killed the snake while guiding in Brazil, a career he adopted after years spent traversing Chile, and its South American neighbours, as a soldier.

The Carretera Austral in Aisen and Northern Patagonia presents the opportunity for a safe and unique soft adventure that can be tailored to most travelling styles.

Cycling’s the best way in my biased opinion, but touring this breathtaking country by rented 4x4 would be well worth forgoing another month in Florida. 4

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Page 10

The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Bounty keeps on coming

We're just here for a good time

The fruits of summer’s harvest are in full supply at local fruit stands big and small.

Top: Anna Balla at her Fruit Barn, on Hwy 20. Centre: Patrick and Violet Maggezini mind their stand on Effingham Street.

Bottom: Joe and Teresa Hozjan have sold their produce on Canboro Road for decades.

VOICE PHOTOS

Larry Vervaeke steps into the shot, his eyes locked on the post.

SHOES continued from Page 3 ship in Guelph, where he did well in F division, but where he says winners in A division throw ringers upwards of 80 percent of the time.

There is an entire world of competitive horseshoes, with its very own superstar.

Ohioan Alan Francis has won the World Horseshoe Championship 22 times. In 2010 the New York Times called him “perhaps the

most dominant athlete in any sport in the country.”

Horseshoes was first played to a great degree in North America in Union camps during the Civil War, though the game has much deeper roots, stemming from the British sports of “quoits,” and even from the discus toss of Ancient Greece.

Vervaeke knows that he isn’t going to challenge Alan Francis anytime soon, though he takes obvious delight in the game. He swings the shoe back and forth sev-

VOICE PHOTO

eral times as he lines up, tapping the sole of his left foot against the ground as he prepares to step into the shot. He’s even wrapped the right leg of his shorts to ensure that he doesn’t brush the cloth while playing.

But most of Sunday’s competitors weren't as diligent in their routine. Instead, they pitched with abandon, joking as they threw, easily distracted by the scent of barbecuing burgers.

“We’re just here for a

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For the time being though, he was just pleased with how the day was going. He had already improvised a number of times to keep things running: in the absence of lighter fluid, he used a propane torch to light the charcoal BBQ, and when several players didn’t show, he shuffled the rosters just enough that everything worked out.

Thalen may have chafed at the idea that she had to compete, but by lunchtime she had been assigned a team and was out throwing shoes. By dinner, her team of Brian Mann and Brad Vaughan had out-pitched everyone else to win the championship.

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The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

Page 11

A cemetery's story Historic Fonthill site a quiet reminder of our past

BY CAROLYN BOTARI

Special to the VOICE

A

T THE COR N ER of Welland Road and Effingham Street sits a little cemetery, a lonely reminder of a community that first settled Pelham prior to the 1800s. The Quakers, or Society of Friends, began arriving in Pelham as early as 1786.

They were invited and welcomed to Upper Canada by Lieutenant-Governor General John Graves Simcoe because of their qualities of honesty and hard work, as well as a sense of community, which would be of great benefit to those braving a new life in the wilderness.

A typical Quaker belonged to an extended network of more-or-less closely related families with a strong religious family base. Quite a few unmarried young men migrated, but usually in company with older parents, married sisters and brothers. Movement to the Niagara frontier in these years began what is called a chain-migration, with other family members and former neighbours following the first-comers a few years later.

These new settlers were part of a larger migration

from the states of New York, Lancaster and Bucks Counties in Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Nearly all Friends who came to Niagara had taken no active part in the American Revolution and did not claim to be Loyalists.

The Pelham Society of Friends built their first meeting house in the late 1780s. The original building was a log structure located at the corner of Welland Road and Effingham Street.

It was replaced it with a larger frame building in 1807. In 1875 the Friends, now known as the Hicksite Quakers, built a new meeting house or church known as “The White Meeting House” at the same location. This also became the site of one of the earliest burial grounds for Friends.

In 1929, many years after it closed, The White Meeting House was moved to Maple Street in Fenwick where it still stands today.

A tablet in the Welland Road cemetery now marks the spot where in the late 1700s the first monthly meeting of the Religious Society of Friends was established in Canada and where the Meeting House once stood.

The Quakers were known

Headstones near the site of Friends' first meeting house, at the intersection of Welland Rd. and Effingham St.. SUPPLIED PHOTO

for their plainness, and in the earliest Friends’ burial grounds a mere fieldstone or stab of stone or wood, with the initials of the deceased crudely carved thereon, was often the only mark of a loved one lost. The older part of the cemetery, where many of the original stones once marked burials, is located behind the spot where the Meeting House once stood.

This spot at first appears to be a vacant area, but a closer look reveals a few

partially exposed, inscribed slabs poking out from under the grass.

One stone, bearing the name Page, is dated 1836.

Among the early Quaker pioneer families to be found interred here are Willson, Beckett, Chapman, Page and Cohoe to name but a few.

A visit to this jumble of grasses and stones should remind us all that these inscriptions were once carved into our ancestors’ hearts as well as the

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The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

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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

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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

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South Niagara Rowing Club rowers contributed to an impressive Ontario Rowing Team haul of seven Gold, one Silver, and two Bronze medals at the recent Canada Summer Games, held in Kenora. Fonthill’s Jared Naar won two Golds; and Jasmine Leheta and Rebecca Camplin took Bronze.

Welland’s Riley Raso coached the Women’s Eight.

Pictured at bottom left, Rebecca Camplin; bottom, second from right, Jasmine Leheta; bottom right corner, Riley Raso.

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Page 14

The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

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TOWN COUNCIL NEWS SNOW continued from Page 3 ing added costs to the 2017 budget as did the addition of new roads and sidewalks.

The shortfall is exacerbated by the need for two new snowplows — one that was not in service in 2016 and another that is due to be replaced this year.

The shortage of trucks and additions to the snow-clearing operations impacts the length of time it takes to clear Pelham's roads, which has a significant impact on how often

roads can be cleared during a single snow event.

Staff recommended the lease of additional fleet vehicles to meet the current service standards. The other options to consider include purchasing new vehicles to meet current standards and outsourcing the clearing of urban roads to a contractor.

In response to a question by Mayor Augustyn on why the option to purchase, which is cheaper at the outset, wasn't recommended, Public Works director Andrea Clemencio explained the Town is moving toward leasing all vehicles so

as to spend small amounts of capital every year for leasing rather than larger amounts every few years on major purchases.

"It's not unusual to be over-budget, that happens at times," said Councillor Papp in response to the report. "What's important is we are ready."

Councillors did not choose any of the options on offer, but agreed with a motion by Councillor Richard Rybiak that the "twists and turns" of the issue required a dedicated meeting to discuss the long-term implications.

Pelham drivers to get schooled on speed limits The start of this school year brings changes for students, teachers, as well as Pelham drivers. The Town plans to update school zone speed limits in the municipality's bylaws to ensure the bylaw and speed limit signage are consistent.

The updates will ensure there is a 40km/h zone near each school in the town when signs are flashing amber.

Currently, the Town's bylaw does not list a specific speed for A.K. Wigg and Glynn A. Green, where the default is

50 km/h, while near St. Ann's the speed is listed at 80 km/h in the bylaw.

Both St. Ann's and the new Wellington Heights, which are both located on Canboro Road in Fenwick, have student crossings but they are not in compliance with new regulations for pedestrian safety established by the province earlier this year.

Both schools' crossings will be updated to current markings and signage for a pedestrian crossover, where traffic must yield the right of way to

pedestrians.

Councillor John Durley suggested that the Town contact Niagara Regional Police Services to request that officers be present in Pelham so drivers are made aware of the changes.

As part of the update, Public Works staff are also investigating fluorescent green pavement markings for school zone use in the future as well as further traffic calming measures near the two schools on Canboro Road.

Fonthill Plaza (905) 892-5443 BBQ DONATION MP Dean Allison and MPP Sam Oosterhoff make a donation to Community Care of West Niagara of items collected at their annual family barbecue on August 12. From left, Lynda O’Donnell, Administrator and Fundraising Coordinator, Dean Allison, Sam Oosterhoff, and Nicole Sutherland, Client Services Coordinator.

SUPPLIED PHOTO UKE THAT CASH Alan and Diana Ash, of the NOTL Ukesters, present Pelham Cares’ Lori Grande, right, with a cheque for $500.

The Ukesters hold jam sessions at Moku’s Restaurant in Fonthill each Wednesday, with the proceeds going to Pelham Cares for the last six months.

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The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

This week in baseball

Page 15

FACT-FINDING ISN'T FREE

BY MELISSA WELLS

Special to the VOICE

Group 92 Mechanical Rookie Rep team has finished their season strong coming in second place in their division against Niagara Falls Minors.

It was a battle right to the very last inning with a final score of 5-4. The coaches are extremely proud of all the players as this is the first year Pelham has been able to field a Rookie Rep team. The progress made with fielding and batting is encouraging to the team as they head into the Ontario Baseball Association tournament in Kingsville on Labour Day weekend. The team wishes to thank all of the parents and volunteers who have helped to make the season a success. Thanks again for all the support from Pelham Minor Baseball Association. The coaches hope to see everyone again next season for Rookie Rep Ball.

Placing second in the Niagara District tier 2 playoffs, the Miller Restoration Mosquito Rep team faced off against division rival Welland Mustangs for the championship. Starting pitcher Andy Nawrocki did a fantastic job setting down the Mustangs in order with three strike outs in the second inning. Chase Munn had two RBIs in the game. Catcher Cameron Wells did his best to frame a small strike zone for both Andy and closer Connor Jolicoeur. Although bested by the Mustangs, the Panthers were happy with their second place finish in the league.

The team will compete next weekend in Essex in the Ontario Baseball Association final.

The two Pelham Minor Baseball Association Peewee teams competed for the Pelham Cup in their final game of the season this past Wednesday evening. Before the game players participated in a Pitch, Hit and Run competition. 1st place went to Kaleb Dobrucki-Connelly, 2nd to Andrew Behring and 3rd to Caleb Stevenson. Using all the skills the players from the Fonthill Lions Reds and Willowbrook Nurseries Orioles gained throughout the season, both teams played very well with the Orioles edging out the Reds with a final score of 6-3. The game played under the lights was highlighted by a home run hit off the outfield fence by Alex Rubino of the Reds.

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The Voice of Pelham, August 30, 2017

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POTH continued from Page 1 culverts failed didn’t have anything to do with twisting or leaning. The fact of the matter is that after forty years they rusted out, their life was done.”

Junkin wondered aloud why such a simple job, which in his mind should be a matter of unearthing the old culverts and putting in new ones, was chewing up so much time and money. He further mused that it seemed unlikely that in the past 40 years there had been a major geological change to the earth’s crust near Poth Road.

But what has changed, Clemencio emphasized, is the law. There is now provincial legislation by which municipalities must abide concerning safety and longevity. The engineering firm conducting the study has determined the base needed to support the provincially legislated loads, and it has yet to find suitable bedrock at 15 metres.

“We have to follow the rules, and an engineer has to stamp those plans, and we’re just not able to bend on that.” Clemencio said.

Junkin was undeterred.

“I’ve lived out in the country, I’ve been a farmer my whole life, when you have something that lasted for forty years—and I’m sure they didn’t do geotechnical studies at that

time. They probably just went down to what they thought was solid ground, put two feet of gravel, and put in these culverts. It just blows my mind that something that was done forty years ago without all these surveys…lasted its lifetime, and it just sort of irritates me that the rules say that we now we have to spend, well, what are we at, engineering costs right now?”

Somewhere in excess of $40,000, answered Clemencio. She added that Poth Street had experienced a unique failure, and that further study was the only alternative to a permanent closure of the bridge.

When Councillor Rybiak asked about the timeline, Clemencio maintained that if the Town was aggressive, the street could be repaired this year.

Mayor Augustyn recounted that the provincial regulations so vexing Junkin were a topic of conversation during a recent meeting with the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Transportation. The discussion, further elaborated on by CAO Darren Ottaway, concerned the unfeasibility of spending large sums of money on rural bridges with traffic of just 50-100 cars per day. During their presentation to the ministry, Ottaway said that Pelham’s argument was similar to Junkin’s: towns

should not have to be held to the “highest of bridge standards in this type of context.”

The Ministry’s response, according to Ottaway, was that it is possible to “deviate” from the regulation lifespan of a bridge—75 years, a deviation that Clemencio said that the Town intended to take on Poth Street—but that in doing so the municipality takes on all legal liability.

“In today’s litigious society, we get sued if a squirrel drops an acorn on someone’s windshield, let alone something that happens on a bridge,” Ottaway said. “It’s not that we’re building it [to provincial standards] out of practicality, it’s that we’re building it to protect ourselves from litigation. This is really what, at the end of the day, this is about.”

“And, service, of course,” the Mayor said.

“And service, yes,” Ottaway agreed.

In the end, Clemencio made it clear that the cost of the further testing was to be covered by savings from another bridge report.

Without further debate, Council voted to receive the report and await the further, deeper, geotechnical study, the results of which are expected within a few weeks.

If and when the Poth Street culvert is replaced, it will be under New-School rules.

326 KING ST., WELLAND $239,000

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Epidemic of West Nile predicted continued from Page 1 estimated. This final number can be used to predict the number of confirmed human cases for the year.

“There’s a direct relationship between the mosquito surveillance and the eventual human cases,” says Hunter, an entomologist who has become internationally known for her work on the global spread of Zika.

With more than 250 mosquito pools having tested positive so far this year as the peak “epiweek” approaches, history shows that will lead to nearly 340 human cases ­— putting 2017 in line with 2012 as the worst outbreak years since 2002.

“We are well on our way to having a West Nile virus outbreak in Ontario,” said Hunter.

As a mosquito researcher for the past 16 years, Hunter finds it frustrating that people aren’t taking the West Nile risk seriously later in the summer.

“I saw mosquito repellent being cleared out at a store recently, like the season is over. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Now is the time people should be putting on their insect repellent.

“From a public health perspective, it is important to remind people to protect themselves from mosquito bites. There may not seem to be many mosquitoes out biting at this time of year, but this is when they are their most dangerous.”

Hunter says even though there are far more mosquitoes early in the season, it’s later in the year when the insects have had time to feed on infected birds and spread the West Nile virus among themselves.

The mosquito species that transmit the virus typically start feeding on humans later in the summer.

“That’s why now is so dangerous. Most of the other nuisance mosquitoes are dropping off in numbers, so it gives people a false-sense of security.”

FACTS ABOUT WEST NILE VIRUS: West Nile virus is spread to humans when they are bitten by mosquitoes that have been feeding on infected birds.

Most people infected do not show any symptoms, but about one in five will show common symptoms such as fever, headache, nausea, body aches, vomiting and a rash on chest, stomach or back.

About one in 150 infected people will show more serious symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, stiff neck, muscle weakness, confusion, tremors, numbness and a sudden sensitivity to light.

There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat West Nile. If going outside between dusk and dawn, when most mosquitoes feed, you can avoid West Nile by wearing a long-sleeved shirt and light-coloured clothing, and using an insect repellant that contains DEET. For more information go to https://www. ontario.ca/page/west-nile-virus