The Voice, January 15 2020

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Vol.24 No.2

January 15, 2020

FREE

Crossley win 41 years in the making

Column Six

New Year's Top Ten D REVISE

After two weeks of reflection, the author rethinks her resolutions

BY JANE BEDARD

Special to the VOICE

M

Y TOP TEN New Year’s Resolutions.

Revised from January 1

10. ORIGINAL: Wear more pink. My usual swirl of black and grey is wearing thin.

Perhaps, on occasion, you’ve noticed a storm approaching as you walk down the streets of Pelham and curse yourself for not bringing an umbrella. Then, as fast as it appeared, it’s gone, and you wonder if you imagined it. That was me. In 2020, be on the lookout for a garden of fuchsia lipsticks and rosy scarfs, blinding you momentarily but leaving you feeling uplifted and spring-y.

10. REVISED: Wear fewer sweatpants, black, grey, or otherwise. It’s not about the track pants so much as the sweatpants, my husband laments, as I smooth away a crease and re-tie the draw-

F O O R P MVP T. J. Hurley says no thanks, I've got this, to a Notre Dame player on Saturday, Jan.11.

BERNIE PUCHALSKI PHOTO

STORY PAGE 3

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Page 2

The Voice, January 15, 2020

IN THE NEWS

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

by Dave Burket

In the heat of the moment: As you may recall, last week’s commentary by former Pelham Town Treasurer Cari Pupo prompted persons unknown inside Town Hall to engage a law firm to send a thinly veiled threat to the Voice. This decision came not at the request of the CAO (who was on vacation), or the Mayor (who was repairing his roof), or Town Council (which was unaware of the letter’s existence until the Voice reported it). The Mayor’s immediate reaction was sharply worded. A few days later Junkin had cooled off, somewhat, telling us: “Last week, in a statement that I made concerning Town staff’s decision to send a legal letter to the Voice, I used the word ‘stupid’ to describe this action. On reflection, I deeply regret using this word, as it has no place in the vocabulary of a person representing the Mayor’s office. I have apologized to Town staff for my poor choice of words, although the context of my statement remains the same”...News hounds can’t help but sniff: Larry Cote’s commentary this week (p. 4) on the nature of the news comes at an interesting time. A good definition of “news” is that it's information that someone doesn’t want you to know. This implies that whatever it is, it isn’t good. The fine folks in Pickering would probably just as soon we not talk about the nuke warning that went out on Sunday, for example. That’s news. So, unfortunately, are the cascading events related to climate change—fires in Australia, floods in Indonesia (currently having taken more than twice as many lives than in Oz), storms across the US. And, of course, the downing of a commercial airliner in Iran, a collateral tragedy that can be tied directly to the actions of Donald Trump. No, there’s not a whole lot of good news out there at the moment. What makes it worse, of course, is cable TV’s constant need to keep viewers worried, and therefore watching (the ads). I suspect that most readers of this newspaper can remember a time when television news was presented sans music. An opening signature theme, sure, but not a constant, dramatic soundtrack helpfully manipulating viewers’ emotions. It was the Iran hostage crisis, in 1979, that kick-started the news-as-TVdrama approach. ABC News created “Nightline” for the express purpose of reporting on the crisis, and commissioned a unique soundtrack to go along with. Cable news, then barely crawling, latched on to the music teat and never let go. To my knowledge, only PBS, in the US, still manages to report minus the trumpets, violins, and drums...Puzzler progress: The prize is now up to $180, courtesy of a $30 PharmaChoice gift card. You’ll notice a slightly tweaked Puzzler this week.

The solution, however, remains the same as it has been since the start! Tips: The solution is not related to the colour of anything, to trees, to fonts, or to anything not contained in the pages of the paper since the current Puzzler started. Also, multiple new clues scattered about this week. Enjoy! ♦

ce Voonivacation!

Another web win

The Town of Pelham’s redesigned website drew further recognition from industry professionals, most recently in the form of a 2020 Gold AVA Digital Award.

According to a Town statement, the AVA Digital Awards is an “international competition recognizing outstanding work by creative professionals involved in the concept, direction, design, and production of media which is part of the evolution of digital communication.”

In November, shortly after its official launch, the Town’s website received a MarCom Gold Award, the first recognition of its kind for the Town.

“These awards are humbling, a lot of work went into the site and continues to go into the site,” said Marc MacDonald, Communications and Public Relations Specialist. “We’ve encouraged feedback since the day we launched last September and we continuously tweak, edit, and improve our site for quick and straightforward access to information residents are looking for.”

According to the statement, some 2,500 AVA Award entries were submitted for various categories.

“It’s always a great feeling when industry professionals deem your work worthy of such a high standard,” said MacDonald. “That said, our site is designed for our residents, so when we receive feedback from people

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your phone number and mobile service to your mobile device. A fraudster will impersonate you to gain access to your mobile account and may claim that their phone has been lost or stolen. Your phone number will be linked to a new SIM and device that the fraudster controls. The fraudster then downloads a series of the most popular and most attractive apps. They will select the “Forgot Password” button on all apps. If an account is associated to your phone number or email address, the fraudster will receive a verification code.

They will then use this code to confirm ownership of the account, create their own password and take over your accounts.

The OPP’s tips: -Keep your personal information personal. Don't publish your date of birth on social media.

-Do not answer phishing emails or text messages looking for you to confirm your password or update your account information.

-Use an offline password manager.

-Contact your phone provider and ask about additional security measures that may be available.

-If you lose mobile service on your device, contact your service provider immediately. Go with your gut.

If a message seems fishy it probably is.

The OPP asks that if you think you have been a victim of fraud to contact the police.

in town talking about the improvements and ease of navigation, that’s what it’s all about, that’s why we undertook this challenge.”

The Town encourages feedback through an online form located at the bottom of www.pelham.ca entitled Website Feedback.

Sim swap scam

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), in partnership with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), are advising the public of a recently reported scam.

In a statement, the OPP says that fraudsters are using SIM swapping and phone number porting to gain access to email, social media and financial accounts. From there, they gain access to personal information, calendar, contacts and money. Fraudsters may empty bank accounts, apply for credit in your name, or impersonate you to defraud your contact list.

In the meantime, you lose access to your mobile service, are typically locked out of all your accounts, and are left scrambling. According to the statement, the scam works as follows.

Your SIM card connects

Total prize value now:

The

Pelham Puzzler

The solution is in these pages Search and thou shall find

$30 Peter Piper’s Gift Certificate

$30 Fonthill Sobey’s Gift Certificate

$30 gift certificate

Deadline: 6 PM, Sat., Jan 18 Read full Puzzler rules and conditions at: http://www.thevoiceofpelham.ca/the-pelham-puzzler/ $30 Minor Brothers Gift Certificate Fonthill

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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.

The

Email your entry to:

puzzler@thevoiceofpelham.ca

office@thevoiceofpelham.ca

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.

Bojan MANDIC, 25, Niagara Falls Patrick R. SMITH, 61, Fonthill Noah J. MARTINEZ, 21, Stoney Creek Joshua R. ERB, 29, St. Catharines Christopher N. CALLEJAS, 30, St. Catharines Kristopher L. MCKENZIE, 24, St. Catharines Gagandeep SINGH, 21, Welland Christopher A. OLMSTEAD, 35, Niagara Falls Jeffrey J. LAMOTHE, 48, Thorold Luke D. DESROSIERS, 37, Niagara Falls

$180! Voice

The answer could be “Pecan, Butternut, Pistachio, or Hex” What is the question?

Send us your picture holding The Voice, whether across town or abroad and we’ll share it with our readers! Email your photo with a brief description to

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The Voice, January 15, 2020

Page 3

E. L. Crossley Cyclone take first Trib tourney title since 1979 Fifteen-year-old phenom T. J. Hurley named MVP

BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI

BPSPORTSNIAGARA.COM

E. L. Crossley’s T. J. Hurley has already exceeded his father Mike’s accomplishments at the Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament.

The Grade 10 guard was named tournament MVP of the 65th Annual Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament on Saturday, after his 30-point performance led the Cyclone to a 69-55 victory over the defending champion Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Crossley last won the tournament in 1979—41 years ago.

Mike never won the MVP and his team results included a championship semifinal appearance, two consolation titles and a berth in the consolation finals.

Father and son shared a hug after the game.

“I wouldn’t be nowhere close to where I am now without him,” T. J. said.

“Since I was a baby, he was coaching at the college and I would watch, shoot on the side and try and do the drills that they were doing. He has been the biggest part of my basketball life.”

Hurley didn’t even crack a smile after being named tournament MVP. “I wasn’t too worried about the MVP award,” he said. “I just wanted to come out and compete and win the tournament which we did.”

He was quick to credit others for the award.

“It is a big accomplishment and I am proud of my-

self, but I got a lot of support from my teammates. It wasn’t just me.”

No one should have been surprised at Hurley’s lack of emotion because he has that exact same demeanour on the basketball court.

“I just come and play. I don’t worry about who we are playing against,” he said. “I was mostly excited tonight but there were a little bit of nerves because it was the Tribune tournament and it has been the biggest tournament in the area for a while.”

He has always been a fan of the tournament.

“My dad has always brought me ever since I was super young.”

Hurley agreed being a player was much more exciting than being a spectator.

“It felt great,” he said.

“The energy was amazing and I never really realized how many people were watching all those years. It was amazing to look up in the stands and see all those

people.”

Crossley head coach Brian Bleich couldn’t say enough about the performance of the 15-year-old.

“He played great,” he said. “He took over the game and he did what he knew he could do. He hit his shots.”

Bleich has seen Hurley become a matchup nightmare.

“He can either go to the basket or hit the step-back three.”

Bleich isn’t surprised by how much success the six-footer has had in his first year of senior basketball.

“He plays at a high level outside of high school. He plays with the select team in Pelham and some other select travel teams. He gets to play against kids at the same skill level as the Grade 12 kids. He is used to the heavy contact and he knows how to protect himself.”

Hurley averaged 19 points a game in the tournament, and concluded the tournament with 31- and 30-point

nights.

He knows he can score but wants to refine other parts of his game.

“Game-wise, I think my defense could improve a lot and I need to continue to be in the gym and get after it every day.”

Joining Hurley on the first all-star team were teammates Aiden Belding and Jason Carter, and Notre Dame’s Shammar Campbell and David Jones.

Belding averaged 5.7 points a game in the tournament and scored 10 in the championship game.

Carter averaged 8.3 points a game in the tournament and scored 10 in the final against Notre Dame. Campbell led the tournament in scoring with 82 points. He averaged 20.5 points a game and had back-to-back 29-point games. Jones, the 2019 MVP, averaged 14 points per game in the tournament.

Named to the tournament’s second all-star team were Eden’s Trent Thorpe, Governor Simcoe’s Mitch

McPherson, Notre Dame’s Andrew Zezela, EL. Crossley’s Riley Bleich and Saint Paul’s John Graovaz.

Thorpe averaged 20.7 points a game in the tournament in helping the Flyers make the championship semifinals. McPherson averaged 14.5 points a game as the Redcoats captured the consolation title. Zezela averaged 12 points a game for the Fighting Irish, including 14 in the final versus E. L. Crossley.

Bleich, who was also the recipient of the Jeff Adams Outstanding Defensive Player of the Tournament award, averaged 3.9 points in the tournament and did a great defensive job on Campbell in the championship game. Graovaz averaged 17 points in the tournament, including a team-high 21 in the Patriots’ semifinal loss to Notre Dame.

Chosen as the recipient of the Bob Tomiuck Sixth Man Award was E. L. Crossley’s Josh Lahn.

Trib tourney loses sixth man Bob Tomiuck remembered as key volunteer

BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI

BPSPORTSNIAGARA.COM

A key cog was missing at last week’s 65th Annual Welland Tribune Basketball Tournament.

Long-time committee member Bob Tomiuck passed away before Christmas and his absence was keenly felt.

“We are going to miss him dearly,” tournament co-chair Don Larman said. “He was a great asset to the community as well as to our tournament.”

In Tomiuck’s honour, the tournament has established a bursary in his name, The Sixth Man Award, and there was a Bob Tomiuck. moment of silence at the tournament’s 8 PM game on Friday at Notre Dame.

Tomiuck was truly the tournament’s sixth man.

“Bob was very energetic behind the scenes,” Larman said. “He did a lot for the tournament. He volunteered his time and he may not have been in the forefront, but Bob was always willing to do the heavy lifting in the background and he didn’t want any accolades for it. He just wanted to get the job done and do what was good for the tournament and the community.”

A carpenter by trade, Tomiuck built the Trib tourney draw board that hangs in the foyer at Notre Dame during the tournament and the tournament trophy case that is displayed in the Seaway Mall.

The Notre Dame alumnus was a member of the all-star selection committee since 1997 and a member of the overall committee since 2007.

“It was a huge part of his life and that was his limelight,” said Brock women basketball coach Mike Rao, a former Notre Dame teacher and boys basketball coach and a long-time friend of Tomiuck’s. “It was his time to shine and he did.”

Every Tribune tourney, Rao would help Tomiuck set up the draw board. Over the Christmas break, he and a few others got the board ready for 2020.

“I have known him for 27-28 years but he has been a huge part of my family for the last 22 years,” he said.

When Rao first took over as head coach

at Notre Dame, Tomiuck came in to talk to him.

“He was making sure that I was on the right track,” he said. “Bob put his heart and soul into basketball and whatever he could do, he did.”

Most Saturday mornings, Tomiuck would come to Rao’s house and the two would talk about life and basketball.

“Our discussions ranged all over the place and sometimes we talked and sometimes we yelled at each other” Rao said, with a laugh. “Bob was a funny guy and a great guy at heart. He SUPPLIED PHOTO was a part of my family and I trusted Bob with anything and everything.”

Rao remembers Tomiuck always having a pencil behind his left ear.

“I have pencils at my house that were his and I have one that I keep here [at Brock],” he said. “It was probably one of the last ones he used.”

Tomiuck attended all the games at Notre Dame and started attending Brock home and away games when Rao took over the team.

“I am just so used to seeing him across the court and he never missed a game.”

In addition to his involvement with the Trip tourney, Tomiuck was a member of the Niagara District Basketball Referee Association from 1994 until 2019. He became an Ontario Association of Basketball Officials member in 1995 and was selected as rookie of the year that same year. In 1997, he became an International Association of Approved Basketball Officials member, and in 2003, he was selected as the recipient of the Mike Mitruk Award. The award is given to a member of the NDBRA who has made a significant contribution to youth basketball.

Tomiuck served on the NDBRA executive for several years in various positions in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2007, including advisory committee member, assistant secretary and vice president.

Bob’s son, Ben, was also a referee and the two were able to officiate together in the Tribune tournament.

Past recipients of the Pelham Citizen of the Year award join 2018 recipient Frank Adamson, centre, following last year's dinner and ceremony.

DEREK SWARTZ PHOTO

Nomination time for Citizen of the Year Submission deadline for Kinsmen award is Jan. 31, awards dinner in March

BY JOHN CHICK

Special to the VOICE

As the Golden Globes and Oscars remind us every winter, awards season is here, and the Fonthill and District Kinsmen are accepting submissions for their Pelham Citizen of the Year for 2019. Club president Brian Iggulden is encouraging people to nominate behind-the-scenes volunteers for the annual award.

“We tell people it doesn’t have to be somebody that is in the news,” Iggulden said. “It could be somebody behind the scenes.

In November, we attended the Volunteer Recognition Night for the Town of Pelham, and look how many groups were there.

So many people work tirelessly behind the scenes.

We encourage those groups to nominate somebody.”

The Kinsmen are handing out the award for the 22nd consecutive year. The first winner, back in 1998,

was former Voice editor Carolyn Mullin. Last year, longtime Rotarian, volunteer and businessman Frank Adamson took home the hardware. Iggulden says on average that the Kinsmen receive about a dozen nominations each year, making for a difficult decision in selecting a winner.

“It’s a very tough decision,” he said. “The people that get nominated, they all could be winners. It’s really, really thorough.”

For that reason, criteria specifies that the nominee should still be active in the community or volunteering. It’s not a lifetime achievement award.

Nominees may also not be a politician currently holding elected office.

Having said that, the Kinsmen aren’t averse to awarding former winners, although they try and avoid having repeat winners in

back-to-back years.

“You can nominate the same person five or six times,” Iggulden said.

“We’ve had some incredible winners over the past 22 years, and some of them are no longer with us. There are a lot of good people working for the community.”

Iggulden asks that nominations contain as much information about the person as possible. “It has to be writing, we don’t just want a name,” he said. “We need to know what they’re doing and what they’re affiliated with.”

The deadline for nominations is January 31, and can be sent by mail to P.O. Box 906, Fonthill, or via email at fonthillkinsmen@ hotmail.com. The winner will be announced in February, with the awards dinner scheduled for March 3 at the Old Town Hall.

Page 4

The Voice, January 15, 2020

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 Larry Coté A diet of bad news can be bad news

Y

OU HAVE BEEN admonished for eating junk food so many times that you have probably, or maybe conveniently, lost count.

You have been told many times how such delectable treats are going to ruin your health and wreak egregious consequences. The bearer of such bad news introduces examples such as stomach ulcers, haemorrhoids, dental decay, and all sorts of frightening medical disorders to drive home the point.

So, if you continue to ignore the warnings and continue to ingest such horrible, but delicious, offerings you have been forewarned. There will indubitably be miserable consequences.

To rehab from this addictive behaviour is a monumental task because there are junk food merchants on nearly every corner beckoning your insatiable tastebuds. Also, such goodies are prominently displayed in the aisles of supermarkets, and on the shelves of convenience stores and pharmacies everywhere. Ironic that pharmacies should engage in selling unhealthy foodstuffs and then dispense the potions needed to counteract

the harm these junk food items have caused your body.

Well, it isn’t a great leap to expect there are comparable assaults on our mental health. It seems that

We have learned that turning to the news just before bedtime is a habit that is difficult to give up much of the news media is obsessed with feeding us continuously with the grimmest of events mankind has ever known.

While the fast food industry is copiously promoting their—excuse the irony— goods, the news media are in a similar battle to see which of them can produce the worst and most egregious news.

And so it is conceivable that if ingesting junk food on a regular basis imperils

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our physical health then the frequent ingestion of horrid news might similarly cause damage to our mental health.

When the news media hits upon a world figure or faction that people have grown to despise or fear, then the media will increase the frequency and depth of their coverage of that despicable faction.

Likely you have heard of the dastardly deeds of such newsworthy collectives so often that you have given up the impossible task of avoiding such awful repostings. Like giving in to junk food offerings you have been unable to turn away from junk news because it is everywhere. We have learned that turning to the news just before bedtime is a habit that is difficult to give up. Conceivably, ingesting such dosages of bad news may result in nighttime indigestion, bouts of insomnia, the sweats, tossing and turning and nasty nightmares. Interestingly, some popular news programs wish you a good morning and immediately bombard you with stories of pestiSee NEWS next page

1428 Pelham Street, P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 Office open: Monday - Thursday 8 AM - 2 PM

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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca PUBLISHER & EDITOR Dave Burket publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca ADMINISTRATION Lori Gretsinger office@thevoiceofpelham.ca CONTRIBUTORS Jane Bedard, Carolyn Botari, Colin Brezicki, Rosemary Chambers, John Chick, Larry Coté, Gloria J. Katch, Maeve Keating, Brian Green, Megan Metler, John Piccolo, Bill Potrecz, Bernie Puchalski, John Swart, Mike Tucker, Rob Weatherby NEWS INQUIRIES & TIPS editor@thevoiceofpelham.ca LETTERS TO THE EDITOR letters@thevoiceofpelham.ca ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca

Another season of Kinsmen goodwill Fonthill Kinsmen offer goodwill every Christmas season. This is seen through all the hard work and devotion that this group of men put into it every December.

First, the annual Pelham Cares Christmas food drive is a great event. 2019 saw the 29th year that this food drive has been around for. Former Citizen of the Year and Fonthill Lion Gerry Berkhout started it in December 1990. Berkhout ran this event until 2015 and was known for his generosity in the community. Food donations are collected starting at 9 AM on the big day and monetary donations are accepted by volunteers.

I should know about this well-attended

event as I’m with the Fonthill Kinsmen, and our group always helps collect food for the local food bank.

The Kinsmen club of Fonthill’s motto is “Serving The Community’s Greatest Need.”

I am the incumbent president of the Fonthill Kinsmen. Through acclamation in this past election, this is my second Kin year as the leader. I enjoy being the president, and I thank the group for giving me the opportunity to run this club.

Without a doubt, December is one of our busiest months. As I stated above, we don’t See KINSMEN Page 6

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

The Voice

Letters

Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2987 Councillor Diana Huson diana.huson@niagararegion.ca 905-324-3094 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607

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Ward 2 Councillor Ron Kore rkore@pelham.ca 905-933-3805 Councillor John Wink jwink@pelham.ca 905-892-4475 Ward 3 Councillor Lisa Haun lhaun@pelham.ca 905-892-2607 Councillor Bob Hildebrandt bhildebrandt@pelham.ca 905-892-5647

Cabinetry Showroom & Design Centre 7-200 Hwy 20 East, Fonthill ON L0S 1E6 905-932-7069 Open 8:30 to 6 Mon to Fri

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The Voice, January 15, 2020

Page 5

OPINION COMMENTARY / OP-ED

Pupo responds

Diana Huson, Regional Councillor

Regional accomplishments last year, and a look ahead at 2020

T

HE END OF THE YEAR is always an important time for reflection; to take stock of the past 12 months and set goals for the year ahead. This is especially true when you’ve pointed your life in an exciting new direction, such as my foray into local politics.

Being elected as Pelham’s Regional Councillor has truly been an honour. It’s a position I take very seriously, having the privilege of participating on Niagara Region Council and advocating on behalf of Pelham amongst our municipal partners. The first few months were a bit daunting, as I had to become acquainted with the process, procedures and learning the ropes of the inner workings of municipal government.

And I have to admit that “Bourinot’s Rules of Order,” the official guide for running our meetings, is a bit of a snoozer!

For Regional Council, I believe orientation was our first big challenge. The election resulted in 23 out of 31 entirely new members of council with only eight councillors re-elected (mostly mayors). Some new councillors returned from a break from politics, and some came to the table without any municipal experience at all. We had to build relationships with our constituents, with staff and with each other. A year in and I believe we’ve landed in a place where we can benefit from demonstrated experience, but also be challenged by new ideas and questions about the way we do things and why.

My experience thus far is that this council has the ability to disagree with one another, yet respect differences in opinions. But we can also pull together on the right priorities when a unified voice is needed. We respect one another. We work well together. And we come with an open mind. It’s a refreshing change from the toxic and dysfunctional environment that plagued Regional Council over the previous four years.

This ability to pull together was most apparent when we faced the release of the Ombudsman report. The provincial Ombudsman investigation into the hiring of the previous Chief Administrative Officer began back in August of 2018. It’s hard to

believe it took 15 months to finally have the report concluded and released publicly.

It was a damning account of how a select few were able to manipulate our democratic processes through the hiring of Niagara’s top public official. It’s hard to quantify damage this did to the organization (beyond a doubt it inflicted significant reputational harm). I was heartened to see council pull together and refer the matter to the police for investigation. We acted swiftly and unanimously on this matter.

It was the right thing to do.

Aside from the investigation, we also were slapped with a regional governance review initiated by the province, which examined Niagara and eight other regions.

The review, initiated in December of 2018, loomed over all of Niagara’s municipalities and cast a great deal uncertainty. We weren’t sure if Niagara would end up as a single amalgamated city, a conglomerate of merged cities and towns (i.e. Niagara North and Niagara South) or potentially the elimination of the Region entirely. It’s difficult to make decisions, especially financial or human resource related, that impact the future of the organization when your future is uncertain. It’s a relief to have it behind us. But more importantly, I believe this empowers us to make changes to our governance model that make the most sense for Niagara, instead of a one-size-solution-for-all approach. And I intend to pursue and explore opportunities that help make our government more economical, efficient and customer service-driven moving forward.

Despite the constraint of a regional review, and the distraction of the Ombudsman investigation, council did make headway on a number of policy priorities, such as transportation and housing. We’ve made significant investment in expanding transit ($7.9 million last year) to move closer towards a true regional transit system. Combined with the rollout of GO Train access, Niagara and its communities are becoming more accessible to residents, visitors and businesses in a new way.

Connecting our communities is important to open up access to employment opportunities, connecting employers with workers, mak-

SUPPLIED PHOTO

ing our communities more accessible to live, and also making life easier for seniors and youth who rely on these services in their daily life. There’s still much work to be done, but we’re getting there.

Housing, on the other hand, has been a more challenging priority, but one we’ve funded substantially.

This includes $20 million for an affordable housing project in Niagara Falls, an additional investment of $57.3 million in the redevelopment of Gilmore Lodge in Fort Erie, and an additional $102 million in the redevelopment and expansion of Linhaven in St. Catharines.

We also joined Built for Zero, which is a Canadian initiative amongst municipalities to end homelessness. So, we’ve tackled housing on multiple fronts.

However, it’s not enough.

With escalating home prices outpacing inflation, many first-time homebuyers have been priced out of the market. Rent has become increasingly unaffordable for many and there seems to be a

over 60 applications were received, which could be a record for the most applications ever received for any of our committees. The committee will be formed early this year and I’m looking forward to the work it can achieve.

Additionally, I successfully initiated a cannabis workshop that empowered the Region to facilitate a roundtable discussion with area municipalities, planners, by-law officers and other stakeholders that have been challenged by cannabis operations. Staff will be producing a report shortly that will help inform advocacy with either the province or the federal government, and could allow for improvements to laws and regulations that govern cannabis.

There’s still much to done on this topic and I’m hopeful we can improve upon the tools available to municipalities that can help them navigate this issue.

So, with the new year upon us I want to convey my warmest wishes to Pelham’s citizens. A new year represents 365 opportunities. I truly believe that anything can be accomplished with the right attitude and effort and I encourage you to continue to reach out to me with your concerns, complaints or even compliments (I prefer the compliments!) as I value your feedback and want to know the issues that are important to you. I also try to attend as many local events as possible providing the information is shared with me. Feel free to send me an invite! ♦

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NEWS

lence, death and civil disorder. So the good morning wish is less than a heartbeat in time and blatantly in-genuine in practice.

It really is too bad that there aren’t enough good news stories to even the balance between reports of good and evil. That is probably the reason that some wise person came up with the adage “No news is good news.” ♦

Councillor Diana Huson.

general shortage of housing.

We will need public-private partnerships to help overcome housing affordability, and that must include multi-unit dwellings. We’ll be re-evaluating our development incentive program in the new year, but we truly need all levels of government involved to gain meaningful traction on this issue.

Finally, waste management and trash collection were a topic I received significant outreach about.

When garbage pick-up failed to materialize, I often got a phone call. And a few times I was able to get Regional staff to make the trek out to Pelham to rectify the situation.

Who knew I had the power to summon a garbage truck?

A new service provider has awarded the new contract and hopefully this will clear up the service issues we’ve experience over the past few years. We’ll be moving to weekly pick up of organics and recycling, but also bi-weekly pick up of garbage in October.

Over the past year I’ve personally had a number of successes at council. I am quite proud to have established a Women’s Advisory Committee mandated to help identify leadership opportunities, encourage women to participate more in civic life and also help apply a gender lens to policy making. Niagara will be the fourth municipality in Canada to have established such a committee. But more importantly, despite the outcome of our elections, we can ensure that women always have a voice at Regional Council. To date

Related to the comments from Town staff and legal counsel to my statement in last week’s paper [Commentary: Setting the record straight, Jan. 8, p. 5], I wish to respond as follows.

To the Town’s legal counsel: I take offence to the suggestion I have made bald allegations against any staff member or member of council. Mr. DeLorenzo, you and I worked closely on a lot of items over the years while I was at the Town and you knew the calibre of the work I did. There are no allegations in the statement— it is what I know, what I saw, and the facts.

And while the CAO is not purporting who asked you to draft this letter, I know fair well who did ask for it to be drafted without this council’s approval.

To the Fire Chief: I also take offence at your allegations. You know what the previous mayor and CAO said to me in my office as do many other staff. So please don’t state I made false allegations as you know fair well what happened.

To the Fire Chief and Director of Planning: Referring to 42 Emmett Street, I requested many times from the Director of Planning proof that anyone other than the Fire Chief was there on September 23, and she did not supply it. Only after my neighbour did a Freedom of Information request did we receive multiple documents from several employees with the exact same date on them. I never received any other proof than those documents to dispute my contention that

Write it down, send it in: publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca (You won’t get rich, but you will get paid.)

Page 6

Letters

The Voice, January 15, 2020

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

continued

Thank you from A. K. Wigg School

Now is the time to speak up on grow-op concerns

On behalf of the staff, students and parents of A. K. Wigg Public school, I would like to extend a warm thank you to all of the neighbours and friends living within our school boundary, who generously contributed to our annual Christmas food drive challenge. Donations from over 800 households were collected by our Grade 7 and 8 students and donated to the Pelham Cares organization for distribution to those in need this past holiday season.

We realize that these contributions have been made in addition to the always successful Food Drive on Saturday, December 7, but we have been assured by Pelham Cares that these donations are in fact very much necessary and appreciated during this time of year.

It was truly amazing to see the kindness and generosity from our community to support the students in this undertaking and it has allowed our students the opportunity to give back to their community. Thank you to our friends at Pelham Cares and to all who have participated.

Warm wishes to all for the New Year!

M. Triano Grade 5/6 Teacher A. K. Wigg Elementary School

This is to encourage all residents of Pelham to make yourselves heard by writing to all of our elected officials regarding cannabis growops, which appear to be setting up at an alarming rate, very close to our beloved town of Pelham. (There is a list of officials and their contact information each week in this newspaper on page 4.)

Many of us are concerned about their smell, light pollution and how they are in very close proximity to our town.

What are they doing to the environment?

Also, what are the long- term impacts on our precious Niagara bounty (food) grown right here in the area of the town of Pelham? Many of us are distraught over orchards being plowed down in exchange for these grow-ops and their parking lots. Many wonder why they are taxed only as agriculture when it appears they operate very much like an industry? In our opinion, perhaps legalization was a good idea, but why are these grow-ops

Donations boxed and ready to roll.

SUPPLIED PHOTO

Reasons for chicane's existence beat reasons for removal One needs to ask a simple question: Why was the chicane erected to begin with?

It was erected at the request of local residents, one can only presume, to slow down speedsters. I live only a few blocks from the chicane and have slowly driven through it several times each week since it was constructed. I do not find it to be problematic. It is there for a good reason.

The experienced speedsters have found ways of going through the chicane without having to slow down.

I was never approached to sign any petition and question the authenticity of such a petition. Even though I have never seen the petition there is no doubt in my mind that the majority of names that appear on the petition would be from construction workers, farmers and speedsters.

This particular area of Haist and Brewerton, for that matter, are perpet-

It's simply a matter of time before someone is killed

ual speed zones. I agree with Mr. Marr that more thought has to go into the decision-making process.

However I disagree with Mr. Marr regarding the threeway stop recommended by Councillor Wink, as there is a serious sightline issue when entering Haist from Brewerton. Will speed

bumps solve the problem?

While on this subject, I had approached and written a previous councillor, and now his replacement, about the speedsters on Brewerton, yet the problems remain. At the intersection of Barclay Terrace and Brewerton, the stop signs should be removed as the majority of drivers simply ignore them. If yield signs were put in they too would be ignored. School buses stop at these intersections.

It's simply a matter of time before someone is killed at this intersection. As a minimum we need crosswalks painted here as the residents have no right of way. A four-way stop might help. I would like the Town to set up cameras to verify what I am saying. What's a life worth these days!

Art Woodruff Fonthill

setting up so close to residential areas?

Would you like to share pictures or personal stories of how grow-ops so close to town, impact us as a community? Perhaps you have some constructive ideas of how to solve this? All ideas are welcome.

We also feel all levels of our government need to know the implications of what appeared to be a quick decision to legalize.

Offloading the regulation of these grow-op facilities onto our municipality, with little notice was unfair in our opinion. How about other municipalities? How will these grow-ops affect small town Niagara, or small town Canada for that matter? Has anyone given this serious thought? Have there been enough studies?

There needs to be some well defined legislation regarding this.

We really want to ensure proper, sensible and enforceable bylaws are put into place in order to protect our wonderful town. This is not to protest whether or

not grow-ops exist. However, we need to ensure that there is fairness and that there are proper guidelines, that things are done right.

Also who monitors how they operate? Is this up to our Town of Pelham, the Ministry of Health, or the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change?

Many do not seem to know.

It appears to be very bureaucratic and confusing.

Our Town of Pelham needs your help regarding this, so they can share their challenges with upper levels of government who legalized all of this.

We concerned residents of Pelham need to act fast with our concerns and our ideas.

To quote our beloved Canadian Joni Mitchell, “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone….”

We have so much to lose if these grow-ops set up too close to our precious town of Pelham. Please act quickly and write now to your elected officials!

Concerned Residents of Pelham (CROP)

Thank you from Pelham Cares Thank you to our generous community for their kindness and generosity! As we wrap up another year at Pelham Cares, we are again overwhelmed by the generosity of this community. Contributions from donors and volunteers; individuals, businesses large and small, social clubs, schools, churches, the local media, and granting foundations, have allowed us to assist families who rely on us. From monetary donations, to food, personal hygiene items, household items, toys, pajamas, mittens, socks, and so much more.

Rising food and utility expenses, and an ever-increasing challenge to find gainful employment and affordable housing, continues to drive the need for our various services— Food Bank, emergency food services, holiday hampers, back-to-school backpacks and snacks, sponsorship of youth

in sports, recreation and educational activities, and referrals to other local services.

The aging population and influx of seniors into our community reinforces the need for our transportation program, providing drives to medical appointments.

And we could not accomplish all of this without our amazing team of volunteers, who sort, organize and pack food donations and hampers, shop for perishable food items, drive community members, plan and conduct fundraising events, and sit on our Board of Directors…just to mention a few.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Pelham Cares, staff, volunteers and clients, a heartfelt thank you goes out to the Pelham community for your support again in 2019!

Tracy Holmwood President Board of Directors Pelham Cares

Green bins have resident seeing red PUPO

continued from previous page the Fire Chief was the only one I witnessed being at the home that day when the homeowner was there. The fact is not an allegation —when I asked for proof, I did not receive it.

Also the Fire Chief was in attendance at the home on September 23, but no report was prepared by him. He merely said let him know if someone moves in. Which indicates that upon his inspection the Fire Chief knew that it was now a duplex, but the homeowners did not comply with any rules to create the duplex. My point is that residents are held to following policy yet these homeowners have been allowed such latitude over the last year.

Also it’s very interesting to read about the Laneys’ issue on Quaker Road [Elderly homeowners seek fee relief, Jan. 8, p. 3], where they are are being told rules are rules and they have to comply with the zoning bylaw, but the homeowners at 42 Emmett were being given three options under the same bylaw.

To the Town Clerk: You can quote whatever legislation you want, but you will never know if the FOI information we received was created only when you asked for it. Like I will say a thousand times, the Fire Chief was the only one at the home when the owner was there, so you referring to FOI legislation means nothing. You will never be able to prove when the documents were prepared, but you use the legislation like it determines

how they provided documents that meet the legislation.

Tell me, how would the Clerk know if the documents weren't created until asked for?

No documents are provided to you until an FOI claim is requested, otherwise they are kept in the individual department where they originated.

Citing legislation means absolutely nothing. As you know, I worked at the Town and know that we had no idea if the paperwork was created for the purpose of providing information to an FOI request. You would never know when or how the documents were created.

To the CAO: Please Mr. Cribbs, as stated previously, I know fair well who attends the Boys Club. It is not just the male staff working inside Town Hall, but also male staff from other departments. You can claim that you are new to this town but as the CAO I think it is totally unprofessional for you to go drinking with staff and talk about work while you are there. That is not your role and decisions made by you at the Town, when you hang out with staff, are misguided.

The rest of the responses are rhetoric and just a source of others trying to protect themselves.

Finally, as I said in my original statement, there are minutes and videos on YouTube that anyone can access that support the details of what I said.

I have the freedom of speech to say what I know, and what I saw, and what the facts are. ♦

I’m totally ticked-off at this so called green bin “system.” Why should I bust my butt to keep with a “system” that doesn’t let us in on how it works. At Christmas, who, pray tell, isn’t inundated with more garbage than usual? I received a note on my green bin that the contents weren’t acceptable. I did have a lot of organic waste, that was separated. No

KINSMEN

continued from Page 4 chair the food drive, but we volunteer our time for it along with other groups like the local hockey teams.

Second, we chair two projects, and my executive and non-executive members put countless hours of time and effort into them.

The Seniors Christmas Dinner is our biggest project during the holiday season. Since 1961, the Fonthill Kinsmen club has been serving dinner to the community’s senior population.

2019 was our 58th year doing this, and it has definitely grown into an enormous event. In 2018 we moved the occasion from the Old Pel-

one bothered to check that, just stuck a note on it because it was heavy. I got rid of a few things from the freezer, to make room for the holiday meals. Waste from veg, meat, is heavy. Is this how our waste is judged? By weight?

Joan Eby Fonthill

ham Town Hall to the new community centre. Once again last month we has a full house of guests. Kinsman and Life Member Len Doyle works tirelessly as the chairman and he deserves a big round of applause for the amount of work that he did once more.

Finally, our concluding project in December is the delivering of poinsettias to the Wolcott wing and extended care at the Welland hospital. The second Saturday of the month is when my group and I bring holiday cheer to the patients at the hospital. Each person gets a poinsettia and a visit from Santa Claus. Dave Kuckyt is our man who dresses in red each year for both the Seniors Christmas

and the poinsettia delivery. My group would like to thank one of our Kinsman for volunteering his time to organize the poinsettia deliveries. Dave Nykolaychuk stepped up to the plate this year to become the chairman for the poinsettia drop offs. A big thanks to Dave for accepting this responsibility involved with being the leader for this project.

In conclusion, the Fonthill Kinsmen work determinedly and vigorously every holiday season. Volunteering time for the food drive and running two events shows commitment from this volunteer organization—all in offering goodwill to the community.

Brendan Young Fonthill

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice, January 15, 2020

Page 7

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Cost of borrowing is $0, for a total obligation of $52,795. Freight ($1,895) and air conditioning charge ($100, if applicable) included. License, insurance, registration, PPSA, applicable taxes and, except in Quebec, dealer fees not included (all of which may vary by dealer and region). ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. TD Auto Finance is a registered trademark of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. ¥ To qualify for the $500 Costco Shop Card, you must be a Canadian resident holding a valid driver’s license, have been a Costco member since January 2, 2020, or earlier and must: (1) Register with Costco to receive your non-transferable Authorization Number; (2) Present the Authorization Number to a participating dealer; (3) Retail purchase or finance an eligible new or demonstrator in-stock 2019 GMC: Acadia delivered from January 3, 2020, to March 2, 2020. In addition, to receive a $500 Costco Shop Card by email, submit a redemption form to Costco within thirty (30) days of vehicle delivery and complete a Costco member satisfaction survey. Please allow three weeks for Costco Shop Card delivery, pending completion of all eligibility requirements; including redemption form submission, purchase verification and survey completion. Costco Shop Cards will be emailed to the email address provided to Costco at the time of registration. The purchase or lease of a vehicle does not qualify for the calculation of the Costco Executive Membership 2% Reward. Offer may not be redeemed for cash. Conditions and limitations apply to this limited time offer. For full program details and for any applicable exclusions see a participating dealer or costcoauto.ca/GM. For Costco Shop Card terms and conditions, visit Costco.ca and search “Shop Card”. Offer is valid at participating authorized GM Canada dealers. Offer not available in the U.S. or Mexico. Offer is subject to change without notice. Void where prohibited. Costco and its affiliates do not sell automobiles nor negotiate individual transactions. ®: Registered trademark of Price Costco International, Inc. used under license. ◊ Offer available to qualified retail customers in Canada on select vehicles purchased and delivered from January 3, 2020 to January 31, 2020. 0% purchase financing (0% APR) offered on approved credit by TD Auto Finance Services, Scotiabank® or RBC Royal Bank for 72 months on eligible new 2019 Next-Generation Sierra 1500 Crew Cab Elevation models. Participating lenders are subject to change. Rates from other lenders will vary. Down payment, trade and/or security deposit may be required. Monthly payment and cost of borrowing will vary depending on amount borrowed and down payment/trade. Example: $51,475 financed at 0% nominal rate (0% APR) equals $692 monthly for 72 months. The offer includes $1,000 Elevation Bonus (Tax Exclusive), $2,650 Cash Delivery Allowance (Tax Exclusive), $2,850 Finance Cash (Tax Exclusive), and $500 Option Package Discount. Cost of borrowing is $0, for a total obligation of $51,475. Freight ($1,895) and air conditioning charge ($100, if applicable) included. License, insurance, registration, PPSA, applicable taxes and, except in Quebec, dealer fees not included (all of which may vary by dealer and region). ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. TD Auto Finance is a registered trademark of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. Ω Whichever comes first. Limit of four complimentary Lube-Oil-Filter services in total. Fluid top-offs, inspections, tire rotations, wheel alignments and balancing, etc., are not covered. See the Warranty Booklet or your dealer for details. ∞ Whichever comes first. See your dealer. Δ Visit onstar.ca for vehicle availability, coverage maps, details and system limitations. Services and connectivity vary by model and conditions as well as geographical and technical restrictions. 4G LTE service available in select markets. Requires active connected vehicle services and a data plan to access the vehicle’s builtin Wi-Fi hotspot. Accessory Power must be active to use the Wi-Fi hotspot. Data plans provided by AT&T or its local service provider. Credit card is required for purchase.

The Voice, January 15, 2020

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I was reading the article about the Laney family [Elderly homeowners seek fee relief, Jan. 8, p. 3]. What is wrong with people. They won’t let them renovate for a disabled person to have access to their home but they allow owners of single-family dwellings, in a residential area, to rent out homes they don’t live in, and have all kinds of people in and out all week long and have B&Bs. I don’t even know the Laneys but this sure doesn’t make sense to me and makes my blood boil. No common sense any more.

Also I live right around the corner from the chicane, which was a stupid idea in the first place, and may I ask how much it will cost to take it out? Talk about wasting money.

Diane Haslett Fonthill

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So everyone would sooner have more stop signs than one of these? Just fix the design a bit and leave. Enter the 21st century! These are used extensively in the Netherlands and are very effective at calming traffic without Big Brother having to print "STOP" to suggest to people to slow down. Put a speed bump for all I care.

Not more stop signs!

James van den Brink Via Facebook

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I could never understand the building of that chicane. I think it's one if the worse traffic-calming ideas ever. What was council thinking and how were they ever convinced it was a good idea?

I am happy to hear of its demise but I agree that it will be an added cost to remove it. I live no where near there but so happy to

hear council has made a sound decision.

Ivana Bachetti Wilson Via Facebook

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need traffic-calming on a two-way street with plenty of space for cars to pass safely?"

Pamela Robb Via Facebook

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can be changed to mean calm. What we have here on Haist Street is roadway shenanigans, a ploy to frustrate drivers, a ruse to ruin their day.

It is frustrating enough getting from A to B in this town, down the hill on Hwy. 20, driving through the business district where, for crying out loud, the traffic-calming should be.

So, if the Town staff and the Town Council are thinking logically and willing to admit to a Public Works boo-boo, they would ask, "Ya, why do we

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The chicanery on Haist Street is the nuttiest setup to date in this town, pretending to be traffic-calming. Don't waste any more time. Get rid of it! The chicanery is a fraud, a scam, it is a lot of razzle-dazzle that does not do its job So, logically, the report will be some more of the flim-flam sham to convince the townspeople that the definition of chicanery

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Little love for chicane—even less for stop signs

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I should indicate that the Town has no direct role in this decision. The Town is neither leading this initiative nor inhibiting it.

A private landowner wishes to divide a parcel of land.

The Town’s role is to provide a “Committee of Adjustment,” which is the normal method of adjudicating landuse issues, pursuant to the Planning Act. The Committee is a quasi-judicial body (which does not include Town staff or elected officials) that will hear the application and make a decision.

In the event that someone is dissatisfied with the outcome, whatever that might be, it can be challenged to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (“LPAT”).

David Cribbs, Pelham CAO Via Facebook

A SOUND INVESTMENT Nicolle Lalonde, of Edward Jones Fonthill, presents Keith Moore, Vice-President Pelham Cares, with donations collected at their annual Holiday Open House and Charity Drive.

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The Town should put a stop to this...infill lots ruin the overall aesthetics of a mature neighbourhood. [Fonthill residents hope to nix subdivided lot, Jan. 8, p. 6.] Families living in the Alan Crescent area don't want be overcrowded like in "East Fonthill"! Allow it here and this will just be the start...just like in Oakville, Burlington, St. Catharines, etc!

Jamie Miller Via Facebook

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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice, January 15, 2020

Page 9 Left, Geddy Lee, Neil Peart, and Alex Lifeson at the RUSH induction into Guitar Center's RockWalk, Guitar Center, Los Angeles, Nov. 2012. Below, Marvin Junkin with his International Harvester 786. It was through buying parts for machines like this at Dalziel Equipment that Junkin came to know Neil Peart. S. BUKLEY AND BRIAN GREEN PHOTOS

Marvin Junkin recalls brush with rock & roll fame Like many Niagara residents, the Mayor remembers passing contact with Rush drummer Neil Peart

BY BRIAN GREEN

Special to the VOICE

The death of Neil Peart, Hall of Fame drummer for Rush, has brought an outpouring of tributes and reminiscences from around the world as fans and music lovers recall his genius.

Peart’s Niagara roots were well established, as he grew up in Port Dalhousie and was a frequent visitor to the area even after Rush achieved international fame. He was known to drive his motorcycle to Keith’s Restaurant in Fonthill from time to time to meet old friends for lunch, and used to hang out at the Tim Horton’s in Beamsville.

One fan from “the old days” who has happy memories of Neil Peart is Pelham Mayor Marvin Junkin.

As a lifetime farmer, Marvin recalls meeting Peart in the showroom of Dalziel Equipment, the local International Harvester dealer on St. Paul Street West, in St. Catharines, which was managed by Neil’s father.

It was 1972, and Neil had just returned from England where he had been spectacularly unsuccessful in launching his professional drumming career and had returned to the family business. He was playing with St. Catharines band Hush while selling tractor parts, and Junkin recalls that his presence at the dealership was sometimes erratic.

Finally, one day in 1974, Junkin asked Neil’s father, Glen Peart, where Neil was, to learn that “a white Corvette came and took him to Toronto. We don’t know if

he’s coming back.”

In July of 1974, Neil Peart auditioned for Toronto band Rush, and in mid July he was asked to join Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson as the new drummer for the band.

His departure from Dalziel Equipment was, indeed, permanent.

A Rush fan in later years, Junkin recalls (somewhat hazily, he admits) attending a couple of Rush concerts, in Toronto (he believes). At one concert, his cheap-seat ticket placed him high above the stage and off to one side.

Far from being disappointed, Junkin says he was perfectly placed to look down on Neil Peart and his drum kit, a memory that remains clear in his mind years later.

In reflecting on his brush with fame in the person of the young Neil Peart, Junkin

asserts that, for him, Peart’s modesty and small-town, unspoiled simplicity, even as a rock ‘n roll mega-star, were rooted in his Niagara upbringing, and were quintessentially Canadian.

Many of Neil Peart’s lyrics recall events from his past in Niagara, both happy and painful, and he penned a memoir called Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road, that chronicled his

recovery from the tragedy of the deaths of his daughter (killed on Highway 401 at the age of 19) and his common-law wife only 10 months later.

In addition to the lyrics for most of Rush’s songs, Peart wrote fiction and non-fiction books, a graphic novel, and, in 1994, a reminiscence about life as a boy growing up in Port Dalhousie for The St. Catharines Standard.

In it he concluded, “In any case, my childhood in Port Dalhousie was a good one, and all those later experiences certainly ‘built character.’ My life, then and now, might be summed up

by Nietzsche's motto: ‘That which does not kill me makes me stronger.’”

Neil Peart died after a three-year battle with brain cancer on January 7, in Santa Monica, California.

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The Voice, January 15, 2020

Planned display aims to highlight village's business history Public asked to contribute

BY JOHN CHICK

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Special to the VOICE

RE YOU DOWNSIZING OR JUST CLEANING OUT old stuff from your house? Keep an eye out for old artifacts and mementos of Fenwick’s business history, because Rosemary Chambers will want to talk to you. Chambers is organizing a permanent display at the Maple Acre branch of the Pelham Library that aims to highlight more than a century of the village’s commercial shops and services.

“It came to mind when my husband’s mom passed away, we found trinkets,” Chambers said. “Businesses used to give out promotional things like calendars … the one I found in particular was a snow scraper.”

Think along the lines of how old Esso stations used to give out promotional items like toy cars or even table hockey sets. That could be apropos, because Chambers said that Fenwick once had four gas stations in or near the centre of town.

Mostly however, she’s looking for items from Fenwick businesses between the years of 1853 and 1953.

“That’s kind of the genre, but we can even go up to the 1970s,” Chambers said. “Just since the ‘70s, so many businesses have closed and they’ve been repurposed, some multiple times.”

Chambers is focused on Fenwick only, given that it was a thriving standalone community before the Town of Pelham was incorporated in 1970.

“It may surprise you that at one time, just to name a few businesses, Fenwick boasted two feed mills, two barber shops, a hardware store, two grocery stores, a bank, a butcher shop, two funeral parlours, a bakery, two hotels, a pharmacy, an apple-drying factory, blacksmith shops, a wheel right shop, a concrete burial vault company, a confectionary, radio and TV sales and repair shop, plus a furniture store,” Chambers said. “Plus, plus, plus!”

Any items from those businesses and beyond are welcome, and if you can donate, Chambers encourages including personal anecdotes about the businesses. She recalls how when she was five years old, her brother took her to the original Fenwick Royal Bank branch — located where the Avondale is now — to open an account.

“I heaved that bag [of coins] over the counter, and I opened my first bank account with 65 cents,” she said.

She recalled a man recounted to her shoplifting a pack of gum from the confectionary as a wayward youth, saying, “That’s where my criminal career began,” greatly exaggerating any such lifetime of unsavoury behaviour.

Chambers has already gathered a diverse array of items, including a sausage press from a butcher, straight razors from barbershops, and a calendar from the former Yager’s Green Lantern.

While she’s on the lookout for more donations, she stresses that if the items become part of the permanent display, they cannot be returned.

Her vision is to build the display around the 1950s aerial photo of Fenwick that the Voice ran in the October 23 issue.

“I’m hoping to put numbers on it, and I would have a legend on it and could say that was there, that was there,” she said.

Chambers’ goal is to have the display ready in the library for next spring. Prospective donators are asked to call her at 905-892-2549 or email rgchambers_95@yahoo.com

Nowhere near Fenwick, but a great photo, top, Turners Corners, ca. 1940, close to the present-day intersection of Highway 20 and Merrittville Highway. Judging by the shadows, the view is to the northwest at about 12 noon on a summer day. Centre right, identified only as a garage in Fenwick, it's likely another summer shot, given the full trees in the background, ca. 1925-1930. Centre left, a detail from the same image, in which a youngster watches men standing a few feet away. Owner of plate 223-744, your License to Lunch came and left 90 years later at the cafe currently occupying the former GM dealership in Ridgeville (bottom). The building, at Canboro Road and Effingham Street, remains largely the same today as seen in this shot, taken ca.1970. Bob's Boys Antiques and Collectibles now occupies the garage side.

PELHAM HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTOS

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice, January 15, 2020

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The Voice, January 15, 2020

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Effects of school suspensions Mental health issues and other unintended consequences can result

BY MEGAN METLER

Special to the VOICE

Every teacher has had students that don’t listen, fail to complete schoolwork, distract their peers or create problems.

When poor behaviour is continued excessively or in a severe manner suspension is a common punishment.

Suspension is when a student is sent home from school and can typically last from one day to 21 days. This removes the students from the classroom and can be seen as a beneficial solution for the teachers and their classmates.

However, according to some studies, suspension can lead to negative results.

The National School Board Association states that suspension contributes to a student’s alienation from school, increases dropout rates, criminalization and leads to behaviour reoccurring. It’s also a factor in increased academic failure and dangerous, aggressive actions.

Kent State University reached the same conclusion and said in a study, “This is because suspension weakens students’ sense of school belonging and makes gaps in achievement worse by taking vulnerable children away from teaching and learning, rather than providing them with the support and positive guidance they need.”

For some students, suspension can be viewed as a reward. They not only get to miss school, but they receive additional attention for their behaviour.

The Ontario government created the “Zero Tolerance Policy” and the “Safe Schools Act” to ensure fair punishment and a safe learning environment for all.

The Zero Tolerance Policy provides for mandatory suspensions and expulsions for poor behaviour, but the Safe Schools

Act, on the other hand, encourages using beneficial alternatives and promoting positive behaviour.

Due to the contradictory messages, the decision resides with teachers and principals to enforce the punishment they see fit.

Some 55,000 students were suspended in Ontario in the 2016-2017 school year and approximately 43,000 drop out yearly. Suspension correlates with the number of high school dropouts. Students that are suspended are often those most in need of direct instruction, but when none is provided many decide to simply leave school.

Some students can perceive suspension being administered unfairly, on the basis of disabilities, race, religion, or to simply remove a “troubled” student from school, so staff no longer has to deal with them.

According to a suspension statistics by the Ontario Safe Schools Act, “compared to White students, Black students were 17.5 times more likely to perceive discriminatory treatment in the application of suspension practices,” and that, “[it is] a psychological reality for students which undoubtedly impacts on their schooling experience.”

Duncan Joslin was a high school student in Edmonton with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, memory problems and Tourette Syndrome, which causes him to speak out spontaneously and struggle to understand social cues, according to a 2017 feature story in the Edmonton Journal.

In Grade 9, he poked a younger stuSee SUSPENSIONS Page 14

CONCERNED ABOUT GROW OPS IN PELHAM? Your elected officials need to know that the Citizens of Pelham want stronger legislation to control Cannabis Grow Ops. Your elected officials need to hear how these facilities impact your community.

Share your views, experiences and photos!!

TOWN OF PELHAM - COUNCIL & STAFF mjunkin@pelham.ca mciolfi@pelham.ca mstewart@pelham.ca rkore@pelham.ca jwink@pelham.ca lhaun@pelham.ca bhildebrandt@pelham.ca dcribbs@pelham.ca bwiens@pelham.ca slarocque@pelham.ca

REGIONAL COUNCIL l diana.huson@niagararegion.ca MPP l sam.oosterhoffco@pc.ola.org MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT - ONTARIO (Rod Phillips) minister.mecp@ontario.ca PREMIER OF ONTARIO (Doug Ford) l doug.fordco@pc.ola.org MP l Dean.Allison@parl.gc.ca MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT - FEDERAL (Jonathan Wilkinson) ec.ministre-minister.ec@canada.ca MINISTER OF HEALTH - FEDERAL (Patty Hajdu) hcminister.ministresc@canada.ca l hc.cmc.sc@canada.ca PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA (Justin Trudeau) justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca This message brought to you by Concerned Residents of Pelham (CROP)

Moonlighter-mania hits Welland.

MEGAN METLER PHOTO

Moonlighters take listeners back in time

BY MEGAN METLER

Special to the VOICE

The Moonlighters returned to the Welland Community Wellness Complex last autumn. The band is comprised of Rod Joanisse, keyboard and vocals, Brad Whitelaw, guitar and vocals, Wayne Lack, bass and vocals, and Dan Colavicchia, drums.

“This is one of the venues I look forward to playing,” said Lack. “People are fun to play for here. It’s nice to see familiar faces keep coming back. And it’s also nice to see people dancing and singing along.”

The Moonlighters formed the band five years ago and have played at Legions, churches, private parties, outdoor festivals, and bandshells during the summer.

The type of music that they play is ‘50s and ‘60s rock and roll.

“We started playing ‘50s and ‘60s rock and roll because people are getting older and there was a niche, so we kinda thought ‘Let’s do that kind of music,’” said Joanisse.

They play songs by, but

not limited to, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, and The Beatles.

“My favourite song that we do, probably Wooley Bully, because it’s my grandson’s favourite,” said Whitelaw.

The name of the band comes from the term “moonlighting,” which means to have another job.

When they formed the band they already had jobs and the band was like a second job, so they became The Moonlighters.

These musicians have been playing music for decades before they formed the Moonlighters and love performing.

“I get nervous a little bit, but after I’m kind’ve set up and after I play the first song I’m fine,” said Colavicchia, “I’ve been playing a long time, but I still get that little feeling in my stomach.

We all do.”

And like all bands, they have their challenges.

“The biggest challenge, I would say, is probably getting time to rehearse because we’re constantly, ev-

ery time we’re doing a show in the New Year we’re trying to put in new material so it’s not stale,” said Whitelaw.

“We’re constantly trying to keep the set as fresh as we can so people enjoy the show.”

Drummer Dan Colavicchia has a special bass drum that he chose for the band.

“It has a group called The Three Stooges on it, and they were a comedy trio back in the ‘50s...it represents the music that we do, the time period of the music,” said Colavicchia.

The band members put their excitement and joy for music into their shows and always have a lot of fun. It reflects into the audience and many get up to dance or sing along.

Toby Mc Creadie and Stasia Handley were two of the dancers that hit the floor at the Welland Community Wellness Complex.

“This is our kind of music,” said Mc Creadie. “We grew up dancing to this.”

“We really like this band and absolutely love the music that they play,” said Handley.

High school teachers in another 1-day strike Standardized math testing for students now in jeopardy

BY JOHN CHICK

Special to the VOICE

District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) high school teachers joined other counterparts around the province last Wednesday in a one-day strike, their fourth such job action since December.

“Ontario students deserve better, and that is exactly what we’re fighting for,” Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF) president Harvey Bischof said in a statement before the walkout.

“As a new year begins, we hope the Ford government and the Minister of Education will finally be prepared to do the right thing and negotiate a deal that is good for students, good for teachers and education workers, and good for the future economy of Ontario.”

With bargaining between the union and the government seemingly at an impasse over issues such as class sizes and online learning, the province is in the depths of the worst education labour crisis since the Mike Harris administration of the late 1990s.

However, Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff places the blame squarely on the teachers’ desire for more compensation.

“Even though our government has been consistently reasonable in labour negotiations and has made enhanced offers to unions, union leaders are showing they are ready to actively jeopardize the learning experience of our students,” he said in a statement. “Parents have been clear: union strikes hurt kids. In a world of limited resources, they want government dol-

lars to be put towards student success, not towards increased compensation. I want to assure parents that we will continue to work for the best interests of students and their families … OSSTF’s escalations are frustrating and unfair to students and their families in Niagara and across Ontario.”

Beyond the one-day job action, the union told teachers not to administer standardized provincial Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) math tests that were set to begin this week.

“We won’t participate in EQAO testing,” Bischof said, citing the high school teachers’ work-to-rule campaign.

Minister of Education Stephen Lecce fired back, saying again that the union is bamboozling students.

“The EQAO Grade 9 math test provides valuable information to students, families, and the province about how students are performing in critical math skills and concepts. It also supports improved teaching and learning. It should not be in jeopardy for our students,” Lecce said, adding that not taking the tests now will require students to take them in June. “School boards will make local decisions about whether the province-wide EQAO Grade 9 math assessment, originally scheduled to start [this] week, should proceed … we continue to be concerned by the adverse impacts on students due to union escalation.”

Pelham’s DSBN trustee Nancy Beamer did not acknowedge request for comment.

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice, January 15, 2020

Page 13

New Business FOCUS

Rotary has $5000 for you

Pelham Hills Dentistry signs in to Fonthill

Fonthill club seeking deserving local charity for grant

BY MAEVE KEATING

Special to the VOICE

Dr. Bohdan Hrynyk and his wife, Tamara, are the new faces at the newly named Pelham Hills Dentistry, on Pelham Street in downtown Fonthill. Locals may have noticed their new sign, erected in December on the former Sawatzky Dental building.

Last August, the pair bought the practice from long-established family dentist Dr. Ken Sawatzky, who currently remains on board two days a week to assist in the transition. Hrynyk’s enthusiasm for community is already making an impression on the team’s current 1,800 patients.

“If my patients are happy, I’m happy,” says Hrynyk. “I like this area so much. It’s a nice, quiet community area that needs good general dentistry...I feel we can provide the best care we can without the pressure from areas like Toronto.”

The couple met when Bohdan visited Canada in 2008, where Tamara had already been living for five years. They married a year later, and Bohdan immigrated to Canada after graduating from Ukraine’s Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University.

Initially, the couple felt apprehensive about how Bohdan would pursue his lifelong dream of owning his own dental practice in Canada.

“When he finished dentistry school in the Ukraine, one of the concerns he had was that it would be very difficult to become a dentist in Canada because he was internationally trained,” says Tamara. For Hrynyk, there were two avenues for obtaining a dentist’s license in Canada after being internationally educated and trained, Tamara explains. One may seek out direct licensing by writing a series of exams, or one may repeat a portion of their education by attending a two-year Canadian dentistry program specifically designed for those already trained abroad. These programs are few and far between (with only two available in Ontario), and highly competitive.

Of roughly 400 applicants, only 20 students, internationally trained, are admitted annually say the couple.

“He made it his goal to go to school so he could get familiar with the Canadian way that dentistry works,” says Tamara, “and just to learn from a different perspective.

Not just to become accredited, but to learn it through the [Canadian] school system.

It took him quite a bit to get there, because the competition for foreign trained dentists is really tough. There are only three universities in all of Canada that have that program.”

Dr. Hrynyk graduated from the University of Western Ontario’s Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry in 2016, shortly after he and Tamara moved to Niagara Region.

After spending a few years as an associate dentist for clinics in Niagara Falls and

Being young, we have the enthusiasm, the energy to implement all this stuff.

Dr. Bohdan Hrynyk.

Welland, Hrynyk settled down in Niagara Falls.

“We knew we wanted to raise our family in a smaller city more open to community life,” says Tamara. “That’s why we moved to the Falls.

You actually get to know your neighbours, your community, and get involved.”

Now the busy parents of two children, the couple are happily settled as they watch Pelham Hills Dentistry grow.

When Hrynyk had the opportunity to take over Sawatzky’s practice, everything appeared to fall into place.

“It was a life changing thing,” says Tamara.

In the new name, Pelham Hills Dentistry, locals will recognize the geography of the region. “[The name] also represents the area that we serve. Region of Pelham— Fonthill, Welland, Fenwick, all of that is incorporated,” says Tamara. “The patients are very welcoming. We are

SUPPLIED PHOTO

very fortunate in the way they have been accepting us.

They seem to be very open and friendly.”

The couple attribute the success of the transition to their own love of such a welcoming community and an emphasis on family.

“I’m really comfortable,” says Hrynyk. “Being young, we have the enthusiasm, the energy to implement all this stuff. New stuff that’s happening right now in the world of dentistry you try to implement at your clinic. Patients eventually can feel that and they like it. They can feel the changes for the better.”

Hrynyk says that he’s of a younger generation of dentists, one that’s focused on a “new, progressive” dentistry.

“More digital dentistry, more advanced procedures, implants, etc. We can usually deal with any kind of issue without referring to a specialist.”

Hrynyk is still currently accepting new patients and

BY JOHN CHICK

Special to the VOICE

The Rotary Club of Fonthill has a $5,000 grant to be devoted to a local charitable endeavour, and is asking for help in determining which one should be chosen.

As is the case every year, Rotary provides a sum of money and sees it matched by district command — for 2020, it’s to the tune of $2,500 each.

“We have $5,000 available for any community organization that would like to apply,” Grants Chair Mel Groom said last week.

In 2019, the project undertook the purchase of two defibrillators for St. Johns Ambulance, and 2,500 pairs of socks for “Socks for Change.”

This year, Groom and the club decided to change things up and give the community they serve the opportunity to highlight areas in need.

“It’s the first time have tried this,” she said. “We’ve always just looked around and found them, but I’m finding that it’s more important for the community to tell us what they need rather than us find a project to fund.”

Rotary’s mission statement is broad —understanding, goodwill, peace, support of education, and alleviation of poverty — so there should be plenty of charitable ideas that could qualify, according to Groom.

“It’s to better our community in some way,” she said.

“I think the main thing is to get the community to be creative in ideas they like to see for the improvement of Pelham … in a nutshell, it’s what will better our lives in our community.”

One caveat is the project cannot already be started.

“We have to approve the project before any money can be spent,” Groom said. “For example, the [Fonthill] Bandshell project, we can’t do that because they’ve already put the shovel in the ground.”

The application form asks how the proposed project would benefit the community, and solicits estimates on logistics if selected. The deadline for applications is February 15. To obtain one, email Groom at maryellengroom@gmail.com

encourages those who seek him out to bring the whole family, and expect a friendly and thorough level of care.

“Bohdan brings in his personality,” says Tamara. “He likes to speak to his patients, get to know them, make sure they are comfortable talking about their dental health...

He’s not just here for the dentistry. He likes to hear about their family lives, hobbies, things like that.”

Despite their initial struggles, the couple first encountered as new Canadians, Tamara’s advice to anyone facing similar challenges is clear: “Believe in your dream.

You will have a lot of obstacles...but you just keep trying.

Have that goal in front of you and just work for it.”

Pelham Hills Dentistry can be contacted through their website at pelhamhillsdentistry.ca, or by calling 905892-5002.

It’s Prime Time at the Grille!

Presenting our classic, all-in

PRIME RIB DINNER

SATURDAY, JANUARY 25 Dr. Bohdan and team are pleased to announce our new practice name:

PELHAM HILLS DENTISTRY. We will continue to provide the same level of high-quality dental care, including the same dental team committed to serving your needs and making your experience with us comfortable and enjoyable.

We look forward to serving you and your family again soon.

NTS NEW PATIE ME O LC E W S Y ALWA SAME DAY CIES EMERGEN T ACCEP ED

SERVICES INCLUDE: • general dentistry • teeth removal • crowns and bridges • implant dentistry • root canal therapy

DR. HRYNYK IS GREAT WITH KIDS AND WILL MAKE THEIR EXPERIENCE VISITING THE DENTIST FUN!

905-892-5002 info@pelhamhillsdentistry.ca

Visit our NEW website: www.pelhamhillsdentistry.ca

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Page 14

The Voice, January 15, 2020

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

NPCA and Trout Unlimited agree on 12 Mile Creek Organizations pledge to share resources, expertise

BY VOICE STAFF

Gayle Wood, then-acting NPCA CAO, and Dennis Edell, Trout Unlimited Niagara Chapter Chair, sign the agreement.

SUPPLIED PHOTO gage landowners along the creek to assist in making improvements where the stream bed crosses their properties. Named Healthy Twelve Mile Creek, the program uses money from the Trillium Foundation and the Greenbelt Foundation to assist participating landowners in combating erosion, restoring natural stream flows, and removing barriers such as failing culverts.

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is in the process of reinventing itself after a controversial and tumultuous couple of years. The

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cidentally brought a jackknife to school and thinking he was doing the right thing, he handed it in to his teacher. He got suspended both times and after many more detentions and suspensions, he quit school in Grade 11.

“He never intentionally broke the rules or threat-

F

in just a few weeks

$

CAO’s position became a game of musical chairs and the board came under investigation for several questionable decisions that seemed to favour developers over the preservation of sensitive land. At the last municipal election, the entire board was turfed and a new board appointed, with members equally divided between citizen appointees and elected officials.

One of the first improvements made by CAO/Secretary Gail Wood when she took over the Authority was to bring back the Restoration Division, which had

O

The Board of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority has unanimously passed an agreement between the Conservation Authority and the Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC) on the restoration and preservation of the Twelve Mile Creek watershed. The agreement was signed at a ceremony on December 16, with Gail Wood, the interim CAO of the Authority and Dennis Edell, Chair of the Niagara Chapter, putting their signatures on a document that will guide the relationship into the future.

TUC’s Niagara Chapter has been working on Twelve Mile Creek’s sensitive headwaters since its formation eight years ago. The last remaining cold water stream in Niagara, the Twelve rises at Highway 20 in Fonthill, and flows through rural Pelham and Thorold, entering Short Hills Provincial Park at Roland Road. Recently the Niagara Chapter of TUC launched an outreach program to en-

been cut by the previous administration. It is this Division that will be most active in working with the volunteers of TUC, providing technical assistance and partial funding for the Niagara Chapter’s restoration projects, as well as working on permitting and planning aspects of the work.

“We value our partnership with Trout Unlimited Canada,” says Wood. “One of my goals when I came on as CAO of the NPCA was to re-establish partnerships with community groups such as Trout Unlimited’s Niagara Chapter, because working together enables us to achieve so much more for the protection of the environment.”

According to Dennis Edell, one of the potentially most productive aspects of the partnership is the sharing of the massive amounts of data both organizations have collected on the stream, including temperature monitoring, sediment analysis, erosion patterns, vegetation cover, and fish and amphibian habitat research.

TUC has been working with the Niagara College Environmental Programs and has accumulated almost eight years of detailed analysis on each stretch of the stream. This research will now be combined with the NPCA’s data to form a detailed and precise picture of Twelve Mile Creek and the surrounding land.

From left, Wood, Bylsma, and new CAO Sharma. SUPPLIED PHOTO

NPCA names new CAO

BY VOICE STAFF After an extensive search, the NPCA Board of Directors has selected Chandra Sharma for the position of Chief Administrative Office/Secretary-Treasurer, effective January 1.

“Our new CAO brings to the role more than 20 years of progressive leadership experience in strategy, governance, operations, and program development,” said NPCA Board Chair, Dave Bylsma.

“We are excited to have her join the amazing team we already have in place and continuing to move the NPCA forward.”

According to an NPCA statement, Sharma began her career at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority as a Stewardship Coordinator, moving through progressively more senior roles as Project Manager of

ened anyone,” his mother, Mari-Anne Joslin, told the Journal.

All Duncan learned from his continuous suspensions was “that he was bad kid and they didn’t want him at school,” said Joslin.

His family said that Duncan never got offered additional help or an aide to help him with his behaviour at school. After he dropped out he started looking for a job and applied to alternative school programs, all of which had

the Humber River Watershed, Watershed Specialist and Senior Manager of Climate Programs.

Most recently, Sharma held the roles of Director, Watershed Strategies and Director, Community Engagement and Outreach, where she provided strategy and policy leadership, developed an employee recognition program, developed and operationalized TRCA’s first engagement strategy and led the government and community relations activities.

“Ms. Sharma has been described as a leader that effectively empowers her team, engages with stakeholders, is inspirational and provides thoughtful, thorough decision-making,” added interim CAO, Gayle Wood. “I’m confident this was the right decision and that the NPCA is being left in excellent hands.”

turned him down due to his numerous suspensions throughout high school.

In some situations, suspension can be the best form of punishment but it can be misused. Unwanted side effects, such as mental health problems, criminal behaviour, homelessness, and isolation can result.

Megan Metler is a Grade 9 student at Notre Dame College School.

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The Voice, January 15, 2020

Page 15

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PELHAM LIBRARY CARD MAKING WORKSHOP Make six cards with fall themes, learning a variety of techniques. Materials areThis provided.

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FABULOUS FENWICK LIONS FISH FRY Tasty treats with funds heading straight back into the community. Haddock, french fries and much more. Runs Sept. 9 from 4-7 p.m.

Community Events Listings Putting on an event?

PELHAM MINOR TELL HOCKEY THE TOWN!EQUIPMENT SALE Community Event Classified ads are available Buy, sell or trade used equipment at theinPelham Arena. Aimed to provide blocks of 30 words for $10 incl. HST. cheaper for players inThursday this upcoming Ad booking options and payment deadline is Noon season. Runs Sept. 6 from prior to week of publication.

9-12 in the morning.

Payment may be made over the phone by credit card, or in person at our office by cash or check.

Thanks for supporting your Voice!

PELHAM MUDFEST office@thevoiceofpelham.ca

Men and women will be back in the mud as the second run on the year is 905-892-8690 held at Bissil’s Hideaway.

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NIAGARA REGIONAL EXHIBITION Rodeo, games and live entertainment headline this years exciting event. It continued Page 17 sick. was awesome.

I ence. I’m pretty grateful.” runsfrom from Sept.

11-14 at the ItWelland Fairgrounds.

was pretty proud of myThomas was able to keep “It was a mix of every- self and there are so many his Team Canada jersey BIGheMOVE CANCER and socks as a mementhing,” said. “We were RIDE to, but gave the stick he tired, we were pumped.

The Big Move Cancer Ride is a non-competitive ride taking place on Sept. scored the winning goal We were very happy and a 7.

Proceeds for the Big Move stay in Niagara and support theHockey WalkerHall Famwith to the of team from Niagara was on Fame in Toronto. our flight home.Centre.

They had ily Cancer Thomas didn’t skate a tournament in the Czech with the IceDogs upon his [Republic] and it was cool return, but was thrilled to to talk to them.CLUB Some of WALKING be back home. them had season tickets Interested in walking in Pelham? Join them Tuesdays at the “For me, Pelham it’s not Arena diffiand were familiar with me all. I was eager so itfrom was 9-10 cool am to connect and Thursdays at Fonthill Bandshellcult forat9-10:30 am.so There to see the guys. Obviously, with them and come home is no fee for this program. For more information,it’s please jcook@ been acontact crazy couple of with them.” hours so I was just looking pelham.ca or call Overall, Thomas said 905 he 892-2607, ext 329. forward to finally sitting couldn’t have dreamt of a down in the locker room better experience. and chilling with the boys DAY PlayFOR PELHAM CARES “ItHAMPER was awesome. that I missed for a while.” ing Purchase on Team Canada for fresh fruit and vegetables at the Market or bring a non-perishable Thomas was dealt to the the world juniors is obvi- good players to be around every day and learn off of Peterborough Petes 4.last food item to fill the hampers at the Pelham Farmers Market on Sept. ously something every kid them in practice. Overall, week ahead of the OHL’s who plays hockey dreams it was an amazing experi- trade deadline. of. To make that team was

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Page 16

The Voice, January 15, 2020

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

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First Presbyterian Church 602 Metler Rd., North Pelham

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

MALETTA

continued from Page 17 the Arizona Coyotes in early 2018.

Maletta played just one game with the Coyotes AHL affiliate in Tuscon, the last time he suited up competitively.

Fast forward almost two years, and Maletta admits it has sometimes been a difficult journey.

“I definitely had days or moments where I thought I was too far gone or it was too long, but I just kept training hard on and off the ice and it’s nice to see it happening,” he said.

Maletta wanted to play again, but was also aware how serious a head injury could be.

“It wasn’t too bad. It kind of stayed at that same level and never got bad, but never really got any better,” he said. “I slowly decided I wanted to take care of my body first. It’s the one thing you can never get surgery on, they can’t fix your brain and you

only have one. Hockey will only take me to hopefully mid- or late-30s, but there’s no guarantees in hockey, as I saw. I definitely wanted to be healthy first, both mentally and physically, and then get back into it.”

Maletta said through it all, he kept a positive attitude.

“I think there were mixed signals and emotions. I always knew it was going to come back. It was just more of a waiting game to see how I felt. It was more my decision to see if the risk was worth the reward,” he said.

“I knew there has been all this controversy with head injuries in football and hockey and I definitely didn’t want to be in that position when I was done playing.

“I feel good enough I know that I can play still. I have all the tools to play still and felt too young to give it up and thought I would give it one more chance.”

Maletta made his Brock debut

I always knew I was going to come back.

It was just more of a waiting game to see how I felt. in a 3-1 loss to Ryerson Jan. 2 when he picked up an assist. He also suited up later that week in a 7-0 loss to the University of Toronto.

“I feel good,” he said. “It’s definitely going to take a few games to get back into it. I knew it was going to be tough to get back into it. It’s a litter tougher than I expected. The first game I felt good and the next game I

felt a little better, so I’m hoping in three or four or five I start to get back to where I was.”

Badgers coach Marty Williamson had Maletta with the IceDogs and is well aware what the big centre can add.

“I have a lot of fondness for Jordan,” Williamson said.

“He brings experience and he’s a workhorse. He has a heck of a shot. He played in the American League. You don’t get those kind of players back too often. We’re excited to have him, but this is not something that happens quickly, as much as he wants it to happen quickly.”

Williamson said he noticed a big improvement in Maletta’s game from Game 1 to Game 2.

“I think that’s going to continue to happen for him. He started to look a lot more comfortable in the Toronto game. I really thought it would take to almost to playoff time for him. Even not totally up to speed, he’s still a

good player out there.”

Maletta said the thought of injury doesn’t even cross his mind.

“If you think that way, you’re going to get hurt,” he said.

“If you try to play safe, that’s when you get hurt. In the first game, I got crunched a few times.

I wasn’t scared to go into the corners or use my body. Once you get hit and realize you are okay, maybe that little bit of fear or doubt comes out of your mind.”

Maletta is taking classes in math, science and finance this term and isn’t ruling out a return to Brock next season, although he would still like to play at the pro level.

“In an ideal world, it would be to play here and have a good second half and then be able to turn pro next year,” he said.

“I’m definitely open to staying here and getting more education.

This is a great league with great players, a lot of them I played with or against in junior.”

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

“The harder the battle, the sweeter the victory.”

The Voice, January 15, 2020

Sporting Green

Les Brown

The Niagara

The Voice and TheVoiceofPelham.ca | January 15, 2020

Page 17

Vegging-out, in the healthy sense, is increasingly tasty, says John Swart

18

Akil

returns with gold Former IceDogs captain earns gold medal with Team Canada

BY BILL POTRECZ

Akil Thomas returned to the Niagara IceDogs last week, his head still spinning after being front and centre of one of the most memorable moments in Canadian sports history.

The IceDogs captain wrote his name into the record books when he scored with 3:58 left in the third period to complete a furious comeback as Canada topped Russia in their 4-3 victory for the country’s 18th title at the World Junior Tournament in Ostrava, Czech Republic.

“It’s been crazy. Everything happened so quickly,” Thomas said. “The last thing I remembered was being on the bench waiting for my next shift and then here we are with everything that happened.”

Thomas admitted the previous 48 hours had been insane.

“So many people have reached out to me. I saw so many people at the airport and have so many feelings,” he said. “It’s been pretty cool,” Team Canada arrived home and were greeted by an enthusiastic gathering of fans at the airport in Toronto, including Thomas’ mother, who made the trip from Atlanta to greet him.

“I remember just laying down in the airport and then just picking up the trophy and screaming and all the fans were getting into it too,” he smiled.

Thomas said even the flight home was memorable as the flight attendants cheered the team as the boarded and again as they got off the plane.

See AKIL Page 15

Akil Thomas.

BILL POTRECZ PHOTO

BPSPORTSNIAGARA.COMA

Maletta joins Badgers Back on the ice following injury

BY BILL POTRECZ

BPSPORTSNIAGARA.COM

Jordan Maletta is back playing the game he loves after almost two years on the sidelines.

The 24-year-old St. Catharines native suffered a head injury early in 2018 while playing in the American Hockey League and only recently returned to the ice as a member of the Brock Badgers.

“It’s awesome to be back,” said Maletta, a former Ontario Hockey League player for the Niagara IceDogs and Windsor Spitfires.

“It’s been 22 months since my last game and the whole time I’ve

Maletta, No. 64, in control.

been itching to get back, but I wasn’t able to.”

Maletta was un-drafted in the NHL, but progressed each season in the OHL and was signed as a free agent by Columbus in March

SUPPLIED PHOTO

of 2016.

He quickly impressed the Blue Jackets and began the 2016-17 season with their AHL affiliate in Cleveland, where he had a solid rookie season with 12 goals and

23 points in 76 games.

The future appeared bright, but Maletta got off to a slow start the next year and was dealt to See MALETTA Page 16

Page 18

The Voice, January 15, 2020

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

FROM THE HANDLEBARS

NEWLY OPEN!

by John Swart

Plant-based? Really?

M JY NAILS & BEAUTY

20 Hwy # 20 Fonthill (Giant Tiger Plaza)

I D -J U N E L A ST Y E A R I was informed by my wife that we would now be eating a plant-based diet, and that was that. Informed. Not consulted, not asked my opinion, not given a choice or warning. And that decision may be one of the best things that’s happened to us in a long while.

Let’s make sure we understand what a plant-based diet is.

Paraphrasing Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr., if it has a face or a mother, or was generated by a being that does, you can’t eat it.

No spare ribs slathered in honey-barbeque sauce, or prime rib drowning in gravy with horseradish. Wild westcoast salmon must be left to perish of old age, as should lowly sardines.

Eggs Benedict, gone; real cream in coffee, forbidden; and rich Greek yogurt, banished.

For the record, I prepare breakfast (all fruits and grains for years now) and lunch (salad with seeds for the last decade), so it’s essentially dinner that we’re talking about.

The seed for our plant-based diet was laid by our son and his wife (sorry,

Why have these two Millennials, and so many others, decided to adopt a plant-based diet?

couldn’t resist).

That would be the girl who loved nothing more than fishing with her dad, then frying their catch in butter sizzling over a campfire; and the six-foot-two guy who played years of Aussie-rules football, fueled by the manly diet of the day, litres of chocolate milk and slab after slab of barbecued steak.

Why have these two Millennials, and so many others, decided to adopt

a plant-based diet? It has little to do with professed health benefits.

Their reasons are a belief that we all have responsibility and accountability for our environment, and should show compassion for animals. No one disputes that animal agriculture generates approximately half of all greenhouse gases and is a leading cause of deforestation, wildlife destruction, and species extinction. The amount of water used to farm animals is astronomical—in North America it takes 20,000 litres of water to produce a kilogram of beef.

As for compassion, the life of most animals bound for supermarket shelves is too dark to embellish here.

Conscious as we are of their ethical arguments, for those of us at any age facing our mortality, the endlessly purported health benefits of a plantbased diet are the primary attraction.

After being hoodwinked by years of Health Canada telling us to drink milk for calcium and eat meat for protein, surreptitiously building food pyramids See REALLY? back page

Voice

HOROSCOPE

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS JANUARY 14 Natalie Wood, Actress JANUARY 15 William Steele, Actor JANUARY 16 Max Steiner, Composer JANUARY 16 Frank S. Nugent, Screenwriter JANUARY 17 Alan Le May, Novelist JANUARY 17 John Ford, Director JANUARY 18 Vera Miles, Actress

E

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SOLUTIONS DOWN 1. Poole 2. Balance 3. Stereos 4. Debates 5. Ara 6. Bridges 7. Entebbe 8. Strafed 9. Chide 13. Tsk 14. Hoe 17. Pes 18. EDT 20. Isle 22. Rale 27. Pep 28. Ace 29. Rug 31. Bad 32. Eli 33. Dam 37. Agilely 38. Senesce 39. Urea 40. Sassier 41. Hosanna 42. Arum 43. Salamis 44. Inflate 47. Mad 48. Azo 49. Rasta 51. Aglow 52. Tae 53. EMS 58. ABM

155 HWY 20 WEST

which ones you want to see the light of day just yet. Partner up on a trial project first.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, if stress has been ruling your universe, it might be time to step back and reevaluate your priorities. Find out which tasks you can shed from your daily list.

CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Deep soul-searching and a sharing of hidden emotions might be on the docket this week, Capricorn. It is brave to own up to your feelings.

You’ll find support in friends.

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 A deep cleaning or decluttering is in order, Aquarius. Start with one room in the house and then work your way onward as time permits. Decluttering can be liberating.

PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 You may soon encounter some awkward moments with some people you interact with regularly, Pisces.

This will blow over quite quickly.

SOLUTIONS ACROSS 1. PBS 4. Dab 7. ESC 10. Oat 11. Err 12. Nth 13. Thole 15. Bai 16. Tripe 19. Solaria 21. Dreaded 23. Keenest 24. Gabfest 25. Cole 26. Elbe 27. Pareses 30. Seedbed 34. Ecu 35. Ala 36. Pegasus 41. Hasidim 45. Gera 46. Oran 47. Marines 50. Sulfate 54. Azaleas 55. Amalgam 56. Doses 57. Ian 59. Males 60. TLC 61. EBN 62. Ito 63. Aye 64. RMA 65. Sew

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 The stars pull you deeper into the cocoon of your mind, Aries. This may help you as you work on a project or work through thoughts and emotions.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 This is a week to take inventory of any goals that you may have put on a shelf, Taurus. Dust them off and create a plan of action because the time to pursue them is now.

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, an ambitious week is on the horizon. Your professional house is booming, and you are ready to perhaps move your career to the next level.

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 This week will get off to a social start, Cancer. Expect friends to bring other friends along if you are hosting a party. This is an exciting opportunity to expand your network.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, put all of your cards on the table and begin discussions with others who are influencers in your life. Only then can you come up with a strategy to get things done.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Make a point of being direct if you are upset, Virgo. Others need to know if they have stepped on your toes, even if it was accidental so they can make things right.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Now is a key time to boost your bottom line, Libra. If you don’t already have a job, it’s time to get one.

If you’re employed, you may need to seek out new revenue streams.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Various ideas are swirling around in your head, Scorpio. You’re not sure

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice, January 15, 2020

Voice

FAITH LIFT

by Pastor Rob Weatherby

CROSSWORD

M

Wells and Bertrand Russell.

Chesterton was a big man (6’ 4” and weighing over 280 lbs.) with a good sense of humour. Once during WWI, a lady asked him why he was not “out at the Front.”

He replied, “If you go ‘round to the side, you will see that I am.” Another time he said to his friend, George Bernard Shaw, “To look at you, anyone would think a famine had struck England.”

Shaw shot back, “To look at you, anyone would think you had caused it.”

A prolific author, Chesterton wrote 80 books, 200 short stories, 4000 essays, hundreds of poems, and

The man

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English author, Christian philosopher, lay theologian, essayist, playwright and columnist. You get the idea — he wrote a lot. He has been called “the prince of paradox.” George Bernard Shaw described him as “a man of colossal genius.”

Chesterton was born in London, England, in 1874.

His parents, Edward and Marie Louise, had one other son who, sadly, died in Word War I. Young Chesterton studied art and literature.

At age 27, Chesterton married Frances — a union that lasted a lifetime. He credits his wife for a return to his Christian faith. Although he grew up Anglican, he joined a Catholic church later in life. He described himself as an orthodox (small “o”) Christian.

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G. K. Chesterton, giant genius

Y WIFE AND I enjoy following the “Father Brown” detective shows on Netflix. They are set in small-town England in the early 1950s and the main character is a likeable Catholic priest who seems to spend more time solving murder mysteries than saying mass. As each episode begins you read a subtitle that states “Based on the character by G.K. Chesterton.”

So, who is this man with the initialed name who loved to write mysteries and whose quotes keep cropping up all over the place?

Page 19

several plays. His most popular works were on Christian apologetics —Orthodoxy, and The Everlasting Man. The latter book helped C.S. Lewis come to faith.

His writings also influenced important figures as diverse as India’s Mahatma Gandhi and Canada’s media guru, Marshall McLuhan.

The latter was impacted spiritually by Chesterton’s book, What’s Wrong with the World? That question had been asked by the London Times seeking the public’s response. Chesterton’s concise reply was, “I am.”

See FAITH LIFT next page

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

The impact

For 30 years, Chesterton wrote a weekly column for The Illustrated London News which made his name well-known. He was a skilled debater and enjoyed public debates with famous contemporaries such as George Bernard Shaw, H.G.

Weekly Word Search N S N O T C N O M F X I X Y C D N T H Z

I N A H V N N I J A Z R A F K R O A Q X

D E A U I A Y V V C N R O S R O T C E P

N H G A R R P U L A M I E U O F N O A G

A T R H X P U Y M O M L L T G S O M K Q

M A E Q W A H W U N P L N A O T M A C C

R T E N Z U I T W A O E H S S O D Q L S

O Z W Q X F H Y N H M J V I V B E D K F

N O D C B B Q P R A J S W N E B T U Z C

G E G S W M M M R F B R P U Q A O P J X

O E H O Z D Y C Z D F E T T W F R P X B

B T P U G M A W R B A D L A O A O S M B

H Z T I K S T O K Y O B S A S O N A Q A

T A H A N P K M Y L W H A K L N T L E U

U I R B W N I O P N I X H M O O O A R P

F M J A G A I T B N K O R F A O B V A B

E P Q U R G Q W G W P G R R D L U D V P

T R R Z A I B T K H A M B U R G S G O V

A S J T U N O O F N Z A H V J O T I V L

Y Q H P G N A Z N B P C Y E R R U S U T

Find the words hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and backwards.

WASHINGTON HARARI ATHENS TUNIS ISLAMABAD SACRAMENTO

TIJUANA HAMBURG EDMONTON MONCTON OTTAWA SALINA

TACOMA TEHRAN ABBOTSFORD SURREY TORONTO YARMOUTH

NORMANDIN UPPSALA TOKYO NAPLES OSLO WINNIPEG

ANSWERS ON PAGE 18

Page 20

The Voice, January 15, 2020

COLUMN SIX

continued from Page 1 string on my favourite pair.

9. ORIGINAL: Make a vegan meal once per week. I’m not a vegan and have no ambition to become one, but I’d like to know what all the fuss is about. There were four shelves of vegan cookbooks at the last bookstore I visited, so something’s definitely up.

9. REVISED: Order a Vegan meal at least once this year.

8. ORIGINAL: Empty my orphan sock drawer. They’re practically like family, all these lonely soles, tragically separated from their siblings. I brought 14 of them with me over the last two moves. I need to just let them go. I think I’ll pile them on a Viking pyre, and let their burning remains float down the canal and into Lake Ontario.

8. REVISED: Forget it.

I’ve become too attached to them. I’m certain their sisters will show up sometime.

7. ORIGINAL: Give up chocolate. What? You heard me. I’ve been able to justify my addiction based on the apparent antioxidants which are embodied in its delicious, creamy, soothing melt-inmy mouth cocoa-fix, although there are fewer in the milky kind, which is the one I like. Time to break up with chocolate, cold turkey, and live a healthier, thinner life.

7. REVISED: Eat less chocolate. After all, it’s not called an addiction for nothing. But let’s be clear, I won’t tell you what the reduced amount of chocolate is that I’m allowing because then you’ll be all, “You mean you were eating more than that?” Looking for support here, not judgment.

6. ORIGINAL: Treat my kids better. And by that I mean improve their survival skills for when they go to college by making them do more chores around the house. One day they’ll thank me for it.

6. REVISED: It’ll take me more time explaining how

to efficiently load the dishwasher so that it houses the maximum amount of dishes possible than it will for me to just load it myself. They’ll learn when/if they move out.

5. ORIGINAL: Spend less time cleaning. Tough to clean less than I do, but this goal is attainable; see No. 6, above.

5. REVISED: See No. 6, Revised, and again, don’t judge.

4. ORIGINAL: Type more letters. This was actually the report card comment from a keyboarding teacher I knew, but that’s not my context here. Call me old-fashioned, but we seem to have lost the art of writing a letter and putting it in the mail. Thankyous are at the top of the list.

(By the way, thank you for reading this list. Your personalized note is in the mail.)

4. REVISED: Friend me on Facebook and you’ll find a mass thank you. I really appreciate you.

3. ORIGINAL: Learn those text acronyms so that I can understand what my kids are thumbing on their phones as I look over their shoulders.

Example: MOS (mom over shoulder), GAL (get a life.)

3. REVISED: On second thought, I don’t really want to know—TMI (too much information.) BMHITS (burying my head in the sand.)

2. ORIGINAL: Take kickboxing classes. My husband did this 20 years ago and claims he was the fittest he’d ever been. Time to up my fitness game.

2. REVISED: Since we just moved, we have still have a lot of random boxes lying around. Let me flip it.

Box-kicking it is.

1. ORIGINAL: As usual, be a good friend. Stay in touch.

Make time for the people I love.

1. REVISED: No revision.

Happy Belated New Year. ♦ Everyone has a tale to tell.

Send us yours for consideration as a future Column Six. Email editor@thevoiceofpelham.ca

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REALLY?

continued from Page xx influenced by dairy and meat producers’ lobbies, I’m now equally suspicious of drinking the plant-based Kool Aid completely just yet.

That’s why since June I feel like a closet alcoholic or drug addict when I sneak a can of fleshy jalapeño sardines, knowing I’ll get busted by the smell of my breath. Plus, if my salad for lunch, six days a weeks, already includes kale, romaine lettuce, baby spinach, avocado, half an orange, tomatoes, three colours of bell peppers, chopped garlic, carrots, sweet onion, cacao nibs, a mix of birdfeed containing pumpkin, sunflower, chia and hemp seeds, walnuts, and dried cranberries, will life as we know it really come to an end if I put a quarter chicken breast on top?

Six months in, I must admit the results so far have been interesting.

Positives, with no claim to any knowledge but my personal experience, include an average weight loss of four kilograms each, or ten pounds American, if you think in terms of the endless television weight loss commercials.

My blood pressure has dropped 15 points. Most importantly, and the one that flies in the face of all historical, conventional wisdom, is that while be-

FAITH LIFT

continued from previous page

Quotable quotes

Chesterton wrote with wit and insight which explains why he is so widely quoted even to this day.

Here are a few examples.

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.

Delicious fibre—it's what's for dinner!

JOHN SWART PHOTO

ing 98% plant based for six months, my iron level has improved.

Plus, I now know there are 23 ways to prepare black bean and lentil burgers.

Negatives include the fact that I now have to eat 23 different varieties of black bean and lentil burgers.

And then there’s my

nameless cycling buddy, whose kids encouraged and cajoled him to go on a plant- based diet with them, which he did.

A few weeks later they complained that they couldn’t sleep because of the endless methane-related racket he generated all night, and asked him to go back to eating meat and dairy.

I’ll keep you posted

where this plant-based diet thing goes, especially related to physical activity and sourcing food while travelling. In the meantime, cold weather or not, I’m headed to Dunnville on my bicycle, alone, for a ride and to enjoy a clandestine Angus burger and latte, hoping what happens in Dunnville stays in Dunnville. ♦

It has been found difficult; and left untried.”

“The reason angels can fly is because they take themselves lightly.”

“The world will never starve for want of wonders; but only for want of wonder.”

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are

the same people.”

“A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.”

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”

For the last five years of his life, Chesterton presented very popular radio talks (some 40 per year)

for the BBC. This cemented his name, legacy and fame in Britain and beyond. In 1936, he died of congestive heart failure at the relatively young age of 62.

Yes, G.K. Chesterton gave us “Father Brown”… but a whole lot more. ♦ Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.

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