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Vol.24 No.24
June 17, 2020
Published every Wednesday
Provincial, local investigations into conduct of Mayor, council Taxpayer tab for recommended reprimand—$18,430 BY VOICE STAFF The results of two reviews into Pelham Town Council’s conduct concerning fundraising for renovations of the Bandshell in Fonthill’s Peace Park have been made public. The investigations were undertaken on the basis of two complaints filed early this year by Town Councillor Ron Kore—the first with the Ontario Ombudsman, the second with the Town’s Integrity Commissioner, the firm ADR Chambers, which is on retainer among Niagara municipalities to review alleged violations of municipal codes of conduct. Kore’s complaints related to Mayor Marvin Junkin’s participation in fundraising for the Fonthill Bandshell Committee.
Background
Last September, Pelham Town Council voted to assist the resident-run, volunteer Bandshell Committee with its planned upgrades to the Peace Park facility by loaning the group $75,000 dollars to finish construction before the start of the 2020 season. This “Jazz up the Park” initiative was aimed in large part at making the bandshell more accessible to older audience members with mobility issues, improving lighting, and regrading the slope leading down to the Bandshell to increase seating safety.
The Bandshell Committee was expected to fundraise the money and pay back the Town’s loan. To help the Committee fundraise, Mayor Marvin Junkin sent letters to local businesses inviting their contributions to the project. At a meeting at Town Hall in late October on a separate matter, a representative of CannTrust, the cannabis producer operating in Fenwick, told Junkin the firm was considering making a large donation—on the order of $25,000, specifically for new lighting— to the effort. Junkin advised Committee member Gayle Baltjes that a large amount might be coming in from a local corporation, but advised her to keep the news confidential until the donation was confirmed. Junkin told the Ombudsman and the Integrity Commissioners that given CannTrust’s history and financial difficulties, he was doubtful that the offer would be fulfilled.
F O O R P Public announcement
In advance of Town Council’s January 13 meeting, a Bandshell Committee member told Junkin they were planning on including mention of the donation in their presentation to council on fundraising progress. Four See INTEGRITY Page 16
Pelham Mayor Marvin Junkin, at the Fonthill Bandshell on Monday afternoon.
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NRPS impaired driving charges
PUBLISHER’S CORNER
by Dave Burket
Corrections at the top: Let there be no (further) mistake: the Mayor of Wainfleet is definitely not Kevin Strooband. The Mayor of Wainfleet is Kevin Gibson. Last week I managed to mix up my Kevins in a headline atop a letter to the editor— probably because I had just read something from the Lincoln County Humane Society, of which Strooband in the Executive Director, with presumably no desire to add running the Township of Wainfleet to his duties. Apologies, gentlemen!... Welcome the Boys: New to our pages this week is Country Boys, purveyors of delicious Polish and other dishes (ad, p. 8), who were also on hand at the opening of the Pelham Farmers Market last week (photo this page). I can testify that their butter tarts are pretty darned good, and reasonably priced... Don’t adjust your set: And we welcome back Thomas TV (ad, p. 12), whose showroom is open again, along with curbside pickup...Let Stage 2 commence: Ready or not, the province announced Monday that Niagara Region is permitted to enter Stage 2 of reopening this coming Friday, meaning those who are lucky enough to have hair that needs trimming can finally find some relief. Restaurants, too, will be permitted to open, though the details are still being worked out in Pelham regarding restaurants looking to create new outdoor serving space...Also breaking news: Monday evening, just before the Voice was set to go to press, Pelham Town Council voted to reprimand Mayor Marvin Junkin, and dock him 45 days’ pay, as punishment for technical violations of the Town’s Code of Conduct. Those violations, and the two investigations related to them, are extensively covered this week, starting on page 1. Neither Councillor Ron Kore, who filed the complaints, nor Junkin were in council chambers for the vote. It’s unclear on what basis Kore did not participate. As for Junkin, he made a short statement to the effect that he had wasted enough of his time dealing with matter, and left the room before discussion got underway. A statement by Junkin explaining his position runs this week on the back page...Unfortunately, there’s a bigger problem: There’s no point in sugarcoating it. Councillor Ron Kore has lost the confidence and respect of a large portion, possibly all, of Pelham’s senior management. The reasons for this are set out in the extensively researched, documented, and legally vetted article that starts on page 9. I want to acknowledge the long hours and hard work put into various aspects of our series of stories about Kore by contributors Sam Piccolo, Don Rickers, John Chick, and Warren Mason. I also want to thank those Town staff who agreed to speak to the newspaper. We continue to welcome comment from Councillor Kore, who has declined to provide any since April 6...Incredible but true: the longest day of the year arrives on Saturday. From there, it’s increasingly hello darkness my old friend, which is fine by me. The sooner 2020 is over, the better. I may have said that before. See you next week. ♦
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DELAYED BUT NO LESS DELICIOUS It may have been postponed by a few weeks, but the Pelham Farmers Market was back in action for the first time this season last Thursday, and plenty of hungry customers showed up. The Town says 256 patrons made their way in, 12 at a time, to peruse the products offered by eight vendors. More vendors are expected in the coming weeks. Lower left, Bev Yungblut and her “Juice of Kings,” namely Concord grape juice, which her farm also turns into jams and jellies. Lower right, Sherry Rusin and her mother-in-law Teresa Rusin offer up an extensive selection of traditional Polish dishes, including perogies and sausages, which are also available frozen. DAVE BURKET
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BETTER LATE THAN NADA Over the weekend, Fenwick’s Jan Blanchard sent us this shot of herself outside the Catedral de la Santa Creu i Santa Eulàlia (Barcelona Cathedral, Spain)—from way back in June 2019! The best photos are always those aged a year in the wine cellar! Gracias, Jan!
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BY JULIE MANNELL
Special to the VOICE
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BALLOONING INTEREST Grade 6 student Jinja Shepherd explains her experiment on static electricity at the Glynn A. Green Public School's annual science fair last Friday. See story, page 3. NATE SMELLE PHOTO
Public meeting tonight on school issues BY VOICE STAFF As questions continue to mount regarding an email that Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn quietly sent to a District School Board of Niagara trustee last summer, Augustyn has agreed to address the issue at a public meeting scheduled for this evening, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Fenwick. Nancy Beamer, speaking for “Names Matter,” a Pelham citizens group lobbying the DSBN to reverse its decision to rename a local public school, confirms that the meeting will be held at Fire Station #2, known locally as the Fenwick Fire Hall, starting at 7:00 PM. While the Mayor has agreed to ap-
Under pressure, Mayor to address email revelation, other E. W. Farr matters pear, says Beamer, DSBN officials associated with the school-naming process have either declined to attend or have not yet responded to the group’s invitation. DSBN Chair, Dale Robinson, to whom Augustyn’s email was addressed last June, has declined to appear, says Beamer, asserting that she would be
“on holidays.” The Voice was unable to independently confirm Robinsion’s intentions. She did not respond to repeated requests for comment on E.W. Farr-related matters before presstime. Beamer, whose group maintains an email list of some 580 residents, says that all members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting. “We would especially welcome parents and children who are unhappy with the name change,” she says, referring to the contentious decision by the DSBN to consolidate two Pelham See MEETING back page
HEN I WAS young, my father and I would go for long drives along the rural routes of Pelham. We’d blast George Thurgood and roll down the windows because we loved the smell of the breeze, the sensation of crisp Niagara wind beating our cheeks and tangling our hair against our summer-kissed skin. My father was not a sentimental man. He worked in factories and had a Gordon Lightfoot mustache and never shed tears over injuries. Yet something about the Pelham landscape, the hilly backdrop to his childhood and the childhoods of our ancestors, drew him in. He’d stop by a farm or a gathering of woods and, surrendering his manly veneer, tell me a story about the town. This place is precious. This is the earth that granted us life. Here is the place where we happened upon love or here is a site of devastation. On one particular drive sometime in the late ‘90s we stopped at a tree with a plaque. “This tree looks dead,” I said to my father. “It sure is getting there, Julie.” The Comfort Maple is supposedly Canada’s oldest See COLUMN SIX Page 14
Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation
BY VOICE STAFF
A construction error was discovered following the opening of a traffic calming chicane on Haist Street north of Hwy 20 last Monday that prevented large vehicles from passing through. One resident living in the neighbourhood said he contacted the Town after seeing a small schoolbus get stuck as it tried to get through the new traffic calming measure. Later that day while driving behind a cement truck, he said that he became concerned for the public’s safety when the truck had to turn around because it couldn’t get through. “If a small school bus and a cement truck can’t make it through what about a fire
BY HEATHER McLAREN ROHRER
Special to the VOICE
A
Repair measures underway last week to correct a construction error in the chicane. truck or an ambulance?” he said. While waiting for the contractor to return to fix
the mistake, the Town has taken measures to temporarily allow passage for vehicles through the neigh-
VOICE PHOTO
bourhood in the short-term. Manager of Public Works Ryan Cook said that after discovering the issue with
the chicane the morning it first opened, the Town See CHICANE Page 5
Petition-inspired changes coming to 2017 Summerfest BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Representatives from the Pelham Summerfest committee Candy Ashbee and Bill Gibson presented council with a final report on the 2016 Summerfest at the Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 21. Prompted by a story in the Voice in August about a merchant petition to move Summerfest from Pelham Street, in September Town staff met with various stakeholders to hear their complaints, promising at the time that changes in the way Summerfest was mounted would be con-
sidered. The main concerns identified during the community engagement process were security, parking, ensuring customer can access all businesses in town, and liability for damages. How to get all Pelham Street businesses to participate and finding ways to make it beneficial for them to set up a booth were also determined to be of high priority for the committee as they plan for next year’s event. Gibson told Council that the committee is addressing these concerns in a variety of ways. To improve parking, they intend to create bet-
ter signage for out-of-town visitors to designated parking areas and shuttle services. To make participation in Summerfest more enticing to local businesses, they plan to implement a tiered-charge for booths. Under the new system, Pelham Street business owners will be charged the least, other local businesses will pay a slightly higher fee, and vendors from outside Pelham will pay the most. In response to more specific issues for individual businesses, they will also slightly alter the footprint of the event and make adjustments to security. Another way the committee plans
to improve the 2017 Summerfest is by sponsoring and working with the organizers of the Thursday Night Bandshell Concert series to select the artist performing on the first night of Summefest. They also intend to make more use of the smartphone app they launched in 2016. "We are really going to push it this year," Ashbee said. “It really helps to get people to see what events there are so they can plan out where they are going. We will be able to actually help the merchants and local businesses adSee CHANGES Page 5
FTER LUNCH ON Saturday, Mum and Dad had my afternoon cut out for me. Mum had more brass than anyone I knew, and it had to be cleaned. In addition there was the set of silver fish-knives and forks which were never used, but which had to be cleaned and put back in their velvetlined box. Next was a walk to the newsagents to pay for the daily delivery of the Daily Mirror. As I said, Dad was a printer, but when he was 37 he had been rejected for a job, as being too old, by the printers of the Beano. For that reason, my favourite comic was not allowed in the house, but while I was paying the papers, the newsagent let me have a 'shoofty' at the Beano. I'd explained my predicament and he understood completely. Sundays were different again. Dad would play golf on summer mornings and billiards in winter. Then he'd stop for a 'refresher' at the local and would pick up the prawns, cockles, winkles or whelks we'd be having for tea later. Meanwhile, Mum was roasting the 'joint' and potatoes. I got to make the Yorkshire pud, and mint See COLUMN SIX Page 14
BY VOICE STAFF
While shopping in Fonthill between Friday and Sunday, keep an eye out for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in front of local stores with bushels of apples. As part of the annual Apple Day campaign, Scouting youth of all ages will be trading apples for donations. The yearly fundraising drive is an important way for young Scouts to connect with the communities they are serving, says Leah Marie of Scouts Canada. “The Apple Day campaign holds a great tradition of being able to have youth interacting within the communities they live in,” she says. “All of the Apple Day donations stay directly within the group that re-
The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and well-rounded individuals
ceives them, enabling youth to have experiences that build character, challenge them, and allow them to try new things. The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and wellrounded individuals, better prepared for success. Apple Day helps to achieve that.”
“Any money raised during Apple Day goes towards improving the Scouting program by providing more outdoor adventures for youth, camping equipment, canoes and paddles, training and many other endeavours that the youth want to experience,” says Marie. Scouts Canada has some 100,000 members across Canada, and carries out programs for boys, girls
Joining their principal, Karen Simpson, at the Sept. 19 Council meeting as part of a delegation from EL Crossley Secondary School, students Abby Loewen and Neenah Williams presented Council with a list of reasons that they should immediately approve the construction of the new sidewalk proposed along Hwy. 20. The asphalt side-
walk/trail is slated to be built between the south side of the road from Timmsdale Crescent to the high school. Because of the large volume of motor vehicle traffic travelling at high speeds through this area, and because of the necessity for students to tread this path on a daily basis, many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later. After delivering to Council a petition containing
Many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later the names of 450 students calling for a safer walk to school, Simpson handed the
podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case. Loewen told Council that because there are a lot of students who have work placements and coop placements during the school year, this is the only route for many of them to travel. As one of the students facing this predicament, Williams said she has had no other option but to walk along the dangerous highway.
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and youth ages 5-25. This year the 3rd Fonthill Group, which includes Beavers to Ventures (youth ages 5- 25) will be hitting the streets to drum-up support. Over the weekend, Scouts will be set up in Fonthill outside Sobeys, Tim Hortons, Target Gas station, Fonthill Shopping Plaza and the Pioneer Gas station at the corner of Hwys 20 and 24.
Town Council approves sidewalk to serve E. L. Crossley BY NATE SMELLE
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Second year Beaver with the 3rd Fonthill Group, Russell Letford offers a fresh apple to shoppers in Pelham during the 2015 Apple Day campaign. SUPPLIED PHOTO A longtime Canadian tradition, Apple Day began in 1932 in Saint John, New Brunswick, when Scouts handed out 21,000 apples as a way to say thank you to the community. In return for their generosity, many people offered them donations. From then on Scouts have reached out through Apple Day to raise funds for their programs.
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Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn
Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932
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BY VOICE STAFF The District School Board of Niagara is requesting that the Town of Pelham cede a portion of Cherry Ridge Park for use as a soccer field to serve the students of the new Wellington Heights Public School, formerly the E. W. Farr Memorial Public School, in Fenwick. Currently under renovation and expansion, the new school will combine students and staff from the previous school and Pelham Centre, where classes are being held while construction continues. Two letters, containing virtually identical text but signed by different authorities, were sent last week to nearby residents of the park, as well as to parents of Pelham Centre students. “The DSBN is currently building onto Wellington Heights Public School on Alsop Drive,” states the letter. “The size of the school's addition means the existing small soccer field will be eliminated. The Town and the Board have been discussing the possibility of working together to create a field for both the school and the
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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 90Day 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. Jacqueline LEYZACK, 54, Grimsby Jack R. LOCKYER, 48, St. Catharines Ivan D. ROBITAILLE, 38, St. Catharines Stewart L. PEACOCK, 57, Lincoln Jessie A. SMITH, 36, St. Catharines Tyler R. NIE, 21, Welland Shane A. CAPTON, 24, Oshweken Pasquale SPANO, 87, Welland Victor TOSIC, 63, Hamilton Conor F. DEWANE, 48, Welland Jennifer C. DESROSIERS, 52, Hannon Elvin D. SHOUP, 62, Welland Christian W. VAN HEZEWYK, 55, Welland Michal KOMA, 34, St. Catharines Georgette LEWIS, 27, Thorold Abhishek MAHAJAN, 24, Niagara Falls Gerardo M. CIRILLO, 21, Niagara Falls Danielle M. KENNEDY, 34, St. Catharines Brandon S. MANSON, 31, Niagara Falls Nathan K. HAYNES, 50, Thorold Kaitlin M. O’KELL, 32, Niagara Falls
“I start work at 2:30 PM and school lets out at 2:15 PM so I can’t take any other route,” Williams explained. “I have had friends, family, teachers and other community members reach out to me in the past about how this is unsafe and how there should be another alternative for us.” Looking ahead to winter, when she will need to walk this path three or four times See SIDEWALK Page 2
HERE IS NO BETTER time to cycle than Fall. It matters not whether you’re new to the sport, a seasoned recreational cyclist, racer, touring rider or mountain biker; we all have reason to look forward to autumn. Summer’s heat has faded, and the streams of sweat that ran from soggy helmets into our eyes are now just slight perspiration. Fitness is peaking from lots of saddle time, making those tough climbs of Spring a breeze in Autumn. It’s hard to beat the feeling of beginning a crisp, cool Fall ride with a slight shiver, knowing your efforts will soon warm you perfectly. The hues of Autumn are outstanding. A Pelham route as simple as following our southern boundary is one that would make most Toronto cyclists jealous, especially when our forests and fields are ablaze with colour. Begin from Harold Black Park, and zig-zag south along Effingham Rd toward the Welland River. If you’re new to cycling, it’s important to know south is the direction away from any hills. If you avoid the morning and evening weekday rush hours caused by those travelling through Pelham between Wainfleet See AUTUMN Page 3
905-892-8690 Find the Voice at these locations: Indulgence Bakery Mossimo’s Pelham Street Grille Peter Piper’s Pubhouse DeVries Fruit Farm Beamer’s Hardware Pelham Libraries Bob’s Boys Antiques PharmaChoice Pharmacy Fonthill Fitness Fenwick Pie Company McDonald’s Duffin Appleworks Fonthill Legion Semenuk’s Gas Bar Shoppers Drug Mart Tim Horton’s Giant Tiger Fonthill LCBO Zee Lube Express Care Food Basics Minor Bros Stores Avondale Stores A-1 Market Boggio's IDA Sobeys South Pelham Grill on Canboro Shell on Hwy 20 Circle-K
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Jeremy and Aiden’s 200K Ride for Change Five Fonthill men cycle in support of Black Lives Matter BY JOHN SWART
Special to the VOICE
“We want to make a difference, but we didn’t know how. After learning about the horrific tragedies of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others, we knew it was time for change. Although we can never truly understand the hardships that people of colour endure every day, we stand with you. There are fundamental flaws in our system and we want to help make things right.” This is the simple, yet profoundly inspiring, reason that Jeremy Colangelo and Aidan L’Ecuyer, of Fonthill, have created their “Ride for Change,” and are going to pedal their bicycles 200 kilometres on Saturday, June 27, to raise funds for the Black Lives Matter Foundation. They will be accompanied on their fundraising ride by their brothers Drew Colangelo and Rowan L’Ecuyer, and longtime friend Chris Holmes. Ilya Rghei will drive along with them as support. Aidan and Jeremy have been friends since attending school together at Gynn A. Green and E. L. Crossley. Aidan, 21, attends Brock University as a Geography major, and works locally part time. Jeremy, 20, attends McMaster University, where he is studying Biomedical Engineering and is a part
time Teaching Assistant in Mathematics. The initial idea for the ride was Jeremy’s. After watching videos of the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery on social media, and learning about the Black Lives Matter Global Network, he knew he needed to help. Jeremy was familiar with other cycling-based fundraisers, and he and Aiden loved biking and had ridden together as kids, so he chose Ride for Change as their way to contribute. Their 200-kilometre route would seriously challenge a professional rider, and illustrates their commitment to facilitating change. The five riders will set out from Harold Black Park at 5 AM on June 27, heading west to Hamilton, where they will drop down the escarpment into Hamilton’s city core along the Trans Canada Trail. Then it’s back up the escarpment to Caledonia, where they’ll follow the Grand River through Cayuga to Dunnville before heading back to Fonthill via Wainfleet. Jeremy says, “We’ve never biked crazy-far distances like this, but we’ve done decent distances pretty easily, so we thought that this would be a good challenge for us. We’ve given ourselves all day, as long as we need to get it done.” When asked why this cause res-
From left, Drew Colangelo, Rowan L’Ecuyer, Jeremy Colangelo, Chris Holmes, and Aidan L’Ecuyer. onated so strongly with them, Jeremy responded, “I was very deeply affected after seeing the video of George Floyd. It allowed me to reflect on the important issues in society right now. I just feel now is the time to address the issue, now is the time that we can help to make some significant change.” “We’ve seen systemic racism, so we wanted to donate to an organization that can raise awareness about these issues. Black Lives Matter has chapters in Canada— Toronto, Waterloo and Vancouver—the United Kingdom, and the US. We feel a large organization like this can help to address the systemic issues.” Aidan and Jeremy believe that what helps the US will benefit
Canada. Aiden continues, “If you wanted to be naive you could definitely imagine that Canada is perfect, and that this has nothing to do with us.” He then explains that in his opinion Canada too has systemic racism against black, First Nations, and Asian communities for example. Jeremy adds, “It needs to be more fair, finding equal opportunities here. A lot of time [minorities] are at a disadvantage here, they need to be on the same footing as everyone else.” Aidan’s experience at Brock, an institution he feels works hard to be inclusive, has shown him how things can be changed for everyone’s benefit. Jeremy echoes this
ILYA RGHEI
opinion in regard to McMaster, saying, “Growing up in a small town we haven’t been exposed to a lot of stuff like this.” Their Ride for Change GoFundMe page has already exceeded what they had hoped to raise, as friends and family are sharing the word via social media. When asked if they wanted a public sendoff for their ride, or people to meet them as they cycle through the many towns along their route, Jeremy replied, “It’s not about us. It’s about being part of the movement.” The recognition of the need for change, and the willingness of these five young Fonthill cyclists to work toward solutions, would do well to inspire us all.
#PelhamUnites Join in spreading the community sprit!
Pelham pool will open this summer, opening date not yet known
Amid the impact of COVID-19, Pelham’s community spirit remains strong. To celebrate and encourage this sense of community, look for #PelhamUNITES in the community and online. Join in with responsible, physically distanced ways to celebrate the Town and its citizens, as we work together to flatten the curve. Share your photos on social media, use #PelhamUNITES, and tag the Town on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Annually, the pool sees 4,500 users, including those who come for swimming lessons, lane swims, aquafit classes, swim teams, and public swims.
Check out the website for: • Senior Centre Without Walls • #PelhamUNITES Colouring Pages • #PelhamUNITES Word Search • #PelhamUNITES Rocks • Recreation & Parks Month (June) • St. Johns Ambulance Virtual 5K - Join the #PelhamUNITES team!
www.pelham.ca/pelham-unites
Swimming lessons are currently registered on a waiting list. When the pool reopens, users will need to come dressed in their swimsuits as change rooms will not be open. New operating procedures will be implemented and staff training will be provided in COVID-19 Aquatic Procedures, such as First Aid and Resuscitation protocols and personal protective equipment for aquatic and facility staff.
www.pelham.ca/covid19
Page 4
The Voice, June 17, 2020
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OPINION
The opinions expressed in submitted commentary and letters to the editor are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Voice of Pelham.
The Voice of Pelham is a 1211858 Ontario Limited publication David Burket, Publisher 2-1428 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S1E0
COMMENTARY / OP-ED Larry Coté The loneliness of loneliness
R
abbi Dow Marmur, a contributor to the Toronto Star, wrote last year about Fighting the plight of loneliness, an opinion piece aimed at prompting wider discussions on the topic. What follows here is an effort to encourage that dialogue. Loneliness is to happiness like rust is to metal. One of the similarities is that both are corrosive and degrade the very essence of their afflicted objects. While the internet and cellphones can link a person up to a large contingent of people, it is not the quality of connectivity that alleviates loneliness. After taking the call or reading the email the recipient is still alone when the screen, literally and symbolically, reverts to blue. The affliction of loneliness is prevalent among seniors in nearly all societies. It is possible the onset of loneliness for some begins at the empty-nest stage, or upon retirement, or when intimate relationships begin to distance from one another. The worst onset of loneliness is when one loses their closest companions due to debilitating illnesses
or death. Normal people are born as social animals, and as a person begins to lose parts of their social entourage they begin to experience the feeling of isolation. A visit to a seniors’ residence can put a face to the affliction of loneliness.
The affliction of loneliness is prevalent among seniors in nearly all societies
When walking the corridors one will see the looks of loneliness sculpted on many faces and maybe detect the debilitating effect this affliction has carved on many of the residents. John T. Cacioppa, a University of Chicago social neuroscientist, writes in his book, “Loneliness: Human Nature And The Need For Social Connection,” about
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the effects of this grim affliction. He states that loneliness not only affects our thinking abilities and willpower but also our immune system. He claims loneliness is as damaging as obesity or smoking. Professor Cacioppa and his associates estimate that “one in three people in America is affected by loneliness. One in twelve is affected severely.” Marissa Higgins, an editor with the Washington Post, investigated this area and writes that, “chronic loneliness can lead to higher risk of dying of heart disease and weaker immune systems.” The subject of loneliness in not widely discussed, or treated, nor is it commonly labeled to be of epidemic proportions. However, upon closer reflection the malady is a matter of some seriousness but for some reason remains unspoken and goes almost without appropriate notice or treatment. It is not viewed as a medical priority among the many afflictions that challenge society’s resources. The alleviation of loneliness is
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Bylsma’s blinkers Many of us have heard someone utter the phrase, “I’m not prejudiced, but …,” which is inevitably followed by some kind of bigoted remark. This is similar to the type of thinking that West Lincoln Mayor Dave Bylsma experiences. He genuinely believes that LGBTQ, blacks people, and the Indigenous have won their battles and that the flying of a Pride flag is something that needs to be debated, and that the Black Lives Matter movement requires an “all lives matter” response. It appears that he cannot recognize that the struggles of the past are still battles of today. It is because individuals like Mr. Bylsma hold such views that these minority groups must continue their movements and fly their flags. David Fowler Wainfleet
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CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament
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Mayor of Pelham Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2986
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OPINION There’s a breeze picking up—prepare the camp stove! Has anyone else noticed that every time the slightest wind blows across the kame, bringing with it some much-needed rain for our gardens and a bit of lightning to thrill the kids and the kids-at-heart, that the power goes out in Fonthill? Conversations in our house are starting to go like so: Wife: "It's supposed to storm tonight." Husband: "Ok, I'll go get more candles from the dollar store." And sure enough, as soon as a summer storm blows up, all blustery and full of itself, BAM!, the power goes out, and stays out for five or six hours. When it happens, if you check the various online sources that
track such things, you will surely find a central-Fonthill-shaped blob on the map indicating that the outage is, once again, basically just central Fonthill and nowhere else. Can someone please tell me why this is? Is our electrical infrastructure so ancient and Temperanceville-era that it can't endure even the mildest summer storm? Given everything that's happening in the world at the moment, it's hardly what one would call a big issue, but seriously, what gives? Mike Breaton Fonthill
COVID-19 safety masks welcomed Helga Hall and Brian Hunt wish to thank the Rotary Club of Fonthill for making COVID-19 face masks for the residents at 45 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill. It is very much appreciated. Brian Hunt Fonthill
Statement from Niagara’s 12 Mayors and Regional Chair on moving to Stage 2 Monday afternoon the Premier of Ontario announced that Niagara would be moving to Stage 2 as of this Friday at 12:01 a.m. This means many businesses and public facilities may begin to reopen, but incorporating measures to prevent the spread of infection. This announcement means that COVID-19 in Niagara has been slowed to the point where some normal activities may resume, with the assurance that we continue to take steps to limit the spread of the virus. The decision to move Niagara into Stage 2 was made by the province based on local data around COVID-19, and included a consultation with our Medical Officer of Health. We are pleased to see this announcement and look forward to our economy safely reopening so people can get back to work without overwhelming our health care system. Thank you, Niagara. We want to thank every-
one for their tireless efforts to combat COVID-19. It is your commitment that is allowing us to reopen our community and economy. We know how frustrating, isolating and challenging it has been to miss your friends and loved ones. We know how hard it has been to miss a steady paycheque and to postpone or even cancel major life events. We thank our businesses making many sacrifices and we want them to know that we are looking at all options to support them through the recovery. We also want to thank our front-line heath care workers, Public Health professionals and essential workers. You kept us safe, fed and informed during this challenging time. Taking the next steps together. As we move into Stage 2, we want you to remember to support your local businesses. Spending your hard earned dollars at a local retailer, restaurant or attrac-
LONELY
continued from previous page largely left to the volunteer sectors of our societies. Those who undertake the humanitarian mission to visit the sick, the elderly, the homeless and the lonely should be recognized as among the highest of society’s champions. But, as expected, these humble persons will continue to ignore accolades and carry on with their honourable missions without recognition or fanfare. And so, the point of this dialogue is to affirm that loneliness is a curable affliction. If you know a person you expect may be lonely, do what you hope someone would do for you. Visit that someone and include them in some of your activities. A few hours of your time will provide that lonely person with what seems to them like a day of freedom from their lonesomeness. ♦
tion will make a difference as we move forward. While the threat of COVID-19 has not disappeared, you are encouraged to resume some normal activities should you feel safe to do so. Businesses across Niagara have spent the last several months preparing and they are doing everything possible to ensure their operations are as safe as possible. It is important to remember that while there is no way to avoid all risks, you can take steps to be safer. Remember to maintain physical distancing, wash your hands frequently, avoid touching your face
PELHAM AND COVID-19
Mayor Marvin Junkin
Support local farmers, now more than ever
W
ith as difficult as the last three months have been, it’s important that we keep our spirits up as life returns slowly to something resembling “normal.” Last week’s re-opening of the Pelham Farmer’s Market is one such thing. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it there myself on Thursday, but I was very happy to hear that the day went off smoothly. Farmers’ markets are a great event to have in every community. While in the winter they’re obviously limited around here, in-season you can pretty much buy anything you need right from the people who grow it. In recent years, many people have become more interested in knowing where their food comes from. Since the produce in grocery stores often comes from hundreds, even thousands, of kilometres away, we’ve realized that the energy needed to get it on our tables might not be worth the cost to the environment. For most of human history,
people have mostly eaten things grown close by to where they live, so maybe we’re Marvin Junkin now realizing that this is a more sustainable way to do things. And by buying straight from the farmers, a lot of people like to talk to the farmers and learn about how the things they eat are grown. In the “olden” days of last summer, you might even have been able to shake their hand! One the biggest changes in the past century or two has been the move of people from rural areas to more urban, and from living and working on farms to not doing so. Back in 1931, about 30 percent of Canadians lived on farms. But by 2006, only two percent did. All four of my children grew up on our farm and decided to do something else with their lives. I don’t blame them, and it’s hard to see those numbers reversing, but I do think it’s good that farmers’
markets let people meet the farmers in our area. I feel very lucky to have gotten to know most of them during my years working our dairy farm. There’s a real community among local farmers, so everyone to help everyone else out when it’s needed. The pandemic has been hard on a lot of people of course, but I’ve been thinking a lot about those local farmers over the past months. With restaurants (mostly) closed and markets not running, many have had a hard time selling their products. And indeed you usually don’t make a lot of money farming at the best of times. The recent hail storm also took a big toll on some Fenwick and North Pelham operations. Still though, all of the those I’ve talked to are staying positive and keeping at their work. How people react under stress is a true measure of their guts, and I’m proud to call most of Pelham’s farmers my friends, and glad that the market is open for them once again! ♦
Support your local service clubs
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Poetic expression of gratitude
continued
Having had surgery for colon cancer in January, my husband unable to drive, and a third family member on oxygen, we three were all considered high risk and told by our doctors to stay home, avoid crowds and gatherings and to stay safe. Our immediate concern was grocery shopping. We have no relatives living nearby and close friends were also in high risk. Several younger folks offered to pick up necessities but we required a steady supply on a regular basis. Enter our heroes Sobeys for providing and the Lions and the Town for delivering. They were a Godsend! Three times a week we looked forward to the bright green Sobeys bags delivered to our doorstep. Part of the "fun" was placing the order at 7 AM with one of three young women at Sobeys, who started my day in the pleasantest of ways. For all of my heroes I have penned the following poem.
HURRAH FOR OUR HEROES There are several elder citizens Living in this home Huddled all together Too afraid to roam. For COVID’s all around us We three don't stand a chance, We three don't dare leave 2 T.C., Now we do the victors' dance. For Sobeys helped us in our struggle, Lions too have lit the way, Their acts of dedication, For us sure saved the day. We three don't have to venture out, We three don't have to fear, And our cheers go up most every day Look! Our Lion driver's here! S. M. Lazareth Fonthill
PIPING IN THE PIPER’S PLAYERS
Second from right, Vilma Moretti with her son Trent, and the rest of the gang, distributing their Keith’s Pies Recipe Book last week at the Fonthill Legion. RIC GRETSINGER
Saturday saw 39 participants show up at the Brock Golf Course for Peter Piper’s Pub’s 4th Charity Tournament. Piper Lee Alford piped in the golfers, whose collective generosity, said Piper’s owner Peter Moore, helped raise $1560 for Pelham Cares. SUPPLIED
Keith’s Pie Recipe Book update What a week this has been! We have given out so many recipe books. My son Trent, who lives in Ottawa, got tested so he could come and help, since his brother, Todd, who started this, could not come from California. Carla Strickland, who did the wonderful layout, was with us all the way. Peggy (Phillips) Palmer is an angel. We set up at the Legion and at Chamber’s Insurance (formerly Keith’s Restaurant) and people came to pick up their books. How wonderful it was to see so many of our Keith’s Restaurant family. It was so difficult to keep physical distancing as I just wanted to give everyone a big hug! There are a few who have not picked up their book. So, please call me at 289-820-7004 and we can set up a time so you can come over to my house. I will put the book outside my door so we can stay apart. Thank you to everyone. This pandemic has shown just how much people care for each other. With love. Vilma Moretti Fonthill
In Fonthill, it’s a good idea to be prepared for the dark Power outages may not be more frequent, but they remain annoying BY JOHN CHICK
Special to the VOICE
Anyone who has lived in Pelham for some time is probably familiar with the concept of power outages. Following a June 10 blackout in Fonthill, Mike Beaton’s letter to the editor this week carries a common refrain—the slightest breeze is sure to lead to a power outtage. Fellow Fonthill resident Joan Eby has long lamented that it doesn’t even take a storm, but rather a bucket of water being thrown out the window to shut down power in Pelham. “Given everything that’s happening in the world at the moment, it's hardly what one would call a big issue, but seriously, what gives?” asks Beaton. The truth is, either nobody knows, or the situation is not as bad as some believe. Pelham has two hydro companies serving its residents and businesses. Hydro One covers most of the town’s rural areas, while Niagara Peninsula Energy (NPEI) operates the old Pelham Hydro system in downtown Fonthill. NPEI said that both operators bear responsibility for outages this month. “Looking at our outage data, [two] occurrences in June were attributed to Hydro One switch failures and the other one was due to the wind and rain which caused a large branch to take down hydro lines,” NPEI Vice-President of Communications, Marketing and
Public Affairs Sue Forcier told the Voice. “A wide range of complications can result in an electrical power outage. Environmental stressors like wind, rain which cause many forestry issues such as tree branches on lines, roadways have occurred recently in the Fonthill area.” For their part, Hydro One stressed to the Voice that they don’t cover downtown Fonthill, but said they’ve had outages across the province due to volatile, humid weather. “We are currently experiencing power outages across Ontario due to severe weather, including areas in southern and central Ontario,” Hydro One’s Alicia Sayers said. “Our crews are responding as quickly and as safely possible have restored power to more than 135,000 customers since the start of the storm that began [June 10].” Ryan Cook, Pelham’s Manager of Public Works, said that NPEI could be better at restoring power after it goes out. “Hydro One provides forestry services and line clearing, NPEI does not,” Cook said. “NPEI provides hydro at a far cheaper rate than Hydro One but [one] can probably argue that the service is not as good when it comes to restoring power.” Pelham’s Regional Councillor Diana Huson told the Voice that while video-conferencing from home for the past two-plus months, she has
noticed that she’s lost power more frequently than colleagues in other Niagara municipalities. “It’s definitely worth investigating,” Huson said. “Not sure if we actually experience power outages more than other towns or just complain about it more.” Mayor Marvin Junkin doesn’t think it’s any worse in Pelham that it used to be. “I don’t think it happens more now than 20 years ago,” Junkin said. “Our power was out yesterday, but the high winds of Tuesday night very probably brought some tree limbs down
on to the lines.” Both NPEI and Hydro One accept outage reports and provide status updates on their respective websites—if your smartphone is charged enough to see them. A STORMY WEDNESDAY Dramatically pictured above: Reader Cam Bernard was just getting home when he saw something in the middle of the road. “When I walked towards the tree, a gentleman with his hazards on told me that live wires were on the ground and to stay at a safe distance.” He safely snapped the photo. Left, reader David Horton reports that the storm blew over one of the old maple trees lining Balfour Street, in Fenwick, and “pulled down electrical lines on the other side of the road, adjacent to our farm.” Horton and young neighbour Jake Zwart survey the damage the next day.
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The Voice, June 17, 2020
Page 7
Business FOCUS
Safe Tree: Not just a removal company Company emphasizes keeping trees healthy and upright, with removal the last option BY BRIAN GREEN
Special to the VOICE
Far up in the 80-foot canopy of a Black Walnut, two orange-clad figures dangle from ropes, skillfully clambering into position to attach lines from an overhead crane to limbs as thick as a man’s waist. They cut through the limb with a chainsaw suspended from their equipment belt, and so precise is the placement of the crane that the severed limb does not move until the crane gently lifts it away. An operator on the ground uses a remote control panel fixed around his waist to swing the huge limb away and slowly lower it to the ground, where it is captured by a line and fed into a mammoth chipper that grinds it, trunk first, into mulch. To say that the operation is impressive is an understatement, as awestruck spectators can attest from the safety of neighbouring lawns. Ivan Fredette and his crew of ten trained arborists at Safe Tree specialize in “low-impact” tree removal. The giant Black Walnut was nestled in an urban backyard, a few metres from a house, and a drivewaywidth from a neighbour. Yet, the huge tree was deconstructed piece by piece and removed so precisely that there was virtually no evidence of the operation a day later. Part of the credit goes to a skillful and welltrained crew, says Fredette, and part to the state-ofthe-art equipment they use. Low-impact tree removal is only part of the service offered by Safe Tree. The company provides disease and pest control, trimming and pruning, stump removal, cabling and bracing, and even planting and tree health services.
For corporate and municipal clients they offer removal of threats to live power lines and clearing of brush and nuisance trees from rights of way. Formed in 2014 and based in Fenwick, Safe Tree covers the entire Niagara Peninsula, from Hamilton to The Falls, and numbers Lincoln, Grimsby, Welland, Port Colborne, and the Niagara Region among their municipal clients. The company recently removed about 2200 dead ash trees for the Region. While the removal of challenging large trees is the most visible part of their business, Fredette emphasizes other aspects of their services, such as planting and tree health. In fact, he and his crew are reluctant to cut large healthy trees and have refused business when they feel there is no good reason to kill a healthy tree. He cites a developer who wanted an estimate on removing giant beech trees so he could construct several houses. “Those trees should have had heritage designation,” he says and he refused the job. Of course, when he
The Safe Tree crew, with Ivan Fredette at right, taking a break from “the most dangerous land-based job in North America.” BRIAN GREEN drove by later, the trees were gone. “And the tragedy is that two years later, the houses have not been started.” Another homeowner wanted maples cut down “because he said they were polluting by dropping their keys in his pool. I told him that was a small price to pay for air!” In fact, Fredette tried to persuade the home owner of the large Black Walnut to keep the tree, but she was unable to maintain her yard and had experienced some danger from branches, so he
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continued from Page 5 and remember to wear a face covering when keeping a two-metre distance is not possible. Continue to stay home if you are not feeling well and get tested should you feel it is appropriate for you. We are starting to take steps to find our new normal and this means we cannot let our guard down. We all must work together to support each other and keep each other safe. Remember to do your part to stay safe, Niagara. We still have a long way to go, but we are confident we will make it together.
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finally agreed to remove the healthy tree. But his crew was back on the site three days after cutting down the walnut to plant new trees that would be more manageable. With a 30” auger and knuckle-boom crane, Safe Tree can virtually plant a
forest in a few days. Fredette says their equipment makes it possible for a crew to average a young tree in the ground, fertilized and mulched every 30 minutes. They emphasize native trees and avoid planting invasive species. even though “in this area we can grow al-
most anything.” Another important part of their work is cabling and bracing to maintain and preserve historic or important trees. They use a unique system of cabling that allows the tree to flex and See SAFE TREE Page 14
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The Voice, June 17, 2020
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COVID-19
A mother’s dread Local nurse recalls fear of infecting her daughter with COVID-19 BY DON RICKERS
Special to the VOICE
Kate Hannigan freely admits she can be an anxious mom at the best of times. But when she had a COVID-19 exposure at work, and her twoyear- old daughter shortly thereafter exhibited a standard symptom of the disease, it was a strain to suppress her panic mode. As a registered nurse with six years experience, Hannigan knew that the coronavirus was most deadly to the aged, and that ostensibly healthy children were at a much-reduced risk. Statistics are important, but they don’t outweigh a mother’s instinct to protect her kids. Residing in Fonthill, Hannigan works as part of a family health team at the Beamsville Medical Centre. These days, most of the doctors take appointments and offer consultations over the telephone, but still see patients in person for pre-natal checks, physicals, and the like. An illness clinic operates on the lower level of
the building, which is where swabbing for COVID-19 is performed. At the onset of the pandemic, there was only a handful of symptoms that hinted at coronavirus, but the list has grown to the point where essentially any unusual sensation may be a tip-off. As a triage nurse, Hannigan sits in the office reception area, garbed in standard PPE (personal protective equipment), meaning gown, mask, goggles, and gloves. Visors are available as an option. There is no plexiglass barrier separating her from patients who walk through the door. The screening protocol commences with three questions: Have you traveled outside of Ontario in the last 14 days? Have you come in contact with anyone who is unwell? Do you present any COVID symptoms? Answer “yes” to any of the trio of queries, and you are sent downstairs to the ill-
Niagara nurse Kate Hannigan and her two-year-old daughter, Clara, recently underwent testing for COVID-19 after Hannigan was exposed at work, and her daughter exhibited symptoms. DON RICKERS ness clinic to be swabbed for COVID. Those who have made an appointment based on symptoms of COVID are asked to wait in their car until they receive a telephone call to proceed downstairs. All patients entering the clinic are required to wear a mask, and are told as much when they call to make an appointment. The office has had numerous donations of
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homemade masks, which are given out to patients who on occasion enter without one. Surgical-quality masks are reserved for the medical professionals. It was a typical office day in late April, when a patient entered the main floor health centre, and requested a screening based on unusual COVID symptoms. Hannigan took the patient’s temperature, which involves putting a probe under the person’s tongue, meaning she by necessity was within the two-metre social distancing limit. The patient did not have an elevated temperature, but was nonetheless sent to the wellness clinic to be swabbed. A few days later, the result came back positive. The patient was immediately put in isolation for 14 days. “Our staff was told that anyone who had been in
contact with the person had been exposed to COVID,” said Hannigan. “We were asked to continue working and wearing our standard protective gear, and to self-monitor for symptoms.” Hannigan continued to work, symptom-free. She contended with some mild seasonal allergies, but nothing abnormal. About two weeks later, Hannigan’s two-year-old daughter, Clara, developed a fever. (Her older daughter, Charlotte, displayed no symptoms.) “Clara had not left the house…my husband, whose career is marketing and media, was working from home….and so I was the only one coming and going, doing the shopping and such. I was very worried that I might have infected her,” said Hannigan. She was also con-
cerned for her husband, who is immune-compromised with Type 1 diabetes. Both Hannigan and Clara were swabbed immediately (front-line healthcare workers have expedited testing). The results came back negative. “Of course it was a big sigh of relief. But you can’t help but carry that nagging uncertainty as a healthcare provider…that you might be bringing the virus home to your family,” said Hannigan. Hannigan is hyper-vigilant about hygiene at home. She leaves her work shoes outside, and strips off her nurse garb as soon as she walks through the front door. Clothes immediately are laundered. Her husband, Joel, has to restrain the girls from rushing to their mom See DREAD Page 15
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The Voice, June 17, 2020
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
ANALYSIS
Pelham Town Hall has a Ron Kore problem, and it’s unlikely to end any time soon Senior staff say Ward 2 councillor’s public statement of apology last month not enough to rebuild bridges burned even before COVID-19 conduct BY VOICE STAFF
S
tarting the week of April 6, the Voice began hearing assertions about alleged conduct by Pelham Town Councillor Ron Kore—related to his duties as an elected official, as well as to his job at Fonthill Sobeys, the grocery store he manages as a franchisee. The assertions grew louder a week later, when Councillor Mike Ciolfi, who had been ill with COVID-19, died. As a result, the Voice filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) request with the Town of Pelham on April 30, seeking copies of email correspondence between Kore, other councillors, and Town staff. The documents provided by the Town raised further questions, leading the newspaper to file a second FOI request on May 21. The Town provided those results earlier this month. The principle assertion made about Kore, as well as a secondary assertion, were shown to be accurate. A larger issue also emerged, one that pre-dated Kore’s conduct while infected with COVID-19. The email record, as well as comment from senior Town management, painted a deeply unflattering portrait of Kore, particularly regarding his perceived lack of competence, poor knowledge of matters under discussion at council, and alleged abrasive treatment of Town staff. In researching this story over the last six weeks, the Voice has repeatedly requested comment from Kore, his council colleagues, the Mayor, the CAO, the Fire Chief, as well as from all staff present in council chambers on March 23, the evening when Kore attended council while ill. Despite repeated invitations to provide his side of the story, Kore has declined to do so—including after being provided a summary of critical Town staff comment that appears below. The Voice continues to welcome Kore’s perspective, and will update the online version of this story should we receive it.
Request to block emails
The principle assertion brought
to the newspaper was that in early April, near the peak of coronanvirus infection in Niagara, Councillor Kore requested that Town of Pelham IT staff block all incoming email to him from Mayor Marvin Junkin, and from Fire Chief Bob Lymburner, head of the municipality’s COVID-19 Emergency Operations Centre (EOC). This extraordinary request—an elected official seeking to block communication from the head of council, and from the Town’s EOC leader, during a global pandemic—was indeed made by Kore early in the afternoon of Wednesday, April 8. In an email addressed to IT staff, Kore asked that all email from both Junkin and Lymburner be blocked. He did not explain why, saying only, “I don’t want to communicate with these two people.” Four minutes later, an IT staffer replied, saying, “I would have to consult with the Town Clerk and or Town CAO. Whenever I am asked of these requests, I require approval. Are you ok, if I reach out to the CAO and or the Clerk?” A half hour later Kore responded, “The CEO [sic] will be fine.” Two hours later, at 3:40 PM, Pelham CAO David Cribbs emailed Kore to inform him that while he would agree to block Junkin’s messages, he would not block Lymburner’s. “We are prepared to block messages from the Mayor to your account, as per your request,” wrote Cribbs. “Those messages are typically and fundamentally political in nature, and so we can accede to your wishes in said regard. The request to have the Fire Chief blocked is more problematic. As you know, we are in the middle of a pandemic, and the Fire Chief is the Town’s default Incident Commander (I am the other) throughout the emergency period. As such, we worry about potential health and safety implications that could arise if you do not receive critical information from the Fire Chief. I would suggest that for messages from Chief Lymburner that you prefer not to interact with, you could either simply ignore them or delete them...Frankly the Town
isn’t resourced to be able to ensure that someone else would or could send you the same message every time.” At 5 PM, Kore answered Cribbs, “Thank you very much. Appreciate it.” Shortly after 8 PM, IT staff emailed Kore to confirm that emails from Junkin were now blocked. Kore has not responded to Voice requests to explain why he wanted to block communication from the Mayor and Fire Chief. Asked for comment, Mayor Junkin said that “purposely severing all contact with the Fire Chief, especially during a pandemic, is not showing much respect for your duties.” Junkin added that several weeks earlier, Kore had stopped including him in group emails. “From approximately mid-February until present, Councillor Kore did not include addressing myself in any emails sent to all other councillors and the CAO. As to why I was excluded from these emails, which were about Town business, you would have to ask Councillor Kore.” Asked whether he had ever encountered such a request in his career working in other municipalities, the CAO replied, “I am currently experiencing a large number of professional firsts [in Pelham]…. My prior experience with elected officials blocking email access to third parties occurred in the context of the elected official receiving misogynistic or otherwise hateful messaging.” Asked why he agreed to block
Junkin’s emails, Cribbs reiterated his assertion that the relationship between the two was fundamentally political. “As such, anyone who wishes not to receive political messages from a given source should have the capacity to do so. There is no specific corporate harm derived from elected officials not directly communicating with each other.”
Sobeys parking confrontation
The secondary assertion brought to the newspaper related to Kore’s conduct at his store earlier the same day, Wednesday, April 8, when he confronted a Town employee who was assisting with volunteer efforts to deliver groceries to elderly shut-ins and those in quarantine. The Pelham Support Network (PSN) was an initiative undertaken by Pelham’s two Lions Clubs in late March, in partnership with local grocery stores and pharmacies, with delivery assistance provided in part by Town staff driving Town vehicles. On the morning on April 8, a Town staffer pulled up in front of the Fonthill Sobeys entrance to load a Fire Department vehicle with PSN groceries already prepared for pickup. She parked where other vehicles, such as armored cars, often stop for brief pickups or deliveries. In an exchange that left her shaken, the driver was confronted by Kore, who appeared at the entrance told her that she was not permitted to park where she had. (In fact, given that it was an emergency vehicle, there was no prohi-
bition against it being parked in the spot.) In a series of emails to the rest of council and the CAO, Kore defended his conduct, initially glossing over his encounter with the driver. In a reply to council sent by the CAO on Friday, April 10, Cribbs sought to correct the record: “I would however be remiss not to inform the rest of Council that what these messages don't say is that Councillor Kore elected to shout at the junior staff member... in front of many other people, which at best was also poor optics. In the future, I would recommend to any and all of you that ideally you refer matters to my office whenever the problem relates to unfortunate staff decision making. That is part of what you pay me for.” Kore pushed back: “And for the young girl I did not shout at her my front end manager was with me and I asked her politely to remove the vehicle. Why is it that Town leader can’t take criticism or admit that they were wrong without personally attacking somebody after the fact. It’s a sign of a weak Leader and leadership.” To which the CAO responded: “Whether or not you yelled at the staff member, whose name is [...], you were at least excessively forceful in your language, and she was really quite upset by the interaction. Given the power imbalance between you, even without intent you can cause significant fear and anxiety in others when you speak with passion. You might consider an apology. If you wish, I can provide you with her contact
TIME MARCH 17 Ontario declares a state of emergency. MARCH 18 The Ministry of Health issues an advisory, including known symptoms of COVID-19. These include a cough, runny nose, and a sore throat. The Ministry instructs those with any symptoms to “return home and self-isolate immediately,” and to “stay home if you are sick.” MARCH 23 Pelham Town Council holds its first meeting during the state of emergency. Town IT arranges the meeting so that councillors may attend remotely, which councillors Lisa Haun, Bob Hildebrandt, and John Wink do. Councillors Marianne Stew-
art Mike Ciolfi, and Kore attend in person at Town Hall. Kore visibly and audibly exhibits symptoms of a respiratory illness. Later in the week, Councillor Mike Ciolfi falls ill. APRIL 3 Niagara Region declares state of emergency. APRIL 6 Council holds its second meeting during the states of emergency. Early in the day, Ciolfi emails council and staff to say that he will not be attending. On the same day, the Voice learns that Ciolfi has tested positive for COVID-19. He tells the Voice that he is still very ill. At noon, Fire Chief Bob Lymburner emails council to tell them that the Emergency Control Group decided that all meetings, including council, are to be held virtually.
APRIL 7 Mayor Junkin emails Councillor Kore, copying council and the CAO, to explain his support for virtual meetings. “It is safe to say that my lungs are what is currently being called compromised. If I were to be infected…it could very easily be fatal for me.” APRIL 8 Kore emails Town IT staff and asks that all email from both Mayor Junkin and Fire Chief Bob Lymburner be blocked. He does not explain why, saying only, “I don’t want to communicate with these two people.” APRIL 9 Eyewitnesses tell the Voice that upon seeing the Fire Chief
enter his store, Kore raised his hands, said that he did not want to speak to the Chief, and walked away, trailed by the Chief. APRIL 11-12 Kore leaks Junkin’s explanatory email to four residents. The Voice later learns that reporters from the St. Catharines Standard were also aware of Junkin’s email in the same period. APRIL 13 Mike Ciolfi dies. The cause of death is not announced. Kore later says that the same day Niagara Public Health informed him that he had been in contact with someone positive for the virus. APRIL 14 Kore emails CAO Cribbs and requests to take a leave of ab-
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
The Voice, June 17, 2020
Page 11
Left image: Members of the Town of Pelham’s senior management team. From left, Treasurer Teresa Quinlin, Fire Chief Bob Lymburner, Public Works Director Jason Marr, Town Clerk Nancy Bozatto, former CAO Darren Ottaway (dismissed in early 2019), Director of Community Planning and Development Barb Wiens, Director of Recreation, Culture, and Wellness Vickie vanRavenswaay. Right image: Pelham Town Councillors, from left, Bob Hildebrandt, Lisa Haun, John Wink, Mayor Marvin Junkin, Ron Kore, Marianne Stewart, and Mike Ciolfi, who passed away on April 13. TOWN OF PELHAM particulars for said purpose.” Kore did not respond when asked by the Voice if he had apologized to the staffer.
Fire Chief visits Sobeys
The following day, April 9—after Kore had already asked the Town to block email from him— Fire Chief Bob Lymburner went to the store to discuss the shouting incident with Kore. However, Kore refused to do so. In what one witness described to the Voice as “like it was out of the Keystone Cops,” Kore held up his hands when he saw Lymburner appear and “scooted around avoiding [the Chief].” In an email sent to the CAO and councillors the following morning, Kore presented his version of the incident. “Mr. Lymburner came into the store I recognized him, I put up my hand and I said I don’t want to talk to you today. Mr. Lymburner chased me around the floral display several times. The only way to escape him was, I ran up into my office and he chased me to the bottom of the stairs. I told him I didn’t want to talk to him and he’s remained at the bottom of the stairs for several minutes. Why can’t Mr. Lymburner Respect my wishes of not communicating. If anything Mr. Lymburner was harassing me. I’ll be happy to show you the tape of the scenario.” Kore did not respond when asked by the Voice why he did not want to speak to the Fire Chief. In a brief telephone conversation, Lymburner thanked the paper for its interest in the incident, but said he had no comment. “The Town of Pelham does not publicly comment on interpersonal disputes,” replied CAO Cribbs, “or communications issues as be-
tween staff or as between staff and elected officials.” However, Cribbs communicated his disappointment in an email to Kore sent the next day, April 10, which happened to be Good Friday. “I also regret that the Fire Chief came to see you [yesterday] rather than going through proper channels. I have spoken to him about that. Here's the thing: you both should have come to me, but rather you both went off on each other while circumventing proper process. That interaction in your grocery store must have been mutually embarrassing, and perhaps it can be a learning opportunity for both sides...With that, I really would like to put this to rest on a holiday in which the basic premise is forgiveness.” A half-hour later, Kore responded, copying all of council and the Fire Chief. “You’re absolutely right DAVID I haven’t been myself for the last 3 to 4 days because the mayor accuses me of putting someone in harms way. Think about it if that person passes away he put the blame on me. Think of the burden I’m caring the last couple days. And again it was not fair. No one and I mean no one has the right to do that.”
April 6 council meeting dispute
Kore’s mention of putting someone in harm’s way referred to an email written by Mayor Junkin earlier that week, addressed to Kore and copied to the rest of council and the CAO. In it, Junkin took Kore to task for questioning the Town’s decision to hold council meetings by video conference during the pandemic. Ahead of the meeting scheduled for that Monday, April 6, Chief Lymburner reminded council that
all members were to participate by video. At 12 noon, he wrote in an email: “The Emergency Control Group discussed best practices within the Municipal organization this morning, and, to keep in line with these principles, all meetings will be held in the virtual setting. As for council meetings, the Clerk and Mayor will attend council chambers so the meetings can be facilitated; others participating shall do so virtually... In order to minimize the spread of COVID-19, all staff/ Council members who do not need to be in the building, should connect remotely. The Mayor attended our EOC meeting, participated in the discussion and fully supports the decision. Be safe, isolate, physical distance and wash your hands.” A little over an hour later, Kore emailed the CAO, copying all of council—except, notably, the Mayor— challenging the EOC’s decision. “Am I correct in saying that Bob Lymburner has the authority to tell who can and cannot enter the chamber? Does the emergency control group have the authority to determine who attends council meetings? Can you tell me the policy and procedure or the by-laws that allows this?” Considering that Kore had attended the immediately previous Town Council meeting while displaying symptoms of a respiratory illness, and that Councillor Mike Ciolfi had subsequently tested positive for COVID-19, the possibility that Kore might attend that evening’s meeting in person was sufficiently alarming that within an hour and a half, the Voice had learned of Kore’s pushback. The newspaper emailed Kore to confirm whether it was the case that
he wished to attend in person. He did not reply. At 2 PM, three and a half hours before the meeting was set to begin, the CAO answered Kore, writing in an email: “One member of council has a presumptive case of coronavirus. Clearly we need to keep all of Council apart...This is the same step being taken all over the Province and probably the country. I take from the tenor and tone of the email that you are unhappy with the electronic meeting, but I am unclear why. Our choice is to have remote, electronic meetings or no meetings at all... I don’t understand why this is being raised now mere hours before the meeting. We have all known about the electronic meeting plans for several days. Has something changed?” Cribbs invited Kore to call him on his personal cellphone if it was easier. Kore did not answer Cribbs’ email. He did not attempt to enter the building that evening. Without explanation, he also did not attend the meeting by video conference. However, after the meeting ended, Kore sent the CAO a sharply worded message, implying that Cribbs had informed the Voice of his implied desire to attend the meeting in person. “You criticize me for using the phrase playing little games,” wrote Kore, “I wonder who’s playing games now? Shameful.” Shortly after midnight, Cribbs replied, not mincing words. “I did not leak this information to the press. There are at least seven leak possibilities, plus presumably spouses. Clearly you’ve decided that I am at fault and I’m not sure why that would be, or what motive I would have to do so. Your decision to physically attend (or not) was unlikely to have any
impact on my life, whereas leaking information to the media or causing embarrassment to one or all of my bosses would not further my career prospects. So no incentive for me to leak, but plenty of incentive not to do so. A review of my email account shows that I responded to your email at 2:01 pm. The metadata shows that the message was not forwarded, nor was anyone blind copied on my response. I don’t know who leaked that piece of information, but the Town’s email system supports that it did not come from me...It feels like you are trying to pick a fight with me after failing to have a fight with the mayor. I’m not interested in fighting with one of my bosses, but please know that I am offended and feel that I deserve better.” Asked by the Voice to explain what Kore “failing to have a fight with the mayor” referred to, the CAO declined to do so, responding, “The message in question was meant to be a private message between my office and my superior, in which both parties could safely express their positions, without further escalation of any underlying dispute...healthy differences of opinion are common within democratic institutions.” The Voice has learned, however, that the missed “fight” opportunity likely referred to an item on the April 6 meeting agenda, intended to be discussed behind closed doors. Several weeks earlier, in mid-January, the Mayor and the Pelham Library board held a public meeting at the Fonthill library branch to discuss council’s request that the Director of Recreation, Culture, and Wellness, Vickie vanSee PROBLEM next page
ELINE sence, effective immediately, and asks that email to his Town address be “turned off.” APRIL 17 Kore is tested for COVID-19. APRIL 20 Kore receives a positive test result for COVID-19. He is not required to self-isolate, however, because his illness and period of contagion passed weeks earlier, according to Niagara Public Health. APRIL 22 Sobeys employees are told that Kore has tested positive. Three Sobeys employees allege that Kore continued to work while exhibiting symptoms over a period of several
weeks. According to the employees, Kore dismissed the concerns of his staff who told him he should be staying at home. Kore does not respond to media requests for comment. APRIL 23 Sobeys announces it will conduct an internal investigation. APRIL 24 The Niagara Dailies publish a story on the Kore situation. The story mentions Junkin’s April 7 email, saying that the paper obtained a copy of it and that Kore had previously spoken to them about it. APRIL 26 After four days of silence, Kore releases a statement, admitting no wrongdoing. He insists that he self-monitored for
symptoms. Kore accuses the Town of being “reckless and irresponsible,” and says he will be making no further comment. MAY 1 A fourth Sobeys employee speaks to the Voice, confirming that Kore’s presence at Sobeys with symptoms was a widespread concern among staff. MAY 12 Sobeys confirms that Kore came to work while sick. “Ron Kore would like to share the attached public apology and regrets coming to work while experiencing flu-like symptoms,” says a Sobeys statement. Kore returns to his store and, through Sobeys, issues an apology for his actions—despite
having previously denied wrongdoing and saying that he would make no further comment. “I now realize that some of my decisions, and the optics around them, were imperfect and I am very sorry for this,” he says. JUNE 1 Kore returns from his leave of absence at Pelham, attending that evening’s Town Council meeting by video-conference. JUNE 15 Pelham continues to have the highest rate of COVID-19 infection per capita among the general public across all Niagara municipalities. There are currently two active cases in Pelham. There are zero cases in seven Niagara municipalities, according to Fire Chief Bob Lymburner.
Page 12
The Voice, June 17, 2020
PROBLEM
continued from previous page Ravenswaay, be appointed CEO of the library. Speaking with his customary bluntness, the Mayor apologized to the Library board for council’s failure to take the library’s views into better account. Later, Kore allegedly objected to Junkin’s message to the board, and in the intervening weeks had lobbied council to debate whether to reprimand Junkin—though on what grounds remains unclear. In any event, with Kore absent on April 6 the matter was dropped and has not resurfaced.
Kore leaks Junkin’s email
In Mayor Junkin’s April 7 email to Kore explaining why it was a good idea for council to meet by video conference, he referred to Mike Ciolfi’s illness. “Is it just a coincidence that Mike got sick after our [March 23] Council meeting, when he was sitting on the same side of the room as you??? Maybe, maybe not. We will never know. I will not take that chance. A big healthy guy like Mike has been sicker than a dog for over a week, with fever, aches and pains. Why should any of us take that risk, when the technology is available to completely eliminate it.” (It would later become known that three others in council chambers on March 23, including Kore, would also test positive for the coronavirus, suffering various degrees of illness, none fatally apart from Ciolfi.) By the end of the week of April 6, after challenging the Town’s authority to hold council meetings by video, after the incidents with the Town staffer and the Fire Chief at his store, and after requesting that email from the Mayor and the Fire Chief be blocked, Kore was still
upset, as described above, writing to Cribbs, “I haven’t been myself for the last 3 to 4 days because the mayor accuses me of putting someone in harms way.” In the first FOI results provided by the Town, the Voice noticed that Kore had emailed Junkin’s April 7 email to himself, likely to a personal email address. This can be a method for elected officials to mask the fact that they are sharing privileged information with outsiders. By forwarding internal email to a personal address, and then forwarding it on from there—to a reporter, for example, or to a political confidante—there is no electronic trail. Freedom of Information requests only apply to government, not private, email accounts. On a hunch, the Voice filed a second FOI request in late May, specifically asking for any instances of Kore forwarding the Mayor’s April 7 email to any outside party from his Town email account. The Town found five such instances. The first was sent on Saturday, April 11, and the remaining four were sent on Sunday, April 12. The Voice has elected not to identify the recipients, who are Pelham residents. Stripped from the forwarded message was any indication that Junkin had originally sent his email not just to Kore, but to all of council and the CAO. Kore’s cover note to each recipient except one (where none appeared) was the same: Good afternoon, I appreciate those kind words, I really needed it this week. This is what the mayor sent me this week. If you want to pass this to your friends to show how means spirited he is, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much, Ron
One recipient of the leaked email, employed by the City of Welland, declined a Voice request for comment, saying, “My communications with Ron Kore are between Ron and me and I have nothing to say about those communications.” The remaining recipients did not acknowledge the newspaper’s request for comment. Kore did not acknowledge a request to explain what he hoped to accomplish by leaking the Mayor’s email, what was factually incorrect or “mean spirited” about it, and why he apparently deleted evidence that Junkin sent it to all of council, not just to Kore. He also did not respond when asked whether it was hypocritical to leak internal council information to third parties, when days earlier he had accused the CAO of doing the same thing.
Mike Ciolfi’s death, Kore’s positive test
Within 24 hours of Kore appearing to solicit sympathy for the Mayor’s comments, Councillor Mike Ciolfi had died. He passed away overnight Sunday into Monday, April 13. (No official cause of death has been released.) The same day, Kore was contacted by Niagara Public Health and told that he had been in the presence of someone who later tested positive for COVID-19, but that enough time had passed that he did not need to quarantine. Tuesday morning, April 14, Kore emailed the CAO to request an indefinite leave of absence, and to request that all email to his Town account be “turned off.” The CAO responded, saying, “I will be happy to work towards a gradual reintegration at a later date if such is of interest.” Kore was tested for COVID-19
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca on Friday, April 17, and was informed on Monday, April 20, that he was positive, but no longer infectious, the illness having run its course over the previous weeks. On Wednesday, April 22, Sobeys employees upset that Kore had continued to come into work while obviously ill contacted the Voice to say that Sobeys corporate personnel were in Fonthill, informing store staff of Kore’s status. The Voice has asked Kore why he chose to take a leave of absence from Town Council four days before he was tested for the virus, and nearly a week before he received news that he was positive. He has not replied.
Senior Town staff reaction
In confirming the timeline of events for this article, it became evident that many Town staff— particularly among those who were present in council chambers on March 23, when Kore was visibly unwell—were deeply upset by Kore’s conduct and by his initial refusal to accept responsibility for his actions. The Voice learned that some staff made inquiries about filing a grievance through Human Resources. Also evident was an undercurrent of frustration with Kore’s conduct prior to the pandemic, during the first year of the new council’s term. The Voice reached out to everyone present in council chambers on March 23—councillors and staff—to request their perspective on Kore’s actions, including whether they were satisfied with his statements regarding working while ill, whether they planned to file official HR complaints, and whether Kore remained fit to serve as a councillor. In order not to risk their employment, the Voice has agreed not to disclose the names of those who
do not wish to be identified. Two senior staff agreed to be quoted without being named, a third agreed that their general views could be included, without being quoted verbatim. The combined municipal work experience among those who agreed to speak is measured in several decades. “Ron Kore is part of the Town of Pelham’s work family and I am certain that all staff are happy to hear that he has returned to health,” said CAO David Cribbs. “The Town has no comment to offer with respect to any potential complaints.” “In response to your request regarding the meeting of March 23rd,” responded Councillor John Wink, “fortunately for myself, I chose to attend the meeting via video conference, so at the time I was unaware of Councilor Kore’s symptoms and did not observe his symptoms during the live streaming. Through your request for Freedom of Information you have been able to surmise the exchange of emails between Councilor Kore and staff, which copied all of council regarding the April 6th meeting. In hindsight, it is regrettable that all of council did not accept using video conferencing. In all honesty, under the current pandemic, video conferencing is efficient in social distancing while still moving forward the work of council...I am not comfortable in making comments against fellow councillors but leave it up to our citizens if and when Councillor Kore decides to run in the next election. This is speculation, however I am sure in hindsight Councillor Kore regrets some of his choices that he made.” No other councillor acknowledged the Voice’s request for comment. Speaking generally, one senior staffer alleged that Kore’s treat-
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ment of staff by email before the pandemic had bordered on the abusive, and that the public at large was not aware of Kore’s full personality, seeing only his sales side inside Sobeys. Another senior staffer commented at length, and additionally cited what they termed the CAO’s failure to stop the March 23 meeting in the face of Kore’s obvious illness. “We have been through a lot at the Town with people not being open and transparent with the staff. I was not aware [beforehand] that Kore wanted to attend the April 6 council meeting. I found this out the next day when the question was asked ‘Where were Councillors Kore and Ciolfi last night?’ This was the first time we heard that Councillor Ciolfi was sick. I thought that he must really be sick since he had excellent attendance and he was a very engaged councillor. For him to miss the meeting it must have been serious. We did not know that he had the virus. No one told us. On Tuesday, April 7, Public Health called to find out who was at the March 23 council meeting since someone tested positive with COVID. I thought it was Councillor Kore, since he was so sick on March 23—coughing and blowing his nose all night. The next day on April 8 we found out it was Ciolfi who was sick. It was very upsetting to know that Councillor Ciolfi had been tested positive and we were all in the same room and no one told us. The question is when did the CAO know that Ciolfi was getting tested? The Mayor admitted that he knew on Friday April 3 that Mike was tested but did not think that he should have told staff. He apologized. It wasn't his role to notify staff. It was the CAO's role. The CAO said that he did not know anything about
Mike being sick. Another senior staff member [who later tested positive] said they were sick on Friday April 3, but no one told this individual that Mike Ciolfi was tested on April 1 and was waiting for results. The deep cleaning to Town Hall was done on April 15 or 16 [after Ciolfi’s death]. Why did it take so long to do? David Cribbs was sitting across from Ron Kore on March 23. He was in a meeting with him for over 4.5 hours and now he is saying that he did not notice Kore coughing and blowing his nose. It was so obvious. [Other] senior staff only went into the room for a short time to present their sections of the agenda and they all noticed how sick Kore was. The meeting should have been stopped and Kore should have been asked to leave. We were all exposed to his sickness. The Premier was correct in saying that someone infectious like Kore was walking around with a loaded gun. But in the end, nothing was done about it. That's the sad part. I heard that there are over 200 complaints with the Ministry of Labour on incidents like this, people being sick at work and exposing others to the virus, and nothing is done about it.” The Voice asked why, if it was clear that Kore was ill, the staff who were in and out of the room didn’t attempt to bring this to Cribbs’ attention. They answered: “We were social distancing at the March 23 meeting and only ten people were allowed in council chambers at one time. Senior staff went into chambers, did their presentation, and left. No one was in there for the whole meeting. We assumed the CAO noticed the situation since he sat across from Councillor Kore and he would advise the Mayor if he felt it necessary to stop the meeting.”
Asked to respond, Cribbs told the Voice that his authority does not include the power to stop a council meeting. However, with hindsight, he acknowledged that he did not meet his duty under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to provide a safe working environment for the staff who were present. “I have already apologized for this at an all-staff meeting, and also apologized directly to senior staff who were in the room.” Cribbs said that he was engrossed in the substance of the meeting and did not notice the symptoms being exhibited by Kore until moments before the meeting’s end. “Should I have noticed earlier? Yes. Would I like a redo of that evening? Yes. I was physically present for the entire meeting, and so was personally put at risk, which would have spurred me to action had I been cognizant of the health threat. The bottom line is that there were health guidelines which were violated that night, and ultimately that is something for which we are all supposed to be accountable. Given that he was exhibiting symptoms, Ron Kore should not have attended that meeting. Frankly every person in council chambers should have raised the issue, and none of us did. I bear more responsibility for this than other staff members because of my position, but those who noticed should have brought it to my attention. The events of March 23 do not reflect well on anyone involved...This entire ordeal has been a real learning curve for many, including myself. Were a similar situation to occur today, I suspect that multiple people, including myself, would likely raise concerns, take steps to cancel the meeting and vacate the room immediately.”
Page 13 Asked to account for the delay in informing staff of Councillor Ciolfi's test result, and for the belated deep cleaning of Town Hall, Cribbs pointed to poor tracing and notification by Niagara Public Health. “Looking back, we now know that four people who were present at that meeting ended up with or already had the coronavirus. We don’t know for certain if it was transmitted at that meeting. What I can say is that I remain extremely unimpressed with Niagara Public Health’s contact tracing parameters. I did not receive a phone call from Niagara Public Health about my own exposure until the 15th day— one day after the quarantine period would have ended. In the midst of a pandemic, that is pathetic at best. The Town has never been informed that exposure occurred—or may have occurred— in its facility. NPH only informs hospitals and long-term care facilities if they believe transmission occurs in those workplaces—the rest of us are left in the dark. What knowledge the Town possesses is a result of phone calls taken by myself and other senior leaders in our personal capacities. The Senior Leadership Team had already put many measures in place — people were working from home, distancing was established in work stations, one person per motor vehicle, and Town Hall was already closed to the public, and Town Hall is and was at the time being cleaned three times per day— twice on the high contact points, and once at night when staff are absent, which is an increase from the prior cleaning regime. The deep clean was ordered out of an abundance of caution, as much for staff morale as for health concerns. I think it is likely that we will continue with periodic deep cleaning of Town Hall, Tice
Road, and the MCC, regardless of whether or not the Town has knowledge of coronavirus being present in its facilities.” Finally, a senior Town staffer who has dealt closely with Kore said that his conduct has remained predictably constant while in office. “Personally, I wasn’t surprised when I found out about his insistence on attending the April 6th meeting. He was angry and offended at basically being denied entry and he seemed to take it as a challenge to his power, rather than a public health issue, which was stupid. Ron Kore is a rude man who never prepares for council meetings. He asks basic questions, and the answers are already in the reports. After over a year in office he’s shown no growth in knowledge or skill—it’s like he just started yesterday. He put his self-interest above that of the community, and that means he’s lost the moral authority to govern, which he wasn’t doing well at anyway. There’s no point in launching a formal [Human Resources] complaint. The maximum penalty is losing two weeks of wages, and Ron is already wealthy. Clearly he should resign, but the problem is that would require him to admit fault, so none of us really see that happening. We’ll count on the residents to fix the problem at the ballot box come the next election. Until then, we’ll just continue dealing with his mean-spiritedness and stupidity. The real difference for me, when it comes to my job, is that I no longer care at all what he thinks or what he says.” After being absent from council since April 6, Kore returned to attend the June 1 meeting by video conference. Emails to him from the Mayor and Fire Chief are no longer being blocked. ♦
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COMMUNITY Events April 13
Posted Event Submissions Standards April 8United Church Fenwick
If your organization is hosting an event that would be of interest to the community, www.fenwickunited.com www.gladtidingschurchofgod.com you may submit an events profile by sending your community events information to Central editor@thevoiceofpelham.ca Some restrictions apply. Event submissions that meet Region Ads included theLIFT acceptability standards of TheTREE Voice of Pelham will then be posted until“and the date points out, it is largely unregFAITH SAFE ulated. You provide could buy a chain saw This17The ad isCommunity to becontinued printed by all participating Ontario papers of your Events Calendar is updated weekly. Please continued fromevent. Page from Page 7 and a pickup truck and call yourself as much notice and information as possible including the date, time and description an arborist tomorrow. It’s the wild computer, God is personcontinue to grow, where some cable of your event. The Voice of Pelham reserves the right to edit for space. west.” al. He knows everything about us (warts and all). And here’s the most amazing thing… He still loves us and wants to have relationship with us. That good news is the best spiritual medicine of all! I’ll leave you with this smile. A loving husband said to his wife, “Dear, I want you to throw this dart at the world map on the kitchen wall and wherever it lands I will take you for a nice vacation after this lockdown is over.” The wife was thrilled and threw the dart. Turns out, they’ll be spending two weeks behind the fridge. ♦
Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor who has noticed that most recent humour have been inside jokes.
supports girdle the branch and can eventually kill it. Fredette graduated from the Humber College Arboriculture Program, a two-year program with a one-year apprenticeship component. Upon graduation, he was hired by Humber to teach into the program and was an instructor for several years before leaving to work for Hydro One where he added the Utility Arborist qualification to his credentials, enabling him to work around power installations. A Jordan native whose family roots trace back to Oyle Road in Pelham, Fredette bought property in Pelham in 2014 and formed Safe Tree, first as a one-man operation. The company has now expanded to include an office staff and his ten-person crew, several of whom are also graduates of the Humber program, plus parttime workers. The Safe Tree name comes from Fredette’s determination to focus on operating safely. “We do the most dangerous landbased job in North America,” he
Fredette and Operations Manager Craig Hartwick “hire slowly and fire quickly” to maintain a crew that is committed and professional, “and they’re all good guys,” he maintains. Much of the training is done in-house and Safe Tree even offers external training for would-be arborists, with the towns of Grimsby and Lincoln using their services to teach chainsaw safety to municipal employees. Fredette describes the Pelham Gypsy Moth spray program as “awesome,” but worries about the frequency of outbreaks of new infestations. “Anything to disrupt the life cycle of these and other pests is important in controlling them.” But there are so many threats to our trees, he points out, and cites the Comfort Maple as an example. “That tree is now enduring a climate that it has never experienced before,” and he worries about its survival. With disease decimating Ontario’s population of elm and ash trees, and now threatening beech-
A chipper chews up a 20-inch diameter walnut branch, turning it into mulch. BRIAN GREEN
es, oaks and even maples, these are challenging times for anyone concerned about our forests. His advice for homeowners concerned about the health of their trees: “Mulch! Mulching stops soil compaction, provides great nutrients, regulates the temperature and moisture of the soil, and even stops mechanical damage such as run-
ning into the trunk with your lawn mower.” “Without trees we cannot live,” he says, and adds that trees are important not only for physical health, but also for our mental wellbeing. “Next to the human brain, trees are the most complex organism on the planet. Their health is intricately connected to our health.”
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
The Voice, June 17, 2020
Page 15
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with friends and family, but it is almost exclusively online via FaceTime. She worries about the “second wave” of coronavirus infection that medical experts have predicted for the fall, and whether the already-stressed healthcare system will be able to deal with another onslaught of disease. Hannigan said that recently, patients have been able to send in photos via computer to their doctors, so that a better assessment of a rash or some other ailment can be made without an in-person visit. A confidentiality release is required. The Beamsville office is situated in the “bench” area of Niagara wine country, and Hannigan said they have had donations from local wineries of alcohol products to replenish their hand sanitizers. Medical-grade face masks are a hot commodity right now, and Hannigan said that they are rationing them, and doing a weekly count. They have received a couple “pandemic boxes” from the provincial government, loaded with personal protective equipment, left over from the SARS outbreak in 2003. The gear is marked with an expiry date of 2007, but they still rely on it, she said. Options are limited at this stage.
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Rotary keeps cranking out face masks As the community gradually reopens amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Fonthill Rotary Club reminds Pelhamites that they will continue to produce sewn face masks for those in need, as well as other individuals. “More diverse requests have been coming forward,” the club said last week. “The Rotary Club of Fonthill has been happy to support our community. We will continue to sew
masks and donate them to those in need and to not-for-profit organizations. We will also sew masks for individuals for a $10 donation.” Rotarians launched the mask initiative in March, and have so far sewn and donated some 3000 masks to the Pelham and Niagara community. “Mel Groom, Angela Carter, Annie Holtby, Paul and Jennifer Allen, and Ann Harrison, along with Honorary Rotarian Tove Bowman have harnessed support from family, friends and neighbours to achieve this milestone in our service project,” the Ro-
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tary Club said. “The club thanks all those who have donated time prepping and sewing masks, and donating fabric and supplies.” Aside from any monetary contributions, the club continues to ask for donations of quarter-inch elastic bands and tightly-woven cotton fabrics. Anyone interested can contact Groom at info@rotarycluboffonthill. ca. Above, Jim Dixon and Tove Bowman with a passel of Rotary masks.
Page 16
INTEGRITY
continued from Page 1 other local companies had committed cash or in-kind contributions of between $10,000 and $25,000 dollars each. Twenty-five additional companies or individuals, the Town itself, plus the Fonthill Legion and Fonthill Rotary, had also pledged cash or in-kind support. The Voice had committed $1000 to the project. Kore’s himself, through his franchised Fonthill Sobeys store, pledged between $1000 and $4999. Unsure as to whether council would ultimately want to accept the CannTrust donation, given the company’s controversiality, Junkin said he wanted to get council’s opinion before the Bandshell Committee mentioned the donation publicly. On January 9, four days before council was to meet, Junkin ran into three councillors at the opening of a minor hockey tournament at the community centre. He briefly told them about Cann Trust’s potential contribution and asked them to think about whether they thought it was acceptable. Later that evening, Junkin emailed the three other councillors, who were not present earlier at the community centre, with the same question, and invited them to email him their opinions. All six councillors said that the donation should not be accepted. With what Junkin called his “informal poll” complete, he replied to the councillors to say that he would inform the Bandshell Committee that the potential donation would not be acceptable after all. During their January 13 presentation, the Bandshell Committee accordingly did not mention CannTrust.
Kore’s objections, leaked emails
Responding to Junkin’s email inviting council opinion about CannTrust, Councillor Ron Kore objected to Junkin’s efforts at the informal poll, terming it a “back room deal.” Junkin replied to Kore, saying that his comment was “the height of silliness.” On January 11, in response to what he termed Kore’s borderline attempt to blackmail him by publicizing Junkin’s discussion with council, the Mayor preemptively reached out to the Voice and to Pelham Cannabis Control Committee chair Tim Nohara to inform them of the CannTrust donation that was no longer a donation. At midday on January 13, Kore leaked seven internal emails to the Voice containing council’s debate over the issue. Six of the emails he additionally copied to Nohara. Kore did not add any explanatory comments or requests of the newspaper or Nohara. Shortly later, Nohara replied to Kore, copying the Voice, stating that he did not want to be “drawn into this discussion at all.” In mid-afternoon, Voice publisher Dave Burket emailed Kore, asking, “Did you wish to pursue this as a story? If so, I'll have a writer
The Voice, June 17, 2020 be in touch directly.” A half-hour later, Kore replied, “Yes.” The following morning, Burket answered, “Great. Expect someone to be in touch. Thanks,” and asked Voice contributor John Chick to contact Kore. Chick did so that afternoon, writing to Kore, “Hi Ron, I was told by Dave Burket that you have some concerns regarding CannTrust's donation to the Bandshell. Let me know when you are free to talk, it may have to be over the phone or via email.” By 9:45 that evening, Chick reported that Kore had not responded to his request for an interview. The next morning Burket again emailed Kore, writing, “Hey Ron, John Chick says he hasn't heard back from you. You still up for story? Thanks.” A half-hour later, Kore replied, “Call me sometime this week.” Burket repeatedly did so, never reaching Kore. “So I stopped by the store,” said Burket over the weekend, “where I figured we’d be able to have a discreet conversation.” They did, said Burket, but Kore would not agree to publicly bring the matter to the media. “He thought that there was a smoking gun in the emails that spoke for itself, but I didn’t see it. I saw a group of people trying to avoid embarrassing themselves, and the Bandshell committee, by avoiding a potentially risky donation from a company that not a whole lot of residents liked.” At the same time, Burket said, any CannTrust-related story is “journalistic gold,” rating highly among Voice readers, and he encouraged Kore to go on the record. Kore eventually told Burket that he would instead file complaints with both the Ombudsman of Ontario, and the municipal Integrity Commissioner.
Complaints filed
In his complaint to the Integrity Commissioner, Kore alleged that Junkin convened an improper meeting of council—at both the community center and through email—to conceal council’s debate over Cann Trust’s potential donation. Kore further alleged that in Junkin’s role as Mayor, it was improper for him to solicit donations on behalf of the Bandshell Committee. Finally, Kore alleged that Junkin “disparaged” his character by calling Kore’s allegation of a back room deal the “height of silliness.” Each complaint cited alleged violations of the Town’s Code of Conduct, which was the focus of the Integrity Commissioner’s subsequent investigation. A complaint was also filed with the Ontario Ombudsman—presumably by Kore, based on his asserted intentions to the Voice— about an alleged improper Town Council meeting at the community centre and over email. The Ombudsman does not disclose who makes complaints. Complaints to the Ombudsman pertain to alleged violations of the Ontario Municipal Act.
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OBITUARY
DAMUDE, Harold Charles
Detail from the Fonthill Bandshell Committee’s website, soliciting funds for the group’s “Jazz Up The Park” renovation initiative. VOICE GRAPHIC
Findings of the investigations
In a comparatively short, eight-page decision, the Ombudsman determined that Junkin and council did not contravene the Municipal Act at the community centre, nor through email, and that no improper meeting of council occurred. The Ombudsman also determined that the Town of Pelham itself acted without legal authority when it decided to inform the Bandshell Committee that it was not in favour of accepting a potential donation from a cannabis company. Taking 27 pages to lay out his case, the Town’s Integrity Commissioner determined that Junkin’s letters seeking donations for the Bandshell violated the Town’s Code of Conduct. However, contrary to Kore’s allegation, the Commissioner concluded that because council had already voted in favour of helping the Bandshell Committee, Junkin was not involved in decisions about how the donations should be allocated. The Commissioner also concluded that Junkin’s soliciting of council opinion violated the Town’s code, determining that the matter should have been discussed during a regular council meeting, and that Junkin’s description of his contact with councillors as an “informal poll” was misleading. Finally, the Commissioner concluded that when Junkin dismissed Kore’s allegation of a back room deal as “the height of silliness,” he did not disparage Kore’s character. “The language…did not attack the Complainant’s character or directly insult him as a person,” the Com-
missioner wrote. “While it is certainly not the most productive language the Mayor could have employed to voice his disagreement…it can hardly be described as a ‘disparaging comment about another member.’” Despite finding that Junkin had violated different sections of the Code, the Commissioner effectively concluded that the Mayor’s intentions were not dishonourable. “It is not our view that the Mayor did so for nefarious purposes,” the report says. “We accept that the Mayor likely intended to avoid the potential for public discourse over a potential donation which may never materialize. In other words, he did not want to cause a problem for Council, or for the Bandshell Committee, or for the residents of Pelham without there at least being a benefit for all at the end of the road.” The Commissioner recommended that Junkin receive the least- severe penalty possible, a reprimand from Town Council. The matter was to be discussed during Monday’s regular council meeting, as the Voice went to press.
Cost
While the Ontario Ombudsman’s investigation was not charged to the Town, Pelham taxpayers are on the hook for the Integrity Commissioner’s report, to the tune of $18,430. The Voice has learned that a presumably less costly option to mediate—rather than investigate—the complaints was offered to both parties, and rejected by Kore.
Reaction to findings
The Voice reached out to each Town councillor, the Mayor, the CAO, the Band-
shell Committee, and Brock Political Science professor emeritus David Siegel for their takes on Kore’s allegations and the investigations’ conclusions. No Town councillor responded to the comment request. Mayor Junkin elected to submit a detailed statement, which runs separately in its entirety on the back page. Pelham CAO David Cribbs, asked whether he could recall similar investigations launched in other municipalities where he worked, based on what looked like slim grounds for complaint, replied that both the Ombudsman and the Integrity Commissioner have the power to dismiss complaints if they feel them to be frivolous. “In this case, neither did so,” said Cribbs, “implying that there appeared to be merit in the allegations. The conclusions of each investigation find only modest, technical violations, so with hindsight the complaints can be accurately characterized as ‘slim.’” On the $18,340 cost, Cribbs said, “The bill reflects the volume of work required for a multi-month investigation and the drafting of a report.” Bandshell Committee chair Gayle Baltjes expressed shock that investigations were warranted. “We had no idea the Municipal Act forbids good-hearted and right-minded actions in elected officials,” said Baltjes, after reviewing both reports. Baltjes said that the Bandshell Committee hadn’t had a donation offered by a cannabis producer that they were aware of, but that they had no objection in principle to accepting one in the future. “As a non-profit group
Harold passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with heart and kidney disease on the evening of Tuesday, June 9, 2020 with his loving wife Marion “June” of 65 years by his side. Loving father of Nancy Bruzzese (Rory) and Gwen Stickney ( D e r r i c k ).C h e r i s h e d grandfather of Kyle (Jimi), Conor (Shelby), Matthew, Noah, Deanna and greatgrandfather of Evan. Dear brother of Carl (Janet). Predeceased by his parents Fred and Martha (Haist) and his sister Jean Orviss (Charles). Dad was a very supportive father, a fun loving grandfather and above all a devoted and loyal husband. We will miss his quick wit, strength, humility and compassion. As a boy, Harold began his 75 year farming career after the death of his father. He and June ran the Apple Bin on Hwy 20 for over 40 years until his retirement at the age 88. Dad had a love of music which he shared with his family and community as a vocal soloist and through his participation in the ‘Fonthill Baptist Church Choir’, ‘Singing Saints Barbershop Chorus’ and most recently the ‘Silver Sounds Choir’ at Lookout Ridge Retirement Home. The family would like to extend their heart felt thanks to the staff at Lookout Ridge for their outstanding care and compassion. forever seeking donations to bring free family-friendly entertainment to our community,” said Baltjes, “we welcome contributions from one and all to offset the costs of our community endeavours.” Baltjes did not share Councillor Kore's characterization of the Mayor's fundraising efforts as a “back room deal.” “No, not at all. Our feelings are the Mayor was simply being supportive in handing out our fundraising pamphlets when he came across potential donors. We are saddened to learn that as a part of this community that the Mayor and councillors cannot openly support us or any other group in our fundraising, which is the end result of this report.” Brock University Political Science professor emeritus David Siegel, who has spent decades observing Canadian politics, reviewed the results of both investigations and found little of substance. “It is something of a mountain out of a molehill,” See INTEGRITY Page 19
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The Voice, June 17, 2020
Voice
FAITH LIFT
by Pastor Rob Weatherby
CROSSWORD
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Mr. Computer?
A computer science professor once gave his students a fun assignment. He divided the class into two groups — men and women. Then he asked them this question: “What gender should computers be?” After some group discussion, the men responded first saying that computers should definitely be considered feminine. Why? They gave four reasons: 1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic. 2. When they speak together they speak in code language that only they (and experts) can understand. 3. Every mistake you make is stored on their hard drive for later retrieval. 4. As soon as you commit to one, you end up using half your paycheque accessorizing it. Then it was the women’s turn. They responded that computers should most definitely be in the masculine gender. Why? They too had four reasons: 1. In order to get their attention you first have to turn them on. 2. They have a lot of data but they still can’t think for themselves. 3. They’re supposed to help you solve problems but half the time they are the problem. 4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if
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Medicine for the soul
he Bible says that laughter is good for us. “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” (Proverbs 17:22) We all need some laughter during these extraordinary times. Here’s a story that made me laugh…
Page 17
you had waited a little longer you could have gotten a better model.
Our heavenly computer?
While we’re on the subject of computers, the Bible reveals to us someone who is greater than the most powerful computer. It says that God knows everything about us. “O Lord, You have searched me and You know me… You are familiar with all my ways.” (Psalm 139:13) Not only that, the Bible affirms that God knows everything about everything. The fancy theological word for that is God’s “omniscience.” That’s an
amazing thought. “Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.” (Psalm 147:5) That means that God knew all about computers long before humans discovered and developed them a few decades ago. That means God knows all about future discoveries that we haven’t even dreamt about yet and that would blow our minds. God is far greater than the greatest computer. He is not dependent on anyone or anything. And unlike a See FAITH LIFT Page 14
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!
Weekly Word Search
Find the words hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and backwards. AMEND BASIL BEANS BROCCOLI CARROTS CORN
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SPINACH SQUASHES STRAWBERRIES THYME TOMATOES ZUCCHINI
ANSWERS ON PAGE 18
Page 18
The Voice, June 17, 2020
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
FROM THE HANDLEBARS
by John Swart
Pelham study results are in: Bikes or Dogs
D
ay after day, as I leave Pelham and pedal to the wilds of west Lincoln or the wastelands of Wainfleet for a bike ride, I pass a plethora of dogs in all sizes, shapes and volumes, happily harnessed to smiling masters at the other end of their leashes. This week I decided I had to learn more about why so many folks love their dogs and walking them. Luck was with me, and after four or five seconds of persuasion, my daughter agreed to loan me Mylo, her family’s six-year-old Golden Retriever, to participate in a study. He’d live with
my wife and me for a few days, so we could care for him, get to know him, and walk him. I needed to understand which could be the best companion, could fill my life with more joy, and help me navigate our ever-changing world—a dog or a bicycle. Maintenance cost appears approximately the same for a bike or a pup. For the bike, it’s tires, chains and sprockets, brake pads, lintfree polishing cloths, carbon-fibre acrylic polish, tire and cable gloss-enhancing wax, and maybe an annual visit to the shop. For a Golden, the list is shorter but at roughly the same
cost: food, veterinarian visits, food, biodegradable and compostable poop bags, and more food. Call it even. To be fair, there is a related cost to bicycle ownership that needs to be mentioned—apparel. One needn’t wear a special outfit to walk their dog. Any indication that I’ve seen in Pelham is that dog owners spend zero or less on specialized dog-walking apparel. The sidewalks of Fonthill are absolutely not the fashion runways of Paris or St. Tropez. On the other hand, cyclists in Pelham shell out as much per ounce for lycra and spandex “kit” as we all can expect to pay for a vial of COVID vaccine in 2021. Don’t even think about carbon helmets that cost more than the brain surgery they’re designed to help you avoid. Count one for dogs.
Maybe the trick is combining pooches and pedaling.
Convenience of ownership is a different matter. When you’re not using your bike, you hang it upside down from hooks in the basement or garage. This is apparently frowned upon for Goldens. They are a bundle of 24/7, full-on psychological neediness. To
a Golden, social distancing means it can never, ever, be more than two metres away from you. I snack heavily in the evening, which totally exhausts Mylo as he follows me from computer to fridge and back every ten minutes. Dogs build moral character. I’ve never been able
PONGMOJI
to lie to Mylo, at least not to his face. A 2009 Japanese study found that just staring into your dog’s eyes raises your level of oxytocin, also known as the “love hormone.” When those big, trusting brown eyes stare at See HANDLEBARS next page
x
Voice
HOROSCOPE
ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, you may feel like giving a romantic partner an ultimatum of some sort this week. Things have been on your mind, but you are better off taking a gentle approach. TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, take practical steps toward your goals so you don’t get overwhelmed by all the things on your plate. Later in the week you may get a reprieve from all the work. GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Various distractions may pop up in the days to come, Gemini. Figure out a way to filter through all of the outside noise so you can quiet your mind for important tasks. CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, shared commitments could weigh on you this week. Domestic matters need to be prioritized. Tasks shared at work need to have firm deadlines so goals can be met. LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 A to-do list at home could be hovering over you, Leo. Don’t feel pressured to tackle everything at once. Prioritize the most needy projects, and then cross off jobs as they’re done. VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, try to propel yourself toward fulfillment this week. This means whatever task you can complete — however small — will create some positive vibes. LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, if it feels like you’re lacking inspiration lately, you just may need to broaden your horizons a bit. Travel to a new city or town, or listen to new music for a change.
SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 This week you may get a welcome reprieve from situations that have been especially draining, Scorpio. This frees you up for some socialization and fun. SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 A lucky break may be heading your way that can help you realize your financial goals, Sagittarius. All you may need is a push to get started. CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Stress or concerns about professional issues may be compromising your ability to concentrate this week, Capricorn. Make sure you address all of your obligations. AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 Vision and drive have you going in a direction you never imagined, Aquarius. It may be a bumpy start, but expect some smooth sailing soon as you eke out new goals. PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, doubts may be plaguing you this week and you’re really not sure why. A confidence boost may be all you need to set you straight. FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS JUNE 15 Neil Patrick Harris, Actor (47) JUNE 16 Banks, Singer (32) JUNE 17 Kendrick Lamar, Rapper (33) JUNE 18 Blake Shelton, Singer (44) JUNE 19 Zoe Saldana, Actress (42) JUNE 20 Nia Sioux, Dancer (19)
44. Dee
43. Nays
41. Pyle
42. ABOR
40. Pule
38. Cabal
35. Dai
36. Aaron
31. Etagere
32. Nebulae
29. HB
30. DNB
25. EA
26. SMA
24. Vibes
20. Ail
23. Elapses
17. Pub
18. Samos
14. Chorale
11. Nautili
12. Caneca
9. Ill
10. Unscrew
8. Clad
6. Ads
7. Sanaa
4. Oto
5. Leu
3. Greg
1. Asci
2. Norn
DOWN
SOLUTIONS
50. Eel
51. Eaters
48. Elan
49. Employee
45. Capybara
41. Panel
44. Dubos
39. GUI
40. Pare
38. Cass
36. Ape
37. Baba
33. AB
34. Absented
Holden
27. MA
28. William
21. Ara
22. Believes
19. Uria
17. Pct
18. Soca
16. Head
15. Suing
14. Canal
12. Call
13. Nacreous
7. Sci
10. Unsorted
1. Angola
ACROSS
CROSSWORD ANSWERS
SOLUTIONS
Enjoy out Take-out Fish & Chips Fridays! From our family to yours...stay safe
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The Voice, June 17, 2020
continued from Page 16 said Siegel, who added that prohibitions against elected officials soliciting funds are aimed at preventing personal gain, not at stopping a community fundraising effort. Siegel cited former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford as an example, who solicited donations for his high school football team. “He called on people who were suppliers, who had dealings with the city of Toronto, using his position as mayor to leverage these people. I think everybody agrees that this would be inappropriate.” Reminded of former Pelham Mayor David Augustyn’s annual “Mayor’s Gala” fundraiser, Siegel noted that several cities partner with private industry on different projects—a prime example in Pelham being the Meridian Community Centre. “As far as I can see [in the Kore complaint], there were some technical things that weren’t done the way they should have been done. But in the final analysis, [council] simply decided not to do something, and you don’t really need a motion of council not to do something.” Siegel said at some point the province will need to “fine-tune”
HANDLEBARS
continued from previous page you, hanging on your every word, what sort of person would be able to lie to that face? My bicycle, on the other hand, expects me to lie to it. It’s part of male cycling culture. You lie about how long or short your last ride was, how fast you went, how much you’ve trained, that you had a long ride yesterday and won’t have your legs tonight. If a cyclist can tell a lie and get an advantage or aggrandize himself in the process, he’ll do it. (No— that’s not possible— Donald was never a cyclist, was he?) Why would your bicycle expect any different from you? You can just tell your bike a bald-faced, out-ofthe-park lie, and it will come back for more. Both pups and bikes help you meet people, but dogs win this one hands down. A study conducted in the United Kingdom surveyed 700 people. Sixty percent said that owning a dog can make a person seem more attractive, and 85 percent said that people seem more approachable when they’re with a dog. Bingo — is this why more and more people throughout Pelham are walking their dogs? Perhaps we should revisit the earlier point about dogs building moral character. Every medical and mental health self-help book and TV show except Fox News says dogs and dog-walk-
the Integrity Commissioner’s mandate, in part to address complaints being filed more on the basis of personal animosity rather than for substantive wrongdoing. “There’s personal animus between a couple of people and the next thing you know there’s a formal complaint to the Integrity Commissioner, which then of course costs the municipality a pretty significant amount of money. That’s not really what the Integrity Commissioner was about, but that seems to be the way the Integrity Commissioner is used—not just in Pelham but in a variety of places.” Advised that the Town was billed $18,430 for the Commissioner’s investigation, Siegel said that Pelham got off “fairly cheap.” “You know lawyers, right? These things get to $50,000, $60,000 very easily. But [this case] was something that was quite easy to investigate. The facts were hardly in question. Everything hinged on interpretation.”
Peter Piper’s exchange
On the issue of personality differences and potential animosity, it is no secret inside Town Hall, or to those who follow Pelham politics, that factions have developed on Town Council. Generally speaking, the Mayor and Councillor John Wink
ing make you feel better, so it must be true. The list of health benefits cycling provides is endless too. Both claim increased cardiovascular fitness, decreased stress levels, and reduced anxiety and depression. Cycling’s better at improving strength, balance and coordination, and you don’t have to pick up after your bike and carry a warm bag around until you find a garbage can. On the other hand, I’ve never fallen off Mylo because I hit a pothole at 30 kph while walking him. Dogs are better at specialized health services. They can be trained to detect prostate cancer, according to a recent study. Dogs win this one. After four hours on a bike, I’d be hard pressed to detect anything between my navel and knees. Dogs can help you avoid foods you’re allergic to, like sniffing out peanuts; and be trained to alert diabetics to a low blood sugar level. My bicycle sniffs out Tim Hortons coffee and donuts, perhaps less helpful alternatives. And although service dogs are allowed on airplanes, I’ve yet to be successful boarding an airplane riding my service bike. Dogs may win the health category, but bicycles don’t drool all over the floor every time they smell food. You don’t have to come up with a cute and trendy name for your bike. Bikes won’t get bored while you’re at work and chew on a table leg or sofa cushion, and I’ve nev-
are in one camp, while Councillors Kore and Lisa Haun are in the other. The remaining members float back and forth, depending on the issue, as did Councillor Mike Ciolfi. The relationship between Councillor Kore and the Mayor, however, has seemed fraught with a particularly personal hostility—but it’s only one-way, according to Junkin. “I do my best to get along with everybody,” said the Mayor. “I think everyone always knows where they stand with me. I have no personal issues with Mr. Kore at all. Indeed I have gone out of my way, I believe, to work with him.” Kore, however, seemed to take an early dislike to Junkin. An incident that occurred late in 2018, after the municipal election but before the new council was sworn in, may have been the catalyst. The occasion was a meeting, held in Peter’s Piper’s downstairs dining room, among the newly elected council and Mayor. The group gathered one evening to discuss what they hoped to prioritize and accomplish during their first months in office. The talk turned to Town finances, specifically the creation of a resident-led audit committee to assess the Town’s financial difficulties. According to multiple sources who were in the room, Kore stated
er heard my bike ring its bell uncontrollably while jumping up and down at the window when another bike rides down the street. Perhaps they should be judged on what they give us back. There is no more sympathetic ear than a Golden’s. It will listen
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that his skill with financial statements equaled a Chartered Accountant’s, owing to his work at Sobeys. The Mayor suggested that municipal accounting was different from commercial accounting, which in Kore’s case was likely handled more by Sobeys corporate accountants than at the store level, an assertion that Kore took offense to. Asked about it over the weekend, Junkin recalled the exchange. “At the time, we were discussing the formation of an audit committee, and how it would have at least two Chartered Accountants on it. Mr. Kore made the comment that he was just as capable with numbers as any C.A., because of having to deal with his business on a daily basis. I made the comment that he was probably looking at numbers that were compiled by the chain’s C.A.s. He was very offended by this remark, and demanded that I take it back. When I refused to do so, he gathered up his items and stormed out of the room.” Junkin said that this was the first or second in a series of meetings before the new council was inaugurated. Kore did not attend any of the rest. Kore did not acknowledge a request for comment over the weekend, asking if he recalled the conversation. ♦
to your every woeful tale and life’s disappointment while you walk together, and share your joy without question, as long as there isn’t a tree trunk or signpost that needs sniffing. Scratch its ears while you’re bemoaning your last bad date or horrid boss, and
Bandshell fundraising summary, as of mid-January $10,000 - $25,000 •Lookout Ridge Retirement Home • Taylor Foundation • Rankin Construction (in kind) •Dekorte’s Landscaping (in kind) $5,000 - $9999: • Rotary Club of Fonthill • Lafarge (in kind) • Town of Pelham (in kind) • Fonthill Bandshell Concerts • Special mention: Young’s Sod (in kind & donation) $1000 - $4999 • Royal Canadian Legion • Sobeys Fonthill • Anonymous • Maxine McPhail • Rick & Lori Gretsinger • Shane & Denyse Davis • Voice of Pelham • The Warden family • Country Corner Market • Pelham Hills Dentistry • BZ Electric (in kind) • Willowbrook Nursery (in kind) • The Swan family •Forest Green Creations (in kind) $500- $999 • Welland Toyota • Pelham Art Festival • Marando Family Dentistry • Noreen Casson • The Macfarlane family • Pharma Choice • Nick’s Cleaners • Pen Financial • Peace Park Dental • Len Doyle
it will warmly snuggle your knee or armpit until you feel assuaged. Your bicycle can give you the world, or deliver the quiet solitude necessary to sort out life’s tragedies and mysteries. Having a terrible day? Hop on your bike, concentrate on your cy-
cling form and pedal until it hurts. Push everything else from your mind, and savour the immediate release. Was the study decisive? I was sad to return Mylo to my daughter, and I knew I’d miss him, so I consoled myself with a bike ride. There’s a place for both. ♦
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The Voice, June 17, 2020
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Mayor Marvin Junkin responds to twin investigation results Editor’s note: Over the weekend, the Voice reached out to Pelham Town Council, Pelham CAO David Cribbs, and Pelham Mayor Marvin Junkin for comment regarding the findings of two recently concluded investigations into fundraising efforts by the Mayor and council related to the Fonthill Bandshell Committee’s project to renovate the Bandshell in Peace Park. Cribbs’ comments are included in the article that starts on the front page. No Town Councillor responded. The remarks that follow are the Mayor’s. “Good morning Mr. Mayor. The next installment on my property tax bill is at the end of June and I will not be able to pay it at this time as I am still not back to full time work. As you noted, I will call the Town Clerk to discuss my situation”
The above is a portion of an email I received from a Pelham resident last Monday. I can’t begin to imagine what his reaction will be when he reads this week’s paper and discovers how this council has misspent $18,430 of the taxpayers’ money. I am embarrassed to be connected to a council, much less head of a council, which has paid this amount of money to have the Integrity Commissioner pass judgment on what can only be described, by any stretch of the imagination, as frivolous complaints. It is beyond belief that in this time of such a devastating pandemic, when unemployment has skyrocketed, and many taxpayers are facing the loss of their businesses and/or their homes, that this council has been forced to deal with such
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trivial accusations. For my part in this, which occurred either because of my poor communication skills, or my lack of complete knowledge of the Municipal Act, I apologize to the residents of the town. One of the complaints which I was found guilty of was actively soliciting funds for a community project. Never in my wildest dreams did I envision anyone— much less a councillor—to take offence to my handing out a donation page, drawn up by the Bandshell committee, to area businesses, to make them aware of this project, and the opportunity to contribute to it, either by a monetary donation, or perhaps through providing labour. By the Bandshell’s own estimate, my efforts brought in somewhere between $15,000 to $20,000 dollars. This is money that did not have to come from the Town treasury. I refuse to apologize for this effort, and believe that this helped to build community spirit within the town. Obviously, next time I will adapt to the rules. Another complaint was my calling Councillor Kore’s allegation of me trying to orchestrate a “back room deal” for a vague offer of a donation from CannTrust the “height of silliness.” Mr. Kore thought that this phrase amounted to disparagement against his character, so asked the Commissioner to rule on this. Not surprisingly, the Commissioner found no fault with this phrase. Whew, society can now rest easy! The final complaint—and this is the most disheartening for me— was the allegation that I was trying to hide a donation that was
vaguely offered by a cannabis company from the public view. Here is the way the event unfolded. In November, during a meeting between CannTrust officials, senior Town staff, and myself, the CEO of CannTrust mentioned the donation page that he had received from me, a month or two earlier. He wondered how the project was progressing and suggested that CannTrust might be interested in making a contribution to this project, sometime in the future. Right then and there, I should have handed him the contact information for the Bandshell fundraising team, but I did not. I informed the Bandshell Committee that an anonymous donor might step forward and make a donation on the last big item, the new lights. On January 13, the Bandshell Committee was making a final report to council, in open session. Ten
days prior to this meeting, the chairperson asked me how she should handle this anonymous donation. I had told her it was just mentioned once, and I had not heard any more from the possible donor. I told her I had to check with council and I would get back to her. Shortly thereafter, I was at the community centre, opening the Silver Stick tournament. Also in attendance were Councillors Wink, Ciolfi, and Hildebrandt. I told them that CannTrust might be willing to donate $25,000, the cost of lights, to the Bandshell project, and did they think we should accept it or not, considering how many residents in the Town did not feel that CannTrust was being a good corporate citizen at the time. Because this donation had never been on any council agenda, and because it was such a vague offer to begin with, I did not think that this would be classi-
fied council business. I was wrong. When I arrived home later that evening, I emailed councillors Kore, Stewart and Haun asking them this same question. If offered, would you be in favour of accepting a donation of up to $25,000 from CannTrust. Council’s decision was unanimous—no one thought we should accept the money, even if it was offered. I then proceeded to tell the Bandshell chairperson not to mention this possible donation in her report because council did not want to accept any money from CannTrust at that time. It must be remembered that if councillors had been in favour of accepting any money offered by CannTrust, it would have been made public the night of the Bandshell’s report. In hindsight, I should never have conducted the poll of councillors. I did so because I thought they should be kept informed of any/all sizeable donations by a cannabis company. I also should have gone to the Town Clerk for advice as to my conducting this poll, as she knew this council, and the rules, perhaps a little bit better than our CAO. Either way, I made the final call, it was a mistake, and I apologize to you, the citizens, for my carelessness. Two final remarks: The Ombudsman’s report cleared me of any wrongdoing. The Integrity Commissioner, while finding that I had breached codes of conduct, found that it was evident that my actions were not nefarious, and no personal gain was sought. I will leave it to you, the residents, to draw your conclusions as to whether you got your $18,430-worth.
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