The Voice of Pelham, June 21 2017

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bilko@rgcmail.com Vol.21 No.12

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

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Mayor not pleased by treatment at Region

Column Six Babe has left, yet lives on

Controversially equates being questioned with being "bullied"

BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

Special to the VOICE

C

BY NATE SMELLE and DAVE BURKET

The VOICE

Following the Niagara Region Audit Committee’s meeting held last week, Mayor Dave Augustyn expressed his disappointment in the committee’s decision to defer further investigation into Pelham’s financial practices until they meet again on Sept. 18.

The meeting on June 12 focused on a motion made

by Port Colborne Councillor David Barrick that called into question the state of Pelham’s finances and their potential impact on the Region’s credit rating.

Addressing each of Barrick’s assertions, Augustyn and CAO Darren Ottaway pointed to “inaccuracies” throughout the motion which they asserted were “misleading and erroneous.” A series of motions tabled by Augustyn and passed by the committee took the teeth out of Barrick’s original motion, shifting the focus away from Pelham and toward all municipalities within the region.

By approving Augustyn’s amendments, the commitSee NOT PLEASED Page 7

HAY WAGON HO! Michelle Loeffen with her boys Ethan, 4, Adam, 9, and Andrew, 8, enjoy a wagon ride last Saturday at the annual DeVries fruit farm Strawberry Social. More photos, page 11.

DAVE BURKET PHOTO

Right-turn-only on Pelham panned As traffic levels increase, turns onto Pelham Street become harder in the absence of traffic lights

BY VOICE STAFF Pelham drivers and business owners are upset with a Town Council proposal to force right turns-only onto Pelham Street in downtown Fonthill. The proposed changes would affect turns from the bottom of Church Hill Street and from under the arches above Pelham Town Square.

Town staff had proposed installing a traffic light at an estimated cost of $140,000 to allow traffic to flow in

both directions from the bottom of Church Hill, however Council rejected the idea.

While Council maintains that the enforced right turns would make Fonthill’s main shopping street more conducive to foot traffic, some community members think otherwise.

As the owner of Beamer’s Hardware and TV for 31 years, Lloyd Beamer has watched the town transform in many ways. He is concerned that preventing drivers from turning left on Pelham

Street from these two intersections will turn his section of the street into a “dead zone.”

“The disadvantages are going to far outweigh any of the advantages,” said Beamer.

“We try and get people to come into town, and with what’s happening here it’s like they are trying to get people to stay out of town.”

With a clear view of the intersecSee PANNED back page

DEBBIE PINE

L A RICE JACOBS died last week. That in itself isn’t surprising: she had just turned 87 years old and lived longer than a woman born in 1930 might have been expected to. That she lived for such a time ought to console those who knew her and make her passing less difficult. But it is never easy.

Clarice, or Babe, as she was called by nearly everyone who knew her well, was born in Fonthill. She and her husband Gordon, whom she outlived by some 30 years, owned a fruit farm near Lookout Point Golf Club.

After his death she continued to work that farm, and even in her 80s, and when she moved to Lookout Ridge retirement home she still rose early, keeping to farm hours.

I first met Babe when I was 14 and volunteering at Lookout Ridge, running a weekly ‘Wii Bowling’ league. Babe was there every time. Despite hardly being of the demographic featured in Nintendo’s video game advertising, she was a champion bowler. I still don’t know how she was able to take to the game so easily: she could curve the ball both ways and hit her shots with such nonchalance that, as she returned See BABE Page 6

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Page 2

The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

by Dave Burket

‘Tis the season: They arrive annually in late spring—garage sales and strawberries. Last weekend and this coming weekend did (and will) feature plenty of both. Check out the Classifieds for a garage sale near you, or head over to Fenwick’s Church of Christ “Giveaway on the Lawn” sale (ad on page 6) , which is just what it sounds like, but karma would probably come back to bite if takers didn’t leave at least a little something for Pelham Cares. And if you were not among the 1,000 visitors to last Saturday’s Strawberry Social at the DeVries fruit farm you’ll have another chance this Saturday, this time at the Lookout Ridge retirement home in Fonthill. Music and berries, and a request to RSVP (see page 11)… And just like that, we’re here: You won’t believe it, but the longest day of the year was yesterday. From here on out the days grow shorter again.

It’s just not right… Another thing that’s not right: Right about now the good residents of College Street in Fonthill are righteously righting themselves after hearing of the Town’s latest proposed scheme for downtown traffic control—namely, effectively sending hundreds more vehicles down their narrow road than already use it daily. How can this be? Story on page 1, mandatory psychological assessment for anyone who thinks that this is a bright idea: right turns-only from the bottom of Church

Hill onto Pelham Street, and from under the arches onto Pelham Street. This means that if you want to shop at Beamer’s Hardware, or visit the dentist, barber, hair salon, or tenants in the new Fonthill Flats building (or, come to think of it, our office), and you make the mistake of driving down Church Hill to do so, you’ll end up being detoured approximately 80 kilometres out of your way. First a right on Pelham, then a left on College, then a left on Station—but here’s the kicker, you need to keep going to Hwy 20 to make your left, because if you try to worm your way back downtown via Pelham Town Square, surprise! Right turn-only again! A deeply dumb proposal, and a situation easily solved with the installation of an all-way traffic light at the bottom of Church Hill…

Leavens to Betsy: I stopped by to see former mayor Ron Leavens last week to discuss the ad he has running in this issue for his PetValu store. As usually happens, we fell into a spirited discussion about recent Town Hall turns-of-event, including the aforementioned nutball traffic re-routing notion. A few minutes in I realized that this was something to get down on tape—or, as happens now, on smartphone. It took longer to transcribe than I’d hoped, so we’ll have to wait a week, but I promise that you’ll enjoy the conversation. Welcome to summer!

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Unhealthy soil a "nightmare" for farmers here, China

NRPS impaired driving charges

Whether they’re running vineyards in Ontario or tea plantations in China, farmers have a common enemy: chemically contaminated or poor quality soil leading to fewer crops.

“Globally, most farms that have used agrochemicals for decades to boost crop production can remain polluted at various levels due to persistent accumulations of contaminants,” says Brock University biologist Liette Vasseur.

“These contaminants ultimately result in yield reduction and loss of income for farmers. In tea plantations, pesticide residues can also have an impact on quality.”

It’s a nightmare that Vasseur, with Wilfrid Laurier University and a number of industrial partners, want to find sustainable solutions for.

Vasseur is overseeing a team of scientists, technicians and students examining sustainable alternative agricultural strategies to improve soil health in Ontario grape vineyards and tea plantations in the Fujian province of Southern China. Vasseur and Laurier Professor of Biology Frédérique Guinel received a grant of $250,000 from the provincial government’s Ontario-China Research and Innovation Fund to conduct their research.

Their partners on the research project include Boreal Agrominerals, Mikro-Tek, and Hughes Vineyards.

After testing the soil quality in the selected vineyard sites in Ontario and Oolong tea plantations in China, the research team is adding agrominerals, cover crops and beneficial microbes — all in an attempt to improve soil health.

The research started earlier this year indoors and is now moving outside into the vineyards and tea plantations.

“This combined methodology of testing under controlled conditions and in the field will allow for complete understanding of the interactions among the various strategies,” says Vasseur.

She explains why tea plantations and vine-

Liette Vasseur.

SUPPLIED PHOTO

yards were chosen for the study.

“Chinese Oolong tea is still challenged by pesticide residues, raising concerns about health safety and limiting the potential export to foreign countries,” says Vasseur. Tea is one of Southern China’s most important exports and most farmers are now working to convert to organic tea plantations.

In Ontario, some of the massive wine industry has been moving away from chemical fertilizers and has been adopting integrated pest management and organic farming techniques.

But “many questions remain on how to optimize the agroecosystem in a way that the soil remains healthy and fertile,” says Vasseur.

The expectation is that the results of the research will help farmers across many types of crops.

“We anticipate our results will provide alternative soil remedial solutions that will directly benefit farmers looking to transition into organic farming and that have the potential to be used by the private sector,” she says.

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Vol.20 No.48

CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

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DSBN wants portion of Town park

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The Comfort Maple myth

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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

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Oops: No fire trucks for you

Haist Street traffic-calming measure a little too effective

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Column Six

Growing up British Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation

Vol.20 No.32

Wednesday October 12, 2016

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Apple Day comes to Fonthill

BY JULIE MANNELL

Special to the VOICE

W

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

NATE SMELLE PHOTO

Public meeting tonight on school issues

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It sure is getting there, Julie.”

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

BY VOICE STAFF

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

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

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

BY HEATHER McLAREN ROHRER

Special to the VOICE

A

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

While waiting for the contractor to return to fix

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

VOICE PHOTO

bourhood in the short-term.

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

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

Petition-inspired changes coming to 2017 Summerfest

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

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

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

sidered.

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

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

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

Another way the committee plans

Debbie

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Pine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See COLUMN SIX Page 14

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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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H EATHER AND P ENNY L ANE S ALES R EPRESENTATIVES

BY JOHN SWART

VOICE Correspondent

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

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

Town Council approves sidewalk to serve E. L. Crossley

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

Cell 905.933.3049

T

Second year Beaver with the 3rd Fonthill Group, Russell Letford offers a fresh apple to shoppers in Pelham during the 2015 Apple Day campaign.

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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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Request made of community still peeved at name change

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Column Six

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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Pined -Sol Pelham’sPelham’s Health Food Store

The Niagara Regional Police Service is committed to reducing impaired driving offences through education and the apprehension of offenders through enforcement programs like RIDE. Impaired driving is still the leading cause of criminal deaths in Canada and destroys thousands of lives every year.

The

Sponsored by

Jim and Sandy Stokes, traveling through the Panama Canal in April aboard the Eurodam at about 100 degrees F!

In an effort to bring further attention and deterrence to driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, the Niagara Regional Police Service reports the names of those people who are charged with an alleged criminal impaired driving offence in the Region. None of the following charges have been proved in court.

In addition to being charged, these individuals are also bound by a Ministry of Transportation 90-Day Administrative Driver’s License Suspension and are prohibited from operating a motor vehicle on a roadway. The public is encouraged to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service Traffic Safety Hotline or Crime Stoppers to report those who are driving in contravention of the suspension.

The following individuals have been charged criminally with impaired driving by alcohol or drugs, driving with a blood alcohol concentration above 80 mgs of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, or refusing to provide a breath / blood sample.

Brian HOWE, 68, Niagara Falls Cindy M. ROURKE, 62, St. Catharines Heather TEEPLE, 42, Niagara Falls Henry N. BOULEY, 70, Thorold Kevin R. WILLS, 31, Amherst NY Kaitlyn J. THOMAS, 22, Lincoln Cameron MCLOUGHLIN, 33, St. Catharines Mauro VIOLA, 53, Stoney Creek Arthur FEDEROW, 58, Niagara Falls Tyler T. LAROCQUE, 26, Niagara Falls Bruce A. FRASER, 45, St. Catharines

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

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

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

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

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

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

The hues of Autumn are outstanding.

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

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

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

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

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

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The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

Page 3

PFLAG helps gay family members, parents, grow together Forty-five years ago a brave mother marched in support of her son

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

In April 1972, an elementary school teacher from Queens, New York named Jeanne Manford received a phone call informing her that her son Morty — a gay rights activist — had been arrested and beaten for distributing pamphlets to guests at a political gathering in New York City.

This prompted her to write a letter to the New York Post protesting the police department’s inaction in stopping the beating of her son.

Proudly identifying herself in the letter as the mother of a gay man, Manford launched a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of gay rights in the United States. After carrying a sign that read, “Parents of Gays Unite in Support for Our Children” in the Pride March through New York City, Manford came up with the idea to start an organization for parents of gays and lesbians that would help to create a bridge between the LGBT community and the heterosexual community.

This organization came to be known as PFLAG. PFLAG now has some 400 chapters in the US and

hundreds of thousands of members worldwide. Their mission is to help family members understand and accept their non-heterosexual children. Recognizing that the “coming-out” process can be an emotionally painful and even life-threatening experience for some families, PFLAG serves to support the parents, families and friends of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual, Transgendered (LGBT) people during this time.

When Fonthill resident Susan Mascoe’s son David told her that he was gay 23 years ago, she said she at first didn’t know how to respond. A monumental day in her life, she remembers it vividly.

"He had been in Europe for a couple of months and then when he came home he went for a walk with his father the night before to tell him,” Mascoe said.

“My husband mentioned it to me the next morning when I came out of the bedroom, and then I saw my son sitting there in the chair and he looked so sad and so scared. David just sat there, so of course I went over and gave him a hug and started crying. I said I don't know anything about this, and he said, ‘Well we will go get some books, Mom.’ I didn't

know what to say."

The two visited Brock University, as well as every library and book store in the area, but still could not find any books written to help parents understand and accept their children when they come out. Without finding any literature on the subject in Niagara, they drove to Toronto and found what they were looking for.

Soon after, Mascoe started going to PFLAG meetings in Buffalo with a friend from Niagara. She said the books were helpful, but it was PFLAG that was there to help her understand what she and her son were going through at the time.

"The support was wonderful because we could talk to people who understood," she said.

“Then once you get more comfortable you start helping other people. For me, it wasn't that I didn't accept, it was just that I didn't know. In the Catholic church then you didn't even talk about it, but then they stopped allowing members of the LGBT community to go to communion. They didn't want them to come to church. It was ridiculous, so I walked out of there. So much for religion. Now they are starting to accept it, but not then. They didn't accept it at all."

Wanting to help others who find themselves struggling with a loved one’s

David Mascoe with him mom, Susan. coming out, Mascoe helped to establish a Niagara chapter of PFLAG. While carrying a banner with her son and other members of PFLAG in the Toronto Pride parade a

few years ago, Mascoe said she was moved to tears when members of the LGBT community approached to hug her and say thanks for marching.

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For more information on PFLAG and the Niagara Chapter visit: www.pflagcanada. ca; or contact 905-937-0202.

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Page 4

The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

OPINION

The opinions expressed in submitted commentary and letters to the editor are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Voice of Pelham.

The Voice of Pelham is a 1211858 Ontario Limited publication David Burket, Publisher 2-1428 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S1E0

As We See It Missing the forest through the trees

I

T SEEMS THAT OUR new Follow the Money columnist, Jim Pitt, has gotten under Pelham Town Hall’s reliably thin skin.

Roughly coincident with the debut of Jim’s column and his digging into financial matters that the Town would apparently prefer to leave buried down by the river, we received notice from Pelham’s new Public Relations and Marketing Specialist that, in so many words, a microscope would now be used to examine not just every word, not just every syllable, but even the punctuation marks appearing in each week’s paper— including [we kid you not] our usage of square brackets.

Intriguingly, the language and tone of the Public Relations and Marketing Specialist’s recent emails bear striking similarities to Mayor Augustyn’s own literary style. (Once you’ve received one of the Mayor’s prim, vaguely condescending chastisements, his mark is forever recognizable. Perhaps Town Hall has become infected.)

We can already foresee where this new forensic focus is headed.

A few weeks or months

from now, one Monday evening in Council chambers, the Mayor will rise dramatically, shake a sheaf of papers, and proclaim in

Well, there are factual errors, and then there are "factual errors"

a [primly] outraged voice, “I have here in my hands a list of 205 factual errors which were made known to the Voice and which nevertheless have not been corrected and are still shaping the thoughts of our innocent voters—er, residents.”

Well, there are factual errors, and then are “factual errors.”

Last week, Jim Pitt managed to commit a rounding error when discussing the increase in Town staff vs. the increase in town popu-

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The Voice

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

(905) 892-8690

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca MANAGING EDITOR & PUBLISHER Dave Burket publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca NEWS EDITOR Nate Smelle editor@thevoiceofpelham.ca ADMINISTRATION Lori Gretsinger office@thevoiceofpelham.ca CORRESPONDENT John Swart jswart7@cogeco.ca LETTERS TO THE EDITOR letters@thevoiceofpelham.ca ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca

lation in recent years. “In 2008 the Town employed a measly 49 people,” Jim wrote. “It’s a wonder anything got done. Now we have 67 staff, a 28% increase.”

The Town firmly wishes that we correct this error. The actual percentage difference is a 26.86% increase in Town staff, not a 28% increase in Town staff.

Jim added 3.7% of a person, and we sincerely apologize to whichever Town Sunshine-lister is walking around with an extra elbow or buttock. Jim’s point, of course, was that the growth in Town staff has grossly outpaced the growth in town population since 2008, and is set to rise even higher when the new arenas are in operation. He appreciates the opportunity to reiterate this fact.

In another error—possibly owing to Councillor Accursi’s abundant enthusiasm for the scheme—Jim managed to turn a remarkably stupid downtown traffic control proposal into a remarkably stupid downtown traffic control fait accompli. The idea that our ability to shop downtown See AS WE SEE IT Page 12

Letters Nothing in new Centre for seniors I would like to thank our esteemed Mayor, and his Council, for the privilege of helping along his folly.

This new arena is just what we seniors have been waiting for. When do try-outs for the Old Timers hockey team start? I have a suggestion as to the name for the

team: The Flying Walkers. Is there nothing else in this complex for us?

I would like to remind Council that seniors are the majority in this community.

We pay the taxes, and we also vote.

Joan Chick Fonthill

From GTA to country to city again I read your notice about volunteer contributing and have decided to become a paying member, since we enjoy the paper’s articles in its expanded format and we are becoming better informed of the politics of expanding Fonthill into a city.

That is not the reason we escaped Toronto

in 2000, but that appears to be the purpose of our current administration—ONWARDS AND UPWARDS, not, PER ARDUA AD ASTRA [Through adversity to the stars], the RCAF motto.

Charles S. Kemp Fonthill

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament

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Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor David Augustyn mayordave@pelham.ca 905-892-2607 Ext 317 Councillor Brian Baty 742 Memorial Dr. Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0 905-892-5317 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607

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Have an Opinion?

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

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

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The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

Page 5

OPINION Letters

FOLLOW THE MONEY By Jim Pitt

continued

Much noise, little light as Pelham finance questions deferred again Appreciates the persevering Pitt I read with interest (as usual) Follow The Money in the Voice this week, and I felt compelled to express my admiration for both the breadth and the depth of the author's interest in, research about, grasp of, and ability to communicate information on issues that affect the residents of Pelham on a daily basis.

They may not be on the same stage as the Trump/ Russia drama, but his subjects are nonetheless ones that we would all do well to follow.

Fortunately for those of us without the time or inclination to root out the truth, Mr. Pitt is a bull when he gets hold of a story; his

jaws are locked until he shakes loose the facts.

One could stretch the metaphor and call him a terrier, but the image of him going round and round with his head under the floorboards while Anna Maria and Samuel Whiskers scurry away is simply too precious to relate to any sort of goings-on in Pelham. The rats wouldn't abandon this ship, would they?

His columns do seem to show many things in a negative light, but if that's what thorough investigation reveals, that's what you get.

Thank you Jim, you're doing a dandy job.

Mark Shoalts Fenwick

W

E HERE IN NIAGA R A are blessed with four levels of government taxing us for various services. The Federal government collects HST and income taxes as well as a myriad of fees (taxes by another name) for everything from passports to duties. The provincial government also collects a portion of the HST as well as income tax and another myriad of fees, from licences to land transfer taxes. The regional government collects a portion, approximately 48%, of our property taxes for various services as well, from police to infrastructure. The Town collects approximately 36% of property taxes for a long list of items from development fees to building permits.

The province also collects a portion of our property taxes for education

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costs. There are gasoline taxes, booze taxes, tobacco taxes, fishing licences, permit fees and, well, you get the idea. We pay a lot of governments a lot of taxes.

Each of these governments suffers from the same affliction. They all spend more than they take in.

When a level of government seems to be on the verge of over-taxing its citizens, there is little we can do except wait for the next election and vote for politicians with a better focus on taxpayers' ability to pay.

One of the questions asked at last week’s Regional Audit Committee meeting concerning the Town's levels of debt was of particular interest.

Councillor David Barrick asked the Town of Pelham if it had tax affordability guidelines in place. We do not.

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We strongly object to this proposed tower on the grounds that this location is environmentally sensitive.

As part of the protected Greenbelt, this area has maturing Carolinian Forest and the stream that is impacted by the construction of this tower is one of the few surviving spring fed streams in the Niagara Peninsula.

More people than the immediate landowners need to VOICE OF PELHAM know about this further destruction of the natural areas in the Niagara Peninsula.

Creative Director Ruth and Rob Gabourie Tarja Barton Pelham email

We pay a lot of governments a lot of taxes

The meeting was rather long and tedious, as these types of meetings usually are. The overall concern is whether the Town of Pelham's debt load could have a negative impact on the Region's credit rating. It’s the Region that has co-signed the Town's loan and it has every right to quesSee FOLLOW THE MONEY Page 13

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Page 6

The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

2017 Bandshell Series

Tomorrow evening: Glory Days—Tribute to Bruce Springsteen

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Special to the VOICE

Thursday, June 22, 7-9pm at the Fonthill Bandshell Concerts - Glory Days - Tribute to Bruce Springsteen - presented by Meridian A unique six-piece ensemble, Glory Days is a tribute to an American musical icon — perhaps one of the greatest rock singers/ songwriters of our time — Bruce Springsteen. This band’s lineup is exclusively composed of experienced concert musicians able to

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Glory Days is not just a combination of talented musicians, it’s also a combination of Springsteen hardcore fans. It’s a family; six individuals dedicated to recreating what Bruce gave and still gives us;

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not just his music, but his feelings as well: joy and sadness, tears and laughter —but before all, a sincere honesty.

As Dave Marsh wrote in his 2005

continued from Page 1

gingerly to her chair, her back bowed from so many years on the farm, I couldn’t tell if her sly smile was one of surprise or confidence.

When I graduated from Wii volunteer to kitchen employee, I saw much more of Babe. She was a pleasure to serve, of course, and even when the meals were not up to her farmhouse standards she would glare at those who complained openly and

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keep her critique to a sardonic quip after everyone had left.

Just because she didn’t go looking for trouble didn’t mean that she wasn’t pleased when it happened upon her. Babe could give it as could as she could take it, though no barb of hers could ever be taken seriously, since it would be inevitably followed by a smile.

She particularly delighted in threatening passers-by with the scooter—or rather, tank—that she drove

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“Don’t think I won’t run you over!” she’d say. We knew she wouldn’t. And when I’d tousle her hair, which was shock-white and looked like whipping cream after she’d had a perm, she would only pretend to smack my hand away.

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me that she had never been further from home than Belleville. I don’t think that she ever owned a passport.

But if we are to have faith that kindness and wit are universal values, Babe was the biggest cosmopolitan of them all.

It was easy to get Babe talking about the farm, and she was fond of recounting all that she did there. “It was a lot of work,” she’d say, “and it was good work.”

Once, when I was describing the problem of squirrel infestation my father was having, she told me all that we needed was a good .22.

“I used to have to take out raccoons and possums all the time,” she said, aiming an imaginary rifle and squinting one eye.

Her life could not have been an easy one, internally.

In addition to her husband, two of her three children predeceased her. Sometimes she would sigh with a weight far greater than that produced by a poor lunch.

She will be missed by her family—her remaining son and three grandchildren, of whom she spoke incessantly. She will be missed by her second family, at Lookout Ridge (especially by her dear friend Bill Nudds), where, like everywhere in the world, lovely people abound, but no one else quite like Babe. ♦

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

NOT PLEASED continued from Page 1 tee agreed to strike all 12 of the “whereases” from the original motion and remove a clause which demanded Pelham produce a management letter that its auditor did not issue. The committee also approved Augustyn’s amendment to another clause so that all area municipalities are called upon to develop taxpayer affordability guidelines, not just the Town of Pelham. Councillors Barrick, Volpatti, and Maves voted against the amendment.

After the meeting, Councillor Barrick said that he was only interested in instilling taxpayer affordability guidelines in Pelham to protect regional taxpayers.

Despite the committee’s decision to gut his motion, Barrick maintained that the allegations he made were accurate. Accusing Augustyn of “spinning the numbers,” he said every taxpayer in Pelham can see on their own tax bill how much the Town's portion has increased.

“Their CAO confirmed Pelham has no taxpayer affordabil-

The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017 ity guidelines now and they have shown no interest in committing to any moving forward — hence the outrageous tax increases under Mayor Dave's watch and more to come,” Barrick said.

“If the Mayor cannot support the taxpayer affordability guidelines, perhaps the whereas section can and should go back in.”

Augustyn said that if Barrick truly cared about taxpayers in Niagara he would not have voted against taxpayer affordability guidelines for all municipalities.

The Region does already have its own taxpayer affordability guidelines, said Augustyn, but they frequently disregard it. “It’s one thing to have a policy and it’s another to actually do the work all the time,” he said.

“The region can say that it is following its taxpayer affordability guidelines but we’ll see at the budget meeting this week that the region is actually $4 million overspent this year, because it didn’t include certain things in its budget. So, at budget time, it follows its taxpayer affordability guidelines but during the year it has overspent by $4 million. Big deal,

Big deal, you have a policy, but what matters is your spending

you have a policy but what matters is your spending.”

Augustyn said Barrick and the Region are using Pelham as a pawn in their “distraction tactics,” to draw attention away from their own problems.

Augustyn described Barrick’s motion as also being politically motivated bullying—tailored to send a message to other elected officials in the region to keep their mouths shut on certain issues, namely allegations of corruption at the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA).

Augustyn cited Regional Councillor Tony Quirk’s comments to the Voice earlier this spring in which he acknowledged that there were

political games afoot and what he termed a “tit-for-tat” between Augustyn and Barrick. Quirk, an NPCA board member, said he had been on the receiving end of 13 different motions at the NPCA, resulting in the appointment of an independent auditor.

“You start with the premise that if you live in glass houses, don’t throw rocks,” he said.

For his part, Augustyn objected to the NPCA’s hiring of Barrick as its Director of Corporate Services while he was still a board member.

“It’s clear that there is more behind this,” said Augustyn.

“That’s why I’ve also said there is bullying and getting back, because I’ve been critical of the

Page 7 management of the NPCA, and Councillor Barrick is the manager of corporate services at the NPCA….So, Pelham doesn’t have a management letter and yet they’re pointing to us as a problem, and we’re not. The NPCA does have management letters and does have problems so why wouldn’t they concentrate on those?”

Barrick says that his motion was not intended to “bully” Pelham. He asserts that the audit committee has conducted their review in a respectful manner. The matter has been deferred again, he said, because lingering questions remain regarding public spending in Pelham.

“I know Mayor Dave just wants to end the discussion so no one can ask him any questions, but this is a democratic process and the committee is not done its work,” he said.

“Being asked a few questions on how he's spending public money does not qualify as bullying.

That's a cheap excuse to avoid being transparent and accountable.

If he can't defend his own record See NOT PLEASED Page 17

Hunter is our Lazyboy!

Page 8

The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Curling reporter acquires an extraordinary collection Curling pin haul the result of nearly four decades' work

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

Some people collect hockey cards and comic books as an investment, others hold onto them as keepsakes to remind them of days gone by. For the past 37 years, Fenwick resident Jim Easson has been acquiring a unique collection of his own — curling pins. A dedicated enthusiast of the sport and a member of the Canadian Curling Reporters, he has covered world-class competitions across Canada. Travelling throughout Canada as a curling reporter for three decades, Easson has attended more than 30 Briers.

Easson started building his collection after buying a pin with his friend, Bill Small, after the two men visited the Brier in Calgary in 1980. Easson sold a great deal of his original collection in 1991, but began collecting again soon after, in an attempt to attain pins from each of the Briers he had attended.

Though some of the pins are worth upwards of $300 or $400 each, he said the value of his collection is worth more to him than money. “Some of the pins I treasure and they’re not even part of my collection.”

“I treasure them because they were given to me by

someone, and you remember the person who gave it to you.”

I treasure them because they were given to me by someone He explained that traditionally players are given different pins for competing in a bonspiel, and that many curling clubs sell pins to members and visitors to commemorate special anniversaries. Laying out ten trays containing hundreds of pins in his collection on his kitchen table, Easson pointed out some of his favourite collectibles, telling the story behind how he came across each of them.

Picking up the latest addition to his collection a few weeks ago, he is still on the hunt for rare pins to add to his collection.

“Now, I’m still buying older player pins from 1927 to 1939 and they’re scarcer than hen’s teeth,” he said with a chuckle.

Jim Easson at home in Fenwick with a few of his favourite pins.

Easson’s collection is currently on display as part of the Canada 150 exhibit at the Niagara Museum on Lundy’s Lane in Niagara Falls. Featuring 150 collections of Canadian memorabilia, he said a portion of his collection will remain on show at the museum until Dec. 31.

“They advertised and they picked a hundred and fifty people who had something to do with ‘Canadiana’ and I was one of the one-fifty,” he said.

“The hundred and fifty people chosen to participate in the exhibit have contributed items from are from all walks of life. There are

NATE SMELLE PHOTO

lacrosse sticks, hockey helmets, all sorts of interesting pieces of Canadian history.”

Having competed in bonspiels since he was a high school student in Carleton Place, Easson’s love for curling runs deep. Easson said he gave up curling about five years ago because his knees couldn’t take it

anymore. These days he enjoys his sport of choice from the sidelines with his wife Diane.

“Now, we watch every curling event on television,” said Easson.

“Curling events have really skyrocketed in the last few years and curlers are making some good money.”

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The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

Page 9

Page 10

The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

250KM down for Fonthill runner Each day, Emily Allan wakes up in a new town along the Bruce Trail with one goal in mind: to cover more ground, and raise more money for Cystic Fibrosis.

The cross-country coach and an employee in Brock University’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Emily has now run more than 250km during End to End CF, a fund- and awareness-raising expedition covering the entire 895km Bruce Trail.

Cystic Fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian kids and young adults. Emily is doing the run in memory of her cousin Sarah Bloomfield, who died of the disease at the age of 23.

On Thursday, while Emily was running a challenging 44km leg near Owen Sound, the fundraising total crossed over an incredible $20,000.

That’s more than twice Emily’s original goal for this run of $8,950, or $10 per Bruce Trail kilometre.

“It’s amazing. It makes me truly feel like everyone is supporting me,” Emily said. “The whole reason for this run was to raise funds and awareness and hearing that we had crossed that milestone means so much to me.”

Emily will continue running approximately the distance of a full marathon every day, with the journey to finish at the southern terminus at Queenston Heights on Canada Day .

End to End CF has been supported through the generous support of Brock University, Outdoors Oriented, the Fonthill and District Kinsmen Club, Rankin Construction and Niagara Battery and Tire.

E. L. Crossley sport awards, 2016-2017 E.L. CROSLEY S.S. MAJOR SPORTS AWARDS 2016-17 Front, from left: Tyler Dobbie, Kate Knafelc, Quinn Tucker, Jessie Fennell, Daniel Sawchuk, Sophia Labricciosa, Carter Teal. Back, from left: Hannah Hennessy, Noah Stickney, Gill Hennessy, Julia Labricciosa, Kaelen Partridge, Rebecca Camplin, Peyton Learn, Emily Bonisteel, James Green. SUPPLIED PHOTO JUNIOR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR: Kate Knafelc, Tyler Dobbie. SR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR: Jesse Fennell, Quinn Tucker PROMISING ATHLETES AWARD: Sophia Labricciosa, Carter Teal. CYCLONE ATHLETICS AWARD Emily Bonisteel, James Green. ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENT AWARD: ELC Rowing Triple Crown Champions Women’s 4 Julia Labricciosa, Peyton Learn, Kaelan Partridge, Rebecca Camplin, Sophia Buzzell,Sophia Labricciosa T&F 5 SOSSA Golds and 2 OFSAA Medals. COMMUNITY ATHLETIC AWARD: Daniel Sawchuk – Jr Curling. OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO ATHLETICS: Hannah Hennessy, Gill Hennessy, Noah Stickney (4X OFSAA Tennis)

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The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

Page 11 A BERRY-BERRY GOOD TIME A smidge more than 1,000 visitors turned out for the annual DeVries family farm Strawberry Social and fundraiser last Saturday in Fenwick, reports owner Dan DeVries.

“All-in-all it was a good day, and we’re really happy with that.”

DeVries says that a little over $3,000 was raised on behalf of young James Eliopoulos, whose Lyme disease treatments in Florida are costly and ongoing.

“We thank everyone who came out, and for their patience,” DeVries says, adding that volunteers served 1,000 bowls of ice cream, a welcome counter to the day’s blazing hot weather.

Clockwise from top left: Margaret DeVries with Strawberry Queen Jeanette Junker; Clara Baumgart, 4, from Fenwick, who would have driven that tractor all day if it was up to her; from Ft. Erie, Uncle John and Aunt Danna with Grace, 7, and Isaiah, 6, who could spell his name better than the photographer could; hay ride driver Raymond DeVries; and tour guide, Jenny DeVries, retired, but for those 17 grandkids.

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Page 12

The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

AS WE SEE IT continued from Page 4

NEW MEMBER OF THE PRIDE At a recent dinner meeting the Fenwick Lions inducted their 12th new member of the year, Paul Slattery. It also happened to be 100 years to the day of the founding of Lions Club International. From left: Jim Boughner, President Jeff Pickup, Paul Slattery, Al Beamer. SUPPLIED PHOTO

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Presumably the publisher of the Welland Tribune will also receive a request to correct an egregious error that both papers committed last week: getting the name of the new Summersides Boulevard wrong. They called it Summersides Drive, we called it Summersides Road. We one-upped them, though, by attaching Boulevard to Wellspring, when in fact the new road in East Fonthill is Wellspring Way. Also in the vicinity of the new arenas, the Pelham Community Centre Oversight Committee was scheduled to present to Council this Monday, not meet on Monday. The public’s ability to read their

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would be improved by mandatory right turns at the bottom of Church Hill, and from under the Arches onto Pelham Street, remains but a feverish delusion sent back to Town staff for more study and hopefully euthanasia; it is not imminently scheduled.

Our man Nate Smelle also comes in for some finger-wagging. Last week he boldly claimed that Summerfest was a three-day festival, when it is actually...hold on...a three-day festival.

The Town apparently now asserts that the regularly scheduled Farmers’ Market, Supper Market, and Bandshell events every Thursday evening are to be construed as part of the once-a-year Summerfest. Nice try. Remember, when the Mayor rises with his list, that this is the sort of thing considered to be an error in Voice news coverage.

Reporting on Regional Council’s Audit Committee meeting Monday a week ago, Nate mistakenly transcribed “$2.3 million” from his recording instead of “$3.3 million” with reference to Community Centre fundraising, and wrote that a debenture was approved in 2014, when it was actually 2016. That’s our bad. His understanding of a resolution’s wording was also slightly off. The fact

that the Town still needs to appear before the Audit Committee in September, to further explain its financial practices, remains true, and rather obviously, the most important point.

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report is evidently also now improved, though actually finding it on the Town’s website may continue to be challenging.

We hope the tedium of reading this list of failures has been relieved by the humour. We take seriously, however, our responsibility to get the facts right, and when meaningful mistakes are brought to our attention we tell you. Will occasional errors be made?

Certainly. They are inevitable, even on the relatively slow-paced schedule of a weekly paper. We continue to approach Town Hall, as we do any other subject of coverage, in good faith. We cannot say that the opposite is true, and this latest campaign of nitpicking supports this impression.

While the Mayor and Council are unwilling to state in simple terms why on earth the Town agreed to pay a developer nearly $1 million dollars an acre in East Fonthill, they are happy to quibble over trivial errors inevitable in any news reporting.

In 1789, James Madison said that the right of the press was the only effective guardian of all the other rights in a democracy. Judging by their response to our voluntary subscription drive, Voice readers agree. Forgive us our errors. We promise to continue pushing our nose in where it isn’t welcome, most especially in Town Hall.

The

Voice 905-892-8690

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The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

FOLLOW THE MONEY continued from Page 5 tion its borrower's ability to pay. If you have dealt with a bank you know that it can be very demanding—after all it’s the bank's skin in the game.

Councillor Maves seemed to ask the most pointed questions concerning the Town's finances.

When Pelham CAO Darren Ottaway was asked if the Town would have the highest per capita debt in the Region, he said that we wouldn’t.

Mr. Maves later pointed out, after doing some quick calculations, that Welland, the next most indebted municipality in the Region after Pelham, has a per capita debt of $788.00.

Pelham presently has a per capita debt of $1,162 for 2016 which will climb to $2,117 this year, he said. Councillor Maves was told that the Town was sitting on $15 million worth of land to sell, not the $12 million we had been told about since March 2016.

No information was provided other than the land seemed to be worth $3 million more this year than last year.

The questioning around a $3.6 million land deal the Town made last fall was rather confusing.

When asked by Councillor Maves the price per acre and the assessed value, Mr. Ottaway did not have those numbers available. These numbers were also not made available in the 300plus page binder the Town

When Pelham CAO Darren Ottaway was asked if the Town would have the highest per capita debt in the Region, he said that we wouldn't

provided to the Committee this past March. Councillor Maves requested this information, saying that this $3.6 million was a debt the Town had and that was not made clear in 2016, when the Town sought Regional approval for a $36 million dollar loan guarantee. He said he felt that he had been duped by this and considered the $3.6 million a debt that the Town had not reported. Councillor Maves then requested to see the land appraisal and peer review to determine the cost per acre of this $3.6 million purchase. Issues related to trading land for development credits were equally confusing. Councillor Maves mentioned that he had not heard of this practice and neither had any of the developers he had polled. Mr Ottaway said that this practice, although seemingly controversial, was allowed under the law.

Questions regarding something called the ARL were also enlightening.

The ARL, or Annual Repayment Limit, is an amount set by the province

to limit the amount of debt a municipality can assume.

This limits how much a municipality may devote, annually, in principal and interest payments, to long term debt and for payments of other long-term financial obligations. It is set at 25% of certain annual revenues and receipts, less most ongoing long term debt service costs.

This money is taken from property taxes, user fees, etc. Development charges

are not included.

The limit goes like this.

The Town has revenues of $16,260,814. 24% of the net is $4,065,204. Subtract debt charges and the Town has to limit debt repayment to $3,013,683, or 25%.

Councillor Maves pointed out that although most municipalities in the region have kept this number below 10%, Pelham has gone from 6.8% on $4 million of debt to 18% on $21 million of debt.

He also pointed out that if the total $36 million was borrowed, then the amount would reach the maximum of 25%. The Mayor asserted that Pelham could assume another $36 million of debt on top of the original $36 million. Councillor Maves also mentioned that Pelham’s final financial statements for 2016 had just arrived the morning of the committee’s meeting.

After watching this meeting for a while I was

Page 13 reminded of a television drama in which one character is in a state of denial concerning some destructive behaviour. Friends, family and colleagues sit this character down for an intervention. The intervention is resented by the character and harsh words are spoken, along with many denials that a problem exists. Councillor Maves’ questions seemed to point to a problem. The Town's responses were in keeping with a character in

denial.

A motion was presented and the wording agreed that would see Pelham and the other municipalities in Niagara follow tax affordability guidelines. These guidelines would require all municipalities to hold an evening public meeting to ensure that their operating levy remains below 25% compounded for the 2015-18 term, and that their annual repayment does not inSee FOLLOW THE MONEY Page 14

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Page 14

The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

FOLLOW THE MONEY

again by a vote of 5 to 3.

The Mayor stated to the media that there is a dark cloud over Pelham and that Pelham is being “bullied” by certain councillors. As for a dark cloud, well it was a rainy spring, but it was sunny and bright on the day of the Audit Committee meeting. And summer— and some long overdue,

continued from previous page crease above 20%. It sounds very similar to the provincial regulation described above.

The questions that need to be answered will have to wait until September as this matter was deferred

penetrating sunshine—arrived with the solstice at 12:24 this morning. The days, and days in office, get shorter from here. As for bullying, everyone seemed calm and generally respectful of the process.

From Charette to Visioning: On June 26 - 27, the Town will be holding a “visioning" exercise for those of you interested in the fate of the Haist Street Arena lands. Details are posted on the Town's web-

site.

A company called Planning Partnerships has been hired to organize and run what can only be called a very prescribed series of input sessions for the townsfolk. This company also did the design work for downtown Fenwick and East Fonthill.

Virtually every event requires pre-registering on your part.

Monday kicks off this “visioning" with 20-min-

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca ute one-on-one sessions, either personally or by phone between 9 AM and 4 PM. There will be small group design sessions, a meet and greet with the team and a "walk shop" to see the site conditions.

From 3 PM to 5 PM and 7 PM to 9 PM on Tuesday, design sessions will be held with Planning Partnership to prepare a concept.

Roving Information sessions will occur in early July to share the results.

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A public workshop will be held in late July to review the emergent and preferred plan.

A Town Council meeting in September will view the final presentation.

So if you feel like being led around by your nose in this cynical ploy to avoid a general meeting with the residents of the Town, then this is the place for you. But don’t forget, you must pre-register. Bring crayons.

Virtually every event requires pre-registering on your part

Notice that the decisions are made in July. Happy summer holidays. This will be following the first “visioning" workshop for the Fenwick Secondary plan on June 22 at 6:30-9:00 PM at Fenwick Fire Station.

Two major Town meetings inside of a week. My goodness the Town is in a hurry to move forward.

There’s nothing like a $36 million dollar-plus project to pay for to get those revenue streams flowing.

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

Page 15

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The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

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JABOBS, Clarice Mary (nee Maddox) Passed away peacefully at the Welland Hospital on Monday, June 12, 2017.

Predeceased by her beloved husband Gordon, her daughter Darlene Kirchner and her son Paul Jacobs, her brothers’ Donald (Mildred) and Keith (Donna) Maddox.

Loving mother of Ross Jacobs (Debbie). Beloved grandmother of Jennifer, Kyle and Jason Kirchner.

Loving aunt of Kathy, Bill, Billie-Jo, Tim and Brendan.

The funeral service to honour Clarice’s life has papers taken place at the JAMES L. PEDLAR FUNERAL HOME. Interment followed at Hillside Cemetery. As an expression of sympathy donations may be made to the Welland Humane Society. Online condolences can be shared at www.pedlarfuneralhome. ca

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The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

Page 17

Youth partying-up a mess in Harold Black Park Local resident sees fire-risk in unsupervised bonfires

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

Residents in the neighbourhood surrounding Harold Black Park are concerned that the beloved public space is becoming party central for local youth. According to Patti Hazlett, one of the residents living within earshot of the park, the weekly bash usually kicks off around 10 PM or 11 PM every Friday and Saturday. She said the kids causing the disturbance usually gather at the trailhead leading into the park from Quaker Road. From there, they move deeper into the park, lighting bonfires and partying among the evergreens.

The park is also a happening place around 3 PM on weekdays after the kids get out of school and stop in to “toke-up.”

Hazlett said she does not have a problem with the kids having a good time outdoors, but she does take issue with the mess they leave behind.

“It’s pretty nasty back in there,” she said.

NOT PLEASED continued from Page 7 and doesn't want to answer to the public he is supposed to serve then he's in the wrong business.”

Councillor Quirk was likewise unimpressed with the bullying claim.

“If we bullied anyone we would be subject to a Code of Conduct complaint. If The Mayor or Pelham feels they are being bullied, I would

“It doesn’t matter where it comes from, the bottom line is put it in the garbage.

Same with the kids — I don’t care that they party in there, just don’t set fires and pick up your trash. It’s a matter of respecting the earth.”

Arriving on site last Friday afternoon, a visitor found two garbage bags full of trash collected by someone in the community who took it upon himself to clean up the park. Although someone had obviously cleaned up a substantial amount of trash, the forest floor was still covered in empty beer bottles, used condoms, pop cans and other random garbage. The deeper one wanders into the park, the more trash littering the forest he’ll find. Placed carefully near the fire pit in wait of the weekend’s partygoers was a sign that read, “PARTY OVER: Respect the Earth. Cops Notified, Fire Department Notified, Township Informed. Keep Looking over your shoulder.

Pick up your trash, you em-

barrass your family.”

Hazlett said she has contacted the Niagara Regional Police, the Pelham Fire Department and the Town of Pelham to tell them about what has been going on, but so far nothing has been done to resolve the issue.

“It’s just a matter of cleaning up the mess,” she said.

“I don’t care if they don’t catch anybody, but the roads and parks guys that are hired by the Town of Pelham are going to have to get in there with garbage bags to pick up the garbage.”

Asked for comment on the Town's plan to address the problem, Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Marc MacDonald said that staff knew of the issue.

"There are discussions taking place and a meeting will be held sometime [this] week to discuss how to handle certain areas of the park; police cooperation is a topic that will be discussed as well," said MacDonald.

While the disrespectful way the kids treat the forest and the community that enjoys it bothers her, what worries Hazlett more

recommend that remedy as they certainly aren't afraid to file one jointly. However, the Town of Pelham provided a 335-page response [in March], a follow-up addendum, and then dropped their 2016 financials on the day of the meeting. I am not sure why they think we wouldn't have questions or why they wouldn't be asked. If they find that ‘intimidating’ then perhaps they shouldn't have provided the information

in the first place.”

Pelham's Regional Councillor Brian Baty echoes this sentiment, suggesting that politics can be a tough business.

“Bullying depends on the words, the tone, the volume, the cadence and the posture of the speaker,” said Baty. “While I was not present at the Audit meeting, I doubt that those elements were present. Asking for clarification or further questioning

is that the kids are igniting bonfires so close to a residential area. She said the low-hanging branches of the evergreens could easily catch fire and set the underbrush ablaze, which could in turn pose a danger to homes in the neighbourhood.

“Where they are having their bonfires is very dangerous,” said Hazlett.

“I get that it’s a good place to party, but there’s no reason to leave it the way they do. They’re ruining the park for everybody else and that’s just not cool.”

Additional reporting by Dave Burket

is reasonable to result in public confidence that all proposed budgets, finances and taxes are reasonable and in order. In politics, if you throw hardballs you ought to be open to catching them.”

On his bullying claim, Augustyn says that Pelham isn’t the only victim.

In his view, Councillors Bill Hodgson, Kelly Edgar and Brian Heit, and St. Catharines resident Ed Smith have all been targeted for

Party animal droppings at Harold Black Park.

speaking out about the NPCA. “If you stick your head up and you comment anything about the NPCA, the police or what’s going on with the region’s finances, then they are going to hit you over the head,” said Augustyn.

“That’s not the way we should be doing things.

That’s what they’re trying to achieve. They’re trying to bully others from saying these things. We are not

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It is time for Regional Councillors to stop fighting and start working together, said Augustyn.

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The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

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The Comfort Maple myth

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BY VOICE STAFF

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

NATE SMELLE PHOTO

Public meeting tonight on school issues

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It sure is getting there, Julie.”

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

The Voice PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY IN PELHAM

Vol.20 No.39

NIAGARA’S BEST-READ WEEKLY SINCE 1997

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

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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

Pine Debbie

Get

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

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

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

We will be able to actually help the merchants and local businesses ad-

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Growing up British

BY VOICE STAFF

Debbie Pine

Mon-Wed 9:30-6:00pm ◆ Thur-Fri 9:30-7:00pm Sat 9:30-5:00pm

Column Six

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

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

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

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Column Six

Request made of community still peeved at name change The District School Board of Niagara is requesting that the Town of Pelham cede a portion of Cherry Ridge Park for use as a soccer field to serve the students of the new Wellington Heights Public School, formerly the E. W. Farr Memorial Public School, in Fenwick.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sundays were different again. Dad would play golf on summer mornings and billiards in winter.

Then he'd stop for a 'refresher' at the local and would pick up the prawns, cockles, winkles or whelks we'd be having for tea later. Meanwhile, Mum was roasting the 'joint' and potatoes. I got to make the Yorkshire pud, and mint See COLUMN SIX Page 14

See CHANGES Page 5

Chief Simmons honoured for service

The Voice PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY IN PELHAM

Vol.20 No.32

NIAGARA’S BEST-READ WEEKLY SINCE 1997

Wednesday October 12, 2016

FREE

Apple Day comes to Fonthill

BY VOICE STAFF

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

Joining their principal, Karen Simpson, at the Sept.

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

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

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

After delivering to Council a petition containing

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H EATHER AND P ENNY L ANE S ALES R EPRESENTATIVES

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VOICE Correspondent

T Second year Beaver with the 3rd Fonthill Group, Russell Letford offers a fresh apple to shoppers in Pelham during the 2015 Apple Day campaign.

SUPPLIED PHOTO A longtime Canadian tradition, Apple Day began in 1932 in Saint John, New Brunswick, when Scouts handed out 21,000 apples as a way to say thank you to the community. In return for their generosity, many people offered them donations. From then on Scouts have reached out through Apple Day to raise funds for their programs.

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

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

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

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

Town Council approves sidewalk to serve E. L. Crossley

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

Office 905.892.1702

Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn

Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932 While shopping in Fonthill between Friday and Sunday, keep an eye out for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in front of local stores with bushels of apples.

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

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

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

The Town celebrated the retirement of district fire Chief Owen Simmons at the beginning of the Monday June 5 meeting of Council. In recognition of his 35 years of service with the Pelham Fire Department, Simmons received a service medal and an engraved fire axe bearing his name. Terry Beckett also received a service medal for his 35 years of service with the department. Firefighters Larry Pelt, Ben Gutenberg, Ron Gilbert and James Waldek were honoured with service medals as well for their 20 years of service.

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

podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The hues of Autumn are outstanding.

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

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

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

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

See SIDEWALK Page 2

See AUTUMN Page 3

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The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

Page 19 SMILE

Local resident Dave Bellinger welcomed the appearance last week of speed enforcement on Hurricane Road in Fonthill. He reports that “one lady in a brown Mini Cooper” was nabbed, and that the radar-wielding constable took off after at least one other perp.

The

Pelham Puzzler

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The prostate cancer awareness fundraiser Motorcycle Ride for Dad was held last Saturday. The Niagara chapter raised some $40,000, and $4 million was raised nationally. Top pledge earners are honoured, from right: Pierre Garneau, Fonthill, 1st place; Carmen Roblin, Welland, 1st runner up; Derek Landsborough, 2nd runner up, with Damian Parrent on the mic. Together the three men raised $20,000.

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The Voice of Pelham, June 21, 2017

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A driver gingerly attempts a left from the bottom of Church Hill.

PANNED continued from Page 1 tion of Church Hill and Pelham from his cash register, Beamer said he hasn’t observed any significant problems at the corner. He cannot understand why Council is considering the idea when there doesn’t appear to be any rationale for it.

“It is just a bad idea all around and somebody needs to think this through better,” he said.

“They should just leave it the way it is. To me it’s just making a big noise out of nothing, because it really is not an issue. I haven’t

seen any accidents or even any near-misses, and we are here all the time. If we are not busy we’re looking out the window, so we know what’s going on.”

Besides his concerns for the potential impact such a change could have on his business, Beamer said he could see other problems arising from the proposed turn restrictions. Mainly, if drivers can no longer turn left on Pelham Street from Church Hill, they will have to find another way to get where they are going. He said this means traffic on College Street will likely get busier. One resident walk-

VOICE PHOTO

ing his dog through the residential neighbourhood wasn’t thrilled with the idea of steering traffic towards College.

“This is a pretty quiet street and it would be nice to keep it that way,” he said.

“There are a lot of kids around here, so if people start using it as a passthrough when they’re on their way to and from work, it could become a safety issue.”

What do you think about the Town's proposal to force right turns-only onto Pelham? Let us know on our Facebook page.

KIN NEWS Fonthill Kinsmen President Ryan McKay and Kinsmen Home Show Chairman Dave Ripley present a cheque for $3,000 to Eleanor Stasiw of Pelham Cares. The funds were raised from the recent Kinsmen Home Show admissions gate. The Kinsmen recently honored Brian Iggulden as a Life Member of the association. From left to right, Life Member Jim Jenter, President Ryan McKay, Life Member Dave Ripley, new Life Member Brian Iggulden, Life Member Brian Ubbink, Life Member Doug Hardy and Life Member Kevin Twomey. SUPPLIED PHOTOS