The Voice, June 9 2021

Growing up gay in the '80s

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Column Six

Back in the saddle A gentleman goes on a ride for a cause

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent In a car you’re always in a compartment…you’re a passive observer, and it is all moving by you, boringly, in a frame. On a motorcycle, the frame is gone…you’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.

—Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

I That’s when Lily came up with the idea of orange hearts, orange to represent “Every Child Matters,” and the hearts to represent love and support to the families of the children that never got a chance grow up.

Assisted by her younger brother, Luke, Lily fashioned orange paper hearts of various sizes, and taped them to the window of their living room and front door.

read Pirsig’s book during my university years. At the time, a 750 Honda was my primary mode of transportation to attend classes, as I regularly ascended the hill at the south end of Glenridge towards Brock.

I’d bought my first motorcycle in high school, a 250 Suzuki, when I was barely 16, and to date had my only spill on it. I failed to negotiate an icy bridge on the outskirts of Port Dalhousie, and paid for it with 20 stitches in my knee and a bruised ego.

Undaunted, over the years I bought and sold a small fleet of the machines, with perhaps my favourite

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Luke and Lily Mosley with their 215 hearts.

DON RICKERS

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent When the gruesome discovery was made last week of the remains of 215 Indigenous children at the site of the Kamloops Indian Residential School in Kamloops, Lily Mosley, of Highland Avenue in Fonthill, decided to create a personal tribute.

“Lily came to me during her online learning, and asked me if I heard of the children found bur-

ied on the grounds of a residential school in British Columbia,” said her mother, Diane. “Coincidentally, that week the Grade 6 students at A.K. Wigg Public School were being introduced to Indigenous studies in Mr. Triano’s class. Our hearts were mourning with all of Canada. Lily and I felt strongly that we had to do something to show our support and acknowledgement to the aboriginal communities all across Canada, that had to endure so many years of oppression and abuse at the residential schools.”

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A June 9 2021

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NRPS impaired driving charges ~

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

by Dave Burket

Tempest in a crock-pot—the poisonous tribalism of “I was here first”

A

s regular readers know, I generally prefer to keep things light in this space, and the mood will indeed brighten in a moment. First, though, a recent act of vigilantism can’t go unanswered— even if it was an eye-rollingly dumb one. Remember our story two weeks ago about noise from a Fonthill car wash? Well, a self-identified ally of the car wash owner decided that it would be a good idea to retaliate against some of the neighbours complaining about that noise by harassing them—with more noise. So she got in her truck and parked in one of their driveways early one morning, and then the next morning, and blasted her horn. A pal of hers did the same thing around the corner.

Her justification? See the followup story on page 9, and the targeted resident’s letter to the editor on page 5. But it boils down to this: “I was here first.”

Five-dollar-fancy-word alert: social psychologists refer to this attitude as “autochthony,” the belief that “original” inhabitants are more entitled than those who arrive later, which consequently stokes prejudice against them.

In a civilized society operating under the rule of law, such sandbox tribalism has no place. In this case, the dumb factor gets dumberer. Both the honker and the honkee have lived in the same houses in the same neighbourhood for the same number of years. So who was there first?

Apparently place of birth matters.

However, unless you were born at home under the care of a midwife, no one is actually born and raised in Pelham.

You were born at a hospital in Welland or Niagara Falls or St. Catharines or Hamilton, and then your parents took you home—your parents who were also not born in Pelham. At best, we

can claim to be born and raised in Niagara—which apparently is better in some minds than being born in Toronto and moving to Pelham at age 10, which is better than being born in Saskatoon and moving to Pelham at age 20, which is better than…

These assertions of “I was here first” superiority should be looking pretty silly by now to anyone with half a noggin.

For one thing there’s the obvious issue of how far back you’re comfortable going, and whether you’re willing to accept the logical consequences when you get there. If living in Fonthill for 50 years beats living in Fonthill for 20 years, then what about descendants of families who lived in Fonthill before Fonthill was Fonthill? As tragic news from B.C. showed last week, the veneer of charitable white colonialism is thin indeed. Doesn’t 300 years beat 50 years? In which case, there are a few bands of Indigenous people in Niagara who might well have a message for us newcomers: We were here first—go back to where you came from.

There’s also the blinding hypocrisy on display, brighter than one of those new LED billboards on Highway 20, regarding which businesses we like and which we don’t.

If you buy a home that’s near a commercial enterprise, and that enterprise is following the letter of the law in conducting its business, apparently you have no right to complain, correct? You should have known what you were getting into before you bought the house. You should have done your “due diligence,” two of the most misused words in the English language.

Let’s say that this commercial enterprise starts a new line of business—still perfectly legal, but one that it wasn’t doing before. As long as

the business is still obeying the law, then residents should accept their fate, right? Suck it up, Buttercup, and all that?

Now instead of this business being a car wash that has added forced-air fan dryers to its operation that didn’t exist before, let’s make it a farm. Let’s make it a farm than has been around since the people of the six-nations Iroquois Confederacy were given the heave-ho out of Niagara by the British, a farm that’s been passed down through five, six, seven generations. In other words, no one alive today could claim to have “been here first” before this farmland.

The old Village of Fenwick grew up around the farm—and dozens like it— new subdivisions showing up just over the last 40 years or so.

Now let’s say that this agricultural operation, like the car wash, decides to add something new to its business, to lease out land to add a crop that wasn’t being grown when the subdivisions were built, when we newcomers moved in. Let’s call that crop cannabis.

Suddenly there’s a new odour coming from this land that wasn’t there before.

Bear in mind, though, that the farm is perfectly within its rights to operate. It is following the law.

Surely it logically follows that if residential neighbours are expected to put up with the annoyance of a new noise coming from a nearby business, then residential neighbours should be expected to put up with the annoyance of a new smell coming from a nearby business, right?

Where is the legal difference? Why jeer one set of neighbours as NIMBYs, and not the other?

A few years back, when cannabis first became a hot-button issue in Pelham, in response to our news stories there would inevitably be comments left

What's That

SIREN Pelham Fire Department Weekly Calls

The Pelham Fire Department responded to 11 calls for assistance from Friday, May 28 to Friday, June 4.

Saturday, May 29 Medical assistance, Fonthill Vehicle collision, Highway 20, Fenwick Monday, May 31 Vehicle collision, Foss Road, Fonthill Medical assistance, Fenwick Wednesday, June 2 Remote alarm, Lookout Street, Fonthill, Fenwick, Short Hills Thursday, June 3 Remote alarm, Haist Street, Fonthill Grass fire, mutual aid, Rosedene Road, Fenwick Vehicle collision, Victoria Avenue, Short Hills, Fenwick Medical assistance, Fonthill Friday, June 4 Carbon monoxide alarm, mutual aid, Rosedene Road, Fenwick Ruptured gas line, Kilman Road, Short Hills

e s d l I m o a o r l T

P D S A W A N M L R O J O J

8

E

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

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Growing up British

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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 NATE SMELLE PHOTO Public School's annual science fair last Friday. See story, page 3.

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

The VOICE

Joining their principal, Karen Simpson, at the Sept.

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

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

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

After delivering to Council a petition containing

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

podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case.

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

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

www.pennylanesold.com

H EATHER AND P ENNY L ANE S ALES R EPRESENTATIVES

BY JOHN SWART

VOICE Correspondent

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

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

Town Council approves sidewalk to serve E. L. Crossley

BY NATE SMELLE

Cell 905.933.3049

T

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

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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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

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.

Abdallah ABUKHOUSA, 48, Listowel Benjamin Craig MELOWSKY, 26, Port Colborne Spencer PRICE, 39, Welland Julie Anita VANDERVAART, 50, St. Catharines Drake Connor SMITH, 24, Jerseyville Charles Steven BURNETT, 29, St. Catharines Anthony RECKZIN, 29, St. Catharines Kenneth Edward John SLACHTA, 29, 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 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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The Voice

Page 3

A June 9 2021

PRIDE MONTH 2021 | GROWING UP GAY

A traumatic childhood over, but not forgotten

BY TRENT CRICK Special to the Voice I recently posted a picture on Facebook of the Town of Pelham raising the Pride flag in recognition of Pride month. I was very happy to see the Town made the decision to raise the Pride flag and was also very impressed with the nice comments and the amount of likes I received on my post. I was also informed of how much opposition there was in recent years for raising the Pride flag not only from the community, but also from Town Council.

I was asked to write about my experience growing up gay in the Town of Pelham. I’ve never told anyone the full story and I will attempt to write it without too much drama. I hope my story won’t offend any of my family or friends, but I think it’s an important story to tell as I hope it will inform people of why pride symbols are so important.

The first time I was teased about being gay was in Grade 1. A few Grade 5 boys made a joke about me being gay. I didn’t understand the joke nor did I know what being gay meant. I went home and asked my brother what it meant and I don’t really remember what his response was. What I did understand that being gay was a very bad thing.

As school continued, the bullying got worse but was overlooked by most teachers. I did have a few friends and they made public school bearable for me. What started to develop was my hatred for gay people. I had no idea what my sexuality was, so I couldn’t understand why people always teased me about being gay. What I did understand was gay people were bad and if there were no gay people, I wouldn’t be teased and bullied. I hated the fact that gay people existed and I wanted them all to die so people wouldn’t think I was gay.

A

s I got older, I tried everything I could think of to try to prove to people that I wasn’t gay. Some old-time Fonthill people may remember I had a mohawk haircut for a number of years. My rationale was being “punk rock” was the opposite of being gay. How could anyone believe that I was gay if I was punk rock? Unfortunately, this didn’t help and only made the bullying worse. In Grade 9, a

group of boys decided they would put Neet hair remover in my hair. I was a pretty fast runner and eventually called my mom to pick me up early from school. My hair remained but I realized that the next four years of school would be hell.

Not every day was this bad in high school. I had a number of friends that I hung out with. My sexuality was never a question for them. A normal day at school would consist of being pushed into lockers a few times a day, being called a faggot more than a few times a day, and kids would typically throw rotting fruit at me when I got off the bus at the end of

I tried so hard to change myself into someone that wouldn't be hated by society

the day. Few teachers ever intervened, even if they saw what was happening. Sometimes my music teacher would let me hide in the music room for a period or two if the bullying was too bad that day.

It was during my high school days that I started to really understand what being gay meant and I also started to admit to myself that I might be gay. That was the period that my hatred of gay people started to shift from hating an abstract idea, “gay people" (I didn’t know any gay people personally at that time), to starting to hate myself because I might be a dirty faggot. People would often tell me, “If you just act normal, you wouldn’t have so many problems.”

The issue was, when I was acting normal that’s when the bullying started. I tried acting straight— it didn’t work. I tried so hard to change myself into someone that wouldn’t be hated by society.

A good friend of mine was murdered in 1988, when I was 17. My life completely changed. I changed my hair and my clothes, I didn’t really care how I looked. I was in a daze for most of the next year. I don’t really remember school that year as I didn’t attend often. Instead I went to Toronto to attend

the preliminary hearing of the man that murdered my friend.

When I was at school, the bullying didn’t seem as bad. I’m not sure if the kids new how fragile I was that year, or if I just don’t remember.

That didn’t mean the bullying outside of school ended. I was often beat up when walking in town, usually not too badly. I was typically able to hide it from my family. There were only a few times I was bloodied. The bullying also included a number of incidents of vandalizing my car, including slashing all four tires, breaking all the lights, and smashing the windows.

The bullying and harassment also followed me to work. I was a lifeguard and swimming instructor at the Welland YMCA and Brock University. Along with the typical name calling and pushing, parents complained to my supervisor about me teaching their children.

They were concerned that I might be a pedophile and that I would molest their children.

I also was the pool manager at the Pelham pool. Those were a couple of great summers. The majority of the kids and parents were wonderful to me. I think by then, I had figured out how to “act more straight.” There were still a number of incidents of vandalism of the pool because of my perceived sexuality. It was often spray painted on the walls of the pool building.

I

left for university in 1990 but decided not to go back for my second year. Instead I started working for the federal government.

Within the first year of working, my manager called me into her office and told me that “You are like the sun, but you need to turn into the moon.” She said that if I wanted a career with the government, I would need to be “normal.” In the ‘90s, it wasn’t good to be gay in the federal public service. Although I tried to hide it, a lot of people assumed I was gay. I was passed over for advancement a number of times because I was told that I wouldn’t be taken seriously because I was too effeminate. Fortunately, I had some allies at work and was able to gradually advance with their help.

In 1991, I started to accept the fact that I was gay and was starting to become comfortable with my sexuality. I came out to a few friends, started going to gay bars and met people “like me.” I was still afraid to come out to most of

my friends and family. Although I knew my family would support me, I was afraid they would be disappointed in me. At that time, it meant no grandchildren would be coming, and the fear of HIV/AIDS was very real and in the forefront of the gay community.

I also had to worry about how the community would react to my sexuality if I came out. My family was in the restaurant business — had been since 1952 — and the reality was, if people knew I was gay, they would be some that would no longer patronize the restaurant.

Eventually I told my mom and my brothers to mixed reactions.

This was brought clearly into focus when I realized I needed to talk to my mom before I wrote this

In the end, they accepted me and always supported me. It was difficult for them in the early years and we didn’t talk about it much.

The next 20 years have been a dance of being out to close friends and family and being careful of what I say to colleagues and acquaintances to try and not to be obviously gay. I didn’t always do a good job of that.

I

recently read something that really struck home with me. It reads “queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimize humiliation and prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpick which parts of ourselves are truly us and which parts we’ve created to protect us.”

I am happy to say today that I am a proud gay man. I am happy and impressed that most of society in Canada has evolved to accept the LGBTQ+ community, however we still have a long way to go.

This was brought clearly into focus for me when I realized I needed to talk to my mom before I wrote this.

I will not personally experience any negative reaction from writing

this. I no longer live in the Town of Pelham and only visit a few times a year. If someone has something derogatory to say to me about my sexuality, I won’t care. At 50, and having been harassed and bullied for most of my life, I have developed a very thick skin and have heard it all.

My mom, on the other hand, still lives in Pelham and is very active in the community. We both understand she will receive the brunt of any negative reactions people have to this story. We both agree that true friends won’t care— that’s been my experience with every friend and family member I have come out to. There will be acquaintances of my Mom’s that will have an issue with my sexuality and may stop speaking to her or will treat her differently. It shouldn’t be that way.

I often hear people talk about recognizing Pride month, or Pride day as showing favouritism to a special interest group. We aren’t a special interest group, we are members of your community. By flying the Pride flag or installing some rainbow benches, you as a Town and a community are saying everyone is welcome. It doesn’t matter is you're gay or straight, black or white, male or female, or any other colour of the rainbow, you are welcome here.

Depression and suicidal ideation were my constant companions until I became comfortable and proud of who I am. If flying the Pride flag, or having a rainbow bench can let one young person know that they are accepted by their community and spare them some of the trauma I experienced growing up, it is well worth it. I cannot understand why some people are opposed to this. It doesn’t hurt anyone in any way. If the Pride flag offends you, don’t look at it. If a rainbow bench offends you, don’t sit on it. If a gay person asks you to marry them, say no (unless of course, you think they're cute).

I hope this story will help people understand why symbols of Pride are so meaningful. When much of the world is telling you it’s not okay to be who are—in TV, movies, advertising, etc.—it is imperative to have a symbol of hope to tell you things will be okay and your life has value. ◆ Contribute your story to our Pride series on growing up LGBTQ+. Email editor@thevoiceofpelham.ca

From left, the author on his first day of kindergarten; during his mohawk-coiffed punk period; and en route to Grade 12 graduation.

CRICK FAMILY

Page 4

The Voice

A June 9 2021

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

COTÉ'S COMMENTS Larry Coté

Economy over education—the wrong choice

R

egardless of one’s politics, the question of whether to reopen or keep the schools closed was a very complex conundrum.

Among the complexities is that there are more than a few intelligent people on both sides of the debate.

Who is right?

On one side of the issue are those who fear that bringing large numbers of people together in relatively confined spaces could be a potent breeding ground for spreading the virus and its variants. Adding to that is the danger that students and academic personnel could contract the virus and transport it home to their households. Also, dealing with such large numbers of persons would make it difficult to intercept non-symptomatic carriers who enter the confinement of school premises.

Another facet of this debate is that virtual learning has proven to be significantly less effective than in-class learning.

This is especially true for the younger learner segment.

Face-to-face teaching and learning is a crucial el-

ement in an efficacious learning system.

There is some legitimate fear that this loss of progressive learning will be difficult to regain for this current crop of students,

Another disconcerting aspect of school closures has been the impact on family life routines

due to these lengthy learning interruptions. When classrooms reopen teachers will be required to revisit past learning before progressing beyond the former levels of achievement.

Although there were only a few weeks left in the school term before summer break, that time was crucial to re-orient and help students to catch up to their prior learning levels.

There is a growing con-

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cern among the educational and medical communities that the mental health of students may have been jeopardized by the closures.

The social and behavioral development of learners attending school with their peers is a crucial gradient that has been missing due to these closures. Many other recreational and athletic activities were also shuttered and that only added to that developmental deficit.

Another disconcerting aspect of school closures has been the impact on family life routines. The shuttering of schools had enormous consequences for working parents who needed to arrange for the care of their school-aged children during the work day. For many, working from home was a less-than-effective solution. Meanwhile, these same parents were also required to oversee the children’s virtual learning program and all this in addition to their regular household chores. Their multitasking skills were challenged to the limit.

Letters Expect noise if you live near Hurricane Very disappointed to read this kind of article and how Gail [Levay] is portrayed [Wanted: Peace and quiet on Hurricane, May 26, p.1]. She does not deserve this negative narrative at all.

She is a very kind woman and has had that business for a long time.

I have lived on Hurricane Road for 20 years and grew up on Parkdale Crescent. We used to have a train going through daily and the booming lumber yard business with its saws and hammers going all day.

The trucks and motorcycles on Highway 20 are constantly noisy but that is what happens when you choose to live in this neighborhood.

Barb Hollingshead Johnston Via Facebook

See SCHOOLS Page 6

7

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament

Electoral District: Niagara West

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

Electoral District: Niagara West

Sam Oosterhoff, MPP 4961 King St. East, Unit M1 Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 sam.oosterhoffco@pc.ola.org 905-563-1755 Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2987 Councillor Diana Huson diana.huson@niagararegion.ca 905-324-3094 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607

Mayor of Pelham Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2986 Members of Pelham Town Council Ward 1 Councillor Marianne Stewart mstewart@pelham.ca 289-821-0840 Councillor Wayne Olson wolson@pelham.ca 905-933 6033 Ward 2 Councillor Ron Kore rkore@pelham.ca 905-933-3805

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The Voice

Page 5

A June 9 2021

OPINION Car wash supporter says go home On May 27, two days after the Voice article, “Wanted: Peace and Quiet on Hurricane,” hit the stands, a car wash supporter drove her truck into our driveway at 7:15 AM, blared her horn repeatedly and then rushed off. An accomplice drove their own car throughout the community of Stonegate retirees, again blasting horns all the way.

It seemed like it was a message that if we hate a noisy car wash maybe this additional racket will bring us to our senses. I guess they didn’t figure that we’re already awake from the car wash, which cuts loose at 7 AM, which is 15 minutes earlier.

Anyway, perhaps hoping for a Darwin Award nomination, the same driveway stunt was tried the next day, at the same time, only this time I guess the driver mistakenly thought we old, frail homeowners were still snug in our beds. WRONG. We filmed her, stopped her vehicle, confronted her and all the while she was waving a copy of the Voice in our faces calling us assholes.

A few days later, after reporting her to the police, we received an email from Ms Hornblower: “I am so tired of you people coming into my neighbourhood and causing trouble.

I grew up in this neighbourhood. Go home. We don’t want you here.”

Rings of car wash owner Gail Levay’s “We were here first” entitlement position, doesn’t it.

This is still Canada, right?

I’ve lived here over 20 years. Where’s home? How many years does it take for someone to be able call somewhere home? Well, according to Ms Hornblower it wouldn’t be where I live now. I guess it would be where I was born—in Victoria, BC, coincidentally the same town where Ms Hornblower’s daughter now resides. I wonder if my relatives are demanding that she “Go home” to Fonthill?

So why are some members of the community being driven to such passionate rage?

Perhaps the answer lies in the inaction of our Town coupled with the inflammatory statements of our own Town officials.

Our goal in this is has never been to put anyone out of business, yet the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer, David Cribbs, and Fire Chief Bob Lymburner suggest in their hyperbolic statements that they don’t wish to close down a business and deprive someone of their livelihood, insinuating that the mean old residents are the bad guys here and that this is our objective.

Shutting down or repairing those air dryers which are violating the noise bylaw will not drive the car wash out of business. This car wash operated without air dryers for over 20 years, during which time there were virtually no complaints from nearby residents.

Is it so unreasonable that we residents are asking them to not disturb our community as the law requires? We are not the offenders here. We are the victims. Why should we have to sacrifice our quality of life for the benefit of Gail Levay?

We don't want to see the car wash close down—we just don't want it to disturb the peaceful enjoyment of our properties every day, hour after hour. From 1989 to 2008 it operated quietly. Why does this new car wash need to make a racket? We're willing to live in harmony. Are they?

All that’s necessary for everyone to dial this down is for the car wash to repair or replace their ten-year-old, worn out dryers. No car wash has ever been in that location with loud dryers operating and disturbing everyone. In the past it was a “wet car wash,” with the vehicles exiting wet, not dry.

The fact that the property was zoned for a car wash before the residences were built is not a license for them to now make as much noise as they wish.

The only way they are getting away with this is because the Town is not enforcing their written bylaw, misrepresenting our position, which is proving to inflame some members of the community and in the process encouraging the offenders. Soon the pressure will be on the operators to spend far more money than any of us wish by constructing fences, etc., instead of simply quieting their dryers.

If the Town doesn’t support the residents and take action, then regretfully, the next step we are preparing to take is organizing a boycott of the facility and legal action against all parties.

All this can be avoided with some common sense on the part of the owners, coupled with a desire to be good neighbours, and we can all go home to our Fonthill residences in peace and quiet.

Pat Gray Fonthill

PELHAM AND COVID-19 Mayor Marvin Junkin

Cases keep heading down, vaccinations keep heading up

A

s Covid numbers continue trending downward, both nationally and locally, many Ontario residents were disappointed by the Ford government’s decision to keep schools closed until September. With both scientists and doctors, especially those working in the mental health profession, urging the government to reopen provincial schools, even if it was on a regional basis, parents had expected some kind of reopening plan.

The Provincial government has stated that if Covid numbers continue trending downward, it may reconsider moving up the reopening of certain businesses from the present June 14 date.

In Niagara, on June 4, 12 new cases were reported, the lowest such number in many months, with hospitalized numbers in the Region at under 40.

The total number of first-shot vaccines administered in Niagara now is 305,798, representing 58.4 percent of the population. Although only 5.4 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, this number should start to creep up over the next several weeks, as the dates for second doses have, in most

cases, been moved up.

L

ast Tuesday, with the help of Councillor Olson, and many Town staff in attendance, we raised the Pride flag at Town Hall. Also in attendance were

It was so heatwarming when we saw on the news grandparents finally able to give their grandkids hugs

time to acknowledge the substantial contributions that seniors and older adults make in our community. This year, the theme for Seniors Month is Step Safe, Active and Connected, which is particularly fitting as we continue to cope with the impacts of Covid across Niagara. With seniors being the most vulnerable to the virus, this group, more than any other group within our society, has had to deal with long periods of isolation from family members, at least until the vaccines were administered. It was so heartwarming when we saw on the news grandparents finally able to give their grandkids hugs in person, not just over zoom.

O two representatives from the Pride community.

Pelham, along with all other municipalities of the Region, has just recently signed documents committing us to be a community practicing diversity and inclusiveness, which I am more than happy to promote.

June is seniors month, which is when governments of different levels take

n the Town Hall front, our staff in the finance department continues to lead all other Regional finance departments, Pelham being first to file our Financial Information Return with the provincial government. This is something all municipalities must do on a yearly basis. Financial Information Returns are a set of numbers that depict the overall health of the municipality. In our case they continue to improve, as does the general financial health of our Town. ◆

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Page 6

The Voice

A June 9 2021

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Letters continued Eyewitness says maybe egg cart disappearance not really theft

“Shareholders” may turf a few “board members” come next fall

Regarding the story about the disappearing egg cart [Naughty man nabs nice boy’s egg cart, June 2, p.3], I watched an older gentleman in a black pickup take the cart. I was northbound on Effingham.

The cart was right beside the road. There was no sign on it that I could see. It looked to be put out for trash. After passing by, I pulled over.

I watched in my rearview mirror as the man pulled over to look. He opened it up, looked inside and put it on the back of the truck. I was watching him because if he didn’t take it, I was going back for it. It truly, honestly, looked like it has been put out for trash. There was no sign on it whatsoever. It looked to me like a cooler I had seen at Lowes last year for the patio. I thought that was what it was.

I didn’t pay attention to his looks, truck or plates, because I simply thought he beat me to an abandoned treasure. It was during the day. The cart was right beside the road where trash would go. I’m sure I could probably figure out the time. I truly believe he thought it was trash, because that is exactly what I thought too. I’m so sorry this happened to this boy. I hope by knowing that it was an honest mistake will make him feel a bit better.

Name withheld Welland

Let’s say that the Town of Pelham is a publicly traded corporation — much like a Canadian Tire, McDonalds, Rona, et al. The physical assets, procedures, intellectual property, etc., (the “assets”) are owned by the shareholders.

In the case of the Corporation of the Town of Pelham, the roads, public procurement, administrative procedures and practices, etc., are owned by us (taxpayer) shareholders.

As in a publicly traded corporation, a board of directors (Town Council) is selected to set strategy, ensure that the best interests of the (taxpayer) shareholders are protected, and that the funds they they have invested in the corporation —their taxes—are spent with all due diligence.

As in other corporations, the board of directors (Town Council) hires a top manager, a CEO (or “CAO” in municipal-speak), who in turn hires department directors and staff to oversee the judicious use of the assets, etc.

The board of directors (Town Council) are selected, and their salaries are paid by the (taxpayer) shareholders.

Their role is to attend board (council) meetings solely to represent and act in the best interest of us (taxpayer) shareholders. They are not attending meetings or performing the functions of councillors for their own gain, political agenda, playpen antics, or personal vendettas.

Considering their recent sophomoric conduct, maybe the Gang of Four should be put on notice to amend their ways. Otherwise, come next fall, they should not be surprised to hear “You’re fired!” from us shareholders.

Bill Gibson Fonthill

Timberrr: helmets advised for Nursery Lane pedestrians A Town-owned locust tree continues to shed its dead branches over the sidewalk near our home on the southwest corner of Nursery Lane and Deer Park Crescent.

This issue with the offending tree was initially reported to town staff early in 2019. At that time a pink ribbon was tied to the tree trunk and we were informed that a “work order” had been created to resolve the problem. By 2020 the ribbon had been removed (likely by a passerby) and the tree had still not been trimmed.

Again Town staff were contacted and we were assured that a work order had been issued.

Fast-forward to 2021 and the tree continues to drop dead limbs to the sidewalk.

Upon reporting the issue to Town staff this past week we were told a work order had been established, however, this was not a priority issue.

We beg to differ with this statement, as the tree overhangs the busy sidewalk on the south side of Nursery Lane. Hopefully three work orders will be a charm, and we will get this tree trimmed in 2021. In the meantime, notice to Nursery Lane: HEADS UP! The Young Family Fonthill

SCHOOLS

continued from previous page As former educators, my wife and I have experienced the joys and benefits that come from students learning. On a personal level, we watched with great excitement our children’s learning and now enjoy the same with their offspring. We do not wish to see today’s learners disadvantaged, short-changed

or deprived of a proper education in any way. Instead we wish to encourage and see them excel to the fullest extent of their capabilities.

I hoped the schools would reopen a week ago so as to minimize the harm these closures inflict on students, their families and our future. With this decision, it appears the Premier favored the health of Ontario’s economy over the well-being of that Province’s students. ◆

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR HOUSE IS Support the local businesses that keep your community and its newspapers thriving.

The Voice Z of Pelham and Central Niagara

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The Voice

Page 7

A June 9 2021

COMMENTARY / OP-ED Colin Brezicki

Two hundred and fifteen pairs of shoes

T

hree days after the discovery of the unmarked burial site on the grounds of a former residential school near Kamloops, B.C., Charlottetown’s city council voted to remove John A. MacDonald’s statue from a downtown intersection.

Not so long ago I would have objected to such a decision.

Why can’t we have two opposing thoughts in our head at the same time, I would have asked.

Why can’t we accept that our principal nation-builder and first Prime Minister was a product of his time? That he, like many in his day, believed Indigenous people were a primitive culture and needed to be “schooled” in the white man’s civilized ways.

Now I believe statues like his should be relocated to museums, along with the outdated and inhumane ideology they symbolize.

As a child in Canada I was taught that ideology. The White Man’s Burden in Kipling’s words, the mission to save the souls of benighted people while providing them with the skills to survive, even flourish, in the new world order. “To take the Indian out of the child” were MacDonald’s own words. Our attempt to assimilate Indigenous children assumed that we really are superior beings. Unwittingly, Charles Darwin gave the assumption credence, providing a rationale for imperialists and colonists to place themselves at the top of the evolutionary ladder and impose their will on those below.

Social Darwinism is an offshoot of this ideology. At best it’s…okay, there is no at best. At worst it gave us the Holocaust, systemic racism, and residential schools.

While we contend that nations and cultures of all stripes throughout history have

oppressed, enslaved and sought to eliminate other nations and cultures, in no way does that excuse the horrors of what happened here at home. The gruesome discovery in Kamloops make “context” irrelevant. The question now is what do we make of our nation, our real history and finally, ourselves. If, as our Prime Minister declares, the failure is Canada’s, how do we mark Canada Day from now on? Can we continue to cherry-pick the good while ignoring the bad?

I’m long past due for a personal reckoning here.

Not a hand-wringing, hairshirt-sackcloth-and-ashes reckoning. Nor, as a friend recently put it, an exercise in performative lamentation or virtue-signaling. Quite simply, I need to examine my own mindset and understand how I got here.

Growing up in the Catholic school system in the ‘50s I was taught by the nuns to believe that Canada’s history was all about the pioneering spirit of settlers from France and Great Britain, people who ventured into a harsh climate and hostile territory inhabited by primitive tribes. With the settlers came the missionaries, men like Father John de Brébeuf, who went amongst the natives to educate and convert them to the new ideology. My nun-teachers talked about the residential schools still thriving across the country. I remember a nun from the Order visiting our Grade 6 class to tell us about the important work she was doing.

And we ate it all up like the submissive, god-fearing children we were.

It took me years to summon the courSee RECKONING next page

SOCIAL DISTANCING DRIVE-THRU SATURDAY, JUNE 19TH, 2021 3:00pm - 7:00pm at the

Pelham Fire Station #3 2355 Cream Street, North Pelham

Letters continued What's a little poop between geese and humanity Upon reading of a plan in Welland to “control” its Canada geese, my reaction was let’s hatch a plan to relocate the Welland Mayor, Welland arena and canals land foreman Chris Vennell, and any involved councillors out of their happy place. Remember that elections are creeping up fast—thankfully.

Canada geese—what a proud name to be respected, one would think, but not in Welland. Instead precious taxpayers' money was spent to remove geese from a water course that they are naturally attracted to. There are Canadian destinations that actually welcome waterfowl as a tourist attraction and fi nd benefits. Did the public ever have a chance to give input on this?

Always about the poop. Hate to draw it to your attention, Mr. Vennell but even you are not above this. Neither are addicts, homeless, every living breathing creature, and yet that is allowed along with discarded needles.

You bullies of goslings and ducklings

cannot see that a constant stressing of these creatures, even destroying their nests and eggs is inhumane. Waterfowl legs are sensitive and have no knees, and are not meant to go through long grass and rough terrain but are forced to by inhumane means, even pyrotechnics.

Having owned ducks, I know it is not difficult to remove poop.

Your staff should be delighted to have good-paying jobs during Covid, unlike many, so to clean up goose poop is not a stretch. This whole scenario is worrisome.

What are you teaching children? What do you know about coexisting with nature?

Are any humane societies or legitimate wildlife groups taking note of this?

Geese do have their purpose—for one, eating deadly ticks—and their poop is comprised of grasses, unlike that of meat eaters. So once again maybe the wrong creature is being relocated.

Faye Suthons Wainfleet

If only there were some sort of day of rest...

My neighbours and I live in home that back onto a townhouse development. We moved here on retiring and looked forward to some quiet time in our yard as we came from an area near the QEW which was quite noisy.

Unfortunately, because we back onto this development, we are bombarded with all types of noise—lawnmowers, blowers, people on phones who don’t realize we can hear every word, party people who don’t give a damn, reno jobs which go on forever at times, dogs barking. You name it, we have it all! Our ratio is approximately three

townhome yards to one back yard...so you can imagine.

During this time of Covid, we are forced to be home more than not and it takes a toll on our mental health. All we ask is one day a week where people back off and take a day to enjoy their yard, listen to the birds, and enjoy the breeze in the trees.

It can be a weekday or on the weekend— just give us one day! Or even a half day, so we can enjoy one meal outside without having to yell at one another.

R. Obelnycki Fonthill

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Page 8

The Voice

A June 9 2021

Huson elected to FCM board

BY VOICE STAFF

positions on key national municipal issues.

“Huson serving on the FCM Board of Directors will ensure that Niagara has a seat at the table when key decisions are being made at a national level,” read the statement.

Of the 444 municipalities in Ontario, there are just 14 seats for the Ontario Caucus.

According to the Region, prior to Huson’s appointment, Niagara had not been fully represented on the board by a voting member.

“On behalf of Regional Council, I want to congratu-

At their annual general meeting on June 4, Pelham Regional Councillor Diana Huson was elected to the Board of Directors, Ontario Caucus for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM). FCM lobbies the federal government on behalf of local municipalities.

According to a Region press statement released Friday, Huson was selected by FCM members from around Ontario and will serve a oneyear term. The board meets quarterly to develop policy

late Councillor Huson on her accomplishment and recognize the hard work she put forward to ensure she would be successfully elected to the FCM board,” said Regional Chair Jim Bradley.

“I am humbled to have been selected by my peers to represent municipalities across Ontario on the FCM Board of Directors,” said Huson. “I look forward to ensuring Ontario’s municipalities have a strong voice with the federal government, and I am committed to promoting Niagara’s goals with the decision makers in Ottawa.”

40 Under 40 nods to Pelham staffers

BY VOICE STAFF

“I am grateful for the support that I have received throughout both my professional career and my volunteer experiences.”

In a time of uncertainty and isolation, Letford has adapted in-person events to hybrid content to enhance special events and festivals.

MacDonald, the Town’s Communications and Public Relations Specialist, has been with the municipality since 2017. He has produced award-winning work on the Town of Pelham’s redesigned website, corporate communications plan, and COVID-19 Reopening Plan. He was also recognized in 2020 by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals for individual achievement in communications.

“Whenever you receive recognition such as this for the work you produce, it’s very humbling,” said MacDonald.

Pelham's Leah Letford and Marc MacDonald have been recognized as two of Business Link Media Group’s Niagara 40 Under Forty.

The 40 Under Forty Business Achievement Awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated “an extraordinary level of success in the private, public, and notfor-profit sectors,” according to a Town statement.

Letford, the Town’s Special Events and Festivals Programmer, joined the Town of Pelham in 2020 with a background in the tourism and hospitality sector. Letford lead the planning and execution of award-winning events in 2020, such as Canada Day the Niagara Way, and Christmas in Pelham.

“Working behind the scenes to bring unique event experiences to the community has been very rewarding,” said Letford.

See 40 UNDER 40 Page 16

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

RECKONING

“us.”

Yet, it has to be exactly that at some point, and for many like me, a starting point. I must exorcise the remains of a terrible ideology that makes me complicit in this horrific narrative.

If I continue to regard my country only as a benign nation that came by its strengths honestly and has earned the right to proclaim them then I remain an accomplice. If I assert my Canada to be “the envy of the world,” an inclusive nation with civilized values and claiming a high moral ground, while overlooking the children’s bodies buried under that ground, then I remain an accomplice.

The Charlottetown council initially planned to make things nice by seating an Indigenous figure next to MacDonald. It was Kamloops that made them realize what an obscene “reconciliation” that would be.

Will the 215 pairs of shoes laid out on the steps of Charlottetown’s provincial building finally change how we think about who we are as Canadians? Or will we continue to flatten Indigenous lives so they fit what we were told about them?

Isn’t it time we listened to them tell us who they really are? As Inuk journalist Ossie Michelin remarked, “When you remove us from our own stories we lose who we are.”

I’ll begin by reading the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee and go from there. It’s better late than never. ◆

tion Committee. In fact the Committee examined only 139 of the 1300 residential schools in Canada that were privately run, or run by other religious institutions or provinces. In the weeks and months to come we will likely learn of many more unmarked graves, while many Indigenous parents

continued from previous page age to leave the Catholic Church, not entirely sure that I wasn’t risking my soul in the process. Fear and guilt are easily ingrained in the young and hard to eradicate.

Something else that became ingrained was my assumption that those British and French settlers came from a superior civilization with benign intentions.

Imperialism wasn’t a bad word back then. Neither were colonization, assimilation and conversion.

Even the “savage” Iroquois who murdered Brébeuf acknowledged his courage by consuming his heart, believing it would give them his strength. Our parish priest once drove his clutch of altar boys to the Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland so we could pay homage to this great saint.

The Hudson’s Bay Company, the Mounted Police, the Canadian Pacific Railway, and Sir John A. MacDonald became, against all odds we were repeatedly told, pillars of a great new nation. I grew up to feel proud of the country my parents had brought me to from Scotland, where John A. was also born.

Were the nuns being selective with the truth of our history, or, more likely, was it all they knew and wanted to know? One can voluntarily submit to an ideology.

We knew nothing of the 215 back then, or the 3200 deaths reported by the Truth and Reconcilia-

The discovery at Kamloops has horrified Canadians like nothing before

will never know what happened to their children, because they’re gone as well.

What the survivors endured during their “assimilation” is already well documented, but the discovery at Kamloops has horrified Canadians like nothing before. Some, like Jason Kenney, will try to “move on” and excuse the past by the convenient law of relativism. Others might want to lay it to rest, as it were, and not investigate further. Still others will maintain that Canada has already made reparations and continues to do so, and how much is enough anyway.

As if Kamloops is about

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The Voice

Page 9

A June 9 2021

Car wash owner’s friends harass neighbours upset by noise

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent Pat Gray, a retired realtor on Hurricane Road, doesn’t appreciate the harassment.

He was one of a number of residents who commented in a Voice article two weeks ago, complaining of the noise emanating from an automated car wash on Highway 20, across from the Meridian Community Centre.

Matters boiled over last week, when a car wash supporter pulled in to Gray’s driveway early in the morning and deliberately laid on the horn. In fact, it happened a couple of times.

Niagara Regional Police confirmed to the Voice that just after 7 AM on May 27, and also on May 28, a resident of Hurricane Road in Fonthill reported that a black pickup truck, driven by a white female, deliberately entered the resident's driveway, and blew her horn.

“He alleges that this is in retaliation for his and his neighbours complaining about noise from a nearby car wash,” said an NRP spokesperson.

The Voice has obtained home security video purportedly showing the May 28 incident, as well as still images taken by neighbours when they confronted the driver regarding the harassment.

NRP Constable Jesse Vujasic said that a complaint was filed on May 28. The alleged offender was identified, and police spoke to both parties. No charges were laid.

“I actually got her name from a neighbour, who recognized her from the photograph that we took,” said Gray, who acknowledges giving chase around the corner and forcing the woman’s vehicle to the side of the road in order to confront her.

You people come here, you moved into my neighbourhood where I've lived for most of my 56 years, and start making trouble

Security video shows a black pickup entering Pat Gray's driveway early on May 28. The driver laid on her horn. Gray and a neighbour gave chase, confronting the driver (inset) a short distance away.

SUPPLIED It’s partly a misunderstanding, said Gray, who thinks that the rage being vented against him is because the car wash supporters believe that he, and others on Hurricane, want the service shut down.

“We've never said that we wanted to close down their business,” stressed Gray. “We've always wanted simply to get them to fix their dryers and cut the noise.”

Gray said that a few days after reporting her to the police, the woman (whom he calls “Ms Hornblower”) emailed him to say, “I am so tired of you people coming into my neighbourhood and causing trouble.

I grew up in this neighbourhood. Go home. We don’t want you here.”

“I’ve lived here over 20 years.

Where’s home?” asked Gray.

Gray blames the “inaction” and “inflammatory statements” of some Town officials for the confrontation. He said that the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer, David Cribbs, and Fire Chief Bob Lymburner, “suggest in their hyperbolic statements that they don’t wish to close down a business and deprive someone of their livelihood, insinuating that the mean old residents are the bad guys here.”

Eliminating or repairing the air dryers which are violating the noise bylaw will not drive the car wash out of business, said Gray.

“This car wash operated without air dryers for over 20 years, during which time there were virtually no complaints from nearby residents,” he said.

Check out the Town’s newest community engagement tool and join the conversation:

https://engagingpelham.ca It’s as easy as:

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The current car wash—the machinery for which its operators acknowledge was years old when installed—has been in operation only since last November, and immediately drew complaints from Gray and other residents.

“Is it so unreasonable that we residents are asking them to not disturb our community as the law requires? We are not the offenders here, we are the victims.”

Gray asserted that the fact that the property was zoned for a commercial car wash before the Hurricane Road subdivision was built “is not a license for them to now make as much noise as they wish.”

The Voice tracked down “Ms Hornblower” (hereafter referred to as “Ms H”) and agreed not to iden-

tify her by name in return for her speaking candidly about her motivations to harass Gray.

Asked for her recollection of the driveway incident, Ms H responded, “What he did exactly was run me off the road in his car.”

She admitted that she honked her horn in one sustained burst in Gray’s driveway for “maybe five seconds.” She said she doesn’t remember what Gray said to her when he pulled her over around Stonegate Place.

“I just remember I grabbed the Voice off the front seat of my truck, and said to him, “Was this you?

That started all of this?”

The Voice asked if she had referred to Gray as an “asshole,” as he claimed.

“Oh, probably. I can see myself saying that,” she replied. “And I said to him, ‘You people come here, you moved into my neighbourhood where I've lived for most of my 56 years, and start making trouble.”

(Ms H has lived on Hurricane for the past 20 years—the same amount of time as Gray—in a house close to the car wash, and said she grew up on a nearby street.)

See HARASSMENT Page 16

Welcome to EngagingPelham, the Town’s newest engagement tool. This interactive platform invites Pelham residents to provide feedback on the Town’s projects and initiatives. Focused on open, two-way communication, the Town of Pelham wants to hear what you have to say, so sign up, be engaged, and share your ideas for making the Town of Pelham a better place to live, work and play!

Check out some of the Town’s latest projects and stay up-to-date with what’s happening in your community.

Page 10

The Voice

A June 9 2021

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

On the beach: capitalism trumps compassion Sherkston Shores' buy-out of neighbouring campground displaces long-time residents

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent A David and Goliath story is playing out on Niagara’s south shore, and it looks like the Philistine giant will prevail.

This March, Pleasant Beach Campgrounds, which includes rustic cabins and over a hundred resident-owned trailers on its 16-acre site, was purchased by next-door neighbour Sherkston Shores, which is planning to expand its operations onto the recently acquired property. Shortly thereafter, seasonal residents of the campground received notices that they must remove their trailers by the end of October. Some of the park inhabitants have been spending May through October at the campground for over 30 years, and they are hurt and frustrated at the sudden turn of events.

Sherkston Shores is owned by Sun RV Resorts, a division of Sun Communities, a publicly traded real estate investment trust that invests in manufactured housing communities, recreational vehicle resorts, and marinas. The company was founded in 1975 in Southfield, Michigan, and had revenue of almost $1.3 billion in 2019, assets of $7.8 billion, and some 3100 employees. The company owns interests in 562 recreational communities in the United States and Canada, consisting of some 151,600 developed park sites.

Pleasant Beach was in a state of disrepair until new owners, Tami and Kurt Pederson, purchased the property in 2015 and redeveloped it. Park patrons said that the Pedersons assured them that they had no plans to sell the park, and consequently many residents made expensive additions to their trailers, which is now money down the drain.

Angie Geiss grew up in Fenwick, and loved visiting Pleasant Beach in her youth. She said it used to be a well-known surfing area. Geiss purchased a trailer in the campground five years ago.

“I’m an artist, so I turned it into a ‘shabby-chic’ project, put a fair bit of money into it, added a sunroom,” she said. “Many of the trailers have been stationary for years, and would be very difficult to move, and almost impossible to resell. About 150 residents in here are being displaced in the middle of a pandemic. We just feel so betrayed.”

Geiss said that the campground is currently a construction zone, with bulldozers already in action clearing the way for Sherkston Shores’ growth.

“Watching and listening to dump trucks daily pouring loads of gravel over once beautiful green space that used to be recreational homes, it’s heartbreaking,” she said tearfully.

Myrna Houston is 69 and originally from Hamilton. She has been a trailer park resident for 18 years.

Her normal pattern was to live in her trailer at Pleasant Beach from late spring to early fall, then stay with relatives or couch-surf with friends the rest of the year.

“I just got my trailer out of

there. I found another campground in Jordan. I did tons of landscaping [at Pleasant Beach].

It cost me a lot,” she said. “There was no warning, no notice. It's all about the money for them.”

Kevin Beatty is 31 and from Buffalo. He has been coming to the campground his entire life to stay in his family trailer, and said that years ago many American families had trailers in the park. With the borders closed due to the pandemic, he is accruing late fees, he said, and doesn’t know if he’ll be able to arrange to move his trailer. It may end up being bulldozed.

“The couple who owned the campground, they were telling people that ‘We're here for the long haul, we're not going to sell out.’ And that kind of gave a lot of park patrons the incentive to upgrade the trailers, add decks and landscaping. It gave them false hope,” said Beatty.

He said that the park has been a huge part of his life.

“It's really hard on me. The last time I walked out of that place, I didn’t expect I’d never be back for another campfire, or to spend another restful night in my trailer.”

Teresa Constanzo and Dominic Tucci, from Toronto, have been camping at Pleasant Beach Campground for many years, and three years ago purchased a 1999 model trailer from the Pedersons for $13,000. After a few weeks, Dominic noticed a lot of mold in the floors, and planned to redo them the following season. However, they instead decided to purchase a brand new trailer for $43,000.

“Last year we hardly saw Tami and Kurt at the park. We all found that odd,” said Constanzo. “They wouldn’t answer emails, texts, or phone calls from any of us. You can imagine how we all felt, not knowing what was going on.”

Then they drove by the park last November and noticed stakes and surveying flags in the ground.

They had a realtor friend look into it, and he found out that the park had been sold.

“Everyone knew Sherkston Shores has wanted the park for decades,” said Constanzo, “so this was a great opportunity for [the Pedersons] to cash in and make millions. If they knew they were selling, why wouldn’t they have told us? Why let everyone upgrade their trailers? We have to pay $1500 to have our trailer moved to another park, and so far we can’t find anything in the Erie area.

This all could have been avoided if they were open and honest with us.”

Constanzo added that “Tami wouldn't allow people to sell their trailer themselves. They had to go through her, so that she would make money on the deal.”

The park has about 100 private trailers on wooded lots at present, said Constanzo, but Sherkston Shores has plans to more than double the capacity to 250 trailers.

“I guess they just want to squeeze in as many units as possible to maximize on the profit,” said Tucci. “We were going to stay

There was no warning, no notice.

It's all about the money for them

Top, Dominic Tucci and Teresa Constanzo. Centre, the entrance to Pleasant Beach. Above, Ruth Floris, in blue shirt at right, and her family from Chile. DON RICKERS forever. We saw it as a long-term investment.”

Another trailer owner in the park is Letizia Cook, a hairstylist in Port Colborne, who lives in Stoney Creek. She has been spending summer weekends and holidays with her kids at the campground for five years. She initially bought a used trailer from the Pedersons five years ago, but upgraded to a newer trailer in 2019.

“We love the community vibe here. My kids ride their bikes, they

play with the friends they’ve met here. They are outside, and happy. There's no wi-fi here, which is wonderful,” she said.

Cook stresses the difference between the Pleasant Beach campground, and the Sherkston Shores property next door.

“It’s just row after row of trailers over there—no trees, no greenery.”

Her friend and neighbour in the park, Carla Rivas, is from Mississauga, and also spends practically

the entire summer at the campground with her kids.

“We wanted to keep this a family lifestyle. We hoped our children would grow up here and inherit the trailer and campsite,” said Rivas.

Asked about the camp’s sale, Rivas responded, “It was a complete surprise. There was no communication at all. If only they had approached us, maybe we could all See SALE Page 12

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice

Page 11

A June 9 2021

Catholic school board Pride flag decision draws protest, counter-protest

Counter-protesters, from left, Peter and Morgan, from St. Catharines, and Brock students Andrea Ciccone, Kendra Pirson, and Ashley Derks. Below, protester Darryl Nohara, of Pelham.

BY DAVE BURKET The Voice A small group of protesters— five, by the Voice’s count—appeared last Tuesday in front of the Niagara Catholic District School Board headquarters, on Rice Road, to express their opposition to a decision by eight Ontario Catholic school boards to raise rainbow flags in recognition of June as LGBTQ+ Pride month.

A group calling itself Parents as First Educators organized the protest, which was augmented by a handful of additional attendees repeatedly driving their vehicles past the building and blaring their horns.

This in turn prompted passing pro-Pride flag drivers to honk in reply. It was a loud two hours, with the protest set to run between 1 and 3 PM. Security guards were on hand to ensure against trespassing. Asked whether he wished he’d brought earplugs, one guard gestured toward the anti-flag protesters and said that he had “an opinion about these people,” but wasn’t permitted to share it.

In a news release, PAFE President Teresa Pierre said that when sending their children to Catholic school, parents expect them to receive a Catholic education.

“The decision to fly the Pride flag violates that decision of hundreds of thousands of parents across Ontario. Publicly funded Catholic education is dead in

We normally don't come out for these things.

But these kids, they need a voice.

Ontario if parents cannot rely on their schools to follow the teachings of the faith and the decisions of the bishops.”

Sign-holding protester and Pelham resident Darryl Nohara agreed.

“You can have spiritual health or [gay] education, but you can’t have both.”

Nohara was on his own, as the other protesters stood several dozen metres north, closer to Quaker Road.

Perhaps with the previous evening’s demise of Toronto’s hockey playoff dreams in mind, Nohara added, “It’s like a Habs fan complaining that he doesn’t fit in on the Leafs’ side.”

His fundamental concern, he said, was “the dignity of the human person. We’ve never taught hate. Our faith and our cross is our sign.”

As a trio of young women walked past, each featuring a variety of rainbow-coloured decorations and symbols, Nohara nodded at them.

“There goes the future of Catholic education,” he said.

Asked to elaborate, Nohara said, “To profess the lifestyle isn’t compatible with Catholic law.”

Matching the five anti-flag protesters were five pro-flag counter-protesters, joined by a sixth, who jumped out of a car that briefly paused for his exit.

Morgan and Peter, of St. Catha-

DAVE BURKET

rines, said they saw news reports of the planned protest and decided to drive down.

“We normally don’t come out for these things, but these kids, they need a voice,” said Morgan.

The three rainbow women turned out to be Brock students— Kendra Pirson, originally from Brantford, and Andrea Ciccone and Ashley Derks, from Port Colborne.

A visitor pointed out that Madonna’s family name was also Ciccone, slightly ironic considering the setting.

“Not many people know that,” said Ciccone.

“I was around in the ‘80s,” said the man, raising his voice against the incessant car horns.

Pirson said she came by because she personally supports the LGBTQ community, “especially now, with the bodies found in British Columbia.”

“I’ve always been a supporter, but more so now because we’re in a moment due to the Indigenous situation, and the two have the Catholic church in common.”

A small SUV heading north on Rice pulled to a stop in the road, and its female driver, who appeared to be in her early 30s, smiled at the rainbow women.

“We love you!” she said, which prompted a return smile from the trio.

“We just don’t love the sin,” the woman added, and drove off, honking.

Page 12

The Voice

SALE

continued from Page 10 have come together as a community and helped with the costs.”

Rivas is also angry that Sherkston Shores and Sun Communities has not allowed them more time to get organized and move their trailers. She would have appreciated at least another year’s notice.

A particular sore point, say the residents, is that the tree canopy will be removed to make way for the huge influx of new trailers.

“What will it be like without the trees to block the wind that comes off the water? What about the shade?” said Cook. “And don’t forget the wildlife—all the little animals that have been scattered with this redevelopment. An ecosystem is being disrupted.”

“There are a lot of people here with roots in Chile, Portugal, Italy,” said Cook. “They are so friendly. Everyone smiles and waves hello. It's just a nice, safe community.”

Ruth Floris is from Chile originally, and spends the summer at Pleasant Beach Campground with her retired parents and other family members.

“People are very depressed and sad” about the park closing, she said. “It's so safe. You just let your kids play. No worries.”

Sherkston Shores offered her a new unit in the redeveloped park for $130,000, plus $13,000 in fees for the season, she said, which is completely unaffordable for her.

Tami Pederson, who with her husband and other family members now operates a restaurant at Sherkston called Rudders, agreed to speak with the Voice. She said that there were a number of issues that were making it tough for the campground to be sustainable and family-operated over the long

term.

“The campground is something that we would have loved to run for a lot longer, but with pandemic issues, and the potential closure of Pleasant Beach, we weren't optimistic,” said Pederson.

“Some residents told us if the campground was closed due to COVID, they wouldn’t pay their fees. That was really scary for us.

We definitely couldn't face a second year like the last one…we had all our eggs in one basket. So it was something that we needed to move on from, unfortunately.”

A couple of other roadblocks made it financially unfeasible, said Pederson. Small business taxation was an issue, but the final straw was that the provincial Ministry of the Environment told them that they had to completely redo the campground’s septic system, which would have been prohibitively expensive.

“And with new government rules, we’d have to evict about half the people that were in there just to accommodate this new septic bed. If we raised prices, we would anger the residents. My husband and I just couldn’t see it as being a sustainable operation,” said Pederson.

Tony Breton, Regional Vice President for Canadian operations at Sun Communities and Sun RV Resorts, told the Voice that “as part of Sun’s acquisition of Pleasant Beach, we plan on improving the infrastructure and overall experience for guests and vacation homeowners. We have no plans to build additional RV sites that would impact current site space for guests. At this time, we are working on incentives for our current seasonal RVers to return once the property is reopened, and look forward to welcoming back our seasonal guests to enjoy the prop-

111 Hwy 20 East FONTHILL

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Children play at the camp's playground. Displaced residents lament the coming loss of the existing tree canopy. erty.” Breton added that “our tree compensation program ensures that should a tree get cut down for maintenance and development purposes, more will be planted.”

Alex Pedersen, a corporate communications officer for the City of Port Colborne (no relation to the former owners of the park), said that the sale of Pleasant Beach Campground was a private transaction and the City of Port Colborne was not involved. “While City Council and staff hope the existing and future residents of Pleasant Beach Campground are

treated fairly by the new owners, there is no municipal oversight of campground operations,” said Pedersen.

Geiss said that some residents had been told that if they didn't pay their dues by May 15, they were going to be seeing high interest charges accrue.

“People were scrambling to leave,” she said. “It's heartless what’s happened. Some residents were first-generation immigrants, and were afraid to speak up.”

Geiss said she is investigating a lawsuit, premised on “bad

DON RICKERS

faith.”

She will miss the majestic tree canopy and natural beauty of the site.

“This is a multicultural community, and a wonderful wooded setting. Sherkson Shores, by comparison, is all pavement.” “[The Pedersons] told us a hundred times, ‘We're never going to sell,’” said Geiss. “Now they just ignore my phone calls. What Sherkston Shores is doing is all legal—we don't fit into the landlord tenant act, so we have very limited rights. But it’s just cruel.”

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The Voice

Page 13

A June 9 2021

Witness testimony begins in Charles Duncan sex assault case

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent

From left, Building Intake/Zoning Technician Dave Christensen, Mayor Marvin Junkin, CAO David Cribbs, Solicitor Jennifer Stirton, Director of Community Planning Barb Wiens, Councillor Wayne Olson, and Pride Niagara board member Darryl Dyball.

DON RICKERS

Pelham proud to raise Pride flag

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent Mayor Marvin Junkin told the small throng in attendance at last Tuesday’s event that he was proud to raise the Pride flag in recognition of the LGBTQ-plus community in Pelham and Niagara.

“Our communities are stronger when we embrace all of our citizens, and create inclusive environments for each and every one of us to thrive,” Junkin said in a brief statement.

On a similar note, Ward 1 Councillor Wayne Olson told the Voice that he was “inspired by authentic and courageous people, and I appreciate the advocacy work that the Pride community is doing in mental health, equity, and social justice.”

Pride park benches are also in the works, after Town Council elected not to create a rainbow crosswalk in Fonthill. Two weeks ago, St. Catharines became the most recent community in Niagara to install such a crosswalk, following Niagara College and Niagara Falls.

This is the second year that Pelham has had the Pride flag-raising ceremony during Pride Month, which is celebrated annually to recognize lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary and queer achievements, legal rights, and social acceptance. The flag-raising is an initiative of and paid for by the advocacy group Pride Niagara.

The trial of Charles Duncan, the former family doctor charged with multiple counts of sexual assault in the fall of 2019, is finally underway in a St. Catharines courtroom.

Duncan, who practiced family medicine in Pelham for decades, resigned from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario in October of 2019, after the college commenced an investigation into allegations against him of professional misconduct and incompetence. Duncan agreed to never reapply for registration as a physician in Ontario or any other jurisdiction.

After an alleged sexual assault victim of Duncan’s told her story to the Voice in the fall of 2019, several other women came forward with similar allegations. Duncan formally charged and arrested in November 2019.

The Crown is pursuing charges related to five females, and Niagara Regional Police have laid a total of seven charges of sexual assault and one of sexual exploitation. The women involved were aged 16 to 64 at the time of the alleged incidents.

Duncan, along with his attorneys Seth Weinstein and Jill Makepeace, was present in person in court, with Justice Deborah Calderwood

presiding. Assistant Crown Attorney Todd Morris represented the prosecution. Calderwood advised the court that certain details of the charges against Duncan were subject to a publication ban, including the identities of the five women who have agreed to testify.

It is uncertain whether Duncan himself will take the stand in the predicted 12-day trial.

Arraignment occurred last Monday, at which time the court clerk read the seven charges aloud. Duncan responded in a strong, clear voice, “not guilty,” to each charge.

The first witness, age 66, was a patient of Dr. Duncan's from June of 1974, when she was 19, until November of 2000. She testified that she was always alone with Duncan during her medical appointments.

In 1996, at an appointment with Duncan regarding a test for scoliosis in her back, he asked her to bend over and touch her toes. She said that she felt Duncan press his body up behind her for five or ten seconds, which made for “uncomfortable moments.

I was rattled. I knew it was inappropriate, but did not know how to process it,” she responded, when questioned

by the prosecutor.

The witness said Duncan made inappropriate comments at a physical assessment done in 1998, complimenting her appearance and, during completion of a sheet of form questions, asked “sex?” and responded himself, “Yes, sexy.”

The woman said she had breast examinations with Duncan once or twice a year while in his care, but that mammograms were done at the hospital. She said he had a habit of undressing her for examinations, personally removing her blouse and bra.

She said she felt awkward and uncomfortable, but did not resist.

“He was very adept at undressing,” she noted.

On November 27, 2000, the witness said she had a cough, sinus issues, and chest congestion, and made an appointment to see Duncan that day at 6 PM. Duncan suggested she have a flu shot, she said, even though the woman did not routinely get such an injection. Duncan unbuttoned her cardigan, she said, and pulled it down her arm to administer the injection.

At this point, the woman said Duncan squeezed her See TRIAL back page

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Page 14

The Voice

COLUMN SIX

continued from Page 1 being a smooth and sophisticated Honda GoldWing Aspencade, which I picked up from a teaching colleague. I bartered it off just over a decade ago, and have been bike-less ever since.

That is, until this spring, when in my mid 60s, I got the itch again, a hankering to get back in the saddle. Wisdom acquired over the years convinced me that my days of riding high-revving sport bikes and “crotch rockets” were in the rearview mirror, and I scoured the internet for large-displacement “cruiser” bikes that would serve both for romps around town, and longer excursions along distant highways and country roads.

I sourced a few motorcycles that fit the bill, and decided on a tenyear-old Yamaha Road Star Silverado, with a touring package, that was for sale just down Highway 20 at Clare’s in Fenwick. The 1700 cc twin cylinder beauty soon occupied a place of honour in my garage.

There’s a thick file of A-listers who drive motorcycles. Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Keanu Reeves, Bradley Cooper, David Beckham, Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Bruce Springsteen, Gale Godot, Jewel, Pink, Queen Latifah, Alanis Morrissette, Miley Cyrus.

Hollywood icon Clark Gable was an enthusiast, as was Steve McQueen, who memorably did his own motorcycle riding and stunts in the 1963 action movie The Great Escape. George Clooney was a motorcycle aficionado until he had a serious crash in Sardinia in 2018, while filming a movie, and swore off bikes for good. (Frankly, I think it was more an edict from his wife.)

Always looking for an excuse for

a long stretch in the saddle, I happened upon a Facebook page and website called The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride, which was tied in with the Movember campaign.

The site was advertising its annual fundraising motorcycle ride on Sunday, May 23, with proceeds directed to prostate cancer research and men's mental health. It seemed like a great way to combine charity with the chance to crank the throttle, so I signed on, and started raising donations.

Founded in Sydney, Australia over a decade ago, the event’s theme was inspired by a scene on the TV series Mad Men, in which advertising exec Don Draper is perched upon a classic bike and wearing a vintage-inspired suit.

It was agreed that this would be a great way to combat the often-negative stereotype of men on motorcycles, and to unite niche motorcycle communities.

That first ride in 2012 brought together 2,500 riders across 64 cities. This year, some 120,000 distinguished gentlefolk — both men and women — in 750 cities worldwide participated in this worthy cause, which has raised some $31 million US since its inception.

Given the social-distancing guidelines of the pandemic, the organizers suggested solo rides on a course of the motorcyclist’s choosing, rather than set routes.

Accordingly, I planned a loop of the Niagara Peninsula which would take me from Pelham, south to Port Colborne, and then in a counter-clockwise direction east, north along the Niagara Parkway, and west toward home. About 170 kilometres with a few stops, I figured.

I was accompanied on the jaunt around Niagara by my friend Marc from Grimsby, astride his glossblack BMW 1200 touring bike. It

A June 9 2021

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The author, taking a short break next to some tall water. was apropos that Marc joined the event, given that he was a prostate cancer survivor himself.

The weather was perfect that Sunday morning, breezy and bright. I met Marc in front of the Tim Horton’s at Highway 20 and Haist, and we enjoyed an obligatory coffee and croissant before heading south on Pelham Street.

We followed River Road for a scenic rural drive along the Welland River, and then joined Highway 58 (West Side Road) as it led into Port Colborne. We crossed the Main Street Bridge over the Welland Canal just north of Lock Eight, and headed east on Highway 3, past Humberstone Speedway.

Highway 3 becomes Garrison Road in Fort Erie, where we connected with Niagara Boulevard and enjoyed a sweeping view of

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the lake, before heading north on River Road, aka the Niagara Parkway, with the Buffalo skyline over our right shoulder. We passed the old site of Nichol’s Marine, where I bought my last boat 20 years ago, and observed fisherman contently dangling their lines in the Niagara River. Our trip took us past Frenchman’s Creek, Niagara Christian College, and the Willoughby Historic Museum. The route was lined with many elegant homes, displaying manicured lawns and verdant landscaping.

We cruised into Chippawa, took a doglegged right-hand turn across the bridge over the Welland River, and followed the Parkway as it meandered towards Niagara Falls, whose mist was visible in the distance. The road snaked its way past the Sir Adam Beck Gen-

erating Station, one of Ontario’s largest hydroelectric facilities, and an amazing feat of engineering.

Assets of the Niagara Parks Commission are on display along the route, and include such landmarks as the Whirlpool Golf Course, the Botanical Gardens, the Floral Clock, and Queen Victoria Park. The Commission, founded in 1885, is charged with preserving and enhancing the natural beauty of 4200 acres of public greenspace along the river, and includes historic sites, picnic areas, and various attractions.

The Falls is as spectacular today as I remember as a child. It’s the world’s greatest waterfall by volume, with the American side being slightly higher, at just under 60 metres, than the Canadian falls, which handles 90 percent of the water flow over the brink. Created by receding glaciers some 14,000 years ago, Niagara draws its name from a term the Neutral Indians of the region used to describe “thundering water.”

We stopped briefly for photos at the Table Rock, then mounted up and rode past a pandemic-subdued Clifton Hill, continuing north on River Road towards Queenston.

Legend has it that Winston Churchill, who visited Canada in 1943 and cruised the 56-kilometre stretch of the historic Niagara Parkway, called it “the prettiest Sunday afternoon drive in the world.” From my perspective, the praise is well-earned. The road twists and undulates past majestic architecture, historic sites, award-winning wineries, and some of the finest Carolinian parkland in the province, all the while hugging the shore of the mighty Niagara River.

The winding stretch of parkway around Queenston is a motorcyclist’s dream. We cruised

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past Laura Secord’s restored homestead and Brock’s Monument, which towers above the village and commemorates the major-general who fell in battle on the nearby heights over two centuries ago.

One can almost imagine red-coated soldiers and the sound of musket fire along the route, where some of the bloodiest battles of the War of 1812 were fought. Queenston Heights has deep-rooted significance in Canadian culture, as British troops, aided by local militia and their Native allies, repelled an American force intent on annexing Canada.

Today, the Niagara Parkway experiences an invasion of a different kind: tourists from around the world, and locals out to enjoy some exercise and fresh air.

Adhering strictly to the posted speed limit, we cruised past the Shaw Festival Theatre into picturesque Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario’s first capitol, established in 1792. It was originally named Newark, by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe, and was burned to the ground by American soldiers back in 1812. The town was resurrected, and most would agree that it has aged well, with its heritage district resplendent with an array of boutique shops and restaurants.

We skirted around the NOTL Golf Course, whose founding in 1875 qualifies it

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Crossing the Welland Canal at Port Weller, we continued our trek into Port Dalhousie, with its cluster of shops and restaurants, and observed the mid-rise residential waterfront development which will surely add to the St. Catharines tax base, but likely price ordinary folks out of the market.

Connecting with the Old Highway 8 (now known as Niagara Regional Road 81) we enjoyed a tour of the Niagara Wine Route through the “Bench” area of Twenty Valley, where the region’s diverse terroir of sheltered slopes and constantly circulating breezes today produces world-class wines that, in my opinion, repre-

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The Voice

A June 9 2021

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

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HARASSMENT

continued from Page 9 She counts car wash owner Gail Levay as a friend, regularly fuels up at her station, and uses the automated car wash. “[Levay] already changed the car wash entrance and exit around—she’s tried to appease these people, right?”

The Voice made repeated attempts last week to contact Levay for comment without success, nor did she respond to voicemail left

40 UNDER 40

continued from Page 8 CAO David Cribbs said that he was “not particularly surprised” to learn of the awards.

“Mr. MacDonald has served the community extremely well

for her.

Ms H also made a point of accusing the Voice of lacking objectivity on the issue. When asked if she felt the Voice was biased, she responded, “Yeah, I do. And I'm not the only one.”

She said that a Facebook group comprised of people who grew up in Fonthill had been discussing the coverage, and that “more people are backing up Gail.”

Ms H confirmed that the NRP contacted her, and, “just said, you know, this is a situation that can be avoided, and suggested to

me that perhaps maybe I should not continue to do what I was doing.”

She said she has no intention of further harassment.

“I made my point, and I don't really feel the need to continue,” adding, “a good number of people are going to be making regular visits to that car wash, let me just say that.”

For his part, Gray has no intention of backing down either.

“The gloves are off—I'm not concerned about calling her and her friends out,” said Gray.

throughout the pandemic by creating clear, concise and high-quality communications,” said Cribbs.

“Ms. Letford, in turn, has brought energy, enthusiasm, creativity and vitality to RCW operations. Cribbs said that the

municipality benefits from a “virtuous circle.”

“It’s a great community and great municipal employer, which in turn allows Pelham to attract quality staff, which in turn help make it a great community and great municipal employer."

FAITH LIFT

continued from Page 19 church (Fonthill Baptist) as an act of obedience which symbolized outwardly what I had experienced inwardly. During my teen years, I was active in my church in various ways (Sunday School, youth group, worship services and even playing guitar in a small Gospel group). But I can’t remember ever praying for God to guide me into His will concerning my relationship or career choices.

After high school I went off to university in London (Western) and met a group of believers on campus who took their faith a lot more seriously than I did. I soon realized I had a lot more to learn about this Christian life so I joined a small Bible study group in my dormitory. One week the topic was the “Lordship of Christ” and I was convicted that Jesus was not really in the centre or in control of my life.

So I prayed my second most important prayer (privately this time) expressing my desire to make Jesus both Savior and Lord (Master) of my life. Before saying “Amen,” I added this P.S.: “And Lord, even though I want You to be in control of my career path, I want to remind you that I really want to be either a history teacher or lawyer, and I don’t want to be a pastor or missionary.”

You see, giving up control is a bit scary so I guess my P.S. was a vague threat to the Almighty to not take advantage and mess up my life. I laugh at that prayer now but I was deadly earnest then. I believe the Lord could have led me to be a committed Christian teacher or lawyer and to have served Him in that way. But soon after (in my case) I found that my career desires had changed and (as they say) the rest is His-story. ◆ Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor and missionary who still likes history but finds law dreadfully boring.

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice

Page 17

A June 9 2021

Scholarship fundraiser a success New planner

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent A scholarship fund established in tribute to a popular local teenager and E.L. Crossley graduate, Ethan Mergl, earned $9200 in donations last week, thanks to a pancake and sausage fundraiser hosted by the Pelham Street Grille.

“It’s wonderful for our community to come together for a good cause, and to collectively donate that much,” said co-owner George Lafreniere, who runs the restaurant alongside his spouse Catherine. “We are so happy…but exhausted,” he said with a laugh.

Catherine told the Voice that the Grille served some 400 orders for the fundraiser, and 100 percent of the money went to the scholarship fund.

Staff took turns in the kitchen, and all meals were delivered by curb service, given the pandemic restrictions in place. She said that the Grille was originally contacted about selling wristbands for the scholarship fund, and

BALANCED LIFE

continued from Page 18 a couple ultras each year, hasn’t raced since 2019.

She had been doing maintenance runs, but no long runs, and hadn’t been pushing herself. That changed in January when the decision to go ahead with Give 50 for 50 was made.

“Well, if we’re going to do this, we might as well try something different. We’ll get into shape and see what we can do. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be painful anyway, because even though I’ve tried to prepare, and will continue to prepare, you know, that’s the nature of ultra running,” says Ward.

The painful part Ward knows well. Her longest race was 100 miles (161 kms). Making light of the enormous challenge, she continues, “This one’s different, we’re dividing it over two days. And 50 miles and 50 kms are my favourite distances, so put together, maybe they’ll be even more favourite, who knows.”

I mention that running along the Bruce Trail isn’t considered easy, citing the massive, irregular rocks, foot-sucking crevices and slippery moss that make up much of the famous hiking trail. Ward indicates she has done her homework.

She will begin Saturday’s run in Queenston at around 5 AM. Ward refers to the Queenston to Roland Road

Ethan Mergl, when he worked at the Pelham Street Grille.

TARYN PETROVSKY

then decided to mount their own fundraiser, one of many in recent years.

Ethan was a Pelham teenager who attended E.L. Crossley, and also worked part-time at the Grille. By all accounts, he was a young man with a contagious smile and a heart of gold, who was passionate about his friends and sports. But he was also haunted by depression, and in April while studying at

section in Pelham as being “pretty runable, pretty Short Hills-ish,” which is the area where she frequently runs and trains.

“The Roland Road parking lot is about the 40K mark,” says Ward. “From there towards the end in Grimsby, to the 80K mark, is probably the hardest part of it. When I get to the rock, there’s a lot of concentration, because there’s a lot of chances to trip.”

She specifically mentions one section of trail.

“There’s a section just before you get to Quarry Road, there’s a portion that you’re literally running less than a foot from the edge, which is probably a 200 metre drop.”

Then she flips the concern to a positive, “I’ve got to remember that spot. It’s beautiful, I’ve got a breeze there, it’s a great view.”

Although August should be hot and dry, I ask Ward if she’s concerned about rain. Her first thoughts are that she doesn’t want to see the family and friends who are supporting her have to stand around waiting in the rain, then she shares that in her experience, trail running in the rain is no fun.

During the 2019 Twisted Branch, she recalls, “We had for at least an hour and a half just a monsoon. It was crazy, and it was late in the race, after the 80-kilometre mark. I was like, I’ll just curl up here, not go any further.”

Ward states matter-of-factly that there’s

for Pelham

Carlton University in Ottawa, the 20-year-old took his own life.

Taryn Petrovsky, a close friend and classmate of Ethan’s, assumed a leading role in scholarship fundraising through sales of a blue rubber bracelet, embossed with the hashtag “#Fly High, EM 11” (11 was Ethan’s hockey jersey number), and “everybody’s somebody’s everything.” Petrovsky said that about $18,000 had been raised through bracelet sales and the Pelham Street Grille fundraiser.

In addition, Plant’s Choice, in Welland, sold firewood as a fundraiser for the cause, bringing in $6000, divided between Ethan’s scholarship, Pathstone Mental Heath, and Canadian concussion research.

Janice Sargeant, Principal at E.L. Crossley, said that the school administration collaborates with the graduation and scholarship committee regarding all community donations, and that the school looks forward to awarding the Ethan Mergl scholarship.

The Town of Pelham has hired Kenny Ng as Planner in the Department of Community Planning and Development.

Ng began his role with the Town on May 17, bringing experience and specialization in land development planning, according to a Town statement.

A graduate of the University of Waterloo’s Planning School, Ng minored in geography and environmental management and completed co-op placements at the Town of Milton and the City of Toronto.

“We are confident that Kenny’s work experience and sound knowledge of the technical components of this position provide him with a solid foundation to thrive in this new role,” said Barb Wiens, Director of Community Planning and Development.

“Kenny joins the Town at an exciting time and will have an opportunity to jump into a variety of projects right out of the gate.”

Ng also has experience working as a student planner with the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) Support Centre. At the LPAT Support Centre, Ng specifically assisted the public in navigating their way through the appeal process, and provided guidance to the public on how to prepare for LPAT hearings.

always some weather, and indicates she has the bumps and scrapes to prove it.

“But I don’t want to lose any teeth or end up with a black eye,” she adds with a laugh. I debate whether to remind her that she’s the one who chose to celebrate her birthday by running 130 kms, but let it go.

I ask Ward to convert the kilometres into hours—how long will she be running each day?

“I honestly don’t know.

Because of the back-to-back days, I can’t push the first one too hard or I won’t have legs for the second day. The fastest I’ve done 100K is ten and a half hours, but not on this course, so we’re at least that. I would say I’ll probably be out there for 12 hours.

Second day, depending on how I feel and whether I fall or anything, at least seven hours.”

As if 19 hours of running isn’t enough, Ward says the back-to-back format adds another challenge.

“It takes me a while to adjust to eating normal food [after a long run], and I need a meal in me Saturday night to make it through Sunday. I gotta get out there early, get home in time for my stomach to adjust, eat a meal, then have it in me for Sunday.”

Will turning 50 change Ward’s approach and attitude to running? She explains that ultras are different than marathons, which is a young person’s distance, noting that runners transi-

BY VOICE STAFF

From his LPAT experience, “Ng understands the importance of the planning process and is cognizant of the impacts that development has on a community and its existing features,” said the statement.

tion into ultras during their late 30s to 40s, and that racers 50 to 55 years old still comprise a large group.

She says positively, “I try not to think that it’s going to change anything. I want to feel good, want to compete. I’m not a fierce competitor. You compete with yourself, try for a personal best, and hope to feel good when you finish. That’s a huge accomplishment. I feel very comfortable out there, I don’t feel that I’m old in any way.”

Ward returns the conversation to her library fundraiser, Give 50 for 50.

“Many people have said, ‘We love your service, especially during COVID.’ You don’t know how many times we’ve heard, ‘You’ve helped

me get through this pandemic, thank you so much.’”

Ward is quick to point out that staff are just doing their jobs, and they’re happy to do them, but she hopes her Give 50 for 50 ultra birthday run may inspire library patrons to donate so the library can keep up key services.

“I just want to finish this, do really well, get the donations in, feel like it’s worth the effort,” concludes Ward.

Her racing history suggests she will finish the event.

All of us who love and depend on our library can ensure Nancy Ward exceeds her Give 50 for 50 donation target, and guarantee her the memorable 50th birthday she deserves by donating now. ◆

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Forever In Our Hearts

Tyler Stephen Grummett May 20, 1998 - June 4, 2015

Grief is like the ocean, it comes in waves, Ebbing and flowing.

Sometimes the water is calm and sometimes it is overwhelming.

All we can do is learn to swim.

Page 18

The Voice

A June 9 2021

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

THE BALANCED LIFE

by John Swart

The funds raised will go directly to library services in the wake of Covid

50 for 50—Unique ultra-distance library fundraiser

L

adies. Imagine your 50th birthday is this August, and after 18 months of Covid, there’s a hint that the world may be opening up. How will you celebrate? You’re free to dream large and lavish, or intimate and reflective. Sky’s the limit to how you choose to celebrate this milestone birthday—you can even stretch the festivities to full two days if you like.

How many of you, other than Nancy Ward, whom you’ve perhaps met as an affable and helpful Circulation Technician with the Pelham Public Library, chose to celebrate your

birthday by trail running 50 miles along Niagara’s Bruce Trail, then follow that up with another 50 kilometres the next day?

That’s two days and 130 kilometres of irrepressible festivity.

Ward is an ultra distance trail runner. Her favourite event is the Twisted Branch Trail Run, a 100K August race through the forested hills of New York’s Finger Lake Region, which she has run five times. The 2020 race was cancelled because of Covid, and Ward was unsure if border closures would allow her to attend the 2021 event.

Ward wanted to compete in a truly memorable race

to celebrate her 50th, and she was also aware that the Pelham Public Library has cancelled many of its usual fundraisers due to Covid regulations. Incorporating fundraising for the library became part of her birthday plans.

Ward conceived the “Give 50 for 50, 1 Weekend, 1 Woman, 50 Km + 50 Miles” fundraiser scheduled for Saturday, August 14 (50 miles) and Sunday, August 15 (50 kms), the week of her 50th birthday.

She approached Amy Guilmette, acting library CEO, who thought it was great idea.

Since Ward will run alone, “This [event] can run no matter what happens, even if things were to turn south again, we can do this race and fundraiser no matter what,” says Ward.

Ward continually refers to “we” during our inter-

Nancy Ward, Circulation Technician with the Pelham Public Library, takes a break while training for her Give50 for 50 library fundraiser along her favourite Short Hills trails.

SUPPLIED view. She will have a team of library staff and family to share managing her various aid stations along the way and posting internet updates on her progress,

but to be clear, Ward will be the only one lacing up in trail runners that weekend.

Friends and fans can cheer her along on line.

Consistent with the 50

theme, Give 50 for 50 has a $5000 fundraising target, which Ward would love to surpass. She asks that you consider contributing a donation in any domination of 50 coins: 50 dimes, 50 quarters, 50 loonies or 50 toonies.

“The funds raised will go directly to library services in the wake of Covid, to pull ourselves back up and give the services we know people appreciate.”

The donation portal located in the upper right corner of the library’s home website page is open now.

Ward, who usually runs See BALANCED LIFE Page 17

V oice HOROSCOPE ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 This week’s agenda is a clean slate, Aries, and that gives you plenty of time to rest and recharge. Spend a few moments each day to think only about yourself.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 The nature of a relationship with a close partner may get a bit confusing this week, Taurus. Do not react quickly to a situation without processing your thoughts first.

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, focusing on spiritual things this week can help you get your priorities in order. It also may help you to slow down and smell the roses for a change.

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Your success and receptive attitude may make people skeptical of your purpose, Cancer. Some may even feel jealous. Continue to forge ahead with your plans.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Sometimes it is difficult to make up your mind, Leo. However, this week you will be at peace with all of your decisions and will not second-guess them at all.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, if you are feeling a little uncertain about things at the moment, you may just need a new perspective. Run some ideas by someone you can trust.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, you will be confronted with a big decision this week.

You should take the time to think about it and maybe mull over a few opinions from trusted friends.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, you may need to feel

free of some burdens before you can focus on the best version of yourself. There are some obstacles arriving that stand in the way, but they can be resolved.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, share your vision of life with others who have similar goals. The camaraderie that results will help you to make a list of your collective priorities.

CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Life has taken a few twists and turns over the past few days, Capricorn. Luckily you have been able to go with the flow and change your plans on the fly.

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, another peaceful and stress-free week is on the horizon. Even though things may not be taxing, take a day off if you can spare it and spend it having fun.

PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, before you can reach the summit, you have to cover a lot of ground and may stumble backwards a few times. Dig in your heels.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS JUNE 6 Hyuna, Singer (29) JUNE 7 Allen Iverson, Athlete (46) JUNE 8 Kanye West, Rapper (44) JUNE 9 Natalie Portman, Actress (40) JUNE 10 Faith Evans, Singer (48) JUNE 11 Claire Holt, Actress (33) JUNE 12 Adriana Lima, Model (40)

SOLUTIONS DOWN 1. CUDGEL 2. OR 3. LEGES 4. EARS 5. UTE 6. SEAMAN 7. COWMEN 8. HMO 9. INRO 10. SIKAS 11. EB 12. LUTETIUM 13. ABATE 15. SISSIES 18. TAT 21. UNIVERSAL 24. SEXTUPLED 26. PUL 27. NOV 30. JOHNS 32. DINAR 35. IPO 37. REM 38. ASEPTIC 39. LABRADOR 42. GAP 43. SUN 46. PADRES 47. BEMIRE 49. ARABLE 50. CARES 52. TAWNY 54. PAL 55. SAGER 57. SHIM 59. RISE 62. ICE 63. GEM 66. RH 68. AG

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

SOLUTIONS ACROSS 1. COLEUS 7. CHISEL 13. AUREATE 14. OMNIBUS 16. BD 17. GREAT WORK 19. TI 20. AGUES 22. MAM 23. OASES 25. TENS 26. PATEN 28. SETS 29. ELI 30. JUN 31. NOD 33. XII 34. VIOL 36. VIRTUE 38. ALEPH 40. NEUMS 41. SARONG 43. SAMP 44. EBS 45. SAP 47. BUR 48. LAC 51. PRAT 53. PAPEN 55. SERA 56. TALAS 58. DAM 59. RADAR 60. ID 61. WHIRLIGIG 64. BE 65. CORNICE 67. RESEALS 69. RHYMES 70. EMERGE

Enjoy our Take-out Fish & Chips Fridays!

From our family to yours...stay safe

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice

Page 19

A June 9 2021

FAITH LIFT

by Pastor Rob Weatherby

My two most important prayers

D

o you pray? Many people do. Some people only pray when they have a problem. I call those “crisis prayers” or “Lord, help me” prayers. I remember in my public elementary schools, we started each day by reciting the Lord’s Prayer (see Matthew 6:9-13). Unfortunately, I didn’t think too deeply about that prayer which is often the problem with rote prayers.

As a child I was taught a rhyming bedtime prayer— “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” Sound familiar?

Looking back, I realize that was a pretty morbid prayer for a young child. I always felt guilty if I fell asleep before saying my little prayer. So, you can see I had a whole lot more to learn about prayer. But of all the prayers I’ve prayed over the years (and there’s been a lot), here are my two most important.

payment for mankind’s sin.

He also stressed that every person had to make that all-important decision for themselves. As someone put it, “God only has children, not grandchildren.” The big banner stretched across the arena wall proclaimed the words of Jesus, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).

The speaker encouraged us to put ourselves into John 3:16 which I did. My personalized version read, “For God so loved me that He gave His one and only Son so that if I believe in Him, I will not perish but have eternal life.”

I overcame my shyness and

made a public profession of my faith that day walking forward with many others.

A counselor helped me understand the decision I was making and helped me pray expressing my faith in God, my gratitude to Jesus for dying in my place, and my desire to follow His will and way for my life. My prayer was not polished but it was sincere. It marked the beginning of my Christian life as God’s child.

My lordship prayer

I was baptized a short while later in my local See FAITH LIFT Page 16

My salvation prayer

During my early years, I assumed I must be a Christian because my parents were and they took my sister and me to Sunday School and church each Sunday. I also believed I was a Christian because I was a pretty good kid. I didn’t swear or bully or read the wrong magazines (or hang around too much with the kids who did). I simply didn’t understand yet what a true Christian was according to the Bible.

Then at age 12 I attended an evangelistic rally at the old St. Catharines arena. The evangelist (Leighton Ford) explained that God loved every person very much and that His Son, Jesus, had died on the cross as

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Page 20

The Voice

Voice

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

4 Frisco 49

A June 9 2021

TRIAL

continued from Page 13 bra and left breast for no reason. She responded, “Hey!” in an angry tone, she said, and left the office promptly.

“I was flustered, gobsmacked. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I knew I'd never go back,” she said.

She broke down crying in her car, and cried again that evening. She reached out to a friend, and sought out counselling from a member of her church. Fi-

HEARTS

continued from Page 1 The Kamloops school was one of the largest in Canada, and was in operation from 1890 to 1969. It was one As the seasons change, it’s time to freshen up food and beverage offerings so they align more closely with seasonal vibes. Light, fresh and fizzy cocktails seem tailor-made for warm evenings. Some cocktails get their effervescence from sparkling wines. as bellini or mimosa devotees can attest.

This summer also may be a great time to try a Frisco 49, which is not to be mistaken with a similarly named drink, The Frisco. The Frisco 49 was created by mixologist Brandon Chandlor and it was inspired by fruit cocktail dessert cups and a French 75 cocktail. The drink has a few hands-on steps, but the result can show off your mixology skills.

Frisco 49 Serves 1 For Pear-Infused Gin: 1 1 1

Bartlett pear D’Anjou pear 750 ml bottle gin, like Citadelle

Cut the pears into slices and place in a mason jar.

Add gin to cover the pears.

Allow to steep for one to three days (according to taste) in a cool, dark place.

Strain out the pears and bottle the gin under a tight seal. It will retain the shelf life of normal gin.

For Roasted Honey Peach Syrup: 2 peaches 2 to 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon 3⁄4 cup honey 3⁄4 cup warm water Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut the peaches in half and sprinkle with cinnamon. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Add the roasted fruit, honey and water to a food processor or blender and blend well.

Strain well to remove any solids, bottle and store in the refrigerator. The syrup will keep well for about two weeks.

For the cocktail: 11⁄2 ounces pear-infused gin 1⁄2 ounce lemon juice 1⁄2 ounce roasted honey peach syrup 3 ounces sparkling wine Maraschino cherry garnish Combine the gin, lemon juice and syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice cubes.

Shake and strain into a Champagne flute.

Top with sparkling wine and garnish with a maraschino cherry in the bottom of the glass.

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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

nally, the woman called the College of Physicians to file a complaint. The College responded that if they received other complaints about Duncan, they would get back to her. The woman contacted the Niagara Regional Police as well.

In January of 2001, the witness received a call from Duncan’s secretary, indicating that Duncan wanted to see her about a mammogram result. She told the secretary she'd never go back to see Duncan, and asked that her medical records be forwarded.

Nearly a decade later, the woman said

of 139 residential schools that existed in Canada, and scarred generations of First Nation members. Thousands of Indigenous children were separated from their families and forced to attend the

CORNER

continued from Page 2 online to the effect of, “What about manure odours? What about chicken farms? This is the country! Shit stinks!

Get used to it or move!”

Sound familiar?

The hypocrisy runs rampant. Some of the same people now claiming that the “rights” of a service station and car wash in place for 50 years supersede those of nearby residents have themselves often been the loudest in condemning legal cannabis operations on farmland that has existed for generations.

In both cases, there's only one question that needs to be answered.

Are these businesses operating legally?

That’s it.

It doesn’t matter how long either business has been in existence.

It doesn’t matter who owns it, or who runs it, or what the product or service is.

Is the business in compliance with applicable bylaws? If so, terrific. If not, it is perfectly reasonable to expect the authorities to require the business so comply with those bylaws, because that’s what a civilized society, operating under the rule of law rather than vigilantism, does.

Pelham’s bylaws are in serious need of updating, and this process is underway.

The noise bylaw suffers from lack of specificity—even if, as the car wash neighbours claim, it was beefed-up in

she saw a Voice article related to accusations against Duncan, which prompted her to take action. She said she had been “waiting years for something like this to come out.”

Her communication with the Voice prompted the newspaper to run an interview with an expert who described why women are hesitant to report the sort of conduct allegedly engaged in by Duncan. The Niagara Police contacted the woman thereafter, and she decided to make a formal statement to the police at that time.

schools, and were subjected to physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. It has been decried as a horrific chapter in Canadian history.

In 1969, the federal government took over admin-

2010 to deal with earlier complaints about the same business.

Meanwhile, an entire committee was struck by Town Council to address the cannabis odour issue, and it has spent tens of thousands of dollars doing so.

A reasonable person might infer that the primary goal of this committee— which features the word “Control” in its name—was to make it impossible for cannabis growers to operate in Pelham. That’s certainly the way that the cannabis farmers see it, given that they have filed yet more legal claims against the Town. (More on this in a future issue.)

Personally, I’d love never to smell cannabis crops here ever again. I hope that the Town’s efforts to update its bylaws in this regard succeed, and that the cannabis companies’ legal challenges go down in skunky flames.

I’m also on record as noting that I didn’t find the car wash noise terribly loud—but I don’t live near it, and even if I did, my opinion wouldn’t carry any more weight than others who do.

We need to leave the resolution of this dispute in the hands of the Town, and the law, and just cool the honking heck down.

Feeling creaky: Our second-youngest niece graduated from high school last week in Vancouver. The creaky part comes when we remember that our oldest nieces are 30-year-old twins.

Ay carumba...Speaking of those high school years: Trent Crick’s look back this week at growing up gay in Pelham

istration of the Kamloops school from the Catholic Church, operating it until it was closed permanently in 1978. Today, the school is a museum and cultural memorial.

is both brave and heartbreaking. I’m a pretty laid back guy, but reading this put me in a sluggy mood. And teachers, where the hell were you? As a reminder, we continue to look for your stories of growing up LGBTQ+ in Niagara, as part of our June Pride series. Email editor@ thevoiceofpelham.ca ...Dennis Hopper took the wrong exit: Our own Easy Rider, Don Rickers, takes us on a pleasant tour along the Niagara Parkway this week for a worthy cause (Column Six)...Stats looking good: Ontario recorded the lowest daily number of new Covid cases on Monday since last September, and the number of active cases in Pelham was down to 12, from a high of 139 in late April...Just space left for chickens ‘n’ grills: The Fonthill Lions Club is running a “Win a New Grillfriend” raffle (I had to read that twice too), in which the top prize is a Louisiana Grill.

The draw is this coming Sunday, June 13, at 6:30 PM. With some luck, it might make a fine Father’s Day gift, and with more luck, a week later on Father’s Day, the province might allow us to gather safely outdoors to celebrate—Dad with his new grillfriend. While you’re buying your raffle ticket, pick up a Drive- Thru Chicken Dinner, which has to be preordered and paid. They go fast, so act quick! www.fonthilllions.ca or (289) 684-1240…Breaking news: That stolen egg cart has mysteriously returned!

Details next week...The heat is on: Enjoy the sun—only two more weeks until the days start getting shorter again. As ever, stay safe. ◆

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