The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

Reaction to Pelham's stonewalling page 3 If it's western, Jim Ryan can't say no page 6 The gun and girl page 9

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Vol.22 No.13

Wednesday, March 21 2018

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Road repair blamed for E.coli in water

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Column Six Long overdue

Town responsible, says homeowner, but unresponsive

Decimated by Dewey, now at home on the shelf

BY VOICE STAFF An improperly completed repair by the Town of Pelham has resulted in road water contaminating a drinking water well, according to the well’s owner. In mid-December, a Town contractor repaved the shoulder in front of Gordon Redekop’s home at the bottom of Saylor’s Hill, a repaving that Redekop says eliminated the swale in the shoulder that had previously directed runoff farther along down into a ditch. Redekop’s well is in the middle of his driveway, less than ten metres from the edge of the road. “After we had a thaw— in mid-January or so—I turned the water on, and it looks like it’s tea, ” he said. Redekop, who says that he hasn’t experienced such an issue with his water in his 35 years at the house, also described the water as having different taste, and subsequently had two tests done on it. The first, done on February 22 from three different sample points, including Redekop’s kitchen sink and toilet tank, found a pres-

Playing for the Niagara College Knights, Fonthill native Courtney Kilyk was named an Ontario Colleges Athletic Association All-Star in her final year of eligibility. BERNIE PUCHALSKI PHOTO

See E. COLI Page 10

See KILYK Page 11

BY COLIN BREZICKI

Special to the VOICE

A

Fonthill basketball player an OCAA All-Star Courtney Kilyk ends playing career on a high note BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI

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Basketball was not the primary reason that Courtney Kilyk landed at Niagara College last fall. “It was mainly the program I am in right now,” the 23-year-old Fonthill native said. “I heard a lot of good things about the

exercise science for health and performance program so I really wanted to get into something in the same field that I had already studied and get more out of it.” Prior to her arrival at Niagara, the Welland Notre Dame alumna spend four seasons studying kinesiology at St. Francis Xavi-

er and playing basketball with that school’s U Sports team. She enjoyed her year immensely. “I learned a lot in my program and basketball was just something extra to do and it turned out to be really fun,” the 5-foot-6 guard said. It also turned out to be

highly successful for Kilyk as part of a team and as an individual. Kilyk and her Niagara teammates made it to the bronze-medal game of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association playoffs before losing 9287 to Mohawk, and she was named an OCAA Second

S A C H I L D I felt intimidated by librarians, though I’ve come a long way since then. Now they just make me feel intellectually challenged. It’s not their fault, I hasten to add. They never set out to terrify children. Librarians provide an invaluable service. Many volunteer their time. They have to deal with members of the public. They believe in the printed word. It’s like being intimidated by Annie, or the Singing Nun. So, whence this irrational fear? Quite simply, they were once stewards of the incomprehensible Dewey Decimal System. I remember standing utterly mystified in the library children’s section, transfixed like Lot’s wife, gazing at those arcane inscriptions on the book spines. Eventually, I sought out a librarian. See COLUMN SIX Page 16

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The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

PUBLISHER’S CORNER by Dave Burket

Tell us why: Last week we ran the results of our poll asking whether readers intended to donate to the (now) Meridian Community Centre fundraising campaign. While the overwhelming majority were not, a handful asserted that they were prepared to donate up to or more than $1000. Tell Pelham why! Give us a shout: editor@thevoiceofpelham.ca ... Remembering Dot: Lookout Ridge retirement home will hold a memorial and remembrance for Dorothy Rungeling, the famed aviator and writer, who died on February 17. The public is invited to the event this coming Saturday, starting at 2 PM... Champing at the bit: Was Andrea Horwath's promise of dental care for all a game-changer? I've had so many root canals over the past few years that I've literally lost count. Nine? Ten? The dental pain is nothing compared to the uninsured financial agony. Anyone else feeling an odd attraction to orange lately? Take this week's poll!... Table the motion: With the newspaper going to press on Monday before this week's Council meeting started, we don't know whether a planned protest by some readers happened or not, or whether it was necessary in the end. Word is that some residents intend to arrive carrying folding tables to replace the media worktable removed by Town staff for reasons unknown, and authorized by persons unknown. We're still hoping that Town Hall will recover from its inexplicable fit of stonewalling and start answering our questions again, and maybe put the table back... But where does he store the auto parts? We're not saying that Jim Ryan is a hoarder, but man, what a collection! Read about Sam Piccolo's tour of the joint on page 6... At long last: Technically, spring is here. Bring on the tulips and bunnies. Well, the tulips, anyway...

THE VOICE POLL This week's survey question Last weekend, NDP leader Andrea Horwath announced that if elected to Queen's Park this June, she and the NDP would undertake to introduce universal dental care for all Ontarians. Does this make you more or less likely to vote NDP in the coming election? Find a link to the survey on our website,

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca/ teeth

or find it from our Facebook page. Look for results in next week’s Voice!

THE VOICE POLL Results Last week we asked how Doug Ford's selection as PC leader would affect how you voted in the coming provincial election, with Ford up against the Liberal Wynne and the NDP's Horwath. RESULTS As of the poll's closing at 4 PM Monday, results were remarkably evenly divided among all four choices. That said, if "may yet win" and "very likely to win" are combined, Ford comes through with a plurality, yet at 49% these votes still fail to reach a majority. Of course, it doesn't take many aisle-crossers to add another two percent and turn minority to majority. Results rounded. The PCs just handed Kathleen Wynne the election. 28% (95 votes) Ford wasn't the best candidate, but may yet win. 24% (80 votes) Ford was clearly the best candidate and is very likely to win. 25% (84 votes) Surprise! The NDP will upset both the Liberals and the PCs, and will form the next government. 22% (74 votes)

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IN THE NEWS

Snowplow damage repair

After readers contacted the Voice regarding snowplow damage to their property, the paper asked the Town for comment. While the Town did not answer or acknowledge our request, shortly afterward a notice was posted on the Town’s website. What seems to be an increased amount of property damage this winter is attributed to “numerous freeze/thaw cycles” rather than operator error. Property owners are advised to submit damage reports to Christine Tonon, Public Works Administrative Assistant, at ctonon@ pelham.ca

Mossimo’s dough stolen

OOSTERSKATING At his free skate at the Pelham Arena last Friday evening, Niagara West - Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff posed with the safety enforcer, one of the many young people present. “I meet a lot of young people who say, ‘I disagree with you on everything, but I voted for you because I think that we need more young people in elected office,’” said Oosterhoff. “And then I meet some older people who say, ‘I agree with you on everything, but I can’t support you because you’re too young.’ I think it all evens out.” VOICE PHOTO

Around 3 AM on Sunday, March 11, thieves smashed through the front door of Mossimo’s Pizza and Subs on Highway 20 in Fonthill, then used a vehicle and chain to steal an ATM inside the restaurant. Police say investigation continues.

Road torn up and repaved. “The asphalt line on the east side of the road will remain pretty much exactly the same,” said Adam Keane, an engineer for Upper Canada Consultants, the firm hired by the Region to design the estimated $6.7 million project. “On the west side it’s going to move around and be wider in some places. The road is still going to be two lanes, but there will be dedicated left-hand turn lanes at intersections, and

Rice Road resurfacing

The Region of Niagara held a public information session at the Fonthill library branch Tuesday afternoon, March 6, with engineers on hand to answer questions and explain what the construction process will be. The plan, which has yet to receive final approval by Regional Council, would see Rice Road from Highway 20 to Merritt

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CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

DSBN wants portion of Town park

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The Comfort Maple myth

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Column Six

Growing up British

Vol.20 No.32

Wednesday October 12, 2016

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Apple Day comes to Fonthill

BY JULIE MANNELL

Special to the VOICE

W

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

Public meeting tonight on school issues BY VOICE STAFF As questions continue to mount regarding an email that Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn quietly sent to a District School Board of Niagara trustee last summer, Augustyn has agreed to address the issue at a public meeting scheduled for this evening, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Fenwick. Nancy Beamer, speaking for “Names Matter,” a Pelham citizens group lobbying the DSBN to reverse its decision to rename a local public school, confirms that the meeting will be held at Fire Station #2, known locally as the Fenwick Fire Hall, starting at 7:00 PM. While the Mayor has agreed to ap-

Under pressure, Mayor to address email revelation, other E. W. Farr matters pear, says Beamer, DSBN officials associated with the school-naming process have either declined to attend or have not yet responded to the group’s invitation. DSBN Chair, Dale Robinson, to whom Augustyn’s email was addressed last June, has declined to appear, says Beamer, asserting that she would be

“on holidays.” The Voice was unable to independently confirm Robinsion’s intentions. She did not respond to repeated requests for comment on E.W. Farr-related matters before presstime. Beamer, whose group maintains an email list of some 580 residents, says that all members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting. “We would especially welcome parents and children who are unhappy with the name change,” she says, referring to the contentious decision by the DSBN to consolidate two Pelham See MEETING back page

HEN I WAS young, my father and I would go for long drives along the rural routes of Pelham. We’d blast George Thurgood and roll down the windows because we loved the smell of the breeze, the sensation of crisp Niagara wind beating our cheeks and tangling our hair against our summer-kissed skin. My father was not a sentimental man. He worked in factories and had a Gordon Lightfoot mustache and never shed tears over injuries. Yet something about the Pelham landscape, the hilly backdrop to his childhood and the childhoods of our ancestors, drew him in. He’d stop by a farm or a gathering of woods and, surrendering his manly veneer, tell me a story about the town. This place is precious. This is the earth that granted us life. Here is the place where we happened upon love or here is a site of devastation. On one particular drive sometime in the late ‘90s we stopped at a tree with a plaque. “This tree looks dead,” I said to my father. “It sure is getting there, Julie.” The Comfort Maple is supposedly Canada’s oldest See COLUMN SIX Page 14

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

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to improve the 2017 Summerfest is by sponsoring and working with the organizers of the Thursday Night Bandshell Concert series to select the artist performing on the first night of Summefest. They also intend to make more use of the smartphone app they launched in 2016. "We are really going to push it this year," Ashbee said. “It really helps to get people to see what events there are so they can plan out where they are going. We will be able to actually help the merchants and local businesses adSee CHANGES Page 5

FTER LUNCH ON Saturday, Mum and Dad had my afternoon cut out for me. Mum had more brass than anyone I knew, and it had to be cleaned. In addition there was the set of silver fish-knives and forks which were never used, but which had to be cleaned and put back in their velvetlined box. Next was a walk to the newsagents to pay for the daily delivery of the Daily Mirror. As I said, Dad was a printer, but when he was 37 he had been rejected for a job, as being too old, by the printers of the Beano. For that reason, my favourite comic was not allowed in the house, but while I was paying the papers, the newsagent let me have a 'shoofty' at the Beano. I'd explained my predicament and he understood completely. Sundays were different again. Dad would play golf on summer mornings and billiards in winter. Then he'd stop for a 'refresher' at the local and would pick up the prawns, cockles, winkles or whelks we'd be having for tea later. Meanwhile, Mum was roasting the 'joint' and potatoes. I got to make the Yorkshire pud, and mint

See COLUMN SIX Page 14

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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

walk/trail is slated to be built between the south side of the road from Timmsdale Crescent to the high school. Because of the large volume of motor vehicle traffic travelling at high speeds through this area, and because of the necessity for students to tread this path on a daily basis, many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later. After delivering to Council a petition containing

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

podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case. Loewen told Council that because there are a lot of students who have work placements and coop placements during the school year, this is the only route for many of them to travel. As one of the students facing this predicament, Williams said she has had no other option but to walk along the dangerous highway.

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H EATHER AND P ENNY L ANE S ALES R EPRESENTATIVES

BY JOHN SWART

VOICE Correspondent

and youth ages 5-25. This year the 3rd Fonthill Group, which includes Beavers to Ventures (youth ages 5- 25) will be hitting the streets to drum-up support. Over the weekend, Scouts will be set up in Fonthill outside Sobeys, Tim Hortons, Target Gas station, Fonthill Shopping Plaza and the Pioneer Gas station at the corner of Hwys 20 and 24.

Town Council approves sidewalk to serve E. L. Crossley BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

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-

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Second year Beaver with the 3rd Fonthill Group, Russell Letford offers a fresh apple to shoppers in Pelham during the 2015 Apple Day campaign. SUPPLIED PHOTO A longtime Canadian tradition, Apple Day began in 1932 in Saint John, New Brunswick, when Scouts handed out 21,000 apples as a way to say thank you to the community. In return for their generosity, many people offered them donations. From then on Scouts have reached out through Apple Day to raise funds for their programs.

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Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn

Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932

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Request made of community still peeved at name change

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Column Six

BY VOICE STAFF The District School Board of Niagara is requesting that the Town of Pelham cede a portion of Cherry Ridge Park for use as a soccer field to serve the students of the new Wellington Heights Public School, formerly the E. W. Farr Memorial Public School, in Fenwick. Currently under renovation and expansion, the new school will combine students and staff from the previous school and Pelham Centre, where classes are being held while construction continues. Two letters, containing virtually identical text but signed by different authorities, were sent last week to nearby residents of the park, as well as to parents of Pelham Centre students. “The DSBN is currently building onto Wellington Heights Public School on Alsop Drive,” states the letter. “The size of the school's addition means the existing small soccer field will be eliminated. The Town and the Board have been discussing the possibility of working together to create a field for both the school and the

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at Highway 20 there will be a right turn lane added,” said Keane. All of the space will be taken from the west, alongside the new East Fonthill development. “When a new development begins, it’s a good opportunity for the a town— or the Region—to take land from the developer to do this sort of thing,” said Keane. “There will be be a separated multi-purpose path on the west side of the road. Normally the bike lane would be on the road. But this is a Regional Road—I wouldn’t want my kids learning to cycle on it, and so the separated option is great.”

“I start work at 2:30 PM and school lets out at 2:15 PM so I can’t take any other route,” Williams explained. “I have had friends, family, teachers and other community members reach out to me in the past about how this is unsafe and how there should be another alternative for us.” Looking ahead to winter, when she will need to walk this path three or four times See SIDEWALK Page 2

HERE IS NO BETTER time to cycle than Fall. It matters not whether you’re new to the sport, a seasoned recreational cyclist, racer, touring rider or mountain biker; we all have reason to look forward to autumn. Summer’s heat has faded, and the streams of sweat that ran from soggy helmets into our eyes are now just slight perspiration. Fitness is peaking from lots of saddle time, making those tough climbs of Spring a breeze in Autumn. It’s hard to beat the feeling of beginning a crisp, cool Fall ride with a slight shiver, knowing your efforts will soon warm you perfectly. The hues of Autumn are outstanding. A Pelham route as simple as following our southern boundary is one that would make most Toronto cyclists jealous, especially when our forests and fields are ablaze with colour. Begin from Harold Black Park, and zig-zag south along Effingham Rd toward the Welland River. If you’re new to cycling, it’s important to know south is the direction away from any hills. If you avoid the morning and evening weekday rush hours caused by those travelling through Pelham between Wainfleet See AUTUMN Page 3

Indulgence Bakery Mossimo’s Pelham Street Grille Sobeys Fonthill Peter Piper’s Pubhouse DeVries Fruit Farm Beamer’s Hardware & TV Fonthill Library PenFinancial Credit Union Bob’s Boys Antiques Moku’s Family Health Pharmacy Fonthill Fitness Fenwick Pie Company McDonald’s Fonthill Legion Semenuk’s Gas Bar Target Store Tim Horton’s Giant Tiger Fonthill LCBO Pub on the Hill Zee Lube Express Care Food Basics Minor Bros Stores Avondale Stores A-1 Market Sobeys South Pelham Grill on Canboro Pelham Library Ridge Berry Farm Circle-K

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The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

Page 3

Town sending lawyer to Region to ask for cash Funds depleted, short-term loan sought to finish community centre BY VOICE STAFF The Town of Pelham will send a lawyer to Niagara Regional council on Thursday in an effort to obtain a construction advance—a short term loan—to complete the new community centre currently under construction in East Fonthill. In November, after former Councillor Marvin Junkin resigned and revealed that the Town’s financial situation was different than previously believed, Regional Council placed a hold on the approval of all “additional debt” provided to Pelham. Infrastructure Ontario, which provides the loan to the Town by way of the Region, is asking the Region for confirmation that its approval of this loan dating back to 2016—and its willingness to cosign for it—still stands. Daniel and Partners LLP’s Donald DeLorenzo, who is slated to address Regional Council on Thursday, provided the Region with a letter last week that is included on Thursday’s agenda. “The funds to be advanced to Pelham by [Infrastructure Ontario] were approved by Regional Council and a contract with [IO] was executed by the Region prior to the passage of Regional Council’s motion with respect to Pelham’s finances,” writes DeLorenzo, who argues that this means that this is not “new borrowing” in the context of the Region’s motion putting a hold on Pelham debt. DeLorenzo says that if the Region had not passed that resolution last autumn, “the short-term construction loan funds would have been issued directly to Pelham without the Region’s involvement.” “Failure of the Region to execute the Acknowledgement will cause financial damage to the Town and will be looked at as a lack of good faith in fulfilling its contractual commitments to [IO] and the Town,” asserts DeLorenzo. While the construction advance is classified as a short-term loan, and is to be paid within 120 days of substantial completion of the community centre, the loan would be

converted to long-term debt if the Town is unable to pay off the entirety of the loan within those 120 days. “There is no requirement for the Region to approve short-term loans,” said Regional Councillor and Audit Committee Chair Tony Quirk. “And no reason for the Region to be involved, except that the short-term loan from Infrastructure Ontario has the ability to become long term debentures, which we know from the KPMG report pushes [the Town] over its [annual debt limit], which would require the Town to go get approval from the Province. But then they would have to admit they misled us.” According to information previously released by KPMG, if Pelham had paid for past projects by taking on debt, instead of by draining it cash reserves, the community centre loan as long-term debt could have pushed the Town over its annual debt limit. Quirk said that there was nothing stopping the Town from accepting the short-term loan from Infrastructure Ontario, and that the fact that Infrastructure Ontario is seeking Regional affirmation shows that the matter is indeed within Regional jurisdiction. “This proves that the Mayor’s previous claims that this is outside the Region’s jurisdiction are patently false and misleading, and nothing more than an attempt to act the victim,” said Quirk. Mayor Augustyn did not respond to a request for comment. One accountancy expert consulted by the Voice said that he was surprised to see that this request for affirmation was not first presented to the Region’s Corporate Services committee. Committee Chair David Barrick said the he understands it’s “a timing issue of when the Region was notified and when the approval is necessary.” “I suspect the majority will rubber stamp,” said Barrick of Thursday’s vote. “I however, will not. These last-second 'emergency/urgent' requests are not transparent to the public, I have concerns with

that.” According to a statement made on February 16 by Pelham Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Marc MacDonald, the Town had sufficient loan funds to cover construction costs until the of February. “Short term financing will be needed for the March construction invoice,” he said. Last week, Town Treasurer Teresa Quinlin told the Community Centre Oversight Committee during a public meeting that the Town is “working with [Infrastructure Ontario] to take out a construction bridge loan in order to pay for bills over the next few months while waiting for the land to be sold,” referring to East Fonthill acreage that the Town has been attempting to sell since last autumn. “Everything is fine as far as finances are concerned,” Quinlin asserted. This would not seem to be true if Regional Council doesn’t vote in Pelham’s favour on Thursday. Quinlin made no mention of the Regional vote in her presentation to the committee. In a report attached to Thursday’s meeting agenda, Regional staff wrote that unless the Region effectively confirms that it remains committed to its 2016 decision to approve Pelham’s loan request, Infrastructure Ontario “will not make any further short term/construction financing available to the Town.” Regional staff said also that the Town’s request to Infrastructure Ontario was for a total of $13.5 million, with the first draw coming in at $1.3 million. While Regional staff said that Infrastructure Ontario has confirmed that its position on Pelham’s approval for the project has not changed, this is not necessarily reflective of the Town’s financial position. “It is the Region’s staff understanding that this may be due to the fact that the Town’s application was approved largely on the strength of the Region’s financial credit worthiness,” says the report. The report says also that the Town “has indicated that it anticipates having land sold by August 2018.” It is unclear if by “land” the re-

port refers to all 18.75 acres for sale in East Fonthill. A first effort to sell the land in one block failed. Currently, 3.4 acres are for sale on their own for $2.38 million. The

Breaking with precedent, the Town's 2018 budget did not include reserve balances Town’s realtor website states that two other acres are “conditionally sold.” In reference to the $3 million dollars that the Town said that it would fundraise, the Region report mentions that 90 percent of this fundraising goal has reportedly been achieved. However, the Town’s effective fundraising goal is $3.3 million when the fundraiser’s fee is included. It is also unclear when the cash pledged becomes cash received. In January, Teresa Quinlin said that the Town had less than $400,000 of actual fundraised cash on hand. Meridian Credit Union, which bought the naming rights to the centre for $1 million, has declined to disclose the terms of its agreement with the Town. A real estate accounting expert consulted by the Voice speculates that it will take years for the Town to sell the land for the full $12 million, not, as the Town asserts, by August. “As the land sells over the next few years the loans will decline. When the lands are sold we can reduce the debt and issue new debt to fix our roads. Our taxes are not enough to carry the Town’s annual operating costs and pay for capital projects without borrowing money,” said the expert. “In the meantime we have very little room to borrow for our basic capital needs, like fixing roads.” Town staff have also reportedly told the Region that the Town only needs to take on loans of $4.7 million to replenish the depleted

reserves, down from an expected $10 million in November 2017, and a possible $17 million in September 2017. According to the Region report, the Town has said that the difference between the $10 million and $4.7 million will be funded with reserves. Another accountancy expert who spoke to the Voice said that this implies that the Town will either be using yearly operating funds to replenish the reserves, or that the Town “borrowed again from the development charge and parkland dedication funds in 2017, instead of taking out loans.” “It is impossible to verify because they did not disclose where all of the reserve fund balances were at the end of 2017,” said the expert. Breaking with precedent, the Town’s 2018 budget did not include reserve balances. Town Treasurer Teresa Quinlin has repeatedly ignored questions about why this was done. “It makes one wonder whether this was the reason—they didn’t want to disclose publicly that they had done even more internal borrowing. They deferred taking out any further debentures in 2018 because it would have likely put them over the 25 percent annual debt limit,” said the expert. “The Region should be asking for a detailed accounting of the Town’s 2017 reserves and compare it to the 2017 budget amounts. They should also question whether the fire radio payments in the 2018 capital budget and other capital items to be leased in 2018 have been included in the debt limit calculations, because I think they may have to be.” The expert asserted that the simplest solution for the Town would have been to go to the Ontario Municipal Board last autumn, after the Region placed a hold on additional Pelham debt. “Doing that could have avoided this last-minute standoff with the Region, and the need to send their lawyer to argue their case. But maybe they didn’t want the OMB looking into any part of the situation. But again, only they can answer, because it doesn’t look they ever disclosed why, or discussed the matter at any Council meetings that were open to the public.”

Readers, residents react to Town Hall's banishment of the Voice New twist as newspaper association director is queried by Pelham Public Relations and Marketing Specialist BY DAVE BURKET

The VOICE

Following our story last week, chronicling Pelham Town Hall’s trashing of Voice copies left for the public, the removal of a media worktable from Council chambers, and the Town’s refusal to answer or even acknowledge the simplest question from Voice staff,

reaction was swift. As of press time, the online version had garnered some 4,400 hits, 36 shares and 33 almost entirely critical comments on Facebook. A number of residents have expressed frustration in person to Voice staff. Some have said that they intend to carry folding tables into Council chambers for the next Council meeting

as a symbolic protest. The meeting was scheduled for Monday evening after the newspaper went to press. “There seems to be a general lack of professionalism on what would appear to be a whole bunch of city officials,” said Nick Taylor-Vaisey, the President of the Canadian Association of Journalists. “When you have [newspa-

pers] who are independent... it seems to confuse public officials into mismanaging situations. But this seems unique in that the tap has been turned off. What a bizarre way to go about dealing with the media.” Taylor-Vaisey, who is also an editor at Maclean’s magazine, said that the Town should “really start picking the phone, and put the

media table back there. And they should stop being so blatantly anti-transparency.” Taylor-Vaisey said that the Town’s refusal to answer even the most mundane of questions fails the public interest. “They have a duty to respond to question from the press on issues of public interest. That’s the first bad

Short term gains Long term goals

thing,” he said. “And the second bad thing is that they’re shooting themselves in the foot. Your readers have no idea what their rationale—or more likely excuses—would be. The full story is never told, and the community can’t move forward. It seems to feed a very poorly informed See STONEWALLING Page 14

Visit us at trulylocalinvesting.ca or one of our eight convenient branch locations including our new branch at 130 Highway 20 E in Fonthill. Conditions apply.

Page 4

The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

OPINION

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

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

As We See It Apology first, access to cash second

T

HIS T H U R S DAY evening the Town of Pelham will send its lawyer to Regional Council in an effort to gain access to $13.5 million dollars in short-term loans, money needed to finish construction of the new community centre. The loans were approved in 2016. However, as increasing scrutiny was brought to bear on Pelham’s financial condition and mismanagement last autumn, the Region placed further distribution of the loan funds on hold. Before releasing them, the Region has asked that certain financial questions relating to the Town’s adventures in East Fonthill be answered. To date, those answers remain missing in action. Now the Minister of Municipal Affairs is considering opening its own investigation into Pelham’s finances, an investigation called for by some 200 residents who petitioned for it, an effort also supported by Regional Council. The fact is that despite the Town’s silence, we actually do know more—much more—about Pelham’s financial situation now than

Regional Council knew in 2016, when it effectively rubber-stamped the Town’s loan application based on what turned out to be misleading statements.

Pelham Town Hall wants the reconciliation without the truth

We know now that the Town did not disclose that its reserves had largely been spent—that the numbers on paper were merely decorative. We now know that Pelham’s own councillors were not fully aware of this socalled “internal borrowing,” though the Mayor, CAO, and Treasurer almost surely were. We now know that the Town failed to disclose pro-

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The Voice

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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca PUBLISHER & EDITOR Dave Burket publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca NEWS WRITER Samuel Piccolo ADMINISTRATION Lori Gretsinger office@thevoiceofpelham.ca CONTRIBUTORS Carolyn Botari, Larry Coté, Colin Brezicki, John Swart, Kirk Weaver

vincial warnings about its financial condition—socked in 2015 with five “moderate” indicators, and two “high” indicators of financial challenge. Other revelations since 2016 include a dubious land-for-credits scheme in East Fonthill. We still don’t know whether the scheme was legal, much less why the Town would agree to a deal that so blatantly enriched a single developer. All of this is to say is that plenty of reason remains on Thursday for Regional Council to think twice about releasing any more funds to those in charge of Pelham’s purse. But as the Town’s lawyer argued in a letter to the Region last week, blocking receipt of the cash “will cause financial damage to the Town.” The lawyer is not wrong. Blocking it will also cause damage to the townspeople. We’ve already seen it. As the Town has poured millions into its East Fonthill legacy project, any number of infrastructure repairs have gone undone, capital projects deferred. The Town is now effectively broke. See EDITORIAL next page

Letters Hiding from the truth doesn't change it In a snit over local newspaper articles questioning the Town's convoluted financial schemes, Pelham authorities have revealed their war on citizens by removing the Council chamber media desk. Because few people believed the regime's 335-page explanation of a discrepancy in a suspicious land deal, it is certainly no reason to trash the newspaper's Town Hall deliveries or refuse to correspond with the media. Mistrust deepened when

the Mayor's posse involved the accounting firm of KPMG in a simple accounting report, and passed it off as a definitive forensic examination of absolution. The fact is that many Pelham residents show concern over spending and debt. Other levels of government, along with non-Pelham residents, are becoming alarmed by the Pelham regime's financial shenanigans. The Voice has been chronicling the issue as best they can on be-

half of those same Pelham residents. If the regime can't square with the media then the regime's conduct becomes suspect, and without squaring with the media, the regime's authorities should realize that they are going to war with their own residents, and more importantly, voters—voters who depend on an independent source of information. Preston Haskell St. Catharines

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament

Electoral District: Niagara West

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

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

Member of Provincial Parliament

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

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

Councillor James Lane jlane@pelham.ca 905-892-2607

Electoral District: Niagara West-Glanbrook

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

Ward 2 Councillor Catherine King cking@pelham.ca 905-658-8599 Councillor Gary Accursi gaccursi@pelham.ca 905-892-5528 Ward 3 Councillor John Durley jdurley@pelham.ca 905-892-5388 Councillor Peter Papp ppapp@pelham.ca 905-328-6008

Community Centre project updates: www.pelham.ca/pcc

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are welcome. Letter submissions should contain the writer’s full name, address and telephone number. Names only will be published. Names may be withheld if compelling reasons are provided. The newspaper reserves the right to change, condense or reject any contribution for brevity, clarity or legal considerations. All material in this publication is protected by copyright. Reproduction is prohibited without express, written permission of the publisher. ADVERTISING: The Voice of Pelham regrets any errors or omissions that appear in advertisements in this newspaper, however, we will not be held responsible for more than one absent or incorrect insertion or for any damages beyond the cost of space containing the error. The Voice is an independent, locally owned and operated publication.

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The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

Page 5

OPINION Letters

continued

Fancy wheels no substitute for character Quoting Jane Bedard regarding an anonymous “Jim” and his “Elite Car” [Discriminating taste, Mar. 14., p. 1]: “I know it may seem shallow to some, but Jim bought himself an Elite Car because it’s a great car and now he’d like to be treated like he’s the

One way to fund pothole patching

owner of a great car. Is that too much to ask?” Yes, it is “shallow” and yes, it is “too much to ask.” Respect and deference has to be earned by deeds, and by treatment of family, friends, acquaintances and

strangers with empathy, dignity and respect. It is not earned with the purchase of an “Elite Car.” Donald Trump owns a fleet of “Elite Cars.” Alan Bown Fonthill

Meridian pledge overshadowed by Town pettiness While being a member of Meridian Credit Union, I should be pleased at Meridian's announcement regarding the naming/ funding of the new arena complex in Pelham, but it is overshadowed again by the Augustyn/Ottaway plan to place a gag order on all communications within their own community. Why is it that truth, trust and transparency have eroded to this sad state in our community? We have a Mayor, Council and CAO who need a communications person to speak for them, unlike the residents, who know how to speak for themselves. Now they don't communicate at all to those that matter most, the citizens

of Pelham. Who are you serving—your self-interest, maybe? With the recent actions that this Town Hall has now taken, it is a wonder they don't try holding all Council meetings in camera. Their recent actions seem to indicate that they have a lot to hide. Why are disclosure and transparency such dirty words in Pelham, especially when it comes to financial arrangements and debt? Mayor Augustyn and councillors, it is obvious that you hear your constituents, but you don't listen to them. And as far as CAO Ottaway, if in fact intimidation, arrogance and bullying is in the controlled atmosphere within Town Hall, you need to be

held accountable like everyone else these days.

EDITORIAL

two years ago. The truth is that the community centre was a far more risky project than Town Hall ever let on. That said, it’s too late now. We’re stuck with it, and with the bills that must be paid to finish it (and later to run it). This doesn’t mean that the Region should again rubber-stamp Pelham’s re-

quest. Pelham residents, and Niagara residents, need someone inside Town Hall finally to take responsibility for the deception, someone to admit that mistakes were made and then covered up—a cover-up sufficiently unethical to prompt a Councillor to resign his seat in disgust. Pelham residents and

continued from previous page The problem is that Pelham Town Hall wants the reconciliation without the truth. The truth is that the Town misled the Region— and misled Pelham residents—when it applied for the community centre loan

Why is it that truth, trust, and transparency have eroded to this sad state in our community? In today's business world, not only are your actions petty, but may reek of being socially/ethically unacceptable. As far as the financial situation

you have placed taxpayers in, you will all answer for it one day, but as we all know the damage is done. By shutting down communications, you give further proof that the three pillars of being a good leader in your community, based on truth, trust and transparency don't exist here anymore. As a lifelong, 4th generation resident of Pelham, I won't let a group of petty politicians ruin the spirit of The Voice of Pelham. If you truly want to call your arena complex a “community centre,” start acting like it instead of gagging your residents and your local newspaper. Rick Kavanagh Fenwick

the Region both deserve an apology. If the Town wants its cash, Mayor Augustyn must rise before Regional Council on Thursday, demonstrate that he has the moral courage to admit when he is wrong, and apologize. Only then should the Region agree to turn on the tap.

Professional SERVICES Directory

Pelham roads offer a bumpy roller-coaster ride of many previously patched potholes. There is no money in the budget to properly repair them, as that money was appropriated for the looming community centre in East Fonthill. Borrowed money is debt. More debt for Pelham taxpayers. It is time to un-

load the heavy burden of the high salaries at inside Town Hall, given the town’s small taxpayer base of approximately 6000 households. The saved money will pave our roads, and demonstrate that our local government responds to its residents’ needs. Louise Morgan Fonthill

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CAREER OPPORTUNITY NEWSFLASH Tell us your story! Column Six presents tales of personal triumph, adventure, strange-but-true stories, life-changing events, and looks-back at our past. Did you conquer Everest or kick a bad habit? Did you meet your spouse-to-be in jail or on an African safari? Do you know where Hoffa’s buried? Write it down, send it in: publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca (You won’t get rich, but you will get paid.)

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Page 6

The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Treasure trove on 20 You never know what you'll find next in Jim Ryan's auto shop BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

The VOICE

O

NE RECENT Wednesday morning—though it could have been any day, since he is almost always there—Jim Ryan was in his auto shop on the corner of Highway 20 and Balfour Street. It was one of spring’s first teases, but all of the shop windows were still closed, and inside there was a hanging odour of axle grease and cigarette smoke. Stacks of hand-written invoices on yellow paper lingered on a counter. A radio station contractually forbidden to play music released after 1975 was on at a reasonable volume. The back of Ryan’s shop is all cars, muscled and antique, but in the front is his collection of old…things. Ryan welcomed his visitor and took him back in time. “Let me just switch on some lights,” said Ryan, who is in his early 70s. He moved his tall frame through narrow laneways between cabinets and reached for some lamps. “I really have no idea how many things I have here,” he said, once the room had been made brighter. “I’d really have no idea where to start counting. Even the insurance people don’t know. You can’t insure all this.” He was right. Ryan’s west wall is coated in Western memorabilia and toy guns (there are no real guns in the building). There are leather saddles and plastic saddles, old leather belts, cowboy hats on mannequins and cowboy hats on saddles, and saddles and guns on plastic horses, like the kind that you’d find bouncing up and down at a shopping mall.

On the west side there are horse clocks, and coonskin caps, and a replica lamp from the film, “A Christmas Story,” alongside a replica of the gun with which “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid.” There are acoustic guitars hanging on the wall. There is so much western stuff that even Ryan, gazing at his own collection, seemed overwhelmed. He walked to one section that was arranged as a sort of shrine. “I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time around Chuck Aylett,” said Ryan, pointing to a series of photos. The man in them had strong sideburns, a big hat, and looked like John Wayne’s not-lost brother. “He was right out of the movies. A real cowboy. And he was from here,” said Ryan. He explained that Aylett had long owned a horse farm nearby, training and riding horses. “I met him when I was about sixteen and working at a garage,” said Ryan. “I knew him for a long time. He was an artist too. See that leather belt there?” Ryan pointed to an ornate design with “Chuck” inscribed in the centre. “He made that all himself.” “One of my favourite things in here are those steer horns,” said Ryan as he looked up to a set looming above him. “That’s the picture of Chuck’s steer, and those are its horns. It died of natural causes.” Ryan moved back to the centre of the room. He picked up a small plastic gun and folded its tip back into the barrel, and then pulled the trigger. Out popped a “BANG!” banner.

Top, Jim Ryan's stuff. Above, the man himself. “Just a joke,” said Ryan. “Like from the cartoons.” Ryan has had his shop on Highway 20 since 1999, after a fire hit his previous location in Ridgeville. Friends banded together after the fire for a fundraiser, raising $30,000 in one day.

VOICE PHOTOS

One of those friends was the “Mayor of Fenwick” Gary Chambers, who walked into Ryan’s shop as Ryan was touring his museum. “You burned in the fall, didn’t you?” said Chambers, who was wearing his uniform Canadian tuxedo and

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palong Cassidy memorabilia. “My favourite thing in this place is right here,” said Chambers, opening a cigar box on a counter. “Wait a minute. It’s not here. But what are these?” He pulled out a smooth stone with a sharp edge and turned it over several times in his hand. “This is an Indigenous skinning stone,” said Chambers. He opened up another cigar box. “And these are all arrowheads. Look at the detail here, the work that went into that. They hammered these little notches in there to tie it to the shaft. Unbelievable.” Ryan nodded. “And then, on the last hammer— smash,” he said, miming the breakage of a carefully crafted piece. Chambers moved back over to the western wall to peer at another display case filled with First Nations arSee THE TROVE Page 13

The Voice

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PETER PIPERS

sipping from a large Donut Diner coffee. Chambers and Ryan were born a week apart and have known each other since they were eight. “Yeah, it was in September,” said Ryan. “And the fundraiser was that fall too. I had a lot of good friends who put in a lot of work to make that happen.” Chambers shook his head. “It’s not work when you’re doing it for someone,” he said. “What did we call it? ‘Saving Ryan’s Dream’?” Ryan’s shop in Ridgeville was the site of a former tractor dealership next to Wes Crowe farms. There is a big house on the property now, at the end of a long driveway. “It’s supposed to be a nice home,” said Ryan. “I’ve never seen it. Every time that I drive by the place I look the other way. I always wanted to build a house back there… but it never worked out.” Chambers wandered over to a counter in the centre of Ryan’s exhibits, right next to a cabinet filled with Ho-

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See dealer for complete details. ** The 2-Year Scheduled LOF Maintenance Program provides eligible customers in Canada who have purchased, leased or financed a new eligible 2017 MY Chevrolet, Buick or GMC vehicle (excluding Bolt EV) with an ACDelco oil and filter change, in accordance with the Oil Life Monitoring System and the Owner’s Manual, for 2 years or 48,000 km, whichever occurs first, with a limit of four Lube-Oil-Filter services in total, performed at participating GM dealers. Fluid top-offs, inspections, tire rotations, wheel alignments and balancing, etc., are not covered. This offer may not be redeemed for cash and may not be combined with certain other consumer incentives available on GM vehicles. General Motors of Canada Limited reserves the right to amend or terminate this offer, in whole or in part, at any time without prior notice. Additional conditions and limitations apply. See dealer for details.

Page 8

The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Pelham woman encourages guide dog awareness New arrival notices less familiarity with etiquette For most dog owners, it is a concern that their pooch might too eagerly greet passers-by while out for a walk, prompting calls of, “Don’t worry! He’s friendly!” But for users of seeing-eye dogs, the opposite is true—it often the passers-by who too eagerly greet the dog. LeAnne Bale, who moved to Pelham about a year ago, said that she’s noticed that residents in Pelham are less familiar with seeing-eye dog etiquette. “Maybe it was because people were used to me in Niagara-on-the-Lake,” said Bale. “But I’ve been frustrated by interactions I’ve had here.” When seeing-eye dogs are in their harnesses working, petting them, talking to them, or otherwise distracting them make them unable to do their job. Like all seeing-eye dogs, Bale’s current dog, Kota, a German Shepherd, is a completely different animal when she’s put in harness. (Seeing-eye dog is an American term. The Canadian phrase is “guide dog.” Kota is from the U.S., so Bale uses “seeing-eye dog.”) “When she’s in the house, she’s just a pet,” said Bale. “But as soon as I put the collar on her, she’s working. She likes it, and she changes. Her ears change and become all aerodynamic.” Bale said that sometimes

BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

The VOICE

when she is in public, she will take Kota out of the harness so that people can pet her. “If people are being nice, sometimes I’ll tell them to go and wait for me outside of the door, and I’ll take off the harness so that she can become a pet for a moment.” Bale estimated that 95 percent of people are understanding when she tells them that they can’t treat Kota like a pet when the dog is leading her around. Bale, who is 45 and got her first guide dog 20 years ago, has Usher’s Syndrome—a genetic disease that combines hearing loss and Retinitis Pigmentosa. With hearing aids Bale can hear well, but her vision is severely impaired. “I have no peripheral vision and no night vision at all,” she said. When Bale was in kindergarten, her teacher noticed that she was having difficulty hearing, and she was soon fitted with hearing aids. “My parents said to me, ‘Do you know how many spankings you got because we just thought you were ignoring us?” When she was in high school, she found that she was having trouble seeing as well. After seeing an eye specialist, Bale’s parents

called a family meeting. “We used to hate those meetings—my siblings and I would all say to each other: ‘What did you do?’ I didn’t do anything.’ But they just asked me to put my arms off to each side by my head and then bring them towards each other until I could see them. When I realized that my hands were pretty close together, I said, ‘Uh-oh.’” Soon after this diagnosis, Bale began communicating with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), which she calls an amazing organization. Bale has contacted the CNIB numerous times when she has been hassled by employees of a store, who question her ability to have a dog with her. “In Ontario, they’re not legally allowed to ask for identification—most people don’t know that,” said Bale. “I always keep mine with me, and I will show it. Some people refuse to do that, because they think that it sets a precedent. But I want it to be educational, so I show my identification and then I tell them that I’m going to call the CNIB. And the CNIB will come in and try to do some training for the staff.” Bale explained that the legislation around seeing-eye dogs makes for complicated rules, particularly in Ontario. “A seeing-eye dog is dif-

LeAnne Bale with her seeing-eye dog, Kota. ferent from a service dog,” she said. “I am legally allowed to have a seeing-eye dog with me in stores and other places. It is illegal for them to ask me to leave because of this—I could call the police. Service dogs are different. They could have a human rights case against

VOICE PHOTO

a store if they were asked to leave, but not a criminal case.” The problem, said Bale, is that it’s difficult to properly regulate the system. “Anyone can buy a harness for a seeing-eye dog online and put it on their dog, and they can’t question you,” she

said. “I was at the vet and I was talking to a man who said that he was going to raise his dog to be a service dog and get a harness for it, and that he’d be able to bring it into the mall. He said that because he had cancer two years ago, he would say that it was an emotional support dog. And I said, ‘Well, who’s going to train it properly?” Katrina Postma, the coordinator of Ontario West for the CNIB, seconded Bale’s concerns about the lack of regulation for service dogs. “There are no repercussions for using a fake service dog,” she said. “But there are for using a fake guide dog. Using a fake guide dog can result in a fine of up to five hundred dollars—why isn’t it the same for service dogs?” Postma said that the presence of improperly trained service dogs has affected users of guide dogs. “Employees of businesses may have had an experience in the past where a service dog was barking, or was acting up,” she said. “So they say, ‘We don’t want any dogs in here.’” Postma said that CNIB tries to educate people to notice the differences between guide dogs and service dogs. “We really stress that businesses should take a moment to inform employSee ETIQUETTE Page 11

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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

Page 9

PELHAM

Pieces From Our Past

Vimy Ridge, a missing gun, and a mysterious girl BY CAROLYN BOTARI

Special to the VOICE

O

NE HUNDRED AND one years ago, on April 9, 1917, the 2nd Canadian Mounted Rifles battalion (made up mostly of Victoria, B.C. soldiers) joined tens of thousands of other Canadian troops who bravely stormed Hill 145, Vimy Ridge, in the World War I battle that changed the course of history. Over four days, the Canadians, along with the British

5th Division and many artillery units, overwhelmed the Germans and took the ridge. A regiment historian of the 2nd CMR recorded that at 5:30 AM on Easter Monday (April 9) the troops began the assault along the 6.5 KM ridge. Troops trudged through thick mud churned up from explosions, the ground beyond recognition being littered with wire, bodies, artillery, etc., the stretcher-bearers close on their heels. Guns were jammed with mud from soldiers lying on the ground, the Germans firing on them

at point-blank range when they met in the trenches. The 2nd CMR Battalion attacked with five officers and 664 other ranks. Upon relief on April 12, 14 officers and 335 other ranks remained, the rest wounded or killed. Despite these horrendous conditions, on April 9, during the height of battle, this group managed to capture five war trophies. Included in these trophies were one field gun, three machine guns and one trench mortar. These and many other trophies were brought back to Canada

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as symbols of victory. The Canadian government then distributed the trophies to communities across Canada. It is the trench mortar, captured on April 9th, 1917, by the 2nd CMR Battalion at the battle of Vimy Ridge that is pictured in the photo above, in front of the Tempranceville Inn (much later Keith's) in Fonthill, dating from the late 1920s. The mortar arrived in Fonthill on October 26, 1920 via the Grand Trunk Railway. A machine gun captured at a different location also arrived

in Fonthill on this day. Accompanying the trophies was a letter from the Canadian government stating, “These trophies, which have been declared the property of Canada, are sent to you with the understanding that proper care will be taken of them and in taking them over, it is understood that you agree to this condition.” There are no specific references made in archived Town Council minutes regarding a war trophy being placed in Fonthill, though on December 15, 1920, the Council minutes show that permission was sought to place field guns at Old Town Hall. The fate of the Fonthill war trophy remains a mystery. Most likely it was sent back into scrap at the beginning of World War II, when three-quarters of Canada's war trophy guns were melted down for scrap metal as the war machine ramped-up once again. Who the young girl in the picture is is also mystery. If anyone recognizes this person or has additional photos

or information about Pelham war trophies, please contact Carolyn at fivegablesfarm@ yahoo.ca

These and many other trophies were brought back to Canada as symbols of victory The Pelham Historical Society would appreciate the opportunity to scan and archive any resources you may have. Editor's Note: The Pelham Historical Society will present a talk on Vimy Ridge this coming Saturday, starting at 2:30 PM, at Kirk-on-the-Hill in Fonthill. All are welcome.

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Page 10

The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

E. COLI continued from Page 1 ence of bacteria well above the safe limit. “This water system is microbiologically contaminated and requires disinfectant and flushing,” wrote analyst Peter Van Caulart in his report. “Surface water is migrating into the groundwater and threatens the subsurface aquifer…‘Do Not Drink’ water from this source, until remediated.” At Van Caulart’s recommendation, Redekop had a second test done, this time with a sample he sent to Public Health Ontario. “The test was OVERGROWN (heavily contaminated with bacteria often found in the environment) and coliform and/or E. coli were present,” concluded the Public Health report on March 7. “I started out with just boiling the water, I thought that maybe this would clear up. Then the tests come back: ‘Unsafe. Do not drink,” said Redekop. Van Caulart, who has trained people to test water quality for 31 years, explained that the test he did looks for all living organisms in the water, including bacteria, viruses, and microscopic animals, and not specifically for bacteria like E.coli. “The limit for an acceptable drinking water is less than one,” said Van Caulart of the scale of the test that he completed. Between one and ten are controlled limits. Redekop’s readings ranged from 447 to 854, some 50—if not 100—times higher than an acceptable reading. “When you get a value of four hundred, or eight hundred, it’s way off the scale,” said Van Caulart. The test done by Public

Health also came up with a result meaning that the water is unsafe, though Van Caulart specified that Public Health arrived at the conclusion by a different method. He said that the results of the second test mean that the sample was “overrun with surface water microorganisms, not necessarily [ones] that would cause disease, but certainly ones that would degrade water quality.” Redekop says that after he left a copy of the first test result at Town Hall, Public Works Director Andrea Clemencio called him. “I said that I’d like to sit down and discuss what we’re going to do about it,” said Redekop. “She said that if there’s a problem the Town is going to take care of it, and that I should get my paperwork together.” According to Redekop, after he received his second test results he left messages with both CAO Darren Ottaway and Clemencio. He says neither have returned these messages. “I don’t know if it’s just that they’re hoping that you’ll tire yourself out chasing your tail, or the water will fix itself,” he said. Neither Clemencio, Ottaway, or Pelham’s Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Marc MacDonald responded to—or acknowledged—the Voice’s inquiries. Van Caulart said that it is possible that Redekop’s well was contaminated prior to the Town’s road work, but since Redekop did not have the water tested recently there is no way to know. “I think it exacerbated a poor situation already,” said Van Caulart of the road work, saying that Redekop’s

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well is too close to the road. “Sixty years ago [when the well was put in] there would have been a ditch at the side of the road, and the ditch was probably filled in with a culvert,” said Van Caulart. “The culvert is filled in with leaves and dirt, and the water runs over the driveway instead of underneath.” Redekop confirmed that there was a culvert under his driveway when he first moved in, and that after cleaning it out himself several times, he gave up. While Redekop says that he hasn’t had the water tested in some time, the only problem he has ever had with the well was when the water table dropped some 15 years ago, rusting steel pipes near the bottom. “After we fixed it, the water was tested by Marshall Field, the well driller. It was fine then. And it’s been fine ever since—the water tastes perfect and no one has ever been sick,” said Redekop. Redekop was in contact with Clemencio and others in the Public Works department about the road in the middle of last year. The previous swale, which successfully directed surface water away from Redekop’s well, had too abrupt of an incline, so cars pulling in to Redekop’s driveway would bottom out, often resulting in damage. Redekop filled out a form to present in front of Council on the matter, but says that this request was ignored and that Town staff instead told him that they would just fix the problem. “They said that they were going to be there by Christmas [to fix the road],” said Redekop. “I said, ‘You do realize that I need a berm.’” Redekop said that he was anticipating the inclination of the swale to be made more gradual, but to remain steep enough to keep the water away from his property. “I came home one day and

Gordon Redekop by his well on Effingham Street. Redekop has been drinking bottled water since his well was contaminated in January. VOICE PHOTO it was all done,” said Redekop, “I pulled in and I said, ‘Man, is that ever nice,’” impressed by how smooth the paving was. But quickly, he says, he realized that the swale was no longer high enough to stop the surface water. Redekop says that immediately after the shoulder was repaved he spoke of his drainage concerns with Clemencio and Town Engineering Technologist Matt Sferrazza. “I told Andrea, I said, ‘Listen. There’s bacteria on the road from all the dead critters. It’s almost a daily thing with the chipmunks, squirrels, possums, raccoons, and the odd coyote and fox. They [repaved the road] in mid-December and I went right back up to Matt and said, ‘I don’t think it’s going to work. You got no berm, no lip. You removed it.’ He said, ‘Oh no, there’s one there.’ And I’m thinking, well the middle of the road is higher [than the shoulder]—by six or eight inches from what I can see, without measuring it.” “Matt said, ‘We’ll be out to

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look at it, we’ll get ahold of you.’ Never got ahold of me. That was in late December, three or four days after [the work was done.] I said that I was going to keep an eye on it and I’ll get back to, but I thought that we should have a meeting out here and I’ll explain to you what [needs to be changed.]” Van Caulart says that despite the less-than-ideal location of Redekop’s well, there is shared responsibility for the situation. “The real issue is: who’s to blame and who’s going to pay for it?” he said. “I think there’s a split responsibility here. Gord has a responsibility to maintain the well with a sanitary seal, and there’s none there. And the Town has a responsibility to direct the water so it drains correctly and not onto people’s property. That would mitigate the circumstance.” The course that Van Caulart teaches certifies the operators of water treatment plants and water distribution systems to test water quality. He said that one of the first groups he taught were employees of the Town of Pelham. After he completed the

test on Redekop’s well, Van Caulart said that he stopped by the Pelham yard and spoke to a Town employee there. “I walked in and I said, ‘I got an ATP test on that well,’ and they said, ‘Ah, crap, okay.’ I had a discussion with the works manager, and he said, ‘Yeah, there’s a bit of a problem [at Redekop’ well]. But we don’t know if it’s us or if it’s him,’” said Van Caulart. Though Van Caulart said that Redekop’s account of the problem is anecdotal, he added, “Any reasonable person can say that there’s certainly cause and effect. And with Gord maintaining that he hasn’t had this problem before, but has it now, it ties in with when the road work was done, so that causes one to say, ‘Well, how well was it done?’” Redekop said that he intends to consult a lawyer on what action he could take next, but is still hoping that the Town will come to its senses and make the simple fix that he says the swale requires. “If that was their water source, I don’t think that they’d sit still,” he said.

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ETIQUETTE continued from Page 8 ees about the legislation. A guide dog won’t be wearing a service dog vest—it will be using the special guide dog harness that only guide dogs use,” she said. Postma added that it is legal to ask for papers of service dogs, so if a dog is wearing a service vest then a business may request identification demonstrating the dog’s certification. Bale emphasized just how difficult it is to raise seeing-eye dogs to pass the required tests. Of the six dogs that she and her family have raised, from eight weeks old to about a year and a half, just two have passed. “Another one would have passed

KILYK continued from Page 1 Team All-Star. Kilyk averaged 11.6 points and 6.8 rebounds during the season while playing a team-high 28.9 minutes per game. Niagara head coach Mike Beccaria called Kilyk’s arrival timely. “We had several players who graduated from the previous year and she really stepped into a leadership role and played point guard for us which we desperately needed,” he said. Kilyk did everything for the Knights. “She played tons of minutes, rebounded well, passed well, scored when she had to and she’s absolutely one of the best defenders in the province,” Beccaria said. “She always guarded the opponent’s best player.” Kilyk enjoyed her last season of post-secondary hoops. “It was a really good group of girls to play with because there were a lot of new girls and a few girls who played last year,” she said. “We worked well together and the season overall was really good and it seemed like the team took a step forward from where it was at last year.” Knowing it was her last year inspired Kilyk. “I wanted to finish on a high note and give everything I could to it,” she said. Being named an OCAA all-star was an added bonus. “I wasn't expecting it, to be honest, but it was a good feeling to get that.” She isn’t sure how she will fuel her competitive instincts in the future. “It will be hard not to play as competitively as I have been, but I will gear more towards coaching and training now and just having fun while playing.” She has been playing basketball for 16 years and competitively since she

too, but then they found that it had cataracts. That would have been good—the blind leading the blind. So that one just became a pet,” she said. Postma called the difficulty of passing guide dog training the equivalent of getting into Harvard or Oxford. Bale’s first seeing-eye dog died right about the same time as her first child was born, and she waited a full five years before getting another one. “It was better that way, because I had a newborn and I wasn’t sleeping at all,” said Bale. “It didn’t really hit me until five years later when I got the new dog. I still remember it—putting the harness on, and then it just hit me. You really become so close to the dog,

was 10. “I grew up playing basketball every year and it will be hard.” She has always loved the sport. “I like the competitiveness of it, the team aspect and doing stuff with really good friends that you make playing basketball.” Kilyk works as a trainer with Mihai Raducanu’s No Limit Performance, although she didn’t do as much during the season due to school, basketball and work commitments. She's hoping to work more with No Limit in the near future because she enjoys training the next generation of basketball players. “I like being able to help kids improve their skills, see them grow as basketball players and individuals, and bringing what I know about the game to them.” Another year of post-secondary hoops has made her an even better instructor. “Taking a year off before I went back to play, I

especially when they save your heinie multiple times.” Because Bale’s vision loss isn’t comprehensive, she finds that occasionally people aren’t sure that she’s blind. “Maybe it’s because I can make eye contact,” said Bale. “Katrina says that some people think that we shouldn’t even be allowed to wear lipstick. But we all make adjustments, and learn to work around things. I really love make-up, so I have a deal with my husband. If I start to look like a two-dollar hooker, he has to say something.” “There are many different types of vision loss,” said Postma. “You’d be surprised at how many people think that all blind people have dark glasses and a cane.”

forgot a lot of things about the team aspect of it,” she said. “Getting back to it reminded me of how to work through plays on the court and stuff like that.” Kilyk agrees the basketball landscape in Niagara has changed dramatically since she was a young player working her way through the ranks. “When I was younger, there wasn’t a lot of individual training and I didn’t start doing that until my last year of high school going into university,” she said. “Now when I am around here, I see so many kids taking the extra hours to train outside of their team and it’s pretty cool.” Kilyk has begun a job search in her field and is not exactly sure where she wants to begin her career. “I want to be involved in sports in some way, whether it’s training skill development for basketball or training of another sort such as conditioning. “My options are open,” she said with a laugh.

Page 11

Postma said that while someone who is legally blind may be able to read, or see someone when they are seated across a table, this is not helpful when crossing a street. “When guide dog users go out with their dog, it becomes an appendage to their body. These are their eyes,” she said. Though Bale loves having her seeing-eye dog, she acknowledged that not everyone is interested in using one. Bale’s brother has the same condition as she, but his approach to getting by is completely different. “He won’t get a dog, and he won’t use his white cane,” she said. “If there was some sort of medical trial to fix the condition, he’d be the first one to do it. I’m not one to rush and volunteer.”

Bale said that she monitors the technological advances—her latest hearing aids are bluetooth-enabled, and connect right to her phone. She said that when she heard about driverless cars, she thought, “Maybe I’ll be able to drive someday.” “Then I heard about all of the crashes, so maybe not.” Some time ago, Bale was told that there was a new treatment that could help her regain one hundred percent of her hearing. “I asked what the catch was. [It was that] I’d have to give up all my hearing in one ear to get one hundred percent in the other,” she recalled. “I said no. Maybe if I wait ten years, I can get one hundred percent in both.”

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The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

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Posted PELHAM MUDFEST March 15 mud as the second Men and women will be back in the run on the year is 905-892-8690 held at Bissil’s Hideaway. Central

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Page 13

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THE TROVE continued from Page 6 rowheads. Ryan said that, in all honesty, he didn’t know where he got most of the stuff. “My brother gave me a lot of it,” he said. “And birthdays, Christmas, Father’s Day. This is what people get me.” Some of the bigger items on display have been Ryan’s for a while. The centrepiece of the room is a 1961 Thunderbird.

“I bought it the year my daughter was born, and gave it to her on her seventeenth birthday,” he said. “She drove it around for a few years, and then marriage, kids for her, and it’s back in here.” East of the Thunderbird is Ryan’s sport and gaming area. Old leather boxing gloves rest on the wall near a catchers mitt. In a famous photograph, Gordie Howe hooks a hockey stick around the neck of a young Wayne Gretzky.

VOICE PHOTO

“The pinball machines used to be front and centre right there. Then a friend brought over that piano, and it blocks them off,” said Ryan. “I can’t play it. I always wanted to.” “Me too,” said Chambers. “But I can’t carry a tune in a hand-basket. I’ve always been jealous of those with a natural musical ability.” The two made their way back to the front of the room. Ryan got sidetracked along the way. He stopped and picked up a set of a black

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plastic shoes, monkeyed with controls on their bottom, and then placed them on the ground. “The Twist” started to emanate from a speaker on them, and the shoes shifted around on the floor, moving to the beat. “I just love useless stuff,” said Ryan, smiling. Back on the counter, near the box of arrowheads, he held a small plastic contraption with two eyeholes to his face. “Take a look,” he said, handing the View-Master to his visitor. On the reel were a series of images of a cowboy riding a bucking horse. “That’s all it took to amuse a kid back in the day,” he said wistfully. Ryan and Chambers looked at an early arcade game, a little booth with a steering wheel and a film wheel projected on the screen in front. “Oh, these things,” said Chambers. “I remember all you could hear was the sound of the reel right above your head.” Back near the front of the room, close to the shop’s entrance, Chambers pointed to a wall of oils and lubricants. “That’s wheel grease there for a horse-drawn buggy,” he said. “That’s a good one, Jim.” Ryan agreed. Soon, he was again preoccupied with

Waiter, this water didn't come from a well in Pelham, did it? We prefer our E. coli for dessert, not the main course.

another pair of dancing footwear, this time white boots. “I’ve got to go lube this up,” he said, disappearing into the shop side. Chambers took a long look around

Good old Nancy Sinatra. She couldn't really sing, but people had other reasons for liking her while his friend was gone. “Every time I come in here I find something new,” he said. Ryan returned and put down the white boots, which promptly began to sing, “These Boots Were Made For Walkin’.” “Good old Nancy Sinatra,” said Ryan. “She couldn’t really sing, but people had other reasons for liking her.” “It would be neat if you could somehow get those boots on to Marilyn’s feet,” said Chambers, referring to a mannequin sitting near-

by that was supposed to be Marilyn Monroe, but which had a ways to go before achieving even a passing resemblance. “This is Fenwick’s bestkept secret,” declared Chambers. “Not many people know about it. But there were those people that came in—what country were they from? Norway?” “Belgium,” said Ryan. “Right. They had a translator or guide with them, and I don’t even know how she knew about the place. But they were crying when they saw all this stuff,” said Chambers. Ryan smiled at the memory. He picked up a framed photograph and wiped off some dust. “Here we are. 1958 baseball champions,” he said. “I think that’s me in the back row.” Chambers took the photo and squinted at it, reeling off the names of the kids lined up. “That might be me in the front there. Look at all those freckles,” he said. “You know what? I still have my cleats. I found them up in my mother’s attic.” He turned to Ryan. “Do you want them?” he asked his friend. “Absolutely,” said Ryan, without thinking. “I’ll put them up on my sports wall.”

Page 14

The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

IN THE NEWS

would make it very difficult for a lot of contractors. You don’t want to be in a situation where no one bids on the project.” But Keane said that a two-year completion would not mean that the site would remain under construction during the winter. “Everything would have to be hard. We want plows to be able to go over it,” he said. During the construction, there will be some inconvenience to residents of the road. “In the end it’s going to be

continued from Page 2 Assuming that the project receives approval from Regional Council, construction is scheduled to begin in June, and will last at least until the end of the year. “The Region is being flexible on this and will allow for a two-year completion for the project,” said Keane. “If we said that it was to begin in June and that all asphalt has to be down in November, that

STONEWALLING

der the cover of night you’re going to get away with something like this. Someone’s going to notice that there are newspapers in the trash, and it’s not going to be hard to figure out who did it. That fact was going to come out. It makes no sense. Ham-fisted, wrong-headed, it’s everything.”

continued from Page 3 community.” Taylor-Vaisey said that he’s never heard of a municipality throwing away papers. “That's petty as hell. It’s not just petty, it’s damaging... It’s not like even un-

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worth it, if you can be patient,” said Keane. He advised non-residents to use other roads while the work is being done, especially if they’re in a hurry. Keane said some of the concern that attendees of the session had were not related to this specific project. “They’re stuck in a weird limbo zone for the urban boundary,” he said. “They’re on water, but they have septic tanks, and a sewer line goes right in front of their

A new twist came last week when the Voice was alerted by Caroline Medwell, Executive Director of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association, that she had been contacted by Town Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Marc MacDonald—but that MacDonald initially did not clearly identify who he was and where he worked. Medwell said that MacDonald wanted to know which Voice news articles won the paper an award for Best Investigative News Story, awards which won’t be formally announced until they are presented in Toronto in late April. “I thought, ‘Why is this guy bugging me about the Voice of Pelham?,’’ said Medwell. “So I did find out what the story was and I read the story, and I saw his name, Marc MacDonald in it, and I just emailed him and said, ‘I thought you were [an Association] member but you’re not, you seem to be P.R. for the Town.” Medwell was a journalist for nearly three decades,

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house. Unfortunately no one at this meeting has any control over these things.”

R.I.D.E. finds no impaired

On Saturday, March 17, members of the Niagara Regional Police conducted R.I.D.E. checkpoints within St. Catharines. Approximately 1000 drivers were stopped and questioned about any alcohol consumption. With so many drivers being stopped, police say they were

working for the Globe & Mail and Rogers Media, before transitioning into the newspaper association’s management. “Once I found out that he was trying to get information about the newspaper...I’ve never had a municipality call me,” she said. Of MacDonald’s inquiries, the Canadian Association of Journalists’ Taylor-Vaisey said, “That’s the kind of thing that's not technically or necessarily unethical, but certainly feeds this weird pursuit of…what? What are they even trying to find out? What a waste of time.” According to one Pelham resident, he was told by a Regional councillor and a Town of Port Colborne councillor that the media table had been removed so that wheels could be installed on it. The councillors did not specify who in Pelham had asserted this. But another resident who spoke to the Voice says that she phoned the Town last week and received very different answers from Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Marc MacDonald.

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surprised to see that no one was arrested for impaired driving. Police noticed that many of the drivers that entered the checkpoints were taxi, Uber, and designated drivers. Police issued several tickets throughout the day, including one driver who was charged with stunting, after it was discovered that they were transporting a person in the trunk of their vehicle. This driver lost their licence and also had their vehicle towed and seized for seven days.

“I asked him some questions, and he said that he didn’t have the answers for me but that he would talk to some people and get back to me,” said the woman.

I thought, 'Why is this guy bugging me about the Voice of Pelham?' “He called me back the next day. I asked if there was a desk shortage in Town Hall that they needed the table for, and he said no. I asked him if the Town needed the space in the Council chamber, and he said no, they weren’t using the space. And I asked him if the table was going to be returned, and he said that there were no plans to put it back.” “There was no mention of wheels,” she said. The woman says that MacDonald confirmed that the Town was not answering the Voice’s questions, attributing this to an effort to distance itself from the newspaper. Neither the Mayor, CAO Darren Ottaway, any councillor, nor Marc MacDonald responded to Voice requests for comment. Regional Councillor Brian Baty did, however, and didn’t hold back:

“While I still send Pelham Council a summary report of Regional Council activities, I no longer attend the Pelham Council meetings. I would have generously transferred my seat to the Voice, but Pelham is the only council chamber in Niagara that has not provided dedicated seating for their Regional Councillor, usually at a staff table. “To deal with the decision to remove the media table from Council chambers, and to trash copies of the Voice, I recommend that all local daycare and nursery care centres be provided copies of “The Emperor’s Clothes,” and that our young citizens learn from this classic story so that they can grow up to become docile, submissive electors. “As further preventative measures I recommend that the Public Works Department be requested to install water cannons in the arches leading to Town Hall. “I also expect an infrastructure grant from the federal government to create a moat around Town Hall and to stock the moat with piranhas. The only gate to the Council chamber across the moat should be controlled by Billy Goat Gruff, who will charge admission to enter the Council, and residents will be subjected to a penalty should they ever challenge the Mayor and councillors with a comment or question. “I recognize that these suggestions are beyond reality, but so is the current situation.” With additional reporting by Sam Piccolo

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The Voice of Pelham, March 21 2018

Less screen time, more online service—achieving balance at the library

COLUMN SIX continued from Page 1 “I’m looking for the Potter books. Can you show me where they are, please?” It was the Beatrix and not the Harry I was after—J.K. Rowling herself wasn’t born until a whole decade later. She pointed at the runic markings on a nearby book. “You’re in the wrong aisle,” she said, wearing the patient smile that my Grade 3 teacher gave me when I asked if Greenwich Mean Time was a part of the day when someone was allowed to make fun of you. “Can you show me the way to the right aisle, please?” No one called them teachable moments back then, but she was all over this one. “I think you can do this yourself.” She led me to the catalogue drawer and wrote down the code for Beatrix Potter. “Now, we’ll find the aisle that includes all these letters and numbers, and when we’ve found that, you’ll follow it to where the letters and numbers begin to look just like this. Then you begin at the top shelf and work your way down, until you find your book. It’s that simple.” Things might have been even simpler if she hadn’t stayed to watch. I went into a blind panic. With my face up against the books, I ran my fingers along the spines like I was reading braille, a charade to convince my examiner that her “hands-on” strategy was working. I glanced back down the aisle and nodded to assure her I had already drawn a bead on Benjamin Bunny and Squirrel Nutkin. She nodded back, then departed, satisfied she had fed a village by teaching a child to fish. My father used the same method when he thought it

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

BY KIRK WEAVER

CEO Pelham Library

was time I learnt to swim like one. One day he tossed me out of a boat into water that was way over my head—like the Dewey Decimal System—in the belief I would surface straightaway and slice through the waves like Mark Spitz. Instead, I sank. All the way to the bottom. He had to dive in and haul me back up. I don’t blame my father, or the librarian. It was the way back then. Long before Nike invented the slogan, you were told to “Just Do It.” Unless you couldn’t. I can swim now, in spite of my lesson, but I’m still nervous around water. And libraries. Years later, I was relieved to discover that my fear, related to something called bibliophobia, is fairly common. There’s even a Multidimensional Library Anxiety Scale to measure it. A recent study at an American university—researchers tell us there is now nothing that hasn’t recently been studied— found that 75 to 85 percent of English students suffered from library anxiety. Causes include library size, the sheer volume of

books, students’ own feelings of inadequacy—and, yes, librarians themselves. It’s pathetic, I agree. Embarrassing. All the same, I chose avoidance therapy and started going to bookstores. After decades of buying books, I’ve accumulated a sizable library of my own. What that cost me would buy a small yacht, though I’m happier with the books because being near water is still a problem. Library membership wouldn’t have worked for me in any case. Having to return a book is not something I could easily do. Occasionally, I examine the un-coded spines on my shelves, recalling how a particular book made me smile, or taught me something, or helped me make sense of who I am and what it means to live in this world. My books have become fellow travelers in my journey, sources of sweetness and light, humour and distraction, and so I’m reluctant to part with them. I do cull them from time to time, the ones I couldn’t finish, or didn’t enjoy, and

donate them to my local library. The librarians smile when I appear with a box of books, and I’m able to smile back now. Recently, I wrote a book myself, and after it was published I took a copy to my local library. I felt the old anxiety as I approached the main desk, clutching my book. The librarian smiled and pointed to a counter. “Returned books go over there.” “But I’m not returning it. I wrote this book myself, and I wondered if the library might want to, you know, have a copy.” She looked at it and sighed. “What kind of book is it?” “I’m afraid it’s a novel.” “Self-published?” “No. I have a publisher. In England. So, might the library like a copy?” She handed me a form to complete and said they’d consider it. My book’s in the library now, and one day I plan to go back, sign it out, and shelve my bibliophobia forever. But I’m kind of hoping I won’t be able to find my book. Maybe someone will already have signed it out. ◆

Two items recently caused me to think about the impact of the ever increasing presence and growth of digital resources on our communities. First, some research from the Australian Institute of Public Policy examining the intrinsic value of libraries as public spaces in a digital society. The research concluded that despite significant digital innovation in the delivery of library services, communities still view libraries as physical spaces with books and other forms of physical media. The conclusion is that a more proactive approach is needed to communicate the wide availability of online resources and service in libraries. I expect that similar research in Canada would lead to the same conclusion. As users demonstrate a desire for greater online experiences, libraries need to respond, by investing, where resources permit, in creating a positive online and digital service experience. In order to meet community need we need to deliver service in a way the community expects. Second, material being prepared for the Healthy Kids Community Challenge Niagara focusses on reducing the screen time for kids and encouraging more active play. Niagara libraries, including the Pelham Public Library, will be participating in the Power Off and Play program this summer. The focus of this initiative will be to minimize chil-

RENOVATE

dren’s sedentary pursuits and recreational screen time to allow more opportunities for active and healthy activities. We are still in the planning stages, but you can expect a variety of creative programs to come forward from our excellent staff. On the surface, meeting growing demand for digital based library service, while participating in a program intended to encourage less use of digital devices would seem contradictory. Perhaps this is why it caught my attention. Naturally, we want to be consistent in our messaging. However, as with most things in life, it is about achieving a healthy balance. Our participation in the Healthy Kids Community Challenge is not to say that all screen time is bad. There are many positive applications for digital technology. Children and adults alike can constructively use their devices to ensure they are leading a healthy lifestyle. We want to fulfill our mission to engage, encourage, and enrich the community by providing information and programs in various formats about all of the choices available. We believe that providing a good balance of options will support members of the community who want to make healthy choices about technology for themselves and their families. We always welcome your suggestions on how we can do this better.

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