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Wednesday, March 8, 2017
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North Pelham drain project flushed
Larry “BILKO” Bilkszto Your Local Sales Representative 905-563-3330 • 905-641-1110
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Column Six
Talking about it
Petitioners say thanks but no thanks; Town still on hook for $38K
BY NICK SALTARELLI
BY NATE SMELLE
Special to the VOICE
The VOICE
Petitioners for the North Pelham Drain were given an opportunity to withdraw their names from the petition at a special meeting of Council on Wednesday, March 1. Members of the public filled every seat available in Council chamber to hear a report from K. Smart Associates Ltd. engineer Neil Morris, and to ask questions about the proposed solutions it was expected to provide. The meeting was short-lived, however ,and Morris didn’t even get the chance to present his report, because the last remaining petitioners, Kerri Hollinshead and Jamie Gregoir, withdrew their names from the petition, rendering it invalid. The couple was visibly upset, stating that they had sent an email 22 months ago, allegedly indicating that they did not want to proceed with the process, since their drainage issues had been resolved. “The truth of the matter is that since we took some legal action the problem has almost been solved,” said Hollinshead. “Here we are, 24 months later, and we are being told we are on the hook for $14,000, and we had to file a legal suit to get this problem to stop. And now the Town is on the hook for almost $40,000. It’s mind-blowing really. It’s all of our money, all of the taxpayers’ money being thrown out the door for something we said we didn’t need.” The North Pelham Municipal Drain includes an area comprised of lands mainly north of Metler Road, south of Kilman Road, between Cream Street and an area west of Maple Street, covering 51.4 hectares See FLUSHED Page 17
M
“I mean who do the Trustees think they are? They are representatives of the people, and to me they’re not doing that, so why are we paying them? No one is listening, and that’s the most disturbing point. It’s our money, it’s our world, and it’s our lives, and they don’t seem to live in it. They forget that they are public servants.” When Tennier learned of the memorandum of understanding between the Town and the DSBN related to “sharing” Cherry Ridge Park, she was astonished that it was
Y FATHER, and especially my father-in-law, wouldn’t talk about it. They'd both served during WWII but in different theatres. My dad’s was the North Atlantic chasing U-boats in the corvette HMCS Thorlock, named after Lock 7 on the Welland Canal. Her place in history is having accepted the surrender of the infamous U-190. Major action was otherwise sparse. A torpedo near-miss. A probable submarine sinking. Ninety-foot hurricane waves north of Bermuda. My father-in-law was a junior officer in the West Nova Scotia regiment. Italy and Holland. Imagine these two places in 1944-45 and you know why he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it, though it would have been better for him if he had. I never once saw him cry. Talking about it is cathartic but comes at a cost to the teller and, to an extent, to the listener too. Letting it all out triggers a flood of cortisol and adrenaline and causes one to re-live what he might rather forget. If it would stay out, well, that would be a good thing. An exorcism of sorts. But memory demons are tenacious. They cling like bur-
See NO NEED Page 12
See COLUMN SIX Page 18
Jace Cryderman, 2, gets his first taste of maple syrup taffy with his grandfather Julius Bartfai, and Patti Clark, at the Agape Valley Sugar Bush Pancake Breakfast last Saturday. Story on page 3. NATE SMELLE PHOTO
Teacher speaks out: No need for soccer field BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Residents of the Cherry Ridge subdivision adjacent to the controversially renamed Wellington Heights Public School have been continuing their fight with the District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) regarding their plan to annex part of Cherry Ridge Park. Cherry Ridge resident Marcy Tennier, an elementary teacher with the DSBN, is one of a growing number of individuals compelled to speak out against her employer. Considering the resounding
Says official soccer program doesn't even exist public opposition to both the E. W. Farr name change and the DSBN’s attempt to poach part of the park, Tennier cannot understand the Board’s refusal to engage with the people they are supposed to serve. “This fight needs to happen because it’s about a bigger issue — it’s about democracy,” she said.
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Page 2
The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
IN THE NEWS
PUBLISHER’S CORNER by Dave Burket
More crazy on the way... Realtor Debbie Pine says that the Pelham market shows no signs of slowing. “I think the spring will be just as crazy as it's been. It doesn't look like any end in sight at this point, I think it's going to be crazier.” Fonthill’s favourite realtor should know—which isn’t to ignore the three new realtors joining the Voice family: Larry Bilko, with ReMax; and Carl Bégin and Robert DiCorrado, with Peak Realty. Let the jousting bégin. On the other hand...In this week’s commentary, Larry Coté reiterates the point that many seniors aren’t thrilled at the rise in property values. This reminds me of the entirely believable theory that the only people left in North America with disposable income are Baby Boomers. They enjoyed a high standard of living through their working lives, saved plenty, and now enjoy comparatively generous pension incomes. The cherry on top is that their family homes are now worth north of a million, easy. There’s never been a better time to be 70. An electrifying tip...Local boy gone west and returned again, Rick Gretsinger, husband of Voice Office Manager and all-round wonder woman Lori, suggested awhile back that we look into the DeCew generating station, that structure you see in the distance on the hill as you return from St. Catharines along First Street Louth. Well, look into
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it we did. This week John Swart presents the fascinating history of the station, which has been in operation for over a century. Our centerfold of the grand old lady (technically a center-spread) might give you the vapours. What a beauty. The Young and The Stampless...Witnessed at the Fonthill post office: A 20-something is in to buy stamps for hen-do invites. Stamps in-hand she makes for the exit, only to turn around and ask which side to use. “Either mailbox is fine,” answers the clerk. “No, I mean the envelope. Which side does the stamp go on? It’s been so long.” Looks are exchanged among staff and those in the queue, words being unnecessary. (Hey, soon enough stamps will be replaced by some bloody smartphone app... then who’ll be rolling their eyes as Gramps tries to swipe left and ends up buying a Volvo.) But seriously...Now a teacher comes forward to reveal that there’s no actual soccer “program” for the proposed DSBN landgrab in Fenwick. Words fail, though she has some choice ones starting on page 1. And few things offer more pleasure in this job than an email from Nick Saltarelli, pitching a new piece. His effort this week does not go where you think it will. This is one you’ll remember. The events are true; the names have been changed. Countdown to spring: 12 days. Tune up that mower.
Break and enter and theft to a shed
Occurred overnight Feb 27-28 on Poth St. near Sumbler Rd. to a shed on the property. Stolen were several chain saws, a chop saw, a nail gun and two 4x4 all-terrain vehicles. Kioti make, orange, red and black in colour. Investigation continues.
More speeders nabbed
Police say that speed enforcement on Highway 20 at Timmsdale Crescent netted another 25 traffic infractions on February 28.
Break and Enter
Occurred on Stonegate Place, Fonthill, March 4 at 8pm. Police responded to an intrusion alarm and found the rear door kicked in and open. Nothing was reported missing.
Board threatens to lock-out Catholic teachers
The Niagara Elementary Unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) was informed by the Niagara Catholic District School Board last Friday that unless an agreement on local terms for their collective agreement was reached by March 19, the school board would be locking out the elementary teachers when classes are scheduled to resume after the March Break. A statement released by the Board asserts that it has been working to negotiate a contract since Feb-
ruary 2016. The Board says that the work-to-rule action by elementary teachers underway since early last September has been disrupting some 14,700 students throughout the Niagara Region. While the Board asserts that a lockout is in the students’ best interest, the union responded that elementary teachers are poised to continue preparing, teaching and assessing students as they have done since the beginning of the school year. OECTA stated that the Niagara Catholic District School Board’s threat of lock-out shows a lack of respect for students and teachers, considering the teachers have been continuing to work even though their collective agreement expired on Aug. 31, 2014. The two parties were to have met with a provincially appointed mediator on Monday. If an agreement is not achieved the Board said it will send a letter to all families by March 9 informing them that the teachers will be locked out on March 20.
Fort Erie drug charges
On Friday, March 3, police sya that members of the #5 District Criminal Investigation Branch executed a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act search warrant at a residence in Crystal Beach. Detectives located a quan-
on vacation!
tity of cocaine, ecstasy, hydromorphine and marijuana worth an estimated street value of $3,000. Also seized was a quantity of Canadian currency. Charged with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking a Schedule I Substance x 3, Possession of a Schedule II Substance and Possession of Proceeds of Crime is 43year-old Shane Sibbald of Fort Erie. Sibbald was transported to 2 District in Niagara Falls and later released on a Promise to Appear and Officer in Charge Undertaking.
Carfentanil confirmed to be in the Niagara Region
The Niagara Regional Police Service along with community partner Niagara Emergency Medical Services are alerting the public to an overdose death in the Niagara Region. Authorities have determined that Carfentanil was associated with the death, which occurred in November of 2016. Carfentanil is an opioid that is 100 times more potent than fentanyl. Police say they wish to make individuals aware that this deadly opioid has now made its way to Niagara. This opioid is known to have been mixed with many other street drugs without the purchaser's knowledge. Police remind all residents that the most important thing you can do for any suspected overdose is call 911 immediately. Paramedics are trained to identify and treat symptoms of opioid overdose, and Advanced Emergency Medical Dispatchers can provide lifeSee IN THE NEWS back page
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DSBN wants portion of Town park Request made of community still peeved at name change
Vol.20 No.48
CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
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Column Six The Comfort Maple myth BY JULIE MANNELL
Special to the VOICE
HEN I WAS young,
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NIAGARA’S BEST-READ WEEKLY SINCE 1997
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Oops: No fire trucks for you Haist Street traffic-calming measure a little too effective BY VOICE STAFF A construction error was discovered following the opening of a traffic calm-
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In an effort to bring further attention and deterrence to driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, the Niagara Regional Police Service reports the names of those people who are charged with an alleged criminal impaired driving offence in the Region. None of the following charges have been proved in court. In addition to being charged, these individuals are also bound by a Ministry of Transportation 90-Day Administrative Driver’s License Suspension and are prohibited from operating a motor vehicle on a roadway. The public is encouraged to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service Traffic Safety Hotline or Crime Stoppers to report those who are driving in contravention of the suspension. The following individuals have been charged criminally with impaired driving by alcohol or drugs, driving with a blood alcohol concentration above 80 mgs of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, or refusing to provide a breath / blood sample.
The
Michael Sportel
Mary Ann Kirby in Freeport, Grand Bahamas!
NRPS impaired driving charges
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Column Six Growing up British Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation BY HEATHER McLAREN ROHRER
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Vol.20 No.32
Apple Day comes to Fonthill Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932 BY VOICE STAFF While shopping in Fonthill between Friday and Sunday, keep an eye out for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in front of local stores with
The goal is to have these youth develop
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Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn BY JOHN SWART
VOICE Correspondent
HERE IS NO BETTER time to cycle than
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The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
Page 3
A sweet day in Agape Valley Hundreds descend for a chance to taste nature's nectar BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Families and friends lined up outside the main lodge in Agape Valley on last Saturday’s sunny, but chilly morning for the annual free Pancake Breakfast. The scent of maple filled the air, wafting up from the valley below, where a team of volunteers were boiled up a fresh batch of the sweet treat. After breakfast, guests also had the chance to enjoy a hayride through the valley and tour the sugar bush that helped make their breakfast a meal to remember. As the manager of the Agape Valley Christian day camp and overseer of the maple syrup operation, Tim Hartwick understands how much work goes into the seasonal celebration. “Everyone you see working here today is a volunteer,” he said. “We have people working in the kitchen and serving tables, there are volunteers helping with the parking and others taking people on tours through the sugar bush and the production facilities.” Every year, Hartwick said, they welcome hundreds of visitors from throughout the region and around the world who make a special trip to the Agape Valley Sugar Bush to be a part of the seasonal celebration. “We have people from all over the world who come here each year to spend a day in the sugar bush and take home some real maple syrup,” Hartwick said. “All of the proceeds we raise go to offset the costs of the camp in the summer. This is one of our biggest events of the year and it gives a lot of kids a chance to come to our camp, who wouldn’t have the opportunity otherwise.” Shaphan Reed has been volunteering with the camp for over 10 years. One of the volunteer tour guides, Reed spent the day feeding the
fire beneath the boiling pans and serving up maple taffy on ice to the public. Emphasizing the formidable effort that goes into producing a single litre of maple syrup, he explained how the delicious liquid is created. “The weather dictates when the sap flows,” said Reed.
We have people from all over the world who come here each year
“It needs to be below freezing at night and then warm during the day, and then the sap will flow from the roots upwards. The sap comes in between one and two per cent sugar, so it takes about 40 litres of sap just to get a single litre of the syrup.” Leading groups through the sugar bush, Reed described the many ways syrup has been made in the past. The idea of transforming sap from maple trees into syrup came from First Nations people, who had a very different method of producing the delicious treat. “What they would originally do is have a hollowed-out log and take a hot rock from the fire and then put it in the log and that would start the process of evaporation,” Reed explained. “It would take a long time and they wouldn’t get maple syrup, but they would get a sweet drink or something that they could add to a stew. When the pioneers came along, they had blacksmiths who would make
Top: Shaphan Reed show how many buckets of sap go into a single bucket of maple syrup. Above: Trevor Hartwick shows off an elusive Agape Valley "Maple Cobra." Left: A log-o'sap. NATE SMELLE PHOTOS
boiling pots, which allowed them to boil it down further to make syrup.” First, he said a small hole drilled in a maple tree, in which a spigot is then inserted. This allows the sap to flow into a bucket or a receptacle. Once enough sap has been collected, it
is then boiled in an evaporator, filtered before it is bottled. Though there are many buckets adorning the trees in the Agape Valley Sugar Bush, the operation uses a more modern method of collection and production. Instead of buckets, they use of tubing which
stretches from tree to tree, feeding into a main line that leads into a large receptacle. Prior to evaporation they also extract water from the sap through reverse osmosis. This makes the process much more efficient by reducing the amount of boiling time, according to Hartwick. “It decreases the amount of wood we use by half, which reduces the amount of time it needs to spend in the evaporator,” he said. “It takes a tightly wound filter that only water molecules can fit through, and you push the sap through with about 500 pounds of pressure. Out the other side
comes nice clean water. What doesn’t come through is the sugar. It saves us a lot of time and it makes the whole process way more efficient. We are even able to use the water to clean the machinery.” Located on Kilman Road in Ridgeville, Agape Valley offers family-friendly events year-round and the Agape Valley Christian day camp each summer. Agape Valley will be open every Saturday in March and weekdays during March break from 8:30AM to 3PM. For more information about Agape Valley visit their website at www.agapevalley.ca or call 905-892-4273.
"Sugaring-off": A brief history of maple syrup BY ROSEMARY CHAMBERS
Special to the VOICE
Is there anything more Canadian than maple syrup? "Sugaring time," that brief space between winter and spring when the snow starts to melt and the sap begins to flow in the maple groves evokes romantic images of our pioneering past. Despite the technological advances in farming techniques, production of maple syrup remains largely a "family operation," essentially unchanged from its traditional past. The skill of collecting and processing the sweet sap of the sugar maple was known and valued by the native
peoples of eastern North America long before the arrival of European settlers. One legend tells of a Native American chief who yanked his hatchet out of the maple tree where he had left it, and set off for a day of hunting. He didn't notice the deep gash his blade had left in the tree, but all day a colourless liquid trickled from the gash, collecting in a birch bark bowl that was leaning against the maple tree. The following day his wife noticed the full bowl, and thinking it was water, used the liquid to cook a venison stew. The resulting sweet stew was a happy accident, beginning the culinary tradition of ma-
ple-cured meats. As the Native Americans discovered maple syrup, the different tribes called it by many different names. Sinzibuckwud was the Algonquin name, meaning ‘drawn from wood,’ the Ojibwe called it Ninautik, meaning ‘our own tree,’ and Sisbaskwat was Cree for ‘maple sugar’ World production of maple syrup is limited to the Maple Belt, the hardwood forest that stretches from the midwestern US through Ontario, Québec and New England and into the Maritimes. During the summer, the sugar maple tree creates a high-energy sugar inside the leaves, which mix-
es with the water absorbed by the tree's roots to form a sap which flows through the tree. These sugars mature during the winter, and in early spring, as the days become warmer, the sap begins to flow. "Sugaring-off" was largely a woman's function in native communities. Each spring, the community moved from their winter hunting grounds and set up camp in a sugar bush. Each woman in the household had her own sugar hut surrounded by a bush of sugar maples. The men cut notches into the tree trunks and small hand-carved wooden troughs were stuck into the bark. A wooden bowl placed
on the ground caught the sap that dripped along the trough. When the bowls were full, the entire family carried the sap to the sugar hut to begin the next stage of making syrup. To evaporate the water from the sap they placed stones heated in a fire inside the pots of sap — a slow, laborious process. By watching the native peoples, Canada's early settlers learned how to tap maple trees and boil the sap down to make syrup. They experimented with native methods and improved upon them. Instead of gashing the bark, settlers drilled holes in the tree, pushing wooden spouts, or spiles, into the holes. They hung buckets
from nails below the spiles to protect the buckets from strong winds or animals. They also used iron pots over open fires to evaporate the water. You will still find this traditional bucket collection in many parts of rural Canada, although now the trees are being connected with plastic tubing through which vacuum pumps draw the sap into large storage tanks. Even so, the short season of "maple moon" is still a sweet reminder of the hopefulness of spring. Special thanks to Randy Lisoy, Public/School Co-ordinator, White Meadows Farm, and Historica Canada.
Page 4
The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
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OPINION
The opinions expressed in submitted commentary and letters to the editor are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Voice of Pelham.
The Voice of Pelham is a 1211858 Ontario Limited publication David Burket, Publisher 2-1428 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S1E0
COMMENTARY / OP-ED Larry Coté Let's look out for Pelham seniors
A
FEW WEEKS AGO, correspondent John Swart presented a special report on the threat to seniors posed by the ever-increasing cost of housing in Pelham. An informal survey of the stock of new homes built in Pelham in recent years brings that threat into clearer focus. The prices for many of these newest homes have skyrocketed to previously unheard-of levels. Evidently, developers are not targeting the local population. One might venture that many of these targeted buyers are expatriates from the GTA, where, we learned last week, the average sales price of a detached home in Toronto has hit $1.5 million. Their good fortune allows them to buy new, less-expensive homes in Pelham and invest the remainder of those gains in income-producing products. The threat to seniors from the increasing costs of home ownership in Pelham should be a matter of concern to the entire community. Seniors seeking to downsize, many on fixed income, are faced with a limited stock of local housing options. For reasons of profit potential, build-
ers do not see this group as an attractive target market. There are better margins to be had when building and selling larger more expensive housing. And so, what might be done to protect these seniors from this threatening situation? There does appear to be some momentum to address this issue both at the provincial and local levels. Pelham’s civic contingent should continue to address this crucial matter as a priority issue. This problem, and the number of victims, will become more visible sooner than later. John Swart’s research advises that provincial legislation is being enacted that will give municipalities much-needed new tools to help ameliorate the impact of this issue. Once in place, the Promoting Affordable Housing Act will provide municipalities with the option to require new developments to include affordable housing in any proposed subdivisions. Such a prospective bylaw would need to be carefully crafted and may require an amendment to the Town’s official plan. The bottom line is that
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over time this inclusive mix of housing will result in growing the stock of affordable homes to properly house seniors and others with limited resources. Although not exactly analogous, automobile manufacturers produce “affordable” compact cars alongside expensive luxury models. One might presume resourceful home builders are capable of instituting comparable strategies and provide a mix of housing. Such initiatives would result in a growing stock of this type of much needed housing to be built. Protecting Pelham’s seniors from this nefarious vulnerability is a worthwhile goal. A good place to keep this right-sized policy top of mind is to talk with your councillor — especially if you are or near being a senior or close to another who is. Residents might encourage Town leadership to begin in earnest to seek solutions to this issue. One option under consideration is to amend the official plan in some way to encourage developers to designate a percentage of housing developments to be affordable for seniors and other less affluent citizens. To integrate mixed housing in new subdivisions is the ideal goal.
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Deja vu: Town tries to define Haist Street park as "surplus" After reading numerous opinion letters on the opposition to the changes at the Cherry Ridge park, I noticed a similarity to things going on with another Pelham park. Last fall several residents living close to the Haist Street park, adjacent to the Pelham arena, met with the Town staff to learn about the little-known changes to the community park that has served the needs of our community for decades. Last fall we noticed a
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Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor David Augustyn mayordave@pelham.ca 905-892-2607 Ext 317 Councillor Brian Baty 742 Memorial Dr. Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0 905-892-5317 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607
small article in the Voice that approximately 8 acres of land, the Pelham arena land, was being considered for re-zoning and sale. I visited the park and determined that these 8 acres included the park area as well. This is the park where we have soccer fields, tennis courts, a basketball court and a playground. These are all well-used facilities and the Bauer trail runs through it. There are well over 200 trees on the land of various species. I asked my neighbours if they were aware that the park was being considered
Not one person was aware of this and the reactions were strong
for sale. Not one person was aware of this and the reactions were strong. After asking some of our councillors what was going on, we See "SURPLUS" next page
Mayor of Pelham David Augustyn mayordave@pelham.ca 905-892-2607 Ext 317 Members of Pelham Town Council
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Letters
The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
Page 5
continued
Double whammy as property taxes rise Kevin Ker's open letter [Calls on Councillor to understand, Mar. 1] is correct and factual. It is just another illustration of how Council members do not do their research before acting, probably on a multitude of issues. They are too concerned about being politically correct and offending the name Wellington and the DSBN. Get real! Why are these Councillors seemingly afraid to take a strong stand against an organization, but
"SURPLUS" continued from previous page were left with different facts and views. In order to get to the bottom of the discrepancies, we arranged a meeting with Town staff for several residents to attend. We were informed that Town staff had recommended to Council that not only was the Pelham arena “surplus” to the needs of the Town but the park was surplus as well. The residents in attendance at that meeting were shocked to hear that a wellused park could be designated “surplus” and sold for the greater good of the Town. Apparently the Town needs the sale of the approximately 8 lots to help pay for the Community Centre. The potential sale proceeds are greater than the needs of everyone living in the approximately 300 homes in this area, not to mention everyone else in Pelham who uses the soccer fields for tournaments, tennis, basketball, football and just walking through the park. The new East Fonthill development has a very large park, as it should under the municipal planning act. Would incoming homeowners feel comfortable knowing that we sold a well-used park in an older community to help pay for all of the nice amenities built around their development?
quietly sell their constituents a load of bunk. I hope that the people of Pelham keep the pressure on the Mayor and Council until we have a chance to replace them. It seems as though every issue that Council and the CAO handle is a fumble. The concern that I have is what more damage can they do in the meantime? What damage will they allow developers to do—to the forests, agricultural land, wetlands of East Fenwick? It is amazing to watch what
I applaud the residents of Cherry Ridge for quickly organizing and presenting a petition to the Town Clerk against the change in use of their park. We intend on doing the same in our area as a first step in stopping the potential sale of the park portion of the Haist Street site. It struck me that the potential sale of the park on Haist Street in Pelham is symptomatic of a larger problem in the administration of our Town and the representation from our elected officials. Parks are a requirement under the municipal act when a subdivision is built. It’s a requirement for a good reason. Parks bring communities together and provide a positive, safe environment for families to come together, play in, and meet their neighbours. For Town staff to suggest that a well-used park is surplus, or its use can be changed, is rarely heard of in Ontario. For town coun-
foolish politicians will do to pay for an "ill-financed" twin pad, under pressure. Instead of development fees going towards Pelham's operating budget to operate the Town and infrastructure, the monies are diverted to an arena complex. In order to run the Town, they then increase our taxes to make up the shortfall. Double whammy! This year 4.7%. What about next year and those thereafter? Mayor Augustyn and Council
cillors to support this idea tells me that they have not asked, and are not listening to, the people who voted them in as their representatives. If the Town needs another million or so dollars in funding for the Community Centre, why not borrow more money? According to our Treasurer’s numbers, that would cost the average taxpayer approximately $2.50 a year to borrow the amount that the park would sell for. Surely all the taxpayers, for the greater good of the Town, can afford that amount so we don’t lose another park in Pelham? Other options for saving money can be found in the Community Centre capital budget itself. Perhaps there’s more fat in the budget that can be trimmed to make ends meet. Changing the use of one park, proposing to sell another, is a slippery slope for the Town and our elected officials. I pray that when the decisions are made re-
are treating us like sheep and trying to soft-sell us. This has to stop now! If we lose the E.W. Farr issue and allow the Town to make a deal with Cherry Ridge Park, and allow them to bulldoze the natural lands east of Balfour Street, Fenwick loses even more identity as a rural village. Smart development includes being stewards of the land and respecting the environment, not the urban sprawl of East Fonthill. They surely do not know how to
prepare a sound strategic / financial plan, or handle the taxpayer's money, or take a strong ethical stand on behalf of their constituents. Their incompetence at all levels has to be challenged before it is too late. I have spent most of my life in Pelham Township and want to be able to afford to retire here. “Mayor Dave" and Council hear us, but they do not listen. Rick & Michelle Kavanagh Fenwick
For Town staff to suggest that a well-used park in surplus, or its use can be changed, is rarely heard in Ontario
garding our parks, each councillor thinks clearly about the disappointment that the residents will feel
if they vote to take away our parks. Please submit your views to this newspaper and let
your town councillors know that changing the designation of a park to “surplus,” or letting the school board take over another, is not acceptable. The discussions about both of these parks have been ongoing since last year. Promising to consult the taxpayers and giving them a few weeks before the formal decision is made to present a signed petition is not how we want to be represented by our elected officials. Alan Morgan Haist Street Park Committee Fonthill
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Page 6
The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
Dog park faces drainage issues
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
OBITUARY
Problem has steadily worsened since Centre Street facility opened in 2014 BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Patrons using Pelham’s first leashfree dog park, located on Centre Street just north of Regional Road 20, are frustrated with the current soggy state of their beloved public space. Since the park opened in the summer of 2014, Pelham resident Huibert Rynberk said he has enjoyed exercising his German Shepherd in a safe place where they can socialize with the other dogs and dog owners. In the last couple of years, the parkland has gotten wetter and the experience has become less enjoyable. “I go there almost every day and my dog always comes home covered in mud,” said Rynberk. “All I want the Region to do is drain it properly. It wouldn’t cost all that much money. It’s a very well-used park, so they should take care of it. There has got to be more than 50 people who use that park on a daily basis. Every night it’s the same group of about nine or ten people who get together at the park. All they’ve got to do is fix the problem — I call it ‘the swamp.’ It’s not like it’s going to cost a million dollars.” With the rainy season approaching and the problem worsening, Rynberk said he and some of the other park patrons have taken it upon themselves to try and temporarily fix the problem by digging trenches to drain the water from the fenced in area. If the Region doesn’t take action soon, he said they will be putting together a petition. Niagara Region Program Manager of Waste Disposal Operations, Andrew Winters, said the Region is committed to addressing the drainage issue. He
CRICK,
Thomas Jeffrey “Tom”
Mudfest Challenge, canine version. NATE SMELLE PHOTO said they appreciate and understand the concerns of the park users. “In designing the park, located on the site of a former landfill, we did not anticipate drainage to be an issue in the dog park area,” he said. “The Region did explore some shortterm solutions such as adding gravel, however this will not alleviate the pooling of water as the water is not properly draining.” Winters said that within the parking lot area, proper drainage was installed to manage onsite surface water and in 2015 they identified drainage issues in the area that houses the large dog park. According to Winters, the Region took action to address this issue by installing a few French drains — trenches filled
with gravel to redirect surface water and groundwater away from the area. These drains were installed when the pathways were created, and they have not proven to be a permanent solution. Having hired a consultant to develop a solution to the problem, Winters said their initial investigation has indicated that there may be a larger source of water, potentially coming from outside the former landfill area, that may be contributing to the pooling of water in the dog park. By mid to late March 2017, the Region anticipates that the consultants will have identified options for permanent remediation. Winters said that the Region expects construction to take place later this spring, once they have determined an appropriate solution.
It is with broken hearts that the family of Tom announce his passing after a valiant and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer, the morning of Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the age of 53. Tom leaves behind his soul mate of fourteen years, his loving wife Patricia (Koepke) Crick. Devoted son of Vilma (Moretti) Crick and predeceased by his father Keith Crick (1993). Dear brother of Todd Crick (Deborah) and Trent Crick. Greatly missed by his niece Pamela and nephew Ethan. Sadly missed by his brother-in-law Karsten Koepke (Marina) and their children Susanna and Alexander. Tom will also be dearly missed by his extended family and his many friends. Tom’s entrepreneurial and visionary skills could be seen throughout the community. He was an active member of
the Fonthill Bandshell Committee, receiving the 2009 Peer Award for his active role as the sound engineer for the Bandshell. He was an active member of the Welland Curling Club and an avid golfer. From the age of nine, Tom’s second home was Lookout Point Golf and Country Club. When he wasn’t golfing, he enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson motorcycles and travelling whenever he had the opportunity. He was also the hands behind the one-of-a kind pies at his family’s restaurant, Keith’s Restaurant, in Fonthill. At Tom’s request, cremation has taken place, and there will be a Celebration of Life in his honour announced at a later date. In memory of Tom, donations may be made to Pancreatic Cancer Canada. Online condolences and memories may be shared at www. pedlarfuneralhome.ca
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
Letters
The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
Page 7
continued
Sees intolerance for Christians "The Comfort Maple Myth" [Feb. 8] came to my attention late, but I read with interest the essay and the responses to it. [MPP Sam] Oosterhoff was educated through a system here in Canada called "home-schooling.” It has always interested me to know why I can't find (and forgive me if I am wrong) anywhere in the media the fact that all of Mr. Oosterhoff's siblings were educated using this method and that among his siblings numbers a Dr. Oosterhoff at the
University of Cambridge, and one of our local schools saw fit to not discriminate against Mr. Oosterhoff and accept him in their program at Brock University. Many European immigrants came to Canada after WWII not just the Dutch. True to form the Dutch sponsored each other or were sponsored by the Dutch churches here in Canada, not local farmers, who benefited from the hard working and skilled Dutch immigrants. My grandfather left behind a proper-
ty, business, and extended family and came with his wife, children, clothes and some possessions to start all over in Canada with very little money. They received no support from any Canadian or the farmer they worked for, nor did the government supply all they needed to live for the first year. My family was one of the blessed ones; they did not have to give up their dignity and live in a chicken coop. It’s important to me that I never forget my European, Canadian and world
history and that as a Canadian I too have the freedom of religion and speech. Many people speak in a condescending manner and show intolerance to Christians. Prime Minister Trudeau has said that “diversity is our strength.” True diversity allows absence of prayer for an atheist. True diversity allows a Christian to pray. All are allowed to “vote” for what they believe. I suggest for people to read the book by Tom Doyle “Killing Christians,” and you
will see that we as Christians are extended across this world and the horrors some of us Christians are actually living through. I think Fonthill is a wonderful place. Yes, it is a small town. No it is not like Montreal or Toronto or America. It is its own unique place, but unlike writer Julie Mannell, I cannot say, “Welcome to my home town of F***hell Ontario,” because I don’t live there. S. Sikkema St. Ann’s
Page 8
The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
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The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
Page 9
Left: Identification plaque sits proudly on a century-old Voith Heidenheim turbine still in use today. Above: Though they look dated in their own right to us, to a late 19th century engineer these analog dials and LCD displays would be a modern wonder. JOHN SWART PHOTOS
Historical gem still pays its own way BY JOHN SWART
VOICE Correspondent
C
ONTRADICTIONS abound when one enters the DeCew 1 Generating Station on Twelve Mile Creek in St. Catharines. At a time when smart phones sized to fit in a pocket or purse communicate effortlessly around the world, powered by a diminutive battery which draws its life from a slender cable plugged into a household socket, it's hard to believe that this electricity comes to us from a Voith Heidenheim water turbine installed in the DeCew 1 station in 1905. Sure, this turbine has had a couple facelifts during its lifetime, but it has produced reliable power for more than
Paying a visit—and homage to— Canada's oldest continuously operating hydroelectric generating plant 111 years. Yes, 111 years. Artificial intelligence designs, and robots produce, our automobiles, appliances, almost all the consumer durables we use every day, yet Ontario Power Generation Electrical & Control Technicians Jaret Risto and Mark Dennie are working inside this massive, antique turbine, painstakingly repacking its stator by hand, one thin wedge at a time, doing their part to ensure it will
live for another 40 years. If one draws a mental picture of machinery more than 100 years old, Charlie Chaplin's film Modern Times comes to mind. Greasy, smelly monstrosities, loudly cranking out unsophisticated widgets in sweltering factories with grimy floors. Not here. DeCew 1's century-old equipment whirs at decibel levels well below modern safety standards, and expecting to find a drop of oil or grease on the pow-
er plant's endless concrete floor would be fruitless. Even if someone were to inadvertently spill a can of oil, Gerry Foote, Vice-President Niagara Plant Group, assures me that sophisticated oil and water separators, oil sheen detectors, and other state-of-the-art technology would ensure that not a drop of it entered the waters of Twelve Mile Creek. In a rush to produce green, renewable, sustainable electricity we've seen massive wind turbines rise above the agricultural land west of Pelham, and solar panel installations of all sizes proliferate across Ontario. All the while, DeCew 1, simply using the power See GEM Page 14
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An aerial view of DeCew 1.
The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
OPG PHOTO
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The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
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No need for Cherry Ridge soccer field continued from Page 1 even being considered. “I just don’t understand why you would even ask people if you could take part of their land,” she said. “I also have to really question the wisdom of our Mayor and Council for even considering that. If someone asked me if they could take some of the land I own, I would say no, and that’s the end of that conversation. It would go no further.” With a 16-year-old daughter who will be playing Pelham soccer again this year, and a 21-year-old daughter who played until she was 12, Tennier believes that eliminating already limited green space is not imperative to the continuation of the program, which is run by teachers who volunteer their time after school. “The soccer program is a ‘program’ insofar as teachers volunteer their time outside of regular school hours to supervise and coach a team,” said Tennier. “They’ve blown the whole notion of a ‘program’ out of proportion. There is nothing in our curriculum that specifies our children need to have soccer skills. I’m not a soccer hater.... I work with kids and I’ve been a teacher since 1991. I find I’m almost ready to quit my job and become a lobbyist.”
It is not customary for teachers and other education workers to provide supervision off school property during nutrition breaks and recesses. Therefore,
I also have to really question the wisdom of our Mayor and Council for even considerating that Tennier said, it seems unlikely that the field would be used at those times in the interest of student safety. She also takes issue with the proposed location, citing a variety of natural features of the landscape which make the site illogical. “It falls under this lovely umbrella they call ‘community partnership,’ which basically means stealing from Peter to provide for Paul because they haven’t done their homework,” said Tennier. “It’s fiscally irresponsible to approve plans without even looking at them. When I built my house...I made sure it would fit on
THE
CO.
the property, it met the setbacks, it met my needs and I went over everything with a fine-toothed comb. If I can do that, then someone making six figures of public money can certainly do that. They did a survey so they knew the swale was there.” Tennier said that in all the years she spent working as a teacher in Toronto, she never experienced anything like this with the Etobicoke Board. Having been involved in academics for most of her life, she said she is tired of seeing people talked down to because they ask questions. Educators are supposed to teach their students about things such as integrity, respect and responsibility, she said. From her perspective, none of these values have been exhibited by the Board on either of these issues. “You don’t always agree with people [on a big city board] but you are allowed to question. You’re allowed to disagree, and it’s promoted because it’s a way to finding resolutions and answers that everyone can live with. Here it’s very heavy-handed, and they tell us no, this is how it shall be done. I was one of those people who wanted to be a principal, then I came down here and I was like, oh my god, this is a scary place. There are a lot of big fish in a really small pond.”
PRAISE THE LORD AND PASS THE MAPLE SYRUP Holy Trinity Church in Fonthill held their Mardi Gras Pancake Brunch last week, serving up flapjacks for 60 hungry diners. $600 was raised for Pelham Cares youth camp and equipment. Pictured: Festively be-hatted duo Jean Yungblut and Terry Deliman at work in the kitchen. SUPPLIED PHOTO
Call for school closure moratorium Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff has called on Minister Mitzie Hunter for a moratorium on school closure until the Ministry has corrected its Accommodation Review Guideline. “There has been an outpouring of concern and confusion from my constituents over the threat of closing schools in West Lincoln, Grimsby and Beamsville,” said Oosterhoff. “Taking away local schools means that students will have less time for homework, extra-curricular activities, community involvement and family life. Instead, they will be spending their afternoons on the bus."
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“Our children deserve local schools and teachers and staff rooted in their communities," said Oosterhoff. “These schools have been a central part of the community for generations.” “The blame for these announced school closures should be laid at the door of this Liberal government. Instead of following up with other solutions, they force school boards to close schools and try to balance the budget on the backs of students. They need to amend their Guideline in order to provide proper guidance to school boards.”
Places of Worship and Events Bethany Christian Reformed Church 1040 Balfour St., Fenwick Concordia Lutheran Church 105 Welland Rd., Fonthill
Glad Tidings Church of God 1 Pancake Lane, Fonthill Holy Trinity Anglican Church 1557 Pelham Street, Fonthill
Fenwick Church of Christ 765 Welland Rd., Fenwick
Kirk on the Hill Presbyterian Church 1344 Haist St., Fonthill
Fenwick United Church 1050 Church St., Fenwick
Pelham Community Church 461 Canboro Rd., Fenwick
First Presbyterian Church 602 Metler Rd., Fenwick
Pelham Evangelical Friends Church 940 Haist St., Fonthill
Fonthill Baptist Church 1414 Pelham St., Fonthill
Ridgeville Bible Chapel 418 Canboro Rd., Ridgeville
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Letters
The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
Page 13
continued
Arthur Wellesley and Wellington Heights in Pelham
Emphasis on racism "absurd"—Try on Winston Churchill
I would like to extend an open apology for using the term “alternative facts” and potential interpretations of what might be meant by the use of those words in my prior open letter to Mr. Rybiak and others as printed in the Voice last week. There was no intention to demean or make any negative inferences to anyone on council, their character or standing. It was a very poor choice of words on my part. I have watched the Council meeting and noted comments by all Councillors and their opinions. I am appreciative of this motion as passed by Council, however I feel it was reduced in its intent by removing some paragraphs clarifying that the name at issue is not generic, but connected to a specific person. Bringing in the use of “Wellington” as used anywhere, for any reason, without actual knowledge of how the name Wellington came to be used, actually furthers my point. In many parts of Ontario in the 1800s, the name Wellington was attributed to streets, towns, et al. for Arthur Wellesley’s (a.k.a. the First Duke of Wellington’s) “exploits in war for Britain in Europe,” certainly not for his character. The name Wellington was given often by people that had served under him in the wars in Europe in the early 1800s. There is no intention to rewrite history to minimize his military exploits, but to say that he was a “man of his time" — the 1800’s but not in 2017 and beyond. Being a man of his time is not a good reason to say he is a man of current times and should be accepted today. This school name was directly connected to this specific person — Arthur Wellesleyby the DSBN and promoted to students — our future generations — and not a generic use of Wellington or Wellington Heights. In retrospect, maybe this connection should have been more explicit in the resolution presented to council — making this definitive connection of this particular use of Wellington Heights for a public school name and
After reading Kevin Ker's open letter to Councillor Rybiak, I can appreciate the Councillor's concerns about the strong wording of the Names Matter committee. The emphasis on portraying Wellington as a racist is absurd. Wellington was born almost 250 years ago when mentalities were quite different. There are an awful lot of schools in Canada named
the character of the man Arthur Wellesley. In reading more about Wellesley as Prime Minister did you know his home was attacked and pelted with rocks and bottles to smash windows by numerous unruly mobs that disagreed with decisions he made and espoused as Prime Minister? Reading in depth you will find history is not kind to Arthur Wellesley for his time in public office. Revisiting names that are offensive is being done elsewhere today. Yale University just changed the name of one of its oldest colleges. Harvard University is doing a review of its names. There are many more instances of name changes across North America. In Nova Scotia a public school name was changed, after 25 years of effort, from Cornwallis (founded in 1948) to Halifax Central Junior High (changed in January 2012). The school had been named for General Edward Cornwallis, who founded the city of Halifax. However it was found he signed a proclamation offering a bounty for the scalps of men women and children of Mi’Kmaq indigenous people during a war with the Mi’Kmaq. To Richard and others — I truly believe you are earnest in your efforts and genuine in your concern with the disrespect by the DSBN to the removal of the E. W. Farr name (with 2016 being the 100th year of connection to education of his name — 34 years in the classroom and 66 years on various schools). Our issue still remains that some of the social values of the early 1800s are not acceptable today, nor should names attached to those values be selected for honour on our schools or elsewhere today or in the future. A “man of his times” and his views of societal privilege or exclusivity in the 1800s is not a “man of our times” with inclusivity in 2017, and should not be honoured. Kevin Ker Fenwick
after Winston Churchill. Try Googling "Churchill" and "racism" — you'll find that in Sudan he personally bragged that he had shot at least three “savages.” The reality is that we remember Churchill for his role in the defeat of Hitler just as we remember Wellington for his defeat of Napoleon at
Waterloo. Having said all that, I still think that “Wellington Heights” is the daftest name ever. There are no “heights” in Fenwick, and Wellington had absolutely nothing to do with Canada. Craig Gordon Fonthill
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Conservative Christians get no respect As an avid reader of the Voice, I take great issue with a guest contribution by writer Julie Mannell. “The Comfort Maple myth” [Feb. 8] was not only shamefully biased and unfair against newly-elected Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP, Sam Oosterhoff, but also offensive against people of faith in the Niagara West-Glanbrook riding. The writer insults an elected member of the Ontario legislature (calling him the “embodiment of a teen-movie villain”), and yet claims to be inclusive and supportive of a world without “stigma” and “marginalization.” It is disappointing in an age of progressive values See RESPECT Page 15
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The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
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GEM continued from Page 9 of water running down hill, has produced millions of kilowatts (kW) of electrical power in a sustainable manner for more than a century, and continues to do so. Consider the time period involved in building a new hydroelectric facility today. It could be measured in decades from conception to execution, including water and land rights, environmental studies, project design and construction. Exact dates vary depending on the historian or source, but after acquiring water rights, purchasing the land, and letting the construction contracts sometime in 1897, the Cataract Power Company of Hamilton was producing power at DeCew 1 on August 25, 1898; a span of less than two years. Even the appearance of
DeCew 1 produced power starting in one century, for the entirety of a second, and is 19 years into her third
this grand old lady, the oldest continually operating hydroelectric generating plant in Ontario, offers contradiction. DeCew 2, which began service in 1943, stands beside her as an ugly concrete pillbox with two drab concrete water channels, called “penstocks,” lining the escarpment face. DeCew 1 radiates her history through glazed cinnamon-hued
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brick, intricately latticed windows, and gleaming black penstocks glistening in the sunshine. DeCew 1 produced power starting in one century, for the entirety of a second, and is 19 years into her third, yet her functional beauty is still arresting. E C E W 1 O W E S its existence in part to Nicola Tesla's development of polyphase alternating current in 1888. Prior to Tesla's innovation, most systems were single-phase AC or direct current (DC), limiting their ability to transmit electricity more than a few kilometres while maintaining effective output. In 1896 the economic viability of Tesla's solution to long- distance transmission of electricity was still unproven, but five Hamilton entrepreneurs were willing to gamble on producing power in St. Catharines and transmitting it to Hamilton, hoping to profit by using the electricity to power an electric railway and various mills in the city. In July 1896 John Patterson, the Honourable J. M. Gibson,
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John Moodie, James Dixon, and J.W. Sutherland formed the Cataract Power Company of Hamilton Ltd., and began the necessary steps to generate power from Beaverdams Creek at DeCew Falls, and transmit it the 56 kilometres to Hamilton. Following brief studies, the project site was relocated to Reynoldsville (the area now named Power Glen), where a small feeder canal connection to the third Welland Canal at Allenburg would be used to deliver water to Lakes Gibson, Moodie, and Patterson for storage above the penstocks of DeCew 1. These reservoirs would produce a more consistent and stronger water flow to the turbines than DeCew Falls. Water rights were secured, electrical engineering and design were contracted to the Royal Electric Company of Montreal, and on August 25, 1898 electric power flowed from DeCew 1's Royal Electric Co. 1000 kW alter-
nator, generated by a Stilwell-Bierce & Smith-Vale Co. turbine. The vision of the Cataract Power Company of Hamilton and its Directors proved viable, and soon DeCew 1 was expanding. Two powerful Mannert turbines were added to the Stilwell-Bierce units within five years, and additional penstocks were built. Four Voith Heidenheim turbines, the 5000 kW units still in use today, were added within the next few years. DeCew 1 was acquired by the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario on August 14, 1930, and its assets were transferred to Ontario Power Generation in April 1999. The Voith turbines were refurbished in the 1970s. Almost 50 years later, Unit #8 is again being reconditioned during my visit. Voith Hydro Canada won this contract to supply the turbine runner, shaft and wicket gates, an astonishing testimonial to the company
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— Unit #8 is one of the very first turbines Voith Heidenheim shipped to Canada. Does the Ford Motor Company still produce parts for a 1903 Model A? OPG technicians Jaret Risto and Mark Dennie continue working, repacking coils so that they will remain in place as the stator whirls around the generator's rotor. Watching Risto and Dennie carefully inserting a thin packing strip between each coil, then manually tapping hundreds of them in place to just the right specifications, I question the technology involved, thinking that not much has changed over the century. V.P. Gerry Foote responds that with refurbishing and proper maintenance, these ancient units are still very productive and profitable. The 5000 kWs that each unit generates is approximately equal to the output of five of the new wind turbines west of Pelham. "The capital requirements necessary to build new generating stations is enormous," he says, and indicates that DeCew 1 has an operational cost/expense ratio that is just fine, thank you. There are special issues however. In many cases, if a replacement part is needed for a piece of equipment, they have to make it. Foote also says that, "Maintaining modern safety levels on and around century old equipment can be a challenge," but is well worth the effort. DeCew 1 generates revenue in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per week. The pride that Foote and the OPG crew at DeCew 1 have in the facility goes beyond its profitability and environmental and safety awards. There's the history the plant exudes. Foote shares that when Voith won the contract to supply parts for the refurbishment, they asked for something in return. As a result, OPG presented Voith Canada with one of the original brass identification plaques that had been attached by Voith to their turbines back in 1903. That plaque is now displayed in Voith's museum in Germany. The control room has a vintage look too, with anSee GEM Page 17
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In Community Centre design, how do you miss a 9,000 sq. ft. mistake? How does an oversight of this size get past the original design and approval stage? I would like to think that this would have been done before the budget was approved and the Building Permit issued? This isn’t the only problem identified as needing to be rectified. It is also reported that “the size of the mechanical/electrical areas would also need to be increased to accommodate equipment and allow for more efficient use of space.” I would like to commend Nate Smelle for this article [9,000 sq.ft. added to Community Centre design, Feb 22] and the information he managed to acquire and impart, however I find it raises many disturbing questions. I am fully cognizant and sympathetic that he was unable to provide further information likely due to deadlines or not knowing the intricate workings of the whole Community Centre process. I hope that he will follow up on this matter because I believe your readership, the taxpayers of Pelham, have a right to be fully informed and aware of what is happening with the Community Centre and how the process works. When did the full construction drawings have to be completed? When did the Oversight Committee, and by logical extension the Town, know of these two deficiencies before the Town’s report to Infrastructure Ontario on January 31st, 2017? Who is responsible for these two oversights? 9,000 sq. ft. of extra space does not simply appear from thin air. It is either accomplished by taking from other features within the design or making the building’s footprint 9,000 sq. ft. larger. The same applies to the expanded mechanical/electrical room (unless its increased size was included in the 9,000 square feet). If this space is being added, it will require roofing, heating and cooling, footings, lighting and wiring, etc. This is a major design change and would require these new plans be approved and a new building permit issued. How is it that these significant alterations can be paid for
simply by making minor cosmetic changes? What is the true cost of these alterations? Why were these extraneous cosmetic features in the approved design in the first place? Aren’t the taxpayers of Pelham bleeding enough from this project already? Who should be held accountable? Maybe these added costs should be charged back to Ball Construction since they should have known, from their expertise, the actual needs of such a facility as the Community Centre. I am not against the Community Centre. I just don’t think the taxpayers need to be hoodwinked at every turn of the process. It is an overpriced facility even at the reduced cost of $36.2 million and the taxpayers of Pelham will be paying for it for a long time. I feel that someone should be held accountable. If it was the architect, Ball Construction, or whomever, shouldn’t the cost of rectifying these mistakes fall on them? If the Town is making these changes on the fly, have them answer to this and let the voters respond accordingly. Further, I am concerned that this Town has embarked on a campaign to build numerous gilded palaces at our expense, and we all know how those enterprises ended for the likes of Louis XVI. The Maple Acre Library is another example; a facility that was determined to be redundant just a few short years ago has morphed into a $1million sitting room that is only open 32 hours per week, but more significantly, it is closed Saturday afternoons and evenings, all day Sunday and Monday. And the Maple Acre Library is only 3,400 square feet of new space with a further 500 square feet being refurbished. Not quite apples to apples, but I think this raises a concern of just how much the true cost will be for this additional 9,000 square feet and enlarged mechanical/electrical room at the Community Centre. Bjorn Walter Fenwick
RESPECT continued from Page 13 that all political convictions are tolerated except the
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Page 17
E. L. CROSSLEY OFSAA WRESTLING WIN IN BRAMPTON Crossley wrestler Aman Chera, left, placed in the top 12 in 47.5kg, one match away from being in the top six, last weekend in Brampton. Fraser Darling (not pictured) placed 23rd overall in 72kg. SUPPLIED PHOTO
FLUSHED continued from Page 1 of land and roads. Under the Drainage Act, Morris said that technically the only times petitioners can legally withdraw their names from a petition are during the first onsite meeting, and at the meeting which took place on March 1, 2017. “At that point, I would have to write what is called a ‘Section 40’ report ,saying that this drain work is no longer needed, and there are specific criteria that I would need to support that it was not needed.” At that time, he said that he did not need to do this because he did not see any changes from the petitioning landowners. “We had a meeting at the fire hall, and then from the firehall we moved out to the property, and then we had another discussion there, and at that point they seemed like they wanted to go forward with it,” said Morris. “We also sent out an information package before I finished this report, and at that point they didn’t send information that they wanted to withdraw either.” Another of the landowners affected by the flooding, David Horton, said his family has been farming the land since 1827, and he had never seen, nor heard of flooding
such as they experienced. His wife, Brenda, said it was obvious that the water was coming from their neighbour’s greenhouse operation, since it was full of red silt, which she asserts is not found on the other side of the street. When the flooding stopped once their neighbor redirected his water, it was clear that a drain was unnecessary, she said. “As for Mr. Morris, we’ve been telling him that we don’t want this drain, and these kids have been telling him,” said Brenda. “He’s got something to gain, right — hundreds of thousands of dollars-worth that they’re trying to milk the Town for. We’ve been telling him from the getgo that this is not the right way to solve this problem. This is a problem that came from that greenhouse operation. This is not the whole Town’s problem, so why should everybody in the Town pay for it.” The total estimated cost of the project was approximately $372,000, breaking down as follows: $172,000 allotted for construction, $52,000 for engineering costs, $100,000 for allowances to compensate private property owners, $43,000 for administration and $5,000 for HST. Now that the drain has been deemed unnecessary, the Town is responsible for $38,150 of the engineer’s fees, with
Hollinshead and Gregoir absorbing the remainder of the fee, $13,820. Morris said most these costs were unavoidable, having been incurred prior to the first onsite meeting. His fees include design costs, surveying, cost estimates, investigating three different alternatives, consultations with environmental agencies (NPCA, DFO and MNR) and determining how the costs are distributed and broken down. “It has always been a problem. It’s been an issue in Canada a very long time,” Morris said. “The Drainage Act is designed to deal with those problems. It’s designed to deal with when you have a problem between neighbours that’s bigger than a little community for everyone in the community to come together to pay for a solution. So, everyone in the watershed has to pay for part of the cost.” After Council received the engineers report, Director of Planning and Development, Barb Wiens recommended that the Town investigate the matter further by speaking with the petitioners and the engineer to get both sides of the story. Following these discussions Wiens will report back to Council to advise the Town as to what their next course of action will be.
ON NOW!
OPG Electrical & Control Tech Jeret Risto repacking Unit #8 Voith turbine.
GEM continued from Page 14 alog gauges and older brass meters everywhere. As I put down my notepad to get a better look at the gauges, Dennie's firm voice yammers, "Don't set it on any switches like Rick Mercer did!" No further explanation is offered. Dennie explains that the generators were synchronised manually by operators who manned the controls 24/7 back in the day. The output of each generator had to be matched exactly to the required output cycles at all times (66.66 Hz originally; now the standardized 60 Hz), or catastrophe could result. Someone tells the story of an out-of-sync generator that melted its stator years ago, with copper abruptly flowing out the cooling holes all around the rotor. Another adds that if a turbine stopped abruptly and the water diversion gates at
JOHN SWART PHOTO
the turbine's base didn't open immediately, the water pressure would blow a hole in the water channels above the plant. Synchronization is now controlled remotely by computer and monitored from an office in Niagara Falls, and I'm shown that emergency systems are scrupulously maintained at all times. DeCew 1 is a gem, a tribute to the history of power generation in Ontario that is still operating as a profitable component of OPG more than 117 years after it first produced power. A glimpse inside is a nostalgic and thought-provoking treat. Jenn Grossi , OPG Public Relations, said that OPG will be partnering with Doors Open Ontario in St Catharines on June 24, 2017, to provide public access to the plant. The event will be co-ordinated by Doors Open, a program of Heritage Ontario. Check their website for details, www.doorsopenontario.on.ca. If that doesn't fit your schedule, watch for DeCew 1's 120th birthday celebration in 2018.
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The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
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COLUMN SIX continued from Page 1 dock to winter wool. When you think you've got them all pulled off there remain dark little hooks that don't ever come out. I’ll turn 65 next month. If I were to count on my fingers the number of times I’ve wept as an adult I’d have digits to spare. I think I’m proud of that. Don’t know. My wife says I can be a bit of a hard-case sometimes and I suppose she’s right Unlike the Greatest Generation, mine was spared the wars. Shell shock is not generally a part of our lexicon. Still, we have experienced things that brand the brain. My entire post-university career was on the front lines of the forest products industry. First logging and forestry, then mill maintenance and manufacturing, finally management. I saw terrible mutilations along the way but the worst were the fatalities. I was sheltered from seeing most incidents by first responders. There was a late-night suicide in one of my departments. My eyes were spared that one, too, by the senior manager on call. As I type this, I realize bringing these events to mind doesn’t bother me anymore. Forgetting is a rare dividend of growing old, something younger folks can look forward to. These things were mostly a long time ago. It sounds callous, but I no longer remember most of the names of those dead and damaged men, but there’s one in par-
The paper mill, and where the accident happened on the road leading to it. MILL: NICK SALTARELLI PHOTO ROAD: COPYRIGHT © 2017 GOOGLE EARTH BOB LOBLAW GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATION
go back to that dark place once again. Do I really want to do this? Do you really want to read on? Is this for my benefit or yours? Or neither? Here then is the point of
ticular I carry. PA U SE, PLE A S E . My fingers are poised over this keyboard and I’m seeing my words forming up there on the monitor, and I am about to
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BALLOONING INTEREST Grade 6 student Jinja Shepherd explains her experiment on static electricity at the Glynn A. Green Public School's annual science fair last Friday. See story, page 3. NATE SMELLE PHOTO
Public meeting tonight on school issues BY VOICE STAFF As questions continue to mount regarding an email that Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn quietly sent to a District School Board of Niagara trustee last summer, Augustyn has agreed to address the issue at a public meeting scheduled for this evening, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Fenwick. Nancy Beamer, speaking for “Names Matter,” a Pelham citizens group lobbying the DSBN to reverse its decision to rename a local public school, confirms that the meeting will be held at Fire Station #2, known locally as the Fenwick Fire Hall, starting at 7:00 PM. While the Mayor has agreed to ap-
Under pressure, Mayor to address email revelation, other E. W. Farr matters pear, says Beamer, DSBN officials associated with the school-naming process have either declined to attend or have not yet responded to the group’s invitation. DSBN Chair, Dale Robinson, to whom Augustyn’s email was addressed last June, has declined to appear, says Beamer, asserting that she would be
“on holidays.” The Voice was unable to independently confirm Robinsion’s intentions. She did not respond to repeated requests for comment on E.W. Farr-related matters before presstime. Beamer, whose group maintains an email list of some 580 residents, says that all members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting. “We would especially welcome parents and children who are unhappy with the name change,” she says, referring to the contentious decision by the DSBN to consolidate two Pelham See MEETING back page
HEN I WAS young, my father and I would go for long drives along the rural routes of Pelham. We’d blast George Thurgood and roll down the windows because we loved the smell of the breeze, the sensation of crisp Niagara wind beating our cheeks and tangling our hair against our summer-kissed skin. My father was not a sentimental man. He worked in factories and had a Gordon Lightfoot mustache and never shed tears over injuries. Yet something about the Pelham landscape, the hilly backdrop to his childhood and the childhoods of our ancestors, drew him in. He’d stop by a farm or a gathering of woods and, surrendering his manly veneer, tell me a story about the town. This place is precious. This is the earth that granted us life. Here is the place where we happened upon love or here is a site of devastation. On one particular drive sometime in the late ‘90s we stopped at a tree with a plaque. “This tree looks dead,” I said to my father. “It sure is getting there, Julie.” The Comfort Maple is supposedly Canada’s oldest See COLUMN SIX Page 14
The Voice PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY IN PELHAM
Vol.20 No.39
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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 ad-
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Column Six
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Debbie Pine
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Growing up British
Haist Street traffic-calming measure a little too effective A construction error was discovered following the opening of a traffic calming chicane on Haist Street north of Hwy 20 last Monday that prevented large vehicles from passing through. One resident living in the neighbourhood said he contacted the Town after seeing a small schoolbus get stuck as it tried to get through the new traffic calming measure. Later that day while driving behind a cement truck, he said that he became concerned for the public’s safety when the truck had to turn around because it couldn’t get through. “If a small school bus and a cement truck can’t make it through what about a fire
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Request made of community still peeved at name change The District School Board of Niagara is requesting that the Town of Pelham cede a portion of Cherry Ridge Park for use as a soccer field to serve the students of the new Wellington Heights Public School, formerly the E. W. Farr Memorial Public School, in Fenwick. Currently under renovation and expansion, the new school will combine students and staff from the previous school and Pelham Centre, where classes are being held while construction continues. Two letters, containing virtually identical text but signed by different authorities, were sent last week to nearby residents of the park, as well as to parents of Pelham Centre students. “The DSBN is currently building onto Wellington Heights Public School on Alsop Drive,” states the letter. “The size of the school's addition means the existing small soccer field will be eliminated. The Town and the Board have been discussing the possibility of working together to create a field for both the school and the
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FTER LUNCH ON Saturday, Mum and Dad had my afternoon cut out for me. Mum had more brass than anyone I knew, and it had to be cleaned. In addition there was the set of silver fish-knives and forks which were never used, but which had to be cleaned and put back in their velvetlined box. Next was a walk to the newsagents to pay for the daily delivery of the Daily Mirror. As I said, Dad was a printer, but when he was 37 he had been rejected for a job, as being too old, by the printers of the Beano. For that reason, my favourite comic was not allowed in the house, but while I was paying the papers, the newsagent let me have a 'shoofty' at the Beano. I'd explained my predicament and he understood completely. Sundays were different again. Dad would play golf on summer mornings and billiards in winter. Then he'd stop for a 'refresher' at the local and would pick up the prawns, cockles, winkles or whelks we'd be having for tea later. Meanwhile, Mum was roasting the 'joint' and potatoes. I got to make the Yorkshire pud, and mint See COLUMN SIX Page 14
See CHANGES Page 5
The Voice PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY IN PELHAM
Vol.20 No.32
NIAGARA’S BEST-READ WEEKLY SINCE 1997
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Apple Day comes to Fonthill BY VOICE STAFF
The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and well-rounded individuals ceives them, enabling youth to have experiences that build character, challenge them, and allow them to try new things. The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and wellrounded individuals, better prepared for success. Apple Day helps to achieve that.”
Joining their principal, Karen Simpson, at the Sept. 19 Council meeting as part of a delegation from EL Crossley Secondary School, students Abby Loewen and Neenah Williams presented Council with a list of reasons that they should immediately approve the construction of the new sidewalk proposed along Hwy. 20. The asphalt side-
walk/trail is slated to be built between the south side of the road from Timmsdale Crescent to the high school. Because of the large volume of motor vehicle traffic travelling at high speeds through this area, and because of the necessity for students to tread this path on a daily basis, many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later. After delivering to Council a petition containing
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H EATHER AND P ENNY L ANE S ALES R EPRESENTATIVES
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T Second year Beaver with the 3rd Fonthill Group, Russell Letford offers a fresh apple to shoppers in Pelham during the 2015 Apple Day campaign. SUPPLIED PHOTO A longtime Canadian tradition, Apple Day began in 1932 in Saint John, New Brunswick, when Scouts handed out 21,000 apples as a way to say thank you to the community. In return for their generosity, many people offered them donations. From then on Scouts have reached out through Apple Day to raise funds for their programs.
“Any money raised during Apple Day goes towards improving the Scouting program by providing more outdoor adventures for youth, camping equipment, canoes and paddles, training and many other endeavours that the youth want to experience,” says Marie. Scouts Canada has some 100,000 members across Canada, and carries out programs for boys, girls
and youth ages 5-25. This year the 3rd Fonthill Group, which includes Beavers to Ventures (youth ages 5- 25) will be hitting the streets to drum-up support. Over the weekend, Scouts will be set up in Fonthill outside Sobeys, Tim Hortons, Target Gas station, Fonthill Shopping Plaza and the Pioneer Gas station at the corner of Hwys 20 and 24.
Town Council approves sidewalk to serve E. L. Crossley BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Office 905.892.1702
Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn
Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932 While shopping in Fonthill between Friday and Sunday, keep an eye out for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in front of local stores with bushels of apples. As part of the annual Apple Day campaign, Scouting youth of all ages will be trading apples for donations. The yearly fundraising drive is an important way for young Scouts to connect with the communities they are serving, says Leah Marie of Scouts Canada. “The Apple Day campaign holds a great tradition of being able to have youth interacting within the communities they live in,” she says. “All of the Apple Day donations stay directly within the group that re-
Many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later the names of 450 students calling for a safer walk to school, Simpson handed the
podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case. Loewen told Council that because there are a lot of students who have work placements and coop placements during the school year, this is the only route for many of them to travel. As one of the students facing this predicament, Williams said she has had no other option but to walk along the dangerous highway.
“I start work at 2:30 PM and school lets out at 2:15 PM so I can’t take any other route,” Williams explained. “I have had friends, family, teachers and other community members reach out to me in the past about how this is unsafe and how there should be another alternative for us.” Looking ahead to winter, when she will need to walk this path three or four times
HERE IS NO BETTER time to cycle than Fall. It matters not whether you’re new to the sport, a seasoned recreational cyclist, racer, touring rider or mountain biker; we all have reason to look forward to autumn. Summer’s heat has faded, and the streams of sweat that ran from soggy helmets into our eyes are now just slight perspiration. Fitness is peaking from lots of saddle time, making those tough climbs of Spring a breeze in Autumn. It’s hard to beat the feeling of beginning a crisp, cool Fall ride with a slight shiver, knowing your efforts will soon warm you perfectly. The hues of Autumn are outstanding. A Pelham route as simple as following our southern boundary is one that would make most Toronto cyclists jealous, especially when our forests and fields are ablaze with colour. Begin from Harold Black Park, and zig-zag south along Effingham Rd toward the Welland River. If you’re new to cycling, it’s important to know south is the direction away from any hills. If you avoid the morning and evening weekday rush hours caused by those travelling through Pelham between Wainfleet
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The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
Page 19
COLUMN SIX continued from previous page
There are now a dozen vehicles at the scene, headlights illuminating the wreck
local pulp and newsprint mill, a 24/7 operation. 250 employees. It’s 10 minutes past shift change and I’m heading home for dinner, intending to come back later to the mill to check on the progress of a red-line equipment change-out. But that evening I would remain at home, sobbing in my wife's arms, blood in my hair and under my fingernails and caked in my shirt. The early evening is dark, as it is in January up here. I’m halfway down the mill road when I come to the accident scene. What had been a Toyota Corolla has ploughed through a snow bank into a ditch and there’s a Chevy 4x4 sideways in the road, its grille and hood pushed in. Behind the wheel sits Teri Barker, who works in logistics. She's in shock, trembling, otherwise unhurt. "Please tell me he isn't dead" she says. I push through the snow to the wreck, look inside and see Paul Henson. Paul’s a gentle soul, a happy and energetic 30-something. Three young daughters. His wife, Elaine, is pregnant with their fourth. Both are deeply involved with one another and their church. It isn't difficult to piece together what’s happened. It’s a 60 km/h road but everybody, staff included, routinely does 70 to 80. Paul’s super conscientious and he’s late for shift change. He was speeding and hit a patch of black ice.
His Corolla slid sideways and was t-boned by Teri’s big 4x4, going in the opposite direction. There are now a dozen vehicles at the scene, headlights illuminating the wreck. It’s mostly quiet. There’s the intoxicating reek of gasoline and the incongruously peaceful whisper of breeze in the pines. The windows are smashed, the doors won't open and the roof‘s pushed halfway to the seats. Larry Tompkins, a young mill worker, and I tear off our bulky parkas and crawl through what had been the windshield to administer to Paul. He’s mercifully unconscious. His breathing is shallow and his pulse is at first thready then absent entirely. Larry and I go to work. He’s doing the chest compressions, I the artificial respiration. There are now some 40 employees at the scene. I cradle Paul's head in my hands and feel the shattered bones in his face and skull grind together as they move. I push my breath
into his lungs and they gurgle. Paul’s body lurches and he vomits blood into my mouth. I spit it out through the broken side window and continue to force my life-giving air into him. Larry perseveres too. Pump. Blow. Spit. We’re going to save this guy. The faces of the mill workers who're gathered around are a study in hope and horror. A few turn away. Some can't help but stare. Others sob. Then sirens in the distance. A fire truck and ambulance arrive minutes later and the paramedics take over. The one in charge throws me a concerned look and tells me I’m going to have to come back with him to the hospital, and asks if I’m okay to drive. I’m the General Manager. A bigshot in a one-horse town, in absolute control of myself before the very people who look to me for strength and leadership. Of course I can drive. I follow the ambulance to
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The Voice of Pelham, March 8, 2017
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
The Voice of Pelham
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COLUMN SIX continued from previous page our tiny hospital. A nurse escorts me to an examination room while another wheels Paul into the one adjacent. A paramedic is perched over him on the gurney doing chest compressions, another’s standing alongside squeezing the bag of a valve mask. The nurse gives me a thick wad of wet wipes and some dry towels. A doctor comes in a few minutes later to speak with me. Paul is dead. He puts his hand on my shoulder and assures me I’d done everything possible, it wasn’t my fault, he didn’t stand a chance. Then he says, “I have to examine your mouth, face and hands and anywhere else you’ve been exposed. Any gingivitis? Cuts? Open sores?” “No.” “Did you ingest any blood.” “Yes. I think so.” “Ah. We’re going to take blood samples from you and Paul for analysis,” he said. “The testing is done in Victoria. I’ll put an urgent rush on it but this being Thursday night we’ll likely not get the results back till Monday, too late for prophylactic measures.” “I don’t know what you mean,” I said. “There are several potential exposures, but HIV is the most serious. If — and it’s a big if — if you’ve been exposed you have 24 hours to take a cocktail of drugs that will kill it. The cocktail will cause your liver and kidneys to shut down and you will become very ill. If you’ve been exposed to the virus and don’t take the cocktail you will almost certainly develop AIDS.” “Paul’s a lay preacher,” I stammer. “He’s a family man. I can’t believe he’s infected with anything.”
The doctor sits down and tells me that my exposure to Paul’s blood tops the chart. Whatever this man may have carried in him is now carried in me, he says. The incidence of HIV/AIDS in this middle-of-nowhere town is greater than one in 90. Among 5,000 people, 58 are either HIV-positive or have developed AIDS. That they know of. There will be a dozen others who are HIV-positive who don’t yet know it themselves. The blood samples will also be tested for STDs and hepatitis. “How long have you known Paul?” “Two years.” “You didn’t know him when he was a teenager and maybe wild young adult, before becoming a good family man and preacher. In any event, you can’t be sure.” There comes a knock on the door and the nurse whispers that Mrs. Henson has arrived. She’s waiting just outside in the hall. The doctor asks me not to leave just yet, excuses himself, gets up from his chair and exits the room. He leaves the door open. I clearly see him talking to Elaine, a slender woman with auburn hair, big with her fourth child. And I see her drop to her knees in a silent scream, a mountain of grief piled onto her young shoulders. I avert my eyes but hear her shaking sobs as she cries out for her mother. She’s gently lifted up by a pair of nurses and taken into the next room. Her shrieks pierce the wall between us. She is shattered like a dropped vase. Then silence. I swallow hard, blow out my breath. I retain my composure. That hard-case thing. The doctor returns with a ziplock bag containing three large vials of pills and a typed set of instructions. “I don’t know what I should do,” I say.
IN THE NEWS continued from Page 2
I'll put an urgent rush on it, but this being Thursday night, we'll likely not get the results back till Monday
“And I can’t advise what you should do,” he answers. “Then please tell me, what would you do if it was you sitting on this gurney?” “When I was an intern in Johannesburg, I was bitten by a terminal AIDS patient. No question I’d been infected. I took the cocktail and got very, very sick. I’m alive, HIV-negative, but my liver is permanently damaged. The experience was very bad. I would not go through it a second time, would likely not survive it anyway, but I cannot advise you either way.” I thanked him, took the bag of pills home and was met at the door by Patti, whose compassionate face I so desperately needed to see. We embraced and I broke down and I wept long and hard in her arms, much as I had done just three weeks before at my mother's funeral. I showered, changed clothing and got myself together. Patti prepared a late dinner for the two of us and we shared a bottle of wine. We talked through the evening, about what had happened and about how we should and shouldn’t react. It was a decision to make together. Neither of us knew the Hensons on a personal level. I knew Paul only
as an earnest employee and a lay preacher who wanted lots of kids. During one of our conversations on the machine floor he’d invited me to visit his church, an evangelical Christian denomination, but I’d politely declined. He’d smiled and said the invitation was always open. No expiry. I did end up visiting it the one time, when I attended his funeral service. The machine floor was always hot and humid, even in winter. Paul was short and stubby and prematurely bald and he wore a blue polka dot bandana to keep the sweat out of his eyes. It made him look a little goofy. But his eyes were always smiling. Always eager to please. Always wanting to do a good job. To be respected for the good man he was. This was not a man who would father four children while knowingly putting them on a collision course with his past, with any contagion he carried in his veins. The 24-four hour window closed with the ziplock bag never opened. It sat on the kitchen counter, the typed instructions never read. When they came back from Victoria on Monday morning, the blood results were clear. ♦
saving instructions over the phone until the paramedics arrive. Narcan is a medication to temporarily reverse symptoms of an opioid overdose. It may take multiple doses of Narcan to treat an opioid overdose. Artificial ventilation of patients with symptoms of opioid overdose is just as important as the administration of Narcan.
Large quantity of marijuana seized
Members of the Niagara Regional Police Service Guns, Gangs, and Grows Unit have been investigating a male for trafficking marihuana. As a result of this investigation police identified another location where they believed the marijuana was being stored. On February 24, search warrants were obtained for a Cushman Road address and a Queenston Street address. Police say they located and seized 65 pounds of processed marijuana, and over $5,000 in cash. The street value of the marijuana is approximately $156,000 Charged are 36-year-old James Short and 41-yearold Troy Carthew. Both have been released from custody and will return to court later in March to answer the charges.