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Arrest in bizarre neighbourhood harassment
Fonthill resident Anosan Kugathas is taken into custody by Niagara Regional Police on Monday, May 10. Story Page 3.
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The Voice
A May 19 2021
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IN THE NEWS
PUBLISHER’S CORNER by Dave Burket
The curious case of the shrinking lobby: Last week we reported that an initiative spearheaded by Pelham Town Councillor Lisa Haun would see part of an already named space at the community centre nibbled away in favour of renaming it for another purpose. In the piece we noted that during the Town’s MCC fundraising drive, Mountainview Homes had acquired the naming rights for the upper “lounge.” In fact, the naming rights pertain to the entire upper lobby, not just the lounge area—which Haun seeks to rename. Surprisingly, considering these evident facts, the Voice understands that at least one Haun ally last week attempted to push the Town to ask us to “correct” this reporting, asserting that there existed some mysterious and divine distinction between “the lobby” and “what’s in the lobby.” If so, then why contact Mountainview to seek their okay for the new split? Mountainview CEO Mark Basciano gave the Voice his recollection, saying that he received a call not from a councillor or Town staffer, but by a third party. “I did say to her, ‘I don't know if I should call the Town. Should we sit down and maybe have a meeting about this? I'm just trying to understand it better. If the Town wants to work out something with me, maybe we move the naming rights to another part of the building.” After being assured that the space to be split off was relatively small, Basciano agreed. “She said it wasn't taking over the whole space, and the Mountainview name was still going to be present there. So I said, okay, well, if that's the case, no problem.” Basciano still hasn’t heard from Haun or other councillors. “I was a little surprised that the Town didn't reach out to me directly, just to say, ‘Look, we don't want to have any miscommunication, or confusion.’ It was probably a little bit of an unorthodox way to handle it. But you know, I want to be a gentleman about it, so I'm helping the group out.” Yes, not only did Basciano acquiesce to the territorial nibbling, he actually ponied up $3000 to help the cause...Need a table saw? And would you like it for free? It’s Christmas in May! See the Classified ad, p.15...Preparing for Pride: Monday marked International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. According to a Region statement, May 17 was chosen as it was the date in 1990 that the World Health Organization declassified homosexuality as a disorder, which, thinking about it, is shockingly recent. Did you grow up gay/bi/lesbian/trans in Niagara? We are collecting personal stories for Pride Month, in June. Contact us at editor@ thevoiceofpelham.ca... Glowing brightly: We welcome Everglow Electric to our pages. See their ad in the Service Directory, p. 16... Itching to get on the greens? Golf courses are closed but you can still improve your swing. We’re teaming up with our golf columnist and local pro John Piccolo to present a live, 90-minute Zoom seminar on all-things-golf next Thursday evening, May 27. It’s a fundraiser for Pelham Cares and the Pelham Public Library—just $10 gets you in the virtual door. Be there! See the ad on p. 11...As ever: Stay safe. See you next week. ◆
Accused pair due back in court June 4
Jason Lusted and Matthew MacInnes, the two men charged with second-degree murder in the October 2020 death of Pelham resident Earl Clapp, are scheduled to return to court June 4 after brief appearances last Friday. A Crown pre-trial meeting in the case is scheduled for May 31. Lusted is now onto his third lawyer since his Oct. 10 arrest. He is now represented by Hamilton attorney Charles Spettigue. Details of the case are subject to a publication ban. Clapp died last Oct. 2 after being dragged to his death by a vehicle allegedly involved in the attempted theft of a trailer from his Centre Street property, in Fenwick.
Vaccine eligibility drops to 18
As of 8 AM on Tuesday, Ontarians turning 18 and older in 2021 were eligible to book a COVID-19 vaccine appointment through the provincial booking system and call centre. The Pfizer jab is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine that has been authorized by Health Canada for use in youth aged 12 and over. The provincial booking system will note which clinics are not offering vaccines for those who are 17 years old. As of Tuesday, public health units were able to choose to provide vaccines to those aged 12 and over in pop-up and mobile clinics, as well as for walk-in ap-
Voice
NRPS impaired driving charges ~
pointments where the Pfizer vaccine is offered.
June return for Wainfleet Farmers Market
What's That
SIREN
Market Coordinator Judy Aarts, who spearheads the initiative along with local Meridian Branch Manager, Dan Bouchard, said through a Township statement that the market “has met all requirements to be able to go ahead in 2021.” “We have completed our administrative requirements and membership fees with Farmers’ Markets Ontario and we have been approved by the Niagara Region Public Health Department to go ahead for the 2021 season, said Aarts. “This year, the market will run from 2:30 to 6 PM starting Wednesday, June 2, and ending Wednesday, September 15.” Lockdown rules mean that only farmers and food/beverage vendors will be allowed to offer their wares initially. The Township said that some dozen farmers and food vendors are ready to start on opening day, depending whether their produce is ready.
Pelham Fire Department Weekly Calls
The Pelham Fire Department responded four calls for assistance from Friday, May 7 to Friday, May 14. Saturday, May 8 Medical assistance, Fenwick Monday, May 10 Medical assistance, Fonthill Wednesday, May 12 Grass fire, Webber Rd., Fonthill Vehicle fire, Effingham St., Short Hills or photocopy of ownership. Residents that do not have access to a computer may schedule a curbside application process. “We want to make this as easy as possible for all Wainfleeters, while ensuring that the program is only accessible to our residents,” said Mayor Kevin Gibson. Two areas are currently outlined for the pilot project: The west side of Brawn Rd., starting where the pavement meets the gravel road and ending at the Gord Harry Trail; and Lakeshore Rd. near Quarry Rd., on the north side (abutting the quarry). Permits are
Wainfleet permit parking program
Starting Monday, Wainfleet residents are able to complete an online application form, listing up to four vehicles registered to their Wainfleet property address. According to a Township statement, proof of residency will be required by providing an electronic record
See IN THE NEWS Page 14
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Vol.20 No.48
CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR
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DSBN wants portion of Town park
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Apple Day comes to Fonthill
BY JULIE MANNELL
Special to the VOICE
W
BALLOONING INTEREST Grade 6 student Jinja Shepherd explains her experiment on static electricity at the Glynn A. Green Public School's annual science fair last Friday. See story, page 3. NATE SMELLE PHOTO
Public meeting tonight on school issues BY VOICE STAFF As questions continue to mount regarding an email that Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn quietly sent to a District School Board of Niagara trustee last summer, Augustyn has agreed to address the issue at a public meeting scheduled for this evening, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Fenwick. Nancy Beamer, speaking for “Names Matter,” a Pelham citizens group lobbying the DSBN to reverse its decision to rename a local public school, confirms that the meeting will be held at Fire Station #2, known locally as the Fenwick Fire Hall, starting at 7:00 PM. While the Mayor has agreed to ap-
Under pressure, Mayor to address email revelation, other E. W. Farr matters pear, says Beamer, DSBN officials associated with the school-naming process have either declined to attend or have not yet responded to the group’s invitation. DSBN Chair, Dale Robinson, to whom Augustyn’s email was addressed last June, has declined to appear, says Beamer, asserting that she would be
“on holidays.” The Voice was unable to independently confirm Robinsion’s intentions. She did not respond to repeated requests for comment on E.W. Farr-related matters before presstime. Beamer, whose group maintains an email list of some 580 residents, says that all members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting. “We would especially welcome parents and children who are unhappy with the name change,” she says, referring to the contentious decision by the DSBN to consolidate two Pelham See MEETING back page
HEN I WAS young, my father and I would go for long drives along the rural routes of Pelham. We’d blast George Thurgood and roll down the windows because we loved the smell of the breeze, the sensation of crisp Niagara wind beating our cheeks and tangling our hair against our summer-kissed skin. My father was not a sentimental man. He worked in factories and had a Gordon Lightfoot mustache and never shed tears over injuries. Yet something about the Pelham landscape, the hilly backdrop to his childhood and the childhoods of our ancestors, drew him in. He’d stop by a farm or a gathering of woods and, surrendering his manly veneer, tell me a story about the town. This place is precious. This is the earth that granted us life. Here is the place where we happened upon love or here is a site of devastation. On one particular drive sometime in the late ‘90s we stopped at a tree with a plaque. “This tree looks dead,” I said to my father. “It sure is getting there, Julie.” The Comfort Maple is supposedly Canada’s oldest See COLUMN SIX Page 14
Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation
BY VOICE STAFF
A construction error was discovered following the opening of a traffic calming chicane on Haist Street north of Hwy 20 last Monday that prevented large vehicles from passing through. One resident living in the neighbourhood said he contacted the Town after seeing a small schoolbus get stuck as it tried to get through the new traffic calming measure. Later that day while driving behind a cement truck, he said that he became concerned for the public’s safety when the truck had to turn around because it couldn’t get through. “If a small school bus and a cement truck can’t make it through what about a fire
BY HEATHER McLAREN ROHRER
Special to the VOICE
A
Repair measures underway last week to correct a construction error in the chicane. truck or an ambulance?” he said. While waiting for the contractor to return to fix
the mistake, the Town has taken measures to temporarily allow passage for vehicles through the neigh-
VOICE PHOTO
bourhood in the short-term. Manager of Public Works Ryan Cook said that after discovering the issue with
the chicane the morning it first opened, the Town See CHICANE Page 5
Petition-inspired changes coming to 2017 Summerfest BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Representatives from the Pelham Summerfest committee Candy Ashbee and Bill Gibson presented council with a final report on the 2016 Summerfest at the Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 21. Prompted by a story in the Voice in August about a merchant petition to move Summerfest from Pelham Street, in September Town staff met with various stakeholders to hear their complaints, promising at the time that changes in the way Summerfest was mounted would be con-
sidered. The main concerns identified during the community engagement process were security, parking, ensuring customer can access all businesses in town, and liability for damages. How to get all Pelham Street businesses to participate and finding ways to make it beneficial for them to set up a booth were also determined to be of high priority for the committee as they plan for next year’s event. Gibson told Council that the committee is addressing these concerns in a variety of ways. To improve parking, they intend to create bet-
ter signage for out-of-town visitors to designated parking areas and shuttle services. To make participation in Summerfest more enticing to local businesses, they plan to implement a tiered-charge for booths. Under the new system, Pelham Street business owners will be charged the least, other local businesses will pay a slightly higher fee, and vendors from outside Pelham will pay the most. In response to more specific issues for individual businesses, they will also slightly alter the footprint of the event and make adjustments to security. Another way the committee plans
to improve the 2017 Summerfest is by sponsoring and working with the organizers of the Thursday Night Bandshell Concert series to select the artist performing on the first night of Summefest. They also intend to make more use of the smartphone app they launched in 2016. "We are really going to push it this year," Ashbee said. “It really helps to get people to see what events there are so they can plan out where they are going. We will be able to actually help the merchants and local businesses adSee CHANGES Page 5
FTER LUNCH ON Saturday, Mum and Dad had my afternoon cut out for me. Mum had more brass than anyone I knew, and it had to be cleaned. In addition there was the set of silver fish-knives and forks which were never used, but which had to be cleaned and put back in their velvetlined box. Next was a walk to the newsagents to pay for the daily delivery of the Daily Mirror. As I said, Dad was a printer, but when he was 37 he had been rejected for a job, as being too old, by the printers of the Beano. For that reason, my favourite comic was not allowed in the house, but while I was paying the papers, the newsagent let me have a 'shoofty' at the Beano. I'd explained my predicament and he understood completely. Sundays were different again. Dad would play golf on summer mornings and billiards in winter. Then he'd stop for a 'refresher' at the local and would pick up the prawns, cockles, winkles or whelks we'd be having for tea later. Meanwhile, Mum was roasting the 'joint' and potatoes. I got to make the Yorkshire pud, and mint See COLUMN SIX Page 14
BY VOICE STAFF
While shopping in Fonthill between Friday and Sunday, keep an eye out for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in front of local stores with bushels of apples. As part of the annual Apple Day campaign, Scouting youth of all ages will be trading apples for donations. The yearly fundraising drive is an important way for young Scouts to connect with the communities they are serving, says Leah Marie of Scouts Canada. “The Apple Day campaign holds a great tradition of being able to have youth interacting within the communities they live in,” she says. “All of the Apple Day donations stay directly within the group that re-
The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and well-rounded individuals
ceives them, enabling youth to have experiences that build character, challenge them, and allow them to try new things. The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and wellrounded individuals, better prepared for success. Apple Day helps to achieve that.”
“Any money raised during Apple Day goes towards improving the Scouting program by providing more outdoor adventures for youth, camping equipment, canoes and paddles, training and many other endeavours that the youth want to experience,” says Marie. Scouts Canada has some 100,000 members across Canada, and carries out programs for boys, girls
walk/trail is slated to be built between the south side of the road from Timmsdale Crescent to the high school. Because of the large volume of motor vehicle traffic travelling at high speeds through this area, and because of the necessity for students to tread this path on a daily basis, many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later. After delivering to Council a petition containing
Many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later the names of 450 students calling for a safer walk to school, Simpson handed the
podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case. Loewen told Council that because there are a lot of students who have work placements and coop placements during the school year, this is the only route for many of them to travel. As one of the students facing this predicament, Williams said she has had no other option but to walk along the dangerous highway.
www.pennylanesold.com
H EATHER AND P ENNY L ANE S ALES R EPRESENTATIVES
BY JOHN SWART
VOICE Correspondent
and youth ages 5-25. This year the 3rd Fonthill Group, which includes Beavers to Ventures (youth ages 5- 25) will be hitting the streets to drum-up support. Over the weekend, Scouts will be set up in Fonthill outside Sobeys, Tim Hortons, Target Gas station, Fonthill Shopping Plaza and the Pioneer Gas station at the corner of Hwys 20 and 24.
Town Council approves sidewalk to serve E. L. Crossley BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Joining their principal, Karen Simpson, at the Sept. 19 Council meeting as part of a delegation from EL Crossley Secondary School, students Abby Loewen and Neenah Williams presented Council with a list of reasons that they should immediately approve the construction of the new sidewalk proposed along Hwy. 20. The asphalt side-
Cell 905.933.3049
T
Second year Beaver with the 3rd Fonthill Group, Russell Letford offers a fresh apple to shoppers in Pelham during the 2015 Apple Day campaign. SUPPLIED PHOTO A longtime Canadian tradition, Apple Day began in 1932 in Saint John, New Brunswick, when Scouts handed out 21,000 apples as a way to say thank you to the community. In return for their generosity, many people offered them donations. From then on Scouts have reached out through Apple Day to raise funds for their programs.
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Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn
Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932
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Request made of community still peeved at name change
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BY VOICE STAFF The District School Board of Niagara is requesting that the Town of Pelham cede a portion of Cherry Ridge Park for use as a soccer field to serve the students of the new Wellington Heights Public School, formerly the E. W. Farr Memorial Public School, in Fenwick. Currently under renovation and expansion, the new school will combine students and staff from the previous school and Pelham Centre, where classes are being held while construction continues. Two letters, containing virtually identical text but signed by different authorities, were sent last week to nearby residents of the park, as well as to parents of Pelham Centre students. “The DSBN is currently building onto Wellington Heights Public School on Alsop Drive,” states the letter. “The size of the school's addition means the existing small soccer field will be eliminated. The Town and the Board have been discussing the possibility of working together to create a field for both the school and the
Get
Pined -Sol Pelham’sPelham’s Health Food Store
The Niagara Regional Police Service is committed to reducing impaired driving offences through education and the apprehension of offenders through enforcement programs like RIDE. Impaired driving is still the leading cause of criminal deaths in Canada and destroys thousands of lives every year.
The
FUKS
ture!
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. Carlos Dario DURAN, 59, Niagara Falls David TSIGIRLAH, 23, Niagara on the Lake Jorge Leonel STERNS CORNEJO, 39, Pennsylvania, USA Carl MARNO, 55, Fort Erie Jamal V ALRASHEDI, 33, St. Catharines Alfredo SALAS CORTES, 43, Grimsby Justine C REMPEL, 34, St. Catharines Derrick E WEBER, 36, Niagara Falls Michael BRIAND, 35, Welland Daniel Douglas GREENSIDES, 36, St. Catharines
“I start work at 2:30 PM and school lets out at 2:15 PM so I can’t take any other route,” Williams explained. “I have had friends, family, teachers and other community members reach out to me in the past about how this is unsafe and how there should be another alternative for us.” Looking ahead to winter, when she will need to walk this path three or four times See SIDEWALK Page 2
HERE IS NO BETTER time to cycle than Fall. It matters not whether you’re new to the sport, a seasoned recreational cyclist, racer, touring rider or mountain biker; we all have reason to look forward to autumn. Summer’s heat has faded, and the streams of sweat that ran from soggy helmets into our eyes are now just slight perspiration. Fitness is peaking from lots of saddle time, making those tough climbs of Spring a breeze in Autumn. It’s hard to beat the feeling of beginning a crisp, cool Fall ride with a slight shiver, knowing your efforts will soon warm you perfectly. The hues of Autumn are outstanding. A Pelham route as simple as following our southern boundary is one that would make most Toronto cyclists jealous, especially when our forests and fields are ablaze with colour. Begin from Harold Black Park, and zig-zag south along Effingham Rd toward the Welland River. If you’re new to cycling, it’s important to know south is the direction away from any hills. If you avoid the morning and evening weekday rush hours caused by those travelling through Pelham between Wainfleet See AUTUMN Page 3
Indulgence Bakery Mossimo’s Pelham Street Grille Peter Piper’s Pubhouse DeVries Fruit Farm Beamer’s Hardware Pelham Libraries Bob’s Boys Antiques PharmaChoice Pharmacy Fonthill Fitness Fenwick Pie Company McDonald’s Duffin Appleworks Fonthill Legion Semenuk’s Gas Bar Shoppers Drug Mart Tim Horton’s Giant Tiger Fonthill LCBO Zee Lube Express Care Food Basics Minor Bros Stores Avondale Stores A-1 Market Boggio's IDA Sobeys South Pelham Grill on Canboro Shell on Hwy 20 Circle-K
e s d l I m o a o r l T
P D S A W A N M L R O J O J
8
E
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The Voice
A May 19 2021
Page 3
Lookout resident alleges targeting by neighbour Local realtor arrested on mischief complaint after sex workers repeatedly sent to neighbour's home BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent A homeowner we’ll call “the aggrieved,” living in a new Fonthill neighbourhood, who agreed to speak to the Voice on condition his family not be identified, is at a loss to explain what he calls a pattern of targeted harassment, one that commenced last autumn and ended last week with the arrest of 29-year-old Anosan Kugathas, of 6 Joyce Crescent. “We have no clue what the motive is….we’re hoping to find out why he would do this to us.” Comments posted to a Lookout residents Facebook group page allege that between October 2020 and February 2021, someone sent as many as 16 young female prostitutes to the aggrieved man’s house late at night. Surveillance cameras recording the interactions were turned over as evidence to the police. The complainant also alleges that his wife received text messages “of a sexual nature….absolutely disgusting,” from phone numbers she didn't recognize, which he alleges the neighbour may also be involved in. Niagara Regional Police spokesperson Phil Gavin told the Voice that in January of 2021, detectives from the third district (Welland office) began investigating a mischief complaint, and determined that between December 5, 2020 and January 10, 2021 a suspect
allegedly sent unsolicited female sex trade workers to the victim’s residence in Pelham on 15 different occasions. The investigation culminated with the execution of a criminal code search warrant last Monday, and the arrest of Kugathas, who was charged with two counts of mischief over $5000.
Once I get some clarity from my lawyer, I'll reach out to you Kugathas was released from custody with a July court date to answer to the charges. He is employed as a realtor with Engel and Volkers, in Niagara Falls. Another neighbour in the peaceful Pelham subdivision, who spoke on condition they not be named, suggested that there was a dispute over construction of a fence which may have precipitated the chain of events. They also said that a cluster of four homes on Joyce Crescent and Philmori Boulevard connected to Kugathas were operated as Airbnbs in
Notice of Public Meeting
See MISCHIEF Page 12
An alleged sex worker seen on a doorbell camera after arriving at a home in the Lookout subdivision.
SPECIAL TO THE VOICE
Monday, June 14, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. File Name: Second Dwelling Units File Numbers: AM-04-2020 & OP-AM-01-2020
SECOND Public Meeting for a Zoning By-law Amendment and Official Plan Amendment in accordance with Section 34 and 22 of the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, as amended.
Registrants will also be notified of Council’s decision. If you have not submitted written comments or pre-registered before the aforementioned deadlines, but wish to submit comments during the Public Meeting, you may livestream the meeting from the Town of Pelham’s YouTube channel and email comments to clerks@pelham.ca during the public commenting portion of the subject application only. If your comments are not received prior to the closing of the public commenting portion of the meeting, they will not be considered.
The Town has initiated amendments to the Official Plan and Zoning By-law to include policies and regulations with respect to second dwelling units within the Town. Changes to the Town’s Zoning By-law (1987) and Official Plan (2014) are to implement changes to the Planning Act made by Bill 108/Regulation 299 of the Province of Ontario (More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019).
Need More Information: For more information, please contact Tara Lynn O’Toole by email at tlotoole@pelham.ca or at 905-892-2607 ex. 335. A copy of the staff Report regarding the proposed application as well as any additional information may be obtained on the Town’s website at http://calendar.pelham.ca/council or at Town Hall after 4:30 PM on Wednesday, June 9, 2021.
The proposed Amendments apply throughout the Town of Pelham. General Official Plan policies and Zoning By-law provisions will be established which if met will allow a Second Dwelling Unit to be permitted without the need for an Amendment to either the Official Plan or Zoning By-law.
Important Information: If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the Town of Pelham in respect of the proposed rezoning and/or plan of subdivision before Council gives or refuses to give approval to the rezoning and/or draft plan of subdivision, the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision of the Town of Pelham to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.
Town Council approved Public Hearings to be held remotely during an emergency via By-law No. 4231 (2020). The Town of Pelham will be livestreaming this Public Meeting at the following link: youtube.com/TownOfPelham/live
We encourage you to visit our Second Dwelling Unit webpage for further information and project updates as we move through the process: https://engagingpelham.ca/second-dwelling-units Your Input is Encouraged: Please provide input by speaking at this second public meeting or by making a written submission to the Town of Pelham. Unless indicated otherwise, personal information and all comments will become part of the public record and may be publicly released. To provide input in writing, or to request personal notice if the proposed amendments are adopted, please send all correspondence by 12:00 PM on Wednesday, June 2, 2021 for inclusion in the public meeting agenda package c/o Acting Town Clerk, Holly Willford, PO Box 400, 20 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill, Ontario L0S 1E0, or by email at hwillford@ pelham.ca. Verbal comments will be received remotely at this public hearing using the Zoom platform. To participate remotely, please pre-register with the Clerks office by sending an email to clerks@pelham.ca before 12:00 PM on Friday, June 11, 2021. All registrants will be provided with instructions on how to use your computer, tablet or phone to participate in the Public Meeting.
If a person or public body does not make oral submission at a public meeting or make written submission to the Town of Pelham in respect of the proposed rezoning and/or plan of subdivision before Council gives or refuses to give approval to the rezoning and/or draft plan of subdivision, the person or public body may not be added as a party to the hearing of an appeal before the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal unless, in the opinion of the Tribunal, there is reasonable grounds to do so. If you wish to be notified of the decision of Town Council in respect of the proposed rezoning and/or plan of subdivision, you must make a written request to the Clerk of the Town of Pelham and such request must include the name and address to which such notice should be sent. Dated at the Town of Pelham, this 19th day of May, 2021 .
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The Voice
A May 19 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
OPINION
The opinions expressed in submitted commentary and letters to the editor are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Voice of Pelham.
The Voice of Pelham is a 1211858 Ontario Limited publication David Burket, Publisher 2-1428 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S1E0
COMMENTARY / OP-ED Peter Baldwin
It's time to embrace the Vaccine Passport
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accine passports, and the questions of whether governments or private businesses can or should require people to show them, have recently inspired controversy, and much misinformation, in many countries. Some nations, like Israel, have introduced such passports. Other places, like New York State, are planning trials. Still others, including Florida and Texas, are gearing up to forbid them altogether. It’s long been true that international passengers must prove yellow fever and other vaccinations when traveling abroad, and that children cannot be enrolled in school without having been vaccinated. But requiring proof of vaccination to board a plane, be seated at a restaurant, or attend a show—that would be new. The fur has—predictably— been flying. Vaccine passports are a screen subject that masks the real issue: How much pressure are we as a society entitled to put on those who refuse to be vaccinated? To end the pandemic, and to return to normal life, we need to know wheth-
er people are infected with COVID-19. That’s because people who are infected, whether they have symptoms or not, pose a danger to others. Vaccine passports help make this informa-
How much pressure are we as a society entitled to put on those who refuse to be vaccinated?
tion more accessible. We should think about vaccination credentials in terms of the information that they provide us—and it’s looking increasingly likely that demonstrating that you have been vaccinated conveys the same information as a negative COVID test. It tells you and others that you pose no threat, allowing society to open up without worrying about fanning pandemic flames. This is the case whether
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the COVID vaccines provide sterilizing immunity—preventing transmission of the virus—or not. Not all vaccines are sterilizing. Rotavirus, inactivated polio, hepatitis B, and flu vaccines are not sterilizing. HPV, smallpox, measles, and oral polio vaccines are. Vaccine passports are a screen subject that masks the real issue: How much pressure are we as a society entitled to put on those who refuse to be vaccinated? We do not yet know for certain where COVID vaccines stand, though, so far, the emerging evidence suggests that they do prevent transmission, not just symptoms. Not until we have quite a few more months of experience with the vaccinated will we know for sure. If we assume, for the moment, that COVID vaccines do produce sterilizing immunity, people who have been vaccinated clearly no longer threaten others. They contribute to herd immunity, slowing disease transmission to protect the medically compromised people who cannot be vaccinated, and ultimately, to bring the See PASSPORTS Page 6
Letters Paths of mayhem You are taking your life in your hands when you go for a walk on our walking/bicycle paths. When you are out walking and keeping to the right of the path, and these bikes come racing by you and you do not hear them coming up behind you, you could end up dead. My husband was walking the dog down at the canal and four young bikers had to be doing 45 miles an hour, biking side-by-side almost knocked him off the path. He didn’t realize they were there until they were right behind him. They didn’t even go into single
file to pass him. No respect for the walkers. We were down there at the beginning of the week and every bike that passed us, not one person had a bell or horn to give you a warning. I think these bikers should be told if they are going to use the bike path then get a bell or horn to warn people you are coming, and also have the courtesy to slow down when passing people, and if you are taking the width of the path to slow down and pass single file. See MAYHEM Page 6
7
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Sam Oosterhoff, MPP 4961 King St. East, Unit M1 Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 sam.oosterhoffco@pc.ola.org 905-563-1755 Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2987 Councillor Diana Huson diana.huson@niagararegion.ca 905-324-3094 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607
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Page 5
A May 19 2021
OPINION COMMENTARY / OP-ED Councillor Wayne Olson
PELHAM AND COVID-19 Mayor Marvin Junkin
Beware premature declarations of financial victory
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here is no doubt that Pelham is in a better financial place. Credit for that goes to Mayor Junkin and my colleagues on Town Council who put the necessary steps in place to get were we are today. I also want to recognize and appreciate the excellent work of the Finance and Audit Committee under the skilled leadership of Councillor Wink. The Town has functioned very well during a time of considerable challenge for everybody. Public safety has been preserved. High quality services to our residents have continued to be delivered. Our public works have not been interrupted in any meaningful way. Our succession plan has worked to a remarkable degree. Of course, the credit for that goes to the personal leadership of each and every one of our Town employees. They come through day after day for us. One project comes immediately to mind and that is the new Asset Management Plan. I think this project has the potential to help us become much more precise in our investment and maintenance strategies. I also like that fact that we can add our natural assets to the project. That will help us to become better stewards of our environment. Expect a report this summer. In a financial sense, our
financial position has improved to a moderate degree. There is a long way to go but we do have a pathway to follow. That pathway is made a little more uncertain by the circumstances of COVID-19. You might describe our pathway forward as entrepreneurial, because we will need to be innovative and opportunistic while we are being fiscally conservative in approach. Along with that positive narrative, we need to consider a cautionary narrative. According to published standards, too much of our taxes and user fees are being used to service our considerable debt. According to published standards, our cash position needs to be stronger. There are no more old arena lands left to sell. Fixed asset renewal is distorted by the extreme amount spent on the MCC. We cannot postpone capital projects forever. One cannot expect that the grants from senior levels of government can be sustained. In addition, we need to help create the conditions for business success in our town and we need to see at least some of our taxes going toward investments in our people. This can take the form of new lights for our ball diamonds and splash pads for our youngsters. We can do these things in practical and small increments. We really should become a bet-
ter community every single day. We need to continue to stand up for people. On top of everything, we are likely to see a burst of inflation that will effect everybody. There are very few fiscal and monetary levers left to pull. Unfortunately, these economic extremes impact our young people just when they are starting out. The pandemic will set them back for several years. As a Town, we can help by moderating our taxes and as citizens we can volunteer our services and buy local. As residents, we need to make sure that we are informed of the issues and we need to hold our elected officials accountable. In times of shortage and rationing, choices must be made. “No” is just a word. No doesn’t mean that one’s opinions or judgments are not respected. We might have to pass on otherwise valuable opportunities and projects but please speak your ideas and concerns into existence. ◆ Wayne Olson represents Pelham's Ward 1.
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lowly but surely, national, provincial and regional numbers continue to fall. With the provincial lockdown extended to June 2, it is hoped by then that all numbers in all categories will be sufficiently low enough that a true reopening of not only the economy but also our social lives will be possible. Of course, it could be argued that if our federal leaders had done their jobs and had secured sufficient volume of vaccines way back in January, we would have had a much larger percentage of the population vaccinated before this third wave even got started. As it stands, Canada has only four percent of its population fully immunized, which does not get us even into the top 60 countries with the most vaccinated people. Most US states have 30-35 percent of their total populations fully vaccinated, and are at the stage where they are actually offering incentives for the remaining citizens to
get the poke. Depending on where you live the offerings have been beer, tickets to a baseball game, a million dollar prize, or a lap around a Formula One racetrack, with the reluctant holdout doing the driving.
The coming weeks will see a surge in total numbers of people vaccinated in Niagara
The 12 mayors of the Niagara Region were somewhat disappointed with the Premier’s speech last Thursday, and so collectively wrote a response, touching on two main points. First, the mayors asked the Premier to come up with a concrete
reopening plan using real dates and real numbers. Second, we asked him to please follow the advice of the majority of the medical establishment, and reopen outside recreational facilities, such as tennis courts, skate parks, and golf courses, as these are considered by medical personnel to be low-risk activities. Really, what is more desirable—kids playing video games in a crowded basement or skating at a park? With the large influx of vaccines this week, and with seven straight days of the community centre being put to use as a vaccination clinic, with 20 stations, the coming weeks will see a surge in total numbers of people vaccinated in Niagara. As I stated in last week’s column, the Town’s finances are definitely headed in the right direction. When asked for a quote for this column, the Town Treasurer was See JUNKIN next page
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NEWSFLASH Tell us your story! Column Six presents tales of personal triumph, adventure, strange-but-true stories, life-changing events, and looks-back at our past. Did you conquer Everest or kick a bad habit? Everyone has a story. Tell us yours! NOW ALSO ACCEPTING FICTION— SHORT STORIES UP TO 4000 WORDS! Write it down, send it in: publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca (You won’t get rich, but you will get paid.)
Page 6
The Voice
A May 19 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
Letters continued JUNKIN
continued from previous page forthcoming: “I am very happy with the Town’s financial results for 2020, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Teresa Quinlin. “In 2020 the Town disposed of land in East Fonthill and used the proceeds to repay most of the construction bridge loan for the MCC, with a $3.4 million debenture issued for the remaining balance. Three subdivisions were assumed by the Town resulting in $4.1 million in contributed taxable capital asset revenues. The Town received $2.4 million in proceeds from the sale of the old arena site. The impact of COVID-19 to
PASSPORTS
continued from Page 4 pandemic to an end. Herd immunity through vaccination is a public good that we should encourage, and possibly even mandate. It was obviously unfair to require immunization or passports when not everyone had access to vaccines. But soon all adults can be freely vaccinated, and it will become a matter of choice. Failure to get a jab has consequences for others. If we agree that infected people should not endanger others by frequenting public venues where they can transmit disease, then it follows that we should be allowed to determine who is infected in the first place. We can do that either by asking for vaccine status or by testing (a cumbersome undertaking, when you have to screen every person, entering every venue, ev-
the Town was offset by receiving $1.6 million Safe Restart grant funding, and there was also capital grant revenue of $2.4 million that exceeded budget due to projects being completed from prior years. Some capital projects were delayed in 2020, which resulted in an increase in cash and reserve balances at year end.” So, the bottom line is this. A surplus of $16.2 million, the debt decreased by $7.6 million, cash increased by $8 million, and net debt decreased from $33.3 million to $18.5 million, with reserve balances heading upward. Now if we could just get these patios opened! ◆
ery single day). Vaccine passports will be far more convenient. Passports are a mild form of encouragement that give the vaccinated certain benefits—and that spare individuals, and society, the burden of constant testing. Some view forbidding unvaccinated and unpassported people to fly, dine, attend events, and the like as unfair, an infringement of personal rights. But many others recognize such restrictions as an acceptable way of pressuring the unvaccinated to become vaccinated, for the benefit of the common good. The requirements associated with vaccine passports are not novel. Many regulations and laws forbid citizens from posing threats to others, directly or indirectly, actively or passively. Zoning rules ban flammable materials in cellars, attics, or garages; require houses to be maintained and gardens tended; and make owners
MAYHEM
continued from Page 4 These four bikers were in their 20s, but we have seen old farts like us riding at a high speed too, and they give you the look of get the hell out of my way. What the hell are they trying to prove? The same treatment from the old boys. They don’t slow down when flying by people. Young people walking with strollers and toddlers by their sides—if they ever got hit by one of those bikers that would be the end of a child. These trails should be a safe place for everyone. Maybe a few signs saying BIKERS BEWARE OF WALKERS
might help. This situation is on every bike/walking path. We were bikers in Mississauga in our younger days, and it is the law in Toronto and Mississauga to have a bell on your bike. The bike path in Mississauga along Lake Ontario has a line down the middle of the path, one side saying walkers and the other side bikers. That too is a big joke because when we were biking, you would come up to four or five people walking across the whole path. We would ring the bell to warn them but they wouldn’t move over and looked at us like, what the hell are you ringing your bell for. So I guess it is a no -win situation. D. Haslett Fonthill
control pests and rodents, keep dogs leashed, and so forth. Other regulations impinge on our bodies to improve our health: requiring the addition of fluoride in water, vitamins in milk, iodine in salt. Still other rules require certain behaviors to keep us safe: putting on seatbelts, wearing motorcycle helmets, using condoms during sex if we know we have a sexually transmitted disease. Vaccine requirements abound, as well. We require vaccines for children enrolling in schools, for players of certain sports, and for entry into some nations. It’s hard to see why mandating COVID vaccinations to end the most devastating disaster since the Second World War is not taken equally seriously, and by more people. It seems reasonable that citizens be asked to participate in creating herd immunity as in other unpleasant but necessary tasks—
Story behind clippings People are not allowed to send grass clippings in brown waste bags for composting, but how many people know why this is. Some 20 years ago or so, there was a compost facility connected to the Port Colborne landfill off Elm street. They used to compost all organic waste, including tons of grass clippings. The smell from the facility was strong and wafted into the subdivisions south of it in Port Colborne, and north through areas of Dain City depending on which way the wind blew. People in the area were constantly complaining about the smell. It is my understanding that as this was going
defending the nation, or paying taxes. Not to mention that getting vaccinated and avoiding illness reduces the overall consumption of medical resources, benefitting everyone yet again. Passport resisters might have a slightly stronger case for allowing people to keep their vaccination status private if science ultimately demonstrates that COVID vaccines are not sterilizing, protect only the vaccinated individual from becoming seriously ill, and do not block infection. This would recast vaccination as an individual, but not a public, good. But even if it turns out that the vaccines merely deal with symptoms, infected vaccinated people still have lower viral loads than unvaccinated people and therefore should be less infectious and less dangerous to others. Knowing who had received their shot still will make a difference.
See CLIPPINGS next page
Passports, simply, should not be an issue. Yes, unvaccinated people without passports would have to endure the lines and possibly the cost of being frequently tested, while the vaccinated and passported would not. But that would be a choice they make to avoid vaccination. If people who refuse to be vaccinated can gain admission to events and venues by testing instead, the unfairness dissipates. Since they are not excluded, only inconvenienced, there is no inequity. And the larger, crucial social good is achieved: We will know, either through testing or through proof of vaccination, whether someone has COVID-19. Peter Baldwin is the author of Fighting the First Wave: Why the Coronavirus Was Tackled So Differently across the Globe, Cambridge University Press.
Doctor fights COVID in Niagara, worries about family in Pakistan Increasing concern locally about variants among younger patients BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent For Dr. Karim Ali, COVID-19 occupies every minute of his daily life. As the director of the division of infectious diseases for Niagara Health, and also the pandemic preparedness lead for the Region, he sees the ravages of the pandemic on a daily basis, and also the positive impact of mass immunizations. Meanwhile, numerous family members back in Pakistan have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. His father is in an intensive care unit (ICU). “I couldn't be there, to be with my loved ones. I’ll always have that nagging guilt…that we are vaccinating here, and I got the vaccine, but I couldn't help my dad,” said Ali. Pakistanis live next door to the COVID apocalypse in India, which is now registering more than half of the world’s daily infections, accompanied by dire shortages of oxygen, medicine, and hospital beds, and where funeral pyres of the dead burn around the clock. Pakistan’s government is taking preventative measures to curb a third wave of infection, but it faces pandemic fatigue, population density with relaxed social distancing restrictions due to Ramadan, and a depleted healthcare infrastructure.
The World Health Organization has called on richer countries, including Canada, to mount more robust international efforts toward COVID-19 vaccine equity for poorer nations. India is suffering an internal shortage, and has placed a temporary hold on exports of the AstraZeneca vaccine to meet domestic demand. “It’s a humanitarian crisis,” said Ali. “India produces the largest amount of vaccine in the world, and yet they cannot manage to vaccinate their own people.” Since the pandemic began, India has confirmed more than 250,0000 deaths and over 19 million cases, second only to the United States, according to reporting by the BBC. About 150 million vaccine shots have been given, equivalent to just over 11 percent of India's 1.3 billion people. “It’s important to decrease the burden in the communities around the world,” said Ali, “and actually in our own interest to make sure that countries like India and Pakistan are helped [with vaccine supplies.] Because if they are not, these variants appear, and the virus doesn't recognize borders.” The Economist magazine has estimated the true death toll from COVID-19, using a model which includes data on 121 known variables,
Dr. Karim Ali.
is currently between 7.1 million and 12.7 million globally. The most dominant viral strain of concern in Niagara is the UK variant B.1.1.7. As of last week, 61 patients were in Niagara hospitals with COVID, and 20 or 21 were in the ICU, according to Ali. The Pfizer vaccine is set to be available to younger populations in the near future in Niagara. At a news conference last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that, starting May 31, youth between 12 and 17 years of age will be
able to book an appointment to receive their first dose of the vaccine. Health Canada gave the authorization, based on results of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Phase Three clinical trial involving 2,260 adolescents aged 12 to 15. “Right now it's age 12, then hopefully the trial data will allow those age six to 12 years old by the end of June or July…and then even younger,” said Ali. “The disease burden is in younger populations right now. We are not seeing as much sickness with older people [thanks to high levels of vaccination.] This is how the pandemic moves—you protected the vulnerable 80-plus year olds, and the infection rates go up in 50-plus year olds. You protect them with vaccination, and then those 30-plus, and the disease moves into the 20-somethings and teenagers. The latest data from Israel indicates that by controlling the disease through vaccinating adults, the disease in children has also gone down significantly, so that's very positive news.” Stay-at-home orders have been extended until at least June 2 in Ontario, and Dr. Mustafa Hirji, Niagara’s Acting Chief Medical Officer, has gone on record as preferring the lockdown to continue until the middle of June. Asked about controlled reopenings for leisure pursuits like golf and tennis, Ali responded, “I recognize that the outdoor risk is minimum. But these are difficult decisions. If we act prematurely, like we did before, we'll end up with ramped-up infections.”
Ali sympathizes with those who are suffering financially during the pandemic, but is disheartened by a series of lockdown protests in the region. “I have a stable job, like most of us here in the hospital, but am well aware that many other people in the community are hurting,” he said. “I get that. But I'm just so tired emotionally of seeing 50-year-olds, gasping for breath, put on ventilators. Our level three ICU capacity is at 200 percent right now. We are not out of the woods yet.” All of this reinforces the need to stay home, keep socially distanced, practise good hand hygiene, and wear masks, said the doctor. As to the quarter million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine which should arrive in Ontario this week, Ali thinks it will likely be used for second doses…which he said should be “totally fine,” though clinical trials are still in progress. He said that the risk of blood clots from the vaccine is very low, and noted that in the United Kingdom, medical authorities controlled a post-Christmas infection spike with half AstraZeneca and half Pfizer injections. “All the vaccines that Canada has approved are really good at preventing death and severe disease,” said Ali, and even if one suffers a few side effects after the jab, Ali considers that “earning you immunity,” adding that, “the vaccine is the best way to boost your immune system.” See VARIANTS Page 17
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
The Voice
Page 7
A May 19 2021
Letters continued Niagara flies under TV radar I feel like crying—looks like another extension to our lockdown. As a senior and there are many of us, we don’t have the luxury of many years left to enjoy. Most of us have been isolating and doing all the right things, but the selfishness of others and the lack of steady vaccine supply has put our lives on hold again! But I digress. This is not mind-shattering, but it’s something I have noticed since we have lived here for the past seven years. The Niagara area is not included on any of the big news networks or their weather news. Hello, are we not one of the largest or the largest tourist areas in Canada? Why then, do none of the bigger news stations even acknowledge our existence. Whenever we are trying to get info on COVID-19 updates or lockdown information, it stops before Niagara can be included. The weather maps for these stations don’t even mention Niagara Falls, Ontario. People flock to Niagara in all seasons; it would be nice if all stations gave weather reports for tourists so they know when is a good time to drive here, when it is safe again and when places are open and they can enjoy our wine country, our Clifton Hill and especially the world renowned Niagara Falls! My husband and I honeymooned here and came every year to enjoy the beauty of this area. Don’t get me wrong, I love CHCH news, it’s the only station that includes us and gives updates on everything good or bad that is happening in our area, but we deserve to be included with the big boys, whether they like it or not—after all, they all come here at some point and enjoy our Niagara. R. Obelnycki Fonthill
CLIPPINGS
continued from Page 6 on Walker Brothers decided to enter the composting business with a new system where they would do the composting not in open air, as it was done in Port Colborne. They would build enclosed cells that keep the odors from escaping into the environment. It is also my understanding that this method does keep the odor from escaping, as long as they don't compost grass
POETRY CARPE DIEM Slow down and pay attention Inhale the seconds, minutes, hours, Don't just smell the roses Savour every single flower. Embrace each magic moment Every minute, every day Don't waste them, while you have them For they're not designed to stay.
Your turn is coming soon.
Enjoy, partake, just feel it The wonder that is Life Don't fill your days with sorrow With sadness, grief and strife, These aren't just words I utter They emerge from what I've learned I tell you now, you'll feel regret For corners you've not turned. So use your eyes, your ears, your touch Explore each way you can This glorious life within your grasp Just follow Nature's plan. S.M. Lazareth
clippings. Because the nitrogen content is so high and the odor was so strong, they couldn't contain it. So this is the reason—it's not that they can't, it's because they can't do it and keep the neighbours happy. It's because they respect their neighbors. Wouldn't be nice if the grass people in Pelham, and Niagara-on-the-Lake and other areas of the country could muster up the same respect. Richard McCombs Fenwick
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Page 8
The Voice
A May 19 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
PEOPLE AND POLITICS
by David Siegel
Niagara Region—on the hunt for a Chief Administrative Officer
T
he Region of Niagara is in the process of hiring a new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO). This process started over a year ago, but was interrupted by the pandemic. This is a good opportunity to consider exactly what role the CAO plays. The CAO is the senior appointed staff member of the municipality. He or she sits atop the administrative organization chart and supervises department heads and ultimately every employee of the municipality. The CAO works for and reports directly to council; this is an important point. Sometimes people think that the CAO and staff work for a mayor or regional chair. The legislation is clear that the CAO takes her or his marching orders from full council, not the head of council or any individual councillor. A good way of looking at the system is to think of the CAO as council’s sole employee. Council has the ability to direct the CAO to do something, and it is the responsibility of the CAO to organize and coordinate the components of the municipal administration to ensure that council’s wishes are carried out. This coordinating role is an important part of a CAO’s job. Before the CAO position became common in the 1970s, councils attempted to supervise staff directly. In the current environment, this would mean that 32 Regional councillors (who are not always in agreement among themselves) would supervise the eight, ten, or 12 departments heads. I mean no disrespect to individual councillors when I suggest that this was not a structure that was built for success. The current system of the CAO as council’s sole employee is a much better structure.
As council’s sole employee, the CAO provides a link between council and staff. The CAO must take council’s instructions, which are sometime not completely clear, and translate those instructions into the marching orders of the various municipal departments. Some of these policies will require the cooperation of several municipal departments; the CAO’s job is to ensure that all the department heads are on the same page. The CAO provides advice and guidance to council. Of course, council has the final say, but the CAO and senior staff are the experts in policy fields and implementation. The CAO conveys her or his best professional, administrative advice to council, even if this involves telling council something it would rather not hear. This can put the CAO in a difficult position, but the CAO is not serving council well if he or she does not provide the best honest advice, even if council, or at least some councillors, will be upset. The CAO must also work in the community with resident and business groups as well as other governments. This is challenging for CAOs because they have no control over these outside organizations, but they work with them so that the municipality and these organizations can achieve objectives that improve the quality of life in the municipality. Finally, the CAO is at the top of the administrative hierarchy at town hall meaning that he or she supervises a large number of employees. He or she must build a team of senior department heads. The CAO is not directly involved in delivering services; the role of the good CAO is surrounding her or himself with senior managers who are experts in delivering those services. The additional challenge
Brock Twitter study finds balanced COVID dicussion
is moulding this diverse group of department heads into a team that assists the CAO in managing the entire municipal corporation. The CAO also plays a significant role in setting the organizational culture. Good CAOs emphasize integrity and respect for others, and that message permeates the entire organization. This modelling of behaviour probably has more impact than any words written in a procedure manual. We shouldn’t leave the topic of municipal CAOs without reference to Pelham’s own David Cribbs. The Ontario Municipal Administrators’ Association is the provincial association of CAOs. Cribbs was recognized at the OMAA Awards Event in February 2021 for his “commitment to excellence in municipal management.” Pelham should be proud of the recognition it has received through the reputation of its senior public servant. The municipal council has a major impact on the quality of life in a municipality; it sits at the pinnacle and makes all the important decisions that guide the municipality. However, the CAO also plays an important role in advising council and carrying out its decisions. Residents judge councillors not only by the quality of the policy decisions they make, but also by the quality of service delivery, literally at the street level. This is where a CAO can make a council look very good, or not so good, depending on the CAO you have chosen. Choosing a CAO is one of the most important decisions that a council makes. Niagara Regional Council needs to be conscientious and diligent in making this decision. ◆
Premier Doug Ford recently made an emotional apology to Ontarians for invoking additional police powers and lockdowns associated with the pandemic. It was a response to the immediate pushback his government received from its citizens for putting stringent measures in place. And in the past few weeks, protests against government interventions, related primarily to business closures, drew hundreds of angry anti-maskers and conspiracy theorists to illegal social gatherings in St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. One might think from these rebellious images and comments online and in the news, that discontent is widespread across the region, and throughout the province. But is that assumption fact or fiction? Brock University Assistant Professor of Health Sciences Antony Chum, along with graduate students Andrew Nielsen and Zachary Bellows, decided to conduct research to assess public reactions during the pandemic. Nielsen told the Voice that “essentially we wanted to know how all the restrictions with COVID in Ontario were affecting public opinion. We were concerned with business and school closures, and government-imposed restrictions like social distancing, masking, travel restrictions, and lockdowns. As part of our methodology, we collected 1.5 million tweets from Ontarians using the social media site Twitter, and then used about 15 keywords related to COVID that people would be using. Next, we used an artificial intelligence powered processing program on the tweets to identify the emotion that was associated with each tweet, whether positive, negative, or neutral. Finally, we created a timeline of all the events that happened from March to October
David Siegel is Brock University Emeritus Professor of Political Science.
See TWITTER Page 15
BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent
ETHAN MERGL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
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We have been adding a number of items to the store the last couple weeks! We now have PORK LOIN CHOPS, CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS AND WINGS, BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST, T-BONE STEAK, STRIP LOIN STEAK, tons of assorted SAUSAGE, HOT DOGS, BURGERS, PIROGIES, and so much more. Fresh ONTARIO RHUBARB is now available along with lots of other local produce. We have a great selection of BOSTON FERNS, PATIO PLANTERS, HANGING BASKETS and more.
Please join us TUESDAY, JUNE 1, 9 AM to 3 PM, for a pancake and sausage fundraiser in memory of Ethan Mergl. All proceeds to be donated to the
ETHAN MERGL SCHOLARSHIP FUND.
Ethan was part of the Pelham Street Grille team and we are honored to contribute and be part of helping his friends raise money for this amazing cause. All donations gladly accepted.
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The Voice
Page 9
A May 19 2021
Ribbons support leukemia patient Shannon McPherson has Pelham roots BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent You can’t miss them as you drive along Cataract Road, and many other streets throughout Pelham: orange ribbons, tied to rural mailboxes, trees, light poles, front doors. Orange represents leukemia. And more importantly, the ribbons prompt a discussion about the stem cell registry in Canada to support victims of the disease. When it comes to finding a stem cell donor match, raising awareness can be lifesaving. Just ask Shannon MacPherson-Adams and her family. Shannon requires a stem cell transplant to treat her rare form of cancer, called Acute Plasma Cell Leukemia Multiple Myeloma. She works as a registered nurse at Norfolk General Hospital, and was diagnosed in December 2020. She grew up in Pelham, where her parents, Hugh and Donna, still reside on Cataract Road. Shannon attended E.L. Crossley, and still has many friends in the area. She is a mother of two girls, Abby, 12, and Emma, 9. Her husband, Brad Adams, is a sergeant with the Hamilton Police Services. She first suspected she had contracted COVID, said Shannon’s mother Donna, but in December 2020 was diagnosed with leuke-
mia. Shannon’s own stem cells were transplanted in March of 2021, and she has been receiving ongoing medical treatment at Juravinski Cancer Centre, part of the Hamilton Health Sciences network. “The cancer she has is very aggressive,” said Donna, “and now they have her on a chemotherapy cocktail of other drugs. But she feels good. She's been outside walking, trying to keep a normal lifestyle.” Hugh and Donna MacPherson can’t say enough about the support they and their daughter have received. “It's just been phenomenal,” said Hugh. “Our neighbors here in Pelham have been calling to ask us ‘What can we do? Where can we donate?’ It's just been really heartwarming.” A stem cell donor match for Shannon has not yet been found, but her friends, family, colleagues, and community are working hard to promote awareness, and encourage people to register as a stem cell donor online. Canadian Blood Services had distributed over 600 donor testing kits through the Match4Shannon Campaign thus far. Sadly, the pandemic has hampered the effort, restricting
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Hugh and Donna MacPherson's orange ribbons are emblematic of their daughter’s fight against leukemia. in-person testing, and registrations are down 70 percent Canada since last year. To improvise, a Facebook group called Shannon’s Plasma Cell Mates has garnered a large social media following to help share her story, and has been endorsed and shared by the Ontario Nursing Association and the Police Association of Ontario. Numerous other smaller campaigns — from orange wristbands, to t-shirts, to posters — have been organized by Shannon’s friends and family. Shannon’s search for a suitable donor has prompted many newspaper interviews, along with a feature on Hamilton’s CHCH-TV. Brad has even organized a horseback ride to raise awareness for Shannon’s situation, involving many
people drawn from neighbouring communities like Tillsonburg. Chris van Doorn, Territory Manager of Stem Cells at Canadian Blood Services, told the Haldimand Press that a stem cell transplant outcome depends on many factors, including how well the donor and patient are matched, the type and stage of the disease, the health and age of the patient, the age of the donor, and how many stem cells are transplanted. He said that some people find a match right away while others wait two years, and not all patients looking for a match find one. “But the more people who register to be a stem cell donor, the higher the chances are of finding a match for patients who are waiting,” he advised.
Paradoxically, about 75 percent of patients requiring a stem cell transplant will not find a matching donor within their own families. Potential donors can be placed on a worldwide registry. “Optimal” donors are young males between the ages of 17 and 35, since they offer the best possibility of positive patient outcomes by reducing post-transplant complications. For more information on stem cell donors and patients, visit blood.ca/stemcells. To register to be a potential donor for Shannon, visit blood.ca/Match4Shannon. To share Shannon’s campaign on social media, or for more information, visit Shannon’s Plasma Cell Mates on Facebook.
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Page 10
The Voice
A May 19 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
Spring Around Town
Above, while fruiting and ornamental cherry trees are plentiful in Niagara, less commonly seen is the graceful Japanese Weeping Sakura. Bob Loblaw found this beautiful example, on Canboro Road in Fenwick, as it reached its dreamy peak in mid April. Below, Larry Coté suggests a walk around the spring-fed pond at St. Johns Conservation Area to chase away the last of the winter blahs, and the walkway is disabled-friendly. Meanwhile, a Golden Retriever took a pond-plunge to swim with the geese (inset) as witnessed by Dawn Hall, who was on hand painting her bench at the site. “Oh, he should have been on a leash,” reports Hall, “but he did get to cool off.” BOB LOBLAW / LARRY COTé / DAWN HALL
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
The Voice
Page 11
A May 19 2021
St. Kitts to pay $250K for Fonthill stream improvement Twelve Mile Creek upgrade required to compensate for fish habitat destruction BY BRIAN GREEN Special to the Voice It’s been a very good few weeks for Twelve Mile Creek and the Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC). First, the Town of Pelham authorized the expenditure of $70,000 for the restructuring of the outlet from the storm water pond at Rice Road and Highway 20 to reduce the erosion from excess water that is scouring a branch of the creek bed and depositing tonnes of erosion downstream. Then last week, the City of St. Catharines agreed to spend a quarter of a million dollars to bypass a pond created by a concrete dam in the headwaters of another branch of Twelve Mile Creek right in Fonthill. These two branches of the creek converge near Hollow Road and become the St. John’s Branch of the Twelve that eventually flows north through Pelham and Thorold and Short Hills Park into St. Catharines. Both of these announcements came as the result of a determined campaign by the Niagara Chapter of TUC to sound the alarm about the precarious state of the “last remaining spring-fed coldwater stream in Niagara.” Working with the Fonthill Lions and Pelham Cares, the two properties most affected by the erosion from the storm water pond, the Niagara chapter lobbied Pelham Town Council and staff to make changes to the inadequate outlet, toured the area with the Mayor and mu-
nicipal and Regional councillors, and provided detailed information about the scope of the problem. Pelham Council reacted by passing the design/build order to correct the damaging outflow. The City of St. Catharines became a supporter of improving Twelve Mile Creek in Fonthill when they were assessed a “compensation” by the Federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), for damage they caused to fish habitat along the Lake Ontario shoreline when they had to harden the shore to permit ongoing development. The City retained a consultant, Tarandus Associates, to recommend a compensation that would be acceptable to the DFO. Knowing that Trout Unlimited Canada was a national conservation organization with a track record of managing similar compensation projects where fish habitat had been destroyed, Tarandus contacted TUC in Calgary to enquire if there might be a suitable project in Niagara. When TUC contacted its Niagara Chapter, the response was immediate: “Take the cannery pond offline.” The cannery pond is a large pool created by a concrete barrier in the early 20th century that dams up the headwaters of Twelve Mile Creek shortly after it leaves the springs that are its source in Marlene Stewart Streit Park. The pond was created to supply water and
The cannery pond behind Spring Valley apartments is picturesque, but according to the Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada, by blocking the flow of spring water it warms and degrades Twelve Mile Creek. BRIAN GREEN discharge requirements for the historic cannery on North Pelham Street, now home to Spring Valley apartments. Though the pond has been of concern to the Niagara Chapter for many years, because it serves to warm the stream’s water, acts as a barrier to fish movement, and degrades the quality of the spring water, there was little the group could do, as any solution was simply cost-prohibitive for the volunteer organization. Then Tarandus called and offered $250,000 for a worthy project that would improve fish habitat. Ac-
cording to the Niagara Chapter, “there is no other single project that could make bigger improvements in the health of the Twelve than reducing the effects of the cannery pond.” In a series of meetings with City of St. Catharines staff, TUC representatives, led by national CEO Silvia D’Amelio and Ontario Project Manager Kelly Mason, helped convince City staff not only of the value of the proposed project, but of the capability of TUC to manage the design, construction, and monitoring of the venture. An-
thony Martuccio, Director of Engineering, Facilities and Environmental Services for St. Catharines endorsed the idea: “Compensation projects like the Twelve Mile Creek diversion strengthen natural ecosystems not only in their direct geographic area but impact the watershed as a whole. It means we are ready for climate change and our local aquatic ecosystem remains diverse and robust.” Once staff agreed and recommended the project to St. CathaSee 12 MILE back page
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Page 12
The Voice
A May 19 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
Top, Niagara Regional Police prepare to enter the home of Anosan Kugathas on Monday, May 10. Inset, three of the dozen-plus alleged sex workers whom Kugathas is charged with sending to a neighbour's home between October 2020 and February 2021. Centre, one of a series of sexually provocative text message received by the neighbour's wife. Right, Kugathas' LinkedIn profile photo. SPECIAL TO THE VOICE
MISCHIEF
continued from Page 3 the past, which caused annoyance for local residents, with parking congestion,
noise, and other issues. “We're astonished. We can't believe that this would happen in our community, and that an innocent family would have to endure this abuse,” said the neighbour.
“But it's not surprising given the history of this property. We still think they're actually still running it as an Airbnb—we still have random people on the street, and when going out
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[the residents of the property] leave a key lockbox on the door. So I would argue that it's still an Airbnb, just quietly.” The aggrieved resident came to the conclusion that the instigator of the harassment was his neighbour when one of the alleged sex workers shared with him
phone messages, which indicated that the perpetrator had a sightline to the young woman’s arrival at the house. The woman also described the perpetrator’s voice, which gave the aggrieved man added confidence as to his identity. Reached by the Voice, Kugathas said, “My law-
yers are dealing with everything right now. We're going through the legal system. I'll have to talk to my lawyer, and see what I'm allowed to say. Once I get some clarity from my lawyer, I'll reach out to you.” No further comment was received by press time.
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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
The Voice
Page 13
A May 19 2021
Annual Gutsy Walk coming in June BY MEGAN METLER Voice Correspondent Sunday, June 6 marks an important day for some 270,000 people across Canada living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, the country’s two most common inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). This year’s 26th annual Gutsy Walk for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada will be happening in less than a month and will look considerably different from past years. Previous walks have included participants meeting at a park in their area and completing the five-kilometre trek together. However, this year it has switched to virtual, where all teams and individuals will be walking individually in their own neighbourhoods. On that day, all those taking part will still come together for a Zoom call. During the virtual event, participants are encouraged to share photos on social media using #gutsywalk to raise even more awareness. This event is Canada’s largest country-wide community event for supporting Crohn’s and colitis and has raised some $46 million dollars for programs and research since its launch in 1996. Funds from the walk go towards spreading awareness, advocating for those afflicted by IBD, providing patients and families with support and research for treatments and possible cures. Although fundraising for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada has been challenging, with events being cancelled or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this event is an opportunity to bring people together virtually and collect donations for the cause. Niagara Gutsy Walk Honorary
Rachel Veldhuizen (kneeling with toddler, fourth from right) and her Party Pooper team from last year’s Gutsy Walk. VELDHUIZEN FAMILY Chair, Rachel Veldhuizen, age 15, is happy to be able to share her story and make an impact this year. “It’s an honour to be able to help raise awareness and just help others in my situation, as well to let others know that they are not alone and that there are other people going through similar things that they can connect with, talk to and get their questions answered,” she told the Voice. Veldhuizen was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at the age of nine and has been hospitalized multiple times due to the disease. Since her
diagnosis, Veldhuizen has been involved in numerous studies and has taken part in the Gutsy Walk for the past six years. Her team, called “Rachel’s Party Poopers,” made up of family members and friends, sport their purple shirts and fundraise and participate in the event each year. With the changes made to this year’s walk, Rachel’s mom, Laureli Veldhuizen, shared that they will be walking by themselves and that they are hoping family and friends will do the same. Laureli said that Crohn’s and Colitis Canada has
Thursday, May 20, 2021 scheduled as date for the first Gypsy Moth Spray
The first application of the Gypsy Moth aerial spray program is scheduled for Thursday, May 20. The exact time of the spray has not yet been determined, though it is usually at first light, and is likely to occur between 5:30-8:30 a.m.
really helped their family when it came to learning more about ulcerative colitis, understanding medications, and receiving guidance when it came to dealing with COVID-19 and her daughter being immunocompromised. “Through the organization, we have discovered Rachel is not alone in dealing with this chronic illness,” said Laureli. “It helps families like us who have someone diagnosed, just to provide us with education and different information on what they are researching.”
“It’s hard when someone is diagnosed to be able to know what to do because everyone has individual symptoms that affect them. So the information that they give is really good, just to kind of help us to be calm and understand what we are dealing with.” Crohn’s and Colitis Canada have other fundraisers throughout the year, such as a more recent one where they were selling cases of wine from Henry of Pelham, said Laureli. However, the Gutsy Walk is one of their largest events, which makes up a significant amount of their yearly donations. Occurring just weeks before the Gutsy Walk is set to happen, is World IBD Day. On Wednesday, May 19, people in some 50 countries will come together to raise awareness and encourage action from governments and healthcare specialists. The colour purple is used to show support for those suffering from Crohn’s and colitis diseases. Purple ribbons and t-shirts will be worn on this day and famous landmarks across the world, including Ontario’s very own CN Tower, Peace Bridge, Skylon Tower and Niagara Falls will all be lighted in purple for this event. Around the annual Gutsy Walk, Rachel always tries to do her part by assisting in raising money for research that could hopefully lead to a cure. The Veldhuizens are encouraging everyone to participate in Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s Gutsy Walk on June 6 and show their support for all those living with IBD. For more information on the walk or to donate visit https:// gutsywalk.ca/Home.aspx.
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Page 14
The Voice
A May 19 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
IN THE NEWS
ANOTHER ROUND
continued from Page 2
by JOHN PICCOLO
As Ford's oddly rationalized golf shutdown continues, a clinic can be yours for but $10
I
am not going to rehash the argument as to whether or not golf courses should be open at this point. I have written before that there are arguments to be made to keep them closed, but our Premier last week did not focus on those. Instead his “buddies” told him that they don't always drive alone to the course and sometimes afterwards they hang out and have a couple of “pops.” Guess what, Douglas, some of your “buddies” drive over the speed limit. You don’t ban driving. Set the rules and enforce the hell out of them on the people who don’t abide. We have a Premier who makes policy on what he sees while being driven around in the back of his car and what he hears when he talks to his friends. Do we understand yet that running a business (especially daddy’s company) doesn’t qualify you to make decisions that have enormous physical and fiscal effects on millions of people? I imagine Conservative MPPs went home last weekend and were absolutely roasted by golfers and outdoor sports enthusiasts. Stay tuned. Objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear.
So what now? Here are a couple of things you can do to salve the golf itch while you are waiting for Doug’s friends to sober up. Unless you have downsized from your 1200-square-foot bungalow in Mississauga to a 20-acre estate here in Niagara, with a 300 yard driving range, short game area, and maintenance staff, you likely have to MacGyver it a bit to work on your game around the house. If you don’t understand what you are working on or how it will or won’t fix what ails you, probably just do some exercises to stay golf loose and fit for the grand re-opening. If you do understand your swing and trust the one you have, get some wiffle balls from Canadian Tire (my research tells me the CT ones are stronger and longer lasting that the dollar store variety), a firm, short-haired welcome mat, and swing away. These plastic balls with holes in them won’t go too far, can’t damage anything, and will generally show you if you hit the ball well or not, with the trajectory of the flight. By the way, I recommend the welcome mat so you aren’t afraid to swing correctly which may mess up your grass. You can ingrain some
really bad habits trying to protect your turf. If you have any bit of a yard do some chipping. Again if you don’t already know how to chip it will be difficult to learn watching online instruction or reading a golf magazine. Much easier when someone can look at what you’re doing and point out what is relevant to focus on and what to ignore. Instruction without being able to directly communicate back and forth is often more frustrating than no instruction at all. Put out little targets at various distances and get a feel for what type of swing you need to get what you are looking for. Try it with different clubs. You won’t be able to judge the roll out and get really precise but it will be better than nothing. If you have any short carpet in your house it can be an excellent way to help judge distance with your putting stroke. Ten feet long is fine, 20 is great. Get ten or 15 balls. Hit a first putt as long as your space will allow and then try to hit each subsequent putt one foot shorter. If your house is anything like ours you can also work on some severely breaking putts of all directions. Don’t worry if your carpet is a lit-
tle slower or faster than a real green. You are learning touch differentiation and that is transferable anywhere with a little practice on the surface you will be using on any given day.
I
am getting a little lost for things to do myself. I got very excited last week going over to rototill my dad’s garden and spread some mulch. I’ve offered to help a neighbour plant a thousand baby strawberries. Before I get to the point of volunteering to clean out my other neighbour’s septic tank I thought I better have a plan. Here is what I came up with. My wife and I have been huge fans of the Pelham Library system and all the people who have helped our family there over the two decades of our Pelham habitation. Pelham Cares also does great work in our community. I am going to put on an hourand-a-half online golf clinic on Thursday May 27, at 7 PM. For a minimum donation of $10 you will be given access to a Zoom code which will allow you to participate. I will talk about the golf swing for a bit and some basic instruction that is generally universal and can help most everyone. There will be
full interaction and you can ask specific questions about your swing and equipment, or anything about professional tours, rules, whatever you want. I will host the clinic from Eagle Valley’s indoor hitting station, so will be able to demonstrate as needed. I did one of these for some colleagues at Niagara College and it was very well received. I am not a technical person but along with my IT department we should be able to make a go of it. If this is something you may be interested in then vote with your donation ASAP. See the ad on page XX for full registration details. I specifically chose a night when the Leafs were off and hopefully it will provide an evening of some enlightenment and a little distraction from the normal Thursday night routine. If golf does re-open before that date this event will be cancelled (perhaps to be resurrected next winter) and your fee will be returned. Hope to see you on the 27th. ◆ John Piccolo is a golf instructor and operates Piccolo’s Custom Golf Shop at Eagle Valley Golf Club in Niagara Falls. e-mail him at picgolf@vaxxine.com
non-transferable and must be visible at all times. The permit sticker is to be placed on the inside of the windshield on the driver’s side at the bottom of the windshield ensure that the sticker information can be read from outside the vehicle. Residents may apply at wainfleet. ca/parking. When applying, residents can choose to pick up their permit at Town Hall or simply receive their stickers in the mail.
St. Kitts youth sex assault arrest
According to an NRPS statement, Jason Anderson, 41, is alleged to have sexually assaulted an underage female that he met via the internet. The alleged offenses took place in Edmonton, Burlington, and St. Catharines and occurred roughly between 2012 and 2014. Authorities believe other victims exist in those communities. Anderson was arrested by members of the Provincial Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (ROPE) Squad with the assistance of the NRPS Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit on April 29, and has since been transported to Alberta. Police are looking to identify and speak with potential victims and witnesses. Anyone with information about this investigation is encouraged to call police at (905) 329-8354.
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continued from Page 8 2020.” Their findings indicated that a partial lockdown is associated with more positive tweets compared to a provincewide lockdown, because people were aware of their local infection rates, and wanted their local policies to reflect their perceived level of danger. And as expected, the volume of tweets rose with new COVID-related announcements. Province-wide lockdowns were associated with the most discussion, and also the most disagreement and negativity. During a province-wide lockdown, there were five times more negative tweets compared to a partial lockdown. Ramped-up cases of the coronavirus actually made business closure more acceptable, and decreased the amount of disagreement. “I guess it's viewed as more justifiable
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FONTHILL BANDSHELL PRESENTS DE TEMPS ANTAN of Pelham and Central Niagara Burke’s Masonry 2003, Éric Beaudry, André Brunet and Pierre-Luc Dupuis have THE VOICE Since IS 100 PERCENT been exploring and performing time-honoured melodies from OF the PUBLICATION stomp- Bricklaying, tuckpointing, COMMUNITY-OWNED CELEBRATING 25 YEARS step repair, granite ing grounds of Quebec’s musical past. Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, coatings, brick slices guitar, bouzouki and a number of other instruments, our three virtuosos 905-682-7061. blend boundless energy with the unmistakable joie de vivre found only in when infections are high, compared to MASONRY REPAIR FLOORINGP18-28 when they're lower and people don't really traditional Quebec music. Show runs from 7-9 p.m. ALLTYPE MASONRY
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see a reason for closure,” said Nielsen. Brick, Block, Stone and Chimney repairs. Follow-up research is planned. Wet and damaged basement repairs. “We intend to collect tweets up to April PELHAM LIBRARY CARD MAKING WORKSHOP Phone Tom Deamude at 289-241-4767. 2021, and look at issues like vaccine avail35 years of experience. Materials Make six cards with fall themes, learning a construction variety of techniques. ability and the second and third lockdowns, are provided. time of registration, please enquire about tools needed. which will also be interesting,” saidAtNielCUSTOM MILL sen. He suspects that in the first wave, Tues., Sept. 16 10 – 12:30. $10. Please register ahead. Visit www.pelhampeople were thinking the pandemic would Portable sawmill service. call be short-lived, “but library.on.ca when you get or into the905-892-6443 for more details. I will come to your home or farm and custom mill your logs. second and third lockdowns and school Firewood & lumber also available. Call Rob Patterson, closures, I expect to find stronger opinions FABULOUS FENWICK LIONS FISH FRY905-401-4948, related to these lockdown measures.” riverwood@primus.ca The study by Chum, Bellows, and Nielsen Tasty treats with funds heading straight back into the community. Haddock, was accepted for publication in the journal fries and much 9 from 4-7 p.m. JMIR Public Health french and Surveillance. The more. Runs Sept. BOAT FOR SALE link to the journal article can be found here: https://preprints.jmir.org/preprint/28716/ 20 Ft. Doral-Mirage, Mercruiser, V5, Excellent condition, $11,000. PELHAM MINOR HOCKEY EQUIPMENT SALE accepted. Phone 905-931-2073.
Buy, sell or trade used equipment at the Pelham Arena. Aimed to provide cheaper options for players in this upcoming FORseason. SALE Runs Sept. 6 from 9-12 in the morning. Golf lessons offered by World Golf Teachers Federation top 100 teacher. All ages and all skill levels. Lessons held at Brock Golf Course. Call Doug at 905-327-1492.
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PLACES OF WORSHIP
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Bethany Christian Reformed Church www.bethanycrc.ca
First Presbyterian Church 602 Metler Rd., North Pelham
Holy Trinity Anglican Church holytrinityfonthill.org
Pelham Evangelical Friends Church www.pelhamfriends.ca
Concordia Lutheran Church 105 Welland Rd., Fonthill
Fonthill Baptist Church www.fonthillbaptistchurch.ca
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1369 Rice Rd., Fonthill
Ridgeville Bible Chapel ridgevillebiblechapel.com
Fenwick Church of Christ www.fenwickchurchofchrist.ca
Fonthill United Church www.fonthillunited.com
Kirk on the Hill Presbyterian Church 1344 Haist St., Fonthill
St. Alexander Roman Catholic Church www.stalexander.on.ca
Fenwick United Church www.fenwickunited.com
Glad Tidings Church of God www.gladtidingschurchofgod.com
Pelham Community Church (United Church) www.pelham.cc
St. Ann Roman Catholic Church www.stannfenwick.com
FAITH LIFT
continued from Page 19 shared it with Paul and he liked it. They shared it with a few friends, continued on with their life and basically forgot about the poem.
A caring carrier
Since that time, Margaret’s life has been full of joys and trials. She married Paul and together they raised two girls. They had a fruitful evangelistic ministry across North America and the world. But they have also had to cope with times of pain and challenge. These have included family health issues (spinal meningitis, heart attack, scarlet fever), mishaps (lightning strike, motorcycle accident, serious fall), relationship tensions and financial setbacks. And then, one day, they discovered her poem in a Christian bookstore with the word “Anonymous” at the end. Someone had apparent-
ly discovered her poem, sent it to a publisher and was profiting from the royalties. As the years went on it began appearing on plaques, cards, calendars and posters in Canada, America and beyond. It was even translated into many languages. Margaret was finally able to prove her authorship when she discovered an early dated copy. But her primary joy and fulfilment was to know that God had used her simple poem in the lives of so many people. It had reminded them of the biblical truth that Jesus will “never leave us or forsake us” (see Hebrews 13:5) and that we can “cast our cares upon Him for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). Margaret is now 78 and can look back on her life and ministry and see how many times the Lord has “carried” her too since the day she wrote the poem that has touched millions. ◆ Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
PROJECT RAMADAN Ramz Aziz and Rabiya Siddiqui, and their children Dawud and Sakina, recently delivered 80 bags of pre-packed food and 40 bags of halal chicken to Pelham Cares on behalf of Muslim Welfare Canada and Project Ramadan. Pelham Cares Coordinator Jennifer Dubé reports that the bags contained staple foods as well as frozen chicken, masks, and sanitizer, and were ample enough to feed a family of four for a week. A grateful Dubé says the donation took two cars to deliver. SUPPLIED
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DUGUAY, Edmond Joseph It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our dear father and papa, Edmond, on April 21, 2021 at the great age of 96. He will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his three children, Clarence Duguay, Claire (Rick) Rabian and Doris Mannell (Gord), his much- adored grandchildren, Julie and Stephen Mannell, and his only surviving sister Diana (Maurice) Hébert. Edmond is predeceased by his six brothers and six of his sisters, and his son-in-law Gary Mannell (2002). Born on July 4, 1924 in St. Isadore, New Brunswick, Edmond became a man of many talents, hobbies and sporting passions, and most significantly, a proudly decorated veteran of the Royal Canadian Armed Forces, for which he served his country from 194346. Edmond received medals of bravery for his service in England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany. He would later become a treasured member of both the St. Catharines and Fonthill Branches of the Royal Canadian Legion; always in attendance at the local Remembrance Day tribute. Following his war efforts and service commitments, Edmond brought his love for Maritime music, dance, lobster and king crab to Ontario. In 1955, he married our beloved Mother and Nanny, Rachel Côte. It was here that he put his knowledge and love of automobiles to great use, working as a certified auto mechanic until his retirement. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of classic cars, and, even in his latest years, Edmond would regale his friends and family with specifications of classic cars, including, his own 1955 Robin Egg blue Chevrolet. Never one to “idle”, Edmond spent much of his retirement enjoying vegetable gardening, carpentry, fishing and cheering on, or cursing at the Toronto Maple Leaf’s. Our family would like to express our heartfelt appreciation to the staff at Shorthills’ Villa, who treated dad like “part of the family.” We would also like to thank the many medical professionals of the Niagara Health System who helped dad live such great, long life. À bientôt Papa! In lieu of flowers, remembrances of Edmond may be made through a donation to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 613 (Fonthill) via e-transfer to br613rcl@cogeco.net. Due to current Covid-19 restrictions, a private Funeral Service will take place. Online condolences may be shared at www.pjdartefh.ca
BALANCED LIFE
continued from Page 18 it won’t make achieving elite status any easier. Deliberate practice isn’t necessarily fun. It’s not a few hours a week, or even a day, on the tennis court with the girls. It’s fastpaced serve after serve aiming at a small target placed in the corner of the court, or fingers flying along a keyboard searching for difficult chords others will skip— your singular goal and motivation being to improve your performance, to gain skills rapidly and attain expert-level status. Ericsson claimed there were four essential components of deliberate practice. The activity must be motivational and intentional, repetitious yet still designed to improve performance, fit with your existing competences, and provide immediate feedback. Motivation to stick with the task and exert the effort required to improve per-
formance is critical. The late Kobe Bryant didn’t just shoot hoops in practice, he endlessly shot more than 100 three point attempts per hour from every position on the court. Successful practice involves constant challenge and creativity, not complacently repeating what you’re already comfortable with. In their 2016 book, Performance Psychology, Terry Clark and Aaron Williamon listed psychological characteristics and skills proven necessary for musicians to achieve excellence; high commitment levels, goal setting in terms of self-development, strong concentration and focusing abilities, and mental rehearsal and visualization skills. Whether in sport or the arts, developing synergic mental skills is critical to successful deliberate practice. Deliberate practice should take into account your existing knowledge and competencies of the task. By understanding your strengths as well as your weaknesses
VARIANTS
continued from Page 6 It is a common sentiment in this country that Canada should be self-sufficient for its own vaccine production. To that end, the federal government recently announced it is spending $173 million to help Quebec City-based Medicago develop a COVID-19 vaccine, and build a large plant to produce it. As an additional measure to lessen Canada's dependence on foreign pharmaceutical production, the government announced last year that millions would be spent to build a vaccine production plant at the National Research Council's Royalmount facility in Montreal. Prime minister Justin Trudeau initially said that the plant would churn out 250,000 doses a month commencing last November, but the complexity of the project, coupled with construction delays, led the government to a partnership with Maryland-based Novavax in February, to produce COVID-19 vaccine at the Royalmount plant. Unfortunately, the first Canadian-made Novavax doses won't be produced until the end of 2021 at the earliest, a point when every Canadian is supposed to be already inoculated, according to the federal government's timeline. It wasn’t always this way. Back at the turn of the 20th century, Canada’s nascent, home-grown pharmaceutical industry was steeped in success. Connaught Laboratories, founded in 1914 at the Anti-Toxin Laboratories at the University of Toronto, was at the forefront of global vaccine development for decades. It provided a steady supply of low-cost tetanus shots for Canadian soldiers during World War
and deficiencies, you can better recognize and choose those specific tasks that will lead to the quickest improvements while avoiding mere repetition. A skilled artist changing medium from watercolour to oil, or moving from landscapes to abstract representations need not practice or learn colour values and composition again, but must deliberately concentrate on skills unique to her newly chosen applications. Immediate and plentiful feedback is critical. The sooner one learns what’s working and what isn’t, the quicker they can initiate the goal identification and target setting necessary to select deliberate practice regimes which will most
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Ali, and nurse Christina Huntington, on site at a temporary COVID-19 assessment centre in Niagara Falls, August 2020. FACEBOOK I, and produced large quantities of insulin, a breakthrough treatment for diabetes, through a partnership with Nobel Prize-winning researchers Frederick Banting and Charles Best. Connaught also played a significant role in the worldwide effort to eradicate common childhood diseases like polio after World War II. The polio vaccine, discovered by American Dr. Jonas Salk, was produced in bulk in Connaught Laboratories, using techniques developed by Canadian researchers. Connaught also become a leading producer of the smallpox vaccine. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau nationalized Connaught as a Crown corporation in 1972, and it was privatized by Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in the late 1980s. After changing hands several times, the former Connaught labs are today owned by a French pharmaceutical firm, Sanofi Pasteur, where it produces diphtheria and tetanus vaccines. Another major Canadian vaccine operation, Institut Armand Frappier, started at McGill University in Mon-
successfully advance their results. This self-understanding and feeling of being in control is common amongst elite performers and is tied directly to their ability to maximize practice time. Although unfocused practice isn’t productive to rapidly increasing skills, concentrated repetition of appropriate tasks remains a significant part of becoming an expert. Gladwell’s theory wasn’t completely wrong, it lacked exactitude. Although more recent studies suggest that 10,000 hours alone won’t produce expertise and elite performance, they acknowledge that with deliberate practice techniques, more hours are still better.
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treal in 1933. It produced the DPT vaccine for diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus, a tuberculosis vaccine, and penicillin. It was sold off in the 1990s to a company now known as Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK), a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in London, England. GSK is Canada's largest biopharmaceutical employer, maintaining a production site in Ste-Foy, Quebec, which supplies roughly 75 percent of the country's influenza vaccine each year. GSK and Sanofi co-developed a COVID-19 vaccine in 2020, but disappointing clinical trial results prompted them to cancel a release of product. CBC News reported that Canada’s federal health policy favours generic drug manufacturers, which make cheaper varieties of products that are no longer patent-protected. Consequently, research-intensive pharmaceutical companies are reluctant to invest in Canada, a potential reason that companies like AstraZeneca declined Canada’s request to produce vaccines here at home.
Is there a passion in your life that you believe is beyond your grasp because you don’t have the requisite 10,000 hours to practice? Would you go for it you were convinced you had the discipline, drive and desire to reach elite status in 3000 or 5000 hours of deliberate practice? If you could shape that demanding practice to be interesting and challenging rather than mindlessly repetitive, would you try? Maybe you’ve already put
in your 10,000 hours, dedicated years to your passion. Your results are better than average, but you’re not where you know you could be. There’s always more to learn and accomplish, you understand your joy and self-fulfilment will increase as you become more expert. These last 15 months have taught us that now is not the time to hesitate. Let deliberate practice take you there— Knopfler and the Sultans will have your back. ◆
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A May 19 2021
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The Voice
A May 19 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
THE BALANCED LIFE by John Swart
Deliberate practice—Unleashing your expert within
T
hey’re staring straight ahead, beyond the immense crowd, perhaps the largest they’ve ever performed in front of before, and begin to play. It’s Wembley Stadium, 1985, Live Aid. Mark Knopfler picks and frets his guitar in a final warm up, approaches the microphone, and softly begins, “You get a shiver in the dark...” as Dire Straits play Sultans of Swing. Covertly, almost furtively, band members glance toward each other, then away. Smiles gradually break across their faces, one by one, as they begin to hold each other’s gaze. They’ve
done this 1,000 times before. They are 100 percent confident in their skills, they know every note will be perfect, that Knofler’s soft voice will convey the sorrowful message of that deserted bar. We know we are watching the best, at their best. We see it in our nurses and doctors, those who have experienced it all during COVID. They are tired, and nervous, and upset at the politics, but in their hearts, they decide to carry on for us all. They’ll continue to make the best decisions, successfully blending each course of action practiced for thousands of hours with
newly gained knowledge, striving under the worst of circumstances to become more skilled. In his 2008 book, Outliers, The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell advanced the theory that 10,000 hours of practice is required to become an expert in any field. His conclusion was based loosely on a study of violin students in a Berlin music academy, which found that by the time they were 20 years old, the best students had averaged 10,000 hours of practice. Acceptance of his concept grew quickly, with many believing that 10,000 hours of practice would make one an expert and elite performer in any chosen field. It supported the idea that sticking with something, overcoming hours and hours of practice drudgery, would reward an individual with
doesn’t cut it. The importance of deliberate practice isn’t limited to the physical activities or motor tasks of sports, it can be equally applied to improving speed and outcomes of cognitive and perceptual endeavours. Deliberate practice is learning as well as doing. The ramifications of Ericsson’s research are exciting for those of us that may have few spare chunks of 10,000 hours available. Practice done right, deliberately, can significantly reduce Gladwell’s prerequisite number of hours, although
ever, beyond obvious physical determinants, it has been proven that the quality of the practice time, not the quantity, determines outcome. The key to becoming an elite performer is now believed to hinge on the concept of “deliberate practice.” In his book, The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance, Florida State University psychologist and scientific researcher K. Anders Ericsson defined deliberate practice as, “a highly structured activity engaged in with the specific goal of improving performance.” Merely putting in the hours
being the best of the best. Chess master, elite athlete, rocket scientist—Gladwell’s promise was that if you put in the time, anything was possible. Since his book’s release, additional studies and hard realities experienced by those that put in their 10,000 hours yet remain merely average, have proven this theory incomplete. It has been argued that natural abilities or talent are a prerequisite for excellence, and it may be true that an offensive lineman with the Hamilton Tigercats would struggle to successfully change careers with a professional jockey. How-
See BALANCED LIFE Page 17
V oice HOROSCOPE ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, altruism is a noble trait, but remember to also devote some time to your own interests. There is a way to find a balance between all of your actions. TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 Travel plans may be on your mind, Taurus. Weigh all of the pros and cons of traveling before purchasing your plane ticket or booking that hotel. GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, when opportunities spring up sometime this week, you may need to grab that golden ring quickly or it is bound to pass you by in a flash. Then regrets may sink in. CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 It is easy to miss the forest for the trees, Cancer. Making decisions based on one detail will not do you justice. You have to look at the bigger picture before making a decision. LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, after a few amendments to your plan, you will have some good options to go on. Scorpio can give a look as well and offer some advice on how to proceed this week. VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, if each day seems like a mental marathon, then you definitely need to find some “me” time to unwind and disconnect. Schedule time each day to devote to yourself. LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 It may seem productive to look at the world through rose-colored glasses, Libra. However, repeatedly guarding others from anything unpleasant can be a disservice.
SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Continue to stay on top of all the nuts and bolts of your daily life, Scorpio. You have been a champ at managing schedules and deadlines for yourself and others. SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 Health news may bring a scare, Sagittarius. If anyone can whittle down the facts and get on a solid course, it is you. You’ll get through this challenge. CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, it is time to start looking for new hobbies to pass the time, especially if you’ve been spending a lot of time at home. You could transition into a new career. AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 Big changes are in store for you this week, Aquarius. You could get the news that you have been waiting for. This may mean you will have to quickly rise to action. PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, while others are taking in the scenery this week, you are gett ing down to business. This can set you on a productive path. FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS MAY 16 Megan Fox, Actress (35) MAY 17 Bob Saget, Actor (65) MAY 18 Jack Johnson, Singer (46) MAY 19 Kevin Garnett, Athlete (45) MAY 20 Rachael Platten, Singer (40) MAY 21 Gotye, Singer (41)
57. DS
56. BA
47. GEED
49. TAXIS
45. INK
46. NILE
44. DECIDE
41. CANINE
43. DEEPEN
38. SISTERS
33. ALLYL
35. CHOW DOWN
32. BELAU
29. FRO
31. MEEDS
25. COOPERATES
20. CELOM
21. KRONA
17. CHI
19. OMITS
13. CREE
9. RD
12. DARD
7. HOARE
8. ENFLAME
6. SMEARS
4. DA
5. ALLOCATION
2. EGOIST
3. GODCHILD
1. MANTAS
SOLUTIONS DOWN
60. NNE
58. WED
59. ASSESS
55. ED
56. BRINED
54. OPI
53. EXIT
52. DECKLE
50. WEENIE
51. SULTANA
48. DAYSTAR
41. CE
42. NODDING
40. ELLI
39. POO
36. SMA
37. EELS
31. MBA
34. DORIC
28. LOFT
30. ETON
26. AS
27. MILO
24. DEISTIC
22. REHASH
23. CREAMER
18. OARLOCK
15. LEAF
16. ARCTIC
12. DC
14. NOD
10. AGO
11. ALMOND
1. MEG
4. DASHER
ACROSS
CROSSWORD ANSWERS
SOLUTIONS
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The Voice
Page 19
A May 19 2021
FAITH LIFT
by Pastor Rob Weatherby
Footprints—the person behind the poem
T
his poem is one of the best-known and loved, not only in Christian circles but in society in general. Perhaps you have it hanging as a plaque somewhere in your home. Its message obviously struck a chord with many people. What you may not know is that it was written by a Canadian believer right here in Ontario. Her life illustrated the message of the poem.
An inspiring poem
The author wrote it freestyle instead of rhyme. Here it is… One night I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord. When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma. “Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don’t understand why, when I needed You most, You leave me.” He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints it was then that I carried you.”
A Canadian poet
The poet’s name is Margaret Fishback. She was born in Tilsonburg, Ontario, in 1943, and she wrote this
poem on Thanksgiving Day in 1964, at Echo Lake Youth Camp, near Kingston, Ontario. The original title was, “I Had A Dream.” Margaret had just got engaged to Paul Powers. They had been walking along a beach by the camp earlier in the day. They had chatted about how the waves had washed away their footprints as they walked. That evening the poem began to form in Margaret’s mind and she recalled, “The words tumbled out, easily, effortlessly.” Margaret See FAITH LIFT Page 16
Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Word Search: Boating
Find the words hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and backwards. ADRIFT ANCHOR BEAM BELOW BULKHEAD BUOY
CABIN CHART CLEAT CUDDY CURRENT DECK
FATHOM FOULED HITCH HULL INBOARD KNOT
LINE PIER STERN TACKLE VESSEL WINDWARD
ANSWERS ON PAGE 18
Voice
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Page 20
The Voice
Voice
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
4 Classic Italian Sub
Even though making sandwiches usually does not involve any cooking, that doesn’t mean layering flavors and selecting quality meats and cheeses involves any less intuition and skill. One of the most popular styles of sandwiches goes by many names, and what you call the sandwich may let others know which part of the country you call home. Each May, people pay homage to the “hoagie,” which is the name that people from Philadelphia and southern New Jersey bestow on a long, cold-cut sandwich. But these sandwiches can be enjoyed any time of year. There are many theories surrounding the origin of this sandwich’s name, which is known as a submarine, grinder, hero, or torpedo in other regions. According to the food resource TheKitchn, this sandwich got its name from Italian immigrants who worked at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, which was once known as Hog Island. Workers were known as “hoggies,” which eventually became “hoagies.” The name soon was extended to the sandwiches these workers frequently ate. Anyone can craft a delicious sandwich at home. Enjoy this “Classic Italian Sub (Hoagie)” recipe, courtesy of Boar’s Head®, as you sit down to watch the next episode of Mare of Easttown. Classic Italian Sub (Hoagie) Serves 1 1 French baguette half, sliced lengthwise 2 tablespoons Boar’s Head® Deli Dressing (or oil and vinegar to taste) 2 leaves leaf lettuce 6 slices tomato, thinly sliced 1/4 cup red onion rings, thinly sliced 4 slices sandwich style pepperoni 4 slices hot uncured capocollo 4 slices Genoa salami 2 slices picante provolone cheese, sliced in half Place opened roll onto a work surface. Drizzle dressing onto the bottom half of the roll. Then top with lettuce, tomato, onions, pepperoni, capocollo, Genoa, and cheese. Crown with the top roll.
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A May 19 2021
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12 MILE
continued from Page 11 rines City Council, it remained to be seen if council would approve the expenditure of significant money for improving Twelve Mile Creek in Pelham. In the end, council agreed with Martuccio that any improvement to the stream in its headwaters would be felt through the entire watershed, including St. Catharines. The recommendation for the $250,000 DFO compensation to be spent on the cannery pond bypass in Fonthill was passed without objection. The plan calls for bypassing the cannery pond rather than removing the dam and eliminating the pond because the owner of Spring Valley apartments, Richard Dekorte, wants to retain the pond, enjoying the feature for its picturesque and natural qualities. “I love to watch the ducks and geese,” he says, “and what other apartment building has a beautiful pond in the backyard?” As the landowner, Dekorte has the last say in any design that is eventually proposed, but the current preliminary idea is a channel routed around the west side of the pond to allow unimpeded flow from the springs into the St. John’s branch of the Twelve. The pond would be recharged either through groundwater seepage or a small channel off the stream. While the City of St. Catharines is footing the bill, the project will be managed from design through completion and post-construction monitoring by Trout Unlimited Canada’s Guelph office to ensure that it meets the DFO’s requirements for significantly improved fish habitat. The organization’s Ontario biologist, Patricia Huynh, recognizes that there are many interests involved in this project, including St. Catharines, the Town of Pelham, the MNRF, NPCA, Escarpment Commission, local residents, and Richard Dekorte. “We see the immense value in improving the health of Twelve Mile Creek,” said Huynh, “and look forward to collaborating with the many partners involved.” The neighbouring property to the west of the cannery pond may also be affected by bypass construction and their approval must also be secured. That property is the Lathrop Nature Preserve, owned by the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). Coin-
This concrete dam was constructed in the early 1900s to service the cannery on North Pelham St. It blocks the flow of a main branch of Twelve Mile Creek, forming a pond that warms the spring water that flows in from Marlene Stewart Streit Park. BRIAN GREEN cidentally, the NCC has been engaged in a very lengthy and expensive project within the Preserve to strengthen the old railway berm that once served the cannery, and reduce the impact of two man-made ponds that affect tributaries of Twelve Mile Creek. Working with the Niagara Chapter of TUC and adviser Ian Smith, along with a contracted environmental consultant firm, they anticipate that the reconstructive work they are doing will also contribute to a healthier aquatic environment in the headwaters. As welcome as these initiatives are, the Chair of the Niagara Chapter of TUC, Dennis Edell, cautions that much is left to do. “While fi xing the cannery pond issue is important, we need to also consider the bigger issue of managing Fonthill’s rapid growth and its impact on the watershed,” said Edell. “The Mayor and Pelham council took an important step in the right direction when they voted to fi x the problem at the storm water pond outlet at Rice Road and Highway 20. If we are to protect this unique habitat for current and future generations, we must embrace a culture that values green infrastructure and low impact development strategies.” Edell and the Niagara Chapter have been active in promoting Low Impact Development Strategies (LIDS)
for the Town and recommending that such measures be embedded into the Town’s bylaws to ensure that all future development conforms to a policy that protects sensitive waterways such as Twelve Mile Creek from excessive runoff. The recently demonstrated willingness of the Town to act on projects that will restore the creek, and the recognition by St. Catharines of the importance of the Twelve as a common watershed, bode well for the stream, and the momentum gained by the Niagara Chapter of TUC’s recent successes may eventually translate into a return of once common but now almost extinct species such as native Brook Trout. Vice Chair of the Niagara Chapter, Valerie Grabove, is cautiously encouraged. “There is no better indicator of a healthy stream than the presence of Brook Trout,” said Grabove, “which have over the past 50 years been reduced to a few fragile pockets of water in the Twelve where conditions allow for their existence and reproduction. A measure of the success of such endeavours as these recently announced projects will be the expansion of habitat suitable for them to thrive.” Voice contributor Brian Green is also the secretary of Trout Unlimited Canada, Niagara Chapter.
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