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Wednesday, May 31, 2017
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Attempted murder charges for Port Colborne man The VOICE
On Thursday, May 18, detectives from the Niagara Regional Police Service’s (NRPS) Homicide Unit arrested 29-year-old Corey Richardson, of Port Colborne, for allegedly shooting two Niagara Regional Police officers from the Welland detachment on Oct. 10, 2015. Richardson has been charged with two counts of attempted murder using a firearm along with single counts of pointing a firearm, possession of a prohibited weapon, careless storage of firearm, careless storage of a restricted weapon, and possession of prohibited devices. The shootings took place in the hallway outside Richardson’s unit at Canboro Gardens Apartments on Canboro Rd. in Fenwick, on the Saturday evening of Thanksgiving weekend, 2015. The original
police report stated that officers arrived on-scene and encountered Richardson in the hallway of the multi-unit building, at which point he barricaded himself in his apartment. Out of fear that the distraught man had a gun, the report indicated that officers began evacuating the other apartments. While officers tried to negotiate with Richardson, he came out of his apartment, firing multiple shots. After Constable Neal Ridley and Constable Jake Braun were struck by the barrage of bullets, other NRPS officers returned fire, incapacitating Richardson and leaving him in critical condition. All involved were transported to hospital. The officers were treated for their injuries and released. An investigation into the incident by Ontario’s Special InvesSee CHARGES Page 14
Eyes on the city Endurance by observation, minus seeing BY SAMUEL PICCOLO
Special to the VOICE
M
study looking at both Canada and Saudi Arabia. “We can’t just turn around and say, ‘Well then, we need to reforest Saudi Arabia.’ Their climate is not conducive to that,” he explained. “That’s where we all came up with the idea that if you take out ten trees you have to plant twenty trees. That doesn’t mean you have to plant them in your back-
ANY YEARS FROM now, when I face the firing squad or the bumper of a self-driving bus or the cancer or however it is I am fated to meet my end, I will remember the distant day when my parents took me to the city for the first time. I was about seven or so and had finally managed to badger them into taking me to the Hockey Hall of Fame. This visit was made over the Christmas holidays, and as we crossed the Skyway our car shuddered in the thrashing wind and made me too frightened to take a long look down to the bay, where floes of ice were beginning to stitch themselves together for the season. My father maneuvered us through the traffic and parked on the second level of a garage, and before leaving we stopped in the stairwell to secure our hats and scarves and minimize our exposed skin. My mother bent down, then, and spoke to me softly. “You will see many homeless people today. And as hard as it is, you just have to keep walking. We can try to help some, but…,” her voice trailed off.
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See COLUMN SIX back page
HOLD ON TIGHT Carnival time in Fenwick. Story on page 10. DAVE BURKET PHOTO
Region considering two-for-one tree planting policy BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Fonthill’s Dr. Uwe Brand and a team of nine students from his environmental assessment class at Brock University, recently planted their idea for a region-wide two-for-one tree planting policy on members of Regional Council. Delivering the presentation to Regional Council earlier this spring with Brand were Master’s students Kristen Shaver and Alyssa Davis.
“This policy is one very simple step that we know is accomplishable,” said Shaver. “It is a small step, but it would make a huge difference.” Recognizing that more needs to be done to mitigate the effects of climate change, Brand said the students began brainstorming ways they could make a difference. Learning of the tree planting policy put in place by the Town of Pelham when Brand was a mem-
ber of Council, the students thought of how such a policy would provide Niagara with more trees if adopted by the Region. “You always hear about global climate change and anthropogenic carbon dioxide production, but no one really mentions how much is produced and taken up by other sources,” said Brand. Annually, trees in Canada sequester anywhere from 5,100 to 114,000 Mt (megatonnes) of carbon dioxide. Canada emits an estimated
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7,600 Mt each year — 730 Mt through anthropogenic, or human-originated, sources, 6,600 Mt from natural processes such as soil degassing and 315 Mt from wildfires. A tree planting policy that replaces every tree cut down with two more could help mitigate the effects of global climate change. To gain a better understanding of Canada’s potential to be a leader in the fight against man-made climate change, Brand said his class did a comparative
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The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
PUBLISHER’S CORNER by Dave Burket
Many a mickle makes a muckle… A reader writes, “I (and 16,999 other people) would really like to see a balance sheet of the Town of Pelham's transactions with respect to property in the East Fonthill plan. What have they bought, what have they sold, what have they given away, what do they retain, and what have the prices been on each transaction? They sell property at $300K/acre and buy it at nearly a million an acre. They offer property to someone for nothing, and when that someone turns up their nose at it they say wait, we'll buy different property and give that to you. They retain property for a storm water management pond, but a developer dumps their water into it (yes, yes, for a portion of the cost of building the pond, but what about the value of the land itself?) Lots of unanswered questions.” Yes, Reader, we’re working on it, but there are only so many hours in a day, and so many Jims in a Pitt. Stay tuned. And the winner is… Last week’s mini-Puzzler saw the placement of a Japanese character in Bloomin’ Crazy Garden Centre’s ad promoting a special on Japanese willow bushes. Owner Gary Rabb reports that he had only one winner, a nice lady who said that she assumed the character had something to do with gardening or nature. So she typed a number of related words into Google Translate, hit the Japanese button, then
started combing through the results to find a match. Find it she did. “Leaves” was the correct answer. Rabb didn’t get her name, so we offer congratulations for a job well-researched to whoever you are. Enjoy the willow! Fifty years and counting… There’s a lovely 50th wedding anniversary notice on page 9. It got me thinking back to 1967, a summer of dark clouds both literally and emotionally—lots of lightning storms that crackled on the AM radio, and my mother in the hospital. Neither was great for a 7-year-old. Luckily mom recovered and just celebrated her 81st birthday, and these days I don’t mind a good thunderstorm at all— as long as the vantage point is inside a well-grounded building. We’re all from somewhere… Commentary by Larry Coté and an article by Mary Lamb this week both make similar points. We are a crazy-quilt of a country, even here in relatively homogeneous Pelham. Celebrate the differences. Third time earns a free donut… Samuel Piccolo is back with another Column Six this week, this time a thoughtful consideration of how memories are made, and how we choose to see our surroundings. Need a grass dealer?... They say Young Sod Farms has the premium stuff, but you didn't hear it from us. Whoa... June already. Strange de Gym predicts a summer as wet at 2009's. "I cut the lawn at least every four days. It was a nightmare!"
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A nation of immigrants: Mary Kelsey's story is ours too BY MARY LAMB
Special to the VOICE
In 1866, the year before Canada became a nation, (Confederation) there was a young woman staying in Pelham who kept a diary. Her name was Mary Kelsey. She was only 20, and she had no interest in the negotiations going on between the provinces. She had arrived by train to St. Catharines and travelled by “carriage” through “beautiful scenery” to stay with her aunt and uncle at Hill Cottage on North Pelham Street near Fonthill. There were only about 600 residents in the village of Fonthill at that time, but there was plenty for Mary and her cousins to do. They attended the new Quaker Brick meeting House, and sometimes the “English Church” on Pelham Street. They went for picnics and horse-rides, collected the mail at Fonthill post office and no doubt shopped in Kinsman’s store. She had her photo taken by “J. England, Photographer, Fonthill.” Mary enjoyed her visit, and wanted to stay. Pelham has always attracted both visitors and settlers. We don’t know how many indigenous people were here in earlier times, but there is archeological evidence of settlements in the area. When the first Europeans arrived, the land was heavily wooded, but after they cleared the trees, they found it ideal for
farming and fruit growing, a good place for refugees from the American war of Independence to start a new life. Pacifist religious groups came; one of the first Quaker Meeting Houses in Canada West was established in Pelham in 1799. The settlers had large families, but even so, 150 years ago there were fewer than 3,000 people living in Pelham. The first group of immigrants to start arriving after Confederation were children. In the 1870s destitute children from the industrial cities of England were brought to Canada to work as farm-hands and maids on Ontario farms. Quite a few came to Pelham, and this continued into the twentieth century. The need for farm labour attracted young men from Britain; many got jobs in the Pelham nurseries which were sending plantstock all over North America. After World War II, there was an influx of people from Europe — Poland, Italy, Holland— who saw opportunities in Canada and a better place to raise their families. The people who arrived after 1867 made a significant contribution to Pelham’s growth and prosperity. And to recognize this, the Pelham Historical Society will be mounting a display in the Festival Room of the Pelham Library in June to tell their stories. In case you are wondering what happened to Mary Kelsey, she had to return to
Michigan to look after her sick mother, but there she was reunited with an old boyfriend and they were married on Christmas Day 1867. So 2017 is Mary’s anniversary too. The Pelham Historical Society is celebrating Canada’s 150th Anniversary by doing some research into Pelham’s roots. In 1867 there were about 2,500 people living in Pelham. In 2017 there are more than 17,000. Although there is some evidence
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of First Nations People visiting the area, most of the residents in 1867 had come as emigrants seeking good farmland. Their descendants form some of the population today, but such a huge increase in population makes us wonder where all those people came from. To try to find the answer to that question, the Pelham Historical Society has started a survey. You will find it on the Town website and in the Library. It asks your name and where your ancestors — greatgreat etc.-grandfather and grandmother — lived in 1867. Please fill it out and help us find the answer to our question.
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Growing up British Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation
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Apple Day comes to Fonthill
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BALLOONING INTEREST Grade 6 student Jinja Shepherd explains her experiment on static electricity at the Glynn A. Green Public School's annual science fair last Friday. See story, page 3. NATE SMELLE PHOTO
Public meeting tonight on school issues BY VOICE STAFF As questions continue to mount regarding an email that Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn quietly sent to a District School Board of Niagara trustee last summer, Augustyn has agreed to address the issue at a public meeting scheduled for this evening, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Fenwick. Nancy Beamer, speaking for “Names Matter,” a Pelham citizens group lobbying the DSBN to reverse its decision to rename a local public school, confirms that the meeting will be held at Fire Station #2, known locally as the Fenwick Fire Hall, starting at 7:00 PM. While the Mayor has agreed to ap-
Under pressure, Mayor to address email revelation, other E. W. Farr matters pear, says Beamer, DSBN officials associated with the school-naming process have either declined to attend or have not yet responded to the group’s invitation. DSBN Chair, Dale Robinson, to whom Augustyn’s email was addressed last June, has declined to appear, says Beamer, asserting that she would be
“on holidays.” The Voice was unable to independently confirm Robinsion’s intentions. She did not respond to repeated requests for comment on E.W. Farr-related matters before presstime. Beamer, whose group maintains an email list of some 580 residents, says that all members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting. “We would especially welcome parents and children who are unhappy with the name change,” she says, referring to the contentious decision by the DSBN to consolidate two Pelham See MEETING back page
HEN I WAS young, my father and I would go for long drives along the rural routes of Pelham. We’d blast George Thurgood and roll down the windows because we loved the smell of the breeze, the sensation of crisp Niagara wind beating our cheeks and tangling our hair against our summer-kissed skin. My father was not a sentimental man. He worked in factories and had a Gordon Lightfoot mustache and never shed tears over injuries. Yet something about the Pelham landscape, the hilly backdrop to his childhood and the childhoods of our ancestors, drew him in. He’d stop by a farm or a gathering of woods and, surrendering his manly veneer, tell me a story about the town. This place is precious. This is the earth that granted us life. Here is the place where we happened upon love or here is a site of devastation. On one particular drive sometime in the late ‘90s we stopped at a tree with a plaque. “This tree looks dead,” I said to my father. “It sure is getting there, Julie.” The Comfort Maple is supposedly Canada’s oldest See COLUMN SIX Page 14
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
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Special to the VOICE
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Repair measures underway last week to correct a construction error in the chicane. truck or an ambulance?” he said. While waiting for the contractor to return to fix
the mistake, the Town has taken measures to temporarily allow passage for vehicles through the neigh-
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bourhood in the short-term. Manager of Public Works Ryan Cook said that after discovering the issue with
the chicane the morning it first opened, the Town See CHICANE Page 5
Petition-inspired changes coming to 2017 Summerfest BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Representatives from the Pelham Summerfest committee Candy Ashbee and Bill Gibson presented council with a final report on the 2016 Summerfest at the Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 21. Prompted by a story in the Voice in August about a merchant petition to move Summerfest from Pelham Street, in September Town staff met with various stakeholders to hear their complaints, promising at the time that changes in the way Summerfest was mounted would be con-
sidered. The main concerns identified during the community engagement process were security, parking, ensuring customer can access all businesses in town, and liability for damages. How to get all Pelham Street businesses to participate and finding ways to make it beneficial for them to set up a booth were also determined to be of high priority for the committee as they plan for next year’s event. Gibson told Council that the committee is addressing these concerns in a variety of ways. To improve parking, they intend to create bet-
ter signage for out-of-town visitors to designated parking areas and shuttle services. To make participation in Summerfest more enticing to local businesses, they plan to implement a tiered-charge for booths. Under the new system, Pelham Street business owners will be charged the least, other local businesses will pay a slightly higher fee, and vendors from outside Pelham will pay the most. In response to more specific issues for individual businesses, they will also slightly alter the footprint of the event and make adjustments to security. Another way the committee plans
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to improve the 2017 Summerfest is by sponsoring and working with the organizers of the Thursday Night Bandshell Concert series to select the artist performing on the first night of Summefest. They also intend to make more use of the smartphone app they launched in 2016. "We are really going to push it this year," Ashbee said. “It really helps to get people to see what events there are so they can plan out where they are going. We will be able to actually help the merchants and local businesses adSee CHANGES Page 5
FTER LUNCH ON Saturday, Mum and Dad had my afternoon cut out for me. Mum had more brass than anyone I knew, and it had to be cleaned. In addition there was the set of silver fish-knives and forks which were never used, but which had to be cleaned and put back in their velvetlined box. Next was a walk to the newsagents to pay for the daily delivery of the Daily Mirror. As I said, Dad was a printer, but when he was 37 he had been rejected for a job, as being too old, by the printers of the Beano. For that reason, my favourite comic was not allowed in the house, but while I was paying the papers, the newsagent let me have a 'shoofty' at the Beano. I'd explained my predicament and he understood completely. Sundays were different again. Dad would play golf on summer mornings and billiards in winter. Then he'd stop for a 'refresher' at the local and would pick up the prawns, cockles, winkles or whelks we'd be having for tea later. Meanwhile, Mum was roasting the 'joint' and potatoes. I got to make the Yorkshire pud, and mint
See COLUMN SIX Page 14
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While shopping in Fonthill between Friday and Sunday, keep an eye out for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in front of local stores with bushels of apples. As part of the annual Apple Day campaign, Scouting youth of all ages will be trading apples for donations. The yearly fundraising drive is an important way for young Scouts to connect with the communities they are serving, says Leah Marie of Scouts Canada. “The Apple Day campaign holds a great tradition of being able to have youth interacting within the communities they live in,” she says. “All of the Apple Day donations stay directly within the group that re-
The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and well-rounded individuals
ceives them, enabling youth to have experiences that build character, challenge them, and allow them to try new things. The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and wellrounded individuals, better prepared for success. Apple Day helps to achieve that.”
“Any money raised during Apple Day goes towards improving the Scouting program by providing more outdoor adventures for youth, camping equipment, canoes and paddles, training and many other endeavours that the youth want to experience,” says Marie. Scouts Canada has some 100,000 members across Canada, and carries out programs for boys, girls
Joining their principal, Karen Simpson, at the Sept. 19 Council meeting as part of a delegation from EL Crossley Secondary School, students Abby Loewen and Neenah Williams presented Council with a list of reasons that they should immediately approve the construction of the new sidewalk proposed along Hwy. 20. The asphalt side-
walk/trail is slated to be built between the south side of the road from Timmsdale Crescent to the high school. Because of the large volume of motor vehicle traffic travelling at high speeds through this area, and because of the necessity for students to tread this path on a daily basis, many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later. After delivering to Council a petition containing
Many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later the names of 450 students calling for a safer walk to school, Simpson handed the
podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case. Loewen told Council that because there are a lot of students who have work placements and coop placements during the school year, this is the only route for many of them to travel. As one of the students facing this predicament, Williams said she has had no other option but to walk along the dangerous highway.
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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
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Second year Beaver with the 3rd Fonthill Group, Russell Letford offers a fresh apple to shoppers in Pelham during the 2015 Apple Day campaign. SUPPLIED PHOTO
A longtime Canadian tradition, Apple Day began in 1932 in Saint John, New Brunswick, when Scouts handed out 21,000 apples as a way to say thank you to the community. In return for their generosity, many people offered them donations. From then on Scouts have reached out through Apple Day to raise funds for their programs.
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BY VOICE STAFF The District School Board of Niagara is requesting that the Town of Pelham cede a portion of Cherry Ridge Park for use as a soccer field to serve the students of the new Wellington Heights Public School, formerly the E. W. Farr Memorial Public School, in Fenwick. Currently under renovation and expansion, the new school will combine students and staff from the previous school and Pelham Centre, where classes are being held while construction continues. Two letters, containing virtually identical text but signed by different authorities, were sent last week to nearby residents of the park, as well as to parents of Pelham Centre students. “The DSBN is currently building onto Wellington Heights Public School on Alsop Drive,” states the letter. “The size of the school's addition means the existing small soccer field will be eliminated. The Town and the Board have been discussing the possibility of working together to create a field for both the school and the
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“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
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Page 3
Karling Luciani wins Paul Bray Award Kinsmen honour goes to Grade 12 Centennial student BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Every two years the Fonthill and District Kinsmen Club selects a special student as the recipient of its Paul Bray Memorial Student Volunteer Award. The award was created in honour of four-time Kinsmenof-the-Year and lifetime member, Paul Bray for his tireless devotion to serving the community’s greatest needs. Each of the last three times it was handed out the Paul Bray Award has gone to a student from Centennial High School. This year’s recipient — Grade 12 Centennial student Karling Luciani — fit the criteria for the award perfectly, according to Kinsmen Alan Griffiths. “It blows me away how much students like Karling are engaged and aware of what's happening in their own lives,” he said. “It really impresses me to see young students stand up and become a part of the change that's happening around them.” Throughout her time at Centennial High School, Luciani has volunteered with several fund and awareness raising initiatives. For instance, she has been instrumental in organizing anti-bullying and environ-
It really impresses me to see young students stand up and become part of the change mental campaigns, as well as the school’s Food Drive and Relay for Life fundraiser. For the past three years she has also been a member of Student Council. Serving as the school’s Prime Minister this year, Luciani said she is often asked if she has any political aspirations. Not knowing what the future holds, she would not rule out a career in politics, however she indicated that her true passion lies in mental health sciences. In September, Luciani will begin her studies in neuroscience at the University of Guelph. “I am very passionate about mental health awareness, and it’s a big part of the reason I am going into neuroscience,” she said. “I have worked on many initiatives at school and
From left, Kevin Twomey, Karling Luciani, Jennifer Reid, Jacob Bray and Alan Griffiths. province-wide with mental health issues. I would like for my research to help make sure that students have a good well-being and feel safe at their schools in a good learning environment. We've all been affected personally by mental health issues in one way or another, and this is how I want to make a difference.” On top of helping raise awareness of the mental health resources available to students at school, this year Luciani was selected along with 59 other
students throughout the province to be part of the Minister’s Student Advisory Council. Meeting directly with Ontario’s Minister of Education, Mitzie Hunter, Luciani has been advocating for more mental health resources and awareness for students in Ontario. “My role with the Council has been to think of different initiatives to raise awareness of mental health issues, and come up with ways to incorporate more mental health awareness into the curriculum,” Lu-
ciani said. “It seemed like they really cared about the students’ [needs], especially with adding financial literacy. That's something that I believe is going to be improving starting this September. That was something we helped them figure out.” Luciani said she tries to get involved with her school community as much as possible. She plans to continue this trend when she enters university later this year. After visiting the University of Guelph, Luciani
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said she left campus feeling like a Gryphon, however she said she will always be a Centennial Cougar at heart. Luciani’s dedication to her studies and volunteerism has earned her many honours during her academic career. Recently, the University of Guelph awarded her the President’s Scholarship and a research assistantship valued at $40,000. Rather than using the $1,000 cheque that came with the Kinsmen’s See BRAY AWARD Page 7
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Page 4
The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
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OPINION
The opinions expressed in submitted commentary and letters to the editor are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Voice of Pelham.
The Voice of Pelham is a 1211858 Ontario Limited publication David Burket, Publisher 2-1428 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S1E0
COMMENTARY / OP-ED Larry Coté A mosaic of help: Two families, decades apart
I
T IS A PR I V IL EGE to write about two social justice projects that greatly impacted the lives of two families previously unknown to me. Along with small groups of dedicated people I was happy to contribute where I could to these projects. But before relating some of these impressions it may be prudent to acknowledge there are some who disagree with such social justice projects. Both projects, years apart, involved the sponsorship of refugees from two separate war ravaged countries. The first involved a refugee family from Vietnam — the socalled ‘Boat People.’ The second project is a refugee family from Syria. The conditions that these families fled are almost unimaginable to those who live in the comfort and security of Canada. It is difficult to understand why some people disrepute these humanitarian programs to alleviate human suffering. Particularly so if one lives in a land of abundance and security of person. It is sometimes difficult to fathom why some would mock and spread inaccuracies about Canada’s
refugee programs. Clearly, these refugees have experienced unthinkable suffering and indignities. They never ever imagined having to flee their homeland, families, culture, language and the amenities of a
It is difficult to understand why some people disrepute these humanitarian programs peaceful life. Likely those who are inclined to be critical of these humanitarian efforts will not easily change their opinions upon reading such accounts as this. However, it is reasonable to expect that criticisms be based on facts not falsehoods. Ignorance is never a valid excuse. The first of these two projects was a modest effort to relieve one family
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from their suffering or possible death. The Pastor of St. Kevin church in Welland convened a small group to consider how it might manage the sponsoring of a family of ‘Boat People’ from Vietnam. The group was enthusiastic in its response and soon thereafter advised the Federal Government of its preparedness to sponsor a refugee family. The committee formed a number of sub-committees to undertake the tasks needed to welcome a family to Canada. A rental house was decorated and furnished almost entirely through donations of goods and services. It was ideally located within walking distance of shopping, schools and potential workplaces. Shortly thereafter the Federal agency advised that a family had been matched to the group’s application. It was a family of six. The father, Cam Thoi, the mother, Tu Ha and four children under the age of ten. A small delegation, including a translator, met this family at Hamilton Airport. As they deplaned the children clung tightly See OP-ED next page
Letters Request to remember Klagers Over the past year-and-a-half or so I have spoken to the Mayor on several occasions, asking for a street in the new east-end subdivision on the corner of Rice and Port Robinson Roads to have the Klager name on it. At our last meeting things looked fairly positive. I took a drive through the subdivision the other night and nowhere do I see the Klager name. Why did I make this request? There were several reasons. The subdivision is being built on the Klager homestead, where my great-great-grandfather Christian Klager built his house when he emigrated here from Germany in 1850. That house stood on that property till about 16
-18 years ago. The ironic part is that there is a street off Port Robinson Road that is just a few hundred feet west of the original driveway that is still there to this day. Secondly, my great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather Christopher, and grandfather Fred, were all builders. I think I can safely say that they probably built 70% of all the houses in old Fonthill. There are other Klager properties that back on to the new subdivision. Traveling west up Port Robinson Road there were lots that were at one time owned by Orin Klager and Stan Klager. On Station Street there are places that at one time were See STREET NAME next page
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament
Electoral District: Niagara West
Dean Allison, MP 4994 King Street Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 Dean.Allison@parl.gc.ca 877-563-7900 Member of Provincial Parliament
Electoral District: Niagara West-Glanbrook 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 David Augustyn mayordave@pelham.ca 905-892-2607 Ext 317 Councillor Brian Baty 742 Memorial Dr. Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0 905-892-5317 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607
Mayor of Pelham David Augustyn mayordave@pelham.ca 905-892-2607 Ext 317
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FOLLOW THE MONEY By Jim Pitt Good ways, and a not-so-good way, to cash-in on your home's equity
A
FINANCIAL COMPANY with a vested interest in seniors' debt has published a study with some scary numbers. It begins, encouragingly, by stating that 9 out of 10 Canadians over 65 want to stay in their homes. It tells us that 8 out of 10 seniors have savings, but half of these savers have saved less than $100,000. Nearly the same number of seniors—77%—are going to rely on the Canada Pension Plan for an income, while 73% will also rely on the Old Age Security payment. Combined, these two programs will pay you an average of $1,255 per month. If you have been a high earner, this might increase
to $1,684 per month. Most seniors fall into the average category. Roughly 6 in 10 have RRSP’s, half have work pensions, and half have savings. On the debt side, seniors are increasingly breaking a time-tested rule and retiring with debt. Fifteen percent have a mortgage averaging $15,000; 2 in 10 have a line of credit, and 1 in 10 have car loans. Seniors are carrying another $15,500 in consumer debt. To make things even more difficult for retirees, company pension plans have been greatly modified over the last decade, more collateral damage from the 2008 financial crisis. Today 9 in 10 private corporate pensions are defined contribution,
STREET NAME continued from previous page owned by Fred Klager and Harold Klager. My grandfather was the first president of the Fonthill Volunteer Fire Depart-
OP-ED continued from previous page to their parents with eyes a large as saucers. The total of the family’s possessions were packed into two plastic garbage bags. Such a sight gave real meaning to the expression ‘They escaped with only the clothes on their backs.’ The family was driven to the house where committee members had prepared some welcoming refreshments. Clearly, the family was overwhelmed by the decor, roominess and furnishings. Prior to their transit to Canada they had been living in an over-crowded refugee camp. Now they found themselves housed in a real home! Not outhouses but an indoor bathroom! Not a bamboo mat but a bed with bedclothes! Not an open fire pit but a smokeless cooking appliance! Who wouldn’t be moved to see, and feel, their wonderment at it all? Sometime later the committee learned some of the story of their courageous and ingenious escape from Vietnam. It is the stuff movies are made of. Over a period of time they covertly sold their possessions and converted the proceeds to gold. That was the currency needed to bribe checkpoint officials and pay for passage on an overcrowded fishing boat. No water, no food, no toilet facilities and cramped shoulder-to-shoulder on a less-than-seaworthy craft. Fortunately, this boat avoided the pirates that haunted the route to a refugee camp in a country across the seas. When asked how they mustered the courage to make this precarious escape, Cam Thoi said, with a noticeable hitch in his voice, “Better to die with the sharks than to risk death from savageries of war.” Within weeks, Cam Thoi found work at local factory. A minimum- wage job in working conditions few persons would find tolerable. But Cam Thoi was grateful to be earning a living. Unfortunately, within months the workers were let go and the plant closed.
while the public sector enjoys defined benefit pensions. The differences are striking. In a defined contribution plan the employer matches any contribution you make. The funds usually end up with one of the corporate executives' relatives in a high-MER mutual fund and the earnings can be disappointing. MERs are the fees, or, “Management Expense Ratio,” charged by the fund. These rates can be very high—over 2% is common. If your fund has a return of 5%, you only see 3%. The rest goes to the fund managers and salesperson who sold it to you. A defined benefit plan, the type that government workers, including teachers, tend to get, pays
ment, and served on the school board for many years. My son is a 6th generation and my grandson is a 7th generation Klager still living in this town. I don’t think there are many families that can claim that.
Through his own grapevine and initiative Cam Thoi soon found work in Toronto. Both he and Tu Ha found work there. Some while later they bought an automobile and then a house. All four children completed post-secondary studies and obtained jobs in their fields,
Who wouldn't be moved to see, and feel, their wonderment at it all?
married and started families. Every year at Christmas the family makes a generous contribution to the St. Kevin Church. They have integrated exceedingly well into being tax-paying, peace-loving and lawabiding Canadian citizens. They have never accessed any social welfare programs and have repaid the cost of their flight to Canada as per their agreement with the Federal Government. The second project by the same church is a virtual duplicate of the first and involves the sponsorship of a refugee family from Syria. Again, the cooperation and commitment of the people involved in this second social justice project is nothing short of remarkable. The Voice’s Nate Smelle recently reported on his interview with this Syrian family, and so I need only summarize a bit here. Antoun and Rana, and their two children, Soliel and Ghason, have been in Canada less than a year and in that short period have made excellent progress. Antoun has been working almost full-time at Sobeys in Fonthill and Rana has been working part-time at a daycare center as well as attending school and volunteering at a social ser-
vices agency. Both have been studying English and are quite capable of communicating in their new language. The children have adapted very well to their new country and both are doing well in school, taking swimming lessons and sharpening their soccer skills.
That's odd—why haven't the big banks jumped on this? the retiree a fixed amount per month, which is inflation adjusted through cost of living adjustments. The private sector does not like these legacy debts and are ridding themselves of them at a breakneck speed. With the stark reality that many
Yes, there are other families that have been here since the 1800s. The Damudes (Damude Drive), the Giles (Giles Cresent) and the Haists (Haist Street), just to name a few. I didn’t think that I was asking a lot. There are still a number of the Klager
Although it has been less than a year, they have adapted and integrated almost seamlessly into their new environment. They are ambitious and eager to become Canadian citizens. There are few opportunities in life where one can positively impact the lives of others who suffer some
will retire without enough money, the financial industry has risen to the challenge of trying to turn lemons in lemonade, and what a bitter brew it can be. The financial company mentioned above, with a vested interest in indebted seniors, sells reverse mortgages. In fact it is the only company in Canada that sells reverse mortgages. That’s odd— why haven’t the big banks jumped on this? The name of their plan has a vaguely official sounding name, like a government sanctioned entity; it’s not. This relatively new mortgage works like this. You own your See FOLLOW THE MONEY Page 19
descendants living in the immediate area. And no, Mr. Mayor, I do not want a street name in another subdivision. This is the one built on the Klager Homestead. Eleanor Arbour Fonthill
type of misfortune or injustice. Thankfully, there are groups and organizations that are committed to the advancement of social justice and easing the suffering of people who find themselves in dire straights not of their own making. Canada is known to be more than a place on a
map. It is a mosaic made up of many ethnicities from around the globe. The compassion and generosities of Canada and its mix of people are widely recognized throughout the world. It is a genuinely uplifting experience to observe and support those who continue to build upon that reputation.
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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? Did you meet your spouse-to-be in jail or on an African safari? Do you know where Hoffa’s buried? Write it down, send it in: publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca (You won’t get rich, but you will get paid.)
Page 6
Letters
The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
continued
Sources of wisdom are many Samuel Piccolo's article was a refreshing take on how one can spend time between classes. [Preparing for what comes next, May 24, p. 1] A university education can make you think possibly about things that you have never thought about before and it qualifies you for jobs that otherwise one might not be qualified for. What it cannot usually do, is help you apply that knowledge wisely thus creating some wisdom to go along with the knowledge. Life teaches you that along with books like the Bible which many may have experienced in the King James Version dating back to about 1610 I believe and wondered how the thees and thous applied to real life. But they do. Even though some teach that the Bible is outdated, I find the ten commandments not only honouring the creator, but also other people. If you do not steal someone else’s belongings or his wife, and are not angry with him, nor attempt to kill him and wish you had what he has, you might actually be a good neighbour, one to be trusted. We have been taught since the ‘60s by some modern thinkers that the idea of God is outdated or some would even think that science has proven there is no God. But it is actually that thinking that comes from ignorance. Ignorance of the teachings, unusual over 2,000 or more years ago that all people should be treated equally, with fairness, including women. In the wayback and not even perhaps about 100 years ago women did not have the right to vote, nor were they treated like first class citizens, but the Bible says in Galatians 3 .... “28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” It simply means we should be all treated equally. As for science, it cannot even approach a discussion of the idea of God, because how does one experiment with and then test ideas about God? I have heard some interesting stories about individuals who asked God to appear to prove that he was real and God did not, so he quit believing in a God. That is a bit like asking a rich man to appear
at your house and give you some money so you can buy a new car. Science deals with wondering what causes something or why does this particular thing happen. Then the scientist creates an idea as to the answer and tests it to see if is true or false according to collected evidence. In one sense, belief in God is somewhat similar. I once read a true story about a man who conned his way out of prison by changing from a grouchy, miserable hunk of a man which no one wanted to come near by reading Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Then after leaving prison he conned his way into a good job and conned his wife to marry him. Then one day he realized that he had been conned! After being nice and respectful to people for some time, he realized he liked doing it because it had such positive effects on those around him. Even common wisdom often agrees with the principles of the Bible, such as “what goes around, comes around.” Hopefully the speaker was not talking about the flu, but this is actually a paraphrase of Galatians 6:7 “.... for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” The Bible is filled with wise statements and ideas and situations that can teach us life lessons or we can also learn from the mistakes of some of the characters and not have to repeat them ourselves. People’s lives have been changed by encounters with Biblical truths. From gang members like Nikki Cruz, to dope pushers to atheists like C. S. Lewis who created the Narnia series and many many more. Yes, university degrees can have their place and may even be useful after college is over, but wisdom is useful more often when applied to life. I have three degrees, two which I earned and one which I inherited. I intended just to congratulate Sam on his article and ended up with this whole essay. I guess as a former teacher it is hard to stop “teaching.” Charles G Pedley BA, MSEd, MUI Fonthill
Back row from left: Carter Teal, Colin Ratcliffe, Adrian Papez, Jacob Mergl, Quinn Tucker, Tyler Dobbie, Brock Deba, Brett Young & Derian Free. Front row from left: Emma Hilts, Sofia Labricciosa, Emma Kalailieff, Sydney Grummett, Kate Knafelc, Cate Gualtieri, Jessie Fennell & Hailey Bronn. (Missing are Paige Clements & Spencer Shoalts.) SUPPLIED PHOTO
Crossley's Track & Field team is OFSAA-bound BY VOICE STAFF The E. L. Crossley Track & Field team has won the Overall ZONE title with 75 athletes. Crossley went on to win the SOSSA title for the fourth year in a row with 60 athletes, with 40 athletes advancing to regionals, and 20 athletes who have qualified for OFSAA Track & Field this week in Belleville, June 1-3. The following are going to compete in their events: Carter Teal in Midget Boys Long Jump, Colin Ratcliffe in Midget Boys Javelin, Emma Hilts in Midget Girls Pole Vault, Grace Teal in Midget Girls 4x100m relay, Emma Kalailieff in 4x100m relay, Paige Clements in 4x100m relay & Midget
Girls Pole Vault, Sofia Labricciosa in 4x100m relay, Midget Girls 300m hurdles, 400m & Open girls 4x400m relay, Cate Gualtieri in 4x400m relay, Jessie Fennell in 4x400m relay, Senior Girls 400m & 800m, Kate Knafelc in 4x400m relay & Open Girls 1500 steeplechase & Junior Girls 3000m, Hailey Bronn in Junior Girls Pole Vault, Amy Gilmore in Junior Girls Pole Vault, Derian Free in Junior Boys 800 & 1500m, Tyler Dobbie in Junior Boys Pole Vault, Brett Young in Junior Boys Pole Vault, Adrian Papez in Junior Boys Pole Vault, Brock Deba in Senior Boys 400m & 800m, Quinn Tucker in Senior Boys Shot Put, Spencer Shoalts in Senior Boys Pole Vault and Jacob Mergl in Senior Boys Pole Vault.
Students building drones BY VOICE STAFF
Grade 12 E. L. Crossley student Roj Sohi solders his team's drone.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
Recently the E.L. Crossley FPV Squad finished building and programming their own drones as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) program. STEM education integrates concepts that are usually taught as separate subjects in different classes and emphasizes the application of knowledge to real-life situations through project-based learning. It is a movement to develop the deep mathematical and scientific skills students need to be competitive in the 21st-century workforce. E.L. Crossley’s Science Program Leader, Sharon Keller said STEM fosters the development of a set of thinking, reasoning, teamwork, investigative and creative skills that students can use in all areas of their lives. “Racing drones are an ideal vehicle to teach programming and bring STEM learning to life,” said Keller. “Students are naturally curious and drones provide the opportunity to foster the development of 21st Century learning competencies such as critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, innovation, and problem solving. Drones make STEM learning relevant and
fun by allowing the students involved to collaborate, build off each other’s skills and creative ideas, and share enthusiasm.”
Racing drones are an ideal vehicle to teach programming
Keller highlighted that the project allows students to use concepts they learn in class to engineer solutions to real problems. She said the Crossley FPV Squad would not be possible without the support of the President of the Niagara FPV Squad, Abbey Solomon and Trevor Christensen. If it wasn’t for a chance meeting between Solomon and Keller last July the project would not have likely gotten off the ground. According to Solomon, E. L. Crossley is the first STEM-based high school drone racing club in Ontario. Last fall, Keller joined 45 teachers from District School Board of Niagara (DSBN) elementary and
secondary schools involved in the DSBN Makers Program to experience Makerspace concepts while collaborating on best practices. Over the past six months, she said they have been introduced to low and high tech tools that can be used to design and implement Makerspaces in our individual schools. In designing and implementing a Makerspace for E. L. Crossley, Keller said they have been focusing on projects that harness the capacity of technology to engage learners. “We want to create a teacher-student-community partnership through a real world, authentic learning task enabled by technology,” she said. Crossley’s FPV Squad is composed of 16 students from Grades 9 through 12. Before becoming a member of the FPV Squad, Grade 12 student Roj Sohi had never flown or built a drone before, however he said he had always enjoyed playing with remote-control cars and helicopters as a child, so he was compelled to join. Next year, Sohi plans to study electrical engineering at university. He has enjoyed the STEM program so much he told Keller that he intends to join the university’s drone club.
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The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
Page 7
Bray Award honours student continued from Page 3 award, Luciani has decided to donate the funds to the McMaster Hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network. As part of the award presentation, Grade 11 Centennial student, Jacob Bray — Kinsman Paul Bray’s grandson — took a moment to share a few insights on how kind and community-oriented his grandfather was. Remi-
niscing on his grandfather’s love of sailing and canoeing in the wilderness, Bray said he remembers him being passionately involved with several fundraisers, charities and community causes. The Kinsmen’s director of public relations, Kevin Twomey, attested to Bray’s fortitude and dedication to helping others, highlighting how he continued to serve others even after he was diagnosed with cancer.
Hunter is our Lazyboy!
“As you go through life you will meet people who are instrumental in helping you to develop the type of person that you are,” Twomey said. “Paul Bray was the type of person who you couldn't help but be a better person just being in his presence, because of his caring, loving nature. He just really felt that he had to give back to his community and he did it with a passion. Karling shares these values.”
Mike Kondurka, owner of Enviro-Niagara presents Keith Moore of Pelham Cares, $460 and food donations. SUPPLIED PHOTO
Page 8
The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
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E. L. Crossley students with their Kindness Tree.
The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
Page 9
ALYSSA GIROTTI PHOTO
"Kindness Day" at Seaway Mall BY ALYSSA GIROTTI
Special to the VOICE
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"The Sunshine Crew," teachers Robbie Paquette and Shannen Standish, with student Emily Bonisteel. ALYSSA GIROTTI PHOTO adays. The goal was to get different perspectives from people they did not know. They wanted to see what seniors thought of teens, and vise-versa. Questions asked were, ‘What do you think of seniors?’, ‘What do you think of teens?’, advice you’d give the opposite generation, how to better understand each other, and problems that affect both age groups. The students were hoping to get seniors to understand that teenagers aren’t so bad. “Most seniors see teens as difficult, and I think they’re a little scared of them, as teens are of seniors. They don’t know how to treat each other or how to put aside their differences,” Standish said. The E.L. Crossley students are putting together a public service video with the answers to the differences between these generations. They are planning on showing it to their school to encourage them to think critically about humanity and be kinder in everyday life. Teacher Robbie Paquette hopes that the Humanity Tree will be placed in the front lobby of E. L. Crossley, where it will sit as a daily reminder to students that one must always think about their actions and how it will affect their fellow man. Standish and Paquette are proud of their students and their ‘Kindness Day’ initiative. After all, who couldn’t use a little more kindness in their everyday lives?
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skepticism instead of gratitude”. These were the things you could hear the students discussing while watching this event take place. Participants were asked their view on humanity and were given the opportunity to write these thoughts down and put them on their ‘Humanity Tree’. The Humanity Tree is a tree with branches where people can tie their ideas of the answer. The idea for this tree was to provide a connection to ‘The Tree of Life’, which is a tree from the Bible, in the Garden of Eden, whose fruit imparted eternal life. The students wanted to use kindness as the representation of ‘fruit’ on this humanity tree. Answers to the question ‘What is humanity’ varied from person to person, but all of them used words such as kindness, empathy, love, respect, compassion, and caring for others. Some answers that stood out were the ability to make choice, and making a critical choice on how to treat one another. A guest from Lookout Ridge said that humanity is “the ability to see beyond your own problems.” The E. L. Crossley students promoted this event by word of mouth, asking friends and family to come and participate, and they also invited Lookout Ridge to come and participate in the event. However, they mainly just wanted to talk to strangers, something you don’t hear very often now-
Rice Road
On May 15, E. L. Crossley’s Introduction to Social Sciences class held ‘Kindness Day’ at the Seaway Mall. The event was held in the food court from 10-12:30pm, with students standing at entrances greeting mall-goers, handing out flowers, and inviting them to participate. Their goal was to solve two riddles, ‘What is humanity?’ and ‘What is the difference between seniors and teenagers?’. ‘Kindness day’ was headed by teachers Shannen Standish and Robbie Paquette, and student Emily Bonisteel. Shannen playfully dubbed the trio as ‘the Sunshine Crew’. The idea behind this event started with Standish. She had one question she wanted her students to answer this semester, “What is humanity?” which she thinks is, “what makes us different from any other mammal”. Her students were challenged with finding the answer to this puzzling question and rallied together to plan this event. Through brainstorming with the class, they found that the best way to answer this question was to ask different aged people in a public place. The food court provided them a spot to have board games including checkers, cards, and chess. The students also distributed colouring pages and stickers for young and old alike. Being able to hold this event in a relaxed setting gave people an opportunity to really think about humanity. Student Ashley Battista had flowers donated so that the students could hand them out to people who came into the mall. Emily Bonisteel said, “You’d be amazed how many people tried to avoid us because they thought we were selling them and they didn’t want the hassle. That really says something about our outlook on life, because we’re raised in a society where nothing is free, not even kindness, so when someone goes out of their way to be kind it is met with
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The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
Hoo-Ahh Aerial of the Week http://www.hooahhvideos.ca/
Fenwick Lions' Annual Carnival draws crowds despite cooler weather Cool and often cloudy weather didn’t dampen spirits at the Fenwick Lions’ Annual Carnival over the weekend. The threeday event kicked off with a parade through Fenwick, then it was on to Centennial Park for
the festivities, including the classic carnival midway beloved by generations. Brave kids took rides on a dragon, and subjected themselves to G-forces on the Wave Rider. Names Matter was on hand, selling t-shirts. From
left, committee members Paul and Ruth Bryant with pooch Marley, Nancy Beamer, and Gary Chambers. Above, the calm before the storm on Sunday morning, the carnival's final day.
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The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
Photos by Nate Smelle
Page 11
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The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
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Kids Can Grow at the Pelham Farmers' Market Joint initiative aimed at increasing nutrition awareness, quality BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
In effort to educate the next generation about the origins of their food, the Pelham Farmers’ Market hosted its Kids Can Grow program last Thursday evening. The educational program is part of a larger provincial initiative called the Healthy Kids Community Challenge, where 46 communities – including Pelham – were chosen to participate. In collaboration with staff from the Town’s Recreation, Culture and Wellness Department, volunteers from the Farmers’ Market set up a tent where children could drop by to learn how to grow their own healthy food. “It's all about getting them in touch with the food they eat,” said chair of the Pelham Farmers’ Market, Margot Andrews-Peekstock. “We explain to them how farmers have plants like these that grow over the summer and then bears fruit. It lets them get their hands dirty. They can watch the flowers turn into a strawberry and see the basil grow tall. It gives them a good start on gardening and appreciating where their food comes from.” Pointing out that some kids don't even go grocery shopping with their parents, Andrews-Peekstock said that food education is needed now more than ever. While the program is intended for kids, she said many adults could benefit from learning more about how they can improve
their access healthy food. "There is a misperception that eating healthy is more expensive,” said Andrews-Peekstock. “You can get a package of instant mashed potatoes for $2.59, or you can get a bag of potatoes and make baked potatoes and potato soup and all sorts of other things. The whole perception that processed food is cheaper, at the end of the day isn't necessarily the case, because you can do a lot with a butternut squash as far as healthy food goes. Especially compared to, say, a frozen pizza." Studies have shown that eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruit may prevent certain types of cancer, is linked to a lower risk of heart disease, healthy weights and lower risk of obesity. In fact, the Canada Food Guide recommends that children get at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. As part of the Province’s Healthy Kids Community Challenge Niagara initiative, the Kids Can Grow program encourages children and families to eat healthier by making vegetables and fruits a regular part of their diet. Participating children were each given a planter and three plants – one tomato plant, one basil and one strawberry – to help them hone their gardening skills. “I love fruits and vegetables,” said eight-year-old Genestah P. Banga, as she carefully packed the soil around the plants in her container. “I am going to find a whole bunch of worms and put them in
Rachel Ahle helps eight-year-old Genestah P. Banga fill her planter with soil. here, because worms are really good for the plants. I have a whole whack of worms at home that I found in our garden and on the ground. When I’m done I’m going to give my planter to my grandma because she loves plants.” “I’m going to make my Mom a strawberry pie,” said another fouryear-old farmer-in-training, Breiah Turle, as she held up her planter. As the Administrative Assistant for the Town’s Recreation, Culture and Wellness Department, Rachel Ahle spent the late afternoon and early evening teaching kids how
Road Safety week May 29 - June 4, 2017 Pedestrians and cyclists! Be Seen in Pelham this summer! Stop by the Road Safety Kiosk on June 1st, Farmer’s Market, Fonthill
Pick up a free safety reflector Pick up pedestrian and cyclist safety information Learn about the Pelham Slow Roll rides Tell us your “Top 10” road safety concerns Road Safety Week is sponsored by the Pelham Active Transportation Committee
to plant and grow their own fruits and vegetables. Over the next nine months, she said the Eating Games hosted by the Town will continue to give local children and their families an opportunity to learn how to grow, produce and prepare healthy meals. Providing a bit of extra incentive for participants, Ahle said each month children will be given a new task to check off on their Kids Can Grow passport. Once they have completed all the challenges on their passport, she said the children qualify for a chance to win an
NATE SMELLE PHOTO
array of fun prizes. “In July, we are actually going to build a bike blender,” she said. “It's basically a bike-powered blender, that you peddle to spin the blade. People will be able to pick up a smoothie package at the Farmers Market and then take it over to the Supper Market, where they can blend their own smoothie. This will be going on every Thursday in July.” For more information on the Healthy Kids Community Challenge Niagara visit: www.healthykidsniagara.ca.
Notice of Study Commencement Kunda Park Boulevard Connection Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Schedule ‘B’) Integrated with the Planning Act/Draft Plan of Subdivision The Study: Sterling Realty (Niagara) Inc. is seeking approval of Draft Plan of Subdivision under section 51 of the Planning act to develop a site located in the Township of Pelham, in the Regional Municipality of Niagara (see key plan). In order to provide a road network connection to this site, the proponent is proposing to extend Kunda Park Boulevard from its existing northern terminus, northerly to the proposed site. Additionally, an existing storm sewer on Beachwood Crescent requires a connection to the storm sewer system on Kunda Park Boulevard. The Process: In order to assess options for the proposed road and storm sewer connection, a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Schedule ‘B’) is being commenced. This study is being conducted as part of an integrated Planning/EA process in accordance with Section A.2.9 of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (October 2000, as amended in 2007, 2011 & 2015), which is approved under the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. A key component of the study will be consultation with interested stakeholders including the public, landowners and regulatory agencies. We are interested in hearing any comments or concerns that you may have about this study. A Public Information Centre (PIC) will be conducted at a later date to present the findings of the study and to gather feedback from the public. Notice of this PIC will be provided to local residents via mail and advertised in a local newspaper. Comments: Comments and information regarding the study are being collected to assist us in meeting the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act. This material will be maintained on file for use during the project and may be included in project documentation. With the exception of personal information, all comments will become a part of the public record. If you have specific comments related to this project, please send them via email: kundapark@ucc.com For further information, please contact: Mr. Adam Keane, P.Eng., Project Engineer, Upper Canada Consultants 1-261 Martindale Road, St. Catharines, ON L2W 1A1 Telephone: 905-688-9400 or Fax: 905-688-5274
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The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
Page 13
Allison no fan of nuke juice
TREES continued from Page 1 yard or even your municipality. You can take that money and give it to someone else who can do it. We are looking at this from an inter-municipal level, but it should be at an international level.” With 318 billion trees growing within its borders, Canada has the second largest number of trees on the planet next to Russia. As the population expands and development continues to consume forests and wetlands throughout Niagara, across Canada and around the world, this green potential shrinks. Only five of the 12 municipalities in the Niagara Region have policies in place ensuring that trees are to be replanted when they are removed. “We acknowledge that the Niagara Region have a tree planting policy in place for woodland areas, but what we are putting forward is a policy for other public lands such as areas where new buildings and subdivisions are being built,” Davis said. “We are not trying to discourage development in the area, but we are trying to mitigate our carbon footprint and of course increase our carbon sequestration.” When Ontario’s Cap and Trade program kicked off on April 3 the first auction generated $472 million through the sale of allowances. While Brand and his students have serious doubts about Ontario’s Cap and Trade program, they also feel it could be a part
MP voices concerns about transNiagara nuclear waste shipments BY VOICE STAFF
From left, Brock University master’s students Alyssa Davis and Kristen Shaver, and Professor of Earth Sciences, Dr. Uwe Brand. NATE SMELLE PHOTO of the solution, if the funds gathered through it are used wisely. When asked by Regional Councillors where the money would come from to turn the policy into action, Brand and his students suggested the funds be acquired through Cap and Trade. “This tax, if it is used in the proper way it can help,” said Shaver. “What if we took this money from this cap and trade and gave it to the municipalities to actually use it towards planting the trees. If the municipalities decided to enact some kind of tree planting policy this could have a really good benefit. We think there should be a policy in place for everyone.”
Carbon dioxide sequestration and climate change mitigation are not the only benefit a region-wide tree planting policy would bring to Niagara, said Brand. Planting more trees would contribute to beautification, provide shading, create habitat for native species and increase biodiversity, assist with soil retention as well as aiding in water filtration and the management of stormwater runoff. Though healing the global environment may seem to be an intimidating task, Brand is confident the human species will rise to the occasion. “As a scientist, it has always bothers me how people will say ‘the end is coming,’
but the end is not here yet, so we can do something,” Brand said. “There is always an answer. We solved acid precipitation, we solved the problem with the ozone layer, so we have conquered many global challenges. And we have done it because we have put our heads together and said we need to find a solution.” “Deep down we are all really concerned about the environment,” he said. The majority of Regional Councillors voted to support the two-for-one tree planting policy, and to circulate the presentation to the 12 municipalities and to the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.
Niagara West MP Dean Allison recently added his voice to the public outcry calling for a halt to nuclear waste being shipped through the Niagara Region. Despite opposition on both sides of the border, this past February the United States’ DOE approved some 150 shipments, transporting 23,000 litres of one of the most dangerous materials on earth — liquid nuclear waste — over public roads and through densely populated areas from Chalk River in northern Ontario to a processing facility in South Carolina. Referencing the concerns of some of his constituents, Allison raised the subject during a recent session of Parliament.
“Many Niagara residents have organized themselves to scrutinize the planning and approval process for these shipments to ensure that every precaution is taken,” Allison said. “It is essential that this nuclear waste be transported in a way that fully protects the people along its path, and of course, the surrounding environment.” Allison called upon all levels of government and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to work with their counterparts in the US to ensure that these shipments are completed safely and securely. He asserts that if the project fails to meet the very highest standards for transporting nuclear hazardous waste, it should not be allowed to pass through Niagara.
Sands at Fonthill United Concert organist John Sands will perform a matinee concert at Fonthill United Church this Sunday, starting at 2PM. Fonthill United spokesman Keith Ray says that Sands is a bit hit in Britain and Europe, as well as Canada and the US.
Ray says that the perrformance will last for two hours, and be an “eclectic” programme of instrumental music from the American songbook, light classical and sacred, followed by a reception. Admission is $12. For information phone (905) 892-6433.
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The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
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Libraries in Niagara Cooperative BY KIRK WEAVER
CEO Pelham Library
Five local libraries have been in a partnership to share an integrated library system (catalogue) for more than five years. The partnership, called “The Libraries in Niagara Cooperative (LiNC)”, currently includes Pelham Public Library, Niagara-on-the-Lake Public Library, Lincoln Public Library, Fort Erie Public Library, and Niagara College. For regular library users this partnership has probably gone largely unnoticed in your day to day transactions. The primary advantage of this partnership has been that each library is able to use a much more robust system than we could afford on our own. Very soon we hope you
CHARGES continued from Page 1 tigations Unit wrapped up on July 18, 2016, and determined that the officers responding to the call handled the situation properly. Constable Phil Gavin said
will start noticing further advantages to this partnership. In June we will be introducing reciprocal borrowing. What does this mean for you? First, this means that if you have a Pelham Public Library card, you will have access to most of the material in each of our partner libraries. Our hope is that this will lead to shorter wait times on the holds list for some of our most popular material. We also hope that, since each of our collections is different in some way, you will have access to a much larger selection of materials than we could afford or have space for on our own. Second, for those who travel across the large Niagara geography for work or play, you will be able to present your Pelham Library card at any LiNC partner li-
brary and enjoy the same borrowing privileges as you would at the Pelham Libraries. It is a little like adding several more branches to the library system. Of course, you don’t need to travel to another community to access their material. You will be able to order it and have it sent to the branch of your choice. We have been working hard over the past few months to make this improvement in service as seamless as possible, but please bear with us as we adjust to this new service. When it is launched, we will make sure that information on how to make use of reciprocal borrowing is readily available. We also hope that over time more Libraries across Niagara will join this partnership.
that both Ridley and Braun are still recovering from their injuries, however, the “level of permanence of their respective injuries is yet to be determined.” Gavin confirmed that Richardson is continuing to undergo medical care, and until recently was deemed unfit to
face charges because of his injuries. Richardson was arrested and charged earlier this month, said Gavin, because “His medical condition has improved to the point where he is now fit to stand trial.”
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I have to agree, Madam. All things considered, this bowl of ice cubes would make a better President. Another gin and tonic?
Places of Worship and Events Bethany Christian Reformed Church 1040 Balfour St., Fenwick
First Presbyterian Church 602 Metler Rd., Fenwick
Glad Tidings Church of God 1 Pancake Lane, Fonthill
Pelham Evangelical Friends Church 940 Haist St., Fonthill
Concordia Lutheran Church 105 Welland Rd., Fonthill
Fonthill Baptist Church 1414 Pelham St., Fonthill
Holy Trinity Anglican Church 1557 Pelham Street, Fonthill
Ridgeville Bible Chapel 418 Canboro Rd., Ridgeville
Fenwick Church of Christ 765 Welland Rd., Fenwick
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1369 Rice Rd., Fonthill
Kirk on the Hill Presbyterian Church 1344 Haist St., Fonthill
St. Alexander’s Roman Catholic Church 50 Pelham Town Sq., Fonthill
Fenwick United Church 1050 Church St., Fenwick
Fonthill United Church 42 Church Hill, Fonthill
Pelham Community Church 461 Canboro Rd., Fenwick
St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church 834 Canboro Rd., Fenwick
Page 16
The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
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Keith’s Restaurant Bricklaying, tuckpointing, Target Store step repair, granite Shoppers Drug Mart Pennzoil Quick Lube coatings, brick slices items, SAT. AUG. 30, 8AM- Fonthill Library Lazy Loon 1PM 625 METLER RD, P18-28 905-682-7061. Town of Pelham Pharmasave CUSTOM MILL FLOORING LAWN CUTTING NORTH PELHAM P18-23 Community Event Cafe on Main Avondale Store Portable sawmill service. I will Grass Cutting Service Advertising Beamer’s Pro come to Hardware your home or farm and Josh DeHaan Flooring 8 years experience, references available on request, service includes
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Fonthill Ruffins owner Keith McAvoy.
The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
VOICE PHOTO
they're really strict with what you can bring in. Here I can bring in the types of food I want to carry — something healthier, the upper foods. You can't really do that with those other stores.” McEvoy said another reason he chose to open a business in the pet industry is his love for animals. "Well, I love animals and it was another reason for me to bring my dog to work and spend time with my him,” he said with a smile.
At the new store in Fonthill, McEvoy sells birds, gerbils, fish and a wide variety of pet food and supplies. Most of the food he carries is produced locally, he said. Once he settles into the new location, McEvoy said he intends to form a partnership with the SPCA to help find good homes for cats and dogs in need of care. With his store located in the plaza near the new Food Basics, McEvoy has been hearing a lot about
New pet store for Pelham BY VOICE STAFF Pet owners in Pelham now have another place to purchase food for their furry friends. Fulfilling his lifelong dream to own and operate a business, Keith McEvoy recently opened a Ruffin’s Pet Centres outlet in East Fonthill.
Leaving behind a career in the IT industry, McEvoy said he had several reasons for deciding to open a pet store. The fact Ruffin’s is a Niagara-based company with their head office in Dunnville was one of the enticing factors. “There's lots of freedom with Ruffin’s,” he said. “A lot of these other stores…
Page 17 room community feeling, I guess. It seems split about 80/20 – 80 per cent don't really like it, and 20 per cent like it. If I lived in Fonthill, then I'd be upset." McEvoy said he has enjoyed getting to know his new customers and learn about the community. So far, he said everyone has been kind and welcoming to him since he opened his doors in April.
the development taking place around Fonthill. He said the majority of his customers don’t seem to be happy with how it has changed the face of the community. As a Wellandport resident, he said the development doesn’t really affect him, however if he lived in Pelham he would be unhappy with the Town’s new look. "It's ruining the bed-
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Page 18
The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
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40th annual cadet review BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Members of the 613 Lincoln and Welland Regiment Army Cadet Corps assembled at the Pelham Arena last Saturda, for their 40th Annual Ceremonial Review. The cadets marched around the arena, parading their skills and precision in front of the audience comprised of 100 or so community members, and several local dignitaries. Before delivering his address and helping to hand out the awards, Major Jacques Bouchard of the Regional Cadet Support Unit walked through the regiment, inspecting each of the cadets as they stood at attention. Speaking to the cadets
following the inspection, Bouchard congratulated the them on their achievement. Heading into the future, he told them to continue growing the network of support that gives strength to their regiment. “This is one of those programs where the more you get involved, the more you will attain,” Bouchard said. As the guest of honour, Mayor Augustyn had a chance to speak to the cadets. Thanking them for their service to the community, he noted how successful the Regiment’s Vimy Ridge 100th anniversary commemorative ceremony in April had been. Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff also showed up for the ceremo-
ny. Rocking a faded pair of “skinny jeans,” Oosterhoff told the cadets how his experience serving with the 62 Phantom Squadron Air Cadets in Grimsby has helped him throughout his life. “If you take those values and take those opportunities and carry them with you to school, take them with you to the workforce, your post-secondary education, I promise you, you will go very far,” Oosterhoff said. To conclude the ceremony the cadets broke into groups to perform some of their drills for the crowd. One faction displayed how to set up camp, while another showed of their bear safety skills by hanging their
The crowd applauds as awards are handed out during the ceremony. food from a makeshift tree. Another of the teams ex-
hibited the techniques and protocol cadets implement
NATE SMELEE PHOTO
to find and rescue a missing and injured individual.
CAN'T SEE THE FOREST, OR THE TREES In Fenwick, the southwest corner of Balfour and Welland just needs some WWI reenactors to complete the scene. Clearing has begun as the "East Fenwick" development gets underway. Said an adjacent homeowner, "I'm going to go from living at the edge of the village to in the middle of it." DAVE BURKET PHOTO
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The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
Page 19
This week in baseball BY MELISSA WELLS
Special to the VOICE
Pelham Minor Baseball opened the 2017 season this week with both the Mosquito and Peewee rep teams going undefeated. The Miller Restoration Mosquito Rep team played the St. Catharines Minors at Kernahan Park with starting pitcher, Connor Jolicoeur, registering the win. The home opener was played on Wednesday against the tough Welland Minors. Solid defense kept the game within the reach of the Pelham bats., including a screaming line drive catch by Max Veld.
FOLLOW THE MONEY continued from Page 5 home and it has an appraised value. You approach this company for a reverse mortgage or loan on your home. It agrees to lend you a percentage of the home’s value at the interest rate and term agreed to. You pay them an administration fee of $1,495 and you get the money. Sounds pretty straightforward and in today's housing market there are many wealthy homeowners, at least on paper. Their houses, especially in the GTA, could be worth over a million dollars. Their monthly income could be very low, especially if they are solely reliant on government pensions, and day-to-day costs are rising. If you are over 55, this company will lend you up to 55% of the value of your home. You can have this money as a lump sum or in equal payments. There is no tax on this money and you don’t have to declare it as income. You never have to pay it back, so long as you stay in the house. You may use the
Miller Restoration Mosquito Rep team starts the season 2-0.
Triples by Cameron Wells and Andy Nawrocki, a double by Austin Wilson and singles by Max Myers, Julian Rubino and Max Veld contributed to the 11-8 final. After coming off a successful exhibition tournament, the Pelham Medical Associates Peewee Rep team opened the season against the St. Catharines Minors on Tuesday. Pelham saw strong pitching performances from Tyler Hunter and Jake Passmore. Superior base running won the day with Ryan Culig stealing his way through to home. Lucas Grant registered the final out on a soft grounder back to the mound.
money to renovate, travel, pay off debts, invest or give to your children. However, while you are out strolling on an Italian beach or bankrolling your kid’s independent film production, this loan will devour your house and use the framing to clean its teeth. To find out how they work, I applied for one of these loans. A nice young salesperson told me the following. Because of my age I could only get 22% of my home's value as a loan. He assured me I could get the house reappraised every 2 years and apply for more. These loans are 5-year terms only, and you must renew when the term is up. They are aimed more at the 70-plus age group. He said most borrowers use the money as a safety net. Like any loan, you pay fees and interest on the amount borrowed. The fees can be up to $10,000 for things like land transfer tax, appraisal of the house, title insurance, home inspection, and required legal advice. In the case of reverse mortgages, rates are twice as high as a regular mortgage.
WENDY OAKES PHOTO
Imagine the carnage if standard mortgages were currently at 5.22% to 5.63%. Some 75% of mortgage holders would be in trouble if rates went up just one percent from their present low rate. The longer the term of the reverse mortgage (as with any loan), the more debt accrues. A $200,000 loan over 10 years grows to $336,700. Over 20 years, $566,900, and over 25 years, $735,500. When you sell or otherwise leave your home, this money is due. This type of mortgage effectively traps you in your house. Your kids will get nothing and could be left with a complicated mess. If you have second thoughts at any point and want out of this deal there are the usual penalties associated with exiting a mortgage early and they are expensive. That said, this type of mortgage can work in very specific cases. If you have no heirs, are 70-plus, and plan on leaving your home on a gurney, then go for it. No one knows our recall date, so even this is a gamble. If you need long-term care or want to move to a retirement res-
idence at some point, the reverse mortgage will leave you without any equity, and your only income will be whatever pension money you have coming in. There are some alternatives though. If your house is currently worth a small fortune, you’ve won the lottery. Sell it, invest the winnings, and rent. The income from the investments will pay your rent, so you’ll live for free. If you sold your house for $500,000, invested and averaged a conservative 5.0% annual return, based on an annual inflation rate of 2.5%, withdrew $2,000 per month, after 20 years you would still have $326,000. Not bad, and hey, you lived virtually free for 20 years. Renting has a bad reputation in Canada. Outside of the English-speaking world renting is very common. In fact a majority of people rent because housing is too expensive to buy. Many wealthy people rent, sometimes even senior municipal officials, so it can’t be all that bad (plus it makes getting out of Dodge a heck of a lot faster).
If you want to keep the house, you could get an interest-only HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit). A $200,000 loan here would cost $533 per month at 3.20%. Pay this monthly and when you sell the house, pay off the principal and pocket the rest. You would still have $300,000 if your house was sold for $500,000. This type of loan requires an adequate income for you to qualify. You could also sell the home to your kids on condition that you stay on in a suite, but you have to really trust your kids, one of which is already ill-advisingly making an independent film. You could rent out part of your home, but this has tax implications when you sell. The part you rented is disqualified from your Primary Residence Exemption and capital gains are added to your marginal tax rate for the difference. Bottom line, a reverse mortgage is the last alternative for someone in need of cash flow. There are other ways, with the best being to save for retirement. More on this to come.
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The Voice of Pelham, May 31, 2017
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The Voice of Pelham
REAL ESTATE To advertise here call (905) 892-8690
326 KING ST., WELLAND $239,000
20 MICHIGAN AVE., WELLAND $389,900 LARGE BUILDING WITH TONS OF POTENTIAL. CALL L.A. FOR ENTIRE LIST OF USES & INCENTIVES BEING OFFERED BY CITY OF WELLAND.
THIS IS A CUSTOM BUILT RAISED BUNGALOW WITH OVER 1950 SQ FT OF FINISHED LIVING SPACE. THIS HOME FEATURES 2 + 1 BEDROOMS, 1.5 BATHS, OPEN CONCEPT LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM AND KITCHEN AREA. BEAUTIFUL DECK OFF KITCHEN OVERLOOKING YOUR AMAZING PRIVATE BACK YARD WITH NO NEIGHBOURS. LARGE FAMILY ROOM DOWNSTAIRS AND BRIGHT LAUNDRY ROOM. ATTACHED SINGLE CAR GARAGE. CLOSE TO SHOPPING AND AMENITIES. LOTS OF HOUSE FOR THE VALUE.
pineSOLD
23 HATTER AVE., WELLAND $299,000
196 RIVERSIDE DR, WELLAND $249,000
423 DEERE ST., WELLAND $329,000
THIS IS A CUSTOM BUILT RAISED BUNGALOW WITH OVER 1550 SQ FT OF FINISHED LIVING SPACE. THIS HOME FEATURES 2 + 1 BEDROOMS, 1.5 BATHS, OPEN CONCEPT LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM AND KITCHEN AREA. LARGE FAMILY ROOM DOWNSTAIRS AND BRIGHT LAUNDRY ROOM. ATTACHED SINGLE CAR GARAGE. SITUATED NEXT TO A PARK. LOTS OF HOUSE FOR THE VALUE.
CUTE ONE AND A HALF STORY WITH GREAT CURB APPEAL. THIS HOME WAS RENOVATED & HAS GREAT HIGHWAY ACCESS. THE UPDATES & IMPROVEMENTS OF THIS 2 BEDROOM, 1 BATH HOME INCLUDES: C/A, FURNACE, ROOF, WINDOWS, DOORS, WIRING, INSULATION, SIDING & STUCCO, KITCHEN, BATH, PAINT & FLOORS. THIS HOME IS MOVE IN READY & SITS ON A FABULOUS LOT. COME & VIEW TODAY.
THIS IS A CUSTOM BUILT RAISED BUNGALOW WITH OVER 1950 SQ FT OF FINISHED LIVING SPACE. THIS HOME FEATURES 2 + 1 BEDROOMS, 1.5 BATHS, OPEN CONCEPT LIVING ROOM, DINING ROOM AND KITCHEN AREA. BEAUTIFUL DECK OFF KITCHEN OVERLOOKING YOUR BACK YARD. LARGE FAMILY ROOM DOWNSTAIRS AND BRIGHT LAUNDRY ROOM. ATTACHED SINGLE CAR GARAGE. CLOSE TO SHOPPING AND AMENITIES. LOTS OF HOUSE FOR THE VALUE.
pineSOLD
COLUMN SIX continued from Page 1 The walk between the steaming Chinese restaurant and the comfortable insides of the trophy room left me chilled. Seeing those people, mostly men, all crumpled under ratty blankets on bits of cardboard, or, if fortunate, on top of a subway grate, was a shocking experience. For me, eye contact was difficult to make, but after initiated nearly impossible to break. I at once couldn’t look and couldn’t look at anything else. I would not have been surprised to find a spent needle in an alley in St. Catharines, or encounter the carcass of a half-eaten deer in Pelham, but my eyes were not accustomed to seeing human beings in circumstances so incomprehensibly worse than my own. Many winters later, in Montreal, I was walking at night near the river with a friend when a man approached us and asked for help. He was stuck in the city he said, without money or means of transportation. He was supposed to be en route to Massachusetts for surgery “on this,” at which point he opened his coat to reveal an enormous growth protruding from beneath his ribs. Under the dim light of the street lamps it dully shined, a crimson boil the size of a cantaloupe. It remains the most repulsive thing I have
ever seen on another person, and when my friend, who was from the city, had dispatched with him, I gagged, several times, and thought I would vomit. BOUT A MONTH AGO I left home on a trip to Mexico. The Greater Mexico City Area has a population of 21.2 million, a staggering statistic unsurprising to anyone who has landed at its airport. Crossing from Texas into Mexico, we flew above land mostly unmarked by signs of habitation. The most striking characteristic of the northern part of the country were the fires—wild and agricultural—that speckled the terrain. They must have been quite large to have been visible from 30,000 feet; at their bases, the flames gnawing about for more fuel, the smoke swelling and rising. From the plane the entire enterprise appeared as sculpture, the plumes of smoke vaporous columns standing on singed ground. As bits of life became visible, the plane began to descend and it did so for a long while, passing over miles and miles of unending city, then a graveyard of abandoned aircraft, before we finally landed as we would have anywhere else in the world. Inside the airport the routine was also familiar. Moving walkways, the din of travelers, the odours of plastic and scalded coffee. Poorly positioned signage pointed me to Customs and
A
pineSOLD
pineSOLD
This is why we go on vacation, to break from the quotidian
baggage claim. We arrivals followed the rules. I was not immediately assured that there were rules outside of the airport. In his book, Midnight’s Children, Salman Rushdie discusses what he calls “city eyes,” the inevitable tendency of urban dwellers not to see the deeply unpleasant misfortune afflicting those on edge of society. He writes: “When you have city eyes you cannot see the invisible people, the men with elephantiasis of the balls and the beggars in boxcars don't impinge on you, and the concrete sections of future drainpipes don't look like dormitories.” I have spent a lot of time acquiring city eyes since that night with the crimson boil man in Montreal, but I certainly didn’t have Mexico City-eyes upon arriving here. Nothing is invisible without those eyes during the first few days, and my eyes have seen it all. They have seen traffic so clotted that it is safe—perhaps even advised, to prevent conflict—for drivers to nap be-
THERE'S WALDO The author, shopping earlier this month in a Mexican department store. SUPPLIED PHOTO hind the wheel. They've seen micro-economies emerge in this gridlock, vendors meandering from window to window offering up breakfast and single cigarettes and newspapers and popsicles. Some vendors are boys barely tall enough to reach in through the window. They've seen more police than ever before, doing less than they have ever seen police do, including RIDE checks that stop cars only in one lane and allow other drivers to skirt around unbothered. They have seen museum installations that they couldn’t believe existed. They've seen the mountains, briefly, in the morning, before they are shrouded in smog from the traffic; and yet more traffic when thun-
derous rains dispersed the smog but submerged the streets in a foot of flashflood. They have seen houses so brilliantly painted that those elsewhere seem very stale. They have seen hundreds, thousands of advertisements, in which most of the models look not to be Mexican at all, or, if they are, to have descended from the Swedish sides of their families. It isn’t always apparent, when we live our lives, just how much we must subconsciously simplify things in order to make the world comprehensible. Driving a car does not involve thinking about the mechanics of combustion engines or the thickness of brake-pads; if it did, we’d likely be unable
to pay enough attention to avoid accidents. Likewise, it is near impossible to live in cities, day-to-day, without city eyes. But sometimes there are things more important than living day-to-day. This is why we go on vacation—to break from the quotidian. When my parents took me to the Hall of Fame when I was seven, they were doubtless trying to make that day a special one, a visit that I’d remember. I have almost entirely forgotten what I saw inside the building, and these days I rarely even watch hockey. But I will never forget what my mother said in that parking garage stairwell. Someone else’s mother once told me that she always thought it “really odd” that other parents talked of “creating memories” for their children. Her point was that we have no control over what the young—or anyone—will remember, and it almost certainly won’t be what we predict. “Attention is a form of prayer,” she said, quoting a writer I hadn't read. “That is the only lesson.” Life cannot be lived entirely in prayer; attention cannot be paid all of the time. But vacations, be they to nearby cities, or to Mexico, are reminders that such layers of living are still there, and, perhaps, with luck, we’ll remember parts of them too. ♦