The Voice, November 27 2019 by The Voice of Pelham

Pelham spending comes in at cool $23 million page 3 The CAO on law and order page 7 Picton picks Canada page 22 EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

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Vol.23 No.46

November 27, 2019

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FALL WE HARDLY KNEW YE It may have been the fastest autumn to pass in Pelham in years, but the season didn’t escape the attention of St. Ann Catholic Elementary School, in Fenwick. Last month the school held its 23rd annual Fall Fair. Students arrived with flower arrangements, animals made of vegetables, free-standing scarecrows, colourful gourds, and more. The day finished with the annual zucchini weigh-off. From left, Sophia Inneo, Adrian Vani, Brinley Flikkema, and Lexi White. MARIA TREMEER PHOTO

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The Voice, November 27, 2019

Pelham Cares gearing up for annual food drive

PUBLISHER’S CORNER by Dave Burket

Seen on Station St. near Highway 20 last week: Local contractor Bill Duffin, who pulled over, waited for traffic to pass, crossed Station to the east side, picked up a soccer ball that was on the shoulder, tossed it back over the fence to an empty St. Alexander playground, and drove on...Crystal clear: The latest generation of 4K televisions are quite the visual marvel. A few weeks ago I was shown their capabilities by Tyler Thomas, at Thomas TV in Welland, who said, "This will be the clearest TV picture you've ever seen," and he wasn't wrong. We're happy with our 10-year-old HDTV, but if you're in the market, apparently there's something called Black Friday happening this week (ad, p. 8)...Long time coming: the PBA (Pelham Business Association) will soon be DOA, one hopes to be replaced by a BIA (Business Improvement Area), which may actually do something constructive for local businesses. More as events unfold...Confidential to M.W.Y.III: We'll need your real contact info to print that letter...Dipping a toe in the Puzzler water: Make room for a new Puzzler, below. Too easy, or too tough? Have at it! ♦

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The answer is “Butternut.” What is the question? Peter Piper’s Gift Certiﬁcate

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Deadline: 6 PM, Sat., Nov. 30 / Good luck!

Charity asks that donations be placed out on porches by 9 AM on Dec 7 BY JOHN CHICK

Special to the VOICE

It's the most wonderful—and busiest— time of the year for Pelham Cares. For the 29th straight holiday season, the Fonthill-based charitable organization that focuses on people in need in Pelham will launch its community food drive on Saturday, December 7. "It's the big one," says Pelham Cares Coordinator Lori Grande. "It's the only food drive we do ourselves." For those who want to donate non-perishable food items and hygiene products, the process is simple. Just bag up the items you want to contribute and leave them on your front porch before 9 AM. on December 7. Pelham Cares volunteers—including Fonthill and Fenwick Lions Clubs’ members and Kinsmen—will then pick them up. Grande says it's after the pickup that the operation really shifts into high gear. Those service club members then take the donations to Rice Road Greenhouses, which offers up their space every year, where about 80 more volunteers will sort, date and box the items into individual care packages. With that, Pelham Cares has its largest donation collection on the calendar. "Some of the items will last until summer and fall," Grande said. "I would estimate 75 percent of our annual donations are received through the holiday food drive." Those food and hygiene packages are distributed to approximately 50 Pelham families every month, accord-

Voice

Pelham Cares Coordinator Lori Grande ensures that all the Chefs Boyardee are properly stacked last week at the charity's office in Fonthill. VOICE PHOTO Highway 20 office,near the intersection of Rice Road, during business hours. In addition to the food bank, the charity also provides transportation to medical appointments for Pelham residents in need, and a sports and recreation subsidy for youngsters from low-income families. The holiday food drive, however, remains the catalyst. "We're amazed every year how the community comes together," said Grande. "It sustains us for the year to come."

ing to Grande. Pelham should consider itself fortunate, in that she says there hasn't been a large uptick in demand for these charitable services in the last few years—unlike many other, larger communities. "It's pretty consistent," Grande said. "No big change up or down." Pelham Cares stresses that it asks for non-perishable food items only. If you are unable to donate food or hygiene items, consider a monetary donation, which may be dropped off at their

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CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR

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DSBN wants portion of Town park

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Wednesday, November 30, 2016

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Oops: No fire trucks for you

Column Six

The Comfort Maple myth

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Column Six

Growing up British

BY JULIE MANNELL

Special to the VOICE

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

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

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

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

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

Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation

Vol.20 No.32

BY VOICE STAFF

A construction error was discovered following the opening of a traffic calming chicane on Haist Street north of Hwy 20 last Monday that prevented large vehicles from passing through. One resident living in the neighbourhood said he contacted the Town after seeing a small schoolbus get stuck as it tried to get through the new traffic calming measure. Later that day while driving behind a cement truck, he said that he became concerned for the public’s safety when the truck had to turn around because it couldn’t get through. “If a small school bus and a cement truck can’t make it through what about a fire

BY HEATHER McLAREN ROHRER

Special to the VOICE

Repair measures underway last week to correct a construction error in the chicane. truck or an ambulance?” he said. While waiting for the contractor to return to ﬁx

the mistake, the Town has taken measures to temporarily allow passage for vehicles through the neigh-

VOICE PHOTO

bourhood in the short-term. Manager of Public Works Ryan Cook said that after discovering the issue with

the chicane the morning it ﬁrst opened, the Town See CHICANE Page 5

Petition-inspired changes coming to 2017 Summerfest BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

Representatives from the Pelham Summerfest committee Candy Ashbee and Bill Gibson presented council with a ﬁnal report on the 2016 Summerfest at the Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 21. Prompted by a story in the Voice in August about a merchant petition to move Summerfest from Pelham Street, in September Town staﬀ met with various stakeholders to hear their complaints, promising at the time that changes in the way Summerfest was mounted would be con-

sidered. The main concerns identified during the community engagement process were security, parking, ensuring customer can access all businesses in town, and liability for damages. How to get all Pelham Street businesses to participate and finding ways to make it beneficial for them to set up a booth were also determined to be of high priority for the committee as they plan for next year’s event. Gibson told Council that the committee is addressing these concerns in a variety of ways. To improve parking, they intend to create bet-

ter signage for out-of-town visitors to designated parking areas and shuttle services. To make participation in Summerfest more enticing to local businesses, they plan to implement a tiered-charge for booths. Under the new system, Pelham Street business owners will be charged the least, other local businesses will pay a slightly higher fee, and vendors from outside Pelham will pay the most. In response to more speciﬁc issues for individual businesses, they will also slightly alter the footprint of the event and make adjustments to security. Another way the committee plans

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

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

Wednesday October 12, 2016

FREE

Apple Day comes to Fonthill

See COLUMN SIX Page 14

BY VOICE STAFF

The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and well-rounded individuals

ceives them, enabling youth to have experiences that build character, challenge them, and allow them to try new things. The goal is to have these youth develop into conﬁdent and wellrounded individuals, better prepared for success. Apple Day helps to achieve that.”

“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.

www.pennylanesold.com

H EATHER AND P ENNY L ANE S ALES R EPRESENTATIVES

BY JOHN SWART

VOICE Correspondent

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

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

The VOICE

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

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Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn

Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932

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-

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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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The Voice, November 27, 2019

Page 3

TOWN COUNCIL NEWS

Passed: 2020 budgets total some $23.5 million BY JOHN CHICK

Special to the VOICE

Pelham Town Council passed its operating, capital, water and wastewater budgets for 2020 at the November 18 meeting—the first Niagara municipality to do so, according to Town Treasurer Teresa Quinlin—but they didn't come without rate hikes. Water rates for next year will increase by 7.5 percent, and wastewater by 9.5 percent. Those numbers are not new, however. The same percentage hikes were instituted in 2019, part of a staff-recommended requirement to meet the future operating and upgrading of infrastructure. In its report last year on the heels of a consultant’s study, the annual 7.5 and 9.5 percent hikes were recommended in part to make up for the fact there were no increases in rates between 2014 and 2017. Broken down, the operating budget is $18,424,526, water is $2,948,982, and wastewater is $2,161,293.

The total effect is an increase of 6.05% to the tax levy, or $108 a year to the average household, according to Quinlin. Still, the Mayor sounded optimistic about the budget as he said the Town is trying to correct previous inaction and irresponsibility. “The 2020 budget contains many ‘good news’ items,” Mayor Junkin said. “We managed to increase transfers to reserves to $400,000, so that is a start to rebuilding them —which is the Town’s major financial problem. The budget supports the hiring of more bylaw staff, in anticipation of increased enforcement.” A staff request for another bylaw inspector had been on the books for at least the past year, with actionable enforcement required for coming regulations around cannabis production and short-term rentals. (CAO David Cribbs discusses the topic this week, in an interview starting on page 3.) “It is also a budget where

Council is replacing a Town truck and getting a much-needed new snowplow, both which had been previously deferred,” Junkin said. “The new budget represents a good balance of addressing present service needs, and repairing financial problems, instilled from the past.” The overall estimated increase of the budget is 6.05%, after accounting for growth. More details will be made available in the coming weeks.

Effingham speed limit dropping

After an amendment to include flashing stop signs and other signage, Council unanimously voted to accept a consultancy recommendation to lower Effingham Street’s speed limit to a uniform 50 kilometres per hour between Highway 20 and Regional Road 69, at Pelham’s northern boundary with St. Catharines. Sitting as Committee of the Whole, members appeared opposed to the idea at first. “In short, this will not be

Friday night at 9 PM

well-received by the traveling public,” Councillor Lisa Haun said. “I believe the current speed limits are appropriate.” Speed limits now vary on the winding, scenic route through North Pelham. There are two stretches of 60-km/h straightaways and two stretches of 50 km/h zones, interwoven with slower, yellow-signed curves where the speed limit drops as low as 30. Rather than lower the speed limit, Junkin agreed with Haun that more police enforcement would be the ideal approach. “People will drive what they want to drive,” he said. However, council’s tone started to change when Fire Chief Bob Lymburner spoke. Lymburner said that it is easier from both a driving and law enforcement perspective when there is one uniform speed limit on a particular road, and he added that the immutable laws of physics also play a role in who generally survives a car crash. “When two cars collide at 50,

which we get a lot of, there’s very little damage to people … [maybe] minor injuries. When we get into 70s and 80s, that’s when there are fatalities,” he said, pointing out that Effingham is a hotspot for speeding. “Well, Chief, I hate listening to common sense,” Junkin replied to laughter. With that, unlike in other quadrants of recent global politics, empirical data and expertise won out, and council voted to accept the recommendation.

MCC fitness for folks 55-plus

The Committee of the Whole also approved a health and well-being partnership between the Town and Brock University, with a focus on fitness programming for residents aged 55-plus. A six-month pilot project will run from January to June at the community centre, overseen by a Brock staffer who will recruit, train and supervise Kinesiology students in instructing the proSee COUNCIL Page 6

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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 Automotive anxieties

LD RELIABLE OUT in the driveway is beginning to look a little peakèd. She has been really good to me, so I’m kind of attached to old Betsy. She and I have travelled many high roads and a few low roads together for nearly a decade and she has never once left me stranded. She has made few demands of me or my pocketbook. Every once and awhile she blinks the dashboard to signal that its time to take her to her licensed caregivers to check her anatomic workings. The attendants check her over and she is returned to me looking as good as new and as if she could easily run another 1000 kilometres without missing a stroke. However, as the old adage advises, all good things come to an end. So I girded myself up to visit a modern day auto dealership that is all dressed up to look like an upscale emporium. The showroom is an imposing auditorium and larger than the hanger that houses Air Force One. As I uneagerly entered this automotive atrium I was greeted by an overtly friendly saleswomen, who hailed me as a long lost friend. I must admit that her emo-

tive cheerfulness gave me pause but I quickly regained my ultraconservative composure. I was there to investigate a new vehicle and not to make new pals. She

I was there to investigate a new vehicle and not to make new pals

suggested we “adjoin” to the customer lounge to discuss my automotive wants and needs over a latte, and she would select vehicles from their whopping stock that would satisfy my every requisite. After a brief inquisition of questions she suggested that she had narrowed down my choices to about six vehicles, which, she claimed, were designed to literally fit my exact specifications. She then ordered up a vehicle on her cell phone and moments

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later a shiny new car was driven up to the elegantly decorated red carpeted area just outside this ritzy customer lounge. She proceeded to rattle off the seemingly endless features of this exquisite vehicle designed to match my every automotive need. And then it happened! I was asked to sit behind the wheel. Actually, one doesn’t sit behind the wheel of one of today’s technically advanced automobiles, but is rather inserted into a cockpit. There were more dials, gauges, buttons, voice activations and switches than those that face launch control engineers at Cape Canaveral. Admittedly, I have barely made the transition from a dial phone to today’s cellular contrivances. Consequently, the dashboard— whoops, I meant to say the console— in front of me was an array of overwhelming perplexity. When I twisted the key on the steering column, the engine didn’t start but a smallish TV screen popped up from the dashboard and a 360-degree view of the outside of the car came into view. The saleswoman See BETSY next page

Letters Duncan case a tragedy all around The entire situation surrounding Dr. Duncan is devastating and sad. I feel so heavily for his patients who were victims, as well as for his patients who weren’t victims and only remember a caring doctor who potentially saved their lives, and are now left to feel torn about their feelings for him; I’m absolutely devastated for Dr. Duncan’s family and what this has done to them, and finally, I’m sad that Dr. Duncan went through life carrying a dark weight of some kind that made him feel compelled to allegedly do what he did, causing trauma on innocent women, who are now left to pick up the pieces because he wasn’t able to face

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament

Electoral District: Niagara West

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

Mayor of Pelham Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 289-929-2681

Ward 1 Councillor Mike Ciolfi mciolfi@pelham.ca 905-892-0077

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

Councillor Marianne Stewart mstewart@pelham.ca 289-821-0840

Electoral District: Niagara West

Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 289-929-2681 Councillor Diana Huson diana.huson@niagararegion.ca 905-324-3094 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607

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his own demons. He could now possibly be going to jail in what were supposed to be the golden days of his life. It’s tragic all around. Most tragic is that many women sat silent, some for decades, not coming forward, until one woman did come forward to The Voice to tell her story. I’m not sure that anyone has thanked the newspaper yet for bringing this case to light, but I think it’s time we did. The professional and informed manner in which this tragic situation was presented in The

Ward 2 Councillor Ron Kore rkore@pelham.ca 905-933-3805 Councillor John Wink jwink@pelham.ca 905-892-4475

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The Voice, November 27, 2019

Page 5

OPINION TRAGEDY continued from previous page Voice ultimately led to many, many women feeling supported and courageous enough to come forward. This is the first step to healing. We might be a small town with a small newspaper, but the power of this story has rocked us all in a way that reminds us that this can happen anywhere, and that the power of our truth means that others can speak theirs, too. I’m not affiliated with this case whatsoever, and wasn’t a patient of Dr. Duncan’s, but I am a woman who has received varying degrees of inappropriate treatment from men, be it a comment, or as far as crossing a physical boundary—and, until recently, after what this story has done to our

BETSY

continued from previous page pointed out there was a button somewhere amidst this console disarray that said plainly enough “Push to start engine.” After 30 minutes of poking around this dashboard wizardly, I finally decided I was not nearly ready to take this modern day marvel out for a test drive without first

community, I would have continued to second-guess or possibly stayed quiet, as well. Well, as we’ve heard most recently, “Time’s up” and for every woman who has hesitated when wondering if a boundary has been crossed, I’m with you, and I’d like to say, “Me too.” Thank you, to the women who courageously came forward, and to The Voice, for bringing this story to us all, for allowing it to be heard, and for the healing to start. Thank you for making us uncomfortable enough to realize that it wasn’t okay what Dr. Duncan allegedly did, nor will it ever be, but that may we all move forward with more awareness and compassion as a whole—for you never know who is fighting an internal battle. V.A. Fonthill

Thanks to the town with a heart

Eliminating ticks is the first line of defense [Pelham resident sounds alarm about Lyme disease, Nov. 20, p. 8]. Why has the government outlawed the use of permethrin, an effective tick

killer, in this province. It is widely available in the USA but not here. I have been bitten twice and am currently on antibiotics because of tick bites received on my proper-

taking a cram course at the USAF’s Andrews Air Force Base pilot training facility. I guess I’m just an old fashioned guy who prefers being in control of the vehicle I am driving and uncomfortable with being in the control of the vehicle I am riding in. After this brief encounter with today’s modern automobile, I was anxious to find my old Betsy loyally waiting for me in the park-

ing lot. I eagerly jumped into the comfort of her worn cloth driver’s seat and proudly

took command of my driving destinies again. My old bucket of bolts will do just fine for now, thank you. ♦

As a Remembrance initiative, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 613 in Fonthill undertook its “Honor our Veterans Banner” program. These banners are manufactured by One Promo Company, out of Hanover, Ontario. We asked for and received applications from families of veterans wanting to sponsor their loved ones — 26, to be exact. We needed a partner—we needed poles to hang these banners. I made a presentation to the Town of Pelham, asking for their help with this Remembrance project. They responded

very loudly. It was more like, “What do you need!” I asked for poles to hang the banners on and I asked if they would place the banners for us. Town Council responded the same night. They would let us use the poles that already had the hardware, they would place the banners, they would take down the banners and they would store these banners until the next Remembrance need. These banners were placed on October 21, and will be taken down and stored before the end of November.

At the Veterans Dinner on October 20, we unveiled these banners for the veterans present and there were some tears shed. These banners are 28” wide and 90” long—you will see them and you will have to pause, a pittance of time. The Fonthill Legion Branch 613 wishes to thank the Town and staff for their very willing support for this initiative and the dedication of everyone involved to see that it was completed on time in the town with a heart. Rick Hatt Branch 613

Why is most effective tick killer outlawed? ty. Blood tests are futile as they are not reliable. For the public health to positively ID a deer tick, it takes six weeks minimum.... more than enough time for Lyme disease to take hold. Our departments of health must wake up to the reality here in Niagara and elsewhere. And one final

thing—trauma associated with waiting six weeks or more for an ID creates emotional anxiety hard to deal with. I am tired of the “party line” of advice: cut the grass and rake the leaves. It doesn’t work! Ken Eller Fonthill

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Page 6

Letters

The Voice, November 27, 2019

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

COUNCIL

continued

continued from Page 3 gram. “I think it’s a great program,” said Haun. “However, I think that if taxpayers are going to spend $7,000 [on equipment], they should be able to use it when this program isn’t running.” Director of Recreation, Culture, and Wellness Vickie vanRavenswaay indicated that the program is likely to grow, and that availability during daytime hours would accommodate the Councillor’s vision.

Gun control just a political tactic It won't be long now until Mr Trudeau gets a spot on national TV telling all Canadians how he is going to remove evil firearms from the hands of law-abiding Canadians. In an almost tear-jerker pledge, he previously said that no Canadian needs an AR-15-style weapon to take down a deer. The "taking down a deer" is an expression about hunting that I have never heard from a hunter. They may "shoot a deer,” "get a deer," or "harvest a deer," but they don't "take down a deer.” It would be more appropriate in a gang setting where someone "takes down" a rival. I guess it is fair to say that Trudeau knows virtually nothing of hunting or the shooting sports. His knowledge of firearms regulations is also somewhat limited. He talks about a firearm that will kill the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. Well the AR-15 is not that firearm. Magazine capacity has been limited to five rounds for semi-auto center-fire firearms for years. To have possession of a larger capacity magazine would be possession of a Prohibited Weapon and it would not be good to get caught with one. The AR-15s in Canada are semi-auto or the old term self-loading. This means one discharge for every squeeze of the trigger. The mechanism of the rifle ejects the fired cartridge case and then loads another fresh one. The trigger must be released and squeezed again to fire another round. These rifles are classed as Restricted due to barrel length, action and looks and who knows what else. These rifles have not been military firearms that were converted to civilian use— they were made this way. Competitions using these rifles are a very popular thing and quite expensive to get into. I believe that there is only one case of using this firearm in a criminal shoot-

ing in Canada. I doubt that there is much of a demand for these firearms in the gang world. They are too big, too expensive and generally too compli-

Gun control is simple if you control the guns

cated to use shooting-up a neighborhood. Even if there was a gang application, all of Trudeau's confiscation from law-abiding citizens would have no more effect on them than all the present laws that they flaunt. Criminals do not obey laws. If the quarter-billion dollars slated for this confiscation was spent on fighting gang crime and better yet preventing it we would be better off. Do you know how big a billion is? If you tried to spend a billion dollars at $20 a second, 24 hrs a day, it would take 578 days to do it. Confiscating restricted firearms from law-abiding citizens is easy as they have told the government where they are. Meanwhile the government has no idea where thousands of criminals are. The social justice pressure has turned our courts and criminal justice system into turnstiles. Arrest-bail hearing-release and gone, and start the cycle over again. When the government makes claims of millions of dollars towards border safety most of that is going to Quebec for refugee immigration control, not for firearms trafficking at our borders. Do private citizens need an AR-15?

Probably not, but they may want one. Does a private citizen need an 800 HP car that goes three times the legal speed anywhere in Canada? No, but lots own them and every now and then they wind them up and crash, usually taking others with them. John Tory wants to get rid of all the firearms in his city. Six years ago he campaigned that more firearms control was not needed, they just had to get tough on crime. The sad part of all the confiscation agenda is that they will probably add a whole bunch more firearms to the list which have been in families for years with no incidents. One such rifle being the Ruger Mini-14. This firearm was used by the sick individual at the time called Marc Lepine in Montreal in '89. If this is and was such a dangerous firearm, why did it take 30 years for a government to take action while allowing many thousands to be purchased for hunting purposes. The answer is simple, they did not need to prop up a failing government at the time. Now they are willing to throw a large portion of the law-abiding public under the bus so they can keep their jobs. Gun control is simple if you control the guns. I will end this with a qualifier that I do not own an AR-15. I was going to buy one but it never worked out and now it would just be a waste of money to be a martyr. If by chance Trudeau does not enact his confiscation agenda it would only be because he thinks it might help his party. Because he has never listened to reason or common sense in his whole life. I guess if you are privileged you don't have to. Bill McLeod Welland

Summerfest attendance down

Summerfest Committee chair Bill Gibson presented to council his 2019 event report, and noted a downtick in attendance. This past July, Summerfest saw 31,951 people attend over its four days, down almost exactly 7,000 from the year before. However, the extreme heat and humidity gripping the Golden Horseshoe that weekend —and subsequent thunderstorms — are believed to have contributed to the lower number. Gibson reported that Summerfest received just over $17,000 in donated materials and 1,200 volunteer hours. He said the Committee gave back $4,834 from the event to local service clubs. Next year marks the 10th anniversary of Summerfest, and despite some Pelham Street businesses opposing the disruption it causes, the Town appears gung-ho about it going

ahead. “It’s so easy to see that it is indeed a community festival,” Junkin said to Gibson. “The community embraces this — one of the reasons you’re here and going into your 10th year is because you’re always evolving, you’re always seeing how you can make it better.”

Frontages may keep shrinking

Council sent a request by developer Mountainview Homes to remove the requirement for a masonry wall separating detached garage blocks on new properties on Summersides Boulevard, as well as reducing various setbacks, to the Committee of Adjustment for consideration. The committee will later make its recommendation to council as to whether to approve the requested changes.

CCC talks to NOTL

Cannabis Control Committee chair Tim Nohara gave his first update to council since it unanimously voted to extend the municipal Interim Control Bylaw on cannabis in September. He said the committee has been in contact with officials in Niagara-on-the-Lake regarding their own regulatory battle with the cannabis industry. That community went further than Pelham’s ninemonth extension, lengthening its Interim Control Bylaw for one year last July. Its expiry, however, now lines up with the end of Pelham’s, in mid-July 2020.

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The Voice, November 27, 2019

Page 7

The Conversation

There oughta be a law Pelham's bylaw enforcement these days leaves much to be desired, say some—but how much punishment do we really want BY DAVE BURKET

The VOICE

Y THE END OF NEXT WEEK, give or take a day, Pelham’s Chief Administrative Officer, David Cribbs, will have been on the job for five months. Between cannabis concerns and lawsuits, budget proposals, land sale negotiations, a newly unionized public works staff, an occasionally fractious council, and now a raft of bylaw enforcement issues, the 44-year-old solicitor might be forgiven for wondering whether he made the right choice to move east from London. If so, it doesn’t show. Cribbs welcomes his visitor to his office with something akin to the enthusiasm of a mostly well-behaved but not entirely calm Labrador Retriever. Asked if he'll partake from a gift box of Timbits, he smiles and says, “I didn’t get to this size by saying no.” Cribbs employs such self-effacement effectively, particularly when there’s unwanted news to deliver. He also tends to speak with a level of assurance that might strike the casual observer as bordering on the over-confident—more so, potentially, over the phone.

In person, though, it’s evident that Cribbs possesses— and is possibly possessed by—reams of public policy knowledge, the sort of municipal minutiae that penny-pinching taxpayers by rights should welcome in a town CAO. Following a recent spate of disputes between neighbours, appearing both as news stories and as letters to the editor in the Voice, the newspaper asked Cribbs to sit down and clarify where the Town is now on bylaw enforcement, and where we might be headed. See BYLAWS next page

CAO David Cribbs in his office last week at Pelham Town Hall.

Whistleblower's CannTrust video Says previously recorded images inaccessible until recently BY JOHN CHICK

Special to the VOICE

Five months after setting into motion the tailspin of CannTrust, former employee Nick Lalonde has provided the Voice and other media outlets this week with videos he asserts he recorded in an unlicensed growing room of the Fenwick facility. One such clip appears below. Lalonde says he took the videos last December, showing hundreds of cannabis plants in the factory’s central area. “Right in the middle of the facility,” he said. “I wouldn’t say the biggest [room] square-footage wise, but the most important.” It was this room, Lalonde told the Voice in July, that he helped cover up views of with poly wall in order to evade Health Canada’s video inspections of the facility. His later emails to those federal inspectors, after he left CannTrust, are what brought the company to the brink of potential demise — to the tune of revoked growing licences, the firing of its executive team, and the destruction of a staggering $77 million worth of cannabis inventory. CannTrust’s stock price now hovers around $1.20 per share, down more than five dollars from when before the scandal broke. The company has since laid off some 300 workers, including dozens in Fenwick. News site Yahoo Finance Canada asserts that a CannTrust spokesperson confirmed that the video was shot on company property. Asked why he didn’t release the video sooner, Lalonde said that he recently had the phone he recorded it on repaired, and was previously unable to access the files. The 28-year-old told the Voice he no longer resides in Fenwick, having moved to Hamilton for work opportunities. He said

Still image from Lalonde's video. The full recording is posted on the Voice website. VOICE GRAPHIC that while most of the reaction he received post-whistleblowing was positive, he encountered some harassment from former CannTrust colleagues in Pelham. “They’re upset, right,” Lalonde said. “There were a couple of employees there I used to know. I wasn’t going to hide. A lot of people are staying stupid shit like, ‘He wanted fame,’ this and that, whatever. I did the right thing, that’s all I care about and I’m going to move on.”

VOICE PHOTO

Page 8

The Voice, November 27, 2019

BYLAWS

think that's an excellent thing for community debate, because then it guides what happens in individual instances. The right way to handle it is to have this discussion. To have the discussion about how to enforce bylaws? Yes. What the right approach is for the Town of Pelham. I've used the analogy of the awkward teenager. We're experiencing growing pains. The new residents are almost universally from Hamilton, Oakville and Toronto. They are urbanites. I'm generalizing, but I will suggest that in a larger urban center, if the neighbour’s weeds are too long, the fence is too high, then you call the municipality to have that conversation. While out here... In a community the size of Pelham, I would tell you that historically you would know your neighbours, you know their names, and you are more likely to have that conversation with them directly, and that ultimately compliance is a smaller community goal, while enforcement happens when you're sort of more socially detached. I look at Thorold, which has a thousand people more than we do and calls itself a city. Port Colborne has a thousand people more than we do and calls itself a city. At a thousand less, call ourselves a town. It's about a mindset. But there's objective proof that we're growing rapidly. Is there a legal distinction between town and a city, according to the province? No, there's not. It's psychological and it's about self image. We consider ourselves a town, and we're having some urban enforcement issues. Short term rental is a great example of that. What you're seeing across the board, whether we're talking about cannabis,

continued from previous page The following has been lightly condensed for brevity and clarity. BURKET: There have been some bylaw-related disputes that have come up in the last little while, and provoked a reaction among many that the Town does not properly enforce its bylaws, or some of its bylaws. This is after a period during which maybe they were over-zealously enforced. So, at a fundamental level, how does Pelham enforce its bylaws now? Is it a proactive approach—where the bylaw officer is going out, seeing violations and writing them up. Or is it reactive—where a complaint has to come in in order to trigger any sort of investigation or examination. CRIBBS: Our current response is reactive. We are staffed towards being a reactive force. Our staff complement is 1.5 persons for 60 total enforcement hours in any given week. A full-time bylaw officer, and a part-time bylaw officer. And how does that work typically? Well, let me throw a bunch of things at you. This community used to be far more enforcement oriented, and that ultimately created dissatisfaction. There was a fundamental change in our approach and it would appear that there's a rising level of dissatisfaction with the emphasis being placed upon [voluntary bylaw] compliance. That's what I infer from what I'm reading in the paper and hearing around town. So it is open to Town Council to dictate a general enforcement philosophy, and a general approach to bylaw enforcement, and we want to give them that opportunity. I

whether we're talking about short term rental, it's about being too close together. The 2020 budget included a 0.5 increase in bylaw enforcement, so next year that will mean 80 enforcement hours rather than 60. In addition to that, it included the provision of a student for the summer months, and we will have weekend coverage, which is not something we currently offer. Council heard the community and has responded. Professionally, where do you come down on the scale from voluntary compliance to always enforcing? I spent three and a half years as a customs officer at Pearson and almost five years prosecuting for the city of London, so I've been both enforcement officer and a prosecutor. I think the single most important thing is to have the right staffing, to have people who are dedicated to the purpose. What is the purpose in this case? How do you define the purpose? I define it as the public good. It always comes back to the question, what was the harm? Plenty of municipal bylaws exist in a fundamental way because of nuisance being caused. And that nuisance can be a barking dog, it can be the escape of a bad smell, but it can be weeds that are too long. It can be unsightly, rusted motor vehicles on the front lawn—things that impact your quality of life. Right. Now, we do have bylaws that deal with health and safety, the building code and the fire code. So if safety is involved, I think there should always be some sort of punishment. I don't think compliance is enough. I think that's entirely appropriate when safety is on the line. But assuming we're not talking about a safety issue, then we're talking

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca about some type of nuisance, we're talking about an impact on your quality of life and your quiet enjoyment of your property. Isn’t it reasonable to expect, when you buy a house, that the area around it won’t fundamentally change without your agree-

Plenty of municipal bylaws exist in a fundamental way because of nuisance being caused

ment? For example, in R-2 zoning, without your agreement, your neighbour comes along and suddenly is renovating a home next to you, or down the street, into a multi-unit residence. Is that not harming your quality of life? It's the province of Ontario that has changed the rules. As our population increases, the province has changed the rules around planning and the philosophy around planning and they are encouraging infill development. What does that mean? That means that ultimately our official plan and our zoning bylaws are obligated to respect provincial policy—PPS, Provincial Policy Statement. As a practical matter, what it says is it's a great idea to knock down a World War II-era 800-square foot bungalow and put up three enormous townhouses on that lot. So you can have 10 residents instead of having one small house with a beautiful large yard.

That's the future? That's the law as it stands now. Well, the law in Pelham, though, is that you have bylaws specifying what is and isn’t permitted in R-2, single family residential neighbourhoods. Should there not be some enforcement of the bylaw? Or do you say, “Listen, the future is coming, so we're not going to do anything about this now.” The Town of Pelham zoning bylaw was passed in 1987. This Monday, council authorized hiring one more person for the Planning Department. I am informed that we are the only municipality other than Wainfleet in the peninsula not to have a policy planner. That person's first and top assignment is going to be to update our zoning bylaw. The 1987 zoning bylaw is, with respect, hopelessly out of date. We know our zoning bylaw doesn't make reference to the modern planning era. So, to answer your question, yes, what it says on paper may not be supportive of the notion of intensification, but the province has changed the law. The previous Liberal government made a number of changes. The Conservative government has only intensified it, in fact. What now is the theoretical maximum number of units that could be built on a lot that was formerly devoted to a single family home? Generally speaking, the larger the parcel, the more units that can be put on it. That's a fair statement. What isn't realistically possible to say is that we have a quiet residential cul de sac and all of a sudden there's going to be a 10-story highrise. The planning doesn't allow for that. That's a good point. How many See BYLAWS Page 10

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The Voice, November 27, 2019

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Page 10

BYLAWS

continued from Page 8 stories could you go up? Let's say it's a single-story bungalow. Could you double or triple that? If bungalows are coming down, you can certainly put up a second story residentially. That's not considered out of touch with any neighbourhood. Okay, theoretically you have a situation where you have multiple units, a second unit, being illegally added in an R-2 neighbourhood. What’s the Town’s current response? It's always facts-specific, but our staff are trained, they're familiar with their legislation. You expect them to go through an intellectual exercise that essentially assesses the situation and tries to determine if there's been noncompliance, and if you determine noncompliance, then is there a threat to safety? If so, immediate action is warranted. If there isn't a threat to safety, is it order-appropriate? Is it charge-appropriate? Is there another way to get compliance? Has there been harm? These are all variables that need to be considered. It sounds like what you're describing is that, given this 30-year-old-plus zoning bylaw, that property owners may kind of be free to do what they want in terms of adding units to their homes or renovating properties in residential, in R-2 neighbourhoods, without a terribly great fear of those renovations being ruled illegal. Well no, there are a number of reasons why that's problematic. As long as the building codes are followed. Well, so that right there, that alone is a million-dollar question. Let me be a little more specific then. Let's say I go out tomorrow and I buy a home in a Pelham

The Voice, November 27, 2019 neighbourhood that's R-2 zoned, and I don't live there. I'm going to renovate it into a two unit property. I come to Town Hall and I take out the applicable permits for construction. That would trigger zoning. Right. So I would not be able to obtain the construction permit if I revealed that I intend to add a unit to the building? That would trigger an application under the planning process to change the zoning on the property in question from R-2 to something else, depending on what you were trying to do. So building permits would not be issued until that zoning was approved? Correct. However, let’s say you apply for a plumbing permit. You're going to build a bathroom in your basement. All right. Turns out you don't stop there. That's how you might improperly build a second unit. I'm just speaking hypothetically, you might only need one inspection. We might've only come to look at one bit of plumbing. You might've slipped one past the goalie. You might have created a second unit. So long as that unit wasn't occupied under our current policy. No furniture. No furniture, no human, no sign of occupation. If we all of a sudden get some evidence that someone's living there, then one part of us has to react to that, because all of a sudden now we are talking about [potential] harm. We should assume that there is more construction done than just plumbing, we should go back and look with a building inspection. Moving on to another recent topic. Fences. When my wife and I moved to town we wanted to put up a fence—for the dog, for privacy. We went to Town Hall, spoke to the nice people upstairs and got the details of what was legal, what wasn't. They printed out a copy of

the bylaw, and we followed that to the letter—even coming a bit farther into our property than we had to, off of the public boulevard. There are people out there who are not as scrupulous in following the applicable fence bylaws. If you had a case where someone built a fence over the property line, on the neighbour’s side, or built too high, the municipality I presume would respond to this? No. If I build on your land, I've trespassed, but the municipality has no role or interest whatsoever. That's a private dispute as between two private citizens. We're going to assume it's homes, but it could be businesses, wherever. That's a trespass. It's a private right of action. The municipality has no skin in the game. You're allowed a sixfoot fence, you build a four-foot fence on your neighbour's land. It is not for the municipality to get involved in that. You have plenty of property rights—consult a lawyer. Now, fence height— There’s no applicable municipal bylaw? We don't have a bylaw that says you can't commit a trespass. The Trespass to Property Act has that. Your neighbour arguably is stealing six inches of your land. If he or she builds onto your land, yeah, they're keeping you from accessing it, but that's a private dispute as between two individuals. There is a court system for private disputes. Now, the height of a fence can have public impact in health and safety, and can, in certain instances be a nuisance. Okay. So to come back to our first principles, is there harm and is there a legitimate nuisance? First off, fences in front yards often do have implications for health, safety and municipal operations. Every fence bylaw with which I am familiar always requires lower fence heights in front yards than they do in side

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca or rear. For visibility? It's for first responders to be able to figure out what the house number is, to be able to see and clearly to be able to assess the lay of the land. There's a public interest in enforcing that.

The old adage is true— good fences make for good neighbours and bad fences make for bad neighbours

The enforcement in this case is for the protection of the property owner. Yes. Even if they don't feel it. And side or back fences? Municipalities typically limit the height because amongst other things they'll cast shadow where you are much closer together in a smaller lot sizes, which more possibly will have a negative impact upon your quality of life than if you have a 10-acre or 20-acre property. Come back to our first principles. If you're one inch over, if you're three inches over, you're casting no shadow, you're not impacting your neighbour's capacity to grow or enjoy his or her property, but technically you're an inch over. Well, the Town could issue an order to bring that down, which might mean just cutting the metal spikes off the top of an ornamental fence, it might mean taking a buzzsaw across—God help us if it's concrete or stone—but you see where we're going with that.

Right. Probably making something a lot uglier and certainly costing someone some money. There is a technical offense, but is there any harm? And ultimately that's got to come down to the officer making some determinations. And lastly, are they being used as a weapon of reprisal of some sort? The old adage is true— good fences make for good neighbours, bad fences make for bad neighbours. I think that's a golden rule we can all live by and we should all comply with, because even if you can get away with an inch or two, why do that, when you're living next to people. What you've lost in goodwill is far worse. Yes. It's not worth an inch or two. Please quote me on that. I'm quite happy with good fences make good neighbours, and the opposite is true. You mentioned rusting cars on lawns a while back. In theory, if you had a boarded-up building on a major thoroughfare, it's been there for a decade-plus, what sort of enforcement options are there to turn that eyesore into something that's not quite as ugly? Two ways to tackle. The first is property standards. If you're leaving a property to simply collapse, then it usually means you aren’t taking care of the lawn. It may well mean you're prepared to dump refuse, be that old refrigerators or whatever. Municipalities to have the power to enter on the lands and to bring them into compliance. That's for the generic sort of visual things. Okay. With respect to structures, the Building Code Act applies to any building in the province. Benign neglect is a strategy exercised quite frequently in agriculture and in larger cities where property values

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Page 12

The Voice, November 27, 2019

The Centrespread Map of Niagara Peninsula, Province of Ontario, ca. 1910 Scale: 1-1/4 miles to 1 inch

ROM BROCK UNIVERSITYâ€™S REPOSITORY of historic documents comes this nearly 110-year-old map of the Niagara Peninsula, with north oriented to the top toward Lake Ontario. The peninsula is shown with the county divisions of Wentworth, Lincoln, Haldimand and Welland. Towns and cities are divided into concessions and lots, labelled

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

numerically or with roman numerals. The cities and towns shown are Saltfleet, Grimsby north and south, Clinton, Louth, Grantham, Niagara, Binbrook, Caistor, Gainsborough, Pelham, Thorold, Stamford (Niagara Falls), Seneca, Cansborough, Wainfleet, Crowland, Willoughby, Cayuga north and south, Dunn, Moulton, Humberstone, and Bertie. Roads, railway lines (steam and electric),

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

and the Welland Canal are indicated. Schools and some prominent buildings are marked. A legend is present in the top right corner of the map. Elevations appear in parentheses—Ridgeville is 688 ft., Fenwick is 620 ft. Notably absent is mention of Fonthill as a distinct village. Instead, “Ridgeville” encompasses Fonthill, with other built-ups areas including Pelham Corners, Pelham Centre,

The Voice, November 27, 2019

Fenwick, and on the Thorold line, St. John’s. Also notably reduced is the presence of St. Catharines, though the area’s distinctive angular grid plan is very much already present. Most of Grantham Township was amalgamated in to St. Catharines in 1961, with a remaining piece going to Niagara-on-the-Lake, in 1970. In fact, NOTL did not officially exist as a municipality until that year,

when the Township of Niagara and the Town of Niagara merged to create the new entity. Meanwhile, to the south, the vast Welland County incorporates four township names now largely lost to history, with Humberstone, Wainfleet, Thorold, and Pelham surviving until today, if not necessarily in the same form. Welland officially became a city in 1917. Its population in 1910 was about 5,300.

Page 13

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The Voice, November 27, 2019

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Girhiny takes on another challenge "Sneaky-quick" Thorold native makes latest leap—to Brock Badgers BY BILL POTRECZ

BPSPORTSNIAGARA.COM

Christian Girhiny continues to defy the odds and the naysayers. The 21-year-old Thorold native has always had to battle against a lack of size and bulk, regardless of the level. Girhiny made the leap from Ridley College to the Ontario Hockey League with the Erie Otters for three seasons before wrapping up his junior career last year at the Junior B level with the St. Catharines Falcons, where he collected an astounding 36 goals and 82 points in just 32 games. Girhiny joined the Brock Badgers for this season and has once again managed to make the leap and be successful at a higher level, despite his 5-foot-11, 159-pound frame. The freshman winger has two goals and 12 points in his first 13 games, and has quickly become an important member of the Badgers. “I kind of questioned [the transition] too, because I know the size and the strength of the guys in this league and I didn’t know how long it would take to find his way in the league,” Badgers coach Marty Williamson said. “He’s one of those guys who figures it out. He’s sneaky-quick and he gets away from things and get himself into the right area. “The defencemen are big and strong in this league and although he’s been against it in the OHL, at the later points when he had

success, it was against younger defencemen. Now, when you’re against a 24-or-25-year-old man and you’re 160 pounds, how would it work out?” Girhiny is pleased how quickly he has adapted. “It’s always different going to a different league,” he said. “These guys are definitely older and some of the guys on our team are 2526. In junior when you’re 17 you think 20 is kind of old and these guys have a lot of experience, not only in U Sports, but in junior as well, so the transition was a little bit difficult at first. We’re a couple of months in now and I feel I have a good grasp on how other teams play and how this league works.” After an initial period of settling in, Girhiny has been working well on a line with Adam Berg and Justin Brack. “We’re a pretty balanced team, so we don’t have a top line kind of thing,” Williamson said. “The line has been really effective. The line got put together about three weeks ago and it’s one of those lines when you watch them for one game we knew we had something here.” Williamson feels the trio complement each other. “Brack and Berg...they have bigger bodies and they play a simple game and Girns has the ability to find people and make people around him better and the

line really fits. These guys work hard and generate loose puck chances, and he reads that very well. I think almost every game he gets a breakaway. It’s uncanny the ability he has to ready broken plays and read where the puck is going to go and get himself some chances.” Off the ice, Girhiny admits it has been an adjustment to go from a 68-game schedule to less than half of that at the university level. “It’s another chapter in my books. It’s good to get an education and the hockey is second to none. All these players have either been in the OHL or really good junior programs so the competition is really good, so I was really excited I was going to be able to get a good eduction with good coaching and good hockey. School definitely comes first now. We only play 28 games. We’re doing more school work than hockey, but when the hockey comes around everyone is excited because you get so little time to play. It’s a good balance between school and hockey.” Girhiny, who is studying social sciences and plans to transfer to the sport management program, feels the Badgers are on the right track after a slow start in which they lost four of their first five games. “It wasn’t the start we wanted, but we added a lot of fresh-

ANNOUNCING 2 LAUNCHES IN NIAGARA

Christian Girhiny takes the shot. man and we haven’t played with those players and they haven’t played with us,” he said. “It was a rocky start and then we went on that seven-game winning streak and that’s when we started con-

SUPPLIED PHOTO

necting together. Each line was working off each other and finding success, and that’s what we’re going to have to continue to do to stay consistent and win hockey games.”

You are cordially invited to our

HOLIDAY SHOPPING

EXTRAVAGANZA Come join us on December 5, 2019 from 3pm to 7pm at your local Shoppers Drug Mart at 20 Highway 20, Fonthill Author Jane Bedard

PELHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY

December 4th. 7-9 pm

WHITE OAKS RESORT

November 28th 7-8:30 pm Christmas is coming so lighten up, will ya? Put off Christmas shopping and join local author Jane Bedard as she launches her new book, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME. Jane has written hilarious articles for The Voice of Pelham, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Living, Reader's Digest, and more. $5 Entry. Refreshments will be served. Register at the library or online or just drop by either location for some fun.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME celebrates that most domestic and exotic of all professions: The Stay-at-Home-Mom, yet embraces women from all vocations with poignant and hilarious commentary on motherhood and childhood, sisterhood and daughterhood, wifehood and friendshiphood... all from within Toronto's and Fonthill's hoods and beyond.

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The Voice, November 27, 2019

Page 15

Good turnout for Twelve Mile Creek restoration meeting along a much larger area. Landowner Ken Eller spoke during the question period about the destruction of vegetation and stream bank when new hydro lines were put through his property. His words appeared to strike a chord with other landowners, who have seen various destructive practices, from poor municipal drainage in Fonthill

BY VOICE STAFF About 100 were in attendance last Thursday evening at Lookout Point Golf Club, to hear about efforts being made to preserve and restore Twelve Mile Creek. Billed as a “Landowners’ Seminar,” the event was part of the Healthy Twelve Mile Creek project launched by the Niagara Chapter of Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC). Project Manager Megan Lalli contacted landowners along the creek from Fonthill to Short Hills Park to encourage them to come out and hear about the work being done by her team and the Niagara Chapter, and to discuss what still needs to be done to restore the last remaining cold water system in Niagara. Geoff Verkade, of the NPCA, spoke briefly about the renewed emphasis at the Conservation Authority on restoration, and their interest in working with organizations such as TUC to further the goal of improving watersheds. The NPCA has launched a program that will fund projects undertaken by groups such as the Niagara Chapter on behalf of landowners to combat erosion, mitigate the impact of agriculture, and restore habitat along the creek. Professor Ian Smith, of Niagara College’s Environmental Programs, outlined the work undertaken by the Niagara Chapter so far, including creation of artificial meanders, live crib walls, and the redesign of pond overflows. Smith called Brook Trout, once plentiful along the entire length of the headwaters of Twelve Mile Creek,

to salt-laden snow being dumped into the creek. Professor Smith noted that the Niagara Chapter of TUC has had productive contacts with the Town of Pelham to educate staff and politicians about the fragility of the Twelve, but that all efforts now are in an attempt to correct the “errors of the past.” It’s difficult to be proactive, he said, when

working full out to correct the effects of climate change and development in the headwaters. Project Manager Megan Lalli encouraged landowners to identify problems along the stream on their properties so that her team could asses and provide help in correcting issues like erosion and sedimentation.

From left, Dennis Edell, Megan Lalli, Harry Reindeers, and Prof. Ian Smith. VOICE PHOTO the “canary in the coal mine” and the best indicator of a healthy cold water ecosystem. However, he added, development in the upper reaches of the headwaters in and around Fonthill, deforestation, and climate change have com-

bined to degrade the creek to the point where only a small stretch of water along one branch can still support these fish. The Chapter’s efforts, Smith said, are an attempt to improve the stream to the point where Brook Trout can thrive

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The Voice, November 27, 2019

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

FROM THE HANDLEBARS

by John Swart

PATC on the right track

HEY’RE NOT surveilling you through your microwave, as Kellyanne Conway suggested, nor are they superheroes poised to pounce upon errant Town planners or Pelham councillors, but if you’re a cyclist, runner, jogger, hiker or walker in Pelham, the Pelham Active Transportation Committee has your back. PATC is an official advisory committee to council, comprised of citizen volunteers, one councillor, and a Town of Pelham staff representative. Their role within the community is to advise council on matters of active transportation within Pelham, and we’re fortunate to have it. Our PATC advises council, but more importantly in my opinion, they also advocate for us, and attempt to initiate projects of benefit not just to walkers and cyclists, but to everyone in Pelham who wants to arrive somewhere safely, under their own power. Students walking to school have benefited from PATC’s advocating for sidewalks along Highway 20 to E. L. Crossley, and on Pelham Street between Glynn A. Green Public School and Pancake Road. Runners, hikers and walkers love our Steve Bauer Trail and Gerry Berkhout Trail, and PATC is working hard to improve maintenance, signage and access to these and other trails in Pelham. Thanks in large measure to the efforts of PATC, Pelham is designated as a bronze-level, “Walk Friendly Community” by Canada Walks. This mean we’re committed to improving and sustaining walkability

Portion of the PATC's 2019 cycling map. and pedestrian safety. Just so you know, should you happen to be talking to anyone from another Niagara locale, Pelham is the only designated Walk Friendly Community in the Region. As a cyclist, you may be aware that for many years Pelham has also been awarded “Bike Friendly Community” silver status by Share the Road, Ontario’s largest cycling advocacy group. Again, we’re the only community in Niagara so awarded. Both of these designations involve diligent efforts by the volunteers of PATC and many Town of Pelham staff members, plus the endorsement of council, working together to improve the opportunities for an active

lifestyle in Pelham. If you’re considering getting into cycling or running, PATC introduced a comprehensive new cycling map of Pelham for 2019, reproduced in the Voice’s October 24, 2018, edition. The lead on this project was former Regional Councillor Brian Baty, Vice-Chair of PATC. His interest was to provide a map that showed traffic flow and inclines and descents on the streets and roads of Pelham. The last thing someone new starting out on a ride or run wants is to find themselves on an unexpectedly steep hill or busy road. This map will help you plan your safest, and flattest, route. An exciting project that PATC and the Town have been working on will come to fruition in 2020. Bea Clark, Chair of the committee, confirmed that paving of the Steve Bauer Trail will be completed between Port Robinson Road and Quaker Road. “This is a well-used section of the trail, by walkers, recreational cyclists,

and those with less mobility,” states Clark. “It’s also used by Niagara College students cycling to school.” The funding has been provided by the province, through the Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling Program. Since we’re talking about money, PATC has a budget of hundreds of dollars, not thousands, and this money is primarily spent on public awareness activities. Another project that’s been in the works for years may be set to move forward in 2020 as well. Trail connectivity is important, because properly linked trails throughout Pelham, and the Region, allow safe, non-motorized access to places people want to go. Upgrading the “Thorold/ Fonthill Spur” of the Greater Niagara Circle Route has been a project that many in Fonthill and Thorold have wanted to see completed for years. The Spur is a section of the abandoned NS&T rail line between East Fonthill and Thorold. It is now used

primarily by ATVs and dirt bikes, no longer suitable for bicycles or walkers and runners. This trail is ideal to link Thorold to the Steve Bauer Trail network in Pelham, and connect with Fonthill’s vibrant downtown core. Clark also mentioned that it passes close to Brock University, affording students and employees from Welland, Pelham and Thorold the opportunity to commute on safe off-road facilities. The spur is approximately 14 kilometres long, but only one kilometre is in Pelham, so Thorold calls the shots. Clark has recently met with the Thorold Active Transportation Committee, and learned funding for a design study is included in Thorold’s proposed 2020 budget. She also noted that the Greater Niagara Circle Route Committee, a Regional body, has been reinstated, so there may be renewed funding interest from the Region as well. With her fingers crossed

REID

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that the budget for the design study will be approved by Thorold, Clark says, “We think there’s real hope.” PATC appears at various community events throughout Pelham each year, providing information and polling residents about their active transportation wants and needs. Clark says the two most common requests are improved trail maintenance and traffic calming. If our residents are asking that the Town look after our trails, it means we’re using them and see benefit in them. If we want traffic calming, that indicates we value streets safe for walking, running, cycling, and our kids going to school. In my humble opinion, we’re on the right track. ♦ PATC meets the third Tuesday of every month in the Town Hall council chambers, and the meetings are open to the public. They may be contacted through Town Hall at (905) 892-2607.

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“If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.” Erma Bombeck

The Voice, November 27, 2019

Sporting Green The Niagara

Page 17

New Badger Gerhiny

14 Picton picks Canada

The Voice and TheVoiceofPelham.ca | November 27, 2019

Notre Dame captures SOSSA Bowl Irish win second crown in three years BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI

BPSPORTSNIAGARA.COM

and I think she will be a really nice piece for them.” He feels she will be a success in Division 1 basketball. “At that level, she is not going to be a five and that’s why since the beginning she has always been working on dribbling skills and she can really handle the ball,” Picton said. “I think her skills will allow her to be a real nice four man there.” Picton foresees Peters being a mismatch nightmare for opposing coaches as she builds her quickness and her agility. “If that happens, I think she will be unstoppable,” he said. Canisius head coach Scott Hemer is happy to land Peters. “Chloe has a mix of size and versatility that will be a tremendous addi-

For the second straight year, Notre Dame’s Jacob Succar was named the offensive MVP of the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association senior football league. Playing the Westmount Warriors Tuesday in the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association Bowl at McMaster University, the Grade 12 player showed he is pretty good at playing defence as well. In addition to scoring a rushing touchdown, the free safety had an interception, a blocked convert and several big hits, especially one on Westmount quarterback Seth Cabezas in the fourth quarter, that helped propel the Irish to a 28-13 victory. “I know defence wins championships and I knew that it would play a big part because offensively, we couldn’t get going today,” Succar said. “Defensively we were able to do what we needed to do to win.” Succar wanted to add defence to his job description this season after mostly playing offence in 2018. “I wanted to become more of a leader and defensively we needed leaders,” he said. “When a team falls apart, you need to be able to bring it back.” Notre Dame head coach Tim Bisci was pleased with how well Succar played defensively. “At the end of the day, it’s just guys willing themselves to play,” he said. “He’s banged up a little, but we have eight days off to our next game and guys like him have to ice up and get healthy.” Bisci feels it’s Succar’s athleticism that makes him a special player. “He comes in and plays and you don’t think he is that big, but he runs you over and then he puts a move on you,” he said. “He does all the little things and he has come a long way on defence.” Bisci has been impressed with how Succar has taken to free safety. “He’s making calls, he’s checking defences, he has figured out the game and that is helping him along the way.” Succar’s play fits right in with the Irish’s personnel. “We are a big, physical team and a guy like him, who doesn’t look that big, is going to bring it too and all the kids did that today.” Bisci was a little worried about his team being able to focus on the Westmount game. “Coming off the Myer win, that was such a high for them because it’s a big deal to win the Niagara championship,” he said. “It’s tough to get motivated five days later, but our kids did a good job to do it. “We had to make a lot of adjustments and we didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for this team and they did some things we didn’t expect.” Westmount hung tough with the Irish all game, but Notre Dame never lost its composure. “We get frazzled a little bit, but it’s almost like our kids are aloof at times,” Bisci said. “They don’t seem to understand the pressure that they should have. And it’s worked because we are at 10 wins.” Bisci would love to be the first senior football team in the history of Notre Dame to end the season with 11 victories. “We have some unfinished business if you want to call it that, but we want to get to 11 wins,” he said. Irish middle linebacker Zack Melnyk likes the sound of that goal. “It definitely holds some water but we are just looking to win the game and win [the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations bowl game],” the 12B student said.

See PETERS Page 19

See IRISH next page

Notre Dame trips up Westmount en route to the second Irish title win in three years.

WILLIAM VANDERLAND PHOTO

Welland teen lands D1 scholarship Chloe Peters sign with Canisius BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI

BPSPORTSNIAGARA.COM

For a young basketball player, there’s nothing like signing a National Letters of Intent to play NCAA Division 1 hoops. “I was super excited,” Chloe Peters said. “I was with my family, my parents, my grandparents, sister and uncle and I was just super happy to have signed and made things official that I was going to Canisius.” It was an easy decision for the 6-foot-1 Niagara Prep post player to make. “I visited a couple of schools more on the eastern side of the U.S, but I really liked the proximity of Canisius and I loved the people there and the environment their team and the coaches have.” The 17-year-old Welland native had attended basketball camps at Canisius when she was younger, so she was familiar with the university and the campus. “When I went there for a visit, I definitely got the feeling that it is where I wanted to be.” It didn’t hurt that the Buffalo University is within close proximity to Welland. “Early in the recruiting process, I didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deciding factor for me but, when it came down to it, I realized it was important for me to be close and to have

the ability to have my family be able to come out to games.” The Niagara Prep basketball player had always dreamed of playing NCAA basketball but the realization it could become a reality didn’t happen until she began to get recruited at the start of her Grade 11 season at Niagara Prep. Her long-time coach Dave Picton never doubted her abilities and was her biggest booster. “Coach Dave was always super positive with me and told me that I was capable of playing D1.” Picton has been a big part of Peters’ basketball career, starting when she was in Grade 2. “It is the intensity of his coaching and the skill development was great,’ Peters said. “Ever since I was in Grade 2 as a post, he had me working on my ball-handling skills and my shooting as well as my post moves and defence. “Defence is a huge part of what he instills in all his players and all of that together has made me so versatile. It’s huge part of what coaches like about me.” Picton has always liked Peters’ game. “Chloe has been with me since day one and she has worked extremely hard on her perimeter game and her back to the basket game,” he said. “She’s a really nice tool for Canisius

Chloe Peters.

SUPPLIED PHOTO

Page 18

The Voice, November 27, 2019

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continued from previous page He feels the Irish have what to takes to run the table and end the year with an 11-0 record. “We are a tight-knit group with an extremely hard work ethic and we have a common shared goal that we are fighting for,” Melnyk said. “We have one game left to accomplish that goal.” Westmount came into the game with a perfect 7-0 record and they gave the Irish a good fight. “It was a physical, hardfought battle between two good teams,” Westmount head coach Tom Pain said. “They have some good athletes and they were bigger than any team we faced, but our guys hung tough and played hard right until the end.” The Wildcats cut the lead to 21-13 midway through the fourth quarter, but the Irish responded with a touch-

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down of their own and then forced Westmount to turn the ball over on downs at midfield on its next possession. “It was 28-13 but I think it was more of a one-score game, but it is what it is,” Pain said. Westmount managed more offence than Notre Dame but failed to convert on a couple of good chances, most notably a first and goal from Notre Dame’s 10-yard line in the fourth quarter. “It was a tough game, but the good news is both teams get to go on to the next round which is good and I hope that everyone is coming out healthy,” Pain said. Melnyk credited Westmount with giving Notre Dame a tough game. “They are a hard-nosed team, they ran the ball well and they showed us some sets that we weren’t fully expecting,” he said. “But we adjusted very well and the coaches made great deci-

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Type, Model, Model Number, etc.) Irish 28 Wildcats 13 (AD CENTRAL) PELHAM MUDFEST Player of the Game: Notre Dame’s Phone: 905-892-7898 Fax: 905-892-4811 Jacob Succar a three-yard TD run, Menwith and women will be NORTH back in the mud as the second run on the year is PELHAM CEMETERY EST 1815 Week of No Sunday Calls, Please TF interception, convert block and several held at Bissil’s Hideaway. NORTH25 PELHAM CEMETERY EST. 1815 big hits on defence. November For the Notre Dame Fighting Irish: The Board has opened Sections 3 & 4 for internment rights. CEMETERY PLOTS Succar,NIAGARA TD: Owen Tofano, 21-yard REGIONAL EXHIBITION If you are considering purchase of a burial lot, we would be Posted TD pass from Hunter Cropper and Rodeo, games and live pleased entertainment headline thisconsideration. years exciting event. For sale, 4 plots November 21 if you can give us your For lot price, It interception; Zack Melnyk, two-yard in Pleasantview Gardens on from Sept. 11-14 at the Welland Fairgrounds. you can contact our Chairperson Asa Hansler, TD passruns from Cropper; Jared Tessier, Hwy. 20 in Fonthill. Located Central four-yard TD run; Cole Smith, four conat 905-892-2098. in The Garden of Everlasting verts; Gerrid sack CANCER and several BIGHolton, MOVE RIDERegion Ads included life near cemetery entrance. tackles for losses. CHRISTMASride CRAFTS The Big Move Cancer Ride is a non-competitive taking place on Sept. Will sell for $1500. each. For the Westmount Wildcats: TwoJoan Barber’s Christmas Craft Sale Pleasantview price is Proceeds for Cabethe Big Move stay Niagara and by support the Walker Fam- papers yard QB7. keeper for TD by Seth This ad in is to be22,printed all participating Ontario Friday, November 9-6, Saturday, November 23, 9-6 $2900. each. Please phone zas; eight-yard TD run byCentre. Kyle Nalepa. ily Cancer Friday, November 29, 9-6, Saturday, November 30, 9-6 905 892 3977 or email Game stats: First downs: Irish 15, 182 Price Avenue, Welland. 905-735-7528. Wildcats 14. Net offence: Irish 241, rswayze@cogeco.ca. WildcatsWALKING 282. Turnovers: CLUB Irish 0, Wildcats 4. Interested Penalties: Irish 7in forwalking 50 yards, in Pelham? Join them Tuesdays at the Pelham Arena MASONRY REPAIR Wildcats 9 for 68 yards. from 9-10 am and Thursdays at Fonthill Bandshell for 9-10:30 am. There ALLTYPE MASONRY Up next: Notre Dame will play the Brick, Block, Stone and Chimney repairs. jcook@ is no fee for thisMetro program. For more information, please contact Chaminade Gryphons in the Wet and damaged basement repairs. Bowl onpelham.ca Wednesday at 10 at Ron orAMcall 905 892-2607, ext 329. Phone Tom Deamude at 289-241-4767. Joyce Stadium at McMaster University. 35 years of construction experience.

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Bethany Christian Reformed Church 1040 Balfour St., Fenwick

First Presbyterian Church 602 Metler Rd., North Pelham

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 (United Church of Canada) 461 Canboro Rd., Fenwick

St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church 834 Canboro Rd., Fenwick

FAITH LIFT

continued from Page 21 his drinking and womanizing. He would eventually separate from his wife and become an alcoholic. Finally, in 1994, he joined a rehab program. He openly admitted to being hurtful and cruel to family, friends and fans as a result of his drinking. With a badly damaged liver, he received a transplant in 1995. He established the Mickey Mantle Foundation to promote the cause of organ donations.

Saved

Also in 1995, he was diagnosed with liver cancer, which had spread throughout his body. Knowing his condition was terminal, Mantle reached out to Bobby Richardson, a lifelong friend and Christian. Rich-

ardson had been his teammate on the Yankees from 1955 to 1966. He had often shared his faith with Mantle and had become a Baptist pastor after he retired. In the hospital, Mantle was eager to tell his old friend that he too had recently surrendered his life to Christ. Richardson explained the Gospel with him to make sure he understood. He could tell that Mantle was sincere and had asked God’s forgiveness for his sins and had received His free gift of salvation by faith. His trust was in Jesus and His cross, not in himself and his own goodness. Mantle reconciled with his wife. She was at his side when he died on August 13, 1995, at age 63. He had requested that Richardson read the poem “God’s Hall of Fame” at his funeral.

Your name may not appear down here in this world’s hall of fame You may be so unknown few even know your name Fame and fortune pass you by and are given to a few But if you love and serve the Lord then there is good news for you. This hall of fame is only good as long as time shall be But keep in mind, God’s hall of fame is for eternity! To have your name inscribed up there is greater yes by far Than all the halls of fame down here and every manmade star. This crowd on earth they soon forget the heroes of the past They cheer like mad until you fall and that’s how long you last, But God he never does forget and in His hall of fame

By just believing in his Son inscribed you’ll find your name. I tell you friend I wouldn’t trade my name however small That’s written there beyond the stars in that celestial hall, For every famous name on earth or glory that they share I’d rather be an unknown here and have my name up there. The poem expressed Mickey Mantle’s changed priorities and newfound faith. It had taken him a long time to run the bases on his spiritual journey. But at last… he had arrived home safely. ♦ Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.

PETERS

continued from Page 17 tion to our front court,” he said, on the Canisius website. “She is a strong finisher at the rim and can stretch the floor with her shooting range, both of which make her a great fit for our program.” Peters plans to study biology and pre-med at Canisius. “I am looking forward to all of it,” she said. “I am looking forward to building connections with my teammates and having that experience of playing at a super high level.” Peters’ second season of Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association hoops with Niagara Prep has yet to launch because of a back injury. She has been making huge improvements and is hoping to return to the court in the next couple of months. “It has been super difficult and I have tried not to let my emotions get the best of me,” she said. “On the bench, I have been cheering everybody on. I think it has even helped me become a better teammate by trying to take a leadership role from the sidelines.”

On the bench, I have been cheering everybody on

Page 20

The Voice, November 27, 2019

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HOROSCOPE

CROSSWORD ANSWERS

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS NOVEMBER 24 Sarah Hyland, Actress (29) NOVEMBER 25 Bruno Tonioli, Dancer (64) NOVEMBER 26 Rita Ora, Singer (29) NOVEMBER 27 Bill Nye, TV Host (64) NOVEMBER 28 Trey Songz, Singer (35) NOVEMBER 29 Chadwick Boseman, Actor (42) NOVEMBER 30 Billy Idol, Singer (64)

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to start, Scorpio. Do not throw up your hands in frustration. Work on one thing at a time. SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 Be a cheerleader this week for others who may need a boost of positivity, Sagittarius. You are generally great at encouraging others to put their best selves forward. CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, your discipline in how you approach your goals impresses others. As a result, you may soon be called on to help others with their own work. AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, if you have been running yourself ragged, you need to pull back and look at the bigger picture. Being down for the count for pushing yourself too much can be detrimental. PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Pisces, all it takes is a few tweaks and you will have the answer that you have been seeking. Be patient and stay the course.

SOLUTIONS ACROSS 1. Bata 5. USA 8. EMF 11. Clegg 13. Non 14. Maia 15. Eagan 16. Fit 17. Egad 18. Susus 20. Are 21. Aloe 22. Alienates 25. Transparent 30. Earnest 31. SAT 32. Embed 33. Aloha 38. ATM 41. Alienated 43. The Avengers 45. Cameramen 48. Baba 49. ESP 50. Saber 55. Eban 56. All 57. Ailed 59. Mafa 60. Dee 61. Rabbi 62. Alt 63. SSR 64. Sass

ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, even though you’re not typically wild and crazy by nature, a more risk-taking, playful side comes out this week. Your significant other or friends may be caught off guard. TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, even if you are confronted by bad news this week, do not let it sideline you for too long. You are resilient and can bounce back quickly. GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 You may decide to reveal a secret side of yourself, Gemini. There is a part of you that is looking for a deeper level of intimacy, and you are ready to take the next step. CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, this is a good time to rest and relax. Although you might have many chores to tackle and bills to pay, do what you can to disconnect from work and worries. LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Home and technology figure largely this week. You may spend time rewiring a home or changing internet providers, Leo. Get the job finished promptly so you can relax. VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, you may have heard about being in the right place at the right time. This is especially true when trying to make a romantic match, which could be a possibility soon. LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 A jolt of physical energy this week could be the push you need to get some hard work done, Libra. Home improvements or a project at work can be the focus. SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 You may have too much to do around the house and no idea where

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The Voice, November 27, 2019

Voice

FAITH LIFT

by Pastor Rob Weatherby

CROSSWORD SPONSORED THIS WEEK BY

Mickey Mantle, home at last

ICKEY CHARLES Mantle (nicknamed “The Mick”) was one of my sports idols growing up. I’m sure millions of others in my generation would say the same. The handsome athlete with the shy, boyish smile and Popeye-sized biceps became a baseball icon. His double M alliterated name added to the magic. Together with Roger Maris, they were the home run kings of the New York Yankees in the 1950s and ‘60s.

first base. He was both a power hitter and a switch hitter meaning he could bat from both sides. Mantle was also a superb bunter, base stealer and considered the “fastest man to first base.” Despite multiple injuries, his stats are impressive. During his 18-season career he hit 536 home runs. In 1956 he won the “Triple Crown,” leading the league in batting average, home runs and runs batted in. He was chosen to play in 16 All-Star Games, won the Gold Glove Award, and was voted “Most Valuable Player” three times. He played in 12 World Series, helping the Yankees win seven. He holds several World Series

Talented

Born in Oklahoma in 1931, Mantle played his whole career with the Yankees from 1951-1968, first at centre field and then

Page 21

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records and was baseball’s highest paid player in his prime. Mantle retired from baseball in 1969 at age 37. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame five years later.

Flawed

In 1951 he married Merlyn Johnson and they raised four sons. With family, fame and fortune, Mantle seemed to be living the American dream. But great fame and fortune often bring great temptation. Mantle became known for See FAITH LIFT Page 19

Yungblut, Gail In memory of my beloved daughter Gail Elaine, loving sister, sister-inlaw, and aunt, who was tragically killed, November 27, 1999. Twenty years have come and gone, We miss you more each day, For life is not the same to us, Since you were called away.

Sadly missed but never forgotten by Mom, Blair, Willie, Lindsay and Chris.

Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

No one will ever take your place in our hearts.

Weekly Word Search G U Z V E W S U P E R V G D X Q T W J W

U Y D P Y A E I O I T W S J F B N G Q N

H E O K L L A J U H A N K I R I X Q U D

Y V N T V L D V H G R Y H D B W O P J M

A I Y A L F B P G A R M C J N K G L V G

W L E W H L Y Y F C H T E L V P Q D G E

L O L Q O O Y I N T A V U A R H Y F B I

L D L I U W W Q I H B F I U R J O K J V

A A A L T E Q P G A T L A S A T E R Q R

H A M P E R S J R C K P V U J F E A V N

I I R R R Y O T A F O H A N X W G G V N

U F O D T A X T M E I M W U P Q U M D Z

D S N D I E A O E N G M A Z X H G C M N

T V P T G L F G F S Z J P U K Q A Y Y L

W L M K E S K V E J X U H Y I K Z F R P

V R Z N R E X D H S K M P P F U C S A M

K J T S L W K L M E B A K M U T X H M C

X D W V Y F J B A D R L C V O U L Z E V

L L Z R W T V G Z G H Y E L N T U J P M

X D H U H O I R N A X C F W Z R Z S Q X

Find the words hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and backwards. WINK HAMPER ATLAS TOY INKY SALTY

TORTILLA HALLWAY EXTRA MARGIN OLIVE SUPER

TALENT TIPSY ALLEY SORE TACTFUL YELLOW

NORMAL UNUSUAL TIGER NOD OUTER WALLFLOWER

ANSWERS ON PAGE 20

Page 22

The Voice, November 27, 2019

Picton picks Canada BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI

BPSPORTSNIAGARA.COM

Maddie Picton has decided the grass isn’t greener stateside. The 17-year-old member of the Niagara Prep Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association team has chosen to pursue her post secondary hoops career in Canada. “The education is better in Canada, but also people don’t really understand that [Canadian university basketball] is not that far off NCAA,” she said. “People think there’s a huge difference, but there really isn’t.” She also has proof that going the Canadian route won’t exclude her from other opportunities. Her dad, Dave Picton, attended Brock. “And he made the Canadian national team. I can create my own legacy here.” Most of the American

schools pursuing her didn’t have the program she wanted and if they did, there were difficulties in transferring an American education to a Canadian career. Her goal is to become a medical doctor. “It meant I would have to stay there and become what I want to become there,” she said. Brock has the program, bio-med, she wants but she doesn’t want to live in her dad’s footsteps. “Every time I go there, I am Dave Picton’s child and people tell me I should go there, but I want to go somewhere and create my own legacy. But my sister wants to go to Brock,” she said, with a laugh. Maddie isn’t going to make up her mind until she makes all of her official visits.She has already visited McMaster and Western but has plenty of other Canadian schools

dad than a coach on her choice of schools.” He feels she has made the right choice by staying in Canada. “She had great o pp or t u n it ie s, but she wants to go to med school and that’s her plan,” he said, “There are too many uncertainties with going to med school in the U.S.” Maddie finds it hard to believe Maddie Picton. BERNIE PUCHALSKI PHOTO the time has come for her to left to visit. She has relatives choose a university. in British Columbia and may “The time is flying by,” she check out UBC. said. “The first day I walked Dave hasn’t pushed his into school it was, ‘Oh my daughter in any particular God, it’s my Grade 12 year,’ direction. and then there’s all these “She has been going down universities coming in. Then this journey on her own I have to figure out what I with just guidance. I want want to do for a job and what her to make the decision,” I am going to do with my he said. “I have been more a life.”

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca Moving to A. N. Myer from Notre Dame to join the OSBA program has proven to be the right choice for the 5-foot-6 guard. “I am really happy that I ended up moving to Myer in Grade 11, just because it gave me exposure to very high competition that you maybe couldn’t find at the [Basketball Ontario] level,” she said. “It also shapes you for the university game.” That means getting up early for a 7 AM practice, going to school and focusing the whole day on academics and then practising again after school. “It really puts you on the right track,” she said. She feels her biggest progression as a basketball player is self- identification. “It has been finding myself and finding what my strong things are and what I need to work on.” For the past one and a half years, she has had the opportunity to practice and scrimmage against teammate Sarah Te-Biasu, a three-year

member of Canada’s national team and arguably the best 18-year-old point guard in Canada. “It has helped me become the best player I can, and it has also pushed me out of my comfort zone so I don’t continue to do the same things all the time,” Picton said. “It was really hard at first because she was coming at my position, but learning from her and playing every day against her has made me a better player. I am able to see the court better and I honestly think it’s harder playing against her every day than it is playing games.” Dave, who is the head coach of Niagara Prep, loves what his daughter brings to the court. “As a player, Maddie is a kid who brings it every day. You can count on her every single day to bring the same type of intensity and, as a coach, that is something you strive to get from everybody all the time,” he said. “She has a heart like a lion and she shows it on the court.”

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BYLAWS

continued from Page 10 are really high. Landlords will simply let buildings start to collapse, and then they'll qualify for demolition permits and it's a way to attack heritage buildings. The only way to tear down the heritage building is to have it be declared structurally unsound, and the way to get it declared structurally unsound is to allow it to fall into benign neglect. But if it comes to the municipality’s attention, then certainly we have our inspection powers and orders can be issued to keep something safe. What starts this process in Pelham? Would a resident have to lodge a complaint with Town Hall to say, "Look, this building has been bugging me for years. I'm tired of looking at it, do something about it." Under our current policy, yes. I would hope that our enforcement staff, if they drive by self-evident infraction would feel that they could take action. But we are only reactive. So at the moment, we only engage our enforcement arm as a result of formal complaints, and at the moment, those have to be in writing. I can tell you the policy I intend us to bring forward will end the requirement for there to be anything in writing. I don't think that's in accordance with best public practice. The point is, have you effectively brought it to our attention? To me, that's the test rather than a requirement that something's in writing. That's actually used in a number of places. Plus I would imagine some people would be concerned they would be subject to retaliation for bringing a complaint against either a neighbour or a well-connected business person, something like that. I have every reason to believe that the Town of Pelham exercises its powers, its tact and its diplomacy to hide the identity of complainants. Certainly while I'm here we always will do so. I don't think people should have to be exceptionally brave to ask us to provide the services that we're expected to provide. But the notice has to be something—phone or email. This isn't Crime Stoppers. We're more than 100 square kilometers, and we're going to have just 80 enforcement hours, assuming no one's sick or on vacation. That seems more than adequate for what’s still a small town. Are there that many violations out there? I don't have specifics to give you but consider what’s come up just since July. Cannabis, short-term rentals. In the last few weeks we've had complaints about fences, property, land use. All of those have enforcement as some component of them. It's because I believe we are that awkward teenager and we're growing and we're experiencing those growing pains. Let’s see. Parking. I used to see in both Fenwick and in Fonthill a bylaw officer out ticketing pretty frequently. It’s been a good while since I've seen that level of enforcement. Are you aware of any change in philosophy toward parking? I'm unaware of any change. That would be part and parcel of a general enforcement policy, which again will be presented to council. I expect the parking issues as we urbanize and grow, these will grow exponentially, not increase slightly. They won't be in proportion to our population growth, they will be exponential because pursuant to provincial policy, we're going to end up with far more people in our urban core than elsewhere. Intensification at some level is going to happen here and whether the town likes or not, because that's a provincial decision. At the end of the day, council can make some deci-

The Voice, November 27, 2019 sions which slow that growth, but it's inexorable and we have to be in compliance. Commercial signs. Lately I’ve heard from a couple of business people who use portable promotional signs. Not on public property—on commercial, private property—and they follow the sign bylaws, but say that competitors don’t. I don't know if it's a month, or two months at a time, that you're permitted to have a portable sign out, and the competitors’ signs are out longer. They’ve also said that if a sports team, say, is doing a fundraiser, they're free to put their signs on the public boulevards without any fear of them being removed by the bylaw officer, and say this isn’t fair. I spent two hours yesterday reviewing the draft of our new sign bylaw. We undertook to council about six weeks ago that we would bring back an updated sign bylaw. I anticipate that there will be criticism that it will be far too detailed, but we are borrowing the best pieces from other municipalities and pieces that have been tested before various courts and tribunals. The key to a good sign bylaw—it's kind of like the income tax act—it needs to be really specific about what is and is not allowable. And sign bylaws are an area in which discrimination is allowed. Unlike most walks of life, the purpose of a sign really, really matters and a properly drafted sign bylaw completely allows you to put a sign on your front lawn that says happy 60th birthday, Fred, with a bunch of flamingos for a day or two, and that's not a violation. That’s fundamentally differently than a neon sign that's on 24 hours a day, glowing far too brightly in a commercial plaza. Or in a residential area. The municipal lawyer in me is extremely happy, but what we're going to produce is about as thick as your thumb. It will address all of those concerns. It's up to the will of council whether they pass it or not, but the new sign bylaw that we present to council will be as good as any in the province of Ontario. It allows for speech and protest, but it doesn't allow for nuisance and negative impact and causing harm to others, whether that's economic harm between competitors or just impacting your quality of life by not having to have something commercial in the middle of your pleasant cul de sac. When you say that the proposed bylaw may considered overly detailed, is that another way of saying overly restrictive? There's just a lot of content within it. The goal is really to reflect the wants and needs of the community about what is and what is not acceptable. Pelham as a community, except along Highway 20, is fundamentally residential, and I think our approach to signage should reflect the fact that this is the place you live. In a predominantly residential context, you want a sign bylaw that falls more on the restrictive side than the permissive side, because the dominant use of land in this community is for homes. I don't think any councillor will lose votes by bringing forward a restrictive sign bylaw compared to what's been the case. Aside from a handful of businesses, particularly in downtown Fonthill, I don't think anyone wants to see a greater number or vulgarity of signs than we already have now. This will have teeth and it's an enormously improved product. A lot of complaints have come into the paper about cannabis odour. I don't know how many have come into the Town. I assume a fair number. I know that bylaw officers have been monitoring odour, particularly near CannTrust. The present bylaws seem inadequate to address the issue. The Cannabis Control Committee

has taken this on board. What is your expectation that there'll be some effective enforcement to relieve people's anxiety and the discomfort over these odours? The Control Committee has done yeoman's work and is working towards bylaws that are well-researched, well-grounded in science. I suspect that we will become the role model in Canada. I can't tell you when exactly those are going to come into force, but somewhere in the next nine months— ultimately that's the decision of council. What I can say, and should not be forgotten, is that under the federal licensing, those who have

In a predominately residential context, you want a sign bylaw that falls more on the restrictive side than the permissive side

licenses to grow cannabis are required not to release odour. There's already a rule in place that says you may not do this. The municipality is not the enforcement agency, the federal government is. And Health Canada, to my knowledge, hasn't charged anyone, anywhere, or taking any action, anywhere. Anywhere in the country. I can't point you to a single instance. Perhaps there is one. Frankly, I wish there were and one would think they might start here in Niagara. We're trying to make sure we stay within our jurisdiction. We're finding a way forward that will allow us to do what the federal government through inaction is failing to do. When you've got a good proportion of the entire town suffering these odours, what hope is there, given the void in federal enforcement, that the Town actually will be able to do something? I think it's highly realistic that we will have a regulatory regime, with multiple bylaws, that will address resident concerns. Staff are working quite hard. The Cannabis Control Committee—the people who volunteered on that—have put in hundreds of hours. I realize people want to suggest we're moving at the speed of government, and all I can say is that it's complicated, it's hard, and we're really stuck here because of the three orders of government. We’re the only one, I would submit to you, being responsive. So we're just trying to find a way that's legally defensible to address a substantial community issue. We're just trying to get it really right, because as we sit here, we have multiple cannabis companies challenging to our interim control bylaw. The optimist in me would like to ensure that whatever regulatory response we take is unassailable or something close to unassailable. All right. Anything we’ve missed that’s bylaw related? Just that what I'd like people to understand, or appreciate, is that the challenges we're seeing aren't a result of either our citizens being rotten ne'er-do-wells, or indifference amongst the staff here, all of whom care about the community. It's that we're faced with an increased population, and being closer together, and land use and compatibility. We are working our way forward philosophically. I really think that there's a very good conversation, and hopefully a lively debate to be had by council in the coming months, when

Page 23 they see an enforcement policy. That's something that we should have public input on, so that we go whatever direction we choose— where we want to move the pendulum. We're trying very hard to balance competing property rights. The reality is almost every bylaw enforcement complaint involves two parties, and is going to result in dissatisfaction of one of the two. Either you don't like enforcement action being taken against you, or you feel somehow government's failed you because it won’t issue a charge. Well, there are dozen reasons why you might not issue a charge, but one of the two parties comes away aggrieved, which is part of the reason why compliance has been the general enforcement philosophy. If you can make the problem stop, you haven't particularly favored one side or the other, hopefully you've ended it for going forward. But “compliance” implies that the offense be eliminated. If you are saying, “Please comply with the law,” you are telling the person who is not compliant with the law, whether it's fence height or an additional unit in a building, “Stop it.” Well, half compliance can also be viewed as half a loaf. If we're going to use the fence analogy, your fence is noncompliant. Okay. So we have two choices. You can cut it down to comply, or we have you cut it down, and on top of that we charge and punish you. In the second instance, I would submit to you that the costs incurred and possibly the ugliness created contains a punishment, but it's half a loaf to each as opposed to obtaining compliance. The police officer can give you the ticket for speeding or not give you the ticket for speeding, but either way you don't speed away after you've been stopped. You drive away under the speed limit. So you've got the compliance. The question is did you need the ticket? Okay, but in the fence analogy here, I still don't get where the compliance is. You're saying there were two choices, which both sound like enforcement. Cut the fence down to the correct height, or punish them for it being too high. Or you can do both. What if you do neither, though? What if there was no harm? Or what if you don't think you can prove it? Or what if are there any number of things? It's not compliance or punishment? It's accepting, for lack of a better term here, it's accepting the situation, accepting the violations? Compliance comes in different forms. But you're not complying with the law in this case. If the law says the fence can only go up to six feet, and it's seven feet. What if it's a barking dog. Is it compliance if I show up, as the bylaw officer, and the dog stops? Then I go away, and it starts barking again? Or, generally speaking, you've had a dog bark every day for seven days. Then it goes a month without barking again, and then it barks once. Compliance means different things in different contexts. We're working towards a policy conversation, and from that to receive our guidance in how we should address these issues in the future. And virtually all of our challenges are coming about as a result of growth. This happens in every community. Toronto once upon a time was 20,000 people. Barrie once upon a time was 20,000 people. That time long predates you and me. It certainly does, but every community, assuming it grows, experiences change. Change is challenging. Change is difficult, and

we're doing our very best to adjust to it, and I just want people to understand we are taking it seriously. There's no flippancy—we understand that this goes to quality of life and that's what your municipality is really here for. Some health and safety stuff, keeping the roads plowed, salted, et cetera. But beyond that, it's about quality of life. I think 2020 is going to see a very different nuisance bylaw than we currently have. A much more robust one, that should address multiple challenges the community's facing. Can you be specific? I think there is a new potential nuisance response to some of the extremes that occur with short-term rentals. I think there's a potential bylaw and regulatory response to at least some of the instances. The loud parties, the focus of complaints. I think there's a potential regulatory approach to odour in our community. Not just cannabis or mostly cannabis? I think the dominant complaints seems to be cannabis, but really what we're talking about is addressing odour. Okay. And I think those all belong properly in the nuisance bylaw and currently our nuisance bylaw is about two pages long or so, and I think it's a tenth the size it should be to appropriately address the challenges we're experiencing. Don't you think people in general welcome regulation? Don't you think most people want to know what the rules are, and to follow them and to live under a system of law—rules and regulations? I think humans are complicated. I think where I want laws really complied with are things around my home life. I don't want the neighbour's dog barking. I don't want the neighbour playing the stereo too loud. I don't want your fence to be a mile high, et cetera. I don't want you to have rusty cars on the front lawn, so it goes. I think we generally speaking don't like a lot of regulation when it comes to the economy. I think if I can sell more than you can, good for me and bad for you. I'm just talking on a municipal level. But even there, under the Municipal Act we can license businesses. Okay. So so a business running out of your home, for example. We could license taxicabs. Here, actually, the Region does that. But we don't currently license businesses. If you go to Toronto, the city of London, where I recently came from, they license barbers, hairdressers, massage parlors, pawn brokers. I can go on and on. We can license virtually any business. This Town hasn't tried to regulate commerce in any way. It has a number of powers it's not using because presumably there's no demand for that. I would agree with you, though, that generally speaking people do like to know what the rules are, and people do want some sort of a civilized society, and it's our job to provide what people want. It also goes to a fundamental sense of fairness that we're all playing by the same rules, we're on a level playing field. No one's taking advantage of the system. When we see someone seeming to flout the rule of law, it's offensive to us. It gets visceral. In all of this, at the end of the day, if the government doesn't react the way you wish it to—whether we're talking about local bylaws, provincial offenses, federal regulatory offenses, whatever that happens to be—you can swear information in front of a justice of the peace and start a legal process. Right. Thanks for your time. You’re welcome. ♦

Page 24

The Voice, November 27, 2019

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Teachers begin work-to-rule campaign Secondary school educators remain in legal strike position BY JOHN CHICK

Special to the VOICE

Ontario public high school teachers have joined their elementary school contemporaries and will launch a province-wide administrative work-to-rule campaign this week. It’s the first such job action in more than two decades, and represents the deepest turmoil seen in the Ontario education system since the Mike Harris government of the late 1990s. The Ontario Secondary School Teacher’s Federation (OSSTF) is already in a legal strike position after the union last week announced it voted an overwhelming 95.5 percent in favour of walking off the job. Niagara high school teachers voted on the measure November 12 and 13. The OSSTF must give five days’ notice before striking.

According to both sides, the impasse between the teachers’ union and the provincial Conservative government relates to matters such as high school class sizes and e-learning programs. “Doug Ford’s Minister of Education would have Ontarians believe that he’s eager to get to a deal,” OSSTF President Harvey Bischof said in a statement Thursday. “But the bargaining process has been underway for months now, and through that entire time the government side of the table has willfully avoided any meaningful discussion of issues that are crucial to the quality of education in Ontario. They have simply refused to acknowledge the devastating effect that increased class sizes, mandatory e-learning, and the loss of thousands of teacher and support staff positions will have on the province’s students.”

Our goal is to turn up the heat on Premier Ford

That Education Minister, Steven Lecce, said the government has already made concessions to the union, such as capping class sizes at 25 students for one teacher, and reducing secondary school e-course requirements from four to two. “This is another demonstration of our reasonableness at the negotiating table to underscore our commitment to getting deals that keep kids in class,” Lecce said at a press conference Thursday. Lecce has called on the OSSTF to enter mediation over the issues. According to OSSTF, the workto-rule campaign that will begin Thursday will, among other things,

instruct teachers not to provide comments on report cards or participate in professional activity days. Primary schools are also affected. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (ETFO) voted 98 percent in favour of a work-to-rule campaign to begin Thursday, with essentially the same parameters. “Our goal is to turn up the heat on Premier Ford and (Lecce),” ETFO president Sam Hammond said in a statement. Furthermore, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) appears to be in full solidarity with other educators, filing a request for conciliation in talks with the government. That puts them one step closer to a strike vote. “Catholic school board trustees have come to the table prepared to work constructively, but the government side is in complete chaos,” OECTA president Liz Stuart said in a statement. There are 18 public secondary schools in the Niagara Region, including E. L. Crossley, in Pelham.

THROUGH DEC 2!

Hunter is our Lazyboy!

Welland winner BY VOICE STAFF Raymond Cupola of Welland is so shocked about his $2 million win in the September 21, 2019 ONTARIO 49 draw, he doesn’t know how he’ll spend it. Cupola matched all six winning numbers to win the jackpot. He also won $100 and $20 on two other selections on his ticket, bringing his total winnings to $2,000,120. “I’m just overwhelmed,” said Cupola as he picked up his prize at the OLG Prize Centre in Toronto. The 67-year old retiree checked his ticket against the winning numbers posted on OLG.ca. “It feels crazy to win,” said Cupola. The winning ticket was purchased at Circle K on Thorold Road in Welland.