The Voice of Pelham, November 1 2017

The Voice

Larry “BILKO” THE Bilkszto PAPER THAT PELHAM READS

CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR

Your Local Sales Representative 905-563-3330 • 905-641-1110

DEBBIE PINE

RE/MAX® Garden City

SALES REPRESENTATIVE 905.892.0222 SELL phone: 905-321-2261

Niagara Real Estate Center, Brokerage Independently Owned & Operated

debbiepine@royallepage.ca

Realty Inc., Brokerage

Larry “BILKO” Bilkszto Your Local Sales Representative 905-563-3330 • 905-641-1110

RE/MAX® Garden City Realty Inc., Brokerage

www.bilko.ca

bilko@rgcmail.com Vol.21 No.31

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

FREE

www.bilko.ca bilko@rgcmail.com

Accident at Pelham and Pt. Robinson

Column Six One night only

Minor injuries to four student passengers

BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

The VOICE

W

BY VOICE STAFF Just after 12 noon last Thursday, a car climbed the southeast curb at the intersection of Pelham Street and Port Robinson Road in Fonthill, in front of Glynn A. Green Elementary School, flattening a utility box before coming to rest against a small oak tree. A Fonthill resident who witnessed the accident said that his first thought was that there was a mechanical failure with the car. “I was on Port Robinson Road and pulling up slowly to the red light,” said the man, who did not want to be named. “I saw a car flash by me at a very high rate of speed, plow through the Bell box and into the tree. It was hard to see that anyone would be accelerating that quickly through an intersection, so I thought there must have been something wrong with the car.” All five occupants of the vehicle—including the driver—were DSBN secondary school students, and four of the occupants were transported to hospital with minor injuries. When the Voice arrived on See ACCIDENT Page 7

The heavily damaged vehicle involved is transported away from the accident scene last Thursday.

Town hosts 2018 budget consultation Residents look for Bandshell, baseball upgrades; construction salesman wants speedier permit approvals Pelham Town Council had its 2018 budget open house last Monday, in an event that was advertised as an “effective and innovative forum to continue engagement amongst Pelham residents and hear more about what they would like to see in 2018.” The evening began with a presentation from Town Treasurer Teresa Quinlin, who briefly explained the budget process and from where the Town draws its revenue. Quinlin said that the night’s consultation was one

HwY20 SelF

storage Hwy 20 & CataraCt road

905-892-9292

www.niagaraStorage.com Cremation/Burial

VOICE PHOTO

BY VOICE STAFF of the early steps in considerations, and that a draft is scheduled to come before Council on December 4, with final budget approval coming two weeks later. Before a crowd of eight, Quinlin pointed out that the Town’s funds come from three primary areas: property taxes, which everyone must pay; use charges, such as those for water lines, which are assigned on the ba-

sis of use; and development charges, which are drawn from developers in the Town. It is important to acknowledge, Quinlin said, that not all property tax revenue stays in Pelham. The average home price in Town is $316,400, meaning that the average annual property tax is $4108. Of that figure, $1981 is funnelled to the Niagara Region, $566 to the province—for the

E ARE STUCK in traffic at the beginning of “The Welland Canal Play,” a local production that finished its run in St. Catharines and stopped by Old Pelham Town Hall for a single show last Thursday evening. A woman driving to her first day at a new job waits at one of the Welland Canal’s lift bridges. “What’s that sound?” she says, as a foghorn honks. “Are we moving? Is the bridge coming down?” She looks off to the side and is quickly deflated. “It’s…another ship.” The scene closes with her going nowhere, but soon the play picks up, and we are thrown headlong into the canal’s nearly two centuries of history. “The Welland Canal Play” is a technically impressive work. Its actors portray a handful of characters each—they flip between accents and faces with an easy fluency—and sing well-written melodies with great ability. But the play’s foundational success is its script. Playwright Kevin Hobbs weaves a quilt of intricate perspectives. There are those that we expect to hear—the English-sound-

See BUDGET Page 17

See COLUMN SIX Page 18

New climate coNtrolled storage Book today! Filling quickly! Small, medium and large unitS available

We can help you get your ducks in a row

James L. Pedlar Funeral Home (905) 892-5762

Our family serving your family

Page 2

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

IN THE NEWS

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

Break Enter and Theft

by Dave Burket

Christmas in the newsroom: The Halloween candy is still piled high, but it’s been a regular early-holiday bonanza around the office lately. Our thanks to Ken Crowe for bringing in four thick volumes of Pelham-related news clippings from over the years; to Vilma Crick for loaning us a 1974 page from the Pelham Herald; Brian Gerrard for bringing in a Herald from 1969 approximately the size of a bedsheet (remember when opening a newspaper was like throwing open the shutters?); and to David Ripley, for dropping off an enormous history of the Welland (Dorothy Rungeling) Airport. It’s going to take a bit to get into that one, David, but I promise we’ll get it back to you in one piece… Multiple identities: You’re an original Pelham settler if you remember the place as Carmen’s. How about Rafter’s? The Regal Beagle? Surely you remember the saggy Bailey O’Brady’s sign. Now it’s Peter Piper’s Pubhouse—the restaurant opposite the eastern exit of the Fonthill Sobeys. Owner Peter Moore held his grand opening last Saturday to the accompaniment of stylish live jazz and a good turnout, despite the wet weather. Moore has significantly improved the space. The small bar—a compact seven or eight-seater—is particularly appealing, all the more so for not pushing an overabundance of precious small-batch micro yadda-yadda made from organic hops serenaded by Enya recordings. Just beer and booze, and decent company… Empty rooms: As we find out on page 1, only eight residents turned out for the Town’s budget consultation meeting last Monday. Let’s hope that there was more interest shown by email, since folks can hardly complain later when the Town passes a budget that they find lacking if they didn’t make their voices heard when the opportunity arose. The next chance is at the Municipal Drain Open House, next Wednesday. See the news brief at right… You can’t make this stuff up: Is this some sort of perverse annual tradition? Nearly a year ago, the Town dismissed its Marketing and Communications Officer for making too much money. Months passed before a replacement was finally hired—just as the Rainer Hummel revelations were breaking. Now there is a push by some members of Council—the latest being John Durley—to hire a second, additional communications officer. (One assumes that this throws the cost-savings rationale used to fire the original one right out the window.) Why does a town of 17,000 need two highly paid communications officers? Evidently there is disquiet inside Town Hall that the “right” message isn’t getting through. “We need to make sure that things are understood as they are,” says Durley. Oh, that’s already the case, Councillor. A new specialist in spin may be able to change the record, but we suspect that somehow the tune will stay the same… Inoculate yourself: Flu shots are here! Our man Sam got jabbed (page 8), as might we all.

Voice on vacation!

Occurred at a residence on Hurricane Rd. near Parkdale Cr. on October 18, around midday, according to police. The front door was broken through, with person(s) unknown entering the home and stealing jewelry. A suspicious vehicle was seen in the area. This matter is under investigation. Police advise that residents should be vigilant of suspicious activity in their neighbourhood and report unusual activity to police. If possible, obtain vehicle license plate numbers and descriptions of suspicious persons.

Theft from vehicle

Police report that papers were stolen from a vehicle near Martha Cr. and Church St. on October 18.

Annual municipal drain open house

The Town of Pelham will hold their annual Municipal Drain Open House on Wednesday, November 8. Scheduled for 4-6:30 PM in Council Chambers at Pelham Town Hall, the event will provide residents an opportunity to learn more about municipal drains and their maintenance. “There are a number of Municipal Drains in the Town and the annual Municipal Drainage Open House is an opportunity for residents to receive information on Municipal Drain maintenance that has occurred in the past year,” says Director of Planning and Development, Barb Wiens. “[It is also] to provide information

the internet and conducts investigations into Internet Child Exploitation Offences in partnership with numerous Ontario Police Services. Members of the public can report suspicious internet activities relating to child exploitation to the Niagara Regional Police Service, or online at www.cybertip.ca. Internet safety tips for parents, children and Internet users are also available on the Cybertip website.

to the Drainage Superintendent regarding needed Municipal Drain maintenance and to ask questions and receive information regarding the Municipal Drains in the Town.” No registration is required and the Town says that all members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend. For further information, please contact Jodi Legros, Administrative Assistant, Community Planning & Development, jlegros@pelham. ca 905-892-2607 x321.

Welland heroin arrest

This autumn, members of the Niagara Regional Police Welland Street Crime Unit began an investigation into the sale of heroin in Welland. Police say that the investigation identified two suspected heroin traffickers, one of whom was recently released from custody on a recognizance of bail on previous drug related charges. On October 18, the investigation culminated with arrests and the execution of a Controlled Drugs and Substances Act Search Warrant at an address in Welland. As a result of the search warrant police seized 15 grams of suspected fentanyl, 26 grams of suspected heroin, 47 grams of suspected marijuana, three prohibited weapons (knives and a pair of brass knuckles) and indicators of trafficking. John Disher, 33, and Reana Weaver, 22, both Welland residents, are charged with possession of fentanyl, heroin, and marijuana for the purposes of trafficking, and other offences. Both were held pending a bail hearing in St Catharines.

St. Kitts child porn charge

The Internet Child Exploitation (I.C.E) Unit has conducted an Investigation related to the Possession of Child Pornography in the city of St. Catharines. Police say that on October 19, 33-year-old St. Catharines resident, Daniel Denis Petrucci was arrested and charged with Possession of Child Pornography contrary to section 163.1(4) of the Criminal Code of Canada. The Niagara Regional Police Service is a member of the Provincial Strategy to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and Exploitation on

Congratulations

CARRIER

OF THE WEEK! Hubert

Fuks

FONTHILL

905-892-8690

Hwy 20, Fonthill

Find the Voice at these locations:

(905) 892-2570

Bakery, Deli, Hot meals

If your message to Pelham isn’t in our pages,

Then it isn’t being seen.

The Voice

office@thevoiceofpelham.ca

FALL FLING—BOOKING 2018 and 2019

The paper that Pelham reads.

Drinks, shore trips, gratuities—we've got it! Guest lecture series—we've got it! Solo Travelers River Cruise—we've got it! Christmas markets on the Rhine—we've got it! Elephants, lions, whales, penguins. Make it real! 20 years Anniversary! Dreams become reality. You'll be amazed where we can send you...

(905) 892-8690 advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca

Remember you are TICO protected when booking with us.

Leaders in Travel Planning since 1997!

905.892.7900

www.niagara.cruiseholidays.com 1400 Pelham St., Fonthill Book Local TICO Reg 4559761

The Voice PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY IN PELHAM

DEBBIE PINE

SALES REPRESENTATIVE 905.892.0222 SELL phone: 905-321-2261

Niagara Real Estate Center, Brokerage Independently Owned & Operated

debbiepine@royallepage.ca

Vol.20 No.48

CELEBRATING OUR 20TH YEAR

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

DSBN wants portion of Town park

111 Hwy. 20 E., Unit 5, Fonthill 905-892-9054 www.healthycupboard.ca

Debbie Pine

The Voice PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY IN PELHAM

NIAGARA’S BEST-READ WEEKLY SINCE 1997

Get

Pined -Sol Pelham’sPelham’s Health Food Store

Food 111Health Hwy. 20 E., Unit Store 5, Fonthill 111 Hwy. 20 E., Unit 5, Fonthill 905-892-9054 www.healthycupboard.ca

905-892-9054

Debbie Pine

The Voice PUBLISHED INDEPENDENTLY IN PELHAM

NIAGARA’S BEST-READ WEEKLY SINCE 1997

Visit Us on Facebook FREE

905-892-9054

www.healthycupboard.ca

SALES REPRESENTATIVE pinesold.com

Mon-Wed 9:30-6:00pm ◆ Thur-Fri 9:30-7:00pm Sat 9:30-5:00pm

New Location Coming Soon!

Niagara Real Estate Center, Brokerage Independently Owned & Operated

The Comfort Maple myth

Vol.20 No.39

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

FREE

Oops: No fire trucks for you

Haist Street traffic-calming measure a little too effective

Mon-Wed 9:30-6:00pm • Thur-Fri 9:30-7:00pm • Sat 9:30-5:00pm

www.healthycupboard.ca

SALES REPRESENTATIVE pinesold.com

Mon-Wed 9:30-6:00pm ◆ Thur-Fri 9:30-7:00pm Sat 9:30-5:00pm

New Location Coming Soon!

Niagara Real Estate Center, Brokerage Independently Owned & Operated

Column Six

Growing up British

Vol.20 No.32

Wednesday October 12, 2016

FREE

Apple Day comes to Fonthill

BY JULIE MANNELL

Special to the VOICE

W

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

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

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

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

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

Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation

BY VOICE STAFF

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

BY HEATHER McLAREN ROHRER

Special to the VOICE

A

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

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

VOICE PHOTO

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

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

Petition-inspired changes coming to 2017 Summerfest BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

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

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

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

Debbie

Get

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

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

See COLUMN SIX Page 14

Full service. Full-time Realtor. Your Fonthill real estate connection.

BY VOICE STAFF

While shopping in Fonthill between Friday and Sunday, keep an eye out for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in front of local stores with bushels of apples. As part of the annual Apple Day campaign, Scouting youth of all ages will be trading apples for donations. The yearly fundraising drive is an important way for young Scouts to connect with the communities they are serving, says Leah Marie of Scouts Canada. “The Apple Day campaign holds a great tradition of being able to have youth interacting within the communities they live in,” she says. “All of the Apple Day donations stay directly within the group that re-

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

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

“Any money raised during Apple Day goes towards improving the Scouting program by providing more outdoor adventures for youth, camping equipment, canoes and paddles, training and many other endeavours that the youth want to experience,” says Marie. Scouts Canada has some 100,000 members across Canada, and carries out programs for boys, girls

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

Cell 905.933.3049

T

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

Office 905.892.1702

Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn

Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932

www.facebook.com/voiceofpelham

Request made of community still peeved at name change

See DSBN Page 9

Food 111Health Hwy. 20 E., Unit Store 5, Fonthill

Mon-Wed 9:30-6:00pm • Thur-Fri 9:30-7:00pm • Sat 9:30-5:00pm

Column Six

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

Get

Pined -Sol Pelham’sPelham’s Health Food Store

The Niagara Regional Police Service is committed to reducing impaired driving offences through education and the apprehension of offenders through enforcement programs like RIDE. Impaired driving is still the leading cause of criminal deaths in Canada and destroys thousands of lives every year.

Voice

Open 6 to 11 daily

A group of friends from the Fonthill Platform Tennis Club recently toured the coastline of Croatia, sailing and cycling from Dubrovnik to Trogir. Here they are at the port of Split, nearing the end of their adventure. Send us your picture holding The Voice, whether across town or abroad and we’ll share it with our readers! Email your photo with a brief description to

In an effort to bring further attention and deterrence to driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, the Niagara Regional Police Service reports the names of those people who are charged with an alleged criminal impaired driving offence in the Region. None of the following charges have been proved in court. In addition to being charged, these individuals are also bound by a Ministry of Transportation 90Day Administrative Driver’s License Suspension and are prohibited from operating a motor vehicle on a roadway. The public is encouraged to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service Traffic Safety Hotline or Crime Stoppers to report those who are driving in contravention of the suspension. The following individuals have been charged criminally with impaired driving by alcohol or drugs, driving with a blood alcohol concentration above 80 mgs of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, or refusing to provide a breath / blood sample. Susan P. SALVADOR, 60, Pelham Rosanne MILLS, 61, Thorold Douglas P. SWARTZ, 54, Port Colborne James I. BONADIE, 32, Pelham

The

Sponsored by

M THE O R F T BLAS PAST ime This t r! ea la s t y

NRPS impaired driving charges

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

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

Indulgence Bakery Mossimo’s Pelham Street Grille Sobeys Fonthill Peter Piper’s Pubhouse DeVries Fruit Farm Beamer’s Hardware & TV Fonthill Library Black Pearl Fish & Chips Bob’s Boys Antiques Moku’s Family Health Pharmacy Fonthill Fitness Fenwick Pie Company McDonald’s Fonthill Legion Semenuk’s Gas Bar Target Store Tim Horton’s Giant Tiger Pelham Town Hall Shoppers Drug Mart Zee Lube Express Care Lazy Loon Minor Bros Stores Avondale Stores A-1 Market Sobeys South Pelham Grill on Canboro Renewed Thrift & Vintage Ridge Berry Farm Circle-K

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

Page 3

East Fonthill gets snippy New Great Clips location is latest in Nathalie Paradis’ mini-empire BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

The VOICE

Last Friday afternoon the phone rang at Great Clips, East Fonthill’s new hair salon, and one of the stylists picked it up. “Good afternoon thank you for calling Great Clips this is Kelly speaking how may I help you?” she said, managing to fit the whole phrase into a single breath. The woman on the other end of the line asked how much a child’s haircut cost. Kelly looked up at the wall, where the prices were listed. “That’ll be thirteen dollars plus tax, unless you have a coupon,” she said. “Ask her how old her kid is,” whispered another stylist, who was nearby cutting the hair of Captain Sully Sullenberger lookalike. “People always ask for a kid’s haircut, even if their kid isn’t really a kid anymore.” The Sully lookalike laughed. “Yeah. I could need a haircut for my sixty-yearold kid!” he said, reaching for his glasses so that he could see how the haircut had gone. He brushed his hand on the back of his head, feeling around where there had previously been hair. “Do you feel lighter?” the woman who had cut it asked. “Yes. I sure do. We’ll have to see how much my wife likes it,” he said, pointing to the chairs where his wife was waiting for him. Once the man had paid, pulling out a coupon and precise change, the hairdresser walked to the back of the store, and opened the door to the employees’ quarters. A chihuahua scampered forward. “No Chico—stay in here,” said Nathalie Paradis, the store’s owner, who was working in the office. “That’s the manager’s dog,” she explained. “I bring mine sometimes, too, so that they can play here together, even though the office is so small.” Paradis picked up Chico and, holding him to her chest, shuffled over to her

desk. The Fonthill Great Clips, which opened in August, is Paradis’ fourth store, but it is the one she was most nervous about opening.

No one should be in hair salons because they want to get rich

Half of the action-packed floor at the new Great Clips salon in East Fonthill. “I was worried because Pelham is a small town, and I thought that there would be animosity towards a chain for coming here,” she says. “But that isn’t how it’s been at all. The people have been wonderful—much nicer than I’ve ever experienced before.” Paradis says that she understands why some could be wary of an anonymous franchise perceived as offering only rote service, though she insists that Great Clips is something different. “It is a chain, absolutely,” she says of the company. “But every single one of the stores are independently-owned franchises.” Great Clips is a privately held company headquartered in the United States, but which has in recent years expanded its Canadian footprint. There are 56 salons in Ontario, and 165 in the country, numbers that increase yearly. In 2012, Paradis opened her first two franchises in St. Catharines, a notoriously difficult market for chains, and added one store in Ancaster last year. “No one should be in hair salons because they want to get rich,” she says. New Great Clips locations tend to break even after two or three years, she says, but

Paradis’ shops in St. Catharines just started turning a profit after five years. “Our margins are so low that we need to have a number of shops just to make any money,” Paradis said. She plans to open up a shop in Niagara Falls, eventually, but says that she doesn’t have the funds just now after the $250,000 spent to start up in Fonthill. Paradis is originally from Montréal and was a practising lawyer there for many years before her husband, who worked at Gillette at the time, was transferred to Mississauga. The move was jarring for her. “I thought I spoke English, but I didn’t really know how,” she says. Paradis’ husband is an anglophone but bilingual Montrealer, and so the two had always spoken French together. Unable to practise law in Ontario, since she was trained solely in the civil law system, Paradis took to working in marketing. In Montreal, she had owned a martial arts gym in addition to her legal work, and the business acumen translated well. When she worked in marketing, she travelled a lot and was away from her young children for a great deal of time.

“I would be in Denmark, and the conference always arranged for us to eat at the nicest of restaurants. And I don’t know how many times I sat there with steak tartare in front of me and thought, ‘I just want a grilled cheese,’” she says. Her desire to work closer to home was a large motivator in deciding to open a business. Though Paradis and her husband live in Burlington, she is in Niagara for at least a few days of the week. “The people here are different in such a good way,” she said. “In Ancaster, when we ask customers for their names, they’ll say, ‘What do you want my name for? I’m just getting a haircut, we’re not getting married.’ Of course, we don’t want to get married either, we just think it’s better to call someone by their name than a number.” Paradis speaks highly of Great Clips’ efforts to be more personable and customer-friendly. Each customer (if they’re willing to provide their name) has a profile on Great Clips’ database, which includes preferences and types of haircuts previously had, which theoretically allows for the same haircut at any franchise location.

“They’re good people at Great Clips,” says Paradis, who has most of her contact with the Canadian headquarters, but is also friendly with the American office. Customers tend to be 70 percent male, though Paradis says that at her shops the number is closer to 60 percent. “Men like coming to us because they know that they won’t have to wait very long. And then they’ll often bring their children. Their wives take longer to come in, but they do, once they realize that we do a good job.” Paradis says that she understands that different people will cleave to different hair shops dependent upon their tastes, and expects that this will happen in Fonthill too. To help bring in first-time customers, Paradis mailed out coupons that substantially discounted the prices (some as low as $4.99), and has advertised in local papers, including the Voice. “I went around and introduced myself to some of the other salons,” she says, “because I know that these low coupons will hurt their business while the promotion is ongoing. But after a while, people will end up going where they prefer.”

VOICE PHOTO

While Paradis punctuates her appraisal of her current businesses with an acknowledgement of their difficulties, her enthusiasm is palpable. “I especially like to work with people who are doing what they love,” she says. “There’s no such thing as a ‘work-life’ divide. There’s only one life, and you have to try and enjoy all of it.” While Paradis had Chico in her arms, her 12-year-old son called her cellphone. The two spoke briefly, in French, before Paradis promised to call him back when she had finished the day’s work. “I’m very proud that my kids are fully bilingual,” she said. “Me—not as much. It’s the ‘aitches,’ and they make fun of me. They say, ‘Mom, would you like to eat an happle?’ But I’m getting better. That’s all I hope for.” Paradis placed the dog in a crate on the floor and walked out to the main floor of the salon, where half of the stations were full. The stylist who had cut Captain Sully’s hair was now at work on an elderly woman, whose hair she had just about finished cutting. “Do you feel lighter?” she asked. “Yes,” the woman said, bushing a hand on the back of her head. “I sure do.”

Ontario Auditor General to audit NPCA Announcement comes on same day as Authority’s re-launch BY VOICE STAFF Last Wednesday, the office of Ontario’s Auditor General announced that it would carry out an audit of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA). At a meeting of the provincial public accounts committee, Welland MPP Cindy Forster, who has been a vocal critic of the NPCA, put forward a motion instructing the Auditor General’s office to “conduct a full financial audit” of the organization, a motion which the committee approved. Criticism of the NPCA has come primarily from activists, who have asserted that the NPCA is insuffi-

ciently committed to environmental protection, particularly with respect to the planned Thundering Waters development on a Niagara Falls wetland. It is difficult to keep allegations about the NPCA—and its defences against these allegations—entirely straight. Last year, activist Ed Smith released his “Call for Accountability at the NPCA,” which asserted the existence of various conflicts of interest and other grievance against the Authority. Smith was sued for defamation by the NPCA and by its former CAO Carmen D’Angelo (who is now CAO of the Niagara Region); earlier this year Smith counter-sued the or-

ganization. Amid the atmosphere of swirling allegations, then-NPCA board member Bill Hodgson called for an external audit in January, an action that subsequently led to his censuring by the NPCA. Chair Sandy Annunziata said that Hodgson’s actions related to the audit request amounted to an “alleged impropriety,” and has repeatedly asserted that a lawyer’s report validated this censure, but has also repeatedly declined to release this report, citing issues of confidentiality. In March, the Auditor General contacted the NPCA and offered its services to the organization, an offer that was not accepted. At the time, Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk said that, “It looks to me like they are defining their scope and

objectives,” and that “our offer is still open. They may take a different course, and that’s OK as well.” Annunziata asserted that the NPCA intended to participate in an audit at some point, and in April the board vote unanimously to engage the Auditor General to conduct a value-for-money audit. In September, Annunziata said that the board’s request “could not be accommodated” by the Auditor General, seemingly ending the discussion. But after the Auditor General’s announcement on Wednesday, Annunziata said that, “We are grateful for the news that the Board’s request to invite the Auditor General to conduct a value for money Audit of the NPCA has been approved.” He added that the NPCA would

soon be meeting with the Auditor General’s office to begin the audit process, though Lysyk said that the actual audit won’t begin until 2018, with the results likely coming after the 2018 municipal and regional election in October. Pelham Mayor Augustyn, who has been critical of the NPCA’s management, was pleased to hear that the Auditor General would be conducting an audit. “Nearly all of the municipalities in Niagara, including Pelham, asked for an audit last year,” he said. “There have been significant concerns about the hiring of members of the board, as well as other matters.” Augustyn said that during past discussion on the NPCA’s yearly See NPCA AUDIT Page 13

Page 4

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

OPINION

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

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

COMMENTARY / OP-ED Larry Coté St. John’s Conservation Area—a hidden gem

O

NE OF THE MOST rewarding attributes of living in Pelham was the pastoral surroundings throughout and around this community. I say “was” because much of this bucolic setting is fast giving way to developers’ shovels and the paving-over by asphalt. This former dimension was revered throughout the region and beyond. That positive notoriety served as a magnet in drawing an ever-increasing number of people to reside here. This migration has been quite noticeable in recent times and seemingly at a speedy pace. To measure the magnitude of this inflow one has only to wander through the housing developments on the western limits of town. Contrast that scenario with a stroll down some of the few remaining older sections near the center of town. However, as we move from a rural to a more urbanized environment, we are fortunate to remain close to some pristine expanses of the great outdoors. The Niagara District Conservation Authority manages a number of parks and conservation areas within easy reach of town. One such magnificent property is the St Johns

Conservation Area, just a stone’s-throw north from the center of Fonthill. Likely, some of the newer residents to Pelham are not yet familiar with this hidden gem.

We are fortunate to remain close to some pristine expanses of the great outdoors A unique vestige of this parkland is the preserved one-room school house at the entrance to the park. Hung next to this reminder of the early days is a prominent bell. One can imagine those days of yore when the ringing of this bell summoned children to this learning academy or residents to a community meeting or prayer service. Likely, only a very few seniors in our midst can recall such gatherings and school day starts and stops. St Johns is not a large conservation area but there is plenty to see and much to

NEED HELP? MAKE THE CALL Distress Centre For depression, distress, and crisis. 24 hour help line: 905-688-3711   Mental Health and Addictions Access 1-866-550-5205 (Toll Free) Gambler’s Anonymous 905-351-1616

Kids Help Phone Service for youth. 416-586-5437 800-668-6868 (Crisis Line) www.kidshelpphone. ca Assaulted Women’s Helpline Mobile calls to: #SAFE (#7233) 1-866-863-0511 (Toll Free)

Alcoholics Anonymous Find a Niagara meeting. 905-682-2140 Crime Stoppers 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) www.niagaratips.com Text 274637(CRIMES), keyword Niagara, then your tip

The Voice

1428 Pelham Street, P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 Office open: Monday - Thursday 8 AM - 2 PM

(905) 892-8690

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

enjoy. There are a number of trails that wind through the largest stand of old growth trees in the region. The trails are well maintained and some are made manageable for strollers and wheel chairs. A large pond located near the center of the park is annually stocked with trout to accommodate anglers young and old. One path circles around the edge of the pond so one can get up close and friendly with the birds, turtles and other amphibians who reside there. A marvelous opportunity for parents to actively introduce their urbanized offspring to some of the wonders of nature as an alternative to leaving it to the Discovery Channel. So, should you tire of walking the pavement in town and long for a brief communing with nature, then take a hike on down to the nearby St Johns Conservation Area. You and your companions will benefit by exercising your body, rekindling your spirit and gaining a better appreciation for the abundance of Mother Nature. Larry Coté is a retired Professor of Business. He was awarded the Governor General’s Medal for his community involvements.

Letters Hunters also deserve respect After reading the letter “Hunt Disrespects the Day” [Oct. 25, p. 4], I feel the need to respond in an effort to educate and reverse the negative image of “hunters” that was painted in this letter. I think there are some great thought provoking points made about the date choice. I don’t disagree that perhaps they could have opted to have it not take place on Saturday, November 11, out of respect for our veterans and fallen heroes and out of respect for ceremonies that will be taking place in Niagara in their honour. However, I feel the need to educate on why there is a need for the controlled hunt in the Short Hills Provincial Park. The deer popu-

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca

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

See HUNTERS Page 8

CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament

Electoral District: Niagara West

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

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

Member of Provincial Parliament

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

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

Councillor Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-684-4870

Electoral District: Niagara West-Glanbrook

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

Ad #1: APPROVED

Bob’s Boys

Ward 2 Councillor Catherine King cking@pelham.ca 905-658-8599

You call, we haul.

Councillor Gary Accursi gaccursi@pelham.ca 905-892-5528

Trash, scrap, garages, clean-outs.

Ward 3 Councillor John Durley jdurley@pelham.ca 905-892-5388

302 Canboro Road @ Effingham

Call Bob at 905.736.0051

Councillor Peter Papp ppapp@pelham.ca 905-328-6008

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

NEWS INQUIRIES & TIPS editor@thevoiceofpelham.ca LETTERS TO THE EDITOR letters@thevoiceofpelham.ca

lation is thriving, which is a great thing. The Ministry of Natural Resources is responsible for wildlife management. As part of managing wildlife, various aspects are monitored such as: population numbers, resources available, harvest planning and allocation, hunter activity and harvest monitoring, research, habitat conservation and planning. Our ancestors were hunters and gatherers. It was a means of survival. Hunters are harvesting food from the land to provide for their families. Hunters are very respectful and are taught how to hunt in the most humane way possible. I recently took the PAL

Today's forgotten business

Advertiser stopped advertising yesterday VOICE OF PELHAM Creative Director Tarja Barton email graphics@thevoiceofpelham.ca

Jill C. Anthony Law Office BARRISTER, SOLICITOR & NOTARY VOICE OF PELHAM

Marketing Director Dave Burket email advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca

REAL ESTATE, PURCHASES, SALES & MORTGAGES, Approved By: BUSINESS ACQUISITIONS SALES, 905.892.8690 & ‘R.C. O’Hara’ ESTATE ADMINISTRATION, WILLS & POWER OF ATTORNEY

JA

PRODUCTION DEADLINES

Bob’s Boys Antiques

ad s 2x2

Contact Name

Colo blac

Contact Phone 905.736.0051

Due Frid

Contact email

Run Apr.

Have an Opinion?

Cos Date: Mar 29, 2016

Well don't just

Ad Bookings Camera Ready Ads News / Editorial sit there. Share it FONTHILL (Main Office) FALLS (Satellite Office) Thursday Noon, week NIAGARA prior. Monday Noon for advertiser Monday Noon 10 Highway 20 E., P.O. Box 743, Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 Pio Plaza, 8685 Lundy’s Lane, Unit #2, print NEready/ with the Voice! W supplied Ad Materials On Press LOCASupplied TION T: 905-892-2621 • F: 905-892-1022 Niagara Falls, ON L2H 1H5 approved ads. as letters@thevoiceofpelham.ca Thursday 4 pm, week T: prior, for ads requiring Tuesday 289-296-2629 • F: 289-296-0222 high resolution pdfs. janthony@jillanthony.com design, production and proofing. 905-892-8690 Distribution www.jillanthony.com Classified ads Ad Approvals Weekly on Wednesdays Thursday Noon Friday Noon, week prior. NOTE: Deadlines may be adjusted Community Event Listings Repeat Ads for statutory holidays. Thursday Noon Monday Noon for ads with no changes or minor changes. 1 proof only.

Term

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

Page 5

OPINION Letters

continued

It’s nice to be heard

Speeders everywhere

Getting the Hansler Cemetery right

I was delighted to see new stop signs on Hurricane Road at Station Street this week [New stop signs for Hurricane, Memorial, Oct. 25, p. 1]. It is gratifying to know that the collective voice of our neighbours has been taken seriously by the Town. Once drivers become accustomed to stopping at that corner, walking will be much safer. Thanks to the Town for listening to its citizens, and thanks to the Voice of Pelham for giving us a platform to be heard. Dorothy Brown Fonthill

It’s the same thing on Foss Road near Victoria Avenue [Speeding on Clare Avenue called out, Oct. 25, p. 1]. They use it as a race track and the semi-trucks use it as a cut-through. Our road is not meant for that kind of crap. We need speed bumps at the three-way stop sign at Church Street to slow them down. Nikki Kisser Via Facebook

I want to clarify some information in my cousin’s letter to the editor last week [As Halloween looms, local mysteries abound, p. 5.]. The Hansler Cemetery was not re-named Brethren-In-Christ Cemetery. He was told this many times by our late uncle, Ken Hansler, since 1988 and by myself and others. In 1987 the BrethrenIn-Christ Church of Canada was in preparation to celebrate the church’s bicentennial in 1988 and looking to have a heritage plaque erected in the Short Hills. This church was known as “Tunker” from 1799 to 1936 in Canada, and organized in 1788 at the home of the first bishop, John Winger, who settled in Thorold Township on lot 108 in St. Johns, near the town line with Pelham Township. He left Thorold in 1796 and George Hansler, the church minister, became leader of the Pelham Tunkers and registered the church with government in 1799 as the Soci-

Why no maintenance of trail? We​ ​enjoy​ the ​beautiful​ Berkhout Trail,​ ​running​ ​between​​ Murdock​ ​and​ ​Balfour Street​, ​along​ ​w ith​ ​many​ ​other residents ​and​​appreciate​​the​​time​​any​​money​​put into​​it.​​​​W hat​​ we​ ​do​ ​not​ ​understand​ ​is​ ​why,​ ​after​ ​putting​ ​this​ ​effort​ ​into it,​​the​​Town​​doesn’t​​do​​anything​​to​​keep​​it​​up.​​​​It​​is​​so​​overgrown​ ​w ith weeds​ ​it​ ​is​ ​almost​ ​impassable​ ​in​ ​late​ ​summer​​ and​​early​f​ all. Someone​ ​in​ ​their​ ​w isdom​ ​thought​ ​there​ ​should​ ​be​ ​gates​​ to​​block​-​off four​-​wheelers​​and​​dirt​​bikes.​​​​They​​were​​never​​ a​ ​problem,​ ​always polite​ ​and​ ​slowed​ ​down​ ​except​ ​for​ ​the​​ occasional​ ​jerk,​ ​but​ ​that​ ​was​ ​by far​ ​the​ ​minority.​ ​​ ​These​​ gates​ ​have​ ​never​ ​been​ ​operational​ ​and​ ​have sat​ ​for​ ​t wo​​ years​ ​gathering​ ​dust.​ ​​ ​I​ ​am​ ​sure​ ​they​ ​were​ ​put​ ​in​ ​by​ ​the Town​, along​​w ith​​the​​‘No​​Motorized​​Vehicle’​​signs,​​​​to​​cover​​their​​butt. Why​​go​​to​​this​​expense​​for​​nothing?​​​​Perhaps​​ someone​​can​​explain this​​entire​​situation. We​​do​​appreciate​​this​​trail​​and​​use​​it​​daily​​but​​it​​could​​be​​ used​​so much​​more​​if​​properly​​maintained. Shirley​ ​Vint Welland

Remembrance Sunday Service NOVEMBER 5 — 10:30 AM Fonthill United Church is honoured to host the annual Service of Remembrance for Fonthill Legion Branch 613 this year. The service will begin at 10:30 am and will include the members of the Legion, the Cadets Corp Presentation of the Colours, and the two minutes silence to remember all those who served and those who died in the service to Canada. The public is encouraged to attend. Time Change – Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour on Saturday, November 4!

More enforcement, not lower limits There is no quick fix. The best deterrent is to have police enforcement on these roads. It seems to work well on Highway 20 near Timmsdale. The police are there all time handing out speeding tickets. There is also a police vehicle parked at the firehouse almost every night. I see them there on my way home from work. Stop signs and speeds bumps don’t always work. A police presence will send an expensive message to the speeders. A lot of roads have unrealistically low speed limits to appease the citizens that live on them. This can and does create frustrated drivers that will flout the posted limit. A good example is the newer part of Highway 20 that is four lanes from the Sobeys plaza to just past the 406 interchange. It’s now a painfully slow 60 km/h until Turner’s Corners, then it’s 70 km/h to the 406. It used to be 80 km/h for the entire stretch just past Fonthill all the way to Allanburg. That was on a two lane road! The setting of speed limits has no bearing on the natural speed the road can accommodate. Nick Rimar Via Facebook

ety of Tunkers. He served as minister from 1788 to his death in 1831, in Pelham, Gainsboro, Wainfleet, and Louth. He was never “kicked out.” His son Andrew was a Tunker minister from 1815 to his death in 1863, and it was he who was reprimanded by a group in Vaughan Township, where he preached once a month, for having a buggy with springs, but he was not “kicked out.” The congregation overrode the bishop and voted to keep him as minister. He served until 1856. He bought the buggy because of the long trip from Pelham to Toronto. He served in Pelham, Wainfleet, Louth, and rode the circuit to outlying townships, including being guest speaker at Love Feast, in Waterloo. His son Henry was a lay minister who served the local Tunker church from 1863 to 1876, and served as preacher for the Effingham Union Church as well. See HANSLER Page 16

Professional SERVICES Directory Dr. Timothy Hennig OPTOMETRIST Professional Corporation

Your Eyes Are Worth It!

Dr. Ken Sawatzky Dental Surgeon

905-892-5002 1428 Pelham St.

Joe Della Marina DD,LD Denturist 905-892-1414

Family Dentistry

FONTHILL UNITED CHURCH

1428 Pelham Street, Fonthill www.drkensawatzky.com

42 Church Hill (at Highway 20) Fonthill (905) 892-6433 www.fonthillunited.com

Attention: VETERANS The Ontario Provincial Service Officer of the Royal Canadian Legion, Rebecca Caulder, will be visiting the Legion in Fonthill during the week of November 14 - November 17, 2017. Should you have questions or benefit needs for Rebecca, please contact Sharon Margeson, Service Officer for Branch 613 Fonthill for an appointment. Sharon can be reached at 905-892-5177 or by e-mail at: hmargeson@cogeco.ca

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 613 Talbot Trail 141 Hwy. 20 E., P.O. Box42 Fonthill,ON, L0S1E0 Tel: 905-892-6293 Fax: 905-892-9470

Dr. Hennig has been practicing for over 30 years in the Niagara Peninsula, and has a special interest in children’s vision, computer vision syndrome and senior’s vision. •Retinal imaging that captures virtually the entire retina •New technology contact lens fitting •Fellowship trained in vision therapy •Infant eye exams welcomed

Timothy J. Hennig OD., F.C.O.V.D. 4266 Queen St. • Beamsville • 905-563-5333

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

Page 6

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Letters

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

Page 7

continued

Open letter to Councillor Brian Baty re: NPCA staffing ing with them on projects, the eco-restoAs you specifically mentioned the Niagara ration team was totally out of contact with Chapter of Trout Unlimited in your remarks us. No one at NPCA management informed to the Pelham Town Council, and as you are us of this situation. We only knew about it a board member on the NPCA we at Trout because our emails and phone calls went unUnlimited felt it important to ask for some answered. clarification [Town Council news, Oct. 25, p. 3]. You also told Pelham Council: “In lookYou told Council: “There was an audit done ing at other communities, it was determined on that division. The finding was that there that the work could be better done through was a large amount of time in the year that outsourcing to groups such as Trout Unlimno productive work could be done.” ited.” We ask you: Outsourcing to Trout Unlimited? This is Will the DIllon Report (the audit done on certainly an interesting idea and new to us. that division) be made available to stakeTrout Unlimited Canada would be happy to holders? We would certainly like to read this report discuss a Public Private Partnership opportunity with NPCA. Yet to date we have had as we were never contacted by the consultant absolutely no word from NPCA management for our opinion. This conclusion is especialor board regarding their plans to offer, rely puzzling as we have worked closely with place or abandon their eco-restoration work this group at NPCA over the past four years in Niagara. As the primary NGO leading the on projects designed to improve the quality work to rehabilitate the Twelve Mile waterof Twelve Mile Creek, which begins in Pelshed, we have been left totally in the dark ham and is the region’s most important cold concerning their plans. Further, our manwater resource. date is solely the restoration of Twelve Mile We have experienced little or no periods Creek. The NPCA restoration personnel had of downtime. These projects go on yearresponsibility for all the streams, lakes, rivround. The very short time we are allowed ers, marshes, bogs, wetlands, and ponds to actually work in the streams themselves from the Niagara River to Hamilton! is governed by the MNRF. This means that Trout Unlimited Canada is Canada’s leadis especially important that we are fully ing cold water conservation organization. prepared to make the most of it in stream The Niagara Chapter has embarked on an work. We use the other months to plan and ambitious five-year plan to rehabilitate the stage projects as well as use the other time headwaters of Twelve Mile Creek. As the lead for off-stream work such as tree planting, organization we bring together major stakedam removal (begun on December 30) and holders including MNRF, Friends of Short landowner education. We found the NPCA Hills, Niagara College, Niagara Restoration eco-restorations staff to be a most valuable Council, Hamilton Naturalists, AGAPE, priresource for eco-restoration science, project vate landowners and others. planning, on-site supervision, material and It is our hope that NPCA can quickly recontractor sourcing and obtaining the many gain focus and become once again a valuable necessary approvals. partner in protecting and restoring Niagara’s Is the NPCA really concerned about downnatural resources. We are standing by to help. time? During the Dillon study, the eco-resDennis Edell toration team was, unbeknownst to us, put President, Niagara Chapter on paid leave for six weeks. During that time Trout Unlimited Canada and despite the fact that we were still workSWIwinterad_Layout 1 2017-10-12 9:11 PM Page 1

After plowing across the utility box, the car came to rest against the oak tree.

ACCIDENT continued from Page 1 scene, a young male, apparently the operator of the vehicle and visibly shaken, was placed in the back seat of a Niagara Regional Police patrol car. The constable present described the event as a “minor accident,” and said that “no one was seriously hurt.” Pelham Fire Chief Bob Lymburner said that the

driver “missed the turn onto Port Robinson and went over the curb, taking out the cable box and hitting a tree. Luckily, no kids were nearby, and the only injuries were minor lacerations to those inside the vehicle. [The Fire department] cleaned things up after.” Glynn A. Green school Principal Pam Voth declined to comment. At the start of this school year, the Town of Pelham

VOICE PHOTO

decided to stop providing a crossing guard at the intersection at lunch time, citing a reduced number of students leaving the school during lunch hour. Shortly before 1 PM, a tow truck had arrived and removed the car, a black Volkswagen sedan with a damaged front end, from the scene.

qr

Simply white interiors InterIor desIgn | furnIture | upholstery | beddIng | lIghtIng | art | rugs | accessorIes | wIndow coverIngs simply white Interiors | 347 airport road | unit 4 | niagara-on-the-lake | 905 708 4784 | www.shopsimplywhite.com

Page 8

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

THE SHOPPES OF RIDGEVILLE THE SHOPPE OFF R CEANBORO RD. & EFFINGHAM , PIDGEVILLE ELHAM ON CANBORO RD. & EFFINGHAM, PELHAM ON OPEN HOUSE CHRISTMASCOHRISTMAS PEN HOUSE

OVEMBER C2, HRISTMAS O PEN 2017 HOUSE THURSDAY, NOVN 9AM - 92-3-4, PM HRISTMAS EVENING IN R2017 IDGEVILLE FRIDAY,CN OV 3,N9OVEMBER AM - 8PM2-3-4, SATURDAY,CN 4, 9AM - 5PM IN8,R2017 FOVRIDAY DEECEMBER HRISTMAS VENING IDGEVILLE

FRIDAY DECEMBER 8, 2017

CANBORO RD. & EFFINGHAM, PELHAM A UNIQUEE SHOPPING G EXPERIENCEE I TH HEART T OFF NIAGARA A UNIQUE SHOPPING EXPERIENCE IN THE HEART OF NIAGARA

ES T

17 .20

PETER PI

RS PE

PET E

Now ! Open

IPERS P RP

ER PIPER S ET

PETER PIPERS Join Us for Live Entertainment Every Wednesday night at 9 PM:

RUN

This Saturday afternoon: It’s jazz with the Shea D Duo featuring

PETER SHEA & JULIET DUNN This Saturday night at 10 PM:

HAPPY JABBY Our man Sam Piccolo gets jabbed by Pharma Choice pharmacist Glen Sisak last week at the new Family Choice Pharmacy near Food Basics, in East Fonthill. The flu vaccine is proven to reduce the number of doctor visits, hospitalizations, and deaths related to the flu. The Canadian Paediatric Society encourages annual influenza vaccinations for all children and youth 6 months of age and older. All children 5 years of age and older are considered to be at high risk for infection and, in addition, are efficient transmitters of influenza. Others at high risk of influenza-related complications or hospitalization are all pregnant women; adults and children with chronic health conditions; people of any age who are residents of nursing homes and other chronic care facilities; anyone over 65; and Indigenous peoples. The flu vaccine is available for free from participating pharmacies such as Family Choice, from your doctor or nurse practitioner, and from walk-in clinics. Do the right thing by yourself, your family, and the public by getting your flu shot now. VOICE PHOTO

Penny Sale Saturday, November 4 10 AM to 2 PM Holy Trinity Anglican Church 1557 Pelham Street, Fonthill

AUGUST UNDERGROUND

h $5 Burgers Every Monday! Pint Night Thursdays!

PS: We make no promises on the pickled peppers

HUNTERS continued from Page 4 and Hunting course with my husband and the discussion of respecting the animal and abiding by the rules and regulations set out of the Ministry was first and foremost. A controlled deer hunt is issued when the deer population cannot sustain itself with the resources available. Essentially, there needs to be enough food so the deer can live, thrive, be healthy and disease- free. If there was not a controlled deer

Penny Sale - Draw at 2 PM Bake Table with Homemade Baked Goods, Jams, and Pickles Refreshments - Tea and Coffee Lunch Served from 11 AM to 1 PM Snack Bar

Come Have Fun!

111 Hwy 20 East, Unit 3, Fonthill | 905-892-0PUB

Offering

Haddock, Halibut, & weekly specials Check us out online or call for details

Eat In or Take Out!

Open Tuesday - Saturday: 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. www.suesseafood.ca

905•714•1117

782 Clare Ave.

(just off Woodlawn)

hunt, we would be seeing deer dying from starvation, especially during our cold winters, which to me is more cruel than managing the population in a humane way and allowing hunters and gatherers to respectively harvest food from the land for their families. Does are not taken when their young are vulnerable. Calves are born in the spring, and by November they are able to live independently, which is evidenced by the success of the deer population in the Short hills Provincial Park. Fallen soldiers have sacrificed their lives for our freedoms and rights, including the right to hunt and harvest food for our families from the land. When we have opinions we offend and we are offended. For inclusiveness, it’s important that we do discuss and educate ourselves about these topics and work together to come to a solution that meets everyone’s needs. Brandy Unruh Wainfleet

JOIN US FOR OPENING NIGHT AT

The CountryforChris tmas Store our Creative Fall Harvest Festival SHOWCASING THE BEST NIAGARA HAS TO OFFER

FREE ENGINE OIL & FILTER WHEN YOU BOOK AN ANNUAL SERVICE INSPECTION

LOCAL ARTISANS, PRODUCE, BAKED GOODS, & CUISINE

OPENING NIGHT NOVEMBER 8TH, 2017 - 5PM TO 8PM FREE HOURLY DRAWS REGULAR HOURS 10 - 5, THURSDAY - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH TO DECEMBER 17TH. OPEN FOR FINAL WEEK Monday, December 18th to Friday, December 22nd. STORE HOURS 10 - 5 Enjoy Homemade Soup & Sandwich in Store - Delicious Desserts Too! 1794 Centre Street, Pelham, ON L0S 1M0 (905) 892-5359 thecountrychristmasstore@gmail.com www.thecountrychristmasstore.com

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

UP TO

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

DISCOVER CHEVROLET’S INNOVATIVE LINEUP FRIDAY IT’S WORTH WAITING IN LINE FOR. BLACK ALL MONTH LONG

ALL MONTH LONG

Page 9

ALL MONTH LONG

ALL MONTH LONG

ONTARIOCHEVROLETDEALERS.CA

OFFERS END NOVEMBER 30.TH THE 2017 SILVERADO 1500 CREW CAB

0%

FOR UP TO

FINANCING

84

8,100

$

PLUS GET UP TO

MONTHS*

FOR UP TO

FINANCING

84

PLUS GET UP TO

MONTHS*

FINANCING

FOR UP TO

60

PLUS GET UP TO

MONTHS*

3,000

2

YEARS/48,000 KM COMPLIMENTARY

OIL CHANGES **

4G LTE Wi-Fi

SILVERADO 1500 DOUBLE CAB CUSTOM MODEL SHOWN

4G LTE Wi-Fi

FEATURES:

BLACK FRIDAY BONUS CREDITS (INCLUDES $750 GM CARD APPLICATION BONUS)

COMPLETE CARE

2017 SILVERADO 1500 LTZ CREW CAB MODEL SHOWN

AVAILABLE APPLE CARPLAY™ 5 AND ANDROID AUTO™ 6 CAPABILITY AND ONSTAR 4G LTE WITH BUILT-IN WI-FI® HOTSPOT 7 NHTSA OVERALL VEHICLE 5-STAR SAFETY SCORE8 BEST-IN-CLASS AVAILABLE TOWING UP TO 12,500 LB. (5670 KG)9,10

$

$

ALL ELIGIBLE MODELS COME WITH

CHEVROLET

9,670

4G LTE Wi-Fi

FEATURES:

BLACK FRIDAY BONUS CREDITS (INCLUDES $1,000 GM CARD APPLICATION BONUS)

THE 2017 COLORADO

0%

AVAILABLE APPLE CARPLAY™ 5 AND ANDROID AUTO™ 6 CAPABILITY AND ONSTAR 4G LTE WITH BUILT-IN WI-FI® HOTSPOT 7 NHTSA OVERALL VEHICLE 5-STAR SAFETY SCORE8 BEST-IN-CLASS AVAILABLE TOWING UP TO 12,500 LB. (5670 KG)9,10

BLACK FRIDAY BONUS CREDITS (INCLUDES $1,000 GM CARD APPLICATION BONUS)

THE 2017 SILVERADO 1500 DOUBLE CAB

0%

FEATURES:

BEST-IN-CLASS AVAILABLE HORSEPOWER1,2 BEST-IN-CLASS AVAILABLE TOWING3,4 AVAILABLE APPLE CARPLAY™ 2 AND ANDROID AUTO™ 3 CAPABILITY AND ONSTAR 4G LTE WITH BUILT-IN WI-FI® HOTSPOT 7

5

YEARS/160,000 KM POWERTRAIN WARRANTY ▲

5

COLORADO Z71 CREW CAB MODEL SHOWN

YEARS/160,000 KM ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE

PROUD PARTNER

▲

*<Chevrolet Black Friday> total value valid toward the retail purchase or lease of one eligible new 2017 or 2018 model year <Chevrolet> delivered in Canada between November 1 – 30, 2017. Total Value consists of $500 manufacturer-to-dealer Black Friday Bonus (tax exclusive) delivery credit and manufacturer-to-consumer GM Card Application Bonus (offer applies to individuals who apply for a Scotiabank® GM® Visa* Card [GM Card] or current GM Card cardholders) (tax inclusive). GM Card Application Bonus credit value depends on model purchased:$500 GM Card Bonus on new 2017 Sonic, Cruze, Malibu (excl L), Camaro, Volt, Trax, 2018 Equinox;$750 GM Card Bonus on new 2017 Equinox, 2017 & 2018 Impala, Corvette, Colorado (excl 2SA), Traverse, City, Express;$1,000 GM Card Bonus on new 2017 & 2018 Tahoe, Suburban, Silverado LD & HD. As part of the transaction, dealer may request documentation and contact General Motors of Canada Company (GM Canada) to verify eligibility. $500 Black Friday Bonus is applied against eligible 2017 & 2018MY vehicles purchased during the program period. 2017 & 2018MY vehicles not eligible for this offer are: exclusions outlined under GM Card Bonuses above, Spark, BOLT EV. This offer may not be redeemed for cash and may not be combined with certain other consumer incentives. Certain limitations or conditions apply. Void where prohibited. See your GM Canada dealer for details. GM Canada reserves the right to amend or terminate offers for any reason in whole or in part at any time without prior notice. Void where prohibited. See dealer for details. (0/84+$8,100 Total Value Finance Offer) Eligible 2017 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab: Offer available to qualified retail customers in Canada for vehicles financed and from between November 1 to November 30, 2017. Financing provided, on approved credit, by TD Auto Finance Services, Scotiabank® or RBC Royal Bank. Participating lenders are subject to change. Rates from other lenders will vary. Representative finance example based on a new 2017 Silverado Crew Cab (Excludes eAssist). Suggested retail price is $37,035 including $1,700 freight and PDI, $100 air conditioning charge (where applicable). $0 down payment or equivalent trade-in required. $37,035 financed at 0% nominal rate equals $552.86 per month for 84 months. Cost of borrowing is $0 for a total obligation of $37,035 Taxes, PPSA, license, insurance, registration and applicable fees, levies and duties (all of which may vary by region and dealer) are extra. Dealers are free to set individual prices. Limited time financing offer which may not be combined with certain other offers. GM Canada may modify, extend or terminate offers in whole or in part at any time without notice Conditions and limitations apply. See dealer for details. ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. $9,945 Total Value, Limited time offer available to qualified retail customers in Canada. $8,100 Total Value is a combined total credit for finance purchases on select 2017 trucks; includes: $3,600 manufacturer to dealer cash credit (tax exclusive), $500 manufacturer-to-dealer Black Friday Bonus (tax exclusive), $1000 GM card application bonus (this offer applies to individuals who have applied for the Scotiabank® GM® Visa* Card [GM card] and to current Scotiabank® GM® Visa* Cardholders) (taxes included). $3,000 manufacturer-to-dealer Finance Cash (tax exclusive) towards the finance of an eligible new 2017 Silverado Double Cab at participating dealers. (0/84+$9,670 Total Value Finance Offer) Eligible 2017 Silverado 1500 Double Cab: Offer available to qualified retail customers in Canada for vehicles financed and from between November 1 to November 30, 2017. Financing provided, on approved credit, by TD Auto Finance Services, Scotiabank® or RBC Royal Bank. Participating lenders are subject to change. Rates from other lenders will vary. Representative finance example based on a new 2017 Silverado Double Cab (Excludes eAssist). Eg. Suggested retail price is $34,635 including $1,700 freight and PDI, $100 air conditioning charge (where applicable). $0 down payment or equivalent trade-in required. $34,635 financed at 0% nominal rate equals $552.86 per month for 84 months. Cost of borrowing is $0 for a total obligation of $34,635 Taxes, PPSA, license, insurance, registration and applicable fees, levies and duties (all of which may vary by region and dealer) are extra. Dealers are free to set individual prices. Limited time financing offer which may not be combined with certain other offers. GM Canada may modify, extend or terminate offers in whole or in part at any time without notice Conditions and limitations apply. See dealer for details. ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada.$9,670 Total Value, Limited time offer available to qualified retail customers in Canada. $9,670 Total Value is a combined total credit for finance purchases on select 2017 trucks; includes: $5,420 manufacturer to dealer cash credit (tax exclusive), $500 manufacturer-to-dealer Black Friday Bonus (tax exclusive), $1000 GM card application bonus (this offer applies to individuals who have applied for the Scotiabank® GM® Visa* Card [GM card] and to current Scotiabank® GM® Visa* Cardholders) (taxes included). $2,750 manufacturer-to-dealer Finance Cash (tax exclusive) towards the finance of an eligible new 2017 Silverado Double Cab at participating dealers. (Finance) Eligible 2017 Colorado: Offer available to qualified retail customers in Canada for vehicles financed and from between November 1 to November 30, 2017. Financing provided, on approved credit, by TD Auto Finance Services, Scotiabank® or RBC Royal Bank. Participating lenders are subject to change. Rates from other lenders will vary. Representative finance example based on a new 2017 Colorado (excludes 2SA). Suggested retail price is $25,135 including $1,700 freight and PDI, $100 air conditioning charge (where applicable). $0 down payment or equivalent trade-in required. $25,135 financed at 0% nominal rate equals $546.00 per month for 60 months. Cost of borrowing is $0 for a total obligation of $25,135. Taxes, PPSA, license, insurance, registration and applicable fees, levies and duties (all of which may vary by region and dealer) are extra. Dealers are free to set individual prices. Limited time financing offer which may not be combined with certain other offers. GM Canada may modify, extend or terminate offers in whole or in part at any time without notice Conditions and limitations apply. See dealer for details. ®Registered trademark of The Bank of Nova Scotia. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. OnStar and Wi-Fi: Visit onstar.ca for coverage maps, details and system limitations. Service plan required. Available 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot requires WPA2 compatible mobile device and data plan. Data plans provided by AT&T. Services vary by model, service plan, conditions as well as geographical and technical restrictions. OnStar with 4G LTE connectivity is available on select vehicle models and in select markets. Vehicle must be started or in accessory mode to access Wi-Fi. 1Requires available 3.6L V6 engine. 2Based on WardsAuto.com 2016 Small Pickup segment and latest competitive information available at time of printing. Excludes other GM models. 3Requires available 3.6L V6 or 2.8L Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine. 4Before you buy a vehicle or use it for trailering, carefully review the Trailering section of the Owner’s Manual. The weight of passengers, cargo and options or accessories may reduce the amount you can tow. 5Vehicle user interface is a product of Apple and its terms and privacy statements apply. Requires compatible iPhone and data plan rates apply. 6 Vehicle user interface is a product of Google and their terms and privacy statements apply. Requires compatible smartphone and data plan rates apply. 7Visit onstar.ca for coverage maps, details and system limitations. Service plan required. Available 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot requires WPA2 compatible mobile device and data plan.Data plans provided by AT&T. Services vary by model, service plan, conditions as well as geographical and technical restrictions. OnStar with 4G LTE connectivity is available on select vehicle models and in select markets. Vehicle must be started or in accessory mode to access Wi-Fi. 8U.S. Government 5-Star Safety Ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) New Car Assessment Program (www.SaferCar.gov). 9Based on WardsAuto.com 2016 Large Pickup segment and latest competitive information available at time of printing. Excludes other GM vehicles. 102017 Silverado 1500 2WD equipped with available 5.3L V8 engine and 6-speed automatic transmission. Fuel consumption based on GM testing in accordance with Government of Canada approved test methods. Refer to vehicles.nrcan.gc.ca for details. Your actual fuel consumption may vary. **The 2-Year Scheduled Lube-Oil-Filter Maintenance Program provides eligible customers in Canada, who have purchased or leased a new eligible 2016 or 2017 MY Chevrolet (excluding Spark EV), with an ACDelco® oil and filter change, in accordance with the oil life monitoring system and the Owner’s Manual, for 2 years or 48,000 km, whichever occurs first, with a limit of four (4) Lube-Oil-Filter services in total, performed at participating GM dealers. Fluid top offs, inspections, tire rotations, wheel alignments and balancing, etc. are not covered. This offer may not be redeemed for cash and may not be combined with certain other consumer incentives available on GM vehicles. General Motors of Canada Company reserves the right to amend or terminate this offer, in whole or in part, at any time without prior notice. Additional conditions and limitations apply. See dealer for details. ▲ Whichever comes first. See dealer for details.

Page 10

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Rosemary Dougan in front of her Haist Street home, all ready for Halloween.

VOICE PHOTO

Lookout Ridge holds talent show BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

The VOICE

Lookout Ridge Retirement Home held a talent show last Wednesday evening, with an eclectic mix of residents, staff, and family members filling its chapel for the more than hour-long program. While the event was billed as a talent show, any fire-eaters in the crowd kept such skills to themselves; the line-up consisted entirely of musical performances. One of Lookout’s recreation co-ordinators, Brian Mosios, was bouncing around the room as more and more residents, many in wheelchairs, tried to enter, backing up into the hallway after all seats were taken. “We need to try and keep a laneway open. Fire code,” he said. “Are there any more spots down that way?” he continued, pointing towards the back corner

of the chapel. It was dark outside and Mosios had kept the ceiling lights off. The room was lit entirely by lamps and wall fixtures, which threw a yellowed glow around the room and made it look smaller than it was. Once the audience of a hundred or so had been safely arranged, Mosios stood at the front of the room and spoke. “You probably all remember the living room shows that you used to have at home, with those player pianos—I used to have great calves after pumping those things,” he said, miming with his hands. “This is our living room here. Everyone is going to contribute what they can, and we’re going to have a great time.” Mosios said that he didn’t have a setlist, and that he was just going to call on the list of performers as he felt. He

looked to two residents sitting in front of him, George Rooke and Leola Way, to begin the night. Rooke, who was wearing a suit with a bowtie, was lively as he jumped to his feet and twisted Way’s wheelchair around so that she faced the crowd. “If you happen to eat in the East Dining Room, you might have heard Leola singing ‘Holy Holy Holy’ on Sunday mornings,” he said. Lately, I’ve been singing it with her, too. So we’re going to begin things with that.” Hunched over in her wheelchair, with a ball of cotton taped over a vein on one of her arms, Way began a bit shakily. After she had finished a few lines, however, she seemed to straighten up and gain energy, and when Rooke joined in, his baritone slipping beneath Way’s lead, their voices filled the room entirely. After they finished, Mosios intro-

duced the next performer. “John Stokes is 98,” he said, “and is originally from England. He plays very well.”

Stokes walked slo no, a Yamaha Grand sheet music, played

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

Page 11

Halloween on Haist Rosemary and Jim Dougan’s home near the Pelham Arena draws hundreds of visitors each year BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

The VOICE

Last Thursday morning, Rosemary Dougan was standing on the sidewalk in front of her Haist Street home when a passing car slowed down, the driver peering out the window at her yard. “People are always doing that,” she said. “Sometimes they’ll put on their hazards and stop completely.” With less than a week before Halloween, nearly every square foot of Dougan’s lawn was covered with some sort of decoration. A row of inflatable JackO-Lanterns lined the edge of her driveway. Other inflatables—the tallest a tree eight feet high—waved gently behind, the collective hum of the fans keeping them afloat audible above the traffic. Freddy Krueger, in nylon more comical than frightening, loomed over Dougan as she spoke. “It’s just as much my husband Jim as it is me,” she said. “I’ve lived here for thirty-one years, and I always had something, but ever since Jim moved in six years ago things have gotten a lot bigger.” Jim, who works night shifts at General Motors and was sleeping inside, puts up most of the decorations himself over two full days. “He really has a vision for it,” said Dougan. “But I’ll enable him, too. I’ll see something new online and get him to look. He does it because he loves the reactions that we get, especially from all of the kids who come by.” Dougan estimated that each inflatable cost $75 or so, meaning that the value of their Halloween collection stretches into the thousands. “People always ask, ‘Where do you find the space to store the stuff,’” Dougan said, and then pointed underneath her porch. “We’ve got a cold-storage area down there. A few years ago there was flooding in

Talent packed the house at Lookout Ridge.

owly over to the piad, and, arranging his d a faintly impres-

VOICE PHOTO

sionistic rendition of the waltz, “Moon Winks.” Soon after Stokes had finished, Mo-

sios took a seat at the piano to accompany a series of singers. Mosios is a trained opera singer—he has sung at the White House three times—and his musical proficiency was clearly evident in his playing. He confessed to the crowd that there had been no time to rehearse with some of the performers, but at any point when synchronization was lost, Mosios would slow or speed to again align himself with the singer. When Victoria Bedesky, a kitchen employee, forgot the words to a song she was playing, Mosios encouraged her. “Just keep going,” he said. While Bedesky flicked through her phone to find the lyrics, he filled the space by speaking to the audience. “They say that you lose at least twenty percent of your ability as soon as you’re in front of a crowd,” he said. Bedesky laughed. “I didn’t have one hundred percent to begin with!” she said. The crowd smiled. A few had closed their eyes, the only sign of alertness a

foot tapping or lips forming the words silently. A couple sitting near the front held hands as they listened. After Bedesky had finished playing, Mosios called some other young people up to play. “This is Abigail from the kitchen, and Duncan from Boggio’s Pharmacy,” he said. The two carried their guitars to the front. “This is another newer song,” said Duncan “It’s called ‘Mess is Mine,’ by Vance Joy.” The residents in the crowd stared at him blankly as he named it, but once the two started to play, they again softened their looks and enjoyed the performance. A young girl in the back row, the granddaughter of a resident, sung along under her breath. Mosios soon called her and her parents up to close out the show. “Here are Deanna, Gwen, and Derrick Stickley,” he said. “Gwen’s parents live here.” Deanna introduced the song she was going to sing with her father, while her

the basement and we lost a lot of decorations, so now they’re all in totes,” she said. The Dougans’ Halloween totes are colour-coordinated, and are stacked beside totes of other holidays. “We do Christmas, Easter, Canada Day, and Thanksgiving. Not Valentine’s Day—though Jim takes me out or gets me flowers,” she said, smiling. The couple’s Halloween fanaticism seems to be spreading, too. Dougan walked across her driveway to take a look at the house next door, where the front lawn is starting to show signs of another impressive display. “Tara and Greg haven’t been into it for as long, but their yard already looks great,” said Dougan. She looked back at her house. In the driveway was a boat filled with skeleton fisherman with skeleton fish hooked on their lines. “Usually Jim keeps the boat somewhere else,” Dougan said. “But this year he thought, ‘The boat is here. Why don’t we use it?’” Last year, the two had 250 trick-or-treaters come to the door, and this year are ready for as many as 375. Weather-permitting, Dougan says that she and Jim plan to add to the display for Tuesday night. “We’d like to have some corpses here,” she said, pointing to the ground in front of the house. “I’ll stand out by the driveway, all dressed up. This year, I’ve got a suit with pumpkins on it to wear.” A few more cars passed by, their drivers staring, evidently astonished at the display. “People always say, ‘Did Halloween throw-up on your yard?’ I just laugh. I’ve heard people mention our place out in town before. ‘Did you see that crazy house on Haist?’ they’ll ask. And I’ll say, ‘I am the crazy person on Haist.’”

mother sat at the piano. When they’d finished, Deanna sat down, while Gwen stayed in place and Derrick moved to a xylophone. They played ‘Autumn Leaves’ without vocal accompaniment, the xylophone’s shimmering vibrato sounding eerily like a theremin. The Stickneys finished the night to great applause. “We have one last performer—it’s the ghost of George Gershwin,” said Mosios, as people rose to leave. He pressed a button on the piano and it began playing all on its own. Mosios and the other staff present scrambled to display their organizational talents as residents tried to leave the chapel. “From the back first please,” called Mosios over the clatter. He was only listened to—or heard— by half the room, but in any case, there were no accidents. Residents walked, slid, or rolled down the hallway to their rooms, or lined up at the elevators to change floors. Everyone had a short trip home.

Page 12

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Walking the line Niagara College picketers try to keep warm, upbeat BY SAMUEL PICCOLO

The VOICE

For those Niagara College employees—teachers, librarians, and counsellors—on strike, the first shift on the picket line begins at seven in the morning. Just before this hour last Thursday, a group of picketers had already assembled at the entrance to the campus on Woodlawn Road, beside the YMCA. Christopher Carter, a full-time instructor of pre-health sciences, held a sign above his head that read, “Ontario Colleges get an F in Fairness,” as he stopped cars pulling into the driveway. “Here, take one of these,” he said, holding out a slip of paper from the union representing the teachers. “And shake my hand, too. Give me some of that warmth from inside of the car.” It was a cold morning. The sun was still below the horizon, and while the sky had begun to glow blue, it was only just light enough to see the clouds of fog that each person breathed out. When Carter stepped up the curb and onto the grass to let a car past, his boots picked up flecks of frost. “I live nearby, so it’s good to come and get it done early,” he said of his shift, which finished at ten. The strike began on October 16 and involves all 24 of Ontario’s publicly funded colleges, and has left classes cancelled for more than 300,000 students across the province. The Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU) has asked for a nine percent raise over the next three years, as well as increased academic control, and assurance that 50 percent of positions will be full-time. The colleges have offered the union 7.75 percent over four years, and CEO of the College Employer Council, Don Sinclair, told the Toronto Star

that, “There is language that gives preference” to full-time hiring. “The colleges aren’t even at the table,” said Carter. “There isn’t even a negotiation going on right now.” In September, 68 percent of college faculty represented by OPSEU voted to give their bargaining team a “strike mandate,” though picketers emphasized that this was not a “strike vote.” “The language is important here,” said another full-time instructor, standing around the driveway. “We do not want to be here on strike. We want to be at work, teaching our students. But we are willing to fight to make sure that our part-time colleagues are paid fairly and have consistency in their lives.” The issue of part-time faculty was on the minds of most as they shivered with their signs. Alex McGlashan, who teaches courses on fibre optics, is the Picket Captain at the Woodlawn entrance and had a reflective armband around his right bicep to indicate his position. “There are some colleges in Alberta where the faculty is 80 or 90 percent full-time. So we don’t think that 50 percent is all that much to ask,” he said. (Full disclosure: one of the reporter’s parents is an occasional part-time instructor at Niagara College.) Part-time instructors at colleges often don’t know until a few weeks before a term starts whether they’ll have any courses to teach for the semester. “They can only plan their lives four months at a time,” McGlashan said. One such part-timer present was Joe, a welding instructor who declined to provide his last name. “I

Striking Niagara College employees picket outside the entrance to the Welland Campus last Thursday. just started teaching here in September, so I’m new to all of this,” he said. “But I worked as a welder at Molson for seven years on contracts, and it’s the same thing there. You never know what’s going to happen in a few weeks or months.” After nearly two weeks of holding a sign by the road for three hours, Joe said that most passersby have honked their horns to demonstrate support, with some exceptions. “There have been a few people who yell out at us, ‘You greedy bastards, go back to work!’ And I say, ‘Man, it’s not about the money. It’s about security. You think we want to be out here in the cold?’” As the strike has progressed, Carter has altered his tactics. Nearly all of the people pulling into the college driveway are staff from the school who are not on strike. “When we first started, last week, I was telling everyone the whole story. But they’ve heard it all many times now, so now I just stop them to say hello,” he said. One man in a pickup truck pulled into the driveway and stopped before the construction pylon that was blocking the way. He didn’t roll down his window.

“Oh c’mon man,” said Carter through the glass. “Don’t be like that.” The man opened the window enough to speak. “I’ll be out here for my shift at ten,” he said. “He was one of the double-hatters,” said Carter after the man had driven away to park. Some part-time instructors at the college are also employed in other positions, ones which aren’t on strike. “He has to be careful that he doesn’t do any of his teaching work while he’s inside.” With such a provincewide strike, there is little chance of the colleges bringing in scabs to teach the cancelled classes. The dynamic is further altered by the high-level nature of the negotiations—it isn’t as if the strikers are coming faceto-face with the management locking them out. This makes the picket line less dramatic, though it also means that spirits are considerably high. Judy Calvin, who teaches sociology, changed toques at 8:30. “I’ve put on my nine o’clock hat,” she said. “It’s warmer than my eight o’clock hat, and I need the warmth right now.” Another car pulled into the driveway and rolled down its window. Recognizing the driver, Cal-

VOICE PHOTO

vin started to sing “Good morning, good morning,” from Singing in the Rain. “Where’s that song from?” she asked the picketers standing nearby. “I think it was in a Viagra commercial,” someone said. “Oh, jeez,” said Calvin, smiling. By then the sun had finally climbed above the tops of the trees and was shining more directly on the line, though the drivers of cars continued to express concern for the warmth of the picketers. “This is nothing,” Carter told one woman. “I’m used to ice-fishing in minus-forty. This is the Bahamas.” Common sentiment on the line was that the strike was not going to be resolved in the immediate future, and most expected that they would be legislated back to work after three weeks. Students in the province have been worried that a prolonged strike could mean the cancellation of the term, though according to McGlashan, his students had been overwhelmingly supportive. “The last day before they gave me a card with a bunch of gift certificates, too. I found that most See PICKET next page

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

PICKET continued from previous page of them knew what was going on as much, if not more, than some of my colleagues.” According to McGlashan, however, international students—who make up an ever-increasing percentage of the college’s enrolment— were less familiar with the labour negotiations. “Most of the ones I’ve encountered don’t seem to know what’s going on,” he said. “They just know that the college is closed now for some reason.” McGlashan said that the quantity of international students whom he teach-

NPCA AUDIT continued from Page 3 reports, he has repeatedly pointed to management letters that call for changes such as the segregation of duties. “Every year they say that they’re going to get to it, and it never seems to happen. So I hope that the audit can suggest ways for the organization to improve.” Augustyn expressed his disappointment that the back-and-forth between the NPCA and the Auditor General means that the audit likely won’t be completed until after the 2018 election. “That’s too bad. These delays have caused that—the

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

Page 13

es is just one of the many ways in which the college has transformed. “I have to teach international students in a different way, since they often don’t have the same language skills,” he said. “That’s just one of the ways in which things are changing.” “Part-time work—that’s the way things seem to be going everywhere,” said another woman, standing beside him. She shook her head, and McGlashan grimaced, and dropped his pen as another striker came to sign in on his captain’s clipboard. He picked it up, re-attached it to his clipboard, and held his sign up high again.

municipalities asked for an audit over a year ago,” he said. “When folks called for an audit in the Town [of Pelham], we said, ‘You know what? Let’s get this done quickly, because this is a concern.’ So it’s important for folks to act quickly in response to concerns.” In fact, Pelham commissioned its forensic audit only on October 2, while allegations against the Town date back to the spring. On July 24, Regional Councillor Brian Baty recommended that the Town commission an audit. Council’s reaction was varied. While Councillor Peter Papp seemed receptive to the idea, others were not.

Holiday

TOPS IN RECRUITMENT Margaret Byl (right) president of the Federated Women’s Institute of Ontario presents Wainfleet and Port Branch, represented by branch president Elaine Bassett-Kollee (center) and Mirander Donmoyer-Mills (left) with a recruitment award at the Hamilton Area W.I. Convention held on Monday, October 23, at the Fonthill Legion. SUPPLIED PHOTO

Councillor Gary Accursi said that he would not support a third-party audit. Councillor Catherine King said, “Quite frankly, I find the whole thing absolutely a waste of time. If the general public has that opinion of the Town of Pelham, then clearly they don’t listen to all of the awards, all of the progress, all of the development that we have undertaken, all of the praise that we’ve received.” Councillor Richard Rybiak asserted that those raising concerns about Pelham’s finances were either “people with an agenda who cynically put out a word that they know not necessarily to be true,” or the “victims of cynics.”

Rybiak also asserted that Baty fell into one of those two categories. News about the impending NPCA audit arrived on the same day that the Authority held an invite-only event—mostly NPCA employees and board members—at its Ball’s Falls headquarters, to launch a series of new initiatives. The projects include 100year plans for both land and water conservation. The NPCA, which presently manages 7500 acres, says that it intends to acquire 250 acres of land per year over the 100-year term. It also plans on planting one million trees and three million native plants over the

next five to seven years. The NPCA’s most recent opponent has been the Ontario Public Sector Employees Union, which accused the organization of union-busting after eight employees in the restoration department were laid off in September. On Wednesday, Annunziata announced that after extensive negotiations with the union, two of the eight water restoration staff would be returning to work. NPCA board member and Pelham’s Regional Councillor Brian Baty said at Pelham Town Council in October that those layoffs resulted from an audit, the results of which indicated that there were inefficien-

cies in the restoration department. “The finding was that there was a large amount of time in the year that no productive work could be done,” said Baty. “In looking at other communities, it was determined that the work could be better done through outsourcing to groups such as Trout Unlimited.” Baty suggested further that the layoffs ran parallel with ongoing discussions between the NPCA and the Niagara Region over the allocation of conservation responsibilities, and said that, “There is a high probability that these positions will be hired by the Region.”

Come enjoy an old fashioned evening stroll in Downtown Fonthill as our unique array of local merchants OPEN LATE to kick off the Holiday Season.

GIFT SHOWCASE

&

Experience a night of festive good cheer and truly original gift ideas.

Downtown Stroll

WED , 2017 NESDAY, NOVEMBER 15hill 6 Font

Down to Font wn hill

Full details at myPelham.com

pm - 9pm • Downtown

This Banner ad Sponsored by

Presented by

Opening 2018

“

“

The Centre’s multi-purpose space is brimming with cultural possibility! This venue will inspire our community to greater cultural heights and celebrate who we are!

-Jen Benson Performing Arts Representative

Learn more about this vibrant, innovative, and caring project by visiting:

www.pelham.ca/pcc

Page 14

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

E. L. Crossley kids aren’t scared of a good cause BY CHRISTINE BUNZ

E.L. Crossley Correspondent

Fall has brought an itch to make change along with its cool winds at E.L. Crossley Secondary School this year, with students participating in events at the school and in the community to help make a difference for students and locals alike. On September 28, 13 students from Grades 10 through 12 were sent to listen to a panel of speakers at We Day. One week later, on October 5, Crossley students from all grades participated in the cancer fundraising event, the Rankin Run. Also coming up this month, students from the Crossley Interact We Club have organized an event called We Scare Hunger to collect

non-perishable food donations for Pelham Cares. On Halloween night this year, many of Crossley’s students, from Grades 9 through 12, will be dressing up and venturing out into the community to scare up non-perishable goods to donate to Pelham Cares. We Scare Hunger is an initiative that the Interact We Club has coordinated to get students involved in lending a helping hand to locals in need, and encouraging the residents of Pelham to support an important cause in their community. Pelham Cares is an organization known for its dedication to helping out those in need in the town. This event not only brings in donations, but also generates an opportunity to create a

$100 CASH REWARD FOR LOST CAT

greater sense of community amongst students and residents alike. Some of the students in the Interact We Club, who are now coordinating We Scare Hunger, got the opportunity to participate in We Day. Thirteen students from Grades 10 to 12 were sent to the event inspired by Craig and Marc Kielburger on September 28. The Kielburger brothers founded Free the Children, a foundation whose goals are to aid in freeing children and their families from poverty, and helping to support them, giving them access to hygiene and health care, clean water and food, and opportunities for education and income. The event, sponsored by this foundation, featured speakers and entertainers from various fields, including well known figures like Prince Harry, Hedley, Kelly Clarkson, and Gaten Matarazzo, who plays the role of Dustin in the Netflix

program, Stranger Things. Each speaker discussed global issues and ways in which either they are trying to help, or inspiring the audience to do so. Three members of the Interact We Club who attended We Day spoke about how they were inspired by the event. Veja Lianga said that it was a long day, “but worth it, because it makes you want to make a difference.” These students weren’t just talking about wanting to make a difference. Abigail O’Connor explained how, “You couldn’t just buy tickets. You had to do something in your school or community to earn your ticket.” The event’s goal wasn’t just to talk about making a difference, but to really push people to see that they are able to do so. “It’s eye-opening,” Duncan Glancy said. “It shows us how we can all do something to make change.” After discussing their ex-

Her name is “Penny”

Annual Municipal Drain Open House

Please call CALL686-2778 if you (905) 892-6380PLEASE or (289) 905-892-6380 or 289-686-2778 seeOUR ourCAT. cat. Her home inEFFINGHAM/ the THE IS IN is HOME HER IF YOU SEE Effingham/Tice/Lookout Street area. TICE/ LOOKOUT ST AREA. 9th/17 SEPTSept SINCE MISSING Missing since 9. IS PENNY. NAME HERyou Thank for your help. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.

November 8, 2017 4-6:30 p.m. Council Chambers Pelham Town Hall Your chance to receive and provide information on municipal drains and their maintenance. For more information: pelham.ca/planning

periences with the event, the students were in agreement that, “You couldn’t go to We Day and not be changed.”

It shows us how we can all do something to make change

The Interact We Club aren’t the only students here at Crossley making a difference in the community. The whole school participated in fundraising for the Rankin Cancer Run. Each student was asked to raise money for the Run, and everyone who brought in $25 dollars or more received one of two custom Rankin Run t-shirts, designed by two of Crossley’s own art students, Gill Stickles and Ella Hancock. Every dollar that was raised was donated to supporting local cancer initiatives and programs that support cancer patients and their families, like Wellspring Niagara.

What’s Your Family Story?

Find Your Ancestors Genealogical Services Family History Research Consult and Assist with Existing Research A Assist with your Online Family Trees and Genealogical DNA Results Paul Wilson, UE (905) 328-8329 findyourancestors@cogeco.ca www.findyourancestors.ca www.Facebook.com/researchyourfamily A

A

e

RENOVATE Save on energy costs ... It’s a great time to renovate! Whether it’s new windows and doors or siding, soffit, fascia and eavestrough; it’s a great time to buy. North Star energyefficient windows will save you money in the long term by keeping your home cool in summer and warm in winter. Call or visit our showroom today for a FREE ESTIMATE on your home! FINANCING AVALABLE (OAC)

905.562.5831

f

TEMPERATURES ARE FALLING

RIGHT NOW

WITH LOUWES

On the day of the Run, October 5, most of the school was present to participate in the 5k run on the streets behind E.L. Crossley. After the run, students returned to celebrate having raised over $8000 dollars, a thousand more than was raised the previous year, with a barbeque put on by the school. The Rankin Run event was not only an opportunity for Crossley students to raise money to help those affected by cancer in the community, but also gave the Grade 12 Business Leadership class, who planned and implemented the event, an opportunity to develop their teamwork, leadership, and communication skills. Mrs. Chcoski, a coordinator of the Interact We Club, said, “It’s important for students to work on real projects outside of the classroom that helps them learn skills to be successful in life, while also being engaged in the community and having the opportunity to make positive change.” Encouraging students to participate in events like the Rankin Run and We Scare Hunger creates a sense of pride and community in the school, bringing the students together while still learning important skills and allowing them to make a difference in any way they can.

CALL FOR A FREE ESTIMATE

WE SERVICE ALL MAKES & MODELS

MAINTENANCE • FURNACES AIR CONDITIONERS

t Ask abou Available REBATES

BOB REID Heating & Air Conditioning

FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED

RESIDENTIAL – COMMERCIAL

905-892-7787

DUNNVILLE VETERINARY CLINIC Est. 1952 Closer than you think! Same-day appointments

- Same-day test results, most while you wait - Large, well-established practice

ASK ABOUT OUR

3435 King Street Vineland, Ontario WINDOWS & SIDING SINce 1966 • WWW.lOuWeS.ca

WELLNESS PACKAGE 110 Ramsey Dr., Dunnville, ON N1A 1K8 Phone: (905) 774-7642 1-800-263-6496 vets@dunnvillevetclinic.com Mon - Fri: 8 AM to 6 PM • Sat: 8 AM to 2 PM • Closed Sunday

www.dunnvillevetclinic.com

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

Page 15

SERVICE DIRECTORY Electrical Electrical

ACB

Heating & & Cooling Cooling Heating

Renovations Renovations

Plumbing

We Make House Calls!

Electrical

Fenwick Alex Bover-Master Electrician

THE PUMP DOCTOR

-ECRA #7003130 Service Upgrades • Energy Efficiency Upgrades Troubleshooting • New Wiring & Re-Wiring Commercial • Industrial • Residential

905.892.2655 1.800.676.4029

tel: 905-892-4988 Email:abover@cogeco.ca cell: 905-714-2145 for urgent calls

ROBERT WILLIAMS PLUMBING & HEATING LIMITED

We Service All Makes And Models

Landscaping Landscaping

Power Equipment

Landscaping

LANDSCAPES Inspired By Your LIFESTYLE

KEEP

ALL YOUR

l

l

l

l

799 Balfour St, Fenwick

905.892.6908

www.dekorteslandscaping.com

Concrete Supplies Concrete Supplies

fingers

874 Hwy # 20 W, Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0 874 Hwy #20 W, Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0 874 Hwy # 20 W, Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0 Landscape Design l Landscape Construction l Driveways, Patio & Walkways Landscape Design Landscape Construction Driveways, Patio & Walkways l Natural Stone l Retaining Walls l Outdoor Wood Projects Natural Stone Retaining Walls Outdoor Wood Projects l Water Features l Outdoor Lighting Water Features Outdoor Lighting l

l

l

l

l

Steven& & Ryan Ryan Van Lochem Steven Van Lochem Owners/Operators

Owners/Operators Phone: 905.892.2188 • www.naturesownidea.com

Motorcycles, ATVs, Power Equipment, Snowblowers, Sales, Service, Parts & Accessories, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, KTM ● www.clarescycle.com

799 Hwy 20, Fenwick, ON Phone: 905.892.2188 • www.naturesownidea.com

Call a Voice Service Directory professional to get the job done right the first time.

905-892-2664

Advertising

Plumbing Plumbing

The Voice

Our readers could be your customers. Tell them why they should choose you!

Niagara’s Complete Concrete Contractor (905) 262-2000

or Toll free

1-800-881-1628

cottoninc.ca

residential • commercial • farm Licenced plumber & gas fitter with 25 years experience

advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca

Automotive

Landscaping

www.joesplumbingniagara.ca

Advertising

Call (905) 892-8690

905-386-6483 • 905-651-8558

The Voice

Fairhaven Gardens

FG

Property Maintenance

Our readers could be your customers. Tell them why they should choose you!

Grass Cutting Grounds Maintenance Spring & Fall Clean Up

Call (905) 892-8690

advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca

Bill De Bruin

905.892.8608

Fairhavengardens@hotmail.com

Celebrating library volunteers BY KIRK WEAVER

CEO Pelham Library

I know I have written about the importance of library volunteers in the past, but it is a message that bears repeating. We are so thankful for all of the time, energy, and talent that many in the community are willing to share with the Library. Libraries are about information, so it should not surprise you to learn that we track the number of volunteers and the hours they serve. In 2016, close to 150 volunteers contributed almost 2,600 hours of service. To put that into context, Library volunteers contributed the equivalent of 1.4 full time staff hours. That in itself is a significant financial support. However, because fundraising events like our book sales, clothing sales, craft shows, and barbeques are almost en-

tirely run by volunteers, we are able maximize the funds raised by these events. Equally, if not more, important than the financial impact of volunteers are the results of the time and energy volunteers put into the Library. Thanks to volunteers from the Pelham Garden Club, our gardens and exterior grounds are well cared for and make the property look appealing to visitors. Volunteers also serve an important function in enhancing our service delivery. Our Books on Wheels program is volunteer based. This program ensures that Library materials are available to people who are shut-in and not able to get to our building, reducing the risk of social isolation. We also rely on volunteers to transport materials between branches. Without this generous support, ensuring that your items arrive

Just between you and me, the food at Peter Piper's is a lot better than here. I start work there tomorrow! Now, what can I get you...

at the branch of your choice would be much more challenging and less timely. In addition to our larger book sales in the spring and fall, we have ongoing book sales at both branches. This is completely volunteer driven. Volunteers receive, sort, and set up the display of these items. Their efforts have been key to the popularity of these spaces. If space and time permitted, I could provide more examples of the fabulous support we get from volunteers. Instead, I want to publicly thank all past and present volunteers of the Pelham Public Library. We will be holding an appreciation event in early November to provide a personal thanks. We are always looking for volunteers. If you are interested, please check our website for opportunities www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca or you can call us 905-892-6443.

Calendar of Remembrance Day related services November 5: The service in Fenwick at Centennial Park will commence at 8:45 am; in Ridgeville, the service will begin at 9:30 am. Fonthill United Church, 42 Church Hill, will host an ecumenical church service of Remembrance at 10:30 am that is open to the public. The Fonthill ceremony at the Peace Park cenotaph will begin at 12:30 pm. All are welcome back at the Royal Canadian Legion, Fonthill, for a light lunch. November 11:

In Veterans Park on the grounds of the Fonthill Branch 613 Legion, the service will begin at approximately 10:45 am. Afterwards the public is invited to come into the Legion for a light lunch.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 613 Talbot Trail 141 Hwy. 20 E., Fonthill Tel: 905-892-6293

Page 16

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

COMMUNITY EVENTS & CLASSIFIEDS

Place your ad by email or phone office@thevoiceofpelham.ca Hours: Mon-Thurs, 8 AM - 2 PM (905) 892-8690

EXTEND YOUR REACH - ADVERTISE PROVINCIALLY OR ACROSS THE COUNTRY! For more information visit www.ocna.org/network-advertising-program

FINANCIAL SERVICES

VACATION/TRAVEL

STEEL BUILDINGS

$$ CONSOLIDATE YOUR DEBT $$ TAP INTO HOME EQUITY! With home values skyrocketing, take advantage and pay down other high interest debt. HOME EQUITY LOANS FOR ANY PURPOSE!! Bank turn downs, Tax or Mortgage arrears, Self Employed, Bad Credit, Bankruptcy. Creative Mortgage Specialists! No proof of income 1st, 2nd, and 3rd’s Up to 85% Borrow: $50,000 $100,000

Pay Monthly: $237.11 $474.21

LARGER AMOUNTS AND COMMERCIAL FUNDS AVAILABLE !!Decrease monthly payments up to 75%!! Based on 3% APR. OAC 1-888-307-7799 ONTARIO-WIDE FINANCIAL 1801347inc FSCO Licence #12456 www.ontario-widefinancial.com !! LET US HELP !!

ADVERTISING

MORTGAGES

STEEL BUILDING SALE ..."BLOWOUT SALE!" 20X23$5,998. 25X27 $6,839. 30X33 $8,984. One End Wall Included. Bonus Drill/Impact Driver Combo Kit Included. Check Out www.pioneersteel.ca for more prices. Pioneer Steel 1-855-212-7036

EMPLOYMENT OPPS.

In the wake of the Vikings Scotland, The Faroes & Iceland by Sea! June 21-July 1, 2018

Page

MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION! Indemand career! Employers have work-at-home positions available. Get online training you need from an 14 employer-trusted program. Visit: CareerStep.ca/MT or 1-855-768-3362 to start training for your work-at-home career today!

REACH MILLIONS OF CUSTOMERS LOWER YOUR MONTHLY PAYMENTS IN ONTARIO WITH ONE EASY THE VOICE of Pelham Wednesday, August AND CALL!

COMMUNITY Events

SAVE between $500-$1500 USD per person Offer expires December 15, 2017 www.adventurecanada.com

WANTED

Your Classified Ad or Display Ad would appear in weekly newspapers each week across Ontario in urban, suburban and rural areas.

CLA

CONSOLIDATE YOUR DEBT NOW!!! 1st, 2nd, 3rd MORTGAGES Debt Consolidation Refinancing, Renovations Tax Arrears, No CMHC Fees

FIREARMS WANTED FOR DECEMFor more information Call Today BER 9th, 2017 LIVE & ONLINE 647-350-2558, info@adventurecanada.com $50K YOU PAY: AUCTION: Rifles, Shotguns, Email: kmagill@rogers.com PELHAM LIBRARY’S COMPUTER CLINIC $208.33 / MONTH TOLL-FREE: Handguns, Militaria. Auction or (OAC) Purchase: Collections, Estates,tech tutor. Get help with web browsing, Excavating contractor. “One-to-One Help” with a volunteer 1-800-363-7566 Individual items. Contact Paul, SwitNo Income, Bad Credit Water, sewer upgrades, zer's Auction:set-up, Toll-Freee-books, 1-800-694account social media, editing and sharing your Power of Sale Stopped!!! 14 Front St. S. Mississaugawebmail COMING EVENTS 2609, info@switzersauction.com or photos www.switzersauction.com. and more. Includes use of laptopGET or BYOG yourfrom ownthe gadget). foundation repair, water UP TO(bring $50,000 (TICO REG # 04001400) BETTER OPTION MORTGAGE Government Canada. $5.00 Do you Saturdays 12:30MORTGAGES – 3:30. Register and pay ahead inof person. per 1/2 proofing, drainage systems, or someone you know Have FOR MOREstone INFORMATION quarry supply, placehour. Visit call of 905-892-6443 for more details. CALL these Conditions? ADHD, TODAY TOLL-FREE: 1st &www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca 2nd MORTGAGES from 2.25% or any P18-23 ment. 905-384-1972. FOR SALE A n x i e t y, A r t h r i t i s , A s t h m a , 5 year VRM and 2.84% 5 year FIXED. 1-800-282-1169 C a n c e r, C O P D , D e p r e s s i o n , All Credit Types Considered. Let us SAWMILLS from only $4,397 DDE i a b TEMPS e t e s , D iANTAN f f i c u l t y Wa l k i n g , help you SAVE thousandsPRESENTS on the right FONTHILL BANDSHELL MAKE MONEY & SAVE MONEY www.mortgageontario.com Fibromyalgia, Irritable Bowels, mortgage! Purchasing, Re-financing, with your own bandmill - Cut Since 2003, Éric Beaudry, André Brunet and Pierre-Luc Dupuis have Overweight, Trouble Dressing...and Debt Consolidation, Construction, lumber any dimension. In stock (Licence # 10969) Hundreds more. ALL Ages & Medical Home Renovations...CALL 1-800ready to ship. FREE Info & DVD: been exploring and performing time-honoured melodies from the stompConditions Qualify. CALL ONTARIO 225-1777, www.homeguardfunding.ca www.NorwoodSawmills.com/400OT BENEFITS 1-(800)-211-3550 (LIC #10409). 1-800-567-0404 Ext:400OT. ing grounds of Quebec’s musical past. Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica,

Services

Events Listings

Residential house cleaning – 15 years experience. Complete PELHAM LIBRARY CARD MAKING WORKSHOP job done, weekly, bi-weekly, or Putting on an event? monthly cleaning. Make six cards with fall themes, learning a variety of techniques. Materials Call Heather 905-321-3817. Tell the town!

are provided. At time of registration, please enquire about tools needed. Community Event Classified HOUSE CLEANING ads are available in blocks Tues., Sept. 16 10 – 12:30. $10. Please register ahead. Visit www.pelhamof 30 words, including Energetic Portuguese lady looking library.on.ca or call 905-892-6443 for more details. to clean houses in Fonthill, Fenwick, headline for $8.85 + HST. Welland, Ridgeville, Effingham, North Pelham. Experienced to accommodate every customer’s needs. References available. Call Liliana at 416-879-4932.

Ad booking and payment deadline is Thursday Noon prior to week of publication.

Portable sawmill service. I will

or in person at our office by cash or check.

FABULOUS FENWICK LIONS FISH FRY Tasty treats with funds heading straight back into the community. Haddock, Payment may be made over french fries and much more. Runs Sept. 9 from 4-7 p.m. the phone by credit card, CUSTOM MILL PELHAM MINOR HOCKEY come toEQUIPMENT your home or farmSALE and custom mill your logs. Firewood Thanks for supporting Buy, sell or trade used&equipment the Pelham Arena. Aimed to provide lumber also at available. Call your Voice! Rob Patterson, 905-401-4948season. Runs Sept. 6 from cheaper options for players in this upcoming riverwood@primus.ca. office@thevoiceofpelham.ca 9-12 in the morning. OLD PAPERS PELHAM MUDFEST Do you have issues of the OCNA Network ed Ads from 1997 to 2007?Classifi Men and women will beVoice back in the mud asAlso the second run on the year is 905-892-8690 the Pelham Herald (any year). (AD CENTRAL) publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca held at Bissil’s Hideaway.

Josh DeHaan Flooring “For all your flooring needs”

We offer in-stock specials: • pre-finished hardwood

flooring solid, engineered from $2/ft2 • laminate flooring from $.89/ft2 • carpet and vinyl flooring from $4.95/yd2 • fibre flooring from $1/ft2 • ceramic tile from $.89/ft2 ...and other specials! Call us to see the products that are available & visit our showroom.

Phone: 905-892-7898 Fax: 905-892-4811

No Sunday Calls, Please TF

Places of Worship and Events Rodeo, games and live entertainment headline this years exciting event. It Posted

Fenwick Church of Christ 765 Welland Rd., Fenwick Fenwick United Church 1050 Church St., Fenwick

HANSLER continued from Page 5 It is because of the Hansler family’s longtime service to the local Tunker Church, despite being more “worldly” that their Brethren at Bertie Township that the bicentennial committee chose to place their plaque at Hansler

7 SPRUC FONTHIL items, c clothes an sonable, 30, 8AM-3

Yard & SALE, Bricklaying, tuckpointing, of Christ decoration step repair, granite coatings, brick slices items, SA 1PM 625 P18-28 905-682-7061. FLOORING NORTH P

Week of October 30 NIAGARA REGIONAL EXHIBITION

Concordia Lutheran Church 105 Welland Rd., Fonthill

Gar

Burke’s Masonry

guitar, bouzouki and a number of other instruments, our three virtuosos blend boundless energy with theCLEANING unmistakable joie de vivre found only in HOUSE traditional Quebec music. Show runs from 7-9 p.m. Community Professional Services

Bethany Christian Reformed Church 1040 Balfour St., Fenwick

27, 20

runs from Sept. 11-14 at theOctober Welland 26Fairgrounds. First Presbyterian Church Glad Tidings Church of God 602 Metler Rd., Fenwick

1 Pancake Lane, Fonthill

Pelham Evangelical Friends Church 940 Haist St., Fonthill

Pelham Community Church 461 Canboro Rd., Fenwick

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

BIG MOVE CANCER RIDECentral Ridgeville Bible Chapel Holy Trinity Anglican Church Region Ads included Pelham Street, Fonthill 418 Canboro Rd., Ridgeville The Big Move Cancer Ride is a 1557 non-competitive ride taking place on Sept. Alexander’s Roman Catholic Church Kingdom Hall of 7. Jehovah’s Witnesses on the Hill Presbyterian Proceeds for the Big MoveKirk stay in Niagara andChurch support the WalkerSt.Fam1369 Rice Rd., Fonthill 1344 Haist St., Fonthill 50 Pelham Town Sq., Fonthill This ad is to be printed by all participating Ontario papers ily Cancer Centre.

Cemetery on the Crown Grant of George Hansler. The plaque is written in clear language that it is the commemoration of the Tunker settlement on Pelham Township in 1786, and Thorold Township in 1788. The Town of Pelham was asked in the 1980s to erect a wooden sign at

Fonthill Baptist Church 1414 Pelham St., Fonthill

Fonthill United Church 42 Church Hill, Fonthill

WALKING CLUB Interested in walking in Pelham? Join them Tuesdays at the Pelham Arena fromCemetery, 9-10 ambut andtheThursdays at Fonthill Bandshell for 9-10:30 am. There Hansler Road in Pelham Corners. request was down, I encounter many people is no feeturned for this program. For more information, please contact jcook@ according to my late unover the years doing famor call 905 892-2607, cle, pelham.ca Ken Hansler. I beily researchext who329. need help

Support HAMPER DAY FOR PELHAM CARES your local Purchase fresh fruit and vegetables at the Market or bring a non-perishable food item to fill the hampers at the Pelham Farmers Market on Sept. 4. service clubs

lieve the Town, claiming to be interested in “heritage,” should place a sign at Hansler Cemetery on Metler Road in Effingham, and at the Hicksite Cemetery on the corner of Effingham Road and Welland

locating these two historic Loyalist cemeteries containing the graves of Pelham Township’s first settlers, in the period 1786 to 1796. Asa Hansler Fenwick

COMMUNITY Events

STA

“ TU

Y VIN

CA

PLA

GA

SA

AD W

w

CA

905.8

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

OBITUARY

OBITUARY

MAECKER, Joanne Wendy (Bruinekool)

HAWKE, Donald Samuel Passed away peacefully after a short illness on Monday, October 23, 2017, at Linhaven in St. Catharines. Survived by his wife Mary, daughters Barbara Burtch (Murray), and Irene Romagnoli (Armand), his sister Margaret Bray (Dennis) in England and niece Claire Strom (Jim) in Florida and great niece Phoebe in North Dakota. Predeceased by his parents, his brother Cyril (Ivy) in England and nephew Simon. Don was born in London England and joined the British Merchant Navy near the end of WWII. In the Merchant Navy and on the Lakers and Salties Don traveled around the world. He came to Canada in his early twenties, worked at various jobs in Ontario and Manitoba. Don settled in Ridgeway, Ontario with Mary, where they adopted their two girls, before moving to Fonthill. Known as “Sam” to his work colleagues, Don was the Sales Engineer for J.W. Swanson’s Canadian office in Fort Erie, until he retired after 40 years. Don was a great humanitarian who led through volunteering; he was a Life Member of the Fonthill Kinsmen, and a member of RCL Br. 613. Don will be missed but his humanitarian spirit lives on in his wife and daughters. In lieu of donations, we ask that you pay it forward and volunteer to help someone. At this time there are no plans for a memorial service and cremation has taken place. The family sends their gratitude for all of the support that Don received while at Linhaven. A memorial book is available on-line at https:// www.arbormemorial.ca/en/ pleasantview/obituaries

On October 20, 2017, in her 58th year; Joanne went to be with her Lord; whom she loved and served. Joanne leaves behind her beloved husband, Richard Maecker and her children, who she cherished; Mark & Michelle. Joanne’s siblings loved her dearly. She was a huge part of their lives; Ineka & Bill Nieuwenhuyzen, Marietta & Garry Postma, Hank Bruinekool (passed away 6 weeks ago), Elsie & Ralph Slingerland, Nancy & Rob Sinke, Brian & Jolande Bruinekool. Joanne was predeceased by her parents, Bill & Jenny Bruinekool. Joanne is survived by her father and mother-in-law Ray & Judy Maecker and her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law - Jonathan & Trish Maecker, Chris & Christine Maecker. Joanne and her husband Richard were both employees at the Welland General Hospital of the Niagara Health System. Her fellow nurses and doctors will miss her greatly. Visitation took place on Monday, October 23, 2-4 & 7-9p.m. at the Vineland Free Reformed Church, 3685 King St., Vineland, with funeral service in the church on Tuesday, October 24 at 11:00a.m. Burial followed at the Vineland Cemetery. If desired, memorial donations may be made to elishahouse. on.ca. Online condolences at tallmanfuneralhomes.ca

Re

membrance Day

N o v e m b e r 11

BAZAAR at

Fenwick United Church 1050 Church Street, Fenwick

November 3 and 4

Friday, Nov. 3 -- 1 pm to 4 pm Afternoon Tea Saturday, Nov 4 -- 9:30 am to 2 pm Lunch 11:30 am to 1 pm Silent Auction - Country Store - Bake Table

Unique handcrafted items Christmas decorations Homemade preserves The perfect place to pick up a gift for a friend or for yourself!

BUDGET continued from Page 1 funding of schools—with $1560 left over for the Town. Once Quinlin had finished, Council opened the floor to presentations from members of the public. Annie Holtby, representing the Fonthill Bandshell Committee, was the first to speak. “We have four main requests,” Holtby said. “The biggest one being the grading and tiering of Peace Park.” According to the committee, manipulating the dirt to allow for two rows of chairs to be placed on each tier would make the park considerably more accessible— and safer—for less-mobile attendees. “The chalked rows start out well. But the seats always end up like a labyrinth,” Holtby said. The Bandshell Committee’s requests also included permanent washroom facilities, as well as improved lighting in the park. Holtby held up a planner’s conception of Peace Park that the Town had commissioned several years ago, a sketch that showed most of the things for which Holtby was asking. “I don’t know who did the drawings for you,” she said to Council, “but it’s certainly a beautiful concept.” Councillor Richard Rybiak was the first to question Holtby. “Is the association interested in participating in the costs?” he asked. “Or is the expectation that the Town covers everything? Do you have some sort of capital campaign planned?” “Not that I’m aware of,” said Holtby. Mayor Augustyn thanked Holtby for her presentation. “It’s good to hear what the committee is looking for, since last time it wasn’t clear to me whether others were all-in on tiering,” he said. “Presumably this work could be done in stages—we don’t need to do it all in the same year.” Holtby returned to the gallery. Next up was John Abbott, speaking on behalf of residents of Pickwick Place in Fonthill. “The issue is principally about the median in Pickwick Place,” he said. “The discussion has been ongoing since 2016, and the light replacement was postponed from the 2017 budget.” According to Abbott, residents of the street, which he called a “charming culde-sac” with extremely low traffic, were greatly alarmed by the prospect that the 11-foot lamp posts there now could be replaced by ones of 25 feet or taller. “We looked at that proposal and said, ‘My God. Isn’t this unnecessary?’ Posts like that would certainly change the ambience of the street,” said Abbott. The 25-foot post to which Abbott referred is the “traffic standard” that residents were initially told was required, a figure substantially taller than the “pedestrian standard” ones that are there now. “The proposal as I saw it cost around $130,000,” said Abbott. “I find that astounding. If the Town is moving ahead with instal-

lation, I can’t overstate the importance of the height issue. Residents will be happy going the way of the status quo, perhaps with some medium of tree replacement and shrubbery on the median. You are used to people asking for money—here I think that there is an opportunity to save money.” Council appeared to be sympathetic to Abbott’s points, and Councillor Gary Accursi asked Town Director of Public Works Andrea Clemencio what steps would be required to override the 25-foot height requirement. Clemencio asserted that she’d requested a design from the firm that included shorter posts, but hasn’t received the amended design back yet. Abbott returned to his seat. David Tucker, in sales for Tucker Homes, the construction company founded by his father, and also the incoming president of the Pelham Business Association, asked Council to take more seriously its economic development plan. “As I understand, in the 2017 budget it was listed seventh down the line on priorities,” Tucker said. “And I’d like to see a specific focus on economic incentives for small businesses in the town. These could be in the form of multiple programs—they don’t necessarily have to be financial incentives. Examples that already exist in other towns are tax increment programs, which defer increases in taxes to later years…there could be a development charge reduction program, or a planning fee reduction program. Another item could be declaring economic development zones or strategic investment zones, which could reduce red tape and have a streamlined regulation process for expedited approvals, something that would minimize the reporting and studying and planning that would be needed for small businesses to grow.” Tucker said that incentives to bring big businesses into a location, such as those used by Welland to attract General Electric, have a considerable amount of risk. “But focussing on small to medium-sized businesses has less risk,” he said. Rybiak was again first with a question. “You said that these incentives need not necessarily be financial,” he said. “And yet, as it turns out, most of them were. Which of your suggestions are ones designed to attract new businesses, and which are to keep current ones here?” “That’s up to the Town to decide,” answered Tucker. “They could be entirely directed towards existing businesses, or split eighty-twenty, or however you like.” Augustyn said that the Town already has two special economic development areas, in downtown Fonthill and Fenwick, but that Tucker’s suggestions would be part of a future conversation. “Perhaps we can find ways to lighten the red tape,” he said, concluding debate on the matter. “Maybe we can

Page 17

The Fonthill Bandshell Committee’s Annie Holtby presents to council, as Town Director of Recreation Vickie vanRavenswaay helps her hold up a drawing. VOICE PHOTO make it pink in spots.” Nancy Brzozowski introduced herself as a mother who had only recently returned to work after a maternity leave, and said that she hadn’t prepared a presentation in the same way as the others. “I really enjoy spending time in Pelham’s parks with my son,” Brzozowski said. “But one thing we don’t have is a splashpad. It would be wonderful if we could set a gold standard here, like the one in Caledonia, where the splash-pad has something that appeals to little kids and to older ones, who like to splash and have jets spurting out.” Brzozowski said that she was interested in doing anything she could to help bring about the splash-pad, and added that she has spoken to a lot of other young mothers also supportive of the idea. “Thank you for you very comprehensive presentation—you were very well-prepared. And we certainly appreciate your offer to help out,” said Augustyn. Councillor John Durley pointed out that there was discussion of the splash-pad at each of the public workshops for the future of the Pelham Arena site. Council agreed to keep a splash-pad in mind. Melissa Wells of Pelham Minor Baseball was the final presenter of the evening. Wells requested that Council look into upgrades of Harold Black Park, where a lack of lighting and enclosed dugouts has inhibited PMB from hosting larger events. “Baseball registration grew by thirty-six percent this year,” Wells said. “We have a lot of teams coming in, eating in local restaurants—and if we can host the bigger events, staying in local hotels, too.” Wells said that some of the fields at Harold Black were in need of other repairs, too. “Baseballs are six dollars each, and one game we lost ten balls into the sheep pen,” she said. “And there are puddles in some spots where we’ve had to use couch cushions just to make the field playable.” Rybiak spoke once Wells had finished. “My point is just one of process,” he said. “These ideas will come back to us from staff fully fleshed out with cost, right?” The Mayor nodded, and then Rybiak nodded and said he had nothing to add

on the Harold Black matter for the time being. Once Wells had sat down, and the agenda turned to open discussion for councillors, Rybiak raised his hand to speak on the subject of roads. “Both Sulphur Springs and Poth demonstrate the need that the Town has to respond with effective, safe, and perhaps fast and necessary ways with serious issues. The ultimate solutions will be extensive and expensive, but in the meantime, they’re closed…People have been building roads for a long time, and presumably there’s some temporary measure that could be taken.” Durley took the floor immediately after Rybiak, but said that he had no comment on the issues Rybiak had raised. “There are engineering things we need to follow,” he said. “But I do get a call every second day about speed. We tried a chicane, we tried humps, we tried poles. There needs to be something that’s going to slow people down… Maybe painting will help. Where I live, on Line Avenue, half is painted, and half is not. I don’t know if they ran out of paint or what—” “—I don’t know why there isn’t a line on Line Ave,” said Augustyn. Durley laughed. “That’s right,” he said. Durley added that communication should be a concern in the upcoming budget. “We need to throw some money at the communication problem,” he said. “So that things can’t be twisted as they have been in the past. We need to make sure things are understood as they are.” Accursi said that he was taking a global view of the budget, saying that the Town ought to finish its work development plans, including East Fenwick and the Haist Street arena site. After Accusi’s points, the Mayor made brief comments on other projects, including the “Love Your Hood” neighbourhood program, and the potential planning of the Ridgeville Hamlet, which would exempt Ridgeville’s downtown from Greenbelt restrictions and allow for greater growth. The draft budget is scheduled to be made publicly available on December 1.

Page 18

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

FAMILY HEALTH PHARMACY

Now in the Fonthill Marketplace!

Visit us for friendly service, helpful advice, and great everyday prices

Welcome the Family Practice of

Flu Shots

Dr. D. Goswami, Dr. S. Rana and Dr. R. Goswami

NOW HERE • Easy prescription transfer • Free on-site compliance packaging • All major drug plans accepted • Fast, friendly, courteous service

R e P r ac t i c Family OPEN NOW

(905) 892-1888 The cast of The Welland Canal Play sings the closing number at Old Pelham Town Hall last Thursday. VOICE PHOTO

Compare & Save

• Quality products at lower prices than national brands • 100% Satisfaction Guarantee pharmachoice.com

Nominate a Junior Citizen. Nadine Carter Stouffville, ON 2016 Ontario Junior Citizen Nadine’s efforts to lobby for a forgotten WW1 hero resulted in a weekendlong celebration, historic plaques being placed in his honour, and a new marker being placed on Captain Brown’s previously unmarked grave.

The Ontario Junior Citizen Awards celebrate incredible youth. Do you know someone who is involved in worthwhile community service, is contributing while living with a limitation, has performed a heroic act, demonstrates individual excellence, or is going above and beyond to help others? If so, nominate them today! Nominations are open until November 30, 2017. Forms and information are available from this newspaper, and from the Ontario Community Newspapers Association at ocna.org/juniorcitizen.

Sponsored by:

ONTARIO JUNIOR CITIZEN AWARDS

Celebrate what makes your community great. OCNA_Ad1_lrge 09.17.indd 1

17-09-26 7:56 PM

COLUMN SIX continued from Page 1 ing officials seeking to build the canal for political and economic purposes. “Father of the Canal” William Hamilton Merritt features heavily, as he works himself sick trying to secure land and funding for the construction. Hobbs is sure to point out the costs to those who worked on the canals, mostly to the immigrants who spent long, poorly-paid days in the muck, risking death from drowning, crushing, or cholera. These victims, however, are merely ones of the process, and not of the overall mission of re-routing the natural course of the water. The true underlying conflict in the play comes to the fore only when we are introduced to a series of Indigenous characters. The first Welland Canal took its water from the Grand River, which was dammed in order to allow for the diversion. In 1829 and 1830, 2500 acres of Six Nations land was flooded, a destruction for which settlement negotiations are still ongoing. In 2008, the Canadian government offered Six Nations $28 million in compensation; Six Nations argued that its members deserved at least $500 million to make up for the 170 years of lost productivity. In any case, the play’s most striking Indigenous character is an old woman, who hobbles in alone to speak to the crowd after scenes of Merritt trying to build the canal. “Yes, Mr. Merritt,” she says, acknowledging his certain genius. “But what will you do when the water decides where it wants to flow?” Her point is clear. In creating an artificial waterway, Merritt & Co. have manipulated the earth in an unnatural manner, the sort of manipulation that can lead to severe consequences. And the mindset that propelled the canal’s proponents then is the same one that pushes forward the sorts of toxic practices now that have left, for instance, residents of Beijing unable to go outside without a mask. Merritt and the Aboriginal Elder in the play are good representatives of the poles

on the development debate, one that at its depths goes down to respective views of the natural world. Merritt’s drive can be simply understood as a perspective that views nature as something to be conquered by society, whereas the Elder’s position is one of reverence. A famous political philosopher once summarized the problem succinctly: “Nature can be either seen as the raw material of man’s freedom from harsh necessity [Merritt], or else man as the polluter of nature [Indigenous Elder]. The same writer describes the Merritt-like figure as, “the farmer who never looked at trees, fields, and streams with a romantic eye. The trees are to be felled, to make clearings, build houses and heat them; the fields are to be tilled to produce more food, or mined for whatever is necessary to make the machines run.” The Elder is analogous to the Sierra Club, “dedicated to preventing such violations of nature from going any further, and seems to regret what was already done.” This philosopher is not optimistic that the two positions can be reconciled. He calls the Merritt character a “crisp, positive, efficient, no-nonsense economist. He calls the Sierra Club a “deep, brooding, sombre psychoanalyst,” and concludes that “economists tell us how to make money; psychiatrists give us a place to spend it.” We live in a Merritt-based society, and projects like the Welland Canal have helped us raise to great heights. A character in the play arrives in Welland from Italy, with little English and even less money. He works back-breaking hours in the quicksand. But his greatgreat grandchildren probably now live in a comfortable bungalow with central air conditioning. Their life expectancy is double what his was. Starting in 1918 at least 20 million died from the Spanish Flu. The day after I saw the play I received a flu innoculation for free. As the play’s Elder suggests, the problem with Merritt is that he rushes up a mountain that has no visible summit. When you view the natural world as

something to be manipulated and mined, the future can consist only of further manipulation and mining. Now that we’re somewhere up a slope with no end in sight, artworks like this play—and performers like Gord Downie—encourage us to look back at the path that we’ve hacked through the foliage. The progress has been impressive, but there are areas where re-growth has proved impossible. Those 2500 acres on the banks of the Grand River come to mind. Many activists and thinkers encourage us to retrace our steps back down from where we’ve come and mend the scarred earth, make the ground fertile again. But descents are almost always more difficult than climbs. Now that the canal is cut in the ground and the ships are flowing through, bringing us ever-more seductive things from the future, it’s difficult to find enough people willing to fill it back in. We’re stuck at the bridge, and the line-up of cars makes it impossible to turn around and try for the tunnel. In The Welland Canal Play’s closing minutes, we return to that woman who was stuck waiting for yet another ship. The bridge has come down, finally, and she arrives just a few minutes late for her first day of work—on the canal, incidentally. We learn that her name is Marissa and that she is a Mohawk woman. After a brief scare with a freighter’s hawser and minor conflicts with co-workers, Marissa joins the rest of the stage for a closing musical number. The Merritts, with guitars and violins, sing in English, strumming and bowing along. And then Marissa begins to sing, in an Indigenous language, her voice carrying over and yet complementing the others. It filled Old Pelham Town Hall from beam to floorboard. The audience was transfixed. Even when the song was over and the cast had taken their bows, the music seemed to still reverberate in the room, and in this, the play achieved its greatest triumph: reconciliation seemed possible, if but for one night only. 4

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

Page 19

NEWS GATHERING ISN'T FREE

Your paper needs your help

Subscribe to the Voice. THAT’S A LOT OF BATTER At their dinner meeting in early October, the Fenwick Lions presented a cheque to the Eliopolis family in support of their son’s Lyme disease treatments in Florida. $3,340 was raised by the sale at a Fabulous Fish Fry in September. From left, Heather Eliopolis, Lion President Ken Suthons, James and George Eliopolis. SUPPLIED PHOTO POPPY TIME Attendees at the Fonthill Legion’s ceremonial start to their annual poppy drive last week, from left: Diane Chalmers, Gerry Berkhout, Rick Hatt, Jacqueline Schwenker, Fire Chief Bob Lymburner, Jim Garner, Howard Margeson, Mayor David Augustyn, Toni McKelvie, Bernie Law. SUPPLIED PHOTO

TUNE-UP TIME ALL MAKES • ALL MODELS AVOID THE RUSH

FREE PICK UP & DELIVERY!

A well-tuned machine

• reduces emissions by up to 50% • conserves fuel by up to 30% • extends the life of the machine • restores horsepower by up to 7.5%

WITH TUNE-UP LIMITED TIME OFFER

WE GUARANTEE OUR TUNE-UPS for the entire season. CALL FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT

SNOW BLOWERS

Strong enough for bigger snowfalls yet easy to handle Various models to choose from starting at

48995

$

It's a hard truth: without the support of our readers, the survival of this newspaper is not guaranteed. Our loyal advertisers have made the Voice possible, but as costs increase we cannot be sustained on advertising alone. For less than $1 per week—the cost of a single coffee— you'll help us continue to report on what's happening, in town, and in including HST Town Hall.

$39.95

Three ways to subscribe

1 In Person 2 By Mail 3 Online Visit or call our office. Last autumn we moved to 1428 Pelham Street, opposite Beamer's Hardware in Fonthill. Our hours are 8AM to 2PM, Monday to Thursday, closed Fridays. Payment may be made by cash, cheque, or credit card. You may also call us during these hours at (905) 892-8690 to pay by credit card.

You may use the coupon below, or just drop your cheque into an envelope. Be sure to include your full street address, with postal code. Mail to: The Voice P.O. Box 1489 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0

Quick and convenient: simply visit the Voice website and pay securely using a credit card.

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca Look for the VOLUNTARY SUBSCRIPTIONS button at the top left of the home page:

VOLUNTARY SUBSCRIPTIONS

Please do not send cash.

T

HE VOICE OF PELH A M is our town's eyes and ears. The Voice represents taxpayers, homeowners, parents, and the retired. This newspaper remains the single best way to communicate with virtually every Pelham resident—and it’s one of the few things that everyone in town still has in common. The Voice covers stories big and small, publishes history, commentary, reader letters, and reports on the actions of our elected representatives without fear or favour. All of this delivered weekly to your door. That’s our commitment. Please help us achieve it, for less than a dollar a week. Thank you.

The Voice

REG. $569.99

Send us a cheque for $39.95, made payable to "The Voice."

1-YEAR VOLUNTARY SUBSCRIPTION: $39.95

First and Last Name

POWER MAX SNOW BLOWERS HD 8260XE REG. $1899.00

Plow through up to 21” of snow!

SALE $

174995

Shop early! Many items are One-of-a-kind All items subject to prior sale

2514 Hwy. 20 E Fonthill Mon - Fri 8am to 5pm Sat 8am to 12pm

905-892-3041

www.picsmotorclinic.com

Delivery address with postal code

Credit card number

Credit card expiration date

Type: ___Mastercard ___Visa Credit card security code Please mail completed form to:

Telephone number where you may be reached during the day

Email address (optional) For our records only.

THE VOICE P.O. Box 1489 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 If paying by cheque, be sure to include it. Please do not send cash through the mail. Thank you for your subscription.

Page 20

The Voice of Pelham, November 1, 2017

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Hunter is our Lazyboy!

NIAGARAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ONLY