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Vol.25 No.43
OCTOBER 27 2021
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Pandemic means Food Drive more vital than ever Annual Pelham Cares event coming up in November BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI Special to the Voice Keith Moore has a long history with the Pelham Cares food drive. It started 15 years ago when the Fonthill realtor and his wife, Christine, helped out by picking up food donations from the doorsteps of Pelham residents. “My wife and I ran out of our route so we went back to the Lions club and asked for another route. They told us ‘We don’t have any but go to the diner because they can use you there. ’ ” The couple went to the former Donut Diner to help sort the mountain of grocery bags of donated items being sorted at that location. “We realized when we walked in there that there’s a whole lot more involved than stepping up to someone’s door and picking up food boxes,” he said. “I gave one of the volunteers my card and said, ‘If you need my help, call me.’ They called the next day.” It was the beginning of a long relationship. “They had me come in and do some [sorting and packaging of food] and I have been here ever since. Now I am the vice-president of the board of directors too.” Moore has gotten more out of the volunteering than he has ever given and encourages others to get involved. “It is a few hours out of your day — it might be a three-hour shift — the help is always appre-
Keith Moore, vice-president of Pelham Cares’ board of directors, hard at work taking stock of the stock. ciated and every volunteer walks away feeling good.” To volunteer, call 905-8925300 or visit info@pelhamcares. org Started in 1991, the Pelham Food Drive was held every year on the first Saturday of December. The Covid-19 pandemic changed all that and last year the food drive consisted of people dropping off donations at the
Meridian Community Centre. “The Town stepped up and said they had a space we could use, and we did five weeks on Thursday, Friday and Saturday,” Moore said. “It was phenomenally orchestrated and this year it is at the same location and scenario.” But the drop-off times and days have changed. Volunteers will accept donations at the Meridian Communi-
ty Centre each weekend between Nov. 12 and Nov. 28. Donations, including gift cards and monetary offerings, will be accepted Fridays from noon to 7 PM, and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 AM to 3 PM. Pop-up food drives will be held Saturday, Nov, 20 from 9 AM to 2 PM at Food Basics and Sobeys on Highway 20, and the home of the Fenwick Lions Club, at Centen-
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nial Park in Fenwick. Food, hygiene, and monetary donations will be gratefully accepted at all three locations. The top ten most needed items are: canned chili and stews; canned fruits and vegetables; Side Kicks or Hamburger Helper; large cans of soups; rice mixes; instant potatoes; peanut-free See FOOD DRIVE Page 8
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The Voice
COUNCIL
PUBLISHER’S CORNER Ay carumba: Voice proofreader Julian Fitch bestows this month’s Cojones Grandes Award on our own Don Rickers, again making up for lost Covid vacation opportunities—this time in Cancun...during hurricane season. “No, gracias,” says Fitch, who saw a hurricane or two on the US east coast years ago. That said, Cancun seems to be a relatively safe destination during the season, as only two hurricanes have caused significant damage there over the last three decades, the last being in 2005. NOAA’s hurricane tracker shows a clear Atlantic at the moment, so here’s to Don’s safe return, tanned, rested, and ready. He’d better bring us some goodies...Monthly? Weekly? Daily? After disappearing for a month and returning last week, the Impaired Driving list seemed to be headed for monthly updates...yet, surprise! Another list this week. So who knows...This one takes the (celebratory) cake: This Wednesday evening, the servery at Pelham’s community centre will be dedicated to the memory of the late Pelham Town Councillor Mike Ciolfi. As you’ll see from John Chick’s council report this week (p.3), Councillor Lisa Haun, running the committee that’s running the show, had no intention of inviting Town Council, the Mayor, or senior Town staff to the event. Bizarre, to say the least. After being called out on this by Councillor John Wink, lo and behold an invitation was sent after all to council later in the week. Yet the Voice understands that as of Monday noon, neither senior Town staff, nor the CAO, who worked with and respected Ciolfi, have been invited to the event—one that is occurring on Town property and involves Town resources. With Covid capacity limits lifted, there's no reason—aside from apparently a political one—not to extend such invitations. Haun did not acknowledge our request to explain the logic behind this exclusion...Softly, softly: Wednesday will be three weeks since yours truly was sliced and diced. So far so good with the recovery, one aspect of which is the requirement to eat softer food for a month or so. Thus, in search of pancakes for lunch one day last week and wanting to stay local, my wife and I first tried the Pelham Street Grille (line out the door—good for them!), then the Butcher & Banker (“sorry, no breakfast on the menu”), and finally Domenic’s on 20, where we hadn’t been since new owners took over. Unfortunately, breakfast had stopped at noon, which we didn’t realize until we were seated. But then it didn’t matter, since we spotted a salmon and rice entree that promised to be plenty digestible. It turned out to be that and more. The new owners have extensively remodeled inside, added a concrete pad patio, and brought in a new menu. Portions are generous and prices aren’t bad. It’s a step up from standard pub food, but won’t break the bank. (We weren’t crazy about the big screen TVs, but at least the audio was muted.)...Flying under the radar: Councillor Wayne Olson cautions this week against unwarranted airport optimism (p.6), and John Swart wonders whether bugs—speaking of delicious entrees—will be coming soon to our diets (p.14). Mmm, crunchy good! See you next week. ◆
on vacation!
sit system at a previous meeting, and had asked the memo be provided. Nitpicking on the matter once again, Hildebrandt took issue with the system’s ride-booking service, and the fact that vehicles can no longer park overnight at the MCC — which in turn affects the time they can get on the road in the morning. “Don’t we have a couple of spots in town?” Hildebrandt asked. Junkin agreed, saying it was “kind of beyond comprehension.” The Niagara Regional Transit memo stated that Pelham ride requests for on-demand service make up just 10 percent of total requests, the lowest among West Niagara municipalities partnering in the project. Ward 1 Councillor Wayne Olson asked about the feasibility of staff looking into asking Niagara Regional Transit to provide reduced fares for Pelham residents in financial distress. “There are people living on nine to 12 dollars a day after rent,” Olson said. “It’s becoming a pandemic on its own, the cost of living for many people in our community.” CAO David Cribbs said the Region would best provide the answer, and said the Town could likely only get involved with such an initiative in partnership with a charity such as Pelham Cares, given the Town does not have a social services division.
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NRPS impaired driving charges ~
Gardening games
continued from next page
by Dave Burket
Voice
A October 27 2021
Stewart presented a motion to commence an annual Pelham gardening competition, with 2022 being named as “Year of the Garden.” Haun had championed a similar competition last year, something she said she thought was supposed to become a yearly event. However, Cribbs said he thought the contest was classified as a pilot, which in his view was not successful. “We certainly thought the motions last year were for a one-off trial pilot project, as far as the community gardening goes, and that was not a successful pilot project,” said the CAO. “At any rate, when it came time to do the planting and gardening, we were in a very hard lockdown.” Haun pushed back on the assertion. “We had I think seven groups that took on a garden, I’m just wondering, nobody could’ve banked [on the pandemic], how do you decide whether it was successful or not successful, considering the Scouts or Beavers would probably argue with you on that point?” The 3rd Fonthill Scouting Group won last year’s competition. Cribbs said uptake on the competition was only 50 percent, and said the project cost more than was saved — essentially by turning over work historically done by Town staff to volunteers. As such, Cribbs pointed out that any future contest still must deal with applicable collective bargaining agreements. He did say, however, that a new project was doable. “This time around, this report will include various concepts, and I think we’ll get to something better.”
Tabulating machines good to go
Council heard a staff report that the tabulating machines used in municipal elections are still fully functional and can be used for next year’s vote. Hildebrandt then provided a lengthy anecdote about working during elections, and lauded the machines, while criticizing Elections Canada for still using a different system during federal elections. Against a backdrop of baseless allegations of rigged elections in the United States, Junkin joked to Hildebrandt that, “it seems like you’re suggesting the Green Party might have won the last federal election,” to a mixture of smirks and blank faces.
What's That
SIREN Pelham Fire Department Weekly Calls
The Pelham Fire Department responded to 19 calls for assistance from Friday, October 15 to Friday, October 22. Friday, October 15 Motor vehicle accident, Sixteen Rd., Station 3 Saturday, October 16 Motor vehicle accident, Foss Rd., Station 2 Burning complaint, Lametti Dr., Station 1 Motor vehicle accident, Victoria Ave., Station 2 Rubbish fire, Park Lane, Station 1 Monday, October 18 Medical assistance, Station 1 Medical assistance, Station 2 Motor vehicle accident, Victoria Ave., Station 3 Tuesday, October 19 Medical assistance, Station 2 Wednesday, October 20 Motor vehicle accident, Station St., Station 1 Carbon monoxide alarm, Linden Ave., Station 1 Thursday, October 21 Medical assistance, Station 2 Remote alarm, Maple St., Stations 1 and 2 Medical assistance, Station 1 Friday, October 22 Detector activation, Pelham St., Station 1
In an effort to bring further attention and deterrence to driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, the Niagara Regional Police Service reports the names of those people who are charged with an alleged criminal impaired driving offence in the Region. None of the following charges have been proved in court. In addition to being charged, these individuals are also bound by a Ministry of Transportation 90-Day Administrative Driver’s License Suspension and are prohibited from operating a motor vehicle on a roadway. The public is encouraged to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service Traffic Safety Hotline or Crime Stoppers to report those who are driving in contravention of the suspension. The following individuals have been charged criminally with impaired driving by alcohol or drugs, driving with a blood alcohol concentration above 80 mgs of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, or refusing to provide a breath / blood sample. Brandon J. GILES, 29, Niagara Falls Gary K. WARREN, 52, Welland Corey D. JENSEN, 29, St. Catharines Alan G. DUNNING, 60, Lincoln Brandon L. FLANNIGAN, 27, Thorold 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.
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A October 27 2021
Vaxx proof for elected officials passes as Hildebrandt, Stewart vote against BY JOHN CHICK Voice Correspondent Pelham Ward 3 Councillor Bob Hildebrandt dug in further on his refusal to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination during council’s Oct. 18 regular meeting, saying that he cannot be fired and will not resign his seat. This came as council passed an amendment to its own code of conduct that will require local elected officials to show proof of vaccination before being able to meet in person again. Hildebrandt first voiced his opposition to the requirement at council’s previous meeting on Oct. 4. While stressing that he was not an antivaxxer, Hildebrandt suggested that such rules set a “dangerous precedent,” while referencing his parents fleeing Europe. During last Monday’s vote, Hildebrandt was abandoned by political allies Ron Kore and Lisa Haun, who voted in favour of elected officials showing proof of vaccination. His only support came from fellow bloc member Marianne Stewart, who seconded his motion to defer the matter back to staff until, “Ontario courts have had a chance to review all legalities.” Ward 2 Councillor John Wink shot down Hildebrandt’s idea. “For this to go through the Ontario courts, this could be months [or] years,” Wink said. “Quite frankly, once we get into having meetings face-to-face, I don’t want to be sitting next to someone who is not vaccinated.” Kore agreed, stating that he had recently faxed proof of his second vaccination dose to the Town clerk. “I know it’s a tough decision, but I think we need to move forward and everyone should be safe,” he said.
Yet while Kore didn’t support Hildebrandt, the Ward 2 councillor questioned whether Mayor Marvin Junkin had voted against a mandatory vaccination policy at Regional Council. “I believe you are wrong on that,” the Mayor replied. Hildebrandt came to Junkin’s defence, saying that the minutes of the meeting indicate that Junkin voted in support of the policy. Hildebrandt then gave a lengthy speech trying to further explain his position. “I didn’t make this amendment easily,” he said, citing taking a law course in university and working as an engineering manager. “I’ve signed over thousands of drawings. I’ve got signatures all over the world. My signature and my liability as a manager never goes away.” Hildebrandt added that many of his possessions are in his wife’s name to hedge against potential liability issues. He then thanked constituents who, he said, had emailed him in support. “As we work together to navigate this rapidly-evolving Covid situation, I believe these ethical and legal principles remain constant in a free and democratic society. First and foremost, the right and responsibility of adults to make their own decisions about their health and to be accorded respect for questioning mandates that have far-reaching social implications. It’s crucial we remain open to listening to each other.” He then defiantly said he could not be fired and would not resign. “I am an elected official, and I cannot be terminated. The only way I can be terminated is through an election process. I am
not resigning my seat no matter what the result of this motion. Even our own Prime Minister could not terminate his justice minister who refused to change her testimony,” he added, referring to Justin Trudeau removing former federal Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal caucus in 2019. Hildebrandt then made reference to an experience during his professional career, which he
Quite frankly, once we get into having meetings faceto-face, I don't want to be sitting next to someone who is not vaccinated
didn’t fully elaborate on. “I’ve been down this road before when it comes to disclosure of medical information as related to perform my senior-level job. At that time, I was 30 years old,” Hildebrandt said. “I was a professional and plant manager. It was amazing how when you become a young plant manager, it can be challenged through a vehicle I would have never expected. I can tell you I was successful in defending my position and I received an insurance claim through that process. I can tell you tonight, it almost seems the same to me.” The proof-of-vaccine motion passed 5-2. Town staff are already required to demonstrate proof of vaccination.
Elsewhere on the vaccination front, council voted to continue allowing the Region to use the MCC — specifically the Accursi Room — for vaccinations into 2022. It is expected that doses for children will be approved soon. Pelham had zero active cases of Covid-19 as of Oct. 18.
Mayor, councillors not invited to Ciolfi tribute event
Wink asked staff about status of the dedication project for the late councillor Mike Ciolfi, the renaming the servery area at the community centre in his honour. Director of Recreation and Wellness Vickie vanRavenswaay said that the “project is coming along wonderfully,” with an event planned for the end of this month. “Will council and the Mayor be invited to that?” Wink asked. “At this point it is a reception to show appreciation to those people who have donated,” Ward 3 Councillor Lisa Haun, who sits on the tribute committee, said. “So, at this stage, no.” Haun explained that the $5,000 earmarked in the budget for the project wasn’t needed thanks to private donors. Wink wondered aloud that with the MCC being public property, if it was appropriate that members of council attend. Haun said the matter would “go back to committee.” Later in the week, an email went out to council, inviting them to the event.
Traffic and transit
Staff heard a presentation on the Region’s five-year transportation capital budget outlook, highlight-
ed by the long-awaited plan to fill in the missing link of Merritt Road between Rice and Cataract east of the Pelham boundary. Doing so will create another link to Highway 406. An environmental assessment is ongoing, and the project is currently in the Region’s three-to-five year forecast. Regional representatives said that both traffic lights and roundabouts are being considered for the intersection of Merritt and Rice, with a similar decision to be made just south at the corner of Rice and Quaker. Another intersection on the other end of town — Canboro at Victoria Ave. — is also being looked at for either a traffic light or a roundabout. In a different traffic matter, a municipal staff report determined that the corner of Pelham Street and Shorthills Place does not meet the criteria for a three-way stop. The corner has engendered neighbourhood concern over speeding in the area. Interestingly, council was also asked in a separate matter to endorse a City of St. Catharines motion asking the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to reduce maximum speed limits on roads in urban or built-up areas from 50 kilometres per hour to 40. “It seems like a huge reduction,” Hildebrandt opined. “Forty is really slow as far as I’m concerned.” Mayor Junkin conceded that the motion constituted “quite a drop.” On the transit file, council received a memo from the Region which essentially stated that improvements were being made to service in Pelham. Hildebrandt had threatened to undermine the Town’s participation in the tranSee COUNCIL previous page
Notice of Study Commencement CLASS ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OAK HAVEN SEWAGE PUMPING STATION PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE : NOVEMBER 18, 2021- 4:30PM VIA ZOOM The Town of Pelham is undertaking a Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) for a new Sewage Pumping Station and associated sewage forcemain and future gravity sewers intended to service the proposed Oak Haven Estates Subdivision and neighbouring lands currently not serviced with a municipal sewerage system. The Oak Haven Estates Subdivision is proposed for a currently vacant parcel comprising 4.92 hectares (12.16 acres) in the Town of Pelham, Niagara Region. The parcel is located just south of Memorial Drive and just east of Maple Street, and has access to Maple Street. The proposed subdivision is draft approved for 28 single family detached homes, 8 street townhouses and a block of 36 townhouses, for a total of 72 dwelling units. The subdivision recently received an extension of the draft plan approval to June 28, 2022. A sewage pumping station is being considered to service this development property due to constraints associated with conventional gravity sewer servicing. It is also being considered that a new pumping station could provide for future municipal sewage system servicing for properties along Memorial Drive and Maple Street that are currently serviced by on-site sewage disposal systems (ie. septic systems). Should this option be confirmed, it is intended that the Niagara Region will operate and maintain the sewage pumping station upon its completion. The study will follow the Schedule ‘B’ Municipal Class EA process as set out by the Municipal Engineers Association document of October 2000 and amended in 2007, 2011 and 2015. Public consultation is critical to the success of the study. We welcome your comments and will provide opportunities for your input throughout the study. The project is planned to be completed in summer of 2022. YOUR INPUT IS ENCOURAGED: Please provide input by speaking at the Public Information Centre (PIC) or by making a written submission to the Town of Pelham. Unless indicated otherwise, personal information and all comments will become part of the public record and may be publicly released. To provide input in writing, please send all correspondence by 12:00 PM on Friday, November 12, 2021 for inclusion in the PIC c/o Christine Tonon, PO Box 400, 20 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill, Ontario L0S 1E0, or by email at ctonon@pelham.ca. Verbal comments will be received remotely at the public information centre using the Zoom platform. To participate remotely, please pre-register with the Public Works by sending an email to ctonon@pelham.ca before 12:00 PM on Friday, November 12, 2021. All registrants will be provided with instructions on how to use your computer, tablet or phone to participate in the PIC. If you have not submitted written comments or pre-registered before the aforementioned deadlines, but wish to submit comments during the PIC, you may email comments to ctonon@pelham.ca. For more information please visit www.pelham.ca/news
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The Voice
A October 27 2021
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OPINION
The opinions expressed in submitted commentary and letters to the editor are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Voice of Pelham.
The Voice of Pelham is a 1211858 Ontario Limited publication David Burket, Publisher 2-1428 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S1E0
COTÉ'S COMMENTS Larry Coté
Are we getting too hot to survive?
A
number of years ago a friend invited me for a flight over the Niagara peninsula in his small aircraft. Once we got to a cruising altitude I noticed an orange coloured film in the sky ahead of us. My friend explained that it was a thin layer of pollution. We were looking at it horizontally and not vertically, as it would be viewed from the ground. Because it is thin and not very dense, we see right through it. That experience has stuck with me all these years since. Global warming occurs when carbon dioxide and other pollutants collect in the atmosphere and absorb the heat of solar radiation that bounces off the earth’s surface. Think of how the smooth surface of a lake would function almost like a mirror and reflect much of the sun’s rays back into the sky. These thermal rays then heat the particulate in the layer of pollution above the earth. That process is referred to as the greenhouse effect. A greenhouse allows sunlight in through a transparent roof that promotes photosynthesis and retains some
of the heat inside the structure. The sun’s rays penetrate the layer of pollution above the earth and some are reflected back into the sky and entrapped by that layer of pollution as heat.
We are perilously close to exterminating ourselves on this planet
This is an irregular process and as more and more heat is retained, the temperature on earth keeps rising and upsets the ecosystems that previously held those elements in balance. For instance, the rising temperatures melt the polar ice cap at a faster rate, which in turn will raise the level of the oceans, which will flood over the shores of previously dry land. The rate and severity of storms will increase. The fertility of agricultural land will
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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca PUBLISHER Dave Burket publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR Don Rickers
OFFICE ADMINISTRATION Lori Gretsinger
CONTRIBUTORS Jane Bedard, Carolyn Botari, Colin Brezicki, Rosemary Chambers, John Chick, Larry Coté, Brian Green, Miriam Han, Megan Metler, Bill Potrecz, Bernie Puchalski, John Swart, Helen Tran, Mike Tucker, Rob Weatherby. Proof Sleuth: Julian Fitch NEWS INQUIRIES & TIPS editor@thevoiceofpelham.ca LETTERS TO THE EDITOR letters@thevoiceofpelham.ca ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca
diminish. Further reductions in the forest cover will lessen the amount of carbon dioxide previously absorbed by trees. The waters of the world are an integral part of the warming and cooling systems that make the earth inhabitable. However, these waters are being heated due to the greenhouse effect. As a result, the ambient temperatures around the globe are rising and contributing to making the earth less hospitable to sustaining all forms of plant and animal life on the planet. So the point of this basic exploration of global warming is to reinforce the warnings of the experts. We are perilously close to exterminating ourselves on this planet. Unless each of us makes a commitment to reducing our individual contributions to polluting our earth, the damages will be irreversible in the not too distant future. On a positive note, it seems that some in our world are becoming more aware of this precarious position and beginning to take actions that will help heal our planet. Best we join them and keep up the good work. ◆
Letters Ontario healthcare needs treatment, STAT This article came out a day before my own emergency surgery [Publisher’s Hospital Bed, Oct. 13, p.2]. In a recent Niagara poll most people voted healthcare shortages the most important issue. Despite “official” claims, shortages keep getting worse. And misdiagnosing too. After two years of my health worsening despite being told by very long waits for tests and several doctors not to worry and I didn't need MRI or CT ccans, I finally got a CT scan Oct. 1, was told again Oct 9 I'm okay, then saw a urologist Oct 12. who ordered immediate day outpatient surgery for Oct. 14, two days after seeing
7
me, to get prostate biopsies and drain my bladder. I was well looked after pre- and post-surgery at St Catharines Hospital, but now I'm at home doing self-care, my senior wife doing all the work, with a really big tube up my penis and a urine bag at my feet waiting to find out if I'm going to soon die from prostate cancer that should have been found and treatment begun two years ago that could have saved my life. People are dying because of the healthcare mess we're all suffering from. Steve Hartwell Via Voice website
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament
Electoral District: Niagara West
Dean Allison, MP 4994 King Street Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 Dean.Allison@parl.gc.ca 877-563-7900 Member of Provincial Parliament
Electoral District: Niagara West
Sam Oosterhoff, MPP 4961 King St. East, Unit M1 Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 sam.oosterhoffco@pc.ola.org 905-563-1755 Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2987 Councillor Diana Huson diana.huson@niagararegion.ca 905-324-3094 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607
Mayor of Pelham Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2986 Members of Pelham Town Council Ward 1 Councillor Marianne Stewart mstewart@pelham.ca 289-821-0840 Councillor Wayne Olson wolson@pelham.ca 905-933 6033
Today's forgotten business stopped advertising yesterday
Ward 2 Councillor Ron Kore rkore@pelham.ca 905-933-3805 Councillor John Wink jwink@pelham.ca 905-892-4475 Ward 3 Councillor Lisa Haun lhaun@pelham.ca 905-892-5877 Councillor Bob Hildebrandt bhildebrandt@pelham.ca 905-892-5647
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Page 5
A October 27 2021
OPINION Disappointed by pharmacy's flu shot booking policy I just tried to book an appointment for a flu shot at Boggio's Pharmacy in Fonthill and was told that I must go online to book an appointment. When I asked what the alternative would be I was asked what the problem was. Did I not know how to use a computer? Seeing where the conversation was going I asked her if she was planning to give me a computer lesson. Her response was simply for me to fi nd someone to do it for me. I won't go into any more details as to how this conversation went except to say that Boggio's Pharmacy absolutely would not offer an alternative to using their website to book a flu shot. I have a Master degree and know very well how to book an appointment online but there are countless people in our neighbourhoods who do not have either the means or capacity to use computers who become more and more marginalized because of elitist mentality such as this. Fonthill is, in general, a relatively upscale community where, to my knowledge, homelessness is not as issue, but there are still many who cannot maneuver around a website for whatever reason. In my less-than-kind thoughts around this issue of inaccessibility I wondered if choosing to establish a pharmacy in this area was a calculated decision in an attempt to avoid servicing a marginalized clientele. As I said, this was a less-thankind thought but the thought did occur, because making no accommodation for people who don't have access to computers, or don't have the mental capacity to use one, makes me wonder. Needless to say, I will be removing my business from Boggio's Pharmacy. For sure I am only one person and they will undoubtedly not miss my business, but perhaps this letter will challenge a few people to be aware of how and where they spend their money. For me, it is very important that I deal with businesses that have a social conscience when I have a choice. Gladly, in this case l have a choice. Sylvia Child Fonthill
PELHAM AND COVID-19 Mayor Marvin Junkin
Boggio’s Fonthill pharmacist Kyle Boggio replies: The Universal Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP) has not officially rolled out [Editor’s note: this is not accurate; see further note below] and as such, we are not allowing people to book appointments online or otherwise. We are allowing patients to register their interest at this time on our online portal. Fonthill is not immune to the labour shortages that have been affecting many different service and retail businesses, and we simply do not have the operational capacity to perform our core responsibility of providing medication and medication services and to be registering patients for a flu shot. As a result, at this time, we are only operating a digital wait list. For patients that simply have no alternative, we will be making additional accommodations once the UIIP is formally rolled out by the Ministry of Health and we are staffed appropriately for the flu program in November. Anyone wishing to book an appointment by phone or walk in can reach out to us then and we will be happy to accommodate. With respect to those who are not tech-savvy or cannot afford a computer, there is free computer access available at your local library. There are also some fantastic, computer knowledgeable people at the library that should be able to assist you or provide some lessons on how to use one. At the Boggio Family of Pharmacies, we do not discriminate against any person for any reason. Accommodations are always made to ensure that all patients receive access to the services that we provide. Editor’s note: In fact, the Province’s flu immunization program has already begun, and residents 65-plus or those who are considered at high risk have been eligible during October to receive the flu shot. In a follow-up, Kyle Boggio told the Voice that people in this category “can leave their name and phone number with our staff and we will accommodate as soon as possible.” Elsewhere in Fonthill, Shoppers Drug Mart will book appointments by phone. PharmaChoice, next to Food Basics, also books appointments by phone. Pharmacist Glen Sisak tells the Voice that shots for the general public will be available as of Nov. 1 and bookings are available now.
Appreciation for kind support Recently we lost a pillar in this community as well as a husband, father, grandfather and friend. The loss was unexpected and as a result very difficult to accept. However, the community has responded with such kind words of support as well as food, cards, flowers, phone calls, visits and remembrances that we wanted you to know how much each little gesture was appreciated. He will never be replaced but your thoughtfulness will help to sustain us through the coming days. Thanks again. The Beamer Family
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Capacity limits eased, farmers honoured, loss of an icon
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ast Friday, Premier Doug Ford was speaking at a news conference, stated that the province aims to end all Covid-19 restrictions by March 2022. He tempered that statement with two caveats: Covid numbers must continue to be low, and no vaccine- resistant strains emerge among the populace. Continuing the reopening phase, as Of Monday Oct 25, was to lift capacity limits and physical distancing requirements in restaurants, bars, gyms, casinos, bingo halls, dance studios and indoor event spaces. These new rules will have minimal effect on the day-to-day operations of the MCC, as all vaccine mandated protocols to enter the facility remain in effect. Regional case numbers of Covid-19 continue to remain low, with Pelham, as of October 20, having zero active cases. Total number of hospitalizations was 14. ast Friday, I had the privilege to attend what I believe to be a first in the Region, a Farmer Appreciation recognition, co-ordinated by the Niagara District Catholic School Board. The event was held at Hollow Maple Farms, which is owned by the Iftody family located at 627 Church St., just south of Fenwick. The board’s lead person for the event, Marco Magazzeni, did an excellent job of including area Grade 7 and 8 students
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in the program, by having each student read two names of farmers receiving recognition, who then came forward and received a very nice wooden plaque, for either the living room wall or to hang in the office. Although approximately 60 farmers were invited to the event, the majority were unable to attend as they were finishing up the harvesting of their crops. Those farmers in attendance had nothing but praise for the event and the event organizers. It was great to see our MPP Sam Oosterhoff and Regional Chair Jim Bradley in attendance. t the last Regional Council meeting, Thursday October 21, I seconded a motion put forward by fellow councillor Dave Bylsma, which called on our fellow councillors to declare a state of mental health emergency in Niagara Region, thereby acknowledging the alarming state of poor mental health in a growing number of residents throughout Niagara. This declaration would give the problem the exposure it deserves and hopefully encourage the upper tier governments to allocate additional monies to Niagara to increase services. In offering my support to the motion, I quoted the last paragraph of a letter that Shawn Baylis, CEO of Pathstone Mental Health, had sent to Regional Chair Jim Bradley and all regional
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councillors: “Our staff have been taxed to the max since March of 2019. Programs that never experienced a wait list, are now 250-plus kids deep, and they are waiting three plus months to get into a short term program. If this alarm bell is not loud enough to result in the issuing of a mental health state of emergency, it’s our kids that will lose.” Unfortunately, due to some astute political maneuvering by a councillor from Lincoln, the motion was not allowed on the floor and the presenting people who have the facts and work with these residents, were not allowed to address council, and of course no vote was taken. I was ashamed by this action and can’t for the life of me understand this council’s reluctance to face this problem head-on. t was sad to hear of the passing of long time Fonthill resident and businessman Lloyd Beamer. Talk about a fi xture on main street! Lloyd operated his store, Beamer’s Hardware, for 35 years on Pelham Street, and always had time for a friendly chat with customers. His deep knowledge of his business and his helpful suggestions when asked “How would you fi x this, Lloyd?” endeared him to all who shopped there. I send my condolences to his wife, Shirley, and family. ◆
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NEWSFLASH Tell us your story! Column Six presents tales of personal triumph, adventure, strange-but-true stories, life-changing events, and looks-back at our past. Did you conquer Everest or kick a bad habit? Everyone has a story. Tell us yours! NOW ALSO ACCEPTING FICTION— SHORT STORIES UP TO 4000 WORDS! Write it down, send it in: publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca (You won’t get rich, but you will get paid.)
Page 6
The Voice
A October 27 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
COMMENTARY / OP-ED Councillor Wayne Olson
Value-alignment: “The Target for Tonight”
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he statement has been made that the Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport needs to be run like a business. After years of losses and the prospect of many more years of future losses and deficit funding, the airport might be better described as not a viable business, in the normal sense of the term. The airport is, however, a community asset regardless of the financial past and the economic future. To solve the airport dilemma it is first important to identify the stakeholders and clarify their interests. Pelham’s interests as the host municipality are quite different than the other municipalities forming the airport’s oversight commission. They are different from the larger municipalities who seem to have allegiance to each other. As residents of Pelham, we have a unique vision for our Town. We value a green profile, independence, self determination, equity, accessibility and inclusion. As the host municipality, we want to determine things like land use and development for ourselves. As it stands today, the future of a large area of our Town is being determined by a commission dominated by the other member municipalities. As it stands today, Pelham
is being treated like a custodian paid out of the taxes that are collected. It doesn’t seem to matter that the airport can pave and build without the same restrictions that everybody in the Town must follow. That is a true collision of values. Are we just in a holding pattern until Welland expands onto our land? The benefits of a public ownership must be distributed equitably to all of the residents of Pelham. The benefits cannot just serve those with greater influence at the expense of those with less. Funding should not be perpetual and without any reasonable prospect of change or ending. We have plenty of beneficial projects on the back burner that have had to wait for money. The values of the airport users are no less legitimate than the values of the Town. In fact, you will find agreement on a very broad range of values. If I can recall from watching my dad, fliers place a high value on safety, dedication to flight, a sense of order and direction, adventure and a learning perspective. I don’t argue with that at all. The dominant reality for the Town is our lack of financial resources creating an ongoing situation of funds rationing. Debt determines and limits the variety of responses that we have to all projects. I can see
worthwhile and beneficial projects moving further and further away from fruition. We simply cannot continue to be the piggy bank without the prospect of, at least, provoking questions about the strategic direction of airport. Multiple perspectives, creativity and uncertainty are valuable and healthy. It is a mistake to interpret values and the new realities from the perspective of just one stakeholder group. It’s no good to tell people to shape up or ship out. In the new reality, it is much wiser to identify the value-tensions and address them. It’s no good to blame our predecessors. Their values were equally as legitimate as ours today. Certainly, the pressure points have changed. We can at least honour the effort. Why not inform ourselves by at least looking at old strategic plans? At least we would have a better idea of what didn’t work and they provide substantial clues about the adaptive works required. It has been said that change is the most common element in the universe and conflict is nature’s way of creating change. Motion and change are necessary and good. Who can even assume to understand the adaptive changes required as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic? In times like this, it is even more important to be fol-
lowing a plan or least comparing ideas. There are imposed limits and they need to be known. The Welland-Port Colborne Airport Act, 1976, sets some very firm boundaries that strictly limit options. Any business plan has to recognize the restrictions arising from the Airport Act. They cannot be ignored. For example, the erection of buildings requires the approval in writing of the Minister of Transport—has this been done? The Act includes a dispute mechanism: any dispute shall be solely arbitrated by the Ontario Municipal Board or, I assume, the Ontario Land Tribunal. It is pretty clear that in the minds of some, the situation is aggravated. Hopefully, it can change but there is a potential way out. There are usually two directions that can be taken by a business. You can try to save yourself to prosperity. Given that the airport has been on bread and water for
years—years that have been dominated by really admirable efforts by the staff and Commissioners to economize—saving your way to prosperity is an unlikely road to success. The second direction is to try and spend your way to prosperity. In other words, to grow. If that is the direction, this means money. We need to know the cost of expanding and we must study and evaluate the value-tensions that will inevitably ensue. We need to know the realistic prospects for more growth than the airport has ever seen to date. And we need to know the cost. Might as well get started now. I have read at least ten airport strategic plans. They could have been written by the same person in each case. In my opinion, the direction is all wrong because the planning direction is airport out as opposed to airport in. By that I mean the external realities will have to bend to accommo-
date the airport. By airport in, I mean that the airport adapts to the external new realities. The consistent narrative around local airports, many of which are for sale or closed now, is failing infrastructure and the lack of a cornerstone tenant. The estimated costs of simply repairing runways is in the millions. Published reports often refer to the anticipated costs of these repairs as the reason for putting an airport up for sale. We really do need a strategic plan that can provide a fulsome examination of new realities and matches them to the potential of the airport. There are shifts in values going on right now. We need to be able to understand how the airport fits. Leadership is about orienting the NCDRA to these new realities and requires a bigger plan. Perhaps in the end, we will end up meeting each other’s needs. Let’s talk about it over a plan. ◆
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The Voice
Page 7
A October 27 2021
Nearly four decades on, collision victim recalls crash Consequences of another driver's actions have lasted a lifetime BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI Special to the Voice Heather Cook is an avid reader of the Voice. On a table in her Quaker Road apartment, the 77-year Fenwick native has several issues of the newspaper sitting on a table with notes written on the margins of some of the pages. The paper’s recent coverage of speeding and unsafe driving habits on Port Robinson Road prompted her to call with a desire to tell her story about how her life changed because of a collision. Her decision to recount her story is twofold. She wants drivers to understand the possible consequences of their unsafe driving, and she’s hoping her story will prompt the police to crack down on speeders and those who drive through stop signs as if they don’t exist. “They are not obeying the signs and that is what happens. They should enforce those laws.” She admits she too is not without fault. “I don’t think we obey the speed limits and I have trouble with that too. I get a heavy foot too.” Cook, who grew up on a fruit farm just down the street from E.L. Crossley, was seriously injured in a crash at the intersection of Port Robinson Road and Rice Road. “It was on June 11, 1984,” she said. “I had just come from my chiropractor and I was driving on Port
Robinson and had the right of way. Someone was driving down Rice Road not obeying the signs and they didn’t stop.” Now the intersection is controlled by traffic lights, but back then and until relatively recently, there were only stop signs on Rice Road. “He hit me broadside and drove me into a telephone phone and I ended up in Hamilton General Hospital unconscious for a month. The cop gave me a picture of my car and all that was left was the frame.” She was still unconscious when her 40th birthday came during her time in the hospital. When she awoke and was good enough to good home, she had to move in with her mother because she was unable to take care of herself. “Thank God my mother was there to take care of me,” Cook said. “She took care of me as a little girl to get me through school and then she had to take care of me again.” She doesn’t even want to think what would have happened in her life if her mother hadn’t been there to nurse her back to health. “I would have been lost in the courts or whatever. That’s it.” The collision was also hard on her family. “It takes a toll on them too because I wasn't the same person.” She admitted being nervous
Heather Cook was seriously injured in a 1984 crash on Port Robinson Road. about driving again after the incident. “My brother said I had to get back in that car and drive. I always lived out on a farm and if you wanted to go anywhere you had to drive.” She still pays particular attention to the fateful intersection. “I’m not worried about it but I watch it when I am driving through it.” She still bears the physical and mental scars from the collision. The physical remnant is a tracheotomy scar on her neck and the mental aspects are the lingering after-effects of a serious brain injury she suffered in the impact.
“And then as you age, everything else is falling apart too,” she said with a laugh. “I am pretty thankful that I can think, understand, know who you are and my memory has come back more after 37 years. Initially I had to write things down so that I could remember, and I still have to make a list if I go to the grocery store for a few things.” The collision also changed her personality. “I was always outgoing and social but I kind of became a recluse. I used to be jovial and I think I am again now.” Cook received a court settlement and her oldest brother, a finan-
BERNIE PUCHALSKI
cial advisor, invested the money to provide her with an income to live on. After the collision, she was unable to return to her job at the Skylon Tower. “I tried to go back but I had worked there long enough to know that I wasn’t carrying my load with the rest of the crew. I just couldn’t cope like I used to.” To keep herself busy, Cook took courses at Niagara College and educated herself on health foods and natural remedies. “I try to doctor myself and I go to the guy in Welland. His face just lights up when I come in because I spend $200 bucks.”
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Page 8
The Voice
A October 27 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
Deadline looms for NPCA restoration program BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI Special to the Voice Time is running out for interested parties to take part in the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority’s restoration program. The deadline for 2022 projects is Nov. 15, and applications for the restoration program can be downloaded from the NPCA website at https://npca.ca/restoration. Applications can be made by private and public landowners, incorporated non-governmental organizations, and non-incorporated organizations such as nature clubs, and friends of organizations. Launched in 2019, the program’s goal is to restore and improve water quality, wildlife habitat, and forest cover across the Niagara Peninsula watershed. The Niagara Peninsula watershed is highly degraded and conservation authority water quality monitoring has determined most of the surface waters in the watershed are either poor or impaired. One project that has recently been funded by the program is the restoration of a section of the Twelve Mile Creek behind a property on Effingham Road. “This one is a tree planting/ riparian project,” said Steve Gillis, a NPCA restoration specialist. “We’re planting next to the creek to increase habitat, improve water quality and increase forest cover as well.” Among the plantings on the property are American sycamore, white oak and tulip trees, serviceberries, dogwood and willows. “The Twelve Mile Creek is our only cold-water system,” he said.
“Obviously one of the most important things for a cold water system is to have that shade to keep the temperatures low. That’s why we did the planting along the creek here. It is to help provide the shade but it’s also providing wildlife corridors to increase the habitat as well.” The majority of the NPCA’s restoration projects are partner-funded with groups such as Ducks Unlimited, Forest Ontario, and Trout Unlimited’s Niagara chapter. The latter two groups were partners at the Effingham Road site. “We truly try our best to get as many partners as we can to help reduce the cost for the landowners,” Gillis said. The NPCA provides 75 percent of the funding and there eight different categories eligible for restoration funds. “We do tree planting, wetland creation and agricultural [best management practice] projects as well, and we work with the farming community,” Gillis said. “For those projects, a lot of it is trying to reduce nutrients getting into creeks by doing such things as helping people fi x their manure storage, winter cover crops and fencing cattle out of creeks.” Interest in the program has been keen. “We had at least 80 applications last year and I think we had about 50 approved projects this year,” Gillis said. “We do have quite a bit of uptake. The program’s predecessor ran from the late 1990s until 2017. “We’re sort of picking up steam again and trying to get people in-
NPCA restoration specialist Steve Gillis with an American sycamore planted along Twelve Mile Creek. volved,” he said. In 2021, the NPCA budgeted $250,000 for the program but not all of the money was spent. “We got a bit of a hit with Covid and it is also a voluntary program so we’re working with people and it might be midway through the year when they say the situations changed and don’t want to do a project anymore,” Gillis said. Another program the NPCA is hoping to publicize is its well de-
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commissioning program. The authority funds 80 percent of the cost of decommissioning a well to a maximum of $1,000 with a maximum of two wells per property. “With an abandoned well, it is all about stopping the contamination of groundwater,” Gillis said. “A lot of the stuff we do is sort of a surface water thing but this program is about keeping up the groundwater quality.” Grants are given on a first-come,
FOOD DRIVE
continued from Page 1 school snacks; flaked ham, chicken or turkey; laundry soap and scent-free soap. “The food drive is our largest resource for donated food,” Moore said. The goal is to collect 3,000 wine bottle boxes full of food. “That would carry us late April to early May. The goal is basically to fill up the shelves in the basement,” he said. “Last year, 1,800 boxes of food were donated and we were thrilled with that.” The Covid-19 pandemic has made this year’s food drive even more important for Pelham Cares, which receives no government funding. “Our need has dramatically increased. Nobody expected Covid to last as long,” Moore said. “At first it was just a passing thing but our challenge now is accommodating all the requests from individuals
BERNIE PUCHALSKI
first-serve basis, and all work must be completed by an Ontario Ministry of the Environment Conservation and Parks licensed well contractor. To download a grant application form visit https://npca. ca/well-decommissioning. The NPCA estimates the number of abandoned water wells in the watershed is in the thousands. Since 2007, the authority has provided funding to decommission some one hundred of them.
and families.” Compared to the same time last year, there has been a 28 percent increase in emergency orders and a 38 percent increase in individuals registered with Pelham Cares. The demand for the organization’s Thanksgiving hampers increased by 14 percent this year. Pelham Cares uses established policies for screening and assisting its clients. The biggest challenges facing the organization is the increase in numbers as well as the dietary requirements of clients. Individuals and sometimes even entire families have dietary restrictions and accommodating those requests are costly. Pelham Cares is trying to provide more healthy foods and protein sources through local farmers and other community partners. With the aging of existing Pelham residents and the growth in Pelham’s population, Pelham Cares expects its client base for all its services to continue to grow.
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The Voice
Page 9
A October 27 2021
Pelham mayor still fine with no pot stores But Brock University research suggests retail is safer option BY BILL POTRECZ Special to the Voice No pot in Pelham continues to be fine as far as Mayor Marvin Junkin is concerned. In a special Committee of the Whole meeting, held Monday, Jan. 14, 2019, Pelham Town Council supported a motion to opt out of allowing retail cannabis stores in the municipality. Fast forward almost three years and Junkin stands by council’s decision. “At the time — and I don’t know what the current feeling is — we heard from the residents that they did not want any retail cannabis stores in the town so we went that way,” Junkin said. “There were one or two business people who wished we had allowed them in, so I guess our feeling then was Welland and St. Catharines aren’t that far away and people can order it online and they bring it to your door. I was happy then, and to be honest with you, I’m still happy we don’t have it in the town.”
Town staff, in a report presented by Director of Community Planning and Development Barbara Wiens, recommended that council opt in to allow retail cannabis in Pelham. The federal government legalized recreational cannabis use Oct. 17, 2018. Junkin said he has not heard of a groundswell of support to change the decision. “I don’t see us changing in the near future,” he said. “There has been nobody banging on the door demanding equal rights or anything like that, not at all.” Pelham residents don’t have to travel far for a retail cannabis location. A quick Google search revealed 20 stores in St. Catharines, six in Welland and four more in Thorold. Toke Canada, located at 589 South Pelham St., Welland, and Grand Cannabis, located at Turner’s Cor-
Toke Cannabis, on South Pelham Street, is one of six cannabis retailers in Welland. ners in Thorold, are the two closest. Employees at both locations said their stores do not ask customers for their addresses or postal codes. Toke Canada only delivers online orders to residents of Welland. New research out of Brock University’s Goodman School of Business examines the importance of making legal products accessible to consumers. Michael Armstrong, Associate Professor of Operations Research and one of Canada’s foremost experts
in the area of legalized cannabis sales, has published new research about the relationship between legal cannabis stores and the growth of users and sales. In his research, which he wrote about in The Conversation Canada, Armstrong found that provinces opening more cannabis stores gained more legal sales, but not necessarily more users. Armstrong notes several million Canadians live in places that banned licensed shops, such as Mississauga and Surrey, B.C. In the U.S., most municipalities in Cal-
ifornia opted out of allowing stores after recreational sales began there in 2018, and 71 percent of towns in New Jersey and 90 percent of those in Maine recently did the same. Politicians may think banning stores is a way to protect residents, but Armstrong’s study suggests “communities will see similar user growth after legalization whether they allow shops or not.” “Users will increasingly buy legally if local shops open,” he says. “But without such stores, users will
BILL POTRECZ
keep visiting illicit sources where products might be misrepresented or contaminated. This means community store bans could lead to more crime and health problems rather than less.” Armstrong says retail opt-outs — by municipalities or by entire nations — risk becoming political cop-outs that hide problems instead of addressing them. “Cannabis legalization is complex. Canada is still learning from its experiences. Hopefully other countries can learn from them too,” he says.
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Page 10
The Voice
A October 27 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
Letters continued Pelham property taxes unreasonable
House of Commons vaxx policy shows “contempt”
I have been concerned about my Pelham tax bill for some time. I recently “ran some numbers.” We have lived in our home, many years, without any changes. The Town portion of our tax bill has increased almost 40 percent in the last seven years. In the same timeframe, Niagara Region has increased almost 17 percent, Consumer Price Index 13 percent and the Old Age Security Benefit payment almost 12 percent. The Town portion of our tax bill has increased over 21 percent in the last four years. In the same timeframe, Niagara Region has increased just over 13 percent, Consumer Price Index just over 8 percent and the Old Age Security
On September 20, Canadians had the privilege to use our voices at the ballot box. And while it turns out that the individuals returning to Ottawa aren't that different, we are now hearing that there will be some significant changes in the House of Commons after all. This past Tuesday, the Speaker of the House announced that the Board of Internal Economy had decided that anyone entering the House of Commons must be fully vaccinated. This includes the adjacent blocks, committee rooms, etc. This decision cannot be allowed to stand. Preventing democratically elected MPs from accessing their workplace not only robs the MP the ability to do their job, it robs their constituents of proper representation— the very backbone of Canadian democracy. It should also be noted and not discounted that in order to have a properly functioning democracy we need other Canadians to participate in government as well. Canadians that work in the press, that have expertise to offer parliamentary committees, and regular citizens should not be prevented from accessing government buildings and participating in our democracy due to their
Benefit payment almost 7 percent. My private sector pension isn't indexed, so that's an easy calculation. From my corner of the world, 40 percent and 21 percent increases by the Town of Pelham are totally unreasonable. The increases are now baked in, into perpetuity. The "horses have left the barn" but I respectfully ask that those who are involved with the preparation, review, approval and spending of Pelham taxes and dollars do so in a more diligent and frugal way. Bohdan Brenko Fonthill
Loss of Lloyd Beamer keenly felt As a longtime residents of Fonthill, we are guilty of lamenting the increasing number of changes our village has undergone lately. Increased traffic, more four-way stops and traffic lights, more housing, more people, more of everything. Throughout the years one thing has remained constant. The friendly, easygoing presence of Lloyd Beamer at our local hardware store. We know that we're not alone in describing Lloyd as one of the gentlest, kindest, most helpful men we've had the great pleasure of knowing. His passing is surely the biggest change Fonthill has yet undergone. He will be missed. Marcel and Cathy Vanderlaan Fonthill
Treaty doesn't make deer hunt right As a longtime hiker and lover of Short Hills Park, I read with interest your story [Protesters greet start of annual Short Hills deer hunt, Oct. 20, p.1]. Paul Williams of the Haudenosaunee makes some erroneous statements. He states the hunters track wounded deer until they are found. I know of wounded deer found in the park and
on private property after a hunt. If a deer is running around with an arrow in its back, this was not a “kill shot.” As far as Mr. Williams stating that the hunters give thanks to the deer and show gratitude, why is it that deer guts and remains have been found all over the park the day after a hunt? What about
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the deer penises and intestines and blood seen only a metre or two off a main trail? I suppose the hunters were showing respect and gratitude when they butchered a pregnant doe last year, leaving its unborn fetuses laying on the ground. Not to mention the disgusting sight of the doe's stomach cut off and nailed to a nearby tree with its engorged nipples. What a pleasant site for families enjoying a weekend stroll. The hunters take great pleasure in filming their hunt every year and never have I seen this “ceremony showing gratitude.” In no way is this hunt respectful to the park, its inhabitants or the people who enjoy it. It has become nothing more than a killing zone meant to pacify the First Nations. Just because it is their right, doesn't make it right. Katherine Masterson Thorold
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A lot of people are finding it hard to make ends meet as costs of everything seem on the rise, but yet one group First Nations at the taxpayers expense get a whopping $450,000 so they can hunt Short Hills Provincial Park. Paul Williams, described as an Indigenous lawyer, negotiator and historian, and involved in hunting and cultural rights for some 40 years said in the Voice that it could cost a quarter million dollars if Ontario wanted to engage in a deer herd reduction because of a possible needed environmental assessment, which could become political, and so we are fortunate to have people with treaty rights doing the deer population reduction [Protesters greet start of annual Short Hills deer hunt, Oct. 20, p.1]. Consider how fortunate people like Robin and Craig Zavitz must feel having hunters on their and other
landowners’ private property, sometimes carrying uncased bows in residential areas. If the shoe was on the
Consider how fortunate people like Robin and Craig Zavitz must feel having hunters on their and other landowners' private property
other foot and white Canadians were evading First Nations properties under the same conditions, how long would that be tolerated? Reading the article one gets the feeling the continuation of the hunt is very one-sided as laid out in the first paragraph stating protesters may be looking for common ground but will not find it.
Williams lists many hunt areas they use now. One wonders how much deer meat is enough as the rest of us purchase goods for our celebrations ourselves supporting local businesses. History has given First Nations entitlement with the treaty to do as they see fit with the deer. Williams puts forth the belief that if you thank them for their sacrifice all is cancelled out like the pain and agony. Really? Williams is also pleased to have partnerships with government agencies owed to the involvement in the hunt, but could not partnerships be formed without the taking of deer? The laying off of the deer hunt waiting days and weeks in between must be stressful and now using drones to hunt kicks it up any another pathetic notch and seemingly backing off of the Ministry to perform its full duties and oversee the hunts another toll on the taxpayer. Faye Suthons Wainfleet
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vaccination status. People do not cease to be citizens when they are unvaccinated. If protecting people from Covid is the objective, the Board of Internal Economy could have done this by means other than forcing people to do something they are not able in good conscience to do—submitting to a regular rapid test being the most obvious. It's one thing to keep unvaccinated Canadians from enjoying a night out at a restaurant or taking in a Leafs game. But preventing Canadians from participating in our government? Not only is it unacceptable, it's a slap in the face of the electorate and shows contempt for democracy itself. Ryan Mans Smithville
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A October 27 2021
Grade 7 and 8 classes at St. Ann Catholic School in Fenwick and St. Alexander Catholic Elementary School in Fonthill, along with the culinary class at Notre Dame College School in Welland, hosted an appreciation luncheon for local farmers last week at Hollow Maple Farms in Fenwick. BILL POTRECZ
Students pay homage to work of local farmers The Grade 7 and 8 classes at St. Ann Catholic School in Fenwick and St. Alexander Catholic Elementary School in Fonthill, along with the culinary class at Notre Dame College School in Welland, hosted an appreciation luncheon for local farmers last week at Hollow Maple Farms in Fenwick. The students from the two schools individually honoured local farmers, greenhouse growers, and agribusinesses as part of a pilot project put forth by the Niagara Catholic District School Board. “We’re going to try going Niagara-wide in the following years to start getting our kids to make a connection with where the food is produced, and to do an informal introduction for them to our local growers,” said Marco Magazzeni, NCDSB co-ordinator of exponential learning, community partnership. “We’re starting in Pelham. The Town of Pelham has been very supportive with the event. We have a partnership already with Hollow Maple Farms so we thought we would pilot it here and
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start doing this to understand about sustainability and protecting our farmland and what it means to us locally.” Students from the two elementary schools individually presented local farmers with homemade wooden plaques giving thanks to their commitment and dedication to providing for the community. St. Ann teacher Brad Rusling, and Kara Eller, a resource teacher at St. Alexander, organized the students. “It was a quick turnaround when we found out about it but they seemed to embrace it,” Rusling said. “They are a very mature group and they realize this is their community so they wanted to come and say thank you.” Joe Zaroda, associate superintendent at NCDSB, loved the idea of doing something tangible for local farmers. “The key piece is for our students to recognize in front of them is an incredible group of individuals that we should be giving thanks to for all the gifts they have given to us over the years with regard to food on our table,” Zaroda said.
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Hollow Maple Farms owner Sam Iftody. BILL POTRECZ Hollow Maple Farms has partnered with NCDSB for the last ten years. Owner Sam Iftody and sons George and Ed donate a couple of
acres to students for the horticultural programs at secondary schools. “The produce is picked by students and brought back to our culinary kitchens,” Magazzeni said. “Some of the food goes into the kitchens for our students to use and some of it goes to agencies such as Hope Centre or Project Share in Niagara Falls.” Magazzeni hopes to expand the program. “This is our test. We want to use this as a pilot. Our kids need to learn about the sustainability of our land and planning policies so we don’t destroy our farms lands where our food is coming from,” he said. “Our hope is our kids, our youth, learn to shop appro-
priately. Before you buy an apple or pear that is coming from South Africa, be cognizant that pear is sitting down the street at a local food farm.” Magazzeni said the school board owes a debt of gratitude to the Iftody family. “There is really nothing they have ever said no to that our kids could do on this farm,” he said. Sam Iftody, who said the farm began in 1927, loves
being involved the students. “I wanted to be the giver, I didn’t want to receive,” he said. “I wanted those guys to take over what they wanted to do. I cultivated it up and let them go at it. If they ask questions, I’d answer them. Other than that, if you sink, you sink. Ask before your try things because it’s hard to do. These guys get into it I and enjoy watching them. It’s been really nice. They are all very good kids.”
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A October 27 2021
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Bethany Christian Reformed Church www.bethanycrc.ca
First Presbyterian Church 602 Metler Rd., North Pelham
Holy Trinity Anglican Church holytrinityfonthill.org
Pelham Evangelical Friends Church www.pelhamfriends.ca
Concordia Lutheran Church 105 Welland Rd., Fonthill
Fonthill Baptist Church www.fonthillbaptistchurch.ca
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1369 Rice Rd., Fonthill
Ridgeville Bible Chapel ridgevillebiblechapel.com
Fenwick Church of Christ www.fenwickchurchofchrist.ca
Fonthill United Church www.fonthillunited.com
Kirk on the Hill Presbyterian Church kirkonthehill@outlook.com
St. Alexander Roman Catholic Church www.stalexander.on.ca
Fenwick United Church www.fenwickunited.com
Glad Tidings Church of God www.gladtidingschurchofgod.com
Pelham Community Church (United Church) www.pelham.cc
St. Ann Roman Catholic Church www.stannfenwick.com
FAITH LIFT
continued from Page 15 vine revelation that imparts eternal knowledge and wisdom. “The fear (high reverence) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10) Human books can be very helpful but are limited in understanding and usually deal with temporal things which some day pass away. “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25) The hands over the book then represent the hands of God welcoming us to read, reflect and apply the truths in his Word. “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is
the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21) One of my high school teachers once said that the goal of education was to create healthy minds in healthy bodies. That definition satisfied me then, but not now. I think he left out the most important part — a healthy soul. Each of us has a body, mind, and soul. The first two are visible; the last is invisible. Secular education emphasizes the first two and largely ignores the last. However, the physical and mental parts of us are temporal. Someday (like it or not) your body will die, and your mind with it. But the spiritual part of you (your soul) is eternal and will live on. During his career, Heinz Gaugel also created a mural of the Last Supper and several oil paintings of biblical characters. I think he would like my version. ◆ Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor.
FUTURE FOOD
continued from Page 14 ing seeds and dispersing fertilizer more efficiently, or as complex as monitoring the temperature of sea water layers to improve the productivity of kelp or fish farming. Robotics will allow the economies of scale and inexpensive labour necessary to produce and harvest food from costly vertical farms, maintaining nutrient flows and monitoring artificial light intensity 24/7. Genetic engineering will be the most important piece of the future food supply puzzle, although it is fraught with complications and critics. Deborah Koons Garcia’s 2004 movie, The Future of Food, woke the world to the potential dangers of GMO (genetically modified organisms), yet in the last few years, Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods have moved the needle
of genetic tinkering far forward while attempting to perfect the composition of their meat simulations. Isolating proteins to see which combine best for taste and texture may not be genetic modification, but genome sequencing, gene editing, and adding individual molecules to the Impossible Burger mixture surely qualify. In a report, tellingly presented in the Economist’s October 2 Technology Quarterly, they state that Impossible Foods adds “heme, a ring-shaped molecule with an iron atom at its heart,” to its burgers. When cooked this molecule and the proteins to which it attaches produce a flavor similar to the taste hemoglobin produces when blood-soaked meat is cooked. These, and similar actions by other researchers, will only re-ignite the controversies of two decades ago. We may believe that process
transparency and strict regulation will make newly developed GMO foods safer, but in this day of fake news and disinformation, consumer trust will be in short supply. Major cultural shifts will be required to switch middle-class consumers from enjoying fresh Alberta beef or Wagyu steak to accepting farmed insect protein as an ingredient of meat analogues. Beyond Meat, founded in 2009, now sells some $400 million dollars worth of product in 80 countries, with revenues increasing 36 percent last year alone. It has a market value of $7 billion, yet has never turned a profit, an investment scenario consistent with the majority of new food-technology start-ups. That there will be upheavals in food production and consumption in the future is certain, its shape and timing are less so. Many corporations, especially those with vested interests in the
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$10 gift card agricultural system as it is today, argue for greener, kinder, more sustainable changes to be made within the current structure, much like fossil fuel energy producers argue that switching from coal to natural gas is a legitimate interim step to curbing greenhouse gases. Others see much more radical change, cutting out these intermediary steps, as the best means to reducing environmental damage and the considerable cruelty we inflict upon animals. A Canadian report co-authored in February 2021 by Lenore Newman, Canada Research Chair, Food Security and the Environment, University of The Fraser Valley, and Evan Fraser, Director of the Arrell Food Institute and Professor in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Guelph, on technologies that will change agriculture, begins with the following position statement. “Agriculture’s impact on the planet is massive and relentless. Roughly 40 percent of the Earth’s suitable land surface is used for cropland and grazing. The number of domestic animals far outweighs remaining wild populations. Every day, more primary forest falls against a tide of crops and pasture and each year an area as large as the United Kingdom is lost. If humanity is to have a hope of addressing climate change, we must re-imagine farming.” I would add, “and food sourcing in general.” Investors are pouring billions of dollars into dozens of technology firms that produce lab-grown meat via tissue cultivation, hoping their chosen company will be the first to bring cultured meat, including fish tissue, to market in an economically viable manner. The environmental benefits seem significant: less land used, less cruelty to animals, and less emissions from animal waste. Will there be a corresponding increase in demand from consumers? That is the uncertainty. Without public acceptance, especially in rich countries where these firms hope to make their profits, investors face
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Phone: 905-892-7898 Fax: 905-892-4811
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GARAGE SALE Saturday, October 30, 9 – 1, 11 Wellington Court, Fonthill. Queen Bed, Dresser, Night Table. Coffee Tables-Glass Tops, Chesterfield, Mirrors, Foot Stool, Chairs, Books, Electric Recliner/Lifter, etc.
FISH FRY Fonthill Royal Canadian Legion #613 Fish Fry. Fish and Chips or Chicken. $13.00 (tax Included) NEW HOURS --- 3:30 – 6:00 p.m. --- NEW HOURS
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The Voice
A October 27 2021
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
THE BALANCED LIFE by John Swart
Future foods: agriculture or technology?
D
o you long for the time when having breakfast was as simple as pouring a cup or two of Honey Nut Cheerios into a bowl, throwing in some raisins to spice up the taste and texture, and dousing the whole bowl with enough 3.25% butterfat milk to extinguish a small campfire? Did it matter that four of the six main ingredients were sugar, honey, cornstarch and brown sugar syrup, and the additional raisins were 58 percent sugar by weight? A second breakfast option for me back then was two or three fried eggs, depending
on the day’s planned activities and my astonishingly ill-informed understanding of nutrition, a few strips of cheap, fatty bacon, and any leftover white potatoes from dinner the evening before, cut up into bite-sized, butter-fried hash browns. These breakfast choices encapsulate so much of the food story during recent decades—natural foods versus processed, nutritional value versus taste and culture. We’ll soon look back on this time as being one of easy choices, before food inadvertently became a huge part of climate change politics and economics, before technology allowed
hamburger to be grown in a test tube, fruit and berries to ripen year-round in a converted warehouse under LED lighting within a few kilometers of the consumer, and before geo-engineered up-welling gave us the ability to pump cold, nutrient-rich seawater from the ocean’s depths, quadrupling the yield of commercially grown kelp and other edible seaweeds. A May 2020 University of Copenhagen study titled, “The future is knocking: global food production to be transformed using new technology,” published in Science Daily, states, “The world's growing population and increasing human welfare will necessitate a 3070 percent increase in food production over the next three decades. At the same time, the huge quantities of
food needed must be produced in such a way that protects the environment and is resistant to climate change. If we are to succeed, it will require a complete overhaul of the way we produce food.” This University of Co-
penhagen paper reflects a similar theme among many recent studies and reports, that sourcing sufficient food to feed a growing world population equitably and environmentally sustainably will require combining and employing the latest re-
search and technology in an array of disciplines. Utilizing artificial intelligence in every aspect of food production will be a given, whether it’s as simple as GPS-piloted tractors plantSee FUTURE FOOD Page 12
V oice HOROSCOPE ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 There’s no need to separate business and pleasure this week, Aries. You can find a way to combine them if you get creative. Get the work team on board. TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, if collaborating with someone else has you second-guessing yourself, venture out alone for a little bit and see what progress you made. You can always team up later. GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, others look to your for support in the days ahead. Lend an ear and a helping hand if asked. Simply being there as a sounding board may be enough. CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, expect the unexpected in the days ahead. The unknown can be mysterious, and that can spice things up for a little while. Embrace the challenge. LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, your willpower may not be strong this week, so be on guard if temptation arises. It’s alright to indulge once in awhile, but do your best to stay the course. VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, a little personal pampering can go a long way from time to time. You can’t always look the other way regarding your personal needs. Help yourself to help others. LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, you’re usually cool as a cucumber, but something has you riled up this week that may be putting doubts in your head. Focus and breathe.
SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, you may feel like you are ready to throw caution to the wind, but deep down you know that’s not your style. Continue to do your research and find the best way forward. SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 Sagittarius, a conversation with a loved one provides some clarity for both of you. Allow this heart-to-heart to serve as a foundation for future discussions. CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Build restful moments into your schedule while working from home, Capricorn. This way you have a fine line between home and work life. Start today with a long lunch. AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 You can pursue different ventures all the while keeping your day job, Aquarius. It’s not a “one-or-the-other” thing. If something feels like a calling, do your research. PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Take stock of your relationships, Pisces. Make sure that you are getting as much as you’re giving. Work out any imbalances if necessary. FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS OCTOBER 24 Adrienne Bailon, Singer (38) OCTOBER 25 Mia Wasikowska, Actress (32) OCTOBER 26 Keith Urban, Singer (54) OCTOBER 27 Lonzo Ball, Athlete (24) OCTOBER 28 Brad Mondo, Stylist (27)
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The Voice
Page 15
A October 27 2021
ANSWERS ON PAGE 14
FAITH LIFT
by Pastor Rob Weatherby
The moral of the mural
I
’m a proud alumnus of E.L. Crossley. The “high school on the hill” opened in 1963 with 600 students (today it has almost 900). It boasted modern architecture and state-ofthe-art technology for that time period. I chuckle now to think that the computer in my Data Processing class needed a whole room. What we slip into our pocket today has much more capacity and ability than that dinosaur (but I digress). The new school was named after Edward Lewis Crossley, who was the principal of the Pelham District High School and superintendent of the school board. It was built on one of the highest points of the Niagara Peninsula. From the greenhouse on the top floor you can see Port Colborne to the south, Niagara Falls to the east, and St. Catharines to the north. Surrounded by beautiful orchards, its most striking feature by far was (and is) its five-story-high mural. This work of art was created by renowned artist Heinz Gaugel (1927–2000), who immigrated to Canada in 1951 from southern Germany. Gaugel also crafted the huge murals at Seaway Mall in Welland as well as other works in Ontario, Ohio, and New York State. The Crossley mural immediately catches the eye of drivers on Highway 20. I once heard that the planning committee chose the mural over a swimming pool (obviously, no students were sitting around that table!).
The official moral
So, what is the “moral of the mural”? The word “moral” here means point, lesson or message, such as in the phrase, “the moral of the story” (I would have used a clearer word but none of
them sounded like mural). The open book represents the “book of learning.” The artist didn’t put a name on the book as it symbolizes the value of education in general. And then there are the open hands poised over the book. In Gaugel’s words, “Education is only worthwhile if the hands are used to transform it into something.” The artist (who was almost killed during World War II in his native Germany) was committed to the Mennonite ideal of pacifism. No doubt he felt education was one means of overcoming the futility of war and violence.
The hands can also be seen to represent the guiding hands of educators who dedicate their lives to imparting knowledge and skill to the next generation. I would say the mural’s moral is appropriate, creative and even inspiring.
My unofficial moral
You may not be too surprised to learn that I have my own version. I really didn’t think about it too much when I was a high school student but I have since. For me, the open book is God’s Word. For the believer, the Bible stands far above any other book because it’s a diSee FAITH LIFT Page 12
Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Word Search: Bath Remodel
Find the words hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and backwards. BATHTUB CURTAIN DEMOLITION DESIGNER DRYWALL
DUAL ENCLOSURE FAN FIXTURE LIGHTING
MATS MIRROR PAINTING PLUMBING RECONFIGURE
RENOVATE SHOWER HEAD SPA TILE VANITY
Voice
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GARDEN CITY REALTY INC. BROKERAGE
Page 16
The Voice
SHOP LOCAL. SAVE LOCAL Support the local businesses that keep your community and its newspapers thriving.
A October 27 2021
OBITUARY
RICHARD MELL
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Broker
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Together we achieve more We provide our clients with an exceptional, personalized service like no other. Everyone deserves the extraordinary, because luxury is not about price point, it's about an experience. 289-219-0304 rmell@sothebysrealty.ca
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Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, Brokerage. Independently Owned and Operated.
Voice
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
4 Halloween Carrot Cake
George William Peterson December 3, 1942 - October 19, 2021
As the seasons change, so does the real estate market Get in touch for your free market evaluation
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Psalm 12:1 “Help LORD for the Godly man comes to an end, For the faithful disappear from the sons of men.”(MEV) With broken hearts we announce the passing of our Husband and Daddy after a courageous, brief encounter with an unexpected, undetected, aggressive complicated cancer. He will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by his wife of 50 years Rebecca (Barnhill) Peterson, his daughter Merry Peterson and son Fred Peterson. Beloved brother of Ruby (late Glenn) Shirton and Shirley (Roger) Denchfield, and sisters and brother in law Shirley (late Von) Corbaley, and Nancy and Gene Vadnais. Nieces and Nephews: Donna, Eileen, David, Jeanette, Christine, Wendy, Pamela, Tim, Gene Jr, Raymond, James(V), Sarah, James(R), Rachel, Ben & Jacob who believed that he could fix anything. Also by great grand nieces and nephews who were a great joy to him. Predeceased by his and Becky’s three infant sons, and his parents and parents in law. George worked at Atlas Steels (1962-1969) and also as an electrician and was a glazier with Welland glass companies (1974 onward) with the Painters and Allied Trades Union until his retirement in 2007. He loved his farm and planting trees, enjoying nature and travel, was devoted to his family and had an unquenchable love of learning. He was a Godly man, who was generous with blessing and encouraging others – And an awesome Daddy. Always patient and kind and willing to lend a helping hand. Faithfully serving God within his church communities and the community at large. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him & those whose lives he touched in such a special way. He was a quiet hero and friend. Visitation has taken place at the Pelham Funeral Home, Fonthill on Sunday, October 24th from 2-4 and 6-8 pm. The funeral service to honour George’s life was held at Pelham Funeral Home on Monday, October 25th at 11:00 am. Internment followed at Fonthill Cemetery. Many thanks to the Doctors and Nurses who helped him through the end. Donations in memory can be made to Freedom In Christ Church (Welland) or McMaster’s Children’s Hospital. Online condolences may be shared at www.pelhamfuneralhome.ca.
So many sweets are on display around Halloween that it can be difficult to pick a favorite. When hosting a gathering of trick-or-treaters or the adults waiting for their hordes of candy mongers to return, it’s handy to have plenty of desserts available to tempt various palates. Carrot cake boasts an antioxidant-rich main ingredient and offers some semblance of nutrition amid the sugar rush of other offerings. Plus, its orange hue fits in perfectly with the season. This recipe for “Carrot Cake” from “Throw a Great Party: Inspired by Evenings in Paris with Jim Haynes” (iUniverse) by Mary Bartlett, Antonia Hoogewerf and Catherine Monnet yields two cakes, perfect for feeding a crowd. Carrot Cake Makes 25 servings 4 8 2 2-1⁄2 4 4 2 2 2 2 2-1⁄2
cups sugar eggs cups oil, canola or safflower teaspoons vanilla cups flour teaspoons baking powder teaspoons salt teaspoons cinnamon pounds carrots, grated cups nuts, chopped raisins (optional)
Beat the sugar and eggs together until well blended. Stir in the oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Combine the egg mixture. Fold in carrots, nuts and raisins. Divide the batter between two (9- x 13-inch) greased baking pans. Refrigerate the batter between baking times. Bake the cakes in a moderately hot oven (350 F) for approximately 40 minutes. Let cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting. The cakes may be left in the pans for ease of serving. Cream Cheese Frosting
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8 5 1-1⁄2 1-1⁄2
ounces cream cheese ounces butter pounds powdered sugar teaspoons vanilla
Bring the cream cheese and butter to room temperature. Cream the two together until smooth. Add sugar gradually, shaking it through a strainer to get rid of the lumps and beat until smooth. Add the vanilla. Cover and refrigerate until it has a good spreading consistency.
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