Peter Papp runs again page 3 Braun says connects the dots page 12 The story behind that billboard page 16 EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
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New road honours war hero
PAID FOR BY THE RE-ELECT PETER PAPP CAMPAIGN
Molly's Meadow BY SHIRLEY LAZARETH
Special to the VOICE
O
BY JENNIFER CHORNLEY
Special to the VOICE
Cremation/Burial
3 Re-Elect PETER PAPP Column Six
Summersides Boulevard opens The Town of Pelham held its official unveiling and ribbon-cutting last Monday for its latest new road, Summersides Boulevard. The road connects downtown Fonthill at Station Street to the Meridian Community Centre and Rice Road. Summersides Boulevard is named after Pelham resident and World War II hero Jim Summersides. He and his wife, Margaret, along with their two children, Rex and Sherry, were honoured to take the first drive on the street. Summersides, born in 1924, joined the armed forces at 18, training in Orillia, ON, before deploying overseas and fighting in Italy and France. In 1944, he volunteered for the First Special Service Force 1st Special Services Force, also known as the Devil’s Brigade or Black Devils, a joint Canadian-American commando unit that undertook some of the most dangerous and difficult missions. The unit never had
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THE PAPER THAT PELHAM READS
A GREAT CROP OF GREAT PUMPKINS Claire Rabb presents a sample from this year's pumpkin crop at Bloomin' Crazy Garden Centre in Fonthill. Dad and store owner Gary Rabb says that this summer's extended hot spells were good news for the orange orbs. "And the rain we had came at the right times, too." BOB LOBLAW PHOTO more than 2,400 members and had a casualty rate of 134 percent, with soldiers being wounded two and three times, but continuing to fight. About one third of its members were Canadians. Summersides said, “It isn’t a heavy honour I would have wanted to be placed upon my shoulders, but I am grateful. Even though I am one of the few who survived, I had a lot of
Margaret and Jim Summersides, joined by their children Rex and Sherry, took the first ceremonial drive along the street named after the World War II hero. JENNIFER CHORNLEY PHOTO
N MAY 14, 2018, Molly Rogers left this earthly life at the age of 104 years, 9 months and 17 days. She was my mother for nearly 86 years and her relatively sudden departure left an empty, gaping hole in my well-organized life. I had yet to realize this. Plans were made for a wonderful Celebration of her well-lived life. This took several months of preparation, and 104 closest family, friends and caregivers were invited to attend. It was a beautiful day and we rejoiced at Molly’s life and accomplishments, especially her beautiful smile and her positive attitude. As the day ended, mother’s ashes in my silver teapot, nestled in her resting place beside our father, in Oakwood Cemetery. All was well. Over the next few days, I busied myself with the usual household chores, thank-you notes and trips to Shorthills Villa, where Molly had lived for nearly 18 years. Then it hit me—all the idle time I now had and how best could I make use of it? Our family has always had a fervent interest in gardening so I chose this See COLUMN SIX Page 24
See SUMMERSIDES Page 18
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The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
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MUNICIPAL ELECTION TRACKING POLL 80 60 40
PELHAM MAYORAL RACE
20 0
Aug 5
Sept 3 Sept 10 Sept 17 Sept 24 Oct 1
158 VOTES 208 VOTES 171 VOTES 158 VOTES 136 VOTES 180 VOTES
■ ACCURSI ■ BAXTER ■ JUNKIN ■ UNDECIDED Percentages rounded to the nearest whole
80 60
See Town Council and School Board poll results on back page
40 REGIONAL COUNCIL RACE 20 0
Take this week's poll! See the link below.
Aug 5
Sept 3 Sept 10 Sept 17 Sept 24 Oct 1
158 VOTES 208 VOTES 171 VOTES 158 VOTES 136 VOTES 180 VOTES
■ AUGUSTYN ■ BATY ■ HAGAR ■ HUSON ■ UNDECIDED Percentages rounded to the nearest whole
While safeguards are in place to eliminate multiple votes, this is a self-selected poll, meaning it has no scientific validity compared to a formal random survey undertaken by a professional polling firm.
THE VOICE MUNICIPAL ELECTION TRACKING POLL 3 weeks to Election Day
Now includes Town Council and school board races
3
If the election were held today, who would you choose?
For Pelham Mayor:
Gary ACCURSI, Carla BAXTER, Marvin JUNKIN, or Undecided
For Pelham's Regional Councillor:
Dave AUGUSTYN, Brian BATY, Jim HAGAR, Diana HUSON, or Undecided
Answer at: www.thevoiceofpelham.ca/3weeks
Or by visiting our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/voiceofpelham
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ELECTION 2018: WHAT'S MY WARD Louth Townline Rd
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k l
Metler Road
Pt. Robinson Road
Ward Centre Street
Victoria Avenu
e
1
Not to scale
2
Ward
Foss Road
River Road
Pancake Lane
3
Line Avenue
FIND YOUR WARD All Pelham residents live in one of three electoral wards. Use this map to find yours. VOICE GRAPHIC Left, Eyslier Moro and his wife, Marilia, with Warren Mason, centre, in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. Eyslier is member of the Cuban Parliament. 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
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NRPS impaired driving charges 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. Deidre G. MCKINLEY, 29, Niagara Falls Dylan M. MARQUIS, 37, St. Catharines Matthew J. SHAW, 31, St. Catharines Dagmarys CALDES, 48, Grimsby Nicole M. OKRASZEWSKI, 36, Niagara Falls Shawn W. HUININK, 44, Grimsby Robert J. RITCHIE, 55, Thorold Jennifer R. ASHFORD, 30, St. Catharines Randy R. JOHNSON, 50, Welland 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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Signs of trouble: Whether it was last week’s wind gusts or the result of nefarious naughtiness, a handful of candidates are seeing some their campaign signs go AWOL. John Wink reports three gone missing, a couple for Peter Dief, Mike Ciolfi reports “at least five” are gone, ditto for Marvin Junkin. One Ward 3 candidate, whose signs remain unmolested and who wishes to remain unnamed, has another beef, though. “What I have noticed is that many candidates are not adhering to the new sign bylaw. We had to pay a sign bylaw deposit of $150 to the Town to ensure we would not put signs on public property, only on private property and only in the corresponding ward. If we do not adhere to this, then the sign will be removed by Town Bylaw Officer and we will be charged $25 per sign. If you look at the Country Corner Meat Market or Circle K Gas Bar you will see signs obviously on public property (e.g., ditches, inside boulevards).” Town Clerk, Nancy Bozzato, says that while vandalism to election signs is prohibited under the Town’s election sign bylaw, enforcement is left to the police…Meet the candidates: The Kinsmen have stepped up to provide a valuable public service by coordinating a debate among Pelham candidates running for Regional Council, as well as offering all Town Council candidates a chance to state their case. It’s happening next Wednesday, October 10, at E. L. Crossley (not this Wednesday, as incorrectly reported in the Niagara dailies). See their ad on page 11 for more information…Reach out and say howdy: At the suggestion of readers, we added candidate contact information a couple of issues back. If you have a question for a candidate, find their details on page 5...Three weeks to go: See this week’s mayoral and Regional poll results to the right, and Town Council and school board poll results on the back page. And please, do take a moment to answer the next poll, now live at www.thevoiceofpelham.ca/3weeks… The story behind the story behind the sign: Starting on page 16 this week we bring you the tale behind that anti-Augustyn billboard on Canboro Road. It’s actually a piece that Sam Piccolo, now off at grad school, was working on last spring, and which got lost in the shuffle of other, more current events. In fact, it would likely have stayed lost had it not been for the appearance of Donna McIntyre and Ted Bowman’s election message on their front lawn. Sam kindly took time out of his studies to finish his earlier draft, and I went out to speak with the couple myself for the first time last week. Working on this story I was struck—as you may be too—by the sheer incompetence of the Town’s handling of a grievance that should never have extended over two decades. Why, the Town’s legal bills alone could end up being as much as what may be paid to the plaintiffs in what looks like a certain settlement in their favour—whether by negotiation, or trial… Enjoy the day: A happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
With three weeks until Election Day and the first advanced polling already underway, there's been no significant change in the race for mayor, while the Regional Council race looks to have stabilized. At 71%, Marvin Junkin continues to enjoy a wide lead over both of his opponents, who each garner 12%. On the Regional Council side, Diana Huson's momentum has stalled, dropping 5%, while incumbent Brian Baty bumps up 6% to 51%. After a high of 15% on Sept. 3, David Augustyn sits at 11%. Most notable is the 0% garnered by Jim Hagar.
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The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
Page 3
The Conversation
Peter Papp still in the game In candid interview, Ward 3 incumbent says that if re-elected, things will be different the next time around BY DAVE BURKET
The VOICE
A
F TER WOR K ING FOR THE M AJOR IT Y OF HIS career in various municipal staff positions in Niagara and Hamilton, Peter Papp says that his fourth retirement—this time from the United Way—was probably his last. A car accident in 1993 left Papp severely injured and suffering from memory loss, and also led to the end of his first marriage of 30 years. His recovery, he says, took a tough two years, and some effects of his injuries linger to this day. The 68-year-old incumbent Ward 3 councillor has lived in Pelham for 35 years, and was first elected to Town Council in 2003, making him one of the two longest-serving incumbents (the other is Councillor John Durley). Every election since then, Papp says he considered running for mayor, but for various reasons decided not to, this election included. The following has been edited for brevity and clarity. BURKET: How about this year? Once again you decided not to run. PAPP: I have to be honest, I gave it a very, very, very serious thought. I'm not going to lie. But I also looked at my age. Sometimes do I think I should have done it? Probably, but that's hindsight. When did you make your decision not to run? Was it before or after Councilor Accursi threw his hat in the ring? Oh, no, before. It was probably, I'd say, in the spring. Gary asked me, he said, "What are you doing? I'm not playing games of chess with you." Okay. I have to make up my mind what I wanted to do. And he says, "Well, if you're running, I'm not running." I said, "Okay. But what are you doing?" I had a sense that he was very interested. How would you describe your working relationship with the current mayor and with council? I think it's cordial. I think it's respectful. I like what John McCain said, "You've got to be decent and you've got to be respectful."
They know how I respond to certain things. Sometimes they don't want to hear but I give them what experience and knowledge that I've had. I guess the difference is that I've worked both sides of the street. So I kind of know where staff are coming from and sometimes I put myself and say, "Okay. How would I react?" I think it's okay right now. I think it's been a very, very tough— for myself, a very, very challenging two years. It's pulled at all the different, let me say, values that you hold. When you say two years, you're referring to the decision to go ahead and build the community center. Yeah. I have to tell you, I spent a lot of time that weekend thinking it through. Is this the weekend before the vote to authorize? Yeah. I'm not against it. Just think it through. Make sure that we can sustain it. Just to refresh memories, the vote was five to two for building the center. And your objection was, I think, that the twin pad wasn't necessary. Stage it. Yeah. Stage it. That's right. Stage it. It's there now, so we'll have to figure out how we make sure it works, market the hell out of it, make sure that people are aware of what's going on. And then we have to fulfill our responsibilities making sure we do the services. Some things, as you saw, were put on hold. Such as?
Pelham Town Council Ward 3 incumbent and candidate, Peter Papp. Capital projects. Oh, I see. Infrastructure around town. Take a deep breath, slow things down, and start figuring out those things we have to do. Specifically, we have to rebuild Welland Road. It needs water replacement. The whole road has to be replaced. South Pelham Street needs to be replaced. We need a traffic study that needs to be done, not only on South Pelham but just all the way Highway 20 and Rice Road. We've got all these people coming in here. You've got to figure out how you're going to handle all this. What do you do about 20? We've done studies that people said we've got as much traffic on there as they do on Yonge Street. Going out in the morning and coming back in the afternoon. I mean, if you come there, as you know, later at night, there's nothing. South Pelham is another interesting one. Traffic counts, I think, have gone up but we need to do another traffic study. We haven't done one in a number of years, just figure out what's going on there. I was intrigued to see that the Circle K project was approved on
the basis that South Pelham Road was a highway. How in the world is South Pelham Road a highway? Got me. I voted against that project. It becomes a regional road once you get past the four-way stop light. We had huge arguments about that, huge. It's a mess. One of the other things, you see how you could rebuild South Pelham. You could even, for that matter, if you wanted to you'd probably have holy wars, you could rebuild Quaker Road. What's the point of rebuilding here, to add a lane? Yeah. Add a lane— Why rebuild South Pelham? No. I'm not advocating. No. I get it. But when you say rebuild, what are some people advocating? Add a turning lane. And the problem with Quaker Road right now is the culverts can't handle the water. We're expanding out there but that whole section of road all the way to Niagara Street needs to be redone. Airbnbs and home hotels, where are you on that? The process has begun, and I'm glad Barb Wiens said it, "Exten-
VOICE PHOTO
sive public consultation." And today, I was given an example of one, which I'm going to share with her. It’s in Collingwood, the Blue Water Resort has put together probably one of the best bylaws dealing with Airbnbs. They've covered it all. Am I happy that they arrived? No. What's your position on allowing home hotels in residential zoning? No. I'm not going to lie. No. I think the people that bought up at Lookout —I know a lot of them — they didn't buy into that. That's not what they wanted. If you want to do that here or down there, be my guest. You're referring to Pelham Street, downtown. Yeah, Pelham Street. So whatever regulations come to council, you would be in favor of restrictions, site-specific. Site-specific. And the only reason I say it with confidence is because I went through this in Hamilton. We spent almost 18 months. And there we dealt with people that were discharged from psychiatric hospitals that were ending up See PAPP Page 20
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OPINION
The opinions expressed in submitted commentary and letters to the editor are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Voice of Pelham.
The Voice of Pelham is a 1211858 Ontario Limited publication David Burket, Publisher 2-1428 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S1E0
COMMENTARY / OP-ED Larry Coté #MeToo becomes more than a hashtag
T
HE VERY EXISTENCE and rapid growth of the #MeToo movement should be of great concern to us all. This term was originally introduced by a social activist Tarana Burke in 2006 and popularized in 2017 by actress Alyssa Milano. One year ago this Friday the first revelations about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's conduct were published in The New Yorker. The purpose of the movement is to encourage the victims of sexual harassment to boldly use the term to give people a sense of the magnitude of this societal problem. Sexual harassment can take on many forms, from verbal debasement to physical assault. The very existence or need for such a collectivism should be seen as a condemnation of the ignorance of far too many males in our society and beyond. For males to deem or treat females as less than equals is not reasonable by any standard, nor justified under any circumstance. The propensity of this male dominance over fe-
males is not a new phenomenon. It has been perpetuated for so many centuries that it is near-systemic in many cultures around the globe, including our own.
Equally amazing is that females tolerated this thinking and treatment for so many years It is astonishing this thinking survived and thrived with the emergence of so-called advanced societies. Equally amazing is that females tolerated this thinking and treatment for so many years. Being misleadingly labelled as the weaker sex really doesn’t excuse that tolerance. Being moderately weaker physically and having a somewhat different anatomy does not equate to being inferi-
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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
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or homo sapiens. Size and shape are not the appropriate criteria to measuring a person’s worth. Such attributes may be valued in feral animal kingdoms but surely that should not be the case where the animals have a highly developed intellectual capacity. The emergence and pervasiveness of this widely popularized #MeToo movement may signal that this former tolerance is wearing thin. To paraphrase, perhaps women are mad as hell and are not going to take it anymore. It seems that in more recent times females in all sorts of places and positions are reporting the prevalence of being treated with disrespect, bullied and abused just because they are female. And so, the intended purpose of the movement appears to be having a positive effect. The #MeToo movement has brought this issue more into the light of day, where the justifications for gender inequality and the righteousness of equality can be examined more closely. The See #METOO Page 7
Letters Post-party, the reunion wrap-up We held our Pelham High Reunion wrap up meeting —it was bittersweet. Sweet: because the day went so well with over 300 former students, staff and support staff from the former Pelham High School in Fenwick who came to Lipa Park for our 10th Reunion. We were so pleased to see many “younger ones,” i.e., those who attended in the late ‘60s and until 1974, when the school closed. Bitter: because this will probably be our last reunion. We started planning our first in 1983. What a pile of work! Long before email, Google and Facebook, correspondence was by word of mouth,
phone calls and letters. We asked and called everyone we knew to tell their family and friends that a reunion was planned for Friday and Saturday, June 29 and 30 1984. We wrote letters to the editor to newspapers from the Toronto Star to the Herald and as many local papers as we could find, with the info and our address and asked people to write back. We found addresses of these newspapers from phone books we found at the library and from people who we knew worked in offices of our local papers. Can you imagine? Over 100 people were on various comSee WRAP-UP Page 6
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Find your ward: See the map on page 2 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 James Lane jlane@pelham.ca 905-892-8974
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
Ward 2 Councillor Catherine King cking@pelham.ca 905-658-8599 Councillor Gary Accursi gaccursi@pelham.ca 905-892-5528
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Ward 3 Councillor John Durley jdurley@pelham.ca 905-892-5388
nicolle.lalonde@edwardjones.com
Councillor Peter Papp ppapp@pelham.ca 905-328-6008
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Page 5
OPINION Letters
COMMENTARY / OP-ED Don MacRae
continued
To the detriment of all, the Premier turns his back on "the little guy"
Babies and bath water Thank you for your extensive election coverage. My concern is that platforms full of lofty promises, although nice to hear, will prove difficult indeed to implement. In my view, in not electing Mr. Accursi as mayor, we are, in effect, “throwing the baby out with the bath water.” His depth of knowledge, his obvious enthusiasm, his weighing of issues, even though we may not always agree, is what should define what we are looking for—not an emotional “clean slate” mentality. Running a town is no small feat, with a predictably steep learning curve. His defeat would be a loss in that endeavour. Lin Zavitz Fenwick
What's going on with "on-going" I find it interesting how politicians can take a fact and massage it into something similar, but not exactly the same. Mr. Accursi has done just this. At the mayoral debate, he told the crowd that the Town had received funding for a new Senior's Programmer at the community center and that the funding for this new position was being supported by the Provincial Government on an "on-going" basis. This excited the crowd. As a resident quickly approaching retirement, I too was excited. Upon further research, I understand that the Town received $42,700 in April this year. There is an opportunity to reapply for the next two years, providing that the new Provincial Government doesn't pull the funding and the Town is successful in their quest. These are big “ifs.” These facts debunk Mr. Accursi's statement of "on-going" funding. I will take Mr. Junkin's honestly and openness any day over Mr. Accursi's need to distort the truth for his own gain. Scott Davidson Pelham
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P
REMIER FORD HAS repeated many times his contention that the present government is the very first to be “democracy for the people.” It might interest Mr. Ford to know that democracy, in various forms to be sure, has been around for a long time, perhaps much longer than he realizes. Mr. Ford’s formal education seems to have stopped when he entered the front door of Humber College and a month later emerged from the back door, fully educated, and prepared to assume a job in the family business, Deco Labels. In short order he became president and ultimate-
ly owner of the company. I assume, therefore that he probably didn’t pay much attention in his Greek classes. Now, it may or may not interest him at this later stage in his life, but I’ll tell him anyhow: “democracy” has always been “for the people.” Indeed the origin of the word “democracy” goes back to ancient Greek civilization, to the Greek words: “demos” (the people) and “kratia” (power or rule). By this measure, if democracy isn’t for the people, who is it for? As a corollary to his notion of democracy for the people, Mr. Ford repeatedly states the mantra: “I’m for
By this measure, if democracy isn't for the people, who is it for?
the little guy.” So, what we have here in a nutshell is the revolutionary concept that the new government is “of and for the people” and the people are “the little guys.”
Again and again, ad nauseam, Ford drones on about his faith in the ordinary taxpayer, that long-suffering, poor Ontarian man or woman who can’t make ends meet, who struggles just to survive. It’s a touching picture issuing forth, as it does, from someone who has never had to worry where his next meal was coming from. So I ask myself: Just who is this “little guy” to whom Doug Ford constantly refers? Let’s clarify one issue straightaway: I am assuming that Ford is talking about both men and womSee LITTLE GUY Page 7
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As the Voice speaks with each candidate, find our archive of their interviews here:
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca/2018-municipal-election-candidate-interviews
1405 South Pelham, Fonthill • 905.892.5191
Contact information for each candidate, as provided by the Town Clerk:
• FOR MAYOR Gary ACCURSI, 905-733-0730; Carla BAXTER, 905-964-4141, carlabaxter02@gmail. com; Marvin JUNKIN, 905-684-4870, marvinjunkin@gmail.com
• FOR WARD 1 COUNCILLORS (Choose 2) Mark BAY, 905-246-4040, mbay@cogeco.ca; Sidney BEAMER, 905-892-5359, sidneybeamer@hotmail.com; Mike CIOLFI, 905-892-0077, mikeciolfi4pelham@gmail. com; James LANE, 905-892-8974, jlane@xplornet.ca; Richard RYBIAK, vote4rybiak@ outlook.com; Marianne STEWART, 289-821-0840, marianne.stewart.pelham@gmail.com
• FOR WARD 2 COUNCILLORS (Choose 2) Wally BRAUN, 289-686-8822, wal_braun@yahoo.ca; Cheryl CROZIER, 905-892-0577, cherylcrozier54@gmail.com; Amber CUTHBERTSON, 289-929-2438; amberward2@ representative.com; Chris FLETCHER, 905-651-7265, christopherjf@hotmail.com; Alexandra FORSYTH-SELLS, 905-892-1065, alexandra.forsythsells@gmail.com; Ron KORE, 905-933-3805, applekore1@bell.net; Barbara RYBIAK, 905-892-0796, barb.rybiak.pelham@gmail.com; John WINK, 905-892-4475, j.wink@sympatico.ca
• FOR WARD 3 COUNCILLORS (Choose 2) Uwe BRAND, ubrand@brocku.ca; Vince DELLA-MARCA, 905-931-1263, vdellamarca@gmail.com; John DURLEY, 905-892-5388, jjdurley@sympatico.ca; Lisa HAUN, 289-686-2778, lisa.haun.pelham@outlook.com; Bob HILDEBRANDT, 905-892-5647, bobhildebrandt@gmail.com; Peter PAPP, 905-328-6008, ppapp@cogeco.ca; Mary SPEHAR, 289-968-4768, maryspehar.pelham@yahoo.com
• FOR REGIONAL COUNCIL (Choose 1) Dave AUGUSTYN, 905-892-2925, daugustyn@cogeco.ca; Brian BATY, 905-892-5317; Jim HAGAR, 905-328-4133, jrhagar@gmail.com; Diana HUSON, diana.huson@outlook. com
• FOR VARIOUS SCHOOL BOARDS (Choose 1) Nancy BEAMER, 905-892-5280, nancybeamer5@gmail.com; Mike BROUSSEAU, 905401-9825, brousseau.c.mike@gmail.com; Dale ROBINSON, 905-680-2427, Lawrence ALEXANDER, 905-945-7506, cheflawrence@sympatico.ca; Peter DIEF, 905-380-7669, peter.dief@gmail.com; Leanne PRINCE, 905-516-0771, leanneprince02@gmail.com; Robert RUGGIERI, 647-505-5676, ruggieri.robert@gmail.com
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NEWSFLASH Tell us your story! Column Six presents tales of personal triumph, adventure, strange-but-true stories, life-changing events, and looks-back at our past. Did you conquer Everest or kick a bad habit? Did you meet your spouse-to-be in jail or on an African safari? Do you know where Hoffa’s buried? Write it down, send it in: publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca (You won’t get rich, but you will get paid.)
Page 6
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
RUBBER HITS THE ROAD Pelham Town Council Ward 2 candidate Ron Kore took his campaign to the people last week via little red wagon. Kore is proud of his low-tech approach to campaign signs—repurposed cardboard boxes which he says are completely biodegradable. SUPPLIED PHOTO FIGHTING A DIFFERENT BATTLE
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
UNITED WE STAND Regional Council candidate Diane Huson’s “Team Wonder Woman” hit the streets last week in Fonthill, knocking on doors and encouraging people to get out and vote. “Just in case anyone’s wondering,” says Huson, “there are male members of Team Wonder Woman, but they were absent on this particular night.” SUPPLIED PHOTO
HERE’S MY INTERVIEW Local author Michael Jacques (centre left) and his sister Kaila (centre right) appeared recently on City TV Breakfast to promote Michael’s memoir, “Can’t Read, Can’t Write, Here’s My Book,” with hosts Roger Petersen and Dina Pugliese.
On the campaign trail, DSBN Trustee candidate Nancy Beamer stopped by last Monday’s ceremonial opening of Summersides Boulevard to greet the man himself, Jim Summersides, along with his wife, Margaret.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
SUPPLIED PHOTO
POT FARMS
continued from Page 14 authority over land use regulation and have the power to prohibit and regulate certain use through zoning by-laws.” CBFs are attracted to the Ni-
WRAP-UP
continued from Page 4 mittees. We were given permission to use the school (as it was privately owned). However, we had to do everything from cleaning the classrooms and gyms to cutting the grass and overgrown shrubs, getting inspections done, licences approved, setting up decade rooms, the gym for the wine and cheese, music for the
agara Region because of our mild climate. Does the Town plan to enact by-laws to restrict CBF growth before Pelham becomes the cannabis capital of the world? The related issue facing municipalities is the opening of retail cannabis shops. The city
dance, and publish a commemorative Pnyx. All of our efforts paid off, and over those two beautiful summer days about 4000 people came to walk the halls of Pelham High again. E. L. Crossley opened the ceremonies with an assembly in the gym. Then we visited, remembered, danced and renewed friendships made when we were teenagers. Some people had not seen each other in 50 years.
of London has recommended that shops be at least 500 metres from schools, libraries and arenas and not located in “main street environments." There will be no ceiling on the number of stores allowed to get provincial licences if their applications make the grade,
With the $10,000 that we had left after the bills were all paid, we set up the Pelham High Alumni Scholarship. Interest rates were fantastic in the ‘80s and ‘90s, so our fund grew. With every reunion that followed there was money left to put into the fund. Over the years, people also donated in remembrance of a family member or friend. Beginning in 1985, we gave a $1000 award to a graduating student at E.
according to the Attorney General, Caroline Mulroney. The bill will give municipalities until Jan. 22, 2019 to decide if they want to bar weed shops within their boundaries. Licensed marijuana producers will be eligible for licences to sell from their greenhouses, much like
L. Crossley School. We increased that to $2000. Over the past five years we have given out two $2000 scholarships—one to a student going to university and one going to college. To date, we have awarded $54,000 to 43 graduating students. This first reunion was such a success we decided to hold one every five years, then three years, and for the last three every two years. We believe we are a very special group. How is it that 44 years after our school
craft breweries. Does the Town plan to develop by-laws to restrict the number and location of retail cannabis shops before the provincially established deadline? Sandy and Jim Jeffs Fenwick
closed we can still get a crowd to come together? There is such a sense of community and an unbreakable bond between us all. For this reunion, people came from far and wide. Don Bohun from Costa Rica; Vivian (Pihack) Stevenson from Orcas, one of the San Juan Islands, one and a half hours from mainland Seattle; Rick MacLintock from Washington State; Wally Ozog from Haliburton; Rod and Diane Hamre from Peterbourgh; Verla Hall (teacher of Latin
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and French in the ‘60s) took the bus from Orillia; and—I have run out of room. Thanks to all who made this reunion a success. Lipa Park provides a beautiful venue, both inside and out. The food was great and the APPLE STRUDEL! Thanks to the Voice for all the articles they have published over the years. Last week’s write up and pictures were great. In the past, there have been so many who have helped put the reunions together. Thanks to all. Thanks to these dedicated, enthusiastic and hard-working people who are on the present committee: Ken Crowther, Martha Flagg, Gary and Rose Chambers, Bob Spark, Joan Rigg, Jim Luffman, Sharon Farion, John Stahlschmidt, and Mike Ker. We have been together for years now and without you, there would have been nothing. Our memories and our Pelham High Alumni Scholarship will keep the Pelham High name alive for years to come. To keep in touch, please email or go to the Pelham District High School, Fenwick, Facebook page. We have posted many pictures of the Reunion. We know you will enjoy seeing them. Vilma Moretti Welland
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LITTLE GUY
continued from Page 5 en in the “guy” part of his claim. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt here, but really, I’m not quite sure. Mr. Ford has never struck me as being one to espouse women’s rights, but perhaps I do him an injustice. For the sake of argument, let’s assume that he is just as concerned about their welfare as he is with that of men. So, for our purposes, we’ll define “guy” with reference to both genders—and to the LGBTQ community as well, although I would have to hedge my bets on this latter group, at least until I see the Premier giving up a weekend at the cottage to march in the Pride parade. Mr. Ford has aimed enough derogatory remarks at his “left-wing,” “pinko” colleagues who were on Toronto council with him that we can probably assume he would not go out of his way to assist them in any way. The same is true for Liberal and NDP members of the legislature. Now that our definitions are all in order, let’s examine the issue of the “little guy” more closely and see where our inquiry takes us. On the way, we’ll see how this notion dovetails with Ford’s quest for “efficiencies” in government spending.
Ontario Basic Income Pilot Program
Under Kathleen Wynne, the Liberals, with the cooperation of the NDP, initiated a pilot program to provide a guaranteed income to certain groups of Ontario residents in Thunder Bay, Hamilton/Brantford, and Lindsay. Dubbed the Ontario Basic Income Pilot Program, this experiment was intended to assist 4000 individuals who were living on less than $34,000 per year for singles and $48,000 per year for couples. This pilot program was based on a solid academic footing, including a control group of similarly designated low-income people and independent third-party oversight; it was being watched by government agencies around the world. There isn’t space to discuss the individual situations of those who received money from the Ontario government. Hugh Segal, a Conservative senator and former chief of staff in the Mulroney government, played a major role in designing the program. As he said: "Our economy has been creating vast wealth for people at the top and not doing the same for others." During the election campaign this past April, a PC
#METOO
continued from Page 4 task won’t be an easy one as sexual harassment crosses all sectors of our society— athletics, medicine, music, commerce, entertainment, academia and the military to identify just a few. To eradicate such abominable practices associated with the subject of gender equal-
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018 spokesman said, "We look forward to seeing the results" and promised that the party would continue the program to its conclusion after three years worth of data had been collected. I think we can assume that the people who were targeted in this experiment were the “little guys,” Ontarians who needed a boost to help them out of the difficult situations they were living in. There are many examples of an initial success rate in the program, but like any academic research, the results had to be analyzed at the end of the prescribed period and then evaluated. Here we have a program with bipartisan support, one supported by a respected PC senator, introduced by Liberals, with the agreement of the NDP, and approved by the Ford campaign. It would seem that that this undertaking would be on firm ground. But then, as one of the first acts of his new government, Ford treacherously betrayed his earlier approval of the program and axed it. When asked why the government was taking this step, the new Minister of Social Services, Lisa MacLeod, said that the program was “broken” and wasn’t working. Asked how she knew this when the data were not all in and the program was still only half-way through its planned time frame, MacLeod said, “for the amount it was costing the province of Ontario... it was certainly not going to be sustainable." That’s all the proof she needed! So there you have it: a broken promise, not supported by even a modicum of factual data, and behold, we have our first efficiencies. Whom do these “efficiencies” benefit? Certainly not the individuals receiving the cash, who, by all preliminary results, were beginning to see a light at the end of their financial tunnels. Whatever your views on the wisdom of this establishing this experiment might be, it is now evident that all the money spent on it in the hope of finding a way to allow these people to contribute to society in a meaningful way is now down the sewer. I’m trying to figure out why these 4000 Ontarians don’t fit the pattern of the “little guy” here. Surely, if Ford is to be taken at his word, he wanted to help. And he said so himself. I can’t for the life of me reconcile his mantra and the cancellation of this program. Oh, and by the way, his government is now being sued in court for terminating the project. I wonder if the savings in cancelling the program will
cover the court costs? Just a thought.
ity, especially in workplaces, will virtually take a change in the well-entrenched cultural norms. When gender equality becomes more widely accepted, then the battle of the sexes will become purely an intellectual exercise and our society will be much the better for it. The increasing level of female participation rates in a wide variety of sectors has proven to have
extremely positive effects. Societies and all entities that aspire to gender equality will experience more harmonious outcomes and be more worthy of the nomenclature “advanced.”
Page 7
Increased minimum wage benefits
Under the preceding Liberal government the minimum wage was increased to $14.00 an hour and was to rise again to $15.00 an hour in 2019. Last Wednesday, the Ford government indicated that this modest increase will be cancelled. As justification for his actions. Ford suggests the business community is suffering from the effects of the earlier pay raise. For some, that may be true, although I doubt very many know real “suffering,” not knowing where the rent money will come from, or whether to buy winter clothes for the kids or put food on the table. The public, in general, may have to pay a little more to visit Tim’s or that fancy restaurant they like to enjoy on weekends. That’s a real burden? I wonder if Mr. Ford could live on a minimum wage of $14.00 an hour. But once again I have to ask the question: if the minimum wage earner, probably working more than one job to cobble together enough from a weekly pay cheque to avoid visiting the food bank, is not the “little guy,” who is? It would seem they aren’t “little” enough to qualify for aid from the Ford government.
Sex-Ed
We are all aware of the cancellation of the revamped sex-ed program in Ontario elementary schools. Designed to appease a small minority of Ford’s supporters, his government prefers to leave our young children open to the dangerous world of the internet, to predators and to child abuse. These youngsters will hardly be able to resist the potential violence perpetrated against them if they don’t even know how to define it. Again I ask you: if our young children, our most precious asset, are not the “little guys,” who are they?
Planned increase in welfare payments
Immediately upon assuming the reins of government, Doug Ford cut a proposed increase in welfare payments in half, from 3% to 1.5%. In Doug Ford’s world, welfare recipients have long been seen as a burden on the taxpayer, lazy bums who don’t want to work and pull their weight in society. All of that is nonsense. There might be a few who fit into that category, but the vast majority of them are honest citizens who need help from a caring society and a sympathetic govern-
Larry Coté is a retired professor of business. He was awarded the Governor General’s Medal for his community activities.
During his surprise visit to this year's Summerfest, Doug Ford signs an autograph. VOICE PHOTO ment. Same question: aren’t these guys “little” enough to receive help from a very affluent society such as ours?
Toronto Music Program
The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport have reneged on a promise of $500,000 in funding for Sistema, a global organization operating in 56 countries. This organization offers after-school music programs for at-risk children. The benefits of a music education for these kids is well documented: improved motor and math skills and, above all, a sanctuary from the unfriendly neighbourhoods they live in. This program budgeted by the Liberal government
and directed toward neighbourhoods in Toronto with high crime and concomitant rates of child poverty was designed to help keep these at-risk children from the influence of gangs. According to the Ford government, the Liberals funded the program when it did not meet the criteria. This is a dubious reason at best and breaks the promise made to Sistema before the election. If these vulnerable kids in the Jane-Finch area are not the “little guys,” who is? But these are “efficiencies.”
Drug drop-in centres
These centres which have saved countless lives of addicts living on the streets are also to be closed by the
Ford government. Why? Because Ford believes that rehabilitation is the only way out of addiction. That might have been the case for his brother, Rob, but the Fords could afford the treatment Rob got in the exclusive clinic which treated him. For those who cannot afford such treatment, who risk their lives by consuming Fentanyl and related drugs, there is no such help. These drop-in centres are one of their only hopes of survival. But I guess they aren’t worth saving; they obviously don’t come under the rubric of the “little guy,” and therefore they are not on Ford’s radar. Quite the contrary: they are disposable and cutting these centres will result in “efficiencies.” I could go on, but I think you get the idea. Ford has to find “efficiencies” of $6 billion dollars if he is to fulfill his wild promises of lower taxes, lower gas prices and lower hydro bills. Indeed recent comments from experts have indicated that he will need far, far more than that, if and when he has fulfilled his promises. I am troubled by what is to come. The welfare of the “little guy” seems to be receding further and further into the distance. But no matter: he probably won’t even vote. However, to end on a positive note, Ford did bring us “buck a beer,” even if it didn’t last too long, and even if the “little guy” probably couldn’t afford that either. ♦
Page 8
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
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Letters
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
Page 9
continued
The not-back-to-school crowd My spouse and I are new to Pelham but not-so-new to homeschooling. As most families dusted off the routines for schoolbus pick-ups and making school lunches, we (my three boys and I) packed up some food and headed out to meet
other homeschoolers for a “Not Back to School Picnic” on what would have been the first day of school. In what has turned out, for us, to be a surprisingly active homeschool community in Niagara, we have been grateful to find that this re-
gion offers homeschoolers a variety of opportunities to round-out our learning. Despite the occasional confused looks from others when my clearly-of-schoolage boys accompany me on errands, we are also offered daytime programming at
the YMCA, museums, art galleries, and hockey arenas, and interest by the Pelham Library, local farms, grocery store staff, and theatre companies, all of whom are aware that homeschooling only partly takes place at home!
We're grateful to our new community for the interest in engaging our children in “real life learning” and mentorship, and would welcome anyone who meets us along the way to shift their own learning from the question, "Why aren't you
in school?" to "What are you learning about the world today?" As any lifelong learner knows and as my sons are not quiet about sharing, "We are learning all the time.” Heather Boyd Fonthill
There was a debate?
Pleased to see such a range of candidates
NPCA audit results problematic
We have to wonder who was made aware of this Meet and Greet for the mayoral candidates held at the Fonthill Legion Branch 613 on Tuesday, September 18. We was told it was not put in the Voice so that one-and-all could be aware of this meeting, but promoted by emails. It would seem the ones notified were a chosen few. Only 225 out of 17,000 is certainly not a high percentage of those notified. We realize the Legion only holds so many, but perhaps it should have been held in a larger venue. The one that comes to mind rather quickly would have been the one that's costing we the taxpayers $37,000,000. Marlene and Merelle Stirtzinger Fenwick
It is wonderful to see so many candidates wanting to run for the Town of Pelham Town Council. It shows the level of dissatisfaction that exists among the citizens of Pelham. I feel that our current CAO, Mayor and council have led us down the path of extreme and lasting debt which will affect us for many years to come. In addition to the huge cost of the new arena, unknown amounts of money have been spent on firing staff over the years and then paying out large settlement packages. Equally unknown is the amount of money spent over the years on getting favourable opinions from consultants and lawyers which were in line with council’s plans. A more democratic method would have been to listen to the electorate as to what they wanted. I am bothered most because the reserves have been used inappropriately over the years. This practise was in effect from the time of the purchase of the East Fonthill property. At that time, the reserves were being used to pay for the land. How do I know? The mayor at that time told me so in about 2005. I can only
The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority's chair, Fort Erie Regional Councilor Sandy Annunziata, has stated in the past that it is the most open and transparent agency in Ontario, with complete and independent audits conducted yearly by Grant Thorton LLC. These audits, according to their website, consist of statements of financial position, operations, debt, reserve fund, cash flow, notes to financial statement and statements and schedules of segment and revenue expenses. It all sounds good doesn't it but over the last couple of years public outcry over agency practices has pressured the NPCA into a corner and after a huge struggle finally accepted the Auditor General of Ontario's offer to conduct a complete and thorough audit. Just recently the Auditor General has released an indepth audit which started in January and her report is startling to say the least. In her findings the NPCA board members’ per diems increased 422% since 2010, weak governance and operational practices, significant issues in human resources, procurement policies, poor flood mapping data and leadership problems. Legal bills climbed 633% from 2012 and board members interfered with dayto-day operations of staff. The list goes on and on and as you can see not all audits are the same. The residents of Niagara deserve better and although the Auditor General's report indicates serious problems one of the easiest ways to correct these issues is to drain the swamp. We can fix this problem once and for all on October 22 by exercising our right to vote. Remember regional councilors and mayors make up most of the board of directors of the NPCA. Robert Milenkoff Welland
Editor’s note: Prior mention of the mayoral debate was made in Publisher’s Corner. When offered the newspaper’s non-profit advertising rate to promote the event, organizers declined to place an ad, citing “very limited funding.” Considering the importance attached to the upcoming election, we share the writer’s dismay that the debate was not more widely advertised, and that a larger venue was not selected for it. The upcoming debate among Regional Council candidates will be held at E. L. Crossley Secondary School on Wednesday, October 10. See the Kinsmen’s message on page 11 for details. For the record, community event notices in the Voice start at $10, including HST.
assume that the practise continued until the reserve funds were depleted. When it was learned that the reserves were empty, it was at a closed meeting of council in November 2017, and only one councillor, Marvin Junkin, was honest and concerned enough to expose the facts to the public. He then resigned in protest. It is my personal opinion that no other members of the current council deserve to be re-elected due to the reasons of past performance. One current councillor was quoted in the Welland Tribune in July as promising to focus on “transparent and experienced leadership style” and is an advocate of “more participatory democracy.” Many people will doubt the sincerity of these words, considering the past performance of our council of which he is a member. If you have been dissatisfied with the actions of your council, Mayor, and CAO, be sure to make it known on Election Day. Bob McGlashan Fonthill
Elect Uwe
Brand
Councillor Ward 3 A proven track record and ongoing commitment of: Transparency, Honesty, Integrity, Respect & Accountability The Town has a responsibility to provide goods and services to all. As such sidewalks missing along our older roads are not a luxury, but a necessity for safety and accessibility for those who use them. We need a PLAN to address this deficiency throughout our Town. No resident should live in fear of being struck by a falling tree or flooded out because of poorly maintained drains. Control of speed (not chicanes), maintenance of swales and trees should follow a specific PLAN and be in concert with good practices. Town Councillor – 1997-2006; Pelham Sports Council; Federal Government Volunteer Award; BSc - Univ. of Waterloo (74); PhD-University of Ottawa (79); Brock Professor (1980); P. Geo.
Uwe Brand a ‘Choice & Voice’ for Change 905 380-1951 jom.ect@cogeco.ca PAID FOR BY THE BRAND FOR WARD 3 CAMPAIGN
✔ I know how to control costs ✔ I know how to communicate and be transparent ✔ I know how to operate a successful company ✔ I know how to make difficult decisions in a positive way
VOTE RON KORE FOR WARD 2 A candidate that will make things happen Applekore1@bell.net PAID FOR BY THE COMMITTEE TO ELECT RON KORE FOR WARD 2
Page 10
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
Christine Van Moorsel receives plenty of kisses from Duncan and Dragon. Joining them are Zoe, Gracie, and Blossom. JENNIFER CHORNLEY PHOTO
Angel's Rest—the retirement home for dogs BY JENNIFER CHORNLEY
Special to the VOICE
Some say angels are everywhere and present themselves in various forms. For many people, young and old alike, angels come in the form of dogs. Their never-ending companionship and love effortlessly fills one’s heart, yet, they ask for nothing in return Unfortunately, some dogs become displaced for various reasons. It could be because their owner becomes ill and passes away, has to move into a care facility, or the dog has aged to a point where medical bills become a financial burden and they are surrendered to a humane society. Fortunately, there is a piece of heaven in Niagara providing a comfortable, caring environment as an alternative to euthanasia. Heaven’s gate is open at Angel’s Rest Dog Rescue and Sanctuary, with Christine Van Moorsel standing behind it with open arms. This piece of green heaven is located on a sprawling 20 acres in St. Davids, with plenty of trees and a handful of angel statues strategically placed throughout the property. Behind the 1840 farmhouse is a sizable fenced area where Van Moorsel’s 11 fuzzy residents can safely romp around carefree. Upon entering her home, one would think it was day care. Playpens along one side of the kitchen, interlocking foam mats at the back entrance and a change table in the bathroom. This would be fitting as Van Moorsel operated a daycare centre in Thorold for 25 years. Van Moorsel is avid dog lover, having grown up with them and providing a res-
cue environment most of her adult life. When she worked at her husband Nick’s business she would always bring along four or five dogs. When she began fostering and rescuing dogs, they took in various sizes. Now, Van Moorsel only cares for smaller breeds, as they are less physically demanding. The rescue and sanctuary was established in 2008. Its foundation is to be a welcoming dog sanctuary for smaller dog breeds to live out remaining years in a loving home environment after they lose their owners. “Because they give so much by serving us with their love, I wanted to mirror back that love by giving them the best possible environment so they could live out the rest of their days.” It was a long process to put everything into place. To provide an opportunity for the maximum number of allowable dogs in her home, Van Moorsel and her husband purchased the 20-acre property. This allowed them to obtain a kennel license and work within the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s regulations. Angel’s Rest Dog Rescue and Sanctuary recently achieved another milestone. September marks its firstyear anniversary as a registered charity. “It had come to a point where taking on 10 dogs was beginning to become a financial burden, especially in the beginning when they first arrived and needed extensive vet care,” Van Moorsel said. She explained that while some vet services can be donated, many others need to be paid for out of pocket. Quite often, many treatments for specific age-related conditions are expensive
Christine Van Moorsel offers a final home for our best friends due to the procedures and medications involved. The sanctuary has a community-based board of directors and professionals who have a heart for dogs in need. One member is Huntington Animal hospital, who graciously assists with providing care for the dogs through routine check-ups and frequent visits. For Van Moorsel, the board helps keep the charity in line ensuring it is operating within its budget and doesn’t overextend its resources. Van Moorsel said that a sanctuary environment for older dogs has and will continue to be needed, especially since Niagara has an influx of senior residents from larger centres such as Toronto and Ottawa. If she does take in more dogs, Van Moorsel is agreeable to recruit assistance to ensure they receive the best care possible. She and her daughter Jane are working toward establishing a waiting list database of Niagara seniors and their pets. The intent of the list is to secure a spot for the pet if its owner needs to transition into a care facility or if they pass away. Van Moorsel would meet the potential fuzzy resident and its owner ahead of time to ensure both are comfortable with the surrounding environment once the time of need comes. Van Moorsel strives to provide a loving, supportive environment for the senior dogs. Her gang consists of five Pugs (Duncan, Rosie,
Lulubell, Zoe, and Blossom), one Chihuahua (Rico), a Puggle (Dragon), two Poodles (Fuzzy Wuzzy and Gracie), a Sheltie (Sheltie) and Shih Tzu (Karly). Each comes with a story and unique personality. Not only does Van Moorsel rescue senior dogs from area humane societies when called upon, but sometimes also younger dogs that would be difficult to re-home due to environmental situations that have caused behavioral and physical issues, or natural birth defects. “You would be amazed at how many people think that birth defects can’t happen to dogs and cats, but they do,” she said. “They are just like humans in that sense.” An example is Dragon, the smallest dog of the group. “When I went to get him he was the size of a hamster, covered in fleas and had skin issues.” Van Moorsel explained that due to certain behaviors caused by brain damage, he was at a higher risk of being unadoptable. “I did work with him to get him to the adoptable point, but when the time came, well, as you can see he never went and been with me ever since.” Even with Dragon’s challenges, he is the sanctuary’s marketing ambassador when they attend community awareness events. “Everyone just loves that crazy dog. He’s madder than a hatter, but just has so much love to give.” Duncan is a jet-black pug that was rescued from a strictly-breeding environ-
ment. He came with injured back legs due to being crated for extensive periods, and damaged right portion of his face due to head trauma. Van Moorsel invested $3,000 in vet care for him to be comfortable. Van Moorsel admired his resilience in the face of the challenges he faced. “Despite everything he’s been through he is the most docile of them all. Duncan is the ambassador for any new adoptee that comes in.” Karly, 15, is an example of displacement, as her owner died in hospice care due to illness. It was her owner’s final wish to have Karly stay at Angel’s Rest for her remaining days. Sheltie, a stray, was rescued from the Niagara Falls Humane Society, as he did not do well in a shelter environment. Van Moorsel was advised by her vet that the breed tends to shut down in environments such as a shelter and she worried he wouldn’t pull through once he arrived at Angel’s Rest. Those fears were quickly squashed. “It’s been a year now and he has completely turned around. He’s very social. He loves it outside and likes to herd the other dogs whenever given the opportunity.” Kathy Fuller, Managing Director with the Niagara Falls Humane Society, said that all humane societies need the support of community resources. “It is wonderful to have people like Christine who are willing to take on animals who may have issues from medical to behavioral to aging,” said Fuller. Van Moorsel is conscientious when she accepts a new “Fuzzy,” as she calls them. She says depending on the dog, it does take time
to adapt to the environment and routine. She also wants to ensure they mesh. “If they don’t fit in, they don’t stay,” she said. “We are like family here.” The dogs have a well-structured routine just as though they were in a daycare. They are up and fed at 7 AM, nap between 11 AM to 1 PM, eat dinner at 3 PM and by 8:30 PM are ready for their 9:30 bedtime. Each dog has its own kennel, except for Chico and Zoe who arrived together and are best friends. “They are just like a baby when it comes to their bedtime, they all need their blankets,” Van Moorsel said. Van Moorsel enjoys the full-time responsibility of taking care of the dogs. “I have three kids. I would have loved to have had more, however, that wasn’t in the cards. This fulfills my nurturing need, yet doesn’t feel like work. They are the reason I get up in the morning.” Asked what her favourite breed was she answered with a laugh, “Dog. However, if I did have to pick one I would have to say the pug. I think they were put on this earth to do nothing more than entertain us.” Fuller said, “Christine is a wonderful lady and we are grateful to have the resource she provides. She has taken on three senior dogs with challenges for us. She tells us that they are all doing amazingly well.” As Angel’s Rest is a non-profit organization Van Moorsel is always questioned what is needed the most and that is wet dog food. Those who would like to make a donation, be on the board of directors or make a general inquiry, may reach Van Moorsel at 905-2626585.
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
Page 11
WARD 2 PELHAM TOWN COUNCIL RACE
"It is a business" John Wink says Town needs a new council, better communication, and a solid business plan BY JOHN SWART
VOICE Correspondent
John Wink, council candidate for Ward 2, has a lengthy list of volunteer contributions to Pelham, including Chair of Pelham Summerfest, President of the Pelham Business Association, President Pelham Panthers Basketball Association, and many more, which surely helped the Kinsmen choose him as Pelham Citizen of the Year in 2015. Wink is one of eight candidates in Ward 2, all new. Wink believes that a new candidate's volunteer record is a strong indication of how they will serve residents of Pelham if elected to council. When asked about the relevancy of volunteer work to political office, Wink replies, "I'm retiring after the end of this year. I will have the time to deal with Town issues. I look at the opportunity to be on council as a further extension of the volunteer work I'm doing for the community. This community is extremely important to me, I constantly look for opportunities to give back." A top priority for Wink is transparency, a buzzword he knows is used by many candidates. He explains how it relates to the Town's finances. "One thing I think that I bring
to council is business acumen. Working for 41 years in financial institutions, I have a good understanding of financial statements, budgeting, human resources, etc. Someone made a comment in one of their articles that 'the Town is not a business.' It is a business, it has to be run like a business." If elected, Wink would immediately work to understand Pelham's debt, what the reserves are, if any, and what's the plan to retire that debt. "I hear the plan is development charges, expanding the tax base. Well, what's Plan B when there's a recession? There's nothing to say that we'll continue to develop at this rate. The people I speak to are very concerned there's going to be large increases in taxes. That's something that's not palatable by the individuals at the door." Wink concludes that, "In order to pay the debt, this next four years is going to require a lot of belt tightening." When asked how this squares with the possibility of spending money to clad the deteriorating arches, Wink says the Summerfest Committee has the ability to pay See WINK Page 22
Ward 2 candidate for Pelham Town Council, John Wink.
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+Town Council Candidate Presentations Every candidate for Pelham Town Council is invited to make a short presentation. Program starts at 8 PM, ends at 10 PM sharp. A PUBLIC SERVICE BY THE KINSMEN CLUB OF FONTHILL & DISTRICT
Page 12
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
WARD 2 PELHAM TOWN COUNCIL RACE
Intentionally, or otherwise, the Town has been painted into a corner. We're now restricted in our capacity to get debt for other projects.
Govern for the residents Wally Braun says that it's time to stop playing into the hands of developers BY JOHN SWART
VOICE Correspondent
Ward 3 council candidate Wally Braun has a question: How is it happening? "[Rather than developers] we need to have taxpayers and local citizens benefit from the conversion of [Town] property from one zoning to another. Right now we get nothing from the consideration of the fact that Council does developers this huge favour of creating these gross margins. In fact, we get saddled with a $9 million, 30-year debenture for that privilege. How is that happening?" Braun does not favour the status quo and wants the present council replaced. He would press for an audit that goes back 20 years and includes resident participation. It would look outside normal parameters, to relationships between past councils and developers, to how and why the Town acquires land, and how changes in zoning are timed and accomplished. With respect to a forensic audit, Braun's first order of business would be to release former employees from their non-disclosure agreements and solicit whatever information they can give as to what happened.
Braun explains, "I think an audit that went back at least a decade would substantiate some of the things I'm trying to lay out here. The larger picture is that public assets are transferred into private hands at the same time council historically changes the zoning on a parcel before making a purchase of that parcel. Why is that? Is that in the interest of voters? Why not pick up a parcel at agricultural prices and then change the zoning?" Braun has been paying attention to property transactions in Pelham for 35 years, and ran for council in 2003 and 2014. He cites Davis Hall as an example that was mishandled years ago. He toured Davis Hall before it was sold, and believes there was nothing wrong with the building, much as there is nothing wrong, in his estimation, with the Haist Street arena. "You just have to maintain it," says Braun. "The commonality across the board is that public assets are being transferred into private hands at fire-sale prices." He makes no accusations, only asks questions, and compares what has happened as Pelham has grown to other communities. He asserts, via research done
Pelham Town Council Ward 2 candidate, Wally Braun. while attending Brock University in the mid-2000s, that there is a verifiable relationship between campaign contributions by developers to candidates that is inversely proportional to the strength of land conservancy within a municipality. If land is not protected for the benefit of residents, developers will increase campaign contributions with the hope of influencing
ELECT
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VOTE FOR CHANGE THIS ELECTION WE NEED BETTER ACCOUNTABILITY FROM OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS • Just Say “No” to Party Affiliations There is no room for partisan politics in municipal government. Municipal politicians should act based on the desires of the community. • Restrictions on Councillor Expenses We shouldn’t be paying for tickets to fundraisers or for politicians to drive to work. Stop the waste of taxpayer dollars! • Limited Terms Political terms should be limited to 2 terms only. It’s time our elected officials started putting the interests and voice of Pelham’s voters first again.
If we don’t elect new people, nothing will ever change. Paid for by the Diana Huson Campaign.
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zoning to their advantage. Braun says there was no mandate for the newly constructed community centre. The $35 million dollar budget to build it was arrived at by floating trial balloons of $5 million dollar increments until the community pushed back. This approach concerns him. "Intentionally, or otherwise, the Town has been painted into
a corner. We're now restricted in our capacity to get debt for other projects. Intentionally or otherwise, this aligns the Town's interest with developers' interests. We need to find tax revenues, and if you look at the business plan, for how the Town is going to go about paying for the community centre, it does involve future revenues from new development," says Braun. "We're finding now an additional 150 acres will be developed too soon [in order] to address debt issues. To avoid increasing taxes, future councils will be forced to increase the rate of development, which is what developers want." Braun questions how this situation came about. "Is it possible that the powers that be behind the scenes have orchestrated things so that this is now the position we find ourselves in?" He goes on. "Continue connecting the dots. The previous arena was placed where? At the foot of Haist Street, when the entire tract of land west of Haist Street was being developed. It may not be illegal, but See BRAUN next page
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BRAUN
continued from previous page it is in effect bonusing the developer, in that the lots they subsequently sell are worth more by way of the fact that they are adjacent to a public facility that we, as taxpayers, end up paying the tab for. This supports my theory that public buildings are placed in areas advantageous to the development community." “Bonusing,” or offering municipal incentives to corporations, including land developers, is illegal in Ontario. Critics have charged that some of the Town’s real estate transactions in East Fonthill have resembled bonusing, allegations that the Town has denied. Ongoing operating costs of the community centre are a concern for Braun, and he suggests that user groups provide volunteers to help offset the cost of salaries. He believes that many user groups made this commitment prior to the decision to build the centre. Braun's solution to the Town's indebtedness is twofold. He proposes a Town Land Bank, funded by converting part of the Town's financial reserves into agricultural and forest land, purchased at the lower prices agricultural zoning commands. He would then put a conservancy on them, perhaps using them for parks and recreation in the meantime. In this manner, when the property appreciates and is eventually sold, all taxpayers can benefit. Braun suggests that had a plan like this been in place years ago, it could have compensated for the loss of the arena land. He feels it's clear that the arena lands will be sold because the Town needs the money, and it was part of the strategy to fund the new centre.
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018 Secondly, he would suggest rather than building sideways, with typical sprawl, a more reasonable approach is to build up. "That does not mean that we need anything more than five stories. There should be hard cap at five stories," Braun emphasizes. "More than that is out of place." Braun states that provincial legislation is worded such that eight stories is a threshold. "Once you have eight stories approved, and meet a minimum density, [then] stopping developers from going to 10 or 12 stories is out of the municipality's control. That actively bonuses developers to go to 10, and 12 stories." One of the additional costs this adds to the Town, Braun points out, is that to protect the residents of a 10-story building already approved by council in East Fonthill, the fire department will have to buy a more expensive ladder truck. Braun questions why there has been so much turnover in the Planning and Development Department, and more recently in the Corporate Services Department, and why it it occurred as the Town faced development consequences. "I don't know what that connection is, for sure, but voters might be forgiven for believing that the reason for such a high rate of turnover was because these people were trying to alert council to the dangers of rapid development.” Braun names a former planner who was terminated by Pelham and now works in a different Niagara municipality. Braun asserts that the staffer “leaked” a document that demonstrated “the inversion of power relations” between a Toronto-based development company and Pelham Town Council. Braun says that the developer “had got all the options and could impose upon the Town
Page 13
Voters might be forgiven for believing that the reason for such a high rate of turnover was because these people were trying to alert council to the dangers of rapid development
what it was that it wanted. It was explicit in that document. I think the reason [the staffer] leaked that document was to alert people to what was going on." The former planning official, who later brought a codeof-conduct complaint against Town Council and is bound by a non-disclosure agreement, says that Braun’s characterization isn’t entirely accurate. “’Leaked’ would be incorrect,” says the former staffer, whom the Voice has chosen not to identify. “While I understand what Mr Braun is implying, I am baffled by his accusation that I issued some correspondence.” Were he elected, Braun would push for conflict-of-interest declarations being a condition of employment for senior Town staff as well as councillors, and create a means for the public to have direct input during council meetings. Braun enjoys campaigning, and getting to know the variety of perspectives held by Pelham voters. He is impressed with the “calibre of electorate.” “People know how to read, they're very smart. You should not really be afraid of pitching over their head. It's not just right-wing, left wing. They pick
and choose, the hybrids that come up are quite interesting." Braun has been a professional in general contracting since his teens, with a special interest in architectural design. Being part of an ad hoc committee instrumental in keeping portable signs out of Pelham was an important volunteer effort, as was time he spent with the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee and the Pelham Historical Committee. Braun is still finding out what the Ward 3 community wants regarding Airbnbs and short-term rentals. He acknowledges vocal individuals have provided strident input, and wants to see if their opinions are shared. If so, communities within Pelham may have to be differentiated on that policy. "If they don't want them in that neighbourhood, we are obliged to honour that," says Braun. Braun also believes—assuming it is something the community might consider—that regulating Airbnbs leaves the door open to generating revenue. He believes Airbnbs would effectively be converted to B&Bs by requiring owners to be on site. Braun doesn't want a situation where outside money buys units for speculation, then
installs renters to pay the bills, and wonders if insisting upon of owner-occupancy might resolve the vast majority of complaints. This is consistent with provincial regulation on secondary suites, where on-site owners are mandated. Braun sees more mixed-use zoning, allowing commercial on the ground floor and housing above, as a way to provide more affordable housing without sacrificing green space. "Since the GoTrain has connected us to Toronto, home prices have exploded to where old people and young people are equally disadvantaged, and we need to find ways to accommodate them. What we have now is an historic core that is being compromised by four story buildings, not in character for our downtown. Conversely, we have a commercial strip that's one story. What we need is to invert that. We need to preserve our downtown cores and instead develop multi-story mixed-use zoning in areas like Highway 20.” Braun is a strong advocate for public transit, regularly using our local system himself, which he calls a good first step. He says the key to its success in Pelham is to ensure connectivity, within and outside Pelham. He would also consider a trans-cab service to lower costs by replacing scheduled service on under-utilized routes with a call-up system that aggregates rides. A rideshare system managed electronically by the Town could be investigated too. As the election nears, if you don't see Braun's lawn signs, it's by his choice. "They give voters no information, they are sophomoric, reflecting a high school popularity contest rather than any worthwhile information," he argues. Status quo, Braun is not. ♦
A FRESH PERSPECTIVE FOR THE TOWN OF PELHAM MY PLAN FOR PELHAM Practice fiscal responsibility - Always Ensure the Integrity of Town Council through complete transparency on all issues that concern residents Preserve the town’s heritage by ensuring that future development maintains Pelham’s community charm and scenic surroundings
Meet and Greet Mayoral Candidate Carla Baxter @ 1445 Station Street (corner of Hwy 20), Fonthill Wednesday - 1:30 to 4:30 Saturday - 1:30 to 4:30
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Brian has demonstrated positive relationships with all three mayoral candidates to forge a strong partnership between the two levels of government and Pelham residents. Over the years, Brian has written summary reports, articles and blog posts to keep our community informed of Regional initiatives. To view Brian’s reports and articles please visit: www.batyregion.ca Paid for by the Campaign to Re-Elect Brian Baty
GET IN TOUCH, VOLUNTEER, OR CONTACT BRIAN: 905-892-5317 | batyregion@gmail.com
Page 14
Letters
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
continued
Town inaction on cannabis concerns increasingly alarming
Beware the Trustee carrot offered during an election
Last Friday, September 28, we stepped outside the house to enjoy one of the few remaining warm evenings of the year. Instead of the fresh smell of spruce coming from the row of trees beside our house, we were greeted with the “skunk y” smell of cannabis. As we looked up in the sk y to see the stars, we could only see the yellow-orange light pollution from the cannabis production facilities (CBFs) to the east and southwest of our home. There will soon be another facility in a residential area directly to the west. Unlike many other municipalities, the Town of Pelham has taken an open arms policy to welcome cannabis production. There are presently 6 CBFs in Pelham, out of 62 in Ontario. There will soon be outdoor production, with high fences
DSBN Trustee Dale Robinson, on May 24, 2017, in a letter to Names Matter’s Nancy Beamer, wrote, “On behalf of the Trustees of the District School Board of Niagara, I am writing to provide you and Names Matter with the Board’s final response to your group on the issue of Wellington Heights….On June 27, 2016, the Board of Trustees declined to revisit the renaming. We consider this matter closed….We fully understand that your group does not support this name. However, what you are proposing is unnecessary and would be disruptive to students who have come together under the Wellington Heights name since September 2016 and have embraced their identity as Wellington Heights Huskies.” Oh, how one’s tune changes with an election! Dale Robinson, seeking re-election, in an interview with the Voice published on September 5 [“Three times lucky?” Sept. 5, p. 14] “says she would support a process for looking at the name again that would follow board policies and reflect the desires of the entire community.” Really, Dale? June 27, 2016 final response? This matter closed? Students would have been “disrupted” when the
topped with barbed wire, around fields that used to grow cash crops or fruit. While the growth of CBFs dramatically changes the smell and feel of our community, along with the reduction our property values, the Town gains nothing in the way of taxes. The CBFs are taking over farmlands (tax rate .00120373), which are taxed at 1/4 of the rate of residential properties (tax rate .00481491). Many municipalities put bylaws in place, restricting CBFs to industrial zones (tax rate .01266322), away from residential areas and schools, and taxed at 10 times the rate of farmlands. Aird Berlis, a business law firm in Toronto, states, “Municipalities have See POT FARMS Page 6
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Dale Robinson knows there is NO process or Board policy to “look at the name again.” The Board would not reconsider the name in 2016 and there is NO appeal process in the Board’s policies. All that can happen is a restart of the whole process. All three DSBN candidates are running on a platform that promise to look into this. According to Board policy, only a superintendent for a school can initiate a request for a school naming/renaming. It is not a simple process. June 27, 2016 was the one
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and only Board meeting scheduled after the name Wellington Heights had been chosen by the Board and before the end of the school year. Recognizing that Wikipedia entries and the Pelham Historical calendars were factually inaccurate, we researched the story of Wellington Heights in the Brock archives, in history books, in military archives, in land registries and even in the Duke of Wellington’s despatches, and we put together a presentation. Vilma Moretti started a petition, both on paper and on-line, collecting nearly 750 signatures. The Town of Pelham issued a resolution asking the DSBN to reconsider the renaming of E. W. Farr and were to send a letter. We actually thought these three things submitted to the Board in advance of the June 27 meeting would be enough to have to Board re-evaluate its decision. Dale Robinson, in her capacity as our trustee and the Chair of the Board of Trustees, never acknowledged the petition to the Board nor did she support us, her own constituents, when our delegation presented at that meeting. In fact, she voted against
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The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
Page 15
Kinsmen to host candidates' debate All Regional, Town Council candidates invited to participate Passionate is how Kinsmen Club Member Kevin Twomey describes this year’s municipal election. “I can’t recall an election prior to this where there have been so many passionate candidates running and residents concerned about the community issues as this one.” With this observation, Pelham residents will once again have an opportunity to hear the platforms of contending candidates, this time focusing on Regional Council candidates as well as those running for Pelham Town Council. The Fonthill and District Kinsmen Club decided to host the event in partnership with the Welland-Pelham Chamber of Commerce based upon the organization’s mandate, “Serving the Community’s Greatest Need.” Twomey is the Public Relations chair with the Fonthill and District Kinsmen Club. He said some Pelham residents approached the organization inquiring if they would be interested in hosting an all-around candidates debate for Regional contenders as the only other forum held so far focused on the town’s top position—the mayor’s seat. The idea was taken back to the organization where they discussed it to determine whether it was something that fit within the organization’s mandate. The result? “We felt this debate fell in that mandate,” Twomey said. “This election has stirred up a lot of passion and, as a club,
BY JENNIFER CHORNLEY
Special to the VOICE
we saw it was part of our duty to organize and give the candidates an opportunity to be heard by residents so they can make an informed decision on choosing a council and Regional representative that best aligns with the future vision of Pelham.” After initially approving the Regional candidates debate, community interest snowballed to also include the 20 Town Council candidates running for six seats, two per each of Pelham’s three wards. “Again, members of the community asked if a town councillors debate could be considered and can we make it work on the same night,” Twomey said. “It wasn’t a matter of can we make it work—we decided we have to make it work. There was no opportunity for them [to present themselves to voters] up to this point.” “There are a number of great candidates running for council. We had to do something to support them,” he said. “As a lifelong resident of Pelham, I know many of the candidates and they are great people. With the number of candidates running, we are pleased to see so many people about serving their community,” Twomey said. “It’s a great thing, we are fortunate to have that.” Twomey said that democracy is vital. “The club encourages everyone to vote for the person that best
suits their vision for how they want the town to move forward.” Because of the “snowballed interest,” the debate will be held in the E. L. Crossley Secondary School cafeteria instead of the Royal Canadian Legion to accommodate more attendees. The Kinsmen Club is organizing the event logistics, while the Chamber of Commerce is handling the debate questions and format. Twomey said he’s hopeful the event allows for a true debate amongst candidates. This is so voters can observe where they stand on issues and how they will potentially present themselves in debates at Town and Regional Council meetings. Doors will open at 6 PM, with the Regional candidates starting first at 6:30 PM, followed by the Town Council contenders at 8 PM. Candidates will have three to five minutes allotted at the beginning to introduce themselves and then answer questions with the format yet to be determined. Twomey noted that community sponsors stepped forward to help the Kinsmen Club offset event organization costs, that way no funds earmarked for community initiatives were used. “We have great candidates, great issues, we just need a great voter turnout and we encourage all to do so,” Twomey said. “Let’s allow democracy to happen. Then, after the election, we encourage everyone to work with the new council to serve the community’s greatest needs.”
ST. ALEXANDER CATHOLIC SCHOOL’S 26TH ANNUAL TERRY FOX WALK RAISES $1,200 Students, staff and parents at St. Alexander Catholic School participated in its annual Terry Fox Walk last Thursday. Just over 400 participated in the 26th annual event and raised $1,200. The walk was organized by school staff members Tracy Goodwin, Judy Wiebe and Jill DeMars. Students kick off the first round of walk participants. Front row from the left: Lucas Corriveau (Grade 8), Stacey Julie (Grade 4), Emma Zuidersma (Grade 4), Reagan Fishleigh (Grade 4), Jack Cargnelli (Grade 4) and Braeden Miltenburg (Grade 7). Back row from left: Tracy Goodwin, and Helena Silolkowsky (Grade 4). In support of the Canadian icon’s spirit, students were encouraged to wear red. JENNIFER CHORNLEY PHOTO
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Page 16
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
23 years and counting: the story behind that billboard A portable sign parked off Canboro Road in Fenwick may turn out to be this election’s most memorable message BY SAMUEL PICCOLO and DAVE BURKET
C
The VOICE
ONFLICTS OV ER R E A L ESTATE development in rural communities and the consequences of urban sprawl—intended and unintended—are nothing new. But one dispute may hold the record for the longest modern legal battle between residents of Pelham and their Town Hall. The story involves destroyed farmland, death and illness, a bizarre incident of alleged faked assault on a Town employee, a very visible road sign lambasting the town’s mayor, and a potential million-dollar-plus liability for the municipality—a liability for which its taxpayers are ultimately on the hook. After over two decades of legal wrangling, the resolution of an ongoing lawsuit between the Town of Pelham and two Fenwick residents that was supposed to end last spring has been pushed back by another year. The two residents, neighbours Doug Hargreaves and Donna McIntyre, each own land on Canboro Road. Their complaint stems back to the 1990s and the construction of the Cherry Ridge subdivision. Hargreaves lived at his property at the time, while McIntyre’s property was owned by an uncle of her husband, Ted Bowman. Bowman’s uncle, Rod, died a number of years ago. Bowman, 61, suffered a stroke last year and is now partially paralyzed. The basis of the residents’
complaint is that the Town deliberately diverted water from a storm water pond into a natural stream that runs through their property, and did so because the volume was too great for the municipal drain. According to McIntyre and Hargreaves, the massive increase in water flow resulted in erosion and a lowering of the water table, decimating parts of their properties, leading directly to the loss of seven acres of peach trees and causing other damage.
Donna McIntyre with her husband, Ted Bowman, at home last week.
VOICE PHOTO
The couple's billboard along Canboro Road in Fenwick.
VOICE PHOTO
Early days
“We first started complaining about it in ’94 or ’95,” said Hargreaves. “Back then it was basically a matter of, ‘Don’t put [the
See LAWSUIT next page
ELECT
LISA HAUN
Vote for
POSITIVE CHANGE
FOR COUNCILLOR - WARD 3
Wishing the Residents of the Town of Pelham a most Resplendent and Bountiful Thanksgiving Day Weekend! At this time: Let’s remember our beloved Seniors and dedicated Care Workers and Care Givers at our Long Term Care Facilities! Let’s remember the needs at Pelham Cares! Give generously! Barb is a life long resident of Pelham and a home owner in Ward 2
A VOTE FOR STRONG LEADERSHIP
Vote for Positive Change
Working for all of the people, not just some of the people
Barb
I offer strong leadership, financial accountability and sound decision-making on key issues affecting us all.
(289) 897-8686 Lisa.Haun.Pelham@outlook.com Paid for by the Campaign to Elect Lisa Haun
On October 22 Vote DELLA MARCA for WARD 3 PAID FOR BY THE DELLA MARCA FOR COUNCIL CAMPAIGN
Councillor - Ward 2
RYBIAK BARB WILL MEET WITH RESIDENTS ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2018 AT GELATO IN DOWNTOWN FONTHILL FROM 1:00 TO 2:00 P.M. ADVANCE VOTE: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018 AT THE PELHAM FIRE STATION #2, 766 WELLAND ROAD, FENWICK
Paid by the Campaign to Elect Barb Rybiak Ward 2 Pelham
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LAWSUIT
continued from previous page water] into the stream.’” According to Hargreaves, the Ministry of Environment also requested that the matter be addressed, and the Town promised to take action on the issue. Prior to its construction, the land on which the Cherry Ridge subdivision was built had directly absorbed the rainwater that fell on it. Once houses were built and roads were paved, the soil no longer absorbed the water, and the runoff was redirected into a storm water pond built for the purpose. Its capacity was inadequate, said Hargreaves. “[The Town] just ignored everything for probably two years. Letters, requests,” he said. “Eventually we got a drainage lawyer involved. I’m guessing that was around 2000. It was so long ago.” Part of the delay, Hargreaves said, was down to the number of lawyers involved. “The first one, he [left to work for] the drainage board, so it was a conflict,” he said. “We got a new lawyer. He got started on the case, and then he said, ‘The way things are going with the Town, I’m retiring in a few years. There’s no way I can pursue this. It’s going to take years.’ So we have [another] new lawyer.” The intervening years have been full of hearings, discovery interviews, and proposals. “There was one hearing about three years ago with three or four proposals—things that had to be clarified. The Town fought them all, and they lost every one,” said Hargreaves. “One was for increasing the damages. The Town wanted to let some of the developers off the hook. The judge told them, ‘Well, that’s nice of you, but what if the Town can’t afford to fix the damages? We can’t let these other people off the hook yet.’” “We had fifty percent of the population of cucumber magnolia trees in Canada, and they’re mostly dead,” said McIntyre, referring to the endangered tree species that grows only in Carolinian Forest. “Our peaches are gone—not only the trees, but the income
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018 from the trees.” Essentially, McIntyre and Hargreaves argue, the periodic influxes of water from the storm water pond have greatly eroded
He sat at my table, drank my tea, and ate my cookies, and said he was going to do everything he could to fix this the natural stream, deepening it significantly. Third-party monitoring equipment set up between September 2016 and October 2017 to measure water flow detected 100 times more force than what would be normal for the site, according to McIntyre, who adds that the force was so great that it broke the measuring devices. “The company said they’d never had that happen before, equipment damaged like that.” The force of the flow has cut what’s effectively a shallow canyon across the landscape, the bottom of which sits below the natural water table, leaving moisture beyond the reach of tree roots, causing orchards and other vegetation to starve for water until dying. A 2011 study by Anne Yagi, of the Ministry of Natural Resources, found that the stream bed had been eroded. In her report, Yagi wrote that the wetland plants were stressed and “attempting to adapt to these lower water levels.” Though Yagi did not directly assess the storm water, she said, “If additional storm water has been added, it should be suitably mitigated from an ecological standpoint.”
The new mayor: David Augustyn
After years of stagnation with the lawsuit, McIntyre initially welcomed the election of David Augustyn as mayor of Pelham in
2006. McIntyre, who is 55, and retained her maiden name after marrying Ted Bowman, is Clinical Manager at Douglas Memorial Hospital in Ft. Erie. She recalled a visit to her home by the future mayor 12 years ago. “The Mayor sat in my kitchen when he first campaigned in 2006. He knew what was going on because he and [Ted Bowman’s cousin] had worked together at some point. He sat at my table, drank my tea, and ate my cookies, and said he was going to do everything he could to fix this. He said that this was wrong, that it had to be corrected.” McIntyre shook her head. “We voted for him. Absolutely. We thought, ‘Okay, this is a good guy, he’s going to do what he promised.’” After the election, McIntyre said, Augustyn failed to follow through on his pledge to help. “There was just nothing, nothing, nothing. Ted and I met with him about five years ago, just to say, ‘You know, Dave, you said you supported us and you were going to fix this.’ He was sitting at his desk in his office, and [CAO] Darren Ottaway was standing at his left shoulder. Every time we would ask him a question, Ottaway would say, ‘You can’t answer that.’ I got up and left. I said, ‘This is just a waste of my time. I can’t believe what’s going on here.’ Ted stayed for a few more minutes, but nothing. We couldn’t discuss anything with him because Ottaway wouldn’t let him answer questions.” “The best part is that we were at one of those Regional Council meetings. Ted was in his wheelchair, and I took him over to say hi to Dave. Dave said, ‘Oh, hi, Ms. McIntyre,’ and then he looked at Ted and said, ‘And who might you be now?’ He pretended in front of his group that he didn't know Ted. Ted’s lost a lot of weight, but he’s still Ted. And he was with me, and Dave knew who I was. He’s known Ted for years. He knew Ted had a stroke. It’s a small town—he lives ten doors down from us. I thought, ‘Okay, buddy.’” Augustyn recalls the meeting this past February differently, asserting that it was McIntyre who invited him to say hello to Bowman.
Page 17
Mayor David Augustyn. SUPPLIED PHOTO “I finished my conversation, turned, went to him and said ‘Hello Ted. I heard you had a stroke. How are you doing?’” McIntyre, according to Augustyn, then stated that he, Augustyn, was responsible for Bowman’s stroke. McIntyre forcefully disputes the Mayor’s account. “That is ridiculous. Augustyn asked me who Ted was. He said nothing about Ted’s stroke. It simply did not happen that way.” In 2015, Augustyn told the Voice that the Town had spent some $200,000 to update the storm water pond, and that the possibility of constructing a municipal drain in the area to meet provincial requirements was also being considered. This work, McIntyre and Hargreaves say, has not been effective. Their only hope now is to reach a resolution in front of a judge. “They chose to take us on for some reason, and I don’t know what that reason is,” said McIntyre. I really don’t. So you’re waiting, and hoping that no one else dies, or has a heart attack, or has a stroke.”
The police are called
Although the drainage issue— the initial reason for the lawsuit—still concerns Hargreaves and McIntyre, intervening struggles with the Town have made the situation even more troubling for them. The two say that the most upsetting incident in the decades-long saga occurred on September 9, 2015, when a Town employee filed a police report against Hargreaves and Bowman alleging assault. Yet within 24 hours, the em-
The Choice for Change Meet & Greet
E Responsible T VO Government
Come Out to Meet Mike Sunday Oct. 14. At Iftody’s Hollo Maple Farms, 627 Church St. 181657 STEWART election SIGN.indd 1
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See LAWSUIT Page 23
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ployee had recanted his statement. Earlier that morning, the Town convened a meeting on Maple Street to inform local residents that engineers would be evaluating water drainage on or near their properties. Among the engineers was John Spriet, of Spriet Associates Ltd. in London. Also present was a representative from the Ministry of Natural Resources, and Pelham’s Drainage Superintendent, Mike Zimmer. Instead of limiting their survey to the drains, after the meeting Hargreaves said that Zimmer and Spriet began following the natural stream that runs though the area. “As they were surveying that, Ted called the lawyer in Toronto,” recalled Hargreaves. “The lawyer told Ted that they could only come on his property to survey the drain, not the stream.” Next, Hargreaves says that he and Bowman went out to Bowman’s property line and waited for Spriet and Zimmer to arrive. “Ted told them, ‘I’ve talked to my lawyer, and we will take you over to the drain. You can survey that. But you’re not to come on to my property for this stream,’” said Hargreaves. Hargreaves says that at this, Spriet, the engineer, began packing up his things and withdrew. “[But] Zimmer was Mr. Mouthpiece, saying that he was the superintendent and he could go wherever he wanted,” said Hargreaves. “Some time along the way Zimmer disappeared,” said Hargreaves. “We walked back to Ted’s truck and were driving back when we saw Zimmer coming out of the bush on Ted’s property from where the stream was.” Hargreaves says that he and Bowman confronted Zimmer. “We knew that his name was Mike, but we didn’t know his last name. We told him he was trespassing, and that he had to leave. He was swearing at us, saying, ‘I don’t give a shit what you say, I can go wherever the fuck I want,’” Then, Hargreaves says, Zimmer pulled out his cellphone. “He said, ‘I’m recording this.’ Ted and I were standing sideby-side, and Zimmer was maybe eight or ten feet in front of us. I
I believe it’s time for a wholesale change at Pelham Town Hall. I ask for your vote on Oct 22.
2018-09-05 11:27 AM
Fenwick (south of Foss & Sumbler Roads), 1:00pm – 3:00pm. Plenty of parking This event sponsored by the Campaign to elect Mike Ciolfi as Ward 1 Councillor for Pelham.
“The Pie Lady”
For more information or to request a lawn sign, please call: 905-892-0077 or email mikeciolfi4pelham@gmail.com PAID FOR BY THE CAMPAIGN TO ELECT MIKE CIOLFI
Page 18
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
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Places of Worship and Events Bethany Christian Reformed Church 1040 Balfour St., Fenwick
First Presbyterian Church 602 Metler Rd., North Pelham
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Pelham Evangelical Friends Church 940 Haist St., Fonthill
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Kirk on the Hill Presbyterian Church 1344 Haist St., Fonthill
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Support your local service clubs
SUMMERSIDES
continued from Page 1 friends who didn’t and we should always remember them.” Summersides is a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 613 in Fonthill, and offers countless hours on the Legion Youth and Education program. Summersides is a highly-decorated veter-
an, receiving the Congressional Gold Medal from the United States Congress, the highest honour in the United States, 39/45 Star, Italy Star, Western Europe Star, Volunteer Service Medal, Canada 125th Medal, Bronze Star (USA Medal), and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. He also received the 2011 Volunteer Peer Award with Town of Pelham, nominated by the Royal Canadian Legion.
Folks, depending on how we calculate your HST, this meal may or may not come in under budget! More cauliflower?
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Page 19
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PAPP
continued from Page 3 in downtown in beautiful homes. Nobody knew where they came from. Next thing you know, they're on the streets wandering around. The other big issue is, of course, the cannabis processing facilities, the pot farms. Where are you on those? I just heard about the seventh on a weekend. So you can laugh at it, but it's not funny. I mean, technically, they're required to do certain things under federal legislation. I don't know if the province decides that we should have more power then just figure it all out, but you need to change the zoning bylaws. Well, the two big complaints are odor and light pollution. Mechanically, technically, it's been solved. Only thing is that— and I'm not an expert. All I know is that, at the end of the month, they go through some pruning procedure, and somehow some of that odor may get out. But I have to tell you it's a lot better than it was months ago. How much confidence do you have in your CAO? Well, at this point I can't really say too much. He's there, we'll deal with it, the new council has to figure out what they're going to do. I worked for a lot of CAOs. In
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018 fact, I was very fortunate in my career. I was very young, I worked for a guy named Cy Armstrong. And when I was in Hamilton, he taught me all kinds of different things. Very professional, very respectful. He understood the difference between the politics and administration. So I think the new council, which obviously will be new, will have to make the decision whether to continue on with the organization. Can you see how some of the current CAO's remarks over the last year and a half have perhaps contributed to the public perception that things are not entirely transparent in Town Hall? I would decline. For whatever reason they said it, they said it. I think that you need to be very open and honest with the general public. As I said before, if you make a mistake, own up to it. Be humble. Do you think council and the Mayor have been able to do that? I think they have. I think times that they've struggled with it. I think part of that will be one of the main things for the new council is to focus on rebuilding trust, confidence, respect amongst the whole community in general. I'll tell you, from our perspective trying to report on what's going on, not only were we stonewalled for a period of weeks early this year, but there's this sort
of ongoing almost unwillingness to tell the full story or to give us the full truth. The most recent example would be the budget for the community center opening parties. It seemed like a very simple question to answer. How much did the Town spend on these parties? Yet we got three or four different answers. [Director of Recreation, Culture, and Wellness] Vicki van Ravenswaay gave one number to council. We got a second number from [Public Relations and Marketing Specialist] Mark McDonald. Then we got another number from him, and I know that he's not making up these numbers. He's been directed to give these to us. How does something like that happen? Why isn't it possible for council just to say, "Yes, we're spending $85,000 on these parties, and here's why." Yeah, I agree with you on that. I've been part of several large openings. We'd said, "This is what we're going to be spending," Welland, Niagara Falls, large centers, Grimsby. The last reply, the last answer— I don't have it in front of me, but it was either $84 or $85 thousand dollars. It was so much for entertainment, so much for this, so much for that. But the remarkable thing was that there was this claim that the actual expenditure would be zero because it was already budgeted, which is a
One of the main things for the new council is to focus on rebuilding trust
bizarre thing to say because you could say that about any expense whatsoever that the municipality has. “This road repair doesn't cost anything because it's already in the budget.” No, it does. It does cost. It's just illogical. I kind of don't know what to say. Neither do I. Let's just say that moving forward, there will be some rationalization and some more straightforward exchange of information, a better level of communication, a better level of engagement. I can't change what happened there, some things. And I was just frustrated, and so were some of my colleagues as well. Related to what? Just that whole thing about the $85,000 and— so I mean, it's once-in- a-lifetime. In fairness, it was done 40 years ago, and that's half of a lifetime. Yeah. I guess there's some
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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca teachings or education that'd have to be undertaken. Let's talk a bit more about communication and then I'll let that bone drop. Back in the beginning of the year, the Town unilaterally decided to stop answering our questions or respond to phone messages or email. Was that a decision of council? Did you get together and say, "Hey, this is what we should do"? I think there was just an assumption. There was some angst that I think people had about, with all due respect, the accuracy of the reporting. For myself, suggested sort of a peace meeting, like figure it out, what is it that you don't want or what is it— I've never had that situation with you or for any press that I've dealt with. For lack of a better word, it became too highly personalized as opposed to dealing with what are the facts, what do we want to deal with, what do we want to say to the public. This action by the Town came very shortly after it was announced that we had won an award for an investigative piece that we did on East Fonthill. Presumably, there was a correlation there. I'd rather not comment. Let's just say that we need to correct a lot of things. We need to change. I hope my talking to you will change things and will change when a new group comes in. I'll be honest with you, I don't like this at all. I don't feel comfortable. It just causes too much— it causes confusion. It causes frustration. It doesn't build on the capacity to build trust, confidence, and respect. But why is that happening? Certain people have certain ways of dealing with
things, and I'll leave it at that. Inside Town Hall? Inside Town Hall, outside. I don't know how it ever got— I kind of feel what it got to, it's just right now this is not the way to go forward. This is not the way to win. Not the way to win? Not win, I mean, to move forward with a community that has done some astounding things. Okay. You and I both have dogs. I hope your dog's okay. I haven't seen him for a while. He's on new medication of marijuana. No kidding? Oh, yeah, he's actually doing quite well. So we both have Yellow Labs and we've run into each other from time to time over the past couple of years walking on the street and have had cordial encounters, I think, each time. I never had any angst, nothing. We did have a chat shortly after Councillor Junkin quit, and to the extent that you can talk about it, fine. It’s related to the report to council last September from [financial services firm] KPMG, and what Junkin told the paper about it after he resigned. Marvin had, at that point, given an interview to us and said he was shocked, and everyone around the table was shocked, at the news that was delivered. And you agreed with that. You said that was an accurate assessment. At the time and based on what KPMG had given us, I'd say from a standpoint of— yeah, it took our breath away. So the question was, how did we get there? How do we fix it? What exactly is See PAPP next page
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PAPP
continued from previous page the extent of the problem or the— what do you want to call it? Yeah, the problem. So the fact is, we didn't drain all the reserves because there are certain reserves mandatory that we have to keep. But others aren't? No, others are discretionary. So along comes the famous debentures, and they work, so you can borrow for the future. But you've also got to be able to repay it and be sure that you can repay it, make sure that the projects and the services you're doing are actually for the ultimate benefit for the whole municipality down the road. And you don't think that was happening? Or KPMG reported that it wasn't? KPMG just was concerned about how it had been— how can I say? And I've said this before that it was— we could've done it in a better way. Could've changed it a little bit, or not changed it but made it a little bit more not as— how can I say? Complex? Yeah, actually, yeah. I mean, the argument is that there was stuff given to us back the year before. Yes, we were told debt ratios, so the question is what risk? And part of what I said to the group in April 2016, I was concerned, and I've said that all along, always. And people have acknowledged. I've said I've never ever said— I voted against the purchase of this land. I said, "You shouldn't be in the development business." So Marvin Junkin resigns. What was your reaction to that? I was very, very saddened, somewhat frustrated with him. I wished he would have stayed. He should have stayed. I mean, he knew I had no angst against him. I just think, just don't do this. Wait. Part of it says that maybe if he would have heard the session before he— we had that in camera. May-
The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
be he would have— I don't know whether he would have changed his mind, but at least it would have given him a clearer picture. It gave us a much clearer picture of where we were. He said he was frustrated— I know he was. —regarding a specific point. And that was, following the initial revelation of what KPMG told you, there was some sentiment, apparently among council, to make an immediate personnel decision. But the momentum to make that decision fizzled out. Yeah. That's a good way of saying it. He said that’s what led him to leave. I know what he's talking about. In retrospect, do you think that this personnel decision should've been made after all, and if it had, would we be in a better place now? Pauses for several seconds. In retrospect, probably certain other organizational changes should have been undertaken. I think we were just not overwhelmed but just trying to deal with just the whole, you want to call, the fiscal challenge that we had, internally. Marvin knows this, I spoke to him three weeks later at an event we were at. He says, "You look concerned, Peter." I said, "I am. I am." So Junkin resigns, then you all decide to undertake a second audit—at basically the urging of the public. These results are presented at Crossley— November 20. —in the cafeteria in November. And then there's a promise for a follow-up meeting, a public meeting after that. So there are two related questions. At the end of the Crossley meeting, you spoke to our reporter— That's correct. —and said that, basically, Marvin got it right.
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That's correct. And then a few days later, or maybe a couple of weeks later— Oh, a few days later. I contacted you guys. A few days later you apologized to council for saying that. Yeah. I had new information given to me, which maybe I— in hindsight, I probably shouldn't have said what I said, but. You shouldn't have said what you said— The general number— —to us, you mean? No. The number, I got it wrong. I'm going to tell you right— I got it wrong. The information that was given to me later then sort of —how can I say — clarified how the debt and all the rest of it was done. And I apologize. And also to the community too. It's not an affront against Marvin, not an affront against the community, but I made a mistake, so. Then the second question relates to the meeting that was promised to the public to answer any lingering questions. Council decided—and I genuinely was surprised by this, because it seemed like such boneheaded political move—decided to cancel that meeting. What's your feeling about that? Or what was your feeling at the time? At the time, I thought we should proceed with another public meeting, but I also acquiesced with my staff, with our staff, and said, "You know, there's been enough information out there. So, okay. That's the will of council, that's the will of council." This was an in-camera discussion? Well, no. The discussion was, "Well how should we proceed?" But publicly, they said we're not proceeding with any further public meetings. And then that just — what do you want to call it — got people even angrier. Can you understand why? Yep. Absolutely. I'm not
I think we really need to enforce our design guidelines and say, "This is what we want" going to sit there and tell you I don't. I do know. Back to McCain. Decency, respect for who you're serving. So it's very difficult at times. And I do respect, and I do— at least I think I do. I'm decent with people and I try not to be passing judgment on them. As I've known from my own career, it's very difficult. So now, we're at a point where— it's not the world of the sky is falling. Maybe this is the time to rejig ourselves. Maybe that's not the right word but just like reestablish ourselves. Figure out where you're going from here. What do you really want to do? We've got a community center. I'm personally very proud of the fact that when [Wellspring Executive Director] Ann Mantini and I met, Wellspring came. I did a lot of, I'm going to say, behind-the-scenes work. My mother died of cancer, breast cancer. When [Mantini] asked me and I said, "I'll ask my colleagues," nobody said one bad word. And the result is you're going to have jobs, you're going to have all these things coming in. The new plaza, Fonthill Marketplace, has been up and running for a year or so. Has it met your expectations as to what you thought it would look like? And provide the services it would provide? Somewhat. I'm not going to say, has it exceeded my expectations? How high were your expectations. Honestly? Don't laugh. Well, you can laugh. Proba-
Page 21 bly people are going to think I'm crazy. I saw it more like what was in Palm Springs. Something that all of this stuff would be behind some very aesthetically well-done— I want to call it— I don't know. I haven't— Landscaping? Yeah, landscaping. I saw this when I was in South Korea that all of these things were part of a design guideline with an intent to not make it look like a regular mall. So how did we end up with what we have? Well, part of it was that I think there was just— I don't know whether we just accepted it. People are going to rent this stuff, rent this stuff, and then when I saw it, this isn't exactly what I expected to happen. Now they are saying they're going to change and they're going to make the sidewalk and all that. You can't move the buildings. It's okay. I'm not going to say it's award-winning. I suspect there's probably some award out there that the Town will apply for and win related to that plaza. But future development, I think we need to really enforce our design guidelines and say, "This is what we want." How did the area around the community center end up with at least two, possibly three different styles of street lamps? I can't talk about that. Really? Someone made a decision. But isn't it ultimately council's doing? No. We have to live with it. Yeah. I mean, there was a decision made to change the lighting. I'm still not clear on the rationale. So it caught both the developer and some of us—I’m scratching my head and saying, "How did this happen?" I think a lot of people are going to wonder why you as a council don't know how it happened. I mean, if you don't know how it hap-
pened, who would? Well, we know how it's happened. It shouldn't have happened. Let me put it that way. All right? Let me just say that we know how it happened. I'm not going to be an idiot. I do know. Just the question is— sometimes you're told— this is what I mean by the relationship between the council and the administration. I have always been taught that council has to be constantly, completely, always informed. Always. And you don't think that was the case here? You don't want to be caught hanging like I am, trying to explain to you something that I should have known. I'm being perfectly upfront. So that'll need to change, and I have some suggestions on how that's going to change. They're not going to like it but— and I'll give you an example. I asked for this four or five years ago. People laughed at me. The Montreal City Charter of Rights. It's a bylaw that's passed that has to be enforced, and you can have all of us, council, staff, all the groups have to sign off on this. You make a pledge— open, transparent, you want to make sure that the people understand fully what you're doing. You mention transparency. I think that word has been so overused as to become almost meaningless. Yes. I try not to use it at all, honestly. And I keep going back. I want to be decent with you. I want to respect you. I want to understand you. And hopefully, as some of my friends tell me, you've got to trust me. If I screw up, I screw up. I live with it. People don't want me there? That's it. I'll live with that. I'm also prepared to sign my name to something that says that what I tell you wordwise, I'm going to commit to from action in that. That's it in a nutshell. If I'm back, I'm going to talk to people about this and show them how this works.♦
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The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
WINK
continued from Page 11 a large portion of the cost from their reserves without endangering the future of the event. He points out nothing has happened yet, other than a request to explore costs. Any decision will rest with the next council, and he believes there is an allocation in the 2020 budget for fixing the arches. "Part of transparency is also communication," says Wink. "A lot of people in this town feel that they're not getting the full story. People are saying to me, 'John, we know there's debt there, don't hide it, let us know what it is, and then maybe we can have an understanding when Council does something, we know why.' We don't have that understanding at this point." Wink also hears of council and staff not returning calls, which he feels is not right. Town Hall-style meetings, with residents, senior staff and councillors, where questions are answered, would help address the problem of people feeling they are not being heard. Airbnbs and short-term rentals are a hotspot issue
with Ward 2 residents and Wink recognizes the problems. In his opinion, the Town appears to be following Ontario government guidelines, but he feels more can be done. "My point is, if Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara Falls, and the Town of Blue Mountain can all have policies and bylaws, and restrictions, why don't we do it?" Wink questions why a report to council on the issue, originally said to take four to five months, was pushed back to June 2019 at the last council meeting. "No one on council questioned why the timeline was so long when we've been dealing with this issue since July of this year. This needs to move along, things that are happening in that [Lookout] subdivision are ridiculous." Wink adds this is also happening in East Fonthill, where speculators have bought multiple homes and are caught in a flattening market. The homes are now being leased or offered on Airbnb because they can't be sold at a profit. "There has to be restrictions on this," he says. In commercial zones and rural areas with sufficient
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space between properties, Wink is okay with Airbnbs and short-term rentals. He believes bylaws, licensing and enforcement are needed, and suggests punitive fines could pay for the extra enforcement costs. When asked about the apparent divisions within the community, Wink responds, "As I go to the door, I would say that the majority of the people want a fresh council. There's a feeling that they haven't been communicated to properly. Whether it's the finances around the community centre, the sale of land, the audit that was done." Wink zeros in on the special meeting of council held at E. L. Crossley last November, at which residents weren't permitted to ask questions about a report given to council by the financial services firm KPMG, as the beginning of a rift between the residents and Town. When asked about rescinding non-disclosure agreements former Town employees have signed, and support for a genuinely independent, third-party audit going back to 2014, Wink brings his business experience to each answer. He would not rescind the NDAs, and adds that if there is staff discontent, there are ways through outside, professional services to discover the areas of concern, and then take a positive, team-oriented approach to solving them. "There are a lot of good people there," he says. Wink does not favour another independent audit of past financials. "Every year the Town has to get an independent audit done. If we're worried about
how much money we spend, we've got to stop somewhere. You can go on-andon. Here's an audit, it didn't pick up the dirt that we wanted, so let's get another audit. No, let's stop. This year we're going to have another audit, let's start looking forward, stop looking in the rear-view mirror." A traffic calming strategy that makes sense is important to Wink. He's witnessed the chicane on Haist Street just north of Highway 20 while campaigning in Ward 2, and thinks it should go. He views speed humps, electronic speed monitoring, and enforcement as possibilities, and questions why Pelham's approach appears so piecemeal. Wink sees a need for more medical doctors in Pelham. "We're touting the fact that we're opening a new clinic with nine doctors. My sense is that the nine doctors going in are just relocating from another address in the area. They're coming in with their own practices. We're getting a lot of people moving into the area from outside of Niagara, and they're having a difficult time finding doctors." Wink was made aware of this by a neighbour who is a retired doctor, and has been involved in recruitment. Wink segues this into discussing the talented pool of retired professionals within Pelham that the Town could tap as volunteers. He cites the work of Bill Gibson and Bill Sheldon on the community centre advisory committee, and says there are many more in the community who would respond generously if asked—something he would do if elected. The need for affordable
housing is important to Wink, and his perspective is not limited to seniors. He believes there is employment for young people in Niagara, but that living in Pelham is now beyond the means of most. "Our kids couldn't buy here because it was too expensive. There wasn't that type of affordable housing. The other thing I'm hearing is that our seniors are living in larger homes, they want to downsize, but downsizing is cost-prohibitive too," says Wink. He understands the developers’ perspective, that higher-end homes are more profitable, but says, "It's hard to hear that seniors may have to move out of Pelham to get affordable housing." Wink also favours expanding housing options for the disabled and wheelchair-bound, especially youth seeking to live independently. He believes more dialogue with developers and builders is necessary. Wink "still doesn't understand how we got to 10-story affordable housing in Fonthill—hopefully the new council can bring it back to something more palatable." Wink holds a degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies with a Business Option, so green space is important to him. "I know we're in a big hurry, and I'll have to look at the debt situation and what the plan was to retire it, but I still hear from a lot of residents that they don't want the old arena property converted into housing. And there's a couple pieces of land in Lookout that were dedicated to parkland and nothing has happened to
them." Wink says the fate of the old arena property should not be decided until after the election, and is not opposed to re-opening the discussion. "It's part and parcel of head and heart. The heart says let's keep it as a park, the head has to say, okay, what's the plan. If we do this, maybe we're not going to be paying down the debt. Are the people willing to accept that trade off, as a result it may be an increase in taxes?" Wink also suggests the Town should perhaps sit on the land around the community centre to see what develops with parking needs. He does not expect Summerfest to locate there in the future. Wink says the committee is concerned with the growing size of the crowds, but moving it isn't easy. The community centre parking lot is too small, and doesn't have the electrical power capacity that is required. Another option, Glynn A. Green school, is not Town property. Harold Black Park doesn't have the hard street surface in case of rain, which could result in the Festival losing the whole weekend. During the recent mayoral debate, Wink was struck by a candidate's comment about the need for consensus on council. Wink feels that the majority of time the current council is “all singing from the same hymnbook." He emphasizes, "I'm not afraid to give my opinion. I'm not here to provide consensus. I will debate, but if I don't agree with something, I'll stand my ground. I don't think we all have to come to the same conclusion." ♦
CARROT
Board until September 2016, asserting, when questioned, she had not received it in time for the June 27 meeting. Dale Robinson was given her chance to represent her voters in Pelham on June 27, 2016, and she failed. After the summer hiatus, in September 2016, Dale Robinson met with a large group of us, students included, and promised to support us in our efforts going forward, yet she did nothing but shift rationales in support of the name Wellington Heights up to and
including her letter of May 24, 2017. In February 2017 Dale Robinson was invited to a town hall-style meeting to discuss both the renaming of E. W. Farr and the Board’s plan to use Cherry Ridge Park as a soccer field. About 200 residents showed up, Dale Robinson was on holiday and did not send anyone in her stead. Good news though. In January 2017 changes were made to the DSBN School Naming Policy (although the policy was not up for review until 2018).
Children will no longer be part of the naming committee unless of high school age. And the three top names in contention will be communicated via DSBN and school communication means including, but not limited to, newsletters/ notices, websites and social media. So hopefully no more secrecy going forward. In 2017, members of Names Matter got the Ontario Ombudsman involved and in 2018 the school board has agreed to review the best practices the Ombudsman shared regarding clarity in its policies/procedures about closed meetings of ad hoc operational committees and the timing of disclosure of potential names. The Ombudsman has assured they will monitor the school boards efforts in this regard. I voted for Dale Robinson 4 years ago. Why? Because I did not know a single person running for School Board, and, like many, I just picked a name. This time around I know who Dale Robinson is, and where her allegiance lies, and that is not with the community of Pelham. She does not get my vote. The woman Dale Robinson wrote that letter to on May 24, 2017, Nancy Beamer, she is the one getting my vote— and I hope yours. Jina Ker Fenwick
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RURAL, AGRICULTURAL OR RESIDENTIAL
Richard Brown SALES REPRESENTATIVE
Direct: 905-651-5143
EMAIL: rbrown@royallepage.ca OFFICE: 905-734-4545 or 905-892-0222
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us when a vote was taken to reconsider the naming. Freedom of Information requests revealed Dale Robinson received an email from Mayor David Augustyn on June 7, stating the Town of Pelham letter regarding the school name issue was coming, and she acknowledged receipt of that emailed letter from the Town of Pelham on June 22, 2016— well in advance of the June 27 meeting, but did not present that letter to the
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The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
Page 23
LAWSUIT
requests for comment about the closed-door meeting. Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Marc MacDonald stated, “In the absence of confirmed documentation that the judge directed the CAO to carry out any such orders we cannot comment on the recollection of the plaintiffs. Additionally, any information that may have been presented to Council during an in camera meeting is strictly confidential.” Failing the pre-trial solution, the case was supposed to go to court this past March. “Our lawyer was hit by a car,” said Hargreaves. “So we asked for an extension until the fall.” In response, Hargreaves and
continued from Page 17 knew from the way things were he wasn’t going to do anything physically,” recalled Hargreaves. After turning his phone to face himself, Hargreaves says that Zimmer charged at the two of them. “He stopped about two feet in front of me. Then he looked at me, and boom—he threw himself in the air backwards, landed on the ground, and went, ‘Ahhhhh. You pushed me, don’t push me.’ Ted and I are looking at each other like, ‘I can’t believe this.’” What Zimmer evidently did not know at the time was that Hargreaves, then retired, had been a police officer for 35 years. “I’ve been to strike scenes and different things where people do this, and it’s just so unbelievable. A car will drive by and they’ll throw themselves. It was just theatrics on his part,” Hargreaves said. After Zimmer got up, Hargreaves and Bowman again told him to leave. “We talked to the lawyers, and we called the police right away, just them know what happened. Zimmer went back to the Town and he must have called the police too,” said Hargreaves. That night, police arrived to speak to Bowman and Hargreaves. “He cautioned us, he said we weren’t obliged to speak, this is the complaint and the whole bit,” said Hargreaves. “I said, ‘I don’t care about any of that stuff. This is what happened, and you tell the investigator what happened.’” When the two went to the station the next day, they learned that Zimmer had changed his story. Zimmer’s statement, a copy of which has been obtained by the Voice, detailed his original allegations. Zimmer initially alleged that he was pushed to the ground twice, once each by Hargreaves and Bowman. “When interviewed,” reads the NRP report, “Zimmer recanted and admitted that they put their arms up causing some contact, and that he lost his footing and fell.” The report concluded that Zimmer’s allegations were unfounded. Hargreaves says that even this statement is false. “There was no contact,” he said, adding that lying to police and causing them to enter into an investigation is public mischief. “Probably the reason he wasn’t charged with public mischief, they probably had him almost backed into a corner, but they wanted to leave him an escape route—that’s the way these things work. ‘If you come clean and tell us what actually happened, then we won’t charge you after with public mischief making a false statement.’ When you make a false report and it causes police to enter into an investigation, that’s public mischief. That’s what he did. He committed a crime, but they obviously gave him the out for the rat to crawl out of the corner.” Zimmer, who is still employed by the Town, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Asked whether Zimmer was reprimanded or was subject to any disciplinary measures for making a false statement to police, Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Mark MacDonald initially said that the Town “would be pleased to respond,” but only on condition that the Voice provide the Town with a copy of the police report. The Voice did so. A day later, MacDonald replied, “The Town is satisfied with the statements that Mr. Zimmer provided in his report as he recalls the events and has no further comment.” McIntyre said that the ordeal
Former Councillor Marvin Junkin. SUPPLIED PHOTO
Excerpt from an NRPS report about the alleged assault, and recanting of same, in 2015.
took an immense toll on her husband, Bowman, who subsequently had a stroke. “I can’t even tell you how much it affected him,” said McIntyre. “He wouldn’t go to the back of the farm for six months, he was so afraid he was going to meet somebody from the Town, especially with our grandson. He was really, really upset about this whole situation with [Zimmer].” Both McIntyre and Hargreaves were dismayed by the Town’s lack of response to one of their employees making false allegations to the police. “With the outcome of this [police] report, he can have no credibility in this town,” said Hargreaves. “He still works, and he’s still on the Sunshine List at the Town,” said McIntyre, who says that she approached CAO Darren Ottaway about Zimmer late last year. “I said, ‘What did you do?’ and he said, ‘That’s all been done.’ I said, ‘What did you do about it?’ and he slammed his door in my face.” Ottaway did not acknowledge repeated requests for comment. After requesting the date, time and “proof” of the slammed-door incident, Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Marc MacDonald stated that McIntyre’s version of the encounter “does not coincide with the events as recalled by the CAO. In fact, it was the Town’s counsel who closed the door to the CAO/Mayor’s office area.” McIntyre remains unmoved. “Darren Ottaway shut that door in my face. The counsel was hiding in the back office. This is what we face. This has all become really personal, and I’m tired of losing family over it, tired of the time, tired of everything. Especially the bullying and the non-disclosure that goes on.”
McIntyre and Hargreaves say they attempted to recover the video made by Zimmer on his Town cellphone through a freedom of information request in 2016, only to be denied. Their appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario was also denied. “Ted travelled internationally for work,” said McIntyre. “[Had Zimmer’s allegations resulted in a conviction] his passport would have been gone. Ted’s whole life—he wouldn’t have been able to work—would have been gone. All for this, all for somebody who lies.”
VOICE GRAPHIC
sel was present, leaving only CAO Darren Ottaway to speak to the matter. Despite being instructed by the judge to recommend a settlement, as asserted by the plaintiffs, Ottaway failed to do so.
Judge’s recommendation rebuffed
On September 1, 2017, Hargreaves and McIntyre attended a mediation conference at the Welland courthouse with their lawyers, representatives of the Town, and a judge, a meeting they hoped would finally mark the beginning of the end of the lawsuit. “The judge recommended a solution to us and the Town,” said Hargreaves. “Ottaway was the one there for the Town. They told him to go to the Town Council with the solution. Apparently he didn’t.” McIntyre concurred with Hargreaves. “The judge was very clear that [a trial] was going to be very costly and very time-consuming, and that it was probably better that we came up with a conclusion before then.” The two sides’ lawyers negotiated a tentative dollar-range that would be acceptable to all parties, said McIntyre. The settlement proposal was to have been presented to Town Council behind closed doors a little over two weeks later, on September 18, 2017. It was not. According to minutes of the meeting, no Town legal coun-
CAO Darren Ottaway.
VOICE PHOTO
According to a source with direct knowledge of the closed-door meeting, council was never presented with an offer. “The lawyer wasn’t at the meeting. It was Ottaway who said that there was no deal because there were no worthwhile negotiations, and that he fully expected it would have to go to trial. He didn’t mention anything about the judge’s comments, or any recommendation for a settlement. Nobody questioned him on this. They mistakenly assumed that Darren was telling the truth. He just said they had the pre-trial meeting, that they weren’t close to making a deal, and he fully expected it would go to trial. One councillor asked Darren if he didn’t think he was exposing the Town to a bigger loss in going to trial—wasn’t that kind of a risky thing to do, winner-take-all, as opposed to negotiating? He said that [McIntyre and Hargreaves] didn’t want to negotiate, so we had to go to trial.” No Town Councillor, nor the Mayor, nor the CAO responded to
McIntyre said that the Town asserted that it would be too busy in the fall, and asked for the case to be pushed back until the spring of 2019. “They said they would be busy,” said Hargreaves. “They wanted to wait until after the election.” Former councillor Marvin Junkin, now running for mayor, recalls the lawsuit coming before council. "This is yet another instance of the Town treating residents as if they don't matter,” said Junkin. “Endless delays, misdirection, false statements to police—all unacceptable. Solving problems like this isn’t difficult. Tell the truth, admit mistakes, and agree on a repair to the damage. It’s time that Pelham be returned to being run as the small town that it is, not like it’s some Bay Street corporation with teams of lawyers and hidden strategy." Asked whether the Town was intent on pushing forward to a trial, Public Relations and Marketing Specialist Marc MacDonald replied, “To comment on the Town’s intent regarding any claims made by McIntyre, Bowman, Hargreaves, et al. as it pertains to ongoing litigation would be irresponsible as it pertains to ongoing litigation. It could result in an increased cost to the taxpayer in terms of additional, unnecessary legal fees.”
A message to voters
Last week, McIntyre and Bowman leased a portable sign, erecting it in their front yard at the edge of Canboro Road, careful to follow applicable bylaws on election sign size and placement. “It’s exactly 3.3 feet from the property line,” said McIntyre, who added that at 8:30 last Monday morning a bylaw officer and representative from the fire department arrived at the house to tell them that the sign was illegal. “Ted’s caregiver spoke with them,” said McIntyre. “She said they seemed embarrassed.” In fact, McIntyre is a registered third-party election advertiser in Pelham, a new provincial requirement related to political messaging that came into effect this year. Under these rules, which require the sponsor’s name and contact information be included in messages, the sign is within the law— and getting noticed. “People honk and wave as they drive past,” said McIntyre. “It’s been nice to get the support.” ♦
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COLUMN SIX
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The Voice of Pelham, October 3 2018
1
MUNICIPAL ELECTION TRACKING POLL
as my consolable therapy. I would demolish the “Lucifer of the Lawns,” the greatest crab of all, CRABGRASS! My lawn and boulevard were inundated with this pathetic plant, sprawling across my luscious lawn and killing little sprouts within its reach—the dastardly devil. And so, day-by-day, hour-by-hour, minute-by-minute, I yanked, I pulled, I twisted, and turned. I stopped long enough to chat with neighbours and others passing by, honking horns, waving, thumbs up, smiles upon their faces as they watched a silly old senior, butt down on the sparse grass, filling bags with lowly crabgrass. Many offered advice, sage suggestions and encouragement. All had met this enemy and few had won the battle. But seldom were they negative in their suggestions —all had good ideas, they helped me focus for the six weeks I spent pulling, raking, bagging, seeding, topsoiling and watering. Now, new lush green replaces the old, weedy, pathetic patch beside my Fonthill home. Certainly, it may not last, of this I am well aware. Like politics, I guess —out with the old, in with the new, and while all seems perfect at the start, be careful what you wish for. For now I have christened this lovely new lawn, “Molly’s Meadow.” I can picture my mom, a cup of tea in her hand, roaming up and down the boulevard, expressing her delight in a lawn that looks “just like your father’s” and yes, it was well worth it all. Grief therapy comes in different forms. I experienced mine in Molly’s Meadow. ♦
WARD 1
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2
TOWN COUNCIL AND SCHOOL BOARD RESULTS
Pelham's largest ward by geography is looking at a tight race among three contenders polling essentially evenly—Mark Bay, Mike Ciolfi, and Marianne Stewart. With 15%, Bay is in the lead. At 3% each, incumbents James Lane and Richard Rybiak are in last place, with Sidney Beamer and Undecided tied at 6%.
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WARD 3
Pelham's smallest ward by geography is seeing a tight contest between newcomer Lisa Haun and Uwe Brand, who previously served on council a decade ago. Robert Hildebrandt and Mary Spehar are in close contention as well, at 9% and 7% respectively. Between the two incumbents, Peter Papp is polling 4%, tied with Undecideds, while John Durley comes last at 1%.
WARD 2
With seven candidates, Ward 2 is the most contested, and the only ward not to feature an incumbent in the race. The obvious standout is Ron Kore, who at 24% enjoys a substantial edge over his nearest competition, Cheryl Crozier, at 10%. John Wink and Chris Fletcher are close behind at 8% and 7& respectively, with Amber Cuthbertson next up at 4%.
PUBLIC AND CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOARDS
Outside the Pelham mayoral race, the most lopsided result to date comes in the public school board race, in which Nancy Beamer is handily surpassing the rest of the field, beating her nearest competition, Mike Brousseau, by 48 points. Public incumbent Dale Robinson sits at 2%. On the Catholic side, Peter Dief is leading at 11%. Undecideds, however, are strikingly large, the most in any of the municipal races, suggesting it's still an active contest.
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