The Voice, September 29 2021

Seventh delay in Lowes sex assault case

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Vol.25 No.39 

of Pelham and Central Niagara SEPTEMBER 29 2021

Residents implore Town to restore safety measures

BY ZACH JUNKIN Special to the Voice

B

Talk to the safety crossing guards— they can't believe how people have no patience, even in a school zone

Pelham’s Director of Public Works, Jason Marr, told the Voice that the Town has traditionally contracted out the painting of roadway lines to the Region, because it has proven to be the most economical option.

“Covid-related delays caused the Region to redeploy some of its resources, and they weren't able to deliver some services for us,” said Marr. “We had been waiting for them to paint the lines all summer. Unfortunately, with the backlog of work that they have with the regional roads, they just were not able to get to us.”

Marr arranged for a third-party contractor to

Heading west, drivers see a newly installed speed detection sign on Port Robinson Road. get the lines painted in school zones prior to the opening of classes in September.

The issue of vehicles speeding and not obeying stop signs is an enforcement

issue that lies with Niagara Regional Police, said Marr.

“Residents are encouraged to log traffic violations through the NRP link on our website. Our administration has reached out to the NRP

See SPEEDING Page 13

We are not just in your neighbourhood, we are part of your community.

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as well. They do know about the issues on Port Robinson Road, as a result of our previous discussions with them.”

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Column Six

An amateur's foray into the backcountry

Edwards badgered the Town to repaint the street lines and crosswalk markings on the roadways, so that they are more readily identifiable by vehicle drivers. He also wants speeders held accountable for their actions.

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“Port Robinson Road has become a speedway” “It’s time to rethink our priorities before someone gets seriously hurt.”

That’s the message to the Town of Pelham from resident Craig Edwards, who lives on Port Robinson Road near Station Street, in a part of Fonthill that is seeing a great deal of residential development.

His comment concerns drivers using local roads and allegedly not observing traffic laws.

“Every day I witness vehicles blatantly ignoring the stop signs on Station Street and Port Robinson Road, and then proceeding to speed through our neighbourhood,” said Edwards, noting that many of the transgressors are driving dump trucks, stone slingers, transport trucks, and heavy construction machinery.

“I also see a lot of young guys driving pickup trucks or sports cars ignoring the speed limit,” said Edwards.

“Talk to the safety crossing guards—they can't believe how people have no patience, even in a school zone.”

According to Edwards, motorists are coming down the Port Robinson Road hill from Pelham Street, and as soon as they pass by the school, they hit the accelerator.

“I'm retired, so I get to watch this stuff. It's first thing in the morning, and it's coming home in the evening,” he said.

page 17

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ear, bear, bear!”

These words of warning brought my wandering mind back to our present situation. I glanced up at my travelling companion, explorer and author Adam Shoalts, then followed his gaze to my left.

“Oh shit,” I said.

A massive grizzly was charging right at us.

I knew this might happen when I agreed to the expedition. In fact, brushes with danger are part of what makes Shoalts’ line of work so enviable. But as I watched the enormous animal come crashing toward us through the brush, the bear-free nature of my home office looked more and more attractive.

We’d been in grizzly territory for more than a week, but this was the first one I’d seen in person. Travelling on foot along the Athabasca pass we encountered plenty of signs, including massive fresh tracks and scat. On a few occasions, in thick brush, we were close enough to smell the bears, but they stayed out of sight.

See COLUMN SIX Page 6

Page 2

The Voice

A September 29 2021

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

PUBLISHER’S CORNER

by Dave Burket

Call it the Legal Proceedings Edition: It’s not a record to be envied, but I believe this week’s paper contains the most Pelham-related court stories ever—four—and we actually missed a fifth due to scheduling conflicts. Herein you will find updates on the Earl Clapp murder case, the Rick Lowes sexual assault case, the Michael Bond carelessdriving-causing-death case, and, at long last, news of the Charles Duncan sexual assault case. On the Duncan matter we have received regular inquiries over the summer from readers wondering about the latest—to which we could only respond, “He’s due back in court in late September, for final summations.” However, not surprisingly given the snail’s pace of prosecutions, made worse by Covid, there has been yet another delay, as you’ll see on p.10...Grizzlies. Why did it have to be grizzlies: Alternately, we could call this the Adam Shoalts Issue, as the still-youthful adventurer features this week both in Column Six, and in an interview related to his new book and a reading he’s giving from it at Old Town Hall. I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of The Whisper on the Night Wind, and, based on the first two chapters, which is as far as I’ve gotten, I give it two thumbs up. The curious kicker? Shoalts, who wrote a nature column for the Voice in his 20s, goes on his adventure with one Zach Junkin, son of Pelham’s current mayor, and author of this week’s aforementioned Column Six. I’d gotten wind of their trek at the time, and tried to wheedle a Column Six out of Junkin about it after he got back, but he claimed there was a book in progress and his lips had to remain sealed. Guess he was right! If you’d like to hear Shoalts read, check out the ad on p.3...Pelham Council is back at it: In the words of CAO David Cribbs, well into last week’s fractious Town Council meeting, “It kind of feels like Mom and Dad are fighting.” It was yet another new low in the sniping and in-fighting that have characterized this council nearly from the start, almost entirely traceable to one tender ego in particular, wounded even before inauguration evening. It’s an embarrassment all around from both a personal standpoint, and a policy standpoint. See John Chick’s usual excellent summary on p.7...Plenty of other stories: Speeding on Port Robinson Road is getting a fresh look by residents, and Don Rickers has the latest. Councillors Olson (Town) and Huson (Region) weigh in on current events. As you see to the immediate and coincidentally centre right, MP Dean Allison kept his seat in last week’s election (which is already seeming like an ancient, bad dream) and Liberal Ian Bingham says he’s done (p.8). John Swart takes on the notion of happiness (p.18) and concludes that the conventional wisdom isn’t for him...Steady numbers: As of Monday, Pelham had ten active Covid cases, which is about where we’ve been since that big spike a month ago. As ever, stay masked and stay safe. ◆

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What's That

SIREN Pelham Fire Department Weekly Calls

The Pelham Fire Department responded to eight calls for assistance from Friday, September 17 to Friday, September 24.

Saturday, Sept 18 Medical assistance, Station 1

In a Beamsville restaurant, MP Dean Allison, right, watches election returns with family and friends.

Sunday, Sept 19 Non-emergency assistance call, Church St., Station 2

BILL POTRECZ

Seventh heaven for Allison

BY BILL POTRECZ Special to the Voice

“When people in the riding put their trust in you, it’s always an honour,” Allison said.

“I never take that for granted. I realize if they put their trust in you election after election, they trust in you to raise their concerns in Ottawa.”

Allison will return to find Parliament in virtually the same condition as he left it — with a Liberal minority government.

“When you look at going into today it was a dead heat,” Allison said minutes after being declared the winner. “Maybe that was an indication that we were actually going to end up in the same spot we were. We started this election and everyone was calling for a Liberal majority. That was five weeks ago. They thought they had a shot at it and

Seven turned out to be a lucky number for Conservative Member of Parliament Dean Allison.

The 56-year-old Niagara West incumbent won his riding for the seventh time in a row, easily outdistancing his opponents with 46 percent of the votes cast in Monday’s federal election.

Allison’s opponents were Liberal Ian Bingham, the NDP’s Nameer Rahman, Harold Jonker with the Christian Heritage Party of Canada, Shaunalee Derkson with the People’s Party of Canada, and Joanna Kocsis with the Green Party.

A total national vote count is not expected to be completed until later this week, when mail-in ballots are tabulated.

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Column Six

Growing up British

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Apple Day comes to Fonthill

BY JULIE MANNELL

Special to the VOICE

W

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

Public meeting tonight on school issues

BY VOICE STAFF As questions continue to mount regarding an email that Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn quietly sent to a District School Board of Niagara trustee last summer, Augustyn has agreed to address the issue at a public meeting scheduled for this evening, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Fenwick.

Nancy Beamer, speaking for “Names Matter,” a Pelham citizens group lobbying the DSBN to reverse its decision to rename a local public school, confirms that the meeting will be held at Fire Station #2, known locally as the Fenwick Fire Hall, starting at 7:00 PM. While the Mayor has agreed to ap-

Under pressure, Mayor to address email revelation, other E. W. Farr matters pear, says Beamer, DSBN officials associated with the school-naming process have either declined to attend or have not yet responded to the group’s invitation.

DSBN Chair, Dale Robinson, to whom Augustyn’s email was addressed last June, has declined to appear, says Beamer, asserting that she would be

“on holidays.” The Voice was unable to independently confirm Robinsion’s intentions. She did not respond to repeated requests for comment on E.W. Farr-related matters before presstime.

Beamer, whose group maintains an email list of some 580 residents, says that all members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting.

“We would especially welcome parents and children who are unhappy with the name change,” she says, referring to the contentious decision by the DSBN to consolidate two Pelham See MEETING back page

HEN I WAS young, my father and I would go for long drives along the rural routes of Pelham. We’d blast George Thurgood and roll down the windows because we loved the smell of the breeze, the sensation of crisp Niagara wind beating our cheeks and tangling our hair against our summer-kissed skin.

My father was not a sentimental man. He worked in factories and had a Gordon Lightfoot mustache and never shed tears over injuries.

Yet something about the Pelham landscape, the hilly backdrop to his childhood and the childhoods of our ancestors, drew him in. He’d stop by a farm or a gathering of woods and, surrendering his manly veneer, tell me a story about the town.

This place is precious. This is the earth that granted us life. Here is the place where we happened upon love or here is a site of devastation.

On one particular drive sometime in the late ‘90s we stopped at a tree with a plaque.

“This tree looks dead,” I said to my father.

“It sure is getting there, Julie.”

The Comfort Maple is supposedly Canada’s oldest See COLUMN SIX Page 14

Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation

BY VOICE STAFF

A construction error was discovered following the opening of a traffic calming chicane on Haist Street north of Hwy 20 last Monday that prevented large vehicles from passing through.

One resident living in the neighbourhood said he contacted the Town after seeing a small schoolbus get stuck as it tried to get through the new traffic calming measure. Later that day while driving behind a cement truck, he said that he became concerned for the public’s safety when the truck had to turn around because it couldn’t get through.

“If a small school bus and a cement truck can’t make it through what about a fire

BY HEATHER McLAREN ROHRER

Special to the VOICE

A

Repair measures underway last week to correct a construction error in the chicane. truck or an ambulance?” he said.

While waiting for the contractor to return to fix

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

VOICE PHOTO

bourhood in the short-term.

Manager of Public Works Ryan Cook said that after discovering the issue with

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

Petition-inspired changes coming to 2017 Summerfest

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

Representatives from the Pelham Summerfest committee Candy Ashbee and Bill Gibson presented council with a final report on the 2016 Summerfest at the Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 21.

Prompted by a story in the Voice in August about a merchant petition to move Summerfest from Pelham Street, in September Town staff met with various stakeholders to hear their complaints, promising at the time that changes in the way Summerfest was mounted would be con-

sidered.

The main concerns identified during the community engagement process were security, parking, ensuring customer can access all businesses in town, and liability for damages. How to get all Pelham Street businesses to participate and finding ways to make it beneficial for them to set up a booth were also determined to be of high priority for the committee as they plan for next year’s event.

Gibson told Council that the committee is addressing these concerns in a variety of ways. To improve parking, they intend to create bet-

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

Another way the committee plans

to improve the 2017 Summerfest is by sponsoring and working with the organizers of the Thursday Night Bandshell Concert series to select the artist performing on the first night of Summefest. They also intend to make more use of the smartphone app they launched in 2016.

"We are really going to push it this year," Ashbee said.

“It really helps to get people to see what events there are so they can plan out where they are going.

We will be able to actually help the merchants and local businesses adSee CHANGES Page 5

FTER LUNCH ON Saturday, Mum and Dad had my afternoon cut out for me. Mum had more brass than anyone I knew, and it had to be cleaned. In addition there was the set of silver fish-knives and forks which were never used, but which had to be cleaned and put back in their velvetlined box.

Next was a walk to the newsagents to pay for the daily delivery of the Daily Mirror. As I said, Dad was a printer, but when he was 37 he had been rejected for a job, as being too old, by the printers of the Beano.

For that reason, my favourite comic was not allowed in the house, but while I was paying the papers, the newsagent let me have a 'shoofty' at the Beano. I'd explained my predicament and he understood completely.

Sundays were different again. Dad would play golf on summer mornings and billiards in winter. Then he'd stop for a 'refresher' at the local and would pick up the prawns, cockles, winkles or whelks we'd be having for tea later. Meanwhile, Mum was roasting the 'joint' and potatoes. I got to make the Yorkshire pud, and mint See COLUMN SIX Page 14

BY VOICE STAFF

While shopping in Fonthill between Friday and Sunday, keep an eye out for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in front of local stores with bushels of apples.

As part of the annual Apple Day campaign, Scouting youth of all ages will be trading apples for donations.

The yearly fundraising drive is an important way for young Scouts to connect with the communities they are serving, says Leah Marie of Scouts Canada.

“The Apple Day campaign holds a great tradition of being able to have youth interacting within the communities they live in,” she says. “All of the Apple Day donations stay directly within the group that re-

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

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

“Any money raised during Apple Day goes towards improving the Scouting program by providing more outdoor adventures for youth, camping equipment, canoes and paddles, training and many other endeavours that the youth want to experience,” says Marie.

Scouts Canada has some 100,000 members across Canada, and carries out programs for boys, girls

walk/trail is slated to be built between the south side of the road from Timmsdale Crescent to the high school.

Because of the large volume of motor vehicle traffic travelling at high speeds through this area, and because of the necessity for students to tread this path on a daily basis, many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later.

After delivering to Council a petition containing

Many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later the names of 450 students calling for a safer walk to school, Simpson handed the

podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case.

Loewen told Council that because there are a lot of students who have work placements and coop placements during the school year, this is the only route for many of them to travel.

As one of the students facing this predicament, Williams said she has had no other option but to walk along the dangerous highway.

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H EATHER AND P ENNY L ANE S ALES R EPRESENTATIVES

BY JOHN SWART

VOICE Correspondent

and youth ages 5-25. This year the 3rd Fonthill Group, which includes Beavers to Ventures (youth ages 5- 25) will be hitting the streets to drum-up support.

Over the weekend, Scouts will be set up in Fonthill outside Sobeys, Tim Hortons, Target Gas station, Fonthill Shopping Plaza and the Pioneer Gas station at the corner of Hwys 20 and 24.

Town Council approves sidewalk to serve E. L. Crossley

BY NATE SMELLE

The VOICE

Joining their principal, Karen Simpson, at the Sept.

19 Council meeting as part of a delegation from EL Crossley Secondary School, students Abby Loewen and Neenah Williams presented Council with a list of reasons that they should immediately approve the construction of the new sidewalk proposed along Hwy. 20. The asphalt side-

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T

Second year Beaver with the 3rd Fonthill Group, Russell Letford offers a fresh apple to shoppers SUPPLIED PHOTO in Pelham during the 2015 Apple Day campaign.

A longtime Canadian tradition, Apple Day began in 1932 in Saint John, New Brunswick, when Scouts handed out 21,000 apples as a way to say thank you to the community. In return for their generosity, many people offered them donations. From then on Scouts have reached out through Apple Day to raise funds for their programs.

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Column Six It doesn’t get better than Autumn

Longtime Scouting tradition dates to 1932

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Column Six

Request made of community still peeved at name change The District School Board of Niagara is requesting that the Town of Pelham cede a portion of Cherry Ridge Park for use as a soccer field to serve the students of the new Wellington Heights Public School, formerly the E. W. Farr Memorial Public School, in Fenwick.

Currently under renovation and expansion, the new school will combine students and staff from the previous school and Pelham Centre, where classes are being held while construction continues.

Two letters, containing virtually identical text but signed by different authorities, were sent last week to nearby residents of the park, as well as to parents of Pelham Centre students.

“The DSBN is currently building onto Wellington Heights Public School on Alsop Drive,” states the letter. “The size of the school's addition means the existing small soccer field will be eliminated.

The Town and the Board have been discussing the possibility of working together to create a field for both the school and the

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“I start work at 2:30 PM and school lets out at 2:15 PM so I can’t take any other route,” Williams explained.

“I have had friends, family, teachers and other community members reach out to me in the past about how this is unsafe and how there should be another alternative for us.”

Looking ahead to winter, when she will need to walk this path three or four times See SIDEWALK Page 2

HERE IS NO BETTER time to cycle than Fall. It matters not whether you’re new to the sport, a seasoned recreational cyclist, racer, touring rider or mountain biker; we all have reason to look forward to autumn.

Summer’s heat has faded, and the streams of sweat that ran from soggy helmets into our eyes are now just slight perspiration. Fitness is peaking from lots of saddle time, making those tough climbs of Spring a breeze in Autumn.

It’s hard to beat the feeling of beginning a crisp, cool Fall ride with a slight shiver, knowing your efforts will soon warm you perfectly.

The hues of Autumn are outstanding.

A Pelham route as simple as following our southern boundary is one that would make most Toronto cyclists jealous, especially when our forests and fields are ablaze with colour.

Begin from Harold Black Park, and zig-zag south along Effingham Rd toward the Welland River.

If you’re new to cycling, it’s important to know south is the direction away from any hills.

If you avoid the morning and evening weekday rush hours caused by those travelling through Pelham between Wainfleet See AUTUMN Page 3

Everyone who's anyone reads The Voice

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The Voice

Page 3

A September 29 2021

Lowes sexual assault case continued for seventh time Fonthill butcher faces multiple charges

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent The wheels of justice can turn slowly, especially in pandemic times. One local case in particular has had more than half a dozen continuances in the past six months.

Mark Evans, the Wellandbased lawyer for Richard Lowes, briefly appeared in a Welland courtroom via videoconference on September 22, and informed the court that his client had been provided with a lengthy disclosure document, which required more time for review.

The case was adjourned, for a seventh time, until Octo-

Rick Lowes.

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ber 22 at 9 AM. Lowes, 65, was charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference with person under 16 in March of 2021. He was released on a $2,000 bond after his arrest. The charges only came

to light in August after Niagara Police staff, upset with the service’s handling of the matter, tipped off the Voice with specifics about the case.

A publication ban prohibits the disclosure of any information about the alleged victims that may lead to their identification.

Lowes owns and operates the Country Corner Market, at Quaker Road and Line Avenue in Fonthill, and has supported numerous charitable causes in Pelham and Niagara with food donations in the past. He was recognized as the Fonthill and District Kinsmen Club’s Citizen of the Year in 2008.

Appearance by accused in Clapp murder

BY JOHN CHICK Voice Correspondent

toEarlyON go chargesCentres closing driving 83 days Fenwick and South Pelham NRPS Raidy Manso (center), Santa Cayo, Cuba!

At impaired

Sue Lough with daughter Tamara, of Fenwick, with new Cuban friend

Jason Lusted, one of two men charged with second-degree murder in the death of Pelham resident Earl Clapp, made another video court appearance Sept. 22 under his fourth legal representation since his arrest almost a year ago. Lusted is now represented by Toronto attorneys Cara Barbisan and Andrew Furgiele, who briefly served as Lusted’s lawyer last winter. Prior to this turn by Furgiele and Barbisan, Lusted was most recently represented by Hamilton

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lawyer Charles Spettigue.

Lusted’s co-accused, Matthew MacInnes, remains represented by St. Catharines attorney Andrew Burton.

Clapp died one year ago this Saturday after being dragged by a vehicle more than a kilometre from his Centre Street property to Hwy. 20 near Balfour Street. Police believe the 74-year-old interrupted the attempted theft of a trailer outside his home.

Lusted is expected to be back in court Oct. 6. A preliminary hearing in the case remains scheduled for March for both accused.

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HAVE QUESTIONS? A full list of frequently asked questions (FAQ) can be found at www.pelham.ca/covid19 To reserve programs in advance call 905-732-7872

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The Voice

A September 29 2021

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OPINION

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

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

As We See It Pelham Council's transit obstinacy

T

o understand Niagara transit in Pelham we have to appreciate that two separate discussions are occurring at once: the current “On Demand” system—the black vans that we see around town—and the future Regional Transit system. The current system is limited in its reach, in its number of vehicles, and in its service commitments.

It’s best to think of the current system as a temporary patch, meant to get us from here into the future: to a system that will take anyone virtually anywhere they wish to go in the region (and via connections, beyond).

The future system will be an integrated one, meaning all the big buses and the small vans will be operated by one standalone agency, and the “On Demand” vans directly servicing Pelham will be subsidized by that much larger operation.

There will be a much larger fleet of vans, and the service standard will be much improved. The current patch is, among other things, a learning opportunity for Regional Transit staff to learn how to make the system function better on our suburban and rural routes.

This newspaper can’t decide if the majority of Pelham Town Council understands this difference, or if it is willfully choosing to ignore it.

Each of the last four times this topic has been on a public agenda, Councillor

The intent was clear —let's cause a crisis and have a showdown over transit

Hildebrandt has testified, with barely restrained glee, to the difficulties he asserts he has encountered while personally testing the service. He is clearly hoping for it to fail. We would like to suggest to him, and to the rest of the Gang of Four, that not having a transit system won’t stop Pelham from growing—it will simply make it harder for our less well-off and marginal-

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ized residents to live. Such privileged favouritism is hardly a beautiful vision of the future.

This attitude is particularly distasteful considering that the Gang of Four—seemingly solely on the basis of Councillor Lisa Haun’s say-so, and certainly absent any business plan— is eagerly willing to endorse a $600,000 taxpayer-funded loan for the benefit of ten private airplane owners at the Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport. But their message to Pelham residents who can’t afford a new car every three years or maybe ever? “Let them eat cake—while hitchhiking.”

As far as political legitimacy goes, no member of the current council ran on a platform of decommissioning Pelham Transit. They aren’t fulfilling some misguided campaign pledge.

Unfortunately, the most likely outcome of their anticipated “no” vote will be exactly this—the destruction of transit in our town.

There is no Plan B. The Regional Transit initiative has been eight years in the making. It has been tweaked several times, and

Letters After honour of service, appreciates tribute It has been such a tremendous honour to have served this wonderful community of Pelham for over two decades, with the last 11 years as your Town Clerk.

I enjoyed meeting so many of the great people who call Pelham home, and was so humbled by the overwhelming outpouring of best wishes on my recent retirement. Whether you sent along a card or a note, or participated in the beautiful outdoor reception held last week, your kindness means so much to me and to my family.

Pelham has been my lifelong home, and I was so proud to have served her well. Pelham truly is the Heart of Niagara as shown by the many people who make it so. Sincerest thanks.

Nancy Bozzato Fonthill

See TRANSIT next page

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Sam Oosterhoff, MPP 4961 King St. East, Unit M1 Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 sam.oosterhoffco@pc.ola.org 905-563-1755 Members of Niagara Regional Council Councillor Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2987 Councillor Diana Huson diana.huson@niagararegion.ca 905-324-3094 Town of Pelham 20 Pelham Town Square P.O. Box 400 Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0 905-892-2607

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The Voice

Page 5

A September 29 2021

OPINION COMMENTARY / OP-ED Councillor Wayne Olson

PELHAM AND COVID-19 Mayor Marvin Junkin

Reflections on Reconciliation and the young

I

approach the journey of Reconciliation not as a teacher but as an eager student with a personal responsibility to understand, learn and change. I do not know exactly where we are on the road to reconciliation but I do know that the end is not in sight. There will be wrong turns and distractions but our aspiration of Truth and Reconciliation must be constant.

Relatedness is the foundation of every endeavour.

Relatedness can only be invented in conversation.

Projects can only live in the quality of the conversations that are created and maintained, not in any given action or set of actions. Let’s open ourselves up to authentic speaking, committed speaking, and listening for commitment and listening and speaking possibility.

A critical part of Truth and Reconciliation will be the listening. Listening with compassion is just to “get it.” Appreciate what it is like for the other person. Not to

TRANSIT

continued from previous page some changes which were appropriately demanded by this council have been made. Indeed, the proposed model will require fewer dollars from Pelham and the Town will have a seat on the Commission.

Last Monday night, it certainly looked like the Gang of Four had pre-arranged their transit shenanigans.

Councillor Hildebrandt, with support from Councillors Haun and Stewart, brought up a laundry list of complaints about the current system and tried to use those to forestall the Town honouring its financial commitment to the Region. As a result of some legal/procedural advice from staff, this disaster was averted, however

help, fix, change, agree or disagree but to resist your natural reactions and powerfully recreate the experience of the other person.

We fool ourselves very easily.

Pride lies to us.

Most of the conversations that we hear around us and in our heads are given existence by what we already know, have thought before, have experienced in the past. We exist in that present “reality” unless we purposefully commit to an expanded possibility for the our future. Our strength must be in translating our intentions into new possibilities.

The basic element of our

the intent was clear—let’s cause a crisis and have a showdown over transit. In Pelham there is no large or organized transit constituency to object, so this underhanded strategy must have seemed a politically safe calculation.

How exactly a majority of this Town Council thinks life will be better without transit is a mystery.

Both this year and last year the Town’s contribution to transit was approximately $180,000. This is an extraordinarily small amount of money to have on-demand transportation, with the Region contributing over $900,000 and the Province also contributing. While there may be some merits to complaints regarding service, how will a population of 18,000 going it alone do better?

How will Town Hall do an

Truth and Reconciliation relationship will need to be the expression of commitment from each party. The purpose is of the relationship is service to our created commitment. Everything needs to stem from commitment: the commitments we make and the commitments we keep.

We fool ourselves very easily. Pride lies to us. It would be arrogant to think that we can come up with all the answers alone. I have a number of suggestions. But I want them to be seen for what they are at this particular point in time: borrowed, too practical, ignoring feelings (again), respecting time too much, unilateral, judgmental, space-grabbing, even colonial by nature and falling short. I’m not happy with this.

It’s time to let go of these old rags. We have fooled ourselves far too often. I have witnessed the damage and the insufficient results.

See TRUTH next page

improved job with such a small amount to start with?

Breaking news: $180,000 isn’t even enough to return to having two short buses drive around town in a loop.

Councillor John Wink has been the most vocal supporter of transit on council. More than any other he seems to understand that Pelham’s future will continue to grow older, grayer,

Entry to community centre now requires vaxx proof

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ew developments on the Covid front include the potential for a pill which would be able to treat the virus. Like all things medical these days, they can be engineered to boost the immune system to fight infection, block receptors so viruses can’t enter healthy cells, as well as reducing the amount of active virus in the body.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, located in the US, reports that there are at least three promising antivirals being tested and results of these tests are expected in early winter. To be most effective, the pills must be taken as soon as possible after a positive test for the virus.

It will be interesting to see how this line of defense is accepted by the public.

As of Wednesday September 22, anyone wishing to enter the M.C.C. has had to show proof of full vaccination status, per Ontario regulations. As with all provincial policies, there are of course exemptions, one being any person under 17 who is partaking in an organized sporting event. As a safety precaution the Town hired a security firm to help with the screening of patrons and to help explain the provincial rules to those not yet up to date with this information.

Please visit Town website for full details.

Also, following other municipalities, Pel-

and be less likely to drive.

Having a transit system that will actually take us to a hospital, or to any of the other medical services that don’t exist in this town, will be a boon. Having a system that will provide access to Brock and Niagara College is also helpful.

Some readers may recall, prior to Covid, seeing groups of young people congre-

ham’s E.O.C. has adopted policies to address both health and safety considerations, as well as the new mandatory passport vaccination regulations. Highlights of the adopted policies are: All Town employees must confirm to Human Resources their vaccination status by October 18, with the information kept in confidence by H.R. Every staff member must have their first shot by November 1 and the second by December 10, 2021. Failure to be double-vaccinated by this date would start the employee down a road of disciplinary measures, which management is hoping will not have to be travelled. As is the case across the country, anyone with a medical or a religious exemption will not be required to show proof of vaccination. he Sulphur Spring project is once again on track, with the contractor having to re-apply because of some necessary infield changes that had to be made to ensure the continued non-interference with the quality of water in the stream itself. I would like to join with Town staff and applaud the office staff of both the NPCA and the NEC for expediting this process, allowing the contractor to get back at ‘er. Now if we could just get a little cooperation from Mother Nature. ◆

T

gating at the MCC waiting to get on Regional Transit to go to one of these institutions.

Second dwelling units or no, Pelham may not be able to provide affordable housing but it can at least contribute to a system that lets people keep living here after their driving days are done, or stay at home while they get their post-secondary education.

We urge a rethink to the basic approach and value which most of council seems to be applying to transit. This is a time for big thoughts and vision, not parochial small-mindedness. It’s a time for the Gang of Four to show at least as much love for the rest of Pelham’s residents as it does for ten private airplane owners. ◆

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NEWSFLASH Tell us your story!

Column Six presents tales of personal triumph, adventure, strange-but-true stories, life-changing events, and looks-back at our past.

Did you conquer Everest or kick a bad habit?

Everyone has a story. Tell us yours!

NOW ALSO ACCEPTING FICTION— SHORT STORIES UP TO 4000 WORDS! Write it down, send it in: publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca (You won’t get rich, but you will get paid.)

Page 6

The Voice

A September 29 2021

Letters continued

REGIONAL COUNCIL UPDATE Diana Huson, Regional Councillor for Pelham

Return to familiar “whine” country Yearly at this time we see the same person whine about the issue of allowing hunting in the area [“Please consider neighbours before allowing hunting,” Letters, Sept. 22, p.6], a continued repeat of the same uneducated nonsense.

This year’s letter has pursued a different vein, the noise issue.

Those in the know understand a deer hunter is not fi ring off rounds all day and perhaps may only require one round, perhaps two.

This is typically on farm property where heavy machinery may run for hours, multiple times per year.

Duck hunters may be fi ring many more rounds as that is part of the equation. This would be on a local river, where power boats make noise of various decibels.

We do know this person’s distaste for hunting, but some of these neighbours as mentioned may be hunters themselves. Do we let the deer population run

Climate change, Reconciliation on Region's radar

rampant? If this person truly needs all hunting to stop for whatever reason, she should run for office and get the law changed on hunting.

I haven't hunted in decades, but I guess we are all annoying in our own way. What annoys me is seeing the waste of space in the paper, which I typically read cover-to-cover weekly.

Kevin Flegg Fonthill

Request to approach the bench—and sit on it Mental wellbeing, good health is supported by public spaces. They should include a view overhead to the magic of the sky unrestricted by concrete pillars, leafy trees, shrubs and benches. As Pelham continues to be rightly concerned with development fees, affordable housing and replenishing the reserve funds, et cetera, where are the necessary green spaces, where people can walk to find solace in nature? Benches in thoughtful locations would offer both a comfort and a thread of community belonging.

It's worth noting that the more desirable living areas offer less concrete and more natural landscapes.

Intensification may be a provincial mandate but healthy Pelham taxpayers are also a necessity.

L. Morgan Fonthill

TRUTH

continued from previous page It’s time for new possibilities.

I am quite willing to give them all up in the Spirit of Possibility in order to generate a new future. I would turn the fi le over to our residents with the best instinctive understanding of the Seven Grandparent Teachings: Humility, Courage, Honesty, Wisdom,

Truth, Respect and Love.

Authentic communications come naturally to our kids.

They are an untapped source of energy and idealism. Let them be our guides on our journey and mentors to our learning. I would be delighted and fascinated to listen. Apprenticeship is a proven concept and I would be proud to an apprentice in the spirit of something of such importance.

You are, of course, free

COLUMN SIX

continued from Page 1 Between the noise of our packs and occasional trail chatter, most had plenty of time to steer clear of the two humans passing through.

But today was a little different.

Eight days of hiking and mountain climbing with 50 lbs of gear on our backs was beginning to catch up with us. We’d covered some 15 kilometers of rugged terrain already that day, and we were finally closing in on our campsite. As we climbed over boulders and fallen trees, I was more focused on the steady aches growing in my knees and shoulders than on any potential predators nearby.

But I guess that’s what separates the hobbyist outdoorsman from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society Explorer- in-Residence.

Shoalts had walked the same punishing miles I had, with the bloody and blistered feet to prove it. But he was still constantly aware of his surroundings. He could always point out interesting plants, animal signs, and the occasional small creature hiding in the underbrush.

And, of course, the bear. At full speed, a grizzly bear can cover about 150 feet in three seconds.

This bear was much closer than that. Shoalts was shouting it down before I’d even registered a problem. If he’d been a little less vigilant, if he’d let his guard down for just a few seconds, we’d have been

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to reach your own conclusions, but I have tremendous faith in them.

Imagine the support our youngsters get from our wonderful educators. In my mind’s eye I can see a young scholar reporting on the day at school. “Today we worked on implementing the Report on Truth and Reconciliation and let me tell you why we have to do it and how we are going to go about it.”

mauled, or worse.

As it was, Shoalts noticed the bear before the bear noticed me.

I was a dozen or so feet behind Adam, wearing various shades of green and brown, quietly trying to keep up with his pace. His warning gave me enough time to see the danger and shout my involuntary expletive. This, in turn, let the grizzly know there were two of us, which, in a cosmic affirmation of the value of swearing, caused her to think twice. She stopped no more than 30 feet away.

Oh, that’s right, the bear was a she. As the bear charged, Shoalts stood his ground without flinching, like a 19th century British general calmly facing canon fire.

I’d also stood my ground, but more like a conscripted British private too terrified to move. Still, I was mentally applauding my dry underwear when I saw the two little bear heads pop up from behind their mother. Never has something so adorable filled me with such terror.

“She’s got cubs,” said Shoalts, in the same easy tone of voice he uses to point out neat-looking mushrooms.

“She’s got cubs,” I repeated, in the tone of voice one uses when they’ve watched the bear-mauling scene in The Revenant. Suddenly all the bear-deterring tactics I knew were out the window. Normally I’d get big and loud to drive off a bear, but wouldn’t that just confirm that I was a threat to her

L

ast Thursday's Regional Council meeting may have been a short one, but it included some important Region in two specific motions, both passing unanimously.

The first included a motion on climate change, put forward by Chair Bradley at our Planning and Economic Development Committee, and was amended by Mayor Sendzik to include a declaration of a climate emergency. The motion noted that climate change is a significant threat to both Niagara's natural environment and economy, and acknowledged that Niagara has been impacted by both shoreline and escarpment destruction. Extreme weather events have also damaged our infrastructure and caused an increase in freeze-thaw cycles. It's also created significant challenges for our agriculture sector, impacting irrigation and at times creating drought-like conditions that are detrimental to our crops.

The cost of climate change is significant.

A recent study by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and the Insurance Bureau of Canada estimated that climate adaptation has cost Canadian municipalities $5.3 billion annually. This includes significant increases to insurance premiums resulting from extreme weather events. On the bright side, resilient infrastructure investments have the potential to return $6 in future averted losses for every $1 spent proactively, proving that they are a worthy expenditure in that they have a good return on investment.

The motion asked staff to complete an inventory of past Regional initiatives and gather best practices across Ontario on

Imagine the explosion of pure energy that would create! Masters of listening and speaking possibility. Leadership can come from any point on a round table. I am quite willing to follow. We might only need a bit of patience and cooperation but we can do this.

We will need an umbrella agreement so let’s go ahead and agree upon a Memorandum of Understanding and Cooperation with our

cubs? And if I did the opposite, wouldn’t I just look like easy prey?

Would a bear-banger scare her off or piss her off?

She sat there glaring at us, huffing air angrily from her massive, 700 lb, silver-brown frame.

I’m going to die, I thought to myself.

“Okay,” said Shoalts. “We’re just going to move slowly down the trail. Don’t run, no sudden movements, let’s go.”

That was good enough for me.

We backed slowly down the trail, and to our relief she turned and took her cubs the other way.

Later, by the fire, I had to ask.

“How many times have you been charged by a bear?”

“That’s the second time I’ve been charged,” Shoalts told me.

“And I’ve had some other close encounters, including an aggressive black bear who didn’t budge at my bear banger, and a polar bear that growled at me as I passed uncomfortably close to him in a canoe.”

Again, his tone of voice didn’t really align with the subject matter. And that’s probably another thing that separates the hobbyists from the pros. For me, Charged by a Grizzly is a story I’ll tell for the rest of my life. For Shoalts, it was just another Saturday in the woods.

Epic wilderness adventures are a dime a dozen when you seek them out the way Shoalts does.

Last year, he took me to Labrador on my first expedition. We were researching the legendary Tra-

community and corporate mitigation efforts. These findings will be presented at a future council meeting, along with a climate mitigation and adaptation proposal.

Further to this, the Region will be hosting a climate summit to evaluate policy options and coordinate a climate action plan. I believe this motion has the potential to create some positive momentum for climate action in Niagara that can be both meaningful and impactful.

The second motion asked the Region to commit to recognizing September 30 as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation by sharing stories of residential school survivors, their families and communities.

It was coupled with a corporate training program for Regional staff and Councillors consistent with Call to Action #57 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report. This Call to Action is one of 94 recommendations in the report, which highlights the need for professional development and training for public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples at all levels of government.

Marked in past years as “Orange Shirt Day,” this day is an important day of reflection and solemnity. This day provides an opportunity to bring awareness to the tragic legacy of residential schools in Canada and is particularly notable as it’s the first year it will be acknowledged as a federal statutory holiday. However, it's also particularly salient because of the grim discoveries of unmarked grave sites of children at former residential school locations over the past See REGION Page 14

local Friendship Centre (not a new idea, it’s already been done). I don’t know this but I expect the resources are already in place with our school boards. If so let’s give them greater prominence and visibility.

Finally, we need to give our support and resources to our youthful champions so that they might fi nd progress in this important journey. It time to check our rank, suppositions,

verspine Gorilla, a seven-foot-tall bipedal creature covered in hair that terrorized a small settlement in the early 1900s. Most people read about something like that and think, “that’s weird,” and then go about their day. Shoalts reads that story and thinks, “I’m going to scour archives across the country, read everything ever written about this creature, then drive 36 hours to find the old settlement before setting off into one of the least inhabited parts of Canada to figure out what was going on there.”

And he did it. Using a few clues scattered throughout some primary texts, we tracked down the old settlement. Then we went deep into the creepiest woods you can imagine, where just 100 years earlier—the 1920s—several eyewitnesses claimed to have seen a monster. We canoed up a river after the locals told us it would be impossible. We were devoured by blackflies that left every inch of exposed skin bloody and swollen (before tents and bug spray, this occasionally drove men to suicide). I’m a semi-professional athlete, and it was one of the most physically and mentally grueling things I’ve ever done.

At one point, we set out to climb a distant mountain. The brush was so thick we had to fight for literally every step. After 150 meters, I thought Adam would surely see it was impossible and turn around. He didn’t. When we made

experiences, notions, and impatience the door. We will be rewarded with a more equitable future and the reward for our patience will be more patience. I would be happy about that.

I hope that many can attend our Town Hall on Friday, September 30, at sunrise, about 7 AM, for the raising of the Every Child Matters flag in recognition of National Truth and Reconciliation Day. ◆

camp that night, exhausted, dehydrated and bleeding, having travelled something like just five kilometers in the entire day, I told Adam what I’d been thinking when we began.

“Yeah, people often think stuff like this is impossible,” he explained. “They said it when I was canoeing up the Coppermine River on my solo trip across the arctic. Couldn’t be done. Too difficult. But the simple truth is, if you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you’ll eventually get where you’re going. There were days on the Coppermine where it took me 13 hours to travel one kilometre. It was hard. It was exhausting. But I kept going, and I eventually got through it.”

That attitude is part of what makes Adam so successful. He pushes limits others aren’t willing to push, he goes places others aren’t willing to go, he faces dangers others aren’t willing to face.

And as a result, he’s seen things no one else has seen, and done things that no one else has done.

It’s easy to curl up with one of Shoalts’ books and feel envious of his lifestyle. And he’ll be the first one to tell you how great his job is. But take it from someone who’s seen him in action. The wildlife, the scenery, the adventures— they don’t come easy. You’re away from your family for weeks and months at a time. You get wet. You get cold.

You get hungry. And sometimes you get charged by a bear. ◆

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

The Voice

Page 7

A September 29 2021

TOWN COUNCIL NEWS

Renewed frustration, discord on Pelham Council

BY JOHN CHICK Voice Correspondent In one of the more staggering Pelham Town council meetings in recent memory, among other things members voted to endorse a loan of $600,000 to build a new airport hangar, flirted with killing transit service in the town, and one councillor inadvertently divulged information meant for a closed session.

The Sept. 20 regular meeting began with Mayor Marvin Junkin announcing that he would no longer wear a mask in council chambers.

The Mayor and Clerk Holly Willford have been helming the virtual council meetings from Town Hall since the Covid-19 pandemic began, with other members joining

by Zoom.

“Madame Clerk and I had a discussion, we’re both double-vaccinated, we’re six feet apart, and I don’t care what you say … we’re both relatively young,” Junkin announced, apparently making light of his 68 years.

In another first, Pelham began a new tradition of starting Town meetings with a First Nations land recognition. The practice has been used extensively in other Canadian jurisdictions, and in Pelham’s case acknowledges the Hatiwendaronk, Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

The meeting underway, things quickly became contentious when

airport commission chair and Wainfleet Councillor John MacLellan presented his idea to take out up to a $600,000 loan to build a new hangar at the aerodrome.

The plan, backed by Pelham Ward 3 Councillor and airport commission member Lisa Haun, could potentially leave Pelham on the hook for $108,000 or more in the event of default as one of the four municipalities involved in governing the airfield and effectively guaranteeing the loan, which would be underwritten by the City of Welland.

As has been demonstrated on the issue since a fiery December meeting over Pelham’s role in the future of the facility, the argument mostly pitted airport skeptics Junkin and Ward 1’s Wayne Olson against the political bloc of Haun, Bob Hildebrandt, Marianne Stewart and Ron Kore.

“This weekend, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen so many planes land and take off at this airport,” Haun told council. “Business is booming out there, and with more hangar space it would only be more so.”

Due to this asserted booming business, MacLellan repeatedly tried to make the case that the airfield could become profitable.

“This airport should be run like a business,” he said, adding that until now all four municipalities — Pelham, Welland, Port Colborne and Wainfleet — have neglected

Pelham Town Council meets virtually on Sept. 20, 2021. it was being worked on.

“We’ve spent almost three years cleaning up messes,” MacLellan added, repeating an earlier line that “a 12-year-old kid” wouldn’t have done some of the previous airport deals.

“Yes, Rome wasn’t built in a day,” MacLellan said. “I guarantee you if it’s not a moneymaking venture, we’re not building the thing.”

Olson provided statistics he said he found that growth in private registration aircraft the past three years in Ontario has been 0.3 percent. “All I’m looking for is a plan,” he said.

Soon after, Ward 3 councillor Hildebrandt called for a point of order, declaring, “I think it’s time to call the vote.”

Junkin replied, “Usually we wait until no more questions are asked.”

CAO David Cribbs, asked for his input, said, “It kind of feels like Mom and Dad are fighting.”

While he suggested Pelham’s Finance and Audit Committee could look at the proposal, and that customarily such an approach would be appropriate, the airport commission was an independent agen-

guarantee P U B H IO U S E you & E AT S if it's not a money-making venture, we're not building the thing

the facility.

“As one guy once said to me, it’s like being half-pregnant,” MacLellan said. “None of the four municipalities want to take any responsibility for it. They’ve never stepped up to do anything to improve it or bring in cash flow.”

When Olson asked about the airport’s existing debt or for a formal business plan, MacLellan said Pelham residents would be the only municipality to collect tax dollars on the improvement as the airport sits fully inside Town borders.

“I hope you’re not trying to beat your taxpayers out of taxes that are coming to you,” MacLellan said.

When Olson asked again about a strategic business plan, Haun said

YOU TUBE

cy and as such ultimately the decision rested with council.

“Given the decision to keep the airport, we now have to look forward to some kind of future for said airport,” the CAO said. “This seems to be rational and coherent. This sounds like a reasonable approach … I wish you the best of luck, I’m going to hit my mute button.”

As the discussion wrapped up, Junkin reiterated his opposition.

“I can only imagine that this council will be asked again to support further debt,” the Mayor said.

“When you’re talking airports there are no small bills … this is a huge money pit that the residents of this town cannot afford.”

Junkin also mentioned the airport’s septic system, which is in apparent need of replacing. That led to another testy exchange with Haun.

Haun replied that Niagara Region doesn’t feel the septic system is a problem as it is not used yearround.

“I encourage you to do your homework,” she told Junkin.

See COUNCIL Page 12

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Page 8

The Voice

A September 29 2021

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Niagara West Liberal says this was it After second loss to incumbent MP Dean Allison, Ian Bingham is bowing out

BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI Special to the Voice Last Monday’s federal election day started in typical fashion for Niagara West Liberal candidate Ian Bingham.

“I woke up, I went to court in front of two different judges and then I went to the jail to see some of my clients,” the 31-year-old Grimsby defense lawyer said.

Because of the pandemic, the Lindsay native appeared virtually in a Hamilton courthouse and a Milton courthouse and then visited clients in person at the Barton Street jail in Hamilton.

“It was definitely a distraction because right now the jail is totally locked down and there are many security procedures. You are lucky to get past the front door,” he said.

Bingham didn't need to vote on election day because he had cast his ballot in the advance polls the previous week. When his work day was over, he headed home to follow the election.

“I arrived here and luckily my lovely wife had set up everything so we were able to sit down and watch the pro-

Federal Liberal Niagara West candidate Ian Bingham. SUPPLIED ceedings.”

His wife, Abigail Bingham, served as his campaign manager, helps with his law practice, and is also is a substitute teacher at the elementary and secondary school level with the Niagara Catholic District School Board.

The Bingham campaign headquarters were on the front lawn of the couple’s Grimsby home. Lawn chairs were set up in front of a television screen under a tent.

Some true Canadiana atmosphere was added by a small fire burning in a portable fire-pit.

“We are here with some of the core team, friends of the

campaign and things are going well,” Bingham said that night.

Those in attendance were watching CBC’s coverage of the election and by 10:15, the CBC still hadn’t mentioned any results for Niagara West.

There was pizza, drinks and candy at the ready when the Liberal scrutineers returned from the polling stations.

By 10:40 p.m., it was being reported that Conservative incumbent Dean Allison had once again captured the riding he had held since 2004.

“Congratulations to him and I want Dean to know that his seat is not secure the next time, and I think the Liberals will be climbing closer in this riding,” Bingham said, later that night.

He has decided that after two attempts he will not be the Liberal candidate in Niagara West whenever the next election is called.

“I want focus more on my career and my family.”

He believes the 2021 election will come to be viewed as very important in Canadian history.

“We may not realize it now See BINGHAM Page 16

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Michael Bond case drags on

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent Justice of the Peace Bruce Phillips has grown impatient with Michael Bond, a former Pelham resident who was behind the wheel when he allegedly struck and killed a 66-year-old Ridgeville woman walking along Effingham Street on November 30, 2019.

Bond, 55, is charged under the Ontario Highway Traffic Act with careless driving causing death, driving while under suspension, driving with no valid vehicle license, and operating an unsafe vehicle.

Toronto-based lawyer Lawrence BenEliezer is Bond’s legal aid-appointed counsel—at least at the moment. Ben-Eliezer appeared via teleconference before Judge Phillips last Wednesday in a Welland courtroom, and indicated that he planned to bring a motion to be removed from the case.

He had experienced difficulty keeping in

contact with Bond, and did not know his whereabouts. Bond is currently homeless, and is reportedly living in shelters somewhere in Niagara.

Ben-Eliezer explained that he had been in contact with Bond for the first time in quite a while only recently, and had provided the coordinates for Bond to appear remotely in court (although he may have provided an incorrect date.) Ben-Eliezer has reviewed disclosure documents, but has not been able to personally serve Bond with the pertinent paperwork.

Judge Phillips voiced annoyance that the case has dragged on due to Bond’s lack of communication, and noted that it was in the public interest for the case to be prosecuted expeditiously. Phillips set a court date of October 7 at 1:30 PM in Welland, with the expectation that Ben-Eliezer would convey this information to Bond, who must either secure counsel or prepare for self-representation.

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The Voice

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Page 10

The Voice

A September 29 2021

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

Three months after it started, another delay in Dr. Charles Duncan trial Final submissions now to be made on Oct. 8

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent The trial of Charles Duncan, the former family doctor charged with multiple sexual assault and exploitation offences dating back to the fall of 2019, is drawing closer to a verdict.

Duncan, who practiced family medicine in Pelham for decades, resigned from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario in October 2019, after the college commenced an investigation into allegations against him of professional misconduct and incompetence.

After an alleged sexual assault victim of Duncan’s told her story to the Voice that autumn, several other women came forward with similar allegations. Duncan was formally charged and arrested by Niagara Regional Police in November 2019. The women involved were aged 16 to 64 at the time of the alleged incidents.

On Monday, Assistant Crown Attorney Todd Morris told presiding judge Deborah

Calderwood and Duncan’s lawyers, Seth Weinstein and Jill Makepeace, via videoconference, that he needed more time to finish his 1000-page document review in the case, so as to fi le a written submission for Duncan’s defence team to critique.

Justice Calderwood proposed an October 4 Zoom meeting with both counsels to confirm that the submissions would be ready for discussion on Friday, October 8, 10 AM, in Courtroom 5 of the Robert S.K. Welch Court House in St. Catharines.

Duncan is apparently experiencing some undisclosed health issues, and the court was agreeable to accommodate his medical appointments. Should the October 8 date not prove workable for Duncan, the case will be postponed until early November.

Duncan’s defence team opted for trial by a judge, rather than by a jury. Duncan pleaded not guilty to all seven charges against him at the beginning of the case.

A publication ban is in place to protect the identities of the women who gave testimony.

Dr. Charles Duncan, second from right, confers with his then-lawyer Michael DelGobbo, far left, and his sons outside a St. Catharines courtroom in February, 2020. JOHN CHICK

IN THE NEWS Welland assault

On September 23, at approximately 2 PM, 3 District Welland uniform officers from the Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) responded to a report of a stabbing in Welland. According to a police statement, officers attended the area of Patsy Avenue and 6th Street and located a man in his 30s suffering from serious stab injuries. The male victim was treated at the scene by Niagara Emergency Medical Services

paramedics and transported to a local hospital. The victim was then transported to an out of region hospital by Ornge air ambulance for what were believed to be serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Officers were able to locate and arrest a suspect nearby.

Darren John Verge, 44, of Welland was charged with the criminal offences of Aggravated Assault and Fail to Comply with Probation Order (two counts). Verge was held in custody pending a video bail

hearing. Police believe this to be a targeted incident. Anyone who may have information about this incident is asked to call 905-6884111, extension 1009024.

Proof of vaccination required at MCC

Residents accessing the Meridian Community Centre (MCC) or Town rental facilities are now required to provide proof of vaccination upon entry to the facility. Individuals who cannot receive

the vaccine due to medical exemptions will be permitted entry with an approved physician note, until recognized medical exemptions can be integrated as part of a digital vaccine certificate. Children who are 11 years of age and younger and unable to be vaccinated, or who are under the age of 18 and are participating in an organized sport within the facility, will be exempt from these requirements. Those accessing the MCC for a vaccination clinic or for

Pathstone Mental Health walk-in clinics will also be exempt. Residents who are requiring access to the community centre, solely for the use of restrooms, will be required to complete the screening only. Through a media statement, the Town encouraged residents to access a paper or PDF vaccine receipt that includes all relevant information to prove that they are fully vaccinated. For more information, see www.pelham.ca/ covid19

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The Voice

Page 11

A September 29 2021

Pelham adventurer publishes fourth book Adam Shoalts has won multiple accolades for his expeditions

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent The CBC refers to him as one of Canada's greatest living explorers.

The Toronto Star has called him Canada’s Indiana Jones.

High praise for a 35-year-old adventurer whose roots are in rural Fenwick.

Adam Shoalts will be back on familiar ground when he introduces his latest book, The Whisper on the Night Wind: The True History of a Wilderness Legend.

On October 7 at 7 PM, the Pelham Public Library, along with the Town of Pelham, will present “An Evening with Adam Shoalts” at Old Town Hall, on Canboro Road.

Shoalts will be speaking about his new book and sharing photos from the adventure, along with hosting a Q & A session. A limited in-person audience of 40 will be present at the event (advance registration is required), in accordance with provincial Covid limits. Admission is free, and proof of vaccination is required. The presentation will be live-streamed through www.facebook.com/pelhampubliclibrary.

A local independent bookstore, Some Day Books, in St. Catharines, will also be on hand to handle book sales.

The Whisper on the Night Wind has generated some serious interest, as the CBC and the Globe and Mail have both named it to their “Recommended Fall Reads list,” and Indigo has added it to their "Most Anticipated Books of the Year List.”

Shoalts completed an undergraduate degree at Brock in 2009, and followed it up with a Masters and PhD at McMaster in history and archaeology. His talents as a writer emerged in high school at E.L. Crossley, and in his 20s he had a regular gig with his hometown paper, the Voice of Pelham.

“The Voice was my first real writing experience, from 2007 until about 2012,” said Shoalts. “For those five years, I was writing nature columns pretty regularly. I like to think that the Voice laid the foundations for all my later success as an author.”

The vast majority of Shoalts’ travels have been solo. His bestknown expedition was when he crossed Canada's Arctic alone in 2017, a 4000-kilometre journey

that took four months, and was the subject of his well-received book, Beyond The Trees. Shoalts’ latest book, which comes out in October, involves a Labrador expedition with a partner, Zach Junkin, son of the current Mayor of Pelham, Marvin Junkin.

“Zach has a background in mixed martial arts, triathlons, and marathon running, so he was well qualified to do this kind of extreme expedition in a remote environment,” said Shoalts. “He was an excellent companion, both on foot and on the water. We did a lot of canoeing, actually paddling on the North Atlantic, off the coast of Labrador, under pretty extreme conditions. It was September when went up a river into the Mealy Mountains of Labrador, which really pushed us to our limits.”

The Whisper on the Night Wind is different from Shoalts’ other books, in that it is more of an historical mystery.

“The story follows my investigation of a Labrador legend that goes back a century,” he said. “A ghost town called Traverse Pine, which is abandoned today, was a trading post a hundred years ago.

I read journals from fur trappers, describing how this place was haunted by a strange creature or creatures that no one could identify. One of the eyewitnesses from back in the 1920s described it as sort of Yeti or Bigfoot, walking on two legs. The creature left tracks that no one could identify.

Strange calls were heard in the night, and sled dogs would go missing. I found the mystery very intriguing, and did a lot of archival research, digging up all these personal accounts. In my book, our expedition tries to solve the mystery.”

Promoting his new book will be more difficult in pandemic times.

“For my other books, I did cross-Canada tours, and lots of in-person book events and book signings, but for this one, because of Covid, I'm doing very limited traveling, and will be relying much more on virtual events.”

While holding a number of sponsorships to support his expeditions, Shoalts’ primary support comes from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, where his

Adam Shoalts paddles along. official job title is Westaway Explorer-in-Residence.

Shoalts said that he consumes about 4000 calories a day when on one of his treks, “and I still tend to lose weight. I pretty much eat every hour while on an expeditions, usually a high-calorie energy bar. There’s no stopping for lunch or breakfast or anything like that, since my priority is to maximize the amount of time I can spend traveling.”

The food he packs must be lightweight, so as not to be a burden in his travels.

Encounters with wild animals are par for the course when on expeditions.

“Oh yeah, that happens quite regularly,” said Shoalts. “I was just charged by a grizzly a couple of weeks ago. I've had polar bears come at me in the river—it just comes with the territory. In fact, on my list of scariest moments,

the bears are not at the top. It's mostly the weather, like extreme gale-force hurricane winds on the Arctic tundra.”

He doesn’t carry a firearm on his treks.

“It’s essential that I travel as light as possible, and a rifle is heavy. Plus, when you're doing a lot of canoeing, especially whitewater canoeing, a firearm can easily get wet. So normally, I don't carry a firearm on my expeditions.”

Asked about snake encounters that might maker readers cringe, Shoalts replied, “snakes aren't usually an issue, because most of my treks are in the North where there aren't any snakes. I've done one expedition in the Amazon, and there were obviously a lot of venomous snakes and spiders and scorpions there. But that's a whole other story,” he said.

Shoalts intends to keep trek-

SUPPLIED

king and writing as long as he’s able. “I consider myself the luckiest guy in the world, because I get to go off on adventures and expeditions and then write about it. So those are my two great loves right there.”

He’s clearly comfortable in his own skin, and says that the solitude of solo travel is not a problem for him.

“I love the natural world,” said Shoalts. “This weekend, I'm leading guided nature hikes, talking about wild mushrooms and edible plants, and identifying different species of trees. To me, that's endlessly fascinating. So when I'm out in the wilderness, I don't really feel the loneliness. I feel the excitement, because every bend in the river brings something new.

On the other side of every hill, there are new things to discover. That keeps me engaged in the journey.”

HONOURING A CAREER A tribute party for former Pelham Clerk Nancy Bozzato, who retired in May, drew a large crowd of friends and well-wishers at the Meridian Community Centre last Thursday evening, staggered over two seatings. She and her husband have been spending most of the summer at their cottage in Magnetawan, northwest of Huntsville, simply enjoying their retirement. “It’s wonderful to see all these memorable faces,” Bozzato said. Inset: Nancy Bozatto, with her mother, Renie Hollingshead. DON RICKERS

Page 12

The Voice

A September 29 2021

COUNCIL

continued from Page 7 The Mayor rebutted, saying that he had spoken with a Niagara Region engineer earlier that day who, Junkin asserted, had said, “’Huge repairs eventually, sooner than later.’ He also mentioned a business plan would be appropriate. So, I did do my homework, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

When the vote was finally called, Ward 2’s John Wink joined the bloc members in supporting the plan.

However, with Haun (“Yes, absolutely”), Hildebrandt (“Yes, absolutely”), Kore (“Yes, absolutely”) and Stewart (“Opportunity knocked, answer the door”) adding superlatives to their yes votes, Wink said, “Yes, reluctantly.”

Junkin and Olson were the only no votes, with the Mayor saying, “No, definitely.”

More fireworks over transit

Despite council passing a renewal of the existing agreement for on-demand service with Niagara Transit this past April, Bob Hildebrandt appeared poised to attempt to kill it at the too-late stage of bylaw-passage during the meeting.

Again raising complaints over service levels in Pelham, Hildebrandt and Haun were concerned that the memorandum of understanding attached to the bylaw did not include terms of improvement.

“We saw the terms when we originally okayed this,” Junkin told Hildebrandt.

“I wasn’t okay with those terms,” the Ward 3 councillor replied.

CAO Cribbs said Niagara Transit has made assurances that service levels would improve, noting the launch of a new booking system this month. He also appeared concerned that transit was suddenly in peril.

“This is the least expensive option for providing transit for the next year, he said. “Not passing this means ending public transit in Pelham this year.”

After some discussion about potentially holding back some funds, Wink pointed out that the Town’s first payment on the new deal was actually due in late August, putting Pelham in arrears. “Quite frankly we’re delinquent,” the Ward 2 councillor said.

Clerk Willford then reminded

Detail from a 2020 consultant's report on the feasibility of operations at the Central Niagara Dorothy Rungeling Airport.

SUPPLIED council that the bylaw was essentially binding given that it had been passed five months ago.

“This is like the U.S. Vice President having no choice but to certify the election results,” Cribbs explained, referring to then-VP Mike Pence overseeing the Capitol Hill chaos of last January 6.

“You’ve already voted and made up your minds.”

Hildebrandt responded, saying that while he was pro-transit, he wasn’t happy.

“They’re delinquent in getting that report to us,” he said of Niagara Transit. “The sloppiness of their contract just shows you the quality of work they do. I’m not trying to stop the transit.”

At this point, Haun’s hand had been raised for a few minutes, with Hildebrandt pointing that out.

“We’ve called the vote,” the Mayor replied, before asking Cribbs for his opinion.

While the CAO noted that it was within the Mayor’s prerogative to proceed to the vote, he added, “We are here as a democratic institution and there’s a member that clearly has something she wishes to say.”

Junkin granted Haun her point, to which the clearly seething Ward 3 councillor said, “Thank you very much Mr. Mayor … I have no intention in cancelling transit.”

Junkin responded: “Thank you, councillor for repeating what I just said.”

Kore then raised a point of order, berating the Mayor for his response to Haun.

“I didn’t appreciate your answer

to Councillor Haun, that’s disrespectful,” Kore said.

“Yeah, and she wasn’t being disrespectful to me at all?” the Mayor replied.

“You’re the Mayor, you’re the big boy,” Kore retorted.

“So, it’s kick the Mayor and council gets to do whatever it wants?” Junkin said.

With the bickering finally subsided, members unanimously voted to pass the bylaw as well as to ask Niagara Transit for a more detailed memorandum.

Councillors debate pay raises, moving meeting days, contradictions galore

Given that Pelham Town Councillors are some the lowest-paid elected officials in Ontario, at an annual salary starting at $12,500 per year, staff and an external consultant have recommended bumping that up to $20,000 per year.

“We are asking you to do something that is difficult and for which you would be criticized,” CAO Cribbs said. “But this council has made some very hard decisions over the last almost three years and you’ve demonstrated a tremendous capacity for those. It is important that we at least get close to minimum wage.”

A salary of $20,000 per year would still come in under the minimum wage, but Cribbs pointed out that elected officials are excluded from the Employment Standards Act. “You’re a grey zone, we could work you to death without proper

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

compensation … but I don’t think that’s the type of community Pelham is,” the CAO said.

Either out of conviction or indulgence in political theatre, some Councillors appeared opposed.

“I do not intend on increasing my salary,” Hildebrandt said. “I think we should be deferring the motion until next summer so the next council will know what they will be paid.”

Kore agreed.

“I think in the 40 years I’ve worked in retail, I always got paid minimum wage for the hours I put in,” he said.

The Hildebrandt-Kore-HaunStewart bloc succeeded in voting to defer the matter until next year’s election cycle, but more discussion followed regarding a staff report recommending that regular council meetings be moved from Mondays to Tuesdays, and that an extra summer session be added (council presently only meets once each in the months of July and August).

Hildebrandt said Tuesdays or Wednesdays don’t work for him.

“When I ran, I ran because Mondays were the day the Clerk promised me we would hold our council meetings,” Hildebrandt said. “Now we’re trying to change the day. I don’t … think this is fair.”

Stewart, who voted to defer the pay raise, then said: “As very lowpaid members I think we deserve the consideration of a block of vacation time.”

Few seemed keen on the idea of adding another summer meeting, something that Cribbs said he felt became necessary after this summer’s packed agenda.

“That was the most difficult summer, as far as council, in my 18 years,” the CAO said. “We just managed never to get the work done. And we’ve had very large agendas both times here in September as a result.”

Council has imposed explicit limits on staff as to how long meeting agendas may be, and has shown increasing reluctance to continue meetings until all agenda items have been dealt with—even on the shortened agendas.

Ironically, shortly afterward, council hit its curfew time. When Wink moved to extend curfew to finish the night’s business, no other councillors seconded it. The usually calm Wink reacted sharply.

“We probably have about five or

ten more minutes of actual work to do and we’re deferring something?” an incredulous Wink said.

“I can’t believe this council is so adamant to stick to time. I’m just totally frustrated with all of you.”

After the Mayor exasperatedly told the Clerk to wrap up the meeting, he gave council a second opportunity to second Wink’s motion, at which point a stone-faced Olson raised his hand, and council voted to continue.

This allowed Wink to present a motion that meetings of the Town’s advisory committees — bodies comprised primarily of citizens and not elected officials — not be video recorded nor placed on YouTube.

“Many members of the Pelham Active Transit Committee will resign if meetings are going to continue to be videotaped,” Wink said.

His motion cited video recording as potentially causing “unintended and unwelcome consequences” and the “stifling of free-flowing discussion.”

The motion unanimously passed.

With the regular agenda covered, council was then set to meet briefly in closed session regarding “personal matters about an unidentifiable individual and labour relations or employee negotiations.”

Wink, who was unaware the matter was on the docket, then ironically asked to defer it to another day.

However, at this point, Hildebrandt began blurting out details about the matter with the live video feed still on.

Several members began shouting at him to stop.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, we’re in open session here,” Junkin exclaimed.

Odds and ends

 The bloc defeated a staff recommendation that Pelham join a new consortium with the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre regarding trees in the town. Public Works Manager Ryan Cook had said the project would help Pelham learn how to mitigate storm drainage issues. Junkin, Olson and Wink supported the failed proposal.  There were 13 active Covid-19 cases in Pelham as of Sept. 20. On the same day, 93 percent of those on ICU ventilators in the Province of Ontario were not fully vaccinated.

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SPEEDING

continued from Page 1 A new road, about to be built that intersects with Port Robinson Road, has been referred to as Street C in subdivision plans, said Edwards.

“It will be coming out of the Saffron subdivision to the immediate west side of the new townhouses currently being constructed by Grey Forest Homes. We have

The Voice begged and pleaded that when this intersection was being built, there should be a four-way stop or roundabout constructed or boulevard narrowing with crosswalks, to slow down the traffic.”

Edwards sent an email recently to Town representatives, noting that he was happy to report that a newly-installed speed indicator on Port Robinson Road appeared to be having the desired effect of making

GOLF

continued from Page 17 ally helped me the last few years to become the golfer that I am today.”

Hebert is planning to do winter training with Glass.

“We are going to work on swing speed and trying to hit the ball farther so we are ready for the upcoming season,” he said. “I need to improve everything. I could definitely work on my putting and I am really looking to fine-tune my game so I am ready for the upcoming Golf Ontario season.”

He is also planning to compete in some American Junior Golf Association events.

“I am looking forward to playing well in them because I know those are the ones that the college scouts are looking to find good players at.”

Hebert won the junior boys championship at Lookout Point and was scheduled to play in Saturday’s 72nd Annual Walt McCollum Niagara District Champion of Champions golf tournament at Niagara National Golf and Country but the tournament was postponed because of wet conditions.

“I was really looking forward to playing well that day and I had a lot friends playing as well. But I

people aware of their speed.

“In the case of people who care about the safety of others, they are adjusting their speed accordingly,” wrote Edwards. “Unfortunately, the people who could care less about others are still speeding…some are actually accelerating once they see the speed indicator.”

A second speed indicator is required heading east down Port Robinson Road towards Rice Road, insists

Edwards.

“Especially in the morning, this is the direction that people speed in hopes of getting to Rice Road, Highway 20, and Highway 406 as quickly as they can.

This is also the time children are making their way to school.”

Edwards feels that the Town should change the speed limit along Port Robinson Road to 40 kilometres per hour, and have the Niagara Regional Police

strictly enforce it.

“I've lived in Fonthill since 1974, and I can see what's happening. You let people get away with a certain amount of speed, and the reality is they're going to push it as far as they can unless somebody starts to slow them down.”

Edwards is adamant that the Town needs to be more proactive in maintaining a safe environment for its residents.

“All these homes that are

this winner, Martel will be training multiple times a week at John White’s training facility at Brock Golf.

“Eventually the goal is to go to a Division 1 school and that has been the ultimate goal since I started playing.”

understand if the weather calls for it to be moved, that’s just the way it is.”

Playing at Twenty Valley would have been good practice for that event.

“It was pretty wet but the greens were quite dry and they were rolling pretty well,” he said. “It was lift, clean and place so we had that going for us.”

Girls champ Mya Mackey

Boys co-champ Michael Martel

Michael Martel’s first round of high school golf was definitely interesting, the Grade 10 student at Notre Dame said.

“The first five holes were a rocky start and then I was even from then on.”

Nerves weren’t the issue.

“I didn’t come in thinking this was a big tournament,” the 15-year-old Fonthill resident said.

“When I am playing [Golf Association of Ontario] it is a different story. It was exciting to play because I haven’t played a tournament in over a month.”

He blamed the layoff for his slow start.

“It is difficult to transition back into it after being away from it for so long,” he said.

Martel finished second overall in the under-19 boys division on the Niagara Junior Golf Tour this past

Page 13

A September 29 2021

Mya Mackey.

BERNIE PUCHALSKI

summer and won two events.

“At the beginning, I had a lot to work on,” he said. “It was nice gaining the distance I gained over the winter but I was working on accuracy over all other things. And I feel my short game got a lot better,” he said.

That short game continues to be a work in progress.

“I need to work on my short game a lot more,” he said. “Today that was a struggle and it took me almost nine holes to figure out the greens. I have to keep working hard and I will get there.”

To further sharpen his game

After winning the individual girls title at the NCAA golf championship, Mya Mackey had words of warning for Blessed Trinity coach and NCAA golf convenor Mark Mazzetti.

“If you put my score in the announcements, I will find you,” the 16-year-old Grimsby resident said with a laugh. “I actually golfed a lot since I was in Grade 7 and my scores were in the low 80s but then I took a year off and now they are really high. I need to get back to the lower scores before we put them out there.”

The Grade 11 student played on the Niagara Junior Tour for a couple of years but decided to step away from the game.

“I wasn’t getting along with some of the kids and I golfed every day for years,” she said. “I needed a little break and I thought this year would be the perfect time to do it because I wasn’t too far into high school and I could get back into it

being built in this area are not all going to be retirees,” he said. “Young families are going to move in here, and parents are going to want their kids to walk or ride their bikes to school. What is the long-term strategy for traffic calming measures while school buses, commercial vehicles, cyclists, commuters, and pedestrian school children and their parents, all try to utilize the same transportation corridor?”

this year.”

The time off seemed to have recharged her passion for the game.

“I came out today and I just loved it,” she said.

Coach Mazzetti encouraged her to try out.

“I went out with the team last week and it was ‘Yeah. This is the place I want to be.’ I had played once before with my mom and friend but other than that, I hadn’t golfed at all this summer.”

She is looking forward to getting back into playing tournaments starting with the SOSSA tournament Oct. 4.

Other boys teams advancing to the SOSSA Oct. 4 at Twenty Valley were Denis Morris (Hebert, Anthony Sartor 79, Christian Rotundo 90, Andrew Burciul 92, Declan Whittard 97) and Notre Dame (Michael Martel 77, Michael Abdelmaksoud 91, Jeremy Narvaez 92, Nicholas Obdeyn 96, Jacob Gaspari 98).

Individual players advancing to SOSSA on the boys side were Saint Michael’s Alec Linton (82), Saint Francis’ Matthew Hitchcock (84) and Saint Francis’ Sammy Rootes (86).

Other girls advancing to SOSSA were Blessed Trinity’s Maddison Wickman (107) and Denis Morris’ Alexis Alderson (115).

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Page 14

The Voice

CELEBRATION OF LIFE

JOHN BRADLEY GEISS John Bradley Geiss, born and raised in Fenwick, Ontario, passed away in Vancouver on September 9 2021, in the company of his best friend and partner Kate.

Brad is predeceased by his loving mother Mae (Illes) Geiss. Survived by his father, Jack Geiss; son Max; sisters Caroline and Angie; and coolest uncle to nieces and nephews Juliana, Molly, Daniel, Ethan, and Jack Jr. Born in 1965, Brad was one of the original Fenwick Boys. Playing baseball at the Lions Club and hockey at the outdoor rink in Fonthill (or ‘LeGood’s pond) or breaking hearts at Notre Dame and the Fenwick Fair.

He loved life and life loved him. In his mid-20s Brad moved to the west coast and spent his prime developing Kitsilano, in Vancouver, where he had his son Max. Brad was handsome, charming, fun and smart with an entrepreneurial spirit that was fueled by his early fruit-picking days. He was part of a big European family that shared abounding crazy and awesome happy times.

Sadly, Brad had everything but the ability to beat addiction. Together we lost a son, brother, uncle, cousin, and friend, and for that reason our hearts will forever grieve the time we lost with him.

We will honour the legendary Brad and his love for music with a celebration of life with friends and family on Thursday, October 7th, at the Grill on Canboro, in downtown Fenwick— aka “The Green Lantern”— from 3 to 6 PM. All are welcome.

BALANCED LIFE

continued from Page 18 words imply we’d be giving ground, that our happiness is derived from the familiar and proven, not from seeking challenge or the unknown.

Live Happy’s tip list continues: recall places where you’ve appreciated the sounds, summon up places where you’ve enjoyed visual images, and remember where you where when you experienced deep contentment and meaning.

Calm Sage, a similar website, lists the three keys to

your happy place as memories (the first time you held a puppy), sound ("My Favourite Things" from The Sound of Music) and listing your happy moments (the tea your grandfather made you).

This is too simple, too low a bar for determining lasting happiness. Victor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, and Holocaust survivor, proposed that humans search for meaning and purpose in life to give them enduring joy and happiness.

There is little doubt that seeking fond memories and remembering happy times may bring temporary peace

A September 29 2021

OBITUARY

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

OBITUARY

BRAYBROOK, Frederick Arthur

Shawn C. Kehoe

Passed away in Fonthill in his 100th year, on the 17th of September, 2021; born Sydney, NSW, Australia on the 31st of March 1922.

Beloved husband of the late Beatrice Lorna Pasch (19232012); devoted father of Lynne Wickson, Jeff (Lianne) and Terry; brother of the late Thelma Sly; brother-in-law of Elaine Pasch; nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his father Ernest Stanley (18901963) and mother Lillian Mary Homann (1895-1928). Veteran of RAAF in WWII. Cremation and interment in Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa. Donations in memory can be made to charity of your choice. Deeply loved and missed beyond measure.

Shawn passed away September 13th at the Red Deer hospital in his 55th year. He had suffered for quite a few years from the ramifications of an unfortunate car accident.

Shawn was the loving father of Thomas, Grace, Markus and Shawn Jr. He is predeceased by his father Pat Kehoe and his youngest son Markus Kehoe.

Shawn is survived by his remaining children as well as his grandchildren Jordan, Darryl, Jay Lynn and his mother Mary Kehoe (nee Walters), his brothers and sisters Patrick Kehoe, Debbie Waters, Cathy Barton, Mike Kehoe and Sheryl.

He grew up in the Fonthill area and early in life, it was evident that Shawn was destined to make something of himself and that he did.

He accomplished things that many can admire. His company was in charge of constructing many buildings people are familiar with in the Niagara region as well as other parts of Ontario. He had an incredible drive and passion to strive for a balance of work and life. His wit and humor were unparalleled and almost always welcomed by his true friends; he definitely had a way with words. He was most certainly complex and made a definite impression on those he met.

Shawn will be missed by many but is now pain free and at peace.

A celebration of life will take place at a later date.

and calm, like taking drink or a pill, but they don’t move us forward, provide growth or purpose, or fire our imaginations. Can a life of happiness be built on constant retreat to a happy place?

Williams thinks not. He sings, Happiness is the truth.

Happiness wants to learn, understand, and socialize.

It is open to change and responsive to a dynamic environment, to contend rather than coast along or temporarily withdraw from the scene. True human happiness comes from fulfillment, and there are only so many times that you can be fulfilled by humming “Raindrops on roses and whiskers

1967 - 2021

on kittens.”

Finding our happiness takes effort and strength. I met a friend on my Thursday ride who is recovering from cancer, and I asked her how she was.

“Doing well,” she replied, then recounted that she and her husband had missed a few international hiking trips because of Covid, but that they still hiked locally and that was okay. When we parted ways, she smiled and said, “We have to keep moving don’t we?”

Her implication was that we must keep moving both physically and mentally. As Williams says, If you know what happiness is to you, clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do.

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The “do” in that line is key in my opinion.

Do something that you’re good at—baking, sports, debating, problem-solving.

“When you’re doing something you’re good at or getting better at, it gets harder to think negatively,” Patrick Keelan, a Calgary-based psychologist says.

Volunteering, giving support and compliments to others, and getting involved in your community are all activities that give sustained joy. Such activities require social contact, personal interaction and commitment rather than withdrawal. Many studies have proven a direct link between making others feel happy and supported and our own level of happiness.

Get physical. Exercise is the closest thing to a universal cure-all we have, including increasing our production of dopamine and serotonin, which influence stress levels and general mental health.

Research suggests that exercise and diet can boost dopamine levels.

This chemical messenger released by the brain is involved in reward and motivation functions, and can trigger an immediate reaction of pleasure, happiness and calm.

REGION

continued from Page 6 year.

A number of Niagara's municipalities will be marking September 30 in some way, including Pelham, and I would encourage all peoples, including non-Indigenous, to observe and participate in whatever way you can. It's important to note that municipalities have an important role in advancing reconciliation, as noted in a number of Calls to Action highlighted in the report. This will require further commitments that include consultation and building better partnerships locally with our Indigenous communities.

Aside from these initiatives, I participated in my first FCM board meeting last week discussing a variety of national issues with councillors and mayors from across Canada. It's interesting to see communities from across the nation finding commonality on a number of issues. I also expect the debate on the Natural Heritage option (3B or 3C) of the Official Plan will return to committee in the next month or two and will draw a significant amount of attention by both council and the public. It should be an interesting few months! ◆

Serotonin, another chemical produced by the brain, “is commonly associated with an improved mood,” says Mimi Winsberg, MD, a psychiatrist in San Francisco and co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Brightside, a mental health provider. “Any type of exercise that you enjoy — from walking to yoga to cycling — can be effective at boosting serotonin. To put it simply, that's why exercise makes you feel better.”

Exercise also provides us with a sense of accomplishment and self-worth. Challenging yourself, enjoying the exercise, and sticking to it are more important than which exercise you do.

Am I splitting hairs between the nature of happiness and a happy place?

Perhaps. But when I’m on my bike, it’s not just a fond memory of past places cycled or competitions entered that brings joy. It’s what’s ahead of my wheel, over the next rise or around the next bend, how my eyes will be opened to new experiences and people, or my mind and body challenged, that makes me truly happy. It’s much more than simply finding a happy place. ◆

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The Voice

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A September 29 2021

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FAITH LIFT

continued from Page 19 Prime Minister, he is our country’s most powerful politician.

He’s rich. Justin grew up in a wealthy family and inherited a sizeable estate from his late father. Pierre, in turn, had inherited his fortune from his father, CharlesEmile, who was born on a Quebec farm but became a successful lawyer and businessman building a chain of 30 gas stations in Montreal in the 1920s and 30s (ironically, Charles was a strong Conservative).

So how would our “rich, young ruler” have responded to Jesus?

Trudeau grew up in a family with a Catholic father and a mother who converted to Catholicism at marriage. In his memoir, Common Ground, he wrote that the tragic death of his brother, Michel, in 1998, prompted him to “welcome God’s presence into my life” and to “reaffi rm the core of the Christian beliefs I retain to this day.”

At that time a friend invited him to a 12-

week “Alpha” course which explores the basic teachings of Christianity. Taught by a former lawyer and now evangelical Anglican pastor in England, Nicky Gumbel, this program “came at exactly the right time” (in his words) as Trudeau dealt with his grief and loss.

So, how real is this encounter with Jesus to him 23 years later? Will his faith inform his political decisions, or will he say (as so many politicians do) that his faith is a private matter which doesn’t really impact his public policies? Will the possession (and retention) of power become an idol in his life that will cause him to walk sadly away from Jesus as well?

Regardless of your politics, Scripture commands us to pray for our “rich, young ruler” (1 Timothy 2:1-4) so that he will seek God’s guidance, strength and wisdom.

If he does, we’ll be able to add the word “wise” to our title as well. ◆ Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor who prays for his PM as he begins to serve his new four-year (we hope) sentence in a minority government institution.

ALLISON

continued from Page 2 here we are in the same position. There will be a lot of soul-searching over the next couple of months.”

Allison felt it was an election no one really wanted with the current Covid climate.

“That’s what we heard at the doors over and over.

People were frustrated and nothing really changed,” he said.

Allison began the day with the same routine he has followed for the last few elections.

“I gather with all the Conservative candidates for breakfast every Monday morning at the Sunset Grill in St. Catharines,” he said.

“It’s just good to talk shop.”

Allison went from his breakfast in St. Catharines to a second meal with his

I tell you no matter how many times you run, you are nervous

team of volunteers at a truck stop in Beamsville.

“I had two breakfasts.”

Allison then went to work, returning last-minute calls and making the

rounds.

“I actually even put up some signs,” he said. “I had two people call for signs.”

Allison, who first ran as a Canadian Alliance candidate in the Erie-Lincoln riding in 2000, wrapped up things at the Butcher and Banker in Beamsville, where he watched the election with his family, friends and party workers.

Before the first results began to roll in, Allison looked as calm as any man could be with his immediate future in doubt, although he said that was far from the case.

“Always,” he said when asked if he was nervous. “I played every sport and I feel just like before a big race.

“I tell you no matter how many times you run, you are nervous.”

Page 16

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continued from Page 8 but the fact that there is radicalized elements in this election is something we haven’t seen before,” he said. “The fact that there is public daycare [as an election promise] is something we haven’t seen before. And the fact that climate change has really started to bare its teeth, history will watch what happens tonight.”

Bingham’s journey on the campaign trail was marred by a trio of unfortunate incidents.

One of his volunteers sporting a Bingham sign on the side of her car had it rammed by a man wielding a shopping cart.

“The volunteer thought another car had hit her because of the impact of it. We tried to get the footage and it turned out the video camera wasn’t recording properly,” he said. “We filed it with the police but they couldn’t do too much.”

The second incident came during a Justin Trudeau rally at a steel plant in Welland.

Someone made an aggressive move towards a car Bingham was travelling in and came within less than a foot of a volunteer sitting in the vehicle.

“It was fairly aggressive and very un-Canadian,” he said.

The final occurrence was a death threat he received on Facebook.

“It won’t be my first in life, I will tell you, but it didn’t happen [during the last election].”

Unfortunately for Bingham and the Liberals, the race in Niagara West turned out pretty close to what happened the last time, in 2019.

The Voice Z

FONTHILL BANDSHELL PRESENTS DE TEMPS ANTAN of Pelham and Central Niagara Burke’s Masonry 2003, Éric Beaudry, André Brunet and Pierre-Luc Dupuis have THE VOICESince IS 100 PERCENT Bricklaying, tuckpointing, been exploring and performing time-honoured melodies from OF the PUBLICATION stompCOMMUNITY-OWNED CELEBRATING 25 YEARS step repair, granite ing grounds of Quebec’s musical past. Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, coatings, brick slices guitar, bouzouki and a number of other instruments, our three virtuosos 905-682-7061. blend boundless energy with the unmistakable joieREPAIR de vivre found only in Allison finished comfortably in first, BingMASONRY FLOORINGP18-28 ham finished in second about 8,000 votes shy traditional Quebec music. Show runs from 7-9 p.m.

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I will come to your home or black cord found on trail in “I think it is fair to say that message was farm and custom mill your FABULOUS FENWICK LIONS FISH FRY heard and people knew it before I started sayWelland just south of Lincoln logs. Firewood & lumber also ing it,” Bingham said.

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PELHAM MINOR HOCKEY EQUIPMENT SALE That message is one Bingham stated over SALE PAINTERSat WANTED and over again at the debates the NDP Buy, sell and or trade used equipment the Pelham Arena.FOR Aimed to provide and Green candidate had heard enough by the 4 – 16” Snow Tires Skilled Painters Wanted in this upcoming season. Runs Sept.

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REGIONAL EXHIBITION BAUER TRAIL TEE-SHIRTS and the big question NIAGARA I don't have the answer Try outdoors Zumba at the to is if they even votedRodeo, here,” hegames said. “I know and live farm. entertainment headline this years event. It ASKINGexciting FOR DONATIONS Outdoors, Monday 6:30 the last election there were a lot of people I runs from Sept.

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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca “I have never once dribbled the whole field and scored a goal by myself.”

Abby Wambach

The Voice

A September 29 2021

Sporting Green The Niagara

Page 17 John Swart is happy to look into happiness

18

The Voice | September 29 2021

Panthers reach Ontario Cup semifinals

The Pelham Panthers under-14 girls soccer team is comprised of Nicole Dixon, Grace Conley, Savannah Speck, Abby Stolk, Julia Tremeer, Kelsey Coers, Jayna Stanley, Kayleigh DiGirolamo, Claire Piekny, Easton Fournier, Samantha Dino, Maggie Mannell, Emma Vendittelli, Brianna DeMarchi, Olivia Bittman, and Chiara Durdan.

BERNIE PUCHALSKI The Pelham Panthers Soccer Club’s under-14 girls team was playing in a rarified air this season.

Club officials could not recall a Pelham team even making it out of the preliminary rounds of Ontario Cup play and this year’s under-14 team made it all the way to the semifinals before losing 3-2 in penalty kicks to the London Alliance FC Mustangs.

On the way to the semifinals, the Panthers defeated Etobicoke Youth Team Power 6-0, Paris FC 11-1, Caledon SC Blue 3-2 and SC Toronto 2-1.

“They had never been at such a level and the way we decided who was going to take the penalty kicks was after the game, we asked who wants one,” coach Davie Currie said. “Six or seven hands went up and just to have the courage to take one was great.

The greatest players in the world can miss on them and that’s just how it goes.”

Pelham tied the game 2-2 with five minutes left in regulation time and then lost 3-2 in penalty

Under-14 girls hit new heights for Pelham soccer

BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI bpsportsniagara.com kicks.

“It was disappointing at the time but now looking back, making it that far and tying the game up in regular time was a big accomplishment,” player Julia Tremeer said.

Currie echoed her comments.

“It is a huge accomplishment for a small town,” he said. “Every game we played —and it didn’t matter if we were playing in the league or in the Ontario Cup — we took it game by game and didn’t look ahead. It sounds cheesy and cliche but we never looked ahead and thought we could go here or we could go there. We just keep going and going and going.”

The team certainly did that at the local level. Competing in the Niagara Soccer League, the Panthers finished with a perfect 12-0 record, outscoring the opposition

119-4. For the NSL League Cup Championship Tournament, the girls were moved up to play in the under-15 Cup and they won it, going 3-0 and outscoring the opposition 19-0.

“Many from this group have been playing soccer in Pelham since they were under-8 and under-9 age. These girls are tremendous athletes but more noteworthy they are extremely hard working and committed to improving their technique and their understanding of the game,” coach Ann Piekny said. “We couldn’t be happier for them to have had such a successful season, especially after being sidelined from the game for much of last year.”

Currie pointed to a number of reasons for the team’s success.

“It was the girls’ attitude, their

work ethic, everyone comes to practice and we always get good numbers at training,” he said.

“And they had a great base. The coaches before us did a really good job of giving them the basics.”

Tremeer felt the team’s closeness made it successful.

“What makes this team so special are the people on it and the relationships we have and the friendships we have on this team.

It is so important because if we are connected as a team, we will play more as a team on the soccer field,” she said. “We knew if we worked really hard then we could do something special as a team.”

Attention to detail was also important.

“We try to emphasize practice performance and everything we do in a practice, it was that same

high standard we brought into games,” Currie said. “It wasn’t one defining moment but each week we kept getting better.”

He is hoping the Panthers can continue to build next season.

“I am sure some of the girls are getting phone calls from other teams outside the region like Burlington or Hamilton but they all want to stay together,” Currie said. “The toughest thing for us is where are they going to play and get challenged a little bit more.

“Our hope is that we get the chance to represent the region whether that is the Ontario Cup again but we would love to be in the crossover league.”

Members of the team, coached

by Piekny, Currie and Chris Durdan, were Abby Stolk, Kelsey Coers, Savannah Speck, Claire Piekny, Easton Fournier, Samantha Dino, Brianna DeMarchi, Olivia Bittman, Kayleigh DiGirolamo, Tremeer, Grace Conley, Jayna Stanley, Maggie Mannell, Chiara Durdan, Nicole Dixon, and Emma Vendittelli.

NCAA crowns gold champion—Fonthill’s Martel shares boys title

BY BERNIE PUCHALSKI bpsportsniagara.com Notre Dame’s Michael Martel and Denis Morris’ Ben Hebert carded 77s Friday at Twenty Valley to top the boys division at the Niagara Catholic Athletic Association golf tournament.

Blessed Trinity’s Mya Mackey topped the girls division with a 99 and Blessed Trinity (Cole Thompson 78, Caleb Shorthouse 80,

Hudson Mielko 81, John Kingdon 82, Ben Kelly 82) won the boys team title.

Boys co-champ Ben Hebert

As a Grade 9 student at Denis Morris in 2019, Ben Hebert was low man on his team at the NCAA golf championships helping Denis Morris advance to the Southern Ontario Second-

Michael Martel.

BERNIE PUCHALSKI

ary Schools Athletic Association championships.

On Friday, he took the next step, tying Martel for low medalist honours. The 16-year-old Thorold resident came in to the tournament on a high after finishing fourth overall this past summer in the under-19 division of the Niagara Junior Golf Tour.

“I definitely felt that I could have been better,” the Lookout Point member said. “I had a strong set of

rounds but some people just had better days at those tournaments.”

He was pleased with how his game developed this summer.

“I didn’t win any tournaments but I had some really good rounds and I shot my personal best at Willodell. I shot 69 so I was happy with that,” he said. “I have been working with my coach, Travis Glass, and he has reSee GOLF Page 13

Page 18

The Voice

A September 29 2021

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

THE BALANCED LIFE

by John Swart

“Happy,” a perfect philosophy for today

A

s I have no expertise in the science and challenges of mental health, please consider what you’re about to read as personal observation and opinion only.

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof. Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth.

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you. Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do.

The simple lyrics of Pharrell Williams’ 2013 hit song are a gentle, yet accurate, call to action, a challenge to us all to find, and live, our happy.

He avoids the word place.

I’d suggest, especially at this challenging time, that we all consider doing the same.

Let’s search for our happy rather than retreat into our happy place. Let’s find the joy in looking forward, moving ahead by conquering our challenges, by seeking new friends and experiences rather than acquiesce to the onslaught of disturbing news and events surrounding us, hoping for temporary refuge in a happy place.

Last Thursday’s weather was as undecided as a four-year-old in front of an ice cream counter. It rained then the sun shone, the wind howled as it dragged menac-

ing black clouds across the sky one moment, then quieted as if deciding what havoc to wreak next. The temperature was dropping, and Mother Nature didn’t care that my training schedule demanded I ride 40 kilometres.

“I’ll ride west of Wainfleet, Concession 5 to Winger Road should give me 40K. Be back in an hour and a half,” I said to my wife as I headed out the door.

“See ya,” was her knowing reply.

Sunshine broke through the clouds as I approached Winger Road along Concession 5, and roadside forests subdued the winds. Forty kilometres wouldn’t be enough today. As I continued westward, searching for any little experience or adventure that might add joy or interest to the ride, my smile grew as I thought of Williams’ song.

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof.

With this phrase, Williams argues that happiness is about being unbound, being able to see and feel and experience so much more than when life is lived under an allegorical roof. This is contrary to being in a happy place, a place of solace or refuge where one hides in memories and familiarities to de-stress and calm down.

Live Happy, a website that offers self-help advice, as well as merchandise and services for sale, is typical of those that see our happy places primarily connected to our past.

A post called “5 Tips to finding your own happy place,” includes these statements from Nancy Mramor, Ph.D., a Pittsburg psychologist: “When we feel chaos is closing in, we need to retreat

to our happy place. Everyone should have a place where you can go to feel safe and happy. It may be a place you can physically visit or, at times, even just imagine, but it must be a respite that recharges you.”

Using the words retreat and respite when associated with our search for happiness concerns me. These See BALANCED LIFE Page 14

V oice HOROSCOPE ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, a few days of self-reflection is not a selfish endeavor. Sometimes you need to give yourself a little TLC so you can more effectively care for others.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, if you find that some bad habits are increasingly getting in the way, then push those vices aside for good. Focus on activities that benefit your overall health.

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, you are wielding a lot of energy and some people just may not be ready for your kind of motivation. Read the room before you come in like a whirlwind.

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Mistakes that you made in the past are just that: in the past. You can learn from them and move on to bigger and better things. Enjoy turning over a new leaf.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 This week your energy and outlook are both very positive, Leo. You’ll be in a good frame of mind to take on some new endeavors that have been pushed to the side.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Share what you are going through with someone you trust, Virgo. This person can help you through some sticky situations and provide valuable guidance.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, a great rapport with a new acquaintance could bode well for this budding relationship. Take things slow but enjoy getting to know this person.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, you may ask yourself if a relationship with someone who is always drumming up drama is worth it in the long run.

Carefully consider whether to cut ties.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 You don’t always have to do everything you are told, Sagittarius. You can go your own way in the name of having a little fun.

Color outside of the lines once or twice.

CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, satisfy an urge to travel by getting away for a little while. Why not venture to some place a little exotic or off the beaten path? Expand your horizons.

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, someone at work is putting personal issues in the way of professional responsibilities. Offer your support and see if this makes the situation better for all involved.

PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 You may need to pinch a few pennies to keep your finances in check, Pisces. Figure out areas where you can save some money.

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The Voice

Page 19

A September 29 2021

ANSWERS ON PAGE 18

FAITH LIFT

by Pastor Rob Weatherby

Canada's rich young ruler

H

ave you ever read the story of the rich, young ruler in the Bible? You’ll find it in the first three Gospels — Matthew 19, Mark 10, and Luke 18. It’s not a parable but the true story of a conversation Jesus had with a man who is described as “young,” “rich” and a “ruler.” As I read this story I found some striking parallels and vital lessons for our country of Canada today.

One man’s spiritual quest

The young man begins by asking an all-important question — “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

Can you think of a more important question than that?

At the end of your life, it won’t be what’s behind you that will really matter but rather what lies ahead. This man was asking the right question.

In reply Jesus tells the man to obey the commandments found in the Jewish Torah (Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5). When the man asks which ones, Jesus lists six of the ten as examples.

The truth is no one can obey all Ten Commandments perfectly. Have you always put God first in your life?

Have you always been honest? Have you ever uttered a profanity? Have you always honored your parents and the Lord’s day? Have you ever been jealous or coveted?

I think you get the point.

Before a perfectly holy God, we are all guilty as charged.

We have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glorious perfection (see Romans 3:23).

Surprisingly, the self-righteous ruler replies that he has obeyed them all! Yet sensing something missing he adds, “What do I still lack?”

At this point Jesus loving-

ly puts his finger on the root problem —materialism. The man was rich and enslaved to his possessions. He didn’t own them; they owned him.

So, Jesus tells him to sell his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor and then invited him to be one of his disciples. Just think, there could have been 13 disciples instead of 12! What a glorious opportunity.

How many Canadians are ensnared by materialism?

I call it “Canada’s majority religion.” Instead of worshipping God on Sunday morning, most of our fellow countrymen (and women) are sleeping, shop-

ping, sporting, or sipping at St. Timothy’s of Horton!

They are enjoying the good gifts of life without giving thought to the Giver. Sadly, the rich young ruler rejected Jesus’ offer and walked away.

Our rich young ruler

Do you realize that we have a rich, young ruler in Canada today? His name is Justin Trudeau and he just won his third election. Consider the following…

He’s young. At 49, Trudeau is still one of the youngest political leaders in the world today.

He’s a ruler. As our 23rd See FAITH LIFT Page 15

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

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GARDEN CITY REALTY INC. BROKERAGE

Page 20

The Voice

Surplus Rice Rd. lands sold The sale of some 31 acres of City-owned lands received approval by Welland City Council on Tuesday, August 10. The land, located at 469 Rice Road (formerly the location of the Welland Soccer Club), has an accepted offer from the Schout Corporation and will feature future various housing types, including single-detached, semi-detached, townhouses, and multiple dwellings. A minimum density of 50 residents and jobs combined per hectare is required.

According to a City media statement, Welland will transfer proceeds from the

RICHARD MELL

Broker 289-219-0304 rmell@sothebysrealty.ca

sale into the Youngs Sports Complex (YSP) Sustainability Reserve, “ensuring no impact on the tax levy due to YSP deficits or capital requirements.”

“The new Youngs Sports Complex Sustainability Reserve ensures sustainability, and funding is in place for both operating and capital funding,” said Welland CAO Steve Zorbas.

The property's requirement that it be within the City's urban boundary was met earlier this year when Regional Council approved its inclusion in the urban boundary as part of the Northwest Secondary Plan.

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Sulphur Springs work underway after delay NPCA, NEC reinstate permits

BY DON RICKERS Voice Correspondent Sulphur Spring reconstruction is, like the Willie Nelson ballad, on the road again.

Jason Marr, Public Works Director for the Town of Pelham, told the Voice that Duffin Contracting has received updated permits from the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) and the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC).

“Based on the new siltation control plan, work recommenced as of last Wednesday morning [September 22],” said Marr.

“The in-water working restrictions have been extended until October 15, and we are hopeful that the contractor will be able to complete Site 1 within this timeframe.”

Erika Navarro, a communications specialist with the NPCA, confirmed that revised permits were issued to include new erosion and sediment control measures, and work on the road resumed on September 22.

Danielle D’Silva, a senior communications advisor with the Niagara Escarpment Commission, acknowledged that, “NEC staff concurred with the revised sediment and erosion control measures, as well as the contractor’s proposal to restore unauthorized works in the watercourse.

Once approvals from Ni-

agara Peninsula Conservation Authority were also in place, the contractor was authorized to re-start construction.”

Kim Duffin, of Duffin Contracting, told the Voice that she had an online meeting with the NPCA, NEC, a Town of Pelham staff representative, and Mayor Marvin Junkin on Wednesday, September 22.

“The NPCA is now satisfied with our site—they came to inspect the silt fencing which was deemed effective,” she said. “The Department of Fisheries and Oceans [DFO] also visited the site, and found nothing wrong with it.

They noted that they would like us to be finished by October 15, so as not to impede fish spawning in the adjacent creek. I think that we will be able to make this deadline. The NPCA and NEC have both given us a revised permit so work can begin again.”

Duffin said that the work does not come without a cost, since the missed days were sunny and clear.

“The current rain showers will prevent work from occurring immediately,” said Duffin. “We lost five good working days due to the NPCA shutting us down.

At this time of year, that is a significant loss of time to get this project completed.”

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Voice

RECIPE OF THE WEEK

4 Warm Black Bean Salsa

Hosts who want to go the extra mile can forgo storebought salsa for the following homemade recipe for “Warm Black Bean Salsa” courtesy of Judith Finlayson’s “The Health Slow Cooker: 135 Gluten-Free Recipes for Health and Wellness” (Robert Rose).

Warm Black Bean Salsa Makes about 3 cups 2

1 4 2 1 1 1 2 2 2

cups cooked black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed (see tip 1 below) cup diced tomatoes (see tip 2 below) green onions, finely chopped roasted peppers (poblano or sweet), peeled and diced roasted jalapeño, seeded and diced, or 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce teaspoon puréed garlic (see tip 3 below) teaspoon finely grated lime zest tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves Finely chopped green onions

1. In slow cooker stoneware, combine beans, tomatoes, green onions, poblano, jalapeño peppers, garlic, lime zest and juice, and cheese.

Stir well. Cover and cook on high for 11⁄2 hours, until mixture is hot and bubbly. Stir in cilantro, sprinkle with green onions, if using, and serve.

Tips 1. Use 14- to 19-ounce can of no-salt-added beans, drained. Or cook dried beans yourself (see below).

2. For convenience, substitute 1 cup drained no-salt-added diced canned tomatoes.

3. To purée garlic, use a sharp-toothed grater.

Basic Beans Makes approximately 2 cups 1 3

cup dried white beans (see tip below) cups water Garlic (optional) Bay leaves (optional) Bouquet garni (optional)

1. Long soak: In a bowl, combine beans and water. Soak for at least 6 hours or overnight. Drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Beans are now ready for cooking.

2. Quick soak: In a pot, combine beans and water. Boil for 3 minutes.

Turn off heat and soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Beans are now ready to cook.

3. Cooking: In slow cooker stoneware, combine 1 cup presoaked beans and 3 cups fresh cold water. If desired, season with garlic, bay leaves or a bouquet garni made from your favorite herbs tied together in a cheesecloth. Cover and cook on low for 10 to 12 hours or overnight or on high for 5 to 6 hours, until beans are tender. Drain and rinse. If not using immediately, cover and refrigerate. The beans are now ready for use.

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

When you pre-book your Deep Root Fertilization for 2021

Must be booked by September 25, 2021 @ safetreeltd

Call Now! 289-680-1775 or visit www.SAFETREE.CA