Council wants less work page 3 Town, union reach labour deal page 7 Quilt pieces tell 100-year-old tale page 9 EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
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September 16, 2020
Vol.24 No.37
Published every Wednesday
It's Olson by a landslide
Wayne Olson, right, celebrates his win on Tuesday evening, with Mayor Marvin Junkin.
BY VOICE STAFF Wayne Olson has won the Ward 1 by-election called to fill the Pelham Town Council seat left vacant by Councillor Mike Ciolfi’s passing in April. Unofficial results to be certified on Wednesday by Town Clerk Nancy Bozzato have the retired Chartered Accountant taking 57.9% of the total vote, with nearest challenger James Federico earning 25% (681 votes for Olson, 296 for Federico). Olson and a small group of supporters gathered outdoors Tuesday evening to celebrate at Country Boys Mobile Food Services, on Victoria Avenue in Fenwick. The
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vote tabulation took less than 15 minutes, with results being posted on the Town website at about 8:15 PM. Polls closed at 8 PM. Despite the pandemic, turnout was higher than for the last Ward 1 by-election, held in 2011, when 805 voters came to the polls. This time around, 1177 total voters turned out—469 between two advance polls, held on September 3 and 12, and mail-ins, and 708 on election day itself. In a statement that appears in full below, Olson thanks Ward 1 residents, his campaign team, and Town staff for safely conducting what turned out to be one of the first Canadian elections held during the pandemic.
Mayor Marvin Junkin congratulated Olson for his victory. “During this campaign, I had the pleasure of meeting or at least talking to the majority of the candidates, so I know firsthand that the residents of Ward 1 had a plethora of quality candidates to chose from,” Junkin told the Voice. “In electing Mr. Olson, Ward 1 is getting a well-rounded individual, whose many varied life experiences, coupled with his dedication to community improvement, will make him a valuable asset on council. I look forward to working with Wayne, and along with the other members of council welcome him to the team.” The results, rounded to the
nearest whole, for the remaining four candidates who actively campaigned were: Maria Brigantino, 2% (22 votes); Wally Braun, 8% (89 votes); Colleen Kenyon, 1% (11 votes); and Steven Soos, 6% (73 votes). Former Town Treasurer Cari Pupo filed to run, but later pulled out of the race. She earned half of one percent of the vote (5 votes). Statement by Councillor-elect Wayne Olson There are many positive things to say about my fellow candidates in this election. I want to begin by thanking and congratulating them for a thoughtful and responsible campaign. Many of their ideas and concepts are very useful and in-
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teresting. As a group, we shared a vision of a better Pelham. I also want to make a statement of appreciation to our Town Clerk and staff for the care and attention given to the many legitimate safety concerns around COVID-19 and the 2020 election. Of course, I want to thank the citizens of Ward 1 who welcomed me into their homes and workplaces. They told me their legitimate concerns about debt, taxes and services in a very constructive manner. An engaged electorate is a powerful thing and we need to stick and act together. In the next few days, I am exSee OLSON back page
Page 2
The Voice, September 16, 2020
IN THE NEWS
PUBLISHER’S CORNER
by Dave Burket
Corrections at the top: In the Basic Errors 101 Department, we managed to spell Fonthill actor Darren Keay’s name incorrectly last week in our profile about him and his spouse, Emily. We had it “Weay,” for some inexplicable reason, and the guilty party has been appropriately poked with a blue copy editing pencil...Happily not our fault: This one came to us as-is, but I’m certainly pleased to correct it. Last week’s Pelham Cares ad carried the wrong date for their Annual General Meeting. The actual date, as seen on p. 14, is September 22, at 10 AM. All are encouraged to Zoom in...Optical illusion: Here’s something interesting. Go take a quick look at the Graves & Richard ad, on p. 12. See how white the lawyer’s blazer is? Brighter even than the newsprint page itself? We’ll come back to this in a bit...Old people jokes: Print one, and suddenly your inbox is full of them. That’s fine, keep ‘em coming! Here’s another, submitted by a reader: Why Old Men Don’t Get Hired. At a job interview: HR Manager: “What’s your greatest weakness?” Old man: “Honesty.” HR Manager: “I don’t think honesty is a weakness.” Old man: “I don’t really give a shit what you think”...On the road: John Swart’s column is especially interesting this week (p. 18), although I admit I’m a sucker for a good road trip story with an unexpected twist or two...Well, isn’t that special: Remember the Church Lady? Anyway, I see that Pastor Rob’s recent prescription that “church is good for you” continues to draw discussion in reader letters. This reminds me of a conversation I had with an otherwise perceptive freelance writer a couple of years ago, in which she asked why on earth we ran a religion column. Because a sizable number of our readers are more than likely Christians, I replied, which didn’t entirely satisfy her. Well, we’re not a churchgoing household either, but for those who may take solace in faith, their voices should be heard too...A real-life miracle: Just in time for my birthday—please, no cakes, but a few shares of Apple stock would not be rejected!—PharmaChoice is giving away the store. See and snip their 25%-off-almost-everything coupon on page 11...Pricey false alarms: In our new What’s That Siren feature, I see that the fire department is often being called out to false alarms. Curious, I asked Chief Bob Lymburner if homeowners were charged in such cases. Only if it’s a repeat problem, he said, and the charges start at $510. Yikes...Okay, back to that blazer: The ad on p.12, the lawyer’s white blazer that’s brighter than the page it’s printed on? The term for this appears to be “Belongingness,” which the oracle of all things, Wikipedia, says is our perception of an area's lightness as influenced by its surroundings. How can anything actually be brighter than the paper it’s printed on? It can’t. It’s an illusion, probably also helped by a touch of blue in the white, which gives the fabric an additional bit of cool brightness, like snow on a winter morning. Cheers for now. ◆
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Sewer flushing started Tuesday
Sanitary sewer flushing and CCTV works began in Pelham on September 15 and will be completed by approximately October 23, according to a Town statement. Flusher and camera trucks will be in various locations throughout the town as they complete the work, from 7 AM until 5 PM, Monday through Friday, depending on weather conditions. Heavy rains may cause some delays. The Town advises that there may be traffic delays while the trucks complete the work.
Suspects wanted in Welland break and enter
Last Wednesday, September 9, at 12:22 AM, members of the 3 District
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(Welland) Uniform Patrol responded to a break and enter at Jean Vanier High School, 620 River Road, Welland. According to a police statement, investigation revealed a 10-foot aluminum brake valued at $4000 dollars was stolen from the outdoor technological education area. The aluminum brake is described as silver with red handles. Police are seeking the public’s assistance to help identify two suspects and a vehicle that was captured on video surveillance. Suspect #1: Male, white, 6’2”, slim, clean shaven. Suspect #2: the same, but 5’9”. Vehicle: Chevrolet Silverado, older model, dark in colour. Distinctive markings on the box, with paint sanded down on both sides. This incident remains under
What's That
SIREN Pelham Fire Department Weekly Calls
The department responded to five calls from Friday August 28 to Friday September 4. Sunday, Aug. 30 • Medical assist, Fenwick • Motor vehicle accident, Valleyview Ct., Fonthill Tuesday, Sept. 1 • Assist Niagara Regional Police with a vehicle leaking gasoline on Hwy 20 West, Fonthill • Remote alarm from security company, Haist St., Fonthill (faulty detector) Wednesday, Sept. 2 • Remote alarm from security company, Philmori Blvd., Fonthill (faulty detector)
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The Comfort Maple myth
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Column Six
Growing up British
BY JULIE MANNELL
Special to the VOICE
W
BALLOONING INTEREST Grade 6 student Jinja Shepherd explains her experiment on static electricity at the Glynn A. Green Public School's annual science fair last Friday. See story, page 3. NATE SMELLE PHOTO
Public meeting tonight on school issues BY VOICE STAFF As questions continue to mount regarding an email that Pelham Mayor Dave Augustyn quietly sent to a District School Board of Niagara trustee last summer, Augustyn has agreed to address the issue at a public meeting scheduled for this evening, Wednesday, Feb. 8, in Fenwick. Nancy Beamer, speaking for “Names Matter,” a Pelham citizens group lobbying the DSBN to reverse its decision to rename a local public school, confirms that the meeting will be held at Fire Station #2, known locally as the Fenwick Fire Hall, starting at 7:00 PM. While the Mayor has agreed to ap-
Under pressure, Mayor to address email revelation, other E. W. Farr matters pear, says Beamer, DSBN officials associated with the school-naming process have either declined to attend or have not yet responded to the group’s invitation. DSBN Chair, Dale Robinson, to whom Augustyn’s email was addressed last June, has declined to appear, says Beamer, asserting that she would be
“on holidays.” The Voice was unable to independently confirm Robinsion’s intentions. She did not respond to repeated requests for comment on E.W. Farr-related matters before presstime. Beamer, whose group maintains an email list of some 580 residents, says that all members of the public are invited and encouraged to attend the meeting. “We would especially welcome parents and children who are unhappy with the name change,” she says, referring to the contentious decision by the DSBN to consolidate two Pelham See MEETING back page
HEN I WAS young, my father and I would go for long drives along the rural routes of Pelham. We’d blast George Thurgood and roll down the windows because we loved the smell of the breeze, the sensation of crisp Niagara wind beating our cheeks and tangling our hair against our summer-kissed skin. My father was not a sentimental man. He worked in factories and had a Gordon Lightfoot mustache and never shed tears over injuries. Yet something about the Pelham landscape, the hilly backdrop to his childhood and the childhoods of our ancestors, drew him in. He’d stop by a farm or a gathering of woods and, surrendering his manly veneer, tell me a story about the town. This place is precious. This is the earth that granted us life. Here is the place where we happened upon love or here is a site of devastation. On one particular drive sometime in the late ‘90s we stopped at a tree with a plaque. “This tree looks dead,” I said to my father. “It sure is getting there, Julie.” The Comfort Maple is supposedly Canada’s oldest See COLUMN SIX Page 14
Part 2 of 2: Coronation to embarkation
Vol.20 No.32
BY VOICE STAFF
A construction error was discovered following the opening of a traffic calming chicane on Haist Street north of Hwy 20 last Monday that prevented large vehicles from passing through. One resident living in the neighbourhood said he contacted the Town after seeing a small schoolbus get stuck as it tried to get through the new traffic calming measure. Later that day while driving behind a cement truck, he said that he became concerned for the public’s safety when the truck had to turn around because it couldn’t get through. “If a small school bus and a cement truck can’t make it through what about a fire
BY HEATHER McLAREN ROHRER
Special to the VOICE
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-
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bourhood in the short-term. Manager of Public Works Ryan Cook said that after discovering the issue with
the chicane the morning it first opened, the Town See CHICANE Page 5
Petition-inspired changes coming to 2017 Summerfest BY NATE SMELLE
The VOICE
Representatives from the Pelham Summerfest committee Candy Ashbee and Bill Gibson presented council with a final report on the 2016 Summerfest at the Council meeting on Monday, Nov. 21. Prompted by a story in the Voice in August about a merchant petition to move Summerfest from Pelham Street, in September Town staff met with various stakeholders to hear their complaints, promising at the time that changes in the way Summerfest was mounted would be con-
sidered. The main concerns identified during the community engagement process were security, parking, ensuring customer can access all businesses in town, and liability for damages. How to get all Pelham Street businesses to participate and finding ways to make it beneficial for them to set up a booth were also determined to be of high priority for the committee as they plan for next year’s event. Gibson told Council that the committee is addressing these concerns in a variety of ways. To improve parking, they intend to create bet-
ter signage for out-of-town visitors to designated parking areas and shuttle services. To make participation in Summerfest more enticing to local businesses, they plan to implement a tiered-charge for booths. Under the new system, Pelham Street business owners will be charged the least, other local businesses will pay a slightly higher fee, and vendors from outside Pelham will pay the most. In response to more specific issues for individual businesses, they will also slightly alter the footprint of the event and make adjustments to security. Another way the committee plans
to improve the 2017 Summerfest is by sponsoring and working with the organizers of the Thursday Night Bandshell Concert series to select the artist performing on the first night of Summefest. They also intend to make more use of the smartphone app they launched in 2016. "We are really going to push it this year," Ashbee said. “It really helps to get people to see what events there are so they can plan out where they are going. We will be able to actually help the merchants and local businesses adSee CHANGES Page 5
FTER LUNCH ON Saturday, Mum and Dad had my afternoon cut out for me. Mum had more brass than anyone I knew, and it had to be cleaned. In addition there was the set of silver fish-knives and forks which were never used, but which had to be cleaned and put back in their velvetlined box. Next was a walk to the newsagents to pay for the daily delivery of the Daily Mirror. As I said, Dad was a printer, but when he was 37 he had been rejected for a job, as being too old, by the printers of the Beano. For that reason, my favourite comic was not allowed in the house, but while I was paying the papers, the newsagent let me have a 'shoofty' at the Beano. I'd explained my predicament and he understood completely. Sundays were different again. Dad would play golf on summer mornings and billiards in winter. Then he'd stop for a 'refresher' at the local and would pick up the prawns, cockles, winkles or whelks we'd be having for tea later. Meanwhile, Mum was roasting the 'joint' and potatoes. I got to make the Yorkshire pud, and mint
Wednesday October 12, 2016
FREE
Apple Day comes to Fonthill
See COLUMN SIX Page 14
BY VOICE STAFF
The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and well-rounded individuals
ceives them, enabling youth to have experiences that build character, challenge them, and allow them to try new things. The goal is to have these youth develop into confident and wellrounded individuals, better prepared for success. Apple Day helps to achieve that.”
“Any money raised during Apple Day goes towards improving the Scouting program by providing more outdoor adventures for youth, camping equipment, canoes and paddles, training and many other endeavours that the youth want to experience,” says Marie. Scouts Canada has some 100,000 members across Canada, and carries out programs for boys, girls
Joining their principal, Karen Simpson, at the Sept. 19 Council meeting as part of a delegation from EL Crossley Secondary School, students Abby Loewen and Neenah Williams presented Council with a list of reasons that they should immediately approve the construction of the new sidewalk proposed along Hwy. 20. The asphalt side-
walk/trail is slated to be built between the south side of the road from Timmsdale Crescent to the high school. Because of the large volume of motor vehicle traffic travelling at high speeds through this area, and because of the necessity for students to tread this path on a daily basis, many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later. After delivering to Council a petition containing
Many residents would like to see the sidewalk go in sooner than later the names of 450 students calling for a safer walk to school, Simpson handed the
podium over to Loewen and Williams to plead their case. Loewen told Council that because there are a lot of students who have work placements and coop placements during the school year, this is the only route for many of them to travel. As one of the students facing this predicament, Williams said she has had no other option but to walk along the dangerous highway.
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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
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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
While shopping in Fonthill between Friday and Sunday, keep an eye out for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in front of local stores with bushels of apples. As part of the annual Apple Day campaign, Scouting youth of all ages will be trading apples for donations. The yearly fundraising drive is an important way for young Scouts to connect with the communities they are serving, says Leah Marie of Scouts Canada. “The Apple Day campaign holds a great tradition of being able to have youth interacting within the communities they live in,” she says. “All of the Apple Day donations stay directly within the group that re-
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BY VOICE STAFF The District School Board of Niagara is requesting that the Town of Pelham cede a portion of Cherry Ridge Park for use as a soccer field to serve the students of the new Wellington Heights Public School, formerly the E. W. Farr Memorial Public School, in Fenwick. Currently under renovation and expansion, the new school will combine students and staff from the previous school and Pelham Centre, where classes are being held while construction continues. Two letters, containing virtually identical text but signed by different authorities, were sent last week to nearby residents of the park, as well as to parents of Pelham Centre students. “The DSBN is currently building onto Wellington Heights Public School on Alsop Drive,” states the letter. “The size of the school's addition means the existing small soccer field will be eliminated. The Town and the Board have been discussing the possibility of working together to create a field for both the school and the
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The Niagara Regional Police Service is committed to reducing impaired driving offences through education and the apprehension of offenders through enforcement programs like RIDE. Impaired driving is still the leading cause of criminal deaths in Canada and destroys thousands of lives every year.
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In an effort to bring further attention and deterrence to driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, the Niagara Regional Police Service reports the names of those people who are charged with an alleged criminal impaired driving offence in the Region. None of the following charges have been proved in court. In addition to being charged, these individuals are also bound by a Ministry of Transportation 90-Day Administrative Driver’s License Suspension and are prohibited from operating a motor vehicle on a roadway. The public is encouraged to contact the Niagara Regional Police Service Traffic Safety Hotline or Crime Stoppers to report those who are driving in contravention of the suspension. The following individuals have been charged criminally with impaired driving by alcohol or drugs, driving with a blood alcohol concentration above 80 mgs of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, or refusing to provide a breath / blood sample. Benjamin J. J. BENARD, 35, Niagara Falls Christopher R. CLARKE, 43, St. Catharines Joseph P. SCHIRRU, 46, Welland Megan M. MAILHOT, 31, Fort Erie Jesse L. BOUDREAU, 29, Welland
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investigation by members of 3 District Uniform Patrol. Police ask that anyone with information contact Constable Taylor Welsh at 905-688-4111 extension #3300 or by email at taylor. welsh@niagarapolice.ca
NRPS impaired driving charges
“I start work at 2:30 PM and school lets out at 2:15 PM so I can’t take any other route,” Williams explained. “I have had friends, family, teachers and other community members reach out to me in the past about how this is unsafe and how there should be another alternative for us.” Looking ahead to winter, when she will need to walk this path three or four times See SIDEWALK Page 2
HERE IS NO BETTER time to cycle than Fall. It matters not whether you’re new to the sport, a seasoned recreational cyclist, racer, touring rider or mountain biker; we all have reason to look forward to autumn. Summer’s heat has faded, and the streams of sweat that ran from soggy helmets into our eyes are now just slight perspiration. Fitness is peaking from lots of saddle time, making those tough climbs of Spring a breeze in Autumn. It’s hard to beat the feeling of beginning a crisp, cool Fall ride with a slight shiver, knowing your efforts will soon warm you perfectly. The hues of Autumn are outstanding. A Pelham route as simple as following our southern boundary is one that would make most Toronto cyclists jealous, especially when our forests and fields are ablaze with colour. Begin from Harold Black Park, and zig-zag south along Effingham Rd toward the Welland River. If you’re new to cycling, it’s important to know south is the direction away from any hills. If you avoid the morning and evening weekday rush hours caused by those travelling through Pelham between Wainfleet See AUTUMN Page 3
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Pelham councillors tell staff to give them less work Kore again pushes for meetings inside Town Hall BY JOHN CHICK
Special to the VOICE
It was one of those short, special council meetings that often goes unnoticed, the sort that’s usually about procedural matters of little general interest. That is, until a Voice reader brought this particular session to the newspaper’s attention last week. During an August 10 special meeting of Pelham Town Council, members unanimously passed a motion to limit the size of reports and documents provided to them by Town staff for council meetings, while at the same time giving themselves more time to read them. The session was ostensibly called over approving the continuation of meetings by video-conference for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, which was the only item on the agenda posted in advance for public notice. However, some councillors then raised concerns about their workload, suggesting that tabling discussion about the issue had been pre-arranged outside a public meeting. As it stands, council meets the first and third Monday of each month—with the exception of public holidays, in which case the meetings are usually moved to Tuesday. The staff-provided agendas for these meetings are normally sent to councillors the Wednesday prior, giving members the better part of five days to re-
view the materials. Despite this being even more time than given to the previous 2014-2018 council, the current council said it was having trouble keeping up. “There’s a lot of information, and to try and do it in on a Thursday night, Friday, Saturday and Sunday,” said Councillor Ron Kore. “We have personal lives, and you have family members enjoying the day, and you’re out trying to catch up on information.” Ward 3’s Bob Hildebrandt concurred. “I do have a problem with the number of days,” he said. “A 600page agenda, to think we can actually go through those in the number of days we’ve been given, even if it’s Wednesday, is totally unacceptable in my view.” The Town’s top civilian, CAO David Cribbs, conceded that one recent document was particularly large. “I do apologize. We did give you a 600-page agenda during this crisis, and we did hope you’d read that over the weekend, and that’s probably not a fair or reasonable expectation,” he said. However, the CAO added that the timing of the agendas' release is related to the time necessary for staff to prepare them according to protocols. “On the number of days [in advance], there’s a give and a take,”
Cribbs said. “Staff use the extra days they have to finish reports and give them more accuracy. If you adjust that period too severely what will happen is we’ll simply be unable to make the following cycle....I’m not saying you can’t move it at all—all things in life are negotiable—but understand if you move it too far forward, it will literally make it impossible for us to comply with changes for the next meeting.” Asked late last week whether staff had ever previously been told to effectively give councillors less work, Town Clerk Nancy Bozzato told the Voice that this was a first. “I am not aware of any such requests specifically,” said Bozzato, “although agenda format changes have been made in the past to optimize meeting efficiencies, one example being the ‘Consent Agenda’ format, often referred to as a ‘Block Agenda.’” Bozzato said that the 2014-2018 council received their agendas a day later than the current council, on the Thursday prior to the Monday meeting. Mayor Marvin Junkin confirmed this timing when he was a councillor. “When I was first on council, we would receive the agenda on noon Thursday, with it being released to the public by noon Friday. As a councillor, I would read through it sometime Sunday, so that if I had any questions concerning any particular item I could contact the appropriate staff member on Monday, before the meeting.” Junkin said that for him little has changed. “Now, as Mayor, I follow basi-
Steve Bauer Trail daily closures There will be daily closures of the trail from Sept. 14 to Sept. 28 from Port Robinson Rd to 300m south of Timber Creek Cr. Daily closures of the Steve Bauer Trail will continue from September 14-28. Paving was delayed to allow for draining measures such as an additional culvert and some ditch work. Further updates, if necessary, will be advertised. In 2017, the Province of Ontario created the Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling (OMCC) grant program to help fund capital works projects for municipalities to improve cycling in their community. Pelham’s grant includes just over $75,000. Additionally, as part of the 2021 Canada Summer Games, Pelham received $21,250 toward a legacy project’s cost. These funds are applied to pave the entire Steve Bauer Trail.
cally the same routine, although I give myself more time on the Monday to meet with the CAO to discuss any difficult items coming before council that night.”
We have personal lives, and you have family members enjoying the day, and you're out trying to catch up on information
Councillor Lisa Haun proposed moving the release up a day to Tuesdays at the close of business. Cribbs agreed that was doable, although Clerk Bozzato explained the reason why she traditionally preferred Wednesdays. “Certainly we can back that date up to Tuesday at 4:30,” Bozzato said. “If there are changes that are needed we can always add them as addendums. I tend not to like to provide council with reports through addendum just because I want you to have the fullest information as possible.” The new timing of Tuesday was unanimously approved, as was a limit of 300 pages for the document. “The size of the agenda has a great impact on how long it takes to go through it,” Hildebrandt
said. Junkin said that the previous council had never discussed limiting agenda sizes, despite frequently complex East Fonthill matters then under discussion. “I was quite happy with getting the agenda on Thursday, said the Mayor, “but voted for the sooner release to help any councillors who were struggling with the short time span.” Bozzato diplomatically suggested that staff efficiency would not suffer under the new restrictions. “Staff regularly coordinates and monitors the agenda compilation through the Senior Leadership Team in an attempt to ensure business continuity while also balancing workload for all meeting participants,” she said. Brock University Emeritus Professor of Political Science David Siegel told the Voice that there is no ideal agenda length, and that various councils take different approaches over time. However, he pointed out that much of what’s in one agenda was likely already in a previous agenda and does not necessarily need to be examined in detail. “So if the issue is [a] rezoning, the package will have the current report with recommendations and previous reports going back several years,” said Siegel. “Staff members feel that they need to do this to provide councillors with a full story of the background in one place. What this means is that in the lengthy package, there will be quite a bit that the councillor has seen before and See LESS WORK Page 7
Regular programming returns to the meridian community centre (MCC) Regular programming is returning to the MCC at the end of September. Programs coming available are: • Ladies learn to play hockey: week of September 27 • Stick and puck: week of September 27 • Shinny: week of September 27 • Public skating: week of September 27 • Brock Fitness class: September 28 • Pickleball: September 28 For more information, call 905-732-7872 or visit www.pelham.ca
Page 4
The Voice, September 16, 2020
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
OPINION
The opinions expressed in submitted commentary and letters to the editor are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Voice of Pelham.
The Voice of Pelham is a 1211858 Ontario Limited publication David Burket, Publisher 2-1428 Pelham St., P.O. Box 1489, Fonthill, ON L0S1E0
COMMENTARY / OP-ED Larry Coté Accolades and alerts abound
C
ompared to other regions across the province, the Niagara Region has done a pretty fair job of fighting and controlling the COVID-19 virus. Certainly, Niagara has had some worrisome infections, but thanks to the frontline workers in the health system the infections, hospitalizations, and mortality rates are below some other jurisdictions across the country. Having the chutzpah and capacities to challenge this terrible disease, it is only fitting and proper that the whole of Niagara acknowledge these heroes in the healthcare field with resounding applause and befitting accolades. Many individuals, businesses and organizations have acknowledged this heroism and it is hoped that the Regional government will somehow publicly acknowledge the grateful appreciation of all the residents of Niagara. However, in doing so, the Region must reconfirm and widely promote measures necessary to to further contain the spread of this virus while opening up the Region to “Stage Three.” Each and
every sector must avoid becoming complacent, letting its collective guard down and allowing this virus to spread its nasty ailments to any sector of the population.
Recent evidence indicates that this virus affects not just the lungs but other major organs
As more and more people begin to leave their places of isolation they will likely be inclined to begin to practice near-normal behaviors and activities. Letting down the guard against the spread of this virus will certainly increase the volatility of the “second wave” medical professionals are predicting. To make matters worse, the arrival of this second wave will likely coincide will the onset of the annual flu season. The medical community believes these two
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coincident illnesses could overwhelm the health system. This potentiality need be widely publicized and the residents must keep up their guard until medical research develops an antiviral vaccine that will protect from the ravages of this awful virus. There is another substantive reason why our entire collective must not let its guard down. Medical researchers are now discovering that this novel virus can have lasting and debilitating effects on those who contract and survive it. So again, this “novel” virus demonstrates another of its novelties by leaving survivors with lingering health deficits both physical and psychological. Recent evidence indicates this virus affects not just the lungs but other major organs throughout the body as well, including the heart and brain. At this point in the research the hope is that these after-effects are temporary and treatable and not permanent and untreatable. So then, each and every Niagara resident might consider a couple of commitments. The first is to join a See ALERTS next page
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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca EDITOR & PUBLISHER Dave Burket publisher@thevoiceofpelham.ca ADMINISTRATION Lori Gretsinger office@thevoiceofpelham.ca CONTRIBUTORS Jane Bedard, Carolyn Botari, Colin Brezicki, Rosemary Chambers, John Chick, Larry Coté, Brian Green, Miriam Han, Megan Metler, Bill Potrecz, Bernie Puchalski, Don Rickers, John Swart, Helen Tran, Mike Tucker, Rob Weatherby. Proof Sleuth: Julian Fitch NEWS INQUIRIES & TIPS editor@thevoiceofpelham.ca LETTERS TO THE EDITOR letters@thevoiceofpelham.ca ADVERTISING INQUIRIES advertising@thevoiceofpelham.ca
Open letter to PATC chair I'd like to thank you, Bea Clark, and your entire Pelham Active Transportation Committee team for the tireless work in helping shape our community and upgrading the Steve Bauer Trail. This trail has become a vital artery for students, pedestrians and cyclists. As an avid cyclist and walking enthusiast, it's so nice to see that our community planners are thinking about the health and safety of our constituents. For the last two years I've been pushing the idea of making Port Robinson Road and Station Street a designated "community safety zone,”regularly contacting our Town
Council and my local council representatives. I'm a resident of Port Robinson Road and there has been noticeable population growth in this area of Pelham with many more residences to be built in the coming years. Therefore, planning for growth needs to include safely (transitioning) from our sidewalks to our trail system to our roadways. As seniors, townspeople, and students begin to utilize these corridors to walk and cycle more frequently, community safeSee PATC next page
CONTACT YOUR ELECTED OFFICIALS Member of Federal Parliament
Electoral District: Niagara West
Members of Pelham Town Council
Member of Provincial Parliament
Ward 1
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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Mayor of Pelham Marvin Junkin mjunkin@pelham.ca 905-658-2986
Dean Allison, MP 4994 King Street Beamsville, ON L0R 1B0 Dean.Allison@parl.gc.ca 877-563-7900
Electoral District: Niagara West
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The Voice, September 16, 2020
Page 5
OPINION Correcting some fundamental misreading Janet Gritter’s letter [“Would criticism of Christian faith extend to Indigenous rituals?” Letters, Sept. 9, p.6] contains a few fundamental errors as to what I voiced in my previously published letter and I would like to respond. First, I ask Ms Gritter to read my letter again and try to find any criticism of the Christian faith. There is none. My letter was a polite response to a column in the Voice written by Pastor Weatherby and my assertion that I can find happiness in my life without going to church. I want to make it clear that I’m fine with Ms Gritter attending her church; I simply don’t want to be told that it would be good for me to do so as well.
PELHAM AND COVID-19
Secondly, Ms Gritter should realize that an opinion expressing views contrary to hers doesn’t automatically constitute a “rant,” nor does it amount to “politically correct tyranny.” Surely we can live and let live, and exchange differences in opinions civilly without attaching such pointless labels to contrary opinions. Finally, I completely fail to see where Ms Gritter has gone with her references to Indigenous chiefs’ prayers, government funding for aboriginal language revival, and Jesuit Priests keeping records of native languages. This has absolutely nothing to do with my original letter. David Fowler Wainfleet
Fear, faith, and COVID-19 In the September 9 edition of the Voice, a letter writer objects to a reader who found it amusing that Pastor Weatherby suggests that “church is good for you.” I have no doubt that “church is good for you.” The social isolation resulting from
COVID-19 has made it clear that membership in an active social group is essential for mental health. The writer then proceeds to make the extravagant unsubstantiated claim that, “in an era where fear has greatly enveloped the world the only
known antidote to fear is faith. Full stop.” Faith, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is “a strong belief in the doctrines of a religion based on spiritual conviction rather than proof.” I would
PATC
Road. Speed controls must be put in place (period). Bicycle lanes must be widened to meet acceptable standards and brightly lined to safely separate riders from vehicular traffic (period). Street lanes must be narrowed to entice drivers to slow down in this residential area (period). Proposed street "C" where it intersects with Port Robinson Road must be built to allow for a safe and clearly constructed pedestrian crosswalk which should include a three way stop (period). I hope that you will help
advocate for these changes Bea, and stand with the residents of Port Robinson Road and Station Street! Craig Edwards Fonthill
continued from previous page ty on the roadways of Port Robinson Road and Station Street needs to be reassessed. I have engaged our Town Council and started to share the frustrations of my neighbours — speeding on these roadways is a regular occurrence and it will only be a matter of time until a pedestrian/ cyclist will be struck by a vehicle. Drivers are blatantly disregarding the speed limit and the stop sign at the intersection of the Steve Bauer trail and Port Robinson
See FEAR next page
Mayor Marvin Junkin
COVID numbers tick up slightly in Niagara; garden beds delight
A
significant number was reached in Canada on September 11, no deaths due to C19 were reported on that day—the first time this has happened since April. On the other hand, in Niagara, we have had two consecutive days of three new cases, dropping our daysto-double rate from over 600, to its current number of 329. The current effective reproductive number is at 1.7, which is well above the desired 1. The average number of cases hospitalized in the past seven days is zero. To date, in Niagara, there have been 953 confirmed cases in a population of 448,000, which represents 0.21 per cent of the population. Back in April—was that only five months ago? — Public Works brought a report to council outlining that the Department would need an additional $21,000 to plant and maintain the Town’s flower beds. With the possibility of a large deficit, brought on by the pandemic, council voted not to spend
this money, but instead voted to have staff organize a competition that would involve community groups and residents stepping forward to plant and maintain the beds with the participants vying for prize money. The competition would be judged by the Town’s Beautification Committee over the Labour Day weekend. Well folks, the judging has been completed. The winner, by the slimmest of margins, was 3rd Fonthill Scouting, shown above, with that group planting and maintaining the North Pelham Gateway sign. One of the leaders of the group, Kent Ratcliffe, informed me that over the course of the summer over 20 scouts had contributed time and love to
the garden. The order of finish of the other groups is: 2nd place went to the Pelham Garden Club for the Centennial Park flagpole; 3rd place finishers were the Meridian Fonthill group, who looked after the Peace Park garden; and rounding out the competition were Shawn Petlichkov and Daniel Kilmowicz, who were sponsored by Lookout Point, with the gardens at the front of Town Hall. I took the time to visit all four locations on the weekend and I was amazed at the arrangement and beauty of the plants at all four locations. Great job everyone! Council and the residents thank you for making our town that much more attractive. ◆
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ALERTS
continued from previous page Region-wide chorus to express sincerest gratitude to the front-line healthcare and other workers who have literally saved many from the ravages of this terrible COVID-19 virus. Nothing less than resounding, standing-ovation type accolades hopefully promoted by our civic officials. Secondly, civic leaders must continuously promote and enact measures that curtail the spread of this grievous virus and remind people that the community is not yet unassailable by this terrifying pandemic. Meanwhile: Wear your mask. Wash your hands. Keep your distance. ◆
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Page 6
The Voice, September 16, 2020
Letters
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
continued
FEAR
continued from previous page suggest that fear in response to COVID-19 requires not faith but action. I put more trust in hand-washing, masks and social distancing than faith. This is my antidote, it reduces my risk and therefore my fear. South of the border, mass rallies without masks and social distancing has resulted in the US leading the world in COVID-19 infections and death. The US has 5% of the world’s population and 20% of COVID-19-related deaths. Appropriate action, guided by science, would have prevented this outcome. There is no evidence that faith protects against infection. As in many dangerous situations, the choice is between a passive reliance on faith, and proactive actions to ward off negative consequences. Shakespeare recognized this dilemma through Hamlet: “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them.” Alan Bown Fonthill
Wants to contact Good Samaritans On Saturday, August 29, my motorcycle broke down on the Lincoln Bridge around 3 PM. Two males in their early 20s tried to fix the chain on my motorcycle, without success. They drove home to pick up their trailer, loaded my motorcycle, and then gave me a ride home. They left something here, which I wanted to give them back. Would it be possible for you to place this in your paper so I can give the item back to them? Victor Czernkovich Welland
Expand anti-speeding measures What about Highway 20 between Pinecrest and Peach tree? Traffic coming up the hill is downright ridiculous. Speed limit of 50 km/ hr and most traffic is in the 70-80 range. A flashing yellow light or speed indicator is necessary here for sure. Just ask anyone attempting to turn left from Pinecrest, Hillcrest, and Peach tree. Dennis Grant Via Facebook
Too many non-residents using dog park
Wake up, Ontario—use your masks!
I recently acquired a rescue dog and wanted to take her for a run at the off leash dog park. Because the dog is new and I am unsure of her social skills, I have been trying to take her for a run at the off leash dog park to let her run alone in the enclosure. This is to avoid potential conflicts until I am confident of her ability to interact with other animals. Since Friday, when I received the dog after she was transported from South Carolina, I have tried to take her to the dog park. I have tried daily many times, from sun up to sundown, but it is always busy. So today I decided to ask people at the park where they live. Not one person was from Pelham. Four were from Welland and the other ignored my question. A lady in attendance told me that this is a common occurrence. Many people from neighbouring communities use this park daily. Do they pay taxes in Pelham as I do and have for 30 years? No, so why are they free to take over our dog park? I walked around and noticed dog excrement all over the place as people are socializing at picnic tables and not paying attention to their dogs’ actions. I believe that this park should be for Pelham residents only as our
Growing up in Ontario in the ‘30s, in the small town of Port Colborne as one of two daughters, I and my sister soon learned about rules and regulations. We knew they were enforced by our parents to keep us safe. Sometimes we didn't like their rules and we thought about breaking them but we knew a strict punishment would occur. We would be grounded or our allowances taken away— meagre as they were in those days—so we followed their rules and stayed safe. Over time we have faithfully followed rules at home, at school, and while we worked—seat belts, helmets, traffic signs, parking meters, texting limitations, smoking restrictions, drinking and not driving, these are only a few of the current guides we follow. Just as my sister and I were penalized for breaking our parents’ rules we are now fined if we break the rules set forth by our local, provincial or federal governments today. These rules are not issued to revoke your rights. They are meant for your protection and the protection of others. Masks are no different! They are worn now for a reason and a damned good one. Are you tired from all the nonsense from people who object to wearing a mask? I am! In a country, in a province, in a town where brilliant people walk amongst us, how can so many be so unaware, so uninformed, so resistant? During this pandemic, our law enforcers who make “the rules” need to make the wearing of masks indoors and in crowded areas mandatory, and fine those who choose not to follow the safety guidelines. I have ongoing health issues which make mask-wearing a bit tedious, but I wear my mask for others as well as myself. Masks may be a slight inconvenience but they may also save your life. And now we’re seeing the impact of large, unmasked crowds. Give your heads a shake, Ontario. Stay away from large gatherings for now—mask it or casket. We hold our country’s future in our hands. Let's all step up to the plate. You are never too young or too old to do the right thing. S. M. Lazareth Fonthill
taxes created it and maintain it. Signage needs to be erected to inform non-residents of this with the possible threat of a fine if caught using the park. Possibly the bylaw enforcement people could do periodic checks,
It is unfair that I cannot use this facility
issue a few fines and maybe these people will stay away. The fines issued could help supplement the cost of maintaining the park. It is unfair that I cannot use this facility because non-residents have taken it over for their own usage. I just live up the road, also on Centre Street, and check it often. Always too busy. Their are many reasons why a dog may need to be alone for a run, old age is one of them. My recently deceased pet was never able to go there as she was too old to be bullied but still needed to run. I am asking that the Town address this issue. Gary Dingman North Pelham
R
Pickleball tournament brings residents together—safely BY HELEN TRAN
Special to the VOICE
On a cool fall morning, some 20 players gathered at the Fenwick Lions Club for a pickleball tournament. By 8 AM, the first round was already well underway. Players laughed and traded jokes as they used paddles to hit the ball back and forth at a brisk pace. A few spectators sat on the sidelines, including a German Shepherd dog calmly napping amongst the dew. Another dog by the fence strained against its leash, trying to say hello to Jeanne Pender, one of the players. “Cooper’s my cheerleader,” said Pender, “and he’s not cheering loud enough!” In fact, for those new to the sport, it (1) does not involve any pickles, and (2) may actually have been named after a dog. According to Canada’s official pickleball website, www.pickleballcanada.org, pickleball was created by American Congressman Joel Pritchard in 1965. The game was improvised on an old badminton court, with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball, with the idea that the whole family (of any age) could play. Legend has it that the family dog Pickles would chase the ball and run away with it — hence the unique name. The basic rules of pickleball were adapted from badminton, ping-pong, and tennis. No prior experience in these sports is required to learn or enjoy the game. It’s is played with rackets similar to ping-pong paddles, and the perforated plastic ball is batted back and forth by each team, who play to a score of 11. The winning team must win by two points. The
court, at 20 x 44 feet, is smaller than a tennis court, and the net is 34 inches high compared to 36 inches in tennis. The host of the day’s tournament, Jim Fraser, expressed his pleasure at the large turnout, and explained that pickleball was invented for older tennis players who wanted to stay active. He also emphasized that while pickleball was a good way for senior players to keep mobile, it was also a great sport for kids. Fraser used to play tennis at the YMCA, and after seeing a group of people play pickleball, gave it a try. “And I never looked back,” said Fraser. “The sport is spreading like wildfire.” Due to the game’s popularity and the community that has been built over the summer, Fraser’s goal is to have a dedicated indoor area to host pickleball once the weather gets colder. He had played at Pelham’s community centre before, but because the court was shared with other sports, the conditions made it less than ideal. Eventually, Fraser hopes to offer after-school programs to introduce kids and teenagers to the sport. Pickleball player Kathy Trussell said that the game was especially important for socialization amidst the pandemic lockdown, and that it provided a common denominator that brought people together. “It’s a game that gets people outside,” said Trussell, “and keeps you active and healthy.” Many of the players expressed worry about the fate of pickleball, especially with the coming winter and uncertainty of the safety of indoor spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic. One player, Marlene Campbell,
Kathy Trussell is ready to play, while a canine fan (not named Pickle) watches from the sidelines. HELEN TRAN regional senior pickleball champion, didn’t seem too worried. “As long as the balls don’t crack,” said Campbell, “we’ll be playing.” Tournament Winners 1st Place - Tracey Booth 2nd Place - Greg Tashjan 3rd Place - Dan Speck 4th Place - Dave Trussell Note: No pickles or dogs were harmed in the writing of this story.
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The Voice, September 16, 2020
LESS WORK
continued from Page 3 can just skim.” No councillor responded to a Voice request for comment.
Kore wants limit on virtual meetings
Council also unanimously amended the date for the next review of continued authorization to meet by video-conference. Council and staff have been meeting virtually, not in Town Hall, since the onset of the pandemic. While the original proposal called for extending the authorization for a period of one year from the termination of the provincial declaration of emergency, councillors agreed that was too far ahead. Once again, echoing his challenge last spring to meeting by Zoom and not in person at Town Hall, Councillor Ron Kore led the charge. “Why do we have to go a whole year?” Kore asked. “Can we not go three months instead of one whole year? One whole year on this bylaw is a lot of time.” Public health experts have warned that a second wave of infection may be approaching, which, combined with the start of the customary flu season, could see the healthcare system once again under strain. Last
Saturday, Ontario reported 232 new cases, the second day over 200 in the week, and Monday saw over 300 new infections reported. Last week, the Voice was informed by a local business owner, who had stopped into the Fonthill Sobeys, which Kore manages, that he had seen Kore on the floor without a mask, despite Pelham and the Region both mandating mask wearing in enclosed public spaces. Kore did not acknowledge a request for comment as to why he was seemingly determined to return to meeting in person at Town Hall, nor a request for comment about his mask policy inside Sobeys. In late March, Kore attended council with visible symptoms of a respiratory illness. A subsequent COVID-19 test showed that he was ill with the virus at the time. Three others in council chambers that evening later tested positive, including Councillor Mike Ciolfi, who died April 13. An official cause of death was never released. Cribbs suggested reviewing the bylaw on December 31 of this year, but reminded council that this also required work from staff. “Keep in mind whatever date you pick, we have to bring you a review report,” the CAO said. Council agreed on New Year’s Eve.
Workers and Town reach three-year labour deal First-ever collective agreement ratified by CUPE Local 1287 members BY DAVE BURKET
The VOICE
In a joint statement released last Wednesday, September 9, CUPE Local 1287 and the Town of Pelham said that they had negotiated and ratified their first-ever collective agreement. The negotiations took place between June and August. Almost exactly a year ago, in September 2019, Public Works department staff voted 16-to-5 to unionize. “Negotiating during a pandemic held its own unique challenges, but both parties were fair, flexible, and pragmatic in their ap-
proach which greatly facilitated the process,” read the statement. Working drafts were shared back and forth and negotiations occurred both as written submissions and Zoom-based bargaining sessions. CUPE Local 1287 now represents all non-management staff in the Public Works department, primarily based at the municipality’s Tice Road operations centre. CUPE members perform such tasks as beautification, cemetery maintenance, road repair, winter maintenance and plowing, water operations, parks maintenance, facility re-
pair, construction administration, and development engineering and plans review. Town CAO David Cribbs characterized the negotiations as being respectful, with both sides mindful of the good of the community. “The agreement is of critical importance to both parties,” Cribbs told the Voice. “It offers certainty for each during what may well be turbulent times ahead.” Cribbs added that on a personal note, he first started negotiating professionally a little over a decade ago.
Reopening schools safely matters to everyone That’s why the government of Ontario has worked with health officials, school boards and educators to develop a comprehensive plan to keep kids and staff safe. • Physical distancing measures will be implemented such as desk separation, signs, floor markings and one-way hallways. • Face coverings will be required for staff and students in Grades 4-12. • Hand hygiene will be enabled with hand sanitizer and hand washing. • More nurses will be in schools. • School cleaning will be enhanced.
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TOWN COUNCIL NEWS Attempt to rescind 2021 budget decision fails
A roundabout, time-consuming procedure led Pelham Town Council and staff to agree in principle about potentially modifying the 2021 budget schedule at their September 8 regular meeting. Councillor Bob Hildebrandt presented the motion, with the intent of rescinding council’s June vote to approve the schedule so that any new emergency COVID-19 funding from upper levels of government would be included in next year’s budget. Pelham found out last month that it’s set to receive just under $447,000 as a first round of funding to offset the various financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. A second round of funding will be available later, which Treasurer and Director of Corporate Services Teresa Quinlin said the Town fully intends to apply for. While the deadline for applications is September 30, it is unknown when the next funding announcement will be made, and it may not come until early in the new year. “We are flexible,” Quinlin said. She and CAO David Cribbs also noted that items in the budget schedule can still be prepared and studied in the meantime. “’Happy’ is never a relevant consideration as to the proper execution of one’s duties, but I think we can bring you something workable,” Cribbs said. “My point is it will not have specificity.” However, in Hildebrandt’s motion, he included verbiage that staff bring back a revised budget schedule for the next council meeting on September 21. Cribbs called that aspect essentially pointless, as staff will not
have any new information in the next week. “With all due respect there won’t be, because we’re not learning anything magic in the next week,” Cribbs said. Yet when Councillor John Wink attempted to have that part removed from the motion, Hildebrandt refused. Cribbs was seen on the video conference feed abruptly slouching back in his chair in apparent frustration. Wink asked Hildebrandt if he still expected a staff update on September 21. “That’s correct,” Hildebrandt said. Hildebrandt was one of the councillors to complain about the time they are given to study staff reports at an August 10 special meeting. He also tabled a successful motion then to cap such items at 300 pages (story, p.3) Refusing to budge on the September 21 date, Hildebrandt’s proposal was then defeated — even though he, Ron Kore, Lisa Haun and Marianne Stewart voted in favour of it— because council rules dictate that five votes are required to rescind previously approved items. Wink and Mayor Marvin Junkin voted against it. Council has been operating with only six of a possible seven seats since the April death of Mike Ciolfi. Despite the fiasco, Cribbs understood the spirit of what Hildebrandt was trying to accomplish. “We will behave in a manner that clearly interprets your desire not to make those final [budget] decisions until such time that we hear back from the province,” Cribbs said. “We can respect both needs.” Junkin thanked Hildebrandt for
bringing the matter up.
Community centre debt
Quinlin provided council with a report that $3.4 million in debt on the community centre is being debentured on October 1. The Treasurer said that the amount comes from a bridge loan from the Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation — which gave the Town two extensions on repayment in 2018 and 2019. She assured councillors that no tax levy increase is needed this year, but explained that it will be necessary beginning in 2025, starting at approximately 0.4 percent.
COVID updates
The community centre continues to provide the Town with much-needed money during the pandemic: Cribbs reported $172,000 in MCC revenue in July and August. “In normal conditions, we would call that an extremely strong summer,” he said. Hockey practices were set to begin this week, and the arena’s walking track is also open — although running is not permitted. Haun asked Fire Chief and Chief Bylaw Enforcement Officer Bob Lymburner if the Town’s advertising materials can be changed to reflect the need for masks and social distancing — for example, the Town’s website features a photo of two unmasked men using the walking track. Lymburner agreed. “The new picture will have the participants wearing masks, that was an oversight on our part,” he said. Lymburner reported that as of September 8, there were only 16 active cases of COVID-19 in Niagara, and zero in Pelham. The concern
provincially, he said, remains in the larger metropolitan centres such as Toronto and Ottawa. He also described Pelham’s current personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies as “very healthy.”
Sign bylaw amended to help businesses
Council approved a motion by Haun and Stewart to allow businesses to display portable road signs more frequently. Under normal rules, businesses can only apply to display their “Read-O-Graph” mobile-type signage on the sides of roads for 60 days twice a year, with a gap in between. The amendment will allow them to display the signs for six 30-day periods. Stewart called it a “short-term effort” to help businesses during the pandemic. After some backand-forth over what constitutes the “end” of the pandemic, council agreed to peg the expiry of the allowance to the end of the Town’s current mask bylaw. While he said he supports businesses, Junkin disagreed with the idea of more signs. “I will not support this motion,” the Mayor said. “The reason we had the limit on the signs was that we didn’t want Highway 20 to take on the appearance of Lundy’s Lane. I realize businesses have got to advertise to survive [but] there’s other ways of doing it … print, social media, what have you.”
Heritage committee
After some discussion about how to launch Pelham’s new Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee during the pandemic, council agreed to go ahead and begin advertising it and soliciting potential members. Like other Town committees, it was decided that once
Regional Council report
Pelham’s Regional Councillor Diana Huson presented a report, highlighting her own motion to Regional Council about prioritizing childcare as part of the COVID-19 recovery plan. “This is really about trying to recognize the importance of childcare as an economic policy, and getting the government to pay attention to it in terms of building back better in a post-pandemic world,” Huson said. Junkin lauded the presentation, noting that it was accepted near-unanimously by Regional Council. Huson also relayed a presentation by the Niagara Regional Police at a recent meeting that included mentioning of the department’s mobile crisis team. That team tries to send out mental health professionals alongside police officers on person-in-crisis calls. However, the NRP only operates the team in St. Catharines and Thorold. “One of the things I asked them for was to perhaps explore a way to creatively address the deficiency of this service in that it’s only offered in certain municipalities — and that doesn’t include Pelham,” Huson said. “Mental health calls have really escalated, it’s created a significant … drain on police resources.”
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The Voice, September 16, 2020
Page 9
Full circle in 100 years
Left, Karen Elliott with just a few of the dozens of quilt pieces she found. Below, detail from one of the stars' newspaper backing. DON RICKERS / BOB LOBLAW
Fonthill resident discovers that similar Niagara pandemic-related economic conditions existed in 1920 BY DON RICKERS
Special to the VOICE
Karen Elliott, of Milburn Drive in Fonthill, has lived almost her entire life in Pelham, as has her husband, Doug. In fact, several generations of her family have resided in west Niagara. She was in the mood to downsize some of the clutter in her closets last week —“At my stage of life, I need to start getting rid of stuff”— and in her reorganizing, came across a plastic bag bulging with dozens of quilt pieces that had belonged to her husband’s mother, Maude Rose. The bits of cloth had newsprint as a backing to add stability and flatness as they were hand-sewn, as was apparently the norm in old days. Elliott said that Maude died before she was born, but that she knew she had rheumatoid arthritis. She imagined how difficult it would have been for her to sew quilts with arthritic hands. Elliott’s eye was drawn to the printed articles which were still legible on the faded newsprint. She discovered that the clippings were from an August 1920 issue of the Smithville Review. As she sat on the bed and reviewed the clippings, she was struck by the advertisements from a century earlier. They were extolling the virtues of buying local, lest the local retailers collapse. Elliott saw the parallel to today.
Remember that in 1920, the Great War had been over for two years. Canadian soldiers had returned from Europe in 1918, carrying with them more than their rifles and rucksacks. The so-called Spanish Flu, a deadly H1N1 influenza A virus, came with them. The pandemic affected 500 million worldwide in four successive waves (representing a third of the planet’s population at the time). The disease killed between 20 and 100 million people globally, including some 50,000 Canadians. Social and economic disruptions were prevalent then, just as in 2020. Businesses failed because customers couldn’t afford their products, or because businesses were unable to meet demand, due to a reduced work force. In an attempt to halt the spread of the disease, governments closed all except essential services. Provinces enacted quarantines and enforced the wearing of masks in public. “With the emphasis today on ‘shop local’ to keep our small businesses alive during this COVID-19 pandemic,” said Elliot, “and realizing that the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 would have just taken its toll, I found the comments in the ads from the businesses in Smithville in 1920 very interesting.” One read: “Smithville is far from
dead, but if we send our money out of town, we will soon have a dead town. Buying your supplies from local merchants will help to better conditions here. A full line of general merchandise can be bought from J. R. Goring Company Limited.” Another said: “’Trade at home’ is the motto for all people who have the interests of their home town at heart. This is our town, and the people of the village and district should take pride in building it up to be a greater town than it has been. J. B. McMillen, General Merchant.” Still another pledged: “Buying furniture in Smithville, you will find our prices right, and we stand back of every piece of furniture we sell. Our undertaking parlours are well equipped for service, night or day. Call us up. Hicks & Irvine, Furniture and Undertaking.” And finally: “Things of quality necessarily demand high prices, but you will find in the line of groceries and general merchandise that we carry, a quality brand of goods that cannot be surpassed and at prices that are reasonable. Buy the best, al-
ways. L. R. Killins, General Merchant.” The Elliotts are trying to support local businesses. “We get take-outs from restaurants in town, and Doug frequents Beamer’s Hardware for various household items,” said Karen. “We’re trying to do our part.” Renowned American sociologist Charles Murray, in a recent blog
post, suggested that the pandemic experience can be weighed in two ways: as a disease (with its costs measured in sickness, hospitalizations, and deaths) and as government policy (with its costs measured in economic and social/psychological lockdowns). A great many Pelhamites have not been personally touched by the pandemic as a disease, but their lives have been disrupted by the lockdowns and restrictions. Livelihoods are at stake. So what’s the take-away? In times of crisis, networks of support are critical. Some in our community were vulnerable even before the pandemic hit. Pelham Cares can always use more donations, and it doesn’t hurt to remember that we’re all in this together.
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The Voice, September 16, 2020
COMMENTARY
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
Dave Burket, Publisher
The wrap-up: By-Election 2020
E
lections—especially local elections— are the closest equivalent to catnip for journalists. They have definite beginnings, middles, and ends. They are long enough to see interesting personalities develop among the candidates, but short enough to hold the public’s attention until election day. There are clear winners and losers, and a fair amount of genuine emotion along the way. For the Ward 1 by-election that concluded yesterday, the Voice was able to offer the candidates in the race an unprecedented amount of free space to convey their messages in their own words—2000 of them each, about equivalent to a full page. This was 12,000 words in total among the six contenders. We also conducted in-depth interviews, by the far the most detailed that ran in any publication. And we offered a range of advertising options in print and online at greatly reduced rates in an effort to ensure that each candidate could afford the space. On the trail, candidates and their campaigns make impressions on reporters covering them. What follows is a wrap-up of the impressions made on me. I asked our freelancer Don Rickers, who interviewed each of the candidates, for his take as well. Note that this is being written over the weekend, before the final tallies are known, so knock-wood that there’s nothing below that’s too
embarrassingly out of line with the actual results.
Longevity
If there were an award for most races run, Wally Braun would be right in there. The perennial candidate has some interesting ideas about architecture and the importance of erecting structures that are genuinely pleasing to the eye—none of this post-modern, 50-shades-of-gray nonsense for him, and that’s terrific. In fact, I’m hoping he’ll contribute a column on local architecture to the paper. Unfortunately, a man without a cellphone, or home internet service, or a car, has an even greater voter communications mountain to scale than the average candidate, which may partly account for his lack of success thus far in municipal politics. There’s a lot to like about a 19th century sensibility, minus the whale oil and leeches, but adopt at least late 20th century tools to make it happen. A couple of residents also mentioned to me Braun’s tenden-
Wally BRAUN
cy to keep hammering away at a point, at extended length, even in the face of obvious disagreement. Irritating voters does not often turn them from an undecided to a yes.
First time doesn’t need to be the last
Maria Brigantino never really got off the starting blocks, and didn’t actually seem to campaign. She provided only one weekly campaign photo to the paper, an offer we made to all candidates. It’s possible that the quickly emerging forest of Olson lawn signs left her disinclined to mount a real effort. Don Rickers was impressed with her energy, though, and she does have prior municipal experience working on the staff side. There’s always 2022 and the potential to run in her own ward. Steven Soos, at 26, already a veteran candidate for a variety of offices, will likely win something somewhere. However, enthusiasm and good intentions alone
Maria JAMES BRIGANTINO FEDERICO
won’t put him over the top. Especially in Ward 1, Soos’ lack of ties to the community was a clear liability, though his vocal support of Mayor Marvin Junkin went down well.
Federico flame-out
With all the free space on offer in the Voice, you would think that candidates whose platforms and messages ended up not appealing to voters couldn’t blame the messenger for their coming up short. Enter James Federico, the sorest loser I’ve ever not met. Federico had a meltdown on social media last week after seeing that the Voice did not endorse him, but rather Wayne Olson as the best candidate in the race. If you didn’t catch the endorsement, here’s a key paragraph: Both are highly qualified for the job. Both have lived in Fenwick for some time and know the ward and its people well. Both are volunteers committed to the community. And both have pertinent professional chops: Olson is an accountant with extensive
business and government experience, and Federico is a professional engineer running his own firm. We have no reason to imagine that either man sees council as merely the entry point for a career in politics—voters have learned an expensive, “legacy” lesson on that score. Apparently being called “highly qualified for the job” and “committed to the community” wasn’t good enough for Federico, who called our endorsement of Olson “deceitful” and “dishonest,” and no, I am not making this up. Then three peevish “reader” comments defending Federico were posted to our website—all appearing to originate from his own IP address but not all using his identity. One of the email addresses was entirely made up, and another actually belonged to a 51-year-old man in Port Richey, Florida. Goodness, but this sounds like what, how to phrase it. Deceitful and dishonest? In a series of increasingly petulant posts on Twitter and Face-
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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
Colleen KENYON
The Voice, September 16, 2020
Wayne OLSON
book, Federico searched in vain for a rationale to explain our terrible choice. He finally settled on the amazing theory that when “controversy” reigns then somehow the newspaper makes more money. The mild-mannered, 70-something, retired Chartered Accountant Wayne Olson was apparently the personification of chaos in this scenario. I know. Another head-scratcher. Federico also dramatically opined that the publication you are holding in your hands has a “monopoly” on news in Pelham, which really got our attention. We do? Plus we’re making money hand over fist from chaos? Hey, then why am I driving a 12-year-old car which already had 120,000 kms on it when we bought it. I’m going to have to have a stern talk with the publisher about getting a proper Christmas bonus this year! Through ignorance or malevolence, Federico turned black into white with Orwellian adroitness (while un-ironically citing Orwell). Yes, there is something like
Steven SOOS
a local news monopoly, all right, but it ain’t the Voice. Guess what these publications have in common, aside from some talented writers: the St. Catharines Standard, the Welland Tribune, the Niagara Falls Review, the Niagara on the Lake Advance, and Niagara This Week. You got it—they are all run by the same corporation. They are essentially one newspaper— sharing staff, office space, and advertising sales people. Three of these publications have plenty of readers in Pelham, and one of them claims it’s delivered to every household. That’s what capitalism salutes as production efficiency. Go for it. The Voice remains a wholly independent, community-owned newspaper, one of just three left in Niagara. Sullenly pretending otherwise is, to use insider lingo, nutso.
The (non) effect of social media
I’ve noticed over the last decade or so a definite split among gen-
erations when it comes to how they use social media. Those in their 40s, who were among the first generation to grow up in a world where personal computers were ubiquitous, appear to believe that Facebook in particular has an outsize influence on real life. Politicians in this age group behave as if public relations via social media is 90% of what it takes to get elected—that selfies at every possible opportunity, and banal observations about the weather, are sufficient to sell themselves to voters, and then to constituents once in office. Those in their 20s and 30s tend to use social media ironically, or mostly as entertainment, when they aren’t blasting other players in online first-person-shooter games. They’re more interested in using dating apps than engaging with local pols and their Photoshopped self-promotion. Folks who are 60-plus are the most likely to recognize Facebook as the giant time suck that it is. They’ll read the news online, order things from Amazon, and that’s about it. Maturity fosters wisdom, etc., including the realization that life is too short to spend any more of it than necessary on social media. (That said, there are some older folks who do seem to live entirely on Facebook, posting conspiracy theories about COVID and sharing debunked claims that immigrants to Canada are living a cushy life on the taxpayer’s dime.) The point is that virtual reality is not reality. Tapping away on their smartphones, social media users moan about politics and
PATIO OR TAKEOUT!
Page 11 the unfairness of it all and post ironic memes. Real life people get dressed, get out, and go vote. Wayne Olson didn’t bother creating a Facebook page. If our tracking polls were correct, a large number of older, real-life people came out in Ward 1 to vote for a real-life candidate with almost as many miles on him as my old Ford. They went for flesh-and-blood substance, not empty-calorie social media slickness.
Colleen Kenyon and the Case of the Sour Scrutineer
Political candidates in Ontario are permitted to designate “scrutineers,” campaign helpers whose job it is to watch over the activities taking place at polling stations on election days. As you can imagine, here in B e l a r u s-b e t w e e n-t h e -L a k e s , where poll workers are known to climb down rickety ladders from second-story windows stealing ballot boxes to ensure rigged outcomes, the need for constant candidate policing of polling stations is of greatest importance. Just kidding. On Thursday, September 3, the first of two advance voting days, the Voice opted to conduct an exit poll, asking voters leaving the polling places whom they had voted for, and noting whether they were male or female and their approximate age. The pollsters were two 15-yearold girls—one of whom writes for us occasionally, and one of her friends. They were instructed to identify themselves as conducting the poll on behalf of the paper, given a lanyard with a Voice ID, and tally sheets that featured THE VOICE WARD 1 BY-ELECTION EXIT POLL in 30 pt. Futura Bold. There was no mistaking who they represented.
THIS IS 30 PT. FUTURA BOLD Since we had informed the Town Clerk and head of elections, Nancy Bozzato, ahead of time that we intended to conduct the poll, and since the Clerk had duly informed her lieutenants at each polling station with the same information, we expected smooth sailing. What we got instead was Typhoon Colleen by proxy. More specifically, we got whacked by candidate Colleen Kenyon’s designated scrutineer, for whom none of the above seemed to matter. The girls were parked in folding chairs near the exit door of the Fenwick fire hall when out blows the righteous wrath of Kenyon’s scrutineer—arguably already outside her jurisdiction, as outside a polling place is definitely not inside a polling place—to challenge the girls’ right to be there, to harangue them about the poll, and generally make it obvious that freedom of the press was immaterial to her. To their credit the girls stood their ground. They were in the process of calling me for advice when I coincidentally pulled in to see how things were going. The parents of one of the girls walked over to us after leaving the building, having just voted themselves, when the typhoon returned, her See WRAP-UP next page
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WRAP-UP
continued from previous page ill-informed blowing this time witnessed by three adults and two teenagers, none of whom, I would wager, could figure out what her problem was, though she was able to repeat “I’m a scrutineer, I’m a scrutineer” a few times. Clerk Nancy Bozzato arrived shortly later, assured Stormy that everything was on the up-and-up, and just like that, thunder receding, the tempest-in-a-crockpot was over. But this got me thinking. Why would a candidate unlikely to pull even 20 votes, let alone win the election, feel it necessary to keep an eye on the process? Because the law says I can, was basically Kenyon’s initial answer, when I emailed her to request an apology for her representative’s abrasive treatment of two 15-yearolds. (That apology remains MIA.) Pressed for specifics, Kenyon replied that a candidate elsewhere in Niagara told her that “it is always a good idea to have scrutineers participate in the process, not out of any distrust of competence of the election personnel, but rather to uphold the process and do my part as a candidate to make sure that it runs smoothly, and fulfills its intended purpose,” which sort of makes sense until you read it again. As many locals recognized, from the moment the B.C. native announced her platform Kenyon’s candidacy was dead in the water. In a first for a Voice tracking poll, one week she earned 0% support, and over five weeks never made it into the double-digits. Not only did Kenyon not live in the ward, relatively speaking she had barely moved into Pelham. And what’s the first thing a recent transplant should tell her new neighbours?
The Voice, September 16, 2020
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
How they could be doing things so much better, of course, and complaining, as a white woman, that her new community is just too darned white. Ward 1 is home to many families who have lived on their land for generations quite contentedly, and they did not react well to the retired schoolteacher’s perceived finger-wagging. According to Town records, how many other candidates had scrutineers on September 3? None. How many mayoral candidates in 2018 had scrutineers? None. How many of the other 29 candidates running in 2018 had scrutineers? Two. Of these two, which candidate had not just one, but five scrutineers spread out across all three wards? David Augustyn.
Nomination tidbits
Which brings us to the candidates’ nomination papers, technically called their “endorsements of nomination,” i.e., the names and signatures of those 25 residents required to qualify a candidate to run. When we heard that Mr. Augustyn, the previous mayor and defeated 2018 Regional Council candidate, had been in Town Hall the week of August 3, practically before the ink had dried at the close of the nomination period, asking to inspect the candidates’ endorsements of nomination, we were naturally curious. Why would the former mayor, now out of politics, care who supported whom in Ward 1? So I booked my own appointment to take a look at the papers, which are open to public review. There was little to see overall, but three candidates did stand out for different reasons. First, Steven Soos signed as one of his own nominators, the
Winner in the Battle of the Lawns, Olson campaign signs stretch down Balfour St. for as far as the eye can see. VOICE only candidate to do so. Perfectly permissible. Veteran rabble-rouser Curt Harley signed for Soos on June 18. And a handful of Soos signers were disqualified for living in West Lincoln. Second, nearly two-thirds of Cari Pupo’s endorsers (17 out of 27 signers) were her neighbours on Emmett Street, which runs for a single block in downtown Fonthill—a good 4 km east of the Ward 1 border. Pupo had only one endorsement from a Ward 1 resident. And five weeks after he had endorsed Steven Soos, that veteran rabble-rouser Curt Harley had jumped onto the Pupo bandwagon instead, endorsing her on July 28. (Early Soos and Pupo campaign statements both bore striking similarities to past Harley rhetoric about alleged incompetence in Town Hall.) Two weeks later, Pupo announced she was “canceling” her candidacy,
F
WHY RE/MAX?
after allegations surfaced about her conduct while Town Treasurer. She remained on the ballot, however, since the deadline to formally withdraw had already passed. My guess is that Pupo could still end up drawing more votes than the lowest vote-getter, which will likely be Kenyon. Finally, James Federico’s nomination papers. No Curt Harley support, no plethora of Fonthill residents, no signatures disqualified. Instead, what stood out was a single name: Augustyn. The former mayor, and two family members. If you are a relative newcomer to town, you may be asking, “Augu-who, now?” Suffice it to say that the name of our immediately previous mayor, who captained the H.M.S. Pelham straight onto the rocky shores of Meridian Community Centre debt, is the last name
that a large percentage of Ward 1 residents in particular want to hear, and if they do hear it, their blood pressure medication better be close at hand. It is a name that will likely be political kryptonite in Pelham for years to come. That’s the main reason that a rumour floating around soon after the election was announced— that Augustyn was considering running for the seat—was so absurd. Someone was trying to stir the pot. To provoke what exactly, aside from eye-rolls, wasn’t clear. That said, people instinctively love to see a second act, the fallen redeemed. In ten or 15 years as memories fade, we could see a 60-year-old Augustyn back in the picture as a comeback-kid. So unless he moves off to the prairies or Down East, it’s unwise to See WRAP-UP back page
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Pelham’s 613 Army Cadet Corps is looking for a few good men...and women. Founded in 1977 and affiliated with the Lincoln and Welland Regiment in St. Catharines, the 613
Corps’ aim is to promote good citizenship, physical fitness, and interest in the land, air and sea elements of the Canadian Forces. There is no requirement that cadets join the military when they've completed the program. Captain Leo Giovenazzo, Commanding Officer of
the 613, told the Voice that currently the Corps is sitting at around 25 guys and girls, ages 12 to 18, drawn from Welland and Pelham. Weekly meetings are held on Wednesday evenings at the Legion in Fonthill. Cadets leave the program when they turn 19, so there is a need to replenish the
Hiccups in online schooling start BY DON RICKERS
Special to the VOICE
Not unexpectedly, there have been teething pains in the delivery of online learning in local schools the first week of classes. Jennifer Pellegrini, Communications Officer for the Niagara Catholic school board told the Voice that there were some "bumps" along the way, "but we are working to resolve those as quickly as possible. Niagara Catholic has given families the opportunity to review their preferred stream of attendance. Although the schools look different, the feeling at the heart of them — the presence of Jesus — remains the same." Kim Fielding, Communications Officer at the public board, told the Voice that last Tuesday and Wednesday, teachers at the DSBN Virtual School called parents of over 5000 students to introduce themselves, answer questions, and get the students oriented to have a successful year. Kindergarten students had a synchronous learning session online using Microsoft Teams. Yielding said she didn’t hear of any par-
A post by DSBN Trusteee Nancy Beamer to Facebook last Friday. FACEBOOK ent having difficulty with the links sent by teachers via email, but some tech-literate parents known to the newspaper did encounter problems. Apparently some parents received an error message when they were trying to log into their child’s D2L account. According to Yielding, the parents were attempting to log in before their child’s courses had been uploaded
to the Virtual School site, which was the reason for the error message. Parents were advised that they would get an email from their child’s teacher when their child’s timetable has been uploaded. Yielding said that parents who had forgotten the username or password to their child’s DSBN account were provided with a link which made the connection for them.
ranks, said Giovenazzo. He expects the Corps will reconvene on October 7. Some 613 cadet graduates have gone into active service with the Canadian Forces, while others have joined the reserve unit of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment. A few have attended the Royal Military College at Kingston, and others have been on active duty in Afghanistan as regular infantry. Shooting and firearm safety is a component of the program. “Cadets get the opportunity to go out to the military range with the Lincoln and Welland regiment and shoot the C7 combat rifle, but the bulk of our marksmanship program involves air rifles,” said Giovenazzo. The cadets have a 10-metre range in the basement of the Legion, and the most skilled shooters compete as a team in regional marksmanship contests. Cadets are taught military history and drill formations, along with leadership and instructional techniques. They also participate in orienteering (which involves compass and map work) and biathlon competitions. Giovenazzo said he has a leadership team of six, which includes commissioned officers in the Canadian Forces, plus some adult supervisor civilian volunteers. “The 613 is a small corps, so we really create something of a family atmosphere. Our instructors are graduates of the cadet program. We have an alumni page that keeps people connected, and helps maintain lasting friendships,” said Giovenazzo.
Warrant Officer Molly Ryan .
Remembrance Day is an important event for the Corps, with cadets canvassing for poppy donations, and taking part in the honor guard flag ceremonies. Warrant Officer Molly Ryan hails from Welland, and is commencing her fifth and final year with the corps. She attends Brock University, studying concurrent education, and plans to be a French and mathematics teacher upon graduation. “Girls have a lot of oppor-
SUPPLIED
tunity in the Corps,” said Ryan. “They don’t treat you differently than the boys. We even have an annual workshop in female empowerment. Cadets is a great experience, and will definitely boost your confidence as to what you can achieve. You’ll learn leadership, discipline, and organization…and especially teamwork.” Further details on joining the 613 Corps can be obtained by calling 905892-8208, or e-mailing 613cadetsco@gmail.com.
Winners in first community garden bed competition Budget-saving measure a beautiful success BY VOICE STAFF While the uptake was less than half of what was expected, four Town garden beds still got some tender loving volunteer care this summer, courtesy of a competition sponsored by the Town. Council conceived of the idea in May, when it became clear that COVID-related expenses were going to make a big dent in the Town annual budget, forcing some programs to be reduced or eliminated. Four teams eventually signed up to design and maintain four of the ten beds initially offered, with 3rd Fonthill Scouting taking First Prize. “At first glance it would appear that interest was below expectations,” said Mayor Marvin Junkin, “but all will recall that the competition was very late in being organized, and by the time details were released
to the residents, most gardeners had already made plans for their summer of gardening.” Even so, Junkin expressed his admiration for the results. “That being said, the four groups that did sign on went all out with their respective beds, with all four flower beds becoming colourful additions to their specific locations.” “The winner of our competition won by one point over the talented Pelham Garden Club,” said Pelham Beautification Committee Chair and judge Jen Pilzecker. “The win is attributed to the use of colourful mums which are often perennial in Niagara's growing zone and the nice combination of annuals with consideration of plant layering and movement. The Town of Pelham Beautification Committee
Left, the 3rd Fonthill Scouts took first place in North Pelham, while the Meridian Credit Union took third in Peace Park. would like to thank all of the competitors for their efforts to bring life and colour to our community during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Pilzecker. “You brightened the lives of all of those who were able to stop and admire your hard work.” Judging took place over the Labour Day weekend by
members of the committee, who braved the high winds and heavy rains Labour Day Monday, judging all the beds. Based on the contest criteria posted on the Town's website, the judge's results were: First Prize, 3rd Fonthill Scouting. Second Prize, Pelham Garden Club. Third Prize,
Meridian Credit Union. Fourth Prize, Shawn Petlichkov and Daniel Kilmowicz (sponsored by Lookout Point). Restaurant gift certificates from local eateries, including the Butcher & Banker and the Grill on Canboro, were also awarded: $500 for First, $350 for
SUPPLIED
Second, $250 for Third, and $150 for Fourth. Born from a motion by Councillor Lisa Haun, the competition was intended to support local growers and spruce up flower beds that would have otherwise gone unplanted this year. Haun did not respond to a Voice request for comment.
Page 14
The Voice, September 16, 2020
COMMENTARY
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
Don Rickers, Freelance Journalist
At race's end: My take on the Ward 1 candidates
I
doubt many of the residents of Ward 1 had the privilege of sitting down for half an hour with each of the candidates to pick their brains. In my role as a freelance writer, the Voice entrusted me with this duty. I knew none of the candidates personally prior to our interview, and met with each individually in a public spot. The only person on the ballot I did not interview was Cari Pupo, for reasons already covered in the newspaper. Here are my impressions. Let me begin by saying that I found them all to be interesting people who had done their homework. Without exception, they were well-spoken and passionate about the challenge before them. This was not some frivolous or spontaneous dare they undertook, the product of a night of boisterous boozing with patronizing pals who were egging them on. They each felt that they had something to say, that their skill set would add to the political capital of the Town of Pelham. Each had a priority list and a plan for achieving it. Most had impressive records of public service and volunteer work. But only two — Wayne Olson and James Federico — were residents of Ward 1. To a lot of people living around Fenwick, that
clearly made a big difference, as reflected in the overwhelming volume of lawn signage advocating for these two candidates. Wally Braun presented as an idealist, who envisaged Fonthill as a scaled-down Niagara-on-the-Lake, with Pelham buildings and storefronts displaying the façade of an era of architecture from our colonial roots. He articulately described his position on the key issues of town development and finances, as well as cannabis regulation. Braun had a calm, professorial air about him, and as a self-proclaimed “policy wonk” was clearly focused on research pointing the way forward. Given that this was his fourth run at a Pelham council seat, I couldn’t help but admire his dogged persistence. Maria Brigantino spoke of “creating healthy lives and strong communities,” with a solid understanding of the legislative framework under which municipalities operate. She was convincing as a strategic thinker and problem solver, and emphasized her background in organizational leadership and team-building. Supporting small businesses during the pandemic was a key talking point for Brigantino, who came across as a very polished and self-assured pro-
North Pelham early voters and pup on September 3. fessional. I knew in the first ten minutes that James Federico would be a formidable contender. A detail-oriented, self-employed engineer living in Fenwick, he had witnessed firsthand many of the issues plaguing Ward 1, from mundane parking problems to reinvestment in Fenwick infrastructure, and had formulated plans to solve them. He spoke of the plight of aging farmers, of re-energizing the Maple Acre library, and a balanced approach to dealing with the cannabis industry. He viewed building a better Pelham as a lasting legacy for his children. Federico’s service on Pelham committees, and the nuances of getting things done within a bureaucracy, gave him an inside track in my mind.
VOICE
His recent Facebook posts, however, in which he stated that he was essentially bushwhacked by the Voice are, frankly, disappointing. The newspaper’s endorsement of September 9 backed another candidate, and provided the rationale for doing so. People will draw their own conclusions, as they are wont to do. I’ve been around long enough to know that when you enter the political arena, you’d better grow a thick hide. Colleen Kenyon was an engaging woman who believed that creative energies could bring communities together, and offered her local, inter-generational theatre projects as proof. A relative newcomer to the area, she felt that her “fresh voice” could provide objectivity and perspective on council. Kenyon believed in environmentalism, buying local, looking after the elderly, and providing affordable housing and transportation. Her focus
on inclusiveness prompted comments about Pelham’s perceived lack of cultural and racial diversity, which rankled the sensitivities of a segment of the population. Thereafter, her stock likely sank like the Edmund Fitzgerald. Don’t let the white hair fool you. Wayne Olson is not a retiree satisfied to fill his golden years rummaging around the house and puttering in the back yard. He is a man of significant experience and wisdom, who has never forgotten his humble roots, and the importance of people pulling together. He is quick to praise, and reluctant to criticize. Olson’s background in accounting, management, and labour relations has trained him to focus on purpose, not personalities. On objectives, not obstinance. His gentle demeanor belies a resolve that, in my eyes at least, put him at the head of the class. The Young Turk of the group was Steven Soos. Still in his 20s, outspoken, and happily entrenched in the political jungle, Soos was already a veteran of several campaigns under various party banners (one of them being a last-minute run for the mayor’s chair in Welland a few years back, which Frank Campion won in a landslide). Soos was drawn to controversy like a moth to a flame, and advocated relentlessly for the homeless, the addicted, and those with mental health issues. His
web-based talk show, True Politics, provided a platform for Soos to interview politicians and policy makers in the news. He held well-argued positions on a host of pertinent local topics, and proclaimed a sound knowledge of the Ontario Municipal Act, which he felt must be embraced like the King James Bible by those holding political office. His zeal as a social warrior may have factored into his untimely heart attack shortly after his declaration as a candidate. Nonetheless, Soos stayed with the race, and fought the good fight. How would any of these folks gelled with those currently on council? Hard to say, really. They all struck me as civil but confident types who wouldn’t be intimidated into kowtowing to public opinion or strong personalities around the council table or Zoom screen. Certainly Soos would let you know in short order if he was unhappy with the proceedings. But all professed a desire to work harmoniously with others for the betterment of Pelham. Team players all. I hope that in two years’ time, when we have another municipal election, the unsuccessful candidates will still possess the fervour to run again. I think they each have something distinct to offer. As my dear departed father oft reminded me, “It would be a very boring world if we were all the same.” ◆
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ing grounds of Quebec’s musical past. Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, guitar, bouzouki and a number of other instruments, our three virtuosos blend boundless energy with the unmistakable joie vivre only inin wasde good for found both sides, LABOUR a relatively short period of continued from Page 7 traditional Quebec music. Show runs from 7-9 p.m. time,” said Junkin.
It was great to see that the Town and union arrived at a settlement that was good for both sides
Among Niagara munici“This is the first time bepalities, only N-O-T-L rePELHAM LIBRARY ing involved in an inaugu- CARD MAKING WORKSHOP mains non-union, with ral contract. It was obvious Make six cards with fall themes, learning a variety of techniques. Wainfleet having Materials voted to that both parties wanted unionize before Pelham, yet arethat provided. At time of registration, please enquire about tools needed. a deal would protect still not having reached a their Tues., interests, but 16 also10 one Sept. – 12:30. $10. Please register ahead. Visitagreement. www.pelhambargaining that will allow us to work The deal “clarifies issues library.on.ca or call 905-892-6443 for more details. together, and I believe that around seniority, overtime has been accomplished.” opportunities, job transAmanda Wells, CUPE fers, discipline, vacation, FABULOUS FENWICK LIONS FISH FRY National Representative, and other key aspects of the on behalf of CUPE Tasty treats withLocal funds heading straight back into the community. Haddock, employment relationship,” 1287 said that, “although according to the statement french fries and much more. Runs Sept. 9 from 4-7 p.m. achieved.” COVID-19 has presented Workers will receive a Mayor Marvin Junkin unique working and bar2.0% increase for 2020 (retsaid he was pleased by the gaining conditions for our PELHAM MINOR HOCKEY EQUIPMENT SALE roactive to January 1), 1.5% essential workers’ dedica- agreement. for 2021, 1.75% for 2022 and “It was great that tion by all sell to ensure a fair Buy, or trade used equipment at to theseePelham Arena. Aimed to provide 2.0% for 2023. The agreethe Town and the union arand comprehensive first cheaper options for players in this upcoming season. Runs Sept. 6 from ment will expire on Decemrived at a settlement that collective agreement was ber 31, 2023.
9-12 in the morning.
PELHAM MUDFEST Men and women will be back in the mud as the second run on the year is held at Bissil’s Hideaway. NIAGARA REGIONAL EXHIBITION Rodeo, games and live entertainment headline this years exciting event. It runs from Sept. 11-14 at the Welland Fairgrounds. BIG MOVE CANCER RIDE The Big Move Cancer Ride is a non-competitive ride taking place on Sept. 7. Proceeds for the Big Move stay in Niagara and support the Walker Family Cancer Centre. WALKING CLUB Interested in walking in Pelham? Join them Tuesdays at the Pelham Arena from 9-10 am and Thursdays at Fonthill Bandshell for 9-10:30 am. There is no fee for this program. For more information, please contact jcook@ pelham.ca or call 905 892-2607, ext 329. HAMPER DAY FOR PELHAM CARES
A NEW ADVENTURE STARTS Veteran crossing guard Violet Steingart greets a student Purchase and vegetables or bring a non-perishable arriving at A. K.fresh Wiggfruit in Fonthill last week for at thethe firstMarket day of school. DON RICKERS
food item to fill the hampers at the Pelham Farmers Market on Sept. 4.
FONTHILL E. L. Crossley Keith’s Restau Bricklaying, tuckpointing, Churchill Natural Meats Target Store step repair, granite Shoppers Drug Mart Pennzoil Quic coatings, brick slices items, SAT. AUG. 30, 8AM- Fonthill Library Lazy Loon 1PM 625 METLER RD, P18-28 905-682-7061. Town of Pelham Pharmasave FLOORING FOR SALE P18-23 NORTH PELHAM TRUNK Cafe on Main Avondale Stor Old wooden trunk with green metal covering-inside is wooden. Beamer’s Pro Hardware Josh DeHaan Flooring In good condition. Phone 905-892-3408 “For all your flooring needs” Sobey’s FENWICK McDonald’s We offer in-stock specials: Avondale Stor Fonthill Legion MASONRY REPAIR Fenwick Sub Tim Hortons • pre-finished hardwood ALLTYPE MASONRY Golden Grill Semenuk’s flooring solid, engineered Brick, Block, Stone and Chimney repairs. Devries Fruit Pic’sbasement repairs. Wet and damaged from $2/ft2 Klagersat 289-241-4767. Ridderikhoff M Phone Tom Deamude • laminate flooring from 35 years of construction experience. $.89/ft2 PAPER ROUTES AVAILAB • carpet and vinyl flooring FOUND 2 from $4.95/yd PANCAKE,PICKWICK • 97 PAPE • fibre flooring from $1/ft2 Portable Charger-ANKER. Phone 905-892-8176. BERKWOOD, BEECHNUT, KATHY, • ceramic tile from $.89/ft2 DEVERARDO (SOUTH)• 96 PAPE PLACE YOUR ...and other specials! FRESH FRUIT AND VEGGIES BROCK, DONAHUGH,SHALDAN PETRONELLA • 109a PAPERS WILLIAMS ORCHARDS, Now open for Season seven days Call us to see the products week, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Corn, Apples, Plums, Pears, Peaches & that are available & visit our CONTACT THE VOICE AT OCNA Network Classified Ads showroom. Nectarines,Veggies, Honey, Brown Eggs and Preserves.
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Places of Worship Bethany Christian Reformed Church www.bethanycrc.ca
First Presbyterian Church 602 Metler Rd., North Pelham
Holy Trinity Anglican Church holytrinityfonthill.org
Pelham Evangelical Friends Church www.pelhamfriends.ca
Concordia Lutheran Church 105 Welland Rd., Fonthill
Fonthill Baptist Church www.fonthillbaptistchurch.ca
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses 1369 Rice Rd., Fonthill
Ridgeville Bible Chapel ridgevillebiblechapel.com
Fenwick Church of Christ www.fenwickchurchofchrist.ca
Fonthill United Church www.fonthillunited.com
Kirk on the Hill Presbyterian Church 1344 Haist St., Fonthill
St. Alexander Roman Catholic Church www.stalexander.on.ca
Fenwick United Church www.fenwickunited.com
Glad Tidings Church of God www.gladtidingschurchofgod.com
Pelham Community Church (United Church) www.pelham.cc
St. Ann Roman Catholic Church www.stannfenwick.com
FAITH LIFT
continued from Page 17 takes us to the angel’s announcement at Jesus’ birth that his message was “good news of great joy for all people”. The next one tells us as believers “to rejoice” twice (Philippians 4:4). And the last one assures us that in heaven God will remove tears, death, mourning and suffering forever (Revelation 21:3-4). Yep, that sounds like “enjoying God” to me!
So what?
So what difference does all this make for you and me today? Are you going to enjoy God forever?
Well, it depends on the first part of the catechism’s answer. It says “our chief end” (our main purpose) should be to glorify God. How does someone bring glory to God? It begins with becoming His child by sincerely believing in Jesus and humbly repenting of our sins. I made that life-changing decision over 50 years ago. I never regretted it and, more importantly, I’ve known my main purpose in life ever since. ◆ Rob Weatherby is a retired pastor who’s looking forward to enjoying God forever.
FABULOUS PRIDE RETURNS The Fabulous Fenwick Lions are back. On September 9, they had their first dinner meeting since March 4, with 17 members in attendance observing physical distancing. First VP Jeff Pickup says the club looks forward doing their fundraisers and assisting the community as times allow. He says the club would like to thank all of their members and non-members who made the Pelham Support Network a success with some 800 deliveries to residents that did not want to go out due to COVID-19. SUPPLIED
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The Voice, September 16, 2020
Voice
FAITH LIFT
by Pastor Rob Weatherby
CROSSWORD
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Will you enjoy God forever?
ne of the great teaching tools of the Christian faith is called “The Westminster Shorter Catechism.” The word “Catechism” is not to be confused with “Cataclysm” although some children may have a hard time distinguishing while attempting to learn it. First off, note that the name “Westminster” is very English. It’s the name of the core of London (England), the British Parliament and a famous Abbey. When I attended what is now called “Western” in London (Ontario), my residence was called “Westminster College.” We proudly wore T-shirts that said, “WC, the Place to Be!” Later when I lived in Europe for three years, I learned that WC stood for “water closet” or washroom (I decided not to wear my T-shirt over there).
Page 17
freshing.
Enjoying God?
The first question of the catechism is “What is the chief end (or purpose) of man?” The answer is: “Man’s (understood as mankind’s) chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” When most people think about God they may think of adjectives such as “eternal,” “holy,” “powerful” or “loving.” And when they think of words that describe our relationship to God they may think of verbs like “believe,” “trust” or “reverence.” But “enjoy”? That word always jumped
off the page at me. Can I really enjoy God? Each catechism answer is backed up by Scriptures. Six are given for this part of the answer (three from each Testament). The first one is Psalm 16:5-11 which ends with the words, “In Your presence there is fullness of joy and at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” The second one says, “Happy is the people whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15). The third one says God is “my strength and my song” and “my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2). In the New Testament it See FAITH LIFT Page 16
The catechism
Seriously, the Westminster Shorter Catechism was first produced in 1647 to complement the much longer “Westminster Confession” which came out the year before. The Confession was commissioned by the British Parliament and took four years to finish. The group of Christian scholars met at Westminster Abbey which accounts for its name. It had 33 chapters beginning with “the Scriptures” and ending with the “Last Judgment.” This document was far too long and the language too fancy for children to remember or understand. So a catechism of questions and answers was developed to teach the main doctrines to those of “weaker capacity” (that’s probably why I like it so much). The catechism contains 107 questions and answers. It’s the very first one that I find most intriguing and re-
Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
Word Search: Libraries
Find the words hidden vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and backwards. ANNOTATION ANTHOLOGY APPENDIX ATLAS BARCODE BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIOGRAPHY BROWSE CALL NUMBER CARREL CHECKOUT CIRCULATE
CITATION COPYRIGHT DATABASE DOWNLOAD FOLIO HOLDINGS
INDEX JOURNAL LOAN PERIODICALS RETURN VOLUME
ANSWERS ON PAGE 18
Page 18
The Voice, September 16, 2020
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
FROM THE HANDLEBARS
by John Swart
The saga of Mountain Grove
I
t was to be a quick bike ride along “The Great Trail” heading west from the town of Sharbot Lake. I’d follow this abandoned section of an early Canadian Pacific railway which had been repurposed for use by ATVs, snowmobiles, and bicycles, traversing the granite ridges and massive bogs of the Canadian Shield. I expected to return to town on one of the gravel roads the trail would cross. We must diverge from the cycling tale for a moment to explain that The Great Trail is a new name, designated in 2016 by some marketing geniuses, to rebrand the Trans-Canada Trail. The
former T-CT is the longest trail in the world. “We wanted to claim our stake and say ‘This is the greatest trail in the world,’” says Danielle St-Aubin, vice-president, marketing and communications at Trans-Canada Trail in Montreal. “Trans-Canada Trail is known by pockets of individuals, but not on a larger scale. That’s why this new brand platform was created.” I’m not sure who those pockets of individuals she describes are, but most Canadians and worldwide trail fans associate the T-CT with Canada, and “trans” signifies to us that it’s long. After rebranding as The Great
Trail, the name conjures up a Disney ride or Trump project that could be found anywhere. In spite of its diminished name, the trail didn’t disappoint as it stretched further away from town and cottages. A scattering of maples had already donned their bright red autumn plumage, coal-black streams reflected the shimmering trees and clouds better than a mirror, and herons, ducks, and squirrels provided unexpected background music. Within an hour I discovered Mountain Grove, in the former township of Olden. The meagre little town is situated where the abandoned railway line I was riding intersected with old Frontenac Road, a historic colonization road completed between Kingston and Matawatchan in 1862. The intersection was surrounded by three cemeter-
Above and facing page: community art frames the Olden Community Centre in Mountain Grove, Ontario. JOHN SWART ies, and the well-maintained Olden Memorial Park with a war memorial dedicated to those in Olden Township who had served, and died, in the World Wars and Korea. On a small rock outcrop above was the Olden Pioneer’s Monument, a three
metre tall cairn draped with bright Canadian flags accented by urns of blossoming flowers. Across the road was a century home, totally sided in sheets of tin resembling nineteenth century ceiling tiles. Three doors up the road on the right was the modest
Anglican Church, now home to a dishevelled art studio. On the left was the Olden Community Centre, surrounded by huge clay flower pots painted in bright primary colours, and mural-style paintings of loons, ravens and autumn foliage. Next
Voice
HOROSCOPE
ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, let yourself drift off into a creative mode this week. Explore any artistic endeavor and dream as big as your mind allows. Don’t limit this expressive outlet. TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 This week you may be feeling especially loving and romantic, Taurus. Consider treating your special someone to a homecooked meal or going for a stroll in the park. GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 Gemini, if things get a little confusing over the next couple of days, don’t feel the need to try to figure everything out. Take what you need to get your tasks done. CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Cancer, it may seem like you are juggling a hundred things at once. Take a step back to exhale and recharge your batteries. This will prove a welcome break. LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, when faced with too many choices, you may find it hard to make a decision. Instead, select two or more and sample which is best. Don’t let indecisiveness derail your plans. VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Calming, relaxing activities are the best way to fill up your week, Virgo. Spend time taking long walks with friends or hanging out without much advance planning. LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, one minute you feel one thing and another you’ve changed your mind. Sit down and think over the pros and cons of each direction before making a final decision.
SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Scorpio, your social schedule fills up quickly this week. You may enjoy getting out of the house or the office, but remember to do it in a responsible and safe way. SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 No one but you can start working toward your goals, Sagittarius. Stop dragging your feet and put a good plan into action in the next few days. CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, whether you realize it or not, you have a great deal of freedom to do what you want. Be spontaneous and start pursuing some of your goals. AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 People may not be receptive to your usual brand of humor this week, Aquarius. Do more listening than talking. Try to keep sarcasm to a minimum and lay low. PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Don’t be overly concerned with what others think about you, Pisces. Even if you’re feeling like a fish out of water, forge ahead with your unique ideas. FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS SEPTEMBER 13 Niall Horan, Singer (27) SEPTEMBER 14 Andrew Lincoln, Actor (47) SEPTEMBER 15 Tom Hardy, Actor (43) SEPTEMBER 16 Alexis Bledel, Actress (39) SEPTEMBER 17 Baz Luhrmann, Director (58) SEPTEMBER 18 James Marsden, Actor (47)
SOLUTIONS DOWN 1. Proms 2. Curet 3. Terrapin 4. Macerated 5. Abos 6. Lam 7. ESP 8. Shard 9. Amiss 10. Resets 11. Closet 12. EBN 13. Das 19. Roe 21. Grin 24. Saran 25. Iranian 26. Pemba 27. Attempts 31. Seuss 32. Arrau 34. Jambe 35. At 36. Hesitance 40. Me 41. Emeritus 45. Oran 47. Uganda 48. Kansas 52. Rouse 53. Cam 54. Aspis 56. Elect 57. Salam 59. Moil 60. CSC 61. Ooh 62. TNT 63. Ida
CROSSWORD ANSWERS
SOLUTIONS ACROSS 1. PCT 4. Males 9. Arced 14. Rue 15. Abash 16. Melba 17. Orr 18. Comparisons 20. Merges 22. Roses 23. Starr 24. Sidesteps 28. Pia 29. AR 30. Stet 31. Saint 33. Rajah 37. MA 38. Ern 39. Emanate 41. Ebb 42. Ur 43. Denim 44. Somas 46. Sauk 49. AB 50. Ire 51. Sugarcane 55. Tares 58. Anoas 59. Manila 60. Consumption 64. Tel 65. Sodas 66. Indic 67. Uca 68. Chase 69. Stale 70. STM
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The Voice, September 16, 2020
Olden Pioneer Memorial Park, an unexpected lesson in Upper Canada history.
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Macdonald, and that he knew there were only two Liberals in all of Mountain Grove because his friend was the returning officer. Al explained that those from the United Church were interred in the Olden Pioneer Cemetery, the two Anglican Cemeteries took their own, and the Olden Cemetery got anyone left over. The Anglican Church had been sold to a female artist who didn’t seem to sell much, but donated the many huge paintings spread around the town. Anyway,
The sand and gravel surface had been freshly graded, and just enough trucks and cars had passed over it to pack the surface smooth as ice. It twisted and turned around swamps and small lakes, and I whooped and smiled racing up and down as it climbed and fell over granite outcrops. I met only one pickup and the Canada Post mailman doing his rural deliveries along Ducharme Road’s 12-kilometre length. At the only small farm on the road, I could hear but not
see a furiously barking hound approaching from the left. When a red fox darted across the road in front of me, followed by the hound, I expected to see Prince Charles and his hunting party charging after them. With the fox occupied and the pressure off, a family of pheasants crossed leisurely in front of me soon after, as did a mother wild turkey and her six youngsters. Ducharme Road did deliver me to the K&P trail, which took me back to Sharbot Lake without having to ride on pavement. Perfect. A question remained though. Much as I’d laughed when Al described how quiet Mountain Grove was, I thought that I’d heard his line before. Turns out it’s an expression, and there are 2,230,000 Google results for mouse fart, plus 176,000 videos. What’s more, the internet says it’s possible to heat a rural home with rodent-produced methane. I love an educational bike ride. ◆
O
who then approached. Al had lived in Mountain Grove until his 20s, when he went to Kingston for work. He stayed 40 years, after which he returned to Mountain Grove and bought the church manse. His great uncle had gifted the land to the congregation, so Al felt it fitting that he purchase the manse, providing funds to keep the church afloat a while longer. He noted that these days Mountain Grove was “quieter than a mouse fart.” The next half hour flew by, as I learned that the Olden Township area had 300 citizens, Al’s great, great, etc., grandfather had taken two days to ride by horse to Kingston to vote for John A.
JOHN SWART
she went to Mexico for the winter, so he figured she didn’t want for money. He claimed the town had three community halls in its day, pointing to dilapidated old frame buildings up and down the hill. He wouldn’t say on what basis they had been segregated, but the one next door to the manse was the sole survivor. Ultimately, I left without an answer to my question. There were too many people and too much history for me to keep track of, which was fine. The fun was listening to Al share his mental archives non-stop, as fast as the memories bubbled back into his mind. Ducharme Road, just a few kilometres south, would lead me to another rail trail, the defunct Kingston & Pembroke Railway, and back to town—I hoped. What a joy that road was!
R
door was a spotless white wood-framed United Church and its manse. I had to find out how such a tiny community at the crossroad of an abandoned railway line and 150-year-old colonization road maintained such a sense of civic pride, and why? A grey-haired fellow was splitting wood behind his home (the manse) adjacent to the United Church parking lot, so I bicycled over to him hoping he might offer some answers. His aged Black Lab waddled over to do my COVID health check, searching my eyes to read my intentions, then taking the temperature of my outstretched palm with his warm and sloppy tongue. He barked an okay to “Al”
Page 19
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The Voice, September 16, 2020
www.thevoiceofpelham.ca
OLSON
continued from Page 1 pecting to meet with Mayor Junkin and my new colleagues on council and with staff. I will be listening closely for their objectives, methods and how they want to have their efforts measured. I will also want to know what they need to succeed and meet our community objectives. The next few months will busy with strategic plans, budgets and forecasts and committee work. It is also apparent that COVID-19 remains a threat. We need to be concerned about our businesses. Our Town needs to everything possible to support the conditions for commercial success. An important item is the Niagara Official Plan, which will shape our future until 2051. There are six online plenary sessions from September 23 to October 21. The topics include the natural environment, growth management, urban design, agriculture and infrastructure. I have registered for all of the sessions. The website to register is niagararegion.ca/official-plan. Please join me and participate in this great opportunity. In closing, I want to sincerely thank my campaign team, who made this such an enjoyable and rewarding experience. In going door-to-door, I spoke to hundreds of wonderful people. As always, I also want to recognize and appreciate our volunteer community, especially in these uncertain times.
WRAP-UP
continued from Page 12 count our ex-mayor and unrepentant raider of reserve funds (it was all entirely legal!) completely out of the Pelham political picture.
Doing it right
Retired accountant Wayne Olson started strong and never let up. He had the qualifications, and he clearly had a solid support team, including “Mayor of Fenwick” Gary Chambers.
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In the war of lawn signs he was by far the victor, and that’s often a pretty good indicator of who’s likely to win. Olson took advantage of everything the Voice had to offer the candidates, including ordering extra copies of the edition in which his op-ed appeared, to distribute door-to-door over the last few days of the race. One messaging downside were the videos on his website, recorded in Sh a k y C a m®—aut hent ic, but boy, tough to watch for more than a minute or two.
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From left, Town staffers Holly Willford, Sarah Leach, and Ross Savage assist in vote tabulation inside Pelham Town Hall on Tuesday evening, September 15. MARC MACDONALD/TOWN OF PELHAM
Olson kept his campaign platform realistic and limited to what council actually had authority over. Crucially, he also tailored his message to Ward 1 voters—those who were actually doing the voting— rather than doing what most of the other candidates did, which was appear to be campaigning to a townwide audience. (“Sanctuary city,” anyone?) Olson also had the early backing of well-respected agricultural figures, an obvious plus in an overwhelmingly rural ward. Again, assuming the opinion and exit polls were correct, the only unknown is the margin of his victory.
In the end, effective campaigns matter most
In all seriousness, there is one clearly useful reason for a candidate to employ a scrutineer, but it isn’t to keep a beady eye on the Clerk’s staff. As election day progresses, scrutineers are allowed to view the list
of those who have already voted as it is updated. This can tell a candidate whether residents who have said they will vote for him or her have likely done so— how the voters have voted isn’t shown on the list, only whether they’ve shown up. This can remind the candidate that Mr. and Mrs. X need a ride to the polling station, and so on. This would be the cherry on the top of a perfectly run campaign—and by the end of the first advance poll in Pelham, the fact is that the winning candidate is historically already determined. How so? Let’s look at Ward 1 over the years. In every election dating back to 2011, whichever candidate came first in early voting ended up winning the election. In 2011, it was Richard Rybiak, ahead at 49% in a five-way race in the advance poll, winning by 54% in the end, with 805 voters in total coming out. In 2014, Junkin and Ry-
biak both led in the first advance poll. In total advance votes, Junkin was at 30% and Rybiak at 41%. They won by 34% and 38% respectively at the end, with 2988 voters in total coming out. In 2018, the correlation was spookily exact, with Mike Ciolfi earning 28% and Marianne Stewart earning 26% in total advance polling, earning these same numbers, when rounded to the nearest whole, in the final tally, with a whopping 3600 total voters turning out. Another point: In every case above, the first advance polling day had already occurred before the last issue of the Voice was published before the election. What does this mean? It means that the issue of the newspaper that came out just before election day itself had no effect on the outcome. Who the paper did or did not endorse, or what commentary did or didn’t run,
had zero influence on who won or lost. The die was already cast. The candidate who was going to win had already won in the advance poll, and those who were destined to lose had already lost. It’s ultimately the candidate’s campaign—including the news coverage and advertising along the way, of course— that matters most. Whether this has once again proven true in this most unusual of unusual years will be fascinating to see. Politics is not a field for the thin-skinned. It takes guts to put yourself forward for office. I thank all of the candidates for their participation in the race and for their cooperation with the paper—even cranky-pants James Federico and the unapologetic Colleen Kenyon. A tip of the hat as well to our Don Rickers for his yeoman's work covering the campaigns. Time to prepare for the 2022 municipal election—it’s just 25 months away! ◆
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