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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 45 Issue 07
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.50% 3 Year GIC - 2.35% 5 Year GIC - 2.76% Daily Interest 1.75%
Friday, February 17, 2012
Knetsch wants to see comparison of councils’ pay
Mapleton Minto 81’s look to avoid playoff elimination this weekend WELLINGTON CTY. The Mapleton Minto 81’s are facing elimination this weekend, after falling behind 3-1 in their best-of-seven first round playoff series with the Durham Thundercats. Game one The 81’s finished fifth in the competitive north division of the WOAA Senior ‘AA’ Hockey League, while the Thundercats finished fourth. It was expected to be a close series as the 81’s had one win, one loss and one overtime loss in the season series with Durham. On Feb. 3 the Thundercats came to Palmerston to face the 81’s for game one. Durham came out strong and took a 2-0 lead after the first period and a 5-0 lead after two, en route to a 5-1 victory. Todd Norman scored the only goal for the 81’s, with assists going to TJ Fergus and Curtis Pinder. Game two The next two games of the series were played in Durham. The Thundercats again came out strong in game two, building a 3-0 lead midway into the second period. Dan Vaughan scored an unassisted goal for the 81’s to bring the score to 3-1. Pinder added another goal, with helpers from Simon Johnson and Adam Dejong, to make the score 3-2. But Durham replied with a goal of their own to take a 4-2 lead into the second intermission. Norman and Vaughan set up Dan Richardson make it 4-3 with nine minutes left in the third, but Durham got two
more goals to seal a 6-3 win. Game three Facing a 2-0 deficit to the Thundercats, the 81’s travelled to Durham on Feb. 10 hoping to get back into the series. For the first time in the series, the 81’s came out strong, and took a 3-1 lead after one period. Durham came out strong in the second but the 81’s took a 4-3 lead into the dressing room after two periods. Durham poured 19 shots at 81’s goalie Kyle Leavey in the third, but could not get anything by him, giving the 81’s a 4-3 victory and making the series 2-1 for Durham. Mapleton Minto goal scorers were Kyle Handsaeme, Richardson, John Thiel and Norman with the game winner. Thiel picked up two assists and singles were added by Norman, Brett Nichol, Devin McGuire, Vaughan and Matt McCann. Game four The 81’s hosted the Thundercats for game 4 on Feb. 12, hoping to even the series at two games apiece. Durham scored the first goal of the game, but the 81’s evened the score at 1-1. The 81’s then scored to take a 2-1 lead midway in the second period, but Durham tied the game at two. Once again the 81’s scored to take a 3-2 lead with 4:34 left in the second. However Durham would not be denied and scored a shorthanded goal at 2:55, and soon after that capitalized on another opportunity to take a 4-3 lead. Continued on page 4
Silver smiles - Alexandria Geerlinks and Laura Mantler won silver medals in the showcase group/family category at the 2012 Weskate Competition recently in Mount Forest. The girls were among 45 skaters from the Drayton and District Figure Skating Club who managed to bring home 59 medals, good enough for second overall at the competition, which featured teams from Arthur, Dundalk, Durham, Harriston, Kincardine, Mount Forest and Palmerston. More coverage on page 8. submitted photo
Mapleton Township better off than others on source water protection? by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. Councillors here are planning to review specific source water protection issues sometime next month. Council recently considered an announcement of a report on source water protection for parts of Wellington County in the Grand River watershed, and particularly for their own township. The watershed is part of the Lake Erie source protection area and a panel of experts has
been working on regulations under the Clean Water Act of 2006 for several years. Mayor Bruce Whale noted three councillors and some staff had attended a meeting in Arthur to hear about the report. Whale said there were 17 pages of threats throughout the entire system presented at that meeting. Councillor Mike Downey said it was a good meeting and indicated the plan might not have as much effect on Mapleton Township as it will
on others. “Mapleton is probably most fortunate when it comes to source water protection,” said Downey. “We’ve just got wells to protect. Thank goodness for heavy clay.” But councillor Andy Knetsch said he has concerns about old landfill sites and the impact they could have on water. He knows they are generally covered under the county jurisdiction and said it should remain there and continue to Continued on page 4
by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. Councillor Andy Knetsch asked for information on council pay at the Jan. 24 meeting here. Knetsch said he would like to see how Mapleton council remuneration compares to other municipalities. He also asked for details on how other places pay for extra meetings and mileage. Further, he said he would like to see the details on staff overtime and also wanted to know if, instead of overtime pay, staff were taking time off in lieu of overtime work. Mayor Bruce Whale said council can deal with those issues when it does its budget. As for pay, he said he would prefer to see council pay scales set in the final term of council and be in place for the new council. As for staff overtime, Whale said council is going to have to consider if it is cheaper to pay overtime or to hire enough staff to get all the work completed. “We have to decide how to do labour efficiently,” he said. Council was also told The Wellington Advertiser usually covers council salaries and pay when those items are reported to municipal councils. That usually takes place in February, and Knetsch can see the comparisons then. Knetsch also asked about town hall meetings for council, and wondered about one in Alma. Councillor Neil Driscoll noted the township is working on the recreation master plan, and said it could be one focus. Continued on page 3
Barn celebrations could be prohibited - but not if fire chiefs have a say by Chris Daponte WELLINGTON CTY. The Ontario Fire Marshal’s office has instructed fire chiefs to be on the lookout for barn parties - in particular stag and does and wedding receptions - and ensure they do not take place. That’s not great news for prospective brides and grooms, particularly in places like Wellington County, where many couples with strong rural roots and a limited budget decide to host events in a large barn or drive shed. But Rick Richardson said until an official announcement is made, most fire chiefs in the province have no interest in enforcing the Fire Marshal’s request, first unveiled at a fall
chief’s meeting. “Every fire chief in that room said we’ll quit before we do that,” said Richardson, fire chief in Mapleton Township. According to the Fire Marshal’s office, barns and drive sheds are built for animals and farm equipment and not intended to host large assemblies. Richardson said the argument is that those agricultural buildings do not conform to fire code requirements - including proper insulation, exit signs, emergency lighting, fire alarms, sprinklers, extinguishers and exits - depending on the number of guests in attendance. In the fall, Jeffrey Dick, acting operations manager for the southwest region of the
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Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office, told Better Farming, “If we become aware of a potential public safety issue we’re going let the authority having jurisdiction know about it.”
Office is working on a communiqué to tell all Ontario municipal fire services it is aware barns are being used as assembly occupancy buildings. But Richardson said he
“We’re not interested in doing this ... This is rural Ontario.” - Mapleton Fire Chief Rick Richardson, on a Fire Marshal’s proposal to ban celebrations in farm buildings. Dick added it is up to the local municipality, as the jurisdiction in charge, to enforce the provisions of the Ontario Fire Code. At the time, he told Better Farming, the Fire Marshal’s
thinks the Fire Marshal’s office has since backed off in the face of opposition from fire departments and municipalities. Central Huron, for example, has circulated a resolution to all Ontario municipalities, MPPs
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and the Fire Marshal’s Office saying it “strongly objects to the direction from the Fire Marshal’s Office restricting” the use of farm buildings for parties. Richardson said fire chiefs in Wellington County agree. “We’re not interested in doing this,” he said. “This is rural Ontario.” Richardson did agree with Dick on one issue. Both have said they are not aware of any deaths or injuries that have occurred in farm building gatherings. “It’s not an issue,” Richardson said, noting barn and drive shed parties are common in Wellington County, several of which he has himself attended.
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He lamented that the province, with insurance, security, liquor and other regulations, has made it increasingly difficult and costly for people to host wedding celebrations in public buildings. “You’re forcing people out into drive sheds with your rules, then you’re telling them you can’t do that,” he said. Richardson said the Mapleton department, as others in the county, will not be enforcing anything until something official comes down from the Fire Marshal’s office. Even if that direction does come, Richardson said he would still bring the matter to Mapleton council to see if the township actually wants to enforce such rules.
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