SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 51 ISSUE 13
DRAYTON, ONTARIO
1 Year GIC - 2.44% 3 Year GIC - 2.80% 5 Year GIC - 3.10% Daily Interest 2.40%*
638-3328
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018
www.jackfinancial.ca
Mapleton CAO faces charge related to conflict in Petrolia By Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Mayor Neil Driscoll says township council remains confident in CAO Manny Baron, despite a breach of trust charge filed against the CAO by the OPP. The charge relates to Baron’s leasing of property he owned to the Town of Petrolia - and a resulting conflict of interest - while he was CAO of the town. Baron, 43, was charged on March 26 with breach of trust by a public officer, following what Lambton OPP officials called a “lengthy� police investigation. In a March 27 telephone interview, Driscoll told the Community News the charge would not impact Baron’s employment status with the township. “I don’t see there being any problem. In fact, council is more than proud of the accomplishments in the past three months that Manny has done for Mapleton Township,� said Driscoll. “He is continuing as our CAO and he will be until someone says different.� Baron declined to com-
Drayton Heights Public School holds ‘Buddy Walk’ for Metzger Buddy Walk - Students Create Change and teacher Andy Speers organized a Buddy Walk on March 21 at Drayton Heights Public School in Drayton in honour of World Down Syndrome Day and school volunteer and friend Matt Metzger. The event aimed to show appreciation for everything Metzger does on a daily basis at the school, officials said. TOP: The Buddy Walk ended with students and staff forming two lines, allowing Matt to walk down the middle and give high fives to students and staff. ABOVE: From left: Mandy DeVries, Mackenzie Martin, Metzger, Anderson Riddolls and Luke Rumph on the walk. Photos by Caroline Sealey
Crash claims life of Mapleton man MAPLETON - A local man died in an early-morning single-vehicle accident near Alma on March 20. Around 6am Wellington County OPP responded to an accident involving a single motor vehicle on the 16th Line, between Sideroads 19
and 21, south of Arthur and north of Alma. Wellington North Fire Service, along with Guelph Wellington Paramedics Service, also attended the scene. Tyler Alexander Arnold, 27, of Mapleton Township,
was pronounced dead at scene. The cause of the collision is being investigated by Wellington County OPP and OPP Technical Collision Investigators. The Wellington County OPP is asking witnesses to call 1-888-310-1122.
Child struck by car after exiting bus MAPLETON - Police have charged a bus driver after a child received minor injuries when struck by a vehicle after getting off a school bus near Drayton. On March 21 at around 4pm Wellington County OPP responded to a collision involving a pedestrian and a
vehicle on Wellington Road 8, west of Sideroad 18, near Drayton. Initial reports indicated a six-year-old girl suffered moderate, non-life-threatening injuries when stuck by a sedan. The child was crossing the highway after exiting a school bus.
NOW SHOWING
A WRINKLE IN TIME Friday and Saturday 8pm & Sunday 7pm RATED PG AND 109 MINUTES
MAIN ST. W. PALMERSTON 519.343.3640 www.norgantheatre.com
Mapleton Fire/Rescue along with Guelph Wellington Paramedics Service attended. The child was transported to local hospital with minor injuries. The bus driver, a 61-yearold Mapleton Township man, was charged with failing to activate school bus signals.
‘‘
ment on T u e s d ay morning, beyond indicating he has engaged a lawyer. According MANNY to published BARON re por ts, Baron was placed on administrative leave by Petrolia in October after a local newspaper, The Independent, reported he was charging the town rent, and utilities in lieu of rent, on facilities he owns through a numbered company. Baron did not disclose to the town his ownership of the properties. The town appointed investigator John Fleming to look into the deal for the properties, which were used by the town for a youth/seniors centre and storage area. Baron resigned on Nov. 14 after Fleming’s report was presented to Petrolia council. Despite his controversial exit, Baron was hired as CAO of Mapleton Township in January. At the time, Driscoll told the Community News the
township had investigated the allegations against Baron and spoke to Petrolia Mayor John McCharles. “We got that side of the story, we believed what Manny told us ... and we’re quite confident he’ll do a great job in Mapleton,â€? Driscoll said. Upon his hiring, Baron conceded his ownership of the Petrolia properties constituted a conflict, but he said he was trying to contribute to the community, not profit from the transaction. “There’s no doubt ... I was in direct conflict of interest in the sense that council was unaware that I owned the ... buildings,â€? said Baron in January. “However, I can assure you that the town was not out money. They didn’t pay me rent on a monthly basis. They paid their portion of the utilities.â€? On Tuesday Driscoll confirmed council “was fully aware of the potential situationâ€? prior to the charges being announced. But he added council members were not aware of the police SEE BARON Âť 8
Council agrees to plan to preserve hall stage By Patrick Raftis MOOREFIELD – The stage will remain in place at the renovated Maryborough Community Centre. At its March 13 meeting, township council agreed to a plan to leave the stage, which had been designated to be replaced by a storage area, intact. Tables and chairs, when not needed, will instead be stored in a lower level washroom converted for storage. On Feb. 13, council gave the go-ahead to proceed with $219,000 worth of work on the second phase of the Maryborough Community Centre renovation project, but directed that the stage removal be deferred pending a report on alternatives from the public works department. Several councillors commented they had heard objec-
WEEKLY WAG
“A little perspective, like a little humour, goes a long way.� - Allen Klein
‘‘
tions from the public about plans to convert the built-in stage to storage space. A public works report at the March 13 meeting provided three options: - remove the existing stage and build a storage area and purchase a temporary stage for use at functions, at a total cost of $19,000; - remove one existing washroom adjacent to the existing stage and utilize resultant space to create storage, total cost of $8,000; and - procure a portable “sea can� - style storage container to be placed outside the facility to create storage and construct a pathway to access the container, at a cost of $15,000, plus ongoing maintenance. The report notes the project architect recommended the second option - removing the washroom - “as the
most viable course of action to achieve the required storage space, economically and aesthetically.� The report also notes the option would result in residual funds that could be applied to upgrade the remaining washroom adjacent to the stage area. Councillor Marlene Ottens asked if removing a washroom would leave the hall with enough washroom capacity. Mattina said the architects “determined we could get away with one less unit for the men. That was a nice, quick solution.� “It’s a clever way of solving our problems,� said Ottens. Council received the public works report and directed staff to proceed with the conversion of the washroom to storage space.
'5$<7216725$*( FRP ,QGLYLGXDO 6WRUDJH 8QLWV Individual Storage Units [ [ [ [ 5x10 10x10 10x15 10x20 6HDVRQDO ERDWV FDUV 59V ODZQ WUDFWRUV Seasonal VXPPHU ZLQWHU WLUH VWRUDJH boats, cars, RVs, lawn tractors, summer/winter tire storage