THE
SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY NEWS Volume 49 Issue 16
Drayton, Ontario
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Friday, April 22, 2016
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Township to hold public meeting on Sunday gun hunting proposal
Just jamming - Drayton Heights Public School student Willy Smart played Space Oddity with Canadian astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield at Empowerment Day on April 15 at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex in Fergus. Hadfield was the day’s keynote speaker. photo by Jaime Myslik
Empowerment day out of this world by Jaime Myslik FERGUS - Strive to accomplish the impossible, find hope in every situation, and identify character traits to help overcome challenges. Those were a few of the messages for students at Empowerment Day on April 15. Originally a concept of Drayton Heights Public School graduates Alexis Kuper and Tate Driscoll, Empowerment Day helps “boost up students,” said Drayton Heights student council member Dajung Yoon. Fellow student council member Cassie Hobbs added, “It’s like a mini WE day.”
Empowerment Day is run by the Drayton Heights student council - 64 students in Grades 7 and 8 - and is meant to show students they’re making a difference in the world and in their community. “It’s almost like you kind of have to go outside of your comfort zone in order to show this is [how] you’re making a difference, this is your chance,” said Sydney Detweiler. The April 15 event featured Canadian astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield, Me to We’s Molly Burke, Olympic champion Brian Price and local musician Sarah Smith. The Centre Wellington
Community Sportsplex in Fergus was filled with over 3,000 Grade 5 to 8 students representing 35 schools in the Upper Grand District School Board. The event ran from 10am to about 2:30pm. Though students were asked to bring a donation for the food bank, they attended the event for no cost. Each of the participating schools contributed to the cost of the event and Drayton Heights raised $25,000 through sponsorship with the Optimist Club, RBC, Copernicus Educational Products and the Upper Grand District School Board. Continued on page 2
by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - Council here will seek public input before deciding on a proposal to allow gun hunting on Sundays in the township. On April 12 council heard delegations from three proponents of the proposal, including Brian McRae, marketing and club membership manager for the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. McRae told council that since 2005, 173 municipalities have voted to allow Sunday hunting, including just recently neighbouring Wellington North. “Most of the current Sunday gun hunting provisions that previously existed were enacted in the 1950s,” McRae noted. He stated there were originally three primary reasons the province agreed to give municipalities the power to allow Sunday gun hunting: - to reduce crop and livestock predation; - wildlife management; and - public safety. “Wildlife populations in Ontario are healthy and, in many areas, increasing in numbers. While this is generally good news, there are a number of cases where populations have reached levels that
are resulting in unacceptable impacts on agriculture, the environment and, most importantly, public safety,” said McRae. The public safety element of the argument stems from the rising number (15,000 annually on average) of wildlife/vehicle collisions. He also noted that for many, hunting is a family activity and for those who work during the week, Sunday hunting would double their opportunities to enjoy the activity. “In the case of private property, landowners still have the right to determine whether or not to allow Sunday gun hunting on their land, just like they do the rest of the week,” he said. In response to suggestions that Sunday gun hunting would interfere with religious practices, McRae pointed out Quebec, which has the highest level of religious participation in Canada, has had Sunday hunting for over a decade. “In light of all the activities which are now commonplace on Sundays, including shopping, gambling, beer and liquor purchases, and successful court challenges of prohibitions against certain activities, it is unlikely that religious opposi-
tion to Sunday gun hunting would survive a court challenge,” said McRae. Citing Statistics Canada data, McRae said hunting is “measurably safer” than bicycling, boating, swimming, horseback riding and most recreational field sports, including baseball and golf. He noted hunting in Canada is responsible for only .001 per cent of all accidents. “Hunting is also one of the few recreational activities that require proof of competence before engaging in the activity, through both hunter safety and firearms safety courses,” he stated. “If the threat to public safety does not exist from Monday to Saturday, why would it be any greater on Sunday?” In response to a question from councillor Marlene Ottens, McRae said given current hunting seasons, gun hunting would be allowed on 16 to 20 Sundays if council passed a resolution allowing it in Mapleton. In response to a question regarding how landowners should handle trespassing hunters, McRae said they have the option of contacting either the OPP or the local conservation Continued on page 5
Council questions hiring consultant for road condition assessment by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Council has authorized staff to engage an engineering consultant to prepare a new assessment of municipal roads, despite concerns from some councillors the work might be unnecessary or could be done by township staff. At the April 12 meeting, public works director Jamie Morgan presented council with a recommendation to award the project to GM BluePlan Engineering, the only firm to respond to a request for propos-
als to conduct a road condition assessment study. In a report to council, Morgan explained GM BluePlan agreed to cut $4,000 from the price and do the study for $19,245, provided the town supplies a vehicle and driver. “It would be staff’s recommendation to provide the vehicle and driver, as historical information can be provided by our staff,” Morgan states in the report. The report notes the 2015 capital budget included $50,000 for this study and a
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portion was used last year to undertake traffic counts that will be used as data for the road condition assessment. “The remaining budget of $40,730 is more than sufficient to complete this work,” the report states. The purpose of the study is to assist the township with continued development of its asset management plan, which has become a requirement for municipalities to receive provincial infrastructure funding. The report notes the previous Continued on page 6
Skilled competitors - On April 8 more than 1,000 Upper Grand District School Board students from Grades 4 to 8 participated in the regional Elementary Skills Competition. The 268 teams participated in events that included Lego robotics, construction, character animation, TV/Video, and health and safety. The one-day event took place at College Heights Secondary School, Centennial Collegiate Vocational Institute and the Centennial arena in Guelph. Alma Public School students, from left, Jon Thiessen, Wes Weber, Kent Kelly and Brodie Skerritt entered the Lego competition and successfully programmed a robotic car, beating out 80 teams to move on to the provincial competition at RIM Park on May 2. submitted photo
CORRECTION: A photo caption on page one of the April 15 issue of the Community News incorrectly identified a different team of Alma students as the winners of the Lego robotics competition. The Community News regrets the error.
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