SERVING MAPLETON AND MINTO
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COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 51 ISSUE 40
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Mapleton mayoral candidates square off in first meeting By Jaime Myslik
Journey for Jasper raises over $50,000 A sea of orange - The third annual Journey for Jasper was held at Lions Heritage Park in Palmerston on Sept. 29. About 300 people showed up for the Isaac Foundation fundraiser, turning the park into a sea of orange for the 5km walk/run/bike event and raising over $51,300. The Isaac Foundation supports research for a cure for MPS, an extremely rare degenerative disease. There are only 13 cases in Canada. Jasper More of Palmerston was diagnosed with MPS over seven years ago at the age of two. Organizers at the event are hopeful that within two years there will be a cure for MPS. This year’s event was even more impactful for the community because Jasper lost his father, Darren, early this summer in a tragic auto accident. Darren was a leader in the search for a cure for Jasper’s disease. LEFT: The More family of Clayton, Pam, Jasper and Daphnie. ABOVE: Darren’s cousin Jenn Richards, right, and Shawn Hancock with their dogs Callie, Duke and Charlie. Photos by Jaime Myslik
DRAYTON - About 30 people spent last Saturday morning at the first of three Mapleton all-candidates meetings. The Sept. 29 meeting, hosted by the Mapleton Chamber of Commerce, was held at the Community Christian School in Drayton. Mayoral candidates Neil Driscoll and Gregg Davidson were in attendance, as were the Upper Grand District School Board trustee candidates for the Minto, Mapleton and Wellington North area: Shawn McLeod, Robin Ross and Rob Unsworth. Acclaimed Wellington County councillor Earl Campbell and acclaimed Mapleton councillors Marlene Ottens and Paul Douglas were also in attendance. Acclaimed township councillors Dennis Craven and Michael Martin had previous engagements and were not in attendance. Driscoll said four years ago he told citizens of Mapleton they needed a
chamber of commerce. “And that, with council’s participation, we’ve done,” he said. He added, “The Mapleton Chamber of Commerce ... is the big key for businesses to have a contact with our council because often times our businesses get forgotten.” Driscoll said he’s always available by phone or email. “I’ve been proud to serve as your mayor for these past four years; the previous four years I was proud to serve as a councillor,” he said. “And I’m not saying that things were bad four years ago, or eight years ago, but they’re a lot better now and council’s made some pretty tough decisions and we’ve all made them as a group and we’ve confided to be happy with those decisions and move on to make our community better. “Yes, some of the decisions weren’t popular, but they did do things and make things positive here in Mapleton.” He added there are more SEE MAPLETON » 2
Bridge, Fisk clash over severance for departed public works director By Patrick Raftis PALMERSTON – The circumstances surrounding the departure of a former public works director were questioned by a Minto mayoral candidate during a debate here on Sept. 26. Former deputy mayor Terry Fisk is challenging incumbent Mayor George Bridge for the position, as he also did in the 2014 election. “The reason that I finally decided that I wanted to run
for mayor again was the handling of the dismissal, or the resignation, of our public works director,” Fisk said. “The press release (from the town) indicated that he resigned from the position ‘to take early retirement for health reasons and/or to continue his career closer to his family in the Dutton area.’ “And then we find out a few weeks later when the Sunshine List is released that he’s ... receiving a salary of $104,000 and hadn’t worked
GEORGE BRIDGE
TERRY FISK
for the community for probably the last eight months. I decided then that we needed some change and we need to have more accountability.”
Former public works director Brian Hansen left the position in March of 2017. Since then, Minto CAO Bill White, in conjunction with town consultant Triton Engineering, has been overseeing public works operations. Noting White had recently announced his imminent retirement, Fisk said, “one of the things that was mentioned was that he is planning on helping (Perth-Wellington MP) John Nater get reelect-
ed. I ask you to help me to show our current mayor the exit so he can also help John Nater get reelected.” Bridge did not address Hansen’s departure from the municipality in his remarks at the meeting. However, in an interview he explained, “It’s a personnel issue and we can’t give you that. “When you have a situation when two people part ways, especially in senior management positions, you will have to do settlements at
such a time.” Asked to explain why Hansen’s departure was framed as an early retirement, Bridge replied, “I think that’s a fair comment; his health wasn’t good and he had some issues.” Bridge noted Hansen’s severance was included in a total released by the town for a January Wellington Advertiser article on municipal severances over the past five years. SEE SEVERANCE » 8
Minto council candidates outline positions on local issues PALMERSTON – Seven candidates, including three incumbents, are vying for five available seats at the Minto council table. All seven shared their ideas for the community at an all-candidates meeting hosted by the Minto Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 25. Jean Anderson
Incumbent councillor Jean Anderson, a registered nurse, and her husband (acclaimed Ward 1 Wellington County councillor Dave Anderson) are Palmerston area residents. She said she first ran for council four years ago “because I was sitting at home and found out that council was going to be acclaimed.
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“Since then I have learned a tremendous amount. I had some idea of federal financing and provincial financing and its impact because of hospital work,” she said. “I was a manger in a hospital for 10 years, so you knew something about transfer payments and so forth. Then you get into council and you learn just what an impact the federal and pro-
vincial financial structure and the governments that are in power and leaving power and coming into power, how much impact they’re going to have on the money that comes down to us.” Anderson said she has also learned a great deal about lot lines, building codes, bylaws and other municipal matters. “It’s been an endless curve of learning for me but I have
WEEKLY WAG
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By Patrick Raftis
“Honesty is the best way to keep a mistake from turning into a failure.” - James Altucher
enjoyed every minute of it,” she stated. Anderson said she also learned, “the people that we need to most thank when we’re sitting on council … is the people that are working at the town office. They’re the people that bring us the reports ... that bring us the information. If we didn’t have that information we wouldn’t know how to make
BILL’S
those decisions.” While attending conferences and meetings in other communities, Anderson said she also learned Minto is functioning well by comparison to many. “We are way advanced compared to some of the other communities. We work together, our council works together, the chamber SEE CANDIDATES » 3
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