THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE FROM THE WELLAND TRIBUNE
MATTHEW VAN DONGEN / Osprey News Network
Local News - Thursday, August 31, 2006
WATER WOES FIX?; FOUR COMPANIES OFFER ALTERNATIVES TO SEPTIC BED PROBLEM IN WAINFLEET
IT'S ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY.
IT'S CHEAPER.
AND IT MAY BE TOO LATE.
A consortium of four high-profile companies surprised Niagara regional councillors Wednesday with a late pitch to fix Wainfleet's water contamination woes.
The unexpected proposal comes as the region awaits provincial approval for a more traditional - and vastly more expensive - solution in the form of sewer and water pipes running from Port Colborne.
Wainfleet's lakeshore is under a boil-water advisory thanks to hundreds of leaking septic beds.
LAKESHORE RESIDENTS VEHEMENTLY OPPOSE THE PIPELINE SOLUTION, HOWEVER, FEARING THE $65-MILLION PROJECT COULD COST HOMEOWNERS MORE THAN $30,000 EACH.
THE CONSORTIUM'S SOLUTION, BY CONTRAST, COULD CUT THE PROPOSED COST OF SEWAGE COLLECTION AND TREATMENT BY MORE THAN 40 PER CENT AND WATER TREATMENT BY 20 PER CENT, SAID SPOKESMAN BRUCE LINTON.
He told regional council's public works committee the solution includes hi-tech, sealed pipes that would run to a small treatment plant "the size of a double-door garage" located in Wainfleet.
By comparison, the current regional proposal would pipe sewage all the way to a Port Colborne treatment plant.
"We're offering a fixed price for an environmentally superior waste-water solution," said Linton, president of Clearford Industries, one of the four companies partnering on the proposal.
"A traditional hard-pipe solution would work fine, but it's not exactly the zenith of scientific achievement."
Linton said if councillors are interested, the group will prepare a more detailed project cost estimate including both water and sewer. Linton said Clearford, GE Zenon, PCL Constructors and CORIX have partnered to offer alternative sewer and water solutions to communities such as Wainfleet across Ontario.
In particular, they're targeting communities dissatisfied with the high cost of traditional "hard-pipe" solutions.
"WE SUCCEED WHERE THERE ARE SIGNS ON THE LAWN," SAID LINTON, REFERRING TO THE RED-AND-WHITE PROTEST SIGNS BLANKETING WAINFLEET'S LAKESHORE COMMUNITY.
ST. CATHARINES REGIONAL COUN. BRUCE TIMMS QUESTIONED WHETHER THE GROUP'S TECHNOLOGY HAD BEEN EXPLORED BY REGIONAL STAFF.
THE REGION HAS SO FAR DISMISSED ALTERNATIVE SERVICE SYSTEMS, CITING AN EARLIER EXTENSIVE EXPLORATION OF DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES.
LINTON SAID ELEMENTS OF THE GROUP'S PROPOSAL MAY HAVE BEEN VETTED, BUT SUGGESTED THE ENTIRE PACKAGE WOULD BE NEW TO REGIONAL STAFF.
"What I'm asking for is the chance to come back to council with a detailed proposal," he said.
Some councillors questioned whether a new proposal would slow provincial approval for the current project's environmental assessment.
That approval is expected sometime in September.
Linton noted the current project requires federal-provincial funding to be viable - and requests for money have been turned down twice so far.
"If (government) money was available, we wouldn't be here," he said. Public works commissioner Ian Neville said staff would study the group's proposal and report back to council as soon as possible.
MARK TAYTI
Local News - Thursday, August 31, 2006
NEW FACE IN WAINFLEET MAYORAL RACE; CANDIDATE HOPES TO UNSEAT CURRENT MAYOR
A 35-year-old Star Choice communications representative is hoping to connect with township voters on Nov. 13. Randy Cheynowski has filed to run as mayor and hopes to unseat two-term incumbent Gord Harry in the upcoming municipal election.
The husband, father and businessman said he has considered running for mayor for the past year.
"You just get fed up with the issues and want to do your part at some point," Cheynowski said. "We're taxed like people living in Oakville but we have to forego all the conveniences of living in town.
He said someone living in a 1,400-square-foot home pays about $4,000 a year to live in Wainfleet.
"The rate at which taxes have increased ... it's just out of control," Cheynowski said. "What are we getting for our tax dollar?" The tax assessment system in Ontario has lost sight of what property taxes are for, he added.
"I don't know why there has not been more of a point made of it at council," Cheynowski said. "If these sewers go in, property values are going to go up."
PLANS TO RUN SEWERS ALONG LAKESHORE ROAD WILL BE A BIG ISSUE WITH LOCAL VOTERS, CHEYNOWSKI PREDICTS.
"RIGHT NOW IT IS BEING DOWNPLAYED TO THE REST OF THE MUNICIPALITY. IT'S NOT JUST A LAKESHORE ISSUE. IT'S GOING TO AFFECT EVERYONE IN THE TOWNSHIP. IT'S GOING TO BE DRAMATIC, BUT TO WHAT EXTENT, WE DON'T KNOW."
CHEYNOWSKI SAID PEOPLE HE HAS SPOKEN WITH WANT TO SEE A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP WITH THE TOWNSHIP'S COUNCIL AND THEY ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THE REPRESENTATION THEY ARE GETTING AT THE REGION.
"The voters should ask themselves if they got everything they asked for over the last term," he said.
"I don't like the way things are going so I am going to stand up and try and make a difference."
Cheynowski said strong local representation can influence upper levels of government.
Wainfleet is currently staring down a four-way race for mayor: Harry, Cheynowski, Albert Guiler and Barbara Henderson.
Local News - Tuesday, August 29, 2006
HARRY SEEKS THIRD TERM; N MAYOR HAS HAD A NUMBER OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS OVER LAST SIX YEARS
GORD HARRY ANNOUNCED HIS DECISION MONDAY TO SEEK A THIRD TERM AS MAYOR FOR THE TOWNSHIP OF WAINFLEET.
"I've been fortunate to grow up in this community and I'm proud to have served on Wainfleet council for six terms, four as an alderman and the last two terms as mayor.
"As mayor, I have led and contributed to a number of important initiatives - not always popular, but always with the best interests of Wainfleet residents and visitors in mind," Harry said in a press release.
Harry listed capital works projects such as the installation of a traffic light at Chamber's Corner, road paving, upgrades to the library and arena among his accomplishments.
He also noted among his other accomplishment over the last two terms investments in minor sports and the Marshville Festival as well as partnerships with the city of Port Colborne to ensure that firefighters receive the proper training and equipment.
He said he has been - and continues to be - a vocal and strong advocate for the community's needs at both the regional and provincial levels of government.
In seeking his third term, Harry expressed his sincere thanks to fellow council members for supporting all the important initiatives that have been achieved.
"HOWEVER, A NUMBER OF COMPELLING ISSUES STILL REMAIN. AMONG THE MOST CHALLENGING IS ACHIEVING AN APPROPRIATE AND AFFORDABLE SOLUTION TO THE COMMUNITY'S WASTE WATER PROBLEM," HE SAID.
"I believe that I am in the best position to lead the township as we deal with this very tough issue so we can resolve this issue for the good of the community. As mayor I promise that I will continue to do what I do best - advocating for and taking action for the best interest of Wainfleet residents today and for future generations."
ANGUS SCOTT
Local News - Wednesday, August 30, 2006
NIAGARA HIRES SECOND ASSOCIATE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH; DR. ANDREA FELLER, A JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY-TRAINED PEDIATRICIAN, INTRODUCED TO POLITICIANS
WHILE MANY OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS ARE SEARCHING FOR JUST ONE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, NIAGARA FINDS ITSELF AWASH IN RICHES.
Dr. Andrea Feller, a Johns Hopkins University-trained pediatrician, was introduced to the region's public health committee as Niagara's second associate medical officer of health on Tuesday.
"In this day and age, it is a rare breed of doctor who is willing to leave a medical department and join a public health department," said Dr. Robin Williams, Niagara's medical officer of health.
The demand for MOHs is growing in Ontario, as more health boards find themselves unable to fill the positions, said Williams, who has served as the Niagara MOH for 10 years.
For example, neighboring Haldimand and Norfolk's public health department has been without a fulltime MOH for years.
MOHs don't make as much as doctors who enter regular medical practice.
At the same time, the role of the MOH is demanding and difficult, said Williams, requiring both public health medical knowledge and political skills.
"There is the political mix and governance issues you have to deal with," she said. "We have lost a whole wave of people post-SARS."
An MOH has to be on call 24 hours per day, 365 days of the year, said Williams. The responsibilities of the job have grown even in the 10 years Williams has been Niagara's MOH, with increased duties in the area of ambulance services, infectious disease control, tobacco enforcement and cessation, water regulations and beach monitoring, as just some examples.
Niagara's ability to attract a third professional of Feller's calibre makes life easier for Williams, and Dr. Doug Sider, the region's other associate MOH.
Feller's salary, which will be in excess of $100,000 per year for the fulltime position she's entering, is split with the province which picks up 75 per cent of the cost.
"This is a nice fit for us," said Williams. "It's a succession-planning opportunity."
This is not the first time Niagara has had two associate MOHs, said Williams, noting the situation also existed in the 1970s.
Feller grew up in Philadelphia and studied pediatrics in Maryland.
"I started my training in pediatrics then realized I wanted to focus more on public health," said Feller, who started her new job Aug. 21.
She met her fiancé‚ in Niagara Falls, where she has spent the last four months in training. That meeting turned out to be good for Feller and also good for the public health department, as it led her to decide to live and work in Canada.
Feller said she's excited to get the job with Niagara and is looking forward to working with Williams and Sider. "I have to speak to the great learning and mentorship abilities provided by Dr. Williams and Dr. Sider," she said.
There are major similarities between public health philosophies and goals in the U.S. and Canada, said Feller.
"The findings are the same, we're working in a global environment," she said. "Both work with best practices and evidence-based solutions," she said.
There are differences, too, said Feller. "There are differences between the states and provinces," she said.
"It is fantastic what you've done here at the public health level." Williams said the three doctors will probably work "generically" for the next six months, without anyone taking on a specific area of public health work. More specific roles will probably be defined once the health department moves into its new headquarters at regional headquarters next year, she said.
YOU KNOW YOU’RE FROM WAINFLEET ...
THOMAS, WILLIAM
EDITORIAL - MONDAY, AUGUST 28, 2006
Huge township but a tiny village, a dump but no park, no pharmacy but lots of grass, two Highway 3s but only one sidewalk, a village made of logs and a world-class bog, 12 cemeteries but no health clinic, one bank, lots of churches and a motel that used to rent by the hour - Wainfleet.
It's a confusing kind of place.
Here then is the test to see if you're a Fleeter, born and somewhat raised in this semi-fictional place, or an outsider looking in with a very surprised look on your face.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you put one of those red steel roofs on your house to match your No Sewer/No Water protest sign because you know the roof and the controversy will both last a lifetime.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you're still apologizing for blurting out, "Good God, what did the rest of 'em look like?" when your daughter told you she'd just been crowned Miss Dairy 2006.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you regularly go to Sunset Haven to visit an old guy you don't know because the pub sells beer at cost.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you thought you were getting the Comedy Channel free until you realized local cable was televising town council meetings.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you've ever called CAA to fix a flat tire on your house.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you've ever had your TV repossessed for an unpaid debt with the Girl Guides.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you've ever been handed a Practice Safe Sex flyer at the annual family picnic.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you listed your house as "A Fixer-Upper" and offered to throw in the roof tarp for free.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you paid fifty bucks for Crystal Meth, believing she was a stripper.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you think the "No Overlay" sign at the truck park is there to promote abstinence.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you gave $100 to the United Way's "Ties That Bind" campaign, expecting an S & M magazine in the mail. You know you're from Wainfleet if you've ever been tasered on a first date.
You know you're from Wainfleet if the waitress at the Turkey Supper asked if she could pray for you.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you're tired of reminding your minister that you're not that kind of Christian.
You know you're from Wainfleet if your wife said she "pouted" and you knew what she meant.
You know you're from Wainfleet if your Bible Study group meets every Tuesday at the Parrothead Caf‚.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you notice on election days there's twice as many officials as voters at your local polling station.
You know you're from Wainfleet if your suicide note became a Country and Western hit and your ex-wife made a fortune.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you approved of the fire department's new logo: "Will save your house for food and liquor."
You know you're from Wainfleet if you've already paid Wayne Tweedy to sing at your funeral.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you cheated on your wife - with hers.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you think you have a great chance of meeting Mel Gibson or Robin Williams by going back to the AA meetings.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you've invented a dance in which you headbutt your partner and it's called "The Badonkadonk."
You know you're from Wainfleet if you never realized your fiancé‚ was bald until the wedding ceremony, when the minister insisted he remove his ball cap.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you find the sight of Stan Caster behind the wheel of a Smart Car rather ironic.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you assume Wainfleet's new Windmill Park will be operated by Dutch Reformers.
You know you're from Wainfleet if after 10 years as Mayor, you think the position should come with a free protective helmet and a liberal liquor allowance.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you felt it was unfortunate that those men cutting grass along the Feeder from the Ontario Prison Work Program showed up during Homecoming Week.
You know you're from Wainfleet if you believe the ad for your brother's stag did comply with the rules of the Community Hall when it mentioned: "Lots and lots of wardrobe malfunctions."
You know you're from Wainfleet if you just don't think the annual Message From the Mayor should include the phrase: "I pity the fool..."
You know you're from Wainfleet if you were one of the debaters during Plato Versus Pluto Night at the library's Philosopher's Caf‚ who had to be hosed down by off-duty firefighters.
And finally, you know you're from Wainfleet if you write an annual column entitled, "You Know You're From Wainfleet..." every couple of years.
The 18th Annual Marshville Heritage Festival takes place Sept. 2, 3 and 4 in downtown Wainfleet.
www.williamthomas.ca
By PAUL FORSYTH , AUG. 4 , 2006
REGION BACKS THIRD COMRIF BID
REGION BACKS A THIRD COMRIF BID FROM WAINFLEET
- THE QUIET, SMALL-TOWN ATMOSPHERE FOLKS IN WAINFLEET LIKE SO MUCH WILL LIKELY BE FOREVER CHANGED IF THE REGION AND THE TOWNSHIP FORGE AHEAD WITH A MULTIMILLION-DOLLAR PROPOSAL TO EXTEND WATER AND SEWER SERVICES TO THE LAKESHORE AREA OF THE TOWNSHIP, THE HEAD OF THE REGION'S PLANNING COMMITTEE CONCEDES.
Niagara Falls Counc. Bill Smeaton said the plan to spend about $60-million to hook up the township to water and sewer lines from Port Colborne -- the method Regional staff say is the best way to deal with the issue of contaminated water along the lakeshore area -- WILL UNDOUBTEDLY LEAD TO NEW DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES IN THE AREA.
"There's no such thing as inertia" once those pipes go in the ground, said Smeaton. "THE OLD WAINFLEET WILL DISAPPEAR. I'M SURE OF THAT."
King Township in York Region went through a prolonged and heated debate several years ago over a similar plan. Residents fought the so-called Big Pipe plan to introduce sewer services into an area that, like Wainfleet, was serviced by septic systems. They feared it would lead to cookie cutter subdivisions popping up in their backyards.
Corwin Cambray, the Region's commissioner of planning and development, said any new developments would have to go through the usual, accepted planning reviews. BUT "WAINFLEET WILL BE CHANGED ALONG THAT STRETCH OF LAKESHORE," HE SAID.
A series of tests in recent years have confirmed groundwater in the lakeshore area is contaminated with unacceptably high levels of E. coli bacteria, the Region says. A boil water alert was issued in April to kill the bacteria, which Regional staff say is coming from crumbling septic systems.
BETTY KONC, REPRESENTING A COMMITTEE OF WAINFLEET RESIDENTS -- ABOUT 40 OF WHOM WERE AT THE MEETING -- ASKED REGIONAL COUNCIL ON THURSDAY TO SCRAP THE IDEA OF EXTENDING WATER AND SEWER LINES AND INSTEAD OPT FOR ALTERNATIVES SUCH AS HOLDING TANKS, ON-SITE TREATMENT SYSTEMS AND INCINERATING TOILETS.
Low-interest loans and rebates for homeowners could be made available for the systems, and testing of systems to ensure they aren't leaking could be made mandatory, Konc said. "Our proposal is one that can and does address the urgency of the potable water situation," she said. "It can be implemented right away."
But Chado Brcic, head of the Region's water and wastewater division, SAID EXPERTS FROM ACROSS NORTH AMERICA who brainstormed on how to fix the Wainfleet mess looked at alternatives to water and sewer pipes, and found those pipes to be the best solution. Niagara-on-the-Lake Lord Mayor Gary Burroughs asked Brcic why the Region couldn't just extend a sewer line to the area, a cheaper alternative to having both a sewer and water line extended.
Brcic said that wouldn't improve the existing contamination of THE GROUNDWATER FROM E. COLI, THE SAME BACTERIUM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEATHS OF SEVEN PEOPLE DUE TO CONTAMINATED WATER IN WALKERTON SIX YEARS AGO. IT COULD TAKE 10 YEARS FOR THAT CONTAMINATION TO CLEAR UP, HE SAID.
REGIONAL COUNCIL DECIDED AGAINST GOING WITH KONC'S SOLUTION. INSTEAD, IT TOSSED ITS SUPPORT BEHIND EFFORTS BY WAINFLEET TO OBTAIN $9-MILLION TOWARD THE COST OF THE PROJECT FROM THE CANADA-ONTARIO MUNICIPAL RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUND. TWO EARLIER APPLICATIONS BY WAINFLEET, FOR LARGER AMOUNTS OF MONEY, WERE REJECTED.
WAINFLEET MAYOR GORD HARRY IS HOPING THE REDUCTION IN FUNDS WILL HELP THEM OBTAIN THE FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT, WHICH WILL BE DONE IN STAGES OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS. HARRY SAID THE FIRST PART OF THE PROJECT WOULD SEE THE PIPELINE INSTALLED FROM PORT COLBORNE TO MORGAN'S POINT. "THAT WOULD TAKE IN ABOUT 75 PER CENT OF THE WORST PROBLEMS."
But Konc isn't backing down just yet. She said the Region is still waiting for the environmental assessment, and the COMRIF funding has not been approved yet.
"Not a lot is going to be able to be done," she said.
"Some of (the councillors) have indicated they are not 100 per cent sure (the pipeline) is the right way to go," said Konc. "I think our next kick at the cat will be to speak with the councillors individually if we have to."
Konc cited concerns that council is relying on funding put in place by the Liberals. She said she fears if the Conservatives gain a majority, COMRIF may no longer be available. "They are depending on government continuing to have infrastructure programs. I think that's huge wishful thinking."
Konc also said the cost of the pipeline could easily skyrocket.
"They don't know what this project is going to cost. They are not even looking at stuff that could pop up in their way," she said, indicating there may be native artifacts under the soil along Morgan's Point.
Despite council's decision to pursue the pipeline, Konc said she's glad she took up the cause.
"I'm glad that's it's out there. I'm glad we've given them an alternate solution. They know who I am and they know where we stand," she said.
Disgusted in Wainfleet with water situation
Editorial - Tuesday, August 01, 2006
I am totally disgusted with the way the Niagara Region and the Township of Wainfleet is handling this whole lakeshore water situation.
For the past few years we have been told so many different things about this situation and their one and only proposed solution - pipeline. They are forever changing their facts; dollar figures; where the worst areas are and worst of all saying this is not a development issue when it is so clearly at the front of the agenda.
We have been told figures from $35 million to $42 million to $65 million to $72 million and everything in between. And hook-ups ranging from $500 to $10,000.
And of course no one is mentioning the fact that they will have to dig right under your home so if you have a rec room in your basement - guess what?
Basically the project was for 1,400 homes, then 1,300 homes now just over 1,200 homes affected. As well, the worst area was more in the Long Beach area with the heavy concentration of homes and cottages to now the Phase One and Phase Two areas from Port Colborne townline to Belleview Beach area.
Oh yes, and now the project is divided into Phases One through Five to make it sound better to Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF) for funding. What if we get funding for Phases One and Two but not Three, Four and Five? Who pays then?
And sweetening the pot for COMRIF funding saying the Phase One and Two areas would include 500 new homes. Five hundred new homes? Where will they go? Oh yes, farming will be a thing of the past in Wainfleet and so will the cottages. They clearly stated that at the meeting in Wainfleet a few weeks ago in front of a room full of residents. That is their vision of the future.
The mayor of Fort Erie pointed out to these people planning our future at the meeting of regional council last week, this is a rural area and their solution is an urban one. The "R" in COMRIF is for rural, not urban.
We all moved to this area to be in the country. We left cities or were raised in the country and do not want to be in the city or we would have chosen to live there.
We gave up the sidewalks, street lights, properly plowed roads, water/sewer systems to be in the country and take care of our needs ourselves.
It's not always easy living in the country. You do have to contend with additional chores to maintain your home and property. But the quiet peaceful lifestyle is the reward for it. We don't want development!
As we have said all along, if the situation was so bad, where is the illness?
The problems in the lakes, yes all of the fresh water lakes as pointed out many times, is industry; cities dumping overflow of sewage that their systems cannot handle into the lakes and the ships from foreign countries dumping all sorts of things into the lakes. Gobies, zebra mussels, etc. Police those things and maybe you will actually find your solution.
Stop disregarding everything that is pointed out to you with documented proof from people like Betty Konc of the Wainfleet Water and Sewer Committee.
I was disgusted with the way this intelligent woman - who has been doing research into this problem for more than two years now and has come up with many alternative and far better solutions to this problem - was treated.
During the meeting in Wainfleet a few weeks ago she was completely disregarded.
Look at the alternatives. This is a far reaching problem affecting more than just Wainfleet. Pollution is everyone's problem. Let Wainfleet be a symbol of how it can be controlled through new and innovative solutions without ruining our environment, the wildlife, the farmlands, the lakefront and the countryside.
Lee Bott Wainfleet
DEVELOPMENT HAS THE EDGE
EDITORIAL - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 02, 2006
I AM IN COMPLETE AGREEMENT WITH LEE BOTT'S OPINIONS (DISGUSTED IN WAINFLEET WITH WATER SITUATION - THE TRIBUNE, AUG. 1), ESPECIALLY THE CONCLUSION: "WE DON'T WANT DEVELOPMENT!"
The sad fact is, however, that WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO DEVELOPERS VERSUS SMALL TOWN DEMOCRACY, the developers win every time. That's because it's really big money versus small town democracy, and in our society big money trumps all other interests.
The changes that are happening in Ontario will leave our children and grandchildren with an environment that we would have found impossible to believe only a few years ago.
Toronto is already bound in gridlock, and even though its infrastructure cannot handle any more growth, it is projected that several more millions will move into the GTA over the next couple of decades. The meaning of the term "rat-race" will be illustrated clearly as the population overwhelms its infrastructure.
When too many rats are caged in too small an area, they begin to attack each other. Humans are not all that different from rats in this situation.
Here in Niagara we are so grateful that we don't have to fight that gridlock every day. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, The Tribune's editorial expressed this fact as another reason that we are so lucky to live in Niagara.
Yet within days of that writing, a previous editorial called for completion of the "mid-peninsula corridor" as soon as possible, with visions of southern Niagara being opened up to development.
You can't have it both ways.
When this "development" opens up Niagara to eventual lake-to-lake subdivisions having names like "Orchard Estates" with orchards being nothing more than memories, we will live in a region indistinguishable from the area surrounding Toronto.
I hope our grandchildren won't blame all of us for the destruction of this beautiful area.
I hope that they will realize that many of us tried to raise our voices of dissent, but the forces of "progress" had victory in the bag from the start.
David Fowler Fenwick
.
HOW DO YOUR KIDS ACT WHEN AT OUR BEACHES?
EDITORIAL - THURSDAY, AUGUST 03, 2006
MY NEPHEW FROM TORONTO SPENT A DAY AT MY PARENTS' LAKEFRONT HOME ON LONG BEACH IN WAINFLEET. HE BROUGHT HIS NEW GIRLFRIEND WITH HIM SO THAT SHE COULD MEET THE FAMILY AND EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTIFUL, PRIVATE BEACH THAT STRETCHES IN FRONT OF HIS GRANDPARENTS' HOUSE.
My parents have owned this property for 48 years. My siblings and I grew up on this beach; carousing with our American and Canadian friends who also spend at least two months of the year boating, swimming, sunbathing, mini-putting and making bonfires every night. Characteristic of most Torontonians, my nephew and his friend are "up north" cottagers. They loved Long Beach; a long walk on a short dock in Georgian Bay can't compare to a walk to the conservation park or the rocks.
It is a treat for them to be able to wade out into Lake Erie instead of having to dive into a cold Muskoka lake.
Too bad it had to be ruined once again by the local hicks that visit Long Beach every day.
Too bad that Welland teens made sure they came out to our beach in droves to swear, drink too much, smoke pot in broad daylight, urinate against our break wall, leave the feces of their oversized, phallic-inspired dogs on the beach, blare their obscenity laced music, engage in foreplay with their partners and shout to each other from one cooler to the next.
You would think that when these obnoxious, inconsiderate people finally staggered off the beach to drive drunkenly home, that we would be relieved.
Not quite. Their departure signals clean-up-time at Long Beach. After all, would your family enjoy a fire in front of your own house in the midst of 24 empty beer bottles, six water bottles, empty chip bags, dog poop, dirty tissues, and who-knows-how-many non-biodegradable cigarette butts?
You don't get these problems in Georgian Bay.
While it is true that our 48-year-old deed specifies that our property ends at the water's edge that is difficult to enforce. For most home/cottage owners that are the original inhabitants of their property, this is the case.
Try and tell that to the young men and women on the beach. You want to hear obscenities? They have such a sense of entitlement that they will actually argue about how they deserve not only to be in front of your house, but in the back and side yards too!
They think it is the taxpayer's entitlement. Really? When was the last time they paid taxes on this property?
Last weekend I followed a youth out to our driveway to see where he was going. Not far. He went behind my parent's shed and was urinating against the wall. Too much beer he said, as if this were a rationale I could accept.
I don't think his parents would extend the same courtesy to my son in their back yard.
Isn't this the generation of kids that were raised to be environmentally conscious, to just say "no" to drugs, to "butt out" and "don't drink and drive?"
No, this is the generation that believes they are entitled. They deserve without being deserving. It would appear that their parents have taught them about their rights, but not about their responsibility.
I am sure most Tribune readers are positive their kids are the well behaved ones. Why not find out? Take five minutes to ask the specific questions to your kids about their day at the beach.
Maybe I should be grateful, at least my kids now have examples right in our front yard of exactly how not to behave.
Diane Williams
Welland
THE LAKESHORE LADIES
GEORGE DUMA
EDITORIAL - FRIDAY, JULY 28, 2006
FUNNY WHAT YOU'LL FIND WHEN YOU'RE OUT WALKING YOUR DOG ALONG LAKESHORE ROAD BY SANDY'S SURFSIDE KITCHEN AND MARINA.
The other night as our golden retriever Bud and I ambled along the sidewalk, I heard cries coming from the upper deck of one of the relatively new homes on the north side of the road. This one is the Minor household.
Paul and Marion built the home earlier this year and moved in recently. They have a beautiful deck overlooking the lake where you can find them most summer evenings. I love seeing people enjoy their homes and I know how hard Paul and Marion worked on theirs; I watched the progress on the nightly walks.
As I looked up this night, I saw Marion, with fellow teachers Mary Parkes and Gloria Arnold, sipping martinis and waving huge hellos. So this is how stressed-out teachers spend their summer vacation, I thought. Actually, I'd be hard-pressed to think of a better way. And by all accounts, these are three of the best teachers to ever grace our city's classrooms.
More than an hour and a half later, after I had a wonderful visit with friends Mark and Jeni on Tennessee Avenue and their dog in their backyard, back home I went the same way I came.
Sure enough, the ladies were still there with Mary being her effervescent self.
Lakeshore's "ladies of the evening?" It takes on a whole new meaning when ringleader Mary and her friends gather together, doesn't it?
Cheers, ladies!
Reporter Angus Scott and I sit on the health and safety committee here at The Tribune.
Actually, Angus is the committee's chair.
As part of the our mandate, committe members are required to carry out regular walk-around inspections of the building in order to ensure everything is up to speed in terms of health and safety.
We must also carry out inspections at our other offices, including Pelham, Port Colborne and the Dunnville Chronicle.
It was with that in mind that we set out Wednesday afternoon for Pelham to visit the folks there, then off to Dunnville where Angus was the managing editor for more than a dozen years to reacquaint ourselves with our friends there, before heading along the lakeshore to the Port Colborne office for our inspection there.
Actually, it was an extremely enjoyable way to spend an afternoon with my buddy.
All the offices received a clean bill of health, which is always nice.
Health and safety is such an integral part of the workplace in 2006 and it's long overdue. Gone are the days when the health and safety of employees was a secondary consideration of many employers, and workplace hazards and accidents were common-place.
I'm happy to say Osprey Media Group prides itself on its commitment to health and safety and we see that commitment at the local level from publisher Mike Walsh. Mike is very involved with our committee and acts promptly on any recommendations we put forth from our committee meetings.
Heather and I went to see Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad at the Showboat Festival Theatre last Thursday night at Roselawn.
We've never been disappointed with a Showboat presentation. We've enjoyed some shows more than others, but we've never walked out of the theatre at the end of a show regretting we went to see it.
The latest production, Come Fly With Me, is extremely exciting to all connected with Showboat.
Apart from being a world premiere, the show will prove to be great fun for a wide variety of theatre-goers.
As our arts and entertainment writer Lynn Peppas so deftly pointed out in this week's preview of the show, the play has been created explicitly for the Port Colborne theatre space.
The show features the music or Frank Sinatra as well as a charming story line.
I can't wait to see it.
Is everyone else as happy as I am about Beckett's Bridge being open again?
I don't like taking Highway 140 and Highway 406 when I'm going to Toronto.
I so much prefer the meandering slower pace of Regional Road 24.
When my mom was still alive and trips to her Mississauga home were the norm, an early Saturday departure from Port Colborne would inevitably include a breakfast stop at the 2x4 Diner before proceeding across Beckett's Bridge and on down the road to the Queen Elizabeth Way for the trek to the big city.
When Angus and I drove to Dunnville from Pelham in the aforementioned health and safety inspection tour, it was the first time either one of us crossed the bridge since last week's reopening.
It's beautiful!
The construction folks did an incredible job on the structure and have added decades of life to it. I only hope the long closure didn't hurt the 2x4 too much.
Go down and have a look at the bridge yourself. Park your vehicle and get out and have a close look - you'll be impressed.
And while there, why not support the 2x4 and have one of the best breakfasts going in Niagara? Just a thought.
That's it for this week, folks. I understand we're not going to get a break from this heat wave until the middle of next week.
Please try and stay cool and healthy.
Until next week.
George Duma is The Tribune's managing editor.
By PAUL FORSYTH , JULY 28, 2006
POLITITIONS WAVERING
POLITITIONS WAVERING ON PROPOSED WAINFLEET WATER PLAN
Snowed under by conflicting numbers and a growing mountain of reports on how to clean up the problem of groundwater contaminated by sewage in the lakeshore of Wainfleet, SOME REGIONAL POLITICIANS APPEAR TO BE WAVERING ON A PROPOSAL TO SPEND MORE THAN $60-MILLION TO BAIL OUT SEVERAL HUNDRED PROPERTY OWNERS.
Venting their frustration over a situation no one seems to be happy with, several politicians questioned whether a plan to extend costly water and sewer mains from Port Colborne to the lakeside community of largely small homes and old cottages makes sense.
Aging, leaking septic systems in the area are being blamed for E. coli contamination of the groundwater from sewage. Residents who have banded together to form a committee want the Region--which would share the cost of the project with the town of Wainfleet--to butt out and let them fix the problem utilizing their own solutions, such as replacing or repairing septic systems or installing holding tanks for sewage.
What is becoming increasingly clear is that a boil water advisory issued in April by Niagara's chief medical officer for the Wainfleet community could remain in place for a number of years.
Politicians have been barraged with reports providing a plethora of figures showing different cost options for the project.
Thorold Mayor Robin Brock expressed frustration at THE REGION'S PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE LAST WEEK ON WHAT SHE SAID ARE NUMBERS WHICH KEEP SHIFTING AND CHANGING.
"We need to know these things in a very clear and concise manner," she said. "How many dollars is it costing us is what I want to see.
"I'm certainly confused and no closer to being able to make a decision."
Residents fear they will be obligated to compensate for the expensive hookup charges to connect to any new pipes for as much as $30,000. They also fear the water and sewer mains will lead to new subdivisions popping up in their backyards once full water and sewer service is in place.
King Township in York Region went through a long and heated debate recently on the so-called Big Pipe plan to replace septic systems with a sewer main. Opponents feared it would lead to rapid sprawl in the area.
Niagara Regional staff said earlier the sewer and water main plan will actually save Wainfleet residents money in the long run, because the high cost of having water trucked in and sewage trucked out could end up costing each property upwards of $80,000 over 25 years.
But Niagara Falls Councillor Bill Smeaton, chair of the public works committee, said staff estimates of how often sewage holding tanks would need to be emptied and the contents trucked away seem to be far too high, inflating those costs.
"THIS BUSINESS OF BEING SO ANTI-HOLDING TANK IS NONSENSE," HE SAID.
Exacerbating the debate is the feeling among at least some Regional politicians that the mess in Wainfleet is the result of residents who allowed their septic systems to crumble rather than maintaining them.
Smeaton said he didn't relish the idea of trying to convince Falls residents on the pipe plan that could cost more than $100,000 apiece or more to service tiny lots in Wainfleet.
"I'm going to have a hard time selling my Niagara Falls residents," he said.
Betty Konc, a Wainfleet resident leading the charge against the pipe plan, disputed a number of figures compiled by Regional staff and consultants, and said the cost of the pipe plan could be tens of millions of dollars more than politicians were being told because of interest charges on money borrowed to finance it. Regional figures of the number of homes in the affected area were also inflated, she said.
Regional staff conceded the number of homes cited in reports included potential homes that could be built on empty lots, known as infilling.
Something that could make or break the pipe plan is whether Wainfleet is successful in its bid to get about $9-million in funding from the Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (COMRIF), designed for rural infrastructure improvements such as bridges and water pipes.
Wainfleet has already been turned down twice when it asked for higher amounts.
Thorold's Brock said the failure to gain COMRIF approval was likely because the huge cost would benefit so few properties.
"I think that's why we have not received the COMRIF funding, because this is not viable because of the cost," she said.
Some politicians also expressed frustration during lengthy debate whether to approve a Regional staff recommendation that a development freeze be placed on the affected area of Wainfleet until the water contamination was fixed.
WAINFLEET MAYOR GORD HARRY SAID THAT WASN'T NECESSARY BECAUSE THE REGION'S PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT CAN VETO ANY CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR HEALTH PROTECTION REASONS.
Pelham Mayor Ron Leavens said it would be a blatant slap on the face of Wainfleet if the Region imposed that restriction, saying it would amount to telling the town it can't be trusted to make wise planning decisions.
The development freeze idea was voted down at public works by a slim majority, leaving opponents of lifting the freeze fearing the Region was in effect minimizing the seriousness of the contamination issue.
The increasingly tense situation left Smeaton wondering where the province has been through all of this.
Test after test in recent years has proven water in the area is contaminated with E. coli, the same nasty bacterium that killed seven people in the Walkerton outbreak and left hundreds other sick.
The province is quick to order property owners in the Haliburton and Muskoka Regions TO FIX LEAKY SEPTIC SYSTEMS OR GET OUT OF THEIR PROPERTY, yet no such action has been taken by the province in Niagara, Smeaton said.
"Why are we being treated so differently?" he asked. "Why should Niagara Falls residents, St. Catharines residents, Grimsby residents have to pay for upgrades" for what were originally cottage properties?
By ANGUS SCOTT , JULY 28, 2006
RESIDENTS' PITCH TURNED DOWN
RESIDENTS' PITCH TURNED DOWN;
CONFLICTING PRESENTATIONS FROM SUPPORTERS AND OPPONENTS AT REGIONAL COUNCIL MEETING
NIAGARA REGION THREW ITS SUPPORT BEHIND WAINFLEET'S ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING FOR ITS CONTROVERSIAL WATER-SEWER PROJECT.
CONFLICTING PRESENTATIONS FROM SUPPORTERS AND OPPONENTS OF THE $61 MILLION WAINFLEET SERVICING PROJECT PUT BOTH SIDES OF THE DEBATE INTO SHARP CONTRAST THURSDAY NIGHT IN THE REGIONAL COUNCIL CHAMBERS.
ROUGHLY 40 WAINFLEET RESIDENTS FILLED THE GALLERY, AMONG THEM FORMER WAINFLEET MAYOR STAN PETTIT, AND CURRENT MAYORAL CANDIDATES BARBARA HENDERSON AND AL GUILER, THE TOWNSHIP'S FORMER CLERK.
A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE PRESENTATIONS WAS AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION PUT FORWARD BY BETTY KONC, CHAIR OF THE WAINFLEET WATER/SEWER COMMITTEE.
ED BERKHOUT, A LONGTIME WAINFLEET RESIDENT, ALSO MADE A REPRESENTATION, TAKING A COMPLETELY OPPOSITE VIEW TO THAT PUT FORWARD BY KONC.
AT THE CONCLUSION OF HER PRESENTATION, KONC ASKED COUNCIL TO DEFER A DECISION ON THE CANADA-ONTARIO MUNICIPAL RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE FUND (COMRIF) APPLICATION "UNTIL A DECISION IS MADE ON WHICH DIRECTION COUNCIL WANTS TO GO."
"WAINFLEET IS A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH IN NIAGARA," SAID KONC.
"IT SHOULD BE LEFT THAT WAY. JUST BECAUSE IT'S WAINFLEET DOESN'T MEAN IT SHOULD BE DEVELOPED."
THE WATER/SEWER COMMITTEE PROPOSAL CALLED FOR CREATION OF A SYSTEM ALLOWING INDIVIDUAL WATER AND SEWAGE SYSTEMS.
A REGIONAL POLICING SYSTEM WOULD ENSURE THEY WERE PROPERLY MAINTAINED.
"OUR PROPOSAL IS ONE THAT CAN AND DOES ADDRESS THE URGENCY OF THE POTABLE WATER SITUATION ALONG THE LAKESHORE AND SHOULD SATISFY THE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT," SAID KONC.
BERKHOUT'S SUPPORT OF THE REGIONAL PLAN TO EXTEND WATER AND SEWER SERVICES WEST FROM PORT COLBORNE WAS UNEQUIVOCAL. HE SAID THE PROJECT IS "LONG OVERDUE," AND SHOULD NOT BE DONE IN PHASES AS PROPOSED, BUT RATHER SHOULD BE DONE AT ONCE.
DR. ROBIN WILLIAMS, NIAGARA'S MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH GAVE BACKGROUND ON THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S INVOLVEMENT IN THE ISSUE, WHICH STARTED IN 2002 WHEN WAINFLEET COUNCIL ASKED FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO ITS WATER PROBLEMS.
FOUR STUDIES OF THE WATER QUALITY IN WAINFLEET'S LAKESHORE ROAD AREA HAVE BEEN DONE SINCE THAT REQUEST WAS RECEIVED, SAID WILLIAMS. THE LATEST SHOWS 50 PER CENT OF WELLS ARE CONTAMINATED AND MORE THAN 30 PER CENT OF THEM HAVE E.COLI LEVELS OVER THE ACCEPTABLE LIMIT.
WITH THE AGREEMENT OF ONTARIO'S CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH, A BOIL WATER ADVISORY WAS ISSUED IN APRIL, SAID WILLIAMS.
THE BOIL WATER ORDER WILL REMAIN IN PLACE UNTIL A SOLUTION IS FOUND, SAID WILLIAMS.
CHADO BRCIC, NIAGARA'S DIRECTOR OF WATER AND WASTEWATER SERVICES, SAID FURTHER STUDIES WERE DONE ON A SCIENTIFIC BASIS, AND AN EXPERT TEAM WAS BROUGHT TOGETHER FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR A WEEK TO LOOK AT ALL ALTERNATIVES. THAT TEAM, WHICH INCLUDED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC, CONSIDERED OVER 180 OPTIONS, SAID BRCIC, INCLUDING HOME-BASED SYSTEMS AND BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT BEFORE BACKING THE PIPE EXTENSION PROJECT.
"THERE ARE VERY FEW PROJECTS WE'RE INVOLVED IN THAT UNDERGO THIS TYPE OF ANALYSIS AT THE FRONT END," HE SAID.
WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED FOR WAINFLEET IS NOT OUT OF LINE WITH WHAT THE REGION HAS DONE IN THE PAST, SAID BRCIC.
IT'S ESTIMATED IT WILL COST EACH LOT AN AVERAGE OF $14,000 TO HOOK UP TO THE SYSTEM, SAID BRCIC, COMPARABLE ST. DAVID'S WHERE THE COST WAS AN AVERAGE OF $11,200 PER LOT FOR SEWER SERVICES ALONE.
COUNCILLOR BILL SMEATON SAID THE WATER-SEWER LINES WILL RESULT IN INCREASED DEVELOPMENT IN WAINFLEET. "THE OLD WAINFLEET WILL DISAPPEAR, I AM SURE."
PLANNING COMMISSIONER , CORWIN CAMBRAY SAID DEVELOPMENT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY OCCUR, BUT ITS EXTENT IS DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE. WAINFLEET IS IN THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING A SECONDARY PLAN FOR THE AREA, SAID CAMBRAY, AND THAT WILL DETERMINE WHAT DEVELOPMENT OCCURS. NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE LORD MAYOR GARY BURROUGHS ASKED FOR CLARIFICATION ON WHY THE SEWER LINE ON ITS OWN WAS NOT DEEMED FEASIBLE.
BRCIC SAID BUILDING A SEWER LINE WITHOUT PUTTING IN WATER AT THE SAME TIME WOULD NOT BE COST EFFECTIVE AND WOULD FAIL TO DEAL WITH THE WATER CONTAMINATION ISSUE. "IT COULD BE 10 YEARS BEFORE YOU WOULD SEE ANY IMPROVEMENTS."
COUNCIL SUPPORTED WAINFLEET'S THIRD APPLICATION FOR HELP FROM COMRIF, AUTHORIZE STAFF TO SEARCH FOR OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING, AND AUTHORIZE PUBLIC WORKS STAFF TO DEVELOP A DETAILED WORK PLAN FOR THE WAINFLEET SERVICING PROJECT AND INITIATE PRE-DESIGN WORK, WHICH WILL START ONCE THE EA IS RECEIVED.
Mayor Gord Harry
PHONE: (905) 899-2625
They are listening and know we aren't going away!
Here's hoping for some changes to the problems .
