The Voice of Pelham February 10, 2016

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Wednesday February 10, 2016 85¢Vol.19 No.49

www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

by ZACH JUNKIN The VOICE

PELHAM’S INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE FROM THE HEART OF NIAGARA

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Last week, the Niagara Region hosted a commu-nity workshop designed to “examine the eco-nomic challenges facing rural communities with-out high-speed internet access, and brainstorm ways to move Niagara forward.”

Attendees were present-ed with information on the SWIFT (SouthWestern Integrated Fibre Technol-ogy) project, and given a chance to discuss ways that the program could be implemented in Niagara.

The SWIFT project is a plan to help make South-western Ontario “com-pete, connect, and keep pace in the digital world.”

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After carefully consid-ering many nominees, the Fonthill and Dis-trict Kinsmen have an-nounced John Wink as the 2015 Pelham Citizen of the Year. The award is given annually to those who have demonstrated the true sense of commu-nity spirit through volun-teerism.

John is the Chairperson of the Summerfest com-mittee and has consis-tently shown dedication, leadership, and a will-ingness to use his gifts to help others.


REGION EXAMINES RURAL INTERNET ISSUES

Niagara Specialized Transit is a Region-al service that provides inter-municipal transportation to medical, employment, and educational appointments for cli-ents who are physically unable to board conventional transit options. In Decem-ber of 2015, NST switched service pro-viders from the Red Cross to BTS Net-work Inc. Following the switch, several

clients have come forward to complain about the quality of service under the new company.

Rhys Evans is a Niagara College student with Cerebral Palsy who uses a wheel-chair. Rhys relies on the service to attend classes in Welland and to get to medical appointments.

2015 Pelham Citizen of the Year, John Wink

Rhys Evans and Jessica Hendricks feel that the Niagara Specialized Transit system is treating them like second-class citizens.

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VOICEOF PELHAM

Transit Riders Feel like ‘Second-Class Citizens’

John Wink Named 2015 Citizen of the Year

WW II VETERAN HONOUREDPage 2

COMMENT: Good Riddance to JanuaryPage 3

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Readers share their opinions on the proposed Community CentrePage 4

PELHAM... PIECES FROM OUR PAST.A look at the history of E.W. Farr memorial school.Page 11

FOUNDATIONS OF COMMUNITY: A closer look at Community Centres in and around NiagaraPage 12

Page 2 It’s myVOICE, Wednesday February 10, 2016 www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

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Frank Adamson (right), Rotary Club of Fonthill president, delivers a cheque for $3,000 to Joe Matthews, Niagara Regional Police Service deputy chief, and Wellspring Niagara board chairman (left), and Ann Mantini-Celima, executive director, during a recent Rotary breakfast meeting. The money was raised as part of the annual Pelham Mudfest Challenge, which takes place this year on Sat., May 14, 2016, at Bissell’s Hideaway in Ridgeville. The fun-run obstacle course costs $75 per entrant, although the early bird price is in effect until the end of February, during which participants can sign up for $65 each. visit pelhammudfest.ca for more details.

Mudfest Raises money for Wellspring Niagara

At a Council meeting held on Monday Feb 1, the Town of Pelham Honoured local Veteran Jim Summersides by naming one of the main streets in the East Fonthill development project "Summersides Boulevard". Summersides served as a member of the 1st Special Service Force, a joint Canadian-American commando unit during WW II.The street will be constructed later this year. Pictured (left to right): Councillor John Durley, Margaret Summersides, Jim Summersides, Mayor Dave Augstyn. PHOTO CREDIT: Luke Carriere.

World War II Veteran Honoured

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www.thevoiceofpelham.ca It’s myVOICE, Wednesday February 10, 2016 Page 3

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We lost 2 uncles this month. Our cars were rummaged through twice. We just can't remember to lock them every time we get out. North Pelham isn't usually a mecca for crime. But now someone breaks into my shop and pulls produce out of my freezer and throws it on the ground and leaves. They must have been the wrong type of greens. Sorry no drugs here. I'll admit they don't appear to have taken anything, not like two years ago when we were burgled and thousands of dollars in valuables were lost. Then this morning my wife is looking out the window when a truck pulls over and two guys jump out, dash to the back and throw a bunch of gar-bage out into my field.

Well I am already angry about January's events and being that it is the 31st I am determined to end the month on a win-ning note. So in a flash I grab the cell phone and keys, jump into my boots and I'm off angry as a hor-net. I followed the truck into the local church park-

ing lot. I grabbed my cell and started snapping pic-tures of the guys the truck the licence plate the side of the truck etc. When the window rolls down I asked the $#*&$ guy to come back and pick up his garbage. I hopped back into my driver’s seat and followed them back to the scene of the crime.

As I drive, I calm down. Remembering the young guy apologizing, calling me “sir”, I regret hav-ing called him an S.O.B. When I got out I apol-ogized for what I had called him then continued to document the cleanup, snapping photos as they picked it all up and tossed it back in their truck. I shifted my demeanor down a notch or two from the previous conversa-tion. I explained that a great big truck comes to their driveway once every week and they would take all that garbage away, what a wonderful thing. The two were very apolo-getic and appeared to be decent people. I explained that this area is a paradise and that disrespecting it as they had done was ru-

ining it for everyone in-cluding themselves. I ex-plained that in the future they could be the own-ers of a piece of paradise but if people continued to do this sort of thing it wouldn't be paradise any longer. They apologized numerous times during my sermon. I told them to have a nice day and wait-ed until they drove away before heading home. I know I could turn this over to the police and the fine for illegal dumping is very high. I am hoping that some of what I said sinks in and the fact that I was nice enough not to turn them in gives them pause for thought. I also hope that the others in our community who keep treating our countryside as their dumping ground will read this and also take time to think about the beauty they are bless-ed to live in and buy the extra tag for the extra bag or take a trip to the dump.

The Voice has honoured the author's request to withhold their name as they have ex-pressed a legitimate concern for safety.

C O M M E N T

by RURAL PELHAM RESIDENT

Good Riddance to January

continued from page 1

Transit Riders Feel like ‘Second-Class Citizens’

“The first time they came to pick me up they did not have the necessary equipment,” he said. “They had to go back and get me another ve-hicle with the equipment and accessibility features that I need.”

From that first day, is-sues have continued to mount.

“They are constantly late,” said Rhys. “It’s an inconvenience to my ed-ucation and my family. And when you call and ask questions about their service they are rude and disrespectful.”

Jessica Hendricks, an-other Niagara College student who uses the ser-vice, shared similar com-plaints.

“Sometimes when I can-cel, they still show up at my house because the driver didn’t get the message,” she said. “A few times they have ar-rived early to bring me to school, due to drivers being confused by the schedule. Sometimes I’m completely forgotten about.”

For Rhys, it all came to a head on Jan 27th, when the driver sent to pick him up did not know how to operate the equipment because he wasn’t trained properly. “My dad had to help him tie me down.”

These experiences have left both students feeling like second-class citizens.

“I don’t feel like I’m be-ing treated with respect,” said Rhys. “I don’t feel like I’m being given my independence. I’m 23 years old and I want my independence back.”

“We are people with lives,” added Jessica.

Responding to a post Rhys made on social media, Pelham’s Mayor Dave Augustyn said he had spoken to the Region about the issues, and had been assured they would fix and monitor the situ-ation. He further stated the a BTS driver had been fired for poor perfor-mance

Manoj Dilwaria, Asso-ciate Director of Trans-portation Systems and Planning for the Region confirmed that a driver had been let go over per-formance issues, and stat-ed that though there was initially a ‘learning curve’ when they changed ser-vice providers, com-plaints have significantly declined since then.

“We are closely monitor-ing the service and if we receive complaints we take them very serious-ly,” he said

James Colbert, the BTS Transportation Coordi-nator, also claimed that complaints have seen a sharp decline since De-cember, and that the company has been work-ing to improve service by hiring more drivers and increasing fleet size. He says that work is paying off.

“To date, there has been about an 80% decrease in the number of calls that I receive,” he said.

For their part, the two students want only the equitable, reliable service available to conventional transit riders.

“I want the same respect as everyone else,” said Jessica.

“I would like to see bet-ter scheduling and com-munication between the drivers and the consum-ers,” added Rhys. “There has to be better commu-nication.”


EDITORIAL

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THE

VOICE905.892.8690

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR are welcome provided the submission contains the writer’s full name, signature, address and telephone number. Names only will be published. Names will not be witheld. The newspaper re-serves the right to change, condense or reject any contribution for brevi-ty or legal purposes. All material in this publication is protected by copy-right. Reproduction is prohibited without express, written permission of the publisher. ADVERTISING: The VOICE of Pelham regrets any errors or omissions that appear in advertisements in this newspaper, however, we will not be held responsible for more than one incorrect insertion or for any damages beyond the amount of space which contians the error. The VOICE is independent, locally owned and operated.

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209 Hwy 20 East at Rice Rd., Fonthill, ON L0S 1E6 Monday to Thursday 8am-2pm • 905.892.8690

TOWN SHOULD SPEND WITHIN OUR MEANSI'm responding to the many letters concerning the Community Centre in the Febru-ary 3rd edition of the newspaper. First of all I'd like to say that in my opinion this is not a community center that the town is hell bent on building. Two NHL size pads don't add up to a community center.

To say that replacing our old arena is bold and visionary is an overstatement. What is bold is going it alone without funding from the provincial and federal govern-ments. Port Colborne was 75% funded by other levels of government. If that were the case in Pelham, the Treasurer's 7.7% increase would be only 1.9% or $22 as she reports for the average household. The Town needs to wait until proper funding is available like our neighbours did.

Just because our tax rates may be lower than other towns, doesn't justify spending $37 Million. The Treasurer mentions that she has pushed out our other capital projects to future years. Perhaps one reason this increase is 7.7% for the first year, is that the other projects that we need now have been taken out of the calculations?

The Treasurer goes on to say that in addition to the current increase of $107 for the average taxpayer (7.7%), there will be an average increase of $212 for that same taxpayer for 35 years. That sounds to me like a 15.26% increase on average for the average taxpayer. That sounds like a tremendous increase that when added to other utility increases: 3.4% percent for hydro (in addition to major increases over the last few years), 3.2% for water plus inflation and other tax increases yet to be announced.

In the same article, the Treasurer speaks of Cost of Living increases for the staff. I would like to suggest that the majority of taxpayers don't have these niceties to cushion ever increasing costs. In fact, many people live on fixed incomes and Pel-ham has a higher than average aging population. These cost increase must be paid or my house will have a lien on it. That means something else in the family budget will have to be foregone.

This oversized arena is in competition with all of the other arenas built that were mentioned in the Town study. My neighbours tell me that these other arenas are having attendance issues. Based on the current arena plan and its assumption that other teams will leave their current arena, those attendance issues are going to get worse for them.

None of this makes much sense to me but that's because I have to live within my means and not buy a Ferrari when a Hyundai will do.

Alan Morgan

The Fenwick Lions were unable to achieve a satisfactory Licensing Agreement with the owner of the “Biketoberfest™” trademark for 2016.

There well may be a “Biketoberfest™” in 2016 but we feel it necessary to make sure residents of the area know we will in no way be associated with it.

Thanks,Jeff Pickup, President-Fabulous Fenwick Lions Club

I attended the Open House meeting in Fenwick Fire Hall on Jan. 13 where we were shown pictures and plans for the proposed Fenwick Library. We were asked to choose between two options and add some comments. I obedient-ly made my mark in one of the boxes though it was quite hard to see much difference between them. Then I gave my opinion, which was that neither of the designs shown in the pictures was appropriate for Fenwick.

Now I discover that a majority voted for Option A, and I wonder if many of them feel as I do that they were tricked because they didn’t like either option . Books about parenting suggest offering your toddler a choice of apple or grape if he wants candy and with any luck he will forget the candy, but community

members who have come out on a cold night to voice their opinions and are treated like toddlers may well feel upset, and reluctant to participate in the future.

What have the Council planned to con-sult public opinion on the proposed Community Centre? Are they going to offer us a choice between a $37 million arena and a $100 million Olympic swim-ming pool?

Though I have never had the advantage of training in problem solving, I respect-fully suggest a simple procedure: a ref-erendum with a clear question for the taxpayers: “Do you want to pay $212 a year for 35 years towards a Community Centre? Yes or No.”

Mary Lamb

Having recently retired and living on a now fixed income, I find that proper-ty taxes are my single biggest expense and as such, another $212 a year will not break the bank, yet. But going for-ward, a 7.74% increase every year, com-pounded, would double taxes in less than 10 years and if things go bad with the proposed arena like the mess with Welland’s sports complex, that is exactly what would happen.

If I can believe Lois LaCroix’s recent ex-cellent submission, approximately 20%

of Pelham’s population is retired, the majority of which are never likely to be using this arena, I am sure this group will be looking for assurances that such an increase will not be repeated into the future, and if it does, as a minimum, Mayor Dave and his council would never survive another term and worse, many would take up residence in anoth-er community where tax increases are properly respected.

Jim Ruiter

Call for Community Centre Referendum

Proposed Centre Will Burden a Fixed Income

Lions Part Ways with Biketoberfest

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A recent article (Feb. 3/ 16) concerning the funding for a supposedly “potential” centre should certainly get the attention of concerned taxpayers, unless you’re ‘af-fluent’ and have deep pockets.

“According to Pupo, the facility will cost the taxpay-er on average around $212 per year over 35 years…” This figure will rise annually after the first year with your property assessment increases (see your MPAC print-out) and the unknown yearly increase in operat-ing costs such a facility will generate. Many taxpayers, of course, with assessments above the “average assess-ment” mark will pay more.

Several years ago, the council-of-the-day discussed funding for a $25.3 M facility and the importance of obtaining government funding. Former CEO Martin Yamich cautioned, “We can’t add $200 a year onto each tax bill. That’s what it will take if we borrowed for the whole project. The taxpayers could not afford to do it alone.” (Tribune, Aug. 15/10) Does this council now believe the taxpayers can, indeed, “do it alone” and fund a $37 M project?

The $25.3 M proposal came from the Recreation Facil-ities Committee. In a letter, “A Message from the Rec-reational Facilities Committee”, the report was to clar-ify some “misconceptions” surrounding the proposal. As chair of the Cmte, Councillor Durley stated “No small municipality can afford major expenses for new capital projects on its own…” and “…no movement to construct any major facility will proceed without guarantees that major burden to the taxpayer could result [sic]” The report goes on to say the Committee Emphasizes “…do not go forward without proper and appropriate funding in place,” and that the committee is convinced, “…with a proper plan in place, the cost to the taxpayer… will be near zero dollars.” The fa-cility proposal now stands as a $37 M project and the community deserves the same assurances as when the project stood at $25.3 M.

Borrowing $37 M to be paid back over 35 years and dragging the Town to its maximum debt level is NOT “proper” and “appropriate funding”. Downloading the debt on backs of taxpayers by hundreds of dollars or more in extra taxes doesn’t even approach “near zero dollars.” Who is guarding the financial integrity of this community?

Who gets to decide whether to go forward with this proposal on this funding model? Certainly not a coun-

MAJORITY OF TAXPAYERS MUST BE HEARDcil lacking impartiality and balance in perspec-tive; Nor 4 biased Con-sultant Reports relying heavily on user-group input, listed in the Execu-tive Summary the mayor urged residents to read; Nor by hysterical rheto-ric; nor by the vested in-terests of special interest groups; nor by personal agendas and egos.

This decision must be made by the major stake-holder in Pelham-the res-idential property owner, in light of the fact that there is “…more than 90% dependence on res-idential assessment to carry the Town’s tax bur-den.” (Tribune-May 5, 2011)

A “referendum” must be held to allow the voice of the majority of taxpaying Pelham residents to be heard.

D. HercanuckFonthill

It is estimated that con-necting every resident in Southwestern Ontario would be a $3-4 Billion endeavor. The SWIFT project will provide about $300 Million, of which Niagara is expected to receive between $35-40 million.

Improvements to infra-structure would be read-ily welcomed, according to those in attendance at the workshop. One resident described rural internet access as “an ex-ercise in futility” while another commented that “we live in one of the most populated areas in Canada and we can’t get decent internet.”

Connectivity is becoming increasingly important to rural Canadians, and as more and more prod-ucts and services become available online, the dis-parity between internet

‘Haves’ and ‘Have-nots’ grows. Many educational, economic, and social opportunities exist online, and cannot be accessed without proper connectivity. This necessarily limits the ability of slow-speed users to ex-cel in these areas.

At the same time, rural activities like agriculture are becoming increasingly reliant on the ‘Internet of Things’, with modern farming technology frequently requiring internet access to send, store, process, and retrieve data more effectively. Rural hospitals, fire sta-tions, and libraries are in the same predicament. Even small towns like Pelham are beginning to move ser-vices entirely online, which in the future may be prob-lematic for residents without reliable internet access, or for those who have trouble navigating the web.

While funds are still pending, the SWIFT project hopes to begin construction in 2017.

REGION EXAMINES RURAL INTERNET ISSUEScontinued from page 1


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FLOSSIE SPOTS HER SHADOW

The chants and cheers of students from local primary schools roused Fenwick Flossie from her winter hibernation this morning. She emerged into bright sunshine, saw her shadow and predicted six more weeks of winter, just like it was that morning: moderate temperatures, lots of sun and little of the white stuff. Kids and adults alike enjoyed the event topped off with hot chocolate and cookies provided by the Fabulous Fenwick Lions Club PHOTO CREDIT: The Fenwick Lions

The Fabulous Fenwick Lions are seeking civ-ic-minded men to join them in making a differ-ence in the community. The club is attending an information session at the Pelham Expo on February 15, 2016 for people who want to learn more about the club and its work.

“Our club gives members an opportunity to advance worthy causes, serve with friends, and become lead-ers in the community. This club means a lot to our Lions, but it means so much more to the people we serve,” said club pres-ident Jeff Pickup.

The Pelham Expo session will be held on February 15, 2016 at the Pelham Arena from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Club encourag-es the public to come out and learn more about its work.

“We want to share the great things we’re doing in the community, and let others know how they can help,” said Pickup.

The Lions’ motto is “We Serve,” and the Fabulous Fenwick Lions have lived up to it. For more than 60 years, the club has sup-ported various national and international causes

The Fabulous Fenwick Lions Invite New Membership

such as the Lions Foun-dation of Canada Dog Guide program and sev-eral summer camps for children suffering from diabetes and sight impair-ment. Local programs such as Pelham Cares, Pelham Food Drive, E.L. Crossley High School, Youth Resources Niagara and the Welland Hospital Foundation have all ben-efitted from our activities

To learn more about the information session, the Fabulous Fenwick Lions or its service projects, contact Lion Alan at 905-892-6846 or see our web-site at fabulousfenwick-lions.org.

Lions Clubs Internation-al is the largest service club organization in the world. Its 1.35 million members in more than 46,000 clubs are serving communities in 207 coun-tries and geographical areas around the globe. Since 1917, Lions clubs have aided the blind and visually impaired, cham-pioned youth initiatives and strengthened local communities through hands-on service and hu-manitarian projects. For more information about Lions Clubs Internation-al, visit lionsclubs.org.

NRPS - Since December 2015, Niagara Regional Police Service #3 District (Welland) and #2 District (Niagara Falls) Detectives have been conducting an ongoing investigation into several robberies targeting pharmacies throughout the Niagara Region.

On February 7, 2016, a Welland man was arrested and charged with 14 criminal charges in relation to six robber-ies in the Niagara Region.

The man is alleged to have been involved in the following incidents:December 28, 2015 Shoppers Drug Mart 825 Ontario Rd., Welland, ON(NRPS INCIDENT 15-111828)January 2, 2016 Shoppers Drug Mart 5175 Victoria Ave., Niagara Falls, ON(NRPS INCIDENT 16-484)January 7, 2016 Rexall Drug Store 838 Ontario Rd., Welland, ON(NRPS INCIDENT 16-1750)

January 12, 2016 Mahdieh Pharmacy 95 Lincoln St., Welland, ON(NRPS INCIDENT 16-3072)February 3, 2016 Niagara Street Pharmacy 545 Niagara St., Welland, ON (NRPS INCIDENT 16-9239)February 7, 2016 Guardian Pharmacy 155 Main St. East, Grimsby, ON (NRPS INCIDENT 16-10249)

The man was held in cus-tody and pending a bail hearing on February 8, 2016 at 59 Church Street in St. Catharines.

Suspect Arrested in Niagara Pharmacy Robberies


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Tuesday February 16th from 1 – 3pm Time to Take Stock, sponsored in part by

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Tuesday March 22nd from 1 – 3pm * Estate Planning - Building Your Legacy.

Tuesday April 19th from 1 – 3pm Take Stock in the Market.

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As I review our end of year results it is apparent that the Pelham Public Li-brary is well used. In 2015 we had more than 102,000 visits. Circulation of ma-terials rose by over 19%. Our programs for both children and adults also continued to grow.

While these results are positive and cause for cel-ebration, they focus pri-marily on activities within our walls. It is important that we turn our atten-tion to results beyond our walls. Last year we began making a more conscious effort to be more active participants in the com-munity. We had a pres-ence at the weekly band shell concerts, Summer-fest, and the downtown Fenwick celebrations. In 2016 we hope to continue this type of involvement

“John’s commitment to volunteer-ism displays a passion for our com-munity and exemplifies the pur-pose and meaning of this award,” said Kin Kevin Twomey.

Though the attention has left him feeling a little out of his element, John was thankful for the selection.

“It’s really humbling for me,” he said. “It’s a great honour to be rec-ognized by the Fonthill kinsmen and the community.”

John was quick to emphasize the role that teamwork played in his success, and the importance of vol-unteerism in general.

“I think community involvement is extremely important,” he said. “I’m fortunate to work for an organiza-

tion that is community oriented, where we give back to the commu-nity, and there is an expectation of staff to be involved in the commu-nity.”

Pelham Councillor Gary Accursi and Director of Recreation, Cul-ture, and Wellness Vickie vanRav-enswaay have worked extensive-ly with John over the past year as members of the Summerfest com-mittee.

“John has worked tirelessly to make this event a success,” said Accursi. “Last year he took over the reins and guided the event to its most successful outcome. His leadership has been inspirational and his hard work has been a guiding force for the rest of the committee.”

vanRavenswaay echoed that senti-ment: “I am so thrilled John Wink is being recognized for our Citizen of the year! It is such a pleasure to work with John as Chair of the Summerfest Committee; he is pas-sionate about our Community and a well-respected citizen.”

This is the award’s 18th year. Kin Twomey noted that while John stood out from the crowd, many strong candidates were put for-ward. “‘Thank you’ to all those who were nominated,” he said. “The enthusiasm shown speaks to the enthusiastic volunteer partici-pation in this town.”

John will officially be honoured at an award ceremony March 1.


The RBC Royal Bank in Fenwick were grateful to the many local businesses that donated gifts for a recent fundraiser for Pelham Cares. With the support of The Broken Gavel, Fenwick Pies,Bourgones Delaney Bachelder Limited, Niagara Motor Freight, 2X4 Diner, Ron's Lawns, Oak Run, Shoalts Con-struction, Slappendels, Leidens Concrete Vault, and Balfour Greenhouses, RBC was able to raise $750 for the Fonthill-based charity. The event was organized through the tireless efforts of RBC's Jeanette Junker.

John Wink Named 2015 Citizen of the Year

Pelham Public Library Has Something for Everyoneby KIRK WEAVERCEO Pelham Public Library

in community events. With limited resources it can become easy to focus inward and only look af-ter the needs of tradition-al library users. However, this can have a long term negative impact on the li-brary.

Those that don’t current-ly use the library may have perceptions of what libraries are like that lead them to conclude there is nothing there for them.

By being present in the community we have the opportunity to break down those perceptions and demonstrate that the library has something for everyone. We look for-ward to hearing about op-portunities to be more ac-tive in the community we serve. Love your library, tell your story! Please check our website (www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca ) or come in to see us.

RBC Fundraiser Supports Pelham Cares


SPORTS

The Novice Pelham Local League Green players competed in the Kinsmen Cup in Dresden, Ontario on January 30-31, 2016. The team went undefeated, winning all four of their games. everyone on the team played very well. The goalie, Lucas Rid-dle, made several key saves to take the final game 5 to 2. Jack Brownlee was voted MVP of the game.

Pelham Novices Win Kinsmen Cup

Players: Christian Baxter, Jovan Bobic, Jack Brownlee, Dylan Capra, Joshua Dunn, Graham Latham, Jack Levasseur, Darwin Mayes, Jack McCormack, Kalob Muzzell, Cameron Noiles, Lucas Riddle (goalie), Karlyn VanVliet. Missing: Andrew Annunziata, Noah Paquin. Coaches: Mike Brownlee, Chris Baxter, Grant Muz-zel and Jay Levasseur.

WELLAND, ON (NBA Press) – John Nichol and Dave Kaufmann com-bined (evenly) for 26 points to lead P.O.I.T.S. to a 59 – 49 victory over Signature Sign & Image at Centennial on Wednes-day night. Vince Polce, who was back with Sig-nature Sign & Image after a two-year absence, never missed a beat as he led all scorers with 16 points which included FOUR 3-pointers. The game was a close one as P.O.I.T.S. led by a single point at the half 27 – 26. Howev-er, P.O.I.T.S. outscored SigSigns 20-8 in the third quarter to pull away for good.For P.O.I.T.S. John Nich-ol continued to amaze despite a bad knee scor-ing 13 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and making 4 steals. Any miscue by the SigSigns seemed to be a basket for John Nichol. John’s partner in crime, veteran rearguard Dave Kaufmann also had 13 points mainly by antici-pating the fast break and being down court ready for the pass. Dave had 3 steals. The G-Unit, veter-an Gino Palermo used his two-handed shooting and Sherman tank driving to draw fouls and eventual-ly score 11 points. Gino went an amazing (for him) 3 for 6 from the foul line (50%). The words zilch, zero, skunk and nada usually describe Gi-

no’s foul shooting. Quiet sophomore Kevin Gibson hung around outside the key and stealthily accu-mulated 10 points on little 10-foot shots. He usually got the ball after Gino or Dan Turner had already been boxed out by Old Greybeard. The afore-mentioned Dan Turner, complaining of a lack of conditioning, bulled his way into the paint for 6 points. His foul shooting (0 for 2) was much like Gino’s norm or Shaquille O’Neal’s. Golf pro Alex Wilson got the big or-ange ball (as compared to a little white ball) into the hoop three times for 6 points.The Signature Sign & Im-age squad was bolstered by the return of shoot-ing guard Vince Polce. Vince had a long history with SigSigns’ previous incarnation, Millennium Computers. His scoring, ball handling and defense were a welcome addi-tion to SigSign’s usually short bench. At the end of the evening, Vince had a game-high 16 points (which included FOUR treys), 5 rebounds, 3 steals and 4 assists. SigSign stalwart Peeter Kupper once again showed that age means nothing as he hit for 14 points. Peeter patrolled the paint and converted many a pass into points. He also cor-ralled 7 rebounds. Mike Gilmore, who hails from

Wainfleet, scored often and evenly throughout the game. His driving and flying through the air earned him and even 10 points. He also picked up half-a-dozen rebounds. Old Greybeard, Joe Se-liske who played without his linebacking equip-ment, kept between Dan Turner, the G-Unit and the basket all night. He picked off 8 rebounds, dished for 3 assists and scored 6 points. He sank both of his attempts from the charity stripe, his first foul shots of the season. Ageless Dave Dick, who was awarded the “Cur-mudgeon of the Game” distinction, was a re-bounding machine, pull-ing down 10 rebounds. He scored a basket in the second quarter and he ran around a lot. Team man-ager Bernie Amyot, who had his glasses on, hit for one of two foul shots af-ter he was fouled driving up the middle of the key. John Schmidt, who has been on a scoring tear of late, concentrated on his defensive skills after his initial attempts at driv-ing up the middle were thwarted by the P.O.I.T.S. defense. Seventy-seven year-old Jack Randall pa-trolled the back court and attempted a few random, experimental shots. He did help offensively by dishing for 3 assists.

John Nichol and Dave Kaufmann Lead P.O.I.T.S. over Signature Signs 59 - 49

If you’re heading outdoors this Family Day Weekend, Ontario Power Genera-tion (OPG) wants to remind you to stay clear of our hydro stations and dams.

“Don’t find yourself on thin ice,” says Mike Martelli, President, Renewable Generation and Power Marketing. “Ice and waterways near our generating stations and dams can be particularly dangerous. These areas are not safe for recreational use.”

OPG’s hydropower portfolio consists of 65 generating stations and 240 dams. In the areas surrounding these stations, changing water levels and flowing wa-ter causes the ice to be thin and weak,

meaning it is not safe for recreational use. Signs and barriers describe danger-ous areas that must be avoided.

“When heading out for winter activities, remember to make safety a priority and respect the signs and barriers that have been put in place for your protection,” adds Martelli. “Stay clear, stay safe is our message.”

OPG provides more than half the pow-er Ontario relies on. The electricity OPG produces is 99.7 per cent free of green-house gas and smog causing emissions. To learn more about winter ice and wa-ter safety, around OPG stations visit opg.com/watersafety.

Stay clear of thin ice over family day weekend

Ottawa- Last week during a press con-ference on Parliament Hill, a coalition of seven housing sector leaders released a joint pre-budget statement, Affordable housing: a foundation for social inclu-sion.

Sector leaders call on the government to include the following components in its upcoming federal budget: protect and renew existing social housing assets; build 100,000 new social and affordable housing units; and support community transformation and innovation.

“It’s time to tackle Canada’s affordable housing crisis in order to restore this important pathway into Canada’s mid-dle class,” said Canadian Housing and Renewal Association Executive Director Jeff Morrison, “and housing investment is a solution that can advance many gov-ernment objectives as described in sev-eral of the ministerial mandate letters.”

Over the past 25 years, Canada’s pop-ulation has increased by 30% while the annual federal investment in affordable housing decreased by 46%, according to the State of Homelessness in Canada re-port. As a result, nearly 1 in 4 Canadian households cannot afford their housing and 235,000 experience homelessness every year.

Currently, federal investments in social housing through operating agreements are set to gradually decline from $1.6 billion in 2015 to $0 in 2040, putting Ca-nadian households at risk of economic eviction and possibly homelessness, ac-cording to a CHRA Report. In fact, the expiry of operating agreements has al-ready begun.

By working with Canada’s affordable housing sector to develop a national housing strategy, the coalition believes that the government can meet both short term economic stimulus and long term social objectives such as ending home-lessness, addressing the housing needs of Aboriginal people, combatting cli-mate change, and reducing poverty.

“It’s urgent that we re-invest in afford-able housing by creating those missing 100,000 affordable housing units nation-wide over the course of the next five years,” said Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness CEO Tim Richter. “We should not forget that homelessness is a relatively new phenomenon in Cana-da—and we must seize this opportunity to significantly decrease its occurrence with the right federal investments.”

The coalition is pleased by the high lev-el of engagement between its sector and Minister of Families, Children and So-cial Development Jean-Yves Duclos and Minister of Infrastructure and Commu-nities Amarjeet Sohi, both sharing the mandate of developing a national hous-ing strategy.

“Canada’s affordable housing sector, in-cluding housing co-operatives, are ready to help the federal government devel-op a national housing strategy, which would protect and grow the affordable housing stock,” said Co-operative Hous-ing Federation of Canada Executive Di-rector Nicholas Gazzard. “We look for-ward to a federal budget that will allow for these critical housing investments to take place.”

Canada’s Housing Sector Calls for New Affordable Homes to Meet Critical Need


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Carpet One Floor & Home worked with interior designers and product experts to compile 2016 design trends for the entire home. Keeping a home on trend can be as simple as refreshing a few rooms with a new paint color, or as complex as a complete kitchen or bath overhaul. Carpet One Floor & Home provides ideas, inspiration and trends through their blog and digital magazine, Beautiful Design Made Simple. To read through the 2016 Trends Issue of Beautiful Design Made Simple visit BeautifulDesignMadeSimple.com/digitalmagazine.

FloorsGray fl ooring returns from last year, yet has warmed up in 2016. Brown hued grays create a base that fl atters a wide range of décor styles. White hued fl ooring, from hardwood to tile, is extremely trendy this year. On the oppo-site end of the spectrum, deep charcoal and chocolate fl ooring are making statements and creating striking contrast with light décor elements. Finally, 2016 will showcase handcrafted product design and installation techniques, along with distressed area rugs.

ColorsWith Benjamin Moore naming Simply White OC-117 as their color of the year, whites will be an obvious go-to in the New Year. Alongside whites, pinks and pale neutrals will create subtle complexity, while indigo blues, hunter greens, and shades of plum will create rich, moody backdrops.

CabinetsIn cabinetry, open concept shelving will remain popular helping to provide storage for larger, odd-shaped items. As for color, cabinetry will be falling in line with the warm gray trend seen in fl ooring. Additionally, we’ll begin to see the inclusion of technology, with cabinetry that incorporates and accom-modates charging docks and tablet stands.

WindowsTechnology is also building a presence in window treatments. Shades that automatically adjust create the perfect room ambience morning, noon or night. Also trendy in window treatments this year is the use of organic mate-rials such as unfi nished woods and natural fi bers like cotton, wool, and linen.

LightingBrass is back. Lighter than the oil rubbed bronze that’s faded from populari-ty, natural brass works well with many diff erent décor styles and is expected to dominate lighting and home interior fi nish in the coming years. Outside the home, exterior lighting is shifting toward more black and grey fi nish vari-ations, while gaining height to accommodate new architectural design.


SPAN (Single Person Association of Niagara) is a social club since 1982 for mature singles who meet and mingle at The Trap 128 Hwy 20, Fonthill, every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Offers members a monthly calendar of social activities. Further information, call Lynie @905-788-0359 TF

Weekly Euchre every Friday evening, 7:30 pm – 10:00 pm, North Pelham Youth Hall, 1718 Maple Street, Fenwick (Just north of Tice Road); $3./person, prizes awarded. TF

Pelham Community Church 461 Canboro Rd., Fenwick Wednesday Worship & Communion Service First & Third Wednesday of every month @ 2:00 p.m. TF Ridgeville Bible Chapel AWANA program is Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 at 418 Canboro Rd, Ridgeville for children 3 to Grade 9. TF

A Cappella Niagara Men’s chorus meets Tuesdays at 7:00 PM at the Welland Community Wellness Cen-tre, 145 Lincoln St. Come and sing! Gus 905-228-0858, Bob 905-892-2336. TF

Women A Cappella! Sing with us. Sing Niagara Wom-en's A Cappella Chorus.Let your inner Diva soar. Learn more now! Call Nancy 905 935 3965 or Email [email protected] New ses-sion starts Mon Jan 11,7 PM. www.singniagara.com

Fonthill Legion, EVERY FRIDAY 4-6 pm, serving a great dinner. $10. Includ-ing coffee/tea and dessert. Take out orders available, call 905-892-6293. TF

Singing Valentines Treat your Valentine to a box of candy, a rose and love-songs delivered for you anywhere in Niagara by an “A Cappella Niagara” Barbershop, Quartet. Pro-ceeds to “Harmonize For Speech”. Howard 905-468-3566 & 905-359-8117.

Fabulous Fenwick Lions Ribfest Saturday, Febru-ary 27, 2016. 2 sittings: 5 pm and 6:30 pm. Adults $20, Children 12 and un-der $12. For tickets call Lion Alan 905-892-6846. Advance ticket sales only please. N19-51

North Pelham Youth Associ-ation is having a ham and scalloped potato dinner on Saturday, February 27, 2016 from 5 – 7 p.m. at North Pelham Youth Hall, 1718 Maple Street, Fenwick (corner of Maple St & Tice Rd). Adults - $13., children 5 – 12 years $5., children 4 years and under free. Con-tact #’s: 905-892-4391 and 905-892-3408. N19-51

SOUP’S ON. Fenwick Lion-ess Soup & Bread LunchSunday February 21, 11:15 am – 1:30 pm. Fenwick Li-

ons Hall, 999 Church St., Fenwick. Selection of 5 Homemade Soups, Variety of Breads, Dessert, Coffee, Tea, Juice. $8 per person; Children under 10 - $3 N19-50

BINGO is back at the Roy-al Canadian Legion, Hwy # 20, Fonthill on Saturdays 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm . Ev-ery one welcome, enjoy our relaxed atmosphere and prizes. TF

West Lincoln Vendor & Craft Show. Saturday, February 20th, 2016, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm Welland-port Community Centre, 5042 Canborough Road, Wellandport, ON L0R 2J0Over 25 vendors + home-made crafts and products. Admission is free, howev-er a min $5 (canned food, toys, etc.) donation to the Welland Humane Society will be accepted at the door and greatly appreciat-ed. N19-50

PELHAM HORTICUL-TURAL SOCIETY meets at 7.30pm on Monday 22nd February at Fonthill Library. The meeting starts with speaker Joan Cor-nelius N.P.E. floriculture manager with the topic Ni-agara Parks Commission Floral Showhouse & the World's tallest flower. Re-freshments will be served after the talk and business meeting. Members and public are welcome to at-tend. N19-50

Fri. Feb. 12- 7.30 p.m. Court Whist at Fenwick United Church 1050 Church St. Fenwick. Des-sert & tea and coffee in-cluded. Free will offering. Bring your Valentine for an evening of fun and fellow-ship. N19-49

Robert Wood is a mixed voice choir. If you like singing, we invite you to join us for fun, friendship and love of music. Re-hearsals every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. in Bethany Brethren in Christ church, 50 Lincoln Street, Welland. Call Frank at 289-820-6452. TF

434 (Niagara Peninsula) WING, ROYAL CANADIAN AIRFORCE ASSOCIATION Is putting out a welcome to all those with an interest in aviation. We are looking for new members to join our Wing. We meet on the third Thursday of the month at Branch 4 Royal Canadian Legion in Welland. Meet-ings commence at 7pm and we usually have an interesting speaker. Ev-eryone Welcome. For in-formation please contact Membership Chair, Chuck Leguerrier at 905-892-9304 or email [email protected]

PELHAM LIBRARY EVENTS:

TGIF CRAFTING: Drop in with your portable craft and enjoy time with other craft-ers. Fridays from 1- 3:30.

FONTHILL HERALDSeeking copies or archive of past issues of the Fonthill Herald? Other periodic publications produced within Pelham of any vintage also wanted. Contact D. Holman 905-892-8690 TF

WANTED

COMMUNITY EVENTS &CLASSIFIED

Page 14 THE VOICE of Pelham Wednesday, August 27, 2014 www.thevoiceofpelham.ca

CLASSIFIEDSCOMMUNITY Events

Burke’s MasonryBricklaying, tuckpointing,

step repair, granite coatings, brick slices 905-682-7061. P18-28

Excavating contractor. Water, sewer upgrades, foundation repair, water proofing, drainage systems, quarry stone supply, place-ment. 905-384-1972. P18-23

Josh DeHaan Flooring“For all your flooring needs”

We offer in-stock specials:

pre-finished hardwood flooring solid, engineered from $2/ft2

laminate flooring from $.89/ft2

carpet and vinyl flooring from $4.95/yd2

fibre flooring from $1/ft2

ceramic tile from $.89/ft2

...and other specials!

Call us to see the products that are available & visit our

showroom.

Phone: 905-892-7898Fax: 905-892-4811 No Sunday Calls, Please

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7 SPRUCESIDE CRESENT FONTHILL. Christmas items, crafts, household, clothes and more, very rea-sonable, SATURDAY AUG. 30, 8AM-3PM P18-27

Yard & Shed MOVING SALE, Large collection of Christmas and holiday decorations and household items, SAT. AUG. 30, 8AM-1PM 625 METLER RD, NORTH PELHAM P18-23

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BUSINESSES.FONTHILL E. L. Crossley Churchill Natural MeatsShoppers Drug MartFonthill LibraryTown of PelhamCafe on MainBeamer’s Pro HardwareSobey’sMcDonald’sFonthill LegionTim HortonsSemenuk’sPic’sKlagers

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PELHAM LIBRARY’S COMPUTER CLINIC“One-to-One Help” with a volunteer tech tutor. Get help with web browsing, webmail account set-up, e-books, social media, editing and sharing your photos and more. Includes use of laptop or BYOG (bring your own gadget). Saturdays 12:30 – 3:30. Register and pay ahead in person. $5.00 per 1/2 hour. Visit www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca or call 905-892-6443 for more details.

FONTHILL BANDSHELL PRESENTS DE TEMPS ANTANSince 2003, Éric Beaudry, André Brunet and Pierre-Luc Dupuis have been exploring and performing time-honoured melodies from the stomp-ing grounds of Quebec’s musical past. Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, guitar, bouzouki and a number of other instruments, our three virtuosos blend boundless energy with the unmistakable joie de vivre found only in traditional Quebec music. Show runs from 7-9 p.m.

PELHAM LIBRARY CARD MAKING WORKSHOPMake six cards with fall themes, learning a variety of techniques. Materials are provided. At time of registration, please enquire about tools needed. Tues., Sept. 16 10 – 12:30. $10. Please register ahead. Visit www.pelham-library.on.ca or call 905-892-6443 for more details.

FABULOUS FENWICK LIONS FISH FRYTasty treats with funds heading straight back into the community. Haddock, french fries and much more. Runs Sept. 9 from 4-7 p.m.

PELHAM MINOR HOCKEY EQUIPMENT SALEBuy, sell or trade used equipment at the Pelham Arena. Aimed to provide cheaper options for players in this upcoming season. Runs Sept. 6 from 9-12 in the morning.

PELHAM MUDFESTMen and women will be back in the mud as the second run on the year is held at Bissil’s Hideaway.

NIAGARA REGIONAL EXHIBITIONRodeo, games and live entertainment headline this years exciting event. It runs from Sept. 11-14 at the Welland Fairgrounds.

BIG MOVE CANCER RIDEThe Big Move Cancer Ride is a non-competitive ride taking place on Sept. 7. Proceeds for the Big Move stay in Niagara and support the Walker Fam-ily Cancer Centre.

WALKING CLUBInterested in walking in Pelham? Join them Tuesdays at the Pelham Arena from 9-10 am and Thursdays at Fonthill Bandshell for 9-10:30 am. There is no fee for this program. For more information, please contact [email protected] or call 905 892-2607, ext 329.

HAMPER DAY FOR PELHAM CARESPurchase fresh fruit and vegetables at the Market or bring a non-perishable food item to fill the hampers at the Pelham Farmers Market on Sept. 4.

COMMUNITY EventsEvent Submissions StandardsIf your organization is hosting an event that would be of interest to the community, you may submit an events profile by sending your community events information to [email protected] Some restrictions apply. Event submissions that meet the acceptability standards of The Voice of Pelham will then be posted until the date of your event. The Community Events Calendar is updated weekly. Please provide as much notice and information as possible including the date, time and description of your event. The Voice of Pelham reserves the right to edit for space.

Portable sawmill service I will come to your home or farm and custom mill your logs. Firewood & lumber also available. Call Rob Patterson, 905-401-4948 [email protected]. TF

What is YourHome Worth?Thinking of making a move? Call me for a complimentary and confidential home

evaluation.Christa Fraser

Sales Representative

905.357.9700Toll Free

1-855-357-9700TF

SERVICESOBITUARY$2. Pelham Public Library. www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca. 905-892-6443. TF

COMPUTER TUTOR & GADGET CLINIC “One-to-One Help” with a volunteer tech tutor. Includes use of laptop or BYOG (bring your own gadget). Saturdays 12:30 – 3:30. Register and pay ahead in person. $5.00 per 1/2 hour. Pelham Pub-lic Library. www.pelhamli-brary.on.ca. 905-892-6443 TF

BRIDGE: Beyond begin-ner. Partners and refresh-ments provided. Experi-enced bridge directors can assist. Wed, Jan. 13 – Feb. 17. A short lesson is pre-sented from 10:05 - 10:15, then open play from 10:15-12:15. $6 per week or $30 per six-week session. Pel-ham Public Library. www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca. 905-892-6443. N19-50

BEGINNER BRIDGE III: Introduction to the game of Bridge. Wed, Jan. 13 – Feb. 17. Structured les-sons start at 9:45 with experienced Directors to assist until 12:15. $6 per week or $30 per six-week session. Prerequisite: Be-ginner Bridge II. Pelham Public Library. www.pel-hamlibrary.on.ca. 905-892-6443. N19-50

GAMES NIGHT: Bring your system and games, use one of our computers or try a retro video game or an old-school board game. Fri., Feb. 19 from 6-9. $2. Please register ahead. Pelham Public Library. www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca. 905-892-6443. N19-50

A TASTE OF DOWNUNDER: Travel along with longtime Pel-ham resident Rosemary Culos who decided it was time to fulfill a dream and see Australia & New Zea-land. Photos of this trip of a lifetime will give you an idea of the beauty and bounty of Australia's east coast, outback, Dar-win area, New Zealand, Tasmania, & Melbourne. Tues., Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. $3. Please register ahead. Pelham Public Library. www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca. 905-892-6443. N19-50 IT SEEMED AS IF 100 MEN WERE POUNDING MY HEAD: AND OTH-ER AMAZING STORIES FROM NIAGARA'S PAST: Sherman Zavitz, local au-thor and Official Histori-an for the City of Niaga-ra Falls and the Niagara Parks Commission, reads tales from his collection of 45 short, high interest stories from Niagara Falls and along the Niagara River. Zavitz is a retired teacher, past president of the Lundy’s Lane His-torical Society, author of five Niagara Falls histo-ry books and has been a columnist for the Niagara Falls Review for 22 years. Books for sale and signing. Thurs., Feb. 25 at 7:00.

Get your I Love Pelham souvenirs at J&J Florists, top of the hill, 67 Canboro Rd,www.jandjflorists.com TF

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Local nursery requires truck driver with DZ License. AZ license would be an asset. Position is seasonal. Deliveries are within Ontario and the northeast US. Must have clean abstract, professional appearance and be customer friendly. Will be required to assist in unloading truck. Rates are hourly and competitive. Resumes, together with abstract can be dropped off between the hours of 8:00 a.m - 4:00 p.m. Mon.-Thurs. or 8:00 a.m.-12:00 Fri. at:

TRUCK DRIVER

Willowbrook Nurseries Inc.935 Victoria Ave., Fenwick, ON Attention: Human ResourcesNo phone calls please.

(We thank you for your application, howeveronly those considered will be notified.) P19-49

Upper 2 bedroom apt, Fonthill. No pets, non smoker. Available Feb 1, 2016, $800./month + hydro. Daytime telephone number 905-892-9891 and evening 905-892-0050. P19-49

$4. Please register ahead. Pelham Public Library. www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca. 905-892-6443. N19-51

Children’s Author Bar-bara Reid Visit – Mon. Mar. 14 from 3 – 4 pm. Pelham Arena upstairs meeting room. Sponsored by CFUW (Welland and District). Free. N20-1

MEDITATION: Release your stress and relax as Marcia leads you through a number of different types of meditations. For be-ginners and more experi-enced levels. Bring a pen and notebook. Sat., Feb. 27 from 2-4 p.m. $3.00. Please register ahead. Pelham Public Library. www.pelhamlibrary.on.ca. 905-892-6443. N19-51

BOOK SALE: Tonnes of books at bargain pric-es. Mystery, science, ro-mance, fantasy, science fiction, adventure, intrigue, decorating, crafts, chil-dren’s stories, collect-ables. Mon., Feb. 29 to Sat., Mar. 5 during open hours. Saturday is a buck-a-bag day. N19-52

ALICE IN WONDER-LAND – Play library cro-quet with your own pine-cone hedgehog, make Mad Hatter hats, etc.-Tues., Mar. 5 at 11 a.m. $4. N19-52

MAD SCIENCE SHOW “INTO THE WILD” – Tues., Mar. 15 at 1:00. $4. N20-1

GUESS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU STORYTIME – celebrate family togeth-erness - Wed., Mar. 16 at 10:30. $4. N20-1

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS PARTY – Wed., Mar. 16 at 1:00 p.m. $4. N20-1

STUFFED ANIMAL VET CLINIC – Thurs., Mar. 17 at 10:30 a.m. $4. N20-2

CELEBRATE MO WIL-LEMS - Thurs., Mar. 17 at 1:00 p.m. $4. N20-2

INSIDE OUT PARTY – Fri., Mar. 18 at 1:00 p.m. $4. N20-2

The Reverend James Charles Weller passed away at Albright Manor in Beamsville on February 2, 2016 at age 83 surrounded by his family. Jim enjoyed a happy life with Norma (Draker) and their children: Karen Coles (Jeff), Jim (LeeAnn), Paul (Elizabeth) and Kathy Larabie (Bob). Grandchildren: Shannon and Stacey, James and Madison, Paige and Hailey. Brother-in-law Harry Draker (Betty) and many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by parents: William and Hilda Weller, brother Bill and sisters Hilda and June. Jim was loving, caring and humorous as he walked his Christian Life. He graduated from Brantford Collegiate Institute, Northern Illinois University and Colgate-Rochester Divinity School. Jim was ordained in The Evangelical United Brethren Church and served churches within it and the United Church of Canada. For 25 years he taught in the Humanities Dept. at Niagara College in Welland. Jim loved football and in 1954 played right guard for Toronto Argonauts. He was special and will be missed by all who knew and loved him. Special thanks to staff who lovingly cared for him at Albright Manor (2nd flr.) Linhaven (Dalhousie flr.) and his family physician, Dr. Charles Duncan, Fonthill. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday April 30th at the Pelham Community Church (461 Canboro Road) starting at 12 noon, Visitation 10-12, lunch to follow the service. Donations to the Diabetes Association, Parkinson Foundation, Pelham Community Church or Trinity United Church Beamsville would be appreciated by the family. Arrangements entrusted to the LAMPMAN FUNERAL HOME, 724 Canboro Road, Fenwick.www.lampmanfuneralhome.com

WELLER, JAMES CHARLES

House Cleaning available, call 905-892-4906. P19-52


HELP WANTED

READER SURVEY CALLERS

(2 required)You will call selected homes for two hours, one night per week as you determine levels of reader delivery satisfaction as well as asking selected local interest questions.

For more information or to apply please contact: Lori Gretsinger at the Voice of Pelham at 905-892-8690, [email protected]

VOICEOF PELHAM

Community Event

Submissions Standards

If your organization is hosting an event that would be of interest

to the community, you may submit an events profi le by sending your

community events information to offi [email protected]

Some restrictions apply. Event submissions that meet the acceptability standards of The Voice of Pelham will then be posted until the date of your event. The Community Events

Calendar is updated weekly. Please provide

as much notice and information as possible including the date, time and description of your

event. The Voice of Pelham reserves the right to edit for space.

VOICEOF PELHAM

Songs to be

updated for

Feb 10

Hidden within a growing subdivision, in the heart of Fenwick is E. W. Farr Memorial School, a school with roots that date back 172 years. The year was 1844 when the very fi rst school was built in Fenwick. The small wood frame structure was located on the east side of Baxter Lane on a parcel of property that was leased, not deeded, from Benjamin Corwin with the understanding that the lease agreement would be terminated if a school was not main-tained. This in no way posed a problem for the school as the next 30 years saw the little schoolhouse bursting at the seams with children. The actual playground surrounding the original schoolhouse was quite small and the pupils regularly crossed the road to have recess play in neighbours’ yards.

Songs to be KARI JOBE HealerTWILA PARIS Days of Elijah

PHIL WICKHAM This is Amazing Grace

NEWSBOYS Revelation Song

Weekly Favourite Songs

Places of Worship and EventsBethany ChristianReformed Church

1040 Balfour St., FenwickON L0S 1C0

(905) 892-8980Concordia Luthern Church

105 Welland Rd.Fonthill, ON L0S 1E4

(905) 892-8877Fenwick Church of Christ

765 Welland Rd.Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0

(905) 892-5661Fenwick United Church

1050 Church St.Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0

(905) 892-3081First Presbyterian Church

602 Metler Rd.Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0

(905) 892-4716Fonthill Baptist Church

1414 Pelham St.Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0

(905) 892-3925Fonthill Congregation of

Jehovah’s Witnesses1369 Rice Rd.

Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0(905) 892-4680

Fonthill United Church42 Church Hill

Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0(905) 892-6433

Glad Tidings Church of God1 Pancake Lane

Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0(905) 892-5122

Holy TrinityAnglican Church1557 Pelham St.

Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0(905) 892-6011

Kirk on the HillPresbyterian Church

1344 Haist St.Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0

(905) 892-3729Pelham Community Church

461 Canboro Rd.Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0

(905) 892-5922Pelham Evangelical

Friends Church940 Haist St.

Fonthill, ON L0S 1E4(905) 892-6881

Ridgeville Bible Chapel418 Canboro Rd.

Ridgeville, ON L0S 1M0(905) 892-3347

To advertise in Places of Worship & EventsCALL 905.892.8690

Pelham: Pieces from Our Past

“PREPARING TODAYFOR GOD’S TOMORROW!”

SUNDAYS AT 10:45AMWe are passionate about making disciples

for Jesus and preparing our communityfor the coming kingdom of God!

1 Pancake Lane in Fonthill905.892.5122

email: [email protected]

In 1874 the original frame schoolhouse, known as SS#9 Fenwick, was moved southeast across the road and became a private home. It was then replaced with a red brick one room schoolhouse. The new brick school again proved too small for the growing student population and a second room was soon added. In 1904, it was this litt le brick 2 room school and its 106 students that welcomed the then 31 year old Mr. E.W. Farr as its principal.

Edgar Walter Farr was born near Fenwick in 1873. He began teaching in 1891 at age 17 at Union School #7 Pelham. For the next 13 years he took time to advance his studies and taught at several other lo-cal schools. He married Mary Kappler and had two children, Bud and Jessie Evelyn. Mr. Farr’s return to Fenwick in 1904 marked the beginning of a remarkable teaching career at SS#9 Fenwick. Under Mr. Farr’s direction, the litt le red schoolhouse continued to grow and 1910 another two rooms were added to the building.

Over the next 34 years, Mr. Farr would leave a lasting mark not only on the children and community of Fenwick, but also within the ed-

ucation circles of Niagara. In 1910, he was elected president of the Welland County Teachers’ Association, in 1916 president of the Lincoln County Teachers’ Association, in 1928 presidents of South Welland Teachers’ Association and in 1932 president of the Welland, Lincoln, and Haldimand Teachers’ Association.

Mr. Farr was also captain of the Fenwick football team, president of the Temperance and Moral Reform League of Pelham Township, a church elder, president of the Pelham Liberal Association and an original member of the Maple Acre Library Board. He completed a total of 44 years and four months teaching all within 5 miles of Fen-wick and taught as many as 3 generations of children from the same family.

Mr. Farr retired from teaching in 1938 and was given a surprise cele-bration by the people of Fenwick. More than 600 people att ended the event and many others, who were unable to att end sent telegrams of congratulations.

St. Alexander’sRoman Catholic Church

50 Pelham Town Sq.Fonthill, ON L0S 1E0

(905) 892-3090St. Ann’s Roman Catholic

Church834 Canboro Rd.

Fenwick, ON L0S 1C0(905) 892-6123

Zion Free Reformed Church

1075 Boyle RoadFenwick, ON

(905) 386-1134

905.892.8690

continued on back cover


ect management company to take that vision and turn it into a proposal, which was put out to tender. The end result was the Fleming Centre, which consists of an arena with seating for 500, a walking track, 3 large multipurpose rooms with movable dividers, a large common foyer, administration offices, and a library. The arena design allows for twinning in the future, should the town need it.

After Federal Grants ($5 million), Fundraising efforts ($4 million) and Development Charges ($3 million), Lincoln had to take on a $3 million debenture. At the same time, the new facility costs about $250,000 to op-erate annually, a $150,000 increase over the old arena. All told, Lincoln residents incurred a 3% permanent increase to the municipal levy, which included both the debenture and ongoing operating costs. Hodgson is very pleased with the result.

“It’s really doing what we were hoping it would do,” he said. “For example, the library’s usership has gone up tremendously. A lot of seniors come here, they go to the library and then they go for a walk.”

The successful integration of services is one of the things Hodgson likes best about the facility.

“The common area to me is really important,” he said “That’s what I think I would be most proud of: the idea that it would be a game changer for community cohe-sion- I think it’s achieving that.”

Hodgson does not have any regrets about the project. He did, however, note one important lesson.

“The biggest thing we learned was that if you’re careful you can avoid cost creep, and full marks to our town’s council for that. The project was very well-managed.”

The þlittle brick schoolhouse on Baxter Lane closed 12 years later, but Mr. Farr’s legacy was not forgotten. In 1950 a new school, built off Canboro Road, was named in his honour: E. W. Farr Memorial School.

A growing student enrolment at E. W. Farr Memori-al School necessitated the reopening of the old Bax-ter Lane school in January 1952. For the next 18 years the Baxter Lane school became known as E.W. Farr primary school. The primary school finally closed in 1970 and its students returned to E.W. Farr Memorial School. The older students moved to the new Pelham Centre School on Centre Street. In 1989 an addition

was added to the Canboro Road school. The 1990’s saw the development of Cherry Ridge subdivision and E.W. Farr Memorial School was then made accessible by way of Alsop Drive.

Mr. Farr may be long gone, but he is fondly remem-bered by many former students who still live in Fen-wick. Local resident George Alsop recalls Mr. Farr as a strict disciplinarian, but also as a man who took great interest in all his students. In an effort to help students who were struggling in different subject areas, Mr. Farr would strike up a conversation with a student he met in town and tell him an answer to an upcoming lesson.

He would then make a point of choosing that student to give the answer in class. Mr. Farr was regarded as quite an athlete in his youth and legend still holds that he was able to kick a football clear over the top of the schoolhouse on Baxter Lane.

Some of the more famous graduates of E.W. Farr Me-morial School include Olympic cyclist Steve Bauer, NHL hockey player Matt Johnson and Canadian au-thor and world explorer Adam Shoalts. Famous or not, all graduates of E. W. Farr Memorial School have a last-ing tie to piece of Fenwick history.


Pelham: Pieces from Our Past

Foundations of Community: A closer look at Community Centres in and around Niagara

In an attempt to shed some light on the process, and to find out what works and what doesn’t, the Voice has reached out to Aldermen and Staff from other municipalities in and around Niagara that have recently completed similar projects. The Foundations of Community series examines and compares costs and services, while taking a candid look at what has worked for other municipalities, and what, if anything, they wish they had done differently.

This second install-ment focuses on the Fleming Centre in Lincoln.

Before the 2014 grand opening of the Flem-ing Centre, Lincoln had been facing a number of issues sur-rounding a 150-year-old library and an aging, cement block arena. Chief among these issues were

The Fleming Centre in Lincoln

Inside the Fleming Centre Library.

The arena includes an NHL sized ice surface with seating for 500 people, and a two lane walking track.

The Fleming Centre lobby is used by both arena and library patrons, providing a casual sitting space and place to keep warm while watching ice pad activities.


The Town of Pelham is about to undertake a major project in the potential new Community Centre. The $37 million facility has spurred a great deal of debate, and will have a number of far-reaching repercussions over the next three decades.

maintenance costs. The buildings had become prohib-itive to repair, and it was no longer possible to justify constant renovations when weighed against the costs of a new facility.

“We knew as a council that it was time to address the library and the arena,” said then Mayor Bill Hodgson, now a Regional Councillor.

And so, Council undertook the task of building a new Community Centre, one that would include both the library and an arena; one that could bring the entire municipality together while satisfying the needs of stakeholders and user-groups. They began by hosting open information gathering sessions for all interested residents.

“We had discussions with residents- whoever wanted to come out- to describe what, in their minds, a com-munity centre was going to look like,” said Hodgson. “The exercise in engaging the community was really good, very positive.”

Having settled on a vision, the town acquired an esti-mate of what such a facility would cost, which ended up being around $14 million. They then hired a proj-

Quick facts: Capital Cost: $15 million

Federal Grants: $5 million

Fundraising: $4 million

Development Charge Contributions: $3 million

Debenture: $3 million

Operating Cost: $250,000

Municipal Tax Increase (including annual operating costs): 3% permanent increase

Documents

The Voice of Pelham February 10, 2016