Serving Lake Erie’s North Shore Friday April 3, 2015
Posing before the plunge
INSIDE A Chili reception at the Legion in Port Stanley Visitors were asked to taste each selection and judge which they preferred for flavour and which group had the best presentation. STORY PAGE 2
Canadian tall ship Liana's Ransom crew rescued by U.S. Coast Guard The ship has been a frequent visitor to Port Stanley for Tall Ship weekends. STORY PAGE 3
Above: One of the sixteen teams that entered the Polar Bear Dip organized by the Port Stanley Volunteer Firefighters Association.
Andrew Hibbert
Port Burwell Report As share of blame rests on those who opposed the project and refused to visit or promote it one person at a time. STORY PAGE 3
The beaver is a beloved national symbol Village residents are dealing with spring flooding made worse by a newly built beaver dam just south of the hamlet. STORY PAGE 4
Bayham News It was a relief to learn last week that the United Nations Development Programme will be funding a local initiative STORY PAGE 4
LOOK AHEAD Community Events
The March 28th event was organized by the Port Stanley Volunteer Firefighters Association and was a fundraiser for Childcan, a charity that helps children with cancer and their families. This was the first in what is expected to become an annual Polar Bear Dip. The day was very successful raising an estimated $14,700 for Childcan and was well organized with Port Stanley Volunteer Firefighters Association rescue workers on hand to ensure the safety of all participants. One of the organizers, Firefighter Darryl Gratton, was on hand to oversee the event but was also planning to make the plunge. The swimmers each raised money to participate in the
Right: Another one of the entrants braving the icy water aided by a Volunteer Firefighter.
swim with an estimated 74 people actually entering the water. Because the lake was still iced over the Firefighters had to cut a hole in the ice big enough to accommodate teams of up to nine people as well as the rescue workers who spent the who time standing in the water clad in survival suits. Most of the swimmers ran up to the edge of the pool that had been cut in the ice and would step in with the assistance of the rescue workers. Many would then duck under the frigid water to complete their swim but a few actually cannon balled into the lake or paddled around before they
climbed out. Fortunately Childcan had coffee and hot chocolate on hand for the swimmers. I spoke to Renee Simmons a Childcan family support worker who said “Childcan is a registered, community based charity located in London. We support children who are being treated for cancer and their families with our Parking Support Program, our Family Meal Voucher Program and other out of pocket expenses”. Renee said she was very pleased with the success of the event. The afternoon was summed up by one of the Dippers William Doon of St. Thomas who said “It was cold but five minutes of discomfort to me was worth it to help those kids who suffer all the time. Childcan, it’s a good cause”.
Page 6
Classifieds & Service Directory Page 7 Business Roladex
The day was bright and sunny but the wind chill made the -2 degree day feel like -12. For the estimated 150 spectators who were bundled up on Port Stanley’s Little Beach it wasn’t too bad but for the more than 70 people in bathing suits who had signed up to do the Polar Bear Dip it was quite chilly even before they entered the water.
Page 4 & 8
Your ad in the Lake Erie Beacon will reach 6800 Homes, Apartments, Farms & Businesses From Port Burwell to Port Stanley and Port Glasgow. We also Email over 700 PDF’s of the Beacon & are on Facebook & issuu.com Call Linda at 519.782.4563
The Wind Turbine Battle Heats Up! Ric Walford and Jamie Littlejohn,
nounced “doubt”) for short.
Spokespersons On behalf of DDOWT
DDOWT members began by researching the positives and negatives of IWT as experienced by other regions, provinces, and countries. The results we found reinforced our assumptions that we needed to actively oppose this industrialization of our rural community. Some of the concerns are: the huge cost to Ontario ratepayers for these projects; the health issues that many people experience who are forced to live close to IWT; the loss in residential property valuation when IWT are built near-by; the damage that is caused to the natural environment, wildlife, and farmland; the division such projects create in small rural communities.
On behalf of DDOWT, we are writing this note to raise awareness in the community that the battle against Industrial Wind Turbine projects coming to Dutton/Dunwich (D/D) and other local communities, is just beginning. In early 2013 a number of community members became aware that a Chicago-based company named Invenergy, had been quietly optioning farmland in Dutton/Dunwich, with a goal of building Industrial Wind Turbines (IWT) in our community. As more information came to light, many more community members came forward with concerns. This group of citizens formed an opponent group, which they called Dutton/Dunwich Opponents of Wind Turbines, or DDOWT (pro-
After holding a public information session about the pros and cons of InContinued On Page 4