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519-940-0090 Vol. 37 No. 29
www.citizen.on.ca
Thursday, April 14, 2011
24 Pages (2 Sections)
$1.00 (GST Included)
Highland, quarry opponents came face to face Tuesday By LINDSEY PAPP
recharge system in the Melancthon quarry similar to the one currently operating The controversial quarry successfully in Milton. They application filed last month by believe that water management The Highland Companies led systems, which are common in to both sides of the fight over soil and rock excavations, will the future of 2,316 acres of function properly in this locaMelancthon farmlands coming tion as well. face to face again at the In an open letter to the comHornings Mills Community munity, Highland says no one Hall Tuesday evening. will be affected in any way by The North Dufferin the water management Agricultural and Community plan. The firm will Taskforce (NDACT) and ensure that no water members of the combeyond the property munity opposed to line will be affected the quarry came and that the quarry bearing signage will not have reading ‘Stop the adverse effects. quarry!’ ‘Limestone “We will be dust is death to asthpumping that matics’ and ‘don’t be water out of the hijacked by quarry, to the Highland’ to articuedges of the quaroonnee.. d m e d th wit utt w ithh them late clearly where they ry. We’re going lk oou alk w , s a e x w taxes, stood on the matter. to put that water yoouurr ta h it w y alk inwith Horning Mills saw a back into the WWalk inr calluusstotoddaayy. . o ll Vis turnout of more than it itor ca quarry through m 5mpm p Vis 5 m a 9 0 ay 9 a -399000 vilele ville8pm ; S;aStuard ngneg 9-9411-3 turday rara 200 people at the open what we call aayy, ,OO 51591-94Broad mm- - 8 pm dw aa 9 y w a d 1 a ri 8 house meeting. 181O1pBenroMononddaayy- -FFriday 9 recharge . a sy taxes e Spokespeople for Open M wells,” said .ca e make k w c lo hrb it Highland were present to Gary Hendy, omaxnimeumvreisfund answer any questions that Director of were posed by community Environment members of the issues surwith Genivar Inc., hired by rounding the quarry. respond- Highland. “We’re going to creIn the immediate ed that potatoes are not a ate a sink, a bowl in the quarry, Melancthon area the concerns specialty crop, currently being but on the outside we’re going surrounding the quarry are the province’s fourth-largest to keep the ground water levels numerous. crop, and the Honeywood silt close to or at their natural levLast November, when an loam is found elsewhere in els.” application for a plan amend- Ontario. He stated that predictions of ment seeking specialty crop Another concern brought up what is going to happen with status was filed for the on Tuesday was the water this system would be moniHoneywood silt loam in the resources, with Hornings Mills tored to verify the outcome and proposed quarry area, the loss as near the headwaters of five to adapt to it what the results of good agricultural land came major rivers. to the forefront of the concerns Highland plans on using a • Please turn to page A3 Staff Reporter
surrounding the quarry. “The very simple point is there are only about 10,000 or 15,000 acres of Honeywood silt loam anywhere. It’s important enough to have it’s own soil classification in the Canadian soil register, they own 8000 acres of it, can we as a society afford to lose any of it?” said Carl Cosack, NDACT Vice Chair. Highland spokesperson Michael Daniher
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Photo/DAN PELTON
THE HEADWATERS ARTS FESTIVAL is on a volunteer drive to find those with an interest and passion about all the arts; whether they be dance, film, theatre, music, literary or visual arts. On hand to represent the arts in our region Saturday at the Alton Mill were festival executive director Heidi von der Gathen, reading a book, Hillcrest Private School musician Emma Hooper on the tuba (which Headwaters Arts president Wayne Baguley helped hold up), Ella Tate from Citrus Dance in Orangeville tripping the light fantastic, film and video maker Donovan Romanyk of Bolton and festival volunteer Barbara Matwee catching it on canvas. For more information, or to volunteer, call 519-943-1149.
Survey reveals low morale, discontent in OPS By DAN PELTON Staff Reporter
A complex and thorough survey of the Orangeville Police Service (OPS) has revealed what many have suspected for a long time. Morale in the force is critically low. Released on Tuesday, the 120-page product of the survey conducted by OPS padre Dave Kennedy indicates the force suffers from a lack of confidence in the command structure. As well, there appears to be confusion in the ranks concerning the proper procedures to be followed. An intricate formula was applied to determine the “morale index” within the OPS. The padre wrote in his report that an organization with a healthy morale would score around 75 per cent. The OPS results, however, were just 33.9 per cent. The survey was completed by 64 of the 66 eligible participants in the OPS. Meanwhile, Chief Joe Tomei has expressed his belief that Padre Kennedy’s report, entitled “A Fresh Perspective,” will provide a foundation for healing the rifts in the OPS and allowing the force to move forward. “I specifically asked Padre Kennedy to ask the hard and tough questions,” the chief said in an interview Tuesday. “What I can tell you today is that we have already begun the work that is required to
improve the morale of the service. I am working with the executive (of the Police Association) to put together a working group to address the recommendations.” In his report, Padre Kennedy mentioned that clearly defined policies and procedures, consistently applied without bias or favoritism, “are the bedrock of the organization and without which, the effectiveness of the service will continue to decline. “This reality has created a climate of uncertainty among the officers, who feel that they never know when they are going to be criticized of chastised for the manner in which they have handled a particular call.” An example of the turmoil in this regard is currently suspended OPS Sergeant Curtis Rutt, a seasoned training officer who has faced back-toback suspensions for allegedly failing to conduct police business within the framework of OPS procedures. On March 17, a hearing cleared Sgt. Rutt of any wrongdoing in regards to his actions during a domestic disturbance call in February, 2009. But the previous day he was kept under paid suspension concerning another incident that occurred in April, 2010. Participants in the survey were asked to give their opinions of a number of statements by checking one of four cate-
gories. They were ‘’All the Time’, ‘Usually’, ‘Occasionally’, or ‘Are You Kidding?’ To check the first two was essentially to compliment the force and its procedures, while to check the latter two was to be critical of them. The most damning response came to the statement: “High employee morale is present throughout the organization. It can be felt.” None of the respondents checked ‘All the Time’; just one ‘Usually’, while 16 checked ‘Occasionally’ and 47 ‘Are You Kidding?’ The response more or less echoed that in another survey conducted in December, 2009. Of the respondents to that survey, 88% said morale was low, 10% said it was fair and only 2% said it was high. While acknowledging the results of the earlier mail-in survey, Chief Tomei felt it was potentially inaccurate due to its nature and construct. He also noted that the survey was conducted while prolonged contract negotiations between the Town and the local police association were under way, an issue that could influence the participants’ response. Last October, Chief Tomei and Inspector Mike Robinson approached Padre Kennedy with a proposal for a new one. Despite the depth of the new survey and subsequent report, Padre Kennedy wrote that the morale index is of little true
value until a second “morale audit” is undertaken six months from now to “provide indication of morale trends • Please turn to page A10
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Photo/DAN PELTON
ALPACA AMOUR: Caroline Gregg of Rocaro Alpacas in Georgefield, N.S. snuggled up Bacio, of the farm’s alpaca herd during last weekend’s 2011 Alpaca Ontario Show at the Orangeville Fairgrounds. The Alpaca industry is on the rise with over 200 participants attending the tenth anniversary show, compared to just 47 at the first one.