The Orleans Star June 9, 2022 by OrléansStar

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June 9 • Volume 37, No. 2

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Miracles really can happen By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star

Troy McWilliams poses with Jacob, a 2,000 lb. Belgian draft horse which miraculous survived the May 21 storm after he was blown nearly 100 feet and left semi-conscious. FRED SHERWIN PHOTO

Despite the massive damage that occurred during the severe storm that blew through parts of Ottawa and the rural part of Cumberland on May 21, including Navan and Sarsfield, there have been stories of near misses that are mindboggling to comprehend. Stories like the Navan man who went to pick up his daughter from soccer practice 20 minutes before the storm hit and then returned home to find a massive tree had fallen across his laneway where his truck is usually parked. Or the Lemay residence in Sarsfield where five old-growth trees had fallen all around the house like the opening to a game of pick-up sticks, but none of them actually hit the house. Or the Bradley residence in Navan where a massive tree fell parallel to his truck narrowly missing it by a couple of feet. But for two truly miraculous stories you have

to go to the south end of Trim Road where a young calf and a massive Belgian draft horse both survived the storm despite being carried several hundred feet by the wind. Avery is a female calf who was attached to a white shelter in the front of Gordon McFadden’s farm along with six other calves when the storm hit. After the wind had subsided, the McFaddens did a head count and only found six of the seven calves were still where they left him touching off a quick search of the property for Avery. She was eventually found – injured and lying on a rock pile on the other side of their twostorey barn about 400 feet away. She had a bad gash on her shoulder, just below the neck, that had to be stitched up, but other than that she was fine. As for how she ended up on the rockpile, it’s a mystery. “She’s the only one that knows for sure and she ain’t talking,” jokes McFadden. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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Horses, calf miraculously survive devastating storm Continued from page 1

! ou y k n a h T ! i c r Me

I am proud and grateful to be re-elected to serve you. Je suis fier et reconnaissant d’avoir été réélu pour vous servir. MPP|Député provincial Orléans

(613) 834-8679 SBlais.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org StephenBlais.ca

2 • June 9, 2022 • Volume 37, No. 2

One theory is that she was blown around the barn in a sort of whirlwind. The other theory is that her plastic shelter acted as a sort of kite carrying her over the barn. The true story will never be know. Further up the road at John McWilliams’ farm, there is another similar story, only the animal in question is much, much larger. Jacob is a 2,000 lb Belgian draft horse who was standing in his stall in a barn when the storm hit, along with a filly, a mare and a foal that had just been born that morning. When the wind subsided the barn was gone, or at least the part that had housed the horses, and Jacob was found lying, halfconscious, about 100 feet away. McWilliams figured the horse was either dead, or severely injured enough to have to be destroyed, but within minutes of the storm hitting, Jacob stood up and started walking around as if nothing had happened. His only wound, was a bit of blood coming from one nostril. The filly was also found nearby, walking uninjured on her own, and the mare and newborn filly were found still standing where their stall used to be as the barn had blown over and behind them. McWilliams believes the winds sucked the filly out of the barn. “There’s no other way she could have gotten out outside,” he says. As for how the big stallion ended up on the

Avery

ground 100 feet away from the stall where he had been penned up, there is no possible explanation other than the fact he must have been blown there as the barn was being blown apart. “There’s no way he could have just let himself out of the barn and just walked over there and laid down. And he didn’t go over there after the storm, because Troy saw him just as soon as it was over,” McWilliams said referring to his son Troy who was working on farm when it all happened. There are no doubt other stories about how some animals miraculously survived the storm. Avery the calf and Jacob the draft horse are just two of them from Navan.

Friends and family of Glenn Featherstonhaugh present a defibrilator to the Shopper’s Drug Mart on Innes Road. Featherstonhaugh died from a massive heart attack on Feb. 24 in the Shopper’s Drug Mart parking lot. He is survived by his wife Dianne and their three daughters Lee, Laurie and Joy as well as his honorary daughter Rachael Charbonneau along with three grandchildren. The family donated the defibrillator to the store in his memory so that others may not suffer the same fate. Other Shoppers Drug Marts will be taking their lead and installing the life-saving devices as well.

Blais holds on to seat despite Tory advances province-wide By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star On what was a disappointing night for the Ontario Liberal Party, Orléans MPP Stephen Blais was among eight Liberal candidates who managed to stem the big blue tide that swept across the province last Thursday night and win their respective ridings. Despite their optimism heading into the election, the Liberals only managed to gain one seat in the provincial legislature. The Conservatives increased their majority from 67 to 83 seats, mostly at the expense of the NDP which held on to its status as the official opposition despite losing seven seats. The inability of the Liberal Party to pick up more than one seat and the NDP losses have resulted in the resignations of both party’s leaders – Liberal leader Steven Del Duca after just two years and Andrea Horwath who has led the NDP since 2009. Blais was among six Liberal incumbents and two newcomers who did get elected. Only one Liberal incumbent failed to hold on to their seat. Amanda Simard lost to her Conservative opponent, Stéphane Sarrazin, in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell by less than

1,500 votes. Simard was elected in 2018 as a member of the PC party, She crossed the floor to join the Liberals just over a month later after Doug Ford eliminated the province’s French-language services commissioner and cancelled plans for a new French language university. Blais was first elected to the legislature in February 2020 in a by-election to replace Marie-France Lalonde who successfully ran to replace Liberal Andrew Leslie as the federal MP for the area. Prior to winning his seat, Blais served as a school trustee for the Ottawa Catholic School Board from 2006 to 2010 and city councilor for Cumberland Ward from 2010 to 2020. He will now work with his fellow Liberal MPPs to continue to rebuild the Ontario Liberal Party, but first they must chose an interim leader. For his part, Blais plans to continue to hold the Conservative government accountable for their actions and work hard to ensure the residents of Orléans gets their fair share of investments. “(The results) are disappointing to be

MPP-elect Stephen Blais shares a laugh with Orléans MP Marie-France Lalonde shortly after he was declared the winner in last week’s provincial election. FRED SHERWIN PHOTO sure. We were hoping to do better. We have to understand what happened tonight and understand what worked and what didn’t work. “Unfortunately, (the results) give Doug Ford the time and the mandate to cut

education, to cut health care, and to really drive our province backward. “I’m going to work really hard for the next four years to ensure issues like the 174 and the expansion of MIFO are brought front and centre.”

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June 9, 2022 • Volume 37, No. 2 • 3

Gun control By now, most of the people reading this editorial are no doubt acutely aware that I am not the biggest fan of our current prime minister. Far from it. But even I must give credit where credit is due. On May 30, Trudeau announced that the Liberal government planned to table a bill that would freeze the buying, selling, importing and trading of handguns in Canada. If adopted, Bill C-21 would still allow existing owners to keep their handguns, including sport shooters who compete in pistol events recognized by the International Olympic or Paralympic committees. The Bill would also allow the authorities to remove gun licences from people who have committed domestic violence or engaged in criminal harassment, such as stalking. And it would create a new “red flag” law that would allow courts to require that people considered a danger to themselves or others surrender their firearms to police. All of which should come as great news to people who value the health and well-being of their fellow Canadians, and who understand that any gun could be used as potential weapon to endanger the lives of others as long as it is in circulation – especially handguns. There is simply no reason to own a handgun, other than a sport pistol. I don’t know of too many people who use a handgun for hunting purposes. The bill also goes a long way in separating ourselves from our gun idolizing neighbours to the south. Thank God, no one on this side of the border thought it a good idea to follow America’s lead and put the right to bear arms in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Whoever came up with the phrase, “Violence begets violence”, must have had the United States of America in mind. Only in the U.S. would you find the attitude the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Or thinks the best solution to end school shootings is to arm teachers with guns. Total insanity. That’s how bad things have gotten down there, and there’s no way to turn back the clock. When here in Canada we are on the verge of banning handguns, lawmakers in the states are actively expanding concealed weapons laws. There are actually states where it is okay to carry a concealed weapon in a place of worship. And they have the audacity to defend concealed weapon laws pointing out that the carrier still needs to have a licence. However, they neglect to point out that getting a gun licence in the States is easier than getting a dog licence, or how can you tell if a person has a licence to carry a concealed weapon when you can’t see the weapon in the first place. I’m not saying that Canadians – or Canada – are perfect. Far from it. But we are a damn sight more enlightened than our American neighbours, especially when it comes to guns and gun laws. – Fred Sherwin, editor

Fredrick C. Sherwin, Editor & Publisher fsherwin@orleansstar.ca The Orléans Star is a bi-weekly publication distributed to 44,000 residences in Blackburn Hamlet, Orléans and Navan. The newspaper is locally owned and operated by Sherwin Publishing Inc., 745 Farmbrook Cres., Orléans, ON. Inquiries and delivery issues should be sent to info@orleansstar.ca.

4 • June 9, 2022 • Volume 37, No. 2

MPP-elect grateful for the support of Orléans voters Orléans Star - THANK YOU preference for big box stores. Thank You - Merci to the residents of Orléans for After their first election the Ford government once again putting their faith in me. While the election needlessly and recklessly dismantled the work to build didn’t go the way we would have the green economy. This has set us liked across the province, I am Queen’s back on both our environmental and ready to stand up and fight for our our economic progress. Park community and hold the government We need to ensure that green accountable. tech: cars, power generation, waste Corner My team and I have worked hard diversion and more are fundamental to serve you with your day-to-day to our industrial and economy Stephen Blais interactions with the province as strategies. Ontario has the right mix well as those big things we need for our community: of geography, expertise and wealth to be world leaders schools, health care, infrastructure, and we’ll continue in green tech, but we need our provincial government to be there for everyone. to get onboard. As we hopefully emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic Economic growth is fundamental to our ability to we will need our government to focus on accelerating invest what is needed in health care, education and our the economy. We need to help small businesses fill all social safety net. of those vacant jobs. We need to create an environment A strong economy will allow us to invest what is where entrepreneurs feel comfortable taking a risk. We necessary to build the best schools in the world. To grow need to ensure that economic growth, and the prosperity hospital capacity and ensure we bring family medicine it helps create, can fuel the investments needed in closer to people in their community. To make housing education and health care. more affordable. To ensure our parents and grandparents While the government talks a big game about their can grow old with dignity. support for small businesses and their concern about Over the next four years I’ll work hard to hold the government finances, their record to date doesn’t match government accountable for these and other issues and their words. work with them to get the investments in our community This government is and has run the biggest deficits we deserve. in Ontario history. It failed to properly support small Thank you again for your ongoing support and businesses during the pandemic, instead showing a please contact me if I can help with anything.

Orléans community shows true Cumberland residents rise to the character in storm’s aftermath occasion in midst of devastation Hey, neighbours! When I first came into office in 2018, I did not expect to have to handle so many natural disasters on top of all the other challenges that naturally come from putting yourself out there and taking on the responsibility of representing and serving our community – and this term has been full of them. Terrible winters with yo-yoing temperatures, flooding, tornadoes, a global pandemic, and the most recent derecho event have challenged us as a community. I have received hundreds of messages, comments, phone calls and e-mails thanking me and my staff for our tireless advocacy and efforts to keep you informed. But through it all, it has been your resilience that has kept me going and has inspired me in a way I find difficult to express. So, this column is a thank you letter to all of you for your support, encouragement, and hard work. I was struck by the care and concern you showed for others when I was touring the

affected areas of the ward with my family following the storm. Everyone was asking how others were doing, and what they could do to help. I am so proud to be a part of a community that takes care of each other the way you do. Neighbours helping neighbours, the donations to efforts in neighbouring wards to support farmers, the extra help you’ve given in the clean-up efforts, the kind thoughts and words you’ve offered each other in these difficult times all have shown that we are a community that can handle anything life throws at us. There is nothing that makes me prouder than that. So, thank you, Orléans. I appreciate you more and more each day. The community that raised me continues to show the care and concern you always have. The more things change, the more they stay the same. And the content of character that you have always carried shines as a beacon of hope in times that may seem darker than most.

CELEBRATE FATHER’S DAY ON JUNE 18!

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On May 21, a storm unlike any we’ve the organizers of the Original Navan Market experienced in this city devastated com- has reached almost $20,000 in support of our munities in the blink of an eye. One of agricultural community. The benevolent acts the hardest hit areas in of kindness and generosity the province was rural are countless. Cumberland Ward – Over the past few specifically the villages weeks, city crews and of Navan, Sarsfield and hydro workers have been Carlsbad Springs. working long hours to Cumberland Village, assist with the clean-up| Cumberland Ward 19 Vars and parts of Orléans effort. The road to also suffered damage, and many residents recovery will be a long one, but the City were without electricity for days. Thousands is fully committed to the effort and has of century-old trees were flattened by 190 deployed all tools at its disposal. km/hr winds that left a path of destruction in It is never easy to respond to a crisis, their wake. but my office stayed true to its guiding While it has been difficult seeing the principles of being responsive, empathetic devastation, hearing from families about and accessible. I believe those values beamed close calls to their safety, learning from our brighter than ever as my team worked hard farming community how long it will take to to keep everyone informed of the rapidly rebuild – our unparalleled community spirit changing situation. shone through. I also want to sincerely thank those who Immediately, we saw neighbours come live in areas that were not as hard hit for together to help each other. Residents your patience and understanding as my team volunteered their time to the clean-up effort, prioritized the most urgent requests. offered to make meals or drop off food, Cumberland Ward, we got knocked down, took in friends and family members, shared but we got up again. I’m so proud to call this generators. A GoFundMe that was set up by resilient community home.

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Once in a lifetime storm leaves scars that will remain for years By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star “Navan will never look the same.” Those were the words life-long Navan resident Kathleen Both uttered after what’s being billed as the storm of a lifetime left a path of destruction through Navan, Sarsfield and a wide swath of rural Cumberland. According to Environment Canada, the wind speed during the May 21 storm exceeded 120 km/h, but that was at the airport. By the time the storm reached Navan the wind speed was far in excess of that, uprooting hundreds of tress, downing dozens of utility poles and damaging numerous roofs – and it all happened in less than five minutes. Not a single property was left unscathed. Well over a thousand trees were destroyed during the storm. The debris left behind was piled two metres high on both sides of every street in the village. The same was true five minutes east of Navan in Sarsfield, where Carole and Gerry Lemay took refuge in their Colonial Road basement as the storm raged outside. The noise was so loud, Carole started praying to her late mother and father to protect the house. Her prayers were answered, but they lost five old-growth trees and their deck. “We lost the trees, but we still have each other,” said Carole, who admitted to being

scared for their lives. The damage in the two villages is mostly limited to the trees. The damage done to the farms is much worse. Hundred-year-old barns like the one that has stood on Wyatt McWilliams’ farm on Perrault Road for over 120 years, have been totally destroyed. McWilliams not only lost the barn, but several large sheds as well. The roof from one of the sheds was left lying in a field 100 metres away, fully intact as if it had been laid down like a feather. “This is a lot worse than the ice storm,” McWilliams said during a tour of the destruction, referring to the storm in 1998 which caused people in some areas to lose power for nearly two weeks and resulted in hundreds of damaged trees. A number of homes in Cumberland were still without power as late as last week as crews worked around the clock to replace broken utility poles and collapsed hydro towers. Not far from Wyatt’s farm, his cousin John McWilliams also suffered severe damage to his barns as well as the family home on the Trim Road farm. The barn at the Gordon McFadden’s farm, also on Trim Road, was also severely damaged and the aluminum silo was left with a massive dent 100 feet off the ground hat

Carole and Gerry Lemay stand amid the fallen trees and carnage that was left by the storm that swept through Sarsfield and other parts of Cumber Saturday, May 21. FRED SHERWIN PHOTO looks as if it was hit by a five-ton truck. Unfortunately, the McFaddens lost nine animals when the barn collapsed. Otherwise, no one was hurt, which could be one of the most remarkable aspects of the storm. No one in Cumberland was injured. The other big story is how the community rallied together. Within hours of the storm hitting, neighbours were already helping neighbours. And the support extended

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WillowbendRetirement.com 6 • June 9, 2022 • Volume 37, No. 2

well beyond Cumberland as residents in Orléans and elsewhere rallied to the cause, leaving local city councillor Catherine Kitts searching for the appropriate words. “The outpouring of support has been overwhelming,” said Kitts who is especially proud of her constituents and neighbours. “We got knocked down, but we got up again. I’m so proud to call this resilient community home.”

The winds of destruction Clockwise from above: A fallen tree and downed power lines sit in front of a house on Canary Street in Navan; a car is crushed by a tree on Galaxie Avenue, also in Navan; a 120-year-old barn at the McWilliams farm on Perrault Road was reduced to a pile of rubble by the ferocious winds that blew through the area on May 21; the wind was so strong it made a large dent in the silo on the McFadden farm on Trim Road; (below) the steeple at St. Hugues church in Sarsfield sits upside down in the parking lot; (right) the stop sign at Frank Kenny and Colonial Roads sits on the ground after the post was snapped in two. FRED SHERWIN PHOTOS

June 9, 2022 • Volume 37, No. 2 • 7

Blue Spruce Antiques a hidden gem on Dunning Road By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star Full disclosure – I have to admit that I am a bit of an antique junkie and have been for several years. Which is why it is so bizarre that I only just discovered Blue Spruce Antiques on Dunning Road a little over a year ago. I’ve driven down that section of Dunning Road between Innes and French Hill Road at least 30-40 times a year, and never knew there was an antique store that has been there for more than 20 years. It wasn’t until I did a search for antique dealers near Orléans that I finally discovered the business. When I drove back down Dunning Road, with my eyes peeled, I at long last saw their big sign on the west side of the road, halfway between French Hill Road and Colonial Road. Lorraine Seguin is the owner of Blue Spruce Antiques. She bought the business, which included a farm house and 49 acres of land, from the previous owner in 2006. Before she bought the antique store, Seguin had been a regular at flea markets across the region in places like Stittsville, Antrim, Masson and Lachute for years and had already built up a sizable collection of her own.

In fact, it took her a year to move everything from her old house in Orléans to the new property on Dunning. Since then, she has only added to the collection. In the early days, she was selling almost as much as she was purchasing. More lately, the tables have tipped in favour of new acquisitions, which Seguin admits is the best part of being an antique dealer. Seguin keeps most of her antiques in a large two-storey barn. A nearby yurt contains the remainder of the vintage items which include antique dolls, fine china, silverware, jewelry, over 100 solid wood dining chairs, gas lamps and artwork of all kinds. The business and Seguin herself have suffered their fair share of ups and downs in recent years. In 2017, a tornado hit a second yurt that contained a number of antiques. The yurt itself was completely destroyed, but most of its contents were recovered. The COVID pandemic resulted in a significant drop in business owing to the wave of shutdowns and the unwillingness on the part of most people to go out and shop even after the province started lifting the restrictions. Although the business managed to survive the recent storm that swept through the area on May 21, the roof on the yurt was badly

Blue Spruce Antiques owner Lorraine Seguin stands in the main building on her Dunning Road property housing thousands of antiques and vintage items. FRED SHERWIN PHOTO damaged. Fortunately had a replacement in storage. If all that isn’t enough, Seguin is also a cancer survivor. The cancer was discovered in December 2019 while the doctors were performing an emergency appendectomy. Fortunately, it was discovered in its early

stages and the prognosis for a full recovery is extremely positive. Blue Spruce Antiques is located at 2870 Dunning Road. They are open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on weekdays by appointment only. Call 613-286-2535 or 613-219-7702.

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8 EC_RO_Orleans_ENG03.indd • June 9, 2022 • 1Volume 37, No. 2

2022-04-27 1:30 PM

(Between Innes & Colonial Roads)

Alavida Lifestyles Promenade nestled in a spectacular setting Special to the Orléans Star What better way to retire than to live in an area surrounded by water and nature? Alavida Lifestyles’ Promenade location is situated next to the Ottawa River in Orléans, giving residents scenic views year-round with easy access to surrounding parks and pathways, full of life and discovery. It’s the most beautiful time of year to discover all that Promenade has to offer, so we’re celebrating with a summer barbecue and open house on Friday, June 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 130 and 150 Rossignol Drive. It’s the chance for you, your parent or your loved one to come see Promenade’s impeccably designed spaces, finer dining, stimulating activities and premium location that is surrounded by nature, while only four minutes down the road from Place d’Orléans Shopping Centre. Promenade has specialized amenities meant to support each resident’s needs, helping them dive into new interests. You can recharge in our wellness centre or take an aquafit class in our heated, indoor saltwater pool. Alternatively, you can soak up the great outdoors on one of our large

outdoor patios, or spend some time in our fully stocked library. Need to head into town? If so, our shuttle bus makes visiting locations in Orléans easy and safe. Our carefully curated, all-inclusive suites allow for various lifestyle options depending on your desired comfort level and independence, all without compromising on quality and accessibility. Our Seniors’ Suites are designed with style and prosperity in mind, offering residents the freedom to come and go as they please with the confidence that their home is secure. Our Retirement Residences provide varying levels of care for those who require extra assistance and support, created with contemporary and relaxing features to allow for a continuum of care that can be adapted as necessary. Our barbecue and open house event on June 17 is set to feature live music, cold drinks, tasty summer barbecue options (while supplies last) and our doors propped open inviting you to come to tour the property. The staff at Promenade are eager to show you around and answer any questions you may have about the Alavida lifestyle. Guests, residents and members of the

Residents at Alavida Promenade in Orléans get to enjoy some spectacular sunsets over the Ottawa River. PHOTO SUPPLIED community will also have the opportunity to make a monetary contribution to the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) Ottawa branch’s Refugee Settlement Fund, specifically established to provide financial assistance to Ukrainian refugees settling right here in Ottawa. We can’t wait to meet you and show you

around our beautiful property. And if you can’t join us on June 17, don’t hesitate to drop by any weekday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. for a chat and a tour. For more information or to RSVP today, contact our Lifestyle Specialist Judie Wheeland at 613-229-7973, or lifestyle. promenade@alavidalifestyles.com.

June 9, 2022 • Volume 37, No. 2 • 9

Grand opening Monday June 6

Orléans plasma donor centre Your community is an important link in Canada’s Lifeline. Canadian Blood Services recently opened a new plasma donor centre at 110 Place d'Orléans Drive (Exterior entrance only, beside Mark's).

What is plasma? Plasma is the straw-coloured, protein-rich liquid in blood that supports our immune system and helps control excessive bleeding. Every day, there are patients whose lives depend on medications made from the proteins found in plasma. These lifesaving plasma protein products are used to help treat a number of chronic and life-threatening conditions.

Rakesh, plasma donor

Plasma donor centre Place d'Orleans shopping centre 110 place d'Orleans drive

Why plasma? Currently, the need for plasma is more than four times what is currently donated in Canada. Canadian Blood Services has opened a new plasma donor centre in Orleans because we are confident that the community will be able to help meet the growing needs of patients across Canada who rely on plasma-based treatments.

Become a plasma donor

You can join the first plasma donors in Orleans. Book your appointment today at blood.ca/orleans, on the GiveBlood app or call 1 888 2 DONATE (1.888.236.6283). You can also book a plasma donation appointment by using the camera app on your mobile device to scan this QR code

10 • June 9, 2022 • Volume 37, No. 2

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East end pair shine at OFSAA T&F finals By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star Elizabeth Vroom from Sir Wilfrid Laurier Secondary School in Orléans and Timeo Atonfo from École secondaire publique Gisèle-Lalonde, also in Orléans, were this area’s two best hopes to win a medal at last week’s OFSAA provincial track and field championships in Toronto and they both lived up to their pre-meet potential. Vroom set a new provincial and Canadian interscholastic record in the Open Girls 2000-metre Steeplechase, crossing the finish line in 6:52.19 – more than 10 seconds lower than her previous personal best which she ran in the preliminary heats. Atonfo captured the gold medal in the TimeoAtonfofromÉcolesecondairepubliqueGisèle-Lalondebecamethe first novice boys 300-metre hurdles and added east end athlete to win two medals at the same OFSAA championships since a silver medal in the 100-metre event to 2009 when he won gold in the 300-metre hurdles and a silver in the 100-metre become the first east end athlete to win two individual gold medals in the same year event in Toronto last week FILE PHOTO.

since Segun Makinde won two gold medals in 2009 running in the 200-metre dash and the 110-metre hurdles for Colonel By Secondary School. Atonfo was awarded the gold medal in the 300-metre hurdles despite finishing the race in a different lane than the won he started in. After running much of the race in lane five, which he started in, Atonfo drifted into lane four as he was heading to the finish line. Because he didn’t impede the runner in that lane and didn’t gain any tactical advantage, he was still awarded the gold medal. Other athletes who won medals in Toronto include Ibrahim Domiati from Louis-Riel who finished second in the novice boys 400 metres; Dustin Coldrey from Colonel By who placed third in the junior boys shotput; and the Colonel CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

June 9, 2022 • Volume 37, No. 2 • 11

Vroom sets record in winning 2,000-metre steeplechase Continued from page 1

By senior boys 4x100 metre relay team consisting of Janssen Assogba, Mukthar Raji, Ladi Ogunmekan and Jonathan NgoMinh Rusimovic which won bronze. Vroom’s record-setting 2000-metre steeplechase run was near picture perfect. She lead all but the first lap of the race, and she had a terrific finishing kick. “I knew after running the prelim in just over seven minutes I had a lot left, so my goal was to run under seven minutes and possibly break the record,” Vroom said after the final. She ended up breaking the record set in 2019 by more than five seconds. Besides finishing third in the junior boys shotput, Colonel By’s Dustin Coldrey also placed fifth in the discus, giving him two top five finishes. Colonel By’s novice boys 4x100 metre relay team just missed out in joining the school’s senior boys squad on the podium. Aleem Khaida, Charlie Cameron, Mason Brennan and Ezra Ng-A-Fook placed fourth in their final, just 0.41 seconds behind the team from Etobicoke Collegiate.

12 • June 9, 2022 • Volume 37, No. 2

Elizabeth Vroom from Sir Wilfrid Laurier, sports the gold medal she won in the Open Girls 2000-metre Steeplechase after returning home from the OFSAA provincial track andfieldchampionships.

Lady Knights capture provincial soccer silver By Fred Sherwin The Orléans Star The St. Peter Knights senior girls soccer team went to the OFSAA provincial ‘AAA’ soccer championships hoping to win a gold medal. Unfortunately, they had to settle for silver after losing to St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School from Hamilton in overtime. The two teams battled each other to a 0-0 tie in regulation as neither squad was able to effectively penetrate the other team’s defence. The first 10 minutes of extra time played out the same as the first 90, as did the first five minutes of the second extra session. Then with five minutes left in extra time, St. Thomas More took advantage of a rare breakdown in St, Peter’s defence to score the golden goal for the championship win. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Knights, who were totally dominant for most of the tournament, outscoring their opponents 20-1 through the first six games including a 4-0 win over Brooklin High School from Whitby in the semi-finals. The Knights went into the tournament seeded sixth despite the fact that three of their players have already signed scholarships to

play Division 1 soccer in the United States next year and two others are committed to play CIS soccer on this side of the border. The three players heading south of the border next fall are Riley Bonadie (Louisiana Tech); Jessica Boyle (Charleston Southern); Clair Rea (University of Alabama Birmingham); and Peyton Fairchild (Northern Vermont). Alexis Virgo is going to Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, B.C. and keeper Paige Robert will beheading off to Bishop’s University in Sherbrooke. The Knights went into the provincial championships on a high after winning the National Capital ‘AAA’ title 2-1 over the St. Mother Teresa Titans on May 26 to cap a 5-0-2 record through the regular season and the opening game of the playoffs. The two ties were actually awarded to them for games that weren’t played. The first tie was awarded to them and their would-be opponents from Glebe when the latter didn’t have enough players to field a team. The second tie was awarded to St. Peter after their second scheduled game against Glebe was canceled in the aftermath of the storm that swept across the region on May 21.

Team roster: Paige Robert, Claire Rea, Alexis Virgo, Riley Bonadie, Jessica Boyle, Ava Singh, Rowyn Serne, Peyton Fairchild, Arianna Navarro, Leticia Palomino, Rania DeMone, Jaidyn Février, Katie Fong, Vanessa Wynn, Brooke Murphy, Jaia Fullerton, Vanessa Zapata and Peyton Wynn. Co-coaches Ben Markatti and Bobby Begin.

All five Grade 12 players on the Knights were part of the team that won a bronze medal at the 2019 OFSAA championships. If not for the COVID-19 pandemic that wiped out the last two seasons, the Knights would have been serious contenders to win four straight city championships and earn four

straight trips to the provincials. It’s one of those “what if” scenarios that will stick with those Grade 12 players and Knights coach Ben Markatti for a very long time. “Could we have contended for more medals? I’d like to think so,” Markatti ponders when asked. “Unfortunately, we’ll never know.”

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June 9, 2022 • Volume 37, No. 2 • 13