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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 44 Issue 40
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.50% 3 Year GIC - 3.00% 5 Year GIC - 3.25% Daily Interest 1.75%
Friday, October 7, 2011
Water rescue training delayed until spring
Knetsch convinces council to try to start preventing river erosion by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - Rivers keep changing and council here has recognized that sometimes those changes are not for the better. Council supported councillor Andy Knetsch’s notice of motion on Sept. 27 to begin studies again on how to deal with erosion in the Conestogo River that not only threatens downtown Drayton with flooding, but also presents a safety issue. Knetsch’s motion noted concerns have been expressed over the past few years about flooding in Drayton, as well as the deterioration of the railway abutments left by CN Railway following the removal of the railway lines through the community. The motion stated, “It is evident that the gravel and concrete continue to build up in the riverbed in the Drayton area.” The motion asked council to direct staff to arrange a meeting with the Grand River Conservation Authority, CN Railway and township representatives to explore options for the removal of the railway abutments and to commence river dredging to address the safety and flooding concerns and also as an aesthetic remedy for the downtown area. Knetsch brought diagrams of the river to council showing how it was edged into a bank over the course of several years. He said it is “a matter of when, not if, the Conestogo River will flood again.” He said the last report to council on the issue came in 2009, and the GRCA reported
then the river will continue to change its course. He urged councillors to go and see for themselves. “Just walk along it. It’s going to fill up,” he said. He added dredging the river at the north end of the abutments would “save a lot of aggravation for the people downstream.” Plus, he said, the Mapleton Fire Department has done exercises at the problem site and there is a safety issue, too. But, Knetsch pointed out, one of the big problems has been a lack of response from CN. He said he tried to contact the manager of CN in August and there has been no reply. He said Mapleton’s GRCA representative Pat Salter is ready to take up the cause and, “The only people who need to get on board is CN.” Councillor Jim Curry supported Knetsch, and added there is a third issue: health. He said stagnant pools created by blocked water are a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Councillor Neil Driscoll was direct in the difficulty he sees. “Where do we get a budget of what it costs to repair?” Dredging is not cheap, he noted, and the previous council did not do it because of the cost. Councillor Mike Downey said the GRCA will do the calculations, and “We can’t do it without their approval.” Mayor Bruce Whale said from what he recalls, the GRCA was supposed to contact CN. Continued on page 8
Local man found directory after Goderich tornado by Chris Daponte MAPLETON TWP. - More than six weeks after the devastating tornado that ripped through Goderich this summer, Reg and Liz Samis are still amazed at the power of nature. “I guess as farmers you’re always in awe of the weather,” said Liz, who visited Goderich last week with her husband. The Mapleton residents said a lot of the mess has been cleaned up, though the town remains devastated. “It breaks your heart,” said Liz. “It was the prettiest town in Ontario.” Reg said workers were replacing the windows of the courthouse in Goderich’s iconic town square, but structurally
the building looks okay. That makes his discovery in Mapleton Township one day after the tornado even more surprising. On Aug. 22 Reg was cutting the lawn on his Sideroad 16 property just east of Drayton (about 80km away from Goderich), when he noticed something in the grass. He says he was shocked to discover it was a laminated phone directory from the Goderich courthouse, which apparently had travelled all that way through the air. “It was just amazing that it came that far,” Reg said. He added his friends and neighbours were also amazed at the find so far away from where the tornado hit.
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Fine day for soccer - The junior soccer team (grades 5 and 6) from Maryborough Public School travelled to the Drayton Fairgrounds recently for a soccer tournament against other school teams from Drayton, Minto, Kenilworth, Palmerston, Mount Forest and Arthur. Maryborough Public School finished 5th overall in the tournament, while the team from Drayton Heights Public School finished 3rd. The team from Minto won the tournament. submitted photo
Councillors consider NextEra changes by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - Some changes to the NextEra wind farm proposal will mean more work for councillors, according to clerk Patty Sinnamon. NextEra Energy Canada has proposed the 10-turbine Conestogo Wind Energy Centre Project southwest of Arthur. But Sinnamon told council on Sept. 27 the company has re-submitted changes that amount to 240 pages of documents. She said it was in her office and the company plans changes to the location of the hydro corridor. Specifically, she said, a landowner who was not part of the proposal has now given
consent to have the power corridor cross his land, rather than the company using Sideroad 14. “He was a non-participant; now he is,” said Sinnamon. She added she is asking the Ministry of Environment to hold off any decision it makes about the proposal until the municipality has a chance to comment on the changes. “The changes are significant,” she added, saying they are “archeological and environmental.” But, Sinnamon said, she has not had time to go through the documents yet, and council will also have to go through them and compare them to the previous proposal, “page by
page.” Sinnamon added, “At the very least, there needs to be more public consultation.” The proposal has been fought by a number of citizens who live close to proposed turbine locations. They have spent huge amounts of time and effort responding to the original proposal. The township held a lengthy special meeting in June to comment on the previous proposal, and had to make sure it reached the MOE in time. The township also sent along the comments from the citizens’ group. Sinnamon added she has informed some of the people in the landowners group of the latest developments.
Council okays amended taxi bylaw by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - It took about two years for Wellington County to get its first taxi bylaw finally approved less than a year ago - but changes to it might be moving much faster. The county sent an amended bylaw proposal to Mapleton on Sept. 27 and council had very few questions about the new bylaw. Mayor Bruce Whale explained the bylaw is mainly an update on accessibility issues. Those are provincial law and all municipalities must take accessibility into account for such things as new buildings, and even the language in which information is provided. The changes to the accessibility bylaw include: - a change to the definition of an accessible taxi cab; - removal of the definition of a physically disabled person;
- definition of a service animal; - a line was added to incorporate accessible formats; - a section about service animals accompanying a passenger was added; and - a new section stating taxi operators may not charge more for persons with a disability and they may not charge a fee for storage of mobility aids or devices. Whale did have a question about a clause that stated, “No person shall drive, or act as a driver of any accessible taxi cab without first having completed a wheelchair and occupant restraint system training program with respect to the handling, safety restraint, transportation, care and safety of disabled passengers, written proof of which shall be provided prior to the issuance of any accessible taxicab licence.” There was no answer at Mapleton council, but Whale
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brought up the issue two days later at county council, which is waiting for all lower tier municipalities to approve the changes before it can finally pass it. Warden Chris White said that change came from the provincial government, which recently approved that part of the bill as part of its handicapped access legislation. White added municipalities must obey it, so county officials included it in the changes to the original bylaw. Clerk Patty Sinnamon said the bylaw came from the Police Services Board and county council is now waiting for the seven lower tier municipalities to give their assent. County officials said last week they had yet heard back from the municipalities. However, to date Mapleton, Centre Wellington and GuelphEramosa councils have given their approval to the changes.
BILL’S
by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - Fire Chief Rick Richardson had some good news and some bad news for Mapleton council on Sept. 27. He said the water rescue training council approved in August for members of his department will not take place this year. He had hoped in August that it would be able to start in mid-September. Instead, he said, a shortage of instructors at the Fire College means training will be put off until next May. Mapleton is home to the Conestogo River and Conestogo Lake, and he told council in August, when seeking permission for the training, the department is willing to undertake rescue work there if members have proper training and equipment. On the positive side, there will likely be money in the budget for next spring. The total budget he presented for water rescue training was $19,444. He said if the training had been done on schedule, having enough money in the fire department budget would be “close.”
Chief: Solar panel fires problematic by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - Six members of the township’s fire department took solar panel fire training in Blyth recently, Fire Chief Rick Richardson told council on Sept. 27. That prompted councillor Andy Knetsch to ask what kind of training the men received, and “Are these types of fires different?” Richardson explained such fires are a real problem, and firefighters are told they cannot spray water on them. “As long as there is daylight, there’s hydro there,” he said. That makes it too dangerous to fight such fires with water. Richardson added he talked with the Fire Marshal the previous week and learned, “you can’t put water on them.” He noted in a discussion after the meeting people are working on ways to fight them with foam. While such fires are rare, the panels are often located on buildings and their wires are exposed to the elements.
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