the
Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 47 Issue 10
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.09% 3 Year GIC - 2.26% 5 Year GIC - 2.80% Daily Interest 1.55%
638-3328
Friday, March 7, 2014
www.jackfinancial.ca
High risk of spring floods in Grand River watershed
Elective learning - Maryborough Public School is once again offering electives with the help of parents who lead various groups. The school is offering four sessions and the students get to choose from a wide variety of elective courses such as outdoor hockey, woodworking, Lego, arts and crafts, cooking, horse care, music and many more. Above, members of the horse care group are pictured with volunteer leader Julie Diamond (back row, centre). submitted photo
MPPs back Pettapiece on liability motion QUEEN’S PARK - MPPs have supported a motion calling on the government to reform joint and several liability insurance. Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece introduced the motion in an effort to protect municipalities facing high insurance premiums. “Taxpayers and their municipalities can’t afford premiums that keep growing with no end in sight,� said Pettapiece after the debate. “I’m very pleased that MPPs from all parties agreed by supporting my motion.� MPPs supported the motion overwhelmingly, with every
speaker supporting it. The motion called on the government to protect taxpayers from higher property taxes by implementing a comprehensive, long-term solution to reform joint and several liability insurance by June 2014. Pettapiece received 187 resolutions supporting his initiative from municipalities across Ontario. “Municipal leaders from our area and across the province have spoken,� he said in a Feb. 27 press release. “I’m pleased that the legislature seems to be listening.� An AMO survey found that municipal insurance premiums
have risen 22 per cent over the last five years. In Perth-Wellington, supporters of Pettapiece’s motion included the County of Perth; the City of Stratford; the Town of St. Marys; the townships of Mapleton, Wellington North, and Perth South; the Town of Minto; and the municipalities of North Perth and West Perth. Other supporters included the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Insurance Bureau of Canada. “The ball is in the Liberals’ court,� said Pettapiece. “We recognize it’s a complex issue, but it’s now up to the govern-
ment to take the feedback they have already received from municipalities and the legal community, and come up with a plan that is fair to all concerned. “We need them to do it now, before municipalities have no choice but to pass on further increases to taxpayers,� he added, noting that it needs to happen in the current legislative session. Steven Del Duca, the Liberal MPP for Vaughan, commended Pettapiece on the non-partisan tone of his motion. Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott also praised Pettapiece’s action.
Lucas Rogerson to perform benefit at Norgan Theatre
School benefit - Recording artist Lucas Rogerson of Drayton will perform a concert in support of the Palmerston Public School Parents Council at the Norgan Theatre in Palmerston on March 27.
submitted photo
Main St. W. Palmerston
RoboCop Rated PG and 117 Minutes Long
SHOWTIMES: Friday and Saturday 8pm and Sunday 7pm
For more info call 519-343-3640 or visit www.norgantheatre.com
PALMERSTON - Local recording artist Lucas Rogerson takes the stage in a concert to support the Palmerston Public School (PPS) Parents Council. “My daughter attends the school and after reading newsletters and attending movie nights at the Norgan in support of the council, I thought I would show support for the school and the community the best way I know how - through music,� said Rogerson. The Drayton resident is organizing the event and will perform with a new trio, featuring Caleb DeGroot and Drew Moore, in a live concert event with proceeds supporting the initiatives of the PPS Parents
Council. The trio will be performing original songs written by Rogerson which are suitable for all ages. The performance will take place at the Norgan Theatre on March 27, from 7 to 9pm. Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets are $15 in advance, $5 for students, or $20 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at the Norgan Theatre box office, located at 405 Main St. E., or by calling The Mapleton Music Group at 519-993-8353, or at Drayton School of Music located at 19 Wellington St. N. Tickets are also available at www.ticketscene.ca. For more information visit www.lucasrogerson.com.
Weekly Wag
e insurance; th fe li e k li is n u F osts. the more it c t, e g u o y r e old - Kin Hubbard
CAMBRIDGE - After a cold, snowy winter locals could be facing a spring of high water. The possibility of flooding in the Grand River system is the highest it’s been in years, according to flood control staff at the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA). Municipal flood coordinators were told recently the snow pack is higher than it has been in about 30 years. Almost the entire river system is covered in ice, as is Lake Erie. “The overall flood risk is high this spring,� Stephanie Shifflett, a GRCA water resources engineer, told the flood coordinators. “A rapid melt or a rapid melt in combination with rainfall will result in very high runoff, high river flows and break up river ice,� said Shifflett at the recent meeting held at the GRCA office in Cambridge. The high volume of ice in the river system increases the risk of ice jams, she said. Ice jam flooding can result in a very quick rise in water levels which means there is sometimes little opportunity to issue flood warnings. Communities such as Grand Valley, West Montrose, New Hamburg, Ayr, Paris, Brantford, Cayuga and Dunnville are particularly prone to ice jam flooding. A further complicating factor this year is the debris left behind by the December ice storm. As branches and trees are carried downstream, there is the chance they will clog bridges and culverts, resulting in localized flooding. The GRCA does regular surveys of the amount of snow on the ground at 12 locations throughout the watershed. This gives flood engineers a good reading on how much water is contained in the snow.
This year, many of the snow survey locations are recording two or even three times as much water content in the snowpack as the long-term average. And there’s still several weeks of winter weather ahead before the spring melt. Across the watershed the ground is already saturated with water as a result of the exceptionally wet year in 2013. Much of the ground is frozen. That means that when the spring melt starts, most of the water will run off into the river system rather than soak into the ground. The ice cover on Lake Erie also raises the possibility of ice jam flooding in the Dunnville area. Typically, the snow and ice in the river system melts before the lake ice. Chunks of river ice can build up at river’s mouth at Port Maitland creating a jam that backs water up the river to Dunnville. That last occurred in February 2009, resulting in significant property damage. In the past, the County of Haldimand and the GRCA have called on the Canadian Coast Guard to send an ice breaker to clear a channel in the lake and river. That may be done again this year. To prepare for the spring melt, the GRCA has been lowering the water levels in its reservoirs to create more storage space and allow the reservoirs to capture as much water as possible in order to reduce downstream flows. The reservoirs can sometimes cut flows by 50 per cent. However, there are limits to the amount of water they can hold, so sometimes it becomes necessary to release water from the reservoirs to protect the dams from overtopping. Continued on next page
Police seek information on theft of trailer MAPLETON - Wellington County OPP received a call on Feb. 1 about a trailer stolen from a business on the 8th Line of Mapleton Township. The theft occurred sometime between Feb. 25 at 6pm and Feb. 26 at 8am. Unknown suspect(s) stole a 2007 white, twin-axle utility trailer. A graphic wrap with “CFS� (Clean Field Services) and a picture of corn can be seen on the trailer. The suspect vehicle is a
burgundy Dodge Ram pickup, mega-cab-style, with a gas tank or box in the bed of the truck Anyone with information regarding this theft is asked to contact Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477 (TIPS) or submit a tip on-line at www.crimestoppersguelphwellington.com. Citizens submitting tips may be eligible for a reward from Crime Stoppers of up to $2,000.
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