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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 45 Issue 35
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.05% 3 Year GIC - 2.40% 5 Year GIC - 2.55% Daily Interest 1.75%
Friday, August 31, 2012
Tragic airplane crash in area claims four young lives on weekend by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON TWP. - Local residents assisted in the search for a downed airplane that crashed southwest Moorefield, claiming four young lives last Friday night. Harvey Bults arrived at his home on Sideroad 3 in Mapleton about five or 10 minutes after the crash. By that time, his son, Curtis, was out in the field on his four-wheeler ATV searching for the source of a loud sound heard by Curtis and Harvey’s wife, Heather. “They had no idea what it was, they just heard a loud noise,” said Bults. “At this point the dogs were barking and just going wild.” Shortly afterward, Curtis returned from an unsuccessful search of the field and was preparing to leave for a ball game. Harvey was getting ready to go to the game as well, when neighbours Steve and Lori Nicholls, who had seen the plane coming down while out walking their dog, arrived at the Bults’ home. “They said, ‘Heather you’ve got to call 911, a plane just crashed in your corn field.’ ” After talking to the neighbours, Curtis headed back into the field to resume the search, which was soon joined by police and Mapleton firefighters responding to the 911
Fatal flight - The crash of a single-engine Cessna aircraft in a corn field off Mapleton Sideroad 3 on Friday night claimed the lives of four young people from the Toronto area. Transport Safety Board photo call that came in at 8:30pm, and other neighbours who had either seen or heard something related to the crash. GuelphWellington EMS also responded to the scene. At about 10:20pm, after an extensive search of the area, a single engine, four-seater Cessna aircraft was located by some of the firefighters in the corn field.
At the request of police officials on the scene, Bults said he used his tractor to clear a path through the corn for emergency vehicles to follow. All four occupants of the plane were pronounced dead at the scene. Bults said it was difficult for everyone to learn the fate of the plane’s passengers. “You’re searching and you’re thinking and everyone’s
hoping that we didn’t see what we thought we saw - because the plane went behind some trees and you hope that it got itself righted and got out of it’s spin. “It was very unfortunate that it happened,” he said. Police said information was received around 8:20pm from RCC (Rescue Coordination Centre) Trenton that a single-
engine Cessna aircraft had disappeared off radar and an Emergency Transponder Signal had been activated but they were unable to identify the location. Members of the West Region OPP Emergency Response Team and Canine Unit were called to the scene to assist with a ground search. Killed in the crash were pilot Marko Misic, 20, of Toronto and three passengers, Mohammed Shahnawaz Zia, 23, of Toronto; Wasay Rizwan, 27, of Toronto and Victoria Margaret Luk, 19, of Mississauga. All four victims were transported to Hamilton General Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada and local coroner Dr. John Vanderkooy attended the scene. They were assisted by members of the Wellington OPP Crime Unit and the West Region OPP Technical Identification Services Unit. Preliminary investigation revealed the aircraft was rented from the Waterloo Wellington Flight Center (WWFC) and departed the Waterloo Region International Airport in Breslau at 6:10pm. The plane was headed to Toronto, then Niagara Falls, before returning.
Transportation Safety Board investigator Ken Webster told the Community News the agency’s investigation is still in the early stages. “We’ve brought the plane back to our facility in Richmond Hill for further investigation,” said Webster, adding representatives of the airplane manufacturer will assist with the investigation. “We take a look at all the systems and the components,” and consider other factors, such as weather, while attempting to determine the cause of the crash, he explained. Webster said there is no set time frame for completing the investigation. “We want to do as thorough an investigation as possible,” he stated. However, he added, “If we uncover any serious safety deficiencies, we don’t wait for the final report. We publish the results to industry and safety regulators as soon as possible.” Officials posted a statement on the WWFC website mourning the loss of the victims and calling Misic “a long time pilot” who was recently honoured as the centre’s top commercial pilot. Instructors and staff remembered Misic as “a bright, enthusiastic and positive young man who loved aviation.”
Councillors to assume responsibility for water by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON TWP. Municipal councillors in Ontario will be legally responsible for local water supplies under Safe Drinking Water Act legislation that goes into effect on Jan. 1. Mapleton councillor Mike Downey wants to ensure councillors here are ready for the change. “Have we done anything to get trained on this?” he asked at the Aug. 14 council meeting. Mayor Bruce Whale responded there was some
training given to councillors two years ago, as part of their orientation sessions. Downey said he raised the issue after reading an article in an area newspaper outlining the new responsibilities. He suggested councillors should have some more intensive training than what has been provided so far. “We should be going to Walkerton, to the water centre,” he said, in reference to the Walkerton Clean Water Centre, a research and training centre set up in the wake of the
Walkerton water crisis in 2000. Clerk Patty Sinnamon explained that under the new legislation, staff are still responsible for operating the water system. “As councillors, you are responsible to see that we follow all the regulations,” she said. Whale said council should look into further training possibilities in preparation for the increased responsibility. Under the new legislation, councillors are obligated, as owners and operators of the
system, to be responsible for the local water system. That responsibility includes being informed about water system operations and issues, although they are not expected to become experts. Sinnamon also advised council the municipality’s contract with the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) to operate the local system expires in December. She said township staff are currently researching options for future operation of the local system.
Drayton business seeks permission to add culverts by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - A Drayton company is seeking permission to upgrade its property by adding culverts and closing in a ditch along the road in front of the business on Industrial Drive. Jack Bosman, vicepresident of Norwell Dairy Systems, told council at its Aug. 14 meeting there are currently three culverts connecting the company’s property to the road. However, the open ditch area in between is difficult to maintain.
Bosman would like to connect all the ditch area with culverts and cover them with appropriate fill and topsoil, “to make this site much more attractive. “It would just make it a lot neater on my property,” said Bosman, who stated his company is prepared to foot the bill for the work. Mayor Bruce Whale agreed Bosman’s proposal would improve the look of the property and the industrial park. “I don’t think anyone on council is happy with the look
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of it right now,” said Whale. However, he noted the change would affect more than just the Norwell Dairy Systems property. “This was our first attempt at creating an industrial park and, at that time, the route decided upon was open ditch, and the engineers are still recommending open ditch,” said Whale. Included in the council package was a June 7 report from the engineering firm of R.J. Burnside and Associates. The report notes the subdi-
vision was designed with a rural cross section with open ditches, and indicates several concerns about modifying the design, including the need to install sub-drains in order to prevent potential road heaving. The engineers state a swale would still be needed on top of the culvert in order to intercept runoff. “By replacing the ditch with a swale and culvert, there is a potential for water to pond up along or on the road, which can cause erosion and/or potential Continued on page 3
Weekly Wag
nother o old to set a to r ve e n re a You am. am a new dre goal or to dre - C.S. Lewis
Bird of prey - Junior fair ambassador contestant Mallory Emmerson takes part in the Birds of Prey Show, assisted by Sam Trentadue, at last weekend’s Palmerston Fair. More fair coverage on page 8.
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photo by Mike Robinson
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