Letters & Op-Ed, June 1 2022

Recently there was a Town of Pelham ad in the Voice stating that properties must be maintained. If a person has weeds or grasses that are more than eight inches high, then there will be fines placed on their taxes, etc.

It's long past time that the Town led by example and followed their own laws. The weeds on the sides of the roads are disgusting. If we are to be expected to mow the Town’s property as well as our own then we should get refunds on our taxes for doing their work. There are fields by the MCC, there are ditches along all of the main roads in town, there are areas that are obviously Town property and all of these are neglected except for maybe, maybe, once a summer.

It's long past time the Town took care of the noxious weeds we have behind our house along the Steve Bauer Trail. Every summer we try to do our part to keep them cleared, but neighbours don't care. This year is a whopper and I just don't feel like pulling or spraying anymore. Trouble is they come through the fencing and into my garden that I have taken pains to make, and that makes me very, very angry. The Town should lead by example and follow their own rules.

J. Vlym Fonthill

On this past Mother’s Day Weekend, 57 artists were ready and eager to show you their original fine art in the fresh and spacious Accipiter Arena at the Meridian Community Centre in Fonthill. The hockey arena was transformed into an art gallery with artist booths, live music, fine food and with guests who expressed their delight in being able to see the artists in-person again. Artists were equally happy to take part in-person for the first time in two years! This 35th annual Pelham Art Festival was a modified show planned with pandemic Covid safety precautions, primarily by limiting and spacing out artists in 57 booths rather than sharing space in the usual 80 booths. This automatically allowed guests also to keep comfortable distance.

As a further part of planning during the pandemic and building on the 2021 success, an Online Pelham Art Festival was offered concurrently from May 4 to May 15. Many of the in-person artists and nine more online-only artists displayed their artwork in galleries at www.pelhamartfestival.com. Visit artist galleries to see the best work of each participating juried artist! Curated collections selected by well known art professionals supply extra excitement, and seeing the “Best of” awards sponsored by local business and individuals honour the artists.

The committee is pleased with attendance and with the fact that overall sales for the in-person show were comparable to 2018, although lower than 2019 which had been an exceptional first show in the new Meridian Community Centre. Realistically, some people are still cautious about gathering in large groups due to the risk presented by Covid-19, parking was a challenge at times, and other local events were offered at the same time.

We are pleased to report that Sunday sales were even higher than 2019! Even though the Festival had decided to limit the number of in-person artist booths for Covid safety, weekend artist sales totalled just over $40,000, close to 2018 sales, and online sales will add to that number. Artists donate 15 percent of their sales back to the Pelham Art Festival. After expenses, primarily covered by sponsorships, funds raised through the Pelham Art Festival are used to make annual donations to the Pelham Library, to Art Scholarships for Pelham students of E. L. Crossley and Notre Dame College Secondary School planning to enter a fine art post-secondary program, and to community art programs.

Sponsors are important to the Pelham Art Festival. We want to thank our generous sponsors: the Town of Pelham, Oakridge Cabinets, Davids & DeLaat, Pleasantview Funeral Home & Cemetery, Star Tile Centre, The New Classical 96.3 FM, Fonthill Sobeys, Giant FM 91.7 Classic Rock, Marando Family Dentistry, Sun Life Matt Dam Financial Services Inc., Meridian, TR Hinan Contractors Inc., Adamson Wealth Group, Barking Dog Studios, and Chambers Insurance Professionals.

We are very thankful to the many contributors and donors who helped to supply products, plants, and foods for Pelham Art Festival 2022: Vermeer’s Garden Centre & Flower Shop, Willowbrook Nurseries, Gilbert’s Flowers, Wierenga Fern Fascination, VanGeest Gardens, Rexall Home Health Care, Sobeys, Fonthill, Natures Corner Bakery & Café, Churchhill Natural Meats, Rosemary Culos, Sweet Thoughts, Tim Hortons Fonthill, Star Bucks Fonthill, Food Basics, Fonthill, Country Corner Deli and The Font Café. Artist awards for People's Choice and Best of Theme at the In-person exhibition as well as for the Best of Online Curated Collections were sponsored by Picture Perfect Gallery, Pelham Street Grille, Rice Road Greenhouses, Mac Outpost, Ye Olde Squire Welland, Natalia Shields Photography, and other local businesses and individual supporters of the Pelham Art Festival artists.

Thank you to all our volunteers. Hardworking committee volunteers worked year-round to organize the annual Festival and online show. Students from the Niagara Launch program of NCDSB were invaluable in helping to move boards from the storage room and setting up booths for the artist displays. Pelham Garden Club members, set up/decorating volunteers, weekend host volunteers and Pelham Art Festival Committee volunteers were all important for making the show and sale possible and enjoyable.

Thank you to the community. Art Around Town displays were set up in local businesses to promote the show. They included Boggio Pharmacy, The Font Café, Nature’s Corner Café, Meridian Community Centre, Indulgence Bakery, and Pelham Library, Fonthill. A special thank you to Pelham Library staff and the Meridian Community Centre staff for their support and gracious readiness to help for anything that was needed all weekend.

Finally, thank you to everyone who attended the 35th Annual Pelham Art Festival and to those who visited artist galleries in the Online Pelham Art Festival. We invite you to see hundreds of images of original fine art for sale as artists continue to have a gallery presence throughout the year at www.pelhamartfestival.com.

Heidi TeBrake, Chair Pelham Art Festival Committee Fonthill

As a result of some inauspicious happenings south of the border, a few more people might suppose in disgusted tones that the US is going to hell in a hand basket. The recent school shooting of 19 young students and two teachers in Texas added another 21 reasons to provoke such sentiments.

How many more mass murder tragedies will it take before the matter of gun control becomes a priority for the US government? Surely, this recent massacre must get the attention of every legislator at all levels of government. The million-dollar question is, what do they intend to do about it?

One might think the death toll and injury rate due to the easy access to guns in the US should get the attention needed to stop these mindless massacres. Surely, the issue has exceeded the levels needed to be considered of crisis proportions.

It is probable that at the time of its creation, the authors of the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution were responding to the tenor of that period. Understandably, the right to bear arms was likely necessary during those more lawless and unsettling times. Surely the writers did not intend so many homes to become fortresses. According to official federal data there are 1.2 guns for every citizen living in the US. There are more guns in the civilian population then there are in the military.

Everyone knows the purpose of a handgun. Plain and simple, these weapons are to kill people. It is difficult to rationalize the possession of such weapons by other than law enforcement personnel. Likely some pistol-packing advocates will disagree with that sentiment. It is to be hoped that in expressing their disagreement they will be civil and unarmed. Those dissenters might rationalize for us why so many people need a loaded handgun in their bedside table or in the glove box of their vehicle.

However, the weapons of choice for those who aim to execute groups of people are the semi-automatic assault rifles designed for warfare. The AK-47 is among the best known of this type of weapon although there are plenty of knockoffs and other brands. Why on earth these weapons are made available for public consumption is beyond understanding. The capability of these killing devices goes beyond usage for game hunting and target shooting.

Fortunately, the acquisition of guns in Canada is a little more complicated and regulated. However, there is some concern about the cross-border smuggling and the black market supplying civilians who are intent on having such weaponry. The criminal element know the ways of the underworld in how to acquire illegal guns. A recent carjacking in Toronto was committed by three men. Two of them were armed with handguns. Such incidents demonstrate that guns are readily available even to petty criminal in our beloved Canada.

Praying for and thinking of the victims of such killing sprees is charitable but isn’t quite enough. Only taking away the weaponry of demented people inclined to such evil acts will resolve the issue. ◆

Well, it is June and the school year is winding down. A school year that started last September with masks, restrictions and feelings of apprehension and worry has progressed to almost our old normal.

I am so proud of the students who over the pandemic years have had to adapt to the discomfort of masks, disruptions and online learning. They carried on and made the best of it. This year they experienced a whole year in class with their peers, free from major disruptions and they even enjoyed school sports with spectators and class outings.

The teachers have had to learn a new way of presenting their lessons while keeping themselves and their families safe. This year they have played a lot of “catch up” as not all students adapted well to online learning. We owe them our admiration and gratitude for their perseverance and dedication.

I am especially proud of all the parents who many times had to adjust their schedules on short notice to accommodate the problems Covid presented. Hopefully, we will never have to face a situation like this again.

On May 12, for the first time in two years, all DSBN elementary schools welcomed new Junior Kindergarten students and their families for an in-person visit. Also this year, schools will be holding graduation ceremonies and proms are back! I do feel badly for the students who missed these important milestones in the last two years.

On the building front, even though Covid has caused a delay in the building and opening of the new West Niagara Secondary School, progress is being made. The ministry has approved funding for the building of a new elementary school in Niagara Falls and has also given the DSBN $10.4 million dollars for an addition to Quaker Road school, which will include 331 students spaces, three child care rooms and a new gymnasium.

Over the last year, the Policy Committee has reviewed and invited community comments on 20 policies. There were two new policies created—one dealing with equity and inclusion and another with sex trafficking. Next year, there are 28 policies up for review.

A new comprehensive toolkit was created that clearly outlines for teachers and administrators the proper way to deal with accusations of sexual harassment and abuse. This toolkit included a lot of student input.

The Summer HEAT learning programs are back in-person this year. These will include programs from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 12, including adult learners. All summer learning programs will provide valuable opportunities for students and will focus on preparation for a strong start in September.

The goal of the Summer HEAT program is to continue to develop literacy and numeracy skills to support students for success.

Students with special learning needs will be supported through a variety of programs. DSBN Special Education staff will provide programs that focus on the development of social skills through play, problem-solving, movement and sensory opportunities. Students will have access to inclusive programming that supports building independence, self-advocacy, while enhancing literacy learning. All special education programs will provide important support and continuation of learning for students in the development of social, communication, literacy, numeracy, and technology skills to prepare for September.

Last July, we introduced a highly successful Mohawk language component as an addition to the summer program. Feedback from students, parents and staff was extremely positive. In collaboration with community, we will again hire teachers who are Mohawk language speakers to help facilitate an introduction to the language and culture through mini-lessons, games, art, etc.

New this year, we are partnering with Brock University and Niagara College to hire students from the education programs as tutors in the classrooms at the Summer HEAT programs. We know these partnerships will truly enhance the Summer HEAT experience.

Over the last year, the Parent Involvement Committee sponsored a speaker series. Some 2000 parents registered for these programs, which ranged from internet safety for students to strategies for managing stress for parents and students. The last speaker in this series will be Stéphanie McFarland, the team leader at the Concussion Centre at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. On June 8, she will be discussing supports for brain health after a concussion. The link for this talk can be found on the DSBN website.

I am sure the incident in Texas last week has caused all of us to hold our children a little closer and to question what our schools are doing to ensure their safety. Please know that we, the trustees, administrators, teachers, and support staff look at the well being and safety of our students as a top priority. Our schools are locked during the day and entry is only obtained through the use of the buzzer/ intercom system. At our next board meeting, I will be initiating a discussion about whether we need to implement any additional measures. If you have any thoughts on this or any other areas where you see a need for improvement, please contact me at [email protected].

Lastly, for those of you who are wondering, yes, I will be running again to represent Thorold and Pelham as our DSBN school trustee. ◆