A polite and attentive crowd of fewer than 100 Pelham residents turned out last Thursday night to hear short presentations from candidates for Town Council, Regional Council, and the school boards, held in the spacious cafeteria at E.L. Crossley Secondary School. The event was hosted by the Kinsmen Club of Fonthill and District, and did not include participation by the two Pelham mayoral candidates, incumbent Marvin Junkin and his challenger, Frank Adamson, who will square off at a debate on October 13 at the Fonthill Legion, sponsored by the South Niagara Chambers of Commerce.
The only candidate not present to address the assembled citizenry was the acclaimed French Separate candidate, Jo-Anne Thibodeau, who was also the only one of 19 candidates across all races who failed to acknowledge requests from the Voice for an interview leading up to the election.
Adamson was in attendance, and noted that the crowd at the 2018 all-candidates meeting had filled the room to capacity, albeit acknowledging that there were significant contentious financial issues on council four years ago which garnered the public’s attention.
The event was a sedate affair, with candidate remarks limited to less than five minutes, no question-and-answer period, and an informal gathering afterwards. Most candidates read from prepared texts, and gave reasonably solid performances. Ward 1 acclaimed Town Council candidate Kevin Ker spoke without notes.
Ward 2 incumbent and retired bank manager John Wink recounted some of his personal successes during the current term of council, and proclaimed his priorities for the next four years: continuing to improve reserves and reduce municipal debt, enhance parking in Ridgeville and at the Meridian Community Centre, addressing climate and sustainability issues, and protecting natural resources. He also underscored a need for continuity and mentoring on council.
“We need experience on our council, as well as new voices,” he said. “I have proven to be assertive and be the voice of reason on council, and tried to get agendas completed by not deferring decisions or extending curfews.”
Retired police inspector Brian Eckhardt, a council candidate in Ward 2 who has done extensive volunteer work with Family and Children’s Services, referred to Pelham in his extemporaneous remarks as “a great place to live, to play, to work, and raise a family. And it’s council’s responsibility to enhance all of those things. I promise nothing, other than to work very hard. I’m committed to this.”
Eckhardt, who noted the close monitoring of growth and sustainability in the community as priorities, also said he would “really push for a council that works together, that attends meetings, that works for the benefit and the advancement of all the citizens in Pelham.”
Fellow Ward 2 candidate and retired government investigator Colin McCann, who was off on a Mediterranean cruise with his wife that had been postponed for two years due to Covid, was represented at the event by his son Sean.
“My dad’s motto in life is ‘I can’t be a spectator.’ This explains both his professional career and volunteer choices as an auxiliary RCMP constable, a hockey and soccer coach, and the oldest rookie on the Pelham Fire Department,” said the younger McCann. Notes from his father indicated a willingness to take a hard line on plans to expand development into prime agriculture and sensitive environmental areas, even if it means facing legal challenges.
I have proven to be assertive and be the voice of reason on council, and tried to get agendas completed by not deferring decisions or extending curfews
“I will listen to my people in the ward, and to my fellow councillors,” wrote McCann. “I’m in nobody’s gang [an apparent reference to the so-named ‘Gang of Four’ on the current council, three of whose members elected not to run for reelection], and the best decisions will always be agreed on by consensus.”
The final Ward 2 candidate, retired federal government employee Carla Baxter, noted in her remarks that “rapid development [in Fonthill] has been a major concern, and has caused traffic congestion in several areas. There are concerns with changing bylaws to allow more density, which can create even more congestion. Safety becomes an issue.”
Baxter spoke of environmental issues in the community, and suggested that part of the infrastructure growth should include a medical centre in Pelham, “that provides imaging so residents can remain local and not have to travel far to address health concerns.”
Regional Council incumbent Diana Huson, who holds two masters degrees and works as the director of marketing and communications with the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, detailed her achievements over the past term, including her leadership on the Region’s first Women’s Advisory Committee. She voiced a commitment to financial accountability, “affordable housing development in areas that are appropriate while keeping Pelham’s ‘small-town feel,’” protecting and conserving green spaces, and support for local businesses.
An advocate for inclusive government dedicated to diversity and equity, Huson told the audience, “I believe public service is customer service, and I take an active approach engaging and communicating with my residents. Local government should be collaborative, cooperative, and have respect for opposing viewpoints.”
Contractor and building consultant Wally Braun, another candidate for Regional Council, said that his career working with architects and planners provided him with a comprehensive understanding of energy-efficient buildings, power production and distribution technologies, and urban design principles. He told the crowd that “Pelham is about to get hit with a population explosion, a problem with multiple environmental impacts.”
Braun noted that the average growth rate in Niagara leading to 2051 is expected to be 55 percent, but in Pelham it is targeted at some 68 percent.
“The City of Port Colborne managed to limit its growth targets to 27 percent by shifting part of their growth obligations to Welland,” he told the crowd. “How is it that growth is imposed on our very best agricultural lands here in Pelham, when much poorer soils in Port Colborne are spared?”
If elected, Braun pledged his utmost to revise Pelham’s growth to a maximum of 25,000.
“Fun fact,” offered Braun, “developers are the largest election campaign contributors.”
Retired autoworker Fred Sarvis, the last Regional Council prospect, was candid that his credentials couldn’t match those of the other candidates, but said that he loves Pelham, despite its hefty taxation.
“Ever since we moved here in 2005, my taxes have gone up every year,” he said. “A lot of people in Pelham are on a fixed income. With taxes going up all the time, I’m worried that people will become house-rich and cash-poor.”
Retired professional accountant and management executive Wayne Olson, acclaimed as Ward 1 councillor, told the audience that in the final analysis leadership is “all about action,” and tipped his hat to Mayor Junkin and current council for establishing a strategy to address the massive municipal debt the Town was facing upon the departure of the Augustyn council in late 2018.
Olson said that his focus was set on “restoring our balance sheet, improving services, and addressing the loss of biodiversity. In addressing climate change, we must focus on the greatest source of energy in the universe: our children and grandchildren. It’s not about the planet that we leave for our kids, it’s about the kids we leave for the planet. They must be included in every conversation.”
Olson heaped praise on Pelham’s many volunteers, and also on Town staff, who he said have been “outstanding, having had to deal with many issues, and make decisions. They’ve responded quickly and expertly, and are cheerful, welcoming, and cooperative in their work. The improvements to our town could not happen without them.”
Kevin Ker, the other acclaimed Ward 1 councillor-to-be, whose family roots in Pelham go back a century, said that he decided to run for the job “because of his awareness of the history of this town. People who do not remember the history can be condemned to repeating the mistakes of the past.”
With a background that includes a mix of farming, consulting, university teaching, and a PhD, Ker is a plant and tree specialist, who spent years working on pesticide reduction in the agricultural industry. He has served and testified as an expert at the Ontario Superior Court with the Municipal Board, the National Energy Board, and the National Research Council.
“My background is reading, and working with people,” he said. “My research has allowed me to travel the world, and that has helped me greatly. If you live only in your own backyard, you only think about your backyard. But when you get to travel and see what goes on elsewhere, then you get new ideas on how to approach things. My approach is to look at bringing consensus, and recognizing that the Town of Pelham is more than just East Fonthill or West Fonthill, more than Ridgeville, or Fenwick. Every time there’s [a new housing] development, it impacts the entire town.”
We didn’t get any grants. Now we owe $23 million on debentures and $700,000 a year on interest.
Acclaimed Ward 3 incumbent Councillor Bob Hildebrandt, a retired engineer, stressed financial management, preservation of green space in conjunction with planned development, and hydroelectric power infrastructure as his top-of-mind priorities. Hydro has been on Hildebrandt’s radar for decades, and he walked the audience through his battles with Hydro One, one of Pelham’s two suppliers, and the “most inefficient hydro supplier we have. Back in 2011, Hydro One reclassified us to medium density from high density. The difference was $20 a month on our bills. That’s something I’ve been fighting in Ottawa and at Queen’s Park.” Hildebrandt asserted that Hydro One also has problems with voltage and power imbalance in Pelham, which require infrastructure upgrades to solve.
He spoke of maintaining Pelham’s small-town vibe, traffic enforcement, and budgeting, and hammered away at the flawed approach to the building of the MCC.
“We didn’t get any grants. Now we owe $23 million on debentures and $700,000 a year on interest. Grimsby waited for a couple of years and got 75 percent of the expansion of their Peach King Arena costs covered by government grants.”
Acclaimed Ward 3 Councillor-to-be Shellee Niznik, a retired elementary school principal who grew up in Pelham, said that she supports a “safe and vibrant town for families,” and spoke to her previous committee work in education and “transferable knowledge” in planning and budgeting as experiences that will serve her well on council, which she hopes will be “collaborative, informed, and respectful.”
Niznik noted that it’s important to “continue with road improvements, ensure our recreation facilities are kept up to date, and used in a cost recovery model to ensure that our environment impact is minimal.”
Retired educators and long-time Niagara residents Linda Borland, Lisa Fucile, and incumbent Nancy Beamer were all present to speak as public school board trustee candidates, along with Rene Nand, a manager of Community and Cultural Engagement at the Region of Peel, who moved to Thorold with her family two years ago.
Separate board incumbent Trustee Paul Turner, a retired teacher and chaplain who spent his entire career at Notre Dame College School in Welland, and Irma Ruiter, a retired speech and language pathologist, addressed the audience about their interest in the religious trustee role.
All trustee candidates underscored the need to address the ravages of the pandemic on children, specifically mental health and well-being issues, and the gaps in learning which occurred when the in-person classroom was transitioned to online instruction.
Monday, October 24 is election day, with remaining advance polls occurring on October 15 and 18. For details, see www.pelham.ca/en/town-hall/2022-municipal-election.aspx#Important-Dates.
