The Lake Erie Beacon March 20, 2015

INSIDEEditorial

Port Stanley, like many of our local lakeside communities, has alovely harbour walk. STORY PAGE 2

If I had a million dollars

Someone recently asked me how Iwould invest a million dollars to helpconserve Lake Erie. STORY PAGE 2

Shovels in the groundon Edith Cavell Blvd After seven years of preparation,

public meetings, design proposals,zoning approvals.. STORY PAGE 3

Port Bruce ReportLarge chunks of ice are piled on

Port Bruce pier following ice breakingoperations. STORY PAGE 3

Dinner and dancing at The Forge & Anvil

MuseumA Pot Luck supper and an evening

of dancing made for a delightful time.

STORY PAGE 4

Port Stanley school to add more students

The Thames Valley District SchoolBoard announced that student enroll-ment at the Port Stanley Public Schoolwill be expanded. STORY PAGE 5

Serving Lake Erie’s North Shore

Friday March 20, 2015

LOOK AHEADCommunity Events Page 6

Classifieds & Service Directory Page 7

Business Roladex Page 4 & 8

Continued On Page 5

Continued On Page 4

Andrew HibbertOn August 2, 2012 the Council of the

Corporation of the Municipality of Bay-ham passed a By-law to authorize a let-ter of credit facility with the Royal Bankof Canada, to guarantee borrowing bythe Elgin Military Museum to the maxi-mum amount of six million dollars. TheElgin Military Museum borrowedmoney through a credit facility with theRoyal Bank of Canada, against the sixmillion dollar letter of credit. The ElginMilitary Museum has failed to makepayments on the loan and The Munici-pality of Bayham says it’s being askedto cover costs associated with ProjectOjibwa, a campaign that brought thesubmarine to Port Burwell in 2012.

Bayham Council has approved aplan where the Municipality will debt

finance the six million dollars from TheToronto-Dominion Bank for a ten yearterm loan, twenty-five year amortiza-tion period, in the amount of six milliondollars, at a rate of interest of 2.71% perannum*. This will require loan pay-ments of $27,555.95 per month. For theremaining ten months in 2015 the Mu-nicipality will utilize reserves to pay theamount required ($275,559.50). In 2016,if the Municipality has not recoupedfunds from the Elgin Military Museumor obtained funding from upper levelsof government, the Municipality will in-corporate $330,671.40 into the tax levy.

Both Elgin Middlesex London MP JoePreston and MPP Jeff Yurek, have beenasked to help with a solution that won’trequire the municipality to shoulder

Royal Bank pressing The Elgin MilitaryMuseum for payment

Andrew HibbertMany local people are asking why thetall reeds (Phragmites) on the Berm atPort Stanley have been cut down. Alarge machine was seen cutting thereeds on March 10th and virtually lev-eled everything on the site except for afew trees. There was some talk aroundthe village that the cutting was man-dated by the Provincial government so Iasked Central Elgin’s Chief Administra-tive Officer Don Leitch if he could giveme some background on the issue. Donanswered with the following;

“The Municipality is concerned aboutthe impact that phragmites is havingon wetlands, roadside ditches andother areas. The cutting on the Bermarea was not ordered by the provincialgovernment. The Municipality is sim-ply cutting weeds and brush in antici-pation of the site’s redevelopment as apark once the environmental risk man-agement measures are implemented bythe federal government at some time inthe future.”

In our May 31st, 2013 edition we cov-ered the story or the invasive specieswith an article called “The invasion ofthe Phragmites”. The article containedthe following:

more metres tall, each seed head con-taining at least 2,000 seeds.

I also spoke to Port Stanley CouncilorDan McNeil who sent me the followinginformation which has updated mate-rial from out 2013 article.

From www.invadingspecies.comInvasive Phragmites (European

Common Reed) Phragmites australissubsp. Australis, is an invasive plantcausing damage to Ontario's biodiver-sity, wetlands and beaches. InvasivePhragmites is a perennial grass that hasbeen damaging ecosystems in Ontariofor decades. It is not clear how it wastransported to North America from itsnative home in Eurasia.

Invasive Phragmites is an aggressiveplant that spreads quickly and out-competes native species for water andnutrients. It releases toxins from itsroots into the soil to hinder the growthof and kill surrounding plants. While itprefers areas of standing water, its roots

Invasive Phragmites australis is an ag-gressive plant that spreads quickly andout-competes native species for waterand nutrients. It releases toxins fromits roots into the soil to hinder thegrowth of and kill surrounding plants.While it prefers areas of standingwater, its roots can grow to extremelengths, allowing it to survive in rela-tively dry areas. Roots as long as 30metres with new shoots every 30 cen-timetres have been observed.

It spreads manically and is very diffi-cult to fully eradicate. Its rhizomessend out shoots in all directions belowground. Above ground it towers, five or

Invasive Phragmites

Above: The Port Stanley Berm located onthe east side of the harbour showing allthe Phragmites having been cut down.

Left: The Phragmites before cutting.

Left Below: The machine used to cut theweeds. Photo: Sue Bassett Gold

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Publisher/EditorAndrew Hibbert [email protected] Hibbert [email protected] Sura East Elgin [email protected] CroberWest Elgin

Dan KrausWeston Conservation Scientist, Senior Director of Conservation Program Development

Someone recently asked me how Iwould invest a million dollars to helpconserve Lake Erie. My first thoughtswere that I would use that money toprotect wetlands and other habitats onthe coast, or maybe to help farmerscreate wider buffer strips along creeksthat flow into the lake. Now these arecertainly all good and important ac-tions, but perhaps don’t go deeplyenough into the lake’s real issues.

When I really thought about it, theanswer became clear: if I had a milliondollars to spend on Lake Erie, I’d hire apublic relations firm to remake our col-lective perceptions and rebrand theworld’s 11th largest lake. As a kid grow-ing up in the 1970s my impression ofLake Erie (and all of the Great Lakes)was that it was dirty and polluted. I re-member my parents telling me not totouch the water at the beach. My par-ent’s reluctance to let me wade into thelake was probably the influence of bothJohnny Carson and Dr. Seuss. The latenight talk show host referred to LakeErie as “the place fish go to die” in1976, and The Lorax rhymed Lake Eriewith “dreary, weary and smeary.” A Continued On Page 7

joke, and perhaps just an unfortunatecoincidence that nothing more positiverhymes with Erie, but these two popularculture references have shaped our im-pressions of the lake.

Now in fairness, the descriptions byJohnny Carson and Dr. Seuss were notwithout reason. More than any otherGreat Lake, Lake Erie is located at theepicenter of the industrial, urban andagricultural heartland of North Amer-ica. It’s the shallowest of all the lakes,and what goes on in its watersheds,rivers and coastal waters has a very im-mediate impact on water quality.

Although the relatively clean watersof Lake Huron feed Erie, from the post-war era to the 1970s these waters passedthrough a gauntlet of pollution, includ-ing “chemical valley” on the St. ClairRiver and outflows of raw sewage fromDetroit and Windsor on the DetroitRiver. Major U.S. cities such as Cleve-land and Toledo also dumped sewageand spilled urban runoff into the lake.In the days before modern wastewatertreatment, this sewage not only con-tained a lot of, well, sewage, but also ahuge load of nutrients and phosphorusfrom soaps and detergents. These weredark days for the waters of Lake Erie.

EDITORIALEnjoy Your WalksPort Stanley, like many of our local

lakeside communities, has a lovely walkthat takes you around the harbour andalong part of the lake. Local residentsand visitors thoroughly enjoy this walkeven in the winter. The Municipalityhas been thoughtful enough to keeppart of the walkway cleared using asidewalk plow, which is much appreci-ated by local walkers.

Unfortunately as the snow has beenmelting along the harbour it has re-vealed a messy problem. While walkingthe harbour a few days ago I was dis-gusted to see piles of dog poop all alongthe walkway. You could not walk twentyor thirty feet without seeing anotherpile and believe me you want to seethem because you don’t want to step inthem. In the good old days the joke was“slipping on a banana peel” but todayyou are more likely to slip on some-thing far more obnoxious.

And yes it’s not only the harbourwalkway that has been defiled, but alsoall around the village and along everystreet. I am just appalled at the indiffer-ent attitude of these dog owners whoallow their animals to poop everywherewithout cleaning up after them. I knowsome of you are very conscientious and

will stoop and scoop but there mustbe many who simply do not care.

It’s bad enough when the villageis inundated with geese that also lovethe harbour walk but leave goosepoop all over the place. Some of itmay be stray cat scat but it would bepretty hard to tell the difference andit would be almost impossible to po-lice this problem but dogs are a dif-ferent matter. Their owners aresupposed to be with them at alltimes when they are out and they aresupposed to be on a leash at all timeswhen they are away from privateproperties. Sometimes dogs get outand run as the dogcatcher well knowsbut this issue is usually taken care of.

I’m sure in the future every dogwill be DNA identified at birth andthere will be Poop Police who willhave devices that can instantly readthe DNA of a pile of Poop and thedog owners will be hunted down andgiven a stiff fine. When this happensall dog owners will buy “doggie dia-pers” that their dogs will wear whenthey are outside to prevent this prob-lem. I can only hope it happens soon!

So PLEASE dog owners be re-sponsible and take your pet owner-ship seriously by taking care of thisproblem and let the rest of us enjoyour walks around the village.

LETTERSConcern about the FederalGovernment Bill C-51

Dear editor, The government’s secret po-lice Bill C-51 is reckless and dangerous, andit will be ineffective. The bill is reckless be-cause it turns CSIS into a ‘secret police’force with little oversight or accountability.The bill is dangerous because it opens thedoor for violations of our Charter Rights in-cluding censorship of free expression online.The bill will lead to dragnet surveillance andinformation sharing on innocent Canadiansthat even Stephen Harper has admitted isineffective. To make matters worse the gov-ernment is trying to push this law throughparliament in record time.

The fact is, Stephen Harper’s Secret Po-lice Bill C-51 will harm our democracy byputting law-abiding Canadians under thegovernment’s microscope. If the bill passes,our sensitive private information could beshared between no fewer than 17 govern-ment agencies and even handed to foreign

governments. This includes sensitive in-formation that can reveal everythingfrom your financial status, to your med-ical history, your sexual orientation, andeven your religious and political beliefs.Victims of these privacy breacheswouldn’t even be informed — that meansthe government could spy on anyone, atanytime, and we wouldn’t even knowwhen we’ve been a victim.

Do we really want the government tocreate a shadowy and unaccountable se-cret police force that will trample on in-nocent citizens’ freedoms?

I'm hereby asking Joe Preston, MP forElgin-Middlesex-London, to do the rightthing as a parting gesture and vote "No"to Bill C-51.

I encourage Canadians to learn moreabout how we can work together to stopSecret Police Bill C-51 at: StopC51.caPaul Whistlecraft� St. Thomas

If I had a million dollars If I had a million dollars

PORTBRUCEREPORTCathy Crane

Ground breaking on the Prespa Condominium site in Port Stanley.

The Lake Erie Beacon • Friday March 20, 2015 •

Andrew HibbertAfter seven years of preparation,

public meetings, design proposals,zoning approvals and several rounds ofOntario Municipal Board (OMB) hear-ings the proposed condominium de-velopment along Edith Cavell near thecorner of William Street is finally set tomove forward. During the week ofMarch 9th, 2015 heavy machinery wasseen moving onto the condo site andshovels are in the ground.

these seats, and have their name or thename of a loved one on a plaque on theseat. Any other donations will also begratefully accepted by the Theatre.

Rumours of Post Officeclosure on Saturdays

In a recent letter to Central ElginCouncil dated February 9, 2015 CanadaPost announced that after discussionswith their employee's association, theCanadian Postmasters and AssistantsAssociation and after having givencareful consideration to the needs ofthe community and to concerns raisedby their employee's association, a deci-sion has been made to continue withservice on Saturday mornings in thePort Stanley post office. As such, PostOffice hours of service to the public willcontinue to be as follows;

Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.p. Sat-urday: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Public Safety Concernson Bridge Street

In a recent letter to Central ElginCouncil Richard Haddow, a Port Stanleyresident and Festival Theatre Board

The development by Prespa Groupof St. Thomas consists of 15 detachedsingle-family homes on the north sideof Edith Cavell Boulevard just west ofthe Why Not Park and across from PortStanley’s Main Beach with each homehaving a lake view.

This is an important project for PortStanley and we will keep our readersposted as the work progresses.

of Port Bruce are grateful to CatfishCreek Conservation Authority and theTownship of Malahide for their effortsto reduce the risk of flooding.

Looking Back –Jamestown

A letter written by Levi Young to theAylmer Express in1933 contains infor-mation aboutJamestown. In hisletters, Mr. Young de-scribes early settle-ments were oftendeveloped where‘water power’ couldbe built. About 3miles upstream fromPort Bruce, a damwas built across thestream and the settle-ment of Jamestownwas established. Atits height in the1850’s, Jamestown

consisted of a grist mill and a saw mill,as well as a general store, other shopsand a school. However, according toMr. Young’s letters, it was the distillerythat made Jamestown famous. Appar-ently Jamestown whiskey was a popularbeverage throughout Upper Canadaand sold for 37.5 cents per gallon in1853. At the same time records showthat eggs were 10 cents a pound, sugar12 cents a pound and butter 15 cents apound. By the 1930’s when Mr. Young’sletters were published, there were nosigns ‘that either village or mills orbrewery ever flourished there’. Todaymost references to Jamestown are ofthe Jamestown bridge, a historic struc-ture over Catfish Creek, located at thefoot of a steep hill on Jamestown Line.

HealthTalkPolyp a Stool and We'll talkabout Colorectal Cancer

March has been designated National ColorectalCancer Awareness Month, and while colon canceris not a comfortable topic for many, it is essential toraise awareness as it is the second leading cause ofcancer death in Canada. Ontario has one of thehighest rates of colorectal cancer in the world-3,300 Ontarians died of colorectal cancer in 2009.It is estimated that one in 14 men & one in 15women will develop colorectal cancer, and one in27 men and one in 31 women will die of it. Butthere is good news - it is also highly treatable if de-tected early through screening.

Colorectal cancer refers to cancer of the colon(large bowel) or rectum. There is no single causeof colon cancer. Nearly all colon cancers begin asnoncancerous (benign) polyps, which slowly de-velop into cancer. If polyps are removed in theirearly stages colorectal cancer can be prevented.You have a higher risk for colon cancer if you: Areolder than 60; are African American of eastern Eu-ropean descent; eat a diet high in red or processedmeats; have cancer elsewhere in the body; havecolorectal polyps; have inflammatory bowel dis-ease; have a family history of colon cancer; have apersonal history of breast cancer. Cancer in thecolon or rectum can take up to 10 years or more todevelop to an advanced stage. That’s why it’s veryimportant to make regular screening for colorectalcancer a part of your routine health checks. Dur-ing the early stages a person may have few or nosymptoms. As colorectal cancer progresses, the fol-lowing symptoms may occur: A change in yourbowel movements; Bloody stool; Stools that arenarrower than usual; Stomach discomfort; Unex-plained weight loss; Fatigue and/or Vomiting.While these symptoms can be related to other con-

ditions, it’s important that you speak with your doc-tor.

Some lifestyle changes may help to reduce our risk:

Consider these healthy choices and take somerelatively simple steps to improve your overallhealth.

• Small amounts of regular exercise

• Quitting / Don’t start smoking

• Taking vitamins such as calcium and folic acidmay reduce your chances of developing colorec-tal cancer.

• Obesity is thought to increase the risk of devel-oping colorectal cancer, particularly in women.

• Reducing alcohol intake can lessen your chanceof getting colorectal cancer.

• Know your family history – If a first degree rela-tive (parent, sibling or child) had colorectalcancer you are at increased risk.

• Beginning at age 50, make colorectal cancerscreening a part of your routine health checks.

What if you don’t have a family physician andfeel that you should be checked? A Fecal OccultBlood Test (FOBT) kit can be provided by yourpharmacist. The FOBT is a simple, self-adminis-tered test that can be done in the privacy of yourown home. It can detect the presence of traceamounts of blood in your stool. It is recommendedthat everyone between the ages of 50 and 74 shouldbe screened with a FOBT every two years if they areat average risk of colorectal cancer.

Take care of yourself and each other.For more information, check out our blog:yurekpharmacy.wordpress.com

Steve Bond, BScPhm, RPh, CDEPharmacist/Manager

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Shovels in the ground onEdith Cavell Blvd

Ice breaking operations

Large chunks of ice are piled onPort Bruce pier following ice break-ing operations to clear the channelon March 11th & 12th. Several loadsof thick ice chunks were also truckedto the parking lot across from thebeach to keep the pier area clear inthe event that further ice breaking orremoval is required. According tothe book “Spring Floods in PortBruce”, author Ian Johnson identifiesthe dates of 21 notable floods since1895. Of the dates listed, 6 floods oc-curred in the month of March, withthe most recent March flood occur-ring March 15th, 1982. The residents

Heritage Port donationto the Festival TheatreFund Raiser

At their February 26th meetingmembers of Heritage Port, the PortStanley Historical Society, voted tosupport the Festival Theatre’s 'Expandthe Experience' capital campaign toraise funds for the Theatre expansion.The donation was in the form of a$1000. cheque towards the Sponsor aSeat campaign. The expansion pro-gram will allow the Theatre to install 50new seats as well as other major modi-fications to the Theatre building. For$1,000, anyone can sponsor one of

PORTSTANLEYREPORTAndrew Hibbert

Heritage Port Chair John Morrow (Left)of Port Stanley presents the HeritagePort donation cheque to Theatre Man-ager Melissa Kempf and PSFT Vice Presi-dent Brian Welsh. Continued On Page 4

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THE LAKE ERIE BEACON ROLADEX

the entire burden.

The Elgin Military Museum RespondsMelissa Raven, Director of Communi-cations sent the following Press Release

The Elgin Military Museum has re-ceived notice from the Royal Bank ofCanada of their intention to enforce theterms of the agreement between theBank and the Museum in relation to thefinancing of Project Ojibwa, the Mu-seum’s efforts to obtain, move andmount the decommissioned submarineHMCS Ojibwa to Port Burwell, Ontario.Talks with the Bank are continuing toexplore potential solutions.

There are a number of reasons forthe situation to have developed as ithas — the original cost estimates re-ceived by the Museum for the Projectwere vastly exceeded when the final in-voices arrived; other work was found tobe required that none of our expertshad anticipated, generating more cost,and other circumstances beyond any-one’s ability to control (such as the im-pact of Hurricane Sandy) alsocontributed to substantially increasethe final cost.

Delays, again beyond the Museum’scontrol, in the movement and prepara-tion of the vessel pushed back the com-

mencement of operations, which re-duced the revenue generated in ouropening seasons. Other circum-stances, such as the record cold andsnow of the last two winters, furtherlimited our ability to operate the siteand generate year round revenue,and some revenue, such as prom-ised federal funding, did not materi-alize.

The Museum has been experi-encing a very positive response toour newly developed programs forschools and other groups fromacross the entire region, and theability of the vessel to draw newtourism to the region was recog-nized both provincially and nation-ally with tourism innovation awards.

The Museum intends to continueoperations while our team works todevelop new proposals and strate-gies to bring the project to a suc-cessful conclusion for all parties.

Don’t make the problemworse!

This is a difficult and unforeseenissue that has everyone on edge.Threats to close the Museum andthe Submarine are only gong to addto the problems. The only solution isfor everyone to work together tokeep this remarkable regionaltourist attraction open and workingand hopefully for the Federal Gov-ernment to step up and assist allparties with this problem. The Sub-marine will not make money if it sitsempty.

Royal Bank pressingThe Elgin MilitaryMuseum for paymentContinued From Page 1

Photo: David Harding and Kim Teuscherenjoy the Irish and Scottish Reels at theForge in Sparta. Photo by Simon Lee, Lon-don videographer

Melissa Schneider United Way Campaign and Communications Coordinator

We at Elgin-St. Thomas United Wayare looking to give out 1 - $1,000 schol-arship to a graduating high school stu-dent from Elgin County.

Applications for thisyear’s Betty Want schol-arship are now avail-able online, throughElgin-St. ThomasUnited Way’s websitewww.stthomasunited-way.ca, on the bottomof the right hand side ofthe page or by callingthe office at 519-631-3171.

There is one $1,000 scholarshipavailable for an Elgin County highschool student graduating this year.

The scholarship was created to rec-ognize Betty Want’s many years ofservice with United Way.

2015 Betty Want Scholarship application

now available Application deadline is April 20,

2015. Entries must be postmarked be-fore this date.

Interested students will need to com-plete the application form, an essay up

to 500 words in lengthdetailing their commu-nity leadership involve-ment and the impact it’shad on the local commu-nity. They will also need aletter of support or con-firmation from a commu-nity group ororganization that strivesfor exceptional commu-nity involvement.

Applications can bedropped off in person at 10 MondaminStreet, Suite 103, St. Thomas, ON. N5P2V1 or mailed to the same address.

Incomplete applications will not beconsidered.

The 2014 scholarship was awarded toJordin Higgs of St. Thomas.

David HardingA Pot Luck supper and an evening

of dancing made for a delightful timeat The Forge & Anvil Museum on theevening of Saturday March 7, 2015.

Kim Teuscher, Curator of the GayLea Dairy Heritage Museum and re-tiree David Harding enjoyed the Irishand Scottish Reels, the Dance of theGordon’s along with Square Dancingand the music by Shiela. David wantedto thank organizer Sally Martyn andher Museum committee for a wonder-ful evening.

Dinner and dancing at TheForge & Anvil Museum

This cob building was erected in1827 as a blacksmith shop and carriageworks. The construction is unusual inCanada with its black walnut beamsand two foot thick clay and straw walls.It houses artifacts from the Sparta areaas well as other early Upper Canadamemorabilia.

provide a protected pedestriancrossing for pedestrians of all abili-ties and adhere to the AccessibilityAct.

Uncontrolled Pedestrian Cross-ings ("Courtesy Crossings") are dis-couraged when a controlled crossing(traffic signals) is within 100m of alocation. The installation of an un-controlled crossing would necessi-tate the elimination of most of theon street parking along Bridge Streetand include the creation of a curbedrefuge island in the median. Thiscurbed island would permanentlyeliminate left turning movementsinto and out of Colonel BostwickStreet. The creation of a pedestriancrossing is not contemplated at thistime.

The newly constructed traffic sig-nals have been programmed to theshortest cycle time setting for thewinter months. Most drivers whohave to stop at a red signal have amaximum 15 second wait beforethey are able to make a safe and pro-tected movement through the inter-section. This wait time is consideredreasonable. All red flashing mode("four-way stop mode") is a discour-aged practice that increases collisionrates and does not allow for pro-tected pedestrian movements.

member wrote about his concerns forthe safety of pedestrians crossingBridge Street in front of the Theatre.Most parking used by Theatre patronsis on the opposite side of Bridge Street.He suggested a "Courtesy Crossings" infront of the Theatre might be of assis-tance to those wishing to cross the road.

Central Elgin Director of Engineer-ing Services Peter Dutchak, replied toMr. Haddow with the following note.

The Municipality of Central Elginhas forwarded your correspondenceregarding public safety concerns onBridge Street in Port Stanley to theCounty of Elgin. Bridge Street is underthe jurisdiction of the County of Elgin.

It is acknowledged that a curb dropexists on Bridge Street in front of theElgin County Library. This curb drophas existed for many years and is bene-fit for patrons who park on the street inthe vicinity. The presence of a curbdrop does not indicate a pedestriancross walk exists at this location.Pedestrians who wish to cross BridgeStreet are encouraged to use the newtraffic signal system at Bridge Streetand Colbome Street approximately 80metres to the east, These traffic Signals

Port Stanley ReportContinued From Page 3


colour with blue-green leaves andlarge, dense seedheads.

Native Phragmites:• grows in stands that are usually not

as dense as the invasive plant;• well-established stands are frequently

mixed with other plants; and• usually has more reddish-brown

stems, yellow-green leaves andsmaller, sparser seedheads.

What You Can Do To Reduce TheSpread Of Phragmites• Learn how to identify invasive

Phragmites and how to avoid acci-dentally spreading it through its rootfragments and seeds. This is espe-cially important if you are planningto do work in an area which containsinvasive Phragmites.

• Do not plant invasive Phragmites.Native Phragmites have the sameappearance and do not pose an eco-logical risk.

• Gardeners should use only native ornon-invasive plants and are encour-aged to ask garden centres for plantsthat are not invasive.

• Stay on designated trails. Leavingtrails or entering areas containinginvasive Phragmites can encouragethe spread of this plant. When leav-ing an area containing invasivePhragmites, brush off clothing andclean equipment onsite to avoid thetransfer of seeds to new areas. Re-move all visible portions of plantsand dispose them in the garbage.

• Do not compost invasive Phrag-mites. Both seeds and rhizomes(horizontal plant stems growing un-derground) can survive and grow incompost.

• If you find invasive phragmitesplease contact the Invading SpeciesHotline at 1-800-563-7711, or reportonline.www.invadingspecies.com/report

Invasive Phragmites Continued From Page 1can grow to extreme lengths, allowing itto survive in relatively dry areas.

Impacts of Invasive Phragmites• crowds out native vegetation, thus

resulting in decreased plant biodi-versity;

• generally provides poor habitat andfood supplies for wildlife, includingseveral Species at Risk;

• grows very quickly thereby causinglower water levels as water is tran-spired faster than it would be withnative vegetation;

• increases fire hazards as stands arecomposed of a high percentage ofdead stalks; and

• can affect agriculture, cause roadsafety hazard and impact recre-ational activities such as swimming,boating and angling.

Identifying Invasive PhragmitesOne factor making the identifica-

tion of invasive Phragmites difficult isthe existence of a closely related nativesubspecies. Generally, native Phrag-mites does not grow as tall as the inva-sive plant and does not out-competeother native species. A number of char-acteristics of the plant can be useful indistinguishing between the native vari-ety and invasive Phragmites. The fol-lowing information can help inidentifying invasive Phragmites.Invasive Phragmites:• grows in stands that can be ex-

tremely dense with as many as 200stems per square metre;

• can grow so densely that it crowdsout other species;

• can reach heights of up to 5 metres(15 feet), and

• has stems that are tan or beige in

Andrew Hibbert In a recent letter dated March 12,

2015 The Thames Valley DistrictSchool Board announced that stu-dent enrollment at the Port StanleyPublic School will be expanded withthe addition of students from theFrench Immersion program at PierreElliott Trudeau French ImmersionPublic School in St. Thomas.

In a letter sent to Parents andGuardians at the French immersionschool Don Macpherson Superin-tendent of Student Achievementstated the following.

“There continues to be a growinginterest in French Immersion pro-gramming in Elgin County. With thisongoing increase in registration forFrench Immersion programs in theThames Valley District School Board,the number of students exceeds thecapacity at Pierre Elliott TrudeauFrench Immersion Public School.

Parents in the Pierre ElliottFrench Immersion Public Schoolcommunity have expressed con-cerns about the overcrowding andhave asked the Thames Valley Dis-

Port Stanley school to add more students

trict School Board to look at options foraccommodating French Immersion stu-dents in more than one school. A parentmeeting was held in January 2015 atPierre Elliott Trudeau Fl Public School toseek input from the school community.In response to suggestions from par-ents, a plan has been developed for theupcoming school year.

Effective 2015 September, studentswho are registered for Grade 6-8 FrenchImmersion and Grade 7-8 ExtendedFrench at Pierre Elliott Trudeau FrenchImmersion Public School will be re-des-ignated to Port Stanley Public School.Transportation for students who liveoutside of the walking distance for PortStanley Public School will be provided.This is a multi-year short-term solution,until a longer-term plan for French Im-mersion programming in Elgin Countyis developed.

Additional information about trans-portation and the transition plan forstudents moving from Pierre ElliottTrudeau French Immersion PublicSchool to Port Stanley Public School willbe communicated to parents in Apriland May.

Andrew Hibbert If you like to do the Harbour Walk,

even in winter, you may have noticethat a temporary fence has been in-stalled across the site of the new boatlaunch at the end of Carlow Road. Thefence runs from the McAsphault fenceto the edge of the harbour. This tempo-rary closure of the south end of the har-bour walk is to allow for theconstruction. The site has been clearedof most of the snow in preparation forthe beginning of work on the boatlaunch.

Central Elgin Awards Tenderfor Port Stanley Boat Launch

Central Elgin announced the con-tract with the following:

Construction of the public boatlaunch in Port Stanley is expected to becompleted by the May long weekend. Ata Special Meeting of Council held on theevening of Monday, March 2nd, Councilawarded the tender for the constructionof the public boat launch in Port Stanleyto Huron District Contracting. The boatlaunch will be located at the end of Car-low Road, and will include a doublelaunch with driveway access and park-ing area immediately adjacent to thelaunch itself. Continued On Page 7

Contact Darryl Gratton, Firefighters Association 519-932-0390Renee Simmons, Childcan 519-685-3599Evening Entertainment 8pm-12am

ROY LEBANCMasonic Hall 42073 Fruit Ridge Line, St. Thomas, ON N5P 3S9

(corner of Fruit Ridge and Sunset Drive)Licensed, finger foods will be provided $40.00 per person

to pledge dipper or buy tickets for the evening

http://2015portstanleypolarbeardip.kintera.org/childcan Ad Sponsored by The Lake Erie Beacon

The event is organized by the

Port Stanley Firefighters Association

Continued On Page 7

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to lake management. These were thegolden days of bi-national cooperationaround the Great Lakes. And the crazything is that it worked. There were signif-icant improvements in drinking waterquality, beaches were re-opened andboth commercial and recreational fish-eries thrived. Habitats and water qualityat some of the toxic hotspots started toimprove. Rivers didn’t burn anymore,and fish stopped growing tumors.

The problem is, many people didn’tknow about these changes, or about theecological rebirth of Lake Erie. Althoughwe saw some amazing improvements inthe 1980s, most people still thought ofthe dreary, weary and smeary Lake Erieof the 1960s and 1970s. Now, this waspartly the fault of the good people thatwere cleaning up the lake. Governmentsjust focused and funded mending thebad places, so people mostly heard newsstories about the progress in pollutionabatement, and the need for more clean-ups.

People started to hear about some-thing else that was going badly for LakeErie in the 1990s. We would be at a differ-ent place with the recovery of Lake Erietoday if it wasn’t for one small oversightin our management of the Great Lakes.As water quality improved through thecontrol of nutrients and toxins, we forgotabout a different kind of pollution thatwas entering the lake through the ballastwater of ocean tankers that originatedfrom foreign ports – biological pollutionin the form of unwanted invasivespecies. Zebra mussels were the first ofthe newcomers in the 1980s. Native tothe Caspian Sea, zebra mussels foundLake Erie to be a wonderful new home.They also found that it was largelyempty, with many of the native clamsand clam-eating fish, such as the lakesturgeon and whitefish, now in verysmall numbers. Ideal habitat for a newinvader, lots of food and no predators —it was the perfect formula for a popula-tion explosion. Zebra mussels drasticallychanged the lake ecosystem by filteringplankton and covering the lakebed andbeaches with billions of shells.

Zebra mussels got Lake Erie a lot ofattention, but as with burning rivers and

The nutrients pouring into the lake cre-ated massive blooms of algae, makingthe waters, in Dr. Seuss’ words, weary,dreary and smeary. Drinking water wastainted or even dangerous, and in somesummers, the only open beaches towhich you could take your family wereshallow waters enclosed by a plasticbarrier and sterilized with bleach.

And Johnny Carson was right: a lot offish died, although I’m sure most ofthem didn’t come to the lake for this.Some fish died better than others. Manysuccumbed to a lack of oxygen when allthat algae started to decompose. Othersdied of tumors and deformities fromtoxic pollution. Lake Erie lost ten species,including the ancient paddlefish (nowgone from all the Great Lakes) and theblue walleye — a sub-species that wasendemic to Lake Erie that is now extinct.

It was also a time when Lake Erie lit-erally had burning issues. Slicks of pe-troleum pollution on one of the riversthat feeds into Lake Erie, the Cayuga, liton fire several times. That burning riverwas one of the sparks for the environ-mental movement in the late 1960s.Lake Erie showed that burning rivers,dead fish and stinking water are goodmotivators for environmental action.The public demand to solve these issueswas one of driving forces behind thefirst Great Lakes Water Quality Agree-ment in 1972 between Canada and theU.S. This agreement contained severalcommitments, but the main ones werethat water shouldn’t stink, all the fishshouldn’t die and rivers shouldn’t burn.The first Great Lakes Water QualityAgreement resulted in some really im-portant actions that still benefit every-one that lives around Lake Erie. Therewere restrictions on phosphorus, up-grades to sewage plants and reductionsin toxic chemicals dumped into thelake. A number of Areas of Concernwere identified and governments com-mitted to taking an ecosystem approach

If I had a milliondollars Continued From Page 2

The Lake Erie Beacon204 A Carlow RoadPort Stanley, Ontario N5L 1C5Phone: (519) 782-4563

The Lake Erie Beacon is pleased to support yourlocal community events. We will make every effort to post promptly and accurately. If youwould like to have your event posted on this page contact us at:

519 782-4563or [email protected]

F E S T I V A L S & E V E N T S

North Shore Community EventsPORT STANLEY 2015Port Stanley Community Policing Requires volunteers.To help protect your village, call 519-782-3934 or Car-roll at 519-782-7616, email [email protected] Port Stanley Library 782-4241 304 Bridge St. Mon, Tues, Thurs, 10 - 8:30 Fri 1 - 5, Sat 9 - 1. Children’s Programs Maker Mondays, 6-6:45pm Calling allmakers - Explore the bounds of materials and technology .Please pre-register!Pajama-RamaMondays, 6:30-7pm. Stories & songs for allages. No registration required, please drop in!Pre-School Story Time Tuesdays, 10:15am-11am . Songs,stories & crafts for children aged 0-5 with their caregiver.Please pre-register!Games Night Thursdays, 6pm, Come and meet new friends& get your game on! All ages are welcome - please drop in!Exploring the Alphabet Mondays, March 26, 11-11:45am,letter sounds & names through songs, stories & lots of funactivities for ages 2 1/2 to 6 yrs with their caregiver Sign upnow! Register through the library.IttyBittyKnittyCommittee Thursday, March 26, 7-8 pmCome for an informal meeting learn from others & pick upnew tricks and patterns All levels are welcome, please drop in!ScrapbookingMonday, March 23, 10am-12pm Bring yourphotos for a creative scrapbooking session | $5 / personplease preregister!We've got game! PLAYSTATION 4 is here! Come and try:NHL 2015, Just Dance 2015, Lego Movie Videogame, &Minecraft NEW Wii GAMES. Recently added: Cars, Lego HarryPotter, Just Dance Kids 2, Lord of the RingsQuilting in the LibraryCome on in and try your hand atquilting for a good cause. Everyone is welcome to participate!Thread and needles provided - please bring your own thimble.Christ Anglican Church Sunday Morning Service,9:30 am with Eucharist. We invite all to join in worshipwith us. Coffee follows downstairs.St. John's Presbyterian Church Tom Jeffrey Pastor.Sunday Worship 10 am followed by Fellowship Hour. TheDoor is always open, why not join us? Sunday Schoolstarts at 10:20 am. Port Stanley United Church Service of Worship at 11am followed by a time of fellowship. Come join us. We arenow wheelchair friendly and barrier free.Three Church "Cross Walk" Service, Good Friday,April 3, 2015 at 10 a.m. Service to start at St. John'sPresbyterian Church, then everyone will walk with thecross to the Anglican Church for part of the service, andthen walk the cross back to the United Church for theconclusion of the service. A light breakfast and socialtime will be held at St. John's Presbyterian before theservice at 9 a.m. Everyone welcome.Port Stanley Village Association meets the third Thurs-day of the month 7- 8:30 pm. All welcome.Port Stanley Optimists are taking orders for Spring bulbplanters. They will be delivered to your door ready forEaster. $12 each, quantities limited. Please call Marian226-658-0226 to reserve your Easter planter.VON Foot Care Clinic March 26 at The Villa Apts, 289Frances Street 8 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Call 519-782-4089 forappointment. Sponsored by Port Stanley Lioness Club.The Port Stanley Lioness will be serving PANCAKESand MAPLE SYRUP every Saturday and Sunday in Marchfrom 9am to 3pm at Palmers Maple Syrup 34308 Lake-line Road. All proceeds go back into the community.Al-Anon Meeting, Christ Anglican Church 7:30 pmevery Friday. If there is an alcohol/drug problem of afamily member or friend that is affecting you, the AlanonFamily Groups may be able to help you.Heritage Port will meet March 26th, 2 pm at the PortStanley Festival Theatre. Post Card books Vol. 1 & Vol 2now available, $90 each, only 1 set remaining. PortStanley the First 100 Years, $25. Get yours at the LakeErie Beacon, 204-A Carlow Road, side door, 1-5 pm.Proceeds to Heritage Port. 519 782-4563.Port Stanley & Community 55+ Club Meets everyMonday 1:30 -4 pm to play Euchre at the Port StanleyArena. For info call 519-782-4801 (John Brenders) or519-685-2101 (Marie Geerts).Port Stanley Legion Branch #410 Summer Hours: Mon. & Thurs., 12-7, Tues. & Fri., 12-10, Wed. 11-10. Sat. & Sun., 12-7,Port Stanley Legion Branch #410 Don’t forget the Legion offers the following:Seniors Bridge, Tues. night, Euchre:Wed. nightLegion Darts Tuesday night 8 pm Men’s DartsSaturday Afternoon Meat Draws 3-5 pmPort Stanley Legion Bottle ReturnsMon & Thurs- Closed, Tues, Wed., Fri, Sat 12-4 pm.Port Stanley Legion Ladies MahJongg, Fridays1:30pm. We are looking for beginners as well. If youlike to play Mahjongg come on out! Port Stanley Legion Port Stanley Karaoke, Every 3rd Fridayof the month, 7pm - 11pm. Come for the fun.

PORT BURWELL/VIENNA 2015St. Paul’s Port Burwell /Vienna Sunday ServicesSt. Paul's P.B./Vienna United 11:00 am Port Burwell Trinity Anglican 11:30 am Port Burwell Lighthouse Gospel Church 10:45 amPort Burwell Legion Br. 524 Mixed Dart Tournament,Everyone Welcome. Sign up 10:am Start 11:00am.Teams & Doubles. $40:00 per team.Order of the Eastern Star Areme Chapter #15, OESmeets the first Tuesday of every month, at 7:30 pm atthe Vienna Community Centre, Vienna. Otter Valley NaturalistsMonthly Meeting is the sec-ond Monday of the month, 7 pm to 9 pm. Please call519-874-4028 for information. Museum Bayhammeet the 2nd Wednesday of the month7pm, Municipal Office in Strafforville. Call 519 874-4135.

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Port Burwell - Bayham Horticultural Society,MeetsEvery 3rd Monday, 7 pm at the Port Burwell School, Stra-chan Street. For more Info 519 874-4260.Port Burwell Historical Society meets the 3rd Tuesday ofthe month, 7 pm at the Marine Museum. Call 519 874-4135.Oriental Masonic Lodgemeets the 4th Tuesday of themonth at the Vienna Masonic Hall, 7:30 pm. New MembersWelcome! Call 519 874-4135.Photographers of the Otter Valley (POV)meet the lastMonday of the month, 6:30 pm, Bayham Public Library inStraffordville. All are welcome. Call Bruce at 519 874-1822.Hubbub at the Sub Hub Pub is bubbling back! Join us forimprovisation workshops every Thursday 8-9:30pm at theLighthouse Restaurant. Members free, non-members $2.Have fun, gain confidence, new skills, and friends.www.periscopeplayhouse.ca or [email protected]

AYLMER 2015Aylmer 50 + Seniors Welcome you to join them for Eu-chre or Bridge Every Monday 1 - 3:30 pm upstairs atAylmer Legion Admission $2.

DEXTER 2015Dexter United Church Dexter Line. Service of Worship at9:15 am followed by a time of fellowship.

FINGAL 2015Knox Presbyterian Church Worship 10 am. Coffee,cookies, fellowship follows: Sunday school/nursery 10 am.For info (519) 769-2157. Come and worship with a warmand friendly group of people, we are barrier free.Knox Fingal Presbyterian Church 10 a.m.; Friday, April 3- Good Friday Service Hot cross buns and refreshments at9:15 a.m. Contact 519-769-2803 for further details.

SHEDDEN 2015Shedden Library Hours: Tues. 2:30-8:30, Thurs. 2-5,Fri. 10 - 5, Sat. 2 - 5 764-2081.Children’s Programs Preschool Story Time Fridays, 11-11:45am. Songs, stories & crafts for children ages 0-5 with theircaregiver - please pre-register!Games Day Saturdays, 2:30-4:30 pm Drop in and bring yourfamily to play traditional card & board games as well as Wii!New Wii Games! Recently added to our collection: DisneyPrincess Enchanted Journey & Disney Pirates of theCaribbean Lego Print, photocopy & fax your resume for free! Sponsored bythe Trillium Foundation which is an agency of the Governmentof Ontario

SPARTA 2015Sparta Stitchers Every Tuesday 1- 4 pm, Sparta CommunityHall. We quilt, tat, knit, embroider, smock, crotchet, etc. Every-one welcome. Cost is $5. session. Come learn a new skill.Sally Martyn (519-775-2292).AA Group Meetings: Tuesdays at 8 pm in the lower hall atthe Community Centre.

ST. THOMAS 2015Abundant Life Fellowship Join us at the Timken Commu-nity Centre - Doug Tarry room (2 Third Ave.) at 6 pm onSaturdays for a free meal followed by our celebration serv-ice. For more info call 519-633-9207 or go to www.abun-dantlifestthomas.caCentral United Church, 135 Wellington St presents TheBroadway Singers, Love is in the Air Concert, Apr 18 7:30 p.m.Adults $15 Children $7.50 519-631-3503, 519-614-3249

TYRCONNELL 2015Backus-Page House Museum, 29424 Lakeview Line,519-762-3072.Backus-Page House Museum Monthly Clubs!New … 4th Tuesday, Family History Club 7pm THSMembers free or $5/person.New … 2nd Wednesday, Textile Arts Club (bring yourown project or hand quilt with us) 7pm THS Membersfree or $5/person

UNION 2015Union United Church, 6008 Stonechurch Rd., Rev. DavidMitchell leads worship with Sunday School at 9:30 a.m.We are welcoming friendly Family of Faith and are barrierfree. For info 519-631-0304 and our website: www.unio-nunitedchurch.caUnion United Church, Maundy Thursday Service, April 2at 7 p.m. Good Friday Service, April 3 at 9:30 a.m. EasterSunrise Service, April 7 at 7 a.m. at Quaker Meeting House,Quaker Line, Sparta, Easter Service 9:30 a.m. Everyone iswelcome to join us.

VIENNA 2015Bayham Historical Society meets the 2nd Thursday ofthe month, 7:30 pm at the Vienna Community Centre. Allare welcome. Call Bruce at 519 874-1822.

WEST LORNE 2015The Treble Makers Women’s Choir Women 14 and upwho love to sing! Join us for a 3 month FREE trial!Have you thought it'd be fun- but didn't want to makethe commitment? Be a part of our group, learn to singand read music. Sing with us at our next concert! You’reinvited to join us for rehearsals on Wednesdays from 7-9in the WESES music room, West Lorne. For details aboutthis offer, please contact Jane: 519-768-1717.The Arts & Cookery Bank March 25 – The Lost Arts—Back to Basics…Gluten Free 519-768-9986 –www.theartsandcookerybank.comThe Arts & Cookery Bank March 27 – Guys’ Night OutCulinary Experience 519-768-9986 – www.theartsand-cookerybank.com


North ShoreSERVICE DIRECTORYFor Businesses Located Near You!

Port Stanley school Continued From Page 5

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Port Stanley BoatLaunch Continued From Page 5

Mayor Marr said, "The constructionof the public boat has been a much an-ticipated project in Port Stanley. Theboat launch will be popular with bothresidents of Central Elgin and tourists,and is an exciting addition to the PortStanley waterfront”.

The tender for construction of theboat launch is in the amount of$229,379 exclusive of HST.

In 2014 Council approved a budgetof $200,000 for the proposed boatlaunch. The project will be funded frominvestment income from the Port Stan-ley Harbour fund. Subsequent to thatbudget approval, Central Elgin received$35,000 in funding from the Rural Eco-nomic Development fund for the engi-neering and design plan for the boatlaunch.

Elgin County O.P.P.Friday morning March 13th, 2015,

Elgin County Ontario Provincial Po-lice (OPP) officers were dispatched totwo break and enters which had oc-curred earlier that morning between4:30 am and 5:15 am. The breaks insoccurred at the Highland-Drug Marton Colborne Street and Tapas Bar &Grill on Bridge Street in Port Stanley,Central Elgin.

An undisclosed amount of med-ication and currency was taken fromthe Highland-Drug Mart while a vari-ety of food items were taken from theTapas Bar & Grill.

The police investigation lead bythe Elgin County OPP Crime Unit hasresulted in the two Port Stanley menbeing arrested without incident onMarch 14th, 2015. The following menhave been charged:

Michael James MARTIN, age 32 ofPort Stanley,

Three counts (3) of Possession ofProperty Obtained by Crime underthe Criminal Code of Canada.

Two counts (2) of Break and Entera place – commit indictable offenceunder the Criminal Code of Canada.

Two arrested for PortStanley break and enters

Possession of a Weapon for Danger-ous Purpose under the Criminal Codeof Canada.

MARTIN is being held in custodypending a show causing hearing beingheld this date, March 15th, 2015.

Denarryl Edwin CRITCHFIELD, age53 of Port Stanley,

Three counts (3) of Possession ofProperty Obtained by Crime under theCriminal Code of Canada.

Five counts (5) of Possession of aSchedule 1 Substance – Other Drugsunder the Controlled Drug and Sub-stances Act.

Possession of Schedule 2 Substance– Cannabis resin – under 1 gram underthe Controlled Drug and SubstancesAct. CRITCHFIELD has been releasedon a Promise to Appear with a courtdate of April 20th, 2015. �

Anyone with additional informationregarding this incident is asked to con-tact the Ontario Provincial Police at 1-888-310-1122 or 519-631-2920 or theirnearest police authority.

Should you wish to remain anony-mous, you may call Crime Stoppers at1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), where you maybe eligible to receive a cash reward ofup to $2,000.

We appreciate the support of bothschool communities as we continue tostrive to maximize the use of existingspace to provide quality programmingfor all students.”

In response to this announcementCentral Elgin Mayor David Marr said,“This is great news for the Port StanleySchool. We are pleased that this greatfacility will continue to be utilized.“

stinking water, it wasn’t very positive.Zebra mussels clogged intakes fordrinking water, fouled the bottom ofboats and made walking on a sandbeach in bare feet a risky venture. Pre-venting invasive species may be one ofthe greatest missed opportunities forecosystem recovery in North America.

While we focused on putting out thefires of pollution, we left the back dooropen to unwanted guests. Recently,Lake Erie has been experiencing flash-backs to the 1960s and 70s, with satel-lite images showing psychedelic greenpatterns caused by massive algalblooms. This old problem has a newcause: nutrients are now coming intothe lake via streams, rivers and drainsthat flow through agricultural lands,and urban run-off from lawns, asphaltand concrete. This new nutrient pulseis probably caused by a combination ofmore intensive agricultural land use(which includes planting more cornand soy, and less pasture and hay),changes in how and when farmersapply fertilizer and more intense rain-fall events due to climate change.

These heavy rains flush more soiland nutrients into the lake comparedto a gentle rain. In the last few years,this has created dead zones in the lakecaused by rotting algae absorbing allthe oxygen in the water, and madeparts of the lake look like pea soup. In2014, Toledo and other communities inwestern Lake Erie declared a drinkingwater emergency, and over half a mil-lion people had to rely on bottledwater.

Continued On Page 8

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lake of extraordinary resurrection. Boththe recreational and commercial fish-eries have made a comeback, and eventhe lake sturgeon is recovering and isagain spawning in the Detroit River.Water quality is better than it has beenin generations. This is why Lake Erieneeds a public relations boost. For overtwo generations, the mainstream mes-saging about Lake Erie has been thatit’s polluted, on the brink of death, andis the epicenter for the zebra mussel in-vasion. True, but it’s also a lake of sur-prises.

The recent Lake Erie BiodiversityConservation Strategy highlights some

of the important features of the lake.Perhaps most importantly it identifiesthat while we certainly need action inour cities and farms to restore the lake,there are species, habitats and placesthat we need to protect today.

The protection and restoration ofLake Erie is critically important for na-ture, and for the health of communitiesand people. It is a special place that willprovide great returns on our steward-ship investment. And although I don’thave a million dollars, this is the mes-sage we need to share.

THE LAKE ERIE BEACON ROLADEX

Your Local Elgin Chrysler Dodge Jeep Dealer275 Wellington Street • St. Thomas • Ontario • N5R 2S6

These recent issues should not ob-scure evidence for hope. Despite gen-erations of exploitation andinappropriate use, Lake Erie is still aplace of extraordinary richness, diver-sity and beauty. It has large, richcoastal wetlands, miles of sandybeaches and dunes, and the islands inthe western basin have more speciesand habitats that almost anywhere elsein the Great Lakes region. It is also a

If I had a milliondollars Continued From Page 2

Dan Kraus Weston Conservation Scientist, Senior Director of Conservation Program Development

The Lake Erie Beacon March 20, 2015

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Transcript of The Lake Erie Beacon March 20, 2015