Erin Insight

Festival film promotes practical energy ideas

2012-01-25T09:44:00.002-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Going for green alternatives does not require a belief in climate change theories or certainty about the causes of global warming, but simply a desire to keep more money in your pocket.

Carbon Nation, the first offering in Erin's Fast Forward 2012 Film Festival, delivered that optimistic message, and a series of practical strategies, at the Legion Hall last week. Sponsored by Rob's Automotive Service, it kicked off the third season of the festival before an enthusiastic audience.

With the damaging effects of climate change becoming more obvious, governments and corporations are focusing efforts on how we can adapt to control costs, keep the economy functioning and avoid widespread war, famine and environmental destruction.

Unlike the cure for cancer, for example, an effective response to climate change does not require major breakthroughs in science. We have everything that is required, except of course for the change in attitude that will eventually make it the planet's top priority. How bad will things have to get before that happens?

Carbon Nation presents ideas that stress the potential of good old American ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit – very powerful forces that could be focused on short notice. Half of all Americans, though, don't believe climate change is being caused by human activity.

Regardless of the causes, there are numerous changes that should be supported for purely economic reasons. Above all, it makes sense to wean ourselves from dependence on coal, oil and natural gas. Which means promotion of solar and wind power, development of non-gasoline cars and the retrofitting of buildings (which use twice as much energy as transportation).

For a fascinating look at the latest in home energy technology, take the Home Alive Tour during the Seedy Saturday event at Everdale Farm near Hillsburgh, on April 28. The straw bale house features a computer to track types of power use, special water, waste and solar systems, recycled building materials and a permaculture garden. Go to www.everdale.org/events/seedy-saturday/.

For more ideas on saving money while saving the planet, go to www.carbonnationmovie.com. Things like using video conferences instead of air travel, using a push lawn mower, or raising your kids' allowance if they help reduce utility bills.

How about Meatless Mondays? Less beef consumption means less need to create pasture land by destroying rain forests, which are needed to absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
If long-haul truckers could use auxiliary power sources (instead of their large engines) to power air conditioning while they are asleep during stopovers, 1,000,000,000 gallons of diesel fuel could be saved annually.

Polluting cannot be stopped quickly, but it should have a known cost in the marketplace, whether it is through a carbon tax or the trading of carbon credits. Only then will green technologies achieve their full value.

After the film, Upper Grand School Trustee Kathryn Cooper reported that there is a current proposal to install revenue-producing solar panels at all district schools.

"I'm hopeful that the rest of the trustees will support that," she said. "I certainly will and I've got a good feeling about it, so I'm pretty excited."

On her blog (www.cooper4trustee.wordpress.com) she urges parents to support this investment: "Do we want to model the new green energy path for our children? Are we interested in creating future revenue streams to protect our children's education?"

The next showing in the Fast Forward Film Festival is Water On The Table, a portrait of Canadian activist Maude Barlow, and her mission to have water declared an international human right. It is on Wednesday, February 15, at 7 pm, at the Erin Legion Hall, 12 Dundas Street East, sponsored by Credit Valley Conservation.

Liz Armstrong of CCAGE said water will be a local issue this year, since Nestlé will be seeking renewal of its license to take millions of gallons of water from its Hillsburgh well.

"Start thinking about what kind of demands we want to make to the Nestlé company," she said. "The Ontario government charges the magnificent sum of $3.74 per million litres of water. Tanker trucks travel almost constantly from Hillsburgh over to Aberfoyle, and with the exception of those tanker truck jobs, there is absolutely nothing in it for the community."

Nestlé of course does pay taxes, and has made substantial donations towards public facilities in Erin and elsewhere, but the core issue of water as a public resource remains a serious concern. More information is available at www.wellingtonwaterwatchers.ca.

Mayor urges more community involvement

2012-01-18T09:50:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

The mayor says Erin could have a better sense of community, and be more successful in achieving its political goals, if more residents got involved in public affairs.

"You elected me to represent you, but that does not absolve you of the right to participate in a democracy," said Lou Maieron, in a speech last Thursday to the Rotary Club of Erin.

"Because a lot of people don't participate, you get the government you get. And I'll tell you, it is the government you deserve. So get involved – it's your town. If you want to change it, to make it better, you have a mechanism to do so."

There is a dynamic split, he said, between the communities in south Wellington (Erin and Rockwood) and those in the central and northern areas of the county. It is not only that southern residents pay a much higher share of county taxes, since their real estate values are higher.

"In Erin particularly, we have the highest migratory commuting rate, 60 to 75 per cent of people come in and out of this town, they don't work in this town, they don't shop in this town as much as they should.

"We also have, and don't take this the wrong way, not as much of a sense of community. In the north, you have a 5 to 10 per cent commuting rate, and the sense of community is much stronger.

"I would say that that's why the north is much more successful at county politics, in achieving more, because they are more unified. Everyone's in the canoe, paddling in the same direction more or less. They avoid the icebergs or the waterfalls, more so than sometimes we do, because we are disconnected, the pillars are not talking to each other.

"I would like to try to strengthen the town by having groups work together for common good and a common purpose."

He said if people feel certain expenditures are not a good use of taxpayer dollars, they should contact their elected councillors. But he pointed out that for a project like the $100,000 improvement to the library at Centre 2000, if the money is not spent in Erin, it will be spent somewhere else in the county.

In the next three years, he hopes to "move the ball forward" on economic development. Erin does have an Economic Development Committee, but its budget and scope are limited, and there are no staff specifically allocated to that area.

Instead of it being a citizen-based advisory group, Maieron hopes to create a council committee, with the clout and budget to undertake more aggressive marketing of the Town. A staff review of all aspects of economic development is being done.

"In the north, where they have a greater sense of community, they invest heavily in economic development. It is usually a committee of council and residents, chaired by the mayor, with a directive to encourage business and welcome business to the town...we don't have the best reputation for that – I hear about it quite regularly.

"We need jobs. It balances out the commuting population. We have a town that was built on bringing in people with some affluence that built what I call mini-mansions, starter castles starting at $800,000. We brought in a lot of that, which is good because they are people with money that want to do business.

"We didn't build a lot in between, because we didn't have servicing, and then we have the older part of town. So we have the rich, a little middle class and the poor – the poorer.

"It is reflected in opening a Tim Hortons and 450 people applying for part-time work. We need to create more opportunities. From a tax base perspective, having most of your taxes coming from the residential core is not sustainable, because your commercial-industrial properties create a higher tax ratio, and they also create jobs.

"We can be a place where our growth is sort of frozen outside of what we have in the urban boundary. That could attract a lot of people to come into Erin, spend the day, spend the weekend. Spend your money and go home. So we can become a net cash cow. We have a wonderful Main Street, the envy of most of the municipalities in the county, but we can build on that."

Talented writer/designer seeks exciting new job

2012-01-11T20:11:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

When you sit down for a meeting with your boss, and she starts off with, "This is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," you know it is going to be a bumpy roller coaster ride kind of a day.

I was expecting a reduction of hours, but instead am laid off from my job as a graphic designer. Sympathy is absolutely unnecessary – people endure far greater hardships every day. I was under no illusion that 20 years of dedicated service would count for much if my employer needed to drastically reduce costs.

Opportunities are looming. Expectations are being adjusted. Full-time chicken catchers are urgently needed in Woodstock. I could make $11.30 an hour in a "fast-paced environment". No education or experience is required, just hand-eye co-ordination, physical stamina and a willingness to travel for extended periods.

I was dreading my visit to the unemployment office, but the staff there were very friendly and efficient. I found it strange, though, when one advisor told me I would be allowed to earn extra money, up to 25 per cent of my weekly benefit, without any penalty. I told her their website said the level had been changed to 40 per cent back in 2008. She said, "I don't go to the website very often."

My first UI premium was paid in 1973. I have now contributed $24,000 to the system, with employers kicking in an additional $33,000 on my behalf. It has been my good fortune to have little need of the benefits, but I feel no guilt now about taking a bounce in the social safety net. Of course, there is that annoying two-week waiting period. They have to make sure it hurts before they help you out.

The great thing about not going to work is that I get a chance to do other work for the newspaper. It is interesting, but not exactly a get-rich-quick scenario. I will be a little richer if my temporary layoff runs to 13 weeks and becomes permanent. Only then would I qualify for severance and termination pay. I wonder if the bank would consider that possibility as collateral?

Maybe I could become a nationally syndicated columnist. I will keep a close eye on the help wanted classified ads in the Erin Advocate. My grammar is not bad, and I am willing to engage in shameless self-promotion when necessary. As for content, I am sure that people across Canada (and beyond) would be fascinated by my stimulating accounts of life in Erin, ON. Local property values and tourism revenue could well be enhanced.

Prospective employers, however, should be aware that I have certain reasonable requirements. First of all, the coffee machine has to be top notch. I will no longer tolerate bland beverages, even when they are free.

The workplace must have no harassment. That means no loud, incompetent salespeople, bitchy drama queens, robotic administrative assistants, gossipy know-it-alls or power hungry middle managers. I could put up with some ego-maniacal techno-nerds, if it meant that my computer would work fast and flawlessly, every day.

A nice desk, an expense account, a pension and a full benefit plan would all be appreciated, but I have been doing without these for so long, I'm not sure I could make the adjustment.
I also will insist on convivial colleagues, and a variety of interesting tasks that do not force me to pull out my hair or utter profanities.

It is not a lot to ask, since I can offer the employer such a wide array of talents. For example, I am highly organized. A co-worker once suggested that as a child, I probably kept my toy cars filed under transportation. I am not sure how she knew. Anyhow, I now keep my important junk in special piles on my desk, so it is always available.

I can sense the needs of the most cantankerous clients, decipher the most hastily scribbled instructions, repair the most preposterous of PDFs and work minor miracles in Photoshop. As for writing, I avoid clichés like the plague.

I also show up on time, only check my email once an hour, and generally work so hard that smoke is often seen arising from my keyboard.

It sounds old fashioned, I know, but there must still be good jobs out there for modest, middle-aged guys who know what they're doing. Maybe I should shave off the grey beard, though. There is really no advantage to looking my own age.

Fence sparks anger over dirt bikes

2012-01-11T09:57:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

The new fence recently erected by Wellington County on the border of the old Erin Village landfill site has prompted a hostile response from residents who consider it a "huge scar" on a beautiful landscape and an unwelcome obstacle to hikers and wildlife.

Others consider the fence an unfortunate necessity, designed in part to discourage dirt bike and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) traffic, which has caused serious damage on Erin's drumlin – the long, glacier-deposited hill west of the village.

“We’ve always had this scheduled to have fencing put up at some point,” said Doug Konrad, manager of solid waste for Wellington County, which took over responsibility for the old landfill site ten years ago. They have had trouble with off-road vehicles using the site and causing erosion.

“We decided to move the plans forward a little bit and at least do one section of the site with chain link, the side that gave us most problems," said Konrad, explaining that the Ministry of Environment requires these types of sites to be fenced in to make sure monitor wells are not damaged. "This is the only thing we could reasonably do.”

The six-foot fence, with two cross-beams welded between each post, starts at the mill pond, across the river from Church St. W. It runs up the hill along the south-east border of the landfill, and down the other side. It is clearly visible from McMillan Park downtown.

"I am so upset to see this huge scar cutting into the beautiful emerald backdrop in Erin," said Melissa Livingston-Staples. "Those hills give our village a unique character. Why weren't we consulted about this change to our landscape?"

John Denison owns the property next to the landfill at the hilltop. Last May he wrote a letter to the Town of Erin regarding damage to his land by dirt bikes and ATVs. Town Council passed the matter to the County and wrote a letter requesting the OPP to increase their presence at the site. Mayor Lou Maieron is confident that the matter was handled properly.

The County had a legal obligation, a plan in place and money allocated in their budget, so the fence was erected. Konrad said more fencing can be expected to meet provincial standards.

Emma Bramma Smith walks the hilltop trail regularly and was shocked when she first discovered the fence. She says the dog-walkers and hikers who use the hills actually help to keep the off-road vehicles off the trails.

“We feel violated, and when you look at it, you can understand why,” she said. “It’s not just inconveniencing a bunch of dog walkers. Wildlife has even more right to that land than we do.”

Denison has worked hard to discourage dirt bikes and ATVs, but his fences have often been cut or removed. He says the machines cause noise and pollution, and have turned trails into slippery mud and boulders.

"This is my backyard. I walk there nearly every day. I enjoy the quiet and the view. If that new fence cuts down the machine traffic, I'm all for it," he said.

"I'm okay with hikers. I leave openings in the fence so people can come through without damaging the fence. They're walking on their own two legs getting exercise and fresh air. They mostly pick-up after themselves and their dogs. They're respectful of private property and I appreciate that."

Smaller animals can still get past the fence though gaps at the bottom, and hikers can still use the area by altering their routes. Machine riders are still accessing the landfill property by driving around the end of the fence on the frozen edge of the mill pond.

Livingston-Staples is unhappy with the mess left by the fence builders: trees uprooted, leftover pipe ends, fence materials and aerosol cans of metallic paint. She would also like to see the site put to better use in the future.

"If houses are not going to be built on the dump, why can't the gorgeous views be enjoyed by the residents and tourists and wildlife?" she asked. "Why can't the dump be recycled by nature and people, rather than closing it up and throwing it away, like it never existed?

"We love the hills and have always felt a closeness to nature up on the hill. It affects your soul when you are up there. It is a special place I hate to lose and I would like future generations to be able to enjoy it also. Walking is the oldest exercise and is still the best. Let's protect the trails of Erin."

Steve Revell leads the Town's Trails Committee, which is making trail improvements on public land with the help of the Rotary Club, and hopes to create a better network of trails in the future.

"We have to recognize the generosity of the landowners who have long allowed walkers to use this [hilltop] trail by providing narrow gateways," he said. "The big problem has always been the motorized vehicles which have ripped up the hillsides and made the trail surface prone to erosion. I can indeed sympathize with the landowners on this issue."

Bill Dinwoody, who chairs the Town's Recreation and Culture Committee, believes the fence should be viewed as environmental protection rather than a barrier. He is concerned, however, that the fence may intrude too close to the river.

"The key issue here is that these properties are private and people using these unsanctioned trails are in fact trespassing," he said. "Hikers are resilient and will follow other routes. Most people who hike do so because they love the environment and conservation and take it upon themselves to preserve the trail.

"Unfortunately, it is the 'few' who take it upon themselves to tear up landscape with motorized vehicles which in a way has caused this action. If ATV's and dirt bikes continue to use private lands, I foresee numerous fences and obstacles installed in the hills to curtail them.

"Maybe it is time for someone to develop trails for motorized vehicles, to give them a place away from private property."

Employment services help job seekers build skills

2012-01-04T10:02:00.000-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

I have been lucky when it comes to employment. I've only had to search for a job twice in the last 30 years. Job security is a good thing, but it does leave you a bit rusty when it comes time to scramble for something new.

For 20 years, I've been doing graphic design and pre-press work at a commercial printer. I had hoped that the job might last until I reach the age of 60 (just five more years) when I might be able to slide into semi-retirement.

That may still happen, but with the business of putting ink on paper in turmoil and decline, the future is quite uncertain. For the short term at least, instead of layoffs, my colleagues and I are facing a significant reduction in hours. Those of us wanting to maintain something close to full-time work are now looking for other sources of income or new jobs.

With that in mind, I browsed with interest through some information from the Wellington County Employment Resource Centre, located on Wyndham Street North in downtown Guelph. The services are free for all county residents.

Free, of course, meaning no extra fee. We all contribute to county services through our property taxes and rent payments, including a pay increase for county staff (2.75 per cent for unionized, 3 per cent for non-union). That last time raises came around where I work was 2003, and most of the staff have stayed on.

At the Resource Centre, there are workshops on job search strategies, resumés, communication skills, word processing, cover letters and interviews. What caught my attention, though, are topics that deal with the traumatic effects of job loss.

For example, next Tuesday, there is a morning session on Handling Stress Through Meditation. During a time of distress, it could be quite valuable to learn new methods of increasing concentration, self-confidence and inner peace.

The full calendar and other information is available at www.county.wellington.on.ca, in the Ontario Works section under Social Services, though you don't have to be an Ontario Works client to use the services.

There is a workshop on Healthy Lifestyles, which can be difficult to achieve during a prolonged job search. It covers eating well on a budget, exercise tips and strategies for creating balance. Participants will leave with an action plan, some fresh ideas and knowledge of community resources that can help them meet their goals.

In addition to workshops, there is personalized help to identify employment barriers and access community services. Computers are available with internet access and Microsoft Office programs. There are local job postings, phones and an answering service, photocopying, printing and faxing services, and how-to booklets.

Job seekers may also want to check out similar services at Second Chance Employment Counselling, a separate agency that has been providing employment, retraining and educational support in Guelph and Wellington communities for over 35 years. They provide one-to-one counselling and access to job search resources in Erin through EWCS (East Wellington Community Services).

They have offices in Guelph and Fergus, plus the Youth Resource Centre on the second floor at Stone Road Mall. They can provide guidance on apprenticeships, entrepreneurship and upgrading qualifications. You can get more information and on-line job search links at www.2ndchance.ca.

On-line fiction project breaks new ground

2011-12-28T09:57:00.000-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Instead of retiring after a long career in publishing, John Denison has been writing the books he's always wanted to write. And this Sunday, January 1, he is launching an on-line project that challenges the traditional concept of a book.

"I just wanted to have fun," said Denison, who operated Boston Mills Press on Erin's Main Street for many years, specializing in books about Ontario's heritage. He's out of that field now (Firefly Books now has the Boston Mills brand), and has turned to fiction for teens and young adults.

Occam's Razor is the story of a comic book author nearing retirement who is kidnapped by one of his arch-evil characters. The tale swings between the "real" and fantasy worlds (with a different typeface for each) as the author's daughter dresses up as the comic book heroine Major Occam and crosses over to rescue her dad.

The publishing industry has seen the rise of e-books, to be read on computers or portable devices, and of sophisticated graphic novels from the comic book tradition. Digital presses can now produce high quality books very quickly, at low cost, and in very low quantities if necessary.

Denison's venture builds on these trends, combined with an old-fashioned serial technique – a new short chapter will be released every day for 120 days. He pushes the definition of a book by allowing readers to contribute illustrations, music, video and games, which will appear with the text. When the story is over, readers can order their own customized e-book or paper copy, with the illustrations they choose. Artists can order a version with their art alone.

"I think I'm the first one to do this," he said. "The book world I knew is flying away and whatever's next is arriving like a subway train. Hop on or go home seem to be the only choices."

The project is happening world-wide at www.occams-razor.ca, with the help of Forsefield, a young design team from Newmarket. They have also created downloadable apps and an Occam's Razor video game, available on iTunes.

Denison always liked the sound of "Occam's Razor". It's the name of his comic book universe, but also the real name of an ancient scientific principle that favours simple theories. Einstein is said to have summed it up thus: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

The story has lots of visual imagery, including a young dragon, that provide starting points for illustrators. And because the characters live in each person's imagination, they do not have to look the same in each picture. Denison says that all submitted images (screened only for good taste) will be posted with the chapters – everything from sophisticated illustrations to crayon drawings by little kids.

Go to the site's Artist Portal to find out about submitting your work. Or just check out the art that has already arrived, from as far away as Indonesia. Registered artists will get the chapters five days before the public, giving them a chance to create something related to the text. Music, video and games are also welcome, along with recordings of the text that could become part of an audio book.

Following the story or being a contributor is all free, but Denison is hoping to recover some of his investment through an on-line store that sells his other novels on a linked website, www.thisaintthelibrary.com. The home page there has previews of Fartboy and Booger (aimed at the adolescent male reader), along with Hanna The President's Daughter and Unlock Holmes Space Detective.

These books are available through the "print-on-demand" business model, which reduces traditional publishing risks and costs. There is no inventory, no expensive equipment and no chance of book stores returning the product. When you order a book on-line at a site like amazon.com, it can be printed, bound and shipped in just a few days, and the publisher/author makes a better profit margin than they could ever hope for in the traditional model.

Denison's stories have brisk plots, prose that is easy to read (but not dumbed-down), engaging characters, believable emotional interactions and a range of modern issues. After reading a few preview chapters of the Occam story, I was left with an important question: "What's going to happen next?"

Major Occam probably won't be the next Harry Potter (but you never know). And maybe others will come along and take this new genre to new heights. That's all fine with Denison, as he gets ready to fling his creation out to the world.

'Tis the prime season for waste generation

2011-12-21T09:49:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

How shall we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Blue Box Recycling Program in Wellington County? A big party might be fun, but perhaps a bit wasteful. Maybe we could just kick our recycling efforts up to the next level. You know, like, go for the gusto, or the whole nine yards, or maybe we could give 110 per cent.

Actually, since only about 85 per cent of recyclables are being captured in the curbside programs, even a small increase would be good news.

Recycling fans will be glad to learn that three new types of material will be accepted in blue boxes as of January: milk and juice cartons (remove caps, but do not flatten), drink boxes (remove straws, but do not flatten) and frozen food boxes (flatten, and put in an unflattened box). I'll bet some people didn't even know these items were previously prohibited – or perhaps some were sneaking them into their blue boxes.

Of course, being responsible with your waste involves a lot more than dutifully filling the blue box. It requires an effort to reduce the volume of trash and recyclables we generate. County residents sent 12,800 tonnes of garbage to landfill last year, and recycled 5,000 tonnes through blue boxes. It is most important to reduce the first figure, but desirable to also reduce the second one.

It may require an occasional trip to the Belwood Transfer Station – think of it as a scenic drive and a chance to re-live the good old days of lining up at the now-closed Hillsburgh Transfer Station.

You might start with your natural Christmas tree. Urban curbside collection of trees will be done in the week of January 9, but all residents can bring them to the transfer station until January 31. There is no charge, but food bank donations will be accepted.

"Holiday celebrations and gift packaging dramatically increase household waste," says Solid Waste Chairman Don McKay, in the department's current newsletter.

Remember that wrapping paper, gift bags, ribbons and bows cannot be recycled, so it is worth trying to re-use them. Greeting cards can be recycled, as long as there is no plastic, fabric or metallic surfacing.

If you get new clothes for Christmas, consider donating some of your gently-used older ones at the Thrift Stores operated by East Wellington Community Services. Or, if you are going to Belwood, drop them at no charge in the transfer station textile bins. Other items like footwear, stuffed animals and linens are also accepted, and picked up by the Canadian Diabetes Association for reuse and recycling. Find out more at www.diabetes.ca.

Belwood also has a Reuse Centre, where you can leave household items like furniture, toys, luggage, dishes, electronics, books and sports equipment. You pay a small fee, the same as you might pay to dump the items in the waste bin. Instead, they go to a building where people can browse through the goods. It's like a garage sale, but everything is free to take.

The main website for waste services is at www.wellington.ca, where you can get lots of tips on diversion programs. There is also an online re-use service at www.wellington.reuses.com, where items are also free.

For metal, tires, appliances, electronics, large batteries and motor oil, it may be most convenient to drop them at Erin Auto Recyclers on 17 Sideroad – all at no charge, except for freon appliances. But if you have to make a trip to Belwood with bulky material, you can save some money by bringing your regular garbage with you as well. Pack it into plain garbage bags and you will only be charged $1 per bag, as opposed to the $1.75 cost of the county's yellow pre-paid curbside pick-up bags. It's also $1 per bag (or equivalent) for wood, brush and scrap metal.

Some people save up their household hazardous waste for the once-a-year drop off day at Centre 2000, to be held in the spring instead of the summer this year. But you can reduce that collection by bringing household batteries to any county library. Belwood accepts some hazardous material, specifically motor oil and filters, antifreeze, household and automobile batteries, aerosol cans and propane cylinders, at no charge.

Don't mix hazardous materials with regular trash, or dump them down the sink or toilet. Old medications and vitamins are accepted at many pharmacies, and old paint is accepted by some retailers. Medical sharps require special precautions – check with your pharmacy or the county website for instructions.

1911 Christmas in Erin strikes a familiar chord

2011-12-14T20:39:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Christmas in the village 100 years ago was not all that different from what it is today. Browsing through issues of The Advocate from December 1911, the vocabulary seems strange, but the themes are the same: food, parties, concerts, Santa, hockey, church and shopping.

It had been 25 years since Karl Benz received the first patent for a gas-fueled car and three years since Henry Ford released his Model T ($950), but in this part of the country, motoring was still a fair-weather activity for the well-to-do. In December, a rural shopping trip for most people was dependent on good snow conditions.

"The sleighing of the past week has made business in all lines brighten up," said publisher Wellington Hull in the News Notes column. As always, it was interspersed with snippets of humour, such as, "Money isn't of any use to a man if his wife finds out he has it." Of course, the publisher was always ready to unite couples: "Marriage Licenses – Private Office – No Witnesses Required – Issued at any time – The Advocate Office".

At the Town Hall, a Union Sunday School Xmas Tree Entertainment was held on Dec. 21, with adults paying 25 cents to see a "splendid" musical program by students. This was Erin's first "Union Xmas Tree", a community party that was popular in many towns in Canada and the US in that era, often with presents from Santa for kids in attendance. It appears to be the precursor of today's "Tree Lighting" event.

At the R&R Store (Ritchie and Ramesbottom) the "Fresh for Christmas" advertised specials included mixed peel at 20 cents a pound and mince meat at 10 cents a package. Johnston's offered "Xmas Dainties" like navel oranges at 20 cents a dozen. In the "Notes of Particular Interest to Women Folks" there were instructions on how to pickle a mix of cabbage and celery.

In celebrity news, the nation was all aflutter with word that Princess Patricia, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, was moving to Canada now that her father Prince Arthur had been appointed Governor-General. She would be named Colonel-in-Chief of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry when the First World War started. She was described in The Advocate as "the only princess in Great Britain who is really pretty, clever and witty, as well as young. She has a little atmosphere of romance...and a most unroyal sense of humor."

It was the one (and only) year in which Ontario issued car license plates made of porcelain. In December, Norwegian Roald Amundsen led the first successful expedition to the South Pole, and the Royal Canadian Mint, in existence only three years, responded to public outrage over "Godless coins".

The newly-crowned George V had been identified on Canadian coins as: DEI GRA:REX ET IND:IMP, a Latin abbreviation meaning "by the grace of God, the King and Emperor of India". The mint removed the grace of God words (dei gratia) in July, but was forced to restore them in December. Today's coins have a shorter version for George's granddaughter Elizabeth: D·G·REGINA.

In church news, Presbyterians were preparing to vote on uniting with Congregationalists, part of the decades-long turmoil that led to partial union with Methodists and creation of the United Church in 1925. The congregation of Burns Presbyterian in Erin rejected the union and remained with the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

In village news, councillors couldn't decide whether to provide a loan to the Woollen Mill. The Advocate said, "Council have shown the grossest negligence over this matter, which is one of vital interest to the community". Council also got a letter from H. Murdoch, complaining that his cellar was being flooded by water backing up on his premises from B. Mundell's planing mill flume being raised. Council decided it was a private matter and took no action.

In hockey news, home town Erin defeated Acton 10-4 before a large crowd on Christmas Day. Admission was 15 cents, but for ladies, 10 cents. "The Erin boys made a very natty appearance in their new suits, which were worn for the first time."

There were about 60 social notices in the paper of December 27, 1911, listing exactly who had visited who for Christmas, along with details of various school concerts. Large ads from local stores wished customers a happy and prosperous New Year – just as they do today.

The largest ad, however, was for the new edition of the T. Eaton Co. catalogue. A sale started on Boxing Day, with a promise "to reach the highest pinnacle in value-giving, and with it all this guarantee – We Gladly Refund Your Money If Goods Are Not Satisfactory." The two featured bargains were Corset Covers for 39 cents, and Lace Petticoats for $1.98. Orders over $25 got free delivery.

Resisting invasive species often a losing battle

2011-12-07T20:32:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Invasive species of plants and animals not only threaten local biodiversity, but create a costly burden for our society. The damage to agriculture and forestry, plus the costs of suppressing the invaders is estimated at $138 billion in the US. And with fears of biological attacks, it has also become a Homeland Security issue.

For humans – perhaps the most invasive of all species – the effort to control relatively new arrivals is often a losing battle. It is simply impossible to allocate enough resources to reverse these forces of nature. Ironically, we have in some ways unleashed them upon ourselves, by clearing land, moving species away from natural predators and accelerating climate change.

Some biologists argue that the tumultuous conditions created by globalization, human population growth and climate change have made the division between native and non-native seem irrelevant. Indeed, most of our food crops and livestock are not native to North America, and farming has been a prime destroyer of biodiversity. So it is more important than ever to defend the healthy native ecosystems that we still have.

"It is about picking your battles," said Rod Krick, a Natural Heritage Ecologist with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC), at a recent seminar on invasive species. CVC has made major efforts to control invasives on its own land and to educate private landowners about the threats.

"There are some that are so widespread that there is no feasible way to control them. The ones we can do something about, we focus on them, and on areas that still have a lot of native biodiversity."

One invader that has become virtually native is reed canary grass, a tall, perennial bunchgrass, up to 2.5 m in height, imported from Europe about 1850. It has been used as a landscaping ornamental, for hay and as a livestock forage crop. It creates single-species stands, crowding out other wetland species.

"While still considered invasive in our region, it is so widespread and so integrated into our wetland flora that management is all but impossible now," said Krick. The same approach has to be taken with certain species of fish – common carp and northern pike are considered invaders in the upper Credit River, but getting rid of them is considered unrealistic.

"This does not mean they are not invasive though, or that we accept them," said Krick. "Complete control may not be possible, but in some situations we can ‘manage’ them to acceptable levels."

Speaking in Erin recently, Don MacIver, Mayor of Amaranth Township and a senior climate change scientist with Environment Canada, said that once CO2 levels double, the conditions for good forest biodiversity that now exist near Windsor will be up north of Sault Ste. Marie.

"There is a tremendous migration that is expected in terms of forest species northward as the climate warms. What happens to the native tree species? They are under threat, they are growing outside their climatic optimum, and as a consequence they are subject to disease and infestation from invasive species. It's not surprising, we see the Ash Borer here today...there are many more that will come in from the United States and elsewhere, and it is going to be very difficult to maintain native tree species in this area."

The Emerald Ash Borer attacks and kills healthy ash trees. The Canadian Food Inspection agency has urged Wellington County residents not to move firewood away from source areas, to limit the infestation.

MacIver said that with proper land use controls (restriction of development), it may be possible to reverse the decline in biodiversity by 2020, and even restore it to the level it was at prior to European settlement, by the end of this century.

"Climate change has the opportunity to re-establish the original baseline of 1792, but it won't be with native tree species. It will be a combination of native and new. You have the ability right now to grow Washington DC species here in Ontario. The climate has changed, but we haven't caught up to it. We're still out there planting native tree species.

"You have the opportunity to bring in new species. That's called planned adaptation, assisted migration. It means sitting down with the community and deciding how you want that community to look."

Credit Valley Conservation is studying the impact of climate change and planning for adaptation, but has not yet changed its tree planting practices.

"We aren’t necessarily looking at new species to bring here that may be better adapted," said Krick.

"The most recent literature says assisted migration is generally not recommended by scientists and practitioners at this point in time. Any work done in this area has to be conducted carefully and within a rigorous experimental framework, as we don't want to be introducing problem species and this would include non-natives. Rather as a first step we are looking at creating better connections between natural areas that will allow species to move more freely to ‘assist’ with more natural migration."

The Ministry of Natural Resources is conducting experiments on the success of trees planted outside their normal ranges. While the areas being planted by conservation authorities would not immediately have a major impact on the forest population, they may be able to establish seed production areas for future climates, according to Barb Boysen of the Forest Gene Conservation Association.

"Though southern sources may suffer initially under the more extreme northern conditions, within decades they might prove to be better adapted than local sources," she said. "If we waited decades to bring southern sources north, they may be too maladapted in their changed local climate to produce seed.

"Strategic action requires understanding that forests are a diverse mosaic of species and local populations of those species, which are genetically adapted to local conditions. As these conditions change, local forests may not have the genetic capacity to adapt. And there is evidence that the climate is changing faster than natural migration rates."

Eden Mills really is going carbon neutral

2011-11-30T20:24:00.004-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

In the global effort to reduce carbon emissions, it is important to look for ways to take action locally. Perhaps Erin could borrow a few ideas from Eden Mills, a village of 163 homes on the Eramosa River near Rockwood, where they have made much progress in making their community carbon neutral.

It started with the Millpond Conservation Association, which for more than 20 years has managed their local historic millpond property as a public conservation area.

They have done dam upgrades, dredged the pond bottom, strengthened the shorelines, maintained a beach, preserved wetlands through a stewardship agreement with landowners, promoted environmental education and paid for insurance so the public can use the area for things like swimming, canoeing and skating.

It is difficult to imagine such a thing in Erin, where most of our shorelines are not readily accessible to the public. That, however, is not today's topic.

In 2007, Eden Mills Going Carbon Neutral was a new project for the Millpond group, with the goal of becoming the first carbon neutral village in North America. It is an example of grass-roots action – not waiting for governments to take the lead.

Linda Sword spoke on behalf of the Eden Mills project at the recent "Making Erin Greener Than Our Shamrock" event, co-sponsored by the Environmental Advisory Group of Erin and the Climate Change Action Group of Erin.

"I am excited to meet another community working together to make change," she said. "Going carbon neutral means emitting no more carbon dioxide than we absorb, and that means both reducing our use of fossil fuels and increasing our absorption of CO2."

Of course, it is not possible to completely avoid emitting carbon, especially in our oil-driven economy. But Eden Mills has shrunk its overall carbon footprint by 12 per cent in three years, half by capturing more carbon with thousands of newly-planted trees, with help from the Wellington Green Legacy Program. The other half is from conservation and increased use of green energy sources. The project was praised at the annual international symposium of the Canadian Institute of Planners last year, as a model for others to follow.

"We can see the results of one person’s change rubbing off on another," said Sword. "While one neighbour replaces appliances, the next stops using the clothes dryer, choosing air drying. While one neighbour buys food at the local organic farm, two other families join up to manage a vegetable garden in their backyards and share the produce. The examples are many, and the financial savings are often significant."

The process relies on getting good technical advice, to estimate how much carbon is stored locally and how much more can be captured through tree planting. The local carbon footprint (emissions from households, businesses and travel), is estimated using household surveys (done every two years).

Fourth year students from the University of Guelph Environmental Studies program helped calculate the baseline carbon sequestration rate, while graduate students from the School of Forestry studied the relative sequestration rates of young trees. Students continue to help with the design and analysis of the surveys. About half of the households provide full information, which remains confidential, since the students provide direct feedback to the residents, but only totals and analysis to the organization.

The baseline was an annual emissions footprint of 4,621 tonnes of carbon, with lack of public transportation being a key factor. That's been reduced by six per cent. The baseline of sequestration was 2,608 tonnes – emissions already being neutralized every year by trees and vegetation. That has been increased by six per cent.

To achieve the carbon neutral balance, they started with a goal of neutralizing just over 2,000 tonnes, and now have 1,367 to go.

Sword is the author of a handbook called So You Want to Go Carbon Neutral? It takes a Village, one of several resources available through the Education section of the group's website, www.goingcarbonneutral.ca. They offer DVD-based workshops and host guest speakers.

Eden Mills resident Richard Lay, a professional engineer with Enermodal (Canada's largest green building consulting firm), has been a key player in the village's environmental progress. He founded the Millpond Conservation Association, volunteered professional advice for Going Carbon Neutral and did a full energy audit of the Community Hall.

Last month he was awarded the 2011 Engineering Medal of Achievement for the University of Guelph. A few weeks later, he accepted the Tree of Life award on behalf of his firm, from the association of Canadian Consulting Engineering Companies.

Last week, the Millpond association and the Eden Mills Community and District Club announced that they have been awarded a Trillium Foundation grant of $120,000, and a $50,000 incentive loan from the Wellington-Waterloo Community Futures Development Corporation. It will help pay for reductions in the carbon footprint of their community hall, installation of solar panels and improved accessibility.

CVC enlists landowners to battle "super weeds"

2011-11-23T20:18:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Just because a species of plant is green and healthy does not mean it will be welcome when it moves into the neighbourhood, especially if it is an immigrant from Asia or Europe. An aggressive campaign has been mounted against invasive species, which can overwhelm native plants and take over large tracts of land.

Human activity has severely disrupted the slow, natural evolution of local ecosystems, creating opportunities for the invaders. Conservation authorities are now attempting to manage forests as one might tend a garden. It seems we must weed the wilderness if we want it to serve our needs.

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) warns that aggressive new species can destroy the balance of ecosystems and reduce biodiversity, diminishing the goods and services we get from nature, including air and water regulation, recreation, crops, fish and wood products. The costs to Canada's agriculture and forestry sectors alone may be as high as $7.5 billion per year.

Teaching landowners about problem plants is a difficult task, so it is often presented as a war against intruders, or a hunt for criminals. The Ontario Invasive Plant Council publishes a series of "UN-WANTED" posters, with mug shots of plants like Dog-Strangling Vine, a member of the milkweed family that arrived from Europe about 120 years ago. It is currently invading backyards, altering natural areas "at an alarming rate" and has made it onto the CVC's Top Ten Troublemakers list.

The Town of Erin published a warning this year that Giant Hogweed (#1 on the CVC list) had been spotted in the area. This member of the carrot-parsley family, which grows 10-15 feet tall and looks like a giant Queen Anne's Lace, is a special public health hazard. Its watery sap has toxins that cause photo-dermatitis, meaning that skin contact followed by exposure to sunlight produces large, scar-causing blisters, and eye contact can cause blindness. Call County Weed Control if you encounter this plant.

Most of the aggressive newcomers, though, are not poisonous and are quite attractive on their own, with some available at your local nursery. CVC wants landowners to become aware of the most common ones, and to take action against them. That includes not planting them, digging them out (down to the root tips), trimming off seed pods before they open, mowing them down and attacking them with herbicides if necessary.

"People often don't care about this stuff until it actually affects them personally," said Rod Krick, a Natural Heritage Ecologist with CVC, at a recent seminar on invasive species. For example, a farmer would naturally be concerned about Dog-Strangling Vine if it threatened to make valuable pastureland unusable.

Often, these weeds don't simply grow among the native foliage, they obliterate it to create a monoculture. "These aren't just weeds, they are super weeds," said Krick.

While it may be necessary to battle these species, it is important to remember that the enemy is really our species. Humans have created the clear-cut and disturbed areas where invasives often thrive, and it is we who have transported most of them from their natural habitats, either accidentally or for ornamental and commercial purposes.

Sometimes, natural forces can help restore some balance. Do you remember Purple Loosestrife? It was a huge concern in the 1990s as it choked the life out of valuable wetlands under a sea of purple flowers. One of the reasons that invasives flourish is that they have been set free from their natural enemies. Severe infestations of purple loosestrife have been successfully controlled by introducing beetles that feed on it.

Others on the CVC hit list are Common Reed and Rough Manna Grass, which also invade wetlands, and Garlic Mustard, European Buckthorn and Non-Native Honeysuckles which take over forest floors, crowding out the native inhabitants.

CVC urges people who already have invasives to not let them "escape", and especially to not dump garden waste into or next to natural areas, where it could spread invasive seeds. CVC also suggests alternatives for gardeners and landscapers. For example, instead of aggressive ground covers like Periwinkle, English Ivy and Goutweed, consider Wild Ginger or Barren Strawberry.

Instead of Norway Maple, which grows so dense that it shades out all other native trees and shrubs, consider Freeman's Maple or Hackberry. Plant Joe-pye Weed instead of Japanese Knotweed, New England Aster instead of Himalayan Balsam, Blue Flag (Iris) instead of Flowering Rush, Switchgrass instead of Maiden Grass or Feather Grass, and Native Bush Honeysuckle or Witch-Hazel instead of Winged Euonymus (often sold as Burning Bush).

For more information, go to www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca, and the Watershed Science / Invasive Species section of the CVC site, www.creditvalleyca.ca.

Active Transportation Plan needs active support

2011-11-16T20:13:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

If you could ride on a network of wide, safe bike lanes, where would you like to travel? Would you be looking for regional destinations, like Rockwood, Fergus, Orangeville, Belfountain or Acton, or just loops close to or inside the Town's urban areas?

We already have the Trans-Canada Trail linking Cataract, Erin village, Hillsburgh, Orton, Belwood, Fergus and Elora, but the Wellington Active Transportation Plan is about creating a broader network, combining roadside lanes and off-road trails.

Not every road will get a bike lane, so it is important to find out where there is public demand. Should we have more paved trails, natural hiking trails, mountain bike trails, horse trails, or all of the above? Or do we prefer motorized trail travel, on various snowmobile routes and the unofficial dirt bike and ATV trails?

Convenient access to trails and bike lanes means opportunities for physical activity, saving people money, reducing our local greenhouse gas emissions and making our communities safer, more cohesive and attractive. Trails also protect natural areas, while making them accessible to more people.

The process started in June, including a meeting in Erin involving local politicians and residents. Existing trails have been mapped and there is an ongoing internet survey (search Wellington Active Transportation).

Preliminary results were reported at an open house held recently at Centre 2000, showing that active recreation was the main factor motivating trail users, as opposed to travel for work or shopping. Walking (or running) was the top activity, followed by cycling, hiking, cross-country skiing (or snowshoeing), horseback riding and in-line skating.

MMM Group of Mississauga, the consulting firm hired to develop the plan, will now be doing field investigations, developing design guidelines and devising strategies for implementation, funding, tourism and getting more people onto the routes.

Project Manager Jay Cranstone hopes to have a draft network by February, with recommendations going to County Council in the spring. The County could adopt the Active Transportation Plan, then incorporate key elements into its Official Plan. Lower-tier municipalities such as Erin will likely be asked to follow a similar process.

County Planner Sarah Wilhelm said that actual improvements will still be dependent on available funding, but that it is important to have an official framework.
"You need a plan in place for grant applications," she said.

Taxpayers generally don't know or care whether a road is controlled by the County or the Town, but they do expect them to work together to deliver the most practical improvements.

In its Official Plan, the Town of Erin has objectives that include promotion of compact, people-oriented downtowns by establishing a safe and pleasant pedestrian environment, encouraging movement by foot and bicycle rather than by automobile.

Vehicle and pedestrian movement is to be facilitated through improvements to roads, parking areas and pedestrian paths, including linkages along the rivers.

Just because something is in an Official Plan, however, does not mean it is going to happen. If people actually care about such "objectives", they need to prod the Town and County into aggressively pursuing them.

One priority should a bypass route to divert truck traffic from downtown Erin village, along with at least one more traffic light and some official crosswalks. These ideas have been discussed in the past and not done, but that does not mean they should not be done. Often a need will exist for a long time before action is taken – for example, the creation of a village fire brigade in 1946 after decades of disastrous fires.

Erin's Official Plan also requires that new developments provide links with pedestrian and cycle routes "on their perimeter". Perhaps that idea could be expanded so that a new subdivision would have a trail winding through it, separate from roads and sidewalks.

Some would prefer that no new subdivisions ever be built in Erin, but that is probably unrealistic. They will not be built any time soon, however, since the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) study process, which has frozen most development since 2007, is proceeding very slowly. The study was originally to have been done by now, but we're still in the middle of it, waiting for a report on sewer and water options, with several stages still to go.

Cycle tourism presents an attractive opportunity

2011-11-02T19:56:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Erin should take full advantage of its beautiful rolling hills by promoting itself as a destination or take-off point for cycling tourists.

"There is a tremendous opportunity for cycle tourism," said Andy Goldie, Director of Parks & Recreation for Centre Wellington, which is developing a Trails Master Plan. He was helping with an information Open House at Centre 2000 on October 22 for the county-wide Active Transportation Plan (ATP).

It is going to take a while to build up the number of rural roads with excellent bike lanes – ideally 2 metres wide, compared to the current 50 centimetres (19 inches) if they exist at all.

"Cyclists are using the roads anyway, and interest is growing all the time," said Project Manager Jay Cranstone, an Erin native, avid cyclist and landscape architect with MMM Group of Mississauga, the consulting firm hired to organize the ATP. While mountain biking remains popular, he has noticed a renewed interest in road cycling.

"Cycle tourists spend more than car tourists," he said. A survey in Quebec, where cycling culture is very strong, showed cycle tourists spending an average of $102 per adult per day (up from $83 in 2005), compared to $52 per day for motoring tourists. They also like vacationing in the spring and fall, extending the season for tourism-related businesses.

Unfortunately, Downtown Erin village is too congested on summer weekends for many cyclists to feel comfortable. Alternative routes and better parking could help improve the situation. Our off-road trails are generally unmarked, which is fine for long-time local riders, but for visitors, a more official, signed network is needed.

Erin needs to boost its image as one in a series of attractive destinations within a network of regional bike routes.

There are several positive scenarios. For example, people traveling the Trans-Canada Trail (Elora-Cataract) could detour into Hillsburgh or Erin village because they've heard good things about them. City dwellers who load their bikes onto vehicles and head out for an afternoon of riding could make Erin their preferred place to park and set out. Or those who come here mainly for shopping may like the option of also doing some short loops, either biking or hiking.

Cyclists planning a vacation could decide to check in at a local Bed & Breakfast place, using it as a home base for their excursions. Or if they are based at Conservation Area campgrounds in Rockwood, Guelph Lake or Belwood, they could plan routes through rural Erin, because they've heard that the hills and views are great, and the roads are not too busy. Companies that book cycle tours could flag Erin as a "must-see" place.

The Town of Erin needs to promote itself as a centre of activity, not a fringe area. Being a part of a large regional tourism association is useful, but the benefits seem limited. Erin has been shifted into a region that extends from here to Lake Huron, though we can still maintain a link with our Headwaters partners to the east, which seems a more logical grouping.

Erin gets some promotion on the Headwaters website (thehillsofheadwaters.com) which is quite professional, but it is not enough. We are lumped in with other places that in some respects have more to offer.

We can't expect other people to aggressively promote Erin – that's our job. We need a broad tourism strategy, involving businesses and the municipality, that identifies our strengths and gets the word out to potential visitors. Ideally, we should have our own tourism association to decide on the best marketing strategies.

Improved cycle tourism is just one of many aspects, which tend to support each other. Cycle traffic benefits food businesses, both the sit-down restaurants and places that offer quick carbohydrates such as ice cream and baked goods.

Riders may be interested, for example, in travelling to several of the art displays on the Hills of Erin Studio Tour, visiting farms or in attending attractions after their riding is done, such as shows at Century Church Theatre.

Public feedback is still being collected for the county study on non-car mobility – search Wellington Active Transportation or go to www.surveymonkey.com/Wellington_Questionnaires.

Making Erin more resilient in a harsher climate

2011-10-26T23:06:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

An enthusiastic crowd gathered at the Legion hall last week, looking for ideas on how Erin can prepare for climate changes that are expected to alter our foliage and wear down our infrastructure in the coming decades.

The "Making Erin Greener Than Our Shamrock" event was co-sponsored by the Environmental Advisory Group of Erin (a Town committee) and the Climate Change Action Group of Erin (activists known for film nights and other awareness-raising events).

The guest of honour was farmer Don MacIver, the mayor of Amaranth Township (between Orangeville and Shelburne) and a senior climate change scientist with Environment Canada. As part of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he and other federal scientists shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.

Mayor Lou Maieron welcomed MacIver, noting the seriousness of the challenge faced by our species: "If we don't adapt, we may become extinct," he said. "It's the generation coming behind us that we have to educate."

MacIver no longer speaks of stopping climate change – that battle was lost many years ago. He also leaves to others the on-going battle to mitigate the changes by reducing greenhouse gases to slow global warming – the current goal is a 17 per cent reduction below 2006 levels by 2021.

He focuses on the urgency of improving our defences against inevitably more severe weather, caused by the unforgiving mechanics of the atmosphere. Mean temperatures at Toronto (Pearson) are up about 2.7°C since the late 1800s, with minimum temperatures up about 4°C, though the pace of change varies by region. Compared to the 1961-1990 period, temperatures are expected rise another 2.6-4.0°C by 2050, with 6-15% more precipitation.

"Have you noticed there's less frost over the last few decades? You can grow more crops in the spring," he said. "You need to understand how your community has changed in terms of its warming profile, its precipitation profile, especially if you are going to grow trees. And remember the take-home message here, 1°C is significant for biological growth – 2 and 3 and 4 degrees warming, that's a complete disaster when it comes to native tree species."

While there may be less snow, the area in the lee of the Great Lakes is getting more precipitation overall. The weather variations are also more severe, with more dry spells and intense storms with flooding and high winds. Buildings, bridges, roads and dams will not last as long and will have to be built to higher standards.

"We are in tornado alley, they are expected to get more severe," he said, noting that as of 2015 the National Building Code will require more resilient construction. "It's not a question of whether you're going to get one, it's a question of when."

Disaster planning is becoming more important, including reserve funds for repairs, and a registry of vulnerable people who need to be checked on during ice storms or heat waves.

He said conservation authorities need to not only defend native species, but to engage in "planned adaptation", to support biodiversity while encouraging growth of desirable new species from the northern US that can flourish in our altered climate.

Environment Canada has two websites to help municipalities gather data on local atmospheric hazards (hazards.ca) and to develop local climate change scenarios (cccsn.ca). The federal government is planning to shut them down, however, and MacIver urges anyone concerned about this to write to Environment Minister Peter Kent (Minister@ec.gc.ca). MacIver is also concerned that many federal climate change scientists in contract positions have been notified that they could be laid off.

Making "green" changes at the local level is difficult, especially when we already have a hard time finding money to maintain or upgrade roads and infrastructure. Are we willing to pay higher taxes or accept fewer services in a harsher climate? Erin would love to have a greener reputation, as long as it could be done cheaply, or better yet, with money from other levels of government.

These are issues that we cannot leave entirely to scientists and politicians. They need to be directed. As organizer Heather Gentles said: "The purpose of tonight's meeting is to begin the process of re-imagining Erin in a more sustainable and resilient way. It's up to us, the residents of Erin, to begin planning."

Sarah Peckford, Environment Progress Officer for Caledon ("Greenest Town in Ontario") was a guest at last week's meeting, explaining their climate change planning process. Also speaking was Linda Sword, who described efforts by Eden Mills residents to make their community carbon neutral. Both of these projects will be the topics of future columns.

Fair Grounds perfect for Farmers' Market

2011-10-19T22:56:00.000-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

It was an excellent Thanksgiving weekend, with plenty of turkey and family visiting, all the sunshine we could handle and a chance to do some late-season garden clean-up and machine maintenance, which I normally put off until it is uncomfortably cold outside.

The autumn colours were near their peak, so I looked about for a new hiking route. From the corner of Ballinafad Road and Rockside Road, just east of Winston Churchill Blvd., you can pick up an offshoot of the Bruce Trail.

Heading downhill towards Terra Cotta on the Rockside Side Trail, on the unopened road allowance of Heritage Road, the walking is easy. On the road, you'll pass Credit Valley Quarries, still producing the landscape and building sandstone that made the area famous in the late 1800s. Coming back along the rocky main trail, completing a 4.8 km loop, was a lot tougher – the whole hike was over two hours.

Then, of course, there was the Erin Fall Fair. I was running low on novelty belt buckles and T-shirts with rude sayings, so it was a chance to stock up.

But seriously, it was a great time – the social event of the year. From the beer at the Lions' tent to the Optimists' peameal on a bun, from the quiet crowd at the cow judging to the huge crowd at the tractor pull, there were plenty of choices and lots of people to recognize.

I particularly enjoyed the Crooner Show, with Erin native Monty Greig doing some energetic numbers in the Frank Sinatra / Dean Martin mode. Not an easy job wearing a black suit under a blazing hot sun. Check him out on Erin Radio, Sundays at 5 p.m., or at www.montygreig.com.

It was a pleasant surprise to see that the Erin Agricultural Society is considering the possibility of starting a Farmers' Market at the Fair Grounds next summer, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays. They had a small survey near their food counter at the fair, where potential customers or vendors could show their interest.

The best option is to visit their nicely-redesigned website (www.erinfair.ca) and take a couple of minutes to complete a brief survey. This will help them decide if the venture is feasible. There is a section for customers, with questions about shopping habits and what products you would like to see offered.

There's also a section for farmers and other merchants, about the cost of renting space and the volume of sales required to make their participation worthwhile.

It seems like a good idea from many points of view. It's both practical and economical to make more use of an excellent facility with lots of space, in the heart of the village.

More and more people are seeing the value in buying locally, directly from farmers, but it needs to be convenient, with reasonable prices and selection. Farmers may be able earn a reasonable profit by selling produce themselves, without having to transport it a long distance.

There has to be sufficient variety for a market to succeed. It does not have to be just food, but there have to be clear criteria in order to maintain the right atmosphere. For example, hand-made local crafts may be appropriate, but mass-produced T-shirts may not.

A Farmers' Market could increase the size of the overall customer base, including both local residents and short-trip tourists, to the benefit of all village businesses. Erin has been building its brand as a destination, but it needs to offer more benefits if it is to take full advantage of the trend. Like it or not, we are in competition with the towns all around us, and they all have Farmers' Markets.

The greatest benefit, however, is not about business. Like the fair, a market can be a gathering place, where you expect to meet people that you know. It could become a valuable part of Erin's identity.

Starting a Farmers' Market is a lot of work. I hope that the Agricultural Society gets plenty of encouragement and tangible help from the community if they decide to proceed.

Shand Dam provides huge recreation area

2011-10-12T22:50:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

It's off the beaten path for many people, so unless you have a passion for boating, waterskiing, fishing, hunting or hiking, the Shand Dam may be an unfamiliar landmark.

Located just 5 minutes west of the Erin border, along County Road 18, the dam was completed in 1942, the first in Canada built solely for water conservation purposes. It prevents the Grand River from regularly flooding the communities of Fergus and Elora just downstream, and helps regulate the flow for Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge.

The dam is 640 metres long and 26 metres high and can hold back 64 million cubic metres of water in Belwood Lake. It was the first project for the agency that became the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).

I joined a hike there recently with some friendly people from the Elora Cataract Trailway Association. They have monthly outings from May through December, and the next one is November 6, starting in Elora. Go to www.trailway.org for more details. The trail itself, a former rail roadway that crosses the dam, is co-owned by the GRCA and Credit Valley Conservation.

The lake level varies considerably, reaching a high point in the first week of June, then dropping gradually until late summer. In dry periods, more water evaporates from the lake than flows into it.

"We couldn't keep it full if we wanted to – it's not supposed to be here," said Derek Strub of the GRCA, who gave us a tour.

Water levels are measured at least twice a day. The floodgates can be opened wide to allow maximum water flow, even if it means flooding downstream. Water cannot be allowed to "overtop" the dam, since it could quickly erode the earth that supports it, causing a catastrophic collapse.

The raw data for river flows, and water levels for reservoirs such as Belwood Lake, Guelph Lake and Conestogo Lake (south of Drayton in west Wellington County) are posted on the GRCA website.

Some communities take drinking water from the river and discharge waste into it. Normally it is treated waste, but untreated waste does reach the river due to storm overflows. Sufficient water flow has to be maintained to dilute that discharge for the benefit of communities downstream.

The dam offers a fine view of the Grand River valley, and provides the GRCA with a valuable source of income since one of its chutes drives a year-round hydro-electric generator. It puts about 700 kilowatts per hour into the Ontario grid, enough to power at least 250 homes. A stairway on the dam face provides access to the base.

Belwood Lake is quite attractive, but it is an active recreation spot rather than a protected nature zone. Unlike Guelph Lake, motorized boating is allowed. The lake is 12 km long, including 347 private seasonal cottages, with the community of Belwood near the north end and the 1,348-hectare Belwood Lake Conservation Area to the south.

There is no charge if you just want to hike or cycle through on the rail trail, but for other activities, admission is $5.25 for those over 14, $2.75 for ages 6 to 14, and free for 5 and under.

There are 3.3 km of additional trails, a picnic area, and a one-acre spring-fed quarry with a sandy beach for swimming, including a shallow section for younger kids. Water quality is tested weekly in the summer, but there is no lifeguard patrol. The park is also home to the Belwood Lake Sailing Club.

Motorboats and ice fishing huts can be rented, and there are two public launch area. The lake is known for its pike, smallmouth bass and perch. Below the dam, the water is cool enough to support brown trout. There is a fishing pond for kids, stocked with rainbow trout and bass.

There are 243 hectares set aside for hunting deer, turkey and waterfowl, with a permit costing $15 a day or $120 for the season.

You can rent kayaks, but not canoes. I have found it better to paddle in the narrower upstream area of the lake where you can barely hear the jet-ski engines, and there is more chance of seeing wildlife such as heron.

Belwood is a day use area, so if you want to camp, check out Highland Pines, a private campground on the north shore. It is not far from the Belwood Transfer Station, where Erin residents now drop off their bulky or hazardous waste.

Not much new on Erin at All Candidates Meeting

2011-10-05T22:42:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

About 50 people came out to the All Candidates Meeting hosted by the Optimist Club of Erin on Tuesday last week, instead of watching the provincial leaders slug it out that night in the TV debate. It was a friendly affair, with a few good ideas tossed about, but not much to influence voters who care about local issues.

Participating were Progressive Conservative MPP Ted Arnott of Fergus, who has held the seat for 21 years, Liberal Moya Johnson of Georgetown, a nurse and Halton Hills town councillor, and New Democrat Dale Hamilton, a playwright, community worker and former Eramosa councillor. Green Party candidate Raymond Dartsch, a community nurse from Eden Mills, was not present.

Actually, it would have been better to hold the meeting on an earlier date, so people could read a report in the newspaper in advance of the vote. Many won't get this issue by mail until tomorrow, election day. The proceedings were broadcast on FM 88.1 CHES, Erin Radio.

"This is a chance to change to a government you can trust," said Arnott. "Ambulance response times have been a huge interest for me, and I have gone to bat for you on that issue in the legislature."

Hamilton, who came a close second to Arnott in the 1990 election that produced an NDP government, made an appeal for support to backers of the Green Party, based on "compatible" environment policies. "The NDP offers real change to the status quo," she said.

Hamilton agreed that Erin needs better ambulance response times. She said her party would cut ambulance fees and free up more dollars by continuing the Liberal plan to upload costs from municipalities.

"We are proposing to give the provincial ombudsman oversight over hospital and health spending, to be sure patients are respected, and certainly a case of that would be reasonable response times for rural areas," she said.

Johnson was eager to remind people of the Mike Harris PC government.

"I've lived through times when health care encouraged and supported, and times when it was cut to the bone," she said. "After all the progress we've made, rebuilding the health care system, we can't go back there, to those days."

She was not familiar with "exactly how many ambulances" Erin has, but said that in general, as the province continues to upload costs from the municipalities, "more funds will be available to improve ambulance service".

Arnott said he has spoken with the Minister of Health about the problem, in which the City of Guelph has only been willing to station an ambulance in Erin for part of each day. "The provincial government needs to get involved to ensure the response times are adequate," he said, and urged Guelph to be a "good neighbour".

Candidates were asked about support for the Town if it is obliged to install sewers. Johnson was unaware of Erin's situation and mistakenly said that all municipalities are obliged to provide sewage treatment. She said Erin would have to apply for any available funding, while Arnott said he would actively promote such a bid. Hamilton identified it as a development issue, saying Rockwood had succeeded in restricting new housing to within existing urban boundaries.

There were questions on whether the province should subsidize Erin residents if they are forced to hook up to the Town water system, and whether the system should undergo more scrutiny.
None of candidates made any commitment or showed any understanding of this local dispute, although Hamilton said she would look into it. They talked instead about water safety, uploading, infrastructure funding and eagerness to collaborate with municipalities.

The issue of Hydro Smart Meters arose, and Arnott promised to continue pushing for solutions to the technical problems that have led to erratic electricity bills for Stanley Park residents.
Regarding farms that need power 24 hours a day, Arnott said his party would make time-of-use meters optional, allowing some customers to benefit from a flat rate. Hamilton also supported flexible billing systems, as part of a broader plan to reduce risk for farmers. Johnson spoke of the expensive investments required to improve the Hydro system, and said the government already supports farmers in other ways.

Rural internet project neglects parts of Erin

2011-09-28T22:35:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

A Wellington County project to improve rural internet service, with a $1 million boost from the Ontario government, is having a limited impact in Erin because most of the town was considered to be already well-serviced.

Many Erin residents, especially in the north, would disagree with that assessment, but the good news is that wireless and satellite capacity is expanding quickly, so good quality internet could soon be available to everyone at a reasonable price.

The Rural Connections Broadband Program was started in 2009, one of 47 initiatives in the province to bring high-speed web access to under-serviced rural areas. The idea was to partner with a private firm that would build a series of towers, beaming a wireless internet signal to receivers at people's homes.

Residents in urban areas like Hillsburgh and Erin village can choose to receive high-speed service via TV cable or phone line, but in many rural areas, the only options are slow-speed dial-up, a satellite link or a wireless tower that requires a direct line-of-sight transmission.

Initially, the County planned to partner with Everus Communications, but the process was delayed when Everus went out of business. In 2010, Barrett Xplore Inc. (BXI) purchased some of the Everus equipment and customer base, and was chosen to proceed with the $3 million project. BXI, which operates with the brand name Xplorenet, is investing $2 million and will receive $1 million from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs when the work is complete.

There are now 14 towers set up as part of the project, with three more being finished this month and the last one in October. Only one of the new towers is in Erin, located at Ospringe, providing improved service to rural residents in the west part of the town. Other parts of rural Erin did not qualify.

"Areas of the County that previously had at least 75% high-speed internet coverage were not eligible for funding," says the wellington.ca website. "Those areas will not be receiving additional coverage as part of this project."

The Town of Erin has been involved in the process and did make it clear to the County that there is a need for better service in various areas. Councillor Jose Wintersinger was on the committee, and both former Mayor Rod Finnie and current Mayor Lou Maieron have both been vocal proponents of improvements. They've received many complaints about lack of quality internet, even though it is not a municipal responsibility.

A public information meeting was held by the County at 6:30 pm on Tuesday last week at Centre 2000, but it was not advertised in The Advocate. Nine residents were there, including four politicians and one columnist, to see a presentation by Don Ticknor, a Sales Manager for Xplornet. (It's a good thing there wasn't a large crowd, since the projector wouldn't work, so we had to huddle around a laptop.)

County Councillor Ken Chapman said he was shocked to see that north-east Erin was not mapped as an area qualifying for improvement. For this project, Xplorenet could only build upgrades where the County directed them.

"The gaps still exist," said Maieron, and he urged Xplornet to consider parts of Erin for future expansion (after this project), since there is a relatively high density of rural residents, including hundreds of people who need high-speed internet to operate businesses from their homes.

Kirk McElwain, a councillor from Elora who chaired the Wellington broadband committee, said they surveyed service providers to check existing coverage, since the County was not supposed to be funding one company in a competitive market area.

Although he had some doubts about the extent of the coverage, he said, "We took their word for it". He said that while service may not have been great in some parts of Erin, it was better than areas like Puslinch where there had been none at all.

Ticknor said it generally takes about 400 newly-connected households to make installation of a tower economically viable. His firm is involved with 31 government-assisted projects.

"We are Canada's largest rural high-speed provider, and are doing our best to provide the service. Our new 4G technology provides robust, reliable service that is interference-free and can be continuously upgraded."

Some parts of rural south Erin get wireless service from Hummingbird Wireless of Halton Hills. Others are customers of Firefly Networks, which in August merged with Standard Broadband (Data Matters Inc.) of Milton. They transmit from a series of towers in south Erin and the Ospringe area, and are currently upgrading to higher-capacity technology.

Figuring out just how many households were getting good service is complicated. People can receive a wireless signal either through an outdoor receiver or through plug-in equipment on their computers such as the Rogers Rocket Stick. Signals can be blocked or degraded, however, by trees – a constantly "growing" problem – or hilly terrain. Satellite transmission eliminates that issue, but has traditionally been much more expensive.

Ticknor said that by the end of this year, new satellite capacity will allow his firm to offer a 4G satellite signal at the same price levels as a tower signal – plus an extra equipment rental cost of $10 per month. Installation costs are also extra. Call their Arthur-based dealer, Northwind, at 519-957-2438 and go to 4GHighSpeed.ca or wellingtonhighspeed.com for more details.

The effort to bring better internet service to the County was coordinated by the Waterloo Wellington Community Futures Development Corporation (WWCFDC), a federally funded non-profit agency that promotes economic development. As part of the broadband program, they are hosting three free workshops for small businesses.

On October 12, from 9 am to 4 pm, at the WWCFDC office in Elora: Social Media Basics – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIN and YouTube. On October 19, from 9 am to 1:30 pm, at the WWCFDC office in Elora: Is Your Website Making the Grade? Maximizing web tools to promote, manage and grow your business. And on November 9, a repeat of the Social Media program, at the Mount Forest Community Centre. Call 519-846-9839 ext. 227 or go to wwcfdc.com

Getting serious about transportation alternatives

2011-09-21T23:51:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

For the past 15 years, I've been thinking about cycling to Hillsburgh and back, along the route of the old Credit Valley Railway, but have never gotten around to it. I've needed a special event to prod me into action, and now it has arrived.

There's a community bike ride this Saturday, September 24, on the Elora Cataract Trail, with registration starting at 8:30 am in Erin and at 9:15 am in Hillsburgh. It is a political demonstration, of the decidedly peaceful variety, to show local politicians and provincial candidates that people feel strongly about curbing greenhouse gases, promoting alternative methods of transportation and reducing Canada's carbon output.

Sponsored by Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVC), the Climate Change Action Group of Erin (CCAGE) and Erin Trails, it should be an enjoyable way to bring people together. It is part of a world-wide day of cycling action called Moving Planet: A Day to Move Away from Fossil Fuels. A visit to www.350.org will update you on the many efforts to reduce the earth's carbon dioxide level to 350 parts per million. For more information on the Erin "Ride for Change", contact Heidi Matthews at 519-833-9816 or email: gsheidim@gmail.com.

A bike ride won't shut down the carbon-producing tar sands in Alberta or produce immediate changes in our consumption-driven, car-dependent economy. But doing something is always more powerful than just talking. If millions of people not only speak up to say that current trends are unacceptable, but also demonstrate that they are willing to make lifestyle changes to benefit the planet, they will have an impact.

Another way to make a difference locally is to fill out the on-line survey that is part of the Wellington Active Transportation Plan, which aims to get more people involved in things like walking, jogging, running, cycling, in-line skating, skateboarding and even snowshoeing. The goal is to make non-motorized transportation more practical for commuting to work or school, for recreation and exercise, and for destination travel such as shopping and visiting friends.

This would be achieved not just through education, but by improvements to infrastructure such as bike lanes and trails. It is a joint effort involving the Public Health Unit, the County and local municipalities.

Do a search on Wellington Active Transportation or go to www.surveymonkey.com/Wellington_Questionnaires to access the survey. It will take about 15 minutes to complete, asking about current activities and priorities for improvements. You do not have to provide personal information.

In the Comments section at the end, I made two suggestions. If you agree with them, please back them up with your own comments. First, that both the County and local municipalities should commit to creating paved bike lanes whenever a road is being rebuilt. This does cost more initially, but some costs are recovered over time because the wider pavement lasts longer.

Second, that Wellington County establish a fund, similar to those in Peel and Halton Regions, to contribute towards the purchase of lands for protection of natural areas and development of recreation and trails. Such deals are typically coordinated by conservation authorities and often require funding from several sources – provincial, region/county, town and charitable foundations.

I saw a notice recently that Centre Wellington (Fergus-Elora) is launching a formal study to create a Trails Master Plan, a process they expect to cost about $50,000. Erin does not have that kind of money for trails, but it is worth noting that trails have become a high priority for many municipalities.

Trails are not a recreation luxury. They should be a key part of the local infrastructure, supporting physical and mental health, environmental protection, road safety, tourism, economic development and the town's reputation at large.

Natural areas should be protected and accessible

2011-09-14T23:40:00.003-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Nestled among some of Mississauga's most expensive homes, and close by the massive Suncor lubricant refinery on the Lake Ontario shore, Rattray Marsh is a significant ecological refuge in the urban landscape.

This sensitive wetland is the last remaining lakefront marsh between Toronto and Burlington, home to a wide variety of plants and animals, and a popular destination for migratory birds (and their watchers). The pounding waves of the lake have created a beach of small flat cobble stones, forming a barrier that backs up the waters of Sheridan Creek.

On a recent hike along the Waterfront Trail there, I was surprised at the extensive work done with raised boardwalks and railings. These allow people and pets into the natural marsh without having them trampling the vegetation or getting stuck in the mud.

It is something we need to consider for Erin's wetlands. Protection of natural areas is the first priority, but in populated areas it is almost as important to make them accessible, with trails and educational signs. When people are able to appreciate their local treasures, it builds political support for protection and improvements.

Like Erin, Rattray is also on the route of the Trans Canada Trail, which (from the west) comes through Sudbury, south through Barrie, west through Caledon, Erin and Elora, south to Brantford, then east along the Lake Ontario shore through Hamilton, Mississauga and Toronto on its way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Except for the Credit River, Erin doesn't have much in common with Mississauga – Canada's 6th largest city, with about 750,000 residents. But the Rattray Marsh may have some lessons for our future.

The area was owned by Major James Rattray, who tried to encourage governments to take it over. He died in 1959, but the battle to acquire the marsh lived on for several years, as there was a plan to fill it in and build homes.

Concerned citizens were unsuccessful in stopping Phase 1 of the development, but after years of negotiation and lobbying, Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) was able to buy 82.5 acres in 1972, preserving it for public use.

CVC now works in partnership with the Rattray Marsh Protection Association, a dedicated group of volunteers that help improve the network of trails, and protect the Marsh resources through education and stewardship. Except for police patrols, no bicycles are allowed on the trails.

Would Erin be ready to form a "protection association" if the need arose? We have some protection from excessive development, thanks to our Official Plan, the CVC, the Niagara Escarpment, the Greenbelt and our lack of a sewer system. It may be tempting to do as little as possible, hoping that everyone will just leave us alone.

But anyone who has attempted to drive down Mississauga Road lately will have seen the development pressure that is building. The road is being widened, there's a Walmart Supercentre at Williams Parkway and huge tracts of land are being prepared for subdivisions.

Here in Erin, it is important to continue building up public awareness of environmental issues and our network of concerned citizens, so that any proposed development will be subjected to intense public scrutiny. It is not here yet, but the time will come when we will be called upon to aggressively defend the things we really value in this town.

Column took the pulse of a thriving community

2011-09-07T23:34:00.003-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

"A chiel's amang you taking notes, And, faith, he'll prent it."

That is the quote that appeared every week, as the first line in the Local News Items column of The Erin Advocate, one hundred years ago. A rough translation: "A young fellow is among you taking notes, and you can be sure he will print it."

The line is lifted from Robert Burns' 1789 poem, On Captain Grose’s Peregrinations Thro' Scotland, and would have been recognized by Erin's upper class readers at the time.

Browsing through the September, 1911 issues of The Advocate, there is a large portrait of Conservative Robert Borden, who had just defeated Liberal Wilfred Laurier to become Canada's eighth Prime Minister. You'll find another portrait of Borden, who brought us military conscription and income tax, on the $100 bill. Wellington South (including Erin) stuck with Liberal Hugh Guthrie, who six years later crossed the floor to become one of Borden's cabinet ministers.

Tucked onto the back page, Local News Items covers the social comings and goings of people, whether they like it or not, with items such as:

• Mr. T.G. Howell, of Toronto, motored to Mrs. Hunter's, 10th line, last week.

Virtually every paragraph is a brand new topic, with random bits of humour: "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may be married." The column is a smorgasbord, with lines of poetry, editorial ads for products like Holloway's Corn Cure, descriptions of residents' illnesses, and reports of various burglaries, funerals, birthday parties and sermons.

There are frequent promotions for the business interests of the publisher, Wellington Hull, who was also a real estate and buggy salesman, and an auctioneer of farm implements. Every week, the column has lines like: "I have any amount of money to lend at a low rate on first mortgage.–W. Hull," and "Marriage licenses may be had by calling at The Advocate office." He also has advice for local politicians, on an issue that never seems to go away:

"We have at different times called the attention of parents to the folly of allowing their children to run the streets late at night. They are not only getting into all sorts of mischief, but learning bad language. Every small child under a certain age should be compelled to be off the street not later than 9 o'clock. Why not the Council pass a By-Law to this effect?"

There is the tale of Mr. W. Duthie, manager of the Hillsburgh branch of the Union Bank, who disappeared without a trace on a business trip to Toronto. Described initially as "a gentleman of good business ability and universally respected", it turned out the following week that he had abandoned his wife and children, with a "very considerable" amount of the bank's money.
Here are some other interesting excerpts from the column in 1911:

• A number of Italians who had been working on the C.P.R. track near Hillsburgh appeared before Magistrate Hull, charged with fishing on Sunday and trespassing on the reserves of the Caledon Mountain Trout Club. They were fined $5 each and costs.

• Colour-Sargeant Ward of Erin has been appointed to take part at the King's Coronation. (George V, grandson of Queen Victoria, became King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions including Canada, and Emperor of India, on June 22, 1911.)

• Mr. B. Mundell has been making some improvements to his planing mill, including the putting in of a new flume.

• Erin Village Council motion, carried: That we put down 300 feet of 4 ft. cement walk on the west side of Main Street, from the Agricultural Hall up towards the Station; and from Mrs. Morley's, on the east side of Main Street, to the north side of English Street, and put down new crossings at Spring, Scotch and English Streets; also put in curbing along the west side from Mill Race to Charles Street.

• The Clerk was requested to prepare specifications and advertise for tenders for building the bridge over the dam on Church Street.

• The Erin Tennis Club has been organized for the season. Mr. J.W. Flett is President and Miss Jessie Overland Sec.-Treas.

• Mr. R. Grundy has returned home from the North West and is again at his old position in Russell's store.

A large ad from Russell's boasts: "All the latest styles...See our Ruffs, Muffs, Caperines and all kinds of up-to-date Furs...We lead in Men's, Boy's and Ladies' Underwear...We have fitted a room upstairs for Fair Visitors where they may leave their Wraps with safety...Groceries always Fresh...Highest Price for Produce...Ladies' White Blouses, beautifully trimmed, reg. $1.25, for 98c."

A weekly ad for powdered soap, a relatively new invention, is typical of the era: "GOLD DUST is a good, honest vegetable oil soap in powdered form – scientifically combined with purifying ingredients of magic power." Too bad they don't make it any more.

Rodeo pros really show animals who's the boss

2011-08-31T22:25:00.011-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

After watching the bull riding competition at the Erin Extreme Rodeo, I went home and turned on the TV news. There was a warning about a video clip that could be disturbing to some viewers, so of course I had to watch. It was a stunt pilot at an air show, losing control and hitting the ground in an unsurvivable fireball.

It got me to thinking about why people participate in high risk sports entertainment, and why spectators are drawn to it. For the athletes, it cannot be just for the money, even at the professional level.

The desire to defy death, with a combination of skill and luck, is not the mark of a crazy person. It seems to be a mix of testosterone and rational choice, driven by the need to take real risk, push the limit, overcome fear, feel an adrenaline rush, raise your arms before a cheering crowd, earn the admiration of your peers and maybe win some money.

For the crowd, it is as though the risk takers are mocking death on our behalf, doing things we would never dare to try ourselves.

There is a tense moment at the end of many bull rides when the bull either flails its hind hooves close to the cowboy lying in the dirt, or whirls around and stares down at him. And unless he is unconscious or paralyzed, he will be up and literally running for his life.

That's when the bullfighters (formerly known as rodeo clowns) move in to skillfully distract the angry beast, when all goes well. Their job is even more dangerous when they have to free a rider who is hung up, dangling from the bucking bull by the arm or leg.

One bull took a straight charge at a bullfighter at the Erin event. With no chance to get to the fence, he made a quick little fake and the bull rumbled harmlessly past him – just another day at the office. Bull riding is a relatively civilized North American invention, compared to the Spanish bull fighting tradition – we just annoy the bull for a few seconds instead of killing it.

It is important to laugh at danger, preferably from a distance. The rodeo announcer at one point suggested that one of the bulls was planning to give the bullfighter a "2,000-pound ivory suppository". Those horns have rounded tips, but they can throw a person 15 feet up in the air, or worse.

If you have strong stomach, go to YouTube and search "bull riding wrecks" to see 742 samplings of what can go horribly wrong. There was nothing quite that "entertaining" at the Erin rodeo, although one fellow hobbled off after his lower leg was stomped by a bull, and another rolled around in the mud clutching his stomach for several minutes after flinging himself over the fence. Most riders wore hockey helmets with face cages, but others were content with cowboy hats.

Bull riding was the grand finale that Sunday afternoon, promoted as the world's "most dangerous sport" (though there is a lot of competition for that claim). There are many sports or performances that are not primarily about violence, but draw part of their appeal through the possibility that something violent might happen at any time. There is hockey, car racing, circus acrobatics, downhill skiing, motorcycle racing, big wave surfing and competitive cheerleading.

Rodeos, of course, are mainly about horses, not bulls. Any sport involving horses has risks, due to the speed and power of the animals and the height from which a rider can fall, but professional riders make the moves look smooth and natural. The horse and rider seem to become a single entity and it is amazing to watch. The riders have a special connection with their horses, a combination of discipline and affection.

The same respect does not apply to calves, however, since they occupy a lower rung in the hierarchy of mammals. Their job is to come charging into the ring, only to be have their necks roped, their bodies flipped in the air and their legs tied.

If you tied one end of a rope to a pole and the other end around a calf's neck, then made the calf run just for the fun of seeing it jerked to a stop, some people might call it cruel. But when the calf is brought down through the skill and strength of a cowboy and horse, as part of a traditional competition, it becomes a whole different thing – quite acceptable to most people.

Calves sometimes get hurt, but like cowboys they are tough and wiry. They usually bounce back up, trot off happily, punch their time cards and relax until the next show.

Are we ambitious to fly with the birds?

2011-08-24T22:36:00.003-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

The fascination that humans have for birds is perhaps based not so much on admiration of their elegant form, rich colours and quirky behaviour, but on envy of their ability to fly. I don't think they envy us, with our wheels.

We have achieved amazing personal mobility on the horizontal plane, but if future technology offers the general public that same mobility in a vertical way, it will surely cause a flap in the twittersphere.

After we have destroyed so much of their natural habitat, and erected glass buildings that fatally deceive them, they won't be impressed if flocks of humans start invading their air space. Even then, we would surely look awkward.

Personally, I am content to stay on the ground, and connect to their world with my camera. That technology has advanced to the point where you can get amazing optical zoom and automatic focus at a low price.

One no longer has to be an expert photographer with expensive equipment to capture beautiful bird pictures. I got such a crisp shot of a baby robin in a nest on my property this year that there was a clear image of the clouds reflected in its eye.

I've never been an official birdwatcher, but like to keep my eyes and ears open while hiking. You have to be willing to stop, be quiet and observe what's going on all around you – not easy if you are focused only on reaching a destination.

It can be a very intense hobby if you have the time, with some people even taking a competitive approach, in a quest to tick off as many rare birds as possible on their list. The pastime got its start in the 1800s, with a movement to protect birds from being hunted for their feathers, or as specimens for collectors.

Birding is now a lucrative niche in the tourism trade, as more people are eager to travel long distances to observe interesting species. Specialized equipment includes binocular-cameras, compact telescopes with tripods, and digital recordings of bird calls to help with identification. Popular birding areas will often have blinds or observation towers to help conceal the watchers.

The tourism people at www.grandrivercounty.com have published a brochure and on-line guide called Trails Take Flight, identifying the 20 favourite birding trails in the Grand watershed. These include the Gilbert MacIntyre Trail at Rockwood Conservation Area and the Elora-Cataract Trail between Belwood Lake Conservation and Orton.

I took a hike on the rail trail near Fergus last week, and within a few minutes had pictures of a yellow and black American Goldfinch and a scarlet Northern Cardinal. The trail is good for birding because it cuts through marshy areas, and because many of the clearings created by railroad builders have become lush strips of meadow bordered by trees.

For an excellent summary of local species, check out the Birds of the Credit section in the CVC website, www.creditvalleyca.ca.

To get more involved, may I suggest you look up the Upper Credit Field Naturalists, based in Orangeville, who bring in guest speakers on birds and other nature topics and run a Beginners Birding Course. They have organized birding trips to not-too-distant places like the Minesing Swamp near Barrie and the Luther Marsh near Grand Valley. The Guelph Field Naturalists have similar activities.

Elora has succeeded at marketing its attractions

2011-08-17T22:28:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

In a recent visit to Elora, I was impressed not only with the many attractions in the village, but with the success they have had in creating a positive brand name that draws people to the area.

The Elora Farmers' Market was established in 2005 and has become a hub of community activity, with more than 20 vendors every Saturday at Bissell Park from May to October, and a winter market indoors at the Elora Raceway. It takes a bit of nerve to call yourself the World’s Prettiest Farmers’ Market, but it certainly doesn't do any harm.

Bissell Park is a large public green space right in the village – a brilliant concept. It has a nice wide boardwalk along the north bank of the Grand River, a feature that many Erin residents would like to see on our stretch of the West Credit River.

The Grand flows from Belwood Lake through Fergus towards Elora, past the quarry that supplied stone for the village's beautiful public buildings and heritage homes. It is now the 79-acre Elora Quarry Conservation Area, opened in 1976, including a two-acre swimming hole with 40-foot sheer limestone cliffs.

The river tumbles over a waterfall near the downtown core. It is joined by Irvine Creek and flows through an impressive gorge with 70-foot cliffs. For $150 (including training) you can take a zip-line ride out over the gorge, then rappel down into it.

The Elora Gorge Conservation Area has camping and riverside trails with safety barriers, and while there is no swimming or rock climbing allowed, you can try whitewater canoeing, kayaking or tubing. It was the first conservation area on the Grand, opening in 1954 after more than 20 years of promotion by local newspapers, and with strong support from the business sector.

The village is known for its active arts community, especially the Elora Festival and Singers. The summer festival has run since 1979, attracting international patrons and performers, featuring large-scale classical works for choir and orchestra and intimate concerts of jazz and popular music. The Festival Singers is a renowned chamber choir, nominated for Grammy and Juno Awards, with 12 releases on the Naxos label.

Sensational Elora is an 11-day festival, starting September 30, that combines dance, film, art, music and feasting on locally-grown food.

The old Elora Public School has been nicely maintained as home to the Elora Centre for the Arts, which hosts various exhibitions. There is a permanent gallery of works on sale from the 39 artists of the Harris Collective. The building also has the offices of the Elora Environment Centre, a non-profit group with several staff members, specializing in home energy evaluations and advocacy of sustainable lifestyles.

The village is only a couple of minutes away from the Wellington County Museum and Archives. Built in 1877 as a House of Industry and Refuge for the poor, aged and homeless, it is a National Historic Site. A trail on the grounds links two branches of the Elora-Cataract Trailway, and a renovated trestle bridge offers a stunning view of the river gorge.

Elora has 5,500 residents, about as many as Erin village is projected to have by 2031. It is part of Centre Wellington Township, including Fergus and surrounding area, which has a total population of 27,500, compared to 12,000 for the Town of Erin. Centre Wellington has a Manager of Economic Development and a strategic plan to stimulate and guide economic growth. They also have their own tourism organization for local stakeholders.

The Grand River Raceway at Elora, owned and operated by the Grand River Agricultural Society, offers dining, seasonal live harness racing, wagering on year-round simulcast racing, and 240 slot machines.

I dropped in to the OLG Slots there on a weeknight, and almost every machine was in use. I knew my limit and played within it, making it last a while with single plays on a five-cent machine. Then I hit the Maximum Bet button by mistake, and my ten bucks was pretty well gone.

In that process, I chipped 50 cents into the coffers of Centre Wellington Township. Ontario Lottery and Gaming pays five per cent of gross revenues from slot machines to the municipality. That now amounts to more than $500,000 every three months, with no strings attached.

Elora show laments loss of precious rural land

2011-08-10T23:30:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Elegy for a Stolen Land, at the Elora Centre for the Arts, is an array of startling panoramic photographs by Peter Sibbald, documenting the relentless push of urban development into rural areas.

Living close to that cutting edge, but protected for now in our little bubble, we need to think about how Erin will look in 20 or 50 years. Like Rockwood? Caledon? Orangeville? Georgetown? Elora? There are many choices to be made.

The photos at the gallery delve into the details of subdivision construction – the gaudy sales signs, the ruts in the soil, the disruption of aboriginal artifacts and burial grounds. The elegant shapes of the farmland and isolated farm buildings are contrasted with the destructive, cancer-like spread of highways, power lines and housing.

The photos are rich in detail, beautifully taken and quite thought-provoking. Some deal with the Six Nations land dispute in Caledonia, which remains an open wound on our society, not only because of the injustices to aboriginal peoples, but because of the recent failure of the Ontario government and police to protect the rights of non-Native residents in that area.

The show is not so much about politics or landscape as is about about the starkness of how the land has been abused, and how people connect with it. Sibbald is from Jackson's Point on Lake Simcoe, near the intense development of York Region, and has had a successful career in journalistic and commercial photography.

His show laments the journey from "earth mother" to "real estate" and he freely admits his bias, setting up a moral dichotomy with native spirituality and our farming ancestors on one side, and ugly urban growth on the other.

"It is a cry for environmental justice," he said at the opening last week, admitting to discouragement over the small effect his voice may have against a multi-billion dollar industry and its political allies.

The style is a bit over-dramatic for my taste, romanticizing a rural ideal and demonizing the building of homes on land approved for that purpose by democratic governments. Is our democracy failing because not enough people care, or was it never meant to keep everybody happy? It seems that many are concerned about urban sprawl, but not enough to do anything about it, and as long as it does not affect them personally.

Of course it is not the job of artists (or journalists) to come up with solutions to society's problems, but rather to ask questions and draw people's attention, prodding them to think and act. Art, like politics, is all about the spin of underlying motives. Farming, for example, could be portrayed as having an ugly side, as an industrial process that has already devastated the natural ecology.

We have been raised in a culture that makes the owning of a dwelling place a key symbol of success. Who can tell the middle class that they must give up their dream of a detached home and settle for a high-rise condo? Or that they must move hundreds of kilometres away from the offices and factories if they want an affordable house?

The Ontario government plans to welcome millions of new residents in the next 20 years by intensifying existing urban areas, promising to limit urban sprawl and preserve farmland. Many are skeptical that this can be achieved, as developers leapfrog over the protected Greenbelt into lands farther and farther from Toronto.

When we resist new subdivisions here in Erin, are we really defending farmland and the natural environment? Or are we slamming the door behind us, defending the privilege of open space that we earned simply by moving here before some others? Will a trickle of middle-income city dwellers in our midst ruin our small-town charm?

Or do we cling to the illusion of defending our real estate values, as demand for housing soars near the GTA? Will lack of development really give us the opportunity to sell our homes and farms for more than we ever dreamed possible?

The discussion will heat up during the next phases of the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP), looking at improvements to water and sewage infrastructure that would help protect the environment, but also enable a small amount new housing in our tightly defined urban areas. It could also allow for the revitalization of our downtown districts.

These matters went onto the back burner after last year's election, and there have been no meetings of the SSMP Liaison Committee since December. A public meeting expected in the Spring did not happen and there have been no updates to the SSMP website. A report dealing with a range of SSMP issues is expected in September, which should help re-focus public attention on the process.

The photo essay is online at www.petersibbald.com, but I encourage people to make the 45 minute trip and check it out in person, until September 1, at 75 Melville Street in Elora (www.eloracentreforthearts.ca). There are lots of other things you could do while you are in Elora, but more about that next week.

Museum offers rides on antique streetcars

2011-08-03T07:46:00.005-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

It was a bit spooky, wandering through the maze of antique streetcars, in the huge display barn at the Halton County Radial Railway Museum just south of Rockwood. The best of them have been protected and restored like works of art, while others remain outdoors to face the elements.

The museum is on Guelph Line in Milton, but it is just 25 minutes from Erin and makes for an interesting excursion. It is a non-profit education centre and tourist attraction, complete with gift shop and streetcar ice cream parlour, operated there since 1972.

There has been interest lately in LRT (Light Rail Transit) for urban areas – a new rail and rapid bus corridor was approved just a few weeks ago for Waterloo-Kitchener-Cambridge. But less well-known is that there was once a system of inter-city electric trains, radiating like spokes out of Toronto.

One of these radial lines, opened in 1917 by the Toronto Suburban Railway company, went to Guelph, via Meadowvale, Churchville (Eldorado Park), Georgetown, Limehouse, Acton and Rockwood. It was bought and subsidized by Canadian National Railways, but it never had commercial success and was discontinued on August 15, 1931. The Guelph Hiking Trail Club now maintains a 33 km route on the rail bed, as a link to the Bruce Trail in Limehouse.

The museum has rebuilt a section of line and overhead power supply, so they can test their collection of about 75 vehicles. They offer guests a 20 minute ride through the forest, with an attractive park at the east-end loop.

The collection includes streetcars, subway cars, trolley coaches, locomotives, box cars, cabooses, rail grinders and snow plows. There's even a bus from the Hamilton Street Railway, in the old rounded style that I used to take to high school.

Many cities used to have belt lines – rail loops through their busiest areas. The Niagara Gorge Belt Line operated from Niagara Falls to Queenston on both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the river, from 1893 to 1935, carrying up to 17,000 passengers a day. Toronto's radial railways did not go into downtown Toronto, and ultimately could not compete with standard freight trains or the expanded highway system and the conveniences offered by bus transportation.

I took a ride on Car 327, a streetcar with open sides and running boards. It is a replica built by the TTC for Toronto's centennial in 1934, with components salvaged from the original #327, built in 1892. The conductor would walk along the running board with a tin cup to collect the fares, and people would often hop on and off while it was still moving. Such vehicles were taken out of service about 1915, because of the dangers posed by that other horseless invention, which remains popular today.

The most striking aspect of the interiors of the older cars are the wooden fixtures, varnished and glowing, with attention to detail that has become unfashionable or too expensive to maintain in more modern settings. There is also some impressive woodwork in the old Rockwood train station, purchased from the town in 1971 and moved to the museum.

The Ontario Electric Railway Historical Association was formed in 1953 by a group of men who wanted to save a Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) streetcar from being sent to the scrap yard. Eventually, they started the museum, which is now open on weekends from May to October, and daily in the summer. Go to www.hcry.org for details, including school programs and special events. There is an archive of drawings, photographs, uniforms, maps and books, which are available for research.

For those with a general interest in trains, there are museums across Canada, the largest being the Canadian Railway Museum (Exporail) south of Montreal. I have visited a few, and can recommend the Museum of Science and Technology in Ottawa, and the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel in Cranbrook, BC, particularly notable for its preservation of intricate inlaid woodwork in the luxury cars.

Here are some more photos from my visit:

Amateur scientists take watershed snapshot

2011-07-27T07:32:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Teams of volunteers fanned out across the headwaters of the Credit River recently to do a quick check on the state of its health.

About 75 people took part in Credit Valley Conservation's first Check Your Watershed Day on July 16, including at least a dozen from Erin Trails and the Climate Change Action Group of Erin.

On a sweltering Saturday afternoon, we measured the temperature of water in shady sections of the river, took photos and made sketches of bridges and culverts, and looked for obstacles to the movement of fish.

"It's not going to go into a box and never be looked at again – the information we are collecting today is real data that will help direct restoration projects in the future," said CVC Aquatic Biologist Jon Clayton. In spite of the many dams on the river, CVC tries to reconnect fish habitat areas where possible.

"There may be spots where fish can't get upstream as a result of a drop coming out of a culvert, and the fish populations are fragmented as a result," said Clayton. "The temperature information is used to assess where dams are having an impact. If we notice a big temperature increase downstream of a pond, that might be an area we come back to and target for stream restoration or riparian (shoreline) planting."

Bill Dinwoody and I worked as a team, assigned to check five sites in Hillsburgh. Measurements at three locations upstream of the dams showed temperatures from 19.1° to 19.9° C. In the pond at the Station Street, and downstream at 22 Sideroad, the readings were just above 26° C.

Checking the Station Street dam.

We saw no blockages of fish traffic apart from the dams, which form three large ponds between downtown Hillsburgh and 22 Sideroad. Clayton said the lower temperatures upstream seemed normal, as did the high reading in the pond, but he was surprised that the water had not cooled more by the time it reached 22 Sideroad.

"I have seen quite a few Brook Trout there before in the summer so that would indicate colder water. Maybe there was a spring or upwelling directly underneath them or just upstream. It also speaks to the need to allow fish to move around to find coldwater refuge during hotter summer periods," he said.

Vegetation next to the river helps cool the water, but incoming groundwater and air temperatures have a more direct impact, he said.

Rehabilitation work was done at the 22 Sideroad crossing a few years ago, with rocks strategically placed to help fish navigate into the culvert. CVC also planted trees in the nearby meadow, but they have not survived.

A Check Your Watershed Day enables a large amount of data to be collected at the same time. Measurements were done throughout the upper watershed, including Orangeville/Caledon (the East Branch), Hillsburgh/Erin (the West Branch) and Georgetown.

The concept has been used successfully by other conservation authorities. It has been promoted by EcoSpark, an organization that works with communities and schools, providing them with knowledge and tools to monitor their environment and take action for positive environmental change.

The group has a special interest in the Oak Ridges Moraine, a prominent ridge north of Toronto, stretching 160 kilometres from the Niagara Escarpment in the west to the Trent River system in the east. It was created between two lobes of receding glacial ice, where the melting water deposited huge quantities of rocky debris.

Moraine landscapes, also prominent in Erin, are good at collecting rainwater, filtering it through sand and gravel, and recharging aquifers deep underground. These supply drinking water for many communities and deliver clean, cold water into river systems.

The Credit River is a unique cold water system that is home to sensitive Brook Trout and is one of three rivers targeted for re-introduction of Atlantic Salmon. It is 90 km long, with 1,500 km of tributaries, draining about 1,000 square kilometres of land.

Silver Creek crevices will keep you on your toes

2011-07-13T13:39:00.007-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Just read about some doctors who like to prescribe walks in the woods to counteract "nature-deficit disorder", a term coined by Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods. It is certainly a logical way to boost mental and physical health, but the medical angle is a reminder that we are in a crisis of stress and inactivity that is doing real harm.

Active Healthy Kids Canada reports that many young people are spending 6-7 hours a day in "screen-based sedentary activities" and urges parents to assign manual chores and insist on outdoor play. Only seven per cent of kids meet the minimum levels in the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines.

One screen that would probably lead to more activity is that of a digital camera, if kids were out looking for interesting things to photograph. I recently picked up information about a Guelph-based non-profit group called Focus on Nature. Inspired partly by Richard Louv, the group offers photography workshops in schools that enable kids to develop their creative observation skills and to "get outside and explore and connect with the natural world".

I was out with my camera last week, getting an overdue dose of stress relief and cardiovascular stimulation with a hike along the Bruce Trail, in the Silver Creek Conservation Area. It is just a few minutes from Erin, straight down the Ninth Line and Fallbrook Trail, now paved all the way to the trail entrance at 27 Sideroad, Halton Hills.

A huge wilderness reserve, it is 388 hectares (958 acres) of prime Niagara Escarpment land managed by Credit Valley Conservation, stretching from the 10th Line to Trafalgar Road. There are no buildings, just babbling brooks, lush forests, stunning views, an orchestra of birds, and some unique rock formations that make for a rewarding hike.

The origins of Silver Creek are mainly in south Erin, including Snow's Creek that flows south from Ballinafad through Scotsdale Farm, and the network of creeks that arise in the Paris Moraine between Winston Churchill Blvd. and the Eighth Line.

The northern limit of the Silver Creek Sub-Watershed is the rise of land just south of 10 Sideroad, the edge of the moraine. It was formed in the late stages of the most recent ice age. The Laurentide Ice Sheet covered most of Canada and the northern US for about 75,000 years.

As the ice melted and retreated, it would sometimes expand again during colder periods and rework the landscape, but not always in a north-south pattern. Geologists believe that the Paris Moraine was formed about 12,000 years ago by a huge lobe of ice in the Lake Ontario basin, over a kilometer thick, which flowed northwest, up and over the Escarpment.

The rock, sand and gravel it left behind, with the action of melting water, created both moraines, which are irregular and hummocky, and drumlins like the one next to Erin village, which are long smooth hills pointed in the direction of the ice flow. Neither make for good farmland.

Streams on the Paris Moraine flow south-east and amalgamate into Silver Creek as it tumbles down the Escarpment. It joins another branch in Silver Creek Valley, a deep gouge parallel to the Escarpment, well-known to drivers taking the Ninth Line "scenic route" to Glen Williams. The water flows through Georgetown and does not join the Credit River until Norval.

My hike took me east from Fallbrook Trail, past a look-out over the panorama of Silver Creek Valley where you can watch turkey vultures cruising on the updrafts. The forest trail alternates between dirt and fields of smoothly-pitted rock, with many crevices that could cause a nasty fall or twisted ankle. So watch your step, be sure to keep pets and kids on a short leash and don't set out too close to dusk.

The Bruce Trail carries on towards Caledon, on its way to Tobermory, but you can cut back to the road on the Roberts Side Trail, making a 2.6 km loop that will take an hour and a half at a casual pace. The side trail is not as dramatic, but there is a huge variety of plant life, including trilliums, the provincial flower which seems to be less plentiful in recent years. There is also a large wetland pond with a boardwalk used by school field trips.

If you are thinking of taking up the hiking habit, don't wait for the doctor to tell you. Consider joining the Bruce Trail Association. Go to www.brucetrail.org for an interactive map, download local maps for $3, or get their reference guidebook. There are 800 km of main trails 200 km of side trails to explore.

Skateboard Park plan deserves strong support

2011-07-06T13:31:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Dropping in to the Skate/BMX/Band Jam at Erin Centre 2000 on June 25, I was greeted by a wall of angry sound from a punk band on the arena floor. The people I met there, however, were anything but angry – everyone was having a great time.

Punk rock is not my cup of tea, but then neither is opera or jazz. I can appreciate the creative value in any style of music, as long I am not too close to the speakers. I have never been a skateboarder, but I can see that the primary factor is fun, and so I am glad to support construction of a Skate/BMX Park in Erin.

I remember how important a bike was for me as a kid, providing independence, risk and part of my identity. I am especially impressed with the vertical techniques that today's BMX riders have developed.

Skateboarding and BMX are not going away. Their popularity has fluctuated over the past 50 years, but with improvements to equipment and exposure in movies, interest has spread to many countries around the world. There is a need for a facility now, and there is every reason to believe that the interest will continue well into the future.

The Jam offered participants the chance to try out their techniques on portable ramps and rails in the arena. Andrea Rudyk, who helped organize the event, said about $1,200 was raised.

"It was a success, there were a lot of skaters and BMXers enjoying the park, which is what we were aiming for," she said. The bands performing were Agents of Id, Bread Fan, Frenemy, KIZ & LEGIN, Fade Chromatic, Nobel Savage, Rise of the Lion, No King for Countrymen and The Elwins.

Young people in Erin have shown that they are willing to raise money and work for their cause and have attracted support from donors such as developer Shane Baghai, Scotia Bank, Nestlé Waters and Erin Hydro.

It has been more than two years since resident Mark Middleton brought a petition with 335 signatures to Town Council, asking them to support a skate park, now expected to cost about $100,000. The Town has agreed to pay half the cost. A site on the west side of Centre 2000 has been chosen, and work could start this fall.

"I'm going to stick around – I don't give up easily," said Middleton, part of a committee of adults and youth working to raise $50,000. "Seeing the kids on the downtown streets got me going. They need a place to express themselves."

Skateboarders are not always welcome to hang out in some areas of the town. The new park will not completely solve this tension, but it will certainly help. Mutual respect is a sign of a strong community.

Previous attempts to get a park, with extensive efforts by both adults and youth, were not successful. Naturally, interests change as teens get older and they often move out of Erin, but as I saw at the recent fundraising event, many younger kids continue to take up the sport.

To support the campaign, or to get more information, go to www.erinskatepark.com, or their Facebook page. Donations can be made through the Town office, with income tax receipts available. There will be more fundraising at local events this year.

The park has the support of the Wellington County OPP. It will be covered by Town liability insurance, and by the Centre 2000 surveillance cameras. The site will have a flat concrete pad, with portable equipment attached to it. As in other sports, there is a risk of injury, but this can be controlled through common sense and good equipment. The plan is to incorporate a barrier to reduce the noise for nearby homes.

Skateboarding has had a traditional link with punk rock, which supports the sport's rebellious image. It does seem to attract those who do not like the strict rules and timetables of more organized sports, but there is no standard image. Like any culture, it covers a broad spectrum.

There is a natural overlap of interest with BMX bikes, since they use many of the same ramps and structures for their jumps. BMX (bicycle motocross) started out as an offshoot of motorized dirt bike racing.

There is a link too with surfing and snowboarding, which started out as rebel cultures. It is a natural evolution – when an activity has real value, it eventually earns acceptance, even in small town Ontario.

Trail upgrades will link homes to water tower hill

2011-06-22T13:25:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Work is expected to start soon on improvements to a trail that links the Delarmbro subdivision with the Erin village water tower hill.

The initiative is being taken by the Erin Trails group, as part of the Town's Recreation and Culture Committee (RACC). It is backed by the Rotary Club of Erin, which has pledged up to $5,000, plus manual labour to help get the job done.

To be known as the Rotary Trail, the route is on municipal land. Walkers and cyclists use it to travel from the subdivision, along an existing berm parallel to County Road 124.

From behind the apartment buildings, the trail then cuts through a cedar grove and over an intermittent stream (which intersects the road next to Kirk's Barbershop). It then climbs a steep embankment to join the service road that takes vehicles from Main Street up to the water tower.

"We decided on the walking trail as being a project which would benefit the whole community," said Rotary President Ron McJury. "The eventual goal is to have a network of interlinked trails throughout the community, linking with some of the existing trails to provide locals and tourists alike an opportunity for exercise, communing with nature, and getting some spectacular views of the area."

Rotarians Melodie Rose and Rod Finnie proposed various projects to the club and members decided to give priority to trails. McJury hopes that new sections can be added every year.

The current project includes construction of a 20-foot bridge across the stream bed, in the style used by the Bruce Trail Association, plus tiered steps on the embankment. There will also be a series of signs and shamrock-style trail blazes. Arrangements are being made for the necessary approvals from Town Council and Credit Valley Conservation.

The Elora Cataract Trail, part of the Trans-Canada Trail, is an important route through Erin and Hillsburgh, but it needs off-shoots to create better hiking experiences. The Woollen Mills Trail (in the conservation area behind Mundell Lumber) was upgraded in 2009, but it needs a bridge across the Credit River to link it with MacMillan Park.

There are numerous informal trails around Erin village, including the routes from the water tower that connect to Charles Street and Church Street, but most are on private property. Erin Trails hopes to get permission to make some of those trails official, with proper signage and liability insurance, making them more accessible to the public.

For more information or to get involved in the trail improvements, call Bill Dinwoody at 519-833-2305 or Steve Revell at 519-833-2571.

As a member of the trails group, I have long had an interest in expanding this valuable network, which is now used by very few people. It is a relatively low-cost venture which can be done in stages. Better trails would enhance conditions for residents and make the villages of Erin and Hillsburgh more attractive destinations.

If we could create a loop route for hikers that includes both natural areas and the commercial section of Main Street, it would be an ongoing benefit for downtown businesses. It should be part of the Town's marketing plan.

If we could design a trail for horses and their riders, branching off from the Elora Cataract Trailway, it would attract a whole new group of visitors.

If we could make more connections between subdivisions, schools and stores, bypassing the busiest roads, we could make the urban landscape safer, especially for kids and seniors.

For a town that prides itself on environmental awareness and quality of life, a good network of trails should not be considered an optional luxury, but an important necessity. It should be a functional part of "The Charm".

Campaign to designate Credit as a Heritage River

2011-06-15T13:21:00.000-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Is the Credit just another river? Is it a simply a drainway to the lake, an obstacle for road builders and an inconvenience for housing developers? Like most rivers, it is quite scenic, and creates a valuable environment for fish and wildlife, but does it deserve special credit as a "Canadian Heritage River"?

Naturally, a river can be special to the people who live with it, just as we may feel a bond with our home town. But now there is a campaign, supported by Credit Valley Conservation (CVC), to have it recognized nationally, and to raise community awareness of why it deserves the honour.

"We need to build support from a wide range of stakeholders and participants within the Credit River community," said Dave Beaton, CVC's Supervisor of Community Outreach. "We are in the process of forming a community based advisory team."

Before most people could offer their input, they would have to know what a heritage river is and why it could be important. To educate the public and get feedback, the campaign has its own website (www.creditourriver.ca) and a Facebook page. People are urged to blog their stories about why the river is important to them, and groups wanting a presentation on the campaign can contact Beaton at 905-670-1615, ext 426.

The site points out that the Credit has served as a major environmental, economic, social and cultural link for communities, including the First Nations who settled here:
"The Credit River has an incredibly rich and an acclaimed history – one that has played a vital part in Ontario’s early settlement. The Credit River belongs to all of us – all 99 km that flow from its headwaters to where it drains into Lake Ontario. It is, in short, an outstanding example of a dramatic and diverse waterway that is as varied and spectacular as the terrain it passes through."

There are people living close to the Credit River who are only vaguely aware that it even exists. The heritage we have received is in danger of being degraded or lost due to the impact of dams, diversions, pollution and development, so there is still plenty of work to do. Any effort to give the Credit a higher profile is certainly worthwhile.

The Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS) is national river conservation program, promoting Canada’s river heritage, ensuring that leading rivers are managed in a sustainable manner and honouring them as places of pride.

In April, a workshop for interested parties, including community groups and municipalities, gave the campaign a boost. A report on the event, called Giving Our River Its Credit: Toward A Heritage River Designation for the Credit River, is available online.

"We can ill afford to take the Credit for granted," said biologist Steve Hounsell, keynote speaker at the workshop. "We live in the midst of an ecological jewel with the Credit as its centrepiece – we need to protect it. The residents of the watershed need to be connected to the river with a sense of pride."

The website of the national program (www.chrs.ca) says, "Canada is a nation with a rich river heritage. Rivers are the threads that weave together the natural and human elements of Canada." It has extensive information and photos of the 41 rivers already designated, including the Fraser in BC, the North Saskatchewan in Alberta and the Upper Restigouche in New Brunswick. There are 11 in Ontario including the Detroit, French, Rideau, Thames, Humber and the Grand, with part of its headwaters in Erin.

The CHRS has no legal authority. It is driven by partnerships and community involvement, and supervised by board members appointed by federal, provincial and territorial governments.

A designation does not result in any new restrictions on development. And while there are no guaranteed benefits, the designation could help when applying for funding in areas like tourism and wildlife habitat improvement.

A management plan or heritage strategy, to ensure that the river's values will be maintained, must be in place before the designation can be given. A master plan for the entire watershed is something the CVC was already intending to undertake. The CVC board has allocated $100,000 this year to support the designation and master plan.

The designation process is rigorous and could take three to five years. A river must be proven to possess the requisite natural values, historical importance and recreational potential. Strong public support must also be demonstrated.

The villages of Erin and Hillsburgh owe their founding and early prosperity to the Credit and its ability to power the lumber and grist mills of the 1800s. Today many people here are passionate about their river, and feel fortunate that it has remained in good condition. We are only 12,000 in a watershed that is home to 750,000, but I think that this campaign will find valuable support here.

Environmental movement has spiritual dimension

2011-06-08T22:39:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

As one who attends both church services and environmental events, I cannot help but notice some similarities between the two. The overlap is quite natural, of course, since both activities include a quest for knowledge, and guidance as to the proper ways to behave in the maze of moral choices people face every day.

There is safety and comfort in gathering with others of similar inclination, but preaching to the converted is never really sufficient. There is always the urge to evangelize, to spread the word to those who have not heard it, or who have not accepted it, yet. It is not a matter of coercion, but of leading by example. No one likes being told how to think and act, but everyone can be influenced.

Religious or not, many people share a core belief that the created world and the life forms that depend on it are essentially good. And in spite of the advances of science, there is a recognition that we are a part of something that remains beyond our understanding. We know that we cannot control all outcomes by our actions, but our actions are still important – we can make a difference.

The values promoted by faith communities and environmental associations tend towards the universal – when a group of people agree on something, there is an understanding that if only everyone believed the same things and acted in the appropriate ways, humanity would be a lot better off.

Environmental campaigns often focus on the identification of evildoers, mainly large corporations, who are accused of leading the innocent astray in order to improve profits. Who should we trust to guide our society? Elected politicians? Multinational corporations? Church leaders? Grassroots organizations? News organizations?

In these times, when personal choice and responsibility are considered paramount, it is difficult to herd the population into conformity of action, or a sense of social responsibility. Indeed, it should not be easy. Having a variety of viewpoints accepted in the pubic realm is our best defence against abuses of power. Still, people should look outside their personal world, see the need for building consensus, and recognize a shared responsibility for the future of the planet.

Most religious doctrines include respect and protection of the environment. And many people who wouldn't be caught dead in a church are informally practicing a form of spirituality that reveres the sacredness of all creation. Many also believe in the sacredness of work. You can view work as strictly earning money, or you can see its value in serving the needs of other people. We live in an unstable, unsustainable society, so the gap between people's hopes and their actual reality creates some powerful needs.

I was struck by this during a discussion of farming, during a recent workshop on biodiversity at Everdale Farm. A market garden farmer from Grey County (didn't catch his name) dropped into the group part-way through and had some interesting views about the marketing of organic food.

"A lot of people involved in agriculture right now do not have a background in agriculture," he said. "They are the ones who have twigged to this notion of fashion, using fashion to influence the marketplace. In ten years, food has become hot. If you look at the old families, it would not have occurred to them to present food to people in this way.

"We can spend a lot of energy trying to teach people, but you can also drain yourself. Especially adults, it's almost impossible to teach people anything. Not to be pessimistic, but if you recognize that, instead of trying to flog messages into them, the most efficient thing you can do is create an exciting environment, much as has been done here, where those who want to know, can do so easily. In a way sensitive to what they are really curious about.

"The work were doing here isn't really that materialistic. When people come out here from the city, they are responding to really a spiritual void. When we're out here working, we're not just growing food, we are participating directly in creation. Not to get too floaty on this, but that's really what we are doing. And we want to do this, not because we're making any money – at least we're probably not, especially if we're doing our job really well – but for the change that takes place in us.

"And when they come out here, they're coming out here because there's something off, there's something wrong, which is a byproduct of our industrial culture. They come out here and they are looking for peace. When they meet a farmer, they want a piece of that peace, and they're hoping that maybe he has it, and that they can take some of it in.

"So I think it's really important, although we can talk about marketing, but we have to recognize from our own natures, from the work we do and the way we feel about it that this isn't really a materialistic problem. The material ramifications are part and parcel, but that's really not where the impulse is coming from. People didn't come here because they were hungry, at least not for food."

Homemade cleaners reduce chemical burden

2011-06-01T22:31:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

After a lifetime of buying commercial products with flashy graphics on the labels, it seemed very strange to be mixing my own in a plain bottle. Not quite like being a mad scientist. More like being a cook, or conducting a chemistry experiment.

I decided to give it a try after seeing Chemerical, at the Fast Forward Environmental Film Festival, sponsored by the Climate Change Action Group of Erin (CCAGE) and Credit Valley Conservation.

The documentary follows a family that takes up a challenge to purge commercial chemical products from their household cupboards. It is part of a movement to reduce the stresses on the human body caused by the thousands of petrochemicals and toxins we bring into our homes – and to spend considerably less money on our obsession with cleanliness.

Getting out the measuring cups, I had to get over the feeling that I should be leaving this to the experts at Procter & Gamble. But then, if you can prepare your own food, you should be able to follow a recipe to make your own cleaners. And you don't have to be a hippie to do it (not that there's anything wrong with that).

My big bottle of Cascade dishwasher detergent was almost empty. It comes complete with lemon scent, shine shield, sodium hydroxide, sodium silicate, chlorine bleach and a warning that dangerous fumes form if mixed with other products. So I tried the dishwasher soap recipe I had picked up at the film night:

White Vinegar - 1/3 cup (75 ml)
Liquid Castile Soap - 1/2 cup (125 ml)
Tea Tree Oil - 4 drops
Water - 1/2 cup (125 ml)
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp (10 ml)
Stir it all up, put it in a bottle and use 2-3 tablespoons per load.

The other feeling to overcome is that of excessive frugality. Will guests think I can't afford basic supplies? Am I in training for an economic collapse? This passed fairly quickly, especially when I went to buy the supplies at a health food store.

An 8-ounce (236 ml) bottle of low-suds Castile Soap, made with fair trade coconut and olive oil, cost $7.25. If I keep doing this, I will save money by buying larger quantities. And I may have to continue, now that I have invested $22.35 in a 1.8 ounce (50 ml) bottle of Tea Tree Oil, an antibacterial-antifungal agent. It should last for years at 4 drops per batch, if I don't lose it.

I ran two test dishwasher loads, with dishes that were not too messy. The results were good, though not excellent. The first had 2.5 tablespoons of the mix, and while most of the dishes rinsed clean, some had traces of soap residue that had to be wiped off. For the second load, I used half as much soap, and there was virtually no residue on the dishes. There was some soap foam around the drain to be wiped up.

The dishes were clean, and smooth to the touch. The exceptions were a pan with cooked-on bits of food, and a utensil with something sticky on it, which needed to be re-washed by hand. Overall, the homemade solution was not as powerful a cleaner, but then there always seem to be some dishes that even the commercial products cannot clean thoroughly.

We are already in the habit of pre-rinsing and scrubbing off the worst of the mess, so the new mix should do us fine. Like many aspects of choosing a lower-tech lifestyle, making your own cleaners requires more manual labour, and more discipline.

There are lots of interesting concoctions out there to try, including window cleaner, laundry soap, body lotion, hand cream, aftershave and even lipstick. You can watch a short version of the Chemerical film and download a sample "cookbook" at www.chemicalnation.com. It sings the praises of soap flakes, baking soda, vinegar, borax, soda ash and isopropyl alcohol. Also check the information from the Environmental Working Group at www.cosmeticdatabase.com. And for a wide overview of the many lifestyle changes that could help the environment, go to the CCAGE site, www.anythingittakes.ca.

For more advice and training on homemade products, there is a Healthy Cleaning workshop being held this Saturday, June 4 at Everdale Farm, 10 am to 2:30 pm, with Anne Stewart of Environmental Health Consulting. The cost is $65, and you'll get to make some less-toxic cleaners to take home. Go to workshops.everdale.org or call 519.855.4859, ext. 101 to register or get more details.

Women's hockey veteran tells her Olympic story

2011-05-25T23:25:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Some of Erin's young hockey players had a chance to meet one of Canada's best players last week during a fundraising event at Centre 2000, and to try on her latest gold medal.

Jayna Hefford of Team Canada was the guest speaker at a Rotary Club of Erin pasta dinner, which raised money for trails development in the town, and for the fight against cancer.

The kids asked about her favorite NHL player (Sidney Crosby), what other sports she had played (soccer, softball and basketball) and what the team eats after a game (lots of pasta).

The Kingston native plays for the Brampton Thunder and was the first player in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League to record 100 career points. At the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Hefford had five goals and seven assists in five games, on the way to her third gold medal. Since 1997, she has helped Canada win six golds and four silvers at the World Championships – including the silver last month in Switzerland.

"In Canada, there's an expectation that you will win gold," she said. "Nothing else matters – and that's a good feeling."

She said Team Canada hit a low point about ten months before the 2010 Olympics, after losing a World Championship final to their American arch-rivals. They decided they would "do whatever it takes to not be standing on the blue line listening to someone else's national anthem" at the Olympics in Canada.

That included a month of skating, shooting, swimming, running, cycling, yoga and kickboxing in Northern BC. "It was the most grueling training camp I'd ever been to, but it's great when you are part of a team. At the end, it's not about the training, but about finding a way to get through. We were a better team because of it."

They talked extensively about the pressures they faced as Canadian hockey players.

"We got to the conclusion that we have an opportunity here to write our own story, to write our own ending. We worked so hard to get here, there's nothing we'd do differently, and we just have to go out and play."

With a feisty new team spirit, Canada's women started winning consistently. They were unstoppable in Vancouver: 18-0 over Slovakia, 10-1 over Switzerland, 13-1 over Sweden, 5-0 over Finland and 2-0 over the US for the gold.

"I'm just so proud to play for our country. We worked as hard as we could, and wanted to be able to have a gold medal performance on any given day."

Hefford, now 34, has not decided whether to try for yet another Olympic medal. It will depend on whether she continues to enjoy the training, and the contribution she can make to the team. There are many young players hoping for a spot on the roster.

"As you get older, you have to play every game as though it is your last."

Biodiversity will help us adapt to climate change

2011-05-18T23:14:00.003-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

I can hardly wait to pick my Royal Burgundy Bush Beans. Of course, I still have to plant them, water them, weed them and thin them. But at picking time, they will be very easy to find among the green leaves, since they grow as violet-purple pods. The package promises that they will "magically turn an emerald green after cooking".

This version of the phaseolus vulgaris (common bean) was highly recommended when I attended a planting workshop with farmer Carl Keast. It was part of the annual Seedy Saturday event, on April 30 at Everdale Farm near Hillsburgh.

There were seed and plant vendors, a seed trading table, fun stuff for kids, advice on growing berries in your back yard from Ann Brown (the Plant Lady), and a chance to hear Cathy Nesbitt explain how red wigglers can quickly turn food scraps and paper into rich fertilizer. Her ventures include worm composting kits, compost consulting, manure management and even worm birthday parties. Check it out at www.cathyscomposters.com.

Our fruit and vegetable garden will expand this year, but there's no way it is going to feed us consistently. And since there is still no farmer's market in Erin, I took the plunge and bought into the Everdale Harvest Share program. I like the flexibility of the plan, which allows you to buy from 16 to 20 weeks worth of produce.

You get a certain number of "points", based on the size of share you buy. A small share works out to $18.64 per week and an extra large to $55.92 per week. The produce is priced in points, instead of dollars, and you spend your points as you please each week, starting June 16. Produce is available for pick-up at the farm only on Thursdays, 3-8 pm and Saturdays, 8:30-11 am. For more details, go to www.everdale.org.

The seeds I bought were "organic certified", which means the production process has been inspected to ensure it is generally free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, with no use of genetically modified organisms or biosolids (sewage sludge fertilizer).

They were also "heirloom" seeds, meaning that they have been preserved within a longstanding seed line, and are normally pollinated naturally by insects, birds and wind.

They are less common in the seed market, which is controlled by a handful of companies that have phased out many types of seeds. A much narrower range of crops has been developed through closed pollination, breeding the ability to withstand specific weather conditions, pesticides, mechanical picking and cross-country shipping.

One of the most interesting events on Seedy Saturday was a discussion on biodiversity, hosted by Faris Ahmed, Director of Policy and Campaigns at USC Canada. The non-profit group promotes family farms, rural communities and healthy ecosystems in developing nations, and advocates reform of food policies in Canada. Learn more at www.usc-canada.org.

Last year was the United Nations Year of Biodiversity, with a focus on the accelerating loss of variety in plant and animal life due to human activity.

"It's not about biology, it's about life itself now," said Ahmed. "It is so important for health, our planet and for social justice. Biodiversity is the best measure of a healthy place. It is like an insurance policy...a system being resistant to shocks."

Biodiversity issues range from the need for a wide variety in the human diet for good nutrition, to the rights of farmers throughout the world to maintain fertile land and grow what is needed to sustain their local communities. Variety within crop types increases resilience to pests, disease and the warming climate, but USC Canada reports that 75 per cent of the world's crop varieties and thousands of livestock breeds have been lost in the last century.

Large-scale farming for international trade demands less biodiversity, and it is not working well for farmers in Canada or abroad. Canada lost 17,550 farms between 2001 and 2006 and the average farm income in Canada is now negative $20,000 per year, according to the website www.peoplesfoodpolicy.ca. Food exports have increased by 400 per cent in the last 20 years, and farm subsidies are an entrenched global reality, costing Canadian taxpayers billions each year, and putting poorer nations at a disadvantage.

Climate change is expected to have a huge impact on drylands, mountain regions and seacoasts, and on the small-scale farmers who feed the majority of people in the world. If we cannot give priority to biodiversity over short term gain, the risks for our species, and others, appear to be severe.

Looking for ways to grow greener, smarter kids

2011-05-11T23:06:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Erin celebrated its passion for the environment last week as hundreds of people gathered at the high school, discussing ways to raise kids dedicated to sustaining the planet.

Growing Green, Smart Kids was organized by the Erin Parent Connection group, with representatives from area schools: Erin, Brisbane, Ross MacKay, St. John Brebeuf and EDHS, with the help of a Ministry of Education grant.

The guest speaker was environmental author and educator David Noble of Guelph, a student of Al Gore who has travelled the globe collecting stories about people making a difference on climate change. He has been an observer of the international climate negotiations and is an entrepreneur (www.2degreesC.com).

The evening was like an environmental fair, with 21 display booths from companies, non-profit groups and public agencies, a panel discussion moderated by Liz Armstrong of the Climate Change Action Group of Erin (CCAGE) and an "Eco-Challenge" for people to take specific follow-up actions and talk about them on the new Real-Action-Erin Facebook page.

Noble was welcomed by Erin District High School Principal Julie Prendergast, saying she felt "humbled by the commitment of our students" to the environment. Mayor Lou Maieron urged kids and parents to think about living within the earth's capacity.

"How can we continue to live in this society as top end predators and keep taking out resources greater than the planet can support?" he asked. "We can't. If we continue going the way we are, the planet's going to crash."

Noble said there is an urgent need for environmental leadership around the world – not just crisis management. He recently visited Greenland, and as an example of the global warming crisis, saw a glacier melting away at the rate of 34 metres per day. He noted the risk of other disasters, like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico or the nuclear contamination in Japan.

"Young people need support, and they need partners across the community," he said. "We're going to have to do a whole lot better at preventing those crises from happening in the first place. The implication is that we're all going to have to push harder than we're pushing; we're all going to have to push different ways, we're all going to have to push together and work really hard to make the big changes that we need to make."

He pointed out that both the White House and the Vatican have set an example by installing solar panels. He quoted Pope Benedict, who has called for courageous environmental choices: "We need a decisive 'yes' to care for creation and a strong commitment to reverse those trends that risk making the situation of decay irreversible."

Scientists are increasingly intervening in the process of politics and decision-making, in addition to their research, a development that Noble finds encouraging.

He quoted Canadian Nobel Prize winning scientist John Polanyi: "Some seven billion of us share this crowded planet. The question is whether we can achieve a sufficient sense of community to continue doing so. This sense of community will depend on the belief that a fair apportionment of the global commons is possible. Only then can we hope to resolve our problems by law, rather than war. Is our species capable of the necessary generosity of spirit? Answered aright that question could lead to a global civilization that is sustainable, and worthy of being sustained."

The evening finished with a panel discussion, including Upper Grand School Trustee Kathryn Cooper, Wellington Water Watchers Executive Director Arlene Slocombe, Brisbane teacher Chris Green, Everdale organic farmer Olivia Ronkainen and Phil Winters, founder of EGen Power of Caledon, which promotes solar power systems and home energy efficiency.

"We need to stand up, commit, and decide to do something," said Cooper. She noted the construction of an Environmental Leaning Centre in Orangeville and development of more Eco Schools.

"I love this place," said Green. "This is the place I want to protect. We need to bring in different perspectives, not just one story. How rich is our understanding?"

The main advice to parents from this group was to get kids out into the natural environment as much as possible, so they can develop their own passion for it. "Kids will have a vested interest in preserving it," said Slocombe. "Plant something – anything," said Ronkainen. "And teach kids how to prepare food."

Winters urged people to buy local, vote for policies that benefit the environment and "listen to the children – that's the future".

Reclaimed land provides enjoyable hiking route

2011-05-04T00:01:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Whether you are ambitious to try out every hiking trail that Erin has to offer, or just want an interesting place to walk your dog, check out a property on the Second Line owned by the Grand River Conservation Authority.

It is a managed forest called the Johnson Tract, with a small network of trails next to a creek, in the headwaters of the Speed River.

It might be best to postpone your visit until a bit later in the spring, when the road conditions are better. I had the misfortune of traveling on the Second Line in mid-April, during what the Town calls the Spring Breakup of Roads. The base soil beneath older gravel roads has a high moisture content, and when it is only partly thawed, the surface can turn to soupy mud ruts.

The nearby wetlands are one of the most attractive features of this hike, and the trail itself remains relatively dry. There is only parking for a couple of cars at the start, which is on the east side of the road, north of 27 Sideroad and south of the Garafraxa Town Line.

Looking at the bigger picture, water in the western half of Erin drains to Lake Erie through the Grand River watershed. The Grand starts up near Dundalk, and flows through Lake Belwood, Fergus, Elora, Kitchener, Cambridge, Brantford, Caledonia and Dunnville.

The Speed starts in northwest Erin, flows south through Guelph Lake and on to Cambridge to join the Grand. The Eramosa River starts in southwest Erin and flows through Rockwood to join the Speed in Guelph.

The Johnson Tract is by no means a pristine wilderness. It appears to have once been at least partially a farm, with cedar rail fencing. Now it is entirely covered in trees, though some areas have been thinned out with selective logging. There is a sign at the entrance with an aerial photo and map, but no other informative signs further in.

The initial trail goes through a tall grove of cedars. As it splits into three possible routes, it becomes a reforested environment, with spaced rows of spruce planted quite some time ago – many are over 100 feet tall.

The ground is covered in needles, mossy areas, small ponds, fallen trees and piles of rock from land-clearing. One area had an undergrowth of ferns. The south trail goes through a maple bush, and between some boggy wetland areas. I spotted a couple of deer, but of course they had spotted me first, so I only saw their tails.

I saw quite a few ducks, so when I heard what sounded like a bunch of them quacking up a racket in the reeds, I snuck up to get a good photo. It didn't happen though, since they were actually frogs. Not sure how they learned to make duck calls.

There's a modern farm on the east boundary, and a creek, flowing south from Orton, on the north boundary. With no dams to impede its flow, it takes a meandering path through grasslands and under the trees it has caused to tumble.

New life seems to be sprouting everywhere as last year's dead grass and leaves give way to spring growth, saplings emerge out of the fallen cedars and water seems to bubble up from the earth. If you are weary of the urban environment, it's a good place to be.

Farmers seek protection in trade deal with Europe

2011-04-27T23:51:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Do free trade deals allow big businesses to bully the small players in local economies? Or do they create jobs overall, promoting innovation and competitiveness? The answers depend on your political outlook, and the debate is heating up as negotiations continue for a Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).

Some farmers are feeling vulnerable in this process, since the deal could virtually eliminate the age-old practice of saving, re-using and selling seeds. At the annual meeting of the Wellington & Waterloo local of the National Farmers Union (NFU) last month in Elora, National Women's President Joan Brady said she hoped CETA would become an election issue.

"It's all about Canadians' rights," she said. "For farmers, it's about intellectual property rights and the right to save seeds. For the public, it's about allowing access to water and local food."

It is no surprise, however, that free trade with Europe has not become an election issue. The 1988 federal election was fought over free trade with the U.S. While a majority of Canadians voted for anti-free trade parties, that support was split between the Liberals and New Democrats, and the Mulroney Conservatives scored a clear majority of seats.

Since then, most people seem to have accepted free trade as a fact of life. Fears over foreign domination, a branch plant economy, loss of jobs, the suing of our government by corporations whose interests have been hurt and the continued imposition of softwood lumber duties by the U.S., have not generated significant unrest. Still, opponents are raising similar concerns about CETA.

“We heard all these same arguments when we had the debate on free trade with the United States, and the result of that trade agreement has been outstandingly successful for Canada,” said International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan, in an Epoch Times article last fall, predicting CETA would mean a $12 billion boost for the Canadian economy.

“We’re looking to secure additional access for our farmers to European markets. That’s why there is strong support, for example, among Western grain farmers and beef farmers.”

In a recent press release, NFU National President Terry Boehm said the Europeans are demanding "extreme and offensive" intellectual property rights enforcement.

"The corporate-dominated European Commission is calling for court-sanctioned seizure of property and freezing of bank accounts for alleged infringement of a patent. Any farmer unfortunate enough to be accused of having a patented gene in his/her crop or seed, could see their farm, equipment, grain and crops seized even before they had their day in court. We cannot allow this to happen."

With CETA, Canada would be the only developed economy to have trade agreements with both the U.S. and the EU, the two biggest economies in the world. Unlike the North American deal, however, CETA would reach down to the municipal level, and would disallow governments, schools, hospitals, universities and public utilities from favouring local or Canadian suppliers for contracts, over relatively low thresholds.

Supporters say Canadian firms would benefit from bidding on contracts in Europe, something they could not do in the U.S. during the recent Buy American stimulus funding.

Critics claim CETA could lead to privatization or foreign ownership of public water systems, health care and telecommunications, and undermine environmental protection and the rights of workers. Brent Bouteiller of the Green Party, at the federal election Candidate's Night held in Erin recently, said "fair trade" should be the priority, with protection for water and health care.

"We cannot have situations where one industry bullies another industry, on either side," he said. "We want to make sure that our local communities are resilient to economic activities in other parts of the world."

Barry Peters of the Liberal Party said Canadians should not be afraid to enter trade agreements, but said there should be protection for farmers and small businesses.

"Small businesses are part of the negotiations, but what is not part of the discussion is the protection of our supply management system," said Conservative incumbent Michael Chong. "We will continue to protect our dairy, egg, chicken and turkey farmers from foreign competition. The other aspects of the Canadian economy, outside of telecommunications, cultural sectors and banks, are included in these discussions, and that will include small businesses in other sectors.

"Those businesses I think will benefit from free trade...Unlike trade deals with developing countries, the European Union often has equivalent or higher environmental, health and safety standards than what we have here in Canada. So I think this is an excellent way to liberalize trade, while ensuring that Canada's domestic industries remain competitive. We'd be going toe-to-toe with industries that have very similar rules for protection of workers and the environment.

"I think this is an excellent way to expand global trade and to ensure wealth creation back here at home."

For more information on the concerns of organized labour and environmental activists, go to www.tradejustice.ca. For the government's website, search: CETA Canada EU.

Erin Radio boosts power with shift to 88.1 FM

2011-04-20T23:44:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Erin Radio has propelled itself into a new era, now broadcasting on 88.1 FM with 250 watts, and a new antenna atop the water tower that delivers its signal beyond the town borders.

Almost a year ago, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) approved an application from Erin Radio to boost its signal strength from 50 watts to 250 watts and change frequencies.

"With this move, we will get to the entire Town of Erin and a little bit beyond, so this is a big moment in our life," said Station Manager Jay Mowat, just after the new signal was activated on April 11. "We managed to find the one and only frequency that we can broadcast on, higher than 50 watts."

The station is now in a three-week test phase, during which they are simulcasting on both their old and new frequencies. Transmission on 101.5 FM will end in early May.

The jumble of equipment now decorating the Erin water tower consists of the new Bell transmitters, with the Erin Radio hardware attached above – saving the substantial cost of a new mast.

"This is the culmination of two and a half years of work on a lot of people's part. And we still have to pay for it," said Mowat. "We will spend over $30,000 in this move."

Erin Radio is selling rain barrels as a fundraiser, with Scotiabank of Orangeville matching funds dollar for dollar up to $5,000. The barrels are available for $50 at Credit River Motors on Main Street, on Saturdays from 10 am to 3 pm until May 7. The Town of Erin gave the station a $10,000 grant last year and a $10,000 loan to help buy the transmitter and antenna.

The signal is being directed mainly north-east and north-west as required by the CRTC, to avoid intruding on the signal of Ryerson University in Toronto, which also uses the 88.1 frequency. Erin Radio had to buy a special antenna to protect them – custom-built and shipped from Italy at a cost of $10,000.

By coincidence, late last week, Ryerson Radio was forced off the air by the CRTC due to problems in meeting licence conditions. It could be revived, or another station might get the Toronto-based frequency.

Regardless, the Erin Radio signal is weak south of 5 Sideroad, where initially it was blending with Ryerson's. The absence of Ryerson has not improved the reception.

The signal is strong and clear in Erin village, Hillsburgh, west into Eramosa and north to the townline of Orangeville. The headline on the station's website says, "Here we come into Headwaters!", since the signal will extend into Caledon and Dufferin County. People can also listen on the internet, at www.erinradio.ca.

"Our primary motivation was not to get into Orangeville," said Mowat. "If it was and we said that, the CRTC would have made us go through a major public hearing, because that's a whole new audience. All we wanted was to hit clearly the residents of the Town of Erin. People in Orangeville will hear us on a reduced signal, and we will go in and try to connect up with advertisers and community organizations."

Erin Radio is a volunteer-based, not-for-profit group that has been on the air since 2006, providing opportunities for local programming. They are also the official emergency broadcaster in the area. Operating until now at just 50 watts, the signal could only reach homes close to Erin village. As well, their original licence was conditional, meaning they could have been forced to give up their frequency to a commercial station.

That did not happen, but power on 101.5 FM could not be expanded without intruding on other stations in the crowded southern Ontario radio market. With approval to move to 88.1, they not only have 250 watts, but a permanent, protected status.

"We have to go out there and make sure everybody knows the kind of range of what we do. We need to do a lot more advertising based on our programming schedule," said Mowat, who eventually wants to provide podcasts of some shows. "Our whole focus as a station is local voices, local news, local music."

On weekdays, Erin Radio plays mainstream easy listening music, along with news, sports, weather, business, talk radio with the Motts, lunch hour oldies and a spotlight on local performers. Evenings and weekends are more specialized, with shows on various styles of music, plus comedy and selected topics.

"Now that we have the increased power and can be heard in a much larger area, we need a way of taking a look at what our marketing strategy should be and what kind of an audience we can get," said Mowat.

Erin Radio has received a $29,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to develop a five-year marketing plan, including a local audience survey to be conducted by Erin Research.

Erin needs to prepare for seniors population boom

2011-04-13T12:39:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

A survey of seniors in East Wellington shows the need for improvements in a wide range of services – with demand expected to climb as a higher proportion of the population graduates to the 55+ age group.

The project in Erin and Guelph-Eramosa was started last spring by East Wellington Community Services (EWCS), with the help of a volunteer committee and a grant from the federal government's New Horizons for Seniors program. The long term goal is to create a more senior-friendly community.

Seniors aged 55+ make up about 25 per cent of the population. They number about 7,500 in East Wellington (including 3,570 in Erin) with another 2,300 passing the 55 mark in the next five years.

An analysis of the 320 responses to the survey was to be discussed at a public forum on March 31 at Centre 2000. I went to the meeting thinking I might find a room full of seniors looking for ways to get better facilities and services in this area. Instead, I was the only person there, along with EWCS staff members Sherri Plourde, Manager of Seniors Services and Rick Eller, Committee Administrator.

Statistics may be important, but they are obviously not everyone's idea of an exciting evening out. The report has been presented to all local politicians, including the councils of the Town and the County, and to agencies who make decisions affecting seniors services. It will be used to show local needs when applying for Ministry of Health funding through the Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).

"That data and research is really important for them to be aware of," said Plourde. "We hope to generate discussion."

There is also a need to make more people aware of existing services. For example, 73 per cent of respondents did not know that EWCS offers counselling services in Erin. Almost as many had no idea about local housing options, and among those who did, the rating was overwhelmingly "Poor".

Plourde said that seniors who live alone have lower incomes, are older, are in poorer health, and are more concerned about their future and the services they might need. Urban seniors are more often in poorer health, with lower incomes and living alone, compared to rural seniors.

Lack of access to transportation was identified as a key barrier to independence, along with the need for light housekeeping and snow removal help. About 40 per cent (and 57 per cent in the 75+ age group) said they would be interested in a fee-based transportation system.

"There are lots of seniors who want to stay independent and stay in their homes as long as they can," said Eller. Of course, many 55+ people don't consider themselves in need of "seniors" programs.

"For those who feel they are too young to need the service, why not volunteer to help," said Plourde. She said it is important to start expanding services now, since the current level of services will not be adequate once the senior population boom really gets going. "The numbers will increase and there could be waiting lists."

The EWCS website enables you to download a copy of the survey report, a shorter summary or their current newsletter. The site has details on seniors transportation, day trips and programs, and this year's Seniors Wellness Expo.

Do not go to www.ewcs.com, which is the site for Easy Web Computer Solutions in Argentina, or to www.ewcs.ca, the home of Electronic Warfare Consulting Services in Ottawa, or www.ewcs.net, the Earlswood Window Cleaning Services in Bangor, Northern Ireland. Instead, go to www.ew-cs.com, and bookmark it.

Filling those blue boxes is just not good enough

2011-04-06T12:33:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

If your proficiency at diverting paper, glass, cans and plastic into blue boxes every week has you feeling like a proud environmentalist, maybe it's time to check the bar. It was raised, quite a while ago, and now some are suggesting that the Blue Box Habit is doing more harm than good.

The issue is illustrated in the "3 R's" slogan, proclaimed by governments and activists seeking to change how people deal with trash. "Reduce, reuse and recycle" has been etched on the public blackboard, but only the third part has really sunk in.

The idea was to first reduce the amount of waste we buy and create, then reuse whatever we can, and only then put material into recycling programs. Of course, it is still better to fill blue boxes than to ship it all to the dump, but it is still an expensive pile of stuff to process – a cost borne by taxpayers, not the companies that manufacture the waste.

There were some interesting comments on the topic after last month's showing of the film Tapped, about the bottled water industry. It was part of the Fast Forward Film Festival, presented by Credit Valley Conservation and the Climate Change Action Group of Erin (CCAGE), which opposes the trend to single-use plastic containers.

The prime target is Nestlé, of course, getting its water virtually for free from high capacity wells in Aberfoyle, Hillsburgh and other small towns in Canada and the US. Should the provincial government simply charge high fees for water extraction, like they would for oil? Would that further legitimize the practice?

The Town of Erin might not mind a slice of that revenue – it would be like having a casino in your territory. Environmental benefits could flow from a huge increase in the price of bottled water: less consumption, less harmful plastic, fewer tanker trucks and less need to recycle.

Nestlé will seek renewal of its Hillsburgh license next year and there will be lots of opposition. If you want to get in on it, or help make bottled water an election issue, contact Liz Armstrong of CCAGE at liz@ican.net, Wellington Water Watchers at 519-780-5030, or go to www.wellingtonwaterwatchers.ca.

Nestlé has tried to purchase some good will in Erin and Aberfoyle with major donations to parks and recreation facilities, and the world's largest food processor makes much of its recycling efforts.

"Recycling is garbage," said Mike Nagy, one of the driving forces at Water Wachers, during the forum after the film. "It's a way of making you feel you're doing something good for the environment. You are not. Refuse, reduce, reuse. Because if you go by the theory that recycling is better, and I have 50 blue boxes in my driveway, I'm 50 times better than you, because I am recycling more. It's the reverse.

"We need to remove profiteering. If they get the water, and you want to buy it, it should be your right. But it should cost a lot of money. And it should be in returnable glass that you take back, not recycle. Fifteen years ago, we bought pop in this province in returnable bottles, and it's gone.

"The best thing that ever happened to the environmental movement was the blue box, and the absolute single worst thing that ever happened to the environmental movement was the blue box. It was a convenient way for industry to make you dispose of their products...and it costs the taxpayers a ton of money."

He said that since the blue box was introduced, we have not just recycled more, but the number of packaged products has increased dramatically.

Doug Hodgson, a farmer and environmental lawyer who operates Uphill Farm Organics at Third Line and County Road 50 in Erin, sponsored the film night and had the last word.

"Bottled water is a small piece of a much larger picture on water," he said, noting that 70 per cent of the fresh water in the world is used for agriculture. "Bottled water is really the low hanging fruit. If we want to do something about climate change, start with the easy stuff. Bottled water is a product we just don't need. Just drop it.

"The enemy isn't really Nestlé. The enemy is us. They're selling it to us for a buck and a half, but we're paying a buck and a half.

"If you want to change human behaviour, look at our tax laws. We need carbon taxes. We have to de-carbonize our economy. If you look at the bottled water industry, they're not paying for the damned stuff. All the costs are energy costs... So vote for carbon taxes. Double the cost of bottled water."

Everdale gives students hands-on farm lessons

2011-03-30T00:00:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

The best learning seems to happen when students not only have access to the facts, but a chance to see and hear and touch and smell the objects of their lesson.

That's how things work at Everdale Organic Farm near Hillsburgh, which has a range of farm trip programs designed for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12.

The Ontario school curriculum requires that students learn about sustainable ecosystems and the impact of human activities on the environment.

"Teachers are scrambling, looking for how to teach about it," said Karen Campbell, one of the founders of Everdale's Environmental Learning Centre. "They are trying to find out how to make activities cross-curricular, involving things like literacy and math."

The programs are designed to support the curriculum, providing a fun experience and showing students how they can take action related to what they have learned. Everdale also alerts young people to a possible career choice – you do not have to grow up on a farm to become a farmer yourself.

Thousands of students have visited in the last ten years, from a radius that includes Guelph and Brampton. The program has a mandate to stay small-scale, hosting only one school at a time and serving about 50 schools per year from early May through late October.

Students up to Grade 6 can interact with livestock, do some farm chores, explore ecosystems, learn about 19th-century farming, study soil ecology and find out where food comes from.

"The livestock gets the most comments," said Campbell. "Sometimes, kids are a bit frightened at first of physically touching the animals. They are out of their comfort zone."

Older students can work alongside the farm's regular workers in the field, study animal rearing and nutrition, or learn about the process of getting products from the field to the marketplace.

Fancy attire is discouraged in their dress code: "You are visiting a farm; you and your group will hopefully get dirty."

During the chillier months of November through April, Everdale goes on the road with its Farmers in the Schools program, with elementary-level workshops that include visiting chickens, a rotten apple party (about composting), a local food lesson that traces all the ingredients of pizza from their sources, and a bread and butter party that features flour grinding, dough kneading and butter making.

There is a popular Grade 3 Intensive Program that has three visits to the classroom by a farmer to interactively discover soils, plants and animals, followed by a final unit at the farm. A comparison of pictures drawn by students at the beginning and end of the program shows substantial increases in understanding, said Campbell.

The cost for farm trips is $7 per student for half days, and $13.50 for full days. In-school workshops are $3 per student. In addition, parents can register children for a farm day camp in July ($190 per week). Co-op placements are possible for high school students, and non-school groups can arrange visits.

There are lots of other things going on at Everdale, including events like Seedy Saturday (April 30), education for adults and the sale of produce to the public through "harvest shares". The farm is at 5812 on the Sixth Line, north of Wellington Road 22, west of Hillsburgh.

For more information, go to www.everdale.org or call 519-855-4859.

Reel environmental action on a Sunday afternoon

2011-03-23T22:53:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

A triple bill of environmental films will be featured at the Centre 2000 theatre on Sunday, April 3, a collaboration between erincinema and the Climate Change Action Group of Erin.

The line-up was to have concluded with Force of Nature: The David Suzuki Story, but that was changed after organizers learned it was to be broadcast on CBC television on March 13 and April 3.

Instead they will show The Clean Bin Project, a documentary film about a couple who compete with each other to see who can swear off consumerism and produce the least landfill garbage in an entire year.

In their quest to live waste-free, they tackle some major pollution issues, interview some experts, and try to make sense of their seemingly small influence in a "throw-away society".

It may seem like a lot to watch three documentaries in a row (total time 165 minutes, plus a 30-minute intermission) but given the high level of local interest in environmental affairs, I would not be surprised to see a good-sized audience. It will certainly be more stimulating than three hours of "Reality TV".

"We're hoping to inspire people to think about taking action," said Viviana Keir, a member of the Town's erincinema committee. They want to make Reel Action an annual event.

The doors open at 12:30 pm and the films start at 1 pm. Admission is free, but donations to help the East Wellington Community Services food bank will be appreciated. As at the Fast Forward film nights, there will be organic popcorn, and information tables on local food, tree planting et cetera.

The free admission is thanks to sponsorship by Powersmiths, a Brampton company that designs and manufactures power distribution systems that help reduce electricity waste.

The first film of the afternoon will be The Green Legacy Documentary, a short film on the largest municipal tree planting program in North America, which is here in Wellington County.

Next up will be Fresh – New thinking about what we're eating, which celebrates passionate people who are re-inventing the food system. It is a movie that has become part of the grassroots movement to make local, organic food a high priority for more people.

"We believe that Fresh can truly help get us to a tipping point, when sustainable food will no longer be just a niche market," said filmmaker Ana Joanes.

It deals with the consequences of industrial-style farming: problems with contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and obesity. It features people who are forging healthier, sustainable alternatives for the future of food. It is also a call to engage in ten suggested "fresh" actions:

1. Buy local products when possible; otherwise, buy organic and fair-trade products.

2. Shop at a local farmers market.

3. Support restaurants and food vendors that buy locally produced food.

4. Avoid genetically modified organisms, which are prevalent in the soy, corn, and canola of processed foods.

5. Cook, can, dry and freeze – at home.

6. Drink plenty of water, but avoid bottled water when you can. Buy a reusable water bottle and invest in a good water filter.

7. Grow a garden, visit a farm, volunteer in your community garden, teach a child how to garden.

8. Volunteer and/or financially support an organization dedicated to promoting a sustainable food system. Stay informed by joining the mailing list of the advocacy groups you trust.

9. Get involved in your community. Influence issues surrounding food choices by communicating with elected officials at various levels: School Board, Town, County, Provincial and Federal.

10. Share your passion – talk to friends and family about why food choice matters.

More information is available at: www.erincinema.ca; www.cleanbinproject.com/the-film; www.freshthemovie.com; and www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign/CampaignNews/wellington.asp.

Service mall would have high profile benefits

2011-03-16T22:46:00.003-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

In a recent letter to the editor, John Sutherland pitched the idea of a Visitor Information Centre next to the new Tim Horton's. There has not been much enthusiasm for the concept so far, but I think it could be expanded into a facility that meets a wide range of needs.

Communities often require a building that houses a variety of publicly oriented services, for groups that would never be able to build a structure of their own, but could afford to lease some space. It would be quite different from Centre 2000, a multi-use facility with an arena, high school, rental hall, library and theatre.

For now, let's call it the Multi-Use Facility #2. If it ever becomes a reality, a more interesting name could be found – "Mini Mall 2013" has a nice ring to it.

The building should be in a highly visible location for it achieve its purpose. Being next to Tim Horton's would guarantee a high profile, but other locations are possible. It all depends on developing a business plan to ensure the venture is profitable for whoever builds it.

I picture it as a relatively small indoor office mall, with a central foyer surrounded by various services, and hallways leading to others.

Tenants could include government functions, public agencies, non-profit groups and private businesses. Organizations might see an advantage to being located in the same building as others with something in common. For example, a real estate business might like to be close to an Information Centre that promoted Erin as a great place to live.

I do not know if developer Shane Baghai is interested in such a project, or who might ultimately lease space, but I will suggest some possibilities. I urge people to keep an open mind and consider the long-term benefits.

There could be a municipal component, like a satellite to the main Town of Erin offices. It would welcome and inform people about Erin (the whole Town), and aggressively market the Town, with a business development officer. There is always lots of talk about attracting light industry and boosting local employment, but not much action. Investment in such an effort could produce a financial advantage for the Town.

The Hills of Headwaters, or whatever tourism group we end up with, could find a natural home at the facility. The tourism shack at McMillan Park is pretty lame, with low traffic and a less than professional appearance.

There are various non-profit groups (business associations, service clubs, charities) that might have a need to rent or share space for offices, storage or meetings. Perhaps a certain percentage of the building could be reserved for the non-profit sector, instead of automatically filling it up with commercial customers.

The non-profit function that first comes to my mind does not exist yet, and that is a Senior Citizens' Centre. The room at Centre 2000, now being used by East Wellington Community Services for the Seniors Day Program and other activities for older adults, is not adequate for the range of services that should be available in this community.

If Erin seniors want such a facility, they are going to have to work hard to make it happen. It just seems to be more feasible as part of larger project.

I have a sneaking suspicion that a mini-mall facility for public services may be too complicated a project for short term development. It could take a while to get all the players together.

And let's face it, if the Town really cared about aggressively promoting itself, it would already be doing so. It is not a legal requirement.

It would be much simpler to build a store next to Tim Horton's. But it would be better to build something more innovative and valuable to the community. The Town may not be able to lead such a project, but it could certainly participate in a private sector initiative.

Recycled vegetable oil powers biodiesel revolution

2011-03-09T13:19:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Could the availability of a fuel made with used vegetable oil from restaurants persuade you to buy a used diesel vehicle? I'm not quite ready to take that plunge myself, the idea being too new to have penetrated the automotive lobe of my brain, but the possibility is intriguing.

The question arose while watching Fuel, a documentary about our addiction to fossil fuels. It was the second in the Fast Forward Film Festival series, presented monthly at the Legion by the Climate Change Action Group of Erin (CCAGE) and Credit Valley Conservation (CVC).

The film follows the quest of Josh Tickell to promote sustainable energy alternatives, including a transcontinental trek in a "Veggie Van", powered by frying oil from fast food restaurants. Drop in to www.thefuelfilm.com.

The presentation was sponsored by Erin's own Everpure Biodiesel Cooperative, which produces a sustainable fuel for diesel cars, trucks, generators, farm equipment and home heating furnaces.

Biodiesel can be made from crops like soy and corn, but environmentalists have turned thumbs down on this method, since it diverts food into fuel, driving up the price of food. There is also research into biodiesel from algae, which can be grown using waste water.

Everpure's model is a food-fuel recycling loop, selling canola oil to some 40 local restaurants like Saucy Soup, Bistro Rivière, David's, Churrasco 77, Busholme Inn and Duke of Hillsburgh. Everpure gets the waste fryer oil back for free and puts it through a chemical-catalytic process to produce 100 per cent biodiesel.

It can power diesel engines just as well or better than the fossil diesel sold by petroleum companies, with no engine modifications. Everpure sells it to their 70 co-op members for five cents per litre less than the going price at the gas station.

The restaurants get to call themselves "green", while users get a fuel that produces no additional greenhouse gases, emits 95 per cent less particulate matter and 75 per cent less carbon monoxide than fossil diesel, has no sulfur and is non-toxic / non-flammable.

"If there's ever a spill of biodiesel, the biggest danger is slipping," said organic farmer Jay Mowat, a founder of Everpure, answering questions after the film. The project began at Everdale Farm five years ago when they could not find a biodiesel supplier. Now the co-op collects about 500 L / week, and is ready to expand to more than 2,000 L / week. Find out more at www.everpurebiod.ca.

Production is done in Acton at Zuraw Technologies, in partnership with chemical engineer and entrepreneur Michael Zuraw. In July, they hosted an Open House event, supported by Wellington-Halton Hills MP Michael Chong.

It is a simple, radical project that is making a difference. In a society that depends so heavily on oil, however, the annual sale of 25,000 litres is just a drip in a very large bucket. All the arable farmland in North America could only produce enough biofuel to replace 20 per cent of fossil fuel use.

"Biofuels are not a silver bullet, they are not an answer," said Mowat. "In certain instances, like Everpure, it can be one of the solutions, one of the alternatives. I personally believe the only way to get off the fossil fuel train is reducing our use – starting to learn how to conserve. We are a very wasteful society in terms of fossil fuel production.

"We have no desire to become the Imperial Oil of biodiesel. We want to take local waste oil, produce biodiesel locally, then sell it to local farmers and drivers.
"Very few people know about it. Most of the work the co-op does is education. If we brought the message out a bit better, people would start to use it, if it was available."

Before you rush out and buy a diesel vehicle, be aware that there are limitations. Diesel passenger vehicles made in 2007 and later have emission systems that only accept a blend of up to five per cent biodiesel. New farm tractors and big rigs can take Everpure's 100 per cent biodiesel, said Mowat. Check the warranty as well, to see if it limits the proportion of biodiesel.

Also, biodiesel turns to a non-flowing gel at about -5° C, effectively shutting down sales for the winter – though they do sell containers to mixing enthusiasts. A non-gelling additive would cost an extra 20 cents per litre.

"We are barely financially sustainable now," said Mowat. "If we had to add 20 cents a litre, I don't think we would find very many customers."

The Everpure pumps in Erin, Orangeville, Acton and Guelph are the only places in Ontario where you can get 100 per cent (B100) biodiesel. Naturally, their pumps run off batteries charged by solar panels. Members pre-buy $500 worth of fuel, or get bulk delivery to their farms.

Everpure has been doing research, in partnership with the University of Guelph, into biodiesel home heating, with the help of a $5,000 grant that Mowat won in a competition at the Ontario Co-Operative Association conference last October.

"We should be able to supply, with some luck, biodiesel for home heating fuel, with slight modifications to your furnace (nothing that would void a warranty) next winter, on a limited basis," he said.

Palliative care extends to bereavement support

2011-03-02T13:14:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

In a health system that attempts to meet both the physical and social health needs of its clients, palliative care naturally progresses to bereavement support.

With our aging population, it is an ambitious goal, trying to give seniors the support they need to live, and die, with as much independence as possible.

The Hospice Palliative Care Teams are part of a growing effort to enhance the work of palliative care physicians by meeting the changing needs of people outside of hospitals.

"We've been taking baby steps in introducing the service," said Andrea Martin, Director of the Waterloo Wellington Hospice Palliative Care Network. Funding from the Aging at Home Strategy has been extended to next year. The Wellington-Southgate Team is in the process of hiring an additional nurse practitioner – they cover a huge territory from Mount Forest to Erin.

"The team has had wonderful success in improving hospice palliative care to its clients and families," said Martin. "The specialists are aware of it, the case managers for CCAC, the community nursing services, our family health teams are quite aware, but from a public perspective, it is probably not well-known."

She said that having a spiritual care worker on the team has been "extremely beneficial", because many families have become disconnected from the faith communities they grew up with, and need a neutral person to offer support.

"It actually helps them link back to their faith community," she said.

The team also has a social worker, who can provide "help with emotional issues, and relationship-building among family members." The social worker can also assist with the sometimes overwhelming details of dealing with costs, government forms, various agencies and funeral arrangements.

To find out more about the Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), and their mission of a "seamless experience through the health system", go to www.ww.ccac-ont.ca.

The Hospice Wellington organization, with volunteer visitors and residential care for patients, also assists family members, helping them deal with grief both before and after the death of their loved one. Anyone who has experienced the death of someone important to them, whether sudden or expected, can call Hospice Wellington, at 519-836-3921. The programs provide support and compassion, and are not seen as therapy.

Staff or volunteers are available for one-to-one support on an as-needed basis, or a more regular schedule. Three to six months after the death, individuals may be ready to join a Grief Support Group of up to 10 people – a structured, safe place to explore emotions with others. Specific programs are available for adults, teens, children and those bereaved by suicide.

Each Spring and Fall, Hospice Wellington offers a 13 week volunteer training course, which is open to the public, entitled Insights into Terminal Illness, Grief and Bereavement.

Counselling is also available to families with doctors at the East Wellington Family Health Team. Issues of grief and loss can be disabling, so it is appropriate to seek out help in developing new coping skills.

Other services include Family Counselling and Support Services for Guelph-Wellington, a not-for-profit, community-based agency, that helps more than 5,000 people annually with a wide range of issues. No one is turned away due to income or inability to make payment. Check them out at www.familyserviceguelph.on.ca.

Home health care can include spiritual care

2011-02-16T13:08:00.002-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

I was surprised to learn recently that spiritual care is among the many publicly funded health care services that can be provided to people in their homes.

It does seem like a logical extension of the effort to allow people to return home as soon as possible after being in a hospital, where they would have access to a chaplain.

Spiritual Care Providers are included on local teams being set up by the Waterloo Wellington Hospice Palliative Care Network, to benefit terminally ill patients. They can pray with clients, read to them or just chat.

The service is entirely optional, not linked to any particular religion, and available in addition to any visits from ministers or other church volunteers. It is a recognition that people, whether they care to express them or not, do have spiritual needs that can affect their physical and mental health.

It is one of many home services, including Personal Support Workers, coordinated by Waterloo Wellington Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), which also controls access to Long Term Care (nursing) Homes. Funding from the Ontario government for hospitals and home care is allocated through the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), which currently has an Aging at Home initiative.

Hospice Palliative Care Teams are similar in concept to a Family Health Team, with a core group of doctors working with other professionals. Normally there would be a nurse practitioner, clinical nurses and a spiritual care provider.

The teams enable many patients with palliative diagnoses to return home from hospital (if they wish) instead of long-term care placement. There is no team for the Erin area as yet, but it is something we could have – perhaps something for which a seniors' group could lobby.

The Palliative Care Network offers education for health care professionals to improve their knowledge and skills in this field of medicine. They have also taken the initiative to place symptom response kits in the homes of patients and in long term care homes. These provide specialized medications and equipment so nurses can provide treatment quickly if a patient's condition changes, often without transferring them to hospital.

Palliative care, which focuses on comfort and other needs of dying patients and their families, is available from various sources: hospitals, long term care homes, family doctors and their teams, community agencies and residential hospices.

Since 1980 Hospice Wellington has been providing care for palliative patients and families, including bereavement support. It is a volunteer-centered organization, delivering more than 16,000 hours of volunteer support for almost 700 individuals each year.

Last year they opened a 10-bed residential hospice in Guelph, providing medical care and support in an attractive home-like setting, as an alternative to hospital, when patients are close to death and can no longer stay at home.

Some people resist the idea of going to a hospice, because they are not familiar with the concept. It is worthwhile to get information, or go on a tour, so that if you need their services, you will know what to expect. Information is available at www.hospicewellington.org. For Caledon, there is Bethell House Hospice in Inglewood, with information at www.hospicecaledon.ca.

Cared for by angels - what more could we want?

2011-02-09T20:56:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Sitting here in the sunroom at Lisaard House, the Cambridge cancer hospice, I've had a chance to reflect on my mom Gerry's long journey through our healthcare system. Through multiple surgeries, radiation and drug therapies, she has kept a positive outlook. It is her third round with cancer and now, for her body, time is very short.

The hospice is a calm oasis where time seems to slow down and death is treated as a natural process. It is opposite of the hospital, where the battle rages on. Mom's hospital stay last fall was a difficult ordeal, because of her frailty and the risks inherent in a huge system trying to serve so many people.

Mom broke her collarbone, just reaching across the bed. She got an infection that required a quarantine. She developed a pressure sore. A round trip to Kitchener for radiation took eight hours. Often in serious pain, she was distressed by noise from roommates and the busy ward.

The nurses, doctors and other staff at Cambridge Memorial continued to provide good care, even when they were clearly not having a good day, and for that I am grateful.

The long illness has given us opportunities to express our appreciation, say our goodbyes and build up bonds of family support. It has revealed a broader network, with many cards, emails and visits, especially from their extended family at St. Gregory's. My father Earl has been a source of inspiration, accepting the challenges of each day. My parents continue to teach by example, and for that I am grateful.

When Mom returned home, another division of the healthcare army jumped into action. It was encouraging to see how far we've come in developing a system to help people grow old at home.

The palliative team coordinated by Community Care included nurses, a nurse practitioner and an occupational therapist. Thanks go out to Jennifer, Abby, Laura, Maureen and Susan, and to the staff at Lisaard and Meals on Wheels.

There is one group of healthcare professionals that deserve special thanks. The team of Personal Support Workers (PSWs) from Bayshore Home Health – Jackie, Jamie, Robin, Lisa and Angela – provided outstanding service.

"It was their remarkable gentleness, true kindness and genuine caring for perfect strangers which impressed me most," said my sister.

PSWs don't use high-tech equipment or fancy drugs, and don't make a lot of money. They have the confidence to walk into a home, provide intimate personal care and feeding, then switch to sweeping, cooking or laundry. One day, an unexpected pot of soup arrived.

They taught us what she needed, told jokes to make her smile, whispered little bits of conversation and became her friend and advocate, knowing she might not be there the next day.

Mom was surrounded by angels before her death, and for that I am very grateful.

Here is a song refrain, written by Garnet Rogers. It has been on my mind lately and needs to be released:

We are brief as summer lightning
We are swift as swallow’s flight
We are sparks that spiral upward
in the darkness in the night
We are frost upon a window
We won’t pass this way again
In the end, only love remains

Staying in touch with the soil from which we came

2011-02-02T01:09:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

I did not realize just how passionate some farmers are about the value of soil until I attended the Fast Forward Film Festival, featuring Dirt! The Movie.

The film is well-crafted, as an education about nutrients and the multitude of organisms in soil. About how farmland has been damaged by development, over-use of chemicals and the planting of single crops over large areas. It is a call for political action in defence of the land.

More fascinating was that 125 people came out to watch a movie about dirt on a frigid January evening, listen to local farmers and share ideas in an open forum.

The festival is a joint project of the Climate Change Action Group of Erin (CCAGE) and Credit Valley Conservation, with the opening night sponsored by Treehaven Natural Foods.

"We're all dirt," said Cathy Hansen of Bernway Farm in Ospringe, who helped organize the event. She is an organic farmer and local food educator. "Every last one of us relies on dirt for the sustenance of all of our cells, and for the future of our families and our children to come. Dirt is an essential living part of our planet – the only planet in the solar system with a living, breathing skin.

"You might think, how do soil and climate change go together? Soil can sequester carbon, take carbon out of our atmosphere if it's managed in the right way, but it can also give up a lot of carbon if we're not careful in how we manage our soils and our forests."

There was a panel of organic farmers, including teacher Amy Ouchterlony of Whole Village, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program in Caledon, dedicated to sustainable living (www.wholevillage.org). She said it is important not only to talk about sustainable agriculture, but to actually do it.

"We've had students come out and get community service hours on the farm, weeding, harvesting potatoes – you really need to feel that, " she said. "We need students to realize that farming is a career. It's a career path that we don't tell kids about...We're so lucky in this area, within half an hour of this spot there are more of the kind of farms this movie was talking about than any other places I can think of."

There were calls for reform of the provincial curriculum to include more about agriculture. Several elementary school students came to the microphone to participate the discussion. Holly Lauryssen and Paige Bromby of St. John Brebeuf told proudly about their school garden and the composting of lunch scraps.

"The basic knowledge is not taught in schools," said Erin farmer John Slack, President of Agricultural Mineral Prospectors Inc. "It is really up to us as a community to put these things in action. I don't have much faith in our political system, regardless of how hard we yell."

Slack had a lot to say about the unique features of the Erin landscape and the importance of preserving them. There's not room in this column, but I will share more of his comments in the near future.

Abhi Wahi is the manager of Whole Circle Farm on County Road 50 in Erin, near Rockwood (www.wholecirclefarm.ca). He spoke about building the next generation of farmers:

"Whole Circle has been taking on interns and apprentices for quite a while now. Age is not a limit, anyone can join. We train people to become farmers, to work with the soil, to build the soil using biodynamic practices, to encourage life in the soil, to grow food that is nutrient rich, food that's full of life. Not everyone who goes through our program ends up becoming a farmer, but in some way or another it does really affect their lives. They do go forward, encourage others or work within the field. We love visitors and volunteers to come by."

Cathy Hansen had an interesting idea for expanding the concept of community gardens.

"In a town like Erin where everybody is on a septic tank, not everybody can grow a garden in their backyard because of the issues around growing food in proximity to your septic field. We do have acreages in the community that would be walkable for people that would allow people to grow garden plots, like they do in the city.

"I am going to advocate that the Town of Erin start to look into the opportunity that we might have to develop, rather than a new industrial park, an agricultural park. A place that runs on a similar concept to an industrial park, except it's set up to grow food – small plot farming with infrastructures to support those farms.

"Farming is changing. Farms are no longer passing through families. We have new people coming into farming – the young, ambitious landless farmer. I would love to see Erin be put on the map for creating such a thing as an agricultural park, with infrastructure, with a small abattoir, with a functioning feed mill, with small plots available, with communal equipment."

Let's plant trees faster than we chop them down

2011-01-26T01:01:00.003-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Some of my best friends are of the leafy, green persuasion. You know the type: perennial sun worshippers, on the tall side, firmly attached to the earth. I've never hugged one, but they do make for excellent company.

Until recently in our history, trees were seen mainly as obstacles to agriculture and as raw material for paper and lumber. Now, we sense more of a common cause among carbon based entities. When God told the first humans to "subdue" the earth (Genesis 1:28), that did not mean we should obliterate the very life forms She created to provide us with oxygen.

Greenery, unlike oil, is relatively easy to replenish. Do you see the newsprint you are holding as a product of dead trees, or as a renewable resource? We are lucky, too, to live in an area that has not been generally paved over.

"Erin is an emerald jewel in the heart of Ontario," said Bill Dinwoody, of the Recreation and Culture Committee, at a presentation to Town Council last month on trails and trees.

There is an effort to have the Town of Erin get more involved in tree planting. For the Town, the volume of trees is not the main issue. It is a matter of strategic planting on public land, and encouragement of planting on private land, to make the Town more attractive.

Of course there are other long-term benefits, like more shade, less erosion, better wildlife habitat, natural snow fencing and a place to hang your rope swing. Tree planting brings people together and erects living monuments to our shared values.

"The Town needs to take a leadership role," said trails enthusiast Steve Revell, who urged Council to consider a town-wide tree plan.

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) has a broader mandate, since the sheer volume of trees is an important factor in the global effort to slow the rate of climate change.

"CVC is concerned that the potential impacts of climate change may adversely affect the watershed and has a number of initiatives in its strategic plan to both learn more about the potential impacts of climate change and to develop approaches to mitigate them," said a CVC report, done by Woodrising Consulting and ArborVitae Environmental Services.

Using scientific models, they estimated that the 16,844 hectares of forest in the Credit Valley watershed holds about 6.52 million tonnes of carbon, 48 percent in living biomass, 13 percent in dead wood and forest litter and 39 percent in the soil. CVC owns about eight percent of the forest lands.

"CVC recognizes that it can also play a role in efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and to enhance the sequestration, or long-term removal, of GHG from the atmosphere. Forests and wetlands have the ability to act as carbon sinks, absorbing and storing carbon dioxide, the most widely known and ubiquitous GHG."

Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are generally not causing forests to grow faster and increase their rates of carbon sequestration. All the more reason to reduce GHG emissions and plant as many trees as possible.

Since 1960, CVC, the Ministry of Natural Resources and partners such as the Boy Scouts, have planted 2,534 hectares of trees in our watershed, which are moving into a rapid growth phase. CVC plans to plant 57 hectares of trees annually until 2014, and 91 hectares annually from 2015 to 2030.

The portion of the sequestration caused by future plantings may be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in the carbon market, an international mechanism intended to drive down industrial emissions through financial incentives.

New tree planting in the watershed is expected to sequester 5,459 tonnes of carbon per year. Unfortunately, about 7,500 tonnes is lost every year as 25-50 hectares of forest is chopped down to make way for new homes, businesses and roads. It is not happening in Erin, but it is not all that far away.

A recent CVC Fact Sheet describes the process: "Development removes all of the live biomass (organisms) and dead wood, causing the stored carbon to be emitted. Much of the carbon in the soil is emitted as well. Clearly, reducing forest loss is just as important as planting new trees."

Something special needed beside the Tim Horton's

2011-01-19T00:55:00.002-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

With construction of the Tim Horton's progressing quickly at the north end of Erin village, I hope it is not too late to put in some suggestions for the lot next door, owned by developer Shane Baghai.

He invited suggestions from the public last month and ideas ranged from a pool to a grocery store. I thought back to the start of the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) in 2009, when people were asked what they thought was needed in Erin.

A Tim Horton's was one of the most common suggestions, along with more stores, affordable housing for seniors, better health services, more parks and trails, a pool and many other things – even a paintball arena. The SSMP study is not just about sewers. It is a formal Environmental Assessment of how Erin will evolve, and there will be more opportunities this year for public input.

With construction of the medical centre and the donut shop, Baghai has in short order fulfilled two items on Erin's wish list, while the SSMP chugs along at a snail's pace.

If the Town ever decides to build a sewer system, perhaps Baghai could be engaged to get the job done quickly. Actually, I take that suggestion back; public works should be publicly owned and operated, much as we may be tempted to privatize.

The Town needs to work with developers in a business-like fashion, seeking benefits for taxpayers, just as developers seek a good return on their investment. We cannot expect an entrepreneur to build a pool, with no chance of recouping their money. The Town couldn't afford to maintain a pool, even if were given to us.

So what are the realistic possibilities for this "third lot"? It should probably be a project that will not generate a large amount of traffic. There will already be vehicle issues with Tim Horton's, such as truckers wanting to stop on the shoulders on both sides of the road, no access via the stop light intersection and traffic on Thompson Crescent. That zone could not handle a fast food restaurant, for example, and many people would not want one in the village.

What I would really like to see is a development with some retail on the ground floor and apartments for seniors above – or even a retirement home. The need is great, but I am not hopeful, since the land is not designated for residential growth. There may be better sites, and the Town has frozen residential development while the SSMP is in progress. I don't know if Council could make an exception for a highly desirable project.

I have not spoken with the developer, but I think he would like something that could be built soon, produce a solid revenue stream and look classy. We are a small market, and any growth is projected to be moderate. And while competition is a good thing, I would rather see a new development draw revenue away from other towns, instead of drawing it away from existing Erin businesses. We would appreciate services that we currently have to drive elsewhere to obtain.

If it is to be a store, or group of stores, the SSMP participants suggested a need for clothing and sporting goods. How about electronics equipment? In the entertainment realm, perhaps a bowling alley or a laser-quest style facility. How about an artists' co-op, flea market or farmers' market?

Exactly what goes there depends on an assessment of the market by those putting their money at risk. The main question for the public is whether it will enhance the Town as a place to live and a place to visit.

I am hoping for something practical and distinctive, both in concept and physical appearance. Something that will build on Erin's charm, not dilute it. I do not want to see the town develop into a miniature version of the urban areas I moved here to get away from.

From what I have seen so far, Mr. Baghai has the imagination and drive to make something special happen.

Try not to worry about things that might happen

2011-01-12T22:50:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

I had a good time at the Mayor's Levee on New Year's Day, skating at Centre 2000. It was a nice family event, with little kids learning to skate, budding hockey tykes showing off their skills, parents chatting while keeping an eye on their broods and old folks proving that they can still get around on the ice.

A "levee" can mean any sort of reception, but it was originally an assembly of men hosted by the British monarch. Mayor Lou Maieron was on duty to greet the masses, and showed a good example by wearing a helmet, instead of a crown.

I've been skating on Monday mornings at the arena this winter, and I've taken to wearing a helmet as well, after a friend of mine fell and suffered a serious head injury. After a year, she is still struggling to make a full recovery.

My caution was reinforced at the levee when I saw a gentleman stumble and crash head-first into the boards. He ended up with a cut over his eye that took four stitches to close.

I'm not old yet (at least I don't think I am), and if I keep my body and brain active, I may be able to put off that stage for a good long while. The aches and pains are increasing, but they seem to rotate to different areas, instead of striking all at once. As my mother is fond of saying, "Getting old is not for sissies."

I went to visit her in Cambridge after the levee. Last spring, at the age of 80, she was golfing and swimming, after recovering from her second major cancer surgery. It was a short reprieve, however. Now it is in her bones and she can barely stand up.

We are at the stage where survival is estimated in months and relief measured in doses of morphine. It is a stark reminder that the advances of medicine may improve our quality of life for a certain time, but cannot save us from the inevitable.

She has made a transition, from strong and independent to frail and vulnerable, while maintaining a positive attitude, which is quite an accomplishment. Her faith in God is strong, and I think she wants to teach by example that suffering is to be expected, and accepted without a big fuss.

She will not be impressed if she reads this, only because these things are so apparent that to write them down shows an excess of sentimentality. The need to write things down can be a curse. Or perhaps it is a form of therapy, an attempt to impose some order on a confusing array of thoughts.

Anyhow, we had a good Christmas. She was able to come to the table and enjoy dinner in the company of her children, grandchildren and of course my father, who has devoted himself to her care without a big fuss.

A few days later, my sister and I were sitting at their kitchen table, working on things like the medication schedule and the power of attorney document, and my father seemed concerned about us.

"Try not to worry about things that might happen," he said.

That sounds like a good New Year's resolution, one that might make the other resolutions easier to achieve.

Dams should be part of Erin's business plan

2010-12-29T22:06:00.003-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

If the dams in Erin village are going to stay in place for many decades to come, as it appears they will, they should become part of a plan to attract more visitors to the area. The West Credit River is a treasure that could be made more scenic, and more accessible to the public.

The Church Street Dam has ugly slabs of concrete at odd angles (some of them crumbling), broken safety railings, a heavy-duty guard rail and a steel girder sticking out of the water. The Town eventually needs to fix it up or tear it down.

With more frequent and severe weather events anticipated as a result of climate change, there will be extra strain on dams, so they cannot simply be ignored. I asked Bob Morris of Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) how important the village dams are for stormwater management.

"Not likely any significant role, especially if floods threaten structural integrity," he said. The goal is to control stormwater before it reaches the river. "Dams that trap sediment actually create sediment problems upstream and more erosion problems downstream."

The public land between the Church Street Dam and the Valu-Mart parking lot has potential as a park – an idea that has been around for years. It is an inexpensive project that the Town could undertake at any time, requiring some benches, waste containers and a sign. The trees could be thinned out to create a fantastic view of the river.

If the dam were eventually taken down, it could be replaced with stepped rocky ledges, which would still hold the water back somewhat, but create a series of pools that would also be quite attractive.

Whether the dam is there or not, the park could be an important hub in a network of trails that would bring more visitors to the village. There could be a route from that park upstream to Dundas Street, to the park on Carberry Street, across the south dam of Stanley Park and on up to the Trans-Canada Trail (Elora-Cataract).

Another trail could go from the Church Street Dam, possibly using part of the roadway to the old village landfill site, taking hikers up to the Height-of-Land Trail, south to the water tower and back down to William Street.

Obviously there are privately-owned lands involved. But if the Bruce Trail Association has built 1,000 kilometres of trails between Tobermory and Niagara-on-the-Lake by making deals with landowners, and acquiring land when it could, surely Erin can develop a few kilometres of trails.

CVC may be interested in acquiring more riverfront land, as it has done extensively in Caledon. There is possible funding for this sort of effort, but only if there is a plan. A committee of citizens will be working on that in the coming year.

Perhaps the most significant parcel of riverfront land for the long-term future of downtown Erin is the Mundell lumber yard. Owner Dana Mundell would like to move his lumber operation to the north end of the village and develop the vacated strip, anchored by the Planing Mill at the south, and the Grist Mill at Daniel Street. The Town, however, will not allow development there until a sewer system is built.

It is a long-term project, but the possibilities are exciting. There could be a boardwalk along the river leading to McMillan Park and a bridge over the river to the Woollen Mills Trail. There could be a cycling route, bypassing the Main Street traffic. There could be a pedestrian area, with a series of shops and restaurants facing the river.

Other towns have restored historic mills, making them successful as educational sites and commercial ventures. The belt-driven Planing Mill, with its ornate 19th century woodworking machines, is particularly important, since it dates back to 1838.

It is the last such mill in the Credit Valley watershed which can still be operated. People would line up and pay good money to see it in action. Perhaps it is pre-mature to put too many public expectations on the site, which is still part of a private business, but it has the potential to become a more prominent part of Erin's identity.

The mill is powered by water from the Charles Street Dam, through a flume that passes under Main Street. The same water could also generate electricity on a small scale. There are various arguments in favour of preserving this dam, which gave the village its start, but the existence of a functional mill is certainly the strongest.

Expensive upgrades could reduce impact of dams

2010-12-22T11:44:00.003-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

When I think of dams, I think of farms. They do not look much alike, but they are both drastic human interventions in the environment, redirecting the power of nature to serve our needs. Dams and their mill ponds are often quite scenic, but unlike farms, they have become industrial relics.

There are more than 500 dams in the Credit River watershed, including several in the Erin-Hillsburgh area. Most were built in the mid-1800s as European settlers made a furious effort to tame the Ontario wilderness, building mills to saw up trees as they cleared the land and grinding grain from the new farms.

Many dams are still worth preserving, for historical, cultural and environmental reasons. But are we willing to pay millions of dollars in the long term to maintain and rebuild structures that have lost their original economic purpose? Will our descendants see the value in them 100 or 200 years from now?

The best options for Erin dams will have to be determined by dam owners, the local community and technical studies. What follows is simply a look at what changes may be possible to improve safety and water quality.

With the provincial government considering expensive new regulations for maintaining dams, I called Bob Morris, an aquatic biologist and Manager of Natural Heritage at Credit Valley Conservation (CVC), to get some background.

CVC has no direct authority over normal dam operations. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is responsible for dams, but does not currently keep track of their maintenance. The CVC and MNR get involved when permits are needed for repairs or alterations. Dam owners are liable when a dam fails and causes damage to other landowners downstream or to the river environment.

"It is assumed that dam owners would take necessary precautions to prevent such an event but regulations are not likely to be applied until such a failure," said Morris.

"Dam owners must apply for a permit to repair or alter a dam and only then does MNR become aware of any safety issues. It would be unlawful to flush sediments downstream. Owners are responsible for maintenance, operations and surveillance of their dams."

The Charles Street and Church Street dams in Erin village were identified in 1997 as "structurally inadequate" by modern standards, but the CVC would not offer an opinion on their current safety or need for repair. The Church Street structure has some areas of crumbling concrete, but to an amateur observer it appears to be solid.

CVC can provide maintenance advice to dam owners to reduce damage to the environment and improve safety. Possible changes include fish ladders or rocky ramps, designed to enable migration of local fish species.

Ponds typically have higher water temperatures, which can be detrimental to the environment downstream. This can be offset by a "bottom draw", a separate pipe which in the summer would discharge some of the cooler water at the bottom of a deep pond.

Other pond problems include sediment build-up, high levels of nutrients and low levels of dissolved oxygen, leading to algae growth. Dredging and disposing of sediment is very expensive, and does not provide a long-term solution.

"CVC promotes the development of wetland communities in impoundments to improve some water quality parameters and habitat values," said Morris. "Dredging is generally discouraged."

Other possible changes include lowering a dam, which would leave the sediment in place and result in more wetland vegetation. Bypass channels can be used to divert a portion of the river flow around a dam, or even around a whole pond. Rocks can be used to build up the stream bed near a dam, or create a stepped series of riffles and pools.

If it is determined that a dam should be removed, the largest environmental concern is to avoid releasing sediment downstream during the project.

"Full removal of the dam and sediment would achieve full stream and valley restoration, that is best in many situations, but not always feasible in terms of economics and landowner objectives," said Morris. "The main issue seems to be public acceptance of losing a cultural feature and open water body that is different from a stream. Cost is also a big issue – but so are repairs or liability costs after a failure."

Could our dams be part of a plan to bring more tourists to the area? Are they essential for stormwater management? More on these issues next week.

New dam regulations too expensive for Erin

2010-12-15T11:33:00.001-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

The Town of Erin could be forced to remove the Church Street Dam on the West Credit River if it cannot afford the cost of maintaining it under new regulations now being proposed.

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is responsible for Ontario dams, but no requirements now exist to ensure safe management of the structures, which can deteriorate and become prone to failure.

If the proposed changes to the Lakes and River Improvement Act become law, dam owners could bear the cost of inspections, a long-term safety review and various plans for operation, maintenance and upgrades. Costs could range from $105,000 to $240,00 per dam – not including the capital costs of actual upgrades.

"These requirements will require significant staff resources that we do not have," said Water Superintendent Frank Smedley, who alerted Council to the proposed changes in a recent report.

"The initial, capital and ongoing cost will also be significant and may impact the tax rate. It is likely the Hulls Dam will need rebuilding due to being in poor condition. The cost is likely to be substantial. Decommissioning this structure may be the best option."

The Town owns the dam, near the end of Church Street West (also known as Hulls Dam), and has partial ownership of the Station Road Dam near the Hillsburgh Fire Hall, according to Smedley's report. There are also several privately-owned dams in the Hillsburgh area, in Stanley Park and at Charles Street in Erin village.

Smedley said it may be also be difficult to get approval to decommission a dam through the Environmental Assessment process, since it would change the existing ecosystem, create flooding risks and result in "significant negative implications to the surrounding properties".

Henry Trout built the Charles Street Dam in 1826 and operated a sawmill there, which was purchased by Daniel McMillan in 1829. McMillan built a series of mills, including the 1838 Oat Mill (now the Planing Mill) that helped drive the early growth of the village. In 1845, McMillan built a second sawmill, at the Church Street Dam he had constructed, then in 1849 used water diverted from that pond to power his Grist Mill on the other side of Main Street.

These two dams are significant artifacts of Erin history, and the ponds have become a key part of our environment and heritage. The loss of either would be a major disappointment to many residents.

Dana Mundell owns the Charles Street Dam mechanism, while the Town owns the bridge, and the road bed which helps hold back the water. He also owns the Grist Mill and the Planing Mill, which is still in operable condition, as well as water rights, granted by the Crown to mill owners for power generation.

While he wants to preserve the Charles Street Dam, Mundell is not prepared to spend huge sums on plans and maintenance programs. He has seen provincial dam initiatives come and go over the years, and he doubts that this one will have much impact.

"The dam is safe," he said. "I'm not going to lose any sleep over it. It held in Hurricane Hazel."

In 1954, Hazel blasted the Toronto area, killing 81 people. It destroyed a dam on the Humber River, washed out some 50 bridges in the region and swept dwellings into Lake Ontario. It spurred a major effort to improve storm water control.

Some minor concrete work was done on the Charles Street Dam a few years ago. The dam is lowered occasionally to flush out algae and improve water quality in the pond. If a major storm is expected, the pond level is lowered in advance to help absorb the flow.

In comments submitted to the MNR, Smedley said the proposed system "will create extreme financial hardships", and urged the government to set up initial and ongoing funding for small municipalities and private dam owners.

"These dams were typically installed many years ago and contributed to the growth and prosperity of our province as a whole. Now that these structures do not generate taxable revenue, the province which benefited from them in the past should pay for a significant percentage of their remediation."

He said communities downstream should support upgrades in Erin, since they benefit from the storm water control the dams provide, and urged the ministry to consult with the local stake holders before any new dam requirements become law.

So what should be done with Erin's dams? I will have more information in the coming weeks on their environmental impact and their role in the local economy.

Active Transportation Plan will get assets moving

2010-12-08T11:27:00.004-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Gill Penalosa cut to the heart of the matter last week, in a discussion of Erin's future transportation needs: How do we really want to live? Are we content with a car-dominated culture, or are we prepared to demand an infrastructure that values walking, cycling and other modes of human-powered locomotion?

"It's not about the money, it's about having the vision," said Penalosa, an internationally renowned liveable city advisor, speaking at a series of workshops throughout Wellington County. An audience that included business people, environmentalists, trails enthusiasts and town councillors attended the session at Centre 2000, part of an initiative to develop a Wellington Active Transportation Plan.

"It's time to build alliances, to get everybody working together – it might not be easy," said Penalosa. "We've got to develop a sense of urgency. We have to make the best quality of life – the general interest must prevail. We need to make walking and cycling a normal part of life."

Penalosa is the Executive Director of 8-80cities, a Toronto-based non-profit group that promotes healthy, people-oriented communities. Their name is based on the strategy of designing public areas that are not only safe and comfortable for able-bodied adults, but also for eight-year-olds and 80-year-olds. Check out www.8-80cities.org.

An Active Transportation Plan (a process that is already well-advanced in nearby regions) provides a guide for future development that could, for example, require adequate bike lanes when roads come up for reconstruction. It a joint initiative of the County, local municipalities and the Health Unit, which is concerned about rates of obesity, heart disease and other consequences of inadequate levels of physical activity.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health already sponsors the "WDG in motion" initiative, with a mandate to “create a culture of physical activity” in the region, according to their website, www.wdginmotion.ca. If you have ideas for the Active Transportation Plan, you can write to Karen Armstrong, In Motion Coordinator at the Health Unit: karen.armstrong@wdghu.org. A consultant will be hired next year to work on the project.

It will be on a broad scaler than other related efforts, such as a Trails Master Plan for Erin, which is also being discussed. As with all such plans, they should not be used as an excuse for doing nothing until the plan is complete. If there is a consensus on the need for a certain project, it should proceed. The bias needs to be in favour of action.

Here are some of the ideas being floated to create a better environment for pedestrians and cyclists. The fact that some have been floating about for decades, but never achieved, does not make them less worthy of consideration.

• A bypass to take traffic, especially trucks, away from the downtown core of Erin village. This was mentioned by many participants at the workshop as a major factor in improving safety and quality of life in the village.

• Cross-walks or traffic lights to improve safety and discourage vehicle traffic.

• Improved off-street parking and elimination of some on-street parking to create a bike lane, with a concrete curb or barrier between the cars and the bikes.

• Improved trails, including a bridge over the river to link McMillan Park with the Woollen Mills Trail, a loop route on the water tower hill, a link from Stanley Park to Elora-Cataract rail trail, a loop including the rail trail in Hillsburgh and improved access to Barbour Field.

• Pedestrian-based areas of retail stores, restaurants and offices close to the downtown cores. Any significant redevelopment would require a sewage system.

• Bike lanes on selected rural roads to create a network among various destinations. Increased construction costs would be offset by the fact that wider roads last longer.

• A boardwalk along downtown sections of the river. The fact that some of this land is now privately owned would make such a project more complicated, but not impossible.

• Better bicycle parking areas in public places and at schools.

• Bus service to neighbouring municipalities.

• More parks and renewal of existing parks to make them more appealing to the public.

• More closures of downtown streets to vehicle traffic for special events on weekends.

• More local employment to reduce the rate of long-distance commuting.

Of course, in a town where the majority of residents live outside the urban areas and work elsewhere, cars and trucks will remain a necessity for many people. But we can still give higher priority to "active" transportation, and enjoy a better quality of life as a result.

Pantomime offers escape to land of silly surprises

2010-12-01T17:28:00.002-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

If you are in the mood for grim tragedy, elegant plot progression or even subtle character development (and who isn't, sometimes), you should resist the urge to attend the current production at Century Church Theatre in Hillsburgh.

But (one of my favourite words), if you fancy a little escape to a land of heroes in peril, bad guys being like totally bad, buffoons falling down, cross-dressers cavorting, stunning surprises, silly songs, cunning disguises, men in tights and contrived happy endings, then come on down, or up, whichever you prefer.

The advice should be taken as biased, since I am in the cast of the pantomime Babes in the Wood, written by Bev Nicholas and directed by Martyn Worsnop, which takes a few liberties with the tale of Robin Hood. I play good King Richard, coming back from the Crusades to restore order at the bottom of page 42, kiss Maid Marion on page 45 and join the finale on page 48.

It is a small part, suitably proportioned to my available time and acting ability. Although I studied theatre at university, I didn't have the confidence to pursue it as a career and the newspaper business offered better prospects for steady pay. Now after thirty years, my involvement with drama normally extends only to the low-stress role of usher.

The Century Church panto has become a popular pre-Christmas tradition over the past six years. Shows continue this Friday night through Sunday afternoon. Tickets are available at local library branches or through the box office at 519-855-4586.

In preparation for my part I did a bit of research, though I use the term loosely since Wikipedia was involved. It seems Richard the Lionheart, crowned in 1189, does not meet today's high standards for a good leader of England.

He imposed a crippling tax to finance his war against the Muslims. He sold off public posts, like that of the Sheriff of Nottingham. Like most of the ruling class, he spoke only French, and during his ten-year reign spent only six months on English soil.

Though he was a skilled military commander, he failed to capture Jerusalem and was himself captured by his Christian enemies. His subjects were taxed again to raise the ransom, 65,000 pounds of silver, more than twice the Crown's annual income at the time.

For more in-depth research, I watched Robin Hood: Men in Tights, the Mel Brooks spoof on the legend. At the end, I was surprised to see Sir Patrick Stewart (Captain Jean-Luc Picard on Star Trek) playing the part of King Richard, reciting some of the same lines I had just learned. Borrowing is an important part of the panto tradition.

Some of the silly comedy that we see on-screen today has its roots in British pantomime, a family entertainment that evolved in the 19th century. It grew out of "Commedia dell’arte", a type of street theatre which came from Italy in the 16th century, featuring music, dance, buffoonery and set character types.

Pantomimes always have a melodramatic villain, a principal boy hero (played by a female) and a flamboyant dame (played by a male). The humour is a little on the saucy side, but never too rude for children in the audience.

Children are an important part of the cast, in this case as villagers, or merry men (and women). Getting kids involved in drama is a huge benefit for them. They learn how to have fun in a very disciplined way, helping create something of value. They have others counting on them to do their best, to make the show work.

They feel what it is like to take a good risk, to make mistakes and carry on, to make allowance for other people's mistakes, to be vulnerable with everybody looking at you and to discover that fear can be channelled into positive energy. After all, as Shakespeare reminds us in As You Like It, "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players."

I am always amazed that shows come together as well as they do, considering the complexity of the undertaking – so many personalities, so many other commitments, so many lines and lyrics. It takes dedicated leadership, a network of folks hooked on the theatre lifestyle, a supportive community and the synergy created by "amateur" enterprise, that is, doing it for love instead of money.

Christmas bells call for peace and generousity

2010-11-24T09:20:00.000-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said:
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

That is an excerpt from I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. It is one of my favourite carols, partly because it acknowledges that things are not always joyful as we put up our holiday trees. The words are from the poem Christmas Bells by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who at the time was grieving the loss of his wife in a fire, and the wounding of his son in the American Civil War.

Our country has been at war for almost a decade. I am proud of our soldiers, and I feel a stab of pain when any one of them is wounded or killed. But are Canadians able to feel the full measure of pain from the thousands of lives lost in this war? Does it only hit hard when a loved one is the victim? Do we feel anger, now that the Prime Minister has broken his commitment to bring the troops home in 2011? Or are we just numb – too tired after dealing with jobs and family matters to think about war and peace?

So at Christmas, comforting words flow over us once again, even though we know that peace on earth and good-will to men (and women) can be hard to find. It gets complicated when we hear that the more accurate translation of that passage is, "Peace among men with whom God is pleased." Are we among the favoured ones?

Christmas is a time of heightened expectations. There are many happy gatherings, but for some people it is a stressful and potentially depressing time, making obvious the gap between hopes and reality. Communities instinctively take notice that there are families who do not have enough money to celebrate the season well, and so we rally to help them.

It will never be enough, but it is still good to make charitable donations of time and money. Actions are always more helpful than words, and there is a natural instinct to take action locally – helping people with whom we share a bond, even if we do not know them personally.

For example, East Wellington Community Services (EWCS) makes a special effort to help its food bank clients at Christmas. People can make donations of cash, food and toys for the Christmas hampers. If you would like to sponsor a family, or find out more about how you could help EWCS make a difference, call Gillian Riseborough at 519-833-9696 or visit www.ewag.ca.

Our televisions deliver to us a deluge of opportunities for Christmas giving, much of it based in Toronto. People in the Town of Erin often do not feel they have much in common even with Guelph and the rest of Wellington County, and are not aware of organizations with a mandate to help the whole region.

For example, the Children's Foundation of Guelph and Wellington gives grants of up to $400 to low-income families to help cover the costs of kids' participation in sports, cultural and recreational activities. They support more than 12,000 children through school-based breakfast, snack and lunch programs.

At Christmas, they run Adopt-A-Family, which provided gifts to 600 families last year. Donors (individuals or groups) get a wish list from the adopted family. The families are referred by social service agencies or schools and have to qualify for the assistance. Donors buy presents and deliver them to the Foundation, which operates a wrapping warehouse at this time of year. For more information, call 519-826-9551 or visit www.childrensfoundation.org.

Christmas charity – how much, and how far it is spread – is a very personal matter, which depends one how you perceive yourself in relation to your neighbour. For some, it is simply a habit that makes them feel good. For others it is a matter of social conscience, or of religious devotion and tradition.

Longfellow lived in a more religious era, but even in the 1860s, Christmas was becoming a secular event. His famous Christmas song is no hymn. It makes no mention of Jesus Christ – nor of praise, thanks or salvation. It ends with a simple, optimistic message from the church bells, one in which we may take comfort, if we choose.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Duct tape adventures in wastewater management

2010-11-17T09:14:00.000-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

When water goes down the household drains, I just want it to go away – preferably far away. I do not want to see it, hear it, smell it or touch it. Unfortunately, I've had to do all those things this fall.

It started with a soggy spot at the end of the septic bed, and proceeded to the guessing game that septic system owners must eventually face: Are my weeping bed tiles disintegrating? Are they clogged with crud from my septic tank? Have the roots from nearby trees grown into the pipes and choked them? Has the layer of biofilm (smelly black gunk) under the pipes gotten so dense that the water has to drain up instead of down?

With the expensive possibility of having to replace the entire system looming, I asked the inevitable bottom line question: What is the least amount of money I need to spend to get this system working again?

The tank is about 33 years of age, but I get it pumped every three years and it still works properly. Since I was unsure about the condition of the septic bed, I decided against a system that would regularly pump air into the pipes and possibly rejuvenate their ability to process wastewater.

I got some helpful advice from Dave Doan at SepTech Wastewater Systems in Hillsburgh. We decided the best first step would be to pump out the bed, which could solve the problem, at least for the short term. That's when the fun started.

I had to get access to the drain pipe, downstream of the septic tank. To save myself some money, I said I would do the digging on my own, since the pipe appeared to be only about 18 inches underground. When I started digging, however, I found that the pipe took a sharp turn downward, through some dense clay.

Many hours later, I finally had the pipe exposed at the bottom of a three and a half foot deep hole, dug wide enough for someone to get in and work.

I found too that the drain pipe had for some time been separated at one of the joints, leaving a large gap. Standing in the hole, I wondered why the ground was totally dry.

Then, someone flushed a toilet. I was suddenly flooded with a realization: the tightly packed soil I had just dug out had formed part of the drainway. I jammed the pipes together, wrapped the joint in plastic bags and sealed it up with duct tape until a proper repair could be done.

The next day, a whole truckload of gunk was pumped out of the septic bed and the drain was fixed – complete with a new access pipe so I could add hydrogen peroxide to the drainage bed. It breaks down to oxygen and water, putting dissolved oxygen into the system to help the digestive process. The wet spot on the lawn dried up, and everything was fine.

A few weeks later, though, I heard strange gurgling sounds through the kitchen sink. When we used water in any part of the house, it started filling up the kitchen sink. The laundry drain was backed up, and when I tried to let some water out of it, I got a solid spray in the face. I thought the whole septic system may have failed and backed up, but when I went outside and lifted the septic tank lid, the water level was normal.

That meant there had to be a blockage in the pipe between the house and the septic tank, which led me to the big threaded clean-out plug in my crawlspace. But before you can attack the clog, you have to get rid of all the water in your drains. That means unscrewing the plug just enough to let the smelly water pour into buckets. If you have poured Drano into the system, in a futile attempt to clear the clog, then you have to haul out smelly, caustic water.

Running a bucket brigade to get wastewater out of your basement may seem like an unpleasant job, but trust me, it can be much worse. If you are ever in this situation, do not be tempted to loosen the plug just a bit more, to speed up the process.

When the plug popped out of the drain pipe, it only took a few seconds to force it back on. But with a 3.5-inch pipe under pressure from the whole house, that was enough time to create an unforgettable mess. The type of mess that requires not only a Shop-Vac, but a small shovel.

Moving right along...the water was eventually out of the pipe and I had access to the clogged drain, but my plumbing snake was not long enough to reach the clog. So, naturally, I got three broomsticks and attached them together with duct tape. That made a ramrod that would go all the way from the basement to the septic tank.

The clog didn't stand a chance and soon the drain was draining like it should. We put a proper snake through it a couple of days later just to be sure, but the adventure was all over, except for the cleanup.

And the moral of these two stories? It is pretty obvious. Before you start any household project, always have plenty of duct tape on hand.

Climate change facts are hard to pin down

2010-11-10T09:05:00.002-05:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Just after writing about the benefits of tree planting in the effort to ease the impacts of climate change, I read about a study from the University of Guelph suggesting that tree planting is not going to be as much help as expected.

Understanding climate change science these days is like trying to nail Jello to a wall – there are just too many people with an interest in keeping it slippery.

Researchers went to 2,300 sites on six continents to study the yearly growth rings on 86 types of trees. Higher carbon levels in recent decades have been thought to boost tree growth, which would capture more carbon and slow the rate of global warming. It appears that in 80 per cent of the world's trees, it is not happening.

"We can’t look to forests to offset emissions from burning fossil fuels,” said co-author Ze’ev Gedalof, Associate Professor of Geography at Guelph. “There might be a very slight increase in the total rate of growth in trees, but they’re not going to be these vacuum cleaners that will magically suck up the CO2 that we’re emitting.”

As often happens, some scientists say the results are inconclusive and oversimplified. And as usual, there's a strong political message: Don't be complacent about climate change, just because we're planting lots of trees – we still need to reduce the carbon footprint created by our factories, vehicles and lifestyles.

Trees have many benefits for water, wildlife and the human environment, even if the carbon sink turns out to be smaller than expected. Our tax dollars support a lot of tree planting by Credit Valley Conservation and Wellington County – one million trees have been planted since 2004 under Wellington's Green Legacy Program, making it the largest municipal tree planting program in North America.

Forest now covers about 17 per cent of Wellington, but Environment Canada says 30 per cent is needed to maintain a healthy water system. Another 50 million trees are needed, so Rob Johnson, Green Legacy Tree Nursery Manager, is not content with the current rate of 156,000 trees a year. “If each resident planted just ten trees, almost one million trees would go into Wellington County annually,” he said.

When it comes to public policy on climate change, there's a huge public relations battle going on. Scientists appear truly baffled that people do not take their warnings seriously. The public is glad to enjoy the benefits of new technology, but is suspicious of scientists – perhaps seeing them as manipulative, or too idealistic.

The conflict swirls on many fronts, including the "Degrees of Change" chart and analysis published by Canada's National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. It outlines various impacts of climate change, but says they won't be too bad, and that there will be benefits.

I am not knowledgeable enough to say they are wrong, but I do not trust the study's main sponsor, Suncor Energy (Petro-Canada/Sunoco), a major oil sands and greenhouse gas producer. The chart has become a target.

“It is full of bad science and utterly downplays the serious impacts of climate change” said U of T climate scientist Danny Harvey, quoted on stephenleahy.net. “How can we (Canada) talk about profiting from climate change when most of the world will suffer devastating impacts, in part because of our emissions? It is disgusting.”

I also do not trust the Canadian government, which has dedicated itself to doing as little as possible on climate change. It has banned its own scientists from speaking freely to the media, even about climate change research that they have already published. The federal scientists' union says they face "dwindling resources and confusing policy decisions," and they've started a website, www.publicscience.ca, to make their work better known.

Virtually all climate change scientists agree that human industry is making things worse, yet there was not enough support in the US Congress to legislate emissions reductions – even before the recent elections that brought more climate change deniers into power. Stephen Harper can relax now – there is no longer any chance of the US slapping restrictions on Canadian oil sands.

California has a greenhouse gas reduction law. Two oil companies spent $10.5 million supporting a proposition to suspend that law until unemployment declines to 5.5 per cent for 12 months. Voters rejected the proposition, perhaps moved along by the $31 million spent by environmental groups and other businesses to defend the law.

So the expensive fighting carries on, with the environmental movement winning the occasional battle, but remaining a long way from winning the war.

Water recognized as a sacred source of life

2010-11-03T08:59:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Just a few days after seeing a presentation on the sacredness of water, my roof sprang a leak, delivering a steady drip into my front hallway. So I ended up on the roof at night with my flashlight, in the middle of a thunderstorm, attaching an extension to a downspout that would direct the deluge away from some damaged shingles. I can assure you that I was not thinking about the sacredness of water.

The presentation had been by Anthony Templer, an Elder from the Peel Aboriginal Network, at the annual meeting of Wellington Water Watchers, the group that has led the local fight against bottled water and high-volume water taking by Nestlé.

After a cleansing ceremony and a drum song, his message was blunt: there's a crisis looming as the world runs low on clean water. Ontarians are often wasteful of water because it appears to be so abundant. Maybe we would be more interested in conservation if we had to carry it long distances in buckets, as millions of people do in other countries.

"Something has to be done immediately for the water and the land," he said. "Don't forget what you inherited from your parents and their parents. It's all up to you. For the sacredness of water you have to be grateful. We need to be stewards of it. We listen to the water and it tells us that it is sick."

He said inadequate protection and wasteful attitudes will lead to a water crisis in which many people will die.

"Eventually, we won't be able to drink it. We have to be on fire on this issue. It's a passion – not an aggression – and it catches on. Be honest all day. Then you can respect the sacredness of water. Because before it was water, it was spirit."

For those who consider water sacred, the buying and selling of it as a commodity is offensive, and it creates various dilemmas. We pay money to have municipalities purify water and deliver it to our taps, but some people find it unacceptable that private firms like Nestlé make a profit by taking an essentially free resource and selling it in environmentally-offensive plastic bottles.

At the recent all-candidates' meeting in Erin, some wanted to see a heavy license fee put on water taking, partly to preserve the water and partly to generate income for the Town. The province has the authority in this matter, but has given no sign it is interested in high fees, and Water Watchers has no official position on them. The issue is complex, because once water is taxed as a resource (like oil), it becomes more of a commodity – one that the Americans could claim is tradable under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Wellington Water Watchers is a grassroots group of people from Guelph and Wellington, committed to protecting local water resources and to educating the public about threats to the watershed. They've distributed more than 13,000 reusable water bottles and brought their promotion of tap water to 30,000 area students – aiming for 50,000 soon. Check out www.wellingtonwaterwatchers.ca.

They keep a close eye on water taking by Nestlé, which runs tanker trucks day and night from a well in Hillsburgh to a plant in Aberfoyle. The firm is entitled to take up to 1.1 million litres per day, but normally takes considerably less. Although the well has not caused measurable harm to the local water supply, Water Watchers is still concerned about the long-term impact.

The Peel Aboriginal Network is a social and cultural organization that promotes awareness of Aboriginal values and traditions. Check out www.peelaboriginalnetwork.org. Templer said we need to be more than just thankful for water, but to be thankful to the water.

Water is important in the Judeo-Christian tradition, starting with the Spirt of God hovering over the dark waters even before the creation of light, at the opening of the Book of Genesis. Most spiritual traditions throughout the world recognize a special significance in water, for its role in creation, purification, rebirth, healing and fertility.

"Water, the first living spirit on this earth, gives life to all creation," says the Indigenous Environmental Network, on its website, www.ienearth.org. "Our knowledge, laws and ways of life teach us to be responsible at all times in caring for this sacred gift that connects all life.

"All people deserve the right to a clean and accessible water source. However, throughout the world people are struggling for this basic human right. World trade agreements, industries, and corporations want to view water as a commodity, an item that can be traded and sold to the highest bidder, rather than acknowledge that water is a common and basic need for all life."

Looking for good news on climate change

2010-10-27T23:53:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

It seems like everywhere you turn these days, someone is cranking the alarm, telling us that life as we know it will be ending sooner instead of later. In this era of instant news and short attention spans, it is hard to maintain a focus on complex disasters like climate change. They say it's happening fast, but it seems so slow.

Depressing news seems to trigger either a hope reflex or a total tune-out. People will seek a quick bite of "It's not going to be that bad", or settle for a forkful of "Why the heck should I care?"

I went looking for some good news on climate change, but the pickin's were slim. I heard climate change expert Don MacIver speak in Alton, at an evening sponsored by Caledon's Green T Environmental Awareness and Credit Valley Conservation (CVC).

MacIver has the ultimate credentials. He is a farmer, the mayor of Amaranth Township (near Shelburne) and a climate change scientist with Environment Canada. As a researcher with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, he shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.

"The atmosphere is unforgiving," he said. "It doesn't even know we exist. But we have tickled it. We need to find out how we're going to adapt to these changes. Damaging storms will be more common and more severe."

We will need stronger buildings, bridges, roads and drainage systems, and they will have to be replaced more often. Municipalities will need plans to deal with more frequent flooding and heat waves, and be prepared for more freezing rain instead of snow.

Most municipalities are not even able to maintain existing infrastructure, so the situation seems bleak. Can we accept the idea that our standard of living has been unsustainably high, and that sacrifices will have to be made (higher taxes, lower expectations) if we want to preserve a portion of what we have had?

Canada's climate has changed significantly since the 1950s, accelerated by human activity. Temperatures have increased, especially in the winter and spring, with the annual average up 1.4 degrees. There will be more wildfires, more drought in the prairies and higher sea levels – though it will be a long time before we have a shorter drive to the ocean shore.

Since 1960, CVC and its partners have fought the change, planting 2,500 hectares of new forests in the watershed. They hope to capture an extra 5,400 tonnes of carbon per year, adding about .8 per cent to the 6.5 million tonnes our forests already store. As climate zones move north, they will have to plant the types of trees that now flourish in places like Pennsylvania.

The issues now revolve around mitigation, not on stopping or reversing climate change. "It is too late for that – we have to adapt," said MacIver, challenging people to be creative in their response to the crisis. "Climate change doesn't always have to be bad and disastrous."

The harsh realities will be in the news. More people (far away) will perish due to storms and floods. Aboriginal communities (far away) will have to abandon their traditional way of life. Entire species (far away) will be lost to extinction. Nations (far away) will go to war over scarce food and water.

On the bright side, we may get a 20 per cent longer golf season. As polar ice melts, Canada's economy may benefit from northern ports, Arctic tourism and access to more oil, gas and minerals. (No wonder the oil companies are in no rush to slow global warming.)

We live in a protected bubble here, overflowing with resources and suffering few natural disasters. But if the economies of our trading partners are devastated by climate change, our economy will be extremely vulnerable. When we get the inevitable "carbon tax", will we welcome a conserving lifestyle?

If farmers can deal with more drought and pests, maybe they can benefit from a longer growing season. If we can get used to hotter summers, maybe we will appreciate the money saved on winter heating.

Over a million people and a thousand stewardship groups are active in Canada, working to protect or restore forests and wetlands. Together with alternatives to fossil fuels, these efforts will be key to preserving a portion of our standard of living. The fact that Canada produces a small fraction of the world's greenhouse gases should not stop us from showing leadership in this area.

If the average citizen comes to feel personally threatened by changes in the climate, perhaps stewardship efforts will involve the majority of people – an act of communal defence on an increasingly inhospitable planet.

Skateboard park more realistic than a pool

2010-10-20T09:53:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Election season always brings out a bit of wishful thinking about recreational facilities, so it was no surprise when council candidates were asked about the possibility of a swimming pool or an additional ice rink in the Town's future.

It is an important discussion to have from time to time, even if it is only a superficial stirring of the pot. And even if there is no hope of a pool, it is interesting to see how candidates respond. Here are excerpts from their answers, in the order they spoke, at the October 6 all-candidates meeting.

John Brennan: "I think it would be wonderful to have a swimming pool in town. It would be a recreational asset and a healthy exercise promoter. They are tremendously expensive to maintain. It would be difficult for us to do on our own, but certainly we should explore the possibility with the school board. For recreational spending, I think we should be spending at about 20 per cent of the operating budget. It's a healthy investment for the town. We need to expand wherever we can, but we need to seek grants and do it in a fiscally responsible manner."

Josie Wintersinger: "Yes, I would be in favour. There are lots of people, and particularly young children, who are not getting the exercise that they need. You also have an older population, and swimming is an activity that they can do. However, that is going to cost funds, and where are we going to get the funds from? I don't see, unless people are going to fundraise for it, how we're going to come up with the kind of money that you need. So in all due fairness, unless as taxpayers you want to contribute a little more, I don't see how it's possible."

Shawn Wilson: "I'd have to say no to a pool. There's one in Caledon. Mayfield has one, I don't think it gets used that much. It's a huge cost. It doesn't say much for our previous planning that now we have to put an addition on the arena for four change rooms. And now you want to put a pool in there? That's not common sense thinking. That's foolish thinking. That's a waste of money and time."

Craig Porterfield: "It would be a nice toy, but the maintenance costs for a pool are just too high. As far as an additional ice rink, I think that's unfeasible as well. You have to be able to be held responsible when spending tax dollars. Frankly, I think that there's too much money that goes towards sports now for a select few."

Barb Tocher: "We'd all love to have them, but can we afford them? We just do not have the critical mass to support a pool. I don't think we're at a time that we can afford that kind of a luxury. There will come a day when we will need a new arena facility with ice pads. We're not there yet. We're taking small steps. The skateboard park will run us about $100,000. How are we going to pay that? Corporate sponsorships, fundraising from the kids that are involved, the stakeholders are getting involved with the town, so they're coming to a partnership."

Deb Callaghan: "Much as I'd love to see a pool in the town, I don't think it's feasible. It's far too cost prohibitive. As far as the skating rinks – quite often the ice surface is empty, no one is using it, so there is no way I could ever support another ice surface."

The mayoral candidates were asked about a pool at the October 14 all-candidates meeting. Lou Maieron expressed his support for a pool, since "not everyone plays hockey". Rod Finnie said that instead of an expensive pool project, "we're looking at a splash pad".

On the issue of a skateboard/BMX park at Centre 2000, it is interesting that much progress has been made just before an election. I hope that the momentum continues after the election.

No opposition was expressed at a recent public meeting, and the Town has agreed to match funds raised one-to-one. Compared to pools and ice rinks, the 5,000 sq. ft. facility is relatively inexpensive ($85,000) and will require little maintenance.

Naturally, there is some risk of noise and rowdy behaviour, but let's face it, that risk exists in many areas. Nearby residents do have a valid concern about noise, so the Town should investigate a buffer of dense trees to reduce the impact.

With young people involved in the fundraising, the risk of vandalism should be diminished. It is a high-traffic area, with three security cameras nearby, so it should be possible to create a safe environment.

This project has been requested many times over the years by young people and their parents, and the time has come time for it to actually happen. When the fundraising starts, I hope that businesses, service clubs and members of the public will be supportive.

Torchlight volunteers provide immediate support

2010-10-13T15:40:00.004-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Sometimes, you just need someone to talk to, someone to listen without passing judgement, someone to give you good advice without forcing you to do anything. A person like that is sitting near a phone right now, ready to help.

Community Torchlight volunteers and staff have provided quality listening services to people in Wellington County, Dufferin County and the City of Guelph for more than 40 years.

The help is free, every day, around the clock. It is paid for mainly by the Ministry of Health, through the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), the United Way of Guelph-Wellington and fundraising efforts.

Known previously as the Distress Centre, Torchlight has expanded in recent years, and now has five different phone lines. Their Distress Line takes about 10,500 calls a year, with a team of 35-50 volunteers, each providing 16 hours of service per month.

They get 32 hours of in-class training and a period of professional mentoring before taking calls on their own. They range from senior citizens with time to contribute, to younger adults planning a career in social services.

"It feeds a sense of giving back to the community," said Executive Director Jesse Baynham. To find out more about volunteering, call 519-821-3760 or go on-line to dc-wd.org.

Torchlight has hosted The Walk for Suicide Awareness in Guelph and Orangeville, and has helped facilitate a series of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training workshops.

In seeking financial donations from the public, Baynham said it is often families who have been affected by mental health issues who are especially inclined to support the agency. For those unaware of the issues, it can be a difficult message to get across.

Torchlight helps callers cope with a wide range of difficulties. "We are supporting some of the most disenfranchised people in the community," said Baynham.

Here are the various services (not long-distance calls from Erin):

• Distress Line – 519-821-3760 – a 24/7 listening service for people who are lonely, confused or in distress. Anonymity is assured, since Caller ID is not used. Referral to other sources of help is provided when requested.

• Crisis Line – 519-821-0140 – a 24/7 hotline for people experiencing a mental health or suicide crisis. This service is provided by professional staff, not volunteers, who are skilled in crisis assessment and de-escalation. This can be the first point of access for a range of services within the Crisis Intervention System of Guelph, Wellington and Dufferin.

The Crisis Line is the most expensive section of the Torchlight operation, made possible by funding of more than $400,000 annually from the Waterloo-Wellington LHIN. It is part of the provincial effort to reduce demands on hospitals, by assessing crisis situations and linking people quickly to the help they need.

• Youth Support Line – 519-821-5469 – an alternate way to contact Distress Line volunteers, an outreach to young people.

• Emergency Shelter Resource Line – 519-767-6594 – a 24/7 service for people in need of a warm, safe place to sleep. The volunteer will ask for the caller's name, gender and location, and direct them to an appropriate temporary shelter.

• Telecheck Dufferin – 519-415-3764 – a daily telephone check-in service that supports independent living for seniors 55 and older. Volunteers call the seniors for a brief chat, making sure they are not in need of help. If the senior cannot be contacted within one hour, the volunteer calls an emergency contact person.

The volunteers are mainly seniors. The team has grown in five years from four people to 23, making 17,531 calls in 2009-2010, including on weekends and holidays, serving 64 current clients. The Telecheck service is intended for residents of Orangeville / Dufferin, with funding provided by the Central West LHIN since 2008.

For Torchlight to provide such a service in the Erin area, it would require an interest among seniors, including potential volunteers, partnership with a local group and funding from the Waterloo-Wellington LHIN. Telecheck Dufferin got about $85,000 from the Central West LHIN in 2009-2010 as part of the Aging at Home strategy, and also gets support from the Dufferin Alzheimer's Society.

East Wellington Community Services (EWCS) offers a scaled down version of the service. Sherri Plourde, Manager of Seniors Services, personally calls to check in with eight seniors, two or three times a month, to see how they are doing. She would like to have a volunteer-based program, and have it funded and recognized as an essential service.

It is easier said than done, of course, since staff and volunteers are already busy with existing programs, and there are many projects that need funding. As always, public awareness and demand are the essential first steps.

Distress Line volunteers provide immediate help

2010-10-13T09:45:00.004-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Sometimes, you just need someone to talk to, someone to listen without passing judgement, someone to give you good advice without forcing you to do anything. A person like that is sitting near a phone right now, ready to help.

Community Torchlight volunteers and staff have provided quality listening services to people in Wellington County, Dufferin County and the City of Guelph for more than 40 years.

The help is free, every day, around the clock. It is paid for mainly by the Ministry of Health, through the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs), the United Way of Guelph-Wellington and fundraising efforts.

Known previously as the Distress Centre, Torchlight has expanded in recent years, and now has five different phone lines. Their Distress Line takes about 10,500 calls a year, with a team of 35-50 volunteers, each providing 16 hours of service per month.

They get 32 hours of in-class training and a period of professional mentoring before taking calls on their own. They range from senior citizens with time to contribute, to younger adults planning a career in social services.

"It feeds a sense of giving back to the community," said Executive Director Jesse Baynham. To find out more about volunteering, call 519-821-3760 or go on-line to dc-wd.org.

Torchlight has hosted The Walk for Suicide Awareness in Guelph and Orangeville, and has helped facilitate a series of Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training workshops.

In seeking financial donations from the public, Baynham said it is often families who have been affected by mental health issues who are especially inclined to support the agency. For those unaware of the issues, it can be a difficult message to get across.

Torchlight helps callers cope with a wide range of difficulties. "We are supporting some of the most disenfranchised people in the community," said Baynham.
Here are the various services (not long-distance calls from Erin):

• Distress Line – 519-821-3760 – a 24/7 listening service for people who are lonely, confused or in distress. Anonymity is assured, since Caller ID is not used. Referral to other sources of help is provided when requested.

• Crisis Line – 519-821-0140 – a 24/7 hotline for people experiencing a mental health or suicide crisis. This service is provided by professional staff, not volunteers, who are skilled in crisis assessment and de-escalation. This can be the first point of access for a range of services within the Crisis Intervention System of Guelph, Wellington and Dufferin.

The Crisis Line is the most expensive section of the Torchlight operation, made possible by funding of more than $400,000 annually from the Waterloo-Wellington LHIN. It is part of the provincial effort to reduce demands on hospitals, by assessing crisis situations and linking people quickly to the help they need.

• Youth Support Line – 519-821-5469 – an alternate way to contact Distress Line volunteers, an outreach to young people.

• Emergency Shelter Resource Line – 519-767-6594 – a 24/7 service for people in need of a warm, safe place to sleep. The volunteer will ask for the caller's name, gender and location, and direct them to an appropriate temporary shelter.

• Telecheck Dufferin – 519-415-3764 – a daily telephone check-in service that supports independent living for seniors 55 and older. Volunteers call the seniors for a brief chat, making sure they are not in need of help. If the senior cannot be contacted within one hour, the volunteer calls an emergency contact person.

The volunteers are mainly seniors. The team has grown in five years from four people to 23, making 17,531 calls in 2009-2010, including on weekends and holidays, serving 64 current clients. The Telecheck service is intended for residents of Orangeville / Dufferin, with funding provided by the Central West LHIN since 2008.

For Torchlight to provide such a service in the Erin area, it would require an interest among seniors, including potential volunteers, partnership with a local group and funding from the Waterloo-Wellington LHIN. Telecheck Dufferin got about $85,000 from the Central West LHIN in 2009-2010 as part of the Aging at Home strategy, and also gets support from the Dufferin Alzheimer's Society.

East Wellington Community Services (EWCS) offers a scaled down version of the service. Sherri Plourde, Manager of Seniors Services, personally calls to check in with eight seniors, two or three times a month, to see how they are doing. She would like to have a volunteer-based program, and have it funded and recognized as an essential service.

It is easier said than done, of course, since staff and volunteers are already busy with existing programs, and there are many projects that need funding. As always, public awareness and demand are the essential first steps.

Outhouse solution could solve Erin's waste woes

2010-10-06T15:32:00.000-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

In the ongoing debate about what to do with Erin's wastewater, some have suggested we think outside the box. I suggest we take it a step further, and think outside the bathroom.

I propose that the Town go back to a technology that served us well for many years – the outhouse system. It did the job for some homes in Erin village until at least the late 1950s, and longer in other areas.

Did that lack of convenience do any harm to those residents? Did it not build character, resilience and a realization that nothing was going to be handed to you on a silver platter? Did kids not have good fun throwing pebbles at the neighbour's outhouse while there was someone inside?

The concept has several modern aspects. It builds on the popularity of recycling. It is also the ultimate low-flow toilet. We pay a lot already to get drinking water into our homes. When clean water becomes more scarce, and if water costs skyrocket, we may not be so keen to flush it down the toilet.

Water shortages are increasing as the globe heats up, so we need to plan for the future, and not take our water for granted. Many septic systems are not overloaded with waste, but overloaded by excessive water use.

So to save water and show a fine example to the rest of the world, I propose that indoor toilets be outlawed in the Town of Erin. Exemptions would only be allowed for apartments, restaurants and homes with very small back yards.

The mandatory aspect could ruffle a few feathers, but I urge people to consider the common good. The Town needs to hold its nose and do the right thing, without being sidetracked by whiners and wimps.

Certain concessions could make the transition easier. For example, fancy woodwork would be permitted on outhouse doors. (It is a free country after all.) Electric power would be allowed, for heated toilet seats, and chamber pots would be acceptable back in the house during the winter months.

Glossy brochures could be printed, with construction tips. Simplicity is the key. You build a little shack containing a bench, with a big hole for adults and a smaller one for kids (so they don't fall in). A vertical vent tube to transfer odors from the pit out through the roof could be a popular feature.

You dig a big hole in the ground at the far end of your back yard (away from any wells), place the shack on top and you are good to go. Of course, you still have to keep your outhouse clean and be sure to wash your hands. Done properly, outhouses are not a threat to public health and they do not cost millions of dollars. Let's leave newfangled inventions like the sanitary sewer to the city slickers, and to the wannabe folks in other small towns who think they deserve all the conveniences of urban living.

We could get all modern and have a truck come by to pump out our pits once in a while, but I say, let Mother Nature take care of business. Earthworms, bacteria, molds and insects will get right to work fermenting and decomposing, forming a nice compost pile at the base of the pit. After a few years, when the pile gets too high, simply dig a new pit, move the outhouse, and cover up the old pit.

People living on highly porous soil need to put some dense material at the bottom of the pit to avoid quick percolation down to into the ground water. As with septic tanks, paint, oil, chemicals and garbage must not be dumped into outhouse pits.

Do not dig a pit on the low point of your lawn. That could lead to a messy flood during the rainy season. It could also cause erosion at the edges, which could allow your building to sink into the pit.

The main problem is the name – "Outhouse" is kind of boring. Labels like Biffy and Kybo are a bit lame too. Australians refer to it as a Dunny or Thunderbox, while New Zealanders use the term Long-drop. Maybe we can come up with some creative alternatives.

Readers may want to urge election candidates to endorse the outhouse solution, since my own influence is quite limited. And whether you agree with the plan, or think it needs some work, may I suggest that the best way to respond to a tongue-in-cheek column is with a tongue-in-cheek Letter to the Editor. Be careful, though. Someone may take you seriously.

West Credit still healthy, despite contamination

2010-09-29T03:00:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

If the Town of Erin opts for communal sewage treatment, it will not be primarily to save the West Credit River from the impact of private septic systems. The river is actually doing quite well, in spite of some septic contamination, according to a report by Credit Valley Conservation (CVC).

Surface water quality is good and Brook Trout are spawning, even in the urban areas. Buffer zones of vegetation that help protect the water from human activity cover 84 per cent of the stream banks. Deep groundwater that supplies municipal wells has no impact from septic systems, no organic contaminants and no trace of other chemicals such as pesticides.

CVC spent about $350,000 to test the West Credit and monitor the local ecosystem in 2007-2008, analyze the results and produce this Existing Condition Report. It is the environmental component of Erin's Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP). The cost has been shared by all Credit watershed municipalities, with most of the funds coming from the Region of Peel.

Pollution levels in surface water have increased slightly since the mid-1970s, but are below limits considered acceptable by the federal and provincial governments. Contaminants flow from several sources, so it is not possible to measure how much originates with septic systems.

"Localized impacts were found to be mostly related to surface/stormwater runoff and the cumulative impact of the on-line ponds," said Jennifer Dougherty, Water Quality Engineer for CVC, in a recent presentation to Erin councillors. There are nine dams on the West Credit, creating impassable barriers for fish. The ponds collect sediment, boost water temperatures and alter vegetation and wildlife in the area.

Residential waste water is partially purified by septic tanks and drainage beds, then filtered in the soil. If septic systems are well-maintained, there is very little contamination. But with aging systems, poor soil conditions in some areas and a high concentration of village homes, there is more septic effluent in the shallow groundwater.

"There is an almost complete reduction in fecal bacteria," said Ray Blackport, a hydrogeologist who works with CVC and the Town. These bacteria can come from septic systems, but also from wildlife, pets, livestock and manure spreading. Higher levels of various harmful bacteria make water unsafe for swimming.

He noted that other septic contaminants such as nitrogen (nitrates), phosphorus, toxic organics from cleaning agents, heavy trace metals and dissolved inorganics such as chloride and sodium are of concern, because there is considerable exchange between the shallow groundwater and the river water.

Many farmers have taken steps to reduce the flow of contaminants from their land, and some land has been taken out of production, so it is possible (but not proven) that aging septic systems are contributing a greater proportion of the contamination than in the past.

Nitrates come from farms, urban stormwater runoff and septic systems. The highest nitrate levels are upstream of Hillsburgh, but the volume of contaminants drops in the core area of the village because a large volume of river water goes underground.

Nitrates are higher for short distances downstream of Hillsburgh and Erin village. The river recovers from these increases because vegetation absorbs nitrates. Higher levels of nitrates make it more difficult for fish and frog populations to spawn and prosper. West Credit nitrates average 2 mg per litre, while the federal guideline for nitrates is 3 mg per litre.

"Fortunately the buffer riparian area surrounding the West Credit River has a very high nitrogen removal capability," said Dougherty. "However, it is not wise to rely on our natural wetland/woodlands to filter out our contamination."

Chlorides come from road salt, dust suppression and septic systems (including water softener discharge). Higher levels can cause a decline in fish and frog populations in the long term. West Credit chlorides average 45 mg per litre, well below the draft federal guideline for protection of aquatic life of 128 mg per litre. They are increasing slightly faster than nitrates, however, and unlike nitrates they dissolve and accumulate in the system instead of dissipating.

The river is also affected by phosphorus, which comes from farm runoff, fertilizer application, urban stormwater and septic systems. High levels can lead to excessive algal and aquatic weed growth, which can reduce wildlife habitat and diversity.

This draft report was expected last January, but because CVC staff were busy with various obligations, it wasn't delivered to the Town until May. Councillors got a copy last month. On Sept. 14, a few members of the public, including some election candidates, attended an afternoon council meeting for a CVC presentation. The final report will be attached to the SSMP Background Issues Report this fall, and be available through the Town website.

Erin pioneers forged a strong community

2010-09-15T11:30:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

After recently taking a picture of the date stone on the old Hillsburg town hall (now Morette's) I was poking around to find out when the "h" was added to the village name.

An article on the town website says it was about the time the police village was incorporated, 1899. The final "h" can be seen in the 1877 Wellington Atlas, but not in the 1906 Atlas, a 1907 insurance map or the 1911 census. C.J. McMillan, in his Early History of Erin Township in 1921, also uses no "h". I am told the "h" was added to make it sound less German. Perhaps the spelling is optional – some people still omit the "h". If anyone can shed more light on this, I would be most interested.

My main purpose today is to recommend the McMillan book, reprinted in 1974 by Boston Mills Press with an assortment of early photos, and available at local libraries. It is fascinating not so much for the historical facts, not all of which are accurate, but for the colourful portrait of Erin's pioneer society that had been passed on to the author through diaries and "tales told by the early settlers of their trials".

Writing 100 years after the first settler arrived, McMillan boasted that Erin Township had never had a crop failure. He was also impressed by the modern technology of his own era, "with news flashed across the continents in a minute of time."

Charles Kennedy, an early township surveyor, was offered a tract of land on the Ninth Line (part of the current Erin village) as payment for his work. McMillan said Kennedy, "not being favourably impressed with the wilderness, refused to have anything to do with Erin. He reported the land as of little value. His report made it easier for grandfather to get all the land he wanted at his own price and terms."

His grandfather was Donald McMillan, who made a 14-week voyage with his family from Argyleshire, Scotland in 1819. After renting a poor farm near Stoney Creek, he met a soldier who had been granted 100 acres in Erin Township. The man wanted $25 for it, but Donald dickered it down to $20. He acquired more land nearby, which now includes the Erin Pioneer Cemetery, just north of Erin village. "As his wife was the first white woman in that section, the Crown made her a gift of lot 18, concession 9."

The family of the first settler, Nathaniel Rozell, is described as "hard-working, frugal and friendly". They were granted land after serving in the War of 1812 and settled in 1820 at what would become Ballinafad.

"More settlers came and everyone was received with joy...All in the township were considered neighbors, and they would go a long way to put themselves to any inconvenience to help one another. They brought very little money, but they brought good health, strength and determination, which is the best asset after all.

"There were very few spongers and no loafers in those days...Whenever there was a logging bee or raising it was not necessary to give an invitation to all, just mention the fact, it soon got to the farthest away settler, and all would be on hand early. Whiskey was cheap and easily obtained and it was considered a necessity at all such gatherings." A two-gallon jug of "Cornick's" best could be filled for 25 cents.

"To consult a doctor was considered the shortest cut 'across the river'. If one was unfortunate enough to get a deep gash with an axe the neighbor with the best nerve was called to sew the wound with a common sewing machine needle, without administering anesthetic." When Matthew Smith bought the first buggy in the township and "rode in state to church," some jealous folk demanded he be disciplined for "showing an example of extravagance".

Of course, there were bilingualism issues: "As the township was settled by Scotch, and very Scotch at that, Gaelic was the universal tongue and later in court sittings one who was pretty well up in English and Gaelic, was sworn in as 'Court interpreter'. Laughlin McLean, being pretty free with the tongue, often acted as interpreter, giving general satisfaction."

Henry Trout had settled on the Ninth Line in 1821. C.J. McMillan does not mention that Trout built the first dam and mill in Erin village in 1826, at Charles Street, nor that it was bought by Donald McMillan's son Daniel, the entrepreneur responsible for the growth of MacMillan's Mills – later known as Erinsville, then Erin Village.

C.J.'s account says Daniel and his brothers Hugh and Charles, made the "first break in the wilderness where that beautiful village of Erin is located," by clearing three acres in 1832. He describes a mill-raising bee: "All the men available were on the ground to assist, accompanied by a dozen or more women, who volunteered to come to feed the men after their strenuous task. The men were hungry, the food prepared was excellent, but when all were satisfied, there was none left for the women, who had so generously supplied the food, and the most of them had come a long way on foot."

Septic inspections would maintain standards

2010-09-08T10:39:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

With many septic systems in the Town of Erin reaching the end stages of useful service, perhaps it would be in the best interests of public health to start a municipal inspection system.

The provincial government gives municipalities the authority to do inspections, but does not require them to do so – at least not yet. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has been talking about requiring septic re-inspections through changes to the Ontario Building Code, but such initiatives always proceed slowly.

A local inspection system is not being considered now, and I would be surprised if any election candidate would endorse the idea, but sooner or later, the issue will arise.

While vacationing near Goderich, I read about an inspection system started in 2007 by the Township of Huron-Kinloss, in response to requests from property owners.

Inspections and repairs are mandatory there, covering all 2,800 private septic systems in a rotating schedule over six to seven years. Their township website sums up the rationale: "If unmaintained, septic systems are a threat to public health and the environment."

By coincidence their system is operated by B.M. Ross, the same consultants doing Erin's Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP). Residents make an appointment, arrange to have their tank pumped out before the inspection, and ensure that the lid is accessible.

It is joint venture with the local health department, funded by a $55 per year surcharge on people's tax bills. The compliance rate is 99 per cent, and they even have "septic socials", with their mayor hosting educational demonstrations. Check it out in the Environmental Initiatives section of their website, www.huronkinloss.com.

While building departments monitor construction of new septic systems and major renovations, the primary responsibility for maintenance and replacement falls to the property owner. Should the Town be sticking its nose into what some may consider a private matter?

I was contacted by a Hillsburgh village resident last year, who wanted to know about progress on municipal sewers. They were upset at getting high bacteria readings in their private well, and suspected local septic systems as the source.

Maybe this was an isolated incident, and maybe the well was defective, but it highlights a potentially risky environment, and a communal matter. I suspect it is being made worse by people holding off on septic replacements, wondering if sewers are coming any time soon. If your own waste is seeping up into your lawn, do not be holding your breath waiting for sewers. At a minimum, you should be paying for rehabilitation work, since sewers could take 5-10 years.

The Town of Erin has about 4,000 dwellings, 91 per cent of which are single detached homes and virtually all with septic systems. Since 2001, only 30 septic systems in the whole town were replaced. Systems normally last 25-30 years, though some last much longer. Today the average age of Erin village systems, not counting the newer subdivisions, is about 33 years.

A Health Department study in 1995 found that 61 per cent of homes in Erin village have inadequate space to replace a regular septic system to the modern standards of the Ontario Building Code. (Smaller systems may be possible, at a much higher cost.) There were 94 lots totally inaccessible to the large equipment needed to replace a septic system.

A Ministry of the Environment study in 2005 found "adverse effects" on the Credit River due to aging septics. The Ministry is adamant that sewage treatment is a necessity, not just to benefit the urban areas, but to handle the septage from rural properties. Septage is the sludge pumped out of septic tanks, which is now spread as fertilizer on Erin farm fields, or trucked at high cost to a plant in Collingwood.

To those who are opposed to sewers and the growth they will bring, I say now is the time to step forward with practical ideas. Fear of development is easy to whip up, but realistic solutions are harder to come by. The problems of a decaying septic infrastructure are serious, so doing nothing is not an option.

I have advocated a sewer system because it provides clear solutions to various problems, and I think major growth and excessive housing density are unlikely. But I am open to alternative ideas, and I hope that the SSMP will give serious attention to alternatives in its technical research. The SSMP is an Environmental Assessment that the Town was obliged to undertake, and is the only mechanism we have for dealing with this matter.

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) has done a technical study on the health of the Credit River as part of the SSMP, and last month I urged Town Council to make it public before the election campaign. SSMP Project Manager Matt Pearson called that a "red herring".

Councillors got a copy on August 24. The CVC will make a presentation about the report to councillors next Tuesday, September 14 at 2 pm. It is open to the public.

I have written 12 columns on sewer-related issues since early 2009, so if you want some background before the election, go to my website: www.erininsight.blogspot.com. Just scroll through the topics and click on Sewers. For the SSMP section of the Town site, go to www.erin.ca/definingerin. All households should receive an SSMP newsletter this month.

Hillsburgh Fun Day tour brought history to life

2010-09-01T20:37:00.000-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

There is a big difference between reading about history and hearing stories from someone who has lived through them. That's why it was so interesting to take a tour of downtown Hillsburgh with long time resident Ivan Gray, during the recent Family Fun Day.

He provided a refresher on the earliest days of the village (before his time, which started in 1936). Naturally, someone asked if Hillsburgh named for the local hills. As most residents know, it was initially Howville, after William How who founded the settlement in 1821, then built a general store and trading post. In 1823, however, Nazareth Hill arrived, built the first hotel, surveyed the area and put his name to the village.

Gray took about 15 people on a tour, with commentary on the churches, businesses and Victorian homes, and showed photos of lost buildings that were once part of a strong downtown business district.

It is fascinating to hear some of the details, like how buggies were built in the Royal Bank building, or about slot machines at the soda bar. The once-classy Exchange Hotel, built about 1883, used to rent out horses and buggies so that tourists could tour the countryside. It was eventually converted to a restaurant and apartments, and is unused now, but Gray remembers it as a great place to play pool, and that it was once home to one of the first TVs in the village.

One of Gray's jobs was doing auto repairs for the McLaughlin family business, across the street from the current arena, which included an early Chev-Olds dealership. There was once a harness shop in that area, and in the 1940s an egg grading station. The village had several gas stations, but in those days there were virtually no cars on the road during the winter, allowing for wide open sled rides from the top of the hill, all the way to Station Road.

The two-storey Town Hall was built in 1887 by the Oddfellows and the Workmen Societies, and it was the scene of many dances and shows. The building was bought in 1962 by Bruce Morette for his furniture business, expanding from the factory he had established in 1958 at the former potato storage building near the CPR tracks.

Churches played a big role in the community, with the Baptists organizing in 1853 and building their church in 1862. Presbyterians formed a congregation in 1860 and built their church in 1869, named St. Andrew's in honor of their Scottish ancestry. The Hillsburgh Christian Church building, now home to Century Church Theatre, dates back to 1906. Hillsburgh United Church was built in the 1926, after the partial amalgamation of the Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregationalist Churches in Canada.

The Anglican church was used from the 1890s until about 1918, then was eventually bought by Gray's father, who was a beekeeper. He converted the building to a honey extracting plant, which became known as the "honey house".

As with many communities, Hillsburgh's history is marked by major fires. Despite public pressure, there was still no fire department in the village in 1965 when St. Andrew's Church was destroyed by flames in February 1965. The organ was saved, but only the stone walls remained standing.

The church was rebuilt in just over a year, but people were tired of relying on the Erin fire department and minimal equipment in the village. "There was a hue and cry," said Gray. Many felt the church could have been saved if Hillsburgh had had its own fire department. In the fall of 1965, the township responded, stationing a fire truck in a building right beside the river. Gray was the first fire chief.

Obviously, these are just a few highlights from a rich local history. For those wanting to know more, Hillsburgh's Heyday by Patricia Kortland is available at the library. It was published in 1983 by Boston Mills Press, and while Gray notes that it has a number of inaccuracies, it is still a fascinating collection of photos and stories.

The "About Erin" section of the Town website (www.erin.ca) has a lengthy township history article that deals with Hillsburgh, and if you type Hillsburgh History into the Google search, the first hit will be a village history, courtesy of the Carmichael family. The second is a history of the Exchange Hotel, one of several Hillsburgh articles on the Town website by historian Steven Thorning. Perhaps Ivan Gray will also publish his stories, for the enjoyment of future generations.

Seniors Wellness Expo helps add life to your years

2010-08-25T11:22:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Getting older is getting more complicated all the time. With life expectancy creeping higher in our affluent society, it is no wonder there are so many people trying to help seniors live better. Fortunately, we have agencies dedicated to helping us figure out which other agencies we should be using.

For those with an interest in educating themselves on the process, it was worth a visit to the second annual Seniors Wellness Expo, put on by East Wellington Community Services (EWCS) on August 18 at Centre 2000. It will be on again in Rockwood on Monday, September 13, 1-7 pm. Transportation is available – call EWCS at 519-833-9696 or go to www.ew-cs.com.

The displays were by private companies, charities, social agencies, health professionals and government departments, all in a casual trade show environment. EWCS unveiled a new display booth, a professional way to show off its many services, which include the Seniors Day Program, information & referral, caring callers, foot care & hearing clinics, and activities for older active adults.

There are various other free services not based in Erin, but intended to serve our population. For example, Community Torchlight of Wellington-Dufferin offers a Distress Line, 519-821-3760, a non-judgmental listening service. It is for anyone who is lonely or upset, needing to talk to a supportive person. Check out www.communitytorchlight.com for their other services, including a Mental Health Crisis Line, 519-821-0140.

Abuse of older adults is a serious issue which often goes unreported. It is not just about violence, but includes issues of medication, denial of mobility aids and neglect of basic needs. Help is available from the Wellington Seniors at Risk System Coordinator, 519-843-6191; from the Waterloo-Wellington Community Care Access Centre, 519-823-2550; and from SOS - Seniors Offering Support, a confidential phone support line with senior volunteers, 519-767-4445.

Anyone who has experienced domestic violence can get treatment, emotional support and advice from specially trained nurses or social workers at Guelph General Hospital. Call 519-837-6440, ext. 2728.

If a senior is being treated for any type of problem at a hospital emergency department in Guelph, Orangeville, or others in the Waterloo-Wellington area, they are likely to encounter a Geriatric Emergency Management (GEM) nurse. They are trained to identify seniors at risk, and link them with community service agencies.

"We try to keep them at home as long as possible, and to avoid emergency admissions and re-admissions," said Nora Bamsey, a GEM nurse from North Wellington. It is part of the Local Health Integration Network's Aging at Home initiative. The issues can include falling, over-medication, underlying health conditions, caregiver burnout and lack of in-home help. Check the website: www.wwlhin.on.ca.

Not all of the displays were about seniors needing help. Many seniors are active in providing help to others. For example, the Volunteer Centre of Guelph/Wellington has many opportunities – call 519-822-0912 or go to www.volunteerguelphwellington.on.ca.

Of course, the East Wellington Family Health Team had a display to promote its community workshops, including Better Sleep, Stress Management, Weight Loss, Diabetes Management, Healthy Living and Meal Planning. One upcoming event is Eat Well - Age Well: Senior Friendly Ideas for Healthy Eating, September 29, 10 am to noon, at Centre 2000. Go to www.ewfht.ca.

One of the business displays was from the Lord Dufferin Centre Seniors' Residence in Orangeville. It is owned by Erna Baniulis (a resident there) with her daughter Donna and son-in-law Dave Holwell. They are planning a new "life lease" adult lifesyle condo development in downtown Orangeville. For details, call 519-943-0847 or go to www.1elizabethstreet.ca.

Just one more website. While poking about on-line, I came across an interesting lecture on living a long, high-quality life. Go to www.ted.com and check out "Dan Buettner: How to live to be 100+".

Family Health Team offers counselling service

2010-08-18T11:17:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Access to counselling help has become quicker and simpler for patients of the East Wellington Family Health Team (EWFHT).

With new staff and a range of services, doctors can now refer people to local professionals for help with issues like grief, life transitions, drug and alcohol problems, conflicts at home or work, depression, stress, anxiety and chronic illness.

"People go to the doctor's office for everything else," said Kim Bell, Mental Health Worker and Program Lead with the team. "It's regular people with life issues that we are seeing."

She says if a condition is interfering with a person's ability to enjoy life, they can decide to view it as a something to be treated, not a weakness to be hidden. In fact, she has been impressed with the strength of many patients, in light of the stresses they have endured.

One in five people will personally experience a mental illness during their lifetime, but if the current trend continues, two-thirds of those will not seek help, said Bell.

She was previously a program manager with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). "Society does not view mental health like, for example, diabetes," she said. The stigma attached to these problems often serves to make them worse.

Mental illness can affect people in all age groups, regardless of their income level, education, cultural background or level of intelligence. The CMHA says about 8 per cent of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia each affects about 1 per cent of Canadians. Suicide accounts for 24 per cent of all deaths among 15-24 year olds and 16 per cent among 25-44 year olds.

Counselling is available at EWFHT for individuals, families, and occasionally short-term groups, but only for patients of doctors on the team. Patients take an active role in the process, setting goals and making decisions about treatment. It is not a crisis service – urgent cases are referred to other agencies.

There is no waiting list, so getting the first appointment (day or evening) normally takes only from a few days to a few weeks. The service is funded by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, so there are no costs to the patient. The health team approach is designed to provide more options for doctors and more local treatment for patients.

Michele Ross-Miller joined the team in February as a full-time mental health therapist, after working as a family counsellor in Guelph. I asked her what she finds satisfying in dealing with people facing major stress in their lives.

"There are a great variety of issues, and at times it is frustrating, but there is always something that people take away," she said. "People are often relieved that there is someone there to listen to them and understand. It makes a big difference in their lives, but change comes slowly."

Some people may need to see a psychiatrist, but this service is not offered at EWFHT, and a referral can take more than nine months, said Bell. In any case, a psychiatrist may not do the longer-term therapy or counselling. Often they do assessments and prescribe medication, but the patient remains primarily in the care of the family doctor and mental health workers.

EWFHT has started an initiative with the Ontario Telemedicine Network, using two-way video-conferencing. Each Friday, a doctor in Hamilton who specializes in geriatric psychiatry sets aside time to "see" patients in Erin – without long waits or travelling. They see each other on video screens and have a discussion, with local staff providing assistance. "Patients have responded positively," said Bell.

For people without a local doctor, publicly funded help is available through Trellis Mental Health and Developmental Services, with offices in Guelph, Orangeville, Fergus, Mount Forest and Kitchener. Go to www.trellis.on.ca, or to speak with an information and referral worker, call 519-821-3582. There are also various private counselling services, though these can be expensive if not covered by a group insurance plan.

Also offered by EWFHT, and open to everyone in the community, are workshops related to mental health. Go to www.ewfht.ca for details on the Stop Worrying sessions to be held next March, which provide tips to help people understand and modify harmful worrying behaviour.

There is also an eight-week group program on Relaxation and Stress Management Skills Training, which can help in the self-regulation of headaches, muscle tension, insomnia and anxiety. It will be held on Monday nights in Erin starting October 18, and Tuesday nights in Rockwood starting January 4. Register on the website, or call 519-833-7576, ext. 224.

Porcupine's Quill supports Canadian visual artists

2010-08-11T11:10:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

One of the rewards of doing this column is the opportunity to interview writers and artists who have taken on remarkable projects, satisfying their own passions while reaching out to the public. It gives one a touch of envy, a reminder that value lies not in what you intend to do, but in what you actively pursue.

Richard Nevitt lives in Alton, and in 2008 published A Caledon Sketchbook with Porcupine's Quill in Erin. He has retired from 40 years of teaching at the Ontario College of Art, but still works at his home studio and gives workshops at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg.

The book is a journal of 60 pen and ink drawings, based on sketches that capture "chance moments of solitude" and the spiritual power of the Niagara Escarpment landscape. He was signing copies during the recent Doors Open event.

Early in his career, he studied art as applied to anatomy and medicine, which expanded his creative vision, and he went on to work in a variety of media. In 1968 the Canadian Government invited him to document peace-keeping activities with the Canadian Armed Forces in Cyprus.

"I draw every day," he said. "It is important to be observant. I extend my observations of anatomy into landscapes. It's learning how to look at things and bring out their strengths."

McMichael Executive Director Tom Smart said, "In the turn of a line, a scrap of contour, an oblique hint of mass, form and volume, Nevitt lends his subjects a living quality, a breath of life and of vitality."

Nevitt's great grandfather, Richard Barrington Nevitt, was a doctor, artist and journalist who came to Toronto from the Confederate South. He went to Alberta in 1874 as an assistant surgeon with the North-West Mounted Police, and documented the plight of the Blackfoot natives.

Nevitt is appreciative that publishers like Porcupine's Quill and organizations such as Headwaters Arts (www.headwatersarts.ca) have helped create "a dynamic support system for the arts".

In addition to fiction and poetry, Porcupine's Quill has often published books that support the visual arts, especially serving the niche market for reproductions of wood engravings. Their newest offerings include a collection of engravings called A Calendar of Days by various artists, and Book of Hours, a graphic novel by George Walker which traces, without words, the routines of daily life in the hours before the 9/11 attacks.

"The art books give a voice to the artists that they wouldn't otherwise have," said Tim Inkster, who puts his own artistic flair into the design and production of books, giving them a traditional, textured look and feel. Their equipment is traditional as well, with a Baumfolder folding machine dating back to the '40s and a Smyth book binding sewing machine from 1907.

In 2008, Tim and Elke Inkster were appointed to the Order of Canada for their contributions to Canadian publishing and promotion of new authors.

The other interesting conversation I had at the publishing shop was with Jane Lind, a writer, editor and sculptor who is passionate about the work of Canadian experimental filmmaker and visual artist Joyce Wieland (1931-1998).

"I am mainly interested in stories of women artists who have really developed their creative lives," said Lind, who published a biography in 2001: Joyce Wieland - Artist on Fire. A preview of that book can be seen on the Google Books website.

Wieland made an impact on the art world in Canada and New York, from the '60s to the '80s, with avant garde work that celebrated the surge in feminist sentiment, while making use of traditional female crafts such as quilting. It is an unusual blend of sexuality, politics and patriotism. A highlight of her career was True Patriot Love, an exhibition in 1971 at the National Gallery of Canada – the first such show devoted to a living Canadian female artist.

"She was a pioneer for women's place in the art world," said Lind. "She pokes fun at the weird things people do, and how foolish politicians can be in their obsession with power."

Lind, who lives in Guelph, has now published a follow-up book, with Porcupine's Quill. Joyce Wieland: Writings and Drawings, is an eclectic selection of drawings, journal entries and stream-of-consciousness poetry from 1952 to 1971, drawn from the archives at York University. It reveals the aspirations and struggles of a woman in a male-dominated field.

The introduction to the book provides sufficient background, so that it is is not necessary to read the published biography to appreciate the work. Lind hopes that it will help renew some interest in Wieland with scholars, art historians and the public.

Make CVC report public before election campaign

2010-08-04T21:18:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Should Erin's Vision Statement say we want "many" residents employed locally? Or would "more" be sufficient? How about "most"? Such questions were debated by the Town's SSMP Liaison Committee, when it met recently after a seven-month break.

Does "a town to call home" sound too obvious? Would it be better to say "safe and livable community"? It is all very interesting, but the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) needs to get on with its primary mandate: the pros and cons of sewers.

The Liaison Committee has drifted through a visioning-educational-background phase, including a "mind-mapping" exercise – drawing lines between coloured ovals on a giant issues chart.

Consulting firm B.M. Ross was hired in 2008 to coordinate the SSMP project, with costs expected to exceed $400,000. They are delivering what the Town requested: a broad-based study, looking 25 years into the future. The time has come, however, to move beyond the fluffy stuff.

Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) has completed an important report on the environmental impact of having (or not having) a sewer system. The report was expected in January, but was not delivered to the Town until May. That put much of the SSMP process on hold.

The report is not being kept secret, but we are not allowed to read it yet. Project Manager Matt Pearson said only that the CVC appears willing to have the Credit River used to handle the discharge from a sewage system.

The report is locked in the gears of the study process, and is scheduled for release as an appendix to a larger background report early in the fall. That could be delayed. In the meantime, we have a municipal election on October 25, with people getting their mail-in ballots in late September.

The next town council is not expected to oversee any actual sewer construction, but there will be important decisions. If they make the commitment, there will be densities to be negotiated with residential developers, considered key to financing the project. How will sewers be phased in? What technology will be used for the sewage treatment plant? Will sludge from the plant be spread on farm fields as fertilizer? Will the same plant serve Hillsburgh? Where will they build the plant? (The north side of the Deer Pit is one possibility.)

We need to start discussing specific issues about how to service the urban areas, and the best place to start is the CVC report. There should be a thorough debate during the municipal election campaign about sewers, environmental protection, housing development and preserving Erin's charm. That will be very difficult without knowing the details of the report.

Normally, it would be sufficient to have the CVC report released in due course. But with the election imminent, I think the report should be made public on its own, by releasing it to the Liaison Committee at its August 25 meeting.

If this cannot be arranged, Town Council should consider intervening in the process. Councillors could be provided with the Executive Summary and Recommendations of the report, so they know what they are dealing with. Then, at their August 24 meeting, they could officially receive the full report and authorize its immediate release.

I am sure the report will be complex, and analysis by our consultants will be of great value. However, I see no harm in getting information out to the public so they can have a basic understanding of the environmental issues before the election campaign. It will enable candidates to take positions and could even prompt some people to run for council.

During the election campaign, what will candidates say to residents who have waste seeping up in their back yards from broken-down septic systems? (Buy an expensive new system designed to last 30 years, or wait for the big pipe?)

What will they say to residents concerned about employers being forced to leave Erin due to lack of services? Or to seniors forced to leave due to lack of housing. Or to those concerned about pollution of ground water and the Credit River? After so many years without progress on this issue, will it be enough to say, "We're doing a study..."?

The Town plans to mail a newsletter on the SSMP to all households in early September. Sometime in the fall, there will be a public meeting to discuss the background report. The final report, originally expected by this December, may not be ready until late next year.

Most residents are cynical about the whole process, if they even know about it. The public is not clamouring for a sewer system. The majority are rural residents who will never get the service. Many urban dwellers are either dead against it, or very reluctant. The fact that little appears to be happening is just fine for some.

The SSMP process allows the Town to go nice and slow, while still being able to assure the Ministry of the Environment that they are working on it.

I know it is the middle of the summer, and people may not want to think about the election. But I do appeal to those who would like to see the CVC report released early to make their voices heard in the next couple of weeks. We need a good debate during the election campaign, and for that we need solid information.

Erin doctor publishes powerful book of poems

2010-07-28T23:43:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

Do you really want to know what goes through the mind of a doctor, facing a daily parade of human weakness and suffering? Consider that question and assess your appetite for ambivalence, biting metaphors and brutal honesty before reading Complete Physical, a book of poems by Dr. Shane Neilson. Then be brave, and read.

If you are a patient of Dr. Neilson, a physician with the East Wellington Family Health Team, you may be aware of his creative side – another career that does not pay as well, but which has earned him high praise on the Canadian poetry stage. Rest assured, too, that no details about you will be found in these poems.

Neilson is a New Brunswick native now living in Guelph. As a doctor he was attracted to Erin by a good job opportunity, and as a poet by The Porcupine's Quill, where I met him during a book signing session during the recent Doors Open event.

One of the privileges of being a publicly-funded Canadian publisher like The Porcupine's Quill is the mandate to seek out writers worthy of admittance to that respectable realm of ink on textured paper. Elke and Tim Inkster have succeeded at this for 35 years.

I went into a Coles bookstore recently and asked to see their poetry section. I was escorted to a shelf with one book, a greatest hits collection dating back to the Middle Ages. Their poetry section was about to be discontinued.

Still, there is an audience for poetry, and Neilson is ambitious for his creation, wanting to reach out beyond the readership of other poets and other doctors to the public – everyone who knows what it is to be a patient.

"The poems are based on a medical perspective," he said. "My aspirations for the book? I hope that people will actually care, and buy it and read it."

It is a collection of 43 short poems, some with a formal structure but most in a lyrical style, with rhythms controlled by the imagery. It is illustrated with quirky art from old medical textbooks that Tim Inkster found in an abandoned building.

There are a few local references. Here is part of the first poem, Standard Advice: "My practice amidst the one-horse town and faltering farms, a usual place where injury blossoms, pain is a boutonnière, when men know I will ask only if necessary, and women ask if."

The opening lines of Love Squawks Through Technology: "Dr Gear sits in his home study, listening to Ella Fitzgerald, tying flies, considering cancelling the New England Journal. Occasionally the intercom buzzes: Mr McGuire has lost a thumb in the thresher..."

Dr. Harry Gear was well-known in Erin village at the turn of the last century, building an Edwardian-style mansion in 1905 that still stands at 119 Main Street. He installed an audio tube at the front porch so patients could speak with him in the master bedroom. The poem imagines the mix-ups that could ensue from garbled communication.

The book shines a light on the amazing resilience of humans, on unrealistic expectations placed on doctors, on the emotional trauma of treating untreatable pain, on regrets for past errors, on impersonal technology, and on pessimism in the profession – as in Taking Charts Home after Work: "Charts snooze in the bag, kershuffle, and sing of lives awry in diagnosis, askew in drug, kerplunk in grief. I take the bag as homework, heavy in hand, and think the more you love, the more you lose."

It is heavy stuff, but achieves much more than therapy for the writer. In its fearless contemplation of pain and death, Complete Physical celebrates the pervasive beauty and power of love.

In his on-line commentary (porcupinesquill.ca), Neilson says his favourite poems are ambivalent – cherishing and despising a thing simultaneously. "The poems in the book freight complicity with beauty, they tend my flock not with judgement but with rueful wonder," he says. "The poems are exercises in answering the most important question the cpx [complete physical examination] begs: how are we to live in this world?"

Neilson published his first book of poems, Exterminate My Heart, with Frog Hollow Press in 2008, and now has four published collections. He edited a book of medical poems by one of his literary heroes, Canadian writer Alden Nowlan.

He also published a memoir about his tumultuous medical education, entitled Call Me Doctor. The Chapters-Indigo website sells that book, with a comment that Neilson "continues to be filled with a sense of wonder about how he made it this far as a doctor."

A prominent Canadian poet, Carmine Starnino, said this: "Doctors share one important thing with poets: an obsession with death. Shane Neilson has turned that obsession — and the special deathwatching vantage of his medical trade — into a collection of poems as beguiling and as brave as any I have recently read. In a clinical universe where suffering is distanced by language, Complete Physical becomes a kind of extraordinary talking cure. The human predicament has rarely found itself in such good hands."

CBC proud to release report by ERIN Research

2010-07-14T23:37:00.001-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

The first phase of an innovative study by an Erin firm, measuring the "balance" of news presented on television, radio and the internet, has been released by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The News Balance Interim Report, by ERIN Research, is based on a 10-week sample of news recorded from October 26, 2009, to January 17, 2010. The full study, to be released in the fall, will span the 25-week period ending May 2, 2010, covering about 440 hours of broadcast news and 2,400 internet news stories.

"The study will be the most detailed and comprehensive of its kind in Canada and likely among any in the world. It's already creating something of a buzz in the academic and research communities," said Jennifer McGuire, general manager and editor-in-chief of CBC News. "Overseen by an independent panel of media experts, the final study will include both detailed content analysis and audience perception research."

ERIN Research has a long history with the CBC – the broadcaster was their first client back in 1981. That work has included six major studies of fairness in coverage of federal elections, plus the Quebec Referendum in 1995.

The company was founded by Dr. George Spears, PhD, trained in cognitive psychology, and Kasia Seydegart, with a Masters in Social Work. The couple moved to Erin, then decided it was better to start their own company than to commute long distances to work. The core team now includes Director Pat Zulinov and Business Manager Brenda Nicholson. There is also a variable workforce of contract researchers hired for various projects. You can learn more about the company and its ventures at www.erinresearch.com.

In addition to research for various media groups, ERIN Research also works for large organizations including TD Canada Trust, Peel Region, the Upper Grand District School Board and the Ontario government, measuring the level of satisfaction or effectiveness perceived by end users of specific services.

"Organizations want an empirical basis for making decisions, grounded in fact, in the truth, removing it from the subjective," said Seydegart. "This enables decision makers to have common information."

She says the success of a study depends not just on knowledge of the field, but on the sophistication of the statistical analysis, which can produce more beneficial data for clients. The questions must not only be relevant, but worded to elicit clear answers.

ERIN Research has won several awards for innovation and performance. Dr. Spears is considered an expert in the analysis of news and public affairs broadcasting, and of music use in the media and on the internet.

The firm did four studies in a project called Citizens First, for the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service, analyzing what really drives public satisfaction with government services. The organization says it has established the "gold-standard" for research on public sector service delivery, not only in Canada, but around the world.

"It is a powerful tool for governments to see themselves from the public perspective," said Seydegart.

The high-profile work for the CBC results in some intense scrutiny. Follow the on-line link from the ERIN site to the CBC announcement, and you'll find a forum filled with critics who accuse the CBC of all sorts of biases. Some suggest the ERIN Research study cannot be valid, since they see it as the CBC analyzing itself.

"That is not the case – we are independent," said Seydegart. "They come to us to get objective advice. It is not slanted or biased."

The CBC study measures things like the amount of news exposure given to different parts of the country, the representation given to visible minorities and aboriginal people and the balance of air time given to various political parties. It even measures the "tone" of the introductions and wrap-up comments in news items. For example, on The National, it is 19 per cent positive, 62 per cent neutral and 19 per cent negative.

It also finds that the CBC leads its competitors in its proportion of appearances of female news anchors and program hosts: 49 per cent for network radio, 60 per cent for local radio, 58 per cent for network television and 75 per cent for local television. Men still dominate the content of the news, since they remain the primary players in major news categories such as politics and crime.

Learning to communicate should stay in fashion

2010-07-14T23:31:00.002-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

I was reading some on-line forums, in which people post comments in response to news stories, and was surprised at the poor spelling and grammar displayed by many contributors.

Not that I think the comments should be edited or censored – poor spellers have every right to engage in public debate. But if you are going to present your words to thousands of people, why wouldn't you read them over, or at least use the spell-checker before submitting?

When I encounter poor spelling, it alters my view of the writer. Do they lack education or they are too lazy to express themselves well? This is undoubtedly unfair, since intelligence can be quite independent of communication skills, and everyone makes mistakes, but that is my reflex reaction. Today, when I see people with poor writing skills rise to positions of influence and authority, I wonder if I am just old-fashioned and out-of-touch.

Still, I think all parents want their children to be competent at writing, because they want them to be confident, persuasive and have many choices for study and work. There are many things parents can do improve kids' literacy, especially during the summer when the regular academic stimulation is missing.

I encountered a new word last week: palaver. It was used in reference to my column, so I had to look it up. I was shocked to discover that it means "prolonged and idle discussion". Well, at least the columns are short.

The point is not that people should learn lots of obscure words, in hopes of impressing others. But if kids see their parents using a dictionary or computer to check on a word, it sends a strong message: the accurate meaning and spelling of words really matters.

Parents act as role models when kids see them reading books, or the local newspaper. Literacy involves many things, from reading maps while on vacation, to navigating with signs and billboards.

"Reading is like a muscle – if you don't use it, you lose it," says Margaret Eaton, President of ABC Life Literacy Canada. "It's important for parents to encourage children to read over the summer to keep their minds sharp. All it takes is 15 minutes a day of reading or engaging in a fun literacy activity."

Other ideas include writing postcards to friends and family while on vacation, or playing word games while on the road. Outings to places like the zoo can lead to useful reading. So can following a recipe or playing a board game.
Naturally, local libraries have many books and events to stimulate young minds.

There's the Bug Safari, a mix of bug games, crafts, collecting and identifying, in Hillsburgh July 15, at 10:30 am, and in Erin August 11, at 2 pm. The African Drumming workshop will be a boost to musical literacy, today (July 14) at the Erin Branch, at 2 pm. There are Jungle Family Storytimes, Toronto Zoo presentations, clay mask-making sessions and a model tree house building contest.

Call or visit a branch to register for events, or for the TD Summer Reading Club – this year with a jungle theme. Last summer, more than 2,000 Wellington kids read over 33,400 books through the club. There is also the Teen Summer Reading Challenge, with some nifty prizes.

Now there's a word you don't hear much any more – "nifty". My on-line dictionary tells me it means skillful, as in "nifty footwork", or stylish as in "a nifty black shirt". After 150 years, the word has fallen out of fashion. Perhaps it is just as well.

Making Wellington County a vacation destination

2010-07-07T23:15:00.003-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

If you still need some summer vacation ideas, you don't have to go to cottage country or the big city attractions. Try looking in our big back yard – Wellington County.

It is a competitive market out there, as municipalities vie for a better slice of the tourism dollar. The city to the west even has a brochure entitled "Top 10 Things To Do Downtown Before Leaving Guelph". But they are not part of Wellington, at least not yet.

There’s a ton of information at www.visitguelphwellington.ca, but it is mainly about Guelph, with only a smattering of Wellington. (Not that I have anything against Guelph – it’s OK, for a city.) The site has sections like Where to Eat, What to Do and Bed & Breakfasts, with no Erin listings. You will find better B&B choices at www.bbcanada.com.

Even though Erin is now part of a huge Ontario tourism region that includes Wellington, Waterloo, Perth and Huron, it still gets significant promotion from Hills of Headwaters Tourism, which includes Caledon, Orangeville and Dufferin. Go to www.thehillsofheadwaters.com. Or for a broader scan, drop a destination into the search engine at www.ontariotravel.net.

For rural and small-town events, check out the tourism website developed by Wellington County and its member municipalities: www.wellingtonfestivals.ca.

Hillsburgh is prominent in the Agritourism field, thanks to the Sustainable Living Workshops hosted by Everdale Organic Farm. Instead of lounging on a beach, you could foster your creative side by learning about Cement-Lime Plastering, or discovering The Lost Art of Canning and Home Preserving. Go to www.everdale.org.

Speaking of Hillsburgh, Century Church Theatre attracts many out of town visitors. Find out about their Summer Festival at www.centurychurchtheatre.com

Looking around Wellington for weekend outings or day trips? How about the Fergus Truck Show, July 22-25, the largest truck show in North America. Or various truck and tractor pulls – July 31 in Palmerston or August 28 at the Grand River Raceway in Elora. Or the Antique and Classic Car Show, August 29, at the County Museum near Elora (www.wcm.on.ca).

There are major artistic events like the Elora Festival, with top-notch classical music from July 9 to August 1 (www.elorafestival.ca), and the Hillside Music Festival, July 23-25 at Guelph Lake (www.hillsidefestival.ca).

Art in the Yard will be held July 10-11 at the Elora Centre for the Arts. Get your fill of pipe bands and highland dancing at the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games, on August 13. Or sample regional cuisine at Food Day Canada, at the Grand River Raceway, July 31.

There are specialty events like Afternoon Tea in the Victorian Garden, with Tarot Card readings, July 28 at the County Museum. Or check out the Mount Forest Fireworks Festival, July 16-18. My choice for the best event name is the Summer Sizzle Piano Pedagogy Symposium, including the Keyboard Kamp for Kids, July 18 in Mount Forest (www.cncm.ca).

Of course, you should give some consideration to attending summer events in Erin that are sure to attract vacationers. This Saturday, July 10 Doors Open Erin is a chance to explore heritage homes and learn about local history. There is the Erin Garden Tour on July 17 (www.eringardenclub.ca), and on August 7, the Erin Fest Sidewalk Sale, Festival and Concert.

Saturday, August 14 will be bustling with activity, with the start of the two-day Erin Rhythm & Ribs music and BBQ festival at McMillan Park. On August 19, Hillsburgh hosts the Wellington County Plowing Match (www.wellington.ca), then on August 21, the Spirit of the Hills Fun Day.

So, there you have it, more fun summer stuff than you can shake a stick at, without setting foot in a cottage or a city, and I’ve only scratched the surface. Go to www.wellingtonfestivals.ca for more, including autumn events like the Wellington Rural Romp and the grand-daddy of them all, the 160th Erin Fall Fair on Thanksgiving Weekend.

Harness native plants for spectacular landscaping

2010-06-30T23:09:00.003-04:00

As published in The Erin Advocate

If you going to try your hand at naturescaping, be sure to let your neighbours know it is part of a plan. Who knows, they may even want to get in on the project, extending an area of ground cover, wildflowers, ferns and flowering shrubs over multiple properties.

"Keep it neat and communicate with your neighbours," said Melanie Kramer, a residential greening specialist with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC). "If you trim the area or use a border, it looks more intentional."

Plants should not be too orderly within a naturalized landscape, but you can still treat your land like a living, three-dimensional canvas, with groupings of colour and varieties of texture. Planning the view from different vantage points (your window, the street or a bench in the middle of the zone), you can plant taller elements in the background and shorter ones near the front.

"Ask yourself what is missing from your yard, and look for opportunities," said Kramer, who presented the Your Green Yard Workshop recently in Orangeville. "Over time you can build it up. Start with hardy species that you know will survive."

Become familiar with your soil type, how the water drains and what may be buried underground, like well pipes, septic systems and cables. The Ontario One Call utility notification service has a toll-free line: 1-800-400-2255.

If converting a lawn area, it is recommended that you remove the grass or kill it off by covering it with plastic, or a layer of newspaper and soil. It is a dramatic commitment, so it is perhaps best to start with a small area.

Low maintenance is one of the goals, so it makes sense to use native plants that thrived in this area for thousands of years before European settlement. Native species are drought tolerant and will not require chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

Groupings of trees or shrubs provide shelter and resting sites for birds, butterflies and small mammals – berry or nut-producing shrubs will attract wildlife year-round.

More trees are always good news – only about 12 per cent of this area has tree cover, and Environment Canada recommends 30 per cent. Species like Sugar Maple, Black Cherry, Yellow or White Birch, Basswood and White Ash should do well if you want to create a deciduous canopy.

For primarily sunny areas, pick prairie and meadow plants like the purple Wild Bergamot, the yellow Black-eyed Susan, the orange Butterfly Weed or the pink Spotted Joe-pye Weed. There are many attractive tall grasses as well. Learn more through the native plant database at www.evergreen.ca or try the Canadian Wildlife Federation site: www.wildaboutgardening.org. Photos of various plants are easily accessed through Google Images.

For shady areas, choose woodland plants like the blue Wild Geranium, the red Wild Columbine or the showy white Bloodroot; some are better suited to moist conditions. For shrubbery, consider Serviceberry, Chokecherry or Flowering Raspberry. You can also cultivate a rain garden by directing water run-off to a low area well away from the house.

There are many plants that are considered "invasive" – not just the poisonous ones like Giant Hogweed, but more common ground covers like English Ivy and Periwinkle. These two are acceptable if they are not allowed to "escape" to a natural area where their aggressive growth could crowd out other plant species. Others, like Curly Pondweed, Goutweed and Japanese Knotweed are considered a risk anywhere. Check out www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca.

If buying plants from a nursery, consider native varieties instead of "cultivars" that have been grown to enhance specific characteristics. Also, plants like Queen Anne's Lace are not encouraged, since they were imported from Europe and are not true "natives". Learn more from the Ontario Society for Ecological Restoration: www.serontario. Also, the Canadian Wildlife Service has "Planting the Seed" guides on aquatic plants and meadow communities at www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife (click Publications).

CVC's ecological landscaping web page has a list of landscape architects that can assist with large projects, which could include low-maintenance lawns, permeable paving and "green" structures. Go to www.creditvalleyca.ca/landscaping. You will also find there a list of Native Plant Nurseries and Seed Sources where you can get advice, ranging from Humber Nurseries in Brampton (www.gardencentre.com) to Baker Forestry in Erin (905-877-9390).

Additional fact sheets will soon be added to the CVC site, including lists of which plants grow best in various soil types. More workshops are planned for this fall.