As published in The Erin Advocate
I was reading again the series of columns published on this page by Harry Smith called "Gleanings from memories by paths of Erin". That was the title of the memoir written in the 1940s by Florence Baker, recalling what life was like in Erin village in the late 19th century.
Harry's excerpts from her writings are available on the Town website, www.erin.ca, in the history section. As I read that elegant prose, I wondered what people will read many generations from now, when they want to know what life was like here in the 20th century.
Already it is starting to fade away. People are naturally busy with their families and jobs, so often it is only the highlights of a place that stand out in memory. As people pass away, many fine memories are lost. But when they are recorded and shared, memories build up the bonds that make a community unique.
Often the most vivid memories spring from growing up in a particular place. More people are writing memoirs now, some with the aid of fancy scrapbooking and photo software, but it is still mainly a private activity, intended to preserve memories for friends and family.
What if we could get more memories of Erin out into the public sphere, so that relative newcomers could get a better picture of what the place was like 40 or 50 years ago? How can we tap into that collective memory bank in a way that does not overwhelm readers with a huge flood of details that are difficult to absorb?
I was talking recently with Annamarie Holtom, who had been enjoying local talent at the gazebo in the new park at 109 Main Street. She was reminiscing with a friend about watching local folks perform at that same spot in the 1950s, on the stage at the old village hall. The "Erinettes" had put on "The Pirates of Penzance" and "HMS Pinafore" by Gilbert and Sullivan.
So I got to thinking about future columns. What if I could collect memories from lots of people about a specific place. It would not be an official history, but it would be interesting to read.
From time to time I will announce a local history topic and ask people to send me some memories that would be of interest to the general public. I will sort through them and choose excerpts to make into a column.
The first topic is 109 Main Street. Were you an Erinette, or did you know one? Did you attend any special public meetings there? What did the site look like? What other types of community events were held there? Did you see Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent when he visited?
I am expecting memories mainly from the 1950s and 1960s, but older ones are even better. Please include details so that readers can picture the scene, as well as your name, which I would like to include.
The Town has had many suggestions for a name for the new park at 109 Main. The new name will be announced at the Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on Friday, November 13. I will have a column of memories ready in time to promote that event.
Just one or two paragraphs would be plenty. I cannot promise to include everything, but I will put in as much as I can. If you would like to write something a bit longer, please do – I will try to get it printed separately, like a letter to the editor. If you are already writing a memoir about Erin, or if you have ideas about future topics, please let me know.
Send memories or other messages by Friday, October 16 via email to: erininsight@gmail.com. Or send a letter to: Phil Gravelle, RR5, Georgetown, ON, L7G 4S8 (it is in Erin).
I would also be glad to chat with people on the phone, or in person if they prefer. Call the Advocate office at 519-833-9603 if you want to leave me a phone message.
September 30, 2009
September 23, 2009
Downtown septic systems have "adverse impact" on Credit River, says MOE
As published in The Erin Advocate
Every community should deal responsibly with its own waste. This principle should be at the core of Erin's upcoming sewage debate. And since we are not dealing responsibly with our septic waste right now, the idea of doing nothing about it is unacceptable.
People may have various ideas and concerns about how to proceed, but the Town must decide on a plan of action. If there is no progress on a sewage solution, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) promises to make the process mandatory.
Erin Village made a serious attempt at developing a sewage system in 1995, but could not get the necessary funding from senior governments. Only recently has the effort been revived, through the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) study.
If the study stays on schedule, there will be a draft final report to Town Council in November next year. The municipal election, however, will be held on November 8. Is council willing to change the timeline so that all the candidates can see the final report and state their positions before the election? Is there any good reason why the final report to council could not be ready next September?
There will be plenty of information coming out in interim reports and public meetings during the next year, but to get some background, I spoke recently with Gary Tomlinson, Acting District Supervisor for the MOE in Guelph. He has worked on Erin's issues for many years. I asked about the severity of impact caused by a large number of septic systems in a small area.
He said that if the soil conditions are good, and the septic systems are spread out, the impact should be minimal. Unfortunately, these advantages do not exist in downtown Erin village or Hillsburgh.
"The soil type is largely unsuitable, the depth of soil overburden to bedrock is inadequate, the groundwater table is high, the various systems are crowded together and, in some cases, there is essentially no separation distance from the various branches of the Credit River," he said.
"As such, there is an observable adverse impact on the river due to nutrient inputs as its tributaries pass through the former Village and Hillsburgh areas."
Back in 1995, the negative effect of septic tanks in the old part of Erin village was well-publicized. Those worries have not gone away. How many older septic tanks and holding tanks would be found acceptable if they were subject to inspection? Why have the Ontario and Town governments allowed the situation to drag on for so long? Yes, we have had the amalgamation of Erin Village with Erin Township, but is that enough of an excuse for waiting 15 years?
Now, we are facing some consequences. Steen's Dairy has been allowed to spread its dairy wash water on farmland, even during the winter (which is not allowed for regular septic waste). The MOE has informed them that this practice will be phased out, not just in winter, but year-round. As part of an expansion plan, the company has decided to relocate their plant to Guelph (though the Dairy Bar will stay in Erin). Lack of sewers was not the only factor, but it was one of them.
"The ministry has informed the Town of Erin on a number of occasions that, based on the observable impacts on the Credit River, a municipal sewage collection and treatment system is required to serve both the urbanized areas and the outlying areas that will continue to generate septage and untreated sewage after the construction of those facilities," said Tomlinson.
"The municipality needs to demonstrate on ongoing commitment and progress towards that goal, or pursuant to its authority under the Ontario Water Resources Act the ministry will make the process mandatory. To date the Town of Erin has shown acceptable progress in meeting this requirement."
Every community should deal responsibly with its own waste. This principle should be at the core of Erin's upcoming sewage debate. And since we are not dealing responsibly with our septic waste right now, the idea of doing nothing about it is unacceptable.
People may have various ideas and concerns about how to proceed, but the Town must decide on a plan of action. If there is no progress on a sewage solution, the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) promises to make the process mandatory.
Erin Village made a serious attempt at developing a sewage system in 1995, but could not get the necessary funding from senior governments. Only recently has the effort been revived, through the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) study.
If the study stays on schedule, there will be a draft final report to Town Council in November next year. The municipal election, however, will be held on November 8. Is council willing to change the timeline so that all the candidates can see the final report and state their positions before the election? Is there any good reason why the final report to council could not be ready next September?
There will be plenty of information coming out in interim reports and public meetings during the next year, but to get some background, I spoke recently with Gary Tomlinson, Acting District Supervisor for the MOE in Guelph. He has worked on Erin's issues for many years. I asked about the severity of impact caused by a large number of septic systems in a small area.
He said that if the soil conditions are good, and the septic systems are spread out, the impact should be minimal. Unfortunately, these advantages do not exist in downtown Erin village or Hillsburgh.
"The soil type is largely unsuitable, the depth of soil overburden to bedrock is inadequate, the groundwater table is high, the various systems are crowded together and, in some cases, there is essentially no separation distance from the various branches of the Credit River," he said.
"As such, there is an observable adverse impact on the river due to nutrient inputs as its tributaries pass through the former Village and Hillsburgh areas."
Back in 1995, the negative effect of septic tanks in the old part of Erin village was well-publicized. Those worries have not gone away. How many older septic tanks and holding tanks would be found acceptable if they were subject to inspection? Why have the Ontario and Town governments allowed the situation to drag on for so long? Yes, we have had the amalgamation of Erin Village with Erin Township, but is that enough of an excuse for waiting 15 years?
Now, we are facing some consequences. Steen's Dairy has been allowed to spread its dairy wash water on farmland, even during the winter (which is not allowed for regular septic waste). The MOE has informed them that this practice will be phased out, not just in winter, but year-round. As part of an expansion plan, the company has decided to relocate their plant to Guelph (though the Dairy Bar will stay in Erin). Lack of sewers was not the only factor, but it was one of them.
"The ministry has informed the Town of Erin on a number of occasions that, based on the observable impacts on the Credit River, a municipal sewage collection and treatment system is required to serve both the urbanized areas and the outlying areas that will continue to generate septage and untreated sewage after the construction of those facilities," said Tomlinson.
"The municipality needs to demonstrate on ongoing commitment and progress towards that goal, or pursuant to its authority under the Ontario Water Resources Act the ministry will make the process mandatory. To date the Town of Erin has shown acceptable progress in meeting this requirement."
September 16, 2009
Septage treatment could be a business opportunity for Erin
As published in The Erin Advocate
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) is committed to ending the application of septage and untreated sewage on farm fields, but it has been saying that for a long time, and still no deadline has been set. It has, however, prohibited application during the winter months.
"It is quite likely that land disposal of septage and untreated sewage will be discontinued prior to the construction of a collection system and municipal sewage treatment facilities in the Town of Erin," said Gary Tomlinson, Acting District Supervisor for the MOE in Guelph.
Since Erin's septage (sludge and liquid from septic tanks) and sewage pumped from downtown holding tanks cannot be spread when the ground is frozen, it will likely be trucked to a sewage treatment plant in Collingwood. Plants that are closer do not have the capacity to handle outside waste, or refuse to accept it. As Collingwood grows, it too could decide to reject outside waste. Erin is studying its sewage options, but a plant of its own is many years away.
Since the Town has no current responsibility to provide a destination for hauled septic waste, haulers must try to find a place to take it. If it must go even farther away than Collingwood, or to a plant that charges more, costs will continue to rise for consumers and businesses.
Homeowners now pay about $250 every three or four years for septic tank pumping. Most downtown businesses, however, cannot have septic systems since they are so close to the river. Having their holding tanks pumped out regularly can cost many hundreds of dollars per month.
Spreading human waste on farm fields could have less impact than the waste from farm animals, but the idea still offends many people. Over the years, there have been complaints to the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), saying the rules are not strict enough, that MOE enforcement is weak or inconsistent and that land spreading should be banned.
Tomlinson said a total ban could be enacted if "adequate alternative facilities for disposal are deemed to exist, and/or the overall impacts on the environment due to land disposal are deemed unacceptable." He said the ministry has the legal authority to force a treatment plant outside Erin to accept Erin's sewage or septage.
Of course, sewage plants generate their own sludge, and huge volumes from city plants go onto farm fields. Debate rages about pathogens, heavy metals, industrial organic chemicals and antibiotics in treated sludge, but at least it has been treated.
In May, Environment Minister John Gerretsen was under attack in the legislature for a plan to shift sludge regulation to the Ministry of Agriculture, removing the need for Certificate of Approval permits.
The NDP's Howard Hampton accused him of ignoring the "human health impacts" of sludge, but Gerretsen insisted the government is relying on "the best science" and that public health would be protected.
Land application of untreated waste is inexpensive, and while it provides some fertilizing benefits, there are risks. The MOE tries to mitigate them, but is willing to tolerate them for now.
"The ministry is concerned about practices that could cause a significant risk to human health and the environment," said Tomlinson. "Run off from lands where untreated sewage and septage has been applied could potentially get into drinking water sources, such as rural wells, and expose people to serious health risks. The run off can also flow to water courses such as creeks and rivers and cause conditions resulting in fish kills."
Many sewage plants in Ontario are aging, and as the population grows, they are reaching full capacity. When land application of untreated waste ends, there will be a huge demand for treatment. So when Erin builds its new plant, perhaps we should see it as a business opportunity.
Build the plant with greater capacity than the town needs, and charge haulers from other areas who are willing to bring their waste here. I ran the idea past Mayor Rod Finnie, and he said it is a possibility, if council decides to adopt such a mandate.
A facility that serves a regional need might even qualify for higher infrastructure funding.
The Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) is committed to ending the application of septage and untreated sewage on farm fields, but it has been saying that for a long time, and still no deadline has been set. It has, however, prohibited application during the winter months.
"It is quite likely that land disposal of septage and untreated sewage will be discontinued prior to the construction of a collection system and municipal sewage treatment facilities in the Town of Erin," said Gary Tomlinson, Acting District Supervisor for the MOE in Guelph.
Since Erin's septage (sludge and liquid from septic tanks) and sewage pumped from downtown holding tanks cannot be spread when the ground is frozen, it will likely be trucked to a sewage treatment plant in Collingwood. Plants that are closer do not have the capacity to handle outside waste, or refuse to accept it. As Collingwood grows, it too could decide to reject outside waste. Erin is studying its sewage options, but a plant of its own is many years away.
Since the Town has no current responsibility to provide a destination for hauled septic waste, haulers must try to find a place to take it. If it must go even farther away than Collingwood, or to a plant that charges more, costs will continue to rise for consumers and businesses.
Homeowners now pay about $250 every three or four years for septic tank pumping. Most downtown businesses, however, cannot have septic systems since they are so close to the river. Having their holding tanks pumped out regularly can cost many hundreds of dollars per month.
Spreading human waste on farm fields could have less impact than the waste from farm animals, but the idea still offends many people. Over the years, there have been complaints to the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), saying the rules are not strict enough, that MOE enforcement is weak or inconsistent and that land spreading should be banned.
Tomlinson said a total ban could be enacted if "adequate alternative facilities for disposal are deemed to exist, and/or the overall impacts on the environment due to land disposal are deemed unacceptable." He said the ministry has the legal authority to force a treatment plant outside Erin to accept Erin's sewage or septage.
Of course, sewage plants generate their own sludge, and huge volumes from city plants go onto farm fields. Debate rages about pathogens, heavy metals, industrial organic chemicals and antibiotics in treated sludge, but at least it has been treated.
In May, Environment Minister John Gerretsen was under attack in the legislature for a plan to shift sludge regulation to the Ministry of Agriculture, removing the need for Certificate of Approval permits.
The NDP's Howard Hampton accused him of ignoring the "human health impacts" of sludge, but Gerretsen insisted the government is relying on "the best science" and that public health would be protected.
Land application of untreated waste is inexpensive, and while it provides some fertilizing benefits, there are risks. The MOE tries to mitigate them, but is willing to tolerate them for now.
"The ministry is concerned about practices that could cause a significant risk to human health and the environment," said Tomlinson. "Run off from lands where untreated sewage and septage has been applied could potentially get into drinking water sources, such as rural wells, and expose people to serious health risks. The run off can also flow to water courses such as creeks and rivers and cause conditions resulting in fish kills."
Many sewage plants in Ontario are aging, and as the population grows, they are reaching full capacity. When land application of untreated waste ends, there will be a huge demand for treatment. So when Erin builds its new plant, perhaps we should see it as a business opportunity.
Build the plant with greater capacity than the town needs, and charge haulers from other areas who are willing to bring their waste here. I ran the idea past Mayor Rod Finnie, and he said it is a possibility, if council decides to adopt such a mandate.
A facility that serves a regional need might even qualify for higher infrastructure funding.
September 09, 2009
Don't stick your head in the septic tank
As published in The Erin Advocate
In the murky holding tank of septic waste disposal issues, words of wisdom naturally rise to the top.
"Never enter or stick your head into a septic tank," warns the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, in its home inspection checklist. "There is no oxygen in the tank for you to breath, and the tank contains deadly gases which can kill you in only a few seconds."
Even if you don't believe it, common sense will tell you not to try it. Making sense of Erin's septic waste issues is no easy task, so before we dive in, let us review some fascinating facts.
Bacteria do much of the work of waste disposal, starting in the human body. Septic tanks typically have three layers: the sludge at the bottom, the scum from fats and oils at the top and the liquid in the middle, where anaerobic bacteria digest some of the solids.
When you put water down your drains, liquid is forced out of the septic tank and into the perforated pipes of a leaching bed, where a slime layer of oxygen-based aerobic bacteria consume organic matter in the wastewater.
When the system works properly, virtually all of the harmful bacteria and viruses are gone by the time the water filters down into the aquifers that feed our wells. If you have a private well, there is free testing for Coliform bacteria, including the dangerous E. coli strain. Call the Health Unit at 519-846-2715.
Since Erin has no sewage system, most homeowners have their own miniature sewage treatment plant. Naturally, it makes no sense to put chemicals into the septic tank which could kill the bacteria, or objects that will not decompose. Download a PDF guide to maintaining your system, in the Forms & Documents section at www.erin.ca. See the section entitled "Toilets and Drains are Not Garbage Cans".
Septage is what is pumped out of the tank. The sludge builds up and needs to be removed every three to five years, depending on how much the tank is used. If sludge gets into the leaching pipes, it can cost thousands of dollars to fix the problem. A new system could cost more than $20,000.
The Town does not provide a destination for septage. It is not like garbage disposal, which is now a County responsibility. Facilities to treat septage and/or sewage are normally operated by municipalities, but when there is no sewer system, no treatment facility is required.
"It is an individual householder's responsibility," said Mayor Rod Finnie. Once you hire a company to pump out your septic tank, it is up to them to find an acceptable destination for the septage. That situation is unacceptable for some people, like Erin resident Debby Gear. She was surprised that haulers outside Erin would not provide service, since many treatment plants will not accept waste from outside their town.
"I think the County should have responsibility," she said. "With so many people on septic systems, there has to be something in place for the rural residents."
Erin's septage, and the untreated sewage from holding tanks at downtown properties near the West Credit River, is spread on farm fields when possible, according to Ministry of the Environment regulations. Several years ago, that practice was banned in the winter, since the frozen ground cannot absorb the waste.
The alternative is to truck it to a municipality willing to accept the waste, with a sewage treatment plant of adequate capacity. Hamilton had been the destination, but the city has decided to stop accepting outside waste. Erin haulers now have to drive to the Collingwood plant, not a pleasant prospect in the winter. The situation is unstable, with no short-term solutions in sight from the Town, County or Ministry of the Environment.
"They're going to have to do something," said Ed Peavoy, who has been pumping Erin septic tanks for more than 25 years. Higher costs have forced his basic fee up by about $100. Fall is a busy time for haulers, since it is best to give the bacteria time to re-establish themselves before winter.
Things will be simpler once Erin has its own sewage treatment plant. "If we're going to deal with sewage, we should look after septage as well," said Mayor Finnie. Erin's Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) will include septage disposal, but a sewer system and plant could be more than 10 years away.
Well, here it is, the end of the column, and my holding tank of words is overflowing. Tune in next week to find out what the Ministry of the Environment is doing (and not doing) about Erin's septic waste problems.
In the murky holding tank of septic waste disposal issues, words of wisdom naturally rise to the top.
"Never enter or stick your head into a septic tank," warns the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, in its home inspection checklist. "There is no oxygen in the tank for you to breath, and the tank contains deadly gases which can kill you in only a few seconds."
Even if you don't believe it, common sense will tell you not to try it. Making sense of Erin's septic waste issues is no easy task, so before we dive in, let us review some fascinating facts.
Bacteria do much of the work of waste disposal, starting in the human body. Septic tanks typically have three layers: the sludge at the bottom, the scum from fats and oils at the top and the liquid in the middle, where anaerobic bacteria digest some of the solids.
When you put water down your drains, liquid is forced out of the septic tank and into the perforated pipes of a leaching bed, where a slime layer of oxygen-based aerobic bacteria consume organic matter in the wastewater.
When the system works properly, virtually all of the harmful bacteria and viruses are gone by the time the water filters down into the aquifers that feed our wells. If you have a private well, there is free testing for Coliform bacteria, including the dangerous E. coli strain. Call the Health Unit at 519-846-2715.
Since Erin has no sewage system, most homeowners have their own miniature sewage treatment plant. Naturally, it makes no sense to put chemicals into the septic tank which could kill the bacteria, or objects that will not decompose. Download a PDF guide to maintaining your system, in the Forms & Documents section at www.erin.ca. See the section entitled "Toilets and Drains are Not Garbage Cans".
Septage is what is pumped out of the tank. The sludge builds up and needs to be removed every three to five years, depending on how much the tank is used. If sludge gets into the leaching pipes, it can cost thousands of dollars to fix the problem. A new system could cost more than $20,000.
The Town does not provide a destination for septage. It is not like garbage disposal, which is now a County responsibility. Facilities to treat septage and/or sewage are normally operated by municipalities, but when there is no sewer system, no treatment facility is required.
"It is an individual householder's responsibility," said Mayor Rod Finnie. Once you hire a company to pump out your septic tank, it is up to them to find an acceptable destination for the septage. That situation is unacceptable for some people, like Erin resident Debby Gear. She was surprised that haulers outside Erin would not provide service, since many treatment plants will not accept waste from outside their town.
"I think the County should have responsibility," she said. "With so many people on septic systems, there has to be something in place for the rural residents."
Erin's septage, and the untreated sewage from holding tanks at downtown properties near the West Credit River, is spread on farm fields when possible, according to Ministry of the Environment regulations. Several years ago, that practice was banned in the winter, since the frozen ground cannot absorb the waste.
The alternative is to truck it to a municipality willing to accept the waste, with a sewage treatment plant of adequate capacity. Hamilton had been the destination, but the city has decided to stop accepting outside waste. Erin haulers now have to drive to the Collingwood plant, not a pleasant prospect in the winter. The situation is unstable, with no short-term solutions in sight from the Town, County or Ministry of the Environment.
"They're going to have to do something," said Ed Peavoy, who has been pumping Erin septic tanks for more than 25 years. Higher costs have forced his basic fee up by about $100. Fall is a busy time for haulers, since it is best to give the bacteria time to re-establish themselves before winter.
Things will be simpler once Erin has its own sewage treatment plant. "If we're going to deal with sewage, we should look after septage as well," said Mayor Finnie. Erin's Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) will include septage disposal, but a sewer system and plant could be more than 10 years away.
Well, here it is, the end of the column, and my holding tank of words is overflowing. Tune in next week to find out what the Ministry of the Environment is doing (and not doing) about Erin's septic waste problems.
September 02, 2009
What I did on my summer vacation
As published in The Erin Advocate
One of these years, I am going to have a truly relaxing vacation. It always seems that by the time I get finished all the things I have to do, and a few of the things I want to do, there is hardly enough time to sleep, let alone relax.
My vacation started with the Spirit of the Hills Family Fun Day, singing with the Young at Heart Choir. It was our public debut, in the attractive Hillsburgh Historical Park, dedicated to Nazareth Hill and his fellow pioneers, and we had a lot of fun. We are not professionals, but when the little kids start dancing in the park, you know you are doing something right. Thanks to the Hillsburgh Lions for the excellent peameal bacon on a bun and a friendly welcome.
Then I was off to a half dozen Doors Open sessions, which loaded me up with more Erin lore than my brain could hold, and left my feet tired and sore.
Then there's septage. I cringed recently when editor Joan asked me to consider a column on septage, a complicated issue that can really bog you down. I am not looking for sympathy, since the torture is self-inflicted, but I did spend a bit of my vacation digging into Erin's septage problem.
For those new to life in the outer reaches of the Greater Golden Horseshoe, septage is that sludge that is pumped out of your septic tank and spread on farm fields if weather conditions are right, unless the ground is frozen, in which case it has to be trucked to towns far, far away, until they decide they do not want it anymore, at which time we will be in some serious septage.
I will fill in more details in an upcoming column, but in the meantime, here is a tip for anyone whose septic tank is due for cleaning: do it sooner, not later.
Then it was time for camping, the vacation activity that last year I swore I would not be doing this year. Jean had bought an easy-to-assemble dining tent to replace the one we joyfully flung into the dumpster last year, and a canopy with a sturdy frame, so I would not have to climb into trees with ropes, trying to create a tarp ceiling for the camp site.
Still, it is a day of hard work to pack up the utility trailer, travel to Lake Huron, and assemble our new home, complete with bar fridge. The next morning, preparing for a day of relaxation, we got a phone call from my son Michael to whom we had lent our '97 Eagle Talon so he could join us camping.
The car had died on the 401 near Cambridge, so I ended up spending half a day to pick him up and Jean spent a half day getting him to work two days later. (It was the timing belt, so now we are vehicle shopping.)
Then there was the torrential rain, which created a small river that flowed through the bottom of our tent, forcing us to relocate it, then load most of our clothes and bedding into several dryers at the Goderich laundromat.
Before the full-day trek home, I did have time to read a collection of newspaper columns by humorist Dave Barry, which was fun, but a bit like work, since I kept wondering if I would ever be that good a writer. If I could get better, and find a topic other than Erin, maybe I could get myself syndicated.
Next, I spent a day in the pulsating blob known as Toronto. I saw the Dead Sea Scrolls at the ROM, took a tour of the legislature at Queen's Park (which is like a museum), checked out the grandeur of St. Michael's Cathedral (also museum-like), and caught a high-speed chess game on the lawn of Metropolitan United before heading to a Fred Eaglesmith concert.
The next day, I got back to my regular job, which was a good thing, because I needed a rest.
One of these years, I am going to have a truly relaxing vacation. It always seems that by the time I get finished all the things I have to do, and a few of the things I want to do, there is hardly enough time to sleep, let alone relax.
My vacation started with the Spirit of the Hills Family Fun Day, singing with the Young at Heart Choir. It was our public debut, in the attractive Hillsburgh Historical Park, dedicated to Nazareth Hill and his fellow pioneers, and we had a lot of fun. We are not professionals, but when the little kids start dancing in the park, you know you are doing something right. Thanks to the Hillsburgh Lions for the excellent peameal bacon on a bun and a friendly welcome.
Then I was off to a half dozen Doors Open sessions, which loaded me up with more Erin lore than my brain could hold, and left my feet tired and sore.
Then there's septage. I cringed recently when editor Joan asked me to consider a column on septage, a complicated issue that can really bog you down. I am not looking for sympathy, since the torture is self-inflicted, but I did spend a bit of my vacation digging into Erin's septage problem.
For those new to life in the outer reaches of the Greater Golden Horseshoe, septage is that sludge that is pumped out of your septic tank and spread on farm fields if weather conditions are right, unless the ground is frozen, in which case it has to be trucked to towns far, far away, until they decide they do not want it anymore, at which time we will be in some serious septage.
I will fill in more details in an upcoming column, but in the meantime, here is a tip for anyone whose septic tank is due for cleaning: do it sooner, not later.
Then it was time for camping, the vacation activity that last year I swore I would not be doing this year. Jean had bought an easy-to-assemble dining tent to replace the one we joyfully flung into the dumpster last year, and a canopy with a sturdy frame, so I would not have to climb into trees with ropes, trying to create a tarp ceiling for the camp site.
Still, it is a day of hard work to pack up the utility trailer, travel to Lake Huron, and assemble our new home, complete with bar fridge. The next morning, preparing for a day of relaxation, we got a phone call from my son Michael to whom we had lent our '97 Eagle Talon so he could join us camping.
The car had died on the 401 near Cambridge, so I ended up spending half a day to pick him up and Jean spent a half day getting him to work two days later. (It was the timing belt, so now we are vehicle shopping.)
Then there was the torrential rain, which created a small river that flowed through the bottom of our tent, forcing us to relocate it, then load most of our clothes and bedding into several dryers at the Goderich laundromat.
Before the full-day trek home, I did have time to read a collection of newspaper columns by humorist Dave Barry, which was fun, but a bit like work, since I kept wondering if I would ever be that good a writer. If I could get better, and find a topic other than Erin, maybe I could get myself syndicated.
Next, I spent a day in the pulsating blob known as Toronto. I saw the Dead Sea Scrolls at the ROM, took a tour of the legislature at Queen's Park (which is like a museum), checked out the grandeur of St. Michael's Cathedral (also museum-like), and caught a high-speed chess game on the lawn of Metropolitan United before heading to a Fred Eaglesmith concert.
The next day, I got back to my regular job, which was a good thing, because I needed a rest.
August 26, 2009
New booklet tells story of master mill builder
As published in The Erin Advocate
The recent Doors Open event in Erin was not only a great way for people to learn about the community, but an opportunity to start conversations about how we got here and where we are going.
In that vein, may I recommend a little booklet, just 16 pages, written and published by Tim Inkster of The Porcupine's Quill, called A Brief History of McMillan's Mills. It celebrates the work of Daniel McMillan, a "compulsive entrepreneur" who shaped the industrial design of Erin village between 1829 and 1849.
It is published to mark the third annual Hills of Headwaters Doors Open, a concept started in Europe, encouraging people to enter and learn about places they may not normally visit. The Ontario Heritage Trust – the agency that has replaced our aging historical sign on Main Street – now coordinates the Trails Open and Doors Open programs.
"Erin is one of the places it has been most successful," said Inkster. "It is a way to help the local populace appreciate what we have here. The historical walking tours have been hugely popular." A Brief History of Erin Village, by local historian Steve Revell, was published for the first local Doors Open. The booklets cost $2.
This year, people visited Century Church Theatre in Hillsburgh, the Pioneer Cemetery, All Saints Anglican, Burns Presbyterian, Erin United, Devonshire Guest House, Woollen Mills Conservation Area, the Mundell Mill and The Porcupine's Quill, where the booklet was actually on the press.
It should be required reading for local students and anyone who cares about the village. It brings together the story of McMillan's seven mills and places it in the context of Ontario's population growth and the evolution of industrial technology.
It includes historic photos, maps of the raceways cutting through the downtown, and photos by George Beshiri of the mill-driven nineteenth-century woodworking machinery used to make windows and doors in the Mundell Planing Factory.
The 1838 mill is not being used now, but is still operable, the last intact mill in the Credit Valley watershed. It uses water diverted from the Charles Street dam, built with a sawmill in 1826 by Henry Trout, eight years before the first house went up. The water drops seven metres and generates 30 horsepower through a horizontal waterwheel.
Conducting the tours at Mundell's was Brian Oates, who once operated the mill. When I introduced myself, he asked me if I was the one who had suggested that Erin's dams should eventually come down. We had a good conversation.
He said the mill ponds create an environment that people enjoy, with plants and animals we would not otherwise see here. He values the heritage aspect of the dams, and their usefulness for flood control. He sees the dam and mill not only as an educational resource, but as a potential source of energy.
He agreed that sometimes the pond water is not very attractive, but would like to see it improved, not drained away. The lower pond has 183 years of sediment, which traps nutrients from waste, and who knows what else we have dumped in there. I am sure the folks downstream do not want it.
Tim Inkster, who enjoys the view of water lilies and turtles where his back yard meets the pond, said that even a slight lowering of the dam could create huge mud flats in the shallow areas outside the centre channel. That could lead to an expanse of bullrushes, like those in the upper pond near the Dundas Street bridge. He said water quality has improved since farmers were encouraged to stop grazing cattle near the river.
What else is being done, or could be done to improve our ponds? Is there a long-term strategy for the dams? Trout's 1826 sawmill was already in ruins by 1880, a reminder of the temporary nature of human endeavour. The Credit River flowed a long time before we started building dams, and will flow a long time after we are gone – or at least until the glaciers return, re-organizing the hills and scouring the land clean once again.
The recent Doors Open event in Erin was not only a great way for people to learn about the community, but an opportunity to start conversations about how we got here and where we are going.
In that vein, may I recommend a little booklet, just 16 pages, written and published by Tim Inkster of The Porcupine's Quill, called A Brief History of McMillan's Mills. It celebrates the work of Daniel McMillan, a "compulsive entrepreneur" who shaped the industrial design of Erin village between 1829 and 1849.
It is published to mark the third annual Hills of Headwaters Doors Open, a concept started in Europe, encouraging people to enter and learn about places they may not normally visit. The Ontario Heritage Trust – the agency that has replaced our aging historical sign on Main Street – now coordinates the Trails Open and Doors Open programs.
"Erin is one of the places it has been most successful," said Inkster. "It is a way to help the local populace appreciate what we have here. The historical walking tours have been hugely popular." A Brief History of Erin Village, by local historian Steve Revell, was published for the first local Doors Open. The booklets cost $2.
This year, people visited Century Church Theatre in Hillsburgh, the Pioneer Cemetery, All Saints Anglican, Burns Presbyterian, Erin United, Devonshire Guest House, Woollen Mills Conservation Area, the Mundell Mill and The Porcupine's Quill, where the booklet was actually on the press.
It should be required reading for local students and anyone who cares about the village. It brings together the story of McMillan's seven mills and places it in the context of Ontario's population growth and the evolution of industrial technology.
It includes historic photos, maps of the raceways cutting through the downtown, and photos by George Beshiri of the mill-driven nineteenth-century woodworking machinery used to make windows and doors in the Mundell Planing Factory.
The 1838 mill is not being used now, but is still operable, the last intact mill in the Credit Valley watershed. It uses water diverted from the Charles Street dam, built with a sawmill in 1826 by Henry Trout, eight years before the first house went up. The water drops seven metres and generates 30 horsepower through a horizontal waterwheel.
Conducting the tours at Mundell's was Brian Oates, who once operated the mill. When I introduced myself, he asked me if I was the one who had suggested that Erin's dams should eventually come down. We had a good conversation.
He said the mill ponds create an environment that people enjoy, with plants and animals we would not otherwise see here. He values the heritage aspect of the dams, and their usefulness for flood control. He sees the dam and mill not only as an educational resource, but as a potential source of energy.
He agreed that sometimes the pond water is not very attractive, but would like to see it improved, not drained away. The lower pond has 183 years of sediment, which traps nutrients from waste, and who knows what else we have dumped in there. I am sure the folks downstream do not want it.
Tim Inkster, who enjoys the view of water lilies and turtles where his back yard meets the pond, said that even a slight lowering of the dam could create huge mud flats in the shallow areas outside the centre channel. That could lead to an expanse of bullrushes, like those in the upper pond near the Dundas Street bridge. He said water quality has improved since farmers were encouraged to stop grazing cattle near the river.
What else is being done, or could be done to improve our ponds? Is there a long-term strategy for the dams? Trout's 1826 sawmill was already in ruins by 1880, a reminder of the temporary nature of human endeavour. The Credit River flowed a long time before we started building dams, and will flow a long time after we are gone – or at least until the glaciers return, re-organizing the hills and scouring the land clean once again.
August 19, 2009
Forks of the Credit Park combines hiking & history
As published in The Erin Advocate
Just a few minutes east of Erin is one of the most interesting places to learn about the Credit River, and how its power was harnessed to build up the local economy more than 100 years ago.
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park is a protected oasis in a section of Caledon along Charleston Sideroad that has been virtually stripped bare by aggregate mining.
Quarries are part of the local history, since they were key to the settlements at Credit Forks and Brimstone, east of Belfountain. The maroon sandstone used to build the Ontario parliament buildings and Old City Hall in Toronto was extracted in this area.
A drive along Forks of the Credit Road will take you past the south end of the provincial park, where the West Credit, flowing from Erin, meets the main Credit River, flowing south from Alton, then on to Inglewood, Cheltenham and Terra Cotta. The main entrance to the park is at the north-west corner – along Charleston, just past Cataract Road (Coulterville), turn south on McLaren Road.
Forks of the Credit is a "natural environment" provincial park, open all year, covering 282 hectares. There are no staff at the gate, but parking will cost you $3 for two hours, $5 for four hours, or $11 for the whole day. There is no camping or intensive recreation – just picnicking, fishing, cycling, hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
The network of trails takes you through rolling hills, past Kettle Lake (created by glaciation), and into wooded areas near the river. It can take an hour to hike to Cataract village, including some steep grades.
The most direct route to the park from Erin is the Elora-Cataract Trailway, part of the Trans-Canada Trail, the remains of a branch rail line of the Credit Valley Railway from 1879. It was later bought by Canadian Pacific, and the main track still runs up the valley to Orangeville.
You can also enter the park from the south along the Bruce Trail. It winds from Belfountain, past the Forks, up Dominion Road through Brimstone, then along the river to Church's Falls – one of the region's scenic highlights, where the Credit tumbles 45 feet down from a rocky shelf.
Originally developed in 1820 as a salt mine and saw mill, the nearby village was originally called Gleniffer. It lay abandoned for 20 years before Richard Church re-established it as Church's Falls in 1858. The name was changed to Cataract when the railway arrived. The village is just outside the park, to the west of the river.
In the late 1800s, Cataract had a saw mill, grist mill, a woollen factory, barrel-head manufacturing, a large general store and two hotels. In 1885, John Deagle bought the mill at the top of the falls, and converted it into an electrical generating station that powered Cataract.
Eventually, he approached Erin (eight kilometres away) with a business plan, and in November 1899, the village enjoyed the glow of streetlights for the first time.
A Boston Mills Press book called Cataract and the Forks of the Credit, by Ralph Beaumont, tells of Deagle's pioneering electrical design work. He was also building a huge tunnel from Cataract Lake (his mill pond), to a point downstream, in hopes of doubling his energy output.
That project was abandoned after heavy rain and melting ice burst the Alton dam on April 6-7, 1912, sending a surge of water and debris down the Credit that destroyed the dam for Bell's Flour Mill (near Charleston Sideroad), and not only wiped out Deagle's Dam, but a section of Dominion Road that has never been replaced. The Erin Advocate reported that another dam and a bridge were destroyed near Credit Forks.
Deagle rebuilt his dam, and sold the operation in the 1920s for $50,000. Ontario Hydro eventually bought the plant, power lines and rights-of-way in 1944, then closed the plant as uneconomical in 1947. There were plans to make Cataract Lake a tourist area, but the CPR feared the water might undermine its rail bed, so the dam was dynamited in 1953 and the lake disappeared.
The ruins of the mill were heavily fenced off after a number of hikers lost their lives in the falls. It is just as well, for while the ruins may be interesting, they are not attractive. The grafitti-decorated plant walls and the reinforced riverbank below the rail line are concrete scars on an otherwise spectacular landscape.
Just a few minutes east of Erin is one of the most interesting places to learn about the Credit River, and how its power was harnessed to build up the local economy more than 100 years ago.
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park is a protected oasis in a section of Caledon along Charleston Sideroad that has been virtually stripped bare by aggregate mining.
Quarries are part of the local history, since they were key to the settlements at Credit Forks and Brimstone, east of Belfountain. The maroon sandstone used to build the Ontario parliament buildings and Old City Hall in Toronto was extracted in this area.
A drive along Forks of the Credit Road will take you past the south end of the provincial park, where the West Credit, flowing from Erin, meets the main Credit River, flowing south from Alton, then on to Inglewood, Cheltenham and Terra Cotta. The main entrance to the park is at the north-west corner – along Charleston, just past Cataract Road (Coulterville), turn south on McLaren Road.
Forks of the Credit is a "natural environment" provincial park, open all year, covering 282 hectares. There are no staff at the gate, but parking will cost you $3 for two hours, $5 for four hours, or $11 for the whole day. There is no camping or intensive recreation – just picnicking, fishing, cycling, hiking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
The network of trails takes you through rolling hills, past Kettle Lake (created by glaciation), and into wooded areas near the river. It can take an hour to hike to Cataract village, including some steep grades.
The most direct route to the park from Erin is the Elora-Cataract Trailway, part of the Trans-Canada Trail, the remains of a branch rail line of the Credit Valley Railway from 1879. It was later bought by Canadian Pacific, and the main track still runs up the valley to Orangeville.
You can also enter the park from the south along the Bruce Trail. It winds from Belfountain, past the Forks, up Dominion Road through Brimstone, then along the river to Church's Falls – one of the region's scenic highlights, where the Credit tumbles 45 feet down from a rocky shelf.
Originally developed in 1820 as a salt mine and saw mill, the nearby village was originally called Gleniffer. It lay abandoned for 20 years before Richard Church re-established it as Church's Falls in 1858. The name was changed to Cataract when the railway arrived. The village is just outside the park, to the west of the river.
In the late 1800s, Cataract had a saw mill, grist mill, a woollen factory, barrel-head manufacturing, a large general store and two hotels. In 1885, John Deagle bought the mill at the top of the falls, and converted it into an electrical generating station that powered Cataract.
Eventually, he approached Erin (eight kilometres away) with a business plan, and in November 1899, the village enjoyed the glow of streetlights for the first time.
A Boston Mills Press book called Cataract and the Forks of the Credit, by Ralph Beaumont, tells of Deagle's pioneering electrical design work. He was also building a huge tunnel from Cataract Lake (his mill pond), to a point downstream, in hopes of doubling his energy output.
That project was abandoned after heavy rain and melting ice burst the Alton dam on April 6-7, 1912, sending a surge of water and debris down the Credit that destroyed the dam for Bell's Flour Mill (near Charleston Sideroad), and not only wiped out Deagle's Dam, but a section of Dominion Road that has never been replaced. The Erin Advocate reported that another dam and a bridge were destroyed near Credit Forks.
Deagle rebuilt his dam, and sold the operation in the 1920s for $50,000. Ontario Hydro eventually bought the plant, power lines and rights-of-way in 1944, then closed the plant as uneconomical in 1947. There were plans to make Cataract Lake a tourist area, but the CPR feared the water might undermine its rail bed, so the dam was dynamited in 1953 and the lake disappeared.
The ruins of the mill were heavily fenced off after a number of hikers lost their lives in the falls. It is just as well, for while the ruins may be interesting, they are not attractive. The grafitti-decorated plant walls and the reinforced riverbank below the rail line are concrete scars on an otherwise spectacular landscape.
August 12, 2009
Yoga helps focus energy for busy Erin artist
As published in The Erin Advocate
Emma Bramma Smith has cast a wide net in her quest for inspiration and enlightenment. She brings together many influences in her paintings, blending images of nature with symbols from Celtic, Christian and Buddhist traditions.
Using India ink, watercolour, oils, acrylics and pencil, she creates a surreal quality, infused with a mysterious energy.
Merging with this work is her passion for yoga, which helps people discover and take advantage of energy within themselves. For Smith, that has helped both her spiritual growth and the channeling of ideas onto paper.
"Everything I am is in these pieces – I love what I do," she said. "Yoga has helped me become a better artist."
She exhibits at various shows, but the best way to get an idea of the range of her work is to visit her on-line gallery and store, at www.universallotus.com. She is also in the process of moving to a new home at 176 Main Street in Erin village where she will be leading a new series of yoga classes on September 22.
Y'OM – Yoga on Main includes Kundalini Yoga, which focuses on channels of energy through the spine and employs mantra and meditation throughout the postures. She also does Tibetan Yoga, which promotes relaxation and letting go of burdens, and Flow Yoga, which develops graceful movement between postures. There are also meditation and youth classes. Email her at art@universallotus.com for more details.
Her art swirls with feminine imagery, and has echoes of medieval illumination. She is influenced by Romantic and Pre-Raphaelite painting from the 1800s, which embraced the exotic and rebelled against realism, scientific rationalism and the restrictions of classical art forms.
While positive energy dominates, there are dark hints woven into many pieces. "I feel sorry for evil," she said. "Love is a much stronger power."
In the fall of 2007, she completed a painting called Universal Heart, which combines many strands from her life. It is based on a vision she had in 2000, and on the spiritual connection she has experienced with Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.
It has a Celtic border and elements of plant and animal life, including lotus flowers, fish, doves and a heron, which represents the Dalai Lama. At the centre is a Buddha figure in a seated meditation posture, merged into a Christ figure with outstretched arms. The two opposite triangle shapes of these figures combine to make a six-pointed Star of David.
When the Dalai Lama visited Toronto's Tibetan-Canadian Cultural Centre in 2007, Smith was there, hoping to present the painting as a gift. She happened to meet the Indian Ambassador to Canada as he was going in to see the Tibetan leader, and persuaded him to take the painting in and present it to His Holiness. She was not able to meet him in person, but she hopes to be able to travel to India to make that dream come true.
In the meantime, as if meditation, painting and teaching yoga were not enough, she is designing costumes and sets for the InMotion Dance Company in Oakville and for the pilot of a CBC TV show. She has just finished teaching art and self-awareness at Olympia Sports Camp in Muskoka and will be teaching Tibetan chanting as part of a weekend workshop in Alton on August 29. She does illustrations for Mandala Magazine, an international Tibetan Buddhist Journal, is working on two yoga books for children and developing a sketchblog for her website.
She feels fortunate to have had friends of many different faiths when she was a child. With support and encouragement from her parents, she was able to develop a broad range of interests. Her father, Ron Smith, who Emma calls "my first hero, artistically", has a show of his own coming up. His striking landscape photography will be on display at The Teak Barn near Ospringe, as part of the Hills of Erin Studio Tour, September 26-27.
For more on the 21st annual tour, with 30 artists at 15 locations in the Erin-Hillsburgh area, go to www.hillsoferinstudiotour.com.
Emma Bramma Smith has cast a wide net in her quest for inspiration and enlightenment. She brings together many influences in her paintings, blending images of nature with symbols from Celtic, Christian and Buddhist traditions.
Using India ink, watercolour, oils, acrylics and pencil, she creates a surreal quality, infused with a mysterious energy.
Merging with this work is her passion for yoga, which helps people discover and take advantage of energy within themselves. For Smith, that has helped both her spiritual growth and the channeling of ideas onto paper.
"Everything I am is in these pieces – I love what I do," she said. "Yoga has helped me become a better artist."
She exhibits at various shows, but the best way to get an idea of the range of her work is to visit her on-line gallery and store, at www.universallotus.com. She is also in the process of moving to a new home at 176 Main Street in Erin village where she will be leading a new series of yoga classes on September 22.
Y'OM – Yoga on Main includes Kundalini Yoga, which focuses on channels of energy through the spine and employs mantra and meditation throughout the postures. She also does Tibetan Yoga, which promotes relaxation and letting go of burdens, and Flow Yoga, which develops graceful movement between postures. There are also meditation and youth classes. Email her at art@universallotus.com for more details.
Her art swirls with feminine imagery, and has echoes of medieval illumination. She is influenced by Romantic and Pre-Raphaelite painting from the 1800s, which embraced the exotic and rebelled against realism, scientific rationalism and the restrictions of classical art forms.
While positive energy dominates, there are dark hints woven into many pieces. "I feel sorry for evil," she said. "Love is a much stronger power."
In the fall of 2007, she completed a painting called Universal Heart, which combines many strands from her life. It is based on a vision she had in 2000, and on the spiritual connection she has experienced with Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.
It has a Celtic border and elements of plant and animal life, including lotus flowers, fish, doves and a heron, which represents the Dalai Lama. At the centre is a Buddha figure in a seated meditation posture, merged into a Christ figure with outstretched arms. The two opposite triangle shapes of these figures combine to make a six-pointed Star of David.
When the Dalai Lama visited Toronto's Tibetan-Canadian Cultural Centre in 2007, Smith was there, hoping to present the painting as a gift. She happened to meet the Indian Ambassador to Canada as he was going in to see the Tibetan leader, and persuaded him to take the painting in and present it to His Holiness. She was not able to meet him in person, but she hopes to be able to travel to India to make that dream come true.
In the meantime, as if meditation, painting and teaching yoga were not enough, she is designing costumes and sets for the InMotion Dance Company in Oakville and for the pilot of a CBC TV show. She has just finished teaching art and self-awareness at Olympia Sports Camp in Muskoka and will be teaching Tibetan chanting as part of a weekend workshop in Alton on August 29. She does illustrations for Mandala Magazine, an international Tibetan Buddhist Journal, is working on two yoga books for children and developing a sketchblog for her website.
She feels fortunate to have had friends of many different faiths when she was a child. With support and encouragement from her parents, she was able to develop a broad range of interests. Her father, Ron Smith, who Emma calls "my first hero, artistically", has a show of his own coming up. His striking landscape photography will be on display at The Teak Barn near Ospringe, as part of the Hills of Erin Studio Tour, September 26-27.
For more on the 21st annual tour, with 30 artists at 15 locations in the Erin-Hillsburgh area, go to www.hillsoferinstudiotour.com.
August 05, 2009
New trail signs reveal history of Woollen Mill
As published in The Erin Advocate
It may be hard to imagine downtown Erin as an elaborate industrial complex, but in the mill-driven economy of the 1800s, that's exactly what it became. A new series of signs being erected on the Woollen Mills Trail is designed to bring that part of Erin's history to light.
The trail starts at the end of what was originally called Factory Lane. Now it is Woolen Mill Lane, off Millwood Road, just across the West Credit River behind Mundell Lumber. The trail runs between the river and the St. John Brebeuf schoolyard, which in the 1850s was the Erin Fairground.
As the trail enters a thicket of eastern white cedar, it crosses a large ditch. This is one of three major flumes, also called millraces, built between 1838 and 1849. They enabled millers to divert water from ponds, created with dams on the river, to the drive wheels of their mills.
The first was a flume from the Charles Street Dam to the Oat Mill, which later became the Mundell Planing Mill. The longest flume in the county runs from the Church Street Dam (behind the current Busholme Inn) to the Grist Mill (behind the current Budson Farm & Feed).
The West Credit flows south, then turns sharply north, where it would receive water back from the two upstream flumes. Then it flows into Woollen Mills Conservation Area, and turns east. The modern trail loops through this bend, where a dam, flume and grist mill were built in 1840. Ten years later it was converted to a carding or woollen operation, where wool was combed and prepared for spinning.
Daniel McMillan, with his brothers Charles and Hugh, was the driving force in this series of ventures, with seven mills serving the rapidly growing farm community in Erin Township. Before 1852, the village was known as McMillan's Mills.
"It was a wild and woolly time," said Erin history buff Steve Revell, who helped write the text for the trail signs. "I am amazed at the strength and ingenuity of our pioneers."
Also working on the signs was Amy Doole of the Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVCA). She coordinates WeCARE (West Credit Appreciation, Rehabilitation & Enhancement), a project to clean up and restore the river, and educate the public about it.
On Saturday August 15, as part of the Erin Doors Open event, Revell and Doole will be conducting guided walking tours of the Woollen Mills Trail, at 11 am and 2 pm. Meet in front of The Porcupine's Quill, 68 Main Street.
The Town has spent $5,000 on the five signs, while the CVCA is providing labour, including trail pruning and cleanup by students with the Credit Youth Corps. The signs, created by As the Crow Flies Cartography, are also sponsored by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
The project has been promoted by Bill Dinwoody of the Town's Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee, and the Trails Subcommittee. If you would like to be involved in trail planning and improvement, call the Town office at 519-855-4407.
Revell is hoping that the success of the Woollen Mill project will spark interest in improving other village trails, such as the Height of Land (Water Tower)Trail.
The Mundell mill was still in occasional use up to the 1980s, but as technology and the economy evolved, most water-driven mills were left behind much earlier. The Woollen Mill was abandoned before World War I and the dam removed. Many Erin residents had hoped that the ruins of the mill could be preserved, but in October of 1995, with the walls disintegrating, the Village decided to bulldoze the site. It had become a safety hazard, and restoration was considered too costly.
The land around the mill, which had been stripped bare in the 1800s, is now forested, but the natural river ecology has not fully recovered from the damage caused by milling. Through WeCARE, sediment traps have been placed in the water, to narrow the channel where the Woollen Mill pond once was.
Sooner or later (probably later) the other dams in the village should come down too. How much benefit do we get from our mill ponds? Should we preserve them forever, as historical artifacts from the Victorian era, or should we return the river, as much as possible, to its natural state?
Send me your comments:
erininsight@gmail.com.
It may be hard to imagine downtown Erin as an elaborate industrial complex, but in the mill-driven economy of the 1800s, that's exactly what it became. A new series of signs being erected on the Woollen Mills Trail is designed to bring that part of Erin's history to light.
The trail starts at the end of what was originally called Factory Lane. Now it is Woolen Mill Lane, off Millwood Road, just across the West Credit River behind Mundell Lumber. The trail runs between the river and the St. John Brebeuf schoolyard, which in the 1850s was the Erin Fairground.
As the trail enters a thicket of eastern white cedar, it crosses a large ditch. This is one of three major flumes, also called millraces, built between 1838 and 1849. They enabled millers to divert water from ponds, created with dams on the river, to the drive wheels of their mills.
The first was a flume from the Charles Street Dam to the Oat Mill, which later became the Mundell Planing Mill. The longest flume in the county runs from the Church Street Dam (behind the current Busholme Inn) to the Grist Mill (behind the current Budson Farm & Feed).
The West Credit flows south, then turns sharply north, where it would receive water back from the two upstream flumes. Then it flows into Woollen Mills Conservation Area, and turns east. The modern trail loops through this bend, where a dam, flume and grist mill were built in 1840. Ten years later it was converted to a carding or woollen operation, where wool was combed and prepared for spinning.
Daniel McMillan, with his brothers Charles and Hugh, was the driving force in this series of ventures, with seven mills serving the rapidly growing farm community in Erin Township. Before 1852, the village was known as McMillan's Mills.
"It was a wild and woolly time," said Erin history buff Steve Revell, who helped write the text for the trail signs. "I am amazed at the strength and ingenuity of our pioneers."
Also working on the signs was Amy Doole of the Credit Valley Conservation Authority (CVCA). She coordinates WeCARE (West Credit Appreciation, Rehabilitation & Enhancement), a project to clean up and restore the river, and educate the public about it.
On Saturday August 15, as part of the Erin Doors Open event, Revell and Doole will be conducting guided walking tours of the Woollen Mills Trail, at 11 am and 2 pm. Meet in front of The Porcupine's Quill, 68 Main Street.
The Town has spent $5,000 on the five signs, while the CVCA is providing labour, including trail pruning and cleanup by students with the Credit Youth Corps. The signs, created by As the Crow Flies Cartography, are also sponsored by the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
The project has been promoted by Bill Dinwoody of the Town's Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee, and the Trails Subcommittee. If you would like to be involved in trail planning and improvement, call the Town office at 519-855-4407.
Revell is hoping that the success of the Woollen Mill project will spark interest in improving other village trails, such as the Height of Land (Water Tower)Trail.
The Mundell mill was still in occasional use up to the 1980s, but as technology and the economy evolved, most water-driven mills were left behind much earlier. The Woollen Mill was abandoned before World War I and the dam removed. Many Erin residents had hoped that the ruins of the mill could be preserved, but in October of 1995, with the walls disintegrating, the Village decided to bulldoze the site. It had become a safety hazard, and restoration was considered too costly.
The land around the mill, which had been stripped bare in the 1800s, is now forested, but the natural river ecology has not fully recovered from the damage caused by milling. Through WeCARE, sediment traps have been placed in the water, to narrow the channel where the Woollen Mill pond once was.
Sooner or later (probably later) the other dams in the village should come down too. How much benefit do we get from our mill ponds? Should we preserve them forever, as historical artifacts from the Victorian era, or should we return the river, as much as possible, to its natural state?
Send me your comments:
erininsight@gmail.com.
July 29, 2009
Artist explores dreams and myths at Main Street studio
As published in The Erin Advocate
Before Paul Morin paints, he charges himself up with the sights and sounds and smells of the environment he wants to capture – whether it is an Erin forest or an African tribal ceremony.
With an established reputation for dramatic paintings, award-winning book illustration and eclectic music, he continues to pursue new inspiration for his work.
"I rely on dreams, as gifts," he said. "I am a sponge...I like to be inside the forest, or the dance. That's where I am inspired to paint, to grasp the essence of it."
Morin moved to Erin Township 21 years ago, but he has now opened a storefront art gallery in the village, at 110 Main Street. He had a gallery for several years in Rockwood, near his home and studio, but he was impressed with Erin's busy downtown and decided to move his retail location here.
"The market was right, due to the recession, but when there's a crisis, that's the time to take a risk," he said. "If people see the paintings, they're going to fall in love with them."
Despite an international career, he says it makes good business sense to have his own local gallery. The time and expense of mounting a major show can make it hard for an artist to break even. Morin found he sold most of his paintings at shows when he was there in person to promote them, so he finds it more practical to do that in his own space, close to home.
The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm, or call 519-833-9906 to arrange a viewing anytime. Most of the paintings on display are landscapes (the most popular with the public), but his overall work also includes abstracts, animals and explorations of symbols from primitive cultures. His books and CDs are also available. To see a broader sampling, go to www.paulmorinstudios.com.
The paintings combine high contrast with subtle details and unique perspective angles, and he is able to create powerful lighting and shadows within the art.
Morin was born in Calgary and grew up near Montreal. He got interested in art during a high school placement at an advertising agency, where he saw that the sketch artist had the most interesting job; but he was not able to get into any art schools in Quebec. He ended up studying a wide range of arts at Grant MacEwen College in Edmonton, illustration and photography at Sheridan College in Oakville, then painting at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto.
As a young man he visited Guinea, the former French colony in West Africa where his father worked for a few years, and was moved by the rhythms and exotic imagery of the native culture. He has since travelled to study cultures in China, Australia, Africa and the Americas, and now does multimedia lectures on mythology, anthropology and biodiversity at conferences and schools. He plans to lease his Erin gallery out to other artists for three months each year so he can continue his travels.
For his first book illustration, he took the risk of going to Africa at his own expense to find material. Then he had to persuade the publisher to accept richly painted images that were totally unlike the watercolours often used in children's books. The result was The Orphan Boy (1990), a commercial success that also won him a Governor-General's Award for Illustration.
Early in his career he worked for ad agencies, which he concedes could have influenced his ability to "clobber people over the head" with bold paintings. Eventually, he grew tired of other people getting credit for his work, so he switched to freelance pursuits.
Along with his artistic skills, he seems to have mastered his business skills. A painting he might sell to the public for $1,000 could go for $20,000 if he sold it to a company for a product label or ad campaign. "I know the value to them. I have learned to defend the value of my art," he said.
He has exhibited in museums across Canada, including solo shows at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. His local shows include several at the Burdette Gallery in Orton and the Wellington County Museum.
His work has appeared in Newsweek, Maclean’s and in the Society of Illustrators annuals, and his 14 book projects have earned more than 25 national and international awards.
Before Paul Morin paints, he charges himself up with the sights and sounds and smells of the environment he wants to capture – whether it is an Erin forest or an African tribal ceremony.
With an established reputation for dramatic paintings, award-winning book illustration and eclectic music, he continues to pursue new inspiration for his work.
"I rely on dreams, as gifts," he said. "I am a sponge...I like to be inside the forest, or the dance. That's where I am inspired to paint, to grasp the essence of it."
Morin moved to Erin Township 21 years ago, but he has now opened a storefront art gallery in the village, at 110 Main Street. He had a gallery for several years in Rockwood, near his home and studio, but he was impressed with Erin's busy downtown and decided to move his retail location here.
"The market was right, due to the recession, but when there's a crisis, that's the time to take a risk," he said. "If people see the paintings, they're going to fall in love with them."
Despite an international career, he says it makes good business sense to have his own local gallery. The time and expense of mounting a major show can make it hard for an artist to break even. Morin found he sold most of his paintings at shows when he was there in person to promote them, so he finds it more practical to do that in his own space, close to home.
The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm, or call 519-833-9906 to arrange a viewing anytime. Most of the paintings on display are landscapes (the most popular with the public), but his overall work also includes abstracts, animals and explorations of symbols from primitive cultures. His books and CDs are also available. To see a broader sampling, go to www.paulmorinstudios.com.
The paintings combine high contrast with subtle details and unique perspective angles, and he is able to create powerful lighting and shadows within the art.
Morin was born in Calgary and grew up near Montreal. He got interested in art during a high school placement at an advertising agency, where he saw that the sketch artist had the most interesting job; but he was not able to get into any art schools in Quebec. He ended up studying a wide range of arts at Grant MacEwen College in Edmonton, illustration and photography at Sheridan College in Oakville, then painting at the Ontario College of Art in Toronto.
As a young man he visited Guinea, the former French colony in West Africa where his father worked for a few years, and was moved by the rhythms and exotic imagery of the native culture. He has since travelled to study cultures in China, Australia, Africa and the Americas, and now does multimedia lectures on mythology, anthropology and biodiversity at conferences and schools. He plans to lease his Erin gallery out to other artists for three months each year so he can continue his travels.
For his first book illustration, he took the risk of going to Africa at his own expense to find material. Then he had to persuade the publisher to accept richly painted images that were totally unlike the watercolours often used in children's books. The result was The Orphan Boy (1990), a commercial success that also won him a Governor-General's Award for Illustration.
Early in his career he worked for ad agencies, which he concedes could have influenced his ability to "clobber people over the head" with bold paintings. Eventually, he grew tired of other people getting credit for his work, so he switched to freelance pursuits.
Along with his artistic skills, he seems to have mastered his business skills. A painting he might sell to the public for $1,000 could go for $20,000 if he sold it to a company for a product label or ad campaign. "I know the value to them. I have learned to defend the value of my art," he said.
He has exhibited in museums across Canada, including solo shows at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the Museum of Civilization in Ottawa. His local shows include several at the Burdette Gallery in Orton and the Wellington County Museum.
His work has appeared in Newsweek, Maclean’s and in the Society of Illustrators annuals, and his 14 book projects have earned more than 25 national and international awards.
July 22, 2009
Erin residents selling solar power to Ontario Hydro
As published in The Erin Advocate
Now that Joe and Frieda Leenders have retired from farming, they are getting into the power business. An array of 24 solar panels, installed last month on the south-facing roof of Joe's workshop, is now feeding "green" energy into the electrical grid.
They are among the first to take advantage of Ontario's new Green Energy Act, which was approved in the spring. A key part of the plan is to offer small producers such as homeowners, industries, farms and communities a guaranteed rate of payment for solar or wind power that they generate.
On a traditional electricity bill, by the time you include GST, debt retirement, regulatory charges and "delivery", you pay about 11 cents per kilowatt hour. If you generate power yourself, the Ontario Power Authority will contract to buy it from you at up to 80.2 cents per kilowatt hour for the next 20 years.
"It's the coming thing," said Frieda, referring to the need to conserve electricity and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. "This may entice other people to do it."
In the past ten years, the cost of solar equipment has dropped about 90 per cent, but even with government rebates and a guaranteed price, it is still a costly venture.
"Some people have told me I'm crazy, but I've been crazy all my life," said Joe, who has always been interested in the idea of power generation. "This is an investment in the future."
They are spending $52,000, and it will take about ten years to make back that amount in savings and revenue. Unlike "back-up" systems that are ready in the event of a power failure, their direct link to the grid does not require an expensive bank of batteries to store electricity.
"Some people use it for retirement planning," said Steve Eng, an energy engineer at Enviro-Energy Technologies Inc. of Markham, which is installing the equipment. "If you are getting a return on your investment of 10-11 percent per year, that's better than what the bank will pay you."
He said Ontario is willing to pay a good price for the power, because the small producer bears the capital cost. "The government gets more green electricity on the grid and won't have to build as much generation capacity, such as natural gas, and even nuclear plants. We are all subsidizing it," he said.
The new Ontario incentives are now the most generous in the world, according to an article on the website: renewableenergyworld.com. This could attract serious investment from energy companies looking to expand into North America. The approval process for wind farms and solar parks will be streamlined, making it difficult for municipalities to block development.
The Green Energy Act is part of a $5 billion commitment by the Ontario government to encourage the growth of renewable energy, stimulate the economy, and create an estimated 50,000 jobs over the next three years. An energy audit will also be mandatory when selling a house, unless it is waived by the buyer.
Premier Dalton McGuinty said the plan will boost electricity bills by one percent. "It's a new green tax," said Kevin Gaudet, Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, quoted in The Ottawa Citizen.
Despite this "green" initiative, the government continues to come under fire from groups like the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Greenpeace and the David Suzuki Foundation, because it intends to build more nuclear reactors. That plan has recently been delayed, due to uncertainty about costs.
A major push to bring small producers to the grid is long overdue. Germany, for example, gets less sunlight but has ten times more solar generation than all of Canada. Some US states have been doing this for years. If we had started earlier, we wouldn't be so reliant now on coal-fired and nuclear power plants.
Now that Joe and Frieda Leenders have retired from farming, they are getting into the power business. An array of 24 solar panels, installed last month on the south-facing roof of Joe's workshop, is now feeding "green" energy into the electrical grid.
They are among the first to take advantage of Ontario's new Green Energy Act, which was approved in the spring. A key part of the plan is to offer small producers such as homeowners, industries, farms and communities a guaranteed rate of payment for solar or wind power that they generate.
On a traditional electricity bill, by the time you include GST, debt retirement, regulatory charges and "delivery", you pay about 11 cents per kilowatt hour. If you generate power yourself, the Ontario Power Authority will contract to buy it from you at up to 80.2 cents per kilowatt hour for the next 20 years.
"It's the coming thing," said Frieda, referring to the need to conserve electricity and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. "This may entice other people to do it."
In the past ten years, the cost of solar equipment has dropped about 90 per cent, but even with government rebates and a guaranteed price, it is still a costly venture.
"Some people have told me I'm crazy, but I've been crazy all my life," said Joe, who has always been interested in the idea of power generation. "This is an investment in the future."
They are spending $52,000, and it will take about ten years to make back that amount in savings and revenue. Unlike "back-up" systems that are ready in the event of a power failure, their direct link to the grid does not require an expensive bank of batteries to store electricity.
"Some people use it for retirement planning," said Steve Eng, an energy engineer at Enviro-Energy Technologies Inc. of Markham, which is installing the equipment. "If you are getting a return on your investment of 10-11 percent per year, that's better than what the bank will pay you."
He said Ontario is willing to pay a good price for the power, because the small producer bears the capital cost. "The government gets more green electricity on the grid and won't have to build as much generation capacity, such as natural gas, and even nuclear plants. We are all subsidizing it," he said.
The new Ontario incentives are now the most generous in the world, according to an article on the website: renewableenergyworld.com. This could attract serious investment from energy companies looking to expand into North America. The approval process for wind farms and solar parks will be streamlined, making it difficult for municipalities to block development.
The Green Energy Act is part of a $5 billion commitment by the Ontario government to encourage the growth of renewable energy, stimulate the economy, and create an estimated 50,000 jobs over the next three years. An energy audit will also be mandatory when selling a house, unless it is waived by the buyer.
Premier Dalton McGuinty said the plan will boost electricity bills by one percent. "It's a new green tax," said Kevin Gaudet, Ontario director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, quoted in The Ottawa Citizen.
Despite this "green" initiative, the government continues to come under fire from groups like the Ontario Clean Air Alliance, Greenpeace and the David Suzuki Foundation, because it intends to build more nuclear reactors. That plan has recently been delayed, due to uncertainty about costs.
A major push to bring small producers to the grid is long overdue. Germany, for example, gets less sunlight but has ten times more solar generation than all of Canada. Some US states have been doing this for years. If we had started earlier, we wouldn't be so reliant now on coal-fired and nuclear power plants.
July 15, 2009
Smoke alarm inspections planned for every Erin home
As published in The Erin Advocate
The Erin fire department will be checking every home in town to make sure that smoke alarms are installed and working properly. If firefighters discover a problem, they plan to fix it on the spot.
The new inspection program was launched this month, a stepped-up effort to ensure that homeowners and landlords meet the minimum legal requirements: a working smoke alarm on every level of the home, and outside every sleeping area.
"If there are no smoke alarms, we will put them in for free," said Kevin Gallant, Chief Fire Prevention Officer for Erin Fire and Emergency Services.
It is going to take six years to cover the whole town, including rural properties that may never have been inspected before. A team of three firefighters will come to your home and ask if they can do an inspection. Two will come in, and one will stay with the fire truck.
The program is voluntary – you are not obliged to participate. If you let them in, they will check the placement and operation of the smoke alarms, and look for other fire safety hazards. They do not intend to charge people, but they do intend to deal with any issues right away.
"We're not going to leave a home unprotected," said Fire Chief Steve Goode. He is particularly concerned about safety in older farm houses.
Previously, the department was inspecting about 200 homes per year, in the urban areas. (The 2006 census reported 3,960 private dwellings in Erin.) This year, Town Council allocated $9,500 in the budget for increased inspections. The Fire Protection Act mandates the Town to have a smoke alarm program, but Erin is going beyond the minimum requirements with the current plan.
If you refuse to allow the firefighters to install smoke alarms, and you later have a fire without working detectors, you are likely to be prosecuted. The ticket carries a fine of $235 for each missing or non-working unit. Landlords can face penalties up to $25,000. The same protection is required in mobile homes, boats and cottages.
Smoke alarms became mandatory outside sleeping areas in 1998. The death rate from residential fires in Ontario declined about 24% from 1999 to 2008, according to the Fire Marshall's Office. About half the fatal fires were in homes without proper smoke alarm protection. About 17% of those had no smoke alarms and 28% had smoke alarms that did not work, usually because the battery was dead or missing.
Newer homes have the alarms wired to the power supply, and linked so they will all sound in an emergency. Ideally, they should have a battery back-up, in case of a power failure.
The law was changed in 2006 to require alarms on every level, not just outside sleeping areas. Despite intensive public education efforts, many people are not getting the message, so fire departments are resorting to charging those who do not make the effort to comply.
It is important to test your alarms once a month and change the batteries every year. Replace units that are more than ten years old. Never remove batteries if you are getting nuisance alarms – move the device farther away from cooking or wood stoves, or get ones that have a "hush" feature.
If anyone in the household sleeps with the bedroom door closed, there should be an alarm installed in the bedroom. Make sure everyone knows what to do if an alarm sounds – develop a home fire escape plan and practise it with everyone in the household.
Over 90 per cent of residential fires are preventable, but if they do occur, your opportunity to safely evacuate your family is often a matter of minutes, or even just seconds. Smoke alarms tip the odds in your favour, so don't wait for the firefighters, make sure you have the protection right now.
The Erin fire department will be checking every home in town to make sure that smoke alarms are installed and working properly. If firefighters discover a problem, they plan to fix it on the spot.
The new inspection program was launched this month, a stepped-up effort to ensure that homeowners and landlords meet the minimum legal requirements: a working smoke alarm on every level of the home, and outside every sleeping area.
"If there are no smoke alarms, we will put them in for free," said Kevin Gallant, Chief Fire Prevention Officer for Erin Fire and Emergency Services.
It is going to take six years to cover the whole town, including rural properties that may never have been inspected before. A team of three firefighters will come to your home and ask if they can do an inspection. Two will come in, and one will stay with the fire truck.
The program is voluntary – you are not obliged to participate. If you let them in, they will check the placement and operation of the smoke alarms, and look for other fire safety hazards. They do not intend to charge people, but they do intend to deal with any issues right away.
"We're not going to leave a home unprotected," said Fire Chief Steve Goode. He is particularly concerned about safety in older farm houses.
Previously, the department was inspecting about 200 homes per year, in the urban areas. (The 2006 census reported 3,960 private dwellings in Erin.) This year, Town Council allocated $9,500 in the budget for increased inspections. The Fire Protection Act mandates the Town to have a smoke alarm program, but Erin is going beyond the minimum requirements with the current plan.
If you refuse to allow the firefighters to install smoke alarms, and you later have a fire without working detectors, you are likely to be prosecuted. The ticket carries a fine of $235 for each missing or non-working unit. Landlords can face penalties up to $25,000. The same protection is required in mobile homes, boats and cottages.
Smoke alarms became mandatory outside sleeping areas in 1998. The death rate from residential fires in Ontario declined about 24% from 1999 to 2008, according to the Fire Marshall's Office. About half the fatal fires were in homes without proper smoke alarm protection. About 17% of those had no smoke alarms and 28% had smoke alarms that did not work, usually because the battery was dead or missing.
Newer homes have the alarms wired to the power supply, and linked so they will all sound in an emergency. Ideally, they should have a battery back-up, in case of a power failure.
The law was changed in 2006 to require alarms on every level, not just outside sleeping areas. Despite intensive public education efforts, many people are not getting the message, so fire departments are resorting to charging those who do not make the effort to comply.
It is important to test your alarms once a month and change the batteries every year. Replace units that are more than ten years old. Never remove batteries if you are getting nuisance alarms – move the device farther away from cooking or wood stoves, or get ones that have a "hush" feature.
If anyone in the household sleeps with the bedroom door closed, there should be an alarm installed in the bedroom. Make sure everyone knows what to do if an alarm sounds – develop a home fire escape plan and practise it with everyone in the household.
Over 90 per cent of residential fires are preventable, but if they do occur, your opportunity to safely evacuate your family is often a matter of minutes, or even just seconds. Smoke alarms tip the odds in your favour, so don't wait for the firefighters, make sure you have the protection right now.
July 08, 2009
Winston Churchill won't be paved until at least 2013
As published in The Erin Edvocate
Winston Churchill Boulevard, between Olde Baseline Road and Terra Cotta, may eventually be rebuilt to modern safety standards, but it won't happen for at least four more years.
A public information session at the Terra Cotta Inn last week revealed a tangled web of political, environmental and safety issues that have continually delayed improvement of this notoriously bumpy stretch of gravel road.
Many of the commuters are from Erin, needing a route to Mississauga Road. From Erin village, they can go through Belfountain, or south on the paved section of Winston Churchill, then east on Old Baseline. But for those of us in the south, a paved trip requires many kilometers of extra travel. That will improve once 5 Sideroad is rebuilt this year, providing paved access to Olde Baseline, taking some of the pressure off the Terra Cotta route.
Albert Almiron lives on the Ninth Line, and drives the gravel section of Winston Churchill daily. He has been trying to build support for paving ever since March, 2008, when his daughter was forced off the road by a driver who had moved over to find a smoother surface. This was on the hill south of Ballinafad Road, where sightlines are poor, one of the spots that would be more level in the proposed plan.
"The road turns into a mess as soon as there is a little rain," said Ninth Line resident Gerry Karker. "I don't see the harm if it was paved. It is not a minor road."
In 2007, after a previous meeting, Winston Churchill resident Art Rice submitted this comment: "Pave this road, and do not listen to the tree huggers. My family has had two accidents because of this road."
Winston Churchill is the boundary between Peel Region (Caledon) on the east, and Wellington County (Erin) on the west. South of Ballinafad Road, the west side is Halton Region (Halton Hills). Since it is a regional road, the $4 million cost of reconstruction would be shared by the regions and county.
I asked Peel Regional Councillor Richard Paterak if one of the main reasons the road north of the Terra Cotta has been left unpaved is to maintain a barrier to commuter traffic, and he said that is a "fair statement" of the situation.
Residents of Terra Cotta do have valid concerns. Drivers will often ignore the posted 50 kph speed limit, cruising by the conservation area at 80-100 kph, or cutting onto narrow side routes like Isabella Street, to save a few seconds on their trip to work.
These problems, however, and the prospect of increased traffic flow, do not justify a terrible road. As of 2006, it handled 245 vehicles per hour each morning, and 300 each afternoon.
"The gravel driving surface is in extremely poor condition and is not in compliance with current engineering standards," said Project Manager Solmaz Zia. She has assured Terra Cotta residents that the rebuilt road would not be a haul route for the Rockfort Quarry, if it is built.
If you would like to make a comment, email her at: solmaz.zia@peelregion.ca by the end of next week. More information is available at www.peelregion.ca – go to Public Works - Roads - Environmental Assessments. An Environmental Study Report is set for this fall.
Paterak is also a member of the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC), which must be satisfied before any development can proceed. "We're well on our way to crossing the t's and dotting the i's," he said.
There would be a four-way stop at Ballinafad Road and a three-way stop at Olde Baseline, with painted markings directing southbound traffic to turn east. Caledon Mayor Marolyn Morrison even suggested the possibility of a "Local Traffic Only" sign for the road to the south of Olde Baseline.
Terra Cotta resident Dave Rutherford wants the southbound stop sign removed and the road designed to flow even more traffic to the east. "We're not opposed to paving," he said. "We just want to make it safer for everybody."
A rebuilt road would be wider (with bike lanes) and concerns have been raised about preserving stone fences and an old butternut tree. There are also breeding ponds nearby for the Jefferson Salamander, an endangered species.
To reduce its impact, the road is designed to wind slightly to avoid sensitive spots. Urban-style curbs are planned for some areas, taking rainwater along the road to outlet points, reducing the need for wide ditches. "They have tried to address the concerns, but I'm not sure they have succeeded," said NEC Senior Strategic Advisor Kathryn Pounder.
Peel's 1996 reconstruction plan was shelved, and the current plan is on its third version since 2006. If approved, design work would happen in 2010, property acquisition and utility relocation in 2011 and 2012, then construction in 2013. The paved S-bend would not be rebuilt.
Winston Churchill Boulevard, between Olde Baseline Road and Terra Cotta, may eventually be rebuilt to modern safety standards, but it won't happen for at least four more years.
A public information session at the Terra Cotta Inn last week revealed a tangled web of political, environmental and safety issues that have continually delayed improvement of this notoriously bumpy stretch of gravel road.
Many of the commuters are from Erin, needing a route to Mississauga Road. From Erin village, they can go through Belfountain, or south on the paved section of Winston Churchill, then east on Old Baseline. But for those of us in the south, a paved trip requires many kilometers of extra travel. That will improve once 5 Sideroad is rebuilt this year, providing paved access to Olde Baseline, taking some of the pressure off the Terra Cotta route.
Albert Almiron lives on the Ninth Line, and drives the gravel section of Winston Churchill daily. He has been trying to build support for paving ever since March, 2008, when his daughter was forced off the road by a driver who had moved over to find a smoother surface. This was on the hill south of Ballinafad Road, where sightlines are poor, one of the spots that would be more level in the proposed plan.
"The road turns into a mess as soon as there is a little rain," said Ninth Line resident Gerry Karker. "I don't see the harm if it was paved. It is not a minor road."
In 2007, after a previous meeting, Winston Churchill resident Art Rice submitted this comment: "Pave this road, and do not listen to the tree huggers. My family has had two accidents because of this road."
Winston Churchill is the boundary between Peel Region (Caledon) on the east, and Wellington County (Erin) on the west. South of Ballinafad Road, the west side is Halton Region (Halton Hills). Since it is a regional road, the $4 million cost of reconstruction would be shared by the regions and county.
I asked Peel Regional Councillor Richard Paterak if one of the main reasons the road north of the Terra Cotta has been left unpaved is to maintain a barrier to commuter traffic, and he said that is a "fair statement" of the situation.
Residents of Terra Cotta do have valid concerns. Drivers will often ignore the posted 50 kph speed limit, cruising by the conservation area at 80-100 kph, or cutting onto narrow side routes like Isabella Street, to save a few seconds on their trip to work.
These problems, however, and the prospect of increased traffic flow, do not justify a terrible road. As of 2006, it handled 245 vehicles per hour each morning, and 300 each afternoon.
"The gravel driving surface is in extremely poor condition and is not in compliance with current engineering standards," said Project Manager Solmaz Zia. She has assured Terra Cotta residents that the rebuilt road would not be a haul route for the Rockfort Quarry, if it is built.
If you would like to make a comment, email her at: solmaz.zia@peelregion.ca by the end of next week. More information is available at www.peelregion.ca – go to Public Works - Roads - Environmental Assessments. An Environmental Study Report is set for this fall.
Paterak is also a member of the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC), which must be satisfied before any development can proceed. "We're well on our way to crossing the t's and dotting the i's," he said.
There would be a four-way stop at Ballinafad Road and a three-way stop at Olde Baseline, with painted markings directing southbound traffic to turn east. Caledon Mayor Marolyn Morrison even suggested the possibility of a "Local Traffic Only" sign for the road to the south of Olde Baseline.
Terra Cotta resident Dave Rutherford wants the southbound stop sign removed and the road designed to flow even more traffic to the east. "We're not opposed to paving," he said. "We just want to make it safer for everybody."
A rebuilt road would be wider (with bike lanes) and concerns have been raised about preserving stone fences and an old butternut tree. There are also breeding ponds nearby for the Jefferson Salamander, an endangered species.
To reduce its impact, the road is designed to wind slightly to avoid sensitive spots. Urban-style curbs are planned for some areas, taking rainwater along the road to outlet points, reducing the need for wide ditches. "They have tried to address the concerns, but I'm not sure they have succeeded," said NEC Senior Strategic Advisor Kathryn Pounder.
Peel's 1996 reconstruction plan was shelved, and the current plan is on its third version since 2006. If approved, design work would happen in 2010, property acquisition and utility relocation in 2011 and 2012, then construction in 2013. The paved S-bend would not be rebuilt.
July 01, 2009
Literary treasures at fantastic prices
As published in The Erin Advocate
The Bookends store in Erin is one of those treasures that keeps on being discovered – by people who didn't know it was there.
In an era when it seems almost everything can be found on one website or another, it turns out that people still want to hold a real book in their hands, open it when they please, be guided by the skill of an author and be entertained at their own pace.
This process does not require brand new books, and so we share our used ones. As a fundraising venture operated by East Wellington Community Services (EWCS), Bookends accepts donations of books and CDs, and sells them for a small profit.
"The money stays in the community to fund programs," said Robyn Pyrczak, Retail Coordinator and Event Planner at EWCS. Bookends contributes about $20,000 per year to the organization's revenue.
This Saturday, June 27, EWCS (known as EWAG until recently) is celebrating its 25th anniversary by offering a free breakfast to anyone who drops in to the Seniors Centre at Centre 2000, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Powered by volunteers and supported by fundraising efforts throughout the community, by local businesses and service clubs, and by all levels of government, EWCS operates programs for children and seniors, an information centre, a food bank and three thrift clothing stores. They serve Erin, Hillsburgh, Rockwood, Orton and Guelph-Eramosa Township.
For more information or to find out about volunteering, call 519-833-9696, or go to www.eastwellingtoncommunityservices.com
The Bookends store is located in the EWCS building at 45 Main Street, at the corner of Millwood Road, between the LCBO and Mundell's. The main entrance is on the side, towards the back, but recently a passageway was opened up inside, allowing people to walk between the book store and the New to You thrift clothing store and EWSC offices at the front of the building.
"This has made a huge difference," said Pyrczak. "Some people thought it was a separate entity. We have had good feedback and increased sales."
The store is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, operated by a team of 24 volunteers on three-hour shifts, coordinated by Enid Acton and Charles Lewis.
Although the store has been around for many years, some local residents are still surprised to discover it – a useful service they had overlooked. There are signs, but the store does not have a high profile as you drive down Main Street.
It was opened in December 1985, with Gillian Cantrell as its first coordinator. She was assisted by her husband David, Fran Hoag and Joanne Page. It was originally in the small, green shed behind the building, donated for use by Bob McEnery.
Bookends is very well organized, like a mini-library, and it is not too crowded. The fiction sections have useful names like "War/Spy/Adventure", "Horror" and "Christian Novels". Non-fiction areas like Health have subsections such as "Stress", "Cancer" and "Pregnancy".
The books are in good condition, with many paperbacks selling for 50 cents or less, ranging up to fancy coffee-table books for $6. There are also vintage books. Most donations are welcome, but they do not accept magazines (including Reader's Digest) or VHS tapes.
Their CD collection is very small and could use a boost. With many people transferring music collections to their computers, the number of redundant CDs in the community must be huge. Used CDs are a great way to build up your collection at very low cost, and once you've got the songs you want, you can donate the CD back to the store for someone else's benefit.
The Bookends store in Erin is one of those treasures that keeps on being discovered – by people who didn't know it was there.
In an era when it seems almost everything can be found on one website or another, it turns out that people still want to hold a real book in their hands, open it when they please, be guided by the skill of an author and be entertained at their own pace.
This process does not require brand new books, and so we share our used ones. As a fundraising venture operated by East Wellington Community Services (EWCS), Bookends accepts donations of books and CDs, and sells them for a small profit.
"The money stays in the community to fund programs," said Robyn Pyrczak, Retail Coordinator and Event Planner at EWCS. Bookends contributes about $20,000 per year to the organization's revenue.
This Saturday, June 27, EWCS (known as EWAG until recently) is celebrating its 25th anniversary by offering a free breakfast to anyone who drops in to the Seniors Centre at Centre 2000, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Powered by volunteers and supported by fundraising efforts throughout the community, by local businesses and service clubs, and by all levels of government, EWCS operates programs for children and seniors, an information centre, a food bank and three thrift clothing stores. They serve Erin, Hillsburgh, Rockwood, Orton and Guelph-Eramosa Township.
For more information or to find out about volunteering, call 519-833-9696, or go to www.eastwellingtoncommunityservices.com
The Bookends store is located in the EWCS building at 45 Main Street, at the corner of Millwood Road, between the LCBO and Mundell's. The main entrance is on the side, towards the back, but recently a passageway was opened up inside, allowing people to walk between the book store and the New to You thrift clothing store and EWSC offices at the front of the building.
"This has made a huge difference," said Pyrczak. "Some people thought it was a separate entity. We have had good feedback and increased sales."
The store is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday, operated by a team of 24 volunteers on three-hour shifts, coordinated by Enid Acton and Charles Lewis.
Although the store has been around for many years, some local residents are still surprised to discover it – a useful service they had overlooked. There are signs, but the store does not have a high profile as you drive down Main Street.
It was opened in December 1985, with Gillian Cantrell as its first coordinator. She was assisted by her husband David, Fran Hoag and Joanne Page. It was originally in the small, green shed behind the building, donated for use by Bob McEnery.
Bookends is very well organized, like a mini-library, and it is not too crowded. The fiction sections have useful names like "War/Spy/Adventure", "Horror" and "Christian Novels". Non-fiction areas like Health have subsections such as "Stress", "Cancer" and "Pregnancy".
The books are in good condition, with many paperbacks selling for 50 cents or less, ranging up to fancy coffee-table books for $6. There are also vintage books. Most donations are welcome, but they do not accept magazines (including Reader's Digest) or VHS tapes.
Their CD collection is very small and could use a boost. With many people transferring music collections to their computers, the number of redundant CDs in the community must be huge. Used CDs are a great way to build up your collection at very low cost, and once you've got the songs you want, you can donate the CD back to the store for someone else's benefit.
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