As published in The Erin Advocate
One of the rewards of doing this column is the opportunity to interview writers and artists who have taken on remarkable projects, satisfying their own passions while reaching out to the public. It gives one a touch of envy, a reminder that value lies not in what you intend to do, but in what you actively pursue.
Richard Nevitt lives in Alton, and in 2008 published A Caledon Sketchbook with Porcupine's Quill in Erin. He has retired from 40 years of teaching at the Ontario College of Art, but still works at his home studio and gives workshops at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg.
The book is a journal of 60 pen and ink drawings, based on sketches that capture "chance moments of solitude" and the spiritual power of the Niagara Escarpment landscape. He was signing copies during the recent Doors Open event.
Early in his career, he studied art as applied to anatomy and medicine, which expanded his creative vision, and he went on to work in a variety of media. In 1968 the Canadian Government invited him to document peace-keeping activities with the Canadian Armed Forces in Cyprus.
"I draw every day," he said. "It is important to be observant. I extend my observations of anatomy into landscapes. It's learning how to look at things and bring out their strengths."
McMichael Executive Director Tom Smart said, "In the turn of a line, a scrap of contour, an oblique hint of mass, form and volume, Nevitt lends his subjects a living quality, a breath of life and of vitality."
Nevitt's great grandfather, Richard Barrington Nevitt, was a doctor, artist and journalist who came to Toronto from the Confederate South. He went to Alberta in 1874 as an assistant surgeon with the North-West Mounted Police, and documented the plight of the Blackfoot natives.
Nevitt is appreciative that publishers like Porcupine's Quill and organizations such as Headwaters Arts (www.headwatersarts.ca) have helped create "a dynamic support system for the arts".
In addition to fiction and poetry, Porcupine's Quill has often published books that support the visual arts, especially serving the niche market for reproductions of wood engravings. Their newest offerings include a collection of engravings called A Calendar of Days by various artists, and Book of Hours, a graphic novel by George Walker which traces, without words, the routines of daily life in the hours before the 9/11 attacks.
"The art books give a voice to the artists that they wouldn't otherwise have," said Tim Inkster, who puts his own artistic flair into the design and production of books, giving them a traditional, textured look and feel. Their equipment is traditional as well, with a Baumfolder folding machine dating back to the '40s and a Smyth book binding sewing machine from 1907.
In 2008, Tim and Elke Inkster were appointed to the Order of Canada for their contributions to Canadian publishing and promotion of new authors.
The other interesting conversation I had at the publishing shop was with Jane Lind, a writer, editor and sculptor who is passionate about the work of Canadian experimental filmmaker and visual artist Joyce Wieland (1931-1998).
"I am mainly interested in stories of women artists who have really developed their creative lives," said Lind, who published a biography in 2001: Joyce Wieland - Artist on Fire. A preview of that book can be seen on the Google Books website.
Wieland made an impact on the art world in Canada and New York, from the '60s to the '80s, with avant garde work that celebrated the surge in feminist sentiment, while making use of traditional female crafts such as quilting. It is an unusual blend of sexuality, politics and patriotism. A highlight of her career was True Patriot Love, an exhibition in 1971 at the National Gallery of Canada – the first such show devoted to a living Canadian female artist.
"She was a pioneer for women's place in the art world," said Lind. "She pokes fun at the weird things people do, and how foolish politicians can be in their obsession with power."
Lind, who lives in Guelph, has now published a follow-up book, with Porcupine's Quill. Joyce Wieland: Writings and Drawings, is an eclectic selection of drawings, journal entries and stream-of-consciousness poetry from 1952 to 1971, drawn from the archives at York University. It reveals the aspirations and struggles of a woman in a male-dominated field.
The introduction to the book provides sufficient background, so that it is is not necessary to read the published biography to appreciate the work. Lind hopes that it will help renew some interest in Wieland with scholars, art historians and the public.
August 11, 2010
August 04, 2010
Make CVC report public before election campaign
As published in The Erin Advocate
Should Erin's Vision Statement say we want "many" residents employed locally? Or would "more" be sufficient? How about "most"? Such questions were debated by the Town's SSMP Liaison Committee, when it met recently after a seven-month break.
Does "a town to call home" sound too obvious? Would it be better to say "safe and livable community"? It is all very interesting, but the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) needs to get on with its primary mandate: the pros and cons of sewers.
The Liaison Committee has drifted through a visioning-educational-background phase, including a "mind-mapping" exercise – drawing lines between coloured ovals on a giant issues chart.
Consulting firm B.M. Ross was hired in 2008 to coordinate the SSMP project, with costs expected to exceed $400,000. They are delivering what the Town requested: a broad-based study, looking 25 years into the future. The time has come, however, to move beyond the fluffy stuff.
Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) has completed an important report on the environmental impact of having (or not having) a sewer system. The report was expected in January, but was not delivered to the Town until May. That put much of the SSMP process on hold.
The report is not being kept secret, but we are not allowed to read it yet. Project Manager Matt Pearson said only that the CVC appears willing to have the Credit River used to handle the discharge from a sewage system.
The report is locked in the gears of the study process, and is scheduled for release as an appendix to a larger background report early in the fall. That could be delayed. In the meantime, we have a municipal election on October 25, with people getting their mail-in ballots in late September.
The next town council is not expected to oversee any actual sewer construction, but there will be important decisions. If they make the commitment, there will be densities to be negotiated with residential developers, considered key to financing the project. How will sewers be phased in? What technology will be used for the sewage treatment plant? Will sludge from the plant be spread on farm fields as fertilizer? Will the same plant serve Hillsburgh? Where will they build the plant? (The north side of the Deer Pit is one possibility.)
We need to start discussing specific issues about how to service the urban areas, and the best place to start is the CVC report. There should be a thorough debate during the municipal election campaign about sewers, environmental protection, housing development and preserving Erin's charm. That will be very difficult without knowing the details of the report.
Normally, it would be sufficient to have the CVC report released in due course. But with the election imminent, I think the report should be made public on its own, by releasing it to the Liaison Committee at its August 25 meeting.
If this cannot be arranged, Town Council should consider intervening in the process. Councillors could be provided with the Executive Summary and Recommendations of the report, so they know what they are dealing with. Then, at their August 24 meeting, they could officially receive the full report and authorize its immediate release.
I am sure the report will be complex, and analysis by our consultants will be of great value. However, I see no harm in getting information out to the public so they can have a basic understanding of the environmental issues before the election campaign. It will enable candidates to take positions and could even prompt some people to run for council.
During the election campaign, what will candidates say to residents who have waste seeping up in their back yards from broken-down septic systems? (Buy an expensive new system designed to last 30 years, or wait for the big pipe?)
What will they say to residents concerned about employers being forced to leave Erin due to lack of services? Or to seniors forced to leave due to lack of housing. Or to those concerned about pollution of ground water and the Credit River? After so many years without progress on this issue, will it be enough to say, "We're doing a study..."?
The Town plans to mail a newsletter on the SSMP to all households in early September. Sometime in the fall, there will be a public meeting to discuss the background report. The final report, originally expected by this December, may not be ready until late next year.
Most residents are cynical about the whole process, if they even know about it. The public is not clamouring for a sewer system. The majority are rural residents who will never get the service. Many urban dwellers are either dead against it, or very reluctant. The fact that little appears to be happening is just fine for some.
The SSMP process allows the Town to go nice and slow, while still being able to assure the Ministry of the Environment that they are working on it.
I know it is the middle of the summer, and people may not want to think about the election. But I do appeal to those who would like to see the CVC report released early to make their voices heard in the next couple of weeks. We need a good debate during the election campaign, and for that we need solid information.
Should Erin's Vision Statement say we want "many" residents employed locally? Or would "more" be sufficient? How about "most"? Such questions were debated by the Town's SSMP Liaison Committee, when it met recently after a seven-month break.
Does "a town to call home" sound too obvious? Would it be better to say "safe and livable community"? It is all very interesting, but the Servicing and Settlement Master Plan (SSMP) needs to get on with its primary mandate: the pros and cons of sewers.
The Liaison Committee has drifted through a visioning-educational-background phase, including a "mind-mapping" exercise – drawing lines between coloured ovals on a giant issues chart.
Consulting firm B.M. Ross was hired in 2008 to coordinate the SSMP project, with costs expected to exceed $400,000. They are delivering what the Town requested: a broad-based study, looking 25 years into the future. The time has come, however, to move beyond the fluffy stuff.
Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) has completed an important report on the environmental impact of having (or not having) a sewer system. The report was expected in January, but was not delivered to the Town until May. That put much of the SSMP process on hold.
The report is not being kept secret, but we are not allowed to read it yet. Project Manager Matt Pearson said only that the CVC appears willing to have the Credit River used to handle the discharge from a sewage system.
The report is locked in the gears of the study process, and is scheduled for release as an appendix to a larger background report early in the fall. That could be delayed. In the meantime, we have a municipal election on October 25, with people getting their mail-in ballots in late September.
The next town council is not expected to oversee any actual sewer construction, but there will be important decisions. If they make the commitment, there will be densities to be negotiated with residential developers, considered key to financing the project. How will sewers be phased in? What technology will be used for the sewage treatment plant? Will sludge from the plant be spread on farm fields as fertilizer? Will the same plant serve Hillsburgh? Where will they build the plant? (The north side of the Deer Pit is one possibility.)
We need to start discussing specific issues about how to service the urban areas, and the best place to start is the CVC report. There should be a thorough debate during the municipal election campaign about sewers, environmental protection, housing development and preserving Erin's charm. That will be very difficult without knowing the details of the report.
Normally, it would be sufficient to have the CVC report released in due course. But with the election imminent, I think the report should be made public on its own, by releasing it to the Liaison Committee at its August 25 meeting.
If this cannot be arranged, Town Council should consider intervening in the process. Councillors could be provided with the Executive Summary and Recommendations of the report, so they know what they are dealing with. Then, at their August 24 meeting, they could officially receive the full report and authorize its immediate release.
I am sure the report will be complex, and analysis by our consultants will be of great value. However, I see no harm in getting information out to the public so they can have a basic understanding of the environmental issues before the election campaign. It will enable candidates to take positions and could even prompt some people to run for council.
During the election campaign, what will candidates say to residents who have waste seeping up in their back yards from broken-down septic systems? (Buy an expensive new system designed to last 30 years, or wait for the big pipe?)
What will they say to residents concerned about employers being forced to leave Erin due to lack of services? Or to seniors forced to leave due to lack of housing. Or to those concerned about pollution of ground water and the Credit River? After so many years without progress on this issue, will it be enough to say, "We're doing a study..."?
The Town plans to mail a newsletter on the SSMP to all households in early September. Sometime in the fall, there will be a public meeting to discuss the background report. The final report, originally expected by this December, may not be ready until late next year.
Most residents are cynical about the whole process, if they even know about it. The public is not clamouring for a sewer system. The majority are rural residents who will never get the service. Many urban dwellers are either dead against it, or very reluctant. The fact that little appears to be happening is just fine for some.
The SSMP process allows the Town to go nice and slow, while still being able to assure the Ministry of the Environment that they are working on it.
I know it is the middle of the summer, and people may not want to think about the election. But I do appeal to those who would like to see the CVC report released early to make their voices heard in the next couple of weeks. We need a good debate during the election campaign, and for that we need solid information.
July 28, 2010
Erin doctor publishes powerful book of poems
As published in The Erin Advocate
Do you really want to know what goes through the mind of a doctor, facing a daily parade of human weakness and suffering? Consider that question and assess your appetite for ambivalence, biting metaphors and brutal honesty before reading Complete Physical, a book of poems by Dr. Shane Neilson. Then be brave, and read.
If you are a patient of Dr. Neilson, a physician with the East Wellington Family Health Team, you may be aware of his creative side – another career that does not pay as well, but which has earned him high praise on the Canadian poetry stage. Rest assured, too, that no details about you will be found in these poems.
Neilson is a New Brunswick native now living in Guelph. As a doctor he was attracted to Erin by a good job opportunity, and as a poet by The Porcupine's Quill, where I met him during a book signing session during the recent Doors Open event.
One of the privileges of being a publicly-funded Canadian publisher like The Porcupine's Quill is the mandate to seek out writers worthy of admittance to that respectable realm of ink on textured paper. Elke and Tim Inkster have succeeded at this for 35 years.
I went into a Coles bookstore recently and asked to see their poetry section. I was escorted to a shelf with one book, a greatest hits collection dating back to the Middle Ages. Their poetry section was about to be discontinued.
Still, there is an audience for poetry, and Neilson is ambitious for his creation, wanting to reach out beyond the readership of other poets and other doctors to the public – everyone who knows what it is to be a patient.
"The poems are based on a medical perspective," he said. "My aspirations for the book? I hope that people will actually care, and buy it and read it."
It is a collection of 43 short poems, some with a formal structure but most in a lyrical style, with rhythms controlled by the imagery. It is illustrated with quirky art from old medical textbooks that Tim Inkster found in an abandoned building.
There are a few local references. Here is part of the first poem, Standard Advice: "My practice amidst the one-horse town and faltering farms, a usual place where injury blossoms, pain is a boutonnière, when men know I will ask only if necessary, and women ask if."
The opening lines of Love Squawks Through Technology: "Dr Gear sits in his home study, listening to Ella Fitzgerald, tying flies, considering cancelling the New England Journal. Occasionally the intercom buzzes: Mr McGuire has lost a thumb in the thresher..."
Dr. Harry Gear was well-known in Erin village at the turn of the last century, building an Edwardian-style mansion in 1905 that still stands at 119 Main Street. He installed an audio tube at the front porch so patients could speak with him in the master bedroom. The poem imagines the mix-ups that could ensue from garbled communication.
The book shines a light on the amazing resilience of humans, on unrealistic expectations placed on doctors, on the emotional trauma of treating untreatable pain, on regrets for past errors, on impersonal technology, and on pessimism in the profession – as in Taking Charts Home after Work: "Charts snooze in the bag, kershuffle, and sing of lives awry in diagnosis, askew in drug, kerplunk in grief. I take the bag as homework, heavy in hand, and think the more you love, the more you lose."
It is heavy stuff, but achieves much more than therapy for the writer. In its fearless contemplation of pain and death, Complete Physical celebrates the pervasive beauty and power of love.
In his on-line commentary (porcupinesquill.ca), Neilson says his favourite poems are ambivalent – cherishing and despising a thing simultaneously. "The poems in the book freight complicity with beauty, they tend my flock not with judgement but with rueful wonder," he says. "The poems are exercises in answering the most important question the cpx [complete physical examination] begs: how are we to live in this world?"
Neilson published his first book of poems, Exterminate My Heart, with Frog Hollow Press in 2008, and now has four published collections. He edited a book of medical poems by one of his literary heroes, Canadian writer Alden Nowlan.
He also published a memoir about his tumultuous medical education, entitled Call Me Doctor. The Chapters-Indigo website sells that book, with a comment that Neilson "continues to be filled with a sense of wonder about how he made it this far as a doctor."
A prominent Canadian poet, Carmine Starnino, said this: "Doctors share one important thing with poets: an obsession with death. Shane Neilson has turned that obsession — and the special deathwatching vantage of his medical trade — into a collection of poems as beguiling and as brave as any I have recently read. In a clinical universe where suffering is distanced by language, Complete Physical becomes a kind of extraordinary talking cure. The human predicament has rarely found itself in such good hands."
Do you really want to know what goes through the mind of a doctor, facing a daily parade of human weakness and suffering? Consider that question and assess your appetite for ambivalence, biting metaphors and brutal honesty before reading Complete Physical, a book of poems by Dr. Shane Neilson. Then be brave, and read.
If you are a patient of Dr. Neilson, a physician with the East Wellington Family Health Team, you may be aware of his creative side – another career that does not pay as well, but which has earned him high praise on the Canadian poetry stage. Rest assured, too, that no details about you will be found in these poems.
Neilson is a New Brunswick native now living in Guelph. As a doctor he was attracted to Erin by a good job opportunity, and as a poet by The Porcupine's Quill, where I met him during a book signing session during the recent Doors Open event.
One of the privileges of being a publicly-funded Canadian publisher like The Porcupine's Quill is the mandate to seek out writers worthy of admittance to that respectable realm of ink on textured paper. Elke and Tim Inkster have succeeded at this for 35 years.
I went into a Coles bookstore recently and asked to see their poetry section. I was escorted to a shelf with one book, a greatest hits collection dating back to the Middle Ages. Their poetry section was about to be discontinued.
Still, there is an audience for poetry, and Neilson is ambitious for his creation, wanting to reach out beyond the readership of other poets and other doctors to the public – everyone who knows what it is to be a patient.
"The poems are based on a medical perspective," he said. "My aspirations for the book? I hope that people will actually care, and buy it and read it."
It is a collection of 43 short poems, some with a formal structure but most in a lyrical style, with rhythms controlled by the imagery. It is illustrated with quirky art from old medical textbooks that Tim Inkster found in an abandoned building.
There are a few local references. Here is part of the first poem, Standard Advice: "My practice amidst the one-horse town and faltering farms, a usual place where injury blossoms, pain is a boutonnière, when men know I will ask only if necessary, and women ask if."
The opening lines of Love Squawks Through Technology: "Dr Gear sits in his home study, listening to Ella Fitzgerald, tying flies, considering cancelling the New England Journal. Occasionally the intercom buzzes: Mr McGuire has lost a thumb in the thresher..."
Dr. Harry Gear was well-known in Erin village at the turn of the last century, building an Edwardian-style mansion in 1905 that still stands at 119 Main Street. He installed an audio tube at the front porch so patients could speak with him in the master bedroom. The poem imagines the mix-ups that could ensue from garbled communication.
The book shines a light on the amazing resilience of humans, on unrealistic expectations placed on doctors, on the emotional trauma of treating untreatable pain, on regrets for past errors, on impersonal technology, and on pessimism in the profession – as in Taking Charts Home after Work: "Charts snooze in the bag, kershuffle, and sing of lives awry in diagnosis, askew in drug, kerplunk in grief. I take the bag as homework, heavy in hand, and think the more you love, the more you lose."
It is heavy stuff, but achieves much more than therapy for the writer. In its fearless contemplation of pain and death, Complete Physical celebrates the pervasive beauty and power of love.
In his on-line commentary (porcupinesquill.ca), Neilson says his favourite poems are ambivalent – cherishing and despising a thing simultaneously. "The poems in the book freight complicity with beauty, they tend my flock not with judgement but with rueful wonder," he says. "The poems are exercises in answering the most important question the cpx [complete physical examination] begs: how are we to live in this world?"
Neilson published his first book of poems, Exterminate My Heart, with Frog Hollow Press in 2008, and now has four published collections. He edited a book of medical poems by one of his literary heroes, Canadian writer Alden Nowlan.
He also published a memoir about his tumultuous medical education, entitled Call Me Doctor. The Chapters-Indigo website sells that book, with a comment that Neilson "continues to be filled with a sense of wonder about how he made it this far as a doctor."
A prominent Canadian poet, Carmine Starnino, said this: "Doctors share one important thing with poets: an obsession with death. Shane Neilson has turned that obsession — and the special deathwatching vantage of his medical trade — into a collection of poems as beguiling and as brave as any I have recently read. In a clinical universe where suffering is distanced by language, Complete Physical becomes a kind of extraordinary talking cure. The human predicament has rarely found itself in such good hands."
July 14, 2010
CBC proud to release report by ERIN Research
As published in The Erin Advocate
The first phase of an innovative study by an Erin firm, measuring the "balance" of news presented on television, radio and the internet, has been released by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The News Balance Interim Report, by ERIN Research, is based on a 10-week sample of news recorded from October 26, 2009, to January 17, 2010. The full study, to be released in the fall, will span the 25-week period ending May 2, 2010, covering about 440 hours of broadcast news and 2,400 internet news stories.
"The study will be the most detailed and comprehensive of its kind in Canada and likely among any in the world. It's already creating something of a buzz in the academic and research communities," said Jennifer McGuire, general manager and editor-in-chief of CBC News. "Overseen by an independent panel of media experts, the final study will include both detailed content analysis and audience perception research."
ERIN Research has a long history with the CBC – the broadcaster was their first client back in 1981. That work has included six major studies of fairness in coverage of federal elections, plus the Quebec Referendum in 1995.
The company was founded by Dr. George Spears, PhD, trained in cognitive psychology, and Kasia Seydegart, with a Masters in Social Work. The couple moved to Erin, then decided it was better to start their own company than to commute long distances to work. The core team now includes Director Pat Zulinov and Business Manager Brenda Nicholson. There is also a variable workforce of contract researchers hired for various projects. You can learn more about the company and its ventures at www.erinresearch.com.
In addition to research for various media groups, ERIN Research also works for large organizations including TD Canada Trust, Peel Region, the Upper Grand District School Board and the Ontario government, measuring the level of satisfaction or effectiveness perceived by end users of specific services.
"Organizations want an empirical basis for making decisions, grounded in fact, in the truth, removing it from the subjective," said Seydegart. "This enables decision makers to have common information."
She says the success of a study depends not just on knowledge of the field, but on the sophistication of the statistical analysis, which can produce more beneficial data for clients. The questions must not only be relevant, but worded to elicit clear answers.
ERIN Research has won several awards for innovation and performance. Dr. Spears is considered an expert in the analysis of news and public affairs broadcasting, and of music use in the media and on the internet.
The firm did four studies in a project called Citizens First, for the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service, analyzing what really drives public satisfaction with government services. The organization says it has established the "gold-standard" for research on public sector service delivery, not only in Canada, but around the world.
"It is a powerful tool for governments to see themselves from the public perspective," said Seydegart.
The high-profile work for the CBC results in some intense scrutiny. Follow the on-line link from the ERIN site to the CBC announcement, and you'll find a forum filled with critics who accuse the CBC of all sorts of biases. Some suggest the ERIN Research study cannot be valid, since they see it as the CBC analyzing itself.
"That is not the case – we are independent," said Seydegart. "They come to us to get objective advice. It is not slanted or biased."
The CBC study measures things like the amount of news exposure given to different parts of the country, the representation given to visible minorities and aboriginal people and the balance of air time given to various political parties. It even measures the "tone" of the introductions and wrap-up comments in news items. For example, on The National, it is 19 per cent positive, 62 per cent neutral and 19 per cent negative.
It also finds that the CBC leads its competitors in its proportion of appearances of female news anchors and program hosts: 49 per cent for network radio, 60 per cent for local radio, 58 per cent for network television and 75 per cent for local television. Men still dominate the content of the news, since they remain the primary players in major news categories such as politics and crime.
The first phase of an innovative study by an Erin firm, measuring the "balance" of news presented on television, radio and the internet, has been released by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
The News Balance Interim Report, by ERIN Research, is based on a 10-week sample of news recorded from October 26, 2009, to January 17, 2010. The full study, to be released in the fall, will span the 25-week period ending May 2, 2010, covering about 440 hours of broadcast news and 2,400 internet news stories.
"The study will be the most detailed and comprehensive of its kind in Canada and likely among any in the world. It's already creating something of a buzz in the academic and research communities," said Jennifer McGuire, general manager and editor-in-chief of CBC News. "Overseen by an independent panel of media experts, the final study will include both detailed content analysis and audience perception research."
ERIN Research has a long history with the CBC – the broadcaster was their first client back in 1981. That work has included six major studies of fairness in coverage of federal elections, plus the Quebec Referendum in 1995.
The company was founded by Dr. George Spears, PhD, trained in cognitive psychology, and Kasia Seydegart, with a Masters in Social Work. The couple moved to Erin, then decided it was better to start their own company than to commute long distances to work. The core team now includes Director Pat Zulinov and Business Manager Brenda Nicholson. There is also a variable workforce of contract researchers hired for various projects. You can learn more about the company and its ventures at www.erinresearch.com.
In addition to research for various media groups, ERIN Research also works for large organizations including TD Canada Trust, Peel Region, the Upper Grand District School Board and the Ontario government, measuring the level of satisfaction or effectiveness perceived by end users of specific services.
"Organizations want an empirical basis for making decisions, grounded in fact, in the truth, removing it from the subjective," said Seydegart. "This enables decision makers to have common information."
She says the success of a study depends not just on knowledge of the field, but on the sophistication of the statistical analysis, which can produce more beneficial data for clients. The questions must not only be relevant, but worded to elicit clear answers.
ERIN Research has won several awards for innovation and performance. Dr. Spears is considered an expert in the analysis of news and public affairs broadcasting, and of music use in the media and on the internet.
The firm did four studies in a project called Citizens First, for the Institute for Citizen-Centred Service, analyzing what really drives public satisfaction with government services. The organization says it has established the "gold-standard" for research on public sector service delivery, not only in Canada, but around the world.
"It is a powerful tool for governments to see themselves from the public perspective," said Seydegart.
The high-profile work for the CBC results in some intense scrutiny. Follow the on-line link from the ERIN site to the CBC announcement, and you'll find a forum filled with critics who accuse the CBC of all sorts of biases. Some suggest the ERIN Research study cannot be valid, since they see it as the CBC analyzing itself.
"That is not the case – we are independent," said Seydegart. "They come to us to get objective advice. It is not slanted or biased."
The CBC study measures things like the amount of news exposure given to different parts of the country, the representation given to visible minorities and aboriginal people and the balance of air time given to various political parties. It even measures the "tone" of the introductions and wrap-up comments in news items. For example, on The National, it is 19 per cent positive, 62 per cent neutral and 19 per cent negative.
It also finds that the CBC leads its competitors in its proportion of appearances of female news anchors and program hosts: 49 per cent for network radio, 60 per cent for local radio, 58 per cent for network television and 75 per cent for local television. Men still dominate the content of the news, since they remain the primary players in major news categories such as politics and crime.
Learning to communicate should stay in fashion
As published in The Erin Advocate
I was reading some on-line forums, in which people post comments in response to news stories, and was surprised at the poor spelling and grammar displayed by many contributors.
Not that I think the comments should be edited or censored – poor spellers have every right to engage in public debate. But if you are going to present your words to thousands of people, why wouldn't you read them over, or at least use the spell-checker before submitting?
When I encounter poor spelling, it alters my view of the writer. Do they lack education or they are too lazy to express themselves well? This is undoubtedly unfair, since intelligence can be quite independent of communication skills, and everyone makes mistakes, but that is my reflex reaction. Today, when I see people with poor writing skills rise to positions of influence and authority, I wonder if I am just old-fashioned and out-of-touch.
Still, I think all parents want their children to be competent at writing, because they want them to be confident, persuasive and have many choices for study and work. There are many things parents can do improve kids' literacy, especially during the summer when the regular academic stimulation is missing.
I encountered a new word last week: palaver. It was used in reference to my column, so I had to look it up. I was shocked to discover that it means "prolonged and idle discussion". Well, at least the columns are short.
The point is not that people should learn lots of obscure words, in hopes of impressing others. But if kids see their parents using a dictionary or computer to check on a word, it sends a strong message: the accurate meaning and spelling of words really matters.
Parents act as role models when kids see them reading books, or the local newspaper. Literacy involves many things, from reading maps while on vacation, to navigating with signs and billboards.
"Reading is like a muscle – if you don't use it, you lose it," says Margaret Eaton, President of ABC Life Literacy Canada. "It's important for parents to encourage children to read over the summer to keep their minds sharp. All it takes is 15 minutes a day of reading or engaging in a fun literacy activity."
Other ideas include writing postcards to friends and family while on vacation, or playing word games while on the road. Outings to places like the zoo can lead to useful reading. So can following a recipe or playing a board game.
Naturally, local libraries have many books and events to stimulate young minds.
There's the Bug Safari, a mix of bug games, crafts, collecting and identifying, in Hillsburgh July 15, at 10:30 am, and in Erin August 11, at 2 pm. The African Drumming workshop will be a boost to musical literacy, today (July 14) at the Erin Branch, at 2 pm. There are Jungle Family Storytimes, Toronto Zoo presentations, clay mask-making sessions and a model tree house building contest.
Call or visit a branch to register for events, or for the TD Summer Reading Club – this year with a jungle theme. Last summer, more than 2,000 Wellington kids read over 33,400 books through the club. There is also the Teen Summer Reading Challenge, with some nifty prizes.
Now there's a word you don't hear much any more – "nifty". My on-line dictionary tells me it means skillful, as in "nifty footwork", or stylish as in "a nifty black shirt". After 150 years, the word has fallen out of fashion. Perhaps it is just as well.
I was reading some on-line forums, in which people post comments in response to news stories, and was surprised at the poor spelling and grammar displayed by many contributors.
Not that I think the comments should be edited or censored – poor spellers have every right to engage in public debate. But if you are going to present your words to thousands of people, why wouldn't you read them over, or at least use the spell-checker before submitting?
When I encounter poor spelling, it alters my view of the writer. Do they lack education or they are too lazy to express themselves well? This is undoubtedly unfair, since intelligence can be quite independent of communication skills, and everyone makes mistakes, but that is my reflex reaction. Today, when I see people with poor writing skills rise to positions of influence and authority, I wonder if I am just old-fashioned and out-of-touch.
Still, I think all parents want their children to be competent at writing, because they want them to be confident, persuasive and have many choices for study and work. There are many things parents can do improve kids' literacy, especially during the summer when the regular academic stimulation is missing.
I encountered a new word last week: palaver. It was used in reference to my column, so I had to look it up. I was shocked to discover that it means "prolonged and idle discussion". Well, at least the columns are short.
The point is not that people should learn lots of obscure words, in hopes of impressing others. But if kids see their parents using a dictionary or computer to check on a word, it sends a strong message: the accurate meaning and spelling of words really matters.
Parents act as role models when kids see them reading books, or the local newspaper. Literacy involves many things, from reading maps while on vacation, to navigating with signs and billboards.
"Reading is like a muscle – if you don't use it, you lose it," says Margaret Eaton, President of ABC Life Literacy Canada. "It's important for parents to encourage children to read over the summer to keep their minds sharp. All it takes is 15 minutes a day of reading or engaging in a fun literacy activity."
Other ideas include writing postcards to friends and family while on vacation, or playing word games while on the road. Outings to places like the zoo can lead to useful reading. So can following a recipe or playing a board game.
Naturally, local libraries have many books and events to stimulate young minds.
There's the Bug Safari, a mix of bug games, crafts, collecting and identifying, in Hillsburgh July 15, at 10:30 am, and in Erin August 11, at 2 pm. The African Drumming workshop will be a boost to musical literacy, today (July 14) at the Erin Branch, at 2 pm. There are Jungle Family Storytimes, Toronto Zoo presentations, clay mask-making sessions and a model tree house building contest.
Call or visit a branch to register for events, or for the TD Summer Reading Club – this year with a jungle theme. Last summer, more than 2,000 Wellington kids read over 33,400 books through the club. There is also the Teen Summer Reading Challenge, with some nifty prizes.
Now there's a word you don't hear much any more – "nifty". My on-line dictionary tells me it means skillful, as in "nifty footwork", or stylish as in "a nifty black shirt". After 150 years, the word has fallen out of fashion. Perhaps it is just as well.
July 07, 2010
Making Wellington County a vacation destination
As published in The Erin Advocate
If you still need some summer vacation ideas, you don't have to go to cottage country or the big city attractions. Try looking in our big back yard – Wellington County.
It is a competitive market out there, as municipalities vie for a better slice of the tourism dollar. The city to the west even has a brochure entitled "Top 10 Things To Do Downtown Before Leaving Guelph". But they are not part of Wellington, at least not yet.
There’s a ton of information at www.visitguelphwellington.ca, but it is mainly about Guelph, with only a smattering of Wellington. (Not that I have anything against Guelph – it’s OK, for a city.) The site has sections like Where to Eat, What to Do and Bed & Breakfasts, with no Erin listings. You will find better B&B choices at www.bbcanada.com.
Even though Erin is now part of a huge Ontario tourism region that includes Wellington, Waterloo, Perth and Huron, it still gets significant promotion from Hills of Headwaters Tourism, which includes Caledon, Orangeville and Dufferin. Go to www.thehillsofheadwaters.com. Or for a broader scan, drop a destination into the search engine at www.ontariotravel.net.
For rural and small-town events, check out the tourism website developed by Wellington County and its member municipalities: www.wellingtonfestivals.ca.
Hillsburgh is prominent in the Agritourism field, thanks to the Sustainable Living Workshops hosted by Everdale Organic Farm. Instead of lounging on a beach, you could foster your creative side by learning about Cement-Lime Plastering, or discovering The Lost Art of Canning and Home Preserving. Go to www.everdale.org.
Speaking of Hillsburgh, Century Church Theatre attracts many out of town visitors. Find out about their Summer Festival at www.centurychurchtheatre.com
Looking around Wellington for weekend outings or day trips? How about the Fergus Truck Show, July 22-25, the largest truck show in North America. Or various truck and tractor pulls – July 31 in Palmerston or August 28 at the Grand River Raceway in Elora. Or the Antique and Classic Car Show, August 29, at the County Museum near Elora (www.wcm.on.ca).
There are major artistic events like the Elora Festival, with top-notch classical music from July 9 to August 1 (www.elorafestival.ca), and the Hillside Music Festival, July 23-25 at Guelph Lake (www.hillsidefestival.ca).
Art in the Yard will be held July 10-11 at the Elora Centre for the Arts. Get your fill of pipe bands and highland dancing at the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games, on August 13. Or sample regional cuisine at Food Day Canada, at the Grand River Raceway, July 31.
There are specialty events like Afternoon Tea in the Victorian Garden, with Tarot Card readings, July 28 at the County Museum. Or check out the Mount Forest Fireworks Festival, July 16-18. My choice for the best event name is the Summer Sizzle Piano Pedagogy Symposium, including the Keyboard Kamp for Kids, July 18 in Mount Forest (www.cncm.ca).
Of course, you should give some consideration to attending summer events in Erin that are sure to attract vacationers. This Saturday, July 10 Doors Open Erin is a chance to explore heritage homes and learn about local history. There is the Erin Garden Tour on July 17 (www.eringardenclub.ca), and on August 7, the Erin Fest Sidewalk Sale, Festival and Concert.
Saturday, August 14 will be bustling with activity, with the start of the two-day Erin Rhythm & Ribs music and BBQ festival at McMillan Park. On August 19, Hillsburgh hosts the Wellington County Plowing Match (www.wellington.ca), then on August 21, the Spirit of the Hills Fun Day.
So, there you have it, more fun summer stuff than you can shake a stick at, without setting foot in a cottage or a city, and I’ve only scratched the surface. Go to www.wellingtonfestivals.ca for more, including autumn events like the Wellington Rural Romp and the grand-daddy of them all, the 160th Erin Fall Fair on Thanksgiving Weekend.
If you still need some summer vacation ideas, you don't have to go to cottage country or the big city attractions. Try looking in our big back yard – Wellington County.
It is a competitive market out there, as municipalities vie for a better slice of the tourism dollar. The city to the west even has a brochure entitled "Top 10 Things To Do Downtown Before Leaving Guelph". But they are not part of Wellington, at least not yet.
There’s a ton of information at www.visitguelphwellington.ca, but it is mainly about Guelph, with only a smattering of Wellington. (Not that I have anything against Guelph – it’s OK, for a city.) The site has sections like Where to Eat, What to Do and Bed & Breakfasts, with no Erin listings. You will find better B&B choices at www.bbcanada.com.
Even though Erin is now part of a huge Ontario tourism region that includes Wellington, Waterloo, Perth and Huron, it still gets significant promotion from Hills of Headwaters Tourism, which includes Caledon, Orangeville and Dufferin. Go to www.thehillsofheadwaters.com. Or for a broader scan, drop a destination into the search engine at www.ontariotravel.net.
For rural and small-town events, check out the tourism website developed by Wellington County and its member municipalities: www.wellingtonfestivals.ca.
Hillsburgh is prominent in the Agritourism field, thanks to the Sustainable Living Workshops hosted by Everdale Organic Farm. Instead of lounging on a beach, you could foster your creative side by learning about Cement-Lime Plastering, or discovering The Lost Art of Canning and Home Preserving. Go to www.everdale.org.
Speaking of Hillsburgh, Century Church Theatre attracts many out of town visitors. Find out about their Summer Festival at www.centurychurchtheatre.com
Looking around Wellington for weekend outings or day trips? How about the Fergus Truck Show, July 22-25, the largest truck show in North America. Or various truck and tractor pulls – July 31 in Palmerston or August 28 at the Grand River Raceway in Elora. Or the Antique and Classic Car Show, August 29, at the County Museum near Elora (www.wcm.on.ca).
There are major artistic events like the Elora Festival, with top-notch classical music from July 9 to August 1 (www.elorafestival.ca), and the Hillside Music Festival, July 23-25 at Guelph Lake (www.hillsidefestival.ca).
Art in the Yard will be held July 10-11 at the Elora Centre for the Arts. Get your fill of pipe bands and highland dancing at the Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games, on August 13. Or sample regional cuisine at Food Day Canada, at the Grand River Raceway, July 31.
There are specialty events like Afternoon Tea in the Victorian Garden, with Tarot Card readings, July 28 at the County Museum. Or check out the Mount Forest Fireworks Festival, July 16-18. My choice for the best event name is the Summer Sizzle Piano Pedagogy Symposium, including the Keyboard Kamp for Kids, July 18 in Mount Forest (www.cncm.ca).
Of course, you should give some consideration to attending summer events in Erin that are sure to attract vacationers. This Saturday, July 10 Doors Open Erin is a chance to explore heritage homes and learn about local history. There is the Erin Garden Tour on July 17 (www.eringardenclub.ca), and on August 7, the Erin Fest Sidewalk Sale, Festival and Concert.
Saturday, August 14 will be bustling with activity, with the start of the two-day Erin Rhythm & Ribs music and BBQ festival at McMillan Park. On August 19, Hillsburgh hosts the Wellington County Plowing Match (www.wellington.ca), then on August 21, the Spirit of the Hills Fun Day.
So, there you have it, more fun summer stuff than you can shake a stick at, without setting foot in a cottage or a city, and I’ve only scratched the surface. Go to www.wellingtonfestivals.ca for more, including autumn events like the Wellington Rural Romp and the grand-daddy of them all, the 160th Erin Fall Fair on Thanksgiving Weekend.
June 30, 2010
Harness native plants for spectacular landscaping
As published in The Erin Advocate
If you going to try your hand at naturescaping, be sure to let your neighbours know it is part of a plan. Who knows, they may even want to get in on the project, extending an area of ground cover, wildflowers, ferns and flowering shrubs over multiple properties.
"Keep it neat and communicate with your neighbours," said Melanie Kramer, a residential greening specialist with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC). "If you trim the area or use a border, it looks more intentional."
Plants should not be too orderly within a naturalized landscape, but you can still treat your land like a living, three-dimensional canvas, with groupings of colour and varieties of texture. Planning the view from different vantage points (your window, the street or a bench in the middle of the zone), you can plant taller elements in the background and shorter ones near the front.
"Ask yourself what is missing from your yard, and look for opportunities," said Kramer, who presented the Your Green Yard Workshop recently in Orangeville. "Over time you can build it up. Start with hardy species that you know will survive."
Become familiar with your soil type, how the water drains and what may be buried underground, like well pipes, septic systems and cables. The Ontario One Call utility notification service has a toll-free line: 1-800-400-2255.
If converting a lawn area, it is recommended that you remove the grass or kill it off by covering it with plastic, or a layer of newspaper and soil. It is a dramatic commitment, so it is perhaps best to start with a small area.
Low maintenance is one of the goals, so it makes sense to use native plants that thrived in this area for thousands of years before European settlement. Native species are drought tolerant and will not require chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
Groupings of trees or shrubs provide shelter and resting sites for birds, butterflies and small mammals – berry or nut-producing shrubs will attract wildlife year-round.
More trees are always good news – only about 12 per cent of this area has tree cover, and Environment Canada recommends 30 per cent. Species like Sugar Maple, Black Cherry, Yellow or White Birch, Basswood and White Ash should do well if you want to create a deciduous canopy.
For primarily sunny areas, pick prairie and meadow plants like the purple Wild Bergamot, the yellow Black-eyed Susan, the orange Butterfly Weed or the pink Spotted Joe-pye Weed. There are many attractive tall grasses as well. Learn more through the native plant database at www.evergreen.ca or try the Canadian Wildlife Federation site: www.wildaboutgardening.org. Photos of various plants are easily accessed through Google Images.
For shady areas, choose woodland plants like the blue Wild Geranium, the red Wild Columbine or the showy white Bloodroot; some are better suited to moist conditions. For shrubbery, consider Serviceberry, Chokecherry or Flowering Raspberry. You can also cultivate a rain garden by directing water run-off to a low area well away from the house.
There are many plants that are considered "invasive" – not just the poisonous ones like Giant Hogweed, but more common ground covers like English Ivy and Periwinkle. These two are acceptable if they are not allowed to "escape" to a natural area where their aggressive growth could crowd out other plant species. Others, like Curly Pondweed, Goutweed and Japanese Knotweed are considered a risk anywhere. Check out www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca.
If buying plants from a nursery, consider native varieties instead of "cultivars" that have been grown to enhance specific characteristics. Also, plants like Queen Anne's Lace are not encouraged, since they were imported from Europe and are not true "natives". Learn more from the Ontario Society for Ecological Restoration: www.serontario. Also, the Canadian Wildlife Service has "Planting the Seed" guides on aquatic plants and meadow communities at www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife (click Publications).
CVC's ecological landscaping web page has a list of landscape architects that can assist with large projects, which could include low-maintenance lawns, permeable paving and "green" structures. Go to www.creditvalleyca.ca/landscaping. You will also find there a list of Native Plant Nurseries and Seed Sources where you can get advice, ranging from Humber Nurseries in Brampton (www.gardencentre.com) to Baker Forestry in Erin (905-877-9390).
Additional fact sheets will soon be added to the CVC site, including lists of which plants grow best in various soil types. More workshops are planned for this fall.
If you going to try your hand at naturescaping, be sure to let your neighbours know it is part of a plan. Who knows, they may even want to get in on the project, extending an area of ground cover, wildflowers, ferns and flowering shrubs over multiple properties.
"Keep it neat and communicate with your neighbours," said Melanie Kramer, a residential greening specialist with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC). "If you trim the area or use a border, it looks more intentional."
Plants should not be too orderly within a naturalized landscape, but you can still treat your land like a living, three-dimensional canvas, with groupings of colour and varieties of texture. Planning the view from different vantage points (your window, the street or a bench in the middle of the zone), you can plant taller elements in the background and shorter ones near the front.
"Ask yourself what is missing from your yard, and look for opportunities," said Kramer, who presented the Your Green Yard Workshop recently in Orangeville. "Over time you can build it up. Start with hardy species that you know will survive."
Become familiar with your soil type, how the water drains and what may be buried underground, like well pipes, septic systems and cables. The Ontario One Call utility notification service has a toll-free line: 1-800-400-2255.
If converting a lawn area, it is recommended that you remove the grass or kill it off by covering it with plastic, or a layer of newspaper and soil. It is a dramatic commitment, so it is perhaps best to start with a small area.
Low maintenance is one of the goals, so it makes sense to use native plants that thrived in this area for thousands of years before European settlement. Native species are drought tolerant and will not require chemical pesticides or fertilizers.
Groupings of trees or shrubs provide shelter and resting sites for birds, butterflies and small mammals – berry or nut-producing shrubs will attract wildlife year-round.
More trees are always good news – only about 12 per cent of this area has tree cover, and Environment Canada recommends 30 per cent. Species like Sugar Maple, Black Cherry, Yellow or White Birch, Basswood and White Ash should do well if you want to create a deciduous canopy.
For primarily sunny areas, pick prairie and meadow plants like the purple Wild Bergamot, the yellow Black-eyed Susan, the orange Butterfly Weed or the pink Spotted Joe-pye Weed. There are many attractive tall grasses as well. Learn more through the native plant database at www.evergreen.ca or try the Canadian Wildlife Federation site: www.wildaboutgardening.org. Photos of various plants are easily accessed through Google Images.
For shady areas, choose woodland plants like the blue Wild Geranium, the red Wild Columbine or the showy white Bloodroot; some are better suited to moist conditions. For shrubbery, consider Serviceberry, Chokecherry or Flowering Raspberry. You can also cultivate a rain garden by directing water run-off to a low area well away from the house.
There are many plants that are considered "invasive" – not just the poisonous ones like Giant Hogweed, but more common ground covers like English Ivy and Periwinkle. These two are acceptable if they are not allowed to "escape" to a natural area where their aggressive growth could crowd out other plant species. Others, like Curly Pondweed, Goutweed and Japanese Knotweed are considered a risk anywhere. Check out www.ontarioinvasiveplants.ca.
If buying plants from a nursery, consider native varieties instead of "cultivars" that have been grown to enhance specific characteristics. Also, plants like Queen Anne's Lace are not encouraged, since they were imported from Europe and are not true "natives". Learn more from the Ontario Society for Ecological Restoration: www.serontario. Also, the Canadian Wildlife Service has "Planting the Seed" guides on aquatic plants and meadow communities at www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife (click Publications).
CVC's ecological landscaping web page has a list of landscape architects that can assist with large projects, which could include low-maintenance lawns, permeable paving and "green" structures. Go to www.creditvalleyca.ca/landscaping. You will also find there a list of Native Plant Nurseries and Seed Sources where you can get advice, ranging from Humber Nurseries in Brampton (www.gardencentre.com) to Baker Forestry in Erin (905-877-9390).
Additional fact sheets will soon be added to the CVC site, including lists of which plants grow best in various soil types. More workshops are planned for this fall.
June 23, 2010
Highway corridor will go south of Georgetown
As published in The Erin Advocate
The idea of a major highway corridor connecting Brampton and the north end of Guelph has been rejected by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). One of four routes under consideration, it would have sliced through the Niagara Escarpment and the farms of south Erin.
At an open house last week in Brampton, Senior Transportation Planner Jin Wang said the MTO has narrowed the plan to two possible southern routes, as part of the GTA West Environmental Assessment. All methods of moving people and freight are being studied, with a 20-year time frame.
"Very high growth is expected in the GTA area, and we have to plan now," said Wang. "We need a full suite of transportation improvements."
A new highway, likely with a parallel bus transitway that could be converted to rail in the future, will start at Hwy. 400 in Vaughan, as a third major east-west route north of Hwys. 401 and 407. Coming west, it will merge with the recently completed Hwy. 410, and continue along the Mayfield Road corridor towards Georgetown. At that point, it could have cut north towards Erin.
"That would have had a very high impact on the environment, on farmland and on communities," said Wang. Instead, the route will go south of Georgetown, linking to Hwy. 401 either at the Hwy. 407 interchange near Winston Churchill, or further west near Tremaine Road in Milton. The fourth option, now rejected, was to run the highway from Georgetown, parallel to the 401, making a new cut through the escarpment to join Hwy. 6 south of Guelph.
Milton Regional Councillor Colin Best, representing Halton Region on a municipal task force reviewing the plans, had lobbied to have the highway take one of the northern routes. This would have preserved industrial and farm lands near Milton, taken more commuters off the 401 and provided an alternative to Hwy. 7 through the Georgetown-Acton area.
If the highway heads south along the Peel-Halton border to the 407, it will be part of an already-planned municipal freeway, which will intersect with a Hwy. 7 bypass of Norval. Hwy. 401 would have to be expanded to 12 lanes (express and collector) leading to Milton. The MTO plan is to be finalized by the end of this year, and public comments are still welcome. Go to www.gta-west.com.
The route through Erin would have deferred the need to widen County Road 124 between Guelph and Caledon, with an Erin bypass, so that pressure will continue to increase.
MTO Information Officer Will MacKenzie, however, suggested that evolution of the highway web might eventually give Erin some relief from the truck traffic between the Alliston Honda plant and the Cambridge area. Alliston is on Hwy. 89, west of Hwy. 400.
With current improvements to Hwy. 89, plus eventual widening of Hwy. 400 to 10 lanes, shippers may find it easier to go east to the 400, then south to the new highway, instead of coming west through Erin.
Public transit is touted as the top priority and a new study is being undertaken of "inter-regional transit opportunities". The MTO wants to "identify rural areas that warrant transit connections", which could mean a GO bus link from Erin to the "spine" – the GO Train station in Georgetown. We could also be a stop along the way if a bus link is established between downtown Guelph and downtown Brampton.
They are even studying the possibility of new rail connections, including the "potential to implement commuter rail transit on active tracks or on reconstituted abandoned tracks". It seems unlikely, but it is interesting to imagine a resurrection of the Elora-Cataract rail line that put Erin on the map 131 years ago.
With the population exploding all around us, who knows what might happen?
The idea of a major highway corridor connecting Brampton and the north end of Guelph has been rejected by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). One of four routes under consideration, it would have sliced through the Niagara Escarpment and the farms of south Erin.
At an open house last week in Brampton, Senior Transportation Planner Jin Wang said the MTO has narrowed the plan to two possible southern routes, as part of the GTA West Environmental Assessment. All methods of moving people and freight are being studied, with a 20-year time frame.
"Very high growth is expected in the GTA area, and we have to plan now," said Wang. "We need a full suite of transportation improvements."
A new highway, likely with a parallel bus transitway that could be converted to rail in the future, will start at Hwy. 400 in Vaughan, as a third major east-west route north of Hwys. 401 and 407. Coming west, it will merge with the recently completed Hwy. 410, and continue along the Mayfield Road corridor towards Georgetown. At that point, it could have cut north towards Erin.
"That would have had a very high impact on the environment, on farmland and on communities," said Wang. Instead, the route will go south of Georgetown, linking to Hwy. 401 either at the Hwy. 407 interchange near Winston Churchill, or further west near Tremaine Road in Milton. The fourth option, now rejected, was to run the highway from Georgetown, parallel to the 401, making a new cut through the escarpment to join Hwy. 6 south of Guelph.
Milton Regional Councillor Colin Best, representing Halton Region on a municipal task force reviewing the plans, had lobbied to have the highway take one of the northern routes. This would have preserved industrial and farm lands near Milton, taken more commuters off the 401 and provided an alternative to Hwy. 7 through the Georgetown-Acton area.
If the highway heads south along the Peel-Halton border to the 407, it will be part of an already-planned municipal freeway, which will intersect with a Hwy. 7 bypass of Norval. Hwy. 401 would have to be expanded to 12 lanes (express and collector) leading to Milton. The MTO plan is to be finalized by the end of this year, and public comments are still welcome. Go to www.gta-west.com.
The route through Erin would have deferred the need to widen County Road 124 between Guelph and Caledon, with an Erin bypass, so that pressure will continue to increase.
MTO Information Officer Will MacKenzie, however, suggested that evolution of the highway web might eventually give Erin some relief from the truck traffic between the Alliston Honda plant and the Cambridge area. Alliston is on Hwy. 89, west of Hwy. 400.
With current improvements to Hwy. 89, plus eventual widening of Hwy. 400 to 10 lanes, shippers may find it easier to go east to the 400, then south to the new highway, instead of coming west through Erin.
Public transit is touted as the top priority and a new study is being undertaken of "inter-regional transit opportunities". The MTO wants to "identify rural areas that warrant transit connections", which could mean a GO bus link from Erin to the "spine" – the GO Train station in Georgetown. We could also be a stop along the way if a bus link is established between downtown Guelph and downtown Brampton.
They are even studying the possibility of new rail connections, including the "potential to implement commuter rail transit on active tracks or on reconstituted abandoned tracks". It seems unlikely, but it is interesting to imagine a resurrection of the Elora-Cataract rail line that put Erin on the map 131 years ago.
With the population exploding all around us, who knows what might happen?
June 16, 2010
Disabled still face long-term accessibility obstacles
As published in The Erin Advocate
The steps at the doorways of some Erin stores present an impossible barrier for people in wheelchairs. Improvements have been made at many locations, but even with new customer service regulations coming in 2012, the town will still have a long way to go before it is truly accessible.
Nicole Valentine lives near downtown Erin village, and deals with the frustration all the time because her six-year-old son Pierce needs a wheelchair. He had meningitis as a baby, causing delay to his development and damage to his sight. When driving through town with her children, she would like to be able to stop and bring them into a store.
"I usually don't shop in town, that's the sad part," she said. Sometimes, she gets a babysitter so she can run errands on her own.
Newer stores generally have level entranceways, but at many older, historic buildings, there is not sufficient room on the sidewalk for a ramp, and only an expensive reconstruction of the storefront would enable easy access.
Valentine does not expect owners to tear up their storefronts, but in cases where there is enough room, she is hoping for more ramps, and doors that can be activated with the push of a button. These also help people who are frail, and those pushing strollers.
About 1.85 million Ontarians (15.5 per cent) have a disability. Within 20 years, as the population ages, 20 per cent will be disabled. Already, more than half the population feels the direct impact, if immediate family members are included.
“As caregivers and supporters, they also experience the reality of disability,” said Lieutenant Governor David Onley.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is gradually bringing in standards in various areas: Customer Service, Built Environment, Transportation, Communications and Employment. The goal is full accessibility by 2025.
The Built Environment Standard, however, will apply only to new and significantly renovated buildings. Store owners will not be required to retrofit existing structures just to meet the standard. Other exemptions are planned, where compliance would be structurally impractical, be detrimental to a building's heritage value or create "undue hardship".
Customer Service was the first standard to come into effect, in January this year for public sector facilities. As of January 2012, it will apply to the private sector. An IPSOS REID survey last month found 68% of Ontarians polled were either not very aware, or had never heard of the new rules, which are based on the principle of equal opportunity.
Private firms will have a legal obligation to train staff and accommodate the needs of customers with a variety of disabilities: physical, hearing, sight, cognitive and intellectual. Goods and services must be provided in a way that respects their "dignity and independence". Firms must communicate with customers in a manner that takes into account their disability, and unless otherwise prohibited, allow guide dogs onto the premises. For more details, go to www.mcss.gov.on.ca.
The Town of Erin has trained its staff on the new service standards. They will take action to meet the needs of a disabled person at the municipal office, though in some cases they will need advance notice. This could include providing larger print or even braille materials for a visually impaired person, hiring an interpreter for a hearing impaired person or holding a public meeting on the main floor instead of the basement, since there is no elevator. There is $9,900 in the current budget to raise the sidewalk slightly at the front entrance and install an automatic door.
Most public sector buildings in Erin are wheelchair accessible, with the exception of the upstairs banquet hall at the Hillsburgh arena. Since that building is considered quite old now, accessibility will likely have to wait for a new facility.
The Royal Bank office in Hillsburgh has no room for a sidewalk ramp, but they have still made helpful improvements with a heavy-duty hand rail and automatic door. The Family Health Team medical centre in Erin has a small ramp of pavement from the parking lot to their sidewalk. There are no markings on the pavement, however, so drivers may not realize they are parking on the ramp, blocking the access. The Erin Post Office has a large ramp, but like many facilities, a heavy door that is awkward for anyone in a wheelchair, or pushing one. This would be an ideal spot for an automatic door.
Charles Beer, a former Minister of Community and Social Services, released a review of the AODA in February. He said a major effort is needed to educate people about the new regulations, and that standards need to be harmonized and streamlined. "I sense a tremendous angst among representatives from the obligated sectors and fears that the cost of compliance will be burdensome," he said.
The rights of persons with disabilities are protected under both the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Ontario’s Human Rights Code. Those rights don't mean much until there are regulations in place, with adequate enforcement.
"Accessibility turns legal rights into practical, everyday realities," said Beer. "As accessibility increases, Ontarians with disabilities will bring their talents to bear more effectively in the workplace and in all other aspects of Ontario life. Youth with disabilities will have more opportunity for educational achievement and seniors will live more fulfilling lives.
"Consumer spending by persons with disabilities will rise. And our quality of life will be enriched by the fuller inclusion of Ontarians with disabilities in our social relationships and community activities. Most important, the realization of accessibility will demonstrate our shared commitment to each other — and reinforce the values of decency, fairness and respect for individual dignity that bind Ontarians together."
The steps at the doorways of some Erin stores present an impossible barrier for people in wheelchairs. Improvements have been made at many locations, but even with new customer service regulations coming in 2012, the town will still have a long way to go before it is truly accessible.
Nicole Valentine lives near downtown Erin village, and deals with the frustration all the time because her six-year-old son Pierce needs a wheelchair. He had meningitis as a baby, causing delay to his development and damage to his sight. When driving through town with her children, she would like to be able to stop and bring them into a store.
"I usually don't shop in town, that's the sad part," she said. Sometimes, she gets a babysitter so she can run errands on her own.
Newer stores generally have level entranceways, but at many older, historic buildings, there is not sufficient room on the sidewalk for a ramp, and only an expensive reconstruction of the storefront would enable easy access.
Valentine does not expect owners to tear up their storefronts, but in cases where there is enough room, she is hoping for more ramps, and doors that can be activated with the push of a button. These also help people who are frail, and those pushing strollers.
About 1.85 million Ontarians (15.5 per cent) have a disability. Within 20 years, as the population ages, 20 per cent will be disabled. Already, more than half the population feels the direct impact, if immediate family members are included.
“As caregivers and supporters, they also experience the reality of disability,” said Lieutenant Governor David Onley.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is gradually bringing in standards in various areas: Customer Service, Built Environment, Transportation, Communications and Employment. The goal is full accessibility by 2025.
The Built Environment Standard, however, will apply only to new and significantly renovated buildings. Store owners will not be required to retrofit existing structures just to meet the standard. Other exemptions are planned, where compliance would be structurally impractical, be detrimental to a building's heritage value or create "undue hardship".
Customer Service was the first standard to come into effect, in January this year for public sector facilities. As of January 2012, it will apply to the private sector. An IPSOS REID survey last month found 68% of Ontarians polled were either not very aware, or had never heard of the new rules, which are based on the principle of equal opportunity.
Private firms will have a legal obligation to train staff and accommodate the needs of customers with a variety of disabilities: physical, hearing, sight, cognitive and intellectual. Goods and services must be provided in a way that respects their "dignity and independence". Firms must communicate with customers in a manner that takes into account their disability, and unless otherwise prohibited, allow guide dogs onto the premises. For more details, go to www.mcss.gov.on.ca.
The Town of Erin has trained its staff on the new service standards. They will take action to meet the needs of a disabled person at the municipal office, though in some cases they will need advance notice. This could include providing larger print or even braille materials for a visually impaired person, hiring an interpreter for a hearing impaired person or holding a public meeting on the main floor instead of the basement, since there is no elevator. There is $9,900 in the current budget to raise the sidewalk slightly at the front entrance and install an automatic door.
Most public sector buildings in Erin are wheelchair accessible, with the exception of the upstairs banquet hall at the Hillsburgh arena. Since that building is considered quite old now, accessibility will likely have to wait for a new facility.
The Royal Bank office in Hillsburgh has no room for a sidewalk ramp, but they have still made helpful improvements with a heavy-duty hand rail and automatic door. The Family Health Team medical centre in Erin has a small ramp of pavement from the parking lot to their sidewalk. There are no markings on the pavement, however, so drivers may not realize they are parking on the ramp, blocking the access. The Erin Post Office has a large ramp, but like many facilities, a heavy door that is awkward for anyone in a wheelchair, or pushing one. This would be an ideal spot for an automatic door.
Charles Beer, a former Minister of Community and Social Services, released a review of the AODA in February. He said a major effort is needed to educate people about the new regulations, and that standards need to be harmonized and streamlined. "I sense a tremendous angst among representatives from the obligated sectors and fears that the cost of compliance will be burdensome," he said.
The rights of persons with disabilities are protected under both the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Ontario’s Human Rights Code. Those rights don't mean much until there are regulations in place, with adequate enforcement.
"Accessibility turns legal rights into practical, everyday realities," said Beer. "As accessibility increases, Ontarians with disabilities will bring their talents to bear more effectively in the workplace and in all other aspects of Ontario life. Youth with disabilities will have more opportunity for educational achievement and seniors will live more fulfilling lives.
"Consumer spending by persons with disabilities will rise. And our quality of life will be enriched by the fuller inclusion of Ontarians with disabilities in our social relationships and community activities. Most important, the realization of accessibility will demonstrate our shared commitment to each other — and reinforce the values of decency, fairness and respect for individual dignity that bind Ontarians together."
June 09, 2010
Take care of your land (and save your planet)
As published in The Erin Advocate
I've been thinking of letting part of my back yard grow a little wild, but really don't know where to start. The goal is to have it look attractive – not like a weedy patch of untended grass that I was too lazy to cut.
Of course, one person's weed is another's wildflower, but I really need a plan that will give some design to the project. So when I heard that Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) is hosting a free workshop on ecological landscaping, Your Green Yard – Discover the Possibilities, I signed up to attend.
It is on June 16, 7-9 pm, at the Orangeville and District Seniors Centre, 26 Bythia Street, presented in partnership with the Orangeville Sustainability Action Team. Register on the CVC Stewardship Hotline, 1-800-668-5557, ext. 221, or at www.creditvalleyca.ca/bulletin/events.htm.
Of interest to both urban and rural residents, the event will provide fact sheets, design tips and plant lists. The idea is to create a diverse landscape that will improve local air, water and soil quality, conserve energy and water, avoid flooding and even reduce the impact of global warming.
Using native plants, you can have a low-maintenance area that enhances the habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. You can branch out, so to speak, with green walls, living fences, natural pools and permeable paving.
The workshop is one of many presented by the CVC during the year, for those who are keen to learn about the local environment. There is a monthly email newsletter from CVC called The Source, covering various events.
Another of particular interest is a free workshop called Your Guide to Caring for the Credit, helping rural residents who are not farmers learn how to be better "stewards" of their land. Designed for those with more than two acres of land, it will be held at Terra Cotta Conservation Area on Winston Churchill Blvd., June 24, 7-9:30 pm. Register by June 17 at 1-800-668-5557, ext. 221. There will be another one on November 13 in Alton.
Participants get a self-assessment manual produced by the University of Guelph, aerial photos and maps showing natural areas and features on their own property and a stewardship kit with free samples of environment-friendly household products. They will also be eligible for free on-site advice from CVC experts and free admission to a follow-up expert speaker series.
People sometimes buy rural property without a full understanding of how to care for the land, and how their actions could either enhance the environment or put themselves and their neighbours at risk. The workshop will help people see how their property fits into the local ecosystem.
A series of worksheets will deal with rural issues like wells, septic systems, ponds, woodlots, drainage, meadows, wetlands, wildlife, wind breaks, stream banks, energy conservation, fertilizers, fuels, pesticides, invasive plants and the benefits of native plants. The goal is an action plan, tailored to the individual property.
The CVC is concerned about the impact of climate change on the watershed, which is already under a lot of stress. Since most of the land is privately owned, the CVC has increased its educational efforts in recent years, urging residents to take more responsibility.
"We need to get the watershed into the best shape possible, to withstand the effects of climate change," said Lisa Brusse, CVC's Headwaters Stewardship Coordinator.
On the final night of the Fast Forward Environmental Film Festival at the Erin Legion last month, Liz Armstrong of the Climate Change Action Group of Erin, urged both governments and individuals to act boldly to reduce the negative impact of human activity on the planet.
"Climate change is real, and happening faster than most scientists predicted," she said, claiming that the Baby Boom generation, which was spared the trauma of war, is now "rolling the dice" on the well-being of their descendants.
"Previous generations put their lives on the line in the face of grave danger. We need to take radical action that will have future generations thanking us, instead of spitting on our graves. Let's answer the call, and be remarkable."
I've been thinking of letting part of my back yard grow a little wild, but really don't know where to start. The goal is to have it look attractive – not like a weedy patch of untended grass that I was too lazy to cut.
Of course, one person's weed is another's wildflower, but I really need a plan that will give some design to the project. So when I heard that Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) is hosting a free workshop on ecological landscaping, Your Green Yard – Discover the Possibilities, I signed up to attend.
It is on June 16, 7-9 pm, at the Orangeville and District Seniors Centre, 26 Bythia Street, presented in partnership with the Orangeville Sustainability Action Team. Register on the CVC Stewardship Hotline, 1-800-668-5557, ext. 221, or at www.creditvalleyca.ca/bulletin/events.htm.
Of interest to both urban and rural residents, the event will provide fact sheets, design tips and plant lists. The idea is to create a diverse landscape that will improve local air, water and soil quality, conserve energy and water, avoid flooding and even reduce the impact of global warming.
Using native plants, you can have a low-maintenance area that enhances the habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife. You can branch out, so to speak, with green walls, living fences, natural pools and permeable paving.
The workshop is one of many presented by the CVC during the year, for those who are keen to learn about the local environment. There is a monthly email newsletter from CVC called The Source, covering various events.
Another of particular interest is a free workshop called Your Guide to Caring for the Credit, helping rural residents who are not farmers learn how to be better "stewards" of their land. Designed for those with more than two acres of land, it will be held at Terra Cotta Conservation Area on Winston Churchill Blvd., June 24, 7-9:30 pm. Register by June 17 at 1-800-668-5557, ext. 221. There will be another one on November 13 in Alton.
Participants get a self-assessment manual produced by the University of Guelph, aerial photos and maps showing natural areas and features on their own property and a stewardship kit with free samples of environment-friendly household products. They will also be eligible for free on-site advice from CVC experts and free admission to a follow-up expert speaker series.
People sometimes buy rural property without a full understanding of how to care for the land, and how their actions could either enhance the environment or put themselves and their neighbours at risk. The workshop will help people see how their property fits into the local ecosystem.
A series of worksheets will deal with rural issues like wells, septic systems, ponds, woodlots, drainage, meadows, wetlands, wildlife, wind breaks, stream banks, energy conservation, fertilizers, fuels, pesticides, invasive plants and the benefits of native plants. The goal is an action plan, tailored to the individual property.
The CVC is concerned about the impact of climate change on the watershed, which is already under a lot of stress. Since most of the land is privately owned, the CVC has increased its educational efforts in recent years, urging residents to take more responsibility.
"We need to get the watershed into the best shape possible, to withstand the effects of climate change," said Lisa Brusse, CVC's Headwaters Stewardship Coordinator.
On the final night of the Fast Forward Environmental Film Festival at the Erin Legion last month, Liz Armstrong of the Climate Change Action Group of Erin, urged both governments and individuals to act boldly to reduce the negative impact of human activity on the planet.
"Climate change is real, and happening faster than most scientists predicted," she said, claiming that the Baby Boom generation, which was spared the trauma of war, is now "rolling the dice" on the well-being of their descendants.
"Previous generations put their lives on the line in the face of grave danger. We need to take radical action that will have future generations thanking us, instead of spitting on our graves. Let's answer the call, and be remarkable."
June 02, 2010
Seniors Survey could lead to service improvements
As published in The Erin Advocate
What do seniors in this area really need? East Wellington Community Services (EWCS) is conducting a major survey, to get answers that will help it plan improvements in the coming years.
The questions cover four topics: housing requirements, transportation needs, social activities and health services. Substantial deficiencies exist in all these areas, forcing many seniors to move away.
"From this survey, our goal is to be able to provide a community where our seniors will want to stay and where they will feel involved," said EWCS President David Robart-Morgan.
The Seniors Advisory Committee, including seniors from across the Rockwood-Erin district, has been working on the survey. It is available this week at libraries, churches and doctors' offices, through service clubs and seniors' groups, and at EWCS facilities. For information, call EWCS at 519-833-9696.
The survey is intended for anyone 55 and older, though a younger person could fill it out on behalf of a senior. It is anonymous, encouraging people to speak their minds freely. The goal is to make a survey available to everyone who is interested, even if it means delivering it personally, and providing assistance if requested.
"We will sit and help them fill it out," said Sherri Plourde, EWCS Manager of Seniors Services.
The process is being supported by a $25,000 grant from the federal government's New Horizons for Seniors program, which is designed to help non-profit organizations improve the quality of life for seniors. A staff member is being hired to support the work of the committee.
A separate survey has been designed to get input from groups that provide services for seniors. Once all the data is analyzed, there will be a final report, scheduled for August.
"We will distribute it to funders and government agencies," said EWCS Executive Director Glenyis Betts. "We can look at partnerships to bring in services to make it a more senior-friendly community."
The committee may be able to carry on as an independent Seniors Association that could seek funding for programs, and organize ways for seniors to help each other. EWCS is hoping to organize public meetings for people to share ideas, and will hold their Seniors Expo this fall.
Of course, there are many needs within current activities, plus programs or facilities that do not yet exist. The survey will help determine what is most important to the people who are directly affected.
Do we want a dedicated seniors' centre, with several separate areas, so different activities could be held at the same time? Currently, there is the permanent Seniors Room at Centre 2000, but in Rockwood, EWCS has only occasional use of space at Rockmosa Community Centre.
Do we want a retirement home or a nursing home? Do we want more apartments or condos? Do we want some smaller houses? "Low-cost" accommodation in Erin may not be possible under current market conditions, but could we hope for housing on the less extravagant side of the market?
Do we want better public bus service? Do we want better accessibility to public buildings? Do we want more specialized health services? Do we want better support to help people grow old in their own homes?
Do we want more fun?
Seniors certainly do not have to be passive recipients of social services. As they become an ever-larger part of the population, they will not only have the political clout to demand things that they need, but the community support to create what they want. If they set their sights high, there's no telling what might be achieved.
What do seniors in this area really need? East Wellington Community Services (EWCS) is conducting a major survey, to get answers that will help it plan improvements in the coming years.
The questions cover four topics: housing requirements, transportation needs, social activities and health services. Substantial deficiencies exist in all these areas, forcing many seniors to move away.
"From this survey, our goal is to be able to provide a community where our seniors will want to stay and where they will feel involved," said EWCS President David Robart-Morgan.
The Seniors Advisory Committee, including seniors from across the Rockwood-Erin district, has been working on the survey. It is available this week at libraries, churches and doctors' offices, through service clubs and seniors' groups, and at EWCS facilities. For information, call EWCS at 519-833-9696.
The survey is intended for anyone 55 and older, though a younger person could fill it out on behalf of a senior. It is anonymous, encouraging people to speak their minds freely. The goal is to make a survey available to everyone who is interested, even if it means delivering it personally, and providing assistance if requested.
"We will sit and help them fill it out," said Sherri Plourde, EWCS Manager of Seniors Services.
The process is being supported by a $25,000 grant from the federal government's New Horizons for Seniors program, which is designed to help non-profit organizations improve the quality of life for seniors. A staff member is being hired to support the work of the committee.
A separate survey has been designed to get input from groups that provide services for seniors. Once all the data is analyzed, there will be a final report, scheduled for August.
"We will distribute it to funders and government agencies," said EWCS Executive Director Glenyis Betts. "We can look at partnerships to bring in services to make it a more senior-friendly community."
The committee may be able to carry on as an independent Seniors Association that could seek funding for programs, and organize ways for seniors to help each other. EWCS is hoping to organize public meetings for people to share ideas, and will hold their Seniors Expo this fall.
Of course, there are many needs within current activities, plus programs or facilities that do not yet exist. The survey will help determine what is most important to the people who are directly affected.
Do we want a dedicated seniors' centre, with several separate areas, so different activities could be held at the same time? Currently, there is the permanent Seniors Room at Centre 2000, but in Rockwood, EWCS has only occasional use of space at Rockmosa Community Centre.
Do we want a retirement home or a nursing home? Do we want more apartments or condos? Do we want some smaller houses? "Low-cost" accommodation in Erin may not be possible under current market conditions, but could we hope for housing on the less extravagant side of the market?
Do we want better public bus service? Do we want better accessibility to public buildings? Do we want more specialized health services? Do we want better support to help people grow old in their own homes?
Do we want more fun?
Seniors certainly do not have to be passive recipients of social services. As they become an ever-larger part of the population, they will not only have the political clout to demand things that they need, but the community support to create what they want. If they set their sights high, there's no telling what might be achieved.
May 26, 2010
Aaron Muir country CD celebrates family tradition
As published in The Erin Advocate
Whether it is a jamboree, a church event or Saturday night at the bar, Aaron Muir and the Muir Family Band have a versatile mix of country tunes to suit the occasion.
"We adapt to the venue and the crowd," said Aaron, who is releasing a self-titled CD next month. It seems there's a strain of country music in the family DNA. Aaron and his brother Brandon, who plays drums, were surrounded by music while they were growing up and have been performing since the mid-90s.
Their mom Donna, who sings harmony vocals on the CD, used to sing locally in a band with her brother Jeff Barry. She helped her sons produce the album, along with Bruce Ley, who did the recording at his studio in Mulmer, Ontario.
If you are at the 5th Annual Erin Rodeo, presented by the Erin Agricultural Society on June 5 and 6, you'll find the Muirs providing dance music for the cowboys and cowgirls. For more on the rodeo, go to www.erinrodeo.com.
The following weekend, everyone is welcome at the CD release party – Friday, June 11, upstairs at the Erin Legion, 8 pm - 1 am. Admission is free.
Aaron has picked music from some of his heroes, especially Dwight Yoakam, for the CD. I listened to Yoakam's recordings of songs like 1,000 Miles, Miner's Prayer, Two Doors Down and I Sang Dixie, and can tell you that Aaron's versions stand up very well in comparison.
His voice is engaging and confident. It is on the raunchy side for upbeat songs like Rockin' My Life Away (written by Mack Vickery and a hit for Jerry Lee Lewis), which has a nice boogie-woogie feel; and suitably mournful for songs like Crying Time (written by Buck Owens and a hit for Ray Charles). Vickery's The Fireman, a hit for George Straight, is a strong lead-off song for the CD.
Overall the music is professional and well-balanced – not bad, considering they treat it more as a hobby than a career. The mixing is uncluttered, so the instrumental solos come through pure and clean.
The project features Aaron Muir on guitar and vocals, Paul Holmes on bass guitar, Brandon Muir on drums and percussion, Gerry Companion on electric lead guitar, Mike Slauenwhite on fiddle, Bruce Ley on piano, organ and guitar, Doug Johnson on steel guitar and dobro, Kim Ratcliffe on acoustic guitar and Donna Muir on vocals. Also with the group is Mark Parrish on fiddle.
They are working in the tradition of the Bakersfield sound (or California country), which is strong on electric and steel guitar and has its roots in American honky-tonk. It is a contrast to the slicker production of the Nashville sound, which is known for string orchestration, and "New" country, which is more pop-rock oriented. A medley from Bakersfield star Buck Owens is the final track on the CD.
Donna hosts a show on Erin Radio called Country Grass, on Thursday evenings. If you miss the CD party and want to get a copy, call and leave her a message at 519-856-9159.
Whether it is a jamboree, a church event or Saturday night at the bar, Aaron Muir and the Muir Family Band have a versatile mix of country tunes to suit the occasion.
"We adapt to the venue and the crowd," said Aaron, who is releasing a self-titled CD next month. It seems there's a strain of country music in the family DNA. Aaron and his brother Brandon, who plays drums, were surrounded by music while they were growing up and have been performing since the mid-90s.
Their mom Donna, who sings harmony vocals on the CD, used to sing locally in a band with her brother Jeff Barry. She helped her sons produce the album, along with Bruce Ley, who did the recording at his studio in Mulmer, Ontario.
If you are at the 5th Annual Erin Rodeo, presented by the Erin Agricultural Society on June 5 and 6, you'll find the Muirs providing dance music for the cowboys and cowgirls. For more on the rodeo, go to www.erinrodeo.com.
The following weekend, everyone is welcome at the CD release party – Friday, June 11, upstairs at the Erin Legion, 8 pm - 1 am. Admission is free.
Aaron has picked music from some of his heroes, especially Dwight Yoakam, for the CD. I listened to Yoakam's recordings of songs like 1,000 Miles, Miner's Prayer, Two Doors Down and I Sang Dixie, and can tell you that Aaron's versions stand up very well in comparison.
His voice is engaging and confident. It is on the raunchy side for upbeat songs like Rockin' My Life Away (written by Mack Vickery and a hit for Jerry Lee Lewis), which has a nice boogie-woogie feel; and suitably mournful for songs like Crying Time (written by Buck Owens and a hit for Ray Charles). Vickery's The Fireman, a hit for George Straight, is a strong lead-off song for the CD.
Overall the music is professional and well-balanced – not bad, considering they treat it more as a hobby than a career. The mixing is uncluttered, so the instrumental solos come through pure and clean.
The project features Aaron Muir on guitar and vocals, Paul Holmes on bass guitar, Brandon Muir on drums and percussion, Gerry Companion on electric lead guitar, Mike Slauenwhite on fiddle, Bruce Ley on piano, organ and guitar, Doug Johnson on steel guitar and dobro, Kim Ratcliffe on acoustic guitar and Donna Muir on vocals. Also with the group is Mark Parrish on fiddle.
They are working in the tradition of the Bakersfield sound (or California country), which is strong on electric and steel guitar and has its roots in American honky-tonk. It is a contrast to the slicker production of the Nashville sound, which is known for string orchestration, and "New" country, which is more pop-rock oriented. A medley from Bakersfield star Buck Owens is the final track on the CD.
Donna hosts a show on Erin Radio called Country Grass, on Thursday evenings. If you miss the CD party and want to get a copy, call and leave her a message at 519-856-9159.
May 19, 2010
Alton's cedar forests create hiking opportunities
As published in The Erin Advocate
I recently took a pleasant hike to one of the major forks of the Credit River; not the scenic juncture east of Belfountain known as Forks of the Credit, but further north, where Shaw's Creek joins the river. It is definitely worth the 15-minute drive to Alton, where there are two fine protected natural areas.
Just east of Alton, bounded by Beechgrove Sideroad and Porterfield Road, nestled by the Osprey Valley Golf Club, is the 350-acre Alton Grange property. It was purchased from the Grange family by the Ministry of Natural Resources back in 1974. The community volunteers of the Alton Grange Association signed on as partners in 2002 to help manage the land. The easiest access is via Station Street, off Main Street.
Shaw's Creek flows east through Alton, where it once powered the historic mill (now a beautiful arts and heritage centre), then into the Grange property. The East branch of the Credit River flows south from the Island Lake Reservoir near Orangeville, which was created in 1967 by a dam that flooded 445 acres of farm, forest and swamp. The reservoir helps dilute the discharge from Orangeville's wastewater treatment plant.
Where the creek joins the river in the Grange tract is a towering cedar forest that is eerily quiet, filled with mossy undergrowth. The network of trails takes you through meadows, hardwood forests, highlands that were reforested back in the 1930s and vast wetlands with many a gnarled, uprooted tree stump. Steel bridges enable river crossings, and a boardwalk traverses part of the swamp. I encountered turkey vultures, ducks and woodpeckers on my two-hour tour.
Included in the network is the Alton Side Trail, which runs north from the Bruce Trail, along McLaren Road. It starts at Forks of the Credit Provincial Park near Cataract village, passes through Charles Sauriol Conservation Area, the Grange property and Alton, and ends at the Pinnacle lookout. There it meets the northern terminus of the Grand Valley Trail, which turns towards Orton, on a 275 km trek along the Grand River system to Lake Erie.
If you head north out of Alton on Peel Road 136, you'll find the relatively new Upper Credit Conservation Area, created by Credit Valley Conservation (CVC). You won't see any signs at first, but turn right at the Canadian Pacific Railway line (turn left and you're in gravel pit territory).
The small network of trails, complete with free doggie clean-up bags, can be hiked in less than an hour, covering both meadows and established forest areas. There are educational signs along the way, courtesy of AGCare and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, explaining how farmers are doing their bit for the environment.
The land was acquired with the help of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Region of Peel and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Since 2007, volunteers including the Conservation Youth Corps have planted more than 10,000 trees and shrubs in open areas near the Credit there, to stabilize the banks and extend the wildlife corridor.
It is worth departing from the beaten path to explore the edge of the river through part of the cedar forest – a truly memorable environment. It is amazing how many natural treasures are available, so close to the large cities of Southern Ontario. The fact that they are practically in our backyards does not make them less spectacular, just easier to take for granted.
I recently took a pleasant hike to one of the major forks of the Credit River; not the scenic juncture east of Belfountain known as Forks of the Credit, but further north, where Shaw's Creek joins the river. It is definitely worth the 15-minute drive to Alton, where there are two fine protected natural areas.
Just east of Alton, bounded by Beechgrove Sideroad and Porterfield Road, nestled by the Osprey Valley Golf Club, is the 350-acre Alton Grange property. It was purchased from the Grange family by the Ministry of Natural Resources back in 1974. The community volunteers of the Alton Grange Association signed on as partners in 2002 to help manage the land. The easiest access is via Station Street, off Main Street.
Shaw's Creek flows east through Alton, where it once powered the historic mill (now a beautiful arts and heritage centre), then into the Grange property. The East branch of the Credit River flows south from the Island Lake Reservoir near Orangeville, which was created in 1967 by a dam that flooded 445 acres of farm, forest and swamp. The reservoir helps dilute the discharge from Orangeville's wastewater treatment plant.
Where the creek joins the river in the Grange tract is a towering cedar forest that is eerily quiet, filled with mossy undergrowth. The network of trails takes you through meadows, hardwood forests, highlands that were reforested back in the 1930s and vast wetlands with many a gnarled, uprooted tree stump. Steel bridges enable river crossings, and a boardwalk traverses part of the swamp. I encountered turkey vultures, ducks and woodpeckers on my two-hour tour.
Included in the network is the Alton Side Trail, which runs north from the Bruce Trail, along McLaren Road. It starts at Forks of the Credit Provincial Park near Cataract village, passes through Charles Sauriol Conservation Area, the Grange property and Alton, and ends at the Pinnacle lookout. There it meets the northern terminus of the Grand Valley Trail, which turns towards Orton, on a 275 km trek along the Grand River system to Lake Erie.
If you head north out of Alton on Peel Road 136, you'll find the relatively new Upper Credit Conservation Area, created by Credit Valley Conservation (CVC). You won't see any signs at first, but turn right at the Canadian Pacific Railway line (turn left and you're in gravel pit territory).
The small network of trails, complete with free doggie clean-up bags, can be hiked in less than an hour, covering both meadows and established forest areas. There are educational signs along the way, courtesy of AGCare and the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation, explaining how farmers are doing their bit for the environment.
The land was acquired with the help of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Region of Peel and the Nature Conservancy of Canada. Since 2007, volunteers including the Conservation Youth Corps have planted more than 10,000 trees and shrubs in open areas near the Credit there, to stabilize the banks and extend the wildlife corridor.
It is worth departing from the beaten path to explore the edge of the river through part of the cedar forest – a truly memorable environment. It is amazing how many natural treasures are available, so close to the large cities of Southern Ontario. The fact that they are practically in our backyards does not make them less spectacular, just easier to take for granted.
May 12, 2010
Water Watchers promote tap water alternative
As published in The Erin Advocate
Ontario has some of the best tap water in the world, but many people choose to pay extra for bottled water. Wellington Water Watchers is working to reverse this trend, both to preserve the resource and to fight what they see as wasteful consumer spending.
Strong demand for bottled water has been "manufactured" by the bottled water industry, they say, scaring people away from tap water. Bottled water is not always purer or better tasting, and its quality is definitely less regulated.
For soft drink companies, it is all about marketing liquids in plastic bottles, and that is where much of the controversy swirls. Mike Nagy of Water Watchers, who has been a Green Party election candidate, was a guest at the recent showing of the film H2Oil in Erin, part of the Fast Forward Festival.
He held up a plastic water bottle, one quarter full of oil, representing the energy it takes to make that bottle. Arlene Slocombe, the group's executive director, said that the manufacturing process uses three times the volume of a bottle of water, to make one bottle. The group made a presentation to Erin high school students recently, urging them to use refillable water containers.
"Bottled water is one of the most energy intensive products," said Nagy. "I'm all in favour of making a profit, but we should not profit on water. Water is the new gold. Water is life – we cannot afford to waste it."
There are environmental costs not only to make the bottles, but also to ship the water, and dispose of the bottles – many of which end up in landfills or shipped overseas.
Erin has a special interest in the industry, since bottling giant Nestlé has a well in Hillsburgh, with a steady stream of tanker trucks shuttling to a plant in Aberfoyle. They have a permit to take up to 1.1 million litres per day, but usually only draw about 25 per cent of that.
Nagy said that although the Nestlé well has not caused discernible harm to the local water supply, he is still concerned. "We do not understand the long-term cumulative effects," he said.
Nestlé has made an effort to demonstrate care for the environment by installing attractive containers for "public spaces recycling" at Erin's new McMillan Park. Gail Cosman, President of Nestlé Waters Canada, said this "will help to put the community at the forefront of environmental sustainability in this province." She said the same thing, word for word, about Aberfoyle when containers were installed there.
Nestlé says the bottled water industry uses just .02 per cent of all permit-controlled water in Canada (compared to users like power plants, manufacturers, municipalities and farmers).
"We are committed to operating our business with no adverse effect on our neighbours, even in the event of drought conditions," said Cosman. "We only harvest what can be replaced by nature."
A well protection agreement between Nestlé and Erin is designed to provide rapid response to any complaints by well owners. The firm promises to pay for scientific evaluation and to fix or replace any well that fails because of their water taking. They also promise to cut back or stop production during drought conditions, if they decide it is necessary.
Nagy would like to see those cutbacks mandated by law. The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario has recommended that step-by-step cutbacks for low water conditions be built into the permit process.
Nestlé has access to a valuable resource through a low-cost provincial license, without paying fees to the Town. Nestlé improved its reputation on that front by donating $30,000 last year towards construction of McMillan Park.
Erin Mayor Rod Finnie was quoted as saying, "This is the latest example of the company's commitment to working with Erin to further enhance the quality of life in what is one of the very best communities to live, work and play in Ontario." A few days later, I saw those same words in another newspaper, but in reference to Aberfoyle, spoken by the president of the Optimist Club there after Nestlé donated $50,000 to a recreation centre.
It is simply a sign of a coordinated public relations effort. Naturally, Nagy is unimpressed, calling these "token" donations. "They do this all around the world," he said.
Some municipalities have banned the sale of bottled water in their facilities, and last month the Nova Scotia was the first province to announce they would do so. The Polaris Institute is organizing a petition to have Ontario do the same.
Check out www.bluew.org for information on the Water Watchers-supported effort to map places to fill up your water bottle for free. Some other interesting sites: www.storyofbottledwater.com, www.insidethebottle.org and www.h2oildoc.com.
Ontario has some of the best tap water in the world, but many people choose to pay extra for bottled water. Wellington Water Watchers is working to reverse this trend, both to preserve the resource and to fight what they see as wasteful consumer spending.
Strong demand for bottled water has been "manufactured" by the bottled water industry, they say, scaring people away from tap water. Bottled water is not always purer or better tasting, and its quality is definitely less regulated.
For soft drink companies, it is all about marketing liquids in plastic bottles, and that is where much of the controversy swirls. Mike Nagy of Water Watchers, who has been a Green Party election candidate, was a guest at the recent showing of the film H2Oil in Erin, part of the Fast Forward Festival.
He held up a plastic water bottle, one quarter full of oil, representing the energy it takes to make that bottle. Arlene Slocombe, the group's executive director, said that the manufacturing process uses three times the volume of a bottle of water, to make one bottle. The group made a presentation to Erin high school students recently, urging them to use refillable water containers.
"Bottled water is one of the most energy intensive products," said Nagy. "I'm all in favour of making a profit, but we should not profit on water. Water is the new gold. Water is life – we cannot afford to waste it."
There are environmental costs not only to make the bottles, but also to ship the water, and dispose of the bottles – many of which end up in landfills or shipped overseas.
Erin has a special interest in the industry, since bottling giant Nestlé has a well in Hillsburgh, with a steady stream of tanker trucks shuttling to a plant in Aberfoyle. They have a permit to take up to 1.1 million litres per day, but usually only draw about 25 per cent of that.
Nagy said that although the Nestlé well has not caused discernible harm to the local water supply, he is still concerned. "We do not understand the long-term cumulative effects," he said.
Nestlé has made an effort to demonstrate care for the environment by installing attractive containers for "public spaces recycling" at Erin's new McMillan Park. Gail Cosman, President of Nestlé Waters Canada, said this "will help to put the community at the forefront of environmental sustainability in this province." She said the same thing, word for word, about Aberfoyle when containers were installed there.
Nestlé says the bottled water industry uses just .02 per cent of all permit-controlled water in Canada (compared to users like power plants, manufacturers, municipalities and farmers).
"We are committed to operating our business with no adverse effect on our neighbours, even in the event of drought conditions," said Cosman. "We only harvest what can be replaced by nature."
A well protection agreement between Nestlé and Erin is designed to provide rapid response to any complaints by well owners. The firm promises to pay for scientific evaluation and to fix or replace any well that fails because of their water taking. They also promise to cut back or stop production during drought conditions, if they decide it is necessary.
Nagy would like to see those cutbacks mandated by law. The Environmental Commissioner of Ontario has recommended that step-by-step cutbacks for low water conditions be built into the permit process.
Nestlé has access to a valuable resource through a low-cost provincial license, without paying fees to the Town. Nestlé improved its reputation on that front by donating $30,000 last year towards construction of McMillan Park.
Erin Mayor Rod Finnie was quoted as saying, "This is the latest example of the company's commitment to working with Erin to further enhance the quality of life in what is one of the very best communities to live, work and play in Ontario." A few days later, I saw those same words in another newspaper, but in reference to Aberfoyle, spoken by the president of the Optimist Club there after Nestlé donated $50,000 to a recreation centre.
It is simply a sign of a coordinated public relations effort. Naturally, Nagy is unimpressed, calling these "token" donations. "They do this all around the world," he said.
Some municipalities have banned the sale of bottled water in their facilities, and last month the Nova Scotia was the first province to announce they would do so. The Polaris Institute is organizing a petition to have Ontario do the same.
Check out www.bluew.org for information on the Water Watchers-supported effort to map places to fill up your water bottle for free. Some other interesting sites: www.storyofbottledwater.com, www.insidethebottle.org and www.h2oildoc.com.
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