The LCCVI Lancers have claimed the Lambton-Kent Girls hockey title.
The Lady Lancers defeated Wallaceburg 8-2 at the Greenwood Rec Centre to the delight of the hometown crowd.
The LCCVI Boys’ Team was slated to take on North Lambton today for the LK title. That game has been rescheduled until Thursday.
Warwick’s fire chief says it is unlikely the cause of an $8 million chicken barn fire will ever be found.
Sunday afternoon, Warwick firefighters were called to the 8400 block of Egremont Road near Arkona Road after neighbours spotted thick black smoke coming from an large barn on the property.
Chief Brad Goodhill says about 45 firefighters from Watford, Adelaide-Metcalfe and Arkona battled the blaze for six hours.
Strong winds from the south fuelled the fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, putting other barns on the property at risk.
Goodhill says this year’s lack of snow helped as firefighters raced to keep the blaze from spreading. “Ground conditions are dry currently, so that allowed us to get around to this other, second barn. Had it been snow of a typical year or wet conditions, I don’t think we would have been able to save that second barn.
“We were extremely fortunate that we were able to keep it from reaching into another barn,” says Goodhill. “It was getting very close but we managed to get it shut down just prior to reaching into another barn.”
But still, the loss was great. Goodhill says the 80 foot by 440 foot barn was built to house as many as 45,000 birds. Sunday, there were 21,000 inside. The owners were in the middle of preparations to bring in another flock Wednesday.
Goodhill estimates the loss of livestock and the building to be between $7 million and $8 million.
And with the extent of the damage, a cause is unlikely to be found. “It will be undetermined because with the extent of the damage, there is no way to really trace it,” says Goodhill. “The insurance company is going to look at it themselves, in addition, but I’m not expecting them to come up with anything different than what we’ve found so far.”
Warwick Township is going to spread a little sweetness around the community.
It’s holding a homestyle maple syrup festival April 12.
The two maple syrup festivals in Watford and Warwick scheduled in March were cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayor Jackie Rombouts says the Watford Optimist Club, which was involved in the event, was disappointed.
“They were upset it was cancelled; they wanted to do something and that got the wheels turning,” says Rombouts. “We thought, we can still do it, we just can’t do it all together.”
So, Rombouts and the Optimist worked with the maple syrup supplier and soon volunteers will be delivering 250 ml bottles to every resident in the township.
Rombouts says volunteers who will screened for COVID-19, will take training in physical distancing, then deliver the maple syrup right to resident’s mailbox after wiping it down with a disinfectant.
Rombouts says township residents will be getting information about the event in their mailbox. There will be a pamphlet which says “have a sweet Sunday on us, share your photos of everybody enjoy pancakes with syrup…with the hashtag Warwick is Sweet.
“It’s just to have fun and let the community know we’re all in this together.”
And there will be a gentle reminder to residents about staying safe.
“We’re going to encourage social distancing in a nice way….we’re all staying at home but nothing is going to stop our community from enjoying a maple syrup homestyle festival.”
INEOS Styrolutions has been ordered to create a plan to eliminate the discharge of benzene into its waste water by the end of the week.
That from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks.
The company has been under the microscope since April 16, when members of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation started becoming ill.
The employees of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, directly across the street from the plant, were becoming nauseous and had headaches. Community activist Ada Lockridge notified administration the benzene levels were 22 times higher than the allowable limits.
That prompted the band to close the buildings and send workers home. They remain closed and administrators warned parents children shouldn’t be playing on the playground and ball diamond there.
“The level of benzene being reported within Aamjiwnaang’s monitoring stations continually exceeds regulated standards and, more alarming, appears to be increasing,” said Chief Chris Plain in a statement April 17.
He called for a complete shutdown of the plant.
Plain met with Environment Minister Andrea Khanjin about the issue Thursday. She also talked to representatives of INEOS and, according to a statement “made clear our government’s expectation that they quickly identify and reduce these emissions.”
And while Khanjin said the MECP was working with Styrolutions, it is now clear they were issuing new orders in the wake of the high benzene levels which sickened residents.
The order which gives Styrolutions until Friday to come up with a plan to stop the discharge of benzene into the sewer system is one of three issued by the MECP according to spokesperson Lindsey Davidson.
In an email to The Independent, Davidson says the company must also “investigate other sources of benzene emissions and take action to prevent, decrease and eliminate the discharge that will include timelines for implementing those actions and provide a written plan by May 17.”
It’s also required to come up with “procedures to notify the public when benzene concentrations in air exceed defined thresholds by May 3,” although Davidson doesn’t say what those defined thresholds are.
That’s one of the big problems according to Aamjiwnaang First Nations Councillor and Chair of the band’s environment committee, Janelle Nahmabin.
Nahmabin tells The Independent Styrolutions, like other petrochemical giants, doesn’t have to follow the Ontario standards for benzene emissions. The MECP gave the company an exception to the standard, allowing it to emit more benzene if necessary.
But during the April 16th event, the company was emitting 115 parts per billion of benzene – far above that exceptional standard.
Nahmabin says Aamjiwnaang has been pushing the Ministry of the Environment for two years to get INEOS to deal with the elevated benzene levels.
She says she and the band council are considering legal action because of the lack of action.
The MECP says it has also positioned three more air monitors in the area as it tries to get a handle of what is being released.
Nahmabin says Aamjiwnaang will now have daily updates from the ministry on what those monitors are picking up.
And they’ll be getting daily updates on the company’s plan to fix the issue.
“Moving forward we cannot just rely on the ministry to have our back.
“We have to be equal at the table as far as regulations. We want to be informed in the whole entire process,” says Nahmabin.
“We’re not allowing the ministry to speak on our behalf because it is evident because even with the orders being issued, it appears the ministry doesn’t feel the same way as Aamjiwnaang does about protecting ourselves.”
Styrolution issued a statement Saturday saying it had temporarily closed down the plant for maintenance and to address a mechanical issue. It did not clarify what that was.
Tuesday, the company issued an alert that it had closed part of the road leading to the plant for sewer work.
Davidson says the ministry is “encouraged to see the company taking this matter seriously and will continue working with Aamjiwnaang First Nation to prioritize the health and safety of all residents.”
While Nahmabin and members of her council are dealing with the ongoing issue, she is in Ottawa for the fourth round of United Nations plastic treaty negotiations.
The Aamjiwnaang First Nation is not part of the discussions even though Styrolutions – a plastics producer – is emitting benzene, harming her community.
“This is just really ridiculous and so inappropriate that we are not included in these conversations. We are just viewed as observers and not official delegates to be able to speak to any of the outcomes.”
Nahmabin says EcoJustice and the Society of Native Nations have been helping to make their story known.
And Tuesday, Nahmabin and others were slated to meet with the federal environment minister to voice their concerns.
Heather Wright/The Independent
The Mooretown Minor Hockey Association suddenly has $163,000 in cash. But it doesn’t mean parents will be paying less for hockey this year.
The MTMHA recently went to St. Clair Township council saying it was in financial difficulty. Interim President Marty Passmore said the association was planning a 25 per cent hike in registration fees but, after the rising cost of ice time and referees, the organization would be left with just $1,000 in the bank at the end of the year.
The association asked for the township to freeze ice time rates at their current levels for two years and to work out a way to defer payment of the ice time which is booked for the summer. It normally has to be paid in advance.
And it was looking for help to subsidize registrations.
Council asked staff to look at the ramifications of the request.
But late Monday, officials with the minor hockey executive sent an email to parents saying there was more money available than expected – $163,139.39 more.
“Our online payment platform had not been depositing our funds from player development and fundraising money,” the letter stated. “Contact was made with the company and funds were released to our account that total $163,139.39 that had been held since 2020.”
The board apologized for the “deeply concerning” error which was found as the board prepared for the annual general meeting May 1.
The letter went on to say the board is taking a number of steps in the wake of the financial error including hiring an outside firm to audit all of minor hockey’s books.
The board’s finance director will also be required to report directly to the board on all transactions which will be approved or declined at every board meeting.
“We are actively looking for a new online payment platform for the 2024-2025 season,” the board adds in its letter, vowing to have all the account information available at the annual general meeting.
MTMHA is also rolling back the 25 per cent registration rate increase. The registration will climb 15 per cent this year with the board cautioning “rising costs will result in continued fee increases in the future, as we are running a deficit with this reduction.”
And while the cost of registration will be reduced, some families will face even higher fees than first expected for the 2024-2025 season.
The board says the jerseys the players use need to be replaced and it’s moving to a “family-purchased custom jerseys and sock” next hockey season.
“As a sign of good faith, the board will purchase one of the two required jerseys,” the board says noting it will cost the association $50,000.
But it will also cost parents.
While the fees for the youngest players remain under $350, the registration for every player over nine years old tops $1,100 for the next year, with the cost of the jersey and socks included making Mooretown’s fees the highest in Lambton County. Petrolia’s is second at $800 per season.
And, even with the lower registration rate increase, families will be paying $9 more than with the 25 per cent rate increase.
Mooretown Minor Hockey’s Interim President, Marty Passmore, was not available for comment by press time.
The Alvinston Killer Bees forced the Western Ontario Super Hockey League final to a seventh and deciding game with a 6-2 victory at home Monday.
Brennan Feasey scored two and Matteo LaLama stopped 47 shots in the win.
The Killer Bees head to Tillsonburg Friday in th
Seven Petrolia pizza joints are banding together for the 11th annual Pizzafest.
The Town of Petrolia announced Friday the event is set for Victoria Park June 1. It runs from noon to 7 pm and will feature slices from Bud’s Family Pizza, Dominos Pizza, Godfathers Pizza, Johnny G’s Premium Pizza, Petrolia Pizza & Subs, Pizza Hut, and Wise Guys Inc.
The price of the slices will remain at $2.50, despite rising costs.
There will be live music at the event as well including The Fischer Lovatt Duo, followed by BREN – the
incredible one-man band, Speed Wobble and then closing the evening – Full Disclosure.
A portion of the revenue from the event goes to support the Petrolia Community Foundation.
