Moving out? Consultant suggest Petrolia municipal office should move out of Victoria Hall

July 16, 2018

Janis Barlow says the Town of Petrolia should move out of Victoria Hall to allow the playhouse to flourish.

Barlow is the principle of Barlow and Associates, the consulting company hired by the municipality to imagine the future of Victoria Hall. “All the public spaces would remain under one roof, but the relocation of municipal spaces/offices would enable long desired consideration of expanding the theatre spaces to meet contemporary expectations,” wrote Richard Poore, director of cultural services in a January report to council about a $25,000 grant received for the $49,000 study.

Barlow took about an hour-and-a-half Monday to explain to council what the company has found so far and to ask council to give permission to draw up preliminary plans which would include moving the municipal offices out of Victoria Hall.

Barlow says over the last five years the theatre has sold 75 per cent of its tickets.

Barlow and her associates met with about 30 people selected by town staff including people who work at the theatre, the management team of D2 Entertainment, seven members of the Victoria Hall Art Advisory Committee, members of council and one community leader. They also studied the current space and whether it met Ontario’s standards for accessibility and for the theatre industry.

Barlow wanted council’s permission to design a concept moving the municipal office out of Victoria Hall. The mayor said it would be something council would discuss in the future and get back to the consultant.

For more on the story, pick up your copy of The Independent in stores now.

Sombra Ferry owners sue the feds

July 14, 2018

The owners of the Bluewater Ferry are done waiting and have launched a lawsuit against the federal government.
According to co-owner Morgan Dalgety the legal action is the “final resort” stemming from ice damage in January that brought business at the international border crossing to a halt.
Dalgety said the fifth-generation business is headed to bankruptcy if money isn’t found.
“It’s a huge loss,“ Dalgety says. “We’re living on savings.”
According to Dalgety, a global navigational tool called the Automatic Identification System offers proof the Canadian Coast Guard is squarely to blame for the damage. Records show the icebreaker, the Samuel J. Risley, was travelling at 14 knots as it helped move ships through dense ice in the St. Clair River.
The speed limit there is 10 knots, Dalgety explains, adding the displaced ice ripped out the causeway.
“It had to go somewhere,” he said.
The Coast Guard has said publicly a gale-force north wind was responsible for pushing the ice into the structure, Dalgety says, but there is video proof the wind is coming from the south.
The Bluewater Ferry that connects Sombra to Marine City Michigan is busy. During peak times, two boats make around 60 trips a day across the St. Clair River.
Costs for fixing the damage continue to mount. Initial estimates set a rebuild — including demolition — at $1.5 million. But it’s edging closer to $3 million.

Protestors take home a Petrolia area turkey

July 11, 2018

Screen Shot 2018-07-10 at 2.52.07 PM — Gary Franz walks a protester and her new turkey off his property.

When animal rights activist showed up at Gary Franz’s Plank Road turkey farm, he gave them a turkey.
It seemed to be the only way to get rid of them, says the veteran farmer.
It all started Monday when 20 activists, some members of Sarnia Animal Save others from Windsor-Detroit Animal Save, protested in front of the farm.
Franz thought they had left but heard a knock on his door. Three young women who were part of the group were there. So, Franz sat with them outside and “we talked about turkey.
“At one point I thought, ‘oh no, what am I getting myself into.’”
Soon Franz and the women were walking toward a barn where they activist took video. “They wanted to have one of them. I said, ‘You need a place to keep the it.’ They said they have a sanctuary.’”
In the video, Franz goes to get a birds and hand it over to the activist. “This is beautiful,” she says. The other activist openly wept on the video saying they were “liberating” the turkey who would now be “free from pain and suffering.”
One of the activist invited Franz to come visit the animal at the sanctuary adding they have “no ill will against you or your family.”
Franz says since the incident, other farmers suggested he should have thrown the protesters off his property. He didn’t see the need to.
“They were very polite and interesting to talk to; why would I throw them off.”
Besides, he says, he has nothing to hide. “We don’t slaughter here. We showed them the barns, the young turkeys have lots of room.”

Baron’s trial not likely until after municipal election

July 2, 2018

A trial date for Petrolia’s former CAO will be set Sept. 28.
Manny Baron has been charged with breach of trust by a public official after it was revealed by The Independent he owned two building being used by the town.
At the time, Baron said he had not disclosed his numbered company owned both the 4168 Robert St., which at the time was the youth and senior’s centre and 395 Fletcher, which the town was using for storage.
After the revelations, town councillors hired an investigator to look into the matter. John Fleming gave councillors his report on the incident the same day Baron resigned after negotiating his own exit deal.
Council members refused to release that report saying it was part of labour relations. That assertion is being challenged under the Freedom of Information Act by The Independent.
By March, the OPP had charged Baron.
The former CAO, who now is the top administrator in Mapleton, has not had to appear personally in court yet. Recently, lawyers representing Baron agreed to move the case to assignment court Sept. 28, where a time will be set for the trial by judge and jury.
While Baron hasn’t entered an official plea, his lawyer, Phillip Millar, has said he will plead not guilty and fight the charges.
It is not clear when the trial might take place, however one court official says it would be highly unlikely Baron’s trial would take place before the municipal election in October.