The Hamilton Police Service encourages residents to take a few moments out of their day to report any pieces of graffiti they see around town.

“The big thing is reporting it so it can be eradicated as quickly as possible,” said Sergeant Myra James, the Hamilton Police Service’s (HPS) divisional crime manager.

Since the start of the year, only four graffiti incidents in Waterdown were called in to police. However, unreported occurrences exist. For instance, on May 2, the Review was alerted to graffiti at Memorial Park, where parts of the wooden bleachers at the Hamilton Street North park had been vandalized with bright orange paint.

City of Hamilton crews were on site to replace previously damaged planks that had also been defaced. This incident, according to police, was not reported.

“The prompt reporting of any graffiti incidents is really important,” stressed James.

There are several ways for residents to report graffiti. They can do so by calling 905-546-2424 ext. 2498, 1-800-222-TIPS, or by visiting the City of Hamilton website, www.hamilton.ca/ProjectsInitiatives/CleanCityStrategy/GraffitiForm.htm.

Should someone witness graffiti in progress, they are urged to dial 9-1-1.

Graffiti is a crime and culprits can face sanctions under the Criminal Code, noted James. And if the offender is underage, she added, their parents will be notified, they’ll have a court appearance and perhaps have to pay restitution.

“That’s not to mention what it does to deteriorate a neighbourhood where people are tagging,” said the HPS officer.

Local groups and individuals, including youth, looking to lend a hand to eradicate graffiti in the community can sign up for various volunteering opportunities supported by the city’s Clean City Strategy. Information is available online at www.hamilton.ca/cleanandgreen.

St Marys Cement and the local organization that opposes the aggregate company’s plans to build a limestone quarry in northeast Flamborough have appeared before the legislative committee struck to evaluate the Aggregate Resources Act (ARA).

Over the last two weeks, four hearings were held in Toronto. A limited number of stakeholders were provided with the opportunity make a delegation before the Standing Committee on General Government, an all-party legislative committee tasked with penning recommendations to enhance the Act.

Individuals representing industry, such as St Marys CBM, governments, trade associations and community activist groups, like Flamborough’s FORCE (Friends of Rural Communities and the Environment), as well as planners and lawyers, addressed the committee to provide input on how they believe the ARA should be amended to better serve the needs of aggregates while protecting Ontario’s natural resources.

John Moroz, vice-president and general manager of St Marys made a presentation to the committee. “We believe that your work…has the potential to reverse a disturbing trend in the way our industry is regulated,” he said in his delegation. While not suggesting a “major overhaul of the Act,” Moroz was in support of modernizing the process by removing any overlaps and implementing procedures that would “always be followed.”

The company claims that the current consultation process for aggregate licence applications is “confusing and inadequate.” In turn, Moroz noted the Act could benefit from reforms that “improve the consultation process.”

He went on to explain that the St Marys Flamborough Quarry plans have been subjected to “unprecedented actions” by the government, which issued a Ministerial Zoning Order on the property in 2010 and later declared a provincial interest in the land. As a result, Moroz suggested the Standing Committee consider terminating “political influence of any kind on deciding the merits of any application under the Act.”

Graham Flint, chair and spokesperson of FORCE, interpreted Moroz’s comments to mean that the company was opposed to the current standards that scrutinize, review and challenge aggregate licence applications.

“They feel that they should be entitled. They feel that if they want to put one of these projects in, they should be allowed to go and put these projects in,” said Flint, who argued that projects such as the Flamborough Quarry, which is located on 158 hectares of environmentally sensitive land that comprises Provincially Significant Wetlands, should undergo more scrutiny.

St Marys, according to Moroz, boasts 22 aggregate operations, a transportation division, has 1,200 employees working at two of its cement plants and an additional 40 or so staff at ready-mix concrete plants. His report also stated that, to date, the company has spent some $20 million to demonstrate the project’s suitability since 2006. It has also launched a number of legal and judicial battles against various parties, including the province of Ontario and the Government of Canada, to see its project through.

Flint pointed out that FORCE and other like-minded groups, area municipalities, organizations, elected government officials and agencies have vehemently opposed the large limestone quarry project. Flint was expected to make a presentation to the committee Monday afternoon.

“They just won’t let it go,” he said.

As a result, the Act must be amended to ensure that the process is fair for both the industry and the host communities, which have become more and more involved in the consultation process since the ARA was last amended in 1997.

“We think the Act needs to be brought up to the 21^st century,” said Flint, adding, “We need gravel for our roads, but let’s be sure we are taking it from the right place and the right way.”

Moroz, during his delegation, explained that the cost of aggregate is on a significant incline since companies have been forced “to look further and further afield from where the aggregate is needed.” As a result, transportation costs have soared, as have the greenhouse gases emissions, he argued.

“The sustainability of our business in Ontario is dependent on a long-term supply of high quality aggregate reserves,” noted Moroz.

The Standing Committee on General Government is expected to table a report after reviewing information it garnered during the consultation process.

On Monday (May 14), the students had the chance to talk with Cruz, sous chef at Quatrefoil, about his experience on Top Chef Canada and his path to becoming a chef, before taking part in the cooking challenge. Macfarlane also had a chance to talk to the students about the importance of using local ingredients when cooking at home or in a restaurant.

For “Top Chef Lee Academy,” members of the school’s cooking club were split into teams and given the task of preparing either an appetizer or a dessert from a bag of mystery ingredients.

Students had five minutes to plan their dish and 15 minutes to bring it all together. The cook-off was based on the “Quickfire Challenge” featured on Top Chef Canada. The celebrity judges then sampled each dish and awarded a prize for best appetizer and best dessert.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to take learning beyond the walls of a regular classroom and to give the students an idea of how having a passion for something can grow into a career,” said Alison Will, Lee Academy’s director and cooking club organizer. “To be able to bring it all together with a local connection makes it all that much more meaningful for everyone involved. It also adds a little spice to the cooking club.”

Cruz, who grew up in Hamilton, became interested in cooking after taking a baking class at St. Jean de Brebeuf High School. He went on to hone his culinary skills at Niagara College, before staging at various Michelin-starred restaurants in England.

“I’m looking forward to being on the other side of the judging table at Lee Academy,” said Cruz prior to the start of the event. “I’m excited to see what the students whip up under the pressure of a stop watch. Who knows, maybe a future Top Chef will be in the bunch?”

The students were very excited to have the opportunity to meet Cruz. Many have been watching Top Chef Canada since it started airing on Food Network Canada in March.

Who let the dog out? Debbie Riggs would really like to know.

Last Thursday afternoon (May 10), Riggs and her children noticed that their beloved pet, Kirby, was missing. But the Waterdown mom suspects that there is more to the story behind Kirby’s disappearance, as his leash was also missing from her Rockhaven Lane residence.

“It’s not a matter of the dog got out,” explained Riggs. “His leash was also taken, which is how we figured the dog was taken from inside of our home.”

Kirby is an 11-month-old intact (not neutered) beagle. He was last seen at approximately 2 p.m. on May 10, when Riggs’s daughter left the house to attend a soccer match. When the rest of the Riggs clan arrived home between 4 and 6 p.m., they all assumed that someone else had taken Kirby for a walk.

But as the evening progressed, the family realized Kirby was gone.

“We started looking all over the neighbourhood, and we’ve been looking ever since,” said Riggs. “We called everybody. We called all our friends. We have posters up all over the place.”

Despite their efforts, Kirby is still missing.

The family continues to hold out hope that someone in the community has seen Kirby and that their four-legged pal will return home – soon.

Described as “very, very friendly,” the pooch has brought a lot of happiness to the Riggs since being adopted.

“When we got the dog, it kind of lifted everybody’s spirits,” she said, listing some of the family’s recent hardships. “He was kind of the shining light in our lives at this point.”

Anyone who has seen Kirby is urged to contact Riggs via email at debbie.riggs@hotmail.com or by phone at 289-308-7908.

“We would just like to have him back home where he belongs,” said Riggs.

For those who like their sports to be challenging, Christie Conservation Area will be hosting the Punisher Adventure Race on Saturday, June 16.

The event is a five-kilometer adventure race featuring 10 military style obstacles, including cargo net climbs, wooden hurdles, hay bale pyramids, and a mud pit crawl. The all-new Punisher Adventure Race is Southern Ontario’s only 5K-adventure run and if this race does well, it will hopefully be an annual race for the next five years, event director Mel Gimblett said.

“Christie Lake Conservation Area is well used for running events already,” Gimblett added. “It really is the perfect set up.”

Christie’s was chosen because it is close to Hamilton, is central to the area and its trails are challenging. Gimblett says the adventure race promises a fun experience for all, and will challenge athletes of all levels of fitness and age. If an obstacle is too daunting, participants can opt to take the “Sissy Pass” and walk the plank for a time penalty at any hazard.

Event organizers are also encouraging members of defence and emergency services to join individually or create teams for the Emergency Services Challenge.  Entrants in this category will compete in a timed challenge against each other for special awards and the Challenge Trophy.

The Punisher Adventure Race is open to all registrants, individuals and teams, with the minimum age being 14.  The cost per person is $70. To register or to learn more visit www.punisherar.com

John McDonald has completed the formidable task of bringing to life a man dead almost 200 years.

His insatiable curiosity for the origin of names led the Milton author on a five-year quest to uncover details about the man for whom an area region is named, William Halton.

Halton isn’t a recognizable historical figure, but a man who was undoubtedly involved in Ontario’s early development.

Family records showed the man existed, but it was McDonald’s research that linked him to Halton.

What McDonald discovered was that in 1806, Halton served as private secretary to the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Francis Gore who appointed Halton Provincial Agent for Upper Canada 10 years later.  In this role, Halton lobbied for compensation for citizens of Upper Canada who had fought in the War of 1812.

To accommodate an influx of settlers from the British Isles following the war, the Gore District was created, and was subsequently divided into the counties of Halton (for William Halton) and Wentworth (for Sir John Wentworth).

It was a daunting, yet fascinating task to unearth the life and times of Halton, says McDonald, who has chronicled them in a beautifully illustrated, 296 page book, Halton’s Heritage: William Halton and Halton County.

“We all live in this place called Halton, yet virtually no one knows the man existed, ” said McDonald.

His meticulous exploratory research took McDonald to England, Bermuda and several Ontario locations, where he unearthed copious documents to facilitate his investigation.

“He was very well respected, very compassionate, ” says McDonald who developed a great deal of respect for the man he came to know solely through archival writings.

A second component to McDonald’s book details how Halton county transitioned into a thriving regional municipality, as well as the origin of the names of more than 80 area settlements, some no longer in existence.  The book also features a Halton chronology, the intertwining of both family history and Halton county/ region history, the first time the two have been combined, says McDonald.

Growing up in the Limehouse area, McDonald always felt “a presence of the past.” As a youngster, he would bike through the “lovely old ruins” of the Limehouse kilns where his great grandparents worked – he’s a sixth generation Haltonian – and eventually began collecting information about the kilns.

Always interested in writing, the historian and author has published two other books entitled Halton Sketches and Halton Sketches Revisited, and is in demand as a speaker with a growing line-up of upcoming presentations and book signings.

Interestingly, McDonald’s research led him to two of Halton’s living relatives, who weren’t aware of their ancestor’s distinguished past. Both will join McDonald at the book’s launch today at Kelso Conservation Area.

Halton’s Heritage brings to life the man and the times in which Halton lived and his place in the history of Upper Canada, comments Halton’s great-great nephew, Harry Andrew.

“The reader is drawn into the obviously vast pool of knowledge and respect John has for William Halton, both as an interesting historical figure and as a man, ” says Christine Taylor, Halton’s great great great niece.

“When I look back it was quite a journey to undertake, ” says McDonald. “It’s gratifying though and I’m pleased that William Halton is going to be recognized.

Halton’s Heritage is currently available Pickwick Books in Waterdown and the author will be in the store to sign copies for patrons from noon to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 26.

A sleek-looking multi-use complex will be built on the site of the former Flamborough Town Hall along Dundas Street East. Designs for the 23,500-square-foot facility, which will be home to the consolidated Millgrove and Waterdown library branches, as well as the city’s Municipal Service Centre, Flamborough Information and Community Services, the Flamborough Archives, Hamilton Police Service and a recreation centre, were unveiled to the public at an open house on May 8.

The preliminary designs by RDH Architects feature a unique, tiered plan created to work with the grading of the sloped site. With most of its facades covered in energy-efficient coated glass, the facility will be flooded with light, providing patrons with an open, airy place to gather.

“The idea is to have as much natural light as possible because that’s what people really enjoy being in,” said Karen Anderson, Hamilton Public Library’s director of public service and branches.

Meeting all of the province’s accessibility requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the new facility is divided into a number of areas that cater to the variety of services available at the site.

The south-facing entry point leads directly to the City of Hamilton’s Municipal Service Centre, where staff are working to ensure that the layout will be a “good, efficient use of space,” said the city’s director of customer service, access and equity, Jane Lee. That’s where local residents can pay their property taxes, parking and provincial offences fines, purchase or renew their dog licences, acquire transit passes or open-air burning permits, obtain tourism information, pick up a recycling bin and waste collection calendar and receive information about city-related services.

According to the designs on display at the May 8 open house, Flamborough Information and Community Services will occupy space adjacent to the Municipal Services Centre. A small space has also been set aside for the Hamilton Police Service.

The recreation centre, which Waterdown seniors are eager to utilize, is roughly 4,500 square feet of open space.

The Hamilton Public Library’s Waterdown branch will occupy the remainder of the space, approximately 15,000 square feet. And included in the library’s footprint is space for the Flamborough Archives.

“It’s going to be beautifully light and airy, which, I think, is very different from the traditional library that is on Mill Street now,” said archivist Sylvia Wray at the open house, held at the Flamborough Family YMCA.

With roughly 700 square feet of space along the west side of the establishment, the Flamborough Archives will be able to continue its work and safely store its historical documents. The space, noted Wray, will also allow for a possible display of relics, which the local archivist said they’ve never been able to do.

“I think it is something that is going to attract people,” noted Wray. “I think that this new building is going to be able to assist the archives in promoting what we are all about.”

The library, resembling that of the Turner Park and Ancaster branches, will offer patrons a living room space with soft seating and a fireplace. That area, said Anderson, could be seen as a “third place” for community residents, one that is neither their home nor office but is just as welcoming and comfortable.

“It’s a community destination,” she said.

The facility will also be outfitted with various study spaces, catering to both group and individual studies. An expansive computer area, featuring access to the Internet, will be designed to accommodate the needs of the community as they evolve.

“We know, over the years and the decades ahead, the service is going to change. Some collections will change, maybe in favour of study tables or more computers or fewer computers,” explained Anderson. “It’s a very flexible space.”

The contemporary facility, noted project designer and RDH associate Tyler Sharp, will include eco-features such as a large green roof that will allow for a reduction in urban heat island effect and the amount of water funnelled into the city’s storm water system.

Since the new Waterdown Library and Civic Centre features so much glass, it will reduce the amount of electrical energy used. “When you have more glass in a building, you have more daylight and you are less reliant on lights,” said Sharp.

Anderson also highlighted the outdoor terrace, which library officials hope to position on the green roof, directly above the recreation centre.

“We are hoping to incorporate a reading patio so people will actually be able to go outside and have a reading space,” she said.

The project is in its early stages of development and still has to go through site planning approvals.

Cicuttini, who is the dealer and owner of three Home Hardware locations in Ontario, was honoured with the Top Gun Award at a ceremony in Las Vegas earlier this month. He was one of four award recipients.

Recognized for his strategic vision and business acumen, Ciccuttini has not only devoted significant energy into his three stores, located in Waterdown, Dundas and Brantford, he has also spent countless hours serving on the Home Hardware Board of Directors. After 17 successful years, he is retiring from the board, however, and is grateful to have been part of growing the company to become a vital part of the Canadian retailing landscape.

“On behalf of more than 1,080 Home Hardware Dealers across Canada, I’d like to congratulate Ron on his remarkable accomplishments,” said Paul Straus, president and CEO of Home Hardware Stores Ltd. “We are so proud to have dealers who are committed to constantly building and enhancing their businesses, making them true models for home improvement retailers across Canada.”

Cicuttini attributes his success to a variety of factors, namely Home Hardware’s unique business model, which he says allows dealers to maintain their independence and entrepreneurial pursuits while benefitting from the powerful Home Hardware brand.

“As Home dealers, our independence is a core advantage that sets up apart from many of our competitors,” said Cicuttini. “We are able to respond quickly to our customers’ needs with localized product selection and special orders.”

In their first match, the Jets defeated the Erin Mills Striking Eagles 1-0 on a goal by Kristen Farkas. In the second game, Kristina Strojin scored in a 1-1 draw against the Erin Mills Lady Eagles. In their final match Kristen Farkas scored a pair as the Jets went on to down the Toronto Lady Lynx 2-0.

Carlee Bennard earned two shut outs in the tournament and Waterdown natives Tierney Dunham and Caitlin Laughlin both had strong showings on defence and offence, respectively

Both girls travel to St. Catharines to play for the Jets, which offers the highest level of competition in girls’ soccer in the area.

The Jets finished their pre-season with a record of 9-1-5, with Bennard shutting out the opposition in 11 of the matches.

The Jets were slated to open their regular season on Saturday, May 12 against Captial United. Their home opener will be held on Wednesday, May 16 at 9 p.m. at Pearson Park when they host Brams United.

Going into the recent Ontario Volleyball Association tournament, the 14U Waterdown Raiders girls were ranked 31st of 89 teams in Ontario. This slotted the girls in the tough, top-32 bracket. After the round robin portion of the weekend, the Raiders were seeded in the second division (17-32) sudden death matches on Sunday.

In their first game, the Raiders knocked off the 18^th-ranked Barrie Elites Black 25-23 and 25-22 to move in to the final eight.
In their next match, the Raiders faced the 26th ranked South County Bandit Teal team from Windsor. The Raiders took this match in three sets 17-25, 25-19 and 15-11 to advance to the semifinals. At this point, the Raiders’ run of narrow victories went the other way in 20-25 and 23-25 loss to the Scarborough Titans. Relegated to the Bronze medal game against the 20th ranked Niagara Rapids Black, the Raiders came out flat in the first set, losing 8-25. They regrouped with strong effort in defeat 23-25.
The weekend capped a successful season in which the Raiders played their way to five top four finishes over six tournaments and pushed their way to 20th in the province.

Team members include Tyra Baird, Lauren Boswell, Victoria DiCesare, Nicole Lauff, Zoe McMillan, Megan Mommersteeg, Darragh Rumple, Katie Saunders, Carina Schiappa, Shelby Sweetman, Lindsay Wilcox and Kassy Zelko. The team was coached by Wendy Mommersteeg and Jason Pundyk.

Submitted by: David Wilcox