Published Dec. 7, 2011 — Don Lubberts apologized Monday night for suggesting a week earlier that the town’s clerk and solicitor had falsified the Bay Beach zoning bylaw.

He told council during his apology speech that he was misinformed by Raymond Borja of the Ontario Municipal Board, leading to his assertion that the bylaw was invalid. continued . . . »

Photocopy of cheque of the $5,000 donation made to help FEWPA overturn the decision to rezone the Bay Beach lands for a condominium development.

Published Dec. 7, 2011 — When the Friends of Crystal Beach “drew the line” — as described by its president — at removing comments about the group’s position on the Bay Beach condominium project, there was no option but to revoke its bingo licence, said the manager of the town’s bingo authority.

Community Gaming Development Corporation manager Russ Wilson said the website and other evidence showed the group was acting in a political manner which the province forbids in its lottery licensing policy.

Although the group was a “stellar organization” as far as its record keeping and bingo management were concerned, its attempt to “persuade public opinion on a political issue” disqualified it from having a bingo licence. continued . . . »

Published Dec. 7, 2011 — Try as they might, councillors Paul Collard, John Hill and Don Lubberts just could not find a way to save the Friends of Crystal Beach from permanently losing its bingo licence.

So they decided to let the province’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission give the bad news.

The three councillors — self-appointed adjudicators in the matter — decided after a three-and-a-half-hour appeal hearing Nov. 24, including an hour in secret deliberation, to follow the advice they rejected more than a month earlier. continued . . . »

The dashed line within the red shaded box shows the extent of the offending terrace balcony that town councillors want removed as a condition of site plan approval.

Subject to the Molinaro Group removing part of a second-story terrace on the west side of the building, Fort Erie town council approved the site plan agreement for the Crystal Beach/Bay Beach condominium project Monday night.

Councillor Don Lubberts wants a section of the second floor balcony that acts as a canopy for the south facing lower patio removed.

John Hill, Paul Collard and Rick Shular also supported the amendment.

Whether it’s an acceptable condition is not known.

Consulting planner Ed Fothergill was the only only speaker for Molinaro at the meeting, and he said he could not answer for his client.

Vince and Rob Molinaro, along with their architect, engineer and others, had attended last week when the site plan was deferred for a week after a few hours of discussion. They didn’t come back for another round.

Fothergill told  council that if the site plan did not pass “tonight,”  Molinaro would appeal to the Ontario Muncipal Board.

Removal of the terrace and a pair of “arcade columns” that hold it up would make next door neighbours Jack Murrett and his wife Patty Nowak “a little” happier, Murrett told council.

Neighbours to the east — a large community of toads — are quite thrilled. Opponents croaked when the site plan won the vote.

In another long and convoluted session . . . see The Ridgeway Herald next week.

A bi-national, bi-community commemoration of the Burning of Black Rock during the War of 1812 will take place at the Jarvis Street Coal Dock starting at 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10.

Bonfires will be lit in Fort Erie and Black Rock with ceremonies presided by dignitaries and other activities.

It is presented by the War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee, 2nd Lincoln Artillery, Preservation Committee of Black Rock, Riverside Good Neighbors Planning Association and the Peace Bridge Authority. An after party will be held at Rohall’s Corner, 540 Amherst St., with food and cash bar.

Stephen Harper and Barack Obama have agreed to a plan to smooth entry into the United States for Canadian goods and travellers that would see Canada work more hand-in-glove with the massive U.S. security bureaucracy to screen people and cargo for threats.

The Globe and Mail

(Published Oct. 31, 2011) It was a fairly benign affair Fort Erie town councillor John Hill hosted to meet with Ward 4 residents of Ridgeway in his “Town Hall” meeting at the Crystal Ridge Library Oct. 27.

About 60 or 70 people were there — many of whom were seen before at council meetings advocating against the Bay Beach condominium.

Former councillors were there — Ann-Marie Noyes, Richard Berry, Tom Lewis and his parents, Bill Brunton. Current councillors Don Lubberts and Paul Collard were also there. continued . . . »

The latest edition of The Ridgeway Herald is out on the street and in better email inboxes everywhere. Featured is full details of the Friends of Crystal Beach bingo licence appeal, coverage of the dizzying machinations around the Bay Beach site plan agreement, Part 2 regarding Ann-Marie Noyes’ freedom of information battle with the EDTC, and councillor Don Lubberts going off half-cocked on town staff and subsequently apologizing. Plus a little something chocolatey. Now with more colour!

To receive your copy and to subscribe, please go to the Contact page and send a secure message.

Charlie Duhamel will try to put Ridgeway in the Guinness Book of World Records on Saturday.

Also known as “Chocolate Charlie”, he will try to make a 240-foot long chocolate bar during Spirit of Christmas festivities.

He and his wife Barbara and many volunteers will pour nearly 400 pounds of Mercken’s chocolate into a length of eavestrough and garnish it with 75 pounds of nuts and candy.

“I used to be in the siding business, you know, eavestroughing. Now I’m in the chocolate business and I just put them together,” he said. continued . . . »

Fort Erie Secondary School needs your internet vote to help it raise $125,000 to refurbish a greenhouse and create an energy efficient source of food and education.

Project Green Falcon (click the link to vote) is competing against 1,000 other projects across Canada for a share of $1 million from the Aviva insurance company. continued . . . »

Firefighters and other emergency personnel are at the scene of a house fire Saturday evening at 285 Niagara Blvd between Catherine and Gilmore.

Niagara Regional Police reported the fire after responding to a burglary alarm shortly before 6 p.m.

There is no word whether the 1-1/2 storey home is occupied at the moment.

The fire is reported under control at 6:13 p.m. Firefighters are searching the building.

Deputy chief Keith German declared “all clear” at 6:23.

It is the home of Mike and Anna Annunziata.

The fire was extinguished at 6:49 p.m. Firefighters are checking.

Town council’s bingo appeal committee refused to rule whether the lottery licence of the Friends of Crystal Beach should be reinstated.

Instead, the three councillors who comprise the committee decided to refer the matter to the province’s Alcohol and Gaming Commission. continued . . . »

The Ministry of Natural Resources has begun the public consultation phase of the overall benefit program proposed to protect the Fowler’s Toad habitat at Bay Beach.

The permit is required before construction can begin on the 12-story condominium project on Town-owned waterfront land.

Written submissions must be made directly to the MNR. The Town has no jurisdiction in this matter.

The MNR has reviewed alternatives, and the proposal was adjusted to minimize adverse effects on individual toads and their habitat, states the notice published on the Environmental Registry.

An application for an overall benefit permit would include creation of sand dunes in a protected area to enhance Fowler’s Toad habitat on the property, the notice reads.

A detailed story about the permit application process and information about the toad was published in the Sept. 7 edition of The Ridgeway Herald: continued . . . »

Lawn sign printed by the Friends of Crystal Beach protesting the Bay Beach condominium. The issue of political involvement landed the non-profit group in hot water over its municipal bingo licence.

Three town councillors who are facing election compliance audits will decide on Thursday, Nov. 24 whether the Friends of Crystal Beach should have its bingo licence re-instated.

Paul Collard, John Hill and Don Lubberts were appointed to the appeal committee after they and Bob Steckley voted Oct. 17 against sending the appeal to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission to make a ruling.

The FOCB lost its bingo licence — which was expected to raise about $5,000 this year — when the town’s gaming corporation decided it had violated eligibility requirements when it engaged in lobbying efforts against the Bay Beach condominium project.

All three have been critics of the project and have tried to overturn the town’s partnership with the Molinaro Group. continued . . . »

This chart shows preliminary 2012 spending increases based on inflationary drivers and proposals forwarded by councillors in 2011.

(Oct. 13, 2011) Without lifting a finger, running the town of Fort Erie will cost nearly four percent more in 2012.

But councillors did lift their hands in 2011 for new expenditures to hike spending by nine per cent, and there will likely be more.

Debate at the Sept. 26 council meeting centred on whether town staff should be directed to trim expenditures to limit the increase to 2.9 per cent.

Councillor Bob Steckley said the nine per cent increase could easily increase to 12 per cent when board and committee budgets and community grants are factored in. continued . . . »