I am well into production for the final edition of the Grand Bend Strip, which is a swimsuit edition that will go to every home in Grand Bend and to our 600 subscribers. Copies will be available at stores as well.

Because we are running a full distribution, about 1800 copies will go to homes in Grand Bend, with the rest going to subscribers in the area through our normal distribution for a total of 2200 delivered copies plus 800 store copies. This is a rare chance for you to hit every home in Grand Bend with your message, and I know this issue will remain on coffee tables for some time.

I have set my prices a little higher than normal, but much lower than should be expected for a full distribution run. We are still more affordable than any other local paper, despite a greater distribution for this run. This offer won’t come around again. Prices can be found at http://www.grandbendstrip.com/advertising/

I want to run as much colour as possible to show off the swimsuits being worn by local people you may know. Studies also show that colour is more attractive to readers, so you will get more eyeballs on your ad if you run colour. To make this more attractive to you, I am offering you a special deal: on top of your ad space rate, you can add colour for $50 for any ad less than 1/4 page, or $100 for any ad larger than 1/4 page. This is a huge discount from our normal rates (adding colour for a full page is normally $300 on top of your space rate, so you can save up to $200)!

To get a sense of how the farewell swimsuit edition is going so far, visit http://caseylessard.me or my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/CaseyLessardPhotography

Please let me know as soon as possible the extent of your participation in this special issue. Hope to hear from you soon!

Casey Lessard
You can email me here
–
Publisher/Editor
Grand Bend Strip community newspaper

+1 (519) 614-3614 [cell]
+1 (866) 753-2781 [fax]

Last issue of the Strip comes to you July 14

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

The headline above may come to a surprise to some of you, but to others, you have heard the rumours already. Here’s the truth: Anjhela and I are moving to England, where she will pursue a master’s degree at the University of Oxford. How could we turn that down?
Of course, the inevitable questions include: what about the paper? It will be no more. Despite some hints of interest from other people, the fact is, the paper is too much work for even me to do for the compensation received. It’s always been a labour of love, and it would be like asking a stranger to adopt your child.
We are moving early September, and Anjhela starts classes in early October. I had originally planned to keep putting out papers until mid-August, but it doesn’t make much sense. Anyone who has ever made such a major move knows you need time to prepare. For me, as someone who earns most of his money from freelance and part-time work, I need time to get my act together. I need time to make a portfolio, which I haven’t done since I started the Strip. I need time to create a plan for the type of work I want to do, and time to create that work before I arrive in England.
I also have many commitments to my Grand Bend photo students, who are calling for classes that have been delayed due to the newspaper. It’s one of the many loose ends I need to tie.
My commitment of delivering a newspaper to you, the reader, ends with my next issue. I will always be committed to sharing my work with you, but you will no longer get this on a piece of newsprint after July 14. I humbly apologize. For most of you, your paid subscription of 16 issues runs out that issue, and the rest of you (who signed up after July 2009) will be hearing from me personally soon.
From a professional standpoint, I have achieved almost everything I desired when I started imagining the paper. I wanted it to be one of the best in Canada, but I’ll settle for one of the best in Ontario. I wanted a place to show my work and share stories, and that was a success. I wanted to be part of my home community again, and you welcomed me more than I ever dreamed.
From a personal standpoint, living and working here have afforded me many great opportunities. Humber College has been wonderful to me, as have my photo students here. I live with the love of my life, and share a great apartment with two sweet little dogs. My parents are close, as are many members of Anjhela’s family. We will miss it so much here.
This is not the final word from me, and you can keep up to date on everything Casey by visiting my new website: caseylessard.me . I will also add some further comments in the next issue. I hope you will add your thoughts on the end of the Grand Bend Strip and our future pursuits; if you send me a letter before July 7, I will make every effort to include it in the next issue.
I have but one unfulfilled desire for the Grand Bend Strip. I want to do a swimsuit edition. Seriously. You bring the swimsuit, I’ll bring the camera. We’ll show a location or activity you love about Grand Bend. You can trust me, right? If it sounds fun to you or someone you know, drop me a note now to schedule a shoot.
Even if you don’t want to bare your skin, I need to work on building a portrait portfolio. If you join my facebook page (Casey Lessard Photography) or I have your email address for the paper, you will hear from me soon about a special portrait deal for the summer. I’ll make it worth your while.
In the meantime, enjoy this issue, and look for the final Grand Bend Strip mid-July. Talk to you then.

School bands bring home gold, two silvers, and big awards from MusicFest Canada

Story and photos by Casey Lessard

They’re the best percussion ensemble in Canada, and they’re right here in our backyard. Led by music director Isaac Moore and coach Dave Robilliard, South Huron District High School’s percussionists won the Zildjian Outstanding Percussion Section Award at this year’s MusicFest Canada national competition in Ottawa May 22; graduating student Jon Gill of Grand Bend, who is attending UWO for music in the fall, won the Zildjian Outstanding Percussionist Award. Judge and seminar leader Wayne Toews called the group the best student percussion ensemble in Canada, and could challenge any group in the world. If that’s the case, says Robilliard, it’s because the students are fully committed to success.
“We challenge our students in a way that other percussion ensembles I’ve seen in Canada are not challenged,” says Robilliard. “We give them – and they’ve requested – very difficult material that requires extra time and rehearsal on their time. It’s one of the best things (judge) Wayne Toews has seen in high school percussion ensembles, so in his eyes, it’s world class. It’s a very flattering statement.”
The accolades came hours after performing at the nationals; the percussionists performed last and earned a gold standard, while two other groups led by Moore and fellow teacher Matt Weston – the senior concert band and senior jazz bands – performed earlier the same day, each earning the silver award.
“A lot of kids in the music program are goal-oriented students,” says Moore, “and they respond well to having a goal. Whether we go to nationals or regionals, that goal is one of the things that motivate them to continue to get better. MusicFest Canada is on a different level because you have 10,000 kids from across Canada who are passionate about music. Something really special gets created when you put them together in the same place.”
To compete at nationals, the bands had to earn either gold or high silver with invitation at the regional competition in London. When the nationals are held in Ottawa, South Huron finds it convenient to attend, and a great experience as well.
“Ottawa is a great place to play, and the National Arts Centre is one of the best concert halls in the country, as it should be,” Moore says. “The experience of playing in that building and hearing other bands in that building, it’s incredible for them. It’s probably something a lot of them won’t have the opportunity to do again, so it’s important for me that every student experience the nationals if possible.”
During the years when the competition is not in Ottawa, Moore and Weston take the music students on non-MusicFest trips, including last year’s trip to Chicago. It’s part of Moore’s mission to give a rounded music education.
“A teacher I had while at university asked, are you giving your students a fantastic four-year band program, or are you giving your students a fantastic band program for four years, as in the same program for four years,” he says.
“A lot of what we do is based on routine and tradition, and it called into question for me how you maintain tradition and routine, but also offer the kids a different experience over the four years they are here. It opened my mind to the different options of where kids can go and what they can learn. In the four years you’ve got, you can do a lot.”
This year’s trip to the nationals was the second for Robilliard, whose father Bob was music director at South Huron for many years. After returning to Canada from graduate school in Oklahoma, Dave Robilliard joined Moore and Weston – the three studied percussion together at UWO – three years ago to lighten their load.
“I am able to focus on techniques and sound concepts that Isaac and Matt can’t focus on in the large classroom or band settings,” says Robilliard, who, unlike education majors Moore and Weston, pursued performance at university. He now works with the Stratford and International Symphonies, serves as a substitute for the Kitchener and Windsor Symphonies, and performs in a percussion group called DuO. His contribution has led to great success for the students.
“We received a gold standard in 2008,” he says, “which was my first year working with percussion ensemble. There was still a large number of carryover of students this year – Jon Gill, Joe Pavkeje and Jeff Penn – and we won gold again. But we don’t do it for the awards. We want to see students grow as musicians and see their confidence grow on stage.”
While South Huron has a full trophy case – and that’s just from this year – Moore agrees that they’re not looking for pats on the back.
“The real measure of success is how we feel about our performances when we’re done. I measure our success as a teacher how we fare when we compete at a higher level (the 2008 bronze winning senior concert band competed in a higher bracket this year and earned silver). If we were not taking the kids to an uncomfortable place, it would be an exercise in self-confidence. It makes more sense to shoot a little beyond where you might be so you can develop.”
The success can be attributed to the approach of the teachers, and the commitment of the students.
“It’s a lot of practice, a lot of one-on-one with your section and Mr. Moore,” says graduating student Trish Pavkeje, who performed in the concert and jazz bands. “It helps that Mr. Moore and Mr. Weston are easy to talk to. It’s easy to ask them for help.”
“Everyone’s on the same level and enjoys being there with everyone else,” says Joe Pavkeje, a member of all three groups, winner of the national honour award for the jazz band, and SHDHS student of the year. “Our school isn’t segregated into athletic kids and music kids. Everyone is doing everything. It feels cohesive for that reason.”
Clarinet player Stephanie Pratt agrees.
“Kids from all over the school are in this, so you get a sense of diversity,” Pratt says, noting music is attractive because of the lessons you learn. “Self-discipline is important, you learn a lot of patience and togetherness.”
For Stephen Mills, who has experienced bullying at school, the inclusivity makes the music room a refuge.
“We have to work together to do anything in the band,” Mills says. “We all have to talk to each other, and when you have to talk to someone, you appreciate them for who they are.”
And that’s exactly what Isaac Moore wants to hear.
“If a student is willing to commit themselves to the educational experience, we try not to discriminate in any way. Students can find their place in the band based on their strengths and weaknesses. Without your strong players and weaker players, you can’t maintain consistency. Eventually the weak players become strong and take over the leadership roles.”
Now that many members of the successful bands are graduating, Moore, Weston and Robilliard look to the future.
“We take it year by year,” Robilliard says. “The younger students will now have an opportunity to succeed at a higher level than they’ve had in the past. We’re going to do a lot of different pieces in different styles, and give everyone an opportunity to learn and grow.”

The Grand Bend Strip and publisher Casey Lessard took home more awards than any other newspaper in Ontario Friday, May 14 at the Ontario Community Newspapers Association gala held in Toronto. Here are the results and judges’ comments:

3rd place – General Excellence (best overall paper), circulation under 1,999
Note: Top marks in 4 of 11 categories, including Front Page, Presentation, Photography, and Production Quality
Judges Norm Park, Cindy Beaulieu, Kelly Clammer, Heather Thomson: The most eye-appealing publication in this class. No question about artistic quality and photo presentation. That is tops in the class. This paper also provides good, easy to read features with strong leads. It’s a home-spun feel-good paper with a professional flair.

2nd place – Photographer of the Year (competing with all newspapers)
Judge Bill White: Strong features. Some very nice lighting.

1st place – Best Creative Advertising (under 9,999) – ad promoting Casey365.com
Judge Wayne Aubert: Unexpected clean layout for the clutter of ads in a community paper.

1st place – Best Feature Photo (under 9,999) – cover photo from Parkhill fair
Judge Dave White: I think the photographer made some smart decisions regarding depth of field and camera angle to help us feel this child’s pure joy. The viewer is right there with her. I really love this image.

2nd place – Education Writing – SHDHS music trip to Chicago
Judge Richard Dal Monte: Great photos and a good idea going along for the ride on the band trip to the Windy City.

3rd place – Best Sports Photo – Hockey Night in Zurich dressing room photo
Judge Ron Scheffler: The photographer is commended for exploring behind the scenes to reveal a closer look at those who play simply for the love of the sport.

3rd place – Best Photo Layout – Parkhill’s Five Fun Days
Judge Joe Callahan: An uncomplicated layout and typography that allowed the photograph to communicate effectively.

3rd place – Best Rural Story (under 9,999) – potato farmer Marcus Koenig
Judge Jake Boudrot: Well written, well researched, significant local story, with a nice layout and excellent photographs.

Why you’ll see PVB on the beach this summer

PVB Enterprises runs Canada’s largest independent beach volleyball camps. When one of owner and former national team member Mark Reilly’s club players, Taylor Ivey, and her parents Charlie and Katrine invited him to Grand Bend, an idea was born.
Reilly proposed developing a program in Grand Bend similar to the one he started in 1999 at Ashbridge’s Bay in Toronto. With plans to operate youth and adult camps and tournaments on the town’s north beach, Reilly and PVB approached Lambton Shores council in October 2009 and entered into a contract March 29, 2010 to run 15 courts for ten summers for $1500 per year.
Residents were informed April 5, and expressed to Reilly and the Iveys at a PVB-hosted meeting May 1 that they disapproved of the project and wanted it stopped.
While council supports the project, contractual problems (discussed on page 4 of this edition) led Lambton Shores to give PVB the 60 days notice required to void the contract. Council decided Monday night to renegotiate, and the matter is before lawyers. The Grand Bend Strip spoke with Mark Reilly Sunday night, ahead of the meeting, to see what he’d like to see now.

Photo by Casey Lessard
Assisted by Alicia Adamski and Sarah Laws

Interview by Casey Lessard

Grand Bend is not your first venue for this project.
We started in Ashbridge’s Bay in 1999. We had six kids in my first camp, and now we have more than 200. The relationship through Not So Pro was to develop youth programming, and when I was developing that, my friend who played against me on the national team, Mike Slean, noticed the business and offered to set up the business in Pickering. That was the first time we set up a model outside of Ashbridge’s Bay. Over the years, as we started developing, the Iveys came into my life with their daughter Taylor, who plays on my club team. They invited me up to Grand Bend and I saw the venue and facility, and thought this was a great pocket to start a new program.

Some changes to your original contract have been made as of Friday. What is the status?
Following the May 1 meeting we had with the community, we realized and were sensitive to many of the residents’ concerns. We’ve scaled back the contract and nothing has been signed yet, but we’ve had discussions with the municipality on how we could change a few clauses. Essentially adapt the contract to better suit the needs of the community and the municipality. We realize that the nature of the contract will demand an exceptional relationship with the municipality.

Here are some quick facts about the program: the original contract pitched 15 courts on the north beach for 10 years at $1500 per year; basically 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week for 15 weeks. What is the new agreement you’ve come up with the town?
We’ve scaled back the number of courts from 15 to 10 in year one. We’ve cut out all of the adult programming, all of the liquor licences and the idea of running tournaments where liquor would be involved for year one. We’ve entered a profit sharing agreement with the municipality where registration that comes through on the tournament side would result in revenue for the municipality. We’ve taken all of their concerns and digested them and came up with a proposal we believe will be suitable to the municipality and the residents.

Is the time length pretty similar?
We’ve scaled things back big time. We’re trying to show the residents and the municipality that we are listening and we’re hoping the residents will be sensitive to the changes and aware that the changes were made on behalf of them.
The courts are not being used nearly as much as it appears. In terms of the beach being used 24/7 by the beach volleyball courts, that’s not even close to a true equation. We have three child youth camps in place that are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, and that’s for a total of three weeks. We’re running three OVA youth tournaments; we cancelled our first tournament in June.

One big change is the venue.
Yeah, the venue is now being changed to the main beach. For us, it’s equally exciting. Each beach has its advantages, but the main beach, we’re very happy to be there.

Would you consider other venues?
The program needs to exist and function out of the Grand Bend beach. The beach is the lifeline to the success of the program. Tourists and volleyball clientele want to be on the beach and experiencing beach volleyball on the beach in front of the water. Grand Bend presents an exceptional beach to do that on.

A lot of people remarked on the dollar figure for the original deal. What is the situation now?
The municipality will be making more money now, but it’s a win-win. What will end up happening in the new deal, the town will make more money with more programming. Should we be offered more tournament time, the municipality and businesses will make more money. Should they decide to lighten the tournament load, they end up getting less revenue. They want more money, they’re getting more money. But with that, we have to have more tournaments.

What is your vision for beach volleyball in Grand Bend?
We’re going to take slow steps and see what the market yields. If you do your research, some of your top volleyball players, including the top male and top female, came from the London and Kitchener-Waterloo areas. Western Ontario has a great volleyball history, and that history will get better. You’ll start to see beach volleyball athletes develop. Athletes simply don’t want to travel to Toronto and Cobourg, so our hope is a lot of families will see an opportunity to stay close to home and invest their time and energy in Grand Bend.

What’s your reaction to the way the community reacted to your proposal?
You have a generational gap who don’t understand the demands that young children are faced with and the many routes young children and adults can take these days. They don’t get the PlayStations and all the other distractions life presents for these families and young kids. I’m sensitive to that. I’m not calling them naïve. I’m calling them unfamiliar with the environment kids are dealing with.
At the same time, I’m completely aware and sensitive to these families who are craving more for their children. This program, without a doubt, is going to give the community a healthy, athletic focus. There are many residents, older and younger, who are afraid to speak. The way the other side presented their case, it was quite bluntly very aggressive. Any time people are afraid to speak, you have a problem. People should be able to speak openly and voice their opinions, and that certainly was not the case with this item. A lot of misinformation was dealt initially, and that bred anger and created a revolt against the project. As a citizen, I don’t agree with that.

I understand you have received some threats. Do you have any safety concerns?
I don’t. I think there will be a lot of focus and attention dealt toward volleyball and I think it’s a good thing. People are going to quickly realize this is a good, sound project, and we’re doing a good thing for the community. People involved in the project are going to take a lot of pride in the program, what we’re doing. I’m not concerned about safety at this point. We’ve addressed some of the safety issues, and we made it very clear that we’re going to be watching very carefully for outsiders who are not in support of the program.

There have been suggestions that because of your relationship to Charlie Ivey, who is related to former mayor Cam Ivey, that some favour was curried here. Has your affiliation with the Iveys led to any special treatment at council?
For anyone who wants to know how the volleyball business works, this has been the most taxing volleyball project I’ve ever been attached to. For anyone who thinks this has been an easy journey and that the Iveys have helped streamline this process and make it easy for us to get a contract, they’re sadly mistaken. Of every deal I’ve ever put together – with literally 20 or 30 companies or municipalities – this has been an extremely detailed process. Charlie has been a mentor to me, but in no way, shape or form has the Ivey name taken this deal through the pipes easily.

How do you heal the gap between your company, which wants to be here, and the people who are already here, especially the group led by Ed Fluter? What steps can you and they take to heal that rift?
I think they have to understand that there is a generation looking for more. We’re very grateful and thankful to be on the beach. We plan on working through a program model that is respectful to the community. If they plan to continue to slam the program and ruin the program, if that’s how they want to spend their lives and create their legacy in Grand Bend, that’s their path. If that’s the path they want to take, no one can stop them. But I’ll tell you that they’ll be upsetting a lot of families if it continues.

What is Grand Bend missing if it decides not to do this?
It’s a watershed moment. In the community of Grand Bend, we’ve had countless people email us to say they’re scared and are starving for a program like this. There’s a group of people that yields a lot of power and they do it in ways like mobbing. That’s what this was. They created misinformation and have managed to get a whole lot of people angry.

What if you aren’t here? What will you do?
I’ll continue on. I’m a passionate guy who’s involved in a game that’s done a lot for me. I don’t plan on ever stopping my volleyball journey. The sport has done wonderful things for my life and I feel I’m a disciple of the game.
If we need to go an alternative route, we will. But my hope is we don’t have to go down that road. I’m really confident that Grand Bend is the right spot to be.

Ed Fluter is a Grand Bend resident and representative of a new community association supported by many residents in the area. Fluter and his group oppose the PVB project – and any others – using the public beach for commercial purposes.
The Grand Bend Strip spoke with him shortly before Monday night’s council meeting.

Interview and photo by Casey Lessard

What are your main issues with volleyball on the beach at Grand Bend?
This is not a volleyball issue. I am a strong proponent of volleyball and other sports. My career was as a physical educator and coach. I love volleyball and sports and the benefits of sports. This issue is about commercializing our beach, a beach that has been designated for public use. It’s my feeling and our feeling – I represent a fairly large segment of the population right now – that no commercial activity should take over any portion of any of our beaches.
Beach volleyball is big business. If you have John Morrison of Not So Pro owing the City of Toronto $328,000 (including, according to the Globe and Mail, $113,000 for three months rent), you have to know this is big business. Even if it weren’t a huge potential for business, it’s still a for-profit activity on our beach.

So what do you say to suggestions that many of those opposed are of a certain generation that does not understand the needs of young people?
It has absolutely nothing to do with it. We are trying to protect this beach for people of all ages. We feel it is totally unfair that an organization of any kind is allowed to take over and lease a portion of public beach for private use for four months. One of the great joys I’ve seen over the years, on that part of the north beach that is not used for bathing purposes, the area considered underutilized is often used for spontaneous free play for people of all ages. I’m a strong advocate of that. Zoning regulation states that lakeshore be used for such passive recreation.
This deal is a precedent we don’t want to be set. I’m not against non-profit groups coming in and using a portion of the beach for a weekend, preferably during the shoulder seasons. In fact, I would be a proponent of that.
That portion of the beach that will be used for beach volleyball can be used by nobody else if they’re running from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week for the entire summer.

You are part of a new group referred to at council as the Community Association of Lambton Shores. Can you tell me about that?
We felt that our voice was not being heard. When you can show up with 100 people at three or four council meetings, when you can show up with 200 at the only meeting we had any opportunity to have input in (the PVB meeting on May 1), when you can get over 1000 names on a petition, including 50 businesses, when you can get that kind of vocal majority and be totally disregarded, you have to take further steps to fight this and other concerns through a group.

This has become quite a heated debate. Someone suggested they would put spikes in the courts where the children were playing volleyball. Do you and your group condone such violence?
Absolutely not. We condone no form of civil disobedience.

What do you plan to do if the revised agreement with fewer courts, shorter hours and fewer tournaments goes ahead this summer?
We are against that because it still doesn’t solve the bottom line issue. We have a number of strategies planned that I would prefer to keep in confidence at this point in time. We’re not going away. We’re not going to roll over and give up on this issue. We’ll take it as far as we possibly can.
There’s a small minority – I call them the silent minority – who claim they haven’t been heard, but have made no attempt to be heard in a formal, professional way other than complaining and gossiping in the background. Let them step forward and speak out.
We’re not getting personal in this debate. I have no personal issues with the proponents. This is an issue we’re fighting because we strongly believe in it.

And why council still wants to see beach volleyball in Grand Bend this summer
Interviews performed by Casey Lessard in advance of May 17 council meeting

Gord Minielly, Mayor
Years on council: more than 25, mayor since 2006.
Position sought in October 2010: none

Did you support the initial proposal from PVB?
Yes.

Do you support the contract the way it was signed?
Yes, I did. We’ve certainly altered it since the original, so I’m supportive of what’s being changed since the original.

Is there anything you would change about the contract?
I think it’s still a good idea, although there is a percentage of people who don’t support it. I like the concept of volleyball for kids on the beach, and I think it’s going to be beneficial to some of the people on the main strip. Maybe we should have done it on a yearly basis. We haven’t done anything about tournaments, but the fact that they’re not going to have any alcohol is a positive. The food voucher thing used to be done by the guy who rented the beach house, but it certainly wasn’t our intent to include that, so it’s gone.
If you bring more people to Grand Bend, the revenue of the businesses should increase. With Americans not coming the last little while and probably again this year, it’s an opportunity to get folks to bring their kids and generate revenue for the main street.

Do you think PVB should be operating on the Grand Bend beach?
I think they should. If they become successful, perhaps we can find a second venue so some of it can happen on the beach and some of it locally nearby without having to drive four or five miles to do that.
We’re kind of out of the contract, in my opinion, so we do have an opportunity to renegotiate if they’re interested. We’re not sure if that’s true or now. As of Friday afternoon, with 60 days notice, we’re out of the contract. They have been given notice.
It gives council some control to tighten up the contract if they’re still interested.

What rationale broke the contract?
It was the insurance portion and the fact that they were supposed to pay their $1500 by a certain date, which they didn’t do. The beginning of the season in the agreement was May 1. (They’ve been informed of this?) Yes.

Do you plan to make a new contract?
If council agrees, we will. If council doesn’t agree, we won’t. As of now, they still have the right to renegotiate. Because of the 60 day notice, there’s a little more time on our side to modify the agreement to what the residents were looking for.

What is your vision for the long-term use of Grand Bend’s beach?
The beach is for everybody’s use. If we can make this successful and bring more people, the long term would be to have two venues. Volleyball on the beach and volleyball close by. It would bring more folks and help everybody be a little more economically viable.

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Carolyn Jamieson, Deputy Mayor
Years on council: more than 20
Position sought in 2010: Deputy mayor

Did you support the initial proposal from PVB?
Not the way it was, no. It was way too large.

Do you support the contract the way it was signed?
In principle. I still think it’s probably too big. I had my doubts about the number of courts, but I went along with the majority.
Is there anything you would change about the contract?
No.

Do you think PVB should be operating on the Grand Bend beach?
I do not have a problem with them operating on the beach.

If you could get out of the contract today (interviewed May 16), would you do it?
I have no idea. I hadn’t thought about that.
What is your vision for the long-term use of Grand Bend’s beach?
As a beach. They play volleyball there now, so they should continue to play volleyball. They swim, they sunbathe, they walk. You use it as a beach. I am not a beach person, so I am a poor person to ask. I do not like the water and I do not swim. But I understand that many, many people use that beach. They enjoy the beach.

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John Dehondt, Ward 1
Years on council: four
Position sought in 2010: mayor

Did you support the initial proposal from PVB?
Yes and no. I supported a volleyball school. I didn’t support tournaments, beer tents, food concessions, or the size that it came up at. Actually I suggested it be two-thirds the size they suggested.

Do you support the contract the way it was signed?
No.

Is there anything you would change about the contract?
There was to be a clause in it that should the residents not be on side, that we can terminate the contract. There are a number of things wrong with it. That would be the simplest. The way I saw it happening, they would go out and do their communications program. They would come back and say, “it’s not going the way we thought, why don’t we do this and this?” Work out a collaborative agreement between what the residents and PVB wanted.

Do you think PVB should be operating on the Grand Bend beach?
No, I do not.

If you could get out of the contract today (as of May 16), would you do it?
Yes.

What is your vision for the long-term use of Grand Bend’s beach?
My vision is to keep it uncommercialized. I qualify that, too. I’d like to see an international rugby tournament. I’d like to see volleyball played, but being played on four permanent courts that allow people to play, including the teams that have been coming there for years. I’d like to see a committee created that would be made of people from the service clubs that would come up with recommendations of what and how we should protect our beach. That would be the best solution. As far as the volleyball goes, it should go back to the recreation and leisure plan. I think what would be supported would be a small community-based volleyball school. We have enough talent in the community that we could probably create some sort of volleyball school that would be at a different scale than PVB but still give us the opportunity to let young people have sports activities. But it doesn’t have to be on the beach.

Is Klondyke still an option?
Kids don’t care if volleyball is on the beach or at Klondyke. I really don’t believe that. The kids just want to learn and go play volleyball. I can see doing 90 per cent of the activities off beach. They could do finals and tournaments on the beach. That would be perfect. I think residents would get behind that.

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Bill Weber, Ward 2
Years on council: 22
Position sought in 10/2010: mayor

Did you support the initial proposal from PVB?
The initial proposal from PVB was different than what was approved by council. Many changes and controls were added by staff following council’s direction from discussions held in open council meetings.

Do you support the contract the way it was signed?
Yes. The contract was moved and seconded and passed by a quorum of council so I support it as a member of council. No, I do not agree with all of the terms in the contract.

Is there anything you would change about the contract?
Things I believe should be negotiated: I have always said that a smaller number of semi permanent courts would be better – six may be a good number; and I think the contract should able to be reviewed, amended, extended, or cancelled each fall after the season of operations.

Do you think PVB should be operating on the Grand Bend beach?
I believe a school for volleyball on the beach can be beneficial to our residents and our businesses, so yes.

If you could get out of the contract today, would you do it?
Anyone can get out of any contract. But what is lost in reputation or opportunity for the community may take years to recover from. The last motion from council was to look at options and negotiate with PVB to address concerns and work toward a volleyball program in Grand Bend.

What is your vision for the long-term use of Grand Bend’s beach?
The beach is public and should be enjoyed by all.

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Mark Simpson, Ward 3
Years on council: seven
Position sought in 10/2010: mayor

Did you support the initial proposal from PVB?
In principal I did support the concept. I had concerns with the number of courts, parking, the amount of the lease, and alcohol at events.

Do you support the contract the way it was signed?
As a member of council, I accept the contract as written.

Do you think PVB should be operating on the Grand Bend beach?
The municipality does not provide programming. We provide the facilities for both non-profit and for-profit organizations to provide the programs.

If you could get out of the contract today (as of May 16), would you do it?
While I wasn’t at the council meeting where the contract was approved (I have missed 2 meetings in 7 years, and that was one of them), I support all the decisions made by my colleagues that night.

What is your vision for the long-term use of Grand Bend’s beach?
Passive recreational use with the continued use by community groups for their activities, and for other programs that are suitable for beach use.

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Ruth Illman, Ward 4
Years on council: seven

Did you support the initial proposal from PVB?
I supported the concept of a volleyball school on the beach as I believe it provides increased opportunity for physical activity for youth and adults. The volleyball school can also be seen as having potential for economic spin off for community businesses.

Do you support the contract the way it was signed?
Lambton Shores does not have a parks and recreation department and I can support the for-profit proposal provided that we treat this organization consistently with other for-profits that have provided programming in our Lambton Shores facilities and that all operational costs be the responsibility of the organization. I do not envision provision of alcoholic beverages on the beach, use of food vouchers, use of amplified music or PA systems. It is also important to have an evaluation of the program at the end of the season.

Is there anything you would change about the contract?
If I had this to do over, I would prefer that the municipality initiate the communications plan and that we start smaller than what we initially agreed.

Do you think PVB should be operating on the Grand Bend beach?
Yes.

If you could get out of the contract today (as of May 16), would you do it?
We agreed as a council that we wanted staff to go back to PVB and discuss a modified version of the volleyball school. I am hopeful that negotiations and discussions can achieve some positive adjustments.

What is your vision for the long-term use of Grand Bend’s beach?
I see the Grand Bend beach as one of the many jewels of this municipality. I want to see the beach as an attractive, safe and fun place for all of our residents to live and play and for tourists and families to visit. I want to see opportunities for both organized and unorganized play for children and youth.
I want to see the beach continue as an internationally recognized “Blue Flag” beach with more opportunities for environmental programming in partnership with other community groups and organizations. The opportunity for partnerships for environmental education and partnerships in beach safety education is certainly possible in conjunction with a beach volleyball school.
I want to see more opportunities for the handicapped and disabled. The main beach enhancement goes a long way to making the area more accessible but we do need to review the overall beach enhancement plan and consider accessibility possibilities for the north beach. I look forward to community discussions of these issues as we move forward with the Recreation and Leisure Master Plan.
We do not staff a recreation department and we do not have the financial means to do so unfortunately. We facilitate programming by partnering with both public organizations and private profit and not for profit organizations.

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Gerry Rupke, Ward 5
Years on council: four
Position sought in 10/2010: Ward 3

Did you support the initial proposal from PVB?
I thought it was a great concept. We had some significant concerns, and they were to be addressed and brought back to council again. I wasn’t there when it came back to council.

Do you support the contract the way it was signed?
It didn’t address all the concerns we had, and one of them was communication with the local residents. We realized from the start that would be problematic, and would require significant effort by the company to sell their program to residents.
Is there anything you would change about the contract?
The communication plan. Nothing proceeds until local residents are happy with the plan.

Do you think PVB should be operating on the Grand Bend beach?
I think it’s a good potential use of the beach, yes. I’ve seen it done in other communities. In fact, I was just in Israel, and in Tel Aviv they have a very similar beach. There were four or five courts there in continuous use and quite compatible with other uses adjacent to it.

If you could get out of the contract today (as of May 16), would you do it?
Yes. I would alter it. (But you support them offering something on the beach?) Yes.

What is your vision for the long-term use of Grand Bend’s beach?
It’s a primary asset of our municipality and should be used for the benefit of our municipality as a whole. All the way along our shoreline we have a great asset, and we should ensure it is used in an environmentally appropriate way to benefit this community.

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Doug Cook, Ward 6
Years on council: A few months
Position sought in 10/2010: Ward 6

Did you support the initial proposal from PVB?
(Was not on council at the time.)
Do you support the contract the way it was signed?
I would support most of it in principle.
Is there anything you would change about the contract?
I’m a business owner, so I thought they were given a pretty lucrative opportunity for $1500. That’s my only position.

Do you think PVB should be operating on the Grand Bend beach?
I have no problem with that.

If you could get out of the contract today (as of May 16), would you do it?
I still like the premise. The fact that you’re giving young people the opportunity to have a sports program in Grand Bend is a good thing. The spinoff benefit to the local businesses was another opportunity for them. Businesses on the main drag tend to need some support, so I think more traffic in town wouldn’t hurt them at all.
What is your vision for the long-term use of Grand Bend’s beach?
I really don’t know the issue very well. I’d have to find out more about what’s going on in Grand Bend. There is a recreation committee being put together right now that will be coming out in the next few months, and it will give direction for what we will see in parks and recreation use across Lambton Shores.

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John Russell, Ward 7
Years on council: less than a year
Position sought in 10/2010: Undecided

Did you support the initial proposal from PVB?
Yes.

Do you support the contract the way it was signed?
I don’t support the existing contract because I didn’t know it was going to be signed (missed meeting due to family concerns).

Is there anything you would change about the contract?
Those are all details. The issue is for or against. I’m for it. I’m for volleyball. I’m for recreational opportunities. We made mistakes and PVB made major mistakes because they didn’t listen to us when we said they had to deal with the public. That’s our mistake, too, because we didn’t force their hand with that.

Do you think PVB should be operating on the Grand Bend beach?
I have no problem with them operating on the beach.

If you could get out of the contract today (as of May 16), would you do it?
Yeah. I made a motion that was defeated at the last council meeting that referred the issue of volleyball as a use of beach. It should be referred to the master plan on recreation, which is starting as we speak. We have a strategic plan. Recreation, heritage and culture are not in that plan. A strategic plan without recreation is not strategic.
I supported what they were trying to do. The idea of having volleyball on the beach is a good idea. But we have a bad history on this council of not using the public in a correct manner. That’s why you have these types of documents and public processes (master plans, etc.). Because this wasn’t quite correct, I suggested that the world wouldn’t come to an end if you don’t do it right now.

What is your vision for the long-term use of Grand Bend’s beach?
I don’t have one. That’s why I go through processes like that. I spent a lot of years chairing planning in Bosanquet, and my feeling is this: it’s not my vision; you get public input and find out.

The Grand Bend Strip leads all community newspapers in Ontario with eight nominations for this year’s Ontario Community Newspaper Awards, including best overall paper and photographer of the year for Casey Lessard. The top three entrants were announced March 1; winners will be announced at the OCNA’s annual conference in Toronto May 14. The Parry Sound North Star has the second most nominations with seven.
To learn more about the Grand Bend Strip’s history of awards since its first publication in May 2007, visit http://www.grandbendstrip.com/about/awards.

The Grand Bend Strip and publisher Casey Lessard are nominated in the following categories:

General Excellence – Class 1
(Award for best overall paper from two random issues submitted)
Other nominees: Cobden Sun and Manotick Messenger

Education Writing
(Chicago! – SHDHS music trip)
Other nominees: Parry Sound Beacon Star and Richmond Hill/Thornhill Liberal

Best Rural Story (circ under 9,999)
(Fields of Gold – Marcus Koenig, potato farmer)
Other nominees: Listowel Banner and New Hamburg Independent

Best Feature Photo (circ under 9,999)
(Best Seat in the House – Dashwood soap box derby cover photo)
Other nominees: Aylmer Express and Bracebridge Examiner

Best Photo Layout
(Five days of good, clean fun – Parkhill Five Fun Days)
Other nominees: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser and North York Mirror

Best Sports Photo
(Hockey Night in Zurich – Mark Buruma in dressing room)
Other nominees: Brampton Guardian and Mount Forest Confederate

Photographer of the Year
(Casey Lessard, photographer)
Other nominees: Belleville EMC and Peterborough This Week

Best Creative Advertising (circ under 9,999)
(Casey365.com – ad promoting website)
Other nominees: Mount Forest Confederate and Nunavut News/North

February 4
Hensall Public School

February 25
Stephen Central Public School

March 4
ARC makes recommendations to board

2008-09 school populations
Source: AMDSB.ca
Zurich – 148 (110% of capacity of 135)
Exeter – 303 (74% of capacity of 409)
Stephen – 171 (68% of capacity of 250)
Hensall – 152 (58% of capacity of 262)
Usborne – 117 (52% of capacity of 227)

Avon-Maitland District School Board superintendent of operations Mike Ash is the chair of the Accommodation Review Committee examining which schools should close in South Huron and Bluewater. The contentious decision will be made this summer, and may see one or more local communities lose their schools. The committee, consisting of school and community representatives, meets every few weeks to discuss the options and present their suggestions.

As told to Casey Lessard

Any accommodation review is a difficult process for the community. It’s also difficult for the trustees and the board staff as we consider these decisions. At the end of the day, we as a board have to be able to demonstrate that we are using the tax dollars we receive in a fiscally responsible fashion. If there are ways we can use the grant dollars we get, we need to do that. Duplication between schools can be questioned as an effective use of revenue.
More important to us, though, is being able to provide an effective quality program. Our belief based on our experiences is that we need to have a sufficient number of students in a building to allow us to prevent triple-grade classes as a minimum. This can also allow us flexibility in timetabling to minimize the number of double-grade classes, and provide options to students to be in a straight-grade class or a split-grade class. We also believe that there should be a sufficient number of classes so that you have more than one teacher in a particular division so those teachers can collaborate and learn from each other in terms of best teaching practices and improve the learning environment. As schools get smaller, it becomes more difficult, if not impossible, to achieve that level of staffing to allow for that dialogue to occur or to provide that flexibility in terms of timetabling.
Based on enrolment projections, the board has done some difficult work to consolidate the schools so we will have a stable, viable school system going forward. The enrolment in our area is projected to plateau and then rise a little bit. That increase in school age children will be very small. If we can come up with a consolidated group of schools in South Huron now, that will serve the needs of students for 10-15 years, if not longer.
Last year, we did a formal accommodation review with the Usborne school committee. At the end of that process, the trustees deferred a decision on the future of Usborne Central PS pending a review of all of the schools in the South Huron area.
The five elementary schools that feed into South Huron District High School were identified as having about 400 empty spaces in their schools. In addition to that, we have a couple of schools that have fewer than 150 students. The combination of the empty spaces, plus a significant number of spaces in SHDHS has prompted the staff to recommend that we look at the accommodation in that area.
Staff and the community have presented a number of options. The preferred option from the board staff includes both the closure of Usborne Central PS and either Hensall PS or Zurich PS, and then the redistribution of students from those schools to the remaining schools. At the last two meetings, we’ve also presented and discussed the closure of Stephen Central PS, and a configuration that would see two of the five schools close with the remaining schools operating as K-8. In the other scenarios, we were presenting Grades 7 and 8 at the high school. Friends of Hensall PS have presented the idea of closing Exeter PS and merging it with the high school through an addition to create a K-12 school. That would address excess capacity, but it wouldn’t address program delivery issues that would be present at the other schools that have small populations and small staffs.
Closing Exeter is a viable option for discussion. The concern with that is: where do the capital dollars come from to build the addition onto South Huron DHS? That money ultimately has to come from the Ministry of Education of the Province of Ontario. In our dialogue with the ministry financial folks, they only become interested in capital funding when it meets certain criteria. At this point in time, those criteria would require the closure of at least three schools to create a school in the order of at least 500 students. Any plan would have to include the use of any other excess capacity in the area under review, so that would include the secondary school. The ministry probably won’t provide capital to the board unless the community is on side with how that capital will be used.
The reality is that schools that are smaller than 500 aren’t self-sustainable in terms of the funding mechanism that is currently in place. In a district like ours, the schools that are 350 or 400 students are actually subsidizing the smaller schools. When a trustee looks at the equitable distribution of funding across the board, that is a concern. Should the smaller schools be subsidized by larger classes in larger schools?

Certainly the board trustees and staff are aware that closing a school is traumatic and has an effect on the community. Unfortunately, when we start weighing that impact, which is speculative, with the reality that we have to provide a program for our students today and balance our budget today, the program issues and the board’s financial picture will carry more weight than the impact on the community. Ultimately, we are charged with providing a quality education for our students, and their needs come first.
Quality of life is also a concern. Usborne and Stephen Central are both fully bused now. Any changes in the location of where those students would attend in the case of Usborne would actually reduce the bus ride for those students because the buses are run in conjunction with the secondary school and they stop there before going to Usborne. If the Usborne students were relocated to Exeter, they would have a shorter bus ride. If Hensall were to close, we would be putting a group of students who do not currently ride the bus, depending on where they live, on a bus ride ranging between 30 and 60 minutes per day. It’s a similar situation in Zurich. We do take that into account, and as we plan our bus routes, we make them an hour or less wherever possible.

It is not a done deal (i.e. the end result is not predetermined). The trustees make the decision. Staff and the ARC make recommendations; staff need to make their recommendations based on the ARC’s recommendations, so until they make that decision, the staff is listening. Then the trustees will consider all of the information and make a decision in June.
The timeframe for the ARC deliberations has been sufficient based on others in the past. One of the challenges for the members of the ARC is to keep focused on their mandate. The recommendations to the trustees don’t have to be accurate to the penny in terms of potential capital costs or changes in costs for the board, but they do have to give trustees a picture of what the community would like to see in terms of a school configuration for the next 10-15 years.

We know that when we go into this process that we will not make everyone happy. We focus on the core issues. For the school board, they are the delivery of program and ensuring we’re using our financial resources most efficiently and effectively. At the same time, we want to wherever possible address the concerns of the community while ensuring a quality program.

The next public meeting is at Hensall PS February 4, followed by one at Stephen Central PS February 25. The ARC will make its recommendations at a meeting March 4. Staff will report in April, and the trustees are currently scheduled to decide at a meeting June 22. The board typically ensures at least one year for transition, so changes would not be implemented until September 2011.