View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I feel a level of simpatico with Mark Reilly. We’re not friends, not business partners; I met him once and talked to him on the phone once. But I know how he probably feels: he just wants to run a business in Grand Bend within the rules established by the prevailing authority.
When I started the Grand Bend Strip, I got a some nasty looks from people I didn’t know. Others simply ignored me, considered the paper junk mail, or didn’t care. They liked the old way, the other newspaper. But, as I believe Mark Reilly is, I was committed to doing my best every day and showing that I wanted to be part of this community. Luckily, there is a vocal minority – you who are reading this – who said, let’s support this guy. He’s doing something good.
I think Reilly’s dream of making Grand Bend a destination for athletes is a good thing. Somewhere along the line, he screwed up the execution. Too much, too soon. The town just redid the beach and downtown, after all. Add to that a contract that was too long for too little.
But let’s try to determine who is responsible here. It is really Mark Reilly?
Mark Reilly simply made a proposal to run a business. He did nothing wrong in that respect. His idea had no fundamental flaws. However, he made some mistakes by not communicating with residents, by not paying his initial fee, and by not securing insurance for the season. After his first mistake and the resulting meeting May 1, I can’t blame him for making the other two mistakes. He probably didn’t expect this project would happen this summer.
Is it Lambton Shores council, or perhaps the administration, that should bear the blame for the controversy and uproar by a group of concerned citizens? The administration wrote the terms of the agreement under direction of council, and made some critical errors in its construction. After a series of mistakes, council had enough reason to be concerned that it gave 60 days notice to terminate the contract with PVB. Good thing for them that PVB made the mistakes it did.
I’m going to take it one step further, though. If council and the administration are responsible for this mess, then perhaps the person ultimately responsible is you. After all, you voted in the council and they direct the administration.
I want to hear who you think is responsible. Visit our website and answer our poll, which is active now. It’s an early way to express your opinion to council. You’ll get another opportunity in October with the municipal election.
Regardless of your opinion, it looks like this project will go ahead. Ed Fluter says those supporting this project are a silent minority. But when it comes down to decision time, there may be a more important portion of the population that emerges. They’re the ones who vote in the councilors for wards other than Grand Bend. And when the residents of Grand Bend say, not in my backyard, are they listening? If not, who is in the majority here?

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:

Is mom stunned by the success of the Grand Bend Strip? Unfortunately, they only take one photo at the Ontario Community Newspapers Association awards banquet in Toronto, and this is the one they sent us. From left: publisher Casey Lessard, mom Rita Lessard, OCNA president Don MacLeod, and co-owner Anjhela Michielsen hold the most plaques taken home by any newspaper at this year’s awards, held May 14.

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.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I’ll admit that I don’t spend a lot of time in downtown Grand Bend in the winter. My home base is in Parkhill, and I am usually heading in the other direction, to Toronto, during the school year.
That’s why it was interesting to visit the strip April 2. The day was too beautiful not to see whether others would be soaking up the sun and getting sand stuck between their toes. They sure were. It felt like July.
More interesting, though, was seeing the main street construction that will be done by the time most people expected summer to start (i.e. not April). Regardless of what you think of the width of the road, the remake looks promising. The facelift was a long time coming.
I can understand why some people are nonplussed about the process. It makes life tougher if the road’s not wide enough. But let’s be honest. This construction is not to make life easier for drivers. It is for the walkers, and those using wheelchairs. In other words, it’s for the shoppers. Someday, that may even be you.
That will be some time from now, though, if you won’t go downtown while visitors run amok. If a town can’t sustain its downtown economy year-round solely on its residents, what do you expect? Businesses are going to continue to plan for the summer economy, and had people known it was going to be so beautiful Easter weekend, more businesses would have opened to serve the influx.
There’s no turning back on this downtown project, and we may have the best infrastructure around by this summer. With the new look, we may even be able to attract a few more downtown businesses that cater to locals, as most people say they want.
But it will take some more vision, like that of a select few (including Kazwear, which is finishing its own intriguing renovation), to get us to the point where the majority make a living off the residents instead of the visitors.
Is that right for Grand Bend? You tell me.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

This is the time of year, it seems, when good things start happening. We’ve just recovered from the Olympics with its thrilling ending, the snow seems to be gone for good, and our chihuahua can now handle a walk that lasts longer than three minutes.
But here at the Strip, we have many more things to celebrate. Our friends at South Huron’s music department continue their MusicFest winning ways, James Eddington took a much needed vacation, and Anjhela is weeks away from finishing her degree. Then there are the awards. Where do I start? It’s a good year, that’s for sure.
When I started the Grand Bend Strip, my intention was to make it one of the best newspapers in Ontario, and maybe even Canada. Each issue, the goal is to give you the best photos and most interesting stories I can find related to your community and interests. This work has paid off with one CCNA win, two OCNA wins, and many top three finishes in the first two years.
This year is different, though. Now, the Strip is nominated for best paper in Ontario, and this after only three years of publication. My photography is recognized again, and a variety of photos and writing samples are nominated for two CCNA awards and more OCNA awards than any other paper, large or small, in Ontario.
That was a surprise. This is likely one of the smallest publications in Ontario, after all. But the honours are a tribute to you, the people who are reading this column.
Without your support, the paper would have folded last summer under the financial strain of making this work every time.
So thank you for your continued support. Just one more thing to ask of you: cross your fingers Friday, May 14 that I come home with something that will really make you proud.

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

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

With the mediocre weather and mediocre economy we experienced this year, it’s tough not to feel glum. I’m happy, though, (for the most part) with how 2009 went here.
No health problems this year. Missed the swine flu this time around.
Anjhela is almost done school. Well, for now, anyway.
We got a new little dog, and she is delightful. A true joy, minus her piercing barks.
Made inroads on improving myself, creating new photographs for almost 300 days in a row. Too bad the project was supposed to last 365. Oh, well.
Perhaps I should stop tempering all the positives with a negative. So, here are some truly good things I’m thankful for:
Got more hours working at Humber College. My car is still kicking at 340,000 km. My parents still want to do their articles. James, Lance, Jenipher, and Yvonne have really helped give some needed breadth to the paper. My photo project forced me to take my work more seriously. You, the reader, responded to keep this paper going, and for that, I am truly grateful.

So, what about 2010? I’m interested in seeing how things pan out. In Grand Bend, there’s the promise of the new Main Street, which some argue is too thin for traffic. They’re probably right, and we’ll measure it before the summer to see. There’s the prospect of sewers, and most of you affected by this – according to our small survey – are opposed to the project. For you, there is a municipal election to anticipate.
From a personal level, I’m looking into returning to school part-time, and looking at ways to improve both my photography and the paper. Do readers want a heavier web presence at the expense of the print product? It’s a prospect we all face in the media industry, and I’m going to push that way very soon.
I’d also like to spend some time (if I can find it) actually getting some exercise. Another new year’s resolution.

For you, I hope you can savour the joys, find shelter from the storms (they’re coming), and see the light in the darkness. Just keep pushing and I’ll see you next year!

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I’m sure Gord Minielly is ready to let someone else be the front man (or woman) for the municipality after last month’s meeting to discuss the Lambton Shores sewer project. It’s a tough job and he has to do it. You can imagine why his health has suffered; more than 300 people attended the meeting, with most ready to fight him to the death over the project (only a slight exaggeration).
So what should residents do? It’s not for me to say. But I think the decision can only be made after the final numbers come out. If it’s more affordable than septic, doesn’t it make sense to share the burden among your neighbours? Sewers make a home more attractive to buyers, and housing prices go up as a result. I do understand Dick Matzka’s point about the cost of living pushing people out of the market here; I know I’ll likely never be able to afford a house here.
But when the provincial and federal governments are willing to invest in your community, it’s hard to say no. They sent money for the beach and money for the main street. If the money’s still there, it seems foolish to turn it down. But someone has to make the decision on how to spend it. Let’s make sure it’s an informed council. Election day, as Minielly reminded the crowd, is set for October 25, 2010.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

In the wake of Thanksgiving, it’s important to take a moment and consider what we’re thankful for. I’m thankful for the support I have for the work I do here and at home, support that comes from readers and my family.
I also want to send a message of thanks to my mentor Martha Perkins, who is leaving the Haliburton Echo (where I worked before returning to this area) after 24 years (more than half her life). As editor, she has won more than 60 provincial and national awards for her work, so you know I was trained by the best in the business. She’s moving to Vancouver to take an editor’s position at the Bowen Island Undercurrent. Best of luck, Martha.
She’s a big supporter of small towns, and gave me a sense of community. If you believe in community, too, vote for Grand Bend in the CBC Radio 2 SongQuest contest featured on pages 2-3. It’s a long-shot, but let’s try to win!

My apologies to the cast and crew of Our Choir’s the Pitts; a change in publication deadline meant I didn’t have a chance to promote or attend the play, but I hope it was a great success.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I had the pleasure of driving up the coast a few kilometers with Chris Bregman of the chamber of commerce, business owner George Appel, and Lakeshore Advance editor Lynda Hillman-Rapley Friday. We took Chris’ van to Saugeen Shores to see what we thought they were doing right and wrong. It was an eye opener, more than anything, to see how it compares to Grand Bend. That was my main focus.
After spending the day in two communities, it was clear that Saugeen Shores – although a beach town, too – is more interested in the locals than the tourists. Sure, tourists come, and people I spoke with said they fill the beach, but there is no beach house, no splash pad, and no paid parking. You read that correctly.
They’ve built their town around the beach, but it’s a side salad to the main course: the business centre. And there are no t-shirt or tattoo shops (nothing against them), but plenty of restaurants (not fry shacks) and bars. Just like a normal small town. Not a beach town. Think Exeter with a lake where the river is.
So, is this a good thing or a bad thing? It seems like a shame not to embrace the beach and its tourism opportunities. But they have a beach and still bring tourists. How? Big events. International tourist events. Pumpkinfest vegetables have set world records in the past. Plus their Wikipedia site says National Geographic selected the town as one of the world’s prettiest sunsets (sound familiar?).
For people there, at least it seems by looking at the thriving locally focused businesses, the tourists are secondary to year-round residents. Sound good? Easier said than done.
Grand Bend is a beach town, and it is a tourist draw. We don’t have a major employer like the nuclear power plant, and I doubt we want one of those here. We’re too close to London to have key year-round businesses like bookstores and movie theatres. So, what do we do?
If I had my way, I’d see every downtown building owned locally with residential features to all of them. George Appel thinks main street living year-round will breed main street businesses year-round. I think he’s right. Let’s bring the tax base down low enough that people will see a profit, and let’s put by-laws into place that give the municipality some control over the appearance of main street facades. I’ve heard that Stratford does it, and look at their businesses.
If it’s going to work, it will take cooperation between businesses, building owners and the municipality. Is that possible?

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

We’ve been through this process before, but now that funding is coming through, it seems a good idea for anyone interested in the future of Grand Bend to attend next week’s meeting concerning the Main Street Enhancement Project that is set to be completed by next summer. The meeting is Thursday, August 13 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Grand Bend Public School.
I’ve talked about this in the past, but I think it’s important for you to attend to have your say on a project that will change the face of the Main Street for years to come. The project will likely consist mostly of roadwork and new sidewalks, but there are always surprises.

I actually took two days away from the paper this week, spending time at Anjhela’s cousin’s camp on the Bruce Peninsula. It was heavenly. Even the busiest small business owner should take a day away during the summer to appreciate the weather and our fortune in living here. Even a day at the Pinery, which we do often in the winter, is a nice respite from the business of staying busy.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I am delighted to see that – so soon after the beach enhancement project – Lambton Shores has received $2.6 million in economic stimulus funding to rework Grand Bend’s Main Street. The work will involve burying above ground hydro wires, and replacing curbs. Work begins in September and ends next May.
As you may be able to guess, most interesting to me was the note that the sidewalks will be replaced to improve access to stores for people using wheelchairs. Lambton Shores has been actively pursuing this for a long time, but – as reported in this paper last summer – the main street has a long way to go before it is wheelchair accessible. There are large steps into entryways, bumps in the sidewalk, and the curbs are often impossible to navigate.
This project is a long time coming, and hopefully it will be done right the first time. I expect some stores will remain inaccessible, but hopefully they are the minority. The next step is to fix the insides of the stores, where access is limited by inside steps, and by clothing racks and other impediments to access. The municipality can’t do much about those; hopefully the storeowners read our survey last year to see where they need to help.
By the way, to be reminded of the results, see our 2008 Wheelchair Report.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I want to send my gratitude to everyone who came to my art exhibition opening over the weekend. It was not only a pleasure to see old faces, but also to see the silent supporters who had never previously said hello. I had people visiting from as far away as England and Denmark (thanks for coming Darren). I am especially grateful to the few, including the Brits, who supported me by buying my work; you know who you are, and I hope others follow your example. It proves to me that the work I’m doing is valued, so thank you very much.
Thank you also to Anjhela for performing, and to Tony and Lorraine for hosting. As always, my mom is my biggest fan, so thank you especially. The show continues until the 26th, so be sure to stop by Bliss Studio in Port Franks when you get a chance.
Thanks also to you, the people who are reading this paper right now. If you have this in your hands, it means that you believe in what I’m doing, and for that I’m grateful. If you’re not a subscriber, I hope you will consider signing up as it is the best way to give me the flexibility to cover events and find stories that no one else is covering. This area is full of interesting stories, and I do my best to report on as many as possible.
It’s a short summer, and we’re already into it. Enjoy the good weather when it comes, and stay safe.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s no secret that the newspaper business is in free fall as businesses tighten their advertising budgets. Local papers, like the Grand Bend Strip, are supposed to be immune to such a tightening, but that’s changing. I have to admit that I didn’t see the change coming.
It’s my worst kept secret that my profit margins are so slim that they’re often non-existent. And that was before the economy tanked. I faced this reality earlier this month when I headed into early May prepared to put a newspaper together. News came that several key clients decided not to return to the fold for the summer, and it became apparent that I would no longer be immune to the changes that are happening in this industry. Faced with taking a fairly large loss, I was forced to cancel the May 13 edition of the Strip. It was a hard decision to make.
Even harder is the decision I’ve had to make since then, and that is the one to end free distribution of the Strip. It’s simply no longer sustainable, especially for an independent publisher like me. So, despite a letter that went out to subscribers outside the free coverage area of Grand Bend, Exeter, Dashwood, and Crediton, the paper will no longer be available free anywhere after the June 17 edition. Starting with the July 8 edition and going forward, the paper will only be available by subscription or paid at local shops.
Going forward, I want to thank you, the reader, for helping the Strip achieve the success it has to date, and hope you’ll continue to support it. I am especially grateful for the 600 loyal subscribers who mailed in their cheques, often with kind notes. It’s important for someone like me to receive such affirmation, especially considering I have done this for two years without pay.
Not that there haven’t been other rewards. Last year, I earned first place in Canada for reporting, second in Ontario for photography, and third for photo page design. This year, mostly for my reportage, I earned two first-place awards in Ontario, a second in Canada and one in Ontario, and four thirds in Canada. It’s among the best turnouts for any paper in Ontario (and possibly Canada) this year. A full list of the honours can be found on page two and at GrandBendStrip.com.
So, if you think what we are doing with this newspaper is worthwhile, please support it financially. First, I hope you will subscribe, and second, support the businesses that have advertised in the past and those that continue to advertise in the Strip. I also hope you’ll consider taking one of my photography classes, and attending my art show and sale at Bliss Studio this summer. Reprints of photos from the newspaper are always available for sale, so if you like a photo, please consider taking one home.
I’ve said this in the past, but I’ll say it again: Thank you. I can’t do this without you.

Excerpts from comments by CCNA and OCNA award judges:

CCNA judge Michelle Stewart (2nd place in Canada for feature series):
Casey Lessard’s series on wheelchair accessibility had touching personal stories of people confined to wheelchairs and their everyday struggles with limited access. Lessard accompanied his subjects in their everyday activities and spent time getting to know this issue through their eyes. This writer wasn’t satisfied to just report on an issue, he took time to live it and do his part to remedy it.

OCNA judge Ted Murphy (1st place Sports & Recreation story for No Lifeguards…)
Lessard did a masterful job on two fronts: he highlighted a dangerous situation (three drownings in three years) in addition to paying tribute to the most recent victim, a 14-year-old girl. It was a clear cut winner.

OCNA judge Kelly Clemmer (1st place Best Editorial for No Lifeguards…)
This editorial… was striking. It was worth the additional effort. It begs the question, how much is a life worth?

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

If you haven’t seen the amazing internet sensation, Susan Boyle, get yourself to YouTube right now and search for her performance on Britain’s Got Talent. Go ahead. I’ll still be here when you get back.
Anjhela and I were among the very first people outside of Britain to see the video (Anjhela remembers there were only 30 views when we watched it last Saturday night, and as the Strip goes to press, there are now a million times that amount). The Scottish woman’s performance of “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Miserables is stunning, even after listening to it 100 times (seriously). It’s no surprise that Ms. Boyle, a single 47-year old woman from southern Scotland, is a global phenomenon.
What should be surprising, but depressingly is not, is how much attention has been paid to her appearance and the fact that she said she has “never been kissed”, which was a self-deprecating comment taken seriously by every media outlet. One went so far as to interview Drew Barrymore, the star of the film, Never Been Kissed, who Boyle should kiss first, like either woman cares about the answer.
Susan Boyle was judged by her looks – called frumpy, dowdy, ugly, plain, simple, and all variety of negative terms by other media – from the moment she took the stage with her freshly curled hair and a gown she bought for her nephew’s wedding. But to her, this is how she wanted to appear in front of the judges, her nation, and now the world. She may not qualify as the top choice for next year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition, but neither would 99.99999 per cent of us. Seriously, who are we to judge her looks?
Besides, does that matter? She didn’t go on Britain’s Got Talent to be a model; she went there to sing, and her talent has sent shockwaves through the world wide web. She is an amazing singer, and she has a joyful sense of humour. She is debunking perceptions of how celebrities and regular people should appear in public (she’s disarmingly normal in interviews), and turning the global (especially North American) standard of beauty on its head. She’s not actually that unattractive (physically or especially intrinsically), and would be as welcome at a dinner party as any celebrity I’ve ever met.
More disturbingly is the answer to the following question: would Boyle’s appearance be so heavily criticized had she been a man? Perhaps one wearing a suit from a supermarket with worse teeth? If you look back, the winner of the inaugural Britain’s Got Talent, Paul Potts, fared much better when he meekly presented himself in front of the judges. The fact that he was respected before and after he opened his mouth (although his teeth were heavily debated and eventually fixed) reflects our bias against women who aren’t visually perfect compared to men who present themselves similarly.
The judges and audience never expected an average looking single woman in her late-40s to have any talent or value. It’s shameful, and not only do we need to realize that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover (as has been said far too many times this week), but we should also consider that the cover is fine just the way it is.
Love you, Susan.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

You may have seen – or not seen but noticed – that A-Channel London no longer has a morning show. The people who lost their jobs there are among many cut from the television station, including some who will be let go in August. Also gone are two bureau stations in Wingham and Windsor. It’s a tough time for television journalists in southwestern Ontario, that’s for sure.
I used to be one of those people, working at CKCO in Kitchener until 2005. And I went to school, worked with, or worked beside several of the people who lost their jobs this week at A-Channel. Anjhela and Gloria played their music on the morning show a couple of years ago, and my dad was interviewed several times by Wingham’s Scott Miller when the sewer debate was happening in Crediton. I saw many of these journalists after Bill and Helene Regier were murdered, and again at the Imeson trial. I’m sure you’d recognize some of their faces.
Television is facing tough times as advertising dollars dry up in the current economic climate. But let’s be honest; does local television serve a purpose? If the advertising dollars aren’t there, isn’t it just a big waste of money on a very large make-work project? Who needs local TV when we have the internet?
You can do pretty much everything you need on the net, including watching your favourite shows, talking to friends, making friends, making enemies, whatever.
More importantly, you can even read the news on-line. Who needs TV news? Heck, you don’t even need to buy a newspaper – you can get that on-line, too. And it’s free!
In fact, that’s true for journalists, too. We don’t need to be in Wingham, Dashwood, or even Varna to know what’s happening there. It’s all on the internet, and a TV assignment editor can simply send someone from London to do the story when it’s needed. Even better, forget London and centralize in Toronto. It’s not that far to drive.
Besides, do you really care what happens in your own community, on your street, to your neighbours? That information is overrated, and someone has to be blogging about it on the internet, right? Maybe even someone who actually lives in this area.
Personally, I don’t own a TV, but you probably do. Let’s look at the bigger picture. The loss of local programming at A-Channel is not just about the fact of the loss. It raises a larger question: do we really need local news?
A few hundred people in this community (meaning you, the Grand Bend Strip subscriber) think it’s important to read the local news in this newspaper, and the other paper has a few readers, too. But how long will that last before the internet takes over and you’re the last to know when someone from your community is named a Canadian champion, or that your child did something great? When local news outlets leave, start the clock.
The most important part of this equation is the one the TV networks and the internet news providers can’t provide. Every news story starts as a local news story. Then it goes regional, then provincial, national and international. If there’s no local news provider, there’s no news. That’s the truth.
You know the value of local news – you even pay me to do it. Thank you. Now spread the word. Maybe we can keep some of those people at A-Channel producing news that matters to you.
If you think local TV news is important write your support for A-Channel news to the CRTC, CTV Globemedia, and your MP.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I wish I could be more thorough with my evaluation of this month’s release of the Lifesaving Society’s aquatic safety audit of Grand Bend beach. Unfortunately, I was late receiving a copy and had only today (the day I am sending the paper to the printer) to digest the 70-page document. (Staff responses to recommendations are included in the public report, and official comments will come in a future report.)
The Lifesaving Society saw no “priority concerns” that would require immediate attention, but made 30 primary recommendations and 19 secondary recommendations. At the time of the audits (May 30 and June 27, 2008), the beach was operating within the range of safe practice, as the Society calls it. It received that mark of approval because none of the areas covered by the primary recommendations threatened public safety. One month after the audits were performed, Ryan Albrecht of Stratford drowned at the beach.
While the report calls for improvements to record keeping, signage, staffing, and equipment, extended lifeguard hours were considered a secondary – or low-priority – recommendation. To the extended lifeguard hours concern, staff suggested such an extension in working hours to 6:30 (plus a half-hour to tear down) would be “overkill” for weekday patrols. It should be noted that Ryan Albrecht drowned minutes after lifeguards went off-duty at 5 p.m. on a Wednesday. Such an extension would not have helped Jule Kovar, who drowned in 2007, and went under the waves at 7:30 p.m.
One of the recommendations that is sure to spark debate is the one to close off the pier to pedestrian traffic. This may be a good idea, but a suggestion to ban swimming within 50 metres of the pier is more critical. Jule Kovar may be alive today if this ban were in place.
I am not in a position to make conclusions about the report or the municipality’s response to it today. I will be spending more time analyzing it as the summer approaches, and will find out which of the recommendations will come to fruition this year. I hope to keep the municipality to its word so that your safety and the safety of our visitors remains top priority. To me, that’s the most important part of this year’s beach enhancement.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s going to be an exciting month, even though it’s already half over. January will see the changing of the guard in Washington, and possibly in Ottawa, too. While the former is much more of a guarantee than the latter, it’ll certainly be interesting to watch history unfold in both cities.
Some of my students are heading to Washington for Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration, and I have to admit that I’m jealous. While it’s unlikely they’ll get to see anything among the crowd, being present for an historic moment like that is unforgettable. I was shocked when none of them wanted to go to Chicago for election night; when I was a journalism student, everyone wanted to go to protests and anything else of such interest just to be there and be part of history. Something as big as Obama’s win will rarely be repeated in our lifetime.
Then there’s Ottawa, where things have certainly changed since our last issue. With Michael Ignatieff in charge of the Liberals, the party now has more support than the Conservatives, according to a Nanos poll conducted last week. Will Stephen Harper have the courage to bring his own government down with more maneuvering, or will he try to hold on to power and resist forcing Ignatieff’s hand? Interesting times indeed.
Here at home, the annual winter carnival is coming next month, and I hope to see you out at the community events. It’s been a tough, cold winter and we need something to loosen up our backs from shoveling.

I realize this is not the place to advertise, but I’ve been keeping busy working on a new project (above and beyond the paper and school). I’d love for you to visit my new blog, casey365.com if you have a chance. Comments are appreciated! See you soon.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

What a rollercoaster ride of emotions Canadians have been on this month. The scene in Ottawa has polarized the nation, with the Governor-General putting the brakes on a government takeover bid by a Liberal-NDP coalition (let’s be honest, the Bloc is in there, too, even if no one will admit it; however, I think they have less power than the Conservatives want us to believe).
Post-crisis polls say Stephen Harper has more support than he did in October. Personally, the prospect of Stephen Harper winning a majority scares the heck out of me; right now, it’s a real possibility.
Conservative supporters paint the Prime Minister as the victim in this battle, but his economic statement was tailor made to start a fight: he planned to drop the $1.95 voter subsidy, attack labour unions, and eliminate gender pay equity. Coming into a confidence vote armed with an economic statement no one in opposition could support only weeks after the election, Harper seemed genuinely surprised that anyone would stand up to him, especially Stéphane Dion, whose Liberals let him pick on them for the past two years.
I can’t understand when people call the coalition a team of schoolyard bullies. It’s more realistic to call them the victims, and Harper the bully who has been pushing them around for too long. Nothing has changed because he ran to the teacher, who tells them all to cool it.
It seems as if the coalition is doomed, but we’ll see if that’s true. Harper’s support has grown only because Dion’s has dropped (dramatically), and with him out of the way, it will be new ball game come January. Time will tell whether the coalition will emerge stronger or weaker after the prorogation period ends six weeks from now.
More importantly, time will tell whether Canadians will realize that more of us voted for a party other than the Conservatives, which means that if they work together they have the right to run the government. That’s how it works here.
At least this crisis has helped make one thing happen: Canadians are certainly more engaged in politics than they were a month ago. Perhaps next time there is an election, more of us will stand up and be counted. We got ourselves into this mess, after all.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

Warning: graphic details of the Rivera and Regier murders follow. Discretion is advised.

If there is any reason people feel uneasy about the Jesse Imeson trial, I suggest it is this: we still have no explanation for why Jesse Imeson decided to kill Carlos Rivera, and Bill and Helene Regier.
At least Imeson has an explanation for the former, claiming that Rivera was sexually assaulting him by performing fellatio as he slept. That’s certainly possible; no one has the right to touch you without your permission, let alone perform oral sex on you. Imeson claims he woke up to see Rivera performing said act, and strangled Rivera to death with his belt. He told Lindsay Glavin that another guy did it, and that he watched as Rivera’s “eyes went white and blood bubbles came from his nose.” Later, he told a Quebec police officer, “the gay guy, if I had to do it again, I would do it.”
With regards to the murders of Bill and Helene Regier, his lawyer relayed an apology at his Oct. 27 trial, telling the Regier family that he didn’t intend to kill Bill and Helene. His alleged lack of intent in the Regier case, and crime of passion argument in the Rivera case seem to have saved him from facing first degree instead of second-degree murder charges.
But this is where I get confused. Why did the crown believe anything Imeson said? He has already proven himself to be a liar and a con artist. In fact, everything he says is suspect, especially his insulting and ridiculous apology.
No one witnessed the murders except Imeson, so I suppose we have to take into consideration his testimony. Fine, believe the method, but doubt the rationale. I will never believe that Imeson did not intend to kill any of his victims, especially the Regiers, whose hands he had tied so they would be helpless. Bill was tied to the posts and rafters holding up the house, and Helene was securely bound on the floor. Neither of them was going anywhere, and Imeson would have had many hours to flee.
So why do it? Why pull the trigger, not once, but many times until they were more than dead? It’s disgusting to think of Imeson’s rationale for the act, and the fact that they were in a harmless state tells me that he had intent. Apparently, he had plenty of time to think about it. And if this is the way he approached a murder he “didn’t intend” to do, how did he approach Carlos Rivera? We will never know.
There is some consolation in the fact that Jesse Imeson is locked up for the next 25 years. It’s the most our justice system can do. So why does he seem pleased? I can’t help feeling that he believes he’s still in control, and that he’s going to be remembered. On the latter point, at least, he’s right.
However, unlike the heroic demon he seems to hope we will recall, I’ll just remember him as a bottom-rung loser who tried to bring others down.
The Rivera and Regier families won’t forget him either. Fortunately, they won’t have to look at his face for another 25 years, and then, as Carol Denomy says, they “will remain vigilant to ensure in 25 years that Jesse Imeson remains behind bars.”
We should all do the same.

(Note: originally published October 9, 2008. Jesse Imeson plead guilty to second-degree murder, and received three concurrent life sentences with no chance of parole for 25 years.)

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

There’s a dangerous game being played in Goderich, at the court where Jesse Imeson faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths of Bill and Helene Regier of Mount Carmel. The London Free Press’ John Miner reported Monday that Imeson’s lawyer Don Crawford suggests Imeson may plead guilty to a lesser charge than first-degree murder in relation to the death of the Regiers and Carlos Rivera. We’ll see what happens October 27.
If Imeson is indeed guilty, I struggle with the concept that he may receive a lesser punishment than he deserves, considering the horror of the crime. If the court accepts a plea that will see Imeson go to prison and be eligible for parole in as few as 10 years, is that better than taking the risk that he could be found not guilty at trial? It’s not surprising that a first-degree murder conviction (the law lumps multiple convictions into one concurrent sentence) is unappealing to Imeson and his lawyer; such a conviction carries a mandatory 25 year sentence before parole can be considered. The question is, will the Crown and the judge believe that’s punishment enough?
It’s an emotional issue. Ultimately, if convicted, Imeson will have to pay for his crimes. I’m reminded of the testimonials given in this newspaper last summer, when I questioned the role of forgiveness in this circumstance.
“In my heart, I am sure that both Bill and Helene would forgive him,” said Marion Sullivan, “because until you forgive you will continue to bleed.”
“This is something that’s going to take a long, long time,” Father Ray Lawhead added. “Forgiveness doesn’t mean you excuse what happened. It doesn’t. He’s responsible for his actions.”
Some day, these murders may be forgiven; they will never be forgotten. Personally, I hope the system ensures that “some day” is far enough in the future that forgiveness is possible.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but – like it or not – Grand Bend area residents will soon be tying into a municipal sewage system. Many people aren’t aware of the impending costs that are associated with the process, but with figures in the tens of thousands of dollars, they need to start planning now. Perhaps you’re one of them.
Crediton faced this crisis two years ago, and the fallout still has residents talking. Just recently, they faced a deadline to pay cash (about $10,000 per lot plus hookup costs) or face mandatory financing at more than five per cent for 20 years; many thought the day would not come, and missed an opportunity to reduce their costs by finding private financing on their own.
While you can’t stop the provincially mandated process that is well on its way, if you live in the area affected by the proposed sewage system (Grand Bend, St. Joseph, and Dashwood), you can start saving your pennies and talking to your bank. The cost isn’t set yet, but you can bet (based on other communities’ experiences) it will be in the five-figure range for most. Do you have that kind of money underneath your mattress? Didn’t think so.
The situation is worst for the residents of Dashwood, who will have to pipe their waste into Grand Bend, and it’s quite a distance. The cost to do so will be between 20 and 30 per cent of their home values for many.
Home values will increase accordingly, residents are told. Tell that to homeowners in Crediton, where home values haven’t changed much and the home sales market is flooded. Don’t be surprised if you see the same situation in Dashwood some day soon.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

And they’re off. While there are several stories about racing and riding in this week’s edition of the Strip, the real story for the month is the fact that we’re faced with another federal election after Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to Rideau Hall this weekend.
I heard the NDP and Bloc will make the difference this time, and I hope the Green Party gains some ground. But the reality is grim for now. My (distant?) dream is that the Greens win an election some day. But Canada’s political landscape seems more fractured than ever, and this election comes down to a battle of personality as much as policy.
What scares me the most is the prospect that Harper will win a majority government October 14. Why? I can’t put my finger on it, but for some reason, I just don’t trust him. That said, I’m not sure what the alternative is. If it’s supposed to be Stephane Dion, there’s something about him that makes me think his is the wrong party for which to vote.
I met the prime minister once – shortly before his election win – when I worked at CKCO, and he sat beside me as he performed an interview. He’s handsome and friendly, and really seems like a regular, nice guy. That’s his real personality. So why does he come across as a jerk on television?
Anjhela and I almost met Stephane Dion this summer in Toronto at the Green Living show, but we decided to pass up the opportunity. We just couldn’t think of something to say to him. Anjhela said he was handsome, and he’s taller than he looks. Apparently he’s really smart, but I can’t help thinking it shouldn’t have been him winning the leadership in 2006. There was so much hype around Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae that I can’t help thinking it should have been one of them.
They’re likely both relieved and waiting for Dion to fade with a loss. Today, it seems inevitable.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I guess summer’s over, now that the kids are getting ready for school again. Anjhela and I are getting ready again, too. In preparation, we’ve both taken a brief vacation and it’s over already. Where does the time go?
With all these people heading back to school, it’s nice to be able to encourage those who aren’t going back to consider the importance of lifelong learning. Partners in Learning (pg. 6) is a great way to learn more about yourself, your neighbours and topics of concern to all of us. After all, life continues after retirement; in fact, it seems as if the more available you are, the busier you get.
A group of seniors keeping busy is the squad producing Babes of the Bend at Grand Cove (pg. 3). We had a great time producing the photos you see here, and I’m sure the show will be lots of fun.
It’s been nice to watch the Olympics on television, especially considering we don’t own a TV. We’ve spent many nights at our friends’ house this month cheering on Canadians and the underdogs.
If you want to cheer on locals about to make a splash on the world stage, check out the Bluewater Tug of War team heading to the world championships next week. The tournament website has a live video stream.
Grand Bend favourite Mookie Morris is out of Canadian Idol, but local motocross rider Dylan Kaelin had more success at the Walton TransCan championships. He won two divisions, and is hoping to get a sponsored ride in the States this year. Keep up the good work!
Speaking of good work, South Huron DHS principal Jeff Reaburn got a promotion to the board office, so congratulations are in order. I’m sure the students and staff will miss you, so good luck with your new position.
I’d like to mention an oversight from our food issue: I was talking about vegan food, and I forgot to mention the great burritos and other vegetarian offerings at Jalapeños on the main strip. If you can think of other great veggie places, let me know and perhaps I’ll have to do a vegetarian issue soon.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I didn’t ask Richard and Anna Kovar how much they would be willing to pay to bring their daughter Jule back to life; instead, I’ll put the question to you. If you were able to give money to revive your child, would you pay $20,000, $50,000, $100,000, $1 million?
This is not a budgetary issue, as Lambton Shores CAO John Byrne says (see following interview). If the budget were your family’s, you would find the money, right? And you would find it right now instead of thinking about it and waiting for someone to tell you it’s the right thing to do.
So why is it, then, that Lambton Shores continues to wait for a report from a professional body analyzing the situation at Grand Bend beach before it makes a real move to secure the safety of swimmers at the beach? I’m sorry, but a few life rings are not enough.
The fact is, a life ring is useless if there is no one on the beach to throw it to a person who is drowning. Like the saying about a tree falling in the forest, if someone drowns when the beach is empty, does anybody see?
I’m surprised that no one has the foresight to say, until a report is done this fall, that we will go above and beyond the minimum (life rings) to make sure our residents and guests are safe. I use the word guest because that’s what a tourist is. They’re not strangers who don’t deserve our attention. They are guests whose money we want, yet whose safety we cannot ensure. Worse yet, the guests who we fail the most are those who are most vulnerable: young people like Elizabeth Tse, 20, Jule Kovar, 14, and Ryan Albrecht, 17.
What is the best we can do until the report comes in? In a 2001 United States report called Lifeguard Effectiveness: A Report of the Working Group, commissioned by the National Center for Injury Prevention and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers found that the chance of drowning at a beach patrolled by lifeguards is less than one in 18 million per year. In one example, the study – compiled using statistics from the U.S. Lifesaving Association – noted that in 1990, five people drowned on Memorial Day at American Beach in Nassau County, Florida, one year after lifeguards were removed because of budgetary restraints. A short time later, lifeguards returned and the number of drownings dropped to zero for the eight years leading up to the report’s release.
Grand Bend’s lifeguards are on duty five hours a day during the week and seven hours a day on weekends (12 noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday and holiday Mondays). Friday morning, when our cover shot was taken, there were still none on the beach at 9:20, and there were people swimming in very rough conditions. Among them were Jacey Gardner (on cover) and her friend Breanne Johnston, both 14, of Windsor. They were attracted to the waves for “the rush,” Johnston said. “It’s fun because it makes for bigger waves,” Gardner added.
Where would those girls be if Stephanie Donaldson and I were not meeting there that morning? And they weren’t the only ones swimming in the 3’-4’ waves; we also saw a woman with her two young children and a man with his toddler.
Lifeguards are more than rescuers. In fact, their most important role may be to prevent swimmers from putting themselves in danger in the first place. Why do people keep drowning here? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the last three victims have drowned after lifeguards go off duty.
With a season that runs from the end of June to Labour Day in September, the beach patrol costs the municipality $48,000 per year. That’s not much when you consider that the town brings in $350,000 annually from its parking lots. Even a round-the-clock patrol wouldn’t equal the income from people visiting Grand Bend.
If stores were being robbed on Main Street, or pedestrians being stabbed, would the police put a set of handcuffs on the station wall after hours? Surely someone would see a trend and step up patrols. Don’t our beachgoers deserve the same treatment?
The Kovars are waiting for an answer.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

Erryn Shephard of F.I.N.E. asked me the other day what I like to eat. I struggle to respond, but here goes. I love pizza and fries, a good burger, pasta, Indian-style food, burritos, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.
One catch, though. I’m vegan, which means I don’t eat animal products. So my pizza has no cheese, my burger is a veggie burger, and my chocolate is dark chocolate. And while we’re at it, let’s talk organic and local.
It’s not easy shopping or eating out as a vegan, I must admit. There’s not a lot of pre-packaged food for me to eat, and restaurants often struggle with the concept (although some, like the ones featured in this issue, are eager to experiment). So, against all odds, I’ve learned to cook. And I like it.
I love eating high quality, local and organic vegetables, and finding creative ways to use them. I wasn’t always this way. Five years ago, I was on my way to being overweight, and I didn’t like vegetables that had funny names. It’s not my mom’s fault. You can ask her.
Now that I’ve discovered real food (thanks to Anjhela’s insistence), I don’t know what I would do without it. I’m sure our restaurant friends at F.I.N.E., Hessenland, and elsewhere would agree.
Good food is all around us, and we’re lucky to live surrounded by such abundance. If we don’t appreciate it, it won’t be here forever. I suggest you take a cue from the people at Sunnivue in Ailsa Craig, and embrace real food while you can. This is a great season to eat local food, so what are you waiting for? Aren’t you hungry yet?

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

Today, we remember the deaths of Bill and Helene Regier in their home one year ago. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of these community leaders, who are dearly missed.
When we asked one of the Regiers’ sons what we should do for the one-year anniversary, we were told last year’s special edition of the Grand Bend Strip was the most fitting tribute. If you have not read our national award winning report, it is available online:
August 1, 2007 edition.

The man accused of murdering the Regiers, Jesse Norman Imeson, faces trial this winter.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

No one can deny the fact that the arts are an important part of our community. All you have to do is look at this issue of the Grand Bend Strip to see the creativity of the people who live in our community. From musicians to actors, dancers to cardboard boat builders, you can’t hide from the interesting ways people spend their spare time.
That’s why it’s such a joy to see an expansion at the River Road building home to the River Road Gallery and now Sunset Arts and the Grand Bend Art Centre. It’s been a long time coming, and the leadership of people like Teresa Marie and Milford Purdy are what we need more of in this community. Not to say other people aren’t stepping up; I see other artists and arts supporters on a regular basis taking leadership roles in community projects and organizations. It’s just nice to see a building that houses the arts almost quadruple in size (the River Road Gallery expanded this year, too).
The Art Centre et al are symbolic of the change that can and needs to happen in this community. If you support such change, show it by becoming a member of the Art Centre, shopping at Sunset Arts or the River Road Gallery, buying tickets to the Playhouse, or simply attending one of the many cultural events hosted in this town year-round. You can’t make this place better sitting in your house watching television. And why would you stay home when there’s so much to entertain you just steps away?

The inevitable day has arrived.
I had hoped I would be able to continue to provide the Grand Bend Strip newspaper for free indefinitely, but after thinking long and hard this spring, I realize that the only way for the paper to publish this winter is to ask for your support.
Like you, I value the ability to learn more about the people who live and work in this community. I love meeting you and capturing your memories for the paper. This is what I feel I can bring to this community, and I want to stay here.
I also feel it’s important to bring to light some of the problems that exist here, and the challenges we face in this community. I’m willing to put the work into creating quality journalism here, but I can’t do it alone.
The Strip will continue to be free until the end of the summer, which on most people’s calendar is the Thanksgiving weekend. After that, it will be available only to Strip Club VIP members. Even the website will be restricted to VIPs. I have yet to decide whether the exclusivity will continue next summer.
I promise to make membership worthwhile, and hope you will contribute to surveys to improve the paper, and take advantage of special offers from our advertising clients.
For more information about club membership, please see our subscription page.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

Everyone seems to be concerned about the price of gas these days, and I’m certainly among the crowd. I’m not eager to face the pumps when I have to resume my commute to Toronto every week to teach this fall.
But what do you do? I’ve been trying to figure out ways to reduce my reliance on my vehicle, but in this business it would be impossible to ride a bicycle everywhere. This is one of the curses of living the good life in rural Canada.
They say gas will only get more expensive, and I guess that has always been the case. How expensive does it have to get before you would stop driving, and when does the price of gas impact your life?
My guess is that you are already feeling the effects, especially if you work in Grand Bend, own a farm, commute to London, or simply scrape by on a meager budget. As gas prices escalate, so does the price of everything else. If prices for the things you buy regularly haven’t gone up, they will eventually. Businesses can only shoulder supply and transportation price increases for so long.
With the current crisis, it is time to start thinking of other solutions. During a visit to the Green Living show (yes, we drove to Toronto for it), we could see the exciting prospects of solar power, energy efficient homes, hybrid and electric cars, etc. People want these technologies for the environmental reasons, and they are more attractive when they actually save you money.
Soon enough, these technologies will be more affordable than the fossil fuel technologies we have relied on for so long. I can’t wait for the day, and the environment can’t, either. I only hope enough of us still have jobs when that day arrives.
We would like to hear how gas prices are affecting you.
Drop us a note!

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

This week’s Grand Bend Strip goes to Exeter for part two of a survey to see what barriers people with mobility issues face every day. For readers who did not see the Strip’s survey of Grand Bend and Parkhill, please visit our website, http://www.grandbendstrip.com/ where you can see the material in its entirety.
To perform our survey of Exeter, I hit the streets with Denise Halpenny, who uses a three-wheeled scooter to get around. Admittedly, she doesn’t get around much because she already knows the limits she faces. She looks forward to fewer challenges when she and husband Scott move to Grand Bend this summer.
The most pressing issue in Exeter is the state of the sidewalks, especially the curbs at major intersections on Main Street. There were several times I thought her scooter was going to flip her into the road because of the condition of the curbs at James Street and Sanders Street, which are best described as dangerous for someone using such a device. The municipality needs to address this issue immediately.
The powers that be should also consider the fact that they scored fairly poorly on this survey because it is very difficult for someone using a wheelchair to get in the doors of The Olde Town Hall. Unlike the library, which shares the same building but with a different entrance, the town office lacks the option to press a button to open the door to their administration staff. There are other limits at town hall, too. For example, as it stands, anyone using a wheelchair can not sit behind the mayor’s desk in council chambers because it is on an elevated platform, and the tables for all councilors are too low for someone using a motorized wheelchair to sit behind. Want to sit in the bleachers? Impossible. Wheelchair users must sit in front of them.
In contrast, the library is a beacon for wheelchair users, complete with tables that rise and lower to accommodate wheelchair users. I know it took some encouragement from Maxine Hyde and her son Allan, but it’s a facility they can be proud of. Why did the municipality skimp on services some find critical for access?
“I want to have some amount of dignity when I’m out there,” Denise says when reflecting on her excursions downtown. “I want people to understand I was like them at one time. I want to feel like that, too. I don’t want to feel like, Oh, here comes that lady in the wheelchair.”
Denise was only able to perform four hours of the survey – which took about 12 to complete – before the rain started and the battery on her scooter lost power, stranding us in the middle of the road in front of the post office. Luckily, the traffic wasn’t too heavy at the time, but it was a reminder to me about the challenges people using such devices face regularly. I can only imagine what would have happened if she had run out of power while traveling alone.
I expected to get a lot of flak for publishing the results of the Grand Bend and Parkhill surveys, and I am sure there are people out there silently upset with me. But my intention was to bring this issue to light for the people who are marginalized because of their physical condition. We’re all getting older, and the odds that each of us will face mobility issues, or live with someone who does, increase daily.
I invite you to look at your store or the stores you frequent and ask, could I get in here – without help – if I were using a cane, a walker, or a wheelchair? Can’t get perspective yourself? Invite someone you know who uses such devices to assess your building to see if they can independently access it. What are the barriers to access? Find out and work to improve. Denise Halpenny and the many others who face such barriers daily will appreciate your efforts.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

“We’re only open two months, so…”
“We don’t get a lot of people in wheelchairs, so…”
“It’s an old building, so…”
These are only three of the reasons Rick Lewcock and I heard from business owners about why their businesses weren’t wheelchair friendly. We made a journey through Grand Bend to examine the town’s accessibility and the findings of our study – which is as comprehensive as possible in the time we had – are included in the next few pages.
The results are disturbing, but should surprise few. Our rural communities are old, with some buildings erected more than 100 years ago. Many have one or several steps before you can access the door. These steps are instant barriers to accessing a business, a legacy our ancestors handed down that stops many from shopping in our stores, eating in our restaurants, playing our games, and enjoying our culture.
It’s true that some people will risk the business lost by sticking to the theory that they don’t get a lot of people in wheelchairs, but do you ever wonder why people in wheelchairs aren’t customers? They can’t get through the front door! Shockingly, many of the businesses with steps cater to older customers, the same people who are more likely to have mobility issues. Maintain a “don’t get many” attitude, and you’ll notice you have fewer customers with mobility every year.
I do realize Grand Bend is a beach town. Yes, it has a short season for the businesses on the main strip. Maybe it’s time to change that. I have been an supporter of moves to make Grand Bend’s main street work year-round since my return to the area last year, and I know there are many who would like to see the same change happen. Businesses on Highway 21 seem to be able to stay open year-round. How can those businesses stay open, while the Main Street ones can’t? One way is to change your market to the people who live here (and who, by the way, have money, too).
We’ve all heard a lot about the community plan and proposed changes that will cost taxpayer money to make the town more pedestrian friendly and attractive.
One of the first steps in that progress was this month’s opening of the beach house elevator. That’s where I met Rick Lewcock, who lost the ability to use most of his body in a car crash 17 years ago. He was excited to be able to see the view from the beach house roof. But the elevator is more than the key to a nice view. It is a way to remove a barrier to access. It’s a small step toward giving equal access to one location in our community we all take for granted.
I wanted to see what Rick could and couldn’t access – on his own and without any assistance from anyone – wherever the sidewalk could take him in Grand Bend (I assessed Parkhill independently and will assess Exeter for a future issue).
Our journey through the streets opened both of our eyes to the empirical evidence about what is and what is not accessible. Rick was reminded of places he has never been able to access, but was pleasantly surprised to find he could access others.
Our study is not intended to embarrass you or your business. Perhaps you are not aware of the way the construction of your building limits access for your customers. If a change needs to be made, perhaps it is as simple as moving some clothing racks or boxes on the floor, changing the way a door swings, or pouring a little bit of cement. For others, major changes are needed, and perhaps it’s not feasible for you right now.
That said, whatever business you are in, you have until 2025 to make your building meet Ontario building code requirements for accessibility, and standards must also be met for the customer service, communications, transportation and employment. The rules will affect you eventually, so now’s a good time to think about how your business sets limits to access.
I can see why the community plan so heavily favours accessibility. It’s going to take time and money to make change happen, but it is a good reason to change. I may not agree with all of the details (e.g. the bridge through the yacht club confuses me), but the overall plan makes sense when you look at how our community is changing.
Change is happening, and it is a good thing (for the most part). The question you need to ask: Are you part of the problem or part of the solution?

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s not often Grand Bend attracts attention on a national stage. Last summer, the country watched Grand Bend and Mt. Carmel for a horrible reason: the murders of Bill and Helene Regier. Friday night, my work covering their murders for the Grand Bend Strip was honoured nationally when I received the Canadian Community Newspapers Association Award for Outstanding Reporter Initiative. I took the stage with event host Ralph Benmergui and thanked my mom, Anjhela, and the Regier family.
Here’s what the judges had to say:
“There were many stellar entries in this category this year. The writing was absolutely superb and the initiative shown by reporters across the country is fantastic.
“This award goes to those reporters who went beyond normal reporting to give their readers something that was important, relevant, and compelling.
“First place: Casey Lessard of the Grand Bend Strip. Faced with murder story that was breaking nationally, Casey decided to tell the story of the victims through the eyes of the friends and neighbours who knew them. Through a series of one-on-one interviews presented in the newspaper in a Q&A format, Casey presented a poignant and fitting tribute to the murdered couple.”
Thank you to the Regier family, and to the people who opened their hearts to tell their memories of Bill and Helene. This award honours your stories.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I wanted to briefly discuss the Olympic torch relay and the debate over how best to solve the human rights crises caused by China. While Tibet has been the prime concern for Western activists, we can’t forget that Darfur continues to be an unsolvable problem at the United Nations Security Council because of China’s oil interests in Sudan.
So what do we do? Boycott the Olympic Opening Ceremonies or the Games? Avoid the Olympic media machine? Keep working on the diplomatic front? Or do we expect our athletes – who have worked for years to stand on the podium – to represent the concerns of Canadians and boycott the games?
Don’t forget Ontario’s trade mission to Beijing this weekend, which forced the Liberals to pass the buck to the federal government, saying it’s not the provincial government’s job to speak up on national issues.
It’s everyone’s responsibility to speak up for human rights. For now, I’ll be speaking with my wallet and avoiding anything Made in China. If you have a better solution, drop me a line.

(Reader Lee McCutcheon was inspired by the View from the Strip, March 12, and wanted to share some words written for his mother’s funeral in 2005):
Saying “Goodbye” never hurts so much as when we know that it is final. Throughout our lives we issue each “Goodbye” comforted in the knowledge and reasonable expectation that each one correspondingly will be followed with a welcome “Hello.” And so it becomes very hurtful when we must face the reality that such expectations for someone we have known and loved, no longer hold true.
It’s my understanding that the wishes “Fare thee well,” “Farewell,” and”Fond farewell” were precursors to the expression “Goodbye.” When we wish someone a “Goodbye,” it contains the hope that the one with whom we are parting company will be well until we meet again. And, therefore, the prospect of never meeting again can be the one that hurts the most.
Even with the understanding of the inevitabilities in life, there’s nothing that we can ever say, or do, it seems that truly prepares us for the day when a dearly loved one is no longer a part of our lives.
Such were my feelings when in July 2001 my youngest sister, Sylvia Lewis, died at the early age of 48; and in March 2002 when my Dad, Allin Stewart, died at the senior age of 84.
Mom, I know that we have to say goodbye for now. And on behalf of all in our family I thank everyone who came to this service today to share in this farewell. But know this too Mom, that we weren’t ready yet to say goodbye to you. The truth be told, we never would be and that we truly wished we would never have to.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s easy to take life for granted as we rush through our daily routine. My week includes driving back and forth to Humber College in Toronto, and often to London to spend the day at school with Anjhela. I’ve done a lot of traveling over the years and often had some very close calls.
The thing I fear most is the reality for the family of Mary Walker-Thiel, who was killed last month on her way home from Toronto. Her husband Hub survived, and he says that’s the way God wanted it. I don’t envy what he’s going through right now, but I do envy his strength in being able to trust that Mary is in a better place.
Someone I’ve known for many years died mysteriously last week after travelling to the Caribbean. Don Fahner is a good friend of my brother’s, and so far there’s been no explanation about why he died; he was sick since returning from his vacation, and died at work. Our thoughts are with his family.
We all take big chances when we travel, whether it be around the corner or around the world. We can’t predict what will happen along the way, good or bad.
The good does happen, and it has happened to Anabel Salas and Carmen Rivera, two young Mexican women who discovered they are both living in Grand Bend. Now they’re roommates and having an adventure together. That’s the way it should be.
We need to take advantage of the life we have and enjoy every minute. Spend time with the people you love and make sure they know you care. That’s how Mary Thiel will be remembered, and not just by her husband. It’s going to take many people a long time to forget the impact she has had on her community. How will you be remembered?

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

The Grand Bend winter carnival was a great success; I haven’t seen so many different people involved in local activities since the summer. Congratulations to the organizers for great work.
Congratulations also to my parents for sticking it out for 45 years. They’ve been able to make love work through the good and bad times, and they deserve a lot of credit. Joanne (Morgan) Smith has similar sentiments for her parents in a touching letter inspired by Valentine’s Day.
Now I’d like to get serious for a moment, and hopefully more. You expect a certain standard of journalism from this newspaper, even if we’re reporting on the fun things that happen around here. I would like to feel that the hours that go into this paper are making a difference, and as a result plan to tackle more serious issues in the future. We’ve touched on some in the past, but there are many concerns you have about what affects your daily life in this community. I’m not only talking about beach enhancement and town revitalization, although those are major concerns, for sure.
I don’t want to give away too many of my ideas, but you can expect to see more stories that will be the result of investigative research this year. Our goal will be to bring to light issues you may be aware of, but which you may not understand or appreciate. There will be articles you won’t want to read because they take you out of your comfort zone, but I challenge you to read them anyway so at least you can verify your opinion about them. Not happy I ran the story? Tell me. Letters are always welcome here.
I have my ideas about what should be discussed in the Strip, but I want to hear from you, too. What are the issues that are ignored but which affect you and your neighbours? Send me a letter by post or email, or call me directly (see bottom of page). Your ideas are safe with me, and if they belong in the public spotlight, I’ll do my best to tell the story.
For those of you who just like a fun newspaper, we’re not abandoning that aspect. You’ll still get the information you need to have a good time in Grand Bend and area, and we’ll keep covering the great events you attend. The only change will be stories about more of the challenges your neighbours face daily.
For now, here’s hoping you enjoy sharing the good times featured in this edition of the Grand Bend Strip, and hope you have a great Valentine’s Day and Family Day.
See you in March!

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I’ve frequently had the fortune of being on the cutting edge of technology, starting with my time at the University of Western Ontario. There, I took a computer science class that introduced me to email and websites, both of which were relatively new. Then, when I studied broadcast journalism at Fanshawe College, we were in transit from traditional tape-to-tape audio editing to digital editing. Then, when I went to Loyalist College for photojournalism, our year was the year that the industry as a whole moved from film to digital cameras.
It’s only recently that I realized that I’m behind the times. I’ve never really caught on to Facebook (I’m stuck in the email/web generation), and my interest in MySpace lasted about a day. Social networking is the new internet, and often I feel left behind. Until last year, I didn’t even have an iPod. I occasionally used the one I got for Christmas, usually for running (which wasn’t very often).
But we’re in a new year again, and times have changed for Anjhela and me. We got rid of our CDs after I received a higher end iPod (see mom’s article), which I now use for long rides in the car including my weekly commute to Toronto. We’re contemplating canceling our home phone after discovering Skype, a computer program that allows us to call anywhere in North America for $3 a month using our internet connection. It’s even better for the newspaper because I can record conversations directly into iTunes using Call Recorder, a program I bought for $20. This is especially useful for journalists or anyone else who needs a copy of a phone conversation (legally, of course).
So what’s next? I’d love to see the day when we all can download the Grand Bend Strip as it appears here, without the costs of printing or mailing (both of which have gone up this month). It might seem far-fetched, but I think I’ll see it in my lifetime; maybe next year?

P.S. Big news from our household: my dad is feeling much better, and this week received his license with ease. Congratulations dad! Watch for him on the road.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s been a great year here at the Strip and in my household. My family and I have enjoyed visiting your homes, and we look forward to being part of your lives in 2008. If you don’t celebrate Christmas, Happy New Year from all of us. To the rest, Merry Christmas, too.
This season is going to be particularly tough for friends of mine in Haliburton. Sun Media bought the local newspaper (the Haliburton Echo) a few months ago and downplayed the prospect of cuts. They’ve finally arrived. Five friends are now jobless, including some who spent the bulk of their careers making that newspaper one of the best in Canada. Two head office executives gave them an hour to leave; they barely had a chance to say goodbye. I’m glad I didn’t witness the announcement.
Jamie, Donna, Renzo, Sharon and Buffy, I’ll be thinking of you this Christmas.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s amazing how contentious change can be. This issue of the Strip profiles the varying opinions about plans to improve the beach and its parking lot. Lambton Shores wants everybody on side so it can get on with the project.
Barbara Gare discovered this firsthand earlier this month, after she gave her opinions at the October 27 beach enhancement meeting. Representing herself, but mentioning she worked at the Chamber of Commerce, the (now) former executive director described concerns tourists brought to her attention at the tourism booth. The only note I made about her short speech was, “If you look at any websites for other tourist towns, they all have vital downtowns,” Gare said. “You have to have A before you can get B.”
Watching her give that speech, something didn’t feel right. It was the last straw for the chamber executive. Gare was reprimanded in an email for representing the chamber, which supports the plan. Gare wasn’t aware of that official stance.
She was fired days later.
Barbara Gare says the move came as a total surprise, but the chamber executive told its members last week she should have seen it coming. They’re tight-lipped about what led to her departure (under legal advice). The question is, was this the last straw or the only one?

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

An important meeting is taking place this weekend (Saturday, October 27 at 9 a.m.) at the Grand Bend Public School, and anyone interested in the future of Grand Bend should attend. It’s billed as a beach revitalization meeting, but anyone who attended the last one in the summer knows it’s a lot more than that.
Attendees at the last meeting left feeling like the municipality had ignored the realities of the village, and noting the town should get the main strip right before making changes to the beach.
It will be hard walking into a room full of people who are skeptical of your plans, but that could have been avoided by asking questions of the stakeholders in the first place. The people I’ve talked to about this issue say they’ve never been approached (before or after the meeting), and they should have been.
Not all of the ideas presented at the last beach improvement meeting were bad; some weren’t considerate of the context of the village. Many people who attended would like to see the main street cleaned up and made more attractive first. They forgot the meeting was focused on beach improvement, not village improvement. Unfortunately for Lambton Shores, most people consider the two the same.
And yes, there were arguments about the quality and quantity of work put into maintaining the beach on a daily basis. They should not be forgotten either, and we’ll see whether they are addressed.
It’s a good sign that the town has listened to residents who were furious over meetings held on weekdays. We’ll see Saturday morning whether the municipality has listened to anything else, and I’m sure there will be plenty of people who disagree with the plans walking in the door.
Once bitten, twice shy, right?

Strip monthly until May
Our next edition is November 21. We will appear in your mailbox monthly until the Victoria Day weekend. See updates at our website: http://www.grandbendstrip.com.

Name spelled wrong
I also want to apologize for spelling Louise Lockrey’s name wrong. I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

Maybe I have a soft spot for people who have taken a big risk and left the comfort of a job or home to start a new life doing something completely different. You’ll read about Thomas and Gail Bailey, who started their own church. Hank and Diane VanderVelden have continued to simplify their lives so they could take it to an extreme: living the next ten years (that’s the plan for now) on a boat they built from scratch. And all of the people photographed for the front and back covers took a risk to move to Canada, including our cover subjects Marta Fiore and Joseph Fasolato, who moved from Argentina; on the back page, the Van Der Linde boys moved from South Africa, Elvis and Daniela Gerber from Cuba, and the Selvarajans from Sri Lanka.
My parents moved a lot before I was born, with my dad’s military service taking him all over Europe (my mom followed him to Germany) and into the Middle East. I’ve lived in England, and Anjhela has lived there and in Switzerland. Moving away from home takes a lot of courage and stamina, and you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen in the long-term, but that’s also one of the good things about it.
As you’ll read in our stories, the most successful risks require both planning and faith. It’s important to know what you can expect, but it’s equally important to realize that some things cannot be planned. Risk-takers require an organic attitude, an edge that allows them to be prepared for the worst, and the adrenaline that comes from being imperfectly prepared.
The key to success is having a good support system, and I’ve certainly found that to be true. I’m very thankful for the people who have helped me along the way.
I hope people will read this issue and see that dreams can be fulfilled, as long as you are prepared for the work involved and surround yourself with good people. And don’t forget to keep the faith.
Tell me about your adventures: drop me an note at the email address at the top of this page.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

For the most part, I am not well-represented at Queen’s Park. I’m an environmentalist and a vegan (and admittedly a bit of a hippie), and I am not aware of any sitting politicians who represent my views in the legislature. To be honest, vegans are a pretty small minority in this country, but I’m still a citizen and a voter. Shouldn’t I expect to be represented?
Okay, probably not as a vegan, but we shouldn’t fault the citizens’ assembly for recommending that underrepresented people should have our ideas presented in the legislature by someone who actually agrees with us. The Green party, for example, will need a lot more than three per cent to take a riding victory, but with three per cent across the province, doesn’t it make sense that someone from that party should be at the table to present their concerns and ideas? Three per cent is a lot of people: according to Statistics Canada, London is just over three per cent of the population of Ontario. Does London not deserve a place at the table? In fact, London will elect four MPPs this year.
Like you, I don’t agree with everything the Green party says. In fact, I don’t agree with everything presented in any of the party platforms I’ve read this election (or any other election, for that matter). Do you? If so, I suggest you’re in the minority. I believe most people have at least one thing they don’t like about what their party of choice stands for, and that’s equally true when we’re talking about a local candidate, even if they’re your neighbour or friend.
MMP, or mixed member proportional representation, will give you the opportunity to vote for the party you like and pick a candidate from a different party if you think they’ll serve you better at home.
Another plus is that it will give more people a reason to vote. If you know that there’s a chance someone with your ideals will be heading to Queen’s Park, you’re more likely to help make that happen.
The proposed electoral system change has made me pay attention to this election, and I think it would be good to force the big parties to listen to the rest of their legislative colleagues. As is the case in the journalism business, you don’t get an accurate sense of reality by always listening to the same people.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

Anjhela and I went back to school last week, and it was pretty stressful for both of us. Anjhela commutes to London, and I’m commuting to Toronto; however, the stressful part was not the drive but the first day of school.
This was my sixth “first day,” and I think it might have been the hardest. It’s a lot harder when 100 students are looking at you – and expecting you to say something brilliant.
Being an instructor (I teach photography for journalism students at Humber College each Thursday) carries a great deal of responsibility, and I don’t want to be the one instructor everyone thinks is a hack (I’m sure you’ve had one at some point). It took me a few hours to get into the swing of things, but being an instructor of a skill I know well has already taught me a lot about myself and the education process.
Anjhela is a mature student at the University of Western Ontario, and I’m really proud of her accomplishments so far. She was worried about getting in and then about finding her way around the campus, but she already seems to have the hang of it. From the stories she tells me, life experience does pay off in a post-secondary environment. I am confident she’s going to do very well.
I’m going to do what I can to help Anjhela, and with my class occupying a day a week, some aspects of my daily work at the Strip will suffer. Please be patient – I’m going to try my best to continue producing the quality you expect from this paper. Don’t be surprised if I take a week or two off this winter.
* One person who will not be back to school this year is Sam Marshall, a Grade 10 South Huron student who died last month. If you’d like to take part in a memorial for Sam, the service starts at 2:15 p.m. Thursday, September 13 in the high school’s small gym.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

I’ve heard a lot about memories this summer. From tributes to Bill and Helene Regier, to scrapbooking in this week’s issue, reflecting on the past has helped a lot of people in this area, I’m sure.
One of the actors I interviewed for Legends, the musical tribute to rock’s icons playing at the Huron Country Playhouse until this weekend, said we live in a very nostalgic age. If you look at this issue of the Grand Bend Strip, you might think we have nothing but nostalgia to talk about. But sometimes it’s important to reflect on where we’re coming from to know whether we’re going in the right direction.
As young people (and some older ones) return to school this week, it’s a good idea to reflect on the experiences of others, like Elinor and Fred Clarke (page 3). They’re in their 70s and show no sign of stopping. They love life and have made choices that make them feel good about what they have done with the time they have.
I’ve made some bad choices over the years (who hasn’t?), but I’ve learned from them quickly and make more good choices now than bad (I think). I’m glad I’ve made the mistakes I have, because if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be writing this column, that’s for sure. I’ve taken a long road to return home, and I don’t remember much I regret.
Oddly enough, it’s hard for me to remember what I did before the Strip. When something consumes you, sometimes it’s important to pause and reflect on how you got to be in the situation you are in. I know I wouldn’t change a thing.
Nancy Gibbs of Time magazine recently compared September’s arrival to the New Year, complete with resolutions fit to be broken.
Looking ahead to this fall, I encourage young and old alike to think about their pasts, but forge into the future without regret. You can’t change your past, but you can definitely make decisions that affect your present and your future.

Regarding the immediate future of the Grand Bend Strip, a lot of people want to know whether it will continue every other week through the winter, and yes, that is my intention. I have a lot on my plate this year, so I may take a week or two off this winter, but my goal for the future is to maintain and improve upon the standard you expect from your free community newspaper.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It’s fair to say it’s been a tough summer for our community.
Most obviously, we’ve had to deal with a murderer taking the lives of two of our own, Bill and Helene Regier. The act and subsequent mystery about the killer’s whereabouts made it difficult to grieve without wondering if he would strike again. The fact that the suspect, Jesse Imeson, was found in Quebec and believed to have been in that area since the day of the murders, stopped the worry but could not stop the emotional turmoil so many of our friends and neighbours have been facing. It hasn’t stopped the rumours, and we can only hope the impending trial will bring us some answers.
The summer has been tough on our farmers, bringing little relief from a drought that has already taken a toll on the quality and quantity of crop yields. Randy Regier (page 3) predicts his bean crop will yield 30 per cent less than hoped. He’s not alone, and with global warming, you have to wonder if we will be able to stop this year’s results from becoming a trend.
Fewer American tourists are coming to Ontario each year because of the strong Canadian dollar and all the effort it takes to get across the border. According to the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, visits by Americans dropped one-third over the past five years and are expected to drop another five per cent this year.
We can’t control the weather or other people’s vacation plans, and we can’t predict when something bad is going to happen to our loved ones. Instead of being focused on the bad, we must work to tune into the good that is around us, even when it feels like there’s nothing to find.
I can’t tell you where you’ll find comfort this summer. Perhaps you’ll celebrate at the Zurich bean festival or you’ll spend your vacation at home and stimulate the local economy. Or perhaps you’ll find comfort in the words of the people who share your concerns. Some of them are printed on page 5 of this week’s issue, and many more can be found in the pages of our last issue, a tribute to Bill and Helene Regier. Either way, remember that you’re not alone.

If you would like to share the stories in our tribute issue, we are now making our remaining copies available for sale. Outside of the costs associated with shipping, the proceeds will go to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel church restoration fund, the project the Regiers cared so deeply about.
Send us a cheque for $5 for each copy you would like (P.O. Box 218, Grand Bend, ON N0M 1T0) and we’ll forward $3 (that’s what we figure will be left) to the church.

Our readers write…

Hi Casey,
Compliments on your paper in general, and special accolades for this special edition honouring the Regiers.
Although I didn’t have the pleasure to know them personally I feel I know Helene and Bill now and what they believed in and stood for through your various interviews with those who knew them so well. Refreshing to be able to read so much coverage about the victims instead of Jesse Imeson. How they lived their lives, their faith and witness in the Church and community has helped their family and friends and those that live in the area to start to heal and forgive the unthinkable deed done by a very troubled young man.
Thank you for your witness and thoughtful writing and reporting.
Sincerely,
Lynda Holmes

Hi Casey,
Just wanted to comment on your coverage of the tragedy in Grand Bend. Your sensitivity to the privacy and grief of others is to be commended and your online updates were timely and informative. The service you are giving your community, without sensationalism, regarding the wishes of family, services, information about the alleged murderer, pictures, truck description, etc. is excellent.
Jamie Hurley
Haliburton

Beautiful tribute! Well done, Casey!
Kelly (Glavin) Lorentz
Via Email

I just want to tell you Casey what a great job you and your staff did with the tribute to Bill and Helene. I know that this issue will be a keepsake for all who knew and loved them. Keep up the good work. Thank you for this beautiful gift.
Sincerely,
Nancy Rader
Dashwood

Dear Mr. Lessard,
I am a big fan of your paper. Since moving away a year ago it’s so nice to still be connected to your area with all the happenings and events. I was especially moved by your last issue with the tribute to the Regiers.
My favorite feature is the column each issue by Rita Lessard. But one thing puzzles me. Why are her columns so short? Rita and I go waaayyy back and I have never known her to write a short letter. The ones I receive are usually 7-9 pages long and beautifully written. Now, I can’t imagine that you would stifle her creativity by editing her words of love and wisdom. As her son, you must realize that each word she prints is carefully thought out and each paragraph is just as important to her as the next.
As the editor of the Strip, I’m sure you can find other ways to cut space so that Rita’s columns can be printed in their entirety!! Please don’t deny your readers her words of wisdom. We need more honesty and humor and Rita is the person to put it out there for all the world to see.
I can’t wait for my next issue to arrive. Thank you for listening.
Judith Angyal
London

Ed.: Thanks for your comments. As you know, this paper would not be possible without my mom’s contributions. She helps with writing, distribution and emergency financing. I try not to cut anything from her articles but sometimes it’s necessary. Please note this week’s article took mom five pages of 6”x9” note paper to write.

Dear Casey and the Grand Bend Strip,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the tickets to Miss Saigon. My husband and I attended the Sunday, July 22nd matinee and really enjoyed the show.
Thanks a million for the tickets.
Your paper is great. It’s really nice to see local people and businesses showcased.
Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Sherry Selves

Ed.: Drayton Entertainment graciously gave Grand Bend Strip readers four pairs of tickets to each of Miss Saigon and Mom’s the Word.
Mom’s the Word winners: Carrie Hohner, Lisa McBride, Suzanne Toner, Deb McNair.
Miss Saigon winners: Lana Shelton-Seys, Jenny True, Patrick Adrian, and Sherry Selves.

View from the Strip
By Casey Lessard

It should not be a surprise that our community has a lot of talented people. Some of them are profiled in these pages each week, and I don’t imagine we’ll ever run out of people deserving of our attention. We have lots of local musicians, actors, dancers, artists and otherwise creative people in our midst.
The real question is: are we wasting the opportunity to keep these talented people here all year by celebrating our arts community three months of the year? Are we doing enough during those three months to develop artists while they’re here so they come back?
Grand Bend businesses are experienced in the art of grabbing opportunities when time is of the essence. Let’s use those skills to give the arts community a school for the arts, theatre programming for kids, teens and young adults, and legislation supporting buskers and street artists.
Artists within this community would welcome official support for such programs, but our addiction to making hay while the sun shines means the long-term health of the community will struggle unless more people learn there is money in the arts. Haliburton is a great example of an arts-rooted community that relies heavily on summer visitors. Take a drive down any road and you will find thriving artists’ studios and shops. A fine arts college campus opened a few years ago, and their community theatre is heavily supported. Their volunteer community radio station has the most listeners in the county.
Tourists come here for entertainment and to get away from their workday worries. Art, in its many forms, is part of the solution. Sunbathing and partying are entertaining, but only in measured doses. The area’s demographic is changing, and if we want to remain relevant, it’s time to shift our focus to a more viable community vision with the arts ranking as a high civic priority.

The people behind the scenes are often the ones who never get the credit they deserve.
As I face every new issue of the Grand Bend Strip, Anjhela is a tower of strength and keeps encouraging me to push ahead. As of this week, she understands my struggles first-hand. She typed in almost all of the text in this issue, transcribing my interviews verbatim. She contributed about eight hours of typing, which in a normal week I would have done myself. It’s a lot of work, and without her contribution, you would not be reading this right now.
Anj, you’re a great woman who treats me really well, so thanks.
My mom’s amazing, too. Not only has she helped me a lot over the years and recently, but she’s a true model for her work taking care of people. Over the years, she’s taken care of six men (before you get the wrong idea, I’m talking about my dad and the five of us boys). Now, with my dad recovering from surgery, I’m sure she’ll demonstrate her strength again.
I realize it’s not Mother’s Day or anything like that, but we don’t need an excuse to say thanks. We need to take care of each other and show our gratitude when we get the chance.

Casey Lessard
Publisher/Editor

I’m sure some people think it takes about a day or a week to make a newspaper, but with a birthday of May 16, Grand Bend Strip comes into the world about nine months after it was conceived. I think that’s appropriate because I view it as my baby, and it’s likely the only one I will ever have to give birth to.
My girlfriend, Anjhela Michielsen (she’s one half of the Stone Angels profiled in this issue) has been very patient while I pursued my dream to become a newspaper photographer. We were living together last winter after I left the television news business to try to pursue freelance work full-time. As a starving artist, fate offered me an amazing opportunity when I was at the peak of my despair. I moved to the cottage country town of Haliburton, where I did photos and some stories for two weekly newspapers and a summer weekly. I was told hard work would pay off, and it did (make no illusions: working for a small-town newspaper is not the place to make your millions). Not only was the lifestyle wonderful, I made good friends and worked with the best in the business. That was evident at the recent Ontario Community Newspapers’ Association awards, where we earned top honours for newspaper of the year (both won in their readership class) and another dozen awards. Among them, I received two: best feature photo and second best photographer of the year. Hard work does pay off.
Throughout that time, I’ve wanted to return to the area where I was raised, and work on building a life with my girlfriend in a town close to our families. Not many good jobs come up in the newspaper industry around here, so I thought I’d create my own.
I could see how difficult it was to know what there is to do here other than lay on the beach or get drunk. Grand Bend is a tourist destination, so people should have a simple way to find out what’s going on.
And that’s why Grand Bend Strip focuses on literally anything that you can do with your precious spare time. At the Motorplex or the Playhouse; on the water or in the air; sitting at the bar or walking the fairway; at the beach or in your kitchen: we give you enough ideas that you won’t have time to do them all this week. In fact, we give you two weeks worth of ideas.
Sometimes I feel like I’m all alone doing this. I don’t have a corporation backing me, and no salespeople or graphic designers. It’s me selling the ads, drawing them up, interviewing and photographing the people you see in the paper, and me picking up the newspaper at the printing plant. My fingerprints are on every page of the newspaper you are reading, and that feels great. I hope you can feel it, too.
Many others have left their mark on this project, directly or indirectly. My advertisers are supportive local businesses and I encourage you to tell them what you like about this paper during your next visit. I have great contributors like nature writer Jenipher Appleton, chef James Eddington and pro golfer Cameron Rankin; these people know what they’re talking about, and I’m proud to have their names in these pages. Deserving thanks go to Martha Perkins, Greg Hoekstra, Jessica Young, Lance Crossley, Steve Galea, Darren Lum, Bryn Weese, the rest of the staff at the Haliburton Echo and Minden Times and the people who live there. Thanks to my amazing Haliburton roommates Jamie Hurley, Bruce Bozec and Teddy Penn. Carmen Kinniburgh at the Canadian Cancer Society has been a great supporter as has Mike Rennie. Working at CKCO/CTV in Kitchener funded my education, and former news director Larry Rose gave me my first break in the television industry. Colleague James MacDonald at CNN Hong Kong and his wife Heather have always inspired me. Working at the Woolwich Observer in Elmira resulted in my first Canadian community newspaper award, and I earned two more after their glowing recommendation to Haliburton. I also wish pirate sailor Matt Jaques could be here to be part of this adventure.
Most deserving of credit are my families: my brothers, their wives and kids; my aunts and uncles; and the Michielsens, Masfrankcs and Martins. All of them give encouragement; some their time and money to get me started.
My girlfriend, Anjhela, and my mom and dad are my biggest fans, and I couldn’t do this without them. All three have done whatever they can to do help my dreams come true, and I can’t thank them enough.
If you’ve read this far, I also want to thank you. My goal is to give you a very personal newspaper that is a testament to the power of getting off your butt and doing something.
All of us have that power, and when it comes to your leisure time, sometimes you need a hand figuring out how to spend it. Volunteer, take up a new hobby like birding or golfing, soak up the culture of live theatre or drag racing, enjoy a good meal, spend some time in the garden.
Grand Bend Strip is dedicated to giving you ideas for things to do around here. And yes, that includes laying on the beach or sitting on the patio. We simply advise you to also try something else this week.
Finish reading this paper, but keep it around for a couple weeks. Show it to a friend from out of town, and brag about the people making great things happen in our community. Write us a note and tell us what else you like about the Grand Bend area. Share your experiences so others can discover something new.
And if you run out of ideas, remember our motto: For a good time, Strip!
Casey Lessard
Publisher/Editor