According to a number of witnesses, Bieber visited Elmira’s Lion’s Park on the evening of Aug. 23 to take in the soccer match between the Woolwich U16 girl’s team and his hometown of Stratford, but when approached by fans –members of the soccer team and spectators – the teen heartthrob told fans to go away and leave him alone.

Word quickly spread when Justin Bieber stopped by Lions Park to take in a soccer match between Woolwich and Stratford.

Ariss resident Tanya Rempel’s daughter was playing in a U12 game on an adjacent field when she heard that the pint-sized pop idol was at the park. She and a few others posted updates to their Facebook profiles, and by the end of the game, quite a crowd had gathered to get a glimpse of the singer.

“We didn’t tell the girls that he was there until after the game because we knew they would get distracted,” she said with a laugh. “They all went running over to him but they didn’t get too close. He said he wasn’t going to sign autographs because he was on a day off.”

Emily Chapman, 13, was at the field to watch her little sister play.

“When I heard he was there, I started walking over to him and he told me and my friends to go away,” said the Elmira teen. “I thought it was really rude. I used to be a big fan before this happened.”

The girls left the scene deflated by the encounter.

“It was a bit disappointing that he wouldn’t be more polite to his fans,” said Rempel. “I know it must be tough being in the spotlight, but he chose that life.”

In response to the encounter, a group of Elmira youths has created a Facebook group entitled ‘Next time Justin Bieber comes to Elmira I’ll knock him out.’ The group had gathered 71 members at press time.

For Nicole Merlihan, 10, the fact that he spoke to her at all was enough to make her heart skip a beat.

“As soon as we saw him, we were all freaking out and stuff,” she enthused. “When he was about to leave the field I screamed ‘I love you Justin! I can’t wait to see you at the concert!’ and he said ‘Hope to see you there. Keep loving life.’ Then we all chased the car. I am a huge fan of his.”

A spokesperson for Bieber said that he was in town to watch his friends’ sister’s soccer game and that he didn’t want the attention to be focused on his being there, adding that when in public at work-related events like concerts or radio stations, he goes above and beyond his duty and is very thankful to his fans for their support.

The entertainer, who took home four surfboard trophies, for Male Artist, Album, Breakout Star and Summer Music Star at the  2010 Teen Choice Awards just last week, posted the update, “Felt like a regular kid today … felt great. Nothing beats home,” to his Twitter account following the soccer match in Elmira.

She is organizing a pork-roast fundraiser at High Creek Farm in Walton to help raise funds for Salem Orphanage Home in Kisumu, Kenya. It’s an approach to fundraising that just seemed to fit best with the community.

Crystal Jedrzejewski with seven orphans at the Salem Orphanage in July 2010. Below, Jedrzejewski holding a young orphan named Moses.

“I looked around this area and was trying to think of what’s pretty popular this time of year,” she said, “I’ve been noticing a lot of pig roasts have been popping up and people like going to those, and I figured why not do it as a fundraiser?”

Jedrzejewski first visited Salem Orphanage Home in May 2008, and she fell in love with the country and its people.

“Ever since I was little, I always had a huge pull in my heart to go to Africa. So then I researched a bunch of the different countries, and my criteria were that it was safe, and that I would lend a helping hand to the majority of the people that really needed it.”

Jedrzejewski chose Kenya because of the enormous number of children there orphaned by AIDS. The Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that there are between 1.6 million and 1.9 million people in Kenya living with the disease, and that there are anywhere between 1.1 million and 1.3 million orphaned children in Kenya because of AIDS.

“Then I fell in love with it,” she said of what happened next.

Salem Orphanage Home provides 65 children with a safe place for them to call home: three meals a day, health care, clean water, clothes, education and, perhaps most importantly, a family.

The orphanage started back in 1992 when Phoebe and John Onyango, born and raised into the poverty of Kenya, decided they needed to help their community with healthcare, education, and other basic needs – needs that Jedrzejewski said the Kenyan government is unable – or unwilling – to provide.

“Their government is still deemed corrupt,” she explained. “When you look at Canada, the government is able to provide different social service jobs like health care (and) education, …whereas the government in Kenya isn’t able to provide that for the people.”

The billions of dollars donated by countries such as Canada don’t always reach those who need it the most, so to ensure as much as her fundraising as possible goes to the orphanage, Jedrzejewski has enlisted some help here in Canada – the Rotary Club of St. Catharines.

“They issue tax receipts, mentor me, and they also send the money over for me because if I was just going to send it, then I would spend half the money trying to send it there, and I want to get all of it over there.”
She is also in constant contact with the directors of the orphanage so she knows how the money is being spent.

Jedrzejewski wants to raise about $6,000 for Salem Orphanage Home, and hopes to get about 250 to come out for the fundraiser.

The fundraiser starts at 5:30 on Sept. 4 at High Creek Farms, 43065 Canada Company Road in Walton.
Jedrzejewski will also be selling traditional Kenyan necklaces and scarves, and there will be a silent auction as well. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. The price includes your meal, entertainment, and a bus from Listowel which is sponsored by S & K Transportation Inc. Tickets can be purchased at Keil & Dadsons Insurance, or at Zehrs in Listowel.

Earlier this summer, the township identified more than 100 cases where homeowners had taken over use of abutting township property. In about 20 instances, that involved erecting structures such as fences, sheds and gazebos. Other violations included expansion of gardens and walkways.

Meeting Tuesday night, councillors approved a policy that outlines cases where the township might enter into an encroachment agreement rather than forcing the property owner to move off of the public land.

That includes structures in place before 1986, the time of the township’s first comprehensive zoning bylaw review; structures built at a time when a survey was not available; and structures that do not negatively affect the use of township property.

The document was drafted in response to council’s request bylaw enforcement staff move quickly to deal with outstanding encroachments, said clerk Christine Broughton.

In discussing the new policy, councillors were immediately asked to make exceptions, as two delegations appeared before them.

The first involves a shed on a property at 8 Victoria Glen in Elmira, where the structure occupies township land.

“We bought a house with a shed, and now it turns out the shed is mostly not on our property. We didn’t build the shed. It’s not a shed we can pick up and move; if we could, we would have done that,” explained homeowner Bert Menkveld. “We would just like to be permitted to leave that shed until it’s not serviceable. We understand it’s not our property.”

Though no decision was made, councillors appeared sympathetic to the request given the pre-existing status of the structure.

The second request is likely to prove more difficult, especially as others are expected to follow.
In this case, Karen Koebel-Mendlicott of 312 Townsend Dr. in Breslau asked that the township sell to her and a neighbour a large parcel of land at the rear of their yards.

The township land represents about a third of the property she maintains, and about half of that cared for by the neighbour.

Told that much of the yard was not in fact theirs, the neighbours had a survey done.

“When we saw the amount of land that wasn’t ours, it was appalling,” she said, explaining that she fears the land will become unkempt unless sold to the adjacent homeowners.

“Purchasing it would … give us a sense of control.”

Coun. Ruby Weber called for a report on the request, including the purpose of so much land uphill from the nearby trail, but was not particularly open to the idea.

“I’m not inclined to sell off any of our parkland property to anyone,” she said.

While encroaching structures are the most problematic, so-called soft encroachment – cases where people maintain township property as if it were their own land, often planting gardens or flowers – are also covered in the policy.

Broughton recommended existing instances be grandfathered, but that no new encroachments be allowed.

This drew criticism from Coun. Sandy Shantz, who said the practice typically benefits the township. Residents are already expected to tend to municipal property such as boulevards and rights-of-way, so there should be some leeway in letting them beautify the area.

But Coun. Murray Martin pointed out the potential for problems with maintenance, especially where plantings abut roadways or service corridors. If the landscaped areas are damaged by snowploughs or by maintenance vehicles, people seem to feel it’s up to the municipality to restore the area to how it was. That doesn’t fly, he said, because the land belongs to the municipality.

“The public should understand that they don’t any longer own the plants they put on our property,” added Weber.

A report on the two requests and similar ones that have also been received is expected back at a later date.

A avid follower of political issues, she said it was time to “throw her hat in the ring” rather than just talking about the issues. Recent debates over gravel pits and grievances in Breslau, including water issues, prompted her to take action.

A resident of Maryhill for the past eight years, Bryant, 55, came to the area from Mono Township, where all the gravel pit activity around Caledon left her more than passingly familiar with the aggregate debate.

“The last thing you want in a quiet rural community is a lot of trucks and a lot of excess traffic that wasn’t there before. That’s what you can expect. I know – I don’t think we had a car that didn’t get a crack in the windshield from all the flying rocks.”

As both her grown children live in Breslau, she’s familiar with the problems there, she added, noting some of the communities removed from Elmira sometimes feel alienated from township affairs.

“People need to be included. They need to know they have representation and responsible government.”
This will be the first run at public office for Bryant, a longtime volunteer with the Ontario SPCA who served for three years on the organization’s board of directors. A Brampton native, she said she’s familiar with what happens with unfettered growth – the place is unrecognizable from her childhood.

Having lived in Cambridge for a period after she and her husband David were married, both of them were eager to return to the region.

In noting little activity in the township during the last two municipal elections, she said it’s time for a change, a sentiment she’s heard from others – “we need people to get involved.”

After being acclaimed in the last two elections, Mayor Bill Strauss is facing a challenge from former councillor Pat McLean and Elmira businessman Todd Cowan. In Ward 1, incumbent Ruby Weber is seeking reelection, joined by newcomer Jim David. The other incumbent, Sandy Shantz, has yet to declare her intentions. In Ward 2, Mark Bauman is the sole candidate. He was acclaimed in 2006.

The nomination process is open until Sept. 10. Voters go to the polls in province-wide municipal elections Oct. 25.

The road needs study calls for a big increase in preventative maintenance, arguing every dollar spent today saves four or five dollars years down the road. To follow the prescribed course, however, the township would have to commit multiples of what it now spends each year on roadwork.

Where it currently spends $600,000 a year on asphalt resurfacing, for instance, the report by AECOM Canada Ltd. recommends ramping that up to $3 million annually by 2020. For gravel roads, that number would jump to $230,000 a year from $90,000. That’s in addition to $2.9 million a year in reconstruction projects.

In tabling the report at Tuesday night’s council meeting, director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley acknowledged the goals are daunting, especially balanced against other infrastructure demands such as maintaining and upgrading bridges and water services.

“The road needs study poses some major challenges for the township. However, it’s important to keep in mind that whatever council decides to spend on road infrastructure in the future, this report will help ensure that money gets spent in as cost-effective a manner as possible,” he said.

AECOM’s Dave Anderson told councillors the top priority should be maintaining roads, doing routine work to keep them from deteriorating and requiring much more expensive reconstruction work.

Where roads are still in good repair, but on the cusp, resurfacing them within a year or two could mean getting another 15 or 20 years of service out of them, he said.

“The objective is to keep the good roads good.”

But Kennaley noted the township has some catching up to do on many fronts. For example, the report recommends gravel roads have new aggregate applied every three years. But the township is working on a 10-year cycle that it is trying to get down to seven.

“The road needs study does answer the question that council periodically asks me, and that is ‘Are we keeping up?’ The answer, unfortunately, it would appear to be ‘no, we’re not keeping up.’”

Having completed an inventory and assessment of Woolwich’s 351-kilometre road network, the study provides a map to better-maintained roadways, but at a cost. By putting a priority on maintaining good roads, however, some of those in needs of reconstruction will get deferred even longer.

That will be a tough policy to accept in some neighbourhoods, suggested Coun. Ruby Weber.

“It’s pretty hard to sell to somebody who lives on a street that’s full of potholes and they constantly see us resurfacing roads that seem to be in fairly good condition,” she said.

That will be especially true in the smaller settlements, added Coun. Murray Martin. Because of lower traffic volumes, they already receive fewer upgrades to roads, some of which are in very poor condition.

“In our smaller communities, we have a lot of roads that are shot,” he said. “All the people that live there, they say ‘we pay our taxes like everyone else,’ and they believe they deserve to have good roads, with decent drainage, to drive on.”

The balancing act will be part of the 2011 budget deliberations as the township looks at long-range capital spending, including which projects to undertake next year.

In coalition with the Canadian Food Grains Bank, the Christian Reform World Relief Committee, and the Presbyterian World Service and Development, the MCC is sending tens of thousands of dollars in relief to the devastated country.

“Currently we do not have any program or staff in Pakistan,” said Dan Driedger, resource development director with MCC Ontario, “but we are responding with some money for food; we’re sending relief kits over as well.”

The MCC, an international aid and relief agency whose Ontario office is located in Kitchener, has already dedicated about $20,000 in aid to Pakistan, as well as 2,000 relief kits that contain basic necessities such as soap, toothbrushes, bandages, and other items.

And those numbers are expected to rise.

“Our experience in the past is that once you get in and do a really good analysis of what the needs are, that tends to go up,” he said.

The relief kits are already on their way to Pakistan thanks to the MCC always maintaining an inventory ready to send out quickly, because, “when a disaster strikes, you can’t wait to ramp that up and put out an appeal [for supplies].”

The Canadian government recently announced it would match dollar-for-dollar all private donations made to registered Canadian charities from Aug. 2 to Sept. 12, in addition to the $33-million already committed for flood relief. That includes any donations to the MCC.

According to official sources in Pakistan, the flood, which began in late July after heavy monsoon rains caused the Indus River to overflow its banks, has destroyed approximately 900,000 homes and wreaked havoc on the transportation and communication systems, making it difficult for international aid to reach the people that have been hardest hit.

“It’s one thing to get [aid] into a good port or airport in Pakistan, but then actually trying to get out to those more remote areas, sometimes that takes a number of weeks to do,” Driedger explained.

The disaster will not end when the flood waters eventually recede: it will probably take years for the country to recover, he added.

“They’ve had their livelihoods – factories, their farms, their homes – all destroyed as well. So the rebuilding of that isn’t something that takes just a couple of months to do. That’ll be years in the rebuilding effort.”

For anyone interested in donating to MCC, Driedger said the best form of aid is a financial one. Cheques should be designated “Pakistan Flood Relief” and can be mailed to the MCC office at 50 Kent Ave. Kitchener, ON N2G 3R1 or dropped off at your nearest MCC Thrift Shop or Mennonite Savings and Credit Union branch.

Woolwich Minor Ringette requires some additional ice time at the Woolwich Memorial Centre, but the slots available – Saturday evening and early Sunday morning – don’t fit the organization’s schedule. Recreation staff is now asking other users to think about trading time slots to accommodate the young girls who want to play ringette.

Discussing the issue Tuesday night, councillors decided on the cooperative approach. While guidelines favour youth groups when assigning ice times, the township would rather not get heavy-handed about the time slots.

It’s a matter of balancing new requests with the needs of those who’ve already booked time, facilities manager Brian Detzler told councillors.

“We have to figure how to accommodate new requests. And how do we continue to recognize existing customers?”

Given that that there are still prime time hours available, the township should be able to act as mediator in working something out, said Coun. Sandy Shantz.

Fellow Ward 1 councillor Ruby Weber agreed, but noted the township should be favouring youth groups over, say, adult pickup hockey.

“We built these arenas for the kids,” she said, arguing the township shouldn’t be afraid to lose some adult bookings.

Elmira’s Rachel Clark has just returned from a world tour she completed while working as an entertainer on a cruise ship. The Sekura trees – also known as cherry blossom trees – in the Yokohama Garden in Japan were one of her favourite sights.

“The experience is amazing,” she said, while now on a break from work and enjoying some time at her Birdland home. “I get to travel and also save money, do what I love, and meet people from all over the world. I am very lucky.”

That luck is not something that is lost on Clark, however, and above all else, her passion lies in giving back to those who don’t have the luxuries that she has experienced. In September, she will be taking time off work to return to Kenya, where she spent nearly three months last year volunteering at an orphanage.

“I love my job on the ship, but I needed to do something with a bit more meaning. Something I could really pour myself into and when I heard about this opportunity, I jumped at the chance.”

Clark was unsure at first how she would be able to help, if she would have qualities that would be of use to a community.

“I am not a nurse, or a teacher, or a construction worker. I wasn’t sure if my going to Africa would be of any help to anyone, but I knew I wanted to do hands-on work.”

Then she saw a call for volunteers needed to provide a helping hand at an understaffed orphanage in Kenya.

“The ad said, ‘You will be spending time with orphaned kids who need love. They need you to play with them, to hold them, and to read to them.’ I can do that!”

Once there, the former EDSS student fell in love with the community – the rich culture, the residents who welcomed her with open arms and the families she stayed with while visiting. And she learned to play the role of nurse, teacher and construction worker.

“I did whatever they needed me to do. Anyone can make themselves useful, regardless of what skills you might have.”

Now Clark, alongside two of her friends who will be joining her, is headed to that same village in Kenya to volunteer once more.

“I am very, very excited to be taking my friends there. There is only so much I can say to explain what life is like there and there is only so much that someone can see from pictures. I can’t wait for them to be there and see it, and meet the kids I talk about. It’s a life-changing experience which changed my entire outlook.”

In addition to her two friends, Clark will also soon have the chance to bring others with her to the place she loves so dearly.

When she returned to Elmira from her trip in 2009, she held a presentation about her experiences. She wanted to show the people who had helped support her trip that their money had truly gone to a good place. Corinne Taylor-Aldous of Goliger’s TravelPlus in Waterloo was in the audience for one of her presentations and approached Clark at the end to make her an offer. Taylor-Aldous asked Clark if she would be interested in taking a group of people from Canada to Kenya with her to participate in a two-week ‘voluntourism’ project, and Clark jumped at the chance.

“The offer was a gift from God, I am sure,” she said. “To be able to take others to the place that changed my worldview so drastically, and where I felt so much love, will be a wonderful experience.”

The trip is booked tentatively for September 2011, and those interested in participating can contact Goliger’s Travel for more information.

“It’s not going to be a glamorous trip – we will be camping and carrying our stuff around with us wherever we go,” she explained. “We will be sleeping in the homes of the Maasai people I have met and doing the real-life things that you can’t do with a tour company. I can’t wait.”

Calamari is a relatively inexpensive, low fat, low sodium seafood that is high in lean protein. The low cost makes calamari the ideal seafood to experiment with, as you are not putting out a large sum of money in the event you do not cook it perfectly the first time.

Having said that, this dish is dead easy to make. The key point when cooking calamari is to not overcook it. Once it turns opaque – which can take mere minutes – it is pretty much done. Think hot and fast.

We love serving calamari with a creamy sauce. Aioli is a garlicky mayonnaise traditionally made as a thick, spicy accompaniment to seafood.

To round out this meal we are going to suggest a wine pairing. We are making a more conscious effort to enjoy food and wine pairings and to discover how to elevate your dining experience.

Rosewood Estates is located in Beamsville, Ont. The 2008 Natalie’s Sussreseve Riesling is their winemaker’s signature product, with bright notes of lemon, peach and wildflowers. Their 2008 Gewurtztaminer would also work very well with this appetizer.

Grilled Calamari with Aioli

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 lb calamari tubes, (T& J’s)
• 1 lemon

Rinse the tubes under cold water, removing anything from their bodies. Drain and pat dry, placing your knife on the inside of the tube cut the calamari open (it will look like a triangle). Score calamari with a cross-hatch pattern on the outside of the calamari, be careful not to cut all the way through;

Place calamari in a bowl and drizzle with a really good olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon. Do not allow to sit more than five minutes as the lemon will “cook” the calamari (marinating seafood in an acid is known as seviche and that is another recipe);

Preheat grill or grill pan. Grill for 2- 3 minutes (calamari will turn opaque). Squeeze on a little more fresh lemon;

Serve calamari with aioli.

Aioli

• 3 cloves garlic, rasped
• 1 egg yolk
• Half juice of a fresh lemon, or to taste
• 1 cup vegetable or grapeseed oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together egg yolk, vinegar and garlic. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil until thicken;

Season to taste. Plate with calamari. If you are in a real hurry, use a good quality store-bought mayo and add some garlic and freshly squeezed lemon.

The Hawkesville native beat 20 other competitors to take the prize, and finished a mere three points behind 17-year-old Davis Ross for first in the overall standings. Competitors receive 25-points for a first place finish, 22 for second, and 20 for third, with their best five finishes counted.

Steve Martin (centre) raises his arms in victory after winning the Ontario Single-Speed Championship last Sunday. He is flanked by David Dermont (left) and Davis Ross.

But kicking his smoking habit wasn’t the only major life-change that got him where he is today.

“About three years ago I decided to start biking to work,” Martin said. “I ended up losing about 50 pounds, just from biking to work and changing my diet.”

And when you lose that much weight, you gain a lot of speed, he noted.

The Toronto-based lawyer is relatively new to the Ontario Cup circuit, and this was only his first season racing in the single-speed bike class. The bikes are exactly what their name implies – bikes with no gears.

And a bike with no gears provides Martin with a certain visceral freedom that he loves.

“There’s just a simplicity to it,” he explains. “You don’t have to fuss or think about changing gears or tuning your bike to make the gears work.”

He adds that single-speed racers can hold their own against traditional racers, and their gears.

“It’s almost like people have a gene or a virus,” he jokes. “We go just as fast as the guys who have gears. You can get a lighter bike, and cheaper.”

Another unique feature of the single-speed class is that anyone can enter – there are no age restrictions.

“There were four of us doing very well [all season],” said Martin. “The oldest guy was born in 1962, me – the next oldest – 1972, the next oldest 1982, and finally 1993. I think I was old enough to be that kid’s father.”

The race was the last of the season for the single-speed class, but Martin isn’t done there. He is taking part in a 24-hour relay race this weekend with his cycling club, The Lap Dogs, and he hasn’t ruled out racing in the fall either.

“Family and work may need to take precedent over racing for the next while, though,” he said.