Kings face elimination after 2-1 loss Wednesday at WMC

Hockey is a game of inches, and the Elmira Sugar Kings are learning that the hard way as they’ve fallen behind the Stratford Cullitons 3-1 in their best-of-seven semifinal series and are on the brink of being ousted from the playoffs. The Game 4 loss came on home ice in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 people on Wednesday night as they dropped a 2-1 decision to the visiting Cullitons. The Kings lost Game 1 of the series 4-1 on Mar. 16 in Stratford, but responded with a hard-fought 2-1 win on home ice last Sunday.

The team followed up their win with a devastating double-overtime loss in Stratford on Monday night, a game in which the Kings hit the goal post twice in the first overtime. All four games thus far have been typical playoff hockey, with big hits and bigger saves at both ends of the ice. The same was true on Wednesday night, but the Kings head coach was unhappy with his team’s overall play in what was a crucial point in the series.

“The better team won. The group that came out and played as a team won the hockey game, and the group that came out and played as individuals didn’t,” Dean DeSilva said following the Game 4 loss Wednesday night.
“We’ve got a game plan in place, we’ve talked to them about it before the game, but once that game starts it’s up to them to execute it.”

“]Four minutes into the game goaltender Nick Horrigan made a spectacular left pad save on Stratford’s Chad Binning, then followed it up with another big right pad save seconds later on Ryan Watson to keep the score tied at zero. Those saves jump-started the Kings and less than five minutes later Brett Priestap fired his fourth goal of the playoffs and first of the series past Cullitons netminder Jesse Raymond to give Elmira a 1-0 lead, assisted by Michael Hasson and Riley Sonnenburg.

The Kings dominated the remainder of the period, outshooting Stratford 21-12 and leading 1-0 heading into the intermission, but in the second period bad habits and bad penalties snuck into the Kings game.
“I thought I had addressed that with players before the game but obviously not,” said DeSilva.

Stratford turned the tables and tied the game at 18:29 when the puck bounced onto Ray Huether’s stick in the slot and he tapped it into the open net from five feet out. The Cullitons outshot Elmira 10-8 in the second, but the home team still had their chances, in particular Brady Campbell who was stopped on a partial breakway with 11:08 left on the clock, and again with 3:15 remaining when he stripped the defender of the puck and walked in alone on Raymond but was turned aside to keep the game tied.

The third period turned into a war of attrition as neither side was willing to give an inch past their own blueline, but again the Kings had their chances and were stymied. The best came with about 8:50 left on the clock when Priestap was sent away on a breakaway, but robbed by the left pad of Raymond as Priestap tried to cut across the front of the net and tuck the puck home.

That turned out to be the save of the game – and perhaps the save of the series – as Stratford immediately turned up the ice and scored a rather weak goal on Horrigan on a shot that eluded him through traffic. The final seconds were frantic as the Kings tried to tie it, but they failed to do so, falling 2-1 on the scoreboard and now trail 3-1 in the series heading back to Stratford on Friday night. Raymond finished with 38 saves in the win and has now made 159 saves on 165 shots in the series, but Priestap wouldn’t go so far as to say that the goalie is now in shooters’ heads.

“He’s making the saves from outside it’s just that nobody is going to the dirty areas to put the puck in,” Priestap said. “Since Game 2 we haven’t kept it simple, we’ve been trying to do too much, and Horrigan is keeping us in it so we have to help him out a bit.”

For DeSilva, the reason the team trails in the series is his players’ refusal to do all the little things necessary to win in the playoffs.

“Guys are trying to be too fancy instead of just getting the puck down low and jamming it at the net, which is what we want to do. Just jam and look for rebounds and create confusion in front of the net and score ugly goals.
“But these guys want the highlight reel goals, and they don’t realize that the dirty goals win you championships. The highlight reel goals will make you a hero for one night.” Game 5 of the series goes Friday night in Stratford at 7:30 p.m., and should the Kings force a Game 6, it will be played at the Dan Snyder Arena on Sunday at 7 p.m.

Tags: James Jackson

Twin Centre – three teams to OMHA finals

The Wellesley Applejacks may have been eliminated from the playoffs a few weeks ago, but hockey is still going strong in Twin Centre thanks to three teams advancing to the Ontario Minor Hockey Association finals. The Novice Rep (7-8 years old), Atom AE (10-11) and Bantam Rep (13-14) have all advanced to the provincial finals following outstanding regular seasons that saw them at or near the top of their league standings. The Atom AE team finished third in their division with a 17-4-1 record, the Bantam Rep team finished second with an 18-0-2 record, and the Novice Rep team capped off an amazing undefeated season, finishing 20-0-0 for first overall.

“It’s pretty exciting,” said Twin Centre’s president Kevin Kraemer, whose son Kyle is also a member of the Novice Rep team.

“The teams have always been able to compete, but it seems this year that we were able to step it up a little more and make it to the final.”

As far back as Kraemer can remember to his own playing days, this is the first time that three Twin Centre teams have made it to the finals in the same year, which he credits to a shakeup at the Initiation/Tyke level a few years back.

“Four or five years ago we switched it up to get them on the ice three times per week, and we’ve really put a focus on getting them on the ice more often,” he said. “By the time any kid gets to novice they know how to stop, how to pass, and they’ve gotten those basic skills.”

Both the Novice and Atom players would have experienced this new coaching style, and Kraemer hopes to have even more success with it in the future.

The Bantam Rep team has taken a 1-0 series lead (best of six points) against Blenheim thanks to a 3-2 win on Tuesday night, and head coach Brock Gerber is proud of how far his team has come this season.

“We’ve had a very strong season, and hopefully we can keep it going,” he said, adding that the team has had to overcome a disappointing semi-final loss in the Silver Stick tournament last December.

The Atom AE club has taken a 2-0 series lead over their opponents from Centre Hastings thanks to a 10-3 and 4-1 win last weekend on the road, and look to finish off the finals with a three-game sweep on Friday night in Wellesley.
“Our big thing this year was to play for your teammates,” said head coach Steve Krulicki. “It’s a good early age to get them thinking that way because as you move on in any sport it’s all about the team. Play for the team, play for your teammates.”

The Novice Rep team kept their undefeated streak alive with a 9-1 win over South Huron in Game 1 of the finals last weekend, and look to keep the fairytale season intact in which they’ve also claimed the International Silver Stick in January by going 5-0.

Game 2 was set for Thursday night but results were unavailable before press. For a full schedule of games, visit www.tcmha.ca.

Tags: James Jackson

Hardware? There’s an app for that

Thanks to the record-shattering warm temperatures throughout the month of March, homeowners are likely trying to get a jump on their home and lawn maintenance. Home Hardware is helping customers shop for the season all from the palm of their hands with its improved mobile website and new mobile applications for smartphones. The application, or app as it’s referred to, is free to download for Blackberry, Android and Apple devices, and the apps are available at Blackberry App World, the Android Market, and the Apple App Store.

“We realize our customers lead very busy lives, so we wanted our customers to be able to conveniently access Home’s online tools from anywhere,” said Paul Straus, president and CEO of Home Hardware Stores Ltd.
Customers will find a world of possibilities in the app, which gives users the ability to find their closest store, search and navigate over 60,000 products, get local prices, view the current flyer, and create a shopping list – all on their mobile device. There is also a unit converter capable of converting length, mass, area, volume and temperature.

This is the company’s first venture into the app world, and with the rise in mobile computing, the time was right to launch, notes the company’s director of marketing. “This is just a very basic entry and we’ll grow it and modify it as we go,” said Jack Baillie. “We’ve got lots of ideas of increasing the functionality in the future.” The St. Jacobs-based retailer launched the Blackberry and Android apps a couple of months back, but the Apple app was just released last week, said Baillie, adding the entire process only took a matter of months for programmers to accomplish from start to finish.

“It didn’t take very long. We work with our in-house folks and worked directly with the companies. Apple is a little more stringent in their expectations, so that’s why their’s didn’t launch as quickly as the others.”
Social media is the newest buzz-word in terms of marketing, and digital consumers are showing that they are hungry for applications that allow them to interact with brands, while providing them with unique and useful content.
Apple has more than half a million apps in its app store and more than 25 billion downloads since it launched in July of 2008.

Google Android isn’t far behind, either, with some 450,000 apps available and more than one billion downloads per month from the Android Market, which also launched in 2008. Blackberry also boasts some six million downloads per day through its App World, and has accumulated about two billion downloads since it launched in 2009.

“More and more people are making decisions and doing look-ups from handhelds no matter where they are,” said Baillie. “So it made sense for us to have a format that can tweak the desktop version to a readable option online for the mobile.”

The company has also embraced social media as a way of reaching customers, with many of the company’s 1,000 independent dealer-owners operating their own Twitter and Facebook accounts to reach their customers.
“Just walk around a mall and every second person is texting or talking on a phone. And as we all get more involved in social media you’re checking out your Facebook page or your Twitter account.”

Tags: James Jackson

Fewer sidewalk snow-clearing complaints

Spring has nearly sprung in Elmira, which means it’s time to survey the damage to lawns from the sidewalk snowplows. Yet as of Tuesday, Woolwich Township had only received 33 complaints from residents concerning their torn-up lawns, a dramatic decrease compared to years past. During the 2010-2011 winter season, for instance, there were 68 complaints, and in 2009-2010 there were 59. Township staff attributes the reduction in calls to the milder temperatures we saw this season.

“There is a lot less snow, there’s no question,” said Richard Sigurdson, engineering manager for Woolwich.

“]
The reduction is likely a welcome sight to residents as the program has been the source of complaints since its inception in 2004, with residents pointing to slow service, poor clearing of snow and ice, and ripped up lawn edges.
According to the contract that the township signed with Creative Asphalt and Landscape Works of St. Clements, the contractor must pay for any damages done to sod during the winter snow-clearing season.
Any damage done to other lawn features, such as in-ground sprinklers, are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

The current three-year contract is set to expire at the end of this season, meaning Woolwich will begin looking at its options moving forward, including input from Elmira taxpayers, who are assessed a special-area levy to pay for clearing every sidewalk in town.

The township budgets $70,000 a year for the service, but the amount charged to residents only reflects what they actually pay, and in recent years the township has been in a surplus position. Last year, for example, about $59,000 was spent, which equaled a levy of $12.17 for a house assessed at $254,000.

Mayor Todd Cowan said he has only heard a handful of complaints this year from residents that he has talked to about the service, and said that the township is now in the position of deciding how they want to move forward with it. He says that they must weigh the benefits of the service against the drawbacks, which include not only damaged sod but complaints about slow service and poor work in clearing away ice and snow.
“It’s not that people are against the sidewalk clearing, it’s that they’re against the damage and all the associated complaints,” said Cowan.

“There seems to be quite a majority of people that like it because to have someone come and do the sidewalk in front of their house for $12 for the whole year is a great deal.”

Cowan added that before the tendering process begins, staff will tabulate all the complaints to get a better idea of what the problems are, and where they are. He said that problems have arisen in discrepancies between old and new sidewalks. The blades on the contractor’s snowplows are designed to clear newer sidewalks, not old ones that are up to a foot narrower. Those, and other details, would need to be ironed out should the township decide to continue with the service and tender a new contract.

“We’re looking at all the options. We haven’t made a decision one way or the other if we’re keeping it or if we’re killing it,” said Cowan.

Tags: James Jackson

Deal averts strike at EDCL

It wasn’t quite an eleventh-hour deal, but workers at Elmira District Community Living managed to avoid a strike this week by agreeing to a new three-year deal with their employer. Local union president Trudy Allen said that 94 per cent of employees at EDCL, members of OPSEU Local 253, voted in favour of the new contract. “Talks were going on Saturday night, and we met Sunday morning at 10 a.m. to finalize the details,” said Allen of the deal, which was ratified Monday afternoon.

The workers, who had been without a contract since March 2010, were seeking a four-year deal that would provide a lump-sum payment of $850 in each of the first two years per full time equivalency, and a 2.5 per cent wage increase in years three and four.

EDCL countered with a lump-sum payment of $1,132 combined over the first two years, a one per cent increase in year three, and a zero per cent increase in year four.
The deal which was eventually accepted by the union was that same offered by EDCL, but with the fourth year removed, meaning both sides will be back at the bargaining table when this new deal expires next April.
“We’re hoping to give the employer time and us time; we wanted to avert a strike for a number of reasons,” said Allen, adding this deal was more of a way of buying more time until they have a clearer sense of how much provincial government funding will continue over the next year.

“We weighed out all of our options, and we decided to avert a strike.”

EDCL executive director Greg Bechard was unavailable for comment this week on the contract discussions, but said last week that he was in a very difficult position, given that he feels his employees were very deserving of the raises they were demanding, but that he had an ever-tightening budget to work with.

Bechard said the union’s earlier demands would have added up to about $500,000, and would have forced him to make layoffs and cutbacks.
The annual operating budget for EDCL is approximately $6 million, and the company employs about 180 full and part-time workers and serves approximately 150 families.

Tags: James Jackson

Wellesley church project

Hunke Construction is one step closer to building an affordable housing duplex in the village of Wellesley after receiving regional approval last week. The project is one of five that regional council gave the green light to as part of its plan to build at least 500 new affordable housing units by 2013. The five projects totaling 70 units bring the number to 452, just 48 short of that goal. Aside from the unit in Wellesley, which is to be built at an old church located at 3639 Nafziger Rd., council also approved a project by MennoHomes Inc. to renovate an old three-bedroom home on Ratz Street in Elmira, and to develop an adjacent vacant lot into a duplex for two four-bedroom units.

Bob Hunke said he hopes to have the project in Wellesley finished by August, which involves converting a 150-year-old church, originally the site of a Swedenborgian Church building constructed in 1858 and situated on approximately 0.1 acres of land. The project will convert the old church into two units: a three-bedroom barrier-free unit and a four-bedroom unit to accommodate large families. For the past two years the property has been used by Morningstar Family Ministries to run a private academy for students with learning disabilities, but the ministry has since relocated to another location.

“It’s exciting. We love Wellesley,” said Hunke, whose company also has an affordable housing unit on Queens Bush Road. He said the building should be popular for local Mennonites who have larger families and a need for  more space.

Demolition inside the building has already begun, and Hunke said it will take some work to straighten out the walls and do some repairs to the roof, but he has high hopes for the building. Hunke purchased the property last year with the intention of turning it into a duplex, but then the provincial government announced $480 million in funding for affordable housing in Ontario over the next four years, which includes $23 million for Waterloo between April 1, 2012 and 2015.

“It’s just one of those things that worked out timing-wise and it worked out very well for us.”

Hunke Construction received approval from Wellesley council to rezone the property from institutional to residential last November, and got final approval for the project earlier this year. The biggest limitation for new construction in Wellesley is the amount of sewage space available, and council assured Hunke there would be no problem securing a second sewage unit, he said. He also said the historical society had no issue with the renovation, stating there was nothing of historical value associated with the building.

The construction company will double as the landlord for the property, and while the final numbers still need to be crunched, Hunke anticipates the rental costs for the four-bedroom will be approximately $700 per month, “which is very, very affordable for an apartment of that size,” he said.

The company is now just awaiting their final permits following the 20-day public consultation period so that they can continue work on the building, and Hunke expects that permit to arrive by the end of the month.

Tags: James Jackson

In hope of a cure

The pain started in June of 2008, when Derek Beam was just six years old. One Saturday the St. Clements boy bumped his knee while playing, and it swelled up to several times its normal size. Four days later the swelling still had not gone down, and Derek had also developed a fever and a rash, and he couldn’t even walk because the pain was so intense. His parents took him to their family doctor, who then suggested they take the boy to the emergency room. Once there, doctors administered several tests and the family had to return every day for close to a week, but they still didn’t have any answers.

Finally, after six weeks of testing, he was referred to Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, where pediatricians confirmed what doctors in Kitchener suspected – Derek was suffering from systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
“I always thought arthritis was an elderly disease,” said Derek’s mother, Tracey, when describing the shock she and her husband Dave felt when the diagnosis was made. “I remember my grandmother having it. I didn’t know that children could get any form of arthritis.”

While it may be relatively unheard of, juvenile arthritis is actually one of the most common chronic illnesses affecting children – according to the Arthritis Society, one in 1,000 children under 16 has the affliction.
Unlike other forms of juvenile arthritis – of which there are nearly 100 – the type Derek has also impacts his organs, such as enlargement of the liver and spleen, inflammation of the lungs, and inflammation around his heart, and he will never outgrow it.

Derek has been on a wide range of drugs since his first diagnosis four years ago, including prednisone, methotrexate and other anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids. He has recently switched to a new medication that seems to work well at controlling the pain and discomfort, but it must be administered intravenously every two weeks at Sick Kids Hospital. The pain got so bad two weeks ago that Derek had to be hospitalized for three days and receive joint injections under general anesthetic. His mother said that only when the pain becomes unbearable will Derek ask for the medication. “He’s not a complainer. When he is in pain it’s normally to the point where he’s not mobile any longer and he cries because it hurts so much.

“There are many nights or days that I’ve sat with him on the couch and fed him dinner, or had to get him dressed, just because it hurt so much, be it in his wrist, shoulder, knee, ankles, or wherever.”
Juvenile arthritis can strike at any time, and Tracey has spoken with a family whose 18-month-old was diagnosed with the disorder, and it is incredibly hard for her to see her son in so much pain and discomfort – especially when one day he can be fine and acting like a normal child, and the next be immobilized by the pain.

“It’s like a roller coaster, but you never know when you’re going to start your ride.”

Tracey said that when he feels healthy, her son can keep up with the other boys in his class at school, but his arthritis prevents him from participating in any types of organized sports – he tried ball hockey for two years, but by the end of his second year he had to stop because of the pain.

He does, however, love to swim and his family even had a pool installed at the end of last summer.
March is also juvenile arthritis month, and the family has worked hard to raise awareness and collect funds for the arthritis society of Canada. On June 10 they will also participate in the national walk to fight arthritis at Bingemans in Kitchener.

Two years ago the family collected $8,000 for the walk, and nearly doubled that in 2011 by collecting $15,000. They hope to collect even more this year, and are also organizing a benefit dance at the St. Clements Community Centre on April 28 with tickets available for $10, as well as a charitable barbecue.

Derek’s classmate is also selling candy kabobs during the month to raise money.

“It’s great that every body is coming together. You don’t feel so alone, and this year we’ve really seen everyone step up and it’s overwhelming.”

Although all the medication is covered under health insurance – Derek’s bi-weekly medication can cost upwards of $800 per dose – the family does incur costs associated with driving to Toronto every couple of weeks, yet Tracey said the family refuses to use any of their fundraising money towards their own costs.

“We’ve been asked if maybe we should take half the profits from this towards our expenses, but having a dance for us isn’t going to help find a cure for the disease, and that’s not going to help Derek.
“We need to raise money to help him, not help us.”

For more information on juvenile arthritis visit www.arthritis.ca and for more information on the fundraising efforts for Derek, call Tracey (519) 699-4545 or email hsweeth@golden.net.

Tags: James Jackson

St. Jacobs girl part of U14 ringette squad

When the Elora-Fergus Edge U14 AA girls’ ringette team heads to the Eastern Canadian Championships in Repentigny, Quebec next month, St. Jacobs resident Maddie MacLean, who plays forward for the squad, will be there looking for gold. The team qualified for the tournament after falling to Guelph in the provincial championship finals by a score of 4-0 in Whitby on Mar. 4. The top two teams in the province move on to the eastern championships, the highest level of competition for Maddie’s age group.

“I’m really excited for it and I know that my team is too,” said Maddie, 12, a Grade 7 student at St. Jacobs Public School.

“I’m really happy. I’ve never gotten this far before in ringette, so I’m really excited.”

The tournament brings together the top nine U14AA teams from Eastern Canada, including Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. This is Maddie’s first year on the Elora squad after playing for Waterloo the past seven years. When Waterloo decided not to create a U14 AA team this year, Maddie and five of her Waterloo teammates decided to try out for the Elora-Fergus Edge last May.

The team has excelled this year, going 45-11-3 combined, and winning two golds and four silvers in the six tournaments they have entered. While it’s been a lot of work for Maddie and her family, it’s been worth it, says her mother, Leanne.

“It’s certainly a family commitment, this will be her seventh tournament so there is a lot of travelling and time off of work and school, but she balances it really well with school and her other activities.
“It’s been an exciting season.”

Coach Dave Eccles said the team is well-prepared for the tournament, and are looking forward to an eventual rematch with their rivals from Guelph. “We have high expectations, to be honest. Going in, we feel we have as good a chance as anyone else to win it all.”

Tags: James Jackson

The whole-body approach

After more than 20 years of working out on her own and giving others advice in the gym, Tanya Otterstein-Liehs decided to turn her passion into her career when she launched her own personal training business called Body Business. Offering exercise and diet regimens tailored to each individual, Otterstein-Liehs promises to help those looking to shed those extra pounds and get into better shape before the summer sun arrives – but there’s more to it then just numbers on scale, she says. “I think it’s really important that when people say ‘I want to lose weight’ they have to realize that diet isn’t the way to go.  You have to make a lifestyle change, which includes proper nutrition and exercise. They go hand-in-hand; you can’t have one without the other.”

With so many fitness and diet options available these days, Otterstein-Liehs believes that what sets her business apart from others is her dedication to her clients and her refusal to simply work according to the clock. “Often you’ll see trainers who start at this time, and end at this time. I’m not like that. If we’re done in an hour, it takes an hour, but if it takes an hour and a half, it takes an hour and a half,” she said. “I don’t want to rush anybody and I don’t want to be rushed. This is your time and nobody else’s. I’m not going to answer my cell phone or watch my clock.”

Otterstein-Liehs takes her time by sitting down with clients to develop a customized program, based on individual needs and fitness goals. She uses a training log to record workouts and monitor her clients improved cardio, strength, and flexibility, and will also educate them on proper nutrition by taking a trip to the grocery store to help clients read labels, and help purge their kitchens of unhealthy foods.
“A lot of people will buy pre-packaged foods and not realize the high levels of sodium.”

Otterstein-Liehs is certified through Can Fit Pro, possesses CPR and first-aid training, and works with clients either through Fitpoint Fitness gym in St. Jacobs, or in their own homes. The 43-year-old is also a cyclist and avid runner, having completed numerous half marathons as well as a full marathon, and has studied karate for the past two years. She will provide sport-specific training for running and cycling, and enjoys combining her knowledge of karate into her sessions. “I like to take that philosophy of strength and breathing.”

She also tries to use as little exercise machines as possible, which she said can form a barrier between an individual and exercise. Instead, she likes to get outside as much as possible and use the surroundings, such as benches or jungle gyms in parks, to act as training areas.

“You’re not paying me to use machines; you can do that on your own. I use free-weights and your own body. An hour inside a gym can feel like a long time, but outside, an hour-and-a-half might have gone by and you don’t notice it.”

One of the things she enjoys most about her line of work is seeing the results in her clients, and seeing their reaction to those results. That’s why she uses the workout log and before-and-after photographs to track the progress and to emphasize and successes that are achieved. “That way you know you’re making strides forward, and if someone doesn’t see a goal they’re not going to see themselves develop or have that itch to keep going.”
Yet for those looking to get back into shape she stresses that they take it slow to start – instead of running 5 km, start with a brisk walk instead – otherwise frustration or even an injury could stop you before you even get started.
Yet at the same time, Otterstein-Liehs says she makes the most of her time with clients.

“I won’t dilly-dally. You’re paying me to get something in the end and if you want to have quality work, I am going to give it to you.”
For more information about Body Business and the range of services available, visit www.bodybusiness.ca.

Tags: James Jackson

Solar panels present new challenges for firefighters

As solar panels and other renewable sources of energy grow in popularity, so to do the risks for firefighters and other emergency personnel who are responding to a fire. In an effort to increase safety for all its 143 volunteer firefighters, Woolwich Township has been conducting training on the dangers associated with a fire at a structure that has solar panels or other renewable energy project nearby. “We want to make sure that they know the systems, the panels, the inverters, the disconnects, the racking and the storage,” said Woolwich fire chief Rick Pedersen. “We’re trying to teach them how the grid is tied back to the batteries and the potential for electrocution or the roofs collapsing on them.”

Not only do solar panel systems change the dynamics of firefighting because of added weight to roofs, there is also the presence of toxic gases like cyanide as the panels smolder and burn, not to mention the ever-present danger of electrical shock.

Despite there being a main disconnect switch on all residential solar systems, the panels themselves remain a source of danger – even at night. “We can’t just disconnect them,” said Pedersen. “At one of our sessions we talked about them being shut down at night, but the lights from our truck could activate the solar panels, they’re that sensitive.” There is also the danger of backup storage batteries and generators posing an extra element of risk for systems that are not a part of the main grid, such as on Mennonite farms. The number of renewable energy projects in the region grows by about 30 per cent each year, added Pedersen.

The training sessions started on Feb. 13 and are being conducted by a pair of volunteer firefighters from the Conestogo station. Jason Martin is a farmer who has a solar array on his farm, and earlier this year he travelled to the Emergency Services Training Centre in Blyth to receive more training.

Jason Grieb, the other member involved, is a business partner at Earth FX Energy in Maryhill that specializes in geothermal energy and solar panel installations. “We were fortunate to have a couple guys who have a background in this. They’ve done an excellent job,” said Pedersen. The Wellesley Fire Department has already conducted similar training with their volunteers, and chief Andrew Lillico said they sent a volunteer of their own to Blyth in the fall, with training sessions conducted during the winter months at each Wellesley station.

While both chiefs say they haven’t yet had to fight a fire that involved a solar panel system, they say that it is important to conduct this training and be aware of the ever-evolving dangers facing them in their line of work.
“The potential is definitely there, certainly we’re seeing more and more of this technology in our community,” said Lillico.

Tags: James Jackson