Woolwich seeks more answers ahead of gravel pit OMB hearing
There are no answers, only more questions as Woolwich goes into Ontario Municipal Board hearings that will decide the fate of a gravel pit proposed for the Winterbourne valley.
Following public input, the township has expanded its list of concerns to be addressed in upcoming proceedings, starting with a mediation session next month, involving Kuntz Topsoil, Sand and Gravel’s application to mine gravel from a 90-acre site at 125 Peel St.
New information has called into question some of the studies submitted by the applicant, with a host of new questions to be answered, director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley told councillors meeting Apr. 16. The new data, for instance, have caused the township to reverse its position that the pit would have no adverse visual impact on residents of Conestogo’s Golf Course Road.
“We’ve changed our professional opinion. We’ve now determined there would be an unacceptable visual impact.”
With that in mind, the township will be asking the applicant to address the issue.
Other questions have arisen due to studies showing the water table is higher than initially measured, meaning there’s less gravel accessible, as extraction would have to remain at least 1.5 metres above the water table. That, in turn, poses challenges to the economic viability of the project, perhaps removing 300,000 tonnes of aggregate from the expected total of 850,000 tonnes.
The higher levels could also reduce the height of the pit face, perhaps changing the impact of noise from the site, Kennaley suggested.
And, if less gravel is to be taken, the township would have to look at perhaps reducing the 15-year sunset clause it hopes to attach to the project.
In a presentation to councillors, West Montrose resident Lynn Hare raised another issue that made the township’s list of concerns, namely the suitability of plans to recycle concrete and asphalt onsite. The material, which would be trucked in, would generate “an incredible amount of dust,” she argued, calling the extra crushing incompatible with surrounding residential land use.
For Coun. Bonnie Bryant, concerns about the recycling operation are significant enough to look at removing that component from the application. At the very least, the township will look at a temporary-use bylaw to govern recycling of waste material onsite.
Kennaley said the township would be seeking legal advice about removing or controlling the recycling operation.
Coun. Mark Bauman, who was the lone dissenting vote in plans to expand the township’s official list of concerns, argued against further restrictions on recycling, saying it would be hypocritical given that Woolwich recycles the concrete and asphalt from its road projects.
He also opposed more delays in the project, which was given tentative approval in the last term of council; Bauman is the sole member from that term still serving on council.
“We’re continually throwing hurdles in front of this application,” he said.
On the subject of gravel, councillors cleared the way for progress at the pit operated by D&J Lockhart Excavators at 6225 Middlebrook Rd., agreeing to withdraw its objections to the company’s Aggregate Resources Act (ARA) application.
The expansion to the existing small pit had been held up over the inclusion of depth-of-extraction provisions – known as vertical zoning – in the township’s zoning bylaw.
Both the township and Region of Waterloo are challenging the province’s stance against vertical zoning in an OMB appeal regarding the new Regional Official Plan. In this case, however, the township has agreed to separate the depth provisions from the rest of the bylaw, allowing them to be included in the ARA site plan.
Woolwich to extend DC waiver at former Procast site
The owner of a vacant former industrial site in Elmira’s core this week won an extension to the development charges exemption that’s been in place for eight years.
Blaze Properties now has another four years to get something going on the property, the former home of Procast Foundries, which closed its doors in 2002. The arrangement would see the township waive $56,000 in development charges – fees levied by municipalities to pay for infrastructure costs for new construction – as an incentive to get a new project underway.
The catch is that only commercial development qualifies, not residential. The owner sees demand for a residential project, but none for commercial. The township has resisted converting the land to purely residential use, however.
As director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley noted at Monday night’s council meeting, a mixed-use project, with storefronts and apartments above, for instance, could be workable. An “important property in the core,” the site should be developed in keeping with the surrounding zoning, which is commercial.
“I think the requirement for ground-floor commercial is a good one,” he said of the township’s position.
But Coun. Mark Bauman appeared to be softening on that approach, noting there’s been no action at the site – and thus no real tax revenues – for eight years since the building was demolished and the property cleared for development.
“I’m wondering if our designation is wrong,” he said of the commercial zoning, adding the township has an incentive to look at other options.
In pushing for the extension of the development charge exemption, Mark Dorfman, a planner representing Blaze Properties, told councillors changing the Official Plan and zoning designations on the land would be the biggest incentive to seeing development there.
“I think there’s a market for residential development at that location.”
Blaze Properties has been trying to develop the 1.36-acre site at 7 Memorial Ave. since 2004. The foundry itself closed its doors in October 2002, with the building subsequently demolished.
In order to make the new exemption official, the township will have to amend the applicable bylaw, which requires a public meeting, with feedback and notification periods. Kennaley estimated it would take another two months to go through the process, which would see the exemption run to Apr. 30, 2016.
Citizens want support in biogas fight
Councillors may have backed away from the fight, but they should still throw in with the community in the upcoming battle over a proposed biogas plant, say Elmira residents who launched an appeal to the province’s Environmental Review Tribunal.
Addressing council Monday night, representatives of the group asked for the township’s help in fighting the project, calling it a potential health hazard that will lower the quality of life in Elmira. Although Woolwich opted against an appeal, citing the cost of fighting a battle with a slim chance of being won, councillors have a duty to protect residents, argued Vivienne Delaney and Michael Purves-Smith.
A vocal contingent gathered in front of township hall in advance of Monday’s council meeting, where representatives of the citizens’ group appealing the Bio-En decision later addressed councillors. Inset: Ailah Kauk, 5, attended the rally with her mother and sister. [COLIN DEWAR / THE OBSERVER
“It clearly does not care where bio-energy plants are located, so long as they are built,” said Purves-Smith, noting the province ignored the input and best interests of Elmira residents in giving the green light to the application by Woolwich Bio-En.
“The Ministry of the Environment once again has let Elmira down. We’re asking Woolwich council to stand up for us – where do you stand on this issue and are you on board with us?” he asked.
Both stressed they support the goal of green energy, but want to see the project built elsewhere, away from residential and commercial areas.
“Noise, odour, vibration, congestion – who will live, visit or shop in Elmira if this gets worse?” asked Delaney, rattling off a list of problems that will accompany the construction of the energy-generating facility just north of the downtown core.
Pointing to the increased truck traffic – and the health risks of diesel-fuelled vehicles – they noted the existing zoning in the area of the Martin’s Lane facility will see the creation of an industrial park with truck access only through the core of Elmira.
“If the site in north Elmira is to be properly used, without bringing extra truck traffic through town, we do need a truck bypass,” said Purves-Smith.
“What is the benefit to Elmira of increased truck traffic from new industry in the north of town? Where else has a significant extension of an industrial park been approved when there is no truck access to it except through a downtown and residential area?”
That idea drew support from Coun. Mark Bauman, who called on Mayor Todd Cowan to pursue the long-discussed bypass route at regional council.
“A truck bypass is not only important to this project, but to other projects. If there’s one thing we should be doing – that would be a regional issue – it’s pushing the region on a truck bypass.”
Bauman was cautious, however, about committing the township’s time and money to the appeal, noting council had received legal advice that the narrow scope of the appeal process makes success unlikely.
The citizens’ group is asking for administrative support, expert witnesses, research support and funding to help with legal action.
For his part, Cowan said the township would continue to lobby the provincial government to allow the project to be moved to another site – a Breslau location has been suggested, though there are many details still to be worked out. Although not overly optimistic at this point, he said he would push for an alternative.
“I’m trying to be realistic – I’m not going to promise that we’re going to (be successful, but we’re going to continue the efforts on our part.”
A chance for local politicians to weigh in
International trade agreements aren’t typical fare for municipal councils. Woolwich and Wellesley, then, were on unfamiliar ground this week with a call to action on the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), currently in the negotiation stage between Canada the European Union.
Following a presentation by Steve Sachs of the Waterloo Region Labour Council who was in Woolwich Monday and Wellesley Tuesday, councillors were asked to join some 40 other Canadian municipalities that have called on their provincial governments to keep municipalities from CETA’s grasp. What’s at stake is municipal autonomy in purchasing decisions, as well as yet another threat to local drinking water systems.
Wellesley councillors immediately backed the request, while their Woolwich counterparts were looking for more information before deciding.
As Sachs notes in his presentation, as the deal now stands, municipalities would lose some of their ability to control who bids on contracts for goods and services – CETA would open the process to international companies, disallowing any buy-local provisions.
Far more worrying is the access-by-stealth aspects of the deal: European designs on Canada’s resources, including water.
The Council of Canadians, working with leaked documents from the trade negotiations, reports that Canada and the provinces have failed to protect drinking water and wastewater services from trade rules that would encourage and lock in privatization.
The documents, made public in January, show Canada’s initial services and investment offers to the EU in ongoing CETA negotiations. They list policy areas or sectors that are to be spared from liberalization, which can be understood as deregulation or re-regulation on market-based terms favourable to multinational investment. Water services are not on the list, which means they are automatically included in the deal.
“The two biggest private water utilities in the world are European and eager to use CETA to gain access to Canada’s still public water systems,” says Maude Barlow, national chairperson with the Council of Canadians. “Harper’s message to these companies is that Canada is ‘open for business’ when it comes to water privatization. The very notion of water as a public good and a human right is at stake.
“CETA will open up the rules, standards and public spending priorities of provinces and municipalities to direct competition and challenge from European corporations,” she adds. “Europe is seeking a comprehensive and aggressive global
approach to acquiring the raw materials needed by its corporations. At its heart, this deal is a bid for unprecedented and uncontrolled European access to Canadian resources.”
Other groups see equally damning consequences of this trade deal, compounding the ill-effects of those already in place.
The Centre for Civic Governance, for instance, reports CETA posts a threat to local economies. Economist Jim Stanford found that CETA would create a huge trade deficit for Canada, resulting in the loss of up to 150,000 Canadian jobs.
CETA would give big European drug companies extended patent rights, resulting in massive cost in-creases for Canadian drug plans, including $1.3-billion per year on taxpayer-funded public drug plans and $1.5-billion on private drug plans.
Hydro Quebec’s Research Institute warns that CETA’s procurement chapter could limit the ability of government agencies to use public spending to achieve goals such as economic development and regional employment. If CETA had been in place in 2003, Quebec would likely not have been able to insist on 60 per cent provincial content in wind projects. Local content requirements under Ontario’s Clean Energy Act could face similar problems under CETA.
Even the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, the national organization that represents municipalities such as Woolwich, has reservations about this deal, though it does generally support free trade, which is reason enough for the township not to rely on the FCM to make wise policy decisions in this regard.
The FCM estimates that Canadian municipal governments collectively purchase more than $98 billion per year in goods and services. By opening up this sector to foreign corporations, the CETA would make it harder to keep these dollars circulating in Canada’s local, regional and national economies.
The FCM supports maintaining local autonomy, but does back the free trade agreement, which purports to boost trade to Europe by 20 per cent and create 80,000 jobs. The reality, of course, will be otherwise, as other trade deals have served only to weaken the middle class.
Trade agreements have failed Canadians time and time again, yet we’re moving into another one – quietly, as is usually the case, so as not to draw attention to the process. NAFTA in particular has been hugely detrimental to the middle class in Canada and the U.S., while even further eroding Mexico’s economy.
It can be argued that liberalized monetary policies and trade deals that favour corporate interests over the well-being of citizens – policies that have eroded our standard of living for three decades – culminated in the recent financial meltdown. The cure, we’re told, is yet more deregulation and globalization, essentially offering a drowning man more water instead of a lifejacket.
Woolwich councillors say they want more information before taking a stand on the CETA talks. Research will show them there’s only one conclusion to be made.
When the going gets tough, women get going
Anybody who’s anybody in Chinquapin, Louisiana goes to Truvy’s beauty parlour to get her hair done. On the day we first join that lively bunch, Shelby’s getting married and there are preparations to be made. We’ll follow their lives – focussing on what happens with Shelby – for the next three years, all without leaving the beauty salon that’s central to the story of Steel Magnolias, the Elmira Theatre Company production that opens next week.
Getting things rolling, we meet Truvy (played by Chris Grose) and her new assistant Annelle (Danielle Ball), who isn’t sure if she’s married or not, but won’t let that get in the way of “doing good hair.” Their clients are M’Lynn (Trish Starodub), a social worker who will do anything for her soon-to-be married daughter Shelby (Tracy Leighton); Clairee (Pam Webb), an eccentric millionaire; and Ouiser (Rita Huschka), a curmudgeon who says she’s just “been in a bad mood for 40 years.”
The action centers around Truvy’s salon and the women who regularly gather there. The drama begins on the morning of Shelby’s wedding to Jackson and covers events over the next three years, including Shelby’s decision to have a child despite having Type 1 diabetes and the complications that result from the decision.
Danielle Ball, Chris Grose, Pam Webb, Rita Huschka and Trish Starodub (seated) rehearse a scene from Steel Magnolias, the ETC show that opens Apr. 27. [submitted
“When I look at this, it’s like we’re going to take people on a rollercoaster ride – you’re on an emotional high one minute, and then on a low the next,” said Cathy Judd, adding the story’s appeal lies in the characters. “It’s always about the relationships. My vision was to show the strength of these women in times that are difficult.”
Written in 1987 by Robert Harling, who was raised in Nachitoches, Louisiana, a town of about 17,000 that bears a strong resemblance to the fictional community of Chinquapin Parish, the story takes on an extra resonance in that it was inspired by his own real-life experiences. Steel Magnolias is based on the tragic events of Harling’s sister, Susan. Like the character Shelby, she died at an early age as a result of complications caused by diabetes following the birth of her only child. The play also honours Harling’s mother who, like the character M’Lynn, donated a kidney to her daughter in a transplant operation that ultimately failed.
Filled with fury at the time, he pumped out his first work in 10 days, hoping to provide his nephew, then two year of age, with a story that he would one day read to know more about his mother. In writing the play, he painted a portrait of the community of women that surrounded his mother and sister at the time.
Although based on a heartbreaking situation, the story features plenty of comedic moments. As Harling has been quoted to say, “my family and my community have always been characterized by a tremendous sense of humour, even in the darkest moments.”
That’s clearly in evidence, Judd notes, pointing to the well-written script.
“It’s a sad story, but it’s got a lot of humour in it,” she said. “This is going to take people on a ride. They’re going to be sad, but they will have fun.”
Walking out of the theatre, audiences will be feeling good about the time spent at Turvy’s.
In recognition of the story’s origins, ETC is partnering with the Canadian Diabetes Association to raise diabetes awareness. An education evening was held for the cast and crew by members of the CDA to provide guidance in the onstage portrayal of a diabetic episode. Representatives from the association will be present at each show with information on diabetes.
The Elmira Theatre Company production of Steel Magnolias runs Apr. 27-29, May 3-6, and May 10-12 at 76 Howard Ave. Show times are 8 p.m., except Sunday (2:30 p.m.). Tickets are $18, available at the Centre in the Square box office in Kitchener by calling 578-1570 or 1-800-265-8977, online at www.centre-square.com.
Bylaw aimed at residents who park on their lawns
Squeezed by a small lot and poor on-street parking? Finding yourself parking on more than just your driveway? Woolwich has $75 ticket with your name on it. Facing an increase in the number of complaints about people parking on their lawns, the township has a new front-yard parking bylaw in the works. The proposal won initial approval from council Tuesday night.
Clerk Christine Broughton, whose department handles bylaw enforcement, explained that newer subdivisions with higher densities are more prone to seeing residents parking on their lawns or illegally widening their driveways in order to accommodate their vehicles.
The new bylaw would provide the township with a tool to deal with the situation.
Under the current system, after a complaint is received a notice is sent to the offender. If the parking offence continues, a summons is issued to appear in court. The township uses rules under its property standards and zoning bylaws, but the process is slow and costly: it can take up to six months to get the first appearance date, during which time the offence continues and neighbours continue to complain.
A specific bylaw would streamline the process, which is important as the number of issues goes up, said Broughton
“Enforcement staff is seeing an increasing number of complaints regarding the parking of vehicles on front yards. The problem is especially apparent in newer subdivisions where there is limited parking. In the past 30 days alone, the enforcement division has received four calls concerning the appearance of neighbouring properties due to muddy ruts and the overall appearance of the neighbourhood,” wrote bylaw enforcement officer Lorna VanderPloeg in a report submitted to council Apr. 10.
Coun. Julie-Anne Herteis, however, raised concerns about the potential abuse of the bylaw as presented, noting neighbours could use it to make nuisance complaints about each other. If somebody puts their vehicle on the lawn to wash it, for instance, and the neighbour is immediately on the phone making a complaint.
She called for some leeway in the bylaw’s language to help avoid nuisance calls.
That sentiment was backed by Coun. Mark Bauman, who expressed concern that the process doesn’t become a “witch hunt.”
In response, Broughton noted the goal is to deal with chronic problems, not have the township get involved with neighbourhood spats.
Beyond the language of the bylaw, Herteis also fretted about yet more government interference in people’s lives.
“There comes a point where it’s the property owner’s property. It seems very strict,” she said of the proposed bylaw.
The bylaw was ultimately approved 3-1, with Herteis holding out for a change in the wording. The issue returns to council next week, however, for formal approval.
In a related matter, the township will also review its overnight parking ban during the winter months, acting on suggestion from Mayor Todd Cowan.
He argued that banning parking between 2-6 a.m. has little affect on snow-clearing, as road crews are typically not out until 7 a.m. anyway.
While crews can be out as early as 4 a.m., noted director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley, it’s major routes that get priority over residential streets.
Adding that operations staff have requested a review of the current bylaw, he said he would get in on the schedule for review prior to next year’s snow season.
Citizens’ group to challenge biogas
The township has taken a pass on the appeal process, but a biogas plant proposed for Elmira will be debated at the province’s Environmental Review Tribunal thanks to action launched by Elmira Bio Fuel Citizens’ Committee.
The Ministry of the Environment late last month approved a Bio-En Power Inc. plan to build a energy-generating facility on Martin’s Lane in Elmira’s north end. A 15-day appeal period started Mar. 26.
Opposed to the decision, the township nonetheless opted against challenging it based on legal advice. Addressing the issue at an Apr. 10 council meeting, director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley said the narrow grounds for appeal made success unlikely. The township would have to prove the project would cause serious harm to human health and/or the environment.
All of the onus to provide expert witnesses and backing evidence would fall on the municipality, an expensive undertaking not likely to pay dividends, he explained of the process.
Mayor Todd Cowan, while agreeing with the decision to avoid an appeal, said he would continue to lobby provincial officials to move the facility elsewhere. He was disappointed when apparent deals to do that were eventually ignored by the province, with last month’s approval catching him off guard.
For Woolwich Bio-En president Chuck Martin, the option of moving is still on the table, but he is not optimistic about that outcome.
There are challenges to moving, he said. Having the Ontario Power Authority FIT (feed-in tariff) contract shifted is just the first, as there are land issues, grid capacity and financial details to be worked out at another location. Then there’s the timing. The plant has an in-service date of May 2014. A move would require the environment assessment and public input phases to start all over again, so that contract date would have to be shifted.
For now, he’s preparing for the appeal process before the ERT.
From the appeal documents he’s seen to date, the opposition’s argument is heavy on the impact of truck traffic, which he said isn’t really an issue for the tribunal.
Given that the area was home to a truck service at one point and much of the land is zoned for industrial use, truck traffic is an issue that has nothing to do with the biogas facility, which nearby residents fear could cause odour problems.
Traffic is an altogether different issue, he said.
“Our general point on the traffic is that it is much less than what used to be generated there.”
But even if there’s a quick resolution to the appeal process – the tribunal has a maximum of six months – it’s already too late to do more than some site preparation this year. The facility wouldn’t likely be operational until late 2013 at the soonest.
“Early 2014 is the most likely scenario,” said Martin.
Looking past the review, Coun. Mark Bauman would like to see some policing and enforcement guarantees from the MOE if the province pushes ahead with the Elmira location. Historically, the ministry has been seen as lax in its response to residents’ complaints, in particular with regard to issues at the Chemtura chemical plant that dragged on for years.
“Will this be another problem with the MOE we have in this town?”
Neighbours wary of expansion in St. Jacobs subdivision
Plans to add another 150 homes to the Valleyview Heights subdivision in St. Jacobs has neighbours worried about traffic impacts, including safety of those using a nearby park. Several residents were in Woolwich council chambers Apr. 10 for a public planning meeting to discuss a proposed zone change for some 40 acres of land to the east of the existing subdivision, which got underway in 2003. The developer wants to build 88 single-detached houses, 36 semis and 20 to 30 townhouses on a 24-acre portion of the land.
Concerned about the increased traffic that will come with the new development, neighbours called for traffic to be funneled onto Old Scout Place, which runs along the southern edge of the site, rather than relying on Water Street to carry most of the flow. Old Scout Place would require upgrading to be used in that capacity.
For Water Street resident John Dixon, simply extending the street to loop through the new subdivision would create a 1.5-kilometre stretch without stop signs and traffic-calming measures, a recipe for speeding. Water Street runs alongside the existing park and the proposed expansion into the new development.
“We need another exit to Old Scout,” said Water Street resident Jill Jacklin, noting the plan has only one outlet, a road named Conlon Drive that would run north-south connecting Water Street to Old Scout Place.
She called that plan inadequate given that the neighbourhood would essentially double in size.
Along with residents’ concerns, the information presented Tuesday by director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley included concerns raised by planners with the Region of Waterloo, who said they could not approve the application as it now stands, pointing specifically to noise concerns. The site is bounded by Hwy. 85 to the east and there’s an automotive salvage yard nearby on Old Scout Place.
Andrew Head of the Kitchener planning firm Dryden, Smith and Head, representing Valleyview Heights, said the issues raised by the region will be addressed by a noise consultant hired by the developer.
Other concerns raised by the regional government and the Grand River Conservation Authority will also have to be addressed.
Also discussed at this week’s public planning sessions was another St. Jacobs development, this time in the core of the village.
Mercedes Corp., which in 2009 tabled a plan to build 14 townhomes at lots on 10 Front St. and 1441 King St. N., now wants to change that to a 14-unit brownstone development. That design would feature ground-floor flats with two-storey lofts above.
The changes make better use of the lot, the company’s Marcus Shantz told councillors.
Both Official Plan and zoning changes are needed to accommodate the project, which would essentially convert commercial space used for bus parking into a residential area.
In response to a question from Coun. Allan Poffenroth, Shantz said the three-story building would house rental units, though it could be built as a condo, with the company retaining ownership of all 14 units.
Addressing both projects, Kennaley noted that recent easing of restrictions on the capacity of the St. Jacobs sewage treatment plant leaves ample room for the necessary hook-up capacity.
Celebrating Jazz Live From The Registry
Every musician that steps out on stage is looking for that performance, the one where all the players are so in sync with the vibe that the audience feels it, turning the show into an event. Nowhere is that more the case than with jazz, where getting into the groove is what it’s all about.
Having captured some of that magic during a 2010 concert at Kitchener’s Registry Theatre, saxophonist John Tank will be back at the venue Apr. 20 to celebrate the release of the album Jazz Live From The Registry.
As was the case two years ago, Tank will be joined by Bernie Senensky (piano), Jim Vivian (bass) and Ted Warren (drums). But don’t look for this to be a repeat of the show from the CD – “I kinda like to break it up,” said Tank on the phone from Manhattan, the place the K-W native has called home for more than 30 years.
In fact, he’s recently been incorporating parts of his entire repertoire – substantial given his decades-long love affair with the instrument – into his live shows. And, because this is jazz, spontaneity and variety are an essential part of the mix.
After some 50 years, Tank has no interest in getting into a rut. Songs long left unplayed are making an appearance. Others are constantly getting new approaches.
“I do have an idea about what we’re going to do,” he said of the Kitchener show, “I’ll be playing stuff from my first CD and through my last CD. I like to mix things up. And I want to keep the musicians interested, too.”
We can expect this to be jazz in the old-school style, in keeping perhaps with his experience recording with Charles Mingus. There’s lots of John Coltrane and Dexter Gordon to be heard in his playing.
That New York sound is a long way from those made by a five-year-old taking lessons on the Hawaiian guitar. He stuck that out for about a year, but it wasn’t until his teens that he came back to music lessons. He considered the guitar but was introduced to the saxophone through a friend, what would prove to be the defining moment in his musical career.
The first time he heard a saxophone played live, he was hooked.
John Tank will be making the trek from New York back to his hometown of Kitchener to celebrate the release of his new CD, Jazz Live From The Registry. His quartet returns to that venue Apr. 20. [submitted
His father had taken him to see a big band perform at the Kitchener Aud – all that brass was so much to take in. Later he heard a sax solo and knew he’d found his musical calling.
“I thought to myself, ‘wow, that has got to be the greatest sound.’”
Starting on a $3-a-week rented saxophone, along the way he encountered local high school music teacher Michael Bergauer, the legendary mentor for many local musicians. Bergauer had an eye for real talent and knew from early on that Tank was special, having him concentrate on the tenor sax. With Bergauer’s support, he began to play in local dance bands. It did not take long for Tank to realize that he wanted to make his life in music.
Beginning in 1961, he sought out the great Canadian saxophone player and teacher Paul Brodie, himself a student of Marcel Mule, director of the Paris Conservatoire and considered the world’s greatest classical saxophonist.
Following two years of intensive study with Brodie, Tank attended Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music. He returned to Canada and played the Toronto scene in the early ’70s before settling in the heart of the jazz world, New York City, and has lived in Manhattan ever since.
While jazz’s fortunes have ebbed since he first started, New York still remains the center of the jazz world. The golden age of jazz has gone, but there’s still a determined group of musicians and devoted fanbase, despite whatever might be getting play on pap, erm, pop radio.
“The worse music gets, the more people can appreciate something with substance,” said Tank of jazz’s continued influence.
For him, there’s no option but to pick up the sax and make music.
“If I don’t play, I feel like something is missing in my life.”
He’ll certainly be playing for all to hear Apr. 20 when the John Tank Quartet takes to the stage at 8 p.m. at the Registry Theatre, 122 Frederick St., Kitchener. Tickets are $25, available at the Centre in the Square box office by calling 578-1570 or toll free 1-800-265-8977 or online at www.centre-square.com.
Food part of the big-picture
Healthy Communities Month in Woolwich, marked every April, moves into full swing starting with Monday’s Taste of Woolwich event in Breslau, moving on to a community cleanup day Apr. 21, a Clean Waterways Group tree-planting effort Apr. 24-25, and the Green Living and Tech Fair and sustainable living tours, both on Apr. 28, among a host of other activities.
With a Taste of Woolwich, the organizers hit on a range of issues at play for a healthier and more sustainable future, as food comes with economic, health and environmental impacts. Generally, the more local the food, the better the outcomes on all fronts.
The goal of the event is to showcase what’s available locally, to demonstrate how incorporating local food into our diets needn’t be a chore and to have some fun doing it.
“People will be able to get a sense of what’s available in the township and in the region,” says Anna Contini, manager of Foodlink Waterloo Region and a Taste of Woolwich planning committee member.
From a marketplace through to cooking demonstrations, the emphasis will be on what local food can do for you. While it’s early yet for local produce, except for greenhouse operations such as Floralane Produce, there are meats, grains and dairy products available year-round.
“It’s about getting people primed and tuned in to local foods,” she notes, adding “cooking with good local food and with whole foods doesn’t have to be time-consuming.”
In that vein, and part of the fun component, chef Ryan Terry of Flow Catering in Elmira will hosting a workshop in which he’ll prepare “an egger-potatowich” using a recipe devised by the Elmira Girl Guides. That group was the winner of Local Youth Recipe Challenge, which called on youth groups in the township to make creative use of local ingredients.
Another of the workshops will focus on “What Should We Pay for the Benefits of Local Food?”
Ellen Desjardin and Steve Martin will talk about the costs associated with producing food in Canada and how this impacts the prices we pay.
Local food does tend to cost a little more, but consumers benefit through fresher food and there’s a multiplier effect on the economy, as every local agricultural job support another four jobs, says Contini.
“The more educated people are about the benefits of local food, they’re more likely to pay a bit more for it.”
On the whole, we’re increasingly conscious about the quality of food we buy for ourselves and our families. We’re also more aware of what it costs the environment to have food transported thousands of kilometres to appear at local grocery stores. Then there’s the direct cost: soaring fuel prices have been reflected in what we pay at the checkout counter, not to mention the biofuels debate and the impact on grain prices.
As well, we know farmers are under incredible financial pressures, and that even as retail prices climb, that doesn’t always translate into more cash for producers. In this climate, projects such as the Buy Local! Buy Fresh! program, Local Organic Food Team Co-operative (LOFT) boxes, and community shared agriculture (CSA) programs are offering consumers food that is local, organically grown and offered up through a co-operative that sees farmers get paid directly for their goods.
Public response to such campaigns has been strong.
The local angle jibes with Waterloo Region’s Buy Local! Buy Fresh! campaign, Foodlink and community shared agricultural programs (in which people purchase a “share” in the crops at the beginning of the season and then receive regular deliveries of farm products).
Through its Public Health department, the region has been pushing the health, environmental and economic benefits of local food.
A report compiled by the department shows much of our food travels very long distances before it reaches our tables. In fact, imports of 58 commonly eaten foods travel an average of 4,497 kilometres to Waterloo Region. These imports account for 51,709 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually, contributing to climate change and declining air quality.
“Since all of the studied food items could be grown or raised in Waterloo Region, a significant opportunity exists to reduce our contribution to global climate change and air pollution by replacing imports of the studied food items with food items sourced from Waterloo Region or southwestern Ontario. Replacing all the studied food items with products of south-western Ontario would produce an annual reduction in GHG emissions of 49,485 tonnes, equivalent to taking 16,191 cars off our roads. Strategies to strengthen the local food system and make purchasing local food more convenient for consumers have the potential to reduce the environmental impact of food miles in Waterloo Region,” the department reports in Food Miles: Environmental Implications.
Facts like that, along with a desire to know more about the food we eat, have helped drive the local-food trend. Events such as Taste of Woolwich put the issue into context: the focus is on fun, with the educational factor a nice fringe benefit, says Contini.
