Port Stanley Villager May 2022

Port Stanley Villager May 2022

Port Stanley Villager May 2022 • Issue 39

Letter from the Editor

without mentioning two amazing locals who are celebrating some major milestones in community service, Ray and Bev Filewood, both recently recognized for the 30th year of service within one of their community groups. We also have two special guest columnists this month. Two students from Kettle Creek Public School have put together an article on the Berm, and what their generation feels is the appropriate use of this space. Not only are the spring winds bringing with them nicer weather and rebirth, but they also mean that election is in the air. First, we have our provincial election in June, followed in the fall by our municipal elections. Chances are, the candidates will be coming around to different events, maybe even to your door to introduce themselves and share with you why they feel they are the right person for the job as our elected official. I would encourage you to listen to each of them, engage with them and build your own opinion on who you think best to represent you. But I do ask, no matter what colour stripe they represent, be curious and courteous. Each of these candidates are doing what they believe is right, and even if you don’t share the same beliefs, that doesn’t mean they deserve to be treated with anything but respect. I do not envy them their positions, but I do respect their willingness to put themselves out there to do what they think is best for their riding. Win or lose, it takes courage to run. Most importantly, when it comes time to cast your ballot, please do. Events in Europe show us once again what a privilege it is to be able to choose our leaders, and with this privilege comes the responsibility to exercise it.

What an exciting time to be in Port Stanley! Spring is in the air, which means one minute it is short sleeves, and the next it is a jacket and an umbrella! The long weekend is upon us, which means it is the unofficial start of Port Stanley’s tourist season. This May long weekend, we would encourage you to take part in our community-wide yard sale on Saturday May 21st.

We have an exciting issue ahead for you: it is our largest Port Stanley Villager ever! Of course, May is Leaving a Legacy month, and the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital is looking for community support through legacy giving to help keep it the model of what a smaller community hospital can be. This month we also introduce you to two new local businesses, both run by newer Port Stanley residents who are eager to become part of their new community. On the flip side of those two new businesses, we also look to salute James Street Home Décor, celebrating their 10th anniversary as a strong community member. And we couldn’t talk about strong community members

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Page 2 Port Stanley Villager • May 2022

30 Years of Serving Their Community On April 12th, locals, Ray and Bev Filewood were recognized with a plaque and a little celebration for 30 years of service with Port Stanley Community Policing (PSCP). “Back in February, 1992,” Ray explains, “A letter was sent to service groups in the village, about a new initiative being driven by the OPP to start a Community Policing Committee in the village. It was hoped that a volunteer representative from each club would sit on this committee and report back to their respective clubs, thereby reaching a larger audience very rapidly. “The goal,” he continues, “Was to create a direct line from the committee to the local council and the OPP, expressing safety concerns of the residents. The initial letter was read out at the meetings of the Port Stanley Lions and Lioness Clubs, of which Bev and I were the respective presidents at the time. It was at this point we decided to join this committee together to represent our clubs, so on April 12th, we attended our first meeting, becoming charter members.” “Over the years we’ve somewhat expanded our original mandate and are constantly lobbying for safety improvements locally,” says Bev. “Our committee includes a local ward councillor -- our current representative is Colleen Row. Monique Harrington is our liaison officer from the OPP.” “We’ve been successful in lobbying the council for many things,” says Ray, “including a sidewalk from the Arena to the Railway Station; we have conducted many safety seminars for seniors and the children of the community. For instance, we have a terrific relationship with the Kettle Creek School, where once a year, they have allowed us to host a safety program for the students. They allow us to use their gymnasium to bring in various agencies to instruct the students on their programs. This would include representatives from the OPP, Port Stanley Lifeguards, Southwestern Health Department, Port Stanley Volunteer Fire Department, Port Stanley Terminal Railway, and many others over the years.” Ray and Bev decided to become volunteers originally to get to knowand become part of their new community. “We first emigrated from England to Port Stanley in 1978,” says Ray. “We didn’t know a single person. There were no friends, no relatives, nothing. Now, through being in a service club, we have hundreds of friends from Windsor, Sarnia, right through to Springfield and London.” Besides being founding members of the PSCP, Ray and Bev both belong to service clubs; Ray has been a Lion for decades, WORLD PREMIERE A brand new play by Canada’s king of comedy, Norm Foster. A story about change, love and new beginnings. My Hero

and Bev is the President of the recently created Kettle Creek Swans. They are both proud members of the Legion and are also part of the Dickens Day parade committee. “It’s not about Bev and me getting an award from the OPP,” says Ray. “This is about being a volunteer. There’s absolutely no way a sports coach or a community volunteer does this so they can get a photo op or an award. It’s far from that. It comes from trying to make a difference and improve and enhance the very community you live in.” Thank you to Bev and Ray for all that you do for your very grateful community! - For more information on the Community Policing Committee or the Kettle Creek Swans, please contact [email protected]; for the Port Stanley Lions Club, [email protected].

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June 15 to July 9

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Port Stanley Villager • May 2022 • Page 3

Through an Ecological Lens By Jessie Barendregt and Kade Kewley, Grade 8 Students at Kettle Creek Public School Located in the small village of Port Stanley, Ontario, Kettle Creek Public School’s E.C.O. class has been actively advocating for green space on the berm for four years. During this time, the plans and ideas for the berm have been an effort to balance the needs of the village and support for natural and sustainable public green space on the north shore of Lake Erie. The E.C.O. class aims to learn the entire Grade 8 curriculum through an ecological lens and was therefore very pleased to learn that the development plans for the berm included a considerable amount of green space. As a class, our main focus for the berm has been including Carolinian tree and plant species in the green space, as Carolinian forest land is becoming scarce. We have done our best to improve locals’ knowledge and awareness of the dwindling Carolinian zone by holding an art gallery featuring Carolinian species and working collaboratively with community partners, such as the PSVA (Port Stanley Village Association). To further our own awareness of the environmental happenings within our county, we have a student representative from the E.C.O. class who attends monthly meetings of the Central Elgin Environmental Committee. We have also recently been working with the Green Leaders Program through the Upper Thames Conservation Authority. With this program, our class has developed an exceptional interest in preserving the wetlands on the berm. Feeling well informed, the E.C.O. made several suggestions that were well received on the Let’s Talk Central Elgin Waterfront Master Plan Project site. Our next step was to create a larger voice to speak about our wishes for the berm, so along with members of the Kettle Creek Public School Student Voice team, we presented an informative slideshow to other classes in the school. We then polled them on what they wanted for the berm. Our school is a blended school, having students from St. Thomas, Union, Sparta, Port Bruce, Dexter, and Port Stanley, so this was a great opportunity to bring us together as one community. The poll sparked awareness, interest and creativity in many grades and classes. Students wanted anything from a runway for turtles to a minifridge with free water! After sorting through the >Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20

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