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Nutcracker takes on a distinctly Canadian avour...................................... 22 THE OBSERVER | Saturday, December 13, 2008
Finding inspiration in new venture
Âť13 VOLUME 13, ISSUE 49
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2008
www.ObserverXtra.com
Âť WEST MONTROSE
Suspicious blaze in Wellesley Battle brewing
over gravel pit
All three stations respond to fire now under investigation by police MARC MIQUEL HELSEN
Bridge Keepers group goes on the offensive to counter company’s bid for license
Police are seeking information regarding two men who fled the scene of a suspicious house fire in Wellesley Village Tuesday night. Two males emerged from a duplex at 1020 Molesworth St. at the onset of the fire, both with flames coming from their clothing. They extinguished those fires by rolling around on the ground and in the snow and then fled the scene, one suspect in a dark-coloured pickup truck, the other on foot. Firefighters from all three township stations tackled the blaze. One woman was taken to the hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. Damage to the structure was pegged at $200,000 Wellesley firefighters were called to the residence at approximately 8:30 p.m. Dec. 9. When they arrived, they were told occupants were still inside the building. They conducted two
STEVE KANNON
PHOTO | JOE MERLIHAN
See FIRE Âť02
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Nobody welcomes a gravel pit with open arms. With every application comes some kind of opposition – some more than others. You can put the bid for a large pit near West Montrose into the “battle brewingâ€? category. Concerned about the impact on the settlement’s quaint lifestyle centered on the historic covered bridge, a group calling itself the Bridge Keepers has begun rallying the community to fight. Guelph-based Capital Paving wants to extract aggregate from a 115-acre site near the intersection of Letson Drive and Kathleen Street. The best defence is a good offence, maintains organizer Tony Dowling, who’s employed the Internet as part of an aggressive marketing strategy against the proposed operation. “You have to work hard – the field is pretty heavily tipped in favour of the applicants,â€? he said in an interview, noting communities typically get short shrift when it comes to gravel pits. The group is concentrating on the potential negative impacts on one of Woolwich Township’s major tourism draws, the kissing bridge, its 127-year history and the rural flavour exemplified by the Mennonite population. “Lots of visitors come here to see the bridge. There’s a great panoramic view of the scene from Jigs Hollow Road that people just love. This (the pit) will ruin the whole experience.â€? Bridge Keepers is working up an entire campaign to help bring officials on side. The application process is underway with both the Ministry of Natural Resources, which licenses gravel pits, and the township, which must grant a zone change to allow the operation on what is currently farmland. Having deemed Capital Paving’s initial application incomplete, the township is now waiting on the company to provide more information before proceeding with a review of the project. See GRAVEL Âť02