 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 13, 2012 The Mayor is on vacation so don’t expect to see him cutting a ribbon somewhere or meeting with citizens and listening intently to what they have to say any time this week
He won’t be at the interactive workshop to get public input on community design elements such as land use; transportation and natural features for the Evergreen community that is to be created along Tremaine Road. That event, if you’re interested is to take place at Tansley United Church – Sanctuary Room, 2111 Walkers Line – 6:30 to 9:00 pm. However, the Mayor will be brushing up on his “inspiring” techniques. Goldring got a call recently from Lance Secretan author of The Spark, the Flame, and the Torch that teaches us how to become a more inspired person and leader and how to change the world for a brighter future. It is an interesting work that helps leaders overhaul stale concepts such as mission, vision and values statements, personal leadership, coaching practices, and rethink our entire model of leadership by focusing on inspiration.
 Vacation reading for Mayor Goldring Providing the Mayor isn’t the kind of vacation reader I am (I tend to fall asleep with the book on my chest – part of my napping routine) Secretan will teach him that a leader’s power comes from the soul and reaches to a place that’s far beyond personality
Secretan, who is highly ranked as an inspirational speaker and works some of the biggest of the big in the Fortune 500 ranks, maintains great leaders inspire people, not just motivate them; they radiate inspiration without saying anything. That’s going to be a bit of a stretch for Rick Goldring – he has a level of decency that is seldom seen in politics and his sincerity is real. This guy doesn’t fake it – what you see is what you’re getting.
According to Secretan to be a great leader “you need to be inspired yourself first; that’s the Spark. Then you’re able to inspire other people; that’s the Flame, and then you can change the world; that’s the Torch. Wow, Rick are you sure you want to do this?
Secretan maintains that to be inspired you have to understand why you’re here. Understand your behavior and values. Understand what you will do to change the world – ask yourself: “What’s my calling, gifts, skills and challenges.
Secretan then maintains you have to have a dream. By that he means not your mission, vision or values, they’re old-fashioned junk, according to Lance.
 Mayor to take on the CASTLE principles: Courage, authenticity, service, truthfulness, love and effectiveness. He's doing pretty good with these already. How would his fellow council members rate themselves on this scale? With the dream firmly in place Secretan says you have to build relationships. Ideally with the right people and not with those who want to exploit the office you hold for their benefit and not the benefit of the larger community.
Secretan has created what he calls the CASTLE Principles
Courage, Authenticity, Service, Truthfulness, Love and Effectiveness.
As Mayor Goldring works his way through Secretan’s The Spark, the Flame, and the Torch, he will come to the final thoughts part; they go like this:
People get inspired with what they’re fed up by
It’s impossible to be inspired by anything that has no relationship with money
There should be a perfect intersection between your passion and your talent
Money is here to stay and will never be irrelevant because it’s energy and also a signal about your value and worth
The real issue is not the money but how much you’re willing to invest in yourself.
The Mayor told me he was taking a vacation. This stuff is pretty heavy lifting.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 13, 2012 They could have and perhaps should have held the event in Burlington but instead they are holding it in Hamilton. While we are a Burlington publication, the event: Great Lakes Need Great Friends; Protecting The Great Lakes Forever, being held May 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hamilton First Unitarian Church, 170 Dundurn St. South, is important enough to get mentioned here.
 That is not a healthy cloud - more like a marker telling you where Randall Reef is located - the second worst toxic site in the country. Given that Hamilton has done as much as anyone else to come close to killing the lake and is home to the second worst toxic site in on our side of the Great Lakes perhaps the event is being held there to shame the city. The plan to cap Randall Reef are kind of on hold – they’re still figuring out who is going to pay for the concrete cap that has to be put over the sludge that has accumulated from years of exploiting the natural water in the lake with waste from the steel mills and the coke ovens that once supplied the gas to light the street lamps in that city.
Maude Barlow, The Council of Canadians along with Mark Mattson, Lake Ontario Waterkeepers and Linda Lukasik, Executive Director of Environment Hamilton will talk about just how bad the situation is and what has to be done to begin cleaning up Lake Ontario.
Getting a good start at the Hamilton end is an admirable first step but given the rate at which the federal government is killing the whole environmental review process – don’t expect to see all that much done by the federal government. For them it is all about jobs – most of which might well be at hospices where the cancer patients can end their days after years of being exposed to toxic waste.
 Randall Reef - The second worst environmental waste deposit in the country is pretty close to home isn't it The Hamilton event is part of an eight Canadian city tour, with allied groups, several U.S. cities the “Great Lakes Needs Great Friends” Tour hopes to foster connections along the Great Lakes by making the links between current fights against threats such as “fracking”, bottled water withdrawals, invasive species, and nuclear waste storage and shipments.
Another objective is to cultivate a Great Lakes stewardship by encouraging people to recognize they not only have a right, but a responsibility to protect the Great Lakes’ waters. Ideally this will invite community involvement and encourage inspiring actions that will help shift the current market economy priorities that govern the Great Lakes to priorities based on commons and public trust principles.
Maud Barlow, who is a delight to listen to, will tell anyone with a minute of time, that “protecting the future of the Great Lakes is in all of our hands. When communities come together with passion and purpose, they can change political priorities and shape a better future for our shared water.”
Sometime this week you will get to the lakefront – pause and ask yourself what you can do to improve what we have. Next time you see Mike Wallace, the person Burlington sends to Ottawa, ask him what he is doing to help; listen carefully and ask him tough questions. His first position is to usually try and snow people.
 Part 8
This series is a first person account, told by a parent who has lived through the fear and pain that rocked Woodstock when an eight year old girl was abducted on her way home from school and subsequently murdered. Elizabeth Maloney takes us through each step of the ordeal and starts with: A girl the same age as my daughter – is missing, she didn’t get home after school. The worry sets in. No longer can a parent feel reassured by the spotlight of safety once provided by broad daylight. Things are different now. It can happen anytime, anywhere, and the most gut-wrenching of all; to anyone.
By Elizabeth Maloney
WOODSTOCK, ON May 9, 2012 Imagine with me for a moment. I am going to ask you to imagine something horrible, but bear with me. Imagine one day after school, only one of your two children comes home- the other is missing. Twelve hours pass, then twenty-four,…still no sign of your baby. Another day goes by, and then another.
 She just didn't come home. Her brother did, Tori didn't and she was never seen alive again. Each day waking with renewed hope that today will bring answers, each night going to bed just as lost as the night before. The ache, the emptiness inside. The media surrounding your home, pointing a camera in your direction each time you emerge, wanting a sound bite on “how do you feel”. How would you feel? Being the spectacle of a nation; your every comment, tear and irrational reaction recorded for the masses to see? And later, for those eyes to turn their suspicious gaze on you, and you know they are thinking “maybe the mom or dad had something to do with this”.
That was life for Tara McDonald and Rodney Stafford. Treated to revolving bouts of sympathy, pity and suspicion. Knowing the entire country was watching them suffer, and not being able to deal with the darkest moment of their life in private. Something like this is difficult enough. Think about it. If it was your child, how rational would you be? Would you be worrying about what you wore to a news conference, or if what you were doing made you look suspicious. No, you wouldn’t- your mind would be where it should be- on your missing child.
But despite how awful the public ordeal of Tori’s abduction and subsequent murder may have been, I would think it would pale in comparison to having to deal with the trial, and being in the same room as her alleged murderers. For the past ten weeks, Tara and Rodney have sat in the same courtroom as Tori’s accused killers, Michael Rafferty and at times Terri-Lynn McClintic, with only several yards separating them. As a mother myself, I have no idea how Tara and Rodney have maintained enough composure to be able to be in the same room as Rafferty and McClintic without rushing the prisoner’s box.
 The not knowing when on for day after day. The eyes of the public were on them every minute. An ordeal they did not need - but Tara McDonald managed to keep it together. Yet somehow that is what they did. They endured the testimony of Terri-Lynn McClintic, who spared no detail in her narrative of the horror that Tori faced. Six long days of what was labelled the most disturbing testimony of the trial, and they were there every day. Sitting through the excruciating details compelled to bear witness to the crimes against their daughter- in the only way they can be there for her, this one last time.
And if the wound wasn’t raw enough, there were pictures; unrecognizable, horrific pictures of their once beautiful little girl. Identified only by her dental records and the Hannah Montana shirt she was wearing when she disappeared. The pictures were more than Rodney could handle and he left the courtroom- it was the only time he left the proceedings. Tara stayed behind crying as the images flashed by. The Coroner explained the state of Tori’s body, every gruesome piece of evidence laid out before the court. Every word another reminder that Tori will never come home.
Of all the proceedings there was one single thing I found more appalling than anything else. On the day of the Coroner’s testimony, some of the most sensitive testimony of the trial, Michael Rafferty wore a deep purple shirt and purple striped tie. It was the same shade of purple that had become synonymous with Tori, and the colour of the ribbons her family wore in her memory. The audacity of his wardrobe choice left me fuming. For the accused to come to court in a show of solidarity to the victim’s family was a huge slap in the face to Rodney, Tara, their families and the community as a whole. And I was not alone in this opinion, with other members of the community taking note of it as well. Whether that was Rafferty’s idea or that of his defence council, Dirk Derstine it was in poor taste.
In spite of all these painful obstacles, Tara and Rodney have fared reasonably well through the trial. Tara was more outspoken during Tori’s disappearance, holding daily media conferences on her front lawn. During the trial she has become a little quieter, taking a bit of a backseat in the media eye. She has kicked the drugs and has been clean for six months now. After a brief move to Brantford, she came back to Woodstock and has been at nearly every session of the McClintic and Rafferty trials.
 No longer with the Mother of his daughter Rodney Stafford handled his grief in his own way; resolved to be in the court room every day with a picture of his daughter in his hand. Rodney on the other hand is determined to build a legacy for his daughter. He has made numerous appearances over the last three years. Showing up on Charles Adler’s program, raising money for ChildFind and speaking to the media at every opportunity. Even pushing a bill proposal loosely named Tori’s law that calls for capital punishment for child killers. He has kept the promise he made at the beginning of the trial to be there and look his daughter’s accused killers in the eye.
It seems that despite their tragic loss one silver lining has come from this horrible event- both Tara and Rodney seem to be stronger people for it. Both of them have come a long way in the last three years. More action, more attention to the family and more cooperation with each other. If Tori were here she would be proud of both of them.
With the prosecution finishing their closing remarks today, the case will soon be in the jury’s hands. Tori’s family will not likely have to wait long now for the final resolution in this case. The last shred of justice to be served in Tori’s name. After that, the media will subside and Tori will become a memory for most of us. But for her family it will be just another day of trying to live without their beloved little girl.
So now, we await the verdict.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
By Pepper Parr
You heard it here first – Walk off the Earth will appear on the OLG stage June 17th at 3:45 pm.
That’s what 110 million YouTube hits and a slot on ELLEN will get you. What kind of a reception will the band get? Hard to tell. Will local guys make good go over in their home town? we`ll know that night won’t we.
 The people who run the Sound of Music in Burlington (this is the 33rd year the event has taken place) had a tough decision in front of them. Was the group available – of course they were available. They had to be on one of the stages and not a small stage either. What were they going to cost? More than the SOM had planned on spending. Before that viral wonder they were just another band struggling to get play dates – but now they had turned their 15 minutes of fame into careers where good management could get them into plays that had never heard of them before.
So, Dave Miller, SOM Executive Director, made the phone calls and put together a deal – the rest they say is history. We will get to see if this “viral” business makes any difference. You had to give then credit for a cool idea.
 By Pepper Parr
On Sunday “The Queen” will create two new Knights of the Realm and we will see Sir Paul of Sherwood and Sir Rick of Aldershot made knights as part of a visit the “Queen” is making to Ireland House on Sunday -Mother’s Day.
The event is part of a day of fun during which Ireland House will pay all kinds of attention to the Queen and the Monarchy – not that there is any relationship whatsoever between the Farm at Oakridge or the Royal Family for that matter, but it will be a nice day to have some fun in an ideal setting.
 This is how a "knighting" takes place today and each year the Queen knights a number of people. The event is one of those that the Museums of Burlington hold through the year. Joseph Brant did have a connection to Royalty, quite a strong one base on the evidence at the Brant Museum, but he is apparently not going to make an appearance with the impersonator filling in for “Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of this Realm and of Her other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.”
There will be “tea with the Queen” at Ireland House in the afternoon and at some point there will be a ceremony that ‘knights’ Councillors Paul Sharman and Rick Craven. There is an excellent opportunity for those participating to learn more about the heraldry that surrounds Knights, and Lords, and Barons and Viscounts and Dukes.
Knights of the medieval era were asked to “Protect the weak, defenseless, helpless, and fight for the general welfare of all.” These few guidelines were the main duties of a medieval knight, but they were very hard to accomplish fully. Knights trained in hunting, fighting, and riding, amongst other things. They were also trained to practice courteous, honorable behaviour, which was considered extremely important. Chivalry (derived from the French word chevalier implying “skills to handle a horse”) was the main principle guiding a knight’s life style. The code of chivalry dealt with three main areas: the military, social life, and religion.
 When given a title the recipient has the right to create a "coat of arms". What would Paul Sharman and Rick Craven have chosen for their coat of arms. The military side of life was very important to knighthood. Along with the fighting elements of war, there were many customs and rules to be followed as well. A way of demonstrating military chivalry was to own expensive, heavy weaponry. Weapons were not the only crucial instruments for a knight. Horses were also extremely important, and each knight often owned several horses for distinct purposes. One of the greatest signs of chivalry was the flying of coloured banners, to display power and to distinguish knights in battle and in tournaments. Warriors were not only required to own all these belongings to prove their allegiance: they were expected to act with military courtesy as well. In combat when nobles and knights were taken prisoner, their lives were spared and were often held for ransom in somewhat comfortable surroundings. This same code of conduct did not apply to non-knights (archers, peasants, foot-soldiers, etc.) who were often slaughtered after capture, and who were viewed during battle as mere impediments to knights’ getting to other knights to fight them.
 Probably not attire that we will see on either Councillor Craven or Sharman Sunday afternoon at Ireland House. Certainly not for Craven - but with Sharman - you never know. Becoming a knight was not a widely attainable goal in the medieval era. Sons of knights were eligible for the ranks of knighthood. While other young men could become knights, in theory, it was nearly impossible for them to achieve that goal, especially for those from the lowest class. Those who were destined to become knights were singled out: in boyhood, these future warriors were sent off to a castle as pages, later becoming squires. Commonly around the age of 20, knights would be admitted to their rank in a ceremony called either “dubbing” (from the French adoubement), or the “Accolade”. Although these strong young men had proved their eligibility, their social status would be permanently controlled. They were expected to obey the code of chivalry at all times, and no failure was accepted.[citation needed]
Chivalry and religion were mutually influenced. The early Crusades helped to clarify the moral code of chivalry as it related to religion. As a result, Christian armies began to devote their efforts to sacred purposes. As time passed, clergy instituted religious vows which required knights to use their weapons chiefly for the protection of the weak and defenceless, especially women and orphans, and of churches.
Some of this could well apply to our Council members and Burlington society in general but for this Sunday afternoon it will be a day of fun and game playing as someone impersonating the queen will tap Sharman and Craven on the shoulder with a sword and declare: “Arise Sir Paul”.
The Code of Chivalry continued to influence social behaviour long after the actual knighthood ceased to exist, influencing for example 19th century Victorian perceptions of how a “gentleman” ought to behave up to today.
Hopefully neither will take the statement all that seriously.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 12, 2012 The email said I had recently changed my Facebook password. I didn’t change that password and the email message was not from Facebook – but it certainly looked that way.
The message I got, set out below, needs to be looked at carefully – the way you look at your bank statement.
Look at the address he email came from –
Facebook <confirm+pepper@beach.net>
that’s not Facebook. That’s a bunch of crooks on the other side of the world who want to steal my identity and with the bits and pieces they father they will create a profile of me and decide if I am worth trying to steal something from.
 Read the address of the sender - that is not Facebook - that's someone pretending to be Facebook. When these crooks succeed, and they succeed far more often than we realize, they do massive damage to the finances of the person they are attacking and sometime to the close to irreparable damage to reputations.
You can steer clear of much of this by being attentive – realize they’re out there and for them it costs next to nothing to send out electronic messages with the hope they will snag you.
The one thing the public needs is a place to send the attempts they get – the police are pretty good at tracking this kind of thing – but they need to know it is taking place. The more they know the faster they can act.
At some point we will have an international agency that can track, apprehend, arrest and punish these crooks.
But for now – when you learn something tell your friends. And pay attention.
 Part 9
This series is a first person account, told by a parent who has lived through the fear and pain that rocked Woodstock when an eight year old girl was abducted on her way home from school and subsequently murdered. Elizabeth Maloney takes us through each step of the ordeal and starts with: A girl the same age as my daughter – is missing, she didn’t get home after school. The worry sets in. No longer can a parent feel reassured by the spotlight of safety once provided by broad daylight. Things are different now. It can happen anytime, anywhere, and the most gut-wrenching of all; to anyone.
By Elizabeth Maloney
WOODSTOCK ON May 11, 2012 At 9:09pm Friday evening, there was a silence throughout Woodstock. The news was broadcasting- the verdict is in. I was on my cell texting friends, warning everyone to get in front of a TV A friend, who does not have cable, dashed over to her neighbour and banged on the door. Her startled neighbour was puzzled until she told him the verdict was in as she rushed into the house. It was that important. I think the city must have ground to a halt. In fact the more I think about it, I am sure there were no cars going by on my usually busy street. We were all waiting, holding our breath.
I had Goosebumps and the hair on the back of my neck was standing on end. I was furiously texting between 3 people. This is it. They are back earlier than we had thought. This was either going to be really good or really bad. The newscasters keep promising any moment we will know, be it seemed to be taking forever.
 He will live in a prison with Bernardo and Williams and sit in his cell for 23 hours of each day. Child molesters are seen as the worst of the worst in prison society - there are men in there who will want to do to him what he did to that eight year old child. And then suddenly,…..Count 1, murder in the first degree: GUILTY! I swear I heard a collective cheer within the city. More texting back and forth. Count 2, kidnapping: GUILTY! And Count 3, sexual assault: GUILTY! I believe a loud “YES!” escaped my lips and I pumped my fist. It was a celebration! It was over and Tori had justice! It was like a weight suddenly lifted off the entire city.
More messages back and forth. Many wishing Rafferty would rot in prison. Several stating they wish Canada had the death penalty back. Postings littered Facebook, many making similar statements. In the end we just all felt better. We all felt he was guilty and now it was fact. Michael Rafferty was no longer the accused- it was Michael Rafferty, the convicted murderer and rapist of Tori Stafford. It was vindication, for Tori, her family and Woodstock as a whole.
 Tara McDonald - an addiction to drugs brought her into a world with people who would end the life of her daughter. Tori’s mother, Tara McDonald, left the courtroom quickly and did not stop to talk to the media. The emotion of the moment must have been overwhelming. Tori’s brother Darren was reportedly with her in the courtroom. Now 14 years old, he and his mother hugged when the verdict was announced. Someone in the courtroom asked Tara if she was happy and she said yes.
Rodney Stafford and his mother Doreen Graichen came out and spoke to the reporters. Rodney close to tears at one point said that they were “happy” with the verdict and thanked the Crown, the investigators, the people of Woodstock and even the whole province.
The Crown and Police Services both made several statements, but refused to answer questions, out of respect for the McDonald/Stafford families. They also cited the 30 day waiting period for the appeal. It was short and sweet and to the point. Rafferty was going to prison and for no less than 25 years. The soonest Rafferty could be released from prison would be 2037.
I had tears in my eyes. Especially when Rodney spoke. As I said before, I didn’t know the family, but in the last three years, I felt I knew Tori and in a way I had come to love her, just as the rest of the city had. The emotion of it all was a lot to deal with. Especially in light of what we had learned about Rafferty since the Jury was charged and sequestered.
Back on Wednesday, when the jury was safe away from the public, debating in a room in the London courthouse, new details began to leak out about the investigation into Rafferty. Police had found much more evidence than we had been led to believe. When Rafferty was arrested he had his IPod Touch with him which was seized and searched. A search warrant was issued for Rafferty’s residence and a search there found a hard drive in a plastic bag hidden behind his dresser. The hard drive harboured images of child porn and the laptop had a history of searches for “pre-teen” and “underage rape”. He also downloaded a movie on Karla Homolka, at least one snuff film involving a child and a “how to” guide for raping children.
 Unspeakable grief - Tori's Father sitting with his Mother. Pretty damning evidence right? Wrong! The jury would never hear about it. The evidence was found under a faulty search warrant that omitted to list contents of computers or other electronics. Justice Thomas Heeney, ruled on January 31, 2012 that Rafferty’s rights were violated by the search of the electronics, as police did not have the appropriate warrant and thus the evidence was set aside.
Residents of Woodstock, and practically everywhere, were outraged when they heard this. To most of us, this erased all doubt in our eyes about Rafferty’s guilt. To know the jury may never hear it was like a stake driven through the heart. Many of us had been debating if they would convict Rafferty on the sexual assault charge and to know the evidence was right there, but inadmissible was utter torture. If he somehow escaped the charge, I don’t know what we would have done.
But the jurors saw through it. Their almost uncanny perception of this case drove them to stop deliberations and ask for clarification of what could be termed sexual assault. Pointing specifically to Tori’s clothing from the waist down being removed. I think that astute question is what sealed the fate of Mr. Rafferty. That is personal opinion, but I honestly believe that. I’m sure we will find out from the jurors themselves in the days to come.
So tonight Woodstock breathes a heavy sign of relief. An end to a nightmare and the hellish ordeal of bringing the responsible parties to justice. As Rodney said during his interview tonight, it doesn’t bring Tori back. But I’ll tell you what, it does give us: a little bit of justice and a whole lot of closure. It is now time for the family to heal and begin the process of living life without Tori. Their battle is far from over. Every day will still present challenges in dealing with their grief. I wish them well and I hope they find a reason to smile again.
 All the public could see was a sweet innocent child - and it was painful. But for tonight all there is left to say is “Rest in peace Tori – finally, you can rest in peace.”
Next week a judge will formally sentence Michael Rafferty to “life in prison”, which under out laws means he must remain in a prison for not less than 25 years. There is a faint hope” cause that allows him to apply for an earlier release. There is a reason for calling it the faint hope clause.
During the sentencing victims of this horrible, despicable crime are given an opportunity to make a statement on the impact the crime has had on their lives.
 Part 7
This series is a first person account, told by a parent who has lived through the fear and pain that rocked Woodstock when an eight year old girl was abducted on her way home from school and subsequently murdered. Elizabeth Maloney takes us through each step of the ordeal and starts with: A girl the same age as my daughter – is missing, she didn’t get home after school. The worry sets in. No longer can a parent feel reassured by the spotlight of safety once provided by broad daylight. Things are different now. It can happen anytime, anywhere, and the most gut-wrenching of all; to anyone.
By Elizabeth Maloney
WOODSTOCK, ON May 10, 2012 With Tori’s accused murderers finally behind bars, now there was nothing to do but prepare for the trial. Things became calm and quiet for quite a long time. But on December 9, 2010 news broke that Terri-Lynn McClintic had plead guilty to the first degree murder of Tori Stafford. But not on that day- way back on April 30, 2010. A publication ban placed by the courts had pre-empted our knowledge of this fact, but a Supreme court decision was now allowing us some of the details of McClintic’ s plea and how it played out.
 The community felt cheated when there was no trial for Terri-Lynne McClintic -just a sentencing hearing at which Tori's brother spoke of losing his "bestest" friend. As a member of this city I have to admit, I was stunned. I couldn’t believe this all happened months ago and was hidden from us. I felt cheated. Our community collectively looked for Tori, worried about Tori and mourned Tori and now we had been shut out of getting justice for “our” little girl.
I understand that it was all a necessary part of the legal wrangling that go hand-in-hand with a case like this, but still it hurt. Terri-Lynn McClintic escaped having to face the community as a whole and I was just going to have to get over the injustice of it all.
At least she had to face Tori’s family. They were in court that day and even gave victim impact statements before her sentencing. One by one, they took the stand. Tori’s mother Tara, father Rodney, brother Darren and other family members, told of a loss that pales to all else in this world. Their messages were a blend of sadness for the loss of Tori in their life, how their world was different now and the outrage of why it was their family member who had to die. Darren’s was perhaps the most painful to hear, speaking of the loss of his “bestest friend” and how she was the most important person in the world to him.
After all the proceedings were said and done, Terri-Lynn was sentenced to life- the mandatory sentence in a first degree murder plea. Her sentence was to be served at the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener, Ontario. Terri-Lynn had already served 7 months of her sentence by the time we finally found this all out.
In addition to Terri-Lynn’s plea arrangement and sentence, an edited version of McClintic’s statement to police, an edited version of the agreed statement of facts describing the events of April 8, 2009 and details of her cooperation with police were also publicized for the first time. Finally we had a time-line of the day in question, from when Tori was abducted to her untimely death only hours later. McClintic admitted her guilt, freely and willingly, even attempting to express remorse for her actions. And now she was going to jail, her part in this tragedy played out and judged. But that was not the end of Terri-Lynn’s involvement. We would see her again in 2012.
 We heard almost nothing from McClintic during her sentencing - but we would hear from her again in 2012 - it was to be terrible. With McClintic successfully navigating a clear and media-free path to jail, the public was still looking to hold someone accountable. Enter Mr. Michael Rafferty, McClintic’s boyfriend and co-conspirator. Upon his arrest, Rafferty took the opposite approach to that of his former girlfriend. He hid from the cameras and refused to co-operate with police. Since his arrest in May 2009, Rafferty has not said one word. He never spoke out; not even to proclaim his innocence. There is a saying “ better to remain silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” Either Rafferty or his lawyers must have seen the wisdom in this old adage. And as we were about to find out it would seem his whole defense was based on this premise.
On March 5th, 2012, the case that was supposed to happen in 2010 finally began in a courtroom in London. Proceedings had been moved from Woodstock to protect the integrity and fairness of the trial. No one in Woodstock seemed to mind though. No one wanted Rafferty to have grounds for appeal, so it had to be done right. The general outlook on the situation can be summed up using the words of a fellow Woodstonians. “(Rafferty was).. far enough to be tried and close enough to burn.” And almost everyone in Woodstock wanted him to “burn”.
As anxious as we were to have the murder trial underway, we weren’t prepared for some of the horrible details that would be revealed through the course of witness testimony. I will warn you, just as the judge warned the jury, some of these details are very disturbing and can be quite difficult to handle. But as I see it, we have to face the evil in order to honour Tori and her memory. The only way to acknowledge Tori’s life is to acknowledge the agony she endure for those last few hours of her life.
The Crown called 61 witnesses in total- Tori’s 3rd grade teacher, her mother Tara McDonald, co-accused Terri McClintic, the Coroner and the OPP officer who found Tori’s body, just to name a few.
 Tori Stafford's grade three teacher took the stand for what had to be one of the hardest days in her teaching career. Tori had left school just like any other day and was walking to her mother’s place on Frances St. But as we all too well know, she never made it there. Terri-Lynn picked up the tale at that point, telling the courtroom how she approach Tori and talked to her about seeing her puppy. She lured Tori into Rafferty’s car and the final moments of Tori’s life began to tick away. She told how they stopped so Rafferty could buy drugs and another stop at the Home Depot in Guelph so she could purchase the supplies that would aid in concealing Tori’s broken little body.
And then the drive to the abandoned, secluded field off of 6th Concession near Mount Forest. McClintic said Rafferty had been talking of abducting a child and had even wanted one younger than Tori for his sinister purposes. According to McClintic, she walked away from the car, giving Rafferty the opportunity to repeatedly rape the little girl. McClintic only came back when Tori asked to go to the bathroom, taking the little girl by the hand. I can only imagine what must have been said between them. Tori’s tear-stained face, pleading to just go home. McClintic reassuring the girl to quiet her.
Tori died shortly after that, leaving the mystery of who really killed her. Crushing her skull with a claw hammer and breaking 16 of her ribs, one of them brutally murdered Tori. Only three people know the truth about that moment: Rafferty, McClintic and Tori. No matter who delivered the devastating blows, one could argue the other facilitated these events. One killed Tori and the other helped kill Tori with their inaction. Then they worked together to bury Tori in garbage bags, under a pile of rocks.
The Coroner Dr. Pollanen testified to Tori’s injuries, supporting McClintic’s account of events, but could not offer proof of the sexual assault. Tori’s body was found with no pants, clad only in her Hannah Montana shirt. Her body was already in an advanced state of decomposition when she was found and that area of her body had already deteriorated completely, thus eliminating any trace of the alleged assault.
 She had been murdered the day she was abducted her body left under a pile of rocks. OPP Det.-Staff Sgt. Jim Smyth, also took the stand, as the officer that found Tori’s body. He testified to the nature in which Tori was found and corroborated McClintic’s testimony of how she & Rafferty disposed of the body. Smyth had used information regarding Rafferty’s cell phone usage in the area, and acting on a hunch went for a drive to check out the area. After noting similarities to McClintic’s confession he continued to investigate until he found a rock pile,…and Tori.
Rafferty’s behavior after the crime was also presented to the court. Rafferty was portrayed as a womanizer, frequently juggling women. They attempted to show how he manipulated them, specifically talking one, a mother of four, into prostitution and channeling the proceeds directly to him. After eight weeks of testimony, the prosecution rested.
The media waited with baited breath- would Rafferty take the stand to refute the testimony of his ex-girlfriend? Maintaining his silence it was announced Rafferty would not be taking the stand in his own defense. Instead the Defence’s response was short and simple. They called one witness, previously unknown to anyone. This witness, a grandmother of another student at Oliver Stephens, testified that she saw Terri-Lynn inside Oliver Stevens. She claimed she saw McClintic walk away with Tori, looking very determined and on a mission. Rafferty’s attorney, Dirk Derstine, was trying to inject reasonable doubt into McClintic’ s testimony. Implying she forged the plot to abduct Tori as a means of enforcing a drug debt. He connected the dots between Tara buying drug’s from McClintic’ s mother Carol and showing they had previous knowledge of each other. Mr. Derstine was not trying to prove his client innocent, but merely to cast a broad enough shadow of doubt.
 Rafferty in a police car. He chose not to take the witness stand. Was there enough evidence to convict? And then unceremoniously, the Defence rested.
That brings us to today. Wrapping up it’s closing arguments, the defence went through its alternate theory once more and pointed out what was circumstantial. Almost wagging a finger at the jury and reminding them that they cannot convict if there is a reasonable doubt.
And in a day or two, Ontario Superior Court Justice Thomas Heeney will charge the jury with determining the fate of Michael Rafferty. The decision to convict or acquit will be their’ s, and their’ s alone. All we can do is have faith and wait, hoping they make the best choice with the information presented to them.
 Tori Stafford. We lost her - too soon. Woodstock needed a conviction. It’s no secret that Tori’s family and the community of Woodstock are praying for a conviction in this case. Closure is desperately needed. Tori left our world just over three years ago, her last hours on this planet the most horrible a child could suffer. Tori was not allowed to die in peace, but perhaps with the end of the trial looming near, she will soon get to rest in peace.
Part 6
 From the left: Michelle Bennett Environment, Sam Kawazoye Community Service, Trevor Copp Arts , Mayor Goldring, Wendy Hager, Citizen of the Year, Dan Taylor Junior Citizen and Jim Frizzle, Senior of the year. By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 11, 2012 One award recipient saw the letter from city hall and thought it was a bill – so she didn’t open it. Another had a voice that was made for the world of broadcasting. Ellen Wilkes Irmisch, speaking about the Arts Person of the Year Award given in her parents name, had the funniest line when she recalled for the audience the comment her mother used to make as she went out for an evening with a friend: “ make sure your hot date doesn’t become your due date.” It had nothing to do with the award she was giving but it gave one an insight as to the kind of Mom she had.
 Michelle Bennett’s acceptance speech: This award deserves to be shared. People who volunteer require the support of all the guests who are here tonight or in my case parents that stayed home to watch our kids. Without the family and friendship networks that help cover our at home and work responsibilities, we’d be so hard pressed to join organizations and committees and support the good work being done in Burlington. So my heartfelt thank you to you all.Another reason to share this award is because it was and still is a team effort to create this wonderful new community garden. City Staff identified available funds early on, and worked diligently to prepare staff reports that City Council unanimously endorsed. The Burlington Sustainable Development CAC led the charge and BurlingtonGreen received the baton and ran with it to create a wonderful supportive program to really kick start this new pilot community garden. Citizens have been impressed with the good work of the Parks and RPM staff in the garden construction, and are simply thrilled to be involved with this healthy grow-it-yourself opportunity to add fresh food to their daily plates.To receive this Environmental award has made me ponder the meaning of being identified publically as an Environmentalist.An environmentalist is someone who believes our consumer driven lifestyles have collectively contributed to climate change. Someone who believes that by reducing our personal impact and by voicing our concern to change government policy and corporate practice that collectively we can hope to mitigate the negative consequences that threaten our immediate security, and our future survival.Personal action is where we each have the most control. For instance, our household of 5 uses one vehicle. Our kids and I quite easily get the majority of what we need and want done by carpooling, taking a bus, walking or riding a bike. To transition from stay at home mom I chose to spend my time volunteering for causes I felt important, and work for a local non-profit that advocates and provides programs to support environmental awareness and local policy for a healthier, greener city. Thank you to Amy Schnurr and BurlingtonGreen for this opportunity. I grow a garden (a few now actually), buy organic and local food when I can, and hope to inspire others to do the same. I am a daughter, a spouse, mother and citizen. I do not wear an environmentalist label exclusively or intentionally. It seems to be something that has grown on me naturally as I have simply altered small and large day to day practices making decisions with a conscious scope on what many consider common sense basics: Refuse. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Grow. Buy and Eat Local. Many people are aligned with the environmental movement’s goals even if they don’t necessarily align themselves with the movement itself. We all can live eco friendly lives simply by striving daily to make rational balanced decisions. Living lightly is a balancing act we can all improve upon.To truly create a more sustainable and equitable social and economic system we need to embrace the creation of “green” jobs and welcome more eco-conscious industry and services to Burlington. I hope that the City or Chamber of Commerce will someday create an award to recognize the achievement of social, economic and environmental triple bottom line success in Burlington. We need to look past inherited divisions and understand that most of us are on the same side with the same fears, hopes and goals regardless of what labels we may wear. Timelines are a victim of politics, but goals can be reached in both the short and long term as long as the commitment is made. Individual efforts can make a difference, and collectively we can make good things grow.
The Civic Recognition Awards is a community event; a time to recognize those people who do the things that make a community real; a place where you can live a good, comfortable life and spend some of your time helping others.
 Jim Frizzle, recognized as the Burlington Senior of the Year arrived 20 years ago and got to know his neighbour Keith Strong. And anyone who knows Keith Strong knows the rest of the story.
Jim Frizzle, who certainly did a lot of helping, explained that when he moved to Burlington twenty years ago, his neighbour said he would have plenty of things to volunteer on. His neighbour was Keith Strong, chair of the Civic Recognition Committee for 2011, and probably the best civic minded strong arm the city has. We are fortunate to have both of them.
Dan Taylor, Junior Citizen of the Year thanked his parents for driving him to all the places he had to get to as he both motivated and lead fellow high school students. This young man has a voice that was made for broadcasting; listening to him – and you understand immediately how he motivates.
There were award recipients in six categories.
Community Service Award given to Sam Hawazoye, the sole nominee in the category.
Environmental Award given to Michelle Bennett with Susan Fraser and Barbara Frensch nominated.
Arts Person of the Year given to Trevor Copp with Myles Erlick nominated.
Junior Citizen of the Year given to Dan Taylor with Bo Chen Han and Amy Stringer nominated.
Senior Person of the year award given to Jim Frizzle, with Donald Jervis, Mary Plows and Dr. Salem Rao nominated.
Citizen of the Year Award was given to Wendy Hagar with Marilyn Heinz, Bev Jacobs and Crystal McNerney nominated.
Burlington has been recognizing its leading citizens since 1955
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 9, 2012 The Friends of Freeman Station (FoFS) appear to have gotten at least a two base hit with the announcement on the location for the structure that is sitting on the Fire Station parking lot on Fairview Avenue. Less than an hour after the location announcement the Burlington Historical Society (BHS) said they wanted to share “good news” which it certainly was; a generous pledge to the restoration of the Freeman Station, as well as a matching pledge for donations by members of the BHS.
Now if the Mayor announces he will be bringing a motion to provide the Friends of Freeman station a significant chunk of money and then those city Councillors who shamed themselves when they let the federal Stimulus money get away on them were to agree to support the motion and at least buy a Save the Freeman Station T- shirt this could go down as a day in Burlington history where its heritage got a decent shake.
The new location, which the FoFS call “temporary” is less than 50 yards from where it sits. The property was donated to the city by Ashland Inc., a company that has been in Burlington for 100 years.
Each time any of the FoFS checked in on the station they would see this empty triangular shaped space with a hydro tower looming over it and wonder why the station couldn’t be stored there. Calls to the people who owned the property went very well and before they knew it The Friends of Freeman Station had a partner and a place to put the station. Prior to that break the FoFS were beginning to feel a little glum and some people began to give up.
“I was just blown away by how receptive they were to the ideas we had. Scott Thomson couldn’t do enough for us” said James Smith, president of FoFS which now has charitable status that lets them issues tax receipts and eligible for federal and or provincial grants.
 The Burlington West Station at Freeman is going to need a lot of tender loving care but now that she is with a family that wants her she will grow into a beautiful structure.station FoFS have done surprisingly well on the local fund raising. They are all but sold out with their first run of T-shirts. The second run should be slightly different so that the first run become real collectors’ items.
The Burlington West Station in Freeman, built in 1906, was closed more than 20 years ago, but is still part of Burlington’s living history.
The relocation was approved April 30, 2012, by City Council, based on a proposal by the non-profit community group Friends of Freeman Station. The historical structure, bought by the city in 2005, will move to land offered by Ashland, a global company that specializes in chemical solutions for consumer and industrial markets.
 A spot of land that Ashland could not use was made available to the Friends of Freeman who brokered a deal with the city that has the station, which the city owns, being located on land that Ashland donates or leases to the city. The building will sit just inside the gates shown above. The Fire Station on Fairview is adjacent to the property. “I’m thrilled we’ve found a home for the station so restoration can begin soon,” said James Smith, president of the Friends of Freeman Station. “Our volunteers have worked very hard to achieve this arrangement. I’m excited by the opportunity and impressed by the positive response from Ashland.”
 Somehow the station name sign was salvaged. It won't be long before it sits in its rightful place with a new coat of paint. The city, challenged with finding an agreeable home for historic Freeman Station, in January 2011 approved the creation of an ad hoc committee that was facilitated by Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward and Ward 6 Councillor Blair Lancaster to look at options for saving Freeman Station. Sites that had already been rejected by the previous City Council were not to be considered.
“The Friends of Freeman Station has done a phenomenal job, and has grown to 243 members,” said Councillor Meed Ward. “The community has really come through for the station, donating more than $30,000. I would like to send a special thanks to Rob and Laura Freeman and Don and Wendy Smith for their lead donations of $5,000 each.”
 Station will sit on a triangle of land right beside the Fairview Street fire station The relocation of the station is expected to take place later this year. The first step is to get it moved onto the property and that means getting some kind of a base put in place. Then perhaps looking for a way to cover the structure so that there is no more damage from the weather. Smith thinks the roof is the first part that needs attention.
Ashland celebrates a 100th anniversary this year. The current Ashland facility was built in 1912 by the Vera Chemical Company of Canada Ltd. Its four employees manufactured rosin sizing to supply Canadian paper mills. The Hercules Powder Company of Wilmington, Delaware bought the company in 1931. Ashland bought Hercules in 2008.
“We look forward to working with the Friends of Freeman Station to achieve a successful and timely completion of the restoration to Freeman Station,” said Scott Thomson, Ashland plant manager.
Headquartered in Kentucky, Ashland markets high quality motor oils under the Valvoline brand name
So, who are the people that pulled this off after city council basically walked away from the building and hoped that someone might buy it for scrap. An advertisement was run in newspapers – but there were no takers.
 The scope of the restoration work can be seen - lots of work to be done. Willing hands ready to do it. Give the Friends of Freeman a call - they will keep you busy for the next while. The Friends of Freeman Station is a non-profit community group and registered charity whose aim is to relocate, restore and preserve the historic Freeman Station for the enjoyment of current and future generations. Freeman Station is recognized for its architectural and historic significance by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Culture and Heritage Burlington.
While the group and many members of the public are still hopeful that the station ultimately can be located in Beachway Park, an immediate move will allow FoFS members to begin restoration and continue fundraising and public education in a new and more visible location. Public events are planned in co-operation with Ashland Inc., whose site is celebrating 100 years in Burlington this year.
The City of Burlington owns the station. Restoration is expected to cost $350,000. The station, which used to sit on the CN tracks just west of Brant Street, less than a “click away” explain Smith, is being stored behind the Burlington Fire headquarters on Fairview Street.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 8, 2012 There was a line from the film Cool Hand Luke, that starred the late Paul Newman, where a prison guard said “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” At the time Newman was doing everything he could not to communicate. The ending was a tough one.
One got the feeling that while delivering a very brief update to a Council Budget and Corporate Services committee meeting, General Manager Scott Stewart wanted to use those words but chose to be a little more diplomatic, which for Stewart is a stretch at the best of times.
 City General Manager Scott Stewart doesn't take this smile to hospital meetings. Stewart reported that the city had not been able to arrange a meeting with the Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital (JBMH) until sometime in August to discuss the Contribution Agreement that is to be signed between the hospital and the city. That’s the document that is going to take $60 million of your dollars and slide it across the table to the hospital. The city has just over $4.8 million of the $60 million saved already but we are going to have to borrow much of the rest of it so the hospital can begin the build.
Stewart added that it looked as if the agreement would get worked out between the city and the hospital by email; which has got to be about as archaic as it gets – they are less than a twenty minute walk away from each other. Saying they are not available until sometime in August is basically the same as saying: ‘we don’t want to talk to you, so go away – but send us the money you have to give us’.
Apparently the real reason for not being able to meet before sometime in August is a combination of vacation schedules, commitments that can’t be broken – we all go through those problems. However, if you really want to meet – you make it happen. Unless of course there is a problem that is insurmountable – and that would be what? Wait for it. The lawyers, the lawyers can’t clear time for a meeting until sometime in August.
What are the lawyers doing in the room at all? Surely senior city people and senior hospital people can put together the basics – all we are doing here is setting out what they will do with the money we send them – then give it to the lawyers and let them make sure that all the niceties are covered, shake hands and then deliver the cheque.
Is the city negotiating with the hospital? We will know when the Contribution gets to a city council committee.
The city is required to help fund the renovation of the hospital and it has taxed its citizens and used a significant portion of last year’s surplus to come up with our share. The hospital has to raise an additional $60 million.
Burlington does not have a choice in this matter – the province mandated that we give the money to the hospital. We apparently don’t give the funds directly to the hospital corporation but to the hospital Foundation which in turn passes it along to the hospital.
The relationship between the city and the hospital corporation is getting a little caustic. The city needs an agreement that sets out a “responsible and timely release of funds” and given that we are going to have to borrow much of our contribution we would like to be able to plan the flow of funds. Burlington maintains a very strong, positive relationship with the Performing Arts Centre where more than half a million dollars is sent every year. They find a way to work through the differences with the Seniors basically because they meet and work through the issues.
With the city being required to come up with $60 million, the hospital, one would hope, would accept the fact that they have a new partner and not a junior partner either, and they have to learn to share the responsibility of working with the community to raise the funds and get the hospital to the point where it is not the mess it was when current president Vandewall was brought in.
 JBMH president Eric Vandewall is reported to be working on his schedule and making time to meet with the city. Dinner with senior city staff was a good start. The egos that are at times all too visible, have to be left at the door so that an adult relationship can take place.
When Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital president Eric Vandewall appeared before a city council committee last year he made the statement that the hospital would match the city contribution “dollar for dollar”, which made a number of Council members feel a little better about turning over tax payers’ dollars to the hospital. That good feeling has come close to evaporating.
General Manager Stewart and the city manager are to have dinner with the hospital president and some of his leading people, which will undoubtedly include VP Communication Mario Joanette – who might manage an explanation as to just what is wrong with the communications.
There have not been any announcements from the hospital foundation on how they are doing on the raising of their $60 million. We are told that there is a very big announcement coming and to expect a number of announcements at the Crystal Ball Gala, which takes place later this month. We are told it is a sold out event with more than 100 people learning they could not get a ticket. This Gala event – and it is quite the event, being held at the Mercedes Benz dealership on the North Service Road, is where the hospital Foundation may announce what it has collected to date in the way of its fund raising efforts.
The Foundation people are good at what they do – they don’t have any problem communicating. Things are a little different on the hospital administration side.
While the city does its best to meet with the hospital to work through the agreement on how the JBMH people are going to spend the tax dollars we give them – the city’s Planning Department is able to talk to the hospital people about the actual construction of the building – reported to be a seven storey building on land that currently serves as a parking lot.
Site Plan approval for the structure is anticipated in late May or early June with approval expected in September or early October. So far the public has very little information on what’s going on. It seems like a ‘send us your money and don’t ask any questions’
Site plan approval will include traffic impacts, archeological investigation, storm water management and public consultation. The city will have to deal with all this in a relatively short period of time.
The archeological aspects could turn out to be interesting. The land the hospital was built on is part of the original land grant to Joseph Brant and there are reported to be some strings attached to just what can and cannot be done with that land.
 It's supposed to be all about the hospital and its desperately needed re-build. Can they all not just get on with it? Councillor Marianne Meed Ward has been a very strong proponent of ensuring that the public is given every opportunity to comment on developments in the city and has been very vocal about the amount of time the public has to read the reports and given the time to form their opinion. Meed Ward is a member of the hospital board and while there is an evident conflict in sitting on the hospital board and sitting as a Councillor, especially when there is serious and significant tension over the wording of the Contribution Agreement, but that does not seem to bother Meed Ward. Can she act for her constituents to ensure they are given the information they need and at the same time sit on the hospital board and argue that information should be made available and that the public, who after all are picking up a significant part of the cost of the redevelopment, be given every opportunity to comment?
Elections cost money. Anyone running for the office of Mayor needs people who can write the cheques to cover the cost of an election campaign. Meed Ward doesn’t accept campaign funds from developers but she would be comfortable with getting funds from the kind of people who attend social events with impressive ticket prices.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 9, 2012 If the team overseeing the review of the city’s Official Plan thought they were going to be able to give transit a once over – they learned Monday that Walter Mulkewich, a former Mayor, was not going to let that happen.
The city may have a Transit Advisory Committee and Ward 2 Councillor Meed Ward might have a group in her community taking a close look at transit as well, but Mulkewich and his crowd are going to be sure that the city fully understands the link between transit and the social welfare of the city.
 Walter Mulkewich will bring years of experience and a committement to social justice will be brought to bear on how transit is treated in the Official Plan Review. Being a former Mayor won't hurt either. Mulkewich delegated to the Special Council meeting held to hear delegations on the Official Plan Review
The committee has some of the best citizen transit thinkers in the city and they fully intend to ensure the Official Plan review gets a full ear on transit matters
Mulkewich was there to speak for an Interim Steering Committee, which is a group of citizens who are in the process of organizing a broad based coalition to advocate for better transit as a apart of the Burlington transportation system.
This is a group that is citizen based, that has people with a solid background in transit and the ability to not only lay their hands on the data that tells what is happening with the transit system but also the ability as well to do the analysis and draw conclusions from which evidence based decisions can be made.
 Transit is more than just busses - some people would be delighted if bus transit got the attention and the funding it needs. Mulkewich set out the premise the group is working from when he said “we support the significant point in the staff report that a long-term view of the city’s transportation system is a necessary part of the Official Plan. Our hope and expectation” he added, “ would be that the parallel Transportation Plan would include all modes of transportation, including transit, walking and cycling as well as automobile and truck transportation.
Mulkewich noted with interest that all six major topic areas that staff has identified to date will require a consideration of a significant role of transit.
The six major topics Mulkewich refers to are those that the team leading the Official Plan review think need attention. The six Neighbourhoods; Downtown; Nodes and Corridors; Metrolinx and Mobility Hubs; Movement and Connectivity and Community Infrastructure. We will expand on each of these in some detail later in the process and follow each for the two years (mercy) the city expects to require for the full review of the Official Plan.
 This series is a first person account, told by a parent who has lived through the fear and pain that rocked Woodstock when an eight year old girl was abducted on her way home from school and subsequently murdered. Elizabeth Maloney takes us through each step of the ordeal and starts with: A girl the same age as my daughter – is missing, she didn’t get home after school. The worry sets in. No longer can a parent feel reassured by the spotlight of safety once provided by broad daylight. Things are different now. It can happen anytime, anywhere, and the most gut-wrenching of all; to anyone.
By Elizabeth Maloney
WOODSTOCK, ON May 5, 2012 The trial trying Michael Rafferty for the murder of Tori Stafford is in its final stages. The prosecution made its case with close to a score of witnesses; the defence called just the one witness who with her testimony shed some serious light on the relation between Terri-Lynne McClintic and eight year old Tori. It would appear from that testimony that the child knew McClintic who earlier plead guilty to the murder of the child.
Now it was all coming to a close – the jury would hear closing arguments from the prosecution and the defence and the judge would then instruct the jury and they would then deliberate and come back with a verdict. In less than ten days the decision would be known. Would Woodstock feel any sense of relief? The city was feeling very anxious, worried and afraid three years earlier when we didn’t know enough.
In the weeks following Tori’s abduction, Woodstock had weathered a roller coaster of events. The parents were investigated, searches were conducted and the police scandalized over the Amber Alert. A reward for Tori’s safe return was offered by a mysterious unnamed benefactor and the child’s story was highlighted on America’s Most Wanted. The drama had played on and on and the emotion of it all was wearing on the community. We didn’t seem to be any further ahead than we were 41 days ago when it all started. Hope was dwindling. People began to vocally speculate Tori had met an unfortunate end. No trace, no signs – what other answer could there be?
Even Tara McDonald and Rodney Stafford, Tori’s parents, were reaching their limit. For the most part they had respected each other’s boundaries, not treading on each other in the public eye. But by May 15th, 2009, something snapped and they were caught publicly bickering at each other during a news conference. The fact that they made it this far without something happening sooner was laudable. But the emotional toll of constant interviews and media conferences seemed to finally get to them. They made up a few days later when they jointly announced they had accepted the help of a private investigator and apologized to the media for their previous behavior. They wanted the focus to remain on Tori.
 While being held on an unrelated charge Terri-Lynne McClintic was questioned about the murder of Tori Stafford. Unbeknownst to Tara & Rodney, as they were representing their unified front, police were working on a break in the case. A young woman named Terri-Lynn McClintic was in police custody and had been since April 12th on an unrelated charge. She had been placed in Genst Youth Detention Centre in London, and during her time there, had agreed to a polygraph test regarding that other charge. In order to prepare for administering the polygraph, police interviewed several of Terri-Lynn’s acquaintances, including Michael Rafferty, who had made two visits to see McClintic during her stay at Genst. On May 19th police administered the polygraph to McClintic with surprising results.
On the same day police arrested McClintic and later her friend Rafferty. During that polygraph on the unrelated charge, Terri-Lynn confessed to the abduction of Tori Stafford and implicated her friend Michael as her co-conspirator and identified him as Tori’s rapist and murderer. Rafferty was charged with first degree murder and abduction of someone under the age of 16. McClinitc was booked on abducting someone under the age of 16 and accessory to murder.
So there it was. Six weeks of mystery concluded with an answer no one wanted- Tori was dead. There was no body, so some in the community refused to give up hope. Most others accepted what they already felt all along. Tori’s young bright light had been snuffed out in a twisted reality that seemed more like an episode of Law & Order SVU than real life. It was a relief in some ways. It was over and the parties presumed responsible were in police custody.
It was also a frustrating end to a very painful six weeks. Woodstock had invested a lot of time into Tori and finding her. The community involvement in the case was overwhelming, with many people actively volunteering. The last thing we had was hope- waning hope, but still hope. And now that too was taken from us. The fear of the unknown was gone and we were faced with the stark reality.
 While the details were not fully known - there were now two people that were identified as being somehow involved with the murder of Tori Stafford. Michael Rafferty was the second suspect. The attention in the community now shifted from Tori to these two suspects. Who were they? Where in the city did they live? Had we been interacting with these people and not know what they really were? To many of us it was hard to comprehend that the people charged with this heinous set of crimes had been living amongst us all along. I found myself wondering if I had passed one or both in the local Wal-Mart or one of the grocery stores. It’s one thing to suspect there is a predator on the loose, it’s another to realize you may have been standing next to one of them in a line somewhere.
And my daughter- she was with me in those stores. Did they look at her? Did they think about taking another child?…. maybe even my own? It was a horrid thought but a realization I could not help but come to. How close did we come to these two suspects? Too close for me. I later found out both McClintic and Rafferty lived within less than a 2 km radius of my home.
The following weeks and months would be a continuous leak of new information about these two individuals. What they posted on Facebook, the things they said, the people they knew. What was once a lack of information had become an almost overwhelming wave of detail and minutia. Did I want to know this much about the alleged murderers of our beloved Tori? No, but I needed to know. I needed to face it out of respect for Tori.
 The pictures of Tori Stafford were now harder to look at because we knew now we would never see her again. The end of May brought the announcement that McClintic and Rafferty would be tried separately. Rafferty’s newly hired counsel speculated publicly that there was no need for it unless there was a deal in the works, a very bold jab at McClintic’ s camp. The pieces were starting to fall into place, with everyone beginning their preparations for the eventual trial. The roller coaster of information would take another dive as each camp begun to hold their cards closer to their chest, not wanting to tip their hand before their day in court. It would be the start of a 3 year battle to bring the accused killers to justice.
And what of Tori’s family? Now having to face the idea that they will never see their precious little girl again. Never again to hold her hand when crossing the street or feel the brush of her cheek as she kisses them goodnight. No prom, no graduation, no wedding or grandchildren. It was more than the loss of a life, it was the loss of a future. There is no charge for that, although there should be.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
 Stephen Chen is a retiree who has lived in Burlington for many years. He delegated to the Special Session of City Council that is the early part f the Official Plan Review, expected to take about two years to complete. Mr. Chen made comments that Mayor Goldring later said reflected the views of many people in Burlington. City Director of Planning and Building, Bruce Krushelnicki said he understood the remarks Mr. Chen made and hoped there would be an opportunity during the review of the Official Plan for there to be an educational component to the review. Each of the situations Mr. Chen detailed have solid explanations behind them, said Krushelnicki.
By Stephen Chen
May 7th, 2012.
Presentation to Special Meeting of Council, Review of Official Plan.
My topic tonight will be about Downtown Burlington
Downtown Burlington has been identified as an area for increased population, aka intensification in the 2008 Official Plan. My concern is that we will have a Downtown dominated by very tall buildings which will completely change the character of the area and not for the better.
The Downtown already has buildings of five storeys or less which work well visually, have appropriate scale and provide increased intensity. Why then does the Planning Department permit and even encourage taller buildings? Does Burlington feel the need to compete with Toronto or Mississauga? Oakville has a vibrant downtown without any tall buildings in its core area.
 Four storey buildings are what Stephen Chen thought the Official Plan was all about - he reads about 17 and 22 storey buildings and asks if this is the kind of "high rise jungle" citizens want. My concern arises both from a review of the Official Plan as well as what has taken place in terms of new buildings over the past few years. The Official Plan, if you can call it a Plan, exhibits a distressing amount of elasticity when it comes to building height.
In the Official Plan we come to a part called the
Downtown Mixed Use Centre (Part III, Sec 5.5)
Allow me to take you through this particular section of the Plan which covers the area we generally refer to as Downtown Burlington. It is divided into smaller parts called precincts.
St Luke’s is the area North of St Luke’s Anglican church on Elgin Ave. Emerald is the area to the East and South of the No Frills plaza. We first read that the precinct will have detached dwellings, 25 units per hectare (ha) and a maximum building height of 2-1/2 storeys. Later on we read that, notwithstanding what we just read, a density greater than 50 units per ha and a maximum building height of 5 storeys may be considered in a certain part of the precinct.
For the Downtown Medium and High Density precincts we read that there will be between 25 to 185 dwelling units per ha. These are the areas to the East of Maple Av and East of Martha St. Right after reading that we discover that one building on Maple Av has 321 units per ha and 21 storeys. Another at the corner of Elgin and Brock will have 353 units per ha and 14 storeys.
 Stephen Chen doesn't understand why a developer will be allowed to put up a 12 storey building on this part of the Lakeshore. For the Old Lakeshore Rd precinct, the land between Lakeshore Rd and Old Lakeshore Rd, Area A on the West, we first read that maximum building height will be 10 storeys. For Area B on the East the maximum height will be 6 storeys. Right after that we read that, never mind what you just read, the Planning Department will actually allow 15 storeys in Area A and 8 storeys in Area B.
For the Downtown Core precinct, which is pretty much the central part of the Downtown, we read that the maximum building height will be 4 storeys. But the Planning Department will let you have up to 8 storeys if you use terracing above the second floor. If you contain a public post-secondary educational institute, why, you can go up to 10 storeys. And, by the way, they`ve also allowed one 17 storey apartment building, just so you know.
For the Wellington Square precinct, mostly the North side of Lakeshore between Locust and Pearl, the maximum building height will be 8 storeys with terracing required above the second floor. But they`ll allow you up to 14 storeys if they think your building looks good and you give them some Community Benefits. Never mind the 17 storey building already standing on the NW corner of Pearl and Lakeshore. And, by the way, an even taller building could be coming South of Lakeshore between Elizabeth and Pearl. Would you believe 22 storeys?
Well, with that kind of track record, what do I think of the 2008 Official Plan? Truly I think it should be renamed. It should be called the Official Suggestion.
Community Benefits
Community Benefits are an interesting concept. They are used to justify the ad hoc nature of permitted building height.
When I first heard of the expression I thought ok, we are allowing the developer to take away a piece of the sky, so to speak, with the additional building height over and above what the Plan specifies, but we the community will be compensated in some fashion for him being allowed to do that.
 Stephen wonders how development money was used to pay for this public art and exactly who benefits from something almost underneath a reailway underpass. It seems reasonable to me that the compensation would be somehow related to the increased economic benefit that the developer obtains from however many additional housing units he can put into the building. Like maybe 50%. Hey, this could be a good thing for the City. It would certainly buy quite a few of those “Windows on the Lake” that we would like to have.
Alas, I have since learned that our Community Benefits have nothing to do with the extra $$ the developer pockets. It is based on the difference in value of the land alone with and without the additional building height and density. Which has to be a pittance compared to what my suggestion would bring in.
In fact, with Community Benefits set up that way, why wouldn’t a developer push the envelope on building height? The upside is enormous for very little expenditure. And the City has a track record of allowing the additional height and density.
The City likes to portray Community Benefits as something really good for the community. I disagree. I think it’s a sell-out.
On the Ground
Well enough of Official Plans or Suggestions and Community Benefits. What really counts is what you see as you walk around Downtown Burlington. How’s the city coming along?
Right along the North side of Lakeshore road from Locust over to Pearl there are 4 tall buildings. Two have terracing extending all the way up to the top and are attractive. Two have the minimum amount of terracing required. If the other lots in this precinct get re-developed with minimum terracing we will have a high rise wall along Lakeshore Rd, not a particularly attractive architectural feature. And don’t forget what’s potentially coming along the South side of Lakeshore Rd, East of Elizabeth. Why, if everything goes according to plan, we’ll have our very own Grand Canyon along Lakeshore Rd.
 This part of Burlington is a lost cause to Stephen Chen. How about over on Maple Ave? That’s a lost cause. Just one tall box after another. And there’s another one going in at the corner of Brock and Elgin. This may be great for meeting the Province’s intensification goals but pretty it ain’t.
Is There any Hope?
If I didn’t think there was I wouldn’t have bothered to come here tonight to talk to you and make you aware of my concern. I can imagine the developers and the Planning Department filling the Downtown Core precinct with lots of very tall and not very imaginative buildings. Which would be a shame.
It’s really up to Council. Do you want to be remembered as the Council who created a high-rise jungle in downtown Burlington? Or do you want to be remembered as the Council who encouraged innovative design and made downtown Burlington a place of creative buildings of 5 or 6 storeys where young families wanted, and, equally important, could afford to live and possibly work?
 By Staff
BURLINGTON, ON –May 7, 2012. Conservation Halton advised this afternoon that the weather office is predicting a surface low to enter our region this afternoon and overnight tonight. The forecasted rainfall amount is approximately 15mm but this may be exceeded as thunderstorm activity of localized downpours is also forecasted this evening.
 Nothing iminent - but Conservation Halton advises that rain expected has the potential to flood the creeks. The majority of the creeks are running at low or near seasonal levels but are expected to experience higher levels and flows with the upcoming precipitation. Presently our reservoirs have large amounts of storage capacity available to accommodate this event.
Conservation Halton warns that all stream banks and slopes will become slippery and dangerous. In addition, this system may result in the potential of localized flooding in low-lying areas.
Please advise all persons to use extreme caution around bodies of water and stay well back from stream banks. Please alert children in your care of these imminent dangers.
Conservation Halton will continue to monitor stream and weather conditions and will issue further messages as necessary. This Watershed Condition Statement will be in effect through to Tuesday May 8, 2012.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 7, 2012 It’s the kind of thing that could probably only happen in Burlington.
Scott Stewart, the toughest guy there is at city hall, is serving as the Master of Ceremonies for the official opening of the Community Gardens tucked in behind the Seniors’ Centre and the Library at Central Park, is at the podium thanking everyone and pointing out various people in the audience he feels deserve recognition. He refers to Dave McKay by saying: “Nice to see Mr. McKay, my high school science teacher here with us today. You know, I can’t say “Dave, he was one of my high school teachers and to me he will always be Mr. McKay”
Hometown, home spun perhaps but it was a look at the city as it is. The day was to recognize one of those events that happen because people do what has to be done to make a difference. And for Michelle Bennett that difference was a program that will ideally result in community gardens elsewhere in the city and for Bennett a nomination as the Environmentalist of the Year.
 Michelle Bennett was the key driving force behind the Community Garden project that had to go a couple of rounds with city committees before they got over that hurdle - Bennett was determined to make it happen - she succeeded. It all came together when Michelle Bennett and Amy Schnurr were going over some literature about a provincial government program that was part solid idea and part pilot project. It fit the BurlingtonGreen mandate like a glove but there was a hitch. They had to have some real, cold hard cash participation from the city or from an organization that was on a par with the city. The Region perhaps?
The two woman put together their application and got it off to Queen’s Park who got back to them saying they liked the idea but there was nothing about the city’s participation. Burlington Green people have no problem delegating to city hall. It didn’t go all that well during the first round. Both woman brought more enthusiasm than solid business case to the city council committee but they were on to something and that was enough for Council to ask staff to take a look at it and see if they could make something of it.
 Three of the four people who made the Community Garden project happen: General Manager Scott Stewart, BurlingtonGreen Executive Director Amy Schnurr and Rob Peachey, Manager Parks and Open Space for the city. That put the BurlingtonGreen ladies into the hands of Rob Peachey, Manager Parks and Open Spaces, who found a way to come up with things the city could do that would amount to the 15% in cash or in kind the BurlingtonGreen people needed to get the provincial funding secured. A location was chosen that worked for everyone. It had a water line, it was steps away from the library where classes could be held, it was moments from the Seniors’ Centre where BurlingtonGreen hoped to entice some of the members.
The provincial funding was for a “teaching Pilot”; a program that would figure out the nuts and bolts of how to get a community garden up and running; what you had to do, what you shouldn’t do and where you go for help – that kind of thing.
With the garden lots steps away from the Library BurlingtonGreen expects to do some class work there.
How representative are the 29 people who got garden lots and who are these people anyway?
 The politicians that smooth the rough spots to make things like community gardens happen were all out on Saturday. Well, there are people from every ward in the city. Burlingtonians got first dibs and given that there were 120 applications those who applied from Oakville are out of luck for the immediate future.
The grant from the province for a two year period was $74,650 total which goes to staff support, promotion, support of the Go Local Food Network, tools, events, plant material. The garden construction was paid for by the city – their cash and in kind contribution was required if the grant was to be awarded to BurlingtonGreen. It looks as if the city, that was originally a little skeptical about the project, came around quite quickly and was more than just a cheerleader on this project.
BurlingtonGreen didn’t track age information but they report there are certainly seniors involved in the gardens as well as young families and a youth group. In a couple of instances there are groups of friends involved. So there are certainly more than just 29 people working at garden lots in behind the library.
Great start to a project that will add several years to the lives of those Seniors who decide they want to get out into the sunshine and get some dirt underneath their finger nails. The objective is to use this first site as a prototype for other. Two years from now we should be seeing half a dozen community gardens around the city. The finance people at city hall might want to make a note to add a bit to the 2014 budget for this kind of thing.
Interesting crowd on hand for the event. Members of the Burlington Teen Tour Band were there to bring a little class to the event. The Lady Jane McKenna, who represents Burlington in the provincial Legislature, was not in attendance – but then she wasn’t on the “official” guests list and for reasons which the city’s public affairs department wasn’t able to make clear to us – there is a protocol that dictates who gets to speak and who doesn’t – the rule is basically the person delivering the cheque gets to do the talking. That may be a provincial government protocol but there is nothing saying Burlington has to adhere to such a silly rule. Jane McKenna is our MPP – she should be invited.
We don’t know if it was the sign of decent weather coming along or an environmental event, but it brought out all kinds of people including Henry Schilthuis, the man who operates the contracting firm of Henry Schilthuis and Sons, that is in a law suit with the city. Needless to say the Mayor and Henry did not exchange pleasantries.
 Dave McKay, the man one of the city's General Managers still calls "Mr. McKay" and the guy that taught thousands in Burlington all the high school science they can remember, was on hand for the event. Councillor Craven of Aldershot territory, some people call it ward 1, was on hand to get a look at how the gardens were set up and thinking that perhaps something like this could be done to make Francis Road the next possible community Garden site.
Local food security, which doesn’t get talked about nearly enough, was brought up.. The 29 gardens aren’t going to feed the city but hopefully we can begin to look at the part of the city north of Dundas as more than a place for the equestrian crowd and those that grow strawberries. There is a very significant opportunity to develop a much bigger market gardening business in this city.
Mayor Goldring let us see how little he knew about farming but did mention that he spent some time on his grandparents farm in the Niagara Region. And he did point out that there was a time when there were piers in Burlington that took away boat loads of fresh fruit from Burlington. He added quickly that he was talking of other piers.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 7, 2012 The BIG question come Friday afternoon when the Sound of Music Festival people announce the line-up for this June is – will they be on the stage?
Will who be on the stage? If you have to ask that question you are not a true native of Burlington and you should catch the GO bus to Hamilton before the sun sets.
Walk off the Earth – is who we are talking about. The video of their cover of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” became rapidly popular on YouTube in early 2012, gathering over 100 million views in four months. It got them a spot on the Ellen DeGeneres Show for the accomplishment.
Gianni Luminati – Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Banjo, Kazoo, Keys, Drums, Vocals, Theremin, Beatbox, Xylophone, Cigar Box; Ryan Marshall – Guitar, Ukulele, Vocals, Trumpet; Mike Taylor – (Widely known as “Beard Guy”, “Beard Man” and “Sea Captain”) – Keyboards, Vocals; Joel Cassady – Drums, Cigar box guitar; Sarah Blackwood – Guitar, Electric Guitar, Kazoo, Ukulele, Banjo, Bass, Vocals, Piano, Glockenspiel, Tamborine, Cigar box guitar, xylophone.
In an early version of our story about this band we erred with a couple of the names and got this from a loyal reader. “They’re now up to over 10 million views! Small name correction: the one on the right is Michael Taylor, who just happens to be the father of my beautiful goddaughter! (It’s a small town.) Ryan Marshall is second from the right.”
 Better than the Fab Five - from left to right:Joel Cassady, Sarah Blackwood, Gianni Nicassio, Ryan Marshal and Michael Taylor. All of Burlington wants to see then in person. But now that they are “bigger time” than they have ever been the fee goes up – and given that Dave Miller didn’t manage to squeeze any additional dollars out of city council for this years events – the SOM folk could have found themselves between a rock and a hard place.
The SOM depends on the good will of the people in this city – so a way was found to get that band on stage – and they will be there. When – tune into Our Burlington on Saturday And we will tell you when.
You heard it here first.
Part 5
 This series is a first person account, told by a parent who has lived through the fear and pain that rocked Woodstock when an eight year old girl was abducted on her way home from school and subsequently murdered. Elizabeth Maloney takes us through each step of the ordeal and starts with: A girl the same age as my daughter – is missing, she didn’t get home after school. The worry sets in. No longer can a parent feel reassured by the spotlight of safety once provided by broad daylight. Things are different now. It can happen anytime, anywhere, and the most gut-wrenching of all; to anyone.
By Elizabeth Maloney
WOODSTCOK, Ontario May 6, 2012 The presentation of evidence in the trial is over. Lawyers for each side in the murder trial of eight year old Tori Stafford prepare to make their submissions to a jury after which a judge will charge that jury and they will decide if there is any guilt.
The decision on the part of the defence lawyer to call just the one witness, did manage to raise some doubt as to just how young Tori Stafford came to walk out of her school with someone that was not her Mother.
The first degree murder trial of Michael Rafferty, boyfriend of Terri-Lynne McClintic who had already pled guilty of murdering the child, had been moved to London, Ontario. McClintic had already plead guilty to the murder of Tori Stafford and was serving a life sentence. The prosecution had made their case against Rafferty – his defence counsel said Rafferty will not testify and that they will call just the one witness.
 The missing child case was still in the hands of the local police - the Provincial Police had not yet been called in. The community was not happy. Throughout the duration of Tori’s disappearance, many questions had been raised. Why was Tori taken? Who was the woman in the video? Was she involved? Did the parents have something to do with her abduction? The list goes on. But no one question caused as much controversy, contention and anger than why didn’t the Oxford Community Police Services (OCPS) issue an Amber Alert?
Welcome to Woodstock, the “Friendly City”. A typical quiet community of 40,000 and the epicentre of a county servicing approximately 150,000 people. Woodstock at one time had its own police force. But several years back the county amalgamated the police force into one big happy Oxford Community Police Services. This spread 84 police officers over the county to service those 150,000 people.
Now I know what a lot of you might silently be thinking. Little backwards town, the police probably don’t get much experience with this type of situation. And you would be right- we don’t. But don’t mistake that for ineptness. They aren’t perfect, but neither is any other police force.
The imperfection of the OCPS was put under the spotlight when Tori was abducted. But can we really call it an imperfection? The OCPS consulted the Amber Alert guidelines shortly after Tori disappeared, but the case did not meet them. Quoting from the RCMP web page “Amber Alert is intended only for the most serious, time critical abduction cases.” With such a grave disclaimer, one would think those guidelines should be met fully and without question before raising the alarm. And this is what OCPS was looking at when the Alert was being considered.
Days passed and the residents of Woodstock became more and more agitated with the situation. Local blogs carried comments on the police force, some particularly aimed at the Chief of Police, Ron Fraser. Many weren’t specifically aware of the Amber Alert criteria and only saw black and white: missing child = issue Amber Alert. Some demanded he step down, some called him incompetent. Jokes were made about cops eating donuts instead of doing their job.
 All the community had were pictures of an innocent child - not a single solid lead. She was just gone. Realizing they were being demonized in the public eye for their course of action, OCPS put forth their spokesperson, Constable Laurie-Anne Maitland who handles public communications for the OCPS and often fields media enquiries. Defending the collective efforts of the OCPS she spoke to the media on April 13th advising the search “has not located something that would lead us to believe foul play may be a factor. “The news was not well-received and tensions grew.
But OCPS wasn’t the only game in town. On the day Const. Maitland, of the OCPS spoke and five days into Tori’s disappearance, a unit of the Ontario Provincial Police joined the case. It was given the special task of compiling a profile of Tori’s abductor(s). This single action almost confirmed the legitimacy of questioning OCPS’ actions and undermined their place in the case in one swoop. The OPP came in to “save the day”, and OCPS was left with egg on its face.
Const. Maitland was dispatched once again offering a defense for the handling of the case. She emphasized that they did not have the criteria to issue the Amber Alert, but reiterated the case was being treated as an absolute priority. While the explanation may have been legit, the public wasn’t willing to buy it this late in the game. The reasoning was offered too late. Had this been stated in the beginning, it may have been ok. Their cards would have been on the table and we wouldn’t have had to spend so much time guessing. After all, how do you convince the public that a child is not in imminent danger when she has been missing for days?
A day after vehemently defending their actions, the police were announcing that many tips have been received but none have been compelling enough to move the investigation forward. Feeling stalemated, the community rallied once more around Tori. On April 15th, they assembled to release purple balloons skyward, carrying Tori’s picture. It was a small gesture, but it was also action, something we the community had been craving.
 All the community knew was that Tori was seen with a woman in a white puffy coat that no one knew. For many, permanent relief came a mere two days later, when the OPP announced they were taking the lead in the investigation. Inspector Bill Renton was placed in charge. His first order of business was to announce Tori’s case, moving forward, would be treated as abduction. Finally! Many of us were stunned, probably because we weren’t sure we were ever going to hear those words. We had been waiting so long for someone to admit one of our children had been snatched from the safety of our streets. It was vindication. We knew it and now so did everyone else!
With the simple acknowledgement of what we as a community already knew, hope was almost instantly renewed. But truth be told, that is the only thing the OPP were able to give us over OCPS. All future evidence and endeavours into the investigation were a joint effort of the two police forces, although the OPP retains most of the credit.
OCPS stained by a lack of communication early in the case doomed themselves to lack of recognition for the actual hard work they put into the case. Many of the police officers at OCPS worked long hours, in the search for Tori. Once the dust had settled, many of us in Woodstock were able to acknowledge the contributions they made to the case, and how it took a toll on many of them. We could finally appreciate what they did and how they contributed to the search for Tori.
With some resolution to the animosity for the handling of case out of the way, Woodstock was left with only one concern: Where was Tori? Now the focus was back where it belonged all along. On our missing little girl and why hadn’t she come home. The investigation was about to turn. Fears of what happened to Tori would begin to be played out in the media as theories. No longer would they be in our head, but in black and white and in a manner we could not hide from.
A multi part series on the murder of Tori Stafford
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 5, 2012 What did you do on the Saturday part of the weekend? For once the weather channel got it right, a little breezy but this is still early May and it did get a little warmer in the afternoon..
 It was one of those things the politicians had to be on hand for - they were the ones that made the funding possible - so Ted McMeekin, the Liberal Minister of Agriculture from a riding next to us, was on hand to tell us what the government had done for us and to thank all the volunteers who made it possible. The volunteers were the important part of the event. For a gang of people the official opening of the Community Gardens in behind the Library and the Seniors” centre at Central Park was the start of their day. Much of the cost of the garden lots was paid for by the provincial government and the city – so you know what that meant – politicians of every stripe were out there taking credit. For once no one said that the garden lots were part of what makes Burlington the 2nd best city in Canada to live in.
The real treat was to see the smile on Michelle Bennett’s face when she was given a gardening trowel – she had at least half a dozen at home, all well used, but this one was special for her. It was something that marked the end of getting the project to fruition and the beginning of making it work for the community.
People milled around and jabbered with everyone just being community.
 Art work done by Burlington public school students was displayed at city hall along with art work from Dutch students as part of the twin city program with our sister city in Apeldoorn in Holland. Shortly after the city’s Mundialization Committee held their annual appreciation for the Dutch day at Civic Square. Flags were raised, speeches given and there were loads of people in bright orange T-shirts on hand listening to Jacqueline Pitrie sing The White Cliff’s of Dover – that young lady will be a great hit if she ever gets a chance to sing at the Legion.
There were enough of those orange T-shirts at city hall to make one think that there was an NDP gathering going on but I didn’t see former Mayor Walter Mulkewich in the crowd so this wasn’t an NDP event – just the Dutch being Dutch and wearing their national colour.
 TD Bank style refreshment - a summer job for a student. Trudging along the streets of downtown Burlington was a young lady offering drinks of fresh lemonade courtesy of TD Bank. Interesting summer job.
 LaSalle Park - bring about a boat on its way to the water. A break for lunch and then it was off to LaSalle Park to watch some of the boats at the LaSalle Marina get put into the water. The visibility was great, the skyline was clear and although there was a bit of wind earlier in the day it settled down. Boat after boat got taken out of the yard where they were squeezed in like sardines. The crane crept forward so that the “sling crews”, those are the guys that get the wide straps wrapped around the hulls so the boats can be hoisted out of the yard and into the water, could do their job. Then the crane did the lift and the boats swing over the pavement to the waters edge where they are gently lowered into the water. A team of about 30, maybe forty people made it seem like an effortless process as boat after boat was put into the water every fifteen minutes. The skids that they sat on in the winter months were pulled away and stowed till the fall when they will be needed again.
 Nature photographer Thomas Vijayan, catching orioles as they nest. Just outside the boat yard Thomas Vijayan, a nature photographer, was using a massive lens to get pictures of orioles in their nests. Vijanan’s passion however is what he called “live kill” photography – which as he explained it, is when lions chase down gazelles in parts of Africa.
 First piece of summer cake at LaSalle Park In the LaSalle Park itself a large family was having a picnic with one mother tenderly feeding cake to a child. You could almost feel summer working its way towards us watching that scene.
 Girls selling lemonade on Palmer Drive One the way up the street for the last stretch of the day – there were four little cuties jumping up and down just in from the intersection of Guelph Line and Palmer Drive. They were trying to catch the attention of drivers going up the street or into the church parking lot across the street. Their lemonade stand was open and they wanted to do some business.
A sure sign that summer was indeed just around the corner.
That’s the kind of Saturday it was.
 By Pepper Parr
BURLINGTON, ON May 4, 2012 Joan Ford, the woman who counts the city’s money, and is referred to as the Acting Executive Director of Finance, was standing on the sidewalk shaking her head and doing a mental count of the cost of all those people on the street – it was more than she wanted to admit. They appeared to be having fun though. All the merriment along Elgin Street Thursday noon was to promote the two car- free Sunday’s planned by the city for the summer.
 This crowd wants to see a car-free Sunday. Will Burlington take to the idea? The initiative came out of a conversation Councillors Paul Sharman and Jack Dennison had which Councillor Meed Ward joined in on after some initial hesitation. Both men are avid cyclists; Sharman gets around his part of town on his bicycle and Dennison makes recreational use of his – frequently taking part in long bicycle tours.
 Area in which cyclists can ride car-free June 10th  Area in which cyclists can ride the streets car-free July 15 Getting people out of their cars and using the streets for just bicycles has been something Mayor Goldring has wanted to see happen for some time – so Burlington is taking the plunge and closing down some streets and opening them up to cyclists and pedestrians. Will it work? Hard to tell. It will take quite a bit of promotion but it has worked and turned out to be very popular in other cities.
The people behind the idea held a press conference at City Hall’s Civic Square and then all rode their bicycles and had their pictures taken. All the “usual suspects” were there, including Robert Narejko, who had his bike with him and commented to a well-known wag on the eighth floor of city hall, that the seat on the bike was worth more than the bike itself – to which the wag responded: “Well at least we know where your values are”. It was that kind of an event.
The first car free day will be June 10th, when all lanes on Appleby from New Street to Fairview will be closed. The
South side lanes on Fairview Street from Appleby Line into Sherwood Forest Park will be closed as well.
On July 15th full lane closure on Brant Street between Blenheim Street and Lakeshore Road. The north two lanes on Lakeshore Road between Brant Street and Locust Street will be closed and the northbound lane on Locust between Lakeshore Road and Blenheim Street will be closed. Full lane closure on Blenheim Street between Locust Street and Brant Street.
Will there be traffic congestion? Some. Will there be irate motorists – yup, but whenever there is a change people get upset. Some will be “outraged” that they were not informed. Such is Burlington.
|
|
