CFPLAM Local News

Port Stanley Gears up for a Busy Holiday Weekend

Fri, 18 May 2012 21:39:00 GMT

Business owners in Port Stanley are thanking mother nature.

The holiday weekend is off to a stellar start with temperatures in the 20's and traffic is already increasing on the beach.

The forecast for Saturday, Sunday and Monday calls for three straight days of daytime highs in the upper-20's that could feel like the 30's with the humidex. That's about 5 to 6 degrees higher than normal.

It's also much better than last year when the long weekend was essentially rained out - two of the three days were wet.

Environment Canada meteorologist Dave Phillips says it will be hard to complain about this forecast.

"It's almost like there's going to be no weather there and I mean that in the sense nothing to get you into trouble, to create any issues with you. There will be driving issue and probably road rage but weather shouldn't be a problem. Maybe a little too much sun and you can lather up and you can do things to prevent any problems there but it looks like clear sailing right from the get-go."

With a promising weather forecast for the weekend, vacationers have already begun flocking to the town. As a result business owners in Port Stanley and preparing for a busy weekend ahead. Phil White is the owner of Pizzaworx on the beach says that he is prepared for the crowds the warm weather may bring.

"We expect good things this weekend. We expect to be extremely busy and hopefully we're ready for it".

Sue Campbell is the manager of the Buccaneer restaurant which is right near the beach in Port Stanely. She said that the Holiday weekend usually brings a different type of business to the town.

"It's more of a flush, it's a rush. It's very spontaneous and it's either a complete hit or a total miss".

However Campbell and White did agree that May 4-2 weekend usually sets the tone for the rest of the summer.

"If we have a good May 2-4 we usually have a good summer" said Campbell.

"It can be an indication as to the way people are looking at spending their money. If they are looking to stay at home rather then going away" said White. "If we have a great May 2-4 and the weather stays the same, then we will have a great year".

Kyle is an avid beach goer and spent time tossing a frisbee on Friday. He said that he always spends his Holiday weekend on the beach in Port Stanley.

"We have a big family, so we come out here to go swimming. It's a beautiful beach, and it's not too crowded".

The forecast is calling for a high of 29 degrees on Saturday, 27 on Sunday and 26 for Holiday Monday.

Young Wildlife Best Left Alone: City

Fri, 18 May 2012 20:56:00 GMT

Spring is a time for new beginnings as well as new life in nature.

Plenty of baby animals make their way into the world around this time of year, but if you find some on their own the city doesn't want you to move them.

Kent Lattanzio is the director of operations for London Animal Care and Control and says in most cases, it's better to leave baby animals where you find them.

"The public has a real interest in helping them out, but sometimes they intervene and it's really not the right thing to do. So what happens is they remove the animal and they bring it to us and we're not a wildlife rehabilitator. They think the animal is in distress and it would have been better off being left on its own for the parents to take care of it," Lattanzio says.

He says they receive calls about all kinds of animals with people even bringing them into the office.

"We see raccoons, we see rabbits, all kinds of mammals are brought in to the shelter, birds of all kinds as well," Lattanzio says.

If you find baby animals and aren't sure if they've been abandoned or orphaned, he recommends watching the area for a while to see if the parents come back.

Lattanzio says animals have been known to leave their young for anywhere from a couple of hours up to a whole day in some exceptional cases.

Some techniques to help you keep an eye out for animal parents include sprinkling flour at a certain distance around the nest to mark animal footprints and also laying string in an 'X' to see if it's disturbed by movement.

Lattanzio says you can absolutely call Animal Care and Control if you have any questions. They can try to assess the situation before the animals, or the nest, are disturbed.

Local Wildlife Centre Cares For Pair Of Orphaned Fawns

Fri, 18 May 2012 21:19:00 GMT

A little female fawn is recovering after a very dramatic start to her young life.

Officials at Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre in Mount Brydges are nursing the baby deer after its mother spontaneously delivered her after being hit by a car.

The incident happened early yesterday morning in Listowel and the people involved in the crash brought the fawn to Salthaven.

Brian Salt is the centre's director and says the baby is doing just fine.

"She's eating well, there's no problems so far. One of the biggest challenges we're going to face of course is habituation on people because this little one doesn't know who she is," he says.

"She's never seen her mom, the first things she saw were people so somehow we've got to work real hard at getting her to feel comfortable with other deer," Salt says.

He says eventually try to match the baby up with a new doe, but it could be a difficult process. Salt says the fawn may not take to her because of the limited contact she will have had with her own species.

But the fawn could have some company closer to her own age very shortly. Officials with London Animal Care and Control have located another fawn, this time a male, in a ditch on Veteran's Memorial Parkway. It was found there shortly before 3 p.m. today. Citizen reporters tell us the animal was born early this morning after a near-identical incident to yesterday's crash in Listowel.

Officials at Salthaven say the little fellow is now at the centre being assessed.

Pedestrian Struck, Killed by Via Train at Third St. and Culver Dr.

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:13:00 GMT

For the second time in less than a week, London Police are investigating a deadly train-pedestrian collision.

The latest incident happened just before 5:30 a.m. when a pedestrian was struck and killed by a VIA passenger train near Third Street and Culver Drive. It is not affecting traffic.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, although Police have yet to identify the individual.

Investigators don't suspect foul play, and say it appears as if it was the pedestrian's intent to be struck.

It was just last weekend another pedestrian was struck and killed by a train in London.

Last Saturday morning, around 2:30 a.m., 20-year-old Trevor Barton was hit at the crossing near Richmond and Oxford.

The circumstances surrounding that collision are still under investigation.

Barton was a centre fielder for the London Badgers when the team won the national midget championship in 2009. This year, he was expected to be a star player for the St. Thomas Tomcats, and was known throughout the league for his speed and skill.

Back on March 27th, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a train at the Maitland rail crossing near York St.

Witnesses say they saw an unidentified man run into the train's path, although investigators weren't sure if the individual intended on committing suicide, or if the victim was trying to 'beat the train.'

Officers Rescue Stranded Boaters West Of Port Stanley

Fri, 18 May 2012 18:17:00 GMT

A group of boaters found themselves in some hot water early this morning after their boat ran out of gas west of Port Stanley.

Elgin County OPP say the people on the vessel called for help using a marine radio around 4 a.m. Cst. Troy Carlson says they were travelling from LaSalle to Port Stanley when they ran out of fuel and were set adrift.

Two men on board were also described as being ill, with Carlson saying they initially believed it was carbon monoxide poisoning.

The 31 and 32-year-old men, from St. Thomas and London were the first to be rescued from the 32-ft long boat in the joint operation but on by the OPP and the Port Stanley Auxiliary Coast Guard.

The rescue mission took a couple of hours to complete with the two ill men taken off the boat first for medical treatment.

Crews returned for the other three passengers shortly after and everyone made it back to shore safe and sound.

Carlson says this incident is a good reminder to practice safe boating this long weekend.

He recommends leaving a detailed itinerary of your trip, including the route you plan to take, when you plan to leave and when you expect to return.

Carlson also recommends having a radio on board as the people in this case did because cell phones don't always connect well to signals when out on the water. Having enough fuel and other equipment is also a must when hitting the water.

May 2-4 Forecast a Perfect 10

Fri, 18 May 2012 10:30:00 GMT

It appears Mother Nature will co-operate during the Victoria Day long weekend this year.

The forecast for Saturday, Sunday and Monday calls for three straight days of daytime highs in the upper-20's that could feel like the 30's with the humidex. That's about 5 to 6 degrees higher than normal.

It's also much better than last year when the long weekend was essentially rained out - two of the three days were wet.

Environment Canada meteorologist Dave Phillips says it will be hard to complain about this forecast.

"It's almost like there's going to be no weather there and I mean that in the sense nothing to get you into trouble, to create any issues with you. There will be driving issue and probably road rage but weather shouldn't be a problem. Maybe a little too much sun and you can lather up and you can do things to prevent any problems there but it looks like clear sailing right from the get-go."

Phillips adds it will be a great weekend for camping, gardening or any outdoor activity. He says it's actually a rarity to have three days in a row where great weather is expected.

"There are very very few long weekends in May where it's warm, dry and sunny, this is almost a rarity. You know, the weather changes almost every three or four days and sometimes that can happen on the May long weekend. I know of long weekends in May in parts of Ontario where there's been snow."

The forecast is calling for a high of 29 degrees on Saturday, 27 on Sunday and 26 for Holiday Monday.

Ontario Provincial Police are expecting volume on the roads to be heavier this year because of the improved weather and will be out in force. Officers will be on the lookout for aggressive, impaired, and distracted drivers and will also have eyes in the sky watching for speeders.

OPP Sgt. Dave Rektor says they're prepared for a busy weekend.

"We have a lot of work to do and our goal is to make sure everybody has a great long weekend, one that is safe and to make sure everybody arrives safe at home following the weekend."

Rektor says the good weather can actually lead to dangerous situations on the road.

"During periods of sunny, clear weather these are the times when most of our most serious collisions happen. What we need people to do is pay attention, plan rests to and from their destination, makes sure they're driving sober and most importantly make sure they're obeying all rules of the road and not driving distracted."

The OPP Marine Unit will also be out this weekend. Last summer in Ontario 8 people drowned.

London Man Faces Child Pornography Charges After Cyber Bust

Fri, 18 May 2012 14:29:00 GMT

London Police say they've arrested a man on cyber crime charges.

Officers say after conducting an online investigation over the span of two days they arrested 61-year-old Norman Conlin of London yesterday.

Police say he faces three counts of counselling to commit an indictable offence and one count of making child pornography.

City Council Eyes Odds Of Possible OLG Expansion

Fri, 18 May 2012 11:43:00 GMT

Ontario appears ready to roll the dice on a major gambling expansion, but not all members of London City Council are sure they want the city to have a seat at the table.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation is looking for private companies to run casinos in a number of areas, including London, although Finance Minister Dwight Duncan has said individual communities will have the final say.

Councillor for Ward 14 Sandy White says she's not in favor of an expansion of gambling in the Forest City.

"I am not a person that's in favour of gambling. There will have to be a majority vote. I really just think we have enough problems in society without adding to it," she says.

White's colleague around the council horseshoe, Joe Swan has a different take on the opportunity saying expanding London's gaming could benefit the city in more ways than one.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to show off London to really international tourists and visitors to our community," he says.

"It'll be a definite destination place to go, fun, exciting entertainment all within the Western Fair new district. So great potential," Swan says.

As for Mayor Joe Fontana, he wants to take full advantage of what the OLG is offering.

"I think it's an exciting opportunity for the City of London that's going to mean bigger and better entertainment, a lot more jobs and therefore (I) look forward to the opportunity of looking at that RFI and how the City of London can provide the kind of gaming entertainment that the province and the OLG see in this very important market for them," Fontana says.

It will likely be months before the OLG is able to gauge interest from potential investors.

Free Overnight Parking Returns, Spray Pads Open for Season

Fri, 18 May 2012 08:59:00 GMT

Just in time for the long weekend, all 12 City of London outdoor spray pads will officially open for the season on Friday.

Spray pads at the following locations will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.:

Bonaventure Meadows - 141 Bonaventure Drive (next to Bonaventure Meadows Public School)
Rowntree Park - on Whetter Avenue off Wellington Road
Kiwanis Park - off Hale Street
Fork of the Thames - off Riverside Drive and King Street
West Lions Park - on Granville Avenue beside Kinsmen Recreation Centre
Lambeth Centennial Park - on Beattie Avenue across from the Lambeth Arena
Jesse Davidson Park - off Monte Vista Crescent or Ensign Crescent
Gibbons Spray Pad – in Gibbons Park
Southeast Optimist Park – on Deveron Crescent
Oakridge – Valetta Street by Oakridge Arena and pool at top of hill
Ed Blake Park - near Huron and Barker Streets
Medway Park - beside Medway Arena and the Canada Games Aquatic Centre

Also returning as of this weekend is free overnight parking on most city streets.

Effective May 19 (Saturday), you can leave your vehicle parked on the street overnight without fear of getting a ticket. The relaxation of the overnight parking restriction does not apply to commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles or trailers.

There are several streets across the city, mostly near Western and Fanshawe, where overnight parking is still not allowed.

You can see a full list of those streets by clicking here.

Overnight parking comes to an end on Labour Day.

Two More Suspects Charged In Fleming Drive Riot

Fri, 18 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Two more people have been arrested and charged in connection with the St. Patrick's Day riot on Fleming Drive.

London Police announced this morning that two young men have been charged and now face criminal counts in connection with the chaos that made international headlines.

Officers say the following people have been charged as a result of their investigation into the case:

Amos Stevens, 18-years-old of Mississauga is charged with:

1 count of being a member of an unlawful assembly, contrary to section 66 CC;
1 count of mischief over $5000 contrary to section 430(3) CC;
1 count of mischief under $5000, contrary to section 430(4) CC.

John Stephan, 21-years-old of London is charged with:

1 count of being a member of an unlawful assembly, contrary to section 66 CC;
1 count of mischief over $5000 contrary to section 430(3) CC.

Officers say both men were Fanshawe students at the time of the riot on March 17th, 2012. Their arrests bring the total number of people charged with criminal counts to 54. London Police say 25 of those people have been identified as students at the college.

London Police also continue to encourage members of the public to visit the Fleming Drive Disturbance Most Wanted page on their website at www.police.london.ca.