December 2020 Town of Pelham Newsletter

December 2020 Town of Pelham Newsletter

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 Christmas Market cancelled; other festive favourites preserved

The Town of Pelham’s annual Christmas Market event, part of the overall Christmas in Pelham festivities, will not occur this year. 

After careful consideration and discussion of Provincial and Regional Public Health guidelines and recommendations, the decision to cancel the event is in the best interest of health and safety pursuant to Public Health guidelines.

Though the Christmas Market is not running this year, some of the most cherished market traditions will surface within a variety of other planned events.

“We know that people were looking forward to the Christmas Market, this year especially, and it’s disappointing that we had to cancel,” said Mayor Marvin Junkin. “The good news is that Town staff are working on a variety of events and activities for Pelham residents to enjoy within the best public health guidelines; everyone’s safety is our main priority.”

Those missing the sights of the holidays at the market are encouraged to participate in the Christmas lights competition and self-guided tour, whether by festively decorating their homes or travelling the route to view Pelham’s most decorated homes. 

The official route will be posted on the Town’s website after the Dec. 13 entry date has passed.

Winter break camp, free skates, and Santa’s Workshop all remain on the calendar this year. New this year is the Town’s assistance in helping Pelham children get their letters to Santa. To learn more about these events, please visit www.pelham.ca/christmas. 

 All events are subject to change based on the Provincial and Niagara Regional Public Health recommendations. To learn more about the Town of Pelham’s response to COVID-19 and view its award-winning reopening framework, visit: www.pelham.ca/covid19 

Recreation Staff facilitating letters to Santa this holiday season

There have been many changes to the way we do things year, and letters to Santa is no different. To help the big man in the red suit get messages from all the boys and girls in Pelham, the Town’s recreation, culture, and wellness staff have called in some elf favours and are working with Santa’s elves to get all the children of Pelham letters to the North Pole.

There are two ways the Town has teamed up with the elves to get your letter to Santa:

A drop off at the Meridian Community Centre. You’ll see a red mailbox marked “Santa’s Mailbox” near the Christmas tree through the main entrance. Drop your letter in the mailbox by December 12 to ensure Santa has enough time to get you his response. Don’t forget to include your return address

Email. Yes, Santa is on email, and the Town has worked out an arrangement to provide Santa with his own Pelham email address. 

For quick and easy letter submissions, you can email Santa your letter to sclaus@pelham.ca. Santa will be checking his email right up until December 23, before he heads out on his Christmas route!

For more information on the Town of Pelham’s Christmas in Pelham activities and events, visit www.pelham.ca/christmas.

Pelham, Fort Erie and Wainfleet get innovative in addressing legal costs, hire shared solicitor

The Town of Pelham, the Town of Fort Erie and the Township of Wainfleet are pleased to announce the joint hiring of Jennifer Stirton as the municipalities’ shared in-house Solicitor.

For more than 15 years, Stirton has defended municipalities across southwestern Ontario in a wide range of cases. A graduate from Osgoode Hall Law School in 2002, in the top nine percent of her class, Stirton also holds an Honours Bachelor of Science from McMaster University.

Stirton articled and practiced at a national firm in Toronto until 2005 before joining McCall Dawson LLP, a litigation firm in London focusing on municipal clients, practicing as an associate and a partner. Stirton has represented municipalities and other local public authorities before all court levels in Ontario.  

“I am thrilled to be the new Town Solicitor for the Town of Pelham, Town of Fort Erie and Township of Wainfleet,” said Stirton. “I look forward to focusing on the legal needs of the three municipalities in service to the communities.”

The innovative initiative is expected to reduce legal costs and is, to the municipalities’ understanding, the first such shared in-house position in Ontario. The agreement positions all three municipalities to reduce their legal expenditures, supporting financial sustainability.

“Local governments in Niagara are again being municipal innovators,” said Pelham Mayor Marvin Junkin. “All three municipalities will be saving our taxpayers money and bringing valuable expertise and skill to our teams, while engaging in cost-sharing services with our municipal neighbours. This hiring is significant on many levels.”

Stirton will take over routine legal matters, leaving conflict work and specialized work to the municipalities’ highly capable external legal counsel.

The process, beginning in March 2020, received full support from all three Councils. In the agreed-upon terms, Stirton is a direct employee of the Town of Pelham; however, all three municipalities will contribute towards employment costs. 

It is anticipated that the exact amount of time worked for any municipality will vary from month-to-month but is expected to ultimately result in a 40-40-20 (Pelham, Fort Erie, Wainfleet, respectively) split based on historical data. If the percentage paid by each municipality requires future adjustment, contractual and budgeting processes will address the issue.

All three municipalities warmly welcome Jennifer Stirton to Niagara and look forward to benefiting from her skills and knowledge in the years to come.