Over the past several years membership has steadily declined, as has participation in the monthly meetings and volunteer efforts to help support the many events and activities that the board delivers to the community, according to the group’s new president.

“There are a number of things that would stop, and who’s going to pick them up?” asked Chris Franklin, owner of the Futher-Franklin Funeral Home in Wellesley.

Chris Franklin, the newly elected president of the Wellesley Board of Trade, is worried that declining interest in the group will threaten its long history of community works. [james jackson / the observer

After the board received zero nominations for the position of president this year, Franklin volunteered for the position because he didn’t want to see the board dissolve, along with all the positive contributions it makes to the community. Its events not only help support the community, but help local businesses through promotion and networking opportunities.

Franklin was voted into the position unanimously by those present at the meeting.

A number of factors are likely contributing to their decline, said Franklin, a member of the Board of Trade for the past three years. He and other members believe that younger parents in the village are often so busy with their children, their families, and other extracurricular activities that they simply don’t have time to attend their monthly meetings, which start at 7 p.m.

He also said that as the community has grown over the years, many residents take advantage of the events held by the Board of Trade but perhaps fail to understand who exactly is responsible for them each year.

To help remedy that problem they have begun a self-promotion blitz and advertising campaign to spread the word about who the group is and what they offer the citizens of Wellesley and the surrounding area.

Another issue is the aging demographic of the members; at 48 years old, Franklin said he is one of if not the youngest member, and they need to attract a younger core of participants.

Franklin said that they cannot let the group fold, even for one year, if they want to ensure its long-term survival.

“If it folds it would be a lot harder to get it started again than it is to find new members. People will find other things to do,” he said.

For more information on the Wellesley Board of Trade, visit http://wellesleyboardoftrade.com/ or contact Chris Franklin, chris@futher-franklinfuneralhome.com.

“We are launching early because our biggest task is getting the message out and getting as many people back to participate in the 75th anniversary as possible. That’s the total objective,” said Mike Forler, one of the organizers and the co-op coordinator at EDSS. “We have started our campaign two years ahead to recruit as many people as we can.”

The reunion committee would like to see as many former students return to the hallways of the school as possible.

“We have such a wide range of ages and our rational is that we want to see young people, people in their 30s and 40s all the way up to the 80 years old,” said Forler. “Obviously some people have moved away from the area, but they still have connections here so we are using the grapevine, tapping into the grandparents, parents, and friends to help contact everyone and get them all back.”

At the launch to be held May 30 at 11 a.m., alumni teachers along with the reunion steering committee will be giving all the details of what former students of the school should expect at the 75th anniversary reunion.
The kick off will take place in front of the school’s new sign placed in the University Avenue U at the front of the school.

“It will be a great way to kick off the entire event,” said Forler

The school celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1989 and had more than 3,000 people attend. For the 75th event organizers are hoping for an even bigger turnout.

“The last reunion was hugely successful and really big and we are aiming for more attendees for this next one and are aiming to go through so many more generations.”
Organizers are hoping for a whole cross-section of former students to attend the event.

“We don’t just want people from 50 or 60 years ago we would like to see this become a real community event,” he said

“This is about the community; the focus should not be just on the school. Our committee, which is made up of many alumni, has laid out a great program for everyone to enjoy and we are excited to share it with everyone at the launch.

“We want to be completely inclusive as possible and our goal is to not leave anyone out from the celebration who wants to come.”

Students in Quebec don’t like where educational reform is taking them. Citizens of Greece don’t want their quality of life sacrificed to the banks. Those in the Occupy movement denounce a system that rewards the 1% at the expense of the 99%. They’re all acutely aware that the standard economic indicators aren’t enough, and that the traditional approach of governments just isn’t serving their needs.

The economic crisis that followed the meltdown caused by the financial services industry brought many of these longstanding issues to the forefront, accelerating a 30-year decline in our standard of living and the attack on the middle class.
Canadians were hit less hard than many others, but we’ve not been exempt from the austerity measures. Nor has the federal government been a friend to the average citizen. That might help explain why we dropped to sixth place this week from second spot last year on the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s quality-of-life index.

Life satisfaction measures how people evaluate their life as a whole rather than their current feelings. It captures a reflective assessment of which life circumstances and conditions are important for subjective wellbeing. When asked to rate their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, Canadians gave it a 7.4 grade, higher than the OECD average of 6.7. That put us behind Australia, Norway, the United States, Sweden and Denmark.

Part of the drop can be explained by changes to the way the index is compiled, but there’s reason to be wary. As the Canadian Index of Wellbeing found last year, our wellbeing is lagging behind economic growth. While GDP rose 31 per cent between 1994 and 2008, the index of wellbeing rose by just 11 per cent, with the lion’s share of the benefits going to the wealthiest 20 per cent.

Beyond simple economic indicators, the index (CIW) takes into account eight factors: living standards, healthy populations, community vitality, democratic engagement, education, environment, time use and leisure and culture. The latter three all are getting worse according to last year’s report, with a new study due in October.

The short form explanation for the situation is that we’re working longer hours but not enjoying the fruits of our labours. For Linda McKessock, CIW project manager based at the University of Waterloo, the measurements are part of a growing international trend to put hard, scientific numbers to quality of life issues that have long gone unquantified. Such reports provide a more balanced approach to judging our standard of living, going beyond simple economic numbers.
“Studies like this are trying to get a handle on what their citizens value,” she explains, pointing to the OECD report and national efforts like the CIW being carried out in other countries.

With all the talk of austerity, much of the debate has focused on traditional economic data – GDP, unemployment and similar indictors – but the range of protests and movements emerging show citizens have broader priorities.
“There are other things that we need to keep our eye on.”

Reports such as the CIW and the OECD Better Life Index allow us to see things through a much broader prism rather than the traditional economic measures. That in turn fuels local, grassroots movements that push for more focus on wellbeing. Ideally, the federal government eventually takes note, says McKessock.

While rankings such as those in the OECD index aren’t necessarily helpful, it does help to look at what other countries are doing so that we can adopt those practices here – essentially we’re always learning from others.
In Canada, where the political direction is counter to our quality of life, it’s especially important to take note of the successes of more progressive, citizen-friendly policies. That’s certainly the case in the Nordic countries.
They are great examples of civil society setting the agenda rather than just focusing on the message of the elites.

Canada may not be moving in the right direction on all fronts, but reports based on objective data help us understand the choices we’re making , she notes.

Since we live in a system of our own making, every policy and direction is a choice. Ideally, those choices are made to benefit the average citizen, though that’s often not the case.
So, what would get us moving in the right direction? Focusing on people, says McKessock.

“This is all about doing the best for our people,” she argues of measuring wellbeing and putting supportive policies in place. That in turn will boost the traditional economic numbers.  “If we invest in our people, it will be good for our economy.”

This is where the Lancers have been getting into trouble.

“Our hitters have been good all season long, we just have had troubles with our pitching and defense,” said coach Troy Shantz. “The boys really connect with the ball but have troubles keeping it within the fence and we lose a lot of runs that way.”

The Lancers faced off against the visiting Waterloo-Oxford Challengers at Lions Park last Tuesday afternoon, coming out on the losing end of a 21-16 decision. The loss drops the team into 13th place in the standings. The squad needs be in the top 12 to compete in the season-ending tournament that is used to determine the league champions.

“We did have a rough start to the season and we were better than most of the teams we played we just didn’t have the pitching we needed,” said Shantz.

The team is mostly new players who are playing for the first time together. Most of the players from last year graduated, forcing the coach into rebuilding mode.

“The guys are a great bunch and most of them do play in their own leagues. We just have had a hard time with a few key areas, but we are working on them and hope to compete in the final tournament,” said Shantz.
The team needs to win at least one more game to be eligible to compete in the all-day tournament next month.

EDSS slo-pitch player Brent Eby hits a single against Waterloo-Oxford at Lions Park on May 22. The Lancers would drop a 21-16 decision to the visitors dropping the team into 13th place in the standings. [colin dewar / the observer

“The pressure is on them but I am sure they will win at least one more game to make the tournament. We just have to work harder and not make any mistakes.”

Their final game is slated for Tuesday at Lions Park in Elmira.

Off to a better start this season is the EDSS girls’ slo-pitch team, which has a 3-3-1 record, good for sixth place in the standings.

Coach Brian Carter and new assistant coach Adam Hiller have been working hard to keep the girls motivated and on point during games.

“We have had a pretty good season so far, we really can’t complain,” said Carter. “We started off strong but halfway through the year we hit a bit of a rough patch but that is expected as we are a young team and are still finding our place.”
The majority of players on the girls’ squad are new to the sport and Carter said they have been playing very well for the most part.

Like the boys, the top 12 teams will compete in a year-end tournament and the lady Lancers have already secured their spot at the event.

“If the girls stick it out for the next few years we are hoping to have a really good team. This is the type of team that will be better next year and the year after as long as they keep doing the right things,” said Carter.

The girls have only one regular season game left to be played on May 30 against Sir John A Macdonald Secondary School before the league champion tournament in June.

“He would be proud,” said company president Craig Schwindt, who took over the business from his father in 1995 after he passed away suddenly.

“I think he’d be amazed not only how the company has changed, but how agriculture in general has changed.”

Floradale Feed Mill Limited invite their suppliers, friends and family to their 50th anniversary celebration at their mill located on Floradale Road on June 2. [submitted

The first mill was built in 1860 by Thomas Quickfall and served the community as a flour mill. After changing hands several times over the decades, it was purchased by Bowman in 1938 to operate as a custom grain chopping mill to supply local farmers with feed for their livestock.

Schwindt’s father was raised near Floradale, and around 1953 he got a job with Eli Martin at Martin Feed Mill, which sold product to the grist mill in Floradale. It was through that relationship that Schwindt got to know Bowman, and when Bowman decided to sell the mill a few years later, Schwindt was given the opportunity to run his own business.

In 1974, just 12 years later, the plant had outgrown its location in the village and moved from the original wooden structure to its current location, away from the core of the village; it’s undergone several expansions since.

“We grew really quickly,” said Schwindt. “I know the decision was made that if we were going to stay in the business and continue to grow, we needed a new modern facility and we had to have land to expand.”

The company continued to grow in the years that followed. In 1998 they built an additional 240 tons of storage, and two years later a 10,000-square-foot warehouse and 2,000sq.-ft. office was added. In 2011 a new corn storage silo was built with the capacity to hold 210,000 bushels of corn – the equivalent of nearly 27 million apples.

Employing only about six or seven staff in 1962, the company has since grown to about 95 full-time employees, processing some 180,000 metric tonnes of grain per year while making feed from scratch for farmers across southwestern Ontario.
Using computers and following strict industry standards, they combine ingredients such as corn, soybean meal, and various vitamins and minerals to not only formulate standard feed blends for dairy cattle, pigs, and poultry, but they also take pride in their ability to manufacture a range of custom blends based on the specific requirements of each customer.

When Schwindt’s father first bought the property in 1962 there was no delivery service available, but by 1968 the fleet of delivery vehicles had grown to five single-axle trucks, and in 2012 the fleet now sits at 96, delivering grain as far south as Windsor and Sarnia, and forming the backbone of the company.

Schwindt said that one of the biggest changes the company has seen over the decades is the technological advancements made in agriculture. The first computer in their office was installed in 1978, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg, said Schwindt, adding his father would be astounded by the use of technology in the industry.

“The computerization of everything from the office, to production, to Blackberrys – the world has changed.”

With new technology comes new industry standards, and Floradale Feed Mill Ltd. prides itself in being an industry leader in that regard. Since 2001 they have been Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certified, meaning they have taken the steps to ensure that wherever problems such as feed contamination can arise, they have mitigated those risk factors.

“We view it as a ticket to play in this league, if you want to call it that,” said Schwindt.

While change has occurred in almost every facet of their business, from processing and trucking to their widespread use of technology, the company still strives to keep moving forward and ensure that their products are of the highest quality, the same as when they first opened their doors 50 years ago.

The 50th anniversary of Floradale Feed Mill is on June 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their plant just south of Floradale, 2131 Floradale Rd. Visitors can enjoy family activities, historical displays, door prizes and a barbecue lunch that starts at 11 a.m.

For more information visit www.ffmltd.com.

“Studies have shown that such signs are effective in lowering speeds in both the long term and the short term,” said Dan Kennaley.

A 2010 traffic study showed 55 per cent of eastbound traffic exceeded the 50 km/h speed limit (with some 15 per cent doing more than 70 km/h), while 25 per cent of westbound drivers did so. The speed signs are the preferred traffic-calming measure, as stop lights or all-way stops are not warranted given the amount of traffic, he explained.

The township has already undertaken a passive measure, painting lines to effectively narrow the lanes, which encourages slower travel.

While supportive of further investigation into the use of the signs, estimated to cost $2,000 to $4,000 apiece, councillors had reservations about Kennaley’s plan to complete another traffic monitoring study.

Such studies are typically carried out with the township’s own equipment, but there’s already a backlog of locations to be monitored, so the plan is plan to contract out some of the studies this summer, Kennaley said, adding his department is looking into the costs.

Noting that it’s clear drivers are speeding on Whippoorwill Drive, Coun. Julie-Anne Herteis said the township will have to do more than it’s done so far – “people just aren’t paying attention.”

Mayor Todd Cowan went beyond that, suggesting traffic lights, stop signs or even speed bumps would be more effective than the radar signs, which could just become part of the background ignored by drivers.

Complicating the matter is a conflict between the township’s designation of Whippoorwill as both a no-truck route and collector road, which would be expected to carry truck traffic, said Kennaley. There will be no change to the truck prohibition in the foreseeable future, however, as Woolwich wants to keep construction vehicles off of that road during the development of the sprawling Lunor subdivision on Church Street West.

As there’s no room in this year’s budget for any of the proposed traffic-calming measures, any changes would have to wait until 2013 at the earliest, he added. In the meantime, the township will be talking with other municipalities about their experience with the dynamic speed display signs.

The organization has been recognized as an official party at the Ontario Municipal Board hearing scheduled for Nov. 5 at the township office, but the process will not be cheap – to continue to pay their lawyers and other legal aids they have set a goal of raising $150,000 between now and the middle of June when residents will start to scatter for summer vacation.

The CWRA was formed in 2007 in opposition to a gravel pit proposed by Hunder Developments, which hopes to gain an aggregate licence for some 150 acres of land on two farm properties located at 128 Katherine St. S. and 1081 Hunsberger Rd.

About 25 volunteers have been out knocking on doors in West Montrose, Conestogo and Winterbourne asking for money, and the CWRA president recognizes that it may seem like a lot to ask for, but she believes it will be worth every penny.
“When you have all the change that is going to happen to our community, it’s just not going to be a viable place to live anymore,” said Keri Martin Vrbanac.

“People aren’t going to want to live in an area with a gravel pit.”

To help put some of those costs in perspective, canvassers are handing out pamphlets that specify how property values in the Conestogo area will be affected based on their proximity to the pit.

Martin Vrbanac has documentation to prove that since 2010 properties that have been sold in the area have gone for up to 29 per cent below the asking price – a decrease that translates into tens of thousands or sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“This is with just a looming gravel pit; what will happen if there is a gravel pit? If the gravel pit goes forward, what are people who want to sell their homes looking at?”

A second issue for the CWRA is the increase of truck traffic in the region should the pit be approved. The president highlights the fact that trucks would be passing directly in front of the public school in Conestogo village, and that roads such as Northfield Drive which are already heavily congested will only get worse with the addition of more gravel trucks.

While some residents may be less-than-optimistic about the group’s chance to actually win at the OMB hearing given the board’s history for siding with industry over community groups, Martin Vrbanac points to the fact that in 2010 three gravel pits in Ontario were defeated at OMB hearings – giving them hope that they can do the same in Conestogo.

“They have to realize that it is possible for us to do this. It’s very probable that we can win this,” she said.

Over the past five years the CWRA has created a well-organized effort to halt the pit, which would have an impact on four residential areas, including Golf Course Road in Conestogo and Sunset Drive and Meadowbrook Place in Winterbourne.
Residents have come to meetings armed with detailed reports drawing on township, regional and provincial documents, arguing gravel extraction should not even be considered for the area. They’ve also had acoustic and dust studies completed by the applicant scrutinized by experts to poke holes in the argument that the pit will not negatively impact residents.

Martin Vrbanac said they have come a long way in five years, and it will all come down to their preparation over the summer that will determine the outcome of the five-week hearing next fall.
“We have five months to make sure we go into that OMB hearing as prepared as possible.

“We can viably win this. But we can’t win it if we don’t raise the funds to man the fight. That’s the bottom line.”

“It’s a little overwhelming, because no one has done this before,” he said on Tuesday afternoon at his farm, Eby Manor.

“We’re breaking new territory.”

For decades, milk in Canada has been marketed as just that – milk. Eby said the industry’s marketing board has discouraged differentiation within the industry for decades in order to promote the sheer volume of sales.

As a result, dairy breeds like his Guernsey cows tended to be pushed to the wayside in favour of higher producing cattle breeds like Holsteins, which produce up to 30 per cent more milk. While farmers still had heads of Guernsey cattle in their operations, their milk was simply mixed into the pool of other milk heading to processing plants and lost all of its unique qualities.

Jim Eby (left) of Eby Manor farms thanks Paul and Cathy Noble for their support and for purchasing the first bottle of Golden Guernsey milk. [JAMES JACKSON / THE OBSERVER

“What they’ve done now is that they’ve come to realize that people want choice, so the board’s mindset has changed and they’re open to allowing farmers and producers to find niche markets for their milk.”

He says he is the only farmer in Canada now selling 100 per cent pure Guernsey milk to the public, and he estimates that less than one per cent of all farms in Ontario are solely Guernsey operations.

The milk is not processed on site and Eby pays to have a truck come to his farm and transport his milk to Hewitt’s Dairy in Hagersville to be pasteurized and processed separately from other milk, a strategy that will actually save Eby money in the long run by not requiring him to build his own processing plant on the farm and have to conform with food inspection policies.

The milk is sold to the marketing board, which then sells it to Hewitt’s Dairy for processing, and it is sold back to Eby at the same price that the marketing board paid for it, minus the shipping and processing costs.

The first 500 litres arrived in an air-conditioned truck this week and that milk has been shipped to some 20 stores throughout the region and even as far as Toronto and should be on shelves now. Local retailers include Kitchen Kuttings in Elmira and Hilltop Acres Poultry in Breslau.

“That’s all we figure we’ve got sales for right now, and we have another order for 500 (litres) next week, and we hope we can start growing it,” said Eby. His 60 head of cattle can produce about 1,200 litres of milk every day, so 500 litres of sales in the first week is but a drop in the bucket of what he can potentially produce should interest continue to grow.

“There’s definitely an     interest there, and it’s definitely a niche market. It’s not going into the national grocery stores – we can’t compete with their price – and so it’s going to be treated as a specialty product.”

The milk will be sold in retro glass bottles and retail for between $3.70 and $3.90 per litre, which is about the same as certified organic and other niche milk in the grocery store now. He chose the glass bottles not only because milk tastes fresher than from a plastic container, but because glass is better for the environment, he said.

While his milk is not certified organic, Eby said customers will be enticed by the extra health benefits that his milk offers over traditional milk.

“What’s in our milk you’ll find in milk of all breeds, just the quantities are higher (in Guernsey),” said Eby. “It’s just the breed. It’s their genetics.”

The first bottle off the truck went to Paul and Cathy Noble, who raise Guernsey cattle on their farm in Moorefield. They bought the bottle at the annual Guernsey breeders annual meeting in March, and paid handsomely for it; $80.
“It’s great because I believe the consumer is looking for local, and looking for choice,” said Paul after taking a drink out of the first bottle. “Here’s an opportunity for the first time in 40 years to get Guernsey Golden milk. What a great opportunity.”

The ability to market his own milk to the public is a dream come true for Eby, a second-generation Guernsey farmer whose father Howard started the farm back in 1959.

“It’s always been a dream to see Guernsey milk marketed again, because that’s why my Dad got into the breed in the first place. I’ve always had that dream but never really expected to see it come to fruition in my lifetime.”

Addressing township council May 22, WYSC president John Collinson said the ban would be a logical extension of the smoking prohibition already in place at Ontario schools and their play areas. Some 18 municipalities in the province have outdoor smoking restrictions in effect, he added, pointing to the likes of Barrie, Midland, Welland and Woodstock.

Elsewhere, Ottawa last month banned smoking at all outdoor restaurant and bar patios, city-owned parks, playgrounds, beaches, sports fields and fruit and vegetable markets. Hamilton this month rolls out a smoking ban on all city-owned properties used for recreational purposes.

Karen Makela, director of recreation and facilities, oversaw a similar ban with her previous employer, the City of Elliot Lake. The process here would involve public input into such issues as where smoking would be prohibited and how much of a perimeter would be set up around play areas.

Mayor Todd Cowan said the township should brace for a backlash from smokers.

“There will obviously be a minority that disagree with the suggestion we have,” replied Collison, likening the expected reaction to the initial resistance to a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars.

While acknowledging there will be negative feedback, Coun. Julie-Anne Herteis argued most smokers would see this as the proper thing to do, especially with kids involved.

“Parents don’t need to smoke right there,” she said, noting smokers can move away from the sidelines to more appropriate spots.

If the prohibition is adopted, the township would likely use a “soft sell” approach to winning compliance from smokers. Signs with kids reminding adults that ‘we play here, please don’t smoke,’ typically prove effective, said Makela.