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Gangs terrorize beach It's a bitterly cold day just off Tiny Beaches Road South. Bruce Henley's house between Concession 7 and 8 in Tiny Township is a large bungalow which has been created by the convergence of two cottages. He is perhaps 30 meters away from the beach. As the waves come crashing in, they are the only disruption to the overall tran- quility of the area. But it is not always so. Henley will lead you to the beach and point at the sand which is now quite damp. There are tracks all through it, some are 15 to 20 cm in width. Most are deep. These leave a perverse path all over the beach. It's all evidence of the movement of 4x4s, trucks, cars and all terrain vehicles which Henley claims ride up and down the Wimblewood Beach and terrorize the residents with their noise, speed and pro- vacative activites. "They're playing giant slalom with the peo- ple who walk up and down the beach here. These kids drive their machines as fast as they can through the sand and often come dangerously close to children who are play- ing out here in the sand. I've seen them charge straight ahead at some child and the poor kid doesn't know what's happening." "One of these days, someone's going to get hurt. If it's not the children, then it might be the parents who go running after their children because they're worried about them getting hit by one of these idiots,' Henley shouts shaking his head with indignation. Henley has registered an official protest over the repeated incidents with Tiny Township council. He has also been in con- tact with the OPP. The Tiny resident says the drivers are usually unlicenced and "wear helmets so they cannnot be readily identified." But Henley says he knows who they are. "You can always bet that these people will come by ona Friday night, when it's too dark to see clearly and when they figure they can get away without worry from the police." Henley also says that the motorcycle ram- pages are destroying the beach itself. "It is the growth of the grass which holds the sand back: when that foilage is disturb- ed, the sand starts to recede,"' Henley says. It is quite clear too that the foilage is being disturbed, and certainly to a layman's eye, the sand is apparently receding. Henley is the first to admit the beaches are public property. He does not want to own the sand in front of his property. He just wants to enjoy the full benefits of his location, benefits he says he cannot claim as long as the hooligans are riding along the beach. "These are not trails,' Henley adds. Henley says it is difficult to get full co- operation from Tiny council. "So many of the people who live here in the summer are just cottagers and when they lock the door on their cottage in the Fall, they really do lock the door. They return to Toron- to leaving those of us who are still here to continue the fight." Henley does have a suggestion as to how the situation could be rectified. He says signs shuld be posted at the neighboring road allowances which read 'no motorized vehicles allowed on the beaches in Tiny Township." He also wants the access areas to be properly blocked with permanent metal posts. So far, Tiny Township has not shown a great deal of interest in the project. At last week's meeting, Councillor Ross Hastings said, '"'There are problems everywhere, this is the least of them." For his part, Reeve Morris Darby claimed that you would "need 100 patrol men to police the area." Clerk Guy Maurice suggested that "we can't beat them." + 7eneranguisnene rele ay Vol. 20 No. 46, Folio 92 Minister writes letter A Tiny Township resident believes the Minister of the Environment has claimed responsibility for the contaminant plume migrating from the vicinity of the Pauze land- fill site in Perkinsfield. Bruce Henley of Tiny Beaches Road has received a letter from Environment Minister Jim Bradley. In it the minister states, "If im- mediate action is necessary, | can assure you that my ministry will require such work to be undertaken and that drinking water sup- plies downstream will be protected." The letter confirms that the plume is travelling at a rate of approximately 50 to 70 meters a year. A plume is an underground movement of waste towards water supplies. Henley, who has repeatedly contacted the Ministry of Environment, Tiny council and Simcoe East MPP Al McLean to relay his fears regarding the plume, is confident this letter means government action. Bradley does not call the plume a chemical plume but a "contaminant plume." The waste is referred to as "volatile organic con- taminants"' at one point. But Henley says the letter implicitly realises the chemical nature of the travelling waste. "I made it quite clear that I was talking about a chemical plume in my letter to Mr. Bradley,' Henley says. "I don't see anything in this letter which definitely tells me it's not a chemical plume." There has been a large difference of opi- nion as to the character of the plume. Dif- ferent hydrogeologists have arrived at vast- ly different conclusions. Henley has sent a copy of this letter to Al McLean. McLean could not comment in full until he has further analysed the correspondence. He did say that the Ministry of Environment should claim responsibility for the plume. "They started this whole thing years ago, it's about time they owned up to it," he said. Attempts to reach an environment ministry spokesman in Toronto were unsuccessful. UMD, Please help me Three year old Melissa Duval needs your help right now. The daughter of Morris and Kathy Duval is suffering from a rare form of cancer which requires immediate attention. You can help by supporting "Melissa's Campaign to Live."" Go to the Bank of Nova Scotia in . Penetanguishene with your donations. Wednesday, November 18, 1987 Weighing the evidence Tiny Beaches Rd. resident Bruce Henley points to the tracks made by an All Terrain Vehicle on the beach. Henley says the beach is being invaded by noisy machines irrespon- ay & B/ ow, es FF) > Ge EB _40 cents: sible drivers who terrorise the walkers and destroy the foliage. The gangs storm the beaches at night and wake people up. Parents need money now Little Melissa Duval, born in Penetang, is in desperate need of an operation. She needs it quickly. Her parents can't afford it. If Melissa doesn't have the cancer opera- tion, she will probably die. Her parents, Morris and Kathy Duval, are originally from Penetanguishene and they're sending out an urgent request for money. The Duvals can't afford the cost of sending Melissa to a hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Their three-year-old daughter is suffering from neuroblastoma, which is a rare cancer of the nerves which only affects children and infants. The disease was diagnosed last April and the child has already had a cancerous tumour and her left kidney removed in an operation on Oct. 26 of this year. Melissa requires a bone-marrow transplant now. Since she doesn't have a doner in Canada, the girl must go to the American hospital where a difficult operation will take place. The doctors will graft a part of Melissa's own bone into her body. It is a difficult operation. On Monday, the Duvals were in Toronto to make an appeal from the Ronald McDonald House. Delva Lacroix is Melissa's aunt. She says it's hard to get money because the operation is occurring outside the country. She says Melissa has been staying at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto for the last six months and this has financially drain- ed the family. "My brother told me that during one 21 day period, he spent $14,000,"' Lacroix says. The operation in the United States is go- ing to cost a minimum of $250,000. "If Melissa doesn't have this operation quickly, the cancer will reoccur in six months,"' she says. Melissa's father has been further financial- ly hurt when he was told that if he journeys to Minnesota, he will lose his job. "They just don't know what to do,' LaCroix says. Melissa's Campaign to Live has been organised at the Bank of Nova Scotia in Penetanguishene. Contributions are needed quickly.