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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-05-13, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 13, 2010. PAGE 7. Letter to the Editor Warden’s intentions questioned in ARC process Couple could face 10 years each for scheme Continued from page 1intended victim was Sheila Terpstra.Serena had two meetings with Curtisand he admitted in court that heconsidered doing it. But, instead,after the second meeting he went to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in London. Curtis then introduced Serena to the man she thought was a hitman on February 18, 2009 in Listowel. That meeting and all subsequent meetings with the undercover officer with either Serena or Tony were recorded. At the first meeting the undercover officer asked Serena exactly what they wanted and she said Tony wanted Sheila “six feet under”. It was at that meeting that they discussed a plan to stage a car accident that would kill Sheila. They met again the next day in Goderich. Serena gave him $7,500 that she said Tony had given her as the first half of the payment. He asked what they would need for proof that the job had been done andSerena said just her in a casketwould be fine and then laughed, therecording revealed. The undercover officer told Serenathey were free to back out at any point, but that if they did he would keep the $7,500. During that meeting, Serena sent Tony a text message and set up a meeting between Tony and the hitman in Kitchener. At that time Tony was working on a job on Wolfe Island, near Kingston. Tony met with the undercover officer on February 23 and provided him with pictures of Sheila and her vehicle. The officer asked Tony exactly what he wanted and Tony said he wanted Sheila “gone… dead”. He admitted he had thought about this several times over the years, but always had second thoughts. He said he was 95 per cent sure this time but wanted two weeks to think about it to be sure. The officer again said that they could back out at any timebut he would keep the money. Theyalso both agreed that nothing wouldhappen if there was any chance ofany kids being in the vehicle.The officer then testified that he called Tony on March 10, 2009 and asked him if he was planning on going through with the plan, to which Tony said he was. The officer said he was thinking of doing it that week and Tony hesitated because of the possibility of kids being with Sheila. The following week was March Break and so the officer said he hoped to do it before then, but only if he had an opportunity when there were no kids in the vehicle. He was hoping to do it on March 12 and Tony agreed. At about 10:30 p.m. on March 11, Tony called the officer and got his voicemail. He then left a message saying that the next day wouldn’t work because Sheila would have her nine-month-old niece with her that day and for the next few days. Sheila Terpstra testified that shedidn’t have any plans to have herniece with her that week. The undercover officer didn’t getthat message until very early the next morning. He immediately called his fellow OPP investigators and said it was too late to change their plans. The officer was told to call Serena and Tony that morning, tell them it had been done, make arrangements to get the second half of the money and arrest them at that time. The officer called Serena and then Tony, told them it had been done and Serena was arrested that morning. Tony was arrested later in Kingston. Throughout the trial, Serena’s lawyer, Phil Cornish, had attempted to show that Serena was simply doing what Tony had asked her to do and the plan to kill Sheila was Tony’s alone. Tony’s lawyer, David Humphrey, however, claimed that his client was only going along with the plan tokeep Serena happy and never reallybelieved it would get beyond thetalking stage. When it did, he saidTony deliberately stalled the planhoping that the ‘hitman’ would get frustrated and just take the money and leave. Crown attorney Bob Morris said it would have made a lot more sense for Tony, at some point, to suggest that the plan had gone far enough and he wanted nothing to do with. Instead, Morris said Tony supplied the money and gave the undercover officer pictures of his wife and her vehicle. The jury deliberated until shortly after 9 p.m. on May 4 before finding both Benninger and Terpstra guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Murder and Counselling to Commit Murder. Sentencing is scheduled for June 28. Crown Attorney Bob Morris says case history would suggest a sentence in the five to 10-year range. THE EDITOR, Morris-Turnberry is no longer a democracy! Today we received the Morris-Turnberry Green Approach letter. A new dump tax of $5 to enter the Municipal Landfill Site starts May 15. I don’t remember hearing about a referendum or even a survey regarding this proposal. Not that taxpayer surveys carry any weight. In the spring of 2008 we had a survey proposing curbside pickup. In April of 2008 residents received a letter stating that from the survey results the majority of us were not interested. I was naive in believing that was the last we would be hearing about this proposal. Within 10 days residents received a second letter informing us that curbside pickup would be starting May 7. Obviously a democratic majority opinion means nothing. Two years later, driving through Morris-Turnberry, it is difficult to find any waste or recyclables waiting for pickup at the end of anyone’s lane. It is an unnecessary chore even in the best weather to drag bins, bags and containers 50, or often, 150 yards down the lane, then later search for them and drag them back. Nevermind getting all the garbage that blows down the road and settles in fields and ditches. It is so much simpler, more convenient and less messy to just take refuse directly to the dump as we have done for decades. According to today’s letter at least 900 township families agree with me as that is the number of vehicles that enter the landfill monthly. Based on the 2008 survey results, reinforced with this more current information, would it not seem prudent to continue letting residents use the dump and cut back the unused curbside pickup? People don’t want it! And that is why council chooses to force it upon us. Unfortunately councillors dwell too much on the phrase quoted, “the municipality receives grants…” Their eyes light up with dollar signs and what their constituents want becomes instantly irrelevant. I regret having voted for Mayor Dorothy Kelly in the last election but it was only as she seemed the least offensive candidate. It will not happen again. I feel she would fit right in with the McGuinty crowd, her governing style is so similar (no this is not a compliment). She has totally forgotten that the key part of civil servant is SERVANT, to your already-overtaxed constituents. Vil Jerva, Brussels. Continued from page 1 helped Dykstra write the letter and if it was presented to council before it was sent to the school board. Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek said that he couldn’t recall seeing the letter and sided with Bezaire that some sort of retraction or clarification should be issued. Huron East Deputy-Mayor and member of the now disbanded ARC, Bernie MacLellan, said that council’s idea was to not stay out of the process this time around as they had in previous accommodation reviews, but that perhaps council should have just stayed out of the decision. “It’s unfortunate that the school board chose a few sentences out of the letter and used it against you [Dykstra],” MacLellan said. “I think this is a lesson well-learned, because by sending the letter, we probably didn’t help the situation.” Goderich’s Deputy-Mayor John Grace said he felt the use of Dykstra’s words in the official staff recommendation sent a very clear message to all of Huron County council. “I think this is the school board sending a message to Huron County council to stay out of the process,” he said. “I think it’s definitely a shot from the school board.” Bezaire then drafted his motion, getting the support of Van Diepenbeek in order to put the motion on the floor for a vote. The motion stated that Huron County council supports all of its schools, regardless of their location and that it hopes that all schools can stay open going forward. “We regret that the warden’s comments were misconstrued to favour any specific school over another,” the motion went on to say. Dykstra clarified his position on the matter, saying that he supports all of Huron County and its schools. “This council does support the rural community,” he said. “Many of us are from the rural community.” North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent, however, stood by Dykstra’s original comments, saying that council decided to make a choice, if faced with a difficult decision and that the warden shouldn’t be villianized as the messenger of council’s decision on the matter. “We said that if we had to make a choice between a rural school on a concession or an urban school with commerce around it, that children would go to the arena for hockey or figure skating after school, it would be very reasonable that we would support schools that are part of the community and if there was a choice to be made, we would choose the one with those opportunities and I think we did that,” Vincent said. “I don’t like it and I don’t relish making these changes, but I stand behind what was done. I stand by making a bad choice, rather than making a disastrous choice.” MacLellan also stood by the intention behind council’s decision, but said that a clarification should be issued, considering that the process is still ongoing. “We did try to rationalize that if we made the decision, that it would be the lesser of two evils and that’s where we went wrong,” MacLellan said. “It may not have appeared right to the public if we would have stayed out of it, but that might have been better.” The motion was passed in a recorded vote, with 14 votes supporting the motion and five votes against the motion with Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt absent for the vote. It was also decided that copies of the motion and council’s decision to support it be forwarded to Alexander, Deitner and the school board. Addressing the accommodation review process at a higher level, Huron East Mayor Joe Seili said that he felt the higher tiers of government let rural Ontario down throughout this process in allowing Huron County schools to close. “I feel our Minister of Agriculture has bailed on us,” Seili said. “I’ve sent numerous letters to the previous and current ministers and I’ve received the same letter, just with a different name on the bottom. I guess that’s how much they respect rural Ontario.” Belgrave Kinsmen And Community Centre Board present Belgrave Arena Grand Re-Opening Saturday, May 22 Belgrave Dancing 9 -1 Enjoy the Famous Belgrave Kinsmen BBQ 5-7 pm Tickets: Adults $12. for BBQ, $12.00 for dance or $20.00 for both Under 12, $8 each or $15.00 for both Available from any Kinsmen Member, Belgrave Variety and Belgrave Co-op or call 519-523-4778 www.riverjunctionband.com