The meeting of the Maryhill Historical Society took place on Wednesday, August 12th at 6:30 p.m. in the Edward Halter Home.  The meetings always open with the Land and Territorial Acknowledgment that we meet on the original ancestral lands of the Chonnonton (Neutral) people and later the hunting grounds of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee Nations.

Committee Name:  Archivist & Genealogy

Assistance was given to families researching – Allgeier / Fink / Fischer / Girodat / Heins / Hoffarth / Johnson / Karges / Klein / Kurtz / Leyes/ Mayer/ Rich / Ruth / Schell / Schmaltz  / Schnurr / Uhrin  / Weiler / Zettel / Zinger.

People were from – Cambridge, Colborne, Georgetown,  Guelph, Kentucky, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, Trout Creek, Washington D.C.

The Waterloo Region Generations website has been taken down but looking into why and how it can be restored.  This is a very valuable tool for anyone tracing their genealogy.

Committee Name: Birthday Club

It was reported that 7 cards were sent out for the month of August.  We have one new member join the 80’s Birthday Club.

Committee Name: Cemetery

The Canada Flags have been removed off the Veterans graves in both the New and Old Walled Cemeteries.

Committee Name:  Community

News continues to be sent to the “Maryhill Blog “in the Woolwich Observer.

Committee Name: Facebook

Pictures have been posted on our Maryhill Roots facebook page from this year’s Canada Day.   Also a picture from Heritage Day 1986, a class from 1939 -1943 & the Historical Society directors and family. We now have 1078 members.

Committee Name: Fundraising

The Euchre card parties are going well and will end the last Monday in August.  The Historical Society will again be holding a Bingo Night at the Elmira Lions Club on Thursday, April 22nd next year. 

Committee Name: Membership

There are a total of 308 individual members including organizations and politicians. We have 259 member households.   Two new members have joined during August.

Committee Name: Newsletter

The next newsletter will be going out shortly to advertise our coming Heritage Day on Sunday, September 20th.

Committee Name:  Resource Centre

The pictures from Canada Day and the 200th Anniversary have been printed and placed in a binder.  We have also received a donation of a St. Boniface Maryhill Panthers jersey and the inventory has been updated.

  The Historical House continues to be checked periodically with the  dehumidifier  and the mail. 

Canada Day items and flags have been taken down and stored away for next year.  The flowerbeds around the flag, Historical House, bell cairn and grotto have been maintained as well as plants being watered.

Committee Name: School

The flowerbed continues to be maintained with the Waterloo Catholic Separate School Board recently trimming the 3 shrubs.

WELLINGTON COUNTY  – The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) has opened two investigations into separate incidents in Wellington County.

On Aug. 16 around midnight, Wellington County OPP officers attempted to stop a vehicle in Guelph/Eramosa, according to a news release.

After the driver didn’t stop, police ended their pursuit.

The vehicle was later found after crashing.

“All five occupants were transported to hospital for assessment, and three were confirmed to have sustained injuries,” the news release stated.

In a separate incident, on Aug. 17 at around 8:15am, Wellington officers arrested a driver during a traffic stop on St. David Street in Fergus.

“During the arrest, the individual sustained an injury and was transported to hospital,” stated a news release.

No additional details were provided in either release.

Police notified the SIU about injuries sustained in both incidents.

The SIU’s mandate includes investigating cases where law enforcement involvement results in injury.

WALLENSTEIN – Black migrants, some free, some formerly enslaved, cleared the land at the present-day border of Wellington County and Woolwich Township and farmed it in the early 19th century.

But when the government surveyed and sold it in the 1840s, many of the 1,500 Black settlers couldn’t afford to stay on the very land they had cultivated.

On Saturday, a new mural by Ottawa artist Kalkidan Assefa honouring that story was celebrated at Earthscape in Wallenstein, on land that was part of the settlement.

Titled The Song Continues, the mural covers two sides of a building’s corrugated metal exterior.

On one side, hands work a hoe into the land and swing an axe into wood. A row of tombstones are based on a nearby cemetery connected to the settlement.

On the other, hands are raised toward a higher power, and a boy reads with the hand of an ancestor on his shoulder urging him onward.

As the sides converge, two people sing with hands outstretched, clapping — the mural’s central focus.

The singers were inspired by Guelph resident Tracy Lee Johnson, a descendent of John Lawson and Thomas Mallet, Black freedom seekers who fled enslavement in the U.S. via the Underground Railroad and helped form Queen’s Bush.

“The inspiration … really was Tracy and her family story, and that being the entry point for me, and for a lot of folks to understand this history,” Assefa told a gathering of around 120 people.

Johnson performed Oh Freedom, Wade in the Water, God Bless the Child, I Know Where I've Been and others at the event.

“My ancestors are here right now … they are shining and smiling down on us as we continue with this,” she said.

Assefa said he began with a water-based primer over the metal exterior, sketched his artwork on the primer, and worked through large blocks of base colour with latex paints.

Then came details — highlights, shadows, textures— all spray painted from a boom lift.

It took all of July to finish the mural, he told the Advertiser.

“I had bins, I had a whole truck full of paint, so much paint — I went through hundreds of cans on this project,” Assefa said.

The idea originated with Mark Schwartz of Mapleton-based playground builder Earthscape.

He took it to Elmira-based Hearts Open for Everyone (HOPE), an anti-racism non-profit that ultimately organized the project.

“When Mark approached us in May with a vision for this project, we knew it was a sacred opportunity to bring regional Black history out of the archives and into the open to give this history the honour it truly deserves,” said HOPE executive director Abby Cooper.

The project cost just over $45,000, according to Cooper, with contributions from Earthscape, the “RT04” tourism group, Township of Woolwich, Mapleton Historical Society, Wellington County Historical Society, and individual donors.

Kitchener-Conestoga MP Tim Louis, Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz, and Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae provided remarks at the event.

Rae said drivers will see the mural while cresting Highway 86, a daily reminder of the area’s history.

Cooper said generations to come can look upon the mural “with pride for the legacy that paved the way for them.”

Assefa said his work, and its title, “alludes to a continuity, and not just a past history.”

“Legacy is something that continues,” he said.

ELORA – Briar Gemmell is bringing back Briar’s Movie Night in the Park for a third time.

Now 16, Gemmell ran her first movie night when she was just 12 years old.

“A lot has changed since I started,” she stated in an email.

“I’m 16 now and going into Grade 11, so life is definitely busier with school, volleyball, coaching and spending time with friends. 

“But helping local kids is still really important to me. I know there are children in our community who go to school hungry, and if I can do something to help, then I want to.

“Seeing how our community comes together every time reminds me why it’s worth all the work.”

A commercial on the radio drew her attention to food insecurity and the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington’s Live Free campaign that made her aware many children – likely many of her classmates – didn’t have enough food to eat.

The foundation offers a school food program and Gemmell decided to raise funds for the program.

Cue the movies. 

After just two movie nights – in 2022 and 2024 – Gemmell has raised $13,000 for the program and hopes this year’s event will bump that up to $20,000.

She recently was awarded with the foundation’s Young Philanthropist Award.

“It was such a special surprise, and it made me even more excited to keep growing Briar’s Movie Night in the Park,” she said.

“The award really belongs to everyone who has supported the event over the years because I couldn’t do it without this amazing community.”

Movie night is Aug. 22 at Bissell Park in Elora. This year’s film is How to Train Your Dragon, the live-action version released in 2025.

Bring blankets, lawn chairs and whatever you might need to be comfortable for the screening, which begins as dusk. Admission is by donation.

If it rains, the event moves indoors to the Jefferson Elora Community Centre hall.

Thanks to sponsorship by Kat Florence and donations and participation of local businesses, 100 per cent of donations will go directly to the Children’s Foundation.

There will be food for purchase. Pete’s Grill Food Truck, BeaverTails, Chilled Chime Ice Cream Cart, which is run by local youth, and Cotton Candy by Jo will all be there. 

She’s lining up a face painter and there will some games, movie trivia and more before the show starts, making it a fun-filled evening for everyone at every age, she said.

Gemmell said she’s grateful to Kat Florence for sponsoring the event.

“Their support means every dollar raised goes directly to the Children’s Foundation’s Keep Kids Fed at School Program,” she said.

“I’m incredibly grateful because it allows every donation to make an even bigger impact for local kids.”

Gemmell is listing and thanking all the community businesses that have helped on her Facebook and Instagram pages.

To date they include: The Ayrshire Collection, Move Centre Wellington, Tony’s Sourdough, Shoe Villa and The Metcalfe Smokehouse.

“The Township of Centre Wellington has also been so helpful with planning the event, especially since we’re back at Bissell Park this year,” said Gemmell.

“I’m also so thankful for all of the volunteers, my family, my friends and everyone else who has helped make this event possible. 

“Every time I ask for help people are so willing to jump in, and that means so much to me. It’s really amazing to see our community come together to support local kids.”

For those who can’t make it but wish to donate, there is a QR code on Briar’s Movie Night in the Park social media pages linking directly to her fundraising page through the Children’s Foundation. 

Eligible donations automatically receive a tax receipt.

Gemmell is also thinking about logistics, looking at ways to make it easier for people to attend, such as parking and shuttle options. They won’t be in place this year, but perhaps in the future.

“I’m so grateful for everyone who has supported Briar’s Movie Night in the Park over the years and I can’t wait to see everyone come together again on Aug. 22 at Bissell Park,” she said.

ARTHUR – Arthur resident Henry Zeas has created an app to help people avoid paying late fees on their utility bills.

The app is called BillMaple and is available from the Apple App Store. After a one-week trial, users are expected to buy into a subscription.

BillMaple is a bill tracker that manages expenses including rent, hydro, gas and phone bills and provides pings for due dates and summaries of payment histories.

Zeas invented BillMaple with the Canadian market in mind; the app is available in both English and French.

Zeas is a recent arrival to Canada, having settled in Arthur with his wife and children about three years ago, in part because a friend already lived there. 

He and his family left his native Nicaragua amid political turbulence and came to Canada as refugees.

Zeas studied computer science in Nicaragua and took further courses in graphic design and web design while working for a US company. 

He recently decided to apply those skills to an entrepreneurial venture of his own.

Necessity being the mother of invention, the idea for BillMaple came after Zeas was repeatedly hit with late fees while struggling to keep track of bills with varying due dates.

That led to a light bulb moment: What if he created an app that organized all of his bills so he didn’t needlessly lose money to late fees?

The app also notifies users about energy costs, for example when gas prices fluctuate.

This year, Zeas also started Zeas Design, a company that aims to combine an attractive visual appearance with utility across web design, branding and more.

So far, the fledgling business has gained some US clients, although Zeas hopes to attract local ones too.

Zeas already has another app in the works, the spin-off PawMaple, which he hopes will provide users customized advice about local veterinary clinics and their pet’s health.

As BillMaple is designed to help people manage household budgets, PawMaple would turn the same idea toward their pets.

“My hope is that the app helps people to save money,” Zeas said.

GUELPH – Between the everyday hustle of working life, to the unexpected events that always seem to arrive at the worst time, it’s easy to get lost in the ever flowing pace of life.

Artist and mindfulness coach Roxana Bahrami recognizes this and has set out on a mission to encourage everyday people to tune out of the hustle of life and instead tune in to themselves.

“I’m a self-taught artist. My specialty is pointillism, and as far as I remember, I’ve been doing dot painting,” said Bahrami.

“From the very beginning, I realized it had a very positive impact on me, but it was exactly 10 years ago that I realized that if it has that much impact on me, it’s on me to pass it on to others.”

Bahrami began her mindfulness journey in 2016, when she pursued mindfulness teaching and began taking clients from her home studio before moving on to teach workshops at local organizations and universities.

“Gradually, I moved into online teaching, and of course, the audience moved from just Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph to Ontario, beyond Ontario, B.C., and even in the US,” said Bahrami.

“A few months ago, it was like a kind of aha moment. Why do people need to come to me either for face-to-face workshops or online workshops? Why don’t I put together a simple and small package, which has all the fundamental well-being and mindfulness that I learned throughout this journey, and give them something?”

And thus, A Little Box of Calm was created.

The box includes 10 simple dot painting exercises as well as all of the supplies needed to complete the work. 

“The intention is not making someone an artist. It’s just giving them ... the basic permission to pause, and it’s all about slowing down and doing meditative drawing,” said Bahrami. 

“When it comes to slow drawing or dot painting, we are talking about some kind of ... repetition, and doing this kind of repetition helps our mind or brain to stay in the moment and be grounded."

Everything included in the box is by intentional design, right down to the size of the canvases.

“It’s small. You can hold it in your hand, and each exercise, based on the size of the cardstock is designed to be completed in maximum 15 minutes,” said Bahrami.

“Why? Because we human beings would like to see the final result of something and say ‘check, done.’”

The box includes a small stand so once complete, the piece can be displayed.

While the initial batch of boxes has already sold out, Bahrami is still accepting orders on her website.

To order, visit roxanabahrami.com.

TORONTO – Michelle Obama wore her earrings. Selena Gomez wore her rings. Hannah Waddingham wore her bangles. Jennifer Lawrence wore her anklet.

But the greatest thrill for jewelry designer Jenny Bird is seeing regular women wearing her creations.

“When I see women wearing my jewelry, I just love it,” Bird said in a phone interview.

Bird, who was born and raised in Elora, and later lived on a farm in Ariss, is living a blessed life in Toronto right now.

She heads a burgeoning jewelry business also called Jenny Bird, where she’s living the creative lifestyle of her dreams.

And having big-name celebrities wear her pieces certainly hasn’t hurt her brand, she said.

She connects with stylists and they connect with the celebrities, Bird said.

“The celebrity world operates in images and they use stylists. And stylists need modern products that make their clients look modern.

“If [a celebrity] loves my earrings, she can have them. It’s a big compliment when she chooses to wear them herself.”

Bird’s designs aren’t trendy, but they are modern and add a contemporary boost to any wardrobe, she said.

“That’s the purpose of Jenny Bird – to keep you looking modern and current. I have a role to play in your closet.”

It’s been a big year for Bird. The Globe and Mail placed her company at number 18 of Canada’s top growing women-led companies in 2026.

Bird also received the Alumni Award of Excellence in Entrepreneurial Spirit from Wilfrid Laurier’s alumni association in May.

“I feel grateful for the recognition, and we have accomplished a lot,” she said. 

“But that was never my goal. I don’t care if my name is in lights. For me it’s about making a positive economic impact. And I hope to inspire others to do all they can do.”

It’s easy to talk about her success now, but Bird’s career did not follow a straight line.

At her father’s urging she got her Bachelor of Business Administration at Laurier and joined him as an investment advisor after she graduated.

She did it for a few years, but despite the generous salary, “I wanted to be an entrepreneur,” she said. “I wanted to be creative.”

She switched career paths to brand marketing, but it still wasn’t checking all the boxes for her.

“I had a real desire to create,” she continued. “And I had a vision of this life, where I could create and earn a living doing it. How dreamy would that be?

“The vision was too sweet to not pursue it.”

She tried sewing handbags, but it was hard to make a go of it, she said. She got another 9-to-5 job, but at age 30, she quit again, throwing herself into her new luxury leather handbag business.

Her bags featured unique hardware, and she was learning the casting process, preparing to scale up the business. Then the recession hit.

“There was no market for leather handbags anymore,” she said. 

But she realized that while women were no longer buying $500 handbags, they would treat themselves to a $100 necklace now and then. So she switched from handbags to jewelry.

“I did it quickly,” she said. “I needed the mortgage payment.”

But you don’t just become a jewelry designer because you want to.

Bird said she doodled as a child and had some talent. Which is why she was enamoured with all the artisans in downtown Elora who earned their livings as artists.

“There was a silversmith on Mill Street and I thought, ‘This is their life? An adult was doing this?’” she recalled.

“Elora gave me exposure to an artistic career in craft. I was so enthralled.”

Her family later moved to a farm in Ariss, and her grandmothers taught her to sew.

Her first business was a lemonade stand. In middle school she made and sold scrunchies, and opened a “store” in her living room where she sold homemade bookmarks.

“That was the proprietor in me,” she said with a laugh. “I guess it was always there.”

Back in Toronto, her jewelry started to sell. And ideas for jewelry pieces started to flow.

“I love jewelry design,” she said. “The ideas seem innate in me, like a language. It’s very rewarding, and a little addictive. I enjoy envisioning the end products and the process of bringing them to life.”

It took time to get the product line going, but it finally took off.

Jenny Bird has been in business for 17 years. She now employs 75 people, and the C-suite is entirely women.

She also runs the Possibilities Fund, where one per cent of every purchase is directed to organizations that help women in urgent need as well as mentorship programs and mental wellness initiatives.

To date more than $500,000 has been donated to organizations including the YWCA Canada, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Womenmind program, Baby Love and Baby2Baby.

It’s like a figure eight, she said.

“Women buy jewelry to feel uplifted; a percentage of the sale goes to organizations that uplift women. It’s a beautiful, cyclical thing,” she said.

Bird has lifelong friends in Elora and visits often.

Most of her sales are online but she has a few stores that carry her line, including the Ron Wilkin Jewellers boutique store in Elora.

Bird said cynical people will say that you need connections to wealthy people to become successful yourself but that’s just not true.

“I’m proof that there isn’t anything you can’t achieve if you work hard and keep at it,” she said. 

“You can achieve a life less ordinary. That’s what I’m proud of. If that can inspire others, I’m proud of that too.”

BRUCEDALE – Guelph/Eramosa is receiving a $200,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Fund to help pay for pickleball courts in Rockmosa and Marden parks.

Construction of the Rockmosa court is already underway.

Mayor Chris White announced the funding at an Aug. 11 council meeting. 

The 2026 budget for the courts was $562,000. However, the township is spending  $793,000 before tax – down from $1.24 million initially indicated.

At the meeting resident Ian MacDonald questioned council on the need for the courts.

“There’s just not the evidence to say that the amount of money being spent on [this project] is actually warranted by the amount of use we’ve seen,” said MacDonald.

He told council he’s seen few residents playing the sport at Rockmosa Park this summer.

Councillor Mark Bouwmeester, though sympathetic to MacDonald’s concerns, stated they would simply have to “agree to disagree” on the courts.

“I remain convinced of the popularity of pickleball,” said Bouwmeester. 

“I think it’s going to be a strategic investment and well-received by residents now and into the future.” 

GUELPH - Data centres are the way of the future, and those against them are misinformed, Ontario Premier Doug Ford told reporters on Aug. 13.

Ford made his remarks against the humming backdrop of servers storing Ontarians’ sensitive information at a Guelph data centre on Thursday.

He pitched data centres as a now-or-never opportunity as the province released its “data centre playbook.”

“This is the way of the future, either we do it, or Donald Trump’s going to do it, and I’m not giving Donald Trump nothing, absolutely nothing,” Ford said.

The so-called playbook — currently in a draft phase and open for public commenting — would be used to determine what projects get to hook up to the province’s power grid.

A final version will feed into the province’s broader strategy around AI, expected in the fall.

Data centre projects would be assessed on their economic benefits, local investments and digital sovereignty.

Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli said the playbook’s purpose is to help “negotiate the best deal” with proponents as the province fields increased data centre proposals.

Projects would also be assessed by power grid impact, independent power supply and water use. Centres using closed-loop or waterless cooling would be prioritized, and new builds larger than one megawatt would fetch higher electricity rates.

“They’re going to be paying for their own facilities, for their own power,” Fedeli said, noting the province wouldn’t financially incentivize builds.

“The whole idea is to get the best value for the people of Ontario,” he added, in part.

The province is touting massive numbers around the economic benefit of the centres, suggesting $122 billion in cumulative economic growth by 2035 and 17,000 new jobs each year.

Ford called the opportunity a “no-brainer” and said closing the door on data centres “would be the worst thing we could ever do.”

“It’s going to drive the world economy,” the premier said, adding, “trillions and trillions of dollars around the world is being invested.”

Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Minister Stephen Crawford called data “the new gold.”

“This is critically important that we as a government, and corporations, keep [our] data right here,” he added.

A 25-acre brownfield in Fergus, once home to the Wolverine Tube copper tubing plant, is being eyed by Waterloo-based Spur Innovation for an AI data centre.

But if concerns about water and power use, and environmental impacts, posted to local Facebook groups are any indication, some are ardently opposed.

Ford suggested those against data centres are succumbing to misinformation on social media.

“Guys, get informed, it drives me crazy that people are misinformed, do your due diligence, do your research,” he said, adding, “data centres have been around for decades.”

Ford called it “hypocritical” to rely on services powered by data centres while opposing them locally. "It just doesn't add up," he said.

In Centre Wellington, councillor Bronwynne Wilton has proposed a year-long moratorium on the centres — coming to council on Aug. 24 — to provide township staff a chance to assess whether local policies can handle the facilities.

Wilton said she wants to ensure potential impacts on surrounding neighbourhoods are understood and mitigated.

“I think it’s good if [a] municipality has an option to opt in or opt out,” Wilton said.

Local councils will have a say over whether data centres are built in their communities, Ford said, but he didn’t directly rule out using ministerial zoning orders.

“I’d sit down with the mayor and council and we’d consult with the community, but I’d rather go to a willing host,” Ford said.

NORTH WELLINGTON – How firefighters in Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North are dispatched to emergencies has changed with a new three-way agreement.

Instead of paging fire stations in the same municipality as an emergency, calls will go to whichever station can arrive the soonest.

“This is the best thing we can do for the residents of our three municipalities to make sure that we are getting people on the scene quicker and more efficiently,” fire chief Chris Harrow said during an Aug. 11 Mapleton council meeting.

“It will improve response times for all residents of the communities, and it just makes sense, quite frankly,” he said when speaking to Minto council earlier the same day. 

It’s known as a “Borderless Response Agreement,” and all three municipalities have signed on.

For now, the agreement doesn’t involve financial compensation between the municipalities, with the goal each will benefit equally.

But Harrow said response data will be regularly monitored, and compensation can be later discussed if a municipality is carrying a heavier load.

The agreement’s impact will be most noticeable when there’s a two-station response, Harrow said.

“The net benefit is seeing two stations be able to get on scene a lot quicker.”

The chief expects Mount Forest and Teviotdale will see better response times.

Some Minto Fire stations can provide better coverage of Mount Forest than Wellington North Fire Services can. And in Teviotdale, Mapleton Fire Rescue has closer stations than Minto Fire does.

The three fire departments have been working under a partnership agreement, called the Tri Fire Services, for more than two years, and “have worked hard to standardize many aspects of the operational side and work together on a more consistent basis,” Harrow told Minto council.

Currently, the three departments operate within their municipal boundaries with current response zones. If a department is required to travel outside the boundary, it is classified as mutual aid. 

“This agreement would go over top of the mutual aid agreements that we have,” Harrow told Mapleton council.

Drive-time analysis will factor road networks, speed limits, traffic concerns and turnout times to determine the closest response.

Emergency response zones will be digitally mapped through the dispatch centre, with the six closest fire stations ranked in order based on drive times and factors such as speed limits and road restrictions. If additional stations are needed at an incident, dispatchers will already know which stations should respond next.

The agreement will run for three years, with data presented annually to each council. 

A clause in the agreement would handle a council opting out before three years, Harrow noted.

Minto councillor Ron Elliot commended Harrow for the idea of a borderless agreement, but noted that dispatch can sometimes make mistakes and call out the wrong department. He asked if departments would still respond to a call and continue until they are called off.

The fire chief responded, “There’s still going to be mistakes made with cell phone callers. Cell phone callers don’t always know where they are, so that’s when we get those problems.”

He added that the new system would be able to locate cell phones and more accurately pinpoint where an incident is occurring.

“With humans involved, there’s always going to be error. So the protocol will always be: if you get called, you keep going until you get called off because no matter what, we want to get somebody there,” said Harrow.

Wellington North councillor Sherry Burke asked if officials had considered how the change could impact firefighter burnout should a station experience high call volume.

“We definitely consider that all the time,” Harrow said.

“We are hoping that this will actually help ... we are not sending firefighters long distances to calls ... for example it won’t cause Arthur to come all the way down to Mount Forest all the time because we have Harriston closer.”

Mapleton councillor Michael Martin also expressed support: “I love this report. I’m glad the chief has brought forward his previous experience as a paramedic into the seamless coverage.”

The province currently dispatches whatever ambulance is closest to an emergency, regardless of what municipality employs the crew.

“I think it’s wonderful ... I hope other municipalities follow this example of seamless coverage,” Martin added.

Wellington North councillor Steve McCabe said he likes  how “as the tri-township fire services evolve, we are finding ways to streamline the whole team, including this agreement, where the closest firehouse responds, cutting down your response time and hopefully ... saving people’s lives.”

Mapleton Mayor Gregg Davidson said: “It’s very progressive that we have this Tri Fire Service and this is another piece of the progression to make it seamless that we are responding together at calls regardless of the border. That’s what the idea of the Tri Fire was, that we were going to work together – in not only equipment and training, but also in response,” Davidson said.

Minto deputy Mayor Jean Anderson gave a “heartfelt thank you” to Harrow and all firefighters as they have “had quite the summer – some dreadful accidents and the straw fires and so forth.”

She added, “I kept thinking about your workers and the local communities, businesses that allow them time off to attend to that and the service they provide.

"So thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for everything they do.”

FERGUS – The Fergus Curling Club’s U20 men’s team is heading to the World Junior Curling Championships in Aberdeen, Scotland in February and there’s a fundraising campaign to help them get there.

Steve MacDougall is manager of the team, and he’s still reeling from the excitement of last season and the reality that his team came out on top.

The team consists of Evan MacDougall, Dylan Stockton, Evan Madore, Carson Kay, Ryne Fisher and coach Jordan Thin.

“The Fergus club hasn’t had a provincial title since the 1800s,” MacDougall said in a phone interview, noting the team had an incredible season that got them to the provincials and then the nationals.

The provincials were held in Kitchener in March and the nationals in Sudbury in April.

“It was not a foregone conclusion that we would get the gold,” MacDougall said. “We thought they’d do well – even to medal would be an accomplishment.

“And there were hurdles to get there,” he continued. “A couple of the team had norovirus, so they were not 100 per cent at the nationals.”

Still, they won against an Alberta team and the deal was sealed.

Team MacDougall, named after skip Evan MacDougall, who is Steve MacDougall’s son, is not local, although they’re affiliated with the Fergus Curling Club, which has provided them ice time for practice.

And some Fergus club members came out to Kitchener and Sudbury to cheer on the team during those important games.

“The Fergus club has been very good to us,” MacDougall said.

The team has been together for two years, “and it took quite a bit of work to make it to the top level. But because of the work they put in, they matured significantly. 

“Our team grew organically over the years,” MacDougall added.

After the worlds, the team ages out of the U20 category and advances to U25, a different game with older players.

The Fergus Curling Club is hosting a one-day fundraiser, called Fergus Rocks the World, on Aug. 29 at the club to help cover transportation and other expenses.

Events include euchre, cornhole and waddies tournaments and a battle of the bands, where the audience votes for the winner with cash. Euchre begins at 11am with other tournaments following in the afternoon.

Battle of the Bands begins at 6pm and wraps up just before midnight. For more visit ferguscurling.ca and search for Fergus Rocks the World under the events tab.

FERGUS – A couple disruptive years and one bumpy winter later, Centre Wellington has announced that the St. David Street North (Highway 6) reconstruction project is complete.

The provincial-municipal thoroughfare opened to traffic at 5pm on Aug. 12.

By the next morning, crews were removing road closure and detour signage on neighbouring streets.

The project was completed in three phases.

The first, from St. Andrew Street to just north of the Garafraxa Street intersection, was completed in 2024.

The second, extending from just north of Garafraxa Street to Edinburgh Avenue, was substantially completed in 2025.

The third and final phase included remaining paving, landscaping, and active transportation work completed this year.

The overhaul was prompted by ageing infrastructure, and involved water and sewer pipes, reconstructing the road and sidewalks, adding bike lanes, traffic calming elements, intersection improvements, and streetscape additions such as benches and decorative streetlights.

The project was controversial from the beginning.

Ten of 14 on-street parking spots were removed to make way for wider sidewalks, trees, streetlights and separated bike lanes.

The decision to remove the parking spots and add bike lanes was made in 2021 by a previous council after considerable public input, consultation with businesses and the province, and with regard for the township’s transportation master plan.

Council of the day was divided on most matters — but members voted unanimously in favour of bike lanes at a June 2021 council meeting.

Mayor Kelly Linton and councillors Neil Dunsmore, Ian MacRae, Steven VanLeeuwen, Bob Foster, Stephen Kitras and Kirk McElwain comprised the horseshoe.

However, at a subsequent meeting, VanLeeuwen, Foster, Kitras, and McElwain thought they made a bad decision and asked MacRae, Dunsmore and Linton to reconsider the decision. A motion to reconsider did not pass, so the project moved forward.

The controversy continued last year, when drivers were met with a rough ride on a newly reopened St. David Street a day before Christmas Eve.

Base asphalt had been laid on a layer of frozen gravel during winter cold spells, the township told the Advertiser at the time.

Frost spread through the granular material and the road buckled and warped.

“With construction now complete, St. David Street provides a renewed and improved connection through Fergus, and supports the township’s continued investment in safe, reliable and sustainable infrastructure,” the township said in an Aug. 12 news release, thanking the community for its “cooperation and patience.”

The $9.25-million project was paid in part by a $2.85-million provincial grant.

The Headwaters Institute, a Canadian charity focused on protecting water, is calling on the government to do more to protect Ontario’s Great Lakes.

The charity last month submitted formal comments on the renewal of the Canada-Ontario Agreement on Great Lakes Water Quality and Ecosystem Health (COA), calling for the integration of land use and watershed planning in Ontario and greater public outreach. The Headwater Institute also submitted a petition with 150 signatures, along with recommendations on the renewal of the COA.

The discussion comes at a time when the federal and provincial governments are debating the renewal of the COA. The agreement came to an end on May 31 after being in effect for five years and undergoing its ninth renewal.

If it’s on his property, then it’s his problem.

That’s the feedback Woolwich farmer Pat Polillo received from authorities following a series of complaints about illegal dumping on his farm. And it’s not just household refuse he’s dealing with – it’s dump trucks unloading construction materials such as topsoil, broken concrete, bricks and lumber.

“We’ve been here over 27 years and this is probably the worst it’s been, starting about six years ago. I would say the past two to three years have been the worst, and this year, the way it’s going, will be the absolute worst,” the Apple Grove Road resident told The Observer.

“It used to be a small amount. But now we’re getting dump-truck loads.”

Four communities in the Region of Waterloo will see beefed up transit services thanks to a cash infusion from the provincial government announced last week. Bus routes in Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot and North Dumfries will benefit from $3.4-million in additional funding.

Wellesley Mayor Joe Nowak described himself as “ecstatic” over the news, which he believes is the result of years of campaigning.

“This is something we’ve been working on for a number of years. We’ve always realized there was a need for it in our rural areas, and now we have an opportunity to have this pilot project and see if this is going to work for us,” he told The Observer.

Almost every Ontario driver can say they have witnessed dangerous driving behaviour, a new survey from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) finds.

The CAA South Central Ontario (CAA SCO) reports that 96 per cent of drivers have seen those dangerous behaviours, which include speeding (78 per cent), aggressive driving (69 per cent), unsafe lane changes (68 per cent) and distracted driving (67 per cent).

However, only 57 per cent of drivers admitted to engaging in at least one of these, but for drivers aged between 18 to 34 years old, that number rises to 62 per cent.

An Elmira resident who is no stranger to acclaim in international powerlifting competitions has now been recognized for her veterinary talent. 

Dr. Emily zur Linden received the American Association of Small Ruminant Practitioners’ Dr. Don E. Bailey Practitioner of the Year award last month for her work with small ruminant animals. 

Cass Stewart, who works with zur Linden as a student, told The Observer she nominated her because the award description fit her perfectly. 

“I believe she deserves every recognition possible for the work she does,” she said.

It’s been two years since the Wilmot residents learned of Waterloo Region’s plans to take control of 770 acres of prime farmland for a future mega-industrial site.

While the region has acquired much of the land, local activist Susanna Campton says the fight isn’t done just yet.

“It’s really not over. I know because it’s been quiet and because there have been some sales. It feels like the fight is done, and I think that it’s important to know that it’s not,” said Campton.

Her passion for protecting Ontario’s farmland has roots in her childhood, growing up on her parents’ cabbage farm in Wilmot. Her family’s farm was directly across the road from the land that the region was trying to acquire for the proposed industrial site.

Planting trees near streams has big benefits for the environment. These living green zones protect water quality and help stabilize eroding banks. That’s why ReForest Woolwich, the local non-profit aiming to increase the Township’s tree canopy, is offering free stream buffer planting for residents.

Anyone whose property has a stream near a roadway, currently lacks good tree cover, and has a planting area away from livestock activities qualifies for the program. Property owners must also plan to keep the trees and will have their site assessed to ensure the proposed planting will not negatively impact the existing ecosystem.

“What the stream buffer project is basically planting trees along streamways that intersect a roadway. So if you have a stream that intersects a road, we can plant it to a certain distance away from the roadway, and that’s just due to our funding requirements,” explained Braedon Witt, ReForest Woolwich’s operations manager.

This duck thinks it’s a puppy.

If you travel out to Pam Woodhouse’s farm in Ariss, you might encounter a rowdy duck named Buddy that has come to believe it’s a dog. This charismatic waterfowl has befriended a golden retriever named Lucy, and their pairing has led to delightful social media posts that feature them nuzzling and rough-housing.

“Buddy was a three-week-old duckling when we first got him. He was given to us from a friend in Burlington,” Woodhouse told The Observer, noting that the drake was ill-suited for an urban environment.

The proposal by CRA Lands Limited to obtain an industrial land-use designation for 108 acres of agricultural land and a former gravel pit north of Bridge Street West has renewed focus on the countryside line. 

Established in 2009 with roots tracing back to 2003, the countryside line was designed to curb urban sprawl and protect vital agricultural land. The region features six growth boundaries: one encompassing the urban tri-cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge, and five others dedicated to rural settlement areas, including Wellesley, New Hamburg and Baden, Elmira, St. Jacobs and Ayr.

Because the proposed development site sits on the north side of Bridge Street West in Woolwich Township, it directly breaches this established boundary. The prospect has prompted swift outcries from residents in the neighbouring Martin Grove Village and local advocates.