ELORA – For the first time ever, Canada is the winner of the U20 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship. 

Previously, the U.S. had won all nine championships since the event began in 1988 and Canada had placed second the previous six tournaments.

Elora native Chris Rathwell was on the team that broke through. 

“It’s surreal, I can’t even put into words like how much it means to make history for my country,” said Rathwell, a Team Canada midfielder. 

The field lacrosse tournament was held in Jeju Island, South Korea from Aug. 15 to 24.

Canada won 6-5 in the final, holding off a comeback effort from the U.S. 

Rathwell, 20, said Team Canada goalie Grayson Manning, who was named tournament MVP, had one of the best performances he’s ever seen from a field goalie.

In the round robin stage of the tournament, Canada lost 7-6 to the U.S.

Rathwell said the team’s “tight-knit chemistry” helped them bounce back and feel confident going into the final game.

“The nerves didn’t really get the best of us. I think in the last game, we were really calm and collected,” he said. 

A pre-tournament team trip to Tokyo for a training camp helped build a lot of chemistry early-on.

“We’re all from different areas of Canada, and we all just kind of found each other really quick,” said Rathwell.

“The coaches said we were one of the tightest groups they’ve ever seen at this level.

“And I think that was the most important part to winning the gold. I think we were able to do it together.”

Rathwell, 20, grew up in Elora playing box lacrosse.

He attends Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, where he plays NCAA Division 1 field lacrosse. 

Rathwell is home in Elora for the summer, and played his fourth year in the OJLL (Ontario Junior A Lacrosse League) with Kitchener Waterloo. 

He led KW in points last season, with 32 goals and 47 assists in 22 games. 

In the future he hopes to play in the National Lacrosse League, saying he plans to stick with the game, keep having fun and make more long-lasting relationships with teammates. 

Rathwell said it was an honour to represent Canada.

“I think just coming home and realizing … you’re a world champion and that Canada never did it and that I was a part of the first team is something that can’t really be put into words.”

Chris Rathwell, middle, and teammates Reece Dicicco, left, and Max Frattaroli, right, pose with their gold medals. Photo by Kealan Pilon

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CLIFFORD – This summer, 50 students were granted the opportunity to build a business and gain entrepreneurial skills in the process.

Saugeen Connects offered the Saugeen Student Start-Up Program (SSUP) with the help of member municipalities, private sector funding and the Saugeen Economic Development Corporation.

A total of $24,500 was raised to help youth from Brockton, South Bruce, Wellington North, Minto and Hanover achieve their business dreams.

To celebrate their successes, SSUP officials hosted an end-of-summer barbecue event at the Clifford Community Hall on Aug. 26.

• Saugeen Connects receives record-breaking number of applicants for Saugeen Student Start-Up Program
• Saugeen Connects launches SSUP program

“These young people should be extremely proud of themselves,” Minto Mayor Dave Turton told the Advertiser.

“It’s really exciting; I mean these kids are amazing.”

Turton was one of five municipal representatives who introduced program participants. He represented the 21 students from Minto. 

“It’s a partnership between municipalities and when you get out to things like this you get to meet other councillors, mayors and people – it’s really neat,” Turton said. 

This was the sixth year for the program, which has now provided over 318 students with start-up funding and interactive training/workshops.

Fifty SSUP students started 46 business this year, including: lawn care, babysitting, tutoring, dog-walking, custom and pre-made jewelry, food products, baked goods and more. 

“It’s really great to get to know everybody and meet different people,” Minto youth Brynnlee Wick-Graham told the Advertiser. 

She started Brynn’s Bowtique in July, offering personalized hairstyles such as braids, tinsel accents and soft curls.

Her station was quite popular during the event, with lots of guests opting for the tinsel service.

She originally joined as she heard “great things” about the program and had friends involved as well.

Wick-Graham believes it’s important to learn entrepreneurial skills at a young age as “it’s in our everyday lives and helps us when we grow up.”

Seventeen-year-old Tavis McCulloch of Harriston said he earned roughly $10,000 over three months with T.M Detailing, his first foray in the program.

“I thought it was a cool idea [and] thought it would be a good way to learn how to start and maintain a business,” he said.

McCulloch’s services include detailing cars, deep cleans and quick refreshes.

“I did learn a lot, especially social media wise,” he added.

McCulloch said he plans to pause his business during colder months but return in the spring as, “I already have clients that want me for next year.”

Abbygale Golley started Abby’s Organics on her family’s farm in Minto.

“We have a whole lot of vegetables and we can’t eat them all … I figured selling them might be the best way,” she said.

This was Golley’s second year in the program with the same business.

She offered farm tours, visits with chickens, sunflower planting and the opportunity to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and eggs.

“It was definitely a lot of learning and hard work,” she said.

“I’m doing business in high school so I’m hoping to take some of these skills to that class.”

Golley earned $200 during the summer months.

“If you’re thinking of joining it, definitely do it,” she said of prospective SSUP students.

“You make a lot of friendships and make money of course.”

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CENTRE WELLINGTON – The beach at the Belwood Lake Conservation Area has been closed due to the presence of blue-green algae.

“The closure is expected to be in effect until after the algae bloom has dispersed,” stated an Aug. 27 press release from the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).

The announcement comes one week after the GRCA closed the beach at Conestogo Lake Conservation Area in Mapleton for the remainder of the summer due to a blue-green algae bloom and reduced water levels.

• Conestogo Lake Conservation Area beach closed for rest of summer
• Suspected blue-green algae spotted on Belwood Lake
• Blue-green algae spotted on Conestogo Lake

GRCA officials say they closed the Belwood Lake beach, part of a one-acre spring-fed quarry within the conservation area, on the recommendation of public health officials.

A late-July notice of a blue-green algae bloom in the Belwood Lake reservoir remains in effect, the GRCA added.

Blue-green algae is discovered pretty much every summer at Belwood Lake, Conestogo Lake and/or Guelph Lake, as hot weather creates “the perfect conditions” for it to grow in large bodies of water, officials say.

Officials say visitors, recreational users and cottagers on Belwood Lake and Conestogo Lake should take the following precautions:

• keep children and pets away from the algae;
• avoid contact with the algae;
• don’t eat fish from the lake; and
• don’t use the water for drinking or any other purpose.

Anyone with health-related questions can contact public health.

For more information visit the GRCA website.

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Warmer temperatures and drier conditions seen in the later part of the summer prompted the Grand River Conservation Authority to ask people to conserve water.

The GRCA’s Grand River Low Water Response Team last week announced a Level 1 Low Water response. They are urging water users to reduce consumption voluntarily by 10 per cent.

The level 1 conditions mean flows in the river system are less than 70 percent of their normal summer rates and/or precipitation has been measured at less than 80 per cent of the average amount.

The agency’s Mark Andrews told The Observer that the monitoring team looks at various indicators in making its determinations.

“We are seeing low water conditions. We’re seeing reduced precipitation and stream flows at a number of our locations throughout the watershed. Not all of them, but enough of them that it makes it prudent to declare a level 1,” he added of the recent call for conservation.

They’ll be watching to see if conditions improve. If instead they worsen, there’s the possibility of calls for more cuts to water usage, he noted.

The Ontario Low Water Program was established by the Ministry of Natural Resources. The response teams are typically coordinated by conservation authorities.

“We’re kind of a secretary for the team. And then we also have municipal involvement, and some of the bigger ones like agricultural representatives, people from the aggregate industry, golf courses and other large water users like that,” Andrews explained.

The voluntary water usage reduction is mainly targeted at municipalities, aggregate operations, golf courses, water bottlers, farms for irrigation and private users. But every little bit helps, noted Andrews, saying that residents can also do their part.

“I would maybe refer them to their local municipal water-use bylaws. Your local municipality probably has some information on our website about water conservation, but it’s basic stuff like reducing your outdoor water use in particular,” he added.

“We are not asking people to flush their toilets less or take shorter showers, although that can help, but it’s things like lawn watering, washing your car – any kinds of outdoor water use, if you can avoid that or minimize that, that’s always helpful.”

Andrews added that the GRCA have not noticed any long-term climate trends that have been affecting water levels, but did say that climate change might have an effect.

“Over the last however many years we’ve been monitoring, things like climate change are expected to impact our climate. Ironically, the information that I’ve seen suggests that our watershed will probably receive more annual rainfall as we move through climate change.”

But there is a problem that comes with this potential increased rainfall, which is that it is will fall during the wrong time of the year, he added.

“We’ll get more rain in the winter and possibly longer, drier summers. As the water may become more of an issue with climate change than it has been in the past but, again, that remains to be seen.

“Though we might be getting more rain, it will come during the winter and spring and not when we need it for crop irrigation,” he said.

“The bottom line is just be mindful of how much water you’re using, and try to reduce where possible.”

More information can be found online at www.grandriver.ca.

New signs along the Waterloo Region section of the Guelph to Goderich Trail (G2G) will help connect trail users and the farmers who live and work alongside the route.

The Waterloo Federation of Agriculture has put up six signs along areasections of the G2G trail.

WFA president Nicholas Weber told The Observer that the idea for these signs stemmed from a similar project that was done in Wellington County, noting members are always looking at ways to raise awareness about the agricultural community.

“One of our members actually is a member of the G2G trail committee, and he said, ‘You know what? There’s a Wellington section.’ A couple of years ago, they did a section where they had signs talking about agriculture along the trail,” added Weber.

WFA then thought, ‘Why not do something similar in the Waterloo Region section of the trail?’ he explained.

The project got a boost from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s Revive Fund.

“We brainstormed some ideas of what we all wanted to do, sign-wise,” he added.

“There are six different signs all talking about different aspects of agriculture that people want to always think about…. Some general ag awareness stuff there, and just stuff people might not always think about when they think about farming and what the impact is in the greater world.”

The signs match up with the corresponding crops or farm activities that are nearby, including apple farming and soil protection, for example.

“One of them actually was in partnership with the GRCA as far as water conservation and different real water quality programs and the impact it’s had across the region and across the province,” Weber said.

Canadian Senator Rob Black described the signs as inviting trail users to learn about the farms and crops and “offer a window into agriculture,” the OFA said in a release.

“It’s kind of a nice touch point for someone who is already outside and going past, at least fills some time when they’re walking or hiking or biking there,” Weber noted.

He added that the signs are a great way for trail users to find out more information about their food, while also ensuring its accuracy.

“This is a great chance to give them more information too, and make sure it’s the correct information and the facts are in place, because there are all kinds of stuff you can find online, but how much of it is truth?”

The six signs can be found along the 30-kilometre stretch of the G2G trail, including the Kissing Bridge Trail.

Though winter weather is hopefully still months away, environmental groups and municipal leaders are already looking for provincial action on salt pollution.

The Ontario Salt Pollution Coalition (OSPC), a group of municipal leaders, NGOs, and concerned citizens, is advocating for an approach to mitigate the effects of road salt impacts called “limited liability.”

That’s a solution proposed by the snow and ice management industry represented by Landscape Ontario. The snow plow industry has faced increasing insurance costs over the past years to cover possible slip and fall lawsuits.

“A lot of companies’ insurance rates were astronomical, and that drove a lot of people out of the industry,” said Claire Malcolmson, executive director of the Rescue Lake Simcoe Coalition.

What the industry is proposing is that snow plow operators and site owners both would follow prescribed rules to standardized operational best management practices. In return, they would have their liability for slip-and-fall lawsuits limited.

That, proponents say, would reduce salt application rates, save money on salt expenditures, and reverse skyrocketing insurance costs for contractors. Currently, there are no provincial standards for salt use.

Currently, 19 municipalities have passed resolutions for the provincial government to form a committee to look into limited liability for salt use, a list that includes Waterloo.

“Reducing salt pollution has long-term environmental cost savings, which we should all support, but it also would reduce the cost of infrastructure repair, which is a significant concern for municipalities,” said City of Waterloo Coun. Julie Wright in an OSPC release.

Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission estimated the economic and environmental damage of the salt at $4.8 billion per year, including $2 billion in Ontario.

“Let’s stop throwing money away and protect the environment,” added Malcomson.

She noted the effect that winter salt has on a variety of species in waterways around the province. One of those is the plankton at the bottom of the food chain, which can not survive in the increasingly salty water.

To some, this might not seem like a big problem, but Malcomson stresses that taking out a part of the food chain will have a larger effect on the whole ecosystem, leading to the likes of lower fish stocks, including muskie.

Currently, they are also looking for the province to review whether the guidelines they have for acute and chronic exposure to salt are appropriate for Ontario lakes, Malcomson added, calling for rules that make the guidelines mean something.

“We’re asking the province to bring experts together to advise it on how better to protect our environment and water from salt pollution. This could include advice on salt management plans, best management practices and on ecologically protective water quality standards.”

The OSPC has been coordinating and advocating for two years, and continued that work in Ottawa this week at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s annual meeting.

“Municipal officials have more power than they think, especially when we act together. The province is hearing us. The more cities and townships that pass resolutions calling for provincial action on salt pollution, the closer we’ll get to real policy action,” said Dani Lindamood of Water Watchers in the release.

Ontario’s so-called “strong mayors” legislation hands undue power to city halls at the very moment residents are crying out for restraint and public accountability. This week, Woolwich Township council urged Queen’s Park to review – and ultimately repeal – the policy.

Their instinct reflects the growing realization that top-down diktats, even when marketed as efficiency fixes, threaten the collaborative spirit municipalities need to manage everything from property taxes to public safety measures.

Locally, large tax hikes have been the norm in recent years. Councillors offer little more than feeble explanations, blaming inflation and service demands even as internal budgets balloon.

Residents dealing with lingering inflation, most notably at the supermarket, deserve more than numeric excuses. Food prices have soared, vacations have been put on hold, and now our local governments ask us to dig deeper simply because they can. Councils, already prone to rubber-stamp staff proposals, have shown no appetite for cutting redundant programs or trimming administrative roles. If a “strong mayor” with just one-third of councillor support can steamroll any debate, the only restraint on municipal spending will be the whims of a single individual.

High-profile examples from other regions highlight just how badly this can go. In Vancouver, former mayor Gregor Robertson wielded expanded powers to reshape the city’s budget – only to preside over a dramatic surge in spending and taxation. Public input dwindled, and ill-considered projects proliferated, saddling residents with higher bills and fewer say in how their communities evolve. If anything, that case study should caution Queen’s Park against duplicating the same mistakes here in Ontario.

The folly of consolidating municipal authority is further underscored by past local fiascos, council-approved yet plagued by cost overruns and delays. Imagine those blunders executed under a strong-mayor regime, without the push-and-pull of a full council oversight process. The province’s rationale – that decisive leadership will solve the housing crisis and expedite infrastructure – rings hollow when history shows such concentrated power invites unchecked enthusiasm, overspending and community alienation.

Strong mayors also risk deepening political polarization. Municipal councils serve as microcosms of community values, bringing diverse neighbourhood voices to the table. When one office can shut down debate, dissenting perspectives vanish. Grassroots activists lose faith, engagement drops, and decision-making narrows to whatever agenda the mayor chooses to champion. Ontario’s cities and towns are far from homogenous – what works in Toronto’s core won’t necessarily suit a rural township or a midsize city grappling with different growth pressures.

Rather than grafting sweeping mayoral authorities onto our municipalities, Queen’s Park should invest in strengthening local governance: provide stable funding formulas, offer more planning resources, and reinforce transparency requirements. If housing targets are the goal, boost municipalities with technical expertise and conditional grants, not authoritarian powers. Fiscal discipline must start by compelling cities to prioritize spending – cutting waste before raising taxes – rather than dangling unjustified executive authority.

Ontario’s strong mayors policy is a dangerous experiment with democracy itself. It undermines the principle that local decisions should reflect broad community consensus, not the decree of a powerful few. As Woolwich council and an increasing chorus of municipal representatives have stressed, now is the time for Queen’s Park to backtrack. Repeal the strong mayors act, restore decision-making to fully elected councils, and recommit to the collaborative governance that built this province. Our communities deserve nothing less than accountable, inclusive leadership.

The National Farmers Union is the latest group to voice opposition to the polarizing federal Bill C-2, The Strong Borders Act.

The NFU is urging the federal government to withdraw Bill C-2, which it says will jeopardize the safety and rights of migrants and refugees and threaten agricultural production.

One of the main reasons the NFU marks this as a pressing issue is the far-reaching effect and serious new powers to officials and ministers who oversee immigration in Canada, noted the organization’s James Hannay.

“The ability to change, modify or cancel immigration documents, including work permits and visas, is pretty serious,” he said

“That’s a pretty large increase in power. And as mentioned in our media release, the cases under which those powers can be invoked are termed as being in the public interest.”

The breadth of situations that come under the banner of public interest also creates many concerns for the organization. This is especially prevalent for farmers and farm workers, as 25 to 30 per cent of the Canadian agriculture workforce consists of migrant workers, he added.

“You can create a very volatile environment if you can use those powers to cancel work permits for these migrant workers who have historically been, in many cases, mistreated or subject to a lot of abuse.”

He says these powers, which have not yet been defined, could exacerbate the situations that some migrant workers already face.

“A big piece of this new law is that law enforcement can now have warrantless access to particular types of information if they have a reasonable level of suspicion.”

“That can include things like electronic communications or messages or other personal information that some other civil rights and liberties groups have highlighted as being an issue as part of Bill C-2.

“They say that some of these new provisions in Bill C-2 could have impacts on our Charter rights or have the ability to infringe on them. That’s quite concerning for us.”

Hannay told The Observer that these new provisions and resultant uncertainty might discourage migrant workers from coming to Canada.

“There are issues with the current state of Canada’s migrant worker programs. We are reliant on market work coming to Canada to fill the jobs in the agricultural sector, and we need to make sure that these people feel welcome and that they feel safe doing their work.”

Currently, there has been no clarification on how these new powers could affect the Temporary Foreign Workers program, and farm groups are awaiting details.

“I think really what we’re looking for in the NFU is for temporary foreign workers to have a clear pathway to permanent residency status,” added Hannay.

“If they’re filling jobs that we deem are crucial, and I think are important for feeding Canadians and people around the world. Then they should have the rights and privileges allowed by permanent residency status and not feel like they’re in a very volatile space where they can have their status or rights revoked.”