The Perth County Paramedic Service is revamping its efforts to make automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) more accessible to those who need them when they need them.
At the July 4 Perth County council meeting, paramedic service deputy chief of program development Chris Keyser presented a report to council outlining the service’s plans for coordinating and revamping the Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) program. According to Keyser’s report, PAD aims to streamline and ensure consistent service delivery to the public, enhance accessibility and ensure AEDs in public places comply with provincial requirements and best practices.
The revamp of the program will include technological upgrades, the replacement of older units and the potential expansion of AED coverage across Perth County.
“The program started in 2008, evolved over time including more and more grants from the Heart & Stroke (Foundation). The grants dried up, so we’ve launched more of a program to regionalize, take care of things, make sure everything’s in order as legislation moves forward,” Keyser said. “ … To date, we’ve replaced 23 units, taken the opportunity to upgrade our technology and do some training for facilities staff.
“That has also helped us increase our complement of spare AEDs that we can use for our cardiac-loan
HAPPY CANADA DAY!
Canada Day parade.
During a public meeting for a proposed redevelopment of the former Krug Factory, Cambria Ravenhill might have summed up much of the public sentiment when she asked, “Who thought a 10-storey building was a good idea?”
In a gallery and back hall fit to burst, neighbours and Stratford residents gathered at city hall June 27 for the public meeting, which was held on the zone change the developers were requesting.
The developers are asking for a site-specific residential fifth density (R5) zone to permit cluster townhouse dwellings, all other uses permitted in the R5 zone, a reduced parking rate, a maximum height of 36 metres and reduced setbacks for the existing and proposed residential buildings.
With the new zone, R5(3), the development would create eleven residential buildings and 382 units on the site, which is located on the south side of Douro Street between Trinity Street and King Street.
Most of the public expressed support for redeveloping
Stratford Nationals wave from the Orr Insurance fire engine to the crowd that gathered to see the parade on July 1, one of the first floats of the annual
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO)
Neighbours express support for Krug Factory redevelopment
the old factory. The biggest and most frequent concern discussed during the meeting was the 10-storey building, which isn’t being proposed for the original factory but would be a new build on the southern portion of the site.
As Alex Burnett, planner with the city, pointed out, a 10-storey building is 36 metres tall. Currently, the tallest residential building in Stratford is seven storeys or 22 metres tall.
Caroline Baker, representing BMI Group, the developers, said that in accordance with the city’s process, representatives contacted a number of neighbours prior to the public meeting inquiring about whether they would support such a development or not. She said they canvassed in the afternoon when the majority of neighbours wouldn’t be at work, and the 10-storey building was discussed during those conversations.
Marva Bailey-Wisdom was the first of the public to speak during the meeting. Though
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it was not a requirement to give an address, she did, saying her family is at 266 King St. She pointed to her mother, Eva Bailey, in the gallery. The elder Bailey still gardens for many neighbours in the area and wanted to know about parkland, which Baker later clarified that 42 per cent of the seven-acre development is classified as landscape/open space.
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Bailey-Wisdom also had concern over some of the language being used.
“There are a number of comments or allusions to ‘the owners are considering, this is not the owners’ intent,’ Bailey-Wisdom said.
“My hopefulness (sic) is that some of these will be a little bit more concrete as we go down the line.”
A few residents, like Jason Davis, did praise the development for building up rather than out and encroaching on farmland.
Davis also inquired about EV parking and recharge stations and pointed out many families have two vehicles and the parking currently proposed in the report wouldn’t be enough for them. Parking on the street isn’t a feasible solution either since parking tickets would rack up quickly.
Right as the meeting was about to begin, suspended resident Mike Sullivan appeared in the gallery. His presence in chambers, which was prohibited by the city for a three-month period after alleged respectful workplace policy violations, had previously cancelled two public meetings.
After Mayor Martin Ritsma asked him to leave, Sullivan did, saying he would be leaving only out of the interest of all the citizens that had filled the gallery for the public meeting.
“I will leave in order to allow this meeting to go ahead and I appreciate the patience of all you here and all those who have supported me throughout this,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan left his comments and concerns on the development with Sharon Collingwood, who read them after she presented her concerns, including that the decision to
allow this zone change is precedent setting.
Sullivan’s concerns revolved around much of what was already discussed and also what this development adds to the climate crisis and the density a 10-storey building would bring to the city.
“The developer is looking to you, mayor and council, for enormous easements,” Collingwood read. “Among them, a 10-storey building not currently permitted anywhere in Stratford, significantly greater density that is permitted.”
Lorne Johnstone was one of the residents that spoke on the infrastructure of the area. He said when it rains heavily in the area, the sewers already back up and flood, wondering what will be done when there are more than 300 more families in the area.
Baker said the report indicates the development couldn’t be serviced with the existing sewer infrastructure, that the storm trunk would be lowered so that the storm sewer is closer to grade, that a new sanitary line would be brought in to improve overall conditions and the developers will incur the cost.
Whether the proposed units will be affordable, Baker said that the intention is for 10 per cent to be affordable units by the Province of Ontario’s definition, which is 30 per cent of a household’s income.
Baker estimated prices for affordable units may start at $400,000 to $700,000 to purchase. Renting would be in the ballpark of $1,000.
Many residents also expressed ire at the lack of councillors at the meeting. Four councillors – Coun. Larry McCabe, Coun. Lesley Biehn, Coun. Jo-Dee Burbach and Coun. Mark Hunter – were absent and sent their regrets.
No decision was made during the public meeting, as Ritsma stated, but the development will be coming back to council in the future.
Due to provincial guidelines, Ritsma said there isn’t time to have another public meeting, as some residents suggested, though he did stress that comments, concerns and questions from the public can still be sent to the city to be considered by staff and council.
In a gallery fit to burst, residents gathered on June 27 to share their opinions and hear from their neighbours on the Krug development.
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO)
(BMI GROUP PHOTO)
from the
Faith Knechtel, the 2023 Stratford Fall Fair Ambassador, gives a wave.
The parade started
corner of Lakeside Drive and Waterloo Street, making its
down Waterloo to Mornington Street, then McCarthy Road West until it ended at the Rotary Complex.
L’Arche Stratford joined the parade, one of the many community organizations that made their way down Waterloo Street for the parade. See more photos on page 15.
Motorcycle parking needs to change in Stratford
To Mayor Martin Ritsma and members of council,
Please consider this my application and recommendation to the mayor, city council, and city staff of Stratford to amend the motorcycle parking strategy within the City of Stratford.
In 1974, my mother accepted the position of director of psychology here in Stratford, leaving her position as a psychologist in North York. Still in high school, I was given the choice to join her in Stratford or fend for myself and remain in Don Mills. I elected to follow her and finished the last year and a half of high school at Stratford Central. The curriculum extended to Grade 13 at the time. Arriving on my Yamaha 360, I wondered where the students parked their motorbikes at the school. As it turns out, in 1974, I was the only student with a motorcycle, so I parked wherever I liked.
Fast forward to today and several motorcycles later, I now have the dilemma of where to park my motorcycle in the core of the city where I work daily. With our busy season coinciding with the only months available to ride, I feel awkward and terrible taking up an entire space needed for cars in our downtown; not to mention the justified sneers from our countless visitors
Keep the city’s respectful workplace policy
After reading stories of the recent happenings during city council meetings and the upcoming call for removing the respectful workplace policy, and receiving an email asking me to write to council agreeing with what one councilor is doing, I have decided to have my say.
Now is not the time to remove the respectful workplace policy.
The removal would leave city council
Letter to the Editor
coming from Toronto, Detroit and other places to visit our world-class theatre and support the local economy.
Recently, I purchased the smallest mosquito of a bike, a 50cc Yamaha Vino Scooter, perfect for commuting to work, downtown, or zipping around our streets that match its top speed of 50 km/hr. Although I'm not entirely focused on my carbon footprint, except in my building designs, the miles per gallon are extraordinary. This aside, I cannot express enough the frustration of taking up an entire space with a bike that I could fit nine or 10 of within a single designated parking space.
Currently, Stratford has three designated parking areas for motorcycles: four slots in front of TD Canada Trust, two in front of Blowes and a secret, unmetered single space around the corner from Commerce Bank. I used to use the latter most frequently until I moved my office from Market Square. I have had conversations with the fine payment department in the basement of city hall, which I must visit regularly when my meetings run longer than the money in the meter. They suggested I offer my idea to the parking department. I thought I would do one better and ask the deputy clerk and then, of course, thought as these letters are often lost in translation, I would write to the parking department,
and the mayor with little or no ability to combat the vicious attacks and ramblings of certain individuals and groups now harassing council members. We elect councillors to act on behalf of us, and our city. They are privy to facts and engage in educated discussions in order to make informed decisions.
My motto has always been, “Make the right decision for the right reason,” something I would pass on to certain members of council. Yes, not all decisions will be unanimous within the city, but to abandon the duty to
Restoring small-town journalism, one community at a time!
the deputy clerk and hope our local newspapers would print my letter to the public so others who drive motorcycles and those who drive cars might agree or disagree with the policy I recommend.
The reciprocal of my frustration occurs with my tiny scooter or a larger motorcycle when, often over the course of a season, a single car will consume the four motorcycle spaces in front of TD and even more frequently the two in front of Blowes, temporarily or not.
Having travelled to many European countries, I have rented motorcycles out of Lisbon, Le Mans, Rome, Florence, Palermo, Athens, Antalya and in the East out of Bangkok. In these places, motorcycles are permitted to park just about anywhere without the fear of hefty tickets. Parking in general is far more practical, with spaces placed much closer together, utilizing all possible orientations to use the available space. Municipalities permit motorcycles within public squares, designated areas and commonly on portions of sidewalks. They apply a commonsense approach and are much more relaxed or have designated free areas where parking is allowed without fear of reprisal.
To be clear, in Stratford, if I brought my bike or scooter and the meter man goes by, if three other bikes have shared the
make these decisions without looking over our shoulders to see if we look good is a derelict of duty. Yes, public input on decisions is appropriate, and there is a myriad of ways this happens, but the hard decisions need to be made without thinking of our re-election opportunities.
The respectful workplace policy has been reviewed, voted on and put in place. It should be adhered to, not removed because of someone’s inability to act accordingly – especially in a public setting.
Decision making should not revert to earlier times when all it took was a few loud,
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space and not registered with the digital paid areas, each of the bikes' plates will be checked, and those that did not also pay would get a ticket. So, if the space was paid for by one as it would be for a car and the other three bikes did not pay, each would receive a $40 ticket. After asking the meter man/maid about the tiny corners left over from our post-COVID, pressure-treated wood patio providers (one I found still had a meter, which I filled), I was told this would be a $60 fine even with the meter fed (the "do not park" sign had not yet been installed). My suspicion was confirmed. This is ridiculous beyond measure. Stratford, you are about rules; it is time to voice an opinion and a worldly one at that. Please offer a designated space, some less-usable corner of our concrete piazza behind city hall, so we may offer up the valuable spaces to shoppers, employees of our core buildings, or our precious tourists. Why not help solve the parking congestion and circling of visitors hoping to find a place to catch their play at the Avon Theatre. Only here for 50 years now, and unfortunately, I still remain, very much, an outof-towner. Come on Stratford, time for a change and a shade of common sense, please!
Sincerely, Michael Wilson, Stratford
uninformed individuals looking for the spotlight to change the rules that govern proper behaviour both within our city and within our council.
If council members cannot abide by our policies, cannot make a decision without looking for approval from the gallery, they should not stand for public office.
Thank goodness we have a strong mayor who doesn't shy from "making the right decision for the right reason.”
Respectfully, Karen Haslam, Stratford
City council briefs: Business resumes after June 24 meeting disruption
CONNOR LUCZKA
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
After Stratford city council was adjourned early on June 24 when a suspended citizen arrived unexpectedly in council chambers, a special council meeting was held on July 2 to catch up on delayed city business.
In a meeting that lasted less than 15 minutes, council made a number of decisions.
Hybrid vehicles purchase comes in slightly over-budget, but total reserve is still under-budget
Council approved the purchase of six hybrid Ford F-150 XL trucks for $467,432.05 and one hybrid Ford Escape for $66,267.72 from East Court Metro Ford Lincoln and Lunar Contracting of Oakville respectively.
The two successful bids were the lowest pricing submissions that met the City of Stratford’s specifications.
These vehicles will replace an aging, gasoline-powered fleet as part of the city’s community climate action plan, reducing community-wide greenhouse gas emissions and improving fuel efficiency by about 30 per cent, according to the management report provided to council.
The 2024 capital budget approved $475,000, meaning the total $533,699.77 is over budget. Since the remaining fleet tenders have come “well under budget,” there are sufficient funds in the overall fleet reserve.
Due to supply chain issues, the vehicles will take about 150 days or longer to be delivered.
All of the new vehicles will have expected lifecycles of 10 years.
Asphalt resurfacing tender approved
A $1,716,649.69 contract for asphalt resurfacing was approved by council.
The project is partial and full-depth asphalt replacement of Devon Street from 75 metres east of Pleasant Drive to Avonwood Drive South, Greenwood Drive and West Gore Street from John Street to the water pollution control plant entrance.
Quality of the road was deemed to be in poor or very poor condition in 2022, though a management report indicated the sewers and watermains are in acceptable condition.
The successful bid from GIP Paving Inc. was the lowest. The organization’s qualifications were reviewed and found acceptable.
Local paramedics working to make AEDs more accessible
programs or for the loaner programs for events people can apply for through the county website, as well as provide us opportunities to identify other areas that need to have AEDs for certain events such as the Fullarton ball diamond when they have tournaments.”
As part of this program, Kesyer said the paramedic service intends to update current program policies, conduct a system-wide analysis of the PAD program and work with its municipal partners to inventory AEDs in public spaces that were not initially associated with the original program. That inventory, Keyser said, is crucial for updating records and ensuring comprehensive coverage and maintenance of all AED units within the county.
During the discussion that followed, Coun. Jerry Smith asked Keyser whether the paramedic service will create a publicly accessible map of AEDs in the county to help people find one when or before they need it. Keyser said he and his IT staff are looking at options for providing the most-accessible map to the public. Whatever map they land on, he continued, will need that up-to-date inventory of all public AEDs in the county.
Coun. Jim Aitcheson also asked Keyser whether the paramedic service will address how AEDs kept inside public buildings can be accessed by residents after hours when those buildings are locked.
The total budget approved for asphalt resurfacing is $2.25 million with that money also going towards annual crack sealing and the annual geotechnical-testing program for future projects, the latter of which is expected to cost $100,000.
Health unit and Spruce Lodge apportioned-cost agreements approved
Minor changes to the health unit cost apportionment agreement were approved by council, including revised dates, a clarifying clause and the correction of a minor typo.
The agreement is regulated by the Health Protection and Promotion Act, which requires municipalities to pay the expenses of the relevant health unit based on proportion either agreed to by the parties or apportioned using population.
Huron County, Perth County, the City of Stratford and the Town of St. Marys are the partners for Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) and will share the costs proportionally. The agreement is set to expire at the end of 2024, though a new term was approved until 2028.
Additionally, the apportioned agreement for the Spruce Lodge was approved as well, for a term lasting until Dec. 31, 2028.
Like the agreement with HPPH, the changes are minor. References to legislation have been updated to reflect changes to long-term care in recent years and dates have been properly adjusted.
There was also the removal of a clause agreeing that all shared-services agreements like Ontario Works and land ambulance will be brought to council as one package.
If ministerial approval is not granted by Dec. 31, 2025, the 2017 agreement will remain in effect.
There is no impact on the 2024 operating budget as a result of either of these approvals.
Fireworks approved for Diwali Festival
Fireworks are now allowed on the first day of the Diwali Festival after council approved an amendment to the fireworks bylaw.
Prior to the amendment, “family fireworks” were only allowed on Victoria Day and Canada Day or, in the event of rain, fog, smog or wind, then the next day preceding.
Additionally, sparklers were removed from the definition of “family fireworks.”
Krug factory fire had
“little to no loss”
CONNOR LUCZKA
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
“Improving accessibility will be one key of the program as we move forward,” Keyser said. “With the introduction of digital systems that allow for entry and things like that, we do have options to be able to provide 911 access codes … through the dispatch registry, but that’s something each facility has to come onboard with and then we may have to move locations and provide a safety net so we can protect the security of our facilities at the same time.
“So yes, there are different options we’re looking at and I’m also open to suggestions from you or your staff on how to improve accessibility. There are also outdoor cases – there’s one in Perth South. They’re very costly because they have to be temperature and humidity controlled to protect the device itself.”
At the beginning of this year, Keyser said paramedic services used capital-replacement funding to purchase 27 new AED units. In response to a question about unit price from Coun. Dean Trentowsky, Keyser said they normally cost around $2,500 each, all in, however Perth County Paramedic Service’s good relationship with the provider and the service’s ability to trade in older units has resulted in some savings.
Going forward, Keyser said the paramedic service will regularly present reports to county council on the progress of the PAD program.
A fire at the Krug factory development at 93 Trinity St. is not deemed suspicious and had “little to no loss,” according to Stratford Fire Chief Neil Anderson.
On June 25 at approximately 5 p.m., the Stratford Fire Department received a call from a worker at the facility reporting a fire.
Anderson said the contractors were prepping a steel hopper for removal by cutting it out with torches when the wall of the hopper ignited.
“The contractors had extinguishers available on site, which were used to knock down the initial flames,” Anderson said in an emailed statement. “Some of the residual items in and around the hopper such as chip and sawdust and items of the like … smouldered and caught fire.”
When firefighters arrived on scene, flames were visible from outside. They extinguished the fire with their hose through a third-floor window with no interior fire attack required.
Within the hour the fire was completely out and the building ventilated.
The fire department has no further
concerns and only the external part of the stone wall that the fire impinged upon was scorched.
“As the building has little inside, there was little to no loss. No injuries,” Anderson stated.
On the BMI Building for Better’s Facebook page, a subsect of the BMI Group which is reimagining the factory, the group thanked the site team and the fire department for their quick action to stop the fire.
“Thanks to a well-prepared team equipped with comprehensive fire protection measures and the prompt, efficient response of the Stratford Fire Department, the fire was quickly contained,” the statement reads. “We’re relieved to report that no one was hurt, only one window requires replacement and no further structural damage occurred.”
Furthermore, the group said they are implementing enhanced safety protocols to scan and clear crevices of compacted sawdust before cutwork.
“The Builders Block” as the developers are calling it, is a 382-residential plan that will convert the seven-acre Krug factory into a residential neighbourhood that includes townhouses, apartments and a 10-storey feature.
Suspended citizens return to council chambers unfettered, call for rescinding of respectful workplace policy
CONNOR LUCZKA
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A motion to rescind the respectful workplace policy hasn’t hit the floor yet, but talk is already being had on its future.
At the Stratford city council meeting July 8, Coun. Cody Sebben made notice of his intent to suspend the policy and to ask staff to provide options for a review after three Stratford residents were suspended from city-owned property over alleged infractions to the respectful workplace policy.
Over the three-month period, Barb Shaughnessy, Mike Sullivan and Ken Wood were not allowed in council chambers. There was much public discourse about if such an action from the city was justified, with representatives from the city often saying it was an “operational” matter and an investigation found the three of them had acted against the policy.
That suspension was lifted on July 2.
Shaughnessy was the first of three delegates speaking on Sebben’s motion, arguing such a policy is not a requirement for municipalities to have.
“You don’t need a policy for threats, harassment, or intimidation,” she said. “It’s a criminal act. You call the police.”
She further listed six reasons why council should support Sebben’s motion: the policy should be reviewed annually but hasn’t yet; it was listed as having no financial impact on the city but legal fees have accumulated; in other municipalities the policy is just for staff; other municipalities she has researched with similar policies have council included in making
SUSPENSION OVER
decisions; abuse-of-power safeguards are nowhere to be found in the policy; and taxpayers should not bear the burden of the legal costs.
Shaughnessy’s husband, Tim Forester, delegated after Shaughnessy and said it has been a difficult time for his family. He said he had emailed councillors often about the issue, however his concerns fell on “deaf ears.”
Sullivan followed Forester, moving the felt rope separating the gallery from the councillors’ desks, and striding up the middle of the room.
Before speaking, he asked councillors to close their laptops, particularly calling on Coun. Brad Beatty for reading a news
article about Shaughnessy during her delegation.
He further went on to say that in the case of Bracken v. Town of Fort Erie, the Ontario Court of Appeal considered a similar, if different, case to the one playing out in Stratford. In that case, the court found the town was not justified in issuing a trespass notice to an intimidating citizen since said citizen was never threatening or violent, although the court acknowledged he was confrontational among other things.
“In a free and democratic society,” Sullivan read from the court’s decision, “citizens are not to be handcuffed and removed from public space traditionally
used for the expression of dissent because of the discomfort their protest causes.”
He implored council to rescind the policy he said gave Stratford “a black eye.”
In addition to Shaughnessy, Forester, and Sullivan’s delegations, there were also some protests in the gallery.
Wood was in attendance for the delegations, watching from the gallery with black tape in the shape of an X on his lips. Likewise, a citizen who did not give his name stood at the back of the gallery for the whole hour-long meeting holding a blank sheet of paper. When asked by the Stratford Times if he was protesting, and if so what specifically he was protesting, he replied that it was obvious.
Robert Roth, a concerned citizen, was also in attendance. Roth recently started Save Our Speech (SOS) Stratford, an advocacy group committed to tackling what he calls an “epidemic of assaults on free speech.”
Roth, a retired journalist, said in a media release he believes the workplace policy is being incorrectly used by the city.
“Public meetings are not workplaces,” Roth wrote. “People don’t elect their workplace. Council and committee chambers are halls of democracy with moral, legal and traditional obligations that soar far above the parameters of a simple workplace. Public meetings are sacred forums where free speech reigns and vigorous debate is allowed to flourish. Being able to hold public officials to account is the lifeblood of democracy.”
Sebben’s motion to rescind and review the policy is scheduled to be brought forward at the council meeting on July 22.
2025 budget process gets tentative schedule, new multi-year forecasting model
CONNOR LUCZKA
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Right on time, the 2025 budget process has started, with Stratford city council approving a tentative schedule for deliberations at its July 8 meeting.
Much of council’s discussion on the process revolved around setting a target for next year’s deliberations, which was a practice previously done by the city.
As noted in the report, and pointed out by councillors, setting a target does not allow for factors outside council or staff’s control or allow for effective long term thinking.
“The tendency is for councils to ignore the long term viability of their infrastructure,” Coun. Larry McCabe said. “Which you can see happening across the country. I think the discussions need to be happening at council … I think the tendency to set targets leaves our infrastructure vulnerable.”
Coun. Jo-Dee Burbach concurred.
“In order to get caught up with some of our infrastructure deficit, we need to start spending now,” Burbach said. “So that in 15 years, we don't have failures in our infrastructure. I mean, people already complain about the state of our roads and that is historic. It's because there were not budget increases over a number of years.”
Coun. Cody Sebben on the other hand wanted a target set, arguing that every household and business in the city sets a budget and must reach targets, though Coun. Brad Beatty pointed out that they have been elected to decide what is an acceptable tax rate increase, not city staff.
Like last year, this year city departments will provide an operating budget, detailing what is needed to fund their departments to the status quo, and a capital forecast, staff-identified areas of the city that can be enhanced. Expansion initiatives will also be presented.
What will be new this year is the introduction of a multi-year budget policy.
Multi-year operating budgets are com-
mon practice in many municipalities in Canada, as noted in the management report provided to council, and give an overview of the city’s goals in a small window of time, in this case from 2025-2028.
“The idea of the multi-year budget is to lay the foundation for the upcoming future years for the city's expectation,” Karmen Krueger, director of corporate services and treasurer with the city, said. “And highlight any variances or anomalies that are known by staff at the time that the budget is prepared. There's no intent whatsoever to be implying that there's an approval of a multiyear budget at any given time – it's really just to illustrate the projected effects of the budget.”
Only Sebben and Coun. Geza Wordofa opposed the motion to approve the schedule and policy, with Sebben saying that he did not support it simply due to the lack of targets. Coun. Mark Hunter was absent from the vote.
Initial budget meetings will be facilitated through the finance and labour relations
subcommittee, but will include all city councillors.
The first meetings are scheduled for Nov. 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dec. 3 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Dec. 9 from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
If the tentative schedule is followed, a draft budget will be ready to be approved by council at its Jan. 13 meeting.
The 2024 budget was deliberated last year through multiple all-day sessions, similar to what is scheduled for this year. Given the intensity of the work, McCabe suggested that frequent breaks are scheduled.
Additional outreach is being planned for the budget, including a survey and a “Chat with the Treasurer” evening or an open house.
Coun. Jo-Dee Burbach suggested that councillors come to whatever open house is planned to assist senior staff. Additionally, Coun. Taylor Briscoe suggested having a virtual option to join and to have an open house precede the survey, so that it could give citizens sufficient background.
Mike Sullivan delegates at Stratford City Hall on July 8.
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO)
Perth-Wellington hospitals receive $6.1
provincial funding for upgrades and repairs
GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
Four rural hospitals in Perth and Wellington counties, including the Stratford General Hospital and the St. Marys Memorial Hospital, have received more than $6.1 million combined through the province’s Health Infrastructure Renewal Fund (HIRF) and Exceptional Circumstances Project Grant (ECPG) program.
In a recent press release, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae announced the Stratford General Hospital would receive nearly $1.44 million and the St. Marys Memorial Hospital would receive more than $217,000 through the HIRF in 20242025.
“Our local public hospitals provide high-quality care,” Rae said in the press release. “It is funding like this that will allow them to continue providing that care locally. This funding demonstrates our government’s commitment to our local rural hospitals.”
In an email, Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance president and CEO Andrew Williams told Grant Haven Media the funds
are earmarked for a number of projects across both hospital sites. In Stratford, the money will be used for LED lighting and sprinkler installations in the east building, as well as additional window replacements in the west building. In St. Marys, that money will go to LED lighting upgrades, north-wing window replacements and upgrades to the ambulance, main and Meighen wing exterior-entrance doors.
“As always, we truly value the support we receive from the government through the Hospital Infrastructure Renewal Fund and very much appreciate MPP Rae’s ongoing advocacy on our behalf,” Williams said.
Meanwhile, the Listowel Memorial Hospital will receive a total of more than $3.2 million – nearly $248,000 from the HIRF and $3 million through ECPG – while the North Wellington Health Care Corporation will get a total of more than $1.2 million – nearly $366,000 from the HIRF and $850,000 through ECPG – in 2024-2025.
At the Listowel Memorial Hospital, those funds will go towards completing a multi-year heating, ventilation and air-conditioning project, as well as
building-security upgrades. At the North Wellington Health Care Corporation, the funds will support critical-infrastructure projects including updates to electrical equipment and power supplies to prepare for a planned MRI installation.
Neither the Stratford or St. Marys hospitals received any funding through the ECPG program as part of this announcement.
“We were made aware that the demand for funds far exceeded funds available (through the ECPG program) and that funds dispersed by the province over and above the base (HIRF) amounts received are towards those projects deemed most urgent,” Williams said of not receiving any additional funding.
The Ontario government is investing more than $228 million this year to support critical infrastructure upgrades and repairs at 129 hospitals and 58 community health-care facilities across the province. This funding from the province allows its health-care providers to address urgent infrastructure renewal needs such as upgrades or replacements of roofs, windows, security systems, fire alarms and back-up
generators.
This year’s increase includes an additional $20 million through the ECPG, which is designed to provide targeted support for the most urgent hospital infrastructure renewal needs throughout the province.
“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is making record investments in the health care system to ensure people are able to access care at state-ofthe-art hospitals and community health providers,” said Ontario Minister of Health Sylvia Jones in the press release.
“This year, our government is investing an additional $20 million to allow facilities to modernize and make critical upgrades, ensuring people can connect to the care they need, when they need it, close to home.”
HIRF was established in 1999 and provides annualized funding to assist hospitals in renewing their facilities. This includes upgrades, repairs and maintenance projects. Grants through the HIRF supplement hospital needs on a priority basis. This allows hospitals to decide where to invest the money and lets them proceed quickly with projects.
Perth County council to consider scrapping $10,000
Cultivating Opportunity Grant program
SIMMONS Regional Editor
Perth County council will soon consider whether to scrap the now $10,000 annual Cultivating Opportunity Grant program to help reduce the overall tax burden on county residents.
At the July 4 Perth County council meeting, county clerk and manager of legislative services Tyler Sager presented council with a report outlining a few recommended policy changes to the Cultivating Opportunity Grant program. While the program, prior to this year, had been funded by the county in two streams – one for tree-planting projects with a total of the $25,000 in county funding available and the other to support not-for-profit and charitable organizations in the county with programs and services that benefit county residents with a total of $10,000 in funding available – council opted last year to transfer the tree-planting funding stream to the new Perth County Stewardship Program, which supports environmental projects that protect the county’s air, water and soil.
The proposed policy changes, Sager explained to councillors, would eliminate any reference to the tree-planting funding, eliminate reference to two streams of funding since there is only one now, make minor spelling and grammar corrections and transfer the policy into a new accessible format. While council ultimately approved those policy changes, Coun. Hugh McDermid suggested councillors discuss
whether the county should continue to offer Cultivating Opportunity grants given the county’s 12.31 per-cent tax-levy increase this year.
“I think we should look at the fact that last year we increased our (levy) by 12.31 per cent,” McDermid said. “I realize that $10,000 is only 0.045 per cent of the levy, but I think this coming year is going to be a double (digit) increase again. We (should) at least look at something to give up. (It would show) goodwill for our taxpayers that we are at least doing something.
“I’ve seen in the news that an awful lot of municipalities are cutting … things out of their budget because they can’t afford them anymore, and it seems that our stewardship program is going to get another $25,000. The amount of staff time that’s spent on this seems to be excessive, so I would move that we put this program on vacation until we are better able to finance it.”
With county staff set to begin early preparations for this year’s Cultivating Opportunity Grant program by the end of this month or in August so the application process can begin in the fall, Coun. Todd Kasenberg suggested staff defer that work at least until after council’s next meeting Aug. 1. At that meeting, Kasenberg asked staff to bring a report on the Cultivating Opportunity Grant program and similar programs offered by other municipalities in the region so councillors can discuss the merits of either keeping it running or eliminating it altogether.
“When we consider a move to get rid of
a county-based grant program, we need to give the public the opportunity to offer comment,” Kasenberg said. “I’m not willing today to rush into this. I think we should send a message to the public that we intend to consider more completely whether we intend to discontinue this program’s funding.”
While no decision on the program has been made yet, councillors Jerry Smith and Sue Orr spoke out against discontinuing the grant program, with Orr backing a suggestion made by Coun. Jim Aitcheson earlier in the discussion about streamlining the program to lessen the workload for staff.
“This grant is cultivating opportunities,” Smith said. “We’re recommending approving new subdivisions, we want more people to come to our communities, to come to the county. We start removing some of these things and, as Coun. McDermid mentioned, it’s 0.04 per cent of our budget for $10,000; we’ll see some of these people not come to Perth County. They’ll go to a different county. This is
a great grant program to help a little bit. I’m totally not in favour of removing it or cancelling it. Every little bit helps and we shouldn’t have a problem funding this one.”
As it stands, the Cultivating Opportunity Grant program has a total of $10,000 to distribute annually among successful applicants, each of which is eligible for a maximum of $2,500. In 2023, funding through the community stream of this program was awarded to the Perth County Transition Home for Women (Optimism Place Women’s Shelter and Support Services), the Perth County 4-H Association, the Humane Society of Kitchener-Waterloo and Stratford-Perth, and the North Perth Seniors Centre. This year, funding was granted to Stratford Summer Music, United Way Perth-Huron and the Huron Perth Ag Science Centre.
According to Sager, since the program was revamped and refreshed, the number of grant applications per year has increased from an average of just 2.6 from 2018-2022 up to 7.5 in 2023 and 2024.
GALEN
Our Buildings Tell a Story: The Stratford Tourism building was once Canada’s very first Kresge store
When Kresge came to Stratford in 1929, it was the beginning of the depression and times were tough. However, the new Kresge's five and dime store, which was the first in Canada, was very successful, providing low-cost merchandise for people with limited finances just as F. W. Woolworth had already been doing business in Stratford since 1913.
Before Woolworth’s was located beside Kresge’s as seen in the photo, it was originally located on the northeast corner of Brunswick and Downie streets opposite the Commercial Hotel which later became the Bank of Montreal. Woolworth’s had succeeded S.H. Knox, varieties, at that location by the end of 1912, and when Woolworth’s moved in 1937 to the corner of Albert Street beside Kresge’s, A&P took over the space at 69-71 Downie Street for their grocery business.
In 1929, S.S. Kresge purchased and razed the Odd Fellows Block and erected the building from the ground up as shown in the picture. Kresge was influenced architecturally by the art-de -
cents.
After 1907 and before Kresge’s, there were 13 businesses located at 47-51 Downie including four different men’s stores selling “toggery” (British for garments). After Kresge’s closed in the 1970s, five businesses followed including the last one, Stratford Tourism, which opened in 2005.
co style from that period. The strong vertical lines, the repetition and the symmetry were all part of the art-deco style that had been highlighted at the Paris Exposition in 1925.
Three years later, after Kresge opened its doors, F. W. Woolworth's bought half of the Windsor Hotel on the corner of Albert right
Ottawa $200.00
next to the Kresge store. Unlike Kresge, Woolworth's did not raze the building, but they did extensive remodeling of the block and moved in by 1937. As seen in the picture, the roof was designed in a tudor style.
Although it was very unusual to have two five-and-dime stores side by side, there was plenty of business for both during the depression years.
One popular feature in Kresge’s was a lunch counter where locals could get their toasted-cheese sandwiches and coffee for 30
You Don’t Have a Shot, by Raquel Marie
@SPL: YA FIC Marie Valentina “Vale” Castillo-Green, the captain of the Raven’s competitive soccer team, is going through it. Her father’s high expectations, the pressure of college recruitments, and the questioning of her leadership abilities all come to a head at the playoff game against their ultimate rivals, Hillcrest. After inciting a fight with Hillcrest goalkeeper Leticia Ortiz – Vale’s longtime nemesis – she has completely blown it. Coach strips her of her captain title, her teammates are completely fed up with her, and her dad’s disappointment reaches an all-time high.
Vale’s got to make an escape – so she takes off with her two teammates and besties, couple Ovie and Dina, to soccer summer camp for the first time since they were middle-schoolers. Things all seem to be going according to plan – until Vale is teamed up with her enemy and fellow camper Leticia to co-captain a team.
Full of teen angst and flirty banter, this sapphic and sportsy enemies-to-lovers novel will keep readers enthralled as Vale discovers her feelings for Leticia while rediscovering her love of the game. For YA readers who loved She Drives Me Crazy and Home Field Advantage, pick up Raquel Marie’s You Don’t Have a Shot for another athletic adventure featuring a diverse cast of women who love women.
PAUL WILKER & GORD CONROY Times Contributors
Kresge's new building is seen here being constructed at 47 Downie Street 1n 1929 between Albert and Brunswick Streets. The Oddfellows building where Quick Wines and Spirits had lived on the ground floor was completely demolished to make way for Kresge's. The Windsor Hotel is seen on the left. Stores occupied the first floor.
A typical five-and-dime lunch counter.
By 1937, F.W. Woolworth Co. was now located next to Kresge’s.
(STRATFORD AND DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY PHOTO)
(STRATFORD-PERTH ARCHIVES PHOTO)
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
United Way Youth in Action grants create next generation of engaged citizens
United Way Perth-Huron (UWPH)’s work engages people across Perth-Huron, tackling pressing local issues affecting the communities where they live. As part of this mission, the organization is building the next generation of engaged residents through the Youth in Action grants (YIA) program; providing opportunities for youth to come up with creative solutions to challenges facing people their own age and develop skills that can transfer to other areas of life.
“Every year, we’re excited to see the amazing ways local youth come up with to address issues in their communities across Perth-Huron,” said UWPH Director of Governance and Community Impact Megan Partridge. “We can see that this past year’s grant recipients inspire other young people to think of ways to help in their communities.”
"When you're like a 17-year-old trying to start something, it can be really hard without funding,” said Amelia Morrison, part of the Tanner Steffler Foundation’s Youth Space project. “Having the opportunity to receive funding as a youth for a project you created is amazing. Then that initiative can grow into something bigger."
“This space has had a great impact on our Grade 7 and 8 students,” said Ella Williamson, one of the youth leads for the You Are Not Alone project at Goderich District Collegiate Institute. “The room allows positive energy to be shared between stu-
dents and staff and help them reflect on what they are grateful for each and everyday.”
"This project will hopefully continue for many years to come,” said Lucy Chung, one of the youth leads for the Urban Farm project at Stratford District Secondary School. “We would like to see this project involve more students and even more community members and seniors from surrounding neighbourhoods to foster intergenerational connections and teach more people about sustainable and regenerative farming practices."
This past year’s funded projects included:
Bedford Intermediate Youth Project (Nancy Campbell Academy): Students partnered with Stratford District Secondary School students to provide a blended tutoring and recreation program for elementary students.
Building Community Wellness (Listowel District Secondary School): Students will host a speaker to discuss mental health and wellbeing and to build a sense of community.
Equitable Living Project (Central Huron Secondary School): The youth lead ran a Christmas-time food and essential item drive at Central Huron Secondary School, partnered with a local food program to provide essential supplies to residents in need, and presented information on homelessness and local programs to classmates.
Generation Rainbow Collective (Stratford Pride Community
iFarm donates to Stratford House of Blessing
Centre): 2SLGBTQ+ youth led a series of eight weekly social activities to strengthen their community and support each other.
Microscope Lending Program (Huron County Library): A homeschooled student acquired microscopes for the Huron County Library catalogue and ran small classes on how to use them reaching over 120 youth.
Motivational Mondays (St. Marys DCVI): Students brought in a mindfulness teacher to teach two classes about practical strategies to aid anxiety.
New and Improved Picnic Tables (Stratford District Secondary School): Students collaborated across classes to build and decorate a new picnic table for the school grounds.
Students Helping Students (Stratford District Secondary School): Students created an in-school food station stocked with a variety of lunch food items to supplement and/or provide lunch for students facing food insecurities. The youth lead created a report to document the needs discovered.
The Kindness Project (South Huron District High School): Students planned activities to spread "kindness" in their community, such as hosting a concert for nursing home residents, working with Exeter Elementary School students to spread rocks painted with positive messages around town, and appreciation events for school staff.
Urban Farming Project (Stratford District Secondary School): Students partnered with the Local Community Food Centre to create an urban farm. Students and community members worked together to build intergenerational connections and learn regenerative farming practices.
You Are Not Alone (Goderich District Collegiate Institute): Grade 12 students started a mental health awareness group at the school and created a dedicated wellness space for Grade 7-8 students with contributions from the art class.
Youth Space (Tanner Steffler Foundation): Youth volunteers installed a hygiene pantry for youth participants in their new space.
The 12 grant recipients each received up to $1,000 for their projects. YIA grants were available to youth aged 14–25 to plan and implement projects addressing youth concerns in their community.
The agriculture-education program, iFarm, that occurs every year in June for students in Grade 3 from various schools in Stratford and Perth County also worked this year to collect funds for Stratford House of Blessing.
All Perth County farming groups including dairy, beef, chicken, egg, pork and grain farmers invited the public
to take part in a beef and pork barbecue with a freewill offering in support of House of Blessing on Erie Street in Stratford.
Over $2,000 was raised to help those in need.
House Of Blessing executive director Eva Hayes thanked everyone who took part and especially the farming groups of Perth county for holding a barbeque during iFarm while raising funds that will go to buy food for those in need.
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5. What was the Smashing Pumpkins' first album? 6. What year was the Stonewall riot? 7. Where was Hitler born? 8. Marianah Trench lies in what ocean? 9. How championships do the Pittsburgh Steelers have? 10. In what year did the US Purchase Alaska?
FREEWILL BBQ IN SUPPORT
Stratford House of Blessing staff received funds from the iFarm education program and barbecue recently. Picture from left are Laurie-Ann Schade, Chris Oldham and House of Blessing executive director Eva Hayes.
GARY WEST Times Correspondent
(GARY WEST PHOTO)
Perth County releases updated draft official plan and project update
STRATFORD TIMES STAFF
stratfordtimes@gmail.com
Perth County council has approved the release of the updated draft official plan and the next phase of public engagement for the official plan project.
The first version of the draft official plan text was released in December 2023 to provide transparency for the public, stakeholder groups, steering committees and council on how feedback received to date had been considered and implemented. Open houses were held in February 2024 for review of the draft official plan and to receive additional feedback from the public and stakeholder groups.
Following the release of the first draft this past winter, significant work has been completed to prepare an updated draft official plan document in response to community feedback.
“Council is pleased with the work that has been done to update the policies based on public feedback,” said Perth County Warden Rhonda Ehgoetz in a press release. “We are confident that the revised document and policies reflects the needs of the community and will support the county’s growth for many years to come. We are excited for the community to see the updated draft and have the opportunity to provide further comments.”
Highlights of the next phase of the official-plan project include four key components:
1. The release of the updated draft official plan policy text
2. The launch of a new online interactive map, Draft Official Plan Map Viewer, showing proposed land designations
3. Additional opportunities to connect with the planning team in local municipal offices
4. The date and locations for the next open-house information sessions
“The official plan project would not be possible without the valuable input from the community. We are grateful for everyone who has taken the time to engage with this project and provide constructive feedback so far,” said county senior policy planner Moira Davidson in the press release. “This next phase of the project allows residents to see how their input was directly implemented through the updated policy document and mapping for the proposed designations on
their property. We’re also providing additional opportunities to connect directly with the planning team for anyone who may have site-specific questions about the official plan and how it relates to their property.”
The updated draft official plan policy document is available to view on the county’s website at www.perthcounty. ca/NewOP. Along with the updated draft official plan, the county also released an online, interactive map viewer allowing the public to see the proposed draft official plan designations. The Draft Official Plan Map Viewer along with a tutorial video and instructions are available at www.perthcounty.ca/DraftOPMap
On July 22, the county will host two open-house information sessions. The first session is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Perth East Recreation Complex and the second session will be held from 6-8 p.m. at the West Perth Community Centre. Each session will include an informative presentation showcasing a summary of updates made to the text and followed by an opportunity to mingle and connect directly with planning staff and members of county council to ask questions or discuss the project. For those unable to attend, a recording of the presentation will be available in advance for viewing.
If landowners have site-specific questions about their property in relation to the draft official plan, appointments can be scheduled to meet in person with a policy planner at a local municipal office on the following days:
• July 23 – Perth East
• July 24 – West Perth
• July 25 – North Perth
• July 26 – Perth South
To book an appointment, call 519-2710531 ext. 419 or email newofficialplan@ perthcounty.ca.
While comments will be accepted up to the day the official plan is adopted by county council, the planning division recommends comments be provided by Aug. 30 to provide staff with adequate timing to incorporate additional comments and feedback into the final official plan document. Comments can be submitted by email at newofficialplan@ perthcounty.ca, by phone at 519-2710531 ext. 419, and by mail to 1 Huron St., Stratford, Ont., N5A 5S4.
Scam Alert - Parking Ticket Text
The City of Stratford has recently been made aware of a possible scam attempt involving text messages about unpaid parking tickets. Similar scams have been circulating in communities across Canada.
Please note that the City of Stratford would never send a text message about an outstanding parking ticket, and park-
Perth County closes out 2023 with $56,500 deficit
GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
Perth County closed out the 2023 fiscal year with a deficit of $56,500, partially the result of overages in the county’s annual drainage-ditch maintenance and the county’s planning division not achieving revenue estimates last year.
In his report to council, county treasurer and manager of finance Corey Bridges recommended council approve the transfers of $52,113 from the county, Stratford and St. Marys’ paramedic services Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) reserve to fund the deficit in paramedic services resulting from the higher-than-budgeted WSIB costs incurred in 2023, and $4,360 from the levy stabilization reserve to fund the remaining 2023 deficit.
“It was highlighted in public works we did have a surplus in winter maintenance, but we did have a significant deficit in relation to our drainage work,” Bridges said. “In discussing (this) with public works staff, we’re looking at some ways of funding that drainage work potentially like our capital maintenance with respect to (road) crack sealing and pavement preservation (where) we could potentially fund that with our roads reserve in the future, but that will be coming back to council.”
In his report, Bridges said county public works’ general maintenance and
other municipal work deficit was originally projected at $208,000 due to the county’s portion of significant drainage work done locally, which by the end of the year was higher than budget by about $420,000. The total deficit in general maintenance by year end was $530,000, which was mainly due to the drainage work, and took into account a final winter-maintenance surplus of $490,000 –11 per cent under budget for the year.
The planning division accumulated a deficit of $120,787 resulting from the variance in revenue, public works’ roads division accumulated a deficit of $39,814 despite county staff estimating a deficit of $383,000 as recently as December, and the economic development division reported a deficit of $24,529 due to increases in salaries and benefits beyond what was budgeted.
Meanwhile, the county saw surpluses of $6,829 in the archives division, $8,347 in the emergency management division, $5,690 from council expenses and $159,915 from the balance of non-departmental revenue and expenses.
Following council’s approval of the transfers from reserves to offset the 2023 overall deficit, the county’s levy stabilization reserve, which is used to lessen the burden of annual tax-levy increases on taxpayers and offset the annual reductions in Ontario Municipal Partnership funding, is left with a balance of $673,600.
Communities in Bloom Best Gardens contest kicks off
STRATFORD TIMES STAFF
stratfordtimes@gmail.com
If you know of someone with a green thumb and want them to get the recognition they deserve, now’s the time to do it.
The City of Stratford’s Communities in Bloom committee is hosting its annual Best Gardens contest and is entreating the community to help them discover whose garden is the best and brightest in the Festival City.
Per a Facebook post on the city’s page, to nominate a residential or commercial garden that has added some beauty to the city send a photo of it (with permission from the owner) to adviscom@stratford. ca, along with the person’s name, address, phone number, and the reason they are being nominated.
Winners will be notified at a later date and presented with a sign for their garden, as well as a prize.
Nominations close on July 31 at noon.
ing tickets cannot be paid through texts. If you have received such a message, do not click on the link or provide payment details.
Suspected fraud can be reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at https:// antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca/report-signalez-eng.htm
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Local school boards pass next year’s budgets with catholic board balanced but public board in slight deficit
CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Stratford’s local school boards approved the 2024-2025 budget ahead of the deadline, which was at the end of June.
Although expected to run a more-than $2 million deficit, the approved 20242025 budget for the Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB) complies with the Ministry of Education’s budget compliance rule.
Graham Shantz, director of education and secretary of the board, said in a letter attached to the approved budget that despite increases in revenues and student enrollment, they did not fully cover expenses.
“We will continue to use our funding effectively and efficiently as we review the details from our ministry agreements and implement new goals over the next
school year,” Shantz wrote. “As we look forward, we will be undertaking a budget review process during the 2024-2025 school year.
“This process will enable us to make data-driven decisions that maximize our student’s learning experience. It will also aid us in developing and implementing budgets for future years that can adjust to shifts in ministry funding.”
The operating deficit is under one per cent of the annual operating revenue, which is compliant with the ministry of education’s budget-compliance rule.
Including capital and operating budgets, the total revenue for the AMDSB is projected at $268,913,236 and the total expenditures are expected to be $271,657,407, leaving a $2,744,171 deficit.
Main expenses for the school board are salaries and wages, which equals $154,114,466, followed by employee
benefits at $28,764,072, supplies and services at $21,899,527, and fees and contractual services at $21,529,187.
The Huron Perth Catholic District School Board (HPCDSB) likewise passed its budget.
Mary Helen Van Loon, chair of the HPCDSB board of trustees, praised the school board’s work in a media release.
“Despite ongoing challenges, the board recognizes and commends the hard work of our superintendent of business, Mary-Ellen Ducharme, and her talented team for their vision, diligence and competence in their ability to present a balanced budget for 2024-2025.”
The budget goals are Catholic faith development of staff and students, developing comprehensive programs and experiences to strengthen faith and student-centred learning focusing on mathematics and literacy.
The board will implement “rigorous”
Stratford hospice volunteer receives June Callwood Award
JUNE CALLWOOD AWARD
Murray Schlotzhauer of Stratford is shown recently at the Rotary Hospice Stratford-Perth receiving the June Callwood Outstanding Volunteer Award from Katie O’Donovan, hospice volunteer co-ordinator.
GARY WEST
Times Correspondent
Every year, Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) invites hospices to induct one volunteer into the June Callwood “Circle of Outstanding Volunteers” in recognition of their dedication to bringing compassionate care to hospice residents and their families.
This year, the Rotary Hospice Stratford-Perth nominated Murray Schlotzhauer of Stratford. Schlotzhauer has been a hospice volunteer for over 10 years, joining the visiting hospice team before the new residence was built in Stratford.
He chooses to journey alongside clients in the Perth County community living with a life-limiting illness.
He goes above and beyond to provide opportunities to the people he serves to ensure their days are filled with joy, memory making and quality of life.
“The Hospice is privileged to have Murray on our team, and the families he serves are so fortunate to be on the receiving end of his compassion, dedication and kindness,” co-ordinator of volunteers for Rotary Hospice Katie O’Donovan said
Thank you, Murray and congratulations on this distinguished June Callwood outstanding volunteer award.
academic standards and learning best practices to elevate student achievements to world-class levels, the media release indicated.
The full, compliant budget is $80,840,253 (the revenue and expenditures are the same).
At $31.41 million, classroom teachers are by far the highest expenditure in the budget. School operations and maintenance, budgeted at $6.57 million, and pupil transportation, budget at $7.56 million, follow.
The full HPCDSB budget package is included in the agenda package of the board’s June 24 special board meeting and can be viewed at https://drive.google. com/file/d/1QkHexkNM3iCmqTo8PERvpgTyleYhqX3l/view.
Likewise, the full AMDSB budget package can be found at https://22.files. edl.io/5875/06/26/24/123412-c4a9dbb80204-4efe-9db7-42b828890f04.pdf.
(GARY WEST PHOTO)
Local health teams accredited together, first of its kind in Canada
WORK SPANNING YEARS
Representatives from various health teams across the region pose for a photo on June 12, celebrating the recent group accreditation. Normally, health teams are evaluated and accredited separately, but in an effort to standardize care across organizations, the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance and six other health teams joined together for the first sub-region accreditation survey in Ontario.”
CONNOR LUCZKA
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Navigating health care from team to team may be getting a little easier in the region soon.
The region’s public-health teams have successfully been accredited together, a major milestone in Canada according to Andrew Williams, CEO of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA).
“It’s the first in Canada where organizations that are separately governed have come together under the umbrella of accreditation,” Williams explained. “Our goal is to improve the care for the people we serve collectively in this community. So, we're really excited about where we are.”
Accreditation Canada is a national body that sets health and social-ser-
vices standards, assessing organizations against those standards to help them continuously improve the quality of their care.
In short, according to Leslee Thompson, CEO of Health Standards Organization and Accreditation Canada, accreditation is a symbol of trust the community can look to when seeking care.
At a celebration on June 12, Thompson congratulated the team involved and put into perspective the work that went into this process, which spanned years.
“(The process) brought together community, hospital, primary care when they weren’t under single governance,” Thompson explained. “But they built the trust and the collaboration to deliver and ensure there was delivery of great quality of care in every setting.
“This collaboration is setting the stage
Pausing to
GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
for doing the accreditation, which would typically be done organization by organization independently. By coming together, this is the new model for building and strengthening quality across settings for the population.”
Day-to-day, accreditation will ideally manifest by having seamless care delivery from health organization to health organization, Williams said.
“Ideally, you’re not asked the same questions multiple times. … If you have to come from long care into acute care, all the systems are coordinated,” Williams said as an example. “It really is trying to remove barriers that exist today and make it easier for patients and clients to move through the system.”
The accreditation process started in 2019, according to the HPHA’s website, with the participation of the HPHA and
reflect – what I’m
six health-care partners: Alzheimer Society of Huron County, Alzheimer Society of Perth County, Clinton Family Health Team, North Perth Family Health Team, Ritz Lutheran Villa/Mitchell Nursing Home and Knollcrest Lodge.
The organizations participated in the first sub-region accreditation survey in Ontario and the group was awarded “Accreditation with Commendation" and an overall score of 98.3 per cent.
Williams said, when asked if this process was a success, “Ask me that in two years.”
From Williams’ perspective, though this work has been a huge undertaking and is cause for celebration, every day should be treated as an accreditation day.
“We’re constantly focused on how do we make ourselves just a little bit better every single day,” he said.
grateful for on Canada Day (and every day)
When Canada Day rolls around each year, I always seem to find myself working.
I have ceremonies to cover, celebrations to photograph and, this year, stories to edit. By the time that’s all done and over with, I never seem to have the time to pause and reflect on what Canada Day means to me.
While it may be July 2 as I write this, I’ve decided to take that time, and the space on this page, to do just that.
Though Canada Day is deeply rooted in colonialism, it has become more inclusive
in recent years, acknowledging and celebrating the history of Indigenous peoples and other marginalized populations before and after the arrival of Europeans, and I’m grateful for that.
I’m also grateful to live in a country where I’m free to be who I am, do what I love and live the life I choose to live.
I realize there are many in this country who do not enjoy those freedoms – at least not to the extent I do – and I’m grateful they and their allies are helping to reshape our society to become more welcoming and accepting of all people, no matter their race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or political and personal beliefs.
I’m grateful to live in a country where we are free to speak truth to power, and where we can hold those who govern us accountable for their actions, be it through peaceful protest, responsible journalism or democratic election.
While we may not agree with each other on everything – or in some cases, anything – I’m grateful for the opportunities to sit with those I disagree with to try and understand their points of view.
I am grateful for the abundance and beauty of our natural spaces in this country, and the opportunity to spend time in those spaces. I am also grateful for those who work so diligently to protect those natural spaces from climate change and
environmental destruction. Finally, I am grateful to live in a country at peace where so many of us are willing to welcome those fleeing war and conflict with open arms and a willingness to help them start a new life in any community of their choosing from coast to coast. Those who were not born here but choose to make their lives in this country are a huge piece of what make life in Canada so great.
So many of us seek out the differences that divide us as Canadians. On Canada Day (or the day after), I choose to focus on the aspects of this country I am grateful for. If you look for them, there truly are so many things that unite us as a people.
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO)
From the Barn to Broadcasts: Stan Temming’s journey to producing the Summer Olympics for CBC
ELIZABETH COOPER
Times Contributor
From the hay fields of Perth County to the bustling downtown Toronto studios of CBC Sports, 29 year-old Stan Temming’s young career thus far is a journey filled with perseverance and passion – and a little bit of rural grit.
Growing up on a Holstein farm on Perth Line 33 just east of Stratford, Temming’s early years were filled with rhythms of rural life. Temming, the oldest of three siblings, attended Sprucedale Public School, where he began playing soccer and hockey practically from the time he could walk. His hardworking parents, Patricia and Wilfried, who immigrated from Holland in the early 1990s, provided guidance and lots of cheering from the sidelines. He worked at CJCS driving the Community Cruiser and at Klomps Nursery in his teens, but Temming’s rural life stretched far beyond the horizon of his family farm. Today, he is preparing to be the show producer for the upcoming Summer Olympics on CBC Sports.
This achievement melds Temming’s small-town roots with his big-city sports dreams. After attending Stratford Central Secondary School, he took the very first four-year sports media program at what was then Ryerson University, now Toronto Metropolitan University, and was one of 50 students who got their BA in this inaugural program. He started working at CBC during his second year in 2016 in the features department transcribing interviews. On the eve of his interview, Tem-
THE BIG EVENT
Olympics broadcasts from July 26 to Aug. 11.
ming's parents advised him to mention he had grown up on a farm, highlighting his strong work ethic. Short story is, he was hired.
The evolution of technology has been rapid fire since he graduated in 2018.
“Yes, the changes in the last ten years have been incredible since graduating,” Temming said. “You need to be able to adapt; you can’t be a one-trick pony any-
more. I produce TV shows on weekends, but I am also producing digital for social media during the week. You need to be able to adapt and stay current to stay employed. Certain things have become simpler since the pandemic. As long I can connect with someone quickly over zoom or video chat, it makes my job easier.”
Temming’s current job is show producer of CBC Presents and covers all non-profes-
sional sports. He is directing traffic behind the scenes, keeping interviews and commercials on time and things moving along smoothly. He is the voice in the journalist’s ear prompting them when they need to slow down or speed up. This promotion to producing the Summer Olympics is an exciting one, according to Temming.
“This will be my first time doing this role for such a big event,” Temming said. “I have to keep things moving and it’s constant live sports. If you’re late you are late. It is on such a strict timeline.”
The Olympics run July 26 to Aug. 11.
The two weeks of programming involves 39 sports and 329 events.
The six-hour time difference in France will be a challenge, he admitted. He said he is already getting used to the new daily schedule which sounds grinding to those of us who work nine to five. He will start his day at 1 a.m. local time with a production meeting at 3:30 a.m. and building the show from 6 a.m.
“My day will end about 6 p.m. and then I need to sleep. And it will all start again at 1 a.m.”
For those watching CBC from Stratford in the mornings, Temming will be the voice in the ear of the broadcasters across the ocean in the studios in Paris, directing from his desk in downtown Toronto.
From the fields of his home farm to the global-sports stage, Temming took his work ethic, dedication and his unending positivity to make his career dream come true.
Cue the gold medal and national anthem, please!
A Child’s Smile continues to raise money to purchase toys for kids in need at Christmas
Editor
A charity that moved to Stratford a decade ago has been raising money to purchase toys for kids in need, both locally and across Ontario.
A Child’s Smile was founded 34 years ago, somewhat by accident, by now-Stratford resident John Gray. Gray, who was working for a car dealership in Scarborough at the time, purchased a car and raffled it off to the employees at the dealership. After paying off the cost of the car, Gray used the money left over to purchase toys from a friend of his at the Kroeger Inc. toy warehouse and donate them to a local radio station’s toy drive for kids in need.
“In the spring, the dealership got a letter from the radio station saying, ‘Thank you so much for your donation of the toys,’ ” Gray said. “The (dealership) owner came over and said, ‘Do you know anything about this?’ I
said, ‘Yeah, I kind of do.’
“ … He said, ‘Who paid for the (car)?’ I said, ‘I did.’ ‘Next year, I buy the (car),’ he says.”
Though he no longer raffles off cars, the charity Gray ultimately called A Child’s Smile went with him to each of the dealerships he worked at and evolved into the
organization it is today. When he moved from Cambridge to live with his now-wife in Stratford 10 years ago, the charity also found its new home in Stratford.
“I did it for Strickland’s (Stratford Toyota), and I think that year was probably the biggest year we had because John (Strickland)
threw in a bunch of money,” Gray said. “I can’t remember how many toys we got that year, but we average, right now, about 700 toys a year.”
Now retired, Gray and A Child’s Smile Coordinator Doris Neumeister operate the organization independently and work with organizations including the Multicultural Association of Perth Huron, the London Children’s Foundation and the Mikinakoos Children’s Fund in Thunder Bay to provide toys purchased with donated funds to newcomer children, children diagnosed with cancer and Indigenous children in remote northwestern Ontario respectively.
These days, A Child’s Smile relies mostly on individual donations and fundraiser events to raise the money it needs to put smiles on children’s faces at Christmas.
“We do a big show at Revival House,” Gray said. “We have a silent auction and live music
and it’s about a four-hour gig on a Sunday afternoon. (Revival House owner) Rob (Wigan) is just so great for letting us do that. Every time I get a group to play there, they go, ‘What a great venue.’
“Now, we’ve seen most of the businesses downtown coming on board for the silent auction. They donate items, we put them on the table and people bid money.”
While A Child’s Smile has been nominated for the past three years in the charitable/non-profit category at the Stratford and District Chamber of Commerce’s Business Excellence Awards, Gray said it can be difficult for the organization to compete for donations during a season that already places a high demand on donors, especially now with the ever-rising cost of living.
For more information on A Child’s Smile, to volunteer or to learn how to donate, visit www. achildssmile.ca and check them out on Facebook.
Stratford’s Stan Temming will serve as show producer for CBC Sports’ Summer
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
GALEN SIMMONS Regional
GIVE A SMILE
A Child’s Smile Coordinator Doris Neumeister and founder John Gray pose for a photo at the 2024 Stratford and District Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
MERCEDES KAY GOLD
Strolling alongside the Avon River in the summertime is synonymous with feelgood vibes. Walk away the stress, soak in the sun’s free Vitamin D and, steps away, enjoy a day of retail therapy to round out a superb self-love day.
This writer is queen of local love and fell in love with Got It Made, an adorable brickand-mortar store in Stratford. Dana Bertelsen is the proud owner and one-woman show behind Got It Made. Residing in Stratford for over 20 years with a background in retail merchandising that led to weekend pop-ups, Bertelsen saw a niche that needed her special touch. She opened her dream store in April, 2017, and hasn’t looked back.
Got It Made in Stratford offers one-ofa-kind finds. Bertelsen attends as many markets as possible, introducing herself to artists and indie brands local to southwestern Ontario, carefully curating the store’s collections. She is always on the lookout for unique items that speak to her, local clientele and to the tonnes of tourists visiting Stratford. With more than 75 artists showcasing their talent on the shelves, there’s something special to spoil oneself or loved ones.
Covid changed the landscape of retail forever and, during the first lockdown, Bertelsen had plenty of time to design and build the store’s website.
The shelves are overflowing with special finds from candles and stickers to key-
$199,900
Got It Made in Stratford
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holistic happiness for the senses. Products range from bath salts for super stress-relieving soaks to organic handmade soaps with essential oils to calm the spirit or energize the body. There’s also chemical-free bug sprays and room deodorizers. This brand is a healthy alternative to conventional, chemical-derived products.
Huron Earth is a brand devoted to using herbs for healing. Natalie Kohlruss is the gardening goddess who sells seedlings to start those backyard dreams, teas, tinctures, oils and salves to name but a few items. Looking to immerse in all things natural? Just a couple of weeks ago, Kohlruss hosted her sixth-annual retreat to unplug and restore balance to the lives of busy bees; a weekend of foraging fun, nutrition and lots of tips and tricks for staying fit. She also holds wellness workshops focused on popular topics. Learn how to serve topnotch tea, why elderberry tea combats a cold and the benefits of arnica for healing.
Topher’s Beard and Soap Company is a sustainable, self-care brand specializing in premium self-care for men and women. Topher and Tania, the husband-and-wife team, started the small-batch, self-care line as a side hustle but it’s now a thriving, multi-national business. With three grown sons, this momma-bear reporter is excited to gift my boys their beard oils, balms, body butter and oodles of other products in amazing scents like Whiskey Woodsmoke, Smuggler’s Cove and Charred Oak Bourbon.
chains and jewelry to quirky buttons and hair scrunchies. This reporter had a tough time singling out a few brands to highlight but, with my holistic background, I looked to Mother Nature for guidance.
Bertelsen, the dynamo girl boss, is also one talented artist using stones of various sizes in lieu of paint or pencil to create animals and scenery. She is a mixed-media artist who loves giving life to old things and has a flair for breathing life into vintage planters amongst other items for a truly modern twist.
Earth Potion Apothecary is a brand inspired by ancient folk traditions and healing practices. The handcrafted products are
With new items often, Got It Made is a store to visit often. Bertelsen is on the hunt, always finding the latest and greatest. She is engaging and I love how she shares the where, who and why behind the nifty items displayed with style and finesse. Got It Made has an exceptionally easy-to-navigate website with loads of items not featured in the store.
In a world of big box stores, supporting local is more important than ever. Building community, encouraging creativity and the dreams of passionate entrepreneurs not stockholders is rewarding for both sides. Got It Made is located at 27 Ontario St. in Stratford. Follow on socials for must-have products for self-care and decorating a space @got.it.made.stratford.
Huron Earth teas, tinctures, oils and salves are available at Got It Made in Stratford.
Enjoy some retail therapy at Got It Made in Stratford.
(MERCEDES KAY GOLD PHOTOS)
Canada
CANADA DAY FESTIVITIES
Above: Higher Funktion hit the stage at Market Square at 3 p.m. The city hosted a free concert in the public space for most of Canada Day, leading up to the parade.
Middle: Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma closes out the parade with the Stratford and District Saddle Club.
Right: Kids wave as they pass by in the parade.
Top Right: A huge crowd with lots of families lined the route of the parade.
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTOS)
HAPPY DAY
STRATFORD SPORTS
Warriors roster taking shape with 12 signings
hockey level. He’s got a great skillset and a very good hockey IQ.”
The Stratford Hunter Steel Ltd. Warriors have supplemented their returning core of players with 12 signings as part of the GOJHL off-season, including eight forwards, three defencemen and one goaltender.
Headlining the class of additions is 2024 fifth-round draft pick of the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack Quinn Kipfer. The product of Milverton had one point in six games as an affiliate player (AP) with the Warriors during this past year’s playoffs, four games of which came in the Cherrey Cup Championship Series, and, in 62 games with the U16 Huron-Perth Lakers, Kipfer scored 30 goals and 67 points.
Director of hockey operations Jason Clarke told the Times he is excited for what Kipfer can contribute as one of the team’s two possible 16-year-old players.
“Quinn is a fantastic 2008-born player,” said Clarke. “He fit right in with us in the Cherrey Cup finals. We’re looking for him to develop and grow at the junior
After appearing in 78 games spread over three seasons with the Brant ford Bandits, Nicholas Hambly has joined the Warriors’ line up. Last year, Hambly scored three goals and eight points in 16 games with Brantford and, according to Clarke, brings plenty of versatility to Strat ford.
“Nicholas is a veteran, junior player in our league who can play multiple positions. He plays with a strong physicality and possesses a skillset that will be an asset either on
forward or defence.”
Clarke offered very similar analysis for forwards Colin Slattery and Carter Petrie. Both Slattery and Petrie will be 17 years old by the end of September and posted one point in two games as an AP last season. Petrie also appeared in six playoff games for Stratford.
“Both Colin and Carter have lots of skill and speed,” Clarke said.
“We’re looking for them to transfer those skills to the junior level. Both didn't look out of place this past season skating with us and, in particular, playing in a tight game against Kitchener-Waterloo.”
Dominic Marshall, a Sebringville native, and Jack McGurn from Cambridge bring some hard-nosed tenacity to the Warriors’ wings, Clarke continued.
“Even though he’s missed a lot of hockey, I believe Dominic is well ahead on his development curve. He’s a gritty winger who skates very well. Jack is another gritty winger who can skate well and he’s got a knack for scoring timely goals.”
Detroit Catholic Central (DCC), a U.S. high school hockey program, became an unlikely pipeline for the Warriors this off-season with three DCC players signing to play in Stratford this coming season. Forwards Nolan Galda and Joshua Granowicz, both from Plymouth, Mich., along with Livonia, Mich. native Joseph Curtin, a defenceman, all bring
key elements to the Warriors.
“Nolan was a highly ranked player from a superb U.S. high-school program. He’s a big body with skill and strong skating. Joshua is a big right-shot forward. He’s an honest player who competes in all 200 feet of the ice. He brings good offensive skills and the ability to check and play reliable minutes in the defensive zone.
“Joseph also comes from the DCC program and we’re excited about what he brings to our blueline,” Clarke continued.
“He’s a smooth-skating and defensively responsible player and we’ll be looking for him to log some important minutes for us.”
Also joining Stratford’s back end are Aaron Green and Dracen Campbell. Clarke compared Green’s style of play to one of last year’s most offensively productive rearguards, noting the intelligence of Campbell’s game as one of the central factors in the team signing him.
“Aaron is offensively gifted and has great feet. He’s a lot like Jaxon Broda from this past season in terms of how he plays. We’re looking for him to find the balance between offense and defence as he becomes an everyday player at the junior level.
“Dracen was a top-rated defender from his year in Junior C last season,” continued Clarke. “He has a high hockey IQ, he sees the ice very well and he plays a very calm, controlling game.
We’re looking for him to be a key addition to our defence core.”
Last but not least is netminder Aidan Hill, who joins his hometown team after serving as an AP last season. Hill was a 12th round pick of the Ottawa 67’s in the 2023 OHL priority selection.
“Aidan is a really strong, local goaltender who continues to develop at a great pace,” Clarke said. “We’re looking for him to play some meaningful minutes and be a great partner to Carter (McDougall).”
Pictured are Colin Slattery (left) and Quinn Kipfer (right), two of the Stratford Hunter Steel Ltd. Warriors' most recent signings. Slattery tallied 14 goals and 35 points in 35 games with the U18 Waterloo Wolves last season. Kipfer, a 2024 fifth-round pick of the OHL's Owen Sound Attack, served as the Captain of the U16 Huron-Perth Lakers for the 2023-24 campaign and posted 15 goals and 39 points in 30 games
(STRATFORD HUNTER STEEL LTD. WARRIORS PHOTOS)
GOJHL announces conference realignment for 2024-2025 season
SPENCER SEYMOUR
Stratford hockey fans are finally getting the matchups against St. Marys they’ve been clamouring for after the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) announced its realignment from three conferences to two.
Though the names of the conferences have yet to be announced, the structure of the two conferences has been unveiled, with the Stratford Hunter Steel Ltd. Warriors being one of four Midwest teams joining the eight teams that made up the Western Conference last season.
Along with Stratford, the Elmira Sugar Kings, Kitchener-Waterloo Siskins and Listowel Cyclones will now play in an ultra-competitive conference that also features the Chatham Maroons, Komoka Kings, LaSalle Vipers, London Nationals, Sarnia Legionnaires, St. Thomas Stars and Strathroy Rockets.
The other four teams who comprised the Midwestern Conference last year, the Ayr Centennials, Brantford Titans, Caledon Bombers and Cambridge RedHawks, will join the seven teams that competed in the Golden Horseshoe as part of the league’s other new conference.
Tim Simmons, the GOJHL’s interim commissioner, told the Times realignment has been on the league’s radar for several years, but having fewer than eight teams in the Golden Horseshoe wasn’t something the league was interested in continuing.
“The GOJHL has been looking at realignment like this for the past few seasons,” said Simmons. “We didn’t want to go into the 2024-25 season with only seven teams in the Golden Horseshoe Conference.”
According to Simmons, the additional benefits of realignment are wide ranging.
“We believe that this will make the regular season more competitive,” Simmons said. “It is also a player-safety issue. In the last few seasons, teams were playing each other too many times.”
Jason Clarke, the Warriors’ director of hockey operations, views realignment as an avenue to push every team to improve.
“I think the realignment is great for our league,” Clarke said. “Although the regular season has been very competitive in the Midwest, the move to the West and four teams not making the post-season puts a greater emphasis on winning games to secure a playoff spot. We’ve been spoiled with short trips in the Midwest for years and we will have more travel, but I like that because I think that builds team culture when we spend more
Clarke elaborated on the extremely competitive nature of the Warriors’ new conference and how they strive to maintain the level of success they’ve enjoyed in recent years.
“I really think we just need to hold ourselves to the highest standards we can. We need to give our staff and players the best opportunities to succeed. Winning games is always a primary focus, but every point
now has a significant implication on the playoffs. I think that in itself creates the competitive environment the GOJHL has been looking for. I can’t wait to get going with all the teams in our league.”
The most notable facet of realignment for fans in and around Stratford is the fact the Warriors will play games against their closest geographical opponent, the St. Marys Lincolns. Clarke is excited for the two sides to do battle once again.
“We have a chance to build new rivals now for sure, but regarding St. Marys, and I think fans of both teams will agree, this is a rivalry that both teams have been craving for years. These are two great organizations with really passionate fanbases just a few minutes apart. It’s been a shame we haven’t played each other regularly. I think it has the potential to become the biggest rivalry in the league with packed rinks in each centre.”
The league’s brief press release confirmed the realignment will eliminate the three-team round-robin that, for the last three years, has preceded the Sutherland Cup Finals. It also means no longer will every team qualify for the post-season, with the top eight teams in each conference making the playoffs. The regular season will remain at 50 games.
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PUBLIC ART
The Downtown Stratford Business Improvement Area (BIA) has unveiled newly painted concrete blocks in between Stratford Police HQ and Chocolate Barr’s Candies, courtesy of artists Montina Hussey and Liz Emirzian. Partially funded by an innovation award the BIA received from STEPS, an organization devoted to public art, the project was done to beautify the space while also being fiscally prudent. The land is earmarked for possible police expansion and Jamie Pritchard, general manager for the BIA, explained that this was something they could do and be moved if that space were to change.
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO)
Student Abby Johnson learning the art of metal fabrication at Stratford District Secondary School
Times Correspondent
At times in the past, welding and fabrication shops at high schools were mostly dedicated to boys in the tech department, and one wouldn’t see many girls involved.
That has all changed.
A young Grade 11 student, Abby Johnson, who goes to Stratford District Sec-
ondary School (SDSS), has made many art pieces over the semester in welding class. Her teacher-instructor, Brian Flikkema, said “It’s not very often that you see a girl with more artistic talent and value than Abby has.”
The young student has learned how to operate the CNC plasma table and has improved her welding and metal-fabrication skills over this past semester.
Johnson says she wants to keep growing and learning in every aspect of life, both personally and professionally. She wants to build meaningful relationships and live a happy and fulfilling life doing what she does, especially with her welding artwork and designs.
Thanks to a sizeable donation from the Technical Training Group, which uses the high-school welding shop to train trades-
people in the evenings, the students were able to make many projects at no cost to them or their parents.
Flikkema says students made farm implements, benches, bike racks and many other interesting projects during the semester.
At SDSS, he says they have a very strong tech department and they work well as a team to produce well-trained tradespeople.
Lights On Stratford announces two new light art installations for Market Square
This year marks the 5th anniversary of the little festival born out of pure inspiration during pandemic-lockdown restrictions. It was a time when many in the community were out of work and there was no tourism – people weren’t allowed to travel.
“Out of this tumultuous condition was born the light festival. It became a focus of how can we come out of this crisis stronger than when we went into it,” said Lights On Stratford festival director and Destination Stratford executive director Zac Gribble. “For Destination Stratford, that meant really leaning into the shoulder winter season development and leveraging our amazing cultural reputation as a phenomenal spot to go and visit and have unique culture in a small city. So, the festival was born out of that.”
The goal is to be an anchor tenant for other cultural providers in the winter months to build from, and it is working. In what is traditionally a quiet time for tourism, there are now three festivals. There is Winterfest, the Winter Pride Festival and the Stratford Winter Film Festival. Stratford Summer Music is programming off-season concerts and PuppetWorks!, as well, is programming for the season.
This year’s theme for Lights On Strat-
ford is Reimagine. The themes to date have been very much a response of coming together and coming out of the crisis, but now as we progress from that time, Reimagine builds on that but it also brings a little bit of play and joy to the festival’s theme.
“For the first time, we are doing two big displays and art installations in Mar-
ket Square. They are very transporting and very different and unique. It is the first time in Canada, so they are both premieres. We think that reimaging our public spaces and how we look at them and our community and how we interact and come together is the perfect theme for right now,” said Gribble.
The first art-light installation is the
award-winning Emergence by This is Loop, the collaborative artistic partnership of Harriet Lumby and Alan Hayes based in the U.K.
“We are thrilled to be bringing Emergence to Stratford this winter. This represents not only the Canadian debut for Emergence but also the first time we have exhibited any of our artworks in Canada,” said Alan Hayes, lead artist of This is Loop.
Emergence is a place for contemplation, a sanctum within which to consider the dynamic interplay between order and chaos and the momentous role this plays in systems, life, the self and the entire universe.
The second art-light installation is called Stargate.
“We’re so thrilled to be a part of Lights On Stratford this year,” said Jay Tettamanti, a Canadian artist and the award-winning innovative force behind Chalk River Labs, a Melbourne-based creative studio. “It will be the Canadian premiere for Stargate and we can’t wait to share this amazing projection sculpture at one of our favourite festivals.”
Stargate features a 12-foot square encompassing a circular ring, ingeniously designed to usher viewers on an awe-inspiring journey through the cosmos. This sculptural marvel employs projection
GARY WEST
With welding helmet and gloves in hand Abby Johnson (left), 17, is seen here with her friend, Sage Cassavoy, both of whom are standing beside the artistic masterpiece created by Johnson in this past semester’s welding class. It is on display at the entrance to the community hall at the Stratford Rotary Complex.
Three aspiring teachers in the shops at SDSS, where students are taught machining, manufacturing, and metal fabrication. Pictured from left are Mr. Hombach, Mr. Flikkema and Mr. Britton standing in front of the shop’s CNC machine.
(GARY WEST PHOTOS)
LISA CHESTER Times Correspondent
NEW LIGHT ART INSTALLATIONS
The light-art installation, Emergence, will be located in Market Square for this year ’s edition of Lights On Stratford.
(ALAN HAYES PHOTO)
World in a Weekend returns with fanciful fun and merry music
LISA CHESTER
Times Correspondent
For the third year, World in a Weekend, the international puppet and music festival, returns August 1-4 for a weekend of merriment and wonder brought by the partnership between Stratford Summer Music and Springworks-Puppetworks!
The family friendly festival features programming of free and ticketed events that will capture imaginations and feed the soul.
Opening the festivities on Thursday at Factory 163 is a shadow-puppet workshop in the morning and, in the evening, the exuberant performance of Viva Mexico Mariachi. Experience the dance culture of salsa with lessons followed by a Latin Dance Party to practice those new moves.
The Music Barge will be on the river throughout the weekend with performances to entertain event goers. On Friday, Emily Flack will perform traditional Irish music. Saturday and Sunday brings together the Jazz Academy students after being inspired all week at the academy.
Saturday brings the festivities to Veterans Drive at the bandshell where perennial favourite Garden for Little Souls will be located from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“People seem to really love it,” said Eileen Smith, artistic producer for SpringWorks. “It has structures they can climb on and things you bang; things that put out bubbles. It’s meant for self-directed play where kids can do imaginary things. It’s quite a substantial installation that we bring in from Montreal. Puppet “Whatwhat” is making a return for puppet making. There are small balls you can decorate or sock-related puppets that you can create and design as you please.”
There is a great deal of free programming, making the festival accessible to all. At the bandshell and strolling around will be Mr. Mark, creator of wild and wonderful music for kids to sing and dance to.
Also along Veteran’s Drive will be the presentation of Pipa, who does not want a quiet life. He wants to play and have fun, fall in love and live life.
TALL ORDER OF ENTERTAINMENT
Keep an eye open for Les Kukous, the 12-foot-tall, strolling stilt-walkers as they travel about town to delight and entertain the community during this year’s World In A Weekend festival.
“I know this from the imagining of what this show is going to be, the pitching of the show at the incubator series where I’m going to build this thing and do this thing, all those years ago, and then watching him create it and build it and then present it at that festival, so it’s very fun to be able to bring him,” Smith said. “It’s a larger-thanlife size literal cuckoo clock in the tradition of the German clocks and the cuckoo comes out and (other) characters too. The cuckoo works really hard and there’s just no time to play, and then something happens and the clock breaks and there is an adventure.”
At city hall, the children’s show, Don’t Make Me Get Dressed about how frustrating it is to decide what clothes to wear, will entertain children and their parents alike by answering the quest, “What if your clothes help you figure that out?”
“What I find the most exciting thing about puppetry, like all theatre and all music and art forms … (is) there’s something magical about this object puppet. … These people that can make us believe it is alive and the conversation and shared energy between the audience and the puppet object and the animator together make us all believe in things, which I think is necessary,” said Smith.
Factory 163 hosts the presentations of Migraciones/Migrations and Song/Book. Both are for a more contemporary audience with thoughtful themes.
“Immersive, intimate, delicate, lovely, sweet, delightful and relatively short programming so you can tuck it in with something else, have a morning mimosa, coffee, tea and just have a little breath of delicacy,” Smith said.
There will also be the strolling stilt walkers – beautiful delicate things with music in their bellies – who will be circling Market Square, the park and making some surprise appearances in the downtown core.
Sunday at the Bandshell will feature Pete and Anna, who started playing music together in 2016. Over the past three years, Pete and Anna have combined their experience, passion for music and love of song-
“Pipa is coming from Spain. He is from the Punch and Judy tradition. He wants to do things and get into trouble and fool around, so it’s delightful for kids and you get to cheer on the hero, or the villain as it were,” teased Smith.
writing with their backgrounds in education and wildlife conservation to develop inspiring shows.
Ticketed events offer opportunities to immerse oneself in more thoughtful topics and experiences. There is an event where kids can learn how to bring a puppet to life, how to make a puppet breathe, how to make it think and change its focus. This is for a grownup-child duo and will be held at Nancy Campbell Academy.
Also at the academy is the presentation of Cuckoo.
Further offerings from Stratford Summer Music are the annual Jazz All Stars concert at Revival House, typically a soldout event, and the return of Gregory Oh to Factory 163 with his presentation of Lessons in Failure, an evening of music and storytelling of a career well praised. At the Stratford-Perth Museum will be Tio Chirinho with Brazilian music often described as “the New Orleans jazz of Brazil.”
For more information or to buy tickets, visit worldinaweekend.ca or stratfordsummermusic.ca. Tickets may be available at the door unless sold out.
Lights On Stratford announces two new light art installations for Market Square
mapping to wrap the entire structure with mesmerising visuals that can be appreciated from any vantage point.
Sourcing and selecting these art installations is no easy feat. Light Installations may not be meant to travel, or have not been designed to sustain a Canadian winter.
“Just because something works in a sunny climate doesn’t mean it will work in Canada in winter,” said Gribble. “So, the
first lens is a logistical and practical one. What’s available, what can be brought here and what is realistically going to survive through the duration. We scour the globe and get inspired by the other light festivals in Europe, Asia and Australia that are really ahead of the curve. There aren’t many light festivals, so we like being cutting edge.”
There is also a balance between spectacle and interactivity. How does it make people gather and interact and how does
it connect people is another aspect of how they select the installations.
The festival is evolving with aspirations to design build and export art-light installations to the world, thereby creating employment and new cultural opportunities for the city.
“It takes a village to run a light festival of this size; from the city, many departments that we collaborate with from public works to community services to support from council and their financial
support. Of course, it’s held on public property. There’s also the hop-on, hop-off accessible buses and we put lights on them so they became a roving light display. So, there is a lot of collaboration and partnerships,” said Gribble.
He also stresses that the support of business and corporate sponsors help to make the festival as good as it is.
This year the Lights On Festival runs from Dec. 13, 2024, to January 19, 2025. As usual, this inclusive festival is free.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Gallery Stratford presents pieces from Salah Bachir’s closet
A variety of black-and-white photographs of celebrities, paintings and pop art that entrepreneur Salah Bachir collected are on display at Gallery Stratford.
The gallery will display the exhibition, “Not by Andy Warhol Art is for Everyone: Selections from Salah Bachir’s Closet,” until Oct. 13. Bachir, the former president of Cineplex, founder of Toronto’s St. Joseph’s Health Centre and founding member of Phamous Characters, is also an activist for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community and a lifelong supporter of the arts. The works on display are selected pieces from his collection of art he purchased over the years from artists and photographers well known either in Canada or across the globe.
"The closet part is a reference to the fact that he has been downsizing and moving and changing home locations,” said Robert Windrum, Gallery Stratford interim director and curator. “A lot of the work that you view here is work that hasn't been on display or in his homes. It's work that's been in storage that he hadn't even seen.”
Bachir and his husband, Jacob, stopped by the gallery June 25, the day before Windrum’s interview with the Stratford Times.
NOT BY ANDY WARHOL
A variety of work purchased by entrepreneur, advocate, and philanthropist Salah Bachir will be on display at Gallery Stratford as part of the newest exhibition ‘Not by Andy Warhol Art is for Everyone: Selections from Salah Bachir’s closet.
“Both kept remarking, 'Wow, haven't seen that one in a long time and it's great to see it with so much space and so much room,’ ” Windrum said.
The “Not by Andy Warhol” title is a reference to an art print by Sunday B. Morning of Marilyn Monroe, which Andy Warhol signed “this is not by me – Andy Warhol” in protest of the mass production of his Marilyn paintings. Celebrities such as Catharine Hepburn and James Dean
are also featured in the exhibition through the photography collection. There are also sculptures and drawings by Montreal artist Betty Goodwin that showcase
anxiety, curiosity, bliss and sadness, the playful works of Alan Belcher. and photographs by Annie Liebowitz.
"It's an exhibition that is almost as much about the collector as it is the collection because there are so many stories associated with each of the works,” Windrum said.
Bachir released his book, “The First to Leave the Party: My Relationships with People Who Happen to Be Famous,” where each of the 52 chapters highlights his memories with Marlon Brando, Liza Minelli, Celine Dion and other celebrities. The book will be sold at Gallery Stratford with all proceeds supporting the gallery and its programming.
Gallery Stratford will have its Summer Exhibition on Saturday, July 27 from 1-4 p.m. with refreshments from Peter and Paul Maranger and live entertainment by Tim Elliott and Beverly Maranger. Patrons will also have a chance to check out the “Not by Andy Warhol” exhibition from 12-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays until it closes. For more information, visit gallerystratford.on.ca.
New turtle-crossing signs in Stratford
The City of Stratford has followed its energy and environment advisory committee’s recommendation for turtle-crossing signs to be installed on John Street near the Avon River bridge.
The recommendation was made after hearing from local residents that turtles had been observed trying to cross the road at that location and some had been struck by vehicles.
In late June and early July, turtles, looking for nesting sites to lay their eggs, crawl up the banks of a river or lake and travel surprising distances to find a good site. This can be a perilous journey if roads are nearby.
The city’s energy and environment advisory committee heard from local residents living near the John Street bridge. The turtles were observed trying to cross the road near the bridge. Some had made it but others had been struck by vehicles.
The committee recommended the city install turtle crossing signs on either side of the John Street bridge to raise awareness that turtles sometimes cross there, and to encourage motorists to drive cautiously in that area to avoid hitting them.
The signs were installed recently and additional signs may be installed at other locations in the city in the future.
If you see an injured turtle, Scott Gillingwater at the UTRCA may be able to help at 519-451-2800.
GARY WEST Times Correspondent
(ROBERT WINDRUM PHOTO)
SPAA building network of pet-forward businesses
EMILY STEWART Times Correspondent
When Tyler Jouwsma, owner of Paws on Patrol, founded the Stratford Pets and Animals Alliance (SPAA), he was focused on bringing the community together.
Jouwsma planned SPAA for about six months, and the organization came to fruition about three months ago with 11 founding businesses. They include:
• Alley Cat Café
• Paws on Patrol
• MP Canine Training Academy
• The Barkery
• Global Pet Foods Stratford
• Pure Pets
• Stratford Dog Walkers
• Boss Co. Dog Training and Boss Co. Dawg Lodge
• Connection Chiropractic
• Leaping Wolf Animal Communication
• Evermore Compassionate Pet Aftercare
Jouwsma said having a variety of pet-forward businesses on board will provide a variety of resources and skills to help the community. He also runs a Pet Pantry Drive through his Paws on Patrol mobile pet-services business and is looking to grow the initiative through the alliance.
"We all have different networks, we all have different people or animals that we know that need help or assistance, especially for families that may not have the resources or finances to be able to help with that or to be able cope with that,” he said. “We want to be there for them.”
Jouwsma is also looking for pet-forward businesses in Stratford and area to join SPAA. It is free to join the not-for-profit organization and registration can be completed online.
"Every single business is reputable and credible for its own reasons,” Jouwsma said of the alliance. “So having us all in
BRINGING PETS TOGETHER
one group just makes it louder and prouder for the Stratford community and just builds that trust with the Stratford community. Also, it gives you a chance to give back to the community at a much-more impactful and a much-more efficient rate by working for a group rather than or by yourself."
The SPAA’s first project was creating a brochure outlining the organization and the different businesses involved to be placed in businesses across Stratford. Jouwsma said that SPAA will likely piggyback off of his Jingle Paws Holiday Mar-
made up of 11 pet-forward businesses aiming to help the community.
ket, Stratford’s first and only pet-friendly holiday market. The event has a mix of pet-forward and non-pet-forward businesses in addition to food trucks and live music.
The Jingle Paws Holiday Market also collects donations for the Pet Pantry Drive and Stratford House of Blessing. Jouwsma hopes there will be more attendees and donations for this year’s event as many of the people who depend on Stratford House of Blessing have pets and animals, yet the organization doesn’t receive as many pet items as they do items for humans.
In 2025, SPAA will be focusing on education on pets and animals, and fundraising. Jouwsma would also like to organize a summit on pet care featuring members of the alliance, as well as trainers and authors.
"In Stratford, I've never seen a summit for just pets and animals, so we would love to do that for 2025,” he said.
More information can be found by visiting either the SPAA Facebook or Instagram pages. To register a business as a member of SPAA, visit https://tinyurl. com/spaaapplication or https://forms.gle/ rHZC2H7paJn65n5i6.
Tri-County Master Gardeners at work
LESLYE GLOVER
Tri-County Master Gardeners
The Tri-County Master Gardener (TCMG), (Huron, Oxford and Perth) recently completed the final phase of the refurbishment of a garden at the Stratford General Hospital (SGH).
The group, formerly named Stratford and Area Master Gardeners, began work on the circular bed in front of the SGH emergency entrance in early autumn 2023.
Spearheaded by longtime master gardener Don Farwell, they removed invasive weeds and shrubs such as burning bush. The area was then covered with heavy cardboard and woodchips to supress future weeds.
Elizabeth Spedaliere, a member of the master gardeners group, developed a stunning design for the area featuring plants and shrubs native to this area. In 2023, TCMG planted a swamp white oak in the centre of the bed surrounded by fragrant sumac and dwarf bush honeysuckle
shrubs. The funding for these plants came from a grant from the Donald McTavish Conservation Fund held within the Stratford Perth Community Foundation.
In June of this year over a period of two weeks, the group weeded and then planted approximately 120 native plants. Included were smooth blue aster, little bluestem grass and orange butterfly milkweed among others. This area will be a feast for the eyes as it fills in. It will also be a haven for bees, butterflies and other insects vital to the survival of plant and animal life.
The Tri-County Master Gardeners would like to thank the volunteers from Nancy Campbell Academy for their assistance planting and weeding.
Thanks also to the individuals who have donated to the ReLeaf Stratford Project and the volunteers who have assisted in planting and bed preparation. Funds were used not only to purchase plants for the Hospital but also allowed the TCMGs to plant native shrubs in public spaces in Stratford.
The Stratford Pets and Animals Alliance (SPAA) is
(TYLER JOUWSMA PHOTO)
120 NATIVE PLANTS Members of the Tri-County Master Gardeners at work planting on June 17 at the Stratford General Hospital.
(TRI-COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS PHOTO)
Community of Christ Church serves up a free breakfast every month, regardless of religion
GARY WEST
Times Correspondent
For the last year and a half, Community of Christ Church on Forman Avenue in Stratford has been offering a free community breakfast for all who come.
Organizers of the church say it has been a great success feeding approximately 100 people on the last Sunday of every month.
Any donations received are given to a different local charity each month.
This past month’s donation went to Harmony, a non-profit organization that provides advocacy, education and resources for 2SLGBTQ+ members of the church.
According to church pastor Nancy Brookshaw, the purpose of Harmony is to affirm the dignity and worth of all people without regard to gender, race, sexual orientation or religious affiliation.
There now have been 15 breakfasts served since February, 2023, with thousands of dollars donated to various charities in Stratford and Perth County.
Brookshaw said there is no church service on those Sundays.
The free breakfast is a big change for some of the congregation but when asked the question, “What would Jesus do,” they knew the answer was of course to feed people and build community.
The community breakfast will take July and August off and it will be back in September.
They are always looking for volunteers for cleanup, so if anyone interested in helping or learning more can email Brookshaw at Nancybrookshaw@gmail.com.
THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS DONATED
Perth County’s Neeb family brings antique John Deere tractors to Stratford Canada Day Parade
GARY WEST
Times Correspondent
Stratford’s Canada Day parade is one that draws thousands of area spectators on July 1 every year.
They, along with hundreds of participants
who play in bands and bring out floats depicting their businesses or organizations, ride horses and drape themselves with flags and Canada Day themes.
The Neeb family’s classic tractor entry has been participating in Stratford‘s Canada Day Parade for over 10 years now.
While watching the parade, spectators always seem to enjoy looking at the old tractors as they pass by.
There are nameplates on all of the tractors to say what year they were made, as many people are interested in seeing how old the green and yellow John Deere tractors really are.
This year, the family had six tractors entered with manufactured dates from 19341987.
This is also the first year that Ron Neeb’s grandson, Carson, was able to drive a tractor in the parade, making it three generations in full participation.
Serving a free breakfast the end of June at Community Of Christ Church on Forman Avenue are, from left, Mark Custers, Curtis Van Straaten, Sally Van Straaten, Robert Smith, Dan Veldman, Scott Brookshaw, Julia Brookshaw, Kelly Tarr and pastor Nancy Brookshaw.
(GARY WEST PHOTO)
Guy Moore driving one of Ron Neeb’s John Deere A tractors along the river in this year’s Canada Day Parade in Stratford. This was one of six tractors the Neeb family entered for the parade this July 1 to make it 10 years in a row for the family to participate.
Four members of the Neeb family with their John Deere tractors participated in this year ’s Canada Day Parade in Stratford – their 10th year in a row. Pictured from left are Matt Neeb, Carson Legere (in seat), Terry Legere and Ron Neeb.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS)
It is a complete privilege to serve the community in which I live through the often-alien territory of funeral service. And in that unfamiliar terrain, the main task for me is to walk alongside – not to be followed. I am very clear, after decades serving as a funeral director and years of being manager at Rutherford Cremation & Funeral Services that everyone’s terrain is different, the shoes they walk in – more, or less, comfortable – and the “valley of the shadow of death” understood in completely disparate ways.
Some folks still, understandably, flounder for what can only be deemed as some idea of what is expected of them in
Stratford needs an outdoor gym. Here’s why our community will benefit.
City parks played an essential role in alleviating skyrocketing stress levels experienced during the pandemic. Nationwide, Canadians flocked to green spaces, providing us the perfect venues for social distancing. In fact, a survey by the national organization, Park People, found that 85 per cent of Canadians found parks to have had a profound
Until Soon. Live Well: Honouring
a land teeming with decisions that should be personal. A single soul, unique and one-of-a-kind has died. Your experience of that death can only be personal! Just as last wishes are.
I mention this to bring attention to a notion that reveals itself most often when someone actually has died. To all who would hear – to honour someone has infinitely more meanings and manners in which to carry it out than what is “expected” of you. Often expectations stem from a misguided sense of obligation, and while I have always, and still do, advocate that the wishes of the one who dies are paramount over all others, it does not mean that a funeral in the guise of “tradition” or from a feeling of obligation is the proper road to walk down. Nor does it mean “I don’t want anything” equates to “I don’t want to be honoured.”
Honouring someone, including yourself, is a quintessential desire by all who live and breathe and all who die – to recognize their worth, to feel they have left something of themselves. There is no one on this earth who doesn’t want to feel as though they mattered, but how that may look may be markedly different. I will give options when op-
tions are required, but the actual honouring of a life may range from a public or private funeral service, celebration, casual gathering, to the raising of a glass at the family dinner table – which might lead to reminiscence and conversation or tears and laughter. It might include the formal burning of a candle. It might be remembrances late at night, when grieving becomes a blanket you share together. It may involve the funeral home or it may not. The most important thing to remember is that honouring someone should fit the personality of the one being honoured and not some notion of what should be because of a misguided view of what people might expect. And certainly, never should it equate to how much money is spent! And who cares what people expect? The piece of the puzzle that is most often forgotten is that others have their own memories, their own grief, their own option of honouring the dead in the way they see fit. People tend to forget that: that honouring someone is as personal as it indeed, actually is! Some may need community at a funeral and some may not, just as some would like to see the loved one in a casket and some may not. You will never satisfy
everyone nor is it your responsibility to do so. Your responsibility is to stand true and try to accommodate the wishes of the one you have loved and are responsible for. To carry them out. There is never a last goodbye for you as long as you are living, but there is for them and their time is now. Your goodbyes for them will still stretch out into the future, believe me.
I hear it said that funerals are for the living – and so that may very well be. If your wish and the deceased’s wish differ in some way, nothing is stopping you from carrying out what it is you want after what they want is satisfied. And if there’s a hurdle to overcome, well, this is perhaps where the funeral director can guide you in the way around it. There always is one. If those wishes are the same there is no issue. A dying wish is often highly specific and I, for one, would feel disrespected (if I were alive) if my specific wishes were not carried out as I wanted them to be.
There’s no illusion here, there are no rules, and there may not be a funeral service either – at least not in the way it was imagined by yourself or another. Do your own thing then. If possible,
Investing in our parks
impact on their mental health during the pandemic. Since the pandemic, usage of parks has increased by a further 15 per cent across Canada.
Could parks be an antidote to many of our societal pains?
Loneliness has become a very concerning health issue of late. According to scientists, loneliness can raise a person’s risk of death by 45per cent – more than air pollution, obesity or alcohol abuse. The World Health Organization suggests loneliness is on a trajectory to becoming a global epidemic. A recent Harvard University study found that 43 per cent of young adults reported increases in loneliness. About half reported that no one in the prior four weeks had “taken more than just a few minutes” to ask how they were doing in a way that made them feel like the person “genuinely cared.”
Being immersed in nature, whether a forest or a city park, has many benefits including ad-
dressing loneliness. CARP, a national organization that advocates for the health and vibrancy of people as they age, found living near a park had a huge effect on reducing feelings of loneliness. According to CARP, even when controlled for socioeconomic status, green space mattered a lot. In statistical terms, the relationship between avoiding loneliness and living near a park was four times greater than the relationship between avoiding loneliness and having children.
Stratford activist R. Thomas Orr knew well the positive impact of parks. He led the fight to save the riverfront and millpond from railway development and oversaw the transformation of the former industrial area into parkland. He then worked to create the City of Stratford parks board. Today, residents along with visitors come together in our park system to enjoy a multitude of activities – picnics, playing cricket, strolling hand in hand, dreaming and much more – because of R.
Thomas Orr’s astute vision.
Why not further Orr’s vision of our parks as community spaces for residents to come together in nature for better mental and physical health?
While many Canadian cities set quantity based targets for parks such as the number of water fountains and soccer fields, few collect data on park quality. It’s natural for cities to build parks and then feel the task is done, however parks should be built as a breathing, living thing that continues to evolve. As the needs of users change, we must do better to meet such needs. For example, when the skateboard park and pump track were introduced at the All-Wheels Park, the users found both venues very challenging. Both sections were well used, but now users are craving more.
To respond to such needs, an accessible and inclusive outdoor calisthenics gym will become the sixth stage of the All-Wheels Park. Calisthenics racks were
do what it is you need afterward. Think upon them. Be with them in your mind and heart for a while. Speak with them, out loud or in your head. Light a candle. Make a dinner for your family and dedicate it to them. Make their favourite meal if you know it. Honour them in any manner you see fit. Hold a “funeral gathering” at a later date if necessary. Part of the healing is that we know this can be done whenever and wherever we want. As often as we want. As large or as small as we want. And as specific as we want.
Honouring someone is important. It releases us and lets us navigate our grieving. It frees us to recognize ourselves in the process. It creates gratefulness even in our sadness. And most importantly, what it might look like is ours and ours alone – despite the hundred others who may or may not be sitting at some kind of funeral tribute that may or may not be happening the way they want it to.
Stuart is a celebrant and the manager of Rutherford Cremation & Funeral Services. It is his privilege to serve, dispel myths, and give information concerning his field of compassionate service.
introduced by the U.S. Army during the late 1930s to develop unity and camaraderie among soldiers. It expanded to general fitness in the 1940s and now has a status as a sport and urban street movement. Calisthenics encourage users to work out as a group on the same apparatus bringing users together.
The outdoor gym will also expand the breadth of park users –appealing not only to youth, but adults and seniors as well. Families will be able to work out together on warm summer nights, hockey teams will train under a tree canopy for the upcoming season and groups of seniors will wake up to a healthy workout. The advantage of calisthenics is everyone can do it as the activity uses a person’s own frame and body weight to produce the resistance and challenge within all exercises, meaning people with different levels of fitness can jointly start a program.
Please support the All-Wheels Park at stratfordgym.com
BRUCE WHITAKER Times Freelance Columnist
STUART LENDER Times Contributor
JULIE ASHLEY
Times Contributor
She resists being compared to any of the great humanists, but grandmother V.J. puts the saint in St. Marys! Like others that have gone before her, V.J. has helped so many in need through selfless service despite her age and limiting factors. V.J.’s passion is palpable. She reflects on her time writing the column as well as the work she has undertaken with Ukrainian people fleeing their country shortly after the war broke out in Ukraine. She chokes up and I imagine tears in her eyes. War is like an atom bomb; waves of invisible yet debilitating impacts that ripple across the human landscape.
Five different families have been hosted by VJ and her husband, Ric, in their own modest home. One instance was two young, Ukrainian men who were sleeping in a car at Yorkdale Mall in Toronto with nowhere to live and wanting to work. She welcomed them in.
Meanwhile, literally hundreds of individuals have been touched by VJ as she co-ordinated a network that reached across the nation to find homes for those leaving refugee camps, leaving their suit-
Times Freelance Columnist
Are you sufficiently grateful for what you have? Or do you always look over your shoulder wondering wheather you could have that you don’t yet have?
Gratitude is a powerful and often underestimated emotion that has the potential to transform our lives. It is the practice of acknowledging and appreciating the positive aspects of life, whether they are big or small.
While it may seem like a simple concept, being grateful extends far beyond polite manners and social niceties. Gratitude has profound effects on mental, emotional, and physical well-being, fostering stronger relationships, enhancing personal resilience, and contributing to overall life satisfaction. Therefore, it’s something we should try to cultivate.
One of the most significant
Honouring V.J. Knutson
cases behind on the train platform back home to accommodate more people. Her receptiveness to stretching her reach even further lead her directly to another good Samaritan, a man named Lars who sits in a train station in Warsaw helping Ukrainians obtain the proper paperwork to qualify for arrival in Canada. Fast friends are made across the ocean, knowing that they knit precious lives together from each end.
We agree about how such help can so simply change the trajectories of these lives and future lives as she and countless other volunteers give of their time and other already stretched resources. V.J. joyfully reflects on how her birthday unleashes the outpouring of little gifts of gratitude and celebration all day long from the many people she has helped. She exudes the same pride for them as if they were her very own children. Yet she knows that these people are only her children in spirit. They are strong and independent in nature. V.J. recounts how much they have taught her about work ethic, resilience and faith in the face of devastation and loss that most living Canadians have not experienced.
Despite her deep passion and love for these Ukrainians, V.J. acknowledges that
she is a grandmother facing down her own health challenges and recognizes it is time to step back and give herself the attention she has bestowed on others. Her lasting
hope is that other willing people will take up the torch and run forward with it – to continue the good work that she, in concert with others, has begun. We reflect momentarily. Who else might feel the nudge to share time and resources with those in our community who are pressed beyond measure; who share the same dreams and wishes that we hold dear but who have so little to begin with?
Looking forward, as I endeavour to continue the spirit of this column, I will be looking to write about other unsung heroes who are changing our local landscape here in Stratford and the surrounding area. As well, I hope to cast a light on those in our midst who are facing challenges in a manner that inspires us too. Often, these people’s stories are never told because they are too busy doing what must be done, no time to take their eye off the goal or nose off the grindstone. Yet they make our community the rich community that it is and we need to hear their stories.
I hope you will look forward to reading more stories here and feel free to share some you think need to be told too, along with your contact information. I can be reached at jraeashley@gmail.com and I welcome your input.
Gratitude as a path to a fulfilling life
benefits of gratitude is its impact on our mental health. In a world filled with stress, anxiety, and depression, cultivating gratitude offers a natural and effective remedy to lighten our spirits.
Several studies have shown that people who are regularly grateful experience lower levels of stress and depression. By focusing on what we have rather than what they lack, we can shift our mindset from a negative to a positive perspective. This shift can reduce the tendency to ruminate on problems and increase our feelings of happiness and well-being.
Gratitude can also play a significant role in enhancing our emotional well-being. This is because when we express gratitude, we experience a surge of positive emotions, such as joy, enthusiasm, and optimism. These emotions not only make us feel good in the moment, but it can also build a positive feedback loop, encouraging more gratitude and positivity in the future. This can create a positive cycle where gratitude leads to happiness, which in turn fosters more gratitude. Over time, this practice can significantly improve our emotional resilience, allowing us to better cope with life's challenges and setbacks.
Physical health is another area where gratitude has a
notable impact. Research has found that grateful individuals tend to have better sleep quality, lower blood pressure, and stronger immune systems. The connection between mind and body is well-documented, and gratitude's ability to reduce stress and promote relaxation likely contributes to these physical health benefits. People who practice gratitude are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors, such as regular exercise and healthy nutrition, which can also enhance our overall well-being.
Further, gratitude can also strengthen connections with others by promoting feelings of trust, empathy, and mutual appreciation. When we express gratitude to others, it reinforces positive social interactions and fosters a sense of belonging and community. This can lead to deeper and more meaningful relationships, both personally and professionally.
In addition, gratitude encourages altruism and pro-social behavior. When we recognize and appreciate the kindness and generosity of others, we’re more likely to engage in acts of kindness ourselves. This can create a ripple effect, spreading positivity and fostering a culture of gratitude within communities and organizations. In workplaces, gratitude can improve mo -
rale, increase job satisfaction, and enhance teamwork, leading to a more positive and productive work environment.
The good news is that practicing gratitude does not require grand gestures or significant time commitments. Simple daily habits can make a profound difference.
Here are a few to consider.
• Keep a gratitude journal, where you write down a few things you are thankful for each day, can help maintain a positive focus.
• Take the time to tell people in your life how much you appreciate them. This could be through a heartfelt conversation, a thank-you note, or even a quick text message. Letting others know you value them strengthens relationships and spreads positivity.
• Perform random acts of kindness for others. This could be as simple as holding the door open for someone, complimenting a colleague, or volunteering your time. Acts of kindness not only help others, but also reinforce your own sense of gratitude.
• Incorporate mindfulness or meditation practices that focus on gratitude. During meditation, focus on things you are thankful for and let those positive feelings permeate your being. This practice helps ground you in the present moment and
enhances overall well-being.
• Make it a habit to pause and give thanks before meals. Reflect on the effort that went into preparing your food, the people who made it possible, and the nourishment it provides. This practice can turn a daily routine into a moment of gratitude.
• At the end of each day, take a few moments to reflect on what went well and what you are grateful for. This practice helps shift focus away from daily stresses and onto positive aspects of your day, promoting a peaceful and appreciative mindset before sleep.
Therefore, gratitude can enrich our mental, emotional, and physical health, strengthens social bonds, and fosters a more compassionate and connected society.
By making gratitude a regular practice, we can experience greater happiness, resilience, and life satisfaction. In a world that often emphasizes what is missing or what needs improvement, shifting the focus to what is already good and abundant in our lives can be a transformative and empowering approach to life.
Gratitude is not just a fleeting emotion but a way of life that has the potential to unlock true fulfillment and joy. May you take steps to unblock the brilliance of this all-powerful emotion.
IRENE ROTH
New Times columnist Julie Ashley writes of the impact outgoing Times columnist V.J. Knutson had on those Ukrainian newcomers she has helped.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
The planet may survive climate change; we may not be so lucky
ANNA KOWALCHUK
Times Contributor
It occurred to me recently that all this alarmist talk claiming that we, insignificant little humans, are on the verge of destroying an entire planet is not only the height of hubris but, quite frankly, utter nonsense.
This planet of ours has seen and survived it all: ice ages eons in length, apocalyptic heat domes that turned arctic regions into tropical climes and meteor impacts of such magnitude, one brought an end to a shocking two-thirds of life on Earth, including the dinosaurs.
The planet is over 4.5 billion years old and, believe me, it has used its time wisely forging itself into something that is not only singularly beautiful (see NASA’s earthrise photos), but something that is mightier and more enduring than anything our limited minds could ever hope to comprehend or appreciate. So, rest assured dear reader, our planet will be perfectly fine. It is we who may not be.
LORNA JEAN EDMONDS Guest Columnist
Am I mistaken or have many traditionally rural ridings and the counties, cities and communities within them more recently evolved into something different? Look around you – are your neighbours the same? Are the shops the same? Are the services – roads, schools, health care –the same, better or worse? What about the environment and the arable land for farming? What has changed and what has stayed the same?
I am referring to the communities and their ridings which not so long ago were truly rural but are now feeling a shift. These ridings were not caught up in the immediate tentacles of the Toronto, Ottawa, London and their major highway lineal reach that led to widespread developments and urban sprawl. These represent the bastion of rural ridings with cities that garner populations historically of less than 200,000, like Kingston and its riding, Kingston and the Islands, and some without even a city larger than 20,000 population like its neighbor, my riding of Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston. Perth-Wellington, Simcoe North and Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry are other examples and there
Let’s retrace. After that rather dramatic beginning, our Earth eventually evolved into what has been whimsically and accurately described as “the Goldilocks planet”: not too hot, not too cold, not too wet, not too dry, not to windy, not too still. It was perfectly balanced to host the emergence of us! We were quick to learn, adapt, overcome and thrive on this planet, which we did for millennia, but then we got restless.
Knowledge and ideas build on themselves and soon we wanted new, we wanted better and we wanted more. Human civilizations began to expand and grow, which is a good thing because stagnation leads to disintegration. But somewhere along the line, a wire in our collective psyche was tripped and we became addicted to that new, that better and especially to that more, and we’ve been craving it ever since, oblivious to the enormity of the social, ethical and ecological costs. Fast forward to today.
Our actions (and now inactions) have turned this gift of a planet into a dismal,
inhospitable place for many and soon-tobe uninhabitable place for all. The most pressing of issues, the hyper-heating of our planet from a glut of human-emitted CO2 in the atmosphere, is tipping the perfect balance that once was, and we are now living in a climate of extremes – extreme heat, extreme cold, extreme rain, extreme drought and extreme wind – with devastating results, which will only continue with greater frequency and still greater ferocity if we refuse to intervene.
Most climate scientists agree that we have, at the very best, 10 years to turn things around, to rescue ourselves from our own bad behaviour. If we are to succeed (and it is possible!), clear minds and stalwart hearts will be required. We must begin by immediately offloading those actions and behaviours that are harmful, no, deadly to our existence. So, citizens all – law-makers, business owners, designers, manufacturers, architects, city planners, media owners, artists/artisans, educators and marketers (especially you marketers, dark Sirens of over-consump -
Welcome to “rurban living?”
are many more!
In 2020, I moved full time to a rural community in South Frontenac. Quite frankly, I knew very little about rural living and its livelihood. It’s magical yet it too has its limitations. It’s expensive. Energy is costly and, for too many, reliable high-speed internet is still out of reach. You want to buy local, but food can be pricey. Just buying the basics in supplies and tools I needed to purchase can be arduous unless I (ab)used the luxury of Amazon for even some of the little things. Being a farmer and keeping your farm in the family, or at all, is getting harder and harder. Urban creep is seriously stretching municipal infrastructure – water, sewers, roads and community and emergency services to mention a few.
As many rural Ontario ridings become a mixture of rural and urban-like communities with people who have lived here all their lives to newcomers from near and far, life and their livelihoods are changing. The newbies are commuter families, retired people and tele-workers who choose to reside outside of a major city or move for financial and lifestyle reasons. They are joining families who have resided in rural Ontario for many years, if not centuries. By virtue
of moving in together, they collectively bring a new set of wants and needs. The landscape has changed. These ridings are no longer what we think of as traditionally rural and much more of a melange of the rural and the urban.
Just look at the changes in size and demography of a number of our small towns like Carleton Place. Sprawling and diversifying suburbs are surrounding longstanding communities; further redefining the traditions and cultures of predominantly farming, natural reserves, lakes, parks, small towns and villages. As an Ottawa commuter and tele-working city, Carleton Place, for example, has become bigger and more diverse. It is one of the fastest-growing communities in Canada. Innovation with new businesses and boutiques are drawn to these emerging communities from both a price-sensitive perspective and new families to serve. With the high cost of living of recent years, sadly, the demand for food banks and affordable housing is daunting coupled with the continued inability to access basic health care, rehabilitation and social services in a clinic/centre or at home in typical of rural ridings. This is not to mention the cost to the environment in terms
tion!) – let’s all think and act outside the box; “What can I do to turn this appalling thing around?”
And let’s all be ruthlessly honest in our assessment of our own culpability, and in the disingenuity of our excuses. We’ve no other option but to commit and re-commit (as often as necessary) to living truthfully, healthfully and respectfully on what should be (should have been) our forever-home planet. Let’s refuse to allow this commitment to devolve and dissolve into just another environmental cool-factor trend. Let’s become a model for other cities to marvel at and to emulate. Let’s live the long haul as though our lives depend on it. They do.
“If not now, when? If not me, who?”
This column will be focussing primarily on those individuals, companies and organizations that have taken the environmental road less travelled and are currently living/working sustainably and successfully on their little patch of this planet. I hope that they will inspire you to do the same.
of the use of fossil fuels, loss of arable land and the generation of excessive waste, particularly plastic.
We have critical needs in basic public infrastructure and a changing population of aging people with disabilities, and Indigenous communities and those with young families. Farming is essential to our livelihood as is welcoming new immigrants. Our economy and tax base must grow to support these changes by investing in innovation, jobs and supporting new residents, and it needs to do so while navigating the mitigation of climate change, food and housing security, and sustaining our agricultural lands, parks and natural resources. The fabric and landscape of these distinct communities across Ontario have changed.
Recognizing this, how do we wish to move forward? A key step is to relook at who and what we are and call it what it is – the fusion of ruralites with urbanites into the “rurbanization” of these regions and communities. Perhaps it’s no longer rural but “Rurban Living.”
If so, then new thinking and leadership strategies with a rurban framework is needed. I love living here, but unless we speak loud and clear to our new reality, our livelihood will, in time,
come at a price. No plan is a plan and inaction will result in some grim realities. Let’s start to advocate even more than we are now for critical investments that align with our rurban needs and will sustain and enhance the richness these ridings must continue to offer. Where we live is pretty special!
Let’s start a conversation about your thoughts about “rurban” living? Please take a moment to complete this three-minute survey by visiting https://tinyurl. com/LJEDMONDS, and stay posted for future posts about rurban living!
About the Author: Lorna Jean Edmonds is a fulltime rural resident in Hartington, Ont. She was a senior university executive and global influencer. She has worked extensively across the disciplines in academic and development administration and external and international relations. With over 30 years of experience in Canada, the United States and internationally, her career has led to partnerships and collaborative projects all over the world. Since moving to Hartington in 2020, she has been connecting with local communities and is committed to bringing more attention to the realities and needs of life and living in rural or rather “rurban” Ontario.
OH, THE PLACES WE’LL GO: Ignoring the best theatre in the world
Full disclosure: there have been years when I did not see one play at the Stratford Festival.
I know. I should be ashamed of myself – and I am.
This places me squarely in the category of people who live on the Niagara Peninsula but never visit the falls or the wineries – which are even better destinations that the falls – or the Toronto denizens who haven’t been to the Royal Ontario Museum, the Art Gallery of Ontario, or the Hockey Hall of Fame.
It’s an odd quirk of human beings that we will travel around the world to see sights and wonders, but we ignore some really great stuff right around the corner from our front doors.
And for a lot of folks reading this feature, the Stratford Festival falls right into that category of great stuff that is local and therefore ignored.
I was determined to rectify my recent lapses in good day-trip judgment, so I moved early to get tickets to the first two plays we wanted to see.
And I decided to see them both on one day. I have to tell you, taking in a matinee, then enjoying
dinner, then seeing an evening production makes for a terrific day in Stratford. It turns a “drive to Stratford, see a play, drive home” experience into a relaxed day trip with the opportunity to browse in the city’s excellent downtown, the time to enjoy a nice meal (be sure to book in advance, of course) and the chance to stroll around some of the garden-lined streets that make many of Stratford’s thoroughfares a garden lover’s paradise.
Our top priority was to see La Cage Aux Folles. I wanted to see this musical for three reasons.
One, because Stratford’s reputation for staging amazing musical productions is second to none –they are a guaranteed win.
Two, because the movie based on La Cage – Birdcage, starring Nathan Lane and Robin Williams – is my go-to movie whenever I want to kick back and smile.
And three – although certainly not last – because Steve Ross,
who plays a starring role as the drag queen Albin in the play, is a friend and I couldn’t wait to see his excellent on-stage work. We were not disappointed.
I have noticed in recent weeks that whenever I talk about going to Stratford, a common question is, “Did you see La Cage?” People are loving the production and with very good reason. The cast is superb – Steve is brilliant, as are Stratford veteran Sean Arbuckle as Albin’s partner, Georges, Chris Vergara as the over-the-top butler, Jacob, and Juan Chioran as the desperately stern, rightwing politician, Edouard Dindon.
I don’t intend to review the play – I will leave that to more erudite theatre experts – but I can say there was not a note out of place in La Cage. I laughed, cried and cheered, and in this, I was not alone.
Our between-plays break gave us time to browse through some of the eclectic downtown shops,
enjoy a beverage on Bentley’s patio (Stratford has captured a bit of the lovely European flavour of street-front patios), dine (pizza, of course) at Pazzo’s and stroll down beautiful Coburg Street as we walked to the Festival Theatre.
One option which we will definitely do next time will be to bring a picnic supper to be enjoyed on Tom Patterson Island or at another of the hundreds of picnic tables that line the Avon River.
The evening performance we took in was Twelfth Night. This play has been praised by reviewers as a perfect rendering of Shakespeare’s most popular comedy. It has all the elements you may remember from the playwright’s broad-sweeping comedic sense: mistaken identities, cross-dressing (centuries before La Cage, by the way), bawdy humor (much grasping of breasts), music, love at first sight, pompous fools and (of course) a happy
ending.
This production is directed by Stratford great Seana McKenna, who has been at Stratford for 31 seasons. All of her other work here has been as an actor; this is her first Stratford venture as director and she is being much lauded for her work.
McKenna took the brave decision to swap the genders of some roles, including the singing fool, Feste, here played with bravado by Deborah Hay, and Malvolio, played well by Laura Condlln. This gender-bending is certainly in keeping with the play in its original form since the leading role – in this case, Viola, played by Jessica B. Hill – features a woman pretending to be a man. There is one other star of Twelfth Night I enjoyed – the famous stage of the Festival Theatre. McKenna has kept the production very spare in décor. The focus is on the actors with minimal props on stage, and that leaves us free to not only enjoy this production but to recall all the times in previous years – perhaps as long ago as high school trips – when we first saw theatre on this unique, thrust stage where we are all part of the proceedings. So, to all my friends who have forgotten about the wonders of the Stratford Festival, I offer this reminder. This is our very own wonder of the world only minutes away from our front doors, and it offers a unique day trip to the magic of truly magnificent theatre.
Paul Knowles is an author and travel writer, and President of the Travel Media Association of Canada. To contact Paul about travel, his books, or speaking engagements, email pknowles@ golden.net.
PAUL KNOWLES Times Contributor
From left: Michael Spencer-Davis as Fabian, Jessica B. Hill as Viola, Rylan Wilkie as Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Scott Wentworth as Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. Stratford Festival 2024.
(DAVID HOU PHOTOS)
Sean Arbuckle as Georges (left) and Steve Ross as Albin in La Cage aux Folles. Stratford Festival 2024.
Members of the company in Twelfth Night. Stratford Festival 2024
What's black, white, black, white, black and white? A penguin rolling down a hill.
What did the boy octopus say to the girl octopus?
"I want to hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand."
What rolls and jumps but never walks? A soccer ball
What do you call a person with a tree for a briefcase?
A branch manager.
Why can't you borrow money from a leprechaun?
Because they are always a little short
What kind of chickens lay golden eggs? Golden Chicks
Why did the boy take a packet of oats with him to bed? To feed his nightmare
How do you get a baby astronaut to sleep? Rock-it.
What happens when you throw a purple rock into a yellow stream? It makes a splash.
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enjoy delicious food prepared by: El Milagro, Crystal's Fries, Moreish Ice Cream and Hissing Goose Coffee
SUMMER FOLK MUSIC
FOOD TRUCK MONDAYS
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FOOD TRUCK MONDAYS
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FOOD TRUCK MONDAYS
Monday August 5, 2024 at Grace United Church in Tavistock, 116 Woodstock St. S. • 4:30 until 7:30 pm
Proceeds supporting Tavistock Home and School Ass'n (new playground equipment)
enjoy delicious food prepared by: Born2Eat, The Wild Boar and BeaverTails
FOOD TRUCK MONDAYS
Monday August 12, 2024 at Grace United Church in Tavistock, 116 Woodstock St. S. • 4:30 until 7:30 pm
Proceeds supporting Camp Bimini
enjoy delicious food prepared by: 'Fo Cheezy, Moreish Ice Cream and Ish n Chips
