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North Perth deputy mayor acclaimed as Perth County warden for 2025
GALEN SIMMONS
Regional Editor
North Perth deputy mayor Todd Kellum has been acclaimed as Perth County warden, taking over from outgoing warden and current Perth East Mayor Rhonda Ehgoetz after two one-year terms in the position.
Kellum, who has served on county council for a decade, including most recently as deputy warden, took his oath of office and accepted the warden’s chain and gavel from Ehgoetz during the annual Perth County warden’s election Dec. 5 at the Arden Park Hotel in Stratford.
“I am delighted and honoured to serve as the 154th warden for Perth County this year,” Kellum said. “I appreciate the trust you’ve placed in me as I step into this important role. … It’s an exciting time to step into this role in Perth County. This past year, we’ve achieved some significant milestones. The new official plan is complete and it has been submitted to the province for review.
“This is a big step forward for the county. Once approved by the ministry, it will mean great things for the future growth and development of our region.”
Kellum also spoke about the near-complete connecting-link addition at the country courthouse campus in Stratford, which will connect the recently renovated Perth County courthouse with the renovated former land-registry office at 5 Huron St. into one unified Perth County headquarters building.
“This renovated space will provide a new and expanded home for county staff,” Kellum continued.
A Passion for People
SHERRIE ROULSTON
Real Estate Broker email: sherrieroulston@royallepage.ca Direct: 519-272-3578
CONNOR LUCZKA
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The 2025 draft budget, with the approved expansions and removals council has made, is currently sitting at a tax rate increase of 6.53 per cent – but there is still much more work to be done before any increase is finalized.
Both Mayor Martin Ritsma and Coun. Mark Hunter, who serves as chair of the finance and labour committee that does preliminary work before council approves the budget, said they had hoped to bring the rate increase
“south of five per cent,” and reiterated that comment at the most recent budget meeting on Dec. 9.
To get there now would take considerable cuts to services – a tall order according to Coun. Lesley Biehn.
“We need six people to agree on which services to cut,” Biehn said. “And from everything that I've seen going through the budget and all the questions I've been asking over this last month, I don't think there is a single thing that we will cut or anybody would be willing to cut.
THE BIG MAN IN RED
Santa caps off the parade, speaking to the crowd before counting down to when the large, outdoor Christmas tree just in front of the Tom Patterson Theatre is lit up. See more photos on page 7.
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO)
Council gets philosophical before pausing budget talks at 6.5 per-cent tax increase
“Is there any services that could be presented tonight that anyone has a desire to cut? Because if that's the case, I'll go and look in that section, and I'll work tirelessly to try and save money in that section on those services. But I need to know where would people even be willing to cut because I see zero appetite to cut anything.”
Coun. Cody Sebben disagreed that the only option to reduce the increase was to look at service cuts. He wanted to send the budget back to staff to relook at line items, something he has suggested each year of this term of council. As in prior years, that sentiment was not shared.
“I think we have this conversation every year,” Coun. Jo-Dee Burbach said. “We're the ones who need to look at what services we provide. We can't ask staff to do that or to say to them, ‘Well, just find a better way to do more with less.’ I don't think it's possible. I really don't. I agree with Coun. Hunter that if we want to make a difference with this budget, we have to cut and that's what Coun. Biehn was talking about. It's really hard. We don't want to cut anything and we don't want to increase taxes. That's the bottom line.”
One of the areas both Hunter and Burbach thought would be a place to cut was the city’s community grants program. Each year, hundreds of thousands of dollars are awarded by the city to the various organizations that apply for funding under
strict guidelines to use that money for the community.
Past recipients have been L’Arche Stratford, Gallery Stratford and Stratford Summer Music among other notable organizations.
In a final amended version of the motion, Burbach moved to reduce the spending in the grant program by $325,000, which would bring the total investment by the city in 2025 to $871,870, and to specifically halve the city’s 2025 contribution to the Stratford General Hospital Foundation’s $30-million In Our Hands capital campaign, to which the city has previously pledged a total of $5 million.
Sebben voted against the motion, arguing there are other line items that could be cut and have a greater impact on the tax levy with less of an impact on the community. There are many community organizations that rely on the city’s funding to do the annual work they always do, he said. Likewise, reducing the hospital spending was a “non-starter” for the mayor. He pointed out the campaign is going towards a new cancer clinic and equipment that is not funded by the province.
Though the motion didn’t pass, Hunter said it was “no sour grapes,” reiterating what Sebben had said about the groups doing good work for the city and the community – just that more and more is expected of municipalities as they seemingly get less and less.
“The mayor is correct that this funds (hospital) equipment that the province doesn't fund and here we are talking about what the province isn’t taking care of again,” Hunter said. “For everything to fall on the shoulders of the municipality, it's getting harder and harder for us to have budgets that our residents can live with.”
Council will meet again at the committee level in the new year to resume budget talks. The committee already met for three marathon meetings on Nov. 28, Dec. 3 and the most recent meeting on Dec. 9. They went through the requested operating budgets of each department, line by line, the capital forecast for the city and the expansion requests the city’s directors have put forward.
Of the 27 expansion requests suggested, 15 of which were new staff positions, 17 have been approved so far, including:
• A facilities plumber position, $141,013
• A vehicle for the plumber position, $96,650
• A facilities electrician position, $141,013
• A vehicle for the electrician position, $96,650
• A supervisor of policy and placemaking position, $144,542
• Changing six part-time recreation and facility operators to permanent existing positions, $125,973.
• A new Ontario Works caseworker position, $106,790
• A community emergency management coordinator (CEMC) training exercise, $50,000
• A new bylaw enforcement officer position, $113,323
• Changing the water meter technician to an existing position, $106,445
• A supervisor of bylaw position, $129,961
• A supervisor of financial services, $128,829
• Two new vehicles for bylaw staff, $110,300
A number of expansions were also approved but will not affect this year’s tax levy. The Grand Trunk project specialists positions ($200,000), an additional mobility bus ($150,000) and electronic message board trailers ($55,000) were approved and funded through reserve funds. Additionally, many of the approved expansions were approved with certain grants and revenues gapping the actual impact on this year’s levy – though not all are guaranteed for next year.
Additionally, many of the expansions were approved with the understanding that the cost will be mitigated through the savings or revenue they accrue. The new plumber and electrician positions, for example, would likely save the municipality on contracting services moving forward.
The Community Improvement Plan expansion, priced at $150,000, was also approved but council voted to direct funds from Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT) revenues toward the plan. Likewise, council approved using an additional $150,000 from the MAT reserve to fund Destination Stratford’s Lights On project as included in the expansion requests and the operating budget.
The Parks and Recreation Master Plan, priced at $80,000, was deferred to the 2026 budget.
A number of referrals were also requested and await committee approval. For instance, the biggest expansion request, the Human Resources Information System (HRIS) priced at $425,000, was sent back to staff to see if more economical options were available.
Nearing the end of the most recent deliberations, McCabe suggested using $750,000 from the tax-stabilization reserve to the budget to bring down the levy impact, something done last year.
Karmen Krueger, treasurer and director of corporate services, said there was already a 50 per cent cut in transfers to reserves in the draft budget and any further reduction to reserves would have significant impacts to services being provided by the city down the line.
To see any lasting effects on the levy, she said council would have to look at permanent changes to service levels.
McCabe’s motion was defeated, however Clerk Tatiana Dafoe said the motion may be reintroduced at the council level before the draft budget would finally be approved.
“My biggest challenge thus far in the budget really hasn't been capital or operating. It has been the amount of expansion that we've asked for and have approved,” Ritsma said at the end of deliberations. “Whether that's going to generate better service, it's still going to be an increase to our tax levy … and I'm not saying those expansion pieces are not important, but I just know for the ratepayers, when they look at 12 new positions in the City of Stratford, they might say, ‘Wow, I'm paying for that.’
“We've had a long, I believe, productive meeting,” Ritsma went on to say just before council adjourned for the evening and the year. “I think we still have some work to do.”
Though council has approved a number of expansions and cuts, the budget is still in its draft form. At any point during the deliberation stage, up to when the final budget bylaw is passed, changes can be made.
For the full 2025 draft budget including details on the expansion requests, visit the budget document at https://tinyurl.com/ 3jm3mcre.
Winter Wander-Land weekend welcomes first snowfall and Christmas spirit
An annual tradition in the heart of Stratford kicked off the unofficial start to the winter holiday season.
The Downtown Stratford Business Improvement Area (BIA) held its annual Winter Wander-Land weekend in Market Square Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. Plenty of snowflakes fell as families took photos in the Snow Globe photobooth, rode the Polar Express train that looped around city hall and munched on hot meals from Features and the Bru Garden including burgers, hot dogs, poutine, pulled pork and turkey legs, along with Indian food from Curry Zone and Mexican food from Alondra Galvez. Hot chocolate, tea, peanut brittle and other sweet treats were offered by Alley Cat Café, Jenn and Larry’s, Brch and Wyn, and Great Wall Tea.
Attendees also had a chance to roast Rice Krispie treats over the firepits, inspired by a TikTok trend, as well as take pictures with Santa and listen to Christmas music and carolers. B&C Custom Landscaping and Black Creek Flower Farm offered Christmas trees and other holiday greenery.
"We wanted a Winter Wander-Land and we got what we asked for, for sure,” said Kim Griffiths, member and animation liaison for the Downtown Stratford BIA. “Lots of people, lots of happy families riding the train, having fun in the snow globe and eating treats by the fireside."
Griffiths said as usual, the Winter Wander-Land weekend saw the first snowfall of the season for Stratford.
The Polar Express train, sponsored by On Stage Dance, had non-stop lineups with lots of kids and their families eager to get on board.
“Everyone is very happy and the great thing about the train, too, is that adults can ride it as well, so we're really pleased with that,” Griffiths said.
The Downtown Stratford BIA continues their Winter Wander-Land programming with two installations at Lights on Stratford and the Winter Wander-Land passport contest. Those who collect eight stamps from participating downtown Stratford businesses and drop off completed passports have a chance to win between $100 to $250 Downtown Dollars. Full passports will be collected at Destination Stratford (47 Downie St.) until Dec. 23.
STRATFORD TIMES
From all of us at the Stratford Times, we’re wishing
EMILY STEWART Times Correspondent
ROASTED TREAT
Eliza and Maisie Vanhoucke enjoying fire-roasted Rice Krispie treats. See more photos on page 13.
(EMILY STEWART PHOTO)
STEWART GRANT Publisher
Well, that didn’t take long.
one who considers himself to be of great importance.
STRATFORD TIMES
Trump is still six weeks from officially being back in office, but already he is floating the idea of redrawing the North American map.
Fox News reported Monday night that “when Trudeau told President-Elect Trump new tariffs would kill the Canadian economy, Trump joked to him that if Canada can’t survive without ripping off the U.S. to the tune of $100 billion a year, then maybe Canada should become the 51st state and Trudeau could become its governor.”
Something we should know about Donald Trump by now is that he’s not known as someone who jokes. Moreso, he’s known as someone who says the quiet part out loud. Most of all though, he’s known for being an extreme narcissist; one who constantly seeks attention and
The thing that worries me most about a second Trump presidency is his first term, in the grand scheme of things, was not that historically important. Now that Trump has secured the first goal of his second term (staying out of jail), he can move on to doing something of equally great importance to him: building a legacy so his name will be remembered not just in our century, but for the many centuries that follow.
But how can one be remembered for a thousand years? It’s not easy. Good or bad, you need to do something very significant, very memorable. Many of the names that will long be remembered, such as Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Genghis Khan, Adolf Hitler, were all empire builders. Redrawing maps is the number-one way to be remembered, unless you are Jesus.
I don’t believe for a minute that Donald Trump truly cares about “Making America Great Again” for your
STRATFORD TIMES Editorial Trump’s not joking about Canada becoming 51st state
everyday person. It’s a memorable and effective catchphrase. I also don’t believe that illegal immigrants coming over the Canadian border is of particularly great danger to the security of the United States. Instead, Trump highlighting this issue and threatening a 25 percent tariff was a means to open a dialogue about Canada. In the coming months, expect right-wing talk shows, social media bots, and Elon Musk’s X platform to spread misinformation exaggerating about “the problems with the Canadian border” or making the case for “why Canada should join the U.S.”
Canada, with its vast resources, is a very attractive asset for a U.S. president who constantly seeks recognition and notoriety.
There’s Trump Tower, Trump National Golf Club, Trump Coins, even a Trump Bible. Does he envision a 51st state, perhaps dubbed Trump North? It’s a terrifying thought.
Two charged after undercover investigation into fentanyl trafficking
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An undercover investigation into fentanyl trafficking by Stratford and Woodstock police services recently led to the arrest of and charges laid against two Hamilton area men.
On Nov. 28, the Stratford Police Service street crime unit concluded an undercover investigation into the trafficking of fentanyl in the City of Stratford with the assistance of the Woodstock Police Service drugs and intelligence unit.
At 2 p.m., the two men were arrested by members of both police services. They were identified as Sahil Kumar, a 20-year-old resident of Stoney Creek, and Flamur
Lama, a 24-year-old resident of Hamilton. Both were transported to Stratford police headquarters. Kumar was charged with three counts of trafficking a Schedule 1 substance, possession for the purpose of trafficking and resisting arrest. He was held in custody. Lama was charged with one count of trafficking a Schedule 1 substance and was released on an undertaking.
The investigation resulted in 189 grams of fentanyl being seized with a street value of over $35,000. In a press release, Stratford police said this collaborative investigation highlights the service’s commitment to fighting the opioid crisis. Stratford police extend their appreciation to the Woodstock police for their assistance.
FOOD DRIVE
Stratford Police Service Const. Darren Fischer collects food donations for the Stuff-aCruiser food drive in support of Stratford House of Blessing outside Zehrs on Nov. 30.
(JULIA PAUL PHOTO)
North Perth deputy mayor acclaimed as Perth County warden for 2025
“This year will be an exciting time as administrative staff settle into this new space. I’d like to thank county staff for their continued hard work, dedication and patience, particularly during the construction.”
Kellum thanked each of the four delegates who wished him well in his new position before he took his oath of office. Those delegates included Perth-Wellington MP John Nater, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae, Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma and St. Marys Mayor Al Strathdee.
“I’m proud of the relationship we have with Perth County,” Ritsma said, congratulating Kellum ahead of his official appointment as warden. “I think about the shared agreements that we have that are a benefit to our residents – both a benefit with regards to the services they provide and the cost efficiencies. … We do have challenges and I think collectively we need to continue to work with our federal and provincial counterparts to meet the needs of our residents in Stratford and Perth County … whether it’s housing, homelessness, infrastructure costs, or policing.”
“I want to congratulate Rhonda Ehgoetz as the former warden for her tremendous leadership and certainly her strong leadership throughout the county,” Strathdee said during his remarks. “ … Congratulations to the new warden and … we looking forward to continuing to work to -
gether to make the region better.”
All four delegates expressed their condolences over the recent passing of Perth South mayor and former Perth County Warden Jim Aitcheson, who died after a brief battle with cancer on Nov. 21. Kellum also spoke about the impact Aitcheson had on him while working together on county council.
“Jim was a wonderful colleague to have on council and he will be deeply missed by all,” Kellum said. “He served in this role as warden of Perth County for three years during the pandemic, which were some of the most challenging times we’ve seen in our region. I learned a lot from watching him and I hope I can live up to the hard work of Jim and all the past wardens who have served in this role before me.”
West Perth deputy mayor Dean Trentowsky also took his oath of office as the 2025 deputy warden during the warden’s election after being acclaimed to the position. Trentowsky was appointed by West Perth council to serve on Perth County council in 2022.
During the election ceremony, president of Perth County’s Past Wardens Association and Perth County Coun. Bob Wilhelm presented Ehgoetz with her second past-warden pin marking the end of her second term as warden.
The election of Perth County’s warden and deputy warden is held annually. County councillors were given an opportunity to put their names forward for the positions at their Nov. 7 meeting. As only Kellum put his name forward for warden and Trentowsky put his name forward for deputy warden, both were acclaimed to the positions and an actual election was not held.
In previous years when two or more candidates from county council have put their names forward, a vote of county council is held during the warden’s election ceremony to appoint both positions.
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COUNTY WARDEN
North Perth Mayor Doug Kellum was acclaimed as Perth County warden and West Perth deputy mayor Dean Trentowsky was acclaimed as deputy warden at the annual Perth County Warden Election Dec. 5.
(PERTH COUNTY PHOTO)
Santa Claus comes to Stratford with annual Parade of Lights
Olivia and Lucas look out as Santa’s Parade of Lights gears up and heads from William Street to Lakeside Drive North on Dec. 1. Each year, Santa comes to town on the first night of December, officially kicking off the holiday season in the Festival City.
A Stratford District Secondary School drum player joins the school marching band as they play holiday music as the parade goes along.
A couple gingerbread men wave as the snow squalls pick up. In true holiday fashion, the first snow of the season landed in Stratford a few days prior and flurries carried on well through the night.
A resident waves from a colourfully lit float.
A bundled-up family waves – or almost waves – to the camera.
Nearing the bridge and the end of the parade, a more experienced floater points out the camera to some of the younger participants. (CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTOS)
Charge laid after investigation into highway littering
STRATFORD TIMES STAFF
stratfordtimes@gmail.com
An investigation into a report of garbage being discarded on a roadway has resulted in charges being laid by Perth County OPP.
On Nov. 4, members of the Perth County OPP began investigating a report of numerous bags of garbage being discarded on Perth Road 122, north of Stratford in the Township of Perth East.
As a result of the investigation, a 26-year-old Stratford resident has been charged with two counts of littering on a highway.
The Perth County OPP is reminding everyone that dumping garbage on a roadway may put drivers at risk as well as contaminate surface waters, which affects all ecosystems and can attract wild animals.
Anyone with information about this or any investigation is asked to contact the Perth County OPP at 1-888310-1122. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
ILLEGAL DUMPING
Arrest made after morning stand-off
STRATFORD TIMES STAFF
stratfordtimes@gmail.com
A 51-year-old Stratford resident is facing serious criminal charges following an early morning stand-off with police Dec. 5.
Shortly before 5:30 a.m., the Stratford Police Service (SPS) was notified of an incident of intimate partner violence at a residence on Mornington Street.
Police said the female victim had been seen walking along Mornington Street by a witness who contacted police and transported the victim to the hospital.
The accused was located at the residence on Mornington Street where he barricaded himself inside.
Police closed down the area surrounding the residence to contain the situation and attempt a peaceful resolution through negotiations with the man. Public safety was also a concern as it was reported a firearm was used in the commission of the offence.
Officers on scene made contact with the accused, and the man was arrested shortly before 11 a.m. after he ex-
ited the residence. A replica firearm was also seized at the time of arrest.
The female victim was treated in hospital for injuries sustained in this incident.
The man was transported to Stratford police headquarters where he was charged with serious criminal offences. On Dec. 9, police identified the accused as Randal Ackersviller and released the list of charges he is facing. They include:
• Aggravated assault;
• Assault with a weapon;
• Assault causing bodily harm;
• Aggravated sexual assault;
• Possession of weapon for a dangerous purpose;
• Uttering threats;
• Forcible confinement;
• Intimidation;
• Five counts of firearms offences; and
• Five counts of breaching release orders.
In a press release, Stratford police thanked the witness who stopped to provide assistance to the victim.
A 26-year-old Stratford resident has been charged with littering on a highway after bags of garbage were dumped on Perth Road 122 in Perth East.
(PERTH COUNTY OPP PHOTOS)
STUFF THE BUS
From left to right, Stratford House of Blessing volunteer coordinator Joanne Digiovanni-Lakin with volunteers Dorothy Scott and Stella Mabee collect food outside Food Basics on Nov. 30 during the Stuff-a-Bus food drive in support of House of Blessing.
(JULIA PAUL PHOTO)
Justin Trudeau announces tax holiday from December to February, but how does that affect Stratford?
On Nov. 21, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a break in GST/HST to compensate for the rising cost of living.
From Dec. 14 to Feb. 15, people will be able to buy common items tax-free such as prepared meals, meals from restaurants, snacks, alcohol below 7 per cent, children’s clothing and toys, books and Christmas trees. This proposed tax cut is an opportunity to alleviate the cost of living for two months, but at what cost to local business owners?
The feds did not reach out to small business associations like the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) before announcing the tax holiday. CFIB president Dan Kelly called the tax holiday “a mess” in a post on the organization’s website.
“Many retailers right now are in their absolute busiest season and they may have to reprogram their point-of-sale machines not once but twice to remove the tax from some items and then to add the tax back.”
Kelly added some business owners he’s spoken to have to pay $500 each time a point-of-sale device needs to be reprogrammed.
When asked about the impact on local businesses, Stratford’s Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) shared some of their comments and concerns about the tax holiday.
“(We are) keenly aware of the added administrative work to initiate this (tax cut) into POS (point-of-sale) systems and then reinstall after Feb. 15,” said one local business owner.
With the additional work of removing the tax from the POS machines and then reconfiguring it after the tax holiday ends, the added administrative work is a burden for almost all businesses.
While some businesses are feeling frustrated, others are hopeful this tax break will alleviate some stress for families.
“(We) hope this is truly of aid to individuals and families alongside offering temporary relief to businesses,” said another business owner.
The temporary tax holiday may help some over the two-month break, but what about after? It leaves some pondering where the government will find the money to pay for this tax holiday.
“Lowering costs of food staples yearround for everyone seems a more equitable, long-term approach to meeting the needs of all,” another local business owner commented.
Perth-Wellington MP John Nater shared his own thoughts on the Trudeau tax holiday.
“This two-month temporary tax trick is really just an effort by Justin Trudeau and the Liberals to distract Canadians,” said Nater. “This measure will not come close to making up for the permanent quadrupling of the carbon tax on heat, housing, food and fuel.”
On top of this tax break, Trudeau has also proposed a $250 rebate to most Canadian workers who make less than $150,000 per year. This cheque is planned for early spring 2025.
Whether it is a political tactic or not, this slight break may offer some relief to help ease financial burdens of Stratfordians this winter.
New five-year library services agreement announced for Perth South
Following a funding dispute that resulted in the withdrawal of library services for Perth South township residents at both the St. Marys and Stratford libraries earlier this year, all three parties now seem to be in agreement over a new, five-year library services agreement.
Though exact details around how the cost of library services in St. Marys and Stratford will be borne by Perth South taxpayers had not been released before this newspaper’s publication date, the agreement – while technically effective as of Jan. 1, 2025 – restored services at the St. Marys Public Library to Perth South residents as of Dec. 9.
“The St. Marys Public Library board is delighted to welcome patrons from Perth South back to our wonderful library,” said board chair Dr. Cole Atlin in a press release. “This new agreement is a testament to the importance of library services in our communities and the hard work of all those involved from Perth South and St. Marys.”
A temporary agreement between Perth South and the Stratford Public Library reached in the summer provided township residents with limited access to services and programs at that library until the end of this year.
“We’re glad an agreement has been reached and appreciate the township’s commitment to supporting library services for their residents,” said Stratford Public Library CEO Krista Robinson about the new, five-year agreement with Perth South in a press release. “We look forward to welcoming Perth South residents back to using our library and the full services of the Perth County Information Network.”
Under the new agreement, Perth South residents will have access to the full range of services offered by the St. Marys and Stratford libraries, including book lending, digital resources, programs, summer reading initiatives, community events and, at the Stratford library, use of the library MakerSpace.
The initial funding dispute originated from a March 20 letter sent to the St. Marys library board by Perth South CAO
Fred Tranquilli informing the board the township council had reduced its budgetary allocation for library services from both Stratford and St. Marys to just $53,734 combined and asked the St. Marys library board to reduce its funding request for 2024. The library board voted down that request at its April 4 meeting, citing the fact St. Marys residents already subsidize library services for their neighbours in Perth South.
As part of a 20-year service agreement between Perth South, the Huron County Library in Kirkton, the St. Marys Public Library and the Stratford Public Library, Perth South was asked by the St. Marys library board to contribute $74,363 – an increase by five per cent over what the township paid last year – to allow Perth South residents to access free library services from St. Marys in 2024. The Stratford Public Library also requested $45,480 from Perth South to allow its residents to access library services there.
In his letter, Tranquilli said Perth South council already approved a request from the Huron County Library for $11,266 in funding this year. While Tranquilli said the budget for Stratford library services could be accommodated in this reduced budget allocation for library services, he asked the St. Marys library board to consider submitting a revised budget request that fit within Perth South’s 2024 allocation. As a result, the Stratford library board also opted not to renew its service agreement with Perth South.
“Perth South has library services with three different providers,” Perth South Mayor Sue Orr said. “So, we had agreed to the Kirkton (library services contract) because we were aware of the cost and the agreement. So, we didn’t lose any kind of service whatsoever with that one. But then, we went to negotiate with Stratford and St. Marys and it really became about the terms of the agreement. I think we were negotiating all along, it’s just when you’re negotiating, you’re negotiating, so sometimes I was reading stuff in the paper and I was like, ‘I don’t know about that.’
“Perth South was always at the negotiating table and now we have an agreement that we all understand and it’s moving forward for the next five years.”
JULIA PAUL Times Correspondent
GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
CFUW Stratford marks 35th anniversary of Montreal Massacre with flag-lowering at city hall
GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
Members of the Canadian Federation of University Women (CFUW) Stratford hosted a solemn ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre at Stratford city hall Dec. 6, during which they read the names of the 14 women killed and called for continued advocacy and action to address violence against women.
As part of the event, Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma lowered the city hall flag to half mast to honour the 14 women killed during the mass shooting at École Polytechnique in Montreal, Que. on Dec. 6, 1989.
“I believe we’re here for two reasons,” Ritsma said after he lowered the city hall flag. “One, to mourn and grieve with the families and friends who lost such beautiful lives, but also (to recognize) the importance of us not losing sight of the work that needs to continue to be done.
“As lately as yesterday afternoon, we had a situation in our community of gender-based violence. And earlier this fall, we had a young lady shot as well in our community. It is important for us to recognize these beautiful lives and also ensure that we do our part to carry their voices forward and do our part daily in our community to recognize this isn’t a one-time occurrence. This continues.”
The recent, local and publicized occurrences of gender-based violence in Stratford referenced by Ritsma include the shooting death of Kassidy Ballantyne-Holmes, 35, at a home on Ontario Street in the early morning hours of Oct. 15, which resulted in Keith Savile, 41, being charged by Stratford police with second-degree murder.
The other instance, which began in the
“Christ�as
CONTINUED ADVOCACY
early morning hours of Dec. 5, involved a female victim of what police say was intimate partner violence seen walking along Mornington Street. The person who spotted her, took her to hospital and called police. Stratford police officers then located the accused at a residence on Mornington Street, where he barricaded himself inside. Ultimately, officers were able to negotiate a peaceful resolution, and the man was charged with a list of serious offences.
These two cases of gender-based violence are only the most recent and publicized examples of an issue the city and many other communities across the country have declared an epidemic.
Perth-Wellington MP John Nater also spoke at the flag-lowering ceremony in front of city hall Dec. 6.
“I’m always struck when we hear the 14 names read, how young these young women really were,” Nater said. “They were young, they were innocent, they were going to school, many of them in engineering
brings friends and family together. It helps us appreciate the love in our lives we can oſten take for g�anted. May the t��e meaning of the Christ�as season fill your hear� and home with many blessings.
programs, and they were murdered, they were killed because they were women.
“So, every time we hear the 14 names read, we remember each of them as a woman, as a family member, as a friend, as a loved one. Today we remember their names, but every day we commit to doing more to ensure violence against women and the hatred that was on display 35 years ago today is ended and that we take a strong stance each and every day, not just this day, to end the horrendous violence against women.”
By reading the names of Montreal Mas sacre victims out loud and holding their photos for all to see, the CFUW Stratford members aim to keep their memories alive on the anniversary of their deaths each year as a reminder there is still much more work to do in combatting gender-based and intimate-partner violence.
“The women who were killed would be in there 50s and in their 60s now,” said
CFUW Stratford advocacy representative Cynthia Hastings during the ceremony.
“We mourn for the lives they were not given the chance to live and for their families and friends who have been mourning their deaths all these long years. We also remember the 10 other women who the gunman targeted and the four men who were wounded. The survivors watched the deaths of these young women who were friends and fellow students.
“In the case of the nursing student, her spouse was with her and saw her killed
Saturday, January 11th 2025 11:00 A M 2:00 P M Stratford Rotary Complex ~ ADMISSION BY DONATION ~ DONATIONS TO SOUP’S ON WILL BE MATCHED UP TO $30,000 BY JAMES HUTTON IN MEMORY OF ALBERT & MONA HUTTON SOUPONS 5 for $5 CASH ONLY EVENT
Sample a variety of delicious soups, enjoy live music, a silent auction and kids’ activities
Those who attended a ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of Montreal Massacre pose for a photo on the front steps of Stratford city hall Dec. 6.
(GALEN SIMMONS PHOTO)
What needs to change about Stratford? CBC Ideas hosts conversation on what it means to be a city
Someone living on the street once told Robin Mazumder, an urban neuroscientist who studies city design, “Sometimes I think this city is trying to kill me.”
On Nov. 28, in the heart of the City of Stratford, Mazumder painted a picture of what made that “visibly homeless” man say that to him. It was winter in this unnamed city. Ice and sleet were on the roads and the man was using a shopping cart as a walker, struggling to cross the street and the ruts made in the snow by heavy cars before the “orange hand of death” stopped blinking.
Riding his bike to work (and regretting it), Mazumder was in the same predicament as this man, stuck in the middle of the road with hazardous conditions all around them.
But, as Mazumder said, the pitfalls of poor city design go beyond just physical peril.
“From a neuroscientist perspective, if you really boil it down it's just about stress,” Mazumder said. “Stress is one of the main precipitators. Neuro inflammation is related to stress. … Look at sleep disruption, noise pollution, light pollution. … We all exist on a spectrum of sensitivity and there are different consequences. … So, how do we keep people safe?”
Mazumder joined CBC Ideas host Nahlah Ayed and fellow panellists Jay Pitter, an urban planner and author, and Greg Lindsay, urbanist and futurist, on stage in the auditorium of Stratford city hall to discuss the concept of the city: what works about them, what doesn’t and what needs to change about them.
The conversation veered from what the ancient city state of Venice got right to
what modern “birds-eye-view” cities like Brasilia got wrong, and how cities closer to home such as Toronto or Waterloo or even Stratford are grappling with the issues of modern planning and what the concept of the city even means.
It also touched on the burden local governments face, from rising costs to global conflict coming to their doorsteps.
“Municipalities and cities are absolutely ill-equipped to address it,” Pitter said at one point in the conversation. “Cities are fundamentally sites of democracy, and so when global conflict comes to bear on municipalities, we should be gathering in coffee shops and parks and recreation centres to not take a side on an issue necessarily, but to build solidarity across dif-
ferences – to have a conversation where people have the opportunity to learn and to ask questions. And fundamentally, we don't have that anymore, and I think that's a huge issue that cities are facing now.”
Though many issues were discussed, not many tangible solutions were presented – but that is not necessarily the crux for why the conversation happened.
The evening was hosted in partnership with the 2024 Stratford Provocation Ideas Festival (PIF), an annual festival organized by founder Mark Rosenfeld as a way to generate thoughtful ideas by having thoughtful conversations.
This year’s theme was City of Dreamers and started on Oct. 11 with the Neural Ballet Redux, a neo-classical ballet per-
formance. The festival is running until Jan. 9, when Culinary Stratford, a culinary event, closes the festivities.
Through various events, this year explored the dreams and aspirations of those who lived and are living in the region as well as which dreams came true, which didn’t and why that is.
“I know we're going to come away from this discussion thinking more about the possibilities, some of the challenges, as well as the possibilities as Stratford, as well as all of our cities, move forward in looking at how they can develop for the future and meet the needs of everybody in that community,” Rosenfeld said after the conversation on cities that evening.
Mayor Martin Ritsma, who earlier that day attended Stratford city council’s first all-day budget meeting, was in attendance. He said what the panel discussed was thought-provoking – particularly on that day.
In that same building that day, numerous city departments presented their operational budgets and capital plans to Stratford city council, with most highlighting the strain being put on their already overworked staff and the resources needed to meet the needs of residents. Whether Stratford needed redefinition, Ritsma said he was confident in the city as it stands to tackle the issues it and its residents face.
“We have to balance what we're going to do in the future with the needs of today, and then try to create the best city possible,” Ritsma said. “ … I do believe we have certainly the physical space to do it and I do believe we have a mentality in Stratford that's saying, ‘Yeah, we can be better.’ ”
The conversation with Mazumder, Pitter and Lindsay will be aired on CBC Ideas at a later date.
CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
CBC IDEAS
CBC Ideas host Nahlah Ayed joined panelists Jay Pitter, an urban planner and author, Greg Lindsay, urbanist and futurist, and Robin Mazumder, an urban neuroscientist, on stage in the auditorium of Stratford City Hall on Nov. 28 to discuss the concept of the city.
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO)
SANTA COMES TO TOWN
Dominic and Kayden Gemus took photos with Santa Claus himself at Winter Wander-Land.
All aboard! Ayla, Zenan, and Janelle White take a trip on the Polar Express.
(Left to right): Wandering Carolers Hugh Dwyer, Elizabeth Finch, and Tony Hall sang Christmas Carols such as "Silent Night".
It was a snowy Winter Wander-Land at Stratford city hall on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.
(EMILY STEWART PHOTOS)
GARY WEST Times Correspondent
Stratford homeowners are getting into the holiday spirit by lighting up their houses to make Christmas that much more colourful.
(GARY WEST PHOTOS)
Stratford Winter Pride returning with more than a week of exciting events
GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
Stratford and area residents, as well as allies and members of LGBTQ2+ communities from across the region, will have plenty of reasons to spend time in the Festival City this winter as Stratford Winter Pride gears up for its fourth year.
Started in 2021 with just three small events in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to bring locals together to celebrate Pride in the middle of winter, Stratford Winter Pride has evolved and grown over the years to become the much-anticipated off-season series of events it is today.
“In 2021, when some friends and I put together the Stratford Pride Community Centre, which has now amalgamated with another organization, one of the things I wanted to do was winter Pride because a lot of research and interviews had been done back around 2020 about what it was like to live in Stratford as a member of the LGBT community,” said organizer Bruce Duncan Skeaff. “One of the things a lot of the people were saying to the interviewers was it’s terrific we’ve got a march in June and some other activities in June, but after that, then what?
“They were saying June is an opportunity for people to come together, but after that everybody goes back into social isolation. If you live in Rostock or Milverton or in any of these small places around here, it’s really difficult to meet other people. … The first year (in winter 2022) was small as we were just waiting for the end of lockdowns to come.”
In the following year, February of 2023, Stratford Winter Pride returned with a flashy cabaret show and a dinner at the Tom Patterson Theatre among other events, and it has just gotten bigger and more exciting since then.
This year, Stratford Winter Pride runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 9, 2025. Winter Pride begins with an Opening Night Cocktail party with Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma and other local dignitaries in attendance, and includes other events like a Drag Queen Storytime, the Rainbow Dinner and Dance, Drag Brunch featuring the Queens of TroyBoy Entertainment, a comedy night and an evening with the Stratford Festival called “What’s Queer This Year?” among many other exciting events.
One of the big-ticket events included in this year’s Stratford Winter Pride lineup is a 25th-anniversary staged reading of The Laramie Project, a play about the horrific 1998 murder of Matthew
Shepard, a gay student at the University of Wyoming, and the community’s response to the hate crime.
“Matthew Shepard … was beaten to death and left to die tied to a farm fence just outside of Laramie, Wyo. 27 or so years ago,” Skeaff said. “A theatre company wanted to do a play about it, so they went back to Laramie a couple years after the actual murder and did hundreds of interviews with townspeople about how this affected their town. This is a play that has been done in an inter-
Queer Book of the Month
HEATHER LISTER
Stratford Public Library
Make My Wish Come True by Rachael Lippincott and Alyson Derrick
@SPL YA FIC Lippi
Make My Wish Come True has ‘Future Netflix Holiday Movie’ adaptation written all over it. It’s a sweet and charming holiday romance between eighteen-year-old former best friends Arden and Caroline. The young women grew up together in the Christmas-obsessed little town of Barnwich, but their lives have gone in different directions.
Arden moved to Hollywood four years ago and made a name for herself as an actress, but lately things haven’t been going so well. Arden has been partying too much, to the point that a famously difficult director has refused to give her the role she wants because of her reputation.
Meanwhile, Caroline is home in the small town they grew up in and she hasn’t heard from Arden in years. She has dreams of going to Columbia University and becoming a writer.
Arden returns to Barnwich with the goal of saving her reputation. The plan is, she’ll pretend that Caroline is her long-term, small-town girl friend. In return she’s promised Caroline a spot writing for a well-known magazine about their Christmas adventures together. Caroline reluctantly goes along with the plan, but finds herself falling for her former best friend in this fake relationship.
The characters here are both likeable and relatable, and the story is light hearted, and well-written. Make My Wish Come True is the perfect Young Adult holiday rom-com with all the ingredients needed for a cozy Christmas holiday. It makes the reader want to curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and watch the snow fall outside!
view style.
“ … It’s the first time we’ve ever done live theatre as part of Stratford Winter Pride. It’s marking an important date, particularly in Stratford considering the fairly broad gay population here and all the visitors who come here during the Stratford Festival. … The murder was an event that shocked not just Laramie, not just the United States, but the whole world with its brutality.”
While Skeaff said Stratford Winter Pride is mostly about celebrating Pride and bringing people together with other members of the community, it’s also important to remember acts of hatred and violence are still perpetrated against members of the LGBTQ2+ community around the world and close to home, and there is still much work to be done before people can feel safe in their own towns and cities.
Stratford Winter Pride this year also includes LGBTQ2+ displays in local bookstores from Feb. 1-9, Pride weddings and the opportunity to purchase Winter Pride t-shirts and hoodies. For those coming in from out of town, there are also deals at local accommodations businesses and ONEX bus discounts for ticketholders.
Now is the best time to purchase tickets to Stratford Winter Pride events. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit stratfordwinterpride.com.
Weekend Quiz
1) What is the name of the famous ballet that is often performed during Christmas?
2) What popular Christmas song was originally written for Thanksgiving?
3) In Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, what is the first name of Scrooge?
4) What beverage is often left out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve?
5) What are the two most popular names for Santa Claus in different cultures?
6) What is the name of the magical place where Santa and his elves live and make toys?
7) Which country is credited with starting the tradition of decorating Christmas trees?
8) What reindeer is known for having a red nose?
9 What movie features a young boy accidentally left home alone during Christmas?
10) According to the song, what do "my true love" give on the twelfth day of Christmas?
The lineup for Stratford Winter Pride 2025.
William H. Trethewey’s early days of the Grand Trunk Railway shops in Stratford, part three
A little over a century ago the Stratford Historical Society announced that a number of local people had been invited to write down their memories of life here “in the old days” of the 1800s. They preserved these manuscripts along with other historic documents and photographs until they were transferred to Stratford-Perth Archives in the 1970s.
William H. Trethewey, one of the earliest employees of the Grand Trunk Railway shops on Downie Street in Stratford, carefully penned 32 pages outlining a history of the shops and the people who had worked there. Earlier sections of Trethewey’s paper were reprinted in recent issues of the Stratford Times. They traced the development from the earliest days of the Grand Trunk Railway in the 1850s to the consolidation of their main locomotive repair shops in Stratford in the 1870s along with descriptions of some of the key staff who worked there. In this section, Trethewey describes a few of the many book lovers on staff who supported the shops’ library:
“Mr. Roberts [T. Herbert Roberts, 18441915 – head of the mechanical department at Stratford railway repair shop] was succeeded by Mr. J.D. Barnett, a gentleman who is remembered by many of you as a very energetic moving figure on our streets. He had served a regular apprenticeship in the Montreal shops and drawing office, and, therefore, as a man of thorough mechanical education, well qualified for the position. His attitude towards the men was very different from that of Mr. Roberts. It was that of an Englishman. It tolerated no familiarity. It implied that between the commander and the private there was a great gulf. Yet it was not the result of his being of a hard, imperious nature. It was, rather, assumed from a notion, perhaps a mistaken notion, that it was necessary to the maintenance of discipline. He gave instance after instance of his being a kind hearted man.
He had been for many years a diligent collector of books, his library numbering at the last about 42,000 volumes, which he donated to the University of Western Ontario. But he was not merely a great collector of books, he was a great reader as well, and his mind was a vast storehouse of useful information. In consideration of this fact and of this magnificent gift, the University conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. During his stay in Stratford, he served on the City Council Board, on the Public Library Board and on the Water Commission.
In the winter season he used to give weekly “talks”, as he called them, in the large room adjoining the shop library. His talks embraced a wide variety of subjects which he was well able to present in an interesting and instructive manner.
The period of Mr. Barnett’s residence in Stratford was divided into two installments. The first was from the time when he succeeded Mr. Roberts [around 1880] to, probably, 1883 or ’84, when he went to the position of Mechanical Superintendent of the Midland Railway of Canada; and the second from the
time when he came to be Superintendent of the Shops after they were enlarged in 1888 to the time of his moving to London [in 1918]… William Aird, Machine Shop Foreman, was of Scotch parents. At the time of his birth, the family was living in London, England, while his father was employed in Paris. Some time after his birth, the family joined Mr. Aird Senior.
Living in France in early childhood – the natural time for learning a language – he acquired a good speaking knowledge of French. Before coming to Stratford, he was working in the old Northern Railway shops, Toronto, in which his father was in charge of one of the departments.
Mr. Aird, when he came to Stratford, was a bright, intelligent young [man], with very decided, clear cut opinions of public men, books, newspapers and the great political questions of the day; indeed, he reminded one of Lord Macaulay of whom Francis Jeffrey once said he wished he could be as sure of one thing as Tom Macaulay was of everything. Mr. Aird continued in Stratford until 1881, when he was promoted to a larger job in the G.T.R. works at Montreal, where he remained until 1900. He then went to Moncton, N.B. to fill a position on the Intercolonial…
Andrew Pullan, head carpenter, was a Scotchman. He was a ship carpenter, having learned his trade at one of the great shipyards for which Scotland has long been, and still is, famous; but the wooden ships, which were the only kind built in Andrew Pullan’s young days, have given place to ships of steel.
As a rule, an old country tradesman is a good tradesman, and Andrew Pullan was no exception to this rule. But beyond this fact he was an outstanding man.
Tall, with fine features, a heavy, drooping mustache and a long beard, he presented quite a patriarchal appearance; and as we usually assume that a patriarch is a man of sound practical wisdom and therefore a capable advisor, so Mr. Pullan not only possessed the patriarchal appearance, but also the patriarchal wisdom and in recognition of this fact, the men looked to him as their guide … and friend. He was usually called on to preside at any meetings the men held. He made an excellent chairman, because he was always able in a few comprehensive words to lay clearly before the meeting the matter or matters for which it was convened, and he could so guide the deliberations that everything was done decently…Mr. Pullan was a diligent reader not of books that were simply milk for babes, but of books that were strong meat for men. Charles Darwin’s works were his delight and so constantly and attentively had he perused them, it used to be jokingly said that if by some conflagration or convulsion of nature, they were all blotted out of existence, he could reproduce them from memory.
Such whole-souled devotion to this class of reading had made him an unquestioning believer in the evolutionary doctrine or theory, and, therefore, despite his upbringing in a strict Scotch Presbyterian home, we must rank him theologically as a modernist.
In September 1890, Mr. Pullan left the service of the Grand Trunk Railway… Previous to leaving town, he was entertained by his shops-mates at a banquet in the Crown Hotel and a complimentary address was presented to him. Strange to say we lost track of him, and doubtless years ago he passed into “the pale realms of shade.”…
In connection with the … shops were a library and reading room. The library consisted of about 400 volumes representing the various departments of literature, and the reading room was furnished with the leading daily and weekly papers of Canada and some from the United States. From the latter country were some illustrated papers and magazines, and also some from Britain, Harper’s Weekly, Harper’s Monthly, Frank Leslie’s Weekly, and Frank Leslie’s Magazine, were among the publications from the United States. From Britain were the Illustrated London News and Punch, while for men of a radical turn of mind, to whom Royalty and Aristocracy were abominations, Reynolds Newspaper furnished just the kind of reading matter that suited them. Our Scottish friends found congenial reading in the Scottish American Journals, and I believe the Irishman’s tastes were catered to by the Freeman’s Journal.
There were also some periodical technical publications both British and American… The man in charge of the library and reading room was Mr. Thomas Barlow, who was a plain man, genial and kindly in disposition – a man whom it is a pleasure to call up in memory. He died many years ago. He was acquainted with the exterior rather than the interior of the books committed to his care. Still he liked to hand out books of an improving, informing character, rather than those that merely entertained and amused. As he put it, “People read altogether too much fiction.” One reader of light literature took out Hugh Miller’s “Cruises of the Betsey”, thinking from its title that it was a sea story which would prove very interesting, but when he found that it dealt largely with geology, he brought it back, and banged it down with inexpressible disgust.
Of course, among the Grand Trunk readers there was the usual percentage who read
what was solid and edifying. For instance, Andrew Pullan had read Darwin’s “Descent of Man” so often and so studiously, that it was said he could reproduce for the world from memory if some convulsion of nature were to sweep every copy of it out of existence. For the maintenance of the library, the subscribers paid a fee of 10 cts, a month, and any money that was made from the employees’ annual excursion went into the library treasury; also, the older Stratford people will remember that each year a concert to aid the library funds was given in the town hall. The railroad men were always grateful for the assistance at these concerts from the best musical talent of the town. The two Miss Lintons, one of whom afterwards became Mrs. Sheriff Hossie, Miss Lizars, afterwards, Mrs. Robert Smith; the daughters of Mr. Michael Hays (or Hayes) Crown Attorney, sweet players on the harp etc…
The amalgamation of the Grand Trunk and Great Western Railway Systems, went into effect in August 1882. Shortly after this fusion, it was decided that the locomotive repair shops at Hamilton should be closed and all the work be done at Stratford. By 1888, the enlarged shops were ready for occupation, and the shop machinery and a great number of men from Hamilton were removed to Stratford. The Stratford shop library also was augmented to the extent of several hundred volumes from Hamilton.
Still again, a few years later, the shops proved inadequate for the work that was forced upon them through increased territory and weight of traffic, and again the G.T.R., under the present management – without asking any bonus beyond that of closing a portion of Nelson street has met the requirement of the times, not by additions to the old structures but by pulling them down, and creating in their place such spacious new buildings – equipped with the most scientific machinery and appliances of all kinds – as to justify the citizens of Stratford in boasting of the “million dollar shops” – not surpassed by anything of its kind on the continent of America.”
Please contact Stratford-Perth Archives, 519-271-0531 ext 259 or archives@perthcounty.ca with any questions or comments.
BETTY JO BELTON
Stratford-Perth Archives
Colour postcard railway gtr shops stratford (STRATFORD-PERTH ARCHIVES PHOTO)
Stratford-Perth Archives launches new, searchable newspaper database
GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
The Stratford-Perth Archives is making it easier for researchers to access Perth County and Stratford newspapers of the past.
Earlier this year, the archives launched a new newspaper database via the OurDigitalWorld website. The website is a discovery portal that brings together content from archives and libraries across the province providing free online public access to past issues of local newspapers. Not only are the newspapers available for viewing, but each issue is keyword searchable making it easy to locate specific content.
“I pioneered the project,” said assistant archivist Jennifer Georgiu. “I started at the archives in June 2021 and in that year, I proposed to (archives manager) Betty Jo (Belton) to create a database where we could scan newspapers just for preservation. Then I spent some time scanning newspapers from both microfilm and physical copies trying to figure out how we could manage both.”
While some papers from Perth County and Stratford’s past were preserved on microfilm, others like the long-defunct Stratford Mirror and Mitchell Times were only preserved in hard copy, making it more important to ensure their preservation and protect them from degradation through further handling.
“With all that in mind, I came up with a newspaper-scanning manual. From there, for the last three years in the summertime for two months, we’ve had two summer students every year helping us scan, and then I would also scan newspapers too and help train and assist them,” Georgiu said.
In total, Georgiu and the summer students have scanned roughly 8,600 editions and counting of 18 different local newspapers.
All pre-1950 issues scanned so far are available for free at www.vitacollections. ca/s-pacollections/search. Post-1949 issues scanned so far are available to browse and search in the same way via public computers in the archives’ reading room. Recent
issues of the Listowel Banner, Mitchell Advocate, Stratford Beacon Herald, Stratford Gazette and Stratford Times are available as well but only on public computers in the archives’ reading room.
Other newspapers that have been scanned include:
• Atwood Bee
• Canadian Colonist (for the local German community)
• County of Perth Electioneering Monitor
• County of Perth Herald
• Listowel Standard
• Milverton Sun
• Monkton Times
• Stratford Advertiser
• Stratford Examiner
• Stratford Times (late 1800’s)
• Stratford Weekly Herald
In the first six weeks since the database launched, there have been over 38,000 views of the Perth County database by users from across North America and from as far away as Norway and New Zealand.
“Everything is on Google, so people want a searchable database to look at material,” Georgiu said. “ … This really opens the doors for researchers because you can search not only at the archives but from the comfort of your own home.”
“It just makes accessing those newspapers easier for everybody,” Belton added. “It genuinely makes them accessible for someone who might have an issue with reading microfilm or reading the physical copies, so it has made them much better as research sources. Also, from an archival perspective, the original newspapers that have never been microfilmed … are quite fragile. They’re printed on wood-pulp paper, so we wanted to make sure that some of these papers from the 1920s, ‘30s … we wanted to make sure we’re capturing those to preserve the original so we don’t have to send the originals out to be restored and to make sure we have that digital copy saved.”
Belton and Georgiu said the Stratford-Perth Archives is grateful to the Perth County branch of Ontario Ancestors, which provided $10,000 in seed money to make this project possible.
SCANNING HISTORY
Over the past three years, summer students at the Stratford-Perth Archives have been working to scan thousands of editions of historic Perth County newspapers, all of which are now available and keyword searchable through an online database. Pictured, summer student Alyssa Kuehner scans a newspaper in the archives scanning lab in the summer of 2022.
(STRATFORD-PERTH ARCHIVES PHOTO)
World AIDS Day recognized in Stratford
Since 1991, the red ribbon has been an international symbol for AIDS awareness. Since 2012, local Stratford knitters have done their part to spread that very same symbol across the Festival City each year.
In honour of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, 80 handknitted scarves were scattered around downtown Stratford to raise awareness for the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection (RHAC), a London based charity dedicated to positively impacting the lives of individuals and diverse communities living with, at risk for and affected by HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C.
Laurie Krempien-Hall of the Stratford Wednesday Night Knitters was one of the women involved in knitting the scarves this year and in years past.
“I always try to give back to the community,” Krempien-Hall said. “I have lost friends to AIDS as well and it can affect anyone. … I just think it's import-
ant to get it out there to other people, to make them aware as well that this is something that's still going on and it hasn't gone away just because people haven't talked about it.”
Krempien-Hall said the Stratford Wednesday Night Knitters, a group of about 20 members, first got involved knitting scarves for the project when it started in London in 2012. They wanted to get involved to bring the campaign to Stratford.
Though the knitting group knits year round, for bigger projects like the Red Scarf Project and the poppy project in November, they open it up to the public and allow anyone to donate their work.
There is one St. Marys knitter named Jean who knits scarves for the project year-round. This year, she made 35 scarves, nearly half of the scarves the group put out on the first.
The red scarves are tagged with information about HIV/AIDS. If spotted around town on parking meters or benches, organizers encourage pass-
ers-by to wear them or donate them to spread the symbol and to support people living with HIV.
Since the development of antiretroviral therapy (ART), the lives of those living with HIV have transformed according to a media release put out by Huron Perth Public Health to commemorate the day. ART works by lowering the amount of HIV in the blood to undetectable levels, allowing individuals to live healthy lives and preventing the transmission of HIV to others. However, as Krempien-Hall said, HIV is not a thing of the past.
HIV/AIDS can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, or sexual orientation.
Since 2012, volunteers across RHAC’s service area have made and donated 12,000 scarves. Krempien-Hall said each year she feels warmed by the community response.
“It's just really rewarding to just feel the response from the community that they have appreciated it,” she said.
AWARENESS
CONNOR LUCZKA
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
To recognize World AIDS Day in Stratford, local knitters made and donated 80 red scarves, distributing them across downtown Stratford to raise awareness that AIDS/HIV and hepatitis C are not things of the past.
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO)
Strong start for Stratford’s Coldest Night of the Year 2025 campaign
The Coldest Night of the Year campaign for 2025 already has lots of eager walkers signed up and thousands of dollars raised to help those facing homelessness.
The Coldest Night of the Year, raising funds for the United Way Perth-Huron’s Connection Centre and ShelterLink Youth Services, will be held on Feb. 22, 2025. The event will be in a new location this year in the Lakeside Drive parking lot across from Tom Patterson Island.
The Coldest Night of the Year is an annual event hosted across Canada during which municipalities raise money towards services helping those facing homelessness. As of Dec. 10, 87 individuals and 23 teams have registered in Stratford, with $10,525 raised of this year’s $200,000 goal. Stratford’s event has several sponsors including McDonald’s Mitchell, Ideal Supply, Home and Company Real Estate, Coventry and Mitchell Veterinary Services, Peter Maranger and Associates, Malt Staging and Design, Gotech, Romeo Optometry, Westlandyn Farms and Mark’s Work Warehouse.
Participants will walk either two or five kilometres and then meet back at the parking lot during the social period to enjoy refreshments such as soup from Soup Surreal.
The Connection Centre, operated by Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Huron-Perth, provides essential basic needs such as showers, winter clothing, warm socks, laundry, hot meals and sandwiches to go. About 35 people visit the Connection Centre daily with 312 unique visitors annually. The centre also connects people to social service providers with the goal of helping them obtain and retain stable housing.
"Every month, we find great success stories of people who find housing as the result of their connection with our work,” said Ryan Erb, executive director for United Way Perth-Huron.
ShelterLink Youth Services provides outreach and shelter space with 15 emergency beds for youth between 16 and 24 years old who are experiencing homelessness.
"Winter is definitely a time where we see an increased need for the youth in our community,” said Cate Trudeau, ShelterLink executive director.
The United Way Perth-Huron saw a
rise in people experiencing homelessness over the past five or six years. Erb said the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the issue, along with the increased cost of living.
“Everyone's experienced that, whether it's food or rent, whatever the case may be,” he said. “Increasingly, we're seeing people experiencing homelessness are families and seniors in addition to people who are working and living in their car."
Erb said more people are experiencing chronic homelessness. The longer someone goes without housing, the more issues they could face.
“They might begin with one issue,” Erb said. “Maybe they became homeless because they lacked the money to rent a place, but over time, they cope, maybe they come to an addiction, maybe they sustain an injury, either physical or a brain injury while they're in that position, and not before long, (housing) becomes much more difficult to find for people.
"We need to intervene early and fast. That's the best way to do it, to house people first, but we have a challenge because we don't have enough housing, right? It's difficult work to find the appropriate supportive housing that people need.”
Trudeau said ShelterLink also saw more youth seeking shelter and outreach services with 107 youth currently supported in both programs and 58 needing shelter in the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic also led to issues tied to youth experiencing homelessness, as well as mental-health issues and substance use among parents and the youth themselves.
"Like everyone, that isolation (led to) increased conflict and increased tensions between families,” Trudeau said. “What we found is that youth being part of those family units were part of those conflicts or impacted in family conflicts."
Stratford’s 2024 Coldest Night of the Year campaign raised $209,000 by 71 teams and 464 walkers, and it was the top fifth Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser in Canada.
"We definitely welcome the community to come out,” Trudeau said. “We'd like it to be even bigger and better than last year.”
Additional regional Coldest Night of the Year walks will be held in Goderich, Wingham, St. Marys, North Perth and Exeter. For more information on registering and donating, visit cnoy.org/location/ stratford.
EMILY STEWART
Times Correspondent
Remember those extra layers of protection from respiratory illness this holiday season
The wintry weather has now arrived and so, too, has influenza (the flu).
Huron Perth Public Health (HPPH) has received notice of the first lab-confirmed influenza case for the 2024-2025 season in Huron and Perth.
Additionally, COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses such as respiratory syn-
cytial virus (RSV) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae continue to circulate in Huron and Perth counties. HPPH urges residents to protect themselves and others from illness, especially during the holidays when more group gatherings are held.
“Everyone has a role to play to reduce the spread of respiratory illness,” said Huron-Perth medical officer of health Dr. Miriam Klassen in a press release. “Using multiple layers of protection will reduce
Happy Holidays
your risk of spreading or developing respiratory illnesses, including those caused by M. pneumoniae and other pathogens such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2 and RSV.”
Respiratory illness is spread from respiratory droplets that come out of the nose and mouth when someone coughs, sneezes, breathes or talks. Close contact with someone who is sick, or touching a surface or object with a virus or bacteria on it, then touching one’s mouth, nose or eyes, increases a person’s risk of illness.
The following measures can help protect us and others from respiratory illness this season:
• Wash or sanitize hands often
• Cover coughs and sneezes with your arm (not your hands) or with a tissue
• Wear a mask in indoor public settings or in crowded spaces
• Practice physical distancing
• Spend time outdoors or in well-ventilated indoor spaces when possible
• Stay home when sick, and do not go out in public until symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (48 hours for nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea).
Wear a mask for 10 days following the onset of illness to prevent further spread. In addition, for 10 days following the onset
of illness, avoid visiting people at higher risk of severe illness such as those in longterm care or hospital.
• Get vaccines recommended for age and health status, including seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines
• Create a plan with a health-care provider to access antiviral medications for those with chronic health conditions that present a higher risk for complications and hospitalization.
• Seek medical care if worrisome, new symptoms develop such as wheezing or difficulty breathing, or if symptoms are severe, persistent, or worsening despite treatment.
Common seasonal respiratory viruses may not require medical assessment or specific treatments like antibiotics. However, those with pre-existing chronic health conditions may be at higher risk of more severe disease. Seek medical care if an adult or child has severe, persistent, or worsening symptoms, especially if they might be at higher risk of developing severe disease.
For more information, call Huron Perth Public Health at 1-888-221-2133, visit www.hpph.ca, or follow HPPH on Facebook and X.
Perth County council votes to discontinue PC Connect rural service after March 2025
GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
As a result of the high cost per rider and the end of a funding agreement with the province, as well as to keep the 2025 proposed budget impact on county landowners down, Perth County council has voted to discontinue the PC Connect rural-route service as of March 31, 2025.
As part of 2025 budget deliberations at the end of the Dec. 5 Perth County council meeting, county economic development officer Justin Dias presented a report to council on the future of the PC Connect rural-route service after the county’s $2.47-million Community Transportation grant funding agreement with the province, which has been in place since PC Connect was launched in 2020, ends at the end of March.
In his report, Dias recommended extending the program by nine months to the end of 2025, which would cost taxpayers an additional $225,103 on top of what is already a double-digit proposed levy increase for next year at nearly 13.2 per cent.
“I initially had supported the extension for nine months, but considering the headwounds we have with our budget, there’s going to be no money coming to help fund this and the amount of people that are being pushed closer to the line (by the cost of living) and stuff like that, when it comes time to vote on this, I will be voting to terminate the program,” Coun. Hugh McDermid said.
“Over $60 per person, per ride is outrageous and we shouldn’t expect all the residents to subsidize that,” added Coun. Bob Wilhelm.
The funding required to continue the PC Connect rural-route transit service until the end of 2025 would represent a little more than a one per-cent increase to the proposed 2025 tax levy for the county.
While ridership is increasing, the county’s cost for each ride is decreasing and most regular users of the rural-route bus service indicated the importance of the service in connecting them to medical appointments, groceries and social and community engagements while reducing personal transportation costs and increasing their independence, the fact the province has not committed to any further funding for PC Connect after March 2025 was a concern for the majority of county council.
“We had hoped the (Ontario Transit Investment Fund) would support ongoing operations of PC Connect and support the service as it transitions to the gas tax (funding),” Dias said. “Unfortunately, as details were released (about the funding stream), it really is targeted towards new services or major changes to existing services to serve underserviced areas. So, we don’t see this as being that lifeline to support PC Connect in the short term.”
While there is no provincial funding currently available to support PC Connect in the way council and staff had hoped, Coun. Walter McKenzie and deputy warden Dean Trentwosky argued for extending the rural-route service until the end of the year to use that time to lobby the provincial government for stable transit funding.
Coun. Todd Kasenberg also expressed concerned with what he perceived as short-sightedness in discontinuing a transit service as the county continues to grow.
“We’ve essentially built a framework and a platform for us to deliver transportation services in our community; we do that every day in investing in roads and bridges and the matters of capital. And here we are; we’re definitely enured in the transportation and transit business,” he said. “For us and at this point in time, especially … for the rapidly growing community if North Perth which will be a city in 10-12 years, for us to remove transit and cause harms to people and to our local economy is a really bad idea.”
Kasenberg suggested the budget impact of extending the bus service doesn’t outweigh the benefits of the rural-transit routes, whether it’s supporting vulnerable people in rural communities by connecting them with family, friends and outside services, reducing Perth County’s carbon footprint by offering public-transit alternatives to the use of personal vehicles, or promoting economic development by connecting local businesses to the labour and other outside resources they need to thrive in the county’s rural areas.
Ultimately however, council voted to discontinue the PC Connect rural-route service after March 31, 2025. Deputy warden Trentowsky and councillors McKenzie, Kasenberg and Matt Duncan – all of whom represent either North Perth or West Perth – voted against the motion. The remainder of council, comprising represen-
tatives from Perth East and Perth South as well as Warden Doug Kellum, who serves as deputy mayor in North Perth, voted in favour.
Please note PC Connect Routes 1, 2 and 3 offering service between Stratford, St. Marys, London, Kitchener-Waterloo and North Perth are not impacted by this decision.
Draft 2025 Perth County budget remains steady with proposed 13.18 per-cent levy increase
Perth County’s draft 2025 budget was released to the public in early November and county council has met three times – on Nov. 7, 21 and Dec. 5 – for budget deliberations.
The draft budget carries an overall proposed levy of $25,123,337, up by nearly $3 million or 13.18 per cent above the 2024 levy. The draft budget includes an overall operating levy of just over $21 million – up by more than $2.65 million over last year –and a capital levy of just over $4 million, which increased slightly by $280,000 over the previous year’s capital levy.
The budget also includes the proposed transfer of $412,300 from reserves to keep the levy increase at 13.18 per cent.
Though county treasurer and director of corporate services Corey Bridges said it could be higher, early estimates show the county saw roughly 1.5 per cent growth,
adding $333,250 to the tax base last year and effectively reducing the proposed levy increase to nearly 11.7 per cent.
The county’s operating budget includes the hiring of a number of new staff positions including a full-time prosecutor at a cost of nearly $122,000, part-time backfill paramedics at a cost of nearly $334,400, a full-time economic-development officer at a cost of nearly $77,800, an administrative assistant to the CAO at just over $52,000, a contract planner at just over $46,000 and a summer student to work in the CAO’s office at a cost of nearly $15,600.
Meanwhile, the proposed 2025 capital budget includes 39 projects at a total cost of roughly $11 million. If the budget is approved as is, just over $9 million of that cost would be covered through county reserves, while nearly $2 million would be funded through the Canada Community Building Fund, the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund and from agreements with municipal partners.
The more-than $4 million to be collected through next year’s proposed capital levy would be transferred to reserves for future capital projects.
Perth County council will next discuss the proposed 2025 budget at its Dec. 19 meeting, after which staff are hopeful the budget will be adopted and passed early in the new year.
STRATFORD TIMES STAFF
stratfordtimes@gmail.com
The holidays are a time of giving, usually in the form of gifts. This year, we’ve got you covered for gift ideas for everyone from the techie in your life to ways you can make meaningful donations to help those less fortunate. And if you’re navigating holiday deals, we also have tips to ensure you get the promised value.
Disrupt hunger with school meals
Every year 45 million children suffer from malnutrition and every 10 seconds a child loses their life. Malnutrition can also disrupt focus in the classroom and impede learning. But by supporting meaningful gifts that give back, like purchasing school meals for a child in need through an organization like Children Believe in their Gifts for Good Catalogue, you can help provide for needs in communities where school meals are lacking. It’s a small act that empowers children to thrive both inside and outside of the classroom.
Give an AI-powered laptop
For the techie who needs a powerful
A holiday gift-giving guide
computing device, an AI-powered laptop is a game-changer. AI PCs, such as those from Intel, use artificial intelligence to make your computer smarter and more efficient, learning from your usage patterns to provide a more personalized experience. With advanced processing power and extended battery life, these computers’ AI capabilities can optimize performance, enhance security and even assist with creative tasks like photo and video
editing.
A curated photo album
We’re able to take photos of family, friends, holidays and other events more easily than ever. But once we snap pictures on our phone, they tend to get lost in the ether. Make those memories last by compiling them into a photo album. With a printer, such as the HP Envy 6100 series, you can seamlessly print professional-quality images at home from your
phone or laptop using an app.
Choose gifts that matter
People often choose predictable gifts, assuming they’re safe bets. Recipients, however, tend to value gifts with emotional significance. Consider giving a life-changing gift that harvests hope for families. Alpacas purchased through World Vision Canada, for example, offer families a sustainable income source through their valuable fleece, which is used to create products like clothing to sell in local markets.
Make sure your deal stands up
If a phone, internet or TV service provider doesn’t live up to their promises during or after a sale, you should know that you can turn to the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-television Services (CCTS). The organization offers a free and impartial complaint resolution service for issues with telecom and TV services in Canada, such as the charges not matching an agreement or the service not performing as promised. The CCTS also has the authority to make providers fix the problem when they haven’t followed industry rules.
Get creative with holiday decor
STRATFORD TIMES STAFF
stratfordtimes@gmail.com
The end of the year is upon us and that often involves decorating a home in its holiday finest. According to Today’s Homeowner, nearly 70 percent of Americans plan to display outdoor holiday decorations. Among those choosing to decorate, 34 percent will do so before Thanksgiving.
Everyone has a different vision of a well-appointed holiday home, but there’s always room to make things more unique and creative. These ideas can add a little extra to
holiday displays.
Decorate other rooms
Who says holiday decorating is exclusive to living and dining areas? Think about decorating unexpected places, like swapping out everyday towels and shower curtains with something festive. Swags of greenery wrapped in lights can be added to bed frames.
Coordinate the ornaments
Identify a colour theme and then showcase it with ornaments. Think about matching the ornaments to the presents wrapped under the tree as well. Purchase white package paper and colour or paint the paper to be the same
hues as the ornaments on the tree boughs.
It’s hip to be square
While round wreaths are traditional, make your own wreaths in a different geometric shape by using wire or another material as the frame. Square wreaths may be unexpected, and you also can turn the square on its side for a diamond shape.
Add a spot of colour
Certain holidays are known for their particular colour palettes, such as red and green for Christmas. But you also can do something unexpected. Whether using a lighter shade of the same colour family or adding an accent colour like purple or blue, you can change things up in a creative way.
Make an unexpected bouquet
Swap flowers for pine cones, berries and greenery in unique vessels. For example, arrange your centerpiece in a tall fountain glass or even a cocktail shaker.
Try a different accent tree
Use a styrofoam cone as the base of a tree for a centerpiece or sideboard. Attach poinsettia branches for a vibrant red tree, or stacked lemons or oranges filled with greenery for a fresh-smelling citrus creation.
Suspend belief
Instead of attaching a tree topper to the tallest bough, hang one from the ceiling just above the tree to add even more whimsy.
Mix and match
When it comes to a holiday table, mix and match table settings for an eclectic tableau.
Shift into neutral
Instead of a large holiday display in familiar colours, rely on neutral, wintry tones that will blend in with the home but add a festive touch. Natural wood, whites and creams, and muted greens can fill spaces.
Unique holiday decorations and schemes can be a great way to add new life to a home this December.
STRATFORD SPORTS
Warriors stumble at halfway mark of the season
were. When you’re playing really good hockey teams, you have to battle for every inch on the ice. Every small play is really significant to the outcome of the game.”
After a phenomenal shutout victory on home ice against one of their fellow first-place contenders, the Stratford Hunter Steel Ltd. Warriors stubbed their toe at the GOJHL Showcase tournament in Caledonia Dec. 6-8.
The Warriors hosted the LaSalle Vipers on Nov. 29 for the second half of a home-and-home series that began with a roller coaster ride of a game on Nov. 27 in LaSalle in which Stratford lost 5-4 in overtime. Head coach Dave Williams told the Times the up-and-down game left a bitter taste in the team’s mouths they were eager to get rid of 48 hours later.
“Our play was really consistent,” said Williams. “I thought we did a good job managing the puck. I thought we played really connected as a group of five, which allowed us to transition up the ice quickly. And I thought we defended really well. Getting the first goal gave the group some confidence, and I think going in, we felt like we let one get away from us the game before in LaSalle, after being down 2-0 and battling our way back to take a two-goal lead in the second, and then losing in overtime. So, coming off of that and only getting a point out of that game, I thought we came out a little bit more determined.”
Hudson Binder opened the scoring for Strat ford just over seven minutes into the game against the Vipers with his fourth of the season and first of two powerplay goals by the Warriors in the first peri od. Cole Lewis followed it up with his 14th of the year a little over 11 minutes later on another Stratford man advantage.
Rhyse Brown scored in the second period, ending a goalless streak that had lasted for his previ ous five games. Brown had only scored once in his last 11 games heading into the game on Nov. 29. Quinn Kipfer then scored in the third, a goal that came after the Milverton native had just one goal in his previous four games.
In their first game of the tournament against the Falcons on Dec. 6, the two teams traded chances throughout the contest, but in the end, St. Catharines was able to capitalize more than Stratford to secure the 3-1 victory.
“The first game was tough, but it was a good opportunity for our group to see what the best in the other conference looked like,” Williams said. “It was really a 2-1 game with an empty netter at the end. We had opportunities to tie that game in the third period, but we just couldn’t find a way to get that tying goal.”
Hunter Nagge scored the only Stratford goal in the game, snapping a four-game goal drought, just the second time Nagge has been held scoreless for four straight games or more since the start of the 2023-2024 season. The more disappointing game of the weekend, oddly enough, was the one the Warriors got a point out of when they lost 3-2 in overtime to Port Colborne.
Chase Furlong made 24 saves in the shutout bid.
Unfortunately, the 4-0 win against the Vipers didn’t spark momentum for the Warriors the following week at the GOJHL Showcase, where Stratford earned just one point and lost 3-1 to the St. Catharines Falcons before being upset 3-2 in overtime by the Port Colborne Sailors. Williams admitted his team’s attention to detail wasn’t up to par throughout the weekend.
“The showcase really reflected the parity in the league, but we were hoping for a better result than we had, obviously. I think some of the details of our game need to be executed a little bit more consistently than they
Williams acknowledged the disappointing nature of the team’s second showcase game and, in particular, the middle period, one of the team’s most lacklustre 20-minute segments so far this season.
“It wasn’t one of our better games this season by any means. Our second period wasn’t very good at all. The entire second period wasn’t very good. At times, you expect you might have a few lapses and the other team will find some momentum in playing their game, but it shouldn’t happen for an entire period. That said, we were fortunate to get the game to overtime, and in overtime, we had several really good chances to win. But I think when we dig into that game, the entire group wasn’t happy with that effort we displayed.”
The Warriors’ two goals against the Sailors both came in the first period and were separated by just three minutes and 29 seconds. Dax Vader scored his eighth of the campaign, a goal that gave Vader points in five of his last six games, followed by Binder’s fifth of the year, which gave the product of Calgary, Alta. points in five of his last six and goals in four of his last five.
In the second frame, Port Colborne outshot the Warriors 10-3 and eventually got the game-tying and game-winning goals from Vasily Serov in the third period and overtime.
With the Warriors back on the ice on Dec. 11 against the Vipers in LaSalle, followed by a home game on Dec. 13 against the St. Marys Lincolns, Williams described the response he is looking for from his squad.
“It all starts with getting off to a really good start. In the short term, we’ve got a couple of tough games in
front of us, and then through the rest of the season, our schedule isn’t going to be easy. We find that when we get off to a strong start, we have a tendency to play a more confident game from the top to the bottom of the lineup.”
The game against St. Catharines also marked the halfway point in the Warriors’ season, with Williams noting the one major focal point remains the team’s ability to be at their best every game.
“The focus is still on consistency. I think on the nights we play the way we’re capable of playing, we're a very good hockey team that has a good chance to win. But on nights when we don't control some of those smaller details the way we’re capable of doing, we find ourselves in a real dogfight to win those games. If we can collectively have and maintain good habits and consistently execute on the details of our game, we will have a good opportunity to win games.”
SDSS wrestling team has strong showing at first tournament
The Stratford District Secondary School (SDSS) wrestling team enjoyed a positive overall result at their first tournament on Nov. 29 hosted at St. Benedict’s Catholic School in Cambridge.
Thomas Dam earned a gold medal in his weight class, followed by Maddox Ollivier with 10 team points and a bronze medal. Alex Stewart and Cameron Tannahill each earned team points for their fourthplace finishes.
Head coach Tracy Weston told the Times the team’s cohesive nature allowed them to enjoy each other’s victories throughout the tournament.
“Our wrestlers continue to improve as a group with their overall endurance and dedication to growing on and off the mat,” said Weston. “They support each other and they are a terrific group to work
with. They truly have a special camaraderie where they are as content with others' success as they are concerned with their own, which is always extremely rewarding to watch.”
Dam, along with Elliot Barton, Nate Spahiu and Cameron and Dean Tannahill, were cited by Weston as veteran leaders on the team.
“I am incredibly impressed by the returning wrestlers who competed at this tournament,” Weston said. “Not only did they all give solid efforts on the mat, but they each have been instrumental in their combined leadership skills at practice. Overall, this a successful tournament and a sign of good things to come for our SDSS wrestlers.”
Weston also praised the numerous new members of the wrestling team who turned in strong showings, including Olivier, Stewart, Maddox Anderson, Reid
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
a strong, overall showing for the SDSS squad in their first tournament of the year.
Douglas, Hunter Gilbert, Dan Gropp, Malakai Magassoubi, Madilyn Mander, Kasen Ryan, Ellis Schnerr and Luke Steele.
“Each of the newer wrestlers worked extremely hard to follow through on the new moves they have worked on in practice. They will only continue to improve as the season progresses. Statistically, the team was tied for fifth against 13 other schools
in most tech falls in the least time. That means they were able to accumulate their points prior to the set time being reached, which is evidence they are starting to understand all the different methods to gain points within a bout.”
Weston also offered a special thanks to team manager Huxley Wendling and assistant coach Bryan Flikkema for their assistance this season.
Stratford Skating Club’s December Classic skates into town
JULIA PAUL Times Correspondent
Starting Dec. 12, The Stratford Skating Club will host its annual skating competition, the Provincial Series – The Stratford December Classic, at the Stratford Rotary Complex until Dec. 15. Originating in 2017, the annual skating competition brings more than 900 skaters from all across the province to Stratford, some from as far as Ottawa and Thunder Bay.
“We have lots of skaters coming from out of town,” said Kevin Winter, head coach with the Stratford Skating Club and local organizing committee chair for the event. “We’ve actually had to expand out of our normal three days into a fourth day. We are starting on Thursday this year, instead of our normal Friday, Saturday, Sunday.”
This year's events will include the men’s and women’s singles events at the Star-Five Gold levels and Pre-Juvenile and Juvenile Free Programs. These skaters are not only competing for standings in this event, but their scores are also archived and compared with others in Ontario. Skaters with the top scores by the end of February 2025 will be invited to the Skate Ontario Provincial tournament.
“For the most part, they are all sin-
gles events, free skate and artistic. Then the kids are not only competing for their placings here, but their marks are tracked and at the end of the competitive season, beginning of March, Skate Ontario grabs the top marks from all the kids and invites the top kids to the provincial championships in March, which we will also be hosting this year,” Winter said.
“The other events we have here are the Special Olympics back again, it’s a western Ontario qualifier for them. The Special Olympics are on Sunday afternoon from 2-5 p.m.”
The Stratford December Classic is open to the public. The cost to watch the competition per person per day is $10 for adults and $5 for students (aged 5-17) and seniors (age 60 and over). All children four years and younger are free. Admission will be collected at the door. The events will start at 10 a.m. on Dec. 12 and run on both ice surfaces until 6 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Stratford Rotary Complex.
“We're very excited to be hosting this event for all the skaters in Ontario,” said Winter. “It's something we look forward to every year. I’ve got great volunteers that help us create a wonderful event for the skaters and it’s actually built this into one of the biggest figure-skating events in the province.”
Thomas Dam competes in one of his bouts during the Stratford District Secondary School (SDSS) wrestling team’s tournament at St. Benedict’s Catholic Secondary School on Nov. 29. Dam captured the gold medal in his weight class to lead
Fighting Irish earn big 8-2 win over Strathroy
SPENCER SEYMOUR
Times Regional Reporter
The Stratford Bentley’s Fighting Irish enjoyed a high-octane start to the final month of 2024 when they picked up an 8-2 win over the Strathroy Jets on Dec. 7.
Jaden Peca and Matt Henderson each got the Fighting Irish started with powerplay goals just two minutes and 44 seconds apart in the first period. Christian Polillo extended Stratford’s lead to 3-0 with the eventual game-winning goal less than three minutes later, and Henderson’s second of the game rounded out the period with just one minute and nine seconds left in the first.
Though Strathroy got on the board in the second, the Fighting Irish continued to control the majority of the play, adding three goals to their total. Peca and Polillo each scored their second of the night, while Henderson completed the hat-trick.
Peca also fired his third of the game in the final period, while Tyler Passl turned in a strong 26-save performance to secure the victory.
The Fighting Irish also used their gameday promotion to help kick off the season of giving as the team joined forces with Camp-Out RV for their Stuff the RV event, which collected toys, food, clothing and toiletries to be donated to those in need. Everyone who made a donation got their admission to the Fighting Irish game covered by Camp-Out RV.
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Jaden Peca snaps a wrist shot by the glove of the Strathroy Jets’ netminder to put the Stratford Bentley’s Fighting Irish ahead 5-0 in the team’s 8-2 victory on Dec. 7.
Calvin Thomson, Christian Polillo, Tyson Kielt and Matt Henderson congratulate each other and their goaltender Tyler Fassl on their win on Dec. 7.
(FRED GONDER PHOTO)
(FRED GONDER PHOTO)
Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi achieves 40th anniversary goals
Correspondent
It has been 40 years since Master Moy was instrumental in bringing Taoist Tai Chi arts to the community of Stratford, and goals were set in recognition of the anniversary.
For 2024, the goal was to bring in 40 new members and to perform 40 demos out in the public eye. Not only has the tai chi studio met its goals, but it has also exceeded them. Through open houses and word of mouth, there are now 43 new members and an impressive 52 demos were performed for the public. People were attracted to join for a variety of reasons, sometimes personal and sometimes social.
“I joined because my friend, Marsha started,” said Bonnie Steinman, who is also an instructor. “She saw it and really like it and got in contact with someone in Toronto. She gathered some people, so I went. We had an instructor come from Toronto every Thursday for about a year and a half, then Master Moy said they couldn’t come anymore. It meant that we had to take the initiative and go for training in Toronto.”
That newfound interest sparked the beginning of what the centre in Stratford is today, 40 years later.
Brenda Ferguson has been on her journey for 30 years, inspired to pursue it by seeing a group of people practicing in the park.
“I retired early and had seen the little ads in the Beacon Herald for a few years, and I saw these guys in the park. It’s funny, you didn’t want to stare but you want to see without thinking you’re intruding. I saw it was for me. It was peaceful, quiet. I knew I needed exercise as well,” said Ferguson, who is on the southwestern coordinating committee.
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PATH TO BETTER HEALTH
The demos sometimes just involved going out into the parking lot at the centre on Ontario Street to show people driving by a glimpse of what the set is about. Others were more organized and publicized like a demo held one sunny afternoon at the library. There, people were in attendance to observe, learn a bit about Taoist Tai Chi arts and to try a few moves themselves. It was a tremendous success.
“We usually talk a bit about the organization, do a little demo and then get people trying it. We are not doing this to gain lots and lots of members; the goal is to let people know who we are and that it is available for those who wish to start on a path to better health,” said Ferguson.
During the open houses, members will gather to welcome the curious public and to perform a demo, which does not necessarily consist of all 108 moves. They have also gone to workplaces to perform demos for employees.
“We do presentations for groups that is sometimes part of their training day or some other part of their workday,” said Audrey Miller of the central region management committee.
The open houses have been instrumental in attracting new members, with approximately 35 of the 43 new members joining after participating in open houses. Oth-
Best Wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from our families to yours!
ers came by word of mouth or even through the advice of health-care professionals.
Sessions are held throughout the week and participants can come to as many sessions a week as they like after completing the introductory session. There are two beginner’s sessions each week, Monday and Saturday mornings, offering the opportunity to fit tai chi into different schedules.
Practicing the Taoist Tai Chi arts melds body mind and soul. As members’ mindsets soften, it’s an opening to new ideas. Instructors will often ask, “How does that feel?” With an opening and contraction of our physicality, we find balance in mind.
“This practice may not be for everybody. It may not be a good fit for you today, but it might be good for you tomorrow. I would recommend that everyone come in to try it for the physical, mental and spiritual benefits. Even if you just get the physical part to start with, there’s room for you to grow,” said Stratford committee president Grant Dillman.
The next open house for Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi is Saturday, Jan. 4 at 10:30 a.m. at the centre. The public is welcome to attend and learn, and join in for a few moves.
Kathryn Ritsma, Andrew Phillips, Matt Orchard, Ryan Bagnell, Cate McCorquodale, Michelle Jowett, James Burns, Lori Millian & Staff
LISA CHESTER Times
Celebrating 40 years of Taoist Tai Chi in Stratford has inspired goals of doing 40 public demos and inspire 40 new members to join.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Ballinran Entertainment looking to launch film fund to support local film and television industry
GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
To help put the resources and financing in place to support a made-in-Stratford film and television industry, and stimulate the development of new film projects, local production company Ballinran Entertainment is looking to establish a dedicated film fund.
The Ballinran Film Fund is not a production fund, nor is it a fund to subsidize productions that wish to use Stratford as a backdrop for location shooting. It’s a fund to support the growth of a homegrown content-production industry.
“The whole screen industry is undergoing this generational shift now,” Ballinran Entertainment president and executive producer Craig Thompson said. “As streaming is taking over, borders are vanishing and content is becoming more of a global industry. Canadian broadcasters are, themselves, going through transformation because of the shift to streaming, and the new broadcasting act called Bill C11 is meant to bring all content that’s delivered on screen via the internet or by broadcasting under one funding umbrella.
“Production in Canada is largely subsidized or incentivised by the government, so we get tax credits from the federal and provincial governments, we get money from the Canada Media Fund and industry regulated funds – as much as 60-70 per cent of our budgets come from government-subsidized funds. The chal-
MADE-IN-STRATFORD
Director Kiera Loughran speaks before the Stratford premiere of Exclusion: Beyond the Silence, a film produced by Stratford's Ballinran Entertainment, at the Tom Patterson Theatre Dec. 5. The local production company and its founder, Craig Thompson (pictured far left), holds this film up as an example of the type of film that can be made in partnership with the creative talent that already exists in the Festival City.
lenge in our industry is international competition. One of the barriers to keep Canada’s content industry as strong as it should be is in the area of development of new ideas. The production-funding model itself is intact, but the challenge is where does the money come from for new projects that will have an international appeal?”
The idea for the film fund, Thompson continued, is to leverage the valuable, creative assets that already exist in Stratford to create a home-
grown industry that will create and deliver content locally.
Once fully operational, the fund will provide development advances to projects with demonstrated market potential, with those advances converted to equity in any project that goes into production. Greenlit productions can also tap into the fund to benefit from interim finance tax credits from the federal and Ontario governments, a foundational financing incentive in the screen industry in many jurisdictions.
“One way of the fund becoming sustainable and growing is to earn interest on the interim financing that is granted to productions that go ahead,” Thompson said. “ … Any money that’s invested in projects that have a potential for success, the fund will be an equity partner in those projects and will be able to recoup that investment once the project goes commercial.”
Bringing additional value to the initiative, Ballinran will be contributing its production resources, market knowledge and distribution expertise as it builds out this fund. To develop the Ballinran Film Fund, Thompson said he needs to garner interest from those passionate about the industry, both from an investment side and from the creative side.
“You reach out to people passionate about the idea and then you pair investors with the fund, and then we start offering money to creatives in the community and say we can help you reach domestic and international markets,” Thompson said. “Ballinran is contributing a lot to this project. We’re contributing our marketing expertise, our financing expertise and our connections, as well as our facilities and resources, but there’s only so many things we can do with the resources we have available. We need a team Stratford approach to create a content machine, a content studio in Stratford.”
For more information and to learn more about the Ballinran Film Fund, visit drive. google.com/file/d/12uQ0y7-hulP5_7P2sogtlZP97cEe31oy/view or contact Ballinran Entertainment at action@ballinran.com.
(GALEN SIMMONS PHOTO)
Avondale’s Blue Christmas service offers warm comforts amid loneliness and grief
EMILY STEWART
Times Correspondent
Knowing that the holidays aren’t always a merry and bright time for those grieving or feeling lonely, Avondale United Church will host a worship service to offer connection and comfort for those experiencing hard times over the holiday season.
Avondale will host a Blue Christmas worship service on Dec. 22 starting at 7 p.m. The free service will include scripture readings, carols and an in-memoriam candlelight vigil. Light refreshments will follow the service.
"It's for basically anyone that finds Christmas a difficult time,” Rev. Marg Smith said. “That could be grief from the loss of a loved one, loss of job, loss of a relationship, or just plain loneliness, whatever makes Christmas tough. That's the people that are invited to be part of this."
Smith added Christmas can be a difficult time for those ill with the flu or other illnesses and are in the hospital away from their families, as well as those facing financial stress.
“So many people these days are under really tough financial stress and having trouble feeding their families, having trouble making ends meet,” she said.
Smith, who will be running the service, is on a shortterm contract with Avondale, filling in for a minister on sabbatical. She’s done a Blue Christmas worship service the last 10-15 years anywhere she’s ministered, and often gets positive feedback on the services.
"Just that it was helpful, sort of comforting,” Smith said of the response. “I think one of the big benefits of it is that people realize they're not alone. They're not the only ones that are feeling that way at Christmas; that they can share it with others.”
Friends of the Festival celebrate 40th anniversary of offering excellence
with the festival. I see every production every year at least once. Sometimes more than once.”
Every single person who visits the Stratford Festival has the opportunity to interact with a member of Friends of the Festival.
This volunteer group of sincere theatre enthusiasts is always on hand to greet the audience as they arrive, serve them, guide them and answer questions. In short, they do everything they can to enhance each person’s theatregoing experience, offering excellence.
The Friends of the Festival have been operating for 40 years with commitment and loyalty from their membership, with two members recently celebrated for their 35 years of service. Celebrating 25 years of service is Kathy Minor, who has served in several executive positions including as president and currently as director of training.
Upon moving to Stratford, she started volunteering with the Friends of the Festival the next day. She quickly found herself in several executive positions concurrently.
“I love the theatre; always have loved the theatre,” Minor said. “I grew up in the GTA. … One of the attractions of moving here was the cultural attractions in the restaurants and all that, so I’m very fortunate to be as involved and also network
As proof of that point, she saw last season’s production of Something Rotten 10 times, though she knows some people who saw it as many as 30 times, as it was, in some people’s opinion, the breakout hit of the season.
Minor was on the executive for 10 years. She took a bit of a hiatus from those responsibilities and began serving as a tour guide for the backstage area and the costume warehouse. She was also responsible for training Friends of the Festival tour guides and others who relayed information to visitors about those tours.
There is a great educational component to being a volunteer with the Friends of the Festival. Volunteers will always feel engaged and supported in their roles through the initiatives implemented over the years.
“We have someone on the executive that is responsible for education; he gets speakers that usually are employees of the festival that will come to our group and speak to us about what they do with the festival, Minor said. “It is a machine of many, many, parts. For instance, someone from coaching will come talk to us, someone from scenic carpentry, so you learn a lot more about what the festival is doing.”
Members also put on peer-to-peer edu-
RUBY ANNIVERSARY
cation sessions focused on what is on the playbill for each upcoming season. So, there will be a speaker on Annie, Forgiveness and Macbeth, for example, ahead of the upcoming season. This gives each Friends of the Festival member a better understanding of what will be on the stage.
“We have some remarkable, qualified people, so it is terrific. If you are not comfortable with Shakespeare, then whatever person is taking that on will make you feel comfortable. There are some people in the group that haven’t seen the musical, Annie, so someone will talk about it and talk about the music, the history of the production, so that helps us to have a better understanding of what it is that our patrons came here to see,” said Minor.
The job of the friends is to be a part of creating the best possible theatre experience for the patrons when they come in. Many times, they are the first person encountered and will greet visitors, make sure they are at the right theatre and answer any questions.
“It has always been rewarding meeting the patrons and talking with them, getting them acquainted with the traditions of the festival. Just enhancing the overall experience of the festival is what we do,” said Minor.
With assistance from the membership, Minor has four training sessions booked for 2025. There are 150 active members of the Friends of the Festival and it takes effort to deliver the knowledge necessary for each member to confidently be prepared. There were three new initiatives this year. One is training a teacher-concierge for when school groups visit. They connect with the teacher to find out where they are sitting to help the students, which streamlines the experience given there are 1,400 seats and there could be as many as 900 students.
The second is training a lounge concierge who can connect with patrons during intermissions to assist and answer questions. Finally, Friends of the Festival has welcomed students to their ranks as volunteers. This helps them to acquire their high-school volunteer hours.
New members are matched with a senior member in their first year of volunteering who serves as a mentor. Together with indepth training, they become confident and welcoming ambassadors for the festival. Anyone who wants to volunteer with or would like more information about the Friends of the Festival can visit www.stratfordfestival.ca/AboutUs/VolunteerOpportunities.
LISA CHESTER Times Correspondent
Members of the Friends of the Festival at their annual general meeting celebrate their 40th season of supporting the Stratford Festival Nov. 24.
(KRIS BERNARD/JENNIFER BRADBURY PHOTO)
Rod Beattie virtually performs A Christmas Carol in fundraiser for Kiwanis Festival of Performing Arts
LISA CHESTER Times Correspondent
A new holiday tradition is available from the comfort of home as multi-faceted Canadian actor Rod Beattie performs his oneman show, A Christmas Carol.
Gather family and friends for this reading of the most famous ghost story ever told over Zoom on Christmas Eve at 6 p.m. This performance is a fundraiser for the Kiwanis Festival of the Performing Arts (KFPA) and also features an online silent auction. Fundraising has become necessary as there is no grant funding from outside the organization this year.
“I had thought for years and years a shorter version would be useful for a couple reasons,” said Beattie of the upcoming performance. “One thing, it’s hard for the kids to sit through two hours of the original version and another thing is it’s a fast paced world now so I thought it was time for a one-act, one-hour version of it.”
“When we announced the performances last year, that this storytelling was going to take place at the museum, the reaction often was, ‘That sounds lovely but I’m not in Stratford,’ or even, ‘If I’m willing to drive, the weather could be bad, or someone could get sick,” said Pat McKinna, executive director of KFPA. “So it occurs to me that this lends itself to being shared on the screen, so whether you pull up a chair
VIRTUAL PERFORMANCE
literally or virtually, it gives you a chance if you can’t make it to the museum to hear the master storyteller.”
Performing on Zoom is a different medium for Beattie, though during the pandemic he offered a virtual performance
as an auction item, an Evening with Walt Wingfield. It worked remarkably well; he described it as if it was like doing television without a live audience.
“It is certainly what he’s used to and his preference is to get the audience reaction
and you don’t get that on Zoom – he doesn’t get the same response as he would hear in a live show – but we are doing a new thing and trying an experiment and Rod is brave enough and generous enough to play along,” McKinna said.
Doing the performance over Zoom allows for a greater reach in audience; almost anyone all over the world has the capability to access the performance. During the holiday season, people can gather and this could introduce younger people to the art of storytelling.
“It seems to be kind of lost in the digital world,” McKinna said. “It’s a lovely way to be told a story and I would love for younger people to discover this amazing ghost story. My impression, for some reason, is that there aren’t many families that come to hear the story. It’s mostly adults, I think, because they heard it when they were little kids.” Beattie is famous for is his ability to morph from one character to another. In this performance of A Christmas Carol he brings a cast of 29 characters to life. To do this, he has cast actors he has known or admired as he uses their voice to bring distinct characters to the story. Audience members are invited to close their eyes and listen closely to try and guess which actor is which character. An imagination is required as Beattie will not reveal who is playing each character.
Rod Beattie rehearses A Christmas Carol in the comfort of his own home before his audience of Dory (lying down) and Gabi, twin golden doodles. Beattie will be performing his one-man show over Zoom on Christmas Eve to raise funds for the Kiwanis Festival of the Performing Arts.
(PAT MCKINNA PHOTO)
Second annual Stratford Winter Film Festival themed around love and family
LISA CHESTER Times Correspondent
The second annual Stratford Winter Film Festival (SWFF) is shaping up as the intrepid trio of founders, Craig Sangster, Leslie Marsh and Bruce MacInnis, finalize the theme and the curated films.
The festival is planned for Family Day weekend, Feb. 14-17, 2025, which also includes Valentine’s Day. The timing presented themes of love and family in all of its forms as the foundation for four days of programming.
The inaugural year brought out a fantastic mix in demographic from seniors to families, and it is expected the film selection will appeal to these same people.
“We are super happy with and loyal to the demographic that came out to SWFF year one, and we are deliberately serving them. We’re always happy to have more people but we will do anything to keep those that showed loyalty to us and, if anything, we will expand it,” said Sangster.
There will be 12 films screened over four days with screenings held at three different venues. St. James Anglican Church, St Andrew’s Church and the city hall auditorium will each play host with three films per day. The carefully curated films were selected with the help of advisors whittling down a list of over 50 potentials to the 12 that will be presented.
“We came up with the theme, which is a natural for the days we are running SWFF this year. We then spread that word to our trusted advisors and they come back with how things fit within the theme and other things. From 60 films, we narrowed it down to the 12 we are screening,” said Sangster.
New for year two of the festival will be a free shuttle bus to take festival goers from venue to venue. This will be beneficial for those who prefer not to drive or if the winter walk is too brisk. Films will be scheduled for evenings in order to avoid light pollution that degrades the film-viewing experience.
It may seem daunting to screen 12 films in four days, but no one is expecting anyone to try to see them all. People are encouraged to spend time in the city eating drinking and discovering the great businesses in downtown Stratford.
“Each venue is screening three times a night for the four days. We don’t want to have the message that you have to see all 12 films. You can if you want to, but you don’t have to. You might want to see eight super great movies that hit your target and go have dinner,” said Sangster. “Sometimes people need an invitation to do something, so we are extending that invitation.”
There will be tie-ins to local featured business such as Mercer Beer Hall offering a special package for out-oftown guests or Relic Lobby Bar with a specialty cocktail that promises to be as good as last year’s Mary Pickford cocktail. As preparations for the festival are underway, more information on pairings will be published on the website.
“There will be hotel deals and B and B’s that are enthu-
THEMES OF LOVE
siastic and on board. Matilda Swanson will be participating and Relic Lobby Bar as well, and of course, our key sponsor this year is TD Bank. We will be doing a couple events with them,” said Marsh
Attendance will be through the purchase of passes again this year, however, there are two options to choose from. Passes are $150 for four days or $80 for two days.
“So, we have a four-day pass for Friday to Monday for $150 or for $80 a pass for Friday, Saturday or a pass for Sunday, Monday. Passes are available on our website,” said MacInnis.
“This is a marvelous Christmas present. It is wholesome, it is good, which is now rare,” added Sangster.
Save the date, there will be a free community family event from SWFF to look forward to. More information will be revealed as the time approaches.
As a non-profit, this festival is volunteer driven and anyone interested in volunteering can email shannon@stratfordwinterfilmfestival.ca. For more information about the second annual event, visit stratfordwinterfilmfestival.ca.
Editor’s note: Lisa Chester, the author of this article,
Rod Beattie virtually performs
“Listening is the single most important thing to an actor, as acting is reacting to the stimulus that is there. If I did something different than I did last time, then my job is to react to what I did this time not last time,” said Beattie.
The silent, virtual auction that accompanies this fundraiser features, among other things, an evening of dinner for six donated by Rod Beattie. Not only is he an acclaimed actor, he is also a highly skilled Tuscan chef. He will cater a menu (including wine)
customized and served at a location of the winner’s choosing. His team promises to leave the kitchen in the same condition it was found.
The auction has gone live and bids can be placed at any time. Listings can be found at https://kiwanisfestivalstratford.com/auction. The Zoom performance on Christmas Eve at 6 p.m. is a pay-what-you-can model with a suggested donation of $50. The link for the Zoom will be emailed to ticketholders. Access can be found at the same website address as the auction.
serves on the advisory board of the Stratford Winter Film Festival.
The second annual Stratford Winter Film Festival is approaching for Family Day Weekend 2025. The four day festival will feature twelve films over the weekend in the theme of love and family
(BECKY GEAN PHOTO)
A tail-wagging good time at the Jingle Paws Holiday Market
SYDNEY GOODWIN
Times Correspondent
Good music, great shops and even better company was what visitors saw when they came into the second annual Jingle Paws Holiday Market Dec. 1 from 2-6 p.m.
Created by Paws on Patrol and hosted by Evermore Compassionate Pet Aftercare, this pet-friendly event had something for everyone, and no matter who came, they all left with smiling faces and tails wagging.
Jingle paws is the now annual holiday fundraiser to collect toys, food, treats and other necessities pet owners need but might not be able to afford. Paws on Patrol founder Tyler Jouwsma started jingle paws as a way for the public to have some fun, support local small businesses and help pets in need after he started working with one of Paws on Patrols main charities, Stratford House of Blessing food bank. While working with House of Blessing, Jouwsma noticed just how many people who were in need of food also struggled to feed their pets.
“When I started working with the House of Blessing a lot, they had notified me that there was a large percentage of people who go there who also have animals, and they never have enough donations to give to the individuals, as well as proper nutrients for the pets,” Jouwsma said. “I was at this chamber of commerce event at Grayson Mills when they first opened up.
JINGLE PAWS HOLIDAY MARKET
The owners went up and were like, ‘We could help each other jumpstart our work,’ because they just opened their establishment, and I just started my pet pantry drive. So, let’s work together to help give back to the community, while also showcasing our businesses,” said Jouwsma.
After the success of the first fundraiser, Jouwsma wanted to continue the event, but he also wanted to see if he could shake things up.
“I always like keeping things different and fresh; I don’t like doing things the same year after year. I want to keep things fresh. That’s when I decided to do a new, local business every year. That’s why we went with Evermore (as the host this year),” Jouwsma said.
As the second Jingle Paws market came to a close, the success was hard to ignore.
“We’re gauging between 800 and 1,000 people who made their way through the fundraiser, and over 300
dogs. We even had a llama come through,” Jouwsma said.
While the turnout was similar to last year’s, the difference in donations was hard to ignore.
“Last year we raised 880 pounds of donations, and this year we raised over 5,500 pounds. We gave 5,000 pounds to the House of Blessing and we kept over 500 pounds for my pet pantry drive.”
The increase in donations by more than six-fold at just the second run of this fundraiser is a feat on its own, and because of that success this year, Jouwsma is looking at not only continuing this market next year but adding a summer market as well, showcasing even more small businesses and helping even more pets in need.
For more information about Paws on Patrol and their plans for the next Jingle Paws event, visit paws-on-patrol-stratford. square.site and stay up to date with them on social media at pawsonpatrolstratford on Instagram, and paws on patrol Stratford on Facebook.
MEETING SANTA
10 Downie St.,Stratford 519-273-3121
Jingle Paws getting ready to open their doors.
Cali had an up-close encounter with Santa Claus as he arrived at the market to pose for photos with the pups.
A great turnout for a chilly weekend.
(SARAH CAIRNS PHOTO)
(TYLER JOUWSMA PHOTOS)
Bringing music back to The Local
JULIA PAUL Times Correspondent
Tim Elliott and Derek Barnes played beautiful music for the guests of The Local Community Food Centre (CFC) on Monday, Nov. 25.
While Stratfordians can enjoy a nice hot meal at The Local CFC on Friday afternoons and Monday evenings, they can now enjoy Special Supper Music during specific Monday suppers.
“It brings joy,” said Julie Docker-Johnson, community connector with The Local CFC.
The next Special Supper Music will be on Monday Dec. 16 from 4-5 p.m. Tim Elliot will be returning with special musical friend, Beverly Maranger.
“Music makes things special,” said Docker-Johnson. “Dinner out with music is an event!”
Mark those calendars for meals at The Local CFC and enjoy the musical delights of different artists each time.
Please note the Local CFC will be closed for two weeks during the holidays, from Dec. 22, 2024, to Jan. 5, 2025.
See you at The Local!
BRINGING JOY
Pictured from left, Derek Barnes and Tim Elliott play tunes for dinner guests during Special Supper Music at The Local Community Food Centre Nov. 25.
Stratford and District Ostomy Association support group looks
There are many groups formed in Stratford and Perth County over the years that support those residents who need help in life.
We all know about support for Alzheimer’s, cancer, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, Muscular Dystrophy and many more debilitating diseases, but perhaps the work of the Stratford and District Ostomy Association is less well known.
The ostomy association is a support group for people who had bowel or bladder surgery and now have a colostomy, ileostomy or urostomy.
They wear a disposable appliance (pouch) on the outside of their abdomen to collect either stool or urine. In Canada, there are an estimated 150,000 people living with an ostomy. There are 1.3 million people living with an ostomy around the world, and in Canada, about 13,000 new ostomy surgeries are performed every year.
The Stratford and District Ostomy Association was founded in October 1983 with the bare minimum support of 12 members.
The chapter became a registered entity in 1984, and now numbers over 30 members.
Ray and Sybil Rynor of Stratford were early leaders of the chapter and promoters in the community whenever they got a chance.
The volunteer-based group is dedicated
Members of the Stratford and District Ostomy chapter who recently gathered following their luncheon together. They include, in front row from left, Therese Newman, John Aarts, George Wicke, Marilyn Robinson and Janet Heinbuch. In the second row from left are Betty-Ann Brown, Susan Hamilton, Shirley Jones, Cathy Hutson, Dan Kerr, Rae Mavor and Ron Jones.
to assisting people facing life with a temporary or permanent ostomy by providing information, assistance and emotional support.
This support is also provided to families and friends of those with an ostomy, and ultimately promotes a better public understanding of ostomies and related surgeries.
Janet Heinbuch from R.R.# 2 in Tavistock is an enterostomal therapist and has been president of the local chapter since 2004.
She encourages those who are interested in ostomy to come to their monthly meetings held at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Morgan Street in Stratford on the first Tuesday of each month except in July, August, January and February. There is a speaker arranged for each meeting, usually a health-care professional or representative of an ostomy product supplier or manufacturer.
All are welcome at the meetings.
Going forward, it is hoped the chapter will continue to provide the support greatly needed as evidenced by those who attend meetings from London, Goderich, Woodstock, Listowel, Exeter, Grand Bend, Tillsonburg and Strathroy.
Members say it is important to promote awareness and loosen the stigma of lifesaving procedures and ostomies.
For more information, email Heinbuch at jpheinbuch@outlook.com.
(STRATFORD AND DISTRICT OSTOMY ASSOCIATION PHOTO)
Perth County’s Pfister family brings home red ribbon for spring Holstein from Royal Winter Agricultural Fair
in Canada.
At the 2024 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, there was a spring Holstein heifer shown that made history in Perth County by placing first overall in the extremely competitive class.
The Pfister dairy farm, located between Stratford and Mitchell, was proud of their homebred Holstein heifer named Ulmar Sidekick Entensity, who placed first in an extremely large, high-quality class of show heifers at the most competitive show
Entensity began her show career as the daughter of Marco and Ashley Pfister‘s Shania as a pre-4-H calf. Shania was already walking her daily and giving her baths to look her best as a young calf. It was evident showing would be a natural talent and, in 2023, Shania attended four shows with Entensity.
Skip ahead a year and Entensity was Maddy Dixon‘s 4-H project for the 2024 show season. She was named reserve-champion calf at the Lucknow 4-H invitational show, then she won grand
champion showman and grand champion calf at the Perth 4-H championship show. After that, the calf was named reserve champion calf at the Western Ontario 4-H championship show in Stratford.
Entensity didn’t stop there and was named junior champion at the Perth-Waterloo Holstein show in September in Stratford.
Once the September shows were done, Entensity was getting ready for the next big one, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto.
Looking her best at the Royal, she be-
came the class winner of the spring Heifer class at the national black-and-white show. Her owners say it was an incredibly proud moment to have Eric Dupasquier lead their heifer with such professionalism, and to win the class along with being named the best bred and owned in the class.
Entensity is now the third generation of show winners at the Royal in this cow family, as both her dam and granddam were top-placed winners at the Royal in the past – quite a feat for a homebred Perth County Holstein herd.
AWARD WINNING
GARY WEST
Times Correspondent
Left: Shania Pfister showing Entensity in 2023.
Above: Ulmar Sidekick Entensity is showing her winning ways at this year ’s Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto. Guelph’s Eric Dupasquier was at the halter of this show-winning spring heifer.
(ASHLEY PFISTER PHOTO)
(THE BOVINE PHOTO)
How to plan a winter holiday for less
STRATFORD TIMES STAFF
stratfordtimes@gmail.com
Are you already starting to feel the winter blues? Then you may be in need of a winter getaway. But, if you’re worried about being able to afford a holiday right now, here are four tips from Air Canada Vacations that can help you plan an affordable holiday.
Book early
Booking as early as possible has two key advantages. For one, you’ll have the best selection of destinations and travel options before the prime spots get booked up. Plus, the further in advance that you book your holiday, the better the deals you’ll likely find. Now, for example, is a great time to find deals for a European holiday in winter, spring and even beyond. Once your travel and accommodations are confirmed, investigate pre-booking tickets for any bucket-list excursions to avoid disappointment.
Consider different options
It’s peak season for beach resorts and ski hills so unless you already have an early bird deal or get lucky with a last-minute booking, you may be priced
out of those destinations. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get out of town for a bit. Consider more affordable temperate locations where you can shed your winter clothes while exploring the local cuisine, culture and attractions.
Comparison shop
Think about the type of consumer you are: do you like to choose things a la carte, or do you prefer package deals? You can play around with different flight times, the calibre of accommodations, and the excursions and attractions you’re interested in to find an itinerary that fits your budget. Or you can search through various curated self-guided or guided tour packages that take care of the planning for you. Pre-set packages often build in volume discounts so you can see and do more for less.
Use your points
Most of us have a variety of rewards cards or apps that we use for different purchases. With some, you can use the points to book everything from flights and hotels to complete resort stays, including travel.
Find more tips on how to save on travel at aircanadavacations.com.
Winter home prep: Ensuring you’re ready for the cold
STRATFORD TIMES STAFF
stratfordtimes@gmail.com
As winter approaches, preparing your home for the colder months is essential to ensure your safety and comfort, and to help to prevent costly damage. Taking proactive steps to winterize your home can help you avoid common issues and keep your family warm and safe.
One important area to focus on is your roof. Have your roof inspected for any signs of damage, such as missing or loose shingles, cracks or leaks. Addressing these issues before winter sets in may prevent water from seeping into your home during snow or rainstorms, which can lead to structural damage and mould growth.
Clogged gutters can cause water to overflow and damage your roof, siding and foundation. Clear your gutters of leaves, twigs and other debris to ensure they can effectively channel water away from your home. Installing gutter guards may also help minimize future clogging and reduce maintenance efforts.
In addition to roof and gutter maintenance, creating a comprehensive winter home preparation checklist can help you address all necessary tasks. Start by sealing any drafts around windows and doors with weatherstripping or caulking to keep the cold air out and the warm air in. This simple
step can improve your home’s energy efficiency and reduce heating costs.
Replace appliance filters, check for leaks around your home and make sure your thermostat is functioning correctly. Consider upgrading to a programmable thermostat to better manage your heating needs and help you to save on energy bills. Turn off the water supply to any pipes that will not be used in the winter, such as garden hoses and in-ground sprinklers, and drain the lines to prevent damage from freezing. This is particularly important for pipes in unheated areas such as basements, garages and attics. If you plan to be away during the winter, keep your home’s temperature at a minimum of 13 degrees Celsius (55 degrees F) to prevent pipes from freezing.
Stock up on essential supplies such as salt or sand for de-icing walkways, shovels and a snow blower. Having these tools readily available can help you manage snow and ice more effectively, reducing the risk of slips and falls.
Home insurance plays a crucial role in protecting your property during the winter months. A comprehensive home insurance policy can cover damages caused by roof leaks, water infiltration and burst pipes. Review your policy to ensure you have adequate coverage and understand what is included. Find other winter home preparation tips at belairdirect.com.
Singing for the joy of it in Stratford
companist until 2020 when the pandemic shut things down.
Sing for the Joy of It’s Christmas concert was one not to be missed this year.
The choir, which takes in singers from all over Stratford and outlying areas, is directed by artistic director, Dan Van Winden, who is also the full time music director at Avondale.
During the Christmas concert Dec. 3 and 4, Van Winden was accompanied on the piano by Karen Remple, and the concert also featured guest brass musicians Chris Adair, Dianne Doig, Tom Garrick, Lawrence Gauvin, Steve Gruchy and David Manning.
The huge choir, which numbered 155 singers, sang many familiar Christmas carols and holiday tunes in two- and threepart harmony, which filled the beautiful and acoustically pleasing church.
The church was filled for two nights of evening performances which was a follow-up to an extremely successful musical extravaganza back in the spring.
The choir, which was formally known as the County of Perth Community Choir, was formed in 2012 under the direction of Paul Coates and continued under his musical guidance with Carol Carter as ac-
Until then, the choir rehearsed and performed concerts each December and May at Knox Presbyterian Church in Stratford as a way of sharing joy with the community.
In 2023 after a three-year hiatus, it was time to sing again and more than 150 people registered. Rehearsals began Jan. 17 under the direction of Van Winden.
The premise of the choir is simple. Everyone is welcome to come as they are and sing for the joy of it.
There are no auditions, there’s no fundraising and it doesn’t matter if members can read music, or if they’ve never been in a choir before.
The group gathers to sing for joy with other likeminded people who are ready to support one another along the way.
The choir’s next concert featuring popular music of the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s will run on Tuesday, June 3 and Wednesday, June 4. Watch for tickets to go on sale in April.
Anyone interested in joining them for their next term and practice beginning Jan. 7, 2025, can contact Leslie Boland or Kathy Pearson by emailing singforthejoyofit@gmail.com.
Community of Christ Church raises money for Stratford-Perth Museum with monthly breakfast
Members of the Community Of Christ Church on Forman Avenue in Stratford offer a free, full community breakfast, eggs and all, the last Sunday of every month in the church hall, with donations going to various local non-profit organizations.
This month, hundreds of dollars raised went to support programs at the Stratford-Perth Museum.
General manager of the museum Kelly McIntosh was happy to see so many people coming in to get their warm, filling meal all while reconnecting with friends, family and neighbours.
She said the museum was incredibly moved by the experience and was glad to witness the church members and friends raising significant funds for the museum. She said the museum will do its best to pay it forward.
McIntosh said upcoming events at the museum include Rod Beatty‘s one-man performance of “A Christmas Carol, six shows in total in December, and the launch of a new “Tales and Trails” book on the museum trails in partnership with the Stratford Public library.
She added residents can find out more about these details on the museum website or by emailing kelly@stratfordperthmuseum.ca.
GARY WEST Times Correspondent
GARY WEST Times Correspondent
RAISING SIGNIFICANT FUNDS
Cooks with the Community of Christ Get Cracking breakfast club are shown after serving sausage, eggs, pancakes, porridge and toast along with coffee, tea and juice to anyone who came out for the monthly fundraiser breakfast. All donations this month went to support the continued work and programs at the Stratford-Perth Museum. Pictured in front from left are church elder Gary Goulding and museum manager Kelly McIntosh. In the back from left are McKenna Veldman, Dan Veldman, Scott Graham, Robert Smith, Scott Brookshaw, Mike Van Straaten, Kayla Veldman, Sally Van Straaten and church Pastor Nancy Brookshaw holding granddaughter Collins Howard.
A total of 155 singers with the Sing for the Jy of it choir “Swinging into Christmas” last week for two nights of shows at Avondale United Church in Stratford.
Sing for the Joy of it artistic director Dan Van Winden is seen last Thursday evening introducing one of many Christmas songs at Avondale United Church in Stratford.
(KAYLA VELDMAN PHOTO)
After 28 years, Susan and Ian Hamilton are leaving the Stratford Farmers’ Market
“May You and Your Family Have a Safe & Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”
- The Brenneman’s
One of the Stratford Farmers’ Market’s longtime vendors that has been part of the market for 28 years will no longer be a weekly presence at the Burnside Agriplex.
Susan and Ian Hamilton, owners of Susan‘s Knitting, say that while it has been fun, they have decided to call it quits at the market. Their final day will be at the last market of 2024, which is Dec. 21.
Susan and Ian Hamilton say they started in 1997 at the bingo hall on the old fairgrounds where the Stratford Farmers’ Market was originally.
They said they were glad when the market moved over to the new Burnside Agriplex, which was warmer and more cozy for patrons, especially in the winter.
Over the years, they have met a lot of interesting people, made long-term friends and have become a small family with the other market vendors.
Susan Hamilton has said her knitting has gone to places like England, Germany, Dubai, Latvia, Washington D.C., all parts of Canada east and west, as well as to many locals in the surrounding area in Perth County and Stratford.
She says since the beginning 28 years ago, there are only three original vendors still at the market as many have come and gone.
Items that she still sells and knits include baby blankets, hats and scarves, Barbie-doll outfits, hand towels, armchair slips and many other items.
Susan and Ian Hamilton say they will continue to make and sell items out of their home and, if interested in purchasing any knitted or handmade items, call 519-271-1036.
The couple says it is with mixed feelings to be leaving the market, but they would like to thank everyone for their support over close to three decades, and hope to carry on serving the public from their home in Stratford.
THREE DECADES
Longtime market vendors Susan and Ian Hamilton have announced they will be retiring after 28 years at the Stratford Farmers’ Market with their last day being Saturday, Dec. 21.
GARY WEST Times Correspondent
(GARY WEST PHOTO)
Bringing a bit of hygge into the holidays
The holiday season is often marked by a whirlwind of activity – shopping, decorating, cooking, and hosting. We fret and run around doing so many things. Yet, the very meaning of the holiday which should focus on love, connection, and the comforts of the season is all but missing.
While our holiday traditions bring external joy, they can also leave us feeling overwhelmed. We may love to get new things and celebrate by drinking and eating in excess. We may even spend a lot more money than we should on holiday shopping, making it difficult to pay our bills in January. This year, why not infuse your
Let’s never forget that in 2020, Xinyi Glass Holdings Ltd., a Chinese-based manufacturer with connections to the Chinese government, proposed building a $400 million floating glass manufacturing plant on the southern edge of Stratford. The company was promising 380 “well-paying” jobs and had a plan to make Stratford the leader in providing glass for North American cars and homes.
Secret in-camera city council meetings left residents out in the cold until the very last moment. Through a public meeting, council presented the deal, expecting to vote on the servicing propos-
holidays with simple comforts, love, and hygge? This Danish concept emphasizes coziness, connection, and well-being, transforming the season into a time of warmth and presence.
Here’s how to bring a touch of hygge into your holidays and truly savor the spirit of the season.
1. Create a cozy atmosphere
The idea of hygge focuses on cultivating a warm, inviting space. To create this ambiance during the holidays, start by focusing on lighting. Candles are essential to enhance hygge. So scatter them throughout your home, especially in gathering spaces like the living room or dining table. Fairy lights, lanterns, and soft lamps also add a magical glow.
Incorporate plush textiles like blankets, throw pillows, and rugs to make your home feel snug. Use natural, neutral tones or festive colors like soft greens, creams, and warm reds for added holiday cheer. Scents also play a role –burn cinnamon or pine-scented candles, simmer a pot of mulled wine or cider, or bake spiced cookies for that cozy aroma.
2. Simplify and slow down
The holidays often feel rushed,
but hygge encourages us to slow down. Resist the urge to over-schedule and embrace simplicity. Focus on quality over quantity when it comes to gifts, meals, and social commitments.
Take moments to pause and savor the season. Whether it’s enjoying a quiet cup of coffee in the morning, reading a holiday story by the fire, or taking a leisurely walk in the crisp winter air, prioritize moments of stillness. These small acts of mindfulness embody the essence of hygge.
3. Embrace togetherness
Hygge is as much about connection as it is about comfort. Create opportunities to bond with loved ones through simple, heartfelt activities. Host an intimate gathering where you prepare a meal together, play board games, or simply sit and chat over cups of hot cocoa.
Shared rituals are a key part of hygge. Light candles before dinner, take turns sharing what you’re grateful for or bundle up and watch the snow fall together. It’s not about grand gestures but about being fully present with those around you.
4. Celebrate nature
Nature plays a significant role in the hygge philosophy. Even
during the colder months, there are ways to bring the outdoors in and enjoy the natural beauty of the season. Decorate with evergreen branches, pinecones, dried oranges, or berries for a festive yet rustic touch.
Take time to appreciate the winter landscape by going on walks, gathering firewood, or even just gazing at the stars on a clear night. These activities help foster a sense of peace and gratitude, hallmarks of a hygge-inspired holiday.
5. Relish comfort food and drink
Food is a central element of hygge, and the holidays are the perfect time to indulge in comforting meals and treats. Focus on hearty, homemade dishes like soups, stews, or roasts. Bake traditional cookies, breads, or pastries with loved ones, creating both nourishment and lasting memories.
Pair these with warm drinks like spiced tea, mulled wine, or hot chocolate. Serve them in your favorite mugs, curl up under a blanket, and let yourself bask in the simple joy of the moment.
6. Practice gratitude At its core, hygge is about con-
Alberta can learn from Stratford
al – the last step – the following week. It was considered a done deal.
Like me, many of you were shocked and angered by the proposal mainly because you felt deceived about not having any prior knowledge of the project.
An engaged group, Wise Communities Stratford, quickly acted to gain as much information as possible to make an informed decision on whether the plant was good for Stratford. Their findings led to an uneasiness as Xinyi, which planned to operate continuously year-round, would have priority to Stratford’s water and more than double the carbon dioxide emissions from the Stratford area. The company’s response of building a taller smoke stack to allay residents’ concerns over toxic fumes was dubious. Additionally, there was no thorough impact study of the traffic that would result from materials coming in and products going out carried by large trucks. Further, a workers’ residence was to be built on-site – illegal in Canada.
Southern Alberta is now facing a somewhat similar situation with an enormous foreign corporation looking to exploit resourc-
es in the majestic Rocky Mountain area for its own benefit, likely to leave an environmental mess in its wake for generations of Albertans to clean up.
Although Alberta had a 45year moratorium over the development of new coal exploration, the province decided to accept applications for new coal mine exploration and production, in part, due to the investment promised by Gina Rinehart, Australia’s richest person, worth almost $30 billion. Rinehart, through her company Northback Holdings, made plans to resurrect an open-pit mining project for steel-making coal in the pristine eastern slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains covering 28-square kilometres to produce 4.5 million tonnes of processed coal per year, with an expected life span of 20-25 years.
The subject lands range from the tops of the alpine peaks in the Canadian Rockies down to the foothills that roll into populated valleys. The area supports some of the most diverse ecology on the planet, including plant, animal and human communities. There are numerous lakes and rivers at the proposed project site that
tentment. Take time to reflect on the blessings of the season and practice gratitude. Keep a journal where you jot down things you’re thankful for or share these reflections during family meals. Let go of perfectionism and focus on what truly matters. The holidays aren’t about flawless decorations or extravagant gifts but about cherishing the people, moments, and experiences that bring you joy.
7. Enjoy the little things Finally, hygge reminds us to find joy in the small details. The laughter of a loved one, the flicker of candlelight, the first snowfall – these moments create the fabric of a cozy, meaningful holiday season.
Instead of focusing on everything you have to do, shift your mindset to what you get to enjoy. Embrace imperfection, savor the moment, and let hygge guide you toward a holiday filled with comfort, connection, and joy. By weaving hygge into your holiday traditions, you’ll create a season that’s not only festive but also deeply fulfilling. This year, prioritize what matters most: the warmth of home, the love of family and friends, and the magic of simple pleasures.
supply the Oldman River Basin which flows into the Saskatchewan River Basin, and then all the way to Hudson Bay. This water is necessary for irrigation, ranching, hydro-electricity, ecosystem support and the maintenance of healthy aquatic systems. It’s also a source of drinking water for millions of people who live in this region.
Though the project, known as the Grassy Mountain Coal Project, could provide an injection of jobs, investment and tax revenue into the Crowsnest area, there are many issues that could permanently impact the area including selenium, a natural element found in the environment and often released by coal mining that is toxic in excess, can lower reproductive success and has been linked to mass deaths of the west slope cutthroat trout.
On June 17, 2021, a joint federal-provincial regulatory panel rejected the Grassy Mountain Coal Project, both for its environmental degradation and the coal’s low quality and quantity, saying “we find that the project’s significant adverse environmental effects on surface water quality and west slope cutthroat trout and habitat
outweigh the low to moderate positive economic impacts of the project. Therefore, we find that the project is not in the public interest.”
In November of 2023, defying its own provincial regulator, the federal government, the courts and ranching common sense, the provincial government declared the defunct project to be an “advanced project” giving the government special powers. It ordered the Alberta Energy Regulator to duly consider Northback’s application for new exploratory drilling.
I defer to my enlightened brother-in-law – a learned rancher whose ranch is close to Grassy Mountain. He thoughtfully stewards his land and is working diligently to stop the project, saying, “We need to be accountable to future generations by focusing on the health of tomorrow rather than solely on the wealth of today.”
These are words that a few wise Stratford residents grasped, successfully rebuffing a large corporation interested in its own profits without much consideration for the long term welfare of the locals.
IRENE ROTH
Times Freelance Columnist
BRUCE WHITAKER Times Freelance Columnist
Channeling our inner environmental hero
ANNA KOWALCHUK
Life can be difficult for many of us. So much of our time and energy is spent on finding and paying for food, shelter, clothing, and simply getting ourselves through each day reasonably sane and in one piece. Caring for the environment is the least of our worries, and hardly worth thinking or talking about, especially at this time of the year.
But think and talk we must. There is little use in working so hard to keep ourselves and our families healthy and happy when the ever-growing consequences of an overheating planet are, without exaggeration, threatening our children’s and their children’s very existence.
We humans are creatures of habit and comfort. We tend to follow the paths of least resistance. But we must not let this be our downfall. How easy it would be to remain oblivious to what we’ve done and are continuing to do to the only home we
have in, literally, the entire universe.
We must, for all our sakes, dig deep and find ways to live more environmentally responsibly. Again, change of any kind, even for the better, can be challenging. But who among us isn’t up for a challenge when the lives of children are at stake?
It begins simply with a decision. Let’s each of us choose just one thing that will limit our collective use of petroleum and petroleum-based products which are, by far, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and cause of the critical overheating of our planet.
We can, for instance, refuse to buy plastics (which includes that shiny holiday wrapping), when paper, metal, glass, wood, etc. is available. We can refuse to drive when walking, biking or bussing is a workable option. And, if we must drive, we can absolutely refuse to idle in a drivethrough line, spewing massive amounts of carbon into the atmosphere while going nowhere. We can refuse non-essential air travel, the single most polluting activity
EVENTS
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Tuesday, December 24; 6 p.m.
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STRATFORD TIME S
in which we can engage, when local travel can be just as rewarding, much less expensive, and far less stressful. Or we can refuse to drive to the gym – the absurdity of this scenario speaks for itself.
There are many ways in which we can begin digging ourselves out of our environmental predicament, but whichever way we choose, and here’s the real challenge, we must stick with it. The temptations to abandon, even the strongest resolve, are pervasive and persistent.
We will be constantly fending off the enticements of advertisers, whose sole purpose in this world is, not just to sell us stuff, but to sell us on mindlessly buying stuff in perpetuity. Friends might try to advise us away from our hippy ways, perhaps out of genuine concern, perhaps to assuage guilty consciences. And children’s wide-eyed pleas can easily become our undoing until we remind ourselves (and them) of the very important reasons for our sacrifices.
There is much talk these days of mind-
$20 per team of two players. Each game consists of 2 deals per player. Register to game date. Anne: 519-301-0914, Dave: 519-703-6544, Legion: 519-271-4540 or online.
fulness. It simply means being aware of who and how we are in this world, and of the choices we make and why. Mindfulness fosters quiet reflection and right action. It encourages us to be old-fashioned things like humble, patient, stoic and steadfast. It is the well-spring from which arises all that is good on every level, including planetary.
Time is short, dear reader, and there is much to do. This holiday season, let’s channel our inner environmental heroes. Let’s give gifts that truly matter; the gifts of mindfulness, of strength of character and will, of courage to stay the course in ill-winds and, most consequentially, of willingness to sacrifice for that which is most sacred – our families, our friends and this singularly beautiful planet that we are so blessed to call home.
If you know of an individual, company or organization that deserves recognition for their innovative and sustainable environmental practices, please contact me at frogs-a-leaping@tutamail.com.
TIME S
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Times Contributor
OH, THE PLACES WE’LL GO: Getting the real story at Pier 21
Some travel experiences are just plain fun; some offer a combination of entertainment and education; and some are simply serious – sometimes life-changingly serious.
I would put the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 in the latter category. If you spend the time and pay attention as you make your way through the exhibits at this museum on the Halifax waterfront, you will come out with a lot of new knowledge and perhaps even some changed perspectives.
You may even learn some new things about your own personal heritage – but more about that later, in our last stop at the museum. Pier 21 was where about a million immigrants first set foot in Canaada, from 1928 to 1971. It was also an important transfer site for the Canadian military during World War II. So ironically, this is the place where many new Canadians entered the country for the first time, and also the place where many young Canadians left the country, too often for the last time, as they headed for the battlefields of Europe.
Those kinds of stories would make it easy for Pier 21 to be romanticized as heartwarming
stories of newcomers and courageous stories of young soldiers are told. And while, yes, those accounts are part of the narrative here, Pier 21 does not duck the ugly realities of Canada’s racist immigration policies that lasted throughout the majority of our national history.
And that is, above all, the cause of the new knowledge and changed perspectives that can result from your visit, as I mentioned above.
The problem is summed up on one information panel entitled, Why Europeans? It reads, in part, “Canadian immigration policies overwhelmingly favoured white Europeans and Americans. Racist immigration policy and practice effectively excluded African, Asian and other racialized people until just a few years before Pier 21 closed in 1971.”
The museum tells its stories with brutal honesty. When we visited, there was a deeply moving exhibit concerning the reality
of slavery in Canada. The facts as presented were in stark contrast to our comfortable image of Canada as the welcoming terminus of the underground railway, which welcomed enslaved people escaping from slavery in the U.S. That certainly happened, but so did slavery, with all its horrors, for a period that extended from 1629 to 1834.
Pier 21 owes its very existence to the work of a woman, herself the daughter of Jewish-Russian immigrants who settled in Cape Breton. Ruth M. Goldbloom led the campaign to restore Pier 21 as a museum telling the stories of immigrants. Pier 21 opened in 1999. A decade later, it officially became The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Canada’s sixth national museum (four are in Ottawa, the fifth, the National Museum of Human Rights, is in Winnipeg).
Pier 21 is a facility that rewards those who take the time to read all of the information panels. There
you find the true story of immigration, and you will inevitably pause to reflect on our national history, a mixed bag at best. Rivalling the stories of slavery for sheer horror is the account of the ship, the MSS St. Louis. In 1939, the MSS St. Louis attempted to land in Canada. It carried 900 Jewish refugees attempting to escape Nazi Germany. Prime Minister William Lyon Mckenzie King refused to allow the ship to land, and sent it back to Germany, where over a quarter of the passengers eventually died in concentration camps.
This, one of the darkest moments in Canadian history, is commemorated in an installation at Pier 21 called The Wheel of Conscience. The dramatic creation of Daniel Libeskind includes four interlocking gears. The smallest, labelled hatred, activates the racism wheel, which moves the xenophobia gear, which drives the anti-Semitism wheel. The names of the passengers are etched on glass in the
piece.
The museum not only offers hours of exhibited reading materials, carrying the visitor from the darkest days of immigration policies to today’s much more inclusive times, but there are also regular tours presented by clever and entertaining guides.
The museum’s theatre shows an uplifting film featuring recent immigrants to Canada.
And visitors may be surprised to discover the family research centre, where knowledgeable staffers are poised behind computer screens, ready to help you with your individual quest for personal history.
We had come quite unprepared for such an opportunity, but after dredging up a very few bits of personal genealogy, I was surprised at how much information our guide was able to excavate from the records. In a matter of minutes, we had gone back six generations in the history of my birth family –a family I only discovered a few years ago. I left with a few sheets of information, including the earliest ancestor discovered in that brief time, a man with the intriguing name of Ritchison Travers. So avid, amateur genealogists may want to skip the tour and spend all their time in the family research centre! But that would be a shame, because time spend at Pier 21 will change your perspective on the history of our country. You will feel shame at what we were, and perhaps pride at what we are becoming. We can hope so, anyway.
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
(PAUL KNOWLES PHOTOS)
Pier 21, the Canadian Museum of Immigration, on the Halifax waterfront.
The Wheel of Conscience is inspired by the horrific story of Canada's rejection of the MSS St. Louis, which carried 900 Jewish refugees trying to escape Nazi Germany.
Pier 21 founder Ruth M. Goldbloom was the daughter of Jewish-Russian immigrants to Canada.
CLASSIFIEDS
PERSONAL
PRAYER TO
THE BLESSED
VIRGIN (NEVER KNOWN TO FAIL)
Oh, most beautiful flower of Mount Carmel fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed mother of the Son of God, Immaculate virgin, assist me in my necessities. Oh star of the sea help and show me herein You are my mother. Oh, Holy Mary Mother of God Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity (make requests), there are none that can withstand your power. Oh Mary conceived and without sin pray for us who have recourse to thee Holy Mary, I place card in your hands (three times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days you must publish for it to be granted Thank you to the blessings of Virgin Mary S.F.
WANTED
I WILL PAY CASH FOR ANTIQUES AND COLLECTIBLES – Coca Cola Pepsi any pop company, Brewery items Kuntz, Huether Labatts etc. Old radios and gramophones, Wristwatches and pocket watches, Old fruit jars Beaver Star Bee Hive etc. Any old oil cans and signs Red Indian Supertest etc. Any small furniture. If you are moving or cleaning out stuff please contact me - 519-570-6920.
WANTED
$ Cash Paid $ for your RECORDS and LPs. Jazz, Blues, Rock, Pop, Folk, Soundtracks, and more. Selectively buying CDs, Cassettes, Turntables, and Stereo Equipment. For more information: DIAMOND DOGS MUSIC 114 Ontario St. Stratford / 226-972-5750
WANTING TO BUY – All collectibles including sports cards, beanie babies, Funko pops and stamps. Highest prices paid. Free appraisals. Are you downsizing or need an estate clean out? We can help. Call or text Stan anytime 519-868-3814.
Fair value offered for your vinyl records, cassette tapes & hifi components. Please contact Sound Fixation, 519801-5421, 4 George St. W, Stratford.
TREES: Shade trees, Fruit trees, Apple, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Sweet and Sour Cherries, Apricot, Nectarines, Blueberry, Haskopp, Black Chokeberry, Grapes etc. Lots of Spruce, Pine, Cedars for windbreaks and privacy hedges, Sizes 1 to 6+. Flowering shrubs and much more. Come check us out Mon-Sat 7:00am - 6:00pm Martin's Nursery 42661 Orangehill Road Wroxeter (1 concession north of Wroxeter on Belmore Line)
For sale, ash firewood 14–16 inch length. Seasoned minimum one year. Stored in shed to keep dry. Pick up $115 per cord. Delivery available in Stratford area. Also, saw cut ash lumber and oak, elm, ash, and poplar live edge for your woodworking projects. Call Don at Krantz Machine and Welding 519-271-8839.
What do you call an elf that sings? A wrapper!
Why was the math book sad at Christmas? It had too many problems!
What do you get if you cross a snowman with a dog? Frostbite!
What’s Santa’s favorite type of music? Wrap music!
Why does Santa go down the chimney? Because it soot-s him!
What do you call a cat on the beach during Christmas? Sandy Claws!
How much did Santa pay for his sleigh? Nothing—it was on the house!
What do gingerbread men use to make their beds? Cookie sheets!
What do you get if you eat Christmas decorations? Tinsel-itis!
What do you get if you cross a Christmas tree with an iPad? A pine-apple!
JETT
Jett is an extra-large bundle of energy and love, ready to find a family who can match his vibrant lifestyle. This playful boy thrives on enrichment, affection, and consistent training. His ideal home includes teenage kids (if any) and patient humans willing to help him polish his manners, like jumping and leash pulling. While Jett loves energetic doggy friends, cats aren’t his thing. Crate training and secure spaces are a must for his success. With the right guidance, including two training sessions, Jett’s bound to become the loyal, adventurous companion you’ve been waiting for. Apply to adopt Jett today!
MERRY CHRISTMAS
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