Tee off the Week every Monday at 5pm for a 9 hole shotgun with cart & dinner to follow $46. Book online! FISH & CHIPS IS BACK!
This Friday, May 30, join us!
people — a teacher and four students from Walkerton District Community School who had been competing in a softball tournament in Dorchester. For
story, see page 8.
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
At a local level, the Town of St. Marys can only do so much to increase and diversify the town’s housing stock to deal with the housing crisis on a local level.
That was the message Stephen Giustizia, the town’s affordable development housing consultant, delivered to St. Marys council at its special priorities committee meting May 20 during a review of the town’s Opening Doors - An Attainable Housing Action Plan, first approved by council in February 2023.
“For as much as St. Marys can have integrated plans and policies and programs related to incentives for developers and builders, the reality is that new development and the focus of St. Marys and the work that you can do is really in working with the private developers on incentivizing additional units,” Giustizia said. “In other words, your best work is still based on the interests and the timing of projects that are going to be advanced by developers and by builders.”
The Opening Doors Plan was created to expand municipal practices within existing
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
As it turns out, there’s not much the Town of St. Marys can do on a local level to mitigate the impacts of U.S. tariffs on municipal procurement or local industry and businesses.
At the May 20 strategic priorities committee meeting, St. Marys council heard from town director of corporate services André Morin about how the American tariffs put on Canadians goods, as well as Canada’s response in the form of retaliatory tariffs – both of which have been temporarily paused – are impacting the Town of St. Marys.
“This is an area that is obviously quite complicated,” Morin said. “We’re all a little more educated on tariffs and international trade than we ever have been. Having said that, it’s still very much a very complicated system and, especially when it’s Canada and the U.S., very integrated and has evolved over the last number of years. What we’ve been hearing and seeing, and certainly what we heard at our (local) industry meeting last week; it’s going to continue to evolve and change over the next number of years as we kind of move forward and start to shift away, maybe, from U.S. suppliers globally.”
For now, however, Morin assured councillors that the vast majority of goods and services procured by the town, and by towns across the province – 98 per cent according to a survey conducted by the Association of
WENDY LAMOND Independent Reporter
On Saturday May 24, the IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s took place in St. Marys starting at Milt Dunnell Field with a welcome and a warmup. Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that destroys brain cells, causing thinking ability and memory to deteriorate over time. Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging and is irreversible.
Last year’s walk across Ontario raised over $3.1 million to support local programs for people living with dementia. The walk takes place in more than 150 communities across the country and is the largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The funds raised go towards local programs that help improve the quality of life for individuals and families as well as community supports and awareness.
Those who walked did so in support of their loved ones knowing that 100 per
cent of the funds raised stay in the community. The walk has been held annually since 2015 raising over $50 million for people in Canada.
Paulina Balch, volunteer coordinator from the Alzheimer Society Huron Perth, was on hand to lead the crowd. She shared with the Independent what a great success the St. Marys Walk was.
“There was a great turnout and it was amazing to see the support from the St. Marys community. Everyone was happy and there were lots of smiles. It was cold to start but after some Tim Hortons and
warmups with the music, everyone was ready to go,” she said.
According to Erin Dale, manager of fund development, communications and volunteers with the local society, the St. Marys Walk more than doubled what was raised last year. There were 60 walkers taking part and, right now, money raised is over $15,000 with more still coming in. Huron-Perth has raised over $130,000 and counting.
Thanks to all who support this worthy cause to help make a difference.
GALEN SIMMONS Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A nearly $2.9-million rehabilitation of Perth Road 130, which includes similar work on an abutting section of Perth Line 29, is about to get underway.
At the May 15 Perth County council meeting, county council awarded the project contract to GIP Paving Inc. of Petersburg at an estimated cost of $2,884,000. Following approvals from both Perth South and Perth East councils, the project will include the rehabilitation of roughly seven kilometres of Perth Road 130 from Perth Line 20 to the Goderich-Exeter Railway crossing in Sebringville – all of which is county roadway – roughly two kilometres of Perth Road 130 from Highway 8 to Perth Line 36 under Perth East’s jurisdiction, and about six kilometres of Perth South roadway along Perth Line 29 from Perth Road 130 to Stratford city limits.
“The scope of the project includes recycling and repaving through the rural-roads section, drainage improvements within the built-up limits of the Village of Avonton, two culvert replacements and improvements to the rail crossing,” county director of public works Bill Wilson said.
“ … In addition to the county’s capital
project, Perth East and Perth South have similarly scoped capital construction projects on roads abutting the county’s project. Working with both municipalities, staff have included the work of Perth East and Perth South under this tender in separate parts specific to their projects as a mechanism to better control and coordinate construction in the field, and to increase tender quantities for more favourable (materials) pricing.”
Broken down, the county’s portion of the work is expected to cost more than $1.9 million – well under the $2.45 million budgeted for the project this year –while Perth South’s portion of the project is expected to cost nearly $709,000 and the Perth East portion is estimated at a little more than $231,000.
“The per-kilometre cost, without calculating it, I can say is less than what
we would have experienced in 2024’s projects,” Wilson said in response to a question about cost from Coun. Todd Kasenberg. “Through the results of this tender and the other ones that closed, I can say the price for hot-mix asphalt is down from where it was last year and we’re also seeing a reduction in price for some of the recycling work. I believe that’s due to market conditions and the amount of work that’s out there.”
Wilson said the successful contractor has completed similarly scoped work for the county before, including the rehabilitation of a portion of Perth Line 36 in 2020 and the resurfacing of Perth Line 86 last year. While Wilson said the work GIP Paving has done for the county was completed with few issues, Coun. Bob Wilhelm noted Perth South council was unhappy with recent work completed by the company in that town -
ship.
“Last year, Perth South had GIP do some work and the quality was very disappointing,” Wilhelm said. “I’d like to just ensure that Perth County will receive top-quality work and that we’re expecting good quality.”
In response, Wilson said county staff have discussed the issues with Perth South staff and is aware of the challenges during that project, and he assured council the county follows a strict process for monitoring and evaluating the quality of the work throughout the project. That process involves county staff and consultants conducting regular inspections, material testing and profiling the affected sections of roadway before the project begins and after it is complete to ensure quality.
While no exact timeline for the work was available during the council meeting, Wilson said work is expected to begin in late May or early June. The contractor is required to maintain single-lane traffic during all phases of construction except for short-duration, full road closures to accommodate culvert replacements and rail-crossing improvements.
Exact details of the project will be communicated with the public prior to its commencement.
WENDY LAMOND Independent Reporter
Throughout life there are moments of happiness, anger, celebration, grief and regret. It is a whole range of emotions that we as humans deal with for our whole lives.
I read a quote that asks why we are so quick to say hello but take forever to say goodbye? I thought of this many times last week with the loss of someone that was a big part of my husband’s life. He was one of those friends you don’t see all the time and when you do, you hug and say, “We need to get together,” but then life happens and sadly, you never do. Then, one day, you get the news that he is gone at 57.
You go through life thinking that we have time. Those days at work that seem to drag a bit, rainy days that you want to be outside doing things, watching the clock tick by, but what it comes down to is before you know it, that clock has ticked on to a new day, a new week, a new month and a new year.
I have seen this as I get older and am
now past the half-century mark, and how time seems to speed up. What I am learning is the importance of making those plans and seeing them through, spending time with family and the best friends anyone can ask for, and doing things that make you happy.
There will be times where you just want to stay home, not feeling it and it takes all you have just to get up and go. This reminds me of a lovely lady I had the pleasure of interviewing when she turned 101. Her advice for a long, happy life was to never stop moving. Even when you don’t feel like it, just keep going.
You never know when you are not going to have that chance again and, in general, people tend to regret what they didn’t do more than what they did do.
Sadly, another reminder of this is the horrific accident that took place on Friday near Thorndale. In a flash, life can change. So, make those plans, follow them through and remember none of us are perfect and life does get in the way.
Trust me, you will be glad you did.
We have no Bravos this week. We have 2 Boos this week.
1) Boo to the five plus drunk individuals on the corner of Wellington and Elgin Street at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday night. They were yelling, at least two of them relieved themselves on someone’s bushes, and they littered their plastic cup of alcohol on the street. Letting loose and having fun is one thing, but behaving inappropriately in public is another.
2) Boo to the person who picked up my gardening pots and tools on Trailside West. Not sure if you thought they were free but I would appreciate it if they could be returned.
“As a father, I can’t even imagine what these families are going through, and I just wanted to extend our deepest and sincerest condolences on behalf of the Ontario Provincial Police. You are in our thoughts,”
- Sgt. Ed Sanchuk with West Region OPP on the horrific accident that took place Friday at the intersection of Thorndale Road and Cobble Hills Road that took five lives.
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The St. Marys Independent THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK
The things you take for granted, someone else is praying for.
Smile, Life is too short to be unhappy.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.
The best thing to hold onto in life is each other.
The latest municipal news from the Town of St. Marys
The St Marys Public Library Board is actively gathering feedback on its Strategic Plan, seeking insights from individuals Their aim is to identify areas of focus to help meet the needs of the community Help plan for the future! www.townofstmarys.com/librarystratplan A memorable musical showcase
ST.
Staff Contribution
On Wednesday, June 11 at 6:30 p.m., the Friendship Centre Choir takes the Pyramid Recreation Centre stage for their end-of-season concert.
This year’s choir is led by Lanny Hoare and includes 27 dedicated older adults who gather weekly at the Friendship Centre. The choir is actively seeking new members and strongly encourages anyone interested in joining to contact the Friendship Centre at 519-284-3272.
“Music is a magical thing that brings
people together,” said Hoare in a press release. “We have been practicing throughout the season and can’t wait to show everyone the talent within this group.”
All proceeds raised directly support the Friendship Centre and Choir program. Tickets are $12 and include a sweet treat and light refreshments.
Are you interested in being a part of some great events this summer? We’re currently looking for volunteers to join us on Canada Day (July 1) and at the Stonetown Heritage Festival (July 12)
Apply to become a volunteer today! www.townofstmarys.com/volunteer
Pre-registration for the event is required on a first-come, first-served basis through ActiveNet (www.townofstmarys.com/activenet) or by calling the St. Marys Friendship Centre at 519-2843272.
Join the St Marys Museum (177 Church St S) for the kickoff of their summer season Enjoy children's crafts, sweet treats, and newly installed seasonal exhibits There is no cost for admission to the Summer Open House, but donations are always welcome June 1 | 12 PM - 4 PM
Leaf and yard waste collection has begun Remember to have yard waste to the curb by 7 AM on collection days and place yard waste in kraft-style bags or reusable containers Full schedule, map and details can be found on our website townofstmarys com/yardwaste
This program provides free showers to those in need Showers are private, secure and accessible for individuals of all abilities
Our senior of the week is Don Phillips. Don has lived in Thorndale for 60 years and will be celebrating his 90th birthday on May 28. Don and his wife Ruth both owned and operated garbage trucks and a variety store/pool hall. They raised eight children, have 18 grandkids and 28 great grandkids. It doesn’t matter where Don is headed he has a great sense of direction, when he is driving or is heading to an auction. His children do not have the sense of direction, they always seem to get lost without our navigator, Don.
If you would like to nominate someone for Senior of the Week, contact us at 519-284-0041 or info@stmarysindependent.com.
EMILY STEWART Independent Reporter
Families can enjoy lots of activities and an outdoor movie night just in time for Pride Month.
Friends of the St. Marys Public Library and St. Marys Pride will host a screening of The Wild Robot at Cadzow Park on June 6 for their Pride Movie in the Park and Family Open House. The event will feature a variety of activities starting at 6 p.m. ahead of the movie screening at dusk.
“The Wild Robot was selected because it’s a heartwarming story about identity, belonging and finding connection in unexpected places – values that resonate deeply with the spirit of Pride and community building,” library services coordinator and St. Marys Pride committee member Rebecca Webb told the Independent. “The film’s themes of empathy, acceptance and community make it a perfect fit for an inclusive, family-friendly event that welcomes everyone.”
Ahead of the movie, families can snack on popcorn and cotton candy as well as dinner from the Sunset Shack. There will be drag story time, lawn games, a children’s book giveaway and live music as well.
Earlier this year, St. Marys Pride decided not to organize a 2025 Pride in the Park event amid a loss of committee members.
“We know that some folks are disappointed that we are not able to host the very popular Pride in the Park event that takes place at Milt Dunnell Field this year, so we wanted this event to feel like a scaled-down version of that beloved day, including a variety of activities helps create the welcoming, festive atmosphere where everyone can find something to enjoy,” Webb said.
diversity of our community and affirm that everyone –no matter who they are – deserves to feel safe, valued and included,” she said.
1. What year did Ontario switch to 4-letter, 3-number license plates?
How many World Series titles does the Toronto Blue Jays have?
Big Ben is located beside the Palace of what?
4. Which great ruler’s tomb was kept secret by killing the builders and their executioners?
5. What video game character is blue and is a hedgehog?
6. Who could spin straw into gold?
7. Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman co-starred in what 1995 film?
8. Where did pomegranates primarily originate from?
What does KO mean in boxing?
Budweiser Gardens is now called what?
By Jake Grant
She added that as the St. Marys Public Library is a space that welcomes all, she’s glad the library and St. Marys Pride collaborates together on this event.
“The Pride Movie in the Park and Family Open House is just one of the many ways we celebrate the
Though St. Marys Pride has more events and other programming planned for 2025 and 2026, the organization is currently focusing on building a committee. Anyone looking to join the committee or volunteer at future events can learn more online by visiting www. stmaryspride.ca/volunteer.
authorities to encourage more attainable rental-housing units in St. Marys. The plan includes a housing-needs analysis and a flexible approach to address local housing needs. Through completion of the plan’s actions, the goal of the plan is to create an environment that will support the creation of 200 new rental-housing units by 2027.
In 2023, the plan helped pave the way for 27 additional rental-housing units and, in 2024, that number rose to 42. So far this year, 30 new rental-housing units have been added to St. Marys housing supply.
While the plan has seen moderate success in advancing the town’s housing goals, Giustizia said the housing crisis is still a reality both locally and across the country. The problem, he explained, is many small towns, including St. Marys, are still missing the lowest rung on the housing ladder – public and subsidized housing – which means the lowest-income earners and the town’s most vulnerable residents have little to no options for housing.
“You’ve got a lot of people who are working in the service industries and in those modest-ranged jobs that always had housing available to them, that right now don’t have housing available to them,” Giustizia said. “ … You often see people who are stabilized in their existing housing now, but that existing housing may not be appropriate housing. What I mean by that is you see people who are aging in place, you see people who are with more family members than there are … bedrooms in the home by a longshot, or you may see people who are needing specialized housing because of a medical need or aging in place that don’t have those options available to them.
“And when those options aren’t available to them, there is no difference between that as a housing need versus the needs related to a growing population.”
The vast majority of the available government funding for public and non-profit housing offered through programs like the federal government’s Housing Accelerator Fund, Giustizia said, is going to larger, urban, faster-growing cities, leaving towns like St. Marys with this crucial housing gap. While working with developers and builders has been successful in creating additional rental housing elsewhere in St. Marys’ housing spectrum, without public and non-profit
housing, there will always be residents without appropriate housing, especially when people who can afford housing elsewhere on the spectrum have no option but to remain housed where they are.
“You really need to present yourself as having equal housing needs to other, larger municipalities who have been getting a lot of the federal and provincial attention,” Giustizia said. “I would say most of the provincial attention has been towards expediting municipal permissions, development charges or other activities that, quite frankly, you are already very good at. Your ability to expedite development and work with developers; I’ve actually sat down with developers who say … there is no problem in that respect in this town. As it relates to development charges, you’ve got fairly low development charges.
“In other words, the provincial strategies are not even looking at small communities. That’s a miss because it doesn’t mean you don’t have a housing crisis.”
Giustizia said it is important for St. Marys and other small towns across Ontario to advocate for support for public and non-profit housing at the provincial and federal levels by highlighting the challenges faced locally and how more housing can support local industry in attracting and retaining workers.
“The advocacy is really important,” Coun. Jim Craigmile said. “Our lack of rural Ontario getting anything from (housing) acceleration funds; maybe we have to spin it a different way. I think we heard loud and clear from the local industry at the breakfast on (May 16) is that, for economic development, a huge impact on paying a decent wage was a lack of accommodation (for workers).
“When you’re looking at whether you’re going to keep an industry or expand it, I really think that’s a huge thing that rural Ontario, for advocacy, can get the industry behind them and spin that the right way.”
Staff and students at Walkerton District Community School (WDCS) and members of the surrounding community are in mourning after an assistant softball coach and four students were killed in a multivehicle collision near Thorndale Friday afternoon.
Ontario Provincial Police say it was about 4:30 p.m. on Friday when the collision happened at the rural intersection of Thorndale Road and Cobble Hills Road. Police say five people died after the SUV they were travelling in collided with a transport truck and a second SUV. Two 17-year-old girls and a 16-year-old girl were pronounced dead at the scene. A 33-year-old man was taken to hospital and later died, while a 16-year-old girl flown to hospital by helicopter also died.
“I just want to take this opportunity to extend my deepest and sincerest condolences to everyone who has been af-
fected by this tragedy tonight,” OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk said in a video posted on X from the scene of the collision, before pausing for a moment. “To the Good Samaritans who stopped to provide assistance, thank you. To everyone who came to this crash tonight, thank you. To family members and friends, you have our deepest and sincerest condolences, and you are in our thoughts.”
Over the weekend, the five people who were killed in the collision were identified through social media posts and news reports. The adult has been identified as Matt Eckert, an assistant coach and teacher at the school. The teenagers were identified as Rowan McLeod, Kaydance Ford, Danica Baker and Olivia Rourke. All five were returning home after competing with their school team against 14 other teams in a high-school softball tournament in Dorchester.
According to media reports, the WDCS team placed second in the tournament.
The Bluewater District School Board issued a statement Saturday afternoon in which the board said four secondary students and one staff member from WDCS had passed away tragically in a motor-vehicle collision on Friday afternoon while returning from a sporting event near London.
“At this incredibly difficult time, we are supporting and respecting the privacy of the grieving families,” the board said in a statement. “We are unable to provide further details on the incident or identities of the individuals involved.”
Memorials were being planned in honour of the victims. There were social media posts asking residents to leave a pair of running shoes and a light on out front of their homes. On Sunday evening, hundreds turned out for a candlelight vigil outside WDCS.
“It’s an incredibly deep, deep scar this has inflicted on our community. It’s going to take a long time to heal,” said Chris Peabody, the mayor of Brockton,
which includes Walkerton, according to news reports.
“We have, as a community, dealt with tragedy before, and small-town Ontario residents always rise up in the face of adversity and band together, and I know that will happen here.”
The crash was under investigation by members of the Middlesex OPP, and the West Region OPP’s Traffic Incident Management Enforcement Team were investigating. The roads in the area of the crash were closed while police investigated and were reopened early Saturday morning.
Police were asking members of the public who may have been in the area at the time to check their dash camera footage in case they may have footage of the vehicles involved. Anyone with information that could assist police were being asked to contact the OPP at 1-888310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477.
Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) – are purchased from companies with Canadian addresses.
Yet while a company may have a Canadian address, their suppliers may be located outside Canada.
“In (director of public works Jed Kelly’s) office, he had a controller for the streetlights, and we picked that up and started looking at it,” Morin said. “He said, ‘I just ordered this from our Canadian supplier in Brampton.’ On that device, there’s three stickers. One sticker said, ‘From Iowa,’ the other sticker said, ‘Made in Indiana,’ and then the third sticker said, ‘Made in China.’ Then it was wrapped in aluminum which likely came from Canada. Again, it just shows you everything we’re dealing with when trying to figure out where is this from, where is it made, where is it procured from.”
According to the AMO survey, Ontario municipalities rely on U.S. goods and services in four main areas: IT and communications, emergency services, heavy machinery and vehicles, and health and safety. Morin said the town currently has seven suppliers with U.S. addresses, all of which are software related with an annual total cost of $65,000 – the most significant of which is Microsoft, with a total procurement cost of $40,000 annually.
According to a report by Oxford Economics commissioned by AMO, expenditures on municipal building and infrastructure is only expected to increase by 1.4 to 2.3 per cent as a result of the tariffs.
While Morin said the Province of Ontario and some municipalities in the province, including the cities of Toronto and Brampton, have adjusted their
procurement policies in favour of tilting the scales toward procurement from Canadian companies, those policies likely won’t fully mitigate the impact of tariffs until the supply chain adjusts to the new economic reality and goods made by Canadian companies, or companies elsewhere in the world, don’t rely on U.S. manufacturers for parts.
In addition, municipalities must abide by rules in place through the various trade agreements Canada has with several countries around the world, including the U.S. through the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The purpose of free-trade agreements is to allow Canadian companies to bid competitively on and supply goods and services in partner countries, and for foreign companies to be able bid on and supply goods or services in Canada. This somewhat limits a municipality’s ability to implement buy-local or buy-Canadian policies.
Instead, Morin said municipalities have the option to increase thresholds in their procurement policies, which can allow staff to secure bids from Canadian companies only, up to a certain cost. Under St. Marys’ current procurement policy, staff can approve purchases of goods and services up to $15,000 as long as at least three written quotes from suppliers are secured and approval is granted by a department head. Above that cost, up to $50,000, the process requires a public-tender process with CAO approval, while anything that costs more than $50,000 requires a public-tender process and council approval, which allows both Canadian and American companies to compete for contracts.
Morin told council they have the option of increasing the threshold at which staff can source suppliers and approve procurements without a public-tender
process, which could allow the town to focus its procurement more toward Canadian companies. However, he noted that because most of St. Marys’ procurement is already sourced from Canadian companies and, because of the integrated nature of the supply chain between Canada and the U.S., it is unlikely that will actually mitigate the impacts of tariffs locally.
Whie Morin recommended council maintain the status quo at this point, he said councillors could choose to increase the procurement threshold as more of a symbolic measure, if they feel it necessary.
“Personally, I was hoping to see something stronger in a temporary procurement policy,” Coun. Marg Luna said. “I think this is a time where everyone has to make a point. I try to make a point when I go to the grocery store. I know that it’s really difficult at the grocery store (to buy Canada), so I imagine on a bigger scale with this, it would be even more difficult, but I think the point is to make a point. I, personally, would want to see a procurement policy that followed more closely the provincial one with provisions scaled to St. Marys size.”
The Province of Ontario has passed a Procurement Restriction Policy which applies to provincial agencies and ministries and requires that U.S. businesses be excluded from procurement unless the business is the only viable source for a good or service, or the procurement cannot be delayed. The policy also defines a U.S. business as a supplier, manufacturer or distributor that has its headquarters or main office located in the U.S. and has fewer than 250 fulltime employees in Canada at the time of the applicable procurement process.
While Luna advocated for a higher procurement threshold in St. Marys, other councillors were open to that idea, but there was a general sentiment council should wait and see how the situation south of border evolves before making any changes.
Morin noted that staff is intent on reviewing the town’s procurement policy later this year, and that process will include assessing the current procurement limits and potentially recommending increases to them.
“We went through this with the first Trump administration – not quite to this extent – but tariff threats were there and there was a (trade) agreement that came through that we’re abiding by now,” Morin said. “I expect that will happen (again) as we move forward over the next months or years, but it’s difficult for us to fully appreciate or understand what council’s objective would be. And we can change limits, that gives us some flexibility, but let’s say we’re still buying a $1,000 part like that part that was on Jed’s desk. Are we going to dive in and spend hours of work trying to determine where that piece of equipment is or should come from, or is there a separate supplier that we can get … and then at what level is that Canadian or U.S. or something else? That’s where I see this being very challenging.
“This will all work itself out from a procurement standpoint. If there are tariffs between Canada and the U.S., those U.S. suppliers aren’t going to be able to compete, so it will work itself out in a market where they’re not going to be able to compete with … our Canadian suppliers or U.K. suppliers or our other partners.”
This past Saturday, the Beer Store partnered with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada for their annual bottle drive to raise funds for blood-cancer research, which has been taking place since 2006.
Brenda Kitching and Penny Richards were on hand at the St. Marys location giving out water and cooking hotdogs for donations, raising over $400. Kitching got involved in fundraising years ago when her husband was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He passed away six years ago but before that, thanks to fundraising efforts going towards advancements in research, he was put on a new treatment plan that bought him two years of remission.
Kitching would like to thank the community for their donations, Tremblett’s Independent Grocer for the donation of the supplies and to Richards, her friend of 55 years, for helping all day. She couldn’t have done it without her.
AMANDA MODARAGAMAGE Independent Reporter
Claire Trachsel, a longtime and well-respected member of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA), was posthumously awarded the Support Services Impact Award on May 16 for her exceptional behind-the-scenes contributions to patient care.
Trachsel worked as a registration clerk in patient registration and was known as an exceptional team member whose recent passing is deeply felt across the HPHA community.
In a press release issued earlier this month, Trachsel was described as someone who consistently went above and beyond to make everyone feel welcome and cared for. She was a reliable presence across departments, frequently stepping in to support the switchboard, emergency department registration, bed allocation and central registration.
A valued mentor at HPHA, Trachsel was known for offering new staff kindness, patience and expert guidance.
“Her approachable nature and willingness to help fostered a positive, team-oriented culture. She boosted morale by organizing team-building events, sharing motivational quotes and using her signature humour to uplift those around her,” the press release stated.
Trachsel’s three sisters — Barb King, Lianne Bernier and Val Pethick — along with her niece Dana King, attended the presentation ceremony on May 16 to accept the award on her behalf.
Reflecting on what Trachsel meant to
their family, her sisters remembered her as the strong-willed middle child who served as a rock for the family and truly loved her job.
“She was a people person. One hundred per cent,” said King. “She always had a strong, strong personality. She was our rock.”
According to her family, Trachsel was an avid thrifter who loved taking long drives.
“She found the neatest places to go for a drive — little country stores that you’d normally drive past without thinking. She’d stop, and she always found great treasures on the side of the road,” said King.
King also spoke of her aunt’s determination and support.
“She would always push you to go further and do better. You couldn’t say no ... she wouldn’t let you quit.”
The sisters said Trachsel was known not just for her care within the family, but also for her deep commitment to her community.
“She was always the first to get up and run (to help), even with her bad knees,” said Bernier. “She would always help — and then panic later.”
Trachsel’s dedication extended well beyond her role at HPHA. She volunteered with Crime Stoppers, Special Olympics and Bras for a Cause, and organized slo-pitch leagues and tournaments.
She also donated her time umpiring and bartending at charity fundraisers, assisting with bingo nights, parades and hospital holiday celebrations, and contributing door prizes for various community events.
Trachsel regularly volunteered to drive community members to appointments and was known for coordinating elaborate Halloween displays that brought joy to entire neighbourhoods. Whether dressing as Mrs. Claus to spread holiday cheer or helping families in need, Trachsel made a lasting impact throughout her community.
In addition to her many volunteer roles, Trachsel was also a full-time caregiver for her partner, balancing her personal and professional responsibilities with generosity, resilience and heart. Her mentorship, compassion and countless contributions behind the scenes made her an inspiring team member and a lasting example of HPHA’s best.
Author Gwen Lamont is pleasantly surprised by the reception of her book, The View from Coffin Ridge: A Childhood Exhumed.
Lamont held book launches at the Westover Inn in St. Marys and the London Bicycle Cafe on May 21 and 22 respectively. Throughout all the book launches in the past year, 900 people attended, including a sold-out crowd in St. Marys.
“It’s wonderful. I’m with a small publisher which means I’m not Amazon, right? So, we’re doing this the old-fashioned way and that many people have my book is amazing,” Lamont said.
Her autobiography, published through The Ginger Press, is a reflection and unearthing of her childhood. She was married off as a child bride at just 15 and fled the relationship after the man she was married to at the time threatened to kill her. Lamont had blocked most of the memories from her childhood until she was in a hotel room across from her old apartment, where the man she had married kept his gun in a closet. She then realized she needed to exhume that 15-year-old girl and what she went through.
Lamont’s book launches include a Q&A, a reading of the prologue in her book and a reading of her short story, “Survivor’s Guilt,” which was one of 30 short stories longlisted for CBC’s
Nonfiction Writing prize. In “Survivors Guilt,” Lamont reflects on her own experiences with intimate partner violence (IPV) as she talks about other women who were murdered by their partners.
From doing the book tours, Lamont learned the impact of her writing as many women come up to her and share their own experiences with IPV or of their loved ones.
Lamont wrote the book as part of her Master’s degree in fine arts in creative non-fiction from the University of King’s College in Halifax, N.S. However, she didn’t think she’d be where she is today at first.
“When I did my master’s degree, I said, ‘Oh I’ll write a book and I’ll have it published, but I’m never going to speak
about it because public speaking isn’t my thing,’ ” she said. “People say that it has touched them and for lots, it has allowed them to tell their story.”
During the social part of the London event, Lamont said there needs to be changes to end IPV including spreading the message that no matter what, abuse is not love.
“We have to start telling the truth about this, and this idea that he loves them? That’s not love. I’m sorry,” she said. “And the prevention piece; we have got to start working with boys. We have to.”
The View from Coffin Ridge: A Childhood Exhumed can be purchased at Betty’s Bookshelf.
The Council of the Municipality of Thames Centre is currently accepting applications for membership appointments to the following Committees:
Accessibility and Inclusivity Advisor y Committee (AIAC) Deadline to Apply is Monday, June 30, 2025
Thames Centre
Active Living Centre Advisor y Committee (ALCAC) Deadline to Apply is Friday, June 13, 2025
To submit an application form, please visit www.thamescentre.on.ca/committeesboards
If you have any questions, please call (519) 268-7334 or email clerk@thamescentre.on.ca
EMILY STEWART Independent Reporter
After finding out that visual artists in Port Stanley no longer have a gallery in their town, St. Marys Station Gallery is stepping in to give them a chance to showcase their art.
Station Gallery will feature artists from Port Stanley in the Portside Artists exhibition from May 31 to July 12. The artists’ work used to be showcased at the Portside Gallery, which closed after 25 years.
“It’s an issue for a lot of community arts organizations to find places to exhibit their work and the fact they had a gallery was unique but it’s been taken away by development, so we reached out as friends to them to get them a bit of a heads up,” said Cameron Porteous, Station Gallery curator.
Each of the 10 artists will have two of their works featured, ranging from painting and mixed media to photography. The Portside Artists exhibition will feature paintings that use either oil, acrylic, or wax.
“They’re all over the place, which is really good,” Porteous said.
Portside Artists is Porteous’ last exhibition as Station Gallery curator. After, he plans to volunteer at the gallery one day a week. In the meantime, the gallery is in the process of being transferred to the care of new curator Duncan MacDonald.
“Duncan MacDonald has already started making the gallery his gallery as well, which is really good,” Porteous said.
He added he’s pleased with his time at the gallery and is proud of the accomplishments throughout the past nine years. This year, the Station Gallery featured more local artists than ever.
“The quality of the artwork that the local artists are
doing has definitely improved and certainly got stronger,” he said. “The images have gotten stronger as they’re developing. That’s a really good sign the arts community is alive and well here in St. Marys.”
AMANDA MODARAGAMAGE Independent Reporter
A new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, with the support of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), recommends Ontario significantly boost hospital funding, phase out for-profit staffing agencies, and invest in preventative health care.
The report, “Hollowed Out: Ontario Public Hospitals and the Rise of Private Staffing Agencies,” links a sharp increase in agency use to chronic underfunding of public hospitals over the last decade. Between 2013-2014 and 2022-2023, Ontario hospitals spent $9.2 billion on for-profit staffing agencies –often paying up to three times more than it would cost to employ in-house staff.
However, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae pushed back on the report’s conclusions. He said the Ontario Hospital Association has officially called on the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives to withdraw the report, citing what they describe as inaccuracies in the data.
“When referencing the $9.2-billion figure spent on agency staffing, the CUPE fails to disclose that this figure encompasses a variety of purchased services as well as agency staffing costs,” Rae said.
He also noted the increase in agency workers in hospitals has been relatively modest – rising from 1.5 per cent to 2.2 per cent – while long-term-care usage has actually decreased by over two per cent.
Andrew Longhurst, a research associate with the centre and the report’s author, said agency workers include nurses, allied health professionals, administrative staff and personal support workers, and the data accurately describes what is seen throughout hospitals and longterm care homes across the region.
“We are seeing that hospitals are struggling to recruit and retain permanent staff, while public dollars are subsidizing private interests with a business model based on hollowing out the public-sector workforce,” he said.
The report shows the southwestern
region of the province, including St. Marys, has been particularly affected, stating that more than 79 per cent of hospitals in the region are operating with deficits.
According to the report, hospitals in the region spent $52 million on agency staff in 2022-2023 – a 114 per-cent increase over the past decade. Longhurst attributed this rise to rural and remote hospitals facing ongoing challenges recruiting permanent staff.
“There’s a greater tendency in rural communities to turn to private, for-profit staffing to keep services open,” he said.
Rae disagrees, suggesting health-care spending budgets are transparent and the Ontario Government is working to help boost grants to promote more students into needed health-care fields to fill the gaps.
“Our government has introduced legislation to create a transparency framework for staffing in hospitals, long-term care and community health sectors,” Rae said, adding programs such as the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant are helping nursing students train and remain in local hospitals.
Despite disagreement over the data, the report outlines several recommendations to reduce dependence on agency staffing and reinforce public health care.
It calls for phasing out for-profit staffing agencies within three years, following Quebec’s lead, while increasing hospital funding by $2 billion annually to stabilize operations and maintain services.
To support the transition, the report proposes a comprehensive health workforce strategy with regional targets aligned with hospital infrastructure planning. It also urges investment in community health centres, evidence-based, not-forprofit models that help manage chronic disease and reduce pressure on emergency departments.
Rae responded by saying the Ontario Government is working hard to help support local hospitals.
“I will continue to work with local hospital CEOs and health-care professionals to ensure they have the resources they require to keep our communities safe and healthy.”
JANIS FREAD
Meet three of our newest members, Colleen Smith, Joanne McIntosh and Ruth Anne Beavers.
Smith, who joined in 2024, is following in her Aunt Sophie’s footsteps! Sophie Bradley, who has been a member of the auxiliary forever, was featured in a previous column that detailed how much volunteering at St. Marys Memorial Hospital has changed over the years. Smith has experienced the excellent care provided by our hospital as an inpatient and has nothing but praise for the experience. She has been an active volunteer with various groups over the years and recently decided to “do something for me, it’s close to my heart” by supporting our hospital, where she works in the gift shop, supports the bake sales and will soon be a participant in the Patient Support program.
McIntosh learned about the hospital Auxiliary through one of the columns in this newspaper! She joined the group in 2024 because she’s always been interested in nursing and health care, and this was a way she could contribute. McIntosh works in the gift shop, has contributed to the bake sales and will be one
of the friendly faces to greet you at the Auxiliary’s booth at the June 7 Farmers’ Market. She enjoys working with the women in the group and believes “it’s
volunteers and decided rather than volunteering at London Health Sciences Centre where she nursed for many years up to her semi-retirement, she would stay close to home and support our hospital, where her daughter was born back when it had a maternity ward. Beavers joined the group in 2024 and works in the gift shop, has contributed to the bake sales and was an enthusiastic participant in the group’s work bee making Easter bunnies! She believes that small community hospitals are “much more personable and we’re fortunate to have it.”
Raffle tickets are now available at the Boutique gift shop and from any Auxiliary member. First prize is a beautiful, hand-stitched quilt, second prize a handy garden wagon and third prize a $75 gas card. Proceeds will be directed to a negative pressure wound vac for the hospital.
Be sure to visit the Auxiliary booth at the June 7 Farmers’ Market where there’s tax-free shopping for floaty summer scarves, handy foldable shopping bags, summer hats and raffle tickets!
For updates on fundraising events or to become a volunteer, follow the Auxiliary on Facebook at The Boutique at St. Marys Memorial Hospital or email smmhauxiliary@gmail.com.
a few of the
On Saturday May 25, the Motherwell Women’s Institute celebrated their 75th anniversary. They have been serving the community of Motherwell and surrounding districts for many years. Their motto is for Home and Country. Pictured, from left, front row: Donna McIntosh, Yvonne Brown, Bessie Thompson, Elaine Smith, Bernice Hunter, Marion Urquhart and Edythe Petrie. Back row: Helen Shute, Irene Hotson, Audrey Mills, June Gevaert, Orrie Hartwick and Pauline Crawford.
Charlie Pole, the past chairman of the committee of arrangements for the Grand Lodge for Independent Order of Oddfellows, presents Bev Rabbets with his award of merit for 50 years of service to the community. Rabbets was a member of the Exeter chapter No. 67, then St. Marys Chapter No. 36. He held titles of noble grand, past district deputy, grand marshal, chaplain and international co-chairman for the Canada/U.S. convention. Rabbets has always had a strong belief in giving back to community locally and beyond.
At the St. Marys Minor Hockey Association’s (SMMHA) annual general meeting May 15, Katharine Found was elected as the organization’s new president for the 2025-2026 season.
Found told the Independent she is honoured to assume the top role with the local minor hockey organization.
“As someone who has never played hockey, it is inspiring to see the dedication that each of our volunteers puts in, day after day, year after year, to ensure all players are given an opportunity to play and succeed,” said Found. “It is humbling to see the generosity of our program’s sponsors, knowing that their contributions help to keep the cost of hockey affordable for families. And it is gratifying to witness the friendships that are made and strengthened through this sport, creating memories that our players and their families will cherish for a lifetime. To be able to represent all of that and continue its legacy is truly remarkable.”
Found has held many roles within the youth-sports community in St. Marys and first joined the SMMHA’s board of directors in 2021, the same year she also became the coordinator for the U5-U7 program. One year later, Found joined the SMMHA’s executive committee as the secretary. Found also served as convenor for the U9 Western Ontario Girls Hockey League (WOGHL) year-end tournament every year since the tournament began in 2023. Found has also served as a trainer, manager and coach for minor hockey and baseball teams in St. Marys.
Found explained how she plans to operate as SMMHA president.
“I want to continue to establish St. Marys as a vibrant hockey community where players are filled with a sense of
pride when they don their Rock jersey, whether this is their first year or final year of minor hockey, and regardless of what level of hockey program they are playing. I will continue to offer openness and transparency to our families in terms of how decisions are made, and encourage members to ask questions, listen to the replies and truly understand the process of operating a minor hockey association as diverse as St. Marys.”
Found takes over as SMMHA president at a time when minor hockey in Ontario is going through significant changes. Namely, the Ontario Hockey Federation’s (OHF) shift to a more open player-movement model.
According to Found, the organization will navigate the new era of minor hockey in Ontario by enhancing its player-development strategies on and off the ice.
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“St. Marys Minor Hockey will continue to invest in the growth and development of its players and coaches so that we can continue to grow our game and be rewarded with on-ice success. I look forward to the evolution and advancements of our player-development program, which has been fantastic to complement the tremendous coaching our players receive. The chance for players to work on specific aspects of their game and their athletic fitness will only lead to stronger, smarter hockey players on the ice, resulting in goals, wins and championship banners.
“I believe our players will grow on the ice when they are supported to grow and develop off the ice as well,” Found added. “We are looking forward to introducing an official mentorship program next season that pairs our older athletes with younger teams so that our older players gain leadership opportunities to complement their hockey ability, and our younger players are inspired by
this personal connection. We will also support our players’ growth and development by once again hosting a seminar on growth mindset and understanding what youth need to be successful mentally, physically and emotionally.”
Found noted one off-ice event – the SMMHA’s annual awards banquet – as being a vital part of the organization’s positive continuity.
“Our association will continue to grow when we take time to celebrate together, which was evidenced by the return of our annual awards banquet,” Found said. “The off-ice camaraderie that was demonstrated when all players in the association congratulated each other on tremendous season successes is truly what builds a hockey community that is motivated to work with and for each other to learn, grow and achieve great things.”
Found said the SMMHA is well-positioned to succeed in an unknown, future minor-hockey landscape.
“Minor Hockey in St. Marys is thriving and will continue to do so, as we remain committed to the successful development of our players and ensuring they have a positive and memorable hockey experience. I have kids participating in every aspect of our program from our beginner’s initiation program to (Ontario Women’s Hockey Association) rep, to OMHA (Ontario Minor Hockey Association) local league, to OMHA rep. I see firsthand how each of our players is given an opportunity to perform to the best of their abilities and are supported to continuously push to achieve better for both themselves and their team.
“We have and continue to face challenges as an association that will force us to think outside the box to find solutions,” continued Found. “But I am confident in the team of volunteers, players and families that we have here in St. Marys, that we will stick-handle through all of those challenges to ensure St. Marys Minor Hockey remains a successful and respected minor-hockey community.”
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Charlie Bender leads the pack during one of his races at WOSSAA, held on May 22-23. Bender qualified for OFSAA West and earned two of DCVI’s three first-place finishes, taking the top spot in the junior boys 1,500-metre and 3,000-metre runs.
SPENCER SEYMOUR
Independent Sports Reporter
At the Huron-Perth track and field championship meet on May 14, the St. Marys DCVI track-and-field team had 37 athletes qualify for Western Ontario Secondary School Athletic Association (WOSSAA) competition May 2223, where 19 local competitors punched their tickets to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) West event.
DCVI’s novice girls finished first in their division, while the senior boys, senior girls and junior boys each combined to finish second in their categories, and the novice boys of St. Marys placed third. Overall, DCVI finished in third place, behind Stratford District Secondary School and St. Michael Catholic Secondary School.
Individually, Danny Switzer finished second amongst all senior boys, while Holly Black came in second in the junior girls category. Payton Blight and Nic Brintnell each took the third spot in the senior girls and junior boys brackets respectively.
At WOSSAA, the Salukis continued to represent the school well, with 19 students earning the chance to compete at OFSAA West, which will take place May 29-30.
Seven of DCVI’s athletes to qualify for OFSAA West came in the junior boys division, including Charlie Bender who took first in both the 1,500-metre and
3,000-metre runs. In the same events, Brintnell picked up two fourth-place finishes, with Zach Matheson coming in sixth in the 3,000-metre. Zach Larmer posted a second-place finish in the pole vault. Abe Bender came in sixth in the 800-metre run. In the shotput event, Donovan McGregor placed fifth and Quintin Steffler took seventh, while the latter also picked up a fifth-place finish in the 100-metre dash.
DCVI’s other first-place finish came in the novice boys division, with Reid Watson capturing the top spot in the pole vault. Watson also finished third in the javelin throw. Dan Dittmer came in second in the pole vault and fifth in the javelin throw. Ryder Blight rounded out the novice boys’ OFSAA West qualifications for St. Marys with a fifth-place result in the pole vault.
Only two DCVI athletes qualified for OFSAA West in three different events, and both were in the senior girls bracket. Payton Blight earned a third-place finish in the discus throw, as well as the fourth spot in the shotput and fifth place in the javelin throw. Anna Ropp placed third in the shot put, fourth in the 100-metre hurdles and fifth in the long jump. Eden Sinnett rounded out DCVI’s senior girls’ OFSAA West qualifications by claiming third in the javelin throw.
Aryn Sheldon finished fourth in the novice girls’ 300-metre hurdles to earn a spot at OFSAA West. Also in the novice girls division, Lena Thompson and Lily Hollestelle-Black each earned a fifth-
place finish, with Thompson doing so in the pole vault and Hollestelle-Black in the discus throw.
Black was the lone junior girl from DCVI to qualify for OFSAA West, taking fourth in the pole vault. In the senior boys division, Switzer came in fourth in the long jump and sixth in the 200-metre run, while Colton Hawkins finished third in the pole vault.
Coach Nathan Good praised the entire track and field team’s “practice attendance and effort” as being vital to their success heading into OFSAA West.
“They’ve worked very hard, including
on several days when the weather was terrible,” Good told the Independent. “As coach Ian (Morton) said early in the season, the teams with the best results will be the ones that practice when others aren’t, and that was definitely us. In particular, I remember athletes running hurdles with snow flying in their faces on a cold day in late March. I think that work ethic has led to these great results.”
St. Marys native and St. Mike’s student Isabella Mills also enjoyed a banner day at WOSSAA, finishing in the top spot in the junior girls’ long jump, 80-metre hurdles and 300-metre hurdles.
The St. Marys DCVI senior boys soccer team concluded their season in strong fashion, scoring a pair of wins before ultimately narrowly missing out on the postseason.
The Salukis’ first game was against South Huron, a team that had more points than St. Marys, making it a mustwin game for DCVI. The first half saw much of the game played in the middle of the field. Not many shot attempts came St. Marys’ way, but when they did, goaltender Danny Switzer stood his ground in the net.
In the second half, DCVI put together great pressure, sending shot after shot to the net, but none of their opportunities found their way past South Huron’s goalkeeper. Knowing their season was on the line, the St. Marys senior boys gave it their all in the final minutes of the game, paying off with a crossed ball bouncing into the box and onto the foot of Simon Taylor. Taylor shot the ball past the South Huron keeper into the bottom-left corner of the net, securing the 1-0 win with a rare buzzer-beating goal.
Coach Scott Spillane was impressed by the display of hard work and talent from both sides.
mance from St. Marys. The Salukis had a monstrous offensive showing, which included a pair of goals from Owen Littlejohn along with goals by Taylor, Ryan Hodkinson and Adam Turner.
St. Marys came away with the 5-2 win, but didn’t end up making the Huron-Perth Playoffs because F.E. Madill took the fourth playoff spot on a headto-head tiebreaker. Despite having their postseason hopes dashed, Spillane credited the team’s leaders for guiding it through a very respectable season.
“We owe a big thank you to Captain Dan (Zulu) and Peyton (Lobb),” said Spillane. “Those guys played every minute, they were encouraging of other players and hopefully that rubs off on the rest of the team next year. Also, Owen (Littlejohn) led all season with his incredible skill and play.”
Spillane further complimented his squad for turning in arguably their strongest efforts of the year in the final pair of games of the regular season.
“They played great,” he said. “The game was intense; both teams wanted it. I really liked how we played. We played really hard. I was impressed that
we stuck with it.”
Their second game of the day against St. Anne’s saw DCVI put on a clinic, as from the start, it was a dominant perfor-
“Seeing their heart was the best part of the day. The team played its best soccer on the last day of the season, which was fun to watch. This team was really good and, if not for some scheduling changes that hurt our record, I think we could have won Huron-Perth. But I’m still proud of how hard this team competed to the end.”
CONNOR LUCZKA
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Faced with a business community spooked by tariffs and trade war talks, the local chamber of commerce is heading right to the source of recent economic uncertainty.
Aaron Martin, general manager of the Stratford and District Chamber of Commerce (which represents Stratford, St. Marys, Mitchell and all points in between), is set to head to Washington, D.C. from June 10-11 for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s U.S. mission.
As Martin said, the mission this year is focused on economic security in the wake of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the upcoming 2026 review of the United States-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement, the 2020 successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement which Trump has repeatedly criticized.
“This will be huge for the business community,”
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Martin said about USMCA’s review. “We essentially want to go there, find out what the elected and unelected officials are saying and what kind of stance they’re taking so that we can best position our business landscape here to adjust to that.”
Tariffs will be a talking-point, Martin said, but also potential cross-border partnerships as well.
Martin said the chamber’s position is for USMCA to continue as is, but the mission is primarily for gathering information. When asked if the information attained during this mission will be relevant, given the unpredictability of this current U.S. administration, Martin said it would be.
“I think this is actually probably one of the better ways to get information,” Martin said. “Because when you go and you’re standing there with their elected and unelected officials, that’s when you actually see how they’re standing. … A lot of things can be written down or put in certain articles, and sometimes you don’t actually get what’s going on behind the scenes.”
Every year, the federal chamber goes on an interna -
The next Community Liaison Committee Meeting will be held on Friday, June 13th at 10am at the St. Marys Municipal Operations Center. Members of the public who wish to observe are welcome to attend.
Residents who wish to speak in front of the Committee may submit a detailed request in writing at least 3 days prior to the meeting in writing to the Committee. The request will be considered by the Committee and approved prior to the meeting. Please submit all requests, questions, and concerns for the meeting to kara.pelissero@vcimentos.com by Wednesday, June 11
tional mission. The last few have been to the U.S. due to its importance, but the missions are not strictly focused on Canada’s southern neighbour. So far, Martin doesn’t know how many representatives will be attending alongside him; however, in the past, about 20 people have attended.
Martin said the opportunity for him to attend arose and he jumped at the chance to go, given just how important the Canada-U.S. relationship is right now.
Many people have reached out to him about tariffs and their impacts locally, he shared. So far, neither he nor the chamber are aware of any major impacts – no layoffs and no investments getting pulled. Like many economic watchdogs have reported, he said capital investments have stalled but that seems to be the only significant consequence so far.
That being said, Martin said there is a lot of American investment in Stratford and area, so there may be major impacts in the future. To that end, this mission is crucial for the community moving forward.
Martin said many people have been asking him about what “experts” are saying about the tariffs, but that is a null point right now.
“The experts are just kind of shrugging their shoulders at the moment. So, what’s something that is beneficial? It’s getting on the ground, finding out what these policy makers are thinking and what they’re projecting in the near future,” Martin said.
What Martin and the rest of the Canadian Chamber discover on the ground will be covered in a later edition of the Independent.
CONNOR LUCZKA
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Uncertainty from tariffs and the current U.S. administration are at the core of this year’s provincial budget.
Despite those challenges, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae said the 2025 Ontario budget, which was released on May 15, “strikes a good balance for the times we’re in.”
“There’s so much uncertainty with the news coming out of the U.S., whether there’ll be tariffs on x, y or z products each and every week,” Rae said. “… And so, the budget really lays out a path to balance in 2027-2028, but really the focus of this budget is being there for workers, families and communities, ensuring that we’re protecting Ontario and that we continue to make those necessary investments.”
The government projects a $14.6-billion deficit this fiscal year, a $7.8 billion deficit in 2026-2027, and a relatively small $200-million surplus in 2027-2028. According to the budget, this trend is driven by increased investments to affordability, public services like health care and education, infrastructure, and supports for the aforementioned tariffs.
About $33 billion in capital invest
ments are planned for this fiscal year, with much of that investment meant to support a potentially stagnant year for the private sector. As Rae said, with such uncertainty, many businesses are waiting for calmer times for big capital projects.
Additionally, for immediate relief, the province is creating a $5-billion Protecting Ontario Account, a fund aimed at providing liquidity for businesses and workers facing tariff-related disruptions.
Manufacturing, agriculture and tourism are three sectors which U.S. tariffs stand to deeply affect moving forward, and those three are integral to St. Marys and area’s economy. Rae said there are “a lot” of initiatives in this year’s budget to support those sectors.
The Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit will be expanded. If a business is putting in a new equipment line, for instance, it would stand to get a 10 per-cent tax break. In the next couple of years, it will be increased to 15 per cent, standing to inject $1.3 billion back into businesses across Ontario.
Additionally, the province is set to defer select provincially administered taxes for the next six months to alleviate the pressure small businesses are
facing. That relief, Rae said, will give tourism organizations more capital during this year’s challenging season.
“We’re making the gas-tax cut permanent, which will save the average Ontario family $115 annually moving forward,” Rae said. “And I know we’re facing many challenges and economic uncertainty, but continuing to advocate for affordability and making sure Ontario is the most competitive place in the world to do business is obviously a key goal of our government, and I’ll work to ensure that we’re achieving that goal.”
Another issue identified in the budget is the housing market. In 2021, the provincial government announced a goal to have 1.5 million homes by 2031, needing an average of 150,000 homes a year to reach that goal. This year’s budget predicts 71,800 housing starts, sharply lower than the 92,300 starts that were projected in last year’s budget.
To tackle that issue, Rae said his government will provide an additional $400 million this year for housing-enabling infrastructure, something that both municipalities and homebuilders alike need to get housing starts going.
The fund will approach $3 billion over the next couple of years he said, according to this budget.
“We can’t predict what’s going to happen next month, unfortunately, which is not great for markets or business investment, which is what the premier and myself and others have been hearing. A lot of companies are looking to invest in Ontario, but a lot of that capital is now, unfortunately, sitting on the sidelines because of the economic certainty U.S. President Trump has created. I will give Minister (Peter) Bethlenfalvy, the Minister of Finance, a lot of credit – and the premier – for tabling a budget.
“Our federal colleagues have chosen not to at the moment, which I think is a mistake in the long run,” Rae said. “The people of Ontario and Canada deserve to see a fiscal plan moving forward.”
The newly elected federal government announced a fall budget earlier this month, reversing course after facing sharp criticism for suggesting that no budget would be tabled at all in 2025.
Prime Minister Mark Carney promises that budget will be a “comprehensive, effective, ambitious (and) prudent” plan.
To read the full 251-page Ontario budget, visit https://budget.ontario. ca/2025/pdf/2025-ontario-budget-en. pdf.
ALONA
VASYLIEVA Independent Columnist
As a newcomer to Canada, I’m diving headfirst into the nation’s sporting scene, and let me tell you, I’m already finding more depth and intrigue than I ever imagined! Come along as I explore the surprisingly strategic and captivating world of Canadian sports and the enthusiastic communities that bring them to life.
Now, picture this: a newcomer, fresh off the boat (well, maybe a plane), arriving from a land where hockey was just that exciting thing happening on the TV. Naturally, I figured Canada’s national sporting obsession would be a breeze to grasp. Like snagging a double-double – readily available and not requiring you to sell a kidney. Oh, the blissful ignorance!
Then came little Alex, my offspring, suddenly convinced he was destined to glide across NHL ice like a majestic, tiny Zamboni. So, off to skating lessons we merrily went. For a few glorious months, he wobbled, occasionally looked like he knew what he was doing, and then, poof! The hockey dream evaporated faster than free poutine at a festival. And honestly, a wave of budget-friendly relief washed over me. Now he’s happily booting soccer balls, a pursuit that thankfully doesn’t involve needing a second mortgage.
But oh, the parents I know still valiantly battling it out in those frosty hockey rinks? Good heavens! It’s a full-blown lifestyle commitment that could rival a royal engagement! Forget those leisurely Sunday mornings with coffee and pajamas. Apparently, 7 a.m. ice times are a perfectly acceptable occurrence on a Sunday! You’d need the unwavering dedication of a maple leaf in November to embrace that. Plus, you practically need to be part polar bear to survive the arena’s arctic chill.
Let’s execute a pivot smoother than a seasoned figure skater and glide into the surprisingly accessible world of golf. Back in Ukraine, golf was this mythical activity whispered about in hushed tones, a pastime reserved for folks who likely had more private jets than I have clean socks. So, imagine my utter astonishment when I discovered that a golf club membership here costs, well, less than a decent bicycle! Turns out, whacking little white spheres around a sprawling green carpet isn’t just for the elite; it’s a perfectly normal way for regular folks to soak up some sunshine. And now, let’s tiptoe onto the ice of curling. Ah, curling. For years, I’d catch glimpses during the Olympics and think, “Is this competitive floor sweeping with rocks?” It seemed about as pulse-pounding as watching paint dry. My sincerest apologies to all the passionate curling aficionados! But
LAURA MCASH
St. Marys Public Library
The Friends of the Library have partnered with St. Marys Pride to bring you “Pride Movie in the Park and Family Open House”! Join us at Cadzow Park on Friday, June 6 for an evening of live music, lawn games, cotton candy, popcorn, Drag storytime and more followed by a showing of the movie “The Wild
Robot”. The free festivities kick off at 6 p.m. with the movie starting at dusk. No registration required.
This Week’s Recommendation
Like many good movies, “The Wild Robot” is based on a book. “The Wild Robot” is a 2016 junior novel by Peter Brown that follows Roz, a robot who awakens on an island, alone and afraid. After weathering storms both physical and psychological in nature, Roz begins
then, last winter, my ever-adventurous husband Sergii and I decided to give it a whirl. And whoa! My perception did a complete triple axel. Suddenly, the strategy, the physics of that gliding stone, the intense sweeping choreography; it was all so strangely captivating! It’s like a game of chess on ice, but with more enthusiastic yelling and vigorous polishing of the playing surface.”
The Canadian dedication to lawn care is a real eye-opener for someone who’s just arrived. In Ukraine, the norm is quite different – people are expected to cultivate vegetable gardens in their front yards. This widespread enthusiasm for maintaining lawns feels like another unofficial national sport in Canada, a fascinating contrast to what I’m accustomed to.
For us newbies, it’s like observing seasoned professionals in the landscaping Olympics, complete with more gad -
gets than a James Bond convention and fiercely debated mowing patterns. And oh boy, the subtle competition! It’s like a silent suburban showdown of verdant perfection. Is a neighbor’s lawn a shade greener? A strip or hair straighter? My dear husband feels the pressure immensely – it’s like a fullblown emergency when all the other lawns are looking spick-and-span, and he’s stuck at work, unable to join the green-thumb gladiators! It’s quite endearing, really. Back in Ukraine, grass was simply grass.
Here, it’s a masterpiece, a statement, a source of pride.
Finally, let’s gracefully volley our attention over to tennis. I always harboured dreams of elegantly swatting tennis balls like a Wimbledon champion. I even considered lessons back home, but life, as it often does, had other plans. So, imagine my absolute delight when St. Marys presented the perfect opportunity! Last summer, our wonderful Ukrainian friends and I started hitting the courts. And get this, my friend Ira used to be a professional tennis player back in Ukraine! Talk about a lucky break. Having a built-in coach has been absolutely fantastic. And the location? Simply breathtaking! You’ve got the stunning quarry on one side and a tranquil walking trail on the other. It’s like a little slice of sporting paradise right here. Sometimes I’m so engrossed in admiring the view.
With the glorious warm weather finally gracing us with its presence, the tennis season is officially on! We are so incredibly grateful for these amazing chances to dive into new sports, connect with our wonderful community. It’s been a truly delightful adventure, and who knows what sporting escapades tomorrow will bring? Perhaps synchronized swimming in the quarry? Only time will tell!
to adapt to her new reality, a task which includes befriending some of the local wildlife. A growing familiarity with the island allows Roz to feel at home until the day that details of her past come to light. “The Wild Robot” is available to borrow as an eAudiobook, an eBook, and as a hard copy book.
Up This Week
Fri., May 30: Canva for Beginners (10:30 a.m.)
Sat., May 31: Dungeons and Dragons (10 a.m.)
Mon., Jun. 2: Euchre Mondays (10:30 a.m.), Learn to Play Bridge* (1-3 p.m.) Tues., Jun. 3: Cooking Club* (10:30 a.m.)
Wed., Jun. 4: EarlyON Play and Read (9:30-10:30 a.m.), Mahjong! (1-4 p.m.)
Thurs., Jun. 5: Open 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
*Registration Required
MARY SMITH Independent Columnist
Recently, Ken Telfer gave a presentation at the St. Marys Museum about buildings that once were landmarks in the community but that today have vanished from our streetscape. Ken, a long-time volunteer researcher at the Museum, gathered a wide array of these lost buildings for the Museum’s latest Speaker Series evening. They included industrial and commercial buildings, houses, both large and small, as well as schools and churches. Some of the buildings were demolished because they were old and needed to be replaced by safer, more modern structures. Some had been abandoned – for example, factories that made products people no longer needed or wanted. Some were demolished simply because they were in the way.
Few people, if any, who have just built a fine new home for their family, look ahead to a future when that house will no longer be standing. And few owners of new commercial or industrial premises anticipate a day when they will be old, derelict buildings, waiting to be razed. People know change is inevitable but expect to be able to adapt and survive. Decades ago, the owners of the lost buildings in Ken’s presentation must have felt this way as well. For example, Thomas Boy Guest, one of St. Marys’ most prominent citizens, decided in 1873 to build a grand new house on Emily Street overlooking the Thames River – a beautiful white brick mansion with elaborate verandas and trim.
T. B. Guest was in his 60s and a wealthy man. He was a private banker, property owner and had been a politician at various levels of government. He had been the first reeve of Blanshard Township and the first mayor of St. Marys when it became a town. He had represented the riding of Perth South as a Conservative member in the Ontario legislature, elected in 1871. As he was reaching his retirement years, he designed his new residence himself. It took three years to complete this monument to his affluence and importance. Guest lived there with his wife and family for a decade, enjoying its many embellishments These included a carriage way around the property, a private boathouse on the river, and inside his house, a special system of bells to summon the servants. He died there in 1884.
T. B. Guest’s fine house on Emily Street eventually passed from his family and for many decades, was owned by the Gilpin family. The last member of that family was reclusive, and the property was not maintained as it originally had been. Also, through the years, the course of the Thames River changed, eroding its bank below the grand house. Every year, the house seemed to be even closer to the perilous edge of the hill. When the property was put up
for sale by the Gilpin estate in the early 1980s, it was deemed to be structurally unsound and was slated for demolition. Not everyone agreed. Some believed that a good contractor could stabilize and preserve the building. Nevertheless, in 1983, it was demolished, and the new owner of the property built a modern house in its place. T. B. Guest’s splendid house became one of St. Marys’ lost buildings. Not a trace of it can be found on Emily Street today.
Another important St. Marys building, a cooperage, once stood on the northwest corner of Queen and James Streets, diagonally across the intersection from the old water tower. Frank E. Butcher built it in 1886 and operated a business there for the next 40 years. Frank Butcher came from England to Canada with his parents in 1857 when he was a two-year-old child. His father, John, was a cooper and found work with William Garner who made barrels and furniture in his factory, south of Elizabeth Street near the railway tracks. Young Frank apprenticed there and later bought the business, moving it to his new building at Queen and James. There was a massive windmill beside it with a double set of sails. Perched on the top of the Queen Street hill, the cooperage originally used wind as the primary power source to operate the woodworking machinery inside the building.
Frank Butcher was involved in municipal politics. He was featured in a recent column as the mayor, who in 1903, was opposed to applying for a Carnegie grant to build the library. Through the years, his business flourished, and he prospered. In the 1921 census, he is listed as a manufacturer and owner of his own cooperage. By 1931, he had retired on his income and was living in a spacious house on St. John Street. He
died there, well into his 90s, in 1949. When the need for barrels diminished, the cooperage ceased operation, but the large brick building remained. It was renovated and became a garage – longtime residents will remember it as a Supertest station. However, in the 1960s, major work was done on the railway overpass beside the old building. Queen Street was rebuilt to make a gentler grade approaching the bridge from both directions. The old cooperage was removed to allow a new turnoff from Queen Street down the hill to the train station. Butcher’s old factory became a lost building because it was in the way.
Since St. Marys first became a community, transportation has changed dramatically and so has the infrastructure that supports it. The arrival of the railway in 1857 meant a faster, more comfortable way to travel. It became easier for businesses to ship and receive products, for farmers to get their grain to markets, and for families to visit and keep in touch. But by the mid to late 20th century, rail traffic lessened, replaced by personal vehicles travelling along Ontario’s network of paved highways. Rail tracks were abandoned and many train stations and freight shed were torn down. St. Marys has been fortunate to retain two historic railway buildings – the Junction Station, now the Broken Rail Brewery, and the Via Station, also in use as a small art gallery. But another St. Marys train station was lost.
In 1908, a new railway line began service, running from Zorra Station in Oxford County into St. Marys, passing the construction site for the new cement works near the southwest boundary and running along the Thames River to the flour mill beside the Queen Street Bridge. Although it began as a
private enterprise, the directors were unable to raise funds to complete it, and the line became a branch of the Canadian Pacific Railway. The CPR purchased property within town limits, including grounds on the west side of Water Street, across from what today is the Canadian Tire parking lot. Several small freight sheds were built on this property and in 1913, CPR built the handsome train station shown in this week’s photograph.
Passengers could buy CPR tickets at this station for the next half century. But by the late 1950s, passenger service along branch lines came to an end, about the time that steam engines were phased out, replaced by cheaper running diesel engines. The last CPR mixed train on this line (passenger cars plus freight cars) left St. Marys on April 27, 1957. The CPR had no further need for small depots or for station agents and put the St. Marys property up for sale. The building was used as an electrician’s workshop for many years but was finally demolished ca 1980.
Freight service was discontinued about 40 years later when, in 1995, the last freight train left St. Marys, carrying a load of St. Marys cement. The CPR abandoned the line, and the town acquired the right of way along the river. Today, the old line is the Riverview Walkway, and interpretive signage explains its railway history. Only photographs of the CPR Station survive. It had outlived its purpose and so became a lost building.
To see more photographs of CPR days in St. Marys, and of T. B. Guest’s residence and Frank Butcher’s cooperage, visit: https://images.ourontario.ca/ stmarys/search, the Museum’s on-line collection of historic images. For more information, call the Museum, 519284-3556.
There is no doubt that for a large percentage of travellers, shopping is high on the list of musts. Not that every traveller agrees, of course. As someone who has organized and led groups in tours of England and Ireland, I know it is inevitable you will schedule too much time for shopping and too little time for shopping – both at the same time, depending, of course, on the individual traveller.
But let’s assume, for sake of argument and this article, you do want to include shopping on your tourist itinerary and you plan to visit New Brunswick, which everyone should, by the way – it is sadly misclassified as a “drive-through” province. New Brunswick has become one of our favourite destinations.
All the normal shopping opportunities are found in New Brunswick, of course, but I want to introduce you to two unique shopping stops – the Garrison Night Market in Fredericton and the Waterfront Container Village in Saint John. In Fredericton, the Garrison Night Market runs every Thursday evening, this year from June 26 through Sept. 4. It’s much more than a market; it’s part street party, part farmers’ market, part craft show,
part beer garden and part concert venue, all at once and all creating a wonderful ambience.
The market is located on the streets of the historic Garrison District in Fredericton’s downtown. This part of town is worth a visit any time – it’s right on the riverside and retains its historic atmosphere with cobblestone streets and historic buildings. It’s also the locale for other events apart from the bustling Thursday Night Market, including a Tuesday evening summer concert series and the Under the Stars open-air film series.
During our visit to the Night Market, we sampled delicious pastries from a local bakery and fresh fruit from another vendor. We found a comfortable bench and enjoyed the music from an energetic jazz band. We chatted with friendly representatives of the RCMP, who were handing out key fobs in the shape of a Mountie’s hat.
The market runs from 4:309 p.m. From our experience, if you want to miss the crowds, go early, but you’ll also miss a lot of the fun. So, go fairly early and stay fairly late!
With a drive of an hour and a bit south to the mouth of the Saint John/Wolastoq River on the Bay of Fundy, you will arrive in Saint John. Now, Saint John is also quite used to people arriving using other modes of transportation, especially cruise ships – and that was the inspiration for the creation of Saint John’s unique Waterfront Container Village.
This wildly decorated collection of shops, food boutiques and a concert venue is made up of repurposed shipping containers. And of course, there is the obligatory beer garden!
It’s located right beside the cruise ship terminal on the
Saint John Harbour. The cruise terminal opens directly into the Container Village, but while cruise passengers are certainly among the desired customers for the 60 or so businesses tucked into the containers, the village eagerly welcomes locals and any other visitors to Saint John during the six months it is open each year – the warmer months, obviously.
Saint John is actually Canada’s oldest incorporated city, but this unique development on the waterfront is quite new – the Waterfront Container Village opened in June of 2022. It’s part of Area 506, a district that is a waterfront improvement workin-progress.
District 506 founder and director Ray Gracewood has been involved in organizing music festivals in Saint John for at least a decade, and that was the genesis of the Container Village – a concert venue that grew to include one of the most innovative shopping areas in the country.
Gracewood told us that developing the destination meant “reimagining what it is to be a port city.” The founders have, at times, let their imaginations run wild. The Container Village is one of the most extravagantly painted destinations you will ever find; artists were commissioned to bring artistic life to the sea cans, and they did!
Gracewood’s group collaborated with the Saint John Port Authority, the Province of New Brunswick and the federal government in developing the new attraction.
He says the Container Village is just one part of a “resurgence” for Saint John.
“I’ve been in Saint John for a long time. … It’s just going to take off!”
The Container Village is built
from 56 40-foot containers, which provide one or two business locales each. They started as actual shipping containers – sea cans – that are basically metal boxes. Then, says Gracewood, “We did all the modifications ourselves.”
He points out that more than two-thirds of the vendors are based in New Brunswick. Many are artisans or craftspeople. Some are female-owned businesses; some are Indige -
nous-owned.
The Container Village and the other features of Area 506 – with more to come – “have given people a place to come,” says Gracewood. “We take a lot of pride in it.”
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.
JULIA PAUL Independent Columnist
When I first adopted Phoebe, I never imagined how particular a dog could be. Kibble? Ignored. Canned food? Sniffed, then she walked away. After trying nearly every commercial option, I finally decided to take matters into my own hands and cook for her myself.
It started as a hopeful experiment – and turned into a routine we both love. With each batch of her homemade meals, I know exactly what she’s eating and, more importantly, so does she. Her tail-wagging at dinnertime says it all.
But Phoebe’s diet isn’t just about picky eating. Like many small dogs, she struggles with anal-gland issues. After the vet recommended we increase her fibre intake, I doubled the amount of pumpkin puree in her recipe. After a few months, another vet checkup showed her anal glands were full again. That’s when we started supplementing her homemade meals with a vet-grade, fibre-rich kibble from Royal Canin, and it has made a noticeable difference. Now, Phoebe gets the best of both worlds: a diet she enjoys, and one that supports her health.
Phoebe’s Bowl: A wholesome homemade dog food recipe
This balanced recipe is designed for a 20-pound dog and makes four to five servings. It’s a hearty, flavourful blend of whole foods with fibre and nutrients to support digestion and overall wellness.
Ingredients:
• 2 lbs lean ground beef, fully cooked
• 500g chicken liver, cooked and chopped
• 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 cups steamed broccoli, finely chopped
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled, steamed and mashed
• 2–3 large carrots, steamed and chopped
• ½ to 1 full can of pumpkin purée (unsweetened; added for fibre and flavour)
• 1 cup mixed berries, finely chopped (blueberries and strawberries work well)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed
• 1 tbsp finely ground eggshells (for calcium)
• 5 mL canine multivitamin supplement (ask your vet for the right one)
Instructions:
1. Cook the proteins: Brown the ground beef and chicken liver separately. Chop liver into small pieces.
2. Steam the veggies: Prepare broccoli, carrots and sweet potato until soft, then mash or chop as needed.
3. Cook the rice: Follow package instructions for brown rice.
4. Combine ingredients: In a large bowl, mix cooked meat, vegetables, rice, pumpkin purée, berries, flaxseed, ground eggshells and the multivitamin.
5. Store safely: Let the mixture cool completely before sealing in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to four days or freeze in portions.
Nutritional benefits
This recipe includes:
• Quality protein: From beef and liver, providing essential amino acids and nutrients.
• Organ meats: Liver is rich in vitamin A, iron and B vitamins.
• Carbs and fibre: Brown rice, sweet potato and carrots for digestion and energy.
• Healthy fats: From flaxseed, for skin and coat health.
• Antioxidants: Berries and greens boost the immune system.
• Calcium: Homemade ground eggshells are a natural way to support bone health.
• Vitamins and minerals: The multivitamin fills any nutritional gaps.
For Phoebe, commercial food was a non-starter. But once we introduced homemade meals, everything changed: her energy improved, her coat became shinier and – perhaps most important of all – she actually looked forward to eating.
Cooking for your dog allows you to tailor their diet to meet both personal preferences and medical needs. With a vet’s guidance, you can combine homemade
and commercial solutions in a way that truly works for your dog.
Feeding Phoebe used to be a daily battle, but now, it’s something we both look forward to. Her meals are more than just food; they’re a daily act of care, thoughtfully tailored to her needs and filled with love. We’re always looking for ways to improve. Even now, we’re growing vegetables in our own garden to use in her homemade meals.
If your dog is a picky eater or struggles with digestion, Phoebe’s Bowl might be a recipe worth trying. Pair it with your vet’s advice and you just might find a combination that makes tails wag and bowls empty.
What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it? Silence!
What has words but never speaks? A book!
The more of this you take, the more you leave behind. What is it? Footsteps!
What’s light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold it for more than a few minutes? Your breath!
What letter of the alphabet has lots of water? The letter “C” (sea)!
Why did the math book look sad? Because it had too many problems!
I have four legs, but I can’t walk. What am I? A table!
What has one eye but can’t see? A needle!
Why did the football coach go to the bank? He wanted his quarterback!
What two things can you never eat for breakfast? Lunch and dinner!
What question can you never answer “yes” to? “Are you asleep yet?”
What has 13 hearts, but no other organs? A deck of cards!
SPONSORED BY:
Adult Learning Programs of Perth, 26 Wellington St. S. St. Marys | Phone: 519-284-4408 | Cell: 226-374-8231 alearning@town.stmarys.on.ca | www.adultlearningperth.ca | Facebook: @AdultLearningProgramsofPerth
Cool weather
Pope Leo
Kentucky Derby
Red Dress Day
Firefighter breakfast
Carney meets Trump Measles outbreak
Smile Cookies
Leafs eliminated
Victoria Day
King Charles visit
St. Marys Veterinary Clinic is pleased to be the sponsor of the
DIVING IN TO POOL SEASON! Always supervise your pet while they are in the pool area or swimming. Prevent pets from drinking pool water, as it can cause gastrointestinal upset or, in rare cases, water intoxication.
Our Pet of the Week is Tucker, a 13 week old fox red lab. He loves treats, playing fetch, chewing on everything and burrowing into his humans for nap time. He hates posing for photos and not getting 100% attention from everyone around him. Tucker is a member of the Robson family.
Devastating fires or horrific car accidents, like the one which occurred last Friday afternoon east of Thorndale, impact everyone.
This community is saddened by the tragic loss of a teacher and four high school students from Walkerton. Our firefighters also carry a huge emotional burden when responding to tragedies like this. Firefighters, no matter the size of the community they serve, go through extensive training courses. They also have state-of-art equipment to assist them in their job, but there is nothing that can prepare firefighters and emergency service providers when they face disastrous situations.
Showing our appreciation by attending the Thorndale Station #2 community breakfast last Sunday recognizes our firefighters’ resilience and their sacrifice, as well as makes a meaningful impression on them.
“Thank you,” said Thames Centre Fire Chief Nick Dorken, “for the outreach support as we continue to serve the community. All of our firefighters have access to the support they require and need. Our thoughts are with all of the families impacted by this tragic accident.”
activities and recreational opportunities is a key part of our strategic plan,”
Roughly a decade since Thames Centre last completed a trails and cycling master plan, the municipality hosted informational open houses last week in Dorchester and Thorndale to assist in shaping a new plan.
The open house session held on Thursday, May 22 at the Thorndale Lions Community Centre attracted many interested area residents. A series of story boards set up explained the intent for the new trails and cycling master plan for Thorndale, such as pedestrian and cycling infrastructure that is needed or should be improved, connection to key area destinations, and accommodation to include all ages and abilities.
“Improving access to active living
Thames Centre CAO David Barrick was quoted saying in the April 2025 edition of Business View Magazine. “Thames Centre has been able to pursue expanded economic development while offering residents exceptional recreational opportunities … improving our parks and playgrounds to ensure that Thames Centre is a great place to live.”
Thames Centre staff needs the community’s involvement and input for their recommendations to council this fall for the new trails and cycling master plan. Contact director of community services and facilities, Steve MacDonald at 519268-7334 ext. 702 or at smacdonald@ thamescentre.on.ca by June 30 to provide input into the plan.
May is a busy month for the Thorndale United Church.
Earlier this month, the United Church Women (UCW) held their Ladies Spring Luncheon. There were 92 ladies from
the church, friends and the community in attendance. A fashion show in the sanctuary followed their delicious summer-type meal. This annual luncheon, since 2008, has been a fundraiser with money raised for the Thorndale United Church, supporting their Vacation Bible School, United Church mission and ser-
vices, as well as congregational gifts to Dorchester and St. Marys foodbanks. Another community event held by the church in May is their annual Strawberry and Ham Supper. This fundraiser involved the church members and the greater community with over 700 suppers served and enjoyed by local and
area residents. The organizing committees for both of these Thorndale United Church events would like to extend a big thank you to the community for their continued support.
Contributed Article
St. Marys’ amazing garden fair, a yearly fundraising event sponsored by the St. Marys Horticultural Society, will be back celebrating it’s 25th year on June 7.
The fair is held at the north end of Milt Dunnell Field on Water Street. Many of the vendors will be back featuring hanging baskets, unusual perennials, annuals, aquatic plants, birdhouses, garden décor, metal sculptures, heirloom tomatoes and, for the 60th anniversary of the society, we are featuring 60 hybrid tomatoes called the famous Early Girl.
The Barista Café will be back with their tasty coffee and delicious muffins. They are doing a special muffin for our anniversa -
ry. The Lions Club will be back doing the hot food for us from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. They will be serving hot dogs and sausages with fried onions and all the fixings; water and soft drinks will be available.
We are having a bake sale alongside the membership table. There will be a colouring event for the kids in the food building and, if they take their colouring to McDonalds, they will receive an ice cream cone. Thanks to McDonalds for their support.
The Garden Fair runs from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with free admission and lots of parking. Memberships will be available with sponsors offering discounts. Come out and support your local Horticultural Society and the many vendors.
What a great way to spend a Saturday morning!
Opinions expressed in Letters to the Editor are that of their authors and do not reflect the opinions of the St. Marys Independent or Grant Haven Media.
There is considerable action and focus on the Thames River running through St. Marys, but sometimes we forget what is coming downstream from all the little feeder drainage ditches, creeks and streams.
Just before the long weekend along a stretch of waterway we call Crayfish Creek, there was a large spill of liquid manure. It turned the water into a brown sludge with a heady faecal smell and lots of bubbly foam. The day prior, this little creek had been a pristinely clear waterway filled with crayfish carrying hundreds of eggs held tightly under their tails, a healthy population of small fish, skimming water striders and newly hatched mayflies. With all the nesting boxes placed out along the waterway and with lots of standing dead trees, it’s a haven for songbirds. Herons, woodpeckers and ducks frequently are seen here, as are muskrats, even the occasional snapping turtle finds this little hidden gem.
Yes, the spill was reported to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment Spills Action Centre Tip Line. A staff member came out four days later to investigate. By then, the toxic mess had floated downstream into the Thames River and beyond along with the dead fish.
All that was left were dead crayfish at the bottom of the stream bed, algae covered rocks and rafts of thick foam. The children who learn here and love this place were upset to find out all the aquatic creatures they were beginning to know well had died off.
Of course, they asked about the other animals who live around the waterway. Right now, spring nesting season is happening. Red-winged blackbirds are nesting along the shore, Killdeer, Chickadee and Wren are feeding and building close by, while tree and barn swallows are all starting with their new brood of chicks. All this pollution is currently travelling through the food chain.
This can happen again, and when it does, it will be harder to recover from. This is the same water your children or pets wade in, you may fish in or glide through with your canoe or kayak. What process is in place to ensure there is a sense of urgency in responding to this type of spill? Who is responsible? How do we prevent this from happening again?
Kendra Martin and the students of Coyote Nature School, St. Marys
By Amy Cubberley
25 years ago (2000)
Students and citizens of Seaforth celebrated over the long weekend after a successful legal challenge of last winter’s decision by the Avon Maitland District School board to close Seaforth District High School.
Two St. Marys area men are recovering in hospital after a single-engine plane crash in Downie township. Pilot and co-owner Wayne Hopson and passenger Carl Cooper were taken to Victoria Hospital with serious injuries. The 1969 Cessna 150 aircraft stalled during take-off.
With the Walkerton crisis on most people’s minds, St. Marys PUC manager Terry Martin has been busy fielding calls the past few days from residents anxious to be assured that our town’s water is safe. St. Marys water is tested weekly and there has never been any E. coli bacteria in samples.
Chandler Horne and Adam Sheldon, both Holy Name of Mary Catholic School students, have advanced through three rounds of competition to reach the Optimist International Oratorical Mid-Western Ontario final in Brantford. Only six speakers reached the Mid-Western Ontario final and two were from Holy Name.
50 years ago (1975)
A meeting to set up an emergency system to handle future floods and other types of disasters is scheduled for Town Hall this Thursday morning according to the meeting coordinator, local Fire Chief Don Swan.
The Budget of the Perth County Board of Education for 1975 provides for an expenditure totaling $17,202,693, representing an increase in total expenditure of $17.8%.
75 years ago (1950)
C.N.R. express agent A.R. McLelland has been called on almost every week in recent months to release pigeons from the local station. These pigeons belong to members of the various racing and homing associations and are being trained to fly back to different Ontario points.
Miss Lillian Marziali of the local Bank of Toronto staff is spending two weeks in the Bank’s office at the Canadian International Trade Fair in Toronto. She is acting as an interpreter for visitors from Italy at the fair.
100 years ago (1925)
The other morning when the residents of Timmins awakened, they found a big moose deer sauntering down main street, studiously examining the bargains in the windows of the Hollinger department store. It was a feminine moose, and after surveying the weight and style of ladies’ garments in vogue for the summer season, it thoughtfully shook its head, turned around, and started back for the north.
The German 4.9 gun which has ornamented the market square for the past four years was moved to its new mounting on the Library grounds on Thursday.
Wanted
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Wanted
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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.
Wanted
I will pay cash for antiques and collectibles. Coca Cola, Pepsi or any pop company. Brewery items - Kuntz, Huether Labatts, etc.
Old radios and gramophones, wristwatches, 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.
For Sale
Hundreds of shade trees, fruit trees, apples, pears, peaches, plums, sweet and sour cherries, apricots, nectarines, blueberries, haskapp grapes, raspberries, elderberries etc. Lots of spruce, pine, cedars for windbreak and privacy hedges. Sizes 1-8 ft. in containers ready to go. Flowering shrubs and much more. Mon-Sat 7:00am to 6:00pm. Martin’s Nursery, 42661 Orangehill Rd Wroxeter, ON N0G 2X0 (1 Conc. North of Wroexter on Belmore Line)
For Sale
- Lades LH golf clubs with bag and pull cart. 4 irons, 2 woods, 1 putter, shoes 8.5. Best offer
- Mens RH golf clubs with bag and stand. 8 irons, 3 woods, 2 putters, shoes 11. Best offer - Golf Club travel bag. Best offer. Call 519-268-1436
For Sale
Rotary Parkview Apartment, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, balcony, top floor. $365,000. Call Beryl 519-305-2652.
For Rent
Large 3 bedroom downtown apartment in 3 story walk up above Gilly’s, includes all utilities, wifi, laundry, parking. References required. Available July. Please call 519-697-4985
We currently have openings for the following position:
Please refer to the City of Stratford website at www.stratford.ca for details of the duties for this position, minimum qualifications, and application submission process.
Application forms will be available at the Stratford Police Service Administrative Centre at 789 Erie Street, Stratford, Ontario or via email at recruitment@stratfordpolice.com.
Completed application packages for this position will be accepted until 1600 hours on June 21, 2025.
Please mail or deliver completed applications to Stratford Police Service, 17 George Street West, Stratford, ON N5A 1A1 OR email to recruitment@stratfordpolice.com.
We thank all applicants for their interest; however only those selected for testing will be contacted.
In loving memory of Donna Kittmer
We will remember you in spring when lilacs bloom, “With delicate colored blossoms, and heart shaped leaves of rich green.”
Your memory brings us comfort, and strength. One year without you, but your love remains in our hearts forever, Mom.
Lovingly remembered by your family
The family of the late William F. McKay wish to express our heartfelt appreciation for the outpouring support from friends,neighbours, and extended family during this time with our recent loss.Your kind words, cards, calls, flowers, visits and donations brought us comfort during this time, and warmed our hearts.
The McKay family
- Royal Canadian Legion “hot dogs and more” lunch at Noon - A.N.A.F. meat draw – 6 p.m. Saturday, May 31
- St. Marys Farmers Market at Milt Dunnell Field – 8 a.m. to Noon
- St. Marys Lions Club toll bridge at Victoria Bridge – 8 a.m. to Noon
- A.N.A.F. corn hole tournament – Starts at Noon, $5 registration
- Station Gallery opening reception for Portside Artists exhibition – 1-4:30 p.m.
- A.N.A.F. pickerel fish fry – 5-7 p.m., $20 per plate
- Royal Canadian Legion meat draw – 5 p.m. Sunday, June 1
- Zion West United Church (Hern Line & Park Rd, South Huron) 160th anniversary service – 10:30 a.m.
- St. Marys Museum Summer open house – Noon to 4 p.m.
- Legion bingo – Doors open 11:30 a.m., Early bird 12:45 p.m., Game time 1-4 p.m.
Monday, June 2
- Community dinner at St. Marys United Church – 5 p.m., Sponsored by St. Marys Kinsmen
Tuesday, June 3
- Royal Canadian Legion Buddy Check coffee at the Legion –10 am to Noon
- St. Marys Public Library public engagement session – 6-8 p.m.
Wednesday, June 4
- Tavistock Mens Club fish fry at Tavistock Mens Club hall –4-7 p.m., Dine in or take out
Experience
