Tillsonburg council was supportive of a request by the local Legion branch to install a veteran’s crosswalk on Broadway, but has to consult with the Ministry of Transportation before making a commitment on it.
Legion Branch 153 poppy chairman Don Burton addressed council after a parading of the colours into the chamber at Monday’s meeting.
“Crosswalks of Remembrance are becoming popular in many communities,” he said, referring to the painted crosswalks that are growing in popularity across the province.
The request was for a veteran’s crosswalk on Broadway in front of the cenotaph, with a second possible location on Veteran’s Memorial Way (Quarterline Road).
“This would be a year-round remainder of the sacrifices made by our veterans that allow us to enjoy our freedoms and democratic rights,” Burton said.
Three different options were shown to council members. Burton explained the request would be for the town to maintain these crosswalks as necessary.
“We hope that council and staff can work to have this vision become a reality prior to this year’s celebration of Remembrance,” he said.
Burton did provide a cautionary note in his presentation.
JEFF HELSDON
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
It’s inevitable. Every summer sees tragedy strike somewhere in Southwestern Ontario with at least one drowning.
Most of the drownings are in Lake Erie, and nearby, Port Burwell and Long Point seem to get their share. National Drowning Prevention Week, which is July 20-26 this year, aims to prevent future drownings. This year’s theme is “Safer Together”.
Melanie Corbett, aquatics supervisor with the Town of Tillsonburg, said a variety of activities are planned for the outdoor pool and drowning prevention will be emphasized
during lessons in the indoor pool.
“We want to encourage them to swim with a buddy, stay within arm’s reach, swim in a lifeguard-supervised area if possible, wear lifejackets -especially when you're on a boat,” she said.
Outdoor pool activities
Planned activities for the outdoor pool are:
July 20 - Sunny Sundays - involves teaching anyone who comes to the waterpark about sun safety
July 21 - A trivia challenge with water-smart questions and drowning report stats
Hot, sunny weather can draw hundreds of people to the beach. Most will go away after enjoying a day of sun and fun, but the situation can turn deadly with rip currents. Long Point Beach, pictured here, was crowded during a recent hot spell.
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
Rip currents can be deadly in Lake Erie
July 22 - A mock cardiopulmonary resuscitation will take place as well as a CPR demonstration and education.
July 23 – Swim and Splash will involve an obstacle course challenge for swimmers. Boat and lifejacket safety will also be taught.
July 25 – Cool down – Although it’s a long time from ice on the lakes, this day will focus on ice safety, wearing lifejackets and what to do if you fall through the ice.
July 26 – Rescue ready – Mock rescues of a swimmer in distress will take place.
Lake safety
Nate McIntyre, who started the not-forprofit Rip Current Information Project, has an extensive background with water safety. He has more than 27 years of experience as a lifeguard in Port Stanley, playing a role in creating the municipality’s beach rescue program that saw it go from two lifeguards to 28.
“While I was there, I was trying to learn about undertow and what was happening,” he said. “Researching that,” I discovered undertow wasn’t the concern but rip current were the concern.:
Undertow is a return of water anywhere there is a return of water to the lake from
surf crashing on a beach. It is, however, diffused along the shoreline.
“It’s not until that current becomes focus that it moves people,” McIntyre said.
Rip currents are a concentrated flow of water, and are more intense.
“It’s a concentrated return of water through the surf zone back to deeper water,” he explained.
Rip currents can occur next to structures like piers or jetties, but can also happen in the middle of a beach. Wind speed and bottom structure are determining factors.
“It depends on the wind angle and strength of the wind on a particular day,” he said, saying it may not be present one day, and there the next.
Storms can also create ideal conditions for a rip current if sandbars are created and a channel develops in the sandbar. Then the return of water can be concentrated through the sandbar channel.
“It needs to go back out,” McIntyre said. “The sandbars will keep the water there a little longer.”
Flip, follow and float
If caught in a rip current, McIntyre’s advice was to flip, float and follow. Expanding on these points, he said the first thing to do is flip over and face shore so the waves aren’t throwing water in your airwave.
Then he advised to remain calm and float.
Safety reminder following numerous marine incidents
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is reminding those using the province's waterways this summer to stay safe. Last weekend a large number of marine incidents were reported across the province. OPP members from various detachments were called out to multiple incidents on OPP patrolled waterways, and police are urging the public to take measures to prevent tragedy.
Boaters and paddlers are reminded that alcohol or drug impairment, operator inexperience and not wearing a lifejacket, are among contributing factors in marine injuries and deaths.
In incidents investigated by OPP, falling overboard and capsized vessels remain the leading causes of death each year. Lifejackets should be worn by everyone in the boat. If you are rendered
unconscious, a lifejacket will keep your head above water.
For a safe and enjoyable boating season, always be well prepared, check the weather forecast, and make sure your vessel is functioning and equipped. Swimmers should never venture into the water alone, children should be supervised closely, and swimmers should know their limits and obey posted signs
and warnings.
The OPP recommends all vessel owners/operators familiarize themselves with the Safe Boating Guide found here: https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/boating-safety.
With July and August being peak months for boating and swimming, now is the perfect time to review water safety practices with your family.
Tillsonburg outdoor pool lead head, and the victim in this mock scenario, Abigail Sarafinchin, left, pretends to be in distress while lifeguard Shona Cassidy rescues her. Mock rescues are one of the many activities planned for the outdoor pool for Drowning Prevention Week.
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
Transportation ministry to be consulted on crosswalk
“Some of you may have some trepidation about approving our request,” he said. “Remember we are not a special interest group, but an organization that represents a diverse group of men and women, many of whom paid the ultimate sacrifice that allows us to come before you tonight to make this presentation.”
Prior to opening the
Correction Notice:
floor to questions, Mayor Deb Gilvesy thanked the Legion members in attendance for their attendance and service.
Deputy Mayor Dave Beres suggested a third location on Bidwell Street, where the Silent Walk begins on Remembrance Day.
Coun. Chris Parker asked if there was a preference of which design of the
A photo caption in the July 3, 2025 issue on page 13, titled "CRAM THE CRUISER," incorrectly claimed 487 lbs of food donations were collected.
The correct total weight of the donations was 869 lbs.
three shown to council the local members preferred.
Saying there was no preference, Burton added, “If you like we could have some of our veterans sit down with staff to pick the one you would like to do.”
Gilvesy made the Legion delegation aware that since Broadway is a provincial highway, the Ministry of Transportation would have to be involved. She also
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asked if any service clubs or groups have been approached about assisting with the installation costs. Burton answered he had heard a rumour that a funder may come forward, but can’t confirm anything yet.
Parker presented a resolution that the presentation be received for information and that staff return a report outlining the costs
of installation of a veteran’s crosswalk, potential upkeep costs, any AODA concerns, and any other risks with a painted crosswalk on a provincial highway.
Saying he was fully supportive, Parker added, “This is a good opportunity, however, we have to understand the costs before we ago and approve something and any risks
that may be associated with it. As Mayor Gilvesy alluded to, this is a provincial highway so we have to make sure they are okay with it and there is the opportunity to do this. It would be premature to approve funding for something before understanding if we can actually put it there.”
Council passed the resolution.
Editor’s Note: Talented writers
Writer’s Corner is a new feature in the Tillsonburg Post, featuring the talent of our local writers.
Author Norma Collis has graciously provided material to launch this new column, but features are welcome from other local writers.
Submissions should be 600 to 800 words in length.
wanted
Submitted material doesn’t need to be about Tillsonburg, but a connection to the town is a bonus. Topics are diverse, but should not be business promotion or political opinion pieces.
E-mail editor Jeff Helsdon at jeff@granthaven.com with any questions.
One of the potential designs for a veteran’s crosswalk that was shown to Tillsonburg council.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
The Legion colour party paraded into Monday’s Tillsonburg council meeting prior to a presentation on a veteran’s crosswalk by member Don Burton.
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
Stepping up the game on beach safety
It’s as inevitable as the sun will shine during the summer that every year tragedy strikes and someone loses their life at the area beaches on Lake Erie.
Most of the area beaches are provincial parks, and it wasn’t that many years ago that these waterfronts had lifeguards. Somewhere along the way, likely as a cost savings, the lifeguards were eliminated. It’s likely true that with existing budgets, lifeguards can’t be hired, but if $5 was added
to admission fees, this may fund the costs. Without going the major step of hiring lifeguards, erecting signage warning about rip currents should be a no-brainer for both provincial park and municipal beaches. Signage would only be a small one-time cost that could save lives.
On the cusp of National Drowning Prevention Week decision makers need to ask themselves if saving a few dollars off admission is worth someone’s life.
Letter to the Editor
Canada Day on Woodcock Drive
To my dismay on Canada Day, the dump trucks started their day early, followed by the Stone Slingers, roaring back and forth, back and forth.
For long-time residents of this area, the irritation of years of continual construction have also caused a build-up of grit on homes, windows and plants from the steady heavy traffic, not to mention the damage to our new pavement, which, if in need of repair, will be the taxpayers' debt, with the developers and heavy equipment long gone.
When can we expect this ongoing construction to end? Is council waiting until we run out of water? 'Low-flow' taps, toilets and showers are not the solution, as council well knows - it is a stop-gap measure at best.
In my opinion, council was elected to consider the rights and needs of all citizens, but it seems to me that long-term and life-long residents are getting short shrift.
Shirley Jones,
Spur line railroad artifacts unearthed during road construction
Tillsonburg Military Club’s Remembrance Banner Program has extended the cutoff date, with all banner arrangements to be finalised by July 30th, with Dianne Hodges at the Legion. You will need to fill out a form, find the veteran's photo, name, details of service, and the branch of the Canadian or Allied militaries and the RCMP. Questions/ Info: Dianne Hodgesdhodges683@gmail.com or 519-709-5777
It has been popular way honourable way to pay tribute annually to a veteran whether a family member, friend or hero, who died in service or has since passed away. Banners this year will be going up for the start of Legion week, Sept. 21 to 27.
I previously featured First World War Nursing Sister, Marguerite Sinclair, great-granddaughter of our founders George and Nancy Tillson and granddaughter of E.D. and Mary Ann Tillson, and daughter of Lillie Tillson and Dr.
Lachlan Sinclair. I now want to share information on Marguerite’s cousin, Tillson Lever Harrison born January 5, 1881, to Harriet Adele Tillson [Lillie’s sister] and Henry Bailey Harrison.
In December of 1987, the Chinese Government contacted the Town of Tillsonburg, inviting them to send a representative to China for the unveiling of a monument to honour Dr. Tillson Lever Harrison, also known as Dixie, who had died there while aiding the starving peasants in 1947.
Research started immediately as we knew little. Almost immediately information discrepancies began coming to light. The date of his birth seemed to be different in just about every document found. The Chinese were celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1888, but that date was incorrect. Tillson had purposely, once again, altered the date to benefit himself when filling out application forms. Researching was very difficult: what was fact, what was exaggerated, and what pure fiction.
Dixie literally roamed the world and died an honest to goodness hero in China! With this banner I am honouring the good in the multitude of military establishments he served in around the world. Tillson’s military career, began in 1901, when he ran away from home to join the U.S. Army in New York State. He became a private in the Spanish American War, lying about his age which hereafter became a normal occurrence.
The following are some of Tillson’s military adventures. If in italics, there is documentation to prove it. If not, some are probably true, but as yet we have no proof for or against.
1. 1901 Pte. U.S. Army Spanish American War. Lied about his age. E.D. paid to get him out.
2. Mexican Army under Poncho Villa; Ute Indian Campaign, the Yaqui Indian uprising in Somora
3. 2nd and 3rd Mexican revolutions Ute
4. RAMC Royal Army Medical Corp. [British]
5. French Foreign legion -on loan from RAMC and was seen in French Uniform by cousin, Victor Tillson in England]
6. Belgium Calvery Unit [At Ostend & Dunkirk]
7. Mexican Army under Carranza 1910
8. 1916, Dixie was in China in private practice, No military affiliation.
9. WW1 1917 CAMC Canadian Army Medical Corp May 5, 1917, being assigned to the 191st Canadian Battalion, Cavalry Regiment, as Assistant Medical Officer in Shorncliffe, England.
10. 1917 Aug 6th Dixie is transferred to the 7th Chinese Labour Force in Belgium & France on loan from the CAMC to the British as he can speak Chinese.
11. RAMC -Egypt 1919
12. 1922 Irish Free State Army 1st lieu-
tenant, 2nd division West Command, Claremorris, County Mayo
13. 1938 joins the 4th Route Chinese Army in Canton as surgeon. Earlier in 1838 Dixie traveled from western USA to China. He spent one year on ‘Hankou and Hanchang, Nanchang fronts.’ Then French to Indo China to Hanoi, Hiplong and boat to Shanghai where he opens and equips an office.
14. 1941-1946 Royal Navy, S.E. Asia Command as a surgeon abord the S.S. Demodocus. Delivering medical supplies to allies around the Indian Ocean.
15. 1946 Aug 27th joins the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration [UNRRA] in South Hopie area from Aug 28-Oct 27/46 16. 1946 Dec 4 after several supply runs leaves again from Shanghai, with 50 tonnes, by truck and ox cart. Between delays, harassment and the freezing weather, he and his UNRRA worker from Russia arrived in Hadan in deplorable condition from exposure.
17. 1947 January 10, at aged 66, he died in Hadan, a hero. The Hadan Hospital was renamed the Harrison Memorial International Peace Hospital and Medical College and is in Hengshui. A booklet on the rest of Dixie’s story is at Annandale NHS, as well as a PowerPoint I authored.
LAUREL A. BEECHEY Tillsonburg Post Columnist
THE STAGE IS THE WORLD
A foggy morning on Lake Lisgar. (JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
Gilvesy changes his involvement with ALUS
JEFF HELSDON Editor
ALUS Canada is going through a transformation as Tillsonburg-area resident Bryan Gilvesy steps back as CEO.
ALUS, (initially known as Alternate Land Use Services), mission is engaging “farmers and ranchers in creating nature-based solutions on their land to build climate resilience and enhance biodiversity for the benefit of communities and future generations.” This innovative, farmer-led program accomplishes this by paying farmers for the environmental services provided.
The Norfolk Federation of Agriculture, Norfolk County and Gilvesy have been a driving force behind the program growing from one of the initial pilots of the program to it being a nationwide initiative in six provinces, 39 communities and encompassing more than 56,000 acres.
where the government embraced the program nearly two decades ago and runs it province-wide.
Gilvesy emphasized there are not intentions to turn ALUS into a national, federal government program. He explained one reason farmers trust ALUS is because it’s farmer run.
“It’s a healthy, balanced model that serves many priorities and interests,” he said.
One of the springboards for ALUS has been the ongoing environmental awareness and that farmers can be part of creating a healthier environment for society. This could be through planting native vegetation buffers next to waterways on farms, planting native grasses on marginal lands, or creating pollinator habitat and wetlands. Development of ALUS on a particular piece of land is done with input from the local coordinator, but Gilvesy emphasized it’s what the farmer wants.
“The ALUS model is proven, it’s effective and ready to grow,” Gilvesy said.
lot in Manitoba didn’t survive, Norfolk’s
Dave Reid, then the coordinator of the Norfolk Land Stewardship program, was one of the original advocates of ALUS.
folk Federation of Agriculture to get it on the ground. Gilvesy, who lives south of
sitioned his former tobacco farm into a
Climate, community
longhorn cattle operation, was the third participant in the pre-pilot. Gilvesy became chairman of the local Partnership Advisory Committee (PAC) and the inaugural CEO as ALUS grew into a national entity and a standalone organization in May of 2015.
Gilvesy, who admitted it might be time to slow down, handed over the CEO role of ALUS to Jordan Sinclair, who was previously the vice-president of strategy and a member of the ALUS Chatham-Kent Partnership Advisory Committee. Gilvesy will remain and become the chief strategy officer.
He sees this as a step forward for the organization, saying it will be more professionally managed.
“She’s a professional,” he said. “That builds credibility and helps us build our vision for the long term.”
Although Sinclair has been involved in agriculture her entire life, she is not a farmer. Wanting to emphasize ALUS is still farmer-driven, she organized the CEO’s Farmer Advisory Committee.
“It’s several farmers she will consult with to ensure we don’t lose the farm leadership aspect of ALUS,” Gilvesy said.
Delhi-area resident Joe Csoff will be part of the committee. He is currently an ALUS participant and the PAC liaison.
Although many similar programs are government run, ALUS will continue to be funded by private industry, banks and insurance companies, and support from municipal, provincial and federal governments.
“ALUS will be farmer-led and community-driven,” Gilvesy said. “That’s the magic of the program is local farm leadership.”
The only exception to government not running ALUS is in Prince Edward Island
The goal is for ALUS to operate in every province – it’s currently in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and PEI - and to satisfy the demand for growth in communities across Canada.
Gilvesy notes the traditional thinking amongst urban environmentalists is to buy existing wild lands and put a fence around it. ALUS differs in it is creating new net nature, and is not fencing it off. Since its inception, ALUS has created about 250 square-kilometres of new nature.
“That’s the size of a nice national park,” Gilvesy said with a sense of satisfaction.
Modest in his part of the exponential growth of ALUS, Gilvesy started with planting native prairie grasses on his farm. He quickly saw the value of this habitat for nesting birds, pollinators and wildlife. After a time, he also saw the potential of the grass to provide biomass for his longhorn cattle after bird nesting was finished for the year. This is an example of how ALUS works with farmers, he explained.
When he first signed on, Gilvesy could see the potential growth of the program, but never imagined he would be the CEO. His ability to connect to farmers, as a farmer, has helped the organization grow. Gilvesy is proud of the 492 partner agencies, from services clubs, to conservation groups, municipalities and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, have worked with ALUS.
When Gilvesy stepped back earlier this year, he had been CEO for a month less than a decade. Another of the legacies he leaves is how ALUS demonstrated a remote-run organization can work – ALUS won the Canadian Non-Profit Employer of Choice Award in 2019.
Gilvesy will continue to promote ALUS within the farm and business community. Or, as he said, “putting rural communities and farmers at the centre of solving problems.”
Bryan Gilvesy recently stepped back as the CEO of ALUS to become the organization’s chief strategy officer. The owner of YU Ranch south of Tillsonburg in Norfolk County, Gil-
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
Hardeman celebrates 30 years in provincial politics
LEE GRIFFI
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The longest-serving current member of the Ontario Legislature recently reached three decades of public service.
“It’s been quite an experience,” said Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman. “Looking ahead, 30 years seems like a long time, but looking back, it seems like just the other day.”
Hardeman was first elected in June of 1995, defeating NDP incumbent Kimble Sutherland. He has since been re-elected nine more times, most recently earning 55 per cent of the vote in last year’s provincial election.
“It had its ups and downs. I spent the first eight years in government and the next 15 years in the opposition and now back in government. What’s most rewarding about it, it doesn’t really matter if you are on the government side or the opposition, it's working with your local people that makes the job worthwhile.”
Hardeman’s longevity has earned him the official title of Dean of the Legislative Assembly and he explained being a sitting MPP has never felt like a job.
“It’s always been something that I just do. If you enjoy what you’re doing, it’s never work, and for me, that’s definitely true with politics. I guess that’s what keeps me going, even when people suggested maybe I shouldn’t do it anymore. I just can’t think of a better way to spend my time.”
Before the legislature shuttered for its summer break, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott delivered an address praising Hardeman to non-partisan applause.
“This Sunday, June 8, marks his 30th anniversary as MPP for Oxford. 90 seconds just isn’t enough time to list all his accomplishments, but I would like to highlight a few.”
Hardeman spearheaded a private members' bill called the Hawkins-Gignac Act, which was passed in 2013. Officially called the Carbon Monoxide Safety Act, it is a groundbreaking Ontario law that mandates carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in all homes equipped with fuel-burning appliances, fireplaces, or attached garages. It amends the Fire Protection and Prevention Act to include carbon monoxide safety, enabling enforcement through Ontario’s Fire Code and proclaims the first week in November as Carbon Monoxide Awareness Week each year.
The bill, which was first tabled in 2008, was inspired by the tragic 2008 death of OPP Const. Laurie Hawkins, her husband Richard, and their children Cassandra (14) and Jordan (12). A
blocked chimney vent caused deadly carbon monoxide to seep into their Woodstock home, which had no CO detectors
“He had to introduce it five times but he got it passed and it has been saving lives in Ontario ever since,” proclaimed Scott.
Hardeman said he is proud of passing the legislation and the fact it has made a difference.
“It is the one thing I can say, I did that at Queen’s Park, I did that when I was a member and it wasn’t just about supporting the government or the opposition. That was something we did that happened and we can actually measure when it saves lives.”
The 77-year-old former owner and operator of Hardeman Feed Limited from 1966 to 1995 and former South-West Oxford municipal politician, pointed to several other improvements in the riding during his tenure.
“Almost all schools have been rebuilt or replaced, we have a new hospital in Woodstock and almost a new hospital in Tillsonburg with all the additions and repairs. Oxford has been good to me and I think the government has been good for Oxford.”
Hardeman also served as the associate Minister of Rural Mu-
nicipal Affairs, where he launched the Rural Economic Development Program.
“It continues to this day and is responsible for thousands of jobs across rural Ontario. He served as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs twice. He introduced protections for farmers and animals by preventing trespassing. He introduced legislation to support farmers through the mental health challenges that a career in agriculture can present,” added Scott.
Hardeman said the kind words from his fellow elected official were a pleasant surprise.
“I wasn’t expecting that. She’s been a great friend and if someone was going to do it, I wasn’t surprised she did. At the same time, I wasn’t expecting anybody to do it.”
Scott is the second-longest-serving provincial politician among current MPPs in the province.
Hardeman hosted a reception at Sally Creek on June 8 and invited his supporters, including those who were in his camp 30 long years ago.
“That was the best thing about having our little get-together, being able to thank all the people. Not the ones that helped the last time, but the people who were there the first time. I had the privilege of recognizing my first campaign manager from 1995.”
Dennis Vollmerhausen was the campaign manager who Hardeman said was instrumental in his first election victory.
As for whether Hardeman will participate in his tenth provincial election next time around, that remains to be seen.
“I always insisted that I didn’t want to decide on how I should be judged on my performance for this term until we get near the end of it. The next election is always a report card on your last one.”
Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Two youth charged after damage to Pride boardwalk in tillsonburg
Two youth are facing mischief charges after causing damage to a Pride boardwalk in the Town of Tillsonburg.
At approximately 9:30 a.m., on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, members of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), Oxford Detachment were notified of damage to a Pride boardwalk at a business on Bridge Street, in the Town of Tillsonburg.
On July 6, 2025, at approximately 9:45 p.m., two individuals were observed on camera performing a burn out with an
electric scooter on the boardwalk, resulting in damage.
Two 16-year-old youths from the Town of Tillsonburg have been arrested and charged with Mischief.
Police encourage members of the public to consider equipping your home or business with video surveillance and to call police if you see something that looks suspicious in your neighbourhood.
Together we can help everyone in our communities to feel safe.
Oxford County’s climate survey is open for feedback now until Aug. 8
While conversations about climate often focus on global impacts, Oxford County is drawing attention to the local effects of changing climate on everyday life. The Oxford County Climate Survey asks residents for their opinions on climate and about the actions they are taking now to reduce their environmental impact.
Those who take part in the survey will have a chance to win one of five $50 gift cards for a local business.
Results from the survey will help develop Oxford County’s first Climate Action Plan, expected for release this fall. This plan will identify the risks that are most urgent for Oxford County residents and bring forward proposals to help mitigate or manage these risks. Recommendations may include community-led resiliency measures and climate adaptation measures taken by the County, such as infrastructure planning.
Work on Oxford’s Climate Action Plan is guided in part by the Ontario Provincial Climate Change Impact Assessment, which details the wide-reaching impacts climate change will have on communities, critical infrastructure, economy and the
natural environment.
According to the provincial report, two of the largest climate-related risks for people living in southwestern Ontario are extreme heat and extreme precipitation, both of which are already being experienced and expected to increase in severity.
To take the Oxford County Climate Survey at Speak Up, Oxford! visit www. speakup.oxfordcounty.ca/climate.
Quick facts
• The term “climate” refers to average weather conditions over a long period of time, such as decades or years. This is different from weather conditions people may experience where they live.
• Oxford County’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan identifies “Enhancing Environmental Sustainability” as one of three foundational pillars, and includes the specific goal of developing a Climate Action Plan.
• The Climate Action Plan will be a living document with updates expected on a five-year basis to reflect up-todate climate projections, new technology, and available funding.
With over 30 years of industry experience, my goal is to work together with you to develop a successful marketing strategy for your business needs.
Military banner program deadline extended
Tillsonburg Military Club’s, Remembrance Banner Program has extended the cutoff date, with all banner arrangements to be finalised by July 30.
Those interested need to fill out a form, with the veteran's photo, name, details of service, and the branch of the Canadian or Allied militaries and the RCMP. For questions or more information, contact Dianne Hodges - dhodges683@gmail. com or 519-709-5777
This has been popular way honourable way to pay tribute annually to a veteran, whether a family member, friend or. Banners this year will be going up for the start of Legion Week, Sept. 21 to 27.
SWOX Council approves new ward boundaries
DEBBIE KASMAN Post Contributor
South-West Oxford Township (SWOX) Council approved new ward boundaries for the township at its July 8 meeting. These new boundaries will take effect on the day the new council is organized after the 2026 municipal election.
Council provided direction to staff in 2021 to undertake a review of township ward boundaries and council composition because of changing population trends within the township’s existing wards, particularly in Mount Elgin.
The primary goal of reviewing ward boundaries is to ensure that each ward within the township has a proportionate number of residents. This ensures that every resident's vote carries equal weight in
Township of South-West Oxford Dis
Scenario Ver 6 (July 2024)
local elections and that each councillor represents a reasonably equal number of constituents. Without periodic reviews, demographic shifts can lead to disparities where some wards become significantly larger or smaller than others in terms of population. By regularly reviewing ward boundaries, the township ensures that the electoral system remains democratic and responsive to changes in population distribution.
Staff completed a preliminary review in August 2023 and data indicated the population count within Ward 2 was over the optimal size and range than the other five wards within the township. The map shows the placement of the new ward boundaries, which will take effect the day the new council is organized after the 2026 municipal election.
No Frills grocery store opens on North Broadway
People were lined up outside No Frills prior to the opening of the grocery store on Thursday morning at 7 a.m.
The early-morning turnout may have been indicative of opening promotions, but steady crowds have flocked to the town’s newest grocery store at 671 Broadway in the Northgate Plaza. This is the first new grocery store in Tillsonburg in more than 20 years since Sobey’s opened.
No Frills is a Loblaw’s company with local ownership. The chain’s aim is “focusing on great meat and produce, commitment to community and trusted low prices.”
Tillsonburg owners Correy Mantel and Rita Machado have a deep connection to the chain. Mantel’s parents own Darryll and Tracy’s No Frills in London, and he worked there nine
years. The young couple met there after Machado started there five years ago.
This store is a smaller store format that Loblaws recently introduced that carries the essentials. It has a produce and meat counter, and also carries the no name and President’s Choice lines of products.
Mantel wanted to own a store of his own ever since he started working at his parent’s store. He underwent a training course over the past few months, preparing for Thursday morning.
“This has been my dream for as long as I remember,” he said. “After seeing how successful this business is, and what it brings to a community, I couldn’t think of a better goal to set for myself.”
“This has always been Correy's biggest dream and I am extremely happy to support in every way possible,” Machado said. “Before meeting Correy, this was definitely not even a thought in mind, however I love the joy it brings to make
West Nile confirmed in Oxford
Public Health has confirmed that a mosquito trap located in Woodstock has tested positive for West Nile Virus.
This is the first mosquito trap to produce a positive test in the Southwestern Public Health region in 2025.
Mosquito traps are set up across Oxford County, Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas to monitor and test for the presence of West Nile Virus in the region. The virus was detected as part of routine testing.
Public health recommends removing standing water around your property to reduce mosquito breeding environments. Additional ways to protect yourself and
your family include using DEET-based repellents to prevent mosquito bites and following directions for use; wearing light-coloured clothing with long sleeves, pants, and socks in areas where mosquitos are present; changing water in bird baths every other day; keeping pool pumps circulating; and installing screens to cover the openings of rain barrels.
Most people who become infected with West Nile Virus do not get sick. Those who do usually experience mild flu-like symptoms. Fewer than one per cent of people infected with the virus get seriously ill. Contact your primary care provider if you exhibit flu-like symptoms after being bitten by a mosquito.
someone's day with simple acts of kindness and that is very much possible when serving the community in a grocery store.”
Mantel grew up in Aylmer and Belmont, so was familiar with small towns. Machado is originally from Portugal and moved to London in 2012.
“We both enjoy the smaller community life-
communities like Tillsonburg, it is always what we have been used to. We appreciate how much smaller communities do for each other, how the residents treat one another and the love shared for the town.”
Mantel’s hopes for the store are, “To bring the people of Tillsonburg the hard discounts they have been waiting for; and support the commu-
JEFF HELSDON Editor
Early Thursday morning before the store opening at 7 a.m., officials from No Frills corporate gathered with the owners of the new Tillsonburg store for a ribbon cutting. Left to right are: Liz Roth of No Frills; Ian McKay, group director Ontario No Frills; Darryll Mantel; Tracy Mantel; Correy Mantel, owner; Rita Machado and Luca, owner; Marian Mantel; Jennifer Teixeira, No Frills vice-president operations Ontario and Atlantic; and Ryan Barrett, owner Aylmer No Frills.
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
Correy and Rita’s No Frills started their new store in a giving way, presenting a cheque for $1,500 to the Tillsonburg Helping Hands Food Bank. Left to right are: Ian McKay, group director Ontario No Frills; Jennifer Teixeira, No Frills vice-president operations Ontario and Atlantic; Correy Mantel, Tillsonburg store co-owner; Samantha Hamilton, Helping Hands Food Bank coordinator; and Marg McCrimmon, Helping Hands Food Bank volunteer
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
Southwestern
Tillsonburg Horticultural Society beautifies downtown
JEFF HELSDON Editor
Members of the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society have been busy over the past few weeks working to beautify the downtown.
After town staff did the initial clean-up, members of the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society started to work on the flower beds they are responsible for.
“Because it was a slow spring, we only started planting the 31st of May,” said President Christine Nagy.
The most prominent park society members work on is the Oxford-Broadway Parkette, which they worked on for two weekends. Other parks the society plants flowers in are: Bert Newman Park, and the flower beds at Annandale House, the Tillsonburg Senior’s Centre, Legion and Station Arts Centre. This is no little task as 30 flats of flowers went into the Oxford-Broadway Parkette alone. More than 100 flats are planted by members in all of the parks they are responsible for.
This year will see a red and white theme
in the flowers after a joint decision was made with the BIA and parks department.
“We decided to do a patriotic theme with everything going on,” Nagy said.
The planters on Broadway are a joint initiative with the BIA and horticulture society. The society provides a subsidy for purchasing the flowers, which are planted by Garden Gate staff, and the BIA waters them.
Town parks staff plant flowers in the cemetery, library and the remainder of the parks around town.
The horticulture society meets through the year, bringing in professional speakers to provide gardening tips. The group has more than 200 members, with the average of those volunteering to plant at more than 70. However, that shouldn’t be read that the society is all older members.
“Over the last two years, we’re seeing younger people come, which is very encouraging,” Nagy said, adding some are as young as 20.
Often, more than 100 people come out to the meetings.
“It’s a vibrant active society,” she said.
Daycare groundbreaking hopes to spark more centres across Oxford
The growing demand for childcare in Oxford County took a promising step forward as construction began on a
Shovels hit the ground last Friday in Tillsonburg as EYES Child Care and 360 Developments Group began construction on a new EYES daycare on 361 Quarter Line Road. Slated to open in late fall, the president of 360 Developments Group hopes this is just the beginning of something
“It’s definitely a feeling of fulfillment and achievement in achieving this vision,” said Cedric Tomico, president and chief executive officer of 360 Developments Group. “Through this partnership that we have created with EYES Child Care; there is a hope that we will build more daycares throughout the county.”
Founded in 1999, the EYES Child Care uses the philosophy that: “We believe that every child is unique and will grow at their own pace. EYES’ teachers spend time nurturing children’s strengths and encouraging them to reach new heights. EYES’ goal is to educate and empower children while focusing on developing emotional intelligence and values along with social, physical, cognitive and intellectual skills.”
Several EYES Child Care officials were in attendance during the groundbreaking last Friday on 361 Quarter Line Road. Among the attended officials were, Naila Saeed, chief executive officer of EYES Child Care, Vikram Singh, Chief operating officer, and Arshad Siddiqui, Architect at EYES Child Care.
The eventual 5,5000 square-foot facility will house 80-plus spots. It will be built on the west side of Quar-
ter Line Road, south of South Ridge Public School. The project was kick started after a letter of intent was signed between EYES Child Care of Brampton and 360 Developments Group.
“The new daycare facility at 361 will complement the already existing spaces,” said Mayor Deb Gilvesy. “As the town continues to grow, jobs it is imperative to have exceptional care available to working families where our youngest residents can thrive. We would like to congratulate all those involved in making this much needed project come to fruition.”
Tomico said that as the construction process begins, the Ministry of Education will play a key role throughout the development phase. The ministry will ensure all rooms are measured with the correct length and height qualifications, along with partaking in the various inspections required before the property's grand opening.
“This is a start to addressing the need, but it’s just that, a start,” said Tomico. “We need to do more, not just from my perspective but from the community’s as well. The demand isn’t going away, and we need more people to get involved.”
(PETER BEECHEY PHOTO)
Volunteers with the Tillsonburg Horticultural Society put a special effort into the Oxford-Broadway Parkette this year, spelling out 200 in flowers to celebrate the bicentennial of the town’s founding. They also used red and white flowers for a patriotic touch. The same colour scheme was used by the BIA and town in other spots.
ALEX HUNT
Post Contributor
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
A groundbreaking was recently held for the new EYES Child Care centre on Quarterline Road, with officials from EYES, 360 Developments and the Town of Tillsonburg on hand. Appropriately enough given this is a daycare, Oliver Braun, son of 360 Developments co-owner Pete Braun, also helped out on an excavator. The daycare will open this fall.
John Pound Road sanitary sewer being replaced
JEFF HELSDON Editor
Traffic closures of John Pound Road should be past as sanitary sewer construction on the southern access to the town continues.
The project started June 20, and is expected to wrap up with asphalt being replaced in mid-August. Part of Oxford County’s planned capital projects, the work involved replacing the sanitary sewer and the top portion of the storm sewers on John Pound Road between Bloomer Street and George Street.
“They’ve got most of the underground in, they’re going to do a test today. Then the road will be open again today,” said
Leo Ferreira, Tillsonburg’s manager of engineering, on Friday. The town has been administering the work on behalf of the county.
Access to the businesses and residences on John Pound Road has been open throughout the construction from the south. Access to the north was closed for two or three days, and restricted to a single lane at times.
“They’re going to try to clean it up and get it two lanes most of the way. There’s still manhole covers with pilons on them people will have to go around,” said Logan Vandevyvere, operations technologist.
Ferreira said the project has stayed on schedule.
Construction has stayed on schedule as sanitary sewers were replaced under a section of John Pound Road. The work is expected to be completed in mid-August.
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
PIRATE FUN
Pirates were theme of the drop-in program at Annandale National Historic Site last week, with cousins Easton Weber and Emma Srigley getting involved in a little mock sword play. Upcoming week-long camps at the museum start on July 21 for four weeks through the summer. Themes vary from homesteads to STEM to music/pop culture.
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
Vet honoured by military history club
Members of the Tillsonburg Military History Club, along with Mayor Deb Gilvesy, met Tom Boneham and his close friends, to recognize him for his service in the Second World War.
Tom, now 102 years of age, was one of the original members of the Top Secret British Commando units created by James Bond author Ian Fleming known as 30AU (Assault Unit)
Les Burden, president of The Tillsonburg Military History Club, presented Tom with The Robin Barker- James Recognition Award, (2025 recipient) to recognize the ser-
vice he rendered during the war to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today.
Frank Moore, O.M.C., club treasurer, presented Tom with the club’s polo shirt and cap installing hi, as an honorary member of the Tillsonburg Military History Club.
“We are delighted to have Tom as our third honorary member,” Moore said. “He joins this prestigious group along with Ted Barris, a Canadian writer, journalist, professor and broadcaster who was most recently awarded the Order of Canada, and Pastor Paul Robinson CD who is well known within our community.”
The
200 Celebration
on June 28 prompted lively discussions on local landmarks at the
Dr Matthew Griffis, digital literacy and local history technician, generously shared his enthusiasm and knowledge. Guest speaker, historian Dr Jason Pankratz, pictured, shared three fascinating stories with associated artifacts. (Left) Hand forged spikes recovered from the wooden beams at the ruins of the Imperial Dam. A week of heavy rains in April 1937 caused flooding that destroyed Tillsonburg dams and permanently altered the landscape.
HISTORY TALKS
(Above)
Tillsonburg
Tea
Tillsonburg Public Library.
(ROBIN KRAFFT PHOTOS)
Second World War veteran Tom Boneham, seated, was made an honourary member of the Tillsonburg Military History Club. On hand for the presentation were, left to right, Les Burden, Frank Moore, Randy Wallis and Mayor Deb Gilvesy.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
CELEBRATING NATIONAL ICE CREAM DAY
A look inside Shaw’s, Tillsonburg’s own ice cream plant
JEFF HELSDON Editor
There’s nothing that says summer more than ice cream. With National Ice Cream Day coming up on July 20th, it’s the perfect time to enjoy a scoop, and to look at the story behind Tillsonburg’s own ice cream factory.
The evolution of Shaw’s Ice Cream is one that traces its roots back to another Tillsonburg institution: Dad’s Ice Cream, the local ice cream shop on Vance Drive that has been owned by the McLaughlin sisters since 1993.
“I’ve scooped Shaw’s Ice Cream since I was 11 years old,” said Kelly Heleniak, one of the partners of Shaw’s with sisters Kristine Hayes and Kim McCutchen.
Dad’s Ice Cream was the perfect summer job for the sisters but disappointment set in when they received a letter in 2001 from their supplier (Shaw’s Ice Cream) that the company was closing.
At the time, the older two sisters had established careers, and Kelly, Kristine, and Kim were in university. Their younger sister was still in high school.
“Us middle three sisters thought, ‘We love Shaw’s; we know about retailing ice cream,” Heleniak recounted. “We investigated other suppliers but thought this could be an opportunity to make our own ice cream for Dad’s under the Shaw’s name and keep the brand alive. That’s how this whole crazy idea started.”
Stepping back in time, Shaw’s was a family-run business started in downtown St. Thomas in 1948. The company moved to the Sunset Road location in the 1950s and added a dairy bar. The company expanded and launched Shaw’s Dairy Stores, which had several dozen locations across the province. The Becker Milk Company bought Shaw’s in 1987, which, in turn, was bought out by Mac’s in
the 1990s which left the business corporately run.
“Ice cream was not their core business, it’s convenience stores,” Heleniak said, explaining this is why the doors of the St. Thomas plant were being shuttered.
A new venture
The three young entrepreneurs entered the ice cream-making business with just a two-week crash course from Grant Devereaux, who was the plant manager at the time. They kept one production employee, Sue Haines, who is still with them today.
In the early years Hayes started as the accountant, McCutchen got her D license for deliveries, and Heleniak looked after the sales and customers. All three learned how to make the ice cream they had been scooping for years.
“People were still lined up,” Heleniak recalled, on the positive point of the launch.
On the negative side of the venture, Shaw’s had sent out notices its doors were closing before the
ice cream stores and a growing number of retailers. Learning more about the industry, they came to the realization if the company was going to expand further, they needed a bigger facility and to modernize the 1950s ice cream-making machinery that came with the plant.
“We realized something big had to happen, so we moved the
three sisters bought the company in June 2001. It was in the midst of the busy season for ice cream shops, and customers had been forced to find new suppliers.
“It was an uphill battle,” Heleniak said.
From these humble beginnings, they persevered, and slowly, Shaw’s Ice Cream returned to
manufacturing portion of our business to our hometown of Tillsonburg on Clearview Drive” Heleniak said.
Purchasing a building that was used for wind turbine parts, extensive renovations were done, and state of the art equipment was purchased.
The St. Thomas original plant is now a retail only destination and continues to draw crowds as one of the busiest ice cream shops in Ontario. The Shaw’s Dairy Bar is a must stop for travellers on their way to Port Stanley beach. This location is open from March break until December.
“It has become a real destination for tourists and locals,” Heleniak said. “Generations of families have frequented our dairy bar and it is a landmark for Elgin County”
Today, Shaw’s manufactures the equivalent of nearly 33 million scoops of ice cream in their 60,000-square-foot Tillsonburg
home 1.5L tubs, with 65 available in larger containers for locations serving scoops.
The flavour of the summer is Monster Cookie. Other top sellers are Moose Tracks™, Grammy’s Cupboard, Coffee & Cream, Death by Chocolate, Cotton Candy and Chocolate Peanut Butter.
Naming ice cream flavours is something fun the sisters share.
Lumberjack, Dump Truck, Unicorn Toots and Peanut Butter
Boss are examples of some of the unique names they have dreamt up over the years.
plant. Besides supplying other scoop shops, Shaw’s is available in tubs across Canada in Sobey’s, Food Basics, Wal-Mart and hundreds of locally independent shops and markets.
The emphasis over the last 20plus years has been on growing the brand, which has paid off, Heleniak said. “There’s a huge push for buying local and Canadian, We are a small family business that is women-led. Fresh cream is our first ingredient and we pride ourselves on using 100 per cent Canadian dairy.”
The company now employs 100 people during the peak summer season, and nearly 60 yearround.
The modern plant has two lines for ice cream manufacturing and a line for soft ice cream bagging. The process starts with a mixture of milk, cream, and sugar. The mix is pasteurized, and then ages for approximately 24hrs. It is then pumped into ice cream machines and freezes; coming out like soft ice cream at -5C. Depending on the flavour being made a ripple and/or an inclusion (fruit, candy, brownie) is added to the flow of ice cream with pumps and feeders. The product then chills for a minimum of 24 hours in blast freezers at -28˚ C to become hard ice cream.
On top of their Shaw’s brand, ice cream is also produced for eight other companies, which include various formulas of custard, frozen yogurt, grocery pints, non-dairy, a line of organic ice cream and other specially formulated frozen desserts.
Shaw’s Ice Cream can be found locally at The Country Table, Chrissy’s Corner Store, Bre’s Fresh Market, Sobeys, Zehrs, and metro.
Of flavours and names
Twenty flavours of Shaw’s Ice Cream are offered in the take-
Grammy’s Cupboard, a standby with vanilla ice cream, a peanut butter ripple, chocolate chip cookie dough and brownie chunks, has an interesting story.
“It was a nod to our Grammy,” Heleniak said. “Growing up, she always had her home-made chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies in her cupboard, along with packages of little brownies, when we would come to visit.”
Dump Truck is chocolate ice cream with “dump loads of brownies” and a blue marshmallow ripple while Unicorn Toots is a vanilla cake batter base with a pink frosting ripple and rainbow chocolate chipits.”
This year’s limited edition 1.5L flavours are Cherry Cheesecake, Coffee & Cream, and Monster Cookie. The latest updates can be found online at www.shawsice-
a family-run business with a focus on manufacturing quality ice cream with unique flavour offerings,” Heleniak said. “This has really set us apart from our competition. We are proud of our roots and what we have been able to accomplish by owning Shaw’s Ice Cream for the past 24 years.”
To infinity and beyond
That catch phrase from the Toy Story movies could apply to the future of Shaw’s and a realization the owners had about childhood and happiness.
“We understand there’s an emotion attached to our offerings,” Heleniak said. “People associate ice cream with happiness which is special for our brand.” That happiness is relatable, whether it's going to Dad’s Ice Cream after a soccer game, or enjoying a home-scooped ice cream during the summer - ice cream has a sense of nostalgia associated with joy.
“It becomes part of people’s lives and core memories,” Heleniak said. “Most reflections of enjoying ice cream are coupled with a positive event like a birthday, a special outing or simply sharing a moment with friends or family at their local ice cream shop” When work started on the Tillsonburg plant, the initial thought was it was too big. Now, it is realized more freezer space is need-
cream.com or the company’s Facebook or Instagram pages (@ shawsicecream).
“The idea is to pique customers’ interest with something new,” Heleniak said. “If it’s a runaway hit, we keep it in our line-up.”
Sometimes a flavour is retired to make way for new ones but then can reappear years later.
“Our goal when we purchased Shaw’s was to get back to being
ed, and an addition will be necessary in the near future.
There are plans to expand the co-pack part of the business, but the main focus will be on the continuation of producing high-quality ice cream under the Shaw’s Ice Cream brand.
The business has also come full circle - the three sisters’ children are working at Dad’s Ice Cream, and in the event trailers, just like their mothers did.
Sue Haines, the only original employee of Shaw’s Ice Cream from the former ownership, still works in the Tillsonburg plant and is shown with ice cream making machines in the background.
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Sisters, left to right, Kim McCutchen, Kristine Hayes and Kelly Heleniak are the owners of the Shaw’s Ice Cream plant in Tillsonburg.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Enjoying ice cream at Dad’s is a Tillsonburg summer tradition.
SPORTS
Tanner Jacko ‘swipes right’ to NEC Pilgrims baseball scholarship
JEFF TRIBE Post Correspondant
Tanner Jacko has swiped right to the New England College Pilgrims NCAA Division III baseball program.
“Just overall really excited and really grateful to have the opportunity,” said the Tri-City Giants and Glendale Gemini product from his Tillsonburg residence.
Jacko came comparatively late to baseball, finally giving in to parents’ Darren and Michelle’s urging to join a competitive sport at the age of 12. Initially reluctant due to the potential for failure, Tanner discovered he absolutely loved baseball. He trained that winter with CF Sports in London, feeling the process of learning good habits from scratch, rather than unlearning years of bad ones, helped his progress.
Jacko moved up from house league to rep ball with the Tillsonburg Otters the next season and following a COVID-19 interruption, went on to play with the Halton Badgers in Burlington, before a year with Oakville’s Ontario Terriers in the Canadian Premier Baseball League. This summer, Jacko is suiting up with the Giants in the Fergie Jenkins Showcase League, playing a majority of left field, some in right, with the odd pitching appearance. More of a contact hitter, doubles rather than home runs, he has compiled a batting average ranging between .310 and .320.
“Last time I checked it was like .315.”
The athletic atmosphere he experienced during exhibition play against NCAA competition whetted Jacko’s appetite around the possibility of playing at the college level in the United States.
“It just really made me want to go to school and have that same experience. No matter what level, university sports is university sports, it doesn’t matter where you play,” he said.
He linked up with the NCSA College Recruiting app, uploading photos, his academic record and batting cage, practice and game highlight reel videos shot by his dad onto a platform accessible to college coaches. In a way, it’s like a dating app, perspective suitors assessing the suitability of a match from afar, with the potential to move forward.
Tanner was thrilled to receive an email from Pilgrims’ coach Terry Doyle, whose 10-year career in the minor leagues as a pitcher followed being drafted out of
Boston College by both the Los Angeles Dodgers (2007) and Chicago White (2008). Doyle requested a phone call in which he indicated he liked Jacko’s skillset, went over the pros of attending NEC, and the two set up an on-site visit.
“I’m not too much of a dating app guy, but I think it’s swipe right,” Tanner laughed.
NEC is located in Henniker, New Hampshire, a community of 6,200. The university is also smaller, with 800 students on campus and an additional couple of hundred served online.
“It’s a very welcoming environment,” said Jacko, a smaller-town guy comfortable with the small-town atmosphere.
His three-hour tour featured the school, its classrooms, residence accommodation he will share with a baseball team roommate, and a description of how his first year would unfold.
“He walked me through what the first year would be like for me,” said Jacko, looking primarily to play in left field, some right, with a personal interest in pitching fostered with seven or eight innings as closer in the Gemini’s 2025 run through WOSSAA to OFSAA.
“That was an awesome experience,” said Jacko. “I might pitch as well on the side.”
The fact NEC has smaller class sizes was also attractive to Jacko and his parents, lining up the intention of a degree in business marketing.
“I want a good education as well,” said Tanner, who achieved 92 per cent average at Glendale during his graduating year.
His marks were crucial to a scholarship offer Jacko believes, reassuring coach Doyle he’ll maintain the required 2.0 grade point average to keep his scholarship offer active. It includes a huge majority of the school’s $60,000 U.S. tuition fee, rendering his final cost toward comparable to attending a Canadian post-secondary institution.
“Without the scholarship, no way.”
Jacko looks forward to the opportunity with a mixture of excitement and nervousness, looking to perform well at the fall baseball season which will represent Doyle’s first true look at his skillset. The Jacko family leaves for Henniman, Aug. 19th, move-in day is August 21st and classes begin August 24th.
“I’m just happy to see what the future holds,” Tanner concluded.
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
Tanner Jacko, shown here walking off the mound after closing out the Tillsonburg Gemini’s WOSSAA-clinching victory, is headed south of the border to play for the NCAA Division III New England College Pilgrims on athletic scholarship.
"Buzz" Marques walks off John Beere in slo-pitch
EYE ON SLOPITCH
This is an exciting time of year as division titles are up for grabs.
In Ladies A, the Jays are six points up on both Simmonds Mortgages and Foldens Machine Works. In the B loop, Kyle Nesbitt Trucking is five points ahead of Wildcats.
On the men’s side, 1,2 Seal Insulation Hawks seem destined to be the A Division regular season champs. The B group is completely up for grabs narrowly led by At My Playground/IQT Logistics, Bayham Construction Lumberjacks, Pelicans and Underhill Farm Supply are all in the mix. Shaw's Ice Cream Sluggers and Sticky Bandits are tied for first currently with identical 10-2 records.
Men's A Division
The hottest team in the A Loop is The Mill. They have won six in a row, and find themselves in fourth place after beating Smitty's Electrical twice last week. 1,2 Seal Insulation Hawks continue to lead the division after beating Bill Klyn Carpentry and Cobra Chickens. Cobra Chickens edged out second-place Leeswood Construction Dirty Mitts. Leeswood and O&L Duct Design Ducks each beat Hit N Run. Bill Klyn collected the other win, defeating Courtland Landscape and Grounds.
Bill Klyn Carpentry-11, Courtland Landscape and Grounds-6
Leeswood-Alex Penders 4-4, 2HR; Kent Collings 3-4; Trevor Stuyt HR.
Game Synopsis-Cobra Chickens started off quick, plating seven runs in their first three atbats. Marcus Peters was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
Leeswood Construction Dirty Mitts-12, Hit N Run -9
Leeswood-Alex Penders 3-4, HR; Tim Townsend 3-4, HR.
Hit N Run-Peter Klassen 4-4; Diedrich Klassen 3-3; Jacob Klassen HR; Martin Klassen HR.
Game Synopsis-Alex Penders and Tim Townsend each had a homer and a double for the winners.
1,2 Seal Insulation Hawks-25, Bill Klyn Carpentry-20
Hawks -Johnny Klassen 6-6, 3HR; Peter Epp 4-4, HR; Jake Klassen HR; Daniel Klassen HR; Evan Bueckert HR.
Bill Klyn-Jake Millar 5-5, HR; Nick Joosse 3-4; Kyle McDougall 2HR; Dallas Dalby HR.
Game Synopsis- The nine-men Hawks squad were led by Johnny Klassen's three homer and three double performance.
1,2 Seal Insulation Hawks-23, Cobra Chickens-6
Hawks-Martin Klassen 6-6, 3HR; Jake Klassen 4-5; Ben Bueckert 2HR; Johnny Klassen HR; Daniel Klassen HR.
Cobra Chickens-Wyatt Blatz 3-3; Marcus Enns 2-3; Caleb Reimer HR.
Game Synopsis-Martin Klassen homered three times and drove in seven for the Hawks.
The Mill-24, Smitty's Electrical-14
The Mill-Steve Derks 5-5, 2HR; Mike Supinski 4-5; Bob Evans HR.
Smitty's-Brett Sinden 4-4; Doug Falkins 3-4.
Game Synopsis-The Mill scored runs in every inning. Steve Derks scored four runs.
O&L Duct Design Ducks-26, Hit N Run-16
O&L-Wil Hanson 5-5; Christian Devlin 5-6; Spence Meron 2HR; Phil Durham HR.
Hit N Run-Diedrich Klassen 4-4, 2HR; Peter Klassen 4-5; Johnny Unger HR; Peter Dyck HR.
Game Synopsis-O&L won the battle of nine against nine,.Wil Hanson reached and scored in all five plate appearances.
Men's B Division
This division title will go right down to the wire as just two points separate four teams from first. At My Playground/IQT Logistics narrowly have taken over the lead after a pair of lopsided victories Thursday and Friday. They lost by 10 to Pelicans at the start of the week. Pelicans split the rest of their week with a walk-off win over John Beere and a loss to Underhill Farm Supply. Underhill lost a close one to Copper Mug-Lubricare Wannabee's. John Beere collected close victories over Side 2 Side Exteriors Strike Force and Sandy Shore Brew Jays. Designated Drinkers pulled the upset of the week edging out Bayham Construction Lumberjacks, Bayham bounced back with an easy win over Sandy Shore.
John Beere-16, Side 2 Side Exteriors Strike Force-14
John Beere-Bob Long 4-5; Shaun Elliott 4-5; Rob Verhoeve HR.
Strike Force-John Klassen 4-4; Johnny T. Klassen 4-4.
Game Synopsis-A big five-run fifth keyed John Beere 's victory. Keith McMerty and Mark Carrel hit back-to-back doubles in the rally.
Designated Drinkers-11, Bayham Construction Lumberjacks-10
Game Synopsis-Dave Martin reached and scored on a Will Martin double in the seventh for the winners.
Pelicans-23, John Beere-22
Pelicans-Rob Down 3-3; Andrew Dawson 3-3; Jeff Cadotte HR; Grand Slam; Adam Jensen HR; Ryan Marques HR.
John Beere-Mark Vanderhaeghe 4-4 HR; Jesse Anderson 3-4; Mark Carrel HR.
Game Synopsis-Ryan Marques hit his first career slo-pitch homer and it will be a memorable one as the round trippers walked off John Beere.
At My Playground/IQT Logistics-25, Side 2 Side Exteriors Strike Force-12
A.M.P.-Trent Masschaele 3-4; Brandon Balazs 4-4.
Strike Force-Jacob Enns 3-4; John Klassen 3-4.
Game Synopsis-Pitcher Trent Masschaele helped his own cause scoring three runs for the winners.
John Beere-14, Sandy Shore Brew Jays-11
John Beere-Bob Long 4-4; Robert Verhoeve 3-4 HR.
Brew Jays-Josh Mabee 4-4; Mike Haegens 2-4.
Game Synopsis-Rob Verhoeve was a single shy of hitting for the cycle for the winners. Sandy Shore 's Brian Reddecopp robbed John Beere 's Trevor Fleet of extra bases with a miraculous catch in left.
At My Playground/IQT Logistics-20, Designated Drinkers-1
A.M.P.-Logan Savoy 4-4; Riley Balazs 4-4.
Drinkers-Johnny Abel 2-2; Mark Vanlagen 2-2.
Game Synopsis-Brandon Balazs scored four runs for the winners.
Game Synopsis-Pelicans scored multiple runs in every inning. Joe Kingsbury, Ryan Marques
and Chris Parker all scored four runs.
Men’s C Division
Bird's Golf upset the number-one seeded Shaw's Ice Cream Sluggers to move to within one point of third place. Sticky Bandits won twice to pull into a first-place tie with Sluggers, both with impressive 10-2 marks. C.R. Custom Engraving Smokin Bases and Team Swingers each beat Cain's Brickhouse Boys. Tailgators walked one off over R.L.P. Melanie Luksys to tie Bird's in the standings.
Game Synopsis-Everyone in the winner’s order scored at least one run.
Ladies’ A Division
Simmonds Mortgages handed Jays their second loss of the season, winning by six after a 10run victory over Foldens Machine Works on the Monday. Jays had lopsided victories over Trillium Court and Wildcats. Foldens also mercied Trillium.
Game Synopsis-Jen Francis and Mandi Vickers each scored three runs for Foldens. Vickers also hit a three-run homer.
Jays-19, Wildcats-2
Jays-Maddi Obar 4-4; Elisha Duyvestijin 4-4.
Wildcats-Lingli Wong ;Nikki Lama
Game Synopsis-Alana Haskett, Elisha Duyvestijin and Maddi Obar each scored three runs for Jays.
Ladies’ B Division
Kyle Nesbitt Trucking continue to lead the pack after victories over George’s Auto and Wildcats. Wildcats earned a tie with Resting Pitch Face on the Monday. George’s won a close one over Rest-
Game Synopsis-Wildcats tied this one with two runs in their last at-bat. Krystal Sivyer scored the tying run and tripled twice.
Kyle Nesbitt Trucking-17, George’s Auto-5
Nesbitt-Amanda McLooey 3-3; Carrie MacDonald 4-4.
George’s-Katie Sweetland 2-3; Erica Thompson 2-3.
Game Synopsis-Tammy Griswold and Missy Falkins each scored three runs for Nesbitt.
George’s Auto-14, Resting Pitch Face-11
George’s-Reina Dewatcher 4-4; Justine Hanson 4-4.
Resting-Jenna Wilford 3-3; Martina McCallum 3-3.
Game Synopsis-Brittany Sandham scored four runs for George’s.
Kyle Nesbitt Trucking-19, Wildcats-6
Nesbitt-Kim Hurd 4-4; Nicole Morgan 4-4, HR. Wildcats-Nikki Lama 3-3; Shannon Collings 3-3.
Game Synopsis-Kyle Nesbitt scored 17 runs over their final three at bats. Nicole Morgan homered and doubled twice.
Registration open for fall soccer
JEFF HELSDON Editor
Fall soccer for youth is now open.
Last year was the first for program, which will start Aug. 16 and run until Oct. 18. Players take to the field from 10 a.m. to noon, dependent on the age group, on Saturday mornings.
Jen Bakker, chair of Tillsonburg Minor Soccer’s operations committee that oversees house league play, said registration started earlier and is open until July 18.
“For administration, I needed to open it earlier to give time for schedules and uniforms,” she said. “We need about 30 more to reach last year’s target.”
Last fall was the first time there was fall soccer in about a decade. There were three divisions for youth from five to 12-years-old.
Summing up the season, Bakker said, “Any time kids are playing soccer, it’s a success.”
This year there will be four divisions, with expanded age groups, now covering from four years to 13. The schedule doesn’t include any long weekends.
Adult women’s soccer a success
Bakker, along with club director Lindsey Mejaski, started an adult women’s soccer league earlier this season for ladies ages 16 and over. The result was four teams, playing on Sunday nights.
“A lot of women don’t want to play with men in the co-ed league,” Bakker said. “It’s a little more competitive in the co-ed league than women’s. You put your kids to bed, or do your nightly ritual, and then you get to leave for an hour and just
Red Sox drop both
If walks be the stuff of loses, throw strikes.
This message failed to reach the Tillsonburg Red Sox pitching staff on July 13th as walk after walk proved once again to be the deciding factor in backto-back mercy loses to the Simcoe Seniors.
GAME 1
Lefty Laur started on the bump for the Red Sox and pitched two innings of good ball to start the game. Lefty was helped out by a crafty double play that was turned by Jordan Vitias at first and Kid Appleford at the plate to end the second.
Tillsonburg took an early lead when Iron Ring Rachar reached on a fielding error and was moved into scoring position by a Rob Verhoeve single. Fish Verschueren hit a hot shot back to the pitcher that was turned for a double play, but Rachar trotted home.
In the top half of the third, Alex Fish -
hang out with women.”
She is playing with her daughter, who is 18 and didn’t want to play co-ed. Bakker pointed to her example and said it can be a mother-daughter thing. There are also groups of co-workers who play together on a team.
For Mejaski, when she heard about the concept from Bakker, she jumped on board.
“I always played soccer growing up, but don’t think I want to play in the Friday night league,” she said. “I like the idea of non-competitive, just for fun, geared to people who just want to have a good time and not taking it too seriously.”
Mejaski has found it’s been a good social night out as well.
“It’s a great way to meet people, make friends, and stay active,” she said.
With games at 7:30 p.m., the canteen is open on alternate weeks.
Mejaski, who helped with social media and promotion of the league, is hoping it will attract more players next year.
“Some girls are playing who have
played their whole lives and there’s others who it’s their first year playing,” she said. “A lot of the new girls have learned a lot and enjoy playing so far.”
Players can sign up as a team or as individuals who will be placed on a team.
games of doubleheader to Simcoe Seniors
back took first base on an error, then Rachar moved him to third on a deep single to center. Fish Verschueren hit a sacrifice fly to cash Fishback.
The Seniors took the lead in the bottom of the third with two hits followed by two walks. With the bases still loaded, the ball was hit sharply to Vitias at first, who rifled it home to get the lead runner, but when Appleford received the ball his foot was not on the plate and the tag was late allowing another Simcoe run. The mental gaff seemed to take the wind out of the Sox sails as the Seniors went on to plate four more runs in the frame.
Kylen Miners relieved Laur in the fourth and gave up free passes to four of the next five Simcoe batters. Josh Verschueren was called in to take control of the inning but again four of five batters reached without a hit. In total, Simcoe scored five runs in the fourth without achieving a hit. Over four innings Tillsonburg’s hurlers set a season high by combining for 12 walks. When the umpire cried “Mercy!” the score stood 12-2.
Tillsonburg......................101 00 - 2 4 1
Simcoe...........................016 5x - 12 6 2
Summary: ER, Tillsonburg 2, Simcoe
GAME 2
The Red Sox were without two of their big bats in Verhoeve and Jeff Prouse for game two. Even with the offensive setback, the team rattled off nine hits over five innings off Simcoe’s starter Johnson.
Kid Appleford took to the hill for Tillsonburg and the rookie went 3-1/3 innings, giving up nine hits and seven walks for 10 runs while striking out one. The Kid endured as Simcoe pushed four across in the first. Three runs came on a bases-clearing double by Holmes.
Tillsonburg’s lone run came in the
third when Vitias knocked a two-out double, then scored on Kevin Listar’s single to right.
The Seniors singled four times and stole twice in the third to widen their lead. The game was put out of reach in the fourth with three more Simcoe runs coming across to score on two hits and three walks. The Red Sox were finally put out of their misery in the fifth when a fielder’s choice brought in the eleventh Simcoe run for the mercy. To rub salt in the wound, Rachar’s on-base streak came to an end after 13 games.
(FILE PHOTO)
Fall soccer registration is open until tomorrow. The league starts in mid-August and runs until mid-October.
GRAHAM NICKERSON Post Contributor
11; LOB, Tillsonburg 8, Simcoe 5; 2B, Hare; RBI , B. Verschueren (2), Hare (2), Martinow, Johnson, Holmes, Rompel, Shortt, Boyd (2); W, Boyd; L , Laur; BB, Laur (5), Miners (4), J. Verschueren (3), Boyd (4); K , Boyd (9);Time, 1:48
Summary: ER, Tillsonburg 1, Simcoe 10; LOB, Tillsonburg 7, Simcoe 8; 2B, Vitias, Holmes (2); RBI , Listar, Barnard, Zelen (2), Holmes (5), Johnson (2); W, Johnson; L , Appleford; BB, Appleford (7), West (2), Johnson (1); K , Appleford (1), West (2), Johnson (4);Time, 1:57
+BÜDDIES FEST
Punk veteran Milo Aukerman drew an impressive crowd with the band All on Saturday. The blazing summer heat didn't slow them down, as fans rocked out for the entire set. Also known for performing as the Descendents, an influential punk band that originated in the late 1970s, the group brought die-hard fans of both to the main stage.
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
Canadian punk rock band Pkew Pkew Pkew was on the outdoor stage Friday, playing a mix of their older songs and newer material.
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
The Drew Thomson Foundation was one of the bands that hit the stage at Paddy’s Underground on Friday night with a schedule that alternated between the indoor and outdoor stages.
(STACIE EDEN PHOTO)
A fan showed enthusiasm the old-school way as the audience lifted him over their heads to crowdsurf during All's set on Saturday.
(STACIE EDEN PHOTO)
Guilhem traveled from Montreal with his acoustic guitar to perform at Paddy's Underground on Saturday, bringing smiles to the faces of his audience.
(STACIE EDEN PHOTO)
(STACIE EDEN PHOTO)
Jon Snodgrass performed on Saturday as evening fell and the crowd grew at the main stage.
(STACIE EDEN PHOTO)
All’s bassist Karl Alvarez and lead singer Milo Aukerman had the crowd pumped up with their high-energy punk rock set Saturday evening.
MUSIC CORNER
IAN BW brings pop-punk power to The Copper Mug Aug. 1
BEN ANDRESS
Tillsonburg Post Columnist
Southern Ontario band
IAN BW is making noise literally and figuratively with a growing reputation for emotionally raw high-energy shows and a brand of pop-punk that hits hard and sticks. On
Friday, Aug. 1 vocalist and guitar player Ian Webster and drummer Hilton Schnekenburger will be bringing that sound to The Copper Mug in Tillsonburg for a night that promises catchy songs and more heart than hype.
It’s been a big summer for the band. They just dropped a new single called “Serpent Ink” last week, which is now available on all digital streaming platforms and recently took home the Forest City London Music Award for Punk Artist of the Year, putting them squarely on the radar of Ontario’s alternative music scene.
Still, frontman Ian Webster remains grounded in what the band is trying to say, and who they are hop -
UPCOMING SHOWS
Underground
$35 - 8 p.m. - all ages/licensed
JULY 18 - SDN COMEDY & DAN HAMM
Copper Mug
ing to reach.
“IAN BW is many things both sonically and physically.” Webster explains. “Folks should expect a sonically full show with high-energy, interactive, emotional and melodic choruses, mostly revolving around themes of problems and situations young adults such as ourselves are faced with.”
Live, the band channels a kind of wild honesty where emotion takes priority over polish and audience connection trumps perfection. It’s a formula more bands should follow.
“Right now, we are in the middle of raising funds for the next project and trying to play as many shows as we can in the hopes that our music can reach
JULY 19 - DAVE BELLAIRE
people who might need it someday,” says Webster. “Like I felt I needed many of the bands I grew up listening to in order to be who I am today, both mentally and physically.”
IAN BW draws inspiration from both the peers from the same local Southern Ontario music scene and international touring bands. IAN BW is blending the spirit of Ontario’s underground with the pulse of genre staples.
“We take inspiration from many places such as the local Southwestern Ontario scene. Bands like Polluted, Moore Ave and Full Throttle and mainstream artists such as Turnstile with our new song, Bayside,” Webster explains. “As for inspira-
tions of energy on stage, I have inspirations but there is an energy that takes over us while we are on stage that we don’t even really think about. It just kind of releases naturally.”
Though the band started as a solo venture it quickly evolved into something communal and collaborative.
“IAN BW was one person but it became so much better and bigger when Hilton joined,” Ian grins as he explains the history of the band. “The band name wasn’t changed. My name is Ian and the BW can stand for whatever you want. The music is more important than the marketing to us.”
Between a fresh single, a major local award and
a packed summer schedule, IAN BW is riding real momentum into their upcoming Tillsonburg appearance. If you're looking for something loud, honest and made from the same kind of frustration and fire that powers every great punk song, The Copper Mug is the place to be.
The concert is presented by Cartridge Heart and also features performances from Toronto bands
The Mendozaz and Sixteen Scandals. The event starts at 8 p.m. and has a pay-what-you-can ticket price.
If you want to find out more details about the band, you can follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ianbwmusic
SnackRite brings West African cuisine to town
JEFF HELSDON Editor
Tillsonburg diners looking for something different when searching for international cuisine locally should check out SnackRite.
The restaurant, which opened on March 22 at 145 Simcoe St., features West African cuisine.
The eatery is the first restaurant for owners John and Olaide Araoye. Moving here from Nigeria, they noticed a void in this style of cuisine in Tillsonburg.
“We didn’t find any West African here so we opened,” John said.
They described the food as authentic, traditional type of cooking using spices.
“It’s not like the traditional burger we eat everytime,” John said.
The food is all fresh.
“We get it fresh from the farm,” Olaide said. “We don’t use processed food.”
“We don’t fry anything,” John added. “The only food we fry is French fries.”
Meat pies are one of the main features
on the menu. Jollof rice and chicken is the best seller to date. The menu also has seafood soup, peppered chicken, peppered turkey, peppered goat, fried plantain and many other unique items.
On the dessert side, puff bites are a feature.
“It’s similar to Tim Bits, and less sugary,” John said.
“It’s not hard, it’s soft,” Olaide added.
The reception to their food at their TurtleFest booth was overwhelming. They sold out of all their food.
“A lot of people bought our food, left and came back again,” John said.
TurtleFest was an example of the catering SnackRite offers for weddings and birthday parties.
The couple have lived in Tillsonburg since 2023. John had a career in IT as a project manager after attending university in England.
“We decided let’s look for more opportunities, somewhere we could raise our kids to be nice people.,” he said.
“Canada looked welcoming as there’s lots of multicultural people, so we decided let’s give it a shot.”
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
SnackRite, located on Simcoe Street, is the latest addition to Tillsonburg’s restaurant scene. Owners John and Olaide Araoye offer West African cuisine at their new venture.
A ‘magical’ trip for lakers on Huron’s deep, blue waters
THE LOST TRIBE
A photographer’s magic light coincided with a fisherman’s magical run.
Back-to-back-to-back, basking in the gentle horizontal glow of a sun settling toward Lake Huron’s western horizon, our two downrigger rods alternatively dipped, signalling strikes of voracious lake trout some 125 feet below.
Rob Steinbach capped the flurry with an extended five-minute battle, savouring patiently working a fish toward the surface with a dragless fly reel.
“That’s a big one,” our unofficial first mate Nick Espinal commented, indicating a healthy bend in Steinbach’s mooching rod.
Too soon perhaps, the fight was over, Espinal deftly extending the net to corral another beautiful laker, which on quick inspection, ranked as our largest.
“That might be 10 (pounds),” Steinbach guesstimated, adding with a laugh: “I’m just trying to brag.”
We had headed out of Goderich’s harbour some three-and-a-half hours earlier, late on a balmy early July afternoon on calm blue waters, cooled with a light breeze under high blue skies. (For associated video, search ‘Lost Tribe Lake Huron’ on YouTube.)
Our four-member party included a guy growing up pulling horned dace and chub from his family farm’s creek; Steinbach, following his father and uncle’s fishing tradition including early days at the Mitchell Fish and Game Club’s stocked pond; Espinal, whose dad took him along river fishing for dorado in his native Columbia; and captain David Palmer of Maitland Val-
Palmer began chartering a decade ago, working around his ‘other’ business, Palmer’s Home Renovations. His fishing roots reach back to paddling ‘tin boats’ as a boy scout on a small lake near Wiarton, seeking pike and bass.
“Boats can be addictive,” he warned with a smile, Palmer’s passion for fishing leading to ‘Far From Workin II’, a 24-foot Alexis Pro by Thunderjet powered with a 300 HP Mercury Verado, along with a 15-horse trolling motor and full range of electronics.
He supports numerous charitable causes and also thoroughly enjoys introducing young anglers to the sport, happy to get them off their electronics and out into nature’s pristine beauty. Casting off and leaving the harbour, we passed the infrastructure supporting Goderich’s salt mine, which says Palmer is as deep as the CN
tower is tall, extending far out underneath Lake Huron.
Our destination was fish-holding structure 20-plus miles offshore roughly in the middle of the lake, accessed by trolling north and south inside the Canadian-U.S. border. Palmer seeks a variety of species with an extended ‘array’, varying colour and presentation depths. In general, he was working closer to the surface for coho and chinook salmon, and rainbow trout with lead-core and braided steel line and Dipsy Divers carried wide of the boat by lines attached to planer boards. He was also chasing bottom-hugging lake trout with a pair of weighted downriggers mounted on its stern.
There are tried and true lures which consistently produce fish says Palmer, but it’s very much a day-to-day thing. This year, for example, the fish seem determined to break the old ‘bright colours for a bright day, dark colours for a dull day’ mantra. Producing relies on a complicated series of equations featuring water depth as it relates to temperature, lure colour, speed, changing speed and turning, time of day, mood of the fish, and as ever, a bit of luck.
“It’s always a different day,” Palmer smiled. “The fish are always full of surprises.”
A bit of lingering haze burned off, the breeze making the sun’s warmth comfortable rather than oppressive, the gentle thrum of the trolling motor provided a drowsy backdrop on a picture-perfect day almost too beautiful to interrupt.
Interrupted it would be however, the rod served by the downrigger to the left dipping sharply.
There was no loud ‘Fish on!’, merely an ‘Oh… oh!’ from Steinbach followed by a quick path to the rod, disengaging the line from the downrigger connector, setting the hook and gracious insistence the rookie take honours.
“Rod tip up,” Palmer advised calmly,
“keep the pressure on.”
He encourages anglers to extend the experience, stay relaxed and don’t be in too much of a hurry to reel in, an approach Palmer believes also increases odds of landing fish. Mooching rods and fly reels also encourage a more intimate connection.
“The old fellas call it (the reel) a knuckle-buster, one-to-one so it’s just you and the fish,” Palmer smiled, admitting the set-up can be a challenge should a big chinook make a run. “If you don’t get out of the way, it’s going to hurt.”
While fully understanding that concept, there is admittedly an urge to make sure you, as the new guy, get the fish to the boat.
“I’d give him seven (pounds),” Steinbach said, exaggerating kindly if only slightly.
His turn was next, and translating extensive Lake Ontario salmon fishing experience to his new environs, the chartered accountant proved as handy with mooching rod and fly reel as at protecting clients from excessive taxation.
“Well done, Rob!” Espinal credited of a fish representing Steinbach’s personal best laker, and largest of the day to date.
The first had hit on a silver spoon with pink and purple highlights, the second on silver and pink, both from around 125 feet of water at a temperature of around 46-47 degrees Fahrenheit, 25 less than a surface 73.
“Lake trout love the cold water,” said Palmer.
As the evening advanced, so did our fish count, a majority of successes amongst the odd good-natured jibe about ‘live releasing’ fish shy of the boat. Each angler had multiple opportunities to battle and land fish, Espinal re-establishing the fact the left side of the stern was his lucky spot. Palmer conceded to reel one fish in, his measured, gentle approach illustrating his theory on patience.
“Get bigger,” Palmer said, releasing a smaller specimen back into Lake Huron’s depths.
As enjoyable as the fishing was, so too were our surroundings, clear blue waters, the distant Canadian coast, a light flashing on a communication tower along the American shoreline, a passing freighter headed toward the harbour, a 225-metrelong/24-metre-wide craft travelling at 14.94 miles per hour according to Palmer’s electronics.
“The Algoma Endeavour,” he related. “He’s going into Goderich to pick up salt.”
The highlight, if you will, came at 8:17 p.m. on the rapid-fire strikes, potentially a confluence of structure and timing.
“A bit of both I think,” Palmer assessed. “Whatever it was, I’ll take it,” he added with a laugh. “Nature’s magic.”
Espinal landed one final laker as the sun kissed the horizon, the moon taking over as we embarked on our journey back toward the harbour. A wonderful afternoon of fishing lay behind us, lake trout fillets in the cooler the best form of celebrating shared memories.
“We’re on a boat, that’s a good day,” Steinbach summed up.
“The smell of fish - even better,” Espinal concluded with a smile.
JEFF TRIBE Tillsonburg Post Columnist
Rob Steinbach shows off one of the lake trout caught during an early July charter out of Goderich.
(JEFF TRIBE PHOTO)
Sunset is closing in as Nick Espinal works to bring a lake trout to the boat.
(JEFF TRIBE PHOTO)
TOWNSHIP OF NORWICH NEWS
Norwich opts for in-person voting during 2026 municipal elections
LUKE EDWARDS
Post Contributor
Those who wish to cast a ballot in next year’s municipal elections will have to do it in person.
Norwich councillors approved a staff report at the July 8 council meeting that recommended endorsing in-person voting. The report also recommended the use of vote tabulating machines, which have been used in Norwich elections since 2010. It doesn’t appear that mail-in voting will make a return after being used in 2022.
“I still think it’s the most honest, fairest way to calculate the votes,” said Coun. Lynne DePlancke, who supported the in-person recommendation. Those who are away during the election period can always vote by proxy, she added.
A municipality’s clerk is largely responsible for administering local elections. However, councillors can pass bylaws that have to do with the use of technology such as vote tabulating machines, as well as alternative voting methods such as mail-in or phone voting.
Mail-in voting was used in 2022, said clerk Kimberley Armstrong, though not without some opposition.
“(There were) quite a few residents that expressed concerns during the process,” Armstrong said.
“There is familiarity and general comfort amongst residents with this traditional voting process.”
The idea behind including alternate methods is to get more people participating in the electoral process. Turnout in Norwich was 51 per cent, which is higher than the provincial average of just under 33 per cent. This is according to a review by the Association of the Municipalities of Ontario.
“We absolutely want to have as many voters getting their vote across,” said Coun. Shawn Gear.
However, CAO Matt Smith cited some research that found factors other than voting process are the main drivers of turnout.
“There’s a lot of research for Ontario that basically shows that voting method has no impact on turnout whatsoever,” he said. Instead, competitive races for mayor and larger issues tend to drive turnout.
Some councillors had concerns over the use of voting tabulators, though Armstrong said they’ve been in use in Norwich for several elections, and the machines are calibrated and tested before going into use.
Municipal elections in Ontario next take place on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. Norwich still has to determine advance poll dates and locations, though Armstrong said they’ll likely be similar to last election.
Councillor seeks ways to improve identification of road issues
A Norwich councillor is looking for ways to ensure soft spots, washouts and other road issues are identified, and ultimately fixed, more quickly.
Coun. Adrian Couwenberg put forward a motion at the July 8 council meeting calling for a staff report on the township’s road patrols program. His goal was to use the patrols to better document and fix persistent issues on Norwich roads.
“If we see there’s issues from these road patrol reports then we can direct the funds appropriately,” he said.
However, CAO Matt Smith suggested such an effort might be better separated from the road patrol program, which is a provincially mandated process that municipalities like Norwich follow to a fairly standardized process.
“There is a fundamental difference between something we’re mandated to do in certain way for maintenance versus keeping track of
what we need to do on all of our assets and how much we spend on our assets,” he said, adding something akin to an asset-based work order system might be more appropriate.
Director of Public Works Ken Farkas also said the software they use for road patrols is specific to the minimum standards.
The motion directs “staff to prepare a report regarding impacts to the Road Patrol Program which may result from including identification and logging of issues such as soft spots, pooling of water, washouts, etc.”
Farkas said much of the information is already included in the road patrol reports, albeit through the lens of minimum standards. Some, like soft spots and brushing, aren’t. Washouts, meanwhile, occur after significant weather events, and Farkas said staff already go out to check on roads after a storm.
Couwenberg said the information would also be helpful for councillors to respond to resident calls. For instance, if he gets a call about a washout, he can check the road patrol report and let the resident know that’s it’s been acknowledged and staff are on it.
LUKE EDWARDS Post Contributor
Rwanda Now produces ‘Big Three’, myriad memories for Canadian traveller
The massive white rhino passed within 20 metres and continued southward, the makings of a credit card commercial in her wake.
Our rental vehicle cost a chunk, elevated suspension and four-wheel-drive invaluable on Akagera National Park’s driving trails. A Kayonza Café breakfast of samosas, meatballs, beignet and excellent Rwandan coffee ran $6 Canadian. And our paperless entrance fee came in at $100 U.S a head.
But less than a half-hour into our African safari, the $40-U.S-per-day services of local guide Firmin Hirwa had already proven priceless.
“Rhino!” he exclaimed, pointing off in the distance.
In rapid Kinyarwanda, Hirwa passed directions to our Canadian host, Rwandan expatriate Jean-Claude Munyezamu. Pausing to let a young black mamba slither past, Munyezamu turned, heading back the way we had come. Hirwa expertly gauged the rhino’s path and pace, asking Munyezamu to stop and then back up 20 metres, a cape buffalo hoof from the previous evening’s lion kill banging off our left, rear wheel well.
Transfixed, we sat silently as the rhino covered the final 100 metres, angling directly in front of us and ambling onward, graceful for all her bulk.
“My name means lucky and today we
are just that,” Hirwa said as our collectively held breaths released in awe and admiration.
We were on safari not in a zoo – but he and Akagera had delivered.
My unlikely path from Beaconsfield, Ont. to Akagera National Park, Rwanda led through a feature story with Munyezamu. A survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, he arrived in Canada as a refugee, settling in Calgary. Munyezamu started a soccer program to improve his public-housing neighbourhood, ultimately morphing into Umoja Community Mosaic (umojamosaic.org). The not-forprofit added a culturally sensitive food bank, after-school programs, leadership for young women and a popular community sewing circle.
Inspired during a 2022 visit to Munyezamu’s former village Kabura, Umoja initiated diasporic outreach bringing school uniforms, sports equipment, fresh water and a basketball/volleyball court to the community’s Umurava Primary School. A second fresh-water source for the village centre and improving a road rendered impassable during the rainy season are ongoing goals.
“Come to Rwanda,” said Munyezamu, who makes it a practice to share annual visits.
Beginning with family members, 20 out of 20 (a random yet illustrative number) people expressed significant reservations about a destination primarily recognized by Canadians as the site of horrific genocide.
Deeply respectful and desiring to learn how Munyezamu chose reconciliation over revenge, reassured by his declaration of safety and with a side hustle figuring out how my wife could check ‘African safari’ affordably off her bucket list, I only somewhat nervously boarded Ethiopian Airlines.
Full disclosure: my newspaper career was spent covering sports, council,
knocking together happy features and building an outdoors column, not international political commentary. I will not be starting now. Anyone seeking the 60,000foot overview is encouraged to source alternatives.
My view of a very different Rwanda than I might have expected – ‘Rwanda Now’ if you will – is the ground-level account of a person sharing something of what he experienced.
It began with a tour of the Kigali Genocide Memorial, presenting an intense, no-holds-barred, matter-of-fact and more-balanced account than I might have anticipated. It encompassed Rwandan history, colonialism and other factors leading to genocide. That and the aftermath included victim exhibits, survivors’ personal accounts and importantly, ongoing efforts to reconcile and rebuild following unspeakable horror.
The memorial’s website (https://kgm. rw) includes an option to sign up for a virtual tour.
My day-one impression of Rwanda was that of a nation on the move with sidewalks full of bustling, uniformed students (school is free to Grade 9), mothers with babies, delivery people, joggers and welldressed professionals headed to work. Personal, people-moving and transport vehicles own a share of the road based on size, but motorcycle taxis prized for their ability to skirt traffic dart everywhere as Munyezamu compares them to “a pack of wild dogs.”
On rural highways, “Sophia” photo radar units (so named after a famous smart robot) text transgressors significant fines, thereby lowering previous levels of ve -
hicular carnage. Bicycles remain key to the transportation system for everything from additional humans (the cheapest taxi) to cans of milk, furniture and produce like crates of chickens or up to a half-dozen bunches of bananas to market. Riders dismount to push huge loads up Rwanda’s purported “thousand hills,” the latter a serious underestimation.
Crossing Kigali streets requires either “Rwandan instincts” or common sense. There is little doubt however, should the worst occur, the mess would be cleaned up quickly. Rather than providing social assistance, the country offers paid employment including street sanitation, Kigali’s graffiti-free byways regularly swept clean as a result.
We stayed inside a classic two-bedroom apartment with ensuite bathrooms, kitchenette, WiFi and gated 24-hour security costing $300 U.S a week. An omnipresent streetside ATM equivalent seen everywhere from downtown Rwanda to isolated mountain villages sat outside. In essence, independent contractors under brightly coloured umbrellas staff desks holding thousands of Rwandan francs. The most remote corner of the country is well-connected by cell service exceeding that at our rural Canadian countryside. Clients present a code on their phone to proprietors who hand over cash, receiving a transaction percentage for their efforts. The ATMs and the fact one sees women walking alone on city streets late at night allayed pre-trip fears. Munyezamu recommended protecting one’s cell phone from crimes of opportunity in busy markets for example, but overall, personal safety was not a concern.
The local milkman enjoys a quiet moment at Kabura village centre. (JEFF TRIBE PHOTO)
A farm labourer puts down a bundle of freshly-cut hay to check his phone in a hilly section of Rwanda.
(JEFF TRIBE PHOTO)
JEFF TRIBE Tillsonburg Post Columnist
We breakfasted a short stroll away, past a medical centre typically filled with mothers and young children, part of universal health care our host says is provided via a variable geared-to-income contribution. A six-egg Spanish omelette at Emmanuel Ntuyenabo’s Good Mood Coffee Shop cost the equivalent of a toonie, with a burger and fries costing $5. Ntuyenabo’s is partially farm-to-table, its rural base a progressive multi-hectare operation employing 11. In terms of agriculture, the lush nature of Rwanda’s hilly landscape was a surprise, in effect much of the country is a multi-crop garden. There are ongoing efforts to modernize smaller subsistence operations of under an acre.
Food was very affordable, chicken curry, rice and salad at the Kayonza Cafe running $14 Canadian, another $10 on top at Hotel de Mille Collines – the Hotel Rwanda. As a general rule of thumb, the more white people you see, the more it will cost. There definitely is a tourist versus local price Munyezamu helped us avoid on most occasions.
We mzungu (white people) were a curiosity, mildly so in Kigali, more so in Kabura where students crowded around, curious to discover what mzungu skin or hair feels like.
Soccer was queen; incredibly talented kids in sandals playing on every bit of available space with homemade balls historically made from banana leaves tied up in twine, evolved into plastic cores. Presenting a factory-made ball to a kid in a Vancouver Canucks jersey drew a crowd approaching 100, seemingly from nowhere, within five minutes.
Travelling the countryside offered striking contrasts: farm labourers hand-milling rice backdropped by subdivisions, translatable to Canadian counterparts, speaking to a growing middle class; women carrying stacks of fruit or vegetables on their head, corralling a baby on one hip while chatting on a cell phone held in their other hand; Kigali mansions, the modern 10,000-seat BK Arena hosting Masai Ujuri’s Giants of Africa basketball tournament in both 2023 and 2025; and construction cranes busy as the capital begins to grow up, compared to neat and tidy plaster-faced and painted, baked
mud-and-straw brick houses more prevalent in rural areas.
Progress includes rebuilding Akagera in conjunction with African Parks from devastation caused during the genocide and, subsequently, the 40,000 cattle accompanying returning refugees. Sharing profits and hiring locally encouraged regional support which, with regular patrols, has drastically reduced poaching. Animal populations have also been bolstered by a combination of transplantation and reintroduction. Lions came back in 2015, rising in number to an estimated 60 today, and rhino in 2017, re-qualifying Akagera as a “Big Five” (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and cape buffalo) park.
We would finish with a “Big Three,” the penultimately shy leopard and elephants – approached with caution at the best of time – remaining elusive. Beyond rhino, buffalo and lions, we saw multiple species including amphibious hippos, giraffe, herds of impala, topi, zebra, waterbuck and feisty warthogs among them, along with “life list” African birds.
It’s beyond arrogance to feel one can figure out a country in a couple of weeks, particularly viewing through a North America bias rather than African lens, despite our privilege in accompanying Munyezamu to places foreigners don’t go. But my consistent impression that, regardless where you are, whether you’re mzungu or otherwise, “People are pretty much people,” was only reinforced. In other words, the great majority of us are just trying to pay our bills, have a little fun, feel safe and secure, and believe in some form of a better future for our children. And that Rwanda seems to be striving to build opportunities that, through an accident of privileged geographical birth in Canada, we tend to take for granted.
Unquestionably, the nation faces ongoing challenges, but an initial sense of a narrative moving forward, a country and its people seeing the potential benefits and being willing to put in the work required, was not changed. Neither was the thought it’s a pretty good place for a tourist to experience Africa.
And even if the elephants and leopards didn’t cooperate, that only provided one more reason to return.
A female white rhino passes close by our vehicle in Akagera National Park, Rwanda.
(JEFF TRIBE PHOTO)
A giraffe takes a quick drink at Akagera National Park as two compatriots scan for trouble.
(JEFF TRIBE PHOTO)
Students from Umurava Primary School perform a traditional dance during a ceremony celebrating the school’s new basketball/volleyball court, constructed in conjunction with Umoja Community Mosaic and Stampede Rotary Club, Calgary.
(JEFF TRIBE PHOTO)
Jean-Claude Munyezamu sources money from a street-side ‘ATM.’ (JEFF TRIBE PHOTO)
RIDDLES
I’m not alive, but I can die. I light up the room and live in the sky. What am I?
Star
I have wings and a tail, but I’m not a bird. I soar through the sky without saying a word. What am I?
Airplane
I get sharper the more you use me, but I’m not a knife. What am I?
Mind
You can’t touch me, but I can touch you. I can warm or burn, brighten or blind. What am I?
Sunlight
I’m taken in the morning, but I last all day. I show your face in a flattering way. What am I?
Photo
I’m always hungry, I must always be fed. The finger I touch will soon turn red. What am I?
Fire
I have a bed, but I never sleep. I run and run but never weep. What am I?
River
I’m found in every corner, yet I have no shape. I can be loud or silent, gentle or great. What am I?
Wind
I hide in your pocket, I’m handy and smart. I can call, text, and snap—but I don’t have a heart. What am I?
Phone
I exist between pages, I’m not seen but known. I take you to worlds far beyond your own. What am I?
Story
SUDOKU
WORD SEARCH
COZY CABIN LIFE
County tourism program to promote Tillsonburg
JEFF HELSDON Editor
Will your next stop be Tillsonburg?
A new Oxford County Tourism program is assisting daytrippers in choosing Tillsonburg as their destination of choice.
Meredith Maywood, Oxford County Tourism manager, explained that consumers are looking for trip planning made easy. This is something staff in Oxford County Tourism have recognized for some time and have been trying to address. She explained that many people want to explore lesser-known areas instead of the big destinations, so packages have been put together under the Next Stop program, and in this case Next Stop Tillsonburg.
“We know that we have a lot of great things in the area for touring, and people love small towns. What we want to do is let them know what’s here,” she said.
Maywood explained Next Stop Tillsonburg, for example, will promote a variety of options within the town.
“We also know that they're probably driving two hours or more to get here, so what we say is we want to minimize the drive time and increase the time having fun,” she said. “We're letting them know here are some stops that are in close proximity to each other that you can enjoy and make a fun day out of it.”
The program launched last year with three rural destinations, including one in South-West Oxford. This year is seeing three urban, small towns, added, including Tillsonburg.
“The Tillsonburg campaign is focussed on celebrating those things that are really unique to Tillsonburg, whether that's a local history story that's being shared or it's a business or activity that you can really only find in Tillsonburg,” she said.
The program launch is planned for October and businesses are currently being sought to join the program. Several businesses have already signed on to the program, and if enough are found in the next few weeks, the program could launch earlier in August.
LATE NIGHT THURSDAYS RETURN
Late Night Thursdays return in downtown Tillsonburg on July 24. The Downtown Tillsonburg BIA promotion involves several stores and restaurants in the downtown area staying open until 8 p.m. on Thursday nights, and offering samples of their products and special deals. Visitors are allowed to draw coupons that will give them a discount at downtown restaurants. Kelly Purtill, co-owner of Two Girls and A Cheese Shop, is one of the participants and is picturing during the inaugural Late Night Thursday.
(JEFF HELSDON PHOTO)
TREES
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)
Rain or shine. Bring your lawn chair, a friend, and umbrella. Music will be provided by “Blue Chickory”. Everyone welcome!
PIZZA FEST
Thursday July 24, 2025: 4 pm - 8:30 pm
Downtown Ingersoll
Live Music - Rated Blue, Street Performers, Car Show, Vendors, Stores Open Late, Children's Activities, Hands On Exotics Safari Adventure, and lots of Pizza! Seating available. Free Admission - Food Tickets: $1 ea. Pizza Slice: 3 Tickets Pop/Drink: 1 Ticket. Proceeds to local charities. Visit us on FB/ Instagram: Ingersoll BIA
DELHI & DISTRICT
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
ANNUAL POT LUCK
at the Quance Dam Gazebo
Monday July 14th/25. Set up at 5:30 pm
Bring your favourite dish to share, plate and utensils. Also, a special thank you to the community & surrounding areas for supporting our Plant Sale. Much appreciated.
KIDS' ACTIVITIES
CRAFTS, GAMES, AND STORIES
Every Saturday in July and August, 1-3 p.m.
The Edison, Vienna, & Area Museum 6209 Plank Road, Vienna, ON
FREE admission, no pre-registration necessary. Contact bayhamhistoricalsociety@ hotmail.com for more details.
THE EDISON, VIENNA, & AREA MUSEUM SUMMER PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
The Edison, Vienna, & Area Museum 6209 Plank Road, Vienna, ON
July 19: Cars (Coinciding with the Car Show) July 26: The Edison Lightbulb
August 2: European Vienna
August 9: Party Time! (Coinciding with the Ontario Trillium Foundation Recognition Gala)
August 16: Movies
August 23: Brownie Cameras
August 30: Back to School
FREE admission, no pre-registration necessary. Contact bayhamhistoricalsociety@ hotmail.com for more details.
CANADIAN HARVARD AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION OPEN HOUSE & FLY DAYS
August 16 (Rain Date: August 17)
Sept 13 – Wings & Wheels
All event dates take place from 9am – 4pm Tillsonburg Regional Airport
Join us for our Open House & Fly Days during our special 40th anniversary season. These monthly family-friendly outdoor events are always FREE and offer the opportunity to see our collection of Harvard aircraft up close, tour our hangars, explore restoration projects, purchase souvenirs, and best of all, purchase a flight! Pre-booking your flight experience
is recommended by contacting crewflights@ harvards.com.
OXFORD GRIEF CARE:
FREE Monthly Grief Support Group Register at: oxford.griefsupport@von.ca or 519-539-1231 Ext 6299 or 6296
TILLSONBURG
WHEN: 2nd Tuesday of every month
WHERE: VON Oxford Office 24 Brock St. W., Tillsonburg
TIME: 6:30PM-8:00PM
INGERSOLL
WHEN: 4th Tuesday of every month
WHERE: Ingersoll Public Library 130 Oxford St., Ingersoll
TIME: 10:30AM –12:00Noon
WOODSTOCK
WHEN: 3rd Saturday of every month
WHERE: Sakura House Hospice 715180 Oxford Rd.4, Woodstock
TIME: 10:30AM-12:00Noon
INTERESTED IN BRIDGE?
Join us every Friday at the Tillsonburg
Duplicate Bridge Club at 1 p.m. at The Senior Centre. Don’t have a partner? Come anyway and we will match you up with someone. For more information, visit their Facebook page: TburgBridge.
TILLSONBURG LIONS
The Tillsonburg Lions meet on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. You are invited to their dinner
meetings in the Lion's Den at the Community Centre. If you are interested in giving back to your Community contact Jim at 519 409 0876 for more information.....all are welcome.
MEMBERS GENERAL MEETING
1st Wednesday of every month
Starting at 7:00 pm
Not a member contact us to join The Wagner Memorial Teeterville Legion Branch 526. 3890 Teeterville Road, Teeterville, Ontario. For More Information Call, the Legion 519-443-5588 https://www.teetervillelegionbranch526.ca
WOULD YOU LIKE TO VOLUNTEER TO HELP AT ONE OF OUR EVENTS? WE WELCOME YOU!
You do not need to be a member to Volunteer, Just contact the legion and leave your name and number and purpose of your call. Someone will get back to you as to where you might be needed. Students and Adults welcome. Open hours. Wed.-Fri. 3 pm-10 pm, Sat.1 pm-10 pm, Sun.1 pm-6 pm. For More Information call, the Legion at 519-443-5588 or teetervillelegionbranch526.ca
WEEKLY CRUISE NIGHTS
Hosted by the Tillsonburg Cruisers at the Tim Hortons/Wendys. Everyone is welcome to come and enjoy vehicles of all makes and years.
