December 10, 2011

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

CHRISTMAS

1 NEWS

FREE PERFORMANCES Saturday, December 17 (3:30 & 7:00pm) Sunday, December 18 (3:30pm)

in Concert

www.ChristmasInConcert.com Hansen relay in Woolwich > STORY ON PG.18

VOLUME.....16 ISSUE.........48

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2011

.com

www.

Jingle all the way Hundreds welcome Santa as he visits the Elmira parade

IT’S HIS TIME With Christmas just around the corner, ol’ Saint Nick took some time to make an appearance at Elmira’s Santa Claus Parade Dec. 3. See page 23 for more photos of the event.

Wellesley looking at permits, $200 fee under new fence bylaw Colin Dewar

W

ellesley residents looking to install a fence or modify an existing one face a raft of new paperwork and a permit fee under a proposal discussed this week by township councillors.

Currently the bylaw regulates the height and description of fences for the township. The revision would require residents to obtain a permit from the township’s building department prior to construction or alteration of any fence within the

WEEKEND WEATHER

SATURDAY

Cloudy, flurries

settlement area boundaries, with a price tag of $200.

Over the last year there have been numerous requests made to township staff regarding the construction of fences within the settlement both before and after construction. Staff

-4°

SUNDAY Sunny

members have been answering questions about location of fences in proximity to property lines, height restrictions and the types of fences that are allowed.

When a fence is erected that does not meet the requirements set out in the

0°

Opinion...............12 Business.............15

current bylaw, staff must spend considerable time to have the issue corrected.

By creating a requirement to obtain a permit prior to erecting or altering a fence staff would be able to review

> SEE FENCE ON PG. 05

Living Here.........18 Sports...............24

Classifieds.........32

NEWS 2

THE OBSERVER

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THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

3 NEWS

Continuing a classic

> Kate’s Kause a semifinalist

Elmira author’s first novel follows the characters of Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol Colin Dewar

O

ver the years there have been many different versions of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. From the original tale to films, cartoons even the Muppets have told the story of Ebenezer Scrooge being visited by the three ghosts of Christmas.

But whatever happened to Scrooge after that night?

Author Roy Weber explores that story in his first novel, Unscrooged.

“Everyone does A Christmas Carol. With so many different versions out there I thought ‘no on has done a sequel.’ Something happens to Scrooge after the original story ends, and this is the story that follows afterwards,” said Weber at a book signing held Nov. 26 at the Elmira library.

The story, which picks up a short time after the original events take place, sees Scrooge once again visited by Jacob Marley, who has been given an opportunity to have a transformation much like Scrooge’s in the original.

Jacob is saddled with the ability to see all the misery in the world but is unable to do anything about it or intervene. But he will gain the new power to intervene in the lives of others if Scrooge is able to find someone and transform their heart before midnight.

“The whole story is about Scrooge going out into the world and changing a heart,” said Weber, an Elmira resident.

Using characters developed by Dickens was easy for Weber who has been a huge fan of the 19th century author ever since he travelled through England to visit Dickens’ homestead in London and researched his career, reading some of his newspaper and magazine work.

“I was mindful and reflecting on how he wrote and why he wrote,” said Weber.

“Dickens was examining social morals and it was a great writing on the state of society in those days, which was the foundation for the story. This story is also a tale about redemption, forgiveness and transformation of someone’s heart and mind.”

Keeping with the timeframe established by Dickens, Weber did a lot of research to keep the story true to the era, adding a few historical elements, including an encounter with then prime minister of Britain, Earl Grey, who is a business associate with Scrooge.

“The tea Earl Grey was named after him and I have in the story that their business relationship is Scrooge establishing a tea trading company,” said Weber.

“Grey was involved with initiating legislation for the

SO THE STORY GOES

Elmira resident Roy Weber has written his first novel, Unscrooged, a follow-up to Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Proceeds from the sale of the novel are going to a children’s charity.

Kate’s Kause has reached the semifinal round of the Aviva Community Fund online voting competition. Voting lasts only 12 days, from Dec. 5-16.

Aviva is giving away $1 million in grants to community projects.

Using social networking and the support of local high schools students from Bluevale Collegiate, Waterloo Collegiate and Elmira District Secondary School, Kate’s Kause has inched closer to the final judging round in the large category of $100,000-$150,000.

Kate’s Kause is fundraising to build an inclusive and accessible playground in Elmira that will service all of the Waterloo Region. The playground will be different from existing structures due to the rubberized surfacing, sensory equipment, vestibular and proprioceptive equipment, and a ramping system that allows everyone access to the slides, including children with physical disabilities, new families with babies in strollers, and grandparents and caregivers.

The charity has already raised over $180,000 for the playground, which will cost approximately $250,000.

There is a voting terminal at the customer service desk at the Woolwich Memorial Centre for the public to use or they can vote at www. avivacommunityfund.org.

> Lock it or lose it, police advise Holiday shopping time is also a bonanza for thieves, Waterloo Regional Police remind residents. To that end, they’ve launched the annual “lock it or lose it” campaign, a province-wide crime prevention initiative to remind the public that it’s best to take the time to lock their vehicles and protect their valuables by keeping them out of sight. Shoppers should also be be mindful of their surroundings at all times.

> Correction The “O Come Divine Messiah” ecumenical concert at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Elmira will take place Sunday, Dec. 11. Incorrect information appeared in last week’s edition.

As well, the celebration of song will feature performers from Hawkesville Mennonite Church and Zion Mennonite Fellowship.

> Clarification A letter in last week’s edition incorrectly identified a local veterinary clinic as offering discounted services in connection with stray animals.

> SEE BOOK ON PG. 04

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NEWS 4

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

LAW & ORDER

Police issue caution about common phone scam Wallenstein woman driving a 2012 black Chevy Cavalier eastbound on Line 86 near Herrgott Road slowed down for traffic when she was hit from behind by a 2003 grey Chevy Malibu driven by a 51-year-old Harriston woman. No injuries were reported and no charges were laid. Minor damage was sustained by both vehicles.

>>10:10 AM | A collision

occurred at Raising Mill Gate and Park Avenue in Elmira when a 33-year-old woman from Kitchener driving a 2006 grey Nissan Altima was hit by a 22-year-old Fergus woman driving a 2004 Pontiac Sunfire. The Fergus woman was driving into the sun and drove through a stop sign.

No injuries were reported and moderate damages were sustained to the vehicles. No charges were laid.

December 2 >>8:40 PM | Police and

firefighters responded to a pickup truck fire on Lichty Road in Wellesley Township.

Bad start to the day

olice were contacted Wednesday afternoon about a fraud where a man calls elderly people pretending to be their grandson asking for money to avoid being charged with an offence.

Police advise the public to never give out personal information over the phone, including social insurance numbers or banking information. The fraud department will be informed of the phone calls.

When emergency crews arrived the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. The Wellesley Fire Department managed to extinguish the fire with no injuries. The blaze is currently under investigation as it seems suspicious.

December 3 >>12 AM | A 17-year-old

Floradale woman driving a green 2003 Chevy Malibu along Arthur Street in Elmira experienced a malfunction with her window defroster causing her windshield to fog over. The woman proceeded to pull over but struck a hydro pole near Union Street. No injuries were reported and no charges were laid.

>>12:40 PM | A collision

occurred on Hawkesville Road

near Three Bridges Road in Woolwich when a 2007 grey Toyota Sienna driven by a 77-year-old Listowel man drove through a stop sign and struck a 2007 black Chevy Silverado driven by a 21-year-old Listowel man. The 77-year-old man was charged with disobeying a stop sign.

Significant damage was sustained to both vehicles, but no injuries were reported.

ROLLOVER Floradale

firefighters responded to a single-vehicle accident on Fourth Line in Mapleton early Thursday morning after a Pontiac G5 swerved off the road and rolled into a field. The driver, the only occupant in the car, was examined by paramedics at a nearby farmhouse.

>>3:15 PM | A 2010 black

Nissan Altima was in the parking lot at the Stone Crock Restaurant on King Street in St. Jacob when an unknown vehicle hit it and drove away.

The car sustained minimal damage and no injuries were reported as the car was empty at the time. There are currently no suspects but police are continuing to investigate.

OP N E O A N7 W W D EE AY K S

»JOE MERLIHAN

>>7 AM | A 20-year-old

P

PHOTOS

December 1

December 4 >>10:40 PM | A 53-year-old

Elmira man was reversing his 2002 silver Hyundai onto Burlwood Drive in Elmira when he struck a 2010 red Ford Fusion parked on the street. No injuries were reported and no charges were laid.

December 6

Wellesley man was charged with ‘disobey a stop sign’ when he drove a transport truck through a stop sign, hitting a 26-year-old Moorefield man heading northbound in a 2002 silver Nissan Maxima at the intersection of Manser Road and Schummer Line near Moser Young Road. The car was severely damaged, but no injuries were reported.

>>7:25 AM | A 76-year-old

December 7 >>9:00 AM | Police responded

to a call about a break-andenter at an abandoned barn on Victoria Street near Breslau.

When police arrived they found two adults attempting to steal scrap metal from the property.

The two adults were arrested and are facing charges of ‘breaking-and-entering with intent.’ All the property was returned to the barn.

Book: Proceeds to go to charity > CONTINUED FROM PG. 03

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abolition of the slave trade, and I mention that as well in the book. Where the fiction comes in is Scrooge asks him to take on the task of abolishing child labour, which was very prevalent in the industrial age and that is one of the subplots in the story.”

Weber hopes the historical references keep the reader interested with the new tale.

Although this is his first novel it is not the first time Weber has written. He has written two stage plays and is a regular columnist for the Cambridge Times and Waterloo Chronicle, writing on small business topics.

Thinking ahead,

Weber hopes to write a trilogy following the characters from his book as they go out into the world.

“I feel there will be another sequel to the sequel following the young man, Tobias, who is a street kid that Scrooge focuses on in this book – I can see another story involving that character.”

In the spirit of A Christmas Carol, proceeds will go to a children’s charity, A Strong Start Literacy Program. The charity focuses on grade one and two students that are falling behind and gives students a solid foundation in reading.

“I will never gain financially from this book. This is a project for the charity and all

IN HIS WORDS Roy Weber reads a excerpt from his new novel, Unscrooged, at a book signing at the Elmira Library. the proceeds from the sales will always go to the charity,” said Weber, adding it was always intended even before he wrote the novel that it would be a fundraiser for charity.

The books are available at independent booksellers across the region, including Riverworks Books in St. Jacobs.

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

5 NEWS

Wellesley launches strategic plan exercise T

James Jackson

he staff and council of Wellesley have begun to ask themselves what they would like their township to look like in the next few years, and are developing a long-term strategic plan to get them there.

Fire chief Andrew Lillico revealed the basic outline of that plan during the last committee meeting held in Crosshill on Nov. 29, and he discussed the purpose and the goals of Wellesley’s strategic plan heading into 2014.

“A strategic plan and strategic objectives will (help) drive your budget and the allocation of your resources,” said

Lillico of the benefits of having such a plan.

“In order to determine where an organization is going, it needs to know where it stands and where it wants to go and how it will get there.”

Lillico examined the strategic plans of eight other municipalities in the province when developing Wellesley’s plan, and he said that he decided to use 2014 as his guidepost for this plan because that will mark the final year of the current term of council.

He defined the plan as a flexible strategy where “the past meets the future” of Wellesley Township.

“It’s very important

that we highlight the word flexible, because plans change,” he added.

“This is our roadmap for the next four years.”

Over the next six months, senior staff will review possible mission statements to guide the vision of the township, define strategic initiatives that they would like to achieve, such as reducing the environmental impact of their everyday operations, they will look at objectives to go with those initiatives such as replacing all light bulbs with more energy-efficient ones, seek input from the public as to where they would like to see the township headed over the next

four years, and finally seek council approval.

The public input portion would likely occur in April, with final council approval coming in June, said Lillico.

The length of planning involved in establishing this strategic plan is important in order to ensure that everyone involved – from staff to the public – are properly consulted and their concerns and opinions are voiced, he said.

Councillors praised the report, in particular the call for public consultation.

“I like that idea of trying to get the public to buy into this and into the process,” said Coun.

Herb Neher.

In order to determine where an organization is going, it needs to know where it stands and where it wants to go and how it will get there.

Andew Lillico “One of the biggest problems is that people are not fully aware of how their money is spent. They complain that their taxes are going up by two or three per cent, but they really don’t have an understanding.”

Mayor Ross Kelterborn did have some concerns about how the strategic plan fit

into the 2012 budget process, and while Lillico did admit it was a little late in the year to begin such a procedure, he added that one of the benefits of having such a long-term plan is if something doesn’t fit into the budget for 2012, it can be moved ahead and adjusted for in the next budget because of the flexibility the plan permits.

Rather than a hard and fast set of rules, it is more of a guide as to where council and the township want to be heading, Lillco said.

“Council shouldn’t be frustrated if we don’t achieve a goal, just ask why? We can then adjust for it the next year and move on with it.”

Fence: Councillors balk at cost, but will look at rules aimed at problems > CONTINUED FROM COVER the proposed location, to see that it does not cross or lies on property lines or effects drainage swales, chief building officer Rik Louwagie told councillors meeting Tuesday night in Crosshill.

Fence heights and designs can be checked over by staff to make sure they are following the bylaw, thereby alleviating the problem of altering fences after they are constructed,

he explained.

The permit application would require a site plan and construction detail to be provided by the resident, who will also have to determine the location of the lot lines.

Councillors Herb Neher and Shelley Wagner found the fee to be too steep as residents have never had to pay for fence permits before.

Louwagie said the fee was based on staff doing two site visits per fence plus the administration

work in the office.

“It doesn’t take long to kill an hour or two at one of these site visits – $200 in my opinion would cover our costs and we would not be making any extra money on that.”

Louwaige was open, however, to suggestions of lowering the fee.

“I have a concern over the entire matter,” said Neher. “People are paying taxes as it is and now it feels as if we are starting to nickel and dime them. I have a

small fence that I just put up and now I have to pay for a permit if I want to fix it or change it? I feel that this is just hitting taxpayers with another $200.”

Will McLaughlin, executive director of operations, told council that there has been a fair amount of abuse concerning residents and their fences, and the township does not have any recourse against residents erecting fences unless they go over the height re-

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striction.

“This is all about helping people in the early stages of their fence construction and making sure we do not have to go out and tear down work that has already been completed,” said McLaughlin.

Coun. Jim Olender suggested the amendment be reworked and then brought forward to council with a new fee, adding $200 was too much and people are already complaining about having to pay

a permit fee to install decks on their property.

“There seems to be more and more fences being put up year after year and though I am flexible on the fee I feel it is always a good idea to have a policy regarding details like these,” said Mayor Ross Kelterborn.

Council deferred making a decision on the amendment until more information was available to them and the $200 charge was readjusted.

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NEWS 6

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

Service offers light for the longest night A Holiday Schedule All routes are on a regular schedule including school specials with the exception of the following:

December 19, 2011 to January 1, 2012 ROUTE 17:

Service frequency is reduced Monday to Friday during morning (6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) and afternoon (2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.) rush hours ROUTES 110, 111, 116 are not in service

December 26, 2011 to January 1, 2012 only ROUTE 3, 9, 11, 13 & 25:

Service frequency is reduced Monday to Friday during morning (6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.) and afternoon (2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.) rush hours

ROUTE 7 &

:

All extra university trips not in service

ROUTE 12:

Service frequency is reduced during all time points for the Waterloo portion of the route

School Specials:

All university and secondary school specials are not in service

James Jackson

s Christmas draws nearer, it may be hard for some to get into the holly-jolly mood.

Whether it’s the uncertainty related to a lost job, the pain of the recent death of a loved one, or the anguish of a medical or healthrelated problem, there are some who will have trouble adjusting to the festive season.

That is why St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Conestogo will be hosting their sixth-annual Longest Night ceremony on Dec. 21, also referred to as “Blue Christmas.”

The ceremony recognizes that despite this being a joyous time of year, there is still the reality of pain, sadness and insecurity in people’s lives.

“Many people can feel saddened at Christmas and just feel out of sync with the holiday,” said

Monika Wiesner, the pastor at St. Matthew’s.

The non-denominational Christmas service – which coincides with the longest night of the year – is an acknowledgement of that sadness and strives to create a safe place for people to grieve their loss or honour a loved one. Last year saw upwards of 70 people attend.

“We received a lot of positive feedback,” said Wiesner, a former oncology nurse who lost both her parents during the holiday season.

“Often there is an unspoken expectation that grief and pain should remain out of sight, and there is the expectation that we’re all joyous and bubbly at this time of year,” she said, adding that those expectations can in fact enhance the feelings of loneliness and despair as it tends to isolate people even more.

The service includes a

candle-lighting ceremony as well as Christmas carols such as ‘Silent Night’ which are more reflective of the more introspective atmosphere of the service.

The service is also designed to give those who attend a renewed sense of hope. When they arrive at the church they are in the midst of the longest night of the year – when the sun shines for the fewest hours – but once they leave, they gain new hope knowing that the days will start getting longer.

The service beings at 7 p.m. at St. Matthews’s church located at 131 Flax Mill Drive in Conestogo on Dec. 21. Following the service those in attendance are welcome to remain and chat and enjoy refreshments. The church is wheelchair accessible and anyone who needs a ride is asked to contact the church, (519) 664-2760.

December 25: Christmas Day Routes 1, 3, 8, 11, 20, 25, 51, 52, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 65, & 71: Sunday service schedule

ROUTE 7:

Special Christmas Day schedule : No service on Christmas Day

December 26: Boxing Day Sunday service schedule

December 31: New Year’s Eve

PUBLIC MEETINGS ON 2012 REGIONAL BUDGET Public meetings are scheduled to gather public input on the 2012 Regional Budget. Several critical public policy issues are being addressed during this budget process. The final public input meeting will be held on: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2011 6:00 p.m.

REGIONAL COUNCIL CHAMBER 150 FREDERICK STREET, 2ND FLOOR, KITCHENER

FREE service from 6:00 p.m. to end of service and extended service on late evening routes.

January 1: New Year’s Day Sunday service schedule

If you are interested in Regional services you may wish to attend.

Check public schedules for details or refer to www.grt.ca for more information.

Final budget approval for user rates (water and wastewater) is scheduled for Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. and final budget approval for all other Regional services is scheduled for Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 7:00 p.m.

Notice of these meetings is being given in accordance with the Municipal Act as amended and the Region’s notice policy.

Winter Service Changes effective December 19, 2011 For more information: visit www.grt.ca, Transit terminals or call 519-585-7555

Please visit our website (www.regionofwaterloo.ca) for more information on the Regional Budget or pick up a budget package at the Council & Administrative Services Office, 150 Frederick Street, 2nd Floor, Kitchener. To speak to a Finance Department staff person on the budget, please call Allan Wong at 519-575-4705.

You are welcome to attend any of the scheduled budget meetings or the Council meetings. For a copy of the budget schedule please visit our website. You will only be allowed to register as a delegation at the public input meeting on December 14, 2011. Please call the Council & Administrative Services Office by 12 Noon on Thursday, December 8th at 519-575-4420 to register to speak. If you require accessible services to participate in these meetings, please contact Council & Administrative Services by Thursday, December 8th, 2011.

Kris Fletcher Regional Clerk

519-585-7555 TTY: 519-575-4608 www.grt.ca

All comments and information received from individuals, stakeholder groups and agencies regarding this project are being collected to assist the Region of Waterloo in making a decision.

Under the Municipal Act, personal information such as name, address, telephone number, and property location that may be included in a submission becomes part of the public record.

Questions regarding the collection of this information should be referred to the Council & Administrative Services office.

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

7 NEWS

High school students get some hands-on defibrillator training

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LIFESAVING LESSONS About 30 students from Huron Heights Secondary School demonstrated the proper use of an AED Dec. 2 in the school’s gym.

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» JAMES JACKSON

e’ve all seen the automated external defibrillator (AED) units in hockey rinks and high schools across the region, but how many of us know how to use them?

Thanks to a new provincial program, high school students will now be trained on the proper use of AED units and how to administer CPR in the event of an emergency.

More than 6,500 Grade 9 students at 20 high schools across Waterloo Region will receive life-saving training every year.

The Advanced Coronary Treatment (ACT) Foundation launched its high school CPR and defibrillator training program at Huron Heights Secondary School in Kitchener last Friday, and the program is set to include schools in both the catholic and public board in schools across Baden, Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Elmira.

Two hundred mannequins and 40 defibrillator units will be distributed among high schools in the region.

“The ACT Foundation of Canada is a national charitable organization that is dedicated to preparing youth to save lives across Canada,” said the organization’s director, Jennifer Boissonneault, at the programs unveiling in the gymnasium of Huron Heights.

“It becomes long-term and self-sustaining.”

About 30 students from the school gave dynamic demonstra-

JUST LIKE THIS Grade 11 student Courtney Tripp applies CPR to a mannequin donated by the ACT Foundation. tions on how to use the mannequins and the defibrillators to a gathering of MPPs, health industry representatives, regional staff and teachers.

“I hope you’ll never need to use these, but if and when you do I know you’ll have the training to save lives,” said Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Michael Harris, who mentioned the collapse of former NHL player Jiri Fischer back in 2005 as proof the students may never know when or where their new skills will be needed.

Fischer was unconscious for six minutes before being revived using CPR and an AED during a game against Nashville.

“Here in our region ACT is equipping schools with the resources they’ll need to train students and allow them to step up and save lives,” Harris added.

The mannequins and training AED units were made available thanks to partnerships with the Ontario Trillium Foundation which has provided $750,000 since 2004, with pharmaceuti-

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cal companies Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Sanofi, as well as Hydro One. About $6,000 was raised to launch the program in Waterloo Region, with the mannequins costing about $80 apiece and the AED practice units about $350. Similar training programs have already been started at schools in Guelph and Sarnia.

This new equipment will help bolster the current CPR curriculum, said Linda Fabi, director of education for the WRDSB. Fabi, whose husband died of a sudden heart attack in 2007, said the school board has been training students on the use of AED’s for the past three years, as well as providing CPR training to all first-year high school students.

“It is our goal to train every Grade 9 student every year,” she said.

Established in 1985, ACT has established its high school CPR training program in more than 600 schools in Ontario and 1,600 schools nation-wide, empowering more than 1.8 million youth to save lives. For more information visit www.actfoundation.ca.

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NEWS 8

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

Elmira girl gives the gift of her own hair

ABOUT FACE

Colin Dewar

I

NATHAN JAGGER,

Grade 12 student at EDSS

What have you been up to for the last few months at school?

I have been rehearsing for the schools musical Once Upon A Mattress where I play The Minstrel.

back for him.

Is your character a major role in the musical?

He narrates the whole story which is basically a flash

Is this the first time you have been a part of a production like this?

No, I have done a lot of

Do you enjoy performing?

I really do, it has always been a part of me. I enjoy stepping outside my skin and playing other characters.

plays including performing in Shakespearean plays like a Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet.

Are you going to pursue acting when you leave high school?

Actually I am going to trade school at Conestoga and after that I might look at going to an art school.

t’s better, we’re told, to give than to receive.

That sentiment may be a harder sell to young kids at Christmas, when they’re eagerly awaiting Santa’s arrival and gifts stacked under the tree.

In that regard, Jordyn Kelly is not any different, except the senior kindergarten student at St. Teresa School in Elmira decided she would like to give a gift back. Being five-years-old she doesn’t have a lot of money to spend, so she decided to give what she could: 11 inches of her hair.

She donated her ponytail to Locks of Love, a non-profit that provides wigs to financially disadvantaged children in Canada and the United States suffering from long-term medical hair loss. The organization’s goal is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to children.

Jordyn and her mother Heidi had been talk-

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MANE EVENT Jordyn Kelly, 5, shows off her new hairdo after

donating 11 inches of her hair to Locks of Love at Guys and Dolls Hair Salon. Below, her hair before the cut.

ing a lot about children suffering from cancer and having to deal with hair loss after a family friend, three-yearold Sara Forwell, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Rhabdomysarcoma, and lost all her hair due to the chemotherapy treatments she had to undergo.

“It has been a topic of conversation in our house for a while as we saw our friends go through this and seeing their little girl with no hair we explained to Jordyn what was happening,” said Heidi. “We also had other friend’s children donate their hair and (Jordyn) wanted to help out too.”

Jordyn thought she had too much hair and needed to share it wanting to give another little girl some hair for Christmas.

To donate to Locks of Love, donors must be willing to part with a minimum of 10 inches measured tip to tip as that is the length needed for a hairpiece. The hair must be in a ponytail or braid before it is

cut and must be clean and completely dry before it is mailed in.

“This was a major change for Jordyn, she has always had long hair and she cut it just above her shoulders,” said Heidi, adding she was very proud of her little girl.

Jordyn went to Guys and Dolls Hair and Spa on Oriole Parkway in Elmira to donate her hair, leaving with a new hair bob that was quite the talk at her school the next day.

“A lot of the teachers and older students noticed her new hair and thought it was amazing and loved that she had cut it for Locks of Love,” said Heidi.

40

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

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Year One NEWS 10

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

One year in, Woolwich mayor happy with the progress made Budget currently under discussion may prove to be the largest challenge to date

Steve Kannon

PHOTO

odd Cowan isn’t one to stand on ceremony. The newish mayor has made Woolwich council meetings a more relaxed affair – he’s fond of a joke or two, and not above corny ones. That’s one part who he is and one part a desire to make council more approachable to township residents, especially at times when they come forward to speak at meetings.

But since being sworn in a year ago, Cowan has also made council more politicized, using his years as a Queen’s Park insider to be more vocal at the provincial level.

Reflecting this week on his first year in office, Cowan is mostly pleased with the effort, based largely on making his way through the list of targets in last fall’s election campaign. From promising to make Woolwich greener to making government more responsive, he feels he’s on the right track.

On the environmental front, he points to Elmira’s Victoria Glen Park.

The township recently acquired two parcels of land from the Region of Waterloo and will set about rezoning the area as parkland, removing the residential zoning that was part of the previous council’s proposal to develop some of the land. Cowan also cites the township’s toughened gravel pit policy, which bolstered its decision to deny an application for a site new Conestogo from Hunder Developments – “We’ve taken a pretty strong stand on that” – and the ongoing cultural heritage landscape designation for the area surrounding the historic West Montrose covered bridge.

Cowan has also been hands-on with the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee, which has undergone a complete refocus with all-new members. Most recently, the township has agreed to bring in Dr. Gail Kranztberg, a McMaster University civil engineering professor and special-

» COLIN DEWAR

T

A TIME FOR REFLECTION One year after being sworn in, Woolwich Mayor Todd Cowan is happy with what he’s been able to accomplish, but recognizes that the list of issues is constantly evolving. ist water issues, to review the work done to date and to help the committee form a list of priorities.

As part of his platform, Cowan called for a full, department-by-department review of the budget. He also wanted to see councillors given more responsibility over individual departments. The formation of a council liaison system early in its mandate addressed the latter, while councillors are taking part in their first full budget process right now in preparation for 2012. Cowan is optimistic the township will find efficiencies to reduce expenditures, especially in the parks and recreation area, which last year went $550,000 over budget.

“The public ublic wants to see more accountability. It’s [our job] to hold

staff accountable for the dollars they’re spending, making sure people are getting good value for their dollar,” he said.

To that end, a cost-benefit analysis should be applied to all spending.

He acknowledges that the staff has grown in recent years, but there’s no indication that the public is being any better served for the increased costs – a review is in order. In that vein, he’s also concerned about customer service.

“That was a complaint that I heard in the campaign … that when dealing with staff it wasn’t always topnotch.”

Outside of the township administration proper, Cowan said the focus is promoting development, particularly on attracting high-tech businesses given the close proximity to

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Waterloo. Through organizations such as Communitech and Canada’s Technology Triangle (CTT), he’s been trying to boost Woolwich’s profile. With the help of Mercedes Corp. and Quarry Integrated Communications, St. Jacobs could be an ideal destination, he added.

Similarly, regional plans for the socalled eastside lands means huge development potential for the Breslau area, where Thomasfield Homes has tabled a plan for a large mixed community featuring residential, commercial and industrial uses.

“I’m trying to be more involved in helping them to highlight Woolwich – promote, promote, promote. I’m a little more engaged in targeting and attracting business here,” he said.

“It’s about highlighting the township, keeping Woolwich in the limelight.

“I want to keep Woolwich in the picture as far as a place to move to and a place to locate your business.”

Development in St. Jacobs and Breslau will certainly be a priority moving into his second of a fouryear term. The Thomasfield proposal and a planned park-and-ride GO station will certainly keep Breslau on the front burner. Likewise, ongoing talks about a biogas plant, the redevelopment of the former Procast site and the impact of growth in the south end on the downtown will put Elmira issues front and center, as will more detailed discussions of a bypass route around the core.

Cowan also plans to continue to be vocal at Queen’s Park. The township is certainly more active at the provincial level, meeting with ministers and senior staffers to push the township’s agenda, specifically its concerns about firefighting regulations and the resultant costs, gravel pits and the Green Energy Act. “We’re actually doing something here, meeting with ministers and with opposition parties,” he said.

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

11 NEWS

PHOTO

» JAMES JACKSON

Book signing proves a popular outing

SIGN OF THE (CHRISTMAS)TIMES Author Nan Forler and artist Peter Etril Snyder pause during their very busy book signing Dec. 1 at The Robin’s Nest café in Elmira. The pair was signing copies of their newly-released Winterberries and Apple Blossoms.

Not a silent night in the covered bridge

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OPINION 12

THE OBSERVER

OPINION

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

Once the bloom goes off the rose, it almost never comes back. So where does Russia go from here?

Gwynne Dyer

column on page 13

VERBATIM

I

’m not opposed to you, but it should not be renamed for you — and especially not at this time. Eleven of your peers voted for you in secret — that’s an apparent conflict of interest.

> Parent Randy O’Malley calls out Peel District School Board trustees for a secret, self-serving vote to rename a school after the current chair, against its own rules.

THE MONITOR

T

he new polymer Canadian banknotes being introduced – the $100 has been released, $50, $20, $10 and $5 in stages through 2013 – will mean $75 to $100 million in additional costs to private businesses to upgrade and replace machines such as counters and ATMs.

> Bank of Canada

EDITORIAL

With snow will come the usual sidewalk issues

T

he snow has been confined to a few light dustings so far – knock on wood – but sooner or later it will come with vigour. The first order of business will be dealing with the large number of driving mishaps, as many of us are suddenly forced to remember that it’s no longer July out there on the roads. The second will be actually removing the stuff from streets, sidewalks and driveways.

The lack of snow has been ideal for township road budgets heavily strained from the wintry early months of the year – this year’s budget runs through Dec. 31, and if this weather holds so too might the black ink.

Many of us, of course, will grumble about shoveling out the driveway – the less there is to do, the better.

But, as always, it’s the sidewalks that will prove the most contentious, particularly in Elmira, where the

township has a contractor clear the walkways.

You might think that service would be more widely welcomed than it is, as someone else is doing the work.

Problem is, as the first real snowfall is likely to reveal, people will complain about how long it takes crews to arrive, about the thoroughness and about the inevitable ripping up of lawn edges. Some will simply clear the sidewalks in front of their homes, rather than wait, a job that everyone else in the township is required to do – they don’t have a service, only a bylaw compelling them to do the work.

In Elmira, complaints about the condition of the sidewalks surfaced almost immediately following the implementation of the township’s sidewalk-clearing measures. From the initial smaller-scale contract, council subsequently approved a

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Joe Merlihan, Publisher | EXT 107 jmerlihan@woolwichobserver.com Steve Kannon, Editor | EXT 103 skannon@woolwichobserver.com James Jackson, Reporter | EXT 101 jjackson@woolwichobserver.com Colin Dewar, Reporter | EXT 102 cdewar@woolwichobserver.com

> LETTER POLICY

plan to clear all walkways in Elmira, expanding the coverage area and enhancing the equipment used to do the job in an attempt to reduce the number of complaints about the service. A good idea in principle, but one that hasn’t always succeeded in practice – some people are never going to be happy with the level of service offered by the township.

Perhaps the only solution, and one discussed by previous councils when deliberating over the snow-clearing contract, is to simply have all township residents clear their sidewalks, as set out in a bylaw adopted five years ago. Residents must clear the sidewalks in front of their home within 24 hours of a snowfall under a threat of a fine for failing to comply.

Having everybody do their own clearing would alleviate some of the complaints – and save Elmira residents a few dollars on their taxes

Donna Rudy, Sales Manager | EXT 104 drudy@woolwichobserver.com Pat Merlihan, Production Mgr | EXT 105 pmerlihan@woolwichobserver.com Jon Sarachman, Production | EXT 108 jsarachman@woolwichobserver.com Leanne Boron, Production | EXT 109 lboron@woolwichobserver.com

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– but would create a few other issues, most notably delays around clearing the snow off of sidewalks near schools. Those high-traffic routes were where the contracting out of services began, eventually expanding to the entire town. They’re still given priority, which means uniform – but not perfect – plowing. The system has worked reasonably well, but can prove problematic when the accumulation of snow is less than two inches: not enough to make clearing a priority, but enough to impede parents with young children with strollers, for instance, as well those with restricted mobility.

The issue is not on council’s radar right now, but depending on how the weather turns out when winter arrives in earnest, public reaction might just bring it to the fore. There’s nothing like sidewalks to create vocal residents.

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THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

13 OPINION

Russia’s Putin seems to be overstaying his welcome “T

hroughout the day, it was like receiving reports from a war zone,” said Communist Party deputy head Ivan Melnikov on Sunday, speaking about the thousands of calls he had received from regional offices about ballot-box stuffing and other violations in the Russian parliamentary elections. But despite the manipulation, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s United Russia Party got fewer than half the votes this time, down from almost two-thirds in 2007.

Putin’s party will still form the next government, since it can easily form a coalition with smaller pro-regime parties in the Duma, but it has lost the two-thirds majority that let it amend the constitution at will. And Putin will still return to the presidency in March’s presidential elections, but the erosion in his popular support is suddenly visible for all to see.

The first clear sign that Russians were getting fed up with Putin came two weeks ago, when he made an unheralded appearance at a martial-arts fight at the Olympiyskiy Stadium in Moscow. That wasn’t surprising, as he makes a great public show of his own prowess in the martial arts. But when he climbed into the ring to congratulate the winner, the audience began to boo and whistle at him. They didn’t stop until he left.

It was all broadcast live on Russian state television, and subsequently went viral on YouTube and the Russian social media. There is no credible rival to Putin on the scene, but neither is it certain any more that he will serve out the full six years of his new presidential term. He is wearing out his welcome.

He really was welcome when the first post-Soviet president, Boris

International Affairs GWYNNE DYER Yeltsin, handed the presidency to him in 1999. Yeltsin’s drunken and corrupt conduct of state affairs had discredited “democracy” in the eyes of most Russians, and Putin presented himself as the new broom who would sweep all that away.

He wasn’t exactly that: the price he paid for being named interim president when Yeltsin finally quit was to let him and his cronies walk away untouched with their stolen wealth.

But as Russians got to know him, they mostly liked what they saw.

During Putin’s two terms as president in 2000-2008, he stabilized the ravaged economy: average salaries increased fivefold and the GDP grew by almost eight per cent a year. High oil prices helped, but it was an impressive performance nonetheless, and when he left the presidency three years ago he could still do no wrong in the eyes of most Russians.

He left it because Russia’s constitution forbids a third consecutive term as president. It was a nice gesture, but he didn’t really leave power. His close ally Dmitry Medvedev was elected to the presidency, and then Medvedev appointed Putin as prime minister. In practice, Putin went on taking the big decisions himself – including the decision to return as president next year.

But the past four years have not been as kind to Putin as the first eight. The economy has stagnated, and the scale of the corruption has grown too large

THE VIEW FROM HERE

to ignore. (He is not personally corrupt, but everyone thinks he tolerates the massive corruption among his allies in order to maintain their loyalty.)

So when he announced in September that he would run for the presidency again in March, something seems to have snapped.

There were two straws that broke the camel’s back. One was his and Medvedev’s public admission that they had agreed on the swap long ago.

Everybody kind of knew that, but it was still galling to have Putin’s total ownership of the state apparatus rubbed in their faces. The other was the fact that while Putin was prime minister, he amended the constitution so that the presidential term is now not four but six years.

In the past couple of months, Russians have suddenly woken up to the reality that they may face another 12 years of him as the all-powerful president (he’s only 59 now), and a lot of them have realized that they don’t actually like that prospect. Hence the steep fall in United Russia’s share of the vote last Sunday – and, probably, in Putin’s share of the presidential vote next March.

He’ll still win, of course, but it may be a long and miserable six years for him unless the oil price goes through the roof and Russia experiences another economic boom. Once the bloom goes off the rose, it almost never comes back. So where does Russia go from here?

Russia doesn’t need another revolution. Despite the chronic abuses of power, the perversion of the courts, and the intimidation of the media, Russia could re-emerge as a real

THE VOICE

What is your home remedy for the common cold?

I use honey and water. I find that works best for my throat. > Cynthia Conrad

Chicken soup.

> Heather Ball

> SEE DYER ON PG. 14

BY SCOTT ARNOLD

My mom used to steam the room if I got sick and it seemed to help. > Erin Somerville

E

With the year winding down, residents will have a lot to say about whether councillors deserve presents or a lump of coal in their stockings come Christmas morning.

Soup and television.

> Alex Boudreau

OPINION 14

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

Capitalism has become the biggest religion of them all

B

orn from religion, including roots in paganism and animism, Christmas has become much less about any theism and much more about the largest of the isms: capitalism.

As noted in the story about Chalmers Presbyterian Church in last week’s edition, fewer of us are attending church, leading to the demise of traditional churches. Far more of us will spend time at the mall than at church this holiday season.

We’ve long decried the secularization of Christmas, with Santa supplanting Jesus and gifts trumping family time. Spend, spend, spend is the mantra – now more than ever given consumerism as the salvation for the faltering economy.

The economic focus of Christmas is a clear indication that capitalism is our new religion, as early 20th century thinkers such as Max Weber and Walter Benjamin noted, sagely predicting some of the worst excesses we see today.

Benjamin, in an unfinished essay called Capitalism as Religion, does not equivocate: “Capitalism is a pure religious cult, perhaps the most extreme there ever was.”

He writes, “One can behold in

From the Editor Steve Kannon capitalism a religion, that is to say, capitalism essentially serves to satisfy the same worries, anguish, and disquiet formerly answered by socalled religion.” By that he suggests that rather than finding answers, guidance and meaning in traditional religion, we turn to another construct in capitalism. Solace at the mall, rather than the church.

Benjamin was clearly influenced by the writings of fellow German philosopher Max Weber, who almost two decades earlier at the turn of the century wrote The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, which attributes the rise of the mercantile system to the teachings and work ethic of the likes of Martin Luther and John Calvin.

“Remember, that time is money,” Weber wrote in 1905. “He that can earn ten shillings a day by his labor, and goes abroad, or sits idle, one half of that day, though he spends

Dyer: Putin isn’t just some thug > CONTINUED FROM PG. 13 democracy quite smoothly if Putin ever decided to let it.

Could he lead Russia through such a transition? It is not to be excluded, for Putin is acutely conscious of his place in history and would not want

to end up being rejected at the polls or, even worse, being forced to yield power by a popular revolt. Better to hand the country over in good condition and retire gracefully in four or five years’ time. He is egotistical and arrogant, like most powerful people, but he is not just a thug.

but sixpence during his diversion or idleness, ought not to reckon that the only expense; he has really spent, or rather thrown away, five shillings besides.[...]Remember, that money is the prolific, generating nature. Money can beget money, and its offspring can beget more, and so on. Five shillings turned is six, turned again is seven and threepence, and so on, till it becomes a hundred pounds. The more there is of it, the more it produces every turning, so that the profits rise quicker and quicker.”

That kind of reasoning gave rise to the investment system: money makes money. That accession was driven by Protestantism’s demands that followers throw themselves into their work – becoming devoted to their craft, or calling (a very religiously-charged word applies to a vocation) – and the demand that the money generated by that work not be used for personal luxuries and aggrandizement – a philosophy certainly long since abandoned. The money generated though the diligence of workers could not be spent on themselves, the church (where modesty was key) or charity (which was frowned upon, seen as encouraging lack of industry), but could be channeled into investments, giving rise to capitalism, he argued.

Benjamin took that line of thought one step further: “Christianity in the time of the Reformation did not encourage the emergence of capitalism, but rather changed itself into capitalism.”

So, capitalism isn’t so much a new religion as it is the evolution of the old one.

Certainly that’s not at odds with what we see today, especially in the pronouncements of the Christian right in the U.S. and, to a lesser extent, in the ideologies espoused by the current government in Ottawa.

Just think of how convoluted the finance industry has become, complete with language that is as incomprehensible to most as Latin was to the average churchgoer in Luther’s time. Those who manage the system have cast themselves as priests, interpreting the higher order to the rest of us. And the entire system is based on faith, belief that the bits and bytes stored on a computer actually represent money and economic activity, despite our doubts. Our hesitation is justified, as the mess created by the make-believe system of credit default swaps and subprime mortgages clearly revealed – it was all smoke and mirrors. Despite the debunking, many remain among the faithful, and the system rolls on. We have faith it will get better despite lessons to the contrary.

The traditional religions have taken note, however. Their representatives, including archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Benedict XVI for instance, have condemned the global financial system and its practitioners for providing nothing of value. Worse still, the system has done harm to untold millions of people. They’ve seen that money has ceased to represent anything, but has become something with intrinsic value of its own, which is clearly not the case … unless you’ve bought into that particular brand of religion.

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THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

15 BUSINESS

BUSINESS

» COLIN DEWAR

Protecting the supply IF IT AIN'T BROKE ... Local dairy

With Canada looking to get in on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the system is under fire from abroad

A

Colin Dewar

s Stephen Harper’s government angles to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a trade group within the Asia-Pacific region, the country has come under fire for its supply management programs. The scrutiny has some producers worried.

Canada’s policy on supply management in the dairy and poultry industries is seen as a stumbling block to entering the TPP. The Conservative government has said that though they are willing to negotiate with the TPP they will defend the supply management system, just as other free trade agreements signed by Canada were created without canceling the program.

The trade talks have the controversial supply management system in the spotlight, pitting the farmers who benefit against other

farmers – see the Canadian Wheat Board issues – and consumers, who pay higher prices for products such as milk, cheese and chicken.

According to Neil Currie general manager at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, supply management is a quota system built to protect farmers from fluctuating changes in prices for their poultry and dairy products. It also places up to 300-per-cent tariffs on imported poultry and diary products (depending on the product) while completely keeping out foreign producers.

The Canadian government realized in the late 1960s that without production regulation, the Canadian market would have a surplus of agricultural products, which would, in turn, trigger a sharp decline in producer prices. That led to the creation of supply manage-

PHOTOS

producer Ralph Martin of Ontowa Farms stands behind the Canadian supply management system. ment.

The system controls domestic production and imports for five specific commodities – eggs, milk, chicken, turkey and broiler-hatching eggs – with supports saying it benefits customers, processors, governments and taxpayers while giving a voice to farmers in the marketplace, said Currie.

“There are three elements to supply management. One is production discipline or the ability to only produce what the marketplace domestically is looking for. The second is the ability to price the product based on a cost of production formula, and in exchange for those first two the government has tariffs that are set high, for eggs it is at 163 per cent,” said Harry Pelissero, general manager at Egg Farmers of Ontario.

With supply management, consumers get good value for their money and a reliable supply of quality food at reasonable prices. Farmers work together to adjust what they grow and make with what customers need

and want and they receive their returns from the marketplace, he argued.

“Supply management is a good thing for both farmers and consumers,” said Pelissero.

“Comparing the systems in Canada versus the United States we see that Canada has a system that is transparent in the sense that we know what it costs to produce a litre of milk or a dozen eggs whereas in the States they have support payments through taxpayer’s subsidization. So it may appear to be cheaper at the supermarket in the U.S. but in fact consumers are paying twice, once at the check out and once through their tax dollars.”

Canadian farmers receive no government subsidies or taxpayer dollars.

Pelissero said groups like the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservice Association would have consumers believe that the price they pay for eggs or milk in grocery stores will drop only if supply management boards are dismantled.

“They are complaining that if they could get the products cheaper it would translate into lower costs for consumers but we lowered the price of eggs three or four years ago and saw no drop at the grocery store and just recently we raised the price of eggs by a nickel based on the cost of production and most of the retail outlets took a dime, so it is bit of a farce.”

Supply management brings stability to the Canadian market, supporters maintain. Before the system was applied and the price of eggs or milk increased, farmers simply increased supplies but when prices dropped, some farmers lost money and even went bankrupt and then less supply drove the prices up again and the cycle would repeat itself.

The management system was established in the 1970s with dairy being one of the first commodities to operate a national supply management system, it is managed by the Canadian Dairy Com-

> SEE SUPPLY ON PG. 17

BUSINESS 16

THE OBSERVER

Helping People to Look & Feel Good 112 Oriole Pkwy., Elmira (at Flamingo Dr., in the Birdland Plaza)

519-669-8234

Guys & Dolls Salon & Spa is renowned for offering precision hair cutting and styling, texture changes and chemical services such as colouring and highlights that are guaranteed to meet your needs.

Staff member Natalie specializes in updo’s for bridal parties so everyone feels beautiful on that special day.

Serving the region for almost 30 years, Guys & Dolls Salon & Spa has been a company that has never rested on its laurels. This business is always becoming more diversified in its service offerings and ready to introduce new products. It’s been over 10 years now since their Spa was introduced. This makes Guys & Dolls a onestop 3,000 square foot facility for total beautification.

If you want spa and esthetics services that beautify and rejuvenate plus therapeutic treatments for a more youthful appearance, Guys & Dolls Salon & Spa offers facials, soothing manicures and pedicures, gel nails, lash & brow tinting, as well as waxing and massage treatments—all guaranteed to make the new you feel complete.

Guys & Dolls Salon & Spa can also recommend results-oriented hair care, styling and finishing products from Matrix (Biolage, Vavoom, Design Pulse), Kenra, American Crew, as well as OPI nail products.

Owner Lori Weber invites you to call Guys & Dolls Salon & Spa to book not just an appointment, but an experience. You can also visit them online at www.guysanddolls.ca.

Gift cards and spa packages are available—ideal for Holiday gifts!

4 Hachborn St. St. Jacobs (west off King St.) 519-664-3307 1-800-203-9623 www.reichards.com Reichard’s specializes in supplies for quilters. Quilting is a needlework process in which layers of a quilt (wadding sandwiched between two layers of fabric) are attached to each other with continuous stitches, either by hand or with a sewing machine. The stitching of patterns into the quilt layers add strength and decoration to the quilt. The quilt is used primarily as a bed covering, or in different shapes as a decorative piece adorning a wall, folded over a chest, as a framed masterpiece, etc. North Americans have adopted quilts as a symbol of what they value about themselves and their family, local or national history.

With a history dating back to 1924 in Elmira, Reichard’s has been operating from St. Jacobs since October 7, 2008. The store is owned and operated by Leslie Irvine, who along with her staff, will help you choose the products to meet your needs.

Reichard’s can supply everything you need, including over 3,000 bolts of 100% cotton fabrics, plus batting, frames, hoops, notions, patterns, threads, books, and more. The store now offers consignment sales of products created by two local women including stained glass and hand painted pottery pieces.

Reichard’s offers sewing and quilting Classes, from beginner to advanced, plus Sewing Clubs. Their main floor classroom has plenty of windows for natural light. Their team of instructors has the experience in colour selection to help your projects to be successful and beautiful. March Break sewing classes are available for the whole family.

Reichard’s is your destination for quilting supplies, classes, and the service you need—all under one roof.

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

2065 Floradale Rd., Floradale

“Where tires are a specialty, not a side line.”

35 Howard Ave., Elmira www.oktireelmira.com

519-669-3232

If you have been getting by each winter on all-season tires without bouncing off of a curb, landing in a ditch or dinged up in a fender bender, count yourself as lucky. Research has shown that on icy and snowy surfaces at highway speeds a car with winter tires skidded 15 car lengths, while the car with all season radials slid 19 car lengths from the point of braking. Cornering and acceleration from a standing stop are also vastly improved with winter tires.

Today’s winter tires available at OK Tire Store (Elmira), with their special rubber compounds and unique tread patterns, bring renewed confidence to drivers and enhance your family’s safety.

OK Tire Store (Elmira) is your local O.K. Tire centre with the best brands in all-season, performance and winter tires, plus winter rims and cool custom wheels. Choose from Bridgestone, Firestone, Kumho, Continental, General, Pirelli, Toyo Tires, and others.

Formed in 1953, O.K. Tire Stores has grown to become Canada’s largest independent chain of tire retailers with the buying power of over 270 locations. They offer value, selection and warranties that can’t be beat. Owner Rob Bowman and the staff at OK Tire Store (Elmira) ensure that exceptional service is provided for every vehicle entering the shop.

With 4 service bays including 1 tall bay, the staff can get you back on the road quickly. A road service is available for disabled vehicles, plus an on-farm service. In February 2011, they installed a new state-of-the-art Hunter tire balancing unit to handle big truck tires.

Customer loyalty rewards include Aeroplan Miles with your purchase at O.K. Tire.

519-669-2300

Founded over 13 years ago, Earlidale Meats is family business locally directed by owners Andrew & Esther Martin who took over the company in 2009. The specialty of their business is the cutting, wrapping and quick-freezing of the amount of beef, pork or turkey for your needs. They are known for custom cutting, processing, retailing and wholesaling. Their plant is totally gluten free!

As a meat processing company, Earlidale Meats offers you specific additional services like custom cutting the amount of meat you require for your family. Their products have characteristic flavours unique to their prepared meats, patties and sausages. Meat is their main business as opposed to a sideline, so the products are always guaranteed fresh.

Earlidale Meats caters to wise consumers with their home freezer service. They will cut, wrap and quick freeze the amount of meat specified, allowing you to purchase large orders when available at lower prices instead of buying from meal to meal.

Earlidale Meats has it all in beef — roasts, steaks, ground beef, and ribs, while in pork products you can find hams, roasts, tenderloin, ribs, bacon, chops, pig tails, sausage and pepperettes.

They are renowned for their sausages whether plain, smoked, garlic, cheese, and maple cranberry. For deli meats, you can find salami, bologna, summer sausage, and various rolls — honey, pizza, bacon & cheese, all beef, and turkey. The retail store also sells farm fresh eggs, maple syrup, Pine River Cheese, and custom gift baskets for personal or corporate gift giving.

If you appreciate the difference in superior meat products and you also like value for your dollar, you need only stop in at Earlidale Meats.

Your Local Full Line Chrysler Dealer Home Owners helping homeowners 22 Church St. W., Elmira

519-669-5537

Elmira Home Hardware is the ultimate place for gift shopping as they feature such a vast array of practical, quality built, value-priced items.

Since acquiring the business on March 1, 2004, owner Krista McBay has been dedicated to meeting your needs and keeping you coming back with an ever-growing diversified selection. The Elmira store has a convenient location, well-stocked showroom, plus a friendly and knowledgeable staff.

Elmira Home Hardware offers an excellent selection of nationally recognized brands as well as many Home-brand private label products created by leading manufacturers, including Benchmark tools, and Beauti-Tone paints (rated #1 paint manufactured in Canada).

This store showcases home improvement supplies, hardware and fasteners (including bulk bins of nails), lighting, plumbing and electrical products, cleaning supplies, small appliances, lawn and garden equipment and supplies, barbecues, auto accessories, housewares, giftware, and toys. Other offerings include sporting goods, hunting-camping-fishing supplies, work wear, bottled water, V-belts, pulleys, and a 2,000 square foot Farm Supply Department.

They also offer consumer electronics including audio-video products, telephones, computer accessories and electronic gadgets galore. To keep your home cozy, look to Elmira Home Hardware for wood stoves from Drolet, plus repair parts and maintenance supplies for your wood stoves.

Customer loyalty rewards include Aeroplan Miles with your purchases.

361 Arthur St. S., Elmira www.voisinchrysler.com

519-669-2831

Voisin Chrysler Ltd. is one of Canada’s 440 Chrysler dealerships.

It opened in Elmira in 1955 as H&R Voisin Motors at 15 Arthur St. N. by brothers Harold & Roman Voisin and is truly a family business, today directed by Harold’s daughter/Dealer Principal Cleo Kropf, and husband Mike Kropf, and their son Colin Kropf. They promote a stress-free shopping zone with no gimmicks & no hassles.

Voisin Chrysler offers the full complement of Chrysler products with 16 new and redesigned models for Canada’s largest showcase.

Chrysler has 14 vehicles getting 35 mpg or better (highway).

Chrysler models include 300 sedan, Town & Country van, and allnew 200 mid-size sedan and convertible which get 42 mpg on the highway. The Dodge models include Avenger sedan, Caliber compact crossover, Challenger Muscle Car, Charger sedan, Ram pickups, Canada’s #1 selling minivan- Grand Caravan, and Canada’s #1 selling crossover-Journey. For 2011, Dodge Durango SUV has returned. Their Jeep line up includes compact SUV’s such as Compass, and a wide variety of mid-size SUV’s such as Grand Cherokee, Liberty, Wrangler 4x4, and the most fuel efficient and affordable 4x4 in Canada-Patriot.

Check out the Used Inventory on the lot or on-line. Voisin Chrysler only keeps the best quality certified vehicles with low kilometers in stock.

Service standards are also maintained at Voisin Chrysler Ltd. Factory trained technicians use advanced technology and equipment necessary for prompt, professional diagnosis and repair using genuine Mopar parts designed to meet your vehicle’s performance standards. They also service other makes & models, whether purchased there or not.

Ask about their great finance rates on New and Used, and their special “Customer Choice” Financing Plan.

My Health. My Way. 11 Arthur St. N., Elmira (at Church St.-NorthEast Corner)

Working Hard to Keep You Rolling 30 Oriole Parkway East, Elmira

519-669-4400

Owner Chris Thompson at Thompson’s Auto Tech Inc. has built the reputation of his business on the premise that if they perform repairs and factory-scheduled maintenance, replacing only what is needed, they will earn the customer’s trust. They also know that if they treat the customer with respect, fairness and honesty, they will have loyal customers who will gladly refer friends and family. That’s what has kept customers coming back since 1997.

Their technicians make every effort to remain current with the ongoing changes in automotive technology so that they can properly diagnose and repair any condition that your vehicle may be experiencing. With computers becoming commonplace in most systems in the average vehicle today, the people at Thompson’s Auto Tech make use of specialized diagnostic tools, reference materials and their own experience to keep you rolling.

Thompson’s Auto Tech Inc. provides tune-ups, expert service on brakes, shocks & struts, exhaust, climate control, Castrol lube-oilfilter service, plus M.T.O. safety inspections. Ask about their MotorVac Carbonclean service designed to decrease emissions and improve engine performance. They are an accredited Ontario Drive Clean Test & Repair facility.

To ensure that your vehicle meets its original performance standards and maintains its warranty requirements, Thompson’s Auto Tech installs parts that meet or exceed OEM specifications.

Call Thompson’s Auto Tech Inc. soon for your service appointment.

305 Arthur St. S., Elmira 1229 King St. N., St. Jacobs

519-669-0041 519-664-1544

Tim Hortons in Elmira has been serving the region for 10 years now. Their popularity is largely attributed to consistent quality you can always count on with “Always Fresh” products plus friendly, efficient customer service to help keep you going with your busy life.

The Tim Hortons displays are always filled with your favourite muffins, bagels, tarts, cookies, croissants, tea biscuits, danish, cinnamon rolls, donuts, plus Timbits®—The Bite-sized Treat. Now far beyond a place for treats, Tim Hortons has many meals with a variety of sandwiches, bagelwiches & wraps, chili, soup, breakfast sandwiches, oatmeal, yogurt & berries, and new beef lasagna casserole.

A newer product from Tim Hortons are Real Fruit Smoothies bursting with a full serving of fruit and available in two flavours. Add low fat yogurt for a creamier taste.

In addition to the traditional Tim Hortons Blend Coffee, you can choose from Steeped Tea, Specialty Tea, and Hot Chocolate, and the newer Specialty Hot Beverages such as Latte, Mocha Latte, and brewed-on-the-spot Cappuccinos made with premium Espresso.

From its foundation in 1964, Tim Hortons has become the neighbourhood meeting place for families and friends in communities throughout North America. This is possible due to an everexpanding network of over 3,750 outlets in Canada and the U.S. Whether you need it to go with fast take-out or drive-thru window, or decide to eat in, Tim Hortons in Elmira & St. Jacobs welcomes you to make them part of your day.

519-669-1653

Shoppers Drug Mart® has been serving the Elmira area since 1998. Since opening their new format store on October 1, 2008, Shoppers Drug Mart® has brought convenience, service and selection to new levels. The new look, larger size, and boutique style cosmetics & fragrances department is just the beginning.

Get the benefit of programs you’ll only find at Shoppers Drug Mart®, such as the HealthWATCH System®. Their prescription and patient information record system helps prevent allergies or contraindications from occurring before you take your medications, and provides an informative printed medication sheet, plus labels that help you identify medications quickly and accurately.

Get HealthWATCH Easy Refills™ by Telephone or Online.

Whether it’s fulfilling your health care needs, or providing guidance on over-the-counter medications and natural remedies, your HealthWATCH® pharmacists such as Christin, Ann, and owner Stefan Gudmundson will provide a personal consultation with you.

The staff is also there to help you find a card for someone special, or provide Lotto Centre products, or exclusive LIFE Brand products— a selection of over 1,000 premium quality private label products that cost less.

Photofinishing and digital prints are made fast, easy and convenient with easypix™ ONLINE (www.easypix.ca). Then just pick up your prints at this Shoppers Drug Mart®.

Other store features include an Informed Magazines & Books section, Healthy Living section, plus Foods and Beverages galore.

This store also offers Free Prescription Delivery. You get valuable reward points every time you use your free Shoppers Optimum™ card.

www.shoppersdrugmart.ca

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

Put the brakes on the wheat board battle

O

ttawa got caught speeding earlier this week. And wow, talk about being mad at the cop who blew the whistle.

On Wednesday, Ottawa was nabbed for trying to get rid of the Canadian Wheat Board too fast for the law. It doesn’t like the board for allegedly restricting farmers’ marketing freedom (according to the wheat board act, farmers must sell their export wheat and barley through the board) and it wants it essentially gone by August. It’s put forward new legislation, Bill C-18, called the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act, to take away its monopoly.

That’s fine. A democratically elected government can change things if

Food For Thought Owen Roberts it wants to, and if it follows whatever rules are in place for making change.

But it hasn’t, says Federal Court judge Douglas Campbell. Section 47.1 of the current Canadian Wheat Board Act says altering the marketing arrangement for export grain and barley is only possible through a vote of farmers. Ottawa’s tried to sidestep that law, which was written to prevent exactly what it’s trying

Supply: Feds sending mixed signals > CONTINUED FROM PG. 15 mission.

Local dairy farmer Ralph Martin, owner of Ontowa Farms located east of Elmira, says he fully stands behind the supply management system.

“I know we have to live within the regulations but it works very well for farmers as it helps us to forward plan because we know the numbers we have to work with and that is not the case in many jurisdictions,” he said, adding there are issues to work out and supply management has changed a lot since it was established and it should continue to change to meet the demands.

Martin says there is a lot of history behind the supply management system and before the system farmers would have individual quotas with

their local dairies and the closer you were to the larger centers or cities the richer the farmers were because they had the fluid contracts.

“Farmers from Waterloo or Oxford County heading east to Toronto where the privileged farmers and the outlining areas did not have lucrative contracts,” said Martin.

“Then when the milk act established the milk marketing board all the milk went through a central desk and then out to the dairies; the individual quotas or contracts were now gone because everyone fell under the one organization and it brought equity to the whole industry.”

With supply management, farmers don’t want to supply a lot because they don’t want to be dumping products in Canada or onto other countries' markets at below costs of production as it doesn’t do them any good and it doesn’t do the industry any good, said Martin.

“Costs may be a little high but if people want to be hard on that they should turn their fingers back on themselves and look to see how they are contributing to the costs, we live in Canada and we look after each other here and that is why we have a good standard of living. If supply management were dismantled the little town would be out of business and those who shop across the border are just shooting themselves in the foot.”

to do.

Here’s why. The board was established in 1935 to help Depressionera prairie farmers unite and find the best prices for their grain. By law, the board is run by farmers, not the government. It has a lot of clout, selling prairie grain into 70 countries. Those who support it are as passionate about it as those who oppose it, maybe more so.

But there’s no reason to keep it if most farmers say it’s run its course.

If they don’t want it anymore, let them decide democratically, like the law says.

Ottawa, though, disagrees with this interpretation of the law. It’s portrayed the wheat board as an archaic, nefarious oligarchy bent on monopolistic control. Ottawa says it won’t support a farmer vote because it’s not changing the grain marketing arrangement – it’s abolishing it.

As well, the ruling party, the federal Tories, says that part of its campaign platform included getting rid of the wheat board. The fact it won with a majority shows support for its position, it says.

Whether you like the wheat board or not, whether you think marketing freedom is the best or the worst thing for farmers, the act says farmers get to vote on it. On Wednesday, judge Campbell reminded Ottawa of that. It broke the law, he said.

Consultation and consent of farmers was not sought.

17 BUSINESS

Fast-moving Ottawa said immediately it will exercise its right to appeal – just like any speeder, who figures an injustice has been served.

Most speeders, though, are contrite, even during their appeal.

But for its part, Ottawa is vowing to speed again. Wednesday’s ruling did nothing to deter it. “Let me be clear,” said Agriculture and Agrifood Minister Gerry Ritz, “we will never reconsider western wheat and barley farmers’ fundamental right to market their own wheat and barley.”

I’ve always thought it would be wonderful to be a Canadian senator.

But this week, I’m not so sure. The Senate has to approve legislation, and Ottawa wants the marketing freedom law pushed through. But even though the Senate is heavily peppered with Tories, how can it do so with a clear conscience? A judge has said the government broke the law by not seeking farmers’ consent.

Doesn’t that mean anything?

Ottawa, do the right thing. Put the matter to a vote of farmers, like the law says. If they agree with your position, you can have confidence moving forward. If they don’t, you, and they, can figure out some compromise.

Compromise. That’s the Canadian way, be it in Woolwich Township, Weyburn, Saskatchewan or West Vancouver, B.C. The current approach is not.

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Your Values, Your Credit Union www.mscu.com | 519.669.1529 A Mennonite financial cooperative serving communities of faith across Ontario

LIVING HERE 18

THE OBSERVER

LIVING HERE

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

Cross country, one stretch at a time

PHOTO

» JAMES JACKSON

Local medal bearers happy to be part of the Rick Hansen Relay

ATTABOY Rick Hansen Relay medal bearer Jacob Galbraith gets a round of high-fives as he runs past his schoolmates in front of Riverside Public School in Elmira on Tuesday morning. or Corin Metzger, a silver medalist on the U-25 Canadian women’s wheelchair basketball team as well as a member of the provincial and national sledge hockey team, a relatively short 250-metre jaunt down Ernst Street to the Woolwich Memorial Centre on a Saturday afternoon should be no big deal.

But last Saturday was no ordinary day for Metzger, as she completed the final portion of the Rick Hansen Relay that passed through St. Jacobs and Elmira. With the silver relay medal dangling around her neck and nearly 100 supporters behind her, Metzger rolled into the WMC to a thunderous applause.

“It’s really heavy,” said Metzger with a laugh, referring to the medal which weighs 400 grams (or about one pound) that each bearer will carry along the 12,000km trip from Newfoundland to British Columbia, retracing Rick Hansen’s original Man in Motion marathon 25 years ago.

“I think it’s a tremendous honour to be a part of this in order to create change for the future. It’s a great thing

when Rick Hansen started out on his journey, he brought what was then a unique (idea) that if you dream, nothing is impossible,” said foundation ambassador Taposhi Batabyal, who is also confined to a wheelchair.

“If you dream, you can

achieve anything. If you dream, you are only limited by what you can dream. You are limited by nothing, only by the power of the mind.”

More than 7,000 people will share in the medal bearing duties before the relay finally reaches its destination, and that shared responsibility is

a testament to the fact that no one in this world can get anywhere on their own.

“Rick found that out early on when he was injured,” said Jamie Levchuk, the director of the relay.

“He required so much help

> SEE RELAY ON PG. 19

» JAMES JACKSON

F

to be a part of,” she added.

Metzger, 19, has spinal bifida and was only one of 13 medal bearers that participated in the relay as it passed through the township, first on Saturday then again Tuesday morning before it continued on to Elora, Fergus and Orangeville.

Other carriers on Saturday included Jordan Wardorp, Carla Mantel, Chere Davidson and Dianna Weltz in St. Jacobs, and Halle and Kim Detweiler, Kirsten Sills-Ouellette, Amanda Clemmer and Metzger in Elmira, day 102 of the nine-month journey that began on Aug. 24 and is set to end in Vancouver May 22.

Zoe Hahn, Chris Kurz, Jacob Galbraith and Heather Weber also took part when the relay returned on Tuesday after it passed through Guelph.

The cross-Canada journey is aimed at raising awareness of the work of the Rick Hansen Foundation to make our world more inclusive for those with disabilities, to raise funds for spinal cord injury research, and to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original Man in Motion marathon.

“Twenty-five years ago

PHOTO

James Jackson

MAKING IT LOCAL Medal bearers Corin Metzger (left), Halley Detweiler (middle) and Zoe Hahn (right) are joined by a large crowd of supporters as they make their way towards the WMC along Ernst Street in Elmira last Saturday afternoon.

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

19 LIVING HERE

Polenta, a break from all the Christmas cooking Kirstie Herbstreit & Jody O'Malley

T

his time of year is busy for many people, especially those in retail and service, and us chefs, who are happily working over time to feed holiday folk. On a rare night off, the question always comes up: “what’s for dinner?” And after cooking all day, we want something quick and satisfying. That often means taking something that may have been leftover from the day before, and turning it into something new.

Our Polenta ‘Lasagna’ is just that.

Polenta is an Italian ‘peasant’s’ dish of cornmeal cooked with water or milk and then finished with cheese and butter. The result is a thick and creamy porridge that is fantastic served in place of rice, potatoes or noodles with a rich stew or pasta sauce. It is quick to prepare if you purchase ‘instant’ polenta or just 30 minutes if you use regular cooking polenta. You can find packages of ‘Cornmeal for Polenta’ at any specialty grocery store, especially Vincenzo’s in Waterloo.

Now the beautiful thing about polenta is that it is almost better the next day. After the polenta is cooked and served, immediately pour the leftovers in a plastic-wrapped lined pan (a loaf pan, for instance).

Refrigerate immediately for a few hours or overnight. The polenta then firms up and can be sliced. We then fry it to a golden brown in a little butter or oil and then bake it with various sauces and cheese, as you would a lasagana.

Bring the milk, water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepot; Take a fistful of cornmeal and add it in a fine stream to the liquid (like sifting sand through your fingers) – whisk constantly to avoid lumps;

>>Chefs

Kirstie Herbstreit and Jody O’Malley are both Red Seal certified chefs. Together they run The Culinary Studio, which offers classes, demonstrations and private dinners. To contact the chefs, visit their website www.theculinarystudio.ca.

> CONTINUED FROM PG. 18

Basic Polenta >>2 cups water >>2 cups milk >>1 tsp salt >>1 cup cornmeal for polenta (not instant) >>1-2 cloves Ontario garlic, chopped >>Salt and pepper to taste >>4 tbsp butter >>4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese Continue to add cornmeal this way and whisk until it is all incorporated; Reduce the heat to low and stir with a wooden spoon frequently, about 20-30 minutes, until it is tender and thickened ; Stir in butter and parmesan and season with salt and pepper; Enjoy immediately or pour into a plastic wrap lined pan to cool.

– friends, family, doctors, coaches, mentors – for him to rebuild his life and what better way (to commemorate 25 years) than to move from a man in motion to many in motion.”

Standing on the upper level of the WMC overlooking the pools and the front foyer, Levchuk also praised the township for its work towards becoming a more inclusive community.

“I see automatic doors, I see an elevator, I look to my right and see a ramp leading down into the pool – this is fabulous progress we’ve made, but we can still go further and we know with the help of everyone across Canada we will.”

For Weltz, an able-bodied participant who completed the final leg of the St. Jacobs relay, the work of the foundation over the past 25 years has been critical in raising awareness for those living with a disability.

“I think able-bodied people are not aware of the obstacles that are out there,” she said. “Everyone has to be more aware; everything should be accessible.”

She also recalled watching clips on television when Hansen first crossed Canada, and said that the true beneficiaries of his work and others like him will be the young men and

women who are participating in the relay and are working every day to make spinal cord injuries a thing of the past.

“Corin is a remarkable young girl, and Halley is really going to benefit from this,” she said.

“Everyone is going to benefit.”

To follow the progress of the Rick Hansen Relay as it makes its way across Canada, go to www.rickhansenrelay.com and click on the relay map button.

» JAMES JACKSON

From The Chef's Table

Relay: For spinal cord injury research

PHOTO

THE OBSERVER

ON IT GOES

Dianna Weltz smiles as she completes the final portion of the St. Jacobs section of the relay.

Fried Polenta >>1 recipe cooked and chilled polenta >>Canola oil

REGION OF WATERLOO SIGN BY-LAW 10-030 – ENFORCEMENT ADVISORY

Turn out chilled polenta onto a cutting board; cut into triangles, squares or other desired shape; Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat; Add a light coating of canola oil; Carefully place polenta pieces in pan (you may have to do this in batches); Brown on each side, about 2 minutes a side; reserve on a baking sheet; Keep warm in a low oven, or continue to use in a baked dish with tomato sauce, leftover meat (such as chicken pieces or hamburger) and cheese (such as mozzarella, cheddar or goat’s cheese).

An increasing number of illegal signs along Regional roads have led the Region to increase enforcement of its sign by-law to improve road safety and the appearance of Regional roads.

Regional and municipal enforcement staff will be targeting small wire-mounted signs and other miscellaneous signs including but not limited to pole-mounted signs and mobile signs that do not meet the conditions of the by-law. Signs observed not complying with the Region’s Sign By-law will be removed immediately without notice and a ticket may be issued. The owner of any such sign found replacing or permitting the replacement of any removed non-compliant sign, will be issued a ticket by an enforcement officer and the replacement sign removed.

Copies of the current Sign By-law 10-030 are available for review in the Clerk’s Office, Region of Waterloo, 2nd Floor, 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener during normal office hours. Copies of the current by-law can also be obtained by visiting the Region of Waterloo website at www.regionofwaterloo.ca under the Regional Government / By-laws menu at the top of the home page. If you have any questions concerning the by-law, any questions concerning enforcement of the by-law, or wish to make a complaint about signs, you may contact Marty Sawdon, Administrator, Licensing and Enforcement directly at 519-575-4040 or lrs@regionofwaterloo.ca

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The MSRPs listed here include all necessary fees required by the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council (omvic.on.ca). We do this because it’s the right thing to do. And because we believe the only surprise you should have inside a Volkswagen 550 Weber St. North Waterloo *Base MSRP of a new and unregistered 2012 Jetta 2.0L Trendline / 2012 Golf 3-door 2.5L / 2012 Jetta 2.0L Trendline+ / 2012is Tiguan 2.0T with dealership the amount of 5-speed/5-speed/5-speed/6-speed German-engineered $1,365/$1,365/$1,365/$1,580 and PDI, $29 EHF (tires), $100 air conditioning levy, if applicable, $5 OMVIC fee and up to dealer License, 519-884-7470freight sales@vwwaterloo.com excitement you$499 get for thatadministrative price. Taxes arefee. extra but insurance, re extra. Dealer may sell for less. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. **Limited time lease offer available through Volkswagen Finance, on approved credit, based on a new and unre theincluded excitement of a testpayment. drive is free, so cometerm. and see Tiguan 2.0T base model with 5-speed/5-speed/6-speed manual transmission. $1,365/$1,365/$1,580 freight and PDI in monthly 48-month $1,800/$2,562/$3 www.vwwaterloo.com us first soon.monthly payment due at lease inception. Total lease obligati deposit, $29 EHF (tires), $100 air conditioning levy, $5 OMVIC fee, $46 PPSA, up to $499 dealer administrative fee and

Volkswagen WaterlooWaterloo Volkswagen

$0.15/km for excess kilometres. License, insurance, registration, options, TFFC, if applicable, and other applicable taxes are extra. Dealer may lease for less. Dealer order/trade may be

cancellation notice. Visit vw.ca or your Volkswagen dealer forisdetails.

Models shown for illustration purposes only. Vehicles may not be exactly as shown. the *Base MSRP of a new and unregistered 2012 Jetta 2.0L Trendline / 2012 Golf 3-door 2.5L / 2012 Jetta 2.0L Trendline+ / 2012 Tiguan 2.0T with without 5-speed/5-speed/5-speed/6-speed manual transmission $17,773/$21,974/$19,273/$30,088 including$1,365/$1,365/$1,365/$1,580 freight“Volkswagen”, and registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG. © 2011 Volkswagen Canada.

PDI, $29 EHF (tires), $100 air conditioning levy, if applicable, $5 OMVIC fee and up to $499 dealer administrative fee. License, insurance, registration, options, TFFC, if applicable, and other applicable taxes areextra. Dealer may sell for less. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. **Limited time lease offer available through Volkswagen Finance, on approved credit, based on a new and unregistered 2012 Jetta 2.0L Trendline+ / 2012 Golf 3-door 2.5L / 2012Tiguan 2.0T base model with 5-speed/5-speed/6-speed manual transmission. $1,365/$1,365/$1,580 freight and PDI included in monthly payment. 48-month term. $1,800/$2,562/$3,213 down payment or equivalent trade-in, $250/$280/$380 securitydeposit, $29 EHF (tires), $100 air conditioning levy, $5 OMVIC fee, $46 PPSA, up to $499 dealer administrative fee and first mothly payment due at lease inception. Total lease obligation: $10,872/$13,554/$19,005. 64,000 kilometre allowance; charge of$0.15/km for excess kilometres. License, insurance, registration, options, TFFC, if applicable, and other applicable taxes are extra. Dealer may lease for less. Dealer order/trade may be necessary. Offers end January 2, 2012 and are subject to change orcancellation without notice. Visit vw.ca or your Volkswagen dealer for details. Models shown for illustration purposes only. Vehicles may not be exactly as shown. “Volkswagen”, the Volkswagen logo, “Jetta”, “Golf”, “Tiguan” and “Autobahn for All” are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG. © 2011 Volkswagen Canada.

LIVING HERE 20

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Âť Saturday, December 10, 2011

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THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

21 LIVING HERE

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LIVING HERE 22

THE OBSERVER

SUDOKU

THE CROSSWORD

HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once. Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started.

EASY

HARD

WORD SEARCH * , ) 7 * 6 2 < 7 & , 0 8

+ 2 / < $ / 2 5 ' ' 2 ( $ 9 2

Angelic Baby Bells Bread Camel Card Cedar Chimney Crib Dasher Dolls Donkey Elves

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Joseph Joy Lord Mary Mass Myrrh Noel Party Pie Pine Port Prince of Peace

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Red Roast Sales Sauce Sing Sled Toast Toys Vixen Winter Xmas Yule

> SOLUTIONS: Find the answers to all of the puzzles on pg. 36

ACROSS 1. Cry plaintively 6. Nipper 9. Boys 13. Musteline mammal of prairie regions of United States 19. Should, with â&#x20AC;&#x153;toâ&#x20AC;?

20. ___ Today 21. The upper angle between an axis and an offshoot such as a branch or leafstalk 22. Brooks Robinson, e.g.

23. Subscribing to capitalistic competition 26. A man who collects, or deals in, rags 27. A hat made of felt with a creased crown 28. Kind of triangle 30. Appear 31. A meeting for boat races 34. Ancient greetings 35. ___ power 36. Any of various small insectivorous American birds chiefly olive-grey in colour 39. An aromatic hydrocarbon 40. One who, or that which, reveals 43. Any thing 44. Diffident 45. Domestic 46. Swelling from excessive accumulation of watery fluid in cells 47. Antiquity, in antiquity 48. Spatially or metaphorically from a lower to a higher position 49. ___ gin fizz 51. Capital on the Dnieper 54. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cogito ___ sumâ&#x20AC;?

55. Complain whiningly 58. ___ Mix 59. Of or related to the anus 60. Catalan painter Joan 61. â&#x20AC;&#x153;___ for the poorâ&#x20AC;?

65. Of me or myself 66. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rocky ___â&#x20AC;?

67. Very cheap 71. Assortment 73. Aviary sound 75. Copper 76. Completely sealed; completely airtight 78. Breakfast, lunch or dinner 80. Assess 81. ___ constrictor 82. Food sticker 83. Completely enveloping 85. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To ___ is human ...â&#x20AC;?

86. Juicy fruit 89. A flatbottomed jar made of glass or plastic; used for chemistry

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93. Second of two 95. The quality or state of being inalienable 98. Split 99. A very short skirt 100. Bleed 101. A chronic disorder when nutrients are not absorbed 102. Hinder or restrict with or as if with a hedge 103. Icelandic epic 104. Chester Whiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home 105. Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice DOWN 1. Resoundingly successful and popular 2. Artificial bait 3. Ancient 4. An idea accepted as a demonstrable truth 5. Dorm room staple 6. Quote, part 3 7. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no ___!â&#x20AC;?

8. Correspondence 9. Hawaiian tuber 10. x, y or z 11. Throw or cast away 12. Ace place?

13. Divine 14. â&#x20AC;&#x153;-zoicâ&#x20AC;? things

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etails

15. Fix, in a way 16. An empire established by Augustus in 27 BC 17. Euripides drama 18. Extra inning 24. Bother 25. Church song 29. On or to the left 32. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I see!â&#x20AC;?

33. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give up!â&#x20AC;?

36. Competes 37. â&#x20AC;&#x153;___ be a cold day in hell ...â&#x20AC;?

38. Change 41. A public promotion of some product or service 42. Major type of cancer in the blood 50. A person or firm that employs work under 52. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;? problem 53. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I do,â&#x20AC;? for one 55. Starchy tuber 56. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gimme ___!â&#x20AC;? (start of an Iowa State cheer) 57. Marked by warmth of feeling like kindness and sympathy 62. The post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another 63. Like some vases 64. Locale 67. Bach piece

68. A masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in arts and sciences 69. simple past tense and past participle of peter 70. Auditory 71. (Greek mythology) sea nymph who was a daughter of Oceanus and Tethys 72. Certain Arab 73. Hack 74. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aladdinâ&#x20AC;? prince 75. Tree of the genus Catalpa with large leaves and white flowers 77. Eventually 79. Foreign dignitaries 80. A laminated metamorphic rock similar to granite 81. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Twelfth Nightâ&#x20AC;? character 84. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chicagoâ&#x20AC;? lyricist 86. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Screamâ&#x20AC;? star Campbell 87. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We the Livingâ&#x20AC;? author 88. Hip bones 90. A Scottish church 91. Small ornamental ladiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bag for small articles 92. Bakery selections 94. What â&#x20AC;&#x153;itâ&#x20AC;? plays 96. Cashew, e.g.

97. â&#x20AC;&#x153;___ calls?â&#x20AC;?

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

23 LIVING HERE

PHOTOS

» JAMES JACKSON

THE OBSERVER

IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS The 19th annual Elmira Kiwanis Club Santa Claus Parade rolled through the streets of Elmira last Saturday morning. About 20 floats and seven bands helped entertain the hundreds of children and parents who came out to watch. Highlights included the Kitchener Rangers’ giant inflatable hockey player, the Region of Waterloo ceremonial police marching band, members of the Elmira fire crew handing out candy to children, and the big man himself – Saint Nick.

SPORTS 24

THE OBSERVER

SPORTS

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

Steep learning curve for senior boys’ b-ball squad After a year away from league play, Lancers are back in the fray Colin Dewar

James Jackson

T

he Elmira Sugar Kings saw their four-game winning streak halted Dec. 2 in a 6-4 loss to the Listowel Cyclones, but followed it up two days later with one of their stronger performances of the year, a 4-1 win over the Brantford Golden Eagles at home.

It was the third meeting of the season between Brantford and Elmira but the first one to end in regulation, as Elmira took the first match 3-2 in overtime back on Sept. 18 and Brantford responded with their own 3-2 win in a shootout on Oct. 30.

The Kings’ head coach was pleased with the effort in Sunday’s win over one of the tougher teams in the league.

“From top to bottom I thought we had an outstanding game,” said Dean DeSil-

va. “Our best players and our veteran players were our best, and it carried right on down to everyone on the bench.”

The Kings were led by the line of Andrew Smith, Lukas Baleshta and Brady Campbell. Smith scored Elmira’s first three goals of the game for his second hat-trick of the season, with Baleshta assisting on all three.

“They were outstanding tonight. They were dangerous every time they were on the ice,” said the coach. “Andrew Smith did what he does best, going to the net and scoring goals, Brady was strong on the puck all night and had his chances, and Balestha was outstanding on faceoffs and on the penalty kill and the powerplay.”

The game started slowly for the Kings as Brantford came out flying and had them on

their heels for the first five minutes. The Kings didn’t record their first shot on goal until the 5:41 mark of the period, but in the second half of the period the team started to loosen up and make some good plays.

The highlight of the period came with just 2:30 left on the clock when Baleshta weaved his way across the Golden Eagles blue line and made a nice drop-pass to Smith, who fired a quick wrist shot into the top corner past the glove of Brantford’s Bryce O’Hagan to make it 1-0. Colton Wolfe-Sabo picked up the other assist on the goal.

Smith struck again at 8:57 of the second period on one of the more creative goals that the Kings have scored this season. After Baleshta recov-

> SEE KINGS ON PG. 31

> SEE BASKETBALL ON PG. 28

»

PHOTO

After Listowel snapped team’s four-game streak, strong effort from Smith, Baleshta and Campbell get them back on track

COLIN DEWAR

Kings rebound from loss with convincing win over Brantford

he Elmira District Secondary School senior boys’ basketball team have a long road ahead this season – the squad knows that it will take a lot of work to pull together.

Last year the school did not enter a senior team into the WCSSAA basketball league because of a lack of player interest.

With only three students willing to commit to the squad, a part-time team was formed that would practice once a week, played exhibition games and entered a few weekend tournaments.

By making a less competitive team last year a few students were persuaded to come out who might not have otherwise tried basketball.

PHOTO

MIXED EMOTIONS The Sugar Kings celebrate Brett Priestap’s third-period goal in the Kings 4-1 win over Brantford last Sunday night.

» JAMES JACKSON

T

“The team was a little low key last year compared to this year where we have the commitment from a lot of players,” said head coach Brian Carter. “Playing in the WCSSAA league is a full time gig; it takes a lot of commitment as we have to play four nights a week and a couple of weekends.

Last year we had a few guys that didn’t see basketball as their number-one sport and this year we have a bunch of young players but it should work out.”

This season the majority of players are in Grade 11 and those older players are missing a full year of playing and have a lot of time to make up this sea-

FINDING AN ALLEY Lancer Takuya Shibayama works his way around Cassidy Pomeroy of Bluevale at the EDSS gym Tuesday. Bluevale beat EDSS 56-27.

Five Kings named to Midwestern Conference all-star team James Jackson

A

fter jumping out to a 22-5-1 start to the 2011/2012 season, the Elmira Sugar Kings have been rewarded by having five players and three members of its staff named to the upcoming all-star game to be hosted by Elmira on Jan. 9.

On Tuesday the league revealed the names of the 23 players headed to the game to represent the Midwestern Conference, including the following Kings (stats updated as of Dec. 8): Goaltender Nick Horrigan (14-4-0-1, 2.35 goals against average, .920 save %); Defenceman Craig John-

son (4 goals, 8 assists, 6 penalty minutes); Forwards Andrew Smith (26 goals, 22 assists, 88 penalty minutes), Riley Sonnenburg (16 goals, 19 assists, 27 penalty minutes), and Brett Priestap (13 goals, 26 assists, 16 penalty minutes); Trainer Gary Schaefer; Equipment managers

Bill Ferrier and Lyle Binkley; The five players named to the starting lineup is the most for any team in the Midwestern Conference, as Brantford and Stratford each had four players named, and Stratford also had one alternate player named to the team, which will be coached

by Phil Westman and managed by Jason Lott, both of the Stratford Cullitons.

The Midwestern Conference will take on the Golden Horseshoe all-stars in a twogame series starting Jan. 9 at the Dan Snyder arena in Elmira starting at 7:00 p.m.

Game 2 is Jan. 23 in Stoney Creek.

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

25 SPORTS

In a rut? The only thing to do is wait it out

J

ust yesterday morning, I was driving my daughter home when I saw something that almost made me embarrassed to be a man – and this time it wasn’t a fanny pack.

Rather it was a doe crossing the road in front of me, followed by a big old buck. And the contrast in behaviour was startling.

The doe, it seemed, was completely aware of its surroundings and essentially as cautious as ever.

It bounded across the road knowing full well that an SUV was approaching. It might even have looked both ways before crossing. Oh, she was cool and in control.

The buck, on the other hand, followed her trail with that dazed

The worst part is I have been hunting this buck, on and off, since the archery season began. And all I’ve got to show for it is a couple of trail camera photos taken at night after legal hunting hours.

He’s a big old boy with a very nice set of antlers and he got that way by being cautious. If he’s not nocturnal, then he’s very close to it.

But all this changed when the does came into heat, once again. I tell you, it’s embarrassing and frustrating.

After all, what does she have that I don’t? Sure she’s got big doe eyes.

But, look at the accompanying photo – so do I. Maybe she’s a bit sleeker and prettier, but she doesn’t know

Not-So-Great Outdoorsman Steve Galea and confused look that is typically worn by teenage boys in health class – complete with the appropriate amount of drool. To say he was oblivious to the fact that he was crossing the road is an understatement. His nose was to the ground following the scent of a doe in heat.

And, like males of every species at dangerous times like this, his caution and common sense flew out the window.

him like I do.

Yes, I’ve studied his travels, set out trail cameras and fed him his favourites – bags of apples and a bit of corn. But, even after all that, he acts like he doesn’t know I exist. Then again, like all males in a similar situation, he’s not thinking straight.

He used to visit my set up at all hours of the morning. But, you know, he wasn’t fooling anyone – I know he’s spending time with her or one of the other does who are willing to give it away.

Sure, I’m bitter. Can you blame me?

I’ve waited patiently in my stand

> SEE GALEA ON PG. 27

Jacks split a pair of close matches in weekend action After edging Ayr 2-1, Wellesley comes up short in battle against Delhi

L

James Jackson

ast weekend presented the Wellesley Applejacks with a couple of goaltender duels, and they managed to beat the Ayr Centennials 2-1 on their home ice on Dec. 2 but fell 3-1 to the first-place Delhi Travellers last Sunday night at home.

his team would need as Heer made 37 saves to preserve the win for the Jacks.

Two nights later Wellesley returned home to test their mettle against the first-place team from Dehli.

In the first period Delhi struck early with a goal from Corbit Morrison at 2:17. The Jacks lost the faceoff to the right of Heer, and two

over the weekend.

“Both games had a real playoff atmosphere to them.”

The game in Ayr was a closechecking affair, with neither team finding the back of the net in the first period, each registering eight shots on goal.

In the second, Ayr’s Tyler Gauth-

Delhi players ended up all alone in front and Morrison squeaked a shot through the pads of the Jacks goaltender.

Delhi had a chance to go up 2-0 with a prolonged 5-on-3 powerplay at 17:15 of the first, but Wellesley’s penalty killers did a good job of keeping the Delhi forwards to the outside,

> SEE JACKS ON PG. 30

I D L A O Y H S Y !

P P A H CHRISTM24AS H25OUR26S 23

1 - 4 PM & 6 - 11:30PM FRI.

PHOTO

» JAMES JACKSON

27

ONE OF 40 Wellesley’s Josh Heer kicks out his right pad to make a first-period save during last Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Delhi. Heer finished with 40 saves in the loss.

The head coach said he was pleased with their effort against Ayr, but added that the team just couldn’t make it click against Delhi, who improved to 3-1-0 against Wellesley this year.

“We played a real strong road game against Ayr on Friday, but give Delhi credit, they’re first in this league for a reason and they’re a real good team,” Kevin Fitzpatrick said of the team’s collective effort

ier beat Jacks goaltender Josh Heer at 7:41 to give the home team a 1-0 lead, but Jacks captain Rob Hinschberger got that one back just over seven minutes later on the powerplay from Mark Hamilton and Mitch Metzger at 14:51 to take the teams into the second intermission tied.

In the third, Reid Denstedt of the Jacks collected his fifth of the season at 6:18 from Tyler Eckert and Spencer Geoffrey, and that was all

CLOSED

CLOSED SAT.

SUN.

MON.

28

29

30

1 - 5 PM & 7 - 10PM TUES.

1 - 5 PM & 7 - 10PM WED.

1 - 5 PM & 7 - 10PM THURS.

31

1

2

NEW VE E YEAR’S LOTS

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CLOSED

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SUN.

1 - 5 PM & 7 - 10PM

FRI.

1 - 5 PM

MON.

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE !

(Great Stocking Stuffers!)

15 FIRST STREET E., ELMIRA • 519-669-2833 • elmirabowl@rogers.com

SPORTS 26

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

SCORECARD ST. CLEMENTS U16 JUNIORS HOUSE LEAGUE GIRLS NOV. 26

St. Clements 4, Wellington North 0 Goals: Lauren Crawford x2, Laura Runstedler, Sarah Wetteskind (Lauren Crawford, Emma Schultz, Sarah Wetteskind, Meaghan Dietrich) Shutout: Emily Green DEC. 4

Hanover 5, St. Clements 2 Goals: Laura Runstedler, Sarah Wetteskind (Rachel Carere, Meaghan Dietrich)

WOOLWICH NOVICE DS GIRLS DEC. 2

ORANGEVILLE WINTER CLASSIC DS TOURNAMENT

Woolwich 2, Leaside 1 Goals: Ella Campbell, Maddie Goss (Delaney Keen, Maddie Goss, Ella Campbell) DEC. 3

Woolwich 3, Mississauga 2 Goals: Julia Doerbecker x2, Haylee Clemmer (Lexi Runstedler x3, Karissa Schouppe, Julia Doerbecker, Larissa Musselman) DEC. 3

Woolwich 7, Orangeville 0 Goals: Haylee Clemmer x2, Maddie Goss x2, Ella Campbell, Lexi Runstedler, Delaney Keen (Ella Campbell x2, Julia Doerbecker x2, Delaney Keen, Lexi Runstedler, Maddy Goss, Maddie Goss, Maggie Sabean) Shutout: Charlisse Roth DEC. 4

Woolwich 2, Leaside 0 Goals: Maddie Goss, Haylee Clemmer (Julia Doerbecker, Haylee Clemmer, Payton Ravelle) Shutout: Charlisse Roth

TWIN CENTRE NOVICE LL #1 - GIRL NOV. 19

Twin Centre 11, Kitchener 0 Goals: Marlee Fraser x4, Katie Lee x4, Kara Dietrich x2, Megan Haid (Katie Lee x2, Brooklyn Reid x2, Avery Haid x2, Marlee Fraser x2, Taylor Storey, Halle Murray, Chloe Hislop, Avery Bender, Macoda Pitsch, Kendra Pauser) NOV. 23

Twin Centre 4, Waterloo 2 Goals: Marlee Fraser x2, Katie Lee, Lindsay Miller (Brooklyn Reid x2, Lindsay Miller) NOV. 25

STRATFORD TOURNAMENT

Twin Centre #2 4, Twin Centre #1 1 Goals: Marlee Fraser (Taylor Storey, Chloe Hislop) NOV. 26

Twin Centre 7, Grand River 0 Goals: Kara Dietrich x2, Halle Murray x2, Chloe Hislop, Katie Lee, Marlee Fraser

(Marlee Fraser x2, Kara Dietrich, Chloe Hislop, Katie Lee, Brooklyn Reid, Avery Haid) NOV. 27

Twin Centre 7, London 1 Goals: Marlee Fraser x3, Katie Lee, Kara Dietrich, Chloe Hislop, Brooklyn Reid (Katie Lee, Kara Dietrich, Avery Bender, Macoda Pitsch, Kendra Pauser) NOV. 30

Twin Centre 3, Burlington 2 Goals: Marlee Fraser x3 (Katie Lee, Avery Bender)

TWIN CENTRE NOVICE LL #2 - GIRLS DEC. 3

Twin Centre 11, Waterloo 0 Goals: Emily Krueger x5, Claire Higgins x2, Mia Thompson, Kirsten Livingston, Megan Jantzi, Mackenna Krulicki (Mackenna Krulicki, Emily Krueger, Claire Higgins, Kirsten Livingston) Shutout: Lauren Skanes TWIN CENTRE ATOM LL 7547 - GIRLS NOV. 30

Twin Centre 3, Grand River 0 Goals: Blythe Bender, Laura Martin, Jordyn Torti (Marissa Lebold) Shutout: Kylee Zacharczuk DEC. 3

Twin Centre 6, Stratford Aces 0 Goals: Marissa Lebold x2, Blythe Bender, Jayna MacDonald, Jordyn Torti, Taylor Hartung (Briony Jantzi, Taylor Hartung, Laura Martin, Olivia Bolender) Shutout: Kylee Zacharczuk WOOLWICH ATOM B - GIRLS DEC. 4

Woolwich 1, Stoney Creek 0 Goals: Hannah Petrosino (Jade Lipczynski, Abigail Burkholder) Shutout: Cailyn Wilkie

TWIN CENTE HERICANES PEEWEE LL - GIRLS DEC. 3

Woolwich PeeWee Girls House League Hockey Tournament Twin Centre 5, Grand River 0 Goals: Tiana Bruns x2 Emma Banbury x2 Libby Henderson (Tiana Bruns Julia Dakin Grace Kalbfleisch) Shutout: Riley Barnhardt DEC. 3

Niagara Falls 2, Twin Centre 0 DEC. 3

Twin Centre 1, Saugeen Shores 1 Goals: Emma Banbury (Tiana Bruns Grace Kalbfleisch) WOOLWICH PEEWEE B GIRLS DEC. 4

Woolwich 1, Mount Forest 0 Goals: Megan Chapman (Abi Martin) NOV. 25

STRATFORD TOURNAMENT

Twin Centre 3, Zorra 1 Goals: Deanna Mainland, Leah Sebben, Jocelyn Oja (Jocelyn Oja, Lauren Quehl)

NOV. 26

Twin Centre 2, Ancaster 2 Goals: Lauren Quehl, Sophie Jantzi (Jocelyn Oja) NOV. 26

Twin Centre 3, Sarnia 0 Goals: Leah Sebben x 2, Sophie Jantzi (Lauren Quehl, Laura Ridge, Sophie Jantzi) Shutout: Tiffany Towns NOV. 27

Twin Centre 4, Kincardine 0 Goals: Laura Weber, Leah Sebben, Sophie Jantzi, Lauren Quehl (Jocelyn Oja, Lauren Quehl, Sadie Diebold, Laura Ridge) Shutout: Tiffany Towns CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Ilderton 4, Twin Centre 1 Goals: Laura Weber

WOOLWICH BANTAM B – GIRLS DEC. 2

Woolwich 2, Kitchener 2 Goals: Emily Schuurmans x2 (Hannah Weber, Blaire Snyder, Brooke Mulder, Cassidy Bauman) DEC. 4

Woolwich 0, Grand River 0 Shutout: Autumn Campbell

TWIN CENTRE MIDGET LL #1 – GIRLS NOV. 23

Twin Centre 5, Kitchener 0 Goals: Brittany Wagner, Shannon Lorentz, Sarah Miltenburg, Mackenzie VanBargen, Janessa Heywood (Callie Churchill x2, Sarah Van Allen, Mackenzie Van Bargen, Jill Sebben, Shannon Novak, Jessica Dunbar) Shutout: Lindsay Dietrich NOV. 29

Twin Centre 4, Wilmot 2 Goals: Janessa Heywood, Sarah VanAllen, Mackenzie Van Bargen, Holly Lorentz (Dominique Bruns x 2, Sarah Miltenburg x 2, Holly Lorentz, Emily Detzler) DEC. 5

Twin Centre 3, Woolwich 2 Goals: Mackenzie VanBargen x2, Carling Cisecki (Sarah VanAllen x2, Shannon Lorentz, Sarah Miltenburg) TWIN CENTRE MIDGET LL #2 - GIRLS DEC. 4

Twin Centre 3, Woolwich 0 Goals: Shelby Smit x2, Megan Kroetsch (Amanda Kuiack, Contessa Brenner, Megan Kroetsch, Ali Hergott, Kaitlyn Jantzi) Shutout: Kathryn Sutherland DEC. 4

Twin Centre 3, Kitchener 0 Goals: Amanda Kuiack, Ali Hergott, Megan Kroetsch (Contessa Brenner, Kara Lumgair, Becky Jantzi) Shutout: Kathryn Sutherland WOOLWICH MIDGET B GIRLS NOV. 26

West Seneca 2, Woolwich 1 Goals: Marissa Woodburn DEC. 3

Woolwich 2, Brampton 0 Goals: Amy Calenda, Jasmin Fritz (Katharine Hoffman x2, Corey Hinsperger, Natasha Runstedler) Shutout: Linny Lesage DEC. 4

Woolwich 2, Kitchener 2 Goals: Katharine Hoffman, Jasmin Fritz (Lea Olsthoorn, Corey Hinsperger)

WOOLWICH TYKE (MINOR NOVICE) SELECT - BOYS DEC. 2

BOB GIROUX MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT

Woolwich 2, Brampton 2 Goals: Adam Pauls, Tyler Brezynskie (Jocelyn Pickard) DEC. 2

Woolwich 6, Peterborough 3 Goals: Tyler Brezynskie x2, Mitchell Hartman, Andrew Gear, Shelby Rempel, Sebastian Garrett (Sebastian Garrett x3, Mitchell Hartman, Jocelyn Pickard, Ian Speiran) DEC. 3

Woolwich 8, Erindale 1 Goals: Carter Rollins x3, Ian Speiran, Mitchell Hartman, Sebastian Garrett, Adam Pauls, Reid Burkholder (Carter Rollins x2, Zack Bender, Ian Speiran, Tyler Brezynskie, Andrew Gear, Shelby Rempel) DEC. 3

Woolwich 4, York Mills 1 Goals: Shelby Rempel, Carter Rollins, Tyler Brezynskie, Reid Burkholder (Tyler Brezynskie x2, Sebastian Garrett) DEC. 4

Peterborough 4, Woolwich 1 Goals: Mitchell Hartman (Sebastian Garrett, Tyler Brezynskie)

WOOLWICH NOVICE LL #1 - BOYS DEC. 3

Woolwich 6, Embro 0 Goals: Ben Fretz x3, Mac Benham, Ben Moyer, Nolan Williamson (Ben Fretz, Corbin Schmidt, Nolan Williamson) Shutout: Connor Dingelstad DEC. 4

Woolwich 6, Paris 0 Goals: Mac Benham x2, Ben Fretz x2, Logan Beard, Ben Moyer (Logan Beard x3, Ben Moyer x2, Nolan Williamson x2, Nolan Bridge, Ben Fretz, James McCormick) Shutout: Connor Dingelstad WOOLWICH NOVICE LL #2 - BOYS DEC. 3

Woolwich LL #2 6, Woolwich LL #4 5 Goals: Lucas Carson x3, Patrick Perry x2, Liam Eveleigh (Carter Cousineau x3, Ryan Williams x2, Andrew Buehler, Gavin Wright, Ryerson Chamney, Michael Wang, Liam Eveleigh) WOOLWICH NOVICE LL #3 DEC. 3

Woolwich 4, Ayr 0 Goals: Keith Mikel, Matt Yorke, Brady Gingrich, Aiden Von Kannen (Jordan Chang, Brady

Gingrich) Shutout: Dominic Roth

WOOLWICH NOVICE LL #4 - BOYS DEC. 2

Woolwich 5, Tavistock 4 Goals: Simon Shantz x3, Lucas Radler, Tanis Uhrig (Sam Siopiolosz x2, Jackson Dumart, Tanis Uhrig, Dustin Good, Thomas Hill-Ring) DEC 3

Woolwich LL #2 6, Woolwich LL #4 5 Goals: Simon Shantz x3, Lucas Radler, Sam Rawlinson (Dustin Good x2, Nolan Karger, Daniel Kelly, Sam Rawlinson, Thomas Hill-Ring, Tanis Uhrig, Owen Hackert) WOOLWICH ATOM LL #1 BOYS DEC. 2

6-0 Goals: Matthew Brubacher x4, Blake Richardson, Ryan Parrott (Connor Kroetsch, Andrew Kieswetter, Jake Good, Liam Hanley) Shutout: Cal Schell DEC. 3

Woolwich 7, Paris 0 Goals: Andrew Kieswetter x2, Matthew Brubacher, Ryan Parott, Jake Good, Kyle Deyell, Blake Richardson (Ryan Parrott, Matthew Deyell, Nathan Curtis, Cole Campbell, Kyle Deyell) Shutout: Cal Schell WOOLWICH ATOM LL #2 BOYS NOV. 26

Woolwich 10, New Hamburg 3 Goals: CJ Sider x6, Joseph Boehm x2x, Matthew Fleischmann, Tanner Mann (Tanner Mann x3, Jonathan Dinglestad x2, Joseph Boehm, Matthew Feischmann, Matt Dunn, Max Nitsche, Brannon Slade, Brendan Grant) WOOLWICH ATOM LL #3 BOYS DEC. 2

Woolwich 3, St. George 0 Goals: Nathan Maier, Matthew Thaler, Ian McGregor (Simon Zenker x2, Tyler Newton, Eric Martin) Shutout: Liam O’Brien DEC. 4

Woolwich 9, Paris 1 Goals: Noah Bauman x3, Sullivan Keen x2, Simon Zenker, Nathan Maier, Corbin Kaufman, Nathan Kocher (Simon Zenker x2, Nathan Kocher x2, Tyler Newton x2, Nathan Maier) WOOLWICH MINOR ATOM AA - BOYS DEC. 3

Oakville 1, Woolwich 0 DEC. 4

Woolwich 1, Orangeville 0 Goals: Ryan Elliot (Brett Allen, Nathan Taylor) Shutout: Zack Verwey DEC. 5

Woolwich 6, Guelph 1 Goals: Dawson Good x2, Brett Allen, Mitch Lee, Connor

Bradley, Isiah Katsube (Keaton McLaughlin x2, Mitch Lee, Connor Bradley, Trevor Ferretti, Isiah Katsube) WOOLWICH MAJOR ATOM AA - BOYS NOV. 25

Guelph Powerplay Woolwich 2, Chatham 1 Goals: Austin Cousineau, Kayden Zacharczuk (Sam Davidson, Lukas Shantz, Griffen Rollins) NOV. 25

Woolwich 1, Barrie 0 Goals: Austin Cousineau (Mackenzie Willms, Kurtis Hoover) Shutout: Riley Demers NOV. 26

Collingwood 2, Woolwich 1 Goals: Brody Waters NOV. 26

Woolwich 4, Richmond Hill 4 Goals: Josh Martin x2, Brody Waters x2 (Mackenzie Willms x3, Brody Waters, Josh Martin) NOV. 27

Orangeville 2, Woolwich 1 Goals: Jacob Code (Kurtis Hoover, Austin Cousineau) DEC. 5

Regular season Woolwich 1, Orangeville 0 Goals: Brody Waters (Eli Baldin) Shutout: Riley Demers

TWIN CENTRE ATOM AE BOYS DEC. 3

Twin Centre 3, Caledonia 1 Goals: Brock Krulicki, Tyler Zyta, Cameron Hoy (Jack Koebel, Brock Krulicki, Blair Bender) DEC 6

Twin Centre 3, Six Nations 2 Goals: Devon Lee, Tyler Zyta, Josh Hubert (Alex Kaufman, Peter Holmes, Cameron Hoy, Curtis Butler, Caleb Wellman)

WOOLWICH ATOM AE - BOYS DEC. 1

Woolwich 9, Dundas 1 Goals: Matthew Steringa x2, Zac Pickard x2, Jackson Hale, Jake Clemmer, Travis Weber, Ben Weigel, Ryan Belanger (Jake Clemmer x2, Zac Pickard, Seth Morrison, Hunter Schmitt, Travis Weber, Ben Weigel) DEC. 4

Woolwich 5, Acton 0 Goals: Hunter Schmitt, Travis Weber, Hunter Weigel, Zac Pickard, Ben Weigel (Jackson Hale x2, Hunter Schmitt, Travis Weber, Kieffer Beard) Shutout: Jody Weiss WOOLWICH PEEWEE LL #2 - BOYS DEC. 3

Woolwich 5, Plattsville 0 Goals: Nathan Horst, Ryan Diemert, Tegan Schaus, Noah Rawlinson, Emmett Bartley (Max Bender x2, Keean Dowdell, Austin Whittom, Nathan Horst, John

> SEE SCORECARD ON PG. 27

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

27 SPORTS

SCORECARD > CONTINUED FROM PG. 26 Wang, Ryan Diemert) Shutout: Terry Chau, Alex Harnock WOOLWICH PEEWEE AE BOYS DEC. 5

Woolwich 3, Hespeler 0 Goals: Benton Weber x2, Cade Schaus (Jonny Martin, Cade Schaus, Mitch Rempel) Shutout: Ryan Conrad

WOOLWICH BANTAM LL #1 - BOYS NOV. 30

Woolwich 5, Tavistock 1 Goals: Nick Berlet x2, Alex Taylor, Bradley Mathieson, Connor Bauman, (Jared Beacom x2, Jacob Cornwall x2, Nick Berlet, Connor Bauman) DEC. 4

Woolwich 3, Beverly 2 Goals: Alex Taylor, Bradley Mathieson, Trent Thompson (Bradley Mathieson, Connor Bauman, Terrell Piper, Nick Berlet, Jacob Cornwall, Vincent Dally)

WOOLWICH BANTAM MINOR A - BOYS

Kelby Martin) Shutout: Connor Duench

Owen Sound 2, Woolwich 0

WOOLWICH MIDGET LL #1

DEC. 5

DEC. 2

Hespeler 3, Woolwich 2 Goals: Colby Bond, Greg Huber (Greg Huber, Ryley Cribbin) DEC. 4

Woolwich 5, Hespeler 0 Goals: Brant McLaughlin, Tyler Moser, Matheiu Fife, Greg Huber, Jayden Hipel (Garrett Schultz x2, Connor Runstedler x2, Connor Goss, Brant McLaughlin, Ryley Cribbin,

DEC. 4

Centre Wellington 5, Woolwich 0 WOOLWICH BANTAM MAJOR A - BOYS DEC. 2

Woolwich 4, Owen Sound 1 Goals: Josh Kueneman, Cole Conlin, Cole Lenaers, Harrison Clifford (Troy Nechanicky, Alex Uttley, Scott Martin, Harrison Clifford) DEC. 4

Woolwich 3, St George 2 Goals: Alex David x2, Nick Bauman (Alex David)

WOOLWICH MIDGET LL #2 - BOYS NOV. 25

Woolwich LL #2 4, Woolwich LL #3 3 Goals: Cole Burkhart, William Frank, Shane Young, Cole Martin (William Frank, Shane Young, Cole Burkhart)

WOOLWICH MAJOR MIDGET A - BOYS

Woolwich Atoms claim top prize in Dorchester tourney

NOV. 19

Woolwich 5, Brampton 4 Goals: Matthew Townsend x3, Nathan Playford, McKinley Ceaser (Eric Hanley x2, Jordon Moore x2, McKinley Ceaser,

Ryan Ament, Dalton Taylor) NOV. 25

Southpoint Tournament Woolwich 2, Lorne Park 1 Goals: Evan Yantha, Matthew Schieck (Nathan Playford, Ryan Ament, Dalton Taylor, Justin Neeb) NOV. 26

Woolwich 3, Orangeville 3 Goals: Ryan Ament, Nathan Playford, Logan White (Matthew Schieck x2) NOV. 26

Southpoint 4, Woolwich 2 Goals: Matthew Schieck, Dalton Taylor (Ryan Ament, Evan Yantha, Justin Neeb) NOV. 30

Brampton 5, Woolwich 2 Goals: Sebastein Huber, Ryan Ament (Jordon Moore)

Galea: Ready when the buck stops here

PHOTO

» SHERRY WITMER

> CONTINUED FROM PG. 25

WINNING WEEKEND Woolwich Atom LL#4 were the tournament champs in Dorchester Dec. 2-4. In close matches throughout the weekend it came down to a game between Woolwich and the undefeated Belmont Atoms. By the final buzzer a goal by Jesse Martin in the second period gave the LL#4's the win, goalie Nick Lee another shutout this season, and all players the championship medal. Sharing the weekend win are (from front) Nick Lee, Dante Del Cul, Cameron Martin, Nick Lunz, Jordan Dickieson, Ben Martin, Ryan Moser, Seth Horst, Jesse Martin, Jacob Wiseman, Ryan Martin, Parker Merlihan, Caden Sellars, Alex Devore, Tyler Horst, Benjamin Witmer. Coaches: Pat Merlihan, Terry Martin, Ken Martin, Kevin Moser.

for him to show.

I’ve managed my scent, used the wind in my favour, set up near one of his regular hangouts and patterned him to the point where I know his favourite trails. I’ve done all the things a person should do to get his buck!

And then she shows up and all that means nothing! Just one doe in heat and all of his wellestablished routines are forgotten. Where’s his self-respect?

Call me crazy but I’m not just going to give up on him. After all, once he sows his wild oats he’s going to realize that she was using him. And then he’ll come back to me. Oh yes he will.

In the mean time, I’ll spend a little more time in the woods and use a doe in heat bleat call just a little more often. But I won’t change locations or try to desperately follow him around the woods.

After all, no one likes a stalker.

SUNDAY December 11, 2011

Dan Snyder Memorial Arena at 2:00 PM

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Teddy Bear Toss & Food Drive

in support of Woolwich Community Services Goodwill Program Please bring your Teddy Bears in plastic bags.

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visit www.kings.on.ca

SPORTS 28

THE OBSERVER

PHOTO

» COLIN DEWAR

GETTING SOME AIR

Walker Stewart from EDSS drives to the net beating Garrett Large (12) and Jake Becker (20) of Bluevale Collegiate during high school basketball action.

» SUBMITTED PHOTO

THEY'RE CHAMPS The Twin Centre Hericanes Novice 2 team won the championship in the Festival City Challenge Stratford Aces Tournament Nov. 25-27 by a score of 4-1. The team went undefeated in four games. Front row: Kirsten Livingston, Mackenna Krulicki, Emma Sommer. Second row: Claire Higgins, Mia Thompson, Bella Kuchma, Lauren Skanes, Reese Looser. Third row: Megan Jantzi, Nicole Hehn, Emily Krueger, Katya Pym, Rachel Janzti. Back row: Rhonda Kuchma, Shawn Thompson and Jen Sommer.

Novices are Silver Stick champs

» SUBMITTED

> CONTINUED FROM PG. 24 son but there are hopes of developing and getting better by the end of the year.

“It’s going to be a tough year because the guys that should have a year experience are missing that and we have a younger squad than most schools,” said Carter. “The Grade 11 players are new to the league and it is a big jump going from junior to senior but there is potential for later on in the year but in the beginning we are going to take a lot of lumps and the boys know that and are working hard and that is all we can ask of them.”

There are no star players that the team can rely on this year said Carter, it is all about the team coming together and working hard and showing how effective they can be as squad.

So far the season has been hard with the team losing two games, their first against Waterloo Collegiate 56-13 and on Wednesday at home against Bluevale Collegiate 56-27.

“The team has a lot of hustle and the guys never pack it in, it will take some time but I am sure we will see some good results from the guys.”

Hericanes win in Stratford

PHOTO

Basketball: Lancers back in the league

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

OFF TO THE INTERNATIONALS The Twin Centre Novice Rep team

participated in the Wasaga Beach Regional Silver Stick "B" Qualifier tournament Nov. 26-27. They won all four of their games and won the championship by defeating Ayr 13-2. Back row: Coaches Jamie Hislop, Jeff Stemmler, Duane Gowing, Paul Schnarr, Brent Murray. Middle row: Brayden Hislop, Jonathan Gervais, Jacob Thompson, Sam Erb, Evie Adam. Front row: Austin Stemmler, Michael Hayes, Kyle Kraemer, Curtis Bisch, Jaxson Murray, Easton Gowing.

Kids take to the ice with Kops at annual event at the Wellesley area THE BIG PUSH Waterloo Regional Police Const. Agnes Wyrzykowska is pushed along the ice during a skating drill called the Driver Training Obstacle Course at the 13th annual Kids and Cops event held Dec. 3 at the Wellesley arena.

DRILL PRACTICE Youth players from across the township were invited to

participate in a wide range of hockey training drills, from racing against members of the police service and having their speed measured by officer Stephen Malolepszy, to shooting and stick-handling drills.

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

29 SPORTS

Optimist Charity Challenge nets $25K

Atom Hericanes take bite out of tourney

PHOTO

EVERYONE PITCHING IN The 11th annual Optimist Charity Challenge held Nov. 26 in Elmira

raised more than $25,000 to help fund KidsAbility. Optimist member Brad Nickel (centre) said it was an enormous success and even the Sugar Kings, including Cass Frey (left) and Brodie Whitehead (right) got involved this year.

PHOTO

» JAMES JACKSON

» SUBMITTED

THE OBSERVER

TOP SPOT The Twin Centre Hericanes Atom Local League won the Barrie Sharkfest Tournament

over the Nov. 18 weekend. Players include: Kylee Zacaharczuk, Charlotte Birrell, Olivia Bolender, Taylor Hartung, Briony Jantzi, Marissa Lebold, Caitlin Livingston, Jayna MacDonald, Laura Martin, Jordyn Torti, Emily Whitney, Blythe Bender, Tyana Bruns, and Nikki Beam. Coaches Chris Martin, Lee Zacharczuk, Jeff Jantzi and trainer Sheila Lebold.

Kitchener Rangers put on a show at Kids and Cops event in Wellesley

HOCKEY'S FUTURE The Kitchener Rangers of the OHL held a brief practice at the Wellesley arena as part of the Kids and Cops event held last Saturday. Right, Rangers centre Curtis Meighan makes a pass to Brent Pederson. Below, goaltender and Team U.S.A. junior hockey hopeful John Gibson watches a shot get past him during a team scrimmage.

SPORTS 30

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

Jacks: Team looks to get back in the win column facing last-place Norfolk > CONTINUED FROM PG. 25

and Heer kicked aside any shots that made it through.

The Jacks best chance of the period came on a shorthanded rush at 17:50, when Connor McLeod broke

in alone on goal. His initial shot was stopped

by Delhi’s goalie Nick Heath, and Wellesley’s Matt Soveregn put the

rebound over the net.

Soveregn would make amends for that miss just 6:50 into the second period, how-

ever, when he calmly finished off a 3-on-2 rush with linemates McLeod and Eckert by firing a nice pass from McLeod into the top corner, glove side.

The game was poised to head into the third tied at two goals apiece, but late in the period the Jacks were their own worst enemies.

After a giveaway by Blair Witmer about halfway into the Delhi zone, followed by a bad pinch by defenseman James Mildon, Delhi broke away with a 2-on1 rush and put the puck past Heer with just eight seconds left on the clock.

It was enough to send Fitzpatrick from the bench and into the dressing room early in a fit of anger.

“We made about three straight mistakes on that play,” he said.

“We had a line out there thinking they would try and score with a dozen seconds left, when all they had

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to do was chip it into the corner.”

In the third period, the Jacks mustered as much offence as they could against Delhi, but couldn’t come close to beating Heath again, who was strong all night and finished with 24 saves. Delhi tallied an empty-net goal at 19:51 to seal the deal.

Heer was again excellent in goal for the Jacks, making 40 saves in the loss.

“He is outstanding and gives us a chance to win every game,” said Fitzpatrick of his goaltender. “He’s been a big addition to our club.”

The Jacks look to get back in the win column when they open a three-game home stand tonight (Saturday) against the last-place Norfolk Rebels (1-162) at 7:30 p.m. Look for plenty of goals because the last time these two teams met Wellesley got the edge by a score of 10-7.

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FOCUSING IN Jacks captain Rob Hinschberger prepares to take

a shot on goal during the second period of Wellesley’s loss to Delhi last Saturday. Hinschberger was held off the score sheet for just the third time in 12 games this season.

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

31 SPORTS

Kings: Tough weekend in store, including home game against Cambridge

QUICK STOP All-star goaltender Nick Horrigan flashes the leather during the first period of the Kings’ win over the Brantford Golden Eagles last Sunday night, one of his 33 saves in the game.

Smith calmly deposited into the back of the night past the diving goalie to make it 3-0.

Brantford’s Mike Riley tallied a shorthanded marker at 17:53 to make it 3-1, but Brett Priestap sealed the win just under three minutes into the third period on the powerplay with his 13th of the year from Riley Sonnenburg and Will Cook.

The three goals by Smith give him a total of 26 on the year, eclipsing the 25 he

scored all of last year and putting him just two behind the league-leader Brad McClure of Stratford.

Baleshta also moved into third in the league with 31 assists and he said he has embraced the role of the setup man this year rather than always looking to pull the trigger himself.

Baleshta has just five goals through the first 28 games of the season, after managing 22 last season.

“This year we’ve got so many guys that can put the puck in the net so I’m 100 per cent OK with being the setup man, especially being on a line with Smith and Campbell who are both great goal scorers.”

Slightly overshadowed by the exploits of Smith and Baleshta was the performance of goaltender Nick Horrigan, who quietly put together another solid game and made 33 saves for the win after a tough

PHOTO

ered the loose puck at his own blueline, he spotted Smith breaking down the right wing and out of the zone.

Baleshta made a high, arching pass over the heads of everyone and it landed right in front of Smith as he neared the Brantford blueline, giving him a clear line to the net.

Smith made no mistake as he made another quick wrist shot into the top corner count, making it 2-0.

Baleshta said his drop pass and the alley-oop were the result of trying to relax out on the ice and be more creative, something the trio talked about with their coach before the game.

“We want to bring some fun into the game,” said Baleshta. “They’re some different things I’ve seen on Sportscentre and I’ve been trying to integrate them into my game, and it worked out alright tonight.”

Smith finished off the hattrick with his third of the night at 15:58 of the second by capitalizing on another play started by Baleshta.

The centre won a faceoff to the left of O’Hagan and pulled the puck back to defenceman Wade Pfeffer, whose wrist shot led to a big rebound which

» JAMES JACKSON

> CONTINUED FROM PG. 24

outing two nights earlier in Listowel where he allowed five goals on 28 shots.

Desilva said there was no question in his mind that he would go back to his number one goalie against Brantford.

“Friday night was a tough game in Listowel he’d like to have it back, but he was very, very focused (against Brantford) and there was no hesitation to go with him.”

Horrigan made the big saves when he needed to, particularly in the third when Brantford really turned it on and fired 18 shots on goal.

“For the first time in a few games I felt like my movement was good,” said Horrigan. “I don’t know what it was, you just go through stretches of the season where your feet aren’t where you want them to be, but I felt good tonight.”

The Kings face a tough weekend ahead. After a stop in Owen Sound Friday, they travel to Brantford Saturday for a rematch against the Golden Eagles, and return home for a Sunday afternoon tilt against Cambridge. Starting at 2 p.m., the game includes the club’s annual teddy bear toss, so be sure to bring a bear to throw on the ice after the Kings score their first goal.

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THE OBSERVER

CLASSIFIEDS

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

Test Technician Dairy Cheq is looking for a motivated person to join us on the research and development team in our Waterloo location.

The primary role will be to aid in the development and testing of new products. As a Test Technician, there will be a mix of hands on work and office work.

Responsibilities include: • Maintenance and repair of testing equipment • Conducting tests on prototype mattresses in the shop and on farms • Monitoring ongoing tests and recording results • Documenting test results • Attention to detail and a keen eye for finding problems and troubleshooting solutions • Assist with installations of prototype products on trial farms • Fabricating concept products and testing devices • Maintain warehouse • Future potential for technical training of Promat dealers • Ideal candidate would possess skills in fabricating, welding, and machining and have good hands-on abilities • Knowledge and experience in the dairy industry is an asset • Lifting and physical labour will be required Compensation will be negotiated based on the skill level of the applicant.

Please submit your resume to Dairy Cheq at info@dairycheq.com or at 5-60 Baffin Place, Waterloo, ON, N2V1Z7.

Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

HELP WANTED

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Please submit your resume with a cover letter via email to jobs@pinaclehealthand fitness.com

>>Winter Maintenance help needed for sidewalk crew. Experience preferred but will train. Must be reliable and dependable.

Fax resume to 519-6699369, email kdetweiler@ rogers.com WORK WANTED

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HELP WANTED

Bookkeeper /Receptionist We require a Bookkeeper/ Receptionist to work in our increasingly busy agricultural business. You should be comfortable working in an office environment, enjoy meeting people, be able to meet deadlines, be well organized, know all types of farm equipment and understand agriculture.

Please forward your resume to melissa@stoltzsales.com or deliver to Stoltz Sales & Service, Regional Road 86, Elmira.

CHILD CARE

>>Need Child-Care?

Loving, caring babysitter with 15 years experience.

Close to schools, Birdland Plaza. References available.

Call Ellen 519-669-8188.

HEALTH CARE

>>Try

Bowen Therapy for treatment of pain and numerous health conditions. Daytime hours now available! Contact Kevin Bartley, Certified Bowenwork Practitioner.

519-669-0112, Elmira.

FOR SALE

>>Antique Beside Table, 21” Toshiba TV; Sony stereo - with speakers and stand base reflux woofer; copper

lamp and cream coloured lamps, lace curtains - 2 pair 48”l x 86”w; rose pattern blind 82”w; nurses uniforms size 12-14; bamboo and beige double size bedspreads and shams with 3 decorative cushions.

Bedroom storage bench with cushion. White wood and iron wall hanging. 519-6482742.

>>Christmas Sale at Hillcrest Home Baking.

December 6 - 31. Closed Sun. & Mon. 519-6691381. 5% off all groceries excluding eggs, milk, butter, cheese and baking. 10% off 10lb or 5lb chunks of cheese.

Chapman’s Preumium Ice Cream $3.99; Chapman’s Original Ice Cream $2.99.

10% off throughout rest of store excluding china and coats. 50% off selected

We are currently looking to fill a Full Time Receptionist position commencing January 2012 for our new Elmira Office. The ideal candidate will have at least 1+ years experience in a receptionist type role with excellent computer and communication skills.

Working hours will be Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.

Please email your resume to christina@remaxsolidgold.biz For a more detail job description, please visit our website: www.remaxsolidgold.biz fabrics. 10% off all other fabrics and sewing notions.

Dec. 15 & 16 - Free coffee and Crestbits or cookies.

>>Moving

Sale - leather, reclining sectional (Lane), medium brown/burgundy, 5 years old, excellent condition $1800. Custom made 60” solid oak oval table with 11 leaves $950. Burgundy plaid couch and matching chair $400. 519-698-2506.

>>Used 2006 Newmac wood/oil combination furnace. $2000. 519-5032030. >>Used Maytag Sud-Saver

washer and dryer in good condition. $350. Call 519669-2194.

100% Local.

FIREWOOD

>>Firewood, delivered.

519-669-1836.

PETS

>>$

Goes Further with SENIORS DISCOUNTS at Creature Comfort Pet Emporium. Your Pet’s Store & So Much More! FREE PawZone K9 Play Park on site. Open 7 days, 1553 King St. N. St. Jacobs. 519-6643366. www.creaturecomfort. ca

Catholic Church Mass times are:

Sat. 5pm, Sun. 9am and 11:15am

19 Flamingo Dr., Elmira • 519-669-3387

Trinity United Church, Elmira “Our mission is to love, learn & live by Christ’s teachings” Sunday Worship: 10:30 am Sunday School during Worship Minister: Rev. Dave Jagger

rm A Wlcaome e W all! to

www.execulink.com/~unitedchurch/index.html Visit us at: www.wondercafe.ca 21 Arthur St. N., Church office 519-669-5560

RENTALS

>>2 Bedroom main floor of bungalow. 1200 sq. ft.

Washer, dryer, fridge, stove, parking, garage included. $1050 plus utilities. Phone 519-741-6548. Available Dec. 15. >>Industrial/Commercial Unit for rent. 1000 sq ft, gas heat, 12’ overhead door. Call 519-271-3223.

Time To Share The Good News

SUNDAYS AYS @ 10:30AM Services at John Mahood Public School A

5 First St., Elmira • 519-669-1459 www.elmiracommunity.org

>>Young Professional female looking for 1-2 bedroom apartment for rent in Elmira or St. Jacobs.

I’m quiet, clean and non smoking. Please call 519356-2875.

The #1 weekly in

the region.

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>>1 Bedroom Basement apartment for rent. $750 all inclusive. Looking for one responsible adult for Jan. 1. Shared kitchen and entrance. 519-508-1478.

PLUS HST

Call today to find out how our award-winning design team can help your business.

519-669-5790 NURSERY PROVIDED

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

SUNDAY SCHOOL

Zion Mennonite Fellowship

Dec. 11 at 11am

Sunday School - 9:30am Worship Service - 10:45am

Sermon-The Glory of Christ

- The Junction -

Finding The Way Together

47 Arthur St., S. Elmira • 519-669-3153 www.thejunctionelmira.com

Sunday School at 9:30am Service at 10:30am REACH WITH LOVE. TEACH THE TRUTH. SEND IN POWER. 290 Arthur St. South, Elmira • 519-669-3973 www.ElmiraAssembly.com (Across from Tim Horton’s)

Ray Jones Discovering God Together

519-669-2319 | www.wbconline.ca 4522 Herrgott Road, Wallenstein

Gale

Worship 10:30a.m.

Minister: Rev. Dr. Linda Bell

Presbyterian www.galepresbyterian.com Church 2 Cross St., Elmira • 519-669-2852

Office Hours: M-TH 9-Noon & 1-3 • E galepresbychurch@golden.net

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

Dec. 11th

>>MOOREFIELD - one bedroom apartment, furnished, laundry facilities, parking, deck, electric heat, cable TV. No pets, adult building. References. $695 inclusive. First & last. 519638-3013

RENTALS

HEARING ASSISTED

No God, No Hope; Know God, Know Hope!

Celebrate Eucharist with us

PLACING A CLASSIFIED AD | Classified ads can be obtained in person, by phone (519-669-5790), fax or email from Monday to Thursday 8:30am-5pm or Friday 8:30am-4pm. All classified ads are prepaid.

Deadline is WEDNESDAYS by 4pm.

RENTALS

PLACES OF FAITH

St. Teresa

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

Sunday, December 11, 2011 9:15 & 11:00 AM Series: More Than A Story "Until the Whole World Hears” 200 Barnswallow Dr., Elmira • 519-669-1296 Check out our website www.woodsidechurch.ca

9:15am Sunday School 10:30am Worship Service Pastor: Richard A. Frey www.stpaulselmira.ca

27 Mill St., Elmira • 519-669-2593

Check the Observer for your local faith listings!

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

33 CLASSIFIEDS

Your DVDs aren’t permanent, but all is not Lost Q.

A.

He learned that a spinning ball may curve as much as 12 inches on its way to the batter, says physicist Louis Bloomfield in How Things Work.

Its direction depends on the axis of the baseball’s rotation, tending toward the side of the ball turning toward the pitcher. A ball thrown with backspin experiences an upward lift force, enough to make the ball hang in the air unusually long and appear to “hop.”

For some pitches, the trickery stems from lack of spin: a knuckleball, for instance, has almost no rotation, with the airflow over the ball’s seams pushing the ball sideways and causing it to “flutter.” But throwing a spinless ball requires great skill, enticing some pitchers to resort to lubricating their fingers to get the ball to slip on out.

“Like its legal relative, this socalled spitball dithers about and is hard to hit. The same is true for a scuffed ball. Now class dismissed -- with an “A” for the pitcher and a “K” for strikeout of the beleaguered batter.

From a “Wired” magazine reader: “How long can I expect my DVDs to last? I hate

Q.

Q.

to think I won’t be able to hand down my ‘Lost’ box set to my daughter someday.”

From a Cleveland, Ohio reader: “Thanks for your calculations that to see from downtown across Lake Erie to Canada, you’d need an observation tower about 1,500 feet high! Now I’m wondering, how far can the human eye see, anyway?”

A.

A.

What tips did the future baseball pitcher pick up in his college physics class?

Strange But True Bill & Rich Sones

Relax! By that time, she’ll likely think of DVDs the way you think of your late grandfather’s Benny Goodman 78s, answers Brendan I. Koerner.

Actually, your discs could last for half a century -- the lifespan of a DVD-ROM when treated with the utmost care. But let’s face it, your living room no doubt gets too cold or too hot, too humid or too dry, and worse, you probably keep your DVDs in their original packaging.

Archivists store their discs vertically in cases that don’t contact the surfaces.

Luckily, there are methods for ripping those “Lost” discs for storage in the cloud (Google it).

Whoosh! “Throw those pieces of worthless plastic away, secure in the knowledge that when your daughter shoves you into an old folks home, you can exact sweet revenge by making her sit through the program’s entire run.”

When we view the moon, we are seeing something about a quarter of a million miles away; the sun, 93 million miles. Under ideal conditions and with good vision, we can see the Andromeda galaxy 2.5 million light years away -- each light year corresponding to about 6 trillion miles.

So there really is no “farthest distance” we can see; it’s only limited by how big and bright the intended object is.

Of course, looking horizontally through the atmosphere is a different matter, as weather and air quality do limit the distance. Yet under good conditions, it is possible to see 50 miles and even farther, from an airplane, for example.

Q.

Zas your body really been with you as long as you think it has?

than “you” are, such as the cells lining your gut that are replaced every five days or so, says Graham Lawton in “New Scientist” magazine.

The outer layer of your skin turns over every two weeks and you get a new set of red blood cells every four months. Using a variant of carbon dating, Jonas Frisen of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, has discovered that the average age of a fat cell is about 9.5 years, a bone cell 10 years, and a muscle cell 15 years. Your heart cells are on average six years younger than you are and if you live beyond age 50, about half of them will have been replaced.

The exception in this procession is your brain, most of which stays with you for life; but even here, some cells in your cerebellum and hippocampus are younger than you are.

“All if this puts the idea of lifelong personal identity into perspective,” says Lawton.

Think about it.

>> Send STRANGE questions to brothers Bill and Rich at strangetrue@cs.com

A.

Surprisingly, the vast majority of your body is younger

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING PROPOSED UPDATETOTHE GRANTS POLICY The Township of Woolwich, through its annual operating budget process, has historically provided for a number of financial grants to community organizations as provided within the operating budget approved by Council. At the request of Council, staff have prepared a draft updated policy setting forth standard criteria for the provision of grants which provides for the following: • Eligibility requirements • Funding categories • Eligible expenses • Funding exclusions • Application process Prior to adoption, Council will host a public meeting to obtain input with respect to the updated policy. The meeting will take place during a regularly scheduled Council meeting on the following date and location: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 Township of Woolwich Administration Office, 2nd Floor 24 Church Street West in Elmira 7:00 p.m.

For further information, including the draft policy, contact the Clerk’s Department at the Township of Woolwich during regular business hours (9 am – 5 pm) at (519) 669-6005.

Christine Broughton, Municipal Clerk

DIDYOU KNOW? The Township of Woolwich has a Sign By-law.

It says the message of a sign must relate to the property on which the sign is located.

Signs cannot be placed on any property, including a road allowance, without the permission of the owner.

A copy of the Township’s Sign By-law is available at www.woolwich.ca.

CLASSIFIEDS 34

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

REAL ESTATE FEATURE PROPERTY

Solid Gold Realty (II) Ltd., Brokerage OFFICE 519-888-7110

Paul Martin SALES REPRESENTATIVE

CALL DIRECT

519-503-9533

$274,900

REDUCED REDUCEDFROM FROM$289,000 $289,000

SOUGHT AFTER BIRDLAND LOC’N

Elmira - Huge, beautiful, corner, treed lot full of perennials offers potential for pool or addition. Cathedral ceilings throughout main floor. Bright, open kit w/breakfast bar.

Hardwood floors in airy living room. Whirlpool bath, Gas fp in Rec room, laundry rm walk out, Lg 19x24ft storage rm. MLS Call Paul direct.

www.homeswithpaul.ca

$195,000

IMPRESSIVE HOME

FABULOUS HOME

$500.00 donation will be made with every home bought or sold by Paul in Woolwich.

$475,000

Only minutes to Waterloo. This family oriented home is complete with 3rd flr. family rm and laundry, separate DR., 4 bdrms. Airy eat-in kitchen with reverse osmosis, breakfast bar & island, lrg LR w/gas fireplace. Basement w/o to fenced yard. Put your personal touches on the unfinished basement. MLS Call Paul direct.

$624,000

$349,900

Beautiful home in excellent condition in quiet, peaceful village of Floradale. Your ideal family sized home with four spacious levels. Walk-out from your country kitchen to deck and enjoy the exceptional flower beds and gardens.

Central air, central vac, some updates, wood stove. MLS Please call Bill or Alli direct.

$262,900

Very nice and well kept 3 bedroom home in Drayton. Very impressive with open concept.

Spacious kitchen with an island. The great room with cathedral ceiling has a walkout to a fenced and treed backyard with a private deck for entertaining. Finished basement with large L shaped rec room and roughed in for future bathroom. Double garage and driveway. MLS Please call Bill or Alli direct.

Elmira - This open concept, raised bungalow is

$303,000

Alli Bauman

OPEN CONCEPT RAISED BUNGALOW

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

CALL DIRECT

519-577-6248

MOVE RIGHT IN!

Elmira - This quality built semi detached home is

www.elmiraandareahomes.com

$303,000

CHARMING

EXECUTIVE HOME

Bill Norris $849,000

Elmira - with inlaw suite including w/2 bdrms, full kit, bath, & lndry. Grand 87 x 250 ft lot overlooking farm land just steps to golf course. 3car garage & detached 4car garage/workshop Perfect for car buff or hobbyist. A must see home! MLS Call Paul direct.

$453,900

Elmira - Meet “Olivia”, another fabulous home by Verdone. 2216sqft plus fin'd bsmnt. Many quality finishes some incl: Ceramic, Hrdwd, oversized trim & mf crown moulding. MF lndy, spacious LR, Dinette walk out to covered 16.4 x 9.4ft deck.

Fabulous must see kit built for convienience, French drs to mf den. Lg master w/crown moulding, 2 walk ins, lg beautiful ens w/free standing tub & oversized glass shower. MLS Call Paul Direct

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

CALL DIRECT

519-588-1348

www.elmiraandareahomes.com

currantly being built by Huron Homes in mature area. Close to downtown, walking distance to restaurants & banks. Complete w/deck, MF laundry, spacious master w/lg closet & 4 pc ensuite. Double garage (17.5 x 20 ft) perfect for storage & still easily have parking for 3 vehicles.

Convenient separate side entrance.

On picturesque setting. Only 20 min to Waterloo.

Spacious grand foyer w/curved oak staircase & french drs leading you to through this exceptional home. Complete w/sep DR, MF laundry, LR, FR& fin'd basement. Master w/FP, walk in closet & captivating ensuite complete w/stand up shower & corner whirlpool bath. Sit back & enjoy the lg deck overlooking inground kidney shaped pool w/brick privacy wall & country setting. MLS Call Paul direct.

FLORADALE SIDESPLIT

QUALITY BUILT SEMI DETACHED

currently being built by Huron Homes in mature area. Close to downtown, walking distance to restaurants & banks. Complete w/deck, MF laundry, spacious master w/lg closet & 4 pc ensuite. Double garage (17.5 x 20 ft) perfect for storage & still easily have parking for 3 vehicles.

Convenient separate side entrance.

Linwood - Very well kept home, truly a rare find.

Charming original wood details like trim, railings & built-ins add to the personality of this home. Equip’d w/3 lg bdrms, very lg bath, MF lndry & a DR so big it will fit any lifestyle. Many updates.

Situated on a lg private lot backing onto stream. MLS Call Paul direct

Heidelberg - This uniquely designed, one owner

$615,000

home, is a rare find! Beaming with lots of natural light, you will love the bright open concept layout, making entertaining a pleasure. Walk up your spiral staircase to your very private loft style master bedroom and spa ensuite bathroom featuring a three-way fireplace and a whirlpool tub. Enjoy your beautifully landscaped yard with fish pond while relaxing in the quiet court location. MLS Please call Bill or Alli direct.

$749,900

Woolwich - Loc’d on 20 acres. Spacious 2400 sqft bungalow equip’d w/MF lndry, sep dr, huge fin’d bsmnt & walk up to garage. Open kit & FM w/wood fp. Master w/huge walk in closet & attractive slider to 3 tiered composite deck w/hot tub. 25x36 ft insulated, heated shop, 100amp w/bathrm & phone. 20,000 sqft 2 storey barn equipped for chickens or turkeys, currently empty. 17 acres of bush w/trail, mostly hardwood & poplar. MLS Call Paul direct.

HOBBY FARM

NEW VERDONE HOME

‘Tis the season of giving ABOVE AND BEYOND Laurel Martin (left), manager of client care at the Elmira Royal Bank, and branch manager Darcy Krahn took some time on Tuesday to thank Gloria Lillico for knitting some 24 pairs of mittens and a dozen hats for the less fortunate in the area. The items are being kept on a “mitten tree” at the front of the bank.

» JAMES JACKSON

Independently Owned and Operated | 180 Weber St. S., Waterloo

BRIGHT & SPACIOUS

PHOTO

FEATURE PROPERTY

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

35 CLASSIFIEDS

REAL ESTATE

Sunlight Homes ELMIRA REAL ESTATE SERVICES

Drayton Heights

VISIT US SATURDAY AND SUNDAY!

Independently Owned & Operated, Brokerage 90 Earl Martin Dr., Unit 1, Elmira N3B 3L4

When you buy or sell your home with us, part of our commission supports women’s shelters & violence prevention programs.

519-669-3192

BONNIE BRUBACHER Broker of Record

Elmira@royallepage.ca | www.royallepage.ca/elmira

Choose from one of our plans or let us custom build your home fully detached.

Homes starting

VILLAGE OF MOOREFIELD

$239,990 Many models to choose from Learn More About Sunlight Heritage Homes and Our fine communities by Visiting us Today!

Sales Representative

NEW PRICE

$369,900.

1700+ 700+ sq ft Bungalow on secluded wooded lot. 3 Bedrooms, formal living & dining rooms.

Eat in Kitchen, double garage and fully finished basement.

Amazing space. MLS

from

Alyssa Henry

$464,900. Attractive design and décor including an amazing open concept kitchen/ dining/family room complete with gas fireplace and Entertainers Island. The open solid oak staircase to the 2nd floor overlooks the cozy dining/den boasting 21’ ceiling and gas fireplace. Luxurious ensuite includes separate soaker tub and tile shower, upper hall, remaining bedrooms and bath offer generous space for your family. MLS

$299,900 ELMIRA 2 STOREY OFFERING IMMEDIATE POSSESSION!! 3 bdrms, 4 bathrooms, open concept main floor, updates include central air, gas fireplace, water softener, master ensuite bath.

Great lot backing onto greenspace, double driveway & 1.5 car garage, finished basement. MLS

$189,990

$179,900 DRAYTON. FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS! Affordable and Spacious home in a nice neighborhood! Eat in kitchen with fridge, stove and dishwasher, large family room, living room with gas fireplace and walkout to deck, and fenced backyard (lot size: 32.8’ x 164’). 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, single car garage with double driveway.

5 APPLIANCES INCLUDED! MLS

www.sunlighthomes.ca

519.787.0203

Have a question? Email us at: info@sunlighthomes.ca

LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT HOME?

BROKERAGE

R.W. THUR REAL ESTATE LTD.

Royal LePage Royal City Realty, Brokerage 25 Waterloo Ave., Guelph, ON Office: 519-824-9050 Fax: 519-824-5183

Solid Gold Realty (II) Ltd., Brokerage Independently Owned and Operated

3 Arthur St. S. Elmira • www.remaxsolidgold.biz OFFICE: 519-669-5426

DIRECT: 519-572-2669 EMAIL: bert@remaxsolidgold.biz

MONIQUE ROES Sales Representative

LAURIE LANGDON Sales Representative

ELMIRA’S 4 BEDROOM BEAUTY

JUST MOVE IN & ENJOY!!

The Edge Semi-detached homes from

SHANNA ROZEMA Broker.

45 ARTHUR ST. S., ELMIRA

BRAD MARTIN

519-669-2772

MVA Residential

Broker of Record,

JULIE HECKENDORN

TRACEY WILLIAMS

Res: 519.669.1068

Res: 519.669.8629

Cell: 519.505.0627

Broker

Sales Rep.

BERT MARTIN, BROKER

Call Bert For Your FREE Market Evaluation

BEAUTIFUL

3 year old with 3rd floor loft and view of countryside, 3 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, walkout from dining room to new deck, walkout from basement to rear yard, new central air, master ensuite w/corner tub.

Call Bert to view. MLS.

OFFICE SPACE FOR LEASE Approx. 3000 sq. ft. Large open room w/hardwood floor. Full unfin. basement. Private offices, board room and washrooms. Large parking lot. Lots of storage areas.

Great exposure on a busy highway between Elmira & St. Jacobs. NEW MLS $2,500/MONTH.

AFFORDABLE BACKSLPIT SEMI on a deep fenced lot. Parquet floors in bdrms. Updated bathroom w/ ceramic flr. Replacement windows and furnace. Newer rec. room with walkup to back yard. Deck. Shed.

Updated ele. panel. Central air.

Lots of storage! MLS REDUCED to $209,900.

NICE OLDER HOME on the edge of town. Natural staircase, pocket doors. Oak kitchen & spacious dining area overlooking the deep yard.

Family room and living room. 2 bathrooms. Some replacement windows. Detached garage.

MLS $249,900.

CONESTOGO Lovely .78 acre propery backs to wooded area.

This home boasts character throughout - hand laid hdwd. flrs, solid oak doors & trim, hand carved staircase. 3 bdrms. + nursery/ hobby room. Insul. workshop.

Brick driveway. 1 block to public school! MLS $629,900.

$379,000

COUNTRY ACREAGE!

Great property on the edge of town backing to river offers century home with 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, large family room addition, attached single garage, 5 acres of manicured orchard with a mix of fruit trees, 12 acres workable. Three one storey out buildings totaling 10,000 s/f. Cold storage, apple juice processing equipment included. MLS. Call Bert to View.

$375,000

COMMERCIAL OFFICE SPACE

Two adjoining offices in Multi-Tenant Plaza. Also 920 s/f unit consisting of two offices, reception area, kitchenette and bathroom. Located in busy plaza 10 minutes from Waterloo. MLS. Call Bert to view.

Your referrals are appreciated!

BUYING OR SELLING? You’ve come to the right place to find a home.

COUNTRY LIVING CLOSE TO ELMIRA! - $485,000

Enjoy incredible views from this 3+2 BR brick bungalow, finished w/o basement, on 1.5 acre lot overlooking Grand River valley. Extensive perennial gardens, mature trees, a 30’ x 40’ outbuilding & tiered, elevated deck complete with hot tub. Upgraded interior with large LR & DR, hardwood floors, 2 FP, and French Door walkout to deck. MBR has 3pc ensuite, walk-in closet & private w/o to deck & hottub. Attached 2 car garage & parking for 6+ Maggie Horne DVM, DVSc Broker email: mhorne@rlproyalcity.com www.HorseFarmsOntario.com www.CountryHomesOntario.com

www.thurrealestate.com

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info@woolwichobserver.com

www.

.com

519-669-5790

CLASSIFIEDS 36

THE OBSERVER

REAL ESTATE

Âť Saturday, December 10, 2011

Colour them happy to be contest winners

ELMIRA INCOME PROPERTY AUCTION

Sat. Dec. 17 ** 10:00 a.m.

44 Church St. W., Elmira

Duplex Plus Apartment. R6 Residential/ Commercial Zoning. Many possible uses.

Make plans now to buy!

Inspect: Monday, Dec. 12 from 12 - 2 pm Also selling contents of home on auction day.

PHOTO

Âť JAMES JACKSON

View essential details on: www.mooreandassociates.on.ca David Moore & Associates Inc. 519-744-7600 Real Estate Auctions an alternative way to market, buy, or sell, with success!

READY FOR THE HOLIDAYS Kalie Nelson (9) and Bryson Rozema (4) were the lucky winners in the Elmira Royal Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s colouring contest. For their efforts they each received a $50 gift card for Toys Râ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Us â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just in time for the holiday season.

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ORTLIEB CRANE & Equipment Ltd.

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31 ORIOLE PKWY. E., ELMIRA www.thompsonsauto.ca

33 First Street, East Elmira, ON

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519-669-4400

519-669-3373

CRANE

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Providing the latest technology to repair your vehicle with accuracy and confidence.

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AUTO CLINIC

Auto Tech Inc.

24 Hour Accident Assistance

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THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

37 CLASSIFIEDS

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CLASSIFIEDS 38

THE OBSERVER

DEATH NOTICES

>>BRUBACHER, Elam - Passed away peacefully on Thursday,

December 1, 2011 at the KW Health Centre. Elam Brubacher in his 66th year, of Elmira.

>>FLYNN, Melissa Kylene (nee Kieswetter) -

1979 - 2011 On November 23, 2011, after visiting with her family, who reluctantly left all stating “I Love You”, Melissa was listening to music, smiling as usual and sending someone a message on her phone, and she suffered a cardiac arrest. Melissa came to peace on Saturday, December 3, 2011 at Toronto Western Hospital following complications after surgery. She was 32, the cherished daughter of Ronald and Donna Kieswetter of Wellesley

COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR “A GOOD JOB DONE EVERY TIME”

Kleensweep Carpet Care

West Montrose, ON

T. 519.669.2033

COLLEEN

Cell: 519.581.7868

>>RIEDSTRA, Richard - Peacefully passed away at Parkwood Mennonite Home, Waterloo on Wednesday, December 7, 2011, at the age of 84 years. Richard Riedstra, formerly of Elmira.

Truck & Trailer Maintenance

>>ROTH, Mahlon - Peacefully went to meet his Maker, after a short illness at the Stratford General Hospital, on Saturday, December 3, 2011, Mahlon Roth of Wellesley (Lisbon) in his 91st year.

Cardlock Fuel Management

>>RUNSTEDLER,

Margaret Evalyn (nee Coulter) - Of Wellesley, passed away at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at the age of 69 from CreutzfeldtJakob Disease.

>>SNELLING, Harold George -

Of Goderich and formerly of Drayton, passed away peacefully at the Alexandra Marine General Hospital, Goderich on Wednesday, November 30, 2011, in his 91st year. Local relatives are his in-laws Marie Snelling and Mildred and John Sanders all of Elmira.

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December 31, 2011 Lions Hall Elmira, 8pm-1am All night Buffet, Prizes, DJ, Casino Themed Games $15 per person Contact Heather Taylor-Gingrich 519-505-0238

11 HENRY ST. - UNIT 9, ST. JACOBS

519.664.2008

BIRTHDAY

Happy 40th Birthday Tracey Bartlett-Walter

December 17th at the Elmira Legion from 8:00p.m. - 1:00 a.m.

Skilled craftsmanship. Quality materials.

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Rugs and Upholstery

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>>PANAGAPKA, John Gavin - Left us on December 5, 2011 at

his home near Grand Valley, shortly before his 47th birthday, after facing cancer with courage and dignity. Local relatives are his brother Paul and his wife Denise of Elmira.

SANYO CANADIAN

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DECEMBER 9

>>H.U.G.S. Program – 9:15-11:15 a.m.

Meet with other parents to discuss parenting and child health issues. Topic: managing children’s anger; Kidslink will have suggestions for parents. Held at Woolwich Community Health Centre, 10 Parkside Dr., St. Jacobs. Call Heidi at 519664-3794, ext. 237 for more information.

DECEMBER 10

>>St. Jacobs Optimist Club’s annual Breakfast With Santa at the St. Jacobs Community Centre; 9 a.m. – noon.

DECEMBER 11

>>“O Come Devine Messiah” An evening of Advent and music presented by Elmira area churches including: Floradale Mennonite, Gale Presbyterian, Hawkesville Mennonite, St. James Lutheran, St. Teresa of Avila, Trinity United, Zion Mennonite Fellowship and Elmira Mennonite; 7 p.m. at St. Teresa of Avila Church, 19 Flamingo Dr., Elmira. Admission is free, goodwill offering accepted, wheelchair accessible.

Proceeds to Woolwich Counselling Centre.

For more information call 519-669-3387. >>Hungryman’s Breakfast with Canadian Riders & a visit from Santa Clause.

Proceeds to families in need. 8:30 a.m.

– 1 p.m. All you can eat ham, sausage, fried or scrambled eggs, pancakes, home fries, beans, toast & jam, coffee, tea and juice. Adults $6, 6-10 yrs $3, 5 & under free. Royal Canadian Legion, 11 First St. E., Elmira. >>Menno Singers present a concert entitled Brother Heinrich’s; 3 p.m. at St Peters Lutheran Church Christmas and Other Tales (40 Queen St. N, Kitchener).

Brother Heinrich’s Christmas is a delightful and humourous Christmas fable set to music by John Rutter in 1982 with narrator (Dale Mieske), choir and small orchestra. It tells the story of a humble and reclusive 14th century Domenican monk Heinrich Suso and his musically gifted donkey Sigismund.

Tickets are $20 for adults, 5 for children and students. Available at Music Plus, Mennonite Credit unions, Choir members and at the door.

DECEMBER 13

>>Holiday Family Storytime at Wellesley Branch 6:45-7:30 p.m. Join us at the Wellesley Branch of the Region of Waterloo Library. Recommended for families with children 2-8 years old. It’s free! For more information call the Wellesley Branch Library at 519-656-2001 or email wellslib@ regionofwaterloo.ca.

woolwichkin.com

DECEMBER 17

>>The Waterloo Regional Police Male Chorus with special guests the Ceremonial Bank of the Waterloo Regional Police Service will perform “We Need a Little Christmas” at Grandview Baptist Church, 250 Old Chicopee Dr., Kitchener at 7:30 p.m. Proceeds from this year’s concert will go to the Waterloo Region Sexual Assault/ Domestic Violence Treatment Centre.

Advance tickets $13 for adults and $7 for children and can be purchased from Choir Members. Tickets at the door $15. Tickets can also be ordered by calling the chorus voice mail 519-208-9326.

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DECEMBER 15

>>Weekly Bingo 7 p.m. at Elmira Lions

Hall, 40 South St., Elmira. All proceeds go to support the many projects of the Lions Club of Elmira. For more information call 519-500-1434.

DECEMBER 16

>>Meatloaf Dinner $7. Royal Canadian Legion, 11 First St., Elmira. 6 p.m.

New to the Community?

Do you have a new Baby?

It’s time to call your Welcome Wagon Hostess.

Elmira & Surrounding Area

SHARON GINGRICH 519.291.6763 psgingrich@hotmail.ca

>>R J Kruisselbrink Sisters in Concert 7:30 p.m. at Wallenstein Bible Chapel. Free-will offering. Proceeds International Needs – Ghana. For more information 519-9342608. >>Christmas in Bridgeport – An evening of Music to Celebrate the Birth Of Our Lord with Seborah Klassen; 7 p.m., Bridgeport United Church, 40 Bridge St. E Kitchener.

Admission is free with a ticket. A free-will offering will be received. Tickets available by calling the church 519-745-0931. >>St. Clements Santa Claus Parade starting at 1 p.m. Ending at Lions Park, St. Clements for hot dogs, hot apple cider and a visit with Santa. All donation kindly accepted. For more information call Paul Hergott 519-699-5730.

21 INDUSTRIAL DR. ELMIRA

519-669-2884

DECEMBER 18

>>Menno Singers invite the community to a Singalong Messiah at 3 :00pm at St Jacobs Mennonite Church 1310 King St. N, St. Jacobs. Handel’s Messiah is of course the most well known musical telling of the Christmas story (part I), continuing with the rest of the story of Jesus (parts II and III). >> Simply bring a score (we will have some loaners on hand) and your sense of humour and adventure as we sing through some of the favourite Choruses and Arias with absolutely no rehearsal whatsoever. We will sit in voice parts, with room for an audience of those who simply want to listen. We will be joined by a small orchestra and soloists.

The Singalong is a fundraiser, so we invite you to bring your donations (tax receipts for donations over $20). Come and sing the Christmas story! www.mennosingers.com, info@mennosingers.com.

DECEMBER 22

>>Weekly Bingo 7 p.m. at Elmira Lions Hall, 40 South St., Elmira. All proceeds go to support the many projects of the Lions Club of Elmira. For more information call 519-500-1434.

DECEMBER 23

Everything that’s fit to print...

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

>>H.U.G.S. Program – 9:15-11:15 a.m.

Meet with other parents to discuss parenting and child health issues. Topic: A visit from Santa! Christmas crafts and activities! Held at Woolwich Community Health Centre, 10 Parkside Drive, St. Jacobs.

Call Heidi at 519-664-3794, ext. 237 for more information.

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PRINTING & COPYING SERVICES Black and white, 8 1/2 X 11 flyers designed and printed for as low as 6¢.

Professionally designed, quick turnaround, local service. Delivery, folding and colour work also available.

Call 519.669.5790 ext 107 for details.

THE OBSERVER

» Saturday, December 10, 2011

39 CLASSIFIEDS

Company food drive greatly exceeds expectations ITEMIZED WCS’ Kelly Christie (left)

James Jackson

accepts a donation of 3,656 food items last week for the organization’s food hamper program from Chervin Kitchen and Bath employees Lisa Burg, Janine Frey, Twila Erb and Lynette Frey.

PHOTO

» SUBMITTED

W

oolwich Community Services received an unexpected boost to its food bank reserves last week when employees from Chervin Kitchen and Bath donated more than 3,500 non-perishable food items on the morning of Nov. 29.

The food was collected throughout the month of November, and even those involved were shocked by the grand total of goods collected – easily surpassing their initial goal of 500 items.

“Two of our employees alone each brought in 500 items themselves, so that was already double our goal, and between everyone else we got 3,656 items,” said employee Twila Erb. “They kind of went crazy but they had a lot of fun with it.”

To help boost their competitive spirits, the company divided the more than

100 employees into 11 teams and promised prizes to the groups that collected the most food. Those prizes were distributed at the company’s annual Christmas party held last Monday evening, where they also unveiled the total sum of food to WCS’ Kelly Christie.

“She was amazed actually,” said Don Harloff, execu-

tive director of WCS. “The amount was astounding. We were aware that they were planning to make a donation of some items but we didn’t really know what that meant.”

Harloff said some of the food would go towards their annual Christmas hamper program, but the majority of it would be held over un-

til the new year. The agency typically hands out between 50 and 60 food hampers weekly during the year, and this food would help keep those hampers topped up.

“As we get into February, March and April when our donations don’t tend to be as large as we need, this will certainly help to ensure that our families are well

cared for throughout those months.”

Every year employees of Chervin Kitchener and Bath – which has two local offices, a showroom in Waterloo and a manufacturing facility in Hawkesville – organize a charitable drive and a few years ago they had a teddy bear drive that also far exceeded their expectations.

Erb said the food drive was just a tangible way for the employees to give back to their communities at this time of year.

“It’s not just throwing money back at a problem, it’s more of a personal connection to be able to go out and pick up this food for someone who doesn’t have any.”

WCC session helps those dealing with loss at Christmastime are going to be experiencing their first Christmas without hile the Christmas season a loved one due to the death is meant to be a time for of that loved one, whether family fun and good cheer, that’s a parent or a sibling or those dealing with the loss of a grandparent or a friend or a loved one over the past year even a pet,” said program dican find it to be a very difficult rector Beth Mason.

She said that Christmas is time, particularly children.

That is why the Woolwich typically a very special time Counselling Centre has or- for children, who are excited ganized their annual Christ- about the joy and the gifts, mas grief session on Dec. 12 but those feelings of happito help children from the ages ness are often conflicted with of four to 11 discuss their feel- sadness over the loss they ings towards the upcoming have experienced. program holiday season.

M&T Business Card Ad:Layout 1 04/03/09 This 10:22 AM Page 1 gives them “It is aimed at children who a chance to reflect on the up-

James Jackson

W

coming holiday and remember the past and cope with the present, Mason said.

“What we do is validate and normalize their feelings and talk about those feelings that they might be experiencing.”

Aside from feeling guilty about looking forward to the holidays, children can also become angry if others around them show feelings of joy at Christmas.

“They can think ‘Why is everyone else happy? How dare they be happy,’” added Mason.

At the session, counsellors

will work with the children to find ways of incorporating that loved one into the holiday season so that children will feel like they are not being forgotten.

That includes activities such as making a special ornament for the Christmas tree, hanging the loved ones stocking and filling it with memories of that person then reading them aloud on Christmas morning, lighting a special candle at Christmas dinner to represent that person, or decorating the home with items that symbolize

their hobbies or interests.

“We don’t want to forget about them or sweep that under the carpet and not acknowledge that that loved one isn’t around this Christmas, but to incorporate that into this Christmas so they can feel better about it.”

The Christmas grief session will be held Dec. 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 8. There is a $15 charge, though families unable to afford the cost are still welcome to attend. It will be held at the Woolwich Counselling Centre at 65 Memorial Ave. in Elmira.

BACK PAGE 40

THE OBSERVER

Âť Saturday, December 10, 2011

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