April 15, 2021

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Elmira, Ontario, Canada | observerxtra.com | Volume 26 | Issue 15

110

Arts | 17

Workers were busy Tuesday morning clearing the scene of a fire the previous evening that destroyed a barn at a farm on Lobsinger Line west of St. Clements.

Damon MacLean

Council approves plans to reinstate Mill St. patio in Elmira Steve Kannon Observer Staff

THE ELMIRA BIA WILL PUT more effort into a communal patio area on a stretch of Mill Street, Woolwich council having backed the request to repeat last summer’s closure.

A portion of the road-

way east of Arthur Street was hastily converted last spring into a sitting area, half for the neighbouring Sip ‘N Bit restaurant and the other portion for public use. Jon Clay, who heads the Elmira Business Improvement Area (BIA), acknowledged that the area was not very attractive, vowing to do a better

job this year if the closure was approved by council.

“It was the best we could do at the time,” he told councillors meeting via videoconference Tuesday night, noting that the project was rushed in the wake of the pandemic. With more time to plan, the area will be more inviting this time around.

The closure and fencedoff area did not meet with universal approval last year, with some of the adjacent businesses pointing to the inconvenience.

Addressing councillors, Jason Devenny, manager of the TD Bank branch on the corner of Mill and Arthur streets, said many of his customers

expressed frustration with the closure, which made parking more difficult.

Older customers and those who live in the rural areas tend to drive, and were not happy when they could not park nearby, do their banking and then carry on with their day.

“That’s the convenient, comfortable access they’ve

enjoyed until now,” he said. “It’s not a small inconvenience.”

The frustration mounted over time as people could see that the patio area was lightly used, he added, noting it was often empty.

On top of everything, the area was ugly and not maintained, he said,

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021 | 3

Page Three

If it matters to you.

It matters to us.

News tips are always welcome.

Email: newsroom@woolwichobserver.com Online: observerxtra.com/tips

Glasgow St. bridge tender

From the archives

Work to rehabilitate the Glasgow Street bridge in Conestogo could get underway early next month, with Woolwich council this week awarding a $1.07-million contract to Lancoa Contracting Inc. to carry out the work. The bridge, built in 1886, will carry traffic one-way only, southbound, when the work is completed in late-August.

The organizers of a skateboard park in Elmira can check off “location” from the to-do list, as Woolwich this week gave the green light to Bristow Park as the home of the facility.

Skate Elmira, the student-led initiative to bring a skate park to Woolwich, saw councillors back the selected spot this week.

From the Apr. 13, 2013 edition of The Observer

Covered bridge project part of new infrastructure funding Damon MacLean

Park $2.08 million as part of new infrastructure funding announced last week. The project will also received $1.67 million from the Region of Waterloo, the owner of the bridge now seeking public input on plans that include the potential of replacing wooden trusses with steel.

Observer Staff

PLANS FOR REHABILITATING THE WEST Montrose covered bridge moved a little closer with funding from the federal and provincial governments.

Ottawa is kicking in $2.5 million and Queen’s

Kitchener-Conestoga MP Tim Louis said the new funding will help protect the landmark covered bridge.

“The West Montrose bridge is an icon in our riding and in our region,” he said, noting the amount of work that’s been done to keep it standing for 140 years.

“As well built as it is, it shouldn’t be standing at this point. It’s a testament to how hard people [worked], how great a job they did in the past and how previous generations have maintained it. I think it’s our turn to step up and to maintain that part of our heritage.”

Also announced was

$74,750 in funding for the YMCA’s outdoor education centre on Paradise Lake in Wellesley Township. The federal contribution is $29,900, while the province will kick in $24,914.

The YMCA contribution is $19,936.

“The project will replace an ageing and non-compliant septic system, and

reconnect all the plumbing and everything to the new system. That helps it meet new regulatory requirements from the Ministry of Environment etc., so it’s really great,” said Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris of the new funding.

“Obviously, as we move → BRIDGE WORK 4

Region expands use of all-way stop signs Includes an intersection in both Wellesley and Woolwich townships Damon MacLean Observer Staff

Geoff and Shannon Kelly have surpassed their initial fundraising goal to for the purchase of an electric wheelchair.

Sean Heeger

GoFundMe campaign raises funds for Elmira woman living with pain disorder Sean Heeger

rely on others just to help you get through the day.

What is worse, though, is that medications do not really help, instead only slightly lessening where you may fall on the pain scale from one to 10 that day.

Waking up each day – if

Observer Staff

IMAGINE LIVING IN CONSTANT PAIN caused by something known as the “suicide disease.” A pain so bad you must quit your job, can barely leave your home and have to

you are lucky enough to be able to fall asleep each night – with ever-worsening and perpetual pain is not something we wish on our worst enemy. Yet, this is how Elmira resident Shannon Kelly has had to live her life over the last five years since being

diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

CRPS is a multi-system, multi-symptom disease which usually comes in the form of chronic pain and often affects one or more limbs – although → LIVING WITH CPRS 6

THE REGION OF WATERLOO PLANS to address four intersections in an expansion of its all-way stop program, including one each in Wellesley and Woolwich townships.

All-way stops are planned for Herrgott Road at Lobsinger Line in St. Clements, and the intersection of Fountain and Menno streets in Breslau.

They’ll be joined by new signage at Erbsville Road and Conservation Drive in Waterloo, and Bleams and Sand Hills roads in Wilmot Township.

The approval of the plan last week by regional council was welcomed

by Wellesley Mayor Joe Nowak, who noted residents there have expressed concerns about the intersection, though they had been hoping for traffic lights.

“I’ve had the opportunity to speak with a

number of the residents in St. Clements regarding the four-way stop at Herrgott and Lobsinger, and I think for the most part they are pleased. The way they’ve put it is there is finally something happening there – [they’ve been] looking for a safer route across these roads since I was elected. I think it will be well received. However, I think the vast majority of the individuals have been advocating for stop lights,” he said, adding he is expecting lively input around the much-needed change at the intersection.

Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz said the pilot-project installation of an all-way stop at Menno Street may not be particularly helpful with traffic flow at Conestoga Meat Packers.

“That has been a problem for us for quite some time. ... With a four-way stop a lot of the problem as far as I know right now → INTERSECTIONS 6

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4 | COMMUNITY NEWS

Local meat processors to receive $2 million in new federal funding for pandemic measures Sean Heeger Observer Staff

THREE AREA MEAT PROCESSORS WILL receive almost $2 million in federal funding to improve worker safety and increase capacity.

Conestoga Meat Packers Ltd. in Breslau is to get $1,570,155; Heidelberg Foods Ltd. will receive $277,575; and Stemmler’s Meats and Cheese Heidelberg Inc. and KST Investments Inc. will get $108,685.

Overall, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agri-food last week announced $12.2 million for 42 Ontario meat processors under the Emergency Processing Fund.

Recipients of the funding will be able to adopt measures aimed at keeping employees safe. That includes making adjustments to enable social distancing, purchasing reusable personal protective equipment (PPE), implementing biosecurity measures, installing protective barriers, and developing employee training. Supporting facility upgrades and new equipment to boost production capacity is also on the table.

Kitchener-Conestoga MP Tim Louis says the funding comes amid the third wave of the pandemic, aimed at keeping workers safe and ensuring that the supply of meat products can continue to get out to Canadians.

“Ontario’s meat processing sector is a major contributor to our local economy. The hardworking people in this industry have shown incredible resilience throughout

this crisis. These projects through the Emergency Processing Fund are helping meat processors in Kitchener-Conestoga and throughout our region improve both worker safety and production capacity to keep our food supply running strong,” said Louis.

“The pandemic has shown that these food processing workers are absolutely essential, and that our food supply needs to be safe and secure. A big part of our food supply is that choke point there and the processing capacity, that goes from the farms to your plate. We had to make sure that the workers can stay safe, and that food supply keeps flowing. So, in this third wave, it’s even more essential now that we protect those workers and that we’re still feeding Canadians.”

The lion’s share of the local funding is going to Conestoga Meat Packers, which has grown rapidly in the past five years and is now the second-largest pork producer in the province.

Louis notes the company received $1.3 million in a previous announcement.

To improve safety as the pandemic goes on, he said he hopes to see more rapid testing and says some places can expect to have onsite testing done for workers.

To date, the Emergency Processing Fund has provided up to $32.5 million to 188 projects in Ontario. This is part of a total $77.5 million announced in May of 2020 to help food processors implement measures to protect health and safety.

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PATIO SEASON: Elmira BIA pledges to make Mill Street seating area more aesthetically pleasing this year, carrying out regular maintenance → FROM 1

pointing to the construction barrels, traffic cones and large signs. While the restaurant spruced up its side, the rest was not maintained.

“It needs to be a much better destination if people are going to use it.”

In that observation, he was backed by Coun.

Murray Martin, who called the setup unsightly and took note that it was not well used.

“I never liked shutting the road down,” he said, asking if the BIA had looked at moving the patio to the parking lot behind the restaurant.

Jenna Morris, Woolwich’s economic development and tourism officer, said the group looked at a variety of options, deciding that closing up Mill Street was the best.

Nadie Schneider, owner of the Sip ‘N Bite, said there are a number of problems with moving the patio to the rear parking lot, including the logistics of wait staff having to travel from the front entrance to the rear of the site. A patio would also block deliveries to the back of the building, which is also home

The portion of Mill Street adjacent to the restaurant will be closed again this summer.

to garbage bins and the exhaust from fans and air conditioning units.

Taken altogether, it’s not a workable area for a patio, she said, stressing that the restaurant needs the patio to remain viable.

“Having outdoor dining on the patio last year made a huge difference – it saved our business,” she said. “If we don’t have it this season, we won’t survive.”

Schneider said the past

year has been the most challenging ever. At times forced to close completely, at others allowed to offer only takeout service or only limited seating, the restaurant has not been able to operate at full capacity since before the pandemic.

“Outdoor dining has been encouraged more than indoor dining. From what I hear from my customers, people still have anxiety about eating

DamonMacLean

indoors and prefer to eat outside during these uncertain times.”

Encouraged by the BIA promise to do a better job with the patio this year, councillors voted in favour of the closure. The timing is now dependent on pandemic restrictions.

Under the current provincial stay-at-home order, for instance, restaurants are not allowed to serve customers in person, indoors or out.

The region is looking at replacing the wooden understructure with steel during next year’s rehabilitation.

Damon MacLean

BRIDGE WORK: Feds and province fund bulk of new infrastructure projects → FROM 3

forward with outdoor programs and moving into the summer with nicer weather and people wanting to be outside, it’s great that we’ll be able to have a safe and reliable venue for the YMCA to run some of their programs.”

Other regional projects on the list include the construction of a new community mental health recreation hub for Lutherwood in Kitchener, a second-storey addition for YMCA location in Waterloo, a renovation

and rehabilitation of the AR Kaufman YMCA, a transit hub multi-use trail for Kitchener and a roof replacement and accessibility renovations for Kitchener’s THE MUSEUM. Overall, the government of Canada has promised more than $6.9 million for these projects and other ones across southwestern Ontario, while the provincial government is supplying some $5.8 million.

Harris said the funding recognizes the impor-

tance of supporting local infrastructure and solidifying the partnership between the senior levels of government with regional and municipal government.

“It’s really about an understanding of what a lot of the priorities are within the region when it comes to infrastructure.

We’ve seen at this point, tens of millions of dollars that the region has been able to apply for. And when I say the region, I mean all the municipalities within the region, not

just the region itself.

“We’ve been able to recognize those priorities and make sure that you’re from a provincial government standpoint, helping to leverage. The dollars that the municipalities are putting forward, that the federal government is putting forward, and being able to make sure that we have, you know, a strong and robust system here to be able to upgrade and create new infrastructure for everyone that resides within our amazing community.”

Thursday, April 15, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

COMMUNITY NEWS | 5

Region sees uptick in number of vaccines administered, with more sites available Damon MacLean Observer Staff

AN EXPANDED AVAILABILITY OF THE AstraZeneca vaccine and wider eligibility have helped the Region of Waterloo step up its vaccination rates.

The region saw the total number of doses administered rise to almost 120,000, a 20-per-cent jump from a week earlier.

That saw the percentage of the population that has received at least one dose rise to 17.7 from 14.2 at the same point last week.

“It has been a busy week with more opportunity for eligible Waterloo Region residents to get a vaccine.

So just to highlight some of the openings that have occurred this week with the recent arrival of the AstraZeneca vaccine, select pharmacies in Waterloo Region and now nine primary care providers, with more to be announced in the near future began booking appointments for eligible residents aged 55 and older,” explained Shirley Hilton, head of the region’s vaccination task

Elmira District Community Living ran a vaccination clinic Wednesday from its Church Street location, with trained staff administering Moderna vaccination supplied by the region. Damon MacLean

force.

Adults 50-plus who live in the identified high-priority neighbourhoods could begin to pre-register for the vaccine appointments can be made at any of the public clinics.

And then residents who

are 18-plus are eligible for our pop-up clinics that are targeted to the highest priority populations in the high-priority neighbourhoods.

High priority communities in the region have been identified as Vanier

Rockway and Victoria Hills/Cherry Hill in Kitchener and Shades Mills in Cambridge. According to Hilton, ideal pop-up locations for the areas are being determined and are expected to open in midto late-April.

Region sees its biggest spike in COVID-19 cases since the holidays Damon MacLean Observer Staff

THE NUMBER OF NEW CASES of COVID-19 in the region spiked this week to levels not seen since record numbers over the Christmas holiday period. The 106 new cases recorded Monday, for instance, is the highest since late-January, when numbers started to fall after the province’s first stay-at-home order.

The spikes in Waterloo Region aren’t as pronounced as the provincial average, but local health officials are worried about the trend, especially the increase in new cases identified as variants of concern. The seven-day average of cases per 100,000 population is moving upward in the region to 13.4 at midweek, though the Ontario-wide number is 24.3.

While the region’s COVID-19 numbers are better than the provincial averages during this third wave of the pandemic, their trending in the wrong direction, said Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, the region’s medical officer of health, at the weekly pandemic briefing April 9.

The number of active cases, for instance, has continued to climb. At midweek, there were 592 cases, up significantly from 386 just a week earlier.

“Though our rates are not as high as those of many other communities in Ontario right now, our rates have remained higher than they were before. The second wave began in November, and we are now seeing the third wave beginning in Waterloo Region. I expect cases in Waterloo Region to continue to climb in the next one to two weeks until the stay-at-home order can start to have an effect.”

Hospitalizations are high for the region, with 30 individuals in hospital, 12 of whom are in the intensive care unit.

The rising number of cases makes it important to continue to follow all guidelines despite a growing sense of pandemic fatigue, said Wang.

“Please continue to practice public health measures to protect yourself and loved ones.

Avoid social gatherings.

Stay home unless it is essential to go out. Prac-

tice physical distancing.

Wear face coverings. Wash your hands often. Avoid enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces, or crowded places. Stay home when you are sick, self-isolate and seek testing,” she advised.

“Reducing our mobility and close contacts reduces the spread of COVID-19. Together we can make a difference and slowly spread of COVID19 in our community. We need to once again make the most of the stay-athome order like we did last time.”

Until last week, public health officials had been planning to deal with the return to in-person learning in the region’s schools, but the province this week announced all students would be sticking with remote learning following the April break.

“We are seeing a rapidly deteriorating situation with a record number of COVID cases and hospital admissions threatening to overwhelm our health care system,” said Premier Doug Ford in a statement Monday. “As I have always said we will do whatever it takes to ensure everyone stays safe. By keeping

kids home longer after spring break we will limit community transmission, take pressure off our hospitals and allow more time to rollout our COVID19 vaccine plan.”

In Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, there were 590 active case, up dramatically from 363 a week earlier.

That catchment area’s cumulative total was 5,994, of which 5,298 (88.4 per cent) have been resolved. There have been a total of 106 fatalities since the pandemic began, unchanged in the past seven days.

The province is seeing growth in the total number of cases, with the tally now at 394,679, up more than 25,000 in the past week.

There have been 7,582 deaths attributed to the virus, representing a mortality rate of 1.9 per cent. The ministry reports 351,257 cases (89 per cent) have been resolved.

The latest numbers from Health Canada show 78,293 active cases nationwide. The cumulative total of confirmed cases now stands at 1,078,562, with 23,382 related deaths, a mortality rate of 2.2 per cent.

Also being moved up are some teachers and staff at the region’s schools.

“The Waterloo Catholic District School Board and the Waterloo Region District School Board staff providing direct personal support to students with special education needs became eligible to receive their initial vaccination,” said Hilton.

New region vaccination sites also opened to the public. The list includes the new Vision Family Health Team in Kitchener, which began last week to book appointments to administer vaccine to members of the public who are eligible. As of Tuesday, members of the public can get vaccinated at a satellite site in Ayr, located to the North Dumfries Community Health Centre.

“Anyone who has pre-registered for the vaccine through the Region of Waterloo booking system and who has been notified it’s their turn to book an appointment

can already choose one of these new vaccination clinics, amongst other locations.”

In addition to the region-run locations, some more pharmacies in the area have been announced to administer Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for individuals 55 and older. The new list released from the province includes 31 spots throughout the region.

Locations in Woolwich Township include Elmira’s Shoppers Drug Mart and Breslau’s Pharmacy and Wellness Centre. No new sites have been announced for Wellesley Township.

The mobile wing of the distribution task force has also been at work, said Hilton.

“I want to also remind everyone that our mobile teams have been really busy. There’ll be finishing the homelessness, shelter and living rough population and the developmental services strategies and will begin attending and vaccinating homebound patients [this] week.”

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6 | COMMUNITY NEWS

Wellesley Lions proposed memorial trail for park in St. Clements Sean Heeger Observer Staff

A NEW MEMORIAL TRAIL FOR Lions Park in St. Clements was unveiled at Wellesley council Tuesday night, the latest project from the Paradise and District Lions Club.

Some 500 metres of new trailway, to be lined by trees planted in memory of those who have passed away, will be constructed, explained club president

Tim Koenig.

Dubbed Lions Memorial Walk, the project was inspired by the late Joe Brick, a long-time club member who had advocated for a walking trail around St. Clements. While working on the idea for a number of years, he was never able to see the project advance before his death, said Koenig, noting the idea has evolved into a club project that will allow the community to memorialize

loved ones they’ve lost.

“The Lions are proposing what we’re going to call a Lions Memorial Walk [and] create it within the Lions Park. So, we’re going to create a walking trail route around the existing trees and existing equipment to create a walk between three [hundred] and 500 metres long, whatever we can really come up with. It would be wide enough for people to pass and the foundation

would be of stone dust making it accessible for anyone,” said Koenig.

Benches will also be added along the path, which would have start and end points near the entrances. Trees will also be placed at strategic locations, planted and maintained through donations to act as a living memorial.

The work is expected to be done by John Sutherland of J.J. Craftsmen. With experience building trails

for Waterloo, Sutherland will excavate the route and provide a base and top with stone dust for the walking surface, said Koenig.

Coun. Carl Smit asked about the cost of the project, with Koenig estimating the total at $10,000.

“We’re working on a cost estimate of $10,000. It’s only an estimate because…

John gave me a number per linear foot and [we] put it in [to estimate a cost], but we have budgeted

$10,000 to be available for this project,” said Koenig.

The club has done much work in the park over the years, including three additional areas of new playground equipment, installing benches and refuse containers, and constructing a new picnic shelter (dedicated in honour of Brick). Because of the work, the township even renamed the park in recognition of the Lions Club.

Safari Quest is the latest Elmira scavenger hunt Sean Heeger Observer Staff

WITH KIDS ON BREAK FROM school what better way to keep them occupied through the day than by taking them on a safari through Elmira?

Scavenger hunt enthusiast Lori Burmaster Zenker is treating the town to its third puzzle quest, launching Safari Quest last Sunday just in time for April Break.

Zenker says this quest was “very last-minute,” coming up with the idea after finding some useful items while doing a bit of spring cleaning.

“I’ll just say we were cleaning out a storage room at my husband’s church, and there were

all these giant stuffed animals – like huge things that you’d win at a fair kind of thing. And so, I just thought if I put one of these giant stuffed animals at every location, then it’s kind of like the hunt. They [have] got to go [and] guess what animals they are supposed to find and then they go look for that animal at each spot.

So that was that idea, I get ideas all the time for them but this one just happened to go quickly,” said Zenker. “I just woke up one morning and went ‘oh no it’s [April] Break coming up, so I’ll just do one really quick.’

So, really this one is very simple, there’s only like eight clues, [and] it’s really good for little kids.”

Hunt for animals throughout Elmira by taking on the Safari Quest, the third scavenger hunt from Lori Sean Heeger Burmaster Zenker.

The hunt is expected to take around 20 minutes to complete. The first clue for the Safari Quest is below.

INTERSECTIONS: Pilot project increases all-way stops → FROM 3

is at certain times of day when Conestoga Meat lets out, for example. A four-way stop isn’t going to adjust for that, but it is a pilot and I’m very happy to see something happen there to help with that traffic flow,” she said.

Added regional Coun.

Jim Erb, “I think in the last couple of years all council members in the whole region received communication from residents who have expressed safety concerns at most of these intersections. It’s good to see that staff are identifying and considering the all-way stop warrants that

put more emphasis on the safety rather than on the delay, especially in the rural areas.”

He noted that the Erbsville Road and Conservation Drive intersection has a posted 50 km/h speed limit but averages 60 km/h, with the all-way stop perhaps helping to bring down the speed.

We can jump very high and love to eat bugs.

The sound we make is a croak. Can you guess what we are? See if you can find us at the Ann Street park.

HINT- NOT the riding toy frog!

Her last scavenger hunt – the Elmira Christmas Quest – was created in partnership with DJ Carroll and was a big hit in the town, taking families out of their homes over the holiday break in December.

No stranger to these types of events, Zenker says she is always thinking about the next great hunt.

“I’ve done a lot of these kinds of hunts for a long time in different places.

Some of the [ideas] I had for the Elmira one [involved] maybe going around and finding and identifying different kinds of trees – that would be more educational, guessing what kind of trees and what kind of animals might live in there. DJ and I have [also] been talking

about it for a long time about how could we do like a mystery kind of thing… but we have not been able to coordinate that one,” she added.

One opportunity she thinks she missed out on was having an event coincide with the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival. She says she was not able to find anything similar to an item she really wanted and opted not to run with the idea.

Moving forward, Zenker wants to continue bringing hunts to Elmira for residents to enjoy. In order to keep the fun going, Zenker asks anyone with an interesting item to consider donating them to her so she can use them in her next themed scavenger hunt.

“If anybody has any interesting things that I can borrow for the hunt, that’d be amazing. If somebody had something neat like, my son has this giant sort of orange dinosaur that he won at a fair, and I really want to use it for a hunt, but he won’t let me. So, if anybody has anything cool that I can use that’d be really great.”

FUNDRAISER: Goal is to support Elmira woman living with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome → FROM 3

any part of the body can be affected. While the cause of this disorder is unknown, Kelly can trace the cause of her disorder to a surgery she received for an old injury.

Many years ago, she dropped a fire extinguisher on her foot and the subsequent pain forced her to have surgery to correct hammertoe.

After the surgery she developed more pain and the appendage started to die, causing her to require amputation.

“They amputated it, leaving part of the joint in.

With that part of the joint, I was still having problems and pain, so they

ended up doing a third surgery, just removing that little piece of joint.

I was [still] having pain I got sent to a doctor and that’s where I was notified that I had Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, and that there was no cure to what I had,” said Kelly.

Since then, the pain she has had to endure has been constant, starting by only affecting her foot and then spreading to the rest of her leg. The 38-year-old mother of two can now barely walk without agonizing pain affecting her every moment.

“It’s come to the point that I can barely put weight on myself anymore… I had a knee

scooter when I first got diagnosed, and then I was using a cane. Then it was my walker, and now [I need] an electric wheelchair because I cannot walk [even short distances] without extreme pain,” she added.

“When you get flareups like this, it feels like somebody has lit my foot on fire. Frostbite, tossed in gasoline and set on fire [is what it feels like] with flare-ups. It’s a huge change in my life and it has taken everything away from me.”

To make her home more accessible, Kelly has had a chairlift installed after it was donated by a family friend.

Being a personal support worker (PSW) before she got sick, Kelly hates how the situation has been reversed, as she now requires the help of a PSW most of the week just to get through the day when her husband and kids are not home.

“I used to be a PSW; I took care of people with disabilities for a living, [but] I left my job. Now, the tables have turned, and I have a PSW come and take care of me. I went from helping people with disabilities to having one take care of myself and me seeing myself through my old client’s eyes.”

With everything she is

going through, Kelly is not afraid to admit that the suicide disease she lives with has caused her to think about ending her own life.

To help her get through the day, her husband Geoff started a GoFundMe to raise $4,000 to get her an electric wheelchair.

That campaign has just passed that goal.

Since her pain has got worse, Kelly has been unable to walk her dogs, missing out on something that has given her comfort.

“Now that the weather’s getting nicer, she wants to be outdoors. With this [walker] she can’t go very far. So, if there’s

something where she can sit and ride along, she could be able to enjoy the outdoors and she wants to walk the dogs,” said Geoff.

Moving forward, Kelly is looking to get into a pain clinic in the hopes of finding a better treatment to help ease her pain. The family is also going to be looking into making their porch more accessible, which includes adding a proper ramp and removing the step from the house so that Kelly can use the wheelchair once she receives it.

To donate to the Kelly fundraiser, visit ca.gofundme.com/f/ help-my-wife-shannonget-a-electronic-scooter.

Thursday, April 15, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

ↆ P O L I C E

COMMUNITY NEWS | 7

R E POR T

Waterloo Regional Police suspend community cruiser program In response to concerns expressed by members of the community, the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) opted to suspend its ‘Community Cruiser Campaign,’ which it launched on March 29.

The campaign was developed by the Service’s Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Unit (EID), in consultation with other members of the WRPS and with diversity specialists in the community.

In a release, police said that while many citizens supported the launch of the campaign, others expressed concerns about its concept and

Woolwich sticks with halfload restrictions on roads Steve Kannon

and prone to deterioration under stress, he explained.

Between March 1 and April 30 each year, larger trucks typically have to reduce the size of the load to conform with the bylaw, a common practice in other municipalities as well.

Puppe noted that the damage from heavy trucks is exponential: a truck twice as heavy does 16 times more damage to a road that still hasn’t dried out from the spring thaw.

Councillors upheld the policy, but seem to waver over the request from Stacy Frey, who was looking for an exemption to allow fully loaded concrete trucks to access his New Jerusalem Road farm as he rushed to rebuild a silo, destroyed last year by fire, in time to store the first crop of the year. The job would require 26 normal truckloads, but 120 if the weight restrictions remain, he said.

Though backing the staff position in a split vote, councillors gave some indication they may reconsider in this case.

Observer Staff

Having unveiled new inclusive artwork on their cruisers, police quickly halted the program due to public Submitted feedback.

were offended by the visual design elements on the cruisers. WRPS listened to those concerns, and apologized to anyone who was offended, ultimately

deciding to suspend the campaign.

Moving forward, the Waterloo Regional Police Service, including its Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Unit, will

continue to consult with citizens of Waterloo Region to identify, with the support and input of the community, ways in which it can better reflect the diverse region.

FACED WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER of requests for exemptions from the township’s springtime load limits, Woolwich is sticking to its policy, granting no exceptions.

Meeting Tuesday night, Woolwich councillors appeared to have some sympathy for at least one of the requests, but ultimately sided with staff’s position.

Director of infrastructure services Jared Puppe, who noted the township had received more than half a dozen requests this year, argued the prohibition against heavy trucks on certain roads during the spring thaw is needed to protect the integrity of the roads.

The reduced-load season restricts heavily loaded vehicles – defined as more than five tonnes per axle – from using certain posted roads during what is known as the “spring breakup” period when the road base is soft

takeout Lunch & dinners Roast Beef or Ham includes:

Dinner 3:30pm-7:30pm Emergency crews responded to Shantz Station Road near Maryhill Tuesday morning when a cyclist took a spill.

APRIL 5 2:15 PM | A Welling-

ton County OPP officer was monitoring traffic and conducting radar on Wellington Road 7 near South Street in Salem. The officer observed a white passenger vehicle travelling southbound at a speed that appeared to be well above the posted 50 km/h speed limit.

The vehicle was locked on radar in excess of 105 km/h. As a result, a 51-year-old Burlington woman was charged with ‘stunt driving-excessive speed’ and ‘speeding.’ The defendant is scheduled to appear in Guelph at the Ontario Court of Justice Provincial Offences Court on July 7. Her vehicle and driver’s licence were seized for a period of seven days as per statute.

APRIL 6 9:54 AM | Waterloo

Regional Police received a report of a theft from a motor vehicle parked on Seaton Crescent in Bloomingdale. The

complainant believes the theft occurred sometime overnight. The vehicle was entered and personal property was stolen.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-570-9777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477.

12:21 PM | Police

received a report of a theft from a vehicle in the area of Blacksmith Drive in Breslau. The vehicle’s windshield was smashed while it was parked in the victim’s driveway and had personal property stolen from it. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-570-9777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477.

APRIL 7 11:30 AM | Wellington

County OPP received a report of a theft from a business located on Wellington Road 8 in Drayton. It was reported that on April 7 at approximately 9 a.m., two suspects entered the store and stole some Dewalt prod-

uct power tools and cordless tool batteries. The suspects then left the store making no attempt to pay for the stolen property. The stolen goods were valued at over one thousand dollars. They were last observed leaving in an older model grey Subaru hatchback. Any person with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477 (TIPS) or submit a tip on-line at www.csgw. tips. You may be eligible for a reward from Crime Stoppers of up to $2,000.

APRIL 10 7:52 PM | Waterloo

Regional Police responded to a report of a dispute between two males at a residence in the area of Woolwich Street South in Breslau. A verbal altercation escalated between the two parties, and the subject spat on the victim.

As a result of the inves-

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tigation, a 46-year-old Woolwich Township man was arrested and charged with ‘assault.’ The accused is scheduled to appear in court on May 31.

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a report of a break-andenter into a shed at a residence on Tanager Street in Woolwich Township. The homeowner called police after noticing personal property was taken from a locked shed on the property.

Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to call police at 519-570-9777.

APRIL 12 7:58 PM | Emergency

services responded a farm on Lobsinger Line west of St. Clements for reports of a barn fire. Upon arrival, they found the structure fully engulfed in flames. The Wellesley Fire Department remained on scene to extinguish the blaze. No one was injured.

Damage was estimated to be in the several hundred thousand dollar range.

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021 | 8

Opinion

Verbatim

The Monitor

... it matters where you get your local news.

“Canadians are facing continually changing rules and measures, which is making it confusing and frustrating. It’s time to apply what we know and address these new variants with the same aggressiveness they are displaying. Facing the new variants requires a new and coordinated approach to regain control.”

More than two-thirds of Canadians think that sports stadiums (79%), movie theatres and show venues (73%) and sports facilities and gyms (69%) should be closed where they live as a pandemic precaution.

Connect: observerxtra.com/staff

Dr. Ann Collins, president of the Canadian Medical Association, calls for greater action on variants of concern.

When local news matters ...

Leger poll

OBSERVER EDITORIAL

Making it easier to vote is but one step in saving democracy

W

hat does it mean to be a good citizen? Ask a hundred people, get a hundred different answers.

Some people will argue the Internet and social media have ushered in a new era of citizen engagement. It’s certainly helped, as in the case of the Arab Spring and other popular uprisings.

Electronic devices allowed decentralized groups and individuals to communicate, organize, react in a timely fashion and stay one step ahead of authorities. We’ve seen dictators topple from power. That’s great, but the real test will be what kind of governments emerge from the ruins of the fallen despots. Will new power-mongers emerge, as in revolutions elsewhere? Will some nominally democratic movements peter off into new authoritarian regimes? Even if those countries emulate governments in the West, you certainly can’t argue that we’re the end-all and be-all of democracy, let alone empowered.

Most of us can’t be bothered to get involved. Half of us can’t even muster enough energy to spend five minutes every four years casting a ballot. The turnout is much less for local elections. With that in mind, area municipalities have ventured into online and telephone voting, rolling out expanded options in the 2018 election. This week, Wellesley council heard the new techniques not only ran smoothly, but made voting accessible to more people. Plans are already underway for the 2022 election.

The technology has been embraced in hopes such changes will increase voter turnout.

Numbers have generally decreased for all elections. Municipal elections, typically devoid of leadership and hot-button issues, tend to see the lowest turnouts, sometimes lower than 20 per cent. Local, provincial or federal, turnout has generally been declining.

That’s especially true with younger people, precisely the audience most likely to embrace technology ... though it remains to be seen if that would translate when it comes to voting, as that would mean at least some level of awareness, and even engagement.

Our electronic devices might be a gateway to greater involvement, recent studies indicate. This applies to both elections (online voting, for instance) and the use of social media as way of increasing overall participation in governance. Canadians would be more engaged in conversations on government policy, for instance, if there were ways to take part online.

Not surprisingly, a younger demographic is most influenced by social media in terms of their perception of elected officials.

Politicians have taken in that message, though to date social media has been another tool for getting out the message, not for fostering generally participative democracy.

Thus far, the technology has been little more than another public relations tool. As something that helps us move towards a true democracy, it remains only a theory.

In practice, social media tools have been used more widely for propaganda efforts and various voter-suppression dirty tricks.

Real voter engagement is likely going to require reforms not only to the electoral process – efforts typically advocated by parties when in opposition, but dropped upon ascending to government – but an overhaul of the generally corrupt system of governance. The likes of an honesty-in-politics law and much more demanding ethical rules – with severe penalties for lying and poor governance – would restore the public’s faith in the system. Right now, people don’t believe in the system or the politicians, so it’s much easier to disengage.

Feeling like our votes matters might actually prompt more of us to cast a ballot, in person, online or whatever form of technology works.

ANALYSIS OF CURRENT WORLD EVENTS

The UK: clean sweep for Boris?

T

wenty-three years of peace in Northern Ireland, after a sectarian war that lasted 30 years and killed 3,700 people, but nothing lasts forever. Every night for the past week there were violent mobs of youngsters in the streets of Belfast attacking each other, Protestant against Catholic. And it’s all Boris Johnson’s fault.

The British prime minister didn’t mention it at the time, but his successful campaign to free the United Kingdom from the evil clutches of the European Union (Brexit) was only Phase One of his master plan.

Phase Two is his plan to free England from the evil clutches of the United Kingdom.

A narrow majority of the English voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum, but both Scotland and Northern Ireland voted strongly to remain. That gave Phase Two a head start, because Johnson and the Brexiters were effectively forcing both Northern Ireland and Scotland to choose between England and Europe. In both countries the answer may be ‘Europe.’

For Scotland, it’s a simple choice. As a nation of five million with no major historical traumas or enemies, the Scots would probably be welcome to rejoin the EU. If the Scottish National Party wins a majority

GWYNNE DYER

Global Outlook on World Affairs

in Scotland’s May election, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon promises to hold a second independence referendum ‘in the first half of the next (Scottish) parliament.’

Scotland’s last independence referendum, in 2014, came out 55-45 in favour of staying in the UK, but it’s hard to say how a second one would play.

Many Scots deeply resent being dragged out of the EU by the English – but many would also be unhappy about a hard border with England. Whatever happens, it would be an entirely peaceful process.

Not so for Northern Ireland.

‘Norn Iron,’ as the locals say it, was created exactly a century ago at the demand of the militant Protestant majority, while the rest of the island got its independence as the (mainly Catholic) Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland has been a running sore ever since, with the Catholic minority in the North yearning always for reunion with the Republic.

The Irish Republican Army (IRA), the main vehicle for those yearnings, waged an armed struggle against the local Protestants and the British

government for much of that time, but the last round of the ‘Troubles’ ended in 1998 with the Good Friday peace agreement. Unfortunately, Brexit and Johnson have undone that deal.

The Good Friday deal enforced power-sharing between Protestant and Catholic political parties in the North and the border became invisible, with no checks at the crossings. Catholics in the North could even claim citizenship in the Republic if they wished.

It worked because most people were sick of the endless murders, and because the deal removed some major irritants for the Catholics, including especially the ‘hard’ border – but above all because the higher Catholic birthrate would deliver a Catholic majority in the North eventually, at which time reunification could come by a peaceful vote.

Brexit upended all that. If the UK left the EU, then there had to be a hard border somewhere since the Republic wouldn’t dream of leaving.

Putting the new customs and immigration controls in the obvious place, between Northern Ireland and the Republic, would wreck the Good Friday agreement and probably start the IRA bombing and shooting →DYER 10

Thursday, April 15, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

OPINION | 9

Debt situation worsens during pandemic, especially the vulnerable

T

he economic downturn that followed the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic and resultant efforts to curb the spread of the virus have had an unequal impact on Canadians.

Those with precarious service-sector jobs, already among the most vulnerable, have been unemployed or underemployed for much of the past year. Those who’ve kept their jobs have in many ways been better off – a CIBC Economics study shows those working from home have saved a collective $170 billion due to cutting expenses on travel, commuting, child care and the like.

And then there’s the boom in both the stock market and real estate.

Both are detached from economic fundamentals – i.e. reality – but disproportionately benefit those already better off.

In that regard, what’s going on today is emblematic of longstanding inequities in the economy.

Those disparities are also reflected in the latest MNP Consumer Debt Index released last week.

The survey finds the number of Canadians hovering close to financial insolvency has reached a five-year high. More than half (53 per cent) say they are $200 or less per month away from not being able to meet all of their bills and debt obligations each month, a whopping 10-point jump from December. This includes three in ten (30 per cent, up seven points) who report they are already insolvent with no money left at month-end to cover their payments.

A quarter of Canadians say they have taken on more debt as a result of the pandemic. This includes using their savings to pay for bills (20 per cent),

STEVE KANNON Editor's Point of View

using credit cards (14 per cent), using a line of credit (seven per cent), taking out a bank loan (three per cent), or deferring mortgage payments (three per cent ).

“We saw that pandemic-related financial relief measures provided some breathing room over the last year, but now we’re seeing a reversal,” says MNP president Grant Bazian. “The number of Canadians with virtually no wiggle room in their household budgets has reached a five-year high.

The anxiety Canadians are feeling about making ends meet – or already being unable to do so – tells us we may eventually see an avalanche of households falling behind on payments or defaulting

JOE MERLIHAN

STEVE KANNON

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standard of living has been propped up by massive amounts of borrowing – i.e. smoke and mirrors.

Long gone are the days when rising productivity in the economy was shared among pretty much everyone – that was when the “rising tide lifts all boats” arguments still held water – replaced by most of the benefits going to the few.

While it’s true we have much more stuff than was the case in the more-prosperous postwar years, that’s an illusion brought on by there simply being more stuff to have. And readily available credit to buy it, and buy it now, patience no longer being a collective virtue.

That it’s an illusion is clear in the numbers.

Average incomes have been more or less stagnant for more than 30 years.

Debt levels, however, have exploded. Quarter after quarter, we hit new levels

of indebtedness, both total household debt (which includes mortgages on increasingly out-of-reach homes) and consumer debt (i.e. credit cards, lines of credit Pandemic times notwithstanding, borrowing up, savings down – the trend isn’t new. Most alarmingly, we’re borrowing for everyday expenses – unable to pay the bills – not just for big-ticket items or even trinkets. Likewise, we’re raiding what savings we do have to cover day-to-day expenses.

Fueled by more than our consumer society’s lust for trinkets, the debt load is increasingly tied to everyday purchases as we try to deal with our sinking standard of living.

Studies have repeatedly indicated a trend, with more than half of indebted Canadians are borrowing just to afford day-to-day living expenses

Prices should be stable ... if you don't count housing and food and fuel and ...

Founded in 1996.

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on loans, mortgages, car payments or credit cards.”

On average, Canadians say they are left with $625 after making their payments, down by $108 or 15 per cent from December. The decline is likely a reflection of the government aid programs, eviction bans, and debt holidays given by lenders that are now coming to an end.

“Some Canadians may be seeing their bills becoming due, even if they are not back to full-time employment,” says Bazian.

“Even though some Canadians are spending less and saving more as a result of pandemic measures, others are being pushed further into the red, taking on more debt to stay afloat after job, wage, or small business loss.”

The mounting debt is nothing new, albeit more focused just now. In decline for decades, our

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like food, housing and transportation. For these people, there is little hope for improved financial condition. Single-parent families, retired Canadians, and those with annual household income of less than $50,000 face a bleak financial situation.

This is no accident, however, as the middle class has been under assault for ages.

Studies in Canada and the U.S. show parents today are increasingly convinced their children will be less well off than they were. The figures back up that sentiment, as the great prosperity that flowed out of the postwar years in particular succumbs to constant attack.

The majority of us have seen real incomes decline.

Studies show the gap between rich and poor is growing, even during the best of economic conditions. Canada’s richest one per cent are taking more of the gains from economic growth than ever before in recorded history.

The 1%ers have become the rallying point for a renewed look at inequalities and inequities in our economic system. Little wonder, as from the beginning of the Second World War to 1977, the income share of the richest one per cent dropped from 14 per cent to 7.7 per cent; by 2007 they’d made a comeback, as the richest one per cent held 13.8 per cent of incomes; since the late 1970s, the richest one per cent has almost doubled its share of total income; the richest 0.1 per cent has almost tripled its share of total income; and the richest 0.01 per cent has more than quintupled its share of income.

The average earnings of the richest 10 per cent of Canada’s families raising →KANNON 10

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021

10 | O P I N I O N

DYER: Johnson's actions look likely to lead to exit from EU ... and the UK →FROM 8

again. So Johnson chose to sell out the Protestants instead, by putting the new border in the Irish Sea, between Britain and Northern Ireland.

That’s how he got a Brexit deal signed with the EU – but to postpone a revolt against that border by ‘Loyalists’ (Northern Irish Protestants), he simply lied and said it wouldn’t operate as a border. There would be no customs checks, no paperwork, nothing of that sort at all – and the poor mugs believed him. Now they have woken up to the truth.

For practical purposes Northern Ireland is still in the EU, with a customs border between it and the rest of the UK. The Loyalists feel abandoned – and this comes just as

the Catholic population of Northern Ireland finally catches up with the Protestants.

So it’s the Loyalist militias who are re-starting the war in the streets now, attacking the Catholics in the hope of stopping a slide into the Republic.

Quite a lot of people could die before it’s over, but the slide is probably now unstoppable. Johnson will certainly not die in a ditch to stop it.

Which leaves only Wales. It’s hard to imagine Wales leaving 750 years after the English conquered it, but Boris Johnson is a universal solvent. Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party, is promising an independence referendum by 2026 if it wins next month’s election. Clean sweep for Boris?

KANNON: Long-term attacks on the middle class are likely to persist →FROM 9

children were 82 times that earned by the poorest 10 per cent of families.

That is approaching triple the ratio of 1976, when the ratio was around 31 times.

The after-tax income gap has never been this high in at least 30 years, and it has been growing faster than ever since the late 1990s.

That trend has continued in earnest, as little was done to curb the excesses and outright criminality of the deregulation that spawned the 2008 global economic meltdown. The financial sector resumed business as usual, as seen by the large increase in the derivatives market – aka speculation. Instead of regulating the industry, eliminating some of the most egregious practices, governments in effect handed a blank cheque

to those who caused the meltdown.

As with drops in corporate taxes and the growth of consumer taxes, the goal is to shift the burden to you. This will continue transferring wealth to those already making the biggest gains while contributing to the debt loads of middle-class Canadians trying to maintain their position as real incomes – both pre- and after-tax – continue to fall.

Short of countering that trend, talk of helping the middle class is just so much lip service. Perhaps the pandemic-fuelled debt crisis – which includes massive amounts of government borrowing – will spark a real change, but that’s not something worth betting on, especially with borrowed money.

Indulge me a whittle bit here

C

all me old-fashioned, but I honestly believe you cannot be a fully formed outdoorsman unless you have whittled at least one thing in your life – and lived to tell the tale, of course.

Most people who have whittled would give this statement two thumbs up, provided they had not lost them in a horrible whittling accident.

This is because those who have spent time whittling know two things for certain. First, we know that whittling teaches many practical outdoors skills that will serve us well throughout life. These include knife sharpening, unsafe knife practices, first aid, courage, how to apply a tourniquet (and the plural of the word), how to create dangerously sharp tent pegs, why not buying professionally manufactured tent pegs is actually false economy, how to dial 911 with less than the optimal number

STEVE GALEA

Not-So-Great Outdoorsman

of fingers, how to discover that the knife you are whittling with is not a lock blade after all, and how not to faint at the sight of your own blood.

In addition to all that, the average whittler is able to show his friends a whittled carving of an old fat man that is almost always mistaken for Santa Claus because of the blood stains on the coat area.

When I was growing up, everyone who owned a pen knife whittled. This was because back then parents commonly believed that getting a few stitches was character-building.

Character, and carvings of old men who vaguely resembled Santa Claus, was something my friends and I were never in short supply of.

Later in life, whittling also served well on a

résumé for any job that was deemed a little risky.

For instance, the interviewer might ask, “In this job, there will be times when you will be asked to tackle and then wrestle an adult grizzly bear in order to keep it distracted while the biologist determines why his tranquilizer gun isn’t working….How do I know you are brave enough to do this?”

Obviously, if you casually mentioned that you whittled, not one, but a whole set of tent pegs as a child, you’d be hired immediately – and maybe they’d even decide not to bother with the tranquilizer gun.

I think most people who have had any experience with whittling know this much.

Sadly, younger outdoorsmen and women today have not learned the important life lessons taught by whittling – and some are so far removed from the process they think when you are saying

the word you are doing a passable imitation of Mike Tyson saying “whistling.”

That might seem like a reckless joke for me to make, since there is very high probability that Mike Tyson reads this column, as all he-man types do.

Then again, I whittled when I was a kid, so he doesn’t scare me much.

Because they have lost touch with the magical pastime of whittling, this new generation of outdoors enthusiasts will also never know the correct way to sit on the hunt camp’s front porch rocking chair either – and that’s a shame.

This is why I am writing this article. I’m hoping that these words might inspire the younger generation to take up this highly important outdoors skill, especially when they are hogging the rocking chair on the front porch. This is a good start, but as Mike Tyson might say, I have a whittle bit more work to do.

Having stopped up the Peel Street bridge in Winterbourne, the township applied the same treatment to the boundary-road bridge on Middlebrook Place. Unlike the Winterbourne structure, the plan is to close the bridge permanently. Colin Merlihan

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OEB disconnect orders

Testing for workers

The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) is prohibiting electricity distributors from issuing disconnection notices to residential customers for the duration of the province-wide stay-at-home measures, which the government has announced will be in effect until at least May 6. This effectively means that these customers cannot be disconnected for non-payment before May 21.

The federal government last week announced $430,000 to provide StaySafe COVID-29 rapid screening kits in Waterloo Region. The program provides free rapid screening tests for local workers of small and medium-sized businesses, with a target of 3,000 rapid tests conducted each week.

Livestock producers keeping close eye on welfare vote

L

ivestock producers – especially those who raise cattle – are watching closely as a potential timebomb ticks away in the western U.S. And so should we as consumers.

In Colorado, animal activists are a breath away from getting the state’s citizens to vote on a ballot initiative that could change the face of animal production there and likely pave the way for similar efforts across North America and beyond.

The ballot initiative is being driven by a group called Protect Animals from Unnecessary Suffering and Exploitation (PAUSE). If passed into law, it would see the state set a minimum slaughter age for livestock and make artificial insemination illegal.

Their thinking is that livestock should be allowed to live a portion of what activists say is their natural lives. The portion they think is fair is one-quarter of the time they’d walk the Earth if left to their own devices.

For a cow, they say that’s

OWEN ROBERTS Food For Thought

20 years, 15 years for a pig and eight years for a chicken. So, according to the bill, cows would be five, pigs three and a half and chickens two before they reached the end of their road.

Activists rarely accept any livestock slaughter as acceptable, but that’s the mastery of this proposal.

On the surface it looks like they are caring individuals who have laid down their placards and are prepared to compromise.

The reality though, and they know it, is that their bill would turn the livestock sector on its ear, or worse, and cause an upheaval that’s nearly impossible to recover from.

Let’s start with artificial insemination. It’s being opposed by activists because it denies livestock natural sex and because it and other reproductive measures such as checking for pregnancy involves → ROBERTS 15

Charlene Hofbauer, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin, last week released a new report Sean Heeger detailing a post-pandemic recovery for the area.

Planning for the area’s post-pandemic recovery

New report details where the economy can go and how to avoid worst-case scenarios Sean Heeger Observer Staff

WHILE THE FULL EXTENT OF the pandemic’s damage to the economy will not be known for some time – and the recovery is expected to take even longer – the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin already knows

that it will be a team effort to get back on track and save local businesses.

Starting last August, the board undertook a study of the labour market to find out the programs, practices and other things which will have to be put in place to address the needs of the market over the next 12 to 24 months.

The end result of the

study, ‘Post-Pandemic Economic Scenario Planning Report,’ came in the form of determining the most volatile uncertainties businesses will face, scenarios under which businesses can fall, and recommendations to follow as the recovery begins.

“It may be a little early to talk about recovery,

and post-pandemic economies and things like that, but I think if we really want to be proactive on where we're going to go coming out of this, and stay on top of rebuilding our economy in our communities, we need to start thinking about what the immediate future may shape up to be,” said → RECOVERY 12

UW study says pharmacists could save feds $42 million Savings could be achieved if pharmacists were allowed to prescribe for minor ailments traditionally prescribed by practioners Sean Heeger Observer Staff

IF PHARMACISTS WERE TO PRESCRIBE for minor ailments, it would not only help lessen the burden on the healthcare system, but

it would also save the province upwards of $42 million, a University of Waterloo study shows.

Conducted by Wasem Alsabbagh, professor at the school of pharmacy, the study used mathematical modelling to

examine the impact of compensation for pharmacists prescribing for minor ailments. Ailments looked at for this study included upper respiratory tract infections (URTI), contact dermatitis, and conjunctivitis.

“This will be a major step for smaller towns in Ontario, because the good primary health care is the care that can be provided at the time you need it, where you need it. We know that community pharmacies are well

distributed in the province, including Woolwich, so, people have this convenient accessibility to the pharmacy, as opposed to booking an appointment with their family physician or going to the ED (emergency

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department) which is probably some distance they have to go,” said Alsabbagh. “[The] importance of utilizing all parts of the system could not be clearer than what we are living [through] → PHARMACIES 15

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021

12 | B U S I N E S S

RECOVERY: Workforce Planning Board report looks at how the economy will emerge from the pandemic lockdown →FROM 11

Charlene Hofbauer, executive director of the Workforce Planning Board, of the organization’s latest report released last Friday.

“The most important thing to come out of the presentation today is that we're not 100 per cent [sure] where the future is going to go, and there's lots of different possibilities. But just looking at what's happening around us – and what's happening with businesses and workforce – we've kind of created for more probable

futures, and that gives us a chance to take a step back and start to plan what we might be doing as a community, in response to what could happen in those futures.”

Using a scenario-based planning approach, the board worked with partners and stakeholders over a four-month period to determine the key factors affecting organizations and industries.

From interviews, focus groups, stakeholder surveys, and more, the board was able to then take key factors and group

them into 11 “critical uncertainties.”

Members of the Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin scenario planning committee then narrowed it down to two uncertainties that are considered to be the most important, unable to control and difficult for which to solve.

The uncertainties include the availability of people with basic skills for employers and industry, and business cash flow and the ability to stay open.

Once these emerged,

four scenarios were put together, which would show the place in which businesses sit. This was meant to give businesses a chance to see what is going on and take recommendations from there.

Scenarios were put into a matrix which showed how businesses will fall dependant on the availability of workers and the ability for these businesses to remain open.

These scenarios and the recommendations from the board, are meant to help government, education and training provid-

ers, local and regional service providers, and employers as they come up with solutions to survive post COVID. Hofbauer says in her mind it should be the government that makes the first move as we start to move towards recovery, however, this is a team effort and businesses must say what their needs are moving forward.

“I think a lot of people would say that the government should step up first. And I think with some of the recommenda-

tions we have, it would be best if businesses could really articulate what it is they need to move forward.… I think this is an all-hands-on-deck situation where we all need to be talking to each other, and we all need to be communicating with each other to ensure that we're making the right programs for businesses and for our workforce, make sure that when we come out of this we come out of this with a stronger foundation than when we went in.”

National April 18-24 Volunteer Week Thank you!

Thank you for everything you make possible in our community.

National Volunteer Week is a time to celebrate, recognize and thank volunteers, and to create awareness for the important work millions do across Canada!

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THANK-YOU To all of the dedicated Woolwich Volunteers for the amazing work you do in our community!

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THANK YOU to our dedicated volunteers.

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The volunteers at Elmira District Community Living bring their hearts and minds to create connections that leave a lasting impact on the lives of others.

Thank you to all of our Committees, Direct support and Board volunteers for the countless hours you have dedicated to building a strong community where everyone belongs.

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Thank You So Much to our Wonderful Volunteers!

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FIND YOURS TODAY AT GMCOFFERS.CA Limited time offer which may not be combined with certain other offers. General Motors of Canada Company (GM Canada) may modify, extend or terminate offers for any reason, in whole or in part, at any time, without notice. Conditions and limitations apply. Void where prohibited. See Dealer for full program details. Credits vary by model. Dealer may sell for less. Factory order may be required. Chargeable paint costs may vary depending on the vehicle/colour. These offers may not be redeemed for cash and may not be combined with certain other consumer incentives. Credits vary by model. Dealer may sell for less. Factory order may be required. *COSTCO MEMBER OFFER: To qualify for the Costco Member Pricing, you must be a Canadian resident holding a valid driver’s license, have been a Costco member since March 1, 2021, or earlier and must: (1) Register with Costco to receive your non-transferable Authorization Number; (2) Present the Authorization Number to a participating dealer; (3) Retail purchase, finance or lease an eligible new or demonstrator in-stock GMC: Terrain, Acadia, delivered from March 2, 2021, to April 30, 2021. In addition, to receive a $500 Costco Shop Card by mail, submit a redemption form to Costco within thirty (30) days of vehicle delivery and complete a Costco member satisfaction survey. Please allow 4 weeks for Costco Shop Card delivery, pending completion of all eligibility requirements; including redemption form submission, purchase verification and survey completion. Costco Shop Cards will be mailed to the mailing address provided to Costco at the time of registration. The purchase or lease of a vehicle does not qualify for the calculation of the Costco Executive Membership 2% Reward. Offer may not be redeemed for cash. Conditions and limitations apply to this limited time offer. For full program details and for any applicable exclusions see a participating dealer or costcoauto.ca/GM. For Costco Shop Card terms and conditions, visit Costco.ca and search “Shop Card”. Tax, title, registration and license fees, personal property registration fees, and additional products and services are not included in the Costco Member Pricing. Offer is valid at participating authorized GM Canada dealers. Offer not available in the U.S. or Mexico. Offer is subject to change without notice. Void where prohibited. Costco and its affiliates do not sell automobiles nor negotiate individual transactions. ®: Registered trademark of Price Costco International, Inc. used under license. TERRAIN FINANCE &: Offer available to qualified retail customers in Ontario on select vehicles purchased and delivered from April 1, to April 30, 2021. 0% purchase financing (0% APR) offered on approved credit by TD Auto Finance Services, Scotiabank® or RBC Royal Bank for 84 months on eligible 2021 Terrain SLE Elevation All-Wheel Drive models; includes Enterprise Credit of $500 (Tax Inclusive). $500 Enterprise Credit not compatible with Costco Member offer. Participating lenders are subject to change. Rates from other lenders may vary. Down payment, trade and/or security deposit may be required. Monthly payment and cost of borrowing will vary depending on amount borrowed and down payment/trade. Example: $36,200 financed at 0% nominal rate (0% APR) equals $414 monthly for 84 months with $1,500 down payment. $1,500 down payment required. Cost of borrowing is $0, for a total obligation of $36,200. Freight ($1,900) and air conditioning charge ($100, if applicable) included. License, insurance, registration, PPSA, applicable taxes and, dealer fees not included (all of which may vary by dealer and region). Dealers are free to set individual prices. Limited time offer which may not be combined with certain other offers.

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B U S I N E S S | 15

PHARMACIES: UW study says giving pharmacists more responsibility would ease burden on health-care system → FROM 11

right now. During the pandemic time pharmacists showed how much they can contribute in taking the strain off a strained healthcare system.”

Alsabbagh says the government of Ontario asked the Ontario College of Pharmacists to submit a proposal of what the service would look like.

After consultation with health care professionals and the public, they submitted a proposal with 12 ailments which people could have treated by a pharmacist.

With the implementation of pharmacists prescribing for ailments, the number of patient visits to walk-in clinics, family doctors and emergency rooms would be significantly prevented.

This would allow physicians to take more time for “complex cases,” while saving the provincial government – and ultimately the taxpayer – money.

Of some 30,000 people with a upper respiratory tract infection, for instance, if 38 per cent were to go to a pharmacist there would be 590 fewer visits to hospital emergency departments, 2,200 fewer visits to family doctors and 3,100 fewer visits to walk-in clinics.

Currently there are eight provinces in the country which already allow pharmacists to prescribe for minor ailments. While the style of billing varies between provinces, the study looked at a compensation model similar to the one used in Saskatchewan.

The results showed that savings of $12.30 (URTI), $4.90 (contact dermatitis) and $9.30 (conjunctivitis) could be achieved, corresponding to a total $42 million in savings.

It should be noted that this amount is a fraction of the potential savings should more health conditions be considered as well, though Alsabbagh’s study did not tally the full amount.

How the system would work in practice remains to be seen, but Alsabbagh says he envisions people being able to simply walk into a pharmacy and get treatment.

“I imagined that I will walk to the pharmacy and say can I see the pharmacist for my minor ailment. Then they will

ROBERTS: Activists' attempts to change the treatment of livestock could have large impact on farmers, consumers → FROM 11

humans penetrating female genitals, which activists say is tantamount to having sex with an animal.

However, artificial insemination has been an established part of livestock production for decades. In almost every way imaginable, it’s a safe, economical, efficient and effective way to introduce favourable traits (better disease protection and better milk production, among them) from one animal to another, without having to bring them together – from across the street or from the other side of the world.

And then there’s the idea of holding off slaughter until the animal has lived a quarter of its life.

Fine, but everyone, be prepared to pay proportionately higher prices for meat if farmers have to feed and house their livestock for that long.

A new report from Wasem Alsabbagh, a professor in the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy, outlines the savings that would come from expanding the role of pharmacists in Ontario's Submitted health-care system.

probably ask me to go to the confidential area in the pharmacy, where I can explain my symptoms, and the pharmacist will help me make this right decision and if there is a need to write a prescription for me, for the right treatment… most importantly for minor ailment, there is no need for physical assessment. By definition of minor ailments there is no requirement for a lab test to do the diagnosis. So, if there is any need for any tests, then the right referral will be made at that time,” he added.

Local pharmacist Raj Patel of Elmira Remedy’s Rx Pharmacy says this is something he and other pharmacists have been waiting for, saying this

should have happened sooner in Ontario.

“The government should have done this a long time ago. This is overdue, and our skills and expertise, especially that is not utilized in the best way by the government. They are playing very safe. They have their own concerns and we recognize that… [but] I feel that we are falling behind,” said Patel. “I feel a pharmacist can safely play a role, to reduce the burden especially on the hospital emergency, walk-in clinic and we can help government to reduce the financial burden as well from the hospital and waiting list and so on.”

Currently there is no expected launch date for this initiative in Ontario.

Depending on the species, that’s at the very least two or three times longer than farmers keep their animals now.

Are consumers willing to pay that much more for meat? And will they be happy with meat that old?

Not likely. And again, these activists know it.

The Colorado initiative would lead to the kind of legislation that would paralyze animal agriculture in the U.S. If countries like Canada and other major livestock producing nations allow conventional practices to remain, it would be a boon to producers there, selling into the U.S. market. But it’s more likely to set a huge precedent everywhere, certainly throughout North America.

This is yet another example of activism having moved from the streets and into the courts. In Ontario,

activists are legally challenging the so-called “ag gag” law that prevents them from entering farms where they believe animal cruelty is taking place and witnessing farmers’ activities inside the farm for themselves.

Imagine if the law is thrown out and people can simply barge into a farmer’s production facility. They say it’s their right, to protect animals.

Others envision anarchy.

It boils down to three issues. First, how much are we willing to pay for food?

Second, do we want meat in our diets? And finally, are we willing to have laws enacted that are catalyzed by self-interest groups? I suppose the latter happens a lot.

But with the cost of food being a huge consumer concern, making production more expensive needs dialogue first, then laws if desirable or necessary.

We’re not there yet.

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021

16 | B U S I N E S S

EcoBoosters to host Earth Day webinar

Nith Valley EcoBoosters putting the focus on phasing out single-use plastics with climate advocates and waste management Sean Heeger Observer Staff

WITH SINGLE˜USE PLAS˜ TICS INCREASINGLY UNDER the microscope – and on the chopping block – the Nith Valley EcoBoosters are hosting a webinar on Earth Day (April 22) to discuss the dangers of such plastics and the need for change.

There have already been shifts away from the use of disposable plastics. Restaurant chains have started to eliminate the likes of plastic straws and cutlery, replacing them with paper and other biodegradable types of materials. Retailers such as grocers have taken aim at plastic bags.

Those keen to do more themselves have taken to carrying around their own reusable versions of such items, a movement particularly noticeable among the younger demographic. Now, governments have been getting in on the action with moves such as Ottawa’s plan to phase out certain items.

Plastic grocery bags, straws, stir sticks, plastic cutlery, six-pack rings and food containers made from hard-to-recycle plastics are to disappear by 2022.

The EcoBoosters’ event will build on the movement.

Tom Knezevich, chairper-

is all that plastic going? Each year, the plastic just continues to pile up. If it’s not being burned or it’s not being recycled, then it’s going into our landfills, it’s going into streets and communities and rivers. So, it’s really important to bring the attention back to this, because it’s, it’s a problem that’s continuing to grow and it’s not going away.”

During the webinar, those who partake will be shown ‘Kids can Save the Planet: Plastic Is Forever,’ a short film produced

by American teenager Dylan D’Haeze, as well as video and audio clips by local kids as they demonstrate their ideas regarding plastic pollution. Presentations by Chase Oudshoorn, a local youth climate advocate, and Deanna Dakin, waste management coordinator with the Region of Waterloo, are on the agenda.

Oudshoorn says during his portion of the presentation, he will be talking with an emphasis directed towards other youth, while also highlighting the urgency of this issue.

“Mainly, I want to direct it towards other young people like me because I know lots of other people who are really concerned about these issues, and it can just be really overwhelming

son for the EcoBoosters, says the event which has been in the works for more than a year, is made for families but is intended for all who care about the effect plastics have on the environment.

“It’s more family-oriented – it’s trying to get families watching it together, because we know that sometimes parents and grandparents won’t take action. But if their children or their grandchildren say, ‘hey dad, mom, grandma, or grandpa, we need to take action on this because this is something that’s going to affect me as a young person, I’m inheriting all this, these issues that the older folks are creating these days are going to be inherited by the young people.’ So that’s why we wanted to have the focus on families for this event and trying to get that message coming from young people and hoping older people will listen to it. Environmental issues have definitely taken a backseat to coronavirus, and we felt it was important to bring these issues back to the front again,” said Knezevich.

“Every year, about 400 million tonnes of plastic – new plastic – is produced, and about 40 per cent of that is single-use, and if you can only recycle this amount of a small amount of that, where

Home is not safe for everyone

→WEBINAR 19

TH

OU VOLUNTE Y K E AN for your hard work and dedication to supporting our community

RS

Domestic violence has risen 30% across Canada since the beginning of the pandemic

For support from Woolwich Community Services please call: 519-669-5139 or visit our website at https://www.woolwichcommunityservices.org/

For support from Women's Crisis Services of Waterloo Region please call: 519-742-5894, 519-653-2422 or talk to us anonymously online at wcswr.org

TIM LOUIS 519-578-3777

TimLouisMP.ca

Member of Parliament, Kitchener-Conestoga

Tim.Louis@parl.gc.ca

@TimLouisKitCon

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021 | 17

Arts

Read a local best seller every week.

Local stories that inspire.

Email: newsroom@woolwichobserver.com Tips: observerxtra.com/tips

Stratford out of doors

AGO virtual and global

The Stratford Festival is transforming into an outdoor festival this summer, offering a season of six plays and five cabarets, with performances held under canopies that will hark back to the festival’s founding under a tent in 1953. The 2021 season includes two Shakespeares: Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The AGO is partnering with major artists and cultural organizations from around the world. Having delivered art education to more than 400,000 students, parents, caregivers and teachers across Canada since last October, the Virtual School Programs is now going global. www.ago.ca

www.stratfordfestival.ca

Michael Clark is the programming chair for the Grand River Film Festival, which is running virtually this year after being forced to cancel in 2020.

Damon MacLean

A different kind of screening during the pandemic Cancelled last year, the Grand River Film Festival returns next month in a virtual format Damon Maclean Observer Staff

ONLY DAYS FROM ANNOUNCING ITS lineup, loading film reels, selling tickets, and packing the Apollo Cinema with eager moviegoers, the Grand River Film Festival was ultimately forced to cancel its 2020 edition after the pandemic broke. With uncertainty being one of the few constants over the past year or so, there was only one viable option for the 2021 version: bring the festival to the people.

For the first time in its 13-year history, GRFF, which is entirely volunteer-run, decided to take the show from the big screen to the home screen with a switch to virtual for this year’s run. According to Michael Clark, who has been chair of program-

ming for the past three years, the last year saw volunteers working tirelessly to ensure that the show would go on.

“Last year’s [fest] didn’t happen. The lockdown order came in late-March, and I think we were literally three or four days from announcing our 2020 lineup when we had to cancel the whole festival. So we spent the last year doing a lot of research and seeing how other festivals, both internationally but in Ontario specifically, had adapted,” said Clark.

“This last year has been a roller coaster with the lockdowns and loosening.

We had hoped maybe to be able to do a hybrid festival back when we really started seriously planning in September, but ultimately we landed on a virtual festival that would

be the best for everyone.

And here we are now able to roll out our lineup for our first-ever entirely virtual festival.”

This year’s lineup sees nine feature films and 23 shorts streaming from May 3 until May 8, qualifying it for the longest and largest event in the history of GRFF. The feature films include local, national and international titles such as the timely documentary No Visible Trauma, which centers around three families in Calgary that have experienced first-hand abuse of power by the Calgary Police Department; Kelly McCormack’s Sugar Daddy, about an aspiring musician who moves to Toronto and gets involved in a dating agency; Champions, the story of two short-distance runners preparing to compete in

the 2019 Dubai Special Olympics; The Columnist, a Dutch satire film about a female reporter and what happens when online harassment goes too far; A White Way, the story of a man obsessed with the idea that his wife’s death was not an accident; Farewell Amor, which follows a family reuniting in New York following separation during the Angolan Civil War; and Wildfire, an Irish film about two sisters coping with grief.

Another film on the docket, A Starting Point, will run for free beginning the week before the festival on April 26.

“We are offering a free screening of a locally made documentary called A Starting Point.

This documentary was made for the not-forprofit Waterloo Region Crossing. This is a group

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Support the local businesses that keep your community and its newspapers thriving.

that facilitates hikes across Waterloo Region, and this documentary follows one of those hikes.

All of the proceeds and profit from the Waterloo Region Crossing goes into supporting the housing crisis and the homelessness that is impacting the region,” Clark explained.

“The documentary not only follows the hikers, but it highlights some of the stories of people who are living in the region who are dealing with homelessness. It is hyper local, a good reminder of what communities are dealing with. The documentary also takes place in the winter. These hikes are meant to be a reminder of the extremes that people who don’t have homes deal with in terms of temperature variability.

So walking 65 kilometres from one end of the region

to the other is nowhere near a perfect illustration of what a person who doesn’t have a home goes through, but it gives people a starting point of understanding.”

GRFF has also partnered with Hospice of Waterloo Region.

“They’re very focused on getting the message out: live the best life you can, and then die the best bet you can. They’ve been conducting a short film contest where they appeal to local filmmakers to create short [films] about death and dying that really highlight the positive and affirming aspects.

They’ll be announcing the winners of that contest later in April, and we will be screening the winners of that contest.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.grff.ca.

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021 | 18

Classifieds

Advertising

Placing a classified ad

Seven days.

One paper.

Please call or email for display advertising quote for Help Wanted, Auctions, Real Estate, Public Notices and Obituaries.

A bestseller every week.

Please talk to our ad dept for pricing and to order a Pro Services Directory.

All classified advertising is prepaid. Ads will be accepted in person, email, or phone during regular office hours. Deadline is Wednesdays by 10am. Order online at: observerxtra.com/classifieds.

Phone: 519-669-5790 ext 104 Email: ads@woolwichobserver.com Job Listings: jobs.observerxtra.com

Help Wanted

Family Album Announcements pricing and info can be ordered online at: observerxtra.com/order-family-album.

Help Wanted

Diesel Mechanic, Labourer & Dump Truck Driver

General Labourer / Craftsman

We offer competitive wages and benefits package. Applicants must include a driver abstract with their resume and can apply by email: info@thoume.ca or drop it off at: 7270 Side Road 14, Ariss, ON

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR Corbett Ball General Contracting is looking for a general labourer to deliver our signature service to our customers.

Help Wanted

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU • Starting salary $19 - $25 per hour • Full-time hours with some flexibility • Work with friendly, clean, team-oriented crew • Work in Waterloo Region JOURNEYMAN PLUMBER (LEAD INSTALLER) Tri-Mech Inc. is a mechanical company specializing in Gas Fitting, Hydronic Heating, Geothermal, Furnaces, Air Conditioning, Sheet Metal, Plumbing, and High Pressure Cleaning Systems. We service agricultural, light commercial and residential systems.

We are currently seeking a Journeyman Plumber who is able to take leadership on jobs, team player, and able to work with minimal supervision. Qualifications in Refrigeration, Gas Fitting, or Sheet Metal would be an asset but not a requirement.

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE TABLE • have own vehicle and a valid driver’s license • have ability to lift • love customer service • be solution-oriented Interested applicants please submit your resume via email to bstraus@cbgci.com

Tri-Mech offers competitive wages and health benefits. Wages are dependent upon qualifications and experience.

Applicants are invited to submit a letter of application or resume by fax to 519-638-3342, or by email to jobs@trimech.ca

$9 per 20 words (20¢ per extra word)

Commercial:

$15 per 20 words (30¢ per extra word)

Help Wanted

Help Wanted

Part-time Help Wanted

James Thoume Construction Limited

is a family owned and operated excavating and gravel supply company. We are growing and are looking for hard working individuals to join our team and grow with us. Available positions:

.

Residential:

Help Wanted

Help Wanted Floradale Feed Mill Limited is an independent, family owned and operated feed company serving livestock and poultry producers in Ontario.

We currently have an opening for:

Truck Driver (DZ)

This fulltime position will involve safe operation of a bag unit or bulk hopper bottom unit week days (Monday to Friday) and rotating Saturday’s.

The successful applicant will have • A valid commercial driver’s license • Strong oral and written communication skills • Ability to develop effective work relationships with co-workers, and • Ability to represent the Company positively with customers.

At Floradale Feed Mill Limited we take pride in providing the finest in quality feeds and service to our customers in the livestock and poultry industries. Therefore, a background in agriculture is considered an asset.

We offer a competitive wage, pension plan and group insurance benefits.

To apply, forward your resume, a copy of your driver’s abstract and three references to: Human Resources Floradale Feed Mill Limited 2131 Floradale Road, Floradale, ON N0B 1V0 Or e-mail: ffmjobs@ffmltd.com We appreciate all who apply but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Looking for individuals to work around livestock, mainly cattle/sheep and lambs.

Livestock handling experience is preferred.

Also looking for ring/office person.

Customer service is involved.

Reply to: Ontario Livestock Exchange P.O Box 443 Waterloo, Ontario N2J 4A9 or email lwitzel@olex.on.ca mmoser@olex.on.ca or call 519-884-2082

Help Wanted •••

IS NOW HIRING!

Welders - Immediate Openings Available Welder/Fabricator: Experienced fabricator to produce carbon steel vacuum tanks and components in a custom production welding environment. Brake and shear experience viewed as an asset. Full-time career position.

Please send resumes to careers@vacutrux.com or call 519-669-1625 Vacutrux is an environmental truck manufacturer located in Elmira, Ontario. We are looking for welder fitters to join our production team. We are willing to train the right candidate with the right attitude. If you are mechanical and a team player with some experience in heavy equipment/truck/farm and are a team player, this might be the job for you. Thank you for applying. Full time career positions available with great benefits package and group RRSP plan. Starting wage depending on experience. Now hiring full-time day shift - 44 hr work week.

20 Martins LN | Elmira, ON | N3B 2A1

GENERAL LABORER FOR PRECAST PLANT, no experience needed, will train.

I n q u i re , L a h m a n Precast Concrete Inc. 519 699 4501 ex 2

Work Wanted OFFERING SPRING YARD AND GARDEN cleanup, pruning, planting, lawn mowing services, junk removal.

Ve r y re a s o n a b l e rates. Call or text 519-465-3477.

TAX E-FILING - 15+ YEARS EXPERIENCE. Single return $50.

Couple return $80.

Ph: 226-979-4790.

For Sale 10" CRAFTSMAN TABLE SAW, USED very little. Asking $225. 519-884-5973.

LAWN FERTILIZER AND LAWN SEED Call George Haffner Tr u c k i n g , 519-574-4141 or 519-669-2045.

MATTRESS AND BOX SPRING, NEW, NEVER used, still in sealed bag. Sacrifice $195.

Delivery available $35.

519-635-8737.

1% LOCAL

♥ Unscrewing a broken light bulb

Reuse a wad of old newspaper to unscrew a hot light bulb and prevent burning your fingers.

Help Wanted

JOURNEYMAN PLUMBER (SERVICE) Tri-Mech Inc. is a mechanical company specializing in Gas Fitting, Hydronic Heating, Geothermal, Furnaces, Air Conditioning, Sheet Metal, Plumbing, and High Pressure Cleaning Systems. We service agricultural, light commercial and residential systems.

We are currently seeking an experienced Journeyman Plumber who is interested in service work, a team player and able to work with minimal supervision. Qualifications in Refrigeration, Gas Fitting, or Sheet Metal would be an asset but not a requirement.

Tri-Mech offers competitive wages and health benefits. Wages are dependent upon qualifications and experience.

Applicants are invited to submit a letter of application or resume by fax to 519-638-3342, or by email to jobs@trimech.ca

Thursday, April 15, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

Farm Services

Farm Services

KILN DRIED CORN & CORN SCREENING Delivered by Einwechter. Minimum 15 ton lots. Call George Haffner Trucking 5 19- 5 74 - 4141 o r 519-669-2045.

BAGGED PINE SHAVINGS AGRICULTURAL Spray Lime, 22.5kg. bag; feed grade lime, 25kg. Delivered. Call George Haffner Trucking, 519-574-4141 or 519-669-2045.

C L A S S I F I E D S | 19

Rentals WANTED \ENDASH A ONE BEDROOM OR basement apar tment in Elmira. Call 519-669-8662.

Trades & Services

PERSONAL INCOME TAX PREPARATION and E-file. Please contact me, Amber McIntyre for confiTrades & dential professional Services service at reasonable rates. Located LAWN ROLLING in Elmira. Call C U S T O M L AW N Wanted 519-239-4816 cell, or rolling, 37" wide, home 519-669-8442.

USED ADULT TRICY- fits into most back CLE. BATTERY OR yards. Call or text RON'S DRYWALL AND pedal power. Call Bill to book. Quinten RENOVATIONS. OVER at 519-651-7170.

226-791-0921.

35 years experience. Please call 519-496-7539 or email ron.spncr@ gmail.com

FERTILIZER AND SEED GRAIN - AT COMPETItive pricing. Call George Haffner Trucking, 519-574-4141.

Auction

Spring Municipal, Turf, Landscaping

Timed Online AUCTION to be held at

BRESLAU AIRPORT ROAD AUCTION COMPLEX 5100 FOUNTAIN ST, North, BRESLAU (Kitchener)

Closing Starts Tues April 20 th, 3pm 70+ Stlhl Power Equip=> 30+Trimmers *3- Polesaws 18+ Chainsaws* 6+ Concrete Saws * Auger Set 5- Hedge Trimmers * 8+ Backpack/Blowers 90+ New Old Stock ** MTD, Cub Cadet, Troybllt, etc 12+Mowers * 25+Chainsaws * 15+ Gas/Elec Tillers 20+Combo Trimmers* 4+ Leaf Blower/Vacs 7+ 38’’/42’’ Lawn Tractors * Dethatcher 14+ Lawnmowers * Generator * HOTSY * Breaker Wood Chipper & Trencher* Line Painter & Cones Mower Blade Sharpener * Reel Mower B/L Sharpener 50* Battery Charger * Snow Plow Sets * Water Pump 5 - Sanders * Assort of Hand/Power Tools Partial List - Check back for Daily Updates.

https//mrjutzi.hibid.com/auctions 10% Buyer Premium will apply to this auction VIEWING: Sorry NO viewing is allowed at this time TERMS: Soft close. Cash, Debit, E-Transfer.

For Pickup on Wed & Thursday MASKS are required for pickup

M.R. Jutzi & Co O/B 658347 Ontario Inc.

5100 FOUNTAIN ST. North, BRESLAU, Ontario, NOB lMO

www.mrjutzi.ca

519-648-2111

WEBINAR: Targeting single-use plastics Reach local people at the right time every week.

Advertise your professional services to Woolwich, Wellesley and beyond.

Auction

Kurtz Auctions Inc. FARM FOR SALE BY TENDER

TENDER CLOSING DATE: FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021 @ 5pm LOCATION: Cash Crop Farm for Sale located in

Guelph/Eramosa Township PREVIEW: Saturday. April 17, 2021, 1:00 – 4:00 pm OR BY APPOINTMENT

With total of 100 Acres Prime Agricultural Land, 85 Acres Workable, Systematically Tiled and a good bank barn with silo and steel grain bin This property is located outside of Guelph west end near Maryhill; 5512 Guelph/Eramosa Township Road 3, RR7, consists of a beautiful move in condition 2 story century stone house and attached carriage house Kurtz Auctions Inc. / Auctioneer:

Brian S Kurtz (519)836-0342 | Email: kurtzauctionsinc@gmail.com See www.kurtzauctionsinc.ca and https://facebook.com/ brian.kurtz3950 for photos and update on new items.

→ FROM 16

blue box program and how to participate in the recycling program, talking about the difficulty of identifying which type of plastic packaging or packaging in general, belongs in our blue box, and which stuff doesn’t. In Waterloo Region, our residents are very supportive of our program.

So, I would say, like we’re at approximately 90 per cent of the material that the place in the blue box is recyclable.

Only 10 per cent is not, and that is contamination or garbage that shouldn’t be in the blue box… that’s where I hope I can educate some of the residents on the webinar that you know those types of items are not accepted and shouldn’t be put in the blue box,” said Dakin.

The webinar will take place April 22 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. For more information, or to register, visit nvecoboosters.com.

because there’s not a lot an individual can do. But I just want to let people know that there’s a whole community out there to support you and there’s ways that you can make a difference,” said Oudshoorn. “We also need to address the urgency of the issue, and find solutions now, because something that really stuck out to me was in a documentary I’ve watched in class by the United Nations. It said that the next decade is probably going to determine what the next few centuries are going to look like. So, we need to make change now it’s not something that we can wait for.”

Adding another level to the presentation will be Dakin, who says she plans to discuss the blue box program within the region and clarify some misconceptions out there to help make the recycling program better.

“I will focus on the region

ↆ P U Z Z L E

S OL U T ION S

Solutions for this week's puzzles.

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021

20 | C L A S S I F I E D S

ↆ LO CA L ↆ

PR O F E SS I ONAL

SERVICES

GENERAL SERVICES

AVAILABLE FOR YOUR ESSENTIAL TRANSPORTATION VAN, MINIBUS & WHEELCHAIR LIFT BUS TRANSPORTATION “Specializing in small group charters”

5196695557

Visit our website! countrymilebl.com

ↆ

IN-STORE SERVICES

MarCrest Backhoe

CALL TO BOOK! TODAY.

Elmira, ON

Visit our website

www.biobobs.com or call today!

519-648-3004

or

• Window & Screen Repairs • Glass & Plexi Cutting • Key Cutting • Knife & Scissor Sharpening • Lawnmower Blade Sharpening • Paint Colour Matching • Interior Design Consultation • Bike Repair

Septic Installations · Tile Repairs Small Footings · Silo Footings

Maynard Martin 2512 Kressler Road RR1 St. Clements, ON N0B 2M0

800-232-6396

22 Church St. W., Elmira

519-669-5537

Tel. 519-699-0507

STORE HOURS: MON - SAT 8-6, SUN 12-5

GENERAL SERVICES Thorncreek Farms

Poultry Barn Pest Solutions

Visit us online to see our entire rental lineup.

Poultry Pest Management Pest control with residual built in

Various sizes & rates

CLEAN • DRY • SECURE Call

519-669-4964

519-504-2698

Serving KW and surrounding area

100 SOUTH FIELD DRIVE, ELMIRA

ↆ

WHERE TIRES ARE A

SPECIALTY, NOT A SIDE LINE.

Farm • Auto • Truck Industrial On-The-Farm Service 35 Howard Ave., Elmira

519-669-3232 ↆ

ↆ

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES

TIRE

519-669-0524 www.woolwichrentals.ca 100 Union St, Elmira, Ontario

THOMPSON’S

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

519-669-4400

HOME IMPROVEMENT

John Schaefer Painting FREE ESTIMATES Interior/exterior Painting, Wallpapering & Plaster | drywall Repairs

519-503-6033 (CELL) 519-669-2251

30 ORIOLE PKWY. E., ELMIRA

36 Hampton St., Elmira

- Design and build -

AGRICULTURAL | RESIDENTIAL FRAMING • ROOFING RENOVATIONS • EAVESTROUGHS

www.marwilconcrete.ca

Wayne Martin | 519-504-2016

519-577-0370

darwayconstruction@icloud.com | Alma, ON

HOME IMPROVEMENT COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL

ST. JACOBS

GLASS SYSTEMS INC.

INC

• Store Fronts • Thermopanes • Mirrors • Screen Repair • Replacement Windows • Shower Enclosures • Sash Repair

Randy Weber

ECRA/ESA Licence # 7000605

www.rwelectricltd.com TEL:

18 Kingfisher Dr., Elmira | 519.669.1462

AMOS R O O F I N G

1553 King St. N., St. Jacobs, ON N0B 2N0

• Residential • Commercial • Industrial

ↆ

Driveways • Sidewalks • Curbs Patios • Finished Floors • Retaining Walls • Steps • Decorative/Stamped and Coloured Concrete

• Specializing in residential re-roofs • Repairs • Churches A Family owned and operated business serving KW, Elmira and surrounding area for over 35 years.

WORKMANSHIP GUARANTEED

CALL JAYME FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATE.

519-664-1202 / 519-778-6104 FAX: 519 664-2759 • 24 Hour Emergency Service

519.501.2405 | 519.698.2114 In Business since 1973 • Fully Insured

HOME IMPROVEMENT Since 1998

•Final grading •Lawn repair & complete seeding well equipped for large stoney areas •Spike Aerator/Overseeding •Natural & Interlocking Stone •Retaining Walls, Walks & Patios •Help for Top Water & Drainage issue

Murray & Daniel Shantz

ALMA, ONTARIO | PHONE: 519.846.5427

DESIGN CENTRE

• FLOORING • Custom KITCHENS • BATHROOM VANITIES • SICO Paint • Custom WINDOW BLINDS

KITCHEN, BATH & WINDOW FASHIONS

Blinds, shades, drapery & more • Custom cabinetry made in Canada Free In-home consultations • Our experienced designer will help you work within your personal taste and budget

Call someone you can trust - your local Home Hardware Popular Brands Available

BLANCO, MAAX, MIROLAN, STEEL QUEEN

www.LetUsFloorYou.ca

Hours: M-F 8:00 - 5:00 & Sat 9:00 - 3:00

Evenings By Appointment

1011 Industrial Cres. Unit #2 | TEL: 519.699.5411

Tel:

22 Church St. W., Elmira 519-669-5537 or 1-844-866-5537

STORE HOURS: MON-SAT 8-6, SUN 12-5

Thursday, April 15, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

ↆ LO CA L

C L A S S I F I E D S | 21

PR O F E SS I ONAL

SERVICES

Elmira Lawn Care

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Prepayment Discounts for Lawn Care

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Spring Clean Up, aerating, lawn mowing, landscape & flower bed maintenance.

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Phone 519-570-6808 or email elmiralawncare1@gmail.com

ESTATE

Sue From

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226-750-9332 suefrom17@gmail.com

$320,000

Booking for the 2021 Season

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 Landscape Build  Interlocking Stone  Retaining Walls & Steps  Water Features  Back Hoe & Skid Steer Services  Sodding & Seeding

Reach local people at the right time every week.

WATERLOO - Recently Renovated PENTHOUSE in Waterloo! This 19th floor corner unit boasts exceptional finishes, offers 2 spacious bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and panoramic views of the city. Prime Waterloo location close to all amenities, Schools, Shopping, Expressway, and Universities. Features California ceilings throughout and a Spectacular kitchen that is an entertainer's dream with beautiful counter tops and a large island for additional seating.

With all newer stainless steel kitchen appliances, this Penthouse is ready for you to move in and enjoy! All Inclusive Fee covers: Heat, Hydro, Utilities, Building Insurance, Central Air Conditioning, Common Elements, Exterior Maintenance, Parking, Storage Locker, and Private Garbage Removal. This Building has Fantastic Amenities on-Site: Indoor pool, sauna, games room, library, full woodworking shop, hobby room, exercise room with equipment and running track, billiards and Party room, indoor parking and a car wash!

3 Arthur St. S., Elmira | 519-669-5426

$599,900

Alli Bauman

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

519-669-5426

ELMIRA - Filled with love and charm this 4 bedroom home is ready for you!!! Situated in the heart of Elmira and conveniently located close to the rec-centre, downtown, schools and a short 10-minute drive to Waterloo. You can cozy up in the main living space and adore the lovely updated décor. 2 bedrooms up and 2 bedrooms on the main floor which could alternatively be used as a home office or play room.

Some recent updates include newer windows in the basement and mudroom, flooring in the kitchen, exterior siding and new furnace in 2020. Eye catching curb appeal with landscaped yard and front walkway plus a private deck for entertaining. And to top it off, a detached garage! This one is too wonderful to overlook!

SELLING? CALL US FOR A FREE MARKET EVALUATION.

DIRECT (519) 588-7562 EMAIL: Julieheckendorn20@gmail.com

Julie M. Heckendorn, Broker

New Listing

$799,900 16 Hampton St., Elmira

Looking for a lovely older home w/fin rec. room (& gas fireplace)?

Main floor liv. rm., din rm., eat-in kitchen & office/den. Wood floors.

Two full bathrooms, 3 bedrooms.

Furnace & CAC new in 2019. Private yard w/patio & shed. Oversized garage. Why not let the rental income (almost $1300./month) from 2 totally separate apartments help pay your mtg. MLS# 40089693.

BROKERAGE

R.W. THUR REAL ESTATE LTD. Office: 519-669-2772 | Cell: 519-741-6231 45 Arthur St. S., Elmira | www.thurrealestate.com

BRAD MARTIN Broker of Record, MVA Residential

30+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE YOU CAN RELY ON! NEW LISTING 2 Eldon Place, Floradale

Small town living in the Village of Floradale. Century home in good condition.

3 bedrooms, large upper family room. Eat-in kitchen, L.R., main flr master bdrm. 4 pc. bath & spacious laundry/rear entry w/new gas F.P. 30x60 building with double garage, workshop & storage areas. Upper loft. New MLS $575,000

2994 Lobsinger Line, Heidelberg Investment opportunity! Duplex presently vacant. Main & upper flrs consist of kitchen, L.R., main flrbdrm& 4pc bath. Upstairs has 2 rms. Basement apartment w/separate entrance. Municipal water. Separate holding tank.

One gas furnace. MLS $350,000 112 Oriole Pkwy, Birdland Plaza $12.00/per sq. ft. plus C.A.M. fees space for lease. 2 units available immediately. 1310 sq. ft. & 1821 sq. ft.

Front & rear access. Newly renovated.

Lots of parking. MLS 38 Second St., Elmira One of a kind, custom built bungalow, 2110 sq. ft. 9’ ceilings & vaulted ceilings. Open concept family room, gorgeous kitchen with granite counters &high quality appliances. Formal dining room w/walk-out to a patio area. Extensive custom built cabinetry throughout. Great room. 3 gas F.P.’s. Two bdrms on main flr. Walk-in pantry w/laundry facilities. Huge finished bsmt w/heated flrs, 3rdbdrm/office, built-ins and wet bar. Wine cellar, 3 piece & additional laundry room. Private rear yard w/pergola & built-in BBQ. Double garage w/heated floor & staircase to basement. MLS

SOLD

CALL FOR YOUR

FREE MARKET EVALUATION

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021

22 | C L A S S I F I E D S

“PROUDLY REMEMBERING OUR PAS T; CONFIDENTLY EMBRACING OUR FUTURE.”

PUBLIC NOTICE

Community Information Page

Proposed 45.0m Communications Tower Site “ON7925Winterbourne” Located at 128 Katherine Line St S, West Montrose, ON N0B 2V0 Xplornet Communications has proposed a 45.0m tall lite duty steellattice style communication tower and related radio equipment on private property at 128 Katherine St S, West Montrose, ON. The proposed structure will enhance internet and data coverage and capacityfor the surrounding areas.

The geographic coordinates for the proposed site are as follows: Latitude: (NAD83) N 43033’ 05.8” & Longitude: (NAD83) W 800 28’ 18.0”. The facility is proposed in a rural area and will occupy a ground area of approximately 3m x 3m.

THIS NOTICE serves as an invitation to any interested members of the public to submit comments/ questions to the individuals listed below by May 17th, 2021.

There will also be a Virtual Public Meeting on: May 6th, 2021 at 6:30pm.

To participate please contact jjohnston@tangonetworksinc.ca

by April 30th, 2021 with your name, email and phone number.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE the approval of this site and its design is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Government of Canada through Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). For more information on the federal process pertaining to these installations please contact the local ISED office at: ic.spectrumswodo-spectrebdsoo.ic@canada.ca OR Tel: 1-855-465-6307.

COVID-19 Woolwich Township Update Township Office As the Province of Ontario has implemented a 28-day Provincewide Emergency Brake, the Township office will be closed to walk-in public traffic. Business will continue and services can be accessed through our website, by email or by Phone: 519-669-1647 or 877-969-0094 Fax: 519-669-1820 After Hours Emergency: 519-575-4400 www.woolwich.ca telephone. Appointments can be made if deemed critical. There is a drop box located at the side of our building along Maple Street, which offers a contactless option for dropping off payments, building permits or documents. We will be accepting water samples for drop off weekly on Tuesdays: • Tax & Water Bills can now be paid online: www.woolwich.ca/taxes • Building Permits can be applied for and paid online: www.woolwich.ca/building permits • Report Issues or Service Requests (By-law Enforcement, Potholes, Signs, Streetlights, Trees, Winter Maintenance, etc..) online: www.woolwich.ca/reportit For current information on facilities and services, please see Woolwich.ca or call 519-669-1647. For health information, call Region of Waterloo Public Health 519-575-4400.

To view current media releases or to stay informed the township’s response to COVID-19, visit: www.Woolwich.ca/COVID19

Council Meetings – Remote For registration, help or alternative participation options, call 519-669-6004.

Recreation Programs and Facilities The Township of Woolwich recreation facilities are closed and all rentals and programs within these facilities are cancelled pending continued monitoring of provincial regulations.

Residents are encouraged to stay active by getting outside and enjoying our many parks and trails or visiting our website at www.woolwich.ca/stayactive for games, virtual fitness and other activities to keep you engaged this spring.

Township of Woolwich Nancy Thompson Planning Assistant Phone: 519-669 6040 Email: mthompson@woolwich.ca

Woolwich Seniors Association: Older Adults 55+ are encouraged to stay active and connected from home. Free, virtual programs, are offered. Check the website for updates at www.woolwichseniors.ca or email contact@woolwichseniors.ca.

Local Business Resources

FB Connect Cyrus Ghassabeh 482 South Service Road E, Suite 130 Oakville, ON L6J 2X6 Phone: (905) 808-0073 Email: cghassabeh@forbesbrosltd.ca

SITE LOCATION MAP

P.O. Box 158

24 Church St. W. Elmira, Ontario N3B 2Z6

Provincial business supports: https://www.ontario.ca/page/businesses-get-help-covid-19-costs Federal business supports: https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/ economic-response-plan.html#businesses

(not to scale)

Winterbourne

Did you know? Our local MPP, Mike Harris, launched a website to help businesses access available financial supports: https://reliefwithinreach.ca/waterloo-region/ COVID-19 Screening Requirements for Businesses: Public Health requires all businesses to screen patrons and workers before entering or coming to work. Visit https://bit.ly/3sI9r9h for more information about when to actively or passively screen.

Visit www.shoplocalwoolwich.ca to buy gift cards and to list your business! For more information about government programs and other business supports call Jenna Morris at 519-669-6020 or email: EconomicDevelopment@woolwich.ca

Regional Face Mask By-law Face coverings are required in transit, taxis, ride sharing and enclosed public places. Children under five and people with certain medical conditions or disabilities are exempt. Please be kind to those unable to wear a face covering.

To make a complaint, call 519-575-4400.

Proposed Tower Site

Public Health Information The COVID-19 vaccines reduce risks of getting the disease by working with your body’s natural defenses to build protection. The vaccines are safe and cannot give you COVID-19. Learn more at regionofwaterloo.ca/COVID19vaccine

Thursday, April 15, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

ↆ FA M I LY

C L A S S I F I E D S | 23

A LB UM

Birthday

Death Notices CLARKE, REV. DAVID ALMOUR - 'Absent from the body, present

Happy 10th Birthday Bryson

with the Lord.' Went peacefully to be with his Lord Jesus, early Thursday morning, April 08, 2021 at Grand River Hospital. Local relatives are his sisters Elizabeth Eby and Norma Jordan and her husband Jerry all of St. Jacob's.

1172 Henry Street, Wellesley, Ontario. N0B 2T0 519-656-2880

(Wow, double digits)

chris@futher-franklinfuneralhome.com www.futher-franklinfuneralhome.com A Continuing Tradition Of Trust & Reassurance

SOLOMON, EILEEN - 1926 - 2021 Our mother passed away on Thursday, April 8 having lived a rich and long life.

Christopher W. Franklin Funeral Director

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Love Mom, Dad and Megan

Obituary Shantz, Levi Died peacefully at his home at RR 1, West Montrose on Friday, April 9, 2021 at the age of 78. Levi Shantz, beloved husband of Edna (Martin) Shantz.

Dear father of Cleason and Alice Shantz of RR 1, West Montrose. He will be missed by his grandchildren Marilyn (Paul) Martin, Leroy, Arlene (Amsey) Gingrich, Miriam, Leonard, Laura, and one great-grandson.

Survived by three brothers and four sisters. Predeceased by his foster daughter Susan (1967), parents Orvie and Elvina (Wideman) Shantz, five brothers, two sisters and one sister-inlaw. A drive by visitation was held at the family home, 1033 Tribe Road, RR 1, West Montrose, on Saturday, April 10, 2021 from 1-5 p.m. and Sunday April 11, 2021 from 2-6 p.m. Service and burial by invitation only took place at Meadow Grove Mennonite Meeting House.

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021 | 24

Living Here

It's about all of us.

Leading the way reporting about the people and places of home.

Email: newsroom@woolwichobserver.com Report it: observerxtra.com/tips

WDG vaccination rate

Humane Society campaign

A resident of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph who received a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday pushed the region over the 25% threshold of eligible residents who have received at least one dose of a vaccine. The catchment areas is pushing toward the goal of vaccinating at least 75% of residents by June 2021.

The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth has launched a Centre Advancement Campaign to raise $100,000 needed to purchase medical equipment and to build and improve onsite parks for shelter dogs. Money raised will help purchase an x-ray machine with dental imaging capabilities, among other goals. www.kwsphumane.ca

More than a quick jaunt on the trail

Couple plans 200-kilometre bike ride on G2G route to raise money for trail group, SickKids Foundation Sean Heeger Observer Staff

THE PANDEMIC HAS PROMPTED MORE of us to venture outdoors to counteract long periods of being stuck at home.

Hitting the trails has been a particularly popular pastime.

That’s certainly the case for a Waterloo Region couple – Ankur Gupta and Garima Verma – who are turning their enjoyment of cycling into a fundraiser for the Goderich to Guelph (G2G) Rail Trail that they frequently use.

What initially started as a challenge for the couple quickly turned into a fundraiser for G2G and the SickKids Foundation’s Tech4SickKids initiative, with a goal of raising $2,000 for each cause.

“We wanted to sort of do a challenge for ourselves, so we planned a 200-kilometre bike ride just for a challenge or an adventure.

Then we just realized that it might make more sense to do it as a fundraiser, because I have been sort of involved with Kawasaki disease, I was on the board for them so I have done a bunch of fundraising in the past, but I haven’t done anything just by doing an event on my own,” said Gupta.

The ride will start in Elmira on April 24, and take them 100 kilometres out towards Goderich, before bringing them back and ending the next day.

Gupta estimates it will take about 20 hours to complete as the couple has been training recently for their trip.

“Last weekend we did a 36-kilometre bike ride… in

Garima Verma and Ankur Gupta will be taking a 200-kilometre fundraising bicycle ride along the G2G Rail Trail later this month.

the evening we are either running or we are sort of doing like 10 to 12 (kilometres), and then on the weekends we would sort of do a big one like last weekend we did 36 [kilometres].

This weekend we might try 50 [kilometres], so we sort of want to continue on that path, just sort of continue training until obviously [we] reach [April 24].”

With the event still a few weeks away and training well under way, Gupta says he and Garima are discussing what will happen if the weather does not coop-

erate on the weekend the trip is supposed to take place.

“We have discussed that, my wife and I. I’m generally a very optimistic person, so I am thinking that we will be OK weather-wise. But let’s suppose, if it just doesn’t make sense or if it’s supposed to rain for eight hours, then we might have to push it like one week further. But so far, we still plan to do it those days only,” he added.

The fundraising ride will only see Gupta and

his wife take part in the ride; however, he knows that many people use the G2G trail and some may want to safely join in parts of their ride. He says they are not openly inviting people to join them, but if those looking to get out the weekend of April 24 happen to be on the trail, they would be welcome to safely join in.

Chloe Klopp, executive coordinator with G2G, says they are very eager to host the couple along the trail for their ride and are extremely happy that they

Sean Heeger

will receive funding from the event.

“It’s absolutely incredible. These are the kinds of activities that we are obviously so happy to host and be a part of. We want to help individuals accomplish their goals because the G2G really is a place where you can set goals and you can complete them,” said Klopp. “To be included in this fundraiser goal is definitely something that we haven’t been a part of before, which is why we were extra eager to kind

of help them as much as we can to really gain that momentum and get our users as well to help support their ambitions.

So, it’s definitely a first that the funds are going in part towards G2G.” Donations to either cause can be made online.

Those wishing to donate to G2G can do so here g2gtrail.donorengine. com/donations/donate, while those wanting to donate to SickKids can do so here fundraise. sickkidsfoundation.com/ bikeforhappiness.

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Thursday, April 15, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

L I V I N G H E R E | 25

Plenty of great things about Quinoa Brownies

S

EVENT S

CAL EN DAR

CHEF DUFF

o, yes, I called this recipe “chocolate” brownies even though the word brownie implies chocolate. That said, the word “quinoa” implies healthy, so I wanted to avoid a panic from the general public in thinking there would be no chocolate in the brownies – rest assured chocolate will definitely be used!

Quinoa is pronounced “keen” – as in being keen on eating chocolate – and “Wah” – as in the first part of “water.” (And, speaking of water, it’s not keenNoah, as in Noah’s Ark!) So what is quinoa, anyway?

It is more of a plant than a grass (as most grains are) that is grown for its edible seeds. It’s indigenous to South America, where it’s been grown for human consumption for a good 3,000 to 4,000 years.

There are three great things about this recipe,

Recipes from the chef's table

first being that it is glutenfree, and it’s always good to have a gluten-free dessert in your repertoire.

Second, quinoa is very nutritious, as it is high in protein, B vitamins, various minerals and dietary fibre, which helps it to digest slower in your body helping with blood sugar imbalance.

Third, it is very easy to prepare – the trick is to overcook the Quinoa to make it very soft and sticky, and then pulverize the living daylights out of it in the food processor with all the other ingredients.

Then just bake in cake tin or muffin tin to make cupcake style.

Fourthly – OK, there are actually four great things – did I mention chocolate?

Chocolate Quinoa Brownies ▢ 1⁄2 cup dry quinoa

▢ 1⁄4 cup 2% milk

▢ 1-1⁄2 cups water

▢ 2 Tbsp. canola oil

▢ 3⁄4 cup granulated

▢ 2 large eggs

sugar

3. Place quinoa, sugar, cocoa, baking

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4. Bake in center of oven for 30 to 34 minutes or until tester inserted in center comes out clean.

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5. Cool in pan on rack.

Cut into 9 squares.

Serve dusted with icing sugar, if desired serve with fresh berries.

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Woolwich

MONDAY, APRIL 19 ▢ April Virtual Speaker. Woolwich Gardeners presents speakers Sharon and John Bowler "Small Gardens" at 7 p.m. Zoom link is sent to members.

Contact us woolwichgardeners@gmail.com Your membership gives access to all our speakers, events and discounts at local nurseries!

Vacuum Sales, Repairs Se Service All Makes & Models

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21 ▢ Living Well: The Power of Goal Setting. Join Berna-

dette Vanspall, Physiotherapist at Woolwich Community Health Centre using Zoom at 6:30 p.m. She will focus on exploring our internal/external drivers, setting SMART goals, identifying barriers and finding creative ways to get around our "hijackers". Email gberihun@wchc.on.ca to register.

FRIDAY, APRIL 23 ▢ Elmira Legion's Meat loaf Dinner. Curbside pickup

9 Church St. E., Elmira

519-669-8362 Email: elmiravacuum@gmail.com

Quality & Service you can trust.

only. $15 per person. Meatloaf with potatoes, turnip, corn salad, a roll and dessert. Call Robin at 519-8971618 to order.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28 ▢ Physical Activity and Seniors. Join Woolwich Community Health Centre virtually using Zoom at 6:30 p.m. You will learn about the new Canadian 24-hour movement guidelines for older adults. Rasha El-Kotob, U of W Kinesiology Department will discuss what the guidelines are and how to apply them. Email gberihun@wchc.on.ca to register.

WOOLWICH RESIDENTS SUPPORT FUND: On April 4, 2020, Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz launched the Woolwich Residents Support Fund (WRSF) on behalf of Woolwich Township Council.

The WRSF will initially address the anticipated unprecedented needs that many Woolwich residents will experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the WRSF will continue to address ongoing needs experienced by Woolwich residents long after the pandemic has ended.

In general, the fund will provide one-time financial support to an applicant. However, we realize that no two cases are the same.

Unique situations may require further support that otherwise would not be accessible for the ongoing needs of the individual.

21 Industrial Dr., Elmira 519.669.2884 | martinselmira.com

Education and Treatment

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519-669-9919 charlene@bauerhearing.com 25 Industrial Drive, Elmira

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Access to the Fund is available by contacting:  Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot  Woolwich Community Services  Woolwich Counseling Centre  Woolwich Community Health Centre

33 Industrial Dr., Elmira 519.669.1591

Woolwich Township Ward 1 Councillor

Fund Administrator: Woolwich Community Services Fund Review Committee: Kelly Christie – Executive Director, Woolwich Community Services Cathy Harrington – Executive Director, Community Care Concepts

How can I help you?

519.514.6051

ↆ The Community Events Calendar is reserved for non-profit local events that are offered free to the public. Placement is not guaranteed. Registrations, corporate events, open houses and similar events do not qualify for free advertising. See complete policy online. All submissions are to be made online at observerxtra.com/event-listing/.

Healthy Communities

The place to get involved.

• Volunteer Opportunities • Projects & News • Sub-Committee updates

pmerlihan@woolwich.ca

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healthywoolwich.org

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, April 15, 2021

26 | L I V I N G H E R E

ↆ X-WO R D

Nitsch, e.g.

TIM LOUIS

Member of Parliament Kitchener-Conestoga

1187 Fischer-Hallman Rd. Unit 624, Kitchener, ON N2E 4H9 (519) 578-3777 Tim.Louis@parl.gc.ca TimLouisMP.ca

Kid-friendly meatballs get the whole family involved in cooking

F

or a new spin on meatballs, add basil pesto for big flavour. The pesto replaces the minced herbs, minced garlic and grated cheese in standard meatball recipes. Buy pesto from the refrigerated

▢ America's Test Kitchen Rigorously tested recipes that work.

section of the supermarket -- it has a fresher flavor than the jarred pesto sold

in the grocery aisles This kid-friendly recipe is easy to follow, so young ones can join in on the cooking fun. Just be sure an adult is nearby to help, especially when using the oven.

Pesto Turkey Meatballs with Marinara Sauce ▢ Vegetable oil

peeled and minced

▢ 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

▢ 1 pound (93% lean)

▢ 1 (28-ounce) can

▢ 1⁄4 teaspoon

ground turkey

crushed tomatoes

pepper

▢ 3⁄4 cup pesto

▢ 1 tablespoon

▢ 1⁄2 cup panko bread

extra-virgin olive oil

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray.

2. In a large bowl, combine turkey, pesto, panko, salt and pepper.

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▢ 2 garlic cloves,

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evenly on the baking sheet. Wash your hands

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5. While meatballs bake, add oil to Dutch oven.

Heat over medium heat for 1 minute (oil should be hot but not smoking).

Stir in garlic with wooden spoon and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and

7. Use tongs to carefully transfer meatballs to sauce in Dutch oven.

Cook, gently stirring occasionally, until meatballs are cooked through and register 165 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 5 minutes.

Turn off heat. Serve.

D IR ECTOR Y

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Elmira Mennonite Church

23. Black gunk 24. Jams 25. Making no effort

to stop an event 27. Place for a throne 29. Horoscope king 30. Electrical unit 33. Doubt 35. Displeased 37. They can be sweet 39. Yoko O__ 40. Alveolus 43. Hip bones 45. Clears tables 47. In awe 50. Highest chess player title

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50. Payola 51. Myself 52. Knowledge art 56. more foolish 60. One of the five W's

Pregnancy and prolapse concerns DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am seven months pregnant with my first child. My obstetrician said I have ureterocele. He also mentioned bladder prolapse. I am not having incontinence at the moment, but I have a lot of pain and always feel like I'm on the verge of an accident. I am trying to understand the condition, how I may prevent it from worsening, and if there is any treatment.

ANSWER: Congratulations on your pregnancy. I am sure it is a very exciting and anxious time.

Pelvic organ prolapse is the general term that is applied to any relaxation of the supportive tissues around organs in the pelvis and vaginal area. The condition occurs as a result of changes to your body.

There are three areas that often are affected:  Uterus -- known as uterine prolapse  Back wall of the vagina -- known as rectocele  Bladder -- known as cystocele There are several factors that can increase a woman's risk of prolapse.

Pregnancy is a commonly known risk factor that predisposes women to development of prolapse, although it typically occurs after delivery.

Chronic constipation and genetics can elevate a woman's risk.

In your case, diagnosed during your first pregnancy, I would venture

▢ Mayo Clinic

Professional Clinical Health Advice

that the pressure from your uterus and pregnancy are contributing most to your prolapse.

While women who give birth via vaginal delivery also may have a slight increased risk, I do not think there is any reason for you to consider a cesarean section because you are experiencing symptoms of prolapse. It is likely that many of your symptoms will improve after delivery.

It is estimated that 40% to 50% of women who are postmenopausal have some degree of prolapse, although many are asymptomatic. Other women report bulging in the vaginal area, a feeling of pelvic pressure or heaviness.

For some, if the prolapse is severe, they may see something hanging if the tissue has broken through the plane of the vaginal area. Pain is not usually a symptom.

Discussing prolapse may be uncomfortable, but it is important to talk with your health care provider because an accurate diagnosis can help with respect to treatment.

A visit with a specialist, such as a urogynecologist, is a great place to start. A thorough physical examination of the pelvis can confirm the relaxation of the tissues and identify the affected areas. There is

usually no need for additional imaging or tests.

Treatments for prolapse vary based on the severity and the patient's wishes.

If a woman does not have any discomfort, we may simply do "watchful waiting." Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing if a woman's prolapse will worsen over time.

The most common nonsurgical treatment is to insert a silicone rubber device into the vagina called a "pessary." Similar to a diaphragm, a pessary sits in the vagina to essentially hold things up. It is relatively easy for a woman to put in and remove on her own.

Surgery is also an option to correct prolapse. There are various procedures based on the severity and individual woman's situation. More information can be found on credible resources such as www. voicesforpfd.org.

Many women inquire about physical therapy for prolapse. Pelvic floor physical therapy can provide a benefit to relieve symptoms, but it is unlikely to substantially improve the prolapse itself.

As your pregnancy continues, you may want to talk to your doctor about a pessary, as that may provide you some relief until delivery. If your discomfort continues after delivery, you might consider surgery once you are done with childbearing.

Thursday, April 15, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

L I V I N G H E R E | 27

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28 | T H E B A C K PA G E

A

6 smart snacking tips that'll help you stave off 'hanger'

s with anything, there is an art to smart snacking, meaning finding foods that will cure your hunger, leave you satisfied and give you the motivation you need to tackle your to-do list.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with snacking," says Amy Lee, M.D., a board-certified physician specializing in internal medicine, member of the National Board of Physician Nutrition Specialists and the American Board of Obesity Medicine, and head of nutrition for Nucific.

"It is the type of foods you snack on that can help you maintain your mood, mental clarity and metabolism-or break them." For starters, Lee recommends avoiding processed snack foods packed with simple sugars. "It's about being smart with your snacks and making every little thing you eat count," she says.

Here are Lee's top tips for smarter snacking.

1. Understand why you're snacking.

According to Lee, most times people snack because of boredom-or simply the need to do something with their hands. "Next time, before grabbing that snack, stop and question if you really need the snack ... or are you just bored or anxious?" she says.

pick-me-up, focus on foods that are satiating or at least hold you over until your next meal without all the drowsiness-inducing sugar." Protein is a great choice. Try hard-boiled eggs, veggies with hummus, or a small protein bar containing the essential amino acids.

3. Give grazing a go.

"The act of eating little bits can help extend the time of snacking, which can also reinforce the idea to the brain that you are eating," explains Lee. "Don't 'inhale' your food in one big gulp, because your brain takes time to register that you are putting food into the body (this can take up to 20 minutes!) to make that connection."

As an example of grazing-worthy snacks, Lee recommends making a healthy version of trail mix by combining variations of nuts, dark chocolate chips and dried fruits.

"Even cutting up a protein bar into smaller bite-size pieces to make it last longer works," she says.

4. Fruits and vegetables are great snacks.

Use cucumber slices in place of potato chips to dip into your favorite things

such as guacamole and hummus, or try celery and carrots with a couple of tablespoons of nut butter.

Why not add a little fiber and good fats when you snack?

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6. Stock your pantry and plan ahead.

Replace unhealthy options (cookies, chips, crackers, candies) with fresh fruits and veggies, protein bars and nuts so you won't give in to your thoughts when it's time to snack. Meal-prep your heart out: cook up a batch of hard-boiled eggs for yourself on Sunday so you can snack on them all week, slice and dice veggies, or make cheese and fruit snack packs ahead of time.

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Once you've determined that you truly need a snack, try to eat something that will leave you feeling satisfied and energized.

"If you're hungry and your body needs a quick

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2. Choose snack foods with protein.

starting at

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5. Schedule your snack time.

It may seem silly, but if you set a time to allow yourself to snack, you can save yourself from unintentionally overeating or snacking on junk.

"Also, by scheduling, you won't lose track of time and find yourself ravenously hungry, which can result in bad choices," Lee explains.

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