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04 | 25 | 2015 VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 17
AG. INDUSTRY CAUGHT UP IN TFW BACKLASH VENTURE PAGE 19
COMMENT PAGE 10
NOTHING “BALANCED” ABOUT LATEST FEDERAL BUDGET
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Tourist attraction? Region offers tours of Waterloo landfill site on Saturday PAGES 8 & 9
The Waterloo Region landfill site hosts public tours today (April 25) in celebration of Earth Day. The Erb Street location is expected to be full by 2030 and the region is looking at different disposal and diversion options.
Keep focus on contaminants, says CPAC chair
While representatives of neither the company nor the Ministry of the Environment have been attending Chemtura Public Advisory Committee meetings, getting them back at the table is secondary to cleaning up the contaminants that continue to threaten ground and surface water, Dan Holt told councillors meeting April 21. “As we speak, and one
STEVE KANNON
Committee wants to maintain pressure on Chemtura, MoE to study newly identified problem area on Elmira site
Much of its time and energy focused on the cast of characters, Woolwich council would be better off concentrating on the core issues of contamination on the Chemtura property, says the chair of the environmental watchdog charged with monitoring the Elmira chemical producer.
[WHITNEY NEILSON / THE OBSERVER]
day before Earth Day, the Chemtura site is discharging hazardous chemicals to the natural environment via the east-side drainage ditch and into the Canagagigue Creek,” he said of concerns identified in a consultant’s report last fall. That report, he reminded them, prompted the previous group of councillors to pass a resolution calling for quick action from the MoE.
The township asked for a comprehensive analysis of the site’s pollutants within 60 days, with an action plan formulated within the following three months of the investigation. That was in October. Not only was no action taken, there was no response. That’s par for the course, said Holt, noting CPAC CPAC | 6
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THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
Community puts on push for blood donations Effort will boost supplies needed for patients like Elmira’s Zach Cressman, currently hospitalized for blood disorder WHITNEY NEILSON When Zach Cressman was sent home from school looking green, it was clear something was wrong. The 12-year-old had felt lethargic since the end of January and when he couldn’t finish the beep test for gym class, his mom, Monica, took him in for blood work. “That night our family doctor called and said you need to get him in to the emergency room,” Monica said. “We got blood work and they gave him platelets and blood. Once he had that done they brought him down here to London. Basically at that point of time they knew his bone marrow
Zach Cressman, pictured here with his family at the Ronald McDonald House in London, is undergoing treatment for aplastic anemia and won’t be back to Elmira for at least six months. [SUBMITTED]
wasn’t working but didn’t know why. They ruled out cancer and then they ruled out viral infections and then they ruled out hereditary.” Zach has aplastic anemia but doctors aren’t sure why. He’s only been home to Elmira for Easter since going to the hospital on February 14. Now, his local church is hoping the good people of Elmira will help support his treatment by donating blood. “Because we’re draining the bank as we’re using it,” Monica said. “If people aren’t donating to the blood bank then all these people who are getting blood transmissions
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wouldn’t be able to get a blood transfusion.” He starts immunotherapy treatment on April 28, which will keep him in the hospital for 10 days. Right now he’s staying at Ronald McDonald House. The treatment drops his immunity and basically reboots his system. He gets platelets every eight days and blood transfusions every 18 days because his blood counts are so low. “The big thing is because he’s using this blood, without the blood he wouldn’t be surviving,” Monica said. “His bone marrow’s not producing blood. The BLOOD | 4
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NEWS | 3
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
Wellesley council goes along with staff’s desire to give themselves more perks WHITNEY NEILSON Senior staff for Wellesley Township will receive one extra personal day per month on a 8-month trial basis to make up for overtime worked starting in May, despite opposition from Coun. Herb Neher. Chief administrative officer Rik Louwagie proposed he and his colleagues get one day per month for a total of 12 days per year after polling the staff demonstrated they work anywhere from five to 25 extra hours each week. “They have that it’s built in to management salaries quite often that it is an expectation that you work occasional overtime without any remuneration,” Neher said. “That’s why senior staff make a heck of a lot more money, quite often because they do work overtime.” Louwagie noted every other municipality in the region except for Kitchener allows some form of lieu
time for their managers in recognition of the extra hours worked. Coun. Carl Smit suggested they offer the lieu time, but not as much as proposed for the time being. “I don’t think any one of us doesn’t think they do a wonderful job,” Smit said. “My thought process was we should try this for six months or a year at half, six days per year, see how it goes, if it works. If we find out we’re still running way short maybe we’ve got to look at hiring.” Council eventually agreed on eight months to allow for seasonal differences in departments. Coun. Shelley Wagner questioned if it was an issue of department heads not delegating work to staff under them and if they would also be compensated with lieu days. “They are not,” Louwagie said. “Some of the staff are putting in overtime and they are paid for that PERKS | 4
St. Jacobs Public School students traversed the Mill Race Trail Wednesday morning, as part of the tenth annual Earth Day hike. Floradale, Riverside and Breslau public schools also took part in the event, which aims to promote the some 100 kilometres of trails in Woolwich Township. [SCOTT BARBER / THE OBSERVER]
Students head out on a hike to mark Earth Day, healthy communities SCOTT BARBER It’s been ten years since St. Jacobs Public School teachers Nancy Stayzer and Jennifer Hea launched an annual school-wide Earth Day hike on the Mill Race Trail. Now, the tradition has spread to schools all across the township, with students from Floradale, Riverside and Breslau public schools all taking to the area’s vast trail system on April 22 in support of environmentalism and healthy living. It’s a fun event for the kids, that provides the
opportunity to introduce young people to the many trails the region has to offer, while getting them to think about the importance of the natural environment, Stayzer explained. “I was always a volunteer with the Woolwich Trails Group (a part of Woolwich Healthy Communities) and hiking is a passion that I have,” Stayzer said. “And studies show that [hiking] is the healthiest thing you can do for your body. They call it the 23 and a half, so 23 and a half hours of the day you do everything, but if you can give half an hour
each day to walking, it’s the best thing you can do. If you don’t have time to get out to do other stuff, just get out and walk. It doesn’t cost anything and there’s no equipment involved other than the odd raincoat or running shoes, so it’s cheap.” It’s especially important to get young people thinking about healthy lifestyle choices, Stayzer said. “The reason we wanted to start with kids was, we give mementos, including the pencils here today, and other schools are getting bookmarks that has all of the information for
Woolwich trails on it. And so the hope is that the kids will bring those home and show their parents what they got, and the parents will go on the website and say, ‘you know what, as a family we should get out there.’” There are more than 100 kilometres of trails in Woolwich Township, Stayzer added, which is perfect for hikers, dog walkers or bikers. The St. Jacobs PS students were certainly excited to get out of the classroom and onto the HIKE | 5
Wellesley Townhip’s Streicher Line residents push for gravel road to be paved WHITNEY NEILSON The deteriorating condition of Streicher Line had some homeowners out at Wellesley council on Tuesday night asking for it to paved sooner rather than later. “We realize Streicher Line has been addressed as a need to be paved,” said Gerald Yantzi, representing homeowners on the road. “I also understand in some discussions with taxpayers
that this request has been addressed by letter as far back as 1998. We are here to see if we can move this forward faster.” He noted that at Will McLaughlin’s retirement party, the former chief administrative officer said he hopes the township can follow the roads master plan to “support the economy of the township and Streicher Line should be paved to support the town’s economy.”
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Yantzi noted their vehicles have endured premature damage to wheel bearings, brakes, and windshields due to the gravel and bumpy road. He estimates it takes almost 20 per cent more fuel to drive on gravel compared to asphalt. “Much paving has been done in recent years to the east side of Wellesley Township,” Yantzi said. “We very much enjoy driving on Weimer Line, Hessen Strasse, Greenwood Hill
Road, Moser Young Road and Herrgott Road. We feel that it is fair and equitable that some more paving be done on Wellesley west.” He noted the heavy truck traffic the road sees, on top of regular residential traffic. General manager of community services, Kevin Beggs said gravel roads are always an issue. “It’s not just Streicher Line; it’s always in the township of Wellesley,” Beggs said. “Certain times of the
year the conditions are better. In 2013 we did an asset management plan. …We put it together with needs, services levels, different things for the roads in the township of Wellesley. At that time Streicher Line had been identified as a need to be paved. We have it slated in here to start in 2017 with the money we have, not with funding.” If started in 2017 it would be completed by 2022. He explained they intend
to pave the first block of Manser Road next year and start working on Streicher the following year by doing boreholes on the first block. They also plan to do the base work in 2016, so they’ll be ready to apply asphalt by 2017. “If you looked at doing all of Streicher Line, not just asphalt, there’s some base work that’s going to have to be done in spots, so we’ll be ROAD | 4
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THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
ROAD: Waiting on the funds FROM | 3
wonder if there could be a second grading and possible dust control reapplied partway through the summer to help out,” Yantzi said. “Our feeling is this is past due for this project to be done and wonder what council can do to move this forward.” Beggs said they’re always looking for funding opportunities through the provincial and federal government to get roadwork done. Weimer Line and Hessen Strasse were funded projects he said, and some of it was done through development charges. “At one time we did apply for Streicher Line and were turned down,” Beggs said.
doing boreholes and there’s going to be some surface work,” Beggs said. “We know there’s ditching to be done. There are three bridges in the center block, we all know that have gravel on top of them that will have to be removed and asphalt on top of the bridges. The total cost of that could be in the neighbourhood of $2.5 to $3 million.” Yantzi said a heavy coat of gravel was put on the road last summer along with dust control treatment. But intense truck traffic damaged the road. It was eventually re-graded but no dust control added. “Until paving occurs we
THE TOP IS WHAT THEY’RE REACHING FOR
Members of the Elmira District Secondary School “Reach for the Top” trivia team reached the semi-finals at an area meet earlier this month. The club has been a mainstay at the school for over 30 years. [SCOTT BARBER / THE OBSERVER]
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overtime. It’s directly in the employee manual.” “Usually budget constraint is the biggest thing,” he explained. “The council meetings of course are for department heads to attend. But usually it’s just a matter of you can’t force your employees to work overtime. The work that’s being performed is at the department head level.” Coun. Peter van der Maas questioned if this much overtime is required by senior management why they’re not hiring more staff. He suggested dealing with that rather than creating a policy of providing personal days. Mayor Joe Nowak was opposed to the idea of hiring more employees. “What I like about this particular proposition is it’s not going to cost the taxpayer any money,”
Nowak said. “I think it’s a good way to recognize the extra work that they do and to make sure that they’re fairly compensated.” Coun. Neher noted during his 30 years working in management in the private and public sectors, there was always room for flex time, where if an employee had to step out of the office for a couple hours, they could make it up another day. Louwagie explained that’s not the case in the 2010 employee manual and they have to fill out sick time slips every time they leave during office hours. “Right now I have not been allowing [flex time] because it’s not in the employee manual,” Louwagie said. “The previous CAO was allowing it on a system that he administered himself, which we’ve found out was troublesome from a tracking standpoint.”
He noted they’d love to have extra staff but it’s not possible in the budget. The personal days must be taken each month and can’t be accumulated. This way, staff aren’t away from the office for extended periods of time. “With all due respect to the staff I’m opposed to this,” Neher said. “There are numerous ways of recognizing and giving management perks. Two weeks’ vacation … if we say yes there’s no monetary value because people are just going to take it, but seven [staff] times two [weeks], that’s 80 days a year that we don’t have management. I’m just a little bit leery about this. Irregularity is part of the management job.” Neher asked for a recorded vote and was the sole councillor to vote against the motion, which passed.
constantly having to check his temperature and make sure he doesn’t have a fever.” He also won’t be able to attend school this year or next. He’s been communicating with his class through the messaging app Kik. His mom has a background in education so she’s been keeping him on track with his text books and Khan Academy online for his math skills. Despite knowing he won’t be able to go home for likely another six months, he’s been upbeat about the process. “I’m very surprised,” Monica said. “He has such a positive attitude. We very much have a very strong faith base. God has us on an adventure and we’ll see where it takes us. The doc-
tors have also commented on his positive outlook.” She adds they’ve had a terrific experience at Ronald McDonald house, noting the community feeling is helping them get through the difficult times. “He’s very much appreciated all the support we’ve had,” Monica said. “The class has been really terrific in keeping up with him and giving him something to do during the day when he can do something.” You can donate in support of Zach on May 29 from 2-8 p.m. in Elmira to help replenish the blood he’s using for his treatment. “It’s nothing that we were expecting and it kind of just took our lives and turned them around,” Monica said.
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only blood that’s being produced is through his liver and kidney which isn’t enough.” After the treatment he’ll be put on medication for a year to help him produce his own blood. The doctors hope this drug will decrease the number of times he needs to get transfusions. He’ll be neutropenic too, which means he won’t be able to go in the emergency room without calling ahead. “Neutropenic means if any infection would come around he could pick it up just like that,” Monica said. “By doing this treatment they wipe out his system so that basically he’s like a newborn baby again. For this next year he can still catch any infection. We’re
NEWS | 5
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
The latest influx of slots revenue The Township of Centre Wellington is $468,841 richer this week thanks to a fourth-quarter (January to March) non-tax gaming revenue payment from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation for hosting OLG Slots at Grand River Raceway. To date, Centre Wellington has received more than $22.4 million in non-tax gaming revenue. These payments are made under a formula in the Municipality Contribu-
tion Agreement that determines the fee municipalities receive for hosting an OLG gaming facility and are based on an escalating scale of slot machine revenue that is consistent across all sites in Ontario. Under the agreement, municipalities receive: 5.25% on the first $65 million of slot revenue; 3% on the next $135 million of slot revenue; 2.5% on the next $300 million of slot revenue; 0.5% on slot revenue above $500 million; and, the new element, 4% on table game revenue. At approximately $2 billion annually, OLG provides the Ontario government with its largest source of non-tax
revenue. Some $115 million has been allocated this year for distribution through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
requests to the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre for the deployment of assets or resources.
Lillico is fire co-ordinator
Another adjournment for Cowan
Wellesley Township fire chief Andrew Lillico was appointed by the Office of the Fire Marshal as fire coordinator for Waterloo Region. Some of his new duties include keeping an updated mutual aid plan, providing assistance to the Fire Marshal, and consider and recommend
Former Woolwich mayor Todd Cowan’s court date on April 21 was adjourned again until May 26 at 9 a.m. He’s accused of double-billing $2,700 in expenses to the township and Waterloo Region, which he claims was an accounting error.
A review began last July when a citizen got Cowan’s expense records from the region, comparing them to his township expenses.
Wellesley OKs fire plan consultant POMAX Consulting will create a fire master plan for the Township of Wellesley after council accepted their proposal at a cost of $31,518.58. The purpose is to discover the most efficient way of delivering fire services to the community. The consulting firm will hold public meetings, yet
to be scheduled, to solicit input from the community. They will also meet with the station crews and existing firefighters. At this week’s meeting, Coun. Carl Smit said, “‘Interviewing and consulting stakeholders and citizens’... would that include previous firefighters? We lost a lot of firefighters because of the two hires and they had a lot of valuable experience and I think they should be contacted to see what they felt about the way things were run.” Terry Allen, from POMAX, said they can talk about that possibility with the steering committee.
POLICE BLOTTER
Careless driving charge after fourvehicle collision in Wellesley A four-vehicle collision occurred near the intersection of Listowel and Steffler roads in Wellesley Township about 2 p.m. last Saturday. The incident occurred when a 54-year-old Kitchener woman operating a 2007 Toyota Yaris stopped behind a westbound vehicle that was turning left onto Steffler Road and was struck from behind by a 2007 Ford Focus driven by a 65-year-old Newcastle woman who failed to see the vehicles stopped ahead of her. The collision caused the Toyota to enter the
oncoming lane, where it was struck by a 2011 Ford truck being operated by a 51-year-old Mapleton resident. The Yaris and the Focus were destroyed in the collision. The other two vehicles involved received minor damage. The Kitchener woman was transported to hospital with undetermined injuries; the Newcastle woman was treated at the scene for minor injuries. All other parties involved were uninjured. Police charged the Newcastle woman with ‘careless driving.’
HIKE: A healthy pursuit FROM | 3
Mill Race Trail Wednesday morning, despite a grey sky that intermittently produced a mixture of flurries and drizzle. Serena Schaafsma said she enjoys being out in nature and seeing birds.
For Lilly DeVrieze, she was looking forward to being out under the big blue sky- although it was mostly covered by grey clouds that morning. And according to Maya Albrecht, her favourite part of the Earth Day hike was the exercise.
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11:03 AM | A resident of Elroy Road in Breslau reported that a laptop computer worth $1,000 and some change had been taken from an unlocked truck parked at that location. APRIL 15
11:29 AM | A resident of Maplecrest Drive in Breslau reported that some change had been taken from their unlocked vehicle. APRIL 18
1:40 PM | The owner of a property on Weimer Line in Wellesley Township was burning a small amount of brush when strong winds blew embers from the fire onto the nearby wild grass, which ignited causing a large fire to begin burning. The property owner attempted unsuccessfully to put out the fire and eventually called emergency services. Firefighters from both the St. Clements and Town of Wellesley
6:41 AM | A 19-year-old Kitchener man was charged with ‘careless driving’ when the Ford Ranger pickup truck he was driving on Sawmill Road left the pavement and struck a fence, causing minor damage.
fire stations arrived to extinguish the fire. Approximately 1,000 square feet of brush and trees were burnt, but as this land was going to be cleared and turned in any event, there was no damage cost or dollar value loss as a result. There were no injuries. Weimer Line had to be closed for approximately two hours while the fire was brought under control.
the Highway Traffic Act. Alcohol and speed were not considered factors.
5:54 PM | A two-vehicle collision occurred where Arthur Street South and Highway 85 meet, just south of Sawmill Road in Woolwich Township. A silver Nissan being driven by a 50-year-old Moorefield man was travelling northbound on Arthur Street when a silver Volkswagen, being driven by a 19-year-old Waterloo man who had been stopped on the east gravel shoulder, pulled out in front of the Nissan, attempting to conduct a U-turn. The Nissan was unable to stop and struck the Volkswagen in mid-turn. The Volkswagen driver and an occupant of the Nissan were both transported to local hospitals by ambulance with nonlife-threatening injuries. The Volkswagen driver was charged under
APRIL 20
APRIL 19
10:48 AM | A resident of New Jerusalem Road in Woolwich Township reported some gold jewelry had gone missing. Responding officers found no signs of forced entry. The investigation continues. 8:43 AM | Police responded to a rear-end collision at Arthur Street and Listowel Road in Elmira. No one was injured, but a 22-year-old Wallenstein woman was charged with ‘careless driving.’ 10:19 AM | A driver backing out of a driveway on Park Avenue West in Elmira struck a vehicle on the street. No one was injured, and no charges were laid. 8:27 PM | Police who pulled over a vehicle at King Street and Martin Grove Road south of St. Jacobs issued the driver with a summons for driving while suspended and for failing to advise the ministry of an address change.
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9:47 AM | Two vehicles parked on Joseph Street in Breslau were entered overnight. Some spare change was taken, but no damage was reported.
8:50 PM | A car collided with a skid steer on Hessen Strasse Road near Moser Young Road in Wellesley Township. A 70-year-old Heidelberg man was driving a silver Volvo eastbound on Hessen Strasse, crested a hill and collided with a skid steer that was being operated by an 18-year-old man from Wellesley Township. The skid steer was on the roadway and being used to move hay bales. The Heidelberg man was transported to hospital with serious injuries. The 18-year-old man was not injured and the skid steer had only minor damage. Police charged the 18-year-old man with ‘improper lights on a farm vehicle,’ ‘no slow moving vehicle sign’ and ‘careless driving.’ APRIL 14
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6 | NEWS
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
Breslau splash pad group seeking commitment from township Council discussion shows residents, officials still unclear as to budget for the project, how much to come from the community and/or township funds STEVE KANNON The already fuzzy recreation picture in Breslau got more Picasso-like this week as a splash pad project would appear to be in line for $600,000 from Woolwich coffers. Only $100,000 would come from fundraising, a major departure from other community-driven projects such as the skate park and accessible playground in Elmira, for instance. Based on a total cost of about $700,000, Woolwich could earmark $500,000 from development charges (DC) – money collected from builders for every new home they construct – as 72 per cent of the project’s costs have been deemed eligible for coverage from the DC reserve fund. Given an estimated cost of $350,000 for the construction of the splash pad proper, $252,000 would come from development charges – essentially money collected from the raft of homebuilding in the village. That leaves $98,000 to come from the community, led by Breslau Lions Club fundraising efforts. The township has an additional estimate of $341,000 to extend water and sewer services to the site in Breslau Memorial Park, do electrical work and
construct a 1,000 square foot building to house the mechanical elements and provide public washrooms – a so-called comfort station. Those costs would be borne entirely by the township, though also eligible to draw on the development charges reserve fund, said director of finance Richard Petherick. The discussion in council chambers Tuesday night followed a request from the Lions’ splash pad committee for Woolwich to commit to providing $252,000 – 72 per cent – to the splash pad construction of $350,000 Lions Club member Jeff Barnard said the group wants to keep the project moving forward, with financial assurances from the township helping it obtain grants from agencies such as the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The committee is also concerned about delays – it had hoped to build the project this year – due to the prospect of a joint venture with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. That deal would see a new school built on what is now parkland. It provides for $1.75 million in upgrades to the park and community centre, as well as community access to new facilities, including a 5,000-square-foot library operated by the Region of
Waterloo. Concerns with that project aside, Barnard said the group is worried that delays related to the school bid could see township money earmarked for the Breslau splash pad spent elsewhere. Petherick noted that while a development charges plan has also identified money for splash pads in Elmira and St. Jacobs, there has been no movement on projects in either community. Still, there is likely more demand for funding than money set aside specifically for rec. projects. In fact, Petherick notes the parks and recreation section of the reserve fund has a negative balance of $858,650, with the township’s 2014 development charges study listing some $2.8 million in parks and rec. capital projects. Overall, the township has more than $4.5 million in its DC reserve fund. Costs were at the heart of Coun. Larry Shantz’s concerns about simply committing to 72 per cent of the cost in an open-ended agreement, as there is no firm budget for the splash bad project. “I don’t want to write a blank cheque here,” he said. Council asked staff to meet with the Breslau committee to shape a formal agreement before coming
back with a report. Coun. Patrick Merlihan asked that the report include costing for operating, maintenance and eventual replacement once the facility is turned over to the township, stretching that to include costs associated with plans for other splash pads in the township. “I’d like to have things well thought out before we tackle it,” he said of an agreement with the Breslau Lions. While the community group had been eyeing this year for construction, Coun. Mark Bauman suggested 2016 as a more realistic target, noting that even if rushed, the process would see construction completed in the fall. And he cautioned against moving too quickly, pointing out that some aspects of the skate park and developments in Gibson Park in Elmira were rushed, causing some hitches. “A 2016 start date ... will give a much better result.” Shantz suggested the parties take time to shape an agreement that would serve as a framework for future projects. “It’ll save a lot of headaches and heartaches,” he said. Woolwich thus far has committed no money to the project, with talks still in the preliminary stages.
CPAC: MoE fails to respond to council’s concerns, questions FROM | COVER
has been waiting for 16 months for the ministry to answer its question about what constitutes “clean” in relation to an order that Chemtura remediate contaminated aquifers under Elmira back to drinking water standards. The 2028 deadline for ridding the groundwater of pollutants is likely a pipedream, he added, requesting that the township push for financial assurances from the province that the remediation will continue after that date. Along with the inadequacies of the current pump-and-treat system for cleaning the aquifers, Chemtura is also failing to control other contaminants from leaching off its site, he maintained. “CPAC believes that there is continual and significant off-site contamination of the Canagagigue Creek, pri-
marily due to [a] drainage ditch which was installed in the mid-1980s and runs offsite and along the east side of the Chemtura property,” said Holt. “With this preponderance of evidence mounting, it is the firm belief of CPAC that the Chemtura site is an uncontained hazardous waste site.” Councillors meeting this week picked up on the work of their predecessors, passing a motion to circulate CPAC’s hydrogeological consultant’s concerns with Chemtura’s work plan for investigating contaminants around the east side drainage ditch. Holt’s call for action was echoed by environmental advocate Alan Marshall, who also addressed council Tuesday night. “New revelations regarding east-side leakage into the neighbour’s property and then southwards into the Canagagigue Creek and
the Grand River continue to unfold. These include ongoing fish consumption advisories for dioxin contamination, found only in the Canagagigue and the Grand River below the mouth of the Canagagigue. Nowhere else in Waterloo Region are there dioxin advisories,” said Marshall, whose sometimes abrasive manner and persistence are at the heart of some of the personality issues surrounding CPAC, though he is not a member of the committee. He obviously rubs Mayor Sandy Shantz the wrong way, as she repeatedly interrupted the start of his presentation to insist Marshall remain “respectful,” and attempted to rebut some of the points he raised. Marshall’s name came up during Shantz’s recent attempts to get the chemical company and the ministry
to return to CPAC meetings. Acknowledging Marshall to be a lightning rod for opinions, Holt argued the real reason the other parties walked away from the table was their reluctance to answer questions. Nor do they like the prospect of having to spend more money if CPAC’s discovery of more contaminants is properly investigated, he said in a later interview. “They quit coming to the meetings when the questions got difficult to answer.” CPAC is still looking for those answers He challenged claims the committee needs an overhaul – “CPAC is not dysfunctional” – saying such issues are a distraction, keeping the real problems from being front and center in the debate. He does, however, expect changes when the committee’s current term expires next month.
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8 | NEWS
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
AT A GLANCE / WATERLOO REGION WASTE
Erb Street landfill Operates on Opened 125 hectares in 1972
Can hold 15 million tonnes of waste
Expected to hit maximum capacity by 2030
The average recycled pop can becomes a new pop can in two months
First ever blue bin program started in 1983 in Kitchener by Nyle Ludolph
Transfer station fees will be upped to a minimum of $5 July 1, 2015
New waste collection contract begins in 2017
Residents can get up close and personal with the Waterloo landfill on Apr. 25 to see how their waste is compacted and recyclables are reused. The region is considering using thermal technologies to deal with the waste once the dump is full, and has proposed two different options for region-wide waste collection. [TRISTAN URRY / THE OBSERVER]
The place is a dump Tour of Waterloo landfill site allows you to see what happens to waste you drop at the curb each week
WHITNEY NEILSON In conjunction with Earth Day, Waterloo Region’s Erb Street landfill site will be open to free tours April 25, a chance for curious residents to see what happens to their waste and recyclables. How to manage our garbage is something of a hot topic in the region these days, as the landfill is expected to reach maximum capacity by 2030, and a waste management master plan is in the works. Council is considering two options for curbside collection, since the current contract expires in 2017 and it will take about 18 months to get trucks and staff in place, once a company’s awarded the contract. Cari Howard, project manager for waste management programs, says the changes will be universal across the re-
gion, instead of the varying bag limits imposed now. “Some of the really rural areas in the township, people only have every two week blue box collection and they don’t have green bin collection yet,” Howard said. “We’re proposing no matter where you live in the region curbside garbage services will be the same.” The first option is biweekly collection of four garbage bags, unlimited weekly green bin and blue bin pickup, continued biweekly yard waste pickup, and biweekly appliances and bulky item pickup with a three item limit. The second option is the same, except garbage will be picked up weekly with a two bag limit. “Residents seem to be split about whether they prefer biweekly collection or not. We presented these proposed options to coun-
NEWS | 9
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
Employees for a private company sort the recyclables into three categories. [TRISTAN URRY / THE OBSERVER]
Water bottles, pop cans, and paper products are sorted in the Nyle Ludolph Recycling Centre before being turned into compact cubes, which are shipped off to be used as raw materials.
cil but they haven’t been made to make a decision yet,” Howard said. Waste management coordinator Shelley Conrad says the tour is a family friendly event and they’re encouraging families to come learn about where their waste goes and how they can make an impact by recycling. Highlights of the tour include the tipping point where waste that can’t be recycled is stored, and the recycling area where paper, plastic, and metal are sorted and reused. “They also get to see the diversion area, so we’ll talk about programs that we have on site, like Goodwill and Habitat for Humanity,” Conrad said. The recyclables are brought into the facility and sorted into three different containers. From there they go through the baler and become compressed into large colorful cubes. “It’ll be then put on a tractor trailer and taken away where processors will use them for raw materials,” Conrad said. “Our containers can become anything like plastic lumber, plastic #1, which is a water bottle or a pop bottle, or even fabric. Juice boxes can be made into paper products, so recycled content of paper towels.” While recycling has cer-
tainly caught on in the region, due to the blue bin’s origins with Kitchener native Nyle Ludolph, the money-losing green bin remains a work in progress. Howard says there’s a 19 to 35 per cent usage rate depending on the neighbourhood. That’s an issue when up to 53 per cent of landfill garbage could have been composted. “We can turn it into beneficial compost,” Howard said. “Farmers will spread it on their fields and grow more food.” In terms of disposal, manager of engineering for waste management programs Donna Serrati says they’re looking at three options for what to do with the landfill once it’s full. “We took a very high level look at three different paths,” Serrati said. “One being another landfill, and then the other is a combination of a mechanical biological treatment option, and the third was the thermal treatment pathway, which could include incineration. It could also include gasification, or other types of technologies.” After considering environmental, financial and social impacts, along with public consultations, they’ve decided to look further into thermal treatment. Thermal technology offers some energy re-
covery potential she says, meaning it could potentially generate electricity or heat, or produce biofuel. “It is on balance more expensive than the cheapest option, which would be another landfill,” Serrati said. “People recognize that landfilling comes with a big environmental footprint and a lot of other potential negative social and environmental implications. We’re looking at the feasibility of the region pursuing some sort of thermal treatment disposal option.” Where the treatment would happen is unclear. It could be inside of the region, outside the region, with a municipality partner or a third party private partner, she noted. If council decides to go this route and do the treatment inside the region, an environmental assessment would be required. As for what would happen to the landfill it would be permanently sealed. “Any environmental control structure that needs to remain in place to deal with gas that continues to be generated remains operational,” Serrati said. “The terminology that’s used is passive recreation. It’s basically naturalized. It becomes a field with a bit of a hill.” She noted a major goal of the master plan is to
maximize the diversion of garbage so a minimum amount will need to be treated instead of recycled. “People have the opportunity to make a difference in that regard in part by using the green bin,” Serrati said. “That keeps a lot of material out of the landfill and it gets out of that disposal pathway and into more of a beneficial reuse path.” Residents who wish to give their opinions on the curbside collection can do so May 6 at 6 p.m. at the Planning & Works Committee public input meeting. To reserve your seat on the bus for the landfill tour call 519-575-4400 and meet at Gate 3 of the landfill. Tours will run every half hour from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and then on the hour until 2 p.m. Conrad says usually 300 to 500 people take the tour each year. “It’s a good opportunity for people to come and find out how it operates, where their waste goes, because you put your stuff out on the street and it goes away,” Conrad said. “You’re not home, you don’t see it, you don’t know really what happens to it. So when people come here and they see the facility they’re impressed by how much we can recycle and why we should reduce our waste because the landfill is filling up.”
[WHITNEY NEILSON / THE OBSERVER]
PROPOSALS / WASTE COLLECTION
Regional staff have proposed two options for waste collection: Option 1: (Bi-Weekly garbage collection) • Four garbage bag limit per bi-weekly collection (potential to reduce to three bags); • Unlimited weekly blue box and green bin collection; • Bi-weekly yard waste collection (April to November); • Bi-weekly appliance and bulky item pick-up, three item limit; • Existing special and downtown business services; and Bag tag program.
Option 2: (Weekly garbage collection) • Two garbage bag limit per week (potential to reduce to one bag); • Unlimited weekly blue box and green bin collection; • Bi-weekly yard waste collection (April to November); • Bi-weekly appliance and bulky item pick-up, three item limit; • Existing special and downtown business services; and Bag tag program.
10 | COMMENT
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
JOE MERLIHAN PUBLISHER STEVE KANNON EDITOR
COMMENT
DONNA RUDY SALES MANAGER
SCOTT BARBER REPORTER
WHITNEY NEILSON
PATRICK MERLIHAN PRODUCTION MANAGER
JAKE STALLARD GRAPHIC DESIGN
REPORTER PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT NUMBER 1004840 | ISSN 12039578
OUR VIEW / EDITORIAL
THE VIEW FROM HERE
“Balanced” budget is Harper’s latest trick on the public A GOVERNMENT, CORRUPT, DUPLICITOUS and conniving, fudges the books to appear fiscally prudent, though the opposite is true. Its all important goal? The appearance of a balanced budget after running up consecutive deficits – some of the largest in history – during its tenure. The reason? We’re months away from an election. The federal Conservatives rolled out their latest budget Tuesday, shouting even louder the unchanging lie they are competent fiscal managers. The sleight of hand used to “balance” the books this year wasn’t lost on anyone paying attention. Harper and co. hope there are enough inattentive, indifferent or blind partisans to keep their merry band of Canadian-haters in power. As many quickly pointed out, the $1.4 billion surplus came about solely because the government sold off $2.1 billion in General Motors shares, reducing the contingency reserve fund to $1 billion from the normal $3 billion. It also raided $3.4 billion from the Employment Insurance system. Each of those moves was something of a slap in the face of Canadians. The sale of GM shares comes at a time when we could use a voice during some shifts in the market and uncertainty in the auto sector in Ontario. That the government delayed introducing the budget until after the start of the new fiscal year so that the revenue from the shares counts in 2015 rather than last year makes the rationale for the move glaringly obvious. Speaking of uncertainty, reducing the contingency fund precisely when the economy is more precarious than it’s been since the recession caused by the financial services industry smacks of poor judgment and opportunism, two Harper traits always on display. Oil prices remain low – export revenues reduced by $40 billion – yet Finance Minister Joe Oliver pretends otherwise, counting on increases not widely predicted. Same too for forecasts in economic growth, currently being downgraded. If ever there was a time for a contingency, it’s now. Playing games with EI – something the Conservatives harped about when the Liberals were in power – is both hypocritical (nothing new there) and an insult to out of work Canadians and those in precarious positions due to systemic weakness in the economy, particularly the labour market. The overall employment rate is worse than when Harper first came to power in 2006. Despite the government’s claims, it has done little to help a weak economy, nor to help the unemployed with only one in five of those who came off unemployment rolls since September 2009 finding a job, while four of five gave up looking. The “balanced” budget is to be achieved through some $7.5 billion in trickery – we’d have a $6.1 billion deficit if not for the sell-offs and sell-outs. Then there’s the matter of $7 billion in handouts for the highly advertised – your tax dollars at waste – universal child care benefit and income splitting, both moves widely panned as ineffective and unfair vote-buying moves that will end up benefitting few at a tremendous cost to the rest of Canadians. Anyone watching this government and making an unbiased assessment will be well aware that fiscal competency, care for citizens and concern for the social fabric of the country are issues Harper disregards consistently. They are out for power and to serve a corporate agenda, all the while giving lip service to good governance in order to convince enough of the gullible to triumph in the first past the post system. The farce will continue for as long as we let it.
Having failed to set up a framework for the Breslau splash pad project, Woolwich now faces the prospect of digging deeper into the coffers ... or raising more ire. WORLD VIEW / GWYNNE DYER
Latest struggling boat sinking is like half a Titanic WORLD AFFAIRS The first thing to do, if you want to cut the number of refugees from Africa and the Middle East dying while trying to cross the Mediterranean, is to drop leaflets all along the Libyan coast teaching them about ship stability. Don’t all rush to one side when you spot a ship that might save you, the pamphlets will say, because your boat will capsize and you will drown. That’s what happened last weekend off the Libyan coast, where a boat filled with at least 700 refugees overturned when the people aboard spotted a Portuguese freighter and tried to attract its attention. (One survivor says there were 950 people aboard, including those locked below decks. ) At least 650 people died – half a Titanic’s worth of casualties – although the boat in question was only 20 metres (70 ft.) long. Only 28 people were saved. Exactly the same thing happened with another
boat crammed with refugees the previous week, and another 400 people drowned. Counting another 300+ people who drowned in another disaster in February, the death toll right now, before the peak summer season for refugee crossings, is around 1,500. That’s a full Titanic. It’s not getting quite as many headlines, though. So the second thing to do is to lock the European Union’s foreign ministers into a room and refuse to let them have caviar and champagne until they agree to do something about the silent massacre in the Mediterranean. Something quite effective was being done until late last year, but they deliberately stopped it. Until late last year the Italian navy (praise be upon it) was running an operation called Mare Nostrum that went all the way to the edge of Libya’s territorial waters to pluck refugees from the sea. The operation cost 9.5 million euros a month ($10.3 million), but it rescued 100,000 people from leaking boats or the open sea. More than
half of the 170,000 refugees who landed in Italy had cause to thank the Italian navy, and only one in a hundred died. The number of refugees arriving in Italy each month is around the same this year, maybe a little higher – but ten times as many people are dying on the way. That is because the European Union’s governments, rather than sharing the cost of the Mare Nostrum project, asked Italy to shut it down and substituted their own “Triton” operation. Except that “Triton” is in no way an adequate substitute. It only gets a third of funding Mare Nostrum had, and it is only supposed to operate in Italy’s coastal waters, not farther out where most of the refugee boats capsize or founder. Even this year, with the Italian navy theoretically excused from duty, it has saved twice as many people as the pathetic “Triton” operation. Which, by the way, was intended to be pathetic. The argument the European governments made was that if you didn’t give the refugees the hope that
they would be saved by the Italian navy, fewer of them would come. Right, so if you’re fleeing the civil war in Syria or the ghastly dictatorship in Eritrea, and you learn that the danger of dying on a Mediterranean crossing has gone up from one per cent to ten per cent, you’re going to decide to stay in war-torn Libya instead? Were the European governments lying to themselves, or just to everybody else? The latter, almost certainly. They were under pressure at home to stop the flow of migrants, they didn’t want to share the burden of saving them with the admirable Italians, but they couldn’t just say “Let them drown.” So they came up with that preposterous argument about deterring the migrants by making the crossing more dangerous, and shut Mare Nostrum down. “In many countries in Europe at the moment,” said Laurens Jolles, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) representative in Italy, “the (political) DYER | 12
COMMENT | 11
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
THEIR VIEW / QUESTION OF THE WEEK
Do you trust the federal and provincial governments with their budgets?
»»Hamed Matiullah
»»John Biernat
»»Brian Kropf
“The federalbudget is misleading, balancing “The problem is they think it’s good, but in the budget is not the answer. The value of the reality it is nowhere near good.” [loonie] reflects our real budget, balanced budgets wont bring that value up.”
»»John McAndrew
»»Mario Papadopolus
“It is strictly political due to the elections “I don’t really have a choice but to trust them “Personally I trust the federal government but coming up. Politicians are not listening to the now do I?” not the provincial. The record shows the people and forgetting that they are where they federal to be trustworthier.” are to serve us not the other way around.”
“Were the European governments lying to themselves, or just to everybody else? The latter, almost certainly.”
Gwynne Dyer | 10
HIS VIEW / STEVE KANNON
Effective refugee solution one that won’t even be considered EDITOR'S NOTES There’s only one way to end the smuggling that this week led to the deaths of hundreds more people in the Mediterranean – the Forgotten Rebels’ classic Bomb the Boats and Feed the Fish aside – and that’s to turn back each and every asylum seeker. That may mean scrapping the now perhaps irrelevant 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, but it’s the best policy. First, Europe and other Western nations immediately stem the flow of refugees, economic or otherwise. Knowing they’ll either die en route or be returned to where they started, such people will simply stop being fodder for unscrupulous smugglers. Secondly, Western nations will no longer have to deal with the expense and much more troubling social costs of dealing with refugees.
Win-win. Now, there will be plenty of people – many of them with vested interests in the status quo, from bureaucrats to lawyers – who’ll argue against the move. They, too, are irrelevant. There is a moral argument to be made. No, not that we have to do what we can for other human beings – we can’t simply shift every economic refugee, nor the sure-to-grow numbers who’ll be displaced by climate change, so rationing is already the de facto standard – but that we in the West are responsible for much of the turmoil in the worst places on the planet. Centuries of colonialism followed by predatory capitalism backed by gunboat diplomacy and incessant meddling and warmongering are the seeds we sow; death, destruction and desperation in much of the Third World are what we reap. The best bet is for the meddlesome West to stop mucking things up via our wars, occupations and involvement in civil wars, almost always related to geopolitical posturing
HOW TO REACH US
the issue of immigrants, particularly Muslims. Following last weekend’s capsizing of a smuggler’s vessel, killing hundreds, the European Union immediately began overdue discussions about the problem. Not, of course, that much will be done, let along doing away with refugee programs. Still, it’s a start. And something of a relief – actual results pending – for Malta, Italy and Greece, popular destinations for the vessels setting sail from North Africa crammed with asylum seekers. Italian prosecutors wasted no time in building a case against the traffickers involved in Sunday’s incident in which as many as 950 people drowned in the Mediterranean. There were only 28 survivors. The captain of the smuggling vessel, Mohammed Ali Malek, faces charges related to illegal immigration, reckless homicide and causing the shipwreck, as his boat capsized when he steered it into a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship that had come to its rescue. The European Union
Joint Foreign Affairs and Home Council meeting on Monday came up with a 10-point action plan on migration, predictably long on administrative efforts and short on actual mitigation. There will be steppedup monitoring and enforcement. In the absence of turning back any and all refugees, a good first step is to prevent ships, often derelicts, from leaving North African ports in the first place. That would go a long way to preventing the deaths at sea. So far this year, more than 36,000 refugees and migrants have arrived by boat in southern Europe and – depending on the final toll this week – more than 1,600 have died. In 2014, around 219,000 people crossed the Mediterranean, and 3,500 lives were lost. The deaths are an immediate concern. More troubling, both to deal with and prevent, is the wave of migrants eager to take advantage of the EU. Canada faces far fewer immediate pressures, but we’ve had our own issues with asylum seekers, most
notably boatloads of Tamils appearing off the West coast. Queue jumpers, their claims were dubious. Many simply disappeared into existing communities. Others costing taxpayers plenty in support, hearings and deportation efforts in rare instances. Canada has settled refugees from far-flung points of the globe, becoming a public issue starting in the late-1970s and ’80s with the Vietnamese boat people (the impetus for the aforementioned Rebels’ song) and continuing today with those from the wartorn Middle East, a spot where Canada is complicit in some of the strife. Settling refugees here is increasingly problematic, as even the immigration system, with its tighter controls, is failing. While Canada has done a better job of integrating newcomers into its population than have countries in Western Europe, many of the problems there could easily surface here. Now’s the time to nip it in the bud. That probably means drastically curtailing, or KANNON | 12
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and support for corporate greed. While the raping and pillaging, past and present, have been the work of self-serving politicians and the grasping corporate masters, we share a collective guilt. Well, some of us do. And that’s wearing off, particularly in light of the fact most of the biggest problems, refugees or otherwise, involve places Westerners no longer have much tolerance for: Muslim countries. Right or wrong, our perceptions have been greatly influenced by post9/11 realities (though the irony of U.S.-led meddling and atrocities before and after is often lost on us). The fallout is already playing out in much of Western Europe where shifting demographics and immigration have led to simmering tensions for years. We’re already seeing the growth of right-wing and nationalist political parties in England, France, Germany and even traditional neutral Switzerland and liberal Holland, among others. Even traditionally liberal European countries have been grappling with
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12 | COMMENT THE MONITOR
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
VERBATIM
THIS WEEK IN HISTORY
Overpaying for clothes is more stressful to Canadians (76%) than the possibility that they may be buying clothes made by children in sweatshops (59%). The Canadian population rose by only 5% from 2009 to 2013 while clothing imports shot up by 23%, mainly from countries where child labour remains a harsh reality. In 2013 Canada imported more than: US$1 billion of clothing from Bangladesh, US$619 million from Cambodia, US$507 million from Vietnam.
“They’ve played with EI and they’ve played with the contingency reserve to make it add up to a balanced budget. I find it odd and inappropriate to not begin balancing the Employment Insurance account sooner.”
The story had Hollywood written all over it: the little theatre group taking on city hall in its long quest to find a permanent home. After all the impassioned speeches, and the drama of some swing votes, Elmira Theatre Company got the happy ending it wanted. At a special meeting Apr. 19, Woolwich council approved the troupe’s plan to build a 160-seat theatre on Howard Avenue in Elmira.
»»Ipsos Reid poll
»»Economist and government advisor Don Drummond says the Conservatives played
»»From the Apr. 23, 2005 edition of The Observer
with the numbers to give the appearance of a balanced budget
DYER: Growing immigration
NATIONAL VIEW
woes see no rush to solve problem
FROM | 10
dialogue and the rhetoric is quite extreme and very irresponsible. ... It’s a fear of foreigners ..., but it is being exploited for populist or political reasons, especially in election periods.” Too true. Take, for example, Katie Hopkins, columnist for The Sun, a down-market right-wing British red-top (tabloid newspaper) owned by the estimable Rupert Murdoch. Last Friday, in an article headlined “Rescue boats? I’d use gunships to stop migrants,” she wrote: “NO, I don’t care. Show me pictures of coffins, show me bodies floating in water, play violins and show me skinny people looking sad. I still don’t care.” “Make no mistake, these migrants are like cock-
roaches. They might look a bit “Bob Geldof’s Ethiopia circa 1984,” but they are built to survive a nuclear bomb. They are survivors. ... It’s time to get Australian. Bring on the gunships, force migrants back to their shores and burn the boats.” Saying that sort of thing is how she earns her living, but it also expresses the true sentiments of a politically significant minority not only in Britain but in most countries throughout the European Union. When the UNHCR appealed to the EU to resettle 130,000 Syrian refugees, Germany said it would take 30,000, Sweden (with a tenth of Germany’s population) took 2,700 –and the other 26 EU states only took 5,438 between them. So the drownings will continue.
KANNON: No political will to
deal with immigration problem FROM | 11
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even halting, this country’s unsustainably high levels of immigration. The failures of the current system are obvious. Economically, new immigrants cost us far more than they add to the economy – about $16 billion a year. Yet we continue to hear that high immigration levels are needed to offset an aging population or to counter declining birthrates or to provide skilled
workers or to provide people to do work Canadians don’t want to do … and the list goes on. Few of the economic arguments stand up to scrutiny, especially in light of growth that can’t go on in perpetuity. Worst still are the impacts to our culture and social cohesion, but like the issue of the Mediterranean queue jumpers, real solutions will never be addressed due to political correctness and short-term thinking, the banes of our time.
27th Wellesley
HOME & GARDEN
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Door Prizes
Show 2015
April 29, 30 & May 1 | 5-9:00PM
Wellesley Arena and Community Centre Wellesley Lions Club BBQ Suppers Will be Served at the Community Centre
FOR MORE INFO CALL: 519.656.3111
Non perishable food item(s) or cash donation to the Wellesley / Wilmot Food Bank are greatly appreciated
SPORTS | 13
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
SPORTS RUNNING / BACK-TO-BACK WEEKENDS
NOT SO GREAT OUTDOORSMAN / STEVE GALEA
Staying awake for the turkey season
Limbering up for the running season in Elmira
OPEN COUNTRY
Endurrace sees 300 take to the streets last weekend, with another 250 expected for the second leg on Saturday WHITNEY NEILSON Sunny skies and a flat course made for ideal running conditions at the first leg of the 13th annual Elmira Endurrace on April 18. Runners ran a five-kilometre race and about half of them also signed up to do the second half of the race series, an eight-kilometre run on April 25. “You can add your times together for an overall champion,” race director Lloyd Schmidt said. “We tried to come up with something a little different. There’s a lot of 5k, 10ks out there, so we tried to do something a little different.” He said 300 people ran last week and 250 are
registered for this weekend, with 115 doing both. They’re still accepting registrations for this Saturday. “It went really well, a number of personal bests,” Schmidt said of the 5 km run. “It’s a fast course.” This is one of the earlier Waterloo running series races in the year. He said they try to have something for everyone, as shown by runners pushing their children in strollers and wheelchairs. “After the long winter it gives them a chance to test their fitness,” Schmidt said. ‘There are a number of spring marathons coming up. It’s a good tune up. A lot of people run multiple races in the Waterloo run-
ning series so they pick this as one of the races they want to do.” They try to spread out the races through the region and when they were looking for a location to hold this one, there wasn’t one in Elmira at the time. He says it’s a great venue because many people can run personal bests there, since there aren’t any hills. “The next race is called the Baden Road Races. And after that is one of the races where we throw the coloured powder on the runners,” Schmidt said. “We try to offer a variety in our series. Some of the funner ones might not be for the more competitive people but they’re fun.”
The Elmira race is run in the evening, which he said was to mix things up from the usual morning races. Also many runners train after work, so they’re used to running in the evening. For the morning runners, it takes a bit to adjust to running later in the day. The overall winner of both races wins a quilt made from the t-shirts from previous years’ races. Runners also collect pledges for KidsAbility. “As runners we get a lot out of this sport and we enjoy doing it,” Schmidt said. “It doesn’t feel like a job. It’s fun for us. Our committee meetings are always fun. We can just see the expressions on peoples’
faces when they finish, the satisfaction. People can use races as goals to get into shape for certain things.” Chris Carmichael from Drumbo finished first overall in the 5 km, with a time of 17:33. To put that into perspective, he ran at a pace of one kilometre per 3:31 minutes. He was quickly followed by Chris Serran of Guelph at 18:01 and Elmira resident Fraser Hutton at 18:20. As for what keeps people coming back every year? “They like the t-shirts, they like the course,” Schmidt said. “We try to keep all the races the same quality so they know what to expect when they go to a Waterloo running series event.”
A lot of people think that turkey hunting is a physical pursuit that requires athleticism, grace and strength and endurance. But that’s only because they have not seen me or my turkey hunting buddies in action. If they had, they would realize that to be a true expert turkey hunter you need to master the art of immobility. This is why we spend so much time practicing on the couch, by the way. The truth of the matter is turkey hunting is 90 per cent sitting still and 10 per cent not snoring. This makes absolute sense since, you see, a wild turkey is a wary, overnervous animal that tastes great – and like all animals that taste great, they are very jumpy. A jumpy animal is one that is continually looking over its shoulder and scanning the horizon for movement of any kind. Movement, you see, often indicates a predator is out there lying in ambush. That’s why it’s critical to be able to sleep quietly for hours on end when turkey hunting. If you suffer from the night terrors, sleep apGALEA | 18
Enjoy sausage on a bun & door prizes, meet our physiotherapists and see our brand–new Elmira clinic!
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14 | SPORTS
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
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SPORTS | 15
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
Kings fall to LaSalle in semi-finals on home ice
Up 3-2 in series, Elmira can’t seal the deal and end up dropping a 3-1 decision in game 7 last Sunday at the WMC WHITNEY NEILSON
Home ice advantage with a whopping 1,500 fans wasn’t enough to secure a game-seven win for the Elmira Sugar Kings, as they fell 3-1 to the LaSalle Vipers on April 19, eliminating them from a Sutherland Cup run. Wildcard LaSalle was ready right out of the gate, notching two goals in the first four minutes, a deficit Elmira couldn’t recover from. Goal scorers were Daniel Beaudoin (Brendan Harrogate, Nathan Savage) and Tyler Russell (Manny Silverio, Korey Morgan). “I thought the first seven to eight minutes we didn’t play our best hockey, thus we had two quick goals scored on us and put us down in a hole nobody wants to be early on in a game seven,” head coach Jeff Flanagan said. “After that we played a lot better. Our effort was a lot better, our defence was a lot better. We created a number of scoring chances; unfortunately we weren’t able to put home enough goals to get the job done. I think as
a whole we played okay but obviously not well enough to win.” Connor Hall fired one past LaSalle goalie Paolo Battisti eight minutes into the second, assisted by Brendan Schneider, but the scoreboard wouldn’t change again for the Kings. Despite numerous rushes in front of the net they weren’t able to put the puck past Battisti, who stopped 37 shots. With 30 seconds left in the game and an empty Elmira net, Beaudoin sealed the deal. The loss is surprising for those who saw the Kings defeat the Vipers 7-2 in the first two games. LaSalle won the following games 7-4 and 4-3, with both teams winning one more to take them to game seven. “We played fairly well in the first two games but I think we created some bad habits,” Flanagan said. “When LaSalle pushed back our bad habits really showed and gave them the opportunity to get back in the series.” He says they played extremely well with 15 games left in the season right
Brodie Whitehead gives LaSalle’s Brett Langlois a hard check during game seven of the Sutherland Cup semi-finals last Sunday. discussed options for next in the seven-game series, through the Cherrey Cup year. Their spring prospect which will run to May 5 and then after the Cherrey camp runs May 16-17 and if necessary. Caledonia Cup it was difficult to get after that recruiting is in defeated the Leamington that intensity of play back. full swing. Flyers in five games to adHe thinks that’s what hurt “Our fan support was vance. them in the end. tremendous through the The Kings had their LaSalle faced last year’s playoffs,” Flanagan said. Sutherland Cup champions, player exit meetings on “Our players really apWednesday where they set the Caledonia Corvairs, preciated it. For the young plans for the summer and starting on Wednesday
[WHITNEY NEILSON / THE OBSERVER]
players it was really an eye opener to see what kind of support there is for them in the community. I think it speaks to the players, the kind of people they are and what sort of qualities they have. It’s exciting hockey from September right through.”
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16 | SPORTS
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
READ’S
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2014-15 season leaves Kings with plenty to be proud of Strong regular season performance sees team finish atop conference and league standings, capture Cherrey Cup, take semis to 7 games
WHITNEY NEILSON Despite a disappointing loss to LaSalle in the Sutherland Cup semifinals, the Elmira Sugar Kings have plenty to be proud of with a 38-7-4 record in the 2014-15 season. When asked what the highlights were this year, head coach Jeff Flanagan said there were piles. “From a team perspective, finishing first in the Midwestern Conference, finishing first in the GOJHL, winning the Cherrey Cup, getting to the Sutherland Cup semi-finals, the number of fans we were
able to put on a good show for. Individually we had numerous players win awards at the league award banquet, during the year,” Flanagan said. They rose to the top of their conference with eight points more than the second-place Kitchener Dutchmen. They swept the Brampton Bombers in the first round of playoffs for the Cherrey Cup. Next they faced the Waterloo Siskins, last season’s Cherrey Cup winners. Elmira swept that series too. They took on the Stratford Cullitons in the championship and were victorious after five games.
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SPORTS | 17
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
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22 Second St., Elmira | 519.669.1217 “There certainly were a lot of positives,” Flanagan said. Facing the wildcard LaSalle Vipers proved more of a challenge in the Sutherland Cup semi-finals, ultimately falling in game seven. While it’s disappointing for the players, last season’s team only made it to the second round of Cherrey Cup playoffs before losing to Waterloo. “Next year we’re going to have a number of our players graduating and moving on to higher levels and that’s part of our job,” Flanagan said. “We won a lot of games, had lots of good
development. It’s a very successful season. It will take a little while for everyone to get over the loss and reflect on the season.” The coaching staff will take a couple weeks off and then start planning for what type of team they’ll be in the fall. That’ll be determined once it’s clear what kind of players they’ll have. Then they can start organizing their systems and get players set up with strengthening and conditioning schedules for the summer. The graduating players SEASON WRAP-UP | 18
Front: Matt Thaler, Brendan Grant. First row: Jonathan Reinhart, Trent Brown (asst. coach), Jeff Flanagan (head coach), Adam Brubacher, Mitch Klie, Keith Stewart (director of kockey/ GM) Brodie Whitehead, Rob Kohli, Jeff Snyder (asst. coach) Andrew Lefebvre. Second row: Mark Erb (head scout), Bryan Fitzgerald (asst. coach), Chris Lakoselijac (conditioning coach), Kevin Gergely, Mitch Montgomery, Mac Clutsam, Marselis Subban, Zac Coulter, Eric Palazzolo, Mitch Wright, Klayton Hoelscher, Chad Herron, Ethan Skinner, Brendan Schneider, Brad Nickel (video coach), John Craig (scout), Becky Brubacher (trainer). Back row: LaMonte Jefferies (2nd VP), James Martin (VP), Bob Cummings (historian/video), Alex Mutton, Steven Jakiela, Sam Harris, Cash Seraphim, Connor Hall, Kyle Martin (equipment), Dave O’Donoghue (president), Lyle Binkley (equipment manager).
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18 | SPORTS
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
GALEA: Sleeping on the job is just part of turkey hunting FROM | 13
nea, restless leg syndrome or a tendency to sleep walk (or snore as previously mentioned), you’ll alert turkeys of your location and quite often scare them off. Right about now, amateurs are saying, “Hold it, aren’t you supposed to stay awake for the entire hunt? I thought staying awake was important.” And right about now, experienced turkey hunters are holding their bellies, rolling on the floor laughing. Stay awake? That’s rich. Any experienced turkey hunter knows it is scientifically impossible to stay awake for all, or even some part, of a turkey hunt.
Remember, this is a sport that often gets hunters up at 3 a.m. Worse still, they go to bed at 2 a.m. because they are excited about hunting turkey the next morning. It is with this hour’s sleep they stumble out of bed, drive back roads at night and set off into the dark woods, often exerting their remaining energy reserves along the way. Then, they find the most comfortable place to sit, generally with their back snuggled into a big tree trunk, while the rising sun is heating the earth to a comfortable temperature conducive to napping. As if that’s not enough, the
fresh air fills their lungs and the songbirds gently sing. Yes, staying awake is virtually impossible. That’s why the best turkey hunters I know are merely light sleepers. They are the kind of people who will wake up at the first gobble or the sound of a gobbler breeding their decoy. Then, after wiping the sleep from their eyes, they are cool enough to line up the bird and shoot, mostly for interrupting a good nap. I know we’ve all probably heard of a hunter or two who claims he stayed awake for an entire hunt. Hang on while I stop laughing.
The truth is that person probably only dreamt they did. This leads to the question, why aren’t there more sleep accessories for turkey hunters? I’m talking about camouflaged jammies, pillows and portable mattresses. I suspect this has something to do with the fact that all these things would be hard to fit in a turkey pack. And even more difficult to carry out into the woods. Besides, it’s all just highly impractical. How about a hammock? Would I advise it? Of course not. But only because I haven’t seen one camouflaged the right colours yet.
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56
Mac Clutsam looks for a scoring opportunity in the Sugar Kings’ 3-1 loss to LaSalle on Apr. 19 [WHITNEY NEILSON / THE OBSERVER].
SEASON WRAP-UP: Plenty
of individual and team honours FROM | 17
include Steven Jakiela, Eric Palazzolo, Brodie Whitehead, Chad Herron, and Mitch Wright. It’s hard to say which eligible players will be back from year to year he said. “In our league you never know,” Flanagan said. “There’s always a lot of turnover, as they move up or they graduate, or some may go to a different league and try it out.” Nothing has been confirmed, but some players certainly have opportu-
nities to pursue hockey elsewhere, as evidenced by numerous scouts hanging around the dressing room after games. “There are a number of players who are weighing their options as far as NCAA goes,” Flanagan said. “We expect to have at least one playing in the OHL. Cash Seraphim is committed to Niagara University. This time of year you wait to see exactly where guys end up. There’s lots of options for them, it’s just a matter of where they choose to go.”
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VENTURE | 19
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
VENTURE FOOD FOR THOUGHT/ OWEN ROBERTS
LABOUR / GETTING THE WORK DONE
Urban Canada: Give us golf greens, not salad greens
Public backlash to TFWs has impact on farm operations Experts, industry members quick to point to differences when it comes to seasonal agricultural workers SCOTT BARBER With big changes to the temporary foreign workers program coming into effect at the start of the month, much attention is being paid to the contentious practice. As the spotlight on the system has grown, so too has confusion regarding the TFWP’s less controversial cousin, the seasonal agricultural workers program, said Mark Wales, a board member for the Ontario Federation of Agriculture and an expert in the industry’s labour practices. “It’s not unusual (for people) to get it mixed up,” he said. “It often happens and there are many people out there who intentionally try to mix it up. The seasonal agricultural workers program (SAWP) has been running for over 40 years now and it falls under the temporary foreign workers banner, but it is a much older program.” There are major differences between the two programs, Wales said, which has seen the SAWP become “the Cadillac of programs,” with the TFWP a magnet for scandal and abuse. “(SAWP) has always been a very, very structured program and a very, very managed program and there are a number of players involved,” Wales explained. “There are the govern-
ments themselves, Canada, the islands (Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago) and Mexico, there’s an organization called FARMS (Foreign Agricultural Resource Management Services).” While both programs are designed to help employers fill job vacancies that they cannot find Canadian workers for, the big difference is that SAWP is set up to allow for ongoing and indefinite employee-employer relationships, while the TFWP is supposed to be a short term solution, Wales explained. Of course, the type of labour allowed by each also differs, with SAWP geared specifically towards the agricultural sector, where the nature of the workphysically strenuous and demanding- the location of the operations -often rural and remote- along with what is typically seen as marginal compensation, makes the free market system inadequate. And so while the SAWP allows for workers to come up for maximum eightmonth stints, year after year for as long as they so desire, things weren’t so cut and dry with the TFWP. But new regulation implemented by the federal
FIELD NOTES
Steve Martin (back row, centre) of Martin’s Family Fruit Farms says the St. Jacobs-based operation relies on the seasonal agricultural worker program, particularly during harvest in September and October. Back row, SAWP participants Victor Sanchez and Anthony Felix; front row, Glen Harris and Kevon Collins were busy Wednesday pruning trees at the orchards on Lobsinger Line in preparation for the growing season. [SCOTT BARBER / THE OBSERVER] government on April 1 will now see workers with the latter limited to four year terms, at which point the worker will need to return to their home country for a minimum of four years before being eligible for the program again. It was an overreaction, academics like University of Guelph food policy professor Sylvain Charlebois have argued, which could have a negative impact on a number of industries, including the food processing sector.
a r i m l E t e k r a M s ’ r e m r Fa
What it won’t do, however, is impact in any way the many farmers in the region and beyond who employ seasonal workers from Mexico and the Caribbean through the SAWP. One business involved in that program is St. Jacobs based Martin’s Family Fruit Farms, which employs some 80-115 workers at their apple orchards throughout the year, with most of the labour brought in for the harvest in the late summer and early fall. “We have some guys
that come for an eight month period that come in the middle of March and they help us with the pruning and the orchard care through the spring and summer,” said Steve Martin, the company’s retail sales manager. “The reason the program is so important is because the vast amount of rural work in farming and the horticulture end of it anyway, is very temporary and very rural. So take the Tilson-
I always liked former prime minister Joe Clark’s aw-shucks, down-home, out-west style. As politicians go, it seemed sincere, reassuring and approachable. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t sell back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when members of society were trying to act modern, sophisticated and debonair. Clark didn’t have Canadians’ confidence. As a result, his tenure as prime minister, as our youngest prime minister ever, was short lived. His legacy as Joe Who? though, went on and on. But with some tweaking, his unspectacular style would probably sell in many circles today. We’re returning to our roots. We’re put off by too much polish. Teflon is no longer an admirable political trait. We’re craving Joe Clarkkind of honesty. His endearing traits came to the fore last month for 700-plus participants at the Grain Farmers of Ontario popular March Classic in London. The organization made a good choice asking the former prime minister to speak at this
WORKERS | 20
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20 | VENTURE
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
ROBERTS: Former PM Joe Clark tells it like it is while addressing rural-urban divide in Canada FROM | 19
annual gathering of farmers and suppliers. If anyone appreciates straight talk, it’s farmers. What Clark told the crowd, and reporters, was honest, as usual. But it was also jarring. He noted how despite the lip service Canadians pay to all things local, they don’t understand much about the rural parts of our country, including agriculture. People claim to have an interest in down home values, however they define
them. But Clark said rural Canada is an unknown entity to most of the country. The so-called homegrown aspects of our culture it represents are being lost. We may be gravitating towards our roots, but he doesn’t think we appreciate rural Canada’s value. And no wonder. Urban Canada keeps gaining more and more people. Increasingly, rural Canada’s advocates are not those who live there. And interestingly, neither are its critics. An entry on Statistics
Canada’s website called “Canada Goes Urban” bears witness to the population situation. Statistics Canada says that while the number of Canadians living in rural areas has been relatively stable, those living in what it calls population centres has been rising steadily. In Ontario, for example, by 2025, more than half of the province’s population will live in the Greater Toronto Area. Such factors mean the proportion of Canadians who live in rural areas has fallen.
In fact, Statistics Canada says the proportion of Canadians living in a rural area is the third lowest among G8 countries, after the United Kingdom and the United States (which should likewise take heed of such figures). But what really makes rural Canada unique is the small proportion of young adults aged 15 to 29 who live there. In 2011, 17 per cent of people living in rural areas were aged 15 to 29. The national average is 20 per cent.
Statistics Canada says pursuing postsecondary studies, looking for jobs and forming relationships are factors that may be behind the departure of young adults from rural areas. At the March Classic, Clark said rural Canada has to make its value known “quite starkly” to urbanites who care more about playing golf there than supporting agriculture. Statistics might help. Recent figures from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
underline how rural Canada is feeding the world, as the planet’s fifth-largest exporter of agriculture and agri-food products, and that Canadian export sales grew by 5.5 per cent in 2013 to $46 billion. But even those statistics don’t really speak to values, or passion, or understanding. Rural Canada has a long road ahead to not only tell its story to other Canadians, but to make them believe it too. It can’t wait for someone else to do that job.
WORKERS: Filling jobs that
Canadians just don’t want to do FROM | 19
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NOTICE OF PUBLIC INPUT MEETING Proposed Curbside Garbage Collection Changes
Date: Wednesday, May 6, 2015 Start time: 6 p.m. Location: Regional Council Chambers, second floor 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener ON N2G 4J3 With regard to single-family household curbside garbage collection, the Region’s waste management team has evaluated and identified two preliminary service options. The options are available for review on the Region’s website at www.regionofwaterloo.ca/wastechanges. Regional Council would like to invite all community members to come and share their thoughts on the preliminary curbside garbage collection options at a Public Input Meeting on Wednesday, May 6, 2015 starting at 6 p.m. at 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener in Council Chambers. If anyone is unable to attend this meeting, they are invited to make a written submission by 4:30 p.m., May 6, 2015 by mail, fax, email or use of the on-line comment sheet found on the Region’s website. If you wish to speak at the Public Input Meeting, please register in advance by calling the Council and Administrative Services Office at 519-575-4400 before the deadline at 4:30 p.m. on May 4, 2015. Please note that all delegates who register before the deadline will receive ten (10) minutes to speak and delegates who register after the deadline will receive five (5) minutes to speak. This event is accessible for people with disabilities. Accessible parking is available. If you require accessible services to participate, or to access information in alternative formats, please contact the Council and Administrative Services office at least five days prior to the meeting. Under the Municipal Act, personal information such as name, address, telephone number, and property location that may be included in a submission becomes part of the public record. Questions regarding the collection of this information should be referred to the Waste Management Division.
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berg area where we have most of our farms, that area alone probably takes in, I’m guessing, 2,000-3,000 people each year during harvest time, and it’s a long way from any urban areas. So even if there were (Canadians) available, where would you be able to find facilities to be able to move families to move them for the one or two months they’re needed, and then move them back?” People sometimes ask, “aren’t there Canadian who can do the work?” Martin said. But the fact of the matter is that “Some of it is very skilled labour and the Canadians that could do the work or would be capable, they already have full time jobs and they’re not looking for seasonal or part time work.” Even still, every job Martin’s Family Fruit Farm fills with the program needs to be advertised first here in Canada. And sometimes there is a good match. But since they started in the program back in 1997, they have employed countless foreign workers through the program who have been great for the company. And what’s good for companies like Martin’s, is good for the people of Canada, posits agricultural lobbyists like Wales and food policy academics like Charlebois.
Region of Waterloo 519-575-4400 Fax 519-747-4944 Waste Management Division, 925 Erb Street West, Waterloo ON N2J 3Z4 waste@regionofwaterloo.ca TTY: 519-575-4608
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THE ARTS | 21
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
THE ARTS ON STAGE / LIVE THEATRE
A season of more than renewal Loss, life and neighbourly interactions take center stage in ECT production of Kit Brennan’s Spring Planting WHITNEY NEILSON Elora Community Theatre’s upcoming production of Spring Planting may not be listed as a comedy, but it’s sure to put some spring in your step. The play tells the story of two neighbours, Garnet Black and Jill Foster. Garnet, in his eighties, and Jill, in her thirties, have outlived their respective spouses. They have a lot of unspoken guilt and anger about the deaths of their partners. Garnet’s grandson, Robert, and Jill’s daughter, Caroline, have their own problems. The hidden secrets among the four of them eventually spring to the surface like weeds. The four have their lingering issues, with tensions and violence just below the surface – will they spring up, breaking through? Director Bronwyn Allen Hill submitted the play for consideration last year to the play selection committee who agreed it was perfect for the season. “They thought it was a viable option for our season,” Allen Hill said. “It has a slightly rural tone, although this could be set in any small town in southern Ontario. We just thought it fit our audiences.” Written by awardwinning Canadian playwright Kit Brennan, Spring Planting documents the interactions of neighbours Robert, Caroline, Jill and
Garnet. Patrick C. Smith, Sammy Beynon, Tammy Smits, and Acey Kaspar will fill the roles. Allen Hill says she chose the play because she enjoyed the relationships the characters develop. “It’s what they call a four-hander: four people in the cast,” Allen Hill said. “I liked the relationship between the old man and his neighbour, a widowed, single mother and her daughter and his grandson. I really like the relationships. There’s a real connection between the young man and the young girl as there very often is with the very old and the very young.” She says the roles seem to have been written for the actors, they fit so well. Some of the actors are relatively inexperienced but they’ve risen to the challenge. “They’ve been absolutely brilliant,” Allen Hill said. “I’m really pleased with the casting. The way they interact, they’re brilliant.” She notes she was on the lookout for the type of relationship the older man and the young girl share in the play. “All of the characters undergo a certain amount of personal growth through the acts of the play,” Allen Hill said. “Of all of them I think the old man has the most significant growth challenge. He really grows the most in his personal relationship and his own mindset.”
Patrick Smith as Garnet and Tammy Smits as Jill star in Elora Community Theatre’s production of Spring Planting, which follows the lives of four neighbours and the growth they must undergo after the loss of loved ones. [SUBMITTED]
She had the opportunity to work with Brennan also, who allowed her to change where act one ends and act begins because it got a bit heavy with the first act being so much longer than the second. When asked what she hopes the audience will take away from the play she says, the line “it’s never too late” comes to mind. “If you persevere it will come right,” Allen Hill said. “I think it’s very timeless. It’s set in the present but it could be set just about any age, either past or future.” The play isn’t listed as a comedy but, she says it’s certainly funny in quite a few spots. She adds, it’s appropriate for the time of year too. “There are certainly very dramatic moments,” Allen Hill said. “We have put a fair amount of humour in it, too. Very rarely is a play totally devoid of humour. I don’t think the audience would handle it. For every bit of tension you put in you have to put in some laughter. Sometimes it’s the dialogue, sometimes it’s the characterization. In this it’s a little of both.” The Elora Community Theatre production of Spring Planting runs at the Fergus Grand Theatre from May 1-10. Show times are 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are available at www.fergusgrandtheatre.ca or by calling the Fergus Grand Theatre box office at 519-787-1981.
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22 | CLASSIFIED
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
CLASSIFIED
CLASSIFIED DEADLINE:
THURSDAYS BY 10AM HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
Spring is just around the corner!
Help Wanted • Light Equipment Operator with AR or AZ • Crop Input Sales Person • Crop Inputs Delivery Person • Crop Sprayer Applicators • Grain Elevator Operator • Farm Labourer • Dairy Route Driver • Dairy Equipment Parts Manager • Poultry Field Representative • Technical Fur Solicitor/Grader • Farm Business Operations Manager • Installation Technician • Assistant Cash Crop Manager • Turkey Farm Managers
Are you guest service obsessed with uncompromising standards?
We are looking for empathetic, intuitive, self-motivated, and results oriented people who want to make great money and have fun doing do so. We are currently seeing hospitality professionals for a wide variety of positions including:
Chefs & Aspiring Chefs Stop in with your resume for an opportunity to join our team or email to mail@draytonchophouse.com
HELP WANTED
Great opportunity for a G1 Technician with a 313A license! Our client is currently looking for a
Commercial HVAC Service Technician to join their reputable team.
AUTOMOTIVE APPRENTICE WANTED 2-5 year apprentice level, top wages paid to the right person. Monday to Friday 8:00 - 5:30. Please reply with resume to: Glencoautorepair@rogers.com
Based out of Guelph and servicing the Wellington area, this person will have approximately 10 years experience with HVAC equipment including chillers, boilers, and rooftops. If you’re interested in working within a great culture and receiving above-standard wages, benefits, overtime pay plus commission apply now! jobs@vpiexperthr.com
HELP WANTED
159 Erb St. W., Waterloo | 519-885-1810
HELP WANTED THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWNSHIP OF WELLESLEY The Township of Wellesley is accepting resumes for a Part Time
By-law Enforcement Officer For detailed information please visit www.wellesley.ca employment Please apply with a detailed resume by 4:00pm on May 8, 2015 to: Grace Kosch, Municipal Clerk, Township of Wellesley R.R.#1, 4639 Lobsinger Line, St. Clements, ON N0B 2M0 Email: gkosch@wellesley.ca
HOW TO REACH US
Is a progressive turnkey company specializing in the telecommunication industry. Currently we are accepting resumes from highly skilled individuals for the following positions:
WANTED:
Owner Operators and Company Drivers We Offer: -Competitive Pay -Benefits -Great Miles -Good Home Time -New Trucks -No NYC
Shipper / Receiver (experience in the telecom industry is preferred, welding experience would also be an asset)
Rigarus Construction Inc. is an equal opportunity employer that offers a steady predictable and safe working environment. Our compensation package is above average, which includes: company paid benefits, meals and accommodations, group RRSP benefits, clothing, full training, up to date equipment and technologies.
Shift Operator EFS-plastics is a fast growing business, specialized in plastic recycling and compounding. We are looking for a motivated shift operator. The individual must be able to work in a Team environment and willing to learn. Your tasks will include monitoring a processing system, housekeeping and unloading trucks. A successful candidate must have a G license, a forklift license and problem solving skills are an asset Qualified candidates are encouraged to send their resume to jobs@efs-plastics.ca
for ble es ila idat a Av and ing d C ain lifie r T ua Q
Join the Flash Family Today
TF: 1-877-392-3171 Email: HR@FlashFreight.ca
HELP WANTED
FULL-TIME FARM HELP WANTED NEAR CONESTOGA.
If you’re eager to face new challenges and want to expand your talents, we encourage you to forward your resume to hr@rigarus.com or fax to 519 669 2440
Visit www.agristaffing.com for information on these ads. HELP WANTED
FLASH FREIGHT SYSTEMS
Looking for an Agriculturally minded worker who has experience with/handling animals and farm machinery. Some weekend work required.
Thank you for your interest in Rigarus Construction Inc., however only qualified individuals will be contacted for an interview.
Email resume to hillfur@gmail.com or call 519-588-8984
HELP WANTED
HELP WANTED
Looking for AZ Drivers and Owner Operators to run Canada and USA Company Drivers: • Competitive wage package • Full company paid benefit package • Company supplied cell phone • Home most weekends Owner Operators: • Compensated by Percentage (bi-weekly) • Competitive Insurance rates • Fuel Cards Supplied • Company filed fuel tax • Home most weekends If you have a clean CVOR abstract, and are interested in joining a winning team please send your resume to: rick@floydgibbonstrucking.ca HELP WANTED HELP WANTED IN bakery. Hillcrest Home Baking. Call 519-669-1381. KAROLINA’S NAIL STUDIO @ Basics Beauty & Beyond is looking for a team oriented and client friendly part time Aesthetician. Mani-
cures. Pedicures. Waxing. Experience with gel nails is preferred but serious consideration will be given to all candidates with valid credentials. Please drop resumes off in person to Janice at the reception desk. 13 Walker Street (enter at rear of building).
COMMERCIAL ROAD SERVICE & TIRE TECHNICIANS We are looking for experienced commercial road service tire technicians and experienced tire technicians in all aspects of passenger and light truck service. Strong work ethic, valid class G license and clean abstract a must. Fax resumé to: 519-664-3406 or Email: hr@basttire.com WORK WANTED CLEANING, YARD WORK, odd jobs etc. Be there anytime for your needs. Call Annie 519-669-9929, David 226-868-9245.
HEALTH CARE BOWEN THERAPY YOUR choice for effective treatment of specific health conditions or wellness maintenance. KEVIN BARTLEY, Professional Bowenwork
Practitioner, Clock Tower Wellness Centre, 69 Arthur St. S., Elmira. 519-669-0112. Every Body is Better with Bowen!
FOR SALE COMPOST FOR SALE. Formerly operated by Cleason Martin. New for 2015 screened compost available. Pick up at 7472 Fourth Line, 3 miles west of Floradale. For best service call ahead. Eli & Verna Brubacher. 519669-2186.
CONTINUED ON PG. 23
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CLASSIFIED | 23
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
OBSERVER SERVICE DIRECTORY HOME IMPROVEMENT SERVICES COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL
ST. JACOBS
GLASS SYSTEMS INC.
APPLIANCES – FURNACES – FIREPLACES AIR CONDITIONERS – WATER HEATERS SPRING SPECIAL ON AIR CONDITIONING TUNE UP $99, INSTALLED FROM $1999 FURNACES INSTALLED FROM $2499 FRIDGES $499, STOVES $399, WASHERS $399, DRYERS $369, FREEZERS $199 Come visit our show room FREE QUOTES
1553 King St. N., St. Jacobs, ON N0B 2N0
• Store Fronts • Thermopanes • Mirrors • Screen Repair • Replacement Windows • Shower Enclosures • Sash Repair
1 Union Street, Elmira
TEL:
ehc@hotmail.ca (519)-669-4600
519-664-1202 / 519-778-6104 FAX: 519 664-2759 • 24 Hour Emergency Service
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Plumbing and Maintenance Inc.
John Schaefer Painting FREE ESTIMATES Interior/exterior Painting, Wallpapering & Plaster | drywall Repairs
RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL
For all your Plumbing Needs. 24 HOUR SERVICE Steve Jacobi
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ELMIRA
519-669-3652
HOME IMPROVEMENT SERVICES
AMOS R O O F I N G
INC
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• 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.
519-669-2251
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OUTDOOR SERVICES Since 1998
• Residential • Commercial • Industrial
•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
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519.669.1462 Fax: 519.669.9970 Tel:
Murray & Daniel Shantz
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18 Kingfisher Dr., Elmira
Outdoor
Services
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Lawn Maintenance Programs | Spring Clean-up Flower Bed Maintenance Programs Leaf Clean-up and Removal | Soil & Mulch Delivery & Installation | Snow Clearing & Removal | Ice Control 27 Brookemead, St, Elmira P: 519-669-1188 | F: 519-669-9369
kdetweiler@rogers.com
KEVIN DETWEILER
OWNER-OPERATOR
PRINTING | MAILING | SIGNAGE SERVICES
CONTINUED FROM PG. 22
FOR SALE JEUNIQUE BRAS - wide range of sizes and styles in stock at Sensational You, 181 St. Andrew St. E., Fergus. 519-766-8818. MAPLE SYRUP 4 litre price $39, available in light, medium and amber. 7387 3rd Line, RR2 Wallenstein, 1 mile west of Yatton.
HAY & STRAW HAY FOR SALE. First cut grassy hay $50 (300kg square bales). Second cut $60 (300 kg square bales). Both had no rain. Please call 519-591-2436 or 519-6482436 (Bloomingdale area).
FARM EQUIPMENT JD 6125, 6150 Tractors & Bobcat S300 for rent. Available May 1/15 - Oct. 15/15. Daily, weekly, monthly prices. 519-591-1274.
RENTALS
RENTALS
REAL ESTATE
BEAUTIFUL ELMIRA ONE bedroom - $875 - all utilities, parking, laundry, internet, gas fireplace, included. Suits single. To view call 519-501-6359.
BRIGHT, SPACIOUS 1BEDROOM apartment in quiet, adult building. Seeking non-smoking mature tenant. Close to downtown. Laundry, parking. Phone 519-669-3423.
FARM LAND FOR Sale, Prince Edward Island. 300+ acres. 717-602-0397.
BRIGHT, CLEAN 1 bedroom apartment. Walk out level. $750/month. Utilities included. No smoking, no pets building. 15 minutes west of Guelph, 20 minutes from Elmira and KW. Call 519-496-5860.
ENJOY LAKE HURON with your family this summer at our water-view cottage on 5 acres of trees. Now booking for the summer. Just before Pike Bay, 25 min north of Sauble Beach. Details at www.rentmycottage.snappages.com
AN EXPERIENCED CERTIFIED Electrician will do repairs, small jobs and service work. Call 519-669-8129.
TRADES & SERVICES
GARAGE SALES ANNUAL LIGHTHOUSE MINISTRIES International Garage Sale, Bake Sale, BBQ. Friday May 1, 2015 - 7 a.m. - 8 p.m., Saturday May 2, 7 a.m. 2 p.m. Bag sale starts at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Gerald Bowman Auction Building, Wallenstein. FUNDRAISER GARAGE SALE at Breslau Mennonite Church. Saturday, May 2, 9:00 a.m. Household items, furniture, books, perennials & houseplants, baking,
BBQ hotdogs and more! Proceeds go towards youth learning and service trips. GARAGE/MOVING SALE SAT. May 2, 8 a.m., 19 Wyatt St. E., Elmira. Don’t miss this one. LARGE MULTI-FAMILY GARAGE Sale. Fri. May 1, 8-8 & Sat. May 2, 8-2. 2371 New Jerusalem Rd. Elmira. Tons of children’s clothing, coats, boys’ suits, footwear. Cradle, toys, books, household items, adult roller blades, window air conditioner, LOTS MORE STUFF.
THE ST. TERESA of Avila Catholic Women’s League is holding a garage sale at St. Teresa of Avila Church Hall, 19 Flamingo Dr. Elmira on Friday evening, April 24th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday April 25 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. For more information please call Carol Kieswetter at 519-669-5392.
24 | CLASSIFIED
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
OBSERVER SERVICE DIRECTORY AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES
TIRE
THOMPSON’S
Complete Collision Service
WHERE TIRES
Auto Tech Inc.
ARE A
SPECIALTY, NOT A SIDE LINE.
Providing the latest technology to repair your vehicle with accuracy and confidence.
101 Bonnie Crescent, Elmira, ON N3B 3G2
519.669.8330
Farm • Auto • Truck Industrial On-The-Farm Service
FAX: 519.669.3210
35 Howard Ave., Elmira
AFTER HOURS
AUTO CLINIC 21 Industrial Dr. Elmira
...& SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTING
SHELLY & SCOTT TAYLOR 28 Pintail Drive, Elmira, ON, N3B 3G9
519-669-0003
taylortax@rogers.com
Accredited Test & Repair Facility
519-669-4400
519-669-7652
30 ORIOLE PKWY. E., ELMIRA www.thompsonsauto.ca
519.669.8917
519-669-3232
GENERAL SERVICES
GENERAL SERVICES
MUSIC-LOVER GIFT ALERT!
Various sizes & rates
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Boat Covers | Air Conditioner Covers | Small Tarps Storage Covers | BBQ Covers | Awnings & Canopies Replacement Gazebo Tops | Golf Cart Enclosures & Covers •Ratches, Hooks, Straps, Webbing etc. •Canvas, Vinyl, Polyester, Acrylic Fabrics
WOOD GAS PELLET
CONESTOGO
519.595.4830
MORE INFO | 519.669.0541
100 SOUTH FIELD DRIVE, ELMIRA
General Repairs 180 St. Andrew St. W.
519-664-3800
6376 Perth Rd. 121 Poole, ON
EMAIL: vinylp2cd@gmail.com
FERGUS
1871 Sawmill Road
519-843-4845
877-664-3802
888-871-4592
www.fergusfireplace.com
GENERAL SERVICES
BIKE SALES & REPAIRS
“25 years in Business”
BAUMAN PIANO
SERVICES
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TUNING & REPAIRS
REDMOND AUCTION SERVICES
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PARTS EXTRA
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Elmira, ON
Craftsman Member O.G.P.T. Inc
22 Church St. W., Elmira
Tel:519-669-5537
NEW PHONE NUMBER
519-880-9165
STORE HOURS: M-W: 8-6, TH-F 8-8, SAT, 8-6, SUN 12-5
519-503-0601
GENERAL SERVICES
WINDOW FASHIONS
• • • •
Stamped Coloured Concrete Demolition Bin Service Machine Bases
Concrete Breaking & Removal
TROPHIES | CUPS | PLAQUES | MEDALLIONS RIBBONS | NAME TAGS | NAME PLATES DOOR PLATES | CUSTOM ENGRAVING
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www.UniTwin.com | 519.886.2102
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- Design and build -
AGRICULTURAL | RESIDENTIAL FRAMING • ROOFING RENOVATIONS • EAVESTROUGHS
Wayne Martin | 519-504-2016 darwayconstruction@icloud.com | Alma, ON
Interior and Exterior Drainage Systems • Sump Pump Installation •
We Build our Reputation on your Foundation (519) 746 6611 1 866 449 2228 visit us at: thecrackspecialists.com
CLASSIFIED | 25
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
REAL ESTATE LISTINGS
MAKE YOUR NEXT HOME YOUR DREAM HOME! A DONATION will be made with every home bought or sold by Alli, Paul or Sue.
25 & Sun 26 , 1-3pm Apr. 25th, 1-3pm St., Elmira 70 Tottenham St., Kitchener OPEN HOUSE 23SatOakcliffe OPEN HOUSE Saturday th
NEW LISTING
th
$449,900 OPEN CONCEPT BUNGALOW
Elmira - Make yourself at home in this beautiful bungalow. The master bedroom boasts 2 closets in the dressing area into the ensuite bath. With wet bar, games area, and a projector included, this rec room was made for entertaining or simply relaxing. MLS 1514312.
$364,900 NEW LISTING READY FOR YOU
Kitchener - You will be impressed with this open concept kitchen with island open to the dinette and living room with a walk out to the back patio in the fully fenced yard. Upper family room, and all appliances included. MLS 1521964.
$474,900 WELL KEPT TRIPLEX
Kitchener - This 3 unit building has been fully updated top to bottom. With a 2 bedroom unit, and two 1 bedroom units, common laundry facilities, separate hydro meters, controlled entry, and ample parking.MLS 1522077.
519-577-6248 allibauman@rogers.com
SALES REPRESENTATIVE CALL DIRECT
SALES REPRESENTATIVE CALL DIRECT
519-503-9533
226-750-9332
paul@remaxsolidgold.biz
suewidemanhomes@gmail.com
$539,000 SPACE FOR GROWING FAMILY
Hawkesville - This beautifully maintained 3000 sq foot home features the following updates: new hickory custom kitchen, all windows & exterior doors, newer roof, furnace & a/c, cement pad for rec. vehicle next to driveway. No upgrades required for years! Small town living at it's best. Minutes from KW. MLS 1517094.
$775,000 BEAUTIFUL CUSTOM BUILT HOME
Heidelberg - Exceptional Custom Built 5 bedroom home boasts a 1500 square foot triple car garage with a drive through to the back yard. Situated on a 133 x 165 foot lot with a beautiful country view, enjoy relaxing on your back deck around the pool. MLS 1517249.
Solid Gold Realty (II) Ltd., Brokerage
PRIVATE SALE
$379,900 INVITING AND IMPRESSIVE!
Elmira - You'll be impressed with this upgraded open concept Verdone home. With a gourmet kitchen open to the dinette, and family room with a gas fireplace. Walk out into the private back yard, backing on green space and enjoy the 4 year old salt water heated pool. This home also has a kitchenette in the finished basement with a living area, 3 piece bath, and bedroom with walk in closet. Perfect for an in-law suite. MLS 1517611.
Elmira - This inviting and impressive, 3 bedroom home features a fully finished basement, carpet free main floor, 2 gas fireplaces, crown moulding, fully fenced yard, A/C, C-Vac, double car garage, most appliances included. A truly beautiful home! MLS 1518283.
$449,900 QUIET CRESCENT
$324,900 ON THE EDGE OF TOWN
Elmira - What more could you want? In ground pool, Bungalow, Large lot, Beautiful view, Double car garage, Master ensuite & walk in closet, Main floor laundry. This home is a must see! MLS 1512120.
3 Arthur St. S., Elmira 519-669-5426
Independently Owned and Operated
Historic century home built in the late 1800’s, lots of history and character! Situated on the banks of the Conestoga River in the beautiful town of Hawkesville with a great view of a wooded ravine. 3+1 bedroom home with walkout basement, main floor living, large exterior deck, and finished bedroom in basement.
$474,000 BACKING ON WALKING TRAIL
Elmira - Live in this updated 3 bedroom home with an ensuite bathroom, main floor laundry, and attached garage with a low mortgage payment offset by the income of the other 2 units. With separate meters for the utilities and all appliances included, this well maintained property is ready for you and the renters that you choose to move in! MLS 1441079 & 1441072.
Call today and book a
$253,900 BUNGALOW ON QUIET STREET
Drayton - Eat in kitchen, spacious living room, walk out from the master bedroom to the large back deck, this house would be a great starter home, or retirement spot. The finished basement includes 2 extra bedrooms and a 3 piece bathroom. Lots of room in the oversized shed for all of your outdoor toys at the back of the property. MLS 1521798.
SO LD
SALES REPRESENTATIVE CALL DIRECT
Kitchener - Shows AAA! This beautiful open concept home features a large foyer, separate dining room, main floor laundry, kitchen open to living room, and dinette with a walk out to the deck, open stair case leading to an open office area, and master bedroom with ensuite incl. his & hers walk in closets. Located close to shopping and the University. MLS 1521101.
$449,000 LIVE IN 1 AND RENT OUT 2!
SO LD
Alli Bauman Paul Martin Sue Wideman
$464,000 GREAT LOCATION
SO LD
NEW LISTING
Elmira - This house is located near the edge of town with a fully fenced yard including deck overlooking green space. This home has been upgraded with hard wood floors, and includes a fully finished basement and upper floor laundry room. MLS 1521282.
$324,900 CENTURY CHARM
Elmira - Century home on huge lot. All the character with modern conveniences. Updates include: windows, furnace, bathrooms, kitchen, doors, roof, flooring and more. Cool built-in closets! Fully updated & ready for you! MLS 1521049.
$549,000 STORE FRONT IN ELMIRA
Elmira - With a 2000 sq foot office space, a 1 bedroom unit, and 2 bedroom unit, this downtown property could be your ideal investment! MLS 1442236.
FREE HOME EVALUATION
Three more National Newspaper Awards!
Building in Drayton where homes are affordable
1st Place - Best National Editorial Blue Ribbon -- Best Overall Newspaper 3rd Place - Best Editorial Page
$287,500
Contact Duane @ 226-748-3289 or duane000@hotmail.com
We’re proud to be ranked amongst Canada’s best weekly newspapers once again. Serving communities as rich and vibrant as Woolwich and Wellesley is an honour and priviledge. So thank you for your loyalty and support throughout the years.
CUSTOM QUALITY Single Family
Visit our Model Home at:
Starting from
$350,900
42 Bedell Drive, Drayton Mon & Tues. 1-7pm | Sat. & Sun. 1-4:30pm | or by appointment
226-818-5311 | verdonehomes.com
26 | CLASSIFIED
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
REAL ESTATE LISTINGS
Bert Martin Re/max Solid Gold Realty (II) Ltd., BROKER
Shanna
Bonnie Elmira Real Estate Services INDEPENDENTLY OWNED & OPERATED, BROKERAGE
90 Earl Martin Dr., Unit 4, Elmira N3B 3L4
DIRECT: 519-572-2669 3 Arthur St. S. Elmira OFFICE: 519-669-5426
Rozema
Brubacher
BROKER
BROKER OF RECORD
FREE Market Evaluation
www.YourFamilyTeam.ca
GRAND OPENING PHASE 2
NEW LISTING ELMIRA! Located in a quiet subdivision 10 minutes from Waterloo, this beautiful 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom home with great curb appeal, features hardwood, ceramic, soothing decorating, attractive landscaping, double garage, fenced yard, centre island, two fireplaces and finished basement. MLS. $480,000.00. Call Bert to view.
Saturday, April 25th & Sunday, April 26th from 1:00-3:00pm or by appointment
162 Ridgeview Drive, Drayton
NEW MODEL!
B FR ON EE US un U $ til P 8 Ma G ,0 y2 R 0 5, 2 A 0 01 DE in 5 S!
RETIREMENT/EMPTY NESTER LUXURY TOWN HOMES Come out to see the Beautiful features
PRICED FROM $322,900 STANDARD FEATURES:
• Starting from 1424 sqft • 3 bungalows & 2 bungalow loft plans • Double car garage & driveway • Main floor master with ensuite
NEW PRICE!
NEW LISTING!
storey, dbl garage with walk down to workshop, restored original features, character throughout, lovely wood staircase, 9.5’ ceilings, 3+ bdrms, gorgeous grounds, private patios. NEW MLS.
www.remaxsolidgold.biz
EMAIL: bert@remaxsolidgold.biz
Bus: 519-669-3192 Fax: 519-669-3322
GRAND CENTURY HOME $399,000 DRAYTON Built in 1892, double brick 2.5
Brokerage
Independently Owned and Operated
1 ACRE PROPERTY $387,000 GLEN ALLAN Sought after property overlook-
ing the Conestogo River & parkland, updated home with attached 28’x22’ garage, 3 bdrms, 3 bathrooms, newly finished rec.room, main floor conveniences + loft. MLS.
ELMIRA CENTURY HOME! Many beautiful features in this 1888 home including 10’ ceilings main floor and 11’ ceilings on the second floor, original front door, pine flooring, nice foyer and staircase, two bathrooms, hot water heating. and stainless steel appliances. Unique detached double carport and beautiful exterior trim. MLS NEW PRICE $413,900. Call Bert to view.
NEW LISTING!
COMMERCIAL PROPERTY! One storey building in a great location in the down town core area. Great store front, natural light, lots of parking, air conditioned, storage space in basement , two bathrooms. Zoning allows numerous businesses. MLS. $267,500. Call Bert to View.
UPDATED 1.5 STOREY
$323,900 DRAYTON Mature 1+ acre property just on the edge of town. Pride in ownership, hardwood flrs, updated kitchen, 3+ bdrms, 2 baths, attached garage + workshop. NEW MLS.
Your referrals are appreciated!
2000 SQ.FT BUNGALOW
$399,900 DRAYTON Well maintained brick bungalow. Inviting ceramic foyer, gleaming hardwood floors, large eat-in kitchen w/gas fireplace, spacious main floor living rm., w/gas fireplace, main floor conveniences, walkout off laundry/mudrm to deck, dbl garage. MLS.
4 BEDROOM HOME $379,900 DRAYTON 10 year old two storey offers a 62’
frontage, fenced backyard with deck & shed. Main floor offers ceramic in foyer & kitchen w/granite counter tops, stainless appl’s, breakfast bar, main floor laundry, 3 bathrooms. MLS.
ACROSS FROM PARK $349,900 ELMIRA Wonderful two with unique layout,
two storey ceiling open to the 2nd floor in the front living room, hardwood, gas fireplace, separate dining area, walkout to fenced yd, deck & shed, 3 bdrms, 3 baths incl. ensuite, dbl drive. MLS.
TIME FOR YOUR FREE SPRING MARKET HOME VALUATION! CALL TODAY!
® REALTY LTD., BROKERAGE INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED
519.500.1865 (Direct)
Dale R. Keller
17 Church St. W., Elmira • 519.669.1544 (Business)
Sales Representative
www.KellerSellsRealEstate.com | dale@kellersellsrealestate.com
Model Home | $371,900 TEAM
REALTY LTD., BROKERAGE
INDEPENDENTLY OWNED & OPERATED
Contact us by phone
Or by Fax
519-669-1544 519-669-5119 TWIN CITY REALTY INC. BROKERAGE
519-579-4110 OFFICE
sold@clickthathouse.com
Warren McNeil - Sales Rep. | Melanie McNeil - Sales Rep.
3 $4
4,
0 90
Len Frey
Mildred Frey
519-741-6368
519-741-6970
Broker Sales Representative mildred@thefreyteam.com mildred@thefreyteam.com
www.thefreyteam.com
OPEN HOUSE • Saturday, April 25th, 2-4 p.m. $169,000
19 WILLIAM STREET, MILVERTON Great for a first time buyer. Well kept home with a large lot and a detached garage in small town close to Linwood. Newer raised panel doors white woodwork throughout. Eat - in Kitchen has been redone. Large garden for someone who loves to grow their own vegetables. Has a new 100 amp service w/breakers. For a private viewing call Mildred Frey @519-741-6970. Or see you at the open house. MLS# 1521265.
Well kept, pride of ownership is evident. Large Country eat-in kitchen with original hardwood floor refinished. New carpet in living rm. Shop is 24’ X40’ . 200 amp service, newer wiring and plumbing. Shop has a 100 amp sub panel with breakers. Call Mildred Frey or Len Frey to view. MLS# 1521214.
$249,000 • LOT 457 CONESTOGO LAKE Great 3 bedroom cottage on the west side of the lake. Large deck facing East. Kitchen with open concept and sliders from the family room to the deck . Also boat dock, garage, full septic system and Water is co-op. MLS# 1521341.
$279,000 • LOT 256 CONESTOGO LAKE Well built cottage with full basement on a private area of the lake. Sliders from family room to large wrap-around deck. Full septic system, drilled well and concrete ramp into the lake with dock & winch. Nice sized storage shed and large parking area. MLS# 1521927.
Thinking of Buying or Selling?
Drayton | $347,000 A lot of house for the money. Large 4+1 bedroom, with walk-out finished basement, huge master and ensuite, separate detached insulated and wired workshop, above ground pool, large fenced yard and more. MLS Call Dale.
Worth a Look | Drayton | $489,000
$314,900 • 7798 WELLINGTON RD. 45
Better than new! Immaculate, 3 b/r, 3 bath, Elmira Home. Open concept layout, great room w/gas firplace, gleaming hardwood floors & vaulted ceiling. Spacious kitchen w/ceramic tile, black appliances (included), abundance of cabinets, blanco sink and dinette with walkout to incredible, new deck and fenced yard. Upstairs features new flooring, 3 good sized bedrooms, huge master suite w/ walk-in closet and updated ensuite with glass shower and corner tub. Shows A+++!
Enjoy the covered deck out back this summer with walk out from both dining area and master bedroom. This bright open concept custom home by Verdone is sure to please the discriminating buyer looking for a bungalow on a generous sized lot .Gourmet kitchen and ceramic and hardwood floors. Other models and lots to choose from.MLS Call Dale.
Call or email today for a FREE, NO OBLIGATION, OPINONS of VALUE!
For her - large 1/2 acre in town property with renovated 4 bdrm, 3 bth home, large front porch and rear deck, attached dble garage. For him - a detached dream workshop 2400 sq ft, chain hoist, hydraulic lift, air compressor and lines, insulated and heated, room for ALL your toys. MLS Call Dale.
Sale or Lease Elmira | $329,000 Commercial building, great exposure from 2 main streets, Arthur and Church, retail on main floor and large 2 bdrm upstairs. Upgraded and renovated 2011. Both up and down currently rented. Also available for lease. MLS Call Dale.
Take A Look Drayton | $319,000 Spacious open concept raised bungalow with cathedral ceiling, bright newer windows, a bright wide open rec. room, and many recent updates. Steps to school, medical centre, library, groceries, fitness gym. Fully fenced yard and walkout to deck. MLS. Call Dale.
For info on these or any other real estate enquiries, Call Dale
FIND IT IN THE OBSERVER
CLASSIFIED | 27
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
FAMILY ALBUM BIRTHDAY
BIRTHDAY
IN MEMORIAM
You are invited to help celebrate the
25th Birthday Greetings
Stroh, Luke
80 Birthday of Charlotte Read th
April 1990-2015
When: Saturday, May 9, 2015 Where: Elmira Theatre Company - 76 Howard Ave., Elmira Time: 2-4pm (Open House)
Left to right Evonne (nee Shantz) Zimmerman Pa., Lori (nee Bauman) Trask, Julie Martin, Rhonda (nee Knorr) Freeman, Renita (nee Knorr) Martin.
In lieu of gifts: Donations of school supplies to The Woolwich Community Services Backpack Program would be appreciated.
From your parents: Paul & Marlene Shantz, Wayne & Carolyn Bauman, Stanley & Doris Martin, Melvin & Erla Knorr
In loving memory of Luke, who passed away, April 25, 1996. 19 years ago you left us, your memory is as dear today as the hour you passed away. Forever remembered and always loved by Mom and Dad, brother Skye, Aunt Dianne and Uncle Brian and Uncle Scott and Aunt Michele, three cousins Cody, Jesse and Lucas, Grandparents Irene Hamilton and the late Ken Hamilton.
OBITUARY
REAL ESTATE LISTINGS
R.W. THUR REAL ESTATE LTD. 45 Arthur St. S., Elmira
BRAD MARTIN
BROKERAGE
JULIE
TRACEY
WILLIAMS Broker of Record, HECKENDORN Broker Sales Rep. MVA Residential Res: 519.669.1068 Res: 519.669.8629 Cell: 519.505.0627
LET OUR 50+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORK FOR YOU!
NEW LISTING
519-669-2772 www.thurrealestate.com
Bauman, Maurice
$569,900
NEW LISTING
$429,900
$639,900
NEW LISTING
Former ‘model home’ features a large family room w/2 sets of garden drs. and gas fireplace. W/O to deck.Open concept to kitchen/dining area (faces south). Cherry hdwd & ceramics on the main level. Spacious master bdrm w/2 dble closets & ensuite bath. Upper level laundry. Unspoiled bsmt. Open view from the fenced back yard. New MLS
 Unique, custom built home on the edge of Linwood, overlooking farmland & surrounded by greenspace. Quality constructed & lots of upgrades – ‘Chervin’ kitch w/b.i. appl., HUGE island & granite countertops. Open concept. Cork flooring. In floor heating in fin. bsmt. (w/large windows). Covered porch. Master bdrm. possible on either level. ‌. Lots of extras! MLS
LOCATION! Spacious ‘family home’ nestled in the trees and overlooking farmland. Lots of windows facing south. Hdwd & ceramics on the main level. Open concept from lge. great room w/fireplace to ‘bump out’ dinette. Formal D.R. (or main flr. office). 4 baths. Fin rec. room, games room. Extra-deep dble. garage. A must see! MLS
NEW PRICE
NEW PRICE
$375,000
$2,250,000 BEEF FARM – 148 acres, just north of Alma. Newer barn (1995) w/room for approx.. 325 head of cattle. Concrete den floor – former veal stable. TWO dwellings. 3 silos (one sealed) plus bunker silos. TMR mixer. Large machinery shed. Manure storage and liquid tank. Some systematic tile drains. MLS REDUCED
SPACIOUS 4 level backsplit offers lots of living space. Very well maintained.  Eat-in kitchen + din. room. Open concept to lower level family room w/large windows, gas fireplace & bar. 3 bdrms. 2 baths. Lots of storage space in the lower level (+future games room). Mature trees in back yard . Dble. concrete driveway. MLS Reduced.
SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER ‌ WE HAVE BUYERS WAITING!
CALL FOR YOUR FREE MARKET EVALUATION
OBSERVER PUZZLE SOLUTIONS $ 7 ( $ 0
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Peacefully passed away on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at Leisureworld Care Centre, Elmira at the age of 88 years. Beloved husband of the late Verna M. (Shoemaker) Bauman (2011). Loved father of Rosemary McVeeters and her husband Jerry of Penticton, B.C., Charlie and his wife Linda of Sherwood Park, Alberta, Cameron and his wife Trudy of Sherwood Park, Alberta, Mark of Elmira, Eric and his wife Ann of St. Jacobs, Jeff and his wife Gloria of Elmira, Brad and his wife Rachel of Sherwood Park, Alberta. Loving grandfather to Ryan and Matthew McVeeters; Zac and Ben; Megan and Garrett; Adam and Heather; Ashley and Nicholas; Joshua and Aaron; and two great granddaughters, Ella and Jane. Brother-in-law to Laverne Martin. Predeceased by his parents Absalom and Lydian Bauman, brother Raymond and his wife Edna Bauman, and sister Norma Martin. The family will receive their relatives and friends at the Floradale Mennonite Church on Friday, May 1 from 1-4 and 7-9 p.m., where the funeral service will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at 2 p.m. Interment will take place prior to the service at 1:45 in the adjoining cemetery. In his memory, donations to Mennonite Central Committee, or Floradale Mennonite Church Generosity Fund would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy. Special thanks to the staff at Leisureworld for the loving care received. ‘Thanks for looking after Pops’. Arrangements entrusted to the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira.
IN THE OBSERVER
www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com
DEATH NOTICES FORGRAVE, MIKE |
Passed away peacefully at home, following an illness, on Tuesday, April 14, 2015, at the age of 57.
HORST, ALLAN | Passed away at Knollcrest Lodge, Milverton on Monday, April 20, 2015, at the age of 80 years.
KOENIG, VERNA (NEE HOLZSCHUH)
| Passed away peacefully on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 at Freeport Health Centre following a short illness, at the age of 97 years. Verna was born near Linwood on June 22, 1917.
MARTIN, AMMON H. | Peacefully
passed away on Sunday, April 19, 2015, at Grand River Hospital, in his 78th year, of RR 4, Elmira. MARTIN, HANNAH (MRS. EDWIN B.)
| Passed away on Friday, April 17, 2015, at her home, RR 1, St. Jacobs, in her 85th year.
28 | LIVING HERE
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
LIVING HERE VOLUNTEERISM / YEARS OF SERVICE
Giving back to those in the community is just what she does Elmira’s Betty Howlett honoured for her three decades of volunteer work with Woolwich Community Services SCOTT BARBER For more than three decades, Betty Howlett has been a dedicated volunteer for Woolwich Community Services. When the organization gathered for its annual volunteer appreciation event at the St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre Monday evening, the Elmira resident became the first person to receive an award for 30 years of service. Asked what the honour means to her, Howlett responded humbly. “There are certainly many people who put in a lot more time than I do,” she said. “There are so many people here in Elmira that are committed to making this a better community, and that is great. I guess I have always just thought that it was the thing to do. If you can, then it’s important to give back to your community.” Howlett’s commitment with Woolwich Community Services began in the mid-1980s when she helped look after children for mothers that were taking part in parenting classes at St. James Lutheran Church. “I guess I must’ve known one of the other babysitters and decided to take part,” she explained. “I enjoyed it. I had two children of my own so, it
came naturally.” Howlett also helped out at the WCS thrift shop, while also taking part in the “Care-Ring” transportation program, which provides transportation for people under the age of 65 to medical appointments, free of charge; she continues to serve as a driver today. “I’ve always enjoyed meeting people,” she said, noting that the Care-Ring program is a vital service for people who can’t afford to own a vehicle, but don’t yet apply for the transportation services offered to seniors by Community Care Concepts, another Elmira-based agency. Along with the 30-years of service recognition, Howlett also received the Yvonne Reid volunteer of the year award. “In the early years, Betty joined us by helping out with our moms group,” Woolwich Community Services community resource coordinator Angie Melchin said. “So what she would do is babysit, while the mothers would take part in the program where they would learn a lot of different things. And then after that, Betty started driving for us with the Car-Ring transportation program and she has been driving for us ever since.” VOLUNTEER | 31
CHEF’S TABLE/ DIERRE ACHESON
Keep it simple – and simply delicious – with this risotto RECIPE NOTES
Betty Howlett was recognized by Woolwich Community Services this week with the Yvonne Reid volunteer of the year award. The Elmira resident also became the first person to receive a 30 years of service award from the organization when the group met for its annual volunteer appreciation event April 20 at the St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre. [SCOTT BARBER / THE OBSERVER]
As a young apprentice one of my favourite memories was Janet Lynn teaching me to make risotto. Her attention to the method and quality of ingredients has stayed with me throughout my career. I was fortunate to have a mentor that not only scared me a little but pushed me to do better at a young age. Not to date myself, but there weren’t a lot of females in the kitchen at that time, and wearing a man’s uniform was just part of the norm. Risotto was never meant to be a high-end dish. A few fresh ingredients, Arborio rice, well-made stock, parmesan and butter – delish! Slow and steady makes a fabulous risotto, but it doesn’t take hours. Why not take the time? Isn’t it good to take the time for yourself and the ones you love to make a special dinner? Taking the time to do the little things is so important in these times of crazy busy. Looking for local saffron? Check out Martin’s Family Fruit Farm. Cooking fresh, the healing properties of the herbs, ginger CHEF’S TABLE | 31
Tip of the Week: Want to increase your vehicle’s fuel economy? Keep your engine tuned up and maintained! A fouled spark plug or plugged fuel injector can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 30%. Every vehicle’s manufacturer indicates when the vehicle should have a tune up, so talk to one of our service advisors today to find out when you should be doing yours! – Kendrick
Tel: (519) 669-1082 Fax: (519) 669-3084
20 Oriole Parkway E., Elmira, ON
info@leroysautocare.net
www.leroysautocare.net
LIVING HERE | 29
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015 “A GOOD JOB DONE EVERY TIME”
Skilled craftsmanship. Quality materials. CONSTRUCTION STARTS HERE.
Kleensweep Carpet Care
3435 Broadway St. Hawkesville 519-699-4641
Rugs and Upholstery
•Mattress Cleaning •Residential •Commercial •Personalized Service •Free Estimates
COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR
West Montrose, ON
T. 519.669.2033
COLLEEN
Cell: 519.581.7868
Truck & Trailer Maintenance Cardlock Fuel Management
COMMERCIAL 24 CARDLOCK FUEL DEPOT HOUR M&G MILLWRIGHTS LTD. • Design • Installation • Custom Fabrication
MATERIAL HANDLING & PROCESSING SYSTEMS
519.669.5105 1540 FLORDALE ROAD
KIN KORNER
www.freybc.com
APRIL 26 BIRD WATCHING HIKE - a Woolwich Healthy Communities month event, 2-4 p.m. Join Mark Bauman for birding and hiking on the Health Valley Trail in St. Jacobs. For more information contact Mark at mbauman@woolwich.ca or 519-465-8358.
APRIL 27 SENIORS LUNCH CLUB AT noon (doors open at 11:30 a.m.) Woolwich Memorial Centre, 24 Snyder Ave. S., Elmira (community room). Cost $6. Join us for a noonday light lunch and fellowship. Call Community Care Concepts at 519-664-1900 for more information.
APRIL 28 BINGO, UPSTAIRS AT THE St. Clements Community Centre, 7 p.m. Sponsored by the Paradise & District Lions Club. Wheelchair accessible. For more information, contact Joe Brick at 519-699-4022. TREE PLANTING: HELP LEAVE a Green Legacy! Tues. Apr. 28 and Wed. Apr. 29 with Woolwich Clean Waterways. For more information contact Ann at 519-669-6027 or 519-664-2613, ext. 6027 or aroberts@woolwich.ca.
APRIL 29 STRESS REDUCTION AND PREVENTION of Depression Class – Join the staff at Woolwich Community Health Centre to learn ways to respond to anxiety, panic attacks, pain, stress and troublesome thought patterns through meditation with a focus on breath, body awareness and gentle stretching. This course is a blend of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness
E-MAIL: ads@woolwichobserver.com
Based Cognitive Therapy. Dates and times: Wednesdays, April 29 – June 17, 6:30-9 p.m. at Woolwich Community Health Centre, 10 Parkside Dr., St. Jacobs. For information for this free class, call Joy at 519-664-3794 ext. 230
MAY 1 THE TWINCITY HARMONIZERS ARE having their Spring Show. Thank-You for the Music - Barbershop meets Brass. Two shows May 1 at 7:30 p.m. and May 2 at 2 p.m. Waterloo Mennonite Brethern Church, 245 Lexington Rd., Waterloo. Tickets $25 each, 16 and under $5. Call 519-2127605 or order online at twincityharmonizers.com. BACK AND NECK SPARING Class – Do you experience back or neck pain? In this interactive four-session class, you will explore ways to become more aware of your posture, identify activities and movements that aggravate your back and neck, as well as learn ways to modify your activities. This free class is open to anyone who lives in Woolwich Township and is being offered on Fridays, May 1, 8, 22 and 29, 10 a.m. to noon at the Woolwich Community Health Centre, Physiotherapy office, 9 Parkside Dr., St. Jacobs. For information, call 519-664-3794.
MAY 2 TREE PLANTING: HELP LEAVE a Green Legacy! 8:30 - noon in the Riverland subdivision in Breslau. All welcome. For more info contact Ann at 519-669-6027 or aroberts@woolwich.ca. THE JUNIOR GARDEN CLUB is starting up in May. Weekly gardening activities will run all summer for 8 -10 year olds. Fee $15. For more info contact youth leaders before May 9, 2015. Call 519-669-3244 (Irene) or 519-669-8616 (Barb).
MAY 3
Check Us Out Online! woolwichkin.com
THE INTER-MENNONITE CHILDREN’S CHOIR is pleased to present “Songs of the Psalms,” 3 p.m. at Breslau Mennonite Church, 226 Woolwich St., Breslau. Tickets are $10 each, $5 children (5-18) and will be available at the door or from a chorister. Cone and join us for an afternoon of inspiration.
MAY 6 MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN lives of others! Become a Personal Support Worker. Drop in to Woolwich Community Services community room from 2-3 p.m. to learn about the PSW program offered by Conestoga College. for more information call 519-669-5139.
21 INDUSTRIAL DR. ELMIRA
MAY 7
519-669-2884
THE LIONS CLUB OF Elmira Bingo – 7 p.m. at Elmira Lions Hall, 40 South St., Elmira. All proceeds go to support the many projects of the Lions Club of Elmira. For more information call 519-572-2669.
MAY 8 COMMUNITY CAN DINE “WHERE the entire community comes together to meet and eat.” Hosted at Trinity United Church, Elmira, 21 Arthur St. N. Dinner is served from 6-7:30 p.m. Menu: Sausages and sauerkraut. Pay what you can!
CORPORATE WEAR PROMOTIONAL APPAREL WORK & SAFETY WEAR | BAGS T-SHIRTS | JACKETS | HATS
ST. PETER’S OUTREACH COMMITTEE annual book sale. Fri. May 8, 2-8 p.m., Sat. May 9, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. 2925 Lobsinger Line, Heidelberg. Contact Carolyn at 519699-5713 or Bev at 519-699-4571.
245 Labrador Drive | Waterloo
519.886.2102
P.O. BOX 247, ELMIRA
www.mgmill.com
www.UniTwin.com
SUBMIT AN EVENT The Events Calendar is reserved for Non-profit local community events that are offered free to the
public. Placement is not guaranteed. Registrations, corporate events, open houses and the like do not qualify in this section.
HOW CAN I HELP?
24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE
TOTAL
NANCY KOEBEL
Bus: 519.744.5433 Home: 519.747.4388
Individual life insurance, mortgage insurance, business insurance, employee benefits programs, critical illness insurance, disability coverage,
HOME ENERGY SYSTEMS
RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL
New to the Community? Do you have a new Baby?
RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, LIFs and Annuities.
Elmira & Surrounding Area
652 Waterbury Lane, Waterloo
519.664.2008
SHARON GINGRICH 519.291.6763 psgingrich@hotmail.ca
226-266-2432 pmerlihan@woolwich.ca @PatMerlihan www.merlihan.com WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE
PLACES OF FAITH | A DIRECTORY OF LOCAL HOUSES OF WORSHIP
building relationships with God, one another and the world
SUNDAYS - 9:00 & 11:00AM WEDNESDAYS - 7:00PM
St. James Lutheran Church
MACHINE WORKS INCORPORATED
COUNCILLOR | WARD 1 WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP
VERMONT Castings
11 HENRY ST. - UNIT 9, ST. JACOBS
SANYO CANADIAN
PATRICK MERLIHAN
It’s time to call your Welcome Wagon Hostess.
YOUR OIL, PROPANE, NATURAL GAS AND AIR CONDITIONING EXPERTS
9:00 am: Christian Education 10:15 am: Worship Pastor: Hans J.W. Borch Proclaiming Christ through Love and Service
60 Arthur St. S., Elmira 519-669-5591
NURSERY PROVIDED
SUNDAY SCHOOL
Zion Mennonite Fellowship -The JunctionSunday School 9:30am Worship Service 10:45am Finding The Way Together 47 Arthur St., S. Elmira • 519-669-3153 www.thejunctionelmira.com
Sunday School at 9:30am
850 Sawmill Rd, Bloomingdale, ON N0B 1K0 (519) 744-7447 | kcf@kcf.org | www.kcf.org
33 Industrial Dr., Elmira 519.669.1591
Service at 10:30am Rev. Paul Snow
HEARING ASSISTED
Sun., April 26th 11:00 am
The Servant of Yahweh Jeff Martin
Discovering God Together
4522 Herrgott Rd., Wallenstein www.wbconline.ca • 519-669-2319
REACH OUT. KEEP FAITH ALIVE, ADVERTISE HERE.
REACH WITH LOVE. TEACH THE TRUTH. SEND IN POWER.
www.kcf.org/academy
290 Arthur St. South, Elmira • 519-669-3973 www.ElmiraAssembly.com (Across from Tim Horton’s)
Emmanuel
Elmira Worship: 9:30am Mennonite Installation and Licensing Church service for Sarah Freeman, Assoc. Pastor of Outreach & Faith Formation
58 Church St. W., Elmira • 519-669-5123
EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH
Sunday, April 26th Embrace Your Place
REACH OUT. KEEP FAITH ALIVE, ADVERTISE HERE.
www.OBSERVERXTRA.com
www.OBSERVERXTRA.com
SUNDAYS @ 10:30AM @ Park Manor School 18 Mockingbird Dr., Elmira • 519-669-1459 www.elmiracommunity.org
Sunday, April 26, 2015 9:15 & 11:00 AM
Series: All In “Baptism & Communion” 200 Barnswallow Dr., Elmira • 519-669-1296 www.woodsidechurch.ca
Worship Service
Sundays 10:45am
elmiraemmanuel.com
519.669.5030
Sunday School 9:45am Worship Service 11:00am Hopping Thursdays 7-8:30pm 22 Florapine Rd., Floradale • 519-669-2861 www.floramc.org
30 | LIVING HERE
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
STRANGE BUT TRUE / BILL & RICH SONES PH.D.
It took thousands of years to reach 1 billion people, now we’re speeding to 9 WEIRD NOTES
Q. When can kids having lots of active, fast-paced fun be harnessed to generate electricity that can power a light to read or do homework? A. When they are supplied with Soccket balls and Pulse jump ropes made by the New York-based company Uncharted Play (UP), whose focus is to get them into the hands of kids in underdeveloped countries, says Jim Sullivan in “Discover� magazine. Play is movement and requires plenty of energy; kinetic energy can be transferred into electricity, the same way a self-winding
watch uses the movement of the wearer to wind itself up. Soccket is “a soccer ball and rolling power plant in one, converting every corner kick or header into batterystored power via an internal DC generator... Then small appliances can be plugged into it (such as the LED lamp included with each ball) using a typical USB adapter.� Just 30 minutes of play produces three hours of power, while 6-8 hours can generate a full charge of 72 hours. In Muslim countries, where boys and girls are not allowed to play together, the company noticed that the boys were excited about playing Soccket soccer, while many of the girls were off to the side jumping rope, says Nicole Brown, UP vice president of marketing. En-
ter Pulse, a jump rope with each handle containing an energy-harnessing mechanism. The rope doubles Soccket’s output so that just 15 minutes of play converts into six hours of energy. Adds Sullivan: “Pulse was also designed to be compatible with iPhones, which can be charged with an adapter that plugs directly into both of the jump rope’s handles.� Next up: UP hopes to develop a skateboard with power-generating wheels. Q. “Fog Catchers Bring Water to Parched Villages,� the magazine announced. Fog catchers? What’s that all about?
A. Some places on Earth,
though arid, are regularly bathed in fog, containing myriad tiny water droplets that are carried along by
it organization FogQuest has been installing fog catchers for many years to “bring water to parched villages� (from FogQuest.org and other online sources). Q. Somewhere around the year 1800, the world’s population reached one billion people (1,000,000,000), then two billion by 1930. What happened in 2011?
the wind. Think of it as an aerial sea flowing across the parched terrain. Harvesting this ethereal moisture–for drinking, bathing or agriculture– requires a device known as a “fog catcher,� looking like an overgrown volleyball net so oriented that the prevailing winds blow through it. Fog droplets adhere to the fine plastic mesh net, forming larger drops that drip down into a collection trough and then flow into a storage reservoir. Fog catchers make sense where water is expensive and fog plentiful. For example, in the Atacama Desert of Chile, considered the driest desert on earth, experiments with several 48-meter (158 feet) nets yielded 1000 liters (264 gallons) of fresh water per day. The non-prof-
A. According to experts, that was the year the world’s population hit seven billion, as reported in “5000 Awesome Facts� by “National Geographic for Kids.� If that number doesn’t sound very big, consider that it would take a person an estimated 200 years to count to seven billion out loud! Looking at the balance of things, about every second five people are
born and two people die. As these numbers add up, we’ll probably reach nine billion by 2045. Today’s seven billion people reside in 194 countries and speak some 7,000 languages. Slightly more are male than female, with a median age of 28 years. Typically most are righthanded. Remarkably, seven billion text messages are sent every 30 hours in the U.S. alone. Looking at the sweep of time, a total 100 billion humans have lived on Earth, and of all these, only 7% are living today. Lucky us!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS Bill is a journalist, Rich holds a doctorate in physics. Together the brothers bring you “Strange But True.� Send your questions to strangetrue@compuserve.com.
OBSERVER CROSSWORD PUZZLER ACROSS 1. Group of 13 6. Converts maltose to glucose 13. Little devil 16. French farewell 17. Alkaloids found in the poppy 18. Indicates maiden name 19. Santa Claus feature 20. Easy 21. Kind of approval 22. Doze (off) 24. ___ king 25. Husk 26. It’s measured in radians 30. Self obsessed people 33. Merchant 35. Prefix with night or day 36. King of the road 37. Seek damages 38. Holiday mo. 39. Blue 42. Ghost’s cry 44. Cardinal 46. Cry of mock horror 47. Attempt 48. Spleenwort
51. Assume 53. Cause of wrinkles 54. Cartridge contents 55. Chain letters? 57. ___ Zeppelin 58. Common conjunction 59. Health resort 60. Aggravate 62. Instrument interface 65. John ___ 66. Triumphant 69. Gush 73. Slender 74. Algonquian Indian 75. ___ welder 76. Thanksgiving side dish 77. “What a relief!� 78. Install 81. Cake topper 86. Genetic info carrier 87. Untouched 88. Waterwheel 89. Marvelous, in slang 90. Accelerate 91. Objectives DOWN 1. Subway alternative 2. “___ to Joy�
3. By means of 4. Always, in verse 5. Boring pest 6. Mildew 7. Bananas 8. Charge per unit 9. Make fit 10. Elite military unit 11. Member of Cong. 12. “C’___ la vie!� 13. Prefix with red 14. “M*A*S*H� extra 15. Rings 23. Half of binary code 25. Assist 26. ___ Wednesday 27. Density symbol 28. Shoemaker 29. Ribbon holder 30. Fencing sword 31. An independent ruler 32. Ni 34. Bingo 38. Take off 39. Arts space 40. Branch 41. Blonde’s secret, maybe 43. Prayer
45. Pulled off 48. Blanched 49. Back, in a way 50. Open, in a way 52. 18-wheelers 56. “Good one!� 61. Caffeine source 63. Batman and Robin, e.g. 64. Any doctrine 65. Expire 66. Patience, e.g. 67. Proof of identity 68. Furnish with a rim 69. Winter warmer 70. “Life force� 71. Doctor’s order 72. Refinement 76. Cry of pain 78. ___ and outs 79. 40 winks 80. Ancient cross 82. Dove’s sound 83. George Gershwin’s brother 84. Common soccer score 85. Neon, e.g.
OBSERVER TRAVELS
SUDOKU CHALLENGE LOCATION
Cuba
CAPTION Sharon & Peter travelled to Cuba for a holiday with their family. Here they are in front of their resort with the Observer.
HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once. Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. We have got you started with a few numbers already placed in the boxes.
LIVING HERE | 31
THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015
VOLUNTEER: She’s still active
CHEF’S TABLE: Stirring up some kitchen memories of your own
FROM | 28
FROM | 28
Woolwich Community Services depends on its 120 volunteers – plus an additional 200 during the holiday season’s Christmas Goodwill drive – Melchin said. “Woolwich Community Services is a non-profit, and while we have a few staff members here, we are run by our volunteers. Many of our programs simply wouldn’t be able to exist without our volunteers.” She continued, “As our
director Don (Harloff ) explained at the appreciation night, the amount of volunteers that we have and the amount of hours they put in last year would represent four full-time staff members.” As for Howlett, she plans to keep supporting WCS for many years to come. “It really is a great organization,” she said. “There are so many things that they offer that really help people, and I think that is really important.”
and vegetables are reason enough to pull out that pot and wooden spoon. Stir up some memories of your own. Happy cooking!
Spring Vegetable Risotto 1 medium carrot, diced 1/4 cup red onion, julienned 1 clove garlic, chopped 2 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp chopped ginger 4 sprigs of thyme Salt and pepper to season 12 Snow peas, cleaned
Risotto: 1 tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup onion 1 clove of garlic 2-1/2 cups Arborio rice 1/4 cup white wine 1 large pinch of saffron 7-9 cups of chicken stock, hot 4 tbsp butter 2 tbsp chopped basil Parmesan to finish
Combine first 6 ingredients on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and roast in 400 F oven until tender and golden. Set aside. Sauté onion in pan with olive oil, on low until the onions are translucent; add garlic. Add the Arborio rice, toss and toast the rice, then deglaze with wine. Add saffron and chicken stock until covered. Allow to simmer. As the chicken stock reduces, add more stock. Keep stirring. You will need to have enough
stock in the pot to keep the rice suspended in the liquid. Once the rice is cooked (plump and tender, no bite in the middle) finish with butter and parmesan cheese and basil. Add snow peas to heat through, just before serving.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Never Enough Thyme Catering Inc. was created with one thought in mind ... to create more thyme! Enjoy our food shop, specialty cakes and catering. 83A Arthur St. S., Elmira. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
CCC FETES ITS VOLUNTEERS IN ELMIRA
Community Care Concepts held its volunteer appreciation day Apr. 17 at the Elmira Legion, marking the work of some 184 volunteers who contributed 9,600 hours of service in the last year. Among those enjoying the festivities were volunteer Ollie Shantz; Karla Frey, CCC’s community outreach coordinator; Dorothy Dardin, volunteer for the day program; and Anne Hanley, Meals on Wheels volunteer. [TRISTAN URRY / THE OBSERVER]
Spring SALE
Bauman
LASER & ELECTROLYSIS HAIR REMOVAL
Make 30 Bottles of Easy Drinking Italian Valpolicella for
You Could WriIN ng a Day of Pampe
130
$
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es: Pampering includ res, manicures, pedicu . our haircuts, and col on Must be redeemed Saturday, May 9th
Po
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MAY 19th – 22nd
The photo with the most ‘likes’ WINS!
ter: To En -up free lfie ake hter se pages. g k st a m eboo
1 monotahneyrof oyuorufracfrienodtsot.o A sk r ph 2 Like you
Better Hearing Month SAVE UP TO
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A SET OF HEARING AIDS
Basics Beauty & Beyond
519-669-0237
Elze’s
Call Elze Today!
519.669.0799 29 Church St. W., Elmira
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
Call 519-669-4425 to BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT
32 | BACK PAGE
THE OBSERVER | APRIL 25, 2015
ALL TOGETHER NOW: QUILTING FOR A CAUSE
3
SATURDAY APRIL 9AM-6PM
DAYS ONLY! 25TH
SUNDAY APRIL 11AM-5PM
EXTENDED MONDAY APRIL SALE HOURS 9AM-9PM
$ 27
NEW COLOUR
JUST ARRIVED! 12MM Quilters put their skills to good use on April 22 at the Elmira Produce Auction, where members of the Mennonite Central Committee of Ontario held a blanket-making bee. The goal was to construct 500 blankets to send to people in need in Syria, an area where the MCC is heavily involved. [TRISTAN URRY / THE OBSERVER]
$ 47
1
/ SQ FT
REG 3.99
LAMINATE
Give Blood ... to save lives.
$ 37 FREE
1
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REG 3.99
$ 97
2
CLICK MAPLE
/ SQ FT
3 STAINS
at Linwood Community Centre
REG 8.99
HOT BUY!! 13”x13” CERAMIC
TILE
$ 07
1
/ SQ FT
REG 1.99
3 COLOURS
Proud to support the community effort to donate blood. 3860 Manser Rd., Linwood • 519-698-2610 linwoodvet@linwoodvet.ca
South West Ontario Veterinary Service 519.699.0600
PLUS
1
UNDERPAD!
ESA Licence # 7000438
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CALL 1-888-2DONATE or VISIT www.blood.ca for more information or to book an appointment.
$ 87 / SQ FT
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REGULAR 5.99
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3
HANDSCRAPED
HICKORY
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/ SQ FT
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PORCELAIN
/ SQ FT
MIN 250 SF
/ SQ FT
3
MAPLE
44
CARPET INSTALLATION
97
$ 97
4¼” WIDE
¢
/ SQ FT
REG 4.99
$ 97
BACK SPLASH
TILES
STARTING FROM
3
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1
WATERPROOF! 5MM CLICK LUXURY
VINYL PLANKS
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LUXURY VINYL PLANKS 100%
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This Linwood Blood Donor Clinic announcement is brought to you by these community-minded businesses
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from 2:30pm - 8:30pm
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Grandpa: Emergency blood transfusion. Sunday 11:00am
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KITCHENER 519.742.9188