Observer january 09, 2010

NEWS |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

1

Kings end winless streak, look forward to new year.................................»18 A look back through the pages

»09 VOLUME 15, ISSUE 01

SATURDAY, January 09, 2010

www.ObserverXtra.com www.ObserverXtra www.

Home Ice As winter sets in, Cleason Martin finds conditions just right for his backyard rink

LACE ‘EM UP Larry Martin and his father Cleason have a full-size rink on their Floradale-area farm.

KATIE EDMONDS If you find yourself travelling eastbound on Fourth Line towards Floradale after the sun has gone down, keep your eyes open and listen closely: you might see bright lights shining from behind a farmhouse on your left, and hear the sounds of the perfect slapshot.

This is Cleason Martin’s homemade ice rink, one of several in the township to pop up this season, but Martin’s is a little bit different. Here you will find not only a fresh ice surface for games of pickup hockey, but a fully equipped, heated See OUTDOORS page »02

PHOTO | KATIE EDMONDS

Voters becoming well acquainted with prorogation WLU prof calls move “appalling,” but local MP sees nothing wrong with Parliamentary tactic JONI MILTENBURG Two years ago, most Canadians would have been hardpressed to tell you what prorogue meant, much less form an opinion on it. But after the Conservative government prorogued Parliament for the

second time in just over a year, Facebook groups and online petitions have formed in protest.

Prorogation is not unusual in and of itself, explained David Docherty, a political science professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. Typically the government prorogues

Parliament after it has passed most of its legislative agenda, to start a new session. In this case, the Conservatives have prorogued midway through the legislative session, with barely half of the government’s bills passed. Bills that have not become law expire, and have to be reintroduced.

Docherty called the move “appalling,” given that Stephen Harper campaigned on a platform of greater accountability the first time he was elected.

“This is one of the most disturbing things the government has done,” he said. “It’s difficult for Canadians to re-

spect parliamentary processes when the leader of the government holds them in such contempt.”

If he were describing to a first-year political science class a situation where the leader of the country shuts down the legislative assemSee PROROGUING page »07

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2 | NEWS

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» From cover

change room area complete with benches for tying up skates, shelves for holding equipment, framed pictures of past hockey greats, a lostand-found box, and even a window for people to watch the game while staying warm and dry – all inside the confines of an old truck trailer in his backyard.

Although Martin says that the rink stays fairly empty during the day, the ice is bustling in the evenings with local girls who come to play hockey

on Tuesday nights, boys who come both Thursday and Friday nights, and a whole mix of enthusiasts on the weekends. Some nights there are between 40 and 50 pairs of skates scratching the surface of the ice, under lights Martin recovered from the demolition of the old Elmira Raceway.

Martin’s son Larry helps his father with the flooding, and together they have established a rink that is 80 by 180 feet in size, nearly as large as the ice pad at the Dan

Snyder Memorial Arena in Elmira where Larry plays hockey each week.

It takes the Martins only a day and a half to get the impressive rink set up, but Cleason has had a bit of experience in the field – he’s been doing it for 32 years, after all.

Several do-it-yourself rink-making guides suggest that about three inches of ice will be strong enough for adults to skate on and that any additional thickness only improves the quality of the experience.

Martin estimates that the rink in his yard is now at least eight inches thick, after days of continual flooding by his homemade water dispensing device.

“The weather has been just right. It’s been cold

Now

Open!

PHOTO | KATIE EDMONDS

Outdoors: This undertaking is not your average backyard rink

JUST ADD HOCKEY Larry Martin sets up the nets in preparation for the night’s hockey game on the homemade ice rink he helped his father, Cleason Martin, create at their Fourth Line home.

and it’s been snowing, so I just kept on flooding!”

His rink welcomes those people in the neighbourhood who may not have access to other local arenas.

“A lot of the people who come out to my rink aren’t really supposed to go in arenas, so why not accommodate them?”

Although some skaters pay a small fee to use the ice for the season, Martin said his project doesn’t make him any money after he factors in the cost of the equipment he buys each year.

That’s not the point: he creates the rink to give something back to his community.

“I always liked sports myself and I like people to enjoy themselves and have fun.”

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» NEWS |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

LEADING OFF

“The students really put a lot of time and effort into this project.”

Lynn Pavlik

3

A JEWEL OF AN IDEA Tori Koller models one of the glass necklaces she and her classmates at EDSS have made, selling them to raise money for the Brain Tumour Foundation. Koller’s father has battled brain cancer for more than a dozen years.

PHOTOS | KATIE EDMONDS

Creative for the cause

Students at EDSS help support Tori Koller’s efforts for the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada

KATIE EDMONDS What began as a small activity in jewelry-making at last year’s ‘Arts Night’ at Elmira District Secondary School has now turned into “Imagine a Cure,” a school-wide fundraising initiative with all proceeds going to the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.

That first night, Lynn Pavlik, the head of the art department, taught a group of students how to make necklaces out of just a few pieces of glass. One student, Tori Koller, paid especially close attention. Koller, a Grade 12 student, saw the jewelrymaking as a unique opportunity and has spearheaded a fundraising project in support of her father, who has

w le urs Ne xib Ho Fle ery liv De

been battling brain cancer for going on a dozen years.

Koller approached Pavlik and the two set out together to make this idea more than simply a small class project, enlisting the help of both the Grade 10 and 11 art classes to make the necklaces in bulk.

Led by Koller, the students cut out the glass shapes, layered the design, baked the shapes in a kiln, fastened the backing, set up a table outside their school cafeteria, and sold the necklaces to their fellow students and teachers.

“The students really put a lot of time and effort into this project – they were coming in over their lunch periods to work on their necklaces,” said Pavlik, noting that she has enjoyed the opportunity to relate to her students out-

side the classroom. “When we are working together on this project, it feels like we are a team – not like we are a teacher and a student.”

This month, Koller is sending a cheque to the Brain Tumour Foundation for $365.

In the past, Koller has sold bracelets and gathered pledges to walk in the Oktoberfest parade in order to raise money for the organization.

“I try to do something every year, and sometimes it is tough to come up with ideas, so when this opportunity came, I had to take it,” she explained. “It worked really well and I had help from lots of friends and other students at the school.”

Pavlik also hopes that her work at the school will have a greater impact than solely in the classroom. In past years,

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she has made and sold crafts with her class to raise money for Darfur. The current project, however, has a much more personal connection for the students.

“All the students know Tori now, so they have really run with this project and worked hard at it.”

Koller’s father has been battling cancer for more than

a decade and has endured several surgeries and countless rounds of radiation and chemotherapy – procedures that have taken a toll on his family, said Koller, noting her younger brother, now 13, cannot remember a time in his life where his father did not have cancer.

“It costs a lot of money, and it is hard on him so it is hard on our family,” she added. “It would be different if it was a friend or a more distant relative, but it’s my dad. He is so important in my life – it is very tough.”

But Koller’s family, as well as others at EDSS, has found refuge through the Brain Tumour Foundation, a service for which she is extremely grateful.

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4 | NEWS

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» FROM THE EDITOR | STEVE KANNON

Poor roads more than just annoying to drivers we can expect to see even more craters before too long.

That being the case, we should brace ourselves for more bone-jarring jolts, and corresponding assaults on our cars.

According to the CAA, an encounter with a pothole can run into the hundreds or thousands of dollars for tire, rim and suspension repairs and replacement.

Hitting potholes and consistently driving on poorly maintained roads throws out wheel alignment and diminishes the treads on tires, making it harder to steer in bad weather. In turn, this increases your risk of puncturing a tire.

When a wheel hits a pothole, it falls into the hole and has to emerge. It is rare that the entry that causes the damage; rather it is the exit. The amount of damage depends on the diameter of the tire, the depth and length of the pothole and the speed of the vehicle.

Longer potholes cause more damage because their length means that

holes and other road hazards. There is a push to get more of the tax money collected from drivers – through gas taxes and assorted license fees – directed at improving roads. Potholes are not just annoying, they’re dangerous and potentially costly if your car is damaged in what are sometimes canyon-like craters.

While temperatures are likely to remain on the minus side for the next little while, the long-range forecast allows for some warming – bringing with it the freeze-thaw – and the possibility of snow and/or freezing rain of the type we saw near Christmas. That, in turn, brings the risk of more stress on the roads from plows and sanders.

Potholes are formed when moisture below the pavement freezes when temperatures drop, forcing the ground to expand and pushing the pavement up. When temperatures increase, the ground returns to its normal level but the pavement often remains raised, creating a cavity. When driven over, the cavity pops, creating a new pothole.

A hard winter like the one we’re having this year provides all the ingredients for potholes. Snow, ice and rain provide ample moisture and severe cold causes pavement cracking that allows water to seep in, expand and displace paving material. Add sunlight, which creates varying temperatures that keep the damaging freeze/thaw cycle in motion. And finally, because warmer spring weather accelerates the freeze/thaw cycle, causing pavement to deteriorate even more quickly,

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at practically any speed, the tire risks hitting its bottom before being able to emerge. Similarly, low speed can result in damage to the vehicle’s frame or platform because, again, the tire has time to hit the bottom of the hole.

Some advice from the experts: if you can’t avoid a pothole, at least avoid braking suddenly; instead, allow the wheel to roll freely into the hole. In fact, a locked wheel is likely to sustain much more damage than a rolling wheel. Sometimes it is better just to hit the pothole than to try to avoid it by making a manoeuvre that could cause a more serious accident.

And avoiding a serious accident is the first priority, though bad roads directly contribute to the toll: some 350 fatalities and 35,000 injuries each year, according to Transport Canada.

Those figures may be enough to prompt you to phone or e-mail the municipality about the bad roads you encounter – after you’ve finished cursing and your blood pressure has returned to normal, that is.

» ABOUT FACE

PHOTO | KATIE EDMONDS

No fan of winter, I was pleased with the weather through November and much of December. The cold spell that settled in over the holidays was not particularly welcomed, but we’re miles ahead of last year at this time.

That’s especially true when it comes to spending time behind the wheel, as the snow becomes nothing but a slippery mess that narrows the lanes and makes parking an even bigger chore.

We’ve seen little of that this year, which has made driving safer. Readers of the Observer will have noticed the rash of collision reports when wintry weather has prevailed. But there have been fewer such incidences this season. And a big benefit of less snow and fewer freeze-thaw cycles has been limited appearances of that bane of drivers: potholes.

With less snow, the plows are out less often, reducing the amount of asphalt inadvertently ripped up. Along with less salt, that means fewer traumas to the pavement. Still, I have noticed a few of the pesky things developing of late. That’s led to a few more evasive manoeuvres on the road, making driving much less pleasant. And I’m not alone in that sentiment.

Drivers’ organizations such as the Canadian Automobile Association are constantly lobbying for improvements to our roadways, compiling lists of the worst offenders when it comes to pot-

KEN JESSOP

Staff Sergeant with the Waterloo Regional Police

What do you do when you are not ‘policing’?

I am part of the parent council at John Mahood Public School where my daughter goes to school, and I also volunteer as a committee member for the Maple Syrup Festival.

What is your favourite part of the festival?

I used to run the pancake flipping contest where teams of people try to flip as many pancakes as they can into a pan in 60 seconds.

Watching that is my favourite part.

Do your kids go with you to the festival?

Both my kids (a 12 year-old son and nine yearold daughter) volunteer there as well. My son helps with clean up and my daughter is a ‘runner’ for the pancake flipping contest. She runs pancakes from one end of the line to the other.

Do the kids do other volunteer work as well?

They are very well entrenched in the community at this age which I think is a really good thing. My wife and I really try to encourage them to give back.

NEWS |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» IN GOOD VOICE

Jones Feed Mill in Linwood moved a step closer to a proposed expansion, with Wellesley council approving comments in a planning report presented Jan. 4.

Jeff Jones, owner of the mill, plans to build a 40,000-squarefoot premix plant behind the existing mill. About 20 acres of land would be severed from the 70acre parcel south of Alfred Street and east of Manser Road.

In June, Wellesley council approved a zoning bylaw amendment to allow the lands, zoned ‘general agricultural’ to be used for a blending, packaging warehousing and distribution facility for agricultural/livestock feeds.

In a future application, Jones Feed Mill plans to ask that the township’s official plan be amended to include the severed lands within the Linwood settlement boundary.

$106K in arts grants awarded by region The Region of Waterloo Arts Fund this week awarded grants totalling $106,650 to artists and arts organizations in response to proposals submitted from throughout Waterloo Region.

A total of 23 grants will be paid out, including $7,000 to the Wellington Winds, in the fund’s fall 2009 grants cycle providing support to projects in the visual arts, music, theatre, literature, cinema, recording and interdisciplinary concepts. The arts fund has awarded some $1,054,000 since its inception in 2002. The funds are made available through regional council’s allocation of 40 cents per capita in support of the arts.

Fewer drunk drivers in latest R.I.D.E. stops Waterloo Regional Police stopped twice as many vehicles during the 2009 holiday R.I.D.E. program but handed out fewer suspensions and charges than last year.

Police stopped 10,140 vehicles between mid-November and early January, using a combination of static and mobile checks, and conducted 105 roadside tests.

Officers handed out two 12-hour suspensions, 18 three-day suspensions and one seven-day suspension. Six drivers were charged with having a blood alcohol content over 80 mg, five were charged under the controlled drugs and substances act, and one was charged with being impaired. Another 71 charges were handed out for violations of the Highway Traffic Act.

Local singers lookin’ to shine EDSS student among hopefuls for Faith-FM’s Shinin’ Star talent contest KATIE EDMONDS This weekend voices will ring out, belt out and some will warble at Bethany Missionary Church, International Gospel Center and Calvary United Church in St. Jacobs, each singer vying for the chance to be the voice of the Shinin’ Star on the Faith FM radio station.

One of those voices will be that of Danielle Fleming, a Grade 12 student at Elmira District Secondary School who applied after her mother brought the contest to her attention. Fleming sent in her entry form back in November and has been named as one of just more than 50 people in the region who will audition for a panel of judges this weekend with the hopes of being crowned the ‘shinin’ star’ of the Christian faith-based radio station. Also up for grabs are a professional recording session at Revelation Sound in Guelph for two demo songs and guaranteed airplay on at least three Ontario Christian stations.

Fleming will sing a capella, something she is fairly used to after several years of singing at Elmira Community

PHOTO | KATIE EDMONDS

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PUTTIN’ ON THE GLITZ Faith FM ‘Shinin’ Star’ contestant and EDSS Grade 12 student Danielle Fleming practices for her big debut this weekend. She is one of 52 singers competing for the top spot in the local competition.

Church and in school plays. She has also taken piano lessons, and taught herself to play the guitar when she was 14. Despite her experience, however, she said she will be nervous when the time comes to be put to the test.

“I am not nervous yet but I know I will be. I

usually don’t get nervous until right before I have to go on stage.”

Fleming and the other four dozen or so contestants will be evaluated on their pitch, timing, tone, articulation, voice control, stage presence, connection with the audience, choice of song for their voice, appear-

KATIE EDMONDS Del Gingrich has worked in the St. Jacobs Visitor Centre for more than a decade; nearly every day, someone comes in with a question about the ‘Kissing Bridge’ in West Montrose. In that time, he’s come to learn much about the famous covered bridge.

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Now, Gingrich has decided to put together all the knowledge that he has gained, compiling it into a book, The Kissing Bridge: The story of Ontario’s only covered bridge, and West Montrose, the quiet, charming village whose sides it connects.

“We get hundreds, maybe even thousands of people coming in and

asking how they can find the bridge,” Gingrich explained of the impetus behind the book.

Rather than simply giving directions, now Gingrich can give them the full story contained in his book filled with history, traditions, anecdotes and pictures of the famous landmark.

“In a way I guess it’s a tribute to the bridge;

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ance, whether or not they used their full vocal range and whether they have a ‘radio friendly voice.’

Sitting on the judges panel will be Carrie Gusé from Kitchener who is the minister of music and arts at Bethany Missionary Church and has recorded two of her own CDs. She sang her first

solo at 15 months old.

Next to Gusé will be Brad Dugas, who has been recording music for 15 years, operates Revelation Sound in Guelph and plays on the worship team at Parkview Pentecostal Church in Guelph.

Rounding things out is Jane Valenta, a Grade 3 and 4 teacher and music instructor at Plattsville Christian School in New Hamburg. She has recorded two CDs of her own as well as teaching more than 350 voice and piano students, and she is the worship leader at Wilmot Centre Missionary Church.

For this round, contestants just need to get a score higher than 80 per cent to move onto the next round. Each of the three nights of the secondary competition, two people will be chosen to move on to the final round, in addition to one wildcard, or a judge’s personal favourite, for a total of nine finalists who’ll perform at Kitchener’s Centre In The Square.

Fleming plans on going to the audition with her mother, best friend as well as her brother and his girlfriend.

“We will get to listen to everyone else sing so

The ‘Kissing Bridge’ story, cover to cover

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something that has been an important part of our community for so long.

There have also been many notable people in the little village of West Montrose over the years and even at the present time and this is an interesting account of them.”

As well as being employed at the visitors centre, Gingrich worked previously as a school

principal and he now lives with his wife in Elmira. His previous book, A Quilt of Impressions, told the story of Old Order Mennonite children who attended schools where he worked.

Gingrich said the span’s allure goes beyond its being the only remaining covered See BRIDGE page 06

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THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

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Bridge: Answers to many questions » From page 05

bridge in Ontario.

“It’s the whole setting because West Montrose itself is this charming little village. You see the horse and buggy, and you can take a step back in time,” he noted. “There is a historic aspect to it: it is its own museum in a way. And then there is a romantic part of it as well – the bridge adds a lot to the charm and quietness of the area.”

Gingrich said he is extremely pleased about the publication of his latest book, as the bridge

holds a very special place in his heart.

“I grew up in Elmira and we used to go biking over to the bridge and go on hikes through there as well. I have a personal connection because I know so many of the people from the area who used to live there and those who live there at the present time. Telling their story has been a great pleasure.”

The book will be available for purchase at Busy Bee Quilts in Elmira, The Stone Crock in St. Jacobs, Words Worth

Floradale, Wallenstein and Linwood.

HE’S GOT IT COVERED Elmira’s Del Gingrich has just published a book about the West Montrose covered bridge.

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NEWS |

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Proroguing: Government on hold again » From cover

bly at will, few of the students would guess he was talking about Canada.

“You’d think I was referring to a country that had little history with the democratic process, Docherty said.”

The opposition parties have accused the Conservatives of shutting down Parliament to avoid tough questions on the torture of Afghan detainees. The Conservatives dismissed those accusations, saying the break was to give them time to hold consultations on the economy before delivering the budget Mar. 4.

“I think it gives the government a chance to really focus on the economy as we present the upcoming budget,” said Kitchener-Conesto-

ga MP Harold Albrecht, adding that he’s heard few concerns from his constituents about proroguing.

“I can assure you that every MP that I’m aware of will not be taking this as an extended holiday.”

Albrecht said the government’s legislation was being obstructed

by Senate committees, where Liberal senators still held a majority. By starting a new session of Parliament, the new Senators appointed by Harper since the start of the last session will be able to sit on senate committees, giving the Conservatives a majority.

Albrecht also denied that proroguing Parliament had anything to do with the inquiry into the treatment of Afghan detainees.

“I can tell you that the

number of calls I’ve received on the Afghan detainee issue I think is less than six,” he said.

“I don’t believe this particular issue resonates with the average Canadian.”

Docherty countered that assertion, pointing out that if the government wasn’t vulnerable on the issue of Afghan detainees, Parliament would be resuming Jan. 25 as scheduled.

And the issue isn’t likely to go away quietly, he said. As long as Canadians are dying in Afghanistan and Afghanistan stays in the headlines,

Canadians will be paying attention to the issue.

“They may just be postponing this.”

By making the announcement during the holidays, the Conservatives are hoping Canadians were too busy to take notice and will assume it’s just business as usual.

“The Conservatives will spend the time getting the budget together and hope their polling numbers stay the same or go up,” said Docherty, predicting an election will follow in late March or early April.

Star: Contest sports elimination format » From page 05

we are going to make a night of it, I think it will be fun for a bunch of us to go.”

Although most of the competitors hail from the Kitchener and Waterloo areas, Shinin’ Star assistant committee chair Barbara Dowling said organizers like to see fresh faces from other regions, and they are pleased to have had several applicants from Woolwich Township this year.

“This year word has spread more than in pre-

vious years and we have competitors entered from places all over the area.”

Other competitors from the Woolwich area are Maggie Wang and Jackson Rogers. The final stage of the competition takes place on Feb. 5 at Centre In The Square.

“I think it would be super cool to get to that final round and perform at Centre In The Square and just be up on stage, that’s what I would be most excited about,” said Fleming.

Jewelry: Students embrace a cause with local impact » From page 3

tion has helped my family in so many ways I can’t even name. I have just applied to college this year – I am moving onto the next step in my life and my dad is still here to see it.”

The organization provides support to people who have previously or who are currently experiencing the effects of cancer, as well as their

families, by offering discussion groups and a call centre, among other services.

“My dad said that this kind of thing keeps him going some of the days because he knows that people are out there watching out for him.

“I am lucky. I still have my dad. Some people are not as lucky as me, so I will do what I can to give back.”

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8 | NEWS

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» LAW & ORDER

Canine unit tracks Conestogo suspect, arrest made

»

DECEMBER 31

12:00 PM | Police responded to a call from a man advising them of a possible medical emergency involving another man in a home on New Jerusalem Road. When officers arrived, there was no answer at the door and they eventually forced entry. Upon entering the home they were surprised to find not a medical emergency but a marijuana

grow operation in the basement. Police located the homeowner, a 42-year-old Elmira man, unharmed in downtown Elmira and charged him with marijuana cultivation.

2:10 PM | A 63-year-old Orangeville man driving a livestock truck north on Arthur Street at Church Street collided with a 56-year-old Elmira woman driving a 2000 Toyota Camry as she was reversing into a parking space and he was trying to pass on her left hand side. Both drivers misjudged the distance between the two vehicles, leaving the Toyota with moderate damage and the truck with minor damage.

No charges were laid.

10:30 PM | A 40-year-old Kitchener woman was unharmed after she lost control of her 1995 Chevrolet Lumina and hit a sign as she entered the ditch on Katherine Street North near Letson Drive in Woolwich Township. There was severe damage to the vehicle, but as the cause was reported as poor driving conditions, no charges were laid.

»

JANUARY 1

1:50 AM | A 19-year-old Linwood man driving a Dodge Durango lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree after sliding into the ditch on Geddes Street in Hawkesville. There was severe damage to his vehicle but the man was unharmed. No

charges were laid.

5:40 AM | The driver of a snow plow contacted emergency workers after he noticed flames at an address on New Jerusalem Road near Sawmill Road. The fire was coming from a driving shed next to a home, and it is believed to have started in a 1993 Mercedes parked inside the shed, which was engulfed in flames. The owner of the home, as well as the visitor whose car was on fire, was notified. Waterloo North Hydro was also contacted as the fire caused damage to some nearby equipment.

1:30 PM | There was moderate damage to two vehicles involved in a collision on Herrgott Road at Temperance Road, north of Hawkesville, when one driver quickly changed his mind as to the direction he wanted to travel.

A 17-year-old Listowel man began to make a right turn off Herrgott Road, but then changed his mind and began turning left, just as a 41-yearold St. Jacobs man was passing his vehicle on the left side.

There were no injuries but the Listowel driver was charged with making an unsafe turn.

»

JANUARY 2

8:10 AM | A representative of Jones Feed Mill in Linwood reported the business been broken into and van-

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Serious collision closes highway into Elmira

PHOTO | JOE MERLIHAN

Two residents of Golf Course Road in Conestogo saw a dark pickup truck pull into the Conestoga Country Club about 1:50 a.m. on Jan. 5. The residents watched a man in dark clothing walk to nearby residences and look into houses and cars.

The man entered a garage and stole a beverage dispenser and an iPod from another vehicle in the area. Police responded to the call and arrived with dogs that tracked the suspect, leading officers to a 39-year-old Kitchener man. He was charged with ‘breaking and entering,’ ‘possession of break-and-enter tools,’ ‘possession of property obtained by crime’ and ‘trespassing by night.’

CROSSING THE LINE A southbound car lost control on a curve and collided with a northbound transport truck Dec. 26 on Arthur Street just south of Listowel Road, subsequently striking the guard rails on the east side of the road. The driver of the transport truck, a Gowanstown man, was uninjured, but the two occupants of the car, both from Wiarton, were transported to a local hospital. The 28-year-old female passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries, while the 34-year-old male driver suffered a life-threatening injury. The road was closed for more than three hours while the Waterloo Regional Police Services Traffic Branch investigated the collision. Regional Environmental personnel also attended the scene to deal with a diesel fuel spill. Weather and roads conditions are believed to have played a role in the collision. Investigation is continuing. Any witnesses to the collision are asked to contact police at 519-653-7700, ext. 8856. dalized sometime the previous day. Feed bags had been ripped open and there was feed spilled all over the floor.

The vandal also changed the valves in the plant so that feed would go into the wrong bags, and there were two broken windows. There are no suspects yet but it appears to police that the vandal had previous knowledge of the plant and its operation.

»

JANUARY 3

2:15 AM | A 28-year-old Bowmanville man driving east on Benjamin Road demolished his car after he hit a snow drift and lost control of the vehicle. The red GMC Envoy flipped and landed on its wheels in the ditch in the poor driving conditions.

There were no injuries and no charges laid.

2:30 PM | A 23-year-old man from Mexico lost control of his vehicle and flipped into the ditch while driving westbound on Lobsinger Line. His Ford F-150 left the roadway and turned onto its roof, causing moderate damage to the pickup truck but no injuries.

The man was charged with ‘careless driving.’

3:20 PM | A 51-year-old Lucknow man driving a 2008 Ford Edge was stopped at Listowel Road and Arthur Street in Elmira, proceeded to make a right turn and then stopped again. The driver of a 2003 GMC Sierra, a 30-year-old Atwood woman following behind, was unable to stop in time and collided with the first

vehicle. There was only minimal damage to both vehicles and no charges were laid.

»

JANUARY 5

4:10 AM | A Linwood woman who was awake with her child noticed two men in dark clothes running across the parking lot of the Catholic church towards the hardware store after they had been inside a vehicle and set off its alarm. One of the males was about six feet tall and thin, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. The other was shorter and stockier. Around the same time as the incident, the woman saw a newer model white Grand Prix drive past the same location. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Elmira police detachment.

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NEWS |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

9

The Year In Review JANUARY Milo Shantz succumbs to cancer

The man whose name is synonymous with St. Jacobs passed away Jan. 6 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Milo Shantz was 76. Beginning with the opening of the Stone Crock Restaurant in 1975, he eventually transformed the village into an international tourist destination. In 1981, he launched Mercedes Corp, which focused on property development and promoting tourism.

Along with brother Ross Shantz, he amassed extensive holdings in the village, including the St. Jacobs and Waterloo Farmers’ Markets, the Ontario Livestock Exchange and the St. Jacobs Outlet Mall.

Arrest in Wellesley house fire

Police arrested a 28-year-old woman Jan. 12 in connection with a Dec. 9 house fire on Molesworth Road in Wellesley Village. Julie MacLennan was charged with ‘arson by negligence,’ ‘production of cannabis resin’ and ‘possession of cannabis resin.’

Fees on the rise in Woolwich

Woolwich council voted Jan. 13 to increase recreation fees by an average of eight per cent. Other fees for such services as zone change amendments and building inspections jumped about three per cent, closer to the falling inflation rate.

Region hikes tax rate

The 2009 budget approved Jan. 14 by Waterloo Region council called for a

3.15 per cent property tax increase.

The increase added $43.38 to the average household’s tax bill. The police services budget increased 1.27 per cent, while the regional services budget increased 1.88 per cent.

Hockeyville efforts kicks into high gear

Woolwich’s love of hockey was evident enough to get it into the top-10 list of CBC’s Kraft Hockeyville contest in which communities from across the country vied to be crowned the hockey capital of Canada in 2009.

The township was shortlisted as one of 10 finalists selected from a list of 195 entrants on Jan. 14. Voting to whittle that down to five began immediately after the list was announced.

FEBRUARY Taxes jump 6% in Woolwich

Another big jump in staff costs, the township’s largest expense, spearheaded a six-per-cent tax increase for Woolwich residents for 2009. That translated into an additional payout of approximately $30 per year on a home with an assessed value of $200,000. The increase that gained tentative council approval Feb. 3 called for a four-percent jump in the general tax levy; with a further two per cent capital levy for recreation projects – some $114,000 for the fund earmarked for Woolwich’s extensive, township-wide recreational facilities program.

Large jump in water rates approved

Also approved Feb. 3 was a water-rate increase of 9.4 per cent, to $1.24 per cubic metre from $1.14. That represented an additional $18 to $24 per year for the average household. The wastewater rate climbed by 13.6 per cent, to $1.48 per cubic metre from $1.30, adding about $32 to $43 per year to the average annual cost.

Wellesley considers residents in setting tax rate

Where other area municipalities inflicted tax hikes outstripping inflation, Wellesley looked at the tough economic times and opted for a 1.25-per-cent increase for 2009. A pared-down budget won preliminary approval from councillors meeting Feb 17. The increase on the township portion of the property tax bill amounted to another $9.53 on a home assessed at $216,000, boosting the annual average total to $730.78.

Rough year comes to an end for Applejacks

The Wellesley Applejacks ended a dismal season with a tough 4-0 loss to Thamesford Feb. 28, exiting the first round of the Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs in four games.

MARCH We’re number three

The Hockeyville title went to Terrace, B.C. On Mar. 7, local hockey fans congregated at the Elmira Arena to watch

Hockey Night in Canada on the big screen discovered Woolwich finished in third spot. When you consider the hundreds of communities that jumped into the fray when CBC’s Kraft Hockeyville competition kicked off, Woolwich didn’t fare too badly in reaching the final five, joined by Terrace, Humbolt, SK, Harbour Grace, N.L. and Thetford Mines, Que. The winner garnered 1.9 million votes, followed by Humboldt, which came a close second with 1.8 million; Woolwich finished third with 1,163,142.

Kings exit playoffs with loss to Kitchener

For the Elmira Sugar Kings, who lost the best-of-seven series against the Kitchener Dutchmen in game six Mar. 8, the season boiled down to such a single, fleeting overtime moment. It came at the 12:08 minute mark of overtime, with the Kings and the Dutchmen tied 3-3, with Kitchener ending Kings’ hopes for a seventh game.

YMT closes up shop in Elmira

The tough times for Canada’s auto sector spread to Elmira, where YM Technology Inc., the automotive tool and die plant located on South Field Drive, closed its doors at the end of March. In operation since 1998, the plant, owned by Yachiyo Industry Co. of Japan, started to feel the crunch some two years earlier as customers pushed for lower prices. Eighteen of the company’s 20 workers lost their jobs. The remaining two employees

10 | NEWS

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

2009 | THE YEAR IN REVIEW were to be relocated to a sister plant in Barrie.

of its roads projects. With KitchenerConestoga MP Harold Albrecht and his provincial counterpart, MPP Leeanna Pendergast, at Woolwich council chambers June 12 to dole out money, there was nothing but smiles going around.

Fire destroys barn, kills livestock

A barn fire on Kossuth Road east of the Region of Waterloo International Airport Mar. 24 caused an estimated $125,000 worth of damage. Ten horses, three dogs and a pig died in the fire, which destroyed the two-storey barn.

The horses in the barn were recovery horses, scheduled to go to the slaughterhouse but rescued instead.

Wellesley hires new fire chief

Andrew Lillico was named Wellesley Township’s first full-time fire chief.

Formerly deputy fire chief for the City of Waterloo, he was offered the job by councillors meeting June 22.

Counselling centre building named for Gladwell

Plane crash kills pilot

When The Woolwich Counselling Centre held its grand opening Mar. 28, its new home was named the Joyce Gladwell Building. The organization purchased and renovated the former St. Aidan’s Church on Memorial Avenue with the help of a major fundraising push.

A 65-year-old Kitchener man, Janic Volcec, died on the scene June 29 when his homemade two-seater airplane plummeted to the ground in a sod farm on Shantz Station Road, adjacent to the Region of Waterloo International Airport in Breslau.

J U LY

APRIL

EDSS student dies following collision

Numbers drop at EMSF

Poor weather made for slow start to the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival Apr. 4. The event’s 45th year was met with nasty morning winds.

An estimated 35,000 to 40,000 people attended the festival, down significantly from the previous year’s high of 70,000.

Bus service rolls into Elmira

Grand River Transit (GRT) launched Route 21 Apr. 6, connecting Elmira and St. Jacobs to Conestoga Mall via regular bus service. The event kicked off a year-long pilot project.

Road conditions blamed for fatal collision

The driver of a FedEx delivery truck was killed Apr. 7 following a collision with a tanker truck on Floradale Road near Church Street West. John Leblanc, 34, of Ayr succumbed to his injuries after the vehicle he was driving crossed into the path of a milk tanker.

Air ambulance responded but Leblanc was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The other driver, a 57-year-old Cambridge man, was not injured. Police investigated the scene and determined that poor weather and road conditions were major factors in the collision.

Local ringette squad takes national crown

The St. Clements Junior AA ringette team put up a solid gold performance at the Canadian ringette championships in Charlottetown, P.E.I., going undefeated en route to capturing the title Apr. 11.

Fierce winds leave trail of damage

An early taste of summer’s unsettled weather swept through the area Apr. 25, as a brief but powerful storm erupted in the late afternoon. Strong winds wreaked a significant amount of damage throughout the townships, leaving many people without electricity, before heading east.

M AY Kudos for Heidelberg man

Heidelberg resident Ryan Marshall, 32, was one of those named to the Globe and Mail’s Top 40 Under 40 list.

Vice-president of operating systems at Research In Motion, he and 39 others were chosen from more than 1,200

JOY RIDING, FARM-STYLE A Walkerton-area man behind the wheel of a stolen tractor led police on a chase through two townships, including this segment near Lions Park in Elmira, on June 5. Two hours after the pursuit began, the suspect was finally apprehended and charged with multiple offences.

nominees by a 26-member independent advisory board. His profile appeared May 1.

Paintball bid shot down

The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) upheld a decision by Woolwich council to disallow a zone change for a paintball operation. Eric Schwindt, who operated Shoot to Splatter on his farm north of Elmira, had been attempting to legalize the longstanding use on the site. Council turned down his zone change application the previous fall, prompting Schwindt’s appeal to the OMB. A hearing was held in February, with the board ultimately deciding the use does not conform to township and Waterloo Region planning directives.

Jacks make changes at the top

Road area farm on June 5. The driver of the tractor, 34-year-old Troy Victor Taibinger from the Walkerton area, led police officers in two cruisers on a wild chase that spanned the townships of Woolwich and Wellesley and lasted some two hours. He was later arrested and charged with ‘theft over $5,000,’ ‘possession of stolen property over $5,000,’ ‘flight from police,’ ‘dangerous operation of a motor vehicle’ and ‘possession of a controlled substance.’

Steddick meets wrecking ball

The Steddick Hotel, a longtime landmark in downtown Elmira, was demolished, having been boarded-up and derelict for years. The site is to become part of an expanded convenience store and gas bar.

GO picks Breslau for park-and-ride

After a dismal season and a firstround exit from the playoffs, the Wellesley Applejacks made changes behind the bench, with team president Kevin Fitzpatrick taking on the coach and general manager’s duties.

It was the fifth coaching change made by the team in three years in response to poor on-ice performance. After a decade in which they played for the championship nearly every year, the Jacks’ fortunes have fallen steadily: 2008-2009 was the third season in a row the team was put out in the first round of the playoffs.

A Greenhouse Road, Breslau location was selected as the site for a park-andride train station under a plan to extend GO Transit services to Kitchener by 2011. The project would see the construction of a small station and parking for 700 cars (with room for an additional 350) on land along the existing CN/Goderich-Exeter Railway tracks running south of Hwy. 7. That line would connect Kitchener and Guelph to the current GO service in Georgetown, then on to Toronto.

Fundraising boosts McLeod Arena

Township picks fitness centre operator

The All in 4 Jim fundraising walk held May 24 raised more than $48,000, with the money going toward the new Woolwich Memorial Centre. One of the two ice pads bears the name of Jim McLeod, who lost a battle to cancer in 2007 at the age of 58. He was involved in local sports for many years, as a minor hockey coach and equipment manager for the Elmira Sugar Kings and later the Canadian sledge hockey team.

JUNE Tractor leads wild police chase

Police in Elmira gave chase to a tractor after it was stolen from a Maryhill

Dani Tillich, 16, was struck by a truck after stepping off a Grand River Transit bus in St. Jacobs July 8. She was taken by helicopter to Hamilton General Hospital with brain damage, where she was hospitalized for a week before succumbing to her injuries July 16.

Construction begins on Breslau community centre

An official ceremony July 16 marked the start of construction on a new community centre in Breslau. The 10,000-square-foot addition to the existing Empire Communities Ltd. sales office, which is to be turned over to the township when the 475-home subdivision is built out, is slated to cost $2.2-million.

Wellesley collision claims a life

Nineteen-year-old Irene Kuepfer of Millbank died July 17 after being struck by a cube van on ChalmersForrest Road, near William Hastings Line in Wellesley Township. She was airlifted to London Health Sciences, but later succumbed to her injuries.

Kuepfer was struck as she was riding southbound on what was described as a homemade scooter.

Elmira couple celebrates 70th anniversary

Elmira’s Jean and Lloyd Habel celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary July 29. The pair were married in Kitchener in 1939.

AUGUST Pedestrian killed in Elmira

A holistic approach to the health and wellness of residents won the day as the township selected a service provider to staff the fitness centre at the soon-to-be-opened Woolwich Memorial Centre, councillors decided June 8. The bid by Personal Best Health and Performance Inc. of Caledon was selected from among five responses to the township’s request for proposals to operate the 2,300-square-foot facility inside the WMC.

An 82-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed by a black Dodge pickup truck as he attempted to cross Church Street West in Elmira Aug. 6. The vehicle, being driven by a 52-year-old Elmira man, had been travelling westbound at the time. The victim, Archie McKee, was later pronounced dead at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener.

The driver was later charged with ‘careless driving.’

Townships feel stimulated

The arrival of summery weather – absent for most of the season – brought with it some unstable conditions Aug. 9, when a storm tore through the region. Some 1,000 customers in the

In the largest stimulus-spending handout to date, Woolwich received just shy of $6 million for four projects; Wellesley got $1.3 million for three

Wild weather rolls in

NEWS |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

11

THE YEAR IN REVIEW | 2009 Bloomingdale area and another 850 in Waterloo were without power for several hours. The storm also damaged trees throughout the township.

Kings shut down licensed area at home games

Saddled by what it called an unwieldy process, the Elmira Junior B hockey team shut down its Blue Line Club, the licensed area at Sugar King home games, on Nov. 22. Longstanding practices at the old Elmira Arena had been curtailed by township staff at the new Woolwich Memorial Centre. Cumbersome rules surrounding the storage and handling of liquor and beer – the team acquires a special occasion permit for each game – prompted the Kings to wrap up the Blue Line Club.

Negotiations subsequently led to a resumption of service.

Golf tourney raises $12,000

The Jeanne Renault Golf Classic, held Aug. 13, raised $12,000 for the family violence prevention program at Woolwich Community Services. In its 15th year, the tournament drew 95 golfers to the Conestoga Country Club.

Buggy accident claims Wellesley woman

A 51-year-old Wellesley Township woman died Aug. 18, succumbing to injuries sustained five days earlier when the horse-drawn buggy she was riding in was hit from behind by a minivan.

Edna Hoover was a passenger in the buggy, being driven by a 17-year-old Wellesley woman, travelling westbound on Ament Line when it was struck by a Dodge minivan being driven by a 74-year-old Listowel-area man.

DECEMBER Public gearing up for gravel pit fight

SEPTEMBER Neighbours, environmentalists oppose subdivision

Plans for a residential subdivision on Elmira’s Union Street received a welcome almost as caustic as the chemicals running underground in that part of town. Aside from the developer, no one who spoke at a public meeting Sept. 1 indicated any support for the development. Hawk Ridge Homes hopes to build 44 single-family and semi-detached homes on a 5.5-acre site, a former apple orchard fronting on Union Street. Neighbours, including Chemtura and Sulco Chemicals, seemed less-than-enthusiastic about the proposal.

Conestogo bridge closed for repairs

Loose boards on the deck of the Glasgow Street bridge forced its closure Sept. 1. The old steel truss bridge was to be closed until appropriate repairs made it safe to carry traffic.

Public celebrates opening of WMC

Hundreds of people gathered outside of the new $23-million Woolwich Memorial Centre in Elmira Sept. 12 for the official opening ceremonies, including a ribbon-cutting by the mayor and councillors. The township hosted a barbeque for some 1,100 people.

New post for Pendergast

Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Leeanna Pendergast was named Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education

by Premier Dalton McGuinty. This new responsibility meant Pendergast would be working with Minister Kathleen Wynn in a portfolio that recognizes the background of the former school teacher.

Walking for cancer research

A team of local women took a big step – or many of them – towards ending cancer at the Weekend to End Breast cancer event in Toronto Sept. 12-13.

The nine women – Andrea Andrew, Carolyn Andrew, Denise Bloch, Charmaine deBoer, Deborah Dugas, Kim Fraser, Kara King, Carol Mussli, Sally Miller and Jill Mathers – raised about $24,000 and walked 60 kilometres.

Wellesley selects fair ambassador

Kate Lindner, a 17-year-old student at

CELEBRATION TIME Coun. Ruby Weber, Mayor Bill Strauss, Coun. Sandy Shantz and Coun. Mark Bauman cut the ribbon at the Sept. 12 official opening of the Woolwich Memorial Centre in Elmira. More than a thousand people toured the $23-million multi-use facility.

Stratford Central Secondary School, was named the 2009 Wellesley-North Easthope Fair ambassador. She won the title Sept. 15 as the fair opened at the Wellesley Arena.

Woolwich debentures for building boom

Having opened most of its new facilities, Woolwich lined up the last of the necessary financing Sept. 29, as township council agreed to borrow $3.72 million to cover the outstanding balance on some $35 million in capital projects. The township will pay back $270,000 annually for 25 years.

OCTOBER Gun call brings large police response

Police descended on a Heidelberg neighbourhood Oct. 13, but were just setting up when a 64-year-old man took his own life without incident. The death of David Rung saw tactical officers swarming all over the normally quiet Meadowview Court, a small residential street with homes that back onto a large forested area.

The day the NHL came to town

Some 1,500 fans turned the Woolwich Memorial Centre into a love-in for the Atlanta Thrashers Oct. 18. The NHL team met with fans, signed autographs and held a practice on the ice of the Dan Snyder Memorial Arena.

The Thrashers took a detour between games in Buffalo and Montreal to honour former teammate Dan Snyder and see the rink named for him.

Quilt auction nets $65K

Elmira District Community Living received a $65,000 boost from the proceeds of the Oct. 31 quilt auction. More than 130 pieces, including quilts, wall hangings and hooked rugs were auctioned off. The money raised was earmarked for a new apartment building EDCL is building on Snow Goose Crescent in Elmira.

NOVEMBER

Protecting township history

Woolwich’s former township halls – one in Elmira, the other in Conestogo – are on their way to be deemed heritage structures. On Nov. 3, the township gave official ‘notice of intention to designate’ under the Ontario Heritage Act. Both buildings were declared as surplus properties in September, the first step in Woolwich’s plan to sell them, but neither will go on the market until the heritage process is complete.

Fire guts Elmira home

An old fluorescent light fixture is believed to be the cause of a fire that started in the kitchen of a home at 17 Duke St. in Elmira during the early hours of Nov. 7. The residents, a family who had just purchased the house, managed to escape unharmed. Damage was estimated at $300,000.

Public wins Victoria Glen battle

After a lengthy fight, residents went away happy Nov. 10 as Woolwich council scrapped a proposal to build a residential subdivision in a portion of Elmira’s Victoria Glen Park. Residents filled council chambers once again for the fateful decision, in which councillors opted to find money elsewhere to help fund a slate of new buildings in the township.

Fire destroys Breslau-area barn

Damage was estimated at $187,000 after a fire destroyed a barn east of Breslau Nov. 15. Firefighters from three Woolwich stations – Maryhill, Conestogo and St. Jacobs – were called to the scene on the Woolwich-Guelph Townline Road.

Bridge reopens after repairs

The Glasgow Street bridge in Conestogo reopened Nov. 18 following $36,000 in emergency repairs to deficiencies that had kept the structure closed since Sept. 1.

Decades behind the chair

A fixture in downtown Elmira for almost 50 years, barber Don Schell retired at the age of 68.

If a public meeting held Dec. 1 is any indication, Woolwich’s gravel pit battle is going to be a fierce one. Three of five applications under consideration were up for review at township council. Two smaller projects, essentially extensions of existing operations, drew little comment, but the third was an indication of what’s to come as the other two proposed pits work their way through the system this year. The contentious pit is proposed for a farm at 125 Peel St., west of Winterbourne and north of the Golf Course Road area of Conestogo. Some of those speaking out against this pit also pointed to the application by Hunder Developments for an aggregate operation immediately to the southeast of this site, across the river. The so-called Hunsberger pit is one of the two proposals – the other is the Capital Paving application for a pit near the covered bridge in West Montrose – requiring more detailed study before moving to the public meeting stage.

Fire quickly engulfs Wellesley home

A fire destroyed a home at 1572 Greenwood Hill Rd. Dec. 17. Firefighters from all three Wellesley Township fire halls – Wellesley, Linwood and St. Clements – were called in to battle the blaze. A witness reported the fire after seeing smoke and flames coming from the rear of the house, located on a 74acre farm parcel just north of Wellesley village.

Breslau meat packer gets financial boost

On the run-up to Christmas, Conestoga Meat Packers in Breslau got a gift in the form of a $2.3-million investment from the federal government.

The money went to help the company open new markets for Ontario pork.

The investment, announced by Kitchener-Conestoga MP Harold Albrecht, came from the Canada’s Economic Action Plan’s $50-million Slaughter Improvement Program.

From retail to office space

The Shops at Riverworks will become the new offices of Quarry Integrated Communications, an advertising and public relations firm currently based in Waterloo. Quarry will take over 24,000 square feet of space on the main floor and part of the second, moving 90 employees from their office building in Waterloo. Riverworks, owned

by Mercedes Corp., currently houses 11 retailers, many of whom will be moved to new locations.

12 | COMMENT & OPINION

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

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» EDITORIAL

Harper’s ambition trumps all else

If Stephen Harper hoped proroguing Parliament – again – would make some of his problems go away, he may have miscalculated – again – the mood of the Canadian public.

Reaction to his announcement was immediate, even though it was made in the midst of the Christmas holidays in an attempt to minimize the fallout: we were supposed to be too stuffed with turkey to notice. Canadians, however, quickly recognized this is an attempt by the Conservatives to stifle debate on a host of government inadequacies, most notably its handling of the invasion of Afghanistan and the detainee issue.

A poll released this week by Angus Reid shows the recent prorogation of Parliament does not sit well with a majority of Canadians. Some 53 per cent of respondents disagree with the decision. Conversely, only 19 per cent agree with the move.

Twenty-eight per cent are undecided.

The rejection of the decision to prorogue Parliament is highest in Ontario (59%) and lowest in the Prairies (50% in Alberta, 48% in Manitoba and Saskatchewan).

About two-in-five Canadians (38%) side with the view of opposition parties, and believe prorogation was invoked in order to curtail an inquiry into the treatment of

Afghan detainees. About one quarter of respondents (23%) agree with the federal government’s position that prorogation was necessary to recalibrate, consult and deliver the next stage of its economic plan.

As with last year’s desperate bid to save his government from being toppled, Harper’s use of prorogation subverts democracy and makes a mockery of oft-repeated – but always avoided – pledge to make government more open and transparent.

The backlash was most visible online. A Facebook group denouncing prorogation had 60,000 people join within days of its creation. Rallies are planned nationwide, including one in Kitchener-Waterloo for Jan. 23. The idea is to send a message to the government: get back to work.

Harper’s latest antics have touched a nerve. We’re always a bit suspicious about long government breaks at holiday time, quick to paint our politicians as lazy and imbued with a sense of entitlement. There’s a measure of that involved in the public’s reaction to shutting down the House until March. But there’s a growing realization that there’s something underhanded in all of this, something designed to benefit Harper’s minority government and not the people of Canada – as the Angus Reid

» VERBATIM “Those are the worst numbers we’ve seen for them in at least six months. It’s very difficult to attribute it to anything other than prorogation because it was a period when nothing much else was happening.”

EKOS president Frank Graves on Conservative poll numbers since prorogation

poll indicates, almost half of Conservative supporters have a problem with this use of prorogation.

In proroguing Parliament, Harper has killed all outstanding bills; they’ll have to be reintroduced in the next session. The government plans to use the break to appoint more Senators and to realign Senate committees to reflect a Conservative majority in the upper chamber. This, Harper argues, will allow the government to end opposition stalling of measures such as Tory crime legislation.

Harper also hopes to reform the Senate, a familiar refrain. Having initially refused to fill Senate vacancies, preferring to see elected representatives with term limits, Harper subsequently made partisan appointments to counter the preponderance of Liberal placements. He appears headed for more of this reform-from-within strategy to take control of the Senate.

Having previously argued against the use of prorogation, extended breaks and appointed Senators, Harper has clearly embraced these tactics now that he perceives them as being to his advantage. As it grows, the public dissent against proroguing is a reminder to the Prime Minister that we’re not blind to his ambitions.

» THE MONITOR The total average compensation for Canada’s 100 highest paid CEOs was $7,300,884 in 2008, a stark contrast from the total average Canadian income of $42,305. They pocketed what Canadians earning an average income make an entire year to make by 1:06 p.m. Jan. 4, the first working day of the year.

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

COMMENT & OPINION |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» HARD TALK | RAFE MAIR

13

Long past time to take concussions seriously Given what’s now known about concussions, there’s no excuse for approving extreme fighting.

There are some things I will just never understand.

For a few hundred thousand dollars, OK maybe a million or two, we’ll leave the ill, especially the mentally ill without adequate health service but we can afford the billions on the Olympics. It says something about how much our society cares about its citizens. Not only do we not care about the less fortunate, we won’t even take minimal steps to stop bad things happening.

A couple of weeks ago, I gave a talk about watching Floyd Patterson, in 1960, knock out Ingemar Johansson in a heavyweight boxing match and how I was horrorstruck seeing Johansson out like a light for five minutes, blood streaming from his mouth and one of his feet twitching and how I instantly lost my enthusiasm for a “sport” I had always followed. What I finally grasped was that boxing had, as its primary object, concussing the opponent – in short, causing brain damage.

In the past few days, we’ve learned of a tragedy and complete insensitivity.

I refer to the death of former NHLer Reggie Fleming, the comments by Don Cherry and the decision of Van-

couver City Council to countenance extreme fighting or, as it’s now euphemistically called “mixed martial arts.”

Dr. Charles Tator, a neurosurgeon from the University of Toronto, has studied the effect of concussions and has concluded, “Concussions used to be considered minor head injuries because we were taught in medical school that a concussion had only a temporary effect. It’s true that some of the symptoms are temporary, but the effects on the brain are often permanent.

“We can’t really speak any longer of a minor concussion. There is no concussion that is truly minor.”

After the autopsy, Tator correctly pointed out that the style or brand of hockey promoted by Don Cherry leads to head injuries.

Cherry didn’t deal with the issue, namely whether or not the hard-hitting, illegal-checking, fight-ridden game Cherry loves contributes to concussions but responded, “For this guy to come out and blame me for all the injuries I think is totally unfair,” and concluded that Dr. Tator was trying to get his name in the papers. This is, unfortunately, the sort of crap you’d expect of this mental midget who makes huge bucks promoting violence and badmouthing European players.

It’s pointless to blame Cherry for taking all that money from the taxpayer funded CBC for what happened

to Fleming and, amongst others, Eric Lindros, Keith Primeau, Pat LaFontaine, Adam Deadmarsh, and Nick Kypreos. (The total carnage cannot be determined but if you were to examine all who had played hockey, it must be immense).

Many years ago a New York sportswriter of great repute, Dan Parker, observed that “hockey is the greatest game in the world; it has to be to survive the people who run it.”

He might have added, “and the people who report on it.”

But maybe I’m wrong to even bother with Cherry, the CBC, or Gary Bettman and those who run and profit from the game. For haven’t most of us just loved hockey fights – unless our guy loses of course?

Isn’t the answer always that violence is part of the game?

Mike Millbury, a sportscaster with the CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, is a former defenceman, assistant general manager for the Boston Bruins, as well as GM and coach for the New York Islanders. He had this to say about Fleming, “Hey, unfortunately, he had some problems … It comes with the territory. You wanna be a hockey player, there’s danger involved. There’s going to be long-term problems.”

Such as “cognitive decline, behavioral abnormalities and dementia.”

Or if it’s Kevin Kaminski, going from being a loving husband and father to coming within an ace of punching

out his little daughter. What came with “his territory” was long-lasting: insomnia, irritability, vertigo, sensitivity to light. He couldn’t exercise because of headaches as soon as he got his heart rate up. His memory shot, he couldn’t find his car after shopping for groceries. He’d forget his PIN number at the bank machine – it was his jersey number. As Kaminsky put it, “All those dings you’d get fighting in the old days, you’d have a couple of Aspirins and away you went,” he said. “They didn’t consider those concussions back then. It was basically suck it up and go play. Those dings add up to problems and that’s basically what happened to me.”

During his four seasons with the Capitals, Kevin Kaminsky’s hardnosed, aggressive play made him a big favourite of fans who dubbed him “Killer Kaminski” because he didn’t hesitate in provoking fights with much bigger opponents. You might be interested in Kaminsky”s career stats in the NHL: 139 games as a centreman, he scored three goals, had 10 assists and had 528 minutes in penalties!

Now Vancouver City Council has voted 6-3 in favour of sanctioning “Ultimate Fighting,” which can be defined as: two competitors using techniques from boxing, kickboxing, wrestling and other fighting styles to knock each other out. It used to be called “extreme fighting” but now See MAIR page »14

» INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS | GWYNNE DYER

All this airport security mania is largely symbolic It is the duty of all public officials to “do something” whenever a new threat appears, even if there is nothing sensible to be done.

If they don’t make a show of solving the problem, the media will punish them severely. So we have had a vigorous U.S. government response to the recent apprehension of the Underpants Bomber.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was from Nigeria, and he was Muslim.

Therefore, the U.S. government has announced that all travellers to the United States from Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Yemen and seven other Muslim or partly Muslim countries will face extra checks at airport security. They will be patted down by hand, and their carry-on bags will also be searched by hand. So that’s all fixed, then. No more exploding underpants.

Except that Abdulmutallab’s underpants were on his body, so hand searches of cabin baggage aren’t going to help much. Moreover, it is far from certain that a physical pat-down of Abdulmutallab would have detected the guilty underpants.

Then there are the curious additions and omissions in the list of countries affected. Cuba is included, presumably in order to have at least one nonMuslim country on the list, although there has never been any Cuban sup-

port for anti-U.S. terrorism. (Rather the other way around, in fact, though that was long ago now.)

More striking is the absence of Britain, France and the Netherlands from the list of countries whose travellers must get the full treatment. Britain was the home of Richard Reid, the unsuccessful Shoe Bomber, who actually departed for the U.S. from Paris.

The group who were caught preparing to smuggle explosive liquids aboard U.S.-bound flights in aerosol containers were British. Abdulmutallab actually passed through Schiphol airport security in the Netherlands on his way to Detroit. Why are these countries exempt?

Probably because the number of visitors from those countries is too large. The number could be cut down drastically if “profiling” were permissible, since not very many nonMuslim suicide bombers attack the United States. However, even profiling entire COUNTRIES for special searches brought an anguished protest from Nawar Shora of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee: “This is extreme and very dangerous. All of a sudden people are labelled as related to terrorism just because of the nation they are from.”

And profiling INDIVIDUALS is an absolute no-go area: all the Christian Nigerians (half of the population) must be patted down too. For every young Muslim male who is selected for a more intensive search, one nonMuslim grandmother must be pulled

aside as well.

This is starting to sound like a rant, but I’m not actually demanding more stringent security measures. I am arguing in favour of less “security” at the airport, and a lot more emphasis on real security work before the would-be bombers check in.

With the sole exceptions of Richard Reid and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, ALL the plots to blow up airliners bound for the United States since 9/11 have been thwarted by the intelligence services, not by the hundreds of thousands of poorly paid “security” personnel who staff the gates at the airports. And they didn’t catch either Reid or Abdulmutallab. What conclusions should we draw from that?

We should conclude that further “enhancements” to airport security are a total waste of time and money, although basic security that stops people from smuggling guns and knives aboard aircraft should be maintained. Don’t reward the politicians for submitting to the idiotic measures that the media demand of them. Accept that nothing is perfect, and remember that you are still fifty times more likely to die in a car crash than in an aircraft crash, whether caused by human error, technical failure or underpants bomb.

The alternative is to try to close every loophole – and the obvious hole in airport security today is the fact that they do not check for anal bombs.

The first suicide bomber with an

explosive device in his rectum has already struck, although not on an aircraft. Four months ago, an al-Qaeda-linked militant passed through all the security checks and blew himself up during an audience with Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Saudi Arabia’s deputy interior minister. His bomb was presumably detonated by remote control, but an airline passenger could simply go to the toilet and trigger it himself.

If Abdulmutallab had boarded the Detroit-bound aircraft with the explosive device inside his body rather than sewn into his underpants, how were the security staff going to find it? Only by the time-tested method that prison guards regularly use: the “body cavity search.”

This could obviously be done at airports too. You’d have to hire five or six times as many guards and expand the security area considerably to give those being searched some privacy, but if we were really determined to eliminate every threat to air travel, every suspicious body cavity could be searched. Just bend over, please, sir or madam.

Yet nobody has proposed putting this policy into effect, and that is not because they are worried about a shortage of latex gloves. The whole airport security mania is largely symbolic, and body cavity searches would upset far more people than they would reassure – so in this case, common sense trumps “security.” It should do so in many other cases too.

14 | COMMENT & OPINION

Mair: Wrong to encourage violence as entertainment » From page 13

those who run this barbarous excuse for a sport prefer to call it “mixed martial arts” – sounds so much more refined, you know.

There was one voice of sanity, Coun. Andrea Reimer, who voted against the motion saying, “It’s become very hard for me to see the logic in passing this motion … I’ve spent a lot of time ... dealing with the fallout of kids who have been desensitized to violence because of adult sanctioning of violence, but then adults also saying it’s not appropriate for children to participate in the same level of violence that we have sanctioned ourselves.”

Coun. Geoff Meggs, who voted in favour of the motion, in an amazing analogy compared this sport of “who gets to scramble whose brains first” to hockey, saying that even it promotes fighting. “It’s turning into a problem for the National Hockey League.”

The answer of this council wit – no, I exaggerate by half – is to give city

blessing to scrambling of brains even more.

It’s Pogo saying “we’ve met the enemy and he is us!” It’s pointless to single out Meggs, or Cherry, for people love this stuff, filling stadiums to watch blood and gore. Have you ever seen hockey fans boo a fight and ask the officials to stop it before someone gets hurt?

The fact is a very simple one. We know that boxing, hockey, football and ultimate fighting cause concussions that cause brain damage. We see glaring and tragic examples like Muhammad Ali. We know about the NHL stars like Lindros who had sense to quit and those like Fleming and Kaminski who couldn’t afford to quit since fighting was their only ticket to the big leagues.

Yet we fill the stadiums and call for more.

Homo sapiens is the most bloodthirsty species on this planet, the only one that encourages pain and suffering for entertainment.

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THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» OBSERVER Q&A

Do you think the Conservatives did the right thing in proroguing Parliament?

No, I don’t agree with what they’re doing.

No, because they’re there to serve the public and answer to the public.

No, because I don’t think the issues take a break for that long.

No, because I don’t think any job can be put on hold.

» Aden Brubacher

» Colleen Button

» Dave Campbell

» Theresa Floto

» THE VIEW FROM HERE | SCOTT ARNOLD

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BUSINESS |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

BUSINESS » TO MARKET

15

Plenty to beef about in 2009 Heading into their annual meeting, local cattle producers hope new year brings more positives

Beef producers are hoping that 2010 will prove to be a better year than 2009, after being battered by a climbing Canadian dollar over the past 12 months.

When the Waterloo Cattlemen’s Association holds its annual general meeting in Linwood Jan. 20, market volatility will be one of the topics on the agenda.

The biggest challenge for cattle feeders in 2009 was the Canadian dollar, which was not only high but unpredictable.

“With an export market like we have, we’re tied so closely to the United States that when the dollar changes, our market goes up and down automatically,” said Steve Foster, president of the Waterloo Cattlemen’s Association. “When you take it over a six or eight month feeding period … you can lose 15 per cent without the markets ever changing.”

The Canadian dollar rose 15.9 per cent versus the American dollar in 2009. If the loonie would drop, or at least

PHOTO | JONI MILTENBURG

JONI MILTENBURG

LOOKING FOR STEAK, NOT SIZZLE Graham Snyder (right) and his father Robert ship about 500 cattle per year from their Breslau-area farms.

The Snyders are hoping for better prospects in 2010, as 2009 proved a challenge just to break even for beef producers. stabilize over the coming months, it would be a boon to producers.

The instability forced Breslau-area beef producer Graham Snyder to change the way he sells his cattle. He and his

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“It’s a quicker reaction at the stockyards as opposed to selling direct,” Snyder said. “The margins that we’re keeping are very slim and we’re struggling to break even on cattle right now.”

The economic downturn has also hurt beef producers, as people tighten their belts and opt for hamburgers over prime rib.

“Prime cuts aren’t selling as well. People aren’t going out to higher-end restaurants and buying the steaks and fillets,” Foster said.

While lower-end cuts like hamburger have picked up in value, it hasn’t been enough to compensate for the losses on choice cuts.

One issue that the Cattlemen’s Association faced in 2009 that will continue into 2010 is the regulations introduced by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency regarding specified risk materials or SRMs. SRMs – the brain and spinal cord – from cattle more than 30 months old have to be removed and disposed of in a way that ensures no part of them ends up in animal feed. Contaminated feed is believed to be the source of the BSE that was discovered in Canadian cattle in 2003.

Foster acknowledges that the regulations See BEEF page »17

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16 | BUSINESS

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BUSINESS |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» FOOD FOR THOUGHT | OWEN ROBERTS

17

Sharpen your knife skills: jobs are waiting Robots can build cars, diffuse bombs and fly airplanes, but they still can’t carve a side of beef.

It takes humans engaged in what the meat sector calls knife skills – in cutting, and even in sharpening – and they’re critically needed in the food processing business.

That’s a major finding in a new training-needs report prepared by the Guelph-based Ontario Independent Meat Processors. The association surveyed 74 of its 200 members, and found nearly three-quarters of them cite training for butchers or meat cutters as their highest need by far.

There’s no question it’s a skill. Knowing for sure what to do with a severalhundred-pound carcass is vital for getting the most out of it. It doesn’t look too complicated when you see those meat-aisle schematic drawings that outline the various cuts. But it’s like the difference between a sewing pattern and a finely finished, tailored suit. Getting from start to finish requires training and skill.

Local food is part of the reason for

this shortage, and for all the right reasons.

The independent meat processors represent small- and medium-sized companies, and despite the recession, they’ve held their own. They’re poised for more growth as local food movements grow. Consumers are turning to them for homegrown and specialty items that most big box stores can’t provide. Specialized workers are needed to accommodate these needs.

Neighbourhood butchers fuel local livestock production as well. The meat has to come from somewhere, and if the butchers aren’t farming it themselves, they need a source. That’s good news for a provincial livestock sector whose numbers are on the bubble.

Another reason for the sector’s stability is that some of the original and storied moms-and-pops who opened neighbourhood or regional butcher shops and delis are now handing over their businesses to sons and daughters. Some of these are graduates returning from college and university programs with their heads full of new ideas and energy.

You see that inventiveness surface when the meat processing association, which is 30 years old this year, holds its annual awards competition for

product excellence. It’s not unusual to meet winners in their 20s and early 30s who’re integrating new ingredients such as sundried tomatoes with traditional products such as sausage. The graying of the workforce has hit meat processing like everyone else, but in some cases there’s family lineage to count on.

Product-wise, the next horizon for everyone in the meat industry relates to health – low sodium and low fat products, in particular, as well as specialties such as gluten-free items, and ethnic products that specifically appeal to new Canadians.

Of course, food safety and conforming to new government standards will also keep these shops in need of constant professional development.

“They’re not hobbyists anymore,” says association executive director

Laurie Nicol.

In fact, in the association’s report, it says almost 70 per cent of its members believe their training needs will increase in the next five years, because the current employment pool lacks specialized talent. Despite so many layoffs in manufacturing, meat processors are not seeing an increase in qualified applicants.

“Many of those looking for work come from auto assembly and auto parts manufacturing ... and find the meat sector represents a huge learning curve,” says the association’s report.

Which brings us back to knife skills.

They, along with sausage-making abilities, are in the shortest supply.

And if no one learns how to trim carcasses, skills won’t be the only thing you can’t find at the meat counter.

When can this be my full-time job?

Beef: Farmers looking for feds to level the playing field » From page 15

make sense from a food safety perspective, but farmers are paying the cost. The CFIA regula-

tions add $50 to $70 to the cost of slaughtering an animal in Canada.

The problem is that the United States doesn’t

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have the same regulations or costs, putting Canadian producers at a disadvantage.

“The CFIA is trying to hold us to a higher level than the rest of the world, and while doing this they will probably drive us out of business,” Foster said.

The Cattlemen’s Association is asking the government to pick up the tab for the extra costs, to level the playing field.

There are a few positive indicators for 2010.

The number of cows in North America has dropped significantly over the past two years, meaning better markets and prices should be on the horizon. However, those higher prices will only offset the pressures of economic malaise.

“If everything was normal in the economy, we’d be in for a banner year in the cattle business,” Foster said. “Right now the way it looks I’d say we’re probably just going to be treading water for another year.”

The Waterloo Cattlemen’s Association annual general meeting will be held Jan. 20 at the Linwood Community Centre. To register, contact Steve Foster at 519-746-0258.

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18 | SPORTS

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

SPORTS

» RESTRUCTURING

Changes likely for Junior hockey PHOTO | JONI MILTENBURG

OHA floating idea of premier league for Junior A and B squads; proposes merging Junior C and D

Jarred Parent scored first for the Kings, firing in a rebound on a shot from Jake Jefferies and Michael Therrien. Josh Woolley made it a 2-0 lead at 12:44, picking up a feed from Parent and Spencer MacCormack in the slot, wheeling

The Elmira Sugar Kings won’t be applying to join a new premier league proposed by the Ontario Hockey Association.

Sugar Kings president Jeff Seddon likes the idea of reorganization, but said the Kings are content to stay at the Junior B level.

“We’ve operated as a B team with a good bunch of guys that are operating successfully and we don’t see any reason to change that.”

Dubbed “Tomorrow’s Game,” the OHA’s plan would see the creation of a 16-team premier league for the fall of 2010. The 36 provincial Junior A clubs and 25 Junior B clubs were invited to apply to the new premier circuit in December.

The idea is to create an elite league that would draw the top players and feed into the OHL and NCAA, and make OHA

See KINGS page »19

See OHA page »20

MAKING HIS MOVE Elmira’s Lukas Baleshta advances on Listowel defender Kyle Goss in the first period of play last Sunday. Baleshta, a native of West Montrose, had an assist as the Sugar Kings downed the Cyclones 8-2.

Kings end winless streak This weekend’s play to provide good test for Elmira squad, says coach JONI MILTENBURG After a winless December, the Elmira Sugar Kings found January more to their liking as they downed the Listowel Cyclones 8-2 last Sunday, ending a seven-game winless

streak at the same time.

The Kings showed no mercy to a shorthanded Listowel squad, scoring a trio of power play goals, a shorthanded goal and four more at even strength to win the game.

“Someone said to me, ‘do you feel bad?’” head coach

Geoff Haddaway recounted.

“I said I don’t feel bad for them; we’ve been short bodies all season long. You can’t look at it that way, but you certainly have to seize that opportunity and I thought our guys did a really good job of that.”

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SPORTS |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» THE NOT-SO-GREAT OUTDOORSMAN | STEVE GALEA

19

Gift-giving is all about making the right call “You low down, rotten #&$@, %$#@ !”

Although it wasn’t a very festive holiday greeting, that quick and descriptive sentence took me back to a simpler time, when I was actually married to the woman.

“And good day to you too!” I replied.

The call came just after Christmas,

apparently because she did not approve of the gift I had given our son.

Well, not so much the gift as the sage wisdom that came with it.

“Why would you tell the boy to practice with it religiously at the crack of dawn each morning?” she asked.

There, of course, are many reasons.

For one thing, this is typically the time when duck calls work best. You’d think she would have known that, after having spent all those wasted

Kings: Hoping to build on win » From page 18

and shooting it past keeper Brock Hansell.

In the second frame, Zach Salomon (Kody Ellis, Lukas Baleshta) built up the Kings’ lead further, neatly deking Hansell for a shorthanded goal and making the score 3-0.

The Cyclones made a move onto the scoreboard midway through the second with a power play goal from Dawson Smith.

The Kings’ power play kicked into gear at 13:29 when Brad Kraus and Andrew Smith crossed the puck to Jake Jefferies, who ripped a slapshot straight into the back of the net. With 40 seconds left in the second, Smith (Brennon Pearce, Jon Jutzi) notched a power play goal of his own, going top shelf on a rebound from Hansell.

Listowel opened the third period with a second power play goal from Dan Mohle, making the score 5-2. The rest of the game was about the Kings, who added three more in the final frame.

Tyson LeBlanc, from Jutzi and Therrien, converted with a third power play goal just eight seconds after the Listowel player headed to the box.

At 9:50, Salomon picked up a feed from MacCormack, fired a shot over a sliding defender and Par-

ent knocked the rebound in for his second of the game. With four minutes remaining, Therrien (Parent, Woolley) fired a shot that Hansell got a piece of but not enough and it trickled into the net.

In net for the Kings, Nick Horrigan stopped 35 shots.

Haddaway was pleased to see the Kings go three for six on the power play, an area that has been a bit of an Achille’s heel this season.

“Right before the break, we were starting to show some signs of power play life. We’ve given some ice time to guys who weren’t getting much power play time and they’ve come up with some great efforts.

You’re not always necessarily going to score, but if you have strong puck pursuit and you’re creating good scoring chances, eventually that’s going to pay off.”

The win followed a 7-4 loss to Cambridge on Jan. 2, where the Kings saw a two-goal lead slip through their fingers.

Parent scored early in the first period and Riley Sonnenburg added another 6:25 in the second to give Elmira the lead. Matt Amadio put Cambridge on the board before Therrien restored the Kings’ lead to two.

But the Winter Hawks added three more in the second period – one from Mike Sones and a pair from Matt Reis – to take a 4-3 lead. Sones added another five minutes into the third to widen the margin.

Brad Kraus brought Elmira within one with a power play goal at 12:39, only to see Cambridge notch an unassisted goal and finally an empty net goal to win 7-4.

“We played a pretty good game, we just couldn’t come up with that killer instinct to put a team away,” Haddaway said.

“We’ve got to realize those are situations where we’ve got to put our foot down and keep it down.”

Through a scheduling quirk, the Kings return to Cambridge Saturday (today) for a rematch against the Winter Hawks. It’s unusual to play the same team on the road a week apart, but Haddaway said it’s a good test for the Kings.

“Hopefully we can go in there Saturday to be a little hungrier and get an opportunity to show some killer instinct.”

The Kings return home Sunday to face the Stratford Cullitons, the team currently two points ahead of Elmira in the standings. The puck drops Sunday at 2 p.m.

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years with me.

Next, there’s nothing like blowing on a duck call first thing in the day to make a man feel truly alive.

Lastly, it teaches a person to be calm under fire. Heck, if you can blow a double-reed duck call through a whole highball, come back, and feeding chuckle sequence when another bleary-eyed person is yelling at you and questioning your immediate ancestry, you’ll be ready for any of the lesser threats – like incoming artillery – you might face later in life.

Of course, if she had understood all this and several thousand other bits of outdoors lore we still might be married. So I didn’t bother to say it.

Instead, I smiled, knowing that the boy took his sacred obligation to that duck call seriously.

“He’s practicing every morning is he?” I asked, thrilled at the prospect.

“You knew he would,” she snapped.

Not to brag, but I raised the boy right. Besides, he’s my son, which makes him genetically predisposed to doing anything that’s required to up the odds of bagging a limit of ducks. I had never been prouder.

“Now try to be objective for a moment,” I said. “Is he any good?”

The comments that followed for the next five minutes actually had very little to do with his progress as a duck caller at all.

“Whoa!” I said. “Go easy. That’s his grandmother you’re talking about there.”

“I am going to pass him over to you

and you will tell him to practice with his duck call outside at a different hour,” she said in a tone that took me back, once again.

“Hey dad,” he began.

“Hey son,” I said.

We then made our typical small talk about school, the girls he was interested in, and different duck hunting techniques that every teenager ought to know. Nothing too complicated, mostly the fundamentals, of course.

“I hear you are doing well with your duck call,” I said.

“Yup,” he answered, “I can hardly wait until next fall.”

“Me too son,” I replied.

“Want me to go through a calling sequence for you now?” he asked eagerly.

“I’d love it son,” I replied. “But this is probably not a good time.”

“She does get edgy,” he concurred.

“Listen,” I said. “About that morning practice session. Maybe you should give it a rest for a while. Your mother, after all, never was a morning person.”

“Yeah, weird huh?”

“You think I should stop practicing for a while?” he asked.

“No son,” I advised. “Just practice at a different time.”

“How about eight o’clock in the evening?” he said. “She’d probably never notice then. She’s glued to her favourite television show.”

I smiled and said, “That sounds like a great plan. Now how about one calling sequence for the road?”

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20 | SPORTS

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» SOJHL

New year proving fruitful for Applejacks Wellesley follows up good play in shootout loss with strong win over first-place Thamesford Trojans JONI MILTENBURG

PHOTO | JONI MILTENBURG

The Wellesley Applejacks started the new year on a high note, writing off a 10-game winless streak by thumping the Thamesford Trojans 6-2 on Jan. 2.

After picking up three points in their last two games, the Jacks are nipping at the heels of the Ta-

OUT THE OTHER SIDE Recent addition Justin Roeder controls the puck behind the Thamesford net Jan. 2.

Roeder had a pair of goals for the Applejacks, including the game winner, as Wellesley upset Thamesford 6-2.

vistock Braves, just four points back in the race for a playoff spot.

On Dec. 30, the Jacks hosted another top team, the league-leading Delhi Travellers for Hockey Night in Wellesley. When the two teams faced off back in September, the Jacks were on the short end of a 9-1 loss. This time around, they went all the

way to a shootout before Delhi clinched a 4-3 victory.

Matt Aspden opened the scoring for Wellesley on a feed from Eric Parr and Justin Milne, triggering a volley of 105 teddy bears that hit the ice for the teddy bear toss.

Delhi tied the game at one apiece with a power See JACKS page »21

OHA: Both Kings and Jacks prepared to stay in current leagues hockey into a relevant development league again.

Locally, the Waterloo Siskins and the Cambridge Winter Hawks have announced their intention to apply for the premier circuit.

Interested teams have to submit their application, budget proposals and a $25,000 entry fee before the Feb. 1 deadline. The entry fee will go toward operating the new league; clubs that aren’t successful will have $24,000 returned to them.

OHA president Brett Ladds said he hasn’t received any applications to date, but has fielded a number of calls from interested clubs.

The OHA is hoping to start the premier circuit with 16 teams, although it could go ahead with eight or 10. Eventually it could expand to as many as 24 teams.

Interested teams will have to pony up a lot more than the $25,000 entry fee.

Travel costs would be significant; the new league could potentially stretch from Kingston to Windsor and from Fort Erie to North Bay. Teams are required to have a least one full-time staffer, and premier teams could expect to billet more players.

Ladds said a premier league franchise could have a budget of $200,000 to $250,000 – double what many Junior B clubs currently muster.

It’s unlikely that a community-owned club would be able to afford the cost, Seddon said, especially in a hockey-saturated market like Waterloo Region.

That means a move to private ownership.

Sugar Kings coach Geoff Haddaway said that in theory, he likes the idea of creating a premier league and cutting down the number of teams at the Junior A and Junior B level.

“I like the fact that we can maybe establish 15 to 20 teams that we identify as clearly being the premier league in Ontario.

So that when kids are moving up, we know that they’re moving up.”

The Junior A clubs bill themselves as a higher level of hockey, siphoning players away from Junior B, but the level of play isn’t necessarily better, Haddaway said.

“I watch a lot of hockey and I would acknowledge that there are a couple of teams that are probably better, but for the most part it’s the same as us.”

The province’s Junior A clubs have been pre-

dictably less enthusiastic. The OHA’s proposal would mean they would either have to join the premier circuit or compete with Junior B clubs for players – or be squeezed out altogether. The 36 Junior A franchises have filed an appeal with the Ontario Hockey Federation, arguing the Tomorrow’s Game proposal is unacceptable.

Although they’re putting up a united front of protest, Ladds said he has heard from two Junior A clubs interested in applying for the premier circuit. He emphasized that the proposal was the result of two years of work, including consultations and workshops with the Junior A and Junior B clubs.

Seddon said the reorganization isn’t designed to single out certain organizations or teams; the OHA went through a process to set parameters for how everybody should operate.

“If you can meet that requirement, you can operate, and if you can’t, you can’t operate. So there are guys scrambling around because they see the possibility exists that they could lose the franchise.”

A certain amount of culling is necessary, Sed-

don said. There are simply too many teams vying for players at the Junior A and B levels.

“It’s just an effort to put things back in a normal position, where a letter – A,B,C,D – means something in terms of the quality of play and you can rise to that level.

Effectively there are too many teams, not enough quality players. The cream doesn’t rise to the top.”

The Tomorrow’s Game plan also calls for the amalgamation of the

Junior C and Junior Development leagues. The Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League (Junior D) took the first step recently, notifying the OHA it would like to move to Junior C as a unit next year.

There are two possible outcomes, Ladds said: Junior D could either operate as its own league within Junior C, or merge into existing Junior C leagues.

Kevin Fitzpatrick, coach and GM of the Wellesley Applejacks, said his preference would be to

keep the current Junior D teams together, maintaining existing rivalries and travel schedules. There’s a lot of fear, he said, that longtime Junior clubs could go by the wayside.

The Junior hockey landscape is about to change, but exactly how and when won’t be clear until closer to the Feb. 1 deadline. Despite the opposition, Seddon said he thinks the OHA’s proposal will go ahead.

“We believe that the end result will be a better quality of play at all levels.”

Novices take tourney at WMC

PHOTO | SUBMITTED

» From page 18

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SPORTS |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» From page 18

play goal at the end of the first period. Wellesley reclaimed the lead 20 seconds into second frame, with Pat Doyle (Mark Hamilton) putting the puck away.

The Travellers moved in front with a pair of power play goals in the third period. The game sat 3-2 until 15:47 when Milne, from Eric Parr, scored a tying goal.

The Jacks thought they had the winning goal in overtime – both teams had started to leave the ice – but the referee discounted it, forcing a shootout. Delhi’s Nathan Moyaert clinched the game-winning goal.

While it would have been nice to claim two points, head coach Kevin Fitzpatrick was pleased with the team’s play in coming back to tie up the game.

“It was good to see we got something for our hard work,” Fitzpatrick said.

On Saturday, the Jacks took on the Thamesford Trojans, the team sitting in first place of the Bauer conference. The Jacks’ offensive lines were click-

ing and they fired 53 shots to Thamesford’s 29. In net for Wellesley, Kurt Martin stopped 27 shots.

The Jacks got their first goal in a mad scramble around the net, with Justin Roeder finally shoveling the puck in and Rob Hinschberger and Shawn Fitzpatrick picking up assists.

The second period opened with a flurry of goals: Thamesford evened things up at 1:44 with a power play goal by Connor McKay. Wellesley regained the lead 12 seconds later when Nathan Regier (Jake Albrecht, Rob Martin) blasted in a slapshot from the faceoff circle. A mere eight seconds later, Thamesford tied the score again at two apiece.

The Jacks regained the lead midway through the second with a power play goal of their own, when Roeder deflected a slapshot into the back of the net.

Wellesley racked up another pair of goals in the final minute of the second period. The Jacks bombarded Thamesford keeper Matt Rowe, who gave up rebounds on shots from Doyle and Rob

Bolger before Ben Jefferies put it away. Then with 13 seconds left, Moggy, from Aspden, hammered in a shot from the blue line.

The Jacks added one more to their total at 13:36 in the third period; Doyle fed a pass to Jefferies, who carried it across to McKay’s trapper side and backhanded it in, making the final score 6-2.

The loss was the third for the Trojans in their last four games, leaving them clinging to the top spot by a thread.

“We just played great,” Fitzpatrick said. “We did the things we’ve been preaching about.”

The Jacks are still working on special teams; they scored just one goal on 11 power play chances over their last two games, and allowed four goals on 11 penalty kills. But Fitzpatrick was encouraged after Saturday’s match, noting he was more excited Monday than most weeks.

“We’ve just got to keep it up.”

The Jacks travelled to Ayr Thursday night and host the Lucan Irish tonight (Saturday). Game time is 7:30 p.m.

Lancers extend their unbeaten streak

READY TO SERVE Katie Purdy lines up a serve in junior girls’ volleyball action at EDSS Tuesday.

Elmira defeated Glenview Park three sets to one, extending their unbeaten streak to five games.

PHOTO | JONI MILTENBURG

Jacks: Focus on special teams

21

22 | SPORTS

SCORECARD ters, Jacob Code, Seth Morrison)

LL#1 4, LL#2 2 LL#1 goals: Hannah Carr, Delaney Douglas, Abigail Burkholder, Mya Brubacher (Hannah Carr, Katherine Carter, Abigail Burkholder) LL#2 goals: Zoe Peev x2

WOOLWICH ATOM B GIRLS

WOOLWICH NOVICE BOYS LL#1

Jan. 2

Dec. 28

Woolwich 9, Paris 3 Goals: Zac Pickard x6, Zachery Verwey x2, Sullivan Keen (Matthew Brubacher x3, Ben Metzger, Zachery Verwey, Sullivan Keen, Gavin Roemer, Joseph Boehm x2, Seth Horst) Jan. 2

Woolwich 2, Paris 0 Goals: Zac Pickard, Kyle Deyell

WOOLWICH NOVICE BOYS LL#2 Jan. 2

Woolwich 6, St. George 1 Goals: Tyler Horst x2, Ryan Belanger x2, Andrew Kieswetter, Shae-Lynn Martin (Andrew Kieswetter, Ryan Belanger x2, Jacob MacDonald)

WOOLWICH NOVICE BOYS LL#3 Jan. 2

Ayr 3, Woolwich 2 Goals: CJ Sider x2 (Simon Zenker, Brendan Grant, Kyle Rintoul, Corbin Kaufman)

WOOLWICH NOVICE BOYS LL#4 Woolwich tournament Game 1

Woolwich 7, New Hamburg #1 2 Goals: Kieffer Beard x2, Hunter Schmitt x3, Eli Baldin x2 (Tyler Martin x2, Eli Baldin x2, Hunter Schmitt, Owen Harnock, Parker Merlihan, Alex Devore Player of the game: Eli Baldin Game 2

Woolwich 4, New Hamburg #3 3 Goals: Kieffer Beard, Hunter Schmitt, Eli Baldin x2 (Hunter Schmitt x2, Tyler Martin) Player of the game: Kieffer Beard Championship

Woolwich 8, New Hamburg#3 1 Goals: Eli Baldin x4, Hunter Schmitt x3, Colton Schmitt (Ben Witmer, Tyler Martin) Player of the game: Colton Schmitt Jan. 2

Woolwich 7, Ayr 2 Goals: Tanner Mann, Eli Baldin x4, Hunter Schmitt x2 (Kieffer Beard, Hunter Schmitt, Eli Baldin, Jesse Martin) Jan. 3

Woolwich 8, Plattsville 0 Goals: Tanner Mann, Kieffer Beard x2, Eli Baldin x3, Hunter Schmitt, Cameron Martin (Alex Devore, Kieffer Beard, Colin Merlihan, Jesse Martin, Colton Schmitt, Parker Merlihan, Owen Harnock Shutout: Nate Maier

WOOLWICH MAJOR NOVICE A BOYS Brampton Silver Stick Tournament Dec. 27 – Game 1

Woolwich 7, Southpoint 2 Goals: Jacob Code x2, Brody Waters x2, Griffen Rollins, Lukas Shantz, Seth Morrison (Sam Davidson x2, Ethan Young, Austin Cousineau, Brody Waters, Mackenzie Willms) Player of the game: Austin Cousineau Game 2

Woolwich 5, Ajax 1 Goals: Brody Waters x2, Jacob Code, Mitch Lee, Sam Davidson (Griffen Rollins, Mitch Lee, Justin Taylor) Player of the game: Sam Davidson Dec. 28 – Game 3

Woolwich 5, Cobourg 0 Goals: Josh Martin x2, Mitch Lee, Ethan Young, Jacob Code (Justin Taylor, Kurtis Hoover, Sam Davidson, Josh Martin) Shutout: Jody Weiss Player of the game: Seth Morrison Semi-finals

Whitby 3, Woolwich 1 Goal: Lukas Shantz Player of the Game: Cyrus Martin Dec. 2

Woolwich 4, Oakville 2 Goals: Sam Davidson x2, Austin Cousineau, Brody Waters (Lucas Shantz x2, Seth Morrison x2, Mackenzie Willms, Mitch Lee, Austin Cousineau, Sam Davidson) Dec. 3

Woolwich 6, Guelph 1 Goals: Brody Waters x3, Mackenzie Willms, Sam Davidson, Josh Martin (Sam Davidson x3, Griffen Rollins, Lucas Shantz, Brody Wa-

Jan. 2

Woolwich 2, North Halton 2 Goals: Caitlin Pickard x2

WOOLWICH ATOM BOYS LL#1 Woolwich 3, Beverly 0 Goals: Owen Lucier, Conner Graham, Walker Schott (Ryan Diemert, Michael Devries, Chris Williamson) Jan. 3

Woolwich 4, Plattsville 3 Goals: Riley Shantz, Luke Haugerud x2, Matthew MacDonald (Tim Mayberry) Jan. 4

LL#1 3, LL#2 2 Goals: Walker Schott x2, Emmett Bartley (Michael Devries x2, Hayden Fretz, Chris Williamson, Aaron Logan)

WOOLWICH ATOM BOYS LL#2 Jan. 4

LL#1 3, LL#2 2 Goals: Kyle Gingrich, Riley Shantz (Max Bender)

WOOLWICH RUSSELL ATOM AE BOYS Dec. 21

Woolwich 5, Wellington 2 Goals: Nathan Horst, Benton Weber x2, Justin Uhrig, Cameron Brown (Connor Graham, Mathew Uhrig x2, Cameron Brown, Brett Henry ) Jan. 2

Woolwich 1, Arthur 0 Goal: Jonathan Martin (Zachary Pogue, Ben Lenaers) Shutout: Dylan Creelman Jan. 4

Goals: Cora Keiswetter, Landis Saunders (Landis Saunders, Kendra Harold, Emily Willms, Taylor Rempel) Jan. 2

Woolwich 2, Wilmot 2 Goals: Blaire Snyder, Sydney Meunier (Meghan Martin, Erika Morrison, Emily Schuurmans, Michelle Wang) Woolwich 1, Milverton 1 Goal: Sydney Meunier (Emily Schuurmans, Meghan Martin)

Burlington 5, Woolwich 1 Goal: Bo Uridil (Alex White, Timmy Shuh)

Owen Sound 3, Woolwich 1 Goal: Riley Runstedler (Jordan Lee, Cole Altman)

WOOLWICH MAJOR ATOM A BOYS Pelham Silver Stick tournament Game 1

Welland 3, Woolwich 0 Game 2

Woolwich 8, Dorchester 3 Goals: Isaac Frey, Noah Zeller x2, Jacob Uridil x4, Sheldon Metzger (Jordan Gamble, Mitch Waters, Keagan Saunders, Cameron Rose x2, Noah Zeller, Isaac Frey, Jonah Boehm, Owen Read, Connor Martin) Game 3

Woolwich 4, Hamilton 2 Goals: Jonah Boehm, Jordan Gamble, Jacob Uridil x2 (Jacob Uridil, Isaac Frey, Owen Read, Keagan Saunders x2, Mitch Waters, Jonah Boehm) Quarter-finals

Woolwich 5, Burlington 4 OT Goals: Jonah Boehm, Jacob Uridil x2, Sheldon Metzger x2 (Sheldon Metzger, Connor Martin, Jacob Uridil) Semi-finals

Grimsby 5, Woolwich 0 Jan. 2

Woolwich 6, Burlington 0 Goals: Keagan Saunders, Sheldon Metzger x2, Jacob Uridil x2, Jordan Gamble (Sheldon Metzger, Connor Martin, Daniel Gallant, Keagan Saunders, Noah Zeller Shutout: Alex Metzger Jan. 3

Woolwich 2, Caledon 2 Goals: Isaac Frey, Noah Zeller (Daniel Gallant)

WOOLWICH PEEWEE B GIRLS Dec. 23

Woolwich 1, Waterloo 0 Goal: Claire Hanley (Gillian Olsthoorn, Cassandra Tuffnail) Shutout: Dana Colombo Jan. 2

Woolwich 2, Mitchell 1

Jan. 2

Caledon 4, Woolwich 3 Goals: Timothy Shuh, Owen Griffiths, Jasper Bender (Bo Uridil, Austin Mole, Brady Erb, Matthew Lair, Tristen White, Timothy Shuh)

WOOLWICH PEEWEE BOYS LL#1 Jan. 2

Woolwich 10, St. George 0 Goals: Joseph Hanley, Austin Horst, Matthew Lalonde x5, Adam Elliott, Trent Thompson, Nick Berlet (Austin Horst x2, Jeff Talbot, Nick Berlet x3, Jacob Cornwall, Matt Jessop, Spencer Andersen, Joseph Hanley, Matthew Lalonde, Trent Thompson, Kyle Ropp, Adam Elliott, Carter Hanley x3) Shutout: Wyatt Whitby

Jan. 3

Hespeler 3, Woolwich 2 Goals: Johnny Clifford, Owen Griffiths (Alex White, Brady Erb)

TWIN CENTRE MIDGET GIRLS LL

Jason Cripps tournament, Kitchener Dec. 27 – Game 1

WOOLWICH PEEWEE BOYS LL#2

Twin Centre 6, Stratford 0 Goals: Janessa Heywood, Becky Cornwall, Katie Uberig, Sarah Miltenburg, Callie Churchill (Hannah Snider, Shannon Lorentz) Shutout: Amanda Runstedler

Dec. 28

Woolwich 6, Paris 2 Goals: Keaton Sanders x2, Luke Charter x2, Isaac Fishbein x2 (Dylan Arndt, Isaac Fishbein, Jake Bruder, Matt Greene)

Dec. 28 – Game 2

Jan. 2

Twin Centre 3, Kitchener 0 Goals: Katie Uberig, Kaitlyn Jantzi, Cassie Hergott (Hannah Snider, Jayme Marshall, Katie Uberig) Shutout: Amanda Runstedler

Woolwich 2, St. George 2 Goals: Dylan Arndt, Isaac Fishbein (Luke Charter, Taylor Kuchma)

WOOLWICH RUSSELL PEEWEE AE BOYS

Game 3

Dec. 23

Twin Centre 4, Waterloo #1 2 Goals: Carling Cisecki, Katie Uberig (Jayme Marshall x2)

Wellington 6, Woolwich 0 Jan. 3

Dec. 23

Dec. 28 – Game 2

WOOLWICH MINOR BANTAM A BOYS Dec. 23

WOOLWICH MINOR ATOM A BOYS Woolwich 3, Hespeler 2 Goals: Matthew MacDonald, Nolan McLaughlin, Daniel Carr (Nolan McLaughlin, Cade Schaus x2, Matthew MacDonald, Riley Runstedler, Brad Hale)

Twin Centre 1, Woolwich 0 Goal: Katie Uberig (Alanna Harte) Shutout: Amanda Runstedler

Jan. 3

Wellington 2, Woolwich 1 Goal: Connor Peirson (Nathan Schwarz)

Dec. 27 – Game 1

Dec. 29 – Game 4

Jan. 2

Tavistock 12, Woolwich 5 Goals: Marty Metzger, Bradley Thomas, Lucas Nosal, Nigel Baldin, Jordan Aivalitiotis (Brett Kaiser x3, Cole Burkhart, Nigel Baldin, Duncan MacDonald, Jordan Aivalitiotis, Marty Metzger)

WOOLWICH PEEWEE C GIRLS

Wellington 4, Woolwich 2 Goals: James Cooper, Mathew Uhrig (Earl Schwartz) Hespeler Tournament

WOOLWICH BANTAM BOYS LL#1

Dec. 30 – Semi-final

Twin Centre 4, Waterloo #2 0 Goals: Jayme Marshall x2, Hannah Snider, Jenna Dietrich (Janessa Heywood, Cassie Hergott, Jenna Dietrich, Ally Guenther, Hannah Snider, Carling Cisecki) Shutout: Amanda Runstedler Championship

Twin Centre 2, Kitchener 1 Goals: Katie Uberig, Jenna Dietrich (Callie Churchill, Alanna Harte, Cassie Hergott, Jayme Marshall) Jan. 5

Twin Centre 0, Waterloo 0 Shutout: Amanda Runstedler

WOOLWICH MINOR MIDGET A BOYS Hespeler Olympics

lupp, Dalton Taylor, Brayden Stevens, Ryan Ament) Player of the Game: Dalton Taylor Dec. 30 – Championship game

Woolwich 2, Lincoln 1 Goals: Jake Kernick, Jordan Moore (Alex David, Jordan Moore) Player of the Game: Blake Ziegler Jan. 2

Woolwich 5, Owen Sound 3 Goals: Justin Neeb, Ryan Ament, Brayden Stevens, Jordan Moore, Clinton Dechert (Logan White, Jordan Moore, Jake Kernick, Stephen Kardasz, Justin Neeb, Ryan Ament) Jan. 3

Woolwich 5, Owen Sound 1 Goals: Justin Neeb, Nathan Playford x2, Ryan Ament, Alex David (Jordan Moore, Alex David, Ryan Ament x2, Logan White x3, Adam Brubacher x2)

WOOLWICH MAJOR MIDGET A BOYS

Dec. 27 – Game 1

Brampton Silver Stick tournament

Woolwich 2, Hespeler 1 Goals: Ryan Ament, Jordan Moore (Jake Kernick, Clinton Dechert) Player of the game: Simon Baleshta

Dec. 28 – Game 1

Whitby 2, Woolwich 1 Goal: Andrew Moore (Taylor Doering)

Dec. 28 – Game 2

Woolwich 3, Ajax 3 Goals: Justin Van Elswyk, Kyle Uttley, Ryan Bauman (RJ Good, Justin Van Elswyk)

Woolwich 7, Cedar Hill 0 Goals: Jordan Moore x3, Ryan Ament x3, Alex David (Justin Neeb, Alex David,, Brayden Stevens, Nathan Playford) Shutout: Tyler MacGregor Player of the Game: Ryan Ament Dec. 29 – Game 3

Lincoln 4, Woolwich 2 Goals: Alex David, Jordan Moore Player of the Game: Alex David Semi-final

Woolwich 4, Hamilton 2 Goals: Dalton Taylor x2, Stephen Kardasz, Jordan Moore (Stephen Kardasz, Justin Sch-

Dec. 29 – Game 2

Jan. 2

Woolwich 5, Oakville 4 Goals: Alex Albrecht, RJ Good, Justin Van Elswyk x2, Ted Sebben (Jake Radcliffe, Matt Dumart, Josh Wade x2, Ted Sebben, Kyle Uttley, Taylor Doering, RJ Good x2) Jan. 3

Woolwich 5, Caledon 3 Goals: RJ Good x3, Ted Sebben x2 Assists: Jake Radcliffe x2, Jonathon Weber x2, Alex Albrecht, Ben Mitchell, Ted Sebben, RJ Good)

Victory over Lincoln secures gold medal

WOOLWICH MINOR PEEWEE BOYS Hespeler 4, Woolwich 2 Goals: Liam Dickson x2 (Jayden Hipel, Tyler Moser x2) Jan. 2

Woolwich 6, Guelph 0 Goals: Connor Bauman x2, Jaden Hipel, Connor Goss, Liam Dickson, Kelby Martin (Danyal Rennie x2, Blake Doerbecker, Brant McLaughlin, Connor Runstedler, Mathieu Fife x2, Connor Bauman, Jayden Hipel, Kelby Martin) Shutout: Evan Courtis Jan. 3

Burlington 4, Woolwich 1 Goal: Mathieu Fife (Jayden Hipel)

WOOLWICH MAJOR PEEWEE A BOYS Brampton Silver Stick tournament Dec. 27 – Game 1

Woolwich 1, Whitby 0 Goal: Evan Martin (Cole Conlin, Nicholas Pavanel) Shutout: Jayden Weber

PHOTO | SUBMITTED

Jan. 2

Submit your sports scores to: jmiltenburg@woolwichobserver.com

GOLDEN SMILES The Woolwich Minor Midgets defeated Lincoln 2-1 in the gold medal game to take the top spot at the Hespeler Olympics tournament Dec. 30. Back row: head coach Jeff MacGregor, assistant coach Terry Taylor, Jeff Martin, Dalton Taylor, Simon Baleshta, Alex David, Kadison Hipel, Brayden Stevens, Jordan Moore, Clinton Dechert, assistant coach Tyson Collins and trainer Keith Dechert. Middle row: Jake Kernick, Weston Morlock, Justin Schlupp, Nathan Playford, Ryan Ament, Justin Neeb, Logan White and Stephen Kardasz. Front: Tyler MacGregor and Blake Ziegler.

Game 2

Woolwich 2, Aurora 1 Goals: Alex Uttley x2 (Adam Jokic x2, Nathan Schlupp) Game 3

Woolwich 4, London 0 Goals: Matthew Leger x2, Jason Gamble x2 (Harrison Clifford, Grant Kernick, Adam Jokic, Alex Uttley x2) Shutout: Carson Kyte

Christmas present for Bantams

Dec. 28 – Semi-final

Erindale 4, Woolwich 2 Goals: Matthew Leger, Alex Uttley (Harrison Clifford, Grant Kernick) Jan. 2

Woolwich 5, Guelph 0 Goals: Jason Gamble, Matthew Leger x2, Harrison Clifford, Cole Lenaers (Alex Uttley, Harrison Clifford, Cole Lenaers, Evan Martin, Matthew Leger, Bailey Nickel x2 and Grant Kernick x3) Shutout: Carson Kyte

WOOLWICH BANTAM B GIRLS Jan. 2

Woolwich 2, Wilmot 0 Goals: Melanie Schwartzentruber x2 (Jennifer Norris x2, Corey Hinsperger, Rebecca Luis) Shutout: Elizabeth Vanderstam Jan. 3

Sarnia 3, Woolwich 2 Goals: Lindsey Bauman x2 (Emily Chapman, Sara Church)

PHOTO | SUBMITTED

WOOLWICH NOVICE GIRLS LL#1

»

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

VICTORIOUS The Woolwich Bantam LL#4 team claimed first in the South Huron Minor Hockey Christmas tournament in Exeter Dec. 29. Back row: head coach Paul Drennan, trainer Patrick Houle, Sebastion Lane, Conor Jansen, Brock McDonald, Chase Duke, Chris Wilson, Drew Hoffer Michael Sokolowski, Trent Thompson and assistant coach Bob Laird. Middle row: Ryan Drennan, Trevor Bowman, Drew Jansen, Brendan Taylor and James Houle. Front: Brock Thompson.

»

CLASSIFIEDS | SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | FAMILY ALBUM |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

CLASSIFIED DEPT.

2007 519.669.5790 | 1.888.966.5942 FAX | 519.669.5753 EMAIL | sales@ObserverXtra.com

SALES & SERVICE

HELP WANTED

FOR SALE

FOR SALE

23

COMPUTERS

» For Sale - Antique re-

finished dresser w/5 drawers, and two matching night stands, $100; and one three drawer dresser $25. Twin oak head and foot board w/side rails $100; 13” TV/VCR white GE $25; Queen size boxspring & mattress, in good condition, $25; Oak deacon’s bench $150. Call 519-669-1068 evenings. » Passport Photos, Gun licences etc. $10. Brian’s Photo, 57 Arthur St. S., Elmira. 519-210-0608.

Director of Care Chateau Gardens Elmira, ELMIRA This is an excellent opportunity for an energetic, motivated RN with 5 to 7 years of nursing experience, including 3+ years in a managerial capacity within the long term care industry. Drawing on your sound knowledge of relevant legislation, and extraordinary leadership and communication skills, you will direct all aspects of resident care, from setting care and service standards to managing staff and the budget. A BScN is preferred, and experience in infection control and MDS-RAI would be an asset.

Please fax or e-mail your resume, in confidence, to Ms. Joan Norris, Administrator, at 519-669-3027 or jnorris@chartwellreit.ca.

To learn more, please visit www.chartwellreit.ca.

COMM/IND FOR RENT

Thank you for your interest. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

No phone calls, please.

Respect • Empathy • Service Excellence • Performance • Education • Commitment • Trust

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED AZ DRIVER Local & Long distance.

Livestock experience an asset but will train.

Competitive wages & benefits.

Call 519-669-3991 or 519-577-2900 MARKET

ATTENTION!

ELMIRA INDOOR MARKET IS SEEKING VENDORS

Antiques, Crafts, Novelties, Jewelery, Bakery & Sweets; even your fresh produce!

Saturdays 9-2pm For info call: 519-590-4110 | Free January if paid for February

SHOPPING VILLAGE | 10 Church st. West

HELP WANTED

» Looking To Hire a Live-out Nanny for two preschool aged children, in the Elora area. 35 hours per week. Light housekeeping duties may be occassionally required.

Please forward resumes to elorananny@yahoo. ca or call 519-846-2738.

TRAINING & LESSONS

» Give the Gift of Music!

Guitar & Bass Lessons, Musical Instruments & Accessories. Gift Certificates available. Call 519 -669-5885.

FOR SALE

» Cherry Dining Room

Table 5ft + 3x1ft leaves, 6 chairs, 8 ft wide china cabinet $500 o.b.o. 2 x electric stair climbers/ chair lifts for split entrance home 1 x 6 step 1 x 7 step $500 o.b.o.

Will email pictures. 519894-0388. » Girls Figure Skates 2 pairs size 4 and 1 pair size 5. Excellent condition. $10 each. Call 519669-0909.

» Industrial Bay for rent.

64 Howard Ave., Elmira.

2000 sq ft., open space.

14’ high bay door. 16’ ceiling height, good for mezzanine. separate hydro, gas and water meters.

Inquiries please call 519465-8421 or 519-6691461 ext. 22. » Space For Lease: Retail/light commercial up to 3000 sq’ available. Can be divided into smaller sections. Newly redone, rear/front entrance, floor heating, 9’ ceilings, ample parking many uses permitted. Fronted in main intersection of St. Clements corner of Lobsinger Line and Herrgott Rd. Everything included $2.95 per sq’. Call 519-4048879.

RENTALS

» 2 Bedroom Unit available immediately - 14 Spring Street - Drayton.

1st floor unit in good condition. Call 519-669-1544 Mildred or Len Frey. » 36 Memorial Ave., Elmira. 2 BR basement apartment, available Feb. 1st. Only $775 + utilities.

Parking $25/mo. Please call Bob Eby at 519744-3711. » Barn For Rent, Floradale. 519-669-0394.

COMPUTERS - LAPTOPS

2010

Sales and Service

SALES & SERVICE

2008 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SE

Sto‘n’Go

CALL FOR DETAILS

36,932km, $17,900.00 fmr daily rental

2007 FORD FUSION AWD SEL Moonroof, 54,653km, $17,900.00

2007 MONTANA SV6 66,970km, $11,900.00 2007 FORD ESCAPE XLT 2WD, 37,981km, $17,500.00 2007 FORD RANGER Extended Cab 2WD, 99,675 km, $11,900.00 2006 FORD F150 CREW CAB XLT 4x4, 5.4L, 50,614km, $21,900.00

Come see our showroom at:

112 Bonnie onnie Crescent, Elmira r ra

519-669-5551

2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER 5Spd, 4 dr, 49,040km, $5900.00

1997 HONDA CIVIC EX 5Spd, 4 dr, 49,040km, $3500.00 All prices subject to GST & PST

47 Northside Dr., St. Jacobs, ON

519-664-2281

AUCTION *Woodworking, Mechanical, Construction & Shop Equipment*

AUCTION to be held at:

BRESLAU AIRPORT AUCTION COMPLEX

5100 FOUNTAIN ST, North, BRESLAU (Kitchener)

TRADES & SERVICES

Sat Jan 16th 9 am

47 Northside Dr., St. Jacobs, ON

519-664-2281

• Manufacturing of Landscape & Snow Removal Equipment • Custom Manufacturing and Machining • Agricultural, Industrial, Transportation & Construction Equipment Repairs

519.669.1501

100 Union St., Elmira, ON Toll Free 1.877.467.3478 www.reistindustries.com

RENTALS

RENTALS

» Available Immediately. » Elmira

2 Bedroom apartment in adult building, no smoking, no pets. $850 + hydro.

519-429-0230 or 519718-9292. » Elmira - 1 Bedroom in quiet, clean building. Mature, non smoking adult preferred. $530/mth + utilities. Call 519-669-2212.

- 3 bed, main floor, bungalow. Utilities incl., quiet neighbourhood. $950. Available Feb. 1. Call 519-5746105. » Elmira - Large, One bedroom, downtown Feb. 1. $495 + utilities. 519669-5431.

04 HOLDER Diesel Snowplow, Sander Blower & Mower 95 MT-V Diesel Trackless Sidewalk Snowplow c/w Sander 1979 Volvo 4200 Diesel 4wd Loader VERMEER 1250 Diesel Wood Chipper 98 Eager Beaver Triaxle Equip Trailer 07 Hercules TA 7x16 HD Enclosed Trailer c/w Ramp Construction/Mechanical Equipment:Ridgid 300 Power Vise/Threader, Stands & Tools 7-NEW Arena Lights * Pipe Wrenches * Hammers Baker Scaffolding * Stihl Chainsaws * Tool Boxes Generator * Ryobi 18V Cordless Tools * 1 Ton - 5 Ton Chain HoistsSlide-In Sanders * Shop Carts * Job Boxes Woodworking & Machine Shop Equip: 5 - CRAFTEX #30 Bench Milling Machines (220V/1ph, Like New) 7+ Bench Drill Presses - Inspections Tools - KENT KIPP 100 Labeler Thickness Planer * Poitras Shaper * 8” Bench Grinder Scroll Saws * Paper Knife * Torches, Parts & Carts Large Quantity of Tooling - Cutters, Drill Bits, etc.

5 + P4 Desktop & Laptop Computers * 5- Gestetner Printers c/w Colour Repo RESTAURANT Equip (Like New to be sold at 11am) => Garland 10-Burner/2-Oven Gas Range * 2- Frymaster Gas Fryers EmberGlo Veg Steamer * 12’ SS/Glass Sneeze Guard * Bunn Coffee Maker Moffat F/F Station * HOBART 60qt Dough Mixer * TRUE Refrigerated Cold PRep Table (Self-Contained)

PARTIAL LIST ONLY !!! No Buyer’s Premium!!

VIEWING: Friday Jan 15th, 2010 - 1pm to 4pm TERMS: $500 Cash Deposit on Major Items or as announced.

M.R. Jutzi & Co BRESLAU, Ontario, N0B 1M0

www.mrjutzi.ca

519-648-2111

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24 | CLASSIFIEDS | SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | FAMILY ALBUM

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

Community Information Page EM “ P R O U D LY R E M

BE

ST UR PA O G N RI

;

IDEN CONF

BRACING OUR FUTURE. T LY E M ”

P.O. Box 158, 24 Church St. W. Elmira, Ontario N3B 2Z6

Phone: 519-669-1647 or 519-664-2613

Fax: 519-669-1820

After Hours Emergency: 519-575-4504 www.woolwich.ca

NOTICE OF COMPLETE APPLICATION AND PUBLIC MEETING Tuesday February 2, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

Township Council Chambers: 24 Church Street West, Elmira Regarding Conestoga Golf & Country Club - Zone Change 17/2009 Take Notice that in accordance with the Planning Act, R.S.O., 1990, as amended, the Township of Woolwich has received a complete application by Conestoga Golf & Country Club Ltd. for a proposed Zoning By-law Amendment as detailed below. Please be advised that Notice of a Complete Application does not indicate whether the municipality is in support of, or in opposition to the proposals. That determination will be made at a later date.

The Township of Woolwich will hold a Public Meeting, under Section 34 of the Planning Act, to consider the following Zone Change application. No decisions will be made at this meeting; its purpose is to provide additional information to the public and agencies and to receive comments and information from them.

The Township has received a Zone Change application from GSP Group on behalf of Conestoga Golf & Country Club Ltd. for the property located at 400 Golf Course Road, Conestogo (see Map 1) and described as German Company Tract Part Lot 41, Davidson Plan 601 Lots 433 to 46, Margaret Street, Plan 1657 Part Block 76. The property is designated Urban and Restricted Land Use Area in the Township’s Official Plan and is zoned Agricultural (A) with a flood plain (f) suffix and site-specific provisions to permit a golf course, a club house and uses accessory including a tennis court, swimming pool and other incidental uses to the operation of a golf course. The property is developed with a clubhouse and 27-hole golf course.

The applicant is requesting permission to amend the sitespecific zoning regulations in order to add a cycling club (and accessory or related uses) as an additional recre-

ational activity for the property. The effect of the zoning would allow the cycling club to operate within the proposed new clubhouse, to be relocated to the south east corner of the property (formerly the driving range). The proposed clubhouse is to be 2 or 3 stories in height with a ground floor area of approximately 650 square metres (7,000 square feet).

Please Note: APPEALS: Zoning Amendment If a person or public body that files an appeal of a decision of the Council of the Township of Woolwich in respect of the proposed zoning by-laws does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the Council of the Township of Woolwich before the proposed zoning by-law amendments are passed: a) the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision of the Township of Woolwich to the Ontario Municipal Board; and b) the person or public body may not be added as a party to the hearing of an appeal before the Ontario Municipal Board unless, in the opinion of the Board, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.

NOTIFICATION: If you wish to be notified of additional Township public meetings or Township staff reports regarding these applications you must make a written request to Engineering and Planning Services at the Township of Woolwich at the address shown at the top of this page.

If you cannot attend the meeting, you can express your concerns/comments about the proposed change in writing to the Township of Woolwich. Any comments received on or

before January 26, 2010 (Note that this date is before the public meeting) will be included in a report prepared by Engineering and Planning Services and presented at the Public Meeting. Any comments received after the Public Meeting, but prior to Council making a decision on the applications, will also be considered.

The personal information accompanying your submission is being collected under the authority of the Planning Act and may form part of the public record which may be released to the public. Questions about this collection should be directed to the Records and Freedom of Information Officer at 519-669-6005 or 519-664-2613 ext. 6005.

MORE INFORMATION: The public may view planning documents and background material relating to this application at the Township of Woolwich, Engineering and Planning Services Department between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, or on the Township website at www.woolwich.ca.

Questions or written submissions may be directed to: Township of Woolwich Engineering and Planning Services Department Box 158 24 Church Street West Elmira, Ontario N3B 2Z6 Telephone: 519-669-1647 / 519-664-2613 Dated at the Township of Woolwich this 9th day of January, 2010.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL 2010-01 Sport Field Lighting Renovation/Installation at: Bloomingdale Park and Breslau Park The Township of Woolwich will be renovating and upgrading the existing lighting infrastructure on the existing lighted ball diamonds at Breslau Park and Bloomingdale Park. This will consist of upgrades and replacement of light standards, fixtures, lamps, controls and wiring.

contractors which will clearly demonstrate the consistent minimum lighting performance in foot candles, the estimated hydro consumption rates during the operation of proposed lighting systems and itemized capital costing for each of the main components of the proposed system.

The Township of Woolwich will be installing new lighting infrastructure at the present unlit diamond at Bloomingdale Park. This will consist of the installation of new light standards, fixtures, lamps, controls and wiring.

A site visit to each of the Park sites has been set as follows:

The primary objective of the Request For Proposal; is to obtain proposals for this work from qualified lighting

• January 21, 2010 at Bloomingdale Park at 10:00 a.m.

• January 21, 2010 at Breslau Park at 11:00 a.m.

SEALED PROPOSALS : will be received by the Director of

Finance & Treasurer at the Finance Department, Main Floor, 24 Church Street West, Elmira, Ontario, N3B 2Z6, until 10:00 A.M. local time on Friday February 5, 2010 Requirements and proposal forms may be obtained from the Township of Woolwich, 24 Church Street West, Elmira, Ontario, N3B 2Z6, Fax 519-669-9348 or Email dennisk@woolwich.ca As its best interest may appear, the Township of Woolwich reserves the right to, at any time during the selection process, reject any or all proposals, either in whole or in part.

CLASSIFIEDS | SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | FAMILY ALBUM |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

FAMILY ALBUM

THANK YOU We would like to thank our family and friends for all the prayer’s and support over the last several months.

“The Mervin Martin Family”

Matt, Kurt, Leanne and Chris

THANK YOU

Cassandra

Love, Mom, Dad, Colin and Nicole

July 28, 1952 to January 5, 1980 30 Years Ago To some you may be forgotten, to others a part of the past, But to us who loved and lot you, your memory will always last.

Lovingly remembered by your family.

IN MEMORIAM

Thank you

Happy 12th Birthday

Rau Cheryl Anne

Mike MacKenzie,

May God Bless You

Thanks also to Dreisingers Funeral Home for all your support.

FAX | 519.669.5753 EMAIL | sales@ObserverXtra.com

IN MEMORIAM

Its nine years now since the accident Mike.

You are always in our hearts and thoughts.

A special thank you to “Team B” Care Partners for the wonderful care given to Mervin.

519.669.5790 | 1.888.966.5942

BIRTHDAY

IN MEMORIAM

Deb, Krista and Kurt would like to thank everyone for their prayers, cards, and emails with the sudden loss of our husband, father, son-in-law and son.

I would like to thank the GRT for all you have done for me and Krista; I can’t thank you enough, especially for all the special touches you brought to John’s funeral.

Thank you to Dreisinger Funeral Home for all their help and the Legion Br. 469 for the wonderful lunch.

Special thanks go to Paul and Chris and the rest of the brothers and sisters for being there for me for another sudden loss of another family member. Your kindness will always be remembered.

Love always, Deb, Krista and Kurt

25

FAMILY ALBUM

Share The Good News!

Bowman Abner In loving memory of a dear husband, father and grandfather,

With a Family Album Ad in the Observer

Abner M. Bowman who passed away five years ago Jan. 7, 2005 Gone are the days we used to share, But in my heart you are always there,

» Anniversary » Birthday » Engagement » Stag & Doe » Thank you » Birth Notice » and a lot more....

23

$

Call

For as little as.. .

+GST

519.669.5790 ext 104

Wonderful memories silently kept, Of the one I loved and will never forget.

Deeply loved and missed from your wife Vera & family

IN PRINT | ONLINE | IN PICTURES | IN DEPTH

To place a Family Album ad, contact: sales@ObserverXtra.com Community Information Page EM “ P R O U D LY R E M

NOTICE TO RESIDENTS TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Township of Woolwich intends to discuss the 2010 Fees and Charges for Planning, Fire and General as well as the following draft 2010 budgets as required by section 290 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended: • Tax-supported operating budget; • Water operating budget; • Wastewater operating budget; and • Capital budget;

BE

OUR P RING

IDE CONF ; T S A

M B R A C I N G O U R F U T U R E .”

N T LY E

P.O. Box 158, 24 Church St. W. Elmira, Ontario N3B 2Z6

Phone: 519-669-1647 or 519-664-2613

Fax: 519-669-1820

After Hours Emergency: 519-575-4504 www.woolwich.ca

RECREATION WINTER PROGRAMS ADULT FITNESS -

Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays (9 Weeks) (Boot Camp) (Advanced Step) (Interval/Cardio Training) 7:00 – 8:00 pm at Park Manor School

BALLROOM DANCING – Tuesdays (10 Weeks) 8:30 – 9:30 pm at Park Manor School BADMINTON – Mondays (14 Weeks) 8:15 – 10:15 pm at Park Manor School LINE DANCING – Thursdays (8 Weeks) 5:00 – 6:00 pm at St. James Lutheran Church Hall BASKETBALL – Thursdays (15 Weeks) 8:15 – 10:15 pm at Park Manor School

at its regular meeting on January 19, 2010 commencing at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Municipal Office, 24 Church Street West, Elmira.

YOGA – Mondays (9 Weeks) 7:00 – 8:00 pm at Woolwich Memorial Centre

Richard Petherick, CMA Director of Finance & Treasurer

ZUMBA - **NEW PROGRAM** Thursdays (9 Weeks) 6:45 – 7:30 pm at WMC Community Centre

PILATES – Tuesdays (10 Weeks) 7:00 – 8:00 pm at Park Manor School

ALL PROGRAMS START WEEK OF JANUARY 4, 2010

REGISTER Online starting December 14th www.woolwich.ca/register Completed registration forms and post dated cheques (Dated: December 23, 2009) may be dropped off at the Woolwich Memorial Centre.

CALL 669-1647 OR 664-2613 ext. 7001 OR 7025 OR EMAIL customerservice@woolwich.ca

FOR MORE DETAILS

26 | CLASSIFIEDS | SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | FAMILY ALBUM

HOME HUNTERS HURON HOMES INC.

$349,000

Retirement at it’s best.

Let Huron Homes build this beautiful bungalow for your needs. 2 bdrms on main flr, if you like 2 more in bsmt, with a lg rec. rm. lg master w/ens.

Dbl garage. Backs on to green belt. MLS

$369,000

Build your dream home! Why buy resale when you can build on this 50ft lot backing onto green belt? 4 bdrms, 3 baths, mn flr lndry, Master w/ens and walkin closet. Hrdwd/ceramic throughout mn flr, maple kit cabinets. MLS

519.669.5790 | 1.888.966.5942 FAX | 519.669.5753 EMAIL | sales@ObserverXtra.com

FEATURE PROPERTY

45’ and 50’ lots available in Elmira. Several plans available in bungalow or 2 storey models, or will build to suit your needs.

$299,900

Fantastic century home 3bdrms, 2baths, eat-in kit, sep DR, 4 season sun rm, bsmt workshop, sngl detached garage, lg lot, w/ established trees/gardens, close to ammenities.

Updates: roof ‘09, wiring, plumbing, lighting, wndws.

Imm poss’n avail. MLS

equipped with double garage, 3 bdrms, 3 bthrms and upper flr laundry. Ceramic tile and hardwood in all main traffic areas and maple railings. Inspiring eat in kitchen with Barzotti custom cabinetry. Large great rm with gas fire place and mantle. Master bdrm has walk through double closets to ensuite. MLS

$479,900

Custom Verdone model home. 4 bedrooms with main floor master, 3 bathrooms, luxury ensuite, hardwood floors, 10’ ceilings, great room w/ 4 walkouts, beautiful “Barzotti” kitchen with pantry & breakfast bar. $30,000 in upgrades backs onto green space. MLS

DIRECT....519-503-9533 | HOME ....519-669-3074 | OFFICE ...519-888-7110

$359,000

Great opportunity! This Wellesley raised bungalow is only 10 mins. from Waterloo. Equipped with 5 lrg bdrms, 3(4 pc.) bthrms, 2 kits, 3 car garage and drive. 1400 sq ft. inlaw suite w/side walk out. Lrg 60x130ft. fenced lot. Lots of living space. MLS

All the comforts for this large exceptional family home. 10ft high ceilings, 4 bdrms, 3 baths. Enjoy the gourmet eat-in kit, sep DR, master ens, mudroom just off garage, upper flr lndry.

Stunning ceramic tile and hardwood in main traffic areas. Located on a 50ft lot. MLS

$439,000

»

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

$315,000

Paul Martin

Great location on quiet cul-de-sac. This bright home has 3+1 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, seperate dining room, double garage and driveway. Main floor recently redone. Central air and vac. Large established lot. MLS

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

This handsome home is

Solid Gold Realty (II) Ltd., Brokerage Independently Owned and Operated EMAIL: paul@remaxsolidgold.biz

180 Weber St. S., Waterloo $334,500

www.homeswithpaul.ca

Buying a home in the area?

We’ve got you covered. www.

.com

| 519.669.5790

Open House Information Printed Every Saturday HEARING ASSISTED

WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE

LOCAL CHURCH

NURSERY PROVIDED

SERVICES DIRECTORY

invites you to...

SUNDAY, JANUARY 10, 2010

Wise Up Sundays @ 10:30am John Mahood Public School

New Series: Ready or Not, Here I Come! #1 Signs

John Mahood www.elmiracommunity.org Public School

B M C Sundays - 9:45 am Family Worship Service 11:00 am Sunday School for all ages

1151 Snyder’s Flat Rd., Bloomingdale • 519-745-2411

Jesus is the St. Teresa Church Reason for NoCatholic God, No Hope; Know God, Know Hope!

Celebrate Eucharist with us the Season Sat. 5pm, Sun. 9am and 11:15am Mass times are:

Sunday, January 10, 2010 9:15 and 11:00 am

5 First St., Elmira • 519-669-1459 Services at

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

Calvary United St. Jacobs

Upbeat Family Worship & Sunday School 10:00 am

200 Barnswallow Dr., Elmira • 519-669-1296

Wheelchair accessible • Nursery Care provided • Hearing Assisted

Check out our website www.woodsidechurch.ca

48 Hawkesville Rd. • 519-664-2311

Trinity United Church

“Making Faith Live”

ELMIRA

Christmas Eve | 6:00 and 8:00pm | communion at both

Sunday School during Worship

Minister: Rev. Dave Jagger Sunday Worship: 10:55am

Sunday Worship 9:30 am - 10:30am

Visit our website on: www.wondercafe.ca 21 Arthur St., North • Church Office 519-669-5560 “Our mission is to love, learn and live by Christ’s teachings”

2 First St., Elmira • 519-669-5030

www.bloomingdalemennonite.com

P L A C E S O F FA I T H

SUNDAY SCHOOL

R E A C H

W I T H

L O V E .

T E A C H

T H E

T R U T H .

S E N D

I N

P O W E R

Worship with us Sundays at 10:30am www.ElmiraAssembly.com 290 Arthur St. South, Elmira • 519-669-3973

“Discovering God Together”

Growing in Grace during Difficult Times Studies in 2 Peter Sun. Jan 10 @ 11am Ron Seabrooke

519-669-2319 | www.wbconline.ca

4522 Herrgott Road, Box 51, Wallenstein, ON N0B 2S0

Âť

CLASSIFIEDS | SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | FAMILY ALBUM |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

HOME HUNTERS

519.669.5790 | 1.888.966.5942 FAX | 519.669.5753 EMAIL | sales@ObserverXtra.com

27

519-669-1544 24hrs

17 Church St. W., Elmira www.thefreyteam.com

Independently Owned and Operated

BROKERAGE

R.W. THUR REAL ESTATE LTD. 45 ARTHUR ST. S., ELMIRA

519-669-2772 THE FREY TEAM

Len Frey

Mildred Frey

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

BROKER MANAGER

Wendy Taylor BROKER**

wendy@thefreyteam.com

frey@golden.net

MVA Residential

Res: 519-669-1068

JULIE HECKENDORN Broker Res: 519-669-8629

TRACEY WILLIAMS Sales Rep. Cell: 519-505-0627

LEON MARTIN

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

GREAT LOCATION - spacious 3 bdrm bungalow. Laminate in LR. New carpets in bdrms.

Fin. rec. rm. C/A. Large sunrm.

Oversized garage renovated in ‘09, Dble drive. NEW MLS $239,900.

Mary Lou Murray SALES REPRESENTATIVE

marylou@mmrealestate.ca

CONCESSION 8 | 48.79 acres on Con. 8 near Moorefield, 3 bedrm. bungalow, finished basement with fireplace, 12 x 16’ wood deck, 14’6� x 24’ detached workshop with hydro. 48.79 total acres, 34 tillable tile drained, 2 acres building site + 4.25 acres zoned for future residential, 7.5 acres zoned for future industrial development. Great investment property. MLS. Call Len Frey.

$699,000

BRAD MARTIN Broker of Record

COUNTRY LOTS .5 acre don’t miss this chance to enjoy sunrises and sunsets. Within 40 minutes of KW, or Guelph. High speed internet is available with fibre optic. Starting at $63,000 MLS

3 bedroom country bungalow with high speed internet available open concept. Master ensuite, main floor laundry, large 2 car garage, new not built. Hobby shop allowed. $311,900 MLS NEWLY BUILT BUNGALOW - PARK LIKE GROUNDS - 11

Townhouse bungalow 4 years old, with upgrade fixtures, open concept, main floor laundry, in a quiet area of town. $259,900 MLS

Lovely lot backing to open acres, mixed bush, pond! f a r m l a n d . C e r a m i c a n d Minutes from Elmira/K-W & hardwood. MLS $399,900 Guelph. MLS $569,000

Country at its best, trees, stream, camp area, lawns all on 4.3 acre estate lot with 18ft x 45ft outbuilding, 5 bedroom approx. 2350 sq ft with a large deck, walkout basement, tennis court with lights. $519,900 MLS

“You dream...We’ll work.�

Whether looking to buy or sell in Elmira, K/W, surrounding rural areas or cottage recreational, Call Wendy Taylor and Mary Lou Murray.

NEW BUNGALOW - quality built!

Great rm w/hardwood and gas f/p.

3 bdrms, 2 bthrms, Mn. Flr. ldry.

MLS $395,000.

EXCELLENT VALUE IN DRAYTON - Immaculate home backing to

ADDRESS: 4-B

parkland! Fin rec. rm. w/f.p.

Arthur St. S., ELMIRA • EMAIL: leonmartin@remax.net

DIRECT: 519-503-2753

MLS $274,900.

• OFFICE: 519-669-5426

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

ELMIRA REAL ESTATE Independently Owned & Operated, Brokerage SERVICES

4B Arthur St. S. Elmira • www.remaxsolidgold.biz OFFICE: 519-669-5426

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

BERT MARTIN, BROKER

$27

9,9

BUNGALOW WITH GREAT CURB APPEAL in the downtown area offers open concept kitchen, dining and living room, main floor laundry, two bedrooms plus master with ensuite, basement family room and recroom plus large unfinished area. Roof and central air three years. Garage 20x13’6�. MLS

00

CENTURY HOME IN LINWOOD - 24’ x 30’ heated workshop.

3 bdrms, 2 bths. Huge lot 134’ x 113’! MLS $229,900

EXISTING CHURCH! - Seating capacity 175+. Ideal for office, lofts, etc. C-1 zoning.

MLS $479,000

BONNIE BRUBACHER Broker of Record

SHANNA ROZEMA Broker.

DARREN ROMKEY Sales Rep.

HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once.

Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. You already have a few numbers to get you started.

Âť Answer on pg 31

BY THE NUMBERS

DALE KELLER Sales Rep.

MONIQUE BRUBACHER Sales Rep.

COUNTRY BUNGALOW 5 ACRES!

UPDATES GALORE! M o s t windows, flooring, bathrm, refaced cupboards, lge rec. room, 2 pc. MLS $289,900

$409,900 | Excellent location between Elmira and Listowel on a paved road.

Unique design with centre vaulted living and dining divided with wood burning fireplace, spacious oak kitchen, finished basement, inground pool, 3 season room plus more... NEW MLS

5-PLEX ALWAYS RENTED Lots of character. Lots of parking! Laundry in each unit. MLS $479,000

EMAIL: Elmira@royallepage.ca WEBSITE: www.royallepage.ca/elmira

www.thurrealestate.com

HARD

MEDIUM

EASY

90 Earl Martin Dr., Unit 1, Elmira N3B 3L4

THIS WEEK'S FEATURE PROPERTIES

Your referrals are appreciated!

You’ve come to the right place to find a home.

LAURIE LANGDON Sales Rep.

519-669-3192

28 | CLASSIFIEDS | SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | FAMILY ALBUM

WORD-UP

SOLUTION FOUND ON PAGE 30

Âť

CREATED EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE OBSERVER

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

ACROSS 1. Follower of Mary 5. Whole alternative 9. Clothe 13. Copy, in a way 14. Ancient Andean 15. Band with the hit “Barbie Girl�

16. First: Prefix 17. Boxer Spinks 18. Cesspool 19. Breakfast side dish 21. Amounted (to) 22. “___ rang?�

23. Worldly 25. University certificate 30. Costa del ___ 31. “Rocks�

32. Hard punch 34. Native New Zealander 38. Edible garden 42. Test, as ore 43. “Buona ___� (Italian greeting) 44. Common deciduous tree 45. 007, for one 47. Trailing blackberry brambles

SERVICE PROS

CONSTRUCTION

THIS SPACE FOR RENT

• Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning on Location • Area Rug Cleaning Drop-off and Pick up Service • Bleached out Carpet Spot Repair • Janitorial • Grout Cleaning • Carpet Repair & Re-Installation • Pet deodorization • Floor Stripping www.completecarpetcare.ca

ROB McNALL

519-669-7607

LONG DISTANCE? CALL 1-866-669-7607

CONSTRUCTION

Wayne Martin Contracting

Renovations - Additions -Siding -Aluminum -Windows -Repairs

Call Donna at ext 104

Renovating?

Let us do the clean up

RENOVATION CLEAN UPS! Call for Details

519.669.5790 | 1.888.966.5942 www.woolwichobserver.com

519-746-6485 RR1, Waterloo

519-669-3082

Read’s Decorating

COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL

SINCE 1961

GLEN

BIRMINGHAM

ST. JACOBS

GLASS SYSTEMS INC.

Specializing in Paint & Wallcoverings

PAINTING & DECORATING

INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTING • WALLPAPERING

1600 King St. N., Bldg A17 St. Jacobs, Ontario N0B 2N0

FREE ESTIMATES

For all your home decorating needs

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

519-669-3658

OVER 40 YEARS EXPERIENCE!

519-669-1131

TEL: 519-664-1202 / 519-778-6104

27 Arthur St. S., Elmira

FAX: 519 664-2759 • 24 Hour Emergency Service

SIGNAGE | VINYL & DIGITAL

CONSTRUCTION

Residential & Commercial

• •

Additions Renovations

• Decks/Fences • Design/Build Projects

Call Robert Michael For An Estimate!

519-590-1762 EMAIL: rob.michael@rogers.com PAINTING Over 15 Years Experience

CONSTRUCTION

6672 Ruggles Rd. Floradale RR#2 Wallenstain, N0B 2S0

PAINTING

GLASS SERVICES

DECORATING

Âť

graphfix ltd.

20 years experience

-Framing -Roofing -Renovations -Repairs

TO PLACE A SERVICE PROS AD CONTACT: ads@ObserverXtra.com OR CALL 519-669-5790

SEPTIC

CONSTRUCTION

PAINTING

Design/ Build Agricultural/ Residential

DOWN 1. 100 kurus 2. Andy’s radio partner 3. Univalent radical CH34. An embarrassing mistake 5. Fodder holder 6. Experienced 7. Desktop pictures 8. Residence of a clergyman 9. Vessels that conduct and circulate fluids 10. Come to 11. Diploma word 12. Spy, at times

13. Dash abbr.

20. Cuban dance 24. Deep sleep 25. Opera star 26. Frosts, as a cake 27. Coatrack parts 28. Priestly garb 29. Like a shoe 33. “___ #1!�

35. Aroma 36. Back 37. Black 39. ___ Mario’s Restaurant 40. Dittography, e.g.

41. Lacking grace 46. Frothy 48. The capital of Guinea-Bissau 49. Passes 50. Except 51. Adult insect 52. A large bulrush 53. Dorm annoyance 57. Length x width, for a rectangle 58. Bad look 59. Barely beat, with “out�

60. Live wire, so to speak 61. Marienbad, for one

Š2009

SERVICE PROS CARPET CARE

50. Repeat an action 54. Connections 55. Flightless flock 56. Undergoing psychoanalysis 62. “___ Ha’i�

63. Achy 64. Inside info 65. Ancient 66. Certain surgeon’s “patient�

67. Baffled 68. Gift on “The Bachelor�

69. Calendar span 70. ___-friendly

free estimates interior/exterior painting wallpapering & Plaster|Drywall repairs

519-669-2251 36 Hampton St., Elmira

Mike

Septic Tank Cleaning

519.669.9160

Cell: 519.998.4094

www.remingtongraphfix.com

Inspections for Real Estate Septic System Repairs & Restoration Catch Basin Cleaning

Vehicle Lettering

Waterloo Region • Woolwich Township

Decals & Safety Stickers

519-896-7700

or

519-648-3004

www.biobobs.com

PLUMBING

YOUR

PLUMBING & HEATING SPECIALISTS!

C.J.

PAINTING

Signs & Banners

BRUBACHER LTD. 19 First St. E., Elmira

519-669-3362

BILL SCHENKEL

519-664-1809

Logos & Graphics Large format printing

1600 King St. N., Unit #18

ST.JACOBS

FAST, FRIENDLY SERVICE AT COMPETITIVE PRICES!

PLUMBING

TREE REMOVAL

Steve Co.

Plumbing and Maintenance Inc.

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL

For all your Plumbing Needs.

24 HOUR SERVICE Steve Jacobi

ELMIRA

519-669-3652

T R

•Removal of Trees or Branches of Any Shapes or Sizes in Almost Any location •Hedge trimming

E

•Branch Chipping

E

•Stump Grinding

519-669-1836 Thomas Martin

CLASSIFIEDS | SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | FAMILY ALBUM |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

» STRANGE BUT TRUE | BILL & RICH SONES

29

Take note, even animals are kind to each other

Q. When Belgian biologists studied some 2,000 dogs that got into spontaneous fights, they noted that nearby dogs would come to comfort the contestants, especially the losers, licking, nuzzling, playing with them. So “dog-eat-dog” doesn’t even hold for dogs. What are a few other of nature’s lessons for a kinder society?

A. Countless stories are told of human swimmers saved by dolphins or whales, sometimes protected against sharks or lifted to the surface for safety, says Frans de Waal in The Age of Empathy.

There are also cases of apes saving birds or of a seal rescuing a dog, the latter in Middlesborough, England, where an old dog that could barely keep its head above the water was nudged to shore by a seal.

A few years ago, a female humpback

whale off the California coast became entangled in fishermen’s nylon ropes, which were cutting into the blubber.

Divers spent almost an hour freeing her. Yet instead of leaving the scene, the whale swam in circles, carefully nuzzling every diver separately. Said one afterward: “It felt to me like she was thanking us, knowing she was free and that we had helped her... It was an amazing, unbelievable experience.”

A different sort of cooperation was observed in the Elephant Nature Park, Thailand, where a blind elephant got help from her unrelated seeing friend.

After brief partings, the two would trumpet their location, then come together again with lots of ear-flapping, touching and mutual smelling.

“The overwhelming evidence,” says de Waal, “is that animals, at least some of the time, ‘wish each other well,’ that they do have feelings and care about others. ... We humans should keep in mind that our own kindness is part of a much larger picture.”

Q. From a Cleveland, Ohio reader: “I was driving back from the air-

SERVICE PROS AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOMOTIVE

AUTO CLINIC

Auto Tech Inc. Providing the latest technology

21 Industrial Dr. Elmira

to repair your vehicle with Accredited Test & Repair Facility

519-669-4400

519-669-7652

21 HOWARD AVE., ELMIRA (Behind the old Trylon Building)

SKATE SHARPENING

TO PLACE A SERVICE PROS AD CONTACT: ads@ObserverXtra.com OR CALL 519-669-5790 AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOMOTIVE

Complete Collision Service

101 Bonnie Crescent, Elmira, ON N3B 3G2

RUDOW’S CARSTAR COLLISION CENTRE 24 Hour Accident Assistance

AFTER HOURS

33 First Street, East Elmira, ON

33 First Street, East Elmira, ON

519.669.8917

22 Church St. W., Elmira

Driveways • Sidewalks • Curbs • Barn Renovations Finished Floors • Retaining Walls • Short Walls Booking Summer 2010 Projects Now!

Willis Martin

DRAYTON, ON

519-638-2699

35 Howard Ave., Elmira

519-669-3232

TOWING

• 14 ton BoomTruck Indoor/outdoor railings, fences,gates, garden trellis, garden ornaments, floral display pieces, wall art, curtain rods and more... www.stjacobsiron.com

(519) 404-1502

WEICKERT& MEIROWSKI RESIDENTIAL & AGRICULTURAL

Farm • Auto • Truck Industrial • On-The-Farm Service

CRANE

Concrete Foundations Limited

YES... WE DO RESIDENTIAL WORK!

6982 Millbank Main St., Millbank 519-595-2053 • 519-664-2914

Various sizes & rates

CLEAN • DRY • SECURE

Call

519-669-4964

100 SOUTH FIELD DRIVE, ELMIRA

CONSTRUCTION

SPECIALTY, NOT A SIDE LINE.

Call Us At

ORTLIEB CRANE & Equipment Ltd.

CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS

CONCRETE

ARE A

RUDOW’S CARSTAR COLLISION CENTRE

519-669-3373

FAX: 519.669.3210

WHERE TIRES

at

519-669-3373

HEADQUARTERS

Tel: 519-669-5537

»

AUTOMOTIVE

Body Maintenance

1-800-CARSTAR

ELMIRA’S SHARPENING

STORE HOURS: M-F: 7-8, SAT 8-6, SUN 12-5

AUTOMOTIVE

519.669.8330

SELF STORAGE

IRON

Have your skates sharpened with us four times, and the fifth one’s FREE!

your lifestyle just isn’t compatible with dog ownership?

A. Then an i-dog or robotic canine might be for you, says British psychologist Richard Wiseman in 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot. When Marian Banks at St. Louis University studied the effects of real vs. robot dogs in long-term-care facilities, she found that in both cases patients formed strong emotional bonds and experienced the same loneliness reduction.

And if these don’t work for you, suggests Deborah Wells of Queens University, Belfast, merely looking at a video of an animal can have similar calming and restorative effects. In her study, she used short videotapes of fish swimming in an aquarium, or parakeets in an aviary, or monkeys sitting in trees.

So, says Wiseman, “to help reduce your heart rate and blood pressure in less than a minute, go online and watch a video of a cute animal.”

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

TIRE

THOMPSON’S accuracy and confidence.

port one day and spotted an Ohio license plate with the same four number sequence as my own. I’ve seen many other cars with the same three letter sequence preceding the numbers, but never the exact numbers before. I couldn’t help but wonder, what are the odds?”

A. Assuming any digit can go in any of the four positions, there are 10,000 possible numbers (0000, 0001, 0002...

9998, 9999). This means the probability of a random license plate matching a given four-digit number (such as the one on your license plate) is 1 in 10,000. It turns out that you’d need to read 10,000 such plates to have a probability of about 63% of finding one whose four digits match yours.

Q. Plenty of studies have shown that owning a dog can be good for your health -- fostering relaxation, lowering blood pressure, minimizing depression. One study even suggested that dog owners, after suffering a heart attack, had improved recovery rates. But what if

• 35 ton Mobile Crane

519-664-9999 ST. JACOBS

24 Hour Service 7 Days A Week

TOWING AND RECOVERY

CASH PAID

FOR YOUR UNWANTED SCRAP VEHICLES CARS, TRUCKS OR VANS WE PAY CASH WITH FREE TOWING PLEASE CALL

519-568-8666

CARPENTRY

Custom Homes • Cottages • Additions • Shingling + Siding

CONSTRUCTION INC. GENERAL CONTRACTING

residential • agricultural commercial • industrial

GROSHAW BROS. CARPENTRY

Serving your community for over 20 years.

• Concrete removal & replacement •Excavation •Remodeling & restoration trappconstruction@bell.blackberry.net

Marty Trapp | RR#1 Elmira | 519-846-9066

JOHN GROSHAW 7449 8th Line Drayton, ON

519-669-5588 (cell) 519-897-6238

EVENTS CALENDAR Âť

30 | CLASSIFIEDS | SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | FAMILY ALBUM

“A GOOD JOB DONE EVERY TIME�

Kleensweep Carpet Care

West Montrose, ON

T. 519.669.2033

Cell: 519.581.7868

Truck & Trailer Maintenance Cardlock Fuel Management

COMMERCIAL 24 CARDLOCK FUEL DEPOT HOUR MATERIAL HANDLING & PROCESSING SYSTEMS • Design • Installation • Custom Fabrication

MILLWRIGHTS LTD.

519.669.5105

P.O. BOX 247, ROUTE 1, ELMIRA

24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE

TOTAL HOME ENERGY SYSTEMS

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

YOUR OIL, PROPANE, NATURAL GAS AND AIR CONDITIONING EXPERTS

DENTURE

Home

Rugs and Upholstery

•Mattress Cleaning •Residential •Commercial •Personalized Service •Free Estimates

COLLEEN

Skilled craftsmanship. Quality materials.

CONSTRUCTION STARTS HERE.

Since 1987 - DentureTech Since 1995 - Denturist

Allen Morrison, Agent/Owner

Auto

Allen Morrison Insurance Inc.

Life

Investments

25 Industrial Drive, Elmira, ON N3B 3K3

Group

3435 Broadway St. Hawkesville

519-699-4641 www.freybc.com JANUARY 10

 Hungryman’s Breakfast with the Elmira Sugar Kings from 8:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.; $5 all you can eat. Royal Canadian Legion, 11 First St. E., Elmira.

JANUARY 12

Âť Toddler Tales at Elmira Branch Library is for children 24 to 36 months old and runs on Tuesdays, 10:30-11:15 a.m., from Jan. 12 to Mar. 2.

Elmira Branch Library is located at 65 Arthur St. S., Elmira. Check the website for more details: www.rwl.library.on.ca. For information, call 519-669-5477.

JANUARY 13

 Storytime at Elmira Branch Library is for children 3 to 5 years old and will run on Wednesdays, 2-2:45 p.m., from Jan. 13 to Mar. 3 and Thursdays, 10:15-11 a.m., from Jan. 14 to Mar. 4. Elmira Branch Library is located at 65 Arthur St. S., Elmira. Check the website for more details: www.rwl.library.on.ca. For information, call 519-669-5477.  Children’s Programs – at Wellesley Branch Library. Toddler Tales is for children 24 to 36 months and is held on Wednesday mornings, 9:3010:15 a.m., from Jan.13 to Mar. 3. Storytime is for children ages 3 to 5 years old and is held Wednesday mornings, 10:30-11:15 a.m., from Jan. 13 to Mar. 3 or Thursday afternoons, 2-2:45 p.m., from Jan. 14 to Mar. 4.Chip n’ Dip Book Club is for 10 to 12 year olds and is held on the last Tuesday of the month from 7-7:45 p.m. First meeting is Jan. 26. Space is limited. Call the Wellesley Branch Library at 519-656-2001 for more information.  Come Read With Me Family Storytime – 6:45-7:30 p.m. at Wellesley Branch Library. An evening family storytime program. Recommended for parents/caregivers and children 3 to 7 years old. Join us on Tuesday evenings from 6:45-7:30 p.m. starting Jan. 19. Read, play games, and learn about literacy in fun ways. Drop in! It’s free! For more information call the Wellesley Branch Library at 519-656-2001 or email wellslib@regionofwaterloo.ca.

Bus.:519.669.2632 Fax: 519.669.4282

Business

FREE CONSULTATION

After Hours Emergency Services: 1-800-465-2667

Farm

• Total Denture Care Travel

Email: allen_morrison@cooperators.ca

www.cooperators.ca • Same Day Service Disability

on Repairs and Relines • Metal Partial - Soft Relines •Since Implants 1987 - DentureTech •Since DENTURE SPECIALIST 1995 - Denturist

Denture

519.664.2008

Âť Two-hour snowshoeing and skiing on the Health Valley/Trans Canada Trail, St. Jacobs, 2 p.m. Join Clint for skiing or snowshoeing. Meet at the kiosk at the trail entrance behind the fire station in St. Jacobs. Please contact Paul at 519-664-3642 to confirm meeting times and locations.

Maps with meeting locations are posted at www.healthywoolwich.org

• ELMIRA Total Denture Care • Same day service on and relines 15repairs Memorial Ave., Since 1987 - DentureTech • Elmira Metal Partial - Soft Relines 1995 - Denturist (Behind Bank of Montreal) • DENTURE SPECIALIST

SANYO CANADIAN

MACHINE WORKS INCORPORATED

33 Industrial Dr., Elmira 519.669.1591

 Storytime for Children ages 3 to 5 – at Bloomingdale Branch Library.

A storytime program for children 3 to 5 years old. Join us for stories and fun activities on Wednesday afternoons, 1:30-2:15 p.m., from Jan. 20 to Mar. 10 or Thursday afternoons, 1:30-2:15 p.m., from Jan. 21 to Mar. 11. Space is limited. Call or visit the library for more information at 519-745-3151 or email bloomlib@region.waterloo.on.ca.

KITCHENER

FREE CONSULTATION 519.744.9770 ELMIRA • Total Denture Care KITCHENER 519-669-1535 • Same Day Service519-744-9770 15 Memorial Ave., Elmira (behind Bank of Montreal) on Repairs and Relines • Metal Partial - Soft Relines • Implants • DENTURE SPECIALIST

Elze’s Vinolea Jahandari DD

Wonderful 519.669.1535 ELMIRA

15 Memorial Ave., Elmira

Wines

RETAIL STORE STORE RETAIL

• Electrical Supplies • New Vacuums • All Vacuum Repairs • Parts & Accessories • All makes and models • Hand Vacs to Central Vacs 9 CHURCH STREET EAST, ELMIRA

519.669.8362

JANUARY 23

 Pork Dinner and an evening of Music – Trinity United Church, 42 Arthur St. N., Elmira. Featuring The Twin City Harmonizers. Tickets for dinner & show $20 each. Show tickets only $10 each. Dinner served 5:30-7 p.m. Show at 7:30 p.m. For tickets call 519-669-5560 or 519664-2772.

Submit calendar listings to info@observerxtra.com

Mary

- Passed away peacefully at the Milton District Hospital on Saturday, January 2, 2010 in her 100th year. Local relatives are her daughter Joanne Cecella Bauman and her husband Aden of Elmira.

NEWELL, Peter G.

– Peacefully at South Huron Hospital, Exeter on Friday, January 1, 2010 of Exeter in his 67th year. Local relatives are his daughter Tracey Frey and her husband Richard of Elmira.

MARTIN, Rebecca (Mrs. Clayton H.)

– Peacefully on Thursday, December 31, 2009 in her 87th year, or RR1, Wallenstein.

Check out our newest Blog

With Heather Calder A news junkie and chatterbox, she sees Blurb as the opportunity to share some ideas and opinions.

Updated every Wonderful Wines Sunday

www.

.com

A Fine Wine Establishment

(Behind Bank of Montreal) KITCHENER

519.744.9770

29 Church St. W., Elmira

519.669.0799

New to the Community?

Do you have a new Baby?

It’s time to call your Welcome Wagon Hostess.

Elmira & Surrounding Area

Âť PUZZLE SOLUTIONS / $ 0 0 , 0 ( 3 5 2 7 + $ 6 + < ' , 3 / , & ( 9 ( * ( $ 6 6 $ 6 ' , 7 7 ( 0 8 6 % $ / , $ * ( ' 5 2 6 (

% 6 , 2 / 2 % 5 2 2 8 2 0 $ % / 7 $ % 6 < 3 < 2 ( 6 $ 1 6 2 7 5 < (

SHARON GINGRICH 519.291.6763

elmirawelcomewagon@sympatico.ca

Be Prepared For Winter!

.

1 ( :

, & 2 1 6

6 2 / ( '

: ( 5 (

$ 5 ( $

/ ( ( 5

0 9 $ $ 1 6 & 6 ( & 8 6 2 / 0 $ * $ 5 $ : % ( . , 1 < 6 $ 6 & $ 7 8 6

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6 8 0 0 $

7 $ 3 ( 5

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EASY

MEDIUM

519.669.2884 21 Industrial Dr., Elmira

JANUARY 22

Âť Robbie Burns Dinner, 6 pm. First come, first served. Steak pie with all the trimmings, $6/person. Royal Canadian Leion, 11 First St. E., Elmira (downstairs).

PATTERSON, Eleanor (Ella)

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Peacefully on Thursday, December 31, 2009 at Queensway Carlton Hospital in Ottawa at the age of 81. Local relatives are his Son Raymond Kuntz and his wife Bonnie.

519.669.1535

JANUARY 20

Âť Storytime for Children ages 3 to 5 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at St. Jacobs Branch Library. A storytime program for children 3 to 5 years old. Join us for stories and fun activities on Wednesday mornings, 10-10:45 a.m., from Jan. 20 to Mar. 10 or Thursday afternoons, 1:30-2:15 p.m., from Jan. 21 to Mar. 11.

Call or visit the library for more information at 519-664-3443 or email stjaclib@region.waterloo.on.ca.

KUNTZ, Lorne 1928-2009

DENTURE

JANUARY 17 11 HENRY ST. - UNIT 9, ST. JACOBS

HELP WANTED

Vinolea Jahandari DD

JANUARY 15

Âť Kids2Kids Youth Dance, 7-10 p.m. doors open at 6:30 p.m. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; sponsored by the St. Jacobs Optimist and Lions service clubs. Tickets $5, food $1 per item. Woolwich Community Centre (Lions Hall St. Jacobs), 29 Parkside Dr., St. Jacobs. For more information, visit stjacobslions. org. PARENTAL REMINDER All kids must be dropped and picked up inside the community centre by an adult. No exceptions.

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

NANCY KOEBEL

Bus: 519.895.2044 ext. 217 Home: 519.747.4388

Individual life insurance, mortgage insurance, business insurance, employee benefits programs, critical illness insurance, disability coverage,

RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, LIFs and Annuities.

Suite 800, 101 Frederick St., Kitchener

HARD

CLASSIFIEDS | SERVICES | REAL ESTATE | FAMILY ALBUM |

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

31

Puzzle answers, games, opinion polls and much more at:

www.kidscoop.com

Look out! Look out!

Jack Frost is about!

He’s after your fingers & toes!

– Cecily Pike

Match each of the symbols below to the kind of weather it describes.

The Norse legend of Jack Frost originated in Scandinavia.

He was the elf son of Kari, god of the winds, and his name there was Jokul, meaning icicle and Frosti meaning frost.

He would steal through towns in the night turning the town white and painting frost patterns on windows.

It’s simply about water changing from a gas to a solid.

When the _______ temper ature at ground level dips to the freezing temperature of water, 0°C (32°F), water _________ or mo isture in the air quickly freezes solid on cold surfaces. As this moisture ___________ fro ma gas (vapor) to a solid (ic e), it coats cold surfaces wi th a layer of small, needle-lik e __________ or spicules of ice.

The size of the crystals dep ends on the amount of ______ _____ in the air, the time and the temperature. Frost ______ ____ first on cooler surfac es and in places where temperatu res dip lower.

What happens: The ice and salt lower the temperature of the can’s surface to below freezing point. The moisture in the air that touches the outside of the can freezes, thereby forming frost.

Hoar frost is the name given to the surface frost that forms on the ground and other cold surfaces.

Fern frost is the name for the beautiful, feathery patterns made by ice crystals that grow on windows and

You can control the weather—make your own storms or enough wind to fly a kite.

You can even make a blizzard.

Check it out at: www.kidscoop.com/kids

FROST PATTERNS SPICULES MOISTURE JOKUL FROSTI VAPOR SOLID FORMS ICICLE GAS METAL LAYER COLD STEAL

Look through the newspaper for words that describe a cold winter. Use them in a sentence to describe the weather today.

Find the words in the puzzle, then in this week’s Kid Scoop stories and activities.

N S T E L C I C I

I

M R P S F R O S T I P O P

I O I N A D N

L P I G C R A G L J A A T S E U F N O D E V T T T O L K C I T O T E R U U E S L S A E M M L R S S O P H S E L A Y E R S

On a chilly day, I saw Jack Frost hard at work making things icy …

Finish this story.

32 | BACK PAGE

THE OBSERVER | Saturday, January 09, 2010

THE OBSERVER IS PLEASED TO PRESENT THE...

Emma Anne Maria Baechler May 13, 2009

Cruz Daniel Balog

FAMILY

August 15, 2009

Welcome to the Baechler Binkley families.

Nicole & Dan Balog

Jessica, Jeff & Brother Liam KITCHENER

‘09 Taylor Jade Curry

September 22, 2009 PARENTS

Kristen & Adam and Sister Allison GRANDPARENTS Wayne & Marilyn Curry and Kathy Coombs

Shayla Belle Feaver

November 29, 2009 PARENTS

Sara & Mike

Zack Forwell

March 23, 2009

Cooper Jones

Maxim Ronald Krasovec

Cindy & Nathan Holland ELMIRA

Kim & Brent Jones GRANDPARENTS Bill & Linda Palmer • Malcolm & Margo Jones

ELMIRA

Cody Owen Gingrich July 17, 2009 PARENTS

Wade Harrison Holland PARENTS

Sherilyn & Eddie Bauman

Shannon (nee Schmidtke) & Kevin Gingrich

ELMIRA

PARENTS

PARENTS

Amy, Derrick & Big Sister Sara

ELMIRA

August 26, 2009

July 9, 2009

FAMILY

KITCHENER

November 20, 2009

Tyson Cole Bauman

June 15, 2009 PARENTS

Gail & Rod Krasovec

ELMIRA

Nolan Andrew Aden Martin

October 1, 2009 PARENTS

Christine & Greg and Brother Graydon

ELMIRA

ELMIRA

Cohen S. D. Patterson

Liam Russell Reath

Samantha Lois Reger

Katelyn Olivia Snider

PARENTS

FAMILY

PARENTS

PARENTS

Michelle & Nathan

Sara & Richard

March 24, 2009 ELMIRA

May 14, 2009 ELMIRA

December 9, 2009

Shannon & Chad Reger GRANDPARENTS Mike & Debbie Hagan • Richard & Lynda Reger

FLORADALE

ELMIRA

September 30, 2009

Joy & Steve Snider and Brothers Riley & Carter ST. JACOBS

Jeremy Lawrence Bingeman June 5, 2009 PARENTS

Alissa & Andrew and Sister Julia GRANDPARENTS Lawrence & Jane Bingeman and Linda Stoltz

PARENTS

ELMIRA

Alyssa Chantel Brubacher August 8, 2009 PARENTS

Tanya & Paul

ELMIRA

WELLESLEY

Ella Nicole Haight

Cohen Brady Hamburger

September 28, 2009 PARENTS

Megan Nichols & Adam Haight GRANDPARENTS

Murray & Mary Haight • Brian & Paulette Nichols

April 5, 2009 PARENTS

Amy & Jason

ST. MARY’S

ELMIRA

Emily Elise & Sophia Caroline

Landon Derek Alan Mitchell

May 18, 2009

March 15, 2009

PARENTS

PARENTS

Rebecca & Darcy Metzger

Leslie & Richard

GRANDPARENTS Alice Metzger • Reg & Gladys Rellinger

GRANDPARENTS Derek & Kelly Sittler

WATERLOO

KITCHENER

Charis Ellen Louise Straus

Austin James Thompson

June 21, 2009 PARENTS

Karen & Jay Straus SIBLINGS AnnieRose & Xander

ELMIRA

VISIT THE CLASS OF 2009 ONLINE AT www.ObserverXtra.com

September 1, 2009 PARENTS

Amy (nee Shantz) and Greg Thompson ELMIRA