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Elmira, Ontario, Canada | observerxtra.com | Volume 26 | Issue 09

Living Here | 21

Joint services review seen as a bust by Woolwich Future unknown for $100K study to identify municipal savings Steve Kannon Observer Staff

Rick Weber is collecting household items such as furniture in support of those most in need.

Sean Heeger

Lending a hand when needed Elmira man part of 519 Community Collective project to help set up a household Sean Heeger Observer Staff

THE PANDEMIC AND RESULTANT EFFORTS to curb the spread of the virus was a hardship for all, some much more than others. Likewise, many people have risen to the occasion in helping those most in need.

Among those responding was a group dubbed the 519 Community Collective, which started out last year as an online

forum for people to chat and share their experiences, fears, trials and tribulations throughout the pandemic. The group has since grown into a network of some 5,000 members working to better the lives of others.

Among their ranks is Elmira’s Rick Weber, who is currently taking part in the group’s latest initiative, the New Beginnings program, which works to collect furniture and other household items.

Weber became aware of the group last year while he and his son were undertaking their own initiative of building birdhouses and donating the proceeds to charity groups and community organizations. They ended up donating some of the proceeds to the collective.

From there, he began to get involved directly in its projects.

“I became aware of it back in March, when my son and I were doing

the birdhouses. So, we donated some funds to the group. And then from there, I kind of started getting involved a little bit myself, as far as helping them move things around, because I have a pickup truck and I had access to a trailer. So, I was helping with moving things around for them, and that sort of thing,” said Weber.

He says it was in the fall when the group undertook the New Beginnings → COLLECTIVE EFFORT 4

A PROJECT TO FIND COST-SHARING opportunities between the region’s four townships is unlikely to go any farther than the $100,000 they spent for a consultant, Woolwich council having found the final report short on useful ideas.

“When I read this report ... nothing really jumped out at me that benefits us at all,” said Coun. Murray Martin following a presentation February 23 by KPMG’s Bruce Peever.

“I wasn’t really super stoked about this report,” added Coun. Patrick Merlihan, noting the lack of supporting data. “Based on this, I can’t see going forward with any of it.

“That’s my opinion based on this 12-page summary that cost the four townships $100,000.

I’m a little outraged by that. I would say the recommendations are pretty weak.”

The report met with a lukewarm reception from Wellesley council

that same night, having previously been pitched to Wilmot and North Dumfries councils. The townships agreed in 2019 to hire KPMG to help them find ways to find common ground on five areas of interest: fire services and emergency management, library services, information technology and corporate communications.

The $100,000 cost was to be split four ways, drawn from money provided by the province under its Municipal Modernization Program.

Woolwich councillors were underwhelmed by the 12-page report presented to them, finding little in the way of true savings or efficiencies in the recommendations.

Where an interim report last year from the consultant found costs and services related to the Region of Waterloo Library as perhaps the most out of line in comparisons to other jurisdictions, the recommendations didn’t act on the issue of high costs and low usage from → SERVICE REVIEW 4

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Notice of New Procedural By-Law The Region of Waterloo is proposing to pass a new Procedural By-law to replace Procedural By-law 00-031, as amended. The new by-law will include amendments reflecting changes to Committee and Council meeting practices that were approved as pilot projects, removing outdated technologies and procedures, and incorporating more plain language.

The by-law will be considered at the Council meeting on March 24, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. to be held electronically.

A copy of the proposed by-law is available from the Regional Clerk’s Office by contacting RegionalClerk@regionofwaterloo.ca or 519-575-4400.

Wear a mask, wash your hands and physically distance to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Learn more at ontario.ca/covid-19

Paid for by the Government of Ontario

If you wish to speak at the Council meeting, please register through the delegation registration form online by Monday, March 22, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.: https://forms.regionofwaterloo.ca/ Council-and-Administrative-Services/Delegation-Registration Dated this, 26th day of February, 2021.

Kris Fletcher Director, Council and Administrative Services/Regional Clerk 150 Frederick Street, 2nd Floor, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4J3

regionalclerk@regionofwaterloo.ca

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, March 4, 2021 | 3

Page Three

If it matters to you.

It matters to us.

News tips are always welcome.

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

Prov. hands out for GRT

From the archives

Waterloo Region will receive $16 million from the province to address the financial impacts on its transit system from the COVID-19 pandemic. During the peak of the pandemic, ridership dropped by 90% of normal levels for some of Ontario’s transit systems, which resulted in significant financial impacts for municipalities.

Snowmobilers making tracks through Woolwich’s parks can expect to feel the long arm of the law as the township moves to clamp down on violators. Acting on a complaint from a St. Jacobs resident, councillors voted Mar. 4 to post more signs and to toughen enforcement of bylaws that prohibit motorized vehicles in municipal parks.

From the Mar. 8, 2003 edition of The Observer

COVID-19 indicators are no longer improving Damon MacLean

26. “Our team has noticed a growing number of cases in the last three days. Our weekly incidence rate, up until yesterday is around 50 to 55 cases per week.

That is slightly up from last week where we were at between 45 and 50 cases per week per 100,000 residents

338 a week earlier. The virus had hospitalized 40 people, up from 31, with the death toll at 228, an increase of six from the same point last week.

“Our indicators are no longer improving,” said medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang at the weekly briefing February

Observer Staff

AFTER A MONTH OF IMPROVEMENT in the COVID-19 situation in Waterloo Region, indicators are headed in the wrong direction again.

At midweek, there were 419 active cases, up from

“I am becoming concerned. We will have to watch our indicators closely,” said Wang.

Waterloo Region Public Health’s COVID19 dashboard has now been updated to include a section for variants of concern located, tracking the new strains as they

appear in the area.

“We continue to see a rise in the number of variant cases, which is not unexpected. Public Health Ontario is screening all positive cases of COVID-19 for variance. As projected by provincial modeling, the percentage of cases which are variants

has been increasing at a similar pace ... to that of Ontario. To date, a total of 67 cases have been identified in one of the regions. Of the 67 total variant cases, seven have now been confirmed as the B 117 variant, and 60 have screened positive and are → CORONAVIRUS 4

Latest kennel part of ongoing concern in Wellesley Twp.

Coun. Shelley Wagner has been a critical voice around the council table Sean Heeger Observer Staff

Wendy Richardson is spearheading Crochet Anyone? in support of local initiatives in Wellesley.

Damon MacLean

Crochet project looks to give a boost to fair Damon MacLean Observer Staff

YOU CAN’T CROCHET A COMMUNITY garden. Or can you?

A new group in Wellesley is getting creative about community involvement, providing a fundraising boost to the township’s fall fair to boot.

It’s the work of Wendy

Richardson, long known for her involvement with the Wellesley Township Fall Fair, who started with a simple question, Crochet Anyone?

“I belong to a Facebook group called Canadian Crochet, and they’re always posting all these absolutely beautiful squares that they make.

They have a square swap

at Christmas at Easter and Halloween, and they create these beautiful afghans out of them. So, I thought with the fair and with COVID we’re looking at doing stuff that we can do at home without friends around. We’re looking at supporting community and supporting local in our township, and I thought it would

be a great way to have a community initiative.

And at the same time, it could be a fundraiser for the fair,” explained Richardson of the effort.

Richardson aptly gave the project the name Crochet Anyone? based on the theme of a flower garden for the afghan, which will be created from → CROCHET 4

WELLESLEY COUNCIL’S RECENT SPLIT DECISION over a kennel application reflects the township’s yearslong struggle to find a balance between farm-based operators and concerns about animal welfare.

Council last month narrowly approved a Linwood-area farmer’s request for a kennel to breed golden retrievers and poodles, with Coun.

Shelley Wagner raising questions about the care of the dogs, particularly after they’re past breeding age. Such issues have been ongoing concerns for Wagner, and have at times made the township a focus of animal rights groups.

In fact, Wellesley put a moratorium on kennel licenses for 16 months starting in July 2018 so that it could review its kennel bylaw to address previous concerns, a process spurred on by Wagner.

Her questions for the latest applicant indicate some concerns remain, particularly when kennels are requested for farm locations that aren’t well connected to breeding industry resources.

“I like to find out what the person that’s applying, what type of experience they have in breeding, and what resources they have.

So, I’ll use this [latest] one as a good example: When our bylaw officer mentioned about the new applicant maybe not having access to a computer, that triggers certain things for me right away. It triggers to me that they don’t have at their fingertips an easy access to finding out about breeding, to contacting other breeders that breed the same breed, that they probably [don’t have] easy access to their veterinarian. But if they don’t have internet access, they probably don’t drive an automobile, and that means that they probably → KENNELS 4

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4 | COMMUNITY NEWS

COLLECTIVE EFFORT: A helping hand for those seeking shelter and then looking for a fresh start →FROM 1

program, which aims to help those less fortunate by focusing on those leaving the shelter system or getting their first home.

That work has brought him into contact with a range of people in the region.

“One of the stories that I’ll probably never forget is bumping into a young lady, her information was kind of forwarded to us from a family friend. And this young lady is living with her son in subsidized housing, and had been there for four months with no furniture at all. She and her son sleeping together on a twin mattress, and that was the only furniture in the place: nothing in the living room, no dining table, no anything. And we were able to go in and supply her with a queensized bed for herself, dining tables and chairs

for the living room, that sort of thing. So, it’s those sorts of situations that people wouldn’t really have any idea that are happening,” said Weber.

To date, the group has helped between 30 and 40 people as they gained the stability after their needs were fulfilled.

Items Weber says they run through quite quickly, and therefore need the most, include small dining sets, double mattresses, box springs and beds. He says compact furniture and storage is what they need as well, asking for dressers, pantries, and bookshelves.

For those who want to help and donate to the cause – or ask for help from the group – they can be reached by email at 519communitycollective@ gmail.com or through their Facebook page.

CROCHET: Looking at other options for the Wellesley Fall Fair →FROM 3

the squares and auctioned off once the time allows for it.

Richardson has distributed flyers for the project, posted on community boards at the Linwood, St. Clements and Wellesley recreation boards, and shared the project through community Facebook groups and the fall fair’s page.

The response was almost immediate.

“I was expecting people would register after they made their squares, supposed to be a 12-inch square, but I’ve already

→FROM 1

to organizations from the private sector or external public sector entities.

Woolwich councillors were not convinced about the potential cost savings from any of the methods, nor about suggestions to jointly outsource services such as information technology and communications (neither Woolwich nor Wellesley has a dedicated communications position, with a joint venture actually leading to a net increase in costs).

Also recommended for outsourcing was emergency management, with the report suggesting a contract with the cities or a private provider at a cost of $125,000. In Woolwich and Wellesley, the fire department currently handles those duties.

In the overall fire budgets, the KPMG report recommends joint procurement to help reduce costs, with theoretical savings of $550,000 to $850,000 across the four

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future through social media avenues.

In terms of the fall fair, no decision has been made at this point, but a possible virtual iteration is a likely outcome given the current state of COVID-19 and public health restrictions.

“I’m not going to say it’s totally cancelled yet, because we don’t know where we’re at for sure.

But we are planning virtual stuff,” said Richardson This year will be different from last fall, when the fair was simply cancelled due to the pandemic.

“We kind of were in hibernation last year, I think. We’ve been looking at what other festivals have been doing, and brainstorming ourselves and basically looking at what we can do for the community ... keeping the fair name out there.”

To get involved with ‘Crochet Anyone?’ contact Richardson at wrichardson@bell.net or by phone at 519-656-2961. Participation is open to anyone in the area and beyond, and cash prizes for the top three squares will be awarded: $40, $30, and $25.

KENNELS: Animal welfare has been a factor in township’s discussions →FROM 3

rely on a veterinarian that maybe is more of a large animal than your small animal practice veterinarian,” she said.

“So those are some of the red flags that that come up for me for that type of thing.”

SERVICE REVIEW: Woolwich council unlikely to support continuation of consultant-led process with townships residents, Merlihan noted.

Councillors also panned the idea of selling the library buildings to the region. Currently, the Region of Waterloo Library provides the service, with the townships owning most of the facilities, with councillors arguing there would be few savings even if the region could be talked into buying the buildings despite its own financial issues.

The report outlines four different models of shared services the townships could use. That list includes resource sharing – a contractual arrangement between municipalities to share resources; centralized services – the relocation of multiple delivery sites or services to one centre; joint venture – establishing a standalone incorporated entity to share costs and risks of providing municipal services; and outsourcing – transferring key services

got 12 people registered,” she said. “So, I’m quite pleased with the way people are coming through. I figured I need about 20 squares for a nice size afghan, and I’m sure we’re going to come up with that and might even have enough for something besides that yet.”

In addition to the project, Norma Searth plans to teach those interested to learn how to make a flower square. Richardson warns the tutorial isn’t for beginners but people that have a handle on basic stitching. The video will be posted in the near

townships, though there is already some cooperation on that front.

“The townships can implement strategic sourcing for the consolidation of their expenditures on fire by synchronizing their procurement requirements. So if you need to go out and buy hoses or bunker gear, you can do it at the same time and achieve some cost savings in a joint procurement. You can also avoid costs. So, working together, townships will have greater spending scale to negotiate the best prices and avoid potential mark-ups,” Peever told Wellesley councillors in a video conference.

Peever said in his experience, they would be saving 10 to 15 per cent by using this model. He also noted that savings would be greater for townships like Woolwich because they are significantly larger than Wellesley.

With Woolwich unlikely to move ahead, the report’s recommendations might be destined for a shelf. Chief administrative officer David Brenneman said he would be talking to his counterparts in the other townships to see what comes next.

“There’s probably no need for further exploration,” interjected Merlihan. “I can’t see moving forward.”

With files from Sean Heeger.

Wagner, who has a background in a veterinary practice, says she looks at things differently compared to others on council. During her four terms as councillor, she says that at least five applications for kennels have been denied. She also says when she started there were about 13 kennels, there are now about 22 within Wellesley Township.

While many more applications have been approved than denied, she says there are changes that would improve the situation, including having all applicants undergo some form of minimal training, not allowing operators to use brokers to sell the puppies and ensuring that operators start their kennels with fewer dogs.

She says increasing the amount of inspections – especially drop-in inspections rather than ones

where notice is given – would also provide a more accurate picture of what goes on at kennels in the township.

“I’d like to see more [drop-ins] instead of the annual one where they get 24 hours’ notice. I’d like to see him drop in, just drop in and say ‘hey, can I take a walkthrough quick?’ I mean, it’s easy if you’ve got 24 hours notice to clean up whatever maybe isn’t what it’s supposed to be. But if you’re doing the right things, we should be able to stop in anytime and just do a quick walkthrough inspection. I’d like to see more of that.”

Sharing her concerns to increase the amount of drop-in inspections are Donna Power and Martin Field of Pet Adoption as a Working Solution for Ontario (PAWS-4-Ontario).

Field said in some jurisdictions when kennel owners know, or have an

idea, that an inspection is upcoming, they move dogs to a neighbouring property or another location, then quickly clean up so that it appears they operation is adhering to the bylaws.

Power added that on any given day, a bylaw or animal control officer should be able to walk into a kennel and see that they are following the rules set in place.

“That’s the concern – if the inspections aren’t really that diligent and thorough, then they’re going to not spend the money on the proper care for the animals.”

PAWS-4-Ontario calls for rules that ensure kennel owners disclose all potential health concerns related to puppies they are selling, with Field noting that it sometimes takes three to five years before most health concerns appear within the animals.

CORONAVIRUS: Officials monitoring variant numbers →FROM 3

awaiting confirmation, including the specific variant,” said Wang, adding that some outbreaks have been connected to the recent increase in variants of concern. “Outbreaks are a reflection of what we see in the community.”

The new strains have caused new protocols for contact management.

“We have implemented enhanced case and contact management for each and every single case of COVID-19, treating every single case as though it may be a variant. I appreciate that people are feeling concerned about variant cases – public health measures work against variants of concern, but we have to be more vigilant than ever before.

“COVID-19, especially variants, can spread easily when people have close

unprotected contact, such as without physical distancing or face coverings. And, in enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces or crowded places. That is why we continue to recommend that you avoid social gatherings with those outside of your immediate household. Limit non-essential trips outside your home. Practice physical distancing, wear a face covering that fits snugly.

Wash your hands often with warm water and soap, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Avoid enclosed poorly ventilated spaces and crowded places. Stay home when you are sick isolate from household members and schedule an appointment for testing.”

In Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, there were 155 active cases, up from 92 a week earlier. That catchment area’s cumulative

total was 4,752, of which 4,483 (94.3 per cent) have been resolved. There have been a total of 104 fatalities since the pandemic began, increase of one in the past week.

The province is seeing some slowing of cases, with the total now at 302,805, an increase of some 7,000 in the past week.

There have been 6,997 deaths attributed to the virus, representing a mortality rate of 2.3 per cent. The ministry reports 285,262 cases (94.2 per cent) have been resolved.

The latest numbers from Health Canada show 30,252 active cases, a slight decrease in the past week. The cumulative total of confirmed cases now stands at 872,747, with 22,045 related deaths, a mortality rate of 2.5 per cent.

Thursday, March 4, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

ↆ P O L I C E

COMMUNITY NEWS | 5

R E PO R T

WRPS issues scam warnings during Fraud Prevention Month During Fraud Prevention Month, Waterloo Regional Police have launched a campaign to educate the public on current scams affecting the community.

With the pandemic forcing people to stay home, many people have turned to the internet to search for employment, order groceries and

complete everyday tasks.

This has left more people susceptible to on-line scams and fraudsters who are looking to capitalize on the challenging times of COVID-19, police say.

Some of the scams that will be highlighted on the WRPS social media sites and webpage include: • Bitcoin scam

•

Online buy and sell scam • Gift card scam • Employment scam Throughout the month, police will describe how individuals are falling victim and will provide safety tips to prevent becoming a victim of fraud.

Fraud Prevention Month is an annual

awareness campaign that empowers Canadians with the information they need to recognize, reject and report fraud.

Consider sharing this information with friends, neighbours, and family members who may not be connected to social media or who may have missed previous warnings in the news.

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2020 OCNA BNC Award Finalist Best Editorial

Police responded to a minor collision near the St. Jacobs roundabout on Monday afternoon.

FEBRUARY 23 11:05 PM | Waterloo

Regional Police responded to reports of a collision involving a snowplow and a Ford SUV at Henry Street and Queensway Drive in St. Jacobs.

The initial investigation revealed that the driver of the SUV was pulling out from a private drive when it was struck by the truck.

The driver of the SUV, a 37-year-old woman, was transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Henry Street was closed for several hours while police investigated. The investigation is ongoing by members of Waterloo Regional Police Service’s Traffic Unit.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call police at 519-5709777 extension 8856 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800222-8477.

FEBRUARY 26 2:00 PM | Waterloo Regional Police received a report of a theft from a vehicle on Ferris Drive in Wellesley Township.

The victim’s vehicle was left unlocked and was rummaged through.

Personal property was taken from the vehicle.

Anyone who has not

reported a similar theft is encouraged to do so by visiting www.wrps. on.ca to file an online report, or calling police at 519-570-9777. Waterloo Regional Police are encouraging the public to report any suspicious activity immediately. Residents are reminded to lock their vehicles and keep valuables out of sight.

8:20 PM | Wellington County OPP responded to a report of a single-vehicle collision on Wellington Road 38 at Highway 6 north of Guelph, where a black pickup truck collided with a hydro pole, causing a power outage in the area. Police spoke with the driver and determined that their ability to operate a motor vehicle was impaired by alcohol. The driver was placed under arrest and transported to a local OPP Operation Centre for further testing.

A 28-year-old Kitchener man was charged with ‘operation while impaired -alcohol or drug’ and ‘operation while impaired 80 plus.’ A 90-day licence suspension and sevenday Vehicle Impoundment were initiated. The accused is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice – Guelph on March 16 to answer to

the charge.

FEBRUARY 27 2:00 AM | Wellington County OPP responded to a single-vehicle collision near Church Street West in Elora, where the vehicle went down an embankment at the end of a dead-end street and came to a stop on a walking trail. While speaking with the driver, officers formed the opinion that the driver was under the influence by alcohol. A roadside screening test was conducted which resulted in a fail. The driver was arrested and underwent further testing. The 51-year-old Brampton man was charged with ‘operation while impaired - 80 plus’ and ‘possession of a controlled substance – cocaine.’ His licence was suspended for 90 days and vehicle impounded for a week. He is to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice – Guelph on March 30.

10:13 AM | Police

received a report of a theft from a motor vehicle in Wellesley Township. It is believed that an unlocked vehicle was entered sometime overnight between February 25 and February 26.

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the vehicle. Anyone with information is encouraged to call police at 519-5709777 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

MARCH 1 1:13 PM |

Police responded to a rear-end collision involving two vehicles at Arthur Street and Listowel Road in Elmira. Damage was minor and there were no injuries reported.

2:55 PM | Waterloo

Regional Police responded to a report of a collision in Wellesley Township. A semi-truck was travelling north on Hutchison Road, just north of Hessen Strauss, when strong gusts of wind caused the trailer to start swaying over the road. The driver was travelling at slow speeds due to the gusts of wind, ice on the road and drifting snow, but was unable to take control of the trailer, causing the semi-truck and trailer to jackknife and block the road. The region was notified, and barricades were set up until salters could de-ice the roads.

The truck and trailer were assisted back onto the roadway by tow crews.

The driver did not sustain any physical injuries.

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Opinion

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

Connect: observerxtra.com/staff

Verbatim

The Monitor

“Our intervention in this case helped to clarify how Canadian law recognizes freedom of expression in the context of a growing threat of misinformation, and its potential future impacts on the democratic process.”

The campaign theme for this year’s International Women's Day on Mar. 8 is 'Choose To Challenge'. IWD has been marked for 110 years since the first gathering held in 1911.

The day celebrates women's achievements and raises awareness about women's equality.

PEN Canada executive director Brendan de Caires argues a section of the Canada Elections Act violate the right to freedom of expression.

OBSERVER EDITORIAL

Pandemic shines a light on systemic inequities

T

he pandemic has brought with it hardships not seen in the lifetimes of most of us around today.

The loss of life and the health impacts top the list.

We’re also dealing with a number of social issues stemming from the isolation and large changes in our usual routines. And, of course, there has been a huge economic cost.

On that last point, however, the high-level numbers show the gap between rich and poor has actually decreased through the pandemic, with the lowest-income households seeing the largest increase in disposable income – Statistics Canada say that gain was 37 per cent in the first three months of 2020, for example.

Overall, disposable income increased for all groups in the country.

Almost all of that is due to transfers and other government supports, which came at the cost of unprecedented deficits.

Of course, the gains are at the macro level – the pandemic and lockdowns hit some individuals harder than others. The youngest and lowest-income earners in the volatile hospitality and service sectors were the first to lose their jobs, and that part of the economy has yet to recover. However, government assistance programs not only filled in the gaps for many of these workers, in some cases providing net gains to household income.

Concerns about the massive deficit – by some estimates more than $380 billion by the end of 2020 – were raised fairly early on in some quarters, but such matters will really accelerate in earnest once the crisis has passed, or reached a state where we can feel like it’s passed. For now, we do know that the economic impact would have been far worse for many Canadians without supports, with Statistics Canada estimating that overall household disposable income would have fallen by 3.6 per cent by the middle of last year had there been no intervention.

We can expect a number of changes to come from our pandemic experience – there have already been shifts in working remotely and even in where we live – and we can certainly hope society will be more mindful of the precariousness of the economy and, specifically, employment.

We’ve already seen a shift towards more precarious work, but the pandemic has really illustrated the risks. While professional jobs are at risk, as always is the lower end of the pay scale where people are hurt the most.

Very much indicative of the problem is the increase in the number of workers earning minimum wage.

Not only do these jobs pay poorly – often not enough to cover basic living expenses – those in them are some of the most exploited and vulnerable workers. There are few, if any benefits. No sick days (another hot-button item just now) or leave provisions. A lack of full-time or even steady hours.

Not only are a growing number of jobs paying less, full-time work is harder to come by. More Ontarians are left to scramble for multiple part-time and contract jobs, none of which provide security. A bigger share of employees in Ontario work less than 40 hours a week today than was the case some two decades ago.

The age of workers receiving minimum wage has increased over the last couple of decades. This dispels the myth that minimum wage earners are teenagers who are working for the latest smartphone or other non-necessity. In reality, 66 per cent of minimum wage workers are older than 20 and only 34 per cent are teens. In other words, two out of every three wage earners are adults trying to make ends meet on a minimum wage that keeps a full-time, full-year worker below the poverty line.

Employment growth in trade (retail and wholesale), business services (which includes temporary agencies, cleaning, and security services), and accommodation and food services outpaced overall Ontario employment growth. All of these industries have wages that are far below the median for all workers. Not surprisingly, they were among the hardest hit during the pandemic.

ANALYSIS ON CURRENT WORLD EVENTS

Khashoggi and the gang who couldn’t shoot straight

I

f Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, were a burglar, he wouldn’t be George Clooney in ‘Ocean’s Eleven.’ He’d be a cartoon burglar in a carnival mask and a top with black-andwhite horizontal stripes, carrying a sack labelled ‘SWAG.’ He’s not a burglar, of course.

He’s a murderer, and ‘MBS’, as he is universally known, was back in the news last week when the U.S. government released a declassified assessment by U.S. intelligence agencies confirming his responsibility for the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Donald Trump sat on the intelligence report, defended MBS, and said his own intelligence experts were wrong. “I saved his ass!” Trump boasted to Fox News.

But Khashoggi was working for the Washington Post when he was killed, and Joe Biden takes a dim view of foreign leaders murdering American journalists even if they aren’t citizens.

It must be bewildering for the Crown Prince: two months ago the U.S. president was his best buddy, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu was his second-best buddy, and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had honorary buddy status too. Now

GWYNNE DYER

Global Outlook on World Affairs

Biden has replaced Trump, Netanyahu may also be out after this month’s elections, and Putin isn’t answering his texts.

Biden didn’t just publish the report on Khashoggi’s murder.

He ended U.S. support for MBS’s foolish, futile war in Yemen, put U.S. arms sales on hold, and refused to speak to the Crown Prince. (Biden finally called Saudi Arabia, almost last on the list, but would only talk to MBS’s 85-year-old father, King Salman.)

So there’s been much speculation about what Biden can or should do next about the Mad Killer of Riyadh, and the answer is – nothing at all. Just give him enough rope, and he’ll hang himself. He’s wicked and ruthless, certainly, but he is also ignorant about how the rest of the world works, very arrogant, and quite stupid.

If my pipes burst, I call the plumber. If my car breaks down, I take it to the garage. If I’m very rich and I want somebody killed, I find a hitman and have the job done professionally. I don’t get a few of my mates to do it – I hire an expert.

MBS sent a team of 15 men – fifteen! – to Turkey on a private plane, bringing the tools to kill and dismember Khashoggi with them. It was one of Istanbul’s smaller airports, but the Turks were certainly going to record when they landed and when they left. Then they lured Khashoggi to the Saudi consulate to pick up some papers so he could marry his Turkish fiancée.

Wait a minute. MBS thought it would be a cool idea to kill Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in a country that is hostile to the Saudi regime? He sent seven members of his own personal security force as part of the team? And they didn’t even sweep the consulate for Turkish bugs in the room where they killed and dismembered Khashoggi?

It was amateur night for slow learners. The hit team even sent a Khashoggi ‘body double’ dressed in Khashoggi’s clothes out the back door to be seen leaving the consulate by the security cameras. The Turks had the whole story in 24 hours, with the Saudi regime retreating from one lie to another before blaming it on ‘rogue operators’ three weeks later.

By then you’d think MBS would have seen the error of his →DYER 8

Thursday, March 4, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

OPINION | 7

We're not Texas, but Ontario needs to improve electrical system

W

e shook our heads in disbelief at the recent blackouts in Texas, our own electricity systems aren’t such that we can afford to be overly judgmental.

The situation in Texas was, on the surface, largely preventable. Greed-fuelled deregulation led to inadequate preparations for the wintry weather that took down a large part of the state’s generating and distribution capacity. The problem was exacerbated

by Republican ideology, which supports said greed-fuelled deregulation.

Ontario, of course, had its own dalliance with deregulation during the Harris government, which split up Ontario Hydro but halted its full plan due to public backlash and signs of the same issues besetting Texans right now: huge cost spikes due to leaving prices to the market.

“A fateful series of decisions were made in the late-’90s, when the now-defunct, scandal-plagued energy company Enron led a successful push to radically deregulate Texas’s electricity sector. As a result, decisions about the generation and distribution of power were stripped from regulators and, in effect, handed over to private energy companies. Unsurprisingly, these companies prioritized short-term profit over costly investments to maintain the grid and build in redundancies for extreme weather,” writes Naomi Klein in a piece last week for the New York Times.

“Today, Texans are at the mercy of regulation-allergic politicians who failed to require that energy companies plan for shocks or weatherize their infrastructure (renew-

STEVE KANNON Editor's Point of View

ables and fossil fuel alike).

In a recent appearance on NBC’s Today show, Austin’s mayor, Steve Adler, summed it up: ‘We have a deregulated power system in the state and it does not work, because it does not build in the incentives in order to protect people.’”

Given that utilities are typically natural monopolies, having the private sector involved is usually a lose-lose proposition, with citizens facing both higher bills and inadequate investments in infrastructure. As we’re entirely dependent on electricity – its absence is an existential threat to our society – there’s no excuse for not preparing for the worst.

These days, that means more extreme weather due

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ice storm take out large swathes of the grid.

The system has become more robust since major tests a couple of decades ago, the 1998 ice storm and the 2003 blackout. Likewise, attempts to bring more supply online and to boost conservation efforts have made it much less likely peak demand will take down the system.

Still, there’s no reason to be complacent, as that situation can change, particularly given Ontario’s reliance on nuclear power and the costs of maintaining the system.

Substantial efforts are needed on the conservation and alternative-supply fronts to tackle the long-term issues we face in maintaining a safe, abundant and – equally important – affordable electrical system in place for Ontarians. We’ve taken conservation measures to heart, but prices continue

to climb. Time-of-day pricing hasn’t had the impact proponents claimed, though it has hit us financially.

Electricity costs in Ontario have outstripped inflation, the marginal growth in the economy, increases in income and our ability to pay.

Ontario electricity prices increased twice as fast as the national average over the past decade. A two per cent increase came into effect in the fall, with the province removing pandemic-led holds on time-of-use pricing as of last week – your bills will increase.

Doing your laundry and cooking at, say, 2 a.m. would prevent you from paying more, as would avoiding heat in the dead of winter and air conditioning on the most stifling of summer days. Unfortunately, peak time is identified as

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to a changing climate.

Ontario’s system certainly has the winterization that Texas lacks, but those aren’t the only threats – just this week, Golden Horseshoe provider Alectra Utilities, the largest municipally-owned electric utility in Canada, was warning of possible outages due to strong winds.

The electrical grid is much more reliable here than in much of the world, where service interruptions and even regular blackouts and brownouts are the norm. Still, there’s reason to be mindful of the potential for future disruptions if we get the kind of extreme weather predicted for the future.

The likes of high winds, tornadoes and freezing rain can all bring down power lines, cutting off power to a few homes in the case of a fallen tree to thousands should a major

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that time when most of us need electricity: if the house is empty all day because we’re at work and school, there’s no usage going on. Ditto for the wee hours when most of us are asleep.

That said, there is every reason for us to conserve, and it can be done without completely revamping your schedule. Simple measures such as reducing the wattage of light bulbs, using timers, and turning off lights and equipment when they’re not in use can be beneficial.

Ultimately, larger-scale conservation measures are in order: requiring more stringent codes for home building, demanding more from appliance manufacturers, and the like. Retrofitting projects, whereby utilities actually pay for users to replace energy-hogging appliances and to upgrade insulation in their homes, have proven more cost effective than building new capacity, the usual choice of expansion-minded utilities.

Down the road, we’ll likely have to look at off-the-grid and neighbourhood micro-generators to help with costs and to improve reliability if severe weather, for instance, starts to place a bigger burden on the transmission system.

There, too, conservation will be the key to making costs more manageable.

We should be mindful of our energy consumption, which is among the highest in the world. We’re also well advised to keep an eye on the alternatives.

Ontarians, of course, are very much aware of what electricity costs us, at least as it applies to our wallets.

Somewhat ironically, green energy is often blamed for ever-rising hydro rates. Though →KANNON 8

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8 | OPINION

I came. I saw. I conquered

L

ate last week, I bought myself the nifty lightweight folding bow saw that I have had my eye on for a few years. It’s a wonderful item made specifically for backpacking, canoe camping, duck blind building or should you ever have need to threaten a tree.

Despite its obvious versatility, a purchase like this is gut-wrenching for an outdoorsman.

On one hand, it is a truly neat piece of kit that will prove useful when you find yourself in need of a good saw at a campsite.

With it, you can buck up a

STEVE GALEA

Not-So-Great Outdoorsman

log or two for the campfire (because campsite chores don’t feel like work). It might also come in handy to make some camp furniture or clear a tree that is blocking a portage trail to a backwoods brook trout lake. That’s the upside.

On the other hand, it is also a tool. And tools are a four-letter word that, too often, remind your partner that there are plenty of unfinished projects around

the house.

As if that’s not bad enough, a purchase like this might even prompt your partner to say, “Why did you need to buy that thing anyhow? You’ll only use it a few times a year at most.”

That is one of those logical questions that most outdoorsman would rather avoid hearing. For, if you fail to answer it correctly, your partner is going to eventually ask the same thing about why you bought that fourth fly rod.

And, trust me, no good can ever come of that.

In fact, it can put you in

a very precarious situation.

Luckily, there is a reasonable approach to preventing this unfortunate sequence of events.

All you need to do is to disrupt the normal routine of your household for a couple of months by using the new folding saw for any imaginable task it might be suited for, or until you have proved your point – whichever comes first.

For instance, since I have purchased my new camp saw, I have insisted on buying unsliced bread and lunch meats, so she is reminded of how useful it

DYER: Amateur approach may see Saudi prince ignored by U.S. government →FROM 6

ways. Next time he wants to kill a self-exiled Saudi critic of the regime, just get one of the intelligence attaches at the Saudi embassy there to hire a local hitman.

For a reasonable sum he’ll do a quick, tidy job – and if you tick the ‘no publicity’ box, he’ll make it look like an accident so it never comes

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, March 4, 2021

back to haunt you.

But not our boy. Only two weeks later, while the Saudi regime is still denying the Khashoggi murder, MBS sends another Saudi hit team, perhaps including some of the same men, to Canada to kill another self-exiled critic of the regime, Dr Saad al-Jabri.

Amateur night again.

The novice assassins deny

knowing one another, and are refused entry to Canada by immigration officials at the airport who find photos showing them together.

This attempted hit has never been officially confirmed, but a document published by Public Safety Canada on August 7 last year comes very close indeed. The fact that Prime Minister Trudeau

was the first national leader who received the Turkish recordings of the Khashoggi murder to go public with them just around that time adds weight to the allegation.

MBS is frightening, but he’s really not very bright.

And a Saudi leader that the U.S. president won’t even talk to does not have a brilliant future.

is with every sandwich. I also unfold it and rush into the room every time I hear sentences like, “I think it’s time we clipped the dog’s nails,” “Can you carve the turkey?” or “What we really need in this room is a smaller end table?”

By the way, the latter sentence is also a great time to introduce the idea of buying that neat little camp hatchet so that you can do the job just right.

Do this for a couple of months and soon the problematic question of why you needed that camp saw will never be asked

again. In fact, for a week or two, you might not hear anything mentioned at all.

You’ll know this uncomfortable battle is finally over when, one day you will reach for it after hearing that she needs a tomato slice, only to find it is not where you left it. Instead, a brief search will reveal that your partner moved it to the basement where it is safely tucked away with all your other camping gear as well as that old end table and the new hatchet.

With any luck at all, you’ll notice that as you are putting away your fifth fly rod.

KANNON: Politicians will have to cut elsewhere to ensure robust system →FROM 7

increasingly problematic, the impact is overstated by opponents. Whatever method we opt for, prices will go up. As consumers of electricity, we’ve never paid the actual cost of bringing it to us, let alone all the things that come along with our dependence of energy, such

as the environmental impacts.

As with so much of our infrastructure, we’re having to renew decadesold systems while building new ones to accommodate population growth. Political action has been less than expedient, the bane of most long-term planning issues.

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday March 4, 2021 | 9

On Farm Safety

March14-20, 2021

Ag industry has opportunity to become stronger post-pandemic

W

e can all agree that 2020 was a year like none other.

It was a year that tested everyone’s readiness to adapt to change quickly.

And the agricultural industry was no exception.

From labour logistics and personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages to processing delays and pivoting to online marketing, many farmers across the country encountered a long and ever-changing list of challenges due to COVID-19.

“Farmers faced a lot of new challenges in their ability to function within the restrictions [associated with COVID-19], as did everybody,” says Wendy Bennett, executive director of AgSafe in British Columbia. “But if you have a farm, the opportunity for everybody to work from home doesn’t work.

Here I am working at my dining room table, but that’s not an option if there are 100 acres of apples to pick.”

In Manitoba, Thea Green, program manager for Keystone Agricultural Producers, says that for many farmers the pandemic did not impact their ability to farm, but “it did impact how they farm.”

There is no denying the hardships and challenges that have been experienced across the Canadian agricultural industry. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has also provided the sector with a unique learning opportunity and the chance to explore new processes.

“We all adapted because we were forced to; it’s never fun to have to do something because you’re backed into a corner. But there has also been some benefit to being forced to explore change, to make it a priority,” explains Carolyn Van Den Heuvel, director of outreach and member relations with Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture.

“We all hit some bumps and hurdles along the way

while figuring it all out, and if we look at how our food value chain adapted, it’s really impressive and worth recognizing.”

Health and safety procedures top the list of what has been impacted by COVID-19 on farms across Canada. While another layer has been added to what employers have to do to ensure everybody’s well-being on the farm during the pandemic, those requirements may have a positive and lasting effect on farm health and safety procedures.

“COVID opened a lot of eyes to worker health and safety requirements across the board. And those requirements have largely always been there, but some people didn’t think they applied to them. I think, moving forward, the experience of dealing with COVID is going to make people pay more attention,” explains Bennett, adding that her organization has

The pandemic has forced producers to adapt to change quickly.

seen a noticeable increase in requests for help with implementing health and safety measures.

“The importance of preparedness has really become evident during COVID-19,” Green notes.

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Van Den Heuvel agrees, explaining that the pandemic underscored the importance of implementing a farm safety plan and con-

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“We are going to look at health and safety differently going forward. COVID has been, for lack of a better term, a good exercise for implementing a farm safety plan,” she says. “Health and safety are part of an overall farm management plan, and having a solid management plan, understanding processes for making decisions, and communicating with family members and workers were shown to be fundamental during COVID.” In fact, communication became an essential component across the agricultural industry in response to COVID-19, with collaboration proving particularly beneficial for commodity groups, which used shared experiences to find solutions and address challenges.

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10 | H E A LT H Y L I F E S T Y L E S

Self-care in agriculture is about more than self-indulgence

W

hat comes to mind when you hear the term ‘self-care’? A day of pampering at a spa? A facial or manicure?

While those are commonly associated with self-care in the media, they don’t represent the full picture and only further fuel misconceptions. Because while a spa day may not seem to have much in common with farm safety, self-care certainly does.

“Most people have a preconceived notion of what self-care looks like because of what is on the internet, or what they see on TV or social media. People have this idea in their head of what self-care is supposed to look like,” explains Deborah Vanberkel, a registered psychotherapist and founder of Cultivate Counselling Services in Eastern Ontario’s Lennox and Addington County, where she also works on her family’s dairy

farm. Her business is focused on providing services and supports to rural and agricultural communities.

So what exactly is selfcare? That depends on the person.

As Vanberkel explains, self-care is any activity that helps someone emotionally, physically, or mentally. But what exactly that entails differs from person to person.

“If you type self-care into Google, there is going to be an infinite number of results that come up, and they are all going to be different.

And while I’m sure a lot of the things that come up are great, it does not mean that they are going to work for you,” Vanberkel says.

“Self-care is self-defining.

I think that is the piece that people overthink or forget about because they end up on Google looking up what self-care is. Rather than ask Google, ask yourself what

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or getting enough water,” explains Beck, who also farms with her husband on a mixed farming operation outside of Regina.

“People need to customize their own self-care and look at what their own needs are. A 20-year-old working in agriculture will have very different needs than a 55-year-old person working in agriculture.

That’s just reality.”

In fact, even tasks that may seem trivial, such as cleaning the house, should not be overlooked as being beneficial to self-care.

“With a lot of those mundane tasks, in our current society, we have pushed them to the wayside,” says Beck. “But they actually do contribute to our personal success factor, and that suc-

self-care means and looks like. There is no right or wrong answer for self- care, so long as it benefits you physically, emotionally, or mentally.”

Cynthia Beck is a clinical psychology master’s student at the University of Regina whose graduate research involves examining the mental health needs of rural and agricultural populations. She echoes Vanberkel’s remarks, noting that self-care fundamentals are so basic that most people don’t realize it is self-care.

“We need to acknowledge that self-care is not indulgent. It’s a basic necessity.

A huge part of self-care are those necessary, everyday things like making sure we’re eating regular meals

cess means living a happy and healthy life.”

When it comes to farm safety, stress and mental health issues are known contributing factors. That’s also why it comes as no surprise that self-care – both prioritizing and neglecting it – has a significant influence on farm safety.

“The farm operator, our bodies and minds, are the most important part of machinery on any farm. That’s why it is so important that self-care be a priority. You can’t run a successful farm operation if you are not functioning at a healthy level,” Beck explains, adding that when self-care is neglected, people are more likely to make poor decisions or have poor judgement.

There’s no question that farmers and farm families lead busy lives. But just because there is always something new taking priority on the farm, doesn’t mean that self-care should be considered any less valuable and necessary. The most important thing to keep in mind is that self-care isn’t selfish.

“Children, farm operations and such, everything else takes priority. So the question needs to be put back on [farmers] of when do you become the priority and what do you do to prioritize yourself?” says Vanberkel.

“It’s like driving. If you keep on driving and never stop to gas up, you’re going to run out of gas eventually.”

POST PANDEMIC AG: Industry learning the importance of working together → FROM 9

with COVID. The only way that all of us were able to adapt to COVID successfully was by working together,” explains Van Den Heuvel.

“COVID showed us what true collaboration brings us; it showed us when we work together, how much further we can get.”

But the benefits of increased communication haven’t been limited to within the industry. With

more people cooking at home during the pandemic, COVID-19 has provided the agricultural industry with a valuable opportunity to connect with consumers about their food and what’s being done to ensure food security in Canada.

“There has been heightened interest in Canadian food during the pandemic, and Canadian consumers are increasingly interested in where their food is com-

ing from,” says Green.

Adds Van Den Heuvel, “There is definitely a recognition for agriculture amongst the public like we haven’t necessarily seen in the past, and that means more opportunities to connect with the public about their food.”

What things will look like post-pandemic is still anyone’s guess. But one thing is for certain: Canadian farmers’ abilities to adapt and

continue to produce safe and healthy products are proof that the pandemic won’t hurt the agricultural industry. It will make it stronger.

“Everyone in agriculture recognizes that everyone else in agriculture is going through similar challenges,” says Bennett. “And that collaboration will only make the industry stronger for everyone because COVID showed us that you never know what’s next.”

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Agriculture needs to be understood, and then celebrated

F

ederal leaders are being tongue lashed in some media and farm circles for doing little more than mouth platitudes for Canada’s Ag Day, which was “celebrated” February 23.

Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and opposition leader Erin O’Toole drew criticism from one business columnist for heaping praise and respect on farmers, instead of pointing out the economic value of agri-food to Canadians.

The figures are impressive. Agriculture and food makes up seven per cent of Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP). It’s responsible for billions of dollars of trade and 12 per cent of all jobs – including jobs that go unfilled because people don’t understand the sector’s many opportunities, and because they shun hard work.

It’s also thought that federal leaders should have pointed out how the agrifood sector is tech savvy.

Indeed it is; as a group, farmers are among the most active users of technology.

But is that what the electorate wants to hear?

I doubt it. I think it wants to hear the same things that the politicians are being chastised for saying, and Trudeau and O’Toole know it.

Here’s why. As the local food movement continues to grow, “big” is not what people think of regarding agriculture and food.

Commodity groups know that. You don’t hear them boast about the size of their industry. Rather, you hear

OWEN ROBERTS Food For Thought

them say things like farmers are your neighbours, that the food they produce is safe and wholesome, and that families are behind almost everything that makes its way to your plate.

They say that because it’s true, and that’s what people want to hear. Although technology is absolutely essential for the kind of food production that feeds millions, it sounds cold. It doesn’t leave consumers with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Neither do impressive statistics about agri-food’s significant contribution to the economy.

Now, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t know about them and have at least an understanding of how the many moving parts of the agri-food sector come together to keep us nourished and functioning.

We should, but we don’t.

And that’s where agricultural education and agricultural literacy come in.

On Monday, the federal government ponied up $1.6 million over two years to kick off Agriculture Literacy Month. Specifically, the month is earmarked for agricultural education in classrooms across the country.

Business columnists focussed on the bottom line will likely never write about this. But the classroom is where future consumers will start learning about → ROBERTS 12

Vaccines approved

GRCA budget approved

Health Canada has approved two new vaccines for use in this country: the COVID19 vaccine manufactured by AstraZeneca, and, the Serum Institute of India's version of the AstraZeneca vaccine. These are the first viral vector-based COVID-19 vaccines authorized in Canada. They are administered as a two-dose regimen.

The GRCA last week approved a budget that will see $32 million spent this year on its programs. Municipalities will contribute about $12.2 million to the GRCA in 2021; about 38% of the agency's total budget. The municipal levy portion is increasing by 2.5%, which works out to an average of approximately $11.09 per watershed resident.

A lesson in small-scale entrepreneurship Breslau high school student at home through the pandemic finds a creative outlet to raise money for her postsecondary education and support a good cause Damon MacLean Observer Staff

IN RECENT YEARS ETSY HAS become an excellent tool for those with an entrepreneurial bent, allowing them to take a jaunt into the creative market. For one Breslau resident, the site has allowed her to save money for school while supporting an animal welfare charity.

Tienna Schade found herself in a pinch earlier this year when she decided to stay home from work to reduce her exposure to the coronavirus as a way to protect her mother’s health. Looking for a way to generate an income, she turned to Etsy.

“I started to get interested in making money again, because I stopped working because of the pandemic – my mom is high risk.”

Schade then read about a way that she could make some additional cash while staying at home.

“I just ended up stumbling across an article that talked about making money on Etsy, and ever since then I was interested.”

The idea to create dog tags came from something the avid reader had read at some point.

“A few years ago, I read an article that said people are more likely to spend money on their pets than themselves, or something like that, so I’ve kind of based it off of that,” she said of the early impetus for the venture.

Schade decided rather than simply make money for herself, she

Tienna Schade is selling custom dog tags through an Etsy shop, with some of the proceeds going to Humane Canada. Damon MacLean

would choose to support Humane Canada, donating some proceeds from each sale to the nationwide charity representing humane societies, SPCAs and animal rescue organizations.

“I always just want to try to give back – I am very big on giving back to the community. I have over 250 volunteer hours for my high school diploma, you only need 40. I like volunteering.

“It’s not a lot what I’m

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giving back, it’s $1 per tag, but I am going to university in the fall, and obviously, university is pretty expensive. So hopefully in the future, I’ll be able to give back more. But for now, it’s just $1.”

Creating the tags involves purchasing the brass circle plates from another Etsy seller, adding a ring and metal stamp for the name and print, and then uploading to the TS Tag Co. shop.

Schade is currently a

student at Grand River Collegiate, where she enjoys studying the sciences, which helped her select the health field as her area of postsecondary study. “Something in the medical field. I’m not exactly sure what I want to be in the future, but along the lines of like an occupational therapist, immunologist or something like that,” she said.

She’s also always had an entrepreneurial spirit, she → ETSY-PRENEUR 12

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, March 4, 2021

12 | B U S I N E S S

Calling small business owners COVID-19 support could be available to you.

ETSY-PRENEUR: Venture has taught her about the importance of shopping locally, supporting small business

• Grants of up to $20,000 through the Ontario Small Business Support Grant • Up to $1,000 in support for purchasing PPE through Ontario's Main Street Relief Grant • Rebates for property tax and energy costs

Some of the customized dog tags available through the shop. →FROM 11

We’re working to ensure small businesses can keep employing people and serving their communities now and when COVID-19 is behind us.

Visit ontario.ca/COVIDsupport to apply Paid for by the Government of Ontario

notes in her Etsy profile.

“I remember in Grade 9, I was [talking] with my guidance counsellor, because I couldn’t fit all the science courses I needed to go to university.

We also had an entrepreneur course at our high school, so I was so torn: I wanted to do the entrepreneur, but I needed all the sciences and math to get into the university program. I ended up going with all the sciences and math, obviously. But

yeah, definitely, I will be looking to continue doing business; I actually have a couple more ideas in mind, so we’ll see how that goes.”

Currently, Schade is happy with the attention her Etsy store has gotten.

“They’ve been really good, actually, since I’ve posted on Facebook – it started in the Breslau group, and then from there, just word of mouth.

I also posted on marketplace and I got one sale.

And then that lady shared

Damon MacLean

to her neighborhood group and I got a lot of sales from that. Mostly word of mouth is what I’m relying on right now.”

Since launching her own venture, Schade has learned the importance of supporting local businesses, and the satisfaction of seeing others do the same.

“Support a small business. You’re supporting a person behind it, not just a large corporation. I’m genuinely so happy when I get a sale,” she said with a smile.

ROBERTS: Celebrating the importance of farmers and the agri-food sector to Canada's overall economy →FROM 11

the vast agri-food sector.

And once they start buying food on their own, they’ll be savvy enough to make informed choices.

In other words, they’ll be agriculturally literate.

They’ll have the capacity to, for example, have a perspective on local food and on global exports, both of which are essential for a healthy, productive agrifood system.

And what better place to get started on the drive towards an agriculturally literate society than school?

There will never be enough money for such an effort. Break down this

latest government investment over two years, across the entire country, and it becomes clear much more is needed.

But maybe it’s the best Ottawa figures it can do right now.

And I suppose business writers will hold their nose at federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau’s upbeat quote connected to her department’s support for Agriculture Literacy Month.

“It is absolutely essential that young Canadians understand where their food comes from,” she said.

“They must know what farmers’ work consists of

and how hard they work to take care of their animals and our environment…to provide us with high-quality food. I encourage our young people to take an interest in the many job opportunities available to them on farms and in mechanics, electronics and engineering, science, animal and plant health and much more!”

Maybe it’s “small” talk to some. But I think it’s right on. Educate young Canadians about agriculture so they mature into knowledgeable consumers. That will enhance the depth and meaning of an agriculture celebration.

Dairy, poultry and egg processors are a vital part of our communities.

The Trudeau government must fulfill its commitments to support those impacted by trade agreements.

2021

Dylan, Ethan and Olivia Koebel from Heidelberg created their huge Snow Fort on their snow day, Submitted February 22.

Thursday, March 4, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

B U S I N E S S | 13

A children’s literacy charity

Introduces

Free at -Home Parent Resources to give your child a Strong Start to reading Strong Start® continues to create impact in our communities with the introduction of our downloadable Parent Resources to support literacy development at home.  Easily adaptable for children ages 3-9 years  Fun interactive games and activities  Uses items commonly found in your home  Developed by educators

Scan QR Code to Learn More

To find out more about Strong Start and our programs visit www.strongstart.ca

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, March 4, 2021 | 14

Arts

Read a local best seller every week.

Local stories that inspire.

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

Expanding the raffle

Stratford out of doors

Expanding on its in-person shows, Drayton Entertainment has launched a province-wide Ultimate 50 / 50 raffle, with half the proceeds benefiting charitable programs for the not-for-profit theatre company and half the proceeds awarded to one lucky winner. The online raffle will run for a month until Mar. 31.

With an eye to summer performances, the Stratford Festival is planning a new Stratford experience to be held in the open air under two canopies. The organization expects about a dozen outdoor productions between late-June and the end of September. They plan to offer a combination of plays and cabarets, running roughly 90 minutes each.

www.draytonentertainment.com

www.stratfordfestival.ca

Marking the creative innovations of the region’s women Femme Folks Fest returns this year in virtual format, kicking off on International Women’s Day Damon Maclean Observer Staff

FORCED TO SHUT DOWN LAST year at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Femme Folks Fest is a go again this year, albeit in a virtual format.

Starting on International Women’s Day March 8, the 12-day event focuses on women and the arts in Waterloo Region.

The festival was created in response to a lack of programming recognizing women during March, International Women’s Month.

“Our intention last year was to run for three weeks at 11 different venues in Waterloo Region. We had 40 different events, and then COVID hit. So, we ran exactly four days before we had to close the festival. To say that was a disappointment. It’s an understatement. But it was no more disappointing than what everyone in the world felt with COVID happening,” explained Lisa O’Connell, founding artistic director of Pat the Dog Theatre Creation.

After much deliberation, organizers decided that this year’s event would proceed, though in a digital form. Given the financial uncertainty many may be experiencing during the pandemic, they opted for a pay-what-youwill donation system to

Lisa O'Connell of Pat the Dog Theatre Creation is one of the organizers of the Femme Folks Fest, which starts Mar. 8.

make it accessible.

This year’s programming features options ranging from a stage performance to a playwright reading series, as well as a Playwright’s Canada book sale, which runs for the entire 12 days.

Another part of this year’s festival is the ‘Playwright in Residence’ with Michaela Jeffery.

“She has 14 spots available – sign up to them on the central fest website – for any playwrights or [aspiring] playwrights,” said O’Connell, noting writers can “feature a maximum of 10 pages of your work, and she’d be very happy to read it and have a conversation with you.”

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drink. And then you go in and you sit down and you enjoy the show. And then oftentimes after the show, you might have a conversation with your friends or they might even be a talkback amongst the artistic crew within the show. Well, we’re kind of doing the same thing here, but we’re doing it in a different form,” she said.

We are finalists in eight categories for the OCNA’s 2020 BNC Awards

Rent soft water starting at

format, organizers are glad that the festival came together again this year despite the usual interactions of a live event.

“I’m really happy to have a production, because we can see live in theatre. Normally, with a live theatre production [you] go to the theatre and you go into the lobby and get yourself a snack or a

Submitted

This year’s production is the Vintage Project, a collaboration between Conestogo’s Auburn Vintage and Pat the Dog. The play has a capacity of 20 people for screening, and there are only three showings, with O’Connell suggesting people act quickly on the limited spaces.

The festival has a unique way to ‘Gather’ with other attendees, using Gather to enter into a virtual world as an 8-bit avatar.

“Come and enjoy and learn and be part of it,” she said, emphasizing the goal of the festival is removing barriers to access.

“Lots of folks that may be uncomfortable, especially with new platforms: Don’t be afraid. I’m an older woman myself – if I can learn it, anybody can,” said O’Connell.

“It’s really important to me this year that people don’t have any barriers to access, so we’re super happy to offer this for free for anyone to come.

If you can make a donation, that’s fantastic. But if you can’t, please do come anyhow, and enjoy and see the breadth of the beautiful women creators – we have a lot of innovation.”

More information about the festival programming and registration can be found online at femmefolksfest.ca.

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday, March 4, 2021 | 15

Classifieds

Seven days.

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TOWNSHIP OF

Advertising

Placing a classified ad

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

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

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

A bestseller every week.

Phone: 519-669-5790 ext 104

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Email: ads@woolwichobserver.com

Job Listings: jobs.observerxtra.com

Help Wanted

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TOWNSHIP OF

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

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

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

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

Help Wanted

The Township of Wellesley will be accepting applications for the position of

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT/DEPUTY CLERK for a One (1) year contract (maternity leave) The Municipality of the Township of Wellesley is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Administrative Assistant/Deputy Clerk.

Reporting to the Municipal Clerk, the Administrative Assistant/Deputy Clerk is responsible to perform statutory functions within the guidelines of legislation and policy. Provides administrative support for the Municipal Clerk and assumes statutory duties of the Clerk in their absences.

This is a full time contract position (1 year maternity leave).

For a complete job description and how to apply, visit www.wellesley.ca

Help Wanted

ARRO CRUSHING IS HIRING CRUSHER operator/heavy equipment operator We offer competitive pay, overtime and production bonus. Position starting In March.

For more info call 519-897-0779 or email jared@arrocrushing.com DRAYTON MASSAGE THERAPY AND OSTEopathy is hiring! We are looking to hire a RMT to cover a minimum of 2 shifts/week. These are 2 full days guaranteed clients with room to grow. We are looking for someone to start immediately. We offer an above average split, as well as the opportunity to be self-employed. All linens, oils and table are already provided. Laundry is onsite. Please contact Lisa at 519-504-8004 or reply to this for more.

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

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

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

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

Help Wanted

INVENTORY CONTROL/PURCHASING Tri-Mech Inc. is a mechanical company specializing in Gas Fitting, Hydronic Heating, Geothermal, Furnaces, Air Conditioning, Sheet Metal, Plumbing, and High Pressure Cleaning Systems. We service agricultural, light commercial and residential systems.

We are currently seeking an individual who is interested in purchasing, receiving, and inventory control, is a team player and able to work with minimal supervision. Computer skills would be an asset.

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

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

Kitchen Cabinet Production Designer Join a young, dynamic team that keeps growing!

Woodland Horizon Ltd designs, manufacturers, finishes and installs high quality custom cabinetry and solid wood stairs. Our shop and showroom are located in the town of Drayton.

Residential:

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

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519-635-8737.

Farm Services

ICE SALT & ICE MELT - ICE SALT COMES IN 20kg, Ice melt comes in 20kg bags. Call George Haffner Trucking, 519-574-4141 or L A R G E CA M E R A COLLECTION. LARGE 519-669-2045.

SLR camera collec- KILN DRIED CORN & tion for sale, Pentax, CORN SCREENING Canon, Minolta, Nikon. Delivered by Einwech$50 each regardless ter. Minimum 15 ton of value. Call Gary at lots. Call George 519-577-5188.

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

519-574-4141 519-669-2045.

Trades & Services RON'S DRYWALL AND RENOVATIONS. OVER 35 years experience. Please call 519-496-7539 or email ron.spncr@gmail.com

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

Help wanted listings continue on the next page Help Wanted

At Woodland, one of our core values is Respect. Respect for our team members and respect for our customers.

We are looking for a full time, permanent

Kitchen Cabinet Production Designer to join our team. In this position, you will be using Cabinet Vision software, to create detailed shop drawings, CNC files and production cut lists. In this position you would be reporting to our Engineering Manager.

• • • • • • • • •

Required skills Respectful Ability to read blueprints Cabinet Building experience will be an asset Cabinet Install experience will be an asset Cabinet Vision Experience will be an asset Motivated and enthusiastic Courteous and friendly Dependable No post secondary education required Experience:

• •

Cabinet Vision: 1 year (Preferred) Woodworking: 1 year (Preferred) This position is full time, with benefits after probationary period.

If you are interested in joining a vibrant and growing company, please send your resume to laverne@woodlandhorizon.com or call 519.638.5961 ext 4 Only those receiving an interview will be contacted.

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday, March 4, 2021

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

Help Wanted

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Visit dietrichplumbing.ca for job posting Send resume to lindsey@dietrichplumbing.ca Qualified applicants only will be contacted

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4044 Line 72., Millbank, ON N0K 1L0 Fax: 519-595-7107 Email: mffurn@cyg.net Only suitable candidates will be interviewed.

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Production Worker

This fulltime position will involve shift work week days (Monday to Friday) with an occasional Saturday shift. Responsibilities will include warehouse duties, pelleting/batching and receiving.

Office Assistant – Part-time

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

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

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

To apply, forward your resume and three references to: Human Resources Floradale Feed Mill Limited 2131 Floradale Road, Floradale, ON N0B 1V0 Or e-mail: ffmjobs@ffmltd.com

Small agri-business office has an opening for a part-time office assistant to provide a variety of administrative and financial tasks. The job is equivalent to two to three days per week. There is flexibility on the number of hours worked per day and days of the week.

Applicants must have solid computer skills including proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word and Excel specifically).

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Consideration will be given to current students who are able to balance studies and part-time employment.

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For additional information or to forward a resume, contact officeassistant2021@bell.net

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C L A S S I F I E D S | 17

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THE OBSERVER | Thursday, March 4, 2021

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

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ES TATE

Sue From

Alli Bauman

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

226-750-9332

519-669-5426

suefrom17@gmail.com

This lovingly cared for 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, all brick bungalow is waiting for you. Pride of ownership is evident throughout this home with updates throughout including hardwood and tile floors. The main floor layout is bright with an open concept design providing spacious living, dining and kitchen areas. There are 2 bedrooms on the main floor and one 4 piece bathroom including a jet tub. The basement is newly finished featuring a great sized rec-room with a gas fireplace and beautiful stone surround. With a 3rd bedroom, laundry room, 3 piece bathroom and a games room this home is ideal for a family of any size. The sprawling side yard has beautiful mature trees providing shade and privacy. The composite deck off of the living area has LED lighting and has been beautifully landscaped with a stone path and flowerbeds. The driveway can easily fit 4 vehicles or allow space to park an RV. This home is too good to overlook. Book your viewing today!

Exceptional!!! This 2-storey, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom home was built in 2017 by Finoro Homes Ltd. The main floor has an open concept design with a décor that is tasteful and modern including bright rooms and fresh finishes.

Convenient main floor laundry and 2 piece powder room, granite countertops and all appliances included. The second floor offers a 4 piece bathroom and 3 bedrooms, one of which is an elegant master bedroom with a walk in closet and a 4-piece ensuite bathroom. Relax or entertain on your professionally constructed interlock stone patio in the back yard with beautiful gardens. Ample room to park in the 1.5 car garage and double wide driveway. If you are looking for a beautifully finished home, this is the one for you. Book your showing today!

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“PROUDLY REMEMBERING OUR PAST; CONFIDENTLY EMBRACING OUR FUTURE.”

Community Information Page COVID-19 Woolwich Township Update Township Office The Township office is open walk-in public traffic; however, it is strongly recommended to have book an appointment before visiting the office to ensure staff are available to assist you. We do have several services that are available online and can be found on our website: • Tax & Water Bills can now be paid online: www.woolwich.ca/taxes • Building Permits can be applied for and paid online: www.woolwich.ca/buildingpermits • Report Issues or Service Requests (By-law Enforcement, Potholes, Signs, Streetlights, Trees, Winter Maintenance, etc..) online: www.woolwich.ca/reportit For current information on facilities and services, please see Woolwich.ca or call 519-669-1647. For health information, call Region of Waterloo Public Health 519-575-4400.

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

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

Recreation Programs and Facilities The Township of Woolwich is excited to welcome residents back to our recreation facilities and programs over the next few weeks. We are taking a phased approach in order to give us time to reopen our various facilities, recall and retrain staff and ensure adequate protocols are in place to keep staff and patrons safe.

P.O. Box 158

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

Phone:

519-669-1647 or 877-969-0094 Fax: 519-669-1820

519-575-4400 www.woolwich.ca

Local Business Resources Applications are still open for Ontario’s Small Business Support grant ($10,000 - $20,000).

Search “Ontario’s Action Plan: Responding to COVID-19” online to learn more about all provincial business support programs.

The Canada United small business grant ($5000) re-opened for applications across all provinces and territories. The program will remain open until all funds are depleted and applications are accepted on a first come, first served basis.

COVID-19 Screening Requirements for Businesses: Public Health requires all businesses to screen patrons and workers before entering or coming to work. Visit https://bit.ly/3sI9r9h for more information about when to actively or passively screen.

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

Regional Face Mask By-law Face coverings are required in transit, taxis, ride sharing and enclosed public places.

Children under five and people with certain medical conditions or disabilities are exempt.

Please be kind to those unable to wear a face covering. To make a complaint, call 519-575-4400.

Public Health Information We are in an extremely precarious time, but public health measures work. We must continue to practice these measures to control the spread of COVID-19 and its variants.

• Avoid social gatherings with those outside your immediate household • Limit non-essential trips outside your home

Week of March 1st

• Practice physical distancing

WMC – Aquafit & Lane Swim, Fitness Classes open for pre-registered visits

• Wear a face covering that fits snugly

St. Jacobs Arena (Minor Hockey rentals only)

• Wash your hands often

Additional ice, programming and facility updates will be announced soon. Watch for updates!

• Avoid enclosed, poorly ventilated spaces and crowded places

For additional information, including pre-registration & COVID protocol details please check the website at: Woolwich.ca/RecCheck

After Hours Emergency:

• Stay home when you are sick, isolate from household members and schedule an appointment for testing We can do this! For info visit regionofwaterloo.ca/COVID19variants

Thursday, March 4, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

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

Region to open two new COVID-19 vaccination clinics

ES TATE

Damon Maclean

“The Boardwalk clinic will open in early March as a site initially for our adults 80 years of age and older who TWO NEW CLINICS – have been recently added as ONE each in Waterloo and a priority population of the Cambridge – are being vaccine rollout. The Rona added as COVID-19 vaccilocation in Cambridge will nation sites in Waterloo Region. Any expansion into open after a few modifications are made so the site other communities will can operate as a clinic,” she have to wait until vaccine said at a the weekly briefing. supplies allow, however.

Given limited supplies of Regional officials announced February 26 the vaccine, the region remains forthcoming addition of two in the first phase of the rollout, targeting frontlarge public health clinics, line healthcare workers, one at the medical centre long-term care residents at 435 The Boardwalk, Waterloo and the other at 66 and those over the age of Pinebush Rd. in Cambridge. 80. When supplies become available to widen eligibilThe two new sites will be critical in helping the region ity, the goal is to use small and midsize clinics, includreach its goal of providing ing “primary care offices 10,000 doses per day, said and other community locaShirley Hilton, who heads tions,” Hilton explained. the vaccine distribution This week saw the launch taskforce.

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of pre-booking for vaccinations in the region ahead of the provincial government’s online portal going live on March 15.

“Residents of the community will be directed to the most appropriate and accessible clinic using a regional booking system through which they can pre-register according to the eligibility of the vaccine,” said Hilton.

“As of this morning, we have had over 10,400 people who are eligible in phase one pre-registered, with 7,000 from the over 80 years of age population; 85 per cent of those who have pre-registered did indicate that they could be available on short notice, which will assist in contingency planning should someone cancel or is unavailable for their appointment,” said

Hilton of the need to fill in the gaps if scheduling issues arise.

To assist with its rollout of the additional sites, the region is looking for volunteers.

As the region attempts to get shots in people’s arms, Hilton called on residents to continue to take precautions, even if they’ve been vaccinated.

“I do want to remind those residents that have received their doses, including two doses of the vaccine, that they still need to take and continue to follow public health guidelines to protect themselves and others and to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community. These guidelines include continuing to wear a mask and practice physical distancing.”

“PROUDLY REMEMBERING OUR PAST; CONFIDENTLY EMBRACING OUR FUTURE.”

Community Information Page COMMITTEE OF ADJUSTMENT NOTICE OF HEARING MONDAY, March 22, 2021 at 4:30 P.M.

Pursuant to the Planning Act and Ontario Regulations 197/96 and 200/96 take notice that the Committee of Adjustment for the Township of Woolwich will meet for the purpose of hearing all persons interested in support of or opposition to any of the following applications as described below.

Please note this will be a virtual meeting only and public attendance at the Township offices will not be permitted. Below is information on how you can submit comments, view or participate in the meeting. You may also contact the Committee Secretary by sending an email to planning@woolwich.ca or by phone at 519-669-6040 if you have any questions.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE As in-person meetings are not an option at this time, you can view or participate in the meeting as follows: • view the Committee of Adjustment livestream on the Woolwich Township Youtube channel at the following link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOnLlF3Srk2gLEBjkq8pIMQ OR • participate by registering with the Committee Secretary on or before 12 noon on Thursday March 18th. To register please email planning@woolwich.ca or phone 519-669-6040. When registering you must provide your name, phone number, email and the application number you would like to comment on. Once you are registered the Committee Secretary will forward information on how to connect to the Zoom meeting (i.e. zoom Wi-Fi login or conference call number).

If you are unsure whether or not you would like to speak at the meeting but want to listen and have the option to comment on a particular application, please register with the Committee Secretary (see above information). You will not be required to speak if you do not want to.

WHY REGISTER By registering staff can ensure that you are permitted access to the virtual meeting, we know which application you are commenting on and, can call on you at the appropriate time to comment if you wish to do so. As it is virtual, registering will provide a level of security that is necessary to prevent unwanted guests from disrupting the meeting. Applicants and their consultants will be automatically registered and contacted accordingly by the Committee Secretary ahead of the meeting.

SUBMITTING COMMENTS If you would like to comment on a particular application, staff always recommend that you do so by: • submitting a letter by mail or delivering it to the Township office at 24 Church Street West, Elmira and placing it in the drop box on the Maple Street side of the building; or • submit an email to planning@woolwich.ca You can also contact the Township Planner at 519-669-6033 to discuss any comments / concerns however, this is not considered a formal comment.

P.O. Box 158

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

Phone:

519-669-1647 or 877-969-0094 Fax: 519-669-1820

After Hours Emergency:

519-575-4400 www.woolwich.ca

The Committee will consider submissions for or against the applications. All submissions must be made no later than 4:30 p.m. on Monday, March 15th (Note that this date is before the meeting). Any submissions received will be included in a comment package and presented at the meeting. This information is collected and maintained for the purpose of creating a record that is available to the general public at the Committee of Adjustment hearing. Please note that while the Committee may redact some personal information such as email addresses and phone numbers, your submissions will otherwise be made public in their entirety.

This notice has been sent to commenting agencies, and to owners of property located within 60 metres (200 feet) of the subject properties. If you wish to be notified of any last minute changes to the agenda (i.e. withdrawal of an application) you must contact the Committee Secretary at 519-669-6040 or 1-877-969-0094 (Ext. 6040) or by email to planning@woolwich.ca.

APPLICATIONS MINOR VARIANCE APPLICATION A 5/2021 – Brian Kurtz and CONSENT APPLICATION B 9/2021 – Brian Kurtz and Scott Kurtz PROPERTIES: 1320 Maryhill Road, Maryhill and 1328 Maryhill Road, Maryhill ZONE / USE: 1320 Maryhill Road – Settlement Commercial - detached dwelling and accessory buildings and 1328 Maryhill Road – Settlement Commercial – detached dwelling and an accessory building PROPOSAL: B 9/2021 - The applicant is requesting permission to sever an approximate 3.6 by 50.2 metre (179 square metre) strip of vacant land from 1320 Maryhill Road and convey it as a lot addition to the adjacent lands at 1328 Maryhill Road in order to provide additional side yard setback. Both the severed and retained lands are zoned Settlement Commercial. The proposed retained lands will comprise approximately 2,144 square metres with approximately 36 metres frontage.

A 5/2021 - Subsequent to Consent Application B 9/2021 the applicant is requesting permission to recognize the revised undersized parcel size for 1328 Maryhill Road of approximately 1,694 square metres, whereas 2,000 square metres is required.

NOTICE OF DECISION: Within 10 days of the meeting, a copy of each decision will be sent to owners, agents, those who submit written comments, and people who register for the meeting. If you wish to be notified of the decision of the Committee of Adjustment in respect to this application, you must submit a written request to the Committee Secretary or register ahead of the meeting. This will also entitle you to be advised of a possible Local Planning Appeal Tribunal.

APPEAL OF MINOR VARIANCE AND CONSENT APPLICATIONS: Anyone in opposition to a decision may appeal the decision to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal. The Tribunal may dismiss an appeal without holding a hearing if the appellant did not make oral or written submissions to the Committee of Adjustment before a decision was given or does not provide a reasonable explanation for having failed to make a submission to the Committee.

QUESTIONS / FURTHER INFORMATION Please feel free to reach out to Township Staff by phone or email to assist you should you have any questions. Contact the Committee Secretary at 519-669-6040 or 1-877-969-0094 (Ext. 6040) or by email to planning@woolwich.ca

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, March 4, 2021

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

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A LB UM

Obituary

Obituary

Obituary

Obituary

Michel, Barbara

Penfold, Nellie Aileen (Nee Marshall)

Passed away peacefully at Freeport Hospital on Thursday, February, 25, 2021 at the age of 93. Barbara was predeceased by her husband of 70 years, Andy, who passed away 4 weeks ago. She will be sadly missed by her nieces, nephews, other friends and relatives.

Barbara’s visitation was held from 5-8 p.m. on Monday, March 1, 2021 at the Henry Walser Funeral Home. Funeral Service in the Chapel on Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. Please note that if you plan to attend, masks are mandatory and you must RSVP through the funeral home website or by calling (519) 749-8467. Those unable to attend may view Barbara’s service via a recording on her memorial page at www.henrywalser.com Interment Parkview Cemetery.

Visit www.henrywalser.com to view Barbara’s memorial.

Passed away peacefully at Groves Memorial Community Hospital, Fergus, on March 1, 2021 at the age of 89. Loving mother of Donna and Carol (2017). Beloved wife of Robert (2013). At Nellie’s request, cremation has taken place. Donations in Nellie’s memory to Groves Hospital Foundation would be appreciated, and can be made through the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira.

Bauman, Betty Jean (nee Snyder)

Passed away on Thursday, February 25, 2021 at her residence at the age of 73. Wife of Amos Bauman. Mother of Laurene and Clarence Martin of Elmira, Laverne and Elsie of Belleville, Esther and Oscar Martin of Harriston, James and Eileen of Kenilworth, Phares and Erma of Elmira, Betty and William Bauman of Kenilworth, Marvin and Kaylie of Lethbridge, AB, and Nancy Bauman at home.

Grandmother of 35 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Sister of Annie and Orvie Bearinger, Enoch and Edna Wideman, Mary and Henry Martin, Mrs.Lydian Bearinger, Malinda and Allen Martin, Nelson and Salome Wideman. Sister-in-law of Josiah and Almeda Bauman, James and Elvina Bauman. Predeceased by her parents Ezra and Elizabeth (Martin) Wideman, brother Amos, one sister in infancy, brother-in-law Cleon Bearinger, and sister-in-law Almeda Bauman. Special thank you to Dr. Onuska, the Care Partners and LHIN for their kind and compassionate care throughout this journey. A drive past viewing was held on Saturday, February 27, 2021 from 1-6 p.m. at the family home, 2560 Floradale Road, RR 1, Elmira. Service and burial by invitation took place on Sunday, February 28, 2021 at North Woolwich Mennonite Meeting House.

Peacefully passed away into the presence of her Lord Jesus on Thursday, February 25, 2021 at Freeport Health Centre at the age of 87. Beloved wife and best friend for 66 years of Earl Bauman formerly of St. Jacobs. Loving and devoted mother to Dwight and Linda Bauman of Utopia, Linda and Jim Swartzentruber of St. Jacobs, Karen and Dave Valenta of St. Jacobs, Wayne and Sue Bauman of Elmira, Marilyn and Jim Giles of Kitchener, Kathy and Ron Legrow of Kitchener. Also lovingly remembered by her 14 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Sisterin-law of Isabelle Snyder of Elmira.

Predeceased by her parents Lloyd and Roberta (Groff) Snyder, brothers Lorne and Murray, sister-in-law Ellen Snyder, and grandson Tyler Valenta.

Mom was a sweet, kind and caring lady to everyone she met. She loved to entertain, and her cooking was bragged upon continuously by all who were on the receiving end. An avid reader, her Bible and a good Christian novel were always close at hand. Mom was proud of being a nurse and her knowledge was required on numerous occasions over the years. She shared her mother’s love for quilting, making sure each grandchild had a quilt of their own, and helping the church quilting ministry by piecing together numerous quilt toppers in recent years. Mom and dad loved to travel, with their fondest memories being of their last big adventure, a trip to Switzerland. Mom lived a life of unwavering faith in God and her love for the Lord shone bright around her.

Her family meant the world to her and there wasn’t a day that went by in these last weeks when she didn’t say how much she loved each and everyone.

Special thanks to the staff at Chartwell Retirement Home, St. Mary’s Hospital, and Freeport Health Centre for their loving care. There will be no funeral home visitation. A private family graveside service will take place at Elmira Union Cemetery with Pastor Paul Westerholm officiating. In Betty’s memory, donations to Grand River Regional Cancer Centre or St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation would be appreciated and may be made through the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira.

❖ www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com

❖ www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com

❖ www.henrywalser.com

Obituary BAUMAN, Elizabeth (nee Wideman)

1% Local

Obituary Martin, Noah M. Passed away at his residence on Friday, February 26, 2021 at the age of 36. Husband of Mary (Lahman) Martin. Father of Benjamin, Miriam, and Ruth. Son of Ezra B. and Rachel Martin. Brother of Lena (William) Bauman, Allen (Selinda) Martin, Elias (Selema) Martin, Adeline (Simeon) Bowman, Adina (Alvin) Bauman, Nancy (Cleason) Brubacher, Lydian (Martin) Frey, Rachel (Ion) Martin, and Lucinda (Andrew) Bowman.

Visitation took place on Monday, March 1, 2021 from 1 – 5 p.m. at the family residence. A funeral service and burial was held at Martin Mennonite Meeting House. ❖ www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com

Keith passed away quietly February 26th, 2021 at Victoria Hospital, London. Born in Owen Sound, resident of Kitchener; Keith is survived by his loving wife Alice, his brothers Ken (Gail) Acton and Douglas (late Sandy) Acton. Dearly missing their Dad and Papa; Kevin (Denise) Acton of Baden and girls Alyson and Taylor, Katie (Russell) Wagner of Golden, BC and girls Ava and Kiera.

Keith was a long standing member of Local 527 for 52 years and worked at Sutherland and Schulz for 39 years. He was a member of Legion Branch 6 and Crescent Athletic Club in Owen Sound.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Canadian Cancer Society or Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters would be appreciated.

Obituary

Obituary Burkhart, Amos B. Peacefully on Saturday, February 27, 2021 at Grand River Hospital at the age of 73. Beloved husband of Elvina (Martin) Burkhart. Loving father of Melissa Burkhart of Wallenstein, and Leroy and Ruthann Burkhart of Harriston. Dear grandfather to four grandchildren. Brother to Anna and Vernon Martin of Elmira; Lorne and Annie Burkhart, Leonard and Erma Burkhart, Paul and Esther Burkhart, all of Wallenstein; James and Laura Burkhart of Hawkesville; Naomi and Allen Martin of Drayton. Brother-inlaw to Almeda and Josiah Bauman, Martha and John Martin, Ishmael and Esther Martin, Naomi and Murray Martin, Simon and Beatrice Martin, Salema and John Brubacher.

Predeceased by his parents Henry S. and Lydian (Brubacher) Burkhart, and stepmother Amy (Martin) Burkhart.

A drive past viewing was held on Monday, March 1, 2021 from 2 – 5 and 6 – 8 p.m. and Tuesday, March 2, 2021 from 2 – 5 p.m. at the family home, 5761 Buehler Line, RR 1, Wallenstein.

Service and burial by invitation only took place on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at Weaverland Mennonite Meeting House. ❖ www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com

Cross, David Passed away peacefully at his residence on Sunday, February 28, 2021 at the age of 71. Loving husband of Carol, proud father of Bill (Melissa Pieper) and Bob, stepfather to Jenny (Mike) Feltis and Sue Ventura. Caring grandpa to Alex, Raven, Hannah and Brady; Carolynn, Brian and David. He will also be missed by his cats, Whiskers and Jr. Predeceased by his parents James and Jean (Weatherston) Cross.

Visitation will be held on Friday, March 5, 2021, from 2-4 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, 62 Arthur St. S., Elmira. Please call 519-669-2207 to register your attendance. Masks are mandatory. A private family service will be held on Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 2 p.m. in the funeral home chapel. Cremation will follow, with spring interment at Elmira Union cemetery. In David’s memory, donations to the Alzheimer Society Waterloo Wellington would be appreciated and can be made through the Dreisinger Funeral Home. ❖ www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com

Death Notices

1172 Henry Street, Wellesley, Ontario. N0B 2T0 519-656-2880 chris@futher-franklinfuneralhome.com www.futher-franklinfuneralhome.com

❖ www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com

Keith Frederick Acton January 6, 1948 - February 26, 2021

Christopher W. Franklin Funeral Director

Serving the families of Wellesley Township and the surrounding area with the care, respect and dignity families deserve.

BAUMAN, HENRY M. - PASSED AWAY peacefully on Thursday, February 25, 2021 at Groves Memorial Hospital, Fergus at the age of 87.

BRENNEMAN, RALPH - FORMERLY OF Wellesley, passed away peacefully at his residence in Nithview Community, New Hamburg on Sunday, February 28, 2021 at the age of 81.

HAMMOND, BRIAN WITH SADNESS WE announce the passing of Brian Edward Hammond, formerly of Listowel, on Sunday, February 28, 2021, in his 75th year.

ROSE, SHARON BEVERLEY - PEACEfully at Freepor t Hospital on Sunday, February 21, 2021, Sharon Beverley Rose (Lewis) of Wellesley, in her 82nd year.

SMITH, DUNCAN JAMES - BORN JUNE 7, 1954 and passed away on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 at his residence with family at his side.

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, March 4, 2021 | 21

Living Here

It's about all of us.

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

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

St. Paw-Tricks Day

Youth mental health pilot

The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo & Stratford Perth is holding its first-ever St. Paw-Tricks Day virtual beer tasting fundraiser in partnership with the local breweries.

The online event is set for Mar. 13, with beer sample kits available for pick-up at the organization’s Kitchener and Stratford locations.

The Canadian Mental Health Association Waterloo Wellington is bringing a youth mental health and support services site to Centre Wellington Township. The Fergus site is slated to open in June to serve an estimated 5,000 youth in the area. It is the pilot for CMHA WW’s Integrated Youth Services Network (IYSN) project, which will see a total of seven sites developed across the county.

www.kwsphumane.ca

Best baked potatoes

T

o produce baked potatoes with an evenly fluffy interior, we figured out their ideal doneness temperature is 205 degrees. And while a microwave might seem like a fast way to "bake" a potato, we found several reasons why it's actually the worst approach.

First, microwaves heat foods very unevenly, so some parts of the potato might rapidly reach 205 degrees while others get to only 180 degrees. Second, rapidly heating a potato causes pressure to build and cell walls to burst, releasing starch molecules that glue together the broken cell walls And lastly, baking them in a hot

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

(450-degree) oven prevents a leathery "pellicle" from forming underneath the peel.

Before tossing the potatoes in the oven, we coated them in salty water.

We then crisped the skin by painting it with vegetable oil once the potatoes were cooked through and baked the potatoes for an additional 10 minutes.

People might not think they need a recipe for something so simple as a baked potato, but this recipe truly makes the best baked potatoes you've ever eaten.

Best Baked Potatoes ▢ Salt ▢ Pepper Coach Mike Ellis on the ice at the WMC with his Woolwich Minor Hockey Association U9 team.

Damon MacLean

It’s all about the love of the game Mike Ellis wins Ontario Minor Hockey Association coach of the month accolades Damon Maclean Observer Staff

BEING RECOGNIZED AS THE ONTARIO Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) coach of the month for February caught Mike Ellis off guard.

“I was definitely surprised,” said Ellis, who coaches a Woolwich Minor Hockey Association U9 team, adding the honour rightly belongs to the entire team.

“I don’t really do anything special. There are a number of people that help out with the team – it’s not just a one-man show. All the volunteers for our team, all

the coaches and managers for the entire organization really need to be called as well, as all kinds of people are volunteering their time, spending a lot of time.”

Though having been involved with minor hockey for years, Ellis found himself in uncharted territory over the last year because of the pandemic, which has thrown a wrench in the gears of everyone’s life.

It’s meant making some changes while wearing his coaching hat.

“It’s been a challenging year. What myself and the other coaches have been talking about a lot as we go through these

different stages is just the focus on having fun – we were coaching the local league team. So, for us, it’s more about keeping kids engaged in the game.”

One of those kids is Ellis’ son Ben, who’s had to make some adjustments of his own, as have all his teammates.

“You’ll get children who really missed the game, but with the long breaks that we’ve had, some of them may not remember much about hockey anymore or not be terribly interested to come back.

That’s why we’re promoting trying to have fun out at the rink. I think the kids are kind of in a mixed camp – there are some ...

getting as much hockey as they can, and others might be kind of wandering away from hockey a bit, especially in a local league group.”

In developing his coaching style, Ellis drew on his own time while growing up in Drayton, where he played minor hockey from U7 to U18. A couple of the coaches he played for stick in his mind, and he uses the lessons he learned from them to help him today.

“As I got older, I can remember coaches better than I can when I was younger.... In the younger years, there was a coach who came into town and → COACH 24

▢ 1⁄2 cup water ▢ 4 (7- to 9-ounce) russet potatoes,

1. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in 1⁄2 cup water in a large bowl. Place potatoes in the bowl and toss so the exteriors of the potatoes are evenly moistened. Transfer potatoes to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the center of the largest potato registers 205 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Remove potatoes from the oven and brush the tops and sides with oil. Return

unpeeled, each lightly pricked with fork in 6 places

▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

potatoes to the oven and continue to bake for 10 minutes.

3. Remove potatoes from the oven and, using paring knife, make 2 slits, forming an X, in each potato. Using a clean dish towel, hold the ends and squeeze slightly to push flesh up and out. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with the toppings of your choice.

Recipe note: Open up the potatoes immediately after removal from the oven in Step 3 so steam can escape.

ↆ For 25 years, confident cooks in the know have relied on America's Test Kitchen for rigourously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. See more online at www.amercastestkitchen.com

Meet Simon Simon is one of our part time students. He has been with us for 6 months.

AD SPOT - NON PRINTING He is graduating gr. 12 at EDSS this year. Simon enjoys golfing and fishing. He recently bought a mini cooper for his first vehicle!

Two locations in Elmira to serve you better

20 Oriole Parkway E. | 47 Industrial Drive

Tel: (519) 669-1082

www.leroysautocare.net

THE OBSERVER | Thursday, March 4, 2021

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

ↆ C O M M UNI TY

E V E NTS

When getting skewered is a good thing

CAL ENDAR

M “A GOOD JOB DONE EVERY TIME”

Kleensweep Carpet Care

Rugs and Upholstery

•Mattress Cleaning •Residential •Commercial •Personalized Service •Free Estimates West Montrose, ON

T. 519.669.2033

COLLEEN

Cell: 519.581.7868

Truck & Trailer Maintenance Cardlock Fuel Management

COMMERCIAL 24 CARDLOCK FUEL DEPOT HOUR

SATURDAY, MARCH 6 ▢ Schnitzel Dinner, take out only, at the Royal Cana-

dian Legion Elmira, 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Menu: Schnitzel, Mashed potato, vegetable, salad, roll & dessert. $15. per person. Order in advance call Robin Hiebert 519-897-1618.

Vacuum Sales, Repairs Se Service All Makes & Models

MONDAY, MARCH 8 ▢ Using Mindfulness to Tackle Stress. Join Wool-

wich Community Health Centre virtually using Zoom at 6:30 p.m. Mindfulness has been shown to help reduce stress. Join Jannah, Psychotherapist at WCHC to learn what is mindfulness & some practical strategies that you can start using right away.

Email gberihun@wchc.on.ca for your Zoom invitation.

MONDAY, MARCH 15 ▢ Woolwich Gardeners presents speaker Shaun

Booth "Re-Defining Four Season Interest with Native Plants" at 7 p.m. Zoom link will be sent to members.

Contact Mary Austin (519)669-2617 for membership or email us at woolwichgardeners@gmail.com.

9 Church St. E., Elmira

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

Quality & Service you can trust.

TUESDAY, MARCH 16 ▢ Gale Tuesday Take-Out Luncheon. Drive-thru pick up between 11:30 a.m & 12:30 p.m. Menu: Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes with gravy, Hot Veggie, Salad, Bread & Dessert, $12/meal. Please RSVP by March 11 to Marilyn 519-669-5734 or atcoupal@rogers.com

21 Industrial Dr., Elmira 519.669.2884 | martinselmira.com

▢ Bone Health and Nutrition virtually using Zoom at

M&G MILLWRIGHTS LTD. • Design • Installation • Custom Fabrication

MATERIAL HANDLING & PROCESSING SYSTEMS

519.669.5105 1540 FLORADALE ROAD P.O. BOX 247, ELMIRA

www.mgmill.com

6:30 p.m. Nutrition strongly affects bone health throughout our lives. In this session you will learn dietary strategies for improved bone health. Woolwich Community Health Centre Health Education session. For your Zoom invitation email gberihun@ wchc.on.ca

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

Education and Treatment

Your First Step to Better Hearing

▢ Our Eye and Digital Fatigue vitually using Zoom at

6:30 p.m. How do digital devices cause eye fatigue?

What precautions can you take to reduce the symptoms associated with digital eye fatigue. Woolwich Community Health Centre Health Education session.

For your Zoom invitation email gberihun@wchc.on.ca

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

TUESDAY, MARCH 30

NANCY KOEBEL

Bus: 519.744.5433

Freedom 55 Financial is a division of The Canada Life Assurance Company

Email: nancy.koebel@f55f.com Individual life insurance, mortgage insurance, business insurance, employee benefits programs, critical illness insurance, disability coverage,

WOOLWICH RESIDENTS SUPPORT FUND:

RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, LIFs and Annuities.

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TOTAL HOME ENERGY SYSTEMS

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YOUR OIL, PROPANE, NATURAL GAS AND AIR CONDITIONING EXPERTS VERMONT Castings

11 HENRY ST. - UNIT 9, ST. JACOBS

519.664.2008

Woolwich

SANYO CANADIAN

  

Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot Woolwich Community Services Woolwich Counseling Centre Woolwich Community Health Centre

Healthy Communities

The place to get involved.

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

▢ 1 cup minced scal-

▢ 1⁄4 cup sherry

lions

▢ 1 Tbsp. brown sugar

▢ 2 Tbsp. miso or

▢ 1 tsp. black pepper

soybean paste

▢ 2 Tbsp. sesame oil

▢ 1 bunch scallions ▢ 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger

▢ 1⁄4 cup rice vinegar

▢ Skewers

1. Combine turkey with oil, miso and scallions and mix into a paste.

2. Chill for 20 minutes.

33 Industrial Dr., Elmira 519.669.1591

3. Roll out with a little oil on hands to long cylinder and insert skewer.

Woolwich Township Ward 1 Councillor

ↆ S U DOKU

4. To make sauce combine everything from chicken stock downwards, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and reduce by half which will form a glaze.

5. Cook over grill whilst brushing with sauce.

519.514.6051

pmerlihan@woolwich.ca

www.merlihan.com

▢ 2 garlic cloves

(no salt)

How can I help you?

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

ground chicken, of course, but I find the turkey retains moisture better. Threading a skewer with a rolled piece of ground meat is a little tricky – a good trick is to use two skewers, side by each, like a popsicle, giving it a little more strength.

As it is more fall-apar-ty (is that not a word?) than cubes of meat, it is much easier to cook on a tray in the broiler and then easier to turn, and might be more weather friendly this time of year.

Of course, it will taste great on a BBQ, even if it’s gas-based. What I would highly recommend is to place skewers on a perforated pan such as a pizza tray before placing on the grill. This will still allow it to caramelize over the direct heat but hopefully avoid the great human tragedy of having your dinner fall through the slats and into the burning embers below!

▢ 1⁄4 cup soy sauce

Donations to the WRSF may be mailed to Woolwich Community Services, 5 Memorial Ave., Elmira, ON N3B 2P6 or through the website on the WCS Donate page.

Recipes from the chef's table

▢ 2 lb ground turkey

MACHINE WORKS INCORPORATED

Access to the Fund is available by contacting:

CHEF DUFF

Turkey Yakitori

▢ 2 cups chicken stock

▢ Healthy Eating to Keep Blood Sugars in Range

virtually using Zoom at 6:30 p.m. Healthy foods can help keep your blood sugar in check. Join WCHC to will learn which foods turn to sugars in your blood stream, healthy lifestyle habits, tips on label reading.

Email gberihun@wchc.on.ca for your Zoom invitation.

arch may be coming in like a lamb… or even a turkey, but I can’t promise how it will end yet.

Food always looks better when served on a skewer.

The Middle East has kebobs, Greece has souvlaki, Indonesia has satay and Japan has “yakitori” Yakitori is typically made from chicken and not yak meat as the name suggests, as the term “Yaki” in Japanese essentially means grill, and the best way to grill is on a skewer of some kind.

The premise is the same throughout many cultures from a cooking stand point, differences would be in flavouring/seasoning and possibly sizes and shapes or cuts of meat.

The yakitori is usually done over charcoal burner as it creates no residual moisture the meat can really brown well and create a nice crust on the outside. It is typically made salty or sweet and salty as this version is.

A different spin on this idea is to use ground turkey instead of meat cut in chunks. One could use

healthywoolwich.org

Thursday, March 4, 2021 | THE OBSERVER

L I V I N G H E R E | 23

ↆ X - W O R D

The Observer Crossword looks to challenge you and get your brain firing on all synapes. This crossword is only published in The Observer handcrafted exclusively for our audience. Happy word-smithing!

ACROSS 1. Prepare to swallow 5. "Concentration" pronoun 8. Luxurious 9. Antelope 15. Six people 17. Landlocked land 18. Wager 20. Pageant prize 21. Citizen Kane 23. Fold, spindle or mutilate 24. Nave bench 25. Kitchen meas.

26. Alias preceder 27. Add color to 29. Dos Passos trilogy 31. Idaho, e.g.

33. Rebel 35. Penny pinchers 36. Odd-numbered page 37. Back then 38. Behave 39. Be off 40. Barbecue offering 43. Mischievous one 45. Hit the slopes 47. Nitrogen compound 49. Single-celled throng 52. Quality of being

indecent

53. Mike Tyson's

MAYO CLINIC

Understanding 'golfer's elbow' D E A R M AYO C L I N I C : About a month ago, I began experiencing pain in my elbow. I experience this almost constantly, but it is worst whenever I try to lift anything, no matter how heavy.

The pain moves from my elbow down my inner forearm, and if I twist or turn my wrist or arm, it worsens. I am an avid weekend golfer, but I haven't played now for a few weeks. I'm wondering what I may have done and how I can get back to golf.

ANSWER: The problem you describe sounds like "golfer's elbow," a disorder also known as medial epicondylitis. This disorder develops when muscles and tendons on the inside, or medial side, of your arm become damaged, usually due to overuse.

The muscle and tendon damage of golfer's elbow triggers pain and tenderness on the inner part of your elbow. As in your case, the pain may extend down the inside of the forearm. It also can lead to weakness in the hand and wrist due to the pain.

A related condition that tends to be more common is tennis elbow, which is a disorder known as lateral

▢ Mayo Clinic

Professional Clinical Health Advice

epicondylitis. This disorder affects the outside, or lateral, side of the forearm and leads to symptoms similar to those of golfer's elbow.

Despite its name, golfer's elbow doesn't only affect golfers. Some people who suffer from this are not even athletes.

The condition develops due to excessive or repeated stress on the muscles and tendons of the inner arm. This can happen over time due to activity that involves repeatedly gripping your hand or flexing your wrist.

Although it can be painful, golfer's elbow doesn't require urgent care. It's safe to try some remedies at home before you see your health care provider. First, start with activity modification.

Limit your playing and rest your arm. Avoid any activities that require you to turn or twist it. Use an ice pack on your elbow, 15 to 20 minutes at a time, three or four times a day.

Take a nonprescription anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen

or naproxen sodium, to ease discomfort. In many cases, following these self-care steps consistently for several weeks is enough to relieve symptoms of golfer's elbow and allow you to gradually return to your activities.

If there's no improvement after several weeks, then it's time to see your health care provider. A review of your health history and activities, along with a physical exam usually are all that's needed to diagnose golfer's elbow. In some cases, X-rays may be useful to rule out other conditions, such as a broken bone or arthritis.

Once the diagnosis has been confirmed, physical therapy is the next step in treatment. Strengthening and stretching exercises called "eccentric exercises" are particularly effective in treating golfer's elbow. A physical therapist can provide specific exercises as well as other strengthening and flexibility techniques.

In most cases, golfer's elbow resolves completely with self-care and physical therapy, and no further treatment is needed. Recovery can take time and patience, however. Total symp-

tom relief often requires three to six months of consistent physical therapy. Although that may become frustrating, the effort is worth it. For most people who take the time to work through physical therapy to treat golfer's elbow, symptoms don't return.

Rarely, symptoms may persist despite consistent self-care and physical therapy. In those cases, surgery may be considered. Symptoms that may lead your health care provider to recommend surgery would include numbness or tingling into the hand, specifically the fourth and fifth fingers.

This could indicate a pinched nerve at the elbow or neck.

Once your symptoms are gone, take care to help prevent golfer's elbow in the future. Strengthen your forearm muscles and stretch before physical activity. Use lightweight equipment when working, exercising or playing sports. Don't overuse your elbow. If you notice discomfort when doing an activity, take a break. ↆ Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org.

12. Free from infection 13. Remove or destroy 14. Harry Potter's position

profession

54. Spiral instructions 55. Many-eyed giant 56. Kitchen pest 57. Next month 59. Meow 62. Confederate

in Quidditch

63. Rejects accepted

16. Wrtie down speech 19. Autocrats 22. Turned 27. Radial, e.g.

28. Group of touring

65. Absurd 68. Lookout point 69. Healthy 70. Enterpriser 72. Permit 73. Little devils 74. Pilot's announcement,

30. Unemotional 32. Sharp in manner 34. Has a traditional meal 35. Rattle 41. Develop 42. Egyptian Title (plr) 44. Indic language of

75. Advance, slangily

46. Skill 48. Most cheerful 49. To the rear 50. Off centre lip piercing 51. Short-term intern 54. Routine 58. Excellent, in

soldier, for short opinions

entertainers

briefly

the Marathas,

DOWN 1. Plain as day 2. QB's cry 3. Bar, at the bar 4. Invitation heading 5. Is it an hour late or early?

6. Dynasties which

ruled in China

7. I.R.S. worker 9. 1969 Peace Prize grp.

10. Kind of ray 11. Prisoners of war

ↆ F A I T H

modern slang

60. Protection 61. Clobber 64. Born, in bios 66. Bottom line 67. Bygone polit. cause 71. Mail place: Abbr.

DIREC TORY

Elmira Mennonite Church

Worship: 9:30am

LENT 3 Deep In the Changing SkyCalled to Deep Wisdom Jonathan Brubacher Preaching

www.elmiramennonite.ca.

58 Church St. W., Elmira • 519-669-5123

WOODSIDE

Join Us Online Each Sunday

woodsidechurch.ca/live

STEED AND EVANS

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Start your career with Steed and Evans today!

Monday March 22 from 9am to 4pm To Register visit www.steedandevans.ca

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

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