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LIVING HERE
A different kind of Terry Fox run 40 years later People. Places. Pictures. Profiles. Perspectives.
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SEPTEMBER 17, 2020 R E G I O N O F WAT E R LO O
O N A N E STA B L I S H E D PAT H
Region extends mandatory mask bylaw until May of next year BY DAMON MACLEAN dmaclean@woolwichobserver.com
Arthur Woods helped launch the Elmira Lions Trail back in 1980. There's been a big increase in usage since that time.
[DAMON MACLEAN]
Trailblazing fo(u)r decades Recent modifications the latest step in the 40-year history of the Elmira Lions Trail BY DAMON MACLEAN dmaclean@woolwichobserver.com
On Sept. 28, 1980, Elmira Lions Club celebrated the opening of the Elmira Lions Trail. Now, 40 years later, the route has seen some modifications to its layout, including work done by the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) that kept it closed
until the end of August. Part of the trail is located on GRCA property, with the Lions Club given permission to use it under the provision that members undertake general maintenance such as bush trimming and mowing the area. The creation of the trail required a partnership with the GRCA, as well as the generosity
of three individuals – Homer Schwindt, Ward Schwindt and David D.M. Martin – and the Floradale park committee. Some of the partnerships have changed over the past four decades, including a collaboration with Stewart Vogel and one with the Township of Woolwich, while the partnership through David D.M. Martin is continued on through
his extended family. Long-time Elmira Lions Club member Arthur Woods has seen much of the development of the trail, noting one particular difference between then and now: its popularity. The trail wasn’t embraced in its early days, he said, though today it’s a busy place used by many. LIONS | 07
Perhaps hoping face masks won’t be required by then, regional councillors this week made them mandatory in public spaces through May 31, 2021. The revised face-covering bylaw also applies to locations such as inside taxi cabs and apartment building lobbies not specified in the current regulations. The existing bylaw, in force since July, was due to expire on September 30. Councillors meeting Tuesday heard from a variety of delegates, some of them offering up internet-based conspiracy theories opposing mask, before deciding on the extension. Of the 14 speakers addressing council, just two supported the extension. Among those opposed were residents suggesting the public health department was receiving funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as citing widespread abuse of power by local bureaucrats to instill fear in the community. Not swayed, councillors agreed there was an insurmountable amount of evidence supporting the fact masks have proven to MASKS | 04
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