River Town Times - December 29, 2021

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2 – River Town Times – Wednesday, December 29, 2021

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JANUARY

• Numerous councils, including Amherstburg, voice concern over Windsor International Airport’s inclusion on a Transport Canada list to the air traffic control tower as an unmanned facility. Local MP’s, including Windsor West’s Brian Masse, also lead the fight to keep the tower manned. The tower was removed from the list later in the year.

• Essex County council approved the 2021 Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) budget. The motion passed by Essex County council members states “that the Council of the County of Essex approve the 2021 Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority budget and a 4.1 per cent increase to the 2020 total municipal assessment of $12,469,800 based on a fixed cost allocation calculated on population and a Total Waste Management Fee of $39 per tonne fee for refuse delivered for disposal.”

•A program to help Black families better navigate the education system was officially launched. The group “Family Fuse” has been established with the assistance of a $253,500 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) and the latter’s youth opportunities fund. Family Fuse is also aided by organizational mentor WEST (Women’s Enterprise Skills Training) of Windsor.

•Leaders within the health care industry gathered via Zoom to urge people to stay home, stay safe and reduce the demand on hospitals and paramedics. Hosted

by Erie Shores Healthcare (ESHC), leaders from within the local health care industry including Hotel-Dieu Grace (HDGH) CEO Janice Kaffer, ESHC CEO Kristin Kennedy, Essex-Windsor EMS chief Bruce Krauter and Windsor Regional Hospital chief of staff Dr. Wassim Saad gathered virtually to urge people to follow health care restrictions to avoid the health care system getting overwhelmed with cases of COVID-19. The hospital and EMS leaders also asked people to avoid believing everything they read on social media and follow the advice put forth by local, provincial and national health care professionals.

•Four Unifor locals stepped up to help The House Youth Centre and raised a combined $16,000. Unifor Local 444, Local 200 and Local 2458 each donated $5,000 and will have rooms dedicated to them at The House’s new home within the Amherstburg Community Hub. Unifor Local 1959 donated $1,000 and that will sponsor a homework area at the new location.

•Amherstburg town council received an update to its water master plan with some recommendations, including servicing parts of Essex, totalling $18 million.

Manager of engineering Todd Hewitt stated in a report to council that the town retained Stantec Consulting in 2019 to update the water master plan. The plan goes over the entire water system, which includes not just all of Amherstburg but a portion of the far southern part of LaSalle and a portion of Essex, the latter being in the McGregor and Paquette Corners areas.

•The County of Essex hired a new chief administrative officer (CAO). Mike Galloway takes over from the retiring Rob Maisonville after being the successful candidate in what the county called a “competitive recruitment process.” According to his biography provided by the County of Essex, Galloway is an experienced municipal professional and has served as CAO for the Town of Caledon in the Region of Peel, the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake and locally with the Township of Pelee. He is also described as being active in the broader public sector through his involvement as an instructor for the Diploma in Municipal Management Program through AMCTO, as a lecturer at Brock University and via his 15 years of service on the board of directors for the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO). *Another stay-at-home order was enacted by the Ontario government to combat the COVID-19 virus. It was lifted later in the spring.

•In an effort to make areas where students walk and where schools are either going or are already operating, both the County of Essex and Town of Amherstburg made speed limit changes on a pair of local roads. The town adopted a speed limit change on Simcoe St. from Pacific Ave. to Victoria St. S. with the change to 40 km/hr.

The county made the area of County Road 8 – also known as North Townline – near St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School a community safety zone and the speed limit for that area is now 60 km/hr Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

•A motion opposing amalgamations won’t go any further from the Essex County council table but that doesn’t mean county council members favor amalgamation.

Essex County council didn’t support a motion from the Town of Essex that opposed amalgamation and called for a letter be sent to Premier Doug Ford advising him and his government its position on the matter. The letter was also circulated to other municipalities and to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).

•The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) presents its annual Conservation Awards virtually. Winners in 2021 included Don Waffle, Emily Browne, Xander Campbell, Freshwater Restoration Ecology Centre, Dr. Ken Drouillard, Essex Power Corporation, the County of Essex and Bevin Martin. As part of the same evening, Tecumseh councillor Tania Jobin moves up to become chair of the ERCA board of directors while Windsor city councillor Kieran McKenzie becomes vice chair.

•The greenhouse development being built on Concession 3 North sees 42 acres being constructed in the first phase. Overall, it is a 108-acre site. It is called Jack’s Organics and will grow organic tomatoes and is a $50-$55 million development by owner Chip Stockwell of Cecelia Acres.

•Royal Canadian Legion branches across Essex County have received funding from the federal government to help them pay their bills. The funding announced

by Essex MP Chris Lewis meant each Legion in the riding will receive $10,845.05.

Laurie Cavanaugh, president of Royal Canadian Legion Br. 157 in Amherstburg, said they applied a few weeks ago for the funding and were waiting for news about it. Kingsville, Lakeshore and Essex Legions also receive funding.

•A well-known local minister and community member passed away just shy of his 84th birthday Rev. John Burkhart died Jan. 24 and his list of accomplishments is many. Born Feb. 9, 1937, Rev. Burkhart served as minister of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church from December 1964 to June 2001.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021 – River Town Times – 3

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FEBRUARY

The Windsor Police Service - Amherstburg Detachment held their own version of a “Polar Plunge” outside their building as the regular event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

backburner for the time being with the group still being grounded in the process. The dispute between the Sun Parlour Radio-Controlled (R/C) Flyers group and the neighbours of its Tower Field location on Concession 4 North revolves around noise, particularly from combustible engine-powered planes. However, council opted to take no action on the request, meaning the

request for an exemption to the bylaw will not proceed for the time being.

•Amherstburg town council made it official and agreed to keep ice out of the Libro Centre for the remainder of the 2020-21 hockey and figure skating seasons. Town council originally agreed to remove the ice back in December but also wanted the issue re-examined in February.

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of residents walking on their own through town raising money for The House in the process. The 17 teams that signed up raised just shy of $40,000, with the original goal being $20,000.

•Essex-Windsor EMS received almost $3.2 million to launch a new pilot program. It was learned that Essex-Windsor EMS would get the funding through the Ministry of LongTerm Care. It is a program that will be called the Community Paramedic Long-Term Care (CPLTC) program and will assist in providing residents care who live at home but are awaiting placement into a long-term care facility.

•A woman from Amherstburg has been featured in materials for a major Canadian retailer as well as through other means. Serena Leake has been featured in promotional materials for Shoppers Drug Mart and her modelling career extends beyond that as well.

Leake said the connection was made because of NEXT, which is her agency.

•Essex MPP Taras Natyshak, a New Democrat, has been appointed to what is being described as “a key role in the Official Opposition” by NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, where he stated he will be focused on the need “to create and improve jobs so people can make it to the other side of this pandemic, and to rebuild our economy and job markets in the recovery.”

Natyshak takes on the role of Official Opposition critic for Job Creation and Economic Recovery. Natyshak also retained his role as NDP critic for Ethics and Accountability. He is also the vice chair on the Standing Committee on Government Agencies.

•The WE-SPARK Health Institute held a virtual meeting to address vaccine hesitancy in Windsor-Essex County. The institute, a partnership between Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, the University of Windsor and Windsor Regional Hospital, held their webinar with students asking questions of panelists to try and assure the public about the safety of vaccines, how they work and to answer commonly heard questions from members of the general public.

Panelists included Dr. Wajid Ahmed, Medical Officer of Health from the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU); Dr. Corinna Quan, Head of Infectious Disease with Windsor Regional Hospital; Dr. Munir Rahim, an immunologist from University of Windsor; Dr. Phillip Karpowicz, Biomedical Scientist from the University of Windsor and Dr. John Trant, Biochemist from the University of Windsor.

•The County of Essex made its 2020 statement of councillors’ remuneration public. The total remuneration is made up of not only the council members’ salaries, but also their indemnities, mileage, conference expenses, out-oftown meetings and association meetings. Warden Gary McNamara topped the list with a total remuneration of $101,562.27. Of that, his salary was $86,396.16 with the remainder being $8,866.18 in indemnities, $1,601.34 in mileage, $3,647.39 in conferencerelated expenditures, and $1,062.20 in association meetings.

•A dispute between a radiocontrolled airplane group and its neighbours has been put on the

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•The kickoff to Black History Month was a little bit different this year but it still showcased the importance of Black people and culture and the contributions made by the local Black community. Like many events that have occurred during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the kickoff to Black History Month had to shift to a virtual format. It was presented by the Essex County Black Historical Research Society (ECBHRS), the Windsor West Indian Association and the Amherstburg Freedom Museum.

•After what the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) described as “a fulsome recruitment process,” the board of directors selected Byrne for the position of CAO/ Secretary-Treasurer. Having served in this interim role since September 2020, Byrne took over the role on a permanent basis effective Feb. 1. Byrne became the interim general manager – the name of the position has now been changed – after the resignation of former general manager Richard Wyma.

•Essex County council members once again voiced concern over insurance rates. The county received a motion, which they subsequently supported, from the Municipality of Grey Highlands calling for the Ontario government to “immediately review” seven recommendations put forth by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and to “investigate the unethical practice of preferred vendors who are paid substantial amounts over industry standards, despite COVID-19 delays, as insurance premiums will soon be out of reach for many communities.” Warden Gary McNamara, a former AMO president, said “this is something that is becoming a real issue” for municipalities.

•A doctor that joined the Amherstburg Family Health Team is enjoying his new practice. Dr. Grant Fortowsky joined the Amherstburg Family Health Team (AFHT) in the fall of 2020. He is a graduate of the medical school at Queen’s University, having done that in 2018, and completed his residency in 2020. The latter was also done at Queen’s University.

•After extensive debate on the subject, Amherstburg town council has agreed to start the process to replace equipment in two local parks.

Town council voted to dip into its lifecycle reserve to replace playground equipment deemed past its prime by administration. The parks in question are Briar Ridge Park and Jack Purdie Park. Parks staff had gone to town council with a report to remove equipment in Briar Ridge Park and Wigle Park, but the latter already has another nearby play structure for local children. Jack Purdie Park was tacked on to the motion due to its equipment getting near the end of its useful life as well.

•For the second consecutive year, the Woofa-Roo Pet Festival was cancelled with the pandemic being the major reason why. It had been scheduled to be held at the Libro Centre June 26-27 but festival organizers are now planning for new dates of June 25-26, 2022.

•It was a cold night but the fundraising was hot for The House Youth Centre. Amherstburg’s Coldest Night of the Year was held with teams

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4 – River Town Times – Wednesday, December 29, 2021

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MARCH

•Amherstburg town council asked administration for policies pertaining to the concept of bringing more affordable housing to town.

•A group of local historians and history buffs have launched a new podcast about the town’s history.

According to a press release, “with this podcast, we will share the heritage and history of Amherstburg to listeners in a convenient tool. We look forward to knocking on the doors of Amherstburg’s past and sharing these stories with you.”

It is entitled the “Doors of Heritage.”

•The Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) has approved its 2021 budget for circulation to its member municipalities, during its virtual meeting. The budget totals just over $10 million, and includes a levy request of $3,454,619. This is equivalent to $10.75 per person, an increase of 26 cents from 2020, the Conservation Authority states.

•Tires were slashed on vehicles owned

by Mayor Aldo DiCarlo and members of his family. “I don’t know what they were feeling at the time but they were trying to send a message,” said DiCarlo after the incident, which was turned over to the Windsor Police Service – Amherstburg Detachment. Members of council condemn the incident.

•The Ontario government announced it would provide an additional $500 million to help the province's 444 municipalities address ongoing COVID-19 operating costs. The financial relief will help ensure the delivery of critical services and keep capital projects on track, the provincial government stated. Amherstburg’s exact share was $461,468.

•The McGregor Medical Guardian Pharmacy returns to McGregor.

The pharmacy was one of the three businesses that sustained damage and losses in a Dec. 2, 2020 fire. The blaze also impacted Naples Pizza, McGregor Veterinary Services and two residential tenants that lived in second-storey apartments. The McGregor Medical Guardian Pharmacy has been able to return, however it is in a trailer just to the north of the building on the edge of the parking lot at the Columbian Club Hall on Walker Road.

•“Za Mari – My Immigrant Mother” was written by local author Victor DiNardo and details the story of his mother, his parents’ immigration from Italy to Canada, what they faced in Amherstburg and other information about what the Italian community did locally. Originally a project to pass down history to his children and grandchildren, it grew into the book

which was a popular local seller.

•The interior of the Amherstburg library’s update gets a boost thanks to a group that turned to the Amherstburg Community Foundation (ACF) for help.

A program initiated by the “Citizens for Carnegie” group culminated with a cheque presentation. The Amherstburg Community Foundation presented a cheque for $40,935 to Essex County Library.

•An Amherstburg resident has been appointed as a global fellow to a prestigious U.S. organization. Marta Leardi-Anderson was appointed as a global fellow to the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars. She is currently the executive director at the Cross-Border Institute at the University of Windsor. She has been an executive vice president for P3 Procurement and Policy at the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority.

•An Amherstburg quarry has received an industry award as a result of its community service. Walker Aggregates’ quarry in McGregor received the 2020 community relations award from the Ontario Stone, Sand and Gravel Association (OSSGA) with the award being presented at the OSSGA’s conference and AGM. •The Town of Amherstburg has released its remuneration report for both town council and members of committees. The report details what was earned in 2020, including council salaries and other expenses, with overall remuneration a combination of all that was paid out to individuals. Mayor Aldo DiCarlo’s overall remuneration for 2020 was $70,544 for 2020. When that figure is broken down, it shows $45,899 was paid out in salary from the town while his communications allowance was $1,159. DiCarlo’s per diem total was $300, his public receptions total was $3,896 and his training and conferences total was $10. The mayor also received $6,500 as remuneration from being on the Windsor Police Services Board.

Deputy Mayor Leo Meloche’s 2020 remuneration was $31,243, with the bulk of that being is salary of $30,549.

Remuneration for councillors varied but all receive a $24,250 salary.

• A large rally was supposed to be held at H. Murray Smith Centennial Park in support of keeping it and Jack Purdie Park as parkland, but it ended up being a scaled back version. A crowd of about 25 people attended the area in and around Russell Renaud Hill Saturday afternoon, but those in attendance believed the total number of people would have been much higher had it

An Easter food giveaway was held by Amherstburg Community Services.

not been for concerns over possibly being ticketed for being part of such a gathering.

•The public sector salary disclosure for 2020 was released by the Ontario government and it has 22 employees of the Town of Amherstburg on it. The disclosure – a.k.a. the “Sunshine List” – also shows 80 employees of the County of Essex were on the list, many of whom are members of Essex-Windsor EMS. The list encompasses all public sector employees who earned over $100,000 in 2020.

•The Easter Meal Giveaway presented

by Amherstburg Community Services (ACS) saw the food distributed faster than anticipated. ACS, using food from their food bank as well as food purchased with money given through donations, distributed 70 meals consisting of ham, potatoes, vegetables and other items.

•The COVID-19 mass vaccination centre opens at the Libro Centre. The WindsorEssex County Health Unit (WECHU) announced that bookings could begin for the Amherstburg site with the mass vaccination centre itself opening to the public at the end of March. Thousands of vaccinations were administered to residents from Amherstburg and beyond until the facility became an arena once again in August.

•Emery Lucier, a Grade 12 student at General Amherst High School, earns a scholarship and announces her intent to attend Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. Lucier earned a volleyball scholarship, one that is valued at approximately $80,000 over four years.

Madonna University is a school that Lucier said she was hoping to attend.

•Leaders from around the region expressed excitement and optimism regarding the proposed new megahospital due to funding inserted into the Ontario budget. The provincial government committed $9.8 million in funding in its 2021 budget to cover “Stage

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2” planning costs for the development of a new state-of-the-art acute care hospital to serve Windsor-Essex County.

•Save African Child Uganda (SACU) presented the fundraiser at the River Canard K of C, with drivers coming through the lot to pick up their ribs or chicken in a drive-thru format. The fundraiser came at a crucial time for SACU as they were trying to raise about $8,000 for a project in Uganda.

•Plans for a historic building in nearby Colchester have been updated by an organization in that community looking to restore it. The Colchester Schoolhouse, which dates back to 1881, had been proposed to be the site of a hotel development with detached rooms surrounding a restored schoolhouse but that deal vanished in January when Essex town council wanted to hear more from the community amid concerns from residents in that area. The group entitled “Heritage Colchester” was formed and that group would hold successful craft shows in the summer and fall.

•The retirement of director of education Terry Lyons was announced by the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board with his retirement taking place at the end of July. The board of trustees appointed Emelda Byrne as the new director of education beginning August 1.

•A member of the town’s senior administration bid farewell. Director of parks, facilities, recreation and culture Phil Roberts has retired from his position moved on, with Roberts as well as other members of administration and council members sharing mutual admiration for one another.

•The Rotary Club of Amherstburg has honoured a community member with a Rotary Peace Chain Award. The local Rotarians presented the award at a virtual meeting to Amherstburg Community Services (ACS) executive director Kathy DiBartolomeo.

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APRIL

•The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) issued a statement that announced “after an incredible 30 years of service and a long year at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief Nursing Officer and CEO Theresa Marentette announces her intention to retire June 30, 2021. Nicole Dupuis was selected to replace her.

•Essex County council has approved the purchase of seven new ambulances for Essex-Windsor EMS. EssexWindsor EMS chief Bruce Krauter stated in a report to county council that the cost for the seven new ambulances is $1,242,623 plus HST. •There will be a time change for when Essex County council meetings start but it won’t take effect for another couple of years. County council voted to switch the start times of their regular meetings from the current 7 p.m. start time to 6 p.m. That change will be implemented for the next term of council, which will begin in late 2022.

•The Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce launched the #SupportAburgBusiness campaign as a way to help local small businesses survive during the pandemic.

•A pair of child care businesses teamed up to help those who may need diapers and wipes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Creative Child Learning Centre and Bright Child Montessori joined forces on the diaper and wipe drive with donations being collected the week of April 19-23. The goods were donated to Amherstburg Community Services (ACS).

•Stella Maris School collected 777 cereal boxes as part of the “Loonie for Lent” campaign. They were donated to the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

•A local man is $1 million richer thanks to agreeing to take the ENCORE on a recent lottery ticket.

The Ontario, Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) confirmed that “saying ‘yes’ to ENCORE paid off for Lee Evans of Amherstburg.”

•The Town of Amherstburg announced it has successfully met the criteria for the World Travel & Tourism Council’s (WTTC) Safe Travels Stamp.

•The Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce (ACOC) presented its annual general meeting, with the virtual audience given an update on the Chamber’s activities. ACOC president Nika Laurin offered a look back on the past year and reflected on what was accomplished and how

the Chamber adapted to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

•A cat whose paw was found injured in a trap was expected to recover, after having its injured paw either completely or partially amputated. According to the group The Fur-Bearers – whose mission is described on its website as being one that “promotes co-existence with wildlife and advocates on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement” - the cat was found by a resident in the Malden Centre area with a trap on its paw.

•The Amherstburg Freedom Museum held a virtual fundraiser headlined by a Juno and Grammy winning performer and the event reached its fundraising target. “A Night at Club 277,” a reference to the fact the museum is at 277 King St. in Amherstburg, was presented with the featured performer being Liberty Silver. Jolie and Company also performed dance numbers as part of the evening’s entertainment.

• The Amherstburg Farmers Market (AFM) opens for the 2021 season at GL Heritage Brewing Co. and was the first local market to open this year. It ran through late October. This was the second year the AFM has been located at the craft brewery, after previous stops at the former Malden Community & Cultural Centre and Toddy Jones Park.

•Long-time Rotarian Dan Hunt passes away. Hunt is mourned by the club during a virtual meeting they held it his memory.

•A hotel that would have been built on Simcoe St. near the Libro Centre was shelved. Nor-Built Construction owner Norbert Bolger said his proposed hotel, which would have been a Quality Inn and Suites, will not be proceeding.

Bolger indicated that with “everything going on with the world right now” and the fact the housing market is booming, the plans have changed for the land. The hotel was announced in October 2018 and plans revealed that day included a 60-room, $10 million hotel with possible restaurants next to it.

• A take-out chili fundraising event presented by Amherstburg Community Services (ACS) resulted in ACS netting $2,748 in proceeds when all was said and done. The event was held with take-out and delivery options and was based out of Amherstburg Community Services’ office within the

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Wednesday, December 29, 2021 – River Town Times – 5

A mass vaccination was housed inside the Libro Centre and saw over 39,000 shots administered during the time it was open.

Amherstburg Community Hub. •An Amherstburg resident first began giving blood over 55 years ago and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. Kent Wigle hit a significant milestone as he made his 250th blood donation at the Canadian Blood Services blood donation clinic at the Columbus Community Hall. It was a journey that first began in the mid-1960’s.

•The County of Essex undertakes

a regional insurance study to try and shave costs not only for the county, but its seven municipalities as well.

Essex County council unanimously approved going forward with the study. According to a report from director of financial services/treasurer Sandra Zwiers, the goal is to achieve “improved economies of scale and overall cost savings for the Corporation (of the County of Essex) and its seven local municipalities.

A Note of Thanks Beckett’s Variety After serving the Amherstburg and surrounding community for over 70 years Beckett’s Variety will be closing on December 31, 2021 at 10:00 p.m.

After careful and extensive thought, I have made the decision to retire.

I would like to give special thanks to everyone for their years of patronage and support. I would also like to thank those who have worked for and with me over the last 46 years.

Many Thanks,

Joe Beckett & Family

6 – River Town Times – Wednesday, December 29, 2021

MAY

•A local active transportation pilot project headed by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) involves an Amherstburg school. The WECHU announced last week that schools from across WindsorEssex County “can look forward to more support for active transportation when students return to in-person classes.” Among the six schools selected for the pilot project include Stella Maris School.

•Amherstburg Chevrolet Buick GMC donated 1,000 masks to Amherstburg Community Services (ACS) at the Sandwich St. S. dealership. Dealer/co-owner Scott Elliott said General Motors was commissioned by the government last year to make masks to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. That amounted to ten million masks being manufactured out of GM’s Oshawa assembly plant.

•An Amherstburg athlete heads south of the border to further her softball career. Emma Marshall, a Grade 12 student at General Amherst High School, received a scholarship to play softball at Saint Mary of the Woods

64

College. The school is located in Saint Mary of the Woods, Indiana, near Terre Haute. St. Mary of the Woods College is a 12-time United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) national champion in softball.

•The Garage Gym hosted the “5K for the Frontlines” virtual fundraiser. The event also involved 18 other gyms in the area and raised $37,161. The event had fewer participants than last year – 795 in 2021 as compared to just shy of 900 last year – but Garage Gym co-owner Tony Smith said last year’s total was approximately $36,000.

•A new group is being launched in Amherstburg, hoping to tie best practices and local governance.

“THRIVE Amherstburg” has been launched and is being chaired by local residents and investors Richard Peddie and Lauri Brouyette. The group also featured a board of directors and a mission statement which is to “inspire a thriving community through creating connections between between best practices and good local governance.”

•Flags were lowered to half-staff around Amherstburg after the passing of a former mayor. Bill Gibb passed away at age 82. Gibb spend over three decades as

www.rivertowntimes.com an employee with Canada Post but also served his community in many ways on town council. Gibb served as a councillor, deputy reeve and mayor during his time on Amherstburg council, serving in the latter role from 1985 until his retirement from politics in 1997.

•A rezoning request for lands on Boblo Island has drawn some concerns and complaints from some of the nearby residents. The matter was discussed as part of an hour-long public meeting with traffic and land use being among some of the issues raised.

•An Amherstburg church has done what it can to assist those in need at women’s shelters. Christ Anglican Church made donations to area women’s shelters, something that was the idea of parishioner Lillian Scorrar-Olsen. Scorrar-Olsen also spread the word about the fundraiser through Facebook.

•Representatives of the Essex County Accessibility Advisory Committee (ECAAC) appeared before Essex County council with a new initiative. The new project is one that is being done in conjunction with the County of Essex and the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA). The focus is on trails in the region in the first phase, including the Cypher Systems Greenway and the Chrysler Canada Greenway, and the public is encouraged to check trails to ensure they are free of debris and accessible to all.

•A Regional Energy Plan has been backed by the County of Essex. Essex County council supported a Regional Energy Plan in principle and directed county administration to begin pursuing its recommended strategies to address climate change and reduce local energy consumption and costs. The Regional Energy Plan was coordinated by the Essex Region Conservation Authority in partnership with the County and funded with provincial grant money. According to the County of Essex, it was developed over an accelerated timeline of 18 months by a task force, comprised of a broad cross section of community and industry stakeholders, that only held virtual meetings. The plan calls for an increase in community-wide energy efficiency of at least 50 per cent by 2041 over 2019 levels and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of at least 60 per cent by 2041 over 2019 levels.

•A veteran presence on the Amherstburg Admirals blueline is the team’s new captain for the 2021-22 PJHL Stobbs Division season. Amherstburg native Reid Stieler was appointed captain of the local Jr. C hockey club after having been an assistant captain the last time the team took the ice, which was in the 2019-20 season.

•Could painted crosswalks be coming to Amherstburg? The concept was brought before town council and elected officials voted to have administration draft a policy on the matter.

•Essex County employed the services of StreetScan, a Massachusetts-based company, to use its vehiclemounted technology. Alan Rowlandson, a driver for StreetScan, spent two weeks driving up and down county roads with his specially equipped car, which has cameras mounted to the roof and at the rear of the vehicle to photograph the roadways and the condition they are in.

•In honour of the 215 children whose remains were found near the Kamloops Residential School in British Columbia, town and county flags were among those that were at half-mast for 215 hours (May 31-June 9).

A protest was also conducted by a resident at an area church.

•The scaffolding is down on a Dalhousie St. building and the public is enjoying the new look. The building was originally known as the “Hough Block” and later known as the “Hall Block” and is now owned

by Amherstburg residents Mark and Kirsten Kurzuk.

They added that building, located in the 200 block of Dalhousie St. backing onto Navy Yard Park, in 2015.

•The deal has closed on the former St. Bernard School playground, which is still proposed as a longterm care home. The land in question is just east of the former school building, which is now the Amherstburg Community Hub. The deal closed in the amount of $900,000.

•Town council agreed to let the public vote on the issue of a ward system in the 2022 municipal election with the ballot question being “Are you in favour of a Ward Election System?” An administrative report to council stated that public education is required prior to passing any bylaw on the matter, with those public education sessions explaining how a three or five ward system could work.

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JUNE

•It was learned that St. Peter’s ACHS College had to move from their location in Malden Centre due to the loss of the building as a financier pulled out. They would move to Harrow, first agreeing to use the Lions Hall in Harrow but eventually re-establishing the school above the Harrow Arena. They hope to use part of the former Harrow High School, which was acquired later in the year by the Town of Essex.

•There was a new track surface installed at St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School. The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (WECDSB) approved a tender for $475,000 plus HST from Fuller Construction (1986) Inc. to replace the track surface at Villanova.

•An area student is doing what he can on a humanitarian front. Angelo Lucier was calling on the federal government to enact changes to improve the lives of Indigenous Canadians in the wake of the findings at the Kamloops Indian Residential School. Lucier, who attended St. Joseph School in River Canard prior to switching to virtual learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, said he was heartbroken to hear of the discovery of the remains of the 215 residential school students in British Columbia. He began a project where he gathers letters of support from people for the Indigenous community and will be sending them to the office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. After that campaign, he would sell orange bracelets to raise funds and awareness for the Indigenous community.

•With lake levels beginning to recede, the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) announced last week that the

beach at Holiday Beach reopens for swimming last weekend. The beach had been closed for several years due to high water levels in the region, but ERCA made it official that it was allowed to re-open.

•The writing and storytelling skills of a St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School student has allowed her to win an award from the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA).

Lauren Robinson, who just completed her Grade 9 year at Villanova, recently won a Young Authors Award from OECTA in the Grades 9-10 Short Story category. Her piece, entitled “Blood, Spoons, and Tears” is described as a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl coming to terms with her own mortality after being diagnosed with leukemia.

•Open Air Weekends returned to the downtown streets of Amherstburg with restaurants and participating retailers trying to capitalize. Patios were busy with people dining outdoors over the weekend with portions of Richmond St., Dalhousie St. and Murray St. being closed during the evening hours with Sunday being all-day street closures. Those who dined out were glad they did, for the most part, with many simply liking the fact they can get out of the house amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, about half of the business owners within the footprint express concerns, saying the event actually detracts from their businesses.

•In order to get a temporary skateboard park up and running quicker, Amherstburg town council waived its procurement policy. The policy, normally in place for projects over $50,000, was

Wednesday, December 29, 2021 – River Town Times – 7

General Amherst vice principal Bonnie DesJardins (left) and principal Melissa DeBruyne (right) present graduation signage to Halle Coulson.

waived with the asphalt pad for the new temporary site pegged at just over that, barring any other costs required. The new location of the skateboard park will be behind the Amherstburg Community Hub, along Victoria St. S. The other option was in a fenced parking lot along Richmond St. The equipment would be removed later in the year due to multiple reports of unruly behaviour, garbage, thefts and vandalism.

•Due to what is being described as an unforeseen building boom in Amherstburg, the town hires a new building inspector/plans examiner. Town council approved the full-time position at a cost of $66,500 though some members of council would have preferred spending $30,000 on a third-party contractor to help out until 2022 budget deliberations.

•Fort Malden National Historic Site opened for the 2021 season albeit with COVID-19 restrictions.

•Graduations are held virtually again with some schools also opting for parades to honour the Class of 2021. Normal graduations are shelved again due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

•After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Community Living Essex County brought back its annual awards. The awards were presented after the agency’s annual general meeting. •Volunteers were kept busy gathering and sorting food as the June 27th Miracle made its return. The effort was across Windsor-Essex County with Amherstburg drop-off locations including Western Secondary School, Heritage Tire, G.L. Heritage Brewing Co. and the Columbus Community Hall in McGregor. Numerous local businesses joined area residents in donating food with teams of volunteers picking up food on front porches while others headed to the drop-off locations.

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8 – River Town Times – Wednesday, December 29, 2021

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JULY

•The Town of Amherstburg and its consultants gave the public a look at what two local parks could look like in the future. A virtual open house was held in which Gerry and Paul Bezaire from the architectural landscape firm Bezaire and Associates along with town officials went over the nine options for two parks. Of the five options presented for H. Murray Smith Centennial Park, three contained an affordable housing component. Of the four concepts shown for Jack Purdie Park, two of them saw much of the southern part of the park offered as space for affordable housing.

Administration outlined the need for affordable housing in Amherstburg and why many of the concepts have included a portion of current parkland to possibly be converted.

•A new youth organization was founded for all youth in WindsorEssex County regardless of ethnicity or background. Amherstburg resident Les Holmes has teamed with Ed Armstrong of Windsor police to found Sierra 42. The new youth organization’s slogan is “hard work has no colour.”

•The tender for phase one of the reconstruction of Fryer St. was approved, though some council members weren't thrilled with cost overruns. The motion passed saw a 2021 over-expenditure not to exceed $472,450 for the first phase of the project for a total cost not to exceed $2,672,450 including net HST. The tender for phase one - Richmond St. to Alma St. was awarded to Sherway Contracting (Windsor) Limited for an amount not to exceed $2,383,010 plus HST. Work on the project takes place during late summer

and fall.

•The new mosaic mural that was an initiative of the Town of Amherstburg’s tourism department has officially been unveiled. A total of 500 individual squares make up the mosaic, with a call put out through local non-profit organizations helping to get the word out to send in submissions.

•Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton was joined by Progressive Conservative candidates, including Anthony Leardi of the Essex riding, and supporters during a stop at the Waterfront Ice Cream Parlour.

•A recent graduate of General Amherst High School is this year’s recipient of the Hazen Price Rotary Scholarship. Alexa Finn was chosen by the Rotary Club of Amherstburg and received her $2,000 scholarship.

•Safe Families Windsor-Essex County helped supply toiletries, diapers and snacks to 30 families the agency supports through proceeds gained from the June 27th Miracle.

•A prestigious youth soccer tournament was held in Amherstburg and some local sports history was made in the process. Not only for the first time in Amherstburg history there were Ontario Cup matches held locally, the very first Amherstburg team won a match on home turf.

•A group of local non-profit organizations joined Amherstburg town council members and the Amherstburg Community Foundation (ACF) in planting eight new community gardens. The gardens are in back of the Amherstburg Community Hub,

Elaine’s First 100K Ride stopped at Downtown Espresso as a fundraiser for MS research.

specifically in behind the gymnasium at the former St. Bernard School site. The ACF presented a cheque for $12,000 to assist in offsetting the cost of the new gardens.

•The building at 63 Richmond St. owned by Richard and Colleen Peddie was torn down and is being replaced by a three-storey building with two commercial units on the ground floor and a pair of two-storey residential units on the upper two floors. A candy shop and a home and kitchen business will occupy the main floor.

•Play Amherstburg is launched as part of Open Air Weekends with another in August. Proponents Richard Peddie and Dan Gemus sponsor the event with the aim of the town taking it over in 2022.

•The Rotary Club of Amherstburg met in person for the first time in months and officially inducted its new president.

The local service club held an induction ceremony for new president Susanne Bergeron at Wolfhead Distillery. She takes over from John Sutton, who is now past president.

•A local business moves to a new building and hopes to bring in more businesses and apartment dwellers.

Bruno Orsi, owner of 2-Way Automotive, leaves his long-time home at the corner of Murray St. and Ramsay St. and moves to his new building known as the River Towne Plaza at 15 Renaud Dr. •The area’s newest winery held a “Chardonnay celebration” as a way to celebrate its grand opening. Dancing Swallows Vineyard stated it is the first winery in the Lake Erie North Shore appellation to become a member of i4C, which is the International Cool Climate

Chardonnay Celebration, with owner/ winemaker Scott Wilkins stating it is one of the premier wine festivals in North America, focusing on the cool climate variations of the most popular white wine grape in the world.

•After having to take a year away from their huge yard sale, volunteers returned to benefit the Hope of St. Joseph Shelter in the D.R. Congo. A steady flow of people came through the property of Marc and Mary Beneteau over the two-weekend event with all proceeds going to the shelter. The shelter is operated by Father Donato Lwiyando, a former associate pastor at St. John the Baptist Church in Amherstburg who has since returned to his homeland to operate the shelter he founded.

•New seniors’ apartments were officially unveiled at Seasons Amherstburg. The retirement home is now offering apartments for seniors who wish to live more independently but still have some of the amenities offered

by Seasons. The first resident is Gloria Bezaire, with a small ribbon cutting ceremony with Seasons Amherstburg general manager Tamasin Dineen taking place. A similar ribbon cutting event marks the opening of apartments on the second floor in December.

•It was a partial victory for the Amherstburg Community Team in its request to have police clearance fees waived by the Windsor Police Service.

While the request to waive police clearance fees was denied by the Windsor Police Services Board (WPSB), the board will send correspondence to the province asking it consider funding those costs in the future.

Memories of Yesterday...

Photos courtesy of the Marsh Historical Collection 80 Richmond Street Amherstburg 519-736-9191 • www.marshcollection.org

Interior of the J. Burns Grocery Store, which opened in 1905. Siblings Arthur J. and Cecile Burns stand ready to assist customers. The building still stands today at 134 Richmond Street.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021 – River Town Times – 9

www.rivertowntimes.com

AUGUST

•For the first time in two years, golfers were able to hit the links in the Walter Perry Emancipation Golf Classic. The golf tournament was held at Belleview Golf Club in Woodslee with proceeds to benefit the Amherstburg Freedom Museum. Monty Logan, president of the museum’s board of directors, said the tournament had to be cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

•A local artist held her own art show on the Civic Holiday and she was pleased with the results. Sandy Menard held a show and sale on the grounds of Christ Anglican Church and ended up selling 30 paintings over a four-hour period. The proceeds that will be donated to the Chippewa of the Thames First Nation, who were represented by Nancy Deleary at the sale, totalled $1,400.

•The Town of Amherstburg and its consultants with D&A Consulting are teaming up to try and gauge what older adults and those with disabilities want and need in the municipality going forward. Dawn Maziak, lead consultant with D&A Consulting, stated a seven-person Inclusive Communities Program (ICP) Steering Committee was struck to serve from May 2021 to March 31, 2022, to provide project oversight.

•Clint Robertson joined the municipality as the heritage planner and is based out of the Libro Centre.

He comes to Amherstburg after spending roughly 12 years with the City of Calgary. He joined the City of Calgary in 2007 as a heritage planner and was senior heritage planner from 2015-19 before leaving in December 2019.

•A record number of golfers from around the area “hit the greens to help teens.” The House Youth Centre marked the return of its Community Cup golf tournament last Saturday at Sutton Creek Golf Club in McGregor. This was the 19th ever event with staff and volunteers with The House happy to be able to offer it again and even happier with the results.

•The Windsor Police Service – Amherstburg Detachment attended town properties and Mayor Aldo DiCarlo confirmed those properties were Amherstburg town hall and the Libro Centre but there was more information he indicated he still could not release. “As most people are aware, the Police Service attended some Town properties on Monday,” DiCarlo's Aug. 11 press release read. “I want to be very clear that their attendance had nothing to do with any criminal activities on the part of any Town employees.

Any affected staff remain employed with the Town.

We are presently doing our due diligence in reviewing some issues that were brought to our attention. The Town continues all operations under the leadership of Susan Hirota, in-house legal counsel for the Town, who has been temporarily assigned the CAO's duties.

The remaining management team is assisting with any other duties as needed with Council's full support.” It was later learned the three employees were CAO John Miceli, director of corporate services Cheryl Horrobin and director of planning and development services Nicole Rubli, and their employment with the town ended later in the month. Hirota would leave on her own a short time later, taking a position in Kingsville.

•A human bone found near the site of the Concession 2 North bridge causes yet another delay to the project.

The project had already seen multiple delays since it first began •Olive Ouellette, Mackenzie Goddard, Ashlyn D’Amore and Mya Goddard were in front of the Goddard home on Welsh Ave. in the Kingsbridge subdivision having a “nature stand” and raising money for Wings Rehabilitation Centre in the process. Items sold at the “nature stand” where artwork, photos, wreaths, crafts, oil diffusers and snacks. The photos that were sold were taken around Amherstburg but D’Amore explained some were snapped on a family trip to Tobermory as well. The girls raised $529.25.

•60th Anniversary celebrations continue for Community Living Essex County (CLEC) with an event that will help people remember what 2021 was like 40 years from now. The non-profit agency, which assists over 700 people with intellectual disabilities and their families around the county, buried a time capsule in front of their Essex office. The time capsule contains everything from cassette tapes and “No

Art by the RIver returned this year, though was scaled back somewhat due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

More R-Word” bracelets to medals, CLEC newsletters, old newspaper articles, masks and more. The seven county municipalities were also represented as each put in a pin featuring their own individual logos.

•The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) is recruiting for a new medical officer of health after Dr. Wajid Ahmed announced he is heading to Toronto.

Board of health chair Gary McNamara made the announcement as part of WECHU’s regular weekly update on COVID-19 conditions that Dr. Ahmed would be moving on effective Oct. 1. Ahmed resigns from his post as he accepted a position with the Ministry of Health as Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health where he will continue to support and advocate for public health across the province.

•A prestigious amateur golf tournament was hosted in Amherstburg. The Ontario Women’s Amateur & Mid-Amateur Championships were hosted by Pointe West Golf Club. The Mid-Amateur title, which is for women’s golfers age 25-and-over, was claimed by Terrill Samuel from Etobicoke while Jasmine Ly from Windsor captured the Ontario Women’s Amateur Championship. The tournaments were sanctioned by Golf Ontario.

•The Amherstburg Karate Club has opened its new dojo at Amherstburg Community Church. The club held a grand opening ceremony at the church, located at 125 Alma St., where they showed those in attendance what is taught and welcomed new students. The new dojo is owned by Chad Waldron, Stefan Miller and Matt Gholampoor with Miller stating they teach what is known as meibukan goju-ryu karate.

Libro Centre Proof of Vaccination Update

•After having been cancelled last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Art by the River made its return. The 54th ever arts and crafts show was held under hot and steamy conditions at Fort Malden National Historic Site of Canada. The event is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Gibson Gallery.

It was a smaller than usual Art by the River, as they capped the number of vendors at 100 this year. On a good year, they normally have about 170 vendors.

In the end, they had 6,000 patrons stroll through the grounds of Fort Malden.

•The Chief of the Kettle and Stoney Point First Nation is calling for the Town of Amherstburg to change its name. Jason Henry posted on his Facebook site in mid-August calling for the name change. “Have you heard of the of smallpox on blankets story?”

Henry wrote. “Short version is the British employed an early form of biological warfare by contaminating Hudson Bay blankets with smallpox and giving them to Indigenous people. This all took place in the 1700’s during the American revolution trying to kill off supporters of Pontiac and was under the leadership of Jeffrey Amherst.”

•The County of Essex and City of Windsor, along with numerous local partners, stepped up efforts to try and boost local COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Warden Gary McNamara and Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens held a joint virtual news conference to outline the new “WE Vax to Win” initiative. Both the County of Essex and Windsor are putting up $100,000 each to put towards prizes, which include rent or property tax relief for one year.

Effective Tuesday, January 4, 2022: Enhanced vaccine certificates with QR code will be required to enter the Libro Centre

Effective Monday, January 10, 2022: Physician notes will no longer be accepted to enter the Libro Centre

For full details visit: www.amherstburg.ca/librocentre Individuals can download their enhanced certificate with QR code by visiting: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/bookvaccine/

10 – River Town Times – Wednesday, December 29, 2021

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SEPTEMBER

•Students return to the classroom with area school boards releasing their COVID-19 protocols. However, throughout the rest of the year, students and parents contend with numerous outbreaks and the dismissals of cohorts and classes. St. Joseph School would be closed for a short period of time due to an outbreak later in the year.

•To help raise awareness of childhood cancer, the Fight Like Mason Foundation has raised its flag in Amherstburg. The non-profit organization and the Town of Amherstburg combined on a brief flag raising ceremony at the Libro Centre. For the month of September, the Fight Like Mason Foundation flag flew alongside the Canadian flag and the Province of Ontario flag.

•The Ontario Minister of Education made a pair of stops in Amherstburg. Stephen Lecce was in town where he spent an hour meeting supporters at Downtown Espresso with Essex Progressive Conservative candidate Anthony Leardi before touring the construction site of the new public high school with officials from the Greater Essex County District School Board.

•The Ontario government, in consultation with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, requires people to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their vaccination status to access certain businesses and settings. The provincial government states requiring proof of vaccination “reduces risk and is an important step to encourage every last eligible Ontarian to get their shot, which is critical to protecting the province’s hospital capacity, while also supporting businesses with the tools they need to keep customers safe, stay open and minimize disruptions.”

•Members of Essex-Windsor EMS participated in a 100-kilometre bike ride across Essex County with the memory of a local paramedic among those close to their hearts. About 16 cyclists, most of whom were from Essex-Windsor EMS, left from Windsor and made stops in LaSalle, Amherstburg, Harrow and Leamington in an effort to raise money for a national memorial for paramedics who lost their lives in the line of duty. While in Amherstburg, the paramedics met at St. John the Baptist Cemetery where they gathered at the gravesite of Russ Ransome, a local paramedic who was killed in a plane crash in June 1989.

•Music off the Back Porch makes its return to the rear of the Park House Museum. It was a fundraiser for the museum with local musicians coming in to entertain for two hours. It is held again in October and is scheduled to return in the spring.

•The Rotary Club of Amherstburg undertook another community project with youth living near Anderdon Park standing to benefit the most. The Rotary Club invested just under $7,800 to revitalize a basketball court at the park. The court is located adjacent to the tennis courts at the site and just west of Amherstburg Fire Station #2.

There are new basketball standards with backboards reading Amherstburg Rotary Club at the park with new rims and nets as well.

•Organizers of this year's Essex County Steam & Gas Engine “mini-show” are reporting a better turnout than what they had in 2020. For the second consecutive year, the Essex County Steam and Gas Engine Museum scaled back its show in order to ensure it complied with COVID-19 provincial health regulations. The show was originally planned for the second weekend in August but that was cancelled and the mini-show went in September at Co-An Park in McGregor. Museum president Gary Struhar said they knew on Saturday they outperformed their 2020 attendance figure. He said there were approximately 150 people that streamed through their show at Co-An Park last year but this year they had 170 people come through on the first day this year alone.

•Town council has voted to have the Amherstburg Fire Department convert to a two-station model. Council voted 5-2 to look at going from three stations to two, with Deputy Mayor Leo Meloche's motion being backed

by Mayor Aldo DiCarlo and councillors Marc Renaud, Patricia Simone and Don McArthur. Opposing the motion were councillors Peter Courtney and Michael Prue. Under a two-station model, a report from fire chief Bruce Montone said two new fire stations would be built, including demolition and reconstruction of fire station #2 at its current site, and building a new location at the Libro Centre, where there is a two-acre parcel set aside near the sign at the corner of Meloche Road and Simcoe St. Fire station #3 in Malden Centre would be decommissioned

and possibly re-purposed by the town. The estimated cost is $8 million.

•The tugboat “Theodore Too” makes a visit to Amherstburg and docks at King’s Navy Yard Park.

•The voters in the riding of Essex as well as nationally decided to stay the course in the federal election. The Liberal Party and leader Justin Trudeau was projected to win another minority government nationally and Conservative Chris Lewis retained his seat locally. Lewis, first elected in 2019, defeated six challengers with the closest rival being NDP candidate Tracey Ramsey. The Liberals were represented locally by Audrey Festeryga.

Beth Charron-Rowberry was the PPC candidate while Green Party candidate Nancy Pancheshan, Christian Heritage Party candidate Jeremy Palko and independent candidate Andrew George rounded out the field. Lewis suffered a broken foot, broken wrist, four broken ribs, a torn rotator cuff as well as scrapes and bruises due to a fall from a horse earlier in the day.

•The weather was good and so were the crowds at the Festival of Hawks. The event made its return for one-day at Holiday Beach Conservation Area with members of the public participating in banding demonstrations, bird releases, various discussions on the types of birds the migrate overhead, native plant sales and nature hikes.

Two sold out “owl prowls” were held during the evening.

The Festival of Hawks was presented by the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) in partnership with the Holiday Beach Migration Observatory (HBMO).

•The Amherstburg Freedom Museum took the time to say thank you for their recent round of Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) funding. The museum received $23,700 over nine months in OTF funding under the foundation’s “Resilient Communities Fund” for technological upgrades. According to OTF representative Cindy Crump, the funding is to help the museum “rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19 by purchasing materials and services for website design, digital media storage, fundraising access, protective equipment and hiring a content producer for safe service delivery.”

•The brand for the new hotel proposed by Amico was revealed. Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton was announced as the hotel operator for the new development to be built on the southeast corner of Dalhousie St. and Gore St. during a special meeting of Amherstburg town council. Cindy Prince, vice president of properties with Amico, made the announcement before discussions on two regularly scheduled agenda items dealing with the Boblo Island – one regarding street lighting and another involving a pump station and forcemain – began. The new hotel is planned to be four storeys in height with 76 units with other amenities such as a swimming pool, exercise room, a mixture of suites and standard hotel rooms, community rooms, breakfast area and patio area.

Prince added there will also be 76 parking spots including three barrier free spots.

•The AMA Sportsmen’s Association presents a Fall Harvest Concert with proceeds benefitting the Malden Firefighters Association and its efforts to repair a vintage fire truck and fire hall. The club hopes to put on a similar concert next year. The event raises $2,500 for the firefighters.

•Essex County council approved the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation as a paid holiday for all county employees with the Town of Amherstburg doing so as well. County council approved making Sept. 30 a paid holiday for staff, falling in line with legislation the federal government passed in June.

•Amherstburg town council has agreed to spend $3 million on a new pumping station and forcemain for Boblo Island. Council opted to enter into an agreement with Amico Infrastructure on a $3 million fixed price agreement to design and construct the forcemain and

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Gary Struhar, president of the Essex County Steam and Gas Engine Museum, works at a sawmill during their mini-show.

pumping station “based on approved design criteria and timing.” The approved motion also calls for “a capital expenditure not to exceed $3,052,800 including HST be approved as a first charge to the 2022 budget for the reconstruction of the Boblo Island pump station and forcemain.”

•Town council is wanting to look at renderings of how lighting would look like on the south end of Boblo Island before making a decision on a street lighting request by the developers. A report from the town’s manager of engineering Todd Hewitt recommended the denial of Amico’s request, which would see streetlights only at intersections, sharp curves and wildlife crossings illuminated. Cindy Prince from Amico, noted the company’s desire to create a resort development in an environmental setting. Hewitt said the development agreement for the south end of Boblo Island was authorized by council Nov. 12, 2019 and the street lighting portion states “The Developer shall install streetlights in accordance with the present design standards, all to be approved by the Town of Amherstburg. The Town requires the installation of LED fixtures.”

• The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP), St. John the Baptist Conference Amherstburg recently gathered to acknowledge the many years of service provided to the community by two local couples. Dick and Denise Bondy received a plaque from SSVP President Sharron Bombardier for their 42 years of combined service. Ray and Marie Burns for their compassionate spirit and dedication to helping others. Their efforts to help those in our town who were in need is greatly appreciated by our community and by their fellow Vincentians. They were proud members for a combined 48 years of service.

•The town presented “A Little Uncommon Weekend” with aerialists, musicians, scavenger hunts, “wacky” golf events, puppet shows and people dressed in their finest steampunk attire hitting the downtown streets of Amherstburg for three days.

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Wednesday, December 29, 2021 – River Town Times – 11

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SPORTS > LIFE > ANNOUNCEMENTS > CLASSIFIEDS

OCTOBER

•The Amherstburg’s Gone Car Crazy show was supposed to return to the streets of Amherstburg and bring 700 vintage vehicles with it, but Mother Nature had other plans. The car show ended up being rained out. The 2022 event is planned for July 24.

•A familiar face has bid farewell to St. Joseph School. Long-time secretary Cathy Brush was honoured with a drive-by celebration occurring in front of the County Road 8 school. Staff, retired and former staff, parents, family and students came by to honour Brush for her many years of service.

•The final year for General Amherst High School will also be the school’s 100th year and they plan on going out with a bang. A 100th anniversary celebration is being planned for May 14, 2022 at the school with organizing committee members approaching town council about getting assistance to help stage the event. Council members were open to the idea of assisting, but a report will come back detailing such items as the impact of waiving fees and with an update on the noise bylaw.

•Trustees with the Greater Essex County District School Board vote to name the new public high school North Star High School. The 819-student school is expected to open in Sept. 2022 and combine the student populations of General Amherst High School and Western Secondary School. It is the conclusion of a contentious naming process in which the school naming committee had put forth the names Amherstburg District High School and Amherstburg High School in the spring only to have them removed from the agenda. Meetings in the fall see guest speakers brought in to the surprise of some on the committee. References to Lord Jeffrey Amherst were removed with some committee members along with guest speakers wanting a fresh start and to get away from the person accused of being involved with genocide against Indigenous Peoples in the 1700s.

•Two more staff members are leaving the Town of Amherstburg, but one is coming in. It was learned that clerk Paula Parker and treasurer Justin Rousseau were offered and accepted positions in Kingsville and Lakeshore respectively.

The new interim CAO is Tony Haddad, who is taking a leave of absence from his role as a senior advisor StrategyCorp.

Haddad was the CAO with the Town of Tecumseh from 2007-19. Other staff departures also occur over the course of the rest of the year, for various reasons, including executive assistant Dawn Morencie, manager of human resources Michelle Rose, manager of facilities John Olsen, interim treasurer Mark Spizzirri, manager of recreation services Rick Daly and manager of licensing and enforcement Rob Sassine.

•The four publicly funded school boards in the region as well as the Windsor-Essex County Secondary School Athletic Association (WECSSAA) issued

a statement announcing the return of extracurricular activities. When they resumed, it is for those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

•The Rotary Club of Amherstburg welcomed its district governor and also inducted a new member. Jeremy Warnock is the newest Amherstburg Rotarian, with the induction ceremony taking place at a special outdoor meeting. The induction was performed by Aruna Koushik, District 6400 Governor.

•The River Bookshop, owned by Richard and Colleen Peddie, won the Peter Stokes Restoration Award as part of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario's (ACO) Heritage Awards. The bookshop was nominated under the small-scale/ individual/small business category as there are two awards and the other is for larger or corporate projects. Other nominees included The Loblaw House in Toronto, the Meadowvale Village Hall and the Sicklesteel/Newkirk Inn & Tavern, which is a historically significant property in Chatham-Kent.

•Amherstburg town council received a status update on the King’s Navy Yard Park extension and it wasn’t an update many were looking for. Despite $300,000 being included in the 2021 budget to get the former Duffy’s property ready for public access, at least half of that has gone into consulting fees and work to complete requirements put forth by upper levels of government. The town needs approvals from ERCA, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF), the Ministry of Environment Conservation and Park (MECP), the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Transport Canada and First Nations. A schedule of required approvals stretches into March 2023. Council also expressed concern over change orders for the project.

•Amherstburg town council has entered into a transfer payment agreement to accept grant funding for an Alma St. parkette and trail at the Libro Centre, though the latter will cost more than the grant will cover. Town council gave authorization for administration to enter into a transfer payment agreement with the Ministry of Infrastructure under the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program – COVID-19 Resilience Infrastructure Stream (ICIP) for funding of up to $463,621 toward the Alma St. Parkette shoreline protections and the park trail network at the Libro Centre which have a capital cost of $463,621 including net HST. •A local resident headed to Windsor with a friend last Saturday morning, but did so by foot. Annette Sak, assistant manager and Jumpstart champion at Mark’s Work Warehouse in Amherstburg, walked from that location to the Mark’s store at the Devonshire Mall in Windsor Saturday morning, a distance of roughly 26.4-kilometres. Customers and staff raised $2,674.01 during a month-long fundraising campaign in June. Sak was joined by friend Lisa Best.

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The Grant and Shank families (Ken Grant pictured) put on their Halloween displays again this year.

•Members of Amherstburg’s Fighting Island Boxing Club (FIBC) as well as members of the public got a chance to get a closer look at the club’s new home.

The FIBC held its open house at their new location in the Amherstburg Community Hub. •Essex County council was filled in about a food and organics waste management project with an eye towards possibly making it regional instead of being handled individually by local municipalities. Michelle Bishop, general manager of the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) general manager Michelle Bishop appeared at county council’s virtual meeting to provide elected officials an update on the authority’s food and organics waste management project, to request consideration from county council for a regional approach to the project, and to advise county council of EWSWA’s direction to appear at each of the seven Essex County municipalities.

Amherstburg town council opts for a regional approach on the multi-million dollar issue later in the year.

•The Park House Museum held “Ghost Stories off the Back Porch” in which the sold-out crowd heard tales of voices and spirits that were heard and seen in the museum both during the day and at night.

Curator Stephanie Pouget-Papak told tales of mysterious knocking, children reporting hearing voices inviting them to play from rooms without people in them, spirits appearing to be walking on the upper floor at night and many more.

•A vehicle crash in Amherstburg is now being looked into by the province’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The crash took place in the 7000 block of Howard Ave. (County Road 10). The road was temporarily closed between Alma St. and Texas Road. According to the SIU, they are investigating the circumstances surrounding a serious injury suffered by a man in a single-vehicle collision after a Windsor Police Service officer attempted to pull him over.

•The Amherstburg Community Foundation hands out $36,400 from its “Believe in Amherstburg” initiative.

Royal Canadian Legion Br. 157 will receive $7,500 from the ACF. The Park

House Museum also received $7,500 as did the Gibson Gallery. The Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club received up to $7,000. Amherstburg Community Services (ACS) was given $6,900.

•The future of the Belle Vue property and what plans are in place to operate it could be forthcoming in the 2022 budget.

Amherstburg town council received minutes from the economic development advisory committee which, in part, called for “an actionable business plan” and that funding be included in next year’s budget “to provide safe public access, in phases if necessary, for the increased visibility of Belle Vue.” •People and their pets dressed in their Halloween finest all to benefit the Windsor-Essex County Humane Society. HAG Customs Print & Design teamed with GL Heritage Brewing Co. and presented the first annual “Devil's Masquerade” event at the Howard Ave. craft brewery with activities happening both inside and outside.

•The Golden Age Club is seeking answers as to why they were moved within the Libro Centre and when and if they will be on the move to the Amherstburg Community Hub. The seniors’ club has been moved from their former space within the downstairs community room to in and near the Energy Zone room with some members also playing in the seating area that has been used when the recreation facility’s canteen is open. Line dancing and bingo have been moved upstairs, club executive members state.

•A new, natural playground was unveiled at Holiday Beach Conservation Area in Amherstburg, with the Essex Region Conservation Authority giving thanks to a donation from Enbridge Inc. The natural playground is located in the area of Holiday Beach near the classroom and parking lot to head down to the beach.

The official ribbon cutting took place and included students from Natural Pathways Forest and Nature School as well as dignitaries from ERCA, the Essex Region Conservation Foundation and the Town of Amherstburg. Enbridge Inc,, which owns and operates the Amherstburg Solar project, committed $30,000 toward the natural playground project.

12 – River Town Times – Wednesday, December 29, 2021

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Wednesday, December 29, 2021 – River Town Times – 13

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SCRAMBLE ANSWER

FROSTED

Richard “Dick” Faucher, of Amherstburg, born December 14, 1936, passed away peacefully with family on December 19, 2021. Son of the late Paul and Matilda Faucher. Richard has now been reunited with his wife, Bernadette Faucher (2003) and son, Michael Faucher (2021).

Richard is survived by his two sons, Gregory and wife Cathy of Livonia, Michigan, and Steven and partner Marlene of Oakville, Ontario. Survived by many loving grandchildren, Tom and wife Sherri, Diana and husband Derek of Alberta, Nicole and husband Bill, Tanya and husband Donny, Chris and wife Patty, Samantha, Colin and partner Trisha, Conner, and Maya. Also survived by his youngest great-grandchildren, Indiara, Tahren, Deity, Dagan, Olivia, Johnny, and one more on the way.

Dick was an avid family man with a love of fishing, gardening, and tinkering in the shed. He worked for many local farmers while employed with and retired from General Chemical.

Dick will be fondly remembered by his many extended family members and friends to which he held dear memories of.

Services were held last week with private time for the family. Arrangements entrusted to James H. Sutton Funeral Home 401 Sandwich Street South, Amherstburg (519-736-8740).

The family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude for all those that have shared their love, thoughts and prayers during these difficult times.

Deadline for Classified Advertising in the River Town Times is Monday at 12 noon.

SUDOKU ANSWERS

LOST CAT

Same voting method as 2018 returning in 2022

By Ron Giofu Amherstburg town council has opted to keep the same voting method for the 2022 municipal election as it had in the 2018 election.

Town council agreed with an administrative recommendation to continue with the “traditional method” of voting with electronic tabulators for the Oct. 24, 2022 municipal election in both advance and election day polls.

Interim director of legislative services/clerk Valerie Critchley was also authorized to secure a vendor for the election.

“For the 2018 Municipal Election, the Town of Amherstburg used a traditional voting method, being one which utilizes paper ballots and optical scan vote tabulators.

In this method, qualified electors arrive at the polls and authenticate their identity. If authentication is successful, the voter will be presented with a ballot containing a list of qualified candidates for the contested offices,” Critchley stated in her report. “The voter proceeds to a private booth and marks their choices and the completed ballot is placed in a special secrecy envelope and inserted into the Ballot Box via an electronic counting device. The tabulator scans the ballot, interprets the digital image of the ballot, stores and tallies the results and prints a cumulative total of all votes cast after the polls have been closed.”

Critchley listed advantages and disadvantages to the traditional method with advantages including familiarity to electors, privacy, prompt results, the ballot being tabulated immediately, a paper trail should a recount be necessary, the ability for candidates to campaign up to the close of polls on election day and that the municipality “maintains care, custody and control of the election process including but not restricted to the safeguarding of ballots and the counting thereof.”

Disadvantages include that the traditional method “limits the flexibility of the voter” in that they can’t vote any time, possible difficulties in finding accessible voting locations “in that previously used voting locations present barriers which negatively affect the ability of the electors to access the facility,” weather impacting voter turnout, it could be more labour intensive and thus increases staffing and workload, and that the traditional method of voting “may be deemed by some as old school and nonprogressive.”

“However, many of these perceived disadvantages can be mitigated through proper election planning. For example, the perceived disadvantage of limiting voter flexibility can be mitigated by holding a number of advance polls so that the electorate have options of when and where to vote. Further, through proper planning, it is possible to find polling locations that will be accessible to all,” Critchley stated.

The report also acknowledged the town’s use of the vote by mail system in 2010, but Critchley noted there were numerous complaints regarding the validity of some ballots, reporting delays and value for dollar.

Councillor Peter Courtney believed the traditional method “worked out well” last time and pointed out there will be a question on the ballot in 2022 asking residents if they want a ward system. He wanted to ensure the electronic tabulators could process the results of that correctly.

“Yes, absolutely, they can handle a question on the ballot,” said Critchley.

Councillor Michael Prue said “we have no option but to do this” given there is less than a year until the next election. He added he believes the Town of Amherstburg should consider other methods of voting for the 2026 municipal election, noting many municipalities are shifting to electronic voting as a way to increase public participation.

Critchley told Prue the plan is to bring a report back by the middle of the next council term to look at the possibility of alternate voting methods.

Deputy Mayor Leo Meloche stated he would like to see alternate forms of voting examined, noting there is low turnout in many elections. He noted the method the town will use again does work, as he won by four votes in 2018 with those same totals holding true after a recount.

“The system works,” he said. “I’m proof of that.”

14 – River Town Times – Wednesday, December 29, 2021

www.rivertowntimes.com

NOVEMBER

•The first candidate declares his intentions for the Oct. 24, 2022 municipal election. Bob Rozankovic has announced he will run for mayor next year, with that announcement coming recently through social media. Rozankovic heads the Amherstburg Taxpayers Association and is a former chair of the Amherstburg Police Services Board.

•The Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club takes over ownership of the former Camp Bryerswood on Texas Road. The Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club (BYCOC) raised about $262,000 to that point and received a $250,000 loan from an anonymous “social investor” to help pay the remainder of the costs, though the latter has to be paid back over five years.

•Sydney Matlock, a graduate of General Amherst High School, who now lives in Nashville performed on the Opry stage as part of a session with a group she is a part of called “The Songbirds.” The group works for 30 minutes at a time on a chorus and their work went viral on the social media site Tik Tok. From there, the 25-person group got a manager and things have continued to grow. It was the realization of a dream for Matlock.

•With money still in the budget to accommodate tree plantings, town council opted to use it to help support more trees in the community. Town council resolved to use funding leftover in the town's tree planting budget and back a THRIVE Amherstburg initiative in the process. The plantings will also be done in consultation with the town's environmental advisory committee and administration.

•The Amherstburg Freedom Museum hosted an online presentation last week detailing what Black soldiers endured overseas and also at home. The virtual presentation was made by Shantelle Browning-Morgan and Catherine MacDonald and was entitled “Fighting a Double War: Remembering Windsor’s Unsung Black Heroes Who Fought Fascism Overseas and Racism at Home.”

•The process for the 2022 budget has been pushed back until January, with council members looking at Jan. 15 as a public meeting date. The original dates would have seen the 2022 proposed budget deliberated in November and adopted in December but major staffing changes caused those dates to be pushed into the new year. The new schedule will see the budget presented Jan. 10, public engagement through the “Talk the Burg” platform Jan. 11-18, budget deliberations Jan. 26-27 and council adoption Feb. 14.

•A report on the council agenda regarding Centennial Park had town council members scratching their heads and wondering where it came from.

The report from interim CAO Tony Haddad recommended the “Centennial Park Highest and Best Use Analysis as prepared by Dillon Consulting be tabled for review prior to a presentation

by Karl Tanner, MCIP RPP, from Dillon Consulting at Council’s meeting on November 22, 2021.” Council merely received the $14,500 report, which Haddad told town council he found in a box.

•The Grant and Shank families entertained the public with Halloween decorations during October, but they also delivered donations to the Amherstburg Food and Fellowship Mission in November. The Grants and Shanks not only decorate their front yards for Halloween every year, but also put out a box where people can drop off non-perishable food items for the mission. This year’s haul was down compared to last year but Ken Grant, Heather Shank and their families were happy to donate again this year nonetheless. Grant, Shank and Shank’s sons Drew and Cooper were at the mission where they delivered 1,434 cans and other non-perishable items. The overall total was 1,532 items, but some were expired and those 98 items will be delivered to an animal rescue farm for use there, explained Shank.

•Madison Faucher signed her letter of intent and will be going to school at Bemidji State University in Bemidji, Minnesota next year. Faucher currently attends St. Thomas of Villanova Secondary School and made her university decision final during a signing ceremony.

•Remembrance Day looked closer to normal this year as Royal Canadian Legion Br. 157 once again led efforts to honour veterans. After the COVID-19 pandemic forced an abbreviated version of Remembrance Day ceremonies last year, this year saw the return of the parade and a full ceremony at the cenotaph in King’s Navy Yard Park.

Most participants in the parade as well as those who attended both the parade and ceremony wore masks but otherwise it resembled a regular Remembrance Day. •Mealtime Express held its 13th annual Secret Santa Dinner as a way to ensure that local children have a good Christmas. Between meal sales and raffle proceeds, this year's benefit dinner raised approximately $15,600.

•Speck's Restaurant marked their halfcentury in business with a celebration

Community Calendar

ONGOING GOLDEN AGE CLUB - The Fort Malden Golden Age Centre has returned to its usual schedule at the Libro Centre. Monday features pepper, Tuesday euchre, Wednesday bridge, Thursday line dancing and cribbage and Friday pepper and bingo. Starts daily at 12:30 p.m. All welcome. Temporary phone is 519-736-6188.

BOTTLE DONATIONS - The AMA Sportsmen Association continues to accept donations of empty beer and wine bottles. People who wish to donate their empties can drop them off at the rear of the club, located at 468 Lowes Side Road in Amherstburg. For information, visit www.amasportsmen.com or call 519-736-5706.

ACS FOOD BANK - Curbside pickup at Amherstburg Community Hub (320 Richmond St.). Runs Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Call 519-736-5471 for assistance.

COMMUNITY CHALLENGE - ACS has teamed with local developer Michael Dunn on a community challenge. If ACS received a donation of $10,000 from either a group of donors or from one source, he will match that donation up to $10,000. Closes Dec. 31. Call ACS at 519-736-5471 to make a donation. Cash, cheque, debit, credit card. People can also donate at www.amherstburg-cs.com.

WEEKLY BINGOS - Weekly Bingos are back at the

The Santa Claus Parade returned to the streets of Amherstburg.

where new and old customers alike came by to congratulate owners Sarah Brush and Lennie Richardson and their staff. Homemade soup as well as other treats were given to those who stopped by the Bathurst St. restaurant.

•The Windsor Police Service Amherstburg Detachment is seeking any information in relation to an investigation involving graffiti located at a local park. Patrol officers responded to a report that a racial slur was spray painted onto playground equipment at Jack Purdie Park, located in the 600 block of Richmond St. Police say this mischief incident is being investigated as hate-motivated due to the nature of the graffiti. The graffiti is described as a frowning face with eyes that are shaped as an X, along with the racial slur.

•Just weeks after formal recognition for sponsoring the new outdoor playground at Holiday Beach Conservation Area and the River Lights Winter Festival, Enbridge representatives Usman Bhatti and Denise Heckbert returned to Amherstburg to officially kick off a project with the House Youth Centre..

Enbridge sponsors the House Youth Centre's community outreach program and is donating $5,000.

•The River Lights Winter Festival got underway as the municipal tree lighting ceremony was held and fireworks went off over the Detroit River. Light displays have returned to King's Navy Yard Park and Toddy Jones Park with one of the new additions to the former being a large “Amherstburg” sign across the railing along the water. The opening night festivities saw large crowds gather in the parkette to hear carollers, be welcomed by storyteller Seamus Gunn as well as greetings from sponsors and dignitaries. Enbridge provided an $18,000 sponsorship.

•Addy Kidd presented “Addy's Columbus Hall (former K of C Hall), 190 Richmond St. every Thursday at 7 p.m. Proof of vaccination is required per the health unit. Everyone is welcome to try their luck.

MISSION NEEDS DONATIONS - The Amherstburg Food and Fellowship Mission, located at 298 Victoria St. S., is in urgent need of some items. Among the items being requested are peanut butter, jam, ketchup, mustard, Sidekicks, cereal (any kind), corn starch, onion soup mix, radishes, chicken and beef broth, barbecue sauce, canned peas, canned cut green beans, canned pea & carrots, ranch dressing, egg noodles, and canned fruit. Monetary donations always welcome.

For information, visit www.aburgmission.ca or call 519-7369140.

FOUNDERS CLUB - Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club seeking donors to join the “Founders Club” to help them purchase the camp on Texas Road. Donors with gifts

Kindness Mission” in front of her home with the help of her parents and family. The goal was to raise money and clothing for the homeless and others in need. Kidd had raised $1,030 as well as 43 coats, 15 pairs of snow pants, 44 hats and scarves, 23 blankets, 17 sweaters and 12 pairs of socks with more donations rolling in.

•Amherstburg town council has approved an expenditure not to exceed $300,000 to take care of emergency storm sewer repairs. The unbudgeted expenditure will be covered through a transfer of funds from the general reserves and will fund the replacement of the outlet portion of the Duff Ave. storm sewer outfall. Infrastructure services was advised of a large sinkhole on the banks of the Detroit River on the west side of Sandwich St. North near Duff Ave. •The Windsor Parade Corporation presents the Amherstburg Santa Claus Parade. Thousands line Sandwich St., Richmond St. and Dalhousie St. on a snowy night to watch over 50 floats go by, capped by the main attractions themselves, Santa and Mrs. Claus.

•A pair of Amherstburg homes have received a heritage designation but council passed the associated bylaws without the owners being in favour of it. The heritage designation was placed on homes at 109 Park St. and 275-77 Bathurst St., with the latter drawing concern of its owner Joe Shaw during a regular meeting of Amherstburg town council. Shaw had voiced concerns at the Sept. 13 town council meeting and again at the November meeting about costs it would take to repair the home.

The owners of the Park St. home had appealed their heritage designation to the Ontario Land Tribunal but the tribunal ruled it merited designation.

of $5,000 and over become “Founders Club” members and have one square of camp property sponsored in their name.

Multiples of squares are available for sponsorship. Tax receipts provided. For information, visit www.bryerswoodyouthcamp. com, call 519-996-7364 or e-mail info@bryerswood.com.

THE HOUSE YOUTH CENTRE PROGRAMS - The House Youth Centre, located in the Amherstburg Community Hub at 320 Richmond St., offering weekly meetings for Grade 9 and Grade 11 students Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. Weekly meetings for Grade 10 and Grade 12 students Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.

The Alumni Group meets the third Thursday of each month while the Embrace group meets the last Thursday of each month. There is the quiet homework hour from 3-4 p.m. every Tuesday-Thursday and drop-in hours from 4-7 p.m. every Tuesday-Thursday. For more information, e-mail program director Natalyn Brouillard at natalyn@houseyouthcentre.com.

Wednesday, December 29, 2021 – River Town Times – 15

www.rivertowntimes.com

Kicks & Giggles ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20 Aries, group dynamics could be tricky this week. Emotions are tense and putting too many people together may lead to friction.

Make a concerted effort to stay calm.

TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21 Taurus, individuals often are judged by the company they keeps. Surround yourself with honest, supportive and accomplished people as much as you can.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21 It is tempting to want to help in every situation, Gemini. But this week you may need to observe from the sidelines and let others work things out on their own.

CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22 Always get the facts before you react, Cancer.

Friends may be pulling you in different directions and want you to be on their sides.

Decide what is best for you.

LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23 Leo, if you butt heads with a colleague or your boss, the confrontation will not get out of control. Things will blow over very shortly.

VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22 Virgo, if your workload gets out of control, don’t feel that you have to go it alone. Ask for help and it will be there. This will ensure all projects are completed on time.

LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23 Libra, before you dive full speed ahead into a new relationship, it is better to do your research as much as possible. This is especially true when entering a business agreement.

SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22 Your energy levels may be all over the place this week, Scorpio. Build some free time into your schedule to accommodate for when you may need to play catch up.

SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21 There is no need to let emotions get the best of you. Sagittarius. Your confidence will diffuse many situations as long as you are tactful and respectful.

CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20 Capricorn, your commitment to doing things the right way is admirable and has not gone unnoticed. Others look to you for inspiration, and this will benefit your career.

AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18 Aquarius, you are on a mission this week to stand out from the crowd. Make sure the light is shining on you for all the right reasons. Remain humble when praise comes your way.

PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20 Figure out how to deliver information in an empowering way, Pisces. A positive, empowering message is likely to be well-received.

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS DECEMBER 26 - Jared Leto, Actor (50) DECEMBER 27 - Walker Hayes, Singer (42) DECEMBER 28 - John Legend, Singer (43) DECEMBER 29 - Jude Law, Actor (49) DECEMBER 30 - LeBron James, Athlete (37) DECEMBER 31 - Gabby Douglas, Athlete (26) JANUARY 1 - Poppy, Singer (27)

WORD SCRAMBLE Rearrange the letters to spell something pertaining to Winter.

ANSWERS ON PAGE 13

DECEMBER

•The McGregor Columbian Club thanked its volunteers as well as the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) for being able to stay open. A volunteer recognition event was held at the Walker Road hall, which included a celebration of the $134,700 in OTF funding the club received over the past 12 months.

•A new member has been welcomed into the Rotary Club of Amherstburg and the club also contributed towards an upcoming event. The club inducted Don MacKay into its ranks. MacKay and his wife Christine moved to Amherstburg from Bowmanville approximately six years ago and enjoy giving back to the community.

•Beckett’s Variety will close at the end of the day Dec. 31 with owner Joe Beckett spending several decades serving the community. Overall, their family has been in the business since 1947.

•The tower on Boblo Island is brought down. The tower had become a local fixture for years.

•The County of Essex has passed its 2022 budget and it calls for a 1.56 per cent increase to their portion of residential tax bills. The 1.56 per cent translates into an additional $7.61 for every $100,000 of assessment, bringing the county portion of municipal taxes to $497.04.

•Local developer Michael Dunn presents a cheque for $10,000 to Amherstburg Community Services.

He makes a challenge for the public to match that donation by Dec. 31. Dunn also sponsors a turkey giveaway at the Amherstburg Community Hub in which 220 turkeys were given away.

•Plans for “The Lofts at St. Anthony,” which is the former House Youth Centre building at 247 Brock St., and the building at 72 Murray St. are unveiled. The plans garner generally positive reaction with a heritage designation also being given to the former, which was built 110-years-ago as St. Anthony’s School before eventually becoming the House.

•Amherstburg town council has agreed to undertake an audit review of the municipality. Councillor Peter Courtney made the motion, that was originally put forth late last month as a notice of motion, and it calls for a review of internal controls of the town, operating budget variances for the fiscal years 2018-21 and capital projects completed “and/or underway” for the fiscal years 2018-21 with a project value of greater than $300,000 including the development of the Amherstburg Community Hub at 320 Richmond St. •The AAM Goodfellows' annual newspaper sales brought in thousands of dollars to help the community. Volunteers with the Goodfellows returned to the streets and storefronts of Amherstburg and raised approximately $15,800. They distributed 102 food baskets this year.

•Calling it “the honour of my life to serve my community,” the MPP for the riding of Essex is stating his political service will not continue. Essex MPP Taras Natyshak stated he will not seek re-election in the June 2, 2022 provincial election.

•The Amherstburg Indoor Sports Association (AISP) creates an online petition on Change.org and it is asking council to create an annex at the Libro Centre for pickleball as well as courts for volleyball, basketball, tennis and badminton. They are also hoping to have courts created outside the Libro Centre and/or at Malden Centre Park.

Canadian Tire was a stop on the “Stuff A Fire Truck” toy drive

•The Greater Essex County District School Board and Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board reappoints Alicia Higgison and Fulvio Valentinis as their respective chairs.

•Amherstburg town council agrees to keep traditional voting with electronic tabulators for the 2022 municipal election.

•The Amherstburg Firefighters Association held its annual “Stuff-aFire Truck” toy drive. Toys were picked up at Joe Meloche Ford Sales, Movati Athletic, Canadian Tire, Capri Pizza, the Amherstburg Health Care Centre, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and Shooters Roadhouse.

•Essex County council has approved the purchase of seven new ambulances for Essex-Windsor EMS. The total purchase price is $1,415,624 plus HST. •The COVID-19 pandemic once again forced the Amherstburg Freedom Museum to present its signature holiday event virtually. The annual event is normally held at the museum but had to be shifted online again this year.

•Essex County council approved the budget from the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) which calls for a 4.1 per cent increase to municipalities.

•Residents of Boblo Island Resort Community have once again stepped up to help families in need. The residents have helped make the lives of a number of local families better this Christmas season thanks to their sponsorship of them through the Amherstburg Food and Fellowship Mission. It was organized by island residents Peter and Laura Dobrich and their family.

•The Squirettes of Mary Circle #1001 and McGregor K of C Council #2844 team up to present a drive-thru Christmas turkey dinner. They prepared and distributed 1,000 meals.

•It was announced that, due to COVID-19 health restrictions, the Dec. 27-29 Hockey for Hospice tournament was being postponed. The new dates are Feb. 19-21, 2022 (Family Day weekend).

•A local girl is doing what she can to keep the homeless warm at Christmas.

Keyleigh Johns, a ten-year-old Amherstburg resident, made up 75 gift bags that she distributed to the homeless in Windsor.

•Additional security measures, including lights and swipe cards, are agreed to by town council for the Amherstburg Community Hub in light of recent problems relating to unruly youth hanging out at the location. The skateboard park had been there but council voted to move it to the Libro Centre.

16 – River Town Times – Wednesday, December 29, 2021

www.rivertowntimes.com

GARBAGE COLLECTION

RECYCLE

Delays may occur, however garbage collection continues as regularly scheduled.

December 31st

WHITE GOODS PICK UP

January 27th (Call for pick up by January 21st)

January 14th January 28th

CHRISTMAS TREE COLLECTION January 3rd January 10th

Remove ALL decorations and plastic bags

519-736-0012 • www.amherstburg.ca 271 Sandwich St. South, Amherstburg, Ontario N9V 2A5