The Paris Independent for Saturday January 21st, 2023

Suggested changes to Mile Hill Road has sparked a lot of community debate recently. Stuck in the middle of the debate are the residents who live on Mile Hill Road and are most impacted by these changes, if they are approved. Many of them attended the Mile Hill Road Public Open House to share their stories. They also shared their concerns with The Paris Independent Pictured from left to right are Isaac Rosebrugh, Steve Malecki, Dean Tomblin & Barb Brown, Nancy Chipman and Greg Tanner. They all live on Mile Hill Road, with the exception of Greg, who lives on Race Street. Read the full story on pages 5-8.

Photo by Casandra Turnbull

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

OPTIMIST CLUB OPEN HOUSE – Takes place on January 29th from 2pm to 4pm at the Optimist Club on Elm Street (shared parking lot with the Syl Apps Community Centre) in Paris. Everyone is invited to drop in for a chat about the Optimist Club and how they enrich the lives of the youth in Paris and the surrounding area If you are new to the community, the Optimist Club is a great place to make new friends.

SAVE THE DATE STORYBOOK BREAKFAST

–for the first time since the pandemic Kids Can Fly’s most popular event returns on Saturday, February 4th at the Hellenic Community Centre with two seating times of 9am and 11am Tickets on sale now on the Kids Can Fly website. This year’s Storybook Breakfast theme is “Imagination,” and will leave guests enjoying decorations from a variety of popular storybook themes and popular children’s movies.

SENIORS’ DROP IN PROGRAM – Every Wednesday, ongoing, from 11am to 3pm at the Syl Apps Community Centre, upstairs hall. The County of Brant is excited to partner with the Brantford Seniors’ Resource Centre to offer a weekly seniors’ drop-in program! Participants can look forward to coffee/snacks, games, creative projects, a place to visit & much more! This is a free event

BIG CITYYY LIFE DRAWING – Hosted by Rubyyy Jones at Dog Eared Café on January 28 at 2pm. A costumed life drawing event for artists and creative people of all levels and all walks of life. No experience or arts education required, this is a space for trying, exploring and getting your creative juices flowing! Tickets are $20 for this three-hour long event. You can purchase tickets online. Visit the event’s Facebook page for more details! Everyone is welcome to attend!

HAGGIS FEST 2023 – Saturday, February 11, 7pm to 11pm at the Memorial Hall in St George (34 Main St). Event hosted by the Paris Port Dover Pipe Band, tickets are $30 each. Includes Scottish music, haggis dinner, cash bar and entertainment. Find out more online.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

CONTEMPORARY ART SHOW & TASTING

– Saturday, January 28 at the Taren White Gallery, downtown Paris. View the contemporary art show and enjoy a tasting event with local loves: Vodka Friday and Arepa Love. Viewing and tasting takes place from 4 pm to 7 pm at the gallery. Open to the public, everyone welcome!

PARIS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – February

Register online now or connect with your local library branch and sign up with staff. Space is limited; registration is required

VALENTINE’S DAY SPEAKER - Tuesday, February 14 at 6:30pm at the Paris Legion Branch 29, Canadian singer-songwriter and musical theatre actress Dana Jean Phoenix will perform and speak. Hosted by the Kiwanis Club of Paris-Brant, this monthly meeting is an excellent way to find out about how Kiwanis helps our community If you would like to attend, please write to Kiwanisparisbrant@gmail.com for more information

See story in next week’s edition!

1st , 7pm at the Paris Fairgrounds. Anne Vernon, owner of Rooms and Blooms is our speaker for the evening Her topic is “Porch, Patio, Deck Décor and More”. The presentation will be a slide show. Check out her website in her own words “Your home extends beyond the walls of the house. Push back the boundaries of your home by bringing it outdoors. Imagine relaxing in your outdoor room, entertaining on a relaxing patio, and reveling in the beauty of your garden.” This is a fabulous opportunity to plan for spring & summer projects. We cordially invite guests and future members.

LIBRARY LIBATIONS – Thursday, February

9th at 7pm Compete against other tables as Library staff lead you and friends through interactive games! Book a table, assemble your group, and get ready for fun at the Paris Beer Co (Wincey Mills, downtown Paris).

STATEMENT

We are an independently owned organization made up of like minded volunteers from within our community with the main purpose of providing Paris and area with a trustworthy and reliable source of local news. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of everything we publish, we regret any errors that may occur We limit our liability to that of printing a retraction upon notification of such errors in the next available publication Our mail and Email addresses are listed below:

First Paris baby of 2023 born on January 3rd

By Carolina Saenz

It is a pleasure to announce the New Year’s Baby of 2023. Welcome to Paris, Oghenejite (Jite) Joelle Joshua!

Proud parents Oluwayemisi (Yemisi) and James Joshua share their joy as they welcomed their third child on January 3rd at 10:47am. It was a very fast and vastly different delivery from the births of her first two children, Yemisi recalls She was able to sleep through the night and felt no contractions up until past 7am on January 3rd when she woke up to use the washroom only to realize she was actually contracting every three minutes.

“I got to the hospital at about 9am, 7cm dilated. By 10:47am our little miracle was here,” she shared. Baby Jite was delivered by the Community of Brantford Midwives at the Brantford General Hospital. The given name Oguenejite (Jite) pronounced “Jeeteh” means God is sufficient/enough.

Jite is a beautiful addition to the growing family He joins his bigger siblings, Jason (8) and Janelle (5). “We are all doing great. Falling in love with Jite everyday. Her brother and sister can’t wait to start taking care of her. Dad and I are trying to catch

as much sleep,” says Yemisi

Congratulations on the safe arrival of Jite, Paris’ first-born baby of 2023! Since the Joshua family has welcomed Paris’ newest citizen, The Paris Independent will be presenting them with over $250 in cash and gifts from local businesses, including Sales Decorating, Michael’s Brantford, Chris Whelan Books, Nick’s No Frills and sponsored by Your Home Sold Guaranteed Brant Jody & Paula Tysoski! As well they will receive $100 cash and a free email subscription from The Paris Independent digital community newspaper!

Oghenejite (Jite) Joelle Joshua became Paris’ newest citizen in 2023 with his safe arrival on January 3rd. Pictured to the left with proud parents Oluwayemisi and James Joshua.

Homeowners caught in the middle of Mile Hill Road debate

By Casandra Turnbull

Potential changes to Mile Hill Road have sparked lots of community debate recently and some residents are stuck in the middle, literally, of the Mile Hill Road discussion

Close to 200 residents filled seats at the Mile Hill Road Public Information session hosted by the County of Brant on January 11 at the Brant Sports Complex. Consultants from the IBI Group presented a slideshow explaining proposed changes they feel will make Mile Hill safer for all users. The County has suggested the road convert to one-way traffic southbound only for vehicular travel. A new multi use path on the west side of the road between Hillside Avenue/Washington Street/Old Mill Street and Powerline Road would be open to pedestrians and cyclists; they want to install rumble strips, pavement markings and signage to support the new multi-use path

Most of the residents who live on or near Mile Hill Road are not happy with the changes, which were brought to their attention by a notice in their mailboxes. It was shocking and upsetting and left

many of them feeling the changes, tentatively slated to take place this spring, were a done deal and the public open house merely a formality. They shared their thoughts and suggestions with The Paris Independent.

“For starters, no one ever asked for any input from the people who actually live on Mile Hill. Instead, we just received a proposal in the mail telling us they’re changing our road to one way because a hired firm with ‘experts’ deemed it the best solution to an apparent problem,” said Shea Tyler, a Mile Hill homeowner for 22 years. By turning the road into one-way traffic, Tyler feels this will only make it more dangerous Many of his neighbours share similar thoughts.

“One-way roads are shown in studies to promote speeding. Adding a designated pedestrian/bike lane directly beside a speeding one-way vehicle with no speed reducing counter measures, and nothing in place as a barrier, sounds like a disaster waiting to happen on many levels,” said Tyler

The county is proposing that Mile Hill Road convert to one-way traffic with a multi-use pedestrian path, depicted to the left.

Concerned citizens who live on Mile Hill Road upset county did not consult with them and say proposed changes will in fact make the road more dangerous

Steve Malecki also lives on Mile Hill Road and attended the public information session. Following the meeting, he sent a letter to the County addressing his immediate concerns “First and foremost, I agree that something must be done to improve the safety of Mile Hill Road as, in its current format, it is dangerous for all users,” states Malecki’s letter. “I live on the road, and I see it every day. However, I am very concerned that the proposed approach does not solve the problem and will create new ones.”

If the end goal is to meet the Complete Communities, Complete Streets and Brant Safe Streets program requirements, Malecki says the county’s current proposal does not fit as the solution. Aside from making the road more dangerous, the changes will impede emergency response times to residents that live in the south end by, on average, four to seven minutes; the proposed rumble strips will cause noise pollution for neighbouring residents and wildlife, and it will impact how residents on that road access vital services, such as septic tank maintenance and propane delivery. He proposes the county should consider traffic diverting methods first to see how that reduces speeding. Methods such as multiple stop signs or traffic humps on Washington and Powerline Roads, and traffic humps in safe, or straight areas of Mile Hill Road, mainly the top of the hill off Powerline Road. Speed reducing traffic humps were used on Banfield Street last year and visibly reduced the speed cars travelled down that road often used as a ‘shortcut. ’ Greg Tanner, who lives on Race Street and uses the Mile Hill corridor at least twice a day, agrees with Malecki’s assessment. He believes the increased traffic is because people use Mile Hill as a short cut to and from downtown “The partial solution is to make this ‘time saving’ aspect disappear. That is, make the time to traverse this route longer at the same time making the corridor safer for residents along the route,” he suggests Since moving to the south end eight years ago, and through his daily use of the road, Tanner states he’s

observed less than 10 pedestrians and less than 5 cyclists on Mile Hill Road. It’s just not a safe road for pedestrian use and many people recognize that. Isaac Rosebrugh, another Mile Hill Road resident, feels the County should spend the extra money to do it the right way.

“Spend the money required to widen it properly, allowing for two-way traffic and a nice, safe, elevated multi-use path for pedestrians and cyclists,” said Rosebrugh, dropping reference to the recently completed Laurel Street reconstruction project, which drastically improved the quality of that roadway to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. “I think if it’s as important of an issue as the County says it is and if safety is a priority under Safe Streets and Complete Streets policies, then spend the money to do it right. I feel the current proposal is a cheap fix, half-baked idea that ultimately no one would be happy with,” he said. “Look how nice Laurel Street redevelopment turned out, it’s not cheap, but sometimes it’s required for safety”

Map showing the proposed change to one-way traffic on Mile Hill Road. For residents on that street, an every day task of collecting the mail, (the community box is at the top of Mile Hill Road), they will be forced to travel down Powerline Road, Rest Acres Road, King Edward Street to Washington just to return home again. They also have grave concerns about OPP response time, if Mile Hill Road becomes a one-way street.

Nancy Chipman and Larry Arsenault have similar concerns – and a rather unique issue that will impact their daily lives, if the proposed changes are passed. They’ve lived on Mile Hill Road for 25 years and own 15 acres of sloping forested land that backs on to the Grand River. Changing the road to one-way southbound (or even northbound for that matter) traffic would make it impossible for businesses to access their property. Vital businesses who deliver propane, clear their septic and businesses that help maintain the vegetation on their property, would not have access to their property anymore because the size of their trucks doesn’t allow for the two-to-fourpoint turn that would be required to leave their property, heading southbound on Mile Hill Road. Their driveway is shared with their neighbour and then plunges into a deep slope with a curve that winds down the lower portion of their yard.

Chipman and Arsenault made some general inquiries to companies who access their properties and the feedback to one way access was not good The company who delivers their propane, and already sends their smallest truck, a 32 foot, single axle, confirmed they could no longer make the deliveries The proposed changes will have such an impact on their daily lives, they've hired a lawyer.

The pair attended the meeting last week and sent a letter to County of Brant staff and Brant County Council. That letter sparked a visit from Greg Demers, Director of Roads for the County of Brant. “Greg Demers did come to our property last Wednesday morning after receiving my letter the day

before. I’m grateful for that and he acknowledged the difficulties with our entrance,” explained Chipman. “This house was originally built in 1850 and he freely admitted that our sort of driveway would not be allowed today. However, it’s all we have and unfortunately it is impossible to improve it.” Chipman said Demers will be following up and sending surveyors to the property

Prior to his visit, Chipman said there was no attempt by the County to consider the individual concerns of various property owners, despite the County’s ‘Key Strategic Priority 2.0, Effective Communication,’ she pointed out.

“The county has had 10 months to study the situation and NOW the dialogue is supposed to start at the public meeting… and yet the notice calls for a tentative start (to construction) of spring 2023,” she questioned Demers, when asked by The Paris Independent if concerns from residents will cause for pause before moving forward, responded, “Staff will be evaluating the comments and providing an update to council early in the spring. The conversion to one way is only proposed as an option and nothing has been finalized.”

He added that staff continue to look for ways to improve safety for Mile Hill Road. Due to the road’s topographical features, the project comes with great challenges.

Nancy Chipman and Larry Arsenault share a driveway entrance with their neighbour. If Mile Hill Road becomes a one-way road, southbound, trucks that deliver propane and service her septic tank will no longer access her property because they cannot make the two to four point turn required to leave her property travelling southbound. Aside from losing vital services, Nancy and Larry are concerned one-way traffic with a multi use trail for pedestrians/cyclists will only make the road more dangerous.

Perhaps no one is more familiar with Mile Hill Road than Barb Brown and Dean Tomblin who’ve lived at 260 Mile Hill Road for 30 years. “I wish that the local government would have reached out to the residents on the hill before spending all our taxpayers’ money on outside consultants that don’t even use the hill,” they stated in an email to The Paris Independent “We all agree the road should stay as is or spend the money and do it right this time. This will be the third time (if approved) that they will have dug the road up in less than 30 years with a band aid fix. They have even stated ‘we can put it back the way it was, if it doesn’t work out.” Brown and Tomblin feel these changes are far from improving safety. Putting pedestrians within 1.5 meters of vehicles is a liability waiting to happen, they said And diverting traffic away from Mile Hill just pushes the traffic problem to other neighbourhoods as motorists try to find the fastest route to and from downtown Shea Tyler agrees with that assessment. “Diverting traffic from going down Mile Hill and forcing the cars to use Rest Acres will cause higher frequency of safety issues in the neighbourhoods behind the Pioneer Gas Station. I’m sure families that live there will be thrilled,” said Tyler. “Ultimately if we as a county are truly invested in making this road safely accessible for all users, then save up the money for a longer period of time, get the developers to kick in some money, use some of the new development tax dollars and do it right, expand the road, keep two-way traffic,” he suggests. And in the meantime, strategically deploy any and all traffic calming devices and increase police presence on neighbouring streets at the bottom of Mile Hill Road.

The EngageBrant website was open for comment but closed on January 18th . Melissa Connors, Director of Communications and Public Relations for the County said while commenting is now closed, residents can still follow updates on the project through the website.

Concerned Citizens of Mile Hill Road have started a petition to stop the proposed changes. You can view the petition online at https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/stop-the-milehill-rd-one-way-proposal-public

So far, over 600 people have signed the petition. County staff will present Brant County Council with a plan for Mile Hill Road this spring The plan must be ratified by council before any changes are implemented.

Do you support the proposed changes to Mile Hill Road? Are you against them? What are your thoughts? Please feel free to reach out to us or share your opinion in a letter to the editor: stories@theparisindependent.com

County of Brant Public Library helps seniors explore new worlds, virtually

MEDIA RELEASE - This winter, the County of Brant Public Library offers older adults the opportunity to stay mentally active and experience virtual reality (VR) in a fun and safe environment. Offering programs like Introduction to Virtual Reality and Armchair Travel, this interactive series makes the technology more accessible to seniors.

“We want to offer a safe, inclusive, and barrier-free space for older adults to explore virtual reality,” says Gary Jermy, Director of Community Innovation at the Library. “With the help of our skilled staff, seniors can look forward to having tremendous fun while navigating a new skill.”

Seniors are encouraged to start with an Introduction to Virtual Reality session to learn how to use a Meta Quest headset and explore the benefits of VR, including improved socialisation, decreased anxiety when using technology, mental stimulation, and improved cognitive function.

Armchair Travel sessions allow seniors to explore countries across the globe. From virtual bus rides to deep sea diving, these fully interactive exploratory experiences let participants discover the world without leaving the comfort of the library

The Library’s Virtual Reality for Seniors program wraps up with a Fun with Virtual Reality, Games, and Videos session on Wednesday, March 15, and a Seated Exercise with Virtual Reality session on Wednesday, March 22.

Library visitors experience deep sea diving off the coast of the Galápagos Islands during an Introduction to Virtual Reality for Seniors program at the Paris Branch.

Virtual reality sessions for seniors run Wednesday afternoons from 1pm to 3pm beginning Wednesday, January 18, through to Wednesday, March 22. Locations vary week by week. To find out when a virtual reality session takes place at your local branch, visit brantlibrary ca/vr

Register for VR sessions at brantlibrary ca/vr, call 519-4422433, or sign up at your local library branch. A free taxi service is available to County of Brant residents; please talk to library staff. This program is funded in part by the Government of Ontario.

The County of Brant Public Library serves the County of Brant, Ontario, with five branches in Burford, Glen Morris, Paris, Scotland-Oakland, and St. George, and a mobile library and 24/7 book-lending kiosk in Onondaga. Visit the library online at brantlibrary.ca, @brantlibrary on Facebook and Twitter, and @brantcountypubliclibrary on Instagram

Maple Syrup Festival returning downtown April 8th

The Maple Syrup Festival will return to the downtown streets this April following a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic.

In 2022 the festival returned in a different fashion as the Lions Club of Paris hosted a drive-thru breakfast event Pancake lovers got a chance to pre-order and drive through the fairgrounds to pick up their breakfast, along with a side of delicious maple syrup.

This year, on April 8th , you can visit downtown Paris for the one-day festival complete with live music, vendors, pancakes and all things maple!

The first Paris Lions Club’s Maple Syrup Festival was held on April 14, 2012. Lion Dan Moore, now deceased, was inspired to organize this event. He reasoned that, after seeing how another Maple Syrup Festival drew such huge crowds, the Club’s Food Truck could be used as the primary fund raiser for our own Maple Syrup Festival, making and selling pancakes with REAL maple syrup!

The second year, the Lions Club used 68 kilograms of pancake mix to serve the growing number of festival goers. With sponsors donations, the support of the Paris BIA and County Council the festival was well on its way to becoming a tradition With attendance numbers climbing, by the third year the festival moved from William Street to Grand River Street North and live entertainment was added to the event line up By 2019, between 5,000 to 6,000 people attended the event.

Stay tuned for more details about this year’s festival, we will keep you updated! Mark your calendar for April 8th all day long and visit downtown Paris to take part in this popular tradition!

Members of the Paris Lions Club serving up pancake breakfast at a past Maple Syrup Festival. The popular event is returning downtown this year on April 8th .

Plans to revise and update new Official Plan underway

Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing says no comment to draft plan, urges County

to adopt Official Plan

By Casandra Turnbull

After a year and a half on the province’s desk, the County of Brant recently received notice that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing would not provide official comments on the draft plan and that the County should proceed with plans to adopt a new Official Plan (OP) for the Minister’s approval.

Dated December 29, 2022, the letter was addressed to Darryl Lee, Interim Chief Administrative Officer for the County and was issued by Ian Kerr, the Regional Director of the Municipal Services Office. County staff, councillors and the mayor have waited since November 2021 for official comments. The draft plan was submitted in August of 2021 and the window for preliminary review and comments closed in November of that same year. The County spent a substantial amount of time and resources with community input during the pandemic to prepare this new and innovative Official Plan County staff worked with Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) to ensure the project could meet the provincially delegated timelines to

‘A Place to Grow’ conformity by July 1, 2022, according to county issued reports.

“It absolutely sounds like it is time for us to forge ahead Realistically, how quickly can we turn this into a final Official Plan? If it was up to me, we would do it tomorrow,” said Paris Councillor Steve Howes at the January 10th Planning Committee meeting He was visibly upset with the lengthy period of time it took to receive a response to the document

Before the County can submit the amended, final version of the Official Plan, they must meet the following provincial mandates: give a minimum of 20 days of public notice for the final version, host an open house, publish 30 days’ notice in a newspaper advising of the amendments and

make final tweaks and changes to the document. Jennifer Boyer, a Senior Policy Planner with the County, predicts the quickest the plan could hit the Minister’s desk is by May of 2023.

Fellow Paris Councillor John Bell also had questions pertaining to the county staff report on the Official Plan and how to update it.

“It is suggested the final plan be adopted after a number of key reports, growth forecasting, rural settlement areas, employment lands and housing targets. That sounds like an enormous amount of work It kind of makes me worried. I thought we knew our targets, why are we talking about potential new targets?” he asked.

“The Official Plan helps the County to evolve, improve and realize its full potential in areas such as land use and the environment,” said Pam Duesling, General Manager of Development Services. “The draft new Official Plan took two years to develop and consulting with the public was an incredibly important part of the process to learn how the community wants to improve and grow now and into the future.”

– May 2022 County of Brant Media Release via Social Media

“My concern is that we reopen this to a level that is inappropriate No matter what we do, the provincial government will tell us what they want And I think we should tell them what we want,” added Bell. Updates to the draft OP would centre around the growth plan, particularly how the County will align with Bill 23: More Homes Built Faster Act. It will also incorporate updates connected to the Master Transportation Plan (and policies), include the master plan study for St. George, include new research and analysis related to specific county challenges, namely on street parking (particularly in newer subdivisions

in Paris) and collaborate with county staff on planning projects such as the Burford and Cainsville Water and Wastewater class EAs, and the Parks Master Plans Councillors Howes, Bell, Lukas Oakley and David Miller all stated they want to move forward as quickly as possible to present the Official Plan, since the bulk of the leg work and studies were already completed, presented and approved within the Draft Plan. Councillor Christine Garneau cautioned that while it’s tempting to forge ahead as quickly as possible, council needs to ensure they host a public open house, in person, so new residents can have a chance to

view the plan. She also worried that past open houses were held virtually during the pandemic and not everyone is comfortable with technology She did not want the public to perceive this Official Plan as feeling ‘rushed through.’ All councillors were in agreement with her observation

The Planning Committee voted unanimously for staff to recommence the new Official Plan project and bring forward a final document for council’s adoption for submission to the province for the minister’s approval. The current draft of the Official Plan is available online to view.

Go Fund Me Campaign launched to help owners of Scott’s Family Restaurant during tragic time

By Casandra Turnbull

Disclaimer! This story hits a little close to home for me. I’ll admit, I love Scott’s Family Restaurant It’s my favourite place to sneak away to on Saturday mornings. The food is delicious, the portion sizes are almost outrageous, and the hospitality is second to none. If you eat there often, you might agree, it is quite literally the place where everyone knows your name! That’s the beauty of small-town establishments They build rapport with locals. They sponsor local league soccer; they raise money for the SPCA; they support local initiatives and they do so with a smile and most often a little friendly conversation. Always in the same location, for

over 20 years, tucked away on Scott Street across the road from Mary Maxim, this family restaurant was built off the blood and sweat of Scott Dammeier and his first wife, Kelly Scott had a vision and a desire to build a lasting legacy in Paris over two decades ago. He found the perfect location, hired a small staff and created a tasty menu – and that’s how Kel’s Restaurant was born (yes some of you might remember it as Kel’s). Year after year its popularity grew as locals fell in love with the food and the warm, cozy environment. About a decade ago, the restaurant underwent a revamping of sorts, and became Scott’s Family Restaurant, also known as Scott’s on Scott’s. It was around that time

that Scott’s second wife, Kim, joined him as co-owner and started working as a full-time employee Together, they weathered the storms, the pandemic being the most challenging They endured weeks and months of shutdowns, capacity restrictions, staffing concerns and newly imposed industry regulations. They had to pivot and adjust their business to continue to operate under the most stressful circumstances, but they came out on top.

As they began to recoup the losses from Covid, late last year they were hit with devastating news. Scott was diagnosed with stage 4 terminal bladder cancer.

Continued on page 14

was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Terminal Bladder cancer. A Go Fund Me Campaign was launched to help the Dammeiers who are still recovering from the financial losses suffered during the pandemic.

Scott’s Family Restaurant owner Scott Dammeier

A life changing diagnosis is difficult for any family to handle. What makes their situation particularly unique is they are both selfemployed Their income is tied to their business but now Scott cannot work as he faces the toughest battle of his life. Kim continues to hold down the fort, sometimes jumping behind the counter to cook, but as Scott prepares for intense treatment to prolong his life, Kim is torn between continuing to provide an income and standing by his side and being his rock during treatment.

To help alleviate their financial stress, longtime employee and friend, Tina Graziano, has created and launched a Go Fund Me campaign titled Friends of Scott’s Family Restaurant. Money raised will help the pair with day-to-day operational expenses, medical expenses and allow them to spend precious time with one another, and with Scott’s children Griffin and Devlin.

“We are so grateful for all the support from family, friends, customers and the community,” said Kim and Scott in a joint statement “And as we start this journey, we will fight no matter what. Thank-you for your continued thoughts and support ”

In addition to raising money so the business can continue to operate, Scott and Kim are looking for a head cook to lead the kitchen. With Scott unable to work, and their current cook preparing to leave for his season job from March until September, the restaurant will soon face a new challenge: no one to prepare the food. If you’re interested in filling this role, you are urged to bring a resume by the restaurant, which is open Wednesdays to Sundays, 8am to 2pm.

So far, the Go Fund Me campaign has raised over $7,000 of its $25,000 goal. After years of supporting the community, let’s take a turn to support them. You can make a donation online through the campaign or by private e-transfer to rowdy4070@gmail com

Newcomers Gateway launched by workforce planning board

MEDIA RELEASE

- A new online resource will make it easier for newcomers to find local workforce-related information, community supports and services to help them get settled in the Grand Erie community

With the support of Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie has developed the Newcomers Gateway to provide a one-stop source for information and services

This online guide can be used by newcomers to find information on Canada’s work culture, the local job market, job training, English language classes, government services, starting a business, and much more.

“The Newcomers Gateway connects people who are new to the country and to the local community to a wealth of information and services, all housed in one place,” said Danette Dalton, the board’s executive director. “There are lots of resources in Grand Erie, but it isn’t always easy to find them, especially for people who may not be familiar with Canadian systems and services ” Newcomers to Grand Erie can find local services by answering questions under these 5 themes:

• I am looking for help getting settled in Grand Erie

• I want to join the workforce (jobs & training)

• I am looking for English language training & classes

• I am looking for community supports & programs

• I am looking to start a business Dalton said newcomers looking to secure employment can also access International Credentials Assessments, locate language training, learn how to get a Social Insurance Number, or find job training by tapping into numerous community services Newcomers interested in starting a business, meanwhile, can learn more about licencing requirements, financial support programs, employment standards regulations and more.

People can access the Newcomers Gateway through the Workforce Planning Board’s website at: www.workforceplanningboard.org/newcomers-gateway

LOCAL HISTORY

Walter Zeller made his first return in 1931!

Although Paris had both Sears and Eaton’s outlets, a Canadian Tire store and you could buy those famous HBC blankets at the Paris Trading Post, we didn’t have a Zellers and if you wanted to shop there (just like Giant Tiger today) you would have to travel to Brantford In 1931, Walter P Zeller bought 14 Canadian stores from American retailer Schulte-United Only a few years earlier, Zeller had sold his company to Schulte but, when the Depression hit, Shulte-United went bankrupt and Zeller saw an opportunity to own his stores again (sound familiar?). Zellers was incorporated in 1931. Stock was moved around, new people were hired, the Schulte-United signs were taken down and replaced with shiny new Zellers signs, and the converted stores re-opened for business in 1932 including Walter’s original store that he had opened in 1928 at 176 - 178 Dundas St in London, Ontario The original London store continued as a Zellers until closing in 1987 It is now the home of London Music Hall and it has the same renovated façade from 1951. Right from the start, Zellers launched an aggressive growth program. In its first year, 12 stores were in operation in southwestern Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick 11 were former Schulte-United stores and the Kitchener location was a brand-new Zellers.

Brantford opened in a former bank building at 136 Colborne Street on March 6, 1937, just five short years after London re-opened Within the next 20 years, the number of stores had grown to 60, the company’s revenue had expanded from just over $2 million to more than $43 million, and its workforce had increased to over 3,000. True to his convictions, Walter Zeller had always given his employees every opportunity for growth and amply rewarded their hard work. In the midst of World War II, Zellers introduced its first Group Life Insurance and Group Pension Plans. This generosity paid off and, in 1943, the company had its first $10,000,000 year

Zellers was proud of the success its growth strategy had yielded in driving up profits For the first 20 years of its existence, the company made reasonably good progress, despite the fact that World War II prevented the opening of any new stores. In 1952, the company made a strategic move into eastern Canada through the acquisition of Federal 5-10-15¢ to $1.00 Stores. More than a dozen stores were immediately added to the Zellers portfolio, most of which were immediately converted to Zellers. Some continued to operate as Federal stores, at least until their leases ran out. The last Federal store closed around 1962.

Above left: Zellers store at 136 Colborne St. Brantford. Top right: Zellers last store in Brantford at 410 Fairview Dr. Bottom right: The evolution of the Zellers logo from 1932 to present day. Sources: Google & HBC

LOCAL HISTORY

From 1952 to 1976, sales climbed from $27 million in 35 stores to $407 million in 155 stores. Zellers adopted several innovations in this period: they opened the first instore restaurant, the Skillet, the first auto-centre, and the first store in a suburban mall The “suburbanization” of Zellers did not stop the company from staying firmly anchored in the centre of the cities where it had already had presence. In 1956, Zellers opened its first fully self-service

establishment, at the Norgate Shopping Centre in Saint-Laurent, Quebec. In 1971 Towers Department Store (566 West Street) and Food City (410 Fairview Drive) in Brantford opened These stores were owned by the Oshawa Group and built with a common area between them featuring a cigar store and fast food restaurant Towers was acquired by the Hudson Bay Company in 1990 and this store was rebranded to Zellers in what would become the new

Zehrs plaza at 410 Fairview Drive. Today the former Zellers location is a Toys “R” Us store. HBC fully acquired Zellers in 1978 and sold 189 of its store leases to Target in 2011 for $1 8 billion Target Canada went bankrupt in 2015 The final two Zellers Stores closed in 2019

HBC has just announced they will be re-opening Zellers stores with-in a limited number of HBC locations as well as online at www.zellers.ca

COMMUNITY NEWS

Catholic Woman’s League 70 Years of Service

Kay Beaudette received her 70-year pin (pictured in photo) for her membership in the Sacred Heart Catholic Women’s League. As a member Kay has been very helpful with funeral luncheons volunteering alongside her friend Peggy Burns. Now she spends many hours knitting mitts, hats, and slippers to donate to the Christmas Angels and for the annual Sacred Heart Church Christmas Tea & Bazaar. Kay continues to live in Paris and is looking forward to the opening of the new Sacred Heart Church Community Centre currently under construction behind Sacred Heart Church Submitted by Dora Kuilboer

Above left: Conceptual design rendering of Sacred Heart Church –Parish Hall addition showing main street entry. Right: Kay Beaudette

Paris takes the Cup during friendly rivalry with neighbouring club

Curlers pack the ‘Friendliest House in Town’ for traditional P‘Ayr’is Cup

This past weekend The Paris Curling Club hosted the 6th edition of the P'AYR'IS Cup

The two-day competition pits Paris members against their friends at the Ayr Curling Club.

Each club brings a roster of 32 players, and a team Coach, who divides those players amongst teams. Over the course of two days, members from each club play three different styles of games, with two draws each, collecting points along the way. For those golf fans out there, it's similar to the Ryder Cup This year the bonspiel featured a regular point-spiel style game, a tankard rules game, and a skins match game Ayr entered this year’s play as back-to-back defending champions, but that wasn't going to discourage the Paris membership who were in it to win it! Paris jumped out to a quick lead after the Friday night games, but after the early Saturday draw Ayr made things interesting and gained several points to make the overall match very close. In the second Saturday morning draw, team Paris managed to open up a bit of

a lead and then both Paris draws ran away with the points during the skins games on Saturday afternoon This was all on route to a PCC victory with a final score of 381 to 259. Way to go, Paris!

A couple shout outs and thank yous are extended to Jeff Crowley for organizing the event, to all of the kitchen helpers for making sure everyone was well fed, to Amy for keeping track of all the scoring, to "Coach Craig" for putting the PCC teams together, and to the ladies at Vodka Friday for keeping everyone "hydrated" with their sample station on Saturday A special thank you to the Ayr Curling Club for two days of fun and sportsmanship!

It was a great weekend, and fun was had all around A big congrats to all members that took part and helped Paris to regain the trophy! It will sit in the trophy case in the lounge until next year. Practice for 2024 starts now!

-Photos, content courtesy of The Paris Curling Club

(Left) members of the winning Paris team! This year’s bonspiel returned after a two-year pandemic induced break.

(Left) Paris Curling Club member, and one of the P ‘Ary’ is Cup coordinates, Jeff Crowley takes back the Cup from Ayr’s Steve Jakobsen following Paris’ win over Ayr during a friendly two-day bonspiel that pitted the two clubs against one another in a race to achieve the most points. The Cup will remain in Paris’ showcase until next year’s competition.

Players show positive Attitude and Effort on the ice

The U9 MD season resumed with two well-fought losses against Ayr and Aylmer. In the January 10th 7-3 loss against Ayr, Easton Pizzey (pictured to the right) showed great positional play and effort each shift. Easton’s great attitude and effort made it easy for him to be awarded the player of the game. Days later during a very close 54 loss to Aylmer, Preston Garbedian (pictured left) was vocal and energetic during the team’s first full ice game. He played a strong defensive game and had two great scoring opportunities. Preston was a + 3 during the game and that’s why he was awarded with player of the game.

SCOREBOARD JANUARY 13 – JANUARY 19

*U19 Team 1 sponsored by Cobblestone Medicine and Rehab loses 15-6 against Norwich Knighthawks

*U11 Team 2 sponsored by Nick’s No Frills ties 3-3 against Simcoe Warriors (2)

*U18 Team 3 sponsored by Paris Legion Branch 29 loses 82 to Burford Coyotes

*U11 Rep sponsored by Pelton Transportation wins 7-0 over Ayr Flames (2)

*U11 Team 1 sponsored by Brant Sports wins 5-1 over Simcoe Warriors (2)

*U13 Team 1 sponsored by Arora Dental wins 5-4 over Tillsonburg Tornadoes

*U13 Team 1 sponsored by Fifth Ground Entertainment loses 4-1 to Waterford Wildcats

*U15 Team 1 sponsored by Adkins Financial wins 3-2 over Simcoe Warriors (2)

*U15 Rep sponsored by Comfort Plus Climate Care loses 4-2 to Ingersoll Express

*U18 Team 1 sponsored by Cobblestone Medicine and Rehab ties 1-1 against Tillsonburg Tornadoes

*U18 Team 3 sponsored by Paris Legion Branch 29 wins 42 over Waterford Wild Cats (1)

*U11 Team 1 sponsored by Brant Sports wins 5-1 against U11 Team 2 sponsored by Nick’s No Frills

*U13 Rep sponsored by Pelton Transportation ties 3-3 with Aylmer Flames

*U15 Rep sponsored by Comfort Plus Climate Care wins 6-2 over Hagersville Hawks

*U18 Team 2 sponsored by Hoogs Installations loses 4-0 against Simcoe Warriors (1)

*U15 Team 3 sponsored by Paris Canadian Tire ties 3-3 against Simcoe Warriors (2)

*U11 Team 2 sponsored by Nick’s No Frills loses 4-3 to Waterford Wildcats (2)

*U11 Team 1 sponsored by Brant Sports wins 2-1 over Delhi Rockets (1)

*U13 Rep sponsored by the Optimist Club loses 3-0 to Tavistock Titans

*U18 Team 1 sponsored by Cobblestone Medicine wins 20 over Tillsonburg Tornadoes

*U15 Rep sponsored by Comfort Plus Climate Care wins 51 over Tavistock Titans

*U18 Team 3 sponsored by Paris Legion Branch 29 wins 41 over Waterford Wildcats (1)

January 18th , marked the birthday of Paris’/Brant County’s own Syl Apps. Although perhaps known as a man they named an arena after, there is a lot more to be said about Charles Joseph Sylvanius “Syl” Apps. Other than being a great hockey player and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was a world class pole vaulter placing 6th at the 1936 Berlin Olympics (most noted for Jesse Owens and Adolph Hitler), a star football player at McMaster and served his country as a war veteran and Canadian politician Here's my question? Why hasn’t the County honoured him more and kept him more relevant? Why hasn’t the museum, who has some wonderful historical items on him, put up a rotating display at the Brant Sports Complex that might be appreciated more by the hockey community? (there is a display at the former Syl Apps Arena that can be viewed).

Back to the Mounties! There are 13 games left in the season, nine of them against teams that the coaching staff feel wins can be had if a couple of improvements can be made… a successful power play and less penalties or if that doesn’t change, an improved penalty kill.

Paris Mounties back in action tonight at home vs Tavistock!

Let’s see if we can see an improvement tonight when the Mounties face the Tavistock Braves. The Paris Wolfpack U8 Team 1 will be on ice at intermission to provide some entertainment and show off their developing skills. The puck drop is at 7:30 pm at the Brant Sports Complex See you there! -Submitted by George Le Gresley

Date, location announced for Brantford Sports Council’s Awards & Recognition

Program

– Nominations open

The 17th annual Brantford Sports Council Awards & Recognition Program will be held again in 2023 to recognize all those that contribute to the development and promotion of youth sports in our community. The Awards Program will take place on Saturday, March 11 at the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts, 88 Dalhousie St. in Brantford from 11am to 1pm. The overall objectives are to continue to have all members and community partners participate and provide a greater involvement for the youth in this community, while promoting the importance of youth sports. In addition to handing out awards, there are a variety of exciting and entertaining activities planned throughout the day that will provide the opportunity for youth sport groups and community partners to showcase their organizations while engaging athletes, volunteers and families representing their sport and sports organization. The continued support and involvement of all Sports

Council members and community partners is essential to all our programs in promoting youth sports. Sports is the catalyst that brings a community together and is a key element in the social fabric of our community, states a press release issued by Brantford Sports Council Executive and the Event Chair Bill Harding

Nominations are now open so if you know someone who deserves recognition for their achievements in sports, visit https://brantfordsportscouncil.ca/brantford-sports-councilaward-nomination-form/ to find out more about the criteria and to file your nomination! (note nominations only accepted for an organization, club or school in the City of Brantford) Nominations will be accepted until February 10th Be part of the ‘voice for sports’ in your community, nominate someone today!

U15 LL2 team collects a few wins at Pelham International Silver Stick Tournament

The U15 LL2 team, sponsored by Burford Foodland, had a strong showing at the Pelham International Silver Stick tournament last weekend, qualifying for it following a win at the Aylmer Silver Stick Tournament last November.

Paris faced the Port Stanley Sailors in game one and rallied for a 6-4 win. Later that day, the Wolfpack lost a close battle, 4-3, to the North Middelsex Jr. Stars. All teams participating in the Silver Stick tournament attended an opening ceremony later that night. Players throughout North America were able to exchange team pins with one another. Teams sat in the stands and coaches and a player representative were introduced during the parade.

On Friday, January 13th , Paris overcame the Kincardine Kinucks 3-1 and bested the Port Huron Wreckers 8-1 The real hurdle of the weekend came Saturday during a match up with the Collingwood Jr Blues Both teams finished the round robin with a 3-1 record, so things were evenly matched Paris opened the scoring to take a 1-0 lead in the game

before Collingwood came back with a goal to tie it. Collingwood pulled ahead with a goal to gain the lead 2-1 going into the third period, but Paris didn’t relent and tied it up early in the third and fended off their opponents for a 2-2 final after regulation play The game went into a sudden death overtime, with 10-minute periods, 4 on 4 hockey and the first team to score would win the game. Collingwood was able to capitalize quickly and scored not long into OT taking the win and advancing to the finals the next day against the Apsley Flames, who had a perfect round robin record Aspley won the championship game 3-1

U15 LL3 Silver Medallists at Caledonia Thunder Cup

The U15 LL3 team sponsored by Canadian Tire Paris brought home silver medals from the Caledonia Thunder Cup last weekend. The team beat Beverly Bandits 4-3 in a shootout to advance to the finals. Hayden Bouroughs scored the winning goal. The team went on to face a tough Wainfleet Wild in the finals. Congratulations team on a well played tournament.

Optimist Club recognizes importance of volunteerism

A lot of traditions were put on hold during the pandemic. For the Optimist Club of Paris, one such tradition was recognizing volunteerism during their holiday party. When you are a volunteer-based community group, it’s important to recognize the efforts of the individuals who have a clear desire to enhance the services offered right here in Paris. This past week, the Paris Optimist Club renewed that tradition by honouring the volunteers who are dedicated to enriching the lives of the youth in Paris.

“It was so nice last night to be able to celebrate volunteerism with the Paris Optimist Club. It’s been three years since this was done in person, last in December 2019,” said Julie Henwood, Past President of the Club “Larry Crawley and I both served as President during this time, him in 2020/2021 and myself in 2019/2022 We presented awards to our Executives and Boards and long-time members, thanking them for giving of their time to the club and the children and youth of our community,” she explained.

Several Optimist members have served for over 35 years, including Larry Crawley with 43 years of volunteerism and George McDougall with 65 years of volunteerism. The club’s current president Bob Nelson has been an Optimist for 43 years as well

Pictured above, Paris Optimist Club Past Presidents Julie Henwood and Larry Crawley with Mayor David Bailey during a recent meeting that honoured the volunteers who are dedicated to enriching the lives of the youth in Paris.

Photo courtesy of David Bailey

HEALTH MATTERS

Plant-based

Yoga with Heidi Pfleger

Plant-based eating has become all the rage and is being promoted as a healthier way to eat Is it as good for you as the media implies? This is a question many of my Yoga students frequently ask and I continually say, “Yes!”

Numerous studies attest to that, as does my 40+ year personal experience. That said, it is important to note that not all plant-based foods are as nutritious as you might think. Let’s investigate!

Before discussing the nutritional aspect, let’s be

Eating

for 2023

clear on what plant-based eating is all about. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Plant-based or plantforward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans It doesn’t mean that you are vegetarian or vegan and never eat meat or dairy Rather, you are proportionately choosing more of your foods from plant sources.”

This is good news for devout carnivores who aren’t prepared to give up meat for the rest of their life. You don’t necessarily have to give up meat forever or even a week but, if you want to support a healthier way of being for yourself and the planet, it’s a good idea to slide along the spectrum that leads to more plantbased eating.

From an environmental view, plantbased eating makes a great deal of sense and documentaries like “What

– Is it for You?

the Health,” (accessible on Netflix) support this view. This documentary also supports the nutritional and overall health benefits of going more plant-based. These benefits include lower rates of obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

From a nutritional point of view, moving toward a plant-based diet it makes a lot of sense, especially if the plant-based foods are organically grown, locally sourced and eaten seasonally. These foods typically have a higher nutritional value, giving you better bang for your buck than a Big Mac. There is also the added financial benefit of going plant-based. Groceries are expensive these days and everyone is looking for ways to stretch their dollar. Reducing the amount of meat that you eat can certainly help stretch the weekly food budget, especially if you buy produce and other plant-based products listed in the weekly flyers.

Continued on page 23

Plant-based or plant-forward eating patterns focus on foods primarily from plants. This includes not only fruits and vegetables, but also nuts, seeds, oils, whole grains, legumes, and beans.

HEALTH MATTERS

“

If you are accustomed to making and eating processed and pre-made meals, switching over to a fully plant-based diet is daunting because a great deal of planning and time are required to make the shift. This is why I recommend easing into it by setting aside one or two days a week to eat meat-free and, if possible, dairy free.”

That said, many plant-based food products are expensive and lack nutritional value as they are highly processed. They also don’t taste great. Yves Veggie Cuisine products, stocked on most grocery shelves can’t compare to the ‘real thing.’ If you’ve ever tried their hot dogs, sausages or deli slices, you’ll know what I mean They are highly disappointing. Beyond Meat products have grown in popularity and I’ve been known to bring a few Beyond Meat burgers along to summer barbeques, more for convenience than taste, which is okay to me as it’s an occasional occurrence. However, when I look at the ingredients in those burgers, I often find myself wishing I’d brought a few portobello mushrooms to throw on the barbeque and then top with some pesto (vegetarian or vegan). If you are accustomed to making and eating processed and pre-made meals, switching over to a fully plant-based diet is daunting because a great deal of planning and time are required to make the shift. This is why I recommend easing into it by setting aside one or two days a week to eat meat-free and, if possible, dairy free.

There are some great options to choose from when it comes to planning your plant-based eating days. Salads with nuts, seeds and

vegetables and a simple homemade dressing (yes, homemade, as the store-bought ones contain lots of chemically based ingredients) is one option. Vegetarian chilis using bulghur wheat or quinoa rather than processed plant-based ‘meat’ fillers are far more nutritious Pasta with tomato sauce and topped with stirfried vegetables is yet another option. And then, of course, there is soup. This is the perfect time of year for hearty soups served with a side dish of a vegetable wrap or veggies with hummus or guacamole.

It is important to read labels and check the ingredient list of items when grocery shopping and I was fortunate to learn this from my mom at a very early age. To this day, there is nothing I buy before reading the labels. In Canada, ingredients are listed in descending order. The first ingredient is the main ingredient of the item. If sugar or wheat gluten are listed in the first five ingredients of a plantbased food product, best put the item back on the shelf than in your cart The same applies if you see an ingredient listed and don’t know what it is

Reading the nutritional value on the label of a food item is also important but what is even more

important to keep in mind that a food containing a particular nutrient doesn’t mean it can be absorbed by your body. Milk is a great example. We all know milk contains lots of calcium Incredible marketing efforts tell us that. What those marketing efforts fail to tell us is that pasteurized milk contains an altered form of calcium that can’t be absorbed by the human body. This also applies to ‘calcium added’products like orange juice.

The reasons that we are not able to absorb certain nutrients is two-fold. The first reason is due to the process involved in producing the product. The second is our own state of health A car that is well maintained can better use oil and gas than one that is neglected. Acar that uses good quality oil and gas works much better and gives us better mileage. A car that sits in the driveway for long periods of time functions less optimally than one that is regularly driven. The same applies to the human body. A wellhydrated and active body that consumes few processed foods will be much better able to absorb nutrients contained in good quality foods

HEALTH MATTERS

Needless to say, it’s important to stay hydrated and to keep your body active. Like plant-based foods, not all water is ‘created’ equally. Bottled water is best to avoid. It can sit for months and be stored in ranging temperatures that affect water and its reaction to the type of plastic it is stored in Reverse osmosis filtration systems also don’t lend themselves to creating a healthy body. Countless studies have shown that drinking reverse osmosis filtered water actually created dehydration! Sad, but true. Tap water, providing you live in a community that takes care of its water properly, is the best way to go. Unfortunately, our town is riddled with hard water which is not ideal to drink so some sort of filtration system, outside of reverse osmosis, is required.

Here are some tips to help get you started on a plantbased diet

1. Designate a day or even a night a week for a plant-based meal. There are countless recipes on the internet for inspiration. In a pinch for time and convenience, try a store-bought veggie lasagna with a homemade side sale and dressing or order a plantbased pizza, again with a side salad made at home.

2. Focus on vegetables. At least half of your lunch and dinner plate should consist of vegetables, especially greens (kale, spinach, etc). Hummus, salsa

or guacamole are great pairings for some of those vegetables. If including meat, make it a small side portion. Grains like rice, quinoa and barely make for a good filler as well.

3. Include whole grains for breakfast. Oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat and barley make for a great start to the day, especially when nuts, seeds and/or fruit are added to the mix. And, of course, when using peanut butter, stick to the natural kind. You’ll grow to love it.

4. Drink good quality water. Get your water tested to find out what it needs to make it better for drinking.

All in all, a plant-based diet is good for you and the planet. Why not give it a try in 2023?

Heidi Pfleger has been a Yoga Teacher and Wellness Coach for more than 30 years and a student of yoga since the age of five. Born and raised on a farm in the Paris area, Heidi ventured further afield to study Yoga around the world in her twenties and has since been sharing her experiences and continuing in her studies both on and off the mat. Heidi offers regular yoga classes and individual sessions as well as wellness coaching sessions and retreats throughout the year. For more information on her programs, contact Heidi at 519-755-1447.

ASTROLOGY

Aries: March 21 - April 19 (Fire) –

You are ready to take your love life to the next level. The feelings you have are becoming intense The energy suggests your partner may not have the same expectations as you In career and in love just keep telling yourself that you will have no reward without risk

Taurus: April 20 - May 20 (Earth)

– You will have a great career opportunity this week This will take time and attention away from your love life You will spend this week trying to balance all your responsibilities. Make this a priority and you will receive awards in both areas.

Gemini: May 21 - June 20 (Air) –

Be honest, be respectful You will have some serious conversations this week with more than one person. You have to finally be honest and do this in a respectful manner Once you face these ongoing issues, you will feel lighter and free by the end of the week

Cancer: June 21 – July 22 22 (Water) – Be direct Tell people this week what you need and want. Be brave and bold. You have a great way in communicating with others It is time to use this gift so you can make your relationship stronger and your career more financially successful

Leo: July 23 - August 22 (Fire)

– You are in high demand You will have offers coming to you from everywhere this week You will have a love that's worth waiting for and a career that has endless possibilities This is a great shift in energy, so do not miss this opportunity.

Virgo: August 23 - September 22 (Earth) – You have serious choices to make when it comes to your relationship Your feelings are torn between two people You have been looking back a lot lately when you should be facing forward You crave romance so much that you are not seeing your love life clearly

Libra: September 23 - October 22 (Air)- People are starting to see the star that you are You are a great talent and light You have been getting your life in focus, finally Continue building on this momentum. You have people waiting for you to be ready and to let them love you completely.

Scorpio: October 23 - November 21 (Water) – You have been dealing with some heavy issues. Your family and career have great expectations of you. This week you want to step away and have a break But you can not yet you have to keep going and solve these problems first There is light at the end of this tunnel so keep walking

Sagittarius: November 22December 21 (Fire) – You have a lot of making up to do in love You have to find a way to make a better connection This needs attention, you better plan a romantic date night Your career is going to bring you more financial security if you keep your head down and keep doing what you have been doing the last month.

Capricorn: December 22 - January 19 (Earth) – You need a moment Time to step back and look at your whole life What does your love life need? What do you need to change in your career? And how can you focus better on your health?. All of these things need attention. Take this week to make some ‘to-do’ lists

Aquarius: January 20 – February 18 (Air) – Make time to have some fun You will have a lot of work put on you this week You can get all this stuff done and still have social time, if you stay committed to the task at hand A new love interest comes in around the end of the week

Pisces: February 19 - March 20 (Water) – You are giving yourself bad advice. You are basing this advice on wants and not what is best for you. You need to sit down with someone that you trust and ask for honest advice. Make a self improvement list and then follow through with completing all these things.

Horoscopes

with Tina Graziano Energy Reader

Tina Graziano was born an energy reader. She uses her gifts to heal and guide others as a life coach. If you need support and insight in life, contact Tina for an energy reading directly online at https://www.facebook.com/ Tina.Graziano.Energy.Reader

Showtimes for Galaxy Cinemas Brantford For Saturday, January 21, 2023

Avatar: The Way of Water Standard 11:40a.m. 3:50p.m. 8:00p.m. 3D 1:40p.m. 6:00p.m. 9:00p.m.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Standard 12:50p.m. 3:40p.m. 3D 6:20p.m. 10:00p.m.

M3GAN Standard 1:30p.m. 4:20p.m. 7:10p.m. 9:50p.m.

A Man Called Otto Standard 12:00p.m. 3:10p.m. 6:30p.m. 9:45p.m.

Plane Standard 1:20p.m. 4:10p.m. 7:00p.m. 10:00p.m.

Missing Standard 1:10p.m. 4:00p.m. 6:50p.m. 9:40p.m.

The Whale Standard 12:30p.m. 3:30p.m. 6:40p.m. 9:30p.m.

Minions: The Rise of Gru Standard 11:00a.m. 3D 11:00a.m.