The Paris Independent for Saturday March 19, 2022

WI-FI COMING TO A PARK NEAR YOU! Pages 3-4 SPRINGTIME IN PARIS FESTIVAL CANCELLED - PERMANENTLY? Page 9

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The Paris Independent Saturday, March 19, 2022

THIS WEEK In Community

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UNDEFEATED CHAMPS!

GROWING AS A COMMUNITY Pages 6 - 7

In Health

FUNDING FOR THE WILLETT Pages 10-11 In Business

MIND OVER MATTER Pages 19-21

The U13 LL Paris Wolfpack team went undefeated at the Goderich Lion’s Young Canada Week Tournament last weekend to claim gold! In round robin play, they posted a 9-0 win over Thornton, at 7-0 win over Lucan and 2-1 win over the Township of Chatsworth and District to advance to the semi finals. Paris recorded its third shutout win of the tournament with a 7-0 victory over Bayfield, Clinton and Hensall. In the finals, the Wolfpack rallied one last time as they faced the Township of Chatsworth and District again, their last meeting resulting in only a one goal difference. With the gold medal on the line, the Wolfpack worked together and pulled out a 5-1 victory.

Congratulations team!

Photo submitted by Shannon Robinson

Are you ready to make a Move ? Contact me, Your Experienced Local Realtor!

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR ONE BOOK ONE BRANT – Meet the author of this year’s book: Black Water, Family Legacy & Blood Memory by David A. Robertson. It’s a free online community event, pre register online ow.ly/7M8w50IjTiF . *Sunday, March 27 at 1:30 PM

SPRING AYR ARTISAN MARKET - We are excited to announce our first event of this year, the Spring Ayr Artisan Market!

This event is a single day event that will be located at the North Dumfries Community Complex 2958 Greenfield Rd located in Ayr April 9 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. This is an indoor/outdoor event.

PARIS YOUTH SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION – Registration is open now until April 3. If you have a youth between the ages of 4-20 interested in building their skills, being part of a team and creating friendships register for ball today!

For more information and to register please visit our website: parisyouthsoftball.com

VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR FOR SENIORS- Every Wednesday in March at 10 a.m. Register online at brantlibrary.ca/calendar

TRIVIA NIGHT- Every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. Test your knowledge, invite the family! Brantlibrary.ca/trivianight COMFORT FOOD FOR SAD DAYS: Join us at the County of Brant Library as we make some delicious and nutritious comfort food. Tuesday, March 29 at 7pm.

Register and watch a live, virtual cooking class where we create something wonderful for both body and soul.

Register at ow.ly/cFAh50I99nf or call/visit your local branch and sign up with staff.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST – The Lions Club of Paris is hosting a drive-thru, pickup pancake breakfast in lieu of the Maple Syrup Festival. You MUST pre-order your breakfast online and pick up will take place between 8 am and noon on April 9th at The Paris Fairgrounds. Order your stack of pancakes now at https://lionsclubofparis.ca/pancakebre akfast/

Skating Club Gala!

Paris Skating Club Year End Gala, March 26 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm.

Admission is free, donations accepted. Come support local skaters, everyone welcome

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR EASTER EGG HUNT – At Cedarview Church, Saturday April 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free event with prizes and a BBQ! To register visit www.cedarviewchurch.com

YUK YUKS – Saturday, May 7th at Burford Agricultural Hall in support of Airport Station 2, County of Brant Fire Department $30 a ticket.

EASTER EGGSTRAVAGAZA- The Easter Bunny was practicing hiding eggs at Brantwood farm and now he can’t find them. Tickets go on sale March 14, $9 a person ages 24 and up, see add below.

Publisher Managing Editor Advertising Sales Photographer News Reporter News Reporter

Chris Whelan Casandra Turnbull Chris Whelan Michelle Malvaso Carolina Saenz Karon Sinning

STATEMENT We are a non profit organization made up of like minded volunteers from our community with the main purpose of providing our community of Paris and area with a trustworthy and reliable source of community 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:

Published Weekly on Saturday

PO BOX 99900 LA 012 395 STN MAIN PARIS, ON, CANADA N3L 0C3 Email: theparisindependent@gmail.com

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COMMUNITY NEWS Park Connections – Wi-Fi is coming to a park near you!

By Casandra Turnbull Staying connected while you hang out just got a little easier thanks to a federal grant that will bring Wi-Fi to some local parks.

The County of Brant is receiving a grant for $48,852 from the Canada Healthy Community Initiative (CHCI), which aims to invest $31 million country wide to transform public spaces, in response to Covid-19, to build pandemic-resilient spaces for the future.

“We are thankful for this incredible grant,” said Mayor David Bailey.

“After consulting with the public in June, we learned that many citizens would like free access to Wi-Fi in local parks. We are so pleased that, with the assistance from the Government of Canada, we can make this happen in 2022.”

The County used the EngageBrant website last year to collect feedback from area residents on why they’d like to see Wi-Fi in community

Lions Park in Paris is one of five county parks that will receive Wi-Fi later this year, funded by the government’s Canada Healthy Community Initiative County of Brant Photo

spaces and the top three responses were: to communicate with friends and family, for work purposes and to obtain information about county services and programs.

Director of Parks & Facilities Kathy Ballantyne said there isn’t an exact timeline on when residents can tap into free Wi-Fi as they are in the midst of obtaining equipment and contractors to start the project,

although it will be later this year.

The only park in Paris to receive the technology will be Lion’s Park. When questioned by The Paris Independent, Ballantyne said the county had initially hoped to see Wi-Fi at Green Lane and the new park on Hartley Ave, as depicted on the EngageBrant website, however, their grant application was reduced.

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COMMUNITY NEWS While those two parks were put on the backburner for now, Ballantyne assures they will be considered in the future. Other county parks that made the list include Burford Community Centre, Scotland Community Centre, Mt. Pleasant Park and South Dumfries Community Centre.

Ballantyne added it is a great project that will add community value for large events. “We hope this access will be the start of equitable access for many people in the community. As the fibre network grows, it makes it easier for us to implement more sites.”

Community Foundations of Canada facilitated this program, and at the local level the Brant Community Foundation was part of the collective of Golden Horseshoe community foundations that determined the grants for the region.

“Digital solutions, such as free Wi-Fi at local parks, allow people and communities the opportunity to feel connected,” said Mayor David Bailey. “We will continue to build Brant’s resiliency.”

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COMMUNITY NEWS

GROWING as a

Community Gardens symbolize healthy, sustainable and food-secure communities

By Carolina Saenz Access to healthy and affordable food is an ongoing issue for many. In 2021, up to 30% of Canadian households admitted it was difficult to afford current food prices. And with an expected seven percent increase in grocery expenses this year, food security should be taken seriously.

Fortunately for our community, a passionate team is working hard to make a difference. Equal Ground Community Gardens (EGCG) is a non-profit organization committed to promoting healthy, sustainable, and food-secure communities through community gardens located in Brantford and surrounding areas.

Nadwa Elbadri, community garden coordinator, and Caitlin Schneider, secretary and lead of the host garden program, share details of how the organization was founded and what guides their principles.

The journey started in 2009 when Cheryl Antoski and her team began working on their vision, driven by three values: community, education, and food.

Elbadri explained these values were important because they provided opportunities to build new relationships, added a sense of inclusion and community through learning life skills, and ultimately gave residents access to sustainable, healthy, and local food.

In 2018, EGCG became a nonprofit organization. It now boasts 24 community gardens and 50 host gardens, all ran by more than 100 volunteers and garden champions. “One of our main goals is to provide a gathering place for people, to connect with the community in a natural setting and promote healthy and sustainable food communities at the same time,” explains Elbadri.

To achieve this, EGCG sets up community gardens at parks, churches, fire stations, police stations, and public libraries who

all work together alongside volunteers to maintain the gardens. Other partners such as Walter’s Greenhouses donate seeds and The Master Gardeners Club provides valuable educational resources.

In addition, the County of Brant Public Library teams up with EGCG to provide the Little Free Seed Library program.

Once the gardens are flourishing, anyone in the community is welcome to help themselves to fresh vegetables, there’s always an abundance. Even gardens in the most popular locations have excess produce to share with local food banks and pantries.

Nothing goes to waste and communities are uplifted through food sharing and relationship building.

In Paris’ north end, Axton Park has a beautiful community garden. Other gardens in surrounding areas can be found on the EGCG website.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

The year of 2020, however, brought some challenges as Covid regulations limited social gatherings and it affected the regular maintenance of community gardens.

Simultaneously, Covid also increased the demand for affordable and accessible healthy food.

In response to this, EGCG created the host garden program. Schneider explains that through this program, people are invited to plant vegetable gardens in their front or backyards. They are provided with seedlings of their choice as well as lumber, soil, and compost at discounted rates. In return, garden hosts are

encouraged to share twenty percent of their harvest with the community: neighbours, friends, family, and/or organizations.

Additionally, zoom meetings with an experienced gardener are provided to give valuable tips and answer garden-related questions for garden hosts of all levels of expertise. As it turns out, home gardening was a therapeutic outlet for many folks during pandemic times.

The host program was such a success, it is now a permanent EGCG program. Right now, there are 50 host gardens, and the program is expected to grow this year.

The year is also Canada’s Year of the Garden, so EGCG plans to celebrate it by getting back out into the community and doing what they love best, aside from gardening of course, building relationships through social events and gatherings.

If you’re up for the challenge this summer and want to become a host gardener, are interested in volunteering or

Equal Ground Community Gardens are located city and county wide and produce bountiful crops each summer.

If you’d like to be a host and grow your own garden, reach out today!

EGCG Social Media Photos

have general inquires, you can email organizers at equalgroundcommunitygardens @gmail.com. EGCG provides high school students with the opportunity to complete their community service requirements while making a positive and healthy impact in their community!

Follow EGCG on Instagram and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/grou ps/479300285483548/?ref=page s_group_cta https://www.instagram.com/equ al_ground/ The opening statistics are from: Wunsch, N. (2021, February 19). Food Shopping Behaviour in Canada- Statistics & Facts.

Retrieved January 3, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/topics/ 2871/food-shoppingbehavior-incanada/#dossierKeyfigure

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MARCH BREAK Mother Nature delivers three seasons in one week!

FAR LEFT: Charlie and young Isaiah Dalal enjoy a free family skate at the Brant Sports Complex on Monday.

LEFT: Olivia & Audrey Newell take in all the sun on Thursday afternoon as they attend a virtual program held by the County of Brant Library. MIDDLE: J&E also enjoyed the 20 degree weather Thursday with a visit to the beach at Pinehurst Lake!

BELOW: Jace & Emery Allgood enjoyed a spring-like activity at Walter’s Greenhouse this week.

MIDDLE: Jack & Nolan Ferren went to the Royal Botanical Gardens!

TOP RIGHT: Two youngsters have some fun ‘fishing’ at Bean Park and BOTTOM RIGHT: Mackinley and Jack were excited to pull out the roller skates this week!

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COMMUNITY NEWS SPRINGTIME IN PARIS CANCELLED Event organizers looking to hand over the reins and put a call out for new hosts

By Casandra Turnbull Spring is just around the corner. Unfortunately, the signature event to welcome the season has been cancelled.

Kiwanis Club of Paris-Brant stepped up to save the festival from demise in 2015. While Kiwanis Club volunteers successfully organized and hosted the festival for last several years, sudden unforeseen circumstances make it impossible for them to proceed next year. Instead, Kiwanis members will continue to focus on other upcoming community engagements like the Kiwanis Spring Food Drive and the Kiwanis Teddy Bear picnic.

The Springtime in Paris festival, a community tradition for nearly 30 years, was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Event coordinators, the Kiwanis Club of Paris-Brant, issued a press release this week explaining that Truly sad at the prospect of the end of a great era, COVID-19 further prevented the planning to they hope someone, or some group will step begin, last fall, for 2022. forward to continue to host it.

“The pandemic also set off a chain of events that If any other group or organization has an interest impacted the ability of many of the principal in becoming its new host, please contact organizers, and others, to continue with its kiwanisparisbrant@gmail.com planning and execution going forward. While we If you’d like to learn more about the Kiwanis Club remain a very vibrant club with many other of Paris-Brant, an award winning club making a projects and programs in support of the children in positive impact on this community for over 20 Brant County, sadly the Kiwanis Club of Parisyears, visit https://k16148.site.kiwanis.org/ Brant is no longer in a position to host Springtime in Paris,” said the press release issued by Stan Hutchinson, Public Relations and Marketing Chair for the Kiwanis Club.

Springtime in Paris was first introduced to celebrate the beauty, magic and wonder of spring.

The festival, which is held the first weekend of June at Lion’s Park, can attract upwards of 10,000 visitors. It features a variety of local vendors, performers and scheduled events/activities for resident to enjoy. Over the years, the event has been managed by several different groups from the Kindred Spirits Artisans to the Optimist Club and several community volunteers in between. The

The butterfly release is always a crowd-pleaser at the Springtime Festival. If you know someone who can take over as hosts of this festival reach out to kiwanisparisbrant@gmail.com County of Brant Photo

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COMMUNITY NEWS

EXPANDING AND IMPROVING SERVICES AT THE WILLETT

By Casandra Turnbull Premier Doug Ford approved a $2.5 million planning grant for the capital redevelopment of the Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS). The funds will be distributed to both the Brantford General and the Willett in Paris.

Last week’s announcement comes after years of lobbying from the BCHS for urgent redevelopment to address grave concerns over aging infrastructure, inadequate ventilation systems, to help meet the current bed capacity requirements for the community and to meet future bed requirements as the population grows. Brant County has grown at a rate of 10.8% over the last five years and as a result more and more patients are seeing longer wait times and more hallway healthcare. Pre-covid the BGH regularly functioned well over capacity. Brantford and Brant’s current beds per 1000 population is below the provincial average of 1.4 beds per 1000 and is falling. It is far below the Canadian average of 2 beds per 1000 population.

Ford’s funding announcement will enable the BCHS to move forward with Stage 1 and Stage 2 of redevelopment planning that will see the combined number of beds offered at the two sites increase from 310 to 384.

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The Willett is going to receive some long overdue upgrades to its Urgent Care Centre and Diagnostic Imaging Department. As the county and city’s populations continue to grow, more services are being relocated to the Willett.

Top photo BCHSYS.org and other two photos from MMM Architects

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COMMUNITY NEWS While this is a much-needed step forward, local ultrasound machine, multiple vital signs monitors estimates of population growth in this area suggests and Nu-Step recumbent matching for therapy we will need 445 beds by the year 2038. services, said Wilson. The Foundation is currently focusing its efforts on raising $350,000 to purchase So, what does this redevelopment project mean for new imaging equipment, expected to arrive this the Willett in Paris? summer. The current diagnostic equipment was Today’s Urgent Care Centre once operated and installed in 2004 and is aging. The Foundation has thrived as a local hospital. That era came to an end labelled this equipment as critical to serving the in the early 2000s when in-patient beds were moved needs of the growing community. To learn more how to donate, visit to the Brantford General Hospital. The Willett about www.bchsysfoundation.org remained open primarily as an Urgent Care Centre, but also housed Life Labs and various outreach To learn more about the redevelopment plans for the services. Since the BGH has overreached its BGH, visit https://ourbchs.ca/build/ capacity in recent years, the Willett is once again home to a 32-transitional bed inpatient unit and has 20 transitional care beds offered by Thrive Group.

Its Urgent Care Centre is still the cornerstone of the historic building, but also a diagnostic imaging department and now the Covid-19 Assessment Centre.

Some of this new funding will be used to replace outdated infrastructure by creating a new satellite dialysis unit, expanding the urgent care centre, developing a chronic disease management clinic and upgrading the transitional care unit for patients.

While this recent funding was certainly welcomed by the healthcare community, it’s important to point out that residents have also helped to fund important upgrades at the Willett throughout its history. More recently, since 2016, the BCHS Foundation through generous donor contributions, has invested close to $1.1 million into patient equipment and spaces at the Willett, said Kari Wilson, Executive Director of the BCHS Foundation. In fact, it was generous donors that contributed towards purchasing all the patient furnishings, equipment and fixtures to reestablish in patient beds in the Transitional Care Unit. The money has also enabled the Foundation to purchase a slit lamp for the Urgent Care, a portable

Kari Wilson, Executive Director of the BCHS Foundation says generous donors have contributed $1.1 million into patient equipment and space at the Willett since 2016.

Photo by Casandra Turnbull

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S P O RT S Strong tournament debut for U7 Red Team

The Under 7 Red Team played three strong games last weekend at the Annual Evan Leversage Memorial Hockey Tournament in St. George. It was a slow start in game one against tournament hosts the St. George Generals, but Paris goalie Emerson Kneale kept the opponents at bay until Paris’ offense took over and scored numerous goals to secure a ‘win.’ Fresh off a scoring frenzy in the first game, Paris kept the momentum into game two against Ayr and demonstrated excellent speed, puck control and team work to out play their opponents, backed by a strong performance from Connor Hoytema in net.

Paris faced a very strong Simcoe squad in the final game of the tournament and despite an outstanding game from Oliver Korslick in net, Simcoe skated away with the upper hand. Coach Jeff Howell said he was pleased with the team effort. “It’s been great watching the kids have fun together as teammates as many of these kids do not go to school together so watching these friendships grow was the beset part of the entire jamboree.”

Photo by Casandra Turnbull

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S P O RT S

Figure skaters test skills The Paris Figure Skating Club held a test day on March 16th where skaters tested their abilities in dance, skills and Freeskate, in front of an evaluator. Test days measure a skater’s progress and if they pass certain qualifications they will advance through the various levels of achievement. The following skaters passed: Isabella Smith – European Waltz & Fourteenstep Camryn Wilson - American Waltz & Rocker Foxtrot Dawn Brokers – Starskate 9 Erin Plaquet - Starskate 7 and Starlight Ella Knill – European Waltz Jennaka Smith – Starlight Waltz Addison Spencer – Starlight Waltz Kim Meszaros - Starskate 8 Solo The spring season starts on April 11 and the schedule and registration will be posted shortly: https://www.parisfigureskating.org/

Top: Camryn Wilson and Addison Spencer pose together, while Jennaka Smith demonstrates a backwards shooting duck during her solo.

Above: Isabella Smith & Ella Knill and to the right: Samantha Hutchinson and Erin Plaquet

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S E RV I C E C L U B S Kiwanis president passes ceremonial gavel at March meeting At the March meeting of the Kiwanis Club of ParisBrant, President Sheila Moore passed the club's ceremonial gavel and Gong over to Chris Powles who will become the new President effective April 1. If you would be interested in helping Kiwanis improve the lives of children in Brant County, please write to kiwanisparisbrant@gma il.com. You can learn more about what we do by visiting our website www.parisbrantki wanis.org Photo by Stan Hutchinson

Burford Lions Club donates to Health Hub

The Burford Lions Club generously donated $10,000 to the Cowan Community Health Hub. Photographed from left to right are Marilyn McCulloch representing the Health Hub, Burford Lions Club President Mary Rumble and Mayor David Bailey. To learn more about the Cowan Community Health Hub visit brant.ca/HealthHub. County of Brant Photo

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M U N I C I PA L P O L I T I C S With a municipal election around the corner have you ever wondered, ‘are politics for me?’

Paris councillor reflects on his first term on county council What’s it like being a municipal councillor?

Four years ago, I was encouraged to accelerate my “bucket list” plan to get involved in local politics. As it was explained to me, if you have a flexible day job and it’s possible to juggle both, then waiting for retirement was not necessary.

This is my opportunity to pay that forward, to give people a glimpse of what its like to be a councillor, and to encourage others to consider the same career path. It’s an enlightening experience like no other!

First and foremost, you must have a thick skin. This advice was given to me by a member of a higher level of government and it is very true. Some days are more challenging than others. Close friends and virtual strangers will equally hit you with “why haven’t you done something about this,” as you go about your day. Every trip to the grocery store will result with you coming home with a new task that someone requested when they ran into you.

And while you’re in town enjoying a meal at a restaurant, be prepared to have someone come up to you and say “what are you doing about affordable housing? I am going to be homeless in two months.” You may also have someone knock on your door at home, asking for your attention on an issue that is causing

Some aspects of being a councillor are outright surprising to say the least. Paris Councillors Steve Howes and Marc Laferriere at the Paris Dog Parlor during a pre-Covid councillor tour of downtown.

them concern in the community. When someone says to me “why didn’t you stop the growth of Paris,” my first reaction is empathy. I get it. I used to climb trees where you live…. if I could stop the growth, believe me, I would. (And I know other councillors who feel the same way). And while those (true story) examples seem dramatic, they are real, and underscore just how passionate people are about issues related to their hometown. What many people don’t realize is the issues that we deal with are impacted by provincial requirements and residential growth – and residential growth is one example. Ultimately there’s an opportunity for developers to appeal our decisions, which is one frustrating aspect of being a councillor.

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When this council was elected four years ago, we received a presentation from the Planning Department that informed us there were already over 5,000 new dwelling applications in the pipeline for Paris at various stages of approval or appeal. That is a lot to wrap your head around, especially when you grew up here and the population of Paris was 6,600 for many years.

Actions that residents see today are sometimes the result of decisions made years ago. And while we cannot undo approved decisions or refuse to follow the provincially mandated growth, we can help manage the direction of future growth to try to keep it in line with the look, and the feel we all want for this community.

Another invisible aspect of being a councillor is our workload. People sometimes see our monthly council meetings as the biggest part of our workload, yet it’s not. There are three other monthly committee meetings on Tuesdays that involve all of council, and these meetings are typically 2-3 hours long. The reading material to prepare for these meetings range from 300 to 800 pages so there’s a lot to review and consider before the meeting even begins. You must have a capacity for a LOT of reading and it certainly does help to have flexibility in your other life commitments.

In addition to those meetings, during non-pandemic times, there are other committees and advisory committees that some councillors are required to attend. The monthly meetings that I am involved in include Heritage Advisory, Tourism Advisory, the Library Board and Social Services.

There are other non-monthly meetings where I am involved, including Economic Development Advisory workshops, the Paris Chamber of Commerce and the Paris Museum. In total, it is around 10 meetings per month. Most are in the

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evenings, but many can happen during the workday too. My friend and colleague Marc Laferriere is an excellent politician with lots of experience and a passion for governance. Understandably with two kids under the age of 6, Marc is stepping out of politics and it is our loss indeed.

Another vital part of councillor responsibility is responding to constituent requests. Typically, there are a few of these each week, and they range in complexity from snowplough/garbage pick up/speeding and other community service concerns to larger more complex issues like “how do we create affordable or attainable housing for our seniors and our young adults? and “how do we stop that 12-story apartment building from being built in our neighbourhood?”

The larger issues are complicated because they often conflict with each other, and I can understand the passion behind each point of view. Working to solve these long-term planning issues and creating necessary policy framework for the betterment of our community is an integral responsibility of being a councillor. Fortunately, we have incredible staff at the County of Brant and we value the opportunity to work closely with them to make decisions to improve our municipality.

In summary, while there have been some eyeopening moments and some unexpected challenges in my first term, becoming involved in local governance has been one of the most rewarding “jobs” in my lifetime. Being involved in steering this ship is a dream come true for me. I highly recommend it, and I’m glad I didn’t wait until retirement to take this step.

The next Municipal Election is October 24, 2022, and the opportunity to register your name on the ballot opens in May.

MARK THE CALENDAR! The County of Brant municipal election will be held on Monday, October 24, 2022. Nomination forms for interested candidates will be available in April.

Follow https://www.brant.ca/en/county-government/county-of-brantelections.aspx for updates as they are posted.

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H E A LT H & W E L L N E S S

Optimizing the Power of Suggestion Unlike popular belief, hypnosis to address stress, phobias or habits is not exactly as it is depicted on TV or on stage. While stage hypnosis is comical, clinical hypnosis is entirely different.

It reduces a person’s peripheral awareness so they are open to the power of suggestion. (Left) Renia with a client at her Paris-based office at 2 Arnold Street -By the Bridge Wellness.

By Casandra Turnbull The human brain is an interesting organ and a complex one at that. It controls your intelligence, interprets your senses, initiates your body movement and controls your behaviour. What your conscious mind can’t remember, your unconscious mind can. That’s why people turn to hypnosis to break a habit, combat stress and anxiety, lose weight, tackle a phobia or enhance their athletic performance. The benefits of this type of treatment are gaining popularity worldwide as more and more people turn to alternate methods of selfwellness, methods that do not include pharmaceutical drugs.

Hypnosis relaxes and distracts the conscious mind which allows the subconscious mind to process

heightened suggestibility, concentration and increased awareness. By reducing a person’s peripheral awareness, a certified hypnotist can use the power of suggestion to plant new patterns in one’s mind.

Renia Pruchnicki knows all to well the power of suggestion. She become enthralled with hypnosis at a very young age. “I remember putting people into hypnosis by rubbing their temples and getting them to count backwards,” she explained.

Interestingly enough, she doesn’t recall how she stumbled across this skill as no one showed her how to do it – it was a self discovery that would later fuel the passion for her life’s work.

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Hypnosis: Empowering you to make positive lifestyle changes As a young adult Pruchnicki read book after book on hypnosis, including detailed reports on client sessions to gain a better understanding of the process. In 2019 she started studying regression hypnosis and received her certification in the USA. As Covid hit, she took the opportunity to study clinical hypnosis and neurolinguistic programing (NLP). She enrolled in courses, shadowed her teacher at the Burlington Hypnosis Centre and earned her certification in both programs.

As a professional certified hypnotist, Pruchnicki is now part of an international network of leading hypnotists that follow rules and regulations outlined by the Master Hypnosis Society system and the Nations Guild of Hypnotists. She moved from Toronto to Paris last spring to be closer to her hometown of Kitchener where family and friends reside. She also selected Paris for two very distinct reasons: for its breath-taking beauty and to fill a void in services not currently offered in town.

Her business, Loving Hypnosis, blends hypnosis with neurolinguistic programing. The later of the two helps people make positive changes in their life through their senses. By understanding why a certain smell or sound triggers a behaviour or reaction, she can use that negative anchor to create new, positive anchors which will drive an individual to change their patterns to see a desired outcome. Once the root cause is identified, the power of suggestion is planted.

The top three reasons clients visit Loving Hypnosis is to quick smoking, address weight gain/loss and to reduce stress in their lives. However, Pruchnicki has helped people for a variety of other concerns: nail biting, stuttering, performance enhancement for athletes, pain management, even mid-life crisis anxiety. While some issues can be successfully addressed in a few sessions, others take longer and even require some out-of-office work in tandem with hypnosis sessions. The outcome varies from client to client.

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Hypnosis At-a-Glance • Albert Einstein stated “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

• On April 23, 1955 the British Medical Association recommended the use of hypnosis for child birth and has been used as a form of pain management in countries around the world.

• Hypnosis was used during World War II and the Korean War to combat physical pain and mental challenges.

• It’s impossible to become ‘stuck’ in a hypnotized trance and hypnosis feels different to different people. A hypnotized person remains in complete control and remain wide awake while under hypnosis, even though the word hypnosis is derived from the Greek word hypnos “to sleep.”

• There is evidence of hypnosis nearly 5,000 years ago in ancient Egypt.

People would enter “sleep temples” where they ingested herbs and recited hours of rhythmic prayer in an attempt to be cured of whatever was ailing them.

• Everyone experiences trance like hypnosis everyday, such as when they are watching TV, day dreaming or in deep thought.

• In 1958 the American Medical Association approved the medical use of hypnosis.

The Paris Independent One client wanted help to reduce stress and fears she felt when she thought of her future and the goals she wanted to accomplish.

The list was long and overwhelming and she didn’t know where to start or how to overcome her fears to take the first step.

“A lot of times people are so in their heads and live their lives based on preconceived notions.

‘I should do this’ and ‘I must accomplish that’. These could be pressures from family members or things we learn in school or society,” explained Pruchnicki.

So, tapping into that client’s subconscious mind helped to remove barriers so she could focus and achieve her life goals.

While Pruchnicki is open to helping people navigate a variety of conditions, she said it’s important to understand that she is not a therapist and some issues are more complex than others and require physician consultation. It’s not uncommon

19 for certified hypnotists to work with doctors to treat a client. It’s very important that she has a complete picture of one’s medical history before attempting hypnosis surrounding pain management. “We teach techniques where people can use imagination and power of mind to feel less pain. In this case I would contact the client’s doctor before scheduling a session,” she said, because supressing a pain that could be a symptom of a different ailment could be very dangerous.

If you’re sincere about making a change, Pruchnicki encourages you to contact her to set up a free screening session. In these sessions Pruchnicki will see if hypnosis is a good fit for you and answer all your questions.

Pruchnicki also wants to break fear-based conceptions that hypnosis will make you do ridiculous things– such as cluck like a duck or remove all your clothes at the sound of a bell

March 19, 2022 ringing. This type of hypnosis is referred to as ‘stage hypnosis’ and is designed to entertain crowds. Hypnosis and NLP is quite the opposite. It’s a relaxing experience that empowers you to develop self-help skills in a safe and nurturing environment.

To learn more about Loving Hypnosis, or to book your free screening session, visit https://www.lovinghypnosis.com / or email info@lovinghypnosis.com.

Sessions can be done at 2 Arnold Street at By the Bridge Wellness Centre, or online. Pruchnicki also offers corporate lunch and learn sessions for people interested in learning more about the art and science of hypnosis.

Support The Lions Club, Support Your Community The Ace is still in play! Grab your tickets for the next draw: https://parislions catchtheace.ca

The Paris Independent

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March 19, 2022

Showtimes for Galaxy Cinemas Brantford Saturday March 19, 2022 The Batman 11:30a.m. 12:00p.m. 2:00p.m. 4:00p.m. 6:00p.m. 8:00p.m. 10:00p.m.

Uncharted

11:10a.m. 3:30p.m. 6:30p.m. 9:40p.m.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

11:20a.m. 2:40p.m. 6:10p.m. 9:30p.m.

Cinderella and the Spellbinder

2:10p.m. 4:40p.m. 7:10p.m.

Dog

9:20p.m.

Sing 2 1:00p.m. 3:50p.m.

The Wolf and the Lion

11:20a.m. 1:50p.m. 4:25p.m. 6:40p.m.

Jackass Forever

9:45p.m.

Scream

7:00p.m. 9:55p.m.

Tom and Jerry 11:00a.m.