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EDITORIALSFriday, May 09th, 2008May 7th, 2008 You have to hand it to Ted Arnott. The MPP for Wellington-Halton Hills, known for his penchant for private member’s bills, is at it again. It doesn’t matter that his bills are extremely unlikely to become law. It doesn’t...  Read MoreMay 1st, 2008 This coming week is Emergency Preparedness Week, in which government officials hope to encourage each and every one of us to be prepared for an emergency. Essentially, that seems to mean preparing to be without water, food, and power for 72... Read MoreMay 1st, 2008 This past weekend has shown precisely what is wrong with North America. Community Clean Up Day, which involved a number of community-minded volunteers, took place this past weekend. Essentially, it was a time for volunteers to... Read MoreApril 25th, 2008 Where would we be without our volunteers? Take the time to think about it. There are the volunteer coaches, who teach our children how to play a sport, how to work together as part of a team, and how to win — and lose — gracefully. There... Read MoreApril 23rd, 2008 It has never been easier to go green. This month, Woolwich Township residents have had numerous opportunities to find out for themselves just how easy it is, courtesy of Woolwich Healthy Communities. This small group of volunteers... Read MoreApril 18th, 2008 This past week, Elmira residents buried Valerie Ferguson, a mother of two young children. Ferguson’s husband, Ken, was charged with first-degree murder in her death. While there is much about this case that we do not know, and may never know, one thing... Read MoreApril 15th, 2008 It’s time for ATV users in the Breslau area to grow up. To be clear: We’re not talking about all users of all-terrain vehicles, simply the ones who refuse to obey signs, and trespass on township property. This has been a problem for months. So... Read MoreApril 11th, 2008 Olympic organizers are paying the price for a poor decision this week, after seeing the torch relay — a symbol of Olympic excellence — be marred by protests around the globe. It is clear that the International Olympic Committee got far... Read MoreApril 9th, 2008 Organizers of the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival are enjoying a well-deserved break this week, after putting together what may be remembered as the most successful festival ever. Of course, the weather can take a large share of the credit for... Read MoreApril 4th, 2008 There is something unsettling about the code of conduct that is currently being discussed at the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee. The code of conduct — something that has been on the back burner for some time — is suddenly front and... Read MoreApril 1st, 2008 The Elmira community is pretty amazing. Every year, hundreds upon thousands of dollars are raised for worthy causes — everything from improving vision in developing nations to sending the local Scouts off to the Jamboree, and everything inbetween. Over... Read MoreMarch 28th, 2008 What would compel someone to break into a church? That’s the thought many church members are having this week, after another spurt of break-ins over the Easter weekend. For pastors who were busy preparing for the most holy of religious celebrations,... Read MoreMarch 26th, 2008 There will be no excuses for Woolwich Township residents, after April 30. No longer will we be able to brush aside concerns about global warming, the need to support local farmers, or the economics of reducing our carbon footprint. That’s because all... Read MoreMarch 20th, 2008 Something needs to be done to help municipalities with the costs of replacing and repairing their aging bridges. This message was front and centre once again at Woolwich council this week, when Waterloo Region’s Heritage Advisory Committee presented... Read MoreMarch 14th, 2008 Every once in awhile, someone in this community does something that is incredibly impressive. This week, that honour falls to the Elmira Optimists. The Optimists are a small group, with only 14 active members. In the course of the year, they run many... Read MoreMarch 12th, 2008 It has been eight years since the tainted water disaster of Walkerton. It was one of Canada’s worst public health disasters. Thousands of people became ill, many seriously. Seven died. For those who survived, there are a variety of long-term health... Read MoreMarch 7th, 2008 This weekend will mark the early start of daylight savings time. And, as always, firefighters are urging homeowners to take the time to test their smoke alarms. We wonder how many will actually do it. After all, weekends are busy times. There’s grocery... Read MoreMarch 5th, 2008 It is exciting to get a first glimpse at some of the plans the Waterloo Region District School Board has for a new school in Floradale. While many Floradale residents may experience some sadness when the current building is torn down, the new school shows... Read MoreFebruary 29th, 2008 This week’s federal budget, announced with the usual fanfare, is a study in hypocrisy. It began with Finance Minister Jim Flaherty’s decision to re-sole his shoes, rather than buy new ones. This demonstration was meant to show that the federal government... Read MoreFebruary 27th, 2008 New legislation, aimed at curbing drinking and driving, does not go far enough to protect Canadian drivers. Now, under the Ontario Civil Remedies Act, the province is able to seize any and all vehicles used in repeat drinking and driving offences. This... Read MoreAlan Findlay For the Weekender February 22nd, 2008 This past December a great deal of press was dedicated to the UN’s climate meetings in Bali, Indonesia. Thousands of self-selected “great and good” jetted from all over the world for two weeks of talking. At the end of it all, after marathon negotiations,... Read MoreFebruary 22nd, 2008 It’s around this time of year that everyone, no matter how optimistic, becomes incredibly tired with the wrath of winter. We know, of course, that spring will eventually arrive. We don’t care. Whether it is the endless shoveling of sidewalks, or... Read MoreFebruary 20th, 2008 It must be frustrating to front-line workers at provincial nursing homes. More and more is expected of them, on a daily basis. Residents are having greater health-care concerns, and new regulations are making every job just that much more challenging. Yet,... Read MoreChild porn: a social epidemic February 15th, 2008 The numbers are staggering. According to a U.S. task force, approximately 15,000 Ontarians are actively using their computers to distribute child pornography. More than 44,970 computers nationwide are actively engaged in trading child porn. This would... Read More
Dismissal of Marshall is troubling February 12th, 2008 There are many people in this community who would agree that Alan Marshall can be a tad annoying, when he gets going. There are also many who would recognize that, often, he has a valid point. Marshall has long been known in this community as a whistle... Read MoreFebruary 7th, 2008 This week, with the approval of an agreement between the township of Woolwich and the city of Waterloo, a 12-year battle ended. Retailers, a citizens’ group, and the city of Waterloo all fought against a proposal to build a nine-store power centre near... Read MoreFebruary 1st, 2008 This Sunday, Feb. 3 is Food Freedom Day. This is the day that the average Canadian has made enough money to pay for a year’s worth of food. We kid you not. By the time we reach the sixth week of the year, Canadian consumers have already earned enough... Read MoreFlood management system works January 16th, 2008 The recent wild weather that Waterloo Region endured showed us a couple of things. One, that you can’t really count on an Ontario winter to be predictable anymore. Two, that the Grand River Conservation Authority, initially created to reduce the risk... Read MoreThe holiday that isn’t January 11th, 2008 Poor Dalton McGuinty. He wanted to be liked; he wanted to do something nice. So, he gave everyone an extra day off, and called it Family Day. It evokes all kinds of warm and fuzzy feelings, doesn’t it? Mind you, it is in February, when an extra day... Read MoreDecember 11th, 2007 It is difficult to imagine all of the emotions that six British Columbian families are feeling right now. There is likely the feeling of satisfaction, in that Robert Pickton was found guilty in the deaths of Sereena Abotsway, Marnie Frey, Andrea Joesbury,... Read MoreDecember 6th, 2007 Every year, we have to learn a few basic facts all over again. Snow-covered roads are slippery. Poor visibility requires extra time. And, when police tell you to drive slowly, it might be worth taking their advice. Judging by the reports we received... Read MoreWe have a duty to fight against evil Alan Findlay For the Weekender November 29th, 2007 I believe in evil. Evil takes many forms. And I believe that Edmund Burke was right when he observed: Evil triumphs when good men do nothing. Canadians Christopher Neil and Orville Frank Mader stand accused of sexually assaulting children. American... Read MoreNovember 29th, 2007 As we gear up for all things festive, it is a good time to think about the importance of supporting local business. In recent weeks, with the rise of the loonie, there has been a great deal of focus on the great bargains to be had, south of the border. The... Read MoreNovember 21st, 2007 This week’s committee-of-the-whole meeting must have been supremely satisfying for councilor Ruby Weber. Weber, who has sat on council for many years, has been one of the township’s greatest advocates for the need for a new recreational facility for... Read MoreNovember 16th, 2007 Earlier this week, Waterloo Regional Police announced the punishment meted out to one of its officers, Const. Matthew Halliday, received after his “momentary lapse” resulted in one of the largest searches for lost police equipment in recent memory. Halliday... Read MoreNovember 8th, 2007 Reading is a wonderful thing. No matter how advanced our society becomes, no matter how many technological gadgets we develop, and no matter how many new things are discovered, there is no substitute for the ability to sit down with a book, and get lost... Read MoreNovember 2nd, 2007 It is telling that Premier Dalton McGuinty’s first act after the Oct. 10 election was to follow through with his promise to give the electorate a new holiday, Family Day. Considering the fact that Ontario politicians have not been in the legislature... Read MoreOctober 26th, 2007 It must be tough being a resident of Breslau. They have endured the ongoing traffic hassles of being the Region’s favourite short-cut, and live far enough away from Elmira to feel ignored by Woolwich Township. And now, some of them have no water. Residents... Read MoreOctober 19th, 2007 While many proponents of electoral reform were disappointed with last week’s referendum results, they should be looking at recent developments in Ottawa with some level of satisfaction. The federal government moved one step closer to an elected, reformed... Read MoreOctober 11th, 2007 Voters across the province will soon know the results of the fall election — whether they want to or not. They say that every vote counts, and perhaps that is true in theory. But we all know that most fringe parties don’t have any hope in actually... Read MoreOctober 4th, 2007 Residents of Waterloo Region are facing, once again, the spectre of amalgamation. This time, it’s not local politicians that are pushing for the change. Rather, it is a small citizens group that is trying to start, in their words, a "grassroots dialogue"... Read MoreSeptember 27th, 2007 This week, the Fit for the Future team, charged with raising .6 million for new recreation complexes for the township, gave an update on their campaign in council chambers. The campaign, which was officially launched several months ago, has already raised... Read MoreSeptember 27th, 2007 The provincial election is only a few short weeks away, and it already seems as if rural Ontario is being forgotten. While press releases tout the latest proposal from each political party, the debate over fair funding for rural communities has gone by... Read MoreSeptember 20th, 2007 For those of you who aren’t already aware — and that is by far the majority — there will be an extra ballot to fill out during next month’s provincial election. The ballot will not be for additional write-in candidates (although I’m sure we... Read MoreYouth and politics should mix, but don’t Jasmine Mantell, September 14th, 2007 Almost everyone’s talking about it: the upcoming October provincial election. And on Oct. 10, the same groups of people will flock to the polling booths to place their votes. Some people will fully expect their votes to make a difference; others will... Read MoreSeptember 14th, 2007 Most Ontario citizens are unaware of it, but they are in a position of great power — at least for the next 25 days. That is, of course, when the next provincial election will be held. If it is like other provincial elections, it will be the culmination... Read MoreSeptember 7th, 2007 Finally, a campaign promise we can all support. The Liberals, in their infinite wisdom, have decided that the citizens of Ontario deserve a holiday in February. They opted to call it “Family Day.” What a brilliant idea. Who hasn’t longed to pull... Read MoreSeptember 7th, 2007 THERE is something refreshing about autumn, something that is inherently pleasing. With September comes cooler temperatures, changing leaves, and a crispness to the air that is lacking during the hot, hazy summer months. It is also the time that children... Read More |
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