January 12, 2013

www.OBSERVERXTRA.com

Decision on whether Woolwich Township is interested in gaming facility expected in February

Casino opponents press Woolwich to say no to OLG

LRT SCHEME REQUIRES ACCOUNTABILITY BEFORE A NAMECOMMENTPAGE 8

SPORTSPAGE 11

01 | 12 | 2013VOLUME 18 | ISSUE 02

TAKING THEIR RINGETTE GAME INTERNATIONAL

WILL SLOANSTEVE KANNON

WINTER FALLS VICTIM TO MILD TREND

Beat the rush & bring your lawn equipmentin now, for a pre season tune up! 21 Industrial Dr., Elmira • 519.669.2884

Pre Season serviceon all makes oflawnmowers & trimmers

It’s Perfect Timing

• Discontinueds • End of Lines

& More

SALE ON NOW!

1421 King St. NorthDowntown St. Jacobs

519-664-2905HOURS Mon.-Thurs. 7-6 | Fridays 7-9 | Saturdays 8-5 | Sundays 12-5 Like us on

Facebook!

www.homehardware.ca

50%OFF

All Sales Final.

Lots of Bargains

Still weeks away from making a decision whether or not Woolwich is inter-ested in hosting a casino, Woolwich councillors got an emphatic “no” Tuesday night from a small group of residents, many of them familiar faces from the previous gambling debate a decade ago.

Calling themselves Wool-wich Concerned Citizens Against Gambling, they asked councillors to take a pass on an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) proposal that would put the township in the running for a new casino.

The OLG is seeking mu-nicipalities willing to host a new facility under its plan to modernize gaming in the province.

Woolwich is part of a newly-created gaming zone, which also includes Kitchener, Waterloo, Wilm-ot Township and parts of Cambridge and Wellington

County. To date, Cambridge is the sole municipality to turn down the offer.

The speakers out Janu-ary 8 detailed the nega-tives, largely stressing the ramifications of problem gambling and the resultant social impacts.

For Clint Rohr, accept-ing a casino in the town-ship would be tantamount to sacrificing people for money. As with some of the others from the group, he said he’d personally pay higher taxes rather than see gambling in Woolwich.

Pointing to the region’s manufacturing history and its universities and col-leges, Larry Martin argued that hard work and educa-tion build an economy, not luck.

Gambling, he said, is contrary to the commu-nity’s values.

“Why engage in an activ-ity that doesn’t support healthy communities?”

Elmira’s Kaitlyn, 11, and Justin Read, 13, enjoy their giant snowman while they can, as rising temperatures put an end to last week’s wintry conditions. [ELENA MAYSTRUK / THE OBSERVER]

Elementary school teachers in Woolwich and Wellesley went back to work this week, but throughout Waterloo Region, students’ extracur-ricular activities did not return with them, and strike activity loomed on Friday.

After the provincial government and Ontario teachers unions failed to reach a contract agreement by De-cember 31, the province used its con-troversial Bill 115 to impose contracts on the teachers. The new contracts, which took effect on January 3, freeze wages and eliminate the banking of sick days. With the right to strike lim-ited to one-day walkouts, Waterloo Region’s teachers have joined with others in the province in removing extracurricular activities.

“The reality is, there isn’t anything else for people to look for to have a meaningful impact,” said Greg Wei-ler, president of the Waterloo Region branch of the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario. “The unfortu-nate thing is, no one wants to do any-thing that has a negative impact on anyone – that’s basic human nature, especially for teachers, more so than any other group as a whole, because

Extracurricular activities still on hold as elementary students return to class

CASINO | 2STRIKE | 2

2 | NEWS THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

Featured Guest Speaker

Bill HelmingUS Ag Economist, Author, Beef Cattle Consultant from Kansas.Bill has over 40 years experience in the agricultural industry and will offer his insight on all things affecting the cattle and overall agricultural economy

WATERLOO CATTLEMEN’S ASSOCIATION

January 16th | 10am-2pmat the Linwood Community Centre

Cost: $15 (Includes a hot lunch)

Register by call Jones Feed Mill519-698-2082 or 1-800-265-8735

Please register by Monday January 14th at noon.

WINTER CLEARANCE

FREDERICK ST. MALL, KITCHENER HOURS OF OPERATIONMonday to Tuesday..............9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.Wednesday to Friday...........9:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.Saturday................................9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.Sunday.......................................................Closed

Many other models to choose from • Free lessons on any machine purchased • Sewing Baskets • Scissors

• Sturdy design •12 stretch and utilitystitches • Easy view drop-in bobbin • 4-Step buttonhole

• Jam-proof drop-in bobbin • 1-Stepbuttonholer • Needle threader • Bonus walking foot • Hard cover

• Heavy Duty full rotary hook • SuperiorFeed System • 1-Step buttonholer• Built-in instruction panel

$349.95$219.95 $549.95

OurBest Seller!

MyStyle 100 PRL-18 DE 5018

W

E SERVICE WHAT WE SELL

TEL. 519-884-6981

Bolstering the arguments made by five delegates from the citizens’ group, Rob Simpson, the former CEO of the Ontario Problem Gaming Research Centre, painted a bleak picture of problem gambling and eco-nomic loss.

At a casino with 1,200 slot machines and 55 gam-ing tables, the OLG would be pulling some $216 mil-lion from the economies of Waterloo Region and Guelph each year, he es-timated. At a maximum municipal share of five per cent, the township would take in $10.5 million.

For that money, he ar-gued, the township would see harm done to other businesses and to individu-als who develop gambling problems.

“My first question is this: Do you think that forfeiting $216 million a year from friends and neighbours in Waterloo Region and Guelph is worth a return of $10.5 million?

“My second question is this: Is inflicting this amount of harm on fellow citizens worth $10.5 mil-lion?”

The actual revenue from a casino of the size proposed would likely be lower, with a figure of $4 million having been used. For comparison’s sake, OLG figures show the casino in Brantford, which is smaller but gives some indication of the potential economic

impact, has provided the municipality with $46.3 million since it opened in November 1999. In the timeframe, it’s provided wages and benefits to staff – current employment is 880 – worth $459.7 million.

Woolwich’s infrastruc-ture deficit – pegged at $63 million – is likely to play a key role in council’s deci-sion regarding OLG’s offer. In a discussion following presentations by delegates, councillors asked chief ad-ministrative officer David Brenneman to come back with a report weighing the pros and cons of the casino option. He’ll be looking at economic development, social impacts, tax implica-tions, and the impacts of existing gaming, among others.

“We have to see all sides of this,” said Mayor Todd Cowan, noting there are already plenty of gambling options available locally, including lotteries. “We can’t ignore the fact that it’s all around us.”

Timing is an issue, as OLG hopes to have po-tential host communities lined up this winter before soliciting proposals from private-sector businesses interested in developing joint-ventures in willing host municipalities. Only one site will be permitted in each of 29 gaming zones province-wide.

Following the meeting, Brenneman said he expects to be back at council with a report in mid- or late-

February. For township resident

Robert Musselman, who though not affiliated with the citizens’ group spoke against the casino, any decision will require more public input.

“There should still be more consultation,” he said in addressing councillors, adding not enough has been done so far.

Thus far, there’s been no discussion of additional public meetings.

Nor has there been any real talk about locations for a potential casino in the township, though Breslau is said to be the most likely spot, given its proximity to Kitchener, Waterloo, Cam-bridge and Guelph.

Dan Kennaley, the town-ship’s director of engineer-ing and planning, noted there’s one location in Woolwich – land in Shantz Station – that would ap-pear to have the necessary designation and zoning already in place to permit the construction of a ca-sino. A second site, in the stockyards area south of St. Jacobs, would likely require a zone change to host such a facility.

A site, if any, would ultimately depend on pro-posals brought forward by private companies. Before that could happen, how-ever, Woolwich would have to be selected as a desirable spot for investment. And prior to that, council has to decide if it’s even interested in getting in the game.

CASINO: Twp. still a long way from decision; ultimate fate in the hands of private developers

FROM | COVER

of the nature of their jobs and the fact that they work with young children.

“That being said,” Weiler continued, “the reality of the situation is that just protesting or writing let-ters or doing those sorts of things don’t have the same kind of impact.”

But the teachers are not limiting their action to extracurriculars. On Friday, teachers across the province staged a walkout. “The impact will be felt in all 104 elementary schools in our region,” said Mark Schinkel, Executive Super-intendant of Education at WRDSB, on Thursday be-fore the strike. “As a result of the decision by teachers not to report for duty, we are in a position of having to close all of our elementa-

ry schools.” Schinkel added that this activity would not affect secondary schools.

Abigail Dancey, man-ager of communications with the Waterloo Region District School Board, said officials will be keeping an eye on the situation as classes resume.

“It’s pretty early to know which way the wind will blow on this and what teachers are going to decide to do. Our position right now is that we’re going to

STRIKE: Students and parents still in precarious positions as teachers' labour unrest continues

take a little bit of time and see how that sorts itself out,” said Dancey. “It is only a few days, and the con-tracts were announced on the third, so it is a bit early.”

Still, she said the board is concerned about how the vanishing of after-school activities will affect life for the region’s elementary school students.

“We do hope that teach-ers do decide to do those extracurriculars. The activ-ities that teachers provide on a volunteer basis are very important to students, especially co-curricular activities like trips and homework clubs and arts and athletics,” said Dancey.

“Obviously students are in the middle of this, and obviously if extracur-riculars were to go away, it would be a real detriment to their education.”

FROM | COVER

One-day strikes and extracurricular activities are the only protest tools at their disposal, says the union representing teachers. [FILE PHOTO]

Kim Hogdson and Mike Wichers stood outside Conestogo Public School on January 10 as a way of asking teachers to stay in the classrooms instead of participating in the strike scheduled for the next day. [ELENA MAYSTRUK / THE OBSERVER]

NEWS | 3THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

HOW TO REACH US PHONE 519.669.5790 | TOLL FREE 1.888.966.5942 | FAX 519.669.5753 | ONLINE WWW.OBSERVERXTRA.COM

Short window of opportunity and last-minute rush for FIT applications amounts to "tokenism" in evaluations

manned at all times there will be more policemen on the streets, with as many as six officers on duty in the rural areas at any given time plus a supervising sergeant that will patrol as well as assist on more seri-ous calls.

WRPS deputy chief Brent Thomlinson said the change was a long time coming, ever since a study that showed how police of-ficers tend to budget their time in their respective divisions.

“There was recognition that if a police officer’s responsibility is divided between an urban environ-ment and a rural environ-ment, they tend to spend all of their time in the urban environment. We recognized there was an imbalance there because even though there might be a larger demand in the urban environment there is still a need for policing in the rural areas,” he said.

Thomlinson added that the new hours at the two rural stations were chosen for greater convenience as the new schedule includes weekend and evening hours of operation.

On Mondays Black will be at the Elmira office 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and in New Hamburg from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The schedule

Changes to rural policing impact office hours in Elmira, New Hamburg

STEVE KANNON

ELENA MAYSTRUK

WILL SLOAN

$125$125SpecialReg.Price $150

Makes 30 bottles of crisp, dry white wine.

ItalianPinot Grigio

Cash, Pre-ordered Wines Only

Elze’s Elze’s Elze’s 29 Church St. W., Elmira | 519.669.0799 Valid Sat. Jan 12th - Sat. Jan 19th | CASH SALES ONLY

We Always use High-End, Kenridge Classic Wine kits!

Office hours at the re-gion’s rural police detach-ments are now shorter, but police say quantity does not equal quality in this case, and the change is an improvement.

Though the hours of op-eration at the rural detach-ments in Elmira and New Hamburg are cut signifi-cantly, the entire rural area now operates as its own division. Thus only one location can be overseen at one time by new staff ser-geant Kathy Black.

“It’s a completely differ-ent role for me,” she said of overseeing two different stations.

Sgt. Black was hired for the job while working as a staff sergeant at the central Waterloo Region Police Ser-vices (WRPS) division and has been dividing her time between the stations in Elmira and New Hamburg since the new hours came into effect on January 2. The two detachments, for-merly opened 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, are now open 15 hours a week each, and Black says she is currently working on the adjustments by setting up a fluid system between the two stations.

Though the offices of the new detachment are not

We’re all afraid of that big, bad hypodermic needle, but if you ran away from your annual flu shot, a new report from Waterloo Region Public Health sug-gests this was the wrong year.

“It is a busier than aver-age flu season,” said Dr.

Flu bug more active in region this seasonSix deaths attributed to influenza so far this year in 276 confirmed cases; flu shot numbers way down

Hsiu-Li Wang, the region’s acting Medical Officer of Health. “If you look at our last few years, the number of cases has been increas-ing relatively quickly. And there are respiratory vi-ruses out there that are not influenza that give similar symptoms that are also cir-culating a lot.”

Waterloo Public Health’s

report from January 8 paints an alarming picture. As of December 29, 276 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza have been re-ported, with 38 hospitaliza-tions. As of January 7, the Region had seen six deaths (one child and five adults) in which influenza was a factor. In 2011-12, a total of 158 confirmed cases had

been reported, with four deaths.

Waterloo Public Health has been unable to identify why this year’s flu season has been so active.

“You could say that the most unpredictable thing about flu is that it is unpre-dictable,” said Wang. “We do see that fluctuation nat-urally with the flu. I’m not

really surprised, because you kind of never know what it’s going to be until it happens.

“There has been a de-crease in our flu clinics,” Wang continued. “Most of the vaccines are distrib-uted by providers in the community, so about 85 per cent are sent out to family physicians, retire-

ment homes, pharmacists. We do a small percentage of immunizations at our community clinics, and attendance for those has so far seen a 37 per cent decrease.”

The drop in flu shots is even more dramatic when compared to previous

FLU | 7

In a scramble before the January 18 deadline for the latest round of the province’s Feed-in Tariff (FIT) program, Woolwich councillors were asked this week for their pleasing in five green-energy projects.

Only one got an immedi-ate endorsement, though councillors agreed to send a letter to Queen’s Park ex-pressing concerns over the short window of opportuni-ty to review and comment on such projects.

The sole project to win township backing Tuesday night was a 30-kilowatt rooftop solar array planned for Chateau Gardens in Elmira. Ottawa-based Sol-Powered Energy Corp. is the company behind the bid. Four others, including three related to the pro-posed Bio-En project in the north of Elmira, would use biogas to fuel the produc-tion of electricity.

The first proposal came from Wilf Strenzke, owner of Mintvalley Farms near Maryhill, who wants to install a biogas genera-

is reversed on Tuesdays. Wednesdays the Elmira office is open 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Thursdays both offices are closed, re-open-ing in New Hamburg on Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. On Saturdays the Elmira branch is open from 7-9 a.m. and the New Hamburg branch opens 2:30-4:30

p.m. Both offices are closed on Sundays.

Thomlinson said police want to hear the public’s input on the changes and the WRPS will be passing around a survey in the near future through which residents can comment on hours of operation and pro-vide suggestions.

Staff Sgt. Kathy Black is now dividing her time and overseeing police operations in Elmira and New Hamburg. [ELENA MAYSTRUK / THE OBSERVER]

Not enough time to review green projects: township

tor on his family-owned dairy farm. An anaerobic digester would turn waste material such as manure into methane gas, which would fuel a converted die-sel generator that would in turn create electricity to be fed into the grid.

Though only one could be chosen by the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), Chuck Martin proposed three related projects for locations adjacent to the Martin’s Lane site of Bio-En’s proposed 2.8 mW bio-gas plant.

One would see Elmira Pet Products use heat gen-erated by the plant to pow-er a 250 kW generator, with electricity sold to the OPA. The second would see Flo-risterra Greenhouses and Landscape Centre, 1033 Kenning Pl., use excess bio-gas from the Bio-En plant to run a 250 kW generator. Heat from the generator would be directed to the greenhouses. The third would also employ excess biogas to fuel a generator, this time on the neighbour-

ENERGY | 4


Woolwich postpones decision on St. Teresa crossing guard

STEVE KANNON

ELENA MAYSTRUK

Glen Jantzi, CFP

When you’ll be able to retire…Making a budget and sticking to it…Being faithful with your giving…Reducing your debt…Investing in a TFSA or an RRSP…Aligning your investments with your values…

local | secure | trustedYour investment specialist

Your conversation begins at MSCU, where faith and finances meet.

A Mennonite financial cooperative serving communities of faith across Ontariowww.mscu.com | 519.669.1529

Let’s talk about...Rate Special

15 month term special also available

.25%* 252 month term*Rate subject to change

Elmira Life and Work School“ELAWS”

An alternative secondary school program for students of Mennonite background

Information Meeting and Registrationfor September 2013

Thursday, January 17, 2013 7:30 p.m.Lions Hall (beside the Woolwich Recreation Complex)

40 South Street West, Elmira

For more information contact: Je� Martin, 519-669-5414 Ext. 480je�[email protected]

ing Frey dairy farm.“With three applications

... we increase our odds of success,” said Martin, president of 2144183 On-tario Ltd.

In response to a question from Coun. Mark Bauman, he said the excess biogas would be sold rather than used by Bio-En because of caps on its FiT contract with OPA.

“We will probably have excess biogas,” said Martin, adding he’s satisfied the operation would be able to generate another 250 kW – about 10 per cent more than 2.8 mW to be created at the Bio-En site.

While comfortable with the rooftop solar project – it’s similar to those already endorsed by the township – director of engineering

and planning Dan Ken-naley said he wanted more information before making a recommendation about the biogas proposals.

Given the newness of the Mintvalley Farms applica-tion, he said he was un-likely to meet the January 18 deadline for a review of that project. In the case of the Elmira projects related to the much-discussed Bio-En plan, he might be able to bring a verbal report to next Tuesday’s council meeting.

“I do have some concerns about this, particularly the relatively meager amount of information provided so far,” said Kennaley, noting the tight deadlines put the township “under the gun.”

Martin said he was in-formed December 14 of the next FiT intake period, with a January 18 deadline. The time period, of course,

fell right in the middle of the holidays.

Time is tight, but with-out municipal endorse-ment the projects have much less chance of being selected. In order to have a chance of standing out among the thousands of applications expected dur-ing the current intake, the backing of the municipal-ity is needed to boost the points system used by the province.

For Kennaley, the fault lies with the short window of opportunity for com-panies to apply under the program. He suggested the township write a letter stressing municipalities need more lead time if they’re going to review and give input on projects, oth-erwise it’s “just tokenism.”

“There’s no opportunity for proper evaluation.”

FROM | 3

ENERGY: Woolwich wants more time to review biogas applications submitted just before deadline

Faced with cutbacks and budgetary pressures even as climate change creates new hurdles, the province’s conservation authorities are being called on to do more with less. Getting the attention of Queen’s Park is a key challenge, Wellesley coun-cil heard this week.

“There is a lot of pres-sure on us funding-wise and we want to make sure the province understands our role,” Don Pearson, former general manager at

Conservation authorities face funding issues even as problems mountConservation Ontario, told councillors Monday night.

Like most such agencies in Ontario, he explained, the Grand River Conserva-tion Authority must spend more time and effort com-municating with the pro-vincial government when it comes to funding.

“There’s some real active work with the Wellesley community,” Pearson said.

He added that rural municipalities should be conscious of the conserva-tion authority’s role, as the majority of land within the watershed is owned by

farmers. “We have a lot of agricul-

ture so it’s very important that we continue to work with the farm community. The farm community owns the land in the watershed, basically, and 70 per cent of it is actively farmed so it has an important role in water quality.”

That land will be under increasing pressure as the population within the wa-tershed continues to grow – another 25 per cent by 2021 – presenting a chal-lenge for officials.

In the scenario, funding

will be even more crucial, he argued.

Ontario grants that were originally frozen at $950,000 are permanently reduced this year, with the entire provincial cut tar-geting the GRCA and the Toronto Region Conserva-tion Authority. The prov-ince explained the two large organizations would be able to absorb the im-pact of the cuts better than some of the smaller agen-cies in Ontario.

There is a looming threat of climate change on the horizon, made ap-parent by last summer’s severe drought, Pearson told councillors. With less money available each year, dealing with such changes

will be difficult. Conservation Ontario

wrote a new paper,Water Management Futures for Ontario, he said, in a recent attempt to get Ontario’s 36 conservation authorities on track with the Ontario government. The paper is meant to spur a discussion with the prov-ince regarding how the government will deal with conservation authorities in the future.

“There is actually de-clining provincial funding and the province doesn’t actually live up to their commitment to fund 50 per cent under the flood control program. It’s been a real challenge for us and they tend to continue to

cut back,” Pearson said. On the home front, the

GRCA has made some cutbacks of its own to try and keep costs down. Staff meetings are now limited to one a month, cut back from two the previous year. Some positions made vacant by employees on maternity leave are also being kept open as current staff is re-assigned to cover various duties.

“From my perspective the important thing is that you are doing more with less,” said Mayor Ross Kel-terborn.

He agreed that the wa-tershed plays a key role in rural life as Wellesley Township utilizes mainly public water resources.

The numbers from six studies don’t warrant a crossing guard at St. Teresa school in Elmira, but Wool-wich council wants another review before denying the request.

Setting aside a staff re-port discussed January 8, councillors decided an-other study should be done after an ongoing construc-tion project is completed, allowing regular traffic patterns to resume. While part of the property was fenced off, the school was directing parents to the parking lot of the adjacent St. Teresa of Avila Church, changing the usual traffic

flow.The call for another re-

view puts on hold deputy clerk Val Hummel’s report calling for the township to turn down the request for an adult crossing guard at the intersection of First Street and Robin Drive. Her recommenda-tion came following six so-called warrant studies, twice the usual number used to determine if there are enough traffic issues to warrant a crossing guard.

“The three afternoon warrant studies showed that a crossing guard is not warranted,” reads the report. “Most students cross within five minutes

of the dismissal bell, and a full 30 minutes of su-pervision would be exces-sive. The morning results showed mixed results, but still did not strongly indi-cate a need for a crossing guard.”

Instead, she recom-mended student safety patrollers be used to help younger kids cross when necessary.

Council’s decision to review the situation was welcome news to Shelley Deyell, chair of the parent council, who made a pitch for a crossing guard to be hired.

“We feel the presence of

GUARD | 7


POLICE BLOTTER

MINOR INJURIES IN ARTHUR STREET COLLISION

WILL SLOAN

D E C E M B E R 2 9

1:50 PM | Two vehicles were involved in a collision at Church Street and Memorial Avenue in Elmira. There were no injuries and no charges were laid.

D E C E M B E R 3 0

9:58 AM | A vehicle hit a pole in the Shoppers Drug Mart parking lot located at 11 Arthur St. S. in Elmira. No charges were laid.

J A N U A R Y 1

3:50 AM | Police were called to a serious single-vehicle rollover collision on Floradale Road in Woolwich Township. A 24-year-old Kitchener male driving a two door Chevrolet Cobalt was travelling southbound on Floradale Road when the driver lost control of the vehicle and drove off the road into a field. There were five people in

Waterloo Regional Police are asking maple syrup producers to be wary of fraudulent purchases.

A large quantity of maple syrup was recently pur-chased with a stolen credit card. Owners should be diligent when selling prod-ucts online and check the

Police warn of maple syrup scamcredibility of the customers and businesses purchasing their products.

They should also be wary of generic email ad-dresses not listed to a valid company name. If the offer appears “too good to be true” it may very well be, say police.

the car at the time of the collision; the driver was ejected as a result of the rollover. The driver and an 18-year-old female passenger from Elmira were transported to the hospital by EMS. They were then transferred to a Hamilton hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Three other passengers were treated on the scene and refused further treatment. Police continue to investigate the collision and are requesting anyone with information regarding this collision to contact Waterloo Regional Police Traffic Services at (519) 653-7700, ext. 8516 or Crime Stoppers at 1 800 222-TIPS (8477).

J A N U A R Y 2

3:06 PM | Police and Elmira fire crews responded to a kitchen fire on 11 Walker St. that caused $100,000 of damage. Two renters

of the property had to be moved out of the premises as there was extensive smoke damage to the kitchen. Two cats died in the fire. The fire department placed a hydro order on the property for improper wiring and owners were charged with not having working smoke alarms on every

level of the house.

J A N U A R Y 3

5:40 PM | A Toyota van and a Dodge SUV collided at the intersection of Line 86 at Listowel Road in Elmira. The Toyota was heading east on Line 86 and the Dodge was westbound on Line

86 when the Dodge turned left in front of the Toyota. There were four people in the Toyota van, including three young children. A toddler in the van was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The other occupants in the van and the lone occupant of the Dodge motor vehicle were unin-

jured. Alcohol was not a factor in the collision. Charges are pending.

J A N U A R Y 4

6:30 AM | A car slid off of the roadway at Beaverdale and Kossuth road south of Breslau. There were no injuries and no charges were laid.

10:30 AM | A car hit a hydro pole at Ament Line and Kressler Rd. There were no injuries.

J A N U A R Y 7

12:49 PM | Woolwich and airport fire crews were on standby after receiving a call that the nose landing gear of a Cessna plane was stuck in the upright position as the pilot attempted to land. There were no injuries during the improvised landing and no fire occurred. The aircraft suffered severe damage.

J A N U A R Y 9

5:32 PM | A pick-up truck and car collided on Line 85 near Northfield Drive in Woolwich Township. The collision occurred as one vehicle attempted to turn left into a private driveway and got rear ended by the over vehicle. No injuries were reported and one of the drivers was charged with careless driving.

A two-vehicle collision occurred on Arthur Street South at 6:26 a.m. on January 10. The collision occurred near the point of the road division into a four-lane highway, south of the roundabout. A cab driver involved in the crash complained of arm or hand injuries. Police believe the injuries to be minor. [JOE MERLIHAN / THE OBSERVER]

Finding yourself stranded at the side of the road is unfortunate in any season, but if you drive your car into a ditch in sub-zero temperatures, that’s a wake-up call to learn more about car maintenance.

Kelly Williams, who offers car care clinics for women through her Kelly’s Garage website, will be coming to Leroy’s Auto Care for a workshop on January 26 to help local residents learn the ins and outs of their vehicles.

“Getting your car ready for winter is something that people don’t really think

The ladies get up close and personal with their carsLeroy’s Auto Care to host clinic for female drivers delivered by Kelly Williams to "help women feel more empowered"

much about,” said Williams, a former NASCAR driver based in Hockley Valley, Ontario. “They get their houses all ready, and they put their lawn chairs away or whatever, but they don’t think to get their battery checked, or they wait to the last minute to get their win-ter tires, or they don’t even put winter tires on. Nobody ever thinks their car is go-ing to have a problem, and then all of a sudden they’re stranded at the side of the road and they’re not pre-pared for it.”

But why does Williams target women, specifically? “When I first started it I actually did mixed clinics,

and the men were always trying to show me how much they knew about cars and the women wouldn’t say anything at all,” said Williams, laughing. “So I decided to focus on the fe-male market!”

“One of my goals with the car care clinic is to help women feel more empow-ered about their vehicles, and to build a good rela-tionship with the shops they’re using for repairs,” Williams continued. “With women, there’s definitely a thirst for knowledge, and by being presented by a female such as myself with a racing background and an automotive background, I

can put it in terms that they understand.”

With icy roads, heavy winds and plenty of snow, the country roads of Wool-wich and Wellesley can be treacherous. Leroy Martin, the owner of Leroy’s Auto Care, emphasizes that drivers should think twice before taking any car main-tenance shortcuts.

“Slow down, be cautious, but definitely make sure that your windows are clean and you have good wipers and you have a good kit in your car,” said Martin. “Have an actual emergency kit like booster cables, so if you get stranded and your battery’s dead you at least

have the proper equipment in your vehicle. That’s one of the most important things to have in your ve-hicle at this time of year."

Martin said that Williams’ workshop will help clarify the technical tasks that car owners may have neglected.

“It’s a lot of the basic car maintenance that some-times people overlook, or are unsure of what they’re supposed to take care of,” Martin said. “Simple things like checking tire pressure and checking oils, and also the language we use when you go into a shop.

“And then we’ll go over proper maintenance before winter comes – having

your battery checked, mak-ing sure the tire pressure is good, and making sure anything that can leave you stranded in the winter is all checked and maintained ahead of time.”

When asked about the biggest mistakes Canadian drivers make during the winter, Williams is very clear. “I think only 34 per cent of Canadians actually have an emergency road-side kit in their car. And just, people not changing their driving habits for win-ter driving conditions. On a nice, beautiful day, you can drive a lot faster than when there are whiteout condi-tions.”

Township seeks funds for Floradale bridge replacement

Hoping to cash in on the first phase of the province’s Municipal Infrastructure Strategy, Woolwich has submitted an application for funding to help with the replacement of a bridge on Floradale Road, about half a kilometre north of Florapine Road.

The project is expected to cost about $760,000, with up to 90 per cent avail-able through the provincial program.

The bridge is more than a century old, and its deteriorating condition has required a 10-tonne load limit, restricting the type of vehicles that can use that stretch of the road, director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley told councillors meeting Tuesday night.

Rezoning sought for Line 86 property

A former woodworking shop on Line 86 east of Elmira that’s now home to a

generator supply and service business could return to its previous use.

Property owner Anton Lesar is looking to rezone the small agricultural property at 6259 Line 86 to allow his business, Century Stair Systems, to move into the township, making use of the existing shop.

The property has a long history of non-farm use, planning consultant John Cox told Woolwich councillors during a public planning meeting held January 8 to discuss the zoning application. Lesar’s business, which manufactures pre-fabricated stair systems, would generate less traffic

and less noise than the current use, he said, noting the site was home to a furniture finishing operation from 1998 to 2007.

Cemetery seeks rezoning for funeral home

Changes to the provincial Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act have a Breslau-area cemetery operator looking for a zone change for a property at 2723 Victoria St. N.

Memorial Gardens Ltd. wants

site-specific provisions in the zoning to allow a funeral home to operate on the property.

The company last spring constructed a reception centre/administrative building on the site, serving most of the functions typically associated with funeral services. Shortly thereafter, the province changed the act to allow full funeral home services on cemetery properties, which clears the way for the inclusion of an embalming/preparation room in the new facility, planning consultant Michael Larkin told Woolwich councillors at a planning public meeting Tuesday night.

The zone change would accom-modate only a slight change in operations, not a new line of business, he said. The company doesn't expect any increase in traffic, and has already been in contact with the Ministry of Transportation, which has no concerns about the operation's impact on the busy Highway 7 corridor, Larkin added.

Representatives of the company were the only delegates to speak, with no objections raised. Planning staff will report back to council at a later date with a recommendation after reviewing the application and all comments.


WLU study using backyard rinks to gauge how weather patterns are shifting and their impact on a slice of Canadian life

WILL SLOAN

3031 Lobsinger Line, Heidelberg 519-699-4590Mon.-Wed. 8-6; Thurs. - Fri. 8-8; Saturday 7:30-5

Visit us online at www.stemmlermeats.ca

WEEKLY SPECIALSSpecials from January 14th - 19th

Store Made, 12 x 6oz

Feige's Assorted We are now makingNO NITRATE Regular or

Hot Pepperettes. Give them a try!

Box Sirloin Burgers

Gourmet Dressings

SUPER SPECIAL, Fresh, Local,

Thick Pork Back Ribs

Long PigTails

Gluten Free Liverwurst

Store Made, Assorted,

$1.49Ib./$3.28kg.SA

LE $2.29Ib./$4.83kg.RE

G.

$2.99$13.99

$4.99

$6.50

Ib./$6.59kg.

eachSAVE $3.00

Ib./$11.00kg.

eachReg. $7.99ea.

Heat your entire home and domestic water.

Eliminate HighHeating Bills

With an outdoor wood pelletor corn furnace

PUMPS PLUS LTD.P.O. Box 311, Elmira ON.

N3B 2Z7

519-669-5004

www.maximheat.com

Over 92% Efficient.(ASTM TEST METHOD)

Over 92% Efficient.

Can be installed safelyoutdoors next to your home

by a certified installer.

Chris and Christine Allison walked through the melting snow that covered the skating rink they build annually in the backyard of their Elmira home. A few years ago, January 9 would have been prime skating weather, but on this afternoon the tem-perature hovered near 10 degrees Celsius.

“Normally we’ve had ice before Christmas as long as it’s cold and you can get some snow,” said Chris Allison. “Other years we’ve been skat-ing on it usually the first week of January.”

The Allisons’ rink – decked with hand-painted signs for local and interna-tional businesses – is nor-mally home to the couple’s annual Winterfest party, and a recreation spot for their two daughters, but the family wonders if this season will be declared a washout.

“We didn’t get a rink last year either,” added Chris-tine Allison.

The Allisons are not alone, and Robert McLeman, an associate professor of Environ-mental Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, has launched a website that offers an interactive ex-planation of just why the air is feeling so warm. Created in association with Laurier, RinkWatch.org asks Canadians with

Climate change science hits close to home

backyard rinks to monitor and report the conditions throughout the season. Co-founded with assistant professor Colin Robert-son and student Haydn Lawrence, RinkWatch promises to be “where backyard skating meets environmental science.”

“When you talk about global warming, people think, ‘Oh, this is a big problem, what can I do about it? How does it af-fect me?’” said McLeman. “They have trouble con-necting to it, and we

thought this is a great way to connect people to the science.

“Backyard skating – what’s more Canadian than that?”

But how much of the cur-rent temperature is attrib-utable to the fickle nature of weather?

“Back 50 or 100 years ago there was probably a winter like this one where it’s really mild, but the reality is that we seem to be getting more and more of these in clumps and patches that we

never used to,” said McLeman.

“If you go back 100 years, winter was lon-ger, and it was colder. I mean, 100 years ago, it wouldn’t be unusual for it to be minus-20, minus-30 in Woolwich in January. But now, if it happened this January, people would think the earth drifted away from the sun.”

McLeman has an ex-ample that should strike Elmira residents close to home. “I did some research

on east-ern Ontario, this was a couple years back, and we were looking at historical maple sugar production. What’s happening is that the sap runs about a week to ten days earlier than it did 50 years ago.

“And you know how it is with sugar: the sap runs during a particular

time when the condi-tions are that it’s freez-ing at night and above zero in the daytime. And that window is moving earlier and earlier in the year, and the trees are responding to it by run-ning earlier.”

Climate change re-mains a touchy subject, and McLeman hopes his project can help clear up misconceptions. “There’s this myth that scientists are still in some wild fenc-ing match over whether climate change is real or not,” said McLeman. “To

be honest, I have yet to meet a scientist

who doesn’t think that it’s real. The

debate is not whether it’s happening or not – it’s more like, how fast is it happening?”

Laurier’s statistics are

similarly bleak. Since records were

begun in 1948, the 2011-12 winter season

was the third-warmest on record, and 2009-10 was the warmest.

At the Allisons’ rink, the topic of climate change is an issue worth pondering.

“I think it’s hard to ignore,” said Christine Al-lison. “I don’t know if I buy into it, but there’s got to be something to it, because we haven’t even been get-ting half the snow.”

For the second year running, Elmira residents Chris and Christine Allison find the temperatures are too warm to maintain their backyard skating rink. [WILL SLOAN / THE OBSERVER]

Paige (top) and Julia Sherwood-Jajkowska peek out from behind the group of snowmen on their front lawn Wednesday afternoon. Like the area’s backyard rinks, snowmen are in jeopardy. [ELENA MAYSTRUK / THE OBSERVER]


INDIAN RIVER DIRECTCITRUS TRUCKLOAD SALE

ELMIRAWED. JAN. 16 @ 12:30pm - 2:30pm

New Apostolic Church (First & Arthur Streets)

20lb Box of Florida Seedless Navel Oranges OR Ruby Red Grapefruit

$25.00PER BOX

Conestogo Wind Power Partnership (CWPP) Renewable Energy Approval Notice of Public Meeting s. 15(1)(a)(b) Ontario Regulation 359/09

Notice of Draft REA Public Release

SECOND NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING #2 by Conestogo Wind Power Partnership to Engage in a Renewable Energy Project

NOTICE OF DRAFT REA PUBLIC RELEASE

Project Name: Conestogo Wind Energy Centre Project Location: Municipality of North Perth, Township of Perth East, Perth County and Township of Wellesley, Regional Municipality of Waterloo Dated at: The County of Perth, January 7, 2012 Project Description: Pursuant to the Act and Regulation, the facility, in respect of which this project is to be engaged in, is a wind energy project and is rated as a Class 4 Wind Facility. The proposed wind farm project would be located in the Townships of North Perth and Perth East. An approximate 25 km collector line would run east of the wind farm in the Township of Wellesley to the Project substation to connect to the Provincial grid. The proponent has been awarded a 69 MW contract for the sale of electricity from wind power with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) through the Province’s Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program (enabled by the Green Energy and Green Economy Act). The distribution of this notice of public meeting and public review of draft REA documents, as well as the project itself, are subject to the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act (Act) Part V.0.1 and Ontario Regulation 359/09 (Regulation). The REA process replaces approvals formerly required under the Environmental Assessment Act, Planning Act, and Environmental Protection Act. This notice is being distributed in accordance with section 15 of the Regulation prior to an application being submitted and assessed for completeness by the Ministry of the Environment.

Meeting Information: In order to provide information to and consult with community members, stakeholder groups, First Nations and Métis communities and government agencies, Conestogo Wind Power Partnership and Dillon Consulting Limited are hosting a series of public information sessions to present information regarding the project and findings of the Renewable Energy Approval studies that have been undertaken. At these information sessions you will be able to view information on the project, ask questions and provide comments directly to the proponent. The PICs will start at 6:00 pm with a 30 minutes walk through and follow with a formal question and answer session from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

Township of Wellesley Public Information Centre (PIC)

DATE: TIME: PLACE:

Tuesday, February 26, 2013 6 pm – 8 pm St. Clements Community Centre 1 Green Street, St. Clements

Perth East Township PIC

DATE: TIME: PLACE:

Wednesday, February 27, 2013 6 pm – 8 pm Perth East Recreation Complex 40 Temperance Street, Milverton

North Perth Township PIC DATE: TIME: PLACE:

Thursday, February 28, 2013 6 pm – 8 pm Royal Canadian Legion 565 Elizabeth Street E, Listowel

Documents for Public Inspection: Further to this Notice the Draft REA documents (with the exception of the Consultation Report, in accordance with O.Reg 359/09) are available for public review as of December 21, 2012 on the Project website (http://www.invenergyllc.com/conestogo) and at the following locations: Municipality of North Perth Municipal Office: 330 Wallace Ave N, Listowel Township of Perth East Municipal Office: 25 Mill St. East, Milverton Perth East Library: 19 Mill St. East, Milverton Township of Wellesley Municipal Office: 4639 Lobsinger Line, RR#1 St. Clements Atwood Public Library: 218A Main St, Atwood Monkton Public Library: 216 Winstanley St., Monkton Listowel Public Library: 260 Main Street, Listowel Comment forms and comment form drop boxes will be located at each of the above locations. Alternatively, you can send comments to the contact below. Project Contacts and Information: Please email [email protected] or phone Don McKinnon, REA Project Manager at 416-229-4646 to comment on the project or for further information. Please visit the Project website at: http://www.invenergyllc.com/conestogo. As per O.Reg 359/09 the public will have 60 days to comment on the draft REA documents. The 60 day period starts on December 21, 2012 and ends on February 19, 2013. The public will have another opportunity to comment on the Project at the PICs outlined above.

It is common knowl-edge that dogs are il-literate, and their lack of opposable thumbs makes turning pages a strenuous ordeal. As such, with the exception of Millie’s Book (co-authored with First Lady Barbara Bush in 1992), men-of-letters who are also Man’s Best Friend have been disappointingly few.

Still, one local dog seeks to revolutionize the way the animal kingdom relates to the literary arts. Joker, a nine-year-old terrier, is the main attraction of the Read to a Dog program, which returns for another season at the Elmira Public Library. Every Wednesday this month from 4-5 p.m., local children age 6 to 8 are invited to develop their literary skills by reading aloud to Joker.

“He has had everything read to him, from Dr. Seuss to Geronimo Stilton,” said Holly Teahen, Joker’s own-er and the program’s coor-dinator. “He’s had comic books read to him, he’s even had some of The Hun-ger Games read to him…”

But at age nine – well into adolescence for a Jack Russell terrier – doesn’t he find himself gravitat-ing towards edgier fare? A Separate Peace, perhaps? Catcher in the Rye? Maybe a little Hunter S. Thompson?

“Well yeah, but we’d

years. In the 2012-13 sea-son, 7,148 have been im-munized in Public Health clinics; in 2006-07, that number was 22,020.

However, Wang adds that it’s not too late to stop pro-

an adult guard is safer for all who cross there,” she told councillors.

While parents have been using the church parking lot for drop-offs and pick-ups, that arrangement is only temporary, said Deyell. The school board won’t arrange for snow removal along the path be-tween the two lots, and lia-bility concerns prevent the construction of a sidewalk between the properties.

FROM | 3

FROM | 4

FLU: Region suggests shots

GUARD: More study requiredThe kids are

crazy about a well-read dog

WILL SLOAN have to go upstairs to the adult library for that sort of thing.”

Mind you, Joker is a true renaissance dog, and his interests are not limited to pet-related topics. “Joker has a skateboard, so some-times we’ll read stories about skateboards. He has done pilates, where he will demonstrate he has bal-ance,” said Teahan.

He is even a “pet thera-pist” at Elmira’s Chateau Gardens nursing home. “He visits, he does tricks, he cuddles, he fetches, that sort of thing,” she ex-plained.

Read to a Dog, which was founded by Teahan’s daughter when she was still a high school student, is entering its eighth year at Elmira Library. Over the years, its impact has grown beyond Elmira’s borders. Two other library systems, in Hanover and Hamilton, have started the Read to a Dog program after its suc-cess here.

But surely Joker is in-volved for loftier reasons than the glory of celebrity?

“Oh, he is very much in it for the glory,” Teahan admitted. “He loves the attention, and the children, when they read, he wants them to pet him: if they stop petting him he will kind of give them a nudge and remind them that they’re supposed to be pet-ting him.”

crastinating.“There’s still moderate

activity out there, and it’s still possible to get the vac-cine, and I still recommend it. It’s worth it.”

The next time you drive past that clinic, ask yourself what’s worse: a needle in the arm, or a bout of the flu?

Joker, the star of the weekly Read to a Dog program, takes in another fine work of literature at the Elmira Public Library with Elmira student Raine Martines. [WILL SLOAN / THE OBSERVER]

8 | COMMENT THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

COMMENTJOE MERLIHAN PUBLISHERSTEVE KANNON EDITOR

PUBLICATION MAIL AGREEMENT NUMBER 1004840 | ISSN 12039578

THE VIEW FROM HERE

WORLD VIEW / GWYNNE DYER

WORLDAFFAIRS

OUR VIEW / EDITORIAL

DONNA RUDYSALES MANAGERELENA MAYSTRUKREPORTERWILL SLOANREPORTER

PAT MERLIHANPRODUCTION MANAGERLEANNE BORONGRAPHIC DESIGN

WATERLOO REGION WANTS YOUR input on its light rail transit scheme. Oh, officials aren’t interested in hearing your comments about how the poorly justified project should be scrapped. No, they want the public to help name it.

Suggestions such as the “white elephant” and the “F-Line” (folly, fiasco, etc. ...) aren’t likely to make their short list, even if that’s the public sentiment.

No, they want something upbeat, as we’re supposed to welcome the idea of putting more than a billion dollars into a purely speculative gamble at a time when there are real infrastructure needs, and an already overtaxed population.

And they’re certainly not interested in doing what should be the first priority: setting in place an accountabil-ity framework that would assign blame and dole out pun-ishments to those involved when the project fails to meet even its ever-diminishing targets.

No surprise there, as accountability is only a buzzword, bandied about but never acted on. It’s what we’ve come to expect from politicians and bureaucrats, to our peril.

If there’s anything we’ve learned from a host of mega-project disasters, from RIM Park to myriad Olympic Games, it’s that taxpayers will foot the bill, while those who backed the schemes and those who profited from them will walk away freely, usually with fatter wallets courtesy of those who are poorer for it.

Make no mistake, even as optimistically forecasted, the rapid-transit plan will cost taxpayers, most of whom will never use it, large sums of money every year. There’s every possibility the negatives – cost overruns, traffic snarls, disruption in the downtown cores and operating expenses, to name a few – will outweigh the positives touted by pro-ponents.

Once construction is underway, there’ll be no turning back. We’ll be forced to throw more money at the project if (when?) costs balloon. By the time it’s finished and we’ve been able to determine if any of the targets have been met, the politicians who voted for it may have moved on. The administrators will not be taken to task. Neither group will be held financially responsible. That’s precisely the problem with public projects – from eHealth to the G8/G20 fiasco and fraud, from Vancouver’s Olympic village to To-ronto’s Pan Am Games, those who make the decisions bear none of the costs.

If that’s the case, what recourse does an unwilling public have?

Simply tearing it out, as was the case with the old trol-ley system, would remove the disruptions, but there’s no recouping the money spent. For some satisfaction on that front, there should be guarantees that those who backed the plan would face real financial accountability, not just an election loss for politicians or a firing with a golden handshake for staff members. The public deserves more redress than that, even if a lifetime of garnished wages re-turns only a fraction of the loss.

Of course, there's been no talk of that in the debate over transit, just as there’s no talk of that from any government body that routinely wastes tax money. Only when we get to the point where government decisions on speculative proj-ects come with the same kind of repercussions as the pri-vate sector – bankruptcy, loss of personal assets and even criminal charges – can we reasonably expect decisions that are really in the public interest.

Politicians don't like the name of that game.

Accountability is the first priority in LRT scheme

Which of the follow-ing statements is true? The United States now has a 100-year supply of natural gas, thanks to the miracle of shale gas. By 2017 it will once again be the world’s biggest oil producer. By 2035 it will be entirely “energy-independent,” and free in particular from its reliance on Middle Eastern oil.

Unless you’ve been dead for the past couple of years, you’ve been hearing lots of enthusiastic forecasts like this, but not one of them is true. They are generally accompanied by sweeping predictions about geo-politics that are equally misleading, at least insofar as they depend on assump-tions about cheap and plentiful supplies of shale gas and other forms of “un-conventional” oil and gas.

For example, we are assured that the United States, no longer depen-dent on Arab oil, will break its habit of intervening mil-itarily in the Middle East,

Energy myths bolstered by those selling somethingsince what happens there will no longer matter to Washington. But this new era of cheap and plentiful energy from fossil fuels will also result, alas, in sky-high greenhouse gas emissions and runaway global warm-ing.

These statements are also untrue, at least in the formulation given above, since they are based on quite mistaken assump-tions.

The original error, on which most of the oth-ers are based, is the belief that “fracking” – hydraulic fracturing of underground formations of shale rock to release the gas trapped within them – has fun-damentally transformed the energy situation of the United States. Huge amounts are being in-vested in the newer shale plays like the Eagle Ford formation in Texas and the Marcellus in Pennsylvania, but the numbers just don’t add up.

Production of shale gas has soared in the United States (still the home to most shale plays) in the past 10 years, but it is only compensating for the de-cline in conventional gas

production in the same period. Moreover, while the operators’ calculations assume a 40-year produc-tive lifetime for the aver-age shale gas well, the real number is turning out to be around five to seven years.

That means that in the older shale plays they have to drill like crazy just to maintain current produc-tion – and since drilling is very expensive, they aren’t making a profit. As Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson told a private meeting four months ago: “We’re mak-ing no money. It’s all in the red.”

They are hoping to make a profit, of course, once the gas price recovers from the ridiculous level of $2 per million BTU that it fell to in 2009, when a great many people believed this really was a miracle. A price of $4 per million BTU would do it for most operators, and even the highest-cost ones would be making a profit at $7. But it’s clear that shale gas is no miracle that will provide ultra-cheap fossil fuel for the next 100 years.

In that case, the predic-tion that the United States will be the world’s biggest oil producer by 2017 is non-

sense. Even on an ultra-optimistic estimate of how much “unconventional oil” it can eventually get out of the shale formations, it will still be importing a large proportion of its oil in 2035.

At the peak of U.S. oil production, in 1970, it pro-duced 10.6 million barrels per day. It currently pro-duces 9.6 million barrels per day, and consumes 21 million bpd. It is prepos-terous to argue that it can close that gap by coming up with another 11 million bpd of unconventional oil at an economically viable price.

“Energy independence,” if it ever comes to the United States, is likelier to come from a combination of conservation measures (like President Obama’s regulation that will almost double the fuel efficiency of American-built cars by 2016) and an increased emphasis on renewables (wind, solar, etc.).

And the whole Middle Eastern business is a red herring, because the Unit-ed States does not depend heavily on Middle Eastern

DYER | 10

The winter weather was short-lived – and seems to be getting shorter every year – but not everybody is upset at the prospect of melting ice.

COMMENT | 9THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

ADDRESS20-B ARTHUR ST. N., ELMIRA, ON N3B 1Z9


EDITORIAL519.669.5790 EXT 103

[email protected]

ADVERTISING519.669.5790 EXT 104

[email protected]

PRODUCTION519.669.5790 EXT 105

[email protected]

PUBLISHER519.669.5790 EXT 107

[email protected]

LETTERSLetters to the Editor should be exclusive to The Observer. Include name, address and daytime phone number. Unsigned letters must contact Editor for publishing consideration. Keep letters under 350 words. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. This newspaper declines announcements, poetry and thank-you letters.

COPYRIGHTThe entire contents of The Observer and online edition are protected by copyright. No portion thereof is to be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the specific permission of the publisher. Reproduction rights can be obtained from ACCESS COPYRIGHT located at 1 Young St., 1900, Toronto, ON M5E 1E5 | 416.868.1621

PRESS COMPLAINTS & ASSOCIATIONSThe Observer is a member of the Ontario Press Council which considers complaints against member newspapers. For more information contact www.ontpress.com. The Observer is a member of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association [CCNA], Canadian Community Newspaper Association and The Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.

HIS VIEW / STEVE KANNON

EDITOR'SNOTES

THEIR VIEW / QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Arguments against a casino aren’t compelling, but case for it should be

There was no doubt-ing their conviction, but casino opponents made no knockout blows at this week’s meeting of Wool-wich council.

Half a dozen speakers trotted out arguments against the township put-ting its name into the hat to be considered for a gam-ing facility as the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Cor-poration modernizes – i.e. expands in hopes of more cash – its operation. While the problems they out-lined, particularly those re-lated to gambling addicts, have some traction, when examined in the context of the gambling issue as a whole, they aren’t the kind of negatives that would or should sway councillors.

The fact that a small mi-nority of people don’t know

when to stop is a poor rea-son to deny it to others.

Gambling is still a con-troversial issue despite the fact many of us indulge in some form of it, even something as innocuous as buying a raffle ticket. Yes, there are those who are problem gamblers, but that’s a small minority – about 2.1 per cent of total gamblers, according to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

At the heart of the debate is the morality issue: some see gambling as immoral, from religious grounds to the stigma of money-for-nothing. For Woolwich, the dilemma boils down to “if we don’t take the money, some other municipality will.” It’s a classic ethical dilemma, from an individ-ual level on up. In the case of a casino, the quandary is based on the assumption that there’s something in-herently sinful about gam-bling, which is an age-old attitude.

Aside from the revenues to be made, states have le-galized gambling because they know it will happen illegally anyway. Providing an outlet allows govern-ments some measure of control, though the bound-aries are blurring in the online age.

It’s the same rationale at play with the drug issue, harkening back to the era of prohibition of alcohol. Similar arguments are made about the criminality of prostitution. Govern-ment decree against some-thing doesn’t mean it won’t happen, especially if the regulations are based on moral grounds not shared by a good chunk – often a majority – of citizens.

You can make the argu-ment that the provincial stance on gambling is bad policy: taking the easy way out in its bid to increase revenues without raising taxes. Gambling is essen-tially a voluntary tax – or a stupidity tax from some

people’s perspectives – that we pay with hope of getting something in return. A hope that does not exist with our regular taxes, which we often see being squandered to the benefit of wasteful bureau-crats, greedy politicians and their friends and sup-porters.

When opponents this week talked about money leaving the community – the host municipality re-ceives only a fraction of the revenues – they neglected to mention that the bulk of it is going into public coffers, just as tax money leaves the community. Just as money spent at most larger retailers is destined for the head office, often outside of the country.

The real dilemma is the possibility governments will become addicted to gambling revenues, to ever-expanding gaming options designed to stock the coffers at a time of fall-ing revenues and public

tax fatigue. Gambling is big business

in the province. OLG runs a variety of lotteries, char-ity and aboriginal casinos, commercial casinos, and slot machines at horse-racing tracks. According to OLG figures, the Crown corporation generated $3.7 billion in economic activ-ity in 2011. About half that amount goes to health care programs, the operation of hospitals and the like.

Other good works, such as the numerous commu-nity donations through the Ontario Trillium Founda-tion, which doles out about $110 million a year, are linked to gambling profits mostly to make us feel bet-ter about government-run gaming.

We don’t typically have a feel-good reaction to pay-ing taxes. While members of Woolwich Concerned Citizens Against Gambling may be willing to pay high-er property taxes to avoid having a casino in the

township, most residents are unlikely to follow suit. Already overburdened, residents are looking for cuts to the bureaucracy to fund infrastructure proj-ects, not tax increases. And certainly nothing like the hikes that would be neces-sary to cover the $4 million a year a casino might gen-erate: a 60 per cent jump in property taxes.

If Woolwich does agree to participate as a host community, and if a pri-vate-sector operator picks a township location, pru-dent management of any gaming revenue would be in order. Strict controls on how the money could be spent – infrastructure proj-ects only, in all likelihood – would be needed to ensure the funds weren’t squan-dered. Governments are proving to be addicted to gambling revenue, which is not ideal. We shouldn’t let any of that money go to waste, compounding the ethical dilemma.

With the NHL lockout at an end, do you plan to forgive and forget?

We’ll probably go back to watching it. I do think they cost a lot of money to businesses and pubs.

» Christine Landsdorough

I think it’s kind of strange; they’re playing a sport they like and they’re just arguing about money. It’s not intelligent.

» Curtis Lubberts

Not so easily, might take a while.

» Dan Bercht

I’ve been disappointed that it’s been this long in terms of negotiations. I’m happy NHL players are back but I’ve really enjoyed watching OHL hockey.

» Scott Speiran

I’m happy the lockout is over for all of the people that make money associated with hockey.

» Ron VanMoerkerke

"So why are we fed a daily diet of misinformation about energy in general, and shale gas in particular? " Gwynne Dyer | page 8


@ START THE CONVERSATION.YOUR OPINIONS/COMMENTS ARE WELCOME. WRITE A LETTER.

10 | COMMENT THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

THE MONITOR VERBATIM THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

NATIONAL VIEWDYER: Misinformation will continue while gain is an issueCONTINUED FROM | 8

» Statistics Canada

oil. Most U.S. oil imports come from the Western hemisphere (Canada, Mexico, Venezuela) or from Africa (Nigeria, Algeria, Angola). Only 15 per cent of its oil comes from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Kuwait, and virtually none from anywhere else in the Gulf. Whatever America’s vari-ous wars in the region may have been about, they were not about “security of oil supply.”

Which leaves the busi-ness about shale gas and oil pushing the world’s green-

house gas emissions over the top. They can’t do that, because we are already over the top. We need only continue on our present course, without any growth in “unconventional” oil and gas production, and we will be irrevocably commit-ted to 2 degrees C of warm-ing (3.5 degrees F) within 10 years. Within 25 years we will be committed to +4 degrees C (7 degrees F).

So why are we fed a daily diet of misinformation about energy in general, and shale gas in particular? Because a lot of people have something to sell.

The New Housing Price Index rose 0.1% in November, following a 0.2% increase in October. The combined metropolitan region of Toronto and Oshawa was the top contributor to the advance. Market conditions were the primary reason for higher prices. The largest monthly price advance in November occurred in London (+0.6%), followed by Halifax and St. Catharines–Niagara, with both regions recording a 0.5% increase.

» Embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford addresses naysayers in his effort to balance his city's budget and limit tax increases to 2% for 2013, largely by downsizing bloated bureaucracies and padded payrolls.

“Some people will tell you the sky is falling. Folks, don’t believe them. It’s simply not true, the sky is not falling,”

» From the Jan. 11, 2003 edition of the Observer.

With final approvals from Woolwich council, the way was cleared for work to begin on a new subdivision in St. Jacobs. Valleyview Heights got underway with 200 new residential units on 40 acres of land in the south end of the village.

The Next Linwood Clinic:

Friday January 18, 2013 from 2:30pm - 8:30pmLinwood Community Centre, Linwood

RR #1, St. Jacobs • 519-664-2656

Reist & WebeR butcheRing

Cleason WeberCustom KillingWholesale Pork

1025 Alfred St., Linwood • 519-698-2472

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL • POLE LINE CONSTRUCTION

ESA Licence # 7000438

3865 Manser Rd., Linwood • 519-698-1198www.lwcb.org

Mon - Thurs 9 - 5Fri 9 - 8, Sat 9 - 5

3860 Manser Rd., Linwood • [email protected]

Proud to support the community effort to donate blood.

5158a Ament Ln., Linwood • 519-698-2060

LINWOOD HOME HARDWARE

LINWOOD BLOOD DONOR CLINIC

5168 Ament Ln., Linwood • 519-698-2370

Serving Linwood & surrounding Communities since 1858.

Schnurr’sGrocery

1010 Industrial Crs., St. Clements

519.699.0600

South West Ontario Veterinary Service

Give Blood ... to save lives.

CALL 1 888 2 DONATE for more information or to book an appointment.


@LETTERS TO THE EDITORARE ALWAYS WELCOME.PLEASE NOTE OBSERVER POLICY ONPUBLISHING LETTERS BELOW.

SPORTS | 11THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

SPORTSRINGETTE / TAKING IT NATIONAL

Where the ring’s the thingFive St. Clements ringette players part of national squad, help boost the sport In tough for both

games, Elmira squad comes out on top after holiday break

ELENA MAYSTRUK

RINGETTE | 14

Kings shake off the rust to win a pair

WILL SLOAN

KINGS | 14

HOCKEY / JUNIOR B

Jacks lose first two of new year, bounce back in thirdWILL SLOAN

Ringette may not en-joy the profile of its on-ice cousin, hockey, but five local girls have worked hard during the past few months to put it on the map.

They joined the U19 Team Canada East after tryouts in May and along with many other play-ers from all over Eastern Canada, set to prepare for the World Junior Ringette Championships in Lon-don, Ontario.

“A lot of people think that ringette is a dying sport but it really is a growing sport; our num-bers this year have been higher that they ever have been,” said Sam Nosal of St. Clements.

Nosal, 19, and her sis-ter Paige, 18, have been playing on the St. Cle-ments ringette team from a young age and had a chance to shine at the championships. Both girls ended up being called to the first all-star lineup at the end of the tournament but that was not their only claim to fame as the entire team did what many be-fore them failed to do:

“It hasn’t been since 2002 that Canada has beat Finland in an internation-al competition. This is the

The Elmira Sugar Kings returned from the Christmas holidays with a pair of victories last week-end, but any lingering holiday calm was quickly extinguished by these two hard-fought games.

In particular, the Kings battled to stay ahead in an unusually tense home game against the Caledo-nia Corvairs on January 6, which was marked by a slew of penalties on both sides.

“I was actually sur-prised,” said head coach Dean DeSilva of the level of fighting in the game against Caledonia. “It’s always a battle between these two teams, and Caledonia decided they didn’t want to play hockey tonight, they wanted to go after our better players. And we still came out on top, so we can play that way too if they want.”

The Kings started the game off right with a goal by Brandon Stewart just 36 seconds in. Caledonia

first time in a decade that we have beaten Finland, so it was a pretty big deal,” Sam said.

Competition consisted of six teams: Team Canada East and Team Canada West – which are split into two teams at a Junior level due to an overwhelming amount of eligible players – Team France, Team Rus-sia, Team USA and the pre-viously undefeated Team Finland.

While the majority of players from other teams lived in close proximity from each other, players from Team Canada East had some long roads ahead of them: meeting at three different training camps in the span of eight months to practice together before the tournament.

The World Juniors take place every three years and this was the only chance the two sisters had to try out, Paige explained.

“This team is the highest level you can play at this age – you can’t really get any higher – so that was a whole other experience, actually playing with girls not from your region but from outside of the prov-ince. Just kind of compil-ing all different styles of ringette: Ontario ringette

Paige (left) and Sam Nosal of St. Clements played for the U19 Team Canada East during the World Junior Ringette Championships in London, Ontario in December. Team Canada East beat the Finnish Ringette team, undefeated since 2002. [ELENA MAYSTRUK / THE OBSERVER]

If first impressions are as important as they say, 2013 gave a poor one for the Wellesley Applejacks, who started the new year with a pair of losses. Still, they were soon able to get back on track, as they bounced back with a shutout victory last Sunday night.

The Jacks’ new year began with a close but unsuccess-ful match against the Tavis-tock Braves on January 2. Mark Detzler and Luke Rose pulled off goals at 5:28 and 10:48 in the second period, and Taylor Doering and Mi-

chael Pollice scored at 9:14 and 11:38 in the third to tie the game. But 4:16 into over-time, the Braves scored the final goal to seal Wellesley’s fate, winning the game 5-4.

The Jacks then suffered a 5-3 loss against the Delhi Travellers two days later. Delhi scored the only goal in the first period, and two in the second. Jake Ariss scored for Wellesley at 10:06 in the second period, with Mark Detzler and Cody Tap-sell landing points at 2:26 and 6:43 in the third, but the Travellers finally pulled ahead with two more goals.

“We’ve got about six new

players, and we haven’t had a practice in a month, so we’ve got to practice,” said head coach Kevin Fitzpatrick shortly after the January 4 game. (See photos, p. 23.)

“We’ve got to establish some lines and we’ve got to get some chemistry going and we’ve only got six games to do it. But we knew this was going to happen when you bring in players that haven’t played here before and they’re familiarizing themselves with the league and the team and the team-mates.”

Fortunately for the Jacks, the slump was short-lived.

The Wellesley team took on the Burford Bulldogs on January 6, and crushed their rivals in an 8-0 match.

Patrick Wiejack scored first at 12:12, followed by Brett MacDonald shortly before the end of the first period at 19:52. Coleton Madge and Corey Way sunk the puck at 9:11 and 16:20 in the second period, each as-sisted by MacDonald.

In the third period, the Jacks were unstoppable, with goals by Tyler Eckert at 3:41, MacDonald at 8:59 and Devon Wagner at 9:44. With just seconds to go, Eckert scored the last goal of the

night at 19:53. Throughout the game, goalie Josh Heer kept the Bulldogs from land-ing a single goal.

“We did everything well Sunday that we didn’t do Friday or Wednesday. We had control of all aspects of the game,” said Fitzpatrick, adding the previous losses helped motivate the team to step up its game.

“I think they collectively realized after Friday’s game, ‘We’ve got to play a lot bet-ter.’ Every team can come up and challenge and beat you if you’re not at your best, and that’s the consistency that we’ve been striving for.”

With five more games left in the season, Fitzpatrick thinks the team’s comeback could be permanent.

“We’ll play tomorrow night (an 8-2 win in Delhi), we’ll have 20 guys on the lineup. Assuming nobody comes down with the flu or gets hurt between now and tomorrow catching the bus, we may actually have a healthy scratch. And we’ve had a long, long time to get to that point.”

After taking on the Braves in Tavistock Friday night, the Jacks return home Sat-urday to face Norfolk. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

12 | SPORTS THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

WOOLWICH WILDCATS

Tyke: SELECTJan. 5 vs. CaledonWoolwich: 3 Caledon: 3Goals: Dustin Good x3Assists: Sam HacockJan. 6 vs. GeorgetownWoolwich: 3 Georgetown: 0Goals: Sam Hacock, Joey Martin, Dustin GoodAssists: Austin Schnarr, Pacey CammShutout: Ian Darroch, Parker Collingwood

Novice: MAJOR AJan. 4 vs. BramptonWoolwich: 4 Brampton: 5Goals: Liam Eveleigh, Carter Rollins, Sebastian Garrett, Ian SpeiranAssists: Zack Bender x2, Sebastian Garrett, Tyler BrezynskieJan. 5 vs. BurlingtonWoolwich: 1 Burlington: 1Goals: Tyler BrezynskieJan. 6 vs. MiltonWoolwich: 3 Milton: 0Goals: Zack Bender x2, Liam EveleighAssists: Tyler Brezynskie, Andrew Gear, Zack BenderShutout: Dominic Roth

Novice: AEDec. 23 vs. DundasWoolwich: 3 Dundas: 3Goals: Lucas Radler, Carter Cousineau, Lucas CarsonAssists: Oscar Fitch, Lucas Carson, Logan Beard, Sam SiopioloszJan. 5 vs. FlamboroughWoolwich: 1 Flamborough: 0Goals: Oscar FitchAssists: Adam Pauls, Lucas RadlerShutout: Simon Bauman, Jordan Wang

Novice: LL #2Jan. 5 vs. St. GeorgeWoolwich: 3 St. George: 9Goals: Ryan Curtis, Tyson Roth, Haiden IdzikAssists: Ryan Curtis

Novice: LL #3Jan. 6 vs. ParisWoolwich: 4 Paris: 2Goals: Coleton Benham x2, Turner Duldhardt, Corbin SchmidtAssists: Justin Burrill, Corbin Schmidt, Ben Wilkie, David Taylor, Ryan BuehlerJan. 6 vs. ParisWoolwich: 4Paris: 2Goals: Coleton Benham (2), Turner Duldhardt, Corbin Schmidt (Justin Burrill, Corbin Schmidt, Ben Wilkie, David Taylor, Ryan Buehler)

Atom: AEJan. 2 vs. HespelerWoolwich: 2 Hespeler: 0Goals: Gavin Wilson, Brendan

GrantAssists: Nathan Snyder, Conner Waters, Gavin WilsonShutout: Nick LeeJan. 4 vs. Erin-HillsburgWoolwich: 1 Erin-Hillsburg: 0Goals: Andrew KieswetterAssists: Nathan Snyder, Tyler BrubacherShutout: James OrmsonJan. 5 vs. New HamburgWoolwich: 6 New Hamburg: 1Goals: Hunter Weigel, Conner Waters, Tanner Mann, Tyler Newton, Brendan Grant, Gavin WilsonAssists: Brendan Grant x2, Andrew Weber x2, Gavin Wilson, Tyler Newton x2, Grayson McGirr, Conner Waters x2, Eric Martin, Nick Lee

Atom: MAJOR AAJan. 4 vs. St. Catharine’sWoolwich: 4 St. Catharine’s: 0Goals: Brett Allen x2, Isiah Katsube, Blake RoemerAssists: Conner Bradley x2, Brett Allen, Nathan Taylor, Isiah Katsube, Keaton McLaughlinShutout: Simon HuberJan. 5 vs. MiltonWoolwich: 0 Milton: 0Shutout: Zach Verwey

Atom: MINOR AADec. 21 vs. GeorgetownWoolwich: 9 Georgetown: 5Goals: Cole Slade, Kyler Austin x4, Alex Hutton x2, Cameron Leonard, Colton SchmittAssists: Brett Strohoff, Tyler Martin, Owen Lee x2, Gavin Roemer x2, AJ MitchellDec. 23 vs. MiltonWoolwich: 1 Milton: 3Goals: Alex HuttonAssists: Owen Lee, Cameron Leonard

Atom: LL #2Jan. 5 vs. TavistockWoolwich: 5 Tavistock: 1Goals: Matthew Yorke, Jonathan Dingelstad x2, Patrick Perry, Simon ShantzAssists: Dante DelCul, Seth Horst

PeeWee: AEJan. 5 vs. DundasWoolwich: 3 Dundas: 1Goals: Bruce Martin, Cade Schaus, Owen LucierAssists: Kyle Bruder, Kyle Deyell, Cade SchausJan. 6 vs. ActonWoolwich: 9 Acton: 1Goals: Austin Whittom x3, Kyle Bruder, Devin Williams x2, Matthew MacDonald, Cade Schaus, Owen LucierAssists: Cade Schaus x2, Kyle Bruder x2, Bruce Martin x2, Tim Mayberry, Kyle Deyell, Noah Scurry

Bantam: AEJan. 4 vs. ArthurWoolwich: 5 Arthur: 2Goals: Danyal Rennie, Nathan Schwarz x2, Luke Charter,

Mathew UhrigAssists: Brett Henry, Luke Charter, Danyal Rennie x2Jan. 5 vs. OakvilleWoolwich: 3 Oakville: 3Goals: Connor Goss, Luke Charter, Connor RunstedlerAssists: Benton Weber, Connor Runstedler, Connor Goss x2, Nathan SchwarzJan. 6 vs. HespelerWoolwich: 8 Hespeler: 0Goals: Connor Runstedler, Connor Goss x4, Nathan Schwarz, Luke Charter x2Assists: Nathan Schwarz x2, Mathew Uhrig x2, Connor Runstedler x3, Benton Weber, Blake Doerbecker x3, Brett Henry, Mitchell RempelShutout: Connor Duench

PeeWee: MAJOR ADec. 22 vs. HespelerWoolwich: 2 Hespeler: 2Goals: Riley Runstedler, Brady MacDonaldAssists: Austin FlahertyDec. 23 vs. BurlingtonWoolwich: 1 Burlington: 4Goals: Brady MaDonaldAssists: Austin Flaherty, Chase MooderJan. 4 vs. GuelphWoolwich: 5 Guelph: 2Goals: Jordan Lee x 3, Evan Gowing, Riley RunstedlerAssists: Riley Runstedler x3, Cole Altman x2, Austin Flaherty, Evan GowingJan. 5 vs. DundasWoolwich: 8 Dundas: 2Goals: Riley Runstedler x3, Evan Gowing, Nolan McLaughlin, Jordan Lee, Daniel Carr, Sammy HuberAssists: Nick Ravelle, Brady MacDonald x3, Chase Mooder x2, Evan Gowing x2, Sammy Huber, Cole Altman x3, Riley

Runstedler, Jordan Lee, Nolan McLaughlin

PeeWee: MINOR AAJan. 8 vs. BurlingtonWoolwich: 7 Burlington: 2Goals: Justin Taylor, Brody Waters x3, Griffen Rollins x2, Jake CodeAssists: Nolan Hislop x2, Justin Taylor x2, Sam Davidson x3, Griffen Rollins, Bart Sherrer, Austin Cousineau

PeeWee: LL#2Jan. 3 vs. New HamburgWoolwich: 2 New Hamburg: 5Goals: Ryan BelangerAssists: Sullivan Keen

Bantam: MAJOR AJan. 3 vs. BurlingtonWoolwich: 5 Burlington: 5Goals: Daniel Kauth x2, Tyler Townsend, Jake Lewis, Jonah BoehmAssists: Tyler Townsend x2, Ryley Cribbin x2, Aaron Weigel, Jayden Hipel, Jacob Uridil, Gareth Rowland x2Jan. 4 vs. HespelerWoolwich: 3 Hespeler: 3Goals: Tyler Moser, Tyler Martin, Brant McLaughlinAssists: Brant McLaughlin, Mathieu Fife, Jonah Boehm, Alex Taylor, Tyler Martin

Bantam: LL #2Jan. 5 vs. BeverlyWoolwich: 0 Beverly: 4Jan. 6 vs. PlattsvilleWoolwich: 2 Plattsville: 0Goals: Nick Langer, Jacob DubueShutout: Terry Chau

HOCKEY TOURNAMENTS

Juvenile: OVER 17Mooretown Tournament

Mooretown, ON – Jan. 3-5Game 1 vs. New HamburgWoolwich: 1 New Hamburg: 2Goals: Josh WadeAssists: Ryan Ament, Alex MartinGame 2 vs. Erie North ShoresWoolwich: 1 Erie North Shores: 3Goals: Josh WadeAssists: Ryan Ament, Jordan MooreGame 3 vs. NapaneeWoolwich: 2 Napannee: 0Goals: Tyler Seguin, Alex AlbrechtAssists: Jordan Moore, Andrew Moore, Seb HuberShutout: Blake ZieglerGame 4 vs. Quinte WestWoolwich: 1 Quinte West: 5Goals: Tommy BearingerAssists: Jordan Moore, Clinton Dechert

Atom: MINOR AASilver Stick Regional

Stratford, ON – Dec. 27-28Game 1 vs. StratfordWoolwich: 3 Stratford: 2Goals: Cameron Leonard, Kyler Austin x2Assists: Alex HuttonGame 2 vs. LondonWoolwich: 1 London: 2Goals: Cameron LeonardAssists: Alex HuttonGame 3 vs. WaterlooWoolwich: 2 Waterloo: 2Goals: Kolin Weigel, Owen LeeAssists: Ethan BirminghamGame 4 vs. WaterlooWoolwich: 5 Waterloo: 3Goals: Owen Lee, Ethan

Birmingham, Kyler Austin, Colton Schmitt, Alex HuttonAssists: Alex Hutton, Evan Roth, Cole Slade, Colton Schmitt, Tyler Martin x2, Gavin Roemer, Kolin WeigelGame 5 vs. LondonWoolwich: 0 London: 2

Atom: LL #2Drayton Tournament

Drayton, ON – Jan. 6-7Game 1 vs. Centre WellingtonWoolwich: 5 Centre Wellington: 10Goals: Matthew Yorke x3, Jonathon Dingelstad x2Assists: Tyson KraemerGame 2 vs. DraytonWoolwich: 4 Drayton: 3Goals: Patrick Perry, Seth Horst x2, Matthew YorkeAssists: Simon Shantz, Jackson Dumart, Jonathon DingelstadGame 3 vs. EmbroWoolwich: 1 Embro: 5Goals: Jonathon Dingelstad

PeeWee: MAJOR AMilton Tournament

Milton, ON – Dec. 27-29Game 1 vs. CambridgeWoolwich: 5 Cambridge: 4Goals: Austin Flaherty x3, Nolan Mclaughlin, Brady MacDonaldAssists: Evan Gowing x2, Sammy Huber, Brady MacDonald, Brad Hale, Riley RunstedlerGame 2 vs. MiltonWoolwich: 2 Milton: 2Goals: Sammy Huber, Evan GowingAssists: Nolan Mclaughlin, Evan GowingGame 3 vs. GeorgetownWoolwich: 3 Georgetown: 2Goals: Brad Hale, Evan Gowing, Austin FlahertyAssists: Daniel Carr, Cole

AltmanGame 4 vs. MiltonWoolwich: 1 Milton: 2Goals: Cole AltmanAssists: Austin Flaherty, Brad Hale

Bantam: ARichard Bell Tournament

Oakville, ON – Dec. 28-29Game 1 vs. GuelphWoolwich: 3 Guelph: 3Goals: Jacob Uridil, Owen Read, Mitchell NewsonAssists: Cameron BrownGame 2 vs. WellandWoolwich: 1 Welland: 2Goals: Cameron BrownAssists: Jonah Boehm, Cameron RoseGame 3 vs. OshawaWoolwich: 6 Oshawa: 1Goals: Owen Read x3, Jonah Boehm, Mitch Waters x2Assists: Connor Martin x2, Mitch Waters x2, Owen Read x2Game 4 vs. CooksvilleWoolwich: 2 Cooksville: 4Goals: Mitch Waters, Jacob UridilAssists: Jacob Uridil

WOOLWICH WILD

Novice: LL #1Jan. 5 vs. WaterlooWoolwich: 4 Waterloo: 1Goals: Ayla Brubacher x2, Paige Woods, Taya DiefenbacherAssists: Emily Sargent, Avery Leech, Madison Martin, Claire JacklinJan. 6 vs. LL #2LL#1: 1 LL#2: 0Goals: Kyla BlochAssists: Ayla Brubacher Kayla ShantzShutout: Annie Sargent

Novice: LL #2Jan. 5 vs. KitchenerWoolwich: 0 Kitchener: 3Jan. 6 vs. LL#1LL#2: 0 LL#1: 1

Atom: BJan. 5 vs. Grand RiverWoolwich: 2 Grand River: 1Goals: Alana, MyaAssists: Maddy, Cassidy, Ali

PeeWee: LLJan. 5 vs. WaterlooWoolwich: 5 Waterloo: 1Goals: Jenna Duimering x2, Claire Robertson, Brigitte Dyksterhuis, Zoe PeevAssists: Jennifer Mitchell, Claire Robertson. Caylee Gallant, Dezarae Kirkey, Jenna Duimering, Abby Hanley, Holly Faries

TWIN CENTRE STARS

Novice: LL #2Jan. 5 vs. WoolwichTwin Centre: 1 Woolwich: 0Goals: Thomas Eggert

Assists: Owen Vanderspiegel, Jacob MonkShutout: Toby Byrd

HOCKEY TOURNAMENTS

PeeWee: LL #1Drayton Tournament

Drayton, ON – Jan. 5Game 1 vs. ShelburneTwin Centre: 2 Shelburne: 5Goals: John Hayes, Ben MoyerAssists: Josh Hubert, Liam Dietrich, Jacob WellmanGame 2 vs. Mt. ForestTwin Centre: 8 Mt. Forest: 2Goals: Josh Hubert x2, Jacob Wellman x3, John Hayes, Carson Higgins, Parker SolomonAssists: Carson Higgins x2, John Hayes x2, Liam Dietrich, Jacob Wellman, Nik Lobrutto, Parker Solomon, Nathan Jantzi, Josh HubertGame 3 vs. St. GeorgeTwin Centre: 4 St. George: 3Goals: Jacob Wellman x3, Josh Hubert

TWIN CENTRE HERICANES

Atom: REPJan. 6 vs. WilmotTwin Centre: 3 Wilmot: 1Goals: Emily Krueger x2, Blythe BenderAssists: Lauren Skanes x2, Avery Bender, Abby Wolf, Val Wolf

PeeWee: LLJan. 5 vs. WilmotTwin Centre: 0 Wilmot: 1

RINGETTE TOURNAMENTS

Woolwich: U12Cambridge Tournament

Cambridge, ON – Jan. 4-Game 1 vs. GuelphWoolwich: 8 Guelph: 1Goals: Maddy Camm x3, Alice Wang, Erica Beuhler x2, Ava Henderson, Madison WatersAssists: Madison Waters, Mackenzie Biesel x2, Erica Beuhler x3, Maddy CammGame 2 vs. OshawaWoolwich: 6 Oshawa: 2Goals: Ava Henderson, Maddy Camm, Madison Waters x2, Brianna Jacobi x2Assists: Ashley Brubacher, Abby Murr, Brianna Jacobi, Ava Hederson x2, Rosie Martin, Maddy CammGame 3 vs. CambridgeWoolwich: 6 Cambridge: 1Goals: Maddy Camm x2, Erica Beuhler, Madison Waters x2, Ava HendersonAssists: Ava Henderson x2, Maddy Camm x2Game 4 vs. OshawaWoolwich: 6 Oshawa: 0Goals: Alice Wang, Ava Henderson x2, Maddy Camm, Mackenzie Beisel, Madison WatersAssists: Madison Waters, Maddy Camm, Alice Wang, Ava Henderson Sutout: Kayla McDougal

BANTAM GIRLS CLAIM SILVER IN SCARBOROUGH

After six hard-fought games, the Woolwich Wild Bantam BB girls’ team brought home silver medals on Jan. 6 from the Scarborough Sharks Tournament. Back row: Rod Martin (assistant coach), Megan Lair, Ryan Meunier (assistant coach), Erika Morrison, Michelle Wang, Meghan Martin, Rachel Weber, Janet Bauman (assistant trainer), Cassandra Tuffnail, Karen Martin (coach). Middle row: Megan Chapman, Karen Lair (trainer), Marlee Kernick, Emily Willms, Jennifer McDonald, Leah Bauman, Sydney Meunier. Front: Corinne Roesink, Megan Harron. Missing: Brooke Mulder. [SUBMITTED]

THE SCORE | MINOR SPORT RESULTS

SPORTS | 13THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

NOT SO GREAT OUTDOORSMAN / STEVE GALEA

OPENCOUNTRY

Finding just the right balance when going out to collect dinner

For an angler or hunter of my stature, there is a cer-tain pride that comes with going out there and collect-ing dinner for the family. Perhaps it can be attributed to some primal instinct that lays buried deep with-in us all. Maybe, this simple act satisfies a patriarchal sense of responsibility.

Or – and this one makes the most sense to me – we just want to get out of the house for a while.

This last factor is cer-

tainly what motivated me to selflessly throw aside all my work and chores and gather ice fishing gear to head out for a morning of lake trout fishing yesterday.

As is usually the case, I was accompanied by my ice fishing buddy who is a paramedic and as fine an ice fisherman as any. By the way, on any given out-ing with me, both skills can come in handy.

He and I headed to a lake where we have had great success in the past. Those waters typically yield good opportunities at lake trout; these are mostly pan-sized but that’s fine with me.

Pan-sized lake trout taste

great.But let’s get back to the

concept of collecting din-ner, shall we?

First, let me state cat-egorically that most out-doorsmen and women go about this all wrong.

I’m not sure if it is a mat-ter of ego or stubborn de-termination and skill, but some outdoors enthusiasts actually bring home dinner on a regular basis.

Let’s call that mistake number one.

If you do this, the fam-ily comes to expect it and this leads to unfortunate responses like drooling whenever you return from a hunting or fishing expe-

dition. This is especially bad if you lock yourself out each time and associate the success with the ringing of a doorbell.

There’s nothing more embarrassing than drool-ing kinfolk, especially if you are just about to intro-duce a new friend to your family.

No, it is far better to ap-proach this issue as I do, which is with a certain amount of randomness. If you do it right, your family will look upon you bringing home fish and game in the same way they look upon winning a lottery – yes, it would be nice, but don’t count on it.

But there is a fine bal-ance between both ex-tremes. For instance, you don’t want to be so random that your spouse faints when you announce that you caught dinner. This is no less embarrassing in front of a new friend.

The best way is to keep them guessing.

And that is why I don’t catch fish every time I go out.

Believe me, it’s not easy doing this, especially when you know as much about fishing as I do. But, over the years, I have perfected a façade of inept and clumsy incompetence that has fooled literally hundreds

of anglers – to the point where it is legendary around these parts.

Yesterday, however, that failed me and, despite all my efforts, I managed to catch my limit of lake trout, which is two with the li-cence I possess. And so it was that I walked into the house and prepared them for dinner for a surprised partner who, thankfully, is not prone to fainting – even after she confirmed that I was the one who actually caught them.

Did this heroic act satiate a primal need? Did it satisfy a deep-rooted patriarchal responsibility?

The answer to both is no.

Sun. January 13 ’13

UPCOMING GAMES | ROSTER | GAME UPDATES & MORE

Dan Snyder Memorial ArenaPuck drops at 2:00pm

vs.Stratford Cullitons

Follow Us on [email protected]

WOOLWICHYOUTH SOCCER2013 Registration Dates

DATE: Thurs, Jan. 17, 2013 TIME: 7-9 pmDATE: Sat, Jan. 19, 2013 TIME: 9-11 am

Breslau Recreation Centre | (519) 669-1000www.woolwichyouthsoccer.com

PLEASE JOIN US • ALL ARE WELCOME

Elmira’s Katie Harnock was one of 12 players selected this week to the Women’s National Wheelchair Basketball Team for 2013.

The roster includes 10 returning players from the London 2012 Paralympic team.

“Our team is a fast, high-energy group and I’m looking forward to

watching our younger players develop and learn from the dedication and motivation of our veterans,” said Bill Johnson, Team Canada women’s head coach.

The teams were selected from a pool of 24 athletes who attended a weeklong selection camp January 2-8.

Harnock named to National Wheelchair Basketball Team

TWIN CENTRE PEEWEE WIN DRAYTON TOURNAMENT

Kings’ Campbell is Midwestern Conference player of the month

ELENA MAYSTRUK

Sugar King Brady Campbell is having a particularly remarkable season after taking play-er-of-the-month honours for the second time.

This week, he was named December’s Midwestern Conference player of the month.

The Kings are in good shape at this point in the season, as they remain third in the Midwestern

Conference standings, behind Cambridge and Caledonia. Campbell has been a big part of that success, says the team’s head coach.

Dean DeSilva said Campbell has been steady in his game this season, earning 18 points in Oc-tober and 17 in November before earning another 18 points during the month of December.

“Overall he’s been very consistent. I think he’s

leading the entire league in goals for, he’s in the top five in points and that’s from his consistent play this year,” DeSilva said.

“We see how hard Brady works every single day in practice and off ice and in games, so it’s nice that somebody outside of our organization recog-nizes that as well. We’re very, very proud of him.”

Campbell is always noticeable on the ice and

is a definite asset to the team, DeSilva added.

The player has also come a long way from last season when he was more of a “perimeter player” who occasionally caught eye of coaching staff.

“We challenged Brady with that this year and this year he is noticeable every time he is on the ice, whether he is in a penalty killing or a power play or a regular shift situation,” DeSilva said.

The Twin Centre Stars PeeWee LL1 team won the ‘B’ Division championship of the Drayton Tournament on January 5. Back row: coaches Rick Higgins, Darren Hayes, Tim Weiler, Jim Solomon. Third row: Carson Higgins, Jacob Wellman, Nik Lobrutto, Ben Moyer, John Hayes. Second row: Caleb Eggert, Parker Solomon, Josh Hubert, Quinn Baxter, Nathan Jantzi, Liam Dietrich, Cole Foster. Front: Blair Gowing, Tristan Palermo. [SUBMITTED]

14 | SPORTS THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

ringette: Ontario ringette can be different from Que-bec ringette,” she said.

One of the biggest chal-lenges, they both agree, was finding the right balance on the ice. With so many play-ers exhibiting diverse styles of ringette it was difficult to find good chemistry, they said.

“Paige plays defence so for her it was finding a good defence partner with whom you have good chemistry on the ice. For me, centre and two forwards who I play well with, that was the

most difficult part, but we seemed to pull it together at the world championships,” Sam said.

This wasn’t the first big competition for the St. Cle-ments players but it was definitely the most memo-rable. The sisters flew to Finland earlier in the year for the World Club Cham-pionships in Finland but came home empty handed, making their latest ac-complishments even more exceptional.

“The next step would be to make the national team,” Paige said.

“It’s making that decision because it is a lot of com-mitment which I’m com-pletely willing to do but it’s just considering everything else between school.”

Tryouts for the Senior national team champion-ships are coming up soon, but the girls say they will likely hold off on that goal until later.

Travel and other com-mitments are something to consider right now as are the costs of extensive travel even despite local sponsor-ship from organizations and businesses.

The sport may not get much outside exposure – even the world champion-ships were not televised – but ringette players all over the world are far from hanging up their jerseys, Sam said.

“Our goal is to help pro-mote the sport and to help it grow more because I’ve never talked to anyone who has watched a high level ringette game and said they haven’t loved it.”

RINGETTE: Having reached the top of the Junior ranks, sisters contemplate play at Senior levelFROM | 11

Paige and Sam Nosal are passionate advocates for their sport. [ELENA MAYSTRUK / THE OBSERVER]

scored at 6:57, but the Kings finished the first pe-riod with three more goals: Jake Weidner at 7:40, Craig

Johnson at 9:18 and Steven Jakiela at 18:53.

But by midway through the second period, El-mira’s 4-1 lead evaporated as Caledonia scored three

goals in rapid succession at 4:29, 5:08 and 6:52. Craig Johnson managed to score a goal at 10:55, keep-ing the home team afloat with a 5-4 lead.

cially in the third period. The game ground to a halt midway through the third period when Weidner suf-fered a hard hit against the boards, and struggled to rise from the ice.

“Other guys had to step up,” said DeSilva of the team’s morale after the injury. “And we did have guys step up, like Zac Coulter: number 18 had a hell of a game for us tonight. He stepped up. Pat McKelvie, he stepped up. Those guys certainly stepped up when the op-portunities presented themselves, and that cer-tainly gives us more op-tions when they show they are capable of that.”

The Kings’ win against Caledonia came one day after a January 5 victory against the Waterloo Sis-kins. As the visiting team, the Kings beat Waterloo after overtime play by a narrow 3-2 score.

“You get a lead, and you take the foot off the gas,” said DeSilva of the team’s sluggish performance in the second period. “It doesn’t matter what we say to them, that’s just human nature. They kind of forget what they did to have that success in the first period, so it’s a learning experi-ence.”

The Kings bounced back at the beginning of the third period, with Stewart scoring a quick goal at 0:42. Caledonia scored again at 2:00, but Patrick McKelvie and Zac Coulter made Elmira’s victory decisive at 11:10 and 13:10. Caledonia scored one more goal with just 18 sec-onds to go, but the Kings ultimately carried the day with an 8-6 win.

Tension between the two teams was visibly high throughout the game, with fights frequently erupting between players, espe-

Things started poorly for the Kings as Waterloo scored at 2:01 in the first period, and then again at 17:28 of the second period. Despite 20 shots on net, the Sugar Kings entered the third period down 2-0.

But the Elmira squad mounted a strong late surge as Mitch Wright scored his team’s first goal at 7:38. Brady Campbell managed to plunk another one in the net at 17:20, just in time to tie the game 2-2. It didn’t take long for the Kings to seal a victory in overtime, with Brandon Stewart scoring at 3:39.

With these two victories behind them, the Kings are on the road this weekend. They face the Listowel Cyclones on Friday and go against the Brampton Bombers on Saturday be-fore returning to the em-brace of local fans Sunday to take on the Stratford Cullitons.

KINGS: Tallying two post-holiday wins, team now faces a busy weekend, three games in three nights

FROM | 11

Elmira’s Jake Weidner scores a goal against the Caledonia Corvairs on January 6. The Kings won 8-6. [WILL SLOAN / THE OBSERVER]

VENTURE | 15THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

VENTUREFOOD FOR THOUGHT/ OWEN ROBERTS

FIELDNOTES

NEW FUNDING / PRESSING FOR EFFICIENCY

Boosting reduction strategies

Ontario has gone from three to two provincially recognized farm organiza-tions, with the National Farmers Union failing to garner officialdom under the Farm Registration and Farm Organizations Fund-ing Act. The NFU is wait-ing to hear why its applica-tion was dismissed in late December, but it thinks its determination to ruffle feathers and its reputation as a naysayer had some-thing to do with it.

Earlier this week the union’s Ontario branch and the national branch issued a joint news release noting they planned to continue representing farmers in Ontario, as well as across the country. “We are not going away,” they said.

Nobody said they should. But anyway, here’s what happened.

All three farm organi-zations – the union, the Christian Farmers Fed-eration of Ontario and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture – applied for accreditation renewal last year, as per normal. By law, they do it every three years.

Usually, the process is

Farmers’ union vows to keep driving ahead

FOOD FOR THOUGHT/ OWEN ROBERTS

ROBERTS | 16WATER | 16

New government program encourages producers to find ways to reduce water usage

WILL SLOAN

‘ELMIRA’S OWN’ Tomatoes

Juicy, vine-ripened, summer fresh flavour, ready SOON!

2191 Arthur St. N., Elmira519-669-3154

BEEFSTEAK TOMATOES

GRAPE TOMATOES

Days20 Days30

Countdown to a NEW crop of

COMPUTERRUNNINGSLOW?PC/Laptop Tune-Up

WE HAVE WHAT YOU NEED... RIGHT HERE IN ELMIRA!

$39Only

Next Day Pickup!

Waterloo Regional Electronics10 Church St. W., 519-669-0755[DOWNSTAIRS BESIDE FLOW CAFE]

See Us For All YourElectronic Needs.


FIRST ON SCENE.SPOT AN ACCIDENT OR CRIME, SNAP A PHOTO AND SEND IT TO THE OBSERVER. WE LOVE BEING THE FIRST TO KNOW!

Bloomingdale farmer Dale Stevanus shows the drip tape irrigation equipment that saves him thousands of gallons in water consumption each day. [WILL SLOAN / THE OBSERVER]

After a summer that saw widespread drought across the province, water conservation is a bigger is-sue than ever for Ontario farmers. This week, the Ontario and federal gov-ernments introduced a $1.5-million initiative to promote water conserva-tion, but some local farmers are already looking for ways to prepare for those hot summer days.

Dale Stevanus, a Bloomingdale farmer, is one producer who has taken steps to ensure that his crops don’t go thirsty. On the Stevanus Family Farm, he spent years irrigating his annual crops of pumpkin, radishes, carrots and other vegetables with regular impact sprinklers, which shoot out water and blanket the surrounding area. Ten years, he bought lines of drip tape, which are laid out amidst the crops, releasing water through holes. Then, Stevanus began to crunch the numbers.

Over a six-hour period, his impact sprinklers used 5,760 gallons of water on a 25-foot by 100-foot plot of crops. After switching to drip irrigation he found that he used only 1,032 gallons over the same space and time.

“These figures point to the fact that, not only do you get the water to go into the areas you want, but you can conserve a great amount of water,” said Stevanus. “With the old sys-tem, we ran the pond dry a

couple of times a year, just because it was consuming so much water. Now we get more life out of our pond.”

Still, even Stevanus’ business suffered at times from the summer’s hot temperatures. “This year, we ran out of water in our

pond, and we had to run some water down from the house to supplement it. But the pond ran out for us in mid-August; if we were still going on with the sprinkling system, it would have run out in early July.”

Not all Ontario farms

were so lucky, and in re-sponse to a bad year, federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Ontario Minister of Agriculture Ted McMeekin announced from Guelph on Monday a new initiative to promote water conservation for Ontario farmers.

The Water Resource Ad-aptation and Management Initiative is a joint part-nership of the federal and Ontario governments, part of the Economic Action Plan’s Agriculture Flexibil-

16 | VENTURE THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

routine and results are pre-dictable.

But not this time. All three were denied accredi-tation by the provincial agricultural appeals tribu-nal.

And that’s a crucial part of the story. Farm-ers join the farm group of their choice and become members, as part of their farm business registration process.

Registering as a farm business qualifies them for farm property tax designa-tion, and for other pro-grams that are important

ity Fund. The government will invest up to $1.5 million towards water efficiency projects. The proposal calls for research studies on new technologies, equipment and practices, along with workshops, education ma-terials and other outreach programs to spread infor-mation on water conserva-tion.

“Managing water more

from a business perspec-tive.

When they register, they indicate by a checkbox to which of the three farm groups they want to be-long. Their $195 member-ship fee is then directed to that group.

But last May, the tribu-nal ruled that an explicit agreement with farmers to become members in any of the farm groups was lacking. A checkbox was deemed inadequate. As a result, farm businesses that registered after mid-May didn’t initially receive registration numbers, and

effectively is an important part of mitigating and adapting to climate change and the extreme weather it brings,” said Ted McMeekin in a release. “Working to-gether to bring innovative practices and technologies to farmers is one of the best paths to a more productive, competitive and sustain-able future for the entire industry.”

“The growing seasons of

2011 and 2012 have been pretty dry, and there are parts of the province where there are a lot of permit-ted water users, and they literally use all the water that is in the creek,” said Bruce Kelly, environmental program coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Guelph office. “This is a short-term project, because there are a lot of folks look-ing at irrigation, especially

with the year we just had. This is an attempt to help get out some good demon-stration projects related to pond design, and getting irrigation tight and con-trolled.”

Kelly said that these new technologies will likely come from other territories. “There are lots of areas of the world that are used to farming with less water than we do – California and Israel and Nebraska,” said Kelly. “We’re not likely to in-vent the new widgets here, but someone from Ontario might turn to California

or Israel to bring in some equipment that has been used elsewhere in the world to control water, and be the first ones here in Ontario, kind of the guinea pigs.”

Of course, much of water conservation comes from common sense, and Steva-nus said a key to conserva-tion is a simple understand-ing of nature.

“During the night, the water will stay where it’s supposed to for longer than during the day, when the heat from the sun will suck the moisture from the ground faster. We get the

best result from irrigating at night, and getting as close as we can to what the plants need so we don’t prema-turely drain our resources.”

And if drought continues to be a problem in 2013, Ste-vanus emphasized that the farmers will need to think ahead.

“If you’re anticipating a dry spell you really have to watch how you use the water, because the irriga-tion really only keeps your plants alive. It helps them grow, but what really brings on the produce to maturity is a good soaking rain”

payments were not di-rected to farmers’ selected organizations.

At the same time, the tri-bunal ruled farm organiza-tions were not meeting all of the regulatory criteria for accreditation.

An appeal to the prov-ince to adjust the regula-tory criteria resulted in some adjustments and the accreditation process was adjusted.

That was November, and it seemed that all was well, at least with the OFA and Christian farmers. Federation president Mark Wales credited provincial

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Ted McMeekin and his staff for addressing the problem.

“The minister and his staff recognized the legal dilemma that has prevent-ed us from being accred-ited and took bold action to enable accreditation,” said Wales.

However, the farmers union says the accredita-tion adjustment didn’t ap-ply to it as it did the others, and it’s not sure why.

Now, farmers can still join the union, but not through the farm business registration process. And

that’s a sticking point, because like it or not, that process adds legitimacy to a farm group.

Certainly, a lot of the farmers’ union members will stay with it. Some like its contrary stance and its David vs. Goliath mentali-ty. For example, in its news release denouncing its loss of accreditation, the union claims it, unlike the other farm groups, “stands toe-to-toe with multinational grain companies, seed and chemical companies and government, and [has] never been silenced. Oth-ers have erroneously col-

laborated with these same players, either directly or passively, to the ultimate harm of farmers. The NFU has never been in that po-sition – where it could be accused of collaborating to the ultimate harm of farm-ers.”

Such divisive hyper-bole, however, is also what keeps other farmers at arm’s length from the union.

Anyway, I’m glad the union is not folding its tent. In a democracy, all voices need to be heard. And there’s no question the union’s voice is unique.

ROBERTS: National Farmers Union says politics at play in loss of accreditation

WATER: Whatever the reason for climate change, farmers will need to do more with less

FROM | 15

FROM | 15

Covered in snow earlier this week, Stevanus’ fields suffered through last summer’s drought, necessitating a considerable amount of irrigation while water was in short supply. [WILL SLOAN / THE OBSERVER]

NOTICE(Land Titles Act)

TO: Any members of the General Public having title interest with respect to Conestogo River.

RE: Lands under Application: Part of Lot 6, German Company Tract, Township of Woolwich, Regional Municipality of Waterloo, shown as Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 on a draft reference plan, signed by J. Daniel McLeod, O.L.S., on December 17, 2012, being all of PIN 22704-0298LT.

SUBJECT TO Easement 712106 in favour of Part of Lot 6, German Company Tract being PIN 22704-0256LT over Part 3 on the said draft Reference Plan.

SUBJECT TO Easement WR178080 in favour of The Corporation of the Township of Woolwich over Part 2 on the said draft Reference Plan.

The said plan is attached to a Notice of Application for Absolute Title registered as Instrument WR733993 and is available for inspection at the Land Registry Office or the office of the Solicitor for the Applicant:

TAKE NOTICE THAT Valley View Heights (St. Jacobs) Ltd., herein called the applicant, has made application registered as WR733993 to be registered under the Land Titles Act as the owner in fee simple with an absolute title to the above described land, being PIN 22704-0298LT.

AND TAKE NOTICE THAT any person claiming to have any title to or interest in the said land or any part of it is required on or before February 12, 2013 to file a statement of objection, verified by affidavit, directed to the Land Registrar at the address of the solicitor for the Applicant set out above. If no such statement of objection is filed by February 12, 2013, I shall proceed with the application and any interest you may claim in the subject property may be thereby extinguished and you may not be entitled to receive any further notice with respect to the proceedings.

Dated at Township of North Dumfries this 12th day of January, 2013.

Craig RobsonSolicitor for the Applicant

Robson Carpenter10 Northumberland St. Ayr, ON, N0B 1E0

519-632-1327 ext 227

Robson Carpenter LLP10 Northumberland StreetAyr, ON N0B 1E0

Land Registry Office No. 5830 Duke Street West, 2nd FloorKitchener, ON N2H 3W5


IN PRINT. ONLINE.

IN PICTURES. IN DEPTH.

THE ARTS | 17THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

THE ARTSON STAGE / LOCAL THEATRE

Death no barrier to this familyPlenty of comedy to go with close-to-home observations in Elora Community Theatre’s A Dying Family Tradition

WILL SLOAN

Emma Barr and J. Seelmann (left) and James Barry and Kate Gregg during a rehearsal of Elora Community Theatre’s new production, A Dying Family Tradition, which proves that death is no obstacle to comedy. [SUBMITTED]

Anyone who had din-ner with their relatives during the holiday season knows that family gather-ings can be gruesome in even the best of times. In the new production from Elora Community Theatre, not even the hereafter can stem the tide of familial angst.

In A Dying Family Tradi-tion, a new play running January 18-26 at the Fergus Grand Theatre, a young woman arrives home from her mother’s funeral to discover that reports of her demise have been exagger-ated. Yes, mother has re-turned as a ghost, and pret-ty soon she is joined by the ghost of her dear, departed husband – and, adding to the intrinsic stress of the situation, a long-lost sib-ling also materializes.

“As you can imagine, madness and mayhem ensue,” said director Robin Bennett, who handpicked the play by Niagara-on-the-Lake-based playwright Diane Lococo. “She often writes about families, and all families, especially families in plays, are dys-functional to some extent, and often with hilarious results.”

Does Bennett identify with any of the dysfunc-tional shenanigans in A Dying Family Tradition?

“Well, as the father of two daughters, yes!”

The cast is loaded with local theatre veterans, including Liz Dennis, Kat Gregg, James Barry and Jason Seelmann. “I’ve done both professional and amateur theatre over my career, and these guys are as good as they get,” said Bennett. “Comedy, as you know, is really all about the timing. As a director, you make choices on how things might flow, and you can direct your actors to at least some extent, but it really comes down to the

actors’ ability to be truth-ful to the text.”

In particular, Bennett points to Emma Barr, a Fergus native and recent Toronto theatre school graduate, as someone to watch. “She’s just start-ing out, and she’s a treat to work with, and I think people will enjoy her on the stage.”

Elora Community Theatre stresses that the show is an adult comedy, in keeping with Lococo’s sharply satiric track re-cord. Journalist Shaugh-nessy Bishop-Stall once

wrote that Lococo “is ruthless in her observation – targeting bores, barons, tradesmen and traitors all with the same laser-point accuracy. No one is safe in the land of Lococo.”

“She really has quite a wit,” said Bennett. “Some-times it’s a very dry wit, and sometimes it’s very pointed. She has a really great way with words.”

Bennett has directed plays across Ontario, in-cluding several by Lococo. In his experience, he has learned the delicate art of directing comedy.

“Often, comedy is best done when it’s played com-pletely straight,” he said. “Plays are about extraordi-nary people under extraor-dinary circumstances. If you play for laughs, it isn’t funny. You’ve got to play for the truth of the text, and you’ve got to play it dead serious, and that’s where it’s really funny.”

The play will run for six performances. In addition, it is an official candidate for the Western Ontario Drama League Festival, to be held in Guelph during March Break. The matinee

on January 20 will include a post-performance public adjudication.

The Elora Community Theatre production of A Dying Family Tradition runs January 18-20 and January 24-26 at 8 p.m. (with a 2 p.m. matinee January 20) at the Fergus Grand Theatre. Tickets are $20 ($17 for seniors) available by calling 519-787-1981, at the box office (244 St. Andrew St. W., Fergus) or online through the group’s website (www.eloracommunitytheatre.com).

18 | CLASSIFIED THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

CLASSIFIEDCLASSIFIED DEADLINE:THURSDAYS BY 10AM

ADDRESS20-B ARTHUR ST. N., ELMIRA, ON N3B 1Z9


CLASSIFIED ADS519.669.5790 EXT 0

[email protected]

DISPLAY ADS519.669.5790 EXT 104

[email protected]

RESIDENTIAL COST$7.50 /20 WORDSEXTRA WORDS 20¢ PER WORD

COMMERCIAL COST$12.00 /20 WORDSEXTRA WORDS 30¢ PER WORD

PLACING A CLASSIFIED WORD AD In person, email, phone or fax submissions are accepted during regular business hours. Deadline for Saturday publication is Wednesday by 5 p.m. All Classified ads are prepaid by cash, debit, Visa or MasterCard. Ask about Observer policies in regard to Display, Service Directory and Family Album advertising.

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

EFS-plastics Inc. is offering an exciting opportunity for a Mechanical Engineer. Our fast growing business is located in Listowel, ON. As a market leader in post-consumer plastic recycling, we are continuously developing new processing systems. As a motivated Engineer you will be a member of our engineering team and designing equipment and process applications for our fully automated produc-tion lines. You will also be coordinating small projects and supporting the Manage-ment with your expertise.

Requirements:- Mechanical Engineering degree- 5 years experience in mechanical design

Qualified candidates are encouraged to send their resume to [email protected]

MechanicalEngineer

- Solid Works, MS-Office applications- Motivated, and working under minimal supervision

Husky Farm Equipment Limited

has the following position available:

PURCHASING MANAGER

A full time position is available February 1st, ordering supplies and material for a complete full circle

agricultural manufacturing operation.

Qualifications include: excellent oral & written communication skills; working knowledge of purchasing in

the metal industry; proficiency in organizational, time-management, administrative and computer skills;

ability to work closely and co-operatively with a variety of

people; attention to detail and strong public relations skills.

Applications may be submitted in person at Husky Farm Equipment,

7440 Wellington Rd. 17, ALMA or email: [email protected]

We thank all applicants for their interest; however only those selected for

an interview will be contacted.

SALE CONSISTS OF: Ass’t Furniture Items; Snowblower; Mattress; Ass’t. Electronics; Watches; Swar; Housewares; Kid's & Adult Clothing; Toys; Linens; Hardware Items; Books; Candy; Consumer Goods; Plus a Large Selection of Other Misc. Items.

LUNCH BOOTH TERMS: Cash, Interac, Visa, M.C. NOTE: Clothes will be sold in large lots, list subject to additions & deletions. Viewing from 4:00 P.M. day of sale. Owner or auctioneer not responsible for accidents day of sale. Any announcement given verbally day of sale take precedence over written ads.

AT K & K LIQUIDATION AND AUCTION LTD.,1011 INDRUSTRIAL CRES. UNIT # 3, ST.

CLEMENTS

MONDAY JANUARY 14, AT 5:30 P.M.

AUCTIONEERS: GRAY’S AUCTION SERVICE INC.,

HARRISTON | (519) 338-3722LICENSED & BONDED

AUCTION SALEOF CONSUMER GOODS

AUCTION

HELP WANTED

A CAREER IS WAITING FOR YOU in the farm equipment industry. We are looking for an AGRICULTURAL EQUIP-MENT TECHNICIAN. The prod-ucts we sell and service are world class which help our farmers grow the very best food in the most efficient ways. Please apply if you want to make a difference in helping feed the world. Please send your resume to [email protected] or to Stoltz Sales & Service, 6805 Line 86 West, Elmira, ON.

I NEED SOMEONE to learn to my business. Must have leadership ability and a strong desire to succeed. Call 519-748-4785 and ask for Don or Jan.

RECEPTIONIST NEEDED. ELMIRA Wellness Centre, Wed. & Thurs. 4:15 8:45 p.m. Fax resume to: 519-669-2351.

WORK WANTED

I AM INTERESTED in cleaning our house weekly or bi-weekly. Please contact me at 226-820-4842.

FOR SALE

MATTRESS AND BOX Spring, new, never used, still in sealed bag. Sacrifice $195. Delivery available. Temper-pedic Memory Foam Mat-tress, new, never used, in sealed bag. Like sleeping on a cloud. No pressure points. Bankruptcy sale $595, box spring $200 extra. Delivery available. 519-635-8737.

AUCTIONS

SAT. JAN 12 at 10:00 AM - Property auction of a 3 bedroom brick bungalow with many updates and large deep backyard situat-ed on the outskirts of Elmira to be held at 174 Church Street west in Elmira for Abram and Anna Wall. Jantzi Auctions, 519-656-3555. www.jantziauctions.com

TOY AUCTION OF Farm, industrial, trucks, cars, tractor trailers, literature & other interesting items, to be held at the K.W. Khaki Club, 2 miles south of Wellesley or 2 miles north of Philipsburg, for Jim Brant, Owen Sound and additions, on Saturday, January 12th @ 10:00 a.m. Gerber Auctions Ltd. 519-699-4451.

WED. JAN 16 at 10:00 AM - clearing auction sale of household effects; furniture; antiques; and miscellaneous items to be held at the St. Jacob’s Community centre in St. Jacob’s for an area estate with additions. Jantzi Auctions Ltd, 519-656-3555. www.jantziauctions.com

AUCTIONS

SAT. JAN 26 at 1:00 PM - Property auction of a 3 bedroom condominium updated and ready to move in located in a sought after area of Waterloo. To be held at 101-250 Glen-ridge Drive Waterloo for Jane Udvarie. Jantzi Auc-tions Ltd., 519-656-3555. www.jantziauctions.com

WED. JAN 30 at 10:00 AM - Clearing auction sale of furniture; antiques; tools; household effects; and mis-cellaneous items to be held at the St. Jacob’s Commu-nity Centre for a Waterloo estate with additions. Jantzi Auctions Ltd, 519-656-3555. www.jantziauctions.com

PETS

PUPPY CLASSES STARTING Jan. 17 running Monday and Thursday evenings for 4 weeks. Contact Shanna at [email protected] or 519-500-3594 to register. www.positivecanineconnection.com for more information.

PUREBRED GERMAN SHEP-HERD puppies for sale, ready Jan. 30. No papers. $500. Please call 519-729-8711.

AUTOMOTIVE

2005 CHEV COBALT. 125,250 kms. Auto, 2.2L, 4 cyl., air, AM/FM, 4 door. Nice driving car. 4 Blizzak snow tires on rims included. E-tested and certified. $4200 o.b.o. Call 519-669-1168.

RENTALS

ELMIRA - SMALL, well kept, 1 Bedroom, above store downtown. Available imme-diately. $535/mth + utilities. Call 519-669-5431.

RENTALS

ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT for rent. No pets, no smoking. References required. $700/month. 519-669-5751.

SELL YOUR STUFF HERE

100% LOCAL NEWS

MAKE THIS SPACE YOUR

HOME!

MARYHILL SEES RETURN OF THE KING

The music and life of Elvis Presley will be celebrated in a special tribute show hosted at the Commercial Tavern in Maryhill Sunday at 3 p.m. “Elvis: The King Returns” stars Roy LeBlanc in the title role, backed by the Memphis Cats Band and features 25 hit songs from the career of the music legend. LeBlanc, who’s performed in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, is one of the most internationally acclaimed Elvis tribute artists on the circuit today, with titles that include “Collingwood Grand Champion” and “Memphis World Champion.” [SUBMITTED]

CLASSIFIED | 19THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

REAL ESTATE LISTINGS

carol@homeswith style.ca | www.homeswithstyle.ca

519-580-8738

Let us ensure your home sale is apleasant and speedier experience.

When you list your home withShanna Rozema, you will receive complimentary home staging with her professional home stager, Carol Kelly.

This will showcase your hometo its maximum potential and assist in selling for top dollar!

Helping you is what we do

Call for details

Shanna RozemaBroker

Carol KellyProfessional Home Stager

[email protected] | www.royallepage.ca/elmira

519-669-3192

Independently Owned & Operated, BrokerageElmira Real Estate Services

$219,900$219,900

Floradale - 1866 sq.ft. home in Floradale with a large lot backing onto green belt. This century home is one of Floradale's originals. This home is priced right for a young family and has great potential . Close to Floradale School and the park. 20 min to K-W. MLS 1241726. Call Alli or Bill direct.

SPACIOUS TWO STOREY

$354,900$354,900

Elmira - Century home boasting original woodwork and hardwood throughout, 9ft ceilings, and pocket doors. spacious main bath and bedrooms with bonus room off master. Fully finished attic with skylights and gas fireplace. Within walking distance to all amenities. Detached workshop. MLS 1241191 Call Alli or Paul direct.

CHARMING AND UNIQUE!

$359,900$359,900

Elmira - Backing onto farmland! Open welcoming front entrance to this, like new, open concept home. The main floor is bright and airy featuring: large breakfast bar, powder room, main floor laundry and is carpet free. The second floor is carpet free, master bedroom complete with walk in closet and spa like ensuite. Appliances are included. MLS 1241487. Call Alli or Paul direct.

PRIME LOCATION!

Our Team will meet your Needs and fulfill your Dreams

$297,900$297,900

Elmira - W/3bdrms, 2baths, living room & family room. Hardwood floor in living room w/vaulted ceiling & gas fireplace. Large master bedroom. Huge recently renovated main bathroom w/separate shower & whirlpool bath. Upper floor laundry. Great yard for entertaining w/deck, shed & natural gas fire pit in fenced yard. Unfinished basement approx. w/9ft ceiling waiting for your finishing touches. MLS 1311089 Call Alli or Paul direct.

FABULOUS HOME!

Paul MartinSALES REPRESENTATIVE

CALL DIRECT

519-503-9533CALL DIRECT

519-503-9533www.homeswithpaul.ca

Alli BaumanSALES REPRESENTATIVE

CALL DIRECT


519-577-6248www.elmiraandareahomes.com

Bill NorrisSALES REPRESENTATIVE

CALL DIRECT


519-588-1348www.elmiraandareahomes.com

$500.00DONATION

will be made with every home bought or sold by

Paul, Alli or Bill inWoolwich.

Solid Gold Realty (II)Ltd., BrokerageIndependently Owned and Operated

3 Arthur St. S., Elmira | 519-669-5426

OUTSTANDING AGENTS. OUTSTANDING RESULTS.

Bonnie Brubacher Jason ShantzBrokerBroker of Record

*Shanna Rozema

When you list your home with Shanna Rozema, receive a Staging Package to showcase your home!! Call for details.Broker

[email protected] | www.royallepage.ca/elmira

90 Earl Martin Dr., Unit 1, Elmira N3B 3L4

519-669-3192

Independently Owned & Operated, BrokerageElmira Real Estate Services

When you buy or sell your home with us, part of our commission supports women’s shelters & violence prevention programs.

2.94 ACRES EAST OF ELMIRA

$899,000.Boardered by farmland and Kissing Bridge Trail, 45’ x 44’ 3 bay shed, 4 bedroom home, finished top to bottom. MLS

OPEN HOUSESAT. JAN. 12, 2-4 p.m. | 2368 Northfield Dr., E.

CONESTOGO – BUNGALOW

$402,000.½ acre mature lot. Upper 3 season sunroom & walkout basement. Spacious inter- locking patio. Cozy three bedroom, 2 baths. MLS

ELMIRA ½ ACRE$649,900.3000+ sq. ft. on the edge of town. Natural hardwood and ceramic flooring. New windows, walk outs to deck and upper patio. Cultured stone fireplace. Double tandem garage with rear access. MLS

ELMIRA COMMERCIAL 2.07 ACRES21,250 sq. ft.building w/updates. Office on main floor and finished 2nd floor. 13750 sq. ft. warehouse with 18’ ceilings. 2 divisible bays, loading and drive-in docks. Zoning is M6 business/industrial with close access to highway. MLS.

CENTURY HOME WITH ATTIC$359,900.Original woodwork, pine floors, original pocket doors and open staircase. Updated kitchen with island. 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Oversized lot with mature trees. MLS

OPEN HOUSESUN. JAN. 13, 2-4 p.m. | 1080 Northfield Dr., E.

BUNGALOW$346,000.First open house at Paradigm’s Bungalow! Welcoming foyer into this attractive 2 bedroom brick bungalow, eye-catching kitchen with large island & pantry, hardwood and ceramic floors, living room offers a gas fireplace and walkout, main floor master with ensuite. EXCLUSIVE

OPEN HOUSESUN. JAN. 13, 2-4 p.m. | 38 Knapp Rd., Elmira

NEW PRICE!

FOR RENT.WITH REAL INVESTMENT YOU WILL SEE A REAL RETURN. MAKE THIS SPACE

YOUR NEW HOME. ADVERTISE WITH US TODAY.



REAL ESTATE LISTINGS

BUILD TO SUIT

Country lot .5 acre don't miss this chance to enjoy sunrises and sunsets. Within 40 minutes KW, or Guelph. High speed internet is available with fibre optic. MLS

COUNTRY LOT .5 ACRE | $73,500

4 bed room home with a big eat in kitchen, new windows, some new floors, new detached garage, on an oversized lot, in a small town 15 minutes from Waterloo. The perfect spot for your family. MLS $280,000

4 BEDROOM HOME! | $280,000

Rare �nd! Centrally located town house bungalow with over sized 1 1/2 car garage and panoramic view of green space w/water reservoir. This tastefully decorated 3

bathroom home features master bedroom with private ensuite and walk-in closets, open concept design w/gleaming hardwood and ceramics. Cozy f.p., CAC, main �oor laundry, lower level has spacious rec room, 4 pc. bath and ample storage. MLS

[email protected]

TWIN CITY REALTY INC.,BROKERAGE

MICHAEL J.SAUNDERS

519-579-4110Sales Representativewww.KitchenerWaterloo-RealEstate.com

HOT NEW LISTING!$319,900

ELMIRA

OPEN HOUSE - Sat. & Sun. 2-4pm, 101 Park Ave. W

FREE Market EvaluationEMAIL: [email protected]

3 Arthur St. S. Elmirawww.remaxsolidgold.biz

Remax Solid Gold Realty (II) Ltd., BrokerageIndependently Owned and Operated

Your referrals are appreciated!

Bert MartinBROKER

DIRECT: 519-572-2669OFFICE: 519-669-5426

COMMERCIAL/ RESIDENTIAL!

For Sale or Lease. Retail space in down town Elmira offers great exposure for displaying goods. Recent renovations and upgrades on main floor and finished basement. Residential 2 bedroom apartment on second floor. MLS. $319,900 Call Bert to view.

ELMIRA BACKSPLIT! Great family home on quiet street features large kitchen with loads of cabinets, family room with gas fireplace, living room with new hardwood, dining room w/walkout to deck, patio and in-ground pool. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, double garage and concrete double driveway. MLS. 359,900. Call Bert to view.

www.thurrealestate.comLET OUR 50+ YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WORK FOR YOU!

R.W. THURREAL ESTATE LTD.

45 Arthur St. S.,Elmira

BROKERAGE

JULIE HECKENDORN

BrokerRes: 519.669.8629

BRAD MARTINBroker of Record,

MVA ResidentialRes: 519.669.1068

TRACEY WILLIAMS

Sales Rep. Cell: 519.505.0627

519-669-2772Office:

$249,900 QUIET NEIGHBOURHOOD. Cathedral ceiling & lots of windows in the family room addition. Oversized dining area w/hdwd. floor. Main flr. laundry, bathrm. and master bdrm. Huge rec. rm. w/high ceiling. Gas heatstove. Newer doors, windows, furnace & deck. Long driveway. MLS REDUCED

LINWOOD - Expect to be impressed with this custom built home on 12 acres overlooking the countryside & pond. Loaded w/extras. Gourmet kitchen. Open concept makes it great for entertaining! Private master suite w/fireplace. Huge fin. walkout bsmt. w/separate entrance. TRIPLE garage. Prof. landscaped MLS

$889,900

OBSERVER FAMILY ALBUM

BIRTHDAY

GET WELL SOON

Janna Leighanne BingemanHappy 1st Birthday! January 12, 2012

A year has gone by, how time has flown. We can’t believe how much you’ve grown. Janna, everyday you do something new. You’ve added so much family joy and crazy fun too! Our “little cookie” is turning One! Janna arrived into this world on Thursday January 12, 2012 at 11:31 pm. weighing 8 lbs. 2.5 oz. and measuring 19.5 in. Lots of love, kisses and cuddles from Mommy Alissa, Daddy Andrew, big sister Julia and big

brother Jeremy, grandparents Lawrence and Jane Bingeman and Linda Stoltz and the rest of the family. Hershey has since become one very protective puppy over our family, especially since the arrival of Janna.

Get Well Soon Josh!

The Minor PeeWee AA team sends Josh Martin best wishes for a speedy recovery! It’s on!

IN MEMORIAM

Stan KleinAug. 5, 1924 - Jan. 16, 2012

Those we love don’t go away. They walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near. Still loved, still missed and very dear.

Rita, Patsy & Steve

DEATH NOTICES

BURKHART, ELI | April 20, 1925 - January 7, 2013 Eli exchanged his walk of faith for life in the presence of his Lord on Monday, January 7, 2013 after a brief illness.

DIEFENBACHER, LORNE EDGAR | Passed away suddenly on Saturday, January 5, 2013 at his home, RR3, Wallenstein, at the age of 76 years.

FORSYTH, DOROTHY MARLENE | It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Dorothy Marlene Forsyth, of Walkerton, at London Health Science Centre, London on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. She was 75. Local relatives are her son Albert and Gail Forsyth of St. Jacobs and her daughter Linda Carter of Elmira.

KING, ERMA | Passed away peacefully, at K-W Health Centre of Grand River Hospital, on Monday, December 24, 2012, in her 80th year. Local relatives are her son Richard (Lisa) of Wellesley.

MARTIN, MINERVA | (May 18, 1927 - January 7, 2013) Minerva (Martin) Martin, of Wal-lenstein, passed away peacefully into the presence of the Lord at St. Mary’s Hospital, Kitchener.

MAYER, MARTHA | Peacefully passed away on Saturday, January 5, 2013 at Chateau Gardens LTC, Elmira at the age of 92 years.

WEBER, EMERSON | Went home to be with his Lord on Sunday, January 6, 2013, at the Fordwich Village Nursing Home, in his 91st year. Local relatives are his son Noah (Pauline) Weber of Elmira.

DON’T WORRY,BE HAPPY.SEE AN IMAGE IN THE OBSERVER THAT YOU LIKE? DON’T WORRY, WE DO PHOTO RE-PRINTS! VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR SIZES, PRICING AND ORDER FORMS.

www.OBSERVERXTRA.comwww.observerxtra.com


519-669-4964100 SOUTH FIELD DRIVE, ELMIRA

CLEAN • DRY • SECURECall

Various sizes & rates

ReimerHyperbarics of Canada

F. David Reimer

Safe, effective and proven for 13 + UHMS (Undersea Hyperbaric Medical Society) Approved indications:

● Crush Injury● Enhancement in Healing of Wounds● Necrotyzing Soft Tissue Infections● Intracranial Abscess● Clostridal Myosistis and Myonecrosis● Crush Injury. Compartment Syndrome● Skin Grafts and Flaps

UNDER PRESSURE TO HEAL

For more information call:

519-669-0220

www.reimerhbot.com

56 Howard Ave. Unit 2, Elmira, ON, N3B 2E1

● Air or Gas Embolism● Thermal Burns● Acute Traumatc Ischemias● Exceptional Blood Loss● Decompression Sickness● Carbon Monoxide Poisoning● Delayed Radiation Injury+ Many More

Established 2000

MUSIC-LOVER GIFT ALERT!

MORE INFO | 519.669.0541EMAIL: [email protected]

MUSIC TRANSFERS FROM LPs, 45s, 78s, CASSETTES TO CD

Your favourite albums get a whole new life on CD after we clean up

the clicks, pops and surface noise.

GOSPEL

COUNTRY 60’s / 70’s

ROCKHIGH

SCHOOLBANDS

•Ratches, Hooks, Straps, Webbing etc.•Canvas, Vinyl, Polyester, Acrylic Fabrics

519.595.48306376 Perth Rd. 121

Poole, ON

GeneralRepairs

Boat Covers | Air Conditioner Covers | Small TarpsStorage Covers | BBQ Covers | Awnings & Canopies

Replacement Gazebo Tops | Golf Cart Enclosures & Covers

6376 Perth Rd. 121Poole, ON

22 Church St. W., Elmira

Tel: 519-669-5537STORE HOURS: M-F: 8-8, SAT 8-6, SUN 12-5

While you wait!While you wait!State of the Art Sharpening Machine

per pair$4.99

5th pair FREE.

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES

GENERAL SERVICES

TIRE

35 Howard Ave., Elmira

519-669-3232

WHERE TIRES ARE A

SPECIALTY, NOT A SIDE LINE.

Farm • Auto • TruckIndustrial

On-The-Farm Service FAX: 519.669.3210

519.669.8917AFTER HOURS

101 Bonnie Crescent,Elmira, ON N3B 3G2

Complete Collision Service

519.669.8330 Call Us At(519)669-3373

33 First Street, EastElmira, ON

BODY MAINTENANCE AT:

RUDOW’S CARSTARCOLLISION CENTRE

THOMPSON’SAuto Tech Inc.Providing the latest technology

to repair your vehicle with accuracy and confidence. Accredited Test

& Repair Facility

519-669-440030 ORIOLE PKWY. E., ELMIRA

www.thompsonsauto.ca33 First Street, East

Elmira, ON

RUDOW’S CARSTARCOLLISION CENTRE

1-800-CARSTAR519-669-3373

24 Hour Accident Assistance

Quality Collision Service

21 Industrial Dr.Elmira

519-669-7652

AUTO CLINIC

www.UniTwin.com | 519.886.2102QUICK LOCAL SERVICE | 245 Labrador Dr., Waterloo

TROPHIES | CUPS | PLAQUES | MEDALLIONS

RIBBONS | NAME TAGS | NAME PLATES

DOOR PLATES | CUSTOM ENGRAVING

RECOGNIZE OUTSTANDING EFFORT!

World’s Largest & Most Trusted Carpet, Upholstery and Fine Rug

Cleaners For Over 30 yrs

Learn More Online At...budurl.com/SAVE139

669-3332

Chem-Dry Acclaim®

61 Arthur St., N. Elmira

NOW ACCEPTINGNEW CLIENTS$139 FREE Gift Offer

ORTLIEBCRANE

• 14 ton BoomTruck

• 40 ton Mobile Crane

& Equipment Ltd.

519-664-9999ST. JACOBS

24 Hour Service(Emergencies only)

7 Days A Week

GENERAL SERVICES

• Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning on Location

• Area Rug Cleaning Drop-off / Pick up Service

• Bleached out Carpet Spot Repair

• Janitorial

• Carpet Repair & Re-Installation

• Pet deodorization • Floor Stripping

ROB McNALL 519-669-7607 LONG DISTANCE? CALL 1-866-669-7607

www.completecarpetcare.ca

OBSERVER SERVICE DIRECTORY

The Sharp Shop | 112-D Bonnie Cres., Elmira 519.669.5313

Mon.-Tues. 3pm-6pm | Wed.-Fri. Noon-6pmSaturday 9-5 | Sunday Noon-3pm

GENERAL SERVICES

GENERAL SERVICES

HOME IMPROVEMENTS SERVICES

CUSTOM TARPS,COVERS & REPAIRS

MAR-TARP

GRAIN/ FORAGE BOX • TRUCK • TRAILER • BOAT AWNINGS • STORAGE COVERS AND MORE!

(519) [email protected]

4445 Posey Line Wallenstein ON.

BAUMAN PIANO

SERVICESTUNING &

REPAIRS

JAMES BAUMANCraftsman Member O.G.P.T. Inc

519-880-9165NEW PHONE NUMBER

Sew Special

Lois Weber519-669-3985

Elmira

Over 20 Years Experience

Custom Sewing for Your Home

Custom Drapery

Custom Blinds

Free Estimates

In Home Consultations

RESIDENTIAL • COMMERCIAL • INDUSTRIAL

For all yourPlumbing Needs.

24 HOUR SERVICE

Steve Jacobi ELMIRA

519-669-3652

SteveCo.SteveCo. Plumbing

andMaintenanceInc.

Taking Salt to Peoples’ Basements Since 1988

519-747-2708

SoftenerSalt &

Pool Salt

Waterloowww.riepersalt.com

> Superior Salt Products> Fast, Friendly Service> Convenient Delivery Times> Discounts for Seniors

FREE BAGIntroductoryOffer

FREE BAGIntroductoryOffer

KENJIORITA

20B ARTHUR ST. N., ELMIRA

TEL: +1 (519) [email protected]

100% SUPERIOR QUALITY CUSTOM WOODWORKING

• Custom Kitchens• Custom Furniture• Libraries• Exotic Woods

CUSTOM MACHININGCNC LATHES • CNC MILLSCNC BRAKE • PLASMA &

LASER CUTTING

We do small jobswith fast turnaround

Martin MachiningLinwood, Ontario

(519) 698-2283

WE’RE AT YOURSERVICE.

We specialize in getting the word out. Advertise your business services here. Get weekly exposure with fantastic results. Call us at 519.669.5790.


Custom Window

Coverings

Shutters • Draperies Wood Blinds

Honeycomb ShadesRoller Shades

Woven Wood and More!Each Franchise Independently Owned and Operated

(519)746-3498www.budgetblinds.ca

Expert-Fit Measuring andInstallation Included.

Ltd.

RESIDENTIAL & AGRICULTURAL

Driveways • Sidewalks • Curbs • Barn RenovationsFinished Floors • Retaining Walls • Short Walls

Decorative/Stamped and coloured concrete

519-638-2699www.facebook.com/marwilconcrete

• Residential• Commercial• Industrial

ECRA/ESA Licence # 7000605

Randy Weber

519.669.1462519.669.9970

Tel:

Fax:

18 Kingfisher Dr., Elmira

www.fergusfireplace.com

WOOD GAS PELLET

CONESTOGO 1871 Sawmill Road

519-664-3800 877-664-3802

FERGUS 180 St. Andrew St. W.

519-843-4845 888-871-4592

HOME IMPROVEMENT SERVICES


ST. JACOBS GLASS SYSTEMS INC.

TEL: 519-664-1202 / 519-778-6104FAX: 519 664-2759 • 24 Hour Emergency Service

FREE ESTIMATES

COMMERCIAL • RESIDENTIAL

1600 King St. N., Bldg A17St. Jacobs, Ontario N0B 2N0

• Store Fronts • Thermopanes

• Mirrors • Screen Repair

• Replacement Windows • Shower Enclosures

• Sash Repair

WEICKERTMEIROWSKI&

ConcreteFoundationsLimited

6982 Millbank Main St., Millbank519-595-2053 • 519-664-2914

Y E S . . . W E D O R E S I D E N T I A L W O R K !

WINDOWS & DOORSROOFING | SIDING | SOFFIT & FACIA

DRYWALL INSTALLATION

MURRAY MARTIN | 519.638.07727302 Sideroad 19 RR#2., Alma, ON, N0B 1A0

HomeImprovements

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL SERVICES

Call Jeff Basler, Owner/Operator, today 519.669.9081 mobile: 519.505.0985fax: 519.669.9819 | [email protected]

YOUR SOURCE FOR YEAR-ROUND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

YOUR SOURCE FOR YEAR-ROUND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

- Trail Maintenance and Development - Wooded Lot Thinning - Pasture Reclaimation - Orchard Maintenance- Industrial Lots - Real Estate Lots

OFFERING A QUICK AND EASY WAY TO RECLAIM

UNUSED LANDGot long grass? Our tracked skid steer

equipped with a forestry brush mower can handle ANY long grass!

All other tracked skid

steer services are available

• Lawn Mowing Packages • Lawn Maintenance & Landscaping

• Top Dressing/Overseeding • Mulch Delivery & Installation

• Commercial & Residential Full Flower Bed Maintenance

• Snow Plowing & Ice Control• Tractor Snowblowing

66 Rankin St. Unit 4 | Waterloo

519-885-282866 Rankin St. Unit 4 | Waterloo

519-885-2828

PLUMBING, FURNACE REPAIRS, SERVICE & INSTALLATION,

GAS FITTING

One stop shop for all your needs.

OUTDOOR SERVICES

OUTDOOR SERVICES


IMPROVEMENT IMPROVEMENT SERVICES

Waterloo Region • Woolwich Township

519-896-7700 or 519-648-3004www.biobobs.com

$275.00/pumpOUT

(1800 Gallon Residential)

OBSERVER SERVICE DIRECTORY

General Construction | 12 Years Experience

Residential & Agricultural • Barns / Shops • Decks & Railings • Poured Concrete • Driveways & Sidewalks •

Siding, Fascials, Soffits • Interior Renovations

FREE ESTIMATES

Call Lawrence Metzger (226) 789-7301Wallenstein, ON

Lawn Maintenance Programs | Spring Clean-up Flower Bed Maintenance Programs

Leaf Clean-up and Removal | Soil & Mulch Delivery & Installation | Snow Clearing & Removal | Ice Control

27 Brookemead, St, Elmira P: 519-669-1188 | F: 519-669-9369

[email protected]

KEVIN DETWEILER OWNER-OPERATOR

Outdoor Services

> Commercial & Residential > Fully Insured > WSIB Clearance > Senior Discount

AMOS R O O F I N G IN

C

CALL JAYME FOR YOUR FREE ESTIMATE.

519.501.2405 | 519.698.2114In Business since 1973 • Fully Insured

• Specializing in residential re-roofs • Repairs • Churches

A Family owned and operated business serving KW, Elmira and surrounding area for over 35 years.

W O R K M A N S H I P G U A R A N T E E D

CFBBACKHOE SERVICES

No job too small. MiniExcavatorAvailable

• Specializing in farm drainage repair/installation• Footing / cellar / eavestrough / drains• Stump removal

6656 Sideroad 19 | RR#2 Wallenstein ON N0B 2S0Call Clare at 519-669-1752

FORRENT

•Tamper (Jumping Jack)•Power Drain Cleaner (Electric Snake)

Specializing in Paint & Wall coverings

27 ARTHUR ST. S., ELMIRA519.669.3658

FOR ALL YOUR HOME DECORATING NEEDS.

DECORATINGSINCE 1961

READ’S

36 Hampton St., Elmira

20 years experience

interior/exteriorpainting,

wallpapering & Plaster|Drywall

repairs

free estimates

519-669-2251

FREE QUOTES

SPRING SPECIAL ON AIR CONDITIONING TUNE UP $99, INSTALLED FROM $1999

FURNACES INSTALLED FROM $2499

FRIDGES $499, STOVES $399, WASHERS $399,DRYERS $369, FREEZERS $199

APPLIANCES – FURNACES – FIREPLACESAIR CONDITIONERS – WATER HEATERS

Come visit our show room1 Union Street, Elmira

[email protected] (519)-669-4600

ELMIRA HOME COMFORT(519) 669-4600

OBSERVER PUZZLE SOLUTIONS

CR

OS

SW

OR

D P

UZ

ZLE

R

TH

E C

HA

LLE

NG

E


OBITUARY OBITUARY

Wilson, John David 1950-2013

Passed away on Thursday, January 3, 2013 at his home in Elmira at the age of 62 years. Beloved husband of Mary Lou for almost 40 years. Devoted father of John and Mandy, Melissa and Ryan Draper, Jen-nifer, all of Elmira, Jamie and Courtney of Kitchener. Proud papa of Gavin, Marissa, Abigayle, Braun, and Jackson. Brother of Bernice (Glen), Donald (Joyce), Ken (Dorothy), and Harvey (Linda). John is lovingly remembered by his many nieces, nephews and their families. John worked for Eugene George, first at Patene Build-ing Supplies then at G.A. Masonry, since he was 16 years old. Predeceased by his parents Elwin and Beulah, brothers Doug-las and George, sister Jean, and nephew Kenneth. At John’s request cremation has taken place. A memorial visitation for fam-ily and friends was held at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira on Sunday, Janu-ary 6, 2013 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. A memo-rial service took place at Trinity United Church, Elmira on Monday, January 7, 2013 at 11 a.m. In John’s memory, donations to the Mental Health Association would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.

www.dreis ingerfuneralhome.com

Martin, Arthur S.

Passed away surrounded by his loving fam-ily on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at his home in St. Jacobs, at the age of 81 years. Arthur was the loved husband of Mary (Metzger) Martin for 58 years. Loving father of Ron (Jean) Martin, Randy (Brenda) Martin, and Jenny Martin. Loving grandfather of Chris (Julie) Martin, Michelle (Dave) Proc-tor, Elizabeth (Matt) Wylie, Kevin (Ashley) Martin, Roger Martin, and six great-grand-children. Survived by his brothers Floyd (Doreen) Martin and Gerry (Peggy) Martin, and sisters-in-law Clarene Martin and Mar-garet Metzger. Predeceased by his parents Alfred and Irene (Sitler) Martin, brothers Lester (June) Martin, Howard Martin, and Orlan (Virginia) Martin, niece Ann Louise Martin, nephew Doug Martin, and brother-in-law Peter Metzger. Art spent his retire-ment volunteering at Habitat for Human-ity, MCC Thrift and Gift, and helping his neighbours. Special thanks to Care Partner nurses Diane, Heather, Jane and Nancy for their compassionate care of Art. The family will receive their relatives and friends at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira on Sat-urday, January 12, 2013 afternoon from 4-6 p.m. and evening from 7-9 p.m. A funeral service will be held at the St. Jacobs Men-nonite Church on Sunday, January 13, 2013 at 3 p.m. followed by interment in St. Jacobs Mennonite Cemetery. In Art’s memory, do-nations to Habitat for Humanity would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy.

www.dreis ingerfuneralhome.com

FRIENDS, FAMILY & LOVED ONES

REMEMBER LOVED ONES

Notice of Public Information Centre PROPOSED REGION OF WATERLOO

SIGN BY-LAW

The Region of Waterloo will be holding a public information centre to introduce a draft Regional By-law respecting signs on Regional roads. The proposed Sign By-law addresses all types of unoffi cial signs on Regional roads including election signs, business accessory signs, farm accessory signs, mailbox accessory signs, open house signs and poster signs. The proposed Sign By-law establishes requirements for unoffi cial signs including:

• Location and placement; • Size, shape, construction and content; • Impacts to the function of the road; • Number of signs and timing of placement; and • Sign removal.

Staff are also proposing an amendment to the Region’s Tourism and Essential Services Signing Policy to allow tourism signage on Regional roads for agri-toursim activities.

When: Tuesday, June 17, 2008, drop in 4:00 - 8:00 p.m.Place: Regional Administration Headquarters (lobby) 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener

This public information centre is being held for the purpose of providing information and receiving comments from the public. A copy of the draft By-law is available for review in the Clerk’s Offi ce, Region of Waterloo, 2nd fl oor, 150 Frederick Street, Kitchener or on the Region’s website at:

www.region.waterloo.on.ca - tab Newsroom, tab Public Notices

If you have questions concerning the By-law, please contact Nancy Button, Manager, Transportation Engineering at 519-575-4520 or by email at [email protected]

If you require accessible services to participate in this meeting, please contact the above noted person by Tuesday, June 10, 2008.

All comments and information received from individuals, stakeholder groups and agencies regarding this project are being collected to assist the Region of Waterloo in making a decision. Under the Municipal Act, personal information such as name, address, telephone number, and property location that may be included in a submission becomes part of the public record. Questions regarding the collection of this information should be referred to the person indicated above.

Nancy ButtonManager, Transportation EngineeringRegion of Waterloo150 Frederick Street, 7th FloorKitchener, ON N2G 4J3

PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE #3East Side Lands (Stage 1)

Master Environmental Servicing Plan and Community PlanPlease join the Region of Waterloo, City of Cambridge and GRCA at Public Information Centre #3 to learn about and provide your input on the preferred servicing and trans-portation option for the development of the Prime Industrial Strategic Reserve Lands for employment uses.

When: January 31, 2013 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Open House format with Presentation at 7 p.m.Where: École secondaire Père-René-de-Galinée (Cafeteria) 450 Maple Grove Rd., Cambridge, ON

A map of the study area is shown below.

BACKGROUNDThe Region of Waterloo, the City of Cambridge and the Grand River Conservation Authority, in cooperation with the City of Kitchener and the Township of Woolwich, are working together to complete the background work needed to develop about 300 hect-ares of land in the City of Cambridge for future employment uses. The outcome of this work will be a Master Environmental Servicing Plan and a Community Plan.

Work will be completed to meet the requirements of the Planning Act and the Environ-mental Assessment Act as outlined by the Municipal Engineer’s Association Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (October 2000 as amended in 2007) process.

The study findings may result in amendments to the Grand River Conservation Author-ity’s regulated area mapping of Ontario Regulation 150/06 made under the Conservation Authorities Act.

PUBLIC COMMENTS INVITEDIf you have any questions or comments about this study or wish to be added to the study mailing list, please contact:

Amanda Kutler, MBA, MCIP, RPP Elaine Brunn Shaw, MCIP, RPPActing Director, Community Planning Director of Development PlanningRegion of Waterloo City of Cambridge150 Frederick St. 50 Dickson St., 3rd Floor PO Box 669Kitchener, ON N2G 4J3 Cambridge, ON N1R 5W8Tel: (519) 575-4818 Tel: (519) 740-4650 x 4571Fax: (519) 575-4449 Fax: (519) 622-6184Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

All comments and information received from individuals, stakeholder groups and agen-cies regarding this project are being collected to assist the Region of Waterloo in making a decision. Under the Municipal Act, personal information such as name, address, telephone number, and property location that may be included in a submission becomes part of the public record.

Accessibility: This event is accessible for people with disabilities. Accessible parking is available. If you require assistance to attend or participate in this meeting, or to access information in alternate formats, please contact Amanda Kutler at least five days prior to the meeting.

OBSERVER FAMILY ALBUM

APPLEJACKS FALL TO DELHI ON HOME ICE

Derek Lebold (#3) moves into position in front of the Delhi net (top), while Josh Herd (#16) and Reid Denstedt move the puck up the ice during a January 4 match that saw the Wellesley Applejacks struggle to hold off their rivals, losing 5-3. [WILL SLOAN / THE OBSERVER]

24 | LIVING HERE THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

LIVING HEREHEALTHY LIVING / BE IT RESOLVED

Start small in developing a case of stick-to-it-ness

With the holidays over, it’s time to start fo-cusing on eating healthy again. Right?

Now I’m sure there are plenty of you that have made a New Year’s resolu-tion to start eating health-ier, get in shape and focus on good health. Those are fantastic ideas and a great way to get back on track after possibly letting things slide a bit over the holidays.

Even if you’re not set on some goal or resolu-tion, taking a closer look at what we are eating and where our food comes from is always a good idea from time to time. In this area, we are privy to so many local food choices. For example, we only use farm fresh eggs from a local farmer named Em-erson Bauman in our café. Free-run eggs taste better, last longer, and best of all you know where they came from. Emerson is a regular vendor at the Elmira Mar-ket during the months of May to October, but you can also buy his delicious eggs right from our café.

We encourage you all to buy locally as much as possible since we are so lucky to have these

Time to get crackin’ on those New Year’s resolutions

RECIPE | 26

ELENA MAYSTRUK

RESOLUTIONS | 26

January 1 is when you finally resolved to live a healthier lifestyle, but less than two weeks into the new year you find your-self looking longingly at that final cigarette you didn’t have the heart to throw out or the last piece of cake at the back of the fridge.

While many people still set those groundbreak-ing goals when the clock strikes midnight, New Year’s resolutions aren’t the only way to get healthy and stay on track. There are plenty of ways to make and keep healthy habits, say specialists at the Wool-wich Community Health Centre (WCHC).

“I think setting lofty New Year’s resolutions can be very stressful for some people because they have yet another expecta-tion, another activity that they are trying to fit into their already busy lives,” said program coordinator Lynda Kohler.

The centre’s last com-munity assessment showed that people who set health goals can feel more stressed out, usually because their objectives are too difficult to achieve. For this reason, Kohler says, “setting realistic goals can also enhance your mental wellness.”

WCHC health experts agree, claiming that though the rolling over of the calendar is a tradi-

Grandiose New Year’s resolutions can add stress to your attempt to be healthier

tional time for resolutions, health goals should be approached practically and with better follow-through.

“For myself even, I try to set goals every week or every month, making them realistic and specific and achievable. … I think it should be engrained in your lifestyle of how you live,” said registered dieti-cian Tiffany Krahn.

Krahn encourages her

clients to pick from a list of specific health changes they want to achieve and start small.

“One of the things is developing self-efficacy – one of the greatest ways to do that is to do the easiest thing first and then you can go on and achieve big-ger and bigger goals.”

The centre’s physiother-apist, Bernadette Vanspall, agrees, adding that when it comes to an exercise re-

gime, start with something you enjoy. When you hit a snag in your new routine, cut yourself some slack and look at how you can modify your goals.

Often we get caught up in a certain routine and do not take obstacles into consideration, she says. If pouring rain or heavy snow stops you from your outdoor exercises, for ex-ample, there are still ways to improvise: all it takes is

a little imagination. “If I have stairs in the

house I can go up and down those stairs so many times; sit down and get up from a chair: if I do that enough times those are good leg exercises and a good cardio workout,” Vanspall said.

What they both agree on is the need for more physical activity all day,

CHEF’S TABLE/ RYAN TERRY, FLOW CATERING

RECIPENOTES

NEW LOCATION!

20 Oriole Parkway E., Elmira, ON N3B 0A5 Tel: (519) 669-1082 Fax: (519) 669-3084

[email protected] www.leroysautocare.net

Auto Care Tip of the WeekOn January 26, 2013 from 10am-12:30pm Kelly of Kelly’s Garage will be performing a complimentary women’s car care clinic at our shop. Contact us to register today.

- LEROY MARTIN

WCHC dietician Tiffany Krahn and physiotherapist Bernadette Vanspall say health resolutions should be specific and achievable. [ELENA MAYSTRUK / THE OBSERVER]

LIVING HERE | 25THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

KleensweepRugs and UpholsteryCarpet Care

COLLEEN

“A GOOD JOB DONE EVERY TIME”

T. 519.669.2033Cell: 519.581.7868

•Mattress Cleaning•Residential•Commercial•Personalized Service•Free EstimatesWest Montrose, ON

MILLWRIGHTS LTD.

• Design• Installation• Custom Fabrication

519.669.5105P.O. BOX 247, ROUTE 1, ELMIRA

MATERIALHANDLING &PROCESSING SYSTEMS

TOTALHOME ENERGY SYSTEMS

24-HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE

RESIDENTIAL & COMMERCIAL

11 HENRY ST. - UNIT 9, ST. JACOBS

YOUR OIL, PROPANE,NATURAL GAS AND

AIR CONDITIONING EXPERTS

519.664.2008

VERMONTCastings

SANYO CANADIANMACHINE WORKS INCORPORATED

33 Industrial Dr., Elmira 519.669.1591

3435 Broadway St.Hawkesville519-699-4641

Skilled craftsmanship . Quality materials .CONSTRUCTION STARTS HERE.

www.freybc.com

21 INDUSTRIAL DR. ELMIRA519-669-2884

Individual life insurance, mortgage insurance, business insurance, employee benefits programs,

critical illness insurance, disability coverage,

RRSPs, RESPs, RRIFs, LIFs and Annuities.

Suite 102, 40 Weber St. E., Kitchener

NANCY KOEBELBus: 519.744.5433Home: 519.747.4388

Truck &Trailer

Maintenance

CardlockFuel

Management

24COMMERCIALFUEL DEPOT HOUR

CARDLOCK

519.886.2102www.UniTwin.com

245 Labrador Drive | Waterloo

CORPORATE WEARPROMOTIONAL APPAREL

WORK & SAFETY WEAR | BAGST-SHIRTS | JACKETS | HATS

woolwichkin.com

Pamper Yourself For A Year Raffle

Draw Date March 10th, 2012.

KIN KORNER

Get your tickets soon!

[email protected]

It’s time to call your Welcome Wagon Hostess.

New to the Community? Do you have a new Baby?

Elmira & Surrounding Area

SHARON GINGRICH 519.291.6763

COMMUNITY EVENTS CALENDAR E-MAIL: [email protected]

SUBMIT AN EVENT The Events Calendar is reserved for Non-profit local community events that are offered free to the public. Placement is not guaranteed. Registrations, corporate events, open houses and the like do not qualify in this section.

PLACES OF FAITH | A DIRECTORY OF LOCAL HOUSES OF WORSHIP WHEELCHAIRACCESSIBLE

NURSERYPROVIDED

SUNDAYSCHOOL

HEARINGASSISTED

Grant’sHands on therapy

“Serving the Community”

• Muscles, Nerves & Stress

• Old & New Injuries

• Family Discounts

• Home Visits Provided

cell: 519-577-3251Grant Brubacher, Elmira ON

19 Flamingo Dr., Elmira • 519-669-3387

St. Teresa Catholic ChurchNo God, No Hope; Know God, Know Hope!

Celebrate Eucharist with usMass times are:

Sat. 5pm & Sun. 9am & 11:15am

21 Arthur St. N., Elmira • 519-669-5560www.wondercafe.ca

Trinity United Church, Elmira“Our mission is to love, learn & live by Christ’s teachings”

Sunday Worship: 10:30 amSunday School during WorshipMinister: Rev. Dave Jagger

A Warm

Welcometo all!

Sunday Worship: 10:30 am

Sunday School during Worship

Minister: Rev. Dave Jagger

47 Arthur St., S. Elmira • 519-669-3153www.thejunctionelmira.com

Finding The Way Together

Zion Mennonite Fellowship-The Junction-

Sunday School 9:30amWorship Service 10:45am

REACH WITH LOVE. TEACH THE TRUTH. SEND IN POWER. Rev. Paul Snow

Service at 10:30am

Sunday School at 9:30am

www.ElmiraAssembly.com (Across from Tim Horton’s)290 Arthur St. South, Elmira • 519-669-3973

www.woodsidechurch.ca200 Barnswallow Dr., Elmira • 519-669-1296

9:15 & 11:00 AM Sunday, Jan. 13th, 2013

“The Beginning of the End”

4522 Herrgott Rd., Wallenstein • 519-669-2319www.wbconline.ca

Discovering God Together

Sun. Jan. 13, 201311:00am

The Mystery RevealedRon Seabrooke

27 Mill St., Elmira • 519-669-2593 www.stpaulselmira.ca

St. Paul’sLutheranChurch

Pastor: Richard A. Frey

Sharing the Message of Christ and His Love

9:15 Sunday School10:30 Worship Service

JANUARY 11

H.U.G.S. PROGRAM – 9:15-11:15 am. Meet with other parents to discuss parenting and child health issues. Topic: Home Day Care vs. Centre Care. Elaine Gardner from Waterloo Home Child Care office will explain the differences in the choices. Childcare provided. Held at Woolwich Community Health Centre, 10 Parkside Dr., St. Jacobs. Call Heidi at 519-664-3794, ext. 237 for more information.

JANUARY 15

COPING WITH ANXIETY AND Depression – A new 7-week program that will offer you an opportunity to learn and better understand what it is that anxiety and/or depression gets you to “think and do.” You will learn coping strategies that could help you decrease the symptoms of anxiety and depression. Starting January 15, 1:30-3:30 p.m. To be held at Community Care Concepts 929 Arthur St. S., Elmira. For more information call Marinela at Woolwich Community Health Centre, 519-664-3794, ext. 235.

PARADISE LIONS CLUB BINGO, 7 p.m. Upstairs at the St. Clements Community Center.

WCS YOUTH CENTRE IS playing Scrabble after school and at 7 p.m. We are going to the EDSS gym for dodgeball. In the evening we are making beeswax candles, come and make one with us. For more information, contact Catherine or Anna at (519) 669-3539.

JANUARY 16

SENIORS LUNCH CLUB AT noon (doors open at 11:30 a.m.) at Wellesley Community Centre, 1000 Mapleleaf

St., Wellesley. Cost $6. Join us for a noon day light lunch and fellowship. Call Community Care Concepts at 519-664-1900 or Toll free: 1-855-664-1900 for more information.

ZUMBA GOLD – STARTING Feb. 7 at 4 p.m. at the Seniors Centre; $2.50 for members, $5 for non-members per class. For more information call 519-669-5044.

WCS YOUTH CENTRE HAS got a full and fun day planned. At 4 p.m. we are experimenting with a new art project called Mimic The Master. We are playing Twister and Kinect Tennis in the afternoon. For more information, contact Catherine or Anna at (519) 669-3539.

WOOLWICH COMMUNITY LIONS IS hosting “Margaritaville” – Warm up the Winter Dance at Lions Hall Elmira, 8 p.m. – 1 a.m; $15 per person, 19+, DJ, lunch provided, proceeds to community betterment. Tickets available from Lions members, W.C. Brown’s Men’s Wear, Pampered & Polished Tanning Spa.

JANUARY 17

WCS YOUTH CENTRE IS headed outside to enjoy the snow! Come and build a snow fort with us, we could use your creativity and muscle. For more information, contact Catherine or Anna at (519) 669-3539.

JANUARY 18

ROBBIE BURNS DINNER. ROYAL Canadian Legion, 11 First St. E. Elmira – downstairs. 6 p.m., first come first served. Steak pie, mashed potatoe, turnip and mushy peas. $7/person.

COFFEE TIME AND MORE! 9:30-11:00 am – Come for a coffee and join in discussing topics that we all face. Share stories and experiences, learn new coping skills. Childcare is provided by trained volunteers. Topic: Understanding Emotions. Held at Gale Presbyterian Church, 10 Barnswallow Dr., Elmira. For more information, call Marinela at 519-664-3794 ext. 235 (Woolwich Community Health Centre) or Anna at 519-496-9757.

PD MOVIE DAY – 2 p.m. at Elmira Branch Library. Movie shown will be Brave (G). Tickets are $1 each and every person attending must have a ticket. Admission includes light refreshments, please no outside snacks. Children 5 and under must be accompanied by an adult. 65 Arthur St. S., Elmira, 519-669-5477 or [email protected].

WCS YOUTH CENTRE HAS got some crazy fun planned today. It all kicks off with a game of Monopoly, followed by Guitar Hero. At 6:45 we are getting active outside with snow pant races, so bring your snow gear and get ready to race. For more information, contact Catherine or Anna at (519) 669-3539.

JANAURY 19

BOARD GAMES IN BRESLAU! 1-9 p.m. Stay the whole day or drop in for a game or two. Enjoy or interested in board games? Come out and meet others in your community who share a similar interest. Wide variety of games including “euro” games, war games, strategy games etc. Breslau Community Centre, 100 Andover Dr., Breslau; $2.

www.elmiracommunity.org

SUNDAYS @ 10:30AM Services at Park Manor School

18 Mockingbird Dr., Elmira • 519-669-1459

Sunday, January 13thThe Church God Blesses

at Park Manor School

THAT CAN’T BE ANSWERED BY GOOGLE. KEEP FAITH ALIVE, ADVERTISE HERE.

THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS

26 | LIVING HERE THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

RESOLUTIONS: Sharing your goals with others could help you keep on track should you waverFROM | 24

not just while working out. Our lifestyles have made us lazy, Krahn says: from opting to take the escala-tor instead of the stairs to driving everywhere, peo-ple eliminate small oppor-tunities to stay physically fit, and the little things do add up.

“As you see more fast food and more convenient living you see the increase in weight and the trend in obesity. Yes, we need to work out, but be physically active through the day,” she said.

If you are set on making that resolution stick this year, two basic principles can help:

For one, telling a friend may help keep you on track and feeling account-able for your New Year’s resolutions, Krahn says.

“Some people put it on Facebook or tell a friend, but if you have some sort of responsibility – if you put it out there – then you are more likely to carry it through.”

The other tip: mix it up, Vaspall says, and keep your exercise routines in-

teresting. “Variety is the spice of

life, so that we are not do-ing the same old things.

You do something new that not only stimulates you physically but mental-ly and even your spirit.”

amazing food products at our fingertips for a good portion of each year. If you’re not sure where to find these vendors, please come visit us and we can give you a Taste Local Taste Fresh map which shows several farms and vendors throughout the region.

This week’s recipes fo-cus on using farm-fresh eggs since eggs are such a great way to fit protein into your diet and are usually an easy sell to the younger members of your family. These are some quick and easy recipes, so as the saying goes, let’s get crackin’.

Frittata6 large eggs

3 tbsp whipping cream

Pinch of salt

Pinch of ground black pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 tbsp butter

6 ounces sliced ham

1 handful of chopped raw baby spinach

3 ounces grated cheddar cheese

Preheat the broiler. Whisk the eggs, cream, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend and set aside;

Heat the oil and butter in a 9-1/2-inch-diameter non-stick, ovenproof skil-let over medium heat, add ham and sauté for one minute then add chopped spinach;

Pour the egg mixture over the ham and spinach, cook for a few minutes un-til the eggs start to set and sprinkle with cheese;

Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the frit-tata is almost set but the top is still runny, about 2 minutes;

Place the skillet under the broiler. Broil until the top is set and golden brown on top, about 5 min-utes. Let the frittata stand 2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, loosen the frittata from skillet and slide the frittata onto a plate.

Cheesy Eggs with Potatoes & Ham

2 ozs vegetable oil (or bacon fat)

4 cups cooked diced potatoes or left over potatoes

1/4 cup diced onion

1/4 cup diced peppers of any kind

Half a chopped sliced ham (or cooked bacon)

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

3 eggs

2 cups of your favourite cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place large pan with oil on medium heat, add pota-toes and sauté until lightly brown;

Add peppers, onion and ham, continue to sauté for another 3 minutes and sea-son with salt and pepper;

Crack the eggs in differ-ent areas of the pan right into the potato mixture, sprinkle with cheese and bake until melted and the eggs still have runny yolks. Enjoy.

CHEF’S TABLE: Putting eggs to good useFROM | 24

VOISIN CHRYSLER LTD.

CALL ONE OF OUR PROFESSIONAL SALES REPS TODAY: RAY FREDERICK, COLIN KROPF, JEFF JOHNSON. All sale prices exclude H.S.T, and License Fee. Fixed rates, based on bi-weekly payments O.A.C. Finance rates are only good for date of publication.

SALE PRICed

361 ARTHUR STREET SOUTH, ELMIRA • www.voisinchrysler.com 519-669-2831

2007 Jeep Compass North2.0L Auto Trany. Power Windows/Locks/Mirrors, Keyless Entry, TPMS Sensors, Temperature and Compass, EVIC System, Cruise/Tilt, A/C, Driver HeightAdjuster Seat, Tinted Windows, Fog Lamps. Colour Tan, 74,600km, $11,900 D#11393

2011 Chrysler 200 Limited3.6L V6 Auto Trany. Remote Start, Power Sunroof, Heated Seats, Dual Exhaust, 6.5" Touch Screen Stereo and Media, Uconnect Hands Free, Auto Headlamps,Power Windows/Locks/Mirrors/Seat, Temp. And Compass, And Much More. Finished in Red, 35,250km $18,900 D#11492

2010 Journey R/T3.5L Auto Trany. Navigation System, Power Sunroof, DVD Entertainment, Leather, Heated Seats, Power, Windows/Locks/Mirrors, 19 rims, New Tires, And Much More. Black in Colour, 76,540km $20,900 D#11419

142@ 5.99%84mths

$107@ 5.99%60mths

$

2010 Ram 1500 4X4 Laramie5.7L MDS Auto Trany. Leather Heated and Cooled Seats, Dual Exhaust, 20" Chrome Rims, Touch Screen Radio and Media, 10 Way Power Seat and Memory System, Heated Steering Wheel, Dual Zone Temp, Uconnect Hand Free, Rear Park Assist and More. One Owner Bought and Serviced Here. 100,256km $27,900 D#11490

[email protected]%

$

2009 Grand Caravan3.3L V6 Auto Trany, Stow and Go Second and Third Row Seating, A/C, Heated Mirrors, Tilt/Cruise, Power Windows/Locks/Mirrors, Keyless Entry, Nice One Owner Van, Finished in Red, 122,458km $10,900 D#11491

122@ 5.99%84mths

$

2012 Fiat 500 Sport1.4L Auto Trany. Power Sunroof, Power Locks/Windows/Mirrors, Keyless Entry, Uconnect Hands Free Communication, 16'' Aluminum Rims, Fog Lamps, CD, A/C, Spoiler, Cruise/Tilt, Sirius Radio. Finished in Azzurro Blue 21,900km $17,900 Daily Rental, D#11366

2012 Town & Country3.6L Auto Trany. Navigation, Power Doors and Lift gate, Power Sunroof, Dual DVD Centre, Stow and Go, Rear Air and Heat, Power Rear Windows, Keyless, And So Much More. Daily Rental Finished in Silver, 26,250km D#11330

199@ 5.99%84mths

$

[email protected]%72mths

$

2008 Caliber SXT2.0L Auto Trany. Sunroof, Brand New Tires, Power Windows/Locks/Mirrors, Keyless Entry, 17' Aluminum Rims, Tilt, A/C, Height Adjustable Seat, Tire Pressure Monitor System, Side Air Bags, Tinted Glass. Silver, 60,200km $11900, One Owner D#11392

10760 [email protected]%

$

2007 Dodge Nitro3.7L Auto Trany, 20' Chrome Rims, Power Sunroof, Leather Heated Seats, Power windows / Locks /Mirrors, Keyless Entry, Sunscreen Glass, Trailer Tow, Very Nice. One Owner Car. Finished in White, 112,300km $13,900 D#11420

109b/w 72mths

@5.99%

$

2011 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Ext.3.8L Auto. Navigation, Uconnect Hands Free, Remote Start, Dual Top Group, Call of Duty Package, Sirius Radio, Power Windows/Locks, Keyless Entry, Auto Temp Control, 3 piece Hard Top, Tail Lamp Guards. Black in Colour. 53,300 km $28,900 D#11306

244b/w 84mths

@5.99%

$

129@ 5.99%84mths

$

ABOUT THE AUTHORChef Ryan Terry owns FLOW Café & Catering in Elmira. More information can be found at his website, www.flowcatering.ca.

Vanspall and Krahn agree careful planning of new healthy routines is one way to keep you on track. The other is having fun. [ELENA MAYSTRUK / THE OBSERVER]

LIVING HERE | 27THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

STRANGE BUT TRUE / BILL & RICH SONES PH.D.

WEIRDNOTES

OBSERVER CROSSWORD PUZZLERSUDOKU - THE CHALLENGE

Master just the right tone and you might get your dog to laugh along with you

Q. What’s wrong with your jokes that your dog doesn’t laugh at them?

A. Don’t blame your jokes but your manner of trying to elicit your dog’s laughter, says University of British Columbia be-haviorist Stanley Coren in “Discover” magazine. The best way is to imitate the sound of a dog laughing, though this will take some careful moni-toring of your mouth’s shape.

Step #1: Round your lips slightly to issue a breathy, unvoiced “hhuh” sound. Note that “if you touch your throat while making this sound, you should not feel any vibrations.” Step #2: Using an open-mouthed smiling expres-sion, make an “hhah” sound -- again breathy and unvoiced. Step #3: Combine Steps 1 and 2 to create canine laughter sounds like “hhuh-hhah-hhuh-hhah.” Do this right, Coren says, and you just might “get your dog to sit up, wag his tail, approach you from across the room and even laugh along.”

Q. Can you solve for X

in the following equa-tion: 0.5X = 100? What happened to the guy who couldn’t?

A. A friend of “Scien-tific American” colum-nist Steve Mirsky had dreams of becoming an automotive engineer and so worked on arithmetic calculations like 0.5 times 100. After many hours, he figured out the answer was 50. But he couldn’t make the leap to crack-ing the above equation, leading him to conclude that he might do better as an automotive insur-ance adjustor rather than spinning his wheels trying to master automotive engineering.

So this is what he did, says Mirsky, later becom-ing an invaluable resource whenever the columnist’s car was “struck by some HA” (horse’s a--). What the friend failed to realize was that the equation was hardly tougher than the straight-forward calculation he correctly performed: If you start with the equa-tion 0.5X = 100, the first step is to divide both sides by 0.5, yielding 0.5X/0.5 = 100/0.5. The second step is to cancel out the 0.5’s on the left side, leaving X = 100/0.5, or X = 200.

Q. Can psychics see into the future?

A. “Although one might wish for a psychic stock forecaster, the tallied fore-casts of ‘leading psychics’ reveal meager accuracy,” says David G. Myers in “Psychology: 10th Edi-tion.” For example, during the 1990s, contrary to the tabloid psychics, “Ma-donna did not become a gospel singer, the Statue of Liberty did not lose both its arms in a terrorist blast, Queen Elizabeth did not abdicate her throne to enter a convent.” More recently, psychics completely missed the 9/11 tragedy and, despite a $50 million reward, failed to help locate Osama bin Laden. Predicting the

impending stock crashes in 2008 also eluded them. And after a mine col-lapsed in 2010 trapping 33 miners, the Chilean government reportedly turned to four psychics who pronounced the min-ers dead. Sixty-nine days later, all 33 were rescued. Concludes Myers, “In 30 years, unusual predic-tions have almost never come true, and psychics have virtually never an-ticipated any of the year’s headline events.”

ACROSS1. Fed. construction overseer4. Rice cooked in broth10. Boat propellers14. Medical advice, often16. Like17. History Muse18. Unable to perceive20. Exile isle21. Interpret wrongly22. The act of looking out24. Make sense, with “up”25. A military facility28. Comp. monitor, for short30. Brewer’s equipment31. Absolute32. Streak of light in the sky37. A sum of money paid38. R-rated, maybe39. “Beetle Bailey” dog43. Edible muscle 45. Political movement by Chinese youths47. A short time48. 100 cents50. Grow teeth

51. drawings telling a story53. Garbage57. Kind of income58. Disobeyed a zoo sign?59. Swelling waves62. Backstabber64. Of the tea shrub65. Entices others into wrongdoing69. “Giovanna d’___” (Verdi opera)70. Tending to cause increases74. Gross75. To forecast76. Halftime lead, e.g.77. 1987 Costner role78. Tended; of a fire79. “Help!”

DOWN1. Sinister2. 18-wheeler3. Dangerous biters4. ___ Piper5. Babysitter’s handful

6. On, as a lamp7. “Aladdin” prince8. Party handout9. Family of psychoanalysts10. Feral feline11. Exhaustive12. A pentose sugar13. Heavy rain15. Tumour; mixture of tissues16. Bunch19. Cabernet, e.g.23. As a result25. [That’s awful!]26. “Back in the ___”27. Essential oil28. Go after29. Rolls-___30. Travelling about32. Erupt33. ___ el Amarna, Egypt34. Arm35. Organic compound36. Actress Winona39. Off key40. California border lake

41. Current42. “What are the ___?”44. “The possession of fools”: Herodotus46. “___ lost!”49. Sonata, e.g.51. ___ gin fizz52. Feline mammal53. Acquire54. Passionate55. Intense adverse criticism56. Two or more metallic elements60. A homeless child61. “Otherwise...”62. Curb, with “in”63. “Much _ About Nothing”65. Fastener66. Bounders67. “Cogito ___ sum”68. Bakery selections71. Away72. 100 qintars73. “___ we having fun yet?”

SOLUTION: on page 22

SOLU

TION:

on

page

22

ABOUT THE AUTHORS Bill a journalist, Rich holds a doc-torate in physics. Together the brothers bring you “Strange But True.” Send your questions to [email protected]

OBSERVER TRAVELS

Punta Cana, Dominican

Ross and Joan Lackner visited Punta Cana for a wedding on December 12, 2012 at 12:00, the most popular wedding date of the year. While relaxing by the pool, they posed for a photo with the Observer.

LOCATION

CAPTION

OBSERVER SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

HOW TO PLAY: Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 only once. Each 3x3 box is outlined with a darker line. We have got you started with a few numbers already placed in the boxes.

SOLU

TION

S: 1.

FOOT

PRIN

T 2. S

NOW

MAN’

S FA

CE 3.

SLE

D RO

PE 4

. SNO

W-

MAN

S AR

M 5

. SHO

VEL H

ANDL

E 6.

BOY

S HA

T 7.

SNOW

MAN

’S B

UTTO

NS

28 | BACK PAGE THE OBSERVER | SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

The FanTABulousWinter Sale!

January 7 - 27

A P P L E I T H E B A Y I H & M I B A T H & B O D Y W O R K S I W I N N E R S I P I N K519-886-5500 I conestogamall.com I Mon-Fri 9:30 am - 9 pm I Sat 9:30 am - 6 pm; Food Court open to 7 pm I Sun Noon - 5 pm

What do you get when you combine fantastic and fabulous? The FanTABulous

Winter Sale, of course! The most FanTABulous savings of the season are yours for the taking, so hurry in because

you know the best stuff goes fast!

WINTER STORE HOURS

W.C. BROWN & SONSMENS CLOTHIER • TAILORS • DRY CLEANING & ALTERATION SERVICES • COMPANY UNIFORMS

Uptown Elmira | 519-669-1152 | www.BrownsMenswear.com

JANUARY

STORE WIDE SALE QUALITY MENS FASHION

CLEARANCE

Some exclusions apply | Sale ends Febuary 2, 2013

OFF70%

OFF10%CRUISE & RESORT

WEARCRUISE & RESORT

WEAR

OFF10%Monday ClosedTuesday 9am-6pmWednesday 9am-6pmThursday 9am-8pmFriday 9am-8pmSaturday 9am-5pm

UP TOCream of the Crop!

Challenger has immediate openings for:

• Single and Team (based in ON, QC, BC, AB)• Regional (based in BC, AB)• Newly Licensed Drivers (based in ON, QC, BC)

Drivers are our greatest asset!

Part time andSeasonal DriversWelcome!

We go the Distance

Call us today and put your career on the path of your choice:T 1 800 334 5142 F 1 888 876 0870E [email protected] W www.challenger.com

Find us onOther opportunities:

Challenger Woolich Observer 5.0375x6.8:Challenger Woolich Observer 5.0375x6.8 12/30/12 9:30 PM Page 1

January 12, 2013

Documents

Transcript of January 12, 2013