December 15, 2022

Municipalities have concerns about Bill 23

STAFF AT WOOLWICH AND WELLESLEY townships are raising what they see are red flags about the recently passed Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act.

The wide-reaching bill affects multiple pieces of legislation at once. Last week, Woolwich planning staff presented to council a report outlining Bill 23’s impacts on the municipality. Wellesley Township staff submitted comments to the province on the bill last month.

In these documents, staff outline their issues including the bill’s financial implications, limits to public input in the planning process, its possible negative effect on the environment, the transfer of authority from upper to lower tier municipalities and lack of municipal control over neighbourhoods.

Bill 23 exempts or discounts development charges in various circumstances, including for affordable and non-profit housing and rental units.

Staff at both townships say they are worried this will reduce their capacity to fund the infra-

MPP points to the need to fast-track housing as municipalities worry about impact of legislation →

structure needed for growth, that infrastructure projects and services could be eliminated, costs be passed on to existing taxpayers, or townships may be forced to rely on debt. Woolwich notes it already has an exemption on development charges for affordable housing.

The Ford government says municipalities are charging developers too much for development and that these charges are passed on to the homebuyer, adding significantly to the cost of housing. It also maintains municipalities are sitting on the development charges and not using them correctly.

“Municipal fees are adding an average $116,900 to the cost of a single-family home in the GTA. At current interest rates of 5.69 per cent, this adds approximately $812 to a homebuyer’s monthly mortgage payment over 20 years,” said Matt Carter, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “These fees have only been accumulating in reserves. The province estimates that municipalities across Ontario have about $9 billion in unspent development charge reserves.”

Leah Gerber

Observer Staff

Santa Claus was the star of the show during the Christmas Tyme in Wellesley parade last Friday night in the village.

Bill Atwood

shop in Elmira for three months

Bill Atwood Observer Staff

A STAPLE IN THE COMMUNITY will be getting some upgrades to better serve its customers.

In January, the MCC Thrift & Gift in Elmira will be closing for renovations lasting three months.

The work is expected to get underway January 20 and run into April.

“We’ve determined that it’s time within this building to make some renovations to update and we had some [accessibility] situations that we needed to look after. So we’re going to take the advantage and do all of that at one time,”

said general manager Debbie Siertsema.

While MCC did look at moving to another location in Elmira, renovating turned out to be the best option, Siertsema said.

“We obviously don’t want to leave town. We wanted to find a space here in town, and we’re not being successful. So this was the best way for us to ensure that we we’re up to date for shopping and accessibility. It was time to maybe just change this up,” she added.

There will be a number of changes at the building that was once home to the Stone Crock restaurant, including making the

entrance, change rooms and washrooms more accessible. This will allow the store to serve a wider range of customers, and “make sure that they’re comfortable in our space as well,” Siertsema noted.

Other changes will include removing the interior walls while leaving the support poles, closing in some of the windows and installing LED lighting. The heating and air conditioning systems will be upgraded, as will the children’s area. The basement and processing area will be upgraded to allow volunteers and staff to work more effectively.

ing, Siertsema explained “[We’re] trying to get our head around the whole big picture of it has really been interesting. But we know that our community will support us.”

While the store will lose three months’ worth of revenue, that is the time of year when it experiences its lowest sales volumes. The store will continue to collect donations at a yet-to-be-determined location.

These changes will help make it feel like “a great retail shop that people want to come to,” said Siertsema.

“We’re currently talking

It is a massive undertak- → MCC 9

Having already spent some $120 million on the project, the province is unlikely to halt work on the new Highway 7 between Kitchener and Guelph, say local officials. The Ford government is reviewing its finances, however, meaning there’s currently no timeline for completing the highway. Some construction work began in 2015. From the Dec. 13, 2018 edition of The Observer

Woolwich council approves funding for Pride event

A PRIDE EVENT PLANNED FOR Elmira next June won financial support from Woolwich this week. A grant of $1,775 was approved as councillors heard from others requesting funding from the township’s 2023 budget.

Pre-budget approval was given to the Woolwich Pride committee to allow for some certainty as organizers put together the first event. Some $100,000 in requests from a host of organizations will be decided on during the budget process that picks up in earnest next month.

Standard funding requests for the likes of Woolwich Community Services, Community Care Concepts and Woolwich Counselling Centre are joined in the 2023 mix by new applications from the Elmira Homecoming 100th Anniversary Committee ($5,000), Food4Kids Waterloo Region ($25,000), Junior Achievement of South Western Ontario ($4,000) and the Woolwich Pride Committee.

Councillors meeting Monday night heard directly from the Pride organizers, who made their case for funding the event, which is scheduled for June 17 at Gibson Park in Elmira.

“It’s about providing a safe and affirming place for our children to grow and flourish, and feel they’re supported and cared for. It’s to provide them with

role-modelling, as adults that actively work to include others that may be different from you and not to malign them,” said committee member Shari DeCaire, an Elmira resident.

“It’s to provide visibility to both our LGBTQ+ youth and others to show that there’s strength in our diversity and a place at our table for everyone.”

The bid won unanimous support from council.

“I think this is a wonderful event,” said Coun. Kayla Grant. “I look forward to celebrating Pride in Woolwich this year.”

“I would think the council could get behind supporting something like this given some of the history around some of these discussions. It’s the appropriate thing to do,” added Coun. Nathan Cadeau in backing the pre-budget request.

Along with the $1,775 grant, the township will be providing some in-kind support for the event, including staff resources and promotional space on the website, noted Woolwich clerk Jeff Smith.

Council also heard from Food4Kids Waterloo Region executive director Lorri Detta. The organization is making a first-time request for funding in the amount of $25,000.

Food4Kids addresses food insecurity for children reliant on school food programs during times when they’re not in school, including weekends and holidays. Some 3,000

Woolwich council this week cleared the way for an expansion at the law offices of Woods, Clemens, Fletcher & Cronin, approving a zone-change application for the property at 9 Memorial Ave. in Elmira. The change to commercial C-2 zoning from residential will allow the rear of the property to house a 2,400-sq.-ft. addition and a 16-space parking lot.

Elmira commercial zone From the archives

MCC Thrift Elmira general manager Debbie Siertsema says the renovations will help the store become more accessible and serve a wider customer base. Bill Atwood

Steve Kannon Observer Staff

BILL 23: Changes to development charges have municipalities eyeing general tax increases

“The status quo isn’t working,” said Kitchener-Conestoga MPP Mike Harris. “We’ve made it very clear that we’re going to put rules in place that will allow municipalities to incent home builders to build more purposebuilt rentals and more affordable, true affordable homes, and also ways to make sure that there is housing choice.”

He said that the increase in the municipal taxpayers base should help make up for the shortfall from the missing development charges.

According to Woolwich calculations, the township does not have enough in reserve to fund all the infrastructure projects needed to accommodate growth through 2026.

Now, “the township will need to borrow funds through external debt to finance the development charges portion of these projects,” says the staff report.

“I would say it’s a mischaracterization to say we’re sitting on a pile of money,” said Tim Van Hinte, the director of planning for Wellesley Township.

Richard Petherick, Woolwich’s director of finance, takes exception to the suggestion that municipalities are abusing development charges.

“This could not be further from the truth,” he said. “ The Development Charges Act spells out the public process which municipalities are obligated to follow.”

Petherick noted that the collection and use of development charges is a transparent process that includes ample reporting, all available to the public.

“Development charges are meant to have growth pay for growth costs. The existing taxpayers should not be left paying for growth; this should be paid for by those creating the growth, as they will be the ones who benefit the most from any new infrastructure,” he said.

Petherick noted there are many costs the developer is responsible for when building a new subdivision, such as roads, water, sewer and storm infrastructure or sidewalks.

“All of these costs will naturally form part of the cost of each home being built,” he said.

“Development charges are meant to capture the increase costs that will support the growth of these new houses, which could potentially mean upgrades to roads, upsizing water and sewer pipes to accommodate increased flows and again would form part of the cost of each home being built.”

The bill could even cause townships to decide not to construct or upgrade infrastructure, and translate to fewer homes built, he added.

Woolwich staff point out that the changes to the Planning Act would remove the ability for members of the public to appeal a council or committee of adjustment decision. It also removes public meeting requirements for draft plans of subdivision and allows the minister to be able to amend an official plan without request to council or hearing, among other changes.

Deanne Friess, Woolwich’s director of development services, argues the alterations could be problematic.

“Changes in Bill 23 limit who can comment, who

can appeal and what can be commented on. This may make this process much more difficult to ensure that we are developing responsibly with fulsome consultation,” she said.

Opponents say Bill 23 erodes local democracy, a point Harris disputes.

“I have to disagree,” he said, pointing to democracy in action.

He notes the townships just finished exercising local democracy through local elections. As well, in the recent provincial election, he won his riding by more than 4,000 votes, and the Progressive Conservative government won the election with 83 ridings while campaigning on building more housing.

“So if people were so concerned about what was going to happen, I would think they may have voted differently,” he said.

When asked if the province is planning to advocate for the federal government to slow down immigration in order to catch up on its housing and health crises, Harris said the province has little say in immigration policy given that it falls under

federal jurisdiction.

He said the province has grown very quickly and it has been challenging to keep pace, noting 15 to 20 years of poor planning and challenges has been a problem, that more workers are needed, and that slowing immigration down might not be the answer to the province’s problems.

Other issues township staff brought up were the transfer of planning authority away from upper tier municipalities, making it unclear how region-wide planning and infrastructure services like sewage and water treatment will be carried out and putting strain on the resources of smaller municipalities. They also brought up potential impacts on the environment due to removing conservation authorities’ ability to give natural heritage input, which staff say they rely on and will now need to pay for more external reviews to replace. Bill 23 also eliminates municipal input into site plan approval for projects with ten units or less, a large percentage of the projects in the townships.

GRANTS: Groups making bids for funds

children in the region suffer from severe hunger, she said, noting the group currently has the resources to help about a third of those kids.

In Woolwich, the number of children with food insecurity sits at about 290, with Food4Kids estimating 25 to 50 fall into the kind of need that the organization serves.

Detta noted just eight are currently receiving help due to a lack of funding.

Annual food costs are about $1,000 per child, with volunteers looking after the collecting, sorting and delivering of food to the children. The $25,000 grant request would cover off 25 kids in the township.

“We provide critical food packages directly to kids who have been identified as being at risk or experiencing chronic hunger,” said Detta, noting Food4Kids is currently feeding 1,050 kids, ages 1 to 14, in 65 schools in the region.

The group’s request will be part of the mix in the 2023 budget deliberations.

In 2022, the township allocated $85,494.

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Area producer new president of farm group

Gerber Observer Staff

JENN PFENNING, FAMILY CO-OWNER OF Pfenning’s Organics farm near New Hamburg, has been elected as president of the National Farmers Union (NFU).

The vote was held at the organization’s convention in Saskatoon November 24-26.

The NFU is a farm organization focused on family farms, agroecology and food sovereignty. It was founded in 1969 when the Saskatchewan Farmers Union, the Ontario Farmers Union, the Farmers Union of British Columbia, the Farmers Union of Alberta and Maritime farmers joined together.

Pfenning says she was nominated by the outgoing president.

“I think that the NFU policies, advocacy and the way we’ve developed policies and issues is critically important and that is something I’m going to work to make heard in more spaces,” she said.

Pfenning says it was the previous experience of being nominated for women’s president at the NFU that opened the door for her to become involved in leadership at community and national levels.

“I quickly learned how much I enjoyed talking about things that matter to farmers and rural communities.”

Pfenning said the main issues she wants to tackle include environment, climate change, mental health for farmers, and other social justice issues. She wants to connect with members and leadership across the country and listen to how they need to be heard, as well as find ways to work together with other farming organizations in the country.

“We’re facing climate change impacts as farmers. In many ways we are a frontline for that. We see it in how we farm.

“So policies that I will be working to act on as president is to ensure that the government is coming to the table with regulations that support our ability to adapt to climate change, and mitigate our own impacts on the environment that are driving climate change,” she said.

“We have to grow food. Everybody has to eat. And how do we create frameworks that support our ability to continue to do that, in the face of climate change? How do we get the government to understand what it is we need in order to face that challenge?”

She also wants to help with farmers’ mental health.

“It’s been said that it’s a hidden crisis,” she said.

“Each section of society has its own unique challenges,” she said. “I understand the farming ones specifically because I

am a farmer.”

Mara Shaw is the executive director of the National Farmers Union.

She says Pfenning has been a member with the NFU for at least 20 years and has shown leadership in the organization, recently as

chair of the Migrant Worker Solidarity Working Group, where she was “advocating for better conditions and a path to citizenship for Canada’s foreign agricultural workers.”

Pfenning is no stranger to public service, having

sat as councillor for Wilmot Township from 2018 to 2022.

She currently sits on the Wilmot Trails Advisory Committee and helped create the Baden Hills trails. She also was a member of the Sustain-

ability Working Group, volunteers to plant trees with Let’s Tree Wilmot, volunteers with the Family Resource Centre, is a member of the Wilmot Horticultural Society, and other Wilmot groups.

She is heavily involved with advocating on a national and local level for migrant workers’ rights as the Canadian representative on the Migration Collective for La Via Campesina, International Peasant’s Movement, chair of the Migrant Worker’s Solidarity Working Group for the National Farmers Union.

She is also involved with the Organic Council of Ontario and the Food System Roundtable of Waterloo Region.

Pfenning addressed the concept of burnout. She’s had to learn how to say no, but she also says she feels fueled by working to make her community better.

“I get something from doing the work. I personally have a deep need to serve my community and I have done that in various ways over the years.

“It’s been about not being able to stay quiet. And if I can’t stay quiet, finding a place to make that voice useful is important,” she said. “Things that are worth doing are rarely easy. Because I care so much about where the world is going, and what’s happening around me, → NFU 24

Leah

Jenn Pfenning was elected president at the NFU convention last month in Saskatoon. Leah Gerber

Jenn Pfenning has a full agenda after being elected to head the National Farmers Union

Digital Main Street program provided aid to thousands of small businesses

THAT THE PANDEMIC WAS PARTICULARLY tough on small businesses has been well documented over the past couple of years. Among the many aid programs offered by governments was the provincially funded Digital Main Street.

That organization just released a progress report showing their work helping businesses cope with the pandemic.

The report says the organization helped some 27,000 businesses, and gave out $24 million in grants to small businesses to help them transform digitally and nearly $18 million to organizations such as municipalities, business improvement areas (BIAs), or small enterprise centres to hire digital service squads.

The digital service squad grants created almost 600 jobs and provided digital training for more than 45,000 businesses.

Just before the pandemic hit, the Digital Main Street Program was actually winding down, says Kay Matthews, the executive director of the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association.

In March 2020, they had given out the last of their grants, and finished their training which had been funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture,

Food and Rural Affairs.

Then when the pandemic hit, “We saw this as a key thing to help businesses pivot at a time when they needed to pivot more than any other time,” she said.

Matthews notes she was able to secure nine months’ of funding from the Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade and the FedDev program.

Then the Auditor General of Ontario deter-

mined the program was a COVID response and recommended that the project be renewed for two more years with more funding, which the province committed to.

The new report notes that small businesses that took advantage of Digital Main Streets’ granting program said it was a key factor in keeping their businesses afloat during lockdowns.

“Digital Main Street was poised to support

even more small businesses in an invaluable way during the pandemic and was able to work with government partners to expand Digital Main Street services across the country,” said John Kiru, executive director of the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas in a release.

Matthews says the pandemic brought a number of issues to the fore.

“What we did get was more understanding from the general public of how important having a local connection on the main streets in the towns, and the challenges on the main streets. There’s been a lot more understanding that’s come through the pandemic,” she said.

The Digital Main Street organization works to help businesses in three main ways. First, with a questionnaire to help pinpoint what the business owner needs help with. Then Digital Main Street helps the business owner with a digital service squad, which are people who help the business owner directly to help them with navigating their digital needs and business plan.

Second, Digital Main Street helps business owners by providing digital training through videos, workshops and webinars. “If we teach somebody how to use

→ DIGITAL MAIN STREET 11

MCC: Shop looks to put its own mark on building that’s had many uses

→FROM 3

about how we’re going to change up the layout, but we haven’t locked in on anything yet. It will look different. That’s [something] our customers are very used to during COVID – we’ve had to change so many things. It’s just great that they’re so resilient to continue to come back and experience our store with the changes that we’ve had to do throughout this time period,” she said.

It will also help the store feel like its own space, as the location which it has been in since 2004 has previously been home to other businesses.

“We’ve been talking about that for a while trying to figure out how to just do one piece at a time. But there’s a lot that needs to be refreshed here considering this used to be a chicken hatchery, a Zehrs market and a restaurant before it became ours. We’ve been working in other people’s space for a number of years,”

Shopping has changed a lot in that time, Siertsema noted.

“The number of stores that have popped up in different styles, and with Facebook marketplace and all of those places, they’re all things that I hate to say compete against, but we do have people who there are other places for people to go and we want this to be their first thought.”

MCC Thrift Elmira does have a loyal customer base, however, Siertsema explained.

“We also have a number of people who are coming in and saying, ‘This is my first time here’ and they’ll come from Hamilton. Maybe they’re visiting family here, which is great. And the family will bring them in for an afternoon of search and adventure. But that’s the nice thing, I hear a lot of ‘this is my first time in’ or ‘this is my favourite store.’ We like to hear both of those,” she said.

Leah Gerber Observer Staff

Store GM Debbie Siertsema says renovations are needed in a competitive market. Bill Atwood

A client at Gents and Kings Barber Lounge, where owner Andrew Al Massaad accessed a grant from Digital Main Street to help him stay afloat during the pandemic. He has three locations in Elora, Guelph and Oakville. Submitted

POLICE REPORT

Police offer shopping safety tips to protect your purchases

Noting that stores are now bustling with holiday gift-hunters seeking the right present to place under the tree this holiday season, police warn shoppers to take precautions to avoid being the victim of a theft.

Thieves can be thwarted, police say, by using a few simple safe shopping practices:

• Keep wallets and purses safely always secured on your person.

DECEMBER 7

10:00 AM | A member of the Wellington County OPP was monitoring traffic on Eighth Line West, Pilkington when a grey pickup truck was observed travelling well above the posted 60 km/h speed limit. As a result of the investigation, a 27-yearold resident of Ayr was charged with ‘drive motor vehicle - perform stuntexcessive speed’ contrary to the Highway Traffic Act. The defendant is scheduled to appear in provincial offences court in Guelph at a later date.

10:15 PM | A Wellington County OPP officer was monitoring traffic on Tower Street South in Fergus when a white pickup truck was observed driving in a dangerous manner. As a result of the investigation, a 19-year-old Fergus man was charged with ‘dangerous driving.’ The driver was also charged with ‘drive motor vehi-

• Don’t carry large amounts of currency. Instead, use debit and credit cards.

• Protect and shield your Personal Information Number at pointof-sale terminals.

• Get cash from recognized banking machines and not stand-alone ATM. Thieves use card-skimming devices to target

cle - perform stunt.’ The accused is scheduled to appear in the Ontario court of justice in Guelph at a later date.

DECEMBER 8

6 : 30 PM | Waterloo

Regional Police laid charges in connection to a fatal collision that occurred Oct. 15 in Wilmot Township. The driver of a white Nissan, a 22-year-old Wilmot Township woman, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The passenger in the vehicle, a 16-yearold Wilmot Township girl, was transported to an out-of-region hospital with life-threatening-injuries. As a result of the investigation, police have arrested and charged the driver of a black Ford, a 19-year-old Oakville man, with ‘dangerous drivingcausing death,’ ‘dangerous driving - causing bodily harm,’ ‘careless driving - causing death,’ ‘careless driving - causing bodily harm,’ ‘speed-

stand-alone units.

• Carrying large amounts of gifts make you a target. Take them to your car and put them in a trunk, or in the case of sport utility vehicles or pick-up trucks, place them on the floor and cover them with a blanket.

• Always make sure your vehicle is locked.

ing’ and ‘stunt driving.’ The accused is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 20.

DECEMBER 9

11:00 AM | One person has been charged after failing to stop at a stop sign and colliding with another vehicle. Perth County OPP responded to the scene at Line 36 in the Township of Perth East, with the investigation determining that a transport truck failed to stop at the stop sign on Line 36 at Road 135 and collided with another vehicle. One person was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries. A 59-year-old resident of Mississauga has been charged with ‘careless driving.’ The accused was issued a Provincial Notice for the offence.

5:09 PM | Emergency services responded to a collision in the area of Queen Street and First Street East in Elmira. Through the initial investi-

An unlocked vehicle door or an open window is an invitation to thieves seeking a crime of opportunity.

Police remind shoppers to “lock it or lose it,” suggesting:

• Park your vehicle in a well-lit area.

• Roll up the vehicle’s windows.

• Keep valuables out of sight.

• Lock your doors and pocket your keys.

gation, police determined the driver of a Kia struck a parked Acura. Two adult occupants of the Acura were outside of their vehicle at the time of the collision. One of the occupants became pinned between the Acura and the curb. The second occupant became pinned between the Acura and the Kia. A 30-year-old male and a 29-year-old female, both from Fergus, were transported by ambulance to a local hospital with serious non-life-threatening injuries. Two small children were in the backseat of the Acura at the time of the collision and did not sustain any physical injuries. The driver of the Kia reported no physical injuries. Queen Street was closed for several hours for the investigation, which remains ongoing. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or may have information is asked to call the Waterloo Regional Police Service’s Traffic Unit at 519-5709777, ext. 8856.

MAIN STREET:

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tech, then they’re going to be a lot more resilient,” Matthews said.

Third, the organization helps businesses through grants. Business owners can apply to grants, and use the help of the digital service squads to do so if needed. They can apply for a $2,500 grant, awarded based on the weaknesses discovered in their assessment.

“We may be coming out of a pandemic, but our small businesses are not even close to being out of the woods,” said Matthews. “They’re dealing with staff shortages, they’re dealing with increased pricing, harder to get inventory.

“We really have been up

against the Amazons of the world,” she said.

“Our organization has asked the government to consider waiving the repayment of CEBA (Canada Emergency Business Account). We think to keep on kicking the can down the road – now you don’t have to repay until 2023 – but if the economy doesn’t get much better, if business doesn’t get much better, then there may be quite a substantial amount of bankruptcies of small business because nothing has recovered at this point,” said Matthews.

Organization staff estimate the recent provincial commitment will help 32,000 more small businesses with their digital needs.

DIGITAL

Doing their part to help small businesses

Elora’s Gents and Kings Barber Lounge was the recipient of funds from the Digital Main Street program. Submitted

Opinion

When local news matters

Connect: observerxtra.com/staff

The season of shopping and the single-use plastics ban

If you’re doing any bricks-and-mortar shopping this year, you’ll notice it’s increasing difficult to find plastic shopping bags. Many stores are phasing them out ahead of the ban in the new year.

(If you’re shopping online, the proliferation of shipping materials is another issue.)

The disappearance of plastic shopping bags is part of Ottawa’s move against single-use plastics.

Federal data show that in 2019, 15.5 billion plastic grocery bags, 4.5 billion pieces of plastic cutlery, 5.8 billion straws, three billion stir sticks, 183 million six-pack rings and 805 million takeout containers were sold in Canada. Another study that year found less than 10 per cent of the plastic waste Canadians produce is recycled – some 3.3 million tonnes of plastic were being thrown out annually, almost half of it plastic packaging. While more mindful of what we throw away, most of us give little thought to what happens to our trash once we haul it down to the curb. We pay our taxes and expect someone to make it go away.

Behind the scenes, however, things get more complicated. Officials are always looking for ways to divert trash from landfills, extending their serviceable lives at a time when building new dumps is next to impossible and better options such as incineration meet with roadblocks.

Expanded recycling programs help divert our trash, but they too are rife with problems, from contamination rendering items fit only for landfill to collapsing markets for products that aren’t really recyclable on a useful scale, and the commensurate falling prices for items collected in the blue box. Items that were formerly shipped off to China and points east, much of which just added to the pollution burden and ended up dumped in the oceans, no longer have even that dubious outlet, further burdening already money-losing municipal recycling programs.

Enter Ottawa’s plan to ban single-use plastic items such as drinking straws and cutlery.

The move is in keeping with a movement towards curbing the use of items such as plastic grocery bags that end up in dumps and, frequently, into our waterways. The European Union, for instance, passed regulations banning single-use items such as straws and Styrofoam containers in 2021.

Other jurisdictions have moved to what are known as extended-producer responsibility (EPR) programs that see makers and large users of such items – the likes of grocery stores and fast-food chains – paying most or all of the costs associated with collecting and recycling their products.

We’ve seen something like this with eco fees on items such as electronics and tires, the money intended to deal with those goods after we’ve discarded them. For the most part, however, we don’t pay up front for the lifecycle of the products we buy. Neither do the makers of goods such as batteries (full of heavy metals), corrosive cleaners (toxic chemicals) or aerosols (particulates).

Typically, the costs of waste collection – later augmented by recycling – and pollution have simply been what economists call externalities: someone other than the manufacturer picks up the costs. That someone is the collective we: our taxes pay for waste management – curbside garbage collection, recycling facilities and landfill sites – and for the health care costs that come from a polluted environment. Individually, we pay with our wallets and with our health. The particulate matter in the air so prevalent on smog days comes with a cost not paid for by the manufacturers pumping the stuff out of their smokestacks.

With plastics, much of them end up in our environment, particularly waterways. And as we find it increasingly difficult to ship our problems offshore, some domestic action is required. Thus, the single-use plastic ban underway.

Having to find alternative goods and paying more to cover disposal could act as something of a deterrent, making us think twice about buying some goods, both because of the cost and because of our new awareness that items don’t simply disappear after we dump them.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, economic instability and the rising cost of living, 33% of respondents said they were pessimistic about the future of their personal finances, an increase of 10 percentage points from a similar study in 2021. One quarter said they were extremely concerned about having enough income to cover their basic needs. Salvation Army survey

Two failed coups and some random speculation

Could there be anything more ridiculous than last week’s failed coup attempt in Peru?

On December 7, President Pedro Castillo made an unscheduled broadcast announcing that he was dissolving Congress, suspending the constitution, and would rule the country by decree. But within minutes he was abandoned by his own ministers, in a few hours he was impeached by Congress, and he was in jail by dinnertime.

The baby-faced 53-year-old president, who wears his huge, white ten-gallon hat everywhere he goes (except, perhaps, in jail), was never a credible occupant of the office. He had no experience of government before being elected two years ago by despairing voters who were willing to try anything new, and he showed no aptitude for his new job either.

Castillo ran as an independent, and his only declared ally was the Marxist-Lenin ‘Free Peru Party.’ Once in office, however, he displayed much skill and enthusiasm in diverting public funds into his own pockets: bribes, fake contracts, selling government jobs, etc.

Even in Peru this is bound to

attract public disapproval, and most of the people who joined his government quit again within months. (Five prime ministers in two years.) Moreover, Congress was dominated by hard-right parties, and soon they were trying to impeach him.

By last week they thought they had a majority to start the impeachment process, or at least Castillo thought they did. So he launched his ‘autogolpe’ (‘self-coup’), named after the action of a previous Peruvian president who overthrew his own elected government and ruled as a dictator. But where Alberto Fujimori succeeded in 1992, Castillo failed in 2022.

He failed because most of Peru’s 33 million people saw his action as illegitimate. The country is going through a bad patch, but its people have concluded that respect for the constitution is good, while coups and dictators are bad.

Vice-President Dina Boluarte took over the presidency smoothly with Congress’s

blessing, while Castillo wound up behind bars. Well done Peru, but there was something even more ridiculous than Castillo’s attempted coup last week.

Due to some sort of intercontinental quantum entanglement, a group of quite respectable German citizens were plotting a coup, and on the very same day they too ended up in jail.

Three thousand police carried out 130 raids across Germany and arrested 23 members of this largely internet-based organization. And many more people are still being sought. They included doctors, retired army officers, a former member of parliament, an ex-judge, even a celebrity chef – and they almost all had guns stashed away.

“We don’t yet have a name for this group,” said a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor’s office, but the goal was to storm the Bundestag (German parliament), overthrow the government, and revive the German Reich.

‘Reich’ can mean ‘kingdom’ or ‘empire’, but it doesn’t normally mean ‘democracy’. And it wasn’t clear which Reich they had in mind, but

...

... it matters where you get your local news.

“We condemn Russia's continuous inhumane and brutal attacks targeting critical infrastructure, in particular energy and water facilities, and cities across Ukraine, and recall that indiscriminate attacks and attacks on the civilian population or civilian objects, constitute a war crime. We also condemn those who are facilitating Putin's illegal war.” G7 leaders say they’re with Ukraine for the duration.

ANALYSIS OF CURRENT WORLD EVENTS

GWYNNE DYER

Global Outlook on World Affairs

Amidst growing consumer debt, payday loan operations permitted to continue

hey are what pawnshops have traditionally been: a sign of bad times.

T

Cheque-cashing and payday loan outfits appear at times to be as numerous as donut shops or convenience stores. While governments have moved to regulate some of the industry’s most scammy and scummy tendencies – Ontario’s tweaks to its Payday Loans Act, introduced in 2008, has led to some smaller operations shutting down – there’s been no move to do what’s right: ban the entire industry.

The government tendency to protect financial gain over the public good is clear in this case, allowing more people to fall into the claws of a predatory industry. While our consumer society has become increasingly dependent on debt, payday lenders prey on the most vulnerable.

There’s a tendency for concurrent loans at multiple payday hucksters – those locked in the cycle of usurious fees and interest rates tend to flit from lender to lender, robbing Peter to pay Paul, as it were. With no central government oversight of the practice, it’s easy for some people to get in way too deep.

The entire business is essentially parasitic, preying on the desperate. Payday loans are an expensive form of credit. Before getting a payday loan, consider that almost any other way of borrowing money (e.g., from family or friends, a bank or credit union or your credit card) would be much cheaper.

The Payday Loans Act was introduced to license all operators and ban some

STEVE KANNON Editor's Point of View

of the most controversial lending practices. Even then it was really too little, too late – the industry should have been axed right from the beginning, given its propensity for preying on those who can least afford it.

Far more troubling than the unethical practices, the industry is a sign of the underlying decay of our financial health –we’re maintaining our middle-class lifestyles mostly through debt. We might appear to prosper for a while by consuming beyond our means, but we’re already fraying at the edges, and not just in the unsustainable housing

market.

Easy credit and low interest rates have fuelled the borrowing, but it’s our spending habits that have got the better of us: bigger homes, new cars, electronic toys and so on. Our wants are limitless. Our wallets, not so much.

Worse still, our real incomes and net worth are in decline, meaning we’re borrowing just to maintain the status quo.

More of us are getting caught between falling incomes and growing household debt, which reaches an all-time high pretty much each month. Statistics Canada reported this week that the household debt burden –the ratio of credit market debt to disposable income –rose to 183.3 per cent in the third quarter from 182.6 per cent in the second

quarter. In short, Canadian households owe $1.83 for every dollar of disposable income.

Financial liabilities were up $41.2 billion during the third quarter due to growth in mortgage and non-mortgage debt, the agency reports.

Higher interest rates see debt-servicing costs rise while at the same time driving down the value of real estate – Canadians saw the value of their homes drop by a collective $271 billion, a 3.4 per cent drop in the third quarter of the year.

While we’ve adjusted spending downward such that there was a positive improvement between disposable income and household debt, we’ve seen an increase in the use of borrowed money to finance day-to-day

expenses rather than consumer goodies.

This is no accident, nor is it the result of the financial crisis that began with the meltdowns of 2008, as the middle class has been under assault for more than three decades.

The recession and “recovery” that followed collapse caused by the financial services industry is indicative of the trend: corporate profits and executive bonuses quickly bounced back, while unemployment remains high and those with jobs work longer and harder to tread water.

The decline to virtual serfdom is intentional.

Look at the history of automation and productivity gains in industry. They were supposed to bring us a higher standard of living and more leisure time.

Instead we got neither. In fact, just the opposite happened. Corporations did in fact make larger profits, but the money was shuffled into the hands of a few and into dubious financial transactions. At first, workers in Canada, the U.S. and other advanced economies were displaced by the productivity gains. Real wages fell as unemployment levels rose, putting more downward pressure on incomes due to the competitive job market. Later, of course, more of the jobs were transferred offshore to low-wage countries, a trend that continues today. The result? More profits, with almost all of the gains concentrated in a few hands.

Governments routinely aid and abet the shift. That’s why there is no effort to shut down the payday loan industry: someone profits – and gives money to politicians – and the lenders serve as something of a safety valve, albeit damaging and ultimately futile, as people sink into a financial morass, starting with the most vulnerable.

Despite the fact payday loans are an expensive way for consumers to borrow money, the use of those short-term, high-cost loans has more than doubled in Canada recently to four per cent of Canadian households, reports Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC).

Roughly 45 per cent of respondents to an FCAC survey reported typically using payday loans for unexpected, necessary expenses such as car repairs, while 41 per cent used them for expected, necessary expenses such

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Woolwich council goes from somewhere over the rainbow to rolling out the red carpet.

Fried caterpillars are enjoyed on Christmas in South Africa.

Elf on the shelf is a tradition that is steeped in hundreds of years of lore as Santa’s best friend.

Feasting on a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken is a Japanese tradition.

ↆ LAST WEEK:

Truth: The Statue of Liberty was gifted by France to the USA as a Christmas gift in the yeaer 1886.

Truth: Raisins were known as plums in medieval times. Another fun fact: ingredients were stirred in east to west direction to symbolize the three wise men journey to the manger.

Lie: The origins date back to ancient Greece and the Greek letter ‘chi’ which is the first letter of ‘Christ’ (Chistos) is represented by a symbol similar to ‘X’. Neither modern or disrespectful.

You can play online by reading any online post at www.observerxtra.com. Vote for the lie and be notified if you are correct immediately.

 Elmira building its own Gas Vegas?

To the Editor, The recent Woolwich Township approval to allow a convenience store, along with a gas station and carwash at Arthur Street and Earl Martin Drive will result in Elmira’s south gateway having four gas stations, four convenience stores and four carwashes located within just 700 metres. No other city gateway in Waterloo Region or Guelph has this concentration of gas stations. Not one!

I am reminded of a famous picture of Breezewood, Pennsylvania taken in 2008. The photo shows a high concentration of

well-known gasoline and fast food brands. This strip is known as “Gas Vegas.”

The photo and the town itself has been associated with several critiques in recent years, including commentary about the supposed lack of American culture or the effects of unfettered capitalism.

It appears Elmira now has its own version of “Gas Vegas.”

Will this at least result in Elmira finally seeing gasoline being priced on par with the rest of the region and thus give us incentive to purchase our gasoline in Elmira? Why do I doubt that?

How did this happen? The existing zoning for this stretch of Arthur Street South permits gas station use, regardless of

how many others may be in the nearby area. The township cannot control what market supply and demand may dictate. It is up to the gas station owners to justify their multi-million dollar investments.

That might be the case, but I do not believe the original planners envisioned such a high concentration of just one type of business.

Lastly, this does little to provide the same services for the citizens who live in the north end of Elmira. We are supposed to be building a town infrastructure that supports 15-minute walking access to goods and services.

Bill Scott ELMIRA

KANNON: As usual, just follow the money

FROM 13

→

as utility bills. Compared to the general population, respondents were also substantially less likely to have savings or access to credit cards or a line of credit.

The FACA survey shows that while payday loans are primarily used by

those with low-to-moderate incomes – more than half lived in households with annual incomes under $55,000 – many higher-income Canadians also reported accessing these loans. Twenty per cent of respondents reported household incomes exceeding

$80,000, with seven per cent over $120,000.

The entire credit industry that keeps those in the middle afloat just now is set to swamp that group, too, if given enough latitude. That’s always been the case, regardless of “regulation.” Don’t expect that to change.

DYER: No country is immune to threats to democracy

→FROM 12

it presumably wasn’t the thousand-year-old Holy Roman Empire, the First Reich, destroyed by Napoleon in 1806.

Maybe the Second Reich, the unified Germany ruled by the Hohenzollern dynasty from 1871 to 1918. Or even the Third Reich, run by Adolf Hitler from 1933 to 1945. But definitely an autocracy of some sort, and the nameless group even had a ‘king’ ready to take power, a 71-year-old minor aristocrat known as Prince Heinrich XIII.

All musical-comedy stuff, except that the guns were real. Many of the plotters were also anti-vaxxers, and a leading Swiss newspaper was probably right to dismiss

the group as “fifty loons.” Certainly the constitution of the German Federal Republic was never in danger, and we might conclude that ‘what happens on the internet stays on the internet.’

That’s true in most places, most of the time. Moreover, when the conspiracy theories do occasionally bleed over into reality it’s usually horrible but isolated events like school shootings, not massive changes in national politics. However....

However, big lies do sometimes take hold. They could do so even before the internet, as a previous generation of Germans could attest to. And no country is immune, no matter how old and secure

its democracy may seem. One-third of American voters still believe the Big Lie that Trump really won the 2020 presidential election. And Trump, still firmly wedded to that lie, chose December 7 to issue a particularly incendiary post on his own personal Twitter clone, ‘Truth Social.’

He said that the “mass fraud” that he claims lost him that election “allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”

Trump seems to be talking about suspending or even ‘terminating’ the US constitution in order to reverse the 2020 election, but he’s not really talking about the past. He’s talking about the future.

The St. Jacobs Lions club donated 3,250 stockings of toys and food to 14 organizations in the region, including House of Friendship and Anishnabeg Outreach. Back: Mike Malloy, Tracey Phillips, Deborah Malloy. Front: Mel Fishman and Rachael Quickfall. Bill Atwood

News that hits home. Local people in action.

Sports tips are always welcome.

Email: newsroom@woolwichobserver.com Team Scores: observerxtra.com/scores

The Aud this week announced the Harlem Globetrotter 2023 world tour will make a stop at the Kitchener venue on Apr. 11. The day includes a chance to take part in a meet-andgreet: The 5th Quarter grants access for all Globetrotter ticket holders, and an opportunity to get on court for an autograph session.

Funding for coaching

The federal government this week announced $2.8 million in funding to support the Coaching Association of Canada’s new project, which aims to increase mental health literacy among coaches and community sport leaders who work with remote, Indigenous and economically disadvantaged communities, newcomers to Canada, and persons with disabilities.

Sugar Kings post a win and a loss in weekend play

Steve Kannon Observer Staff

ANOTHER WEEKEND, ANOTHER SPLIT FOR the Elmira Sugar Kings.

On the road December 9, the team edged the Listowel Cyclones 3-2 in overtime. On Sunday, a hard-fought battle on home ice saw the Cambridge Redhawks post

a 3-1 win.

It was a pretty good outcome given the team found itself shorthanded for much of the weekend, said head coach Scott McMillan.

“Sunday, we’re missing all three of our captain and two alternate captains, so it was a really good effort. We were short-staffed and had some call- ups and played

Cave-ing in to Christmas and the spirit of giving

Iam in the process of building a man cave.

Between you and me, I believe this will be one of the greatest Christmas gifts my spouse Jenn has ever received. She is truly excited about the idea.

Actually, man cave is not exactly the correct term. That term is dated and is perhaps even sexist. Plus, I am modeling it after the Batcave, which is none of those things.

Oh, sure, I won’t have a loyal butler or a bat pole. But only because Jenn is “not comfortable” with me cutting manhole-sized holes through two floors and running a brass pole from the upper-level bedroom to the basement. And she also thinks that me having a personal butler is “fiscally irresponsible,” whatever that means. But, in all other respects, my new room will be a Batcave. It has all the hallmarks. First and foremost, it is in the basement, so there will be a cool underground entrance just like the one beneath Wayne Manor. Plus, on winter nights, it

will be a place where I can hang out and wear Batman pyjamas without any fear of being unfairly mocked. (You have no idea how much I am looking forward to this.)

Not having a place like this has been my one great failing as an outdoorsman.

Sure, I had a fly tying, decoy carving and reloading bench in the basement, but these things were never in a dedicated cave-like space with its own entrance and walls to keep it separate from the rest of the basement.

I envision my cave to be a place where I will be able to keep an unlit pipe in my mouth and commune with my fishing and hunting gear or have long and serious conversations with taxidermy. It will also be an inclusive space where strange smells will not be judged too harshly. And it

two pretty good games,” he said.

“We were able to pull one out in Listowel with a late goal. We only had four of our defenseman, and one of them’s pretty new – we had three guys, three of our regular defenseman and a new addition, and then we had a 15-year-old call-up. We were really short on the back end on Friday night.

Sunday, we were able to get one of our other call-ups and we had some guys who came back... but missing all of our captains made it a little bit tough, a bit of an uphill battle against a really good team. The guys played really well.”

It was a back-and-forth kind of game last Friday in Listowel. After a scoreless first period, the home team

got on the board first, but the Kings replied just over five minutes later when Joey Martin scored at 14:51. Assists went to Luke Della Croce and Jayden Lammel.

The tie stood until about seven minutes into the third when the Cyclones converted on a power play and took a 2-1 lead that looked like it might hold up. The Kings’ Madden

MacDougall had other ideas, however, potting the equalizer with just 44 seconds left in regulation, a power-play goal assisted by Dustin Good and Brock Reinhart.

That put the game into OT, where MacDougall’s second of the night, also on the power play, finished things off at 2:27. Good

Woolwich Minor Hockey gets into the holiday spirit

Bill Atwood Observer Staff

TWO WOOLWICH MINOR HOCKEY TEAMS got into the giving spirit last weekend, with the U12 and U11 select teams both hosting donation drives for Woolwich Community Services.

The UI2 team was originally planning on hosting a ‘Secret Santa’ gift exchange, but decided to raise money to buy toys for boys in the community who are in need of gifts for Christmas.

“We call this campaign 12 to 12 – 12-year-old boys giving to 12-year-old boys.

We collected over $500 and we bought some toys for them to enjoy over the holidays. It’s fantastic,” explained parent Agnes Lehtonen.

Saturday saw the boys buying gifts at the Walmart store in St. Jacobs.

“It was fun. A lot of

people in the community don’t have money; their parents don’t have money to buy things for their kids, because they’re trying to buy food,” said goalie Mason Gruhl.

“[They are] working their job trying to buy food and things like that, so

Globetrotters to return

STEVE GALEA Not-So-Great Outdoorsman

Dan Kaela

Scott Sheila Becky

Julie

Antonia Kalsey Katie

The Woolwich Wildcats U12 team purchased toys for other boys their age at the St. Jacobs Walmart on Saturday. Bill Atwood

WOOLWICH WILDCATS

■ Atom U10 A

Dec/02/2022 vs Riverside Rangers

HOME: 1 VISITOR: 0

GOALS: Daxton Habermehl

ASSISTS: Brayden Clemmer

SHUTOUTS: Oren Ball

■ Atom U10 A Dec/02/2022 vs Amherstburg

HOME: 3 VISITOR: 1

GOALS: Daxton Habermehl (2), Brayden Clemmer

ASSISTS: Braxton Wideman (2), Jack Frey, Keegan Bakker

■ Atom U10 A

Dec/03/2022 vs Eerie North Shore Storm

HOME: 1 VISITOR: 0

GOALS: Brayden Clemmer

ASSISTS: SHUTOUTS: Oren Ball

■ Atom U10 A Dec/04/2022 vs EssexSouthpoint Hockey

HOME: 5 VISITOR: 2

GOALS: Daxton Habermehl (2), Devin Vogel, Braxton Wideman, Alex Mielke

ASSISTS: Connor Shantz, Spencer Martin, Mason Roadknight, Benjamin Collison

■ Atom U10 A Dec/04/2022 vs

Amherstburg

WOOLWICH WILD

HOME:

Alex Mielke

ASSISTS: Spencer Martin, Brayden Clemmer (2), Connor Shantz, Braxton Wideman, Matteo Abate, Matvii Kamyshnyi, Daxton Habermehl

■ Atom U10 A Dec/11/2022 vs Oakville Rangers Red

HOME: 6 VISITOR: 3

GOALS: Brayden Clemmer (2), Jack Frey, Matteo Abate, Daxton Habermehl, Devin Vogel

ASSISTS: Brayden Clemmer, Matteo Abate (2), Daxton Habermehl, Devin Vogel

■ Atom U11A Dec/10/2022 vs Burlington Eagles

HOME: 5 VISITOR: 1

GOALS: Dominic Blake, Colton Cooney (2), Jack Frede, Connor Gillies

ASSISTS: Dominic Blake,

Ben Ellis, Connor Gillies (2)

■ Atom U11A Dec/11/2022 vs Halton Hills Thunder

HOME: 3 VISITOR: 2

GOALS: Ben Ellis, Jack Frede, Xaiden Weber

ASSISTS: Colton Cooney, Reid Denbok, Connor Gillies, Charlie Smith, Xaiden Weber

■ Bantam U15BB Dec/09/2022 vs Milton Winterhawks White

HOME: 2 VISITOR: 4 GOALS: Alex Veitch, Cohen Clemmer

ASSISTS: Luke Forbes (2)

■ Bantam U15BB Dec/10/2022 vs 1

HOME: 3 VISITOR: 1 GOALS: Grant Rintoul, Adam Bloch, Josh Wraight ASSISTS: Cohen Clemmer, Mac Zettel (3), Carter Weir (2)

■ Bantam U15BB

Dec/10/2022 vs Kent Cobras

HOME: 2 VISITOR: 1 GOALS: Adam Bloch, Cohen Clemmer ASSISTS: Josh Wraight, Alex Veitch

■ Atom U11 LL-1

Dec/03/2022 vs Waterloo Ravens U11 LL-2

HOME: 1 VISITOR: 6

GOALS: Amanda Carter

■ Atom U11 LL-1

Dec/07/2022 vs Wilmot Wolverines Navy

HOME: 0 VISITOR: 5

■ Atom U11A Dec/04/2022 vs Kitchener Lady Rangers

HOME: 2 VISITOR: 0

GOALS: Molly Bauman (2)

ASSISTS: SHUTOUTS: Kenzie Gunn

■ Atom U11 LL-1 Dec/11/2022 vs Grand River Mustangs U11-1

HOME: 1 VISITOR: 3

GOALS: Jane Wright Loree ASSISTS: Kenzie Bauman

■ Atom U11A Dec/07/2022 vs Kitchener Lady Rangers

HOME: 7 VISITOR: 0

GOALS: Haylee Zinken(4), Sophie Hahn, Avery Robinson, McKenna MacKenzie-Taylor

ASSISTS: Maggie McAdam(3), Charlie Wilson(2), Emma Forwell, Sloane Kraemer, Haylee Zinken

SHUTOUTS: Kenzie Gunn

observerxtra.com/scores

will serve as a mudroom in the truest sense. When my hunting dog and I enter the house from my cave entrance, the mud we carry with us will feel right at home.

Between you and me, I think that this room will also allow me to showcase my flair for interior design. Not to brag, but in some circles I am considered a pioneer in the field of roadkill rugs and wall hangings. I’m thinking of creating a Game of Thrones-type chair, made completely of

antlers too.

I haven’t revealed any of these little details to Jenn yet. Call me a romantic, but I think relationships should be filled with little surprises to keep things interesting. Believe me, there will be surprises. Once the space is made, anything is possible, including a baitfish holding tank/hot tub.(Remember kids, dreams can come true.)

Anyhow, as I said, Jenn is absolutely on board with the idea. And I haven’t even told her about the

Robin pyjamas I ordered for her yet.

Like any spouse of an outdoors enthusiast, she has always wanted me to have a separate space to keep all my antlers and hunting, fishing, and camping gear in. She likes the idea of separation so much that she suggested that my new space should not even have a door connecting it internally to the rest of the house.

But I’m pretty sure her thoughts on that will change once she sees the pyjamas.

KINGS: Team next faces three games in as many nights

picked up an assist.

Shots were 28-27 in favour of Listowel, who went 1-6 with the man advantage, while Elmira was 2-5. Netminder Daniel Botelho stopped 26 for the win.

On Sunday at the WMC, while the Kings found themselves down 3-0 at one point, the game was much tighter than the numbers might have indicated, said McMillan.

The visiting Redhawks scored late in the first to go up 1-0, a lead they would expand with two quick goals less than 50 seconds apart early in the middle frame, the first on a power play.

In the third, however, the Kings managed to both outshoot Cambridge and

convert on a power play for the period’s lone goal. Good’s first of the year was assisted by Chris Black and Carter Lawson.

The final shot tally was 44-30 in favour of Cambridge. There were plenty of power play opportunities in the penalty-filled match, but the Kings were 1-8 and the Redhawks 1-7. Hayden Sabourin stopped 41 shots in the losing effort.

“It’s a bit of an eye-opening experience for our first-year players to play a team like Cambridge when they’re playing well. I think we adapted well to the game, I think we responded well. We were a little bit overwhelmed in the first period and then we battled back and stayed right with them after,” said

McMillan.

“They just put in a good effort. We’re still at the point in the season where we’re trying to get better every day – that’s our focus. We believe that if we keep getting better, the results will show up at the end. So it certainly was a case where the inputs were right, even though we didn’t get the result that we want to.”

The Kings have a busy weekend ahead, playing three games in as many nights. On the road in Caledon Friday, Elmira (15-13-1) face the seventhplace Bombers (5-25) for the first of two games. Ahead of a rematch Sunday afternoon (2 p.m.) at the WMC, the Kings will first play host Saturday night to the second-place KW Siskins (23-5); game time is 7 p.m.

The EDSS senior boys’ basketball team welcomed Cameron Heights Collegiate Institute on Dec. 8, dropping a 67-53 decision. Bill Atwood

United Way hire

Leading the way.

Shining a light on local enterprise, stoking the economic engines.

Email: newsroom@woolwichobserver.com

New Business: observerxtra.com/enterprise

Looking to avoid regrets, he launched a business despite the pandemic

Owner says taking the plunge was a wise decision, and on-going learning process

IN THE NEARLY TWO YEARS since he started Elmira Door & Trim, Mike Woroch has picked up more than a few insights about running his own business.

“I’ve learned it takes a lot more than I initially expected to run a business. I’ve learned that you have to put yourself outside your comfort zone, and kind of leave that safety net to take some risks and do things that ideally will pay off for the best,” he said from his Union Street location, surrounded by doors, casings, mouldings, baseboards and hardware that are the mainstay of the operation.

“I’ve learned that you need to be grateful for the employees you have and treat them with a little bit more respect. It’s far easier to keep an employee than to try to replace or hire a new employee over this process. Those have been kind of my big takeaways.”

Woroch has worked in the industry for around 20 years, however the opportunity arose to venture on his own in April 2021.

“I had a couple of customers kind of give me the push and the nudge to run my own shop. I reviewed my options – it wasn’t really the right time pandemic-wise, but business-wise it was an opportunity that needed to be taken. I guess that’s the way I ended up view-

ing it in the end,” Woroch explained, adding that doesn’t make him a risktaker, per se.

“I had been fairly conservative. It was just the right place, the opportunity presented itself –‘let’s give it a shot and see what happens.’ And here we are.”

The last 20 months haven’t been without challenges, however. As a business that focuses on distribution, the issues with getting supplies have been a big hurdle.

“It’s been quite the process… supply chains have been difficult or were difficult in the initial stages, it’s kind of gotten better. As a new, growing business, it was tough for us to really forecast where

our sales were going to go, and how quickly our business would expand. So to make sure we had a product here to sell was kind of difficult to plan ahead and judge,” Woroch noted.

“We had allocation issues with product, long lead times. I know one of my vendors had glass shortages. So special [orders] were typically a three- to five-week lead time, and they were all the way up to eight to 12 weeks,” he explained.

Keeping open communication with customers has been key, he said of the process since opening his doors.

“They realize that it’s happening all around –there’s really nothing that

Low-income rent benefits

Applications are now open for the new one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit, a payment of $500 to eligible lower-income renters. To qualify, renters must have an adjusted family net income of $20,000 or less for individuals, or $35,000 or less for families; and have paid at least 30% of their 2021 adjusted family net income on rent, among other requirements.

Farming innovations are lost on many of us

Farmers are using all kinds of technologies and innovations to grow your food. You’ve read about some of them here – genetically modified crops, targeted crop protection and fertilizer use, robotic equipment, sensors, satellite imagery, digital mapping and selective breeding, among them.

Still, if you feel like you should know about them, but don’t, you’re not alone. New research released Monday shows more than a quarter of 1,500 Canadians surveyed can’t cite one example of innovation being used on the farm.

And actually, I suspect that figure is conservative. I’d be shocked if 75 per cent of Canadians could say much more than “farm machinery” when asked for an example of agricultural technology.

Feeding that suspicion is the fact that this new research, explained in a report called 2022 Perceptions of Canadian Agriculture Survey by hi-tech agricultural company Climate Fieldview (a part of multi-national organization Bayer), also revealed that just 13 per cent of Canadians viewed agriculture as more innovative than other domestic industries.

In other words, the popular view of farming as a familiar, grassroots occupation is still very much with us. The simple image that people cling to is hard to shake.

That has its upside. I’ve argued before that if Canadians need to think

about farmers in a downhome way to generate support, then let them. After all, trust is key.

But understanding the full, real story about modern, technology-assisted farming is preferable. Besides giving a true picture of agriculture and its importance to the economy, it helps explain the public’s biggest food-related concern: that is, cost.

Here’s why.

Technology costs money. It’s ironic that farmers need to buy expensive equipment to save money. But technology delivers more, for less… for example, more labour with fewer people. In agriculture, workers have been hard to find, for years. Farmers need to do something, so they look towards labour-saving technology.

They also rely on increasingly expensive inputs like fertilizer and pesticides and use technology to apply them in their fields in a more targeted way.

All this and more helps keep farmers’ costs in check. What happens to their harvests once food processors, manufacturers and grocers get involved is another matter.

Yet despite the rising cost of food, the Climate Fieldview research shows that so far, Canadians are

David Wilson has been appointed as new senior director of philanthropy at the United Way Waterloo Region Communities (UWWRC). Wilson comes to UWWRC from Scotiabank, where he held various roles for almost 24 years, most recently as district vice president in Waterloo Region for retail and small business.

Elmira Door & Trim’s Mike Woroch has learned more than a few lessons since he started the business in April 2021. Bill Atwood

Bill Atwood Observer Staff

OWEN ROBERTS

Food For Thought

can be done to prevent it,” he said of the pandemic-related challenges. “So let’s just live with it and stay on top of it as best we can and keep the chains of communication open.”

Like other business owners, Woroch has also had challenges attracting and retaining employees.

“We’ve found a couple of good ones. And then it just kind of seems to cycle through that we’ll hire a guy who will work two to four weeks and then move on. And it just seems like it’s been a bit of an ongoing struggle just to kind of get us up to speed,” he explained.

“It just doesn’t seem like anybody wants to work, whether it’s they don’t want to take the risk on working for a relatively new company, and we’d like to choose a more established company.”

Elmira Door & Trim recently received its certification from Ontario Living Wage Network, meaning it pays more than the provincially mandated minimum wage.

“I feel you have to invest in the talent and labour you have. I think it is fair that employees are paid a wage that is needed to live off of. The minimum wage set up by the government is a good baseline, but it doesn’t provide the geographical necessities for these employees. To realize what the living wage is, and have a benchmark to go off of, I think is a great asset and helps the employees realize that they are validated for what

they’re doing,” Woroch said.

“There was hope that the validation through being living-wage certified might help with the hiring process. So that people realize, ‘hey, this is an industry where there are good wages being paid and it’s not an entry level minimum wage job.’ We are compensating our staff accordingly,” he added.

Going forward Woroch and his team is “always open to have conversations about what the future might hold for the business.”

“We haven’t ruled anything out. We’ve kept

everything on the table, whether it’s expansion into a second location, whether it’s continued growth through what we have, whether it’s bringing in new product lines,” he explained.

“A lot of these staffing limitations have kind of kept us back from potentially realizing our full potential. But it’s also allowed us to be kind of grateful for what we have, grateful for what we can do, and appreciate the staff working here.”

For those thinking about starting their own business, Woroch would tell them to “just live in the moment,

give it everything you got.”

“When I was debating the decision to start, I had a conversation with my wife, and I said, ‘I don’t want to live my life with any regrets.’ And if I were to turn this opportunity down, I think looking back, I would always wonder what could have been. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, you have time to kind of reset and re-establish yourself and move on with the rest of your life,” he said.

“Worst case, if it doesn’t work out, you have one hell of a story in the end.”

NFU: Climate solutions are one of the most pressing issues on the agenda

→ FROM 7

even if it sometimes feels like screaming into a hurricane.”

Shaw says the NFU’s upcoming priorities include “advocating for farmers’ ability to make a good living from their work despite the multinational corporate profiteering in many sectors of agriculture.”

She also mentioned advancing climate solutions that are farmer-led and able to be implemented, advocating for funding for farmers as they try out new farming approaches and tech-

niques to meet climate goals, fighting for farmers’ rights to save seed, pushing for government oversight of genetically-modified plants and advocating for equity and inclusion in Canadian agriculture.

For Pfenning, environment is top of mind for her and every NFU member across the country as well as social justice because in her mind, it underpins all of the other work.

“We can’t come close to addressing climate change without addressing the injustice and inequality,” she said.

ROBERTS: Technology of growing importance to Canadian farmers

FROM 22

→

distinguishing between their grocery bills and farmers’ role in domestic food security.

In fact, the extreme weather events that occurred in the past year prompted nearly two-thirds of the survey participants to say they have an increased appreciation for Canadian agriculture.

This growth in appreciation is particularly evident in provinces such as BC. There, 76 per cent of survey participants upped their love of farmers after major flooding events impacted key agricultural regions of the province in 2021.

“Canadians are making the connection on the importance of Cana-

dian farmers to our food system,” says Matt Eves, Bayer Digital Farming Lead - Canada. “Farmers have faced many external challenges in recent years, trying to meet supply demands for Canadians while also striving to innovate to stay ahead of these challenges, while ensuring sustainability remains top of mind.”

However, he finds Canadians’ gap in knowledge about on-farm innovation troubling. It needs to be addressed.

Says Eves: “Public awareness and support for [technology] will be crucial for the industry to continue to innovate to be more sustainable and resilient in order to face ongoing challenges in the future.”

Doors, casings, mouldings and the like are the company’s stock in trade. Bill Atwood

DOOR

The Yuletide Spectacular returns to the stage this weekend

Atwood Observer Staff

AFTER HOSTING THEIR ANNUAL YULETIDE Spectacular online in 2020 and 2021, the KW Symphony is bringing it back for a live show this week.

Cellist Kendra Grittani will be performing in her first holiday show with the symphony after joining full-time earlier this year. The show will have a lot of classic holiday music for the audience members to recognize, she says.

“We’ll be doing classic Christmas songs that people can sing along to like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. We’re doing some of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker – we’ll have some live dancers for that. We will be

doing Sleigh Ride – everybody loves Sleigh Ride – Winter Wonderland and those classic Christmas holiday songs,” she said.

“I definitely love Sleigh Ride. I really like all the percussion sections. And probably also the Nutcracker is my favourite. It has some nice cello parts and I’m excited to see whenever we have dancers on stage. It’s really entertaining to the musicians as well.”

There are a lot of moving parts to the show as well, Grittani added.

“We have dancers. We have a choir orchestra. We have an emcee. You’re going to have visuals, and a lot of lighting. Everybody has to come prepared for the first rehearsal so we can put everything

together,” she said of the effort that goes into the Yuletide Spectacular.

While there are many performances involved, the production crew makes sure that the parts fit well together, leaving Grittani and her fellow musicians to focus on their own responsibilities.

“For me personally, I focus on my part and then try not to get distracted by everything else going on on stage. Luckily, the Christmas music that we’ll be playing, I’m very familiar with music that everybody would recognize. I’ve been playing since I was younger, so it will be easier in the sense that I’m familiar with it,” she said.

After completing her masters at McGill in 2018,

Grittani went through tough competition – there were only four open cellist positions across Canada last year – and started with KW Symphony as an extra musician in 2021. Having just joined full-time this year, the show has a special personal meaning for her.

“It’s special because 2022 has been the year that I won my first orchestral job and my career has finally started. I had to spend all that time during COVID waiting and especially this time last year, other shifts got cancelled, contracts got cancelled, work got cancelled. So it’s really nice to just enjoy playing music, enjoy sharing it with audiences and have an opportunity to love making music as a

career,” she said.

The familiar songs on tap make the symphony experience accessible even to those who’ve never been to a KWS concert.

“If you’re somebody who’s never been to a symphony concert before, it’s definitely a good opportunity to go because they’ll be recognizing most of the music that we’re playing. It’s a good chance to see whether it’s something you enjoy and to see what playing in an orchestra’s all about,” said Grittani.

It is also different for the orchestra members as well compared to a more traditional show.

“It’s really a sense of community and interacting with the audience members. A lot of the

orchestra members dress up and we haven’t been able to do this in two years, so I think everybody’s really excited for it. We always dress up and interact with the audience, which is not something we get to do in our signature series where we’re playing big symphonies.”

The Yuletide Spectacular runs at the Centre In The Square starting tomorrow (December 17) through Sunday, with shows at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Symphony will be collecting donations for the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. Tickets can be purchased online at kwsymphony.ca or by calling 519-745-4711 or 888-745-4717.

Kitchener’s FOG Blues & Brass Band has released a swinging arrangement of ‘Here Comes Santa Claus’ for the 2022 holiday season. The latest single from the sevenpiece band rejuvenates the Christmas standard with keys, horns and a spirited vocal by lead singer Hilliard Walter. www.fogblues.com

The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony’s board elected Rachel Smith-Spencer to the post of chair at the organization’s AGM Dec. 8. The meeting included the election of new directors. Elected to a three-year term were Valarie Boucher, Nick Burke and Joanna Woo. Two outgoing directors and outgoing chair Heather Galt were recognized for their six years of service on the board.

FOG meets Santa Claus KWS elects new chair

Bill

A virtual event last year, the KW Symphony’s Yuletide Spectacular returns to live performances with four shows this weekend at the Centre In The Square. Submitted

Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony’s popular holiday show is back before a live audience with some Christmas classics

Help Wanted

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Phone: 519-669-5790 ext 104 Email: ads@woolwichobserver.com Job Listings: jobs.observerxtra.com

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Residential: $9 per 20 words (20¢ per extra word)

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Help Wanted

THE LOOSE CABOOSE IS LOOKING FOR HELP, May 1st to Aug. Perfect for University student. Must be able to work independently. Will provide training. Email eschwindt@rogers.com for more information.

For Sale

TWIN FUTON BEDEXCELLENT CONDITION.

Comes with 2 mattresses (regular fur ion style plus a sneaky posture pedic). Asking $150 obo. Brand new Nova window air conditioner. Asking $75 obo.

Music Equipment- Guitar amplifiers- make an offer great condition Stage Lighting- make an offer good condition 2 JVC speakerspractically brand new. Approximately 4 feet tall each.

$100 for the pair 2-2 drawer filing cabinets with locks and keysgood condition. Asking $15 for both. All items are available for pick up only from a sf/pf home in Elmira. Contact 519-575-2668.

Farm Services

BAGGED PINE SHAVINGS AGRICULTURAL Spray Lime, 22.5kg. bag; feed grade lime, 25kg. Delivered. Call George Haffner Trucking, 519-574-4141 or 519-669-2045.

FERTILIZER AND SEED GRAIN - AT COMPETItive pricing. Call George Haffner Trucking, 519-574-4141.

ICE SALT & ICE MELT - ICE SALT COMES IN 20kg, Ice melt comes in 20kg bags. Call George Haffner Trucking, 519-574-4141 or 519-669-2045.

KILN DRIED CORN & CORN SCREENING Delivered by Einwechter. Minimum 15 ton lots. Call George Haffner Trucking 519-574-4141 or 519-669-2045.

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Celebration of Life

Kathy Rody

Mom passed away on March 28, 2020 and we were unable to gather at that time.

Please join us on Saturday, Dec 17th, 2023 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm at the Elmira Legion to celebrate the life of Kathryn Marie Rody, on the day she was born.

WELLESLEY

TOWNSHIP OF WELLESLEY

NOTICE TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE TOWNSHIP OF WELLESLEY Proposed Revisions to the Building Permit Fees

TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Corporation of the Township of Wellesley is presenting proposed revisions to the existing Building Permit Fees pursuant to the provisions of Section 7 of the Building Code Act.

A PUBLIC MEETING will be held on December 20th, at 6:45pm at the Township Council Chambers to discuss the proposed permit fee revisions.

THE PROPOSED Building Permit Fee Schedule revisions would alter existing building permit fees associated with construction of all categories / classifications of buildings.

INFORMATION AVAILIBLE: Additional information and material relating to the proposal will be available for review during business hours, at the Township Office at 4639 Lobsinger Line, St. Clements, ON. or on the Township website at http://www.wellesley.ca. Questions for clarification ahead of the meeting date may be directed to the Building Department at (519) 699-3951 during normal business hours or e-mailed to ddenny@wellesley.ca

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Wanted

LOOKING FOR COMMERCIAL SPACE (750-1250SQ.FT.) TO lease for a kids' recreation program. If you have an empty space sitting unused that you think would work, please contact Mark at 519-577-7874.

WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY New Year. Peace, hope and love. Feel free to call anytime with any antique items you wish to dispose of. Call Terry 519-242-6900 or gallamore@ golden.net

Coming Events

KARATE HOLIDAY SPECIAL! SCHWEITZER'S MARTIAL ARTS 8 weeks plus uniform only $139.50! Taxes extra. Beginners only. Join now or give as a gift Special ends Jan. 7, 2023 Group classes for ages 4 to adult Classes taught by Renshi Becky Schweitzer, 4th Degree Black Belt and 12X World Karate Champion Location at St. Peters Lutheran Church - 2925 Lobsinger Line, Heidelberg Call 519-580-1418 or e-mail becky_schweitzer@hotmail.com www.schweitzersmartialarts.com

Dec 7th, 1949 - Dec 7th, 2022

Passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on Wednesday, December 7, 2022 at Grand River Hospital on his 73rd birthday.

Beloved husband of Mary Ellen (nee Boegel) for over 50 years. Loving father of Patrick (Chrissy), Carla (Jeff) and Andrew (Courtney). Proud Pappa of Nollan, Logan, Carter, Jackson, Felix and Adley. Son of the late Joseph and Jean Squires. Dear brother of Don (Sandi). He will be fondly remembered by his extended family and many friends.

Carl had many passions, including motorcycles, music, airplanes and spending time outdoors. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

Carl was a member of the local 527 Plumbers and Steamfitters Union. Special thanks to the staff at the ICU at Grand River Hospital for your compassionate care.

Cremation has taken place. Carl’s family will receive relatives and friends from 2:30-3:15 p.m. on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at the Henry Walser Funeral Home, 507 Frederick Street, Kitchener, 519-749-8467. Memorial Service in the chapel on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Reception to follow.

As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated by the family (cards available at the funeral home).

1172 Henry Street, Wellesley,Ontario. N0B2T0 519-656-2880 www.futher-franklinfuneralhome.com Pre-arrangingyourfuneralis animportantpartofestateplanning. Askus aboutthemanyfundingoptionsavailable.

Death Notice

STENZKE, LYDIA - Passed away peacefully on Friday, December 9, 2022, at the age of 88, surrounded by family. Beloved wife of the late Siegfried.

Carl Squires

Celebration of Life for

Living Here

It's about all of us.

Leading the way reporting about the people and places of home.

Email: newsroom@woolwichobserver.com Report it: observerxtra.com/tips

United Way grants

United Way Waterloo Region Communities (UWWRC) this week announced the distribution of $718,871 to 55 local agencies and programs through the General Community Fund for the quarter. Among the recipients were Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo Region, Bring on the Sunshine and Community Care Concepts of Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot Townships.

Keeping the lots clear

There’s no place like home for the holidays

SOME PEOPLE DECORATE THEIR HOMES for Christmas so intensely that they have people begging them to come have a look. And then, they have so many people who want to have a look at their Christmas home, that they host tours and open houses and use it as an opportunity to collect toys and food for charity.

Marilyn Hartung and her husband Richard Hartung love decorating their St. Clements-area home for Christmas. In fact, they love it so much that for about ten years now, they’ve been hosting these tours of their home to collect items for the Knights of Columbus toy drive.

Bev Lorentz has collected Christmas decorations for decades, and this was her third year hosting an  open house

to collect food for the food bank. She says she collected three large boxes full of food.

“Different people know I do this,” she said. “People say they’d love to see my house because they know I’m really into it.”

“I’m Christmas,” she said. “Anybody that knows me, (when they see me) says, ‘Here comes Christmas!’”

Lorentz has no less than six Christmas trees in her home, one for each member of her immediate family. Each tree and room has a theme: cardinals, angels, feathers,  bells, peacocks and Santas. Every surface of her home is covered in Christmas decorations, many of them light up and sing. Lorentz said it takes her three weeks straight to decorate, and when the season’s over, it will all get stored under the stairs, in a shed outside and in the totes that line the walls of her

basement storage room.

For Lorentz, it’s clear that Christmas decorating is a labour of love that keeps her close with her family and community. She says she’s pretty much ready for Christmas, the only thing left to do is her custom of changing

her voicemail message to her personal rendition of “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” which she says she’s done every year for about 30 years.

Upon entering the Hartung Christmas Cottage and hanging your coat up at the convenient

coat rack by the door, first up is the Elvis room. This area is decked out from floor to ceiling with Elvis paraphernalia and Elvis-themed Christmas decorations including a tree covered in Elvis-ornaments that light up and sing; some of them quite

Making New Year’s resolutions that stick

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Every year I make one or more New Year's resolutions that I have every intention of starting on Jan. 1. But I find myself losing momentum quickly into the new year when the holiday merriment starts to fade. Do you have tips for achieving resolutions and goals?

ANSWER: It is the time of year again when people make New Year's resolutions, many of which are health related. Losing weight, eating healthier, exercising and quitting

smoking are popular choices. Losing weight often leads the list, but it also is the most difficult to accomplish.

New Year's resolutions are easy to make, but not so easy to achieve. To make the resolution into an actual solution, you need to spend time preparing and planning. There is no magic button for keeping a resolution.

The first step toward success is developing a structured health plan. Your health plan should include where you're headed and why you want to get there. Be realistic about what challenges you may face along the way and define how you plan to work through the challenges.

The second step is to visualize your goals. Think about a what a healthy future might look like to you. Convert those thoughts into a short, clear statement: your health vision.

While there are many ways to write a health vision, one popular format is: "I want to _(blank)_, so I __(blank)__." Examples may be: "I want to lose weight, so I have more energy to enjoy life." Or, "I want to have better balance between my work and personal life, so I have more quality time for myself and for my family."

After you create a health vision, the third step is to set SMART goals. SMART is an acronym that is all about achieving identified goals to produce a feeling of accomplishment and

much-needed motivation to fuel your health journey.

SMART means:

• Specific: What am I going to do? You need to have a specific plan in place to start. Take the time to design and research.

• Measurable: How will I track my progress? You may say, "I would like to lose some weight." But it would be better if you said, "I want to lose 50 pounds in four months."

• Achievable: What steps will I take to

old.

Then comes the cozy living room complete with a fireplace scene in the fireplace, dolls and a pillow Marilyn inherited from her mother that’s 100 years old, still in pristine condition.

Next, guests are guided to the dining room which is dominated by the dining table set up for a Victorian meal. The table is crowned with a pineapple, which Marilyn says was a symbol of welcome in Victorian times. This is where she hosts Christmas ladies’ tea.

Marilyn used to play the pump organ at the Doon Heritage Village and loves the old way of life. She speaks about the Christmas traditions of the old times: the nut cracking and the plum pudding with the buttons and money baked in. If your piece of pudding had a button in it, you were

make this happen?Set a realistic goal. With the right weight-loss program, 50 pounds may be realistic. Ask the program you're considering what the average weight loss among participants is after one year. Depending on the program and its weight loss approach, you may need to set a smaller, more attainable goal.

• Relevant: Is this important enough to me to want to

Woolwich council this week awarded a tender to Mitchell Property Maintenance to continue on as the contractor clearing snow from municipal parking lots in Elmira and St. Jacobs. The draft budget for 2023 allocates $46,800 to parking lot winter control.

▢ Mayo Clinic Professional Clinical Health Advice

Leah Gerber Observer Staff

Bev Lorentz takes Christmas decorating very seriously indeed. Leah Gerber

That's especially true for Bev Lorentz and Richard and Marilyn Hartung, who take Christmas decorating to a whole new level

do it? Think positively. Behavior only changes from the positive. Remember there are programs to help you accomplish your goal.

• Time-framed: When will I do this? Set a specific target date. There is nothing magical about Jan. 1 as a start date. It is better to pick a date when you have a plan in place.

Your SMART goals should consist of longterm and short-term goals. Establish your long-term goal first. An example of a long-term goal is: “I will walk briskly for 30 minutes each day at least five days a week.”

However, if you haven't been exercising on a regular basis, there often is a need for intermediary, short-term goals. For example: “I will walk 15 minutes during my lunch hour at least three days each week for the next month.” After reaching your short-term goal, extend your efforts gradually, until you ultimately accomplish your longterm goal.

Finally, accept challenges, and don't give up. Nearly everyone will face challenges during their health journey. Perhaps it's a busy family life, work, school, medical issues or peer pressure to continue bad habits. It's important to identify potential challenges and envision strategies to address them as part of an effective health plan. Here are a few tips for success:

• Confront your temptations. You will need to change your environment to help with

your weight goals. Get rid of food that won't help you realize your goal -- this should be part of your planning.

• Tell your friends. Changing your habits for good may affect your inner circle of friends. Let them know what you're trying to do and enlist their support in helping you achieve your goal.

• Remember the reward. Make a list of the reasons you want to lose weight. When you lack reasons to change, it is easy to fall back into old habits.

• Be prepared for a setback. Give yourself another chance. Most people slip up at some point. The people who are successful are the ones who get back on track. Look at how many days you still have left in the calendar year and see what you can accomplish before the year is up. Don’t give up.

• Commit yourself. You can't take lifestyle changes lightly. Consider keeping a health journal to record your activities and achievements, adding to your motivation and accountability. Make your health a priority.

Embracing a healthy lifestyle is an ongoing, dynamic process. Use the new year as an opportunity to start the journey to living a healthier life.

ↆ Mayo Clinic Q & A is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. E-mail a question to MayoClinicQ&A@mayo.edu. For more information, visit www. mayoclinic.org.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16

Friday Food at the Elmira Legion. Doors open at 4 p.m., serving at 5:45 p.m. Menu: Cabbage rolls, veggies, salad, rolls, dessert $10/plate. Join us in the lounge. All welcome.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20

Tuesday Take-Out Lunch at Gale Presbyterian. Drive thru pick up from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Ham and scalloped potatoes, veggies, bread, cranberry salad and apple pie. $12/meal. RSVP by Friday, December 16, noon to office@galepresbyterian.com or 519-669-2852.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23

▢ Friday Food at the Elmira Legion. Doors open at 4 p.m., serving at 5:45 p.m. Menu: shepherd's pie, Caesar salad, roll, cherry cheesecake $10/ plate. Join us in the lounge. All welcome.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30

▢ Friday Food at the Elmira Legion. Doors open at 4 p.m., serving at 5:45 p.m. Menu: sweet and sour meatballs, egg rolls & plum sauce with rice, and dessert $10/plate. Join us in the lounge. All welcome.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31

▢ Woolwich Observer Free Skate and Swim at the Woolwich Memorial Centre. Bring the family & friends and enjoy swimming, skating or both. 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4

▢ Senior's Community Dining at Calvary United, St. Jacobs. Community Care Concepts invites you to join us for lunch and fellowship. Cost $12. Must register by noon on December 30 by calling 519-664-1900.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 5

▢ Movie Shorts 4 Climate Change, Inspired by the work of Environmental Activist Greta Thunberg. Grade 9 to 12 students are invited to join us for a movie, snacks and discussion about climate change in our Township at the Woolwich Memorial Centre's the Hub from 6 p.m to 8:30 p.m. No Charge. RSVP to Kiara kiaram.wcs@gmail.com or 519-669-5139.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11

▢

Senior's Community Dining at Wellesley Community Centre. Community Care Concepts invites you to join us for lunch and fellowship. Cost $12. Must register by noon on January 6 by calling 519-664-1900.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25

▢ Senior's Community Dining at Linwood Community Centre. Community Care Concepts invites you to join us for lunch and fellowship. Cost $12. Must register by noon on January 20 by calling 519-664-1900.

Glazed Sugar Cookies

For the cookies:

It’s cookie season! Get ready to bake (and decorate)

Making dough for cut-out cookies can be tricky. The dough needs to be soft enough to roll out but not so soft that it sticks to the counter or your shapes turn to blobs in the oven.

Most sugar cookie recipes use a mixer to "cream" room-temperature butter and sugar before adding the other ingredients. All that mixing makes the dough warm and sticky, so you need to refrigerate it before you roll it out. But rolling out cold cookie dough is tough!

Plastic fantastic

In this recipe, we use a special technique called "plasticizing the butter." Plasticizing means making cold butter soft and moldable, while still keeping it cold. How do you plasticize? In this recipe, we use the food processor! The food processor lets us combine the sugar and the cold butter in just 30 seconds

▢ America's Test Kitchen

Rigorously tested recipes that work.

because the processor blade spins so fast. It creates a cold, bendable, and shapeable paste (like plastic!) that's a cinch to roll out, straight from the food processor. No arm workout required!

Plasticizing the butter means you don't need to refrigerate the dough before you roll it out. Instead, you refrigerate the dough AFTER you finish rolling. That time in the fridge firms up the dough, which lets you make clean cuts with your cookie cutters and helps the cookies keep their shapes as they bake.

Colour craze

colouring, a whole world of colours can be yours. Red, yellow, and blue are primary colors. You can mix them in different combinations to make secondary colours.

Red + Yellow = Orange

Red + Blue = Purple

Yellow + Blue = Green

Here are two tips:

1. Play around with how many drops of each colour you add. What happens if you add 2 drops of red and 1 of yellow? What about 1 red and 2 yellow? Start by mixing just 1 or 2 drops of each colour into your glaze. If you want a deeper color, you can add more, a drop at a time.

▢ 1 1⁄2 cups (7 1⁄2 ounces) all-purpose flour

▢ 1⁄8 teaspoon baking powder

▢ 1⁄8 teaspoon

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and vanilla.

2. In a food processor, process until sugar is finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add chilled butter and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add egg mixture and flour mixture and process until no dry flour is visible and mixture forms crumbly dough, about 30 seconds.

3. Use a rubber spatula to transfer dough to the center of a large sheet of parchment paper on the counter. Use your hands to pat dough

baking soda

▢ 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

▢ 1 large egg

▢ 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

into a 7-by-9-inch oval. Place a second large sheet of parchment on top of dough. Use a rolling pin to roll dough into a 10-by-14inch oval (1⁄8 to 1⁄4 inch thick), rolling dough between parchment.

4. Slide dough (still between parchment) onto one baking sheet. Refrigerate until dough is firm, at least 1 1⁄2 hours.

5. 5. While dough is chilling, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a second baking sheet with parchment.

6. When dough is ready, remove dough from refrigerator. Gently

For the glaze:

▢ 1⁄2 cup (3 1⁄2 ounces) sugar

▢ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled

peel off top sheet of parchment. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into shapes.

7. Use spatula to transfer shapes to parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced about 1⁄2 inch apart. (If dough becomes too warm and sticky to transfer shapes easily, return it to the refrigerator to firm up again, about 10 minutes.)

8. 8. Bake cookies until beginning to brown around edges, 18 to 22 minutes.

9. Transfer baking sheet on cooling rack and let cookies cool completely on baking sheet, about 30 minutes.

▢ 1 1⁄3 cups (5 1⁄3 ounces) confectioners' (powdered) sugar ▢ 2 tablespoons

milk ▢ 1 tablespoon cream cheese, softened

▢ 1-2 drops food coloring (optional)

glaze

You can use food colouring to turn white glaze into a rainbow of colors! If you have red, yellow, and blue food

2. To make more than one glaze colour, divide the glaze among several bowls and add desired food colouring to each individual bowl.

1. While cookies are cooling, in a second medium bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, milk, softened cream cheese, and 1 to 2 drops of food coloring (if using). Use a clean

ↆ

rubber spatula to stir until very smooth.

2. Use a small icing spatula or the back of a spoon to spread glaze in an even layer on each cookie, starting in the

middle and working your way to the edges. While the glaze is still wet, sprinkle it with sanding sugar, sprinkles, crushed cookies or candy. Serve.

amercastestkitchen.com

For 25 years, confident cooks in the know have relied on America's Test Kitchen for rigourously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. See more online at www.

Timber frame addition on old stone house

doomed to be an old maid, if a thimble, a spinster, if money you were destined to be wealthy and if you found a ring, you could expect to soon be engaged, she said.

The dining room is followed by the music and sun rooms, all of them filled with Christmas-themed pieces such as stuffed dolls, Santas, musical toys, singing things, some items are new gifts from family members, others ancient toys of 80 years old that

are still in excellent working condition.

“We usually buy something every year that plays music or sings or talks,” she said.

Marilyn says she started her Christmas cottage tradition in honour of her mother who had loved decorating for Christmas with homemade decorations of paper rings and strung cranberries and making Christmas treats for everyone, including mashed potato chocolates. She tenderly shows off old photos of her mother as a

young woman and other photos of family heritage.

“I started doing this about ten years ago,” she said. “We started doing tours because I had so much and I wanted to share it with other people. And for the kids,” she said.

The tours, teas and open houses she hosts are by invitation only and through them she collects unwrapped toys for the Knights of Columbus toy drive. During the pandemic, she held off hosting, but she is excited to be open again.

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All food

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Soiled

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Pet

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*Wrapped

• Bows, ribbon, tape, foil gift wrap

Broken/burnt out bulbs (wrap sharp items in paper then put in garbage)

• Broken toys, light strings Candles

• Chip bags, snack wrappers

• Chocolate/candy cane wrappers

• Furnace filters

• Hangers (plastic, wood, metal)

Plastic food wrap, stand-up pouches, bubble wrap, squeeze pouches

• Plastic cutlery

• Outdoor decorations (inflatables, plastic figures, artificial wreaths)

• Styrofoam Wooden orange crates

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they don’t have the money to pay for presents for the kids. For people that do have enough money to do something for other people, it is important for those people to do that,” he said.

Shopping for boys their age made it easier, said team captain Carson Kellough.

“We tried to pick stuff that we would enjoy seeing and kind of the stuff that we like,” he said.

Doing the donation drive “felt pretty good,” the boys said.

“It makes other people feel happy and it makes yourself feel happy.

Because you feel like I did something good today,” said Gruhl.

“Most times [giving] feels better than getting stuff,” added Kellough.

The U11 select team

coached by Jon Berger did a food drive that saw them collect some 150 items of food for the food bank at WCS.

“When we had our parent meeting at the start of the season, we said we were going to be doing a food drive close to Christmas. We all live in this township and community. Aside from teaching these boys or kids about hockey, we want to teach them about other things outside of hockey too. Giving back to the community and helping those in need, especially closer to the holiday season, [is important] with the costs of stuff now,” Berger said.

“There’s more and more people using the services in the community.”

Each of the 15 kids on the team brought in

between eight and 10 items, Berger said.

The players responded very positively to the drive, he added.

“We gave around 10 days’ notice. We just said, ‘Hey, we have a practice next Sunday, we want to bring in our food and have a picture in front of the tree and it came together quick.’ We had it on our team calendar and everyone knew it was coming, but just the way it pulled together...,” he said.

As Woolwich Minor Hockey has a food donation drive until December 20, Berger said he hopes his team can be an inspiration to others in the community.

“There’s so many teams in the community that if you got every team at every age group bringing 100 or 150 items, that’s pretty powerful.”

The Woolwich U11 boys’ team collected around 150 food items for WCS. Submitted

Led by two goals each from Sara Forwell, Claire Jacklin and Liv Straus, the EDSS senior girls’ hockey team defeated Grand River Collegiate Institute 10-0 on Monday. Bill Atwood