November 3, 2022

Development approved for Barnswallow Drive site

A PIECE OF VACANT LAND on Elmira’s west side slated for commercial development

now be predominantly residential, as Woolwich council this week approved the switch. Nomadiq Elmira Towns Ltd. can now go ahead with the

development of the 1.5-acre site at 15 Barnswallow Dr., which was originally slated for a one-level strip mall-type building. Instead, the location will be home to 45 stacked-townhouses along with six residential units above a much smaller groundfloor commercial space.

Meeting October 31, councillors gave the go-ahead to the

necessary changes to the township’s official plan and zoning on the property.

In that, planning staff agreed with the applicant that the site was not viable for commercial development.

Township planner David Gundrum said the company had satisfactorily answered concerns raised at a public

GIVEAWAYS

meeting last May when the application was first aired.

“In addressing council’s concerns from the public meeting regarding the proposed reduction in potential commercial space, the applicants have provided formal correspondence from two professional commercial leasing companies indicating that the suggested

limit is appropriate for satisfying local market demand,” said Gundrum in his report to councillors.

“We have to put some confidence in what we’re reading,” he said, noting the letters from the two leasing firms was “a sufficient response to those concerns.”

Steve Kannon Observer Staff

Woolwich council this week approved plans for stacked townhomes at the corner of Church Street and Barnswallow Drive in Elmira. The land was previously designated

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At the cemetery gates From the archives

Woolwich council this week agreed to take on responsibility for St. James Lutheran Cemetery on Church Street east of Elmira. St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, unable to continue operating the cemetery, will transfer ownership to the township, along with perpetual care funds in the amount of $46,065. The township currently owns and operates six cemeteries.

MennoHomes is ramping up fundraising efforts with the launch of its capital campaign to gather the additional $1.7 million needed to build an affordable 25-unit apartment building to be built in the spring of 2016 on the same land as WCS’ new building in Elmira. From the Nov. 5, 2015 edition of The Observer

Breslau on-demand bus pilot project sees low ridership

Bill Atwood Observer Staff

ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE PILOT project, Grand River Transit’s on-demand service in Breslau is facing challenges of low ridership and

awareness.

“I think it’s fair to say ridership has been relatively low, but we want to really dig into the numbers now and start working on things to improve that awareness,” said Neil Malcolm, GRT’s

No quick solutions to falling voter turnout

JUST A QUARTER OF ELIGIBLE voters cast a ballot at the regional level during last week’s municipal elections. At 25.3 per cent, voter turnout was down nearly six percentage points from 2018 when 31 per cent exercised their franchise.

Province-wide, turnout was 33 per cent.

The downward trend is worrying, notes one expert.

“We really collectively need to turn that around and get much greater participation across the province in a very important set of elections. So far, there doesn’t seem to be any answer to it, but I certainly am concerned about it,” said Robert Williams, professor of political science emeritus at University of Waterloo.

Only Wilmot (40.35 per cent) and Woolwich (34.7) saw an increase over four years ago.

The lower turnout reduces the legitimacy of decisions at election time, Williams noted.

“Many people are being elected with a very small number of votes. And they’re turning around and have every right to

make very important decisions on the basis of a small number of supporters and in some cases, a very narrow margin. It can lead some people to question the decisions that are made when such a tiny fraction of the community is endorsing the people to make those decisions.”

In Wellesley, three of the five seats were filled by candidates running unopposed, including returning Mayor Joe Nowak. While Williams said the acclimation of candidates tends to happen more often in smaller municipalities, elected officials are being asked to do a lot more than they had to do previously, perhaps leading to a decline in the number of candidates.

The number of races may also be a factor in voter turnout. In Woolwich, there were races for every seat, including the mayoralty, Williams explained.

“One of the things that is interesting is the turnout in Ward 3 was relatively low. And to me that’s partly driven by the large amount of new residents.”

Ward 1 had the most

acting director of transit services.

The pilot project of GRT route 79 is being funded by the province through Metrolinx at a cost of $175,000. The experiment started in July and will last for eight months. The first

month was free for riders while the trip now costs the same $3.50 that other GRT rides do.

This is the first time that GRT has provided on an on-demand service with virtual stops, Malcolm said.

“So that’s part of the challenge – it’s new, it’s different. We have some key destinations that people can think over their trips, whether right in Breslau, the airport; Conestoga Meats is one of our key destinations → GRT 6

out that way. And then of course, where the route connects to the other grid or transit routes.”

This is also a new experience for riders, Malcolm said.

“I think that’s part of the

Township locales depicted in vintage-style posters

Leah Gerber Observer Staff

INSPIRING A STAY-CATION IS THE impetus for vintage-looking posters of local neighbourhoods, including some in Woolwich and Wellesley, produced by a local real estate company.

TrilliumWest has been making posters that showcase neighbourhoods in the region with the feel of the vintage tourism

posters from the 1920s, 30s and 40s.

Molly Simpkins, a freelance graphic designer working with the company, is the creator behind the posters for locales in Woolwich, Wellesley and Wilmot, among other parts of the region.

The Woolwich posters feature nostalgic images of buckets on maple trees for the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival, an ice pond

with some local hockey playing kids, and the West Montrose covered bridge.

Simpkins says of all the posters, the Woolwich ice hockey poster is the one she has been asked to make custom copies of the most, with parents asking for versions with their kids’ hockey jerseys and numbers.

The Wellesley poster features people skating on the pond in the Albert Erb Conservation area in the

middle of town.

“Because Wellesley, it’s got lots of different things, but the pond is what sort of was the highlight of it for the residents and the people,” said Simpkins.

“It’s what local residents really take pride in, I think, is what we’re looking for,” said Bob Bunker, a broker and manager for TrilliumWest, of the images.

Other posters feature Wilmot, Drayton, Elora,

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Molly Simpkins, and Bob Bunker of TrilliumWest pose under some of the posters the company commissioned for various neighbourhoods in the region. Leah Gerber

Bill Atwood Observer Staff

The value of nature is the subject of accounting push

Leah Gerber Observer Staff

THERE’S A GROWING NATIONAL MOVEMENT to include in the municipal accounting process the value of services like water purification, carbon sequestration, and flood and erosion control provided by local ecosystems.

According to a new report, “Getting Nature on the Balance Sheet,” nearly 100 municipalities across the country are already accounting for these kinds of ecosystem services in their finances.

At the same time, many representatives from municipalities, insurance companies, non-profit organizations, conservation authorities, finance organizations and others are pushing for formal recognition of natural assets by the Public Sector Accounting Board (PSAB), which determines accounting standards for the public sector.

Joanna Eyquem is the managing director of climate-resilient infrastruc-

Joanna Eyquem

ture at the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo, which led work the new report.

“There’s often the argument that nature is priceless because it’s so valuable. But the problem with that is that because we’ve done that in the past, we’ve actually really assigned a value of zero to nature,” she said. “So we’re trying to basically make it clear that we’re valuing services that nature provides.”

In fact, current accounting laws from the Public Sector Accounting Board actually forbid the public sector from assigning value to natural assets that were not purchased, and the movement includes

advocating for the PSAB to change that.

Including natural assets in public sector accounting would mean local governments may take more steps to protect and maintain those assets, rather than build infrastructure to provide those services, said Roy Brooke, the executive director of the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative, another contributor to the report.

“If you don’t understand the value of nature and the services that it provides, and you degrade it, then you need to build and potentially overbuild new, engineered assets to manage stormwater, to protect against flooding, to purify water,” he said.

“And someone’s going to pay for that, and guess who it’s going to be? It’s going to be the taxpayer. It’s the taxpayer that is paying to build a new engineered asset to maintain that asset and ultimately to renew that asset after 75 years.”

The consequences of nature effectively counting for zero in public sector

accounting results in ill-informed public decisions that do not reflect the actual value of protecting and enhancing nature, nor the actual costs of damage to it, as well as overrepresentation of costs of maintaining natural assets due to lack of representation of their benefits in public accounting, among other factors, the report notes.

The report details ways that nearly 100 municipalities have already been working to account for natural assets, and outlines ways that others can begin.

Brooke said the point is not to provide a dollar figure for each piece of nature, but instead to account for the service it provides.

Brooke gave the example of water purification and flood control provided by natural features such as wetlands and water recharge areas.

These natural systems, “Might provide drinking water to a community, as well as flood mitigation downstream. And it might

Regional group among advocates critical of privatization plans

Bill Atwood Observer Staff

HEALTH CARE ADVOCATES THAT LAID into the Ford government ahead of last June’s provincial election haven’t let up. Critics include the Waterloo Region Health Coalition, which is part of the chorus warning about privatization of the likes of hospital services.

As with the Ontario Health Coalition, the local chapter says the government lied to the public about its privatization plans. The groups said the province increased funding to private clinics while at the same time denying that they were expanding the private clinics.

“Mr. Ford, in particular, lied to the public about privatization of the public health services and the privatization of them,” Jim Stewart of the Waterloo Region Health Coalition said in a press conference held last week.

The group is made up of community members and healthcare workers advocating for the protection and improvement of the Canadian healthcare

system.

Stewart took issue with comments that the Ministry of Health made to several media outlets, including The Observer, before June’s provincial election.

These comments include the widely spread statement from spokesperson Alexandra Hilkene who said that “the use or function of private hospitals and independent health facilities in Ontario is not being expanded or changed.”

In August, the Ministry of Health released a “five point plan” to guide the healthcare system through the post-COVID recovery. While that plan stated the province would hire 6,000 more healthcare workers and free up 2,500 hospital beds, Stewart expressed concern over references the plan made to independent health facilities.

“Ontario is working with hospital partners to identify innovative solutions to reduce wait times for surgeries and procedures, including considering options for further increasing surgical capacity by increasing the number of OHIP-cov-

ered surgical procedures performed at independent health facilities,” the plan states.

“Our perspective is that’s not creative at all. [Ford] said he was going to get creative, but really all he’s been doing is being responsive to the registered lobbyists with respect to privatizing public health care in Ontario,” Stewart said.

His comments echo statements by the provincial coalition and the advocacy group Democracy Watch.

“The Ford government lied to the public leading into an election,” said Natalie Mehra, executive director of the Ontario Health Coalition, in a recent release.

“You can’t just outright deny you are expanding private for-profit clinics while you are in fact shunting millions over to expand private for-profit clinics. You can’t pretend you are not going to privatize before an election and then, as soon as the election is over, announce plans to privatize. By every measure, this is wrong. It is fundamentally undemocratic and cannot go without

challenge,” Mehra said.

“The Ontario public will not tolerate such deception. Nor will we tolerate the Ford government failing to deal with the strain our public hospitals are under while at the same time funneling public money over to profit seeking corporations to privatize our public hospitals’ services.”

Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, called statements by the Ford government before and during the election misleading.

“[They] are just one of many examples of the need for an honesty in politics law to penalize misleaders who violate voters’ rights by baiting them with false statements and election promises and then switching direction when they get elected,” Conacher said in a release.

Stewart said the current problems the healthcare system is facing have existed for a long time. He also doesn’t see the efforts by the government as a legitimate attempt to fix it.

“Obviously, the pandemic has exacerbated some of the issues.

But as you may know, Ontario is the lowest funded per capita province in the country. We have the lowest number of beds in the country, per capita. And we have the fewest number of nurses

per capita, and it’s all about funding primarily,” he said.

“We believe that there has to be something else other than privatizing our public health care system as a solution.”

competitive races as well as the most divisive issues, Williams explained.

“I guess some issues have become more divisive than they might be and that might also turn people into voters who weren’t there last time,” he said.

For Paul Nijjar, a volunteer with the election information website Waterloo Region Votes, the low turnout was “disappointing but not surprising.”

“Although we were hoping for a good voter turnout, it seemed that the energy of the election was fairly down,” he said.

The key to driving voter turnout is engagement, Nijjar said.

“When people are engaged and they feel they are a part of the community and they feel like they have some role to play in their community then I think that voter turnout will go up,” he added.

Nijjar pointed to campaigns that are trying to lower the voting age to 16 as a way to get people

engaged early and keep them engaged later in life. There is an opportunity to pair voting with civics classes, Nijjar said.

“When people start voting early, they tend to stick with voting better than if they don’t vote for multiple elections, and then later in life try to get started. So I think that would be a possible improvement. I don’t think that’s going to fix the problem,” he said.

“Obviously, teenagers are going to vote in wacky ways and they’ll vote for jokey candidates and whatever – that’s part of the learning process of elections. But I still think that overall, lowering the voting age would be a help there.”

This is evident by the results in the City of Waterloo’s Ward 6, home to the universities, Nijjar said. This ward had the lowest turnout in the city at just 23.08 per cent and the race was decided by just 97 votes.

“Many of those students were off campus, or they were on campus for the first time. They weren’t familiar with the area.

They didn’t even know how to get registered to vote. If they had voted in high school, they might have had a little bit more engagement. And that race might have had a lot more votes, maybe the outcome would have been the same. Maybe it would have been different, but it would have given a lot of energy to [it],” Nijjar.

Williams, however, is not convinced lowering the voter age would be enough to reverse the trend.

“That strategy assumes that younger people would actually be educated about civic responsibilities, including the value of voting at all levels, and I am not sure at the moment where that could occur in the secondary school curriculum,” he stated.

Raising awareness and more efforts to inform people will raise engagement, Williams said, noting that needs to happen at the regional level or the provincial level.

“My current critique is that if that happens at all, it’s strictly at a local

level at a municipal level. If Woolwich, for example, wanted to boost turnout, they’re really only talking to people in Woolwich –they’re not even talking to people in Centre Wellington or anywhere else,” he said.

“Let’s try to coordinate across the whole province, maybe through an organization like the Association of Municipalities [of Ontario], or the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO). … Get that broad media campaign of some sort to say, ‘there’s an election coming – you have a right to vote, get informed.’”

Just because the election is over that does not mean the civic duty of residents is over, said Nijjar.

“There’s a lot of important legislation that’s coming through on the provincial side that has a lot of effect on local politics….Even though the excitement of the election is over, I don’t think that the role for ordinary citizens to be involved with the political process is over,” he said.

local talent

Solutions to low turnout remain elusive, but starting young may help

without blowing your budget.

Waterloo Regional Police appoint new chief from within

Waterloo Regional Police last week announced Deputy Chief Mark Crowell will be the new chief.

Crowell is a 22-year-member of the Waterloo Regional Police Service. He has served as the deputy chief of police – administration & member services for the past two years, a position in which he oversaw areas including human resources, finances & assets, information technology, special projects, administrative support, professional development and respect in the workplace. Prior to this, he served as an inspector and executive officer to the chief of police, where he oversaw the expansion of the equity, diversity and inclusion

unit and the establishment of the public information unit, police said in a release.

He will assume his new position on November 24.

Over his career, he has served in areas including neighbourhood policing and investigationspatrol, intimate partner violence, communications, special victims - sexual assault, and administrative supportrecords.

“The selection of chief designate Mark Crowell comes after an extensive search and we are pleased to welcome him as the seventh chief of the Waterloo Regional Police Service,” said board chair Karen Redman in the release.

“Chief designate Crowell has proven himself to be

a progressive, innovative and inspirational leader, whose compassion and commitment for not only WRPS, but the Waterloo Region community, makes him the ideal solution-focused leader required to usher in a modern vision of community safety.”

Crowell has a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and Canadian studies from Wilfrid Laurier University, as well as a Master of Arts degree in sociology and a PhD in sociology from the Department of Sociology and Legal Studies at the University of Waterloo. He was a board member for Supportive Housing of Waterloo (SHOW) for nine years and is currently a board member for Habitat

for Humanity Waterloo Region. He has served as a community volunteer with Out of the Cold and Food4Kids Waterloo Region.

“I am honoured and humbled to have been selected by the board to serve as chief of police for WRPS,” said Crowell. “As your chief of police, I look forward to working with the board and our members to continue to provide the most effective and innovative service to Waterloo Region residents while pursuing a diverse and inclusive workplace, and further advancing safety by working with our community partners to create equitable outcomes for all residents of Waterloo Region.”

Route 79 not catching on

learning curve is how do I plan a virtual trip or a trip without a fixed route?”

To book a trip, riders download the GRT Flex app and register an account. Route 79 operates Monday to Friday, 6-10 a.m., 2-6 p.m. and 10:45-11:45 p.m. Riders can book trips up to two days in advance. Once a trip is booked, the app will combine the booking with the trips that other riders book to create the route. However there is not a minimum number of riders required for a trip to happen as long as it is within those hours, Malcolm said.

Although route 79 does service the airport, regional council has not approved any further expansion of transit services to that location, Malcolm said.

“I do think the region would benefit from additional transit services, connecting people arriving at the airport to our existing services, to Ion, to GO Transit – for example, customers that are arriving at the airport and want to travel into Toronto and GO Transit,” he said.

OCTOBER 27

4 : 49 PM | Emergency services responded to reports of a collision at the intersection of Ebycrest Road and Hopewell Creek Road. The police investigation revealed that the driver of a Honda Civic was travelling east on Ebycrest Road and attempted to turn left onto Hopewell Creek Road. The Honda Civic was struck by the driver of a Kia Sorento. The driver of the Honda, a 47-year-old Guelph woman, was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver of the Kia, a 37-year-old Woolwich Township woman, reported minor injuries. A child passenger was also in the vehicle and was not injured. The investigation remains ongoing by members of the Waterloo Regional Police Service’s Traffic Unit, and charges are pending. Anyone that may have witnessed this collision, or anyone with dash-cam footage, is

encouraged to contact police at 519-570-9777, ext. 8856.

OCTOBER 28

8 : 55 AM | Waterloo Regional Police received a report of a collision on Lobsinger Line in Wellesley Township. A transport truck was slowing down while travelling east on Lobsinger Line when it was struck by a vehicle travelling directly behind it. As a result of the investigation, a 20-year-old Huron County woman was charged with ‘careless driving.’

9 : 46 AM | Police received a report of a collision on Lobsinger Line in Woolwich Township. A driver was travelling east on Lobsinger Line and stopped for traffic to make a left turn. Another vehicle also travelling in the same direction rearended the stopped vehicle. As a result of the collision, a 43-year-old Wellington County man

was charged with ‘careless driving.’

7 : 00 PM | Emergency services responded to reports of a collision in the area of Ament Line and Herrgott Road. Through the initial investigation, police determined that a red Dodge minivan crossed the centre line and struck a grey GMC Yukon. The driver of the Yukon, a 41-year-old woman, was not injured. The driver of the Dodge, a 36-year-old Kitchener man, was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was subsequently arrested and charged with ‘dangerous operation,’ ‘operation while impaired,’ ‘operation of a conveyance while prohibited’ and ‘operation while impaired - blood alcohol concentration.’ Anyone who may have witnessed the collision or may have information is asked to call the Waterloo Regional Police Service’s Traffic Unit at

519-570-9777, ext. 8856.

OCTOBER 30

4 : 00 PM | Wellington

County OPP responded to a report of a collision involving a sport utility vehicle and a motorcycle at the intersection of Wellington Road 8 and Wellington Road 10. Guelph-Wellington Paramedic Services and local fire departments also attended the scene. The driver of the motorcycle was transported to a trauma centre with life-threatening injuries. No one else involved in the collision was seriously injured. The Wellington County OPP is continuing to investigate with the assistance of the OPP West Region Traffic Incident Management and Enforcement (TIME) team. Anyone who may have witnessed this collision or who may have dashcam footage is asked to contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888310-1122.

“We worked with some employers like Conestoga Meats to try to figure out what’s the travel times that most benefit employers, students and people needing to get to the airport and out to restaurants. Within those hours, if you need a ride, you would request the trip. And then you could take the trip as long as you’re within those service hours. So it’s not based on having to fill the bus, it’s just it only operates for certain periods of time,” he explained.

The route 79 pilot project will run until an unspecified date in the spring, at which time transit services will make a recommendation to regional council about whether or not the route should continue.

“What we really need to know is does it provide the hours of service you need? Does it provide the connections you need? Is there a difference? Should we do the pilot differently? Or if we had increased service would we do it differently for that area? So now’s the time I think for people to go out and try it because it is a pilot service,’ Malcolm said.

The driver of the car was charged with ‘careless driving’ after colliding with a truck Oct. 28 on Lobsinger Line. Bill Atwood

Opinion

Only half of Canadians indicate that they feel comfortable about their personal economic outlook. This is down significantly since last year (61%), indicating that many Canadians are concerned about the economy. Keeping up with paying month-to-month bills has 52% of survey respondents concerned.

In battle with gov’t workers, the public will side with Ford

Whether Ontario education workers threatening to go on strike as early as Friday were bluffing or not, it’s a moot point now. Taking no chances, the province this week quickly passed the Keeping Students in Class Act, which blocks strike action and imposes a new contract on workers.

Education workers would find little sympathy from the public if they’d walked out of work – something they’re still threatening, despite the new legislation – and will have trouble finding a shoulder to cry on now that the Ford government has invoked the notwithstanding clause to fast-track its bill.

As with labour unrest by teachers, the public has for years been unconvinced by public-sector union tactics, becoming increasingly hostile to disruptions. Now, having come through the nightmarish list of troubles related to the pandemic’s impact on the school system, parents will overwhelmingly support efforts to keep kids in the classroom.

Nor is the public going to feel much sympathy for education workers – the likes of custodians, educational assistants and early childhood educators – being rebuffed in a request for annual wage increases of 11.7 per cent. That’s well beyond the pale for most workers. In fact, even the government-imposed increase of 2.5% for employees earning less than $25.95 per hour, and 1.5 per cent for those earning more exceeds the raises many are likely to see, especially if a recession leads to job losses that impact only those in the private sector.

As he has from the start, Ford can rely on support from a large swath of Ontarians in this fight. From the get-go, it’s no surprise the government has prompted unrest in the public-sector ranks, most notably among teachers.

It would come as no shock, then, if there are labour disruptions ahead. Ontarians aren’t unfamiliar with such things. Unrest was common when last the Conservatives were in power. The Liberals arrived on the scene and began spending like sailors on shore leave, in large part to buy the votes of government workers and to avoid the optics of work stoppages. Eventually forced to confront their profligacy, the Liberals were immediately set upon by the same public-sector unions that had benefited handsomely.

Now, with the Conservatives back at the helm, the unions are on red alert. Strike action by members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which includes those at the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, is indicative of that stance.

When it comes to the schools, there is a recognizable pattern: workers engage in skirmishes with the province and with their boards, the organizations that set the workaday agendas; parent councils struggle with extracurricular activities and the threat of work stoppages; and, as always, caught in the middle are students who suffer the consequences of decisions made by their elders.

Given the perception that spending is out of whack in the sector, coupled with the economic hard times for most Ontarians, public sentiment is clearly not with the unions. Parents are already fretting over what might happen if their children are used as pawns yet again. Expect the fallout from any potential disputes to tar the workers most of all, as they’d be the one responsible for school closures.

Blame also lies with the province. Job action by teachers and other civil servants that became the norm under the Mike Harris government got the band-aid treatment when the Liberals took over: some modicum of labour peace was achieved by throwing money at the situation. That path was treacherous. The funds came with no real accountability, so the education system got no better – some would argue it worsened – even as employees enriched themselves.

Really, the government should have set the terms right from the beginning, reigning in spending on costs not of benefit to the public – i.e. salaries and benefits – and focusing on classroom improvements instead.

Elon Musk: the benign sociopath

Elon Musk is that rarest of things, a benign sociopath, and therefore a person of considerable value to the world. He has just made a mistake that could ruin his long-term plan, for his purchase of Twitter is almost bound to end in tears. The sharks are always circling the very rich and highly geared, and I find myself worrying about him.

Musk sort of realized that buying Twitter was a mistake after his initial enthusiasm died down, for a $44-billion punt on an unprofitable social media platform is a risky move even for the world’s richest man. But by then he was legally committed, and after thrashing on the hook for a bit he decided to accept his fate and try to make it work for him.

He now styles himself ‘Chief Twit,’ which suggests a certain ruefulness about the project he has lumbered himself with, but he is pressing on regardless. He has already fired the three Twitter senior execs, Parag Agrawal, Ned Segal and Vijaya Gadde, who were most responsible for suckering him into the deal. (They walked away with $100 million.)

Next step is presumably laying off somewhere between 25 and 75 per cent of the workforce (he has mentioned both figures), to create a leaner, ‘freer’

Twitter not weighed downed by legions of ‘moderators’ who try to eliminate the nastiest posts.

Musk is aware of the risks this involves, because 90 per cent of Twitter’s (inadequate) revenue comes from advertisers who will not want the reputational damage that using a completely unmonitored site would bring them. That’s why he promised last week that it will not become “a free-for-all hellscape, where anything can be said with no consequences!”

However, General Motors (admittedly a rival car-maker) has already ‘paused’ its advertising on Twitter pending evidence that it won’t become a ‘hellscape.’ Others may follow, for Musk’s rhetoric about being a “free speech absolutist” points precisely in that direction.

But why should we care about any of this? ‘Arrogant billionaire bites the dust’ is generally a satisfactory headline, and Musk’s politics are the drearily predictable sound-bites of the self-justifying ultra-rich. (He says he is thinking of backing the Republican governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, for president in 2024.)

We should care because

Elon Musk has chosen to use his wealth for the benefit of mankind. Not for the benefit of individual human beings, of course – the ultra-rich are almost never interested in that – but of the human race as a whole. Worse motives are imaginable.

In many ways Musk matches the classic stereotype of the sociopath. He’s male, very intelligent, and highly manipulative. He has many children by many partners. He is probably devoid of real empathy (although he has learned to speak the language). But he really is benign, no more cruel or selfish than the average human being.

The two technologies he has brought from experimental one-offs to everyday commercial vehicles – Tesla electric cars and Space-X’s family of workhorse rockets – were chosen explicitly because they address the two biggest threats to the human future: the immediate threat of climate change, and the long-term vulnerability of a one-planet species.

Musk might have wound up rich even without these goals, but that’s what drove him to amass all that money – and it worked. Tesla is not just the car that forced other car-makers to bring EVs to the market too. The batteries that Musk

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

Connect: observerxtra.com/staff

“While inflation has weighed heavily on Canadians, it has buoyed provincial finances. The next chapter will be written by the provinces as they decide what to do with their unexpected budget surpluses.” Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives economist David Macdonald notes that all provinces have already experienced surpluses or soon will, with most ahead of pre-pandemic levels.

Leger poll for Equifax

Monitor

ANALYSIS OF CURRENT WORLD

GWYNNE

DYER Global Outlook on World Affairs

Looking for pragmatic solutions in a time of duelling crises

The prospect of a winter spent in the cold and dark is a daily reality for Ukrainians. That’s precisely the goal behind Russia’s targeting of energy infrastructure as it continues to pursue Vladimir Putin’s pipe dream of restoring the Soviet empire.

The impact of the war is also being felt across Europe, as energy prices skyrocket with winter on the horizon. Even here, we’re feeling the impacts at the pump, gasoline prices on the rise again.

Putin appears to be hoping that the turmoil will help undermine support for Ukraine, prompting other coun tries to call for some kind of deal that will favour the Russians, who are losing on the battlefield almost as badly as they are in the court of public opinion.

Energy prices and the prospect of blackouts are weapons at Putin’s disposal, notes New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman.

“As the Russian Army continues to falter in Ukraine, the world is worrying that Vladimir Putin could use a tactical nuclear weapon. Maybe –but for now, I think Putin is assembling a different weapon. It’s an oil and gas bomb that he’s fusing right before our eyes and with our inadvertent help – and he could easily detonate it this winter,” he wrote in a piece last week.

“If he does, it could send prices of home heating oil and gasoline into the stratosphere. The political fallout, Putin surely hopes, will divide the Western alliance and prompt many countries – including ours, where both MAGA Republi cans and progressives are expressing concerns about the spiraling cost of the Ukraine conflict –

STEVE

to seek a dirty deal with the man in the Kremlin, pronto.”

The solution may be for countries such as the US and Canada to step up production of oil and gas to help offset Putin’s manoeuvring, which has been aided by OPEC, most of whose members are also not bastions of democracy.

“If Biden wants Amer ica to be the arsenal of democracy to protect us and our democratic allies – and not leave us begging Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela or Iran to produce more oil and gas – we need a robust energy arsenal as much as a military one. Because we are in an energy war!” writes Friedman.

The near-term solution

is an energy policy that provides for more produc tion, using the cleanest technologies possible, despite climate change and the decarbonization policies.

Canada has already agreed to help Europe move away from its dependence on Russian oil and gas. Plans to provide liquefied natu ral gas to Europe in a few years time may be little more than lip service – there’s no LNG infrastructure and every little development in the oil and gas industry is fraught with both peril and delays – but stepped up production in Alberta could provide some stability and downward pressure on prices, though the industry would prefer higher prices ... and profits.

While we’re a long way from seeing any move ment on that suggestion,

there’s already been push back from environmental groups. That puts the government in something of a quandary: it’s pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but is being squeezed by public response to skyrocketing fuel prices. It’s a case of being unable to both suck and blow at the same time.

Given that there are no short-term alternatives to petroleum, Ottawa may be forced to concen trate on moves that help with pricing in the near term – reduce or elimi nate carbon taxes, boost supplies, remove other disincentives – while at least signalling long-term plans to phase out fossil fuels.

If Canada and the world community are going to turn the screws on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, helping Europe find alternatives is the

key. For now, alternatives mean other suppliers of fossil fuels, particularly natural gas. We’re also busy providing energy south of the border, which has much more refining capacity.

While Canada may not be able to address the crisis today, it can help with long-term solutions to supply issues, argues Deborah Jaremko of the Canadian Energy Centre.

Certainly supportive of the Alberta-led industry, she argues in a recent opinion piece that Cana dian oil and gas is part of the energy security crisis.

“Europe will continue to require substantial volumes of crude oil in the decades to come, even as more renewable energy comes online.

According to the Interna tional Energy Agency’s latest outlook, Europe will consume 10 million barrels of oil per day in

2030 and six million barrels per day in 2050,” she writes.

“But the European market can’t be viewed in isolation. It’s part of the global oil trade, where, driven by emerging economies in Asia and Africa, overall demand is expected to increase to 103 million barrels per day in 2030, from 97 million barrels per day in 2019. In 2050, the IEA expects the world will still consume 103 million barrels per day.

“The Trans Mountain pipeline expansion being built to the B.C. coast is a step in the right direction to help reduce global reli ance on Russia for oil, but with its vast resources and commitment to responsi ble development, Canada can do more.”

That pipeline will take Alberta stocks to the coast. The tankers bound for Asia won’t directly supply Europe, but will have a global impact on supply and prices. LNG plants can send natural gas in that direction, too, while plans for LNG terminals on the East Coast could eventually supply Europe directly.

“Canada’s federal government can change course to fast-track and champion major oil and gas export projects, signalling investors that Canada is the world’s energy solution,” says Jaremko.

There is of course the risk of allowing the petro leum industry to capi talize on the expression, attributed to Winston Churchill, that one ought not to allow a good crisis to go to waste. Making use of a crisis, natural or intentionally manmade, to work against the public good is precisely the play book outlined in Naomi Klein’s Shock Doctrine,

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provide recreational opportunities. I mean, it probably provides hundreds of things, but what we will typically do is take kind of a composite of the major ones.

“If it provides drinking water filtration, well that’s not challenging to sort of figure out what that service is worth, because there’s a specific cost to building a filtration plant and a treatment plant and to running that plant and operating it and maintaining it and then renewing it at the end of its useful life. So we can link a series of capital and operating costs to each of those services.”

Brook admits accounting for nature is still in its infancy, with multiple hurdles to overcome.

But the first steps, say Brooke and Eyquem, are to make this possible, meaning that the standards are changed to allow for natural capital to be included in public sector accounting.

Another next step is to develop a set of standards for valuing nature to give

municipalities a guideline, which the group behind the report is already working on, said Eyquem.

“There’s already a standard on natural asset inventory that’s out for public consultation,” she said. “We are pushing the boundary of what is considered to be normal at present.”

Richard Petherick, director of finance with the Township of Woolwich, says that including natural assets is something the township is looking into for the 2024 update of its asset management plan.

“I know we have to take into consideration our green infrastructure. That

would be the likes of our parklands, a tree perspective, any kind of green roofs, that kind of stuff, so we need to start to account for that,” he said.

“I know a lot of municipalities haven’t because there hasn’t been a requirement to yet, but as we’re getting into the 2024 asset management plan update, we’d have to take into all of our asset categories, and that would be including taking into consideration some of our green infrastructure.”

Roy Brooke says it’s important for everyday people to understand how including nature in public sector accounting could

impact their lives.

“If I were saying this to somebody who has no particular interest in this area, and has a busy job and three kids at home and just doesn’t really have a lot of bandwidth, I’d say, ‘look, nature is vital to just about everything that is going on in your community in terms of core services that you rely on, and also in terms of many things that make your community worth living in. And we have to find better ways to understand, manage, and protect nature.’

“Currently, the accounting rules are not the only obstacle but one obstacle, so we need to address this.”

→ FROM 9

for instance. We must be careful.

That said, we’ll be continuing to use petroleum products for decades to come. The current situation with Russia adds to the energy concerns of relying on unstable sources, along with the morality of providing vast sums of

money to regimes that are not worthy of a dime.

For now, defusing Friedman’s energy bomb and getting prices under control appear more pressing concerns than the often futile moves such as carbon taxes that are doing nothing to solve the climate crisis.

Which is the lesser of two evils just now?

→ FROM 8

pioneered for cars and then for larger-scale electricity storage underpin the entire enterprise of wind and solar energy.

He may not live to see the creation of genuinely self-sustaining human colonies off-Earth – that’s probably at least a century-long project – but if he stays solvent he will probably live to see

the first human beings establish some sort of foothold on Mars. And it will be because Space-X has cut the cost of boosting payload into orbit a hundredfold.

Neither of these things was ‘ bound to happen.’ They happened because Elon Musk decided to make them happen. They were ways in which his particular skills could contribute

to the future of the human race, and in both cases they were right on target.

His work is not finished, and Space-X in particular could still founder without his leadership and his cash flow. His skill set is not relevant to running a social media platform, but Twitter will be a mighty distraction for him and all his other enterprises could end up on the rocks as a

result.

Musk’s finances are not exactly transparent, but it is clear that much of the money to buy Twitter comes out of his own pockets or from bank loans secured on his properties. The sensible thing would be to get out fast and absorb his losses, but it not clear that anybody else would want to buy the company.

DYER: Twitter will likely be no more than a costly distraction of little benefit

KANNON: What’s most pressing?

ACCOUNTING: Trying to put a dollar value on the benefits nature provides

A graph showing catastrophic insured losses (i.e., events that trigger more than $25 million in claims) associated with extreme weather in Canada over the period from 1983-2021. Submitted

observerxtra.com/letters

Hurry hard with funding Lancers volleyball

The federal government this week

Curling Canada with

funding for 2022-23. The

The

here

The EDSS junior boys’ volleyball team posted a 3-0 win Tuesday over Jacob Hespeler Secondary School in the preliminary round of the playoffs. The senior boys, meanwhile, last dropped a 3-0 decision to Huron Heights to wrap up 1-9.

I

f you hunt deer, two things are for certain: first, there will be times when you are sitting with a perfect wind in your face at a spot where your trail cameras routinely capture photos of dozens of deer, and there will be, inexplicably, none around.

Zero. Nada. Zilch.

Second, while you are wondering why this is happening, your non-hunting friends will be texting you a constant stream of photos showing lots of deer up close, including several big bucks, that are lounging serenely in their yard.

The optimist in me would like to think that my friends are not doing this to be mean. No, I’d like to think they are doing it to reassure me that, despite my experience, there are still deer on this planet.

On the other hand, the pessimist in me is thinking they are doing this so that they can point out in a diplomatic way, that deer hunting is not nearly as difficult as I and other hunters make it out to be.

Knowing my friends, this is the most logical explanation.

Also, they are probably bragging a bit too.

As if to prove my point, the other day one of my friends suggested that he could shoot a deer, wearing pyjamas and drinking a coffee, every morning. I’m still not sure I believe it though. I have seen tons of deer, and not one wore pyjamas or drank coffee.

The truth of the matter is, the deer are fooling us all.

They have convinced

that I can put my tag

I just sit quietly

spot

They have convinced my friends that they could easily harvest an animal if they just sit in their yard and relax.

As an experienced deer hunter, I could either be bitter about this or use the experience to better my odds of taking a deer.

The thing is, I’m not exactly the kind of guy who takes the high road. Neither, though, am I the type of guy who takes the low road. So, I choose to be bitter while at the same time using this experience to better the odds of me taking a deer.

So I asked if I could join my friend for coffee on his back deck for the rest of the season, which he agreed to, until he observed that I also brought a tree stand, camo gear and bow.

“You’re not really here to be social are you?” he said.

“Sure, I am,” I whispered.

That didn’t work out so well,which is why I decided to plan ahead for next year in order to take advantage of the lessons I have learned.

That’s why, next season, my favourite deer stand is going to be set up a little differently. First, it will have the façade of the back of a bungalow, complete with deck, patio table set, coffee and newspaper. It’ll also

A real mixed bag as the Sugar Kings split another weekend

SPECIAL TEAMS

PLAYED A BIG part in the outcome as the Elmira Sugar Kings split last weekend’s games. After posting a 3-2 win in Listowel, the team fell at home Sunday to Cambridge.

The weekend results reflected the level of play, whereas previous split weekends could have seen the Kings pick up additional wins, says director of hockey operations Scott McMillan.

“Previous times, the results were mixed but the play was pretty consistent. I think this is the first weekend where the play was really a mixed bag, not just the results,” he explained. “A really good effort Friday night, and then our first kind of down night... on Sunday wasn’t a good game at all.”

On October 28, the Kings faced the Listowel Cyclones for the first time this season, coming back from being down twice to win the game.

The home side was on the board first with a power-play goal before Elmira’s Liam Eveleigh scored on the power play at 13:17 of the opening period, with assists going to Adam Grein and Madden MacDougall. Just over two minutes later, Listowel potted the only even-strength goal of the night to take a 2-1

lead into the first intermission.

It was a different story in the second, however. Grein scored a power-play goal at 3:56 to tie it up at 2-2, assisted by Eveleigh and MacDougall. The eventual game-winner came at 12:59, an unassisted shorthanded goal by Logan Crans.

Neither team scored in the third, assuring the Kings a 3-2 victory. Shots were 20-14 in favour of the visitors, with Elmira netminder Daniel Botelho stopping 12 to post the win.

“It was a good game up there. They are another team that works really

hard and competes hard, and it’s never easy to win in that building,” said McMillan. “They’re always well prepared, and they always work hard. So to get two points on a Friday night in Listowel, it’s always good.

“For our boys, that was probably our best game of the year. We were really, really good on Friday, which kind of turns around and we have one of our worst nights on Sunday.”

Things started out well enough at the WMC on Sunday night, as Jackson Heron scored an unassisted goal just 3:20 into the game, but that would

be it for the Kings. Cambridge scored late in the first to tie it, and after a scoreless second, the visitors picked up the lone goal of the third to take the 2-1 win.

The score wasn’t really indicative of the play, McMillan said. The Redhawks outshot the Kings 30-17, with Botelho keeping his team in the game.

Still, there were some positives, he added.

“Even on a night where we don’t play well, we’re still able to stay in the game and have a chance to maybe get a lucky bounce. To lose only 2-1one on a night where we really weren’t good speaks to our commitment to defense, playing hard and making life hard for the other team,” said McMillan.

“To only give up two goals to a really good team on a night when we weren’t good, your goalie had to be good, but our team defense was still pretty good.”

The young Elmira squad faces another challenge rolling into this weekend, with three games in four nights for the first time this season.

The Kings (8-7) are in Ayr on Thursday night to face the Centennials (10-7) before returning home for games against the conference-leading KW Siskins (14-2) on Saturday and the secondplace Stratford Warriors (12-5) on Sunday. Game time both nights at the WMC is 7 p.m.

STEVE GALEA

Steve Kannon Observer Staff

WOOLWICH WILDCATS

■ Atom U10 A

Oct/29/2022 vs Owen

Sound Jr. Attack

HOME: 19 VISITOR: 2

GOALS: Matteo Abate (5), Connor Shantz (3), Jack Frey (2), Alexander Mielke (2), Devin Vogel (3), Mason Roadknight, Benjamin Collison (2), Keegan Bakker

ASSISTS: Daxton Habermehl (3), Devin Vogel (3), Brayden Clemmer (2), Spencer Martin (2), Matteo Abate (3), Braxton Wideman, Benjamin Collison (2), Matvii Kamyshnyi Shutouts: Oren Ball

■ Atom U10 A

Oct/30/2022 vs Halton Hills

Thunder HOME: 4 VISITOR: 3

GOALS: Keegan Bakker (2), Brayden Clemmer, Connor Shantz

ASSISTS: Braxton Wideman, Alexander Mielke, Matteo Abate, Matvii Kamyshnyi

■ Atom U11A

Oct/30/2022 vs Hespeler Shamrocks

HOME: 7 VISITOR: 5

GOALS: Connor Gillies, Jack Frede, Jack Frede, Connor Gillies, Jack Frede, Connor Gillies, Jack Frede

ASSISTS: Connor Gillies,

Presley McFadden, Connor Gillies, Colton Cooney, Connor Gillies, Jack Frede

■ Bantam U15BB

Oct/29/2022 vs Milton Winterhawks - Blue HOME: 3 VISITOR: 3 GOALS: Adam Bloch, Sam Kruschat, Carter Weir ASSISTS: Josh Wraight

WOOLWICH WILD

■ Atom U11 LL

Oct/23/2022 vs Woolwich Wild U11-1 HOME: 1 VISITOR: 8 GOALS: Evelyn Lanni ■ Atom U11A Oct/30/2022 vs South Huron Sabres HOME: 2 VISITOR: 3 GOALS: Haylee Zinken, Maggie McAdam

■ Atom U11 LL-1 Oct/29/2022 vs Woolwich Wild U11-1 HOME: 2 VISITOR: 0 GOALS: Jillian Metzler (2) ASSISTS: Brooklyn Galway, Grace Craig ■ PeeWee U13 LL Oct/29/2022 vs Kitchener Lady Rangers Red HOME: 0 VISITOR: 1

■ PeeWee U13 LL Oct/30/2022 vs Cambridge Roadrunners Black HOME: 7 VISITOR: 2

GOALS: Cambria Holland, Adelyn Wilk (2), Bronwyn Rozema, Lauren Hennessy, Josie Atkinson, Keira Walsh ASSISTS: Cambria Holland (2), Bronwyn Rozema, Chole Futher, Avery Clemmer ■ PeeWee U13B

Oct/29/2022 vs Saugeen Shores Storm

HOME: 1 VISITOR: 1 GOALS: Maddie Goften ASSISTS: Emerson Smith ■ PeeWee U13B Oct/30/2022 vs Woolwich Wild HOME: 2 VISITOR: 0 GOALS: Allie Desbarres, Olivia Bright

ASSISTS: Lexi Bowden Shutouts: Charlotte Nolan ■ Bantam Wild U15A

Oct/29/2022 vs SaugeenMaitland Lightning HOME: 1 VISITOR: 2 GOALS: Maddy Phillips ■ Bantam U15BB Nov/01/2022 vs Erin Hillsburgh Devils HOME: 4 VISITOR: 1 GOALS: Sam Kruschat, Cohen Clemmer, Luke Forbes, Carter Weir ASSISTS: Carter Weir, William Krubally, Luke Forbes, Grant Rintoul, Alex Veitch, Levi Adams

GALEA: Finding a new approach

have a manicured lawn in front of it, which I will mow. That lawn will be decorated with garden gnomes to ease suspicion and a picket fence that the deer can easily jump over, should they choose not to walk through the open gate. I’ll even ask my wife to plant an expensive decorative garden there.

And, just in case I’m mistaken, I’ll leave out a pair of pyjamas and a pot of coffee, too.

The EDSS senior girls’ basketball team defeated Huron Heights 58-35 on Oct. 27 on home turf. At left, Kaleohana Manalong and Megan Hume battle for possession of the ball; middle and right, Delaney Cortes controls the play. Having finished atop the standings with a 10-0 record, the team plays in the quarterfinals today (Nov. 3). Bill Atwood

Izzy Speiran (left) won another championship title for EDSS at the CWOSSA tennis competition, bringing players from all across Western Ontario. Against St. Mary’s, she won 6-0, and against both JF Ross and Preston she won 6-3. She is headed to OFSAA in the springtime to represent Elmira with the support of her coaches and teammates. Submitted

Lancers Lottie Martin and Brooklyn Alpaugh in game action Oct. 27. Bill Atwood

The EDSS junior boys’ volleyball team beat Jacob Hespeler 3-0 at home Tuesday to advance to the quarterfinals. Leah Gerber

Business

Leading the way.

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

Email: newsroom@woolwichobserver.com

New Business: observerxtra.com/enterprise

The maximum pensionable earnings under the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) for 2023 will be $66,600, up from $64,900 in 2022, the agency announced. The employee and employer contribution rates for 2023 will be 5.95%, up from 5.70% in 2022, and the self-employed contribution rate will be 11.90%, up from 11.40%.

The Nith Valley EcoBoosters are hosting a free webinar to help people with terms such as “ESG,” “divestment,” “sustainable” or “socially Responsible” investing. “Let's Talk - Sustainable Investing 101” is scheduled for Dec. 7, 7-9 p.m. to demystify such terms and discuss how to make intentional decisions about investing.

www.nvecoboosters.com

The Charcuterie Bar the latest offering from the Fat Sparrow group

Leah Gerber Observer Staff

CHEF NICK BENNINGER

AND HIS team with the Fat Sparrow Group are at it again. This time, they’ve moved the meats and cheese shop – The Butcher and Market store – into the old Stone Crock Restaurant building, and expanded it to be a store with groceries, products created by the Fat Sparrow Group and others curated by Benninger.

They did keep a small portion of the restaurant intact as a 50-seat restaurant next to the store called The Charcuterie Bar. The restaurant features much

of the antique furniture and pieces that had been in the original Stone Crock Restaurant. All together, it’s called the Fat Sparrow Block.

Benninger said the new offerings took about a year to go from idea to up and running, and they hit some bumps along the way in sourcing all the materials needed for the remodeling.

The rationale for the project, Benninger says, stems from the fact he and his team always wanted to expand the butcher shop.

“It was quite a busy little shop, and we just saw more potential in it. But physically, it was just a very

small space,” he said.

“The pandemic comes along and changed things a lot so that we closed the Stone Crock at the beginning of the pandemic because it was a buffet restaurant based on tourism, which just no longer made sense. But restrictions had it closed anyway.

“And then it occurred to us one day that moving the butcher shop over here, and going even bigger could be the way to go, so we set that plan in motion. It’s a significantly bigger space, so it had to involve different aspects. That’s when we decided that this Charcuterie Bar would be great.”

The re-imagined Stone Crock space includes a seafood counter, traditional deli counter, butcher, freezers, the Charcuterie Bar restaurant, the bottle shop and some 3,000 square feet of retail space.

The business also includes the wholesale and catering departments, along with Jacob’s Grill and the bakery.

“It’s a big hub,” said Benninger.

Butcher Amy Robertshaw said she is looking forward to the possibility of getting creative with making new products.

“We still have the same values as we did before as

the [Stone Crock] Meats & Cheese,” she said.

Benninger says he’s most excited about this space’s ability to showcase Waterloo Region’s food.

“I just think, this location, this village, within this community, this is like Times Square. This is Dundas Square for my world of culinary experiences. We’re in the heart of St. Jacobs. We’re in the historically import-

ant restaurant space of the Stone Crock. We’re surrounded by agriculture and the farmers’ market and all that kind of stuff. And we have tourists coming locally and from abroad.

“We have this incredible opportunity to showcase what we think is important to the Waterloo Region food scene. And that to me is the connection to agriculture, the connection to our suppliers, the hands-on approach from start to finish of the ingredients. So, yeah, it’s just, I’ve never felt better about having a space that tells that story in the most visible place possible.”

10

Dr, St. Jacobs

Community Health Centre

Nick Benninger and Amy Robertshaw in the revamped Stone Crock space that’s now home to The Charcuterie Bar. Leah Gerber

New restaurant joins expanded butcher shop in making use of the former Stone Crock location in St. Jacobs

Nick Benninger

In a bold move, days before the hotly contested US midterm elections, the powerful Illinois corn lobby has thrown its weight behind those it hopes will drive a new political movement there: farmers.

Illinois is one of Amer ica’s top corn-producing states, second only to Iowa. That means Illinois farmers, who planted about 10.7 million acres of corn this year (about five times as much as Ontario), contribute mightily to the state’s economy, just like their counterparts on the Canadian side of the border.

But despite their role in shoring up the economy,

US corn growers to politicians: Where ya been?

OWEN ROBERTS

Food For Thought

Illinois corn farmers feel ignored. Ballots will be counted next week and they say they haven’t been courted for their support. They haven’t heard any party discuss issues they consider important. Polls say Americans primarily care about inflation and the economy, along with issues such as women’s rights, immigration and crime, so that’s where politicians are putting their efforts.

Of course, a strong case can be made that anyone who cares about the economy should also care

about agriculture. But the corn producers feel that’s not the case.

So they’re challenging their members to not vote Republican or Democrat, the US staples. Instead, says Illinois Corn Growers’ Association communi cations and marketing director Lindsay Mitchell, vote what her organization is calling Farmers First.

“Agriculture, and the policies that support a booming ag economy, don’t fall along party lines,” she says.“Farm er-first voting isn’t right or left. If you’re voting as a farmer first, you’re voting for different candidates, right and left, because those candidates encour

age agriculture and the business climate that supports agriculture.”

For example, she says, exports are the biggest market for Illinois commodities, and that requires infrastructure. Locks and dams, rail lines and bridges all require funding…and none of them fall along party lines. She asks her corn-growing members: Are you willing to vote for the candidates that vote for infrastructure? She wants corn producers to get behind those who are committed to building the infrastructure that empow ers exports.

A workable crop insur ance program is another need, says Mitchell. As

she points out, US farm programs are no longer supported by both parties; rather, support and oppo sition for farm programs fall on both sides of the party lines. So, candidates, where do you stand on preserving crop insur ance? That’s where corn producers should put their vote, she says.

And lastly, in a state that produces oceans of etha nol, why are candidates on both the left and the right so caught up in promoting electric vehicles? Protect ing the ethanol market will make or break Illinois agri culture in the future, says Mitchell. Producers need to support candidates that support ethanol, its clean

energy benefits, and its boost to rural economies.

That’s farmer-first voting, and Mitchell says it’s critical for corn producers’ agricultural heritage and legacy.

“Are you hopeful to farm for the entirety of your career and pass the farm off to the next generation? Are you willing to vote for candidates that have proven their commitment to building a future for farmers in our state and our nation?” she asks.

If so, then put farming’s priorities above party priorities and choose candidates accordingly, she says.

Not a bad approach to try in Canada, too.

Fergus, and multiple neighbourhoods in Guelph, Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo.

Bunker says the market ing team puts out a new poster every month, and they rotate through the cities and townships in the region.

“We’re trying to find that sense of community, I think, when these posters are being done. Like, what

is it about that community? How do we encapsulate that into a poster?” he said.

To create these posters, Simpkins works with the company’s realtors who know each neighbourhood well, to determine what to focus on for each piece. Then, she uses photos from the internet and her own visits to put them together.

Once the idea and initial research is in place, each poster can take anywhere

between five and 20 hours to create, she says.

The posters are available for anyone to pick up from TrilliumWest locations in Guelph and Kitchener, or they can be ordered online.

Bunker and Simpkins estimate they give away about 75 posters each month between the Guelph and Kitchener locations.

They also acknowledge that the posters present an idealized version of reality.

“I’m sure there’s bad everywhere in the world, but let’s find reasons to go out and explore our different neighborhoods and see the beauty,” said Bunker. “We live in one beautiful part of the world, and I think that’s often overlooked. And that’s really what we’re trying to focus in on, is, you know, let’s go to these places that are close to us and find that beauty.”

POSTERS: Colourful visual pieces are idealized representations of the neighbourhoods they depict

The posters are modelled after vintage travel posters of the 1920s, 30s and 40s. Leah Gerber

Arts

a local best seller

Stratford lines up 2023

Labouring on screen

The Waterloo Regional Labour Council hosts an evening of labour films Nov. 23 courtesy of the Canadian Labour International Film Festival. On tap are five short films: What will I show you?, If There Is No Struggle, Reach the Vortex, Made in Pauquachin and The Umbrella. The free screenings will be at the Apollo Cinema in Kitchener. www.labourfilms.ca/2022-films

www.stratfordfestival.ca

Selah’s Song hit all the right notes

Leah Gerber Observer Staff

A FOLK MUSICAL ABOUT PEACE seems just up the alley for a church group looking to stage a play. In that vein, Elmira Mennonite Church will this week stage Selah’s Song.

The group behind the production is Theatre of the Beat, which works to inspire people to talk about tough issues.

The story is of a young girl who questions the war narrative of her village and her music inspires the entire village to work for peace.

The play will be taking place at Elmira Mennonite Church on November 6 at 2 p.m. Attendance is free.

“We just want to welcome our community with open hands. We’ll have refreshments. There will be an opportunity to donate if you thought it was worthwhile, after the show, but absolutely no requirement to do so,” said associate pastor Charleen Jongejan Harder. “We want to give this to our community.”

Selah’s Song was written in 2014 as a 40-piece community musical ensemble and performed in Stouffville, but it was adapted to become a travelling show with a main cast of four who perform with puppets.

Cedric Martin is the

99%

production manager of the play and originally from New Hamburg. “What’s interesting to me, is that back in 2014, is when Russia decided to annex Crimea, and here we are in 2022, and Russia has again invaded Ukraine. So we’re thinking about more-so than just here everyday Canadians, but how do we talk to our children?

How do we sit down at the family dinner table and think about what peace could look like? We need these stories of hope that even a single voice can make a difference.

Play about working for peace also a good fit with the traditions of Elmira Mennonite Church, which presents it Nov. 6 accepted if a person were saying them.”

“And it’s not just what’s happening in Ukraine. There’s also stories of what’s happening in Iran right now. Where young girls and people are also being banned from similar things. In our show, there’s this sort of King that has this rule that people can’t sing any songs but the songs that they create. And that’s actually very similar to what’s happening in Iran too. So there’s, there’s a lot of modern-day parallels, and we need this story of peace, I think, more than we thought a few years ago, even.

Martin said he feels puppets are the perfect medium for a play about peace.

“Well, puppets have been used for centuries for social change. They’re a safe way to share messages that might not be as easily

Typically, Theatre of the Beat tackles difficult issues such as sexual abuse in the church or domestic abuse. This is the group’s first family-friendly, all-ages musical.

Jongejan Harder says Selah’s Song will resonate with people in Elmira. “I think that Elmira has a strong cohort of people

ON ROTTEN TOMATOES

from the peace church tradition. So the Mennonite background of the community has had a long history of the peace position. This is a way of tapping into that long tradition, and trying to examine it in 2022.”

Theatre of the Beat is touring Selah’s Song around Canada. The cast, gear and equipment all fit in a minivan and a small trailer. Along with being

the production manager, Martin built the set, does the sound and lighting and also plays a small part in the play.  He first became involved with Theatre of the Beat in 2019 with a production called  Yellow Bellies, about conscientious objectors during the Second World War.

Each time the cast and crew of Selah’s Song perform the play at a new location, they must arrive

well in advance to set up the entire set. Then they perform the show and conduct discussions after, before tearing down to move to the next stop. During the interview, Martin was speaking from Winnipeg. The tour will be coming to Ontario next, and stops will include Kitchener, Elmira, Waterloo, London, Toronto, Stouffville and New Hamburg.

SPOT

The Stratford Festival this week announced the lineup for its 2023 season, which includes King Lear, Rent, Much Ado About Nothing, Les Belles-Soeurs, Monty Python’s Spamalot, A Wrinkle in Time, Frankenstein Revived, Grand Magic, Richard II, Wedding Band, Casey and Diana, Women of the Fur Trade and Love’s Labour’s Lost.

The cast of Selah’s Song performing in Winnipeg. From left, Sara Jarvie Clark, Zach Parsons, Malia Rogers and Christina Leonard. They’ll be in Elmira on Sunday. Submitted

Wanted

For Sale

UNWANTED GUNS??? PROPERLY LICENCED Buyer. Guns, Cabinets, Collections 705-795-7516.

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.

Help Wanted

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 519-5744141 or 519-669-2045.

Wanted

STILL HERE BUYING ALL GOLD AND silver jewellery & watches, including Rolex, Tudor, Omega, IWC, Patek, Breitling, all high grade watches , all pocket watches, military items, toys, clocks, fountain pens, all coins and paper money. Fair honest prices. 40+ years in business. Call Terry @ 519-242-6900 or gallamore@golden. net. Call anytime. Prompt service.

Wanted

WANTED - DIE CAST REPLICAS OF FARM equipment, industrial equipment and transport trucks. Any scale, any complete condition. Small or large lots. Call Dwayne 519-669-5500.

Rentals

2 BEDROOM APARTMENT AVAILABLE near downtown Elmira. Call 226-600-0135.

Coming Events

KARATE! IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL CLASSES AVAILABLE SCHWEITZER'S MARTIAL ARTS. Self-defense, Self-discipline, Self-confidence. GROUP CLASSES FOR AGES 4 TO ADULT. Taught by Renshi Becky Schweitzer, 4th Degree Black Belt and 12X World Karate Champion. Location St. Peters Lutheran Church - 2925 Lobsinger Line, Heidelberg. EARLY BIRD SPECIAL ONLY $105+HST FOR 10 WEEKS. Uniform extra. Special ends Nov. 14. Regular price $125+HST Call 519-580-1418 or e-mail becky_ schweitzer@hotmail. com www.schweitzersmartialarts.com

JENNA

In Memoriam

In loving memory of our dear Husband & Father

Ronald W. Thur

Date of Death November 2, 2021

A year has gone by but your memory will never fade Sadly missed along life’s way Remembered every single day No longer in our life to share But in our hearts you will always be.

Love Anne, Steven, Laurie, Lynn & Sue & families

He’s

Community Information Page

Apply to Join the NEW Woolwich Environmental Advisory Committee Today!

Phone: 519-669-1647 or 877-969-0094 Fax: 519-669-1820

The Township of Woolwich is looking for 3-5 engaged citizens who are

After Hours Emergency: 519-575-4400 www.woolwich.ca

the environment and ensuring climate protection and sustainability is fulfilled in Woolwich Township. Motivated candidates will have technical expertise, live in Woolwich, and possess a desire to research and implement projects relating to environmental protection, climate action and sustainability in Woolwich.

The Woolwich Environmental Advisory Committee meets every other month, to provide comments, advice and information, and to guide staff and Council on how to protect, maintain and enhance the natural environment, and to ensure climate protection and sustainability.

To apply, please visit www.woolwich.ca/committees or contact the Clerks Office at 519-669-6004.

The application deadline is Friday, November 18, 2022 by 4:30pm. Appointments to the Woolwich Environmental Advisory Committee will be approved in December 2022 for the new term of Council (2022-2026).

Interested but want more information? Contact Alex Smyth, Council and Committee Facilitator, by phone at 519-669-6004 or email at asmyth@woolwich.ca.

William (Bill) Albrecht

May 8, 1932 - November 7, 2021

One year ago you suddenly left us. And, even though we know you are safe in God’s care, we still miss you every day.

So many special memories and silent tears keep us close to you and remind us of the life and joys we shared.

You are forever loved and in our hearts. You will always be with us and we thank God for you.

His Family

Notice of Public Meeting Township of Woolwich

Technical Advisory Group (TAG) Meeting Thursday, November 10, 2022, 2022 6:30 p.m. Public Meeting

Please note this will be a virtual meeting only. Below is information on how you can participate in the meeting.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

You can view the meeting by REGISTERING with the Support Specialist on or before 12 noon on Tuesday, November 8th. To register please email lschaefer@woolwich.ca or phone 519-669-1647, ext. 6112. Once you are registered the Support Specialist will forward information on how to connect to the Zoom meeting (i.e. zoom Wi-Fi login or toll-free conference call number).

In Memoriam

Obituary

Obituary

Obituary

CLARE WEBER

who passed away 1 year ago November 1, 2021

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

In Loving Memory of Forever loved & deeply missed by Linda and family.

In Loving Memory of our dear mother, daughter and sister

Judy Lynn (Ward) Lorenz

May 9, 1964 - Nov 4, 2016

Ritter, E. Doris

Passed away peacefully at Barnswallow Place Care Community, Elmira on October 30, 2022 one day short of her 107th birthday. Fondly remembered by many nieces, nephews and their families. Predeceased by her parents Jacob and Emma (Ritz) Saddler, her husband Arthur “Harry” Ritter, siblings Louis, Merner, Norma and June. Doris was friendly, knowledgeable and artistic. She won the Carter Scholarship Award in high school, and took German and French courses at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her employment history includes 47 years of service as a bookkeeper and salesperson at Beaver Lumber. Prior to that she was a Bell Canada operator. Doris enjoyed knitting, quilting, painting, gardening, woodworking, listening to music and volunteering at the church. Visitation will take place from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Friday, November 4, 2022 at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, 62 Arthur St. S., Elmira. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, November 5, 2022 in the funeral home chapel. Cremation will follow, a private burial will take place in Elmira Union Cemetery. Special thanks to the staff at Barnswallow Place for their compassionate care. As expressions of sympathy, donations to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Elmira or St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation would be appreciated and can be made through the funeral home.

❖ www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com

Death Notice

That sad day we lost you Judy Our world fell apart We try our best to carry on With our broken hearts We think about you always And speak your name still You have never been forgotten And you never will

Until we meet again, Alicia & Heather, Mom & Dad, Tracy & Angie

KOEBEL, FREDERICK - It is with great sadness the family announces the peaceful passing on Tuesday, October 25, 2022, at Lanark Heights Long Term Care at the age of 90.

MARTIN, LARRY KEITH - Passed away peacefully, after a long battle with catastrophic brain damage on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at the age of 68.

MEYER, JAMES PAUL - James (Jim) Paul Meyer passed away peacefully after a brief illness at St. Mary's General Hospital. Jim was born in St. Clements, August 13, 1942.

Horst, Eileen

Passed away peacefully on Saturday, October 29, 2022 at Barnswallow Place Care Community, Elmira at the age of 96. Beloved wife of the late Aaron Horst (2005). Cherished mother of Phyllis and Loel Penner of Elmira, and Raymond Horst of North Vancouver, BC. Loving grandmother of the late Ryan Penner, and Derek Penner. Predeceased by her parents Joseph and Mary (Lichti) Wagler, siblings Almeda Klassen, Harvey Wagler, Barbara Kuepfer, Nelda Cressman, Mary Brunk, Hilda Bechtel, John Wagler, Alvin Wagler, Idella Wagler, and many brothers and sisters-in-law. Visitation will take place on Thursday, November 3, 2022 from 3-5 and 7-9 p.m. at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, 62 Arthur St. S., Elmira. Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, November 4, 2022 at Elmira Mennonite Church, 58 Church St. W., Elmira, with interment to follow in the adjoining cemetery. The service will be livestreamed and will be available to view on Eileen’s tribute page of the funeral home website. Masks would be appreciated for both events. Special thanks for the excellent care shown by the Pheasant Run staff at Barnswallow Place. In lieu of flowers, donations to Mennonite Central Committee or House of Friendship would be appreciated and can be made through the funeral home.

❖ www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com

Crossley, Yvonne

Passed away peacefully on Friday, October 28, 2022 at Pinehaven Nursing Home, Waterloo at the age of 86. Beloved wife of the late David Crossley (2006), and Edward Mitchell of Waterloo. Dear mother of Gary and Dianne Crossley of St. Jacobs, Kim and Brian Kostal of Lakelet. Loved grandmother of Michael (Kelly), Brittany (Nick), Lyndsay (Mason); David (Katrina), Jason; and great-grandmother of Bennett and Aida; Nolan; Abby and Quinn. Will be missed by brother Granville and Dorothy Halford, and her extended family in England. Predeceased by her parents Joseph and Miriam Halford. At Yvonne’s request, cremation has taken place. There will be no funeral home visitation or service. A private family service will be held. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the KW Humane Society would be appreciated and can be made through the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira.

❖ www.dreisingerfuneralhome.com

1172 Henry Street, Wellesley,Ontario.N0B2T0 519-656-2880

chris@futher-franklinfuneralhome.com www.futher-franklinfuneralhome.com

Serving the families of Wellesley Township and the surrounding area with the care, respect and dignity families deserve.

Ferguson, Larry

Passed away peacefully on Friday, October 28, 2022 at St. Mary’s General Hospital, Kitchener at the age of 78. Beloved husband of Diane Ferguson of Elmira for over 55 years. Loved father of Vince Ferguson and Susanne Bruns of Rothsay, Pam and Jeff Smith of New Hamburg. Dear grandfather of Cody and Nikki; Alex and Allie, and great-grandfather of Maverik. Will be missed by his sisters Florence Sloat and Helen Zurell, brother-in-law Robert Manto, and sister-in-law Joyce Beirnes. Adored by many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents David and Olleva Ferguson, brothers Walter (in infancy), Kenneth (Alice), and Roy (Marie), brothers-in-law Jim Westman, Harry Sloat, Bruce Zurell, Murray Coulter, and sisters-in-law Marilyn Manto, Dorothy (Jim) Marks. Larry was a lifelong truck driver. His number one passion was his family. In his retirement he loved shooting pool with his billiard buddies. Cremation has taken place, a private family service will be held, with interment in Bethesda Cemetery. A celebration of life was held from 2-5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at the Elmira Legion Branch 469, 11 First St. E., Elmira. As expressions of sympathy donations to Lutherwood Children’s Mental Health Centre or St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation would be appreciated by the family and may be made through the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira.

❖

ChristopherW Franklin

Living Here

It's about all of us.

Email: newsroom@woolwichobserver.com

Report it: observerxtra.com/tips

Spirit to Soar at screening Prepping Santa’s arrival

The Wilmot Ecumenical Working Group on Indigenous/Settler Relationships (WEWGISR) is hosting a free screening of “Spirit to Soar,” a follow up to Tanya Talaga's book, Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern City. The documentary will be shown Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at Zion United Church, 215 Peel St., New Hamburg.

Woolwich council this week agreed to waive the road-closure fee of $200 for Kiwanis Club of Elmira’s annual Santa Claus parade, scheduled for Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. Club president Murray Haight noted the organization takes on numerous fees, including the likes of paying the bands that appear and covering the cost of policing, in order to stage the popular event.

Seniors return to in-person celebrations

Bill Atwood Observer Staff

A SPECIAL CELEBRATION BY THE Woolwich Seniors Association to mark the 90th birthday milestone of some of its members was perhaps extra special given that it was the first time in three years members could gather for such an event.

The dinner held Oct. 26 at the WMC seniors’ centre celebrated two people, Murray Aberle and Grace Walton, as well as all other members who reached their nineties in 2020 and 2021. In-person events had been on hold through the pandemic.

“We did come almost of course to a grinding halt during COVID, like everything else did. We did need a lot of help in COVID to keep strong because other than that, it’s been a very active senior centre ever since its inception,” said interim president Gail Eby. Securing pandemic grant money allowed the association to keep going,

she said, “The board continued to work very hard to keep our lights on when there were no activities. Between our membership fees and our participation fees, we count on those to

help us pay our bills,” she said, noting the lack of programming meant revenues dropped to nothing.

For an annual fee of $25 and a small additional fee for certain events, the member-run organization

provides daily activities such as snooker, shuffleboard, darts, a crocheting and knitting club and a genealogy program. They also provide dinners throughout the year, including during the

holiday season, and day trips. The association has between 200-250 active members, including more than 20 that are over the age of 90.

The non-profit organization based at the WMC

Examining your scoliosis treatment options

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My granddaughter was diagnosed with a severe case of scoliosis. What is scoliosis, and what treatments are available?

ANSWER: Scoliosis is a side-to-side curvature of the spine that can occur in about 1 in 300 children. In growing children, curves can progress rapidly, especially during the adolescent growth spurt. Growth plates, which

Mayo Clinic Professional Clinical

are compressed, grow more slowly, resulting in progressive wedging of the vertebra and scoliosis progression. Large curves can continue to progress slowly in adulthood, eventually causing problems with quality of life and even breathing. Typically, braces can

be prescribed to treat mild or moderate curves by holding the spine in a corrected position while the spine grows. Bracing may prevent the curve from worsening, but it does not typically straighten the alignment of a curved spine.

For some children, the curvature of their spine is significant, thus the diagnosis of severe scoliosis. Severe curves can be treated with spinal fusion.

This reliable and successful procedure, which has been around since the 1960s, prevents the curve from returning.

With spinal fusion, an 8- to 12-inch incision is made over the back, and the muscles are moved out of the way to reach the spine. Screws and rods are attached to the curved area of the spine, and the spine is pulled into a corrected position. Then small joints over the back

of the spine are removed, and the bone is roughened with a high-speed burr.

This process creates a solid sheet of bone or a fusion across the back part of the spine. Depending on where the curve is, between six to 13 vertebrae of the 17 vertebrae in the back are fused to treat scoliosis, with anywhere from 14 to 24 screws and two solid metal rods being used.

After fusion however,

is a great way to support seniors in Woolwich, Eby said.

“If we don’t look after our seniors, they’re going to be sitting at home doing nothing and as I say, our mission statement is ‘stay active, be involved and feel connected’ and that’s exactly what we aim to do. Because there are a lot of lonely people who have maybe lost loved ones or don’t have family around and they really count on the association to have a social life,” she added.

It also helps seniors build connections with each other.

“We encourage everybody 55-plus to come join us. We have probably [aged] 55 people right up to over 100. Now, the older ones aren’t as active anymore, but they’re still totally respected.”

Eby saw the group’s work in action with a neighbour whose wife had passed away.

“He was going through a very hard time with her

the spine no longer grows over the area where the spine is fused, and the spine does not move over the area that is fused. In most cases, the unfused area of the spine can compensate, and children have normal function and acceptable spine motion. After a fusion surgery, children are in the hospital for three to four days and could miss about three weeks of

AD SPOT - NON PRINTING

Whether you just need a ride home or to work we are happy to help. If you have your vehicle with us on a busy day, feel free to inquire about our loaner vehicle availability. If you live in the area or work in town we are happy to pick up your vehicle and deliver it back to you.

These options are here for your convenience!

Maintaining your car and your Schedule.

Tel:

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

Among those out at the event Oct. 26 were (front row) Woolwich Mayor Sandy Shantz, Gracie Walton, Murray Aberle, regional Chair Karen Redman, (back row) Ward 1 Coun. Patrick Merlihan and WSA interim president Gail Eby. Bill Atwood

WSA holds event to mark the 90th milestone year for some members as the pandemic had suspended all activities

20 Oriole Parkway E., Elmira.

Did you know? We offer a shuttle service, loaner vehicles and complimentary, local vehicle pickup and drop off!

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5

Climate Action Movie Time at Lions Hall, Elmira from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. No charge. Movie: Curb your Carbon (with discussion to follow.) Movie for children

The Lorax. Adults are required in the building

all children under 9. Both movies start at 2 p.m. Drinks and popcorn will be provided. All welcome. Pre-registration to aroberts@woolwich.ca or call 519-514-7027.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7

▢ Understanding Elder Abuse and Neglect Workshop. Join Woolwich Counselling virtually from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Stress on communities, institutions, families, and individuals increases the risks of possible neglect and abuse to those members in our community who rely on others for care and daily needs. This workshop will create awareness and increase understanding of what abuse and neglect may look like in its various forms, and how we can come together to care for, protect, and prevent any harm to our elders. Register now: Please call 519-669-8651 or email us at info@woolwichcounselling.org

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

▢ Calm and Content: Strategies for Manageing Your Emotional State. Join Woolwich Counselling virtually from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Life is better when we can manage our emotions and avoid getting stuck in an anxious, down, or angry state. In this workshop you will receive an introduction to how our nervous system works to manage emotions. You will learn a few tips on how to use this wisdown to stay calm and content. Register now: Please call 519-669-8651 or email us at info@woolwichcounselling.org

▢ Senior's Community Dining at Wellesley Community Centre. Community Care Concepts invites you to join us for lunch and fellowship. Cost: $12. Must pre-register by November 4 by calling 519-6641900.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10

▢ Woodside Evergreen for Seniors, 10:30 a.m. at Woodside, Elmira. "Highlights >From the Holy Land" Photos, Devotional Words and Music by Heather Bowman, Pastor Paul Fletcher and Lynette Weber. Registration required by November 4 at noon at www.woodsidechrch.ca/evergreen or 519-6691296. Suggested Donation $8 includes hot lunch.

▢ Strengthening Children's Emotion-Regulation Skills. Join Woolwich Counselling virtually from 7 p.m. to 8p.m. Learning how to recognize and manage strong emotions is an important life skill. Benefits include improved communication, independence, self-confidence, and interpersonal skills. Join us to discuss strategies for building emotion-regulation skills in our children, our teens, and caregivers too. Register now: Please call 519-669-8651 or email us at info@woolwichcounselling.org

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13

▢ Famous Country Dance at the Alma Community Centre. Hosted by the Alma Optimists and starting at 8 p.m. $15 per person. Dance to the sounds of the Flethchers Band.

You can have delicious cornbread using frozen corn

dding whole corn kernels to the usual cornmeal in a cornbread recipe makes the cornbread extra corny. Plus, pureeing the corn in a blender (along with buttermilk and enough light brown sugar to make the bread pleasantly but not overly sweet) makes it easy to incorporate while eliminating tough, chewy

kernels. This cornbread is great served with chili and is also delicious slathered with butter. Using frozen corn in the recipe allows you to enjoy this tasty morsel year-round.

Corny Cornbread

1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined.

3. Add buttermilk, corn and sugar to a blender. Place lid on top of blender and hold lid firmly in place with a folded dish towel. Process until combined, about 5 seconds.

4. Add eggs to blender, replace lid, and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds.

5. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Use a rubber spatula to stir until mostly combined (leave some

streaks of flour). Add melted butter and stir until just combined and there are no streaks of flour. Pour batter into the greased baking pan and smooth surface with spatula.

6. Place baking pan in oven and bake until cornbread is deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

7. Remove baking pan from oven and place baking pan on a cooling rack. Let cornbread cool for 10 minutes.

8. Use oven mitts to flip the baking pan over onto the cooling rack to remove cornbread. Carefully turn cornbread right side up and let cool on rack for 10 minutes.

Transfer cornbread to a cutting board and cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.

tested recipes that work.

school. Most children can return to normal physical activity and play most sports within 12 weeks after surgery.

In rare cases, patients will require a second surgery. Based on research, only about 2% of patients need a second surgery within the two years of the first proce dure.

Once a fusion surgery is performed, there is no reason to perform a nonfusion procedure. However, newer surgeries that do not involve fusion are available to treat scoliosis.

The goal of these nonfu sion surgeries is to correct the scoliosis but still allow for the spinal growth and motion. However, the long-term results of these procedures are not known.

To date, the risk of needing a second surgery is higher after a nonfusion surgery – up to 10% to 20% chance within two years of the procedure. Two devices approved by the Food and Drug Adminis tration (FDA) are used for nonfusion spine proce dures to treat scoliosis

– both through a special humanitarian approval. The first device is used for vertebral body tether ing. The spine is accessed through 1-inch incisions in the side, and a special camera is used while performing the surgery. Metal screws are placed in the vertebrae where the spine is curved, and a plastic cord connects these screws. The cord is tensioned to shorten the long side of the scoliosis curve, acting as an inter nal brace.

As some children continue to grow, the curve continues to correct over time. The cord is flexible so the spine still can move.

Problems with this procedure include the technical difficulty of performing the procedure safely and predicting how much to correct the scoliosis during the surgery. Younger patients may require a second surgery to remove the cord when the spine is fully corrected. Other times, the cord does not correct the curve enough, and a fusion surgery may be required.

The second approved device is used to perform posterior dynamic distrac tion. A 6- to 8-inch inci sion is made over the back. The muscles on one side of the spine are moved out of the way. Three screws are placed and connected with a single rod that has two ball bearing joints to allow for motion.

Patients usually spend one night in the hospital and can return to sports in eight to 12 weeks. In 10% to 20% of patients, a second surgery is required because the screws can loosen, the device can break, and the scoliosis curve can progress or worsen.

For young children, similar rods can be used that contain a special magnetic device. These are called magnetic growing rods. The rods are fixed to the spine above and below the scoliosis curve.

Patients come to the clinic four times per year, and the rods are length ened several millimeters at a time with the child awake. After the child has completed most of his or her growth, these rods are

removed during a second surgery, and the spine is fused in a corrected position. These rods also have a high rate of an unplanned surgery, with reports of up to 30% to 40% of patients needing surgery within two years.

While significant advancements have been made to treat childhood scoliosis, early detec tion and treatment with bracing are always the first choice. For more severe scoliosis, fami lies now have treatment options. Ongoing research and advances in these nonfusion strategies will improve the outcomes and reduce the chance of need ing multiple surgeries in the future.

For now, fusion is the most reliable option, but some patients and fami lies may prefer a nonfu sion approach to preserve motion and spinal growth, and these safe, FDA-ap proved options are avail able now.

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.

Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Idea Exchange | Queen's Square 1 N Square, Cambridge, ON 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM

Wednesday, November 9, 2022

More Good Dialogue

Join us to talk about what matters in your community and your neighbourhood!

Waterloo Region Community Foundation wants to hear from people across our region. We will be on-site at libraries around Waterloo Region to chat and answer any questions you have about your community foundation, and to get your input on issues of importance in your neighbourhood, city and/or township.

No registration is required, simply show up at your preferred date and time to talk with us. We look forward to connecting at a location near you.

For more information, visit wrcf.ca/dialogues

We will be at the Elmira Branch Library on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM. We hope to see you there!

New Hamburg Branch –Region of Waterloo Library 145 Huron St, New Hamburg, ON 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM

John M. Harper Branch –Waterloo Public Library 500 Fischer-Hallman Rd N, Waterloo, ON 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Thursday, November 10, 2022

Grand River Stanley Park Community Library 175 Indian Rd, Kitchener, ON 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Ayr Branch –Region of Waterloo Library 137 Stanley St, Ayr, ON 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

ELMIRA TRUCK

HIRING – 310T TECHS AND APPRENTICES

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

Idea Exchange | Hespeler 5 Tannery St E, Cambridge, ON 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Elmira Branch –Region of Waterloo Library 65 Arthur St. S., Elmira, ON 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Wellesley Branch –Region of Waterloo Library 1137 Henry Street, Wellesley, ON 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Thursday, November 17, 2022

Forest Heights Community Library 251 Fischer-Hallman Rd, Kitchener, ON 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Friday, November 18, 2022

Eastside Branch –Waterloo Public Library 2001 University Ave E, Waterloo, ON 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM

MAYO CLINIC: Spinal fusion remains the long-established treatment for most patients, though newer options exist

Library series tackles the issues and misconceptions of dyslexia

Bill Atwood Observer Staff

A WATERLOO REGION

LIBRARY SPEAKER series is aiming to raise awareness of dyslexia and the challenges faced by those who live with it.

The three-part series has already featured Valdine Björnson, founder of the reading and learn ing clinic in Winnipeg. It will also feature a virtual event with Risha Conroy, founder of the New Yorkbased Dyslexia Alli ance for Black Children (November 8 at 7 p.m.), and a presentation by the International Dyslexia Association (IDA) Branch of Ontario at the Elmira library on November 14, also at 7 p.m.

According to IDA Ontario president Alicia Smith, dyslexia is the most common reason that people struggle with learning to read.

“It’s a specific difficulty that can sometimes be a disability in word read ing, writing and spell ing,” Smith said, adding the idea that people with dyslexia see letters backwards is a common misconception.

“In order to be able to see words and identify them instantly, there are connections that you have to form in the brain. Dyslexia is a brain-based difference in that those connections that allow for that instant word recognition are much more difficult to form for people with dyslexia,” she explained.

Nobody is born with these connections, Smith said.

“Everyone has to rewire their brain a little bit so that they can learn to read, but for individu als with dyslexia, just because of the structure of the brain, it is much more difficult for them to form the connections.”

As the key to treating dyslexia is high-quality reading instruction, the IDA is working to get teachers across the prov ince trained to be able to provide that instruction.

“So that it happens at school instead of happen ing outside of school. And currently, the big problem is that it’s not happening in school. Parents are having to turn to private tutors to get additional instruction for their kids. That’s very costly and it becomes a massive equity issue.… It really could

be delivered within the public education system,” she said.

Although dyslexia occurs across all races and socioeconomic classes, Conroy explained that unconscious biases can make it more difficult for Black children to be diagnosed with it. These biases happen when teachers have lower expectations for Black students.

“What we know from the research is that expectations for some students are lower. It’s part of our implicit biases. So because of that, many educators may not expect that a child is going to read at grade level. And so when the child is having difficulties, no one ques tions whether or not that child has dyslexia,” she explained.

“So if you’re not looking for dyslexia, if you’re not aware that it exists across all races and ethnicities and your expectations of certain students from certain backgrounds is lower, you’re not going to be able to identify it.”

Not being diagnosed with dyslexia can not only lead to the student not getting the support

they need, it can lead to challenges later in life, said Conroy.

“What are the outcomes for a student with dyslexia who doesn’t receive appropriate instruction or intervention? The outcomes are dispropor tionately negative.”

It also impacts the way people feel about them selves, Conroy said.

“Because they have experienced a lot of trauma, they haven’t had access to places that would allow them to get a job or to even feel good about themselves. And when you’re walking into a classroom... you have to be a reader in order to access the curriculum, and they’re sitting there reading, unable to do that, even though they’re trying really hard. It takes a lot more effort and labour to read. When you do have dyslexia, it impacts the way you feel about yourself.”

Children need evidence-based reading instruction, Conroy said.

“So you’re starting every child off with what they need in order to become proficient read ers. And so this allows you to see who needs extra help, and allows you to see where they’re not getting it…. We want to have consistent practices in the way [teachers] identify students.”

According to Björnson, dyslexia affects a higher percentage of the popula tion than people realize.

“It is, depending on the definition and the language that we were born in, particularly English, it’s 15 to 20 per cent, and that’s much higher than autism. People tend to know some of these other kinds of disabilities, but they don’t recognize something that’s even more preva lent in our population,” Björnson said.

Björnson has studied the impact that dyslexia has on adults who have it. Many did not find out they have the condition until university, she explained.

“They looked back on their K-12 [experience] and some of them are really angry. … They kind of labelled themselves as not capable and even worse self-describing words like stupid, because they just felt that that’s the only reason that they’re not picking up

Alicia Smith

Risha Conroy

Valdine Björnson

SENIORS: Finally a chance to celebrate some milestones

health and time when she went into the hospital…I said [to him] ‘why don’t you come out and join the groups because I know you like to play cards.’ Just to offer him a change, because that always can be awfully lonely if you have nothing to look forward

to,” she said.

There is much to learn from the members, Eby added.

“They have so much to give. And they’re so easy to talk to. I just think they are a wonderful age group. They’ve got so much to share and they’re so open about sharing.”.

The association also provides activities in conjunction with the township such as chair yoga and pickleball. While there is no plan to expand or make big changes, they are always looking for new activities, Eby said.

“We just want to keep ourselves fresh.”

this reading and spelling thing.”

The challenge is that much of life is based on literacy skills, she added.

“An 18-year-old said to me that she didn’t want to go to the grocery store because she couldn’t read the labels. She was fired from a position because she couldn’t fill out the

forms that they were asking her to fill out.

“I liken it to if I asked you to sing all day and you had to read music all day, would you be able to kind of demonstrate your capabilities? We’re asking people to kind of go with something that’s not their inclination all day, when they could show it in a much different way

and maybe shine in fact, maybe be more insightful than others that have the natural ability to read and write,” she said.

Dyslexia is treatable, Björnson stressed.

“We can do something about it.”

More information about this series and other RWL program can be found online at www.rwlibrary.ca.

TOWNHOMES: Site-plan process still to come

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Gundrum added there were two nearby proper ties where commercial development is slated, both on the north side of Church Street.

Coun. Patrick Merlihan, who raised the issue at the original public meeting, said he was unconvinced by the argument, noting staff “just took their word” on the matter.

“Your answer was basi cally that planning staff just took their word and did not go beyond looking into whether or not the site was actually commer cially viable. I find that hard to believe that a site like that wouldn’t be viable considering the amount of growth that we have.”

Other concerns raised by the public, includ

ing traffic, parking and stormwater runoff, were all addressed satisfacto rily, Gundrum said.

On the traffic front, studies show there would be little impact and no changes to the existing situation – no traffic lights at the intersection, for instance.

Concerns about grading and the loss of privacy raised by residents of Bristow Creek Drive, where homes back onto the property, would be addressed in the site-plan stage, though that’s not a public process but rather negotiated between the developer and the town ship, Gundrum said.

“There’s a process to follow that will address those concerns and attempt to address those concerns.”

In another planning matter, council also approved a zone change to increase the manufac turing capabilities at the Tubeline Manufacturing Ltd. property, 6455 Reid Woods Dr. and 6919 Line 86, west of Elmira.

The decision removes the restrictions on build ing size and reduces the number of required park ing spaces on the 18-acre site, which is zoned agricultural with site-spe cific zoning permitting the manufacturing of farm-related machinery.

Tubeline is looking to add a 103,000-squarefoot building to the site, which is currently home to three smaller struc tures. As well, the amount of required parking it to be reduced to 140 from 280.

Gracie Walton and Murray Aberle were both feted for their 90th birthdays. Bill Atwood

DYSLEXIA: Misconceptions abound to this day