Volunteers with the Southwestern Ontario Gleaners on Industrial
Dec. 21
day of production before the
in
cut up potatoes to make vegetable soup
down for its only two weeks off through the
are planning to increase productivity and hope to send regular food shipments to isolated First Nations communities in Northern Ontario.
By Bryan Jessop
Although 2016 is being hailed a success, its the years to come that are causing excitement for the Southwestern Ontario Gleaners.
The Leamington-based organization celebrated 2016’s success for the three million food servings it processed, a 60 per cent increase over the previous year. The charitable group’s productivity translated to more than 7,500 people around the world served one meal per day on a sustainable basis, including populations in Haiti, the Ukraine, Africa and locally through the VON and other services including food banks. Local programs including those in Huron, Perth and Lambton County have been supported through the donation of dehydrated apple snacks, a popular and healthy treat in communities across Southwestern Ontario and beyond.
Not content to level off at the status quo however, the Gleaners have plans in store to expand their facilities, output and services offered to underprivileged people and communities across the globe as well as within Ontario. Possibly best known for the production of its three-pound bags of dehydrated vegetable soup mix, the Southwestern Ontario Gleaners have taken steps to make each package — capable of producing 100 servings after being added to hot water — more palatable to the taste buds of North American recipients. In a partnership with Windsor-based Plentiful Harvest, the bags of soup mix are being complimented by small packages of spiced chicken or beef
A staff report presented at the December 13th meeting of the Greater Essex County District School Board is aimed at five Leamington area elementary schools.
The schools mentioned in the preliminary report include Gore Hill Public School, Margaret D. Bennie Public School, Mill Street Public School, Mt. CarmelBlytheswood Public School and Queen Elizabeth Public School. A Long Term Accommodation Report was presented, which showed the average utilization of the five schools in 2016 at 77% but that a 10-year long term outlook predicts a 68% utilization rate. The oldest school – Mt. CarmelBlytheswood – was built in 1952 and the newest – Mill Street – was built in 1967.
to Thursday: 8:30am - 7:00pm
8:30am - 5:30pm
8:30am - 5:00pm
broth.
“The first thing we did was a taste test with 350 people right here at our office,” explained Southwestern Ontario Gleaners board of directors past chair and fundraising chairperson Vern Toews. “It was a hit — everybody liked it.”
Dehydrated soup mix bags being sent to locations throughout Canada each include a small package of the broth similar to how packets of cheese are found in boxes of Kraft Dinner, Toews explained. A large portion of the unmarketable food donated to the Gleaners will be earmarked for First Nations communities in northern regions of the province where access is limited to airplanes and in some cases, ice roads. The service to some of Ontario’s most isolated communities has already taken place, where volunteer board members with the Gleaners — including Toews have visited to see the effects of their efforts.
“We met some kids, 10- to 12-year-olds, who’ve never seen a vegetable in their lives,” he explained. “Some of them were eating cucumbers like corn on the cob.”
The decision to expand servies into First Nation communities in regions such as Sandy Lake were based on reports of Canada’s food security issues in such areas, which Toews explained has been confirmed by sources including the United Nations. To support the initiative, the Gleaners will look to form partnerships with the provincial and federal governments. Recently, the organization was invited
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The following options were presented:
1) Mill Street PS close effective June 2017 and be declared surplus to the Board’s needs. Students currently in the Mill Street PS catchment area who are on and north of Talbot Street West will transition to Mt. Carmel-Blytheswood PS and the remaining students currently in the Mill Street PS catchment area south of Talbot Street West will transition to Queen Elizabeth PS effective September 2017. The boundary will be adjusted accordingly.
2) The Board will submit a School Consolidation Capital (SCC) business case to the Ministry of Education for a 550 pupil place new school building. Upon Ministry approval, this new JK-8 school construction (Continued on Page 2)
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would be a consolidation of the Gore Hill PS and MD Bennie PS student populations, on the MD Bennie site. Upon construction of the new school, Gore Hill PS would be closed and declared surplus to the Board’s needs, and the students would transition into the new building. The boundaries would be adjusted accordingly.
3) A phased–in dual track French Immersion JK program at Gore Hill PS begin for September 2017. Each year thereafter, a French Immersion grade level program will be added. If the Ministry approves the previous recommendation, the French Immersion program would continue to exist in the newly built consolidated school. The boundaries for FI would encompass the entire Leamington family of schools.
4) If the proposed accommodation option #1, above, is approved, the Board will then pursue capital funding from the Ministry of Education and upon approval; Priority 1
The construction of a new consolidated Queen Elizabeth PS; or Priority 2
The construction of a five room addition to the newly consolidated Queen Elizabeth PS.
5) The final proposed part of the options involves boundary adjustments for September 2017. The students currently attending these five schools as of the 20162017 school year will be granted a limited exception, without transportation, to remain at the respective school until grade 8, if at the same address. Any new registrations or JK students from September 2017 and forward will adhere to the new boundaries which are as follows:
i) The current MD Bennie PS boundary that is north of the tracks will become part of the Mt. Carmel-Blytheswood PS boundary.
ii) The current Queen Elizabeth PS boundary that is west of Erie Street (including the west side of the street) will become part of the MD Bennie PS boundary.
iii) The current Queen Elizabeth PS boundary that includes Antonio Street up to and including Talbot Street West will become part of the Gore Hill PS boundary.
The Board approved the immediate commencement of a standard program accommodation review that includes Gore Hill, M.D. Bennie, Mill Street, Mt. Carmel-Blytheswood and Queen Elizabeth School.
The first proposed Public Meeting about the Accommodation Review is February 9, 2017. The final Public Meeting is temporarily slated for April 20. A final staff report is expected by May 5 and is to be presented to the Board May 24 at a special meeting with the final report to trustees and public delegations. A final decision is expected at a June 8 special meeting.
(Continued from Front) to Queen’s Park to serve samples of their products to staffers, a gesture that Southwestern Ontario Gleaners board chairperson
Tina Quiring explained was a success.
“It turned out very well,” she noted. “It gave us lots of exposure with what we do in the community.”
Toews explained that the government already funds the shipment of truckloads of potato chips, pop and other unhealthy snacks to isolated communities in Northern Ontario and hopes it will do the same for the healthy meals the Gleaners hope to send on a regular, sustainable basis.
In order to expand services both within and beyond the province, the organization is hoping to ramp up productivity with bigger, faster equipment and a larger facility than the present location on Industrial Drive. A volunteer facilitator has already been recruited to devise fundraising strategies while local donors have already pledged involvement in the ambitious venture.
“This is a several million-dollar vision,” Toews explained. “It’ll take a year-and-a-half or longer to complete. It’s something that will have to be done in baby steps.”
Quiring noted that the goal to increase productivity would not only serve more people in need of healthy meals, but would also lessen the negative impact on the environment. She explained that the most common material found in landfills is wasted food, which over time breaks down to emit harmful greenhouse gases.
“We as Gleaners are the answer to that problem,” she said, stressing the fact that between 40 and 45 per cent of the food we produce is wasted. “The situation is polluting our planet and taking food away from our kids.”
Toews explained that the problem stems from the North American consumer’s reluctance to purchase produce that is visually imperfect as well as the inability for underdeveloped nations to freeze and store food to prolong its shelf life.
Currently, the Gleaners’ operation is supported by an average of 20 volunteers per day, working shifts of three-and-a-half to four hours five days per week while the dehydrating machine operates for full days. The facility goes through a production cycle of 50 weeks per year, with shut down starting a few days before Christmas to a few days after New Year’s Day. Toews pointed out that the organization is in need of additional volunteers and can find duties for up to 30 at a time.
“Volunteers are the lifeblood of our system,” he stated. “It all works around four pillars — farmers, volunteers, donors and recipients. The bookends (farmers and recipients) aren’t hard to find. Finding donors and volunteers is more of a challenge.”
In addition to donations throughout the year, the Gleaners’ budget is supported by an annual fundraiser at Colasanti’s Tropical Garden. Last year’s event raised $60,000 to help support the Gleaners’ operating budget of $20,000 per month. In return, local contributions by the organization included 56,000 bags of dehydrated apple snacks for this year’s Windsor Goodfellows Christmas baskets as well as contributions to the LeamingtonMersea Goodfellows. The group’s efforts also assist Street Help and Feeding Windsor, the former a program providing nutrition to the homeless in Windsor and the latter a small group of volunteers providing low-income families in west Windsor with free meals three times per week.
By Pat Bailey
After a much publicized dispute between Leamington District Memorial Hospital management and the heads of the LDMH Auxiliary, it was business as usual at the hospital’s Inspirations Gift Shop, Wednesday, December 21.
According to Bill Baker, hospital director of communications and strategic planning, the gift shop is open for business and staffed by volunteer members of the hospital auxiliary, which has run it for years, and continues to do so.
According to Baker, the hospital had two directors with the auxiliary, President Maureen Sutherland and vice-president Diane Tanguay-Madden, removed from their positions on Tuesday and replaced for the interim.
Baker said the decision followed the arrival of a letter Monday (Dec. 18), written by Sutherland, informing the hospital that the auxiliary planned on closing the gift shop in January.
But Sutherland said while the whole thing is “sickening and regrettable”, it evolved more out of a conflict of interest surrounding a volunteer they wished to let go because of “performance issues”.
She said the volunteer is the mother of a high ranking
member of the hospital’s management team.
“The whole thing’s just an ugly situation,” said Sutherland.
She said the reason for the letter was simple — there was no buying trip planned for January so the auxiliary felt it wouldn’t have an adequate inventory — one that would be attractive to hospital visitors.
But Baker disputed that. He said there is no conflict of interest — it’s a personnel and legal matter that he can’t discuss. He said the auxiliary has no authority to close the doors of the gift shop. That, he said, is up to the board of directors.
Baker said the auxiliary runs the gift shop, the hospital owns the assets and its board of directors are the only ones who have the authority to make such a critical decision.
Sutherland said the auxiliary has been responsible for running the gift shop since the 1950s, with all proceeds benefitting the hospital, and more recently, Erie Shores Hospice.
She said the LDMH Auxiliary volunteer program had over 500 volunteers that contributed over 49,000 hours of service to the hospital, Erie Shores Hospice and the Leamington Area Family Health Team last year alone.
ACCESS County Community Support Services helps keeps children, right through to the elderly, from being both hungry and out in the cold across Essex County. Can you help ACCESS help them? Because Baby, it’s cold outside!
ACCESS is looking for about 30 volunteers to help man tables at Wal-Mart Leamington, FreshCo Kingsville and Wal-Mart Amherstburg during January 6th, 7th and 8th 2017. All proceeds benefit ACCESS County Community Support Services. The brand new campaign will solicit donations in exchange for a blue ribbon pin with a little snowflake on it and some special treats too!
Shifts are two hours each plus an additional half-hour orientation for a total commitment of only 2½ hours. It’s a wonderful time to give back to the community and help those who really need it!
Volunteers should be friendly, outgoing, and comfortable approaching new people. ACCESS’s mission is “Supporting and strengthening Essex County through locally-driven services, advocacy and strategic community partnerships”.
Individuals or groups interested in volunteering for this campaign should call 529-733-8983 ext. 23 or email wgerman@access county.ca
Baker does not dispute the invaluable work of the auxiliary. “They are a valuable part of our community,” said Baker, “as well as our hospital community.”
He said it was the threat to close the gift shop that forced their hand. He said an emergency meeting was held and the board voted to take the actions they felt necessary to ensure the gift shop and the auxiliary remain intact.
He said they have appointed Barb Colaizzi interim auxiliary president, Lina West and Lise Peterson interim vice-presidents, and Jeanne Beaupre interim volunteer co-ordinator.
Other than removing two directors, Baker said nothing has changed.
He said the gift shop will remain open and it will continue to be staffed by auxiliary volunteers.
After a much publicized dispute between Leamington District Memorial Hospital management and the heads of the LDMH Auxiliary, it was business as usual at the hospital’s
rations Gift Shop, Wednesday, December 21.
With the new year upon us, so comes the end to another holiday season.
Just a few short weeks ago, people were putting up their Christmas lights, while others complained it was too early for such things.
chips and maybe a bottle of beer or two.
The first signs of this holiday season appeared, as they usually do, in the store aisles, just as our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend wrapped up.
Looking back on 2016, it’s been a fairly smooth year with the birth of our latest grandson, Lucca, which occurred shortly after our wedding.
By Halloween, it seemed everything was in motion.
On social media, people slammed those who put their lights up before Remembrance Day, saying it was disrespectful to our veterans.
And now, it’s all coming to a close until next year.
Boxing Day sales have come and gone and the old bearded fellow has retreated to his snow-capped villa off the tip of Ellesmere Island or wherever it may be.
So now we’re faced with what to do on New Year’s Eve.
Deb and I have no distinct plans as of yet and I doubt we will do anything too exciting.
Years ago, it was a big thing to hit the town and spend countless dollars on New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The wedding itself has created an unexpected dilemma because the Ontario government apparently has no record of it. I recently found this out when ordering our marriage certificate online. So we may still be single, who knows. I told Deb this was her chance to run, but for some reason, she’s stuck it out.
Overall, it’s been a pretty good year.
We’ve also witnessed some awful things in 2016, like the numerous terror attacks that continue to plague this world. Maybe 2017 will be less deadly.
Private parties also popped up and the invites to those were numerous.
The past several years, with our children now grown adults, we’ve had the freedom to do what we want without worrying about babysitters or anything.
What have we done with all of this freedom?
Of course, the U.S. election brought us President-Elect Donald Trump, much to the surprise and chagrin of millions of people here and abroad. If Mr. Trump can do what he claims, the world should be cleaned up by this time next year, right?
Closer to home, several seemingly healthy people have left us suddenly this year. I suppose that happens every year, but there just seems to be more in 2016.
Well, for the most part, we’ve watched a lot of TV.
In fact, three of the last four New Year’s Eves, we’ve actually been asleep as the clock struck midnight.
Talk about a sign of getting old!
I guess you could say that at the advanced age of 55, we’ve seen it all anyway.
As we age, we meet more people so I guess it makes sense that we’d attend more funerals too. The circle of life, as Elton John would say.
So as that big shiny ball in Times Square descends slowly to the street below on Saturday night, take time to reflect on what 2016 brought to you and yours, and embrace the hopes of 2017.
The party favours, the noisemakers, the fireworks and the food and drinks – been there, done that.
Sure, you can make a resolution. There are so many to choose from.
Along with all of those things, we’ve eliminated the hangover from our New Year’s mornings. It seems there’s always a silver lining.
We’ve talked about buying tickets for something interesting, like a murder mystery or even going to a movie, but in the end, the hustle and bustle of the holidays usually catches up to us by December 31.
The best we can muster is a Netflix marathon, a bag of
For me, I’d like to lose enough weight so my belly doesn’t jiggle when I brush my teeth. Of course, that would involve exercise and watching what I eat, which may be yet another resolution I have to make.
With that I’ll say thanks for reading in 2016. Our independent community newspapers thrive today because of the readers and advertisers who make it all possible and we all appreciate that more than you know.
You can always depend on the weather for making us take a step back and prioritize.
A couple of weeks ago, while visiting family and friends in Wheatley, a light drizzle turned the roads and walkways into more than a virtual ice rink. Even those with youth and agility on their side landed on their buttocks as they stepped confidently out for the night.
Thankfully, the not always so kind grapevines helped to spread the word of impending danger and gave the wise an excuse to stay home by the fireside. The rest of us ventured out with the sense of immunity that we would be just fine.
priceless day with impatience lined with guilt. I remember Mark and I returning from a night out to a sleeping baby. We would always go in to check and stand staring in awe at our newborn who had grown overnight and was miraculously sprawled from one end to the other in peaceful slumber.
That evening Mark and I had plans to join my father and uncle for dinner at 4:30 which put us right into the midst of Jack Frost’s work. When we arrived we had to scale the sides of buildings and don our imaginary skates to get inside the pub where it was warm and welcoming. Other not so lucky diners arrived with bruised elbows or butts along with stories of cars sliding through red lights, crawling traffic and frozen locks.
Before we knew it we were anxious to see them walk and then wished that they would nap again. Teenagers can’t wait to be older and young adults reminisce of more carefree times with less responsibility and expense. The prime of our life is our busiest and a guilt-free nap is simply a vision that encircles our head like a wreath.
Mobility, when we have it, is easily taken for granted. We start to think twice about this when we reach the stage or age when to feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning takes more than a strong coffee and a couple hundred downward dogs; however, if we fall into this category and have reached middle age we are blessed.
A couple of years ago my mother, who is hard to keep down on a bad day, met her match when she came across an icy crevasse. Down she went, although she stoically drove herself home in spite of what she eventually found out was a fractured ankle and a broken bone just below her knee. The wisdom to avoid such days could also mean a long and dreary winter, so she continues to live her life by venturing out carefully. Thankfully, she has been surrounded by kindness as the neighbours in her new condo building have taken her under their wing. They notice if she isn’t at the pool for her regular exercises and worry if she doesn’t make it to a social gathering. My mother, while not an “old dog”, is hard to keep down!
In our youth we heard about and now witness how fast the days, weeks and months pass. Ironically or sadly, we are a very dissatisfied lot, often choosing to fill each
Mid-life is on the cusp of the retirement dream. Health and wellness are definitely more than a luxury, yet easy to overlook if we have both, especially when we are living the dream. Life is a slippery slope and in a moment our lives can change. Illness or a fall can fast track us onto an upward battle or a grueling descent that wasn’t planned for and certainly was not on the bucket list!
In many ways life doesn’t seem fair; however, if we focus on the overall picture of our life on this earth, the good may outweigh the bad. It’s human nature to overlook the opportunities given us to relish and enjoy each moment instead of feeling entitled to more on the horizon. In reality, life is way too short and unfortunately it takes a setback to help us refocus on the page we are living at that very moment.
All of this is no consolation to those experiencing pain. The pain of a lost love can be equally as excruciating as the one that has stolen your dreams. Struggles build character and the routes chosen are either being bitter or better.
I spent a lovely Sunday with my mother when I was in the area. We listened to Christmas music and visited while chopping our ingredients for a yummy stew as we sipped a little wine. After some cherished time together, we were
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Mary Vodarek
September 8, 1915 – December 18, 2016
Our beloved mother and grandmother, Mary Vodarek, passed peacefully at home in Leamington at the remarkable age of 101 years. She was born in Chyzne, Slovakia and came to Canada with her family in 1930. Beloved mother of Shirley (Peter) Antaya, Tom (Carolyn) Vodarek, Mary Lou Matheson, Bob Vodarek, daughter-in-law
Susan Vodarek-Decaen (Stephane). Predeceased by her husband John (1990), son Rick (1996), son-inlaw Bob Matheson (2001), siblings Sue Gazo, John Sandor, George Sandor, and parents John and Mary (Gregor) Sandor. Dear “Gramma Mary” of 10 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great-grandchildren. Lovingly remembered by many nieces and nephews in Canada and relatives in Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
When asked about her longevity, Mom said she worked hard her whole life. She was a creative and accomplished farmer, gardener, cook, baker, seamstress and letter writer. All of this was done for the care and comfort of her family. We remember her love of singing, dancing and summer Sundays at Point Pelee beaches. Mom was happiest when surrounded by her family. Always thinking of others, Mom did not want her family to travel in winter, therefore, a Celebration of Life will be held in the spring.
As an expression of sympathy, memorial donations may be made to the Leamington District Memorial Hospital Foundation or to Erie Shores Hospice by contacting the Reid Funeral Home & Reception Centre, 14 Russell St., Leamington (519-326-2631).
Family and friends are invited to share their words of comfort and remembrance at www.reidfuneralhome.ca
Barbara Holland and Mary DiMenna will remain on as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board.
Holland, a 16-year trustee who was first elected chair in 2012, was acclaimed to the position of Chair, while DiMenna was voted into the position of Vice-Chair. DiMenna is a former elementary teacher who has represented Catholic ratepayers, parents and students in Essex, Kingsville and Leamington since 2003. DiMenna said she looks forward to continuing “the diligent work of caring for our children.”
“The children are our future and significant board resources are being directed to them for their continued spiritual growth, academic success and emotional and physical safety and wellness,” she said.
Trustees Fred Alexander, Fabio Costante, Mary DiMenna, Frank DiTomasso, Barbara Holland, Bernie Mastromattei, Lisa Soulliere, Susan Tope and Fulvio Valentinis were elected in 2014 through the municipal elections process to serve a fouryear term.
A Chair and Vice-Chair are elected annually at the Board’s Organizational Meeting in December to a one-year term that begins immediately.
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joined by Mark, daughter Anna, her friend Cody and my stepfather Bob. Bob’s grin, dapper dress code and refreshing sense of humour make it very easy to forget all he has been through and the fact that he has only one leg. He and my mother tend to focus on all the trips they’ve had together, the yummy meals they still share and the times together with family and friends.
Over the last couple of months, my mother had a setback that left her sitting more than her norm. She took advantage of the opportunity and was inspirited to knit for the first time in many years. She recalled how instead of counting numbers when swimming lengths throughout the years, she focused on one child or grandchild during each length. That’s how she cast the first stitches on the needle to design her afghans. And so the afghans she creates are patterned with thoughts of all these loved ones near and dear, past or present. Each row ties them together with her love and knits in her memories, hopes and dreams for them. Each grandchild will be given an individual safety net to wrap around them. Many have received them already but with 16 grandchildren she only has a few more to go!
Whether it be on a shard of ice or during difficult times, an arm around someone can be a saving grace.
Let’s be honest. Life sucks sometimes! I felt a little sorry for myself as I flew south surrounded by moms, dads and children headed south to visit their families for the holidays. It would be the third Christmas that we hadn’t been able to spend with our children and the first since I was 17 without Mark.
Feeling sorry for myself didn’t last long as I let my mind wander over the events of the past couple of weeks. Each and every moment shared with both family and friends brought a smile to my face. It was truly a full and filling week. Christmas is just one day and truly a magical one for many. On the calendar it is the grand finale before the New Year is upon us and each day is like steps leading upward that eventually become memory builders. Whether you can ascend it like a Sherpa on Mount Everest or with dignity and helpers on each arm, you have the choice to enjoy the scenery or not.
Happy New Year and every other day too!
LEAMINGTON BLOOD DONOR CLINIC at Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex, Wednesday, January 4, 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. New Donors and Walk Ins Welcome! To book an appointment, please contact us at 1-888-236-6283 / www.blood.ca / GiveBlood App VOLUNTEERS ARE NEED FOR BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS WINDSOR-ESSEX from the Leamington and Kingsville area. If you believe that you can make a difference in a child’s life and can commit to a minimum of one year, for a few hours a week, check out the website and online orientation at www.bigbrothersbigsisterswe.ca.
BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS WINDSOR-ESSEX ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS from the Leamington area to volunteer in a group mentoring setting called On Track to Success which takes place from September to June. Info at www.bigbrothersbigsisterswe.ca/ or call 519-945-5232 ext. 23 to speak with Rose Culmone, Director of Programs.
SUN COUNTY LYME AWARENESS SUPPORT GROUP meets the last Wednesday of every month, 6:30 p.m., at Colasanti's Tropical Gardens. Learn and share about Lyme Disease. Everyone welcome.
CANADIAN TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM AND HERITAGE VILLAGE (CTMHV) ON THE ARNER TOWN LINE IS IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS to help with kids programs such as 'Pioneer for a Day', special events, shows, meetings, or in the museum, log cabins and period buildings, etc. If you have a few hours to spare and would like to help out, contact Judy Anderson, Education and Volunteer Coordinator at CTMHV, 519776-6909 or email education@ctmhv.com
MONDAYS - SENIORS DROP-IN,1st and last Monday of the month only at 10:30 a.m. at Leamington United
Leamington Half Century Centre, Dec. 19: North/South - 1st Sandy and Joyce Gammie, 2nd Marie Ellwood and Dorothy McGregor, 3rd Jack Warmenhoven and Eileen Edwards. East/West - 1st Derek Parry and Al Morrison, 2nd Marilyn Robbins and Sue Duransky, 3rd Henry Hildebrandt and George Hildebrandt. Bridge games are played each Monday at 12:45 p.m. Members and new members are welcome.
Church. Guest speakers, refreshments, games, exercise. It's free, fun, and wheelchair accessible. All seniors welcome.
ARE YOU AFFECTED BY SOMEONE ELSE'S DRINKING? The Wheatley Serenity Al-Anon Family Group meets every Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Wheatley Friendship Club (north entrance), 171 Erie St. N.
DO YOU ENJOY VOLUNTEERING AND MEETING PEOPLE? South Essex Community Council in Leamington is currently looking for volunteers for Meals on Wheels Delivery. If you are interested in volunteering during the morning for about 1 hour per week or as a back-up volunteer, please call Noreen or Susan at SECC - 519-326-8629 ext.381. www.secc.on.ca.
PREGNANCY & RESOURCE CENTRE, 33 Princes St. (Princess Centre) Suite 408, Leamington, offers free and confidential services provided by registered nurses and trained volunteers. Free pregnancy tests. Call 24/7 for free and confidential support - 519-326-0612. Business calls: 519-326-3821.
WEDNESDAYS - Are you looking for food and fellowship? Join us, no charge, at St. John’s Anglican Church, 60 Erie St. N., Leamington, from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Call 519-326-3111 for more information.
IF YOU HAVE PARKINSON’S and would like to join our group for information, exercise and support, come by Tuesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. to the Half Century Club, 160 Talbot St. E. Leamington.
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED in the Wheatley area for South Essex Community Council's Friendly Visitors program for seniors and persons with disabilities. Commitment is 1 hour per week. If you are interested in volunteering or know of someone who could benefit from these services, call SECC at 519-326-8629.
*FREE Late Night Appetizer Buffet
*Gift Card Giveaway
*Party Favours
*Midnight Jackpot!
10 ERIE STREET SOUTH P.O. BOX 434
LEAMINGTON, ON N8H 3W5 519-326-8805
AUDITION CALL FOR
“LEND ME A TENOR”
January 12, 7:30 to 8:00 pm
Performance run is April 6-9, 2017. Synopsis, monologues and character info available for download on our website: www.banktheatre.com. If further information is required concerning your audition contact: Renata at: sabbiamaresole@gmail.com. We are looking for: 1 male mid 30’s; 1 female late 20’s; 1 male mid 50’s; 1 male mid 40’s Italian accent; 1 female late 30’s Italian accent; 1 female mid 50’s; 1 female mid 30’s; 1 male or female late 20’s Italian accent.
a Ghost Light Production
February 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11
Doors open @ 7:00 pm
Performance starts @ 7:30 pm
"No one is safe in these times...Tom's likely to still be angry about the three times Nora and Jack have tried to kill him..." Tickets are $20 and available at Wharram's Jewellers and Counter Effects in Leamington
MARCH 2-5, 2017
THE MUSICAL PRODUCTION OF INTO THE WOODS Presented by Cardinal Music Productions who brought us the marvelous production of The Addams Family earlier this year. Check back for ticket details.
GIFT CERTIFICATES ARE NOW AVAILABLE THEY MAKE WONDERFUL STOCKING STUFFERS! AVAILABLE FROM COUNTER EFFECTS IN LEAMINGTON AS WELL AS AT ANY UPCOMING EVENT AT THE BANK THEATRE.
THE BANK THEATRE BOARD AND VOLUNTEERS WISH YOU ALL A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON
ARIES – Mar 21/Apr 20
Aries, someone is interested in what you have to say, especially with regard to a personal issue. You’re not quite sure if you’re ready to reveal all that much to others.
TAURUS – Apr 21/May 21
Taurus, plans go well for you this week and you will follow through with the tasks you need to tackle. You may need to tweak a few things in the days to come, however.
GEMINI – May 22/Jun 21
Gemini, you may not see eye-toeye with a few close friends this week, but you can push past this and your friendship will endure. Try to find some common ground.
CANCER – Jun 22/Jul 22
A series of new ideas might make you everyone’s best friend this week, Cancer. Your brain is working overtime, and you may be shocked at what you can accomplish.
LEO – Jul 23/Aug 23
Try something new this week, Leo. Make it something as simple as taking a new route to work or school or trying a new recipe in the kitchen. New experiences may surprise you.
VIRGO – Aug 24/Sept 22
Virgo, you have a strong sense of pride and don’t like to give up on things prematurely. But this week you have to respect another’s perspective and concede a point.
LIBRA – Sept 23/Oct 23
Libra, navigate a sticky situation as carefully as possible. Many may come to you for advice, but try not to get too involved in a conflict that has nothing to do with you.
SCORPIO – Oct 24/Nov 22
You will be full of energy this week and ready to handle just about anything that comes your way, Scorpio. You may gain some admirers after your even-keeled handling of a situation.
SAGITTARIUS – Nov 23/Dec 21
Big plans this week does not mean you can pass up on your existing responsibilities, Sagittarius. Try to make time for everything, and delegate any tasks that you can.
CAPRICORN – Dec 22/Jan 20
Keep listening when others around you are talking, Capricorn. You can learn valuable lessons just by sitting back and listening to what others have to say.
AQUARIUS – Jan 21/Feb 18
Aquarius, others’ charitable spirits prove contagious this week. Explore the volunteer opportunities available to you and don’t be afraid to try something new.
PISCES – Feb 19/Mar 20
You may crave change this week, Pisces. Even small changes can make a difference. Try to incorporate new experiences into your days.
FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS
DECEMBER 25
Annie Lennox, Singer (62)
DECEMBER 26
Kit Harington, Actor (30)
DECEMBER 27
Emilie De Ravin, Actress (35) DECEMBER 28
Maggie Smith, Actress (82)
DECEMBER 29
Ted Danson, Actor (69)
DECEMBER 30
Ellie Goulding, Singer (30)
DECEMBER 31
Anthony Hopkins, Actor (79)
The grade 5/6s in Mr. Stanley’s class at Mill Street Public School have been learning about how Canada helps with global issues. The students decided to help by joining forces with Hearts Together for Haiti. The grade 5/6s led a school-wide collection of toothbrushes and toothpaste, having a goal of collecting one toothbrush for every student in the school – 219. The class was very surprised to collect well over 250 toothbrushes and over 100 tubes of toothpaste. Everything will be given to the local charity, Hearts Together for Haiti, to be delivered directly to the impoverished country in the new year. Mr. Stanley’s grade 5/6 class wishes to thank the entire school community, including parents, volunteers and neighbours for their contributions.
(Submitted photo)
ERCA is now taking orders for its spring tree planting program. Seedling and large stock varieties are available. As well, the conservation authority is presently accepting grant applications for those who wish to implement habitat creation projects on their land.
“Partnering with landowners is key to achieving a sustainable environment,” says Kevin Money, Director of Conservation Services. “We can provide up to 90% grant funding for landowners to undertake projects to improve their property and the environment. We’ve worked with hundreds of landowners over the years, and they have reported many benefits to their family and their property values by participating in this voluntary program.”
ERCA is now seeking eligible projects for the Spring 2017 season. Project can include tree planting, native prairie restoration, wetland creation, rock chutes and other soil erosion control structures. To quality for the grant program, landowners need a minimum project size of one acre. If you are interested in learning more, contact ERCA at any time to investigate the possibilities.
The deadline for tree orders is Jan. 27, 2017. For more information, visit www.erca. org/trees or contact ERCA at 519-776-5209, ext. 310.
As part of Gore Hill Public School’s 12 Days of Christmas activities, every student created a “Tasty Tree”. Ice-cream cones were covered in green frosting and then decorated with assorted candies to simulate a Christmas tree. Yum! Yum! Grade 7 student Aden Letkeman gives his Tasty Tree creation a thumbs up. Beside Aden is Serenity Schroder and the student behind is Rachel Sinclair.
Trustee Kim McKinley (Windsor Wards 1, 2, 9) will be the Chairperson of the GECDSB Board of Trustees for the upcoming year. She was selected for the position by her colleagues during their annual organizational meeting. Mrs. McKinley has been a Trustee since 2006. During her tenure she has served as the chairperson of the Board’s Education and Operations and Finance committees.
Trustee Jessica Sartori (Windsor Wards 1, 2, 9) was elected as Chairperson of the Education Committee and Trustee Dave Taves (Leamington/Pelee Island) was acclaimed as Chair of the Operations and Finance Committee.
Trustee Ron LeClair (Amherstburg/LaSalle) was acclaimed to the position of Vice-Chair of the Board of Trustees. All positions are one-year terms.
By Bryan Jessop
A small ‘army’ of contributors has stepped forward to assist a local food bank when that assistance is needed most.
About 40 volunteers from across the community gathered at the Leamington Salvation Army branch on Setterington Street Thursday, Dec. 15 to package annual Christmas hampers for local families in need, but were by no means the only supporters the organization has seen through the holiday season. Just prior to the filling of 164 hampers, the Leamington Fire Fighters Association presented a donation of $10,000 to Leaming-
ton Salvation Army lieutenants Brad and Wavie Webster. The money was raised during the previous month’s annual Boot Drive and will be used to stock the shelves of the SA’s food bank for weeks to come.
“They’ve been really good to us over the years,” Brad Webster said of the LFFA’s support of Leamington’s Salvation Army. “This will go a long way. There’s usually a down time in donations after Christmas, so this will really help get through those lean times.”
This year’s 164 Salvation Army Christmas hampers will each be sent to a different family in the Leamington area, assisting a total of about 700 people including 430 youths ages 16 and under. For the 2016 holiday season, 33 of those hampers are Halal, meaning their contents have been customized to the dietary needs of Islamic refugee families. Arrangements for these hampers, set aside for local Syrian refugee families, have been made between the Salvation Army and Windsor Islamic Association.
The hampers were filled in about one hour by the team of volunteers, which included 10 Grade 6 students from Ecole St-Michel and their families and LFFA members and families.
Earlier that week, the French school made a donation of about
4,500 items of food loaded onto two-and-a-half skids. It was during this drop-off that students asked Salvation Army representatives if they could assist with hamper packaging.
The Websters explained that the amount of assistance for this year’s hampers marks an increase over last year.
“With the influx of families coming in, the community has been very accommodating to assure we have enough,” Brad noted.
Individual items placed into hampers included Kraft Dinner, peanut butter, cereal, apple juice, pasta and pasta sauce, jam and for each family, a ham and a turkey. One hundred of the hams used were donated by the Kingsville FreshCo store while Halal turkeys and other items for refugee families were offered by the Windsor Islamic Association.
Throughout the previous days and weeks, donations to the local SA were also made by schools including Queen Elizabeth, M.D. Bennie, Mill Street, Gore Hill and Mt. CarmelBlytheswood. Also last week, the Leamington Giant Tiger donated $1,750 in gift cards for the food bank, which was also supported by the Windsor Family Credit Union, Community Hub 33, Walmart, Highline Mushrooms, the Leamington Mennonite Home, New Beginnings Homes, Abraham Orthodontics and other organizations.
“The community has rallied for us,” said Brad. “We were a bit concerned at the start, when donations were down a bit.
Then two weeks ago, a steady stream came in for the next week to week and a half.”
The hampers were picked up at the Leamington Salvation Army on Monday, Dec. 19 at designated times through the morning and early afternoon.
As of Friday, Dec. 16, the annual Salvation Army Christmas Kettle Campaign reached about 60 per cent of its $105,500 target. With eight days remaining at that time, the drive was behind the pace required to reach the goal. The Websters, however, explained that they were confident the community would rally late in the campaign to hit this year’s target.
By Bryan Jessop
Leamington isn’t known as the loudest community on the map, but it’ll cause quite a ‘racquet’ in the spring of 2017. Municipal politicians, local athletes and their coaches gathered at the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex Wednesday, Dec. 14 to announce that the facility will be hosting the 2017 Canadian Junior National Racquetball Championships. The five-day tournament will bring an estimated 60 racquetball players ages 18 and under from across Canada to the LKRC from Tuesday, Apr. 25 to Saturday, Apr. 29.
Bids to host the event were considered and then chosen by a tournament committee from Racquetball Canada and came down to Leamington and Brossard, Que. before the former was selected. The decision was made after bidding communities submitted details on available budgets, volunteers, access to amenities and other activities that would be made available throughout the event. Each potential site must also have a minimum of four courts with viewing areas for spectators. The five courts in Leamington are the second most at one site throughout Ontario, fewer only to the six in Burlington.
The tournament’s hosting committee is being led by Andrew Dick and Paul Bateman, instructors of the Junior Racquetball Program at the LKRC hosted every Tuesday evening. Both spoke to a crowd of guests during the December 14 announcements made in front of Courts 1 and 2 at the Complex, as did Leamington mayor John Paterson.
“This bid has gone up against a number of much larger communities than Leamington is,” said Paterson, himself a former racquetball player. “It’s pretty impressive for our little town to be able to say ‘why not Leamington?’ We really look forward to hosting it and hope it’s a great success. We know our hotels, motels, restaurants will all benefit from the attraction… it certainly will be beneficial to our community.”
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The local opportunity to participate in the national event is available to the roughly 15 youths who attend the weekly program in Leamington on Tuesdays as well as the average of nine who participate in a similar course in Windsor on Sunday mornings. An open house was also made available to new players — with the potential to register for the nationals in April — at the LKRC on Tuesday, Dec. 20. The local group offered pizza, refreshments, the use of required equipment and instruction for the 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. gathering.
Leamington’s racquetball program dates back to the construction of the F.T. Sherk Aquatic and Fitness Centre — now the Leamington Kinsmen Recreation Complex — that opened in 1985. Previously, local enthusiasts of the sport travelled to North Ridge of the Essex-Cottam area to play in a facility that has since become a church. The local racquetball circuit has produced success with a national singles and doubles championship as well as world bronze medal for Brittany Nelson, the Sherman Greenfield Sportsmanship Award for Ryan Bateman and 2014 and 2015 national doubles championships for Mark Nelson. A consolation title was earned by Kyle Dick earlier this year.
The hosting committee co-chairs explained that they are currently seeking both sponsors and volunteers to support the tournament. Sponsors are required to help offset the costs of shuttle services to and from the airport and hotels, meals and welcoming kits while volunteers are needed to assist with the same services. Parties interested in volunteering or sponsoring can contact Andrew Dick at 519-
563-8785 or by e-mail at andrew.dick@plantproducts.com.
More information is available on the Facebook page “Junior Nationals 2017.”
Dick and Bateman are hoping that more young players from across the country sign up prior to the event, in which case the estimated number of 60 will increase. With families and coaches included, the event is currently expected to attract about 150 people. Categories will be divided into age groups spanning two years each from eight and under, 10 and under, 12 and under and so on up to 18 and under. The top two finishers in each division for both boys and girls categories will advance to the annual international tournament as representatives of Team Canada in doubles competition. Bids are still being accepted for the 2017 international tournament, which has previously taken place in Mexico, Los Angeles, Bolivia and Dominican Republic. Mexico is known as the world’s racquetball superpower. In Canada, junior and open-age nationals are commonly won at the team level by the province of Quebec.
The tournament will include both competitive and ‘friendship’ categories, the latter for local participants who are new to racquetball. The announcement from Dec. 14 was attended by several youths involved in the local program, most of whom plan to compete in the nationals next year.
“It’s a lot of fun,” said 14-year-old Zoe Chopchik, who explained that she is looking forward to the tourney. “They make it so that it’s not too stressful — they don’t put pressure on you. It’ll be pretty intense, though, especially when you’re competing and representing your home town.”
The Host Committee is being assisted by Tecumseh resident and Windsor racquetball instructor Terry Nelson, who was also involved with the world championships two years ago as well as with racquetball in the 2015 Pan Am Games hosted by Toronto. Also serving as the director of sport development for Racquetball Canada, Nelson believes the LKRC facilities will be ideal for next year’s national junior competition.
“This is a great venue,” he said. “It’s the perfect place to host an event like this. It’s hard sometimes to get players to come this far south, but they’ve done a great job promoting it down here.”
Nelson’s daughter Jessica Nelson designed the logo for the 2017 junior nationals, displayed prominently on the far wall of Court 2 at the Complex.
Some of the non-competitive items on the schedule will be hosted by The Roma Club. Visiting athletes will be treated to a barbecue, pool party and the chance to tour attractions such as Point Pelee National Park.
By Bryan Jessop
Nobody would have known it by looking at the scoreboard, but the Cardinal Carter girls’ hockey team delivered a ‘Royal’ beating to their most recent guests.
The Cougars improved their record to six wins, zero losses and one tie Wednesday, Dec. 21 with a 2-0 victory against the Lajeunesse Royals. The shutout was goalkeeper Alyee Church’s second in a row and fourth of the season.
The visiting Royals applied reasonably heavy offensive pressure for the first two minutes after the opening faceoff, but spent the remainder of the game on their heels as the Cougars’ forwards swarmed the Lajeunesse net for most of the game. The guest team’s goalie Nicole Dupuis put on an impressive performance throughout the game, being beat by only Kayla Collison. The veteran forward’s first goal was a one-time snap shot off a pass from Lexy Iacobelli, who had seconds earlier taken a feed from blueliner Therese Lapain.
Cardinal Carter continued to attack the Royals’ net in the second, mustering several shots that couldn’t find their way past Dupuis. Church was tested randomly — mostly during Lajeunesse power plays — but was also solid between the posts. On a rare occasion where the 35-minutes of play were completed without interruption by a curfew buzzer, the Royals’ often struggled to remove the puck from their zone. The team was denied the chance to pull Dupuis for the extra attacker in the game’s dying seconds, during which time Collison struck again to finish the scoring. With 11.5 seconds remaining, she took hold of her own rebound following a shot from the left of the net and from point blank, stuffed an ice-level shot over the goal line. Assists were credited to Abby Di Laudo and Bryanna Rodrigues.
“We were all over them,” said Cougars head coach Chris Church of his team’s dominance over Lajeunesse.
“We had a lot of chances, but their goalie was just unbelievable. She stopped a ton of shots.”
Cardinal Carter’s coaching staff expressed belief that their team’s second goal of the game was actually scored early in the third, but officials deemed that the net had been knocked off its moorings before the puck crossed the goal line.
Two days earlier, the Royals tied the General Amherst Bulldogs 2-2, giving the Cougars the advantage in the Tier II standings even despite the Amherstburg team having a couple games in hand. Cardinal Carter has three regular season games remaining against Essex, Sandwich and Tecumseh Vista Academy. Two games will be played between New Year’s and exams, followed by one more match before playoffs. If Cardinal Carter is able to maintain its lead in Tier II, it will likely be ranked fourth for A-AA playoffs, behind Tier I’s Villanova, Leamington and Belle River.
For practically everybody who’s ever had a job, there’s been a low point in their career. For me, that day had to be December 25, 2009.
The massive news media corporation I was working for at the time certainly didn’t publish any of its many papers for Christmas Day, but Boxing Day was a no-brainer, at least for its dailies. The problem is/was, of course, that to put out a paper on December 26, you need people to lay out its pages the day before, just like for any other publication date.
In 2009, it was my turn to be one of those unfortunate paginators (“page monkeys” was/is the more blunt term we use in the industry for layout editors). It was by far the most miserable Christmas Day of my life, especially considering the 4 p.m. to midnight shift I was working at the time. I was living in Wallaceburg and working in Dresden at the time, so visiting any extended family (most of which lives in Leamington) that day was right out of the question. Sure, pay was double time like it was for any other stat holiday, but it wasn’t worth it… at least not to me. Bah humbug indeed.
For pretty much the same reason, it always blows my mind to watch a trailer for an upcoming movie and discover that its release date is Christmas Day. I’ve always figured that such an idea was marketing suicide, but it must be a tradition of sorts for many families — otherwise they wouldn’t do it. I feel sorry for theatre staffers who end up pulling the Dec. 25 shift. I also sympathize with people who work in any sort of emergency service, but I at least understand why those shifts MUST be filled even on Christmas Day. But a movie theatre? Is catching a flick on opening day so important to some people that they have to venture out on the most revered holiday on the continent?
I wonder the same thing about sporting events that for whatever reason, simply MUST be scheduled for Christmas Day. The past week’s NFL schedule was as good an example as any. Sure, Christmas happened to fall on a Sunday this year, but really. The league did recognize the unfortunate coincidence by scheduling 12 of the week’s 16 games on Saturday (an almost unheard of day of the week for NFL football), but still left two of those games to be played on December 25. Nope, I would not have been a happy camper to be an employee of either Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field or Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium that day. Honestly, I even felt bad for the athletes, millionaires for playing sports or not. Players, coaches, trainers, equipment personnel — heck, even the officials — all have families too.
Sure, NFL football on Thanksgiving is almost as American as turkey dinner. It’s a part of that country’s cultural fabric. But Christmas? By all accounts, it doesn’t make sense. I suppose tickets to an event that actually takes place on Christmas Day makes perfect sense as a gift, but again — do tens of thousands of fans love their team so much that they’d go to a game on December 25? The answer is obviously “yes,” or they’d just add a couple more games to Thursday or Monday Night Football.
Pro football is by no means the only party guilty of snubbing its nose at the day that everyone who doesn’t have the lives of others in their hands should have off. The NBA scheduled five games that day. The World Juniors aren’t quite as bad, but that particu-
(Continued on page 12)
(Continued from page 11)
lar tournament kicks off every year on Boxing Day, which certainly doesn’t allow players, coaches, officials, etc. to spend a lot of holiday time with their families either. I’ve always wondered why that event couldn’t wait another week, but I suppose it is a time of year when a lot of spectators/ fans can balance between their own work schedules between games. Personally, I did used to enjoy cracking the first few New Year’s Eve beers over the Canada-U.S. game.
Karl-Heinz & Kathleen Wachholz
Karl-Heinz and Kathleen (nee Holt) were married on Tuesday, December 27, 1966 at The Church of the Holy Rood, Holybourne, Hampshire, England. They have 2 children and 2 grandchildren.
In loving memory of my precious granddaughter
March 25, 2014 - December 28, 2014
With tears we saw you suffer, as we watched you fade away. Our hearts were almost broken, as you fought so hard to stay. We knew you had to leave us, but you never went alone. For part of us went with you the day you left your home. Too beautiful for earth. So little, so loved. With brave wings she flies ... Gone too soon but never forgotten. Loved and missed, Grandma Cooper
If remembering brings you closer, then you never went away, for the thoughts of you are always with us, each and every day.
There will always be a heartache, and many a silent tear, But precious are the memories, Of the days when you were here. Love and miss you every day. With love, your wife Ada and family
Even at the minor and recreational levels, sporting events can be tricky this time of year. Across the country, there are boatloads of minor hockey tournaments going on as you read these words and while the Dec. 26 to Dec. 30 time frame does accommodate a lot of work schedules, it’s got to be tough on a lot of parents who’d love nothing more than to take a breather after all the commotion and craziness associated with the holidays. After all the shopping, traveling, get togethers, prep work and everything else that’s been pushed down everyone’s throat since before the Halloween candy disappeared, you’d think most parents would prefer to unwind on the living room couch in the new PJs and socks they just got for Christmas. Not for hockey parents. Nope, it’s right back onto the slush, snow and ice-covered highways until December 31. Those who have the energy to cut loose for a New Year’s party after all that certainly have my respect and admiration. Anyway, stay safe for the duration of your holidays. See you in the New Year!
Tyler St. John Worth of Tilbury — coached by Kingsville’s Doug Patterson and trained primarily at Seng’s Martial Arts and Fitness in Kingsville — is declared the winner of the main-event fight in London against Calvin Caron Saturday, Dec. 10. The 139-pound novice fighter won the bout in a unanimous decision against the tough and durable Caron, a resident of London. Leamington’s Luca Coppola, a 119-pound novice, was scheduled to fight Golden Glove Provincial Championship Youth Novice 56 kg gold medalist Justin Parina in a rematch on the same card, but will have to wait until February in the annual Brampton Cup.
In 1952, a new Plymouth Cambridge 4-door sedan with serial #95515927 rolled off the assembly line at the Chrysler plant in Windsor. Reg Kirby of Tilbury found that same car 48 years later in a wrecking yard in Sarnia. At first glance, it looked pretty good even though someone had started to disassemble it, and some parts were in the trunk. Only after Reg got it home did he realize that the car was in worse shape than he thought. The odometer showed 49,184 miles, perhaps the second time around. Undaunted, he forged ahead with a rebuild that took 7 years before the car was put back on the road. The original flathead 6-cylinder engine was replaced with a rebuilt Dodge engine of the same size found on Kijiji. Rust had taken its toll on the fenders, floor, trunk, and rocker panels. Reg found two front fenders from Arizona like new for less than $500. He found one good rear fender from Michigan and another good rear fender from somewhere else. He also found a pair of NOS rocker panels. He did all the floor work himself. All four doors were excellent. The interior had been home to generations of mice who wreaked their damage on the seats, now redone in cloth, not the original material but looks original.
The car, originally black, now had two light grey front fenders, one dark green rear fender, and one dark blue rear fender. Twenty spray cans of flat black Tremclad returned the car to its original colour, this time flat instead of glossy.
To give the bumpers on his Plymouth a look of their
stainless steel carriage bolts – a nice touch!
Reg has installed radial blackwalls on his Plymouth along with chrome reverse rims to add some sparkle to the wheels. The windshield wipers are electric since Day One. Nearly everything on the car has now been rebuilt, including the rad and differential. Reg was lucky to find a new clutch and pressure plate for only $50 at the big Mopar Fest Car Show held every year in New Hamburg, Ontario. He is 6’ 2” with lots of headroom in the car. Back in the early ’50s, the Chrysler president K.T. Keller insisted Plymouths and other Chrysler cars should have enough headroom for a man to wear a hat while driving.
Reg and his wife Lisa enjoy driving to the Leamington Dock in the summer for ice cream and to the Retrofest Car Show in Chatham held in late May every year. As a finishing touch, the back window on their ’52 Plymouth has a bobble-head of Pepe Le Pew, a sidekick of Bugs Bunny. It bobs around while they drive!
2 BEDROOM DUPLEX Side by Side in Leamington, with living room, kitchen, 1/2 basement with hook-up for washer & dryer. Includes fridge & stove. $700/month plus utilities. 1st and last required. Available immediately. Call 519-326-8015. de28-tf
137 Erie St. South 2 bedroom units available. 2nd & 3rd floor. 13th month free. Available immediately. Call 519-791-1972
COMING UP
KINGSVILLE LEGION
BRANCH 188 - Friday Night
Dinners 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Weekly Specials $14 (Ribs or Perch). Other weekly menu items $12. Karaoke every 3rd Saturday of the month 8:00 p.m. 519-7335162 (office) or 519-7339081 (bar). ja6-tf
2 BEDROOM APARTMENT for rent. 171 Robson Road, Leamington. Fridge & stove included. $700/month plus hydro. Call 519-326-0956. de14-28
Upscale and Affordable in Leamington’s ONLY waterfront rental apartment building overlooking Leamington Marina and Park and minutes from the beach.
Amenities include:
• library and social rooms
• new Smart Card “no coin” laundry
beautiful lobby
underground parking • outdoor balconies
• FREE utilities and window coverings
• Fully secured and 24-7 onsite management. Ask us about our limited time “New Tenant” incentives. www.ska-apartmentrentals.com Call Mike or Kevin 519-326-8819
SNOWTIRES - 195/60 R15 - set of 4, almost new. $250 or best cash offer. Call 519733-6866, leave message. de28
• Repairs
• Installations
• Drain Cleaning
• Sump Pumps
• Excellent Rates
• 37 Years Experience
Ed Higginbottom 519-329-1779 eh48@hotmail.ca
PRINTING: BUSINESS ENVELOPES,invoices, flyers, business cards, custom print jobs, whatever your printing needs, call Jolene at The Sounthpoint Sun for quick and economical service, 519-398-9098. tf
B&B MOVING & DELIVERIES - Two guys with extensive experience moving and delivering furniture. 10% senior and student discounts. For all your moving needs, call Neil for a free quote at 519-566-1366. no16-de28
J J STITCHING - SEWING, alterations, and repairs. Pants shortened $8.50 plus tax. (Some exceptions may apply such as lined pants). If your clothing is too tight or too baggy, give me a call to see if it can be altered. Call Jean at 519-968-2261. 14 Johnson Avenue, Leamington. jjstitching@gmail.com no30-ja25
696-698 Talbot Road E., LEAMINGTON
Asking $599,900. Place an Offer.
7 Acres with TWO solid 3 BR homes w/garages/basements, several large concrete outbuildings suitable for warehouse, receiving plus a 2,100 sq ft freezer/cooler. Also includes hip barn with loft & five 200’ long packing sheds with metal roofs. Great location on Hwy 3. Houses are rented. Excel Realty Corp. 519-322-8599 or www.thinkpelee.com for virtual tour.
PARCEL ONE:
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Part of Lot 10, Concession 10, Geographic Township of Tilbury West, Town of Lakeshore, County of Essex
OWNER: Esther Louise Newsted
ACREAGE: 50 acres more or less
PROPERTY/BUILDINGS: This property is vacant and has frontage on a paved road with access to municipal water.
WINTER WHEAT CROP: The successful tenderer will take possession of the existing winter wheat crop, having an area of 25 acres more or less, on closing.
LOCATION: The premises are situated on the north side of Lakeshore Road 311, east of 77 Highway, and will be identified by signage on the property.
PARCEL TWO:
LEGAL DESCRIPTION: Part of Lot 15, Concession 9, Geographic Township of Tilbury West, Town of Lakeshore, County of Essex
OWNER: Esther Louise Newsted
ACREAGE: 49 acres more or less
PROPERTY/BUILDINGS: This property has an existing barn and Quonset shed and has frontage on a paved road with access to municipal water.
LOCATION: The premises are situated on the north side of Lakeshore Road 310, east of the Gracey Side Road, and will be identified by signage on the property.
TERMS OF TENDER:
Sealed tenders, which need only identify the parcel for which the tender is being submitted, the tendered price and contact information, will be received by the undersigned until 4:30 p.m. on January 20, 2017, with the highest, or any, tender, not necessarily accepted. No deposit is required with the tender, but the successful tenderer will be required to enter into an agreement of purchase and sale without conditions, except as to title, by January 27, 2017, and submit a deposit of $10,000.00 at that time. Transaction to close on or before February 27, 2017, with vacant possession on that date. The properties are being sold in all respects in an "as is" condition.
Interested parties may contact the undersigned to obtain any further information.
ESTHER LOUISE NEWSTED c/o JAY A. JOHNSON, SOLICITOR COUREY LAW PROFESSIONAL CORPORATION 16 QUEEN STREET SOUTH, P.O. BOX 178 TILBURY ON NOP 2LO TELEPHONE
RESPONSIBILITIES:
We are currently seeking an experienced candidate for the FULL TIME, PERMANENT POSITION OF METAL MECHANIC/ FABRICATOR GENERAL LABOURER
Wages are negotiable upon experience. Please forward resume in person to: 229 Talbot St. W. Leamington between the hours of 7:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday - Friday. Or by email to: leamingtonglass@bellnet.ca
We are seeking GREENHOUSE
• Compensation is $12.00/hr
• Monday through Friday (Occasional Saturdays) Please apply at: careers@aphria.com or mail a resume to: P.O. Box 20009 269 Erie St. S., Leamington, ON N8H 3C4
GROSSI PLUMBING, HEATING & HVAC Services accepting resumes in all areas (Plumbing, Sheet Metal, HVAC, Administration). Submit byDrop in: 238 Talbot Street West, Leamington, ON; Email: grossi@grossiplumbing.ca; Fax: 519-326-3632 de14-ja4
LITTLE CAESARS LOCATIONS in Leamington, Kingsville and Essex have full and part-time positions available. Experience with food preparation and cash handling preferred. Drop resumes at any of the above Little Caesars locations.
oc19-tf
GENERAL GREENHOUSE
LABOUR - Full time and full time part time positions available. 40-48 hours per week, weekends/holidays. Physically demanding work, load lifting required, hot humid environment. Minimum wage to start. Apply by fax: 519-326-6702 or email: hriprfms@gmail.com.
oc26-de28
•
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Armstrong Top Pack Ltd. is hiring 50 permanent, full time vegetable packers for its Leamington location to start as soon as possible.
Minimum Wage to start. 44 hours per week.
You should be able to lift up to 50 lbs. on a repetitive basis and be able to sort and pack fruits and vegetables in a fast paced environment.
No education or experience is required.
Apply in person from 9:00 to 5:00 at 500 County Road 18, Leamington, N8H3V5 or by email jobs@toppack.ca
Employees will be required to carry out all job tasks as specified by the operation manager.
Specific duties include: Pruning, clipping, harvesting and cleaning work area. Repetitive task, standing for extended periods, hot humid conditions, comfortable working on scissor lifts, handling weights of up to 23 kg or 50 lbs, report signs of insect or disease damage.
Permanent full time weekdays including weekends $11.40 per hour. Will train the right candidate. Must be able to work within a group or on their own. Reliable and dependable.
Must have own transportation.
Apply: Southshore Greenhouses Inc.
IN THE ESTATE OF MARION EVELYN REID
All claims against the Estate of MARION EVELYN REID, late of the Municipality of Leamington, in the County of Essex, who died on or about the 5th day of June, 2015, must be filed with the undersigned solicitors for the personal representative on or before the 20th day of January, 2017. Thereafter the undersigned will distribute the assets of the estate having regard only to the claims then filed.
Dated: December 14th, 2016 Matthew M. Caron PEARSALL, MARSHALL,
IN THE ESTATE OF DONALD LLOYD WATSON
All claims against the Estate of DONALD LLOYD WATSON, late of the Municipality of Leamington, in the County of Essex, who died
IN THE ESTATE OF ANNETTE MARIE FULMER
All claims against the Estate of ANNETTE MARIE FULMER, late of the Municipality of Leamington, in the County of Essex, who died on or about the 26th day of March, 2016, must be filed with the undersigned solicitors for the personal representative on or before the 20th day of January, 2017. Thereafter the undersigned will distribute the assets of the estate having regard only to the claims then filed.
Dated: December 16th, 2016
Matthew M. Caron
PEARSALL, MARSHALL, HALLIWILL & SEATON LLP.
Barristers and Solicitors 22 Queens Avenue Leamington, Ontario N8H 3G8
By M.D.B. students Rachel Friesen and Claudia Schmitt
Margaret. D. Bennie Public School girls volleyball team recently travelled to Leamington District Secondary School for the end-of-season tournament against other local schools. They did extremely well, continuing on to the semi-finals. They fought hard, played well and worked together, coming in with a strong fourth place finish. Team coaches Mrs. Jeffery and Mrs. Sullivan were tremendously proud of the girls and rewarded them with a pizza lunch. Way to go, Bulldogs!
(Submitted photo)
The Southpoint Novice Red team recently took on another team from Essex – Team Orange – and continued their great play with a 9-0 win.
The team’s scoring was led by Eli Driedger with another 3 goal hat trick and an assist. Charbel Tannous and Tony Tannous had 2 goals each and 2 assists. A single goal and two assists came from Gabriel Rino and Matthew Mastromatteo scored a goal and 3 assists. Mario Perez had 3 assists and Rex Pearce had a single assist. Surprisingly, a single assist came from goalie Owen Hunter who also earned the shutout.
The team could never have had the shutout if not for the great defence from Henry Heaton, Mason Wiper, Lucas Grilo and Rex Pearce.
Another great game by this great team! The team is off for Christmas break and will return in the new year ready to take on a new team. Congratulations!
The following are the Rhine Danube bowling leagues scores for Dec. 12. Games over 200: Wayne Abbott 204, Tys Schaafsma 225, Jack Valade 201-206, Jamie Arquette 211, Willy Fittler 217, Richard Dickau 244-226, Aaron Dickau 226, Eric Zimmer 223, Ozzie Wolf 209-203, Kevin Kosempel 200-214-220, Heinz Kosempel 237202, Chris Kosempel 214-225, Mauro Paglione 211-223.
Series Over 550: Wayne Abbott 588, Jack Valade 588, Willy Fittler 567, Richard Dickau 633, Aaron Dickau 588, Eric Zimmer 597, Ozzie Wolf 609, Kevin Kosempel 634, Heinz Kosempel 609, Chris Kosempel 619, Mauro Paglione 597.
High Handicap Games: Richard Dickau 308, Lloyd Owens 288, Eric Zimmer 286.
High Handicap Series: Lloyd Owens 833, Richard Dickau 825, Kevin Kosempel 787. Standings: Dickau Construction 56, S.W. Property 49, Del Fresco 49, Rhine Danube 48, Weil’s Food 47, Fittler Farms 45.
Leamington OPP arrested and charged an area pharmacist and another man in relation to the illegal sale of narcotics as defined by the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA).
On December 17, a 74-year-old pharmacist, of Lakeshore, and a 48-year-old Leamington man were arrested by OPP members on Talbot St. E. in Leamington. The pharmacist will appear in court in January to answer to the charges of Trafficking in a Schedule 1 Substance and Trafficking in a Schedule 4 Substance. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information about this case or any other case is encouraged to call the Es-
sex County OPP at 1-888-310-1122. Should you wish to remain anonymous, you can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) where you may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.
“The illegal sale, distribution and unlawful use of drugs remain prevalent in our communities, as does the vigilance by our members of this unlawful activity,” said Essex County OPP Detachment Commander Glenn Miller. “This recent arrest further underscores the gravity of the situation and the challenges we face in keeping our communities safe. We will hold those accountable who continue to supply those elements of society with illicit drugs and equally, those users who feed their addictions through criminal acts.”
