CommunityNews N O R T H
W E L L I N G T O N
Volume 53 Issue 02
Thursday, January 9, 2020
New 12-unit subdivision planned in Drayton
Community News expanding into Wellington North
BY ARYN STRICKLAND REPORTER
CHRIS DAPONTE EDITOR
MAPLETON - A rezoning application which would see the construction of six semi-detached dwellings or 12 new homes in Drayton was approved by township council on Dec. 10. The application would rezone land along Bedell Drive, off Main Street West, from low density residential to medium density residential in order to facilitate the construction by Glenaviland Development Corp. The property is approximately 1.14 acres and currently vacant. “As we move forward in our development, we’ve always got feedback from our builders that they would like to see more townhouses and semi-lots,” said Glenaviland representative Trevor Prior. “And we do have some more townhouses in the future coming on board but we didn’t have any semis.” He added, “Things we considered into this, in the current bylaws, the minimum width of a semi lot is 18 meters and we’ve gone for 20.5 (meters). “We feel this will create a nicer semi product, as well as allow for two-car garages on those units, which allow a wider driveway, which helps keep cars off the street for parking on the street. And we just think overall, it’ll be a nicer
WELLINGTON COUNTY Starting Jan. 9, the Community News coverage area will expand to include Wellington North Township, in addition to Mapleton Township and the Town of Minto, with a total circulation of over 13,000. “It is the intention of this new publication to bring people together – for local shopping, local news, local entertainment and celebrations of all things local,” said publisher Dave Adsett. The move continues a publishing evolution recognizing the increasing synergy between the northernmost municipalities in Wellington County. Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North have long been connected through affiliation with local hospitals and high schools, local sports and service groups and the three municipalities have been conducting joint economic development committee meetings since 2012. The establishment of a shared community newspaper started last year, when Ray Stanton of London Publishing purchased Metroland’s southwestern division, which includes the Independent Plus along with paid circulation papers the Listowel Banner, Wingham Advance-Times and Walkerton Herald-Times. A new company called Midwestern Newspapers Corp was formed. “Clearly I’m bullish on print and strongly believe in the importance of newspapers,” said Adsett, who served with Stanton for years
SEE SUBDIVISION » 6
New year’s baby - Jordan Beckberger, left, and Jennifer Henderson welcomed baby Miya Lee Beckberger on Jan. 1 at 5:48pm. Miya was the first baby born in north Wellington in 2020. Photo by Jaime Myslik
First 2020 north Wellington baby born in Palmerston BY JAIME MYSLIK REPORTER PALMERSTON – The first baby born in north Wellington in 2020 is Miya Lee Beckberger. New parents Jennifer Henderson and Jordan Beckberger said Miya arrived one day prior to her due date. The north Wellington new year’s baby was born at 5:48pm on Jan. 1, weighing six pounds, 11 ounces. She is 20 inches long. Henderson, a Harriston native, began feeling different in the evening on New Year’s Eve. The couple went to the
Palmerston and District Hospital just after midnight. “Because I thought she was coming, but it was only two to three centimetres dilated so I had to come back,” Henderson said. At around 3am the couple went back to Hanover, where Beckberger is from, and waited until 8am to make the 20-minute drive back to the Palmerston hospital. Beckberger noted Henderson was in labour for about 20 hours. Beckberger was with Henderson in the delivery room. “I got to cut the cord and all that,” he said.
Once Miya was born, Beckberger said it was surreal. “I was really nervous in general,” he said. The first-time parents spent a few days in the hospital with their daughter and by the afternoon of Jan. 2, both of their families had met baby Miya. She is the second baby born in Wellington County this decade. The first was Jack William Merrill, born to parents Jessie and Markus on Jan. 1 at 4:16pm at Groves Memorial Community Hospital in Fergus. He weighed eight pounds, eight ounces and was 21 inches long.
CAO: Service sharing proposal not precursor to regional government BY PATRICK RAFTIS REPORTER MINTO – Acting CAO Chris Harrow says discussion of service sharing among Wellington County municipalities should not be considered a move toward regional government. At the Dec. 17 meeting Harrow presented Minto council with a report on a countywide study conducted by consulting firm KPMG aimed at identifying opportunities for efficiencies through municipalities working together. County council has already endorsed one of the top 20 ideas generated by the study: moving forward with a grant application to have a third party take a look at each municipality’s IT capabilities and make recommendations about working together to enhance the systems. The idea sparked a concern from Minto councillor Mark MacKenzie. “I’m scared of this thing.
I’ve been here before,” he said. “I’m really in favour of delivery of service, improvement and efficiency and all this stuff, but pooling our money to have third party delivery scares me. It’s leaning toward regional government. That’s the way I read it. We’ve got to be careful there.” Harrow replied, “I can assure you that nowhere in this discussion - and it was kiboshed at the very first meeting - there is no talk of regional government in this. And there’s no talk of governance anywhere in it.” He added, “What happens in the future? You remember what kind of spurred this on was the scare tactic the provincial government did that they were going to try and force amalgamations and they backed right off on that.” Mayor George Bridge said, “I love the fact that the government did back that off because we have been, for years, looking for efficiencies both at the
county and the local levels and we’ve worked together with our neighbours on some things and it’s worked out well.” Harrow explained a list of 150 suggestions was pared down to a list of the 20 most viable ideas by a working group consisting of Warden Kelly Linton, CAOs of county municipalities and other staff. Suggestions included a county-wide approach to such matters as municipal drains and winter control. County-wide asset management delivery was another suggestion, noted Harrow. “Is there a way to start sharing that service?” suggested Harrow, noting municipalities simply “talking the same language or using the same software” would be a major step forward. “Climate change and efficiencies, that’s going to be a huge topic,” Harrow continued. “We wanted to make sure that was in there because we have hired the climate change con-
trol person at the county, but this is going to become a huge topic in the future and probably something we can’t take on ourselves. But it’s something we could start sharing with other municipalities for sure.” Co-ordination of human resources services across the county is another way municipalities could work together, Harrow pointed out. “We use a consultant at times. Is there a way to tap into different things in the county that we could just share that service instead of using consultants all the time?” Economic development is another area of joint interest, Harrow said. “Can we work together even more, enhancing our partnerships with economic development? And what can we do to bring more to our town? The county?” MacKenzie asked if all service sharing efforts would involve working with Wellington County.
on the Ontario Community Newspaper Association board. “When the opportunity to purchase 50% of this new company came up, the answer was, ‘I’m in.’” The archives of legacy newspaper titles like the Minto Express, Arthur Enterprise and Mount Forest Confederate were retained by Adsett, who sees himself as a custodian of that county history.
“We want to move forward with a positive new product that draws on the best of what these communities offer.” - Publisher Dave Adsett “Although those titles had amalgamated into variations of the Independent Plus, they were no longer the same valued hometown papers they were under private family ownership,” he said. “These titles and publishing families deserve to be remembered.” It’s with that legacy in mind that Adsett decided to establish the North Wellington Community News. “As we remember that past, we want to move forward with a positive new product that draws on the best of what these communities offer,” he said. As part of the above changes, the Independent Plus will no longer be circulated in Wellington County.
Family fun - The Fischer family enjoyed a chance to get in some skating at the fourth annual Minto Fire and Ice Family New Year’s Celebration on Dec. 31 in Palmerston. From left: Kirby, Chad, Mya and Cara Fischer. Photo by Patrick Raftis More photos on page 12.
SEE SERVICE » 3
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If you or someone in your family has a problem with gambling help is available. Gamblers Anonymous can provide help and hope. Call our 24 hour help line: 1-855-222-5542. « Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, Thursdays, 8pm, Mt. Forest United Church (rear entrance). 175 Queen St. E. We can help. « Mount Forest Al-Anon Group for families and friends of alcoholics, Wednesdays, 10am at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, side door. « Living with Loss, peer-led support group for adults (18+) grieving the death of a loved one. First Wednesday of every month, 7 to 9pm, Birmingham Retirement Community, Mount Forest. Free to attend. 519-603-0196 for more information. « Spiritual youth, family and marriage counseling every Tuesday, 10am to 3pm, Knox Presbyterian Church Palmerston. Scheduled appointments necessary. Nick Pavel, 519-343- 3201. « This weekly workbook-based group will help you to learn how to use self-compassion in your mental health or addiction journey. Every Friday at the CMHA Office, 392 Main St. N, Suite 1, Mt. Forest, 1-2pm. No registration or fees required. « This weekly group allows you to connect with Fellow Travellers, give and gain support, and share strategies for coping and building hope on your walk with anxiety and depression. Every Friday at the CMHA Office, 392 Main St. N, Suite 1, Mt. Forest, 2-3pm. « Dart Night every Friday night at the Mount Forest Legion Br 134. Register at 7:30pm. Teams picked & play at 8pm. $5 per player. Everyone welcome. More info, Call Dan 519-323-6123.
Thursday Jan. 9 Seniors Dinner at the Alma Community Centre at 12 noon. Dinner includes roast beef, pie and beverage $15. Musical Entertainment. There will not be a Seniors dinner in February.
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Arthur United Church community games night, second Saturday of each month. 6:30pm. Enjoy an evening of board games and family fun. All welcome. 519-848-2022 for more info. « Harriston-Minto Agricultural Society Annual Meeting at the Harriston United Church, 8pm. Euchre and Refreshments to follow. Come and bring a friend. « Jamboree from 2-5 pm at the Arthur Legion.
Sunday Jan. 12 Open cribbage tournament at the Mount Forest Legion Br 134. Register at 11:30am, start at 1pm. $20 per team. All are welcome.
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Tuesday Jan. 14 Euchre, St. Mary RC Church, Mount Forest, Murray Farwell Family Center, 7:30pm. Doors open 7pm. $3 includes prizes and light lunch.
Wednesday Jan. 15 Palmerston blood donor clinic, 5 to 8pm, Palmerston Community Centre. It takes up to eight donors a week to help someone with leukemia, and up to 50 donors to help a crash victim. Book your appointment online or call 1-888-2donate. « Arthur Legion General Meeting at 7pm.
Thursday Jan. 16 We welcome you to join us, for support to lose weight sensibly. We meet at Palmerston United Church, 7pm. We've been going strong 25 years. Call Susan, 519.343.3711 for TOPS details. « Harriston & District Horticultural Society Soup & Sandwich Luncheon at the Harriston United Church from 11:30am1:00pm. Cost: $12. Elevator Available. Come and bring a friend.
Friday Jan. 17 Wellington Cattlemen’s Annual General Meeting at Alma Bible Church. Trade Show & Social: 5pm, Dinner: 5:45pm (must preregister by Jan 3). Trade Show Reps, WCCA 2018 Ron Wooddisse, Memorial Award Guest Speakers. Come when you can, leave when you must. «
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Euchre at the Drayton Legion, 7:30pm. Admission $5. Light lunch provided. « Wing Night at the Arthur Legion, 6-8pm. All You Can Eat. No take out, $15.
Saturday Jan. 18 Minto 81's present Giggles Comedy Club featuring Canada's Top Comedians as seen at Club 54, Just for Laughs & Yuk Yuk's. Palmerston Auditorium, Doors open: 7pm, show: 7:30pm. Tickets: $20 are available from players and executive members. « Pub night at the Mount Forest Legion Br 134. Live Band Deb & Pete. 7-11pm. Donation at the door. All are welcome. « Free skating at the Mount Forest Sports Complex. Compliments of the Mount Forest Legion Br 134. 12:00-1:30pm.
Sunday Jan. 19
Jamboree at the Harriston Legion Branch 296. Admission $5. Doors open at 12:00pm. Entertainment starts at 1:00pm. Supper: $14, served at 4:30pm. Musicians, Singers, Dancers and Spectators Welcome. For more information call 338-2843.
Saturday Jan. 25 Free skating at the Mount Forest Sports Complex. Compliments of the Mount Forest Legion Br 134. 12:00-1:30pm. « Karaoke at the Arthur Legion at 8pm.
Sunday Jan. 26 Open euchre tournament at the Mount Forest Legion Br 134. Register at 11:30am, start at 1pm. $20 per team. All are welcome.
Tuesday Jan. 28 Euchre, St. Mary RC Church, Mount Forest, Murray Farwell Family Center, 7:30pm. Doors open 7pm. $3 includes prizes and light lunch.
Friday Jan. 31 Free skating at the Mount Forest Sports Complex. Compliments of the Mount Forest Legion Br 134. 12:00-1:30pm. « Alma Optimist Beef BBQ, 5-7pm at the Alma Community Center. Tickets purchased at the door. Adults $15, Children $5, Under school age free.
Saturday Feb. 1 Neustadt Lions Club presents The Twist Tops (50s & 60s music Country Clem (Comedian) at Neustadt Community Hall, 6:30pm. Ham & Scalloped Potato Dinner. Adm. $25.00 per person. Tickets: 519-367-2193 or 519-799-5914.
Wednesday Feb. 5 Drayton Rotary Club meeting every first Wed. of the month. We meet at the Drayton Chop House: 6pm for supper & the meeting begins at 6:30pm. All Welcome. Info: Lorrie 519-998-2154.
Saturday Feb. 8 Arthur United Church community games night, second Saturday of each month. 6:30pm. Enjoy an evening of board games and family fun. All welcome. 519-848-2022 for more info.
Wednesday Feb. 12 Euchre at the Harriston Legion Branch #296. Starts at 7:30pm. Light Lunch provided. $5 per person. Bring a partner. For more information call 338-2843.
Sunday Feb. 16 Jamboree at Harriston Legion Branch # 296. Admission $5. Doors open at 12:00pm. Entertainment starts at 1:00pm. Supper $14. Served at 4:30pm. Musicians, Singers, Dancers and Spectators Welcome. For more information call 338-2843.
Monday Feb. 17 Family Fun Day presented by the Louise Marshall Hospital Foundation. 11am-5pm at the Mount Forest & District Sports Complex.
Saturday Feb. 29 Deadline to sign up for the Annual Mini Golf & Steak Dinner on Sunday, March 15 at the Harriston Legion Branch #296, 1:00pm start. $20 per person, children 12 and under: $14. Steak or Chicken Dinner only $20. Pre Pay by March 6th. For more information contact the Legion at 519-338-2843.
CommunityCalendarOnline Email your events to: communitynews@wellingtonadvertiser.com. View the community calendar online: wellingtonadvertiser.com/events.
JANUARY 9, 2020 | NORTH WELLINGTON COMMUNITY NEWS | 3
North Wellington municipalities share economic interests BY PATRICK RAFTIS REPORTER WELLINGTON COUNTY - Geographically located in the county’s northern reaches, Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North also share a common rural perspective on economic development. Since January of 2012, the three municipalities have been holding regular joint economic development meetings at which they’ve tackled topics ranging from tourism and affordable housing, to employment and immigration from a local vantage point. Sharing expertise and resources benefits all three municipalities, said Mapleton Mayor Gregg Davidson. “We know that Minto has had pretty established economic development and what they’re doing there with their program has been really beneficial to them and we see how we could tie into that for Mapleton and Wellington North as well,”
Davidson said. “We work closely together anyway on a number of issues … we look at what we can do to benefit our joint communities and provide services at maybe a lesser cost.” Wellington North Mayor Andy Lennox pointed out by working together and sharing experiences, the municipalities can avoid duplication in some areas. “We all have limited resources,” said Lennox, noting it’s important “we don’t have to reinvent the wheel every time.” Lennox noted the municipalities, in addition to being linked by geographic proximity, are similar in other ways. “I think certainly the three northern municipalities have a lot of similarities in that we are primarily rural agriculture communities with similar demographics across all three … we have a lot of common experience and interests,” he stated. Lennox said a county-wide
MINTO MAYOR GEORGE BRIDGE
WELLINGTON NORTH MAYOR ANDY LENNOX
MAPLETON MAYOR GREGG DAVIDSON
‘Gone is the day when you worry about whether the factory is being built in Mount Forest, or Palmerston or Harriston.’ - Minto Mayor George Bridge review of services searching for municipal efficiencies showed there may be room for even closer cooperation in the future. “The service review process we just went through kind
of highlighted that there are things that we could maybe work together on and this (economic development) might be one that’s already maybe partway down the road,” he said. “I think it’s maybe time to
explore it and see what could work as we go forward.” Davidson agreed there is potential for further collaboration. “It makes sense to have a group of people doing the work instead of individually doing it in pods and sharing,” said Davidson. “We see a huge economic boom for the north end as a place to grow and a place for visitors to come if we’re working together.” Minto Mayor George Bridge says the three municipalities have worked together successfully in the past on youth engagement projects and business support endeavours. “I’d like to do more of that,” said Bridge. “We all have the same issues, we have the workforce planning issues, we have the housing issues, we have all the same issues in economic development.” He added, “I think we owe it to our taxpayers to try to find any way we can to work together. Gone is the day when
you worry about whether the factory is being built in Mount Forest or Palmerston or Harriston. The workforce surrounds us … people drive to jobs.” Regional focus While all Wellington County municipalities share economic development interests as a group, they also have their own regional focus, Bridge pointed out. “Centre Wellington is a bigger player, they’ve got a lot more staff and they do a lot of things together there, but they’ve got 36,000 people,” said Bridge. “When you get into Guelph-Eramosa, Erin and Puslinch, it’s a different world down there because Guelph is sort of the synergy place. A lot of stuff happens in Guelph. So we kind of are a little bit on our own up here and we’ve been a little bit more proactive on some of the stuff we’re doing. “That’s just the nature of geography … but we have a lot in common.”
Working together - Economic development and youth engagement are among the areas Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North have been collaborating on for several years. LEFT: Attainable housing” was the focus of a joint economic development meeting for northern Wellington municipalities in Harriston on March 6, 2019. Graham Cubitt (standing, left) of charitable supportive housing developer Indwell, was among the presenters. RIGHT: Norwell District Secondary School’s Grade 12 human growth and development class taught by teacher Jennifer Fenton (front, fifth from left) conducted research on a variety of areas for the Town of Minto. The students attended the June 18, 2019 council meeting to provide the town with an update. Minto marketing and community development coordinator Taylor Keunen (front, far right) coordinated the town’s end of the project. Community News file photos
Aitken family fundraiser set for Jan. 18, 19 MOUNT FOREST - On Jan. 18 and 19, Mount Forest Minor Hockey (MFMH) will host an “Aitken Family Fundraising Weekend”. The bottle drive at the Mount Forest arena will support the family of Scott Aitken, who suffered a massive heart attack prior to Christmas and remains in the intensive care unit at St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener. Growing up, Aitken enjoyed playing hockey in Arthur and since that time
has become a dedicated m e m b e r of Mount Forest Minor Hockey as a coach and volunteer for SCOTT over eight AITKEN years with his daughters Alyssa and Lauren. Aitken is a permanent fixture at the arena, event organizers say. “Whether it’s coaching, helping out on the ice,
or being a fan at a Patriots’ game, you will always see Scott at the arena ... and he’s always willing to help in any way that he can,” stated organizer Amber McRobb of MFMH. During the off season, Aitken volunteers at the ball diamond with the Palmerston Marlins, where his daughter Alyssa has played for several years. Organizers are encouraging Mount Forest and area residents to save empty Christmas and New Year’s
bottles for next weekend’s bottle drive and monetary collection for the Aitken family. The event takes place at the Mount Forest and District Sports Complex on Jan. 18 from 8am to 4:40pm and on Jan. 19 from noon to 6pm. Organizers are encouraging residents to keep Scott, Krista, Alyssa and Lauren in their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. For information contact McRobb at 519-323-6155.
Service sharing proposal presented to Minto council » FROM PAGE 1
“Not necessarily the county. More with our neighbouring municipalities,” Harrow replied. “Say Mapleton, Wellington North and us work together on sharing a position, or working on services together that would make it cheaper. A lot of the services that we’re looking at the county doesn’t deliver.” “I think it’s a good idea,” said councillor Ron Elliott. “My concern as we go through that list of 20 is have we got a way to reverse if we get in and say ‘Whoops, this isn’t what we were looking at - it’s costing us more’?” “Oh absolutely, that’s why each one will be dealt with separately,” Harrow responded. “There is going to be a lot of trial and error in this … there will be out clauses on everything.”
While pointing out, “There’s no harm in trying some of this stuff and see if it does work,” Harrow stressed, “There’s not too much talk of owning shared assets. It’s mostly just looking at services right now and what we can do to deliver services more efficiently.” Bridge said the province’s Oct. 25 decision to offer a $140-million pool of funding for municipalities to further investigate efficiencies is a sign they are more interested in municipalities working together, than forcing them to amalgamate. “The Ontario government did go out there and do that survey and talk about regional government and I was very concerned about this,” said Bridge. However, he added, “They want the municipalities to work on their own to try to find any efficiencies that they
possibly can.” He continued, “There’s a lot of work to be done before we jump into bed with anybody on this.” “So were talking Wellington here, but we’re certainly not ruling out Howick and North Perth are we?” asked deputy mayor Dave Turton. “Anybody can come and knock on our door and say would you like to share some of this stuff,” replied Harrow. “If there’s a benefit for our ratepayers and our residents, I think we’re crazy not to listen and look into it.” Council received the report as information. Funds for the KPMG study came from a $200-million pool of one-time funding to help municipalities improve service delivery announced in March by the provincial government. Wellington County received
$725,000 through the program, while Centre Wellington was allotted $618,175, Wellington North $618,175, GuelphEramosa $613,775, Erin $602,673, Minto $591,214, Mapleton $581,800 and Puslinch $569,599. In April, each municipality agreed to contribute $25,000, with the county providing $175,000, to fund an operational review in response to the province’s funding. In December, county council endorsed the KPMG report. Council also passed resolution supporting the submission of a “multi-party expression of interest for a proposed third party IT service delivery review project” on behalf of the county and six of the seven member municipalities to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s Ontario municipal modernization program.
Burning trees - A snowy evening with a bitterly cold wind didn’t deter people from attending the first-ever Christmas Tree Bonfire sponsored by the newly-formed Downtown Mount Forest Committee with help from the Mount Forest Lions Club, the Township of Wellington North and local radio station, 88.7 The River. Residents were encouraged to drop off Christmas trees at the bonfire site at Campbell-deVore Park, adjacent to the Mount Forest and District Sports Complex, in exchange for a free spring sapling. Those without Christmas trees could exchange a donation to the food bank for a sapling. The township provided hot chocolate while the radio station provided music at the site. Wellington North firefighters from the Mount Forest station monitored the tree fire. Photo by Lynne Turner
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4 | NORTH WELLINGTON COMMUNITY NEWS | JANUARY 9, 2020
CommunityNews N O R T H
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Published by: W.H.A. Publications Limited P.O. Box 252, 905 Gartshore Street Fergus, Ontario, N1M 2W8 Telephone 1.844.843-5410 Fax 519.843.7607 communitynews@wellingtonadvertiser.com Published on Thursdays Deadline: Monday at 10am Subscriptions: $58.79 plus HST in Canada Publisher: Dave Adsett Editor: Chris Daponte Reporters: Patrick Raftis | Mike Robinson
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Sales Representatives: Faye Craig | Crystal Seifried Graphic Designer: Alicia Roza GENERAL POLICY Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of typographical error, that portion of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for the signatures, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisements will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. Persons wishing information regarding circulation, rates and additional service, etc. should feel free to contact The Community News, where staff will be pleased to help. The publisher accepts responsibility for claims and honors agreements made by himself or by regular staff on his behalf. No responsibility is accepted for actions by person(s) not in the employ of the paper, or otherwise over whom the Publisher has no control . All advertising accepted is done so in good faith. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the Editor are invited on subjects of interest to our readers. The Editor maintains final approval on whether letters are published and reserves the right to edit all letters. Preference is given to letters 300 words or fewer. Pen names are not allowed and all letters to be considered for publication must be signed and include contact information. For our complete policy on letters contact our office or visit: www.wellingtonadvertiser.com.
It took a while staring at a blank screen to figure out what it was that I really wanted to say about a new newspaper for north Wellington. Then it came to me: “I love newspapers!” More specifically, I love what newspapers can do for the communities they serve. Along with providing a forum for residents and businesses alike, it allows people to have a common point of interest – making communities strong and vibrant. There is something about belonging to a cause larger than oneself. Newspapers showcase the sum of a community’s parts, celebrating the efforts of individuals and smaller groups within that geography. In a presentation to a Chamber of Commerce group one time, I suggested if newspapers did not exist and someone presented the notion, it would be embraced as an excellent innovation. There, in one complete
111 years ago Arthur Enterprise, 1909 The increased death among business men in cities has generally been variously attributed to unhygienic feeding, exposure to weather, nervous strain and so on. These are probably no more potent today than they have always been. The death rate among men has always been higher than with the other sex, but in the present day city life seems to be replacing war as a destroyer, doubtless because of its unwholesome environment. A certain wealthy American in London dropped into a shop not long ago to purchase a set of decanters. As the purchase represented more money than he had on his person at the time, he gave his address at
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the hotel and instructed the assistant to mark them C.O.D. (cash on delivery). The assistant made a note of the request, but the purchaser was surprised to find the goods left at the hotel without demand for payment. When the parcel was unpacked, however, it developed that each decanter had been beautifully engraved in twining letters, “C.O.D”. 80 years ago Palmerston Observer, 1940 In a brief ceremony, members of the 1940 council took their oath of office on Jan. 8. Mayor R. G. Barton read the oath of office, and all councillors being installed repeated it after him. A life-long and highly respected
resident of Minto Township, Mrs. Bert Reid passed away on Jan. 1, 1940 following a four-year battle with a heart condition. Born Vera Grace McMillan on the 2nd Line of Minto, on Dec. 2, 1898, she married Bert Reid in 1919. They had two sons, Alex and Jack, and two daughters, Jean and Alma. Quite a gathering of interested spectators assembled at Langdon’s garage in Mount Forest on Jan. 6 to witness the engineering ingenuity by a number of town youths. A modern type of snowmobile completed its first run in due time without mishap. The model is built on skis and driven by a six-foot propeller powered by a fourcylinder motor mounted at the rear of the driver and passengers. Misfortune accompanied a later demonstration,
when the propeller hit a door and was damaged. 65 years ago Drayton Advocate, 1955 Professor N. J. Berrill, distinguished scientist and author from McGill university, suggested in a recent article in Saturday Night magazine that our weather is getting warmer. The professor offered evidence that supports the sardonic remarks our old-timers make when they discuss modern winters. Berrill’s evidence included Berlin weather records from 1770 to 1939 that establish winters have been milder during the past half century, increasingly longer shipping seasons at Montreal, and the shrinking of glaciers in Greenland and Norway.
Submissions help us help your group make the news This issue of the Community News marks an exciting new endeavour as we expand our coverage into Wellington North, in addition to Mapleton and Minto. As we work to provide an interesting and accurate reflection of the entire north Wellington community though our news pages, we urge local citizens to ensure their community
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the county, which includes the townships of Mapleton and Wellington North and the Town of Minto. The North Wellington Community News will offer that special local touch, with news from Arthur, Mount Forest, Damascus, Clifford, Drew, Harriston, Palmerston, Moorefield, Drayton, Glen Allan, Alma and all points in between. We want to hear from readers about the importance of their corner of the world – the good things happening and about things that matter in these smaller communities once served by a dedicated page or paper. Sure, there is change, but change can be good. It is the intention of this new publication to bring people together – for local shopping, local news, local entertainment and celebrations of all things local. North Wellington’s best years lie ahead, firmly built on a rich cultural heritage and enviable community spirit. The Wellington Advertiser will continue to be delivered with news of regional interest – a package that will be hard to beat. Read, enjoy and comment. We are always interested in hearing how best we can serve you.
OF NORTH WELLINGTON
If you have a concern or need assistance please contact us : circulation@wellingtonadvertiser.com
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package would be the news people need to know. Putting that package together is no easy feat. It takes a dedicated staff and, just as important, a community that wants to make it work. In the case of Wellington County, over 50 newspaper titles have existed since its inception, chronicling the history of this area, driving change, celebrating victories and soothing hurts. Many titles have come and gone, but what has remained is opportunity, good will and families proud to call their community home. The last 20 years, however, have introduced degrees of change that few generations have witnessed. In terms of the economy, all of us have been forced to think in global terms. The internet, with all of its benefits, has changed how business is conducted, how people interact and legacy communication entities like newspapers have not been immune from any of these disruptive technologies. Reflecting on these changes, I reviewed an old Steve Thorning col-
umn initially written in October 1999 for the Wellington Advertiser. That column, about north Wellington and its storied history of newspapers, has been reprinted for reference this week. Let’s just say having grown up in the business I can still recall a good number of titles that served Wellington in the last 50 years. Some original titles like the Palmerston Observer, Harriston Review, Arthur Enterprise News, Mount Forest Confederate and others morphed into different entities over time. Although names and ownership changed, it continued to be demonstrated that there was a need for coverage and a need for news. A.W. Wright, editor of the Mount Forest Confederate, observed in 1933 that “no one in Wellington County became wealthy publishing a newspaper.” First-hand knowledge suggests those words still resonate as fact today. However, the desire to meet the needs of readers still beats strong, as does the optimism that providing such a service can be done successfully and meaningfully. With that in mind we are announcing a new title to further serve the local interests of residents in the north of
s e i r o m e M
CIRCULATION ISSUES: We do our very best every week to deliver our newspaper to all residences in Minto, Mapleton and Wellington North.
SUBMISSIONS The Community News urges local citizens to ensure their achievements/community group/organization are represented through submissions of news tips, articles and photographs. While all submissions are welcome and appreciated, the submission of a news item does not guarantee it will be printed, or when, but every effort will be made to ensure all submissions are included in a print and/or online edition. The decision on inclusion and placement of submissions is at the sole discretion of the Editor. Submissions and news tips are welcome at communitynews@wellingtonadvertiser.com, news@wellingtonadvertiser.com or toll free at 1-844-843-5410.
W E L L I N G T O N
organization is represented through submissions of news tips, articles and photographs. The contributions are much appreciated and, although we can’t promise publication of all submissions, every effort is made to ensure those that arrive make our print and online editions. Submissions are an important part
of efforts to bring the news to you. Thumbing through any number of recent issues reveals our reporters have provided coverage of local councils, schools, service clubs, hospitals, community events, sports and more. However, we can’t be everywhere, so it’s important to see that numerous stories and photos in each edition have been supplied by dedicated cor-
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respondents or interested community members. We truly appreciate and support your efforts to make the Community News your own. Submissions and news tips are welcome at communitynews@wellingtonadvertiser.com or news@wellingtonadvertiser.com or and you can reach us toll free at 1-844-843-5410.
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JANUARY 9, 2020 | NORTH WELLINGTON COMMUNITY NEWS | 5
THE COMMUNITY NEWS
Community News expanding more than 50 years after it first filled local news void CHRIS DAPONTE EDITOR DRAYTON - The Community News has come full circle. Started over 50 years ago after the closure of another publication with a proud heritage of serving local residents, in 2020 it will undergo the largest expansion in its history amidst similar circumstances. In the late 1960s, the community was left reeling with the loss of its beloved Drayton Advocate. In recent years, residents in northern Wellington have dealt with the loss of titles such as the Minto Express, Arthur Enterprise and Mount Forest Confederate. In both instances, the Community News emerged to fill the void to provide communities with the local newspaper they deserve. The beginning The Community News was founded in 1967 by a committee of community members to cover news in what is now Mapleton Township - including Drayton as well as Peel and Maryborough townships. The group was likely prompted by the 1966 closure of the Drayton Advocate, which had served the area admirably since 1885. In May of 1968 Gerrit Wimmenhove became publisher and editor of the Community News. He was instrumental in the newspaper’s early development. Wimmenhove moved the paper into the former Drayton Advocate office (later Blooming Dale’s flower shop) until the spring of 1969, when the enterprise was moved to Wood Street. It was later relocated to the corner of Wellington and Wood Streets in Drayton, the current location of The Drayton Chophouse. In 1971, Wimmenhove sold the publication and its assets to William H. (Bill) Adsett, who three years earlier had founded the Wellington Advertiser. Bill recalled Wimmenhove as an accomplished typographer with a deep interest in his heritage and community.
“Gerrit wanted the paper to continue for the community,” Bill said of the vision shared by the two men almost 50 years ago. Sadly, Wimmenhove passed away on July 15, 2010 at the age of 67 at his residence in Kitchener. Passing the torch In 1992, Bill’s son, Dave Adsett, took over as Community News general manager.
“The newspaper business is a bit like chess - you need strategies and best use of pieces to remain of value.” - Publisher Dave Adsett
“ Withdrawing the Community News from the market was never an option – we care too much to make that step,” said Dave, who was involved with the newspaper long before he was the boss. “I have a lot of pleasant memories going to the old Drayton office with dad when all the composition work was done in Drayton. “Literally days and nights were spent there, apart from a trip to the convenience store or the Drift Inn for lunch and supper.” By the mid-80s computers became more commonplace and the composition work started to move to Fergus, home of the newspaper’s sister publication, the Wellington Advertiser. More changes In 2012, with the opening of the Chophouse, the office moved across the road into the Studio Factor office in the former library building beside Drayton Memorial Park on Wood Street.
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never really made money, but up until 2017 there weren’t significant losses. A change was needed, so we expanded the circulation footprint to offset costs. It worked,” said Dave. “Sure, there has been a bit of criticism and everyone likes having their own hometown title, but we also have to pay the bills. “The vast majority of people get that and are happy for efforts we make to publish a local newspaper.” Moving forward In 2019 Dave purchased 50% of a new company, Midwestern Newspapers Corp., which was started earlier in the year when Ray Stanton of
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In 2017 the Community News closed its Drayton office, but the newspaper’s circulation was expanded to include the Town of Minto in its entirety (the newspaper had for some time been delivered to Palmerston residents). “The newspaper business is a bit like chess – you need strategies and best use of pieces to remain of value,” Dave said of the 2017 changes. He explained that not having a Drayton office “cut down on overhead, which helped with print and delivery costs.” Most requests for coverage and interactions were made by email anyway, he added. “The Community News
London Publishing purchased the southwestern division of Metroland, a subsidiary of the Toronto Star. As part of the deal, Dave retained the rights to newspaper titles like the Minto Express, Arthur Enterprise and Mount Forest Confederate. “The market has changed such that a larger footprint is needed to make a newspaper thrive,” Dave explained. Therefore, starting on Jan. 9, the Community News will
now cover Mapleton, Minto and Wellington North, with a circulation of over 13,000.
Chris Daponte is the editor of the Wellington Advertiser and Community News
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6 | NORTH WELLINGTON COMMUNITY NEWS | JANUARY 9, 2020
MOUNT FOREST CONFEDERATE
Confederate editor reflects on four decades at paper LYNNE TURNER FREELANCE REPORTER MOUNT FOREST - I spent nearly 40 years working for The Mount Forest Confederate, the weekly newspaper serving Mount Forest and area. It was first published a week after Canada’s Confederation on March 29, 1867 when Queen Victoria gave assent to the British North America Act, and thus named the Confederate. For almost 40 years, when I told people outside of Mount Forest and area that I worked for the Confederate, I had to add that it was a community newspaper. As far as anyone knew, there wasn’t another newspaper named the Confederate in the world. Last year, in 2019, The Mount Forest Confederate quietly disappeared. Coverage from the local community had declined to only a handful of stories a week and in August it was replaced by the Independent Plus. I had begun applying for jobs at newspapers even before graduating from college. After answering an advertisement for “a junior reporter at a small southwestern Ontario weekly newspaper”, I received a call from David Wenger, publisher and editor of the Mount Forest Confederate. He admitted years later that I was granted an interview because of the fact that I had been working as a highway construction “flag girl” since graduation and that peaked his interest. That was in 1976. I was offered “a bridge to retirement package” and left the newspaper in 2014. Dave Wenger and his wife, Mary, had moved to Mount Forest in 1971 when Dave
assumed the leadership role at the Confederate. Wenger Brothers – Dave’s father Barry was publisher at The Wingham Advance Times and his uncle Bob Wenger was publisher of The Listowel Banner – had purchased the Mount Forest newspaper from Helen Fair a few months earlier. Mrs. Fair had published the paper for several years after her husband, Ivan, died. I have Mrs. Fair’s office chair in my home office and it is one of my prized possessions. Dave Wenger was publisher/editor and Campbell Cork was senior reporter when I replaced a zucchini they had propped up at the desk at the very back of the office. One of the very first photos I took for the Confederate was of Mount Forest Kinette Sharon Wilson and her mother Vera Littlejohns of Flesherton at the Kinette Club’s motherdaughter event. Coincidentally, Sharon came to work at the Confederate a few years later. One of the very first articles I wrote was about Rev. Gary Stopps, the new minister at First Baptist Church. His wife, Ruth, wasn’t at the service because she had just given birth to the first of the couple’s two sons. Coincidentally, I also wrote the story and photographed Rev. Stopps’ retirement just before I retired myself. Dave Wenger, sadly, died several years ago and Campbell Cork has gone on to become a Mount Forest historian, publishing BizBull once a month and the Homer magazine each Christmas. He was elected to county council in the last municipal election. Dave Wenger was very involved with the Ontario Community Newspaper Association (OCNA) during his
time at the Confederate and was the driving force behind the OCNA’s still very successful Junior Citizen of the Year program. The Confederate was an oldfashioned community newspaper, the kind with photos of fall fair royalty, the Santa Claus parade and little kids selling lemonade on a hot summer’s day. We covered several councils prior to amalgamation and, afterwards, Wellington North, the Municipality of West Grey and the Township of Southgate. Local sports, church and school activities were high on our list of events to cover. I attended more school concerts and graduations than a woman with a dozen children. We celebrated 60th wedding anniversaries and 90th birthdays with stories and photos. And we published oldfashioned social notes – “who visited who” – written by volunteers from dozens of communities, some of which, like Little Ireland, South Bend and Spring Hill, no longer existed except in the minds of old-timers. Jim and Josephine Feairs, and then Josephine herself after Jim’s death, wrote the Cedarville social notes for over 50 years. When the OCNA celebrated its 50th anniversary by honouring 50 people in the newspaper business, I was honoured to take Mrs. Feairs and Laura Dally, who had written Spring Hill and Mount Forest social notes, to the gala dinner in Toronto as joint honourees. The Confederate won many OCNA and Canadian Community Newspaper Association awards over the years. Dave Wenger sold the Confederate, and the staff along with it, to the Newfoundland
The Mount Forest Confederate served the town and surrounding community for more than 150 years. Capital Corp. in April 1989. It was sold several more times over the years and was owned by Metroland, a subsidiary of the Toronto Star, when first the Confederate office was moved to Listowel and the newspaper itself shut down. A couple of years after retiring I realized that you can take the newspaper away from a lifelong journalist, but you can’t erase the passion for newspapers. So I trekked down to Fergus, met with Wellington Advertiser publisher Dave Adsett and editor Chris Daponte and started my new “career” as a freelance writer/photographer for the newspaper that had been the Confederate’s competition (and the bane of my existence each and every time they published a story out of Wellington North that I didn’t know about first). My first assignment as
a freelancer for them was a photo at Louise Marshall Hospital. Those who were to be in the picture knew I had retired. They knew a reporter was there to take a picture for the Confederate. And they were probably as shocked as I was when I said I was taking the photo “for the Advertiser”. It was one of the weirdest moments of my life! I am used to it now and am quite proud to take photos for the Advertiser, ensuring that Mount Forest is still “in the news”. I am thrilled I was asked to write a column about the Confederate for the new North Wellington Community News. I am so happy that this sister publication of the Advertiser will be filled with news from Mount Forest, Arthur, Harrison, Palmerston, Drayton and Wellington North - the same as the now-defunct Mount Forest
Subdivision planned in Drayton » FROM PAGE 1
product and it should help us.” Councillor Paul Douglas asked whether the township could accommodate the new buildings. “In terms of waste or capacity, we’re adding a few more units here. Do we have the capacity to allocate additional units?” Douglas asked.
CAO Manny Baron confirmed the township staff had set aside “extras.” Councillor Dennis Craven said, “This will also satisfy the province because they’re always asking us to increase the density of this land. And this should help satisfy their thirst for that too.” Councillor Marlene Ottens
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asked if the units are two-storeys. “I think it will be determined by the builder at the time,” said Prior. “Again, they’re probably wide enough if they wanted to build a bungalowtype semi product ... But really ... I don’t think we would restrict a builder to do one or the other.”
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Lynne Turner is a freelance reporter with the Community News.
Community free skate - People from around Wellington County and beyond arrived at the Elora and District Community Centre on Dec. 27 for one of a number of public skating opportunities offered throughout the township. Among the skaters in Elora were Daniel VanderMeulen from Den Helder in the Netherlands visiting his cousin Lance VanderMeulen and aunt Ilse VanderMuelen from Alma.
Welcome back!
RC
Confederate, Arthur Enterprise News, Palmerston Observer and Harrison Advance were in their prime. I look forward to doing more freelance assignments for the new publication and wish it all the luck in the world. Our area deserves to have a newspaper to call its own.
Our "Community News"
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JANUARY 9, 2020 | NORTH WELLINGTON COMMUNITY NEWS | 7
ARTHUR ENTERPRISE NEWS
Over 150 years serving the community BY MIKE ROBINSON REPORTER ARTHUR - For over 150 years The Arthur Enterprise News served the local community, providing a variety of pertinent information and entertainment. The original area newspaper, known as the Arthur Enterprise, was founded in 1862 by E.J. O’Callaghan. In its first four decades, the Enterprise had a succession of editors: M.C. O’Donnell, H.E. Bywater and then Rixon Rafter in 1908. Rafter possessed a keen interest in deciphering and reporting the news of the times. His visual impairment - he lost his eyesight as a boy - did not interfere with his respected position in the community and his dedication to providing newsworthy stories As newspapers were the only form of media communication in the early days, the news format was slightly different to what appears in print today. Much of the focus was on federal events and other historical happenings, including politics or war updates. The weekly newspaper was, for many, their only link to the outside world. In 1895, editor and publisher David Brocklebank was busy with his new venture: a county newspaper entitled the Wellington News. Years passed and eventually The Arthur Enterprise and the Wellington News amalgamated and ultimately became known as the Arthur Enterprise News. Rixon Rafter continued in his own methodical manner to deliver the news to the public for 45 years. In 1953, Rafter sold the newspaper business to Clive Williams Sr. Williams had been the superintendent of a daily newspaper in Cornwall, so he brought with him a wealth of experience in the business. The Arthur Enterprise News soon became a family affair. There were many jobs to be done, from searching out the news to folding and addressing the newspapers for circulation. Clive Williams’ son, Clive B. Williams, became an integral part of the news team over the years and in 1979, he bought out the business from his father. Clive B. Williams continued
to produce a quality weekly newspaper, once recognized as the best small newspaper in Canada. The original office of the Arthur Enterprise News was on George Street, but relocated to a larger location on Charles Street near the Royal Bank in 1987. Clive B. Williams also served many years as a member of Arthur village council, as a councillor, deputy-reeve and reeve. The Enterprise News earned first place in the 1996 Best News Story category from the Ontario Community Newspaper Association for the newspaper’s coverage of a tornado that touched down on April 20, 1996. Effective June 6, 2000, the Arthur Enterprise News and its sister newspaper the Harriston Review were purchased by Metroland Printing Publishing and Distributing Ltd., a subsidiary of the Toronto Star. The Enterprise News joined the Eedy Division of Metroland, which at that time owned and operated a number of community newspapers in southwestern Ontario. It marked the fourth change in ownership of the Arthur paper since 1908. (The Harriston Review was later merged with the Palmerston Observer to become the Minto Express.) The rights to the Arthur Enterprise, as well as the Minto Express and Mount Forest Confederate, are now owned by Wellington Advertiser publisher Dave Adsett. In 2019 Adsett purchased 50% of a new company called Midwestern Newspapers Corp., started earlier that year when Ray Stanton of London Publishing purchased Metroland’s southwestern division. The deal also included the Independent Plus, Listowel Banner, Wingham AdvanceTimes and Walkerton HeraldTimes.
Mike Robinson is a reporter for the Community News
Lovers of the Birds Winter bird-feeding tables Gary and I discovered an excellent bird feeding system this winter: the table feeder. It has many benefits. General considerations in setting up any feeding station: accessibility to birds, easy visibility for people and shelter from the wind. Other considerations: easy filling/maintenance, feeder capacity, shelter from elements and vulnerability to cats. Material: piece of wood (plywood or an old flat door). Size: bigger leaves room for more birds. Elevation: place on a sturdy/heavily-weighted structure or attach legs to the corners. Three options: nail wooden strips around edge
to keep seeds in place leaving gaps to allow for sweeping away water, snow and old seed. And, elevate one end of table to allow run-off of rain or melting snow. And, to prevent cats from hiding underneath and attacking the birds, attach wire screening, wooden lattice slats or flexible plastic fencing around the bottom of the tray. Weigh the tray down securely with something heavy to prevent its being blown away in fierce winter gusts of wind. It is crucial to always scrape/brush snow, seeds and ice off board before adding fresh seeds. Disadvantages to throwing seed on the ground:
it is wasteful because snow can quickly cover the seed. Repeated snowfalls and windblown snow bury costly seeds. Freeze-over just exasperates the whole literal mess of layers of seed, cleanup becomes impossible as the winter progresses. Of crucial importance is sanitation and health of our bird friends. Rodents may be attracted overnight to feed. My resource was A Guide to Feeding Winter Birds in Ontario by B. Walton. Gary and I and our son David all saw a golden eagle Christmas week. It was flying on the road close to our house. - Submitted by Susan Warren
A Message from Solid Waste Services
Tipping Fee Increase Tipping fees for waste loads increase from $80.00 to $97.50 per tonne for waste materials as of January 1, 2020. For more information, please contact Solid Waste Services at: T 519.837.2601 T 1.866.899.0248 www.wellington.ca/sws OM Official Mark of The Corporation of the County of Wellington.
Alternate formats available upon request.
8 | NORTH WELLINGTON COMMUNITY NEWS | JANUARY 9, 2020
MINTO EXPRESS
Minto Express served the community from 2000 to 2019 PATRICK RAFTIS REPORTER
Local news evolution - The Minto Express served the Town of Minto for almost two decades, from 2000 until 2019.
MINTO - The Town of Minto was formed through the amalgamation of the towns of Harriston and Palmerston with the Village of Clifford and the Township of Minto in 1999. The first newspaper covering the entire municipality, The Minto Express, was created the following year, when Toronto Star-owned Metroland Printing and Publishing purchased the Palmerston Observer from Laverne Long and the Harriston Review from Clive Williams. The two papers were merged into one to reflect the amalgamated nature of the Minto community and Paul Teahen was named publisher. At the time he was also publisher of another Metroland paper, the Listowel Banner. Initially, Metroland maintained offices and staff in Harriston and Palmerston, but consolidated the operation into the Palmerston location within a few years. In the mid-2010s, in reaction to diminishing subscription and advertising revenue, Metroland merged the Minto Express, along with weekly papers in Mount Forest and Arthur, with the Independent Plus, an existing free circulation paper which covered an area including North Perth (Listowel and area), Minto, Wellington North and Wingham. For a time, the Independent Plus was re-plated with a Minto Express front page for papers circulated in that community and a re-plate was also done with a Mount Forest Confederate front page for papers delivered in Wellington North. Both editions contained the same interior content. The practice of re-plating was discontinued in July of 2019, when newly-formed
Midwestern Newspaper Corp. purchased Metroland’s southwestern division, which included: the Independent Plus along with paid circulation papers the Listowel Banner, the Wingham Advance-Times and the Walkerton HeraldTimes. The new company also acquired the rights to the legacy newspaper titles including the Minto Express and Mount Forest Confederate. Wellington Advertiser publisher Dave Adsett purchased 50% of Midwestern Newspaper Corp. from Ray Stanton of London Publishing. The archives of legacy newspaper titles like the Minto Express, Arthur Enterprise and Mount Forest Confederate were retained by Adsett. Early days Harriston had its own newspaper since before Confederation. In 1864 a newspaper with Harriston Enterprise on the masthead was formed. It lasted until 1869. The Minto Express, first published in September of 1867 and edited by John Livingston and H.C. Kaye, lasted only a few years. Then, in 1871, the Dec. 7 edition of the Listowel Banner announced that “Mr. James Young, late editor of the Goderich Signal, is shortly to start a paper in Harriston to be called the Tribune.” Sometime later in the 1870s, the Tribune was acquired by John Robertson. Harriston had, for a brief time, two newspapers. On June 20, 1895, a former partner of Robertson’s in the Tribune, E.H. Dewar, started his own newspaper, the Harriston Review. In the ensuing competition, the Tribune lasted only until 1900, ceding to the Review, which continued to serve the community until nearly the end of
the 20th century. Through the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s the Review was owned and operated by Joe Akkerhuis, who came to town in the ‘50s and worked initially for the paper’s previous owners. Later, his daughter, Miram, operated the paper, until it was purchased in 1990 by Williams, who also owned the Arthur Enterprise. In Palmerston the Telegraph began sometime in the 1870s, and persisted into the 1880s. It was followed by the Palmerston Reporter and the Palmerston Spectator. The Spectator ran into financial difficulties in 1930, and closed down. For a time the town was served with a Palmerston edition of the Clifford Express before that paper failed. In 1933 the Palmerston Observer moved into the old Spectator office. Art Carr came to Palmerston in 1934 from Sudbury, working as a reporter and later bought the Observer using funds raised from local business men. Carr was considered to be one of the pioneers of offset printing in the weekly newspaper business. He was known for his mentorship of young people in the business of weekly newspapers, including Bill Adsett during his early days at the Community News. Carr retired in 1977 and sold the paper to Long, who remained at the helm until the sale to Metroland.
Pat Raftis is a reporter for the Community News
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Fun at the rink - Arthur Minor Hockey Day was held at the local arena on Jan. 4. ABOVE; Initiation Program players were the first to hit the ice for games that involved all local minor hockey teams. RIGHT: Arthur Minor Hockey president Ryan Smith, left, and administrative manager Tim Boggs with some of the items collected through the Jam the Ram campaign for the Arthur Food Bank. Photos by Patrick Raftis
Wellington North budget vote set for Jan. 13 KENILWORTH Wellington North Township council members will consider passage of the municipal-
ity’s 2020 budget at the Jan. 13 meeting. The meeting begins at 2pm in the council chamber
in Kenilworth. A notice issued by the township states the meeting is open to the public.
JANUARY 9, 2020 | NORTH WELLINGTON COMMUNITY NEWS | 9
Many newspapers born and died in north Wellington
THORNING by Stephen Thorning 1949-2015 The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who passed away on Feb. 23, 2015. Some text has been updated to reflect changes since the original publication and any images used may not be the same as those that accompanied the original publication.
Last week I surveyed briefly the beginnings of newspaper publication in Wellington County in the 1840s and 1850s, and the rivalry between the two Guelph dailies that ended with the closure of the Herald in 1924. This column continues with a look at the weeklies, particularly through their golden age, from about 1870 to 1930. In 1860, it was easy to read all the papers published in Wellington. There were only five: The British Constitution in Fergus, the Observer in Elora, and the three in Guelph: the Advertiser, the Mercury, and the Herald. All were weeklies, though the Advertiser had experimented with two and three per week schedules. As with most things at that time, the north was dependent on the outside for its news, but this did not remain the case for long. Tom Greenham, who was introduced last week as publisher of the British Constitution in Fergus, started his second paper in Mount Forest and named it The Express, probably late in 1860 or early 1861. It appears that no copies have survived. This venture did not last long, undoubtedly a victim of poor advertising revenues. Its place was soon occupied by the Mount Forest Examiner, which appeared in April 1862. The publisher was Tom Graffe, a one time teacher who had fallen victim to the “grass is greener” syndrome and entered journalism. George Pirie of the Guelph Herald was also a former teacher, and there would be others in the years ahead. Another paper hit the Mount Forest streets in April 1867. This was The Confederate, published by the fatherand-son team of Henry and Harry Stovel. A modest paper (two pages), it at first appeared only biweekly. By the second year, though, the Confederate had established itself as a solid paper, a standard four-page weekly with ample advertising. In the meantime, Graffe sold the Examiner. New owners carried on through the 1870s, but in 1880 the Stovels bought it out. The Confederate had by this time become the dominant paper in Mount Forest, and indeed in north Wellington. The Stovels enjoyed a monopoly only briefly. Later in 1880, E.G. Hart started a new paper, the Mount Forest Advocate. Four years later the Stovels sold the Confederate to Henry Benner. Apparently they had some difference with the new owner: within weeks of the sale they started a new paper, the Mount Forest Index.
Revisited
Then, in 1885, Jim Lambert established yet another paper, The Representative. For the next year Mount Forest enjoyed the luxury of four papers, but there was not enough advertising for any of them to prosper. The Stovels bailed out first, closing down the Index in 1886. They moved to Winnipeg where they established a large commercial printing business. The Advocate lasted until 1890. Many towns the size of Mount Forest boasted two papers in this era. The Confederate and the Representative co-existed for almost 30 years, until 1918, when rising costs claimed the Representative. It was purchased by A.W. Wright, who had taken over the Confederate in 1902. One of the giants in Wellington’s newspaper history, Wright is best known today for his historical writings, which were published in the 1920s and 1930s. The history of newspapers elsewhere in the north is more straightforward than that of Mount Forest. At Arthur the first paper appeared in 1869. This was the first version of the Arthur Enterprise, put out by Sam Luke, who had a reputation as a bit of a boozer. Restive creditors forced a sheriff’s sale in 1874. The Craig brothers, publishers of the Fergus News Record, bought the equipment and moved it to Drayton, where they started the Drayton New Era. The Arthur Enterprise was soon revived, using equipment from the defunct Elora Standard. In 1895, Arthur businessman David Brocklebank established a rival paper, the Wellington News. Short on both subscribers and advertising, he sold out to the Enterprise. In 1908, Rixton Rafter purchased the amalgamated Enterprise-News. Rafter, who was blind and a university graduate, quickly established himself as a first rate journalist. He piloted the paper for the next 45 years. It appears that the Drayton New Era carried on for at about 14 years after the Craigs set it up with the old Arthur Enterprise equipment. For part of that time it was published at Palmerston, and for a time was known as The New Era and Peel and Maryborough Recorder. After its demise, T.C. Dean started the Drayton Times in 1885. It was afterwards run by his wife, and existed until 1902. A.S. Lown, a minister’s son from Elora, started the rival
Drayton Vidette, but it closed, after a brief life, in 1887. Much more successful was the Drayton Advocate, founded in 1885 by Jabez Coram, and later operated by J.B. Garbutt. In its heyday this was one of the finest weeklies in the county, and the back files are a gold mine for historians. Prospering while the local economy of Drayton was strong and independent, it eventually succumbed to the twin pincers of rising costs and declining revenue in 1966. Following the Mount Forest Express, the second paper in north Wellington appeared in 1864 with Harriston Enterprise on the masthead. No copies seem to have survived, but the paper lasted until 1869. There is a possibility that Sam Luke was connected with it: the Arthur Enterprise appeared shortly after the Harriston Enterprise ceased publication. In any case, the vacancy in Harriston was quickly filled by John Robertson’s Harriston Tribune. This paper was known for a number of innovations. For example, it was the first weekly in the county to use a steam powered press. Robertson later took in Ed Dewar as a partner. Dewar left the partnership and went to Arthur for a time, then returned to Harriston to start the Harriston Review in opposition to Robertson. He soon overtook his former rival. The old Tribune ceased publication in 1910, reviving briefly in 1913 before closing permanently. The other towns in the north have had spotty newspaper histories. There have been a number of attempts to publish a weekly at Clifford. The first seems to have been the Clifford Arrow in the 1880 era. The only one to enjoy long term success was the Clifford Express, which expired in 1932 after a 40-year history. Palmerston, though much larger than Clifford, also had difficulty sustaining a weekly. Advertising revenue in Palmerston was poor. The town never developed into a market centre for farmers to the same extent as other towns, and the railway workers who dominated the population frequently used their passes to go to Guelph or Stratford to shop. The Palmerston Telegraph began some time in the 1870s, and persisted into the 1880s. It was followed by the Palmerston Reporter and the Palmerston Spectator. There may have been others, and there
Flying their ‘flag’ - Publishers tried to establish their style and brand with their newspaper’s flag. These are examples of early newspaper flags from north Wellington. Wellington County Museum & Archives
were periods when no paper was published in Palmerston. No files of these 19th century papers have survived, to the frustration of those studying the history of this fascinating town. The Spectator ran into financial difficulties in 1930, and closed down. For a time the town was served with a Palmerston edition of the Clifford Express before that paper failed. In 1933 the Palmerston Observer moved into the old Spectator office, but with new equipment. Art Carr, last of the old-time newspapermen in Wellington, soon took over, and remained at the helm until his retirement in 1977. The small village of Glen Allan briefly boasted a news-
paper, in the days when that hamlet seemed destined for greater things. Peter Moyer ran off the first edition of the Canadian Maple Leaf in November 1866. Discouraged after two years, he moved the paper to Elmira at the end of 1868. Compared to the north, the eastern part of Wellington has a sparse newspaper history. There does not seem to have been any attempt at publishing in Rockwood in the 19th century. The first paper, and apparently the only one, at Erin was the Erin Advocate, established in 1880. It survived a failure and sheriff’s sale in 1897, and a fire in 1909. Hillsburgh, surprisingly, has had two papers. The Wasp, about which little is known,
Township of Mapleton
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7275 Sideroad 16, P.O. Box 160, Drayton, ON N0G 1P0 Phone: 519-638-3313, Fax: 519-638-5113,
Toll Free: 1-800-385-7248 www.mapleton.ca
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DATED at the Township of Mapleton this 3rd day of January, 2020.
Taking a hit for charity - Former Palmerston LCBO manager Gerald Metzger, who retired in 2016 after 37 years with the agency, took a pie in the face as part of a Dec. 30 fundraiser at the store for The Children’s Hospital in London. His wife, Terry, “applied” the pie. Submitted photo
was published in the late 1870s. It was followed by the Hillsburgh Beaver, which persisted from 1881 until 1910. Some historical accounts attribute the origin of the Beaver to Dr. George Orton, who allegedly started it as a propaganda vehicle for one of his parliamentary campaigns. Others dispute this assertion. Nevertheless, it is something of a wonder today to consider that a small centre like Hillsburgh could generate sufficient advertising and subscribers to sustain a weekly paper. *This column was originally published in the Wellington Advertiser on Oct. 15, 1999 and later re-printed in the Advertiser on Jan. 6, 2017.
TAKE NOTICE the Council of the Corporation of The Township of Mapleton intends to provide revised Fees and Charges for the planning schedule at the January 28, 2020 Council Meeting scheduled for 1:00 p.m., 7275 Sideroad 16, Township of Mapleton. The fees being revised pertain to the Staff Report FIN2020-01 to be presented to Council on January 14, 2020. A copy of the proposed revised by-law amending Bylaw Number 2019-105 will be available on the Township web-site (www.mapleton.ca) on or before January 17, 2020. WRITTEN COMMENTS regarding the proposed revisions to the fees and charges bylaw may be submitted to the Municipal Clerk no later than 5:00 p. m. on Tuesday, January 21st, 2020. The submissions will be part of the January 28th, 2020 Council Meeting public record.
IMPORTANT DATES Tuesday, January 14
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Tuesday, January 28
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10 | NORTH WELLINGTON COMMUNITY NEWS | JANUARY 9, 2020
Sports
What’s Happening at the Arena PMD ARENA, DRAYTON
Email your sports photos and highlights to communitynews@wellingtonadvertiser.com
Friday January 10 8:00pm, Bantam LL vs Central Perth Predators
Saturday January 11
Patriots earn 3-1 win over Hanover Barons in Jan. 4 PJHL action MOUNT FOREST - The Mount Forest Patriots came out on top against the Hanover Barons with a 3-1 home win in Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) action on Jan. 4. In the first period Mount Forest’s Blair Butchart scored on a power play with assists from Michael Stefanelli and Ryley Cribbin. In the second period, Cribben scored on a power play, assisted by Butchart and Parker Miller. Hanover’s lone goal of the game was earned by Zack
Cameron, assisted by Luke Hoelscher. Mount Forest then earned another goal, this time by Michael Anselmini, assisted by Liam Magill and Miller. No goals were scored in the third. The Patriots’ next road action is Jan. 10 in Hanover, followed by a home game in Mount Forest on Jan. 11 against the Kincardine Bulldogs. The team is currently second in the PJHL’s North Pollock Division with a 25-5-1 record.
5:30pm – 6:45pm, Stick and Puck 7:00pm – 8:50pm, CCS Public Skating , All Welcome
Sunday January 12 9:00am – 9:50am, Stick and Puck 11:30am, Atom LL Black vs Mount Forest 12:45pm, Atom LL Orange vs Walkerton Capitals 2
Tuesday January 14 8:00pm, Pee Wee LL vs Mt Forest
Wednesday January 15
81’s in battle for playoff position Senior hockey action - A pair of weekend wins moved the Minto 81’s into 7th place tie with the Durham Thunder Cats in the WOAA Senior hockey loop. The team has a game in hand on the Thundercats, but only five games left on the schedule to lock down a berth in the AA playoff round, including a key matchup with Durham in its next home game on Jan. 18. ABOVE: Action from a 4-3 home victory on Jan. 3 over the Shallow Lake Crushers. On Jan. 5 the team downed the Elora Rocks 4-2. Saturday’s action featured Alumni Night, with 30 former 81’s joining the team for a skate. The Jan. 18 game will begin at 4pm and will be followed by the team-hosted Giggles Comedy Night scheduled to start at 7:30pm. Photo by Patrick Raftis
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and Aike Maarsingh and Aaf and Henk Jager and their families. Fondly remembered by her extended family in Hastings and Newfoundland, Nash her grandpup as well as by her nieces, nephews and friends. To honour Jeanne’s wishes cremation has taken place. The family was joined for a casual afternoon to share memories at the Moorefield Community Centre on Sunday January 5, 2020. As expressions of sympathy donations to the Palmerston and District Hospital Foundation would be appreciated. Arrangements entrusted to the Heritage Funeral Home, Drayton. www.heritagefuneralhomes.ca
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MOESKER, Jeanne (nee Adriana Strijbos) of Teviotdale passed away peacefully at the Palmerston and District Hospital on Saturday, December 21, 2019 in her 90th year. Beloved wife of Adolf Moesker for 66 years. Cherished mother of the late Margaret Gifford (2010) and Pam and Derek Parsons of Drayton. Grandmother of Zachary Parsons, Victoria Parsons and her partner Brandon Snow. Great grandmother of Payton. Sister-in-law of Adrie
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JANUARY 9, 2020 | NORTH WELLINGTON COMMUNITY NEWS | 11
Reflections
Your
New Year’s
BY MARK LAIRD
DM DRAYTON UNITED CHURCH
Time for planning It is the new year, and in my household that means it is time to start planning the garden for the summer. This year we are going to be away for quite a bit of the summer so that affects what we are deciding to plant. We don’t want to be away when it is harvest time, and we also don’t want to plant things that require a lot of tending while we are away. Thinking of gardening and the decisions on what we want to be planting have led me to think about other people’s decisions on what they planted a long time ago. It got me thinking about homesteading, specifically about those farmers and pioneers who moved out west to “settle” both Canada and the United States (of course realizing that there were already people living on that land, and on the land that we call ours today). The psychology of homesteading is very interesting. For the first 20 years or so, homesteaders were focused on the need to make the land arable and wrest it from the seemingly endless stands of tall, waiving prairie grass. Only when those essential tasks were completed did the settlers then begin to think about how they might beautify and further domesticate the prairie by planting trees. As we know with the Cana-
dian prairies native trees were and are few and far between. Because of the expense involved, homesteaders in both Canada and the U.S. had to choose their trees very carefully. For many in the southern U.S. states, the choice came down to plums versus pecans. Those who chose to plant plum trees achieved a relatively quick return on their investment. Because they grow fairly quickly, plum trees soon bring a shield against the weather. Homesteaders could expect to harvest plums after a few short years. The drawback is that plum trees run to brush and bramble as they get older and must eventually be cut down, burned and replaced. Those who chose to plant pecan trees did not receive immediate gratification. Because pecan trees grow and mature slowly, they could not be expected to provide either shelter or fruit until long after the plum trees did. The advantage of pecan trees is that they endure, providing benefits and beauty for years to come. When questioned about the choice between plums and pecans, one homesteader (whose response I read in a U.S. history book in university) observed, “If you’re planting for yourself plant plums, if you’re planting for your children plant pecans.”
But this question goes so much further than what we plant in our gardens at home. And that leads us to a question for these times in our faith journey, for our own personal spirituality, are we planting plums or pecans? In your own faith life, in your own life in general, are you trying to just get through this day/month/year, and are you nurturing yourself spiritually accordingly? Or are you planning for a longer term, are you looking to the future and what your faith might look like, what your spiritual self might need and are you nurturing yourself spiritually according to those needs? What should we be planting? I feel it is quite obvious that we need both. It can be easy to just see the here and now and plant for what we need today and for some that is all that they have the means to do. For some it can be easy to say well, it may be a struggle right now, but look at what we have planted that will blossom in a few years. For our spiritual growth, for our growth and well being as people I feel it is helpful to try to look after what we need right now, but at the same time not forgetting what we may need spiritually down the line. In essence, plant some plums so you have something to eat while you are waiting for the pecans.
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12 | NORTH WELLINGTON COMMUNITY NEWS | JANUARY 9, 2020
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Keeping warm - Fire pits chased way the chill at the Minto Fire and Ice Family New Year’s Celebration on Dec. 31 in Palmerston. LEFT: Bill and Rose Van Sickle were among those toasting marshmallows while Minto Fire Chief Chris Harrow kept the fire burning. RIGHT: Fire shows both inside and outside the arena entertained the crowds. Photos by Patrick Raftis
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ARTHUR - Wellington North is hosting what it hopes to be the first annual Mayor’s Charity Bonspiel. The event is being held in partnership with the Arthur Area Curling Club to raise funds for youth in the community. The action starts at the Arthur Area Curling Club on
Dave Scholten drifted in by Javan Martin. MISSIONARY 4 DRAYTON 5 and fired the puck underneath LISTOWEL 3 COMMUNITY 2 Listowel sprang for three the crossbar. Drayton scored the only Reid Shantz and Matt unanswered goals in the first goal in the first period then Burnett drew assists. period to build up a comfortadded four more in the second. BETHEL 4 able lead. Eric Decker scored a pair, FLORADALE 1 Greg Bauman scored from with the other goals coming At the end of the first period the point; Shayne Martin and Maynard Brubacher sent the from Brandon Rumph, Brent Braeden Gingerich followed puck into the net to give Bethel Mulder, and Rob DeWeerd. with a pair of wrist shots for Brandon Rumph and the lead, assisted by Ian Martin their goals. Gingerich (2) and Aaron Keunan each had two and Nathan Holland. Brad Gratz drew assists. Matt Martin added two assists. Dave Mulder and Scott Missionary came back Nieuwland also recorded to score two in the second. more goals in the second to strengthen the Bethel lead. assists. Thomas Ruttimann scored Dustin Bults scored for from in close and Reid Shantz Laverne Metzger and Tony S. Community in the dying secburied a rebound. Bryan Deen, Martin assisted. onds of the second period. Bethel struck again in the Jamie Hoelscher, and Matt third with a blistering slap shot Kevin Gingrich assisted. Burnett assisted. Gingrich went on to score by Trevor Diefenbacher, assistDevin McGuire tied the the only goal in the third with game for Missionary, which ed by Matt Taylor. a rising wrist shot, assisted by Floradale’s Ryan Martin then took the lead with a lateMON-FRI 9AM-9PM SAT 9AM-6PM SUN 10AM-5PM John Horst. scored late in the third, assisted game power play.
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