Downtown Kitchener shoppers have a new spot to discover the latest in men’s fashion at Walper Mercantile. Located on the ground floor of the Walper Hotel, at 1 King St. W., Walper Mercantile opened in September 2024 and offers a mix of made-in-Canada clothing and curated vintage items.  

Walper Mercantile is the second downtown business for owner Adam Zrebiec. He opened Barber & Craft on Ontario St., where he still serves clients today.  

Opening Walper Mercantile gave Zrebiec the opportunity to apply his business experience to his passion for fashion and create another destination to attract people to the downtown core.  

“There are so many hats to wear in a small business, but I was still yearning for a little bit more to expand on. There was definitely room for growth with the barber shop, but I felt maxed out there,” he said.  

Zrebiec and his business partner wanted to create a retail space that would bring something new to the city.  

With the closing of Loop Clothing’s physical store in Waterloo, he said there was a gap in the market for a men’s fashion store that primarily stocked Canadian-made goods.  

With a vision in mind, Zrebiec worked with his business partner to look for available spaces. At the time, a few units were available for rent at the Walper Hotel, but he said they were not ready to sign a lease just yet.   

“The retail experience I have is very minuscule, so this was completely new territory for me. I operate more from my heart and just dive into things, figuring it out as I go. I realize it can be challenging, but at the same time, I think we have all the right tools at our fingertips to be successful,” he said.  

After spending a few months focusing on Barber & Craft, Zrebiec returned to the clothing store idea and found that only one unit was left.  

Luckily for Zrebiec, it was the unit that had caught his eye when they first started looking at spaces.  

“We’re in the old Walper Tobacco Shop, which has such great character and history. We’re only the second tenant here in over 130 years,” he said.  

The space features unique brick arches and woodwork that have remained untouched for decades.  

Instead of a modern renovation, Zrebiec has repurposed the space to recognize its role in downtown Kitchener’s history.   

“The layout of the space was pretty much established, and we had a rough idea of how we could use the elements in here. One example is converting the walk-in humidor to be our boot room,” he said.  

Walper Mercantile has a rotating selection of seasonal clothing and year-round staples.  

They include goods from Canadian retailers on their shelves, including Anian, atelier b, Naked and Famous, and Canada West Boots. Zrebiec said the brands and products are chosen for people looking for something between casual and formal.  

“It’s still a wide range. We have plain white tees to pleated trousers. All of them are produced in Canada by companies that are known for their workmanship,” Zrebiec said.  

For people who are new to the brands carried at Walper Mercantile, Zrebiec offers personal shopping appointments.   

“We offer a free appointment for someone who’s looking to come in and test the waters. It’s my way of feeling out what someone is looking for and how much assistance they may need. We also offer paid appointments that are a little more in-depth for customers who are looking to redefine themselves,” he said.  

As the summer festival season begins and more people walk the streets of downtown Kitchener, Zrebiec said he hopes Walper Mercantile will contribute to the core’s ongoing evolution.   

“Anyone who is on the ground here is aware of all the great businesses and services that we have. Downtown is definitely moving in the right direction to have the energy to bring more people from here.” 

What was our familial bond will one day be finished 

The beach path we walked, our footsteps long gone 

The spot on the grass where we spent hours reading 

Moments lost in a second, passed into memory 

Secrets we’ve kept for one another, a feeling of being known 

Others have a close bond like we do, I know 

Many mothers have watched their daughters grow 

Some into a person they’ll never know 

But no matter the circumstance, one thing is true 

You were the first person I knew, and there was no me before you 

On Apr. 8, 2025, staff from Grand River Transit (GRT) presented its ten-year business plan to the Region of Waterloo’s Sustainability, Infrastructure and Development Committee. The plan outlines GRT’s priorities for expanding services and investing in new infrastructure to serve Waterloo Region’s rapidly growing population.  

Kevan Marshall, Manager of Transit Development at Grand River Transit, said the business plan is a core part of the agency’s mission to make transit the first choice for residents across Waterloo Region. 

“It’s the north star for where we want to take GRT for the next ten years and beyond,” Marshall said. 

The business plan is based on input from more than 2,500 survey respondents and feedback from over 30 workshops and pop-up events held across the region over the past year. Marshall said the guiding principle for the project was understanding what regional residents needed to make transit their first choice. 

That guiding principle shaped much of the early engagement around ideas on how to make transit easier to use, identifying areas where GRT could better serve the community, as well as where the transit network could prioritize frequency and speed to make it more seamless to use. 

“There is a concept called transit freedom. It’s where you can go and what you can do in a one-hour transit trip. The goal is to have more time in your day to do the things you want to do, instead of rushing to get where you need to go. That’s how these questions all tie together, and it was the launch pad for our public engagement,” Marshall said. 

The GRT Business Plan presented to council includes strategies for its conventional bus and train system, MobilityPLUS and Kiwanis Transit, township transit, and an updated fares strategy that includes a recommendation for free transit for children under 12 years of age. 

While requests for new transit lines into communities were made during the consultations, Marshall said that more residents prioritized high-frequency transit than expected.  

“Many residents want to see frequency similar to what we have on our ION bus and light rail line through the central transit corridor, so the network becomes a lot more intuitive and seamless,” he said. 

Another priority area identified by residents was having more consistent transit options available outside traditional working hours. Marshall said Waterloo Region has moved away from being a conventional nine-to-five community, and consistent scheduling would be the best way to improve transportation equity. 

“We heard from riders that the schedule is great for their midday commute. They can get to their shift without a problem, but their trip home at night takes significantly longer. Making sure that we build a network that makes transit as easy to use in the morning as it is to use midday or into the late evening is a key point,” Marshall said. 

With regional townships seeing significant population growth, GRT’s township transit strategy included public consultations in Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot and North Dumfries. Marshall said there was a lot of interest and enthusiasm from township residents about having new or improved services.  

He added that while township residents were supportive of new routes into the cities, the team was surprised by the interest of urban residents in having transit access into the townships. 

“We’re not just providing connections from the townships into the urban center for employment or other services. There’s a great appetite for city residents to connect into our township destinations, whether that’s a seasonal event like the Elmira Maple Syrup Festival or day-to-day to explore farmers markets in one of our township communities,” he said. 

Even though the GRT Business Plan has been presented to the Regional Council, that does not mean that Marshall and the Transit Development team are done with their work. 

“GRT never stops connecting with the public, whether that’s our online feedback form or updating the public on our annual plans. I’m really excited that the contributor network we built out is something we can use to keep the conversations going for years to come,” Marshall said. 

FERGUS – Veteran John Flannery has taken it upon himself to create a Canadian patriotism movement for all citizens to follow. 

“We need a focal point for the country,” Flannery told the Advertiser.

“Look at Ontario versus Quebec versus Alberta versus B.C.; we need something to remind everybody that we are one country.”

Almost two weeks ago, Flannery began buying large quantities of Canadian-themed merchandise and handed it out to businesses in Dufferin County.

Now he’s hoping to expand the campaign to Wellington County. 

He buys pencils, pens, small Canadian flags, buttons and mugs – basically anything with a big red maple leaf on it. He then asks businesses to display said items so fellow shoppers can take one and “talk about the movement.” 

His idea sprang to life when United States President Donald Trump, “stirred the pot” and “raised Canadian patriotism” with his talk of tariffs and Canada becoming the 51st state. 

“Here’s an opportunity now to say, ‘hey, someone’s bothered our country. Let’s stand up and show what we’re made of’,” Flannery said.

He noted he’s using the Canadian flag as a symbol of unity. 

“That’s about the only thing that goes from border to border, the flag,” he said. 

“If you are Canadian and a patriotic Canadian, there’s your flag, follow the flag.” 

Flannery joined the army in 1949 at age 18. 

He was sent to the Royal Canadian Dragoons, Canada’s senior armoured regiment, supported by the Regimental Family. 

He has gained moral support from his Legion in Shelburne, but hopes his idea will “roll through the Legion system” to gain traction. 

Alongside the Shelburne Legion, Flannery also belongs to Veterans of Dufferin County. 

He said he has noticed a disconnect regarding the interest in Canadian patriotism between younger and older generations. 

“They don’t teach it in school; there is a lot of Canadian history … we need to remember our roots,” he said. 

“You should not be hiding it (patriotism) from day to day, you should be showing it.”

Flannery hopes to capture the interest of younger generations and urges them to learn the history at local libraries, Legions and/or museums.

“Donald Trump stirred the nest and all the hornets are getting angry here, so grab a flag and show it,” he said. 

For more information or to help Flannery’s movement, call 519-942-4145.

The post Veteran urges others to showcase their Canadian patriotism appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

Residents at the 100 Victoria (100Vic) encampment have faced many challenges during their residency. The most recent is By-Law PDL-LEG-25-017, which was publicly shared on Wednesday, Apr. 16, 2025, at 4 p.m.   

Before this date, no department from the Region of Waterloo spoke with any community members about this plan. The by-law would ostensibly make the following items and processes illegal: having firewood, putting up a new tent, newly unhoused or displaced people moving in and doing anything to stop the Region from violating the rights of the 100Vic residents.   

Local advocacy group FightBack! KW demands the Waterloo Regional Council members to vote “No” on the by-law. FightBack! KW points out the by-law would break the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms of the residents of 100Vic.  

Specifically, the Right to the Freedom of Movement as it restricts residents’ ability to move their tents.  

“For greater certainty, nothing in this by-law permits a Resident to relocate their temporary shelter to another part of the premises at 100 Victoria St. without the permission of the Region,” the by-law states.  

On Jan. 27, 2023, M.J. Valente of the Ontario Superior Court rejected the Regional Municipality of Waterloo’s application for an injunction to evict people who were encamped on region-owned property on the basis that the injunction violated the residents’ Charter right to life, liberty and security. The by-law acknowledges this in writing.   

“If any section or sections of this by-law or parts thereof are found by any Court to be illegal or beyond the power of Council of the Region to enact, such section or sections or parts thereof shall be deemed to be severable and all other sections or parts of this by-law shall be deemed to be separate and independent therefrom and shall continue in full force and effect unless and until similarly found illegal,” the by-law states.  

FightBack! KW raised the issue with the by-law also violating the residents’ rights to personal property. Advocates at FightBack! KW posit the by-law was designed to use threats of harm to limit the behaviour of the residents at 100Vic.   

“Subject to Section 6 of this by-law, remove any personal property or fixture upon 100 Victoria Street or any. Part thereof that is owned by a person citing as the reason the failure to refrain from a Prohibited Activity or the contravention of section 3 of this by-law,” the by-lay states.  

The by-law includes a $5,000 fine for anyone who is found breaking it. The Region would also have the right to remove residents’ property if they do not stop one of their prohibited activities, as well as the right to put fences up to encroach on residents’ space.   

Waterloo Regional Councilors had a council meeting on Apr. 23 after having heard from more than 20 people who were concerned about what would happen to the residents of 100Vic.   

“I do not want to see a bulldozed encampment. I do not want to see other levels of government come in and dehumanize you all in any capacity,” Councilor Coleen James said during the meeting.   

As of Apr. 24, 2025, regional councilors voted in favour of the bylaw to pave the way for the municipality to clear the 100Vic encampment by Dec. 1. 

The Emergency Shelter Program Framework (E5 Framework) includes seven program providers with a total capacity of about 250 spaces in 2017.  

The E5 framework, introduced to the Region in 2017, responds to the evolution in local sheltering options in the Waterloo Region. With the increase in demand for shelter in the region the E5 framework is called into question on its effectiveness by local advocates.  

“We’ve been up and running now…since April 2020, and some of the residents have been with us since the very beginning. The residents have really knit together beautifully as a community of support for each other and with the volunteers and the staff,” Jeff Willmar, a co-founder and volunteer of A Better Tent City, said.  

The project provides stability and community support, including healthcare services from Sanguine’s Mobile Health Unit and weekly food deliveries from the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. Residents pay a third of their shelter allowance, with the rest covered by grants and donations.   

Warming, cooling and clean air spaces are buildings in the region that provide space for members of the public to get temporary relief from heat, cold or poor air quality.  

There are spaces located all over the Waterloo Region including North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich. Some spaces are only available when there are extreme weather warnings and special air quality statements issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada.   

“We don’t have a lot of turnover, so we keep a short waiting list, but we really don’t take applications. Each resident is entitled to have one visitor, some of the visitors tend to become long term visitors, and they tend to rise to the top of the waiting list,” Wilmar said.   

The unhoused community faces challenges with limited resources and the need for overnight warming centers. Wilmar and his team emphasized the importance of community support and the potential for other communities to adopt similar models.  

“We have a pretty modest budget. It’s under a million dollars a year. The residents themselves pay about 1/3 with their shelter allowance. The Region of Waterloo has given us a grant, so that pays for about 1/3 and then we rely on community donations and grants for the for the extra thirds, or the additional third,” Wilmar said.   

As of January 2025, there are at least 100 people looking for shelter. To access available shelters, residents must call First Connect at 519-624-9133, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

In early February, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery opened Salvage Archives, a video and installation by Miles Rufelds.   

Salvage Archives consists of a video featuring two voices, one belonging to a conspiracy theorist and the other a historian of agriculture.  

The film explores people’s attempts to make sense of the world, especially one where the systems that impact their lives can feel so arcane and counterintuitive.  

The film is projected in a dark room filled with shipping flats, an object of the conspiracy theorist’s obsession as he investigates the patterns, he believes he sees in world supply chains.  

Rufelds is an artist, filmmaker and researcher based in Toronto. Salvage Archives continues his pattern of using speculative fiction to explore themes of exploitation, waste and alienation under capitalism.   

“I was always interested in art projects that I would encounter at galleries that would teach me things or [where I would] be made to think about things that would carry you on outside of the gallery, [and] be prompted to continue looking into things and using art as a catalyst for research or learning or pedagogy or contemplation,” Rufelds said.   

Rufelds said there is a tendency to assume a nefarious plot or conspiracy behind the vast amount of waste created by various industries. However, he said the systems themselves drive people to insanity.   

“But in fact, what they’re observing is just the idea of breakage, the idea of an insurance loss, or just the systemic waste of capitalism.,” Rufelds said.  

“[The truth is] that the actual logical, by the books, functioning of this economic system is so irrational that these people are kind of driven mad by it,” he said.  

The other narrator, the historian, talks the viewer through the history of agriculture and offers some explanation as to how society arrived at the system that is baffling to the conspiracy theorist.   

“She, too, by the end, narrates the history of these things, but doesn’t come out with any kind of explanation as to what one is supposed to do about it,” Rufelds said.   

“It’s this another form of this desire to know, this desire to uncover, that ultimately leaves people kind of in the same place where they [started],” he said.   

The film and installation are juxtaposed with the exhibition A Broken Planet with photos by Edward Burtynsky that showcase evidence of humanity’s impact on the planet such as through images of a mountain eroded away by marble mining or a field of plastic waste.   

The other exhibit, currently at KWAG, Expressions 50, showcases the work of youth in the Waterloo Region. One piece, “Guardians of Hope,” explores people’s hopes and fears for the future in the context of the threat of climate change and other harm to the environment.   

The exhibition opened in February and will continue into May. 

BODY MINUS HEAD–LESS THAN WHAT YOU ONCE HELD (SINGLE) 

Release Date: Mar. 31, 2025 

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Hardcore/Punk

Body Minus Head has come out swinging with the first single from their upcoming debut album, An Exercise in Self-Sufficiency, which is set to release on May 30, 2025. The band demands your attention spotlighting harsh screaming vocals coupled alongside punishingly heavy hardcore riffs. Despite a short run time, Body Minus Head manages to pack an emotional punch, solidifying a strong first impression.

CARRY ON— “FOUND MINE” (SINGLE) 

Release Date: Apr. 4, 2025 

City: Waterloo 

Genre: Indie Rock

“Found Mine” is Carry On’s second single release of 2025 but it was originally written two and a half years ago. This reimagining of that original song sees the project experimenting with new sounds in the recording studio beyond traditional indie rock, breathing new and exciting air into the project. The song’s intimate lyrics feel bittersweet and touch on themes of friendship and support.

FRANKIE FLOWERS— “HEX” (SINGLE)

Release Date: Apr. 16, 2025 

City: Waterloo 

Genre: Alternative

FRANKIE FLOWERS’ newest single HEX is her first release in over a year and was well worth the wait! At the forefront are dark and distorted synths, gritty industrial drum machines and a powerful vocal performance from FRANKIE FLOWERS. The turbulent and disorienting nature of the instrumentation perfectly mirrors the lyrics which speak to the emotional uncertainty in the space between love and longing.

BAD EGG— “CLUSTER OF EGGS VOLUME 1: PLASTMENT BURNING” (SINGLES) 

Release Date: Apr. 18, 2025 

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Hardcore, Punk 

A staple in the local hardcore punk scene, Bad Egg has been bringing their brand of eggpunk to the Waterloo Region since 2018. This latest release includes their killer January 2025 single “BRAIN ROT STOMP” and their newest singles “GOUT// D.G.A.F.A.Y.” This short collection of songs perfectly highlights the band’s rock, metal and punk influences and is perhaps their most raw, angry and chaotic performance yet.

LIRAL—MOONCALF (LP) 

Release Date: May 1, 2025 

City: Kitchener 

Genre: Emo, Folk

Mooncalf is the second full length release from Liral in 2025 thus far. The minimalist, acoustic approach to the band’s songwriting intersects with sullen lyricism provoking an emotional listening experience. Self-described as “undefined music,” this instalment in the band’s quickly growing discography contrasts with their debut release which featured an exploration of industrial and harsh noise.

Album artwork sourced from Bandcamp. 

When Qays, unable to marry Layla, wandered the wilderness composing poems in her memory, he eventually became known as Majnūn—loosely, Insane One.  

Hearing his poetry, the Caliph sought and married Layla, but was surprised to find an average woman. He asked her why Majnūn became insane for a woman who was quite plain.  

She told him that to see her beauty, he must look at her through the eyes of Majnūn.  

The story of Layla and Majnūn is one of my favourites—partly because of the tragedy of it all but also because it shows that beauty (and love and attachment and so on) are not dependent on others but just oneself.  

To others, there was nothing remarkable about Layla; to Majnūn, she was akin to God.  

Beauty, I think, takes commitment. It is not merely a present, but one must be in the right state of mind to receive it. Moreover, if you look at the same thing in different lights or moods or states, you will find a slightly different beauty each time.  

I follow this principle throughout different aspects of my life—the average and the usual are beautiful—we just have to see it.  

For example, in my group of friends, we have decided this summer will be magical.  

This summer will be golden and bathed in sunshine and if it isn’t—we will make it so.  

I spent many summers locked in my room, studying or reading or generally languishing. I never looked up to see the day outside my window, never traveled through my own city to become familiar with it.  

Now, I can barely sit inside. My own home is a little foreign to me as I spend most of my days outside, working or taking advantage of the weather to go on walks, wander through parks and visit local sites. I spend a lot of time with my friends as I do this. 

My phone gallery is filled with photos of things I find beautiful: flowers, trees, candids of people I know, cool rocks.  

I have lived in Kitchener for 15 years, the longest I have lived anywhere. Yet I am largely unfamiliar with the different areas and the hidden gems. Finally, I want to know the city where I live. I know there is much beauty in it.  

Beauty takes a tenacity—a stubbornness verging on insanity—to realize.  

There are many reasons to be upset. The world is unfair and unjust, and people are suffering. However, I don’t think that the existence of suffering negates that of beauty. It is the existence of the inherent beauty in ourselves and others that inspires us to empathize with and fight for others.  

Recognizing beauty where others do not—as Qays recognized it in Layla—is at least part of why we empathize with others that many would not. It is why some people are so dedicated to making change.  

Last year, I spent several weekends helping with the construction of the sandbag house at the 100Vic encampment. Much of the work I did was filling bags with sand and then carrying them over to be included in the wall of the house. Though it was repetitive and tiring it was also the highlight of my week. 

I remember those few weekends very fondly—I met local activists and some of the residents of the encampment. We sat and chatted and then we worked together. The anger, the sense of injustice, the fear—all are warranted when fighting for the 100Vic encampment. Even now, they face potential eviction.  

But I believe at least part of the work the activists and residents do preserves the beauty that is inherent to all people living and experiencing the world.  

Even as the world gives us many reasons to be furious, this pursuit of beauty found in what is plain and ordinary and useless is fundamental to our larger pursuits.  

This optimism and hope takes becoming a little majnūn for ourselves and others.  

John Poag and Rosemary Tait—partners in both business and life—opened A Second Look Books & Movies on Apr. 28, 1986. Since then, the store has become a local cultural icon and a staple of downtown Kitchener.  

“We saw an opening in the market, because there wasn’t a really well curated bookstore in town,” Poag said.   

At the time, there were fewer used books stores with less curated collections. When new items came in, they would quickly sell, but the quality of the overall collection was less stable.   

“So, our idea was, if that we priced things just a little bit higher, especially when they were good things, that they would keep getting grabbed by people who were just looking for a bargain all the time,” Poag said.   

Poag initially went to the University of Western Ontario for psychology, before quitting his graduate studies due to the poor job market—most academic positions were filled with American draft dodgers. He chose to take a year off, before pivoting to bookselling.  

Tait, who passed away in 2023, was an integral part of the store. Poag said her love for reading inspired him from the beginning.    

“Rosie’s love of reading influenced me from the start. I have vivid memories of her reading stories to me from Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut very early on in our relationship…before we even thought of starting a bookstore,” Poag said.   

Tait developed the children’s section and was in charge of bookkeeping and interacting with bureaucracy. Her tenacity was key in keeping A Second Look Books & Movies going through tough times.   

Charles Foley joined the team in the mid-2000s. At the time, he was a book scout and Poag said he had a good eye for quality books. Eventually, Poag and Tait hired him when they found themselves in need of some help.   

Foley moved to the region in the early 2000s and worked many jobs, including sales, before joining A Second Look Books & Movies. When, in 2024, the store’s lease at the Walper Hotel ended and Poag looked to retire, Foley was a natural successor.   

“One thing that’s always been a facet of my life is that I’ve been the kind of person who collected weird bits the stories and information and the bookstore is perfect for that,” he said.  

“The bookstore is a Ship of Theseus. So, it always, it always needs repairing…nothing is ever done,” Foley said.  

In that spirit, Foley renamed the store to A Second Look Books & More when he took over. 

Foley said he learns much from his customers and in his attempts to fulfill their requests. Sometimes, customers come in and ask very personal questions, looking to Foley for a place to begin their quest for answers.   

“And of course, my job is to put books in people’s hands, so they will unashamedly ask the most personal use, the most interesting and personal inquiries that it’s fascinating,” he said.   

“I’ve been well acquainted now with how vast and deep my ignorance is most things in the world,” he said.  

Foley said the store also plays a role in keeping books out of the landfill.  

“There is a small bit of goodness of keeping these out of landfill…I’m not saving manuscripts, I don’t pretend to that kind of level,” he said. “But I feel like, even if I’m not reading all of them immediately, I feel like there’s some significance to keeping the books.”  

Poag said used books were more difficult to come by when the store first started. At the time, he would get books from remainder houses—remainders of new books that publishers were unable to sell.   

“When we first started, I couldn’t even fill the store with used books I had…You go to the remainder house, the warehouse and pick out what looked good,” Poag said.   

“I would have given my teeth to have that kind of action when I was starting, and that’s probably how I became such a hoarder, because the books were so difficult to get,” he said.  

Since the store opened, the amount of books the average person owns has also increased.  

“[O]ver the years, we built up a good collection, and over the years, it became much easier to acquire used books as our generation started collecting and then discarding [books],” Poag said.   

The community has also grown and changed over the last few decades.  Poag said the community is more diverse, as is the selection of books the store receives.   

“It was very, very monoculture when I was first here in the 80s, even then you’re right, it’s, it’s kind of, it gradually increased, and then at a certain point we’ve had almost exponential growth, which is just fine,” he said.  

In addition to the growing diversity, the development of the downtown area in recent years has aided in the revitalization of the city. Although many businesses along King St. sit empty, Poag said he sees a good future for the area.   

“It’s getting there, but we still have…just a few too many empty shops, but it’s really coming along. And all of the building of the condos along the LRT Line is a fantastic thing. I can see this city becoming a really great city in maybe five or 10 years. It’s getting there,” he said.   

A Second Look Books & More has grown into a staple of downtown Kitchener in the last 40 years. Despite its current success, the team has faced adversity in the past. Poag said Tait was integral to maintaining the store through difficult times.  

“Even during some tough years, Rosie never once suggested giving up and did everything she could to keep us going. She was always supportive of staff with boundless compassion, even helping them with personal issues when they arose,” Poag said.   

“She is missed every day,” he said. 

FERGUS – Habitat for Humanity Guelph Wellington held a special Women Build Day at the Garafraxa Village site in Fergus on April 25.

Garafraxa Village is a 32-unit stacked townhouse development on Garafraxa Street and it’s nearing completion.

Officials hope folks can start moving in this fall and with the weather turning around, the push is on to finish the project.

Ten female volunteers got some instruction and then got down to work, framing the basement of one of the units.

Karyn Boscariol, Habitat for Humanity director of communications and resource development, said there’s a need for volunteers and the fundraising they bring in.

After the boards are in place, they are nailed securely. Here Ashley McMillan gets a lesson in how to use a pneumatic nail gun.

But the organization also wants to sell the units and Boscariol said officials want to get the word out that more people likely qualify than one might  think.

The units cost about $400,000 and families with combined incomes between $65,000 and $100,000 qualify.

“I think there’s a lot of uncertainty right now,” she said.

“People are hesitating to make a commitment. Or maybe they don’t realize this could be for them.

“It could be the way into home ownership.”

For more information about volunteering, the site or to understand how home ownership through Habitat for Humanity works, visit habitatgw.ca. 

Anna Scott uses the chop saw to cut boards for framing at the special Women Build day at Garafraxa Village on April 25. Scott said she loves the ethic and mandate of Habitat for Humanity – to help people get into home ownership – and she looks forward to more volunteering with the organization when she retires.

The post Women take turn with tools at Habitat for Humanity’s women build day appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

PUSLINCH – Vicki Dickson and Jeff Born, along with their ponies Leo and Melodie, placed first in the North American Preliminary Paris Championship at the American Driving Society’s Southern Pines Combined Driving event in North Carolina in early April.

When snow starts to fall at their Puslinch home, Dickson and Born load up the truck and trailer with the ponies, a carriage and their two dogs, “and head south to do a winter of hard work,” Dickson said.

All winter long, and for the two winters before that too, Dickson, Born, Leo and Melodie stayed in a small town in South Carolina and trained on trails through 900 acres of forest.   

“We devoted our winter down there to getting the ponies fit and strong and competitive,” Dickson said. 

Combined driving is very different than other driving events, such as breed or pleasure driving, which people may be familiar with from the Royal Winter Fair, Dickson noted.  

Carriage driving was invented by Prince Philip in the 1970s, she said. 

The sport is similar to three-day eventing but involves carriages instead of riders on horseback. 

Dickson said the Prince “started getting hurt all the time” doing the dressage, cross country and show jumping involved with three-day eventing on horseback. 

“So he decided to invent a sport that involved a carriage instead of riding,” she said. 

It’s still a three-day event, beginning with dressage on the first day. 

The second day is the “marathon,” a long-distance route with obstacles to navigate, similar to cross country. 

And on the third day is the cones competition, which takes place in a show jumping ring and involves 20 sets of cones that the horses and drivers manoeuvre through. 

“The whole sport is based on keeping your penalty level as low as possible,” Dickson said. 

Dickson and Born are relatively new to the sport – the seniors took it up about five years ago when they got their first pony. 

Leo was two years old and didn’t know how to drive, yet. Dickson didn’t either, “so we figured it out together,” she said.  

And Born is “not a horse person,” Dickson said, but he willingly hopped on the back of the carriage and learned to navigate. 

“I give him full props for joining me in this hobby,” Dickson said. 

“Being a non-horse person, he’s very brave to step on the back,” she added, noting the platform he stands on is very small and she has “almost lost him” off the back before.

They wouldn’t want that, as it would result in penalties, she said with a chuckle. 

The couple soon decided to add a second pony to the mix, as they didn’t think it would be fair for Leo to pull a 345-pound carriage, along with Dickson and Born, for the 12km marathon run. 

“That’s too great a load,” Dickson said. “He’d be pulling more than his weight – 700 pounds.” 

They found a Kijiji add for a pony in northern Quebec, Melodie, who turned out to be Leo’s aunt, and Dickson trained Leo and Melodie to compete as a pair. 

“There are much fewer pairs in North America than singles,” Dickson noted. 

And Leo and Melodie make a great pair, in part thanks to their shared genetics. 

“They match very well and move in unison,” Dickson said, which gives them a “real edge for the dressage portion. 

“They do paint a pretty picture when they’re working together,” she added.   

And the winter of hard work means the ponies are in great shape. 

The marathon run involves a vet check to ensure fitness, Dickson said, and ponies are eliminated if they struggle with their breath or heart rate. 

But when Leo and Melodie finished their run, Dickson said the vet told her they’re breathing was so soft that they wouldn’t be able to blow out a candle. 

“That’s the ultimate compliment, that they’re fit, strong and healthy,” Dickson said. 

There are various levels in combined driving, going right up to world level, Dickson said, and she, Born Leo and Melodie compete the preliminary level. 

They participated in a range of preliminary championships over the winter and went undefeated, including the Final North American Championship at the Southern Pines Combined Driving Event in North Carolina from April 3 to 6.  

They’ve been back home in Aberfoyle for a couple weeks now, and Dickson said on the days they aren’t driving, they play pickleball. 

As soon as they got to the pickleball club people started asking them how the ponies were doing, Dickson said. 

And when their friends heard of their success down south, they encouraged her to contact the Advertiser to tell their story. 

The post Puslinch drivers return victorious from U.S. championship appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

GUELPH – Since the early 2000s, the Upper Grand and Wellington Catholic district school boards have come together to host an annual Special Olympics Track and Field Day. 

The event includes athletes in kindergarten to Grade 12 who compete in running long jump, softball throw, 50-metre and 10-metre sprints, basketball, T-ball and bowling. 

Nicole Wilson, event media coordinator and social education resource teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Secondary School, told the Advertiser the event is “not about who comes first or who comes last – it’s about showing up and having an awesome day.

“All the kids just have so much fun and absolutely love everything about the day,” she said. 

“Regardless of whether they win or lose they just have a great day.”

• Student athletes compete at annual Special Olympics Track and Field Day
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The number of students participating grows each year, to the point that it has outgrown the capacity of the sports fields at St. James Catholic Secondary School where it takes place. 

“The event is so large that its getting harder and harder to fit everybody at the sports fields,” Wilson said. 

To help alleviate some of the capacity pressures, she said officials have decided to spread the event across two days. 

Day one, set for May 14 at St. James, will include all Wellington Catholic District Secondary Schools and  Upper Grand District School Board Schools (UGDSB) in Guelph. 

Day two, most-likely on May 21 at Orangeville District Secondary School, will include students from UGDSB schools in Wellington and Dufferin counties. 

The motto for this year’s events will be “Make every day awesome.” 

Students from St. John Catholic Elementary School in Guelph will sing O Canada in English, French and American Sign Language during day one.

Wilson encourages people to come out and watch either day, and said the annual Special Olympics Track and Field Day is one of the most joyful experiences she has as an educator. 

She said it’s an opportunity to “see the special education kids for all the wonderful things that they are, instead of all the things people maybe say they can’t do.” 

The post Annual Special Olympics Track and Field event to take place over two days appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

A celebration of life will be held at the St. Clements Community Centre,
1 Green Street, St. Clements, on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from 2 till 4 p.m.

www.futher-franklinfuneralhome.com

Your memory is our keepsake
with which I’ll never part.
God has you in his keeping
I have you always in my heart.

Love Always & Forever,
Patsy, Steve
Rascal, Rosie, Barkley & Norman