GUELPH – School is out for summer, and the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) has approved next year’s $529-million operating budget. 

The board unanimously approved its balanced budget for the 2026-27 school year during a special board meeting on June 29.

Total operating revenue ($528,819,918) is up 0.5 per cent more from last year, while expenses ($528,744,954) are down 2.3%.  

Half of the expenses goes to teacher salaries, 7% to educational assistants, 6% to school administration, 13% to school operations and maintenance (including heating, electricity, snow removal, lawn care across 77 schools), 5% to student transportation, 3% to board administration and the rest to other costs including classroom supplies and additional staffing. 

The board is expecting to have 3,519 full-time-equivalent staff members for the 2026-27 school year, compared with 3,701 in 2025-26. 

According to a report, 97.2% of budget expenses directly support students. 

The vast majority of UGDSB revenue, about $498 million, comes from enrolment-based provincial core education operating funding.

That’s based on projected enrolment of 34,468 full-time students, which is down almost 3% from 2025-26. 

The decrease in enrolment is a trend seen across the province, noted UGDSB CEO Peter Sovran, and is expected to continue beyond the next school year. 

Revenues also include provincial core education capital funding ($23 million), provincial and federal grants ($3 million) and other fees and revenues such as international student tuition, community use of schools, and solar panels ($3 million). 

The budget also includes $29 million in capital expenses, including the new South Guelph Secondary School and Mansfield Public Elementary School in Dufferin and an addition at Rickson Ridge Public School.  

Last year the capital budget neared $53 million.

Staff replacement costs (paying supply staff) is listed as the top risk/pressure, with an estimated cost of $19 million in 2026/27. 

Other risks/pressures listed are:

• increased benefit expenses including the Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance;
• special education “to ensure that fulsome supports for student needs are provided in a timely manner”;
• inflation of commodities and services, including electricity and transportation; and
• technology costs, including student devices and aging infrastructure. 

Sovran said the budget is aligned with the board’s multi-year strategic plan and compliant with all relevant regulations and legislation. 

“Foundational education and student achievement are really at the core,” he said, with “high-quality programs and services for students remaining at front and centre.” 

Many difficult decisions needed to be made, he said, “but each decision was considered thoroughly, [resulting in] a budget that focuses on:

• core supports for student achievement, mental health and wellbeing;
• resources where they have the greatest impact;
• strengthening our work in equity, accessibility and human rights;
• learning pathways and opportunities for students and adult learners alike; and
• sustaining the board’s ability to serve students now and well into the future."

Passed away on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at WRHN - Queen’s Blvd., at the age of 83 years. Beloved husband of Linda for 59 years. Loving father of Kim and Mike. Devoted grandfather of Brooklyn (Marcus), Andrew (Sophie), and the late Brayden. Brother of Michael (Sandy), the late Larry, Peter (Pat), Paul (the late June). Will be loved and remembered by many nieces and nephews. Predeceased by his parents Oliver and Margaret Payne. For Stephen, family always came first, closely followed by his love for fishing and the great outdoors. Whether he was casting a line or passionately coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs and Blue Jays from his armchair, he brought immense joy and spirit to everything he loved. He will be greatly missed. Cremation has taken place. A private family service will be held at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, and interment in Elmira Union Cemetery. As expressions of sympathy, donations to Canadian Wildlife Federation would be appreciated and may be made through the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira.

Peacefully passed away into the presence of the Lord on Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at AR Goudie LTC, Kitchener in her 83rd year. Beloved wife of Lloyd Martin for 60 years. Dear mother of Leon, Leroy (Darlene), and Dwayne. Loving grandma of Kylee; James and Jonathan, and her great-grandsons. Sister and sister-in-law of Melvin (Marie) Brubacher, Martha Brubacher, and Earl (Eileen) Brubacher. Vietta is remembered by her nieces, nephews and their families. Predeceased by her parents Aden and Elvina (Gingrich) Brubacher, and her brother Orvie Brubacher. She was an avid gardener and quilter, and was a longtime faithful member of Floradale Mennonite Church. Visitation was held on Sunday, June 28, 2026 from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at Floradale Mennonite Church, 22 Florapine Rd., Floradale. A memorial service took place at 2 p.m. on Monday, June 29, 2026 at Floradale Mennonite Church. Private family interment prior to service. As expressions of sympathy, donations to Parkinson Canada or Diabetes Canada would be appreciated and may be made through the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira. A special thank you to all the staff at A.R. Goudie for their exceptional care of Vietta.

Passed away peacefully surrounded by the love of family on June 25th, 2026. Beloved wife of the late Lorne Richmond for 68 years. Devoted mother of Mary Richmond, Donna (Bob) McFarlane, and Dave (Michelle) Richmond. Predeceased by her son Jamie Richmond. Cherished Dee of Matt (Carly) McFarlane, Maggie (Hari) McFarlane, Andrew (Jessica) McFarlane, Becca (Colin) Moran, Faith (Sean), Hope (JR), Sadie (Matt) and Molly Rose Richmond. Great Dee of Braeden, Paige, Carter, Everleigh, Lachlan, Huon and Nesh. Survived by her brother-in-law Myril Howlett and sisters-in-law Irene Cavell and Grace Saul. Loved and admired by many nieces, nephews, and relatives. Predeceased by her parents Reginald and Mae Stickney, parents-in-law Chester and Margaret Richmond, brothers George and John Stickney, sister Betty Howlett, brothers-in-law Donald Richmond and Gerald Cavell. Helen was born February 25th 1932 at her grandparents home on the 6th of Peel. She had a wonderful childhood as part of a loving farm family. Her church community and social relationships at Goldstone were important in forming her lifelong Christian faith and her compassion for others. She was a diligent student beginning in a one room schoolhouse and eventually attending high school in Drayton. She attended teacher’s college in Toronto and began her teaching career at SS#15, a one room schoolhouse. After the birth of her two daughters she stayed home temporarily, restarting her career at Riverside Public School, continuing at Glen Allan. David and Jamie arrived during her teaching years at Winterbourne. Eventually she also taught at Floradale, and retired from Linwood Public School. Everywhere she taught she created and maintained lifelong relationships with students, families and staff. Even in her 95th year former students dropped by for visits at AgeCare in Elmira. Despite a busy life she had hobbies and interests she enjoyed. She was an active member of Wesley United/Trinity United Church. She belonged to UCW, chaired Christian Education, spent years in the choir, helped with many fundraisers and made more funeral sandwiches than she cared to admit. Mom loved music and played piano well enough to accompany choirs. On the home front, she always had a garden and canned every vegetable and fruit imaginable. Mom sewed endless outfits for her children, knit sweaters, stitched beautiful quilts, decorated birthday cakes and gingerbread houses, did folk art painting, ceramics and worked as a team with Lorne creating wonderful woodworking gifts. She enjoyed dancing and attending social outings involving Lorne’s love of cars. She also loved visits both at James St. and the cottage at Wasaga Beach. Helen always tried to be a caring friend and compassionate neighbour. We are so thankful for people who have returned this kindness as she aged and become more frail. We would like to thank our family, friends and incredible neighbours for their support and kindness during these difficult times. We are blessed! Mom loved family above all. She was a proud mother/mother-in-law, grandmother and great-grandmother. We want to acknowledge the PSWs who cared for Mom and made it possible for her to live in her own home as long as she could. Thanks to the very caring staff at AgeCare who were so attentive in her last years. We are so grateful for the unbelievable compassionate care shown by 5th floor staff and the palliative care doctors at WRHN Queen’s Blvd. Visitation will take place on Monday, July 6, 2026 from 3-6 p.m. at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, 62 Arthur St. S., Elmira. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at Gale Presbyterian Church, 10 Barnswallow Dr., Elmira with a reception to follow in the church hall. Interment will follow in Elmira Union Cemetery. As expressions of sympathy, donations to Diabetes Canada or Muscular Dystrophy Canada would be appreciated and may be made through the Dreisinger Funeral Home.

“What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, for all that we loved deeply becomes part of us.” -Helen Keller

Martin, Beatrice
Passed away peacefully on Saturday, June 27, 2026 at Knollcrest Lodge, Milverton at the age of 90 years. Beloved wife of the late Eldon S. Martin (2023). Cherished mother of Delphine (James) Martin, Elizabeth Ann (Eli) Martin, Ruby (John) Martin, Carolyn (Dennis) Martin, Merlin (Rachel) Martin, Donnita (Ross) Good, and Harlan (Michelle) Martin. Grandmother to 46 grandchildren and 116 great-grandchildren. Dear sister of Leighton (Florence), and Laverne (Lorna), and sister-in-law of Rebecca Martin, Verna and Rufus Gingrich, Elsie and Laverne Weber. Predeceased by her daughter Marlene (Lester) Bauman, grandchildren Matthew and Courtney, and sister Florence (Eli) Sittler. Beatrice and Eldon were faithful charter members of Calvary Conservative Mennonite Church. A devoted mother, Beatrice was deeply cherished for her selfless compassion and dedication to her family. Visitation was held from 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira. Funeral service will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2026 at Countryside Mennonite Fellowship, 3745 Herrgott Rd., Hawkesville, with interment to follow in Calvary Conservative Mennonite Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to Christian Aid Ministries or Alzheimer Society Waterloo Wellington would be appreciated and may be made through the funeral home. Special thank you to the staff at Knollcrest Lodge for their exceptional care of both of our parents. We also acknowledge the excellent care provided by the medical team while they resided at Parkview Manor, Floradale.

After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Joyce passed away peacefully at WRHN-Chicopee on Saturday, June 27, 2026 at the age of 80 years. Cherished sister of Hilda Martin, Grace (Samuel) Martin, twin sister Joan (Oscar) Martin, Myrtle (Daryl) Chevalier, and Wilbur Frey (2021). She will be missed by many nieces, nephews, and their families. Predeceased by her husband’s Klaus Kiesau (1993), William Keith (2005), parents Amos and Solinda Frey, and brother-in-law Myron Martin. Cremation has taken place. A private family interment will be held in Elmira Union Cemetery. A special thank you to the doctors and nurses at WRHN - Chicopee for their care and compassion shown to Joyce during these challenging days. As expressions of sympathy, donations to WRHN Foundation - Cancer Care would be appreciated and may be made through the Dreisinger Funeral Home, Elmira.

WELLINGTON COUNTY – The countdown is officially on for a switch to cart-based garbage and organic waste collection in Wellington County.

County council approved the switch to carts from yellow, user-pay garbage bags at a June 25 council meeting.

That means starting in the summer of 2028, residents – with the exception of those in the county’s 14 downtown cores – will no longer use garbage bags.

Garbage trucks with a robotic arm will grab and empty carts without changes to the current schedule.

With space constrains in downtown cores, manual collection will continue, but with residents purchasing typical black bags and using current organics bins.

Residents will receive yard waste pickup on the same day garbage is collected, and pet waste can be tossed in organics bins.

Delivery of new carts is expected in the spring of 2028.

There will be no bulky-item pickup offered. Staff recommended against the option because of the cost, lack of interest from residents and already-available waste facilities for drop-offs.

The change comes with a new seven-year contract with Waste Management, the company currently collecting garbage for the county.

The current contract expires next year, but is being extended for 2027-28 to allow Waste Management to order new trucks.

The new contract, covering 2028 to 2035, rings in at nearly $35 million, not counting the $5.5-million price for carts.

Council has earmarked a $4.6-million surplus from last year’s budget for the carts. The $900,000 shortfall could be made up from development charges, debt or through tax bills.

With the removal of user-pay garbage bags comes a $1.5 million hit in lost revenue. It’s likely the county will recover the lost revenue through taxes.

County waste services manager Das Soligo previously told the Advertiser the average household is likely to pay less overall through tax bills.

Organics will be collected weekly, with garbage and recycling collection occurring on opposite weeks.

WELLINGTON COUNTY – Public health officials are warning residents to take precautions as the first heat wave of the summer hits the county this week.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued an orange-level heat alert for the region, which indicates a prolonged impact. 

The Weather Network predicts temperatures in the 30s across the county for much of the week, with the daytime humidex making it feel more like 40 C between Tuesday and Friday.

The heat is expected to taper off slightly on the weekend and early next week, though the humidex will remain around 30C for the next couple of weeks.

“High summer temperatures can lead to serious health concerns like heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which can be life-threatening,” stated Dr. Nicola Mercer, medical officer of health and CEO of Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH). 

“It’s important to check in regularly with family, friends and neighbours – especially the elderly, those with infants and young children, those with chronic health conditions and those who live alone – to make sure they are staying cool and well-hydrated.”

WDGPH officials say prolonged heat can increase health risks, particularly when overnight temperatures remain high and people have limited opportunity to cool down. 

"Air quality can also increase extreme heat risks, as air pollution is often higher on very hot days," stated the June 29 release from WDGPH. 

"Residents should regularly check the Air Quality Health Index as well as Environment and Climate Change Canada weather alerts to protect themselves and loved ones."  

To reduce the risk of heat-related illness during extreme heat, public health officials say residents should:

• drink water often, even before feeling thirsty;
• spend time in air-conditioned buildings when possible;
• avoid strenuous outdoor activity;
• close curtains, blinds or awnings during the day to help keep homes cooler;
• never leave people or pets inside a parked vehicle or in direct sunlight; and
• use public health's ClimateSafe Map to find cooling spaces, drinking water, public washrooms, pools and splash pads.

For more information visit wdgpublichealth.ca.

The rainbow crosswalks on Ring Road have been repainted to a neutral gray colour for over one month, which the university said will be ongoing for the foreseeable future. 

According to a Daily Bulletin post, the work was completed as part of routine seasonal maintenance. 

“When considering maintenance this year, taking costs for ongoing upkeep into consideration among other factors, the decision was made not to repaint the Ring Road rainbow crosswalks due to road repair needed to address potholes and future plans to re-pave Ring Road,” said the university in the post. “To avoid the faded crosswalks looking neglected, they were painted over in a neutral colour.”

The organization stated that UW remains committed to celebrating Pride and supporting the 2SLGBTQIA+ community through events such as the Pride flag raising, and the tradition of the great gaggle of rainbow geese installed across main campus. 

TORONTO – The Ontario court of appeal is upholding a 15-month sentence and three-year driving ban for a Puslinch man convicted in a 2023 trial of dangerous driving causing bodily harm and failing to remain at the scene.

Adnan Refaeh, then 19, was driving through downtown Guelph at around 8pm on May 15, 2021 when he pulled up beside another driver who revved his vehicle.

Refaeh, accompanied by a girlfriend in the passenger seat, answered back, revving the motor of his father’s BMW.

The race was on.

The pair sped through 22 intersections, weaving across lanes and through traffic, until the other driver smashed into a vehicle head-on, seriously injuring a 13-year-old.

Though it was the other driver who crashed, the law considers both drivers to be responsible when street racing results in injury to an innocent person.

Refaeh drove away from the crash, stopping his car briefly at the roadside to look at the scene.

According to a summary of events contained in the appeal court’s June 16 decision, his girlfriend pleaded for them to help the crash victims, but Refaeh told her to “get back in the f***ing car” and drove away.

Encouraged by family members, including one who was a police officer, Refaeh covered his tracks. He altered the car so it wouldn’t be identified, deleted social media evidence of the car, and lied to police.

“He told numerous lies to conceal his involvement in the accident,” the appeal court decision states.

Refaeh was convicted by a jury in December 2023.

Superior Court Justice Cynthia Petersen handed Refaeh a 15 month-sentence in March 2024, including a year for dangerous driving and three months for failing to remain at the collision scene, followed by a three-year driving ban.

Petersen cited Refaeh’s six speeding convictions and two breaches of an order not to drive, among other aggravating factors, in the sentence.

Refaeh appealed, hoping to get his convictions tossed or, failing that, to swap jail for house arrest.

Refaeh argued that a Charter challenge over trial delays was wrongly dismissed, his police statement was given under pressure and shouldn't have been admitted, that the jury was not properly instructed, and that he should have received house arrest instead of jail.

The May 8 appeal was heard by a three-judge panel – appeal court justices Grant Huscroft, Lois Roberts and Renee Pomerance – which unanimously rejected the arguments and upheld the conviction and sentence.

“We see no basis to intervene with the trial judge’s decision on sentence,” their decision states.

"Given the seriously aggravating circumstances of this case, the sentence was extremely lenient."

ELORA – Police are looking for two suspects after a break-in at a restaurant and a nearby shed fire, which they say "may be connected."

Wellington County OPP officials say they were called about a shed fire on Mill Street East in Elora on June 26 at about 12:30am.

"Police attended and discovered that a nearby restaurant also on Mill Street East, had been forcibly entered," police stated in a June 27 press release.

OPP officials did not name the restaurant that was targeted.

Police describe one suspect as a white man in his early 20s wearing a red jacket with white liner, black shorts with white horizontal writing in large letters and black shoes. 

The second suspect is a white man in his early 20s wearing a dark blue jacket, black shorts and white shoes.

Anyone with information can call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. 

To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477. Tip providers may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.

How can culture intersect with creativity? Third-year fine arts and business ARBUS student, Andrew Little, found an answer when curating Starving, his food-themed art exhibition. The exhibition was on display from June 22 to June 26 in the Artery, coordinated by UW’s Society of Fine Arts (SOFA).

Curator Andrew Little with his work, “Together,” at the Starving exhibition. (Photo Credit: Zoey Pearce)

“This was my first time [curating] totally alone, which was super exciting and exhilarating,” Little said. The exhibit’s theme of blending food, social belonging, and cultural identities together came to him from a discussion about what defines society with Maya Magalii, his roommate and SOFA’s marketing coordinator. “We determined that food is one of the key components of culture, enculturation, belonging, and community. Food is usually the epicentre of all of these things,” he said.

Little’s curatorship process began with pitching his exhibit idea to SOFA’s committee. Once Little received approval, he contacted artists whose work he believed would embody the power of food as a cultural symbol of identity. He also coordinated with SOFA’s social media team to open submissions for other artists interested in participating.

“Each of these pieces almost acts as a glimpse into different people’s lives, in the way that they choose to eat or not eat,” he explained. Little chose artwork by 10 UW student artists to be featured in the gallery, including his own installation. His sculpture of assembled objects is meant to highlight the shared experience from eating a meal with a loved one. “A sense of community and love are the two most important things to me. I try to incorporate them into literally everything that I do,” Little shared. He encourages others to savour those moments more often.

Third-year sexualities, relationships, and families and fine arts student Dani Ball also brings this feeling into her own work. Ball combined her love of art and animals by creating crocheted pieces and copper plate printings of lobsters for the exhibit. “[Making art] is something I do to connect with myself … that gives me meaning in life, makes me happy, and I like sharing it with other people,” she said.

Ball also emphasized the importance of supporting artists in a world increasingly saturated by generative AI and made her stance on the matter clear: “Human-made art is the only art that should be made!”

The exhibit’s diversity continued with Lohgan Hopkins’s collage, which he describes as a bold juxtaposition between homemade meals and their origins. Hopkins is a third-year fine arts student who aims to finish 100 collages by the end of summer. “At this point in my life, [art] feels like a kind of exploration,” he stated. “Just letting my mind wander, letting yourself be, not molding yourself too early, and just feeling free to explore, whether it’s [with] colour,  [technique], or medium.”

Cheyenne Hussey and her piece, “Consume”. (Photo credit: Zoey Pearce)

For third-year fine arts student Cheyenne Hussey, that freedom of self-expression is a key part of visual art. Each section of her four-quadrant acrylic painting serves as visual commentary on the oppression of capitalism and consumerism in modern society. That burden is also keenly felt in the UW fine arts program, Hussey said. “[The fine arts program] is a little underfunded … it can be really frustrating, but I think when we have something as beautiful as this [come] out … it proves why people are wrong [about that]  all the time,” Hussey expressed.

Exploring, in her words, “the line between surrealism and body horror in sculpture,” second-year fine arts and French student Paige Bannon created three sculptures: a foot-shaped banana, a bell pepper ribcage, and a tooth-shaped apple out of clay and acrylic.

Paige Bannon’s sculpture, “The market sale”. (Photo Credit: Zoey Pearce)

In line with the exhibit’s exploration of how food transforms individual experiences into collective ones, artist Sarah Soohyun Cheon also focused on community and care through food. She created a fish sculpture from leftover pieces of focaccia bread and a baguette from Elora Bread Trading Co. Her piece explores the “labour of love, as well as a transfer of energy.” involved in baking and feeding others.

The wide variety of artistic visions showcased is a welcome sight to Little. He believes each piece accurately reflects the power of food as an embodiment of identity, since “the concept of culture is in and of itself [and] is very diverse.”

Other artists who participated in the exhibit include Jazmin Barrett, Claire MacMillan, Ailah Kaukand, and Seemab Zahra.

In honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day, the Office of Indigenous Relations (OIR), the Waterloo Undergraduate Students Association (WUSA) and the Graduate Students Association (GSA) hosted a gathering to honour First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples on Thursday, June 23, at SLC’s Great Hall from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event featured an Indigenous art market, Indigenous-themed pastries with strawberry drinks, and performances by Indigenous artists. GSA council speaker, Kaylee Biggart, who was facilitating the information booth shared, “I just love seeing celebrations of indigeneity.” She added,
”It’s important for us to be able to show off and celebrate our culture because of how limited we’ve been able to do that in the past … steps to decolonize spaces and be able to actually have authentic celebrations of our culture.”

Multiple vendors displayed their artwork for sale at the Indigenous art market. Their products ranged from modern Indigenous beadwork and jewelry to dreamcatchers. One of the attendees, UW Student Success Office project manager, Robbyn Hesch shared why she came to the event: “I just love Indigenous art. I have some in my home. I think it’s so beautiful.” She added, “we have to support the initiative on campus, and I just love to see all the work that [UW] is doing towards reconciliation and indigenization.”

One vendor, Paula Johns, shared the story behind her business. She started Makwa Beads to raise money for her custody battle of her grandnephew, born to parents who were experiencing addiction. She took care of him from birth to prevent him from going into foster care. However, the judge still granted his father, who she claims to be “abusive” towards both the child and the mother, custody of the boy. “Makwa Beads was created because I am a single mom, and I had no income,” she shared. “Three years ago, I didn’t know how to do any of this…. I came up with [this business] … to help raise funds for fighting for him in court.”

The performance line-up featured local Indigenous artists, including a drum group, hiphop artist and storyteller Mr. Sauga, an Indigenous hoop dancer, and surf-inspired musician Gladwyn Badger.

Devin Pronovost, an environment, resources and sustainability undergrad student at UW, was part of the event’s Indigenous drum group. He shared, “[Performing as an Indigenous artist is] important because music is medicine. So when we perform, we’re sharing some of that medicine with the people.” 

Pronovost also described his experience as a vendor at UW. He mentioned that the school added a 60 dollar vendor insurance fee this year. “[I]f they’re gonna ask us to do insurance, they should be covering it for us instead of making us pay as an Indigenous person,” he complained. “When they promote these free markets, they’re not really free.” He added, “Other than that, the people are great … but it would be nice to see them try to make it more accessible for students with those extra fees.”

Priscila Carrara, a faculty advisor in the faculty of science, who attended the event shared her hopes for these kinds of initiatives: “I would love to see more events like this throughout the year, not only close to Indigenous Day.” She stressed, “It would be really nice to have more happening on campus.”

Indie Rock Night

Head to Maxwell’s Concerts & Events in Waterloo this Friday, June 26, for a fun night of live indie rock tunes. This event will feature groups like Vinyl Sons, The Paper Grenades, and Nick Marinac & D1 Detour. Doors open at 7 p.m. and music starts at 7:45 p.m. This is meant to be Tickets are $10.00 + HST and you can register on the event’s Ticketscene page.

4RepairKW – Repair Cafe

Do you have a broken toaster, coffee machine, or laptop? If so, you can head to a Repair Cafe this Saturday, June 27 between 9:30 and 12 p.m. in Kitchener at the Queen Street Commons Cafe. This is a free event. Please ensure you register and share your item to repair on the event’s EventBrite page.

Brian Dickinson Quartet

Head to the Jazz Room in Kitchener this Saturday, June 27 from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. for an evening of smooth jazz with Brian Dickinson, who has been playing Canadian jazz for over thirty-five years and has performed with an array of international artists. Tickets are $20.00 + HST for those under 20 years and $32.00 + HST for those over 20 years. Tickets can be purchased on the event’s ticket page.

ERIN – A local senior was left shaken up and concussed after he was attacked while trying to help someone at the side of the road earlier this month.

"It could haver been worse," the man said on June 26, trying to put a positive spin on the horrible experience.

The 73-year-old Erin resident still gets dizzy from time to time, but most of the headaches, fatigue, light sensitivity and other concussion symptoms have subsided in the 24 days since the incident.

The man, who is not being named because he fears his attacker could locate him, was on his way to get a vulnerable sector check on the evening of June 2 so he could become a volunteer driver for the Canadian Cancer Society.

At about 6:15pm he saw a car on the side of Wellington Road 50 near 5th Line, east of Ospringe, and stopped to offer assistance.

"The man said, 'I could use your help,'" so the Erin senior pulled over.

When he exited his vehicle and got closer, he noticed the man "smelled very strongly of alcohol and marijuana."

He admonished the man for possibly driving while impaired and was told, with the inclusion of profanity, to mind his own business. So the senior turned around and went back to his vehicle.

Without warning, the other man grabbed his shoulder, spun him around and punched him twice in the face. The senior fell onto the hood of his own car, unconscious.

"I must have been out of it for a while," he told the Advertiser.

He did not see or hear his assailant leave, but when he regained consciousness, he was alone with his vehicle on the side of the road and his cell phone, severely smashed, was on the ground beside him.

A passerby called the OPP and another waited with him until police and an ambulance arrived.

A press release from the Wellington County OPP, issued in response to an Advertiser inquiry about the incident, stated, "The victim was transported to a local hospital with minor injuries."

Both the OPP and victim describe the assailant as a black man in his 30s, about six feet tall with a stocky build, a patchy stubble beard and curly hair with shaved sides (dreadlock style).

The victim said the suspect was wearing orange Nike running shoes, dark sweatpants and a dark T-shirt with a Bob Marley print. 

Police added the suspect was also wearing a thick gold chain, work-style gloves and earrings (a loop in his left ear and a small diamond in his right).

The OPP described the suspect vehicle as an "older model dark grey Honda Accord or Civic" from the 1980s to 1990s, with an "oversized exhaust" and "minor damage to the driver-side bumper."

The victim confirmed the oversized tailpipe, but insists the car was a faded green 1994 or 1995 Honda Accord.

He also noted the car had a three-inch white decal on the rear driver-side window depicting a man lying down with a sniper rifle over "Arabic-type" writing. 

Anyone with information can call police at 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at csgw.tips or toll free at 1-800-222-8477. Tip providers may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

CENTRE WELLINGTON – Quite a storm swept through Centre Wellington overnight on June 25, leaving a trail of fallen trees, piles of hail and very soggy soil in low lying areas.

At Wildwinds Golf Links, southeast of Fergus, it brought down many trees and flooded golf cart paths – so much so that the course was closed on Friday and was expected to be closed all weekend.

“I could feel the house shake and there was hail on the ground,” said Trever Turner, superintendent of the golf course, who lives in an old farmhouse on the site.

“My barbecue blew across the yard. A window was broken. I called the owners when I saw the damage to the course.”

A tree removal service was on site by noon on Friday, cutting the downed trees and feeding them through a wood chipper.

Staff members were busy raking up debris, blowing the paths and filling holes left by branches when they hit the ground.

Turner provided a tour of the course and parts of golf cart paths were either blocked by trees or submerged in water.

Sand traps had become water hazards, and real water hazards were significantly deeper.

The cover of a wellhead was lifted off and came to rest some 30 feet from the well.

“I’ve worked here 17 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” Turner said.

Guelph/Eramosa firefighters had a golf tournament scheduled for Friday that had to be cancelled and the course was likely to be closed for much of the weekend.

Turner said it would take a few days to get the course back in shape for the golfing public.

Environment Canada had warned of hail, tornado and wind risks earlier in the day on Thursday across most of southern Ontario.

People in Elora, Fergus, Alma and Arthur posted videos and photos of the storm damage on the Ontario Storm Reports Facebook page.

“That was an eventful night,” a poster from Fergus wrote. “Our mini-greenhouse flew away like Dorothy's house in the Wizard of Oz.”

There were photos of some dark and ominous clouds over Elora from another poster.

Someone in Alma posted photos of hail that covered the ground like snow in winter.

It doesn’t appear to have been more than a strong storm in these parts, but a tornado did touch down in Glencoe, in Middlesex County.

According to ontario.ca, Ontario averages about 18 tornadoes a year, usually between May and September.

If a tornado does touch down:

• the safest place to be is an underground shelter, basement or safe room;
• if you don't have a basement, go to the centre of an interior room on the lowest level away from corners, windows, doors and outside walls (put as many walls as possible between you and the outside);
• get under a sturdy piece of furniture and use your arms to protect your head and neck; and
• don't open windows or doors.

If you're outdoors:

• don't wait until you see the tornado to get inside;
• if you can't get inside, lie flat in a low-lying area such as a ditch and cover your head with your hands; and
• don't go under an overpass or bridge (you're safer in a low, flat area).

If you're in a mobile home, go to the nearest sturdy building or shelter immediately as mobile homes do not offer much protection. 

GUELPH – It was a case of whiplash for a new Wellington County roads garage in Erin at a June 25 county council meeting, as politicians voted to pause construction, only to switch lanes and green-light the project later in the same meeting.

Councillor Earl Campbell put forward a successful motion to defer granting the job of building the garage to Waterloo-based Dakon Construction after noting the wrong price was presented to council.

The $13.23-million price tag was $61,972 higher than the correct price of $13.16 million.

“This [council] of 16, we’re making a $13-million decision on incomplete and inaccurate information,” Campbell said.

He later added, “We all deserve the information up front before any decision is made.”

Councillor and former county warden Andy Lennox said the error was “very disturbing” and called for accountability.

At a roads committee meeting earlier this month, Campbell requested “backup documents” to be provided for the job, which provide councillors with the minutia and justification behind a price.

“Thirteen days later, on Monday of this week, that data was released with a correction to the total bid amount, reducing it by $61,972,” Campbell told council.

He said the short notice, leaving much of council out of the loop, was unacceptable.

Campbell also noted a typo overstating savings that didn’t exist for electrical work.

“We’ve got wrong figures here,” councillor Steve O’Neill added. “[It] needs to be looked at closely.”

The discussion echoed another from 2025, when Campbell and councillor Mary Lloyd complained council hadn't been given adequate financial details about the Erin and Arthur garage projects.

Dakon was picked by council last year as construction manager for the 32,000-square-foot roads garage at 9506 Wellington Road 124 in Erin, lining the company up to complete the job.

The garage serves as a base for road crews and equipment, and will have five vehicle storage bays, a wash bay for snowplows, offices, and salt and sand storage.

The overall project price – construction, fees, furnishings, permitting and a contingency – rings in at just under $17 million. The county has budgeted $18.41 million for the project over three budget cycles since 2023.

In an unusual turn, county CAO Scott Wilson asked council to reconsider its deferral earlier in the meeting and accept the revised Dakon Construction price.

Wilson made the plea after conferring with Dakon Construction VP and co-owner Ryan Turk, Grinham Architects owner Lloyd Grinham – the duo behind the recently opened Arthur roads garage – as well as county construction manager Kevin Mulholland.

“I’ve been in this business a long time, and I don't recall ever having asked council to give further consideration to an issue,” said Wilson, who has been CAO since 1998.

He warned pricing could change by September, following council’s summer recess.

“The longer we delay, the less reliable those prices will be, the more we’ll likely be into winter construction, which will be adding to the cost,” Wilson explained, adding “it’s certainly up to council.”

Turk underscored the point, telling council pouring 1,600 cubic metres of concrete for the foundation in winter, plus the heating to cure it, will fetch a premium.

“We were supposed to break ground in the fall of last year; we've had a number of challenges with municipal approvals for … our permit,” Turk said.

“We’re at a point now where we’re ready to go.”

Turk attributed the price change to removing two parts of the project: a salt dome is no longer being demolished and a second entrance to the property was completed by the county.

Councillors Jeff Duncan and Doug Breen advocated for moving forward with the job at the revised price.

“I will back down on the deferral,” Campbell said. "I’m not trying to delay the project, I’m not trying to stop the project."

Council reversed its decision to defer and voted to accept Dakon Construction’s revised $13.16-million price.

Warden Chris White said the incorrect figure brought to council is an “absolute genuine concern” and would be looked into.

“I hope there’s no mistake about who’s responsible for this issue; this lack of information getting to council is my responsibility,” Wilson told council.

He previously apologized to council in 2025 for not providing final figures for the Arthur garage, requested at the time by Campbell.

The Erin garage, now over 50 years old, is one of eight in the county, which are grouped into four service areas.

The Brucedale garage, nearly 70 years old, is next up for replacement, planned for 2028-29.

The Drayton and Arthur garages were replaced with new buildings in 2019 and 2025, respectively.

Drag queen and UW math alum, Kyne Santos, revisited the school on June 18 to share how he uses math outreach on social media to engage underrepresented groups.

Santos had excelled in and enjoyed math even before university. For him, math stood out as “beautiful and artistic.” This pushed him to become a math student at UW.

It was also during his undergrad program that he started his drag career which culminated in him joining Canada’s Drag Race in 2020. He discovered drag through watching Rupaul’s Drag Race which he saw as a “ creative expression of … sensitive, creative souls, just like [him],” and an “amalgamation of everything [he] loved: music, dancing, performance, artistry.”

He lived a “double life,” studying math during the day and performing at the Bombshelter Pub — now known as the Bomber — at night. It was also in 2020 when he started to combine these two aspects of his life. After discovering TikTok, he decided to post videos of him talking about math problems in drag.

What started as a funny idea was met with an unexpected amount of support as he received messages from people all over the world and from different age groups, saying: “Wow, I wish all of my math teachers were drag queens. I’m finally understanding math now.” This allowed him to make a career out of content creation where he discovered a larger community of queer people in STEM.

This discovery prompted Santos to ask more questions about the intersection of math and drag. He wondered, “Why should we think that the world of math and the world of drag are so far from each other that they only share a tiny conception?” This curiosity was faced by criticism as people often asked him, “Why do you have to make math woke?” and “Why can’t math just be math?” However, he argued against these notions as he highlights the similarities between these two concepts. 

From having rules to defying rules, Santos emphasizes the artistry and flexibility of both math and drag and that “by embracing the idea that [our] frameworks and [our] definitions can change … [we]’ll have a better way of going through this life” because it allows us to “[understand] that this world’s so much larger than [we] really think [and] that we can have a better understanding of this universe and the people that we share it with.”

Currently, Santos is pursuing a masters program at the Toronto Metropolitan University. He tells students, particularly math and queer students, who struggle to feel a sense of belonging that “everybody has a community somewhere … and sometimes when you choose to be the trailblazer and you just do your own thing, other people will find you.” 

Vice president academic of MathSoc, Remington Aginskaya-Zhi who was invited to attend the event expressed that “it’s important to make everyone feel included in math to challenge the stereotypes about what kinds of people are good at math.” They stressed, “It’s really important to do that here at Waterloo because … so many math students at Waterloo don’t know each other.… [T]hese kinds of events are also important for bringing people together and making sure they know that their community is out there.”

This June, Wilfrid Laurier University celebrated more than 4,013 graduating students during its spring convocation ceremonies in Waterloo and Brantford, marking the beginning of a new chapter for its students.

From June 15 to 19, the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics was full of graduates and their families gathering to mark the occasion. Celebrating a total of 4,013 graduates, with 3,269 in Waterloo and 744 in Brantford. The main floor was transformed into a lively space, decorated with balloons, streamers and photo backdrops, creating an atmosphere of community. Many families attended the ceremony, finding space in the upper wings of Laz Hall to support their loved ones.

Throughout the celebrations, convocation ceremonies also recognized outstanding contributions within the Laurier community. Xu (Sunny) Wang and Michelle Skop were honoured with the Faculty Award for Service Excellence and Community Engagement, while Jasmine Zine and Steve Sider were named University Research Professors, highlighting the academic and community impact that defines the institution. 

This year’s ceremonies also recognized several honorary doctorate recipients, including R&B singer Jully Black-Valentine, Second World War veteran Sir George Herbert Beardshaw, Indigenous language educator Ningwakwe Priscilla George and retail leader Diane J. Brisebois. 

For many students, the ceremonies represented more than a celebration. Graduates described feeling a mix of excitement and relief at completing their studies, alongside a sense of loss as they prepared to leave behind a familiar, structured environment and a close-knit community. The shift from student life into the uncertainty of the “real world.”

That sense of continuity, however, remains through the Wilfrid Laurier Alumni Association, which automatically welcomes graduates into a global network of more than 140,000 alumni spread out across the world. Brought together by their shared Laurier experience, this community offers a lasting connection.

During the ceremony, Black-Valentine presented a commencement speech, “And as Golden Hawks, we don’t spend our lives staring at the ground. We lift our eyes to what’s possible. We rise above obstacles. We trust the journey, even when we can’t see the destination.” Sang Black-Valentine.

Convocation was first established at Laurier in 1911, continuing a tradition which celebrated generations of graduates as they transition into the next stage of their lives.

As convocation concludes, Laurier celebrates the remarkable achievements of our future Laurier alumni.