Voting for Hockeyville crown begins Saturday

In last fall’s federal election, voters in Ontario cast 5.2 million ballots. Over the next four and a half days, Woolwich is hoping to surpass that and cast 5.5 million votes in support of its Hockeyville aspirations.

Voting for the final round of CBC’s Hockeyville competition starts at 11 p.m. today (Saturday) and runs until midnight on Mar. 4. …Read more

Kings finish season on a high note

The Elmira Sugar Kings couldn’t have asked for a better end to the 2008-2009 regular season, defeating the fourth-place Listowel Cyclones 5-1 in three periods full of energetic, solid hockey at the Elmira Arena Feb. 22.

Both teams came to the arena knowing a lot was on the line. By defeating the Kings, the Cyclones, with 68 points, could have claimed a third-place playoff berth had the Waterloo Siskins, also with 68 points, not defeated the Cambridge Winter Hawks 4-1 on the same day. In the end, the Siskins’ win allowed the Waterloo squad to sneak into third place putting them two points (70) ahead of the Cyclones.

For the Sugar Kings, the outcome of their contest against Listowel had a very different meaning. With the team nestled in between the sixth place Winter Hawks, who were five points the richer before Sunday’s game, and the Guelph Dominators – who after Saturday’s 10-4 win over Owen Sound still lagged behind Elmira by 10 points – the game’s outcome was inconsequential in the standings. Their first-round opponent would remain Kitchener or the Waterloo Siskins.

But that didn’t stop the squad from coming out eager to cap …Read more

Their handiwork is good work

It might be cold in the wintertime, but at least once a month the basement of the Elmira Mennonite Church is a place of warmth as dozens of women meet to make quilts and share some companionship.

For 10 years, the Needlesisters Quilt Guild – with a membership of some 65 women ages 20 to 70 – has been holding regular meetings in the basement of the EMC building on Church Street West.

The purpose of the guild is to promote quilting within the community as well as to make quilts for others.

“Community is very important,” said Sheila McMillan, a member of the Guild’s community project committee, which is charged with coordinating the guild’s efforts for the purpose of helping worthy community recipients. It’s part of an agreement it has with the church: in exchange for free rental space, the Guild offers up its collective skills and efforts by supporting the surrounding community. This often means making and donating quilts to be auctioned for various organizations’ fundraisers, including the Mennonite Central Committee, and other times donating placemats for the local Meals on Wheels. This month, the committee chose Elmira District Community Living (EDCL).

“It’s really important to …Read more

Biogas project draws ‘em in

The neighbours aren’t going to make it easy for the company behind a proposed biogas facility in Elmira. The residents are concerned about odours, and nearby industries such as Chemtura and the pet food mill have histories that only add to neighbourly skepticism.

Some 200 residents showed up at Lions Hall Tuesday evening to learn more about the proposal by Woolwich Bio-En Inc. to build a cogeneration unit that would produce 2.8 megawatts of renewable electricity – enough to power 2,200 homes – and 3.4 mW of heat. The $12-million facility would be fueled by biogas created by converted organic waste.

Many of those in attendance came armed with questions about how the facility would operate, the risks of creating methane gas and the impact of truck traffic. The most common topic, however, was odour, with many people drawing comparisons to the problems at other plants.

Susan Bryant, a member of APT Environment and the Chemtura Public Advisory Committee, said history has shown residents need to be wary about assurances from industry and the Ministry of the Environment – odour complaints can take months or years to resolve.

“I’m not unwilling to be …Read more

Excelling at Skills Canada event

Elmira will be well-represented at the Skills Canada competition in May, when teams from St. Teresa Elementary School and Park Manor Public School face off against schools from across the province.

At regional competitions last week, St. Teresa came home with a gold, a silver and a bronze. The gold medal-winning Grade 4-6 Lego robotics team will advance to the provincials.

In the public board competition, Park Manor won five medals: three gold, a silver and a bronze. The 4-6 technology, 4-6 Lego mechanics and 7-8 Lego robotics teams will be heading to the provincials.

Teacher Dan Peters said Park Manor has consistently done well at the regional competition the past few years.

“When they were giving out the medals, they were even commenting on it. ‘And here’s Park Manor again,’” he said.

“It’s nice to hear, but it’s a little humbling too. We do stress having fun, cooperating, having a learning experience.”

Practice for the competition starts in early January, with the teams meeting at lunch for several hours each week. …Read more

Woolwich approves budget

A Woolwich resident’s last-minute plea to reduce this year’s tax increase, backed by a petition, went for naught Tuesday night, as councillors formally approved the 2009 budget, enshrining a six-per-cent tax increase …Read more

Getting women under the hood

If you’re a woman who can’t tell engine oil from coolant, find your car’s air filter or check your tire pressure, some automotive education is key.

Lloyd Frey’s Garage in Floradale is hosting a car care clinic for women with former race car driver Kelly Williams …Read more

Woolwich opposed to carpool parking lot plan

Woolwich is looking to stall Waterloo Region’s plan for a commuter parking lot at the site of the former Breslau Hotel.

The location is one of three on a whittled down list of potential sites for a carpool parking area to serve commuters using Hwy. 7 …Read more

Biogas facility part of change in how we get our energy

Monday’s announcement of the proposed Green Energy Act came as perfect timing for Woolwich Bio-En Inc. The Elmira company’s plan for a $12-million biogas facility is just the kind of thing the province is looking for …Read more

EDSS ski teams wraps up season

The EDSS ski team wrapped up a successful season at the provincial alpine championships earlier this week, with the girls’ squad finishing on the podium in both events.

Together, the five girls placed seventh out of 16 teams in the slalom event on Monday and eight in the giant slalom on Tuesday.

The provincial finals are the first time they’ve competed in the slalom event; Chicopee, where they practice, set up a slalom course for two races last week.

The team results combine the times of the top three skiers, but all members of the team have to make a clean run. They race twice in each event, once in the morning and once at night.

“We thought it was remarkable they had 20 clean runs over the two days,” said coach Terry Lapalme. “They showed so much spirit and determination and team spirit in terms of pulling together …Read more