Coming Home
Bestselling author Malcolm Gladwell and business guru Roger Martin have spoken to throngs of people around the globe. Coming home to engage in conversation with a crowd of 400 local residents packed into the Floradale Mennonite Church Mar. 5 may have been all in a day’s work, but Gladwell’s mother Joyce believes it was a welcome change. …Read more
Green thumbs get put to the test
On Tuesday, the sandy floor of an equipment shed at Elmira Farm Service was dotted with small oases of greenery, as high school students from the Upper Grand and Waterloo Regional school boards took part in a regional horticulture competition.
The students had five hours to build a small functional landscape following drawings and using pavers, wall stone and plants before being judged by industry professionals. The competition is a …Read more
Police ready to deploy officers on horseback
You may have spotted a pair of police officers on horseback riding through Elmira on Wednesday afternoon, a sight which will soon be familiar to the town as the Waterloo Regional Police rolls out its new mounted unit.
“The horses are in the latter stages of their training now,” said Elmira detachment Sgt. Siegfried Peters. “They are expected to be deployed on the weekend of the Maple Syrup Festival if all goes according to plan.” …Read more
Out in the cold
It was a long, cold, and sleepless night for the half a dozen students and staff from Elmira District Secondary School, one which they say is only ‘a taste’ of what they imagine winter must feel like for the 40,000 or so people living homeless in Canada.
The evening of Mar. 5 found five students from the Youth in Action group huddled together for warmth outside of Elmira Pentecostal Assembly, kicking off their night spent outdoors to raise …Read more
Shave a head, make a wish
If you have seen an unusually high number of people walking around town with blue hair recently, you may have been witnessing the first half of the Go Blue! Go Bald! head shaving challenge, put on by West Jet in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Last Saturday saw dozens of people flood the main building of the Region of Waterloo International Airport in Breslau, some participating in the challenge, some there to support friends or family and some simply to take in the festivities …Read more
Still working out the bugs at WMC
In operation for more than six months now, the Woolwich Memorial Centre is still experiencing growing pains. Despite lingering problems with the quality of ice and a range of other deficiencies, the township’s director of recreation and facilities remains optimistic the mechanical issues will be worked out …Read more
Two groups merge to form the Rural Ontario Institute
A provincial government investment will help the new Rural Ontario Institute make a strong, smooth transition during the amalgamation of The Centre for Rural Leadership (TCRL) and The Ontario Rural Council (TORC).
Grants totaling $200,000 will come from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The provincial money includes $160,000 for the transition to the Rural Ontario Institute, and an …Read more
A stitch in time, time after time
The winter Bill Cassel was nine, he got sick and wasn’t allowed to leave the house for three months. “If you think you’re going to sit around and drive me crazy, you can think again,” his mother told him. “When you get back outside, you’re going to need socks, so you may as well learn to knit.” …Read more
Pizza that tops list of favourites
Ask any kid (or many adults that I know as well!) what their favourite food is and there’s a good chance that the answer will be pizza. Pizza as we know it now has strayed quite a distance from its original Naples creation of crisp dough, fresh tomato sauce, a basil leaf or two and some stringy mozzarella. So what is it about a simple crust and a few additions that make this food a favourite all over the world …Read more
Sledge team looking for hockey hat trick
After watching the men’s and women’s hockey teams win gold, Canada’s sledge team is eager to hit the ice for the Paralympic Games.
The sledge team won gold in 2006 in Turin, Italy, and is looking to claim the top of the podium on home ice …Read more














