Rustic charm at heart of new coffee shop
For years, the rustic building at the corner of Ruggle’s and Floradale roads served the community as a family-run general store.
So, when the popular building – in the Ruggles family for generations – went up for sale last fall, Floradale’s own Bonnie Martin seized the opportunity to breathe new life into one of the town’s oldest gems. In its history, the 19th century structure has served as a general store and a post office.
Bonnie Martin has retained much of the former general store and post office in renovating the 19th century building to house a coffee shop. Bonnie Lou’s Cafe opens May 7.
“For years I used to admire this building and I thought it had a lot of features; I used to always tell my girlfriends that I’d love to turn this into a coffee shop,” said Martin, who remembers frequenting the store as a child.
“I used to bike here as a kid and get candy at the counter.”
Martin and many other locals always felt the building would make a great coffee shop, so when it went up for sale, she and her husband Randy voiced interest. …Read more
Propane provider to open Elmira depot
It won’t come in time for the summer barbecue season, but a proposed propane distribution facility is on the books for a site adjacent to the former Glenoit building in Elmira.
Based out of London, Ont., EDPRO is one of the largest propane solutions providers in the province with terminal facilities located in London, Brampton and Stoney Creek.
A photo of a similar facility operated by the company.
Construction on the Elmira plant, which will be located at Union Street and Oriole Parkway, is slated to begin on July 1, and the company is currently working on finalizing its long-term leasing and development issues.
“We have not finalized all aspects of the development at this point but we’re looking at moving forward in …Read more
Mercedes goes back to market
Everything old is … now under a new roof in St. Jacobs.
Since the beginning of the month, Market Road Antiques has been taking on vendors and merchandise in a spot once home to the Sunday market.
Though just opened, one of Mercedes Corp.’s most recent ventures already boasts some 70 vendors.
Sigfred Knudsen, who restores antique clocks in his home shop, finds the format ideal at the newly opened Market Road Antiques in St. Jacobs.
That list is expected to grow to 100.
Even under the current economic conditions, business appears to be going well for the young outfit.
“It’s good. We’re fairly pleased. We’ve been open two weeks now and we’re very happy with how things are going,” said Sheila Shantz, Mercedes’ director of marketing operations.
“We’re very pleased.” …Read more
Pesticide debate in full swing with new ban
Ongoing efforts to reduce the cosmetic use of pesticides will get a boost this month as a provincial law banning 250 products comes into effect Apr. 22.
The ban prohibits the sale and use of pesticides for cosmetic purposes on lawns, gardens, parks and school yards, and includes many herbicides, fungicides and insecticides.
John Wright, founder of Bloomingdale’s Wright Lawn Care Services, argues that the province’s cosmetic pesticides ban is the result of political posturing and shoddy science.
The sweeping controls were welcomed by numerous organizations throughout the province, including the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) because it overrides municipal pesticide bylaws and applies uniformly across Ontario.
“We see it as win-win-win,” said Gideon Forman, executive director of CAPE.
“It’s safer and it’s creating some new jobs,” he said, noting that organic methods of dealing with weeds are more labour intensive and especially significant during these hard economic times.
The provincial law is much more stringent than the municipal bylaws it will replace; whereas local regulations restricted the use of pesticides, the provincial ban will remove more than 250 products from store shelves and some 80 ingredients will be …Read more
Biogas plan gets another public airing
Alternative energy plans are a hot topic of discussion, but a local company would be happier if the talk about its project was a little more positive.
To date, however, Woolwich Bio-En Inc.’s bid to build a cogeneration unit on Martin’s Lane in the north end of Elmira has met with resistance from nearby residents with concerns about noise and odour problems.
The project was the subject of yet another discussion Tuesday night at Woolwich council, where planning staff shifted gears and formally decided a zone change would be required to allow the facility to go ahead. It had previously deemed the project in conformity with the existing industrial zoning on the site.
Bio-En Power Inc. president Chuck Martin surveys the Elmira site where his firm proposes to build a facility to convert organic waste to electricity.
Director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley told councillors – and a gallery filled with residents – that new information indicates this is not a dry industry, adding that the waste materials used in the process and the potential for noxious odours mean a zone change is in order.
That said, the province’s new Green Energy Act may render any council input moot, as it would in essence remove local jurisdiction over such projects, attempting to streamline the process and have more alternative energy projects in place sooner.
In a presentation to council, Bio-En Power Inc. president Chuck Martin said what his company is proposing is precisely the kind of project the province is pushing for with the act.
Bio-En’s plan is 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 …Read more
Local housing starts holding for 2009
The slowing housing market looks to have spread to the Elmira area – but that is no reason to panic, say officials.
Municipal statistics show that while the housing boom has significantly waned, it hasn’t gone bust.
After a period of some five years where the housing market in the Woolwich area soared, these days fewer building permits are being issued: the number of permits issued in January and February of this year (50) is down significantly from the same period last year (63). Across the country, the real estate market began cooling off in the second half of 2008 and experts strongly suggest that the trend will continue over, at least, the next six months as a recession runs its course through 2009 and starts to stabilize towards 2010.
Peter VanderBeek, Woolwich Township’s chief building official, notes the value of new construction for 2009 is up over last year, although the overall number of permits issued is down.
But what is clear is that the housing fiasco south of the border will not spill over into Canada.
“There is some weakening but it’s still nowhere near the U.S. situation, not even approximately,” explained Larry Smith, an economics professor at the University of Waterloo. The chance of that happening in Canada is slim given the present circumstances here, said Smith, primarily the difference between the number …Read more
Best to look before you … hop
As temperatures soared this week, and the mountains of snow all but disappeared, thoughts of warm spring weather abounded.
Along with images of budding plants and blooming trees came images of chocolates, candies and … Easter bunnies.
But as eager pet enthusiasts flock to their pet stores in search of those cuddly creatures, at least one provincial organization is looking to discourage people from making hasty, impulse purchases.
Kayla Lamers poses with one of her furry friends, Little Lottie. The Elmira resident rescues rabbits and other animals and believes that if potential pet owners did more research before buying critters, fewer animals would be left without homes.
“This time of year is quite a popular time of year – getting close to Easter you have the association with rabbits,” said Danielle Mills-Mammoliti, of the Ontario Rabbit Education Organization (OREO), a registered non-profit organization established to promote the health and well-being of domestic rabbits in Ontario.
“They’re cute, they’re fuzzy and people tend to think it is a good idea to pick them up as an Easter gift for a loved one. There is nothing wrong with that, but the problem is they don’t stay small for ever,” said Mills-Mammoliti, noting that as the little bunnies quickly grow older, their needs increase and diversify.
After just two to three months rabbits reach maturity, meaning that they can start breeding. A fertile female can have a litter of up to six every 30 to 32 days. After 24 hours of delivering most females are “ready to go again.” (Hence the phrase: “at it like rabbits.”) …Read more
Students encouraged to hire themselves
Looking for a job? If you’re a young student with an entrepreneurial spirit, why not hire yourself and start your own business?
Student entrepreneurs looking to get an early crack at starting their own businesses during the off season can get a helping hand – and $3,000 cash – from the provincial government through the Summer Company program, an initiative sponsored by the Ministry of Small Business and Consumer Services and affiliated with Waterloo Region’s Small Business Centre.
Wellesley’s Derek Brick started his own landscaping business last summer through the provincially funded Summer Company program. This year he’s hoping to grow it even more.
Through the program, full-time students from 15 to 29 years of age get advice, coaching, mentoring and support from the Small Business Centre and associated members of the local business community, to turn a fledgling business idea into a reality.
Students whose business plans are approved receive $1,500 upfront to help cover the costs of licensing fees, equipment, and advertising. They then have to work and “journalize” a minimum of 35 hours per week, take 12 hours of business training and attend biweekly mentoring sessions in which students are …Read more
Wrapping herself in a new venture
With her new clothing store set to open in downtown Elmira next week, Tami Runstedler is looking to take the travelling out of shopping.
In opening FB and Me, Runstedler is hoping to offer locals a variety of clothing currently only available by visiting the cities. …Read more
Summer job season kicks into gear
Despite the downturn in the economy, it looks as though the number of student jobs available this summer will be on par with those of previous years, say a number of agencies helping students and employers connect.
“I haven’t seen a change in any of the summer employers that are looking to hire for the summer,” said Michelle Ruston, Job Connect program leader at Lutherwood Youth Employment Centre in Kitchener. Lutherwood is a not-for-profit organization affiliated with Service Canada that offers youth employment services in Waterloo Region and Guelph.
Troy Nowe of the provincially funded Job Connect program helps students connect with employers. He works out of the WCS office in Elmira, as well as Conestoga College and New Hamburg.
“It’s same as usual here: we’re getting requests from some new employers and from some employers who have accessed the services before in the past,” she explained. “I don’t really see anything changing as far as summer employment goes.”
In 2006, locally, some 630 vacancies were posted on Service Canada’s job bank website, helping more than 780 students in their job hunt; the following year 799 students were hired by some 145 …Read more
