“Former librarian Mary Anne Cressman took on the project knowing that a lot of old-timers had some great stories and she did not want to lose sight of that,” said Sheryl Tilley, supervisor of the Elmira library.
Tilley found 40 cassette tapes in the bottom of a cabinet in 2010 and discovered they contained interviews with local citizens. Four of those tapes had degraded and were unusable for the digital project as they were not held in an archival setting.

ONLINE Sheryl Tilley, supervisor of the Elmira Library, listens to the online collection of digital interviews.

Recognizing the need to make the oral history of the town available to as many people as possible, Tilley contacted regional archivist Lesley Webb and requested to host the interviews on Archives Online, a descriptive database of records held in the archives.

Working together, the library and the archives created online access to the interviews for everyone to enjoy.
“For the first time these interviews are available around the world because of the digital format. So if someone is doing a genealogy study and happen to live in France they can access this information online,” said Tilley. “We have taken Elmira around the world.”

The digitization of the tapes was possible thanks to community funds donated in the memory of Cressman, who passed away in July 2010.
“This project was near and dear to (Cressman’s) heart and I am glad we were able to take the next step with it and allow more people to hear the oral history of Elmira,” said Tilley.
To listen to the voices of Elmira’s past, users can visit the library’s online catalogue, accessible from the home page www.rwl.library.on.ca, or through Archives Online at http://row.minisisinc.com. When searching the library’s catalogue, simply type ‘oral history interview’ in the search box.

CDs of the recordings are also available for purchase through the Regional Archives by calling 519-575-4757, ext. 3027. Any money raised from the CD purchases will go into transcribing the interviews and anyone interested in volunteering their time to transcribe the records are asked to contact the Elmira library.

The federal and provincial government each contributed about $2.1 million to the projects, with the Township of Woolwich contributing the balance of the costs.

“I just want to say what a privilege it has been to work on these construction projects across the riding,” said Albrecht to a crowd of about 15 people gathered at the WMC.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS Woolwich Coun. Julie-Anne Herteis, MP Harold Albrecht, Mayor Todd Cowan, and MPP for Kitchener-Centre John Milloy were at the WMC Jan. 27 to recognize improvements to township infrastructure.

“Transportation infrastructure is crucial to our local economy, we all know that. It connects workers with jobs and products with markets. Improvements to transportation infrastructure are also important for the safety of our community.”

The federal government’s support came from the infrastructure stimulus fund, a part of Canada’s economic action plan which officially wrapped up on Oct. 31 of last year. Albrecht said that throughout the action plan the federal government sought to find shovel-ready projects that could readily use the funds, and he said that the Township of Woolwich was always up to the task.

“When those stimulus funds were announced it wasn’t a case of Woolwich scrambling to figure out how they could spend the funds,” Albrecht said.

Milloy not only thanked both Cowan and Albrecht for their cooperation with the funding, he said that it was important to make these types of announcements to maintain credibility and accountability in the public eye.
“I think it’s important that we report back to people about what happened to those funds and those taxpayer dollars that came from this community,” said Milloy, who couldn’t resist taking a shot at the provincial PC party by saying although the word “taxes” had been vilified by some in the last election, they are a useful way of society pooling collective resources to help pay for the things that we all derive a collective benefit from.
Cowan was upfront about the fact that without provincial and federal financial assistance, most of the infrastructure problems in the township would be impossible to deal with due to the small tax base.
“We have over 20 roads and bridges that need to be improved at this point, and we can pay for about two, so the more money the better,” he said.
“Thank you again, we couldn’t have done it without you – well, we could have, but it would have taken a hundred years.”

In recognition of the market conditions, director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley suggested it’s appropriate to relax the restrictions on the property. Allowing a wider range of service commercial uses, including restaurants, opens up the possibility of more tenants, he said.

The changes approved Tuesday night by councillors meeting as a committee of the whole follow an application last spring by owner King/86 Developments. The company argued that current restrictions on the site are making it difficult to lease space there, noting only about half of the permitted 305,000 square feet has been built.

A planning and marketing report prepared for the company prior to a public meeting last May shows the requested changes would generate more business without having any negative impact on existing operations in Woolwich and Waterloo.

After reviewing the studies, Woolwich’s planners – as well as their counterparts in Waterloo – determined some extra uses would be suitable. Among the long list of new options for development are a medical clinic, photo studio, printing/copying/publishing establishment, rental/repair service (rent-all), travel agency, veterinary operation, auction centre and hotel/motel.

Controls over the number and size of restaurants have also been loosened. But the township didn’t want to provide too much leeway for fear the development would fill up with fast-food restaurant chains if smaller operations are allowed.

Originally, the goal was to have large-format restaurants, as is often the case at power centres. So far, however, the only taker has been the Arby’s, and the developer had to use up one of two exceptions to get the 1,800-square-foot restaurant built. Under the new Official Plan and zoning, the developer can have two restaurants at minimum size of 800 sq. ft., two at 1,200 sq. ft. and one at a minimum size of 1,800 sq. ft. (the existing Arby’s operation). As an incentive, the township will allow two more restaurants of at least 1,500 sq. ft. if two larger restaurants of at least 5,000 sq. ft. locate in the power centre.

“The need to consider smaller-type restaurants, recognizing that many of the larger restaurants over 5,000 sq. ft. (such as Boston Pizza, East Side Mario’s, Kelsey’s, the Keg and Swiss Chalet) are already located in the City of Waterloo within a four-kilometre radius of King/86’s development. As such, the list of larger restaurants that would normally be attracted to the King/86 development has diminished over time,” reads the staff report submitted to councillors.

Kennaley said the new arrangement strikes a balance between existing retail in Woolwich and Waterloo and the needs of the developer

“We want the King/86 development to make good use of the land that’s available to them … to allow them to develop in a reasonable fashion.”

Responding to a question from Coun. Julie-Anne Herteis, Kennaley said the decision would have few immediate implications on St. Jacobs-based Mercedes Corp., which also holds land in the stockyards area. It, too, is having trouble renting space at the outlet mall and would like to see restrictions eased there.

Kennaley, however, noted the company is looking for changes that would be better dealt with in the broader context of a secondary plan review that will look at the whole area. The process is set to begin this year, running into early 2013.

“We have had a post office in Heidelberg since 1858,” said John Maziarz, who spoke for the delegation. “We had a commercial area that had a post office and it was safe to park in the area while collecting mail – cars were not in the way of traffic, and it was safe for pedestrians and motorists.”

Maziarz claimed the community boxes would change the traffic flow in the village as more cars would be on the road stopping to collect mail.

“Some of these mailboxes are in blind spots or on hills and this will be problematic for everyone involved, including horse-drawn buggies,” said Maziarz. “They will create a road hazard.”

Currently residents must travel to St. Clements to pick up their mail until Feb. 20 when the boxes are completely installed and ready to be used.

“There is a lot of mail order parcels now which means more parcels and we have to travel a longer distance to pick up items that were easily accessible to us at the old retail location,” said Maziarz. “The parcels won’t fit into the small community boxes.”

The delegation believed that Canada Post has created a situation that could be potentially unsafe and could cost the township money in snow removal around the boxes.
“Economically and safety-wise it does not make sense to have these boxes in the village,” said Maziarz. “We will not be serviced properly and it will cost a lot more.”

Mayor Ross Kelterborn had invited representatives from Canada Post to speak to the delegation and reassure the use of the community boxes were safe.

The community mailbox concept is not new, having been in operation since 1984 with a vast majority of mail handled through community mailboxes, said Tom Creech, corporate communications officer at Canada Post.
Mail delivery, he argued, has moved closer to residents as the nine locations in Heidelberg are now located within neighbourhoods.

“We have taken the 400 people that go to the store and spread them out all within their own neighbourhoods. Only the people living in the area are going to go to those boxes,” said Tom Zadorsky a Canada Post representative.
Each box is designed to have parcel compartments in them which will handle at least 70 per cent of the parcels that are mailed out. If there is a signature item the parcel will be delivered to the door and if no one is there to receive it, it will be sent to St. Clements to be picked up.

Canada Post will also be hiring someone to maintain the post boxes; they will shovel the snow, and make sure any graffiti or posters are removed.

“Unfortunately closing the retail at the variety store and moving delivery to St. Clements, that was an emergency case that happened and Canada Post did give residents a month’s notice on the change of address and the change to community mailbox service,” said Zadorsky.

Not everyone is expected to change their address effective Feb. 20, as Canada Post does give users a free change of address service for one year, said Creech.

The representatives expects some people will end up walking to the community boxes because they are located so close to home which will actually decrease the number of vehicles on the road.
“We know people don’t like change but our experiences have been that once these boxes have been used by customers for a length of time they come to appreciate the features that are available to them. It is a one stop shop to be able to mail and pick up most items,” said Zadorsky.

Canada Post worked with the municipality to find the suitable locations for all the boxes and if there were any safety concerns or incidents the boxes can be easily removed and located to a safer area.

The Cardosos have collected early readers, reference books and textbooks that can be used in schools for the resource centers.

The goal is to be able to set up a small resource centre in villages where higher-achieving children can offer help to other children in the village.

“Many of the children in Sierra Leone have parents who are illiterate; they have no access to support for their schoolwork or any reference materials so we are sending hundred of resource materials from young children’s books to encyclopedias,” said Gloria.

Originally, filling a 20-foot shipping container was the goal for the Breslau couple but after discussions with friends and family the Cardosos decided to double the size of the container to allow room for the 1998 Nissan Maxima that had been donated by friend Liz Peloso.

“We discussed sending a car to the charity that we are working with as it would allow them to drive from community to community and help with the delivery of the tools, books and clothing that we have collected,” said Gloria. “We found out it would only cost $1,000 more to ship a 40-foot container so it only made sense to make use of that.”

Doubling the size of the container allows space for the car, the three crates of tools, one crate of books, and the donated clothing, sewing machines and computers. Shipping the container to Sierra Leone will cost $5,000.
“We have had so many people donate to the cause especially the Rural Wellington Hospitals in Fergus and Elora who donated children’s clothing and books from the three consignments stores,” said Gloria. “We also have had our neighbour, Tim Hall, helping us move the crates and store them in his warehouse. He has been a real angel helping us.”

To offset the cost of shipping the container to Africa, the couple is selling coffee purchased and wrapped in cloth made in Africa for $20 a bag. Only 30 of the bags of coffee remain.

Anyone interested in purchasing some coffee or donating to the cause can visit 292 Townsend Dr. in Breslau.

“I think we can do an awesome and unique park with that money,” said Kelly on Wednesday evening in her Elmira home.

GOT IT! Kate Meissner (left) along with her mother Kelly, brother Jamieson and father Jeremy are all smiles now that they’ve collected enough funds to start construction of a universally-accessible playground in Elmira thanks to a $60,000 prize from Aviva Insurance.

Meissner’s daughter Kate was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome back in 2010. People with AS typically have little or no verbal skills, possible seizures and sleep disorders, and poor gross and fine motor skills.
Together the couple started Kate’s Kause in October 2010 to raise funds to build a playground their daughter and other kids with physical challenges could use to help them develop like a normal child through play and interaction with other children.

The competition was unique in that the public had the chance to vote on their favourite projects, of which there were nearly 2,000 submitted for consideration in three categories: small projects (valued at up to $50,000), medium projects ($50,000 to $100,000) and large projects ($100,000 to $150,000).

The first round of voting took place from Sept. 26 to Nov. 30. From that, 90 semifinalists were chosen to advance to the next round of voting from Dec. 5-16.

The numbers were again reduced to 30 – 10 in each category – and a panel of 10 judges selected the winners.

“It’s a little shocking,” said Kelly of finally reaching their fundraising goal of $250,000. “It’s overwhelming to be this far, we thought it would take us five years.”

Kelly said it was the support of her friends, family and the people of Elmira who helped put them over the top so quickly, and it was also thanks to the votes of students at Bluevale Collegiate Institute where the Meissners teach, as well as Elmira District Secondary School, Waterloo Collegiate, Grand River  Collegiate, Glenview Park, and Eastwood Collegiate.

Now comes the task of trying to locate a suitable site for the playground. One proposal was to place it next to the Woolwich Memorial Centre near Lions Hall, but Kelly is concerned about the lack of shade. She said that they have scheduled a meeting with township staff next week to work through that, and to bring it to council for final approval. Ideally the construction would begin April 1, weather permitting, and it should be complete within six to eight weeks – well in time for summer. For the Meissner family, the timing couldn’t be better.

“Kate’s development is really progressing, and she is at the right level of development to really benefit from this structure,” said Kelly.

“It’ll take a while for this all to sink in.”

EDSS student council’s outreach committee took on the task of raising funds for the build, encouraging students to help their community through a door-for-door campaign: each student in their homeroom had the chance to buy little paper doors for a dollar, with the proceeds going to help purchase doors for the houses under construction.

“We knew they were building this home and it was going to a family in the community and we wanted to be able to spread our school support out into the community,” said Alyssa Tomlin, a member of the outreach committee. “A lot of students knew the guys that were in the home build and they were supporting their friends as well as the community.”

The school raised $1,000 towards the purchase of two front doors for the semi-detached homes.

COMMUNITY SPIRIT Mackenzie Schultz, Alyssa Tomlin and Mose Clemmer from the EDSS student council’s outreach committee donated $1,000 to MennoHomes’ Elmira build. Brad Martin (back) from MSCU was on hand Jan. 20 as well to donate $6,000 to the project.

The build also received a $6,000 donation from the Mennonite Savings and Credit Union.

This was the first time EDSS students took on the task of building a semi-detached home and the first time the class was able to build a home in Elmira. Instructor Shantz, who has completed 25 builds with students to date, said he was pleased with the outcome.

“The build went very well, and we were surprised to see the guys working well together. They were a pretty energetic bunch of teenagers,” said Shantz. “This has been very good for the guys because they see the outcome and know that it is going to someone who really needs the home. It meant a lot to the guys to know that and they really get the fact that they are helping our local community.”
Jordan Soehner, a Grade 12 student who helped on the build, said communication was key when it came to the students working with each other.

“Finishing this place took a lot of teamwork between everyone in the class,” said Soehner.  “It is pretty cool to know that there was nothing here before, and we built it all. We definitely worked as a team to get this done. At first there were a lot of different ideas on how to do the work but we eventually found our groove and started working together. I am glad we did it and were able to experience what it is like to build a house because that is not something everyone has the chance to do.”

The township budgets $70,000 a year for the service, but the actual amount charged depends on the rolling surplus of funds in the account. Last year, for instance, some $46,000 was billed. The fund is in a surplus position again this year, thanks in part to the mild winter. That works out to about $12 for an average home with an assessed value of $254,000.

The weather has also lessened the number of complaints, but not eliminated them, as Mayor Todd Cowan noted at a Jan. 19 budget meeting. Many residents call him, upset about the service, he said, noting there are others who are happy to be relieved of shoveling their sidewalks. By law, residents everywhere else in the township have to clear their own walkways within 24 hours of a snowfall.

For Coun. Mark Bauman, that system may be just the tonic for Elmira. In discussing the matter, he asked tongue-in-cheek just how many complaints are heard from residents in other parts of the township. “It was sort of a leading question,” he joked, adding, however, that doing away with the service is a viable alternative.

“The do-nothing approach should always be an option.”

Coun. Allan Poffenroth, meanwhile, summed up the state of the service by noting when he goes for a walk every morning he uses the roads, as the sidewalks are usually still unsafe after a snowfall, even if they’ve been cleared, because snow and ice remain.

“I would not walk on the sidewalks – it’s safer on the road. You’re stupid to walk on them if you want to not break bones,” he said, offering a typically blunt assessment. It’s a sentiment not lost on director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley, who has to deal with the complaints.

“We’re certainly aware of the concerns that have been expressed by any number of people.”

If the township does opt to continue the service, he said more caution and detail will be needed in setting up the terms of future snow-clearing contracts. The complaints have been fairly constant no matter which outside company has been doing the work, meaning tighter controls are needed, he said. Over the years, the township has had issues with the types of equipment used, for instance, making that part of the deal.

The township also expects about four per cent more revenue ($139,907.52) from growth in the tax base compared to 2011.

The cuts mostly consisted of trimming away at the overall budget, but major cuts included $50,000 from the provisions for future roads reserves, $20,000 from recreation reserves, $15,336.65 from the information and technology expenditures budget, and $5,000 from the fire reserves for the development of a future fire station.

Starting with 6.41% in spending increases, council whittles down the budget after first day of deliberations

Kelterborn said he was disappointed that the township could not start the process of rebuilding their reserves and instead had to make cuts to them, but at the same time he felt it was prudent to keep the tax increase at a more manageable level.

One major source of contention at Tuesday’s meeting was the request to budget for an employee to handle the information technology services in the office, including repairs and service for the computers and server, any cellular phones issues, and to work on the township’s website.

Staff requested that a new position be created and more than $60,000 be budgeted for IT wages ($45,000) and benefits ($15,336.65), which drew vocal opposition from Coun. Herb Neher and Coun. Jim Olender.
“I don’t justify a full-time IT person,” said Olender. “We don’t need someone twiddling their thumbs six hours of the day, and they need to be doing a hell of a lot more than just IT.”
“For an office this size, an IT person isn’t justified,” added Neher, suggesting that they put out an ad for a retired resident in the township with computer experience, or an outside consultant, both of which would be cheaper than a full-time employee, he said.

Last year the township budgeted for $44,250 in outside IT expenditures, but reduced that number to $20,500 this year.

CAO Susan Duke said that the options suggested by Neher were not off the table, but that staff still needed to account for those costs in the budget in order to avoid a sizable shortfall.
In the end council elected to eliminate the $15,336.65 benefits portion of the expenditure, and labeled wages as “services” to leave their options open moving forward.
Kelterborn said Wellesley has worked hard to ensure that growth and expenditures are kept within their modest means as a township.

“We have moved ahead leaps and bounds,” the mayor said of the township’s development over the past few years. “We were able to keep what I consider a reasonable level of service to our customers and our rate payers based on a minimal tax increase.”

Before the budget can be passed, the township must provide 14 days’ notice to allow for public comment. The township is currently accepting public commentary on the budget, which will be presented in its final form to council on Feb. 21 in order to be passed.

Formally known as The Safe Streets and Communities Act, the bill was introduced last September and is comprised of nine smaller bills that were presented by the minority Conservative government but never passed into law.
The WRCPC is opposed to the bill on the basis that the topics covered in the document – which range from protecting children from sexual predators to supporting victims of terrorism – are rolled together, rather than dealt with individually.

“Let’s take a look at this legislation but let’s do it bill by bill instead of wholesale,” said Sadeler, adding that the WRCPC is not opposed to certain elements of the bill – just its wholesale nature.
“It’s not about being soft or tough on crime. That’s the wrong question to ask.”

Provincial Correctional Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur said Monday that the province faces the real possibility of having to build a new 1,000-bed jail at a cost of $900 million to house the extra prisoners that will be arrested and sentenced under C-10, a cost that she wants the federal government to cover.

Prison populations are expected to rise significantly under the bill due to its creation of new mandatory minimum sentences, increasing the maximum sentences on some crimes, limiting the use of conditional sentences such as house arrest, and making it harder to receive a pardon.

Sadeler is concerned that here in Waterloo Region the changes will mean more police in courtrooms for trials and less on the streets doing proactive work to limit the amount of crime. Court costs will also rise, meaning the money will have to be cut from other services to help cover those expenses.

She fears the cuts will be to social programs that actually help cut down on crime – programs like recreation programs for youth, support for victims of crime, counselling services, and the like by putting even more financial pressure on a provincial government looking to make cuts to tackle its $16-billion deficit.

“The province is already saying ‘well, we need to cut back,” Sadeler said, alluding to the forthcoming Drummond report aimed at reducing the amount of red ink in the province. “On top of already anticipated cuts, if they have to find a billion dollars, it only makes sense to say that it will have to come from somewhere, and it will likely be from the very programs that we know can prevent crime. So it is cyclical.”

Sadeler also questioned why the Harper government continues to push its tough-on-crime mandate in an era where crime rates continue to fall. In July, Statistics Canada announced that Canada’s crime rate was the lowest it had been in nearly 40 years and that it had been falling steadily for the past 20 years.

Canadian police services reported nearly 2.1 million criminal code incidents in 2010, about 77,000 fewer than in 2009. The Crime Severity Index also fell to its lowest point since 1998. “It does beg the question of ‘why now?’ what are we trying to accomplish? We’re on a good trajectory here in Canada with regards to public safety and security.”

Sadeler also noted that in Waterloo Region crime rates are historically below both the provincial and federal level.

Bill C-10 passed its first and second reading in the Senate Dec. 16, and was referred to the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, where it will stay until members return to the senate next week.
The bill must then pass a third and final vote, and is expected to be passed into law by the middle of February.