St. Marys Independent
Transcription
St. Marys Independent
Black’s Financial Services New 2016 Ram 1500 Quad & Crew Cabs Term 1yr 3yr 5yr G.I.C. 1.80% 2.10% 2.40% CDIC INSURED Black’s Financial Services 519.284.3308 0% *All rates subject to change without notice Call Pat for details. 519.284.1340 Plus Credits of up to FOR 60 MONTHS! Now is the Best Time$10,000 to Get into a Ram! Are you taking advantage of the TFSA? 1 YR 1.71% - 3 YR 2.04% - 5 YR 2.31% For More Products and Financial Advice Call Us Today! * All rates subject to change without notice St. Marys Independent 36 Water St., St. Marys • Phone: 519.284.0041 • Fax: 519.284.0042 • info@stmarysindependent.com • Facebook: www.facebook.com/stmarysindy • Twitter: www.twitter.com/stmarysindy Serving St. Marys, Embro, Fullarton, Granton, Kirkton, Kintore, Medina, Rannoch, Sebringville, St. Pauls, Thamesford,Thorndale, Uniondale, Woodham Vol. 15 No. 47 Friday, December 4, 2015 Water rates going up Last year for Cadzow pool? Don’t let shopping get you down! The snow enthusiasts on your list will love River Valley Tube Slide gift cards. Valid for any purchase at the tube slide, restaurant or golf course. Our gift cards are available in any denomination. Call us for inquiries at 519 225 2329 Because the water system has to be self sufficient, the rates for water will see an increase in St. Marys in 2016. In a report to Council at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday, Jed Kelly outlined the increases that will come into effect on the first water bill next year. For Tier 1 customers, which is residential, the increase will be $4.22 per month. Tier 2, which is small commercial, the increase will be $63.74 per month, while large industrial will see an increase of $223.49 per month. The increase covers both water and waste water rates. Kelly also informed Council that because of low water levels in recent times, the Town will need a new ‘reservoir” to store water. The choice was be- tween a new water tower or a reservoir, with the reservoir being the preferred option by staff. The new reservoir would be completed in approx. 2-3 years after Government approvals are finalized. Earlier this year the Town had a public survey asking for opinions on Cadzow Park. 379 responses were received. With this information, the Recreation Dept. hired a consultant to analyze the results and come up with different concepts to improve the park. These plans were presented to Council on Tuesday night by Stephanie Ische. The consultants came up with 4 different concepts and the plan was to have a public meeting in the new year. However, Council was split on whether to show all the plans to the public or select what they thought would be the best ones. Coun. Don Van Galen lead the opinion to show them all while Coun. Pope took the opposing view. In a recorded vote, the result was to show just two plans to the public, with both plans involving the pool being closed. In its place would be a splash pad which would have longer opening hours than the pool. Voting for the “2 concept idea” were Couns. Pope, Craigmile, Hainer and Mayor Al Strathdee, while Couns. Van Galen, Winter and Osborne voting for showing all the plans. The public meeting will likely be held in February and the pool would probably stay open for 2016. By Dan Rankin Monday morning in St. Marys Memorial Hospital's emergency department, officials from St. Marys Cement got the chance to take a look at two vital pieces of life-saving equipment that are now here and operational thanks to their $50,000 to the hospital foundation's Someone I Know capital campaign. The two portable machines are a defibrillator, by medical technology company Zoll, and an electrocardiogram (ECG) machine by Philips. St. Marys doctor Bob Davis called the new defibrillator "probably the most beneficial life-saving piec- es equipment," in the hospital. "It can actually save a life," he said. "It can actually bring someone back from the dead, basically." Hospital foundation chair John McIntosh said they try to match up the funds that someone or some group would like to donate with a specific piece St. Marys Cement donation brings defibrillator and ECG to St. Marys ER Continued on page 4 21 DAYS TIL XMAS. SHOP LOCAL! Perth County business participation in provincial job fairs not "as good as anticipated" By Dan Rankin At the Joint Economic Development Committee industry breakfast back in September, local employers and council members heard how the County was working with Partners in Employment to bring Perth County businesses to job fairs across the province in cities such as Peterborough and Toronto. Those communities have high unemployment, they heard, and local businesses having trouble filling job openings could gain access to a wide field of workers, many of them new Canadians anxious to get out of the cities where they had been since landing in Canada. Perth County Economic Development Coordinator Kristin Sainsbury told the Perth South Economic Development Committee this week that the first few of those "reverse job fairs" have begun taking place – the only thing missing has been local businesses. The County has recently attended job fairs in London, Brantford and several in Toronto, Sainsbury said. "We have met to talk about the outcomes of that and, unfortunately, it hasn't been as good as we had anticipated," she said. "The biggest thing I found was, despite numerous emails out to people, we had a low uptake by employers willing to commit one day to go out and do on-site interviews with people." Several businesses from Stratford, St. Marys and the County did attend the fairs, she said, "but some of the ones we hear screaming the loudest, we'd say, 'Are you willing to go? It's a day. There's no cost to you,' and they weren't. For whatever reason they didn't take it up." Several businesses even chose to "drop out at the last minute," she said. "An employment centre has gone to the effort of getting space, promoting an event, bringing people in, and then three of the companies that are supposed to come decide the day before not to show up? It doesn't look very good." In other instances, when local companies attending the job fairs made offers Continued on page 4 Friday, December 4, 2015 2 St. Marys Independent Sally Says God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December. ~ James M. Barrie December has arrived and with it the festive season. Homes are decked out in bright holiday lights, malls are bursting at the seams with shoppers and parking lots can be a nightmare to navigate, however, determined shoppers will eventually find a parking space. My husband is sometimes of the mind that if there isn’t a parking space available, that it simply means we were not meant to shop that day. Of course, I disagree. I feel if we’ve gone to all the trouble to travel to the mall, then is just matter of waiting it out for a parking spot. At least that is how I used to feel. These days I am more inclined to shop locally here in St. Marys. I even shop online for certain items like books. There are great deals to be had if one knows where to look. Still, I prefer the mortar and bricks experience and I certainly like to support our local merchants. A long time citizen of St. Marys once said to me, “If you can’t find it in St. Marys, then you aren’t really looking.” There is certainly some truth to that statement, but we don’t have a book store, furniture store, children’s clothing store, or an appliance store here in town so some folks are forced to travel to Stratford or London for their purchases. What appeals to me when shopping in a small town such as ours is the simple fact that I am not in a hot stuffy mall. I love getting a lungful of fresh air between shops. Nothing will make me vacate a mall shop faster than if I am overheated while wearing my winter coat. I lose all concentration and just want to leave. Keepers of the thermostats, are you listening? The food bank is now closed until after Christmas to allow us the time and space to pack food for our Christmas hamper applicants, many of whom are also food bank clients. In just two short weeks, we will be distributing the Christmas food boxes and toys for those families who have children. There will be enough food in the boxes to see everyone through until new year when we will reopen again. Our offices will also be closed after December 23 until the new year. Church services will continue as usual. We will be packing our toy bags for children the week of December 7th so if anyone has a toy drive going it would help us tremendously if the toys were brought in to us as early in that week as possible so we can include them in our toy bags. Thank you. It seems to be all about deadlines this time of year. We are on a tight timeline to get all of our Christmas work done as early as possible so that each child can receive at least one thing from their wish list on Christmas morning. We do the best with what we are given and I have to commend out entire community for their generous spirit each time this year. We can only give it away if we receive it in the first place and there is no shortage of kind hearted people in St. Marys and surrounding areas. Our list of people to thank each year is getting too long to manage anymore. We are fortunate to be able to say that, but to all the banks, businesses, schools, churches, service clubs and individuals, who go out of their way to have fund raisers and toy and food drives, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Also, to all the folks who are responding so generously to our letter appeal, a great big thank you to you as well. Your donations will keep family services and the food bank going for another year. Bless you all. I must mention the many volunteers who come forward this time of year. Getting the job done without all of you lovely selfless people would be daunting to say the least. A big thank you to the special woman who came forward last Tuesday and helped me get our entire toy room/toy packing area sorted out and organized. You saved me hours of work. Thank you Marilyn. And thank you to my/our right hand, Sue and to Lorrie her sidekick who have been doing a fantastic job getting the food bank organized and ready for our big hamper packing day on Monday, December 14. The work is tedious and can sometimes be painstakingly slow, but it gets done nevertheless. To all the folks who have so far signed up and done shifts at one of our three kettle locations, thank you, thank you, thank you. Be assured that the work you do is very important and again, keeps our food bank and family services running for another year. We still have spots available at our kettles for anyone who can spare an hour for the outside location or two hours for an indoor location. Please call our office at 519-284-2760 and we will be happy to book a time for you. Our food bank is currently collecting the four sleeve soda cracker boxes, 750 gram jars of peanut butter, and small and medium boxes of cold cereal. Thank you. Wishing everyone a splendid weekend. Blessings. Sally Ann The Week Ahead Saturday, December 5 Kingsway Vendor Open House – 10:00 am – 3:00 pm (See ad on page 23) St. James Anglican Church Annual Tea & Christmas Sale – 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm (See ad on page 23) Sunday, December 6 St. Marys United Church Worship Service – 10:30 am (See ad on page 26) Lyric Flowers Christmas Home Tour at 77 Parkhaven Crescent, 31 Sparling Crescent and 17 Oakwood Court – 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm Living Rock Worship Service at 16 Hillside Court, St. Marys – 3:00 pm (See ad on page 26) Ecumenical Advent Service at Holy Name of Mary Roman Catholic Church – 7:00 pm (See ad on page 26) Monday, December 7 Parkview Creamery Quiz Night – 7:00 pm (See Quiz on page 20) Wednesday, December 9 The Annual DCVI Food Drive – 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm (See ad on page 23) 1.80% 2.10% 2.40% 566 Queen St. E. • 519.284.4348 Senior of the Week Our senior of the week is Inger Klaudi, who will be celebrating her 96th birthday on Sunday Dec. 6. Inger, who was born in Denmark and came to Canada in 1959, has 6 children and 12 grandchildren. Happy Birthday Inger! If you would like to nominate someone for Senior of the Week, Contact us at 284-0041 (phone), 284-0042 (fax), or info@stmarysindependent.com. 1.71% 2.10% 2.40% 1.71% 2.04% 2.31% Friday, December 4, 2015 St. Marys Independent 21,921 $ WELL-EQUIPPED FROM * 248 $ LEASE PAYMENT FOR 24 MONTHS* $2,874 DOWN | 1.9% LEASE RATE *Plus HST 27,001 $ WELL-EQUIPPED FROM * 288 $ 3 LEASE PAYMENT FOR 24 MONTHS* $2,814 DOWN | 1.9% LEASE RATE *Plus HST SOME DRIVERS DREAM OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS MORE THAN OTHERS. ‡ Find your nearest Subaru dealer at ontario.subarudealer.ca. MODELS EQUIPPED WITH EYESIGHT® *MSRP of $19,995/$24,995 on 2016 Impreza 4-dr MT (GF120)/ 2016 Crosstrek Touring 5MT (GX1TP). Lease rate of (1.9%/1.9%) for (24/24) months. Monthly payment is ($248/$288) with ($2,874/$2,814) down payment. Option to purchase at end of lease is ($13,258/$17,623) with ($3,528/$3,506) due on signing. Advertised pricing consists of MSRP plus charges for Freight/PDI ($1,595 on 2016 Impreza/$1,675 on 2016 Crosstrek), Air Conditioning Charge ($100), Tire Stewardship Levy ($27.15), OMVIC Fee ($5), Dealer Admin ($199). Freight/PDI charge includes a full tank of gas. Taxes, license, registration and insurance are extra. $0 security deposit. Model shown: 2016 Impreza 4-dr Limited Tech-Pkg AT (GF2LPE) with an MSRP of $29,495/2016 Crosstrek Limited Package CVT w/ Tech (GX2LPE) with an MSRP of $31,895. Dealers may sell or lease for less or may have to order or trade. Offers applicable on approved credit at participating dealers only. Lease based on a maximum of 20,000 km per year, with excess charged at $0.10/ km. Leasing and financing programs available through Subaru Financial Services by TCCI. Other lease and finance rates and terms available; down payment or equivalent trade-in may be required. Vehicles shown solely for purposes of illustration, and may not be equipped exactly as shown. Offers available until November 30th, 2015. See your local Subaru dealer for complete program details.‡Ratings are awarded by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Please visit www.iihs.org for testing methods. S.A.S.S. (STRATFORD) SUBARU 2001 Ontario St., Stratford 519.273.3116 www.stratfordsass.com 4 Friday, December 4, 2015 St. Marys Independent St. Marys Cement donation brings defibrillator and ECG to St. Marys ER Surrounding the St. Marys hospital's new Zoll defibrillator (centre) are, from left, back row, St. Marys Cement plant manager Jose Soraggi, senior representative for people and management Debbie Munro, manager of people and development Vanessa Barr, hospital manager Jane Rundle, hospital foundation chair John McIntosh, Dr. Bob Davis, registered nurse Elaine Manley and registered nurse Janet van Koot, holding the new ECG. Front row are Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance President and CEO Andrew Williams and registered nurse Marcy Taylor. Continued from page 1 of equipment or project. "This was a perfect fit for St. Marys Cement," he said. "It was something they wanted to do. They wanted to have a piece of equipment they could say that that's theirs." St. Marys Cement plant manager Jose Soraggi said they were aware of the need for such a piece of equipment at the hos- pital and were happy to make a donation to the cause. "The hospital found that this would be the best machine to acquire, so St. Marys Cement contributed the funds for that," he said. Dr. Davis was excited about the many applications the new defibrillator will now be able to serve in critical situations in the emergency room. "If someone comes in with a heart attack, it will tell us what rhythm their heart is beating at, help us revert that rhythm to normal and hopefully save the patient," he said. "It can also be used for someone who passes out because of funny rhythm that doesn't let the heart pump to their brain. We can put this on and it makes the heart pump at the right rate." Continued from page 1 to potential employees, the would-be employees "decided no," Sainsbury said. "Although they went through the process with the companies and job offers were made, there is a barrier to having them relocate," she said, noting the cost of moving a family for a job paying a comparable wage could be preventing workers from making the leap. "We thought for sure these reverse job fairs were going to have a much better outcome than they did," she said. "At this point that's not going to be ended." They still plan on attending one or two more upcoming fairs in Ottawa and Peterborough, as well as hosting several "virtual job fairs" in the New Year. Sainsbury also touched on work that is being done to attract young people in the area to the manufacturing industry. "A lot of youths look right away to service jobs – restaurants and retail," she said. "There's a bad rep for manufacturing – they often site safety problems as a concern." To reverse this, groups of youths through Partners in Employment and Conestoga College will soon be taking a pilot test tour of Cooper Standard in Stratford. "Cooper Standard is going to take them into their plant and do a tour to show them what modern manufacturing is all about, and try to put some of those concerns at bay," she said. "We're going to be doing a followup survey with the people that participate to find out if it changed their perspective on manufacturing. We'll also be looking to have a conversation with the school boards. How do we help dispel some of the myths around some of these traditional industries?" Perth County business participation in provincial job fairs not "as good as anticipated" INTERESTED IN REACHING A NEW MARKET? Great advertising rates available in our sister paper, the Exeter Examiner. We also offer discounts for placing ads in both the St. Marys Independent and the Exeter Examiner. Contact us for details Friday, December 4, 2015 St. Marys Independent ● FINANCE RATES AS LOW AS 0% $ ● UP TO 1,500 HOLIDAY BONUS CASH $ ● UP TO 1,000 LOYALTY CASH DEMO CLEAROUT 2015 NISSAN PATHFINDER® 6500 KM - $3500 DISCOUNT 2015 NISSAN ROGUE - $3000 DISCOUNT 2014 NISSAN SENTRA® SR LESS THAN 200KM - $4500 DISCOUNT STRATFORD NISSAN LTD. ® 2015 NISSAN ROGUE® LESS THAN 200KM - $3000 DISCOUNT 2015 NISSAN SENTRA® SL LESS THAN 150 KM - $4000 DISCOUNT On select models only ● See dealer for details 2001 Ontraio Street East, Stratford, ON N5A 6S5 519-273-3119 ● www.stratfordnissan.com 5 Friday, December 4, 2015 6 St. Marys Independent Editorial OPP launches comprehensive integrated mental health strategy Document Addresses Mental Health of Both OPP Personnel and Community Members Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Commissioner J.V.N. (Vince) Hawkes this week launched the OPP Mental Health Strategy: Our People, Our Communities, a comprehensive and integrated approach to improving the response to the mental health needs of OPP members and the individuals they serve. “How do we encourage our people to be, and remain, resilient? How can we improve outcomes when police interact with people with mental health issues? These are just some of the important questions addressed in the OPP’s Mental Health Strategy,” said Hawkes at a media conference. “By placing a high value on supporting the health and wellness of our own members, the OPP will be in the best possible position to deliver services to people in our communities with men- tal health issues.” The OPP Strategy has two related but distinct components -- Supporting Our People: Healthy Workforce and Supporting Our Communities: Police Interactions with People with Mental Health Issues. Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Yasir Naqvi expressed his support: “Our government believes that improving interactions between police and vulnerable individuals is vitally important and a key part of our Strategy for a Safer Ontario. The OPP’s new Mental Health Strategy reflects that focus and I commend them for their work to increase opportunities for early intervention and improve outcomes for both OPP officers and the public they serve.” The 15 priorities for action include the: expansion of mental health education and training for officers; increased capacity in the OPP Critical Incident Stress Response Team/Peer Support Program; improved data collection and on-going program evaluation; the development of transfer of care protocols (from police to health care provider); the facilitation of the development of police/mental health collaborative response models; and increased early referrals from police to mental health services. At the news conference, Hawkes said the Strategy was the result of extensive work by the OPP which included research on best practices and broad stakeholder consultation. A complete text of the Strategy, along with related materials, can be found on the OPP website at http://www. opp.ca/ecms/index. php?id=584 The Independent THOUGHTS OF THE WEEK Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something. A truth that’s told with bad intent, beats all the lies you can invent. It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when they have lost their way. The first duty of a man is to think for himself. HAVE YOUR SAY This week sponsored by RADAR AUTO PARTS 395 Queen Street, West Bravo We have two Bravo submitted this week The first one “goes to the Mobility staff people who go far and beyond in trying to help people. They are always courteous and are always helpful to me”. The second Bravo goes “to all those seniors live at home and do not burden the health system. Good for them for doing this and Bravo to all those who do this and still drive their car to get around”. Boo We have one Boo submitted this week. “A Boo to the individual who last week presented himself as being insensitive to older drivers. This person also suggested we change the slogan for our town. We live in St.Marys not Toronto my friend and have many older drivers who live here. They rely on this mode of transportation to maintain independence. If you have a problem with older drivers you could consider moving. Please get a grip and hug a senior!! Life is short. BOO! BRAV O! BRAV O! *Please note all Boos and Bravos must be signed in order to be considered. BOO! Bravos and Boos are submitted by community members and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the St. Marys Independent Quote of the Week “The one thing we do know is that we have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world.” ~ President Barack Obama, after the shootings in San Bernardino this week. This week’s question: Would you rather see a splash pad at Cadzow instead of the pool? YES % NO % (no speeches please) To cast your vote by phone: 519-284-0041 or ON OUR WEBSITE www.stmarysindependent.com before Monday at 9:00 am Watch for the results next week. Last week’s question: Do you plan to do most of your Christmas shopping in town this year? YES 20% NO 80% Friday, December 4, 2015 St. Marys Independent Store Hours: MON-FRI 9 am – 6 pm SAT 9 am – 2 pm 665 James St. N. 519•284•3220 THE FLOORING AND PAINT STORE GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE www.flooringandpaintstore.ca Like Us On Facebook: The Flooring & Paint Store 7 COMING SOON NEW PAINT LINE AND PRODUCTS WATCH FOR EXCITING CHANGES Last call on our Pittsburg Paint $35 gal $15 quart Limited bases Benefit concert at Town Hall Nov. 28 Movies – Disney and Lucasfilm have begun their search for who will play a young Han Solo in an upcoming planned Star Wars spinoff prequel (and, let’s face it, probably one or two more after that). The Hollywood Reporter reported that sources told them over 2,000 actors have met casting director Jeanne McCarthy for the part. Most actors being considered are in their early to mid-20s, as they will be tasked with playing a younger version of Solo than viewers saw in A New Hope (Ford was 35 when the original film was released). The spinoff film will be directed by 21 and 22 Jump Street directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller and will begin shooting in January 2017 for a May 2018 release. In the meantime, Harrison Ford, 73, will once again portray the part he made famous in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which opens Dec. 18. In other news, a new study asking parents how they feel about film ratings found that American parents are more concerned with sexual content and nudity than violence and language (except that one grand-daddy of four-letter words). According to the 2015 Parents Ratings Advisory Study, a majority of parents think most types of sexual content should automatically warrant an R rating and that even one use of the F-word is inappropriate for PG-13 movies. Music – This week it was announced that performing at halftime of the 2016 Super Bowl (Super Bowl 50) will be British rock group Coldplay, who are behind such hits as “Clocks” and “The Scientist.” The Wall Street Journal reports that Beyoncé is also in talks to make a guest appearance. Beyoncé collaborated with the group on their new album, A Head Full of Dreams, which was released today, as did past Super Bowl halftime show headliner Bruno Mars. The Super Bowl will take place Feb. 7, 2016 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The San Francisco 49ers (3-8) are not expected to attend. Also celebrating a landmark anniversary next year is the music festival Lollapalooza, which will mark its 25h anniversary next July by expanding to a four-day event at Grant Park in Chicago. Running from July 27 to 31, it’s expected to feature a lineup of over 170 artists. Four-day general admission tickets will be priced at $335, with one-day tickets available for $120 each. The lineup and on-sale date for tickets are expected next spring. Tech – This year, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is celebrating its 60th anniversary tracking Santa’s yuletide journey. You can visit NoradSanta.org to follow Santa’s journey on Christmas Eve, play games, see a countdown to Christmas, and more. The website is available in eight languages including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Chinese. Official “NORAD Tracks Santa” apps are also available in the Windows, Apple and Google Play stores, so parents and children can countdown the days until Santa’s launch on their smart phones and tablets. NORAD’s “Santa Cams” will stream videos on the website as Santa makes his way over various locations. Beginning at 6:00 am on Christmas Eve, trackers worldwide can speak with a live phone operator to inquire as to Santa’s whereabouts by dialing the toll-free number 1-877-Hi-NORAD (1-877-446-6723) or by sending an email to noradtrackssanta@outlook.com. Letters to the Editor: Have your say. St. Marys Independent 36 Water St., P.O. Box 2065, St. Marys, ON, N4X 1C3 P: 519.284.0041 F: 519.284.0042 Email: info@stmarysindependent.com Website: www.stmarysindependent.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/stmarysindy The rock band Dress Rehearsal, which is composed of St. Marys natives Kevin and Sean Graham, Josh Doherty and Ryan Watson, performed at the St. Marys Town Hall Theatre on Nov. 28 along with their friend and frequent collaborator Luke Michielsen as part of a benefit for the non-profit group Heart for Africa. Heart for Africa supports a farm and orphanage in the impoverished African nation of Swaziland. Prices in effect for one week - Friday December 4 to Friday December 11 While quantities last Tylenol Arthritis 170’s, Extra Strength eZTabs 200’s, Muscle Aches & Body Pain 110’s, Back Pain 40’s, Body Pain Night 40’s or EZ Open Ultra Relief 120’s 16.99 ea. $ Webber Naturals Coenzyme Q10 60’s-120’s Selected Types 7.99 ea. $ Asprin 81mg Low Dose ASA Tablets 120’s or Quick Chews 100’s 12.99 ea. $ Aleve Pain Relief Caplets 24’s or Liquid Gels 20’s 5.99 ea. $ P.O. BOX 957, 155 Queen Street East, St. Marys ON, N4X 1B6 ● Phone: 519.284.1380 ● Fax: 519.284.1283 Friday, December 4, 2015 8 Independent Shorts ● Yesterday was the International Day of Disabled Persons, as proclaimed by the UN in 1992. To commemorate the day, which aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities, a group of Grade 11 Leadership students from St. Marys DCVI used the AXSMap.com rating system to provide online ratings to a number of downtown St. Marys businesses on their accessibility. “This information is for people with disabilities,” said Perth County Accessibility Coordinator Julia Opie. “When they make their plans to do an outing, it lets them know where they can shop, eat and go to the bathroom. It’s really basic, but important information for people with disabilities.” ● Tomorrow night, the St. Marys Community Players host “A Night at the Improv” at the St. Marys Town Hall Theatre. Tickets are $15, will 100 percent of proceeds supporting the St. Marys Refugee Sponsorship Group. ● Queen’s smash hit “Bohemian Rhapsody” first reached Number One on the UK Singles chart 40 years ago last week. It resurfaced on the Canadian charts years later in 1992 because of its use in the film Wayne’s World. St. Marys Independent BUSINESS OF THE WEEK Mark Horner Stable By Dan Rankin Our Business of the Week is St. Marys’ own Standardbred horse racing and training centre, Mark Horner Stable, owned by Mark Horner and located just north of St. Marys at 2006 Perth Road 130. Horses have been raised on the current location of the stables since at least the 1950s, but Horner’s father Wayne purchased the farm in the early 1980s. The family moved to St. Marys when Mark and his brother Mike were in elementary school, and they have been raising horses here ever since. Mark has been running the farm for the past 20 years. “We raise two and threeyear-olds and keep older horses around if they’re competitive,” Horner said. “We race on a weekly basis and try to make a living.” Prior to the cancellation of the province’s “Slots at Racetrack Program (SARP),” Horner would raise and train around 40 horses, but since then that number has fall#2407299 ONT. INC 402 Queen St. W PO. Box 8 St. Marys, ON N4X 1A9 519-284-1302 harrisgarage1302@gmail.com RON BAILEY General Manager Box 310, 75 South Service Road, St. Marys, ON N4X 1B2 Tel: 519.349.2130 Fax: 519.349.2626 We are excited to inform all of our customers that our operating business name has changed from Harris Garage to Harris-Greig Automotive. You will notice a new sign has been installed. The name change reflects the ownership change in May 2014 from Mike & Judy Harris to the partnership of Ryan & Candice Harris and Bryan (Bib) & Judy Greig. We strive to continue to offer the same excellent customer service that people received at Harris Garage. Nothing else will change; our address, phone number, and email address remain the same. We do plan to launch a new website with a new email address in the near future, but will notify customers in advance when that takes place. We thank you for your continued support! Ryan, Candice, Jaden, Owen & Reese Harris Bryan, Judy, Eve & Simon Greig en to around 25. “We’re working hard to get that straightened out,” he said. “Hopefully it gets better soon.” Typically, they buy young horses in the fall and train them throughout the winter, “in hopes that they’ll race in the bigger added-money events throughout the summer,” he said. “We also have to maintain a solid core of race horses to keep the cash flowing.” One of the most consistent race horses for the past decade for Horner has been Button Up, a horse whose career winnings is “closing in on $900,000,” he said. The biggest race of Button Up’s career was in 2005, when he won the “Battle of Waterloo” for $300,000. Over the years as a trainer, Horner’s horses have earned nearly $7 million in winnings and recently surpassed 800 starts. Tonight at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Horner’s brother Mike will be the driver for three-year-old filly Pinky Tuscadero. As a driver, Mike has 2,268 wins to his name, totalling over $13 million in winnings. Tonight is the autumn series final and the purse is $38,000, he said. “We’ve got to compete for every dollar we make,” Horner said. “There are no handouts, we have to race for it. Better horses race for better money and that’s what you strive to do.” That involves early mornings all year long, jogging horses between three and five miles per day on their half-mile track, and then, twice a week, “running a little faster the way they would on the race track,” Horner said. On the 50acre site they also grow most of the crops they use to feed the horses, he said. “We’re a family-run business,” Horner said. “We’ve been here a long time and we’re hoping to stay for a few more years anyways.” Anyone interested in the Standardbred horse racing business, or having a horse trained at Mark Horner Stable is invited to contact Mark by phone, at 519-271-8197, or email at MhornerStable@gmail. com. PERTH HEAT-COOL RESIDENTIAL HEATING AND COOLING oil, gas, propane & air conditioning Competitive pricing 10 year warranty on gas Ed Otto furnaces and air conditioners Call 519-284-0430 St. Marys Independent Friday, December 4, 2015 9 THIS WEEK IN AGRICULTURE Your Garage Door and Opener Specialists Spring, Cable and Opener Repairs Agricultural • Commercial • Residential Locally Owned and operated by Darcy Robertson Call today for a No Obligation Free Estimate www.stonetowndoortech.com New provincial municipal funding model not kind to Perth South By Dan Rankin The Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF) is the main transfer payment municipalities receive from the province. According to Perth South treasurer Rebecca Clothier, in 2015, the unconditional OMPF grant allocation Perth South received was just over $1.5 million, or "equal to about $987 per household, and close to 50 percent" of the municipality's tax levy. But things are changing, as, in 2014, the program was redesigned, and, as Clothier presented to Council on Dec. 1, that's going to mean less unconditional OMPF funding coming to Perth South in the next few years. Based on current estimates, by 2020, the annual funding received by Perth South will be about half the amount received in 2016. "The redesign or phase down of the program resulted in an annual reduction in our allocations," she said. "Grant amounts were generally increasing from 2004 to 2012, remained unchanged in 2013, and then have been reduced annually. Reductions that have been made are significant and are equal to about $612 per household. It's anticipated that continued reductions will continue into the future." Clothier's presentation to Council revolved around a "Fiscal Indicators Report" she had been sent by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing that broke down how much funding Perth South was due and the rationale behind it. The new funding model has the stated objectives to support municipalities with limited property assessment, recognize the challenges in northern and rural municipalities and target those with challenging financial circumstances, and assist municipalities with the transition to the redesigned program. Thus, there are now four components to the grant: the assessment equalization grant, the northern communities grant, the rural communities grant, and the northern and rural fiscal circumstances grant – as well as a temporary transitional assistance payment. To qualify for the "assessment equalization" component of funding, Perth South would need to have a median per household assessment below the provincial median assessment of $263,000. "The median assessment per household in our municipality is $380,000, so we're not close to getting any money in that part," Clothier said. Northern municipalities receive an extra $228 per household and, beginning in 2016, benefit from an extra $5 million provincial investment into the OMPF fund. "Obviously we're not in Northern Ontario, so we're not going to get it." However, as Perth South is considered 100 percent rural, they qualify for the rural communities grant, equal to $134 per household or $214,000. Additional per household funding for rural municipalities was added in 2016, accounting for an additional $30 per household, or $48,000. "I'm not sure what we're going to use that money for," Clothier said. "It's not a lot." Finally, there is the northern and rural circumstances grant, which Perth South technically qualifies for as a rural municipality. However, they rank very low on the grant's "municipal fiscal circumstance index (MCFI), which looks at factors such as median household assessment, household income, employment rate and population above the low-income threshold. "Municipalities with relatively challenging circumstances have a MFCI of 10, ones with relatively positive circumstances will have one of 0," Clothier said. "We have a 0.9. Some municipalities will receive increases of more than 30 percent in per household funding allocated through this grant. That's not us." For their fiscal circumstances, Perth South receives a mere $9 per household, for a grant of $14,400. Coun. Stewart Arkett ventured that at least that news means the municipality is in pretty good shape, to which Mayor Robert Wilhelm replied, "unless you're trying to get some grants." "It's like we're being penalized for being efficient," Deputy mayor Jim Aitcheson said. "They're basically going to take us from $1.6 million, where I think we were three or four years ago, to $597,000 by 2020 and we're still paying for the police and the social services." Clothier finished her presentation by noting that funding was reduced by 15 percent for 2016, compared to the 20 percent reduction they saw in 2015. "I should do this presentation first, at the beginning of the meeting, before we have people asking for money," she mused. She expressed some frustration that, while the province continually asks municipalities to plan long-term, it rarely seems to do so itself when it comes to municipal funding. "I think they need to be a little more transparent on how they're going to fund us in the future so that we can make the necessary plans in our budget as we move forward for both operating and capital," she said. 519.284.4784 Market Prices Sponsored by 695 Levitt Street Granton, ON Canada N0M 1V0 (Cash bids as of Thursday, 5:54 p.m.) #2 YELLOW CORN Old Crop – $4.62 New Crop – $4.85 SOYBEANS Old Crop – $11.48 New Crop – $11.27 SOFT RED WHEAT Old Crop – $5.59 New Crop – $5.33 Friday, December 4, 2015 10 St. Marys Independent St. Marys Independent Lincoln of the Week St. Marys Rock Minor Hockey Report The FINNBILT Novice BB team got a few more points in the standings, thanks to a 5-2 win over the Petrolia Oilers, which saw Nate Schiedel and Griff McGregor score two goals each. They followed that up with a 2-2 tie with the Strathroy Jr. Rockets. Schiedel scored again, with Oliver McHugh also chipping in. The team currently sits fourth in their division with a 8-2-5 record. Next on the team’s schedule is a Monday, Dec. 7 home game against the Belmont Rangers at 7:10 pm. The Norampac PeeWee Girls team were held scoreless in their only game this week. Luckily, so was the other team in a 0-0 tie against London. Emma Luyten was the goalie who got the shutout for the Rock. The team has done a good job of getting points in their games with a 5-2-4 record. They play London at home tonight at 5:45 pm, followed by a game against Stratford at the Rotary Complex on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 6:00 pm. The McDonald’s Independent Atom BB team faltered somewhat this week as, after a 7-1 win over Petrolia, they lost their first two games of the season, with a 4-2 loss to the Strathroy Rockets and a 1-0 loss to the Ilderton Jets. The two losses shouldn’t cause any alarms though, as they are first in the league by nine points, with a 16-2-0 record. They have a game tomorrow at the Belmont Arena against the Rangers at 1:15 pm, followed by a home game against Petrolia on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 6:15 pm. The ANAF Bantam BB team lost their only regular season game this week in a 6-2 loss to the Ilderton Jets. They have a 5-7-4 record, which is sixth in their division. They have only one game this week, a home game against the Petrolia Oilers on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 7:00 pm. The Dunny’s Atom AE team suffered a 6-2 loss to the Petrolia Oilers, with Finn Stewart and Jake Grant scoring the lone goals for the Rock. They followed it up with a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to the Lambeth Lancers, which saw the team pressure late and score, but the goal was waved off due to the referee losing sight of the puck. Next week, they have a home game against the Lucan Irish on Monday, Nov. 7 at 7:45 pm. The St. Marys Fire Department PeeWee BB team played a home and home with the Petrolia Oilers, losing 5-3 on the road, but rebounded with a 7-4 win at home. Jacob Boyd and Kaleb Shalk both got two points in the 5-3 loss. They are currently fourth in their division with a 7-9-1 record. They play just one game next week, a home game against the Wallaceburg Lakers on Monday, Dec. 7 game at 8:20 pm. The Frayne Custom Cabinets Bantam AE team played one game last week, with the result being a 2-2 tie. The team is currently first in the league with a 7-2-3 record. They only have one game next week, a home game against the Lambeth Lancer on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3:45 pm. The Kinsmen Novice Girls team defeated the Mooretown Lady Flags 7-0 in their only game this week. Kiara McGregor contributed with a hat trick, Charlee Pickering scored her first two goals of the year, while Skylar Fadelle and Niko Taylor also got on the scoresheet. Ella Gracey was in net for the shutout. The team is 3-1-0, which puts them in third in their division. Next week, they play a couple of weekend road games, starting tomorrow at 9:00 am against the Stratford Aces at the Allman Arena, followed by a Sunday, Dec. 6 game at 3:35 pm against Mooretown at the Mooretown Sports Complex. ATTENTION TEAM REPS: Send you hockey teams updates to us at info@stmarysindependent.com to have them featured weekly in the St. Marys Independent. St. Marys Curling Report By Stewart Grant OPEN COMPETITIVE LEAGUE This year, the Open Competitive League adopted a new tier-system in which the 18team league was split into three groups of six teams apiece. By November 19th, the first round robin was in the books, with Derek Shackleton’s and Brian Douglas’ teams leading Division “A” with identical records of 3-1-1. Gary Crowley and Ron Ferguson were the top two teams in the initial Division “B” round robin, and therefore have advanced into Division “A” where they join Shackleton, Douglas, Matt Ignor and Amie Shackleton for a new set of round robin matches. MENS SOCIAL LEAGUE Through play on November 30th, the wily veterans comprising Marvin Hartwick’s team were atop the Men’s Social League standings with a record of 5-1-0. However this week, the Hartwick team suffered their second loss of the season, losing on the final shot to the Stewart Grant rink. Rookie Chris Connolly, the Grant team’s 7th alternate, was called in to play the lead position and was surprisingly solid. #44 Ryan Martin DOB: June 14, 1999 Age: 16 Hometown: London, ON Position: D Favorite Hockey Player: Duncan Keith Favourite Musician: Luke Bryan Ryan has scored 3 goals and has 7 assists for 10 points, which leads the Lincolns defense. The 'Lukes Report By Scott Maxwell A quick roundup of all the action from your St. Marys DCVI Salukis: The junior boys basketball team kicked off the season at home on Wednesday, with a 53-49 loss to the Stratford Central Rams. The team had a slow start, but nearly rallied back for the win. Mitch Watt led the offense with 20 points, while Thomas Wrigley had eight points. The senior boys basketball team also failed to get a win to start their season, as they lost 77-38 to the Stratford Central Rams. The boys found themselves in 21-1 hole early in the game, and never recovered. Corey Fulop had a solid game, getting 10 points, while Sam Thorup had eight points. Next Week Fri. Dec. 4 - Girls Volleyball @ Woodstock (7:30 am - 6:00 pm) Tues. Dec. 8 - Swimming @ NWSS Meet in St. Marys (9:30 am - 4:00 pm) Wed. Dec. 9 - Boys Basketball @ Madill/Exeter (7:00 am - 6:00 pm) 150th Bonspiel Winners The BEST Advertisement rates in town! At the St. Marys Curling Club last Saturday, 56 curlers participated in the 150th Anniversary Bonspiel. The winners of the Competitive Draw (pictured) were Amie Shackleton, Wayne Hinsperger, Carrie Burden and Christine Hinsperger. St. Marys Independent Friday, December 4, 2015 11 World Sports Roundup NBA East – After coming back from a 17-point deficit to upset the Atlanta Hawks 96-86 in their league-leading 13th road game Wednesday, the Raptors (12-7) began a six-game homestand last night versus Denver (6-13). In the win Wednesday, Kyle Lowry scored 31 points, setting a franchise record by burying 22 of those in the fourth quarter alone. Toronto is next in action Saturday when they will have a chance to hand the undefeated Golden State Warriors (20-0) their first loss of the season. We can probably pencil that one in for a loss, although when they last met in Oakland, the defending champs only eked out a 115110 victory over the Raptors. Toronto is well-positioned to win its third consecutive Atlantic Division title. Fourth in the East, Toronto is the only Atlantic squad poised to enter the post season, ahead of ninthplace Boston (10-8), 11th-place New York (9-10), 15th-place Brooklyn (5-13), and lowly, lastplace Philadelphia (1-19). NBA West - Reigning NBA MVP Steph Curry recently became the fastest player to sink 100 3-Pointers in a season. It could be due to the mighty Warriors knocking down every Western opponent they face, or perhaps it’s because teams like the Rockets (8-11) and Pelicans (415) have been performing well below expectations, but this season has seen a slight resurgence among Eastern Conference teams. In each of the past three seasons, a sub-.500 Eastern team squeaked into the playoffs as an eight seed, while winning teams in the Western conference were left on the outside looking in because of the unbalanced competition. So far this season, however, a total of 10 Eastern Conference teams have already banked 10 wins and sit above .500. Out west, only six teams can make that claim. The Los Angeles Lakers (3-15) are not one of them. On Dec. 1, the Lakers became the first team this season to come out on the losing side of a contest with the 76ers. NHL East - The Leafs (8-12-5) have made plenty of headlines this week, starting with a lackluster performance from Jonathan Bernier in a 4-2 loss to the Capitals (175-1). This led to rookie goaltender Garret Sparks making his NHL debut in a 3-0 win over the Oilers, the first time a Leafs goalie had a shutout in their first NHL game. With James Reimer returning from injury, one goalie had to be sent down to the AHL. It was Bernier who got the call, for a “conditioning stint” (so he’s not on waivers). Sparks got lit up in his next game, although he had no help from the defense in a 6-1 loss to the Jets. The Canadiens (19-4-3) have a six-game point streak right now, thanks to a 3-2 win and OT loss with the Devils (12-10-2) in a home and home, followed by a 2-1 win over the Blue Jackets (10-16). The Senators (12-7-5) are currently on a two-game losing streak, with a 4-3 loss to the Coyotes, as well as a 4-2 loss to the struggling Flyers (10-10-5). The Capitals (17-5-1) are the East’s hottest team right now, as they are on a five-game winning streak. Lincs struggle against London in 4-0 loss By Scott Maxwell The St. Marys Lincolns (5-18-1-2) struggled on Friday against the London Nationals (15-7-31), and a few costly mistakes led to a 4-0 loss. The Nationals hit the Lincolns with depth, as the game saw 11 different players get points for London. Nats goalie Connor Hughes stopped all 30 shots that he faced to get his third career shutout. The way the first period started, it didn't look like would end up a 4-0 game. St. Marys kept up the pace with London for the first half of the period, including a couple instances when London was hemmed into their own zone. Unfortunately, bad bounces, soft goals, and atrocious defense from the Lincolns led to three goals from the Nationals in a span of 1:44, and just like that, the Lincs were down 3-0. St. Marys kept up the pressure for the remainder of the period, but they couldn't get anything past Hughes. Things went downhill for St. Marys in the second period, as turnover after turnover led to the Lincolns getting no chance to produce offense, even during four power plays. London only produced one goal in the second period though, as a rebound from a Trevor Dulong point shot led to a wraparound goal from Kevin Madden after Emanuel Vella thought he had the puck covered. The third period didn't feature too much action, with both teams exchanging shots, but no goals. Things boiled up late in the third, with a couple of scrums and fights in the dying minutes. But, in the end, the Lincolns were shutout for the fourth time this season, the third on home ice. Vella stopped 33 of 37 shots in a los- ing effort. The Lincolns are consistently facing the same problem against the top teams, that being that they can't produce offense. Their 5-3 win over the Chatham Maroons (16-8-1-1) is the only time this season that they've scored more than three goals against one of the top five teams in their division. There has been very little offense from the team, outside of the top line of Brent House, Graham Brulotte, and Nolan King, and when that line gets shut down, you get games like Friday night. The Lincolns get some lighter competition this weekend, as they play their Friday night home game against the Sarnia Legionnaires (1110-1-3) tonight at 7:30 pm. They follow up that with a road game tomorrow night in Strathroy against the Rockets (6-14-2-4) at 7:30 pm. NHL West - After a rough month of November, which saw them go 4-9-1, the Jets (12-12-2) started off December on the right foot, with a 6-1 win over the Maple Leafs. Since Michael Hutchinson has continued to struggle with the starting the role, coach Paul Maurice has turned to Connor Hellebuyck, who has been solid in his two starts. The Canucks (9-9-8) are riding a three-game winless streak, after a 3-2 shootout loss to the Stars (19-5-1), a 4-0 loss to the Ducks (9-12-5), and a 2-1 OT loss to the Kings (15-8-1). The Battle of Alberta has seen its best action in recent years, but instead of a battle for the top of the Pacific standings, it’s been a battle for last place. Despite both teams’ poor performances, they both won their previous game, with the Flames (9-14-2) beating the Stars 4-3 in the shootout after being down 3-0, while the Oilers (9-15-2) beat the Bruins 3-2 in a shootout. The hottest team in the West is the Stars who, despite falling to the Flames, are in the middle of a 7-1-1 stretch. NFL - Week 12 kicked off with three Thanksgiving matchups. The Eagles (4-7) thought they had an easy win against the Lions (4-7), but the Lions blew them out in a 45-14 win. The Panthers (11-0) will continue their perfect season, thanks to a 33-14 win over the Cowboys (3-8), while the Bears (5-6) upset their rival in Green Bay (7-4) with a 17-13 victory. The Giants (5-6) surrendered their division lead to the Redskins (5-6), after Washington beat him 20-14. The Bills (5-6) playoff hopes are beginning to fade away, after losing 30-22 to the Chiefs (6-5), while the Jets (6-5) regained some confidence after a 38-20 win over the Dolphins (4-7). The Patriots (10-1) suffered their first loss of the season, falling 3024 to the Peyton Manning-less Broncos (9-2). The Ravens (4-7) and Browns (2-9) duked it out on Monday night, with the Ravens scoring on the last play of the game to win. It was a blocked field goal attempt that they returned the other way for a touchdown. CFL - The CFL’s 2015 season concluded Sunday with it’s last and biggest week of the season. The 103rd Grey Cup was held in Winnipeg, and saw the Edmonton Eskimos take on the Ottawa Redblacks, who were playing in their first Grey Cup as a franchise. The Redblacks started off the game well, as two touchdowns in the first 6:09 gave them a 13-0 lead to start, but Edmonton got on the board with a field goal and a touchdown before the end of the first quarter. The Eskimos built on that with a strong second to give them a 17-16 lead at halftime. Ottawa rebounded in the third, as a field goal helped them regain the lead, and it was 1918 heading into the last quarter. An early punt single gave Ottawa a 2018 lead, but a late touchdown and two-point conversion from Edmonton gave them a 26-20 lead, which they would hang onto for the rest of the game to win the Grey Cup. It was their 14th, but first since 2005. Mike Reilly was awarded the most valuable player in the game, while Shamawd Chambers won the most outstanding Canadian award. By Scott Maxwell Our team of the week is the St. Marys Novice Girls hockey team. This year they are one of the top teams in the WOGHL with a record of 5-2-1. The team’s coaching/managerial staff is comprised of Dan Gracey (head coach), Steven Chateauvert, Jeff Richardson, Sophie Fadelle and Stacey McGregor. Front row: Rowan Aitken, Marin Chateauvert, Ella Carter, Skylar Fadelle, Valentina Linares. Middle: Bronwyn Hawkins, Kylie Fifield. On the bench: Rory Brockman, Niko Taylor, Rylee Nethercott, Kiara Mcgregor, Ella Gracey, Keirsyn Wood. Missing: Sophie Richardson, Charlee Puckering, Clara Brandt. Send nominations for “Team of the Week” to us at info@stmarysindependent.com Deadline for all Upcoming Events and Classifieds is WEDNESDAY AT NOON of the week the ad is to be run! Any ads Submitted after MAY NOT MAKE IT IN! Phone: 284-0041 Fax: 284-0042 Email: info@stmarysindependent.com 12 Friday, December 4, 2015 St. Marys Independent St. Marys Independent Friday, December 4, 2015 13 THE CHOIR OF ST. MARYS UNITED CHURCH What is something about yourself that you did not know until someone pointed it out? P1: I quietly say “achoo” to myself after I sneeze. P2: I do the reverse. I say “achoo” then I sneeze. P3: I do the reverse. I say “oocha” and then suck in a cloud of snot-mist at very high velocity. Three Dog Night... Three handsome male dogs are walking down the street when they see a beautiful, enticing, female poodle. The three male dogs fall all over themselves in an effort to be the one to reach her first, but end up arriving in front of her at the same time. The males are speechless before her beauty, slobbering on themselves and hoping for just a glance from her in return. Aware of her charms and her obvious effect on the three suitors, she decides to be kind and tells them the first one who can use the words liver and cheese together in an imaginative, intelligent sentence can go out with me. The sturdy, muscular black Lab speaks up quickly and says I love liver and cheese. Oh, how childish, said the Poodle. That shows no imagination or intelligence whatsoever. She turned to the tall, shiny Golden Retriever and said How well can you do? Ummmm...I HATE liver and cheese, blurts the Golden Retriever. My, my, said the Poodle. I guess its hopeless. That’s just as dumb as the Labs sentence. She then turns to the last of the three dogs and says, How about you, little guy? The last of the three, tiny in stature but big in fame and fi- nesse, is the Taco Bell Chihuahua. He gives her a smile, a sly wink, turns to the Golden Retriever and the Lab and says... Liver alone. Cheese mine. Thoughts from Steven Wright. A lot of people are afraid of heights. not me, I’m afraid of widths. Cross country skiing is great if you live in a small country. Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while i was a suspect. Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time. For my birthday i got a humidifier and a de-humidifier... i put them in the same room and let them fight it out. George is a radio announcer, and when he walks under a bridge... you can’t hear him talk. How young can you die of old age? I had to stop driving my car for a while... the tires got dizzy. I have an answering machine in my car. it says, I’m home now. But leave a message and I’ll call when I’m out. I have an existential map. it has ‘you are here’ written all over it. I have the world’s largest collection of seashells. i keep it on all the beaches of the world... perhaps you’ve seen it. I installed a skylight in my apartment... the people who live above me are furious! I intend to live forever. So far, so good. I like to reminisce with people i don’t know. I live on a one-way street that’s also a dead end. I’m not sure how I got there. Thank You Everyone from Kingsway Lodge and Fairhill Residence wish to express their sincere appreciation to the Residents, Volunteers, Staff, Families, and Friends, who so generously donated to our bazaar. Also, a big thank you to the following St. Marys and area merchants, who kindly donated to our Penny Sale. ~ Action Health Care ~ All Roads Ltd. ~ Arjo ~ Avon – Gail McCauley ~ Bailey’s Metal Works ~ Bonnie’s Beauty Bar ~ Bank of Montreal ~ C.R. Plastics Jamie Bailey ~ Canadian Tire ~ Carpe Vinum ~ Cascade Dry Cleaners ~ Charles Warner Woodworking ~ Coffee Culture ~ Chris & Kelly Drake ~ Damen’s Restaurant ~ Darren Micallef Photography ~ Dowler-Karn ~ Downtown Pontiac ~ Dunny’s Source For Sports ~ Fadelle Marine ~ Famme & Co. ~ Floor Source ~ Geri-Fashions ~ Godfathers Pizza ~ Goris Electric ~ Graham Energy GO-CO ~ Heel A Peel ~ Hollis Wealth Advisory Service ~ Hubbard Pharmacy ~ Jackson’s Pharmacy ~ Katy’s Jewellery ~ Keller Roofing ~ Kingsway Hair Salon ~ Kingsway Lodge ~ Little Falls Artisan Crafters ~ Lyric Flower / Mollet’s Designer Desserts ~ MacPherson Arts & Crafts ~ McDonald’s Independent ~ McLean Taylor Construction Ltd. ~ McPhails Pet & Animal Needs Ltd. ~ Medical Mart ~ Melanie Feeney Massage ~ Meridian Credit Union ~ Mike’s Barber Shop ~ Mr. C’s Woodworking ~ Nail Effects ~ Nika’s Nook ~ O’Grady’s ~ Parkview Creamery ~ Partners Paint & Paper ~ Phalens Place ~ Rianna’s Family Restaurant ~ RBC Bank ~ Sam’s Home Hardware ~ Scotiabank ~ Shalimar Beauty Salon ~ Shoppers Drug Mart ~ Stacey’s Pizza ~ Stonetown Foodland ~ Stonetown Physio ~ Stonetown Styles & Summer Dreams Tanning ~ Stonetown Supply Services Ltd. ~ Stonewillow Inn - Wildstone ~ St. Marys Golf & Country Club ~ St. Marys Journal Argus ~ St. Marys Vet Clinic ~ Staples ~ Subway ~ Summit Foods ~ TD Bank ~ The Flower Shop & More ~ The Chocolate Factory ~ The Source ~ Tim Hortons ~ Veterinary Purchasing ~ Village Craft & Candle ~ Wildstone ~ YMCA And To All Our Anonymous Donors! Thank You! St. Marys - What a Generous Supportive Community! Very Much Appreciated! The Choir of St. Marys United Church will present A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on Sunday, Dec. 20 at 3:00 pm at St. Marys United Church, 85 Church Street South. Timothy Gilbert, Director of Music at the church will conduct the choir, and Ian Sadler, virtuoso organist and Conductor of the Stratford Concert Choir, will be the guest organist for the service. The Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols, introduced at the Chapel of King's College, Cambridge, England in 1918, tells the story of the birth of Christ through traditional scripture readings, carols and the great hymns of Christmas. The service begins very simply, with a single voice singing Once in Royal David's city in the same manner that great stories commence with the famous opening of "Once upon a time...". The Christmas story is traced from Adam and Eve and the original sin, through the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah, and finally reaches its climax with the New Testament revelations of the birth of Christ. Woven around the lessons are carols and hymns to be sung by the choir and congregation. In addition to the congregational singing, the choir will perform carols such as In the Bleak Mid-Winter, Ding-dong! Merrily on High, Silent Night, and Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day. Ten years after A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was introduced in King’s College, the BBC decided to broadcast it live, a Christmas Eve tradition that continues today with a radio signal broadcast to millions around the world. With the fame of the service spreading because of the broadcasts, more and more people began coming to King's to witness the service for themselves, to the point that today the line-up for the service begins many hours before the service actually begins. This year we will honour Sir David Willcocks, who died in September at the age of 95. Sir David was Director of Music at King's from 1957-1974. He revolutionized the singing of Christmas carols with his arrangements and descants for O come, all ye faithful, Hark, the herald angels sing, Once in royal David's city, and many others. Choirs around the world have now been singing his arrangements for nearly 60 years. We will sing his setting of The Infant King at this year's carol service in his memory. All are invited to attend this traditional English candlelit carol service. It is guaranteed to put you in the “Christmas Spirit”! 14 Friday, December 4, 2015 St. Marys Independent St. Marys Eagles Taken saturday morning at the boat launch. Nail Effects Manicures and Pedicures Gift Certificates and Stocking Stuffers Available just in time for Christmas! 116 Queen St E, St Marys ● (519) 284-0038 St. Marys Independent Friday, December 4, 2015 15 This Christmas Season, you can… With a gift to the St. Marys Memorial Hospital Foundation Three Ways to Donate: HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM ST. MARYS INSURANCE GROUP INC. ● Deliver a cheque to the hospital payable to: St. Marys Memorial Hospital Foundation ● Mail us a cheque at: 267 Queen Street West, Box 940, St. Marys, ON N4X 1B6 ● Donate online at: www.SomeoneIKnow.ca All proceeds to the Someone I Know campaign will remain in our community We wish you and your loved ones a healthy & happy holiday season! St. Marys Insurance Group Inc. would like your help in deciding who in our office has the ugliest holiday sweater this year. To vote, “Like” the St. Marys Insurance Group Inc. Facebook page and leave the comment “ugliest” on the photo of the sweater that you want to vote for. For every new “Like” that the St. Marys Insurance Group Inc. Facebook page receives, St. Marys Insurance Group Inc. will donate $1 to the St. Marys Salvation Army, up to a maximum of $500. If you don’t have Facebook, please stop by the office to place your vote. Votes for the winning sweater will be entered into a draw to win a prize. The contest runs from Dec. 4 to Dec. 21. The Rotary Club of St. Marys 24th annual Christmas Draw tickets are available from any Rotarian and are being sold for a limited time at Ron McDonalds Independent store. Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10 with 18 chances to win vouchers of $500 of groceries at the Independent , $250 vouchers for gas at Goco, dinner for 4 at Westover. You also receive the 2016 Rotary calendar with Historic photos. In the photo selling tickets are Rotarian Gerry Teahen and Nelda Oliver. Riddles Friday, December 4, 2015 16 How many balls of string would it take to reach the moon? Just one if it’s long enough What kind of hair do oceans have? He wanted a higher education What has forty feet and sings? The school choir Wavy Why did the child study in the airplane? What happens when you throw a green stone in the red sea? It gets wet Word Search ~ ~ St. Marys Independent Why do birds fly south in the winter? Because it’s too far to walk What followed the dinosaur? COUNTRIES OF ASIA Its tail How did the telephones get married? In a double ring ceremony What is a polygon? A dead parrot WORD SCRAMBLE All that kids (12 & under) have to do is unscramble the word correctly and bring this form with their name and phone number to The St. Marys Independent by Wednesday at noon, and are then automatically in a draw with a chance to win a MYSTERY PRIZE! THIS WEEK’S WORD CLUE: IT IS THE 64TH-LARGEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. H E I P P N I S L P I _________________________ NAME:__________________ PHONE:_____________ AGE:____ Armenia Azerbaijan Bahrain Bangladesh Bhutan Brunei Burma Cambodia India Indonesia Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Lebanon Malaysia TONS OF FUN FOR KIDS EVERY WEEK! The Presents Riddle Kid ny compa , s ’ o w t If rowd ree a c and th four and re what a e? fiv PET OF THE WEEK Of The Week Nine Ronan Odell (5) Hey Kids... Every Riddle Kid that appears in the paper gets a FREE MILKSHAKE at the Sunset Diner! Our pet of the week is “Tia” who is a six-year old Rottweiler and her proud owner is Gerry Boyd. To nominate a Pet of the Week call The St. Marys Independent at 284-0041. CONGRATUL ATIONS “PET OF THE WEEK” OWNER YOU HAVE WON A GIFT CARD FROM MCPHAIL’S See store for details 127 Queen Street East info@mcphailspets.ca St. Marys Independent Friday, December 4, 2015 17 A.N.A.F. Unit 265 23 Wellington St. N. 226-289-4574 and Open Mic December 19st 8:00 – 12:00 We are collecting toys and food for a food/toy drive for the Salvation Army Meat Draw Friday December 18th 6:00 pm All Turkey’s All Welcome Meat Draw Wednesday December 30th 6:00 pm All Ham’s All Welcome Max Boonstra Born: Stratford Age: 14 School: DCVI Grade: 10 Favourite subject: Phys Ed Favourite pastime: Sports Favourite teacher: Mr. Farmer Favourite artist: Brett Kissel Ambition: To be an electrician Upcoming Events: Friday Dec. 4th 6:00 pm: Magic the Gathering Come out and play for fun or learn how! Wednesday Dec. 9th 6:00 pm: Board Game Night This week's game: Boss Monster ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO ALL! McCully’s Spiced Braised Beef With Sweet Potatoes Ingredients ● 1 1/2pounds McCully’s stewing beef ● 1 lb McCully’s sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons ● 1 L McCully’s canned tomatoes and juice ● 1 large red onion, cut into wedges ● ½ cup dried apricots ● 2 tsp ground cumin ● 2 tsp ground ginger ● ½ tsp ground cinnamon ● ½ tsp cayenne ● kosher salt ● 1 10-ounce box couscous (1 1/2 cups) ● 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed ● 2 cups baby spinach (1 1/2 ounces) ● ¼ cup roasted almonds, chopped Preparation ● In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the beef, potatoes, tomatoes, onion, apricots, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 cup water. ● Cook, covered, until the meat is tender, on high for 4 to 5 hours, or on low for 7 to 8 hours. ● Ten minutes before serving, prepare the couscous according to the package directions. ● Add the chickpeas to the slow cooker and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the spinach. Serve with the couscous and sprinkle with the almonds. Photos with Santa - December 5, 6, 12 & 13 11:00 am – 2:00 pm Check McCully’s Website for details. Preserve of the month Spirited Jams & Jellies 10% off Shop Locally this Christmas McCully’s offers a wide variety of gift ideas. Gift Baskets full of McCully’s favourites - great for hostess gifts, teachers & workplace gift exchange Gift Certificates - Thoughtful and appreciated Christmas Trees have arrived. McCully’s has freshly cut Spruce and Balsam and Fraser Fir It’s time to order your Christmas Turkey or Honey Glazed Spiral Ham. Call the store today to place your order. Let McCully’s prepare your favourite Christmas treats this year. Call today to order specialty squares, cookies, pies and tarts. All varieties of Fall Squash are now .55/lb. December Hours Open Tuesday - Sunday - 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturdays - 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. ● www.mccullys.ca ● 519-284-2564 ● Friday, December 4, 2015 18 St. Marys Independent Real Estate We never stop moving™ 150 Queen St. E., Box 699 St. Marys, ON N4X 1B4. HOMEFIELD REALTY ST.MARYS BROKERAGE 519-284-2381 Independently owned and operated Meet Our Fern..... Old McDonald Had A Farm.... I established my Real Estate career in 1994, 21 years ago. My local rural roots and love for country properties began as a dairy farmer's daughter and years riding the bus to school including DCVI. St. Marys is a beautiful town. I am blessed with a great family. My three kids, Kailey, Jarrod and Mason were all raised in St. Marys. Community has always been important to me. I was a Kinette for 10 years and am now a major contributor to the St. Marys Community Players serving my 3rd year as president. I am considered a specialist in all types of real estate including residential, multi-family and investment properties. I have years of experience trading in town and rural properties creating an extensive knowledge in Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial properties. I am a one-stop shop! I enjoy meeting and working with people and helping them achieve their goals. Our Coldwell Banker office is a true team. We are supportive of each other's success and above all, the accomplishments of our clients. We live in an excellent area with a high standard of living surrounded by a thriving agricultural base and well-established business. I love to introduce our town to newcomers and see their reaction. We have a gem here with so much potential and we are so lucky to enjoy this community together. We are actively looking for farms of all types, from hobby farms to active farm operations, in the area to market. We at Coldwell Banker Homefield Realty would be happy to discuss marketing your farm property and providing you with a complementary market analysis as well as our recommendations as to the best method to market your farm.... Full Listing on the MLS system, Exclusive Listing, or Sale by Tender depending on the type of property and the area the property is located in. Please call any of our full time experienced agents to arrange a confidential appointment to discuss your real estate needs and questions in this regard. Old McDonald No Longer Has A Farm! 549 JONES ST. E. NEWg lIstIN 287 WELLINGTON ST. S. Cute 1 ½ storey home with 2 bedrooms up and a possible 3rd on the main level, or it could be a den or dining room. Hardwood floors throughout. Furnace new in 2013. Large yard and storage shed. MLS 724130 $ 179,900 9 SPARLING CRES. NEW PRICE! RON MORRISON Broker of Record 519-272-7666 FERN PRIDHAM Broker 519-274-2885 $ 287,500 SHIRLEY NEAR Broker 519-274-4879 MARTY THOMSON Sales Rep. 519-318-7584 MLS 842395 $ Perfect mix of original limestone cottage and newer addition. 2 bedrooms and 2 baths upstairs. Optional 3rd bedroom with full bath on main floor. Beautiful kitchen with S.S. appliances included. Den with separate entry. ( office potential?) 2 gas fireplaces and a balcony overlooking the family room. Lovely landscaped lot. A must see home! $ 192,000 MLS 769805 41 MAXWELL ST. MLS 567177 STAN FRASER Sales Rep. 519-272-7836 JULIEN POLIDORO Sales Rep. 519-949-2264 359,900 262 QUEEN ST. W. Open concept 3 bedroom, 2 bath semi. Large rec room, office room and plenty of storage. Fenced yard with patio. Concrete drive. Close to schools and rec centre. Well kept raised bungalow with many updates including roof, kitchen, windows, bathrooms, furnace, and much more. Dream kitchen with island. Lg. family room with fireplace. Walkout to fenced backyard and 18’ x 36’ inground pool. Lg. patio area. MLS 625909 317 WELLINGTON ST. S. Two bedroom, one bath bungalow as neat as a pin and all ready for you. Very large fenced backyard. Good single car garage. Deck and patio. Great starter or downsize home. Quick closing! $ Open concept 2 bedroom, 2 bath bungalow near the hospital. Lots of renovations have been completed in the past few years and mechanicals have also been updated. Modern kitchen, updated baths, and lg. rear yard with concrete patio are just a few of the features of this great home. 189,500 DAVID FORSTER Sales Rep. 519-949-0501 BONNIE INNES Administrator MLS 236626 2014 $ 184,900 of our Realtors www.stmarysrealestate.ca ST. MARYS AREA AND ACROSS CANADA WWW.REALTOR.CA The office with the most combined years of Real Estate experience in St. Marys Each office is an Independently Owned and Operated Member Broker of Coldwell Banker Affiliates of Canada. DO St. Marys Independent Real Estate OPEN HOUSE SAT. – Dec. 5th 1664 Perth Rd 123, St. Marys 10:00 am – 12:00 pm MLS #106937 665,000 $ Hosted by Liz Schmidt, Sales Representative 13-20 Huron St. N MLS #366122 $ 5728 Line 4, Perth South 166,000 MLS #205457 $ 277,900 Head Instructor: Eric Thomson Address: 1 59 King St South Unit #2 St.Marys, On Phone: 226-236-7354 Email: ethomson1@outlook.com Web: www.stmarysmartialarts.com We Offer Youth Karate Adult Karate Adult Fitness Classes Personal Training Private Martial Arts Lessons Come in today for a free trial class! St. Marys Independent Office Location: 36 Water St., P.O. Box 2310, St. Marys, ON, N4X 1A2 Phone: 519.284.0041 FAX: 519.284.0042 Email: info@stmarysindependent.com The St. Marys Independent Newspaper is a weekly publication printed every Friday and is distributed free of charge. This newspaper is owned and published by Stewart Grant. The views of our columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the newspaper. Copyright 2014 St. Marys Independent. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this publication, in part or in whole, is prohibited. Friday, December 4, 2015 19 Friday, December 4, 2015 20 St. Marys Independent 2015 Royal Canadian Legion Branch 236 St Marys Poster & Literary Contest Winners On the morning of Saturday, Nov. 28, executive members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 236 St Marys presented awards to some very talented local students. First, 519.801.5513 second and third place finishers in the various categories were acknowledged with a certificate and a cash award. Friends and family were present to witness the presentations and to assist in congratulating them for a job well done. The list of the award winners is as follows: Junior Poetry – 1st Ashley Simpson, 2nd Roserita Verwer, 3rd Sarah McCurdy Junior Essay – 1st Niamh Brennan, 2nd Lauren Gracey, 3rd Faith Brinke Junior Black & White Poster – 1st Sarah Lynch, 2nd Avery Aarts, 3rd Thalina Tucker Junior Colour Poster – 1st Brady Medd, 2nd Paige Barr, 3rd Atticus Carlyle Dewys Intermediate Poetry – 1st Tatem Edwards, 2nd Kelsey Garner, 3rd Holly Graham Intermediate Essay – 1st Evelyn Quast, 2nd Tatem Edwards Intermediate Black & White Poster - 1st Grayson Good Senior Colour Poster 1st Avery Armstrong Following the presentations, Youth Education Chair Dave Graham informed those present that all first place finishers will be sent to Stratford for consideration at the Zone level. Winners there will carry on to the District, then Provincial, and finally the National level. “We received in excess of 100 entries this year, which was great”, said Graham. “We believe the quality of the work 519•284•0036 to be very high, and are hoping some of these talented folks will do well as they are judged at the higher levels.” The photo shows the following personnel: Standing: Dave Graham (Youth Education Chair), Grayson Good, Evelyn Quast, Tatem Edwards, Holly Graham, Avery Armstrong, Roserita Verwer, Sarah McCurdy, and Peter Bushfield (Branch 236 President) Seated: Paige Barr, Brady Medd, Sarah Lynch, Thalina Tucker, Avery Aarts, and Lauren Gracey Weekend Quiz Sponsored by Come out to the Creamery Monday nights at 7:00 pm for weekly quiz night! 1. Which team has won the most Grey Cups? 2. What is the only planet not named after a god? 3. Who was the first US President to resign while in office? 4. Which German airship crashed in New Jersey in 1937? 5. In which country was the Titanic launched? 6. In Sesame Street, for many years Big Bird’s best friend was whom? 7. Under which name did American author Samuel Langhorne Clemens write? 8. What was Long John Silver’s parrot’s name? All breed pet groomer 4870 Line 4, R.R. #6 St. Marys, Ontario N4X 1C8 www.thescruffypuppysalon.ca *Sudoku* Hard difficulty rating Marlene MacKenzie Groomer/owner 9. Which lady socked it to the Harper Valley PTA? 10. The alien ET drank what brand of beer? This week’s answers are found on pg. 27 255 Wellington St. S., St. Marys *Sudoku* Medium difficulty rating If you get a haircut you can put your name in a draw for a haircut and haircare package. L ittle Falls 519.284.0433 Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm Over 150 local craft/artisan products Your headquarters for 18” doll clothes and accessories Solutions on page 27 Solutions on page 27 Artisan Crafters Market St. Marys Independent Friday, December 4, 2015 21 World News Briefs Cameroon – On Wednes- USA - In San Bernardino, Calday, the national army of the ifornia Wednesday, two heaviWestern African nation of ly-armed shooters opened fire at Cameroon announced that a social services center, killing 14 they had killed 100 members people and wounding at least 17. of the militant group Boko Ha- Two suspects, the married couram and freed roughly 900 of ple Syed Farook and Tashfeen their hostages after a three- Malik, were later killed by police. day raid last week. A spokes- The shooting took place at the person from the government Inland Regional Center, which said the raid had been con- provides services to people ducted by joint forces from with disabilities. It was the worst Cameroon, Nigeria, Chad and mass shooting in the US since Benin in the Sambisa Forest the massacre at Sandy Hook in remote northeastern Cam- Elementary in Newtown, Coneroon and bordering Nigeria. necticut just over three years ago, Besides kidnapping people, when a gunman killed 27 people, Boko Haram had also recently including 20 children, and himbeen training teenage suicide self. According to San Bernardibombers and planting land no’s Police Chief, Farook had atmines. Two suicide attacks in tended a Christmas party at the northern Cameroon this week Center earlier in the day before left at least six people dead. leaving after a dispute of some A third suicide bomber was kind. He later returned with his neutralized before they could wife and opened fire. The investidetonate their explosives. Af- gation is ongoing. Responding to ter the raid, the joint military the news, President Obama said, forces were able to seize large “we should come together in a amounts of munitions and fire- bipartisan basis at every level of arms, as well as black-and- government to make these rare white Islamic State flags. Boko as opposed to normal.” Over 460 Haram pledged allegiance to people have died in mass shootIS in March this year. ings in the United States in 2015. India – As world leaders meet at the COP21 climate conference in Paris this week, a negotiator from India has said his country will dial back its coal industry if they can receive funds to invest in renewable energy. India is currently planning to expand its coal production to meet the needs of the aprox. 300 million Indians without electricty. Meanwhile, the southern city of Chennai is experiencing catastrophic flooding that has killed at least 269 people and cut off basic services for more than three million people. The flooding has been described as the worst in more than a century. On Wednesday, one of India’s oldest newspapers, The Hindu, was not printed for the first time in 137 years because the printing presses were inaccessible due to flooding. In the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh, over 50 people have died due to the flooding. Data from the UN refugee agency shows that an average of one person every second is displaced by climate-related weather events every second. Canada – In January, Prime Minister Trudeau will appoint five new senators as he begins reforms to make the upper chamber less partisan. The new senators will hail from Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec and serve as Independents in the Senate. They will be chosen from a list of appointees as suggested by a new advisory body being established this month. There are 22 current vacancies expected to be filled by the end of 2016. As there is no longer a government house leader in the Senate, one of the five senaators appointed next month will be denoted as the Liberal government’s “representative” in the Senate. Trudeau has also appointed current Newfoundland Liberal senator George Furey to be speaker of the Senate, replacing Conservative senator Leo Housakos, who was appointed speaker in May by then-prime minister Stephen Harper. Furey has been a senator since 1999, when he was appointed to the chamber by former prime minister Jean Chrétien. Trudeau said the new advisory body for appointments will help the government “begin restoring the trust of Canadian” in the Senate. Canada – Yesterday the provincial government announced an updated agreement with Bruce Power that will see the Lake Huron nuclear power operator refurbish six of its eight nuclear reactors. The multi-billion dollar project will keep the site operational until the 2060s and secure thousands of jobs. According to Bruce Power, the agreement could account for as many as 23,000 jobs, and is expected to generate $6.3 billion in annual economic benefits – not to mention 6,300 megawatts of clean, reliable electricity from the world’s largest operating nuclear facility. This could reduce household electricity bills by “about $66 each year over the next decade,” they said in a statement. Bruce Power president and CEO Duncan Hawthorne said it was a “major milestone in the history of Bruce Power as we build on our existing agreement with the province and extensive experience to enter the next phase of our site development.” Refurbishing the Bruce site was part of the province’s Long-Term Energy Plan. Negotiations had been taking place for the past two years. UK – The British Ministry of Defence has confirmed that RAF Tornado jets have carried out their first air strikes against the so-called Islamic State in Syria. Four Tornados from a British air force base in Cyprus took part in the operation soon after MPs voted to approve bombing. After a 10-hour debate in the House of Commons Wednesday, MPs voted 397 to 223 in favour of UK military action against IS (also known as Daesh) in Syria. The initial strikes on the IS-controlled Omar oil fields in eastern Syria have been classified a success. The objective, according to defence secretary Michael Fallon was to strike a “very real blow on the oil and revenue on which Daesh depends.” Prime Minister David Cameron said the British people would “need to be patient and persistent,” and that the campaign would take time. The Prime Minister of Iraq reportedly does not want Western troops on the ground fighting IS. Fallon said that the UK could still achieve much from the air, however. This Day in History – December 4th 1909 – The Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club, the oldest surviving professional hockey franchise in the world, is founded – Amateur hockey teams in Eastern Canada competed for the Stanley Cup, then sometimes described as a decorative punch bowl, as early as 1893. As the game became more popular, some leagues, such as the Eastern Canadian Hockey Association, went all-professional. On Nov. 25, 1909, The ECHA, which was the holder of the Stanley Cup at the time, dissolved after a series of ownership disputes. At a meeting in a Montreal hotel, some teams that had been a part of that league formed the Canadian Hockey Association, but they rejected the application of the Montreal Wanderers (who had been league champions for three consecutive seasons from 1906-1908). The Wanderers’ representative Jimmy Gardner and rich Ontario businessman Ambrose O’Brien (whose application for a team in Renfrew, Ontario was also rejected) got to talking after the meeting at that hotel and, a few days later, formed the National Hockey Association on Dec. 2, 1909. The Anglophone founders wanted to attract French fans to their new league, so two days later, on this date, the Montreal Canadiens were founded as a charter member of the NHA, with O’Brien the founding owner. The following year, O’Brien was forced to sell the Canadiens to Montreal entrepreneur George W. Kendall, owner of a wrestling school called “Le Club Athlétique Canadien,” who threatened to sue the league over copyright infringement. Kendall became the new owner of the team for the bargain price of $7,500. The Habs competed in a Stanley Cup playoff for the first time in 1914, losing to the Toronto Hockey Club. They would win the Cup for the first time two years later, beating the Portland Rosebuds in a best-of-five series. They’ve gone on to win it a league-leading total of 24 times, most recently in 1993. 1921 – The first manslaughter trial against silent film star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle ends in a hung jury – Throughout the 1910s, one of the biggest stars in Hollywood was the rotund comedic writer, actor and director Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. During these years, he worked with all the big names of the silent era comedies, including Harold Lloyd, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. By 1920, he became one of the richest actors in Hollywood when he signed a contract with Paramount Pictures for $1 million. Then, on Sept. 5, 1921, at a party in his hotel room in San Francisco, Arbuckle’s life changed. A film actress named Virginia Caroline Rappe was found seriously ill in his room, later hospitalized and died several days later of peritonitis caused by a ruptured bladder. A woman who had also attended the party accused Arbuckle of violently sexually assaulting Rappe, and it became one of Hollywood’s first major scandals. The media latched onto the story, portraying Arbuckle as a gross, lecherous man who preyed on young women. His first trial for manslaughter in the death of Rappe began Sept. 17, 1921 and lasted until this date in 1921, when the jury returned after five days of deliberation deadlocked 10-2 and a mistrial was declared. By February 1922, Arbuckle’s second trial had resulted in another hung jury and another mistrial. In April 1922, following a third trial, Arbuckle was finally acquitted and presented an apology by the jury who felt there was no evidence against him. By this time, however, many of his films were banned from theatres and the public had turned against him. It was later discovered that Rappe suffered from chronic urinary tract infections, a condition worsened by drinking alcohol, which could explain her ruptured bladder. Newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst later said the Arbuckle scandal “sold more newspapers than any event since the sinking of the RMS Lucitania.” 1956 – “The Million Dollar Quarter,” Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash, record several songs together at Sun Studio in Memphis – By pure chance, on this date in 1956, four pioneers in modern country and rock’n’roll music all happened to be present at the famous Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee and, lucky us, somebody hit record. The story goes that on the morning of Dec. 4, then 24-year-old rockabilly guitarist Carl Perkins arrived at the studio to record with his band. He had already established himself with the hit “Blue Suede Shoes,” which he wrote. Studio owner Sam Phillips wanted to have some piano on the tracks, so he invited the still-relatively unknown 21-year-old piano player Jerry Lee Lewis to come play with them. Johnny Cash, who was just a couple months older than Perkins, had heard their band would be recording that day and showed up to watch them play. By then, Cash had recorded some mildly popular country songs at Sun but was not yet the superstar he would become. Sometime that afternoon, 21-year-old Elvis Presley, who had pressed his first hit singles at Sun but had since become a national sensation and signed with RCA, stopped by to visit his old pals. Soon, all four of them were jamming together, with Perkins on guitar and Elvis playing piano, singing some of the traditional gospel songs they had grown up playing. Engineer Jack Clement wisely decided to record the songs and the entertainment editor for the local newspaper was called over to report on the event. It would be the last time all four musicians collaborated on a recording. Sun Studio is still open in Memphis, where visitors can tour the sound stage, learn about rock’n’roll history, and buy the record by “The Million Dollar Quartet.” Lewis, 80, is the quartet’s only surviving member. 1971 – The Montreux Casino By Dan Rankin in Switzerland burns down after a fire starts at a Frank Zappa concert – In late 1971, the members of the English rock band Deep Purple, then known for their hits “Hush” and “Speed King,” were preparing to record a new album. They rented a mobile recording studio from the Rolling Stones and secured a casino theatre in Montreux, Switzerland as the venue where they would set up camp to record. It was ideal as, since the casino had to close for some winter renovations, Deep Purple would have a big empty theatre space to lay down their tracks. The casino just had one last event booked before they closed for the winter: a Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention concert. In the middle of that concert, on this date in 1971, a fan shot a flare gun into the ceiling. The entire casino, and all of Zappa’s band’s equipment, were destroyed in the resulting fire. From their nearby hotel rooms, Deep Purple watched the massive blaze grow as smoke billowed out over Lake Geneva. Luckily, there were no fatalities. After some searching, Deep Purple found another hotel hall where they could record their new album. The product was 1972’s “Machine Head,” which became their most commercially successful album, in large part due to the hit song “Smoke on the Water,” which details the fateful night. By Dan Rankin 22 Oh Deer... Stephanie Martin Well it has been over five years, but it is always too soon to have a run in with a deer on the highway. The last time I had a run in with a Friday, December 4, 2015 deer I was close to Fullarton, just coming out of the curves, by the ballpark, and BAM, a deer leaped out in front of me and I knocked him (or her) somersaulting into the opposite ditch. The first thought that came to me is ‘What Do I Do?’ My insurance agent lived just up the road, maybe I should just drive there (small town thought!)? Did I need to call the police? Should I pull over? But as the smoke (or steam) began pouring out of the hood of my car, I knew I needed to pull over immediately. Fortunately, I was right at the farm of a family I knew. I quickly pulled in and they helped me from there. Flash forward to this past Help Wanted We are a progressive, established manufacturer and distributor of high quality generator systems, and accessories. Specializing in providing superior sales and service since 1936, we have developed and maintained a reputation as a superior and industry leading supplier of reliable stand by and prime power generators. We have an immediate opening for a: Full Time Receptionist ● Must be a responsible, self motivated individual with excellent communication skills and attention to detail. ● Must be efficient in Microsoft Office programs. ● Experience with customer service, multi-line phone systems, and office administration is an asset. ● Wages are negotiable based on experience. Please respond to: Sommers Motor Generator Sales Ltd. Box 548, Tavistock, Ontario, N0B 2R0 or to christine.derrah@sommersgen.com Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted. St. Marys Independent week when a deer, out of the dark, slammed into the front side of my friend’s car as we were driving to Listowel with two of our kids, one km from our destination. It was a dark rainy evening and the car that had just passed us going the opposite way must have blocked our view so we couldn't see the deer. I thought that initially we had been hit by that car, Julie (our steady driver) thought that something must have fallen off the passing vehicle. But Max (my 12yr old) had seen it, the head of a huge buck, hitting the windshield for a split second. He described him as the big buck from "Open Season." We pulled over and moved to relative safety onto the slim shoulder of 23 highway followed by another car. I assessed the cars and everyone was okay. We were in no imminent or occurring danger, (a favourite phrase of mine) when all of the same questions came from Julie. Should we call 911? Is it okay to move and what do I do? Well, the one answer I didn't know for sure is, can we move off of the highway? I decided we were not waiting on hwy 23 for any length of time in the dark, and the car behind us had a young girl driving (25 is young to me). She also didn't know what to do. So I made the decision to get us all to the Walmart ML parking lot in a safe fashion. Everyone's car was drivable, but I assessed ours was not doing any sharp left hand turns with the front quarter panel being shoved in, so Walmart could work. Julie was covered in little pieces of glass and I knew it was less safe to move or get out on 23 to clean her up. It was far less safe in the dark and we only had about a foot of shoulder. So off we went, our wobbling posse of deer damaged vehicles, 10km/hr on the shoulder to the Walmart Parking lot, where we would assess the situation and call 911. Julie had worried that her windshield would fall in, but I knew, I was told somewhere in my life, windshields are held together with a seal so they don't fall in or shatter. We pieced together what happened (after I got Julie out of her bent door and cleaned all of the tiny pieces of glass off of her). The girl explained we hit the deer (or it hit us), the car in between us swerved, (which I have always been told not to do) and then she drove over the big buck. She was clearly a daughter of a farm family since she looked pretty calm about the whole thing. She had a guy meet her there and they had a bit of a laugh and explained it was their first date. That made me laugh and I said, well this is either going to be a great McCOTTER LAW OFFICE For information please contact the shop at 519-349-2420 or scubberley@quadro.net. The Laundry Company and Everclean Mat Rentals have immediate openings in all positions. Interested parties are asked to apply in person at 17 Industrial Road, St. Marys. accidents are frequent and often tragic. Second question, YES you are required to call the police IF the damage to the vehicle(s) collectively is over $2,000.00 OR if anyone is injured. You will need the police report for your insurance agency. Now, in Listowel (I don't know about anywhere else) they do not give a physical paper report anymore (for the last 3 months), just a report number. He also said if your insurance agency requests the report, they will use this number to obtain the report, which costs $50. He also said that is the responsibility and expense of the insurance company, and that you can go get it and pay for it if you like but it is their responsibility and expense. And one last thing, according to my hunter brotherin-law the deer everywhere right now are "frisky" (edited) and stupid! Keep an eye out and slow down, you may see them near wooded areas. Ask around in the area where they cross the highways. Both sides of Fullarton and at the top of the hill near McCullys are reportedly bad. Regardless it is best to keep an eye out and stay safe! And watch for Rudolph! In Memoriam Ron Deery Stephen McCotter Barrister, Solicitor & Notary Public www.mccotterlawoffice.com stephen@mccotterlawoffice.com 50 Water St. S., St. Marys 226.661.5297 519.284.2840 Cubberley Plumbing and Heating is looking for a responsible, licensed plumber to join our team. Needs to have service and residential installation experience. story in ten years, or you will say, ‘I should have known when I hit that deer...’ We all had a good laugh and froze while waiting for the police to arrive (another fun memory for a first date, ‘remember when the police arrived?’). I answered the questions from the police officer (and realized I should have worn my winter coat) and Julie dealt with insurance and CAA, (we make a good crisis team). The young girl said she had thought about calling for insurance on Monday and (after I suggested she probably should let her dad know) she thought we were very fast. I explained we were old and this wasn't our first "rodeo". After the dust had settled I asked the officer the answers to the frequently asked questions. Should we have moved the vehicles? He said Absolutely YES and that we please spread the word, IF your car is drivable, move it to a safer place! They can piece it together at a safer location off of the highway. For everyone's safety, including secondary help. Never remove your seat belts when on the side of the highway in case you are hit (hence the plan of moving the heck off of the highway). Secondary NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND OTHERS In the Estate of William George Hopkins All persons having claims against the Estate of William George Hopkins, late of Granton, Ontario, who died on November 30, 2014 are hereby notified to send particulars of the same to the undersigned on or before December 18, 2015, after which date the estate will be distributed, with regard only to the claims of which the undersigned shall then have notice and the undersigned will not then be liable to any person of whose claim they shall not then have notice. In loving memory of a dear husband, father, grandfather and friend who passed away Dec. 3rd, 2011. Some day sometime, our eyes shall see the ones we loved so well. Some day we’ll clasp their loving hands and never say farewell. Loving you always Dianna and family. Visit www.sherwinlaw.ca for more information. DATED at London, this 30 day of October, 2015. th The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company 255 Queen Avenue, Suite 2370 London, Ontario N6A 5R8 Attention: Stephanie Burnett, Associate Trust Officer Claire A. Sherwin B.A.N.S., LLB, LLM (ADR) Nora C. Sleeth B.A. (Hons), J.D. Russell A. Mitchell B.Soc.Sc., J.D. For appointments call 519.284.0898 ● info@sherwinlaw.ca ● Friday, December 4, 2015 St. Marys Independent 23 Upcoming Events Kingsway’s Vendor Open House Saturday, December 5th, 2015 10:00 – 3:00 Everyone Welcome VENDOR SALE – Lower Level ● Over 20 Vendors Workshops (sign-up) – Fairhill Lounge ● 10:00 am CENTRE PIECE - $35.00 With Julie Dockers of The Flower Shop and More… Create a beautiful Christmas Centre Piece for the holidays ● 11:00 am PILLAR CANDLE - $15.00 With Sue Hyatt-Griffiths of Village Candles & Crafts Create a unique battery operated candle that is great on its own or stunning paired up with Julie’s Centre Piece Must pre-register with Kingsway at 519-284-2921 A “LITTLE” touch of Christmas in apartment L06 – LAUREN WHITNEY Style Annual Tea and Christmas Sale St. James Anglican Church Parish Hall Church and Elgin Streets Delicious homemade scones & jam Sales table highlighting Saturday, December 5, 2015 From 1:00 to 3:30 ● P&J’s Mincemeat, Baked goods. Knitted items Tea and scones $5 ● A variety of lovely Gift Baskets Christmas Sale – Free Admission ● Christmas ornaments The Parkview Creamery Has Been Sold Birthday Guess Who’s Turning 90! Fern Hogg The Robsons would like to thank the residents of St. Marys and surrounding area for their patronage over the past 71/2 years and hope that they would support the new owners in the same manner. We would also like to thank our staff, both past and present. You are the BEST! Jim Robson Thank you to all our friends and especially our families! Your gifts, cards and best wishes, made our 80th Birthday Party very special! Thank you Bob and Georgina McGregor The Annual DCVI Food Drive Wednesday from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Students from DCVI will be knocking on community doors to collect food for the food drive. When: Sunday, December 13, 2015 (2:00 – 4:00 pm) Where: St. Marys Friendship Centre (Located at the Pyramid Centre) 317 James St. S., St. Marys, Ontario Please come join us for sandwiches, munchies and of course, birthday cake! A cash bar will be available if you would like to have a celebratory drink. In lieu of gifts a donation to the food bank would be appreciated. Please RSVP to carolmcarthur56@hotmail.com or 519-284-3630 Friday, December 4, 2015 24 St. Marys Independent Dr. Jonathan Keys accepting new patients ahead of 2016 Lucan Medical Centre opening By Dan Rankin Dr. Jonathan Keys has already begun accepting new patients in anticipation of the opening of the new Lucan Medical Centre (located at 268 Main Street in Lucan) early in 2016. Dr. Keys grew up on a cash crop farm outside Bayfield and said he always wanted to help people. "I decided i didn't want to stay on the farm, so I went back to school and wanted to do something in health care," he said. "That's what led me here." In the intervening years, he has studied at Fanshawe College, the D'Arcy Lane Institute in London, the Saba University School of Medicine in the Dutch Caribbean where he got his M.D., and done three years of residency at Michigan State University. For the past few weeks, Dr. Keys has been operating in the clinic under the Prince George Retirement Residence in Lucan (139 Main Street) with his friend and mentor Dr. John E. Swift. Dr. Keys offers general family medicine with special interests in sports medicine, fitness, preventative care and cosmetic medicine. Beginning next year, however, the services offered at the Lucan Medical Centre will include x-ray, ultrasound, mammography, bone densitometry (bone density scanning) and physical therapy, Dr. Keys said. The facility, which will begin with two doctors but have the space to expand to accommodate three, will also feature a medical laboratory and By Stewart Grant In certain neighbourhoods, we have new deliverers of your newspaper. Like any job, there is a bit of a learning curve. For many young deliverers of our paper, this is the first job they’ve ever had. If your paper isn’t being delivered properly, let us know! Your paper should never blow around on your porch or on your lawn. It should be delivered into your mailbox (if you have one) or secured in your door latch, between your doors, or dispensary, he said. "It's going to be great for the community to be able to get everything done here," he said. "Basically by the time they leave from their appointment, they should have pretty much everything other than referrals. That's going to be nice for everyone." As the new sign out on Main Street in Lucan indicates, Dr. Keys is currently accepting new patients. New patient acceptance application forms can be found at the current clinic location, in the basement at Prince George Retirement Residence, and at the Lucan Pharmacy. For more information, call the clinic at 519-227-1163 or find the Lucan Medical Centre on Facebook. Thanks for your complaints! (Yes, seriously) Riannas Family Restaurant Craving a hot dog? Try Riannas Killer Chili Cheese Dog or a Bacon Cheddar Dog with fresh cut Fries. Ps.... don’t forget the gravy! It R O C K S! Eat fresh, Eat Good 519-284-2400 7 am – 7 pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 7 am – 2 pm Monday, Tuesday, Sunday partially under your welcome mat. We can’t provide good feedback to our deliverers unless we hear from you on how they are doing. So please, we encourage you to email us at info@stmarysindependent.com with any feedback (positive or negative) that you have throughout the year. Email is the best form of communication in this instance. You can also call or visit us, but the staff member that you talk to might not be the same person that has to talk to the deliverer, so there is a risk that your feedback could get lost in translation. Receive a pre-paid visa gift card up to $500 with any new and pre-owned vehicle until December 24th St. Marys Independent Friday, December 4, 2015 St. Marys Museum Artifact of the Week WHY? I can’t remember what I was going to write about tonight. News is flooding in regarding a major shooting incident in San Bernardino, California. Reports mention 14 dead and countless others wounded. What madness causes an attack on helpless victims? Why a centre for social services of all places? What possible motive can there be? By the time this goes to print surely many answers and information will come to light. Were there pipe bombs as reported? It appears that a couple of shooters/ suspects have been stopped in a hail of gunfire (just heard one male and one female dead). Most shootings involve a lone crazed shooter. So many questions and emotions have flooded our senses since word reached us. I am sad and sickened that such a thing can happen. We are still in shock over the attacks in Paris. Although criminals do not use fire arms attained legally, isn’t it time that automatic weapons are prohibited in the U.S. under similar laws to our own? It appears there is little required to obtain a gun there as opposed to the screening that is rigorous here. I know gun club members and belonged to a shooting club as a young man and not one of us has ever caused an issue with owning a gun. There are hundreds of hunters across Ontario taking part in deer and moose hunts. None of them pose a risk. I don’t really know anyone interested in owning a fully automatic weapon. In Canada we are really quite regulated when it comes to fire arms ownership and training. Even given this we can’t assume that we are immune to criminal or other groups (WHACKOS) from such attacks that appear to be world wide. MORE MUNDANE: SNOW JOB? Did the Ontario government pay for additional equipment for contractors they paid to clear snow? Apparently, whether a company has enough equipment to do a job or not, is of little consequence to the Ontario Liberals when awarding snow removal contracts (what of other contracts?). Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk says that $1.7 million is required to top up a $700,000 contract for 13 pieces of additional removal equipment. She also stated that the second lowest bid was from a company that had enough equipment and would have saved a lot of money. No believable tale can be weaved by Transportation Minister Steve Del Duka to explain what occurred (They bought/ leased to us blah blah blah blah!) or who now owns what. Perhaps it will be clear as mud when this winters’ snow melts. We do know however that a low bid acceptance of a poorly equipped company resulted in unacceptable dangerous roads. (Not to mention more $$$$$ down the drain/ ditch) REMINISCING: I respect the man. I respected him as a successful civic minded merchant. I respected him when we met on the golf course or in passing. J.B. Jack Tudor called the other day and he shared a story related to the vacuum tube systems in many stores in years past. Although such a system was not in use when he bought Loffts in 1954 there was a tale told by Fred and Hardy Lofft of a time when a mouse was put in a capsule that was sent off to a lady in another section of the store (I am uncertain whether it was indeed the Lofft store). The furor caused such a commotion that it brings a laugh to Jack to this day. I love tales of years past and sharing laughs. J.B. said that Hardy (their father was also Hardy) became a manager of Simpsons in Montreal and at some point a Director of that company. He was fortunate in spending a day with Hardy on a purchasing day in Montreal. Jack also spoke of the intellect of the man. I might now mention my appreciation of Jack’s call and feed back as well as my opinion that he too is a very intelligent man. “THANKS” and “GOD BLESS” BILL CUBBerley P.S. After trying to read last week’s column I realize I was too wordy and things ran together. I will try again to cut back a bit: I apologize. bill@cubbcountry.com or 519-301-3777 25 New Homes & Renovations Now Offering Seamless Eavestroughing •Roofing •Decks •Flooring •Trimming •Drywall •Painting •Cement Work •Garage Doors •Additions •Replacement Windows Call Pete & Barb Vossen 519.284.1078 This week’s artifact from the St. Marys Museum is a rope bed. Although it may look like a regular bed with a mattress and quilt on it, the mattress is supported in the wooden frame by a length of rope crossing back and forth beneath it. As rope is much lighter and easier to carry than wooden slats, rope beds were popular amongst the early settlers. Join the St. Marys Museum for the grand opening of their new exhibit “A Log Cabin Christmas”. Opening during the annual Christmas Open House on Sunday, December 6, this exhibit explores how the earliest residents in St. Marys would have celebrated Christmas. For more information about this artifact, the exhibit or the open house contact the St. Marys Museum at 519-284-3556 or museum@town.stmarys.on.ca If it’s your Birthday this week: The recent difficulties you’ve been dealing with are about to lift. With this new energy comes new opportunities for greater happiness. Cheers! For the rest of us: Do your best to stay out of another’s argument, even if it’s in defense of someone, as this could land you in the hot seat instead. Two women play a key role. Friday, December 4, 2015 26 St. Marys Independent Obituaries Foster Lorne Foster Lorne Foster, 87, formerly of Hamilton passed away peacefully at the Ritz Lutheran Villa, Mitchell on Sunday, November 29, 2015. Beloved son of the late Herbert and Hariett Foster. Dear brother of Mary Fisher (William), Earl Foster (Jean) and Harold Foster (Marion). Also surviving are his nieces and nephews Tim Fisher, David Foster (Joanne), Jo-Anne Fields (Scott), Dale Foster (Coralee), Mark Foster (Erin), Karen Lemon (Ron) and their families. Lorne was a long time school Principal with the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board. A Celebration of Lorne’s Life will be held at the Lockhart Reception Centre, 116 Montreal St., Mitchell on Friday, December 4, 2015 at 11:00 a.m. followed by a reception. Interment in Kirkton Union Cemetery. Memorial donations to the Stratford General Hospital MRI or charity of one’s choice would be appreciated. Online condolences at www.LockhartFuneralHome.com. Andrew L. Hodges Funeral Home Locally owned and operated by Andrew Hodges since 2003 47 Wellington St. South, St. Marys P.O. Box 304 Tel: 519.284.2820 Email: andrew@hodgesfuneralhome.ca Website: www.hodgesfuneralhome.ca We honour the memory of: Brian Pearson Chuck Thomson Nov. 22, 2015 Nov. 24, 2015 Hislop Sheila Inez Anne Hislop (MacLaren) passed away at home in St. Marys on November 30, 2015 at the age of 84. Sheila was born in Balderson, ON and lived most of her life in Stratford. Mother to Norma Hislop (Jim) , Bruce Hislop (Paula), Janice Hyde (Ted), and Tom Hislop. Gentle Grandmother to Colin and Caitlin Hyde. She was active member of the Girl Guide Association and Hamlet Home and School Association. She graduated from Stratford Normal School in 1950 and taught in Sebringville. She enjoyed her time caring for many people who needed assistance through the Canadian Red Cross Homemaker Service.Our Mom was inventive in her kitchen, an avid reader, and loved her kitties. We fondly remember her baking awesome butter tarts, making creative soup of the day with her new blender, sewing, and knitting our clothes. She lived her retirement years quietly in St Marys. Visitation at the Andrew L. Hodges Funeral Home, 47 Wellington St. S. St. Marys (519-284-2820) on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015 from 7 – 9 p.m.. Burial will take place in Perth, Ontario at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Ontario Heart & Stroke Foundation. Online condolences at www.hodgesfuneralhome.ca. Hammond Marion Elain Hammond (Hall) passed away at Kingsway Lodge, St. Marys, on November 30, 2015 in her 82nd year. Beloved wife of David Hammond, married on April 17, 1954. Dear mother of Christina and Rafael Javiel, Patricia and Andy Cieri, Kevin Hammond and Cindy. Grandmother of nine and great-grandmother of 3. Sister of Doug and Sonia Hall, Terry Hall, Chum and Editha Hammond and Lillian Bennett. Also remembered by several nieces and nephews. Predeceased by siblings Reginal Hall, Winston and Pearl Hall, Helen King, and Sandra Hall. Cremation has taken place, Visitation at the Andrew L. Hodges Funeral Home, 47 Wellington St. South, St. Marys (519-284-2820), on Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 2 – 4 & 7 – 9 p.m. The Memorial Service will be conducted at the funeral home on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015, at 11 a.m. Memorial donations may be made to the “Someone I know” campaign with the St. Marys Memorial Hospital Foundation. Online condolences at www.hodgesfuneralhome.ca. For service details please call the Andrew L. Hodges Funeral Home 519–284–2820 or visit www.hodgesfuneralhome.ca Kidz Church for Grades JK to 3 during the service. P.O. Box 2058 St. Marys ON N4X 1C3 www.livingrockchurch.ca 226.779.9656 info@livingrockchurch.ca Pastor Jim Williams ST. MARYS UNITED CHURCH 85 CHURCH ST. S., ST. MARYS 519.284.3016 www.stmarysunitedchurch.weebly.com Minister: Rev. Doug Loucks, Organist: Timothy Gilbert SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2015 10:30 a.m. Worship Service “Refiner’s Fire” Sunday School, Nursery 7:00 p.m. ECUMENICAL ADVENT SERVICE AT Holy Name of Mary Roman Catholic Church FOR SALE BY OWNER Perth South 116 acre farm with 112 workable systematically tiled every 25 feet. Huron loam clay. Call 519-227-4872 Street Level Faith Stonetown’s Pentecostal Church Worship Gathering New Time & New Location 16 Hillside Court, St. Marys at 3:00 pm every Sunday. Becker Alison Elizabeth Jane Becker (Horne) passed away peacefully with family at her side on November 30, 2015 at Sakura House, Woodstock, at the age of 50 after a courageous battle with ovarian cancer. Alison was born, raised and lived most of her life in the rural area of Stratford. Alison is survived by her four beautiful, loving children, Matthew, Melissa, Brandon, and Ryan. She is also survived by her father Arthur Horne, mother Audrey (Hyde) predeceased in 2000. She will be missed by her siblings Alex (Sherri) Horne, Catherine (John) Tollenaar, Sheila (Jamie) Brant, Arthur Jr. (Kate) Horne, and 11 nieces and nephews. Also survived by her uncles, aunts, many cousins and greatly missed by her dear friend Peter Luty and family, and her dog Zoey. Predeceased by her grandparents Melvin and Jean Hyde, Arthur and Lydia Horne, Uncle John Alexander Horne (Infancy), Aunt Jean Parker, Uncle Alex Nichol and Aunt Christine Hyde. Alison was raised on a dairy farm for 20 years in North Easthope Township and then became a partner in Beckalry Holsteins for 19 years. She enjoyed volunteering in her children’s activities with school programs, coaching soccer, skating, 4-H and Donate a Cow Program providing meat to local food banks and soup kitchens. Cremation has taken place. Visitation at the Andrew L. Hodges Funeral Home, 47 Wellington St. South, St. Marys (519-284-2820) on Friday, Dec. 4, from 2 – 4 & 7 – 9 p.m. A Celebration of Life service will be conducted at the ST. MARYS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB, 769 Queen St. East, St. Marys, on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers and in keeping with Alison’s love of life and positive, cheerful nature, please undertake an act of kindness and enjoy a laugh with someone you care about. Memorial donations may be made to the Wellspring Stratford Cancer Centre, Optimism Place or the Emily Murphy Centre. Online condolences at www.hodgesfuneralhome.ca. Live – Love - Laugh by Rev. Ione Grover Who is a retired United Church minister living in St. Marys “We are such stuff as dreams are made on” said William Shakespeare in “The Tempest”. When you come to think of it, all the great creations in our world from works of art to airplanes and space ships were once dreams in someone’s mind and imagination. We would be much poorer without the dreams realized by Alexander Graham Bell, Galileo, Mozart or Leonardo de Vinci. What dreams do you have or have had for your life? Do you think God has a dream for your life? This last question sounds strange but what I mean by that is that Divine Creator seems to invite us to use our unique gifts for the common good. How about Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I have a dream” speech which stirred the world and became the inspiration for the Black liberation movement. It seems that the Divine and the human dream came together there. Can you think of moments in your life, when you felt you were guided to do something, even something small, that would help others? In our culture, we tend to dismiss dreamers and dreams. It was just a dream. He/she is only a dreamer. John Lennon upholds the role of dreamers in his famous “Imagine” lyrics. “You may say that I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will be as one.” John Lennon was not talking about an individual dream that would benefit himself but a dream for the world. I must confess that all my life I have been a dreamer. It didn’t al- ways serve me well, particularly as a child when I daydreamed in school and didn’t pay attention to my lessons. Yet I would never want to give up dreaming altogether, even if nothing came of it. Dreams do change as we age. Mine as a young adult were for self-improvement and success and later that my children would lead happy and fulfilled lives. Now my dreams are either for a more peaceful, humane world or for a deeper inner experience of the Divine. I have noticed that today there is a shift in many of us from our personal dreams to sharing a collective dream for a better world where people can live peacefully with enough food, decent shelter and a cleaner environment. I feel proud of the generosity of Canadians in welcoming the Syrian refugees to our country. Other examples include the peaceful demonstrations that are taking place all over the world where people are marching in sol- idarity with the Paris talks and the fight against global warming. What makes it even more remarkable is that many of us may not see the results for our actions in our lifetime. We are investing in the future of our children and their children. The hope is that we will be leaving a less polluted, war-ravaged planet for those that come after us. Of course there is no guarantee of this but I think more and more, we realize what will happen if we go on as we have been. In the words of John Lennon “Imagine no possessions. I wonder if you can. No need for greed and hunger. A brotherhood of man.” Perhaps God’s dream and our human dreams are coming together more. At least that is the hope. As Langston Hughes said: “Hold fast to dreams. For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” May we dream with God for a world of peace, love and justice! Friday, December 4, 2015 St. Marys Independent Obituary Boyd The family of Shirley Mae Boyd (Hearn) sadly announce her sudden passing at St. Marys Memorial Hospital on Dec. 1, 2015 at the age of 77. Wife of the late Jack Boyd (1986). Step-mother of Bill and wife Reba Boyd of Quesnel, British Columbia and their daughters Brianne and Carissa, and Jack Boyd of Exeter. Sister of Donna Aldis St. Marys, Sheila Crisp and husband Terry, Nashville, Tennessee, Linda McKay, St. Marys, sister-in-law Myrt Hearn, St. Marys. Shirley loved and spoiled all her many nieces and nephews and their families. Predeceased by her parents Kelly and Eileen Hearn, brother Barry Hearn and brother-in-law Dusty Aldis. Shirley loved her community as well as following all the sports and activities that her nieces and nephews were involved in. She had a special passion for the St. Marys Junior B Lincolns Hockey Club. Family and friends are invited to the ST. MARYS UNITED CHURCH, 85 Church St. S. St. Marys, on Monday, December 7, 2015 for visitation from noon until the time of the funeral service at 2 p.m. with Rev. Doug Loucks officiating. Interment in St.Marys Cemetery. Following burial, Shirley’s family will continue to celebrate her life at the St. Marys Legion, 66 Church St. S. St. Marys. Memorial donations may be made to a charity of choice. Online condolences at www.hodgesfuneralhome.ca. Classified Services M & M VARIETY Robson Scrap Metal The Difference? Full Postal Service Open 8 to 4:30 M–F 8 to 11:30 Saturdays 519.284.2800 284-3101 INCOME TAX PREPARATION Call Stewart Grant at 519.868.1290 206–211 Carling St. St. Marys 27 Like us on Facebook PERSONAL WANTED Personal: Looking for nice gentleman between 69-76 that likes to dance, fishing and lots of other things. Please send picture if possible and phone number to St. Marys Independent C/O#7 Box 2310, N4X 1A2 11/06 Wanted: Exercise bicycle in good shape and reasonably priced. Call 519-284-0728 11/27 Hard Medium FOR SALE For Sale: Set of 4 snow tires on rims. P205/55R16. Less than 5,000 kms. Best offer, 519-284-1927 12/04 "St Marys Independent" For all your Masonry needs! Specializing in Heritage Renovation, installing brick & stone on custom homes as well as pointing and stone restoration. Cell: 519-274-3690 Email: ajinharmony@hotmail.com The St. Marys Independent Here at the Independent we aim for value for your dollar. Our classified section is your best option for your garage sales, item sales, rental properties and non-commercial assistance. Each classified ad runs for a two week term and are only $15* if billed or $11* if prepaid! Each week after is an additional $5. Garage sales are $11.50* and are billed on a weekly basis. *Plus HST Advertise with us today! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. This Week’s QUIZ ANSWERS: Toronto Argonauts (16) Earth Richard Nixon The Hindenburg Ireland 6. Mr. Snuffleupagus. 7. Mark Twain 8. Captain Flint. 9. Jennie C Riley. 10. Coors Friday, December 4, 2015 28 St. Marys Independent TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OR LEASE OF ANY 2015 OR 2016 GMC OR BUICK Plus a Christmas Gift from Downtown GM Win up to $1,000! CHECK OUT THE FEATURES ON OUR MOST POPULAR VEHICLES. 2015 VERANO 2015 ENCLAVE 2015 CANYON 2016 ACADIA 2015 TERRAIN 2015 SIERRA Downtown GMC Buick 449 Queen St. St. Marys 519-284-3310 www.downtowngmc.com email: dpb@kwic.com • TWO YEARS OIL CHANGES Safety and Security #1 IN GM SERVICE SATISFACTION SALE HOURS Mon. – Thur. 8 am – 8 pm; Friday 8 am – 5 pm; Saturday 8:45 am – 4 pm • TWO YEARS OIL CHANGES Connect & Win and Christmas Gift incentives are available Dec 4 2015 through January 4 2016 and may be used towards a purchase or lease by July 31, 2016. One Christmas gift incentive per purchase or lease. Incentives available to Ontario residents 19 years of age and older possessing a valid Ontario driver’s licence. Connect & Win and Christmas Gift incentives are available with all other incentives, excluding other Downtown coupons and for $35000 incentive winners.OAC.