BUSINESS LEADHERSHIP SUMMIT PAGE
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PAGE LINCS BEAT ELMIRA IN OPENER St. Marys Independent Thursday, April 2, 2026
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St. Marys Independent 36 Water St. S., St. Marys ON | 519.284.0041 | info@stmarysindependent.com | www.granthaven.com
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St. Marys council approves land-lease agreement with Bell for new cell tower on Carling Street
RIVER VALLEY GOLF LEAGUES begin the first week of May.
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GOLF COURSE OPENING DAY! end of April! (weather permitting)
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ADULT PROGRAMS
SKC HOSTS MASTER OF THE RING TOURNAMENT (EMILY STEWART PHOTO) Rowan Meeks at the Master of the Ring Tournament, hosted by Stonetown Karate, at the Stratford Rotary Complex on March 28. See full story on page 23.
Perth County continues discussion on invasive-species strategy GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
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Perth County council is continuing its discussion on how best to address the growing threat posed by invasive plant species, including whether funding set aside for giant hogweed eradication could support a broader, coordinated approach across the county. After hearing from Upper Thames River Conservation Authority (UTRCA) forestry and restoration supervisor Rob Davies about the conservation authority’s collaborative invasive-species program at its March 5
meeting, council revisited the topic during discussion of the county’s 2025 weed report at its March 19 meeting. Councillors considered whether some or all of the $25,000 included in the 2026 budget to address giant hogweed could instead be used to support broader efforts to map, monitor and control invasive species across the county. “This is probably an opportunity to address what was carried over from a few meetings ago with regards to the money we had set aside for invasive species,” Coun.
St. Marys council has approved a land-lease agreement with Bell Mobility that will allow the telecommunications company to construct a new cellular tower on municipally owned land near the northeast edge of town. Council approved the agreement at its March 24 meeting following a staff report recommending the town enter into a lease arrangement for a portion of unused land along Carling Street within the town’s industrial area. “We received an inquiry from Bell in the fall of last year,” St. Marys public works director Jed Kelly told council. “They are looking to install another cell tower in the Town of St. Marys. They were looking somewhere in the north or northeast. They were inquiring about landowners up there. Ultimately, they’d prefer to deal with the municipality. We went back and forth a bit, but ultimately what we landed on was the very northeast corner of the town. It’s an unused portion of the Carling Street road allowance. Currently the road allowance is open but unimproved. “Right now, Bell is looking for a commitment to execute the agreement, and the once that is done, they will start the public-consultation period.” According to the report, the proposed tower is intended to improve cellular connectivity and internet service in the northern part of St. Marys, an area that has experienced coverage gaps and
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