LOCAL CRIME STATS PAGE
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St. Marys Independent
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St. Marys Independent 36 Water St. S., St. Marys ON | 519.284.0041 | info@stmarysindependent.com | www.stmarysindy.com
Issue #1259
Thursday, April 24, 2025
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Pita Pit franchise coming to town STEWART GRANT Publisher
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Local federal election candidates agree, but mostly disagree, in Stratford debate CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter www.stonetownkarate.ca
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Dan and Pam Ryan announced recently that they will be opening a Pita Pit franchise in downtown St. Marys later this year at the southeast corner of Queen and Water Streets.
With the federal election in the homestretch now, the local race here in Perth-Wellington is heating up. The four candidates in the riding went head-to-head on the debate stage at the Stratford Rotary Complex on April 15. David Mackey of the Liberal Party, John Nater of the Conservative Party, Kevin Kruchkywich of the New Democratic Party (NDP)
and Wayne Baker of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) were invited by the Stratford and District Chamber of Commerce to participate. Kicking it off, Aaron Martin, general manager of the chamber, asked the candidates if they support the construction of a trans-Canada pipeline. Mackey, Nater and Baker were all in favour, though Mackey clarified it would have to be done in consultation with the provinces.
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The “best unkept secret in St. Marys” was finally revealed last week when Pam Ryan announced via social media that she and her husband, Dan Ryan, are back in the franchise business. The former owners of Little Caesars in St. Marys will be opening a Pita Pit location downtown later this year at the southeast corner of Queen and Water streets. With the building having sat empty for two years since the closure of Stonetown Coffee, the recent interior construction work was starting to attract a lot of attention from curious people passing by, thus prompting the Ryans to make their big announcement sooner rather than later. “One day when the builder had the door open there were six different people who walked in to ask what was going on,” said Pam Ryan. “Now that the builders are here, we’ll just keep people in the loop, and if there’s delays, we’ll let people know. We’re a small town.” Fortunately, many of the delays are already in the rearview mirror. The journey has been met with several challenges, including renovating within the heritage district, solving ventilation issues and dealing with delays due to equipment sourcing and tariffs. Though it is too early to project a specific opening date, the fact construction crews are onsite is evidence many of the most difficult hurdles have been crossed. Despite the challenges, something that has kept the Ryans in great spirits is the positive reaction from the community. Since making the announcement last week, they’ve been so thankful for all the kind words of support. Not only are people happy to see the Ryans back in the restaurant business following the
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