KINETTES GIVE BACK 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 #1254
Thursday, March 20, 2025
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Rev. Gwen Ament presented with King Charles III Coronation Medal
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GALEN SIMMONS Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
ing, the majority of council except for deputy mayor Brogan Aylward voted in favour of extending the PC Connect local partnership agreement to Dec. 31. Since 2020, two PC Connect transit services have been available to area residents thanks to $1.45 million each in provincial funding through the Ontario Ministry of Transportation’s Community Transportation Grant program. Led by Perth County, the intracommunity transit program connects rural communities within Perth County with transit hubs
Though she says the work she does to benefit St. Marys and the people who live here is often behind the scenes, Rev. Gwen Ament and her tireless community efforts were in the spotlight March 11 as she received a King Charles III Coronation Medal. At the start of the regular St. Marys council meeting, Perth-Wellington MPP Matthew Rae and Mayor Al Strathdee took some time to sing Ament’s praises before they officially presented her with the medal, which has been awarded to Canadians of all ages from all walks of life who have made a difference in their communities, provinces and territories, or country to mark the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III on May 6, 2023. “As everyone here this evening will know, Gwen is a longtime advocate for inclusion in the Town of St. Marys, helping settle Syrian refugees and, more recently, Ukrainian refugees,” Rae said. “She’s also an advocate for reconciliation with Indigenous members of our community and, of course, Gwen is one of the key organizers of the annual To St. Marys With Love community dinner, among many other initiatives.” Ament, the minister at St. Marys Presbyterian Church, has also actively worked to support Camp Kintail and other local organizations that support families and people in need, and she served as the leader of the St. Marys Ministerial Association, helping to coordinate several charitable initiatives in the community.
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Siblings Austin and Savannah Pope are all smiles playing mini putt with grandma and grandpa, Ken and Mary McCutcheon, at the St. Marys Legion’s March Break mini-putt course. For more photos and a full story, see page 13.
St. Marys council votes to extend PC Connect program to Dec. 31 after provincial funding dries up GALEN SIMMONS Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
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Despite a relatively low ridership among St. Marys residents and a price tag of $207,000 to continue the service until the end of the year, St. Marys council has voted to extend its partnership agreement with the Municipality of North Perth and the City of Stratford to extend the PC Connect transit program after a funding agreement with the province ends on March 31. At the March 11 St. Marys council meet-
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