NEW MYSTERY TOURS
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REMEMBERING LLOYD
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STRATFORD VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 1
20 FREE
AUGUST 14, 2026
A Passion for People
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City moving forward with new SPS HQ CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
After much investigation – and much debate – the City of Stratford is moving forward in acquiring the former Scotiabank data centre on Lorne Avenue as the next headquarters for the Stratford Police Service. City council directed staff to acquire the property, officially known as 10 and 52 Wright Blvd., at the regular meeting on Aug. 10. The decision was made following months of investigation by staff into the 100,625 square foot building and seven acre site, which ultimately found that it was not only a viable option, but a unique opportunity. “We review everything, it's still less expensive than renovating the current headquarters,” said Coun. Harjinder Nijjar, who also serves on the police services board. “It is far less expensive than a new building. It's going to allow the sale of some existing assets … and it's going to provide a facility that meets operational needs for decades to come, and that's only the finance piece of it. “What I think the police services need as a department and a service and a team is that we consolidate the police operations into a single modern headquarters to improve efficiency, reduce the long-term operating costs, to enhance public safety, strengthen the staff.” The building is not an exact fit. Police need an estimated 55,200 square feet for current and future needs. Even with 10,100 square feet for an indoor firing range CONTINUED TO PAGE 3
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
It's a six-horse race for Stratford's top politician. As of press time, Jo-Dee Burbach, Christopher Burrell (not pictured), Mark Hunter, Andrew Rea, incumbent Martin Ritsma and Robert Ritz have filed their papers to be the next mayor of the City of Stratford. The Times' full election coverage will begin after the nomination period closes next week on Aug. 21.
Lots of pieces left to puzzle in Festival Hydro restructuring CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Work continues towards a corporate restructuring of Festival Hydro, the City of Stratford’s local distribution company (LDC). The goal of the restructuring, as chief administrative officer (CAO) André Morin said, is rather than the city owning both Festival Hydro Inc. and Festival Hydro Services Inc. separately, it would be the sole shareholder of a new holding company, which would own the two orga-
nizations. Through this ownership model, it would allow for the equity and expertise of the Festival Hydro network to be leveraged, meaning reinvestment or expansion could be done, increasing revenue for the city and easing the burden on taxpayers. “The question is, why do we need to go down this this path?” Morin told Stratford city council at its Aug. 10 meeting, when the matter was up for debate. “Again, one of the challenges, like we were talking about earlier in regards to asset management, is LDCs have aging inCONTINUED TO PAGE 2