COUNTY BUDGET PAGE
7
WINTER FILM FESTIVAL
STRATFORD VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 22
PAGE
18 FREE
JANUARY 16, 2026
A Passion for People
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Police HQ may be leaving downtown
CONNOR LUCZKA
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
The Stratford Police Service’s headquarters may be moving from the downtown core. During the first regular Stratford city council meeting of the new year on Jan. 12, council voted in favour of issuing a letter of intent to purchase the building known municipally as 10-52 Wright Blvd. – perhaps better known to residents as the old Scotiabank building off the corner of Lorne Avenue. The building is currently listed on Realtor.ca at $14 million with 100,625 square feet of office and industrial space and over four acres of excess land adjacent to one of Stratford’s industrial parks. Although nothing in the agenda indicated this was for a new police station, when discussing the item council debated the pros and cons for the service. “I do see the potential in the location, but I do have concerns that I’m not able to reconcile,” said Coun. Cody Sebben. “Number one, I strongly believe there's no substitute for the positive community presence that comes with having our police headquarters in the downtown core. To me, moving this to the edge of the city is a big concern. “Number two, by moving the police headquarters, along with other municipal administration, outside of the downtown core, we could possibly be removing many potential patrons from stores and restaurants and moving them to the periphery of the city, while at the same time creating a potential vacant site in the core for an indeterminant amount of time.” CONTINUED TO PAGE 3
(CONNOR LUCZKA PHOTO)
Kylie Anderson and Sophia Aitcheson speed over the frozen tobogganing hill behind Stratford Intermediate School on Jan. 12. Despite a brief thaw, winter still blankets the region.
Soup’s On raises over $70,000 in one weekend for Alzheimer Society Huron Perth services
GARY WEST
Times Correspondent
Thirty-one years ago, the board of directors and staff at the Alzheimer Society Huron Perth came up with a unique idea to raise much needed funds for the local organization. The famed Soup’s On fundraiser has been a local hit year after year ever since. This year’s annual event took over the community hall at the Stratford Rotary Complex on Saturday, Jan.
10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thousands of local Stratford and Perth County area residents packed the hall and there were about 30 soup vendors with enough variety of soups to cure anyone’s appetite, all while raising money for a good cause. Attendees came prepared with tart tins that could hold six to eight sample cups of soup, along with their own spoons (spoons were also supplied), so they could sit down and enjoy the various soup recipes dished out by those soup makers from area restaurants and CONTINUED TO PAGE 2