INT. WOMEN'S DAY
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ASTRONAUT'S ROOTS PAGE
STRATFORD VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 30
11 FREE
MARCH 13, 2026
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS! ANNIVERSARY
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City aims to start 15 home child-care centres in region this year CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
In Ontario there are 47 municipalities charged with administering child-care services for their regions. Since 2022, the City of Stratford is one of three where licenced home child care is not available – though that is set to change in 2026. According to a management report presented to city council on March 9, preliminary work on a home child-care agency has been undertaken by social services staff in an effort to start administering support and oversight for area home-based child-care providers that wish to be licenced. As licenced providers, they would be eligible for the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system and could receive funding from the city. The intent for this year is to establish 15 homes under supervision of an agency and a full-time home child-care visitor. Each home may support six children total and can be located in Stratford, St. Marys or Perth County, for a total of 90 spaces in the region. Late last year and early this year, 88 licenced spaces were open. Additionally, 106 spaces are also scheduled to open this year. Despite that recent surge, CONTINUED TO PAGE 2
(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)
An eager Perth County OPP member helps the Perth East Fire Department put out a blaze in Gads Hill on March 7. For more on the fire, see our story on page 2.
Stratford’s newest Order of Canada member reflects on recent investiture CONNOR LUCZKA Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Patricia O’Malley, the most recent Stratforder to become an Order of Canada member, pointed out that for a moderately-sized city, it has certainly left its mark on the nation. "I think it’s interesting for people to know how unusual this city is in terms of the number of people who live here and who are members of the Order of Canada,” O’Malley said, highlighting that she will be joining seven other local members – all women no less – to share their stories at
the Iris Collective event Voices of Distinction at 2 p.m. on March 28, located at the Stratford Public Library. O’Malley made that connection at the most recent Stratford city council meeting on March 9, having been invited into council chambers to share her experience and be congratulated by council in-person. She pointed out that while her investiture was publicized Dec. 31, 2025, she found out in the fall. "The day was a long time coming,” O’Malley shared. “I got a phone call in the middle of October from an email saying ‘please call,’ and it was from the Office of the CONTINUED TO PAGE 3