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PAGE March 26, 2026 BRAVES TAKE SERIES LEADThursday, The Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette
2026 Farm Edition - Section B
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The Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette Serving New Hamburg, Tavistock, Baden, Wellesley, New Dundee, St. Agatha, Shakespeare, Petersburg, Hickson, Punkeydoodle’s Corner and area
When planning your garden, plan to plant a few extra rows for us! SINCE 1895
Unit 1-175 Waterloo St., New Hamburg ON N3A 1S3 519-662-2731 wilmotwellesleyrc.ca
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2026
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Potential strategic growth areas in Baden and New Hamburg highlighted in Wilmot official plan update GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
(JENNIE BURNS PHOTO COURTESY OF SHOW US YOUR WILMOT FACEBOOK GROUP)
Lainey gets a head start on spring, showing off her seasonal outfit during a sunny March 9 stroll with owner Jennie Burns at Mike Schout Wetlands Preserve. Now that the season has officially arrived, we’re all ready to start soaking up the sunshine just like her.
Conservatives call on feds to pass Khanna’s Jail Not Bail Act
Rising extortion and violent crime continue to plague the country, Oxford MP says
LEE GRIFFI Gazette Reporter
Oxford MP Arpan Khanna is pleading with the Liberal government to move forward on his private member’s Bill.
Khanna and Larry Brock, shadow minister for justice and the attorney general of Canada, are calling on the Liberal government to urgently support and pass Bill C-242, the Jail Not Bail Act, as it returns for further debate and a second reading
this week. “After nearly a decade of failed Liberal criminal justice policies, Canadians are facing a growing wave of violent crime, including a sharp and deeply concerning Continued on page A2
Potential strategic growth areas between Baden and New Hamburg that could support increased residential density and mid-rise development were the focus of a March 23 presentation to Wilmot council as work continues on the township’s new official plan. Township senior policy planner Rachel Greene and planning consultant Joe Nethery of Nethery Planning presented council with updated growth scenarios and potential intensification opportunities, seeking feedback before drafting policies and land-use maps for the proposed plan. “Our current official plan was approved in 2019 and is in need of modernization,” Greene said. “There have been significant legislative changes since that time. As of 2025, the Region (of Waterloo) no longer has planning authority and it’s now the township’s responsibility to implement both the region and the township’s official plan, creating duplication. As well, in 2024, a new provincial planning statement was passed by the province, and the plan now needs to come in alignment with the new policy directions. And lastly, the plan Continued on page A3