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JOSSLIN INSURANCE PAGE PAPA PFAFF HONOURED Thursday, AT PAGE August 27, 2026 CELEBRATES 50 YEARS The Wilmot-Tavistock Gazette U17 CHAMPIONSHIPS
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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
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Wilmot, Wellesley welcome new shared sustainability manager GALEN SIMMONS Regional Editor
(ALIYAH HELSDON PHOTO)
Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre speaks to a large crowd at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show on Saturday. Poilievre granted the Gazette a 15-minute, one-on-one interview before the event.
Poilievre talks agriculture and housing during Oxford County visit Conservative leader wants less taxes and red tape on farmers and homebuilding LEE GRIFFI Gazette Reporter
Federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre made a rare stop in Oxford County at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show on Saturday as the guest of Oxford MP
Arpan Khanna. Grant Haven Media was given an exclusive interview with Poilievre before his speaking engagement and before trade talks with the Americans broke down. One of the topics covered was
agriculture and how we as a country can become more self-sustainable in the sector. “What we need to do is lower the cost burden on farmers to make them more competitive,” Poilievre said. “In Canada Continued on page 2
The townships of Wilmot and Wellesley now have a dedicated staff member tasked with finding opportunities to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, conserve resources and potentially save the municipalities money through more efficient operations. Sustainable Waterloo Region (SWR) executive director Tova Davidson introduced Steffen Knochel, the new sustainability manager shared between the two townships, to Wilmot council at its Aug. 24 meeting. The one-year position, hosted through SWR, was approved earlier this year as a way for the neighbouring municipalities to share sustainability expertise they did not have internally. Funding from Enbridge Gas covers half the $70,000 salary, while Wilmot and Wellesley are each contributing approximately $17,500. “It is a shared role with just a one-year idea of, ‘Let’s give this a try and see how we can make some real progress,’ ” Davidson told council. Knochel, an architect and certified passive Continued on page 3
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