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Vol 23 | Issue 30 webstoneprosoils.ca
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CREATIVE ARTS
Wellesley musician set to release debut album People. Places. Pictures. Profiles. Perspectives. CONNECTING OUR COMMUNITIES.
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AUGUST 27, 2020
C OV I D P R E PA R E D N E S S
School board issues guidelines to help students return to their classrooms BY DAMON MACLEAN dmaclean@woolwichobserver.com
The school year looms but it’s still summer for now, with Reid and Grayson opting to cast a line into the creek in Elmira on Tuesday afternoon. [DAMON MACLEAN]
Greenlight for Elmira apartment building Council approves 18-unit project for Church Street West despite neighbours' concerns BY STEVE KANNON skannon@woolwichobserver.com
An 18-unit apartment building will rise from the ground on Church Street West in Elmira, Woolwich council having this week approved the project despite concerns raised by neighbours. Originally pitched as a 21-unit building, property owners Wayne Martin and Rick Brubacher scaled it back to 18, added more parking and altered how
the structure will sit on the 0.42-acre site in response to concerns raised by residents when the idea was first discussed last summer. At that time, neighbours raised concerns about traffic, parking, loss of privacy and incompatibilities with the existing surroundings. Despite the latest changes, the plan is still a four-storey building, which remains an issue. Assured by planning staff that the building was compatible with the area just
west of the downtown core, councillors meeting August 25 approved the required official plan and zone changes. The new structure will be built on what is now two properties located at 44 and 46 Church St. W. The former contains an older house that’s been converted to a triplex, while the latter is now a vacant lot after the single-family home there was demolished. The plan is to offer for rent one-
and two-bedroom units. “This is not out of character for a small community,” manager of planning Jeremy Vink said of the building in a video meeting Tuesday night. Such low-rise apartment buildings – three to five storeys – are appropriate to the setting, he added. “We believe the proposed development is appropriate,” agreed Megan Gereghty, a GSP Group planner representing the APARTMENT | 04
While the back-to-school protocol is still evolving, most students in the Waterloo Region public system appear ready to return in person. As of last week, Waterloo Region District School Board numbers indicate 83 per cent of elementary students and 89 per cent of high schoolers intend to return when classes resume September 8. Students have been out of the classroom since midMarch due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing parents to make alternative arrangements. Now, despite uncertainties, many of those parents can no longer accommodate options such as remote learning from home. Work schedules mean many of them have no choice but to send their children back to school and hope for the best. WRDSB schools will be following new safety guidelines, with officials directing parents to prepatory materials in a document released earlier this month,
‘Caregivers Guide to Setting the Stage to Return to School.’ “It’s meant to support students and families in re-entering the school year and managing the stresses and anxiety that may come with some changes that will be experienced in this coming year,” explained board spokesperson Alana Russell. Developed by the psychological services department, the document echoes ideas expressed by parents. It also draws from psychologist Deborah MacNamara’s YouTube video released in May called ‘Leading Our Kids Back to School.’ A section of the guide lays out the importance of ‘calm language.’ The breakdown encourages parents to rethink their usage of ‘safety language.’ “Humans have a built-in alarm system that alerts them to possible harm or danger. This warning system helps people know when to take action to reduce harm or get to safety. However, sometimes the BACK TO SCHOOL | 04
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