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03 | 21 | 2015 VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 12
Sap producers moving into the flow of things Venture PAGE 12
COMMENT PAGE 6
Income splitting nothing but electioneering
Rural ambulance services to remain part of region’s budget
Kings sweep past waterloo
ambulance | 2
NO TAX
Wellesley group ready to launch local food bank
With Wellesley Community Food Cupboard, organizers look to provide service to neighbours in need
Scott Barber Ambulance response times, traditionally well above average in the townships, could start trending in a positive direction. Regional council voted unanimously in favour of a motion put forward by Wellesley Mayor Joe Nowak to add a 12-hour ambulance to its fleet, while maintaining all four rural emergency response units (RERU) currently in operation. The measure was part of the 2015 budget approved March 4. The decision rebuffed a staff proposal which called for the addition of the region wide ambulance at the expense of one of the four RERUs, which focus on medical emergencies in the rural townships, Woolwich, Wellesley, North Dumfries and Wilmot. Nowak was pleased with council’s decision. “It was unanimous with all the regional councillors, which was a good thing. What it will do is it will improve the response times regionwide,” he said. “So it’s a win-win, I think, for everybody.” The cost of keeping the RERU and adding an ambulance totals $484,000 annually, although half of the tab will be covered by a provincial subsidy. The equivalence of six full-time staff members will also be added to the
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SCOTT BARBER
Elmira Sugar King forwards Brendan Schneider and Klayton Hoelscher celebrate after Schneider opened the scoring in a 3-0 win over the Waterloo Siskins at the WMC Mar. 15. The Kings swept the second round match up with a 6-3 victory at the Waterloo Rec. Complex Tuesday and will take on the Stratford Cullitons in the Cherrey Cup finals starting this week. [Scott Barber / THe Observer]
Looking to fill the gap between social programs and out-of-town food banks, a group of dedicated community volunteers have teamed up to fight hunger in the Township of Wellesley. The Wellesley Community Food Cupboard will officially open next month, but first the group behind the pilot program will host open houses on March 28-29 in an effort to raise awareness and fill the shelves at their 146 David St. location in the village. “In response to a growing community need, a group of individuals representing area churches, businesses and organizations have partnered together to reduce hunger in Wellesley Township and surrounding area,” the group said in a statement. “Providing supplemental food to people struggling with food security in Wellesley Township and surround-
ing area is the mission of the Wellesley Community Food Cupboard. Really, it’s about neighbours helping neighbours in a welcoming, non-judgmental, respectful and confidential way. The goal is to maximize fairness, choice and service excellence. Participants will have access to non-perishable food to supplement what they may receive from a food bank.” Christa Gerber, chair of the Wellesley Community Food Cupboard board, described how the project came to be. “There is a lady named Sue Martin and she is a social worker who works with underfunded families in Wellesley Township and this is something that she has had going for about 12 years now,” Gerber said. “It started in her garage and she always had a dream that it would be bigger and that it could service all people that are underfunded WCFC | 4
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