PUSLINCH – No one was injured in a blaze on Gore Road in Puslinch on Sunday after a 100-year-old barn caught fire.

“The barn was a complete loss,” said Puslinch Fire Chief Jamie MacNeil.

The Puslinch fire department received a call at around 2:30pm on Sept. 14 and five trucks were dispatched to the scene.

The blaze was extinguished with the help of brews from the Hamilton, Cambridge and Guelph/Eramosa fire departments.

“It [the barn] was fully involved as we were responding,” said MacNeil.

“So there wasn’t much left of the barn by the time we got there; it had already collapsed.”

There were no animals or people in the barn, which contained straw and farming equipment.

Fire crews left the scene at around 9:30pm.

The cause of the fire is undetermined as an investigation would be impossible due to the extent of the damage, MacNeil said.

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ELORA – An early morning fire on Saturday forced 12 people to evacuate a commercial and residential building in Elora.

Centre Wellington Fire Rescue responded to the blaze on Metcalfe Street at 1am on Sept. 13.

The building features The Showroom vintage clothing and interior design store, as well as a “mix of Airbnb rental units and long-term rental units,” deputy fire chief Jonathan Karn told the Advertiser.

Around 25 firefighters arrived on scene, from both the Elora and Fergus fire stations.

“When we arrived there was fire in the (Airbnb) unit and it was extending to the exterior of the building,” Karn explained. 

“Our main priority at that point was to make sure that fire did not extend to the major area of the building.” 

Firefighters responded to the blaze at about 1am on Sept. 13. Submitted photo

The fire was contained, yet all building units, including The Showroom store, suffered smoke and/or water damage.

The building’s 12 residents were evacuated safely and no one was injured.

“We worked with the Ontario Provincial Police, who contacted the Wellington County Victim Services and they came right to the scene,” Karn said.

“They were able tot take the Airbnb renters to a local hotel for an evening and our permanent residents stayed with either family or friends.”

Karn said a damage estimate is not currently available, but officials “are confident we know how the fire started.

“This fire is not suspicious.”

Karn noted crews headed back to the scene at 10:30am on Sept. 15.

He said a damage estimate and official cause will be released by the fire department later in the day or on Sept. 16.

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On Tuesday September 9th the Maryhill Historical Society was pleased to host a Waterloo Historical Society meeting.  The meeting took place at the Maryhill Heritage Park Community Centre with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. and the program began at 7:15 p.m.  They were also pleased that the Wellington County Historical Society was invited and was able to attend.  

Eyelash Man #1: “Be Cool”

“That’s fine, he likes the glue too”

Eyelash Man #2: “Snakeskin Smooth”

“That’s Sara, here’s Snyder, Sam’s in the glasses, those ones are Synthia…”

Eyelash Man #3: “Max Lift”

“The bottle said ‘Maximum Lift”

CENTRE WELLINGTON – Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home resident Reta Allan has turned a creative art project into a fundraiser for Diabetes Canada.

The rock snake currently lives at the Terrace near the front entrance and continues to grow everyday.

Allan had heard of the idea from “somewhere else in town” and thought “why don’t we do our own snake,” she told the Advertiser.

The snake is made out of approximately 50 rocks residents have painted throughout the summer.

Each is hand painted and sealed with two coats of a finisher to survive the outdoor elements.

“I made the head and a couple pieces for it and then we … invited the residents and their families,” Allan said. “We’ve got some neat ones.”

The rocks are to be sold for $1 during the home’s residents council week from Sept. 15 to 21.

“Every year during the residents council week we raise money for some charity organization,” she explained.

The council is a group of residents who are active in the community, hosted by each member of department of staff.

“I would have loved to seen a whole lot more but everybody isn’t capable of it,” Allan said.

“Looking at the length of it I’d say we had a fairly good response.”

Last year Allan’s rocks raised around $260.

Asked if she has always had a passion for arts she replied, “I don’t know if you can call it a passion but I’m down here (art room) everyday.”

“A lot of residents refer to this room as Reta’s art room,” terrace recreation therapist Megan Versteeg said during the interview.

Versteeg told Allan how the snake rock has “rippled through neighbourhoods” inside and out of the home.

She also noticed the “obsession of adding to the snake” among the other residents during one-on-one time.

“I think you’re creative spark has moved through the building in a way that you’re not aware of,” Versteeg said.

“I’ve been painting rocks all summer.”

Resident Joan Schnell took part in growing the snake and “I thought it was wonderful,” she said.

“The rocks were just booming [and] every time you’d look at the snake it’s longer,” Schnell added.

Not typically a craft person but she found joy in participating.

The rocks will be on display from Sept. 15 to 21 at 474 Charles Allan Way in Centre Wellington.

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GUELPH/ERAMOSA – Blue-green algae has been spotted at a third lake within Wellington County.

“The presence of a suspected blue-green algae bloom has been observed at Guelph Lake Conservation Area,” stated a Sept. 12 press release from the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA).

It added the environment ministry and public health have been notified.

The announcement comes just weeks after the GRCA closed the beaches at the Belwood Lake (Aug. 27) and Conestogo Lake (Aug. 22) conservation areas.

Both closures were due to blue-green algae blooms, which are discovered pretty much every summer at Belwood, Conestogo and/or Guelph Lakes, as hot weather creates “the perfect conditions” for it to grow in large bodies of water, officials say.

“There is permanent signage at these locations advising visitors of the potential for blue-green algae blooms and precautions that should be taken,” the GRCA stated.

Officials say users of Guelph Lake should take the following precautions:

• keep children and pets away from the algae;
• avoid contact with the algae;
• don’t eat fish from the lake;
• don’t use the water for drinking or any other purpose; and
• don’t swim in areas “where you see scum, or it is accumulating along the shoreline.”

Anyone with health-related questions can contact public health.

For more information visit the GRCA website.

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MAPLETON – A local woman has died following a two-vehicle crash near Glen Allan on Thursday.

Emergency crews responded to the scene, on the 3rd Line in Mapleton Township, on Sept. 11 at about 9:30am.

Wellington County OPP officials say the collision involved a pickup truck and SUV.

“As a result of the collision, a 59-year-old from Mapleton Township, was pronounced deceased at scene,” police stated in a Sept. 12 press release.

“The other driver was not injured.”

Anyone with information about the incident can call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

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WELLINGTON COUNTY – The county has proposed a $1.4-million winter response plan to keep about 75 homeless people off the streets this winter.

Director of housing services Dave Purdy presented a report on Sept. 10 to the joint social services and land ambulance committee, which covers both the county and City of Guelph.

“Chronic and non-chronic homelessness numbers continue to increase in our community from last year,” Purdy told the committee.

“There are at least 75 individuals that we are aware of experiencing unsheltered homelessness in our community.”

• County’s winter response plan for homelessness sparks tiny homes debate

That number is based on the Wellington-Guelph by-name data, formerly the by-name list, a real-time list of all people experiencing homelessness in a service delivery area.

Of the individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness, 12 are in the county and 63 in Guelph.

“That number is significantly higher than (during) our conversation that led into our winter response plan last year,” Purdy said.

Cost estimates are based on accommodating up to 75 individuals from Oct. 1 to April 30.

Of the $1.43 million, the county will cover $540,000 and the city $855,700.

Unsheltered individuals will be offered tarps, tents, sleeping bags, pillows, warm clothing and access to storage of belongings will continue for those who move to temporary accommodations over the winter.

The tangibles and storage will cost $40,000 and all cost estimates have been included in the winter response plan budget.

The 2025 county budget included an allocation of $283,000 for response plan costs.

County officials anticipate an increased cost of $331,000 will be partially offset by a one-time Reaching Home federal grant received earlier this year.

“A variance report will be brought forward in October that will provide an estimate of the overall year-end position for both the city and county,” states the report.

“Giving a person a place to live temporarily is a great thing, but are we then trying to reach out with other services to help get them out of that hotel situation?” asked councillor Mary Lloyd.

Purdy said one the biggest successes of last year’s plan “was incorporating the housing engagement agreements and participation and engagement requirements to identify long-term housing solutions.”

He added, “So the answer to your question is yes.

“No matter if they are in a hotel, we’re still having those engagement conversations on a long-term housing solution strategy.”

The plan states to continue to implement a housing engagement plan and agreement approach with individuals staying in hotels or at the temporary accommodation services at 128 Norfolk Street in Guelph.

Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie asked if there is money in the budget for repairs if the county units are damaged.

“In this winter response budget we are not incorporating damage costs,” Purdy said.

The 2026 forecasted budget includes an allocation of $675,000 for seven months (January to April and October to December) of winter response plan costs.

The report proposes a cost of $820,600 for January to April, with additional costs needed to support October through December.

“At this time, no increase in funding from senior levels of government are available to offset these costs,” the report states.

“The entire increase in cost will impact the municipal tax levy.”

The committee recommended county council approve the report on Sept. 25.

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PUSLINCH – A Puslinch man charged with sexual assault this summer is now facing a second sexual assault charge related to an incident over 20 years ago.

On July 24, police arrested and charged Richard Reid, 74, of Puslinch.

Wellington County OPP officials say police opened an investigation on Feb. 5 after receiving information about a sexual assault at a home in Puslinch Township.

Reid was released and was to appear in Guelph court on Aug. 29.

• Puslinch man charged with sexual assault

On Sept. 10, Reid was again arrested and charged with sexual assault.

Police say the second charge is “based on another victim coming forward to police with evidence relating to a historical incident.”

Asked for more details about the incident, OPP spokesperson Matthew Burton stated, “it occurred in 2003 … at a residence on Sideroad 10 North, Puslinch.”

Reid is to appear in Guelph court on Oct. 17.

“This investigation is ongoing, and investigators suspect there may be other incidents involving the accused,” police stated.

Anyone with information can call the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers Guelph Wellington at csgw.tips or toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS or 8477.

Tip providers may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.

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FERGUS – Families in Wellington County are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with KidsAbility’s new group screening model, which helps children access pediatric therapy faster, easing the burden of long waitlists.

“I can’t believe what we were doing before,” said Brendan Wylie-Toal,  director of innovation and research with KidsAbility Waterloo Guelph Wellington.

“Now that we know how to better engage families while waiting, the experience our families have of coming through the door and getting started basically right away with us has completely transformed the experience.”

Pediatric therapy encompasses physical, occupational, speech and psychological therapies tailored  to children. 

These therapies seek  to address developmental, physical, sensory and cognitive challenges, helping to improve motor skills, daily living activities, communication and emotional well-being.

As with most other forms of therapy, children and parents seeking paediatric therapy have been subjected to long wait times, resulting in frustration and added stress for families.

“When we talked to parents on that waitlist, their experience of waiting was really not very good,” Wylie-Toal told the Advertiser.

“They were frustrated. They didn’t know where they were in the queue. They were anxious about their child’s development.” 

KidsAbility’s new group screening model utilizes a group “play date” to assess incoming children and streamline the intake process.

After initial intake, six or seven families are invited in for what Wylie-Toal describes as a “play date.” 

During this time, the children engage in play with one another as physicians make observations before pulling each family aside to discuss treatment plans.

Families are typically invited in no more than two to three weeks after the initial intake.

“For young children a lot of the goals that they [parents] have for their child relate to some degree, or in many cases, to social interaction,” said Wylie-Toal.

“The benefit of the play group setting is that you can see the child’s social interactions.

“And so for the likelihood that there’s going to be a goal that has something to do with social interaction, physicians are able to then see those concerns live rather than hear a secondhand account from the parent.” 

Wylie-Toal said this model is “highly transferable” and he hopes to see it adopted at paediatric facilities across the province.

“It’s one of my favourite types of innovation,” said Wylie-Toal. “When something is really impactful, but also really, really simple. 

“It’s just programming, it’s coordinating, it’s ‘let’s bring them into a play date and then bring some paperwork for afterwards.’” 

He added, “From an efficiency and time-use perspective we see three times the number of children in the same amount of time as the prior one-on-one model.

“You want to make good use of money, you want to improve the quality, and you want to improve the experience for doing all three of those.”

For more information, or to seek pediatric therapy visit KidsAbility.ca.

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GUELPH – There are many reasons some people don’t want vaccinations, but if it’s fear of needles, public health has you covered.

Karen Mulvey, manager of vaccine preventable disease with Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH), told the board of health on Sept. 3 that staff have been researching, with the University of Toronto, how to alleviate fear of needles.

They now have a program first rolled out in the 2023/24 school year as WDGPH began its Grade 7 immunization program.

Called CARD (comfort, ask, relax, distract), this evidence-based approach helps reduce fear, pain and stress during student vaccinations through preparation and personalized coping strategies.

WDGPH targeted schools with low vaccination rates to administer the program to see if it helped. 

Officials started with pre-clinic education so students would know what to expect and how to cope with their fears.

They tailored the clinic set-up so there was privacy, distraction items and sharps were out of sight until in use.

Officials saw an increase of 9.8 per cent for the HPV vaccine; an increase of 8.1% for Hepatitis B vaccine, and an increase of 5.3% for the Meningococcal vaccine.

Medical officer of health Dr. Nicola Mercer said anyone with a fear of needles can request the service at any public health vaccination clinic as the CARD program is effective with adults as well.

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FERGUS – It’s taken 80 years, but Jean Collier has suddenly become an overnight sensation.

Now in her 99th year, the Fergus woman is a sought-after speaker and will be an honoured guest at the screening of the film We Lend a Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes at the Alma Community Centre on Sept. 27.

The farmerette program, seemingly long forgotten, has come to light again thanks to the film and a book written by Shirleyan English and Bonnie Sitter called Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes.

The farmerette program started during the Second World War, when men were away at war and women were needed to fill their shoes here at home.

The provincial government started a program for teenaged girls to work on farms and help bring in the harvest.

The Ontario Farm Service Force – farmerettes for short – ran from 1941 to 1952 and employed 40,000 teenage girls in Ontario and Quebec who stepped up to do their part for the war effort.

They lived and worked on farms from April to September, were paid nominal amounts for their labour, and successfully harvested food that was sent to troops and civilians on the front line.

“I was 16, a Grade 11 student at North Toronto Collegiate. I was a city girl,” Collier said in an interview in her Fergus home, where she’s lived for 26 years.

“The government came with this great plea: ‘we need you to bring in the crops.’”

Her father had been a chaplain in the air force and died in 1941.

So, her mother had been a widow for just two years when her daughter asked if she could go and help farmers.

“My mother thought about it for a while and said, ‘That’s a good cause. You can go.’ I really wanted to do my bit,” Collier said.

She was lucky to have a friend come with her, she said, as many farmerettes didn’t know a soul when they reached their destination.

Collier and her friend Ruth were sent to Waterford, Ontario along with 60 other girls.

They were accommodated in the local high school; bunk beds filled the school gym.

They worked eight hours a day and were paid 25 cents an hour, which was the going rate for farm labourers.

They were picked up by their farmers at 8am, transported to the farm and returned to the high school by 6pm for dinner.

From their pay they had to pay $4.50 a week for room and board. The commitment was 13 weeks.

“It was hard work and we suffered blisters and bruises and sunburn. But I loved it,” Collier said.

“I saw the need, so I went back.”

She spent three summers as a farmerette. 

Hard work – Some 40,000 teenaged girls joined the farmerette program to help bring in the harvest during the Second World War.
Submitted photo

In 1943 she was in Waterford; in 1944 she was in St. David’s, where the girls stayed in a converted horse barn; and in 1945 she was in Kingsville where the girls stayed in a vacant casino.

“I didn’t know much about farmers, but they are special people,” she said, recalling how one farmer lost his entire crop of melons due to an early frost.

Most of the girls had never been away from home before, so it was quite an adventure.

They learned how to budget, how to do their own laundry and how to harvest various crops.

They also learned to think for themselves and most came away feeling proud of their contribution to the war effort.

On May 8, 1945, Collier was harvesting peaches when the farmer she was working for came out and told them the war in Europe was over.

“I was so happy for my brother (who was a soldier in the war). I almost fell out of the tree,” she said, laughing at the memory.

Bonnie Sitter was not a farmerette, but she did write a book about them and that played a major part in getting the documentary made.

“It started with a tiny picture, two inches by two and a half inches,” she said in a phone interview.

It was a photo she found in her husband’s photo album after he had died of “three girls sitting on the running board of a car and on the back, it said ‘Farmerettes, 1946.’”

Sitter did some research and discovered her father-in-law, a farmer, had hired some farmerettes back in the day.

She had never heard of the program.

“I felt indignant that it wasn’t taught to me at school. I decided I would do some research and learn more,” she said.

She wrote an article about the farmerettes for The Rural Voice magazine and out of the blue was contacted by Shirleyan English, who, it turned out, was a farmerette at Sitter’s father-in-law’s farm in 1952.

Together they conducted more interviews and eventually completed the book.

While each farmerette had her own experience, collectively they shared the bond of a common experience.

“They did so much growing up,” Sitter said. “It was a big learning experience for each and every one of them. They didn’t want to fail.”

Sitter said people were skeptical when the program was first announced. 

“People didn’t think it would work. But it did work. It was a well-thought-out system,” she said.

“And many girls went back and encouraged their sisters to join as well.”

Thanks to the opportunity to be independent, many went on to become professionals – nurses, teachers, engineers – while others realized they loved the farm life and married farmers.

English and Sitter’s  book, Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz: Memories of Ontario Farmerettes, was self-published in 2019 and it was adapted into a play in 2020 by Toronto playwright and actor Alison Lawrence.

The pandemic meant the play couldn’t be staged for a few years. In the meantime, Sitter met Colin Field, who decided he wanted to make a documentary.

That’s been its own journey, Sitter said with understatement, but the film is complete and has been touring southern Ontario.

Field, the producer, has rented the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema on Bloor Street in Toronto to screen the documentary on Remembrance Day and tickets are available on the website welendahand.ca.

Though she is  not featured in the book or the film, 80 years after her experience as a farmerette, Collier has attended many of the screenings, speaking about her experience before the film begins.

She paused in thought when asked how being a farmerette impacted her.

“I learned if there’s a need, you should answer that need,” she said.

“It made me aware of what goes on to get food on the table. It made me understand the hardships for farmers and it gave me an understanding about money. It made me independent.”

But it was also fun, she said.

“There was such a camaraderie. We did have fun. And I learned to love the land. As a city girl I never would have known any of that.”

She added, “There was a need and we responded. Farmers could not have brought in those crops without the 40,000 farmerettes and I’m proud to be one.

“The biggest thing was my friendship with Ruth. We became life-long bosom buddies. We could talk about the strawberry patch and we both knew what we meant.

“The farmerettes shaped me for the future and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

The Wellington County Historical Society is bringing the documentary We Lend a Hand: The Forgotten Story of Ontario Farmerettes to the Alma Community Centre on Sept. 27 at 2pm.  

Field, Sitter, Senator Rob Black, Collier and other farmerettes will be there for a Q&A after the screening.

Tickets are $20 and available on Eventbrite.

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