GUELPH – While there are currently no confirmed human cases in the region, public health officials are urging residents to take precautions to avoid mosquitoes after a dead bird in Guelph tested positive for West Nile virus.

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) announced on July 16 that the virus was confirmed in a dead crow found in the city.

That “means that mosquitoes capable of transmitting the virus are present locally,” stated Dr. Matthew Tenenbaum, associate medical officer of health.

“While the risk of severe illness is low, we encourage everyone to take simple precautions to prevent mosquito bites.”

WDGPH officials say the most effective way to avoid West Nile virus “is to reduce the risk of mosquito bites by wearing light-coloured clothing (including long sleeves and pants), using an approved mosquito repellant and repairing holes in screen doors and windows.

“Also, protect yourself from West Nile by reducing breeding places for mosquitos by removing standing water from your property including draining potential reservoirs like flowerpots and kids’ pools and by frequently replacing water in bird baths and other water features.”

For more information on West Nile virus, including how to submit a dead bird for testing, visit wdgpublichealth.ca/mosquitoes.

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ERIN – With the new $12.8-million Erin library branch set to open this fall, the old location will close on Aug. 1 to facilitate inventory removal. 

At a June 26 county meeting, councillor Doug Breen, chair of the information, heritage and seniors committee, shared an update on the library.

The Erin branch is currently located in Centre 2000 and shares library space with Erin District High School.  

“Programming and special events will all be moved to the Hillsburgh Library,” Breen stated.

Though the Erin library is set to close soon, a curbside pick-up option will be offered to residents throughout August. 

“We hope this will be a convenient solution for our patrons who place their items on hold and just need to pick them up,” Wellington County chief librarian Rebecca Hine told the Advertiser. 

She noted the library space itself, including the collection, will be inaccessible as staff work to pack everything for the move.

“Programming and summer reading club check-in will be offered at our Hillsburgh branch, and browsing is available at Hillsburgh, as well as any of our other branches,” Hine said. 

The curbside service will run until Aug. 23.

“The library courier will continue to deliver items that have been requested by Erin patrons for pick-up,” she said.

“And returns will continue to be accepted in our drop box.”

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FERGUS – The new operations centre to be constructed in Fergus will add solar panels to the list of environmental and sustainable features it will boast.

Climate change coordinator Martin Tamlyn had been asked by council to explore the possibility of including solar panels on the building and he presented his report at the July 14 council meeting.

The plan for the building includes extra insulation, energy efficient doors and windows and heat pumps.

“Solar panels will be the icing on the cake,” Tamlyn said.

He explained there are two types of systems under consideration: net-metering and load displacement.

“Net-metering enables a larger solar panel array system to offset energy use throughout the year, particularly during winter when solar energy production is reduced,” Tamlyn explains in his report.

“In this setup, excess energy is sent back to the grid and credited on the utility bill. 

“Grid power remains available whenever needed and is only used when solar energy isn’t available.”

This system could be mounted on the rooftop of the building or as a stand-alone system, more like a carport that could add shade over vehicles.

Load displacement systems are designed for time-of-use applications and don’t generate energy beyond load demand or battery storage capacity.

“Load displacement systems are best paired with a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS),” states the report.

“Excess energy produced is stored in the BESS systems for later use (e.g., during peak hours or at night) and they enable time-of-use optimization to offset peak demand and associated charges.”

Based on cost of installation and the amount of energy the systems will produce, Tamlyn recommended net-metering on the roof of the new building, which has already been engineered to bear the weight of the system.

The estimated capital cost of installation is $613,500 and it should recover that cost in nine or 10 years. 

Council supported the recommendation and also instructed Tamlyn to include a tab on the Connect CW portal where residents can find information about energy-saving additions they can make to their own homes, including links to federal, provincial and county grants.

“The more we can make the public aware the better,” said Mayor Shawn Watters, noting solar panels are more efficient and affordable than they used to be.

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ELORA  – The Elora Festival is underway, with more than 20 concert experiences taking place between July 11 and 27. 

It is in its 46th season and has a strong reputation for the choirs and vocal ensembles it features.

The Elora Singers professional chamber choir is the festival’s ensemble-in-residence. 

On July 12,  the Elora Festival’s concert hall, Gambrel Barn, was full for a performance by Jeremy Dutcher. 

• Elora Festival launches on July 11 with more than 20 concert experiences
• Giant Book Sale raises a record $97,000 for Elora Festival
• Elora Festival closes out its 45th season

Dutcher is a Juno- and Polaris Prize-winning  Two-Spirit song carrier, vocalist, classical composer, activist and classical-trained vocalist.

He lives in Montréal and is a Wolastoqiyik member of the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick. 

Dutcher sings mostly in his traditional language, Wolastoqey, and he translated parts of his songs for the audience during the Elora Festival performance. 

“Singing in my language is important to me because we have less than 500 fluent speakers left,” Dutcher said.

“I do this work because of my mom,” Lisa Perley-Dutcher, who started the first  Wolastoqey immersion school, he added.  

“Jeremy’s music transcends boundaries: unapologetically playful in its incorporation of classical and jazz influences, full of reverence for the traditional songs of his home, and teeming with the urgency of modern-day resistance,” states his bio on the Elora Festival website. 

During his musical performance Dutcher talked and sang about colonization, language, water protection, queer identity, Elders and ancestors, delivering hard hitting topics with a strong heaping of comedy, throwing his head back in laughter at times. 

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WELLINGTON COUNTY – Secondary school students will soon have the opportunity to get front-line health care experience with local seniors.

A collaboration between Upper Grand District School Board and Wellington County is expected to provide up to 21 students with real-world experience inside the Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home over a 10-month period.

Coined a “living classroom,” chosen students would work alongside health care professionals, interact with residents and apply their newly learned skills, according to a county press release.

Students would complete the program with a personal support worker, first aid and gentle persuasive approach certificates, as well as secondary school credits.

Wellington Terrace administrator Suzanne Dronick said students will develop critical skills and the compassion required to care for the terrace’s residents through hands-on experience and mentorship.

School board education director Peter Sovran said the expanded program will enhance learning and strengthen the local healthcare field.

Interested students must attend one of two information sessions offered on July 29 in the Aboyne Hall at the Wellington County Museum and Archives, either from 2 to 4 or 6 to 8pm.

An information session registration form can be found by visiting forms.gle/qzjHYGHVsWdSSk2JA.

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ERIN – The Town of Erin and the Upper Credit Humane Society (UCHS) are at an impasse.

On July 11, the Town of Erin released a statement explaining it will not be renewing the humane society’s lease past May 2028.

The town stated it believes two and a half years is “ample time to prepare,” and UCHS’ “current use of the property does not comply with the town’s zoning bylaw and official plan policies.” 

Located at 5383 Trafalgar Road, the UCHS building sits on an open space recreation zone (OS1).

Town officials did not detail what bylaws or policies are being broken, but noted they have “informed UCHS of the necessary steps to bring the property into compliance.”

This is not the first time the humane society has explored relocating.

The Advertiser previously reported the UCHS has been looking to relocate since its initial long-term lease expired in 2021.

The town provided lease extensions to allow the UCHS more time to find a new home.

But it appears the town and the UCHS are at odds when it comes to plans for the future.

In an email acquired by the Advertiser, CAO Rob Adams stated the town wants to “maximize the property’s value and ensure the best return possible for taxpayers.”

UCHS board chair Susan Thomsen is hoping not to move.

She said that in 2024, the UCHS made a plan to develop the location into a “community hub,” including an expanded shelter, animal control services, educational programming, public trails, a visitor information centre, and a fenced dog park. 

Thomsen said she “felt very disappointed that [the town] had never even officially … looked at what our proposal was for the property.”

Now, that plan will be lost, as the town forces the move. 

Town officials say they have offered to support the UCHS “through a relocation to a more suitable, better location.”

However, Thomsen said she remains optimistic, noting the UCHS “would love to work with the town towards making this an amazing place.” 

Adams and Mayor Michael Dehn did not respond to Advertiser requests for an interview.

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WELLINGTON NORTH – A Brampton man has been charged with careless driving in a crash near Arthur that injured six people.

Emergency crews responded to a head-on collision involving two vehicles on Wellington Road 109 on July 14 at about 7:15pm.

“Vehicle one (a van) had four occupants, which resulted in one passenger being air-lifted to a trauma centre, where they sustained non-life-threatening, yet life-altering injuries,” stated a July 15 press release fro the Wellington County OPP.

“The other three occupants suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene.”

Police say two occupants in the other vehicle, a truck, were taken to local hospital with minor injuries.

Ranjit Bhatti, 36, of Brampton, was charged with careless driving causing bodily harm and failing to share a roadway.

He is to appear in Guelph court at a later date.

Anyone who may have witnessed the collision, or has dashcam footage, can contact the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

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

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

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ROCKWOOD – Heavy-footed drivers in Rockwood could get nabbed by new speed cameras starting July 16.

The cameras go live along Main Street North (Wellington Road 27) as part of Wellington County’s year-long automated enforcement pilot program that began in January.

Cameras will capture speeders travelling above the 50km/h limit through a community safety zone in either direction, starting 30 metres west of Rockmosa Drive, and up to 20 metres past Edgar Bonner Avenue.

• County speed cameras generate over 7,000 tickets in first two weeks
• Automated speed cameras go live in Wellington County
• County council rejects idea of larger signs to warn drivers of speed cameras
• Hillsburgh speed cameras go live June 20
• Speed cameras irk some drivers but generate $1.18 million in ticket revenue

Rockwood didn’t originally meet criteria for automated speed enforcement when potential safety zones were explored by the county.

With Sacred Heart Catholic School on the road, however, the Main Street section was included when the county created safety zones for 14 total schools last year.

The new enforcement location falls within Ward 3, Guelph/Eramosa councillor Steven Liebig’s constituency.

Liebig said the county is tackling speeding issues the right way with automated enforcement, but he added the cameras will be met with “mixed reviews” in Rockwood.

He couldn’t recall specific resident complaints about the stretch of road, but said he hopes the cameras will deter speeders.

Vehicle speeds along the road analyzed between Aug. 8 and 14 last year were largely found to be above the speed limit.

“That’s a busy stretch of road,” said county roads committee chair Gregg Davidson.

He told the Advertiser the county is seeing “strong results” with falling vehicle speeds across six other locations where the cameras are currently being used, and the same is expected in Rockwood.

Data captured between Jan. 15 and May 31 shows vehicle speeds have decreased by an average of 17 per cent across five locations where cameras are installed.

A total of 115,181 tickets have been issued during that time period.

Paid tickets have generated $6.5 million as of April, with the county’s share amounting to nearly $2.5 million.

The pilot runs to the end of the year.

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