WELLINGTON COUNTY – The federal election on April 28 saw many upsets across the nation.

But in Wellington-Halton Hills North, the political landscape remains the same – incumbent Conservative Michael Chong won the seat and will return to Ottawa for his eighth term.

Chong met with supporters at Judy’s Restaurant in Brisbane as the results rolled in Monday night and there were cheers and applause as his win was confirmed.

Chong won 51.4% (34,007) of the votes cast in the riding, while Liberal candidate Sean Carscadden received 43.7% (28,951), the Green Party’s Liam Stiles (1,357) and the NDP’s Andrew Bascombe (1,327) each received 2% and People’s Party of Canada candidate Syl Carle garnered 0.8% (556).

(All results remain unofficial).

• Local results from the federal election

“I pledge to be the best I can be and make sure your voice is heard in the House,” Chong told his supporters. 

“Each of you did your part to help win this riding.” 

Chong said he was “thrilled” to win a majority in Wellington-Halton Hills North.

He said the key issues he heard at the door were the threats from U.S. President Donald Trump over tariffs and sovereignty and the economy, “and I’ll take back what I heard” when parliament reconvenes, he said. 

He said the most important job of any member of parliament is to represent their constituency and he’ll continue to do that.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre did not win his seat in the Carleton riding, which he has held since 2004, although he said on election night he would continue on as party leader. 

Chong said the party will have to take the numbers and do some analysis and figure out what went wrong, and what went right.

He would not comment on whether Poilievre’s rhetoric during the campaign hurt the party nationally.

“There will be a time to analyze but that is not for tonight,” Chong said.

Though he didn’t win, Carscadden said he was pleased with his results, given the Chong machine seemed impenetrable.

“We got the best overall showing (for the Liberals) in 20 years in this riding,” he said in an interview Tuesday morning.

“I take some solace that we were able to rally more support.”

The writ period was a short five weeks and that made it difficult to get his name out, Carscadden noted, but 43.7% of the votes is not bad for a newcomer.

“It was so energizing and inspiring to have people believe in me, so yes, I would run again,” he said. 

Syl Carle was not surprised with his last-place finish.

“It was expected,” he said. “This election was a fear election. I heard that from the electorate loud and clear at the door.”

This was Carle’s third election and he said he’ll run again, adding “I don’t take no for an answer.”

Stiles and Bascombe did not immediately reply to the Advertiser’s requests for comment, but the Green Party and NDP did not fare well nationally either.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh did not win his Burnaby South seat and announced he was stepping down as party leader.

The party only won seven seats nationally and now has lost official party status.

Green Party co-leader Elizabeth May won her seat in Saanich-Gulf Island but it was the only seat won by the Greens.

Her co-leader Jonathan Pedneault was not re-elected in his Montreal riding of Outremont.

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*All results are unofficial.

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GUELPH – County council recently approved a new speed camera revenue policy in an 11–5 vote, following much discussion and disagreement among councillors.

About $4 million in gross revenue has been generated to the end of March through the county’s automated speed enforcement (ASE) program.

The county’s share of that is $1.5 million. 

“The policy was created specifically to address how we’re going to spend the revenue from it and also how we’re going to do the reporting,” administration, finance and human resources committee chair Earl Campbell stated during the April 24 meeting.

Shortly after the policy was presented, councillor Gregg Davidson, who has lobbied for speed cameras for years, brought forward an amendment.

It states the county “will use the road master action plan, the asset management plan, the automated speed enforcement data and speed management reviews to identify traffic studies and capital projects to improve road safety and measures to manage speed.

“Net proceeds from the ASE revenue may be put towards these studies and capital projects.”

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This can include, but is not be limited to:

• installing speed radar signs;
• undertaking speed monitoring and traffic studies;
• installing and upgrading pedestrian crosswalks, traffic signals and guard rails;
• installing curbs;
• paving shoulders;
• narrowing lane widths; and
• constructing roundabouts.

The original ASE policy did not state anything about basing revenue usage on speed data, reviews, the master action plan or asset management plan.

Councillor Diane Ballantyne questioned the changes, stating she supports the “spirit” of the motion but not much else.

“The original … didn’t actually give us any criteria to utilize the funding,” Davidson explained.

“Utilizing the data and information we have is going to better help us to put in the safety measures needed in not only the community safety zones we currently have, but in other areas of the county that may need further updates.”

Councillor James Seeley said spending ASE revenue in community safety zones first should be a priority.

“At some point it’s going to be ‘we can’t do anything more, we’ve done all we can, slow down, stop speeding,’ then spend the money on building a roundabout,” he said.

“I can’t support it because … the order of the list implies that the other data is priority.”

Seeley spoke about the possibility of gaining feedback from local chief administrative officers (CAOs) and he suggested deferring the policy.

“If we do want that engagement from local tiers then adopting this policy today is premature,” he said.

Councillor Shawn Watters agreed with Seeley in terms of local priorities.

“In every location we’ve located those cameras there are problems there, because we are having excessive speeding,” Watters said.

“If you really want the buy-in from the community, you need to deal with those issues.”

Councillor Andy Lennox agreed with the amendment proposed by Davidson.

“It’s really important that we look at not just speeding in this situation but safety, safety in a broader sense,” he said.

“If we only look at speeding … then I think we’re missing the boat

“I really think we need these objective measures to properly prioritize where those safety dollars need to be spent the most, to save the most lives, reduce the most injuries and keep the people in our communities the most safe.”

Ballantyne explained when a policy gets into lists – in this case, on what the county will spend ASE revenue – it becomes “prescriptive” and then “unintentionally restrictive.”

Councillor Michael Dehn said, “I don’t like the idea of waiting and waiting … to make a decision … so I prefer we proceed with the amendment today.”

He noted the policy can be changed in the future if needed.

Campbell reminded council he is the “guilty party,” as he asked staff for the policy.

“They told me it was a little premature and I thought based on the dollars being generated and the public interest, that it was in our best interest to have a firm policy,” he said.

Ballantyne placed a motion on the floor to defer the policy, which ultimately failed.

Davidson’s amendment passed and the policy came down to a vote.

Councillors Seeley, O’Neill, Ballantyne, Watters and Mary Lloyd were opposed to the policy as amended, while the rest of council was in favour.

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ELORA – It takes an army of volunteers to prepare for the annual Elora Festival Book Sale, which this year runs May 2, 3 and 4 at the Elora Curling Club.

Only a fraction of the army was working in their sorting space in the basement of a property on Maiden Lane in Fergus on April 7. 

But it was still a hive of activity as books were taken from the book closet outside, brought to the basement on a conveyor belt, and sorted at tables spread throughout the basement.

About 20 or 30 volunteers work year-round collecting, sifting and sorting donations, except during May, when the book closet outside is locked and the volunteers take a break.

As well as these volunteers, the book sale makes use of another 50 or 60 people to help set up, take down, and man the cash boxes at the Elora Curling Club during the sale.

The book sale runs:

• May 2, 5 to 9pm, $5 admission;
• May 3, 9:30am to 5pm, free admission; and
• May 4, 9:30am to 4pm, free admission.

On offer will be some 60,000 adult and children’s books, games, DVDs, CDs and records.

Parking is free; cash, debit and credit are accepted.

Cheryl Yuill and Judy Bates are co-chairs of the book sale and while they are grateful for the donations, they’d also like folks to take a moment and edit out the magazines, textbooks and other books that are mouldy, dirty and in really poor condition.

The book sale is a fundraiser for the Elora Festival and typically it raises $70,000.

So it’s a shame when some of the proceeds are spent taking material that just can’t be sold to the dump, the co-chairs said.

“We spend hundreds of dollars a year at the dump,” Yuill said, adding they have to rip covers off books as the pages can be recycled but the covers cannot.

They don’t accept magazines or textbooks, “and old ratty cookbooks from the 1970s – nobody wants them either,” she added.

“Books with mould are also garbage,” Bates said. “If it’s been in the barn for 10 years, it’s probably garbage.”

Although the book cupboard is emptied every day, some people still leave books out in the weather. Those donations often end up at the dump as well.

“Please don’t leave books outside,” Bates urged.

“And if you have large donations, call the festival office. We can arrange to be here,” Yuill said, adding they can often pick up large donations as well.

Any books that don’t sell by the end of the weekend will go to FUNDrive, an organization that pays charitable organizations for gently used items, including books.

“They pay 10 cents a pound,” Yuill explained, adding FUNDrive brings its own plastic crates to cart away the leftovers, so the festival doesn’t need to pack them away in boxes that cost $1 each. “This is a great thing.”

“It saves us a bundle,” Bates added.

That said, the book sale does accept board games, puzzles, CDs and DVD.

Yuill observed a significant uptick in puzzles since the pandemic.

Anyone interested in volunteering or with a large donation to coordinate is asked to contact the Elora Festival at info@elorafestival.ca or 519-846-0331.

The Elora Festival itself runs July 11 to 27 over several venues in Elora. For more information about the festival, the program or to order tickets, visit elorafestival.ca.

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FERGUS – Volunteering isn’t for everyone but for Julie Wheeler Bryant and Rod Irving, the last 20 years have been nothing short of amazing. 

The two have been volunteering at the Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home in Fergus for over two decades – Bryant for 27 years and Irving for 24. 

Irving retired in 2001 and followed in his wife’s footsteps as she used to work at the terrace. 

She gave him the little push he needed and he hasn’t looked back since.

“It’s always the same, you sit down and chat with them and you have a good time because that’s one of the things they (residents) like to do the most,” he told the Advertiser.

Irving usually volunteers two to three time a week for one to three hours at a time. 

He has made many connections over the years simply by listening to the residents and being a friend. 

“The people in here are very happy … they enjoy this place, it’s well built and they do a very good program,” Irving said.

His role as volunteer includes chatting with residents, going on trips if the person he is visiting wishes to and understanding resident case histories. 

“They (staff) give you a lot of freedom here,” he said. “From a responsibility viewpoint they want to make sure you know what the people are about.”

Irving noted, to him “that’s important because if you’re going to communicate with somebody, you want to talk about things that they enjoy.” 

During his visits, he focuses on one or two patients to spend time with, and over his time he has made connections with seven to 10 residents.

“[Volunteering] makes me feel good … I’m a friendly type of guy and I like to mingle with people,” he said. 

Hardships go hand in hand when volunteering at a long-term care home. 

“It’s pretty tough,” Irving said referring to resident deaths. 

He reminisced about a time a resident was in a palliative room, specialized
medical care that focusses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness. 

“I just held his hand and chatted with him for a while, [it] brought a smile to his face,” Irving said. “That meant a lot to me, I got to see him smiling.”

About a week later the resident died.

“That’s the only thing that I find about this volunteer job here, you make connections but you know at the end of the line something’s going to happen.

“I think the biggest thing is respect you know, you respect the people in here and you get respected in return and that goes a long way to solidifying the relationship,” he said.

Bryant’s volunteer story differs from Irving is that a furry little friend helps her bring joy to residents.

She brings her 10-year-old goldendoodle therapy dog Lili to the terrace where she gets love from residents and staff alike. 

“It was back in 1997, and I was getting a dog,” she said. 

Bryant saw a photograph of a therapy dog in a newspaper. 

“I had no idea at the time, as most people didn’t, and I thought that’d be really great, I would love to do something like that,” she said.

She got her then therapy dog Gus tested, and he was on his way to the terrace.

“We always need more people that might be interested in having their dogs tested to be therapy dogs,” Bryant said. “It just basically means the dog likes to visit with people.”

After Gus came Molly and now Lili is carrying on their legacy.

“She’s the best when it comes to wanting to be petted, and you can’t teach that,” she said.

Bryant usually sees about 20 to 40 people in her three-hour period every week. 

“I often see people in an open area … it can give more people a chance to see Lili,” she said.

She refers to her experience as a win, win, win situation “like the points of a triangle.” 

The residents and staff are happy, Lili is happy and Bryant herself is happy. 

Just like Irving, “there have been a few tears shed at home … I don’t think you ever get past that,” she said referring to resident losses.

“Some people I do see them every week and we have great chats,” she explained.

“Lili knows where their rooms are … she goes directly to their door … and she doesn’t know they’re not there.”

Bryant explained how much she has learned about coping with life and carrying on in spite of hardships.  

“Selfishly there’s a big payback … once you’re here it’s another world and all these people have way bigger problems than you do,” she said. 

Both Irving and Bryant shared the importance of volunteering.

“If you want to get a good experience in life and share your experiences with somebody … that’s the way to do it,” Irving said.

“Volunteering takes you out of yourself … you sort of leave behind everything you were thinking about before,” Bryant said. 

Those interested in volunteering with the Wellington Terrace Long-Term Care Home, can visit the county’s website.

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WELLINGTON COUNTY – The county will expands its waste diversion efforts by accepting new materials to specialized recycling facilities, starting on May 1.

Wellington County waste facilities are now equipped to divert drywall and shingles, while mattress deconstruction and diversion techniques are being piloted.

The materials were previously sent as general waste to the Riverstown landfill in Wellington North.

“By diverting more materials away from landfill, we’re making better use of our facilities, extending the life of our landfill, preserving valuable space for items that truly have no other disposal option, and ultimately saving money,” stated solid waste services (SWS) committee chair Steve O’Neill.

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Waste facilities will have bins/bunkers dedicated to accepting and storing the new diversion materials by the beginning of May.

Rothsay’s waste facility is excluded from the changes as it is not equipped with a weigh scale.

“Operational changes, including the introduction of a $10 minimum waste fee, have made the addition of these materials to the county’s diversion programs possible,” stated an April 24 county press release.

Since its implementation in January 2025, the minimum fee has led to a noticeable drop in small-load traffic and overall tonnage at waste facilities, officials say, which frees up space and resources to manage new recyclable materials.

“We understood that it might not be well received by the public and we’ve heard from some people … that they didn’t like the waste fee,” councillor Gregg Davidson told county council on April 24.

“We started talking about this back in 2015, of changing the centres from garbage receptacles to recycling centres,” he continued.

“And now we’re seeing that we can do that and part of that is because of this change of the waste fee.”

The fee provides an incentive for residents to use roadside services, creating more space to manage and recycle new materials.

“We’re seeing a … 25 per cent reduction of garbage going in and that is amazing,” Davidson said.

“We all know that in Ontario they are not adding any new landfill sites and ours has probably got the most space of anywhere in Ontario.

“If we can maintain that and slow down the amount of garbage that goes in there we will be able to save our local taxpayers a heck of a lot of money.”

Councillor James Seeley corrected Davidson, stating, “We have the most capacity in our landfill in Wellington County to meet our needs, we don’t have the largest landfill with the most capacity in the province.”

SWS manager Das Soligo said Seeley was correct, adding, “Our landfill has got approximately 25 years of capacity for our needs and our waste generation rates.”

Councillor Shawn Watters then questioned the state of the province’s waste capacity.

“In aggregate the province has approximately seven years of landfill capacity left, and if the border to the U.S. is closed to Canadian trash, that will drop to four or five years of landfill capacity left,” Soligo stated.

“It takes 10 years to site a brand-new landfill site and there hasn’t been a new site in 25 years.”

Staff have been directed to seek out further opportunities to attempt to divert carpet, concrete and other items with established diversion markets and local processing facilities, the report states.

For information on accepted materials, fees and waste facility locations, visit wellington.ca/dropoff.

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KENILWORTH – The playground at Hutchinson Park in Mount Forest is set to be upgraded by Park N Water Ltd. for $149,651. 

The new play structure at Lion Merv Weber Playground will be designed with accessibility in mind, but will not include a wheelchair accessible swing. 

Hutchinson Park is located at Queen Street and Birmingham Street in Mount Forest. 

The playground’s sand surface will be replaced with engineered wood fibre and the older portion of the structure will be removed and replaced.

Existing newer components, including the swings and plastic play pieces, will remain. 

Lot drainage will be improved and a barrier will be installed along Queen Street. 

“The design includes opportunities for climbing, sliding, spinning, swinging, balancing, upper body activities and bouldering,” states a report presented to council on April 21. 

“By focussing on a variety of play, the playground will offer social, creative, imaginative and sensory play experiences.

“Activities are designed for beginner, intermediate and advanced play, encouraging children to return to the play environment time after time.” 

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Four tenders were submitted for the project and evaluated based on a range of criteria, including cost, design, timeline, experience, warranty and ease of maintenance. 

According to the report, “Park N Water has over 30 years of experience in designing and installing playgrounds across Canada, with over 450 completed projects, including notable installations in municipalities like Tillsonburg, Middlesex Centre and Sault Ste. Marie.” 

The company provides a 24-hour response time for warranty and vandalism issues.  

“Although all submissions were close in their scoring, Park N Water Ltd. ultimately received the highest points,” stated the Wellington North staff report. 

Council awarded the tender to Park N Water during a regular meeting of council on April 22.

A six per cent contingency fee, subject to community feedback, was also approved during the meeting. 

Design options will be presented during community consultation to gather input from residents “to ensure the new playground meets the community’s needs and preferences,” the report states. 

The township budgeted $160,000 for the project. 

In a 2018 survey, 82% of respondents “supported additional investment in playgrounds through continued upgrades, including features accessible to children with disabilities,” according to the report.

“Playground design has evolved over time, from traditional elements such as slides, swings and climbers to more creative elements that involve interactive and challenging play, with most playground features having a lifespan of about 20 years,” the report states. 

According to the report, accessible features of the park include “transfer stations, sensory-rich play elements and ground-level activities to ensure inclusivity for children of all abilities.”

But it does not include a swing that can accommodate a wheelchair, and neither does any other public park in Wellington North, noted councillor Penny Renken during the meeting. 

“That is apparently very expensive to get that,” she said.

“Would we be able to put it in the budget for future years to put money aside to be able to have one park within the township that has such an accommodation?” 

Mayor Andy Lennox said “certainly we could put it in the budget, but we would need a more fulsome understanding of what are the implications to do that. 

“So I look to staff to do that,” Lennox said, asking CAO Brook Lambert to look into it. 

“If it’s determined that that would be desired, that could be something that gets included,” Labert said. 

The township will examine accessibility of playgrounds, trails and parks during the Recreation Master Plan process in 2026, added community and economic development manager Mandy Jones. 

“If council is interested in staff exploring a fully accessible playground – so that includes fully rubberized surfacing as well as ramps for wheelchair accessibly, that is certainly something that staff could look into for future budget considerations,” she said.

“The engineered wood fibre is considered an accessible surfacing. As it settles, it becomes a matting that strollers, walkers (and) wheelchairs can go across.

“But if you want to get the highest level of accessible surfacing, that’s where that poured padding will come in.” 

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