Joanne Shuttleworth

ELORA – It was a marathon meeting for Centre Wellington councillors on Feb. 6, as staff presented the 2023 draft budget during the day and council listened to delegations in the evening.

GUELPH – Vaccination rates in Wellington, Dufferin and Guelph are dropping since the pandemic, but this is not a sign that opposition to COVID-19 vaccination mandates seen the past few years is sparking opposition to childhood vaccinations in general, public health officials say.

FERGUS – A table was filled with training manuals and other items at the Fergus fire hall on Feb. 2 thanks to a donation of $5,000 from Enbridge Gas.

ELORA – The township has put termites on hold for now. A report on the matter was to be presented at the Jan. 30 council meeting, but Mayor Shawn Watters announced new information had been received by staff, and asked to take it off the agenda.

FERGUS – Curt McQueen had both a rousing send-off and a momentous welcome on Jan. 30 as he retired as principal of Elora Public School and started a new job as manager of the Centre Wellington Food Bank.

ELORA – It’s not new information that Centre Wellington is going to grow over the next 30 years. But township councillors got a better understanding of just how much growth is expected at its Jan. 30 meeting.

PUSLINCH – A Puslinch farm is taking the Ministry of Transportation to the Ontario Land Tribunal after some of its land was expropriated for Highway 6/401 improvements.

FERGUS – Despite collecting hundreds of pounds of food over the Christmas season, the Centre Wellington Food Bank still has a need for cash and food donations as rising food costs are forcing families to its door.

ELORA – Local residents who attended an open house about a proposed townhouse development on Wellington Road 7, shared concerns that were anticipated along with a few ideas the planners hired by the owner had not considered.

PUSLINCH – The township’s director of finance presented what may be the final version of Puslinch’s 2023 budget at a public meeting on Jan. 25 and it's looking like a 4.5% tax increase for residential homes.

PUSLINCH – Councillor John Sepulis put forward three motions at the Jan. 18 council meeting that will impact the 2023 budget, but not in a significant way.

FERGUS – Addison Hill’s number has been retired. The 14-year-old, who died from sarcoma cancer in July, was an avid basketball fan and out of respect for "Addy" as she was called, and to honour her memory, the Centre Wellington Celtics U-16 team decided to retire her number.

ABOYNE – Centre Wellington staff and consultant ASI Heritage have been working on identifying and mapping cultural heritage landscapes in the township since 2019. On Jan. 18 they brought the project to the public for a workshop to figure out the best tools to protect those landscapes. 

ELORA - Centre Wellington has some hard challenges ahead and Mayor Shawn Watters used his time at the Mayor’s Breakfast, hosted by the Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce on Jan.18, to prepare his audience for what he sees on the road ahead.

GUELPH – Several students were lauded for their compassion, faith and community spirit at the Wellington Catholic District School Board meeting on Jan. 16.