LOCAL HEADLINES

A project more than a decade in the making, a new Dashwood Fire Hall has been given the green light by South Huron municipal council

Every Canada Day, we see the same images of fireworks over Parliament Hill. We see the pictures of crowds gathered in cities for attention-grabbing and over-the-top celebrations that we’ve come to expect from the day that marks the anniversary of Canada’s Confederation.

With Canada Day right around the corner, the annual festivities in Grand Bend are set to be as exciting as ever. Organized by a committee of local volunteers, this year’s event will take place on Wednesday, July 1, bringing with it a lineup of musical acts who will perform on the Rotary Community Stage, as well as what is being labelled by organizers as southwestern Ontario’s largest Canada Day fireworks display.

The body of a swimmer who went missing on Victoria Day weekend in Grand Bend has been found. According to Lambton County OPP, the body of the swimmer, a 22-year-old from Nepal, was recovered on May 29 in Lake Huron along the shore in Port Franks.

What started as a sanctuary for farm animals has become a busy rescue for cats in need of a home. Heavenly Hills Animal Sanctuary in Lucan was created by Sonia Kastanis in 2000. She opened her property to neglected or abused farm animals, giving them seven acres to roam on and live out their lives in peace. Heavenly Hills has had llamas, chickens, goats, ducks, dogs and cats over the years.

With funding secured for the next five years, Huron Shores Area Transit (HSAT) aims to rebuild ridership, install more bus stop shelters and improve the efficiency of the service.

When a 5-year-old Jesse Debruyn first stepped on the ice, the idea of playing in the Ontario Hockey League was little more than a distant dream. But now, that dream has become reality with Debruyn signing with the Windsor Spitfires to an OHL scholarship and development agreement.

United Way support increased South Huron council has agreed to increase its funding for United Way Perth-Huron with an annual contribution of $35,000 a year for the next five years. Council made an initial grant to the United Way in 2021 of $10,000. The next year it increased the amount to $30,000 a year for five years. In a presentation to council in May, United Way Perth-Huron director Ryan Erb said the agency faces increasing costs to provide services and there is an inc

The Grand Bend Optimist Club’s Beachfest will be back at the main beach on June 20, but this year’s event will focus on being a family-friendly affair. Dubbed “Beachfest Kids Edition – Kickoff to Summer,” the annual event is bringing with it a new vision that Grand Bend Optimist Club president Paul Rivard said stays true to the organization’s priorities.

A staple in the Grand Bend business community has been left in ruins after a fire on Friday, May 22. Firefighters were called to the Moffatt and Powell RONA on Ontario Street South around 2 p.m. According to Lambton Shores fire chief Sean Smith, everyone inside the building at the time made it out to safety.

Split on whether to triple development charges, South Huron council is asking for more information before making a final decision. A consulting company hired to analyze the cost of future development estimates that South Huron’s current development charges of $6,467 for a single-detached house need to be raised to $19,131.

It has been a long time coming, but spring has finally arrived. I don’t mean the official changing of the season that we mark on our calendars in mid-March each year. I think we are all more than aware of how often that date proves optimistic, at least as far as the weather is concerned.

South Huron beekeeper Aaron Neeb considers himself lucky that a black bear destroyed only one of his hives. Other beekeepers have not been that fortunate. Neeb, who runs three bee yards near Exeter, thought at first one of his hives in Hay Swamp had been destroyed by vandals.

A new communal garden is about to break ground in Bayfield with the intention of bringing community members together to grow food for each other. The garden will be located at 2 Jane Street in Bayfield, behind the building that houses the food bank.

An all-season treat in our area is al fresco art including colourful barn quilts. Primarily appearing on barns in rural areas, these intricate quilt designs can also be seen in villages and towns. They can be found on houses, businesses, cottages, museums, outbuildings like sheds and even in free-standing frames.

With generations Hoffmans having served Dashwood and the surrounding area, the family is saying goodbye to its long-standing funeral home that has become a pillar of the community. Jim and Donna Hoffman, the owners and operators of T. Harry Hoffman and Sons Funeral Home, celebrated their retirement and announced the sale of their funeral home to Haskett Funeral Homes during a May 24 open house at the funeral home in Dashwood.

Bridge tender comes in under budget. Councillors granted the tender for supplying the culvert and footings for a bridge on Parr Line to ARMTEC for $222,930, excluding HST. The bid was the lower of the two received for the project, with the higher bid coming in at $231,299.

Thomas Street rebuild in next year’s budget discussions. Total reconstruction of Thomas Street in Exeter will be part of budget discussions in 2027, South Huron council was told.

One candidate for mayor of South Huron is hoping to keep the job he’s held for two terms. Another is aiming to make a political comeback. A third veteran councillor is attempting to move up to the top spot. While it is still three months until nominations close and more candidates could be added, South Huron already has a three-way race for mayor.

With about five months to go Ontario’s 2026 municipal elections, nominations are now open for candidates looking to run to represent their communities across the province.