LOCAL HEADLINES

The German company Cleanfix is expanding its North American location in Stratford, with construction expected to begin this November. The new 10,000-square-foot addition will increase production of reversible cooling fans – self-cleaning fan systems used in industrial and heavy-duty machinery across North America.

After a unanimous decision at a special Stratford city council meeting on Oct. 20, the Stratford Connection Centre will be home to a “warming centre” for the city’s unsheltered this winter.

Tillsonburg residents came out to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the town at the Founder’s Festival on Saturday in Memorial Park.

At the Oct. 14 St. Marys council meeting, tourism and economic development manager Kelly Deeks-Johnson presented a brand-new approach to the planning of summer events in St. Marys next July.

The Rotary Club of St. Marys recently unveiled a Peace Pole installed in St. Marys soil to kick off the club’s celebration of a century of service.

A local laundromat owned by St. Marys Mayor Al Strathdee and his wife, Gloria Strathdee, will remain closed for as long as two months following a dryer fire in the building on Oct. 16.

The County of Brant has confirmed that Amazon will construct a 200,000-square-foot delivery station in the Rest Acres Road and Highway 403 corridor adding a major addition to the community’s growing logistics and industrial sector.

After two years of volunteering for the ad hoc Grand Trunk renewal committee, 14 of the 19 total members (including working group members) have expressed mixed feelings about their effectiveness, as displayed in a survey presented to Stratford city council on Oct. 14.

Every year the Mayor’s Breakfast honours an organization that makes a difference in the Festival City, collecting donations on its behalf. This year, on Oct. 9, the recipient was the Stratford House of Blessing – and it decided to honour one of their own, Norman Kehl, as well.

The Well Community Collective has launched a new youth hub in Goderich, providing free, walk-in services and support for youth with no appointments, no fees, and no barriers.

A Nurse Practitioner (NP) at Alexandra Marine and General Hospital’s (AMGH) has taken on the role of President of the Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO).

After 15 years of starts and stops, high hopes and minor setbacks, New Hamburg playwright Lisa Hagen is enjoying her time on the red carpet as her play about two women reclaiming their freedoms and their lives from the constraints of old age is taking its rightful place on the silver screen.

October is Cyber Security Month across Canada and this year’s theme is “Get cyber safe – for future you.”

Concerns about changes to monthly electricity bills were the largest concern among the 50 people who attended the two open houses held about the possible merger between Tillsonburg Hydro Inc. (THI) and ERTH Power.

The St. Marys Fire Fighters Association held an open house at its station on Oct. 11 for Fire Prevention Week. The event featured demonstrations, displays of fire trucks and fire safety education.

In one week, the St. Marys Lincolns reinserted themselves in the conversation for best in the Western Conference by quelling one of the west’s hottest teams, dismantling the top-ranked squad and walking into a difficult arena and eating the home side’s penalty kill alive.

Could a batch of sourdough cinnamon buns from a small Paris bakery be the Toronto Blue Jays’ secret playoff weapon? Staff at Little Paris Bread Co. aren’t saying for sure but they’re not ruling it out either.

The second phase of the $50 million Streetscape project in downtown Woodstock is expected to be finished soon. The city released an update on the project last Friday.

It was an emotional morning for the CIBC Run for the Cure committee on Sunday. “We want to give a huge thank you to everyone who signed up to participate, fundraised, donated and helped spread the word about the Run,” said Norfolk committee director Gail Catherwood at the Lions Ball Park in Simcoe.

Having just been announced as the Stratford Festival’s next artistic director, Jonathan Church is looking forward to immersing himself fully in the festival and getting to know its artists and audiences before he officially takes over the role from Antoni Cimolino in November 2026.