LOCAL HEADLINES

Brant County OPP’s 2024 Annual Report showed encouraging declines in property crime and traffic fatalities, but councillors pressed police leaders last week about urban crime seeping into rural communities, bail reform, and a noticeable dip in officer presence.

Friday September 19th Paris men’s golf results and other stuff... Well, apparently it does rain in Burford as last week's championship match between Gerry Hoogstraten and Doug Sinclair was postponed and will have to be played Friday September 26th. Stay tuned for the exciting finish of Friday men's golf in next week’s paper.

A Paris cyclist has pedalled more than 850 kilometres to Quebec City as part of the R4 Campfire Circle Challenge, raising over $5,700 to help children living with cancer and serious illness. Sandra Piccoli, who last year completed the R2//NYC ride to New York, said the 2025 event brought both scenic highlights and tough moments.

The County of Brant’s Administration and Operations Committee voted Sept. 16 to award the construction of the new North Paris Fire Station to Lanca Contracting Limited for $5,989,000 before HST, and to increase the project budget by $850,350 to cover a recommended 15% construction contingency funded by development charges. 

Paris’s literary community is about to welcome a fresh voice with the launch of Queer Country Crossroads, a new anthology of nonfiction stories and poems by and for rural 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. The collection is edited by Paris resident and writer Mabe Kyle, adding to the town’s growing reputation as home to vibrant authors and publications.

Two Paris boys had a chance encounter in December 1942, while they were both on Christmas leave from their duties during the Second World War. Both were in military service in Britain at the time.

The crack of the bat echoed through Pete Lavoie Park, a rarity for this time of year, as the County of Brant and Paris Youth Softball Association (PYSA) celebrated the grand opening of the Brenda Bishop and Family Batting Cage on September 18.

Friday September 12th Paris men’s golf results... With only one week to go, there’s a tie at the top of the leaderboard between Doug Sinclair and Gerry Hoogstraten, as luck would have it they’re playing head-to-head next week to decide the overall championship.

It started with a kid who’d never take off his hockey helmet, a loving family, and a dream.  For as long as Zac Dalpe can remember, he always wanted to be an NHL hockey player. Zac was dedicated to this dream and sought to make it a reality. Every morning before school he’d shoot 500 pucks until his hands bled, spent more time with a hockey helmet on than off, even to the

Two long-standing Paris service clubs have once again proven the power of community partnership. The Paris Lions Club and Paris Optimist Club joined forces this spring to raise funds for Campfire Circle—formerly known as Camp Trillium—an organization dedicated to providing life-changing camp experiences for children affected by childhood cancer.

As Brant County looks to repurpose a storied site, a grassroots group of artists wants to be part of the conversation. After a plan to transform the Bawcutt Centre into a new main library branch folded over concern about too few parking spaces, the municipality put out a call for submissions of interest for a public-private partnership to continue the restoration of 13 Burwell St. in Paris.

Picture this: I was eight years old when a major movie production rolled into my small town in Southwestern Ontario. The downtown transformed into a film set, and I can remember my mother dragging me by hand to a gleaming white limousine. Security moved to stop us, but Julianne Moore said it was okay and signed my scrap of paper. I didn’t know it then, but that brief exchange was the spark that led me to study film and pursue a career in the industry—because film doesn’t just

Parents in Paris may soon notice changes to parking at local childcare centres, as the Ontario Ministry of Education has ordered immediate safety measures following a recent tragedy at a Richmond Hill daycare. 

The Woodland Cultural Centre (WCC) is honoured to announce the official reopening of the former Mohawk Institute Residential School as an Interpretive Historic Site and Educational Resource. The opening will take place on September 30, 2025, Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, marking a significant step toward truth-telling, education, remembrance, and reconciliation. The former Mohawk Institute, also known as “The Mush Hole,” was the oldest and longest-runni

What began in 1975 as a small church fundraiser to repair the Parish Hall has grown into a beloved, bustling community tradition. This year, the St. James Festival celebrates its 50th anniversary—an unexpected milestone that organizers say is the product of countless hands and hearts over five decades.

Downtown Paris was buzzing with energy and community spirit on September 19 as residents gathered for the first-ever block party—a celebration marking the near completion of the six-month-long Downtown Dig project.

The County of Brant is moving ahead with plans to lower speed limits on neighbourhood roads, with Paris set to see significant changes over the next three years. As part of the County’s Brant Safe Streets Strategy and Transportation Master Plan, late last year council approved a phased reduction of speed limits on local and collector roads from 50 km/h to 40 km/h. The move follows years of resident concerns about speeding, particularly near schools, and aligns with Ontario’s

In the 1970s, Paris was still a small town, often overshadowed by neighbouring Brantford on the ice. While a young Wayne Gretzky was making headlines at the Quebec City Pee Wee tournament, it was Paris’s own Midget A hockey team that captured local hearts—going all the way to win the Ontario Hockey Association Provincial Championship.

A portion of Tutela Heights Road is permanently set to close this month due to slope instability. It affects a half kilometre of the road beginning at the boundary between the City of Brantford and the County of Brant and running east. The partial closure is not expected to have “significant impacts” on traffic in the area, according to a public information session Brant County held in September 2023. It has been on the horizon since 2017, when an assessment of the slope e

The Paris Fair once again drew thousands of visitors over Labour Day weekend, filling the midway, grandstands and exhibit halls with excitement. Organizers estimate more than 500 volunteers helped make the 167th edition of the fair a success. The official attendance numbers were not available before our press deadline, with volunteers set to find out first during the Paris Agricultural Society’s annual Volunteer Appreciation BBQ this week.  Highlights included the demolition