LOCAL HEADLINES

Perth County council will revisit proposed updates to its forest conservation bylaw in April after receiving a final report on months of public consultation that drew significant input from farmers, residents and municipal councils across the county.

Eight-year-old Wyatt Rabidoux is neurodivergent, meaning he is on the autism spectrum. Children who live with autism often struggle with finding a comfortable, safe environment that lets them be themselves and offers them understanding and encouragement.

St. Marys is one step closer to reshaping how public transit operates in town after the municipality’s strategic priorities committee voted Feb. 17 to recommend council endorse the findings of a comprehensive transportation needs assessment.

On Feb. 14, Branch 236 of the Royal Canadian Legion in St. Marys held a dedication ceremony for an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) donated through the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund.

Four new constables were introduced at last week’s Stratford police services board meeting. All four graduated from the Ontario Police College in December 2025 and have since begun working with Stratford Police Service.

At the Feb. 18 Stratford police services board meeting, Chief Greg Skinner announced his retirement from the service.

In April 2025, the St. Marys Healthcare Foundation made a commitment to fully fund a new X-ray machine for St. Marys Memorial Hospital.

There have been many compelling stories about residents and business owners who fled the war-ravaged country of Ukraine following the unprovoked Russian invasion.

Officers with the Stratford Police Service (SPS) recorded a busy January in St. Marys as the number of calls for service increased by more than 10 per cent over the number of calls police responded to in St. Marys in December.

Perth South’s Jean Aitcheson has spent a lifetime caring for others, both close to home and around the world. Now the retired Stratford General Hospital nurse is urging Perth County residents to help the people of Cuba after returning from a recent mission trip.

On Saturday, Feb. 14, the St. Marys Kinette Club held their Fill Your Fridge fundraiser draw. The draw took place on Facebook live from the Broken Rail Brewery, which was celebrating its five-year anniversary at the same time.

St. Marys native Joe Hutton will be serving as a guide for Team Canada skier Logan Lariviere of Sudbury at the upcoming Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games March 6-15.

Olive Aarts of St. Marys captured a gold medal in ringette as part of Team Blue at the Ontario Winter Games Feb. 20-21 in Orillia.

The St. Marys Rotary Club-A.N.A.F. U14 A St. Marys Snipers wrapped up a strong season by finishing third in Ontario and earning a spot in the tier-one provincial championship.

A rash of injuries, bouts of inconsistency and special-teams woes have all been obstacles the St. Marys Lincolns are trying to overcome with the post-season right around the corner.

The St. Marys Lincolns and the Lincs’ Alumni Group are holding an Alumni Night this Saturday, Feb. 28, when the Lincs host the Listowel Cyclones at 7:30 p.m.

There’s plenty to do at the Thorndale Library next month. Especially with young families in mind, the Thorndale Library hosts storytime on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m., with the focus on fun, stories, learning songs and rhymes.

The Thorndale Lions held their Effective Speaking competition for area students at their Wednesday, Feb. 18 meeting.

The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s (CBHFM) class of 2026 will consist of six new inductees.

A long-discussed plan to transform 14 Church St. N. into a multi-use community hub initially dubbed the Community Commons took a significant step forward Feb. 10 as St. Marys council received a detailed financial analysis outlining how the project could proceed without increasing the burden on the town’s tax base.