LOCAL HEADLINES

Libraries across Perth County are once again teaming up to promote reading and community connection through the second annual Perth County Reads program.

Destination Stratford has introduced the 2025 theme for Lights On Stratford, and this year visitors can look forward to an all-new installation that is said to be the most ambitious one yet. Lights On Stratford will run from Dec. 12, 2025, to Jan. 18, 2026.

Before heading to Washington, D.C. for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s U.S. mission, Stratford and District Chamber of Commerce general manager Aaron Martin shared with the Times that he was focused on getting perspective.

Hike for Hospice saw an incredible turnout on June 22. High temperatures were replaced with community spirit and a drive to ensure that loved ones are comfortable in their final days. 

Justine Styles told Stratford city council on June 23 that she came to Stratford for a reprieve – a reprieve from abuse and hopelessness.

John Kastner, the former general manager of the Stratford Perth Museum, called the decision the ad hoc Grand Trunk renewal (GTR) committee made at its June 16 meeting an important one for the Festival City.

The Forever Young Festival on June 20 turned back the clock at Market Square with a celebration of seniors that featured music, movement and a strong sense of community spirit. 

In a first-of-its-kind event, students from all three Stratford high schools, Stratford District Secondary School (SDSS), St. Michael Catholic Secondary School and Nancy Campbell Academy, gathered to participate in a collaborative United Nations simulation, aimed at fostering global thinking, diplomatic skills and leadership among youth.

Perth County’s new tourism brochure is filled with lots of adventures, just in time for local food week.

To improve safety on county roads in the winter, Perth County will fully fund the planting of living snow fences on private properties through its annual stewardship program.

As communities around the globe mark World Refugee Day on June 20, residents in Stratford are also taking time to recognize the resilience, courage and contributions of those who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict or persecution.

Market Square was filled with lots of tail-wagging fun for Stratford’s furriest residents.

Amid rumours about how proposed updates to Perth County’s forestry conservation bylaw will affect farmers and the use of their land, county staff will soon be taking those changes on the road to educate lower-tier councils and staff, as well as the public, on the soon-to-be updated bylaw.

Tom Clifford served on Stratford city council for 25 years. In that time, he had never met another councillor as dedicated as Dave Gaffney.

Whipping winds did not dampen the high moods of those at Upper Queen’s Park this past Sunday.

The Queen’s Inn, located on the corner of Ontario Street and Waterloo Street, has been shuttered for nearly a year now. While from the outside it may look like the same building as always, on the inside it has taken on a new life of its own.

Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, passed its third reading and received royal assent at the Ontario legislature this month. Although much of the discourse surrounding it has been focused on communities in northern Ontario, some in Stratford believe that it has far reaching consequences – and that Stratford citizens should be concerned.

A nearly $2.9 million rehabilitation of Perth Road 130, which includes similar work on an abutting section of Perth Line 29, is about to get underway.

Claire Trachsel, a long-time and well-respected member of the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA), was posthumously awarded the Support Services Impact Award on May 16 for her exceptional behind-the-scenes contributions to patient care.

Uncertainty from tariffs and the current U.S. administration are at the core of this year’s provincial budget.