Transit riders in Brant County can expect each trip to cost a bit more as of March 1. Last Tuesday night, council passed a bylaw bringing the general fare from $5 to $6, and the 55+ fare from $3 to $4. There is no change for kids under 12 or Canadian National Institute for the Blind card carriers, who ride free.

At least one Brant County resident is out thousands of dollars after paying for chimney repairs he says were started but never finished. The Burford resident paid $5,000 last week to someone claiming they were from a Toronto-based company called 24 Hrs Roofing and Masonry, according to a media release from Brant County OPP.

A spike of drug poisonings in Brantford-Brant has Grand Erie Public Health urging caution for those using unprescribed drugs. In the first four days of January, there were seven drug-related “incidents” — more than the health unit would expect in that period, an alert from the health unit said.