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Veterans, first responder groups ask for noise leniency for fairgrounds event

August 28, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

When the system says “no,” the group Veterans and Everyday Heroes says “Yes.”

And that organization hopes council and residents will say “yes” to allow one of their planned events to go ahead despite any reservations in light of Mono’s proposed noise bylaw.

Greg Wing is a 13-year Canadian Forces veteran who did two tours in Afghanistan. He’s now the communications and marketing director for Veterans and Everyday Heroes.

Wing appeared before Mono’s town council when it met Aug. 26 to address community concerns about the proposed new municipal noise bylaw and a Day of Heroes event the group has slated to take place next summer at the Orangeville Agricultural Society Event Centre.

They perform acts of kindness for veterans and first responders to support their mental and physical wellness. They include correctional officers, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, 911 operators, and members of the military.

“Those committed to serving their communities and Canadians,” according to the group’s website. “Too often there are times when these everyday heroes could use some extra kindness in their day, particularly in the face of a diagnosis of an operational/occupational stress injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other mental health challenges.”

Mayor John Creelman said there will be a mechanism within the proposed new noise bylaw that will permit allowances for certain events.

Wing said he chose the OAS Event Centre Fairgrounds because it is relatively central in Ontario and would allow more people to get involved. And the Mono and Orangeville area is near Canadian Forces Base Borden, just up Highway 400.

“I understand that this event does pose a significant amount of noise that will probably end up happening,” Wing said.

The event will include Monster Trucks that will ferry people into the site who are not military veterans or first responders, he said. There will be a motorcycle poker run, motorcycle show, and the evening will include a concert.

“We are not here to create a disturbance,” he said. “We want to work with the town, with the town’s folk as well, and respect the noise (bylaw) as much as we can while still being able to provide an event that will be able to ensure our veterans and first responders can get what they need.”

The group raises money toward providing service dogs to veterans and first responders living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“If you look through the news, you’ll see how many times a veteran or first responder takes their life due to mental health,” Wing said. “We’re here to prevent that.”

Some residents may have to contend with noise over a single day. Wing said that noise is akin on some level to what a troubled veteran or first responder contends with every day.

“I’ve been dealing with PTSD myself for the last 20 years which is why I have a service dog,” he said. “I understand needing some peace and quiet. I really do.”

“The good news here is there’s lots of lead time to plan, both from your standpoint and from the standpoint of working with the town and working most importantly, frankly, with the local community,” Creelman said. “I think you will be well received in your efforts.”

Councillor Melinda Davie asked Wing if thought has been given to any activities that “might not be so objectionable to the people who are around?”

Understandably, Monster Trucks are loud. And, Wing said, there’s a possibility the Heroes Day event may exclude them.

“My whole thought on the process of getting these different activities in is to try to get that greater demographic,” he said.

Simply, appealing to more people means attracting more supporters.

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