
January 7, 2019 · 0 Comments
November 1
• HatsOnDufferin, the local non-profit’s second annual campaign is a huge success, with 2575 hats, 353 pairs of mittens, and 130 scarves made to ensure that every child, person and family in the community is kept warm for the winter.
• School cross country teams came out on top at the Central Western Ontario Secondary Schools Association
(CWOSSA) competition on Thursday, October 25. The regional event was held at Bechtel Park in Waterloo. CWOSSA brings athletes from around the region to compete at the regional level after winning their District. The course takes runners over a 4-kilometre course through the park.
It is a full competitor start with around 200 athletes leaving the line in the boys race and around 120 in the girl’s division. The grade nine girls team went to CWOSSA after a second place finish at District 10 competition in Guelph.
On race day, the girl’s team of Chantal Channing, Megan Mills, Fiona Johnson, and Alex Gittens, scored 46 points to win the CWOSSA title.
The grade nine boys team followed up with a second ODSS CWOSSA win for the day.
The team, Jack Gillies, Kristian Thompsett, Gregor Lawson, Javier Martinez, and Andrew Burnside scored 38 points in the competition for the win. Jack Gillies not only had the fastest time for his team, he finished first over all in the boy’s division with a time of 13:39.
November 8
• Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones was a major beneficiary when Ontario Premier Doug Ford carried out a major reshuffling of his cabinet Monday.
Promoted from her previous role as Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Ms. Jones was handed the major Community Safety and Correctional Services portfolio.
Under the new portfolio, Ms. Jones will be responsible for ensuring that Ontario’s communities are supported and protected by law enforcement and public safety systems that are safe, secure, effective, efficient and accountable. The ministry’s responsibilities fall into three key categories – correctional services, public safety and security and policing services.
• There was plenty of pink in the gym at Westside Secondary School last Friday, November 2, as hundreds of students and teachers arrived for the annual Pink Day in support of the Breast Cancer Society of Canada.
Pink shirts, wigs, and costumes were the order of the day as kids took a buy-out to attend the event while raising money for a good cause. In total, the school raised more than $23,000 through this year’s Pink Day event.
November 15
• Despite being defeated in the October Municipal election, outgoing Orangeville Mayor Jeremy Williams is looking to continue his political career by announcing his intent to seek the nomination for the Dufferin-Caledon Conservative MP candidacy.
Making the announcement on Monday, Nov. 12 at the Nifty Nook Restaurant with family and supporters, the town’s outgoing mayor announced his intent to make the jump to federal politics.
“I’ve always been upfront about my ambitions for higher office,” he said. “My dedication to our community remains unwavering.”
Mr. Williams is looking to succeed long-time Conservative MP David Tilson, who announced he will be retiring from politics at the end of the current federal term.
November 22
• The Orangeville Lions and Rotary clubs have donated $100,000 to Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) to help construct a new natural playground structure at Island Lake Conservation Area.
Each service organization contributed $50,000 in support of the new project, to be completed by summer 2019. The project has been led by Friends of Island Lake, in partnership with CVC and Credit Valley Conservation Foundation (CVCF).
The natural playground project will feature a 1.17-acre (50,900 square foot) nature-inspired play area. It will incorporate natural elements like plants, water, logs, boulders and terrain, with a built play structure to provide different sensory experiences and types of play opportunities. The structure will be suitable for children aged one to 12 years.
November 29
• The Orangeville Police Service launched its annual toy and food drive in the parking lot at the Orangeville Walmart last Saturday, November 24.
The Toys for Tots program has been a Christmas tradition in Orangeville for many years with success growing annually.
• Dufferin County’s inaugural Poet Laureate, Harry Posner, is honoured to have completed his term as an ambassador promoting literary and other arts in the community, and has set the bar for future laureates.
The program, introduced by Dufferin-Caledon MP David Tilson, gave Mr. Posner the ability to inspire other local writers/artists in celebrating the County through their work. He served as a cultural ambassador from June 2017 to the end of the County Council term this year, promoting arts in general and the rich literary community.
For the past year and a half, Mr. Posner was a very busy poet, offering a variety of events. He hosted three poetry workshops at the Mill Street Library, held an Open Mic Night, organized the first-ever Day of the Poets, worked with the Dufferin Arts Council, and helped launch some books and CDs with other artists.