Fraud Charges Laid in Stratford

A mutal fund and GIC dealer from St. Mary's has been charged after Stratford police allege a number of elderly clients were defrauded of hundreds of thousand of dollars.
62 year old William McBride has been charged with fraud of over 5 thousand dollars.
Police were first contacted with a complaint in December by Investment Planning Counsel, based in Mississauga.
McBride will make his first court appearance March 1st.

A Big Day Tomorrow for Blyth Cook

Tomorrow is a going to be a busy day for Blyth native Erin Bolger.
That's when the author of the Happy Baker cookbook will make an appearance on CBC's Dragon's Den...and, she'll also be flying to Paris, where her work is in the running to be named the world's best dessert cookbook.
Bolger can't say how she fared in front of the Dragon's, but she asked for financial support to back her self-published cookbook, and called the experience nerve-wracking.
Bolger's book has already been named Canada's Best Dessert cookbook.
She finds out on Thursday if she'll leave Paris with the international award.

Perth County OPP Tracking Stolen Guns

Police are trying to track down four long guns, two crossbows and a compound bow that were stolen from a rural home northwest of Stratford in Perth County.
The owner of the home near Gads Hill returned from vacation to find his home had been broken into.
Police say the guns were properly stored and the thief had to open a gun vault to get to the weapons which included 3 shotguns and a bolt action 30-06 caliber rifle.
Also taken were two crossbows and a compound bow along with a Canon camera and Panosonic Palmcorder.
Police figure the break-in near Gads Hill happened sometime in late January.

Owen Sound Toyota Dealer Handling Recalls

The manager of an Owen Sound area Toyota dealer says it's been no real problem fixing recalled Toyotas.
Randy Ewart of Baywest Toyota says there are hundreds of cars they have to fix but he does not have an exact number.
He says business is slower in winter anyway and they've been calling affected owners to bring their car in.
Ewart says people are in and out in 15 minutes.

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The Toyotas affected are the 2009 and 2010 Corolla and Matrix models. Ewart says they've encountered no cars that have actually had the sticking accelerator problem.
He says there's been some impact on sales in the short term but he doesn't expect it to be a long term issue.

Listowel Road Project Awarded

An extensive road, water and sewer project in Listowel is moving forward.
The tender for the Northeast Reconstruction Project has been awarded to Moorefield Excavating Limited at a total cost of over $6.1 million.
If all goes as planned, work will begin in early April with a completion target of late October.
The project involves the reconstruction of sanitary and storm sewers, water mains , connections and roadways.
The Northeast Reconstruction Project in Listowel must be completed by March 31, 2011 to receive promised two-thirds government funding towards eligible costs.

Seaforth ER One Year Later

It was one year ago today that emergency department hours at the Seaforth Community Hospital were reduced to 12 from 24 hours.
Site administrator Mary Cardinal says it was a difficult decision but one that was understood by the community and she says the situation has not changed.

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Cardinal says area residents have been very understanding and there have not been any health-related problems.
She says they are still hoping to resume 24-hour service as soon as staffing permits.
The Seaforth ER is currently open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Hanover Hall Delay

Plans for a new community hall in Hanover and renovations to the Hanover Raceway are delayed at least a year.
The Hanover, Bentinck and Brant Agricultural Society owns the raceway and is incorporating the hall into the raceway expansion.
The town owns the land.
The Society depends on the Slots for revenue but cannot get financing for construction until they sign a new agreement with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
And they cannot do that until the province lifts a freeze on gaming expansion.
So Hanover council has granted a year long extension to an agreement with the Society to build the hall.
Mayor Kathi Maskell.

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The new Hanover community hall is to accommodate up to 500 people.

North Perth Industrial Land Offer

North Perth is making its Industrial Park more attractive to potential investors.
Council is reducing the cost per acre from $55,000 to $42,000 for serviced land.
That decision was made last night.
Councillor Dave Johnston says they will crunch the numbers again in a few months to make sure the price is still competitive.

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Johnston says the North Perth Industrial Park currently houses one business, another property has been sold and three more businesses have expressed interest recently.
He adds it is important to keep land costs competitive to attract more business and industry to the municipality.

Pool Questions in Saugeen Shores

Saugeen Shores council is facing three options in dealing with the aging Centennial Pool.
Todd Brown of Monteith Brown Planning Consultants is telling council that renovating the existing pool attached to Saugeen District Secondary School can be done but could be difficult given the space restrictions that come with being attached to S.D.S.S.
Brown claims the equally aging building is due to have its fate decided by the Bluewater District School Board within the next 5 years complicating the matter.
The other two options involve building a new pool, either on its own, or attaching it to the Saugeen Shores arena complex.
Brown pegs the cost of building a new pool at $10 million but adds that operating costs would be lower by attaching the pool to the arena.

Mount Forest Fireworks Popping Again

The Mount Forest Fireworks Festival may be in for some new honours.
It's been named one of Ontario's top 100 festivals the last two years.
Now the Fireworks Festival has been nominated for additional Achievement Awards in three categories: Best Official Printed Program; Best Community Involvement; and Most Innovative Sponsorship.
The awards will be handed out by Festivals and Events Ontario in Ottawa on March 6th.
Event chair Ray Tout says he's delighted with the nominations which show how successful the Mount Forest Fireworks Festival has become in its 10 years.

Meaford Mayor Part of Owen Sound Rec Plan

The mayor of Meaford has been named to the steering committee for the Regional Recreation Centre to be built in Owen Sound.
Meaford council voted 5 -2 Monday night to name Mayor Francis Richardson to the committee.
Councillor Cynthia Lemon said many people in Meaford and surrounding areas use the recreational and other services provided by Owen Sound and the Municipality needs someone on the committee to speak for those residents.
She stressed that there is no financial commitment attached to having a representative on the steering committee.