Sentinel-Review (Woodstock)
TEMPERED GLASS MANUFACTURER TO BEGIN HIRING 30 WORKERS
Woodstock's new glass manufacturer is in the market for employees, its opening pushed back by delays in the shipping of equipment and finding suppliers not subject to American tariffs. Greg Kasminas, executive vice-president of Woodstock Glass...
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WOODSTOCK MARKING 125TH BIRTHDAY WITH EVENTS, CONTESTS
To mark its 125th birthday, Woodstock is upping its game with a wide range of ways to salute its history — even a commemorative coin contest — that peak on the nation's birthday. Every big annual event normally held in the Oxford County city will be...
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HOMELESSNESS, ADDICTION TOP AGENDA FOR NEW WESTERN ONTARIO CAUCUS CHAIR
As he takes the reins of an advocacy group for 15 counties in western Ontario, Oxford County's top politician says tackling homelessness and addiction are among the major issues the group faces this year. Marcus Ryan, the warden of Oxford County, was...
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OXFORD COUNTY STILL SEARCHING FOR SITE FOR HOMELESS SERVICE CENTRE
More than a year after Woodstock voted to spend a $2-million provincial windfall on the project, Oxford County is still looking for a suitable site for a proposed service centre to help the area's homeless. Marcus Ryan, the warden of Oxford County,...
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Expansion of Woodstock community centre for older adults nearly finished
A Woodstock community centre for older adults is preparing to take the wraps off a $9 million expansion. “I'm so excited to share it with the community and to take people through. The possibilities for it are endless,” said Chris Cunningham, executive...
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WOODSTOCK LEADS NATIONAL SIGNUPS FOR COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR FUNDRAISER
Already a stand-out in a national fundraiser to help the homeless, Woodstock is running tops in Canada in the number of people and teams signed up to take part in this year's event. The Woodstock edition of the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser...
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AUTO BELT ANXIETY
It's been a bittersweet year for autoworker Rachel Knapp, who lost both her father and her job at an Ingersoll factory idled by slow sales of an electric cargo delivery van. “I've been a little stressed,” said the 29-year-old Woodstock resident, who...
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MUSEUM STAFFER'S HANDS-ON LEARNING A HERITAGE HIT OUT OF THE PARK
In a Southwestern Ontario village where baseball history looms large, a staffer at a small museum has scored a heritage home run with her hands-on approach to teaching history. Sidney Williams, who says she was inspired by people asking what they...
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OPTIMISM ON THE DEALER LOT, DESPITE INDUSTRY TUMULT
Even with all the uncertainty swirling around Ontario's auto industry, especially from trade tensions with the United States, it's been a solid year for vehicle sales, industry insiders say. Out on dealership lots, where Big Auto meets the consumer,...
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BOY HONOURS LATE COUSIN WITH TOY DRIVE FOR KIDS IN HOSPITAL OVER CHRISTMAS
A toy drive for children stuck in hospital over the holidays wrapped up Thursday. Started by Nolan Petch in 2021 to honour his cousin, the Annual Hunter Weston Memorial Toy Drive collects toys, clothes and cash donations to help lift the spirits of...
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Grassroots group unhappy with 2026 Oxford County budget
A grassroots community group approached Oxford County council during its mid-December meeting lobbying for a zero per cent property tax hike in 2026. Along with a presentation to council outlining the reasons for their request, the Stand4Oxford...
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FEDERAL LOANS BOOST THREE REGIONAL MANUFACTURERS AS CAMI PLANT SITS IDLE
In the shadow of the idled Cami Assembly plant here, three area manufacturers Tuesday received federal investment that will grow their businesses and promise new jobs. FedDev Ontario, the federal economic development funding agency, is giving $5...
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OXFORD COUNTY GIVES MORE DETAILS ABOUT CYBERATTACK BREACHES
Oxford County has disclosed several programs and services targeted in a September cyberattack that also potentially compromised the personal information of about 4,000 current and former employees. In a Friday news release, Oxford County officials...
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EXPANSION OF SOUTHSIDE PARK ON THE TABLE IN WOODSTOCK CAPITAL BUDGET VOTE
It will be a good news story for Woodstock residents who would see no impact on their tax levies if city council decides to expands the city's landmark park, Southside. The proposal to expand the park – at an expected cost $240,000 in 2026, with a...
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AUTO BELT ANXIETY: THE EV THAT CAST 1,100 OXFORDAREA WORKERS IN LIMBO
Proudly mounted on a podium outside the General Motors factory in Ingersoll is an electric cargo van that many thought would buy its workers a decade of job stability. Instead, the BrightDrop delivered pink slips. Citing weak sales and a challenging...
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SLAM POETRY
Rodney Matthews gets ready to slam Vikram Prashar -- The Punjabi Prodigy -- during Hammerlock Pure Wrestling's show in Thamesford Sunday afternoon.
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BOOM AND GLOOM: A STARK DIVIDE IN SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO'S AUTO BELT
In one Southwestern Ontario city, forever linked by history to all things jumbo, one of the world's largest automakers is building Canada's biggest factory – a $7-billion colossus expected to employ about 3,000 people. Only 50 kilometres away, in...
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Oxford County's paramedic services wins Ontario Health award
Christmas came early for members of Oxford County Paramedic Services, who received provincial recognition for their Remote Care Monitoring and Chronic Disease Management Program. The team, along with its allied partners, was recognized with the...
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`We're losing control': Oxford County council talks Bill 60
Oxford County council has endorsed a slate of staff recommendations questioning the contents of the province's controversial Bill 60 that will now be sent to the Ford government. Though the wide-ranging omnibus legislation was actually passed at...
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YOU'RE SO VANE
Wind Vane, a sculpture by artist Nicholas Crombach, was the first installation at Woodstock's Bruce Flowers Sculpture Garden. For more on public art in the Friendly City, please turn to our Art City column on
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`SO MUCH MORE INVITING'
Downtown Woodstock has reopened for business after months of construction. Phase Two of the Downtown Streetscape project was completed late last month and the city centre reopened to traffic. “It looks a lot better, the planters and benches make...
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WHAT'S AT STAKE IF ONTARIO ELIMINATES SCHOOL TRUSTEES
The passage of legislation granting sweeping control over school boards to Queen's Park appears to be another nail in the coffin for Ontario's trustees – the oldest form of democracy in Canada. Last week, Bill 33 passed third reading at Queen's Park...
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HAPPY HOLIDAYS IN A BAG: LOCAL FLAVOURS HAVE A GLOBAL IMPACT
A Woodstock-based charity that supports life-changing programming in Ethiopia has introduced a new fundraising campaign this holiday season that addresses the challenge of what to buy for those difficult recipients on your gift list. The volunteers...
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OXFORD MP DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM INDUSTRY MINISTER ON CAMI
The Conservative MP for Oxford MP is requesting answers from a Liberal cabinet minister who gave General Motors a 15-day deadline – which has come and gone – to provide an update on its plans for workers at the automaker's idled Cami plant in...
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REMEMBRANCE DAY EVERY DAY FOR TRUMPETER PLAYING LAST POST
David Ellerby has played the Last Post at the Woodstock Cenotaph on Remembrance Day for more than 15 years. “It's the least I can do for my part, for what they did,” he said of the men and women from the community who put their lives on the line for...
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NEW THERAPY HELPS SPEED INJURED WORKER'S RECOVERY
A fall from a three-metre (10-foot) high ladder six years ago precipitated debilitating strokes that left Mark Foster unable to walk or talk. But, after years of traditional physiotherapy and speech therapy, Foster, who can walk and talk again, began...
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LOCAL GREEN-ROOF INDUSTRY AT RISK WITH TORONTO BYLAW REPEAL
Repeal of a Toronto bylaw has sent the Southwestern Ontario-area green-roof industry into a tailspin, with some even calling it a “death knell.” Toronto's green roof bylaw, adopted in 2009 and the first in North America, made it mandatory for new...
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COULD LAID-OFF EV AUTO WORKERS FROM IDLED CAMI LAND AT VW'S POWERCO?
As one London region automotive assembly plant halts production, another one nearby is gearing up to hire – meaning there may be opportunity for laid-off workers, auto industry officials say. Cami Assembly in Ingersoll has laid off more than 1,100...
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DEMONSTRATORS GATHER OUTSIDE INGERSOLL'S IDLED CAMI ASSEMBLY PLANT
A demonstration organized by the union that represents laid off workers at the Cami assembly plant, drew hundreds of people to the idle factory in response to General Motors Canada's decision to end production of its BrightDrop electric...
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EX-WOODSTOCK MAYOR'S THIRD MISTRIAL BID STILL UNDECIDED, COURT HEARS
A possible third mistrial application from the disgraced former Woodstock mayor convicted of sexual assault is still up in the air. Trevor Birtch, 50, was back in a London courtroom by Zoom Wednesday, as was his new lawyer, Jordan Gold, to update...
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A WALK IN THEIR SHOES RAISES MORE THAN $24K FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN IN ETHIOPIA
The Woodstock-based non-profit organization, Hearts for Ethiopia, raised $24,020 at its recent A Walk in Their Shoes event. Ten teams of walkers and individual participants sought donations to support projects in Ethiopia as part of the Oct. 18...
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INGERSOLL BRACES FOR TAX, ECONOMIC HIT FROM CAMI SHUTDOWN
General Motors' sudden move to halt production at Ingersoll's largest employer has town officials fretting over the effect on its tax base and businesses that rely on the plant. Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie said GM's promise to assess new...
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CAMI PLANT'S FUTURE UNCERTAIN AS GM ENDS BRIGHTDROP PRODUCTION: ANALYST
General Motors (GM) Canada's decision to end production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van could be the death knell for the company's Cami plant in Ingersoll, whose future will now be tied to Canada's ability to secure a trade deal with the U.S....
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WOODSTOCK UNVEILS COMMEMORATIVE CROSSWALK HONOURING LOCAL VETERANS
The City of Woodstock is paying tribute to local veterans ahead of Remembrance Day with a new commemorative crosswalk near the cenotaph in Victoria Park. Located at the corner of Graham and Buller streets, the new crosswalk features a red and white...
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THE GREAT PUMPKIN
Two-year-old Benjamin Brett of Kelvin checks out a 1,208-pound pumpkin – grown by Avery Kegels – that won first prize in the largest pumpkin class during the Burford Fall Fair on Saturday.
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OXFORD COUNTY READS
Former National Hockey League player and coach Ted Nolan is coming to Woodstock next month for the Oxford County Reads gala. Nolan will be talking about his book, Life in Two Worlds: A Coach's Journey from the Reserve to the NHL and Back. For more,...
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LEADING THE WAY
Noah Cann of Ingersoll District Collegiate Institut- leads Medway's Ryan Georgeson up the senior boys' first big climb at the Boler Mountain cross-country meet held Thursday. Cann led throughout the six-kilometre race and finished with the gold while...
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A BANNER DAY
Helen Lukianchuk, left, a public health nurse from Southwestern public health, presented a banner to Grade 7 students Jordan Cowell, 12, and Bailey Cunningham, 12, and principal Steve Burroughs during an assembly Wednesday at Eastdale public school....
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ZONED IN
College Avenue's Grady Knight catches a pass in the end zone while covered by Westminster's Cole Smith during their senior football game at Regina Mundi College in London Tuesday. College Avenue romped to a 41-6 win, moving the team to fifth place in...
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TIGHT GAME
College Avenue's Teshaine Peach tries to get past the tackle of Ingersoll's Nathan Burton during the Thames Valley senior football game Friday at CASS. The Blue Bombers won 24-19 on a last-second touchdown from quarterback Cam Delwo.
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FANSHAWE POSTPONES CONVOCATION AMID OPSEU STRIKE
Fanshawe College has postponed its fall convocation ceremonies as a strike by college support workers across Ontario enters its fourth week. The ceremonies scheduled for Nov. 4 and 5 at Canada Life Place in downtown London will take place in June...
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AND THEY'RE OFF...
The boys' 12-year-old race charges off the start line behind the London District Catholic school board building on the opening day of the board's elementary cross-country meet Monday. Graham Gress, the recreation supervisor at LDCSB, said that 4,000...
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TAKING THE `CAKE'
Myles Sharpe celebrated his six-month birthday this week with a watermelon cake at Woodstock's Vansittart Park.
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WILL SCHOOLS CLOSE IN THE THAMES VALLEY REGION? OFFICIALS REACT
The cash-strapped Thames Valley school board is among five school boards which potentially could face school closures, worrying North Middlesex officials where several schools could be at risk. Premier Doug Ford said earlier this month school closures...
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ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES PULLED OFF ROAD, NEARLY 200 LONDON AREA ROUTES CANCELLED
Close to 200 school bus routes were cancelled on Monday across the London region after the local bus authority announced an inspection of its electric fleet following a fire in a bus last week in Quebec. The Quebec government announced a lockdown of...
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A CLOSER LOOK
Travis Toew, 15, of Moorefield climbedd up to get a closer look at the workings of a New Holland combine at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock on Wednesday.
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NEAREST AND DEERE-EST
Mark Scherpenzeel of Simcoe lets his son Levi, 1, play with the steering wheel of a massive John Deere combine at Canada's Outdoor Farm Show on Wednesday. The three-day trade show – touted as one of Canada's largest – ends Thursday.
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FOREIGN-STUDENT NUMBERS PLUNGE AS FANSHAWE COLLEGE FACES BIG CHANGES
Fanshawe College officials have spent months navigating the fallout of new limits on international students – the London-based school facing a bigger toll than most – with program reductions and staff cuts. They're now expressing confidence the...
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NORFOLK OPP SEEK TO RETURN STOLEN GRAVESITES HARDWARE
Police are working to return close to half a tonne of bronze and brass items ripped from the gravesites of loved ones at cemeteries across Norfolk County south of Brantford. An Oxford County man is facing charges in connection with a rash of recent...
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HOMETOWN HERO: MR. WOODSTOCK EMBRACES HIS ROLE AS COMMUNITY BOOSTER
During both his broadcasting career and his work with the city, Brad Janssen became on of Woodstock's most vocal champions. This is Part Five of Postmedia's How Canada Wins: Love Where We Live summer series. Friends and other Friendly City residents...
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TV SHOW COLLAR OF DUTY KIDS VISITS TRANSITIONS ENCOMPASSING WELLNESS
A Woodstock girl's bond with a therapy horse has been showcased on the children's documentary series, Collar of Duty Kids. The show's final episode of the season tells the story of 12-yearold Sierra Meidel and Thunder, a therapy horse from Transitions...
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GENTLE GIANT
Korra Wright, 2, checks out Winnie, a four-year-old St. Bernard. “She's always a hit,” said owner Taylor Bluhm of Woodstock while Wright's mom said Korra, “isn't afraid of anything.” Winnie was popular as kids and parents flocked to the gentle behemoth...
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TEMPERED GLASS MAKER PREPARES TO OPEN IN WOODSTOCK
A new tempered glass business is preparing to open in a burgeoning industrial development in Woodstock's northeast end. When Woodstock Glass Tempering, a subsidiary of Toronto-based company Norfinch Glass and Mirror Manufacturing Ltd., opens before...
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MOULDING MEMORIES
HollyJo, the owner of The Kiln Room Ceramic & Art Studio in downtown Woodstock, hosted the young campers from the Woodstock Art Gallery and Woodstock Museum's Culture Camp last week for a special workshop.
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Residents raise a stink about Tillsonburg wastewater plant
Oxford County is taking action to address odours from a wastewater treatment plant in Tillsonburg after receiving more than two dozen complaints. Don Ford, Oxford County's manager of water and wastewater services, said staff are working to minimize...
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HOMETOWN SPECIALTY OXFORD'S GUNN'S HILL TAKES LOCAL PRIDE GLOBAL
In Oxford County, the Dairy Capital of Canada, few stories reflect the region's legacy better than Gunn's Hill Artisan Cheese. Fourteen years ago, Shep Ysselstein produced his first batch of what would become Five Brothers – the award-winning cheese...
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FORMER MAYOR FACING SENTENCING FOR SEX ASSAULTS GIVEN TIME TO FIND LAWYER
Trevor Birtch's complicated personal life has evolved into a tangled web of legal delays, adjournments, mistrials and unexpected twists through the criminal justice system. The disgraced former mayor of Woodstock was back in a London courtroom Friday...
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PIPES WILL ROAR AS INGERSOLL MARKS 115 YEARS OF SCOTTISH TRADITION
Get ready to feel the rumble in your chest and the skirl in your soul. The Ingersoll Pipe Band is marking its 115th anniversary with a full-throttle celebration on Saturday, Aug. 16, when six pipe bands will converge on the town for an afternoon of...
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OXFORD MUNICIPALITIES MARK 50 YEARS SINCE AMALGAMATION
It's now been more than 50 years since Oxford County adopted the two-tier municipal system still in place today. On Jan. 1, 1975, the county underwent a sweeping reorganization through amalgamation, part of a broader provincial push in the 1960s and...
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FOSSIL FUN
The focus has been on both fun and learning during the summer camp program at the Woodstock Museum. The young campers enjoyed a dinosaur-themed week during July that featured a visit from the Dino Show with Club Rex, as well as a science-themed week...
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HARDEMAN CELEBRATES 30 YEARS IN PROVINCIAL POLITICS
The longest-serving current member of the Ontario Legislature, and a familiar face to Oxford County residents, recently celebrated a rare milestone -- three decades serving as a member of provincial Parliament. “It's been quite an experience,” a...
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FORMER WOODSTOCK HOTEL GETS NEW LIFE, BUILT ON PAST
It was an iconic hotel in downtown Woodstock. Now, a restoration project focuses on modernizing the former Oxford Hotel while keeping the historic building's storied past intact. Owners Keith Beres and Bryan Saelens are childhood friends from...
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EXPLORING OXFORD COUNTY
Canadians opting to explore their own country this year amidst the heightened tensions between Canada and the United States will find plenty to do in Woodstock and Oxford County. With bustling cities and towns, and some of the richest farmland in...
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GIRL, 13, DEAD IN DROWNING AT CONSERVATION AREA: POLICE
A 13-year-old girl drowned Sunday in a swimming spot at a conservation area near St. Marys, police say. Stratford police said they were called to the Wildwood Conservation Area just before 7 p.m. after a report of a girl who was lost in the water. The...
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WOODSTOCK TRUCK SHOW DONATES $35K TO WDDS
Woodstock and District Developmental Services officials shared their gratitude this week for an “incredibly generous donation” that will help support the agency's ongoing work. The organizing team behind the popular Woodstock Truck Show visited the...
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WHEELS OF HONOUR
On Saturday, the residents at Cedarview Retirement Living and their guests enjoyed a special day with Wheels of Honour, a program presented by the Ontario Military Vehicle Association. Joining residents for the festivities, which included military...
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FLOOR PLANS
Woodstock Art Gallery staff were busy preparing last week for its second-floor summer exhibitions, including Elements 67: Annual Juried Exhibition and Oxford County Archives: Celebration, 175+ Years, which both opened Saturday. Staff are also busy...
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AREA MEASLES CASES SHRINK, BUT OUTBREAK NOT OVER
A public health office at the epicentre of a provincewide measles outbreak remains “cautiously optimistic” after only a single new case of the highly infectious disease for each of the past two weeks, but warns it's too early to tell if the trend will...
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HOMETOWN CHAMPION TRAGIC LOSS INSPIRES LEGACY OF HELPING THOSE IN NEED
When Jayna Leroux-Hendren's adventure-loving son Brent went missing in 2015, the Woodstock woman endured a period of profound grief. After efforts to return to work after her son's presumed drowning while boating in Haida Gwaii, B.C., faltered, she...
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WOODSTOCK'S FAIR WON'T HAVE A MIDWAY: AG SOCIETY
While a fair doesn't seem like a fair without a midway, the Woodstock Agricultural Society will carry on with its 2025 version without the merry-go-rounds, Ferris wheel and other rides local residents are used to seeing. “Unfortunately, it is true...
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EMPOWERING WOMEN
The Zonta Club of Woodstock recently hosted an open house at Gunn's Hill Artisan Cheese. Held under Gunn's Hill's new pavilion, the early evening event boasted delicious food and entertaining music. As the local chapter of Zonta International, the...
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CASH-STRAPPED THAMES VALLEY SCHOOL BOARD CUTS TWO SENIOR POSITIONS
Deficit-plagued Thames Valley District school board, trying to whip its red ink, is “phasing out” two of its highest-level jobs and shuffling superintendent positions as part of a restructuring plan, according to an internal memo released...
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WOODSTOCK LAWN BOWLING CLUB UPGRADES FACILITY WITH PROVINCIAL GRANT
The Woodstock Lawn Bowling Club on Thursday celebrated a provincial grant that allowed it to upgrade the Finkle Street facility. Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman congratulated the club after it received $50,200 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation...
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Toyota adds EV battery production to Woodstock, Cambridge plants
Toyota will assemble electric vehicle batteries at its Ontario plants, adding to the concentration of electric vehicle investment in Southwestern Ontario. The automaker is retooling now to make hybrid RAV4s at its Woodstock and Cambridge plants and...
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MISTRIAL IN EX-MAYOR'S ASSAULT CASE AFTER LAWYER DISBARRED
Woodstock's embattled former mayor has notched a second mistrial in his long and complicated journey through the criminal justice system. On Thursday, June 19, when Trevor Birtch's trial on two counts of assault and one count of unlawful entry was...
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