Colin Burrowes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Avon Maitland District School Board’s Centre for Employment & Learning (CEL) is preparing to offer a new free Personal Support Worker (PSW) certification program, with on-the-job training in a co-operative education format.

Council received a presentation from staff for the draft capital budget on Jan. 13, a budget aimed to responsibly maintain service levels while combating the current levels of inflation, which treasurer Corey Bridges said is estimated to exceed two per cent in 2022.

Several councillors asked for discussion at the Jan. 24 council meeting pertaining to a request for financial support for use of recreational facilities sent to North Perth by the Township of North Huron.

Council passed a resolution on Jan. 10 to send a letter of support for a proposal by the Listowel Wingham Hospitals Alliance to get MRI diagnostic imaging equipment at the Wingham and District Hospital.

Discussions continued on Jan. 12 for the 2022 budget with the focus on a capital budget, which is slightly lower than recent years at $16,768,219. Department heads walked council through some of the highlights of the proposed capital spending for the upcoming year.

Ben Parkhouse and dog Asher enjoy a walk through the snow-covered streets of Listowel on Jan. 17. Temperatures plummeted mid-month in typical January fashion, leaving North Perth under a blanket of snow and ice.

At its first council meeting of 2022, CAO Kriss Snell presented North Perth council with a report that was requested by Coun. Allan Rothwell in December to outline the municipality’s actions on affordable housing, and potential actions within the community to stimulate affordable housing.

In a report from CAO Kriss Snell on Jan. 10 regarding the Building Broadband Faster in Ontario statement released by the province in November, it was recommended that council advocate on behalf of local internet service providers (ISPs) who would like to participate in the Improving Connectivity for

It’s 2 a.m. on the day this paper starts getting thrown together, ‘pagination’ as my colleagues say, and by this point, I would normally have about five or six, maybe even seven articles all on the verge of completion. Thousands of words of the Listowel Banner ready to submit for your consumption.

With strong growth being reported across Ontario for 2021, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) valued more than 86,680 new properties and improvements to existing properties totalling $38 billion. North Perth was fourth in growth for a municipality with a population under 15,000.

D.W. Finch, a Listowel District Secondary School alumnus, has been writing short fiction that recalls the rural settings of her youth and scares up some imagery that might appeal to horror fans with small-town roots.

Pete Harms and his son, Luke, pictured tobogganing down the hill at Elma Township Public School on Jan. 2.

County council took steps to begin plans to renovate its building located at 5 Huron Street in Stratford to house its administrative offices. These steps led staff to bring forward a report declaring the former archives building at 24 St. Andrews Street surplus at the Dec. 16 meeting.