Patrick Raftis

Fifty-year milestones are understandably rare for community organizations, but there are several coming up in our area within the next couple of weeks. The Atwood Fire Department is holding a half-century celebration on Sept. 7. A history of the station and the firefighters who made up its ranks can be found in last week’s issue…

LISTOWEL – North Perth Malayalee Samaajam (NPMS), hosted an Onam celebration at the Agricultural Hall here on Sept. 7. Onam is “a significant and joyous festival for the Malayali community,” explained NPMS President Jomy George in an email to the Listowel Banner. NPMS is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving people from Kerala, India, living…

News last week that more than a million people living in Ontario turned to food banks over a 12-month period starting in the spring of 2023, should be concerning to us all. According to new data collected Feed Ontario, a network of more than 1,200 food banks and hunger-relief organizations across the province, said a…

An under-reported reality highlighted during the local kick-off for the United Way Perth Huron (UWPH) annual fundraising campaign is that, next to government, the United Way is Canada’s largest funder of social services.

South Bruce residents have a truly staggering responsibility before them. Between Oct. 21 and 28, local citizens will cast their ballots on a question of epic proportion: “Are you in favour of the Municipality of South Bruce declaring South Bruce to be a willing host for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s proposed Deep Geological Repository……

The Listowel Lions Club hosted an afternoon of entertainment in the Smith’s Market Square parking lot on Oct. 11. (Pat Raftis photo)

Ontario Premier Doug Ford recently raised some eyebrows after promoting newly-elected MPP Tyler Allsopp, who won the Bay of Quinte byelection on Sept. 19, to a parliamentary secretary position before he had even entered the doors of the Ontario legislature.

LISTOWEL – Local youngsters got a chance to meet some of their favourite characters at the Listowel Public Library on Oct. 26. Afterward, youngsters followed a map to participating downtown businesses offering Halloween treats during the event, which was organized by the Listowel BIA. To access this post, you must purchase Digital Subscription - Monthly…

WINGHAM – For 40 years Allan Dickson has been providing area residents with flowers and plants for every occasion. However the history of Lewis Flowers, the business he operates with his wife, Connie, goes back much further – 130 years. The Wingham-based flower shop and greenhouse can trace its roots back to 1894, when T.C.……

While there are as yet no general elections in the offing for Ontarians at the federal or provincial level, a couple of votes of great consequence are much in the news this week.