Aside from the four parties looking to return MPPs to Queen's Park Thursday, 16 other parties have candidates registered for the provincial election.

Ontario's Progressive Conservatives released their platform Monday, with three days until election day, and it contains $40 billion in promises plus a proposal to get rid of the minimum retail price for liquor.

For decades, Tamara Stomp has been a familiar face in Kingsville and beyond, serving as a steadfast advocate both for her clients in the courtroom and for the community in council chambers and local organizations.

Now, the longtime lawyer and public servant is channeling her passion for governance into a new challenge—running as the Ontario Liberal candidate for Essex in the upcoming provincial election.

Stomp brings a wealth of experience to the political arena.

A high-conflict family law litigation lawyer for over 43 years, she has spent her career helping individuals navigate some of life’s most difficult moments.

Her work on the Law Society of Ontario’s governing board deepened her understanding of public accountability and governance, experience she carried into 11 years on Kingsville Town Council, 4 of which she served as Deputy Mayor and on Essex County Council.

Beyond politics and law, Stomp has been a fixture in numerous community initiatives. From her involvement in the Kingsville Military Museum to the Friends of John R. Park Homestead, she has demonstrated a commitment to preserving local heritage and strengthening civic engagement.

While Stomp has always been engaged in public life, her decision to run for provincial office was crystallized by an unexpected moment on the road.

“I was driving down the 401 and pulled into an ONRoute station, only to be met on the ramp by a big neon sign telling me to ‘BUY BEER HERE,’” Stomp recalls.

“Who offers drivers alcohol as refreshment for a long-distance drive on a high-speed highway with big trucks and little children in cars? Those are not my values and likely not the values of others, so an alternative is needed.”

This moment, she says, symbolized the broader concerns she has with the current provincial government—one she believes has prioritized backroom deals and corporate interests over the well-being of everyday Ontarians.

For Stomp, the past seven years under Premier Doug Ford have seen worsening conditions across key government portfolios, from housing, to healthcare, affordability and education. She sees the Ontario Liberal Party, under leader Bonnie Crombie, as offering a better path forward—one that prioritizes housing, affordability, education, and healthcare.

“Bonnie understands,” Stomp says. “She could see the problem started right off when Ford called it his More Homes Built Faster Act. Bonnie’s plan is to build More Homes You Can Afford. The key word is ‘affordable.’”

Education and healthcare are also high on her priority list. Stomp has firsthand experience with the difficulties of accessing a family doctor and believes that no Ontarian should have to go through the same.

“If you don’t have your health, you can’t get the other things you need in life,” she says. “Facing our healthcare crisis will take hard work and stamina, and I’m ready for the challenge.”

Kingsville has always been at the heart of Stomp’s work, and that remains true in her bid for provincial office. Whether advocating for sustainable development, better public services, or ensuring small towns have a strong voice at Queen’s Park, she is committed to fighting for the people of Essex County.

“I love this community,” she says. “I’ve spent my career standing up for people who needed someone in their corner, and that’s exactly what I’ll continue to do.”

For more information about Tamara, you can visit her website at tamarastomp.ontarioliberal.ca, email her at [email protected], or call her campaign at 519-919-8104.

The post Tamara Stomp: A Lifelong Advocate For Essex County Steps Up For Change appeared first on Kingsville Times.

In the fall of 2024, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) completed a review of all student immunization records (65,635) and sent out 7,076 notices to elementary students and 4,785 notices to secondary students.

These notices indicated that the students were either overdue for vaccines required to attend school as per the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) R.S.O.1990 (ISPA), or their immunization records were not updated with the WECHU.

As of February 22, 2025, over 95% of students in Windsor and Essex County meet the requirements of the ISPA. However, there are 1,700 elementary students and 1,493 secondary students that continue to be at risk of suspension from school this March. These students are missing required immunizations or have not yet submitted updated immunization records to the WECHU.

The deadlines for parents/guardians to update student immunization records with the WECHU are quickly approaching.

• The deadline for elementary students is Thursday February 27^th, 2025, at 6:00pm.
• The deadline for secondary students is Thursday March 13^th, 2025, at 6:00pm.

Students whose records are not in compliance by these deadlines will be suspended from school effective Monday March 3^rd, 2025 (elementary) and Monday March 17^th, 2025 (secondary).

There is still time for families across Windsor and Essex County to avoid school suspension through the following options:

1. Contact the student’s health care provider (HCP) to receive any missing immunizations and/or obtain missing immunization documents. Please share the notice received from the health unit with the HCP.

Note that if you are unable to book an appointment with your HCP prior to the deadline, walk-in clinics may offer routine immunizations. Call ahead to ensure they can provide the correct vaccine(s).

Next, report the updated immunization information to the WECHU (see #2 below). Health care providers are not required to do this. It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to report all immunizations to the WECHU.

2. Submit updated immunization records to the WECHU using one of the following methods:

Secure Online Reporting
Instructional video for families. Translation into multiple languages is available through closed captioning.immune.wechu.org

Phone
519-258-2146 ext. 1222

Fax
519-258-7288

In Person to the WECHU
Windsor office: 1005 Ouellette Avenue
or
Leamington office: 33 Princess Street

3. Book an immunization appointment with the WECHU by calling 519-258-2146 ext. 1222. The WECHU is offering families a variety of clinics, with some evening and Saturday appointments available.

For more information on school immunizations and the suspension process, visit the WECHU website.

Image by elizabethaferry from Pixabay

The post Most Windsor and Essex County Students Up to Date on Immunizations appeared first on Kingsville Times.

London, Ont.’s largest hospital is celebrating a record-breaking number of babies born last year, with a five per cent increase from its previous record set in 2022.

This historical drama (three-and-a half-hours intermission included), draws demands on your acumen to absorb lengthy spoken and acted plotline passages. It’s a big movie about the value and the cost of pursuing big artistic visions. For serious film fans it’s a screen pleasure.

Hungarian Jewish architect László Tóth (Adrien Brody), is emotionally damaged when forcibly separated from his wife Erzsébet ((Felicity Jones) and niece ( Raffey Cassidy) during the Second Worold War Nazi holocaust. He is seeking renewal of his life in America. Brody comments, “it’s a journey of a refugee connected to his past who has also been stripped of his past.”

“The Brutalist” is not entertaining for everyone. That may be interpreted as a slur, but the film, epic in ambition and design, unspools in scholarly sequences with actor and character blending in a narrative of ambition and personal achievement. Critics and ticket buyers are showing viewer approval for a superb performance by Adrien Brody as László Tóth, an immigrant experiencing the American Dream which beckons, but unfulfilled. It’s an emotional carryover of his Oscar-winning dramatics in “The Pianist” (2002).

László is trying to find his way in a new land, Pennsylvania, with a new set of rules. Good fortune smiles when László is unexpectedly rehabilitated with an opportunity by an offer to design a library. Its suggested by the over-indulged son of powerful wealthy and prominent industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce) who recognizes Lászlo’s talent as a Bauhaus-trained (Brutalist) architect. It’s a vanity project that becomes Lászlo’s great obsession; a building representing everything he left behind in Europe and all that he hopes to discover in America….salvation, grief, art, beauty and pain.

German for ‘building house, ‘Bauhaus’ was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 combining crafts and the fine arts. László creates functional designs using basic industrial materials such as steel, glass and concrete, emotionally symbolic of his time in the concentration camps. Thus begins a relationship that sets the course of László’s life.

Brutalist architecture came into style in the United Kingdom in
the 1950s, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Minimalist constructions showcasing bare elements like exposed concrete or brick, Brutalism emphasizes structural elements over decorative design (Brutalist architecture).

“The Brutalist” has a storytelling force with clarity and simplicity on weighty themes of Jewish identity, immigration, privilege, culture-versus-commerce and the thin lines between inspiration and insanity, ambition and crushing egotism, yet also with something darkly mysterious and uncanny. Quite refreshing, considering tinsel town’s interest seems aimed more on financial returns from epic comic book heroes blasting at each other.

The Hollywood Reporter praises “The Brutalist as a massive film in every sense, that illustrates how art and beauty reach out from the past, transcending space and time to reveal a freedom of thought and identity often denied its makers.” Literary critic Owen Hatherley suggests that, as an architectural style, brutalism was “dedicated to the precept that nothing was too good for ordinary people.”

‘The Brutalist,’ is a film staggering with mystery, power, epic scope and a visualized style. Brady Corbet directs an old school Shakespearean opus of dark road remnants in a changed world following the Second World War, and one man’s attempt to find his lost life.

Techically, the film is projected using the high-resolution VistaVision widescreen 70mm format, not seen in theatres since 1963.

“The Brutalist” has ten Oscar nominations including categories for Best Picture, Best Director (Brady Corbet), and Best Actor (Adrien Brody). The 97th Golden Statues presentation is scheduled for March 2nd.

Residents are warned to watch out for fake $50 and $100 Canadian bills being circulated. The Brantford Police are issuing an advisory to businesses and residents of Brantford after receiving multiple reports of counterfeit money circling around the city.

In the month of February 2025 Brantford Police have received 11 reports of counterfeit Canadian bills used at various businesses.

Most of the incidents have involved Canadian bills of $100.00 and $50.00.

Similar serial numbers on the $100.00 bills appear to have been circulating across other jurisdictions in Canada. Common serial numbers on the $100.00 bill are, GRJ6710018, GRJ6710019, GRJ6710020, GRJ6710020, GRJ6710021, and GRJ6710022.

The counterfeit bills seen in circulation have a holographic window strip on the bill with the word, “Prop Money”.

Some of these bills have other obvious signs with discolouration and damage to them that causes the colouring to peel off easily.

Tips to identify counterfeit money:

–         Check the serial number on multiple of the same value of bills as each bill has its own serial number and no bill shall have the same.

–         The word “Prop Money” should not be on any legitimate Canadian currency.

–         Check the colouring of the bills and the quality as genuine bills have a finish that will not scrape off

–         Check the feel of the bills as there should be raised ink along certain areas of each bill

BPS want residents and businesses to be aware of the circulation of these counterfeit bills and to check for any signs of counterfeit with bills they might have in their possession.

Anyone who suspects they have received a counterfeit bill or have one in their possession are encouraged not to accept it and to contact police and make a report.

Individuals who wish to provide information anonymously are asked to contact the Brant-Brantford Crime Stoppers at 519-750-8477 or 1-800-222-8477. Alternatively, a web tip may be submitted at: https://www.crimestoppersbb.com/submit-a-tip/

Hamilton Police’s shooting response team has another incident to investigate. On Sunday, at approximately 9:20 p.m., the Hamilton Police Service were called to 150 Sanford Avenue North in the City of Hamilton for a report of a shooting. When police got there they found, damage consistent with a shooting inside an apartment at 150 Sanford Avenue North. Based on a review of the available evidence, investigators believe that the shooting occurred outside the residence. Numerous people were present in the home during the shooting, however there are no reported injuries.

The Shooting Response Team will be investigating and are appealing to the public for any information regarding this shooting. If anyone has any information that may assist the investigation, they are encouraged to contact the Shooting Response Team by calling 905-546-4883 or by emailing [email protected]

For those who wish to provide information anonymously, please consider reaching out to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online at Crime Stoppers Hamilton’s Website.

At the February 10, 2025 public meeting, Council approved amendments to the Official Plan and the Zoning By-Laws for the Town of Kingsville.

The amendments are related to building heights within the Main Street Corridor and respond to legislative and policy changes.

Read the full notice.

The post Notices of Passing & of Adoption re OPA & ZBA-2024-4 – Building Height appeared first on Kingsville Times.

The Municipality of Leamington will begin the phased demolition of the former Leamington District Secondary School (LDSS) building, located at 125 Talbot Street West, beginning with the gymnasium, which was recently damaged by fire.

Prior to initiating this first phase of demolition, the Municipality retained a contractor to test the affected area for harmful substances.

The results confirmed that no hazardous materials, including asbestos, are present in the area designated for demolition.

Demolition is tentatively scheduled to start on Monday, February 24, 2025, and is weather-dependent.

The demolition of the building will be conducted in phases, with each phase subject to testing and approvals to ensure compliance with safety and environmental regulations.

This phased approach means that the entire building will not be demolished at once; instead, the process will be gradual and methodical.

The removal of the former school building is part of the Municipality’s long-term planning for the site following the conclusion of the proposed attainable housing development initiative.

For background information, please visit leamington.ca/ProjectUpdate.

The Municipality appreciates the community’s patience and cooperation as this work is completed. 

The post Leamington To Begin Phased Demolition Of Former LDSS appeared first on Kingsville Times.

The Toronto Zoo said human error played a role after a 17-year-old babirusa was injured and died on Saturday. The babirusa, named Bucky, was fatally injured “after gaining access to a space occupied by Vishnu, a male greater one-horned rhinoceros,” the zoo said in a Facebook post on Sunday. 

The driver of a pickup truck was taken to hospital in critical condition after a crash on Mitch Owens Road Monday morning.

Health officials say those who were in the waiting room of the children's emergency room at Victoria Hospital may have been exposed to measles, the highly contagious virus that has been spreading in the region.

Ontario’s police watchdog has found no grounds to charge an OPP commander after an armed man said he shot two women in his Huntsville home and then died by suicide during a standoff.

Before casting your ballot on Feb. 27, it’s important to know how the four major party leaders compare on hot-button issues. CBC’s Julia Knope breaks down some of their key promises.

When Lorraine Brown got her bone density scan results earlier this year, she was shocked to find that the lab had listed her ethnicity as 'white' and that the results were based on norms for Caucasian women.

Some drivers say the white paint of their Hyundais is peeling off in large chunks and that getting help from the automaker has been nearly impossible. It's not just happening here in Canada; drivers around the world have all reported the same problem with relatively new vehicles.

The St. Catharines riding is surrounded on three sides by the Niagara Region with Lake Ontario to the north and includes most of the city. 

Some Ontario voters who consider themselves politically non-aligned — setting aside their desire to boot Doug Ford and his PC government out of office — often bemoan the unwillingness of the Liberals and NDP to co-operate at election time. 

Crunching under toe, tire and tread, road salt is used to melt ice and snow for a safer surface for people. But too much salt can be toxic for fresh water life, and many Toronto-area waterways are over the safe limit, according to the latest data from the Toronto Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). 

Voters can still cast a ballot by bringing a piece of identification with their name and home address to their assigned voting location.

Unifor Local 1541 workers at Best Theratronics, a west Ottawa facility that manufactures radiation therapy devices, voted to end a strike that started last May.

Members of London's Catholic community say they're praying in solidarity for Pope Francis as the 88-year-old pontiff is still in hospital where he remains in critical condition on Sunday. 

Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford is coming under attack from his rivals for comments he made Sunday about the long waits in many Ontario emergency rooms, suggesting people showing up with minor ailments were partly to blame. 

Skating on the Rideau Canal will be paused as of Monday morning to preserve the ice surface through a few days of warmer weather.

The long-term future of the Hamilton Waterfront Trust may be known next month. HWT chair Cameron Kroetsch, in response to questions from the Bay Observer, wrote that the HWT board “Board is in the process of putting together a public statement, in conjunction with the City, which will be released in March. I can’t say much in advance of that, unfortunately, as the Board and the City want to work together on this to ensure we can release as much information to the public as possible to answer their questions.” The Waterfront Trust had been struggling with financial insolvency for years after it had exhausted the $20 million fund it had been endowed with on its launch in 2020.

Kroetsch was critical of the previous board of directors of the Waterfront Trust stating, “The entire previous Board abandoned the organization without a transition plan in place. Staff were forced to perform both administrative and leadership duties without a fully functioning Board.”

At the time of the 2022 election, the city councillors on the HWT Board were Esther Pauls, Jason Farr and Judy Partridge. Farr was defeated by Kroetsch in the election and Partridge did not run for re-election. In November 2023, Kroetsch issued a statement announcing a restructuring “with a focus on transparency and financial stewardship, adding, “For an organization that has been mired in financial controversy, balance sheets in the red, and opaque practices, for many years, this is an important moment to highlight and to celebrate.”

Since the current Board, consisting of Kroetsch, Alex Wilson, Maureen Wilson, Mike Spadafora and Tammy Hwang took over in December 2022, the organization has not released audited financial statements or any kind of annual report covering the two years the current board has been in charge. The open portion of its meetings are not supported by printed materials and tend to last only a few minutes before the board goes into an in-camera session.

The Waterfront Trust has completed managing a series of waterfront construction projects for the city that had provided a significant source of income for the organization in the last few years. At one point KPMG was engaged to provide options for the future of the organization. In November 2023, Kroetsch reported, “KPMG have not returned with their report and we do not currently have City staff recommendations with respect to a potential wind up or continuation of some services. We’ll have to wait for those reports to come forward before we have any more clarity.” It now appears that the answers may be coming in March.