The holiday season is a magical time of year with lights twinkling all around and people feeling cosy from the warmth of the furnace, but they can both drive up the cost of energy bills, which is why Dufferin County is making home energy kits available at three community libraries.

Valued at $30, the kits are available for free pick up at Grand Valley Public Library, Orangeville Public Library or Shelburne Library.

The Orangeville Royal Canadian Legion branch has been awarded a $150,000 grant through the Ontario Trillium Foundation to help build a commercial kitchen.

Dufferin-Caledon MPP Sylvia Jones joined legion members Dec. 8 to congratulate them on receiving the funding.

During her address, she said she there is no doubt that organizations rely heavily on community partners to provide enhancements and enrichments to people.

As we head into the holiday season, the Orangeville Food Bank (OFB) is experiencing an increase in clients, causing concern about how the agency will keep up with demand.

On Tuesdays, the OFB opens its doors twice a day for clients to come and get what they need.

About 30 minutes before 4 p.m., people are already arriving at the food bank, ready to do their weekly grocery shop.

Studies show that gender-based violence is increasing in Ontario, leading Dufferin County to take steps toward raising awareness about the issue.

At the Nov. 9 county council meeting, Warden Wade Mills, mayor of Shelburne, presented a proclamation recognizing Nov. 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Dufferin County.

The day, observed internationally since 1981, kicks off the United Nation's annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign. This year's theme is “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls.”

Along country roads in Melancthon, Mulmur and Grand Valley, arrows point to the direction of various farms that are part of the annual Dufferin Farm Tour.

Each year, the Dufferin Farm Tour committee asks farmers if they are open to having visitors come to their property for the day to learn about agriculture — some farmers will volunteer their property for the day as well.

As a group of protesters shook signs and walked up and down Broadway in front of Orangeville’s MPP’s office, passing cars honked in support of their calls for accountability in the ongoing Greenbelt development plan.

It's only been open since March, but already Dufferin Men's Shelter is facing the threat of closure.

The shelter's director, Erin Goodyear appeared before Dufferin County's health and human services committee on Aug. 28 looking for help to fill a $346,100 funding gap that would help the Townline Road shelter keep its doors open for the rest of the year.

Critics of Bill 23 — the controversial Ontario legislation aimed at kickstarting homebuilding in the province — say opening parts of urban greenbelts for development will reduce flood protection, endanger species and result in the loss of some of Ontario’s best agricultural land.

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government say the bill, which became law in late November, is necessary because of the continuing housing crisis in the province and a predicted rise in immigration.

Reading has always been an enjoyable pastime for me, but finding the right book has often proven to be challenging. But surprise: TikTok — an icon of our supposedly post-literate age — has helped me discover new and interesting books while connecting with others.

More than 250 million years ago, life on Earth nearly disappeared.

In an event known as the Permian-Triassic extinction, about 95 per cent of all the species on the planet were wiped out. This isn’t the only extinction event in Earth’s long history, but it’s one that’s been particularly puzzling to scientists.

Jamie Potvin, the darkroom instructor at the School of Photographic Arts: Ottawa — commonly known as SPAO — has been witnessing a revival of interest in film photography despite the dominance of digital cameras in the 21st century.

“For a while, it was like these niche companies that were sustaining (film) for the hobbyist,” Potvin said. “Now the mainstream companies are repurchasing it, so hopefully that means that it’s sticking around.”

The University of Windsor and Wayne State University in Detroit will team up with the United Nations for a cross-border sustainable development initiative.

Guided by the UN’s goals, the unique partnership will address climate change, social inequities, as well as economic and health disparities.

Five LaSalle businesses teamed up to repair a minivan for a newly arrived Ukrainian family.

From labour to parts, everything was completely donated with help from Radovic Automotive Inc., Motorcade Industries, Walkerville Brewery, Eastside Auto Warehouse and Enterprise Locksmith.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s Debt Clock stopped in Windsor Wednesday — to raise awareness about government spending.

Federation director, Franco Terrazzano, said the clock has gone coast to coast and is finishing up its tour in southern Ontario. It shows the Canadian Government’s $1 trillion debt going up $16,000 every second.

Windsor’s own Media City Film Festival is going to Hollywood.

Media City, which for 25 years has shown film and digital art projects in Windsor and Detroit from around the world, will have one of its own films screened May 2 in Los Angeles at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

University of Windsor researchers hope to use laser light to see something that has so far remained invisible: dark matter.

Physicists at the school teamed up with a group of international scientists, devising a new way to change laser colours in order to glimpse certain atoms they could not previously see.

CALEDON, Ont. — As you drive northwest out of Toronto, high-rise buildings start to disappear replaced by farm fields, small towns and provincial parks filled with wildlife. You have entered the Town of Caledon, but this relatively lightly developed municipality on the edge of the GTA is at risk of having a major highway built through it.

The Canada Border Services Agency wants boaters to remember their entry and reporting obligations when traveling in Canadian waters.

With spring comes the promise of warmer weather and summer fun. Boating season is right around the corner and the CBSA says all travelers coming to Canada by water must report their arrival to ArriveCAN before or when

Students in a fourth-year sociology class at Carleton are creating a podcast to raise awareness on tenant rights and financialized landlords in Ottawa in light of the Heron Gate evictions.

After months of coping with COVID-19 restrictions, The Gladstone Theatre was poised to reopen Oct. 24. Then the province announced it was shuttering public entertainment venues for a second time in Ottawa and other hot zones.

Now interim theatre manager Robin Guy is left trying to figure out how to pay the bills.

The journey toward success for students with learning disabilities is a long and bumpy road which starts at a young age.

Learning disabilities affect the ways in which a person takes in, remembers, understands and expresses information. According to the Learning Disability Association of Ontario (LDAO), it interferes with a person’s ability to perform basic tasks such as reading and writing.

While working in Asia, Emma Inns experienced firsthand the impacts fast fashion has on the planet, something she said ultimately led her to open her own store.

“I saw what polyester manufacturing was doing to the planet,” she said. “I really didn’t want to support that anymore.”

Popular craft beer stop, GoodLot Brewery, has had to adapt their operations amidst COVID-19.

GoodLot has been deemed an essential service, since they sell their beer at the LCBO, grocery stores and the Beer Store, but with the closure of bars and restaurants, they have had to make changes to their operations.

With the pressing need for social distancing to slow the spread of COVID-19, many people are struggling to come to terms with their inability to socialize as they normally would.

This pandemic has brought with it challenges that the world has never experienced before.