Latest news with #SouthwesternOntario
CTV News
a day ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Fastball revival: Sport making comeback in rural Southwestern Ontario communities
Once a fixture in every rural Southwestern Ontario town, the sport of fastball is making a comeback. 'Five years ago a bunch of fastball dads said, 'You know what? We need to revive this sport for the kids again,'' said Charles Annett, who is co-coach of the Fingal Storm U20 team with Brent Dawdy. 073025 - FASTBALL REVIVAL ONTARIO Coaches Charles Annett (left) and Brent Dawdy (hitting) have helped revive Fastball in Fingal, Ont. (Brent Lale/CTV News London) In Fingal, a small community in Southwold Township, they've slowly brought the sport back. Just a few years ago they didn't have any youth teams and now they have five. 'It feels really special,' says Benjamin Carr, 20, a shortstop for Fingal Storm U20. 'We get to play our home games on Thursday nights, and there's a lot of kids that come out and watch us wearing a Fingal jersey. It feels cool to be a role model for them, and also to bring fastball back to these rural communities to represent Southwold and also the Municipality of West Elgin and everywhere else.' This U20 squad is made up of players from all over the region, who came together just after the pandemic to form a team. 'It just feels great to see the sport coming back,' said Eric Van Maanen, the Storm Centrefielder. 'All the young kids playing here in Fingal now which I haven't seen in a long time. For the longest time we were the youngest age group playing fastball.' 073025 - FASTBALL REVIVAL ONTARIO Eric Van Maanen makes a leaping catch in Centrefield during practice in Fingal, Ont. (Brent Lale/CTV News London) For anyone who hasn't seen the sport at a high level, it's a game of speed and power, played on a small field. 'It'll be a very fast game compared to what you're thinking of with MLB,' said Van Maanen. 'Everything's so much closer and smaller. In my opinion, it's faster and more entertaining to watch.' The U20 group which started this revival five years ago, has qualified for the National Championship. They are currently competing in Saskatoon, Sask., with the finals being played Aug. 3. 073025 - FASTBALL REVIVAL ONTARIO The Fingal Storm U20 team is in Saskatoon, Sask. playing in the Canadian Fastball Championships. (Source: Fingal Storm U20) 'This is the first time headed to the Canadian National tournament, and we're really fired up about it,' said Carr. 'We're really close friends and we've been playing together for over six years now, so we built a good relationship with each other, and the chemistry's good.' Annett loves coaching these young men because they have an infectious energy. 'I like the young attitude they have,' said Annett. 'They come to the park every day trying to win ballgames, but they're also learning at the same time. They listen well and they're not afraid to try some adventurous things. Sometimes you got to rein them back in, but this group loves the game as much as the coaches do, and it's kind of fun.' The Storm will play six games before the playoffs begin. 'It's a once in a lifetime experience and they're pretty pumped for it,' said Annett.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Chatham funeral home introduces water-based aquamation to Southwestern Ontario
A Chatham funeral home is introducing a water-based alternative to flame cremation that it says is a first for Southwestern Ontario — and possibly a glimpse into the future of end-of-life care. Life Transitions Burial and Cremation Service says it is preparing to offer aquamation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, to clients in the coming weeks. The process uses water, heat and a small amount of alkali to break down human remains, rather than fire. 'We've got colleagues up in Peterborough and Newcastle and Kingston… They've been going for several years now, but because they're such a distance geographically, no one around here has really heard of this,' said co-owner James MacNeil. 'We're definitely by far the first in Southwestern Ontario. And even our equipment itself is of a design that it's the first of its kind in Canada.' Aquamation A Chatham funeral home is introducing a water-based alternative called aquamation in Chatham, Ont., on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Chris Campbell/CTV News Windsor) The funeral home has been working for months to install and license the specialized equipment. While the process is legal in Ontario, MacNeil said it involves an 'elaborate regulatory field' and required approvals from multiple levels of government. 'We dealt with customs and bringing equipment across the border and permits. And we have pressure permits. And there's a lot of things that were way over my pay grade, for sure,' he said. 'We've been learning as we've been going and then working hand in hand with local tradespeople.' Alkaline hydrolysis is not new to Ontario, but it remains uncommon. According to the Bereavement Authority of Ontario (BAO), five licensed alkaline hydrolysis facilities currently operate in the province — in Arnprior, Peterborough, Newcastle, Whitby and Kingston. The first Ontario facility was licensed in Smiths Falls in 2015 but has since closed. While burial and cremation remain the dominant forms of disposition in Ontario, interest in aquamation is growing. 'It is much newer than other more traditional forms of disposition, but there is continuing interest from the public and prospective business operators,' said BAO spokesperson David Brazeau. James MacNeil said the environmental benefits of aquamation are clear. 'The process itself replaces flame with water. So instead of a flame breaking down the person's remains to a basic element, water does that work,' he said. 'Some people would say it's gentler. It certainly causes the need of about one-tenth the energy and it creates essentially zero emissions.' The process involves about 95 per cent water and five per cent potassium hydroxide, a type of alkali. The result is similar to traditional cremation — a fine powder of the skeletal remains, which can be returned to the family. 'If you did a search on what is the most environmentally safe or prudent way to take care of a deceased human body, it would be alkaline hydrolysis,' MacNeil said. MacNeil said the method has already drawn interest from families in Chatham-Kent. 'We're really a few weeks away from serving the public,' he explained. 'We're getting people walking in the door of our office saying 'sign me up,.'' Life Transitions managing administrator, Lee-Ann MacNeil said it's been an adventure as they prepare to offer the service. 'For myself, the idea of fire did not sit well with me. So I became someone who was not going to use cremation. Now, with this, the option of water, it sits better with me. It seems a little more gentle,' she said. The MacNeils say they felt confident offering the service now because cremation has grown in popularity in Ontario. When James was licensed in 2003, he said the provincial cremation rate was 38 per cent. It's now closer to 85 per cent. 'Culturally, we've been moving away from full burial. And again, it's a long list of reasons — not just dollars, not just religion,' he said. 'So an alternative to burial has been on the rise for decades.' According to the Cremation Association of North America, 76.7 per cent of all dispositions in Canada in 2024 were cremations. Ontario currently has 76 operating crematoriums. The MacNeils believe aquamation is the next evolution. 'It made perfect sense to us. And also regionally, in Chatham-Kent, there's never once been a crematorium,' James said. 'So we've thought, let's change that. And we're actually going to jump over traditional cremation and move right to what we believe is the future — with the water.' A second funeral provider in Sarnia is also in the process of installing aquamation technology. The BAO, which licenses and regulates Ontario's funeral, burial and cremation services, says alkaline hydrolysis remains a legal and regulated form of disposition under the Funeral, Burial and Cremation Services Act. The agency is a not-for-profit corporation accountable to the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery.
CTV News
06-07-2025
- CTV News
Canada-wide warrant issued for Quebec prison escapee possibly in southwestern Ontario
A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for 69-year-old Lory Bill Germa. (@OPP_WR/X) Police are warning the public about a wanted prison escapee who may be in the southwestern Ontario region. The Ontario Provincial Police say they are working with the Sûreté du Québec Police Service to locate a man who escaped from the Archambault Incarceration Centre in Quebec. A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for 69-year-old Lory Bill Germa. Germa is described as Métis, 5'8' tall, weighing 165 pounds, bald with brown eyes. He has several identifiable tattoos, including a sword, the name 'Carol,' a flying skull, seahorses, dragons, clouds and lightning bolts and the Grim Reaper. He also has a scar on his left eyebrow. Police say Germa may be in the South Bruce, Hanover, or Grey-Bruce areas. Authorities are warning the public not to approach him and to call 911 immediately if he is seen.
CTV News
28-06-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Fireworks celebrations in region begin Saturday
Four days of fireworks celebrations in the southwestern Ontario begin Saturday evening in St. Thomas. Dalewood Conservation Area will be hosting celebrations at dusk with a cost of $10 per vehicle admission fee. The Kettle Creek Conservation Authority says arrive early to secure a spot and permit as the gatehouse closes at 9 p.m. and no entry will be permitted after that time. Festivities in the region continue Sunday with fireworks displays in London in Summerside and in Strathroy at the Gemini Sportsplex. For those looking to watch a display on Monday, they can head to Port Stanley or Fingal in Elgin County. On Canada Day, many areas in the region will be hosting fireworks displays, including Harris Park, White Oaks Park, and East Lions Community Centre in London. Elgin, Dutton, Aylmer, St. Thomas, West Lorne, and Belmont will all have displays, and there is also a concert and fireworks in Grand Bend at the main beach.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Jets Engaged In Ongoing Negotiations With Gabriel Vilardi
Southwestern Ontario is in a heat wave. Here's how Windsorites are trying to beat the heat It's going to be a hot few days in Windsor-Essex, with temperatures expected to reach the mid-30s — and that's before the humidity makes it feel even warmer. The CBC's Jennifer La Grassa braved the heat to check in with Windsorites on how they're keeping cool.
