Written By Susan Clarke, Mayor of Adelaide Metcalfe
The last of the corn harvest is wrapping up throughout Adelaide Metcalfe Township. It’s a perfect time to look back on 2025 and celebrate some of the successes within our community.
This year, Council continued its focus on prudent financial oversight and forward-looking asset management planning. Staff actively monitored grant opportunities and applied where appropriate to help reduce the tax burden on our ratepayers. We were pleased to secure several grants for our fire services team, supporting additional fire gear, new self-contained breathing apparatus, 90 smoke/CO alarms, and a training laptop. These are just a few examples of investments that help keep our team safe. We are fortunate to have 24 dedicated volunteer firefighters, as well as a promising junior firefighting team of seven members.
Council also prioritized thoughtful and strategic planning to support long-term, sustainable economic growth. Diversifying our tax base is essential, and by exploring employment land options and organized industrial development, we are positioning the Township for future economic success.
We were pleased to welcome new businesses to Adelaide Metcalfe this year. Along Hwy 81/Centre Road, 6ixty Wings, Sad Nuggie, and the Ricco Foods Wholesale Outlet opened their doors. Ricco Foods is a great example of a business that operates in both Adelaide Metcalfe and Strathroy-Caradoc; relocating the outlet store created space for the expansion of their home operations on Wright Street. Growth across the municipality has remained steady, with 67 building permits issued to date, representing approximately $24 million in construction value.
Recently, Adelaide Metcalfe and Strathroy-Caradoc announced the signing of an Interim Agreement for water and wastewater services. This represents a significant and historic step forward well on its way to creating a clear path toward a final agreement. Stay tuned. Now more than ever, our communities must partner for impact if we are to move forward together. Provincial mandates, rising infrastructure costs, and international tariffs affect us all. We must invest in shovel-ready land to stay competitive in business attraction efforts. At the same time, we understand the complexities of the rural/urban divide and remain committed to protecting farmland in all discussions.
The Adelaide Metcalfe community continues to take enormous pride in Kerwood Park. In the centre of this municipality is our gem. This year, the final installation of the new park lights was completed, funded through a $150,000 Trillium Grant. Additional upgrades to the washrooms are planned for 2026. Kerwood Park hosted many memorable community events in 2025, and cooler temperatures allowed the skating rink to remain open longer than usual.
The Optimist Club once again demonstrated why they are the backbone of our community: hosting their annual ball tournament, celebrating the 5th anniversary of Sports Day and the Chicken Barbecue. Both events were very well attended. Each week during soccer season, the Optimist Club hosted roughly 200 children at no cost to the participants. At the 100th Anniversary Celebrations for Kerwood Park, the Optimist Club generously supplied and cooked the hot dogs enjoyed by hundreds of attendees during the historic fireworks display. We are also grateful to the many businesses that supported these events, as well as the Adelaide Metcalfe Fire Department for their annual fish fry.
Midway through the year, Councillor Noordhof stepped down from Council after moving outside the Township. We sincerely thank him for his leadership and service to the community. The resulting vacancy was filled through an application process, with Andrew Campbell selected as the successful candidate. Andrew brings a strong agricultural and business background to Council. We were fortunate to have an impressive slate of applicants, and we encourage anyone interested in running for Council in 2026 to contact our office for information about upcoming workshops.
Many residents will have noticed the new vehicle speed indicator signs installed in the village of Kerwood. While we hope they help educate drivers, we have also requested increased OPP enforcement. Please remember to slow down through the village to help keep everyone safe.
On behalf of Council and the entire team at Adelaide Metcalfe, we encourage you to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas.
