Written By Jan Sims
MIDDLESEX CENTRE - People who rent pavilions in municipal parks in Middlesex Centre and leave a big mess, could be in for a big fine. The municipality is introducing a new $300 excess cleaning fee for offenders under its 2026 fees and charges bylaw.
The charges were endorsed by council at its November 19th meeting, and cover a wide range of services from recreation to planning.
There are a number of areas where residents won’t see any increases. This includes public skating fees, parking rates at Weldon Park.
Where there have been increases, they’ve been largely kept to around two percent. Ward 5 Councillor Frank Berze noted that’s within today’s typical cost of living increases. “I don’t have an answer to this, but everything keeps going up,” said Berze.
There have been changes to rental facilities that impact people who aren’t residents of Middlesex Centre. For example, to rent community centres in Coldstream, Delaware, Ilderton and Komoka the full facility rental rate is unchanged at $528 for the day for residents of the municipality. That jumps to $634, or 20% higher, for the non-resident rate.
The municipality has also introduced what’s called the Civil Ceremony Package. There are two versions of the package. For $450, a civil marriage will include a license and the ceremony. For an extra $25, the package will also include witnesses.
