The Georgina Community Food Pantry is launching a mobile food pantry this winter to make it easier for people in Keswick and Pefferlaw to access food. The new service will bring groceries to community pick-up locations for residents who have difficulty travelling to the pantry in Sutton.

The mobile pantry is intended to improve access for people who may face transportation or other challenges getting to the current location. Community pick-up sites will be selected based on local needs.

Residents are invited to complete an anonymous survey by Aug. 31 to help determine the best locations for the new service. Feedback will help the pantry decide where the mobile food pick-up sites should be located.

The Lake Simcoe Water Soldier Working Group is asking residents and visitors to help stop the spread of water soldier, an invasive aquatic plant found in local waterways. The plant can make swimming, boating, and fishing more difficult, and its sharp leaves can cause cuts.

The group is encouraging people to clean, drain, and dry their boats and equipment before entering or leaving the water. These simple steps can help keep the plant from spreading to new areas.

Residents are also asked to report any suspected sightings of water soldier outside of Cook’s Bay. Reporting new locations can help crews respond quickly and protect Lake Simcoe.

The Georgina Leisure Pool is inviting residents to take part in its Adapted Sensory Swim program, offered every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. The drop-in swim is designed to provide a quieter, more comfortable environment for individuals with sensory sensitivities.

To help create a calming atmosphere, no music is played during the sessions. The program offers participants an opportunity to enjoy the pool in a setting with fewer sensory distractions while taking part in recreational swimming.

Participants must attend with a parent, guardian, or support worker. One caregiver is admitted free with each participant, while regular wristband and aquatics admission policies remain in effect for all other attendees.

Convertus Group has secured $135 million in financing for its biofuel facility currently under construction in East Gwillimbury. The project is expected to open in early 2027 and will support the processing of organic waste from across York Region.

Once operating, the facility will convert organic waste into renewable natural gas, low-carbon fertilizer and food-grade carbon dioxide. The company says the plant will help reduce waste while producing renewable energy and other useful products.

Convertus says construction remains on schedule, with commissioning expected to begin later this year. The company expects the facility to be fully operational in early 2027.

The Town of Newmarket has officially opened the new Mulock Drive Multi-Use Path, a 6.3-kilometre trail stretching from Bathurst Street to Harry Walker Parkway. The new path provides a continuous route for residents travelling across town.

The project was completed at a cost of $3.45 million, well below the original estimated budget of $7.6 million. Town officials say the savings were achieved while delivering the full scope of the project.

The multi-use path is designed for people walking, cycling, jogging and using mobility devices. Officials say it will improve connections throughout the community and provide a safer, more accessible way for residents to get around.

A new community survey is helping shape how the South Simcoe Police Service will serve Bradford West Gwillimbury and Innisfil over the next four years. Residents were asked about community safety, police services and local programs as part of the development of the service’s 2026–2029 strategic plan.

Police say the feedback will help them better understand what is most important to the communities they serve. The survey results will be used to help set priorities and guide future planning.

The South Simcoe Police Service says the full survey report will be released to the public in the coming weeks. The report will provide more details about what residents had to say and how that feedback will help shape the new strategic plan.

Ontario Provincial Police have identified the victim in a fatal shooting in Midland as 18-year-old Tryce James of Etobicoke. The death is now being investigated as a homicide following the shooting at an apartment complex on King Street on the evening of Friday, July 31. Officers from the Southern Georgian Bay OPP responded to reports of gunshots shortly after 8:00 p.m. and located the victim suffering from gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Investigators believe the shooting was an isolated incident and say there is no indication of a broader threat to public safety. Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area as officers continue gathering evidence and conducting interviews.

The Southern Georgian Bay OPP Crime Unit is leading the investigation under the direction of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch, with assistance from the Office of the Chief Coroner, the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, the OPP Emergency Response Team, Canine Unit and Forensic Identification Services. Police are asking anyone with information, or anyone with dashcam, surveillance or cellphone video related to the incident, to contact the Southern Georgian Bay OPP at 1-888-310-1122 and reference occurrence number E261096322. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Crime Stoppers.

The Provincial Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement (R.O.P.E.) Squad is asking for the public’s help in locating a federal offender who is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant for allegedly breaching the conditions of his statutory release. Police are searching for 55-year-old Rejean Hermel Perron, who is currently serving a six-month and 27-day sentence.

Perron is serving his sentence for three counts of breaching a Long-Term Supervision Order and one count of obstructing a peace officer. He is described as a white male, approximately 5-foot-1 (157 cm) tall, weighing about 121 pounds (55 kg), with brown hair and blue eyes.

Investigators say Perron is known to frequent the Greater Toronto Area, Kingston, Ottawa and Timmins. Anyone who sees him or has information about his whereabouts is urged not to approach him and instead contact the Provincial R.O.P.E. Squad at 416-808-5900 or toll-free at 1-866-870-7673 (ROPE). Anonymous tips can also be provided through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or by calling 9-1-1 in an emergency.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will be stepping up traffic enforcement across Central Region during the Civic Holiday long weekend, with officers taking to both the roads and the skies in an effort to reduce dangerous driving. The enhanced enforcement campaign runs from July 30 to August 2 and includes support from the OPP Airplane Enforcement Program, which allows officers to identify traffic violations from the air and direct ground units to intercept offending drivers.

The initiative comes as the OPP continues to see an increase in dangerous and high-risk driving across Ontario. So far this year, 33 fatal collisions on Central Region OPP-patrolled highways have claimed 37 lives. Police say enforcement efforts will focus on the behaviours most commonly linked to fatal crashes, including speeding, aggressive driving, impaired driving and failing to wear a seat belt.

During the long weekend, the Airplane Enforcement Program will monitor highways and roadways in Peterborough, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Dufferin County, Caledon, Orillia and Northumberland County. A spotter aboard the aircraft will watch for unsafe driving behaviours and relay information to officers on the ground. The OPP is reminding motorists that every decision made behind the wheel affects the safety of everyone on the road and is urging drivers to obey speed limits, avoid aggressive driving, wear seat belts and never drive while impaired.