Saurabh Katara Saurabh Katara is bringing his business and leadership experience to the table as he makes a run at an Amherstburg town council seat. Katara said he has leadership, business and planning experience including degrees in business and is currently working on his MBA from Ivey Business School. He has also founded a consulting company where he works with clients in Canada and abroad. “We moved to Amherstburg a few years ago,” he said, with his wife and daughter. “Th

The membership of the town’s audit and finance committee had considerable debate over its makeup and whether the two members of council that are on it should be there. A motion to replace Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb and Councillor Linden Crain, the latter being the committee chair, didn’t go anywhere as it was found to be outside the scope of the committee. The two council members were accused of not bringing the committee’s voice to council, but Crain and Gibb countered the moti

Amherstburg council voted last week on Ontario's Bring Your Own Alcohol Event permits. Town council has unanimously opposed being a part of the Ontario government’s potential expansion of Bring Your Alcohol Event permits. Instead, council supported an administrative recommendation to “update the town’s Municipal Alcohol Management Policy with any industry best practices and to provide that only events making use of a Special Occasion Permit (SOP) provided by the Alcohol and G

Essex County Civic Centre. By Fred Groves The Lake Erie shoreline from Amherstburg to Port Alma is in the developing stages of getting some much-needed protection. At the recent Essex County council meeting, manager of planning services Rebecca Belanger outlined the Pelee Coastal Resilience Plan. In 2023, the county received $1 million from the federal government’s Natural Resources Canada Climate Resilience Coastal Communities Program. The Pelee Plan is the first of its kind

Essex County Council voted last week to study homelessness in the county. Essex County will continue to support its homeless population, however it has opted not to establish a Community Services Contingency Fund. County councillors voted to fund a temporary outreach worker to assist in gathering data on those individuals who utilize the Homeless Hub located in Leamington as part of the July 15 meeting. “We want to make sure the rural homelessness situation is properly accou

Frank DiPasquale has withdrawn from the mayor’s race in Amherstburg. One of the candidates running for mayor in the Oct. 26 municipal election has withdrawn. Frank DiPasquale has dropped out of the race, citing family reasons as a main factor why. “I would love to stay in the race,” he said. “This is a roller coaster here. We foster children. Things are taking more time than expected.” DiPasquale added his home is a respite site, so that impacts the amount of time he would h

A site plan for a proposed development at 13 Sandwich St. S. appeared on the agenda for a planning meeting held July 13. A development proposal for land at the corner of Sandwich St. S. and Alma St. has raised concerns from people nearby. An application for Official Plan and zoning bylaw amendments to change the lands at 13 Sandwich St. S. from a general commercial designation in the Official Plan to General Commercial with a Special Policy area appeared on an agenda for a sp