Arthur - Gateway to the North

Arthur is a community of about 2100 and located at the crossroads of Highway 6 and Wellington County Road 109 around 35 minutes north of Guelph. It describes itself as the Gateway to the North and has been proclaimed as Canada's most patriotic village due to the large enlistment of local men and women during the two World Wars.

Arthur is currently undergoing a summer makeover! In addition to the construction on the highways that Devin has touched upon, particularly at the aforementioned crossroads, a brand new Library and Medical Centre are currently being built just off George Street, the main thoroughfare through Arthur. Both are scheduled to open in September/October 2008. We visited the current town Library which kindly agreed to house our posters and has two computers offering free internet access. The Librarians informed us that these are extremely busy, particularly after 3pm when the school day ends. Happily, the new Library will have 6 brand new computers with internet access when it opens in the fall.

While we are in Arthur, we are based on the 2nd Floor of the Wellington County Learning Centre (WCLC) at 179 George Street. This is an invaluable non-for-profit organisation which has served residents of Wellington County for 20 years. Although based in Arthur, the WCLC (http://www.thewclc.ca/) serves all of Wellington County apart from in the City of Guelph, which is served by Action Read (http://www.actionread.com/). The WCLC offers a large number of programs for adults and youth, including small group programs which are run out of the office in Arthur and one-on-ones which can be done anywhere in the county.

The adult programs are funded through the Ontario Ministry of Training, Skills and Universities Skills Investment Branch and the youth programs are funded through United Way. All programs offered through the WCLC are learner-centered and tailored to each individual's short and long-term goals. The adult programs include help with literacy, numeracy and computer training. In addition, the WCLC offers the Academic Career Entrance (ACE) and General Education Development (GED) programs. The ACE program is an adult upgrading certificate program for adult students seeking admission to a post secondary college program or an apprenticeship who either did not receive their Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or have an OSSD but are missing the couses required for post secondary admission whereas the GED is recognised by colleges, apprenticeships and employers an an equivalent to an OSSD.

The WCLC also provides a number of valuable services to low-income residents in Arthur. They have 5 computers located on the second floor of their building, which have free internet access. They also are the only place in town where you can fax documents – usually for free – and photocopying which is 10 cents/page.