January 28, 2026

We don’t always tell Dad jokes, but when we do he laughs. Behind the scenes, there are whole, entire hours of practice at telling jokes that Team Fergmeijer has put in over the last decade and a half. Over the years, we’ve learned the answer to the age old question: what is the difference between a good joke and a bad joke timing. 

Did you know? There are new recycling initiatives in place across the province, including here in Billings! There are lots of items now accepted at the Billings landfill for recycling that previously were not. Coffee creamer cartons? Bring it on! Shaving cream canisters? No problem! Chip bags? We won’t judge! Check out https://www.circularmaterials.ca/resident-communities/billings/ to see a full list of what can be recycled. 

Feeling nostalgic for the summer markets in Kagawong? Well, you are in luck! The annual winter market is coming your way Saturday, February 7th. Head down to the Park Centre from 10am to 3pm to check out the 

amazing vendors, and maybe pick up a last minute Valentine’s Day gift for that special someone! (Yes, we mean us). 

The Island Singers have a stellar spring season planned with guest conductor Lynn Janes to direct two pieces by Canadian composer Stephanie Martin, a variety of Canadian choral pieces rounding out the program, and instrumentalists from the Sudbury Symphony Orchestra taking part in select pieces. The choir begins rehearsals on February 23rd through to the concert the first week of June, and you can be part of it all! If you would like to join them this season, contact islandsingers1@gmail.com

A friend suggested some pig jokes for the column, but honestly, we found them fairly boar-ing. 

The Seniors Active Living committee aims to help make the township a vibrant place for seniors. They have recently launched efforts to revitalize the Old Church on the Hill as a seniors activity centre (as well as a community event centre). The journey to accomplish this has been dubbed Kagawong Commons. SAL has recently launched Kagawong Commons on Instagram and on Facebook. Get online and check them out!

Billings has kicked off the new year in style with a busy calendar of activities for seniors active living. Mondays head to the Park Centre for yoga (9am), Tuesdays there is indoor walking (10am), and Thursdays there are fitness classes (9am). Today (Wednesday Jan 28th) drop in to play Euchre starting at 6:30pm. Join any class any time, and all are free or by voluntary donation. 

At time of writing, the outdoor rink in Kagawong is open, but this can change on a daily basis. Keep up to date with the status of the rink at the Pickledome…. er…Kagawong Outdoor Recreational Facility page on Facebook. And thank you to the volunteers who maintain the rink all winter long!

Self-appointed Kagawong pun laureates, Team Fergmeijer, invite you to catch up on all our past punny columns in our archive at https://teamfergmeijer.blogspot.com/

Fergmeijer top tip: If you find yourself failing your ethics course, trying to slip the prof a $50 bill is not the way to fix the situation. Have a great week!

January 21, 2026

Anyone else excited for the winter Olympics to start? Just a couple of weeks, and Team Fergmeijer is psyched! It always looks like everyone is having so much fun at the games - it’s clear a lot of the runners have a good time. Now, we don’t want to medal in anyone’s business, and it’s something we decided we can discus later, but we realized that you can just start calling yourself an olympic hopeful. You don’t have to fill out a form or anything. Though at the rate we hurt ourselves these days, we may be more qualified for the ow-lympics.  

Did you know? There are new recycling initiatives in place across the province, including here in Billings! There are lots of items now accepted at the Billings landfill for recycling that previously were not. Glass? Bring it on! Toothpaste tubes? No problem! Cookie dough packages? We won’t judge! Check out https://www.circularmaterials.ca/resident-communities/billings/ to see a full list of what can be recycled. 

The Seniors Active Living committee aims to help make the township a vibrant place for seniors. They have recently launched efforts to revitalize the Old Church on the Hill as a seniors activity centre (as well as a community event centre). The journey to accomplish this has been dubbed Kagawong Commons. SAL has recently launched Kagawong Commons on Instagram and on Facebook. Get online and check them out!

Billings has kicked off the new year in style with a busy calendar of activities for seniors active living. Mondays head to the Park Centre for yoga (9am), Tuesdays there is indoor walking (10am), and Thursdays there are fitness classes (9am). Wednesday Jan 28th at 6:30pm there is drop-in Euchre with refreshments. Join any class any time, and all are free or by voluntary donation. 

Winter is really letting itself be known. Don’t forget that Billings council meetings are all available by remote Zoom link if you are not able to attend in-person. You can find more information on the township Facebook page (www.fb.com/billingstownshipkagawong) or contact the town office directly. 

With the variable weather lately, it’s been a bumpy road… er, ice surface for the outdoor rink at the Kagawong River Complex. At time of writing, the rink is open again, but this can change on a daily basis. Keep up to date with the status of the rink at the Kagawong Outdoor Recreational Facility page on Facebook. And thank you to the volunteers who maintain the rink all winter long!

Want to set yourself up for a good workout? Then bump this onto your calendar: Join the Manitoulin Volleyball League - an intermediate/competitive league for adults (18+) Wednesdays at 6pm at Manitoulin Secondary School. Cost is $25 for the season to cover insurance and gym rental. Message Lisa Vezina-Guilbault on Facebook Messenger for more information or to register.

Happy birthday wishes go out to two uniquely fantastic women: Susie D and Jenna C. We want to relay to you our hope that you both track down some cake and dive into a day of fun on your birthdays. 

Self-appointed Kagawong pun laureates, Team Fergmeijer, invite you to catch up on all our past punny columns in our archive at https://teamfergmeijer.blogspot.com/

The winter olympics - where winners are also lugers. Have a great week!

January 14, 2026

If we told you that we didn’t miss last week’s deadline for the column, we were taking a totally on-purpose, pre-planned, absolutely intentional break, would you believe us?

Billings has kicked off the new year in style with a busy calendar of activities for senior active living. Mondays head to the Park Centre for yoga (9am), Tuesdays there is indoor walking (10am), and Thursdays there are fitness classes (9am). Wednesday Jan 28th at 6:30pm there is drop-in Euchre with refreshments (Team Fergmeijer is especially excited at the prospect of being able to report on Euchre results here in the column again!). Join any class any time, and all are free or by voluntary donation. 

With the winter weather here to stay, don’t forget that Billings council meetings are all available by remote Zoom link if you are not able to attend in-person. You can find more information on the township Facebook page (www.fb.com/billingstownshipkagawong) or contact the town office directly. 

Team Fergmeijer has been teaching a friend’s dog to fetch tools from the workshop. He’s not perfect, but he knows the drill.

There are many birthdays to celebrate from the last few weeks (in part due to our fully by-design, deliberate and not-accidental-at-all break last week). Celebrating their big days are John F, Melanie H, Jen W-F, Chris T, Vera C, and Kirby P. An extra-special happy birthday goes out to Harrison H who celebrated his first true Billings 29th birthday earlier this month.  

The township would like to remind residents that when you clear your driveway, you should not push, shovel, snow blow, or otherwise place snow onto public roadways as it creates dangerous conditions for motorists. The municipality has regulations around this and can result in fines or other enforcement actions. Help keep everyone in the community safe this winter!

Speaking of winter, a storm blew away 25% of our roof last week. Oof.

A small technical glitch meant that only a portion of our annual Christmas review ended up in the column at the end of 2025. If you want to see that column in full, or if you want to read over all the past columns from the last 10 years, the complete archive of Team Fergmeijer columns can be found at http://teamfergmeijer.blogspot.com.

The secret to flying is throwing yourself at the ground and missing. The secret to Mondays is similar. Have a great week!