Blue Triton surprises town with $43,000 grant

ERIN – An unexpected grant from Blue Triton Brands is funding $42,947 in community enhancement projects, as well as this year’s Canada Day festivities.

The grant unexpectedly arrived by mail earlier in the year.

Blue Triton, a former subsidiary of Nestlé, ceased Ontario water bottling operations this year, but has annually donated cash from a voluntary levy to the town for community improvement projects.

“We were pleasantly surprised and pleased to receive this grant in 2025 as Blue Triton is no longer involved in water projects in this area,” said finance director Wendy Parr.

From the grant:

– $27,289 was put toward downtown revitalization in the villages of Erin and Hillsburgh in the form of self watering planters, 51 hanging baskets and seven accessibility benches.

– $7,430 went toward this year’s Canada Day celebration with the purchase of a large bouncy castle, live music and flags; and

– $8,227 will be used for trail beautification in the near future.

“Why did we get this if they weren’t operating in 2025?” asked councillor Bridget Ryan.

“The cheque just arrived without any explanation,” said Parr. “It arrived late as well, otherwise we would have planned for it ... We started spending the money over the summer, hence this report with allocations already done and paid for.”

“Canada Day was also nice,” said councillor Jamie Cheyne. “That was quite the bouncy castle.”