The Community Edition: May 2015

VOLUME 3, ISSUE 8 • MAY 2015

LIVE NUDES

BARING ALL AT THEMUSEUM PAGES 8-9

SKYLINE STACK-UP

PAGE 5

WALKING WITH JANE PAGE 10

IF STREETS COULD TALK PAGE 7

MAY 2015 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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Volume 3, Issue #8 Next issue: July 2, 2015 75 University Ave. W Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 519-884-0710 x3564 Advertising All advertising inquiries should be directed to Tammy Rowe at 519-884-0710 x3560 trowe@wlusp.com THE COMMUNITY EDITION TEAM Editor in Chief Allison M. Leonard allison.leonard@wlusp.com Publisher Bryn Ossington bryn.ossington@wlusp.com Photo Editor Matt Smith

Briefs Editor Tegan Thuss Urban Editor Andrew Morgan Distribution Manager Alistair MacLellan Web Manager HIRING

Production Manager Lakyn Barton CONTRIBUTORS Greg DeGroot-Maggetti Rebecca Ferguson Jennifer Freitas Debbie Frey Dan Herman Stacey Jacobs Jon Johnson Alistair MacLellan Cathy MacLellan WLUSP ADMINISTRATION President Executive Director Advertising Manager Treasurer Vice-Chair Director Director Director Director Director Corporate Secretary

Elizabeth McFaul Juanita Metzger Katie Parker Janine Prew Christine Proctor Matt Smith Julie Takasaki Kurtis Thomas

Bryan Stephens Bryn Ossington Tammy Rowe John Pehar Abdiasis Issa Thomas Lillo Rafey Sattar Fred Kuntz Angela Foster Gary Doyla Emily Crump

The Community Edition is an alternative monthly intended to engage and inform the community.

Started in 2012, the Community Edition is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WLUSP is governed by its board of directors.

Opinions expressed within the Community Edition are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the editorial board, The Cord, WLUSP, WLU or Canweb Printing. All content appearing in the Community Edition bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent.

The Community Edition is created using Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.5 using Adobe Creative Suite 4. Canon cameras are used for principal photography.

The Community Edition’s title font is Brandon Grotesque, an open source font created

by HVD Fonts.

The Community Edition is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ontpress.com or call 416-340-1981.

The Community Edition circulates monthly. Normal circulation is 6,000. The Community Edition subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada.

Preamble to the Community Edition Constitution The Community Edition will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Community Edition believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy.

The staff of the Community Edition shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff. The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so the Community Edition will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on the community of Waterloo Region. Ultimately, the Community Edition will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate.

The Community Edition has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through the Community Edition’s contact with the community. The Community Edition will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of community press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our magazine.

Greg Brow pours us his last Ethel’s pint on Friday, April 24 before ditching us for Wellington Brewery •

IN THIS ISSUE FEATURE

8-9 LIVE NUDES ALLISON LEONARD STRIPS CLOTHING AND PRECONCEPTIONS AT THEMUSEUM.

NEWS

3 A PRESCRIPTION FOR A LIVING WAGE 4 HIERARCHY VS. GROUP THINK 4 WHY WATERLOO REGION?

URBAN

5 7 10 10 10 11 12

THE SKYLINE STACK-UP IF STREETS COULD TALK: MOUNT HOPE WR BY FOOT: JANE’S WALK MAY HAS CUM, AND SO CAN YOU SKIN CARE STARTS IN THE KITCHEN TCE’S GUIDE TO THE GRAND RIVER UPTOWN’S DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE

ARTS & CULTURE

13 13 13 14 15

AT THE ROOT OF A FOLK SCENE THE DAWN OF THE DRONES BRFC HOMEBREWS REVIEWS LISTINGS

THIS ISSUE WAS POWERED BY: CATHY MACLELLAN GREG BROW STACEY JACOBS ANDREW MORGAN BILL MCTAVISH INSIGHT EYECARE LAURA MUNZ JULIE TAKASAKI ELLIPSIS DIGITAL LAKYN BARTON Every month, TCE features some of the people who help make community media possible.

Thank you for your incredible contribution!

Not listed? We’d love to have you! Email allison.leonard@ wlusp.com to get involved, pitch a story or help fund TCE.

--

To Andrew, Thanks for filling the urban section with bigger stories and more volunteers than this newspaper has seen since its inception. Best of luck travelling, in grad school and in your continued, passionate hatred of Target.

Sincerely, Your friends at TCE.

MAY 2015 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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NEWS

NEWS BEAT UW STUDENT WINS LOGO CONTEST Ariana Cuvin, a 19-year-old global business and digital arts student at University of Waterloo, won the Department of Canadian Heritage’s logo design contest for Canada’s 150th birthday in 2017. Cuvin’s creative design was chosen out of 300 submissions. The leaf, made up of 13 shapes, represents the 13 provinces and territories of Canada, with the four diamonds in the middle representing the original provinces that formed the confederacy in 1867. The logo will be featured on all government products and publications related to the anniversary. The contest was open to registered post-secondary students with a $5,000 prize as well as the chance to be part of Canadian history.

Workers prepare for demolition of Kitchener’s historic Mayfair building, located at at King and Young Streets • MATT SMITH PHOTO EDITOR

REDEFINING LIVING WAGE IN WR

REGION HOPES FOR LRT FUNDING In wake of the Province announcing full funding for the Mississauga–Brampton Lite Rail Transit system, Waterloo Region is asking if the Province is going to do the same for other cities. The region would like the Province to fully fund Phase 2 of the Kitchener– Cambridge Lite Rail.

ONTARIO START-UP FUND CREATED

Some regional companies are implementing $16 per hour, the calculated living wage for WR, as a base pay • MATT SMITH PHOTO EDITOR

The view from

upstream

GREG DEGROOT-MAGGETTI GUEST COLUMNIST It’s not the health benefits of the coffee, nor that their coffee maker is the greenest on the market.

It’s not even the fact that Grosche International uses profits from the sale of their products to build water filtration systems for households with no access to clean water in places like South Sudan.

The revolutionary impact comes from Grosche’s commitment to tackle one of Canada’s silent killers: poverty.

And they have done this by raising the base pay of their workers to $16 an hour, the calculated living wage for Waterloo Region.

Poverty and inequality are two of the most powerful influences on health and life expectancy. So much so that doctors have started screening patients for poverty. Health Providers Against Poverty have recognized that one of the best prescriptions they

can provide some of their poorest patients is more income—making sure those patients are getting all of the tax credits and income supports they are eligible to receive.

Paid work is intended as a pathway out of poverty, but Canada is suffering from low-pay syndrome.

A recent report from CIBC Economics states that job quality in Canada is at its lowest level since the bank started tracking it in the 1980s. And the chief cause has been the rise in low-paying jobs.

When more and more jobs are low paying, it’s not just an economic problem, it becomes a health problem as well.

Noted epidemiologist Kate Picket of the Equality Trust in the United Kingdom has helped document the corrosive effects of income inequality.

The Equality Trust has found that reducing inequality is better for population health, community safety, and economic vitality, among other things.

Picket suggests that a living wage policy is one of the best things for reducing health inequalities.

Grosche is part of a growing movement among employers who are committed to paying all of their workers

a living wage or better. This includes for-profit businesses, non-profits, and public employers. In Waterloo Region, the movement has been led by Living Wage Waterloo Region, which has calculated the local living wage and set up a program to publicly recognize employers that pay the living wage or better.

To become a recognized living wage employer requires a commitment to paying all of your direct and indirect employees at least the living wage.

This includes all full-time and parttime employees as well as contracted services, like cleaning or security, that work 120 hours or more a year at your organization.

The living wage is not the same as the minimum wage. Minimum wage is a government-mandated minimum.

It is politically set and is not based on what it costs to live in a particular area.

The living wage is based on the actual cost of living in specific communities. It is about more than sitting on the poverty line. It reflects a decent, albeit modest, standard of living that allows workers and their families to participate in the life of their community.

In Waterloo Region, the living wage rate is currently $16 an hour, much higher than the Provincial minimum wage, which sits at $11 an hour.

Living wage employer programs, like the one in Waterloo Region, are voluntary. They encourage all employers to pay their workers a living wage and recognize those that make that commitment.

The Living Wage Employer Program in Waterloo Region recognizes that achieving the goal to raise all employees to the living wage rate or above may take time. Interested employers can enter the program at different levels while they implement changes to raise all employees to the living wage rate or above.

For instance, employers are not required to re-open contracts for things like cleaning services.

But when those contracts come up for renewal, they are required to let prospective service providers know of their living wage commitment and seek providers who are willing to pay a living wage for their staff working on that contract, if not throughout the whole organization.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

Scale Up Ventures merges money from the provincial government with private investors, offering start-ups funding and mentorship from industry leaders. The province is providing up to $25 million to the program while planning for private investors to provide the other $25 million. The first round of start-ups are to be chosen this summer and can receive investments between $500,000 and $3 million. Scale Up Ventures is the latest venture capital fund launched by the province and they have proven successful in the past. In January 2014, Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the Northleaf Venture Catalyst Fund, which raised over $233 million in commitments.

UW STUDENTS START RELIEF FUND FOR NEPAL Lindsay Kalbfleisch and 14 of her peers at the University of Waterloo were at a base camp on Mount Everest a year ago. So when news struck of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake near Kathmandu, their first thoughts were about how they could help. Kalbfleisch started a fundraiser on GoFundMe to help with immediate relief and long-term efforts to re-build.

All donations will go to the Nepal Red Cross Society. www.gofundme.com/waterlootonepal

MAY 2015 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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RETAILING A REGION, SELLING A CITY

Building Resilience

CATHY MACLELLAN COLUMNIST

Other cities boast everything from professional sports to number of golf courses, what is Waterloo’s sales pitch? • MATT SMITH PHOTO EDITOR

Waterloo Region

under review

DAN HERMAN COLUMNIST My wife and I decided to move back to Waterloo in 2009. With a job offer on the table for her and a community we knew well from our past stay as students, we had an easy choice. It was made even easier by the fact that, having spent several years living in Toronto and London, the cost of living in Waterloo seemed unbelievably low by comparison.

The factors affecting our decision, however, aren’t indicative of what most people will consider. And as the region looks to nurture and grow successful companies, attracting talent will only grow as a priority. Doing so, however, means competing against other emerging cities that want to attract that same talent. Forget about Silicon Valley or New York City. Several Canadian cities are on the same path. Take Ottawa, for example.

Like Waterloo, our capital city is home to one of Canada’s most robust tech clusters. Built on the foundations of major government and university research facilities, Ottawa hosts some 1,900 tech companies and a community of Masters- and PhD-level talent that ranks top in the country. And, like Waterloo, the city’s economy has been forced to adjust to the fall of a once standout tech giant. While Blackberry has stabilized at a fraction of its peak size, Nortel wasn’t so fortunate.

Developing an ecosystem of growing companies to replace Nortel and move forward has long been a part of the city’s economic goal.

While visiting Ottawa earlier this year, I was presented with a striking sales pitch on the city and how it plans to attract the necessary talent to grow.

The pitch wasn’t just about jobs or housing—any city can offer that, they argued. Rather, it was about what they viewed as their comparative advantage in the race for talent: the high quality of life in and around the city. They promoted what they considered the third leg of a talent-attraction strategy that starts with work and housing but is completed with a focus on “play.”

Ranked as the second-best place in Canada to raise a family, the city hosts two professional sports teams, 70 golf courses, over 1,000 parks, 600 kilometres of biking trails, seven ski resorts, and more than 200 kilometres of cross-country skiing trails. You

want culture? How about the National Galley, the National Arts Centre, or the Museum of Civilization? The city hosts 14 museums and 31 art galleries.

And if you want to get away, Ottawa has an airport with connections to every major centre in Canada and international destinations. City officials even note that you’ll get an extra 200 hours of sunshine per year in Ottawa versus Waterloo.

This all adds up to a pretty attractive package for the talent that every growing tech cluster in Canada, let alone North America, wants to attract.

And it frames the challenge that faces Waterloo Region as our technology, manufacturing, financial services, and other industries look to grow.

Dan Herman is the co-founder and executive director of the Centre for Digital Entrepreneurship and Economic Performance www.deepcentre.com .

LIVING WAGE IN WATERLOO REGION

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

Paying employees a living wage or higher lets them know they are valued and reduces the stress of worrying if they will have enough money to pay the bills—two factors that can improve mental and, consequently, physical health. But the living wage also benefits employers: employees come to work ready to work, they are not distracted by living expenses or by looking for another job that pays better. Employers have found there is less absenteeism and staff turnover; therefore, they are saving money by not having to hire and train new employees. And the living wage is good for the broader community.

People have more income to support local businesses. Parents have more time with their children because they do not have to work multiple jobs.

And their improved health reduces demands on the health care system.

In Waterloo Region, there are 14 organizations already enrolled in the Living Wage Employer Program.

They include businesses like Grosche in Cambridge, Zero Environmental, GCP Industrial, House of Friendship, Mennonite Central Committee Ontario, the Workforce Planning Board, the K-W Community Foundation, and Mennonite Savings and Credit Union—one of four Credit Unions across Canada that are recognized living wage employers.

The broader health impacts of the Living Wage movement, those associated with higher earnings at the lower end of the job market and improved income equality across society, become more evident as the number of living wage employers and employees grow.

In the United Kingdom, where the Living Wage Foundation has operated for more than seven years, they now have more than 1,400 employers enrolled. When their living wage rate is updated in November of each year, it means a pay raise for tens of thousands of employees.

In Ontario, the living wage program is relatively new. There are living wage employer programs in Hamilton, Waterloo Region and Windsor. Toronto recently released an updated living wage calculation ($18.52 an hour).

DUCA Credit Union has already announced its commitment to raise the pay of all its workers to the Toronto living wage rate or above.

The growth of the living wage movement in Canada is helped by established programs like Living Wage for Families in B.C. and Living Wage Canada, which has created a

CONSTRUCTION AHEAD

Canadian Living Wage Framework.

The Canadian framework helps local communities do their own living wage calculation and also provides a consistent methodology so employers know that while the living wage rate may vary from community to community, the wage reflects actual differences in the cost of living.

Creating healthier communities is about more than increasing health care spending. Every dollar that employers pay to make sure their employees earn a decent living wage is a fundamental part of the equation.

Greg deGroot-Maggetti of Mennonite Central Committee Ontario is the Program Manager for Living Wage Waterloo Region.

IT SURE IS. CHECK OUT OUR INTERACTIVE MAP OF CONSTRUCTION SITES, UPCOMING PROJECTS AND REROUTING OPTIONS AT COMMUNITYEDITION.CA.

The strength of collaboration is often shown to children using a pile of sticks. A single stick is handed out to each person and they are instructed to break it in half—an easy task. Then a bundle of sticks that are held together are passed around and the same instructions are given. No one is able to break the bundle because a group of sticks is highly resilient; it will bend but not break. The message is clear: together we are stronger.

In Waterloo Region we are learning how true this is. As challenging as it may be, Waterloo, Cambridge, and Kitchener (and the surrounding townships) are stronger together than as individual cities. Competing with each other will weaken our ability to face severe economic and environmental challenges. Collaboration builds social capital and by investing in each other, we build a resilient community.

Artists and entrepreneurs are highly driven to see their ideas come to fruition. While collaboration is arguably the only way to achieve any measure of success, many are highly individualistic, and it takes some maturity and wisdom to recognize that they need others to achieve success.

Author Patricia Pitcher wrote an excellent book called Artists, Craftsman, and Technocrats that argues that the collaboration of these three types, though difficult, is fundamental to the success and resilience of a business.

Locally, the collaboration of Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis transformed RIM from a struggling start-up to a top company.

Corporations suffer the most from structures that limit collaboration. To make up for this inherent weakness, boards are expected to act as a foil to a toxic hierarchy. However, boards, also structured hierarchically, can rarely make a corporation act collaboratively, and many private companies operate without a board. Most of us know of companies that either languished or went under when a hierarchical leader left. An individual cannot be solely responsible for building a resilient and sustainable organization.

Much of Waterloo Region is under tremendous pressure and strain due to recent developments in the urban cores – now is the time to put those stick-grouping, camp lessons of old to practice. While many are in favour of this progress, collaboration is vital in ensuring needs and concerns of our neighbourhood are not ignored.

Conserve our Residential Environment (CORE) is a collaborative effort by local residents to protect the rights and voice concerns of all who live in the core. CORE acts as an exemplar of a community of people with shared concerns building and defending a resilient neighbourhood.

Echoed in Dan Herman’s column last month, this kind of innovation is prevalent in WR’s history. By taking note of the sites of resilience we’ve seen in private sector corporations, in neighbourhoods looking to uphold community (or in our earliest lessons of collaboration from camp), this narrative can be a part of WR’s future, too.

Cathy MacLellan is the co-founder and VP of Ubiquity Solar, a mom to three millenials and an urban homesteader.

MAY 2015 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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URBAN

ON THE HORIZON: TRICITY SKYLINES

BY MATT SMITH, PHOTO EDITOR

KITCHENER The structures that dot Kitchener’s skyline are much like a pack of hockey cards, there are some Gretzkys and Lemieuxs but there are also some fourth line enforcers that you’d really rather not see. By far the largest and most dense skyline in the region, Kitchener’s current mix of churches,

office towers and residential buildings are a far cry from the myriad of smokestacks, steeples, and ornamental towers that once defined “busy Berlin.”

Almost all of the taller buildings and churches lining the King, Queen, and Frederick Street corridors, creating a linear alignment that allows for a very

different cityscape depending on your own orientation. With cubes, domes, steps, stacks, and steeples Kitchener has something for everyone and while it may not look like it, the skyline has seen dramatic change in recent years.

Gone is the old Cedar Hill water tower, soon to be joined by the Mayfair

Hotel, and welcomed is the School of Pharmacy, Courthouse, Arrow Lofts, and condo towers. Kitchener’s skyline is a true reflection of the city, it’s somewhat modest, somewhat odd, it’s got a touch of modernity and a pinch of mediocrity but it’s still easy on the eyes, and that’s just fine with us.

CAMBRIDGE Standing on the Concession Street bridge, looking up the Grand to the riverfront skyline, it’s easy to believe you’re in a small European city.

Downtown Cambridge, or Galt, for those still fighting the power, evokes a certain romantic, old world feeling that is a rarity not only in this region,

but across the country. Galt’s historic core has managed to maintain most of its traditional look, with only a handful of buildings rising above 5 floors. While this makes it the smallest skyline of the three cities, it more than makes up for it with many beautiful churches, and clock towers gracing

the cityscape. Another unique factor in Galt are the many smaller buildings like the School of Architecture and the old Public Library, that have a much larger impact on the city’s visual identity than they would in a larger skyline. Even the Main Street bridge helps add to the urban fabric with its

locally iconic, arched braces. With proposals and construction of taller high-rises currently underway, this skyline may be altered enough to see some of its historic charm fade. Until that happens we can all enjoy a stroll along the river while we take in a little slice of European grace.

URBAN BEAT GREEN BIN USE REMAINS LOW

Green bin use is reaching less than a quarter of the tonnage last year than officials predicted, with just 8,725 tonnes of organics binned. In 2008, officials estimated up to 40,000 tonnes would be collected in 2013. Between 19 and 35 per cent of people are actually using them. Council approved $190,000 for the purchase of up to 12,000 more green bins, but worry they will not be used anytime soon. It’s estimated the Waterloo landfill has about 20 years of capacity left. Garbage collection is expected to change to bi-weekly collection of landfill garbage, with a limit of four bags, and weekly collection of green bins and recycling.

OVERNIGHT PARKING IN CAMBRIDGE After countless discussions, Cambridge council voted to approve a bylaw allowing overnight on-street parking on most roads in the city, outside of some winter months. They also voted 6-3 to shorten the amount of time on-street parking would be banned overnight, to help public works crews deal with snowfall and street cleaning, from Dec. 1 to April 1, down to January 1 to March 15. Overnight on-street parking would still largely be banned in the city’s three core areas, but residents and businesses in those areas will still have access to 15 parking exemptions per year.

UPTOWN PARKADE IMPROVEMENTS It will cost at least $2.4 million in a 10-year period to keep Waterloo’s uptown parkade on Regina Street in working order. Work got underway in 2014 to repair the first, second and third levels of the parkade, which was built in 1994. The fourth, fifth and sixth levels will be upgraded this year: including, electrical repairs, crack and corrosion repairs in some beams, crack and concrete repairs around floor drains, and some preventive maintenance. Work is being cost-shared with the Region of Waterloo.

PRIDE AT NIGHT HAUNTED WALK

WATERLOO The loo is a city of two major skylines, the uptown-midtown mix and the student district of Northdale. The proliferation of primarily student-focused towers in north central Waterloo has been staggering, with dozens of new mid and high-rise buildings sprouting up almost overnight.

Many of the towers boast architectural design that could be considered

offensive even by the most casual observer.

While there are some more attractive structures in the form of Sage I and Luxe II, we can’t help but think many of them will not age well. Take a short trip down King Street and you’ll find a cityscape on the verge of a major transformation.

For many years uptown was all but

void of a traditional tower skyline with the Marsland Centre as the lone ranger watching over the core. Rewind even further and uptown could have been confused as being one giant brewery with the massive Seagram and Kuntz complexes stealing the spotlight from the classical churches and towers of the day.

The uptown horizon of today is

filling up with new towers at the Barrelyards complex and in the south end around Sunlife’s HQ, the Region’s tallest building. As Waterloo’s buildings now reach vertically with increasing frequency we hope to see the city continue its transformation from a small city with small city thinking into a bigger city with bigger fish to fry.

On Fri. May 29, Pride At Night is featuring a two hour haunted walk, outdoors. Journey back to 1834 and talk about the history and hauntings that Doon area in Kitchener holds, afterward venturing to a historic building, in Cambridge, to visit a couple of spirits. Come out to the hauntings of Adam Ferrie Jr., who lived back in 1834, and see why this area is haunted with the history of Adam and find out what most people don’t know.

MAY 2015 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

IF STREETS COULD TALK: EXPLORING MOUNT HOPE

BY JUANITA METZGER. PHOTOS BY MATT SMITH.

7 Kitchener’s Mount Hope neighbourhood once rested on the outskirts of town – far from the city centre, and beyond the growing industry of pre-1900 Berlin. This neighbourhood found its character in being built on the other side of the tracks.

What was once farmland to the north edge of Berlin, (later Kitchener after the name change in 1914) soon gave way to residential streets and homes as industry grew in anticipation of the Grand Trunk Railway and after its construction in 1856. Mount Hope quickly became a working class neighbourhood filled with employees who worked in the factories that flanked the rail line on both sides.

Now, over one hundred years later, Mount Hope is no longer the neighbourhood on the edge of town.

It is actually a “mid-town” neighbourhood, geographically speaking, as it sits squarely between Kitchener and Waterloo. Surrounded on all sides by the major traffic arteries of King, Weber and Victoria and the zigzag city boundary line to the north. The area is characterized by the old-Berlin homes of Waterloo St., Moore Ave, Breithaupt, Shanley, Louisa, Wellington, Duke St, Guelph St, Dekay St. and several short streets in between.

Mount Hope got its name from the large 15 acre cemetery in the centre of the neighbourhood. If you’ve been on the annual Jane’s Walk led by local resident and neighbour to the cemetery, Wayne Miedema, you’ll know that this cemetery reads like the ‘who’s who’ of early Berlin and Kitchener.

Names like Walper, Braun, Breithaupt, Lackner, Vogelsang, Forsyth and more are forever connected to the building of our city foundations – literally and figuratively. The cemetery is also the resting place of a former slave family who reached this area via the “underground railway.” You’ve missed the Jane’s Walk this year (always the first weekend in May), but there are self-guided walking tours of the cemetery available online. Or, if you happen to bump into Wayne in the cemetery, he’ll tell you about the latest research he’s uncovered.

Mount Hope is a predominantly residential neighbourhood with commercial areas on the edges at King St. and Weber St. It has greenspace and parks, even a community garden at Uniroyal Goodrich Park where 24 neighbours grow vegetables and fruit in family sized plots. It has mixed housing and mixed incomes.

It has good access into and out of the neighbourhood. It is home to a high number of artists and musicians and even several urban homesteaders who live sustainably from what they source locally and can grow and produce on their property. It has one of the highest density of Little Free Libraries - small, handmade ‘book houses’ with a simple ‘take a book, return a book’ principle. There are seven such book exchanges, in fact.

But most of all, the neighbourhood has developed a dynamic vibrancy and energy because its residents are highly interactive and neighbours know one another well. In every pocket of Mount Hope, neighbours are organizing – a summer bike rodeo to teach cycling skills for young children, a casual knit night hosted by various women, the annual Seedling Sale at Little City Farm,a pen pal project designed to connect individuals and families supported by Extend-a-Family (also in the neighbourhood on Moore Ave.) to the broader community.

Like any evolving neighbourhood, some staples are missing; in the case of Mount Hope’s hopeful midtown identity, destination points are needed. It’s the kind of neighbourhood where one might expect to find a coffee shop or café that becomes a quiet music venue in the evening; where one can buy warm croissants at a bakery

on the way to work.

This sentiment isn’t new to Mount Hope’s historic streets, the Polish community that occupied the neighbourhood from the early 1920s had this aforementioned hybrid community of commerce and residential living - one worth revival. Families stayed for decades, creating a community that made it easy to take care of one’s daily necessities. When neighbourhoods were zoned for mixed use, Mount Hope was once home to businesses like a bakery, butcher, several grocers, a barber, shoemaker, bicycle shop and other small stores. Some of these businesses existed as recently as the mid-1990s. All are now closed, the distinct buildings rezoned and converted to apartments, but still recognizable, in their commercial skeletons. Mannie Mart, at 82 Waterloo St, is the only functioning commercial store internal to the neighbourhood. At one time there were over twenty.

FAMILIES STAYED FOR DECADES, CREATING A COMMUNITY THAT MADE IT EASY TO TAKE CARE OF ONE’S DAILY NECESSITIES. Opportunity for evolution in this neighbourhood is mixed. While there is conversation and dreams for a neighbourhood centre/art space/ mixed-use/housing the character-laden Electrohome building on Shanley St. looms with contamination, - the primary reason it sits unsold and undeveloped.

Recently, there was a flurry of talk in the neighbourhood when the Catholic Diocese of Hamilton applied to demolish the Sacred Heart convent for parking spaces. The demolition is off the table for the moment in favour of further conversation with the City of Kitchener about other potential uses of the convent. While many residents of the neighbourhood don’t attend the church and never attended the closed Catholic school on the same site, the empty buildings look like an opportunity waiting to happen. Could this be a moment in the history of the community?

With more change to come, such as the new Google building bringing new workers looking for homes, the transit hub at the south edge of the neighbourhood along Victoria St. and efforts at increased housing density, Mount Hope just might end up looking more like a midtown neighbourhood five years from now. It would be extremely rare for any historic neighbourhood to remain unaffected by the pressures of change and growth happening around it, and Mount Hope is no exception.

By more than geography alone, Mount Hope embodies many qualities of a “midtown.” It’s not Midtown Manhattan and never will be, but it does have a unique charm. People want to move here because of its ideal location, but more so because there’s something going on here and it’s the kind of community vibe some people are looking for in a neighbourhood.

It’s taken a little more than 100 years for Mount Hope to grow from ‘edge of town’ to ‘midtown’. But, with the pace of change and a creatively engaged community, I suspect future transformations in this neighbourhood will make it all the more appealing.

LIVE NUDES

BY ALLISON M. LEONARD PHOTOS BY MICHAEL WILLEMS

TCE STRIPS CLOTHING AND PRECONCEPTIONS ALIKE AT THEMUSEUM’S GETTING NAKED EXHIBIT.

Her nipples, hanging nearer her elbows than chin are hidden under her arms. The long lines creating a cavern between her breasts guide my eyes around her full figure, across her pale flesh and back up to her face. Proud. Aback. And like she knows something I don’t. The card beside the frame reads “Margaret Facing.”

“Who is the one on display here, anyway?”

The thought crosses my mind as quickly as goose bumps peak from my skin, contrasting the texture of the silky photograph in question and Margaret’s unwavering confidence that seems cemented in the portrait.

THEMUSEUM’s gallery, though filled with fifty or so wandering bodies is chilly on March 27 and doesn’t inspire comfortable, smooth skin, or relaxed hairs on the back of my neck – or perhaps that is a product of my own discomfort as I stand naked in a sea of strangers’ flesh.

The exhibit, aptly named “Getting Naked,” is part of a larger series at THEMUSEUM that includes a variety of programming, panels and the evening I am immersed in – a walk through the gallery where participants of all ages are taking in the nudes in exactly that form.

The downtown Kitchener, multi-room gallery houses over 100 never-shown-together pieces from the Canadian Art Bank and is curated by Virginia Eichhorn. The works, categorized broadly as “nude, naked or unclothed,” include everything from waist-high, wooden wangs to realist, oil paintings, cherubic figures and abstract renderings of the human form.

But unlike the forms painted, printed, sc in THEMUSEUM gallery, I was not shipped pled to a canvas frame and hanging on the w the choice to attend, to strip, to partake. A c come without incredible thought.

“Clothing can’t be optional,” says Stéphan owner of Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park, ex losophy behind naturism and the evening’s of clothing and not, one person is immediat the other, voyeuristic.”

Wading through the crowd of the driftin lier concerns about what to do with my pub In most ways, my new, naked acquaintances Nipples come in more sizes than I knew and range from untouched meadows to freshlyirritated – areas, the tiny, pink bumps left b perhaps of anxieties similar my own. Still, I between the bodies in the room and my ow continuing to rise and fall on the skin I over leaving my house.

Deschênes, clad only in a watch, glasses a tache, the kind that coils at the ends, is stan from me, in what appears to be utter comfo lance as I fervently take notes in my only co blue notebook – that offers far more juxtap neutrality of white walls and the spectrum o I liked.

crawled and molded d here. I am not stawall. I was offered choice that did not

ne Deschênes, xplaining some phis event. “With a mix tely exhibitionist,

ng exposed, my earbic hair seem trivial. s were all different. d pubic regions -waxed – albeit behind indicative, look back and forth wn, goose bumps r-exfoliated before

and a hefty musnding about a foot ort, even nonchaovering – a cobalt position to the of flesh-tones than

I am not so subtly using the pages to shield myself. Remembering the portrait of Margaret, I feel as if a breast barely seems naked if the nipple is hidden, a grandiose and perhaps arbitrary conclusion from such a small part of the body.

This fear of public nudity extends beyond my own thoughts and to society at large. The art that makes up “Getting Naked” was selected for its taboo – painted pariahs, untouchable sculptures. A number of pieces were rejected from other exhibits, and leading up to the Kitchener debut, various media outlets made editorial decisions to omit the accompanying images in anticipation of an outraged audience for whom nudity may conjure images of sex, promiscuity and immorality.

“We’re free from the over-sexualization of the body when nudity is the norm,” says Deschênes. We’re standing in a group of naturists and newbies alike; a further distance is kept between people than in a clothed conversation, a social code that takes some time to acclimate to.

This distance makes me very aware that this is the first time I’ve encountered any level of nudity or nakedness as an adult without sexuality involved.

My preconceptions of the event are steeped in gender, insecurities about my own and questions about the other.

Where will the gaze of men in the room stop? How will I interview men following the release of this story? Will people get erections? Before I could dwell on the question, Deschênes interjects; informing me that it’s the most common question asked about naturist communities, and one of the least com-

mon situations.

“In this environment, you can look, but you need not stare,” he says. “The removal of clothing is to equalize people, not put them under scrutiny.”

Scrutiny, however, is often the norm.

“I remember the first time I told my wife,” says Gary Aldersson, a regular at Bare Oaks. “She still doesn’t come to the park.”

While many naturists walk the gallery, first-timers meander through the art, too. Aware of someone standing beside me, considering the same, black and white line-drawn body parallel my own, I turn to consider them instead. Look, but don’t stare: Deschênes’s advice and arguably a natural reaction. A quick glance reveals that she is colleague.

Encountering strangers in the buff is a hurdle I prepared for. But a colleague? This is my personal hell, and based on her widened eyes, not her ideal either.

Our faces exchange shock before morphing to a giggle. On the count of three we raise our tightly crossed arms, completely open to the other’s gaze. We are in this together, and like the rest of our art-consuming compadres, equally as vulnerable.

With each interview on personal anxieties about the body, with each penned phrase of a position on nudity, experience with naturism or lack thereof, I feel stripped of not just clothing, but of my own apprehensions and of cultural signifiers.

Of course, not everything is shed with apparel. One can note skin colour in a room nearly as white-washed as the walls, and gender in a predominantly male attendance. I still see the wrin-

kles and stretch marks that connote lived experience. I still see scars that imply medical past. I still imagine lifestyles that may accompany the toned thighs, or soft bellies, strong arms and waning backs. But a level of ambiguity in identity becomes apparent, too. Certain preconceptions of income or career, social status or style blur in the absence of adornment. While baring all, I gain certain anonymities, too.

My notebook falls lower, breasts now exposed, but more comfortably so.

After three hours of unclothed conversation among art of a similar aesthetic, I return, in a quiet moment to the photograph of that proud woman, whose breasts, stretched by time, are covered by her folded arms. My eyes move beyond her draping skin this time, to the material that swathes her waist and meets the floor. Here lays a fur-laden, clawed portion of the image I had all but disregarded earlier. At the end of her human legs are large, grotesque, hairy, bear-like paws.

It isn’t until weeks later through conversations with colleagues that I consider how Margaret, my framed counterpart has the feet of a beast, and just like one, she sits on the wall as people pass and stare. Speculate. Scoff at her figure.

Considering the photograph now, my own expression seems closer to hers than it did one month previous, when I shivered in my own nudity. Her countenance of knowing seems to have dissolved. I am in on her secret.

“Who is on display here, anyway?” I ask Margaret silently.

MAY 2015 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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Sexplanations

with Stacey

STACEY JACOBS COLUMNIST May is International Masturbation Month! An entire month dedicated to the natural, healthy and pleasurable act of masturbating, jerking off, choking the chicken, flicking the bean, spanking the monkey, doing the five knuckle shuffle. I am realizing as I write this that the majority of slang terms for masturbation refer to stroking a penis, interesting.

The celebration of May as Masturbation Month began in 1995 in response to the forced resignation of U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders. Elders answered a question about masturbation saying it was a part of human sexuality and should perhaps be part of the sex education curriculum for students, which of course sparked controversy. The sex-positive retailer, Good Vibrations in San Francisco created masturbation month as a way to honour Elders and celebrate the act of masturbation – and probably sell vibrators.

Masturbation should be taught as part of the sex education curriculum as it is a healthy, safe and enjoyable hobby we can all enjoy. It allows us to get to know our bodies and what our bodies find pleasurable. Children and teens alike still think masturbating could cause them physical harm. Many parents have questions about whether or not it is healthy and normal for their child to masturbate.

Of course it is! Kids do it because it feels good.

Masturbation has many benefits beyond feeling good. It helps people fall asleep, it helps people wake up, it can be relaxing and stress relieving as well as help alleviate menstrual cramps and insomnia. It can help people learn how to orgasm, it can bring sexual release to people without a partner or enhance the sex lives of those who do have sex with others.

You can simply stroke or rub your vulva, vagina, clit, breast, nipple, penis or scrotum. Some people use sex toys such as vibrators, dildos, butt plugs and anal beads, and, to get one more myth out of the way, using a vibrator does not harm your ability to orgasm without one. Some people masturbate to porn, others use fantasy alone.

The sky is the limit if you have a good imagination.

Masturbation bonus: there is no risk of pregnancy, contracting an STI or the hassle of a relationship. You don’t have to worry about what you look like or what you smell like or if you just ate beans, because the only person you have to impress is you. That said, keep it considerate, readers, there is a time and place for masturbation. You should not masturbate in public – this is illegal. There are of course people that do not masturbate, and this is ok.

I only hope that they have made an educated decision for themselves not to masturbate and have not been pressured by society, culture or religion to make this decision.

Even though the month of May is a tribute to masturbation, I encourage you to celebrate your sexuality, your orgasms and your body, all year long. I saw a sign that said, “find what makes you happy and do it.” I suggest you apply this to masturbation.

Jane’s Walk particpants gathered in uptown on May 3 to connect with their neighbourhood and each other • MATT SMITH PHOTO EDITOR

WALKING WITH JANE IN WATERLOO JANINE PREW CONTRIBUTOR Every year, on the first weekend in May, there are thousands of people all over the world who help to make their communities more connected by leading walking conversations. Based on the work of urbanist and community activist Jane Jacobs, this completely organic event is known as Jane’s Walk.

Waterloo Region is one of the most active centres of Jane’s Walk activity. This year the Region hosted 23 completely different walks. Juanita Metzger of the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council, and Kae Elgie from the Architectural Conservancy’s Waterloo chapter, are the unsung heroes who pull it all together. Using their community connections they get people thinking about community and they help inspire everyday ordinary people to become walk leaders. From there, and with seemingly magical ease, Jane’s Walks come to life.

Juliana Gomez was inspired by

Pure & local JENNIFER FREITAS COLUMNIST Pretty potions, quick fixes, spot treatments, healing serums and so on, yet you are still missing what you covet most: clear skin. This month, “Pure & Local” gives a low-down on repeat, pore-clogging offenders found in your kitchen.

Metzger to lead an Instagram themed walk, encouraging people to bring their phones or cameras.

“I’m really into Instagram right now and I’ve been taking lots of late night walks uptown. When I was thinking of what my Waterloo looks like right now, those two things really jumped out at me.”

Walk leaders are encouraged to actively engage the people who show up for their walks.

“To me, the most important and effective way to build community is through connecting people,” said Gomez. “If we all knew a few more people, I think we’d hear about events more often, and in a ‘bigger picture’ kind of way I think we’d be held more accountable for our actions and would be more involved in how our cities are managed.”

Douglas Mulholland is a natural story-teller and so his Jane’s Walk featured discussion about the people and places that have shaped Waterloo as we know it today. His walk toured Waterloo Park, the Perimeter Institute, and the University of Waterloo, among other things.

“There are so many stories to be told,” said Mulholland. “If I can do my part to share some of the old stories

– I’ve been around town for 30-odd years or so –I know a few things that maybe some folks don’t.”

Mulholland, like virtually all of the walk leaders, is very passionate about his community.

“I would love, and this is a bit of a dream perhaps, but I would love it if I could help to inspire a little more community involvement. You can never have too much of it.”

Another walk leader, Cathy McAllister, came up with a unique take on the Jane’s Walk concept. Instead of simply leading a walk that discusses what makes a city child-friendly, McAllister is engaging her 7-year old son Ben to help her provide a child’s perspective.

“I’d love if more citizens (and particularly children) felt that they actually could contribute to what happens in their communities,” said McAllister. “I want people to come away from this walk dreaming about interesting and creative ways to make the city better for all people.”

Walk leaders Jane Mitchell and Angela Vieth are both involved in local politics – Mitchell is a Regional Councillor, and Vieth is on Waterloo City Council – and they are so passionate about the neighborhood that they live in that they decided to join together to

lead a walk showcasing the area.

Their walk around the Lakeshore Village community covers a wide variety of topics such as the trail systems, the community gardens, the small businesses, the impact of the new LRT system, the historical significance of the area and how all these things shape the community in which they live.

“We’re basically celebrating the suburbs because the suburbs seem to get a bad rap,” said Mitchell.

“I think [Jane’s Walk] is a great example of community. It’s pulling people together, having a conversation, getting some exercise, and learning from each other,” said Vieth. “When people show up at your walk, you don’t expect it and you have no idea, but they have lots of information to share. So there it is again: community building.”

While many of the walk leaders are in fact city or regional officials, a good number are simply people who want to share something unique about their neighborhood. “I think it’s an interesting way to engage the public and build sense-of-place,” said Cathy McAllister, on her thoughts behind the Jane’s Walk movement. “I particularly like the bottom-up aspect of it, and that anyone with a good idea can create a walk.”

COFFEE This one is hard for me to write because I just love this black liquid but I maintain a one-a-day rule. Why? Because caffeine burdens your liver and it’s acidic, so not the greatest for your body. Plus, if you have a hard time falling asleep, excess caffeine will surely exacerbate that problem.

properly breaking down and taking the essential nutrients from other foods.

lagen breakdown and steals nutrients and hydration.

Don’t believe me? Go two weeks without sugar and see what your skin says.

DAIRY I’m not convinced milk does the body good; in fact, I’m rather convinced it does the opposite.

Non-organic dairy products contain antibiotics and added hormones that spike insulin in the body which lead to break-outs.

These unwanted hormones can also throw off your body’s natural hormone balance. In addition to the unwanted hormones, dairy can be a food intolerance for most people, which in turn can cause digestive issues that prevent your body from

POP Seriously, I maybe have 2 a year; I’ve never really been a fan and knowing that pop is chock-full of empty calories and refined sugars gives me the extra fire to stay away.

Highly refined sugar is a major burden on your body, couple that with the highly acidic nature of pop and you should also be motivated to stay away – unless of course, you’re looking for difficult-to-manage skin.

SUGAR In one sentence, steer clear of it!

Sugar is a source of advanced glycation end products (think free radicals on the inside of the body) and these bad boys contribute to wrinkles, age spots, blemishes – essentially, everything you don’t want going on, on your skin. It also contributes to col-

PROCESSED FOOD It isn’t really food; it’s shelf stable, designed to last years and it does not have the ability to provide your body with the fuel it needs to be healthy by warding off unwanted illnesses and inflammation. These tempting options are full of preservatives, additives, and dyes. Need to eat on the go? Fruits and vegetables are surprisingly portable as are nuts and seeds, even more rich with phyto-nutrients, good fats and skin-loving compounds!

Take stock of how you’re fueling yourself next time your skin goes through turmoil. Minor reductions in any of the above options can help, but are only pieces to the puzzle that is clear skin.

ELORA GORGE Whether you’re looking for the peaceful tranquility of the forest or the adrenaline rush of traversing whitewater rapids, Elora Gorge Conservation Area offers a retreat from the city and access to the Grand River.

River access for canoeing is located at the low level bridge at the lower end of the park. Park admission is $3 for children and $6 for adults. For more details on the actives you can participate in visit: http://www.grandriver.ca

Elora Woolwich Reservoir If you are looking to beat the heat this summer while enjoying the outdoors the Woolwich Reservoir Elmira Lions Trail offers a 6.5 km hike that takes you through woods, tall grasses and a field of wildflowers. The hike takes about two hours at a leisurely pace.

Often there are a few other people on the trail but you’ll probably see lots of butterflies.

the kissing bridge Built in 1881 by John Bear, the West Montrose Covered Bridge, also known as the ‘Kissing Bridge’, is the last covered bridge of its kind left in Ontario.

It’s a great spot for canoeists to enter the Grand River. Access is just down stream from the bridge on the east bank.

Elmira

West Montrose kaufman flats If you want to canoe through the Waterloo stretch of the Grand River Kaufman Flats offers water access about 200m down the hill from the intersection of Woolwich and Lexington Streets in Waterloo. The floodplain offers great fishing, where experienced anglers can fight Northern Pike and beginners can try for Black Crappie. Find slow-moving stretches of water close to shore and set up shop for the day.

waterloo

If you are into cycling but tired of the urban trails, check out the West Montrose Cycling Trail. The loop takes you 17 km through the Region’s rural countryside. Bike past cows grazing in pastures and crops growing in farmers’ fields. You’ll cross the Grand River at the historic West Montrose Covered Bridge but watch out for horse and buggies!

The economical insurance trailway kitchener freeport access To navigate Cambridge by canoe, the Freeport Access point offers river access and some great fishing.

During the summer months you may find other anglers looking to catch smallmouth bass from the river bank.

Cast out into swift-flowing water and gravel-bottomed pools

One of the best walks alongside the Grand River is the 2.5 km stretch of the Economical Insurance Trailway of the Walter Bean Grand River Trail.

Park by the trail kiosk on Riverbend Drive and expect great views of the river and wildlife along the river bank.

shades mills cambridge

pioneer tower Pioneer Memorial Tower Park is home to Pioneer Tower, a national historic site and memorial to the Region’s original settlers. Climb the tower and scan the horizon for turkey vultures soaring through the skies overhead.

Explore the park and learn about the Region’s history.

If you are searching for hiking and fishing in Cambridge, one of the best spots is the Shade’s Mills Conservation Area. Offering 14km of hiking trails, boating, swimming and excellent trout fishing. If you are on the trail early enough you may spot the resident family of white-tailed deer.

By Alistair MacLellan Graphics by Lakyn Barton

MAY 2015 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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Wear Out There CHRISTINA PROCTOR COLUMNIST We live in a global economy where our purchases not only have an impact locally, but also in communities around the world. Nowhere is this more evident than in the garment industry, where the manufacturing of clothing has shifted almost exclusively to overseas facilities.

While you still may be able to find a piece that lasts a lifetime, in general, the rise of mass production and “fast fashion” has led to a decline in clothing quality. Today, we consume fashion at a much quicker rate than in previous decades, and the industry has altered its practices to keep up with demand.

According to the book by Elizabeth Cline, “The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion,” many large clothing chains produce as much as half a billion garments per year. To put this in perspective, leading retailer Zara manufactures approximately 1 million garments per day.

Consumers continue to demand low prices for garments, which comes at a cost to others and the environment.

Dwindling prices often mean poorer working conditions, lower wages, and unrealistic production schedules for the workers making the clothing.

With World Fair Trade Day coming up on May 9, now is the perfect time to bring awareness to this growing progression toward sustainable fashion.

“Fair trade is a movement of the people, by the people, and for the people,” Natália Leal, Chief Executive at the World Fair Trade Organization, described in a recent interview.

The term fair trade applies only to goods purchased in the developing world and sewn by worker co-ops or artisanal groups that are paid a decent (subjective as the term may be) income. Purchasing items that are fair trade certified is one of the only ways to know for sure that the imported sweater you’re wearing wasn’t made in a sweatshop. As an added bonus, fair trade producers often avoid using toxic dyes and unsustainable resources that would end up damaging local ecosystems and the workers that live in those areas.

While fair trade clothes of the past tended to be on the dull side, fashionistas and celebrities are moving in, making way for attractive garments at reasonable prices. Even Bono has a line of fashion-forward clothing, EDUN (NUDE backwards) which promotes fair trade in Africa.

Locally, gorgeous fair trade looks can be purchased at More Than Half in Kitchener, which sells articles from stylish designers such as Mata Traders, Maggie’s Organics, Monkee Genes, and ULLO. “I believe every item of clothing should be made ethically. I mean, why should it be the opposite?” Melissa Stieber, owner of More Than Half, explains.

It’s true; in a world where we are all interrelated and our purchasing decisions have power, we need to consider others and the environment.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half of the world.”

Construction cranes tower over uptown’s evolving landcape as developers look toward the future of a city in flux • MATT SMITH PHOTO EDITOR

UPTOWN’S DEVELOPMENT DIALOGUE ANDREW MORGAN URBAN EDITOR With LRT construction under way and the growing profile of our region, now is a legacy period for urban growth in Kitchener-Waterloo. In April, the City of Waterloo planning staff released a pair of reports looking at tools to incentivise development in the uptown core. TCE caught up with Ryan Mounsey, urban planner, economic developer, and Manager of Business and Retention Services for the City of Waterloo to talk about what’s going on behind the scenes and about the big picture for uptown.

TCE: You’ve held senior positions in the City of Waterloo and City of Kitchener Planning Departments and for a local urban planning firm. Tell us how your background plays into your work in economic development?

RM: This was a new position created under a new economic development team that reports directly to the CAO’s office … The planning component forms a really important part of my business or my work activities as it relates to promoting businesses to grow and to stay in Waterloo, not only on the development side but in terms of urban design and quality of life.

TCE: The City of Waterloo is looking

at development charge exemptions and a community improvement plan for uptown. Can you discuss the potential impact of these tools?

RM: We’re looking at the development charges, because that’s the front end cost. If you can find ways to minimize front end costs, that makes development more feasible. If you can look at community improvement plans in addition to that, that may look at tools such as tax increment grants, which basically allows you to offer some financial incentives like a brownfields program … we know how competitive it is to attract jobs in our community and to help existing businesses to grow, and so the uptown requires some attention now to facilitate some of these priorities.

TCE: In addition to attracting jobs, what are the big priorities for uptown’s development?

RM: Ensuring the right balance between sustainable transportation options with urban development projects, and striking the balance between people taking LRT and new bike routes, and having a reduced need for parking while still supporting high quality urban infill projects … I think the building blocks are here for sure, but there will be a next wave of projects that will really, I think, reveal the strengths, opportunities and challenges as we go through this big transition.

TCE: But for all the recent development, there are also vacant lots and lots being converted to more parking.

How do these fit into the picture?

RM: What we don’t appreciate sometimes is the level of complexity of building in uptown … there’s a lot of work behind the scenes that’s actually happening that we won’t be aware of.

Working on a development approval process sometimes can take a few years, and so there’s a number of projects that are going through different phases and different timelines … you look at the shops at Waterloo Town Square: that was a large parking lot, and over the last five, six years has been incrementally infilled.

TCE: Sustainable transportation options, reducing the need for parking, and supporting high quality infill projects, is there a relationship among these priorities?

RM: They go together, but there’s this tension, and until we reach that peak time when the LRT is in place and people are living and working fully [around the core], and strike a balance like some of the larger urban centres, we’re still learning. and I think one of the great successes we have is that we have a number of projects that are finding that balance … there’s very few examples out there of a city of our scale that’s going through such change, and I think we’re doing a really good job.

TCE: Name one project that you believe points to the evolution of the uptown core.

RM: Probably the build out of the Barrelyards with the Delta Hotel, which brings the region’s first four

star hotel to the community … with high quality urban housing that’s surrounding the hotel component. I think that that’s important because that project was planned for a number of years. There has been a lot of questions about when it’s going to happen, and [now] it’s under development. It’s a signal in uptown that we’re growing up.

TCE: What’s next for uptown Waterloo?

RM:Well I think that over the last ten years, uptown has been a major hub of activity, and with some really important projects that are changing how it feels and how it works. We’ve seen two world class research institutes move into the uptown core and expand, that has a significant impact in our core … I look at the residential intensification, what’s happening in the core, we’ve had over 1,300 units approved in the last five years in uptown Waterloo.

That’s about 2,500 to 2,600 new people coming in, with more on the way. The next part in the legacy of the uptown is to get more jobs in the core … [Uptown] is a retail destination, it’s a cultural destination, it’s a residential neighbourhood and core, and now it’s forming to be a really strong employment node. And that’s framed not only in the [City] policies, it’s framed by the [provincial growth policies]. And it’s also what people know who live and work in the uptown. It’s a busy place.

WANT TO BE A JOURNALIST?

GOOD. WE’RE LOOKING FOR WRITERS AND EDITORS WHO CAN SHARE THE STORIES OF OUR REGION. EMAIL ALLISON.LEONARD@WLUSP.COM

MAY 2015 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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ARTS & CULTURE

ARTS BEAT WLU INHERITS BECKETT SCHOOL’S MUSIC PROGRAM

At The Root attendees folk around at Café Pyrus during a song writing and spoken word workshop on May 3 • MATT SMITH PHOTO EDITOR

AT THE ROOT OF WR’S FOLK SCENE ELIZABETH MCFAUL CONTRIBUTOR The first weekend in May brought folk music artists to downtown Kitchener for the At the Root festival. Featuring three days of performances and workshops in a variety of locations in Downtown Kitchener, the festival featured a diverse lineup of folk and grassroots music and a focus on audience participation and collaboration.

Festival organizer Janice Lee described the performers as “some of the best folk-indie-grassroots activists and artists in WR and beyond” numerous times throughout the weekend. The

weekend’s performers represented Kitchener, Waterloo, Toronto and Hamilton.

The festival opened Friday with Johanna Pavia & SoulDrive at Café Pyrus. The band’s unique blend of soul, blues, roots, and psychedelic rock had the crowd at Café Pyrus on their feet. The Waterloo-based band shared a compilation of originals and covers, and it was easy to see why this band has been experiencing significant popularity and notoriety since their formation last year.

Saturday night’s double feature included the monthly Kitchener-Waterloo Poetry Slam & Open Mic and a late night show by Mother Tareka and the Rebel Function. The Open Mic brought new poets, musical groups and an impromptu sing along. Five poets competed in the slam, sharing poems about mental illness, bicycles,

immigrating to Canada and other topics. This month’s slam featured Ian Keteku, Toronto poet & musician, and the 2010 World Slam Poetry champion. The crowd adored his impeccable comedic timing in an ode to his beloved Vista laptop in “Laptop Love Poem,” but saw a more dark side with “Kay”. Shortly before 11 p.m., Queen Street Commons transformed into a dance party as Mother Tareka and the Rebel Function took to the stage. The Hamilton-based hip-hop funk band shared political and revolutionary messages in an upbeat style, complete with an orchestra including a violin, flute and trumpet. The band’s high-energy performance had everyone on their feet.

Sunday afternoon featured a workshop with Ian Keteku and a song-writing workshop with Richard Garvey, Nika Smith and Jesse Maranger.

“We ended up doing [the workshops] together: it was great to hear from people, experience so much amazing poetry, and share a new song with the group”, said Maranger later that evening. The festival closed on Sunday evening with low-key performances

by Jesse Maranger and Nika Smith at Cafe Pyrus. These two talented artists graced the crowd with mostly acoustic sets, with soulful music and powerful lyrics. With the mellow atmosphere, it was the perfect conclusion to the weekend.

The At the Root festival is the brainchild of Richard Garvey and Janice Lee, and has been a few years in the making. Overall, the festival was a great way to kickoff the summer in a celebration of local artists and mellow music.

THE DRONE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR KATIE PARKER CONTRIBUTOR To the average person, the word “drone” evokes images of overseas airstrikes, or, perhaps, their favourite Star Wars movie. But drone music?

That’s just weird, right? It sure is, and that’s exactly what Marie Flanagan, executive director at Weird Canada is hoping for. TCE sat down with Flanagan to chat music, community and how droning melodies bring both together.

WHAT IS WEIRD CANADA, AND HOW DID IT GET STARTED? Both my partner and I were pretty involved in music, and we worked on some projects together. One of those projects was Weird Canada. In the beginning, it was kind of like a music blog, just a place for people to enthuse about physically-released Canadian music with a very specific kind of sound. There was just a handful of people working on it, with two to three posts a week, if that, for a niche audience.

HOW DID THE IDEA FOR DRONE MUSIC DAY COME ABOUT? The idea for Drone Day came about a year and a few months ago, and I was just feeling frustrated with holidays in general. I felt very supportive of

the idea of holidays — I think that communities need something to rally behind and celebrate together—but most of the holidays and events that we have in our culture seem to slowly turn into consumerist celebrations of buying. I felt like my community wanted something to celebrate, something that felt meaningful, something that we could all stand behind; and I’m really interested in drone music.

WHY WAS IT IMPORTANT TO START DMD? Drone is really inclusive in a way. In some ways [drone is] intimidating and scary experimental music, but in other ways it’s quite accessible. It’s inclusive by nature.

It begs participation; it offers something really different than the traditional melody and rhythm and song structure.

I liked the idea of this one massive drone stretching across Canada with all these people, and I’m interested in these sounds. I love the way that drone creates space for the listener to participate, mentally. It’s a bit of a reimagining of the space between the ear and the instruments. Weird Canada and Wyrd Arts Initiatives, if anything, it’s a community. I mean, it’s an incorporated national non-profit, it’s an organization with objectives, but really it’s a community. It’s very

welcoming and inclusive, and drone is the perfect match for that.

WHERE DOES DRONE MUSIC FIT IN WITH CANADIAN MUSIC? Canadian music is a very diverse landscape with many things happening, but very little of it actually makes it to peoples’ ears. For example, there’s an incredibly rich drone music community across Canada, and in Kitchener-Waterloo there’s an incredibly rich community of experimental music, which sometimes includes drone-type sounds.

Drone is a genre, but also a sound that makes it into a lot of different kinds of music. It’s also a part of almost any music, in that drone is any sustained note and repeating tone, and it’s still being figured out, in a lot of ways.

You’ll find it sometimes in pop music on the radio, you’ll find it in experimental rock venues in Montreal and you’ll find it all over. It’s everywhere, but it’s kind of invisible. And I think that’s an amazing place to be, as a genre, to be omnipresent but nowhere.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THIS YEAR’S DRONE MUSIC DAY? That’s a hard question! Last year, and this year, weather permitting, it will be held outside, so there’s the wind in your ears and the sun on your face

and the sound of traffic melting into the drone in the afternoon or early evening, and the experience is incredibly meditative and special. [Last year] there was a very diverse, block-party type feel. I think this year it’s going to be very special and lovely. But, what people experience will largely depend on them. Since drone is so participatory, drone experience will be what you bring to it, and what your experience of drone music is will largely depend on what you want it to be.

Everyone is welcome to hold their own Drone Day; the only requirement is that you listen to drone music. It’s happening in every province and territory, in many small towns, and they keep popping up, which is really exciting for me, to see people embracing this idea and just doing it themselves.

I mean, that’s a lot of what the Weird community is: people doing it themselves and believing that they have the capacity to make events or make art or make things happen without any institutional support or expertise.

National Drone Music Day will be held nationwide on May 9. Last year there were kittens, so if there ever was an incentive to come out to this year’s Drone Music Day in KW, that should be it. It will be located on the corner of King and Erb streets in Waterloo.

You won’t be able to miss it—just follow the sound of the drone.

Lyrical Lines Education Network, formerly located at 5 Michael St. in Kitchener, is being gifted to Wilfrid Laurier University’s Faculty of Music. Former owners Bill Labron and Lynn McRuer are downsizing their business, and wanted the music school to go where the program could grow but also remain affordable for families in the area. The program will be moving into Heidelberg House, a student residence in Laurier Place, by mid-August, the only cost being furniture and cleaning. The Beckett School comes with a sterling reputation and allows Laurier to support a great community music school.

JOIN THE AFTERPARTY AT KW|AG On May 22, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony concertgoers are invited to join music director Edwin Outwater, guest artists, and KWS musicians for an afterpARTy at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery. Enjoy free admission while learning about the visual arts context for the evening’s repertoire and taking a guided tour of KW|AG’s current exhibitions.

CELEBRATING FOOD REVOLUION On May 23, the Kitchener Market will be hosting Food Revolution Day, with Top Chef Canada finalist Terry Salmond kicking off programming at 10 a.m. The event will feature tons of fun activities for adults and children alike, including a Kids in the Kitchen cooking demonstration, “Splatzone” target area, Foodlink Waterloo Region Farm In A Box, face painting and more.

HEX SYMBOL FOR INTERSECTION SAFETY A colourful circle motif, filled with symbols from Kitchener’s industrial past, will be posted at an intersection in the Mount Hope-Breithaupt neighbourhood. The intersection at Ahrens and Wilhelm streets will be the scene of an innovative, neighbourhood-driven traffic calming project when the painting goes up July. The Mount Hope-Breithaupt Park neighbourhood association recently unveiled the design for the intersection, by Bearface Designs, with the hope for something unique and beautiful within the community, which also cautions drivers to slow down.

The design is reminiscent to hex designs on Pennsylvania German barns.

MAY 2015 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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REVIEWS BAND REVIEW

Lemon Bucket Orkestra filled Kitchener’s Boathouse on April 22 for the release of their newest album, “Mookra” FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

REMIXING TRADITIONS WITH LEMON BUCKET ELIZABETH MCFAUL CONTRIBUTOR Hailing from Toronto, self-described Balkan-klezmer-gypsy-party-punk-super band the Lemon Bucket Orkestra brought traditional folk with a modern twist to Kitchener as they celebrated the release of their sophomore album “Mookra” at Boathouse on April 22.

Starting off with a traditional Ukrainian folk song, the band captured the crowd’s attention and brought most of the room to their

feet. It was hard not to be clapping and dancing along while watching a band with such momentum and energy. A celebration of tradition and culture with a modern Canadian twist, Lemon Bucket Orkestra creates an infectious feeling in the room. A church bulletin brought older patrons, for whom the folk songs and stories in Lemon Bucket Orkestra’s music were an integral part of their childhoods. The opening act, The Ever-Lovin’ Jug Band, provided a great start with a calmer brand of folk music in the style of jug bands of the 1920s.

The Lemon Bucket Orkestra began as a busker group in 2010 but made headlines in 2012 when they played an impromptu concert on their delayed flight to Romania for a three-week

tour. Since then, the band has grown into an international sensation, known for its unique blend of traditional Eastern-European folk, modern sounds, and gypsy-punk vibes.

Building on their experiences in Eastern Europe, their new album, “Mookra,” is inspired by last year’s trip to Ukraine. Members of the band were immersed in the crisis in Ukraine in early 2014, where they spent time participating in the revolution and sharing these stories with the world through the Lemonchiki Project.

“The album is all the songs we learned in Europe the summer before, and songs we learned from local bands and virtuosos we had learned about in Romania, Ukraine, and Serbia,” explains vocalist and violinist Mark

RESTAURANT REVIEW

RESTAURANT REVIEW

FULL BODY FOOD DEBBIE FREY CONTRIBUTOR

The newly opened Heaven Gastro Club is located in University Plaza • MATT SMITH PHOTO EDITOR

A LITTLE SLICE OF HEAVEN KURTIS THOMAS CONTRIBUTOR As a lover of all things food related, I get a palpable sense of excitement when a new restaurant opens. The tri-cities already have a staggering number of delicious restaurants, and now the newly opened Heaven Gastro Club in University Plaza joins their ranks.

When first entering Heaven you’ll find yourself looking around the room at its décor: its industrial aesthetic of bare bulbs and copper works flawlessly with its custom-built high-back booths. While most diners may tend to sit away from the bar, Heaven bar draws you in. It’s a large circle with

the bartenders working away in the middle, and the perfect spot to enjoy a pint or two.

Starting with drinks, I bypassed their large collection of taps, which cover local and international brews, and went right for what should be the crown jewel in any good bar, an old-fashioned. Heaven definitely has its own nuances in their version, and when I asked how it was made, the waitress explained with pride. She told me the bartenders often do variations on it using their wealth of bitters and garnishes—something I’m excited to try out on my next visit. My dining partner chose the Bartender’s Root Beer, a delicious drink that went down dangerously easy.

Moving on to the meal itself, we started with the crab cakes, which were savoury and had the perfect amount of spicy heat to them. The plating was also carefully thought out with nothing serving as mere decoration; every item on the plate brought

of the oppressor, but at the same time, it’s still part of the culture.

“We used that as a musical battleground as we explored what our feelings were about the political climate,” said Marcyk.

This summer, the Lemon Bucket Orkestra is preparing for a public wedding in Toronto for two of its members, touring South Korea with a traditional Korean drum band, and touring across Canada and Europe.

The band also has plans to remount a multimedia theatre experience that allows the audience to experience how the revolution unfolded first-hand, to be performed at Summerworks this year.

Marcyk. “When it was [originally] time to record, we were in Ukraine and really involved in the revolution. That really changed our perspectives on the songs, and what they meant in a culture that’s afflicted by war.”

According to Marcyk, the album reflects “a mix of celebration, angst, and despair; and the anxiety that we had in representing this part of the world that was very torn, through celebration. It is a dense and fraught expression of what we were feeling at the time of recording. It’s a really different album than our first full-length album.”

Even the title song reflects this dichotomy: an old Russian prison ballad about a snitch named Mookra that people in Ukraine see as a symbol

something to the dish. For mains, I went with the butter chicken and my partner had the maple-glazed salmon.

Both were generously portioned, and though I was hungry when entering the restaurant, I ended up leaving with a take-home container.

Despite the delicious meal and attentive service there were a few quirks that I expect will be worked out in time. The UFC posters and paper doily on my plate took away from the carefully crafted mood the room is trying to impress upon its diners. But given the quality of my first experience there, I can’t wait to see what happens when Heaven finds it voice.

The meal itself rang in at a reasonable price considering what we had, which, combined with everything else, will ensure a repeat visit from me. Heaven Gastro Club is another great addition to this city’s culinary scene, offering a delicious, affordable meal in an easily accessible location with a lot of personality.

We were given clear directives on how to prepare for our custom dinner at the Hillcrest House B&B in Uptown Waterloo: bring your own wine, plan on staying awhile (a total of over four hours, to be exact) and (of paramount importance) wear stretchy pants. The event? A truly unique and unforgettable evening of great food and friendship spent around the inn’s kitchen island called: “Trust the Fat Guy.” Owner and chef Stefan Schuster (the self proclaimed “fat guy”) hosts one of the most memorable evenings you’ll find in these parts. Suited for parties of four to eight people, Chef Stef prepares a six course dinner before your eyes, chopping and julienning the night away while you sit and enjoy wine, music and conversation. Stef explains each dish as he prepares it, along with his rationale for each ingredient (only limes go in guacamole, for example. Why? There’s no lemons in Mexico.) As he cooks, he explains all of the steps he took before he ever started cooking: lobster oil only sold at Caudle’s Catch, Central Meat Market for certain cuts of meat, heirloom carrots from the Farmers Market...Chef Stef clearly takes his craft seriously.

This is why he prefers not to promise a menu ahead time: he won’t commit to making lamb if he can’t get the perfect rack.

The final menu that Stef prepared for us included guacamole with chips,

THIS IS HOW I LIKE TO TEACH: IN MY KITCHEN, WITH PEOPLE WHO SIMPLY LOVE FOOD.

STEFAN SCHUSTER HILLCREST B&B crab cakes, pork tenderloin with granny smith apple and pear slaw, duck with baby bok choy, lamb with heirloom carrots, and blueberry tart in a shortbread crust The evening is relaxed and unhurried. Even Stef seems remarkably calm as he prepares, times and presents each dish. He’s also quick to join in the conversation, and regale us with stories of cooking competitions he’s won and his travels with his wife, co owner Wendy Shuster. He offers these evenings 50 weeks out of the year, but book early as Stef’s dance card fills up quickly.

In between courses he invites us to relax in the sitting room with our wine. During one of our early courses he explains how he began to offer these events.

“I was continually being prodded to teach cooking classes,” said Stef.

“But this is how I like to teach: in my kitchen, with people who simply love food and want to learn some of my secrets.” And that name? Stef thought it up himself. “Who would ever trust a skinny chef? When it comes to food, you should always trust the fat guy.”

MAY 2015 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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Hundreds of works by remarkable Canadian artists are carefully stored in the Canada Council Art Bank. Rarely seen, these “unrentable” works, owned

by Canadians come together to make a collection with no one message, medium or theme tying them together, but one.

Nudity.

Not pornography, though some are erotic. Not gratuitous, though some are challenging. They are provocative and evocative, joyful and heartbreaking, breathtaking and hilarious; wry and fascinating. Getting Naked re-unites public audiences with more than 100 nearly-forgotten works of Canadian art, prompting a smart 21st century discussion on privacy, taboos, objectification, judgment, and what differentiates ‘naked’ from ‘nude’. Above all, it’s about discovering the art of the human body.

THEMUSEUM.ca

D OW N TOW N K I TC H E N E R