The Community Edition: September 2016

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 • SEPTEMBER 2016

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Volume 4, Issue 12 Next issue: October 5, 2016 75 University Ave. W Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 519-884-0710 x3564 Advertising All advertising inquiries should be directed to Care Schummer at 519-884-0710 x3560 care.schummer@wlusp.com THE COMMUNITY EDITION TEAM Editor in Chief Jesse Bauman jesse.bauman@wlusp.com Publisher Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp.com

General Inquiries info@communityedition.ca Web Manager Care Schummer care.schummer@wlusp.com

Social Media Manager Megan Nourse

CONTRIBUTORS Elizabeth DiCesare James Howe Daniel Kruger Allison Leonard Zainab Mahdi Jacqueline Martinz Elizabeth McFaul Erin McLean-Purdon

Magdalena Milosz Kristen Philippi John Roche Kat Rogers-Hern Eva Rucki Matt Smith Dave Thomas

WLUSP ADMINISTRATION President Executive Director Advertising Manager Treasurer Vice-Chair Director Director Director Director Director Corporate Secretary

Meghan Roach Lakyn Barton Care Schummer John Pehar Abdiasis Issa Mynt Marsellus Maddy Cutts Fred Kuntz Gary Doyle Matthew Burley Taylor Berzins

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 Centra Web. All content appearing in the Community Edition bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent.

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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.

“And getting a job, yeah, that was a real left turn.” MATT SMITH PHOTO

FEATURE

8-9 THE BEST OF WATERLOO REGION YOU NOMINATED, WE COMPILED A SHORT LIST. VOTE FOR YOUR NUMBER ONE FAVOURITES ONLINE, THIS MONTH.

INSIDE 3 4 5 5 6 6 7 10 10 11 12 12 13 14 15

IN BRIEF USE IT OR LOSE IT THREE WAYS TO CALM ANXIETY ‘ARTIN AROUND NEWFOUNDLAND DECOLONIZING CLIMATE CHANGE OHIP FOR ALL? NOT YET SOCIAL EXCLUSION BY CHOICE A LIFETIME OF OBITUARIES NEW RULES FOR TALL BUILDINGS FICTION: JUST FRIENDS? FEM ALES SPREADS THE LOVE KEEP GARAGES IN THE ‘BURBS A WHISKY HISTORY GEEK WEEK KW ILLUMINATES ART

Between the iron ore pelletizing plant in Labrador City and the Manicouagan River-spanning 214 metre tall “Daniel-Johnson” hydroelectric dam, the Trans-Labrador Highway criss-crosses the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway many times. The highway is relatively new: when my family moved to Labrador in 1989, you had to fly or hike the 530 kilometres from Lab City to Happy Valley–Goose Bay. And so it was at one of those crossings, a few weeks ago, that I slowed our rental van to count some 300 railcars slowly heading north. The cars were all empty, and on their way to being filled with iron ore in Lab City, travelling along rails owned by the Iron Ore Company of Canada to a mine owned by the Iron Ore Company of Canada.

My family was headed south, back to Ontario after a week in Sheshatshiu, the Innu community in which we lived for three years in the early 90s. In the 17 years since we were last in Sheshatshiu, a lot has changed. Many of my parent’s peers have passed away, as the life expectancy is decades shorter than the national average.

Many Innu are now working outside of the community, many of them on the construction of a new hydroelectric dam at Muskrat Falls.

According to Harvard researchers, the project is also poisoning the river with mercury. The dam will eventually flood traditional hunting grounds. Forced by the state to settle on the Atlantic coast after many thousands of years of living nomadically, the Innu are now being forced to make impossible choices, set up to lose a game whose rules we created. The day before we left, Innu Nation announced another boil-water advisory for the community.

Iron is the key ingredient in the production of steel. And we all use steel, right? The hydro generated by the dams we drove by, on the Manicouagan and Churchill Rivers, stays mostly on the eastern seaboard. But then, we all use hydro too, right?

Despite their massive scale – megawatts, megatons, mega-everything – it’s easy for me to forget about these projects, or to pretend they are not an essential part of our Canadian economy.

It took a two-week, 5,000 km roadtrip to connect the dots between my warm showers and my bicycles and the mercury and the flooding and the false choices couched in the language of self-determination and economic development that we impose on indigenous peoples.

And while I know it’s complicated, because we’re always told it’s complicated, it’s also simple.

There is a certain amount of violence in our everyday existence, from from the coal face as we may be. We are digging and burning and poisoning and flooding somewhere and someone else.

All of our energy comes at a cost. For now, we’re lucky to be on the receiving end of that long line of railcars, but it could always be otherwise.

Jesse Bauman COVER BY ALLISON LEONARD. Mix and match. It’s fun.

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IN BRIEF

The City of Kitchener is planning for a future full of tall buildings (see page 10), and some folks want to keep suburban homes in the suburbs (see page 12).

MATT SMITH PHOTO

As of late August there was toxic blue-green algae in Conestogo Lake, likely the result of sewage and industrial effluents and agricultural runoff.

MATT SMITH PHOTO

NEWS

ARTS

URBAN

MORE FENTANYL EN ROUTE TO WR

RACIST GRAFFITI TAKE BACK THE AT STREET ART FEST NIGHT CHANGES

With the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council says that Ontario is on the cusp of a public-health crisis, following increased production of synthetic fentanyl and rising numbers of deaths by overdose in western Canada and the northern U.S. states. Synthetic fentanyl is unpredictably toxic.

Evond Blake’s August submission to the Cambridge International Street Art Festival was vandalized with the racist epithet “f--- you n-----.” In a Facebook post, Blake shared that his work alone was attacked, and that he was asked to remove the racial slur but refused, writing “they can’t stomach the bitter reality of racism in their town.”

This year’s Take Back the Night march is a little different from previous years. All are welcome to march this year, whereas previously event organizers asked that only women, children and trans people march. The event is aimed at ending violence against women, which is why traditionally only women have participated.

TOXIC ALGAE BLOOMS IN WR

NEW HOMES FOR ART GALLERY

DON’T FEED THE ANIMALS, OR DO

Grand River Conversation Authority found toxic algae in Conestogo Lake in late August, and is urging lakegoers to exercise caution. The algae causes illness when ingested and rash after skin contact. According to researchers, the “long-term solution is to reduce the amount of nutrients entering lakes,” especially sewage effluents, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents.

Kitchener’s Art District Gallery is on the move to two new spaces after losing their rent-free space in the Kitchener Market building. The Gallery will host a satellite exhibition at THEMUSEUM and another exhibition in St. Jacob’s until the end of 2016.

They are still on the hunt for a permanent space in downtown Kitchener. Most of their proceeds go to paying artists.

Following much discussion and confusion, Kitchener city councillors decided to ban feeding wildlife “in a manner that creates a nuisance to an owner or occupant of any property.” So you’re still allowed to feed local animals that promise to clean up after themselves, and it’s also still fine to feed ourselves with local animals.

And build houses on their houses, too.

ROCK ‘N’ ROLLER NEW PROGRAMS FOR NEW ARRIVALS TO THE KPL

NEW GO TRAIN CORRIDOR TRIPS

The SHORE Centre and the KW Multicultural Centre have jointly received a grant of about $37,000 from the Immigration Partnership. SHORE will create sexual health education programs for Syrian women and a pilot education program for men. The Multicultural Centre’s funding will be used for domestic violence prevention and education, also for newcomers.

Blue Rodeo’s Bob Egan is giving up the rock star lifestyle to work at the Kitchener Public Library in a fundraising role.

He will oversee the creation of a digital media studio for the library, which will allow patrons to record audio and video. Egan already called Kitchener home, so the story is not as weird as you think. Egan was with Blue Rodeo for 18 years.

Starting September, GO trains will make a few extra trips between Kitchener and Toronto.

There will be three morning departures between 5:24 a.m. and 6:47 a.m. Two afternoon trains coming from Toronto that have previously ended in Georgetown will now be extended to Kitchener. No two-way all-day service, yet, but hey, what’s an election promise?

WIND TECH WINS WITH WOMEN

BACKSTREET BOY IS BACK, BUT WHY?

MONEY IN THE TRANSIT BANK

Local wind energy technology startup Borealis Wind took home $40,000 at the Communitech Fierce Founders Pitch Competition in August. All startups in the competition had to have at least one female founder to be eligible. The purpose of the competition was to increase the number of women in tech leadership roles.

Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys is coming to Waterloo this fall to perform at Maxwell’s Concerts and Events. Don’t get too excited, none of his fellow boy banders will be here. Carter is playing 12 dates across Canada in November, including stops in Sarnia and Belleville. You’re probably wondering why an American pop star is playing a show in Sarnia. So are we.

A new federal—provincial funding agreement announced at the end of August has provided Waterloo Region with $23 million in funding for transit projects. The Region already had $12 million in federal transit funding waiting to be spent. The new funding is part of the federal government’s $120 billion plan for public infrastructure support across the county.

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USE IT OR LOSE IT?

NOW EMPTY, HERITAGE ADVOCATES SAY HISTORICALLY RICH DTK STRUCTURE AT RISK OF DEGENERATING BEYOND REPAIR

MAGDALENA MILOSZ CONTRIBUTOR Fifteen years ago, the spaces behind the red-brick façade at 48 Ontario Street North were emptied out, and so they remain today. But a group called Friends of 48 Ontario is pushing to reanimate the 106-year-old structure, which was home to the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 50 for half a century and is now owned by the City of Kitchener. To start, they’re opening it to the public during this year’s Doors Open event on Saturday September 17.

“A big part of why it was important to get this building into Doors Open was because it had been vacant for so long that most people had no idea where it is or what the potential of it was,” says James Howe, one of the key advocates behind Friends of 48 Ontario.

The group is motivated by a history of heritage losses in Kitchener, most potently symbolized by the 1973 demolition of Kitchener’s old city hall. In 2005, the destruction of the city-owned Forsyth Factory was declared one of that year’s worst losses by the National Trust for Canada. The Mayfair Hotel, part of the same block as the Legion — bounded by King, Young, Duke and Ontario Streets — came down last year after it was declared unsafe by the city’s chief building official.

Both the Forsyth and Mayfair buildings were empty for extended periods of time before their demolition, slowly degenerating until they could no longer be brought back to life. Friends of 48 Ontario are concerned that the Legion might meet the same fate.

“We needed to immediately make the link between the Mayfair and the Legion building because, sooner or later, something was going to happen to the Legion,” Howe says. Although it is well maintained as an empty space, it does not receive the same level of scrutiny and care as an occupied building would.

“In terms of a heritage building, especially one that the city owns, it shouldn’t be sitting empty… hoping that nothing happens to it in the meantime.”

Last month, I sat down to chat with Howe and Kae Elgie at Smile Tiger, itself located in a renovated heritage building on Ahrens Street West. Elgie is president of the North Waterloo Region branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and is spearheading Friends of 48 Ontario along with Howe. The pair connected over their shared interests while speaking at Kitchener city council about issues like built heritage.

“It does have a lot of potential,” says Elgie of 48 Ontario. “From my perspective… I just want to see the building occupied. Get it used.”

The City of Kitchener is currently investigating whether the building might support an arts hub. The need for more affordable arts space in the city has been identified in numerous studies, the earliest from 1996. But how and where that space will be realized is still under discussion, with other locations on the table including the second floor of 44 Gaukel Street, empty space at existing centres like the Registry Theatre or Centre in the Square, or a combination of dispersed spaces as opposed to a central location.

For the Legion, the city is considering three options as presented by staff last June: sell the property with proceeds to go towards an arts hub elsewhere, lease it as an arts hub, or sell it with a portion to be leased back as an arts hub. The most recent consultation happened last month and involved stakeholders in imagining what an arts space might be like; the next event will be a charrette, shortly after Doors Open on September 20, to determine how those ideas translate to a physical space. In this process, the fate of 48 Ontario has become almost inextricably intertwined with the arts hub idea.

“They are two key issues that have converged,” agrees Silvia Di Donato, manager of arts and culture at the City. “It’s obviously of specific interest because it’s currently vacant.” But Howe and Elgie believe that a lengthy consultation about an arts hub will delay the building being occupied.

“I’ve told city council, if the city does not have plans to have that building occupied in the short term, they should sell it,” says Howe. “I like the idea of the city owning it and turning it into an arts hub or maybe some other kind of use, but it’s in the best interest of the building to be occupied.”

City staff don’t disagree. “Obviously, the best way to protect the building is to use it,” says Sandra Parks, the City’s heritage planner. But now that it’s a contender for an arts hub, council will likely delay making any decisions regarding the building until that consultation is complete.

“I’d probably prefer that it’s sold,” says Elgie when I ask what she envisions for the building. “It’s always nerve-racking because you don’t know who’s going to buy it and some developers are a lot better at working with heritage buildings than others.”

Di Donato took me through the building on a sunny morning, when the light was lovely coming in through the tall windows. Aside from cosmetic issues like peeling paint, the structure appears sturdy, its concrete columns and beams lending it a potential openness that might accommodate a variety of uses.

An immersive, site-specific theatre piece called “Legion of Memory” was staged there in 2006 and 2007, leaving poetry scribbled on the walls. The building also has a long history of hosting the arts

before the Legion moved out.

“I am quite convinced that [it] is the birthplace of the blues in Kitchener,” says Howe. In 1985, local resident Glenn Smith began organizing blues shows at the Legion, a perfect venue for occasional concerts. He capitalized on an existing tour circuit that wound its way from London to Toronto and Ottawa to book acts like Buddy Guy and Robert Cray.

Waterloo Region’s 14th Doors Open will showcase 48 buildings, many of which are not generally open to the public. This year’s theme is “Into Science + Tech” and features, among churches, factories, and institutional buildings, the offices of Bridgit (in the Smile Tiger building), Google (Breithaupt Block), and four tech companies in Kitchener’s first commercial highrise at 305 King Street West, designed by renowned Toronto firm WZMH in 1964.

These spaces point to a merging of heritage and high tech, also exemplified by the redevelopment of the Tannery in 2011 and the ongoing $10 million renovation of the old ‘hide house’ across the street. That building will be occupied

by Deloitte in 2017. While this trend has helped revitalize heritage places throughout downtown Kitchener, it has also contributed to rising real estate prices, potentially pricing out tenants not as flush with capital as companies dealing in software and financial services.

In The Death and Life of Great American Cities, the celebrated urban activist Jane Jacobs wrote that “the economic value of old buildings is irreplaceable at will. It is created by time.” She was referring not only to the “architectural distinction or charm” of old buildings, but the fact that they are cheap and help sustain economic diversity. Meticulously renovated heritage buildings in which millions have been invested are economically similar to new buildings, requiring high rents for developers to recoup costs. The former Legion is, still, in good enough shape to require minimal investment to become useful again, especially as a city-owned building.

Bigger costs would involve making the building accessible with an elevator and replacing the roof.

Elgie and Howe agree that getting people interested in and vocal about the building is important.

“The more profile the building has, the more awareness the building has, the more difficult it is for somebody to come in and get rid of it,” says Howe.

“It’s just a drain now. And it is an asset, whether they rent it themselves or they get someone else to do it. Especially with the climate, with the enthusiasm for being in heritage buildings, like this,” says Elgie, gesturing to the exposed brick and steel beams around us. “It’s a little trend — it may not last forever, but capitalize on it; don’t wait till it’s done,” she laughs.

In and outside of 48 Ontario Street, a historically rich building now sitting empty in downtown Kitchener. Advocates want the building occupied, arguing that it’s economical to renovate now, but will eventually degnerate beyond repair.

MAGDALENA MILSOZ PHOTOS

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THREE TIPS FOR CALMING YOUR ANXIETY JOHN ROCHE COLUMNIST Anxiety sucks. It can weigh on you every moment of the day and rob you of your ability to enjoy anything. It can ruin relationships, sabotage performance and even lead to suicide. It’s also the issue people most frequently want to address with me in therapy.

Over the years, I’ve learned that there are three essential steps that almost everyone who suffers from anxiety needs to take.

CALM YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM I know what you’re thinking: “I’ve been to counselling, and some asshole told me to do breathing exercises/ yoga/meditation and expected my anxiety to disappear just like that.” I agree: that counsellor was an asshole. If it were that simple, you’d have figured it out by now and you’d be walking around in a state of Zen-like bliss.

Still, there’s truth to the idea that overcoming anxiety requires some concrete strategies for calming your nervous system. Physiologically speaking, high levels of anxiety tell us that your brain is kicking into fight or flight mode, and unless you’re actually in danger, that’s not very helpful. Meditation, deep breathing, mindfulness,

yoga, drumming, dancing, walking and martial arts have all been proven to calm the nervous system. Caffeine and other stimulants, on the other hand, have been proven to be not so calming.

BE WHO YOU ARE At the end of the day, a wonky nervous system is just a symptom, not a cause. The most common cause of anxiety isn’t brain chemistry; it’s people not being who they are. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Being yourself means knowing and living in accordance with your values, engaging in activities you enjoy, and naming and expressing your emotions (yes, even the less comfortable ones like sadness and anger). Not being yourself means

sacrificing any or all of that in order to live up to someone else’s standards.

Deep down we all have a sense of who we are and how we’re supposed to live. The problem is, most families, schools, religions and other institutions are unhealthy, and rather than helping us become who we are, they try to form us into who they want us to be. Sooner or later, we internalize these expectations and inflict them on ourselves. To the extent that there’s a gap between those expectations and who we really are, we feel anxious.

LET GO OF PAST BURDENS Being yourself is a hell of a lot easier said than done. All my anxious clients have been taught at some point, in

some way, that being themselves is extremely dangerous. Sometimes it’s through overt abuse, like the father who beats his son for “talking back.”

More often, it’s through subtler forms of abuse, like the religion that teaches homosexuality is sinful or the society that marginalizes women who refuse to be passive. Either way, most of us carry burdens from the past — and present — that prevent us from being ourselves. A good therapist can help you let go of those burdens.

If you’re ready to start addressing your anxiety, try following these three steps. Being authentic isn’t easy, but neither is living a life constrained by fear and worry.

John works as a therapist in Waterloo.

John Hofstetter divides his time between Waterloo and Newfoundland, where he and his wife Karen Fletcher create place-based art. PHOTOS BY KAREN FLETCHER AND JOHN HOFSTETTER

‘ARTIN AROUND WATERLOO AND NEWFOUNDLAND MAGDALENA MILOSZ CONTRIBUTOR Several years ago, a 17-hour train trip brought me from Montreal to Moncton. I spent the next few weeks travelling the stony coasts of the Maritimes, wondering if I could squeeze in Newfoundland. But as Waterloo-based artist John Hofstetter recently told me, “you don’t ‘squeeze in’ Newfoundland.”

Hofstetter has been spending summers on the island for the past 40 years, building an accretion of material memories to inform an artistic practice that takes shape in Waterloo the rest of the year. Beginning with printmaking, Hofstetter’s career has traversed public art and jewellery to his current focus on photography, sculpture, and installation.

Before leaving for his annual journey, Hofstetter takes me on a tour through his studio. Dozens of pieces in various stages of completion are arranged around the basement of the uptown home he shares with his wife,

artist and teacher Karen Fletcher.

I am most intrigued by a series of ceramic chunks lined up along a windowsill, and others taking over a shelf.

They are something between biology and geology, evocative of the teeth of large, prehistoric animals. Hofstetter tells me that they are casts of a feature known as the “devil’s footprints,” found in abundance in the rocky outcrops around Keels, Newfoundland.

These fragments form part of an outdoor installation entitled “Keels Sentinel,” itself part of a larger exhibition of his and Karen’s work that ran through August in Port Rexton. I caught up with Hofstetter this summer to find out more about this annual journey and his evolving artistic practice.

MM: How did you first begin travelling to Newfoundland?

JH: I first travelled to Newfoundland in 1976 to visit friends I had met through a fellow student employed, like myself, at BFGoodrich during the summer. He had connections with other young Newfoundlanders living in the Kitchener area, and I quite enjoyed their company. A number of them decided they had had enough of Ontario and moved home. I decided to

visit the following summer to see what it was that drew them back.

MM: What was that first trip like?

JH: I was intrigued by the place and its landscape. Karen was a member of a co-op gallery in Salem, and one of her colleagues invited us to stay at his house in Keels if we wanted to experience a rural area. We accepted and in the summer of 1977 began what was to become an annual pilgrimage to a place that immediately connected with me in a visceral way.

MM: Was there always a connection between those landscapes and your artistic practice?

JH: Printmaking was my primary focus early on. I had been exploring the imagery of industrial landscapes, and I suspect the years spent working as a summer student at BFGoodrich influenced my aesthetic. Not surprisingly, the most influential aspect of my initial trips was the “discovery” of the mothballed Come by Chance oil refinery. This massive complex rising out of the barren landscape was the inspiration for a series of screen prints that illustrated the sculptural aspects of the site.

MM: Some of those early prints are now at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art

Gallery. Interestingly, the abandoned refinery was restarted in 1986 and still operates today. To me, the prints convey the scale and shape of the place abstracted from its original purpose, a quality I think also appears in some of your recent assemblage work.

JH: The process of printmaking, particularly screen printing, has always been of interest to me. Applying stencils to screens, laying down colours and images in a well-defined order, seeing the final image appear through the layers, and even the sculptural qualities of the prints hanging up to dry. The practice of building up layers of ink on one substrate gradually evolved into printing onto transparent material and assembling these layers to create a “sculptural” print. My current assemblage work could be seen as an extension of my experiments with printmaking.

MM: You also photograph urban artifacts in Kitchener-Waterloo, similarly highlighting aesthetic or sculptural qualities over their practical or intended purpose. What is the relationship between that work and the pieces derived from the landscapes of Newfoundland?

JH: My work consistently referenc-

es place. This is most evident in the sculpture, but the photography is also grounded in its relationship to place, whether urban or rural. Place provides context and is the starting point for my creative process; it is integral to each piece.

MM: Your most recent exhibition is a joint endeavour with your wife, Karen, and touches on the 40-year connection you have to each other and to Newfoundland. What was the process of putting that show together like?

JH: Given our 40-year shared history, assembling and installing the exhibition was a more or less seamless process, and not something we discussed in great detail. We work independently and experience this place in our own way, but the threads that connect our work became apparent in the resulting exhibition.

MM: What did you notice?

JH: Most noticeably, the use of found objects. Karen typically includes organic or naturally occurring objects, whereas I tend to incorporate manufactured, or cultural, artifacts.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

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SEPTEMBER 2016 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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NO ENVIRONMENTALISM WITHOUT DECOLONIZATION

ENGAGING INDIGENOUS PEOPLES SHOULD BE SEEN AS ESSENTIAL, AND NOT AN AFTERTHOUGHT

ERIN MCLEAN-PURDON CONTRIBUTOR Concrete action to mitigate and adapt to climate change is gaining momentum, internationally and here at home. The signing of the Paris agreement in 2015, our federal government’s Vancouver declaration, the Ontario government’s five-year climate action plan and our Region’s carbon reduction plan all point to the very real possibility of capping global warming at two degrees Celsius, averting runaway climate change, a sixth mass extinction, ocean acidification and the next big oil war.

But what if the way climate change is being wrestled with in Canada compounds existing societal inequalities?

What if our way of looking at the problem is a problem?

At its root, climate action in this

country looks parochial. Our environmental climate is being treated as separate from our social climate, and our failure to reconcile climate action with social justice will perpetuate the exclusion, systemic racism and abuse that continues to characterize Canada’s relationship with indigenous peoples.

According to Deborah McGregor (and many others), indigenous communities face unique challenges related to climate change. For example, a rapidly changing climate can threaten indigenous cultural resiliency.

“If a species of fish with economic and cultural significance disappears or migrates, in the past we would just follow the fish. Now you can’t do that.

Treaties have boundaries, reserves have boundaries,” said McGregor, who is Anishinaabe and associate professor at the Osgoode Hall law school.

Moreover, McGregor explained, because traditional ecological knowledge is deeply intertwined with indigenous culture, unpredictable ecological changes may lead to cultural loss, and

in turn, less resilience to weather the impacts of climate change.

“If you’re living in Canada, you’re a treaty person and the treaties with indigenous people cover all of Canada.

Meaning you all have responsibilities in relation to indigenous peoples,” she said. “If climate change solutions don’t deal with [Canada’s colonial legacy] then whatever the solutions are, they won’t be very helpful for indigenous communities.”

At the Waterloo Region Climate Town Hall, part of the nation-wide consultation process initiated by the Federal government’s Vancouver declaration, whose feedback will purportedly shape a massive federal climate action plan to be unveiled this fall, there were glimmers of recognition and engagement with indigenous issues.

The consultation began with an acknowledgment of Neutral, Anishinaabe, and Haudenosaunee histories on the land, but failed to move beyond simply acknowledging and ask, “What should we do about that?”

A total of 34 working groups, composed of the attendees of the Town Hall, submitted recommendations for the national climate action plan.

Each working group was also given 30 seconds, strictly enforced, to present their recommendations. Of the 34 working groups, two mentioned the word indigenous.

And yes, incentivizing renewable energy, a carbon tax, questioning endless growth and divesting from fossil fuel investments are all important. But so too is challenging the deeply problematic roots of colonialism and how it shapes the climate action discourse.

Reflecting on the Town Hall, I was reminded of McGregor’s comment that “engaging indigenous people should be seen as essential, not an afterthought.”

One of the final speakers at the Climate Town Hall was Emma Smith, the president of the Aboriginal Student Association at the University of Waterloo. Growing up on a reserve near the St. Clair River, Smith shared, “I grew up thinking it was normal to

have to boil water to drink it. I thought everyone in Canada had to deal with [boiling water]. It wasn’t until last year that I realized this [was unusual].”

In thinking about climate action we should strive to see the interconnections between an Inconvenient Truth and an indigenous land acknowledgment; between the Vancouver Declaration and the legacy of Canada’s residential school system; between the parts per million of CO2 in ice cores analyzed by scientists from well-funded academic institutions and the often marginalized indigenous holders of traditional ecological knowledge.

Climate action is well intended, but good intentions count for naught if they perpetuate any peoples’ marginalization. In 100 years, if we succeed in mitigating runaway climatic change, but indigenous people in this country like Emma Smith are still growing up without access to clean water, it wouldn’t be a world I’d be proud to live in.

Our failure to reconcile climate action with social justice will perpetuate the systemic racism and abuse that has characterized Canada’s relationship with indigenous peoples. MATT SMITH PHOTO

OHIP COVERAGE OUT OF REACH FOR 500,000 ONTARIANS

THREE-MONTH WAITING PERIOD ONE OF MANY SYSTEMIC BARRIERS TO ADEQUATE HEALTH CARE

KRISTEN PHILIPPI CONTRIBUTOR Veronica immigrated to Canada while pregnant. She visited the OHIP office the day after she arrived in Ontario, where she learned of the province’s three-month waiting policy, which denied her coverage for her first 90 days in the country. During this period, she delivered her child, and after a required caesarian section, was left with a $12,000 bill that she is now repaying in monthly instalments.

“OHIP for All” campaign organizers share this “Story of the Uninsured” as one example of the roughly 500,000 Ontarians who are currently denied access to medical care through lack of coverage by the Ontario Health In-

surance Plan (OHIP). These vulnerable people are denied proper care in a variety of ways, from outright refusal to unreasonable delays, by being asked to pay large sums of money upfront or receiving large medical bills following treatment.

Newly landed immigrants, temporary foreign workers, returning Canadians (those who have been out of the country for more than 212 days in the previous year), international students, those waiting for sponsorship or those working in precarious conditions are most likely to experience these systemic barriers, say campaign organizers.

The primary goal of the campaign is to end the three-month waiting period, which prevents new residents from accessing OHIP coverage until that period elapses. During that time, individuals are either forced to buy private insurance out of their own pocket,

which is often complex and highly variable, or wait without care until they are eligible. The campaign is led by a group of community members, health and social service providers, and supported by numerous organizations including Toronto Public Health, the Ontario Health Coalition, the Ontario Medical Students Union and the Ontario Nurses Association, along with 40 others.

The three-month waiting period was created in 1994 as a cost-saving measure, however, there is no evidence that this waiting period saves any money for the province. Local health care providers note the arbitrariness of this measure, suggesting that the opposite is true.

“These groups often delay seeking care for the fear of the cost that will be thrust upon them. This leads them to get sicker and sicker until they finally end up in the hospital. Is this really the

way the Ontario government wants to treat its citizens?” asks William Caron, one of the campaign organizers and a medical student at McMaster University.

“The [issues] are on the surface level very simple and adherent to the general values of the Canadian Health Act, as well as to the sensibilities of Canadians,” notes local family physician Dr. John Sehl. And, despite some skepticism about pushing change through the bureaucratic Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Sehl believes the campaign is making laudable and worthwhile demands.

“Doctors [can] articulate and advocate for the disadvantaged so as to hold the politicians accountable,” he says.

The campaign jumpstarted this summer with a series of rallies across southern Ontario, and there is currently an open letter on the campaign

website addressed to Premier Wynne and Health Minister Eric Hoskins.

Caron suggests contacting local MPPs to make the voices of the uninsured heard. The goal is to move publicly accepted moral ideals into tangible changes.

Free and universal health care seems core to our Canadian identity, and access to care is an official human right under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This denial period is leaving residents without an adequate standard of living, and regardless of the challenges, a change must proceed.

“Whether you are a migrant worker in need of insulin, of whether your immigration status is in a tenuous position and you’re left too scared to go to an emergency department for fear of being turned away, you are still a human being,” says Caron.

SEPTEMBER 2016 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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Abe Wall’s “Exodus” shows Mexican migrants living in a colony, quiet on the land. COURTESY ABE WALL

EXCLUDED BY CHOICE HOW SHOULD WE ENGAGE WITH RADICALLY DIFFERENT WORLD VIEWS? WHO IS THIS WE, ANYWAY? JESSE BAUMAN TALKS WITH SOCIAL WORK PROFESSOR LUANN GOOD GINGRICH ABOUT MEXICAN MENNONITES, DONALD TRUMP AND NEW WAYS TO ENCOUNTER DIFFERENCE IN KW

What happens when a group of people deliberately excludes themselves from – and rejects the core values of – mainstream society? As growing income inequality and climate change push people from the global south to cities like Kitchener, host communities seem increasingly worried about economic integration, political incorporation and the social inclusion of newcomers and their children.

In her new book, Luann Good Gingrich argues that meaningful social inclusion requires us to first of all reconsider “how we encounter and relate to difference.” Gingrich is associate professor in the School of Social Work and Scholar in Residence at the Centre for Refugee Studies at York University. She lives in Kitchener, where we talked about her research on a sunny August morning.

JB: Your new book, from University of Toronto Press, is called Out of Place: Social Exclusion and Mennonite Migrants in Canada. Who are the Mennonite migrants?

LGG: The population is more commonly known as Mexican Mennonites, which is an erroneous term, because they aren’t Mexican people. They’re German – or Dietsche, as they would say. They mostly live in colonies in Bolivia, Mexico and other parts of Central and South America, and migrated from Canada in the 1920s. But [for mostly economic reasons] since the 1950s, there’s been a steady stream of families back to Canada.

JB: You mention at points that this isn’t only a book about the Dietsche, that they’re peculiar but not peculiar.

LGG: They’re part of this stream of economic migration from parts of the world that are poor to more wealthy regions of the world. And like many other groups they of course come with their own way of life. They want to preserve a “right way to live” that requires staying with traditional practices, separating from the world, and

submitting to a community.

For example, many Dietsche prefer field work, like picking cucumbers or tomatoes. The family works together as an economic unit, so as much as possible kids are out in the field working. From the dominant perspective, this work is menial labour, it’s not valued in any terms – economic or symbolic – but in their value system, that kind of work is best, it’s what parents want for their kids. The Dietsche ideal is to carry the past into the future, though mainstream Canadian culture sees this as a lack of ambition bordering on immorality.

JB: You write that “how we encounter and relate to difference” is “in many ways… the gist of the entire book,” but why does it matter that the Dietsche are excluded? They want to be distinct and don’t seem to care what dominant culture thinks of their ways of being.

LGG: It doesn’t matter for some, because some have the resources they need to stay completely separate. The problem comes when the Dietsche need to encounter the state or social welfare system in some way, or when we intervene. The state might intervene for child welfare or education reasons or the Dietsche might make requests for social assistance, and it’s in that confrontation between contradictory world views that the breakdown in relationship happens.

JB: If these people have come to us, asking for help, isn’t it fair that they follow our rules, which we’ve created to serve the most people most effectively?

LGG: This “common sense” point of view gets at the heart of the matter.

Underneath this seemingly reasonable perspective is the belief that our “rules” actually do work effectively for most people – that our way of doing things is right and good. We may even assume that our way is inevitable, as if things have always been this way and always will be this way. But when we

are confronted with people who resist conforming in ways that we expect, this is an opportunity to wonder why.

Why would a whole group of people choose to take up jobs that lead nowhere, and why would a group of white-skinned, blue-eyed German people who could “blend” refuse to conform in their dress, language and lifestyle? To resist conformity is a challenge to “our” way of doing things, and I think we take offense. Rather than becoming defensive – and then often punitive in our approach to those who have needs – I suggest that we might have the courage and humility to look carefully at our systems, rules and institutions to re-evaluate their effectiveness.

These are opportunities for “us” to critically re-evaluate our own common sense, to examine that which we take for granted. Engaging with people who are different can open space for us to reconsider who and how we want to be in relationship with one another.

And this is hard work, because we don’t recognize what we take for granted… maybe this feels like a trivial example, but we talk a fair bit in casual conversation and social policy about the idea of people being productive and contributing to the community and society. This is really important and we really value it. But that’s code.

What counts as productive or as making a meaningful contribution?

Almost always, we count that which we can buy and sell.

JB: You mentioned you’re part of a sponsor group, helping a new family from Syria settle in Kitchener. Do you see connections between your sponsorship work and academic work?

LGG: We often take for granted the idea that when people come to Canada they ought to integrate. But what does integration mean? Often inclusion or integration means fitting into a defined or fixed centre or group and we hardly ever look at that something,

at that centre. Is it a good thing? We take for granted that “they” should become more like “us.” And I wonder, well, which us? What do “we” look like? What specific attributes do we wish them to take on?

We’re willing to leave some room for difference, but there are other kinds of difference we are not willing to leave room for. And the way we talk about that is that they’re not integrating or settling well. So we need to help them settle, which means find paid work.

And I realize that sounds controversial, because of course paid work, how else are they going to make a living?

But it’s not the only way to make a living.

JB: You’ve also said that “a conclusion of my research is that we have much to learn about ourselves from encountering ‘difference,’ that such encounters are an opportunity for us to develop a “moral imagination” for just relationships with one another and with the world. I’d like to hear you say more about this, because it seems to me – at least if we can trust the media, which is of course a big if – that many people are encountering difference in much less healthy ways. I’m thinking here of Brexit and Trump and the miserable comments people make about Black Lives Matter or the shooting of Colten Boushie.

Maybe what I’m asking is, how do we get people to encounter difference in healthier ways?

LGG: I don’t trust the media [laughs].

So often the way that difference is depicted in the media is misrepresentation, because it’s through the dominant framework – so it’s not real understanding, it’s judgement. This is one of the reasons I wrote the book.

When I think about or write about engaging with difference I mean in interpersonal, human relationships.

Just to get to know others, not to help or to change them. Just to try to understand. The hard part is that doing

that requires us to be comfortable with who we are.

JB: So that’s a good segue, to your last chapter, where you write that “to challenge social exclusion is not to change the other… but ourselves.”

What does social inclusion look like?

How do we get there?

LGG: We need to make more room for difference, and learn to honour and value different approaches to making a living, and to honour and value different world views. Our current ways of being in the world and with each other are contrived, and we can choose something different.

I recognize that these are “big ideas,” and the systems and structures I aim to investigate and ultimately change are complex and multi-faceted. My starting point is everyday, ordinary interactions and inter-personal relationships. This is, I think, how change in systems is made possible. I work hard in my teaching to help students recognize and then evaluate their own common sense. To recognize that we have a worldview that is not the only way to view the world requires being confronted with something different.

So, for example, I bring my students to listen to stories from an aboriginal knowledge-keeper and encourage them to connect with the alternative worldviews and value systems that they know. My hope is that they begin to know – to feel – that we are not alone, that each one brings something of value (and no one brings everything), that we need one another, and that we have both influence and responsibility to strive toward just relationships in the communities and institutions in which we engage.

Gingrich is hosting a book launch at Conrad Grebel University College on Thursday, October 20. This interview has been edited and condensed.

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A LIFETIME OF WATERLOO REGION LIFETIMES LOCAL REPORTER SHARES ABOUT WRITING OBITUARIES FOR A LIVING, AND CAPTURING LIVES BIG & SMALL ELIZABETH MCFAUL CONTRIBUTOR

Since 2001, Valerie Hill has been writing “Lifetimes,” the Waterloo Region Record’s obituary feature. Hill’s work is often hyper-local, but it has also, indirectly, taken her abroad. Following an interview with a Waterloo-based charity, Hill started a non-profit in Uganda that supports a performing arts high-school.

PHOTO COURTESY VALERIE HILL

THE FUTURE IS TALL

NEW DEVELOPMENT RULES FOR BUILDING UP

DAVE THOMAS CONTRIBUTOR Look up… way up!

Intensification is the new reality of urban development in our community. More and more, tall buildings will be a feature of the skyline. It’s good that the City of Kitchener is trying to influence the shape of things to come by establishing tall building urban design guidelines.

Factors such as the establishment of light rapid transit and the emphasis on limiting urban sprawl mean that building up, especially in the city core, will increasingly be a significant factor.

“As we’ve seen the last few years, the city is growing up in terms of height, and we need guidelines to guide that development,” says urban planner Dayna Edwards. “We have policies that outline what the density and height should be, but not looking at the details of the design.”

Following city council’s direction, Edwards and her colleagues at the city are overseeing the formation of those guidelines through a process of research, evaluation and public consultation. A public forum in June helped inform the Tall Building Statement of Expectations, a document that sets out the main priorities and principles that will be incorporated into the final guidelines. They will apply to all buildings nine storeys or higher.

The process has demonstrated some

strong public priorities, Edwards says, particularly around scale and compatibility, having safe and vibrant streets, and a balance of public and private open space. The aim is not to be prescriptive, but to provide clarity around issues such as street level impacts, minimizing disruption of sunlight, wind effects, sustainability, safety and distance between buildings.

The key is to balance different objectives, while allowing room for creativity and innovation in design and implementation.

“We’re developing in an already existing urban fabric,” Edward says.

“Every site has a built environment around it, an urban fabric. We’re looking at sites that are tricky and complex, and require some creative thought.”

“We’re providing this [statement] as best practice and tools and expectations,” she says. “We’re trying to say in the statement of expectations that these are the objectives; this is what we need to do and here are some ways you can do it. That doesn’t mean these are all the ways. There may be creative ways to balance certain objectives that might be more important, depending on the location.”

Members of the public can comment on the principles outlined in the document, which is on the city’s website. The plan is to develop draft final guidelines to go to city council by the end of 2016.

“We want to get it right, and not make some of the mistakes other cities have made,” Edwards says. “If we do it wrong, it has a really permanent effect on the skyline.”

It is unusual for a newspaper to have a reporter assigned to write an obituary feature, but Valerie Hill has been writing “Lifetimes” since June 2001 for the Waterloo Region Record. Hill has written over 700 of these pieces that highlight the lives of locals who have recently passed away.

“When they gave it to me, I didn’t want to do it. I don’t even remember why I didn’t. It just didn’t really appeal to me. They couldn’t wrestle it away from me now. I grew to love it very quickly,” says Hill.

For Hill, the appeal in the piece is in the learning experience and the ability to get into the psyche of people.

“It’s incredibly challenging. Normally as a reporter, we interview people.

We can ask the person the question.

This person is dead, so I have to ask all the people around them and filter their answers,” says Hill. She starts with contacting the family, or going through funeral homes. The initial interview is typically a close relative, such as the widow or their child.

Hill will sit with the group at their home and just talk about the person.

Other members of the family, business associates, or friends can submit comments or participate in a phone

interview.

She gets a lot from a face-to-face interview, but also from being in the house and being able to see the place where they live.

“People really want to talk about their loved one. Even though they’ve told the story a hundred times, they don’t usually get asked the deeper questions of a reporter compared to the average person or someone they meet on the street.”

Hill has autonomy over which stories she selects for “Lifetimes.” Sometimes, family members will suggest a feature; other times an obituary will catch her eye. The only criteria is that the person needs to have a strong connection to the region.

One memorable obituary for Hill started with the name of a doctor from Eastern Europe and two of her relatives. The woman was a hundred years old when she died.

“You start doing the math and you figure that she became a doctor in the 1930s in Eastern Europe? There’s a story here,” remembers Hill. Digging deeper into the story revealed a veterinary surgeon who had lead research in Eastern Europe on brucellosis, a disease affecting cattle. Her research was renowned all over the world.

Hill’s work has also quite literally taken her in unexpected directions.

In 2010 she interviewed a volunteer from a Waterloo-based charity working to build schools in Uganda.

“He so inspired me, I joined up, trav-

elled to Uganda in 2011 where I visited a high school and fell in love with the school’s performing arts group, Suubi Fusion Troupe,” she shared by email.

Working with her friends, she brought eight kids from Suubi in 2013 for their first performance tour, and registered a non-profit called Dream for Uganda.

The troupe returned again in 2015, and a documentary about the group screened at last year’s Grand River Film Festival.

“In February 2017, Dream for Uganda will take a group of First Nations performers from Six Nations, to collaborate with Suubi and other Ugandan performers for the next film: “Two Drums, Many Dreamers,” which will be screened in 2017 at Centre in the Square.”

International travels aside, Hill says it is often the average person’s story that interests her the most. Finding the humanity in those individuals that are more cantankerous, navigating tricky relationships, or helping people remember the stories that they have forgotten about their loved ones.

“I’ve interviewed so many people who maybe never ‘accomplished’ anything, never travelled farther than down the street, but they left such an incredible impact on their family,” says Hill. “When someone comes back to me afterwards and says ‘you’ve captured that person correctly’, that’s when I know I’ve done a good job.”

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FICTION

DAN KRUGER CONTRIBUTOR It was Isaac’s first day of grade seven and he was determined to present himself as a new man at his new school. His old friends would barely recognize kinder, wiser, New Isaac.

No more would he lead a “lunchtime mafia” racquet that extorted desserts from vulnerable grade twos and threes. No longer would he organize late night missions to change the school signboard from “Good Luck Next Year Grade Sixes! Effort Wins Success” to “Grade Sics Sucs! Good Luck Wit Sex.” He would burn the extra letters hidden in his closet. New Isaac will be an irresistible, mature young man. Mariah will be head over heels.

Isaac’s new teacher was vigorously writing a class list on the white board.

He wondered if she was older than his summer camp counselor. Was this her first teaching job? Would that make her strict? Would she prefer yelling or crying? He contemplated what New Isaac’s relationship with his teacher would have to be like.

Before addressing the class, the teacher smiled at a boy with jet-black

11

JUST BE FRIENDS?

hair in the front row. She gave him a miniature wave and mouthed “hi” without making a sound. The boy turned his lips inward and lowered his head.

“Welcome to Courtland Avenue, grade sevens! I am Mrs. Clancy, and I am so excited to see so many new faces today!” She smiled at the boy in the front row again. “Some of you know each other already, but we’re still going to take some time to introduce ourselves. I’m going to call out your names, and you will each say one word that best describes you!”

Isaac was relieved Mariah was in a different class. His mind was brimming with suggestive one-word descriptions: experienced, endowed, machine, fertile... It would take time for New Isaac to be comfortable with himself and he didn’t want Mariah to witness any slip-ups.

Ariel was athletic, Abdi was a genius, Basil was fast, Caro was musical, Deanna was awesome, and Deanna stole Draymond’s word, so Draymond was best. The next name on the list was Elyas. Mrs. Clancy stepped toward the boy in the front row.

“Our friend Elyas here is new to Canada. His family came from Syria this summer and he is just starting to learn English. He will split his time between our class and Mr. Woods’ class downstairs.” Elyas stared at his lap, frozen.

Mrs. Clancy’s voice quickened. “For now, I am going to write ‘sporty’ for Elyas, because I know that he is quite

the soccer player!” She smiled in Elyas’ direction, but he remained still.

New Isaac saw an opportunity. He had heard all about the war in Syria.

His dad was thrilled when Prime Minister Trudeau announced his plan to accept Syrian refugees into Canada. His mom volunteered for a “Newcomer Orientation” program that helped new refugees settle in KW. That summer, a badly sunburnt camp counselor shared a campfire reflection that focused on how “people like us can help Syrian refugees feel at home.”

New Isaac wanted to help. He would take Elyas under his wing. He would protect him from bullies, help him learn English, and invite him to play pick up games. New Isaac would treat Elyas like a little brother and Mariah would notice.

Isaac followed a crowd of students outside after class. He walked past a basketball court with treacherous pavement and faded three point lines, casually surveying the scene for Mariah. He spotted her and some friends walking down a set of concrete steps toward a soccer field. He followed, pretending not to take particular notice when Mariah and her friends joined a crowd that was being split into teams by a girl wearing a Messi jersey. Elyas observed intently at the edge of the field. Seizing his chance, Isaac trotted over to Messi and motioned her in Elyas’ direction.

“Let’s see if he wants to play. He’s new here and he’s looking lone-

ly.” With Messi’s permission, Isaac beckoned Elyas to join them. He made sure to exaggerate his hand motions as he explained to Elyas what net he was shooting on and that he would be playing on the same team as him. He didn’t dare look to see if Mariah was watching, but he had faith.

Elyas took his shoes off, shook each leg out, and proceeded to dominate the game. Messi conveniently lost track of the score after Elyas scored the first five goals. New Isaac demonstrably fist bumped, high fived and victory danced with Elyas after each goal. After his sixth goal, Elyas put both hands on the back of his head, pointed his elbows outward, and began a gyrating, thrust-filled routine of provocative dance moves.

Old Isaac couldn’t resist. He joined.

The two cackled hysterically as each of their moves became marginally more x-rated than the last.

Mrs. Clancy looked on in horror from the edge of the field. Quiet, sweet Elyas was hanging with the wrong crowd! She ran to the boys, shielding her eyes from their dance moves. Isaac felt a hand spin him around by the shoulder.

“What’s your name?”

Isaac’s smile faded as he repositioned his hands quickly.

“Uh. I’m Isaac. S-sorry. We were just dancing.” Was New Isaac dead already?

Mrs. Clancy stared at Isaac with contempt, took him by the arm, and led him away from the group. She spoke in

a hushed voice.

“What do you think you’re doing?

This is Elyas’ first day of school in a new place and you’re helping him get negative attention!” Mrs. Clancy paused as she realized Elyas had followed them.

“Elyas! Hi! What you two were doing...” She awkwardly began dancing, but thought better of it. “We cannot...”

Elyas interrupted. “I dance in Syria.

We dance at soccer in Syria. At home.”

Elyas made an expert “innocent wounded face” that Old Isaac observed with admiration.

Mrs. Clancy froze while her face heated up. “Of course!” She itched her hip frantically, giving Isaac a nervous glance. “Yes, your dancing must be very different, of course! It... yes, I guess I’m just not familiar with it.”

Isaac tried to mirror Elyas’ confused facial expression. Mrs. Clancy clasped her hands together.

“I am very sorry for the misunderstanding, boys. Elyas, I hope you teach Isaac more moves! I’m sure he has a lot to learn...”

Old Isaac, shocked at Elyas’ finely honed skills, followed him in awe as they ran back to the field, free. Elyas smirked at Isaac casually and winked.

Amazed, Isaac looked past Elyas and saw Mariah staring directly at them, disgusted. His heart sank. Maybe they could just be friends...

SEPTEMBER 2016 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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Fem Ales organizers Jane Barkley, Lisa Wallace, Charlotte MacKenzie and Lee Brooks (left to right) hold forth at their second event of the summer. PHOTO COURTESY KAT ROGERS-HERN

FEM ALES GATHERINGS CREATE SAFE & CHILL SPACES

LOCAL ORGANIZERS BRING WOMEN TOGETHER TO CRUSH STEREOTYPES AND A FEW REGIONALLY MADE BREWS

KAT ROGERS-HERN COLUMNIST There’s nothing I enjoy as much as a quiet night at home with my partner, our hound, a few close friends and some delicious beer. Or so I thought.

Twice this summer, I’ve had the opportunity to share pints of fantastic local brews with friends and strangers alike, bonding over our shared interest in craft beer. On both occasions, we were treated to a mini education session from local industry experts, and on both occasions, every person in

attendance was female identified.

The Fem Ales is a ladies-only beer group founded by Lisa Wallace, Jane Barkley, Melanie Baker and Charlotte MacKenzie. Inspired by their positive experiences at events run by the much larger Society of Beer Drinking Ladies in Toronto, they decided that it was time to offer similar opportunities to women in Waterloo Region.

They’ve hit the ground running.

In July, the group rapidly sold out of tickets to the inaugural event at Fionn Maccool’s in Kitchener. Alex Szaflarska, worker/owner at Together We’re Bitter Brewing Co-operative, was the featured speaker. The second event, run in conjunction with the first Waterloo-Wellington Craft Beer Week, took place on August 20 at Descen-

dants Beer & Beverage Co. Close to forty tickets were sold — no small feat for a Friday in the summer.

Upon arriving at Descendants, guests were given three drink tickets and a raffle ticket. There was ample time to select and enjoy a bevy before the formal portion of the evening began; in this case, a Q&A with owner Lee Brooks.

At first, the questions were pretty mundane: What was the first beer you ever tried? What’s your favourite Descendants beer? Hers is the Hefeweizen.

Soon, though, we had a chance to hear more about Brooks’s experience as a woman in the beer industry. She spoke about finding a balance between raising her son and running her

brewery, about being the underdog, and about being treated as just the owner’s wife during the renovation process. Her comments were candid and passionate, eliciting audience responses that included a shouted “way to break the glass ceiling, sister!”

When the Q&A wrapped, raffle prizes were drawn and beer enjoyed in a space buzzing with conversation.

I didn’t know most of the women in the room that night, but I felt at home.

I’ve had discussions with women who argue that events like this one are counterproductive, setting a precedent of separate-but-equal within the industry. I disagree. Organizations like Fem Ales and SOBDL are, as Barkley explains, “about having a safe and chill space where women can have

a few well crafted brews, learn more about the brewing industry from the perspective of women working in it... and along the way basically crush stereotypes about women.”

I hope that all women will feel comfortable engaging in the broader beer culture soon, but we’re not there yet.

Until then, we need events like these.

The next Fem Ales event will take place at the Fork and Cork on Weber Street on Saturday, October 1. Tickets haven’t been released yet, but when they do they’ll be announced on twitter (@The_Fem_Ales) and available for purchase on fem-ales.com. If you don’t have anyone to go with, just look for me. I’d love to chat beer with you.

KEEP GARAGES IN THE ‘BURBS

JAMES HOWE COLUMNIST Many suburbs feature house after house that sits behind or on top of the garage, which tends to orient residents’ lives to inside the home or the backyard. While that may be what people living in those suburbs prefer, it seems not to be what people living downtown desire. Those folks like having homes that face the street, often with a nice porch, which helps build a sense of community.

And yet, someone could right now pluck a typical suburban house and plop it into an old and established downtown community. Even where the house is found behind the garage.

That’s more than a hypothetical situation. It happened in the neighbourhood surrounding Eastwood Collegiate in Kitchener, where residents found a massive semi-detached house built amongst their modest 1½ story homes. This type of transformation is happening in other long established neighbourhoods across the region.

And it is a trend that is likely to accelerate once the LRT is operational and property values increase.

As residents around Eastwood discovered, if new builds conform to zoning and any other regulations in place, they can be built. Residents there were upset because they purchased a home in a neighbourhood because they liked its character. They care about maintaining its look and feel and get nervous or upset about change that impacts what they love about their neighbourhood.

Residents are not opposing change like knee-jerk NIMBYs. If you tour the neighbourhood, you will see many

homes that have been enlarged. They just want change that respects their neighbourhood’s character, and a fair opportunity to influence future development.

That’s why the City of Kitchener initiated a Residential Intensification in Established Neighbourhoods Study (RIENS). The study will determine what regulations should be in place for small scale development in neighbourhoods that have been largely the same for decades. It focuses mainly on the downtown neighbourhoods near LRT stations and the Rockway-Vanier area.

The goal is to establish rules that help guide developments and major renovations so that they fit into the norms of the neighbourhood. How high will a house be compared to its neighbours? Will it leave less space between houses than is common?

At one public meeting, there was concern that these rules could homogenize eclectic, quirky neighbourhoods.

That’s not the intent at all. Rather the desire is to preserve that kind of character. In fact, the rules can only set the context for what is possible.

There will always remain lots of room for individual preferences and taste.

And that’s why I believe the most important regulation that is needed to guide development and renovations in established neighbourhoods is: the garage must be to the side of the house and must be at least a metre behind its front side.

RIENS will be proposing regulations for Kitchener this fall. If you live in the study area, I urge you to get involved in setting the rules that determine what is possible before you feel helpless. If you live in Waterloo, you can join a similar process, as the City is updating its urban design guidelines.

James is on a stakeholder committee providing feedback on RIENS in Kitchener.

SEAGRAMS WHISKY A BRIEF AND PARTIAL HISTORY WORDS BY ELIZABETH DICESARE. DESIGN BY ALLISON LEONARD. IMAGES COURTESY OF THE CITY OF WATERLOO MUSEUM.

1857

Granite Mills & Waterloo Distillery, owned by William Hespeler and George Randall opens.

1869

Joseph E. Seagram buys a share of the company, which is renamed to George Randall and Co.

1881

An ownership switch prompts another name change, to Seagram and Roos.

1911

1883

The company is renamed again as the Waterloo Distillery, which begins to pump out an average of one million gallons of whisky per year. The distillery starts aging batches of Seagram ‘83, which becomes available for sale in 1887.

SEAGRAM & SONS LTD.

“ 1918

Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, Limited is officially incorporated. The Seagram family takes sole ownership and begins producing a special blended whisky called Seagram V.O. By this time, Joseph E. Seagram had the corner of his building cut off, so the Canadian Pacific Rail tracks could be be built closer than the Grand Trunk tracks, giving the building its iconic shape.

1930

Many people turn to alcohol to cope with their problems during the Great Depression. In response, Seagrams runs a large campaign urging customers to take care of themselves and their families.

It was actually during prohibition that Joseph E. Seagram sold the plant to Sam Bronfman. The Seagrams had contributed so much locally, in Waterloo, and he didn’t like the fact that he was being associated in such a negative way with bootlegging.

- Karen VandenBrink, Manager, Museum and Archival Collections, City of Waterloo Museum

1928

The company’s name changes again, to Distillers Corp. — Seagrams Ltd. The Seagram family name stayed, as they were already well established in Canada and overseas.

1939

1950

Seagrams supports the war effort in two ways: by boosting morale, and producing industrial alcohol. A specialty packaging was developed for the navy to contribute to morale.

WOMEN AND WHISKY

1975

In the late 1970s, Seagrams is well-known internationally for their whisky, but also bottled and exported varieties of vodka, rum and gin.

1984

The Seagram Museum opens inside the distillery, telling the story of how it all began.

1990

An announcement is made that the Seagram plant in Waterloo will begin to shut down and phase out production.

1992

THE SEAGRAMS PLANT OFFICIALLY CLOSES 1997

The Seagram Museum closes due to a lack of funding. The 6,000+ item collection moves to the City of Waterloo Museum.

1999

The iconic Seagram Lofts open, preserving the distillery’s physical history by converting the old warehouses into homes.

Seagrams is known for employing a large number of women to bottle their liquor. All of the labels are glued on by hand, and each bottle is adorned with a hand-tied ribbon as well.

“All the labels and all of the adornment that went on a bottle had to be done by hand, and men did not have the dexterity to execute those fine motor skills like the women did.” - Karen VandenBrink

1993

A fire destroys the Seagram distillery’s original stillhouse and mill, but the building’s door is saved and becomes part of the region’s heritage collection.

TODAY

Many of the liquors originally distilled by Seagrams (V.O., Crown Royal, Captain Morgan) are owned by British company Diageo. Brick Brewery owns the rights to the Seagrams coolers, so that label is still produced locally. The Seagrams legacy and aesthetic is widely celebrated in Waterloo Region — especially by the tech sector. One of the historic buildings is now home to Shopify.

SEPTEMBER 2016 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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NOTICE YOU’RE INVITED TO PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE #3

NORTHDALE NEIGHBOURHOOD STREETSCAPE MASTER PLAN The City of Waterloo is holding a third public information centre to present the updated recommended options for the design of Northdale neighbourhood streets (see map) and the preferred streetscape master plan design treatments. Some of these preferred treatments have been modified based on community responses received since the last information centre on May 11, 2016. This final information centre will be held as follows:

Date: Wednesday Sept. 14, 2016 Time: Anytime between 4:30 and 8 p.m.

Location: St. Michael’s Church, 240 Hemlock Street, Waterloo The preferred street treatments follow the policies and recommendations of the Northdale Land Use and Community Improvement Plan approved by Waterloo city council in June, 2012.

The information centre will be an informal drop-in format with display boards. City staff and their consultant, IBI Group, will be available to answer questions and collect feedback regarding the final preferred designs. No formal presentation will be made.

Comments and information regarding this streetscape master plan study are being collected to assist the City of Waterloo in meeting the requirements of the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. These materials will be maintained on file for use during the project and may be included in project documentation. With the exception of personal information, all comments will be part of the public record.

Information on this project is available at waterloo.ca/northdalestreetscape.

To provide comment and/or to be added to the study mailing list, please e-mail northdale@waterloo.ca or contact either one of the following study representatives: Mike Lupsa, P. Eng. Senior Project Engineer City of Waterloo Phone: 519-886-2310, ext. 30261 Fax: 519-886-5788 E-mail: mike.lupsa@waterloo.ca

Don Drackley, MCP Consultant Master Plan Manager IBI Group, 101 – 410 Albert Street Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3V3 Tel: 519-585-2255 Fax: 519-585-2269 E-mail: ddrackley@ibigroup.com

P. 519.886.1550 TTY. 1.866.786.3941 waterloo.ca/publicnotices

GEEK WEEK, EEK! JACQUELINE MARTINZ CONTRIBUTOR You could be a geek.

Don’t let the common misconceptions about geekiness that are shown on television and in films stop you from embracing the word.

“To be a geek means you’re passionate about something,” says Sam Trieu. “You can be geeky about food, for example. I’m passionate about community, and anything that brings people together. There are so many negative connotations, and it’s time to reclaim that definition.”

As one of the organizers for Geek Week Waterloo Region, Trieu knows.

She has accepted her inner geek, and is working with other passionate individuals and organizations from across the city to hold an array of events under the Geek Week banner, from September 10-24.

“It’s a culmination of what has been going on within the region,” Trieu said. “This area is so well known for its entrepreneurs and tech sector, but Waterloo has a vibrant arts and culture scene as well… This year’s Geek Week is the largest one.”

Once again, visitors to Geek Week have been promised the chance to explore and experience special events that highlight art, technology, local food and beverages.

The 10-day celebration will begin with MakerExpo on September 10.

The family-friendly event will feature makers, artists and organizations who

devote their time to creating a wide range of unique items.

On September 15, the Waterloo Innovation Summit and Waterloo Region Small Business: Social Media Clinic get underway. At the summit, wellknown speakers will present ideas for businesses, universities and government on how to tackle the changing economy and build new ventures.

Hack the North, Canada’s biggest hackathon, will be held from September 16-18. Over a thousand eager students are expected to gather at the University of Waterloo, and spend a maximum of 36 hours experimenting online.

Next up is Doors Open Waterloo Region, which launches on September 17. Visitors to this event will be able to take tours of interesting, noteworthy local buildings. There are more of these than you think in Waterloo region.

Nerd Nite KW, happening on September 21, will allow visitors plenty of time to socialize and play an assortment of geeky games, and Startups and Beer, on September 22, will feature beer from local craft breweries.

The celebration will wrap up with a movie night on September 24.

Once it’s all over, you’ll be able to decide if Geek Week truly showcased all the things to be passionate about in the region. In the future, it might encompass even more.

“There’s a lot of pride in Geek Week being a regional effort,” Trieu said.

“However, in the next few years, a Toronto and Waterloo Region initiative isn’t out of the realm of possibility.”

Head to geekweekwr.ca for a full schedule of events.

SEPTEMBER 2016 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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KW ILLUMINATES MUSLIM WOMEN OF KW CONTINUE TO CREATE SPACE FOR THEIR CREATIVE WORK

ZAINAB MAHDI CONTRIBUTOR Being a Muslim woman is anything but simple. It involves finding yourself as the topic of discussion for media reports and political debates, without being included in those conversations. It means learning – very publicly – about the apparent restrictions on your life due to a faith that you have willingly chosen to practice.

The recent twitter hashtag #CanYouHearUsNow surfaced as a result of Muslim women pushing back against stereotypes suggesting their inability to speak for themselves. Spearheaded by the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) along with the support of hundreds of Muslim women activists, the results emerging out of this campaign were tremendous, and understandably so. Muslim women around the world are refusing to adhere to narratives depicting them as silent and docile, and those living in KW are no different.

Last month, community members and representatives of local organizations convened at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery to celebrate the completion of the Illuminate Arts KW project — an art initiative created by the Coalition of Muslim Women KW and funded by the City of Waterloo and the Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation.

This project aimed at providing local and newcomer Muslim women with resources and opportunities to cultivate their creative talents and encourage their further engagement in the arts.

Over the course of 18 months, Illuminate organized and facilitated over 20 beginner and intermediate creative workshops ranging from painting and sketching to calligraphy and spoken

word poetry.

One of Illuminate’s many successes was KW’s first ever Muslim women art exhibition. This exhibition – titled “Defining Identity” – showcased the artwork of 16 local Muslim women at THEMUSEUM for the month of June.

Each of the art pieces reflected the identities, perspectives and lived experiences of the artists, and opened up the space for Muslim women to share their stories with others in the community.

“Illuminate Arts plays a significant role in valuing and cherishing the voices of Muslim women within our community,” says Ala’ Thibeh, one of the project coordinators. “This project has increased the opportunities for Muslim women to get involved and connected with the major art organizations and other artists in KW, all while bridging the gaps between Muslim women and the larger community.”

However, bridging this gap is easier said than done; it requires effort and understanding. It cannot be achieved without putting aside preconceived notions and prejudices about an already marginalized group of individuals. It requires taking a back seat and acknowledging that there exists no fixed narrative or singular identity for all Muslim women.

It requires listening and learning.

By using art as a medium for self-expression, groups like Illuminate offer a foundation for dialogue that transcends boundaries. Art has the ability to speak when words are insufficient.

Its language is universal, and its reach is extensive. Throughout the course of the project, these artists have used their skills and their stories to better express themselves and to begin building a more inclusive community.

This is only the beginning for Muslim women artists in KW. Not only #CanYouHearUsNow, but there’s a good chance you’ll be seeing us, too.

ARTS & CULTURE EVENT LISTINGS THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 NICK CAVE DOCUMENTARY PRINCESS CINEMA The documentary One More Time with Feeling will screen for one night only to celebrate Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ 16th studio album, “Skeleton Tree.” The record will be released globally the following day.

KITCHENER CITY HALL 60 local Etsy venders will set up shop in downtown Kitchener for the third Made in Canada artisan show.

Support local makers and buy some handmade soaps!

Education • Free • 7-9pm

Music • Film • $15 • 7-9pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 MAKER EXPO KITCHENER CITY HALL Various makers and artists will be showcased at this event to celebrate people who create. Embrace the DIY culture and see some cool stuff.

Fun • Free • 10am-6pm

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 LOUD MUSIC OPEN SESAME Burrows, The Knees Up and Deathstucks are performing at Open Sesame. The Facebook page says it will be loud, so if you’re bringing a baby, you should probably bring baby headphones.

Music • All Ages • Doors 8pm

OUTFEST THE REGISTRY THEATRE OutFest celebrates Waterloo Region’s LGBTQ+ community with theatre, music, film, dance and slam poetry. Sounds pretty cool, so you should probably check it out.

Art • Community • $18 • 7:30pm

SUMMER’S END FESTIVAL WATERLOO CITY HALL Honour the end of summer with local music, food and artisan vendors in uptown. Local talent like Elliot & the Audio Kings will be there entertaining crowds.

Community • Free • 11am

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 VEGETARIAN FOOD FEST BUDDHA’S LIGHT CENTRE Eat some good vegetarian and vegan food and embrace the culture of plant-based diets! There will also be a yard sale fundraiser.

Food • 11:30am-3pm

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 OUTLAW FOOD TRUCK FEST CIVIC CENTRE PARK Downtown Kitchener will be saying goodbye to summer with 11 food trucks, live music, craft beer and family fun.

Fun • Free • 12-7pm

SURF DOGS BINGEMAN’S Dogs try to surf but mostly just splash around in the Bingeman’s splash pad. Small dogs get their turn at noon and the big dogs come in at 1pm. This might be the cutest thing you see all year, so put it in your calendar right now.

Fun • $10 • 12-4pm

BLOCK PARTY STARLIGHT Danny Michel will be at Starlight for their annual BBQ Block Party. There will be food, music and people, so check it out if you like those things.

Fun • 19+ • $25 • 5pm

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 SOCIAL NETWORKING THE FOODBANK OF WATERLOO REGION This networking event will feature breakfast and speakers exploring the intersection of mental health and food assistance. Proceeds will go to the Foodbank of Waterloo Region.

Community • $60 • 7:30-10am

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 DEEP WEB SCREENING CIGI

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 FEMINIST COMEDY B DTK The very first LOL (Ladies and LGBTQ+ Out Loud) comedy show, hosted by Erinn White and Suzie Taka, will feature Aisha Brown, Kalley Kellet and Elijah Zimmerman. Go there, embrace intersectionality and laugh a lot.

Comedy •$10 • 8:30-11:30pm

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 TAKE BACK THE NIGHT KITCHENER CITY HALL This annual march to end genderbased violence will include special guests the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre, the Aboriginal Student Association and the Good Hearted Women Singers. All are welcome to participate in this year’s march.

Community • Free • 5:30-8pm

B-MOVIE BINGO APOLLO CINEMA The classic B-movie Miami Connection will be showing at the Apollo. Bingo cards featuring film clichés will be handed out to moviegoers.

Film • $10 • 6:45-9pm

Deep Web is a documentary about the arrest of Ross William Ulbricht, the 30-year-old entrepreneur accused of being Dread Pirate Roberts, the creator of Silk Road, an online black market.

Film • Free • 7-9pm

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 KITCHENER HISTORY KITCHENER PUBLIC LIBRARY -

Sabiha Syed stands with some of her work, as part of Illuminate Arts’ “Defining Identity” show. COURTESY ILLUMINATE ARTS KW

CENTRAL BRANCH The KPL is hosting a panel discussion moderated by former Mayor Carl Zehr about what fueled Berlin/Kitchener as a peaceful city into a period of conflict. Panelists include local historian rych mills and UW professors Geoffrey Hayes and Mat Schulze.

AUTHOR READING OPEN SESAME Artist Christina Kingsbury and poet Anna Bowen will discuss their book ReMediate, which documents a three-year collaboration at the former Eastview Landfill in Guelph.

Books • Free • 7-9pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 ETSY: MADE IN CANADA

Art • Free • 9am-5pm

TRADITIONAL POW WOW WATERLOO PARK The Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre is hosting its 13th annual Pow Wow, this year in partnership with the City of Waterloo. There will be drummers, dancers, crafts and food vendors.

Culture • Free • 12pm

HARVEST FESTIVAL KITCHENER MARKET Local food, farmers and chefs are the focus of this event in celebration of the fall harvest. There will be cooking classes, workshops and food tastings. Come for the pumpkin spiced lattes and stay for the plaid.

Food • Free • 7am-2pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24* STUDIO TOUR CAMBRIDGE There are so many artists in Cambridge! Some of them will open their studios to the public, displaying their work and offering insights into their inspirations and artistic process. *Until Sept. 25.

Art • Free • 7-9pm

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT VICTORIA PARK PAVILION The City of Kitchener is seeking public input on how to better engage with citizens about decisions being made by the city.

There will be free food! RSVP on the internet. Political questions are far too important to be left to the politicians, said Hannah Arendt.

Workshop • Free • 1-3pm

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 BEER + SURVIVAL THEMUSEUM Drink craft beer and learn some survival skills. Participants will make (and take home) their own paracord bracelet. You’ll learn a lot about knots, which can save your life in a survival situation, especially one where you need to tie a life-saving knot but are otherwise fine.

Beer • 19+ • Cost TBD • 6:30-9:30pm

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1 VINTAGE POP UP BRICK BREWERY A pop-up market of vintage and indie clothing will take over the former Brick Brewery in uptown Waterloo.

Fashion • Free • 10am-5pm

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE FINALE VISITOR AND HERITAGE INFORMATION CENTRE The finale to Waterloo’s Artist in Residence Michele Baniff’s 2016 project, Re-contructing Construction, will be presented.

Art • Free • 2-4pm

COMMUNITYEDITION.CA @THECOMMUNITYED

WANT TO FOLLOW INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS IN CONTEMPORARY PERFORMING ARTS IN WATERLOO REGION?

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