The Community Edition: November 2016

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 2 • NOVEMBER 2016

INCONVENIENT TRUTHS ABOUT RACE PAGES 4-5

IF STREETS COULD TALK: CIVIC CENTRE PAGES 8-10

PIPELINES VERSUS THE PEOPLE

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Volume 5, Issue 2 Next issue: December 7, 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 Gord Assman Douglas Clarke Marika Galadza Meg Harder James Howe Stacey Jacobs Janice Jo Lee Allison Leonard

Dylan AT Miner Zainab Mahdi Elizabeth McFaul Seth Ratzlaff Eva Rucki Matt Smith Rachel Thevenard 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

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FEATURE

PHOTO BY SALLY MANN MATT SMITH

8-10 IF STREETS COULD TALK

IN WHICH SETH RATZLAFF INTRODUCES US TO THE SPECIAL HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE OF DOWNTOWN KITCHENER’S CIVIC CENTRE DISTRICT

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

IN BRIEF DO BLACK LIVES MATTER IN WR? WR TALKS SYSTEMIC RACISM MILESTONE IN TV REPRESENTATION BELONGING, NOT COMMUNITY LINE 9? NEIN. TOOLS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING COWORKING IN KITCHENER SEXPLANATIONS INFINITE ART REBUILT WR: KING AND MAIN #BESTOFWR: THE WINNERS! CPP AND ELDERLY POVERTY MUSIC THERAPY AND ANXIETY AGING WHILE LGBTQ+

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IN BRIEF

All of y’all weak people fall back. MATT SMITH PHOTO

NEWS

ARTS

URBAN

HELLS ANGELS FARM TEAM IN WR

KULTRUN FESTIVAL NEEDS YOUR HELP

HOME FOR FOLKS WITH DEMENTIA

According to the Ontario Provincial Police’s biker enforcement unit, the Stolen Souls motorcycle club has grown to approximately 30 members, a number that worries the OPP because as membership grows so does the potential for internal tension and violence.

According to the OPP, the Stolen Souls are a kind of “farm team” for the Hells Angels.

After attracting a record 15,000 visitors this year, Neruda Arts needs help to keep their Kultrun World Music Festival alive.

Their mission: “Bring in the best artists from Canada and around the world, pay them professional wages, and keep the festival free.” To that end they’ve launched a crowdfuning campaign online.

A care home purpose-built for people with dementia will open early 2017 in Kitchener. “Homelike” and comfortable, the residence is meant to help residents age and experience changing abilities with dignity and relative independence. Residents will be able to decorate rooms with personal belongings, and maintain significant privacy.

CULTURE CAN BE MEDICINE, TOO

ZONTA FILM FEST RETURNS TO KW

REGIONAL FORUM ABOUT CYCLING

The Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network is tripling its existing funding for culturally specific health services for indigenous peoples in the region, after identifying unmet needs. Academic researchers have elsewhere identified a strong connection between culture and positive health outcomes, or as one puts it, that “culture is medicine.”

Showcasing “courageous, powerful and thought provoking films, made by women, that highlight human rights,” the Zonta Film Fest returns to the region from November 8 to 10.

Angry Inuk, directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, turns the anti-sealing campaign on its head by explaining how Inuit ways of life are undermined by animal rights activists.

The Inter-Municipal Partnership for Active Transportation is hosting a regional cycling forum on November 30 in Kitchener.

Cycle Toronto will present about their work, while attendees can share “what it means to be bicycle friendly” and ideas to encourage safe cycling. Someone will probably be there handing out ONE LESS CAR stickers, if you don’t have one yet.

TOXIC POLLUTERS HIT WITH FINE

LGBTQ+ AND ISLAM BIG STARTUP INDISCUSSION CUBATOR OPENS

The man and company responsible for illegally dumping toxic chemicals, including PCPs, into a Woolwich Township sugar bush, have been fined $40,000.

After getting a high quote from a legitimate cleanup crew, Ronald Soha paid a now-deceased man much less to dispose the chemicals. The avoidance of punishment is no basis for morality, Mr. Soha.

Activists and scholars from the the LGBTQ and Islamic communities host a panel discussion to “discuss challenges and approaches to reconciling the coexistence of queer and religious identities within Canada’s cultural mosaic.” The November 10 event at the KPL aims to “foster solidarity” between two historically marginalized and othered communities, so go.

MORE BUSES AND BETTER SERVICE?

BBALL TEAM NEEDS DTK GROCER NOT DANCE PAK OPEN, NOT YET

The provincial government is building a new GO bus storage and maintenance facility in Kitchener. The new facility replaces the current space, which is leased, and will accommodate up to 20 GO buses. MPP Daiene Vernile says this is “terrific news for the people of Kitchener and surrounding areas,” which is nice.

Kitchener Waterloo’s new professional basketball team, the Titans, is looking for dancers to be part of its Dance Pak. The Pak leaders believe talent exists in the region, and told The Record they are not looking for a dozen Dancin’ Steves, the head-bobbing, flag-waving Kitchener Rangers superfan. Fans will adjust, most likely.

Over 80 startups currently work in the Velocity Garage, “the largest free startup incubator in the world” (so long as one founder attended University of Waterloo), which celebrated its opening on October 28. Velocity operates out of the former Lang Tanning Co. building, which reporter Terry Pender points out was once the biggest leather tannery in the British Empire.

The owners of J & P Grocery hope to open their new business – a grocery store, duh – before the new year, after running into unexpected renovation difficulties. They are moving into an old building on Queen Street in downtown Kitchener, and when they open there will be lettuce growing on the walls available for purchase.

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DO BLACK LIVES MATTER HERE?

INTERSECTIONS

ZAINAB MAHDI COLUMNIST August 24 marked a month since the tragic death of Abdirahman Abdi at the hands of Ottawa police. Similarly, it corresponded to a day of action across the country, with multiple cities nationwide rallying to demand justice for Abdi.

“Black lives they matter here, black lives they matter here!” chanted a chorus of voices, as Black Lives Matter supporters marched toward the Waterloo Regional Police Station on Frederick Street in protest of police brutality.

“Black lives they matter here!”

With each outcry came a heightened sense of urgency, and what can only be described as a fervent attempt to speak those words into reality.

According to reports, Abdirahman Abdi was a 37 year-old Somali-Canadian with undisclosed mental health issues. An encounter with police officers in his Ottawa neighborhood left Abdi bloody and battered on the street.

He died shortly thereafter. He was unarmed. Abdi should still be alive.

The Black Lives Matter movement – in the U.S and Canada alike – emerged out of obvious systemic failures. The failure of law enforcement to protect the very lives they are entrusted to protect. The failure of authorities to uphold basic principles of justice and accountability, and their failure to recognize and accept the value and humanity of black lives. The BLM movement demands change and ardently refuses to permit the perpetuation of the status quo.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” By partaking in the

day of action, Kitchener Waterloo as a community refused to remain idle in the face of injustices anywhere.

Tamon Scarlett co-organized the local BLM rally and explained that the demonstration was part of an organized effort “to show resistance” and “take a stand” for individuals persecuted unjustly, particularly those susceptible to violence.

“Abdirahman wasn’t only a black person but specifically a mentally ill person… [he was] a minority within a minority within a minority,” Scarlett said.

Kitchener Waterloo is made up of countless minority groups. The recent resettlement of over 1100 Syrian refugees in our city is a testament to that. With such a diverse populace, it is imperative that our community begins to have meaningful discussions on racial discrimination, social justice and community solidarity.

“Kitchener Waterloo is a transitional city for black people and recent immigrants” said rally co-organizer and Somali community member Jama Hagi-Yusuf. “So much of our struggle is just surviving.”

But supporting the everyday struggles of minority groups in general and black people in particular need not be confined to singular movements.

Hagi-Yusuf points to “community led events for black folks” and “cross-cultural connectivity” as other avenues of creating and promoting sustainable change.

Although Kitchener Waterloo took a significant stance in demanding justice for Abdirahman, a single day of action isn’t nearly enough. There is still much more work to be done within our community and every single one of us is implicated. Ask yourself, in what ways can my unique life experiences, perspectives and resources make a difference in my community?

How can I show that black lives matter here, too?

Many gathered in Kitchener late August to protest the death of Somali-Canadian Abdirahman Abdi, who died shortly after an encounter with Ottawa police (top). The provincial Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism Michael Coteau spoke at an October meeting about systemic racism. PHOTOS COURTESY ZAINAB MAHDI AND THE ANTI-RACISM DIRECTORATE

“THE ELEPHANT IS IN THE ROOM” AS KW TALKS RACE

HOURS OF SHARING ABOUT SYSTEMIC RACISM WHEN NEWLY CREATED ANTI-RACISM DIRECTORATE COMES TO TOWN

JESSE BAUMAN EDITOR IN CHIEF It’s often said that Canadians don’t know how to talk about race, and while there were conspicuously few white faces in the crowd, it was standing room only at a recent community meeting about systemic racism in the region.

Early this year, Black Lives Matter Toronto (BLMTO) and allies defended a weeks-long encampment in front of Toronto police headquarters to protest the Special Investigations Unit’s decision not to press charges in Andrew Loku’s shooting death.

Following BLMTO’s direct actions the province created an Anti-Racism Directorate to “eliminate systemic racism in institutions governed or regulated by the Ontario government” and “increase public awareness of racism,” according to a release.

Individual racism is typically the result of one person’s discriminatory be-

haviour, and easy enough to identify: that person is a racist. Systemic racism describes how systems or institutions can unconsciously or unintentionally perpetuate racial discrimination. Examples include the serious overrepresentation of people of colour and indigenous people in our prison system, and also the way that many organizations take for granted their workplace culture, including how people ought to communicate and dress.

To work towards its goals the Directorate is gathering public input through community meetings across the province, including the October 24 meeting at Kitchener’s city hall.

Millie Falconer, an indigenous elder who lives in Kitchener, was one of the first to share. She was also one of many who told the Directorate that the historical trauma of colonization means anti-indigenous racism has a unique texture in Canada, though there are also important similarities with anti-black racism and Islamophobia.

Falconer shared about shopping in Stanley Park Mall this July, and being harassed by a cashier who followed her out of the mall while calling her

“almost every name, from stupid Indian to lazy.”

“Indigenous people are still putting up with what they’ve been putting up with for years,” Falconer added.

Some shared – tentatively – that they welcomed any kind of conversation about race in Ontario.

“The elephant in the room is here,” said local resident Gebre Berihun, who added that multiculturalism and diversity are clichéd and harmful ways to talk about many people of colour’s experiences of racism in Canada.

Other speakers spoke about their hopes for what should come after the Directorate’s meetings.

“People are often hesitant to mandate change, but the reality with structural racism is that mandated racism landed us in this situation, so I don’t know how we can change it, if we don’t mandate change. And I would prefer to give that a try than to just talk and assume people will care, by hearing my stories of trauma and pain,” said Dr. Laura Mae Lindo to applause. Lindo is director of Wilfrid Laurier University’s diversity and equity office.

In his opening comments, assistant

deputy minister Sam Erry shared that one key focus for the Directorate moving forward could be the collection of disaggregated race-based data.

“Where there’s no data, there’s no problem,” Erry said.

However, many others – including Erry, whose slideshow listed a sampling of recent relevant reports – pointed out that data abounds, and that this round of conversations seems similar to previous exercises in community consultation.

“Governments come out and speak to communities all the time. They gather information, we all know that.

We suggest, we recommend a whole lot of stuff, and we don’t see a lot of changes. And then when there are [political] changes, something like the Anti-Racism Directorate dies,” said local resident Carl Cadogan.

“So now five or six years later, you’re creating a new Directorate to ask us questions, that all of the reports you cited, a lot of us have been a part of creating,” Cadogan continued. “So I think it’s important for you to consider how this would continue beyond two or three years.”

Chatting after the meeting, Shawn

Johnston shared a similar analysis.

Johnston is the events coordinator at the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre, and pointed out that “there’s already 30 years of data,” referring to the 1992 Stephen Lewis Report on Race Relations in Ontario, the 1999 Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples and this year’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada report, among many others.

“We collected the data for you, but we need action, not words,” Johnston said, adding that Coteau’s promise to return next year with the Directorate’s findings was inadequate.

“We can’t have another year of the current living conditions in Attawapiskat, and our kids killing themselves.”

The meeting ended with a request from indigenous elder Myeengun Henry.

“I’d like to ask each of you to look into your hearts and souls tonight, and take that step that only you can take, that says ‘I’m going to build a better world for my children, my grandchildren, and seven generations to come.’”

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KIM’S CONVENIENCE A REAL MILESTONE REVIEW

Sunny and Mark Jang are Korean-Canadians who have owned Total Convenience (pictured above) for 20 years, in Kitchener. They told Janice Jo Lee that they are excited to see stories like theirs on television. MATT SMITH PHOTO

JANICE JO LEE CONTRIBUTOR There are Korean actors on Canadian television playing Korean-Canadians. It seems simple but this is a big deal!

The debut of the CBC show Kim’s Convenience is a milestone for immigrant and visible minority communities in this country. The comedy portrays the life surrounding the Kims, their family-owned convenience store, and the generational differences between immigrant parents and Canadian-born children. The show is based on Ins Choi’s play, which had three successful runs in Toronto and across Canada. Paul Sun Hyun Lee and Jean Yoon reprise their stage roles as Appa and Umma on the small screen.

As a Canadian-born Korean with parents who once owned a convenience store, I am the target audience.

Four episodes in, I am a delighted fan.

Most of the action takes place in the store itself. A cluttered place with no sense of modern minimalist merchandising is oddly refreshing to see on TV. The show dives right into political and contentious content including gay pride week, ddong chims (which on the show they call a Korean style wedgie) and estranged families.

I admit I was worried in the first episode, when we are figuring out if Appa is homophobic or not. He teeters on being traditionally conservative and genuinely caring for gay customers who enter his store for the “gay discount” he offers to prove he is not homophobic. A heartwarming inter-

action late in the episode with a drag queen customer shows us that Appa is a good guy. Like many immigrant parents when faced with cultural difference, he tries to understand.

The writers have written fully formed characters beyond stereotypes. Appa’s antics in the store interacting with customers are like a screwball comedy but we also see him share tender moments with his wife.

Umma struggles with peer pressure from other mothers at church, who pry and show off about their families while volunteering.

Andrea Bang plays their daughter Janet, who is the reasonable rock of the family and also a creative type who loses her patience sometimes.

I’m particularly pleased about the casting of Simu Liu as estranged son Jung because it’s the first time I am seeing a total babe East Asian actor in a Canadian TV show, tearing down Asian nerd stereotypes with every shirt he doesn’t wear! He’s also a fine actor.

The supporting cast of white people are funny too.

The fourth episode is the strongest so far. We meet Nayoung, Janet’s cousin visiting from Korea and we hear more Korean spoken by the actors. I laughed out loud many times, and this time the jokes were well-sewn into developing the characters’ relationships. Korean speakers will understand bonus jokes from this episode.

Side criticisms are that Choi and Yoon play their Korean accents too strong, and they are inconsistent with their pronunciations of the F’s and V’s (There are no F or V sounds in Korean.) Also, could they squeeze in any more random shots of Toronto neighbourhoods in between scene transitions? Locals are loving this.

THE BUZZWORD IS BELONGING IN VITAL SIGNS REPORT

ANNUAL COMMUNITY CHECKUP MEASURES SOCIAL TRENDS AND ASSESSES QUALITY OF LIFE IN WATERLOO REGION

MARIKA GALADZA CONTRIBUTOR The Kitchener and Waterloo Community Foundation (KWCF) describes its annual Vital Signs report as a community “checkup” that measures social trends and assesses quality of life in the region. It’s also a report used by policy makers and granting agencies in KW to set their strategic funding priorities. So if you want a chance at winning a grant from any major funder in the area you better learn to use the buzz words included in this report.

The KWCF launched Vital Signs 16 at the Tannery Event Centre in Kitchener on October 12, where the KWCF research team shared an excellent snap shot of what’s going well in the community, and what we could be doing better. However, as KWCF CEO Rosemary Smith shared, her staff “are not the doers.” It’s up to citizens of

this community to figure out where to go with the findings.

Belonging was the key concept distilled from the report, which argues that people who feel that they belong in a community are more likely to donate to charities, volunteer and help a neighbour.

Belonging, especially for downtown Kitchener, is an apt word. We are getting an influx of tech sector employees and newly arrived Syrian refugees, in the latter case 250 per cent more than the national average, according to Alternatives Journal (A/J) publisher David McCarrigle.

Amidst all of this growth and good intention, are we building a KW where these seemingly disparate groups will find belonging? And what is the cost of the newly arrived Syrian refugees not belonging? One of the more surprising figures from the report stated that “typical immigrants do not reach income comparable to those born in Canada until 20 years after moving here.” Economic and cultural marginalization can lead to racial tensions, which can in turn make it harder for people of diverse faith and colour

to find meaningful employment or upward mobility. On this point, the report states that “while 13.1 per cent of our region identifies as a visible minority, they only constitute 5.9 per cent of our region’s leadership.”

This was clear at the launch, where I had to squint over a hundred or so upper middle class white hairdos to find anyone who looked like their last name might not have German or Anglo-Saxon roots. I noticed community leader Fauzia Mazhar was in attendance and wondered how it felt to be one of a few Muslim women at another gathering that talked about diversity and newcomer belonging with little visible representation from multicultural communities.

KWCF staff stress the important connection between belonging and social capital in the newest issue of A/J, stating in one article that “there is evidence that [in] communities with high social capital, children are healthier, safer and better educated, people live longer, healthier lives and democracy and the economy work better.”

You mean each of us is integral to each other’s happiness? Pardon my

sarcasm, but indigenous peoples were talking about interconnectedness and “wholistic” well-being long before social theorists gave it the term “social capital.” So while I could not agree more with the findings, it feels a bit colonial to spin this traditional wisdom as new, evidence-based research.

In my experience working with people experiencing homelessness or poverty, I’ve found that most people end up needing intervention when they’ve exhausted the social capital available to them. They simply have no one left to turn to, so they end up in the cold embrace of homeless shelters and other social service agencies, who try as they might are ultimately providing a service. It’s a tricky business when people are paid to care, and an issue that is explored often in the field of social work.

On the other hand, offloading the task of building “social capital” to neighbours, family and friends (who might be struggling to pay their market rent) allows the regional bureaus (with big money, staff and other resources) to shirk responsibility.

Perhaps the concept of social capital

has been gaining credence amongst leadership and policy makers because it demands so little of them?

The Vital Signs report also found that, while a thriving arts and culture scene is one of four top priorities for KW residents and businesses, people employed in the arts and culture sector earn between $5,000 and $17,000 less, on average, than the geneWral labour force in our region.

Kitchener’s former artist in residence Janice Jo Lee has been saying it for a while, now: if we value our artists, we need to pay them for their contribution to the liveability of our city. A thriving arts scene is hard to manifest when you’re trying to make rent, and so is the hard work of building social capital in a new city or country or continent.

Check out the Vital Signs report for yourself at www.kwcf.ca/vital_signs and see what stands out to you. Is it representative of your experience in this community? Is there a particular statistic you’d like to see change? Let us know @theCommunityEdition using #wrvs2016.

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PIPELINE FIGHT HEADS TO SUPREME COURT

CHIPPEWAS OF THE THAMES FIRST NATION RESIST PIPELINE THAT CARRIES CRUDE OIL THROUGH OVER 100 ONTARIO CITIES

RACHEL THEVENARD CONTRIBUTOR Local residents are supporting Chippewas of the Thames First Nation’s resistance to what they argue is a dangerously vulnerable crude oil pipeline running through southern Ontario.

A fight to protect water is central to this struggle. Enbridge’s Line 9 is a 40-year-old pipeline that runs from Sarnia to Montreal, through the Grand River and many other ecologically sensitive waterways that lead to the Great Lakes. Richard Kuprewicz, a pipeline expert, has determined that Line 9 has an over 90 per cent chance of rupture within the next four years.

Kuprewicz and others say that Line 9 is likely to rupture because it was designed to carry regular oil, but Enbridge has switched the contents of the pipeline to tar sands crude, also known as diluted bitumen.

At 11 degrees Celsius, bitumen is as hard as a hockey puck. To make it move several hundred kilometres along a pipeline, bitumen must be heated, highly pressurized, and diluted with heavily toxic and corrosive chemicals, hence the name: diluted bitumen, or dilbit. Dilbit is corrosive, and thinned the wall of a brand new pipeline, Keystone 1, over 95 per cent.

Enbridge tried this exact same project on its Line 6B, a twin pipe to Line 9, with disastrous effects. Some time after switching its contents from regular crude to dilbit, three million litres gushed undetected into the Kalamazoo river over 18 hours. This was the largest inland spill in North American history, and though Enbridge spent over $1 billion attempting to clean up the spill, the fact that diluted bitumen sinks instead of floats made that task basically impossible.

Line 9 is carrying crude from Alberta, whose terrible environmental and human rights records, especially as they affect indigenous communities in the area, are well known. And yet, despite objections from many municipalities and First Nations, and the general consensus that the tar sands are unsustainable, the National Energy Board approved the content switch for Line 9, and a 40 per cent increase

in the volume of crude transported through Line 9 every day.

As a result, Line 9 carries diluted bitumen through 18 First Nations communities and over 100 cities, villages and towns, through waterways, farmlands and biologically diverse ecosystsems, under schools, homes, and even next to a childcare centre.

None of the oil from Line 9 will heat homes in, or fuel the cars of the community members that Line 9 affects, as the oil will be shipped to Atlantic markets from a refinery in Montreal.

The Chippewas of the Thames First Nation, whose reserve is south of London, have been one of the most vocal First Nations opponents throughout the NEB hearing process, and are set to take an appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada on November 30.

Section 35 of the Canadian Constitution enshrines the rights of indigenous peoples, and includes free, prior, and informed consent. The Chippewas of the Thames First Nation is arguing that they were not consulted, and that the NEB, as a third party, could not provide meaningful consultation.

We are seeing similar opposition to pipelines across Canada and the US. Water protectors are standing up en masse against Enbridge’s Dakota Access Pipeline, which runs through sacred sites of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation, while the Unist’ot’en camp of the Wet’suwet’en Nation in northern British Columbia has been protesting numerous pipeline projects for almost a decade. On October 24, 99 youth were arrested in Ottawa while protesting the Northern Gateway pipeline.

These connected struggles make it clear that efforts to fight climate change and ensure adequate resource and energy access for all communities will fail unless they also ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples are respected.

Justin Trudeau spoke often on the campaign trail about how Canada’s most important relationship is with indigenous peoples. The Chippewas of the Thames First Nation will ask for their basic Constitutional rights to be respected by the Supreme Court later this month, for which legal fees are expected to reach $500,000. To find out more, donate to the legal fund, or get details about a November 5 benefit concert in Waterloo, visit chippewassolidarity.org.

Chippewas of the Thames First Nation are taking to the Supreme Court their resistance to what they argue is a dangerously vulnerable crude oil pipeline running through southern Ontario. ART COURTESY DYLAN AT MINER

AFFORDABLE HOUSING THROUGH NEW ZONING LAW? WR AND HOWE

JAMES HOWE COLUMNIST The lack of affordable housing for people with low incomes is a serious issue in Waterloo Region, and so the recent provincial announcement of $20 million for affordable housing construction is most welcome.

Unfortunately, even if the province could find more money for affordable housing, they wouldn’t find enough.

As the LRT spurs development along its route, particularly in our downtown cores, we should expect future developments to follow the model of those already underway, which are for

people with comfortable incomes.

So what happens to people who currently live in an already dwindling number of low cost rental units? If they move out of the core, they move away from efficient reasonably-priced public transit and access to many leisure and employment opportunities within a walkable or bikeable distance.

Our downtown cores need to be places where everyone is welcome and can live. We need to consciously take action to build inclusive communities that include a diversity of incomes. It is time for our cities to be proactive and ensure this outcome.

But what can our local cities do? Very little, if anything, based upon past experience.

When people packed the gallery at Kitchener City Hall in 2014 because of the closing of the Out of the Cold shelters, they learned there was not much

the city could do since, the Region of Waterloo is responsible for emergency shelter.

The Region presented the closing of the volunteer run shelters as a success story, as the number of beds available at the shelters it funded met the needs of people experiencing homelessness.

That is true. Our social service system responded to a need filled by volunteers so that it could provide enough emergency shelter.

But when it comes to the availability of affordable housing in our downtown cores and along the LRT route, there is only so much that can be done with $20 million over two years. So if we want to be serious about having diverse downtowns where there are adequate opportunities for people with low incomes to live, we need to do more and before much more development is approved.

The best news is that the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo can support this outcome by supporting Bill 7, the Promoting Affordable Housing Act, currently before MPPs at Queen’s Park.

This act gives our cities the ability to use a new planning tool called “inclusionary zoning.” If our local cities choose to use this new power, any new residential developments in identified areas must include a certain number of affordable units before they are approved.

By choosing to apply inclusionary zoning where we expect intensification to occur, Kitchener and Waterloo can ensure a good supply of homes for people with low and moderate incomes. Using it helps us to meet our intensification goals and ensure that the development spurred by the LRT contributes to inclusive and complete

communities.

As you might expect, there are developers who are not keen for our cities to use this new tool and will lobby against Queen’s Park passing it.

But inclusionary zoning is more than a feel good theory, and there are reasons to think the developers will not win the day. It has been proven successful in hundreds of American and English cities, and so it is no wonder that the City of Toronto and Jennifer Keesmaat, its chief planner, have been pushing for access to it for years.

Soon it may be time to pack the gallery of our local city halls to demand they do something to ensure there is sufficient affordable housing in our downtown cores. And this time, there will be something they can do about it.

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COWORKING FOR CREATIVES COMES DOWNTOWN TWO INITIATIVES PROVIDE AFFORDABLE SPACES FOR TECHNOLOGY AND ARTS TO MAKE BABIES

ELIZABETH MCFAUL CONTRIBUTOR Coworking spaces for creatives are taking off in Waterloo Region, as the newly redesigned 44 Gaukel recently opened in downtown Kitchener and the Kitchener Public Library has unveiled their vision for Studio Central.

ArtsBuild Ontario and the Accelerator Centre aim to create new connections between arts and technology at 44 Gaukel. The combined tech and arts space features affordable rehearsal and office space for local artists, and hardware lab space for tech startups.

“It was great fit [for ArtsBuild] to be engaged on the ground level and support the needs in the community,” says Lindsay Gould, executive director

of ArtsBuild Ontario. “It provides our arts space with the needed admin space and it also provides affordable rehearsal space for artists in the region.”

The idea of coworking isn’t new.

Organizations where groups of people share resources and space exist across the country in many different forms. “[44 Gaukel] might be a more affordable option for these organizations, which is especially relevant in the arts or non-profit sectors. Sharing the cost of the expensive printer, the internet, and other shared services goes a long way when you exist on very little revenue,” says Gould.

ArtsBuild hopes to run cross-programming between the tech and the arts sectors within the building, and to build connections between these groups.

“A lot of the companies with the Accelerator Centre are at the point where they are building prototypes and we

have a lot of organizations that do photography or film. That’s the most obvious intersect,” explains Gould.

“The other intersections may not be as obvious, but when you are in an environment, or on the same floor as other people, seeing them everyday and talking, there are more opportunities to realize where those connections may be had or where there are commonalities. Otherwise, these organizations probably wouldn’t hear each other’s names,” says Gould, Kitchener Public Library’s Studio Central promises another area for coworking creatives in the region, but with an emphasis on making technology more accessible. Imagine entering an innovative media studio, with space for audio and video recording, game development, virtual reality, 3D printing, broadcasting and programming – and not paying for it. Studio Central will be an expansion of the current digital media lab on the Cen-

tral Library’s main level. The vision for the space is a place to experiment, explore, learn, record, edit, and share your story with the world.

Part of the motivation for Studio Central is to expand the KPL’s work and place in the community. Today’s libraries are not just places for consuming content, but creating it.

“Libraries have always been associated with literacy, and in the information age, literacy has evolved into digital literacy. Digital media is how we communicate, how we conduct business, and how we both create and consume our entertainment,” says Bob Egan, manager of community connections and development at KPL. It’s clear at KPL’s central branch that the library has been working on closing the digital literacy gap.

“Our vision for Studio Central is a place that has the appropriate programming to create this opportunity for all members of society to get

hands-on experience with the tools of the 21st century,” says Egan.

Party in the Stacks, held October 26 at the library, served as a kick off party and fundraiser for Studio Central. “[Party in the Stacks] will hopefully be the first of many exciting events like this in the library because I think it speaks to what libraries are in our communities today: a community gathering point. They are places of information, of trusted knowledge, of innovation,” says Kitchener mayor Berry Vrbanovic.

At the event, keynote speaker Gerry Remer spoke to the importance of this initiative for the community.

“We still have a digital divide in Canada and in Waterloo Region between those who have access to the internet and digital technologies [...] and those who don’t,” says Remer.

These initiatives are a step in the right direction.

ArtsBuild Ontario and the Accelerator Centre aim to create new connections between arts and technology at 44 Gaukel, where they say they’ve created an “Airbnb for artists” (top). At Kitchener Public Library’s recent DIY Day, people worked together to fix and make stuff (bottom). KPL wants to increase digital literacy with its soon-to-launch Studio Central, an accessible media studio. MATT SMITH PHOTOS

IF STREETS COULD TALK: CIVIC CENTRE DISTRICT SETH RATZLAFF TAKES A GUIDED HISTORICAL TOUR OF ONE OF KITCHENER’S OLDEST NEIGHBOURHOODS. PHOTOS BY MATT SMITH

About 170 years ago, Berlin townsfolk got sick and tired of traveling all the way to Guelph to accomplish official business at that city’s courthouse.

They thought to themselves, as Jean Haalboom supposed, “We should have our own county seat!”

This is how Haalboom started our tour of the Civic Centre Heritage District, a large area of downtown Kitchener that is roughly outlined by Weber, Victoria, Queen and Frederick Streets. The District features a lot of unique buildings and homes, built especially during the “busy berlin” era — when the small town of Berlin emerged as a major economic exporter in early Canada.

Haalboom knows a fair bit about this area’s history. Over the past three decades she has chaired three different heritage committees. She was also a regional councillor from 2000 to 2014, a position she ran for specifically because of her desire to preserve the region’s unique heritage.

We started our tour at the Waterloo County Gaol (an old spelling of jail), located at 77 Queen Street North, which dates back to June 1852, when

Berliners decided to bid for a county seat.

“To become your own official county you had to have symbols, symbols that demonstrated you knew how to administer justice, and the symbols were a courthouse and a jail,” Haalboom explained.

“Frederick Gaukel had farm land here and he was the local innkeeper.

His inn, little tavern, was down where the Walper is… He donated the land [for the county buildings] and we still have the two and a half acres that he donated.”

Anyone who has visited the downtown Kitchener Public Library or The Registry Theatre has unknowingly stepped onto this parcel of land bordered by Weber, Queen, and Frederick streets. Seven months after the land was acquired, in January 1853, a courthouse was completed facing Weber Street and also a jail behind it, facing Queen Street.

Standing in front of the old jail, amidst a beautiful garden surrounding the building (another one of her efforts), Haalboom launched into a description of its architecture.

“The style of the jail is what we call classical revival. And why is it classical? Well, you think of Greek architecture. Note the triangular pediment supported by the cubic base.

And also the classical style is very formal.” By formal, she means that the architecture abides by standard rules of symmetry and ratio. The top windows perfectly align with the bottom ones, and they are also identical. Each segment of the building has its equal and opposite part.

In 1878, a large mansion was built in front of the jail to house the jail’s chief administrative officer, otherwise known as the governor. Tucked between 20 Weber Street and the Kitchener Public Library, this fancy house is easy to miss, but worth pausing for a gander.

In 1988, Haalboom helped found and then chaired Friends of the Governor’s House and Waterloo County Gaol. Back then the Region’s vision for the site did not include the two buildings; they wanted it flat and suitable for parked vehicles. Because of the group’s efforts and ability to stoke community support, the buildings

were spared from demolition and eventually restored and renovated.

“The tendency is away from the classical style,” Haalboom said as we turned our attention to the governor’s house. “We’re now into what we call Italianate style. You see under the eaves they have what you call brackets.” Italianate homes typically have elaborately carved brackets under the eaves, a design feature that makes its way into many different styles of homes.

“You still have symmetry of windows but it’s not as rigid and structured.

The design is more flowing and of course by the 1880s homeowners had more wealth and the invention of new equipment to make decorative woodwork.”

No one has occupied the governor’s house since 1978. Back then it was covered with “pinkish-red paint” and the porch was nearly collapsed. During its restoration, much of the decorative woodwork was reconstructed from old photographs, including the entire railing of the second-storey front porch.

Haalboom could not help but remark on the indulgence of such a

house meant for the overseer of the jailhouse, not to mention its unusual proximity to the jail itself. One historic photograph captures the governor’s wife enjoying tea on the back porch, the stone face and dark windows of the prison her backdrop. The house and the jail were even once connected with an enclosed link, presumably so that the governor didn’t have to brave the elements to visit the institution he administered.

It seemed that this extravagance was a common theme on our tour of the District. Berlin was really beginning to thrive in the late nineteenth century and people evidently felt a need to display all their new wealth. One good example of this is a unique house at 55 Margaret Avenue. It has two entrances, one onto Margaret and another onto Maynard Avenue. It contains all the features of the Italianate style, plus many more: fancy woodwork, brackets under the eaves, triangular pediments, circular windows.

“A statement about your wealth,” is how Haalboom interpreted the original homeowner’s intentions. [continued on page 10]

Looking through an arch in the old jailyard wall, the governor’s house sits in front of the former courthouse (top). Homes in the civic centre district illustrate a variety of architectural influences.

NOVEMBER 2016 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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IF STREETS COULD TALK, CONTINUED

The Civic Centre District is not just old heritage homes, as it also includes (left to right) the renovated KPL Central Branch, a long-abandoned lot and the brutalist provincial courthouse. MATT SMITH PHOTOS [continued from page 8] Across the road is 54 Margaret, built for a family profiting from the booming Berlin furniture industry and designed according to a Queen Anne style, a less popular style in the District. Its walls feature timber and stucco, harkening to Tudor architecture, and the windows include stained glass. It has large and defined bays and a giant turret on one side, adorned with decorative shingling.

Haalboom repeated many times that there is no such thing as a “pure style.”

All the heritage homes we looked at were a little bit of this and a little bit of that — different styles coming together in different ways. The resulting architecture is an interplay of ideas (or memories), local expertise, and the materials that were available to use.

This is where the term “vernacular” comes from. Vernacular architecture is a product of local tastes and local materials. “Berlin Vernacular” refers to a popular style of home that emerged in those days and can be found all across KW; it was the house of the

worker.

As we further explored the District, Haalboom pointed out signs of a tumultuous history during the mid-twentieth century. There’s a large vacant lot spanning the east side of Margaret Avenue. In the 1970s, before this area was designated a Heritage District, it was re-zoned for high-rise apartment buildings. Developers quickly bought up the properties and started making plans for their towers.

Since most of them intended to demolish the homes eventually, they had

no incentive to upkeep or renovate.

Before long the neighbourhood fell into disrepair. To make matters worse, a recession hit soon after. The result was that only two towers were erected and many old mansions were needlessly demolished either in preparation for building or because they were neglected and then condemned.

“Thank zoning,” Haalboom said with disappointment. “It’s been [vacant] like this for thirty-five years. And due to zoning. Because if you know you can build a high-rise, you know you can

multiply your money. Unless you’re sentimental, you’re not going to keep a heritage house and redo it.”

After our tour of the District, it became clear that the old houses, tall buildings and empty lots all tell a weaving story about the past.

Understanding the architecture and its context — from nostalgia for Europe to economic depression and modern “urban renewal” — has a way of making this normally impressive neighbourhood even more interesting.

NOVEMBER 2016 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

11

SEXPLANATIONS

STACEY JACOBS COLUMNIST

Stephen Lavigne’s “Partial Cubic Unit,” adhesive tape on paper, 2016. COURTESY STEPHEN LAVIGNE

REVEALING INFINITY IN THE SINGULARITY

LOCAL ARTIST STEPHEN LAVIGNE SHARES ABOUT PERSPECTIVE, SPACE AND A NEW SHOW

MEG HARDER CONTRIBUTOR As a being with limited perspective, do you truly understand how you inhabit the space around you? In his latest exhibition, In Finite Space at Open Sesame, Stephen Lavigne reveals to us the insufficiency of a single perspective and point, by collapsing space into a flat image and revealing infinity in the singularity.

In Finite Space consists of three meticulously rendered perspective “drawings” of milk crates and two residual process pieces. Two found milk crates are also on display and partnered with the works they inspired.

The three drawings of milk crates are completed using combinations of washi tape, painter tape, acrylic paint, graphite, mylar and paper.

While milk crates are his most recent muse, his past work includes studies of trailer homes, filing cabinets, and other organizational supplies. And though his choice of seemingly mundane and somewhat eclectic subject matter might be puzzling at first, his past work reveals aesthetic continuity.

At his artist’s talk on October 19, Lavigne explained that he simply chooses subject matter by what he finds intuitively attractive, which is primarily geometric objects with sharp edges and elegant curves.

Lavigne pairs his collection of beautiful objects with equally elegant ideas. As the play on words In Finite Space indicates, Lavigne’s latest work illustrates spatial concepts. He removes his subject matter from the world of lived experience by mechanically rendering its form, and then employs the abstracted shapes to demonstrate technical concepts like space, perspective, and infinity. For example, the piece “Single Cubic Unit” is a perspective drawing of green and

white milk crate but it also demonstrates the fallibility of an individual perspective to understand an object in space. The acute attention paid to perspective and shadow in the creation of the drawing produces the illusion of “a cube of space” on the paper. However, much like an M.C. Escher drawing, the crate is depicted at such an angle to create optical confusion about whether you are looking at the inside or outside of the cube.

The reverberation between the two perspectives visually collapses the cube into a flat image and, in turn, draws the viewer’s awareness back to the materiality of the art piece and reminds them of its “objectness.” This confusion about the art work’s status as two- or three-dimensional object questions the viewer’s reliability to truly understand it.

Lavigne also says he is interested in hybrids, things with two functions, pointing to the flat/sculptural, moving/static, and conceptual/formal nature of his work as instances of

hybridity. Another hybrid I noticed is that his work is both methodical and expressive.

“When people first see my work, many think I am a very organized person, but anyone who knows me knows that is not the case,” he says.

Despite his self-described mechanical process, he is working with materials that are by their nature unpredictable, and yield imperfect results.

These more expressive outcomes are evidence of Lavigne’s relaxed and playful character. Lavigne says he is happy to let these little imperfections and his handiwork show through, calling them “ghosts of the process.”

Pondering his choice of organizational subject matter despite his messy tendencies, Lavigne posits that “perhaps the choice reflects the goal of organization in my space and in my head.”

You can catch Lavigne at Open Sesame during Night\Shift, on November 5, where he’ll be running a collage party from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m.

Matt Smith can’t take all our photos. Email info@communityedition.ca if you want to take photos. Or copy-edit. Or write. ANOTHER MATT SMITH PHOTO

The third American presidential debate left me with a burning desire to set the record straight about abortion.

For those who missed it, Donald Trump said “you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month, on the final day. And that’s not acceptable.”

I agree. And while I never thought I would say this, Trump is right. That is not acceptable! And that is why it does not happen – not in the the United States and not in Canada.

Abortions are safe medical procedures conducted by licensed, empathetic physicians in hospitals and clinics. There is no ripping, no cutting, no tearing. The uterus can be reached through the vagina and the cervix. The vagina, cervix and uterus all stretch. They must in order to carry and deliver a pregnancy.

I spoke with Lyndsey Butcher, the executive director of SHORE (Sexual Health Options, Resources and Education) Centre, the pro-choice, sex-positive and inclusive local non-profit organization where I work. SHORE has supported hundreds of people facing an unplanned pregnancy by providing up-to-date, evidence based information about abortion, adoption and parenting, to allow people to make their own healthcare decisions.

“People in our community who have chosen to have an abortion face stigma and isolation. When they seek out information online or from crisis pregnancy centres, they are bombarded with false information about the effects of abortion, [like] breast cancer, post-abortion syndrome [and] infertility. All claims that are false and have no basis in medical science or research,” explains Butcher.

Credible research has shown that abortion is a safe, routine procedure that one in three people with a uterus will choose in their lifetime. In Canada, most abortions take place within the first 16 weeks of pregnancy. Less than one per cent of abortions take place after 20 weeks. A recent study out of the University of California followed people over three years, after having an abortion, and found that 95 per cent felt it was the right decision.

Their main feelings were of relief, not regret.

Accessible abortion services are a necessity in our society, and comprehensive sex education prevents abortions.

Abortion prevention is something I think we can all agree on. Comprehensive sex education would include teaching young people about their anatomy and how pregnancy happens, and the many ways to prevent pregnancy, including the use of birth control and emergency contraception.

Sex education should also discuss gender and how gender roles can influence our relationships. Practicing consent, assertiveness and healthy decision making in the classroom can fine tune the skills young people need to navigate youth culture and social media. Making young people aware of the services and supports available in the community is also essential.

Abortion is a difficult decision for many people to make, one that is usually not taken lightly. It is also a basic healthcare service that should be accessible to all. And even if you are anti-choice, don’t mindlessly agree with rants like Trump’s. Instead, support comprehensive sex education, because it decreases unplanned pregnancies, which in turn decreases abortions.

NOVEMBER 2016 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

12

REBUILT WR: “MAIN STREET,” UPTOWN WATERLOO

In 1910, Main Street bisected Waterloo. In 2016, King Street runs through uptown. TOP PHOTO (P000544) COURTESY GRACE SCHMIDT HISTORY ROOM, BOTTOM PHOTO MATT SMITH

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NOVEMBER 2016 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

THE BEST OF

WATERLOO REGION THOUSANDS OF YOU NOMINATED, THOUSANDS OF YOU VOTED AND A HANDFUL OF YOU ARGUED. (YES, WE SAW ALL THE REDDIT COMMENTS.) HERE ARE YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT WATERLOO REGION. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE WINNERS. SEE YOU AROUND THE REGION.

FOOD & DRINK BEST SANDWICH VINCENZO’S

BEST PATIO BOATHOUSE

BEST GRILLED CHEESE CHEESES MURPHY

BEST CHEAP EATS QUEEN STREET COMMONS

BEST ICE CREAM R’YCHEES

BEST COCKTAIL JANE BOND

BEST BAKERY CITY CAFÉ

BEST FOOD TRUCK WEST OF SEOUL

BEST CAFÉ DVLB

BEST LOCAL BEER BLOCK 3 KING STREET SAISON

BEST PIZZA FAMOSO

BEST LOCAL BREWERY BLOCK 3

BEST CHINESE CAMERON’S

BEST NEW CAFÉ SMILE TIGER

BEST LOCAL AUTHOR/WRITER CARRIE SNYDER BEST LOCAL MUSICIAN/BAND ALYSHA BRILLA BEST NEW MUSICAN/BAND BJORN BORG COLLECTIVE BEST LOCAL VISUAL ARTIST & BEST LOCAL DESIGNER JON JOHNSON BEST ARTIST (PERFORMANCE) JANICE JO LEE BEST MOVER AND SHAKER FAUZIA MAZHAR BEST ACTIVIST GROUP TRITAG BEST LOCAL BLOG/BLOGGER THE WATERLOSER BEST CITY COUNCILLOR DIANE FREEMAN

BEST THAI NORTHERN THAI BEST SHAWARMA SHAWERMA PLUS BEST CENTRAL/SOUTH AMERICAN TACO FARM BEST VEGETARIAN JANE BOND BEST PULLED PORK THE LANCASTER SMOKEHOUSE BEST INDIAN MASALA BAY BEST BEER SELECTION THE BENT ELBOW BEST CHEAP DRINK ETHEL’S BEST WINE LIST PUBLIC BEST SWEET TREAT AMBROSIA BEST FAMILY RESTAURANT ARABESQUE BEST BURGER THE WORKS BEST BREAKFAST THE YETI CAFE

SHOPPING & BUSINESS

BEST LOCAL POLITICIAN CATHERINE FIFE BEST SOCIAL PROFIT THE WORKING CENTRE BEST LOCAL REPORTER TERRY PENDER

NOTABLE FOLKS

BEST NON-TCE PUBLICATION WR RECORD BEST SERVER CAROLINE WESLEY

BEST SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT CATHERINE FIFE

BEST PERSON OVER 75 MARY JOHNSTON (UNANIMOUS) BEST PERSON UNDER 25 CARLY PETTINGER

BEST STREET PERFORMER SHAMARIE, THE BUCKET DRUMMER

BEST PHOTOGRAPHER MATT SMITH

BEST LOCAL RADIO CBC KW

BEST MUSIC INSTRUCTOR THE SCHOOL OF ROCK TEAM

BEST CRAFTSPERSON/MAKER THE DESCENDANTS BREWERS

BEST FILMMAKER TAYLOR JACKSON

LIVE & PLAY

BEST PARTY ALL THE PORCH PARTIES

BEST KARAOKE CHAINSAW

BEST ARTS EVENT NIGHT\SHIFT

BEST TRIVIA NIGHT PRINCESS CAFÉ

BEST PLACE FOR A SECOND DATE APOLLO CINEMA

BEST YOGA QUEEN STREET YOGA

BEST BUTCHER VINCENZO’S

BEST BOUTIQUE OPEN SESAME

BEST PLACE TO MEET PEOPLE KITCHENER MARKET

BEST BIKE TRAIL IRON HORSE

BEST ART STORE OPEN SESAME

BEST HAIR SALON BROWN SALON

BEST LGBTQ+ BAR JANE BOND

BEST PLACE TO READ KITCHENER PUBLIC LIBRARY

BEST PLACE TO BUY A SEXY GIFT ENVIE INTIMATES

BEST BOOKSTORE WORDS WORTH BOOKS

BEST COMMUNITY EVENT ALL THE PORCH PARTIES

BEST PUBLIC SPACE VICTORIA PARK

BEST BIKE SHOP BERLIN BICYCLE CAFÉ

BEST SPLURGE BHIMA’S WHARUNG

BEST PLACE TO DANCE STARLIGHT

BEST BUILDING KITCHENER PUBLIC LIBRARY

BEST OUTDOOR STORE ADVENTURE GUIDE (UNANIMOUS)

BEST LOCAL PRODUCT & BEST STARTUP MILLER BOOKBINDING

BEST LIVE MUSIC STARLIGHT

BEST PLACE TO WORK WITH OTHERS KITCHENER PUBLIC LIBRARY

BEST CONSIGNMENT STORE STYLFRUGAL (UNANIMOUS)

BEST EYECARE INSIGHT EYECARE (UNANIMOUS)

BEST MUSIC SHOP ORANGE MONKEY

BEST DOCTOR KITCHENER DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTRE

BEST TATTOO PARLOUR BERLIN TATTOO

BEST DENTIST DR. KAREN J. LEE (UNANIMOUS)

BEST GALLERY OR MUSEUM THEMUSEUM BEST THEATRE COMPANY K-W LITTLE THEATRE BEST OPEN MIC THE BOATHOUSE BEST THEATRE VENUE CENTRE IN THE SQUARE

BEST VIEW GRAND RIVER, DOWNTOWN GALT BEST PLACE TO WALK A DOG ALONG THE GRAND RIVER BEST ION DETOUR EVERYTHING AROUND DUKE STREET

NOVEMBER 2016 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

REFORM CPP, AGAIN

WR OPINION

GORD ASSMAN CONTRIBUTOR The recent Canada Pension Plan reforms that Prime Minister Trudeau’s government recently introduced did not go far enough.

The current CPP pays out a yearly maximum of $13,110 (or $1092.50 a month) at age 65, if you contribute on earnings of $54,900 or more – though many Canadians earn considerably less. Coupled with Old Age Security, those Canadians over 65 could get up to $1671.03 a month from the government. If you are one of the ever growing Canadians without a company pension, that’s it, and it leaves you almost exactly at the poverty line for a single person in Ontario. In other words, it’s not enough to have a very dignified retirement, and it’s much worse if your pre-retirement earnings were below $54,900 annually.

Clearly this was a problem that needed addressing. The Canadian Labour Congress lobbied for years that this was insufficient to retire on, and was successful in convincing the Trudeau government to make changes this summer. As a result, workers and employers contributions will go from 4.95 per cent to 5.95 per cent and the CPP benefits will increase accordingly.

However, this will mostly help workers who earn higher wages, as you will also be able to contribute on earnings up to $82,750 per year. These changes will be gradually implemented by 2025. Time will tell if these changes will be enough, but it seems little will change for lower income workers.

Another problem that was not addressed is the plight of older workers.

In 2006, an economic downturn started and led to many Canadian companies closing their doors permanently.

In the Region of Waterloo thousands of manufacturing jobs were lost.

Workers over 50 years old who were fortunate enough to have steady employment their entire adult lives suddenly found themselves out of work.

Some found meaningful employment, but many had a difficult time securing steady careers, as many employers remain reluctant to hire older workers.

One option for older workers is to collect their CPP benefits early, at age 60. Until 2012, if you opted to take CPP early it would cost you a reduction of 0.5 per cent for every month that you began to collect before age 65. This mounted to a reduction of $327.75 per month on the maximum monthly payment of $1092.50. Then Prime Minister Harper’s government decided erroneously that the CPP was under funded and upped the cost of early retirement to a 0.6 per cent monthly reduction, or $786.60 a year.

If CPP was truly in jeopardy, no sane person would strongly object to these further reductions. However, in December 2013 the chief actuary of Canada reaffirmed that CPP remains sustainable at the current contribution rate throughout the 75 year period of his report.

The economic future of those workers who are unable to find employment as they reach age 60 is in jeopardy. This decision to further reduce CPP payments before age 65 needs to be rescinded as soon as possible by the Trudeau government, so that these workers can live with dignity as they age.

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POWER IN MUSIC

NEW STUDY LOOKS FOR SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE THAT MUSIC THERAPY CAN REDUCE ANXIETY

DAVE THOMAS CONTRIBUTOR Starting university is a big step for students. It usually means a major sea change in a young person’s experience. For some, it can be stressful to the point of anxiety.

Music therapy may be a valuable tool. It’s often said that music can soothe and heal. To what extent can it help students with anxiety? That’s what researchers in the departments of music therapy and psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University are trying to determine.

The study, which has been recruiting students this fall, uses some high-tech equipment and software to gather precise empirical data from music therapy sessions, says principal researcher Charlie Macleod. Modelled after a Finnish study, the project aims to show the quantitative progress of a series of sessions.

Students have been recruited through social media, the campus wellness centre and presentations in classes. People who self-identify with anxiety take a psychometric test

to establish a base line. Then there are eight sessions with a clinician, providing time to discuss the student’s emotional state and issues of concern, followed by a music improvisation session with various percussion instruments. Software records features of the music produced, including tone and note density. The researchers analyse the data from the course of the eight sessions and the results of a follow-up psychometric test.

During the sessions, the student and clinician also talk about the subjective effect of the music produced.

What did the music represent for that person? How did the person feel after making these sounds?

“We’ve known for a long time that music therapy is effective,” says Macleod. “Science requires empirical data. Research projects like this can provide solid evidence.”

Previous music training is not a prerequisite for the study, says Macleod, who is also a percussionist, with degrees in music and psychology. All that’s required is an openness to making rhythmic sounds. The wellbeing of the participants is the most important factor, and he is confident that the study will demonstrate quantitatively the benefits of music therapy.

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NOVEMBER 2016 // @THECOMMUNITYED

AGING AND OUT NEW PROGRAM AIMS TO MEET THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF WR’S OLDER LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

DOUGLAS CLARKE CONTRIBUTOR Growing older brings many expected challenges. The body may not work like it once did, the mind may not be as sharp. Social circles change. Growing older can also come with the benefits of transmitting wisdom, enjoying a new perspective and setting and completing new goals. However, while everyone ages, we don’t all age the same. What if the later years of your life were marred with fear because you were hiding a secret, one concerning the most intimate part of your life? For some in the LGBTQ+ community, aging bring a new set of challenges and rekindles old ones that can make it hard to express one’s sexuality.

SPECTRUM wants to change this.

SPECTRUM is Kitchener Waterloo’s first Rainbow community space, designed to meet the needs of the growing (and established) LGBTQ+ community. Jim Parrott is president of SPECTRUM, and with vice-president Randy Farrell he saw the need for older adults to have a space where they could come and talk about their experiences while feeling safe and supported. To this end, they created an Older Adult Group that runs the first and third Wednesday of the month. This group is only a few months old, but it is growing and has a well-developed core of participants.

Fear and isolation are the two main problems Farrell says that older folks in LGBTQ+ community face. Forty or fifty years ago coming out could literally put your life and safety at risk. There were no community centres for the LGBTQ+ community and there was a lot of ignorance and misinformation surrounding what it meant to be gay, lesbian or transgendered. This same fear has stayed with many individuals, and while times may have changed, for many there remains a persistent fear of persecution.

One of the main sources of fear comes from assisted living environments, where LGBTQ+ people could potentially be living with those – or with those who remind them of people – who attacked or persecuted them in their youth.

Memories of being fired, harassed or hurt for not being straight remain, and these circumstances can make it feel impossible to authentically express one’s sexuality. While Pierre Elliott Trudeau made strides by saying the government has no place in the bedrooms of its citizens, change has been a long time coming.

Isolation can be just as dangerous and damaging as fear. As we age, our social circles shrink as friends and family pass

away. This naturally leads to a lack of support and feelings of loneliness and isolation, which can trap older adults by reinforcing a feeling that there is nobody there to come out to or who would accept their sexuality. Maybe one has already gone through a conflict with family members and was disowned, which still happens. Where does one turn when the support system you had dies or moves away? This is a real and present situation for many older adults.

Parrott and Farrell have tried to remove some of this fear and isolation by initiating the Older Adults Group at SPECTRUM. Many LGBTQ+ events are geared to younger people and can run late into the night. Farrell says that he and many other aging adults would prefer to have their nights in, and so the Older Adult Group caters to a time and space that is more convenient. Farrell and Parrott also have ideas to grow the group and provide entertainment that is more in line with an aging population. Instead of late night parties the Older Adult Groupl plans to have “teas,” afternoon gatherings with refreshment and lively conversation. One of the major points that Farrell restated was that SPECTRUM wants to reach out to older adults to get them involved in any way they are comfortable. It is all about feeling safe and welcome, no matter your age.

Of course there are problems with this as well. Many older adults are not familiar with social media, or have limited access to technology. Those in assisted living may not feel comfortable obtaining the SPECTRUM community calendar, or posting a physical publication where others may see it.

While fear, isolation, and difficulty in reaching the target demographic remain damaging and oppressive, Farrell is full of energy. He reminded me that while all of these troubles and social ills persist in many forms, the spirit of the volunteers, the SPECTRUM committee, and the bravery of those who use the space is really inspiring.

Farrell left on a high note, commending the one quality he admires most about the aging population: resilience.

Older adults who find safety and support are some of the most welcoming people, he said, and their resilience is amazing. So while it may be tempting to dismiss an older adult group as being something for a very small section of the population, we shouldn’t. Older adults have always been story tellers and history keepers. They are the very people that help us move forward and not repeat the mistakes of the past. As we age, the world can look very different, but help and support continues to exist for LGBTQ+ people due to the hard work of SPECTRUM, their volunteers and their tireless committee.

㄀㄀ 圀椀氀氀漀眀 匀琀爀攀攀琀Ⰰ 圀愀琀攀爀氀漀漀 一㈀䨀 ㄀嘀㘀

15

Welcome to the Quantum Revolution