The Community Edition: June 2017

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 9 • JUNE 2017

CRUEL SUMMER

HILLSIDE: ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC

TRI-PRIDE AND JOY

WE ALL SCREAM FOUR ALL ICE CREAM

PAGE 5

PAGE 8-9

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JUNE 2017 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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IN THIS

ISSUE

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 9

JUNE 2017

FEATURE

8-9 TRI-PRIDE & JOY

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

IN BRIEF PROFOUND LORE RECORDS HILLSIDE FESTIVAL IS COMING WR AND HOWE GENTRIFICATION MITIGATION THE ETFO WANTS YOU DYING GREEN TCE’S SUMMER GUIDE NEW ICE CREAM ON THE BLOCK MENTAL MATTERS: TRIGGERS SEPLANATIONS: RECIPROCITY OONA MOON, PART SEVEN LISTINGS

COVER PHOTO BY MATT SMITH

Volume 6, Issue 9 Next issue: July 5, 2017

General Inquiries info@communityedition.ca

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WLUSP ADMINISTRATION President Andreas Patsiaouros

All advertising inquiries should be directed to Care Lucas at 519-884-0710 x3560 care.lucas@wlusp.com

Executive Director Lakyn Barton

THE COMMUNITY EDITION TEAM Editor in Chief Megan Nourse megan@communityedition.ca Publisher Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp.com Social Media Editor Ramona Leitao Web Manager Care Lucas

Advertising Manager Care Lucas Treasurer John Pehar Vice-Chair Lisa Irimescu

CONTRIBUTORS Fitsum Areguy Josh Barkman Bethany Bowles James Howe Stacey Jacobs Ramona Leitao Adam Lawlor Andreas Patsiaouros John Roche Raminder Sahota Kaitlyn Severin Matt Smith Jordan Snobelen Nick Stanley Cara Vandermey Bill Waterson

Directors Benjamin Cooke Rosalind Horne Noa Salamon Corporate Secretary Noa Salamon

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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.

JUNE 2017 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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IN BRIEF NEWS LGBTQ PRIDE AT WRDSB SCHOOLS

MAYOR FIGHTS OPIOID CRISIS

FIGHTING FOR TRANSIT RIGHTS

FUNDING FOR LGBTQ SENIORS

Pride flags will be seen alongside Canadian flags in schools across the Waterloo Region District School Board for the entirety of June, in celebration of pride month. According to the school board, many in their community identify as members of the LGBTQ community and are part of 31 Gay-Straight Alliance clubs in the schools.

In May, the Mayors’ Task Force on the Opioid Crisis, which includes Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic, put forth recommendations for nation-wide action by all levels of government, which will feature action on the four pillars of the nation’s drug strategy: harm reduction, treatment, prevention and enforcement.

The Alliance Against Poverty once again is calling on the Regional Council to provide free access to public transit for those receiving Ontario Works or the Ontario Disability Support Plan.

A forum on June 3 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was held with the intention of discussion and forming a political action group with interested citizens.

Seniors in Kitchener, through SPECTRUM, will be receiving federal financial support to continue their leadership role in the LGBTQ community. SPECTRUM will be receiving $25,000 for their project from the New Horizons for Senior Program. The aim of the project is to decrease the isolation of seniors in the LGBTQ community.

SUMMER LIGHTS IS BACK IN DTK

NATIONAL ABORIGINAL DAY

STEEL RAILS SESSIONS IS BACK

KOI FEST IS BACK, PROBABLY

This year, the Summer Lights Festival in downtown Kitchener will be returning on June 17 from 8 pm to 1 am. Beginning as a project led by a group of cultural organizations in KW, Summer Lights is a celebration of the best of music, art, technology, merchants, food and drinks, and creative experience in the community. There will be many instagramable moments.

THEMUSEUM is hosting and celebrating National Aboriginal Day and the Summer Solstice on June 21. The event will feature an outdoor traditional Sunrise Ceremony lead by fire keeper, AL McDonald, as well as community elder Kelly Fran Davis at 5:59 am. Other happenings are a drum circle, music, and obviously, coffee. The event is free with a suggested donation of $10.

Steel Rails sold out in five minutes this year, but we’re going to tell you about it anyways because we can, okay? Every year TCE hosts a weirdo, mystery art party in KW to fundraise to keep our independent, community media machine running. After going away to summer camp last year, we’re stoked to be back on the train with a super secret second party stop.

KW’s indie music festival is apparently back on this year after an unexplained hiatus in 2016. It was announced with a vague Facebook post stating The Rebirth. The venue has changed from downtown Kitchener to Maxwell’s Concerts and Events in Waterloo. Artist applications closed June 1st, no lineup had been announced at the time of printing.

JUNE IS BIKE MONTH IN KW

EPILEPSY ONTARIO OPENS KW OFFICE

THEMUSEUM BANS WATER BOTTLES

CANADA DAY IS A BIG DEAL IN 2017

June has been designated as Bike Month, and the Region of Waterloo has many activates planned to encourage residents to use their bicycles throughout the month. One of the events is Cycling Canada’s CAN-BIKE program, a series of courses on all factors of bike safety, will be held at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex from June 8 to August 24.

Epilepsy Ontario, a non-profit charitable organization that provides information and education about epilepsy to families and individuals, will be opening a new office in Kitchener. The organization aims to improve the quality of life and promote independence for those living with epilepsy through support groups, public education, and advocacy groups.

To mark National Health and Fitness Month, THEMUSEUM is installing new hydration stations beginning this month and halting sales of plastic water bottles. The Waterloo Region Healthy Kids Community Challenge donated an Elkay EZH2O® Bottle Filling Station, which is part of an initiative funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and LongTerm Care.

Did you know Canada (as colonized

by Europeans trying to wipe out Indigenous people and culture) is turning 150? Probably, because Canada 150 stuff is PUCKING EVERYWHERE. Choose your patriotic celebrations wisely this year, because this Canada Day matters more, or something like that. Kitchener will be getting festive at City Hall and UW’s annual bash is on at Columbia Lake Fields.

Instagram (@museummammy).

Drew said she’s obsessed with access and figuring out how the power she has earned in her life and career can be shared. Makes sense, her career and personal brand are built around sharing.

Personal photos on her instagram, prolific work by black artists that she has been exposed to through her work, life, and education on her Tumblr. What is the point of knowing for ourselves if we’re not sharing with others? She’s using her power in the art world

to provide access to work that might otherwise go unknown to many people through tumblr and instagram.

At the end of the day access is why TCE is here, too. To share the power of our platform with the wider community. Our mandate is to be reflective of the community we serve, to be a stage for critical voices that aren’t be given the mic elsewhere, and to share the stories that most need to be told as far and as wide as we can.

The editors that came before me

at TCE did a lot to bring this platform to where it is, I’ll do my best to keep that going. If you have a story that needs sharing or voice that needs a microphone, email me: megan@communityedition. ca.

ARTS

URBAN

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Hi, I’m Megan, The Community Edition’s new editor in chief.

The Saturday before this issue hit newsstands, I went to a talk by Kimberly Drew hosted by CAFKA. Drew manages The Met’s social media, but first and foremost built her own brand through her online efforts to showcase black artists on her tumblr Black Contemporary Art. She had a lot of killer things to say about art, race, being a young professional, and social media. Pause reading for a minute and go follower her tumblr and

Megan Nourse Editor in chief

JUNE 2017 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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KEEPING METAL ALIVE AND WELL IN KITCHENER

PROFOUND LORE RECORDS FOUNDER TALKS TO TCE ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF REPRESENTING METAL BANDS

Chris Bruni, casually hanging out at the Princess Cafe telling TCE his life story. ANDREAS PATSIAOUROS PHOTO

BETHANY BOWLES CONTRIBUTOR While Waterloo Region has always been known as an arts-focused, cultural and diverse hub, it might surprise you that it’s also the home base for Profound Lore Records, a metal record label that just celebrated their 185th release.

The person behind the label is Chris Bruni, a Mississauga native who moved to KW eight years ago to pursue his dream of turning his side project into a full time gig.

After taking a public relations postgraduate program at Seneca College, Bruni couldn’t find work in his field.

Times were tough, financially, for a few years. He even sold some of his vinyl collection to make ends meet.

“It was really, really hard for those two years after I graduated,” he said.

Bruni has a long history with the metal scene. He wrote for metal magazines and zines in the ‘90s.

When he eventually found a day job

in Mississauga, he was still involved in the metal scene in his spare time.

“I’ve always been connected to the metal scene,” he said. “I just built up a network of people. [I got to know] people at labels [and in] bands.”

He started Profound Lore Records as a side project, more so a hobby than a sustainable career, but when things started picking up, he quit his day job and moved to Kitchener to devote all of his time to the success of the label.

“I wanted to lend more of my time to [the label] and not be distracted by a regular day job,” he said.

Bruni decided to give himself a year to see if he could actually pull it off, if he could actually turn his hobby and passion into a career. Eventually, things began to take flight.

“Revenue was coming in, distributor statements were coming in. I was starting to get more money,” he said.

Since then, the label has excelled, Bruni has been consistently representing bands and he has been able to maintain financial stability.

“It was the one thing that gave some purpose to my life. I love music. This is something I love doing. It was a creative outlet. It was just something that kept me sane.”

Before talking to Bruni, I had a

very romanticized vision of what owning a record label would entail, and quite frankly, that vision didn’t really seem possible in KW. But, oddly enough, Bruni really only represents bands from the U.S. and Europe.

He explained that the work that he does could be done virtually from anywhere. He essentially monitors bands’ schedules to ensure that releases will happen on time, talks to distribution companies, pays the bills and manages finances.

While Waterloo Region does have a hardcore scene, Bruni isn’t really interested in it.

“I’ve always known it to be an artistic and cultural community,” Bruni said when asked “why KW?” “There’s a lot of things going on here [and] it’s the right distance from the GTA.” At any given time, Bruni is working with several bands in varying capacities. Some bands will only do a one-off with him, whereas other bands will put out two or three records with Profound Lore. He looks for bands that can be categorized by being uncategorized.

“The kind of metal I do, it’s eclectic, it’s darker. There’s a sense of artistry to it. Some of the stuff I release is not

really defined as metal, itself,” Bruni said.

He explained that his stuff isn’t “good time, easy going metal.”

And he doesn’t restrict himself to only metal, either. Two years ago he released a noise album by an artist called Prurient and last year he released a hip hop album by Dälek, both of which are darker and more experimental.

“I like to challenge the listener with the stuff I put out. I like to push their listening threshold,” he said.

Bruni said that when he does veer away from metal, he always receives good feedback; no one seems confused.

His biggest release just happened this past March. Profound Lore released Heartless, a metal album

by Arkansas based band, Pallbearer.

This was the third album Bruni did with Pallbearer and will be his highest selling so far.

In May, Profound Lore also released Trumpeting Ecstasy by Full of Hell, a metal band from Maryland, which recently received a positive review from Pitchfork.

A common topic of conversation in the music world as of late is the digitalization of music and how labels

are staying afloat when music can be so easily accessed without paying for it. Bruni said that has never been a real concern for him.

“Luckily I’m involved in a niche scene where people like to buy CDs. And of course with the resurgence of vinyl, it’s been huge, as well. I do decently with CDs. With each band, we have a certain expectation and we meet it,” he said.

When I asked what his biggest achievement was, his answer was simple.

“Keeping this thing sustainable is a big achievement in itself,” he said.

“I’m not really looking to become bigger, or anything. I like where I’m at right now. I’d like to expand to work with more different kinds of artists.

I just want to remain sustainable and consistent with what I do and [maintain] the quality of what I do. [I’d like to] try to explore new things, new avenues. What those are, I don’t know.

Anything could come up.”

JUNE 2017 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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HILLSIDE IS BACK AGAIN WITH A DIVERSE ARTIST LINEUP AN INFLUX OF NEIGHBOURING FESTIVALS HAS CAUSED SOME HICCUPS FOR HILLSIDE, BUT THEY ARE NOT SLOWING DOWN

MEGAN NOURSE EDITOR IN CHIEF The struggle of the non-profit music festival is real. Hillside Festival was started in the summer of 1984; in the decades since, it has grown into a weekend-long, grassroots celebration of music, art, and the environment.

But with new, corporate-driven music festivals popping up every few years — most notably WayHome, which was on the same weekend as Hillside for the past two years — the challenges of smaller festivals are growing.

This year, Hillside has moved to the

July 14th weekend, as opposed to their usual end of July dates, and introduced three-tiered ticket sales, with weekend passes being cheaper the early you buy them.

“Most grassroots, not-for-profit festivals struggle when the bigger, corporate ones come in…for many reasons,” said Marie Zimmerman, executive director of Hillside. Most notably, larger festivals can pay artists more and often include a radius clause in contracts, barring the artist from performing at nearby festivals within certain dates. Another notable setback is the sizable difference in promotional budgets between corporate festivals and non-profits.

“There’s a certain challenge in trying to get the word out about what makes

your festival unique when you’re up against people who can afford to put billboards beside the 401,” said Zimmerman.

They may not be able to spread the word as far and loud as bigger festivals, but after more than 30 years, Hillside has developed a strong reputation of being different than its neighbouring events. Hillside is volunteer-driven, with more than 1000 volunteers coming to Guelph Lake Conservation Area to raise a small village and then take it down at the end of the weekend. They are also known for environmental stewardship — last year receiving the Best Green Operations Festival designation from Canadian Music Week. You won’t find any plastic water bottles or disposable

food containers there, instead they’ve got a dedicated team of dish washers.

“Our vision is all about sort of creating a more vibrant world...by promoting altruism and equality and peacemaking and environmentalism,” said Zimmerman.

The programming — including music, spoken word, and workshops — is deliberately diverse and inclusive, with lots of world and indigenous artists in the lineup. A goal in the last few years has been to highlight more female-identified artists, to counteract the primarily male-dominated field of music. In 2016, at least half of Hillside’s summer festival programing was female-identified.

This year’s lineup includes DJ Shub, of A Tribe Called Red; Canadian

musician and environmental activist, Sarah Harmer; francophone singer-songwriter, Coeur de pirate; and Anishinaabe country-hip hop artists, Leonard Sumner.

In the face of rising competition and softening commitment from festivalgoers, Zimmerman doesn’t seem worried about Hillside’s future. There are no plans to go corporate, survival of the festival will continue depending on community, grassroots efforts with the heart of their vision from 1984 still intact.

“We value independent thinking and resilience so we will continue to rise to the occasion,” said Zimmerman.

Find out more information about the festival at hillsidefestival.ca.

LEFT: Polaris Prize winner, Buffy Sainte Marie Performs at Hillside 2016. COURTESY OF HILLSIDE

JUNE 2017 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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Columnist James Howe says the former Stantec building is the ideal stop for a larger, more affordable grocery store to move in downtown. NICK STANLEY PHOTO

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JAMES HOWE COLUMNIST A grocery store is at the top of the list of retailers desired in downtown Kitchener. Waterloo’s core has one, as does downtown Galt.

The new J & P Grocery tucked in behind Vidyard’s new Queen Street office off of Goudie’s Lane is welcome by some. It features an interesting mix of items for everyday needs with those for special occasions. I especially like that it has a local bias and is a good source for items not found elsewhere in downtown Kitchener such as Wood Fire Bagels.

But, downtown Kitchener still needs a grocery store.

I love that there are a growing number of food retailers downtown. J & P joins nearby Legacy Greens, Full Circle Foods, and bakeries such as Golden Hearth. They are filling a much needed void and satiating foodies.

Having lived near the Byward Market area in Ottawa, I love the idea of shopping at a series of specialty stores rather than one-stop shopping.

I still see great potential for a similar food district in the Kitchener Market District.

At the same time, just outside the Byward Market are a couple of conventional grocery stores that suit how most North Americans do their shopping. They have a greater variety of goods than those found in specialty food retailers and a greater range of products at prices that are affordable for a wider community.

Yes, there is Central Fresh Market.

It effectively serves Midtown but is not very convenient to anyone east

of Victoria. And there are a couple of Asian grocery stores in east downtown Kitchener that provide variety but largely serve a niche segment.

When people say they want a grocery store in downtown Kitchener, they mean a conventional one in the core.

Given the number of urban market format stores in Toronto, I know it is possible for downtown Kitchener to have one, too.

From what I understand, it’s been a bit of a chicken and egg predicament.

There haven’t been enough people living downtown to make the business case for a chain store, yet the lack of one is a disincentive to a car free life in the heart of the city. Given the recent population boost downtown, we must be close to reaching the tipping point.

So I’d like to make the case for what I suggest is the perfect location: the former Stantec office at Duke and Frederick. That space originally held the indoor portion of the Kitchener Market until it moved to its current location. In fact, a market at that location goes back to when the town was known as Berlin. So it is indisputably central.

The site is perfect for the downtown’s future, too. It’s a short walk from the City Centre Condos, Charlie West, and a project planned nearby on King East. It is also near the residential neighbourhoods of Olde Berlin, Central Frederick and King East. Even better, it features a parking garage, sits right beside what I expect to be one of the busiest LRT stations and close to several bus routes.

I hope that highlighting this site helps to entice one of the chains to make the safe bet of locating in downtown Kitchener.

JUNE 2017 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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GENTRIFICATION MITIGATION

HOW THE TECH INDUSTRY CAN AND SHOULD DO BETTER DOWNTOWN

OPINION

FITSUM AREGUY CONTRIBUTOR Kitchener is my home. I grew up here, and because I care about how my community is transforming I often wonder if my family and friends will remain comfortable within the Region’s tech culture paradigm shift.

Michael Litt, CEO of Vidyard, has recently wrote a call to action in The Globe and Mail, imploring local tech companies be aware of their complicity in gentrifying downtown Kitchener and to take swift action against it.

At face value I fundamentally agree with Litt. While there are potential windfalls and positive impacts of gentrification, the cautionary tales of how the tech industry can ruin lives is a constant reminder of the serious damage a tech hub can wreak in our own community. For these reasons I appreciate the social action that Litt is championing and committed to. However, while there should be a focus on how to mitigate the negative kind of gentrification, there are two tensions that need to be addressed, and it has to do with balancing this idealism with the ignorance within the industry.

When Vidyard moved into their new building on Queen street, they hosted one of those big parties that the tech industry has become famous for.

Somehow I snagged an invite and after my shift at the Downtown Community Centre, I walked over to check it out.

It was chock full of 20-somethings diving into foam pits, fist pumping to a DJ playing on the rooftop, and lots of

free booze.

As a young, black, second-generation Canadian who can barely string a line of code together, I was hyper aware that I was merely a visitor in this world. It felt very in step with the trend of tech companies that transform into corporate frat houses — the pool of young, upwardly mobile people that companies like Vidyard recruit from is defined by tech’s pervasive and privileged bro culture.

In one conversation with a Vidyard employee (who will remain unnamed), I was asked point blank what it’s like to work “in the hood.” Before I could process the question, the employee asked to be excused, and lurched off to play foosball. It’s common for this kind of insensitivity and micro aggression to happen from time to time, but the behaviour is reflective of what many in tech are guilty of.

Despite countless diversity reports and promises to be better, the reports of boorish, sexist behaviour at Uber, allegations that Google underpays female employees, and the impacts of a lack of diversity in tech imply that this a deeply entrenched issue. Vidyard may be leading the way with social initiatives and awareness, but the company still exists within this misogynistic, discriminatory, bro-infused world, whether they like it or not.

With this workplace culture it’s easy to imagine how tech companies’ best efforts to avoid gentrifying neighborhoods could fall short. There is little doubt that Michael Litt and other socially conscious local tech leaders want to do good. An example of this was the assurance that a portion of the new Vidyard headquarters would be used as a grocery store. Moving into the neighbourhood while simultaneously ensuring that there is an option for fresh produce looks and

sounds great. Unfortunately, the new grocery store that has moved into this vacancy, J&P (not to be confused with J and P Filipino Store), is not a viable option for low-income individuals and families. With prices that rival that of Vincenzio’s or Farm Boy, the complaints that I’ve heard from those who live downtown hold a great deal of validity.

Tech companies who want to help their community do so amidst much fanfare and praise, but the fact that they don’t understand the larger community reflects the ignorance within the tech bubble.

So how can Vidyard and other local tech companies manage the negative aspects within tech and provide appropriate support in the community?

For starters, tech companies can be more transparent with the community by sharing easily accessible annual diversity reports. This display of accountability can demonstrate to people that tech companies want to change the culture from the inside-out. Then, use those reports to create meaningful change — and action should come from tech leaders.

Research published in the American Sociological Review on corporate diversity programs revealed that the best results come when managers voluntarily attended diversity training programs. Another option is including the broader community in decision making.

Prioritizing the voices of the marginalized groups that those with power and privilege want to serve is essential.

When tech companies don’t involve the people they claim they want to help with their gentrification mitigation, their best efforts will always fall short, and tech will continue to suck.

BILL WATERSON ILLUSTRATION

TRI-PRIDE IS BACK AGAIN RAMONA LEITAO CONTRIBUTOR After a hiatus in 2016, tri-Pride was back up and running for two weeks leading up to a community march on June 4th in downtown Kitchener.

Since its inception in 1995, tri-Pride has served as Waterloo Region’s primary host of LGBTQ+ pride celebrations. “[We’re] committed to creating more change for our community,” tri-Pride President Alex Chunaco said.

Last year’s festival was cancelled due to a decline in volunteer base and vacant board of directors seats.

“That is always a challenge for a lot of nonprofits,” Chunaco said. “Every year brings a different challenge…

There’s a lot of turnover in community...a lot of our student population is a transient population.”

With a new board elected, tri-Pride was able to do a lot of social networking as well as partnering up with other local organizations to increase the organization’s volunteer base as well as getting the festival back on its feet for 2017.

This year’s festival was filled with many events that included a dance party, a discussion on fertility health, and the largest event, a live music festival in Kitchener. The festival concluded with a Pride march that began at Kitchener City Hall and a picnic at Victoria Park.

“Pride is a poster for our community,” Chunaco said when asked about the importance of the tri-Pride festi-

val. “It’s what brings us together.”

A wave of controversy hit the festival this year with the organization’s decision to include Waterloo Regional Police Services, a contrast to the exclusion of police at Toronto Pride.

“When we accept police into pride, we accept the history of violence of police oppression and compromise the safety of already marginalized peoples,” said Ethan Jackson, co-founder of Plan B Co-operative KW, in an email to TCE. “Pride helps give language and visibility to queer kids and elders alike by bridging intergenerational gaps of queer narratives. What is lacking in these recent years of pride festivals is a critical examination of what systemic barriers queer folks are facing who are marginalized in different ways.

Police do not belong in pride.” See communityedition.ca for Jackson’s full statement.

Chunaco stated that Toronto and KW are different, our pride celebrations are different and our police forces out different, when asked why WRPS were invited to tri-Pride, adding that the two groups have been working together for years.

“In light of recent concerns from the community, tri-Pride and WRPS have reviewed and reduced WRPS’ visible presence at the festival,” Chunaco said, adding that WRPS attended the festival as a community partner.

Chunaco said a community gathering to openly discuss the issue of police involvement is a possibility for after the festival.

After a hiatus in 2016, Tri-Pride came bacl with two weeks of festivities culmiating in an all-day music festival in Victoria Park on June 3 and a march from Kitchener city hall to Victoria Park on June 4. NICK STANLEY PHOTOS

JUNE 2017 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

10

ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ UNION SEEKS INPUT THE ETFO HOLDS PUBLIC INPUT SESSION SEEKING PARENTS’ SUPPORT ON EDUCATION REFORM AGENDA

JORDAN SNOBELEN CONTRIBUTOR Years of bickering and discourse between politicians and unions representing teachers have left a bitter taste in the mouths of parents wondering when, if ever, both sides will come to a peaceful balance of ideals. Now the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario is working to get parents on their side.

The ETFO announced a six-point agenda earlier this year called Building Better Schools, and while conjuring up images of replacing decaying brick and mortar buildings, it is actually the latest assault on the public conscience speaking to demands which Waterloo local ETFO vice-president Jeff Pelich says will have an impact in student success and readying children for their lives after school.

Pelich says the campaign is attempting to address some complex issues teachers are facing in the classroom, mostly attributed to an increase in high-behaviour students, violence within the school, and an outdated funding model leaving gaps in resources and support staff.

“So much of our job over the last few years has been a patchwork of ministry initiatives, right now the focus is math, but other things fall to the side.

If these recommendations are acted upon, there would more specialist teachers who could focus specifically on those math needs, there would be smaller class sizes, and you could spend more time with the children who are really struggling,” Pelich said in a phone interview.

Building Better Schools originated from bargaining goals targeted at the last provincial election in the fall of 2014. and was relaunched at the beginning of this year. The agenda was formulated from the feedback elementary teachers provided during a survey by the union. The six goals are: smaller class sizes, support for students with special needs, testing rooted in learning, enriching student learning, inclusive classrooms and a stronger voice for educators and their unions.

“This year there has been an expansion to try and engage parents in the discussion and get their feedback…If we have parents behind us, then members of parliament begin to listen, the ministry begins to listen, principals and school boards begin to listen,” Pelich said of the union’s motivation behind hosting public consultations across the province. Waterloo Region’s forum took place in May. Seated around tables were 45 people, mainly consisting of those representing teaching groups and associations, with only a handful of teachers present, and even fewer parents. A three-person panel sat at the front of the room consisting of Michael Beeth-

am, a teacher; Joanne Weston, a parent and school council chair; and Susan Cadell, a professor of social work at the University of Waterloo.

Joanne Threndyle, an energetic vice president of the Waterloo ETFO local, posed questions to the panel to kickstart conversation about challenges in the education system, meeting the needs of students, violence in the classroom, attitudes towards EQAO testing, time constraints, and the equality and inclusion of students.

From the panel arose concerns of Ontario’s state of education and the woes of its teachers. Panelists touched on the growing concern of mental health affecting behaviour amongst students, increasing demands and expectations of parents, a need for honest and transparent conversations between teachers and parents, differentiated assessment and tailored education for students, a need for more educational assistants and child youth workers in the classroom, reinstatement of music, physical education and outdoor programming, and the debate surrounding the merit of EQAO testing to measure student aptitude and ability.

After the panel concluded, those in attendance broke into groups to address the agenda. At the center of these concerns was a common theme of education funding structure, and the endorsement of system-wide reform to combat a litany of problems educators say they are facing.

According to results from the most

recent 2016 EQAO testing, Waterloo Region’s students have continued to come up short of the provincial standard, continuing on a downward trend seen in 2014.

Trevor Ray, a grade 11 and 12 math teacher for the WRDSB who was at the ETFO forum, said that because of a lack of support and increasing demands in the classroom, teachers are focusing more attention on students they believe will fair better, causing prioritization of one student over another. Those seated around Ray nodded their heads in agreement. He also voiced concerns of the merit of EQAO testing, and said pressures he believes originate form the school board not to assign failing marks, grades or late marks, are causing mark inflation.

Lila Read, the coordinating superintendent for the WRDSB said in a phone interview that the school board is responding to the poor EQAO results through significant teacher development in methods of teaching math, and understanding how students learn math.

“We have teachers frankly, who can use some support and not just in teaching methods, but just in math in general,” said Read. She says students are struggling because of a strong focus on literacy achievement which has allowed math to slip by the wayside, but was also quick to note that poor results are being seen across the province, and that she believes Waterloo Region’s teachers are strong and capable.

As a result of recent contract negations prompted by the Province, between unions, Ontario education minister Mitzi Hunter, announced a $23.8 billion education budget for the 2017-2018 school year, earmarking funds for increased special education support, capping class sizes — which will require hiring of more teachers and support staff — and repairs for school buildings.

Although the budget addresses some points on the ETFO’s agenda, Pelich says the little bit of money being invested doesn’t actually address their most challenging needs, and equates to little on the front lines. “Locally, it works out to not even a full-time teacher per school for special education...it’s just too little, too late both at a school level, but also across the ministry,” Pelich said. He believes the only thing which will make a difference is increased supports, not only inside, but also outside of the classroom.

Read says the WRDSB is fortunate and well-funded thanks to rising enrollment numbers, and says the board allocates its funds fairly to schools across the board. Although Read could not provide specifics, she said the board is in the process of hiring more teachers, educational assistants, and early childhood educators to service a growing student population.

Goudies Lane is officially a patio for the rest of summer. The City kicked the change off with a party featuring food, activities, art, and music.

MATT SMITH PHOTO

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Some cemeteries in the region are offering green burial options. Not this one though, this is Mount Hope Cemetery. MATT SMITH PHOTO

ENVIRONMENTALLY ETHICAL BURIAL OPTIONS

TWO KITCHENER CEMETARIES ALREADY OFFER GREEN BURIAL ALTERNATIVES AND MORE ARE ON THE WAY

ADAM LAWLOR CONTRIBUTOR Despite the seeming wealth of burial options in North America, the image of memorialization has remained populated with cemetery plots, polished caskets, and large marble headstone markers. Yet as climate change continues to be at the forefront of social consciousness, there is a growing interest in more environmentally ethical funerals – commonly known as green burials.

A traditional burial has the potential to wreak havoc on the environment around it. Treated wood in coffins, material for cushions, items placed within the casket, clothing and embalming chemicals will all be broken down and absorbed into the Earth.

Cremation is up for debate, as the process uses considerable amounts of

energy and releases materials into the air. Then there is the issue of filling finite spaces with human remains, be it in the ground or in constructs such as columbariums. Green burials offer an alternative to interested individuals, while still allowing the dead a corner of the world.

Two Kitchener cemeteries, Williamsburg and Woodside, have had greener options available for years. Both offer a form of ossuary – traditionally, a container of some kind for skeletal remains. In this modern iteration, the cremated remains are deposited into an underground chamber located below a replica putting green. Williamsburg alone offers its Scattering Garden, in which cremated remains are scattered and then covered with bark chips. Both cemeteries offer Sanctuary Woods, which has cremation lots and trees to be planted as a living memorial.

These processes reduce the carbon footprint of any individual, the physical effects of burial practices on

the immediate surroundings, and the space needed.

“You can take it as far as you want with green burial,” said Glenna Huff of Waterloo Cemetery Services at Parkview.

Huff says that both the funeral homes and the cemeteries would be involved in the process, with the homes looking to such aspects as “plain and simple” caskets, down to ensuring that the clothes worn are all natural and biodegradable. It is against the law to open a casket once it has been shut, so the homes and cemeteries have to be in constant communication in order to ensure that all instances are abiding by the law.

“For our end of it, we still have to bury the same way. We can’t be having staff hand dig... But afterwards, we can still do a lot for the natural area,” Huff said.

Though many similarities exist between Kitchener and Waterloo, green burial options are not on that list. But, according to Huff, they are on the way.

“The by-law [in Waterloo] hasn’t been written yet,” she said, adding that the date for the completion of that law should be sometime soon. In recent years, the pressure from the community for more responsible forms of burial has sent the city into lawmaking mode. Parkview Cemetery has already been working on an expansion of its grounds to accommodate for, among other things, green burial options. It is set to open this coming fall.

Huff has a few ideas about why it has taken this long for Waterloo to get on board with green burials. She says it is the uncomfortable one; we don’t talk about it death and burial plans, so many are unware that options other than the tradition one exist. Parkview offers 20 options for cremation alone.

Judging by the existing laws in Kitchener, Parkview will most likely be modelled similarly to Williamsburg and Woodside with the planting of trees and shrubberies as well as another version of Sanctuary Woods.

It is an eerily soothing thought, to

have three forests of the dead in our community.

Huff suggests that green burials are part of a bigger cultural movement, involving death cafes and end of life care.

Still, the call of traditional burial is quite strong. For now, we need spaces, plaques, names — some spot in the world that will remain dedicated to those who are gone. As Huff walks me through a slightly chilly rain, showing me some of the grounds in the existing cemetery, she gestures to the monument erected in dedication of those who donated their bodies to the University of Waterloo anatomy lab.

Behind this, she points excitedly.

“That’s my plot! Right by the bench,” she laughs, as if tacitly acknowledging that it may be a slightly odd thing about which to get excited. I can’t blame her, though. Even as green burials become more and more popular, that quiet spot under the shade of trees will still be a nice place to sit.

STEEL RAILS IS BACK JUNE 23 THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS LOT42 DARRYL WATTY - WATTY WAY DIFFERENT STROKES INSIGHT EYECARE WORDSWORTH BOOKS WILLIAM NELSON SWEET PEACH COSTUMES LSPIRG TRACES SCREEN PRINTING COMMUNITY CARSHARE WATERLOO BREWING TWB BREWING WELLINGTON BREWERY BLOCK THREE BREWING THERE’S STILL ROOM FOR YOU TO JOIN THIS LIST AND GET TICKETS TO OUR SOLD OUT EVENT CONTACT STEELRAILS@COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

TCE's SUMMER GUIDE

JUNE

2017

Summer Lights

Downtown Kitchener June 17 8pm-1am A great summer kickoff party merging art, tech, and community.

JULY AND august

Steel Rails Sessions

June 23 How many places in this issue can we plug Steel Rails? It’s an interactive, mystery art party on a train that doubles as a fundraiser for the independent, community media you are currently consuming.

Cambridge Street Art Festival

Downtown Galt June 24 and 25, 10am-6pm Watch artists transform the bare streets of Galt into a creative, collaborative masterpiece.

Multicultural Festival

Victoria Park June 24 and 25 It’s the 50th anniversary of the Multicultural Festival! Help them celebrate by going to their annual gathering of art, food, and community.

Open Streets

Uptown Waterloo June 18, July 16, August 20 & September 17 Noon-5pm Open Streets has once again found a creative way to work around the current construction in uptown. There will be various hubs of activities along the Spurline and Laurel trails, leading to the uptown square.

Canada Day

Shakespeare in the Park

Or you know, you could celebrate the true history of the day by walking into your neighbour’s house and telling them you live there now.

BluesFest

July 1 Anywhere Seriously, parties will be everywhere.

University of Waterloo’s party is guaranteed to impress though.

Kultrun World Music Festival

July 8-9 12-4pm Victoria Park This free large scale outdoor festival will feature over 115 artists in 25 different performances throughout the weekend. There will also be professional artists faciliating interactive activities for all ages.

Back to the Future

July 12 8-11pm Civic Centre Park If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you’re gonna see some serious classic movie action.

July 20 7-9pm Civic Centre Park “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at; I am not what I am.” Driftwood Theatre Group presents Othello.

August 10-13 Downtown Kitchener Notorious lack of diversity aside, Bluesfest brings a tonne of energy to downtown Kitchener every year.

RiverFest, Elora

August 18-20 Bissell Park A short drive out of KW, RiverFest livens up the small town of Elora with music. This year they’ve got MGMT headlining.

Buskerfest

August 24-27 Uptown Waterloo Performers from Canada and around the globe will entertain all weekend with a variety of one-of-a-kind acts.

ENJOY The weather - whenever Walter Bean Trail

Walk or bike Easiest access is at RIM Park Upside: a beautiful trail along the Grand River.

Downside: It’s a line as opposed to a loop, so you’ll have to double back to get to the parking lot.

Monarch Woods

Victoria and Fischer-Hallman An easy access urban forest, on several GRT routes.

Really pretty and lots of looping trails — guaranteed Instagram material.

Huron Natural Area

Great walking and biking trails.

It’s fairly well known, so be prepared to share the space with lots of people on a nice summer day.

Accessible by GRT (if you can commit to an hour-long ride from downtown Kitchener).

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JUNE 2017 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

ICE CREAM DREAMING

IS LOCALLY SOURCED, CRAFT ICE CREAM WORTH THE PRICE TAG? TCE INVESTIGATES.

RAMINDER SAHOTA CONTRIBUTOR Four All Ice Cream is a new ice cream shop tucked into the back of Globe Studios (the old Bonnie Stuart shoe factory for those who remember an older Kitchener). They offer a variety of ice cream flavors in a changing menu, made onsite in their factory using locally sourced ingredients.

The shop is small and their ice cream counter takes up the space, so unfortunately there is no room to sit and enjoy your ice cream indoors. This day was gorgeous, though, so the cute little outdoor space sufficed.

I sampled a couple of flavors before deciding on the Thundering Espresso in a waffle cone. While I enjoyed the espresso flavor, I found it a little too sweet after a short time. The waffle cone (made by Four All) on the other hand was amazing and I could eat the cone on its own, and possibly three times a day if my wrist were twisted.

The name Four All comes from founder Ajoa Mintah’s family’s preferences. Of the four of them, they each go after different ice cream types: classic flavours like vanilla, nostalgic flavours like bubblegum, dairy free varieties, and the more adventurous types like Four All’s whisky caramel pecan.

Four All gets their ingredients from local sources such as Eby Manor milk, Dixon’s Distillery, and Barrie’s Asparagus.

There were several other people at the shop when we went and it is great to see support for local businesses so committed to the area. Four All Ice Cream is joining a growing group of shops that are committed to local sourcing and are helping to grow the food culture in KW. If you can’t make it out to 141 Whitney Place, you can pick up Four All Ice Cream at Legacy Greens in downtown Kitchener.

3.5 waffle cones out of 5.

Four All owner Ajoa Mintah. NICK STANLEY PHOTOS

Waterloo Region

Find the space you need. www.SpaceFinderWaterlooRegion.org

JUNE 2017 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

MENTAL MATTERS

JOHN ROCHE COLUMNIST Imagine stumbling across a grizzly bear as you strolled through Victoria Park.

Without stopping to think about the oddity of the situation, you’d do one of four things: freeze in place, go Leo DiCaprio and stab it in the face, turn and run, or flop to the ground (and defecate yourself). Depending on the circumstances, any of these could be appropriate and helpful responses.

Now let’s imagine you survive and, some time later, your friend mentions a news story about a grizzly bear. If at this point you were to freeze in place, stab your friend in the face, run in terror, or flop to the ground (and defecate yourself), that would be more problematic than helpful.If this happened, we would say that the mention of the grizzly “triggered” you.

So what is a trigger? In geek terms, it’s a stimulus to which your nervous system has become sensitized. Basically, when you experience particularly shitty events, your nervous system remembers them and becomes “sensitized” in order to protect you against similarly shitty events in the future. You can think of it like a smoke detector that becomes more sensitive

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As far as we know, actual grizzly bears have not been spotted in Victoria Park. MATT SMITH PHOTO after being in a fire. From a survival knee-jerk defensive strategies comes by engaging your senses and listing to perspective, it’s always better to be too online. You fight, flee, freeze, or flop; yourself five things you can see, five sensitive to potential threats than not emotionally, this shows up as anger, things you can hear and five things sensitive enough. anxiety, terror or numbness. you can touch. Next, take a deep Basically, anything that’s associated So what should you do when you get breath and list four of each, then take a breath and list three of each, all the with the original painful or threatentriggered? Since unnecessarily going ing experience can become a trigger: into survival mode leads to relationway down to one. This may seem silly, the scent of a cologne, an upcoming ship conflict, insomnia, digestive but it’s intentionally engaging the exam, a partner who doesn’t immediissues, sexual dysfunction, difficulty parts of your brain that went offline ately respond to your texts. paying attention, and a whole range of and calming the parts that were triggered.

So if that’s what a trigger is, what painful emotions like anger, anxiety does it mean to “be triggered?” It and jealousy, we want to relax our Next time you notice you’ve been means that, in response to a certain nervous system and bring the thinking triggered into a knee-jerk survival stimulus, your sensitized nervous part of our brain back online. response, run through that grounding system has switched into survival The first step to doing that is noexercise. You’d be surprised at how mode. At this point, the part of your ticing and naming that you’ve been much easier day-to-day life is when triggered. This very act of noticing your brain isn’t reacting as if a grizzly brain responsible for more complex functions like reasoning, attention and brings our thinking brain back online bear were about to kill you. planning for the future goes offline, to some degree. and the part of your brain in charge of The next step is to ground yourself

SEXPLANATIONS

STACEY JACOBS COLUMNIST “The single most important skill for maintenance of a relationship is reciprocity.” Author and consultant Dave Hingsburger said this at a recent workshop. He was referring to anyone who wished to maintain a healthy relationship, whether intimate or not.

Reciprocity is a social concept meaning that people should give back what others give to them. I think of reciprocity as an equal give and take by people within a relationship. Some of us are better at this than others.

Whether we give more or take more in a relationship may be dependent on how we were raised and the expectations placed on us growing up. It could also be correlated to our gender, culture, socioeconomic status and age. But whether or not we are a giver, a taker or somewhere in the middle, reciprocity is a skill. A skill that can be learned if you choose to learn it.

Some people are naturally likeable.

We all know likeable people. People with lots of friends and social skills, people we want to be around. Chances are these people have the skill of reciprocity. People only have so much tolerance for a person who is constantly taking and never giving back.

We become resentful.

Whether this person is a co-worker,

friend, lover or partner, if you feel you are giving everything to a relationship and not getting anything in return, you will probably wish to end the relationship, or at the very least take a step back to evaluate its meaning and necessity in your life.

There are many ways reciprocity plays out within a relationship. It can be in the sharing, or not sharing, of feelings, money, chores, child duties, cooking duties, food, and time. It can be the simple act of saying in return, “I’m fine, how are you?” or, “How was your day?.” Simply showing interest in the other person can go a long way in them liking you and wanting to maintain a relationship with you. If someone is selfish and only cares about themself, they may end up being in a relationship only with themself.

Everyone has different types of relationships and spoken or unspoken rules about how these relationships play out. Maybe you take out the garbage and they wash the dishes, or you pick up the coffee in the morning and they pay for it. The amount of give and take in a relationship may change over time, especially with children and aging. People have the capacity to give less at some points in their life.

The key is whether or not you are happy and satisfied with the amount you are giving and taking within a relationship, because if if you are not, the relationship may not stand the test of time.

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15

KING STREATERY FOOD TRUCK FESTIVAL Saturday June 10th 3-9pm

SUMMER LIGHTS FESTIVAL

Sat June 17th 8pm-1am

YOGA IN THE PARK Wednesdays Noon-1pm June to August

CANADA DAY IN DTK Sat July 1st 5-10:30pm

KW MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL June 24th & 25th Noon-8pm Discover summer love in DTK!

KitchenerEvents.ca I #KitchenerEvents DowntownKitchener.ca I #DTKlove