The Community Edition: August 2019

VOLUME 7, ISSUE 11 • AUGUST 2019

BEST DONUT IN TOWN? PAGES 8-9

MOVING FROM SO FAR SOUNDS TO GOOD CO.

SUPERVISED INJECTION SITE IN KITCHENER

SHORT FINGER MAKES ROOM FOR TAPS

PAGE 6

PAGE 11

PAGE 16

AUGUST 2019 // @THECOMMUNITYED

IN THIS

ISSUE

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 11

AUGUST 2019

THIS ISSUE OF TCE WAS FUELED BY DONUTS. OBVIOUSLY.

2

FEATURE

8-9 BEST DONUT IN THE REGION

EDITOR’S PICK 11

WATERLOO REGION’S SYNTAX

3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 10 10 11 12 13 13 14 14 15 16

IN BRIEF GETTING SPOOKY WITH TORIN THE GIRL AT THE LIVING ROOM ROCK SHOW PRODUCTIVE REPRODUCTIVE CONVERSATONS 519 SCHMECKS: TO INFINITY AND BEYOND...MEAT MENTAL MATTERS: ON DEPRESSION IN GOOD COMPANY PRIMED AND POLISHED WITH ANDY LE HYPERLOCAL TRAVEL: VISITING SIX NATIONS NEW BUZZ AT KPL CRAFT DRAFT: DARK DAYS OF SUMMER ANONYMITY IN THE LANEWAY NEW CTS BRIDGES COMMUNITY EASY BEING GREEN: SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SAND NEW TUNE REVIEW REGIONAL GRANT UPLIFTS RAP COMMUNITY THE SIDE HUSTLE: MANDIPPAL JANDU HARU NOON // EVENT LISTINGS SHORT FINGER: NOT YOUR AVERAGER BREWERY

INSIDE

COVER & CENTRE SPREAD BY HAPPY HOUR PHOTO CONTRIBUTORS Volume 7, Issue 11 Next issue: September, 2019 75 University Ave. W Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 519-884-0710 x3564

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

THE COMMUNITY EDITION TEAM

WLUSP ADMINISTRATION

Editor in Chief Beth Bowles beth@communityedition.ca

President Aaron Hagey

Publisher Lakyn Barton lakyn.barton@wlusp.com Social Media Coordinators Brit Kovacs Ramona Leitao Staff Writer Melissa Embury Photo Editors Nick Stanley Paige Bush Jesse Derry General Inquiries info@communityedition.ca

Executive Director Lakyn Barton Advertising Manager Kurtis Rideout Directors Rosalind Horne Emily Crump Arshy Mann Alyssa Di Sabatino Kashyap Patel

Todd Bowman Marinus De Groot Aaron Hagey Ryan King Jenny Kirby Lucia Liu Vicki Mahony Matt Munro Sam Nabi Jamaal Owusu-Ansah Elise Pipia Matt Smith Jordan Snobelen Sam Toman Cara Vandermey Racheal Walser COLUMNISTS Jenna Aquino Nick Benninger Justin Clouthier Stacey Danckert Stacey Jacobs Bashar Lulu Jabbour Juanita Metzger Erik O’Neill Kurtis Rideout John Roche

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

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

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

The Community Edition is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns.

For additional information or to file a complaint, contact info@ontpress.com or call 416-340-1981.

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.

AUGUST 2019 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

3

NEWS IN BRIEF CROWDFUNDING FOR SURGERY

HAPPY ANIMALS IN WATERLOO PARK?

CONSTABLES OR COPS?

In April, 20-year-old Sebastian Kolowoski of Kitchener, whose hobbies included archery, had a slip with his crossbow. The arrow penetrated the left side of his neck — as discoved by his mother, Mary. He’s now in need of a diaphragm pacer to speak again. The family is trying to raise $150,000 to pay for the surgery and recovery.

The UW Animal Rights Society spoke at a protest at the Eby Farmstead in Waterloo on the Civic long weekend. While the protest didn’t have a huge turnout, information was still shared about how the animals in the park have allegedly been mistreated by park goers. The protesters want the animals to go to a sanctuary.

Bill 68 will prevent on-campus special constables from calling themselves police. The Community Safety and Policing Act will be altered to ban anyone but police, to call themselves police. This will impact UW and U of G both of which use the term “police” — ­ as well as all the students who dress as police for Hallowe’en, we can only assume.

PARK WATER LEVELS DROP

MORE WEED IN KW FACILITY

LESS METH DOESNT MEAN LESS DRUGS

The Victoria Park Lake has seen water levels drop approximately 18 inces. A new sluice gate is needed, and will be put in the first week of August, weather permitting. Water levels will then return to normal. While some trees will be removed, wildlife, including park mascots Otis and Ophelia, will not be harmed, according to a press release.

A Kitchener cannabis company on Manitou Drive is saying it can generate more weed because the growing system they designed is working better than expected.The system was supposed to yield 204 grams per plant, but now it’s looking more like 261 grams per place. In addition to growing the flower, they also make oil. Groovy.

Methanphetamine seizures are down ths year in Waterloo Region, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s less meth being consumed in the Region, police say. It’s likely due to the face that Waterloo Regional Police have been focusing on fentanyl and firearm investigations. Meth is still considered a top five drug used in WR.

Consequences shouldn’t lie only within the law — especially when only 55 per cent of family violence victims saw charges laid in Canada in 2016, as reported by Stats Canada. And those are only the ones that made it to court.

Of course I believe in rehabilitation after retribution, but 45 per cent of reported accusers in 2016 walked out of Canadian court rooms without charges laid. Do you believe that those people were going home and willfully entering rehabilitation programs after a courtroom let them walk away and seemingly told them they had done nothing wrong?

Maybe if there were actually societal consequences, men would stop abusing women.

Maybe.

Maybe the morning after a man abuses a woman, his friends don’t reply to his texts or phone calls.

Maybe he checks his phone. He has an email from his boss. He’s been fired, it says. Maybe the contents of his desk will be mailed to him. No need to come in.

Maybe he heads to the coffee shop beside his apartment building. He’s a regular there; they all know his order by heart.

When he approaches the counter,

maybe the barista says, “I can’t serve you. You’ll have to go somewhere else.” Maybe she says it plainly and shrugs, as if it’s nonnegotiable.

Maybe he calls his mom, looking for comfort. “I’m sorry,” his mom says when she answers the phone.

“I don’t want to speak to you anymore.” Maybe she hangs up.

Maybe he thinks he’s just in a terrible nightmare.

Of course the scenario I painted above for the abuser was an exaggerated reality. I don’t need you to tell me that there are laws around firing without reason, I know that already. I also know there are complexities around loving someone who is also a bad person. Trust me, I’ve lived it.

But too many men wake up the morning after abusing a woman and nothing is different. They still have jobs to go to, friends who will support them, social spaces that are still welcoming.

As a community, we have a duty to not meet perpetrators’ violence with unlimited compassion.

There are always reasons for someone’s abusive behaviour, but that doesn’t excuse the abusive behaviour. The blame should never be shifted to the survivor or victim. Physical violence is never

okay. Unless used for self-defence, enforcing violence onto another person is never a viable method of problem solving.

The fact that I’ve heard of, and personally experienced, scenarios where men who beat women face no consequences, get to go on living their normal lives, working their well-paying jobs, having their friends stick by them, yelling the words “innocent until proven guilty, let’s let the judge decide!” makes me feel physically ill.

Maybe I’m just in a terrible nightmare.

If so, for the love of god, someone please wake me up.

This is Rob Hern, one of the owners of Short Finger Brewing. We aren’t sure what he’s doing in this photo, but it must have something to do with making beer. Read more on page 16.

NICK STANLEY PHOTO

EDITOR’S NOTE: SOMEONE PLEASE WAKE ME UP

BY: BETH BOWLES

TW: Discussions of domestic violence. This article also uses the word “woman,” but we acknowledge that domestic violence affects every gender and is prevelent in LGTBQ+ relationships. Statistically, women, even more specifically racialized women, experience the highest rates of domestic violence.

In March 2019, Waterloo Region placed 26th — or last — as a safe place for women to live in Canada as determined by a report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Since then, and before then actually, I’ve seen social media posts, read headlines in newspapers and even heard conversational disclosures from acquaintances about experiences with domestic or gendered violence. I started putting all these stories in a figurative backpack, lugging them around with me wherever I went. But the backpack got too heavy and now it’s dragging on the floor.

I’m tired of men beating women.

I’m tired of those who excuse that behaviour. I’m tired of not believing survivors when the evidence lies on her skin.

Domestic violence can come in a variety of forms and that physical violence is only one form or aspect of domestic violence.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, consider contacting a community service such as the Family Violence Project Waterloo Region or the Waterloo Region Sexual Assault/Domestic Violence Treatment Centre.

AUGUST 2019 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

4

GETTING SPOOKY WITH

FILMMAKER TORIN LANGEN ELISE PIPIA CONTRIBUTOR Kitchener-Waterloo based filmmaker Torin Langen, best known for horror films 3 Dead Trick or Treaters and Offerings, admitted that his interest in film all started in the second grade when his teacher put on The Nightmare Before Christmas for Halloween.

“That movie scared me to death,” Langen said. “It became a problem how freaked out about this I was.”

Since Langen’s parents were entrepreneurial photographers, his father taught him how to do stopmotion animation so that he could see behind the scenes, and realize that there was no reason to be afraid of the Tim Burton film.

After that, Langen would create films with his friends after school, and the horror genre peaked his interest from the start. Langen’s 3 Dead Trick or Treaters, released in 2017, was an anthology that took four years to create. The film has since won two awards and was nominated for best horror feature at Nightmares Film Festival.

“Most of the opportunities I have had are ones I have made for myself.

And I don’t think people realize how

easy it can be to go knocking on doors and find opportunities that way,” Langen said.

All set and costume design for his films are handmade by Langen himself. The design work in his latest film Offerings was largely inspired by pagan origins and traditional folk art.

“It being a form of folk art meant that I didn’t have to be an expert in costume design to make something that had the same sort of feel to it,” he said.

The film itself is non-narrative and is meant to have a hypnotic effect on the viewer.

“Almost like you are being pulled into the rituals that are happening in the film,” Langen explained.

Langen expressed that his overall experience in the KW filmmaking community is very positive, however, that there is more that the city could be doing to help.

“We have such a vibrant arts scene, but the city doesn’t really seem to be looking at ways to attract and utilize that talent,” he said. “We have all of these empty storefronts. There’s no reason why we couldn’t have projections in those storefronts at night, or have art installations or paintings hanging up,” he said.

With the few venues KW has closing down, such as Open Sesame, it can be difficult for a small scale artist to find an affordable space to promote their work.

When asked how the public can support local filmmakers, Langen replied, “Just come out to screenings!

It’s really hard to get people to come out to things.”

Langen’s full time job besides filmmaking, is working as a barista at The Yeti Cafe.

“I’ve had a lot of opportunities to collaborate with other creatives in the Region just from striking up small talk [at The Yeti],” said Langen.

Langen met Eric Rumble, cofounder of the former annual arts festival, Night\Shift Placehacking Festival, through connections and conversations had at The Yeti, and had his own art installation at Night\ Shift 2017.

“As far as barista talks go, that’s been best case scenario for me,” he said. “I think that’s what separates [The Yeti] with other similar [businesses] in town, it attracts the weirdos in a really good way.”

When asked what is next in his career, Langen replied, “the next project that I do is what I want to make, but also tailored to what people want to see on the festival market right now.”

Right now, Langen is available to make music videos and is interested in working with people who share similar interests.

To learn more about his films and other creative projects visit candleflamefilms.ca.

Torin Langen has spearheaded two films: 3 Dead Trick or Treaters (2017) and Offerings. You may recognize him from making your coffee at The Yeti NICK STANLET PHOTO

A LIVE SHOW IN A LIVING ROOM SAM TOMAN CONTRIBUTOR It’s a brutally humid Monday in July. Roommates Mike Sharp and Jacob Dickie are sweating it out in the dining room of one of the Region’s emerging clandestine music venue — the Mountanne Music House.

If the venue looks like your bogstandard student home — dishes piled up in the sink, a keg fridge, Value Village-grade art on the walls — it’s because it is. Dickie and Sharp are two members of a shifting cast of musician housemates (and Heidi the dog). They invite anywhere up to 50 relative strangers into their living room on a semi-regular basis to rock out, and in turn, be rocked by some of Ontario’s most exciting young bands.

“We always have lots of fun,” Dickie said.

“Too much fun sometimes,” Sharp echoed, smiling.

Started in 2017, the pair are thrilled with their experiment so far. Word is getting out too. They’re getting requests from bands across Canada wanting to get in on the fun of playing there.

The shows are mostly promoted by word of mouth and Facebook. It’s BYOB and fans are encouraged to make a donation of $10 at each show.

“We [don’t refuse people] if they can’t pay. We want everyone who wants to watch a show be able to even if they can’t afford it,” Dickie said.

Whatever money is collected at the end of the night goes to the bands.

The guys in the house don’t keep a dime.

“We’re not in this to make money,” Sharp said. “We want to build a community.”

“

WE WANT EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO WATCH A SHOW BE ABLE TO EVEN IF THEY CAN’T AFFORD IT.

”

-JACOB DICKIE, MOUNTANNE MUSIC HOUSE

Lovers Touch, Mauve Grove, Controversial Sharks and King’s Limit have all played the house multiple times and have helped grow the community through their fan bases and musical connections.

Most have the same motivation.

They want to put on a show for their fans in a casual friendly space where like-minded musicians can meet, perform, and support each other.

Dickie and Sharp met at a local music show and became friends.

They soon rented a house on Mt. Anne Drive in Waterloo’s Sunnydale area and started hosting shows in the quiet residential neighbourhood.

“I don’t think there was a show at that house where the police didn’t come,” Sharp said.

While their former neighbours weren’t huge fans of the shows, the music community was. To avoid

Local band Antisocial Surf Club playing an intimate show at Mountanne Music House.

VICKI MAHONY PHOTO getting ratted-out and continue doing what they were doing, they moved to a century home in the outskirts of Mount Hope in Kitchener and began throwing shows again.

Somewhat vaguely named after its original location, the guys living in the Mountanne Music House are hesitant to share their address widely.

On any given night, they’re not sure who they’ll be opening their doors to. It might seem risky, but both guys clearly feel it’s their duty to offer space to musicians in an emerging music local scene looking

for momentum.

Neither can remember any serious infraction by a guest that stands out.

“Not everyone who comes here believes in private property,” Sharp said. “But that hasn’t really been a major problem so far.”

They said someone once stole some beer from the fridge. There haven’t been any fights beyond a few heated political arguments.

“We haven’t had the police come yet,” Sharp said.

Their neighbours seem to like the shows. Not long after they moved in, their neighbours across the street started hosting trap parties.

A collaboration between the two houses is in the works.

Their landlord is, “chill,” and according to them, would be more likely to attend a show than shut the place down.

Improbably, The Mountanne Music House seems to have all the right ingredients to pull off something inspirational — as long as nobody calls the cops.

“All we’re really hoping for is that we can keep this going,” Dickie said.

AUGUST 2019 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

5

OPEN CONVERSATIONS WITH DEAR VAGINA

KITCHENER-BASED TAYLOR DEVALK IS TALKING OPENLY ABOUT WOMEN’S HEALTH THROUGH HER COMMUNITY BLOG, DEAR VAGINA

RACHEAL WALSER CONTRIBUTOR Kitchener’s Taylor Devalk likes open aired conversations about vaginas, did you know? If you go to dearvaginaa.com, you’ll see a lot of her doing it, and other people too!

Alongside pictures of fruit, there’s no 18+ warnings.

Thanks to the continued courage of voices like Devalk and the other contributors of this incredible blog, we, as a community, actually talk.

This is when we stop leaving vagina related conversations in the gender specific washroom accessible only to those who pass as patriarchyapproved female.

This is when we allow the space for the voices saying, “I’m in pain,” “I need to stop,” or “no — I’m not “just bloated.””

This is when we listen.

Devalk, bright and sunny, sat across from me at Show & Tell in Kitchener a couple of weeks ago.

And there, in that busy, bustling place, she just said it: “I live with Endrometriosis, and PCOS. I didn’t know until recently, but I’ve been living with intense menstrual and sex related pain since I was 14.”

And nothing stopped. No one

gasped. No dirty looks were shot.

The world carried on, almost just as it was before she said it. But now it was out there.

And that’s exactly what Devalk is trying to do with her community blog, Dear Vagina.

“It’s meant to be a collaborative blog for people who live with vaginas or in close proximity to them, to come and share their story,” she said.

The blog, subtitled “a collection of personal dispatches” reflects the evolving nature of learning to love one’s body, even when it may feel at war with itself.

After originally sparking conversation through her Instagram posts, Devalk realized the value of her voice.

“People would message me and say I was brave for talking about it,” she said.

Someone once approached her and called her “one of the strongest voices,” but in almost every one of her posts Devalk reminds readers that she is talking from her own experience.

“I know I’m not the only person living with health problems stemming from hormones and sex organs,” she said. “I just think that aren’t enough people talking.”

“For the longest time, I felt like no one believed me. Doctors would minimize my pain, tell me to ignore what my body was telling me. I was [Googling] my own disease to try and understand how to take care

JAMAAL OWUSU-ANSAH PHOTO of myself. I felt alone, ignored, and sometimes invalidated,” she said.

“It’s a common experience, and I don’t think that’s okay.”

Long term, Devalk sees Dear Vagina filling that gap.

“Socially, there will always be some people who don’t want to talk about it. But wouldn’t it be neat to have a

Beyond Meat is popping up at multiple restaurants including Sonny’s Drive-In on Weber Street.

PAIGE BUSH PHOTO

WHERE’S THE BEEF? BEYOND MEAT IS NOTHING TO BE THREATENED BY — SO LET’S CELEBRATE!

519 SCHMECKS

NICK BENNINGER COLUMNIST Like seriously, where and why is there a beef? Beyond Meat “burgers” and the like have made serious headway into the everyday market and it’s stirring up some controversy. I’m struggling with why.

I am built on meat. A charbroiled, full fat on the bone steak smothered

in sea salt and garlic oil is my heaven. I will never, I repeat never, fully cut glorious fleshy and fatty meat from my diet. However, I am not afraid to eat plant-based and understand that as a society we need to move away from our “meat at every meal” ways as our personal and environmental health diminishes.

I do vegan January, but I also eat more beef fat the other 11 months of the year to make up for it. I consider my opinion on the topic of meat alternatives balanced and fairly neutral.

My issue is, open minded, environmentally aware, buy-localtype-people who appreciate what

they put in their body are having strong, even visceral reactions, to the newest product – Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat substitute that seems to be popping up in nearly every fast food joint after becoming popular through an A&W partnership last year.

When a local farmer friend who makes a living raising cattle bashed it, I got it. This trend seems like an attack on their livelihood. An emotional response is expected.

But survey the average foodie over the age of 40, many respond with disgust, skepticism and criticism saying “eat grilled mushroom burgers instead!” or “who wants such over processed food” and “what

space where people could go, share their experiences and learn from one another?”

“Maybe one day, Dear Vagina could have support groups, or panel discussions where we invite doctors doing amazing work to come and talk. But for that, I think I’ll need a little help,” she laughs.

So log onto dearvaginaa.com, read a post, share a post, and help Dear Vagina in its mission to make this world a better place.

When Canesten stops being a $30 punishment for taking antibiotics, we’ll know we’re on our way.

about my local farmer? This is gonna hurt them.’’

Let me rebuke a few of these responses.

First, who cares! Nobody’s forcing you to eat this or the forthcoming waves of crickets already hitting grocery store shelves. Let the tree huggers have their lunch, ignore them.

For those saying to eat mushroom burgers instead — because those exist in fast food restaurants?

This isn’t about people cooking at home already taking the time to eat unprocessed plant based foods, it’s for us on the run folks grabbing food from places like Tim Hortons and A&W. Processed foods should be avoided, I agree, but let’s add the proper context. The absolute garbage brown sodium discs currently sold at fast food chains are just as processed, plus the beef is from massive factory farms where unseemly things are done to make the cheapest product possible.

If you are buying any burgers from your grocery store freezer, they too are highly processed. As such, you forfeit your right to voice an opinion.

Frozen burgers, vegan or not, are in a different category as beef-saltfire, and we all know it so don’t hide behind your customized narrative to hate on something new.

Our hero, the local farmer, is worth protecting and this product, in my opinion, will only help.

Next time you are at a farmers’ market, tell me how many Beyond Meat burgers you see. They are not even remotely competing against each other, and the existence of new options in fast food and grocery stores will only help local producers carve out more space in the niche market they currently exist in.

Let’s talk about the good. The taste is comparable and frankly, when it’s

dressed up with all the fixings and the salty sweet buns so synonymous with fast food joints, it stacks up.

Is it healthier? Maybe. Time will tell as more long term testing can be done, but at first glance most research says if nothing else it’s a tie with the average fast food option.

Is it better for the environment?

Big time. Cattle farming eats up 87 per cent of all farmland, produces 60 per cent of all agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and only provides 18 per cent of our caloric intake and 37 per cent of our protein respectively.

Beyond Meat production generates 90 per cent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, uses 93 per cent less farmland, 99 per cent less water and nearly half the energy. In Canada, it’s also a huge opportunity. We produce a hell of a lot of peas and lentils, substantial ingredients in most meatless burgers.

The biggest win, in my opinion, is the accessibility, being available at almost every fast food joint in the land makes it easy for Joe Public to make the change at least once in a while.

Interestingly, over 90 per cent of the Beyond Meat sales in fast food outlets are ending up in the mouths of non vegans, which is a huge win for the environment. We can’t keep eating beef at the rate we do. The earth can’t support it.

So, to recap, don’t eat fake burgers if you don’t want to, but don’t be such a vocal critic of those who do, because you just sound like a loudmouth. Leave that to me!

Check out the online article for a link to my amazing homemade veggie burgers!

Nick Benninger is a local chef and restaurant owner.

AUGUST 2019 // @THECOMMUNITYED

6

UNDERSTANDING DEPRESSION MENTAL MATTERS

JOHN ROCHE COLUMNIST Depression sucks. One minute you could be completely fine — and then you just don’t want to try anymore.

Or it’s been there for as long as you can remember: a heavy weight on your chest that saps you of all energy.

But what actually causes it? And what can you do about it?

“Depression” actually refers to a cluster of symptoms that can be caused by all kinds of different stuff. Hypothyroidism, Vitamin B12 deficiency, and a few dozen other conditions can all cause depressive symptoms. For this reason, if you’re suffering from depression, it’s always a good idea to see your friendly neighbourhood general practitioner, if only to rule this stuff out.

Still, most cases I’ve come across as a therapist have clear links to what we call “adverse life experiences,” or, as normal people call it, shit that’s happened to you.

The first thing to know is that when it comes to how we, as humans, respond to threats (which is how our nervous systems view adverse life experiences), we have three built-in responses.

The first is our most sophisticated, and it’s pretty unique to humans: talking things out. The second is the less sophisticated fight, flight, or freeze response, which we share with other mammals. And the third is our most primitive response to threat, which even cartilaginous fish use: the shutdown response.

In the face of a threat, we start at the top of the list and work our way down: if social engagement doesn’t resolve it, we move into fight, flight, or freeze. If that doesn’t work, then we shut down. The shutdown response is basically what an animal does when it’s about to be annihilated and has no other option but to numb the pain by disconnecting from the experience.

If, however, our early life experiences were characterized by helplessness — like with child abuse, role reversal with a parent, or loss — then our nervous systems get programmed to respond to present-day stressors by immediately jumping to shutdown.

But what does all this have to do with depression? A hell of a lot, since the exhaustion, hopelessness, loss of pleasure, sleep and appetite issues, and that feeling like you’re moving through soup are exactly what characterize the shutdown response.

Add to this the fact that most people experiencing depression can point to at least one recent adverse life experience, if not a lifetime of them, and we’re onto something important here.

Understanding the shutdown response also explains why Cognitive Behaviour Therapists are always telling you to exercise and socialize, even if you don’t want to: those activities more than most move you out of shutdown mode and back into the more sophisticated parts of your brain. (Eventually.)

And why do other therapists say the therapeutic relationship itself is what heals? Because relating to your therapist lights up the social engagement system, thereby moving you out of shutdown. Cool, right?

All that stuff helps reduce the symptoms, and once those life experiences that programmed your brain to jump right into shutdown mode get resolved by a kickass trauma therapy like eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), you won’t need to spend weeks forcing yourself to exercise and talk to people every time something shitty happens.

What all this means is that if you’re experiencing depression, there’s a ton of hope that things can get better. Your brain isn’t broken, it’s just a bit stuck, and a skilled therapist will know just how to unstick it.

John Roche is a therapist in Kitchener-Waterloo.

WED, AUG 28 • PRINCESS CINEMA

Adv. tickets $22 • princesscinemas.com

JESSE DERRY PHOTO

HE’S COME “SO FAR”

FOR AMIT MEHTA, ONE DOOR CLOSES WITH SOFAR SOUNDS, BUT ANOTHER OPENS WITH GOOD CO.

AARON HAGEY CONTRIBUTOR For over two months, Good Company Productions in Waterloo has been organizing and facilitating secret, live pop-up concerts, festivals, events and more — in locations ranging from intimate venues, such as living rooms and offices, to bigger spaces, like warehouses and galleries — bringing local and community talent to audiences in a more accessible fashion.

Amit Mehta, one of the founders and city lead for Good Co. Productions, was part of the team that founded Sofar Sounds Waterloo — a global brand located in 438 cities around the world — in the Fall of 2017.

“Every event that we’ve done, we’re always in good company: the people that come out to the shows, the musicians, the venue hosts who give up their space for the evening — it’s what makes it all worthwhile, to see people coming together to support each other,” Mehta said.

“That’s community, right? Those are the types of people that we want to be around.”

For Mehta, the transition from Sofar Sounds to Good Co. Productions was natural, given that he and his team of volunteers have spent the last two years building experience in the field of live entertainment coordination and facilitation.

“Two years ago, we wouldn’t have been able to do that, because we just didn’t have the skill-set … [now] doing now over 50 shows, we’ve got more experience than a lot of people in the Region, in terms of using different venues, [and] we’ve worked with hundreds of artists,” Mehta said.

Now he’s ready to concentrate that experience into a more local context.

“We were always on the path towards starting our own venture, but it was kickstarted pretty recently.

The initial plan was always to move towards our own venture, just because of the freedom that we needed to operate,” Mehta said.

On May 20, 2019, Mehta and his team received news that the Sofar Sounds Global office would be changing the funding structure — and operational model — of local branches of the organization.

“We got a call from Sofar Sounds

Global — it was a total blindside — and basically [they] closed the funding round of $20 million,” Mehta said.

Mehta refused to align with this new business strategy, ending his time with Sofar Sounds, and was soon removed as both the city and Canadian lead.

“Sofar Sounds is a for-profit company; however, out of the 430+ cities that operated Sofar Sounds in the world, the majority of them are volunteer-run cities, including Waterloo.”

This change jeopardized the volunteer-oriented structure of Sofar Sounds Waterloo; previously, teams would fully volunteer their time, with all revenue going straight towards the artists.

According to Mehta, the new for-profit model takes 35 per cent of artist commission for events, as well as providing no compensation for the teams behind them.

“We used to compensate — and we still do, whenever we can — $100 per musician, per act, depending on how much revenue is coming in, because these shows still [have], in order to keep it accessible, low ticket price[s] — there’s not a lot of money to start with,” Mehta said.

“This didn’t align with what we were trying to do, first and foremost; secondly, obviously, you’re taking away from artist compensation, but you’re also profiting off of a fully volunteer team, which I don’t agree with — morally and ethically.”

After hearing the news, Good Co. Productions launched within a week, committed to organizing events and concerts.

Now, Mehta and his team, with over $50,000 in revenue in just two months, are preparing for the fall, with all-new formats for events, including muralists, photographers, video teams and speakers, for community members to appreciate.

“In the Fall, we’re going to be piloting events that showcase different spaces across the Region. It’ll be all about exploration, getting people out there, getting people to mix and mingle,” Mehta said.

Until then, Mehta and his team will be working hard to provide the community with an ethical approach to a for-profit model that gives back not only to the artists, but those who help make their performances and their art a reality — while, at the same time, providing more accessible (and sometimes free) entertainment to the public.

AUGUST 2019 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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WITH STARS IN HIS EYES AND FOUNDATION ON HIS BRUSH

LOCAL MAKEUP ARTIST ANDY LE’S FUTURE IS BRIGHT AT ONLY 19-YEARS-OLD

JORDAN SNOBELEN CONTRIBUTOR

Top: Andy Le inside his makeup studio at his Cambridge home.

Bottom: Le’s model Liv Carey at Steel Rails, whom he painted from head to toe.

JESSE DERRY PHOTOS

On a late July afternoon, 56 contestant models filtered in and out across the carpeted hallway of the Edward Hotel in Markham. Cambridge-based makeup artist Andy Le, was ready to prepare the models for the 2019 Miss World Canada fashion show night.

Le painstakingly primed, mixed, blended, outlined, brushed, powdered and misted with a dizzying array of products valued at close to $1,000 to help the models look stage-ready.

I arrived as Le was putting the final touches on his fifth model of the day; a pace slower and more relaxed than Le is accustomed to. For a makeup artist, events such as this are like an endurance racing sport.

“I did 10 models in two hours for a show. We were so rushed I had to literally line them up and apply foundation,” he said, adding that he started again at the beginning with the first model and worked his way to the last for each step until the models were ready. He says he finds the pressure energizing as a show’s call time approaches.

Le carries himself lightly. He’s incredibly soft-spoken with a restrained, focused demeanour and a subtle confidence that seems to reveal itself when he’s one-on-one with someone.

Like most 19 year-olds, Le enjoys hanging out with his friends, or playing video games. But for the past month, his free time has been sparse with fashion events like Miss World Canada, Top Model Search Canada and Miss Teenage Canada — calling him out from his hometown of Cambridge.

“I think he’s amazing,” Jennifer Turner, owner and lead artist of Modern Makeup, said. Turner directs and oversees the roster of makeup artists for the modelling events Le has worked at since 2018.

Turner has been an integral part of Le’s life as a role model who has provided him with opportunities, allowing him to develop his craft and strive for more while feeling like he belonged, as part of a family.

“His artistic abilities are unreal, he’s come so far in the last year,” Turner went on to say, mentioning how timid and shy he used to be.

“He’s a vital part of my team now. I just love him.”

When Le was 13 years-old, his mother, Nhan Phung, brought home a special effects makeup kit which started him on a trajectory toward a love for makeup that would evolve into an all-consuming devotion.

Born to Vietnamese parents who speak little English, I asked Phung through Le, what she thought of her son’s ambitions.

“I am very supportive because it’s a great passion that he can excel at and gain success from. It’s not a bad path that involves cheating, stealing or any other negative things, but instead something that I can be proud of him doing for the rest of his life,” she replied.

At the time, not knowing anyone in the industry to reach out to, Le began watching tutorials on YouTube and practicing on himself in the mirror. He posted his work on Instagram and classmates soon started paying him to do their makeup.

Throughout high school, makeup provided a release from social and academic pressures and negative self-doubts.

“I’ll literally forget, from the moment I touch my face with a brush, I’ll forget those entire experiences … it was a good escape, it was always something I could rely on that way, when the world was getting to me. I could go back to something that was my safe spot,” he told me.

It wasn’t until later on, during a career-finding exercise in high school where it dawned on Le that he could etch out a living in makeup.

Since then, Le’s corner has been filled with support from people like his old high school hairstyling teacher, Lynn McKellar, who he called before we met for the first time, asking her for advice on what to talk about.

Lina Shamoun, owner of Artline Salon in Kitchener’s Belmont Village discovered Le at an Ontario Skills Competition. Le works part-time at Artline assisting with chores around the shop, when he’s not doing makeup for the salon’s clients.

“I see myself in Andy a lot,” Shamoun said. “He’ll get somewhere for sure. People like him don’t fall through the cracks.”

Thanks to Shamoun, Le had the chance to represent the salon at the Community Edition’s recent Steel Rails event at Lot 42 in Kitchener. Le painted model, Liv Carey, head-totoe in a “fiery theme” reminiscent of something found at Burning Man. The full-body painting took over eight hours, with the first half done at Artline, and the rest at Steel Rails.

Carey also wore a crown, home-made

by Le from foam strips, thermal plastic, and skewers, all coated in gold spray paint.

The full-body makeup experience is Le’s favourite, allowing him free, creative reign. “I like seeing art move, and I like seeing art come to life … you can literally transform someone into an entirely different person,” he said.

With daunting aspirations for the big screen, Le sees himself working in Hollywood, and later in life, starting a makeup school or studio and teaching a master class.

“I think I always dream really big, and I kind of want to win an Oscar, maybe,” he said, laughing.

He’s been accepted into the Vancouver Film School and hopes to attend next Spring. But it’s a step that hinges on an intimidating jaw surgery this fall, followed by sixmonths of recovery.

The journey to the promise land of boundless sunshine and opportunity is a long one; easily cut short by a cocky attitude or naiveté. If Le’s humble attitude after so much praise are any indication, there’s plenty of potential lying in wait down the road of long years ahead, and who knows, perhaps even an Oscar.

DAY TRIPPIN’ TO SIX NATIONS INDIAN RESERVE

HYPERLOCAL TRAVEL

JUANITA METZGER CONTRIBUTOR Summer is meant for road trips and this month I’m sending you on a learning journey to a place you might not have considered in your local travels: Six Nations of the Grand River. Located southeast of Brantford, Six Nations is a one-hour drive from Waterloo Region.

When I mention to friends and family that I recently spent the day here, the first question is often, “Can you just go there? How do you get in?”

The answer is yes, you can drive into Six Nations Indian Reserve No. 40. There are no gates or entry requirements.

In fact, Six Nations Tourism invites you to come. This small tourism team (a department of Six National Economic Development Corporation) has created a series of guided tours to help visitors learn about the history, culture and community of the Six Nations and answer some of those questions.

Visitors are welcome at local restaurants and shops in the village of Oshweken and invited to attend public events such as dawn and dusk paddles, Monday Movies featuring Indigenous films, lectures, choral concerts, art exhibits and crafts shows. Ceremonial and sacred sites are not open for visitors.

I spent a full day on a guided tour visiting four significant sites, which are part of the “Cultural Experiences” tours at Six Nations. Self-guided is an option but I highly recommend the welltrained guides who provide additional context to each site and answer a lot of questions.

For instance, during my stop at Chiefswood National Historic Site,

the birthplace and childhood home of Mohawk and English poet E. Pauline Johnson, summer tour guide Hailey Anderson-Henry led me from the parlour through Johnson’s father’s study, then into the hallway where I expected to find the front entrance.

But I saw two front doors, at opposite ends of the hall, each with the same design.

Anderson-Henry is primed for the confusion registered on my face (she’s done these tours a few times!) and confirms that there are, indeed, two entrances, exactly the same. She explains that the design was intentional to reflect the shared culture of the Johnson family. George H. M. Johnson was Mohawk and built the house from 1853-1856 for his English bride, Emily Howells.

The door facing north welcomed settlers and visitors who arrived on the road by horse and carriage from other communities. The door facing south welcomed visitors who arrived by canoe on the Grand River since it runs beside

the house.

The Johnson family was ahead of their time in so many ways.

There’s so much more to see at Six Nations of the Grand River.

Her Majesty’s Royal Chapel of the Mohawks was built in 1785. The guided tour is a must to learn about the eight stunning stained glass windows, which depict events in the history of the Six Nations Woodland Cultural Centre was established in 1972, after the closure of the Mohawk Institute (Indian Residential School). This centre features a history museum, Indigenous art space and library. The Mohawk Institute is currently closed while major repairs are underway.

Kayanase is an ecological restoration organization that restores natural habitat with native plant species and recently built a longhouse as a place for land-based education, for Haudenosaunee people to connect with the history of their ancestors and for visitors to learn.

End your day with a paddle on the Grand River. Your guide will share Haudenosaunee belief systems, the creation story, the importance of traditional lands, how the Six Nations came to live in the area and current way of life.

Waterloo Region sits within the original boundaries of the Haldimand Tract (originally 950,000 acres, 10km on either side of the Grand River), the same land that was promised to the Six Nations in 1784 with the Haldimand Treaty. It’s my responsibility, and yours, as settlers in this territory to learn a history that has long been untold, removed from history books and glossed over for more than 200 years.

The place to continue your learning is just one hour away.

Juanita visited Six Nations sites as a guest of Six Nations Tourism. They did not review or approve this column before publication.

Sweet & holesome

A BRIEF DONUT TOUR IN WATERLOO REGION Donuts are a perfect food. They can be sweet or savoury, filled or topped, plain or extravagant, small or large. I like the types of food where the name doesn’t necessarily dictate what you’re going to get. When I say “hotdog,” you have a very clear expectation, but with “donut” the expectations are endless, especially when baked in-house with the possibility of rotating flavours.

Donuts can take many shapes and forms. They can taste different from their sisters. They can be breakfast, dessert or a meal themselves! Even the spelling of their name is mysterious! Is it donut or doughnut? Who even knows? Who even cares!

Since my love for donuts is so widely known, friends were always giving me recommendations as to who was making the best. I decided to go on a quest for the best donuts in Waterloo Region and invited some friends along for the ride.

Here is a small preview of a few of the donut options in Waterloo Region. We weren’t able to go to every stop and we know there are some other gems. Did we miss your go-to donut shop? Let us know on the internet.

- Beth Bowles

Red eye

600 HESPELER RD #76, CAMBRIDGE On the overly gentrified and commercial strip that is Hespeler Road in Cambridge — the Las Vegas of Waterloo Region, I’ve heard it called — sits Red Eye Cafe and Donuts.

This family-owned bakery feels out of place among corporate American chains, and yet, is a breath of fresh air that community still exists in such a conformed area. Red Eye’s donut

toppings are wildly creative, but for the most part, the actual donut base rarely changes. It is versatile, however.

With toppings like maple bacon, oreo, birthday cake and Kit Kat, these donuts not only make for a great Instagram pic, but they taste great too!

- Beth Bowles

unity baking 1 WATER ST N, CAMBRIDGE

Located in downtown Galt, Unity Baking has a wide range of vegan, dairy-free, low carb, paleo, refined sugar-free and gluten-free brownies, cookies, bars, cupcakes, cakes and desserts. Although they specialize in custom ordered cakes (they say there is no creative challenge they won’t

take), the highlight is their incredible unicorn donut which even includes a unicorn horn! They continually create surprising and unique versions of sweets and have the cutest little shop.

- Melissa Embury

Debrodniks

700 STRASBURG RD UNIT 8, KITCHENER My love for Debrodniks has taken me to a few different spots in KW over the years. From the original Debrodniks Deli and Bakery near King and University, to the pop up on Borden Ave, to a few times at Veritas Cafe on Laurier’s campus (where word spread quickly when a new delivery arrived), and now to the Forest Glen Plaza.

Open the door to Debrodniks Donuts and you’re greeted with rainbow sprinkle wallpaper and of course racks of just as fun donuts where you can now box your own.

Made fresh every day, Debrodniks is known for creative flavours and fun colours. They are only open until they sell out ­— and they always sell out — so I recommend visiting in the morning. Debrodniks posts their monthly menu on Facebook so you can prepare your choices before you visit — although picking just one or two isn’t an easy feat. But hey, there are no bad choices when it comes to donuts.

- Lakyn Barton

MALASADA WORLD 33 AINSLIE ST N, CAMBRIDGE

It’s no secret that the donut is one of my top favourite foods, so when I announced that I was on a quest to find the best, my friends from my hometown of Galt were shocked to find I hadn’t been to Malasada World.

The next time I was on my home turf, I made sure to visit this small Portuguese deli and bakery, where you could get two of my favourite things: bifana on a bun and filled donuts.

In a very odd coincidence, my first time at Malasada World was also their last day open. I was told there was an

illness in the family, and the folks at Malasada were closing their doors for a while, and putting themselves first. I held my bag of donuts like a treasure as I walked out, knowing these donuts were now a rarity. My favourite was the chocolate hazelnut; it was a doughy powdered pocket, filled to the brim — dare I say, almost too filled — with a Nutella-like filling. It was so rich and messy, yet tasted so authentic and indulgent.

- Beth Bowles

Elmira Donuts 22 CHURCH ST W, ELMIRA

Nowadays, you can get almost any kind of donut imaginable — vegan, gluten free, even wrapped in gold foil, but when it comes down to it, sometimes you just want cheap and cheerful, and that’s exactly what you get from Donuts and Deli in the

heart of the ‘bustling metropolis’ of Elmira. A mere 10 minute drive from uptown Waterloo, you’ll want to go for the donuts, and stay for the Chicken Salad on white. My favourite? Cherry Crunch.

- Ryan King

princess cafe 46 KING ST N, WATERLOO

Princess Cafe is hands down my favourite casual eatery in uptown Waterloo. The only thing they were missing among their perfect menu of paninis, homemade iced tea and baked goods, were donuts. A recent partnership with Merit Badge Doughnuts in Guelph, however, has caused the heavens to open up. Now, every Friday Princess will have vegan, organic donuts from our neighbours

in Guelph. I went with my publisher, Lakyn, a few weeks ago; I ordered the Lemon Lavender Shortbread, while Lakyn had a Blueberry Lemon Fritter.

This is the kind of donut you make sound effects to as you take another bite. They’re so moist and flavourful, Taylor, a lovely employee behind the counter, had to tell us to keep it down.

- Beth Bowles

AUGUST 2019 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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LUCIA LIU PHOTO

NEW PROJECT IS BUZZING AT KPL THE TWO NEW BEEHIVES INSTALLED ON THE GREEN ROOF AT KPL ARE OFFERING EDUCATION ABOUT POLLINATION AND FOOD SECURITY

MELISSA EMBURY STAFF WRITER The Kitchener Public Library installed two beehives at their main branch in June on the second floor of their green roof. It’s part of the library’s 85 Green, a series of initiatives and projects that promote nutritional literacy and help us learn and grow together toward a more sustainable community.

Lindsey Skeen, the manager of children and teen services at KPL has been instrumental in getting this program off the ground.

“She has a lot of great ideas. She’s fantastic. Lindsey is relatively new to the library and she’s a real star,” KPL CEO Mary Chevreau said.

You can easily watch the busy bees at work from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor of the

library’s main branch.

Skeen wanted to create a healthy pollinator environment and educate the public on why pollinators are so important to our food supply. The hives are part of youth programming underway at the library’s new vegetable and herb garden in the Sheriff John Motz courtyard.

To make sure the bees are doing well, a professional beekeeper helped establish the hives and comes in regularly to monitor their progress and keep them healthy.

When asked about the whole process of installing the bees and how that went, Chevreau said: “we did wonder, would [the public] be concerned with the bees? Would they be afraid? What happens if they have somebody who’s allergic to bees?”

But, they’ve had nothing but “absolutely positive feedback,” Chevreau said.

Chevreau explained that honey bees are quite docile and almost never sting unless their hive is

attacked or they feel threatened.

The library also made sure the hives were high up from the ground and in an area only accessible to the beekeeper.

As part of the 85 Green initiatives, the library provides afterschool programs for youth in our community. They were surprised to realize how many of the participants were not getting enough food each day.

“We have children who come from families that for whatever reason, can’t provide. We see a lot of kids that come in after school and these are young kids — elementary schoolage kids, they don’t leave till we close at 9 p.m.,” Chevreau said.

To remedy this issue, the library decided to do a small informal study where they provided kids with an afternoon snack. They conducted a stress test before and after the snack and measured the mood of each child.

“We saw such a difference in behaviour and their ability to learn.

There’s a lot of research that shows that people who are fed better, their attention is better, [they] are generally happier,” Chevreau said.

The library also has plans in the works to create a learning kitchen.

Right now, they have three gardens created as a result of funding from an individual family who made the 85 Green initiative possible. The largest plot grows vegetables in an array of colourful food plants they call the rainbow garden.

They have help from The Ontario Seed Company, a local company that comes in once a week to maintain the gardens and make sure everything is healthy.

“Our vision would be that kids could understand where food comes from, garden to table. They would have an opportunity to prepare their own healthy snacks and understand what a healthy snack looks like,” Chevreau said.

On a larger scale, Kitchener and Waterloo have become the seventh and eighth cities to join Bee City

Canada — whose mission is to work with cities to undertake bee-friendly initiatives and support native pollinators through communitybased stewardship activities and environmental education.

Bee City Canada says the best way to support pollinators is to plant a variety of wildflowers native to this area: pink milkweeds favoured by monarch butterflies, blue spikes of hyssop, bright yellow golden alexander and white penstemon.

While having hives like the ones at KPL might not be feasible for your residential property, planting native wildflowers or volunteering with KW’s Pollinator Working Group is an accessible way to contribute.

To learn more about bees in our Region, check out the Pollinator Festival happening at Huron Natural Area in Kitchener on Saturday, Aug. 17. The event is being hosted by Bee City.

SOAKIN’ UP THOSE DARK DAYS OF SUMMER

CRAFT DRAFTS

JUSTIN CLOUTHIER COLUMNIST Last month I wrote a brief piece about session beers being great for summer, or anytime. Through that process, I was also reminded of another beer trend that seems to pop up every year at this time.

Stouts and other dark beers seem to disappear from many tap lists and LCBO shelves as it begins to warm up outside and, to me at least, that’s

a bit of a bummer… I think … maybe.

There is some precedent for beer seasonality, at least historically. In general, this meant that beer would be brewed with fresh ingredients in certain months and then stored away to condition appropriately; beer brewed in the spring would contain different ingredients and offer different flavours than beer brewed in the fall.

This, in tandem with Regional differences in climate, politics, and technological changes, lead to the creation of many modern styles that we know and love. These styles would only be available during certain times of the year, but now technology and globalization has changed that, leaving many of these

seasonal beers available all year round.

Even with the ability to produce these beers year round, there are still plenty of seasonal releases that only pop up once a year. Some of these include pumpkin beers in October, wet-hopped beers in early fall, Oktoberfest Marzen lagers around the time of that celebration, and then high alcohol winter warmers or spiced beers around Christmas.

I admit that I’m a little bit of a sucker when it comes to these releases; I tend to drink them when I can, and I know a big part of their appeal comes from their limited availability.

So what about porters and stouts?

At one point in history, porters were

the main beer of choice, the beer of the people, and they were always available. So why do they begin to disappear in the summer months?

As far as I can tell there just doesn’t seem to be as much demand for them here in Ontario.

Travelling to other parts of the world, these darker beers seem to have more staying power in the summer. Maybe it’s just here, or maybe it’s just the perception of these beers being “heavier” (something I hear way too much).

But, all I know is that these dark beers are delicious and can be just as enjoyable as anything else in the summer.

While I can complain about the lack of options, I also know

that these beers haven’t fully disappeared. There are always the “classics” in the LCBO, and if you’re lucky, you might just stumble across one in your local craft breweries — if so, drink it!

In writing this rant I’ve realized that beer seasonality is alright, and though it might be a little annoying not to have everything all the time, maybe it can make things fun by having a rhythm to style availability.

I can look forward to September when dark beers start showing up more and then come December I can write about how I miss the summer selections.

Justin is currently enrolled in the Brewmaster program at Niagara.

AUGUST 2019 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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WATERLOO REGION’S SYNTAX

OPINION

MARINUS DE GROOT CONTRIBUTOR

The back of a building in Hall’s Lane — one that never gets polished like their front entrances do MATT SMITH FILE PHOTO

ANONYMITY IN

THE LANEWAY SAM NABI CONTRIBUTOR

I found the asphalt buckled up, forced open by a cluster of mushrooms determined to grow skyward.

How does this happen? How far does the rootlike network of mycelium go, that thick matted mass beneath the pavement? Does it connect with its kinsfolk, build bridges, sneak around among the sewer pipes and gas lines?

In a dank corner of Hall’s Lane, our thin layer of civilization yields to the mushroom’s self-assurance.

A week later, someone had poured hot asphalt over the area, and the mushroom caps were gone. Only a small bulge of tar hinted that anything had been disturbed.

If King Street is a stage, walking along Hall’s Lane is like slipping behind the curtain, among the rigging and the catwalk. When I step under that rusted-out fire escape with the Home Depot bucket hanging off one railing, I find comfort in familiarity. Living in Kitchener, I feel that I belong here – and that Hall’s Lane belongs to me, too.

Maybe it’s the way the walls hold me tight. Or how the backs of buildings never get polished like their front entrances do. Layers of construction from different eras, like the stratified geology on the side of a cliff. Bricked-up windows showing evidence of growth and decline over decades.

I remember when they gutted the Walper for renovations. Greyish bricks piled like dirty laundry in the laneway behind the hotel. We’ll deal with it eventually. I glanced over my shoulder, then pocketed a brick as a souvenir. If my neighbourhood was changing, I might as well take something to remember it by.

My jacket pocket strained from the awkward weight, so I just held the brick at my side. There’s a stereotype that downtown Kitchener is sketchy, and I disagree, but there I was walking around with a heavy chunk of construction scrap. I wanted to return to the anonymity of Hall’s Lane, where there’s no fear of being watched.

One summer, they decided the lane needed to be tamed. A brash announcement: the gentrifiers are here! Make them comfortable! They set up in our no-man’s-land and “activated” the space. Craft beer, a climbing wall, loudspeakers. They brought the ruckus and had the gall to call it order.

A friend of mine was taking the lane uptown when he was flung head-over-handlebars onto the ground. A passerby stopped, looked, and kept going. My friend took his smashed bike and fractured collarbone to the hospital, alone. On Hall’s Lane, we don’t stop to greet our neighbours. We scuttle around them.

We tend to avoid one another, if we can help it. Hall’s Lane is a great anti-social urban space.

The first time you and I got together at the Night\Shift festival, I was intoxicated by your sly confidence.

I had recently returned to town and was making different friends, a newborn social animal. You pulled me aside into Hall’s Lane and slipped a bottle of Alpenbitter from inside your jacket. We tipped back the sugary elixir, and felt the heartbeat of the city ringing in our ears.

En route from the pre-drink to the party, Hall’s Lane provided the right kind of cover for our in-between indulgence. An exhaust vent spewed sweet fog, snaking around our shoulders and bathing the city in a soft focus.

Hall’s Lane is a place where I can feel anonymous, where I can let my shoulders sag and drag my feet.

Elsewhere in this tight-knit city, I need to be ready to bump into a friend, run into an old boss, or meet a neighbour. Kitchener is losing its hidden in-between spaces. In the face of the new and improved, the shiny and spectacular, the laneway is a gift because it doesn’t demand anything from me.

This story was published in collaboration with Textile Magazine.

Textile is a new Kitchener-based publication that aims to provide a platform to hidden, muted, or silenced voices in the Region. Their first issue will be out this fall.

Sam Nabi is also the website consultant for WLUSP, TCE’s parent organization.

The Waterloo Regional Economic Development Corporation has quietly dropped the “Regional” qualifier and started presenting itself as the “Waterloo Economic Development Corporation.”

The move has generated some controversy. It can be interpreted as amalgamation by stealth, as an obliteration of the Kitchener brand, and/ or as an appropriation of the City of Waterloo name. It is, however, certainly a more accurate and more effective nomenclature.

Part of the problem being addresses here is the awkward term “Region” that the province imposed on our communities 40+ years ago.

The world understands what a city, township or county is, but “Region” applied to a municipality is a peculiar and therefore confusing usage.

W[R]EDC serves, represents and is supported by our lower tier as well as our upper tier municipal structures. The proper usage of the term “Waterloo Region” with a capital “R” is to refer to the regional municipal government, nothing more.

“Waterloo County,” on the other hand, meant the land within the boundaries set in 1853, the settlements on it, and the municipal government for rural areas, but not

the separated towns and cities.

The original Waterloo, Upper Canada, was the township that was named after the famous battle a year or so after it was fought. This included the land where the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo now stand, as well where Preston, Hespeler and Blair once stood, but not the former City of Galt.

And yet, as you drive into Galt on the road from Blair, you pass by a building with large, faded letters that spell out “South Waterloo Agricultural Society.” It is a reminder that Waterloo County was once one of the most recognizable brands in Canada.

The fact is, Waterloo the village, town and city; Waterloo the former county, and Waterloo the university all appropriated the name in the same way the Economic Development Corporation is now doing.

There are good reasons for saying “Waterloo region” (lower case “r”), “the Waterloo area,” or “Greater Waterloo” to refer to all communities within the former county.

This needn’t signify the annexation of Cambridge by stealth. On the contrary, it makes it clear that Hespeler, Preston and Galt are not being ignored, as they are with the long outdated term “Kitchener-Waterloo.”

One of the fundamental problems in the civic affairs of our Region is the persistence of a KW-centric bias.

Myopia might be a better way of putting it: “K-W” not only overlooks the existence of Cambridge, but also erases the distinction between Waterloo and Kitchener.

It is true that the communities of

the two cities of North Waterloo have been integrated in a way that the North and the South never have.

“K&W” would make it clear that the reference is to both places. “K-W,” on the other hand, is a mindset: It has no actual existence. There is no mayor of K-W; there is no council that the citizens of the two cities elected to serve and represent them.

If the K and the W were separated by a comma rather than a hyphen — “Kitchener, Waterloo” — these problems would disappear. It would signify that Kitchener is part of the Greater Waterloo area. It could be useful in the same way “Preston, Cambridge” or “Galt, Cambridge” can be.

We’re not ready for the term “Cambridge, Waterloo,” but there are times when our more southerly (or easterly) communities might want to underscore their association with what is undoubtedly our strongest brand.

If Waterloo, the city, feels slighted by any of this, it could start presenting itself as “Waterloo, Waterloo.” Not to claim that it’s the original — that would be a falsehood.

However, a claim to being a double distilled manifestation of the spirit that makes Waterloo – i.e. Waterloo North, South, East and West — such a special place might be justified.

If amalgamation ever does come, it will be by provincial edict, not stealth. If we’re fortunate, they’ll leave it up to us to decide what to call ouselves. If we’re wise, we’ll leave all our time-honoured names exactly as they are.

September 24 – 29

Six days of powerful performances In downtown kitchener. theatre is here.

$20 / ticket | $10 for students & seniors bit.ly/IMPACT19CE| 519.585.7763 MT Space AND IMPACT Generously Supported BY: The Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Theatre Ontario, City of Kitchener, City of Waterloo, City of Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation: Musagetes Fund, Downtown Kitchener BIA, Waterloo Region Record Community Partnerships Program

AUGUST 2019 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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150 Duke St. W in Kitchener is where the new consumption and treatment services site will be located.

PAIGE BUSH PHOTO

NEW CONSUMPTION AND TREATMENT SERVICES SITE

PUTS COMMUNITY FIRST WORDS BY JENNY KIRBY

This past April, Waterloo Regional Council voted to move forward with the implementation of a consumption and treatment services site (CTS) at 150 Duke St. W in downtown Kitchener.

Full disclosure: I was heavily involved in local advocacy for these sites over the past two years.

The site, which will be co-run by Region of Waterloo Public Health (ROWPH) and Sanguen Health Centre, is expected to open in February 2020. In the meantime, a temporary CTS will be established while staff await provincial approval for the permanent site.

On July 30, The Record reported that the federal government had officially granted approval for both the permanent and interim consumption site The interim site, which will be at the same location on Duke St., is on track to open in September 2019.

It will operate daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. until the permanent site is ready to launch.

“The purpose of the interim site is really to address the need for overdose prevention services and to have those established as soon as possible,” explained Grace Bermingham, manager of harm reduction for Region of Waterloo Public Health.

At a CTS, people can use drugs legally under the supervision of a medical professional who can intervene if anything goes wrong.

These sites also offer services including primary healthcare, counselling, addiction treatment and employment and income support.

“The plan is absolutely to be able

to provide as much service on site as we can,” said Violet Umanetz, manager of outreach (education and prevention) for Sanguen Health Centre.

“We need to streamline everything between agencies to make sure that if someone shows up on a Monday and they want a particular service, we can just streamline them right into it without it being a waiting list.”

Umanetz said that that the goal is to offer a really warm referral, as opposed to just handing someone a business card with a phone number on it. “[Instead of] ‘Call this number when you have time,’ it’s literally, ‘Let’s make this phone call now, let’s walk over there now — let’s go make this happen,’” she said.

Many residents have voiced concerns about the effect a CTS may have on the community, something that Bermingham and Umanetz take very seriously.

“We’ve talked a lot about how to mitigate any concerns that might come up with respect to activity surrounding the site … balancing the needs of the clients and making sure that we are being respectful of the surrounding neighbourhood,” said Bermingham.

Part of their strategy will be to form a committee with representatives from the Neighbourhood Association, the Business Improvement Area, Waterloo Regional Police, and people with lived experience of substance use.

“The Community Advisory Group will have a really important role in that they will advise on a

number of different topics that are associated with the site, and so there will be some consultation around community engagement,” Bermingham explained.

“How do we do that in a transparent and respectful manner and how do we make sure and provide pathways so that people who are looking to get information about the site in an ongoing way have a way to do that?”

Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) has been an active partner throughout the process and will continue to play an integral role, assessing any impact the site may have on crime and public disorder.

“The public safety, security, and well-being of all residents within Waterloo Region are a top priority for the WRPS,” said Inspector Mark Crowell in an e-mail statement. “While WRPS does not condone illegal drug use, we have a responsibility to preserve life.”

Umanetz is confident that staff will be able to handle any problems that may arise.

“We want to have things as prepared ahead of time as best we can — be really proactive in this,” she said. “But then we’ll also be strongly and quickly reactive if there are issues because we want to be good neighbours.”

“I think that there’s this perception out in the community that it’s just going to be a free-for-all [sic] and we’re going to make the neighbourhood unsafe,” she said.

Umanetz said that the reality is they’re going to have people in the neighbourhood who will volunteer at the site and people who live in the

neighbourhood coming to the site.

“I think people forget that you can be very pro-harm reduction, you can absolutely love the hell out of people who use drugs, and you can also care about your kids and your community because these are not mutually exclusive things,” she said.

With 46 deaths in the Region within the first seven months of this year, the opening of a CTS could not come sooner.

“The last five years have been terrible,” said Umanetz. “We’ve had so many people die, we’ve had so many people become disconnected, we’ve had so many people marginalized, isolated, shoved out — and we need to stop that and then we need to reverse the trends.”

Umanetz hopes that a CTS will improve not just the lives of people who use drugs, but the entire community.

“What I want to hear from people in the community at large is: this is not a big deal ... maybe I still don’t love that it exists but it hasn’t impacted me negatively at all and it’s maybe made a difference in how I perceive my community,” she said. “I want Waterloo Region as a whole to actually be a place that understands drug use.”

Umanetz said that even if only one person walks through the door and feels accepted and safe at the site, and that person stays alive because of their visit, then the site has been successful.

“And that goal of saving lives — yes, absolutely,” she said, “but wouldn’t it be great if people who are using drugs didn’t feel like shit about themselves all the time?”

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AUGUST 2019 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

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NIRUPAM SINGH PHOTO

SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SAND

EASY BEING GREEN

STACEY DANCKERT COLUMNIST Sustainability doesn’t begin and end at home. Since we’re in the blazing

heat of summer, there are ways we can keep being as sustainable as possible as we make the most of the sun and getaway, be it cottaging, camping or lying on a beach.

Since these options are all often at a bit of a distance, it may be unlikely that public transit options exist (though it doesn’t hurt to check), so start by limiting the amount of driving that you will be doing as much as possible — chose local attractions, carpool

NEW TUNE REVIEW

ALL THE THINGS I LIKE ARTIST: EDDYEVVY LINK: https://eddyevvy.bandcamp.com/

I saw Kitchener-Waterloo band EDDYEVVY live for the first time a few weeks ago and it was one of the most refreshing musical experiences I have had since I became aware of the local scene.

Equal parts melodic and dissonant, the band’s sound is something that resonates deeply in a live setting.

Though I have been to more than one of their shows, it wasn’t until I found myself at an intimate house show on Euclid Street that I decided to give their catalogue the deep dive that it deserves.

Working chronologically, I started with 2017’s I’m Glad You Were Born EP where I instantly recognized the swelling guitar tones and dreamy vocals that hit me like a brick in that hot crowded basement.

Song’s like “Me and My Bed” shift at a brisk pace from light, dreamy guitar work into distorted, spacey/sludgy breakdowns.

Their first full-length project, a selftitled masterpiece, released in January

2019, shows the band doubling down on their signature sound, meshing spaced out vocals with dreamy guitar loops and anchoring that down with a steady, hard hitting drum track. The album is fleshed out even more with some slower acoustic tracks like “Can’t Go Back.”

My first description of the band’s sound went as follows: “All the things I like about shoegaze and none of the things I don’t.”

Upon listening to all of what they have to offer, I still feel that way, but I also feel that they are so far beyond any sort of description.

Catch a show. Stream their projects online. You might discover your new favourite band, too.

- Kurtis Rideout, local musician, producer and ad manager for WLUSP

with others, or plan well so that you don’t need to drive about once you arrive at your destination.

When you are planning meals, do what you can to continue to use fresh local ingredients, using as many plantbased ingredients as possible to limit your environmental footprint. For camping, that may mean preparing some meals before you leave, or being creative.

My family loves cooking in a cast

[MOTOR BOATS] CHURN UP THE LAKES, WHICH CAN STIR SEDIMENT, AND ALSO ARE LIKELY INDIRECTLY INCREASING ALGAE LEVELS.

”

iron dutch oven over a fire. There are tons of great meals you can make such as lasagna, chili, or just about anything, really. There are great online resources for recipes. You could also make building a sun oven a fun activity and experiment with cooking in it. Bring reusable dishes and plan for how you will deal with them. Asking everyone to use a reusable water bottle, doing food prep at home, etc.

Another tip is to play in energy-neutral ways. Things like motor boats are problematic for the natural environment. For example, older motors can leave up to 30 per cent of unused gas behind. Unfortunately these are typically used in personal watercraft.

Even newer motors still leave some gas and oil, as well as adding air, which can affect the percentage of dissolved oxygen levels and therefore all local wildlife.

They also churn up the lakes (especially the newer wake boats) which can stir sediment, and also are likely indirectly increasing algae levels.

The additional noise they create can stress migratory birds and limit their resilience.

There are many great alternatives for having fun on the water, including canoeing or kayaking, and my favourite — sailing.

When you are out in the wilderness at night, don’t forget to limit your lighting. Night lighting (a.k.a. light pollution) affects a broad range of species. For example, nocturnal species depend on lighting changes to moderate their sleep patterns which become disrupted with artificial lighting. Prey for nocturnal predators are at greater risk without the cover of darkness. Migratory birds use the moon to navigate and depend on seasonal changes for identifying timing for migration, as well as nesting and mating behaviours.

Insects are also affected by artificial light, leading to decreased insect populations. This may sound like a positive outcome, but we need insects for pollination and many other insects and animals use them as a food source.

My husband, who is Australian, often remarks how seriously, and how hard Canadians play in the summer. Indeed, we are really creative in getting the most out of the sunny days. But it’s still really important that we continue to work to build a sustainable life, which doesn’t need to impede on our fun. In fact, it can improve it and push us to be even more creative.

Stacey Danckert is co-director of Waterloo Region Environment Network (WREN).

AUGUST 2019 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

14

MIXING TUNES

AND KW TECH

THE SIDE HUSTLE

JENNA AQUINO COLUMNIST Breaking into the music industry requires a lot of dedication, sacrifice, commitment, and self-motivation.

All of that aside, if you’re passionate enough and you’ve fallen in love with the rush of performing live, it’s not something you give up on. That’s why local singer, songwriter and entertainer, Mandippal Jandu, has been performing music for nearly 20 years and while his career goals may have changed, he does not plan on letting go of this side hustle any time soon.

If you frequent Kitchener’s Rich Uncle Tavern or McCabe’s Pub, you’ve likely enjoyed some of his upbeat, interactive, live music. On top of working full-time at Vidyard and being a new father, Jandu has a repertoire of over 400 hit cover songs; he’s the guy that makes you want to stick around until last call.

“I got involved in music when I was about 15. I was in some high school musicals, eventually found a guitar and never looked back,” Jandu said.

“My sister actually started playing guitar before I did, so we had a band together when we were younger called Sibling Rivalry. We would play at bars in town and it was awesome experience to have as a young musician.”

Jandu is a self taught guitarist and

has always been a strong singer. He also plays piano and drums out of interest, but as a solo musician, the guitar has always been his main instrument. For a long time, his goal was to be a full-time musician.

“I played all over the Kitchener-Waterloo and Toronto area, any shows that would book me, even the most random gigs. I opened at a metal show once for some reason. I played R&B shows, rock shows, multicultural events, even a funeral home … When you’re young and you’re just starting out, you’ll take any opportunity you can get.”

Jandu also spent a lot of time writing original songs which he would classify as a mixture of pop/rock, with an emphasis on pop. He released two EP’s during the height of his career as a solo artist: 2007’s When It’s Only Me Standing and 2014’s Ready to Stay.

As his last album title suggests, Jandu’s priorities shifted as he got older and music slowly became more of a side hustle because it allowed him to make room for other kinds of happiness.

“I met my wife five years ago at a show I was playing, and once we got engaged, I realized I didn’t want to be away every night. She’s the reason everything changed for me.”

Jandu was used to working a fulltime job for typically 40 hours a week and playing music for an extra 20 hours a week on top of that. After landing his job at Vidyard as a Technical Support Representative, Jandu found a lot more satisfaction in his professional career.

“I love working in tech and I love

Mandippal Jandu of Vidyard, works in Kitchener’s tech scene by day, and plays live shows at night. Kind of like Batman?

PAIGE BUSH PHOTO getting to help people. It’s one of the only industries that, as long as you are committed to your job, really encourages you to do your own thing on the side. Everyone I work with has some kind of side hustle, and a lot of them come out to support my shows,” he said.

For the past several years, Jandu has played three or four shows a week on average. He has dialed it back to one or two shows a week, since he and his wife recently became proud new parents, which completely adjusted their schedule.

“It’s tough to balance having a new baby, working a full-time job, and continuing to perform. It’s a lot of

scheduling, but luckily, Vidyard was super supportive when my son was born which made the transition easier to manage,” he said.

Jandu primarily plays at Rich Uncle Tavern and McCabe’s now, making his schedule more manageable.

At Rich Uncle Tavern specifically, Jandu is proud to be a part of their new event series called “Tech Nights” which, beginning this summer, will be hosted once a month. The next will be held on Aug. 15.

In addition to his performance schedule, Jandu added that he enjoys helping emerging musicians get started however he can and wants to do more of this mentoring in the future.

He was a judge on the first season of a Canadian singing competition, The Shot and he also helps new musicians book shows.

“I really like doing that kind of thing because I didn’t have that support when I was younger, and there is so much more you can do on your own these days,” he said.

“I do what I do because it makes me happy. I love playing music, period. It’s always been fun for me to learn a song and put my own spin on it. The only place I’ve ever felt truly myself is when I’m playing a show.”

STRAIGHT OUTTA KITCHENER

LOCAL RAPPER SAM NABI RECEIVED A GRANT TO FUND NEW ALBUM ABSTRACT HAZARD

MATT MUNRO CONTRIBUTOR Local hip-hop musician, Sam Nabi, recently received a grant from the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund to produce and promote his upcoming album, tentatively titled Attract Hazard, due this fall.

Nabi, who also co-owns Full Circle Foods in downtown Kitchener, stands out in today’s cultural landscape of Soundcloud rappers, not only because there are zero tattoos on his face, but also because his past lyrics have lacked the bragadocious hyperbole that typifies most of the genre’s chart topping artists. Nabi’s upcoming album will have a specific focus and agenda.

“I intentionally am focusing on Kitchener, downtown Kitchener specifically,” said Nabi. “I see my album as a bit of a historical record of what has been here over the last 5-10 years because it may not be there in the future.”

Receiving a grant from the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund is a very big deal for a local musician. Nabi’s previous albums have all been self-produced “bedroom recordings” and done without any kind of budget or outside assistance.

“Now that we have the resources from the Region to do this for real, it’s

going to have a much bigger impact,” said Nabi.

It will also allow him to enlist professional help with the production duties, mixing and mastering of the album. Attract Hazard will be his first to feature other collaborators and feature local musician, STEVEDAVE, in the production seat.

“

[ATTRACT HAZARD] IS ABOUT REPRESENTING MY CITY, BEING HERE, SHOUTING OUT ALL THE GREAT PEOPLE AND INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE BUILT THIS PLACE UP THE WAY IT IS.

”

-SAM NABI, LOCAL RAPPER

“The reason that the Region is giving me money to produce this is so that it can be produced well and professionally by people in the Region,” said Nabi.

Fostering a sense of community between fellow artists is central to Nabi’s goal with this project. He plans to use this album as an opportunity to showcase other local musicians, as well.

“I proposed that part of my album would also be an extended liner notes that goes into the history of hip hop in KW,” said Nabi. “[I want to create an] historical record of who the people are and what were the influential local albums, venues and people that maybe don’t get enough credit.”

An emphasis on community has been a central theme in hip-hop since the inception of the genre. The tradition of an MC “representing” on behalf of their community is one that has not been lost on Nabi. “[Attract Hazard] is about representing my city, being here, shouting out all the great people and institutions that have built this place up to the way it is.”

Despite KW’s less than metropolitan population, Nabi sees tremendous opportunity for artists and musicians to make connections and creative partnerships.

“There are a lot of people who still think there is no culture in KW,” said Nabi. “But if you just find that one person, or that one time or that one event where you do get connected, then the whole world opens up to you.”

Sam Nabi is also the website consultant for WLUSP, TCE’s parent organization.

STEVEDAVE (Kurtis Rideout) is WLUSP’s ad manager.

STEVEDAVE (left) and Sam Nabi (right) looking too cool in DTK. NICK STANLEY PHOTO

AUGUST 2019 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

14

EVENT LISTINGS

WE’VE HAND SELECTED SOME COOL UPCOMING EVENTS AND WRITTEN SOME WITTY COMMENTARY. YOU’RE WELCOME.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22-25

CARE LUCAS’ BIRTHDAY EVERYWHERE

DRUNKEN CINEMA: PURPLE RAIN

APOLLO CINEMA

BUSKER CARNIVAL CITY OF WATERLOO

Crank your favorite Pearl Jam album because it is one of our favorite ad manager’s birthdays! Our good pal Care is currently on maternity leave caring for her newborn son, but her spirit still rings true in our office.

Celebrate Care’s birthday by eating a giant salad, drinking lots of beer and talking about ‘90s grunge.

Head out to celebrate the late and great Prince’s ongoing legacy by joining Apollo for an interactive movie full of singing! So, make sure to lubricate your vocal chords because they only want to see you laughing in the purple rain or just singing along in your seat. Ticket includes purple glowsticks.

It’s that time of year where King Street’s construction is replaced with busker acts and food trucks!

Introducing a carnival-like atmosphere that promises to thrill your slacks off or considering the amount of carbs on wheels, your joggers off. So walk, skip or LRT to this fine event and applaud away.

Birthday • Free • All Day

Celebration • $11-14 • 7-9pm

Carnival • Free • Various times

SUNDAY, AUGUST 11

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24

ELORA BREWING’S BIRTHDAY ELORA BREWING COMPANY

DARK CROP GROWING HOPE FARM

GOAT YOGA GROWING HOPE FARM

EBC is turning four and we’re all invited to celebrate to the tune of live music and a limited beer release. Basically the only four year old’s birthday that I want to attend.

They really do grow up too fast, don’t they? So, grab your pals and a handful of balloons and head out to Elora to eat, drink and dance.

Art underneath the stars? Are we in a Nicholas Sparks romance? No, just the annual Dark Crop Performance Festival in Cambridge. With 13 hours of performances, including music, theatre, puppetry and much more. If the thought of dancing puppets at 3 a.m. enthralls you, find your way to this earthy festival.

Attempt the reclined cow face or even the devotional warrior as a few four legged pals jump all over your body in a dreamy farm setting! Just type “goats screaming like humans” into YouTube and that is basically what you’re paying for, just more serene. Proceeds go to the Mennonite Committee to help overseas.

Beer • Free • 11am - 9pm

Festival • $25-60 • 5pm-6am

Yoga • $30 • 1-8pm

SUNDAY, AUGUST 11

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24

JANE BOND

JOKES AT JANE

AVIATION FUN DAY WATERLOO INT. AIRPORT

BRONZE CASTING TWO SMITHS

The Facebook page for this event promises their headliner isn’t just another “dumb, loud white guy, that is also tall” and if that doesn’t persuade you to attend, then what will? With the combination of locals with jokes and big city comedy queens, it’s a night in uptown Waterloo you won’t want to miss.

Does walking alongside your family while learning how the aviation industry works spark joy? Here, you’ll meet pilots, breathe on airport equipment, vintage aircrafts and even classic cars. They encourage you to bring a non-perishable food item or cash donation for the Food Bank of WR.

Learn how to make patterns and prepare molds for sand casting bronze in this workshop! You’ll create small scale, pure bronze artifacts such as brooches, belt buckles, small plaques, and other tiny objects. So, save some of that coin for the workshop of your dreams.

Comedy • $6 • 8-10pm

Fun • Free • 10am-4pm

Workshop • $380 • 5pm

MONDAY, AUGUST 12

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30-1

MODERN CALLIGRAPHY SMILE TIGER CAFE

SUMMER SHORT CAN SHORT FINGER BREWING CO.

PSYCHIC FAIR AND EXPO BINGEMANS

Are your handwritten cards looking drab? Well, you can learn how to enchant future lovers with a flick of a quill, or washable marker, at this calligraphy workshop! They will fill your hair with secrets as they let you in on the best techniques and all the basic strokes you’ll need.

Price includes supplies and lesson.

Short Finger is bringing cool back to drinking in parking lots, with coolers full of short cans from some of their favorite breweries from Ontario and beyond. They’ve also promised a few original tinnies for the event and food options from Wooden Boat Food with evening eats from Princess Cafe.

Do the lines of your palm have a future of yours to tell? Is your karma in the cards? You could even have your signature analyzed.

With mediums, fortune tellers, clairvoyants and healers, you’re bound to spell your way to a few mysterious truths. If not, they’re doing door prizes hourly.

Workshop • $55 • 6:30-8pm

Beer • Free • 1-10pm

Fair • $10 • All day

THURSDAY, AUGUST 15

SUNDAY, AUGUST 18

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1

THE WINE TRAIN

POP-UP SESSION

POUR PAINT WORKSHOP

WATERLOO CENTRAL RAILWAY

AN OH SO SECRET LOCATION

DESCENDENTS BEER AND BEV CO.

Why did the sommelier cross the train tracks? To pair your Fat Sparrow eats with the best chardonnay their wine fridge stores.

So, wear your elasticized pants for the evening because you’re in for fork-fulls of food and litres of wine.

Just think of the Instagram potential of this event.

Our pals at Good Company Productions are throwing another intimate pop-up concert full of secrets, even though we keep telling them secrets don’t make friends!

The featured space will have food, drinks, and happiness all packed into four walls (will there even be walls? ) Limited spots available.

In this workshop, you get to use butane torches and high quality acrylic paints to create your very own Jackson Pollock (but not really). There are multiple canvas’ to choose from and the option to add a varnish kit to finish up your painting. Channel your inner Bob Ross to make a materpiece.

Fun • $65 • 7-9:30pm

Concert • $20 • 7-10pm

Workshop • $45-65 • 3:30-6pm

SATURDAY, AUGUST 17

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 6-8

SUMMER BREWFEST WATERLOO BREWING

COMIC SANS PATENT SOCIAL

WATERLOO

Don’t malt around, get your hops over to this beer ball! At the very yeast go for the celebration, you’ll barley believe how thirst quenching their Pilsner is. We’ve heard rumours they’ve even promised the return of their Waterloo Radler Cocktail Bar. Consider our lips officially smacked.

A comedy showcase that is sans misogyny, sans rape jokes and sans harm. Formerly Alice’s Big Queer Comedy Show, this will be a monthly comedy event that showcases unique voices of queer and marginalized performers.

Produced and hosted by Alice Rose, we applaud inclusive comedy.

Replace your sunscreen with BBQ sauce and lather up while sipping back some sweet selections from their Craft Beer Market featuring top brewers from all over. Hell, I’m considering dedicating all of listings to all the various foods that will be present for this festival. All of the yum.

Beer • $20 per session • 12-10pm

Comedy • $12-15 • 8-10pm

Festival • Free • 4-11pm

COMMUNITYEDITION.CA @THECOMMUNITYED

RIB AND CRAFT BEER FEST

AUGUST 2019 // @THECOMMUNITYED

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FOR THE LOVE OF BEER AND EDUCATION

SHORT FINGER BREWING COMPANY ISN’T JUST ANOTHER HIPSTER BREWERY, IT’S A HOMEBREW SUPPLY STORE THAT OFFERS CLASSES, TOO!

TODD BOWMAN CONTRIBUTOR

Rob Hern and Kat Rogers-Hern own and operate Short Finger Brewing on Kent Avenu in Kitchener.

NICK STANLEY PHOTO

New breweries open frequently in Ontario, but Short Finger Brewing Company is far from just another Ontario craft brewery.

Located at the corner of Hurst and Kent Avenues in Kitchener, Short Finger was co-founded by Rob Hern and Kat Rogers-Hern in 2015. Both had quit their jobs in Toronto after careful thought and research in choosing where to settle.

“We did a lot of mapping of Ontario based on research and looking at community engagement in homebrewing,” Rogers-Hern said.

In Waterloo Region, they saw both a business opportunity and a place they wanted to live. They soon opened Short Finger, originally as an onlineonly homebrew supplies store — just the first phase of the business, Hern explained.

Once in their Hurst Avenue location, they sold a wide range of homebrewing ingredients and equipment out of their store and online.

“We sell whatever you want to make your own beer. The range of stuff in here is quite large,” Hern said.

However, Short Finger’s long-term goal was to open a brewery; that was

September 24 – 29

Six days of powerful performances In downtown kitchener. theatre is here.

$20 / ticket | $10 for students & seniors bit.ly/IMPACT19CE | 519.585.7763 MT Space AND IMPACT Generously Supported BY: The Government of Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Theatre Ontario, City of Kitchener, City of Waterloo, City of Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation: Musagetes Fund, Downtown Kitchener BIA, Waterloo Region Record Community Partnerships Program

delayed due to the rapid success of the homebrew supply business. “[We initially thought] we’re just going to start this little mom and pop homebrew shop and then it just super exploded in a really lovely way,” Rogers-Hern said.

Their end goal of brewing and selling their own beer was achieved in June 2018, when Short Finger’s bottle shop opened. The tap room opened this past February. Hern described the accomplishment as a “slow journey,” while Rogers-Hern laughed that, “we haven’t done it the easy way.”

But that journey has led Short Finger to be, Hern notes, “the only place in Canada like this that has a homebrew shop and brewery, so that is definitely one thing that is very unique.”

Short Finger since hired two employees: one runs the tap room, the other operates the homebrew shop.

This has allowed Hern to focus on brewing the beers Short Finger has quickly become known for: barrelaged blended sours. Rogers-Hern called Lando, a sour saison blend, “the flagship and our baby.”

They are also proud of Anger Shoes, their dark cherry saison, and Fargo, a gin barrel-aged golden sour with lavender — beers that won gold and silver (respectively) at the 2019 Canadian Brewing Awards.

“Most of our beer can fall easily into the experimental category,” Hern said.

“We’re loosely inspired by traditional Belgian brewing, but with a North American twist [sic],” Rogers-Hern said.

Short Finger’s selection is also affected by the seasons because they don’t use temperature controls, and often try to use fresh Ontario fruit.

In addition to selling homebrew supplies and their own beers, Short Finger also offers homebrewing classes.

“I am a teacher so my interest in beer is predominantly beer education,” said Rogers-Hern.

The classes support the local homebrew community, which they feel supports them in return.

“When we moved here, we had no idea how great and how thriving the homebrew community was,” she said.

Collaboration is also a recurring theme at Short Finger. They have positive relationships with other brewers, restaurants and local farmers.

They’ve collaborated with Ren Navarro’s Beer-Diversity campaign.

They also use barrels from Willibald Distillery in Ayr. Recently, they’ve been fostering a closer connection with the Working Centre.

“We like what they’re doing and we see them as like-minded,” Hern added.

Short Finger’s future direction reflects the role of each co-founder.

“My goal is to continue to work towards a community where people feel confident in what they’re drinking and in sharing it with others, whether they’re making it themselves or picking it up at a bar,” Rogers-Hern said.

Hern’s goal, however, is quire simple: “Just make the best beer ever!”