The Community Edition September 2020

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 7 • SEPTEMBER 2020

BEST OF WATERLOO REGION

PAGES 8-9

WHAT’S YOUR SIGN?

HOW TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS

COMING OUT TO THE BAR SCENE

PAGE 7

PAGE 11

PAGE 16

SEPTEMBER 2020 // @THECOMMUNITYED

IN THIS

ISSUE

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 7

SEPTEMBER 2020

2

FEATURE

8-9 BEST OF WR

EDITOR’S PICK

16 DYKE BAR TAKEOVER

INSIDE 3 4

IN BRIEF THE BUTTON FACTORY: KEEPING THE ARTS ALIVE

5

THE SIDE HUSTLE: @BIGNATURALSVINO

5

LOCAL INDEPENDENT CINEMAS RE-OPEN

6

FORMER WRPS OFFICER SPEAKS OUT

6

NEW TUNE REVIEW: CAPRICE SOLEIL

7

TCE HOROSCOPES

10 NEIGHBOURHOOD CAT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER THIS ISSUE OF TCE WAS FUELLED BY BAO, GARDEN TOMATOES AND MELISSA’S CANDY ADDICTION. TO OUR PREVIOUS EDITOR BETH BOWLES AND PUBLISHER LAKYN BARTON - THANKS FOR SHOWING US THE ROPES .

10 WOODEN BOAT MOVES TO NO-TIPPING MODEL 11 HOW TO SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS AND WHO’S CLOSED 12

519 SCHMECKS: WILD MUSHROOM FORAGING

13

RETHINKING YOUR PLATE: GARLIC RECIPES

13

HYPERLOCAL TRAVEL: KITCHENER MARKET

14 HARU NOON // EVENT LISTINGS 15 PHOTOS YOU MAY HAVE MISSED WHILE NOT PRINTING 16

LOCAL MUSIC PRODUCER ALYSHA BRILLA

COVER BY CARA VANDERMEY Volume 8, Issue 6 Next issue: Oct. 1, 2020 75 University Ave. W. Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 519-884-0710 x3564 THE COMMUNITY EDITION TEAM Editor in Chief Melissa Embury melissa@communityedition.ca Publisher Care Lucas care.lucas@wlusp.com Social Media Coordinator Beth Bowles Staff Writers Rachael MacIntosh Kaitlyn Severin Staff Photographers Jesse Derry Nick Stanley General Inquiries info@communityedition.ca

All advertising inquiries should be directed to Kurtis Rideout at 519-884-0710 x3560 kurtis.rideout@wlusp.com WLUSP ADMINISTRATION President Aaron Waitson Executive Director Care Lucas Advertising Manager Kurtis Rideout Directors Arshy Mann Emily Crump Jade Hosick Keegan Gingrich Rosalind Horne Victoria Marshall

CONTRIBUTORS Alex Kinsella Amelia Mola-Schmidt Cara Vandermey Dave Klassen Erik O’Neill Jessie Skinner Lakyn Barton Laura McBride Ryan King COLUMNISTS Jenna Aquino Juanita Metzger Kurtis Rideout Nick Benninger Taylor Devalk

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.

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

3

NEWS IN BRIEF STONES EXHIBITION OKTOBERFEST IS ROLLING INTO DTK STILL MOSTLY A GO

Our beloved local independent cinemas do what they can to keep movies alive for us. Read more on Page Five.

DAVE KLASSEN PHOTO

EDITOR’S NOTE: BACK TO PRINT

BY: MELISSA EMBURY

Our last print issue was in March 2020. Since so many of our distribution points were temporarily or permanently closed due to COVID-19 concerns, the Community Edition switched exclusively online for the past five months. We promised we would be back in print when it was safe to do so — here we are. For now.

Over the past five months, we shifted our focus to stories of isolation, transformation, resilience and stories of our local front-line workers who were vital to our safety. We held

STUDENTS RETURN TO CLASS FOR FALL

KW will be painted black next year. THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener has announced it will host the massive Rolling Stones touring exhibit titled Unzipped in November 2021. The 300-artifact exhibit will highlight every era of the iconic rock-and-or-roll band, and will be the largest ever seen in THEMUSEUM’s history.

The Region’s annual Bavarian cultural festival Oktoberfest, will not feature a public parade this year, but will include two days of free live-streamed content including music and dancing.

Oktoberfest will still officially run for two weeks — Sept. 25 to Oct. 12 — with smaller public events continuing in local bars and restaurants

The Waterloo Region District School Board has announced secondary school students will return to classes starting Sept. 14, with an arranged “quadmester” calendar slotting students into rotating classroom-and-home learning schedules. The full consecutive, day schedule of the first quadmester can be viewed on the WRDSB’s blog online.

PROWLER ALERT ISSUED BY WRPS

FOOD HEALTH INSPECTION FAILS

WILMOT MAYOR CONTROVERSY

On Aug. 17, Waterloo Regional Police issued an alert for reports of a male individual using a flashlight to peer into residences on Regina St. N, Waterloo during early-morning hours of Aug. 15.

This follows similar voyeurism incidents in the Waterloo area this past spring, for which charges were laid. Police advise residents to leave on exterior lights.

Five restaurants located in plazas near the University of Waterloo have faced health inspection issues throughout August. This follows ongoing issues for restaurants in the area, with CBC News reporting court summons, ordered closures and destruction of food due to contamination in various cases over the past year.

Wilmot city councillors voted to move a statue of former Prime Minister John A. McDonald from a local park into a storage facility, citing concerns from Indigineous groups that the statue glorified colonialism. Wilmot mayor Les Armstrong voiced his displeasure about the decision, opposing the statue removal, calling the opposing groups “outsiders.”

EMPLOYMENT SCAM NEW ADDICTION CENTRE OPENS KW TARGETS KW AREA

BUDDING CANNABIS INDUSTRY FOR KW

WRPS have warned the public of an ongoing employment scam targeting eager jobseekers in the KW area. Common features of the scam included fake job postings, fraudulent cheques sent to cover upfront expenses and subsequent requests for personal information, like SIN numbers, that are then used to steal respondents’ identities.

House of Friendship opened a new addiction treatment centre in Cambridge this week, after years of delay and a fire halted progress. “Our region is faced with quite a a crisis ...” director Tara Groves-Taylor said in a CBC article. Normally it will house up to 20 men, but will be taking only 10 men, who will have their own rooms, due to COVID-19.

According to the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, there are eight applications currently in the works for cannabis retail shops in the City of Waterloo. Five of the eight shops will be on King St. North, joining the likes of Bud & Sally.

Meta Cannabis Co., the first cannabis retailer for Kitchener, plans an uptown expansion.

staff meetings and a conference virtually to educate our team, and shared laughs and tears over Zoom. We lived through collective grief, marched for Black Lives Matter, asked important questions of our leaders and ourselves — and we did it all together.

Some of our most beloved local businesses, like Chainsaw (where we hosted our trivia nights) have closed their doors forever and we will miss them greatly. Find out what you can do to keep our local businesses alive this month on page 10 and go vote for the

BEST OF WR shortlist to help independent business in the Region receive the recognition they deserve.

We made the difficult decision to cancel Steel Rails 2020 — our annual mystery art party that turned 10 last June — in efforts to keep everyone safe and healthy.

We learned a lot about ourselves during these times, and we united as friends, family, neighbours, businesses and communities.

What does the future hold?

Unknown. What we can say, is that the Community Edition will continue to be here to elevate

the stories of all the voices in our community.

To our readers, thank you for continuing to engage, hold us accountable and inspire us — regardless of what platform we’re on. And for trusting us to pivot into the unknown with you. To our staff and volunteers, thanks for treading new waters with us.

4

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

Allie Brenner is the program director and designer for Button Factory Arts.

ERIK O’NEILL PHOTO

KEEPING THE ARTS ALIVE IN UPTOWN WATERLOO AMELIA MOLA-SCHMIDT CONTRIBUTOR It’s a landmark in uptown Waterloo.

The buttery yellow brick is decorated with an evergreen trim around the window panes. Standing tall on Regina St., S., tucked behind all the chaos of King St., lies The Button Factory.

Originally built in 1886 at 25 Regina St., the building was once, in fact, a button factory, owned by brothers Richard and Rudolph Roschman.

Shell buttons were produced until the factory closed in the 1940s. The Roschman’s could no longer compete in the button market because cheaper, plastic buttons began to flood the marketplace in North America.

But the building’s manufacturing history did not end there.

From 1944-1989, the building housed three manufacturing companies from Waterloo Region: Duffus Plywood Ltd., Ontario Glove Manufacturing Co., and Schendel Office Supplies.

In 1982, the building was designated as a historical landmark of architectural significance in Waterloo, and in 1989, the City purchased the building, with the interest of constructing a new parking lot adjacent to the factory.

Fast forward four years to February of 1993, when 100 people gathered at the Adult Recreation Centre in Waterloo to discuss the formation of Button Factory Arts.

Everyone in that room agreed that an arts centre was long overdue, so a proposal was sent to the City of Waterloo. Button Factory Arts was

then given a three-year mandate to implement a self-supporting art centre in the old factory building.

In 1994, the art centre was established, and after a significant amount of cleanup, programs became open to the public.

Today, Button Factory Arts is a pillar in the local art scene in Waterloo.

The art space is broken up into four main components: a studio space where workshops and classes are offered, the gallery where exhibitions are hosted, a rental space which is used by different residential and community groups who often meet weekly in it (of course this was prepandemic) and finally, the gift shop where local artists and artisans sell their work.

“I would say that what makes us special and unique is that we offer something for everyone,” Allie Brenner, program director and designer at the factory said.

“We offer everything from kids summer art camp, youth and teen groups, adult classes and seniors classes, to community projects that are focused on intergenerational learning as well.”

A typical summer at the factory means it’s loaded with summer camps, with 30 children in the space.

However, due to the pandemic, summer art camps have been moved online, with about five to ten children per week enrolled.

“We’re trying our best to ... create an environment where kids can still learn and be creative. Obviously, it is different, and it does take a bit to adapt,” Brenner said.

The role that Button Factory Arts plays in the local art community is monumental.

“Our main goal is to produce artistic programming, and engage the

community in creative learning, and art opportunities,” Brenner said.

The factory also plays a critical role in employing people who work in the arts within the Region.

Button Factory Arts employs artists through teaching opportunities, artist talks and performances — additionally by selling their artist’s work in the gift shop. They also hire a number of recent graduates and help connect artists who are just starting out in the arts and culture field.

Recently, Button Factory Arts has been focusing on developing outreach programming. “... we’ve been offering therapeutic opportunities to vulnerable members of the community, and we work with certified art and music therapists to offer this,” Brenner said.

The factory has partnered with organizations such as the Sexual Assault Support Centre Waterloo Region (SASC), YMCA and New Comer Women to Canada, to offer these programs completely free of charge to those who need it the most.

Brenner recalled a story about a project she had worked on with Reception House, where she was approached by some youth, who were new to Canada.

“They saw some of the work we were doing and they were so excited about the possibility of making a zine.”

Brenner was able to go to Reception House and held multiple workshops there. The youth were able to express their stories through these zines and work with watercolour and collage.

For some, it was their first time working with these art materials.

“They were such wonderful kids, so inspiring and positive … and some of the things that these kids have been through, it’s just really difficult,” Brenner said.

Recently, Button Factory Arts has fallen on hard times as a result of closures and program cancellations from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The community would lose access to the arts in uptown Waterloo in a big way [if Button Factory Arts were to close],” Brenner said.

“We are very much a community centre in the way that people feel that they can come to our building and talk about the arts casually.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been organized by one of the board members of the factory, with the goal of raising $10,000 to help cover some of the basic operational costs as the factory begins to re-open. They also have a tulip fundraiser, where you can support local arts directly and get some tulip bulbs for your garden.

Programming is set to resume at Button Factory Arts this fall. Second floor event space rentals will resume, with limited numbers of course, so social distancing is maintained.

Classes in sculpture, watercolours, drawing, writing and performing will be coming up, with registration opening soon.

The factory is also taking entries for an online exhibition called “The Once Unknown,” a photography exhibit juried by local photographer Mark Walton.

An elevator is also being installed in the factory to make the second floor accessible. “... some of my fondest memories have been working as an artist with the Button Factory,” Brenner beamed optimistically.

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

5

POURING HEART INTO NATURAL WINE SELECTION THE SIDE HUSTLE

JENNA AQUINO COLUMNIST

RYAN KING PHOTO

With over a decade of experience working in the restaurant industry, from student sports bars to fine dining, Lindsay Cameron has spent the last several years narrowing her focus to the delectable world of wine.

With an intrinsic desire to learn all that she can about the industry specifically about natural wines, she has turned her interest into a flourishing side hustle that thrives via Instagram @bignaturalsvino.

As a subscription-based operation, Cameron announces a new gift box each month containing a different collection of two or three natural wines she’s curated, and includes some conversational, independently written tasting notes along with it.

“I would describe what I’m doing as a community service in that I’m giving people access to wines that you couldn’t get otherwise, since they’re not available at the LCBO,” Cameron said.

About a year and a half ago, Cameron started Big Naturals Vino as a wine club, with a group of local people.

They would gather monthly to split three bottles of wine that Cameron had hand-selected and to converse about wine while enjoying each other’s company. Interest grew through word of mouth even during the pandemic, and Cameron doubled the size of what she planned on curating each month.

“The reason I chose the bignaturalsvino moniker is because

the term “natural” identifies with the traditional, low-intervention methods that people have been using to make wine for the last 2000 years — before the industrial revolution, which introduced added chemicals, pesticides and machinery. I really admire that hands-on approach,” Cameron said.

While she has spent time studying wine through sommelier training, it was the first-hand, experiential learning about the nuances of wine she gained during her time travelling around Europe, that really equipped her with niche expertise.

“Having winemakers in Spain walk me through their process, and doing blind tastings where I had to try and figure out exactly which 1990 Greg Crowe [wine] I was smelling … those were the kind of experiences that I got the most out of. That trip turned out to be way more valuable for my education than the sommelier tests I’d been studying for,” Cameron said.

“From there, I started reading more books about the old fashioned ways of making wine and the environmental sustainability aspect of it … how natural winemakers work to ensure that people will still have a beautifully preserved ecosystem to work with 80 years from now, as opposed to just rows upon rows of manufactured cabernet sauvignon.”

Today, Cameron is able to source these unique natural wines thanks to the connections she’s made throughout her time working in the industry, and she believes networking is one of the most important aspects of what she does.

“It takes ... time to get these wines, and I’ve made connections to all kinds of different importers through my work in Toronto. Some of them are my friends now and I’m usually able to get new natural wines put aside for

me before they end up in the LCBO,” Cameron said.

“It’s something I’ve been especially grateful for since the pandemic, since imports are down at least 70 per cent right now.”

Cameron also mentioned that travelling to the annual Natural Raw Wine Festival, which takes place in Montreal and New York, has been a great way to make new connections and stay on top of new natural wines coming to market.

In the past, Big Naturals Vino hosted small gatherings at local spots like Show & Tell Coffee, where people could come learn about natural wine and sample some for themselves. This is something that Cameron would love to continue when it’s possible to do so again, but what’s more exciting, to her, is the future prospect of turning her side-business into her full-time gig.

“It’s been my plan for probably six years to open a wine bar in this community when the time is right. I went to the University of Waterloo and absolutely loved living in KitchenerWaterloo. I made a point of moving back as soon as I possibly could,” Cameron said.

Cameron’s plan is officially in flight.

Drink with Goldie (@drinkwithgoldie), will be opening on Queen St., S. in downtown Kitchener in the next few months.

If you want to join the Big Naturals Vino “club”, reach out to Cameron through Instagram and stay tuned for her next post. She always welcomes new connections and general questions about wine, pairings and the like. Be sure to scope out our friendly neighbourhood wine enthusiast at her new spot this fall.

DON’T WATCH SO CLOSE TO ME ­­— CINEMA SAFETY

LOCAL INDEPENDENT CINEMAS ARE WELCOMING MOVIE LOVERS BACK TO ENJOY FILMS ON THE BIG SCREEN

JESSIE SKINNER CONTRIBUTOR On July 17, Ontario entered Stage 3 of its COVID-19 pandemic reopening framework. Dubbed “Recover” this stage was intended to allow more business growth following the recent economic downturn.

For cinephiles in the region, this meant the reopening of local movie theatres — with measures in place to encourage social distancing for what is, practically speaking, a very closequarters activity.

For owners who are operating a business that requires patrons to be in such close proximity for extended periods of time, finalizing social distancing measures has called for a mix of advisement, innovation and common sense.

Princess Cinemas owner John Tutt describes his own approach as “watching and looking”— in other words, paying attention to what has been done successfully by “the Home Depots of the world” whose reopenings came in earlier stages.

Tutt says his theatre was ready to go when the big day came: social distancing indicators were in place, plexiglass guards were installed above concession stands and staff members had met regularly to discuss potential changes in anticipation of reopening.

Masks became mandatory with reasonable exceptions for eating and drinking during the show.

Director of operations for Kitchener’s Apollo Cinema, Cara Watson, found herself planning for Stage 3 with nothing much more than a capacity requirement provided by the provincial government ahead of time.

“We had our own guidelines set up [over a month before reopening] and said, well, if the government wants to give us its own then we’ll change ours according to that. But we really didn’t get set guidelines until very recently when Cineplex [pushed] to allow all their venues to reopen,” Watson said.

During the final weeks of July and into August, Princess Cinemas continued its annual partnership with the City of Waterloo to host outdoor screenings — with some slight changes, of course.

Josh Bean, festival and event specialist for the City of Waterloo, spoke of how these open-air gatherings helped locals get used to the idea of seeing a movie again safely.

“Every year we do four, sometimes five or six screenings in Waterloo Park, but we weren’t able to do that [during Phase 2],” Bean said.

Instead, Movies in the Park became Movies in the Parking Lot — a drive-in viewing experience that was not only safe but nostalgic for families.

“We got some lovely feedback from people. One family brought their 90-year-old grandmother who hadn’t been out [in public] in months, and they felt totally safe [watching

from their car] … there are still open drive-in theatres, but it’s something people used to do a lot more, so there was a throwback element for people who hadn’t gone since they were a teenager,” Bean said.

Both the Princess Cinemas and Apollo Cinema have begun to strongly encourage patrons to purchase tickets in advance online to reduce contact and prepare for screenings that will quickly sell out with reduced capacity restrictions.

Tutt said that 99 per cent of Princess tickets are now sold online above 10 - 15 per cent in pre-COVID-19 times.

Apollo Cinema has updated its own system to let ticket-holders pre-select their seats (max. four persons) while purchasing, which, in turn, blocks adjacent seats from being purchased

to encourage distancing.

The idea of allowing or even simply encouraging strangers to assemble indoors for entertainment and leisure may be controversial, but, by design, the activity is not demonstrably less safe than, going to the supermarket where Tutt observed: “you’re pinballing off people up and down aisles.” In a typical indie theatre, patrons tend to sit quietly and avoid purposefully moving around.

Watson said that changes made so far by Apollo Cinema have been wellreceived. “[Our patrons] have been very good at understanding how things need to go … the feedback has been that we are doing the best we can be doing, given the situation.”

Now that theatres are reopening, the

DAVE KLASSEN PHOTO big question on moviegoers’ minds is: when will we be able to see new releases again?

While COVID-19 has not totally suspended release date schedules, some titles that have been hotly anticipated for months remain in limbo. Wes Anderson’s upcoming The French Dispatch, originally set to screen at the Princess Cinemas in July, has now seen its release pushed back twice. Asked if he had received any update Tutt could only say, “2021— literally [no firmer date].”

For movie fans, being able to visit their local independent theatre is about more than being entertained.

“It’s a community activity,” Tutt said.

“Sharing a movie with people who are passionate about what they’re going to see.”

SEPTEMBER 2020 // @THECOMMUNITYED

6

FORMER WRPS OFFICER SPEAKS OUT KAITLYN SEVERIN STAFF WRITER

When former officer Kelly Donovan spoke against the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) in 2016, she never imagined that the next four years of her life would be dedicated to speaking out on systemic issues within policing and whistleblowing.

Now, with her second book, Police Line: Do Not Cross, Donovan is ready to open up her story to a new and wider audience.

“I think it’s always worth the risk to speak out than to have to live with [these concerns] for the rest of your life,” Donovan said.

Donovan is the founder and president of Fit4Duty, an organization that provides training programs for police oversight bodies and corporate management. But after allegedly witnessing problematic leadership and distressing concerns within the police force, Donovan officially resigned as a police officer in 2017.

What followed was a series of court dates and allegations on both sides. Donovan addressed her Police Services Board in 2016 with allegations of abuses of power within the police service.

By 2017, Donovan released her first public report, Systemic Misfeasance in Ontario Policing and the Coordinated

Suppression of Whistleblowers, which uses publicly sourced information to outline the alleged problems and issues faced by those within Canadian policing legislation.

Donovan also went to the Ontario Legislature to share details about her experiences working as a police officer.

“It was never an attack against [WRPS], it was always with the intention of sharing my message that whistleblowers who take a risk in speaking up should never be disciplined,” Donovan said.

In 2018, WRPS allegedly brought up Donovan’s case in defence of the class action lawsuit. Donovan also claimed that details of her resignation agreement with WRPS, which was originally made confidential, were made public by the police force.

According to Donovan, WRPS appealed her PTSD treatments, which she said the force was legally required to keep financially contributing to after her resignation.

“I’m living with PTSD as a result of my employment, and they didn’t even want to see me get care anymore, so it really struck a core of my moral injury that I suffered,” Donovan said.

Donovan later filed suit in court, which was shut down. Only a few months later, WRPS allegedly filed a case against Donovan at the Human Rights Tribunal.

“At this moment, they’re asking the Human Rights Tribunal to order me to stop talking about them,” Donovan said. “They don’t want me to sell my first book, but ultimately they don’t

want me telling people about my experiences working there, and they’re willing to go to such lengths to achieve that.”

Under the Ontario Securities Act by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), whistleblowers can choose to report on their workplace anonymously if they are represented by a lawyer. The OSC will also make efforts to protect a whistleblower’s identity, unless consented by the whistleblower.

While the Ontario Securities Act’s Whistleblower Program has been in effect since 2016, Donovan stressed that the harassment and discrimination of whistleblowers are currently relevant in Canadian policing.

“I know there’s still people at work who know things and [have] seen things, and they just won’t speak up about it because they have families to support — they can’t afford to lose their income, and I sympathize with them because I’m in that position now,” Donovan said.

Currently, the feedback from Donovan’s new book has been a mixture of both positive and negative reviews from those within the Canadian police service. According to Donovan, reviewers who are associated with Canadian policing believe the information she is sharing should not be made public. Donovan, however, believes she needs to be transparent about her experiences working for the force.

“The police service represents the community. How can we not be

transparent and expect people to trust us? That’s complete blind trust — that’s not going to happen,” Donovan said.

When asked if anyone should consider whistleblowing in their workplace, Donovan said that it’s always worth the risk, even if the fear of being neglected or persecuted is present.

“When you carry a burden like that, a moral burden [where] you know there’s something that you should say, but you’re not sure if you should say it, you should never [let] fear [stop you] from saying it,” Donovan said.

The Community Edition reached out to WRPS for comment, and Cherri Greeno, manager of corporate communications and public information, responded with a statement: “... we have not read the book so

CONTRIBUTED IMAGE do not know what allegations she is specifically referring to. However, I can tell you that the Waterloo Regional Police Service takes all allegations of any possible wrongdoing seriously and is committed to maintaining a safe, equitable and respectful workplace.

Our Service has progressive policies, procedures, and training to ensure any allegations are dealt with in accordance with the law.”

“In regards to your question about legal fees, I can tell you that various legal accounts have been paid in connection to responding to various court/tribunal matters commenced

by Ms. Donovan and to bring matters before the courts/tribunals to address actions taken by Ms. Donovan.”

NEW TUNE REVIEW

COLLECTIVE TRAUMA SONG: “Lonely” by Caprice Soleil LINK: https://soundcloud.com/one16goat/lonely

KW-based rapper Caprice Soleil was perhaps first known for his precise production on tracks reaching as far as Florida in terms of influence.

Building off of his reputation for making ethereal, hard-hitting beats, Cap has transitioned fully into making dreamy, autotune-drenched trap bangers. Complete with catchy hooks, deep bass and strong melodies, his new music is sure to draw attention.

His most recently released track, “Lonely”, featuring SunniLong, is the sum of years of hard work and dedication as a rapper, singer and producer. Having perfected a sound that pairs well with smoky rooms and icy cups, the local rapper/singer has been dropping earworms consistently over the summer, beginning with

“Miss Me” and following up with “Dime Piece” shortly after.

If you want to check out Caprice Soleil’s music, it is available on all streaming platforms. And make sure to check out his SoundCloud account and his Instagram page for up-to-date info on new releases. Expect big things from this well-rounded artist over the next year. 2021 is shaping up to be a big year for hip-hop in KW with the likes of Pizzy ONLY and Dom Vallie also making big moves in the local music scene.

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

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @THECOMMUNITYED

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

7

TCE HOROSCOPES VIRGO AUGUST 23 — SEPTEMBER 22

LIBRA SEPTEMBER 23 — OCTOBER 22

Your apartment was already spotless before you stayed inside for months. But with only your stuff to look at for the past few months, you have been busy. You alphabetized your books, then re-organized them by colour, then realized that’s a horrible way to organize and put them back into alphabetical order and finally sub-divided by genre. You already had stockpiles of disinfectant wipes and were ready to share with friends in need. Now? You’re stressed about going outside and are researching how to buy one of those bubble-soccer outfits.

You’re stuck figuring out how to support all the local businesses you love. You logically know you shouldn’t order lunch from three different places in one day, but your heart wants you to. What you can do is pick-up your iced coffee from one and a sandwich from another. Throw in at least one impulsive purchase from a local artisan and you can’t go wrong. Probably. Maybe.

SCORPIO OCTOBER 23 — NOVEMBER 21

SAGITTARIUS NOVEMBER 22 — DECEMBER 21

No one entirely knows what you’ve been up to during the past four months, and you like it that way. You’re crafty and resourceful and it’s okay that you’ve dived passionately into at least four different hobbies in this time, with varying success.

You’ve struggled watching your efforts go unnoticed by others, but they have been seen. Now’s the time to complete that artist application that’s been weighing on you. You can do big things!

You’re used to hopping from one adventure to the next, and with your travel options now limited, you’re feeling stuck. Go be a tourist in your own town. Throw on your headphones and hit Forwell Trail listening to local artists with Create Waterloo’s cool new Trail Mix playlist. Take selfies in front of colourful local murals, or sign up for a virtual yoga class. Your world just got a little bigger.

CAPRICORN DECEMBER 22 — JANUARY 19

AQUARIUS JANUARY 20 — FEBRUARY 18

You led your workplace to an easy transition of working from home, launched a new project and have probably encouraged your friends to do the same. You’ve been trying to balance your desire to be left alone with the need to be included in friends’ plans. You might not always join in on the Happy Hour after work, but you helped coordinate it and you want to be invited, dammit.

If you’re feeling like you’re caught up in the things going on in the world, and on your social media feeds, it might be time to take a little break. Some time alone and space to clear your head will serve you well. Remember that you always feel the most grounded by water. Take a solo trip to the Grand River for the day. You’ll feel better in no time.

PISCES FEBRUARY 19 — MARCH 20

ARIES MARCH 21 — APRIL 19

We know you’ve been holed up in your house, trying to distract yourself from the sense of impending doom. But we also know you’ve curated a few great playlists specifically catered to these moods. So slip into one of your daydreams, and put one on, or pick up your book club’s latest library pick. Live out the fantasy.

Maybe start letter writing like you always wanted to. How romantic.

You’ve survived more than a few impulsive hair styling choices in this time. I’m sure you’re excited to see your stylist again, and your stylist, well, they’re concerned to see the outcome of you cutting your own bangs at 3 a.m. one night while Instagramming Live. Don’t have your own stylist? Maybe check out some of the nominations of Best Of and find one.

TAURUS APRIL 20 — MAY 20 You’ve been ready for the apocalypse since the day you were born. This is your moment to shine. You’ve been one step ahead of everyone you know all summer. You’re still stockpiling enough root vegetables from the Kitchener Market to see you through, and maybe even a little extra for your disorganized loved ones.

Get ready to harvest that garden of yours and start canning.

You’ve got this.

GEMINI MAY 21 — JUNE 20 You’ve had a lot on your mind and might be finding it hard not to get distracted. You’ve been telling your boss you’re putting in a full day of work from home, when in reality, you’ve snuck out to get bao over an extended lunch this month a few more times than you care to admit. Set realistic goals for yourself and try not to over-think things too much.

CANCER JUNE 21 — JULY 22

LEO JULY 23 — AUGUST 22

You can’t be in everyone’s social bubble. You know that — but you also can’t help but wonder if everyone is having fun without you.

You’re sick of all the virtual Houseparty hangouts, but it would still be nice to be invited. To make matters worse, you’re starting to think your cat might be sick of you. Try not to take everything so personally.

Oh Leo’s, you’ve been hit the hardest in this time of isolation.

You’re typically the life of the party and your vibe has been suffering. You’ve pivoted though. Your friends appreciate the dedication to Zoom parties, or physically distanced hangouts from the driveway. You’re still the belle of the ball from six feet away — the party just looks a bit different.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: TCE HOROSCOPES (AND THIS MONTH’S COVER) ARE ILLUSTRATED BY CARA VANDERMEY. THIS ISSUE VANDERMEY IS CELEBRATING ESSENTIAL WORKERS. TCE THANKS WATERLOO REGION’S ESSENTIAL WORKERS FOR ALL YOU DO TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE FOR US. MUCH LOVE.

BEST OF WAT ERLOO REGION T HE SHORT LIST

PLACES & SPACES THE BEST OF WATERLOO REGION IS COLLECTED THROUGH AN ONLINE SURVEY. WE PROVIDED THE CATEGORIES, YOU PROVIDED THE NOMINATIONS. THE SHORT LIST IS COMPILED OF THOSE ENTRIES WITH THE MOST NOMINATIONS AND ARE PRESENTED HERE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER. TO REVIEW THE FULL SHORT LIST AND VOTE FOR THE WINNERS VISIT COMMUNITYEDITION.CA. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED NEXT MONTH.

FOOD & DRINK BAKERY

GOLDEN HEARTH BAKERY LENJO BAKES NOVA ERA

BEER SELECT ION

ARABELLA PARK BEER BAR SIDEWALK BEER SHOP THE BENT ELBOW

BREAKFAST

KORNER KITCHEN MEL’S DINER THE YETI CAFE

BREWERY

BLOCK THREE BREWING CO. SHORT FINGER BREWING CO. TWB CO-OPERATIVE BREWING

BURGER

ARABELLA PARK BEER BAR ETHEL’S LOUNGE SONNY’S DRIVE IN

CAMBRIDGE RESTAURANT CAMBRIDGE MILL GRAIN OF SALT L.A. FRANKS

COF FEE

MATTER OF TASTE SHOW & TELL SMILE TIGER

DONUT

DEBRODNIK’S LADY GLAZE RED EYE CAFE

ICE CREAM

FOUR ALL ICE CREAM 2 MARBLE SLAB

NEW RESTAURANT

AOK CRAFT BEER + ARCADE CRAFTY RAMEN LENJO BAKES

PAT IO

ARABELLA PARK BEER BAR BOBBY O’BRIEN’S ETHEL’S LOUNGE WHITE RABBIT

A SECOND LOOK BOOKS OLD GOAT BOOKS WORDS WORTH BOOKS

CINEMA

APOLLO CINEMA PRINCESS CINEMAS

FIT NESS

FOUR BELLS FITNESS FREEDOM CYCLE GOODLIFE LIL’S GYM MOVATI ATHLETIC QUEEN STREET YOGA

GALLERY OR MUSEUM

PIZZA

FAMOSO NEAPOLITIAN PIZZERIA LA CUCINA PIZZERIA PEPI’S PIZZA

SANDWICH

PRINCESS CAFE THE YETI CAFE VINCENZO’S

DOWNTOWN KITCHENER SHAWARMA RESTAURANT HIGHLAND HALAL SHAWARMA KINKAKU IZAKAYA GRAND TRUNK SALOON GUANAQUITA RESTAURANT

BOOKSTORE

ISHAWARMA QUEEN SHAWARMA & KABAB

TACOS

ETHEL’S LOUNGE GUANAQUITA RESTAURANT TACO FARM

UPTOWN WAT ERLOO RESTAURANT

BEERTOWN PUBLIC HOUSE ETHEL’S LOUNGE RED HOUSE

VEGETARIAN FOOD CAFE PYRUS JANE BOND THE YETI CAFE

CLAY & GLASS GALLERY KWAG THEMUSEUM

HAIR SALON

COWBOYS & ANGELS GOOD HAIR CO. GREEN ROOM BARBERSHOP

HOME DELIVERY GOLDEN HEARTH SHORT FINGER TWB

LGBTQ+ POSIT IVE SPACE JANE BOND PATENT SOCIAL SPECTRUM

MUSIC SHOP

ENCORE RECORDS ORANGE MONKEY MUSIC SHERWOOD

NOTABLE FOLK COMMUNIT Y LEADER AMY SMOKE JEN VASIC RUTH CAMERON SELAM DEBS

FILMMAKER

ERIK O’NEILL ISAAC BENDER KYLE SAWYER TORIN LANGEN

FRONT LINE WORKER ALAYA WHITE JACQUIE WELLS

LOCAL WRIT ER BETH BOWLES ELLIE ANGLIN FITSUM AREGUY

MAKER

ELLIE ANGLIN JON JOHNSON LITTLE WOLF + THE WILLOW YOUNG HURON

MUSICIAN OR BAND 12 MILE ISLAND SAM NABI WEIGH THE ANCHOR

PERFORMANCE ART IST GREEN LIGHT ARTS I, THE MOUNTAIN JANICE JO LEE TESS MARTENS

PHOTOGRAPHER JENNIFER LYON TAYLOR JONES JESSE DERRY

POLIT ICIAN

BERRY VRBANOVIC JEN VASIC LAURA MAE LINDO LORI CAMPBELL

REAL ESTAT E

DAN FOTOPOLUS DAVE GRIGG TRACEY APPLETON

ONLINE/CURB PICKUP GIFTED WORDS WORTH BOOKS ZERO WASTE BULK

OUT DOOR SPACE

HURON CONSERVATION VICTORIA PARK WATERLOO PARK

POP UP EVENT

GOOD CO. POP UPS OPEN AIR MARKET STEEL RAILS

TATTOO PARLOUR

BERLIN TATTOO FRAZZLEKAT TATTOOS MOM’S TATTOO SHOP POWER HOUSE TATTOOS WONDERLAND STUDIOS

TO VOLUNT EER

ACCKWA KW HUMANE SOCIETY THE WORKING CENTER

SOCIAL MEDIA

@CURATEDKW @COMMUNITYEDITION @DTK @KWRISING

SOCIAL PROFIT

BLACK LIVES MATTER WR HOUSE OF FRIENDSHIP THE WORKING CENTRE

VET ERINARIAN

BUCK ANIMAL HOSPITAL ST FRANCIS ANIMAL CLINIC KINGSDALE ANIMAL HOSPITAL LAURELWOOD VET HOSPITAL

VISUAL ART IST ALANAH JEWELL LUKE SWINSON NICOLE BENO TRISHA ABE

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

10

CAT STATUE HAS NEIGHBOURHOOD FELINE GREAT LAURA MCBRIDE CONTRIBUTOR “Did something happen to the cat?” he called to me.

“Oh, we don’t have a cat, sir!” I call back, as I check my mail, a welcome distraction from working from home.

The stranger in his late 80s looks like he’s been standing there for a few minutes. He gestures to my front yard garden, where I usually have a twofoot statue of a cat.

Years ago, in our first summer in this house, I was doing yard work and found a statue of a cat. I dug it up, scrubbed and washed it.

Eventually, I moved her into the front yard. Despite being three times the size of an ordinary cat, and made of grey plaster, we noticed neighbourhood dogs barking at her, kids pointing to her while they practiced making animal noises and adults bursting into laughter as they suddenly realized that she’s there.

Some even seemed to have a relationship with her, their eyes searching for her as they approach our garden.

At one point, and I can’t remember

why, I decided to paint her. Over the years our cat statue has been repainted at least seven different bright and colourful patterns.

Sometimes I do it myself and sometimes I include neighbourhood kids in the painting process. I like the idea of them walking by and remembering how they’d been trusted to take part.

Sure, like a lot of things in my downtown front yard, there is a chance that a bored pedestrian will scoop her up and take her home, but I like her here. Watching over the street like a real cat would.

Besides, while she’s fun to have, she has no actual value to me. If she were to disappear, there would be a pang of sadness, but then I probably wouldn’t think of her again.

“Oh, the cat statue?” I ask him. “She’s just fine! I have her in the backyard.

Giving her a new coat of paint!”

He looks relieved.

“I repaint her every year or so,” I explain. “I started a new coat a few days ago, but got distracted, and you know, (mumble about life in a pandemic).” I punctuate it with a nervous laugh, even though he doesn’t make me feel nervous.

He nods with the patience of a dear friend listening to bad news but yearning to hear your happy ending.

I get the feeling that more needs

to be said between myself and this stranger. “So, you’ve seen the cat statue before?” I offer him the space he needs to continue the conversation.

“Everyday.”

He points to the shrub by the driveway where she first sat eight years ago. Then he points to the spot under the tree where she sat for a few years. Then he turns his face to where she should have been sitting today.

“I come to talk to her every single day. I’ve seen all the colourful paint.” he adds “She’s been missing for a few days and I was worried. I was worried that she’d been stolen or broken.”

I take a minute. My cat is someone’s friend.

“Not stolen sir, just having a spa day,” I say, with as much reassurance as the phrase can muster.

“I promise you, she’ll be back here waiting for your visit tomorrow.” And I set off to work to get her repainted.

With his one word ‘everyday,’ my cat statue has found her value -- she’s found her friend.

He doesn’t need me to be his friend.

I realize that he needs me to make sure that she doesn’t disappear on him first.

Laura is a resident of downtown Kitchener.

DTK cat statue is striking up unlikely friendships.

LAURA MCBRIDE PHOTO

EQUITABLE PAY FOR WOODEN BOAT FOOD CO.

THE WOODEN BOAT FOOD CO. RESTAURANT IN KITCHENER IS RE-EVALUATING THEIR TIPPING MODEL

ALEX KINSELLA CONTRIBUTOR

Wood Boat Food Co. owner Thompson Tran is re-evaluating the tipping model.

NICK STANLEY PHOTOS

Going back to a restaurant for the first time since the pandemic started is strange for so many reasons. There are the masks, the hand sanitizer, the new ways to walk around the spaces and be physically distant. One thing though that hasn’t changed is one of the most universally confusing parts of dining out — tipping.

But that confusion may soon go away at the popular Wooden Boat Food Co. in Kitchener. Owner and chef Thompson Tran plans to make a slow transition to a no-tipping policy for his restaurant over the next few months. For Tran, moving to notipping is more than just about the customer experience, it’s about doing what’s right for his staff.

“This is about inequity between the front and back of the house. When you tip your server or waitstaff at a restaurant, the amount is supposed to be split between the server and the team who are prepping the food, making your meal and cleaning the dishes,” Tran said.

As a longtime back of house worker, Tran knows that the split rarely happens in an equal way.

“The front of the house gets all the tips and they figure out what to give.

It’s usually around five to ten per cent,” Tran said.

“So for every $100 in tips collected, the server keeps $90 to $95 dollars with the back of house getting the remainder.”

That remainder is then split between the staff in the kitchen. Tran said that this makes it difficult for the staff to know what they’re going to be taking home. “It’s all in the hands of the servers.”

To drive home the lack of equity in

the current model, Tran pointed to what’s happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In the world of [COVID-19], the first people that got let go were the servers,” Tran said.

“It was tough, but the back of house staff are the backbone keeping restaurants going. Success in restaurants is supposed to be 50/50 food and hospitality — but that’s never been reflected in take-home pay.”

“ THE INEQUITY

AND THE CONTROL OF THE TIPS LEAD TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND BULLYING.

”

-THOMPSON TRAN, WOODEN BOAT FOOD CO. Tran also pointed out that the current model of tipping creates additional problems within a restaurant.

“The inequity and the control of the tips lead to sexual harassment and bullying — it’s a broken power dynamic.”

Moving to a no-tipping policy has been on Tran’s mind for years, but implementing it successfully is a challenge. Tran has been speaking with fellow restaurateurs about their experiences, including Todd Perrin of Mallard Cottage in Newfoundland and Ryan Donovan of Richmond Station in Toronto.

“Mallard Cottage moved to the same model, no-tipping. I wanted to see how they’ve implemented it,” Tran added.

While no-tipping is the norm outside of North America, some issues have to be addressed with both front of house

staff and customers to make it work here. Tran’s move to no-tipping means that the price you see for an item on the menu includes a built-in service fee. As part of the plan, Tran is looking at including not just the service fee, but also the tax in the price. For Tran, this removes the ambiguity of figuring out the tax and tip when looking at a menu.

“This is where education comes in.

We need to advertise to consumers that it’s what you’d pay anyways — it’s now just plain and simple,” Tran said.

In the current model of restaurant pricing, the consumer dictates the staff’s pay. You may feel you’re doing right by being a consistent 15 to 20 per cent every time diner, but as Tran pointed out, the server still doesn’t have income stability. The server also still controls how much of the tips they distribute to the back of house staff.

“Let’s take that out of play. We can make our staff feel stable,” Tran said.

According to Tran, there’s no financial motivation for a restaurant owner to move to a no-tipping model.

“If a restaurant owner has something to gain, this would be the norm across the board,” Tran said.

Restaurant margins are notoriously low, to begin with, especially for independently-owned businesses such as the Wooden Boat Food Co. “Mom and pops like me, I can basically do what I want. But also knowing that I’m not going to gain much by doing so,” Tran said.

While North America is the only place globally that expects tips for service, Tran sees the fight to eliminate tipping as part of a better experience for everyone — diners, front of house and back of house.

“Servers will fight tooth and nail to keep the old model, they have a lot to lose. But for the back of house, it’s not about getting more money, it’s about gaining equity.”

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

11

SUPPORTING INDEPENDENT BUSINESS IN WATERLOO REGION WORDS BY MELISSA EMBURY Below you’ll find our list of the local KW businesses that have closed their doors for good since the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown. While some small businesses have had the financial strength to continue to wait out the storm, others haven’t been so lucky.

The Retail Council of Canada predicts at least 15 per cent of brickand-mortar stores will not survive

the pandemic, with large chains who have more financial security being the most likely to be left standing when the dust settles. This begs the question, what will our local KW economy look like in a year or two?

Local businesses are essential to our economy. They bring growth, innovation, provide employment and create entrepreneurship opportunities. They know their

customers by name — they are our neighbours and friends. They are what make the KW community special and unique.

This is why it’s so crucial to support local businesses in any way you can. You can shape the future of our community.

HOW TO HELP: 3

1

5

LEAVE A POSITIVE REVIEW

USE DELIVERY AND/OR PICKUP

BUY GIFT CARDS AND SHOP ONLINE

If you have been to a business before and were pleased with the merchandise and service they provided, leave them a good review.

This can be on Facebook or some other review site. Positive reviews boost local businesses’ overall ratings and help them survive.

Many local businesses are providing delivery or curbside pickup options for shoppers to keep their distance. Choose direct delivery (which can often be found on businesses’ websites) whenever possible for the food industry, since services like UberEats and Skip the Dishes charge restaurants between 16 and 30 per cent of each sale. Ordering take-out food can help restaurant owners continue to employ their staff and stay afloat.

Purchasing a gift card from your favourite local shops, breweries, cafes and more, will provide positive cash flow that they can use to support themselves while their doors are shut or business has severely slowed down. Many KW businesses have online shopping or eCommerce options. Don’t forget about artists and musicians who also need our support — buy their art or attend a virtual event.

2 SHARE, LIKE, COMMENT AND INTERACT WITH POSTS FROM LOCAL BUSINESS OWNERS

4 TELL A FRIEND If you have a few dollars to spare, invite your roommate to a local coffee shop or patio. Introducing your friends to a local business, while also having an opportunity to catch up on what’s been going on in everyone’s lives is a win/win.

Make sure to follow proper physical distancing protocols and wear a mask if you’re going to do this one.

Or even safer, order online and have a virtual hangout with distanced friends.

Almost every business has a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or some other type of social media account right now. You can help those businesses flourish by sharing their posts or telling your friends about their merchandise or goods they sell.

RECENT CLOSURES THESE ARE SOME OF THE BUSINESSES IN WATERLOO REGION THAT HAVE CLOSED SINCE MARCH 2020.

FOOD/BEVERAGE INDUSTRY

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

BLACKWING COFFEE BAR B@THEMUSEUM BURRITO BOYZ CITY CAFE (ON LANCASTER) CROSSROADS FAMILY RESTAURANT DEATH VALLEY’S LITTLE BROTHER EAST SIDE MARIO’S (ON UNIVERSITY) GILT GRAND RIVER BREWING JOEY’S RESTAURANTS MATTER OF TASTE (WATERLOO) MONIGRAM MIDTOWN NANDO’S (ON FAIRWAY RD) SPECIAL DELIVERY SHOP SYMPOSIUM CAFE HOLY GUACAMOLE (DTK) TIMELESS CAFE AND BAKERY

MUSIC VENUES/BARS

• • • • •

CHAINSAW CTRL V (SOME LOCATIONS) RHAPSODY BARREL BAR KICK-OFF SPORTS BAR STARLIGHT LOUNGE

STORES/SERVICES

• • • • • • • •

A TOUCH OF SCOTLAND BABY CHARLOTTE BRAUN’S BICYCLE COOKIE CUTTERS HAIRCUTS FOR KIDS LOVE LAUGH PLAY, INDOOR PLAYLAND THINGS ENGRAVED VICTORIA CONVENIENCE SCHOLAR’S CHOICE (ALL KW LOCATIONS)

HAVE A STORY TO TELL ABOUT A SMALL BUSINESS CLOSURE? EMAIL US AT INFO@COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

*Businesses may have closed for a variety of different reasons, one reason possibly being the economic struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic.

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

12

ON THE MAGIC OF MUSHROOMS:

TRUST NICK WHEN HE SAYS CHEF CODY’S A FUNGI 519 SCHMECKS

NICK BENNINGER COLUMNIST

We promise this photo looks even more delicious in colour.

NICK BENNINGER PHOTO

In 2008, Nat and I opened our first restaurant. It was the start of a new life phase, and for good or for bad, it’s definitely been that again in 2020.

What does any of this have to do with food? Well, it’s simple — this year has been a doozy of a year for foraging mushrooms. The opportunistic man I am, I have been on the receiving end of literally hundreds of pounds of beautiful, wild and free chanterelle and black trumpet mushrooms.

This spring we had the opportunity to take on a new restaurant and grocery store in Ontario’s North, just on the doorsteps of Killbear Provincial Park — a true jewel, boasting the most beautifully windswept shores Georgian Bay has to offer.

We lept at the chance to expand, and in doing so, hired a wonderful chef, Cody, who has a passion for foraging wild mushrooms. It seems we have been blessed with

good fortune, enjoying a great first season of business, and our chef has rewarded us with his dedication to the kitchen, incredible cuisine and the mushrooms he found, literally, on the doorstep of his cabin near the woods — incredible.

After repeatedly sending me photos of fields and fields of mushrooms, I encouraged Cody to get all available staff and schedule them for as many hours as they can work to pick mushrooms until the source ran dry.

For all the “sustainability” folks out there: first off, I’m one of you, secondly the fruit of a mushroom that we see above ground is a small part of the larger mycelium that lives underground. So long story short, picking mushrooms is good, and only helps spread the spores.

What’s it all mean to us fellow food (and full circle story) lovers?

Well, I suppose that there is good in everything, and 2020, this cloud in need of a silver lining has definitely brought lots of good.

In the literal sense, it has brought us a boat-load of exceptionally good mushrooms, and not just the “hey neat I can eat these” edible types, but the “holy shit these are amazing and usually wildly expensive” variety. Cody’s menu has been rife with wild-caught fish and foraged mushrooms, among other gems. It

has been amazing to watch a chef in his element and be the benefactor of his efforts both in and out of the kitchen.

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to find myself working the line at Killbear, I was cooking up a mess of mushrooms to introduce our restaurant family to this local but foreign (to them) ingredient. I chose a simple preparation and served roasted chanterelle mushrooms over ridiculously buttery mashed potatoes, topped with minced green onion.

I loved this dish and I loved this moment of sharing our gifts from the forest, and our passion for food and ingredients. I’ll forever be grateful to be continually blessed with these little moments in life.

Check out my recipe for this dish online, and please only forage your own wild ingredients if you know exactly what you are doing. A person can get quite sick taking risks with wild foods — leave it to the experts or become one.

Nick Benninger is a local chef and restaurant owner.

INDEPENDENT MEDIA HAS NEVER MATTERED MORE. PURCHASE YOUR LOCAL NEWS PIN AT

COMMUNITYEDITION.CA/SHOP

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

13

ON GOING TO THE MARKET

HYPERLOCAL TRAVEL

JUANITA METZGER COLUMNIST

Keep the vampires away with these creative garlic recipes.

TAYLOR DEVALK PHOTO

ISN’T IT CLOVE-LY? RETHINKING YOUR PLATE

dried chilli. Top the jar with pickling mixture, and keep in the fridge until ready to use. Pickled garlic is amazing on charcuterie boards, tossed with vegetables before roasting or mixed into potato salad.

TAYLOR DEVALK COLUMNIST

3) CONFIT GARLIC Add ½ cup peeled, whole garlic cloves to a pot. Cover garlic with oil (olive or vegetable) and cook on the lowest heat setting until garlic turns slightly golden, then remove from heat. Once cooled, pour garlic and oil into a jar. You can add sprigs of hearty herbs, like thyme or rosemary, into the oil as well. Garlic oil is good for just about any savoury cooking where oil is used, while the sweet, softened cloves can be crushed into pasta, or spread on a baguette with coarse salt or mashed into roasted mushrooms.

The various smells of garlic can transport me through time.

Sauteed garlic and onions as a base for my mother’s cauliflower and cheddar soup. Deep, brown, fragrant heads of garlic in the bottom of a roasting dish, along with chicken fat and carrots. The spicy, raw garlic aroma from a punchy caesar that tickles the inside of your nose.

But what’s the right garlic for the job?

If available, fresh garlic is essential.

I get pre-peeled packs from New City Supermarket — they save time on peeling but are still crisp and peppery.

However, late summer is a great time to pick up a stash of whole heads of garlic from a local farmer to preserve and stash away for the winter.

Garlic powder is your best bet for a dry seasoning mix, and the jars of minced garlic in oil are good for a stirfry, but miss that sharp garlicky bite that oxidizes over time.

To make it through the entire pack of peeled garlic, here are a couple recipes that show off the versatility of this usually overlooked ingredient.

1) FERMENTED GARLIC HONEY/ MAPLE SYRUP This is a simple way to bring out the sweet subtle flavours in garlic without the bitter or peppery notes.

In a 250mL jar, fill ¾ of the way with good quality honey — locally, I would highly recommend Doug’s Honey at the DTK Market. Top with four to five whole, peeled cloves of garlic — the same thing can be done with a jar of maple syrup. Set your jars on a shelf and stir once a week for about three months. Garlic honey is incredible on pizza, in salad dressing or schmeared onto a piece of local Mountainoak gouda. Garlic maple syrup results in a sweet umami marinade that resembles soya sauce, without the salty bite. It’s a delicious tofu marinade.

2) FRIDGE PICKLED GARLIC Slice or roughly chop garlic and loosely fill a small jar. Bring �cup vinegar (anything other than cider is okay here) to a simmer with aromatics like coriander seed, peppercorns, bay leaf, mustard seed or whole

4) LEMON-Y GARLIC AIOLI (VEGAN) If you have never made mayo before, today is your day. It does not need to be scary or stressful and it’s an excellent way to utilize your garlic oil and confit cloves. I like to use this recipe on sandwiches, or even for dipping grilled vegetables, like green beans. This recipe is quite versatile.

Experiment with adding roasted jalapeno, hot sauce and/or chilli flakes for a kick.

1 whole egg (if vegan, use ¼ cup of aquafaba (the liquid found in a can of chickpeas) 1-1 ½ cups of vegetable oil (sub out ¼ cup of plain oil for garlic oil if you have it) 2 tsp dijon mustard (smooth is good, grainy is fine too) 1 ½ tsp lemon juice 1 lemon for zesting 3 cloves confit garlic ¼ tsp salt (taste and add more if necessary) 1 tsp honey or garlic honey In a large measuring cup, add all ingredients except for the oil. Place a hand blender in your container and blitz only until ingredients are combined. Now you can add your oil, I like to do this 1/3 at a time. If you’d like a thicker mayo, add another glug of oil. To thin it out, add a splash of water. Taste and season with more salt or garlic honey if necessary.

Taylor Devalk is a trained chef and baker.

A local market is one of my favourite things to visit when I travel. I’ve sampled brunost, a Norwegian brown cheese, in a tiny market in Oslo, fresh guava fruit in Cuba and dates that melt like honey at a farmer’s market in southern California. It’s the perfect opportunity to try something new and learn from the producers themselves.

Close to home, the Kitchener Market has been my Saturday morning ritual for more than 15 years. For me, it’s the perfect combination of fresh, hyperlocal food with a side dish of community connections to growers and producers.

So, when I asked a young couple from Mexico about their favourite local places in Waterloo Region, I wasn’t at all surprised when they professed their quick love for the Kitchener Market.

Carlos Luis Zatarain and Nancy Garza Lozano arrived in Kitchener on Aug. 29, 2016, just two weeks after their wedding in Monterrey, Mexico.

Zatarain came to study at Wilfrid Laurier University.

It was going to be their first time living away from home, and outside of their parents’ home. It would also be the first time they would shop for groceries, by themselves.

Zatarain’s Community Psychology program at Laurier provided them

with recommendations for getting to know the community, and on the list was the Kitchener Market.

“I wasn’t really sure what that was about, but we ended up going on the second week. We got there very late. It was 1:30 P.M ... because we just didn’t know,” Zatarain said.

The following week, they resolved their arrival time by a few hours, but realized they didn’t know what to ask for at the various vendors.

“The first challenge was the language when it comes to specialty items from home,” Garza said.

Zatarain credits connecting with Mary Jane Bast, who runs Bast Cheese at the Market, for learning more about finding the words for the right order.

“We arrived at her cheese stand and didn’t know what to order. How do I say, ‘Oaxaca cheese’ or ‘Chihuahua cheese’ when none of the cheeses are familiar,” Zatarain said.

Bast and her staff introduced Zatarain and Garza to a variety of cheeses and encouraged them to try different things. “Now, we love havarti cheese,” Zatarain said.

They even consult Bast when they want to replicate a Mexican dish.

“We have so many specific cheeses in Mexico. So, we would say to Mary Jane, ‘we want a cheese that we can put in a soup, so that it will melt, but not lose its consistency.’ Every time, she would recommend a cheese that has the right properties,” Garza said.

On the last Saturday before the market closed due to COVID-19, Zatarain and Garza were stocking up as best they could, not knowing when the market would reopen.

“Mary Jane gave us her card and said, ‘call me, anytime’. We still got our cheese during the pandemic. She

$29 2 tickets to the Apollo Cinema + 2 drinks at AOK + 2 rad businesses

would go out of her way to deliver or meet us,” Zatarain said.

Zatarain and Garza soon discovered that all the locally-based vendors were willing to teach them about their produce, meat, fruits and baked goods.

Charles Quality Meats helped them figure out the cuts of meat to use for traditional Mexican dishes. The Gmach family taught them about which vegetables are in season when.

They were thrilled to find flour tortillas at Gingrich’s that rival those made in northern Mexico.

Arlene and Jennifer at Norris Bakery introduced Zatarain to a honey flax bread which is now a household favourite.

But, it’s more than just the food it’s the care and the small details.

“Arlene knew we were always travelling by bus, with a shopping cart. She would put the chocolate donuts in a box to set on top of the day’s purchases so they wouldn’t get squished on the journey home,” Zatarain said.

Zatarain and Garza appreciate that everyone is on a first-name basis, and vendors take the time to get to know their customers.

For a young couple far from home and the family who would normally support them, Zatarain and Garza have found relationships at the Kitchener Market which anchor their connection to local food and community which helped them embrace a different way of living.

Four years later, their routine is that of any other local — they arrive early, get the important stuff before it sells out, then find their friends and neighbours to catch up.

+ aokdtk.ca apollocinema.ca

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

14

EVENT LISTINGS

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

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

CHALKTIVISM AND OUTREACH! VICTORIA PARK CLOCK TOWER

YMCA EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS VIRTUAL

LINOLEUM BLOCK PRINTING 145 BEDFORD RD

This combines two of our favourite things, chalk and a love of animals.

Afterall, if you’re going to get chalk all over yourself, it might as well be for a great cause, right? Chalktivism is a fun form of activism that advocates for vegan and animal rights. Just make sure you bring and wear your mask. Safety first.

Looking for a new gig? You’re in luck!

The KPL and YMCAs are hosting virtual workshops to share tips on how to get you hired. The best part is that the workshops are free! You just need to register online first. Say goodbye to resume typos and hello to gainful employment. This event is also virtual, so get comfy!

It’s never too early to think about holiday gift and greeting card ideas (yes, 2020 will eventually come to an end). This workshop will help you carve your own printing block on linoleum to print on fabric, coasters and paper. It’s hosted by Mindful Makers and kwartzlab. Register online. Materials are included.

Community • Free • 4:00pm

Information• Free • 2:00pm - 3:00pm

Workshop • $45 • 1:00pm - 4:00pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 17TH

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

DRIVE-IN DOUBLE FEATURE 610 WABANAKI DR

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT KITCHENER, UW & WLU

LET’S TALK SLEEP: VIRTUAL CHAT VIRTUAL

You get to sit in your car, watch two great flicks at the drive-in and use your radio. What year is it anyway?

Oh, that’s right — it’s 2020, and this is how we watch movies now. Call Of The Wild starts at 8:30 pm and the late show starts at 10:15 pm with Pride! Reserve your tickets ahead of time on Eventbrite.

Like so many beloved KW events, Take Back the Night has had to change things up this year. But who doesn’t love a good scavenger hunt!?

Locations will be announced closer to the date, and will have posters with info about sexual and gender-based violence. Share photos of the posters at the hashtag #TBTNWR2020

Are you having trouble sleeping?

What could possibly be keeping you up at night? If you find you’re lying awake all night thinking about handwashing and killer hornets, you might want to register for Schlegal Villages sleep webinar. The chat will cover a variety of topics including sleep during a time of crisis.

Film • Free • 8:30pm - 11:59pm

Community • Free • 10:00pm - 11:45pm

Information • Free • 7:00pm - 8:00pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24

MUSIC & MOVIE 300 GAGE AVE, KITCHENER

COMEDY NIGHT VIRTUAL & LOCATION TBD

LAND BACK CAMP: SHORT FILM VICTORIA PARK

The Red Carpet Crew has teamed up with Princess Cinemas for a big old socially distanced parking lot party with live music from Rufus John, followed by a screening of Disney’s UP. Bring your lawn chair and scope out a safe spot at 6:30 pm. Did we mention there’s free popcorn and drinks?

2020 is nothing short of a dumpster fire — we can all use a laugh right now. Rainbow Reels is presenting their queerantine edition at an outdoor venue to be announced.

You can attend accompanied by your mask, or online if you prefer.

Note that the venue will not have washrooms available.

O:se Kenhionhata:tie and Rainbow Reels Queer and Trans Film Festival have partnered to host a screening of local film Land Back Camp: The Short Film, by TCE photographer, Erik O’Neill. The screening will take place at the Land Back Camp. Visit Facebook for more information.

Film • Free • 6:30pm- 9:30pm

Fun• Free • 7:30pm- 9:00pm

Film • 7:30pm-9:00pm

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH

PRINCESS IN THE PARK VICTORIA PARK ISLAND GAZEBO

ARTISAN POP UP! 106 HOMEWOOD AVE

ONLINE PRENATAL CLASSES VIRTUAL

This event is probably meant for children but let’s be honest, we could all use a little bit of magic in our life right now. Bring a blanket and snack along for music and stories with an ice princess. There will be a royal coronation and goody bags! Just remember, even princesses are social distancing right now.

Janette Bogart Pottery is hosting a backyard artisan pop up with pottery, weaving, felting, watercolours, acrylic, wood art, jewellery, enamel and fused glass. Pick something up to brighten up the home that you spend literally all of your time in now. Just don’t forget to wear your mask. Materials are included.

As if having a baby wasn’t intimidating enough, now you’re having a pandemic baby. How will you learn all the things? What happens during delivery, and how the heck do you swaddle? All of your questions will be answered in this traditional prenatal weekend course which is going virtual.

Fun • $15 • 11:30am - 12:00pm

Shopping• Free • 10:00am- 4:00pm

Information• $199 per couple • 9:30am- 4:00pm

LAST CHANCE FOR STEEL RAILS ‘20 SHIRTS. DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE TO REMEMBER THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION THAT NEVER HAPPENED. COMMUNITYEDITION.CA/ STEEL-RAILS/

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

15

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT :

APRIL TO AUGUST

OVER THE PAST FIVE MONTHS, WE TOOK A BREAK FROM PRINTING AND FOCUSED SOLELY ON PUBLISHING ONLINE. AMIDST THE CHAOS OF THE PANDEMIC, OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN BUSY. HERE ARE PHOTOS FROM SOME OF OUR ONLINE ARTICLES THAT NEVER WENT TO PRINT.

From July 8 — Since June 21, a group of Indigenous Peoples have gathered to occupy the traditional land in Victoria Park for ceremonial use. Known as The Land Back Camp, the group continues to gather in this space to celebrate, learn and advance in their culture while raising public awareness.

ERIK O’NEILL PHOTO

From August 13 — Local muralist Trisha Abe’s contribution to the Art Fresco project by Explore Waterloo Region. This project aimed to support both Waterloo Region’s visual artists and hospitality industry.

JESSE DERRY PHOTO

From August 7 — Artist Alanah Jewell is the artist behind Morning Star Designs and the I AM KITCHENER Indigenous Art Market ERIK O’NEILL PHOTO

From June 24 — Maggie Resmer is a two-spirit mixed-Algonquin artist who operates Little Wolf + the Willow. She works with beads, leather, brass, clay and crystals.

ERIK O’NEILL PHOTO

From June 27 — Better Tent City at Lot 42 is showing a new model of private sleeping for unsheltered folks.

NICK STANLEY PHOTO

From June 3 — Roughly 36,000 people showed up to show their support at the KW Solidarity March for Black Lives Matter. $17,000 was raised through the solidarity fund and another $150,000 was raised for Black Lives Matter WR. JESSE DERRY PHOTO

SEPTEMBER 2020 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

16

NEW INITIATIVE CREATES QUEER SPACE

DYKE BAR TAKEOVER KW IS AIMING TO CREATE MORE SOCIAL SPACE IN THE REGION FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

BETH BOWLES CONTRIBUTOR With a noticeable lack of LGBTQ2S+ spaces around Kitchener-Waterloo, a local group has started a new initiative to hopefully combat that problem.

Reba Joy first heard about the Dyke Bar Takeover concept on a podcast called Dyking Out. The group she learned about was stationed in New York City, and every month they partner with a different bar to provide a queer space, while supporting a local LGBTQ2S+ charity.

“During [quarantine], I was especially craving queer community, but also before that, just trying to find events in KW — there’s pockets of it, there are things available, but I just think we need more. Especially because there’s no set bars for it, no set spaces for these social gatherings,” Joy said.

Joy connected with the group in New York to learn more, and then brought her friend Maya Jones on board to help launch Dyke Bar Takeover KW. Jones is involved with the Waterloo Region Rainbow Coalition, specifically their Queer Night Out Initiative. She hosts an annual Pride Dance, but always wanted to do more for the queer community.

Waterloo Region doesn’t really have any bars or nightlife spaces that are queer focused. While there has been in the past, they never seem to last too

Maya Jones (left) and Reba Joy (right) have started Dyke Bar Takeover KW to create more LGBTQ+ spaces in the Region.

JESSE DERRY PHOTO long. There are recurring queer events that happen around town, but nothing permanent.

“It’s a huge gap. Whenever people come to my dinners, the first thing they say is: we need more space,” Jones said.

Joy said that those recurring events often feel like they’re catered to a male audience. “[At] our events, we really want to create a space for self identified queen womxn, trans and non-binary. We’re not going to turn anyone away at the door, just as long as they know this is a space that’s safe [for queer people],” Joy said.

When public social gatherings become more of a common occurrence, Dyke Bar Takeover KW will begin partnering with local bars once a month to host events.

The spaces must be accessible and inclusive to be considered. Each monthly event will support a locally run queer charity and will involve queer art in some way, whether that’s music, visual art, comedy, etc.

“Long term, how we want to combat the [lack of space] is to be consistently there. It’ll be once a month. People will know to expect it,” Joy said. She also added that she hopes Dyke Bar Takeover KW will shine some much

needed light on the fact that KW does need a permanent queer social space.

While launching something like this during a pandemic may seem contradictory, Joy and Jones are using this time to make connections with interested bars, hear from the community, connect with artists and grow their team, so when the time is right, they’re prepared to dive in. Since launching their Instagram on Aug. 7, they’ve had several folks reach out looking to get involved.

The team has grown to five people and businesses have reached out asking how they can help support the initiative.

“There are some awesome queer spaces in the Region, and they’re all really good, but they’re more for support. People also need to socialize and just have fun … and meet people, not in a support group setting,” Jones said.

While the group will use local bars as their hosts, these events are not focused around drinking and partying; the group hopes to also host dry events in efforts to include everyone.

The goal for these events is also not to make money for themselves, but rather to raise money for local LGBTQ2S+ charities and offer queer artists in the Region paid work opportunities.

“Having [queer] space is not describable. When you’re there, you’re just so happy. I have friends who knew me before I came out, who came and volunteered at my Pride Dances and their reaction is always how happy they are to see me as me,” Jones said.

“I want to make that something that I can give to everyone in our community because it’s so important to have that and I don’t want to be the only one happy; I want to make everyone happy.”

Dyke Bar Takeover KW is currently looking for general volunteers, in addition to graphic designers and copywriters as they prepare for their first virtual event this fall. You can connect with them on Instagram @ dykebartakeoverkw.

ALYSHA BRILLA’S MUSICAL PATH TO HEALING MELISSA EMBURY EDITOR IN CHIEF Alysha Brilla, a local IndianTanzanian Canadian artist, music producer and activist, felt the musical pull to perform at a young age. She’s been enthralled with making music for as long as she can remember.

“My dad had brought this guitar back from Tanzania. He had immigrated here from there, and he and my uncle, who was a white Canadian man on my mom’s side, they would jam. And I was three years old. I couldn’t even hold a guitar, it was too heavy, but I knew that’s what I wanted to do,” Brilla said.

Since then, Brilla started writing and performing songs for her family on an electric keyboard gifted to her by her grandma, eliciting help from her sisters to sing the harmonies. At age 15 she learnt how to play guitar, and by age 19 her rootsy, global lyrical songs had been noticed by the music industry, signing on to a record label in the US. Growing up in a mixed household with a Muslim Indo-Tanzanian father and a Christian European SettlerCanadian mother, Brilla credits her not easily categorizable musical style to being exposed to many different genres of music.

“I definitely love roots music, that’s sort of what I grew up in love with. I love Amy Winehouse as an artist — I have a painting of her in my studio.

Her and Bob Marley are sort of my musical mom and dad if you will.

That’s who I look up to and feel connected to musically,” Brilla said.

What people may not know is that Brilla’s writes, sings and produces all her own music herself, which she started doing at a young age, around seven years old, on a karaoke machine with two tape decks — laying down beats on the keyboard, adding a baseline and building up songs. She is still doing it today.

Identifying as a Queer, femme BIPOC artist, Brilla’s also been striving for more diversity and equity in the music industry, after experiencing her own traumatizing situation in the US. “I went through the gamut of experiences in Hollywood. I couldn’t watch it because I thought it would be too triggering, but A Star Is Born with Lady Gaga … basically that story, that’s kind of what my experience was.

And then you add on being obviously Brown or Half Indian …” Brilla said.

After being nominated for three Juno Awards in 2014, 2015 and 2017, Brilla noticed the overwhelming lack of female and BIPOC Juno nominees, and in 2017, along with prominent other Canadian female artists, Tegan & Sarah and Amy Millan, she spoke up about these issues, becoming an advocate for women in the industry.

Brilla continues to be an activist who infuses her music with politically inspiring messages and beats. She’s also been spending her time over the last few years helping artists and youth to find their own voice through mentorship.

“I’m so passionate about people selfproducing new music — about women, especially, and non-binary people, having the capacity to have that creative outlet and express themselves in their truest ways.

Brilla, who travelled to Rishikesh, India to train as a yogi in 2014, believes that music has the power

NICK STANLEY PHOTO to heal. Songs like “Centre” which features Sridaya Srivatsan on Carnatic vocals (a South Indian form of classical singing) are meant to merge music and wellness as a form of healing and therapy for mental health.

This month, Brilla is releasing a new single titled “Love.”

“It’s about universal love ­— the human condition. I wrote it about a feeling of losing someone, but also coming to an acceptance and excitement that life doesn’t really end when life ends,” Brilla said.

She’ll also be officially launching her ‘Frequency Portal’ — a digital space where she will share her creation process — with workshops and classes on music production, songwriting, singing and audio-mixing, as well as

sound healing, self-care and wellness.

The portal will look at both the spiritual and the technical side of music to create healing.

Brilla credits local KW musical mentors, like Blues singer Miss Angel, for helping her get started in the industry as a youth, and wants to be able to provide the same opportunities for others.

This year has been a departure from Brilla’s life as a busy artist as it has been for many in the industry. With her shows cancelled for 2020, and life slowing down, she says she misses playing live music, but for the past five months, she’s been able to spend her time either outside connecting to nature or inside her home-studio focusing on audio production. Her

favourite place to find peace in nature locally is anywhere along the Grand River. “... that’s, what’s kept me here … I really go there quite often. It’s such a beautiful river, and I wish people would go visit it more. Twenty-five per cent of our drinking water comes from it, and it’s definitely a life-giving source, and I feel really lucky that we have that,” Brilla said.

Brilla’s new song “Love” will be out later this month. She is also performing at an outdoor, distanced acoustic show Oct. 3, with an ambient ensemble at a farm in KW. To learn more about production, and to “share the deep creation process” with Brilla, join her Frequency Portal by visiting her website.