Cord Community Edition: February 2013

NEWs murder brings light to underbelly of K-W See Page 4

COmmUNITY EDITION COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

FEBRUARY 2013

TRANSIT LOCKED

TRYING TO MOVE IN WATERLOO

INSIDE ARTs Jeté-ing off to the National Ballet Page 19

OPiNiON One billion too many; ending sexual assault Page 9

uRBAN The art of whisky drinking with DVLB Page 14

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 5

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THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

75 University Ave. W Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 519-884-0710 x3564

3 News The dark side of K-W, waiting for a home, Kitchener soccer player abroad and more

9 Civic Space

The one billion rises, LRT support and this month on the website

11 Features

Tight squeeze: Is there enough room for all of us on Waterloo’s roads?

14 Urban Exploring

Whisky tasting, green heat and Family Day fun

18 Community Conversations

With the K-W Princess Project

19 Arts and Culture

Off to the National Ballet and incubating theatre talent

Volume 1, Issue #5 Next issue: March 15, 2013 Advertising All advertising inquiries should be directed to Angela Endicott at 519-884-0710 x3560 angela.taylor@wlusp.com CONTRIBUTORS Editor-in-Chief H.G. Watson hwatson@thecord.ca

Photography Manager Nick Lachance nlachance@thecord.ca

Publisher Bryn Ossington Bryn.ossington@wlusp.com

Photography Manager Kate Turner kturner@thecord.ca

Cord Editor-in-Chief Justin Fauteux jfauteux@thecord.ca

Copy Editor Erin O’Neil

Creative Designer Taylor Gayowsky Taylor.gayowsky@wlusp.com Rebecca Allison Carrie Debrone Kevin Delaney Ashley Denuzzo Danielle Dmytrazsko Alanna Fairey Helen Hall Sara Hanafi Ryan Hueglin WLUSP administration President Executive Director Advertising Manager Treasurer Vice-Chair Director Director Corporate Secretary Distribution Manager Web Manager

Latania Hyatt J.A. Martino Kristin Milani Adele Palmquist Stephanie Truong Ali Urosevic Branden Wesseling Lena Yang

Emily Frost Bryn Ossington Angela Endicott Tom Paddock Jon Pryce Kayla Darrach Joseph McNinch-Pazzano Allie Hincks Angela Endicott Adam Lazzarato

The Cord Community Edition is the monthly magazine version of the Cord, the official student newspaper of the Wilfrid Laurier University community.

Started in 2012, The Cord 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.

22 Reviews 23 Monthly Events

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

The Cord Community Edition is created using Macintosh computers running Mac OS X 10.5 using Adobe Creative Suite 4. Canon cameras are used for principal photography.

MESSAGE BOARD Letter to the editor

Notes

RE: Attack on teachers blatant bullying, January 2013 issue

the only ones “required” to go beyond their work day?

First of all, I would like to thank you for publishing J.A. Martino’s terrific article on the current teacher situation.

I continue to find it interesting that the media keeps pointing out that the union leader stayed at the negotiation table for only one hour. What of the government? Oh, right. They were willing to sit all day. . . But completely unwilling to negotiate. What exactly is the purpose of a negotiation table then, and why would any union leader (or anyone else) waste their time when zero discussion is taking place?

The arguments in Martino’s article are my very own, however since I am a teacher, my voice does not “count” in the minds of others. Truly, I have to wonder about people who would rather see one stronger group of employees suffer rather than fight for improved working conditions for all.

And a mighty “Here, here!” for the discussion on teacher volunteer hours!

In all this time of teacher refusal to do extra-curriculars, I have heard of few instances when parents have come out to volunteer their time to make a team or event run. Why should teachers be

I look forward to more thought-provoking articles in your future editions.

-name withheld at author’s request Send your letter to the editor to communityeditor@thecord.ca

The CCE is always looking for talented writers, artists, designers and photographers. If you’d like to get involved, email us at communityeditor@thecord.ca Corrections: In the January 2013 article, “I may not look it, but yes I’m a cyclist,” The CCE misspelled author Branden Wesseling’s name.

In the January 2013 article, “Got Veg?” The CCE misspelled author Veronica Naas’s name.

In the January 2013 article, “Urban Confusion,” the CCE misspelled artist Johnny Dickson’s name.

The Cord Community Edition has been a proud member of the Ontario Press Council since 2012. Any unsatisfied complaints can be sent to the council at info@ontpress.com.

The Cord Community Edition circulates monthly. Normal circulation is 33,000 and enjoys a readership of over 60,000.

Cord Community Edition subscription rates are $20.00 per term for addresses within Canada.

Campus Plus is The Cord’s national advertising agency.

Preamble to The Cord Constitution The Cord Community Edition will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Cord 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 Cord 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 Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on the community of Kitchener-Waterloo. Ultimately, The Cord Community Edition will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate.

The Cord 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 Cord’s contact with the community.

The Cord 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.

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

NEWS NEWS LINE

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This month we’re talking about...

Hospitals implementing ‘no-refusal’ policy It’s no secret that the critical care system in our local hospitals isn’t the greatest. Twenty-five per cent of critical care patients are left waiting longer than the four-hour time period in which it’s crucial for them to receive treatment. One of the reasons for this has always thought to be a shortage of beds, however it turns out that that’s not exactly the case. The hospitals have enough beds, it’s their system for • LATANIA HYATT FILE PHOTO discharging patients that needs improving — and that’s exactly what they’re working on, especially with the “no-refusal” policy to be implemented on April 1.

Hotel BlackBerry?

Ophelia Lazaridis, wife of Research In Motion — now BlackBerry — co-founder Mike Lazaridis recently purchased the Waterloo Police Station at 14 Erb St. W, with reported plans to convert the building into a luxury hotel. Located in the heart of the uptown core, the new hotel would fill what a 2006 visioning report for Uptown Waterloo outlined as a major need. The police were already set to vacate the space, as the division will move into their new home at 45 Columbia St. this Spring.

Revenge of the nerds Feb. 3 saw K-W ‘s computer hacking community take centre stage as local web search engine Sortable hosted a “hackathon. ” The hackathon challenged computer-savvy locals to create an application that would make use of the vast wealth of information online. The winning app was created by Brad Genereaux, and used data from Facebook to track weight loss.

Touch screen saviour After ages of struggle, the company formerly known as Research In Motion finally has a chance to move back up in the smartphone industry. With the help of the new BB10 operating system and the Z10 phone that runs it, RIM, recently renamed BlackBerry, has the potential to get back in the game and compete. Only a week after its release, the Z10 has already been selling well, and has received much love from users.

Paris, eat your heart out According to Amazon.ca, Waterloo is actually quite romantic. As a part of the fourth annual list compiled by the online retailer, our city is the third most romantic city in all of Canada, behind only Victoria and North Vancouver in first and second place, respectively. Kingston and Guelph followed closely behind, rounding out the top five. The list was compiled by comparing the sales of romantic books, music and movies between Jan. 1, 2012 and Jan. 23, 2013. They gathered data from cities with 80,000 citizens or more and compared the numbers per-capita. Looks like love is in the air for Waterloo all year round.

• ELLI GARLIN FILE PHOTO

IN FOCUS

The Smuck family takes a break from the ice at Feb. 2’s Shake and Skate event in Uptown Waterloo. • NICK LACHANCE PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

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THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

DARK SIDE OF K-W EXPOSED In a world where a “vast majority” of sex workers experience violence, another victim is claimed.

On Feb 4, 150 people gathered at Kitchener City Hall to remember Kelsey Louise Felker • Cristina Rucchetta LEAD PHOTOGRAPHER

HG Watson cce editor-in-chief

K

elsey Louise Felker’s name can now sadly be added to the ever-growing list of sex workers who have been killed or are missing in Canada.

At a vigil in memory of Felker in front of Kitchener City Hall Feb. 4, Kelley*, a sex worker and long-time friend of Felker, spoke to The Cord about the lack of concern for the safety of sex workers in Waterloo Region.

Felker’s torso was recovered from a dumpster at 250 Frederick St. on Jan. 26.

Stephen Roy Johnson, 37, was charged with first-degree murder and indignity to a human body.

Kelley said she was familiar with Johnson.

“I knew him,” she said. “He wasn’t ever violent towards me and he wasn’t a drug user. He was a bit of a drinker, but you can never really tell.”

Kelley said she informed police that she knew Johnson. They approached her soon after the discovery of Felker’s body.

Police could only confirm that Johnson knew Felker. “We’ve not commented on the nature of that association or that relationship,” said Olaf Heinzel, public affairs coordinator for the Waterloo Regional Police Service. “There’s nothing in the investigation that suggests we should make any remarks about that.” Police also declined to comment on Felker’s occupation.

Kelley and Felker had worked together in the sex trade. Kelley noted that Felker was simply the latest of her friends to disappear.

Kelley was also familiar with Tina Yule, a sex worker whose body was recovered in the Grand River in April 2008. Yule’s killer is still at large.

Michelle Fitzgerald, a friend of Felker’s and the organizer of Monday’s vigil, also remembers Yule. “People were just like ‘poor Tina’ for a couple of days and then it was shrugged off and forgotten.”

Fitzgerald organized the vigil to ensure people would not forget her friend.

Sex workers are amongst the most vulnerable members of the Kitchener-

Waterloo community. “All across Canada sex workers are murdered on a fairly regular basis,” said Sara Casselman, the public relations officer at the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region and a member of the Sex Workers Action Network, a group dedicated to supporting individuals in the sex trade.

“A vast majority of [sex workers] have experienced violence,” she continued.

“Certain perpetrators know sex workers have very few avenues and they take advantage of that.”

In the Missing Woman Commission of Inquiry released last December, inquiry commissioner Wally Oppal was highly critical of a B.C. government that left sex trade workers vulnerable to attacks. The tragedy of B.C. — which Oppal called one of “epic proportions” — is one that is found across Canada.

In Waterloo, agencies like the Sexual Assault Support Centre are trying to ensure that sex workers have more avenues of redress. Waterloo Regional Police have set up an anonymous tip line for sex workers to report violence and the Support Centre also has a 24-hour crisis and support line.

The impending Supreme Court of Canada ruling of the decriminalization of prostitution may also make it safer for sex workers to report violence against them.

While Kelley is skeptical that decriminalization will help her personally, she believes its overall impact will be positive.

“It will be safer in general for all involved because girls won’t seem so unimportant about reporting bad johns,” she said.

For now, safety is something sex workers have to take care of themselves. “We just need to keep an eye on each other and be more aware when somebody hasn’t been seen in a while,” Kelley added.

For the 150 people gathered in front of Kitchener City Hall Monday night, however, it doesn’t matter what Felker was doing. They came together to remember her positive spirit, and a woman who was taken much too soon.

If you have experienced violence or abuse, contact the Sexual Abuse Support Centre at 519-741-8633 or the Guardian line at 519-650-8558 *Kelley declined to give her last name

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

5

LOST IN THE SHUFFLE

Low-income residents play the waiting game aLanna FaIReY CCE CONTRIBUTOR

T

here are a significant number of people in Waterloo Region who are in need of financial assistance.

Often, they are advised to seek local affordable housing but, unfortunately, it isn’t always easy to secure a spot.

Kitchener-Waterloo resident Richard O’Connor is all too familiar with this frustration. After losing his job and not being able to pay his rent, O’Connor found himself applying for affordable housing. He’s currently waiting for a spot to open up.

“I’m trying to be patient, but it’s hard,” O’Connor explained. “I want to get back on my two feet, but in order for me to do that, I need my own place.”

Waterloo Region’s Affordable Housing Strategy (AHS) addresses the need for sustainable and affordable local housing.

The strategy involves housing providers that receive funding from the Region of Waterloo, including non-profits, co-ops and units that the Region owns and operates through Waterloo Region Housing.

If one needs an affordable housing unit, there is a process that must be followed that involves submitting a form to the housing department, explained Deb Schlichter, the director of housing for the Region of Waterloo.

“The application allows you to choose which housing sites you want and you are put on each of those site wait lists chronologically, by date of application, until a unit becomes vacant,” Schlichter explained. “There are some basic eligibility criteria to meet and you can only apply for units that are appropriate for your household size.”

The waitlist fluctuates throughout the year, but it includes 3,000 households on average, a number that has been fairly steady over the past several years. To house people on the wait list, current tenants have to move out. However, this may cause many conflicts for those waitlisted.

Affordable housing Strategy in Waterloo has a waitlist of about 3,000 people • LATANIA hYATT CORD PHOTOGRAPHY

“Right now, turnover is lower than previously, so that limits the number of vacant units for new tenants to move into,” Schlichter revealed. “There is also a limited supply of affordable housing units to meet everyone’s needs, so households can wait for less than a year to sometimes more than six years. The waiting time will vary depending on how many site choices are made, the size of the household and other variables.”

O’Connor is currently staying with a friend and searching for work to help pay rent. At this time, he isn’t sure if he will try finding a cheap apartment or just continue to wait.

“If I wait, I have to stay at my friend’s house and I don’t want to intrude on his home space,” O’Connor explained. “If I go apartment hunting, all I can really afford right now is probably a much too small of an apartment that probably won’t be in an area that I like. I think it’d be safest if I didn’t take my chances right now.”

Recently, Peter Braid, the MP for Kitchener-Waterloo, along with Kitchener-

Centre MPP John Milloy, announced the official opening of three new housing projects for low-income households.

“This is very much a partnership approach with various levels of government working to meet in our community,” Braid said. “We provide safe and affordable housing for vulnerable people in our community.”

Braid also noted that other options exist for people trying to find an affordable home.

“There are organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, a charitable organization that has a local chapter that helps to provide affordable housing for low-income families,” Braid said.

100 units for supportive housing.

“Despite the fact that we are a relatively prosperous community, there’s still an obvious need to provide affordable housing in our community,” Braid said.

“Providing a safe and affordable housing is a building block for a strong community and it helps to contribute to the economic and social well-being of the entire community.”

“I’m trying to be patient but it’s hard.”

The current strategy involves the creation of at least 500 new units of affordable housing by the end of 2013.

By the end of December 2012, 476 units had been created. The priority is to allocate 40 per cent of these units for the lowest income households and to reserve

—Richard O’Connor, K-W resident on the waitlist for Waterloo Region’s Affordable Housing Strategy

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

CITY OF WATERLOO | OUR COMMUNITY w2 WARD 2 COUNCILLOR

Karen Scian t: 519.747.8784 c: 519.807.7611 karen.scian@waterloo.ca

In times of economic challenge, it is imperative that all levels of government seek effective ways to leverage capacity in our community. In Waterloo, one such lever has emerged via the new City of Waterloo Neighbourhood Matching Fund (NMF).

w3 WARD 3 COUNCILLOR

Angela Vieth t: 519.747.8784 c: 519.807.2111 angela.vieth@waterloo.ca

February is a very busy month this year and I’m thankful for this opportunity to promote a couple of events happening in Waterloo.

First off, I would like to invite the citizens of Waterloo and their families and friends to Winterloo, the 10th Anniversary Ice Dogs Festival. The event takes place Family Day weekend, Feb. 16 - 18, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day, in UpTown Waterloo and surrounding area. Formerly known as the UpTown Waterloo Ice Dogs Festival Winterloo - Waterloo’s winter family festival

This program, created in partnership with our citizen-led Safe and Healthy Advisory Committee, is based on the idea that leadership involves creating opportunities that ‘help people to help themselves’.

meaningful and sustainable change in their own neighbourhoods.

Launched in 2012 as a three-year pilot project, the NMF is a grassroots, community driven success story. The premise is simple: The fund awards grants of up to $2,000, which community groups match with donated professional services or materials, or volunteer labour. Dollar for dollar matching provides an opportunity for citizens to work together to achieve

Neighbouring communities have experienced enormous success with similar programs. In 2012, the City of London realized a 5:1 return on investment through their Sparks Neighbourhood Matching Fund.

We aspire to achieve similar results in Waterloo and our first year realized upwards of $2 for every dollar invested by the fund in neighbourhoods right across the City of Waterloo. The spinoff effects are tremendous, when we consider the non-financial benefits of strengthening

will be expanded to a three-day event with lots of fun activities for all to enjoy. I am going to mention a few activities but there is a lot more going on that weekend and I hope you will check it out!

Princess Cinema, the second annual chili cook off at the Chainsaw Restaurant, a skating show and the very popular dog sled rides, which will be held in the Regina St. parking lot.

The Button Factory on Regina St. will host a children’s art program and winter art gallery on Saturday and Monday, while face Painting will be available all three days at the Waterloo Public Square and City Hall. The highlight for me will be the second annual Waterloo Siskins vs. Waterloo City Councillors boot hockey game near the public square at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Mike Farwell will be the announcer!

For more information, you can visit Winterloo’s website at www.winterloo.com or you can check us out on our social media sites:

The second annual ice carving competition will be held on Saturday and will be judged by “celebrity” judges. We will again be featuring an ice slide - a very popular and fun activity for the kids to enjoy. Some of the other activities include a free movie at the

• Facebook –facebook.com/Winterloo - the 10th Annual Ice Dogs Festival • Twitter – @Winterloo_Fest • Wonderful Waterloo - Winterloo I’d like to thank our volunteers and organizing committee, particularly Tracey Weiler and Helen Kaluzny, for working so hard to make this popular winter event such a success.

This is a wonderful festival and I look forward to seeing you there!

The second event I would like to mention is about the NCR lands at the corner of

relationships through fostering community gardens, special events, and cultural experiences. Council has doubled the funding for 2013, with great hopes for continued success!

Interested in learning more about the City of Waterloo’s Neighbourhood Matching Fund?

Please check out the program’s citizenfueled blog: matchingfundwaterloo.wordpress.com for program updates.

Northfield Dr. and Weber St. in Waterloo.

This 40 acre property has been vacant for many years, but it once employed hundreds of people, many from the Lakeshore area.

Bulldozers will soon start work on this property as it has been zoned for employment purposes and will be developed in stages, beginning this year, with loft office space.

The first public information and input session will be held on February 20 from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at Wing 404 on Dutton Dr. in Waterloo.

Everyone is welcome to come and meet the developer and city staff to find out what is planned for this property and to give ideas about what you would like to see round out the employment parcels on this land.

If you need more information about this public information session, or the development of the land, please contact Linda Vandenakker at 519-747-8788. I look forward to seeing everyone on February 20!

A Message From City of Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran ...

The new year has brought quite a bit of excitement and cause for celebration here in Waterloo! Innovation and creativity are key ingredients to building an intelligent and vibrant community and I can think of two very special events that reinforce Waterloo’s reputation as an intelligent community – the reinvented, reinvigorated BlackBerry and the launch of our new and improved website.

The release of the much anticipated BB10 on January 30 was a day for Waterloo to remember. The community came out to celebrate the big day with public skating events, music, food and fun. BlackBerry hosted this launch event and it was great to see so many people reveling in this local good news story.

BlackBerry has always been a wonderful and supportive partner over the years and has invested strongly in our community, building academic institutions and research facilities. From its debut as a small local start-up company to competing globally in the smartphone marketplace; BlackBerry has been helping people communicate with others around the world with just the press of a button. Waterloo is very proud of its relationship with BlackBerry, especially now as we work together to bring waterloo.ca to centre stage.

On January 6 we unveiled our new website and the positive response has been overwhelming. This is a website designed with residents in mind, with feedback and input directly from residents.

The search tool and online functionality are impressive, information can be found quickly and easily and best of all it is mobile friendly.

Residents now have access to their Waterloo anytime, anywhere.

But that’s not all!

I am delighted to announce that we have launched our first mobile government app in partnership with BlackBerry and eSolutionsGroup.

PingStreet, developed by Waterloo based eSolutionsGroup, is available now for download, for free, from a BlackBerry device. Simply go to waterloo.ca with your BlackBerry device or download the app at BlackBerry World. City of Waterloo residents can look up their garbage and recycling calendars, government officials, upcoming city events, latest news and get updates from our social media team.

New features will be added in the coming months such as road closures, hospital wait times and transit schedules. PingStreet will also be available on Apple and Android devices starting April 30.

This mobile app is the first of its kind for Waterloo – providing all the information that matters most to our residents. It’s only fitting that BlackBerry and the City of Waterloo are launching this mobile app together. Waterloo is an intelligent community. We look forward to working with BlackBerry for many years to come and wish them a very successful 2013.

Visit us online and join in the conversation at

/citywaterloo

The City of Waterloo is committed to providing accessible formats and communication supports for persons with disabilities. If another format would work better for you, please contact:

P. 519.886.1550

E. communications@waterloo.ca

TTY. 1.866.786.3941

www.waterloo.ca

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

7

best laid plans may go to waste carrie debrone kitchener citizen edtior

R

egional officials are meeting with local developers in an attempt to resolve their differences over how much agricultural land needs to be set aside for suburban development in the Region of Waterloo in the next 20 years.

The amount and location of land the Region thinks will be needed for development was laid out in its Official Plan completed in 2010. That plan was appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) in January 2011 by several groups of local developers.

Act. Councillors also voted to appeal to the Divisional Court for its case to be heard based on the legal interpretations of the decision. Divisional Court is a branch of the Superior Court of Justice on Ontario that hears appeals and applications for judicial review.

The Ontario Municipal Board ruled in favour of the developers’ request to allow an additional 1,053 hectares (2,593 acres) of agricultural land to be used for development — an amount over and above the 25,000 buildable units of land (mostly infill lots in already developed areas but also 80 hectares of agricultural land for subdivision housing) set aside in the plan by the region for development.

On Jan. 21, two OMB members sided with the developers who asked for ten times more agricultural land for development than what has been set aside in the Official Plan. But in case negotiations with the developers do not resolve the dispute, regional council voted unanimously Jan. 29 to proceed with two appeals of the OMB decision.

“The ROP is the region’s primary tool for shaping the community well into the future,” said Rob Horne, the region’s Commissioner of Planning, Housing and Community Services. “The OMB decision could have far reaching implications to the community’s well defined vision in accommodating growth and change.”

The Region is asking for a rehearing on the grounds that OMB members have misinterpreted the region’s mandate to adhere to the provincial Places to Grow

“All of the region’s planning since 1976 has been towards the development of a central transit corridor,” Horne added.

“We don’t want outward expansion that

takes up valuable agricultural land.”

Every five years, by law, all Ontario municipalities must update their official plans (which set out where development will occur for about 20 years). Municipalities in south central Ontario had until 2009 to update their plans and make them comply with the new provincial Places to Grow Act, which was adopted in 2006 — the first provincial legislation that attempted to curb urban sprawl.

The Act requires that, by 2015, 40 per cent of all new housing be within built up areas. In keeping with the Act’s requirements, the Region developed its Official Plan with an aggressive growth management strategy adopting intensification and increased housing density as a responsible, environmentally sensitive direction for the future. It encouraged the use of infill lots and upward growth supported by good transit, more sidewalks and cycling lanes, instead of the traditional outward growth of single-family home subdivision development, which consumes the local supply of agricultural land and generally means people must rely on cars for transportation.

“It’s perplexing, to say the least,” Horne said. The developers argued that more

agricultural land than what’s contained in the plan will be needed to serve the region’s forecasted population growth.

The OMB agreed with the developers and noted that the Act does not set out any specific dates by which growth intensification targets have to be completed.

Horne said it might be well into next year before any decision is made. He said he could not estimate how much the Region has paid to defend the developer’s appeal at the OMB or how much it will cost for the two new appeals, but he said, “It will be expensive.”

The recent OMB decision also places another appeal by the developer’s in jeopardy. Waterloo Region has adopted what has been dubbed as ‘countryside line’ boundary in its Official Plan — a line where all development in the region would stop. It is the only municipality in the province to have adopted such a boundary and this, too, has been appealed to the OMB by developers.

Horne said it is now unclear if the ‘countryside line’ appeal can move forward until a decision is made on the region’s request for a rehearing and the divisional court deals with the matter.

LIBRARY OVERHAUL KPL SET FOR UPGRADES SARA HANAFI cce contributor

T

he Kitchener Public Library (KPL) is undergoing big changes for 2013, including a large new addition.

The $40-million, multi-phased project, which includes a three-level underground parking garage, a 25,000 square foot addition and a renovation of the existing library building, began in December 2010.

“Right now, the first half of the underground garage is done and in use,” said Dale Dyce, the marketing and communications coordinator at the KPL. “We are anticipating project completion by the end of 2013.”

The purpose of the new space is to meet the demand of a rapidly growing population.

“The original main library is more than 50 years old and was originally built to serve a population of 70,000,” Dyce said.

“Now Kitchener’s population is more than 230,000 and the library has not substantially changed or increased in all that time.”

Additionally, downtown residency in Kitchener has been growing dramatically due to condominium construction, and the KPL’s main building is supporting all of the branch libraries.

“The need for a new main library to [address] this growing demand for library resources and services was actually first identified by our board back in 1999,” Dyce said.

Once the addition is completed in midFebruary, Dyce said that all main library operations will be moved into the new space.

“This way, the renovation phase of the original library can get started,” he said.

All three floors of the existing building will undergo an extensive renovation, including modernization of the heating and air-conditioning systems, and updates tp the electrical and network cabling.

During the massive expansion, more resources will also be added. The KPL will increase its collection of books, magazines, DVDs and CDs, while adding about 60 per cent more computers, according to Dyce. This was made possible by the increased funding for the central library after City Council approved the KPL’s 2013 operating budget. In exciting news for local librarians, The KPL is also expecting to hire nine new full-time staff.

The building will be updated to meet LEED gold designation, according to Dyce. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification system for high-performance green buildings.

stephanie truong CORD graphics editor

“Gold level is the second highest there is,” Dyce said. “And it’s excellent for a 50-year-old renovated building.”

Once the project is finished, the library will be more spacious and will have a café and an outdoor courtyard for programs or reading. Children can look forward

to a new “discovery zone” and a children’s section three times its current size.

“We’re excited about seeing the finished library,” Dyce said. “But all in all, we’re looking at a better ambience and a more modern library. This is what citizens of Kitchener deserve.”

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THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

BACK ACROSS THE POND KITCHENER NATIVE HEADS TO ITALY TO PLAY PRO SOCCER hen she was growing up in Kitchener, Alyssa Lagonia didn’t know it was even possible that the sport she loves could be her full-time job.

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While Lagonia said she certainly enjoyed playing in Doncaster — where she scored two goals in 14 games —, the league was only semi-professional. This meant the players were only on the field two days a week, and most of them had to take on a second job. Lagonia paid the bills by working in a local bar.

But that’s exactly what the former Laurier soccer star finds herself doing now. In late January, Lagonia joined the second professional team of her young career, earning a spot with ASD CF Bardolino Verona of Italy’s Serie A — the nation’s highest level of professional soccer.

So after the English season ended in October and Lagonia spent a few months at home in Kitchener, she couldn’t resist when Bardolino offered a tryout in early January. A tryout that would eventually earn the 23-year-old her first fully professional contract.

“I never really thought this far ahead,” said Lagonia over Skype from her new home in Verona. “I always had my heart set on going to university and playing in university and that was where it started to become a real dream of mine. Throughout university I found that that’s what I really wanted to do.”

“We’re strictly here to play, which is amazing,” said Lagonia. “We train a lot more often, we only have two days off a week, wheras in England we had five or four days off a week,” she added with a laugh.

JUSTIN FAUTEUX CORD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Lagonia — who has had multiple stints with Canada’s national team — saw her professional career begin just a few months after her time at Wilfrid Laurier University ended.

After her Golden Hawks were eliminated from the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) final in November of 2011, Lagonia finished up the fall term at Laurier and by March of 2012, she had signed a contract with the Doncaster Rovers Belles LFC of England’s FA Women’s Super League.

Kitchener native Alyssa Lagonia playing for Laurier in 2012.• ROSALIE EID FILE PHOTO

However, the heavier training schedule isn’t the only adjustment Lagonia’s had to make in Italy.

existed for two years – Lagonia said she was surprised by the lack of support for women’s soccer in her new home.

“I have an Italian background, but I don’t know the language unfortunately,” she said, adding that she’s going to school to learn Italian. “I’ve already picked up quite a few things from the first few weeks being here, but it’s little steps. Very little steps.”

“They’re pretty far behind, not when it comes to the level of play, but when it comes to respect,” she said. “It’s not really considered something that women even do, playing football.”

While Italy’s professional women’s league is certainly more established than England’s Super League – which has only

Lagonia said that last year was the first time Italy recognized a female player of the year and hopes that the women’s game will continue to grow. “It’s a slow process,” she said. “It’s definitely not something

that’s going to happen over night. It’s going to take some time.”

Lagonia hasn’t been able to suit up for Bardolino — who is currently in fourth in Serie A — as she waits for her transfer from Doncaster to be finalized. However, it’s given her time to take stock of how lucky she is to be getting paid to play soccer.

“I’m doing the thing I absolutely love more than anything in the world,” she said. “As long as I’m healthy, I don’t see why I’d be stopping any time soon.”

OUR PETS, OUR RESPONSIBILITY ASHLEY DENUzZO CCE CONTRIBUTOR

A

“plague of cats” is upon the Kitchener-Waterloo area, according to Holly Wiseman. And city officials and Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society representatives say something needs to be done.

Wiseman, the education coordinator for the K-W Humane Society, will be part of a collaborative effort with city staff to initiate a set of new rules and regulations for pet owners.

Referred to as a “responsible pet ownership strategy,” the proposal will be a mixture of city bylaws, new licensing and enforcement and education strategies.

“The Humane Society is there for a reason,” said Wiseman. “We care about the welfare of the animals but we also want people to take responsibility and have an understanding before they get a pet.”

“Basically, it is really important for people to become more responsible for their cats,” Wiseman said. “We want to see increased adoption rates and decreased euthanasia rates.”

She asked that people be aware of their time commitment before adopting a pet.

For those who have a large workload, she recommended doing some research before investing in a full-time animal.

Wiseman’s job at the Humane Society is to educate the community on the proper way to take care of animals and pets.

The motion to establish the new strategy was approved by Waterloo city council on Jan. 28.

Potential outcomes of the strategy could include initiatives such as cat licensing, banning the sale of animals that are not neutered, breeder licensing and making spay and neutering services more accessible and affordable.

“[This way] you can ensure that you have the time to spend with them, that you can afford to take care of them, so that you can keep them and commit to them,” Wiseman said. “So it doesn’t come to a time where you give up the pet and surrender it to a shelter.”

She explained that there is an overpopulation of cats in the K-W area and that each year, around 4,000 cats are left in the care of the Humane Society.

Statistically speaking, cats make up about two-thirds of the animals that are brought into the facility each year, an astounding 6,000 animals in total.

“That alone will help decrease the number of cats that end up in shelters,” Wiseman added.

Although no time frame has been set, those involved hope the responsible pet owner strategy kicks off as soon as possible to start implementing changes.

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

civic space ONE BILLION TOO MANY J.A. MARTINO cce contributor

O

n Feb. 14, Kitchener-Waterloo will stand as one of the thousands of communities worldwide participating in One Billion Rising, a global day of action to end violence against women. Perhaps you’re reading this while watching a flashmob dance in protest at Kitchener City Hall, planned for Feb. 14.

A number of high-profile and devastating incidents of brutal rape in India have made dramatic headlines recently, and it is never controversial for Canadians to stand in defiance of, for example, the rampant assault of female protesters in Tahrir Square during the Arab Spring, or the horrors of the rape-as-war-strategy in the Congo.

While of course those incidents deserve our attention, focusing only on those far-away incidents can make it easy to think this is an issue of elsewhere; that we don’t have problems like that at home. In fact, those incidents are often used to undermine discussions of the prevalence of rape and sexual assault in North America. The danger of that way of thinking is that it allows us to overlook the very real problem of gendered violence that continues to exist in every community, including ours.

ALI UROSEVIC CORD GRAPHICS

This month on community.thecord.ca...

We asked: What do you think of public art?

One Billion Rising references that one in three women and girls who will be sexually assaulted or beaten in their lifetimes in an attempt to raise awareness about the ongoing impact of gendered violence. In this region alone, Waterloo Regional Police Service responded to 555 sexual assault reports and 6,019 domestic violence reports in 2011. Those numbers are staggering, but as the Sexual Assault

In the comment box: RE: Got veg?

41 per cent of you think there’s an appropriate time and place.

RE: Dark side of K-W exposed But 58 per cent of you think it livens up the streets.

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Support Centre of Waterloo Region (SASC) would like us to remember, only about 10 per cent of sexual assaults are ever reported to police. Of the assaults which are reported, just over three per cent will make it to trial.

According to Stats Canada, those few sexual crimes that do go to trial are much less likely than other violent crimes to result in convictions. To clear up a nasty and pernicious myth which inexplicably persists to this day, the rate of false report for sexual assault is roughly the same as the rate of false report for any other crime: about three per cent.

For survivors of sexual violence, one of the greatest hurdles to justice is the simple problem of being believed. The overwhelming majority of women do not report their assaults because they know that they will be assumed to have borne some responsibility; their credibility will be questioned in a way that the credibility of victims of other crimes are not.

Though legally a woman’s sexual history is off-limits inside the courtroom, culturally we still assume it’s relevant.

It’s why New York Times articles about an 11-year-old rape victim make a point of what she was in the habit of wearing, why people wonder what the victim of the horrifying Stubenville, Oh. case was doing at a party in the first place, and why it’s still necessary to have a day like One Billion Rising.

Ignorance of the nature of sexual violence — who commits it against whom and why — has real and detrimental effects on the lives of its victims, their families, and the community.

For more information or to get involved, visit sascwr.org.

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THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

An LRT supporter at a Rally for Rails event in the summer of 2011. • NICK LACHANCE FILE PHOTO

TIME TO GET ON BOARD WITH LRT BRANDEN WESSELING cce contributor

The recent resurgence of voices coming out against the region’s plan to introduce light rail to some of our streets is a last-ditch effort to maintain status quo to hang on before shovels finally meet the ground, elections and due process, decades of planning be damned.

I intended to write about transit service standards this month, but when a debate as important as this one becomes so overwhelmed by anger and misinformation, it’s worth taking some time to set the record straight.

To keep things simple, I’ll break down opposition to LRT into two basic categories: “We Can’t Afford It” and “I Don’t Want To Pay For It.” These arguments are closely related, to be sure, but the distinction between the two is important. Here’s why these arguments can’t hold.

The “We Can’t Afford It” argument suffers primarily from the myth of

In actuality, we can no longer afford current conditions. We never could.

normalcy,leading to the conclusion that because building car-dependent places is usual, that makes it sort of free.

The sum of $818 million — the total cost to implement light rail — is typically used to punctuate how gross a misallocation of resources it is to build an LRT. This is never weighed against the alternative billions required for expanding and maintaining motorways.

In actuality, we can no longer afford current conditions. We never could. A 2008 survey of Canadian cities conducted by

the Federation of Canadian Municipalities estimates that we owe $123 billion in delayed infrastructure maintenance, a product of contemporary development and an unwillingness to understand its true costs.

will never step foot on a light rail vehicle, but that definitely doesn’t make LRT useless to them. “I Don’t Want To Pay For It” misses that it’s not trains (or buses, or even bikes) that make commuting a pain: it’s other cars.

The dirty secret of car culture is that it doesn’t pay for itself. Cars don’t pay taxes, people do, and people with cars require more roads, sewers, police and snowplows than people without cars. The more people without cars there are, the more money there is to start actually paying for what we have already, and for producing more value-generating infrastructure projects in the future.

A car is at its best when it has tons of space. Cars need a lot of it, and they hate sharing. This is why car ads promote long open stretches of road, not stop-and-go traffic. If you like driving, then you love space, and one thing light rail does very well is free up space by getting more people to take up less of it while they’re getting around.

The “I Don’t Want To Pay For It” argument also overestimates how much car culture contributes to this collective thing we call a community. But the bigger problem is that it fundamentally misunderstands what makes driving fun, convenient and also sometimes maddening.

It’s true that many car-dependent people

So when you hear someone claim that we can’t, or they shouldn’t pay for light rail, remember that habits can change, and priorities along with them, but there’s simply no escaping the immutable logic of money meets geometry.

Branden Wesseling is a transportation advocate with TriTAG (tritag.ca). He can be found on Twitter as @KitchenerBikes.

Vocal Cord Do you think an LRT in Waterloo is a good idea?

It depends on if it’s all connected and people can travel around Southwestern Ontario. It also depends how much it costs.

Frank Zeng, Software Developer

I think it’s a good idea to keep extra cars off the road.

Jane Oswald, Customer Service Rep.

I do. It’ll free up some of the buses and that’s a big part of it.

The buses are so crowded right now.

Tyler Rahaman, Welder

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

FEATURE

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TIGHT SQUEEZE

Is there enough room for all of us on Waterloo’s roads?

HG Watson EDITOR-IN-CHief

King Street and University Avenue, based on traffic alone, is the most dynamic crossroad in Waterloo Region.

An average of more than 40,000 cars, buses, pedestrians and cyclists make their way through the intersection on a daily basis. The number seven and iXpress buses, amongst other routes, pass through frequently as they ferry students and residents from one end of the city to another. Along University Avenue, you’ll find one of the region’s major bike lanes, taking cyclists west towards the Iron Horse trail, the main local artery for riders. It may not be the busiest place in the city, but it’s where you’ll find every form of transportation available.

While other municipalities squabble about the best options for transit, Waterloo has committed to an aggressive plan that includes putting Light Rail Transit on our streets by 2017. The way we get around is changing quickly.

Waterloo Region likes to boast that it’s attracting a new population of professionals who run the start-ups and incubators that get us noticed by The New York Times, amongst others. Are these people changing how people move around the region?

It seems in many ways that Waterloo is a car city. Some estimate that over 80 per cent of residents are still consistently using their car to commute.

But a small, yet increasingly vocal, group of people are championing mass transit, cycling and walking as alternatives for our growing city. One of the key issues for them is prevening accidents that have become too commonplace.

Duncan Clemens is the executive director of TriTAG, a citizen advocacy group for alternative forms of transportation in the region. He says that when it comes to placing the blame on someone, we’ve become used to the idea that a pedestrian or cyclist could be hit and might be at fault. “Cycling in and of itself is not inherently dangerous activity,” said Clemens. “It’s dangerous because people and infrastructure make it dangerous. The way roads are designed, the speed of vehicles that are surrounding it; that’s the only reason it’s dangerous.”

Clemens, who continues cycling during the winter, knows that people believe it’s too risky to be on the road. With the right maintenance he thinks it would still be safe for anyone to go biking at any time of year. Still, he admits that hopping on his bike in Waterloo takes a certain amount of intestinal fortitude. “It’s the same risk-taking attitude people take towards extreme sports.” But there’s little chance a less-confident biker would feel at home on the roads.

Cycling and walking are only two parts of the transit puzzle. The other is mass transit. Mike Boos is also an advocate with TriTAG. He’s done his own statistical analysis on the number of times GRT busses service certain areas. Some parts of Cambridge and south Waterloo get almost no service on Sundays. “It’s difficult to justify that transit market when you have a system where if you’re living in that part of town, nine times out of ten you own a car,” he said. “You’re not going to get a revenue return from the ridership.“ For Clemens, transit users and drivers can be divided by social class. “Take a look at the ridership on transit now,” he said. “It’s primarily low income and students; people that don’t have a choice. They take transit because they have to take transit.”

Clemens wants people to shift to thinking that they don’t have to drive, even if they can. “Trying to achieve that in smaller municipalities is key.”

While services like GRT or the Region may rationalize a lack of bus service or crosswalks with a lack of demand, Boos points out that sometimes you simply have to create it. “People don’t walk there now because it’s simply dangerous,” he said, referring to Weber and Wilhelm Streets, where Waterloo city council recently voted to install a crossing signal. “Traffic [analysts] look at their models and say its not warranted because we don’t have the pedestrians here. [But] you don’t have the pedestrians here because the models have led you to build these roads in such a way that pedestrians don’t go there.” Boos points to the King Street revitalization as an example where pedestrian traffic increased due to a redesign of the area.

The region is aware of the demand for more options. Bob Henderson, manager of transportation engineering for the Region, is in charge of planning some of these changes. The Region seriously looks at intersections where a high amount of collisions occur and try to make the intersections better. “For example, Ottawa and Homer Watson was a regular high ranking intersection in the region,” Henderson said. “So a project team was put together to review those collisions in detail and ultimately recommended a roundabout to improve collision history and reduce injuries.” The roundabout, still in the design stages, will tentatively be in place by 2015.

However, the city does not publicize which intersections are the worst for pedestrian or cyclist injuries. The annual collision reports do account for how many personal injuries take place at each intersection. Where the number is high, Henderson said, the Region looks at the collisions on a case-by-case basis and makes recommendations.

Continued on page 13 >>

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FEBRUARY 2013

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

Continued from page 13 >>

When a cyclist or pedestrian is struck, it’s hard not to wade into the political ramifications of their injury. In Toronto, where cycling is hot-bed issue, ghost bikes sprang up to remember those cyclists killed on Toronto streets. Deaths of both pedestrians and cyclists triggered coroners inquests released in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Both inquests recommended that municipalities adopt a “complete streets” approach; widened sidewalks, pedestrian countdowns, bike lane networks and separated lanes for cyclists.

Most telling: both inquests determined that a vast majority of cycling and pedestrian deaths are preventable.

Henderson is aware of these recommendations. “We’re putting together a cycling network for a number of reasons,” he said. “One to improve safety for cyclists, but also to encourage mode shift: getting people out of their car and onto their bike to get to work or wherever they’re going.” The plan has the backing of regional council.

The Region is also in the middle of a serious study to encourage alternative forms of transportation. Walk Cycle Waterloo submitted the first draft of the Active Transit Master Plan last November. Although it still awaits final approval, the plan advocates for better access to transit all around. This, coupled with plans for the LRT, may provide the answer to the transit woes faced by the region.

But for people wanting to make the switch away from cars now, they may be put off by systems that are overburdened. “That can limit people from making that choice if they have an unpleasant experience,” said Boos of the crowded GRT. “From what I’ve read, the main cause of people trying to make the choice and then rejecting it is unreliability.”

These discussions have extremely serious implications, especially if you’re amongst the people commuting without a car.

Take King and University. It’s the place in Waterloo you’re the most likely to get hit if your primary mode of transportation is your own two feet. Over the last five years, 28 collisions causing injury took place at that intersection. Of those, at least nine involved pedestrians.

Every year or so, it seems another story pops up about a major accident at that intersection. In 2011, six pedestrians were struck after two cars collided as one made a left turn. At the time, one of the witnesses — Richard Gonzales — called the accident “pure negligence.” Just a few months prior, another pedestrian was struck at the same intersection and sent to hospital with critical injuries.

When 52-year-old Barrie Conrod was hit by an SUV while biking on a rural road outside of Waterloo last May, 600 cyclists — including his wife who was with him when he was struck — turned out for a memorial ride in his honour. They too, placed a ghost bike at the spot where he passed, a reminder that pedestrian and cyclist is ever more important.

^Thanks to data provided by the Region of Waterloo, we were able to determine what intersections are the most dangerous for pedestrians. These statistics tell a much different story than the ones released in the yearly collision rankings (bottom left). Collisions occur where you would expect them to; close to the highways. Pedestrians have a higher collision rate closer to the centre of the city. The one anomaly? King and University, which ranks No. 1 for pedestrian collisions and No. 6 for overall collisions.

For more on transit, including our interactive collision map and a breakdown of the Region’s transit statistics, visit community.thecord.ca.

Graphics by Lena Yang

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

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THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

URBAN EXPLORING

WHISKY A GO GO

Death Valley’s Little Brother owners Katherine and Joel Gingrich stand in front of their vast selection of whisky. • RYAN hUEGLIN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

caRLY bascH CCE CONTRIBUTOR

T

he city of Waterloo has become home to a mythical creature. It’s a jackalope, and it can be seen outside a newly opened storefront at King Street North and Bridgeport Road East.

The jackalope, which is part jackrabbit, part antelope stands guard outside D.V.L.B. (Death Valley’s Little Brother), which opened early last year and specializes in espresso and single-malt whisky.

It is unique for a coffee shop to specialize in hot, caffeinated drinks while also tapping into whisky-drinking culture.

Partners Katherine and Joel Gingrich decided to fuse their passions into one business. Katherine developed her passion for espresso while working at a cafe in Australia. Joel is the whisky expert and aficionado.

“I did my training in Australia a few years ago at a cafe; it was a really busy environ-

THE CCE’S GUIDE TO EASY DRINKING (with some help from DVLB’s whisky map)

ment. They are pretty hardcore, they don’t mess around. So, it’s primarily expressobased and attention to detail to coffee,” Katherine explained.

“My husband and partner, Joel, is a Scotch enthusiast. And so we thought, ‘how could we put these two worlds together?’” Hence the hybrid and culture of D.V.L.B. was born.

Though it may seem odd to have a shop specializing in both coffee and whisky, the two go together more than most people think.

“As a business model, a lot of coffee shops will be open early in the morning and closed in the evening around six or seven because not too many people are going to want to get a coffee at nine at night because you don’t want to go to bed all hyped up on caffeine. So, it’s a good transition from the day to the night, from coffee to whiskey,” Joel noted, explaining that the act of sipping whisky is very much like having a cup of coffee:

Smoky Laphroaig Quarter Cask is kept in a smaller cask than most Scotch whiskies, resulting in a smokier taste.

slow and meant to be enjoyed with good company.

make that decision, ‘Oh, I like this,’” Joel pointed out.

“Single-malt whiskies aren’t really the type of drink that you shoot or throw back while watching a football game, it’s really a more reflective drink,” he added.

Niche independent shops and businesses like D.V.L.B represent how the City of Waterloo is starting to grow.

While most customers are comfortable with going up and ordering a cup of coffee, choosing a whisky can be more of a complicated process. However, the café has simplified the process of picking out a drink so it becomes more of a fun experience than one of confusion.

“We walk people through it because it’s a really fun experience for us. And we have a whisky chart that kind of plots out of what a whisky will fall in, whether it’s sweet or if it falls into the smoky area or the fruity,” said Katherine, explaining the detailed chart, which features creative graphic design with labels and graphs.

“It takes away that intimidation factor because of the quick information to

Light If you like your hooch with a side of progressive food and drink politics, Bruichladdich is for you.

“You see that a lot in New York and Toronto but you haven’t seen it really in Waterloo, so we kind of want to crank it up,” Joel remarked, saying that D.V.L.B. has participated in getting to know some of the other independent coffee owners in the city to create a special coffee community.

“It’s a major trend in the big cities. They call it a craft-type thing, there’s that whole micro, local way of doing business is very popular right now. Fortunately for us, it’s a trend we’re a part of,” said Joel.

D.V.L.B is located at 84 King St N. Hours are Monday-Wednesday: 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Thursday-Friday: 8 a.m.-11 p.m., Saturday: 9 a.m.-11 p.m., Sunday: 10 a.m.-6 p.m..

Rich This Johnnie Walker blend ages for 12 years before making its way to your discerning palate.

Delicate Just because Abelour is delicate doesn’t mean it won’t pack a fruity, flavour filled punch into your mouth.

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

MY FIRST YEAR IN WATERLOO… LAURIS DACOSTA

L

auris DaCosta may have come to Waterloo for her retirement, but that doesn’t mean she’s been taking it easy. Born in Jamaica, DaCosta immigrated to Canada in 1960. She lived in Montreal until 1981 when she moved to Newtonville, Ont. and became a public health nurse working in the Haliburton core.

DaCosta retired in 1997 and moved to her current home in Waterloo. Upon arriving in Waterloo, she became heavily involved with the Carribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region, and was eventually elected president of the board in 2001, a position she held for nearly 10 years.

DaCosta will be honoured along with Eunice Valenzuela, executive director of the Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support, at the Focus for Ethnic Women Waterloo Region’s Focus on Friends dinner on March 8.

MY FIRST IMPRESSION… “I knew Waterloo before, we had our house down here for a while and when we retired we decided we’d come to live here. But Waterloo is a big town and Newtonville is really a village.”

I GOT INVOLVED….

“When I came here, a friend took me to a meeting [with the Carribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region] and I became involved with the association…

These kinds of associations have ebbs and

COURTESY OF LAURIS DACOSTA

flows of activity and I think I got here during a quieter period. So I got involved and we started injecting some more life into the organization and I just enjoy doing it.”

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Coming this April to the Cord Community Editon:

10 ideas!

I ATE… “I don’t eat out a lot, but I do like to go to places like Red Lobster and going out for ribs and steaks.”

I SPENT MY LEISURE TIME… “I just like to be active. I’d go to the occasional show, in Stratford, I’d do the things that everybody does. I’d go to Centre in the Square when they’ve got something on that I like, I go to church at Emmanuel United, which is just a stone’s throw from where I live … but I’ve always been pretty actively involved with the Carribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region and that keeps me pretty busy.”

FOR UPDATES UNTIL OUR NEXT ISSUE, FOLLOW ALONG WITH OUR BLOG AT COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

We're looking for 10 ideas to change Waterloo

Follow us Big or small, insane or doable.

Let us know what you think.

@cordcommunity

Email your idea to communityeditor@thecord.ca.

It could be featured in our April issue.

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THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

ALL IN THE FAMILY (DAY) This year instead of “failing to remember” the sole purpose of Family Day, take advantage of the opportunity spend the day with your family and friends. The Naughty Prude takes a break from her day job to tell you about some more family friendly activities.

A

majority of people view Family Day as a miraculous statutory holiday created and delivered by a like-minded genius, who understands the appeal and allure of a day off for no apparent reason. As true as this may be, Family Day is a holiday that is meant to be a release from your hectic lifestyle, but most importantly meant for family.

Instead of dredging through this holiday, actively enjoy and participate in it!

Waterloo Region Museum, located on 10 Huron Road in Kitchener is hosting Family Day from 9:30 am to 5 p.m. The main gallery on Family Day will be “CIRCUS: Science Under the Big Top.” Exhibiting the importance of science within the circus world, CIRCUS includes 20 interactive exhibits that the family can enjoy.

Test your balance by walking the high wire, explore the wonders behind the human cannonball and test your feats of strength, upon many other fun activities.

If you are predicting the CIRCUS exhibit

may be sensory overload, The Tenth Annual Winterloo Festival is running Feb. 16-18, located at the Uptown Waterloo Public Square, The Button Factory, Regina Lot and City Square. Activities include free public skating, a winter uptown walk and a thrilling ice slide. Activities in The Regina Lot run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. as well as dog sled rides, and the chance to try Olympic Snowshoeing. (If you visit city hall any time from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. you can see lovely volunteers from The Cord at the volunteer booth).

Of course the infallible plan is going to the movies and sharing a big ol’ bucket of popcorn with the family. Princess Cinema is tried, tested and true by yours truly, The Naughty Prude. At 2:45 p.m. and 7 p.m., Princess Cinema is playing “Oscar Nominated Short Films”, which is an amazing opportunity to view the nominated short films that so often fall by the wayside. stephanie truong CORD graphics editor

GREEN HOUSE EFFECT Tips for heating your home while maintaining a sustainable lifestyle justin fauteux cord editor-in-chief

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s the cold of winter settles in, homeowners and tenants are faced with a classic dilemma; sleep with a sweater on, or see a spike in their utility bill.

However, according to local nonprofit, the Residential Energy Efficiency Project — commonly known as REEP Green Solutions — it is possible to reduce your energy consumption and save money while still keeping your home comfortable.

“There are a lot of simple things you can do to improve the comfort level in your home,” said Julian van Mossel, REEP’s communications manager. According to van Mossel, one of the best energy-saving tactics is to install a programmable thermostat. Homeowners can set a programmable thermostat to an optimal temperature and then let the house cool by a few degrees when they are away or asleep.

Most homes in Waterloo Region have high-efficiency natural gas furnaces that, van Mossel said, are actually quite energy

efficient. However, he added that many people let their furnace fans run all the time, which uses hundreds of watts of energy. Switching the furnace fan to the auto setting, which means it will only run when needed, is another way average homeowners can save some energy.

However, it’s not what you’re using to heat your home that plays the biggest role in energy efficiency; it’s how you keep the heat inside.

“Think about how well-insulated your home is,” said van Mossel. “For example, a lot of people don’t have insulated basements and you can actually lose up to 20 per cent of the heat in your home through your basement.”

Improved insulation can drastically reduce the amount of energy it takes to heat a house. van Mossel encourages people to seek out drafts in their home and seal them. Drafts commonly occur around pipes and vents that lead outside and, of course, around windows and doors.

They can easily be sealed using weather stripping.

REEP set up their House for Sustainable

The REEP House for Sustainable Living in Kitchener. • Contributed

Living in Kitchener to demonstrate how proper insulation can improve a home’s efficiency. The facility is located at 20 Mill Street in a 100-year-old home that the organization had completely renovated to be more sustainable.

The project was completed in 2009 and, as a result, they decreased energy use of the home by 86 per cent, which resulted in savings of nearly $2,000 per year.

“The REEP house is what we see as taking

it as close as we can to being a netzero energy home as possible,” said van Mossel. “It’s great to have some real-life examples of those things.”

The REEP house, which is open to the public, showcases several options for people looking to make their homes more energy-efficient.

REEP House is open for drop-in tours every Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m..

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

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re-DEVELOPMENT The Barrelyards

Size matters

The Barrelyards, in development since 2007, is one of the larger developments you’ll find in Waterloo today. The project is covering 13 acres. Don’t worry, it won’t all be buildings. A giant new park is central to the design.

Office space

The project will have plenty of room for new and established Waterloo businesses. project included two eightstorey office towers, two 500-unit residential towers, two 25-storey condos, 11 townhouses, a retirement residence and a luxury hotel with ground floor retail

Check out one of our other great publications today!

Price point

A project this big does not come without a hefty price tag. The entire project is costing the city $250 million (taxpayers are paying slightly less than $18 million).

Trump who?

The Barreleyards will be home to Waterloo’s first four-star hotel. After original hotel developer Domain Hotels backed out of the project, Delta Waterloo stepped up to take over what is sure to be a popular tourist destination.

-compiled by Sara Hanafi

18

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS The K-W Princess Project

Prom is stressful enough without having to worry about whether or not you can afford the dress. But for some high school students, that concern is very real. That’s where the K-W Princess Project comes in. Each year the organization accepts gently used dresses so local young women can have a shot at their very own Pretty in Pink moment. The CCE’s Social media Coordinator Carly McGlynn spoke to project coordinator Kelly Steiss about how they make prom happen for many girls each year.

Carly McGlynn: What is the vision or mission of the KW Princess Project?

Kelly Steiss: The KW Princess Project collects new and gently used prom and grad dresses and gets them to young women in our community who deserve to attend their grad and prom but who may not have the opportunity or means to purchase a dress. We strive to create a fun and respectful experience for young women at the Dress Day event.

CM:What types of donations are in need? What type of dress or accessory is not always donated, but needed?

KS: We accept gently used dresses, shoes and accessories that are suitable for prom, semi and grad. This year we would like to receive more shoes and handbags — these are items that are

not always donated, but in need. We celebrate all sizes. We accept dresses in all sizes.

CM: Is there an application process for young women to attend the Dress Days?

KS: We welcome those in need, without question. We do not have an application process or criteria. If you need a dress, show up on Dress Day or contact us for a fitting.

CM: How are the dresses and accessories distributed?

KS: Dress Days are days where young women can come and receive their dresses and accessories. We set up a venue just like a boutique. The girls come to the event. When they get there

they are matched with a [volunteer] consultant who works with the girl to find the dress of their dreams. Once the girls have found their dress, they go to the shoes area where we have specialty volunteers who will help them find the right shoe for the dress. Then, they are off to accessories where they find jewelry and a handbag to finish off the outfit. At the end their items our brought to a volunteer who will steam the dress and package up their items.

The girls get to leave with a package and a boutique experience but there is no transfer of money.

CM: What events do you have planned for 2013?

KS: We have two Dress Days planned for this year in May and June.

CM: If people would like to get involved, who should the contact?

KS: If people want to help out, they can email me at kwprincessproject@yahoo. com. We also want people to share the information about the project so that we get to girls that need the support.

Please like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Donations can be dropped off at, GLOSS, 87 King St. W., Kitchener, The Shoe Diva, 730 Belmont Ave, West, Kitchener, Waterloo Sports Medicine Centre 65 University Ave. E., Waterloo K-W Princess project can be found on Twitter @kwprincesspro.

Keep up with us throughout the month.

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THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

ARTS AND CULTURE

19

FIRST POSITION Local students plié their way into Canada’s National Ballet School

TOP: Students at the Waterloo Classical Dance Conservatory. BOTTOM: From L-R, Phoebe Bennett, Aidan and Avery Grierson • NICK LACHANCE PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

COlleen connolly CCE CONTRIBuTOR

C

ome July, three young Waterloo dancers will be one step closer to achieving their one shared dream.

This summer, Avery Grierson, Aidan Grierson and Phoebe Bennett will be joining Canada’s National Ballet’s summer school program. The three were selected after they participated in the National Audition Tour on Jan. 11. The tour began in early November and swept the country over the course of three months in search of 150 dancers from grades 6-12 who were suitable for the ballet’s four-week summer program.

The Summer School Program is the second stage of auditions at the end of which 50 students will be invited to join NBS’s Professional Ballet Program in September and study at their Toronto facilities under Canada’s leading instructors from September onward. Aside from hours of rigorous dance training, NBS is much like any other junior high or high school.

Students enter the same grade they would at home.

This summer will be Aidan’s second time attending NBS Summer School. Now at age 11 and in Grade Six, he has been dancing since he was five and feels that this year will be his best shot at getting accepted.

“In Grade 7 you have to work harder, you have to be mature and you have to dance a little better. You’re expected to show your best off in Grade 7 so your best chance is in Grade 6,” he said.

This opportunity will prepare students for professional careers with dance compa-

nies upon graduation and which will be reach for both the Griersons and Bennett this coming summer.

Audra Grierson, Avery and Aidan’s mother and the owner and artistic director of Waterloo’s Classical Dance Conservatory, explained that there is a level of truth to his concerns.

“The fact is the window of opportunity diminishes as they get older because the children who audition in grade 11 have to fit into their classes. They have to be technically strong enough, they have to have the look and the training and the fact of the matter is most schools, like my school

here, aren’t able to offer six hours of training a day to get them up to standard and to fit into their programs,” she said.

“So their chances of getting in as they get older diminish, but it does happen.”

Avery is nine years old and has been dancing since she was three. At her young age, she will not be eligible for the Professional Ballet Program at the end of her summer experience but it will no doubt better prepare her for future auditions, as it did for her brother Aidan.

Phoebe Bennett is the oldest of the trio but still has a strong shot at age 12. Bennett has been dancing since she was four

years old but has just recently decided to take her hobby to the next level. “I’m all new to this because Phoebe has toyed with the idea but it was only last year that she really decided that this was it, so this year we spent doing the auditions and getting ready for this,” Kari Olsen, Phoebe’s mother, told the CCE. “I’m just following along because it’s really her dream so she’s very dedicated to it.”

An opportunity to attend NBS is a rare and esteemed honor within the dance world and Audra has had the privilege of seeing half a dozen of her students achieve it. She herself began dancing at the age of 10 and studied at L’Ecole superieure de ballet du Quebec before coming to Waterloo for a degree in dance at the University of Waterloo. She opened the Classical Dance Conservatory in 1998.

Since then she has continued her professional development in both Canada and the United States where she will be returning next week to do teacher training at the American Ballet Theatre. Her past has made her well aware of what her students require in order to achieve a placement at NBS along with other renowned schools.

“Not only do they have to have talent, they have to have a natural sense of movement, they have to have a natural sense of musicality and they have to have the physical attributes that they want for their dancers to produce strong, healthy dancers that aren’t going to be injured through the rigorous training that they will undergo,” said Audra.

Avery, Aidan and Phoebe are hoping they’ll have what it takes to come out on top.

20

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

DOG AT PLAY Theatre inncubator Pat the Dog merges food and young talent cRIstIna aLMUdevaR CCE CONTRIBUTOR

N

estled in the heart of downtown Kitchener on Queen Street is The Walper Hotel, a vestige of hotels of days past. It’s not the first place you would think would play host to an avant garde theatre troupe.

The Walper is home to the third annual event of the Pat the Dog theatre troupe, entitled Piece/Meal, where playwrights go through an intensive one to six day workshop.

During the workshop, playwrights work with up to three dramaturges (drama speak for researcher) who help improve their plays. The workshop then culminates with a staged reading that is open to the general public.

This style of workshopping is described as an incubator process. Lisa O’Connell, the current artistic director of Pat the Dog, stresses that they are not a producing company, but facilitators of a process.

They workshop the play to make it as tight as possible; their aim is to help the playwrights tell their stories. “[Pat the Dog] started as a result of a play-writing program that was closed that used to be in Kitchener,” O’Connell explained. “It had to cut a whole bunch of programs and the first program it cut was the play-writing unit, which is not unusual. Because we had had some success with the playwrights in that unit, the Ontario Arts Counsel grants officer calls me and [she] encouraged me to write a grant to keep the unit open as a collective.”

Currently home to more than 200 playwrights — many of whom have won awards — and operating from offices in Kitchener-Waterloo and Sudbury, the Pat the Dog playwright development centre has thrived in the six years since O’Connell wrote her first grant.

A playwright developing centre deals with the research and development aspect of playwriting. For a play to be written, it often takes a team one to seven years from the first draft to the final performance. This is where Pat the Dog comes in to help. The team assists established or emerging writers.

“We could have continued only with the [big] names but what are [we] doing with the next generation of playwrights?”

O’Connell explained about Pat the Dog’s decision to open its doors to both developing and already well-known playwrights.

“The established playwrights are in their forties and fifties creating amazing and important work, but if you’re only serving people that have already made it then you’re not assisting the people who are up-and-coming. We try to serve both as much as we can.”

“It can take 10 years to build a voice as an emerging playwright. The more you work, the more you write, the better you get,” O’Connell said.

Piece/Meal will feature a public staged reading and a meal to compliment the theme of the play. A public staged reading greatly differs from the typical play. It offers a bare-boned look at an upcoming play without the polished look that costumes, a completed set and heavy rehearsals would give to the final product.

Trevor Copp workshopping Journey to the East • PhOTO COURTESY PAT ThE DOG

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The first of five monthly staged performative readings will begin with Kyle Capstick’s I’m Not Anybody on Wednesday Feb. 20. Capstick was the winner of Pat the Dog’s 24-Hour Playwriting Contest last October.

Tickets are a suggested $15. For more information visit piecemeal2013.eventbrite.ca.

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THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

21

FINDING ART IN THE ORDINARY

Jane Buyers listens to a little information about her own artwork at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery • REbecca Allison CORD PHOTOGRAPHy

Rebecca Allison CCE CONTRIBuTOR

Time affects everything it touches. The Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery’s exhibition “Gather…Arrange…Maintain…” explores the roles played by objects and art itself in the life of Jane Buyers, Canadian artist and fine arts professor emeritus at the University of Waterloo.

A biography full of sculptures, graphite sketches, reliefs, and miniature-audio displays, “Gather…Arrange…Maintain…” reconsiders Buyers’s past work and a path through different sources of inspiration and forms of media.

“[I want] people to imaginatively inhabit these spaces. The lights of the room draw you in. Audio captures people. They’ll leave a visual image much more quickly,” Buyers said.

Buyers was often inspired by the question of need. Forgotten tools and orphan objects are found often in her work. Objects go through their lives and go through many phases.

Buyers’s depictions of tools in graphite or sculptures portray current and past commonplace objects that have been replaced by the new. With each object the use can be forgotten and replaced by the enjoy-

ment and bewilderment found in the intricate and creative design that held no possible “practical use.”

Having taught for 33 years, Buyers says she collected the notes students scribble in textbooks. “[It] display students trying to grasp the material in a very individual struggle. I find that an interesting thing,” Buyers said.

She learned new techniques from her colleagues that she used throughout her pieces. “[University] is a very supportive environment for artists because you’re in an environment where everything is about art,” she added. Buyers has retired

from teaching but as she says “artists never retire”.

Buyers experience in teaching is greatly portrayed though out her work. Pieces explore books and drawings performed over the text of Macbeth. Walking through the exhibit is a walk through the experiences and influences of a lifetime.

Buyers’ pieces portray the influences of Virginia Luntz and Doris McCarthy, textiles, architecture, and her experiences instructing and being instructed.

In unwritten words, “Gather…Arrange…

Maintain…” gives a glimpse into the mind and imagination of Jane Buyers.

ACTORS IN OUR OWN BACKYARD Carrie Debrone KITCHENER CITIZEN editor

The Multicultural Cinema Club will host a Meet and Mingle on Feb. 16 to allow local filmmakers and theatre actors to meet each other.

The event will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Kitchener City Hall Rotunda and is sponsored by The City of Kitchener. Finger foods and beverages will be on hand.

The Meet and Mingle is the third and final component in a focused discussion series organized by local film and community theatre actor D. Morton, who is the The Multicultural Cinema Club’s Collaboration Host.

“The idea came to me when I was handing out awards at the Local Focus Film Festival,” Morton said.

“When local filmmakers decide to make

a film they usually use their friends and family as actors or search the website for semi-professional film actors who they think won’t be too expensive to hire. The film community is totally unaware that experienced actors exist in the many small theatre companies in the area.

Many of those actors would be willing to work as film actors,” Morton said.

The Multicultural Cinema Club is also working on a few new initiatives that have sprung from these conversations, including a workshop series for actors. Details will be presented at the meeting.

“And the theatre actors don’t know that there are a great number of independent filmmakers in our area wondering where to get actors,” Morton added.

“I also strongly suggest people bring pens, paper (or cell phone) to take names and numbers, along with their business cards,” Morton said.

Morton first met with local filmmakers who provided insight into the current sources for actors, as well as the qualities that filmmakers are looking for in their actors.

The Multicultural Cinema Club is a community tools project of The Working Centre. It was established in December 2006 to create a culture of cinema within Waterloo region by screening films, hosting discussions, creating artistic works, and encouraging community filmmaking.

A second meeting, with local actors, provided insight into the barriers and needs that local actors have been experiencing to date.

There will be an open mic for filmmakers or actors to announce coming projects to those in attendance.

MCC is a non-profit, community artistrun-organization committed to support-

ing groundbreaking and professional artistic productions, presentation and programming of independent video and media art.

The club is working towards making filmmaking technology more accessible.

It provides access to a large inventory of film-making equipment for use by its members, and is developing a studio space that includes a myriad of modern filmmalking tools. MCC has also established Good Work Productions — making professional quality films with a social purpose that builds on the skills and resources of staff and members of MCC, runs the Local Focus Film Festival showcasing the work of local filmmakers and screens films on relevant community issues. MCC facilities can be used in a wide range of productions— video art, drama, documentary, multi-media, performance, installation, and community-based projects.

22

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

REVIEWS FILM Kristin milani cce contributor

G

angster Squad had so much promise but unfortunately falls flat. With such a talented group of actors, it has the potential to be an outstanding movie, but it lacks the qualities that great movies possess. It was released on Jan. 11 and earned only $16.7 million on opening weekend. The film is adapted from the novel of the same title by Paul Lieberman.

The cast includes well-known actors Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Nick Nolte. You would expect that these five actors would deliver stellar performances, but they are all disappointingly unremarkable in this film.

The movie is set in late-1940s Los AnKAte turner cce contributor

W

arm Bodies is just like any other romantic comedy: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy eats her boyfriend’s brain, girl falls in love with boy.

Jonathan Levine — who most notably directed 50/50 in 2011 — wrote and directed this film that is based on a novel

by Isaac Marion, and it presents a whole new take on zombie culture.

Eight years after an outbreak, a young zombie falls in love with a survivor and vows to keep her safe from his own kind. They form a close relationship and because of it he becomes more and more human, and her prejudices of the undead change.

For the zombie enthusiast, screaming

geles. Police officers Sgt. Jerry Woothers (Gosling) and Sgt. John O’Mara (Brolin) form a five-man squad to take down ruthless gangster Micky Cohen (Penn) and save the city from organized crime.

There isn’t a lot of suspense leading up to the end of the movie. There aren’t many moments that leave you on the edge of your seat or nervous for the next scene.

The reason for that may very well be Penn’s performance as the villain. He isn’t believable. It’s very similar to watching someone impersonate Robert DeNiro and that’s hard to take seriously.

Director Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland) doesn’t bring the material to life and the screenplay, written by Lieberman and Will Beall, is dull and packed full of cheesy one-liners, with an occasional clever line thrown in here and there. “zombies don’t do that!” wouldn’t seem like an outrageous thing to do during this film. Our main character “R” (Nicholas Hoult) thinks, opens doors, plays records, punches and kicks humans and even speaks.

It’s a pretty disappointing portrayal considering how well known zombie culture is, and how much it has changed to elicit laughs from the audience.

It’s also a risky move to alter the biggest characteristics of the zombie mythology at a time when it is so prevalent in pop culture. Levine took a risk, and it had the potential to benefit him, but the execution of it proved to be a failure because it is impossible not to compare the film with other zombie movies and television shows.

Warm Bodies is to zombie culture as Twilight is to vampire culture. They take

Although there are many talented people involved in the film, there is an obvious lack of chemistry. Movies win Oscars when the right group of people gets together to produce a success. Gangster Squad could very well have been a masterpiece but, unfortunately, it was far from it.

However, the costume and set design is fantastic. The time period is captured perfectly, visually. The storyline of the film had some highs as well.

The plot echoes that of other gangster movies released in the past, but it had some originality behind it thanks to Lieberman’s original material. The intense action scenes also save the movie from being a complete train wreck.

a much-loved myth, change everything we know and love about it, but set it to a kick-ass soundtrack.

These aspects of the film make it slightly harder to dislike it entirely, but don’t completely make up for the fact that it is a love story between a girl and a corpse who ate her boyfriend. Not so romantic.

In theory this film could have been really well done, but it falls way too short.

The humour is easy and superficial, and the only memorable aspect of the film is how ridiculous the undead are in comparison to what we are used to.

If you are a 13 year old you’ll probably enjoy the film. But if you have seen any movie or TV show about zombies and are looking for a gory fix to hold you off until the next episode of The Walking Dead, you’re going to be disappointed.

MUSIC kevin delaney cce contributor

D

it from being a country music parody, no matter what the cover might suggest.

aniel Romano doesn’t break any new ground on Come Cry With Me, but that doesn’t seem to be the point. This is his third solo outing and is about as country as they come.

While much of the subject matter on this record is covered with the dusty bootprints of the genre, Romano’s treatment of it is so heartfelt that each wound seems freshly inflicted.

Based around twangy guitars and accented with pedal steel and fiddle, the instrumentation — mostly performed

by Romano himself — is robust and well conceived, but apart from a haunting riff on “He Let Her Memory Go” there isn’t anything musically that stands out.

On tracks like “A New Love (Can Be Found),” his vocals are laden with pain and are so present and intimate that you can almost smell the whisky on his breath.

But perhaps that was the intention; for the solid, no frills country music to provide the perfect vehicle for Romano’s vocals and storytelling. Indeed, his lyrics are the real gem of this album and they save

And although you immediately know how “Just Before the Moment” is going to end, Romano’s deft ability with words make it a journey worth taking.

None of the songs on Come Cry With Me match the brilliance of “Time Forgot (To

Change My Heart)” from 2011’s Sleep Beneath the Willow, but the album as a whole is more cohesive, as if Romano has become increasingly confident with his country persona.

This confidence is most evident on Come Cry With Me‘s two standout moments.

The first is “I’m Not Crying”, a track that could be mistaken for a Hank Williams tune thanks to Romano’s beautifully delivered, tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

The second moment is the juxtaposition of rollicking stomper “Chicken Bill” with the country ballad “When I Was Abroad.” These two songs, when listened to in their proper order on the album, will make you smile no matter how heavy your heart is. That’s a genuine promise.

THE CORD : COMMUNITY EDITION

FEBRUARY 2013

MONTHLY EVENTS THIS MONTH WE’RE GOING TO....

Music Disney in Concert — Magical Music from the Movies What was your favourite Disney movie as a kid? Maybe The Lion King? Or Mary Poppins? Or maybe even Pirates of the Caribbean? Whatever it was, we can all agree that the soundtracks for those movies were great. For a hit of that great nostalgic feeling, you can go hear your favourite Disney movie soundtracks as a part of a great multimedia concert!

MUSIC Feb. 15

Amos the Transparent, Inlet Sound & Guests Maxwell’s Music House, $7, 8:30 p.m.

Paul Mitchel Quintet The Jazz Room, $15, 8:30 p.m.

Feb. 16

DJ Ellis Dean The Jane Bond, no cover, 10 p.m.

Rob Gellner Septet The Jazz Room, $20, 8:30 p.m.

Feb. 17

Stagg Band The Jane Bond, $10, 8 p.m.

Centre in the Square $19-$86 Friday March 1 @ 8 p.m., Saturday March 2 @ 2:30 p.m. & 8 p.m.

Feb. 18

COMMUNITY

Ken Stringfellow Starlight, $18 advance, 8 p.m.

Workshop: Growing Indoor Seedlings

Feb. 22

Having plants around in the winter helps make things seem a little nicer, a little warmer, and gives a nice bit of colour.

But how do you keep them alive and healthy? This workshop teaches you all about good plant care, including things like seed germination, seed storage, watering, lighting, soil, and tricks for keeping seedlings healthy and compact.

For a bit of winter-gardening fun, be sure to check out this workshop.

Waterloo Region Museum $10 Saturday March 2 @ 9:30 a.m.

Josh Ritter Starlight, $20 advance, 8 p.m.

Feb. 20

Tchaikovsky Festival Part 1: Epic Tchai-

Feb. 15

Viva Las Vegas: A Night of Hope St. George Banquet Hall, $60, 7 p.m.

Feb. 16

Kitchener Waterloo Anarchist Bookfair Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work, 10 a.m.

Feb. 16-18

ARTS

Winterloo - Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Ice Dogs Festival Waterloo Public Square, FREE, 11 a.m.

From Play to Screenplay with LostFound Theatre

Feb. 20

Plays and movies are so similar, but at the same time, so different. At this event, you’ll learn about some of how both art forms tick. Start off the night with a tour of the current exhibits presented

by KWAG. You will then watch the play Look, followed by a film version of the play, Invitation. Playwright Gary Kirkham and filmmaker Peter Conrad will also be there to answer questions.

Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery Thursday February 21 @ 6:30 p.m.

–Compiled and written by Adele Palmquist

kovsky Centre in the Square, $19-80, 8 p.m.

Derek Hines The Jazz Room, $15, 8:30 p.m.

Feb. 23

Tchaikovsky Festival Part 1: Epic Tchaikovsky Centre in the Square, $19-80, 8 p.m.

Wax Mannequin and B.A. Johnston The Jane Bond, $10, 9 p.m.

Geoff Young Quartet The Jazz Room, $18, 8:30 p.m.

Feb. 24 Tchaikovsky Festival Part 2: Intimate Tchaikovsky Centre in the Square, $19-20, 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 26

Randy and Mr. Lahey Starlight, $15 advance, 8 p.m.

Feb. 28

Fire X Fire & Guests TBA Maxwell’s Music House, $5, 8:30 p.m.

Will Fisher Coastal Quartet The Jazz Room, $12, 8:30 p.m.

Mar. 2

Myriad 3 The Jazz Room, $16, 8:30 p.m.

Mar. 8

Dave Thompson Quartet The Jazz Room, $15, 8:30 p.m.

Mar. 9

Dexter Holmes Band CD Release wsg.

Ballad Fiasco Maxwell’s Music House, 8:30 p.m.

Bob Brough Quartet The Jazz Room, $18, 8:30 p.m.

Mar. 14

Peter Katz Starlight, $12 advance, 8 p.m.

Mar. 15

Andrew McAnsh Sextet The Jazz Room, $15, 8:30 p.m.

No Name Wednesdays: Sh!t the Chinese Say The Museum, Free Admission (Exhibit admission extra), 6 p.m.

No Name Wednesdays: THEMUSEUM’S 9 ½ Birthday The Museum, Free Admission (Exhibit admission extra), 6 p.m.

Feb. 23

Mar. 7-9

Feb. 27

Mar. 13

BMO Studio 54 presents Victorian Secret 54 Shades of Blush The Museum, $150 No Name Wednesdays: Cosby-Con The Museum, Free Admission (Exhibit admission extra), 6 p.m.

ARTS Feb. 17

Feb. 24

Walk the Talk @ KW|AG Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, FREE, 2 p.m.

Feb. 28

Artist Talk with Jane Buyers Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, FREE, 2 p.m.

Off Topic: Krystina Mierins and Bill Clarke Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, FREE, 7 p.m.

Feb. 23

Mar. 6

Workshop: Knitting 102, Beyond Basic Waterloo Region Museum, $30, 9:30 a.m.

Mar. 1

COMMUNITY

Mar. 6

Multicultural Cinema Club Sunday Film Screenings with Q&A Waterloo Region Museum, see waterlooregionmuseum.com for ticket prices, 2 p.m.

23

Laura De Decker in Conversation with John Armstrong

UpTown Waterloo Comedy Festival UpTown Waterloo, see waterloocomedy. com for ticket prices and show times No Name Wednesdays: Kid’s Stuff - Water Table, Star Lab, Plasma Cars The Museum, Free Admission (Exhibit admission extra), 6 p.m.

The Hive @ Communitech, 5:30 p.m.

Mar. 13

Ballet Jörgen Show & Tell - Ballet 101 Waterloo Region Museum, see waterlooregionmuseum.com for ticket prices, 1:30 p.m. & 3 p.m.

Mar. 16

Ballet Jörgen Canada celebrates its 25th anniversary season with Swan Lake Centre in the Square, see centre-square. com for ticket prices, 7:30 p.m.

Now on stands The Lust issue Submissions for the Nostalgia issue are due March 1. E-mail: submissions@blueprintmagazine.ca

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