Cord Community Edition: September 2013

THE CORD

KOI music festival guide page 20

COMMUNITY Waterloo Region’s independent monthly • Vol 1 Issue 12 • September 13, 2013 • community.thecord.ca

COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

THE CORD

• SEPTEMBER 2013

COMMUNITY

75 University Ave. W Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 519-884-0710 x3564 Volume 1, Issue #12 Next issue: October 2, 2013 Advertising All advertising inquiries should be directed to Angela Endicott at 519-884-0710 x3560 angela.taylor@wlusp.com Editor-in-Chief H.G. Watson hwatson@thecord.ca Publisher Bryn Ossington Bryn.ossington@wlusp.com Cord Editor-in-Chief Justin Smirlies jsmirlies@thecord.ca

THE

Graphic Designer Lena Yang lyang@thecord.ca

best of

Photography Manager Ryan Hueglin rhueglin@thecord.ca

of

Heather Davidson hdavidson@thecord.ca

Urban Exploring Editor Tegan Thuss tthuss@thecord.ca

waterloo region

Copy Editor Erin O’Neil

CONTRIBUTORS Cristina Almudevar Anna Beard James Black Sheena Bounsanga Joshua Bowman Bob Egan Samantha Estoesta Justin Fauteux Dan Herman

Jill Kolb Caitlin McWilliams Fiorella Morzi Veronica Naas Janine Prew Mark Shiffer Kate Turner Lauren Ward David Worsely

WLUSP administration President Executive Director Advertising Manager Treasurer Vice-Chair Director Director Corporate Secretary Distribution Manager Web Manager

Allison Leonard Bryn Ossington Angela Endicott Tom Paddock Luke Schulz Shelby Blackley Kate Turner Alexandra Abbiento 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.

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 The Guelph Mercury. 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.

The Cord Community’s title font is Bebas, an open source font created by Dharma fonts (formerly Flat-it).

The Cord Community Edition is a member of the Ontario Press Council, an independent organization established to considers ethical concerns and acceptable journalistic practices. For editorial concerns, please contact the Press Council, which can be reached by calling 416-340-1981, by emailing info@ontpress.com or writing to 890 Yonge St., Suite 200, Toronto M4W 3P4. For information on the Press Council, please refer to the web site at 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.

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.

IN this issue FEATURE The best of Waterloo Region

From parks to tacos to cheap drinks, we run down the best K-W has to offer PAGE 9

NEWs 4 New Communitech project aims to close the gender gap 7 The iXpress gets a new route, and one writer wonders why summer service is so bad 8 Get ready to snoop around - Doors Open Waterloo Region is around the corner

URBAN EXPLORING 17 There’s a new brewery on the block in St. Jacobs 17 Its back to school for sex education 18 Why kids need to learn how to be mindful to handle the big stuff ARTS & CULTURE 20 Our guide to KOI Music festival, including an interview with the Wooden Sky 22 Reviews and film interviews 23 Listings

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 KitchenerWaterloo. 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.

Have a story idea, letter to the editor or question?

Send it to communityeditor@thecord.ca For expanded content and more news, visit community.thecord.ca

SEPTEMBER 2013 •

COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

NEWS

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News beat yREGION TO VOTE ON ‘ION’ LRT LOGO The Region of Waterloo released the official logo for the light rail transit (LRT) system Sept. 6, pending approval from regional councilors on Sept. 10. The new logo for the ‘Ion’ LRT system shares the same dominant blue colour scheme already used for the Grand River Transit and the Region’s logo itself.

The logo proposed to councilors on Sept. 10 was the best-received image of 10 after the various options were compared by three different focus groups.

yREDEVELOPMENT FOR GRAND RIVER HOSPITAL COMPLETE

“I want to see farmers’ markets expand. So when I saw this iconic market was in trouble, I wanted to make sure I was here to say, ‘it’s open,’ I want people to come and understand that the vendors are here. So I really wanted to just come as a show of support.”

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne on supporting St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market after a fire destroyed the main building. Photo by Heather Davidson, Photography Manager

vocal cord We went to King Street and asked:

What would you like to see in Waterloo in four years?

“An RBC closer to University of Waterloo” Thanuree Pathiranawasam, Student

“We like everything about Waterloo and there’s lots of thing here we wish our city did have” Carly Gasparini, Visiting

The five-year, $63.5-million renovation project for Grand River Hospital finally wrapped up on Sept. 5.

The hospital received an expanded intensive care unit and mental health services area. In addition to those changes, the hospital also saw an upgrade in its operating rooms as well as various improvements to the safety of the building.

Most of the funding for the redevelopment of the hospital was from the Ontario government by making a $47-million contribution.

yChief may ask for more troops The Waterloo Regional Police Services (WRPS) chief Matt Torigan may look to add to his team in 2014 after the equivalent of eight constables were cut from the budget in 2013.

But the Waterloo Region council may want to limit the police budget which requested that WRPS make cuts of about $1-million in 2013. Regional council has outlined that the WRPS budget can only increase by 0.9 per cent, but Torigan indicated that budget drafts for 2014 might be higher than that.

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Closing the gender gap

Communitech aims to increase the presence of female workers with hg watson cce editor-in-chief

L

ocal tech hub Communitech will be getting a boost in their recruitment of women over the next three years.

The company will be funneling $300,000 from Status of Women Canada into the Communitech Women in Technology project, aimed at strengthening female talent recruitment and retention.

Karen Gallant, senior director of talent at Communitech, said that the initiative is meant to strengthen the tech workforce at Communitech as whole. “Talent for our companies is a challenge. There are lots of unfilled positions,” she said.

“Women bring a particularly unique skill set and perspective into the workforce, so trying to create opportunities for them is obviously good for our companies because it will help them access that significant pool of talent.”

Communitech will be working with four other companies – Teledyne DALSA, Rebellion Media, Magnet Forensics and Desire2Learn – to establish a set of best practices for attracting more women to the tech workforce.

The project is part of an aggressive plan by the federal government to sink more money into employing women in skilled technical trades. Status of Women Canada has invested more than $46 million in projects designed to focus on women’s economic security and prosperity. “[It’s] making

sure women have the skills they need to have a very high quality job,” said Minister of Labour and Minister for Status of Women Dr. Kellie Leitch.

“They are able to have a good income and have good quality of life, and provide for their families.”

There have been declining numbers of women in the IT and technology sector over the last 20 years, despite the large role women have played in computer science historically.

Status of Women Canada reports that less than 25 per cent of employees in the digital technology sector are women. As well, the number of woman in top leadership roles in publically traded companies has been under 50 for a number of years, while the number of men is in the hundreds.

While Communitech certainly has female employees, Gallant said they don’t have particular numbers on the gender ratio at the hub.

For women in technology, the barriers to entering the workforce include pay disparity, a masculine workplace culture and cultural norms that discourage women from taking leadership roles. Angelique Mohring is CEO of Woman Powering Technology, a Waterloo based group that encourages woman working in technology.

She has experienced this first-hand working in digital economy for over 20 years: “It is a tremendous uphill battle trying to...say I’m equal, I’m educated and just as experienced,” she said.

Mohring now owns her own tech company, GAINx, and mentors other women. She’ll also be assisting Communitech with their initiative.

As a mentor, Mohring tries to encourage women who may find it difficult to approach a boss about a raise or other workplace issues. “There tends to be that reluctance to put themselves forwards in case they’re perceived as something less than generous, kind and smart,” she said, “and that if you’re not going with the status quo, you must be a bitch.”

Other digital technology centres in the region have also had issues recruiting women.

University of Waterloo has one of the best computer science programs in the country, but over the last 20 years it has seen a decline in female students. In 2011-12, just 12 per cent of undergraduate computer science students were women, compared to 18 per cent in 2001-02.

Kate Larson is an associate professor at the Cheriton School of Computer Science at University of Waterloo and is the chair of Women in Computer Science at the school. She explained that the problems with recruiting women into the tech sector start at the grade school level. “[Studies] find that very young girls are being turned off [of computer science] at a very young age — eight or nine years old.”

It is perhaps because of the idea that computer science is a lonely profession. “The perception is that you’re going to be sitting in a dark room writing code all the time,” said Larson.

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Community Conversations

Local companies crowdsource investment

Education statistics for University of Waterloo, courtesy the Cheriton School of Computer Science and Women in Computer Science. Employment statistics care of Stats Canada . • KATE TURNER CORD VISUAL DIRECTOR

new funding from the federal government As the world becomes more digitized, computer science is expanding into a number of other fields, making it all the more important to learn.

“Computer science touches on all fields and all problems “It is a tremendous uphill battle trying now,” said Larson. “Sometimes we don’t do a good job explaining its role.” Mohring also noted young girls are subject to...say I’m equal, I’m to the same gender stereotypes that might discourage them from taking leadership roles or being interested in science or educated and just as experienced.” math.

But the situation is not bleak for women who are interested — Angelique Mohring, CEO of in pursuing a career in technology. Larson and Mohring regard the Communitech project as a good step, and Mohring Woman Powering Technology has found reasons to be positive amongst many of her coworkers, female and male.

“I think there are more men coming to the table than ever before that are saying ‘how can we help accelerate women in tech and accelerate their careers?’”

For her, it is essential that both men and women be at the table to ensure that progress is actually made.

At the end of the Communitech Women in Technology project, Gallant hopes to publish their findings so tech companies across the country can benefit from their outcome.

“It’s early days yet,” she said. But it is an exciting time to start encouraging women to enter the tech field.

Whether you’re a tech savvy graduate aspiring to be the next big thing in IT or a small business owner with a great local service idea, the largest barrier to turning those kitchen table ideas into reality is access to capital.

Across Canada, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) identify insufficient access to capital – essentially, start-up investment – as the primary impediment to their growth. More than 70 per cent of SMEs in Ontario believe access to financing is the biggest obstacle to getting off the ground and growing their business. According to Industry Canada, financing for higher risk, young and innovative firms is the hardest and most expensive funding to acquire.

Consequently, nearly three-quarters of all start-ups and more than 50 per cent of SMEs rely on personal savings to get started, placing significant limits on their ability to invest effectively in growth and hire more employees.

Crowdfunding — a relatively new form of online financing — is poised to help address these needs and, in so doing, is a potentially transformative catalyst for local economic development and local employment.

In crowdfunding, individuals donate, lend or invest into a specific project or new enterprise. Through the total sum of many small contributions, entrepreneurs are able to fulfill financing needs, from the low thousands into the millions of dollars. The donation model is more common across Canada than the lending or investing model, and donations are often rewarded with a token of relatively low value, usually one of the start-up’s products or an opportunity to experience their services. Lending and equity models haven’t yet received legislative approval in Canada, but consultations on the latter have been held in several provinces, including Ontario, with an eye towards enabling these models in the near future.

Pebble Technology understands the potential of crowdfunding. Developed by University of Waterloo graduate Eric Migicovsky, the Pebble is a wristwatch that connects with a user’s smartphone wirelessly to alert the user of incoming calls and messages. In April 2012, Migicovsky raised more than US$10 million from 68,829 backers on Kickstarter, a prominent online crowdfunding platform.

He did so after having struck out in attempts to raise the funds through traditional channels. Pebble Technology now employs over 30 people and has delivered more than 93,000 Pebbles to customers around the world. iFundWaterloo is a collaborative project set up by the City of Waterloo and iFundSocial, a Toronto-based technology consultancy. It’s the first government-backed crowdfunding site in Canada, and while the site’s activity is modest with only three projects currently hosted, it has so far attracted just shy of $1000 from 25 funders. Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran said, “The City of Waterloo is a major advocate of technology innovation in our community and we wanted to be the first city in Canada… to further modernize their cities to enable new forms of citizen engagement.” Citizens can now help fund the projects they think are most worthy of their contributions.

Ultimately, given the funding challenges that exist for both Canadian small businesses and non-profits, crowdfunding offers a novel way of getting financing into the hands of the entrepreneurs who need it. To be sure, there’s a certain level of risk for donors and investors, but with proper requirements for information disclosure and limits on investment and fundraising, crowdfunding can be a catalyst for local economic development and for giving everyone a bigger stake in it.

-Dan Herman is the co-founder of the Centre for Digital Entrepreneurship and Economic Performance (deepcentre.com) and a PhD Candidate at the Balsillie School of International Affairs.

COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

• SEPTEMBER 2013

CITY OF WATERLOO | OUR COMMUNITY w3 WARD 3 COUNCILLOR

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

w5 WARD 5 COUNCILLOR

Mark Whaley t: 519.747.8784 c: 519.635.9436 mark.whaley@waterloo.ca

You may see it as a bit of good fortune, good timing or perhaps it’s a blessing. But the fact is that we find ourselves in a very lucky place at the dawn of the next evolution of this place we call Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

We are youngish as cities go with just over 150 candles on our cake. For most of our time we were a small agricultural backwater, grinding the wheat of area farmers; a hamlet

w6 WARD 6 COUNCILLOR

Jeff Henry t: 519.747.8784 c: 519.998.5883 jeff.henry@waterloo.ca

Welcome UW students! Whether you have always lived here or you are in Waterloo for the first time, the City of Waterloo is

w7 WARD 7 COUNCILLOR

Melissa Durrell t: 519.747.8784 c: 226.808.6043 mellisa.durrell@waterloo.ca

It’s back to school time! As you head out each morning to drop the kids off at school, you will notice the new 40 km/hr speed limit signs posted near Sir Edgar Bauer School. We hope drivers in the neighbourhood will understand the reasoning behind this change – safe driving is crucial when students

and parents are walking and biking to school. This is an exciting time for our young students and I wish them all the best this new school year!

of industrious Mennonites in search of peaceable neighbours and a chance at prosperity.

Unique in their time, our universities focused less on classical education but more on the real world skills required to drive our burgeoning industrial age.

After a while, excess wheat and an entrepreneurial spirit turned the grain to whiskey and our industrial era took root. Whiskey needs barrels and barrels need hoops. Soon factories bred factories to supply the chain of new industrial prosperity in the city. Before long railroad lines whisked the fermented gold to markets and connected us, in a new way, to the world outside.

All that industry required talent and soon intellectual capital came by way of educational institutions fashioned to fulfill the requirements of all the area trade and commerce. grateful that you have chosen to study in our city. As the Councillor representing most of the neighbourhoods surrounding the University of Waterloo, I likely represent most of you at City Hall, and your energy and hope for the future are critical to what makes this place the success that it is.

As residents here, each of you has the same rights and responsibilities as everyone else in our city. That means safe housing where you can learn and live well.

On behalf of the City of Waterloo, welcome Wilfrid Laurier students! As your Ward Councillor, I am thrilled that you have chosen Waterloo for your academic career and hope you love our city enough to stay long after you have graduated. The fall season is always a busy time of year and I hope you will consider taking a break from your studies to join us at Open Streets on

As agriculture led to industry, the next iteration of Waterloo flowed from the intellectual capital spilling out of these educational institutes. Steeped in a tradition of fueling industrial innovation our engineers, mathematicians and scientists propelled Waterloo to the forefront of the technological revolution that has become the mainstay of this and other successful communities around the globe. In short order we were to become our Dominion’s technology heartbeat. The intelligent community.

Agriculture to industry to technology.

It means forging strong and respectful relationships with your roommates and your neighbours. It means keeping the city clean. And it means enjoying all of the food, festivals, and fun that happen both on campus and off campus in Waterloo.

You and the university are so important to our collective futures, and so I am pleased that I have productive relationships with your student representatives at the Federation of Students and your university Sunday, Sept. 15. King Street in uptown Waterloo will come alive with impromptu parks, art alleys, sports demos and more!

These were just small steps in a journey that have taken us to the precipice of the next leg in our evolution, that of the “idea economy. “ Technological predominance has created the perfect cauldron to attract bright minds from around the world to be a part of our success.

Reinvestment from keen local technology leaders into the “next big thing” has brought us to a gateway to the future where movements such as quantum, nano and theoretical physics will quickly reshape this community, our country and the globe in ways that are unfathomable.

Good fortune, good timing or a blessing.

Call it what you will, “the idea economy” is taking shape in Waterloo before our very eyes. Aren’t you glad you’re here? administration through the Town and Gown Committee. Together, we’re working hard to make this a more connected community that you and your non-student neighbours are all proud to call home.

Make the most of your time here in Waterloo. Visit waterloo.ca/students for information about city bylaws, volunteering, rental living and more.

Welcome to Waterloo and best of luck this year! the great place it is to live, work and play and we are lucky to have you!

Stay connected with us on Facebook and Twitter, and visit waterloo.ca/students for helpful information to make the transition to student life as smooth as possible. You help make this community

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

Innovation and collaboration ... ...two great words to describe our city and I am proud

to announce another first for Waterloo. We are the first Canadian municipality to launch a crowdfunding portal. iFundWaterloo.ca allows people to fundraise for different projects across the city. Our project - $2,500 to plant 10 trees in the leash-free zone at Bechtel Park, will reward donations with discounted rates at Global Pet Foods. This is a win-win situation all around and I

encourage you to take part in this exciting initiative.

We are also in the middle of our Waterloo Award campaign. The Waterloo Award is our highest civic honour and is presented to outstanding citizens who have made a significant contribution to the quality of life in our city. Consider nominating a deserving individual today. You can find information at waterloo.ca We are fortunate to live in such an exciting and vibrant city. Waterloo is always bustling with activity and I’m sure this fall will be no exception. Enjoy the fall season!

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

W. waterloo.ca

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NEW IXPRESS TAKES OFF New iXpress routes will see the Conestoga Mall and the Boardwalk at Ira Needles connected via Erb. • KHA VO CCE CONTRIBUTOR

JOSHUA BOWMAN SAMANTHA ESTOESTA CCE CONTRIBUTORS

A

s university and college students start arriving in the Region of Waterloo, Grand River Transit (GRT) will be implementing its fall schedule, increasing the frequency along several major bus routes within Waterloo, and also adding new routes.

One of the most important additional routes is a new iXpress bus route, the 202 iExpress, which is starting its first runs this September. It runs between Conestoga Mall and The Boardwalk at Ira Needles via Erb

Street West and University Avenue. It will run every 15 minutes during peak and midday periods, and will be free all day on Fridays between September 6 and December 27.

Rapid transit continues to be an on-going discussion in the region. Tim Mollison, spokesperson for Tri-Cities Transportation Action Group (TriTAG), Mollison explained how the Rapid Transit Master Plan of the Region of Waterloo (RTMP) is looking to create a frequent service network. “The region lacks a frequent service network. We want to create a better brand, and brand the iExpress routes as a service that runs every fifteen minutes or better.”

See downtown Kitchener in a whole new light... by exploring it in the dark!

Introducing

Kitchener’s inaugural nuit blanche-style festival of art, culture, bright ideas and nocturnal adventure.

Saturday, Nov. 2nd, 2013 | 9PM to 3AM The theme of NIGHT\SHIFT 2013 is “INTERVENTION.” To get involved in this walkable, unconventional reimagination of the cityscape – as an artist, a sponsor and/or as a volunteer – please visit our website:

alternativesjournal.ca/nightshift NIGHT\SHIFT is a collaborative community-building initiative created by Canada’s oldest environmental magazine, an instigator of positive change & sustainable living for more than 42 years.

The RTMP outlines the creation of three additional iExpress routes within the next few years to compliment the three already running in September 2013. These routes focus on the areas of Coronation, HighlandVictoria, and Cambridge.

The RTMP is changing the way that the Region of Waterloo has traditionally looked at transit. “These stop are going to be a 600 to 800 metre walk,” Mollison explained. “It is going to be much healthier, while still offering the comfort and security of a steady and fast service.”

The transit plan focuses on high employment centers along with popular routes for

students. There is a focus on those who use transit as a necessity but also making the transit system accessible enough to sway commuters to start considering the option.

Mollison remains pragmatic in this attempt to sway commuters; “Transit should not focus on the middle class; they just don’t use it.”

The region is growing, and the discussions on rapid transit are in happening all over. With multiple infrastructure changes happening in the next few years, only rider feedback will show if rapid transit is the best choice for the region.

Community Conversations The GRT is a great service in the fall. Samantha Estoesta explains why our transit is letting us down four months of the year I hail from the small city of Chatham, Ontario. Its population is 43,000, give or take a horse or two. No matter where you live, it is a half hour walk to the center of our fair city. We have five bus lines that run every hour and the buses themselves hold less than twenty people, including standing room.

With a population just over half a million, the Region of Waterloo and Grand River Transit (GRT) operates on a very different continuum than my home town. Nearly 40,000 people use GRT daily, along nearly sixty bus routes. The fall schedule brings new routes and an increase in the frequency that routes operate. For many workers, including myself, the fall schedule allows that sigh of relief.

A sigh of relief, you ask? During the summer schedule, the majority of routes are limited to service every 30 minutes, or even hourly.

I am lucky; I can walk to my job at the Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group office from my apartment in less than thirty minutes. I am also quite lucky to have a steady job.

Our unemployment rate is at 7.2 per cent, and the poverty rate in the Region of Waterloo remains at a steady 11 per cent One in three people in the Region of Waterloo can be classified as a part of the working poor (living below the poverty line while working), according to the Waterloo Region Crime Prevention Council’s presentation on poverty and precarious employment.

A recent strategic report produced by the Region of Waterloo states that the number of citizens who use GRT to go to work is just under five per cent. Meanwhile, 43 per cent of residents live within five kilometres of their job(s). With a number as high as 43 per cent of the population living so close to work, why is our number of public transit commuters a mere five per cent?

It comes back to the summer schedule. In a city that sets our transit schedules based on our students, we ignore the population that stays past graduation, often the ones who become life-long users of public transit. We ignore those who work shift work (either to support their education or family) and have to buy a car because there are no buses on their route after 10 p.m. How can we actively support job growth in the region when one cannot even get to work due to poor transit availability? How can we turn a community created on horse-drawn carriages into a public transit superstar?

In a city that boasts about being an intelligent community, it seems odd that every eight months we revert to having a transit system no more helpful than the one I grew up with and longed to leave.

-Currently the Executive Director of the Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group (LSPIRG), Samantha’s current goal in life is to lower world suck by being awesome.

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LAYING OUT THE WELCOME MAT Students enter the completed Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre. • HEATHER DAVIDSON PHOTOGRAPHY MANAGER

Doors Open goes modern TEGAN THUSS URBAN EXPLORING EDITOR

W

aterloo Region often boasts about being an innovative, modern, intelligent community; from startup companies, to the schools, to the architecture of the cities itself. Is it any wonder those living in the community are interested in touring those hidden gems that make Waterloo Region an internationally renowned area?

On Saturday, September 21st, locals will get to explore some of these gems at Doors Open Waterloo Region, where they can experience a day of entering buildings often closed to the public. This year the focus will be on modern architecture.

“People usually think about Doors Open as an event that highlights heritage buildings, so sometimes we forget how important our modern architecture is,” said Jane Snyder, the coordinator of this year’s event.

For example, look to the new Waterloo Region Courthouse, built on the principles of usefulness, environmental sustainability and integration of courtroom systems in order to create a more efficient justice system. This is

one of the buildings that will be opening its doors on the 21st.

Doors Open also features many ‘adaptive re-use’ buildings. These are typically factories or buildings that have been in disrepair for years, but have been purchased for the purpose of being refurbished for another use; while still incorporating the original look of the building. On the tour this year is The Ayr Public Library, which was restored in 2012 by Ayr Financial Services. Their design worked to keep many of the heritage features including the façade, interior classical archways, pressed-tin ceilings and stained glass.

There are many exciting highlights at this year’s event including interesting talks, lectures, and even some musical acts.

“We put out the call to local performing arts organizations, asking if they wanted to partner with Doors Open sites,” Snyder said of this year’s musical infusion. Be on the look-out for the Grand Philharmonic Youth and Children’s Choir, which will be hosting two open rehearsals from 2-3 pm and 3-4 pm.

So grab your camera, your thirst for adventure and follow Snyder’s advice. “Doors Open is a great way to walk confidently into a building you might not normally.”

Download the map and guide directly from regionofwaterloo.ca/doorsopen

Big building of small wonders TEGAN THUSS URBAN EXPLORING EDITOR

“People usually think about Doors Open as an event that highlights heritage buildings, so sometimes we forget how important our modern architecture is.”

T

he Mike & Ophelia Lazaridis Quantum-Nano Centre is finally being opened to the public for Doors Open Waterloo Region 2013.

Having first opened its doors in 2012 while still incomplete, this building is quite young compared to some of the heritage buildings featured in Doors Open.

Its modern architecture highlights the merger of the Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) with the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology (WIN). The combination is represented by the vertical windows of varying reflectivity and transparency, signifying quantum superposition and the honeycomb steel lattice representing graphene, one of the building blocks of nanotechnology.

The tour will introduce you to some of the building’s more astonishing features: the floating staircase, an intensely orange cleanroom/fabrication facility for nanotechnology (which includes ventilation for air to flow from ceiling to floor in a straight path), state of the art high-bay laboratories and a large lecture room (which will be used at Doors

—Jane Snyder, Coordinator Doors Open Waterloo Region

Open for a children’s show and a public lecture).

The main hope for this state-of-the-art building is to create collaboration between the experimentalists and the theorists, which was emphasized by adding ‘mind-space areas’ for them to meet each day to talk and work out any issues they are facing. As well, this building has added another element to the community, which will draw in some of the most intelligent thinkers and lecturers making Waterloo a globally celebrated city, known for embracing and forming the future.

SEPTEMBER 2013 • 9

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THE

best of of

waterloo region The very best of everything as voted by you in our online readers poll at community.thecord.ca Written by: Anna Beard, Justin Fauteux, Jill Kolb, Fiorella Morzi, Veronica Naas, Janine Prew, Mark Shiffer, Justin Smirlies, Tegan Thuss, Kate Turner, Lauren Ward and H.G. Watson Design by Lena Yang and H.G. Watson

THE BEST building

Perimeter Institute Runner-up: Seagram Lofts

THE BEST public space Not just a pretty building, the Perimeter Institute was designed to maximize functional workspace. A site of leading research and innovation, the building is a bold and attractive representation of scientific change.

Situated next to Waterloo Park’s Silver Lake, the Perimeter Institute was built in 2004 and expanded to double its size in 2011. The new building, named after Stephen Hawking, features specific areas designed for spontaneous collaboration and multi-disciplinary scientific research, with high-tech infrastructure at every turn. The Perimeter Institute is also a leader in environmental design, constructed with locally sourced materials and featuring a green roof and large windows for capturing natural light.

31 Caroline St. N, Waterloo, perimeterinstitute.ca

Waterloo Public Square What’s the ‘up’ in this part of town? The Waterloo Public Square is central to uptown Waterloo’s attraction and is the cornerstone to many community events, activities, festivals and shops. The public is welcome to enjoy the tables and chairs, the Waterloo Bell public art piece by artist Royden Rabinowitch, the skating in the winter and all the retailers in the Waterloo Town Square mall.

The square faces bustling King St., is centre stage to entertainers, vendors, and speakers and invites people of all ages to experience this community space.

75 King St. S, Waterloo

THE BEST park & Best PLace To REad

Victoria Park Victoria Park offers a vibrant setting for a day spent with the family. Located in the centre of downtown Kitchener, the park offers something for all ages. There is a large playground area as well as a splash pad to cool off on those hot and humid days. For an even further escape from the city, check out Victoria Park Island. A trip over the old iron bridges to the gazebo, within this hidden-away treasure recalls a bygone era. The mood is perfect for a nostalgic novel. For a more modern feel, take a seat nearby one of the sculptures scattered around the park, or along the abundant stretches of water’s edge.

THE BEST Bike trail

The Iron Horse Trail Whether you are a novice or a veteran cyclist, the Iron Horse Trail is a fantastic route to explore by bike. Originally part of the Grand River Railway, the Iron Horse Trail was opened for bikers and hikers in 1997.

It is now connected with the Trans Canada Trail and is maintained jointly by the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo. The trail is 5.5 kilometres long, connecting downtown Kitchener and uptown Waterloo, as well as Victoria Park and Waterloo Park. Riding the trail, riders see a variety of scenery, including both urban settings and forested sections.

10 • SEPTEMBER 2013

THE BEST OF Waterloo REgion THE BEST K-W MOVER & SHAKER

Hilary Abel (@angrycelery)

Officially, Abel works for the City of Kitchener doing marketing and events.

Unofficially, Abel has been involved in city building for years, running RQ Magazine, Steel Rail Sessions and a whole host of other initiatives.

THE BEST Community centre

THE BEST Sports Venue

The Family Centre

The Kitchener Auditorium

The Family Centre is a glistening new community centre just on the outskirts of Kitchener. It boasts state-of-the-art facilities for the many charities and groups that use it, including KidsAbility, The Blairview School and Family and Children Services Waterloo Region. Don’t let the shiny new facade fool you. The Family Centre is a place with a lot of heart and a friend for anyone who needs one.

65 Hanson Ave., Kitchener, thefamilycentre.ca

THE BEST SOCIAL PROFIT

CANGO Consulting Runner-up: The Working Centre

• PHOTO COURTESY Hilary Abel

Where’s your favourite place that nobody else knows about?

At the risk of letting everyone else know about it… Snyder’s Flatts (but I’m not telling you where it is) is the best place in town to walk the dog, go for a quick swim and be out in the middle of nowhere while being tenmins from home.

What’s your favourite meal in the city?

Definitely Korean BBQ on King Street in Downtown’s East End. You know the place – 2nd floor of the red and white Hong Kong Plaza. The bimbimbap is so good.

If you weren’t living in Waterloo Region you’d be…

Goteborg Sweden, my bestie lives there and it just has this incredible Scandinavian style

THE BEST place to work & BEst weekend fun For Kids

THEMUSEUM

Runner-up: OpenText & Bingemans A job at THEMUSEUM requires interacting daily with children who are excited by all there is to see, hear, feel and sometimes smell. From hosting summer camps to explaining the wonders of space in a small dome, who wouldn’t be thrilled to work in this kind of environment? Originally known as the Children’s Museum, THEMUSEUM now offers exhibits for all ages and interests.

The building contains five floors of diverse interactive exhibits and programs that combine art, science, and technology. Some exhibits are on permanent display, such as a spot for tots, a walking piano, a bed of nails, and a magnetic wall. Other exhibits are regularly changed, keeping The Museum unique and fresh for regular visits.

10 King St. W., Kitchener, themuseum.ca.

THE BEST Start-up

BufferBox

Runner-up: Thalmic Labs Founded in 2012 by University of Waterloo alumni Jay Shah, Aditya Bali and Mike

that I love. Narrow cobblestone streets with cafes, shops and bikes everywhere. I felt very at home when I was there.

What song most reminds you of Waterloo Region?

“Go Do” by Jonsi. I’m telling ya, crank this puppy up on a beautiful fall day, and the region’s entrepreneurial spirit will be flowing through your veins.

What’s the secret to moving and shaking in the city?

Make shit happen. There’s lots of people out there that say they’re going to do something, but they never get around to it. If you say you’re going to change something, make something new or help someone with something…do it.

McCauley, BufferBox is a means of ending delivery frustration by allowing customers to purchase goods online and send them to a parcel pick-up station. Their official test launch took place in January 2012 at the University of Waterloo, and the company been steadily expanding since. This start-up company has become so popular that they have been acquired by Google, and will be moving to the Kitchener-Waterloo Google headquarters. bufferbox.com

THE BEST Sports Team

The Tri-City Roller Girls

Runner-up: The Kitchener Rangers The Tri-City Roller Girls skate hard, take hits and win games — all while wearing fishnets. Roller derby has seen a resurgence in the last ten years thanks to its entertainment value. It’s a theatrical, athletic sport full of female athletes who also have day jobs. The Tri City Roller Girls represent Waterloo Region proudly, doing well in regional competitions.

Derby is for everyone, and any one of the Roller Girls will be happy to show you how to the game is played. Just watch out for that hip check. tricityrollergirls.com

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This management consulting firm found its roots at the University of Waterloo amidst the computer nerds and science geeks. The interesting thing is that these guys aren’t focused on tech or science at all - they work exclusively with charitable foundations. Their objective is to make changes at the bottom so that everything that builds on that base is improved. Ideally, by improving operations at the micro level, the whole non-profit sector can improve resulting in communities with better access to social services. cangoconsulting.com

THE BEST inspirational group

The Satori Centre

Runner-up: Fearless Heart Yoga Launched in 2009 by Patti Moses, The Satori Centre is a place where individuals can nurture themselves psychically, spiritually, and mentally. As the founder, Moses is an example of her Centre’s teachings. She earned her undergraduate degree in her forties and her master’s degree in her fifties. She says, “I am living proof that it is never too late to make significant changes in one’s life.” The Satori Centre helps individuals find their path in life through meditation, psychotherapy, retreats, book study groups, talk therapy, and mindfulness classes. This centre encourages healing and holistic practices, and allowing yourself to open up to change and your own potential. satoricentre.ca

It’s no secret that the people of K-W love their Kitchener Rangers. And the atmosphere inside the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium — referred to by most as “The Aud” — is tough to beat when this community’s beloved OHL team is on the ice. The Rangers have called The Aud, and more specifically the complex’s Dom Cardillo Arena, home since 1961. When nearly 8,000 fans pack the stands there are few buildings in all of junior hockey that are louder. Opened in 1951, The Aud gives off that irreplaceable feeling of an old-time hockey barn. While there have been various upgrades over the years — most recently a 2011 renovation that added nearly 1,000 seats — that old-time feel has remained.

400 East Ave Kitchener, theaud.ca

THE BEST space to work in

The Tannery

Runner-up: The Communitech Hub In the centre of the Quantum Valley, you’ll find a building that is lending its own history to help sculpt the future. Built in the 1850s, the Lang Tannery was purchased in 2007

by Toronto-based realtor CADAN, who redeveloped the property and sold it to Allied Properties REIT in May 2012. The 30,600 square metre building located in Kitchener’s warehouse district now oozes creativity and innovation, and has helped breathe fresh air into the downtown core. The Tannery is now home to a number of heavy hitting tech companies and high profile startups, including Communitech, Google, Desire2Learn and CuteGecko.

151 Charles St. W., Kitchener, thetannery.ca

THANK YOU FANS

For naming us your favorite local sports team in Kitchener-Waterloo!

THE BEST yoga & Best Fitness

Queen Street Yoga Runner-up: Moksha Yoga

Queen Street Yoga is an underrated fitness gem works out your body, mind and soul, without over-extending your budget. Classes are designed to challenge students, whether it be to quiet the mind or conquer fears of flying (in their acro yoga class). Located on Queen St. in downtown Kitchener, this studio offers unique fitness experiences for all.

44 Queen St. S. Kitchener, queenstreetyoga.com

FIND OUT WHY WE’RE #1

UPCOMING GAMES Sat, September 14 Sat, September 21 Sat, October 5 Sat, October 19 For tickets visit

www.TriCityRollerGirls.com

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SEPTEMBER 2013 • 11

THE BEST OF Waterloo REgion THE BEST ARTS MOVER & SHAKER

Janice Lee (@JaniceJoLee)

When it comes to art in Waterloo, it’s a sure bet you can find Lee involved in it. A poet, actor, singer-songwriter and activist, she won a Leading Edge Waterloo Region Arts Award for her work building community in the art scene.

THE BEST theatre company

K-W Little Theatre

Runner-up: Drayton Entertainment Looking to watch an intimate performance at a great playhouse with great stories and great actors? Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre (KWLT) is just the place. This black box theatre has been staging amazing shows since the prohibition era. The KWLT is not only full of talent, but is run by gritty and resilient people who survived a 2002 fire that ruined their building. However, they continued on by renting space around the community and rebuilt in 2009 with the theme, “The Show Must Go On!” 9 Princess St E, kwlt.org

THE BEST theatre venue

Centre in the Square Runner-up: Registry Theatre

What makes the Centre in the Square the best theatre venue'? "Acoustics," says regular patron, Tanya Pompilio. "[I’ve] been many times. I prefer seeing concerts there over the larger Toronto venues. Better acoustics and a better chance of meeting the bands." This is not surprising, as the 23-year-old theatre and performing arts centre has received international attention for its great sight lines and wonderful acoustics. It’s perfect as the home venue for the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, as well as many other music acts and performers. Most recently, the Centre hosted TEDxWaterloo in February.

101 Queen St N Kitchener, centre-square.com

THE BEST ARTS EVENT

Sun Life Financial Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival Runner-up: Kitchener Art Market

Every July, in mid-summer, the Jazz Festival heats things up with three days of live music performances and dancing in the streets of Uptown Waterloo. More than 35,000 enthusiastic festival-goers come here to experience different genres of jazz music while perusing some of the goodies that vendors on the street have to offer. Some of these great offerings include: delicious food, paintings, cute art pieces like little jazz musicians made out of bicycle parts, and even cool retro cameras. uptownwaterloojazz.ca

• PHOTO COURTESY MAT McCArthy

THE BEST local author

Carrie Snyder Runner-up: Erin Bow

Born in Hamilton and raised in Ohio, Nicaragua and Southern Ontario, Carrie Snyder decided to settle with her husband and four children in Waterloo. Her latest novel, The Juliet Stories, was a finalist for the 2012 Governor General’s Literary Award for fiction.

Carrie writes her own blog, Obscure CanLit Mama, about life as a mother, novelist and woman. On this blog she reveals that, if your book club reads her novel and invites her to attend, she will come ready to answer questions and chat (as long as you live close enough). At the moment, she is working on two new books, essays for three anthologies, and is tackling a new teaching job. carrieannesnyder.blogspot.com

THE BEST local musician

Danny Michel

Runner-up: Richard Garvey Michel is a born and bred resident of K-W, but his musical career has taken him all over the world. Most recently, he recorded Black Birds Are Dancing over Me with The Garifuna Collective. The effort earned him a place on the longlist for the 2013 Polaris Prize and a Juno nomination for World Music Album of the Year. Michel always keeps his roots in K-W, which makes him the best. dannymichel.com

What’s your favourite meal in the city?

Northern Thai on Queen Streeet downtown Kitchener. Eggplant delight, green curry, and shrimp fried rice.

What would you change in the Region?

Less cars, more bicycles.

If the Region had a flag, what would be on it?

The Grand River, in all its polluted glory.

The best neighbourhood in Waterloo Region is…downtown Kitchener. It’s ridiculous people still think downtown is a scary place full of crackheads. I feel way safer and able to participate in the community there than anywhere else. All my favourite spots are downtown: Victoria Park, Cafe Pyrus, the Kitchener Market, the Queen Street Commons, Out of the Past vintage clothes, and Northern Thai!

If you didn’t win best Arts Mover and Shaker, who should have?

Isabel Cisterna. She is passionate about the arts and community and works so hard. Isabel opened doors for me as an artist by having me perform in her shows. She is a great person to have in our Region for sure.

Oktoberfest

Runner-up: Steel Rail Sessions

THE BEST local artist

Jennifer Gough

THE BEST gallery or museum

Abstract artist Jennifer Gough is self-taught, which makes her success on so many levels all the more impressive. She runs her own studio, Minds Eye Art Studio, hosts a popular community art show on CKWR 98.5 and finds time to produce a prodigious number of paintings. Art is her passion, and now she’s made a name for herself by inspiring that passion in others. mindseyestudioart.com

Where’s your favourite place that nobody else knows about? The floating t-dock in Waterloo Park is one of my favourite places to watch a sunset and chill in the evening.

But don’t feed the swans — they will beak you. Territorial monsters they are.

THE BEST party of the year

Prosit! K-W is proud of its German roots and this is nowhere more apparent than at Oktoberfest. Falling in mid-October, several arenas and German clubs get transformed into giant beer halls where you can hear traditional German music and snack on some traditional food. It’s not all drinking though the annual parade on Thanksgiving day gives everyone a chance to join in on the fun. oktoberfest.ca

Runner-up: Chris Austin

What song most reminds you of Waterloo Region? “Like a tree”, by Kitchener musician Richard Garvey. It goes “Oh to be rooted, la la la in Mother Earth.” When people ask where I am from, I say I am rooted in Kitchener-Waterloo.

KWAG

Runner-up: THEMUSEUM Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery has done an amazing job over the last few years of bringing a diverse and interesting group of exhibitions and collections to Waterloo. They’ve also shored up their programming with special guest lecturers - some of them are even scheduled for lunch so that downtown workers can enjoy some culture on their break.

101 Queen St N Kitchener, kwag.ca

THE BEST place to Dance & Live Music venue

Starlight Social Club

Runner-up: Phil’s & The Boathouse Do you love busting a move? Cutting a rug?

Shaking your tail feather? Sometimes it can be difficult in Waterloo, where most of the dance floors are so jam-packed that all you can do is sway and try not to elbow people in the face. Don’t fret, there’s a place where you to get your groove on without having strangers in your personal bubble: Starlight Social Club. The atmosphere is intimate and the crowd is more mature than most you’ll see in the area, so you can bust out your best moves without fear of being heckled by youths.

Spinning old-school beats on Fridays and basically every genre under the sun on Saturdays, plus amazing concerts most other days of the week, Starlight has something for all music lovers.

47 King St. N, Waterloo, starlightsocialclub.ca

14• SEPTEMBER 2013

THE BEST OF WAterloo Region THE BEST local reporter

Greg Mercer (@MercerRecord)

Mercer, the features reporter for the Waterloo Region Record, isn’t afraid to do some digging or tackle tough stories. This year he’s reported on everything from puppy mills to fraudsters.

The city market after 2pm on weekdays.

What’s your favourite meal in the city?

Curry chicken with rice and peas, Rainbow Café, Kitchener.

If you weren’t living in Waterloo Region you’d be ...living in the Maritimes.

If the Region had a flag, what would be on it?

The Grand River.

The best neighbourhood in Waterloo Region is ...Old Galt.

• PHOTO COURTESY Greg Mercer

Where’s your favourite place in the Region?

Dryden Tract, North Dumfries Township.

What would you change in the Region?

Improve traffic.

What song most reminds you of Waterloo Region?

“Waterloo” by ABBA. What’s your favourite Waterloo Region news story this year?

Mark Stever and his plans for the Boehmer Box building.

Where’s your favourite place that nobody else knows about?

THE BEST record shop

Orange Monkey

Runner-up: Encore Records Vinyls renaissance has been good news for Orange Monkey, a little record shop on Princess St. just beside Jane Bond. Orange Monkey feels exactly like a record store should — a little cluttered, so you have that feeling that you’re going to dig and find something really special.

5 Princess St. W, Waterloo, orangemonkeymusic.com

THE BEST place to buy a sexy gift

The Stag Shop

Runner-up: The Love Shop Halloween is coming up, and for some people that means one thing — a sexy Halloween costume. Thankfully, the Stag Shop is here to help out, providing options like sexy nurse, sexy pirate and sexy cop. Though we doubt they will stock the sexy Abraham Lincoln costume we asked for, they do also carry a wide range of sex toys and adult

entertainment videos to fulfill any kinky desire you have, Halloween or otherwise.

7 King St. N Waterloo, stagshop.com

THE BEST vintage/ consignment store

StylFrugal

Runner-up: Meow Boutique Shopping on a budget? Have clothes in your closet you’ve never worn or have outgrown?

Enter StylFrugal. You take in your clothes, they sell them, and you get money. Run by the gorgeous Helena Kwiecinski, StylFrugal is a true blue boutique, accepting new or gently worn, seasonally appropriate clothing and accessories that are at most a few years old. Maybe it’s a gorgeous jean jacket to help keep you warm as the evenings get cooler, or a pair of pumps for an important interview.

Regardless, it’s not unusual to spot a gem, or five. If you’re gearing up to do an autumn closet switch-over and looking to rid yourself of some clutter, make an appointment with Helena and drop off some items.

30 Ontario St. N, Kitchener, stylfrugal.com

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THE BEST Tattoo parlour

Tora Tattoo

Runner-up: Berlin Tattoo Right in the heart of Uptown Waterloo is Tora Tattoo, a local piercing and tattoo studio set up by emerging artist Jamie Izumi in 1994.

Before opening the studio in Waterloo, Izumi spent most of his time touring at tattoo conventions around North America, sharing his craft as well as winning numerous awards.

With four reputable artists now at the local joint, Tora Tattoo should be proud of the legacy they’ve created for themselves in this community. When it comes to consultations and hashing out an idea for a tattoo with a client, the artists put a lot of care in the work they produce to ensure that the customer is satisfied with their life-long ink.

7 Young St. E , Waterloo, toratattoo.com

THE BEST local boutique

Gloss Boutique

Runner-up: The Truth Beauty Company You’re the type of person who loves fashion.

From tip to tail, your style carries through everything you do. With a closet littered with staples from BB Dakota, GentleFawn, Pink Stitch, and Yoga Jeans, a gorgeous smile and beautifully cared for and styled tresses to match, it’s no wonder you’re the envy of everyone you pass. Well, you belong at Gloss.

Gloss is a boutique for the fashion faithful and has been serving up charming threads from Europe and North America since 2002.

The fun doesn’t stop there; it’s also home to a trendsetting salon that offers men’s and women’s cuts and upstyling. A visit to this downtown Kitchener gem defines one-stop shopping.

87 King St. W, Kitchener, glossrocks.com

THE BEST Bike shop

King Street Cycle Runner-up: MacPhail’s

Biking has become a healthy and eco-friendly alternative to driving within the region so finding the perfect bicycle to fit your needs has become akin to buying a car. You research comfort, fit, style and reliability, then you go to the shops you believe will have the best options and deals. King Street Cycle is “rider owned and rider oriented.” Open since 2004, they have become a store reliable for placing a rider with the bicycle that will fit what they are searching for, be it mountain biking, road biking or leisure biking. They carry many Canadian name brands including Norco, Rocky Mountain, Brodie, Chromag and Sugoi. Their open concept store is inviting and their staff are willing to take the time to listen and give advice.

It’s no wonder they can boast about being able to have their customers “rolling in no time.”

2 King St. S, Waterloo, kingstreetcycles.com

THE BEST hair salon

Cowboys & Angels Runner-up: Brown Salon

Waterloo’s Cowboys and Angels is determined to stand out from the pack in style.

Owned and operated by Cindy Calhoun since 1999, the shop prides itself on an alternative approach to beauty and wellness, emphasizing the importance of art-making and against-the-grain edge. Along with offering services like dreadlocks without heavy waxing, make-up application and plant-based reconstructive conditioning, their highly devoted stylists are committed to supporting grassroots artists by providing a safe space to showcase any and all art, commission-free.

The folks at Cowboys and Angels are about kicking back in a relaxed atmosphere, happily doing the job they love to do, surrounded by the sounds of scissors, sinks and alternative jams.

16 Princess St. E, Waterloo, cowboysandangelssalon.ca

THE BEST bookstore

Words Worth Books Runner-up: Old Goat Books

Words Worth Books is no stranger to the region’s book-loving residents, nurturing a community-wide desire to engage with the printed word since 1984. Generations of curious students, eager mothers and loyal literary connoisseurs have walked through the shop’s doors to meet Words Worth’s hardworking, open-armed staff championing literacy, enrichment, good conversations and independent booksellers in Canada.

On an average day, you can find owners David Worsley and Mandy Brouse at the store modestly using their expertise to find you exactly what you came there to find, even if you didn’t know it.

96 King St. S, Waterloo, wordsworthbooks.com

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SEPTEMBER 2013 • 15

THE BEST OF WAterloo Region THE BEST City Councillor

Melissa Durrell (@MELISSADURRELL)

The Uptown Waterloo Ward 7 councillor since 2010, Durrell oversees the rapidly changing uptown core, ushering it into an age of urban density and rapid transit.

THE BEST community event

K-W Multicultural Festival

Runner-up: Kitchener Blues Festival

THE BEST place to take a second date

Princess Cinemas Runner-up: Jane Bond

You’ve jumped hurdle one and after days of sporadic messaging, you decide a second date with the person you went for drinks with is in order. Princess Cinemas have you covered. An evening at either of these royal locales will likely go over well, whether you choose to catch a flick at the Original Princess or head over to the Princess Twin. With a rotating selection of award-winning, classic, and specialty flicks, the theatres will inspire an evening of witty banter for you and your potential paramour. With $10 tickets ($7 for members) having date two here is not only bound to impress, but will save you some cash for date number three. Pro tip: Both theatres are cash only. Grabbing a bite pre-movie? Check out the dinner & a movie deal at the Princess Café!

46 King St. N, Waterloo, princesscinemas.com

THE BEST place to meet people and Lgbtq Bar

Jane Bond

Runner-up: Chainsaw & Ethel’s The name is Bond, Jane Bond. She’s hip, she’s casual and she’s classy. It doesn’t matter who you are - you belong here. If the warm atmosphere and creative drink menu don’t immediately lure you in, before you know it you’re chatting it up with former strangers in this diverse crowd of happy shiny people.

For those with the late-night munchies, Ms. Bond also has a solid reputation for satisfying veggie or vegan appetites. How did this place become an LGBTQ hotspot? Maybe it’s the no guff attitude that the gender-swapped name portrays, or the stylish décor and atmosphere. Or perhaps it’s just one of those things that arose naturally and for no reason other than positive word of mouth.

5 Princess St. W, Waterloo, janebond.ca

For more than 40 years, the K-W Multicultural Festival has helped launch summer. It is a positive community event that takes place in June at beautiful Victoria Park in downtown Kitchener. It’s a festival for all ages that celebrates diversity and unity in the Waterloo Region. The festival features international cuisine, traditional songs and dancing, as well as arts and crafts from across the globe.

This past year featured performances representing many parts of the world: the Caribbean, Latin America, China, Japan, India, Korea, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The atmosphere is friendly, the food is amazing, and the music rocks.

Victoria Park, kitchenerevents.ca

THE BEST Development project

Light Rail Transit

Runner-up: The Barrelyards What visionary project will reshape this community, move people and change our urban landscape? The winner is none other than the Region of Waterloo’s rapid transit service, ION. The light rail train service will start running in 2017. Stage one of ION will include 19 kilometres of track and 16 stops from Conestoga Mall in Waterloo to Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener. The first stage will also include a new adapted bus rapid transit service beginning in 2014 with a 17-kilometre route and six stops from Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener to the Ainslie Street Terminal in Cambridge. Stage two of ION will convert the adapted bus rapid transit into light rail transit resulting in a 37-kilometre train route and 23 stops connecting the three urban core areas of this region. rapidtransit.regionofwaterloo.ca

THE BEST karaoke

Chainsaw No matter how many times you’ll have to endure “Living On a Prayer,” Chainsaw Saloon is still the place to be for karaoke in Waterloo. The atmosphere is always lively yet laid back, and has something to offer everyone: an awesome patio, pool tables, cheap pitchers and the most delicious caesar you’ll ever have. Speaking of delicious, try the poutine.

Or anything else they have on the menu, because seriously, it’s all amazing. Karaoke participants range from tone-deaf bros screaming Adele lyrics to truly amazing singers wowing the crowd, and whether you’re watching complete strangers or belting out a tune yourself, it promises to be a good time.

28 King St. N, Waterloo, chainsawlovers.com

Where’s your favourite place in the Region?

Waterloo Park. I often run through the park during my morning jog, and it is great place to spend time with my young kids and husband.

What would you change in the Region?

Shift economic development from municipal government to region. In order to compete on a national and international stage we need a regional economic development strategy.

We are the tenth largest area in Canada, we need an economic development strategy that is comprehensive and allows the entire region to be successful.

If you weren’t living in Waterloo Region you’d be… in Ottawa. I’m a political wonk, and love the active, outdoor lifestyle it supports. My family and I spend every Canada Day on Parliament Hill. There is an incredible feeling of pride singing ‘Oh Canada’ and having the snowbirds fly over you.

If the Region had a flag, what would be on it?

I love the colourful glass panels that line the facade of the Waterloo Region Museum. The 16 colours of glass have been turned into a hexadecimal computer code, that represent the alphabet and when decoded become former PM Laurier’s famous quote.

“We do not want, that any individuals should forget the land of the origin or their ancestors. Let them look to the past, but let them also look to the future; let them look to the

THE BEST local blog

• PHOTO COURTESY Melissa Durrell

land of their ancestors, but let them look also to the land of their children.”

I think that would make an interesting regional flag.

What song most reminds you of Waterloo Region?

“Live in this city,” Dragonette What’s the biggest change in Waterloo since you became a councillor?

Urban intensification and mixed use development. Over the last 3 years we have experienced unprecedented growth. The uptown core is intensifying, along with the university areas. With the LRT coming, we will likely see more development over the next five years. It is an exciting time to be living in Waterloo.

THE BEST trivia night

Table for Maple

The Bombshelter Pub

Runner-up: omgUW

Runner-up: Wilf’s

The blog Table for Maple has a simple mission — find good food in Waterloo Region.

It’s author, Maple, is all about positivity, refusing to write bad reviews. This philosophy has brought her a following of devoted foodies and community lovers alike, who stay tuned for her well-written stories of adventure, community events and of course, food. tableformaple.com

Another landslide winner, trivia at the Bombshelter Pub at University of Waterloo owes its success to quizmaster Gaby (@triviaguy17), who also hosts trivia nights at Wilf’s on the Laurier campus. On Thursdays, Gaby leads a double header of trivia that covers basically everything, followed by a round of karaoke. Pop quiz: can you handle it?

200 University Ave. W, Waterloo, bomber.ca

THE BEST activist group

THE BEST Non-CCE publication

The Working Centre Runner-up: Sustainable Waterloo Region

The Working Centre is quite unlike any nonprofit. It’s a sprawling collective of organizations that includes urban farms, a bike repair shop and thrift stores. But their overall mission is clear: assist people living in poverty and advocate for their rights. Because of their work, they’ve created a unique support system for low income people in K-W that has certainly helped many people in times of need.

58 Queen St. S, Kitchener, theworkingcentre.org

Alternatives Journal

Runner-up: Waterloo Region Record Alternatives Journal, a publication about the environment, is a must-read for anyone who not only values the Earth but enjoys great storytelling and beautiful design. The magazine is produced right here in Waterloo and each issue brings insightful and well-told articles to a national audience. alternativesjournal.ca

16• SEPTEMBER 2013

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URBan Exploring

Urban beat y OUR NEIGHBOURS GET PROTECTED BIKE LANES Hamilton will be introducing protected two-way bike lanes to Cannon St. This plan began because of a petition, Yes We Cannon, which 2,300 residents signed. The petition campaign, which only launched in May, used social media to create a buzz and urged riders to take part in a Cannon Street “bike parade” in June. Councillors approved the $600,000 pilot project, even with the expected blowback from driver’s losing a lane. The success of this project may encourage other cities to invest in their own twoway protected bike lanes.

y RE-IMAGINING THE WALPER HOTEL

Last month the annual Ethel’s Lounge tray race came back to the local restaurant. Teams from area bars run an obstacle course all while balancing a tray of open water bottles. All proceeds go to MS Kitchener-Waterloo.

Photo by Caitlin McWilliams CCE Contributor

$3.5M expected to go into the remodelling of the Walper Hotel. The plans will convert the historic hotel into an upscale boutique facility. Two of the partners behind this project are Perimeter Development Corp. and Zehr Group, who have also worked together on the Breithaupt Block and the Simpson Block. Changes won’t be visible quite yet, as a “master plan” is being developed and is expected to take six to eight months.

y DITCHING TECHNOLOGY FOR A YEAR

vocal cord We went to Wilfrid Laurier University and asked:

What flavour beer would you invent?

“Something sweet”

“Coke flavoured beer”

Jonathan Myers, Student

Alisha Gascho, Former Student

A family of four from Guelph have decided to live as though they were in 1986, including mullets, Tom Selleck moustache, teased 80s hair and vintage clothing. Without technology to distract them, they are finding themselves outside more often and enjoying family meals together.

Would you be able to go a year without a computer, cell phone, tablet or flat screen television?

SEPTEMBER 2013 • 17

COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

New Brewery on the block Block Three Brewing opens in St. Jacobs janine prew CCE Contributor

W

hen a brewery sells out of beer, you know they’ve got a good thing going on. For the Block Three Brewing Company, that’s exactly what happened at their Labour Day weekend grand opening.

Located on King Street in downtown St. Jacobs, they opened their doors with no more than a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and the rumour mill. Armed with two brews — the King Street Saison and the Sugar Bush Brown Ale — they treated the public to free tastings and tours of the facility. On day one they sold out of the Saison, leaving just the ale available for the next two days, but nobody seemed to be complaining.

Behind the scenes at Block Three are three former accountants and one master carpenter turned brewmaster, and most amazing of all — not one of them is over the age of 30. Phil Hipkiss, Graham Spence and Derek Lebert were three friends who wanted to go beyond just tasting interesting beers to see if they could make a beer worthy of their monthly beer club social group. Enter Bryan Maher, already familiar with home brewing.

“One thing lead to another. We kind of decided to take the idea as far as we could without stopping” said Lebert, a former Laurier graduate. “We just said, ‘You know what, let’s just try to do it, and the second we realize we can’t, we’ll stop.’ Now we’re open.”

The opening of a functional brewery doesn’t come without a few setbacks, of course. Originally slated to open July 1st, there were issues with licencing and some equipment delays; not to mention the overall stress and understandable head-butting involved in such a major undertaking. But it all seems to have come together, complete with a funky tasting room featuring local art on the walls, quality carpentry highlights,

Community Conversations

Why you need to be involved in your child’s sex education

It’s back to school time in Waterloo Region and parents need to be aware of all aspects of their child’s school curriculum: from math to English to sexual health. The current sexual health curriculum in Ontario grade schools is outdated by 15 years. A new curriculum has been developed and was supposed to be implemented in 2010; however, Dalton McGuinty reneged on this decision. It is now up to current Premier Kathleen Wynne to bring Ontario’s sexual education up to date.

The “new” curriculum has been called

Busy taste testing at the bar of the Block Three Brewing Company on labour day weekend. • carrie briscoe CCE Contributor

and a record player that you can spin yourself (should the mood for Fleetwood Mac or The Arkells overcome you).

Block Three is currently on tap at six different restaurants in the area, with tentative plans to expand and no burning desire to be found in the LCBO any time soon.

Staying local is important to the Block Three brewers. They adopted the brewery name from an old term used to identify Woolwich Township, back before the influx of European settlers.

Locals, meanwhile, are excited to work with them. In the few short days they’ve been operating, they’ve already had several local businesses contacting them about cross-over promotions.

Block Three only has the two brews available at the moment, but they have plans for a

variety of brews in the future.

“We have our King Street Saison right now and our Sugar Bush Brown, and we’re going to see how those go over. If people like them they’re going to probably be our two flagship beers,” said Lebert. “And then we’re always going to be doing a seasonal beer on our main tanks, and we’re going to plan on doing some one-off’s on our smaller test batches.”

The Saison is a Belgian style farmhouse pale ale, at 4.6 per cent alcohol content with citrus, pepper and coriander notes. The Sugar Bush is a darker ale, at 4.8 per cent, and as the name suggests, features locally acquired maple syrup that gives you a sweet kick at the end.

There are also plans underway for an Oktoberfest brew, a Christmas special, and they are looking to experiment with local

controversial because it mentions masturbation, oral sex, anal sex and gender identity, even though they are discussed in an age-appropriate and healthy manner. Sexual health education is just as important as other subjects in school and yet it is never treated with much respect or importance.

Every human being is a sexual being; what people learn at a young age about relationships, sexuality and sexual health is information that can be used over the course of a lifetime. It is critical for parents to supplement their child’s sexual health education at home and create a comfortable and open environment where they feel encouraged to raise their questions and concerns.

Sexual health education is important because it increases a child’s overall health and sexual self-esteem. It helps protect children from sexual abuse and sexual assault, prepares them for healthy adult relationships, increases body awareness and helps them understand the emotions they are feeling as puberty begins. A lack of sexual health information could lead to unhealthy or abusive relationships, unplanned pregnancies, contraction of sexually transmitted infections

(STIs), and feelings of guilt, shame and confusion.

With the increase of social media, children and adolescents have unlimited access to information. Unfortunately, the information regarding sex, sexuality and sexual health is often inaccurate, out-of-date and obscenely inappropriate. Video games, the Internet, television and movies are awash with sex and sexual messages. These messages are often sexist, racist and homophobic and can be confusing, embarrassing or frightening for children.

It is impossible to shield children from all the sexual imagery and language in society.

If we want our children to grow into confident and sexually healthy adults, we must be willing to discuss sexuality openly and teach children how to think critically about what they see and hear.

-Stacey Jacobs is the Community Sexual Health Educator at Planned Parenthood Waterloo Region (www.ppwr.on.ca) and has taught Sexuality classes at the University of Waterloo. She has a Master of Science from the University of Guelph and is thinking about completing a PhD.

fruits, like apples. Absolutely none of their brews will contain artificial flavours or preservatives.

“When you filter there’s a lot of flavours that actually come out of the beer and so we prefer right now to keep all our beers unfiltered. It makes a cloudy beer, but it’s definitely more flavourful,” explained Lebert. Future plans also include brewing cask ales (unfiltered, unpasteurized, uncarbonated) and barrel brews (beer aged in old whiskey, bourbon, or wine barrels).

Beers come in refillable growlers or by the bottle. Hurry to the brewery soon, as they keep selling out of beers, Block Three Brewing Company has set themselves up to be a local success.

Find out more about Block Three Brewing at blockthreebrewing.ca

Tips to help you talk to your children and adolescents about sex: 1. Try to have an open and honest communication style.

2. Educate yourself.

3. Accept that it may be awkward and embarrassing.

4. Reflect on your own upbringing and sexual health education.

5. Talk about feelings and emotions, as well as the facts.

6. Stay informed with the music, television and social media your child listens to, watches and uses.

7. Look for everyday opportunities to have a discussion – one discussion is never enough.

8. It is never too late to start communicating with your child.

9. Use books – Contact Planned Parenthood Waterloo Region for a list of age appropriate books ppwr.on.ca.

10. Ask your child questions to find out what they know – you may be surprised.

11. Normalize sexuality – it should be a healthy part of your life.

12. Have a sense of humour.

18• SEPTEMBER 2013

COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

Why wait another month?

Keep up with The Cord Community Edition whenever you want by checking us out online

Pure & local Your monthly guide to living clean in K-W

community.thecord.ca

Helping children live in the moment can get them ready for big days “Hi Jayden!” said Mrs. B, one of the many teachers on duty that morning. It was the first day of school and everyone outside was anxiously waiting for the bell to ring. Jayden seemed like he was the popular kid with the school staff, as each one waved, or gave him a high five while he walked with his mom to the ever growing sea of children at the door. Jayden wasn’t exactly popular for his academic achievements, but he had a unique spirit and charm about him that made him memorable.

Jayden was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at the age of four and was also being reassessed to determine where on the autistic spectrum he fell. His fear of the unknown and difficulty with transitions sometimes made it hard for him to cope in the classroom.

Blessed with a great mom and senior kindergarten teacher, they had been rehearsing this day since last year. Both mom and the teacher worked tirelessly to create an easy transition into grade one. From social stories to extra classroom visits, Jayden was equipped with the knowledge he needed to enter a new grade.

I met Jayden last year. He became a regular in my mindful kids program and a playmate for my son. That morning, he greeted me with his usual big hug. I could tell he was nervous. What happened next, I still carry with me to this day. As the children started to file inside the school, Mrs. H, Jayden’s SK teacher, came outside to find him. She bent over and held his little hand and spoke calmly about what he can expect when he enters the school. Her soothing words seemed to comfort him and I could see some of his anxieties melt away with just her presence.

This, I thought to myself, is mindfulness at work. Mrs. H was helping him be in the “now”.

“Being mindful about how our mornings begin, sometimes determines how the rest of day will unfold for everyone.”

—Sheena Bounsanga, owner and founder of Blue Bamboo Holistics

She was where he needed her to be in that moment. All children require something that makes them feel secure; Jayden required trust and safety, and that is precisely what Mrs. H had given him over the past year and, more importantly, that morning. After a short conversation and a gentle hug, I watched Jayden march confidently through the “big kid” doors for his first day of grade one. I smiled to myself and thought, “thank goodness she is my son’s teacher.”

The first day of school can be difficult for most kids, parents and school staff. It’s getting back into the hectic schedules of work, school lunches and extracurricular activities that nag at us before we go to bed. The early morning routine returns and it’s our job to get our children out the door in a healthy and happy state of being. The best thing we can do for our children is to stop and breathe. Being mindful about how our mornings begin, sometimes determines how the rest of day will unfold for everyone.

We need to help our children live in the moment. Sometimes that requires us to acknowledge their fears and help explain the unexpected. We all struggle with change and our kids are no different. Talk to them about their new teachers, friends in their classroom and activities to play outside - so they can enjoy that back to school moment.

-Sheena Bounsanga is a registered reflexologist and Reiki practicioner. She is the founder and owner of Blue Bamboo Holistics (blue-bamboo.ca), where she teaches mediatiation and relaxation to kids.

Come back each month for tips on living clean in Kitchener-Waterloo.

SEPTEMBER 2013 • 19

COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

ARTS & CUlture

Arts beat y HAPPY BIRTHDAY STARLIGHT SOCIAL CLUB It’s hard to believe that Starlight Social Club, one of the best music venues in the city, is about to turn ten years old. It seems like the club has been around forever. The owners are marking the occasion with a day long festival headlined by the Sadies on September 15. Enjoy it now, before Starlight hits its teens and starts staying out after curfew and swearing at us.

y A NUIT BLANCHE TO CALL OUR OWN Alternatives Journal announced this month that they’re seeking submissions for Night/Shift, a Nuit Blanche style event scheduled for the evening of November 2 in downtown Kitchener. No word yet on who will be presenting installations, but we expect some fun things that will keep us warm throughout the cold November night.

y NEW DIRECTOR AT CAFK+A

“It’s everything and nothing all at once. Our music comes from growing up with classic rock and throwing in pop, psychedelia and heart.”

Jake Stallard on his band Sex Dwarf’s sound. The eclectic group plays every Thursday in September at The Boathouse (57 Jubilee Dr. Kitchener). Photo courtesy Sex Dwarf.

vocal cord We went to Kitchener Market and asked:

What fall event are you looking forward to the most?

Artist collective Contemporary Art Forum Kitchener + Area (CAFK+A) is one of the most important artistic institutions in K-W, which is why it is big news when they get a new artistic director. Karie Liao, a freelance curator based in Toronto, now has the reigns and will be in charge of next year’s CAFK+A Biennial art exhibition. Liao has some serious chops based on her two art degrees and wealth of curating experience. We’re excited to see what she has in store.

y A WHOLE NEW renaissance

“Going to the pumpkin patch out at Shaun’s Family Farm”

“I am looking forward to eating pumpkin pie”

Lana, Tony, Devony and Owen Hovinga

Shameam Hayratiyan, cashier, Kitchener Market

Club Renaissance, well known as a LGBTQ hotspot and home to regionally famous drag queen performances, is back after moving from its longtime home on Charles St. to 41 King St. in Kitchener. The new Ren seems to focus on their menu - we’ll have to wait and see if the drag queens are back too.

20• SEPTEMBER 2013

COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

KOI music FESTIVAL GUIDE

the Wooden sky take centre stage on saturday cristina almudevar CCE Contributor

D

espite not being familiar with the Waterloo region, Gavin Gardiner, the lead singer of Canadian folk band The Wooden Sky, has much in common with the average Laurier student.

“I spent a lot of time [in Waterloo] when I first moved to [Toronto], I had some friends here … so I spent a lot of time running back and forth … I liked the pizza.”

Thankfully, The Wooden Sky will be reunited with their beloved pizza on Saturday Sept. 14 as they will be playing this year’s KOI Music Festival.

KOI Music Festival, now in its third year, aims to put Kitchener-Waterloo on the music map boasting headliners such as Cute is What We Aim For and Treble Charger. The brainchild of brothers Cory and Curt Crossman, KOI Music Festival is quickly becoming a well-respected festival to play at.

The Wooden Sky first began as a school project when Gardiner, a student at Ryerson University, began writing songs.

“I used to think the only way to play music was to have a band so I ended up moving to Toronto [and going to Ryerson University]

… I kind of had this dream that I would be sleeping on the floor of a grungy venue … that didn’t happen.”

Instead, Gardiner went on to meet the future members of The Wooden Sky. However they did not define themselves as a band for about “five years” after playing together.

“It took about five years to find the right people … [and we thought] maybe we have some good ideas now, that means we can take it on the road from there.”

Despite their confusing beginnings, The Wooden Sky is becoming more well-defined.

This past year, The Wooden Sky has recently won an Indie award for Folk/Roots Artist Or Group Of The Year and were nominated for a Juno award for their most recent album Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon a Sun. “We’ve been living everyday so it doesn’t feel so crazy because it doesn’t feel like it came out of nowhere. We put in a lot of work.

When all this stuff started happening at the same time, we were like ‘Huh! People are noticing the amount of work that we’re doing.” “[Being nominated for a Juno award] was neat … it was nice for [all our loved ones] see that people recognize the amount of work that we do. I never had my grandma call me to congratulate me on something [on this

• photo courtesy Justin broadbent

large of a scale] before.”

This year, The Wooden Sky saw themselves putting on a mobile concert which was subsequently broadcast by Indie88.

“We were approached by the SummerWorks Performance Festival … I got together with the director and we started talking about the relationship between the audience and the performer and how to play with that relationship.”

“We’ve had a lot of unique venues … like parks, houses, canoes and in gondolas … we just decided to take all those ideas and roll

them into one long four hour show.”

A mobile concert is exactly how it sounds: a concert on the run. However it created a much more emotional effect on both audience and performers alike than anyone originally thought. As the audience moved with the band, who played in four-six locations over four hours, Gardiner described it as “[the audience] becoming part of the show.”

Join the Wooden Sky for a more traditional show at KOI Music Festival this weekend.

Overwhelmed by choice? Our music experts weigh in...

JAMES BLAKE Station Manager, Radio Laurier

CRISTINA ALMUDEVAR Arts editor, The Cord

CORY CROSSMAN & BOB EGAN Founder, KOI Music Festival, & Musician, Blue Rodeo

Treble Charger

The Cobrahawks

For anyone who remembers this band’s hits from the late ’90s and early millennium, this is a must-see. See what this band is up to now during their free show on the main stage.

Don’t fret, their Canadian pop punk classics are sure to be featured heavily throughout the performance. For this guy, who listened to “A Hundred Million” hundreds of times while playing NHL 2003 during my early teens, another band will be crossed off my “Bands to See Before I Die” list.

Friday, September 13 @ 10 p.m. at the Main Stage

If 80’s hair metal and classic rock had a bastard child, the Cobrahawks would probably jump out in spandex and bandanas.

The Kitchener natives are high energy, cheeky and come off as a fun band that will put on an amusing show. If you want a show to just sit back and drink a beer, you’re in the wrong place. Be prepared to mosh.

Friday, September 13 @ 8:30 at the Main Stage

Bayside

Crystalyne This Toronto based band is another can’t miss, but not because of their history. Their young vibrant sound will take over control of your limbs and have you swaying to the beat right away. On top of the phenomenal singles they’ve put forward already, such as the new and super catchy “Secret” and my personal favourite, “Wolves,” they also do great covers of current hit music. Katy Perry’s “Roar” is one example. The powerful voice of lead singer Marrisa Dattoli, formerly of Good & Broken, will send shivers down your spine – in the good kind of way.

Saturday , September 14 @ 5:15 at The Wax

The Honeyrunners If The Honeyrunners’ performance doesn’t make you dance, something is terribly wrong. A self-described Motown rock band, The Honeyrunners have a warm, soulful indie rock sound that translates well to the stage. They recently played a set at this years’ North by Northeast (NXNE) which was well-received.

It’ll come as a surprise to no-one if they repeat NXNE’s success at Koi Fest.

Saturday, September 14 @ 2:15 at Bobby O’Brien’s

The Wooden Sky Courage My Love This local trio is a definite must-watch on the Canadian music scene. Led by 19-year-old twins Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn, they’re already signed to Warner Music and have toured as far as Japan. Their pop-punk/alternative sound will have your attention throughout their performance. Their perfectly sung lyrics paired with a heavy sound promise what I would say will be THE can’t miss show of the weekend.

Friday, September 13 @ 9:15 p.m. at the Main Stage

The Wooden Sky is coming off of a big year – they recently were nominated for a Juno and won an Indie for Folk Group of the Year. Their latest album Every Daughter a Child is creating a lot of buzz for TWS which makes this show a do not miss.

Their dreamy folky sound is a little different than the harder sound Koi Fest is known for but it’ll be a nice, relaxing break.

Saturday, September 14 @ 4:30 at the Main Stage

Main stage artists Bayside will be an act you won’t want to miss. They’ve shared the stage with so many great artists and have a catalogue of anthems, so this performance will surely be a memorable one. They have just released a record of cover tunes so I’d expect to hear a cover or two. With big catchy choruses, Bayside will certainly be a festival favourite.

Saturday, September 14 @ 9:00 at the Main Stage

Exalt Kitchener’s own Exalt will surely play to a packed house at Opus, so plan to arrive early if you want to get in. Exalt’s brand of hardcore has them on the road playing to packed rooms across Canada and the US regularly.

Saturday, September 14 @ 8:15 at Opus

The Mahones They’re Canada’s original Celtic punk band with 11 fulllength albums under their belt. From an Irish pub to having their music featured in the Fighter, an Academy Award-winning movie - The Mahones have come a long way in 23 years! Heralded as pioneers of the Irish punk scene, they are internationally recognized as one of the best and hardest working punk outfits around. Raise a pint of Guinness and sing along!

Saturday , September 14 @ 10:00 p.m. at The Wax

SEPTEMBER 2013 • 21

COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

KOI music FESTIVAL GUIDE 11 indoor venues and 161 bands — our hour by hour guide gets you where you need to go, and where you need to stop for grub while you’re enjoying KOI Music Festival.

Friday Sept. 13 imbibe

Mainstage 55 king st. e

7:00 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 10:15 10:30

the hive

10 king st. w

200 king st. e

Aisles

The Nefidovs The Cobrahawks Courage My Love

After party ft. Hinindar & Paul J. Mcinnis @ 11:15 p.m.

Treble Charger

After party ft. My Body Sings Electric @ 11:15 p.m.

For more info visit koimusicfest. com and community.thecord.ca

Saturday Sept. 14 Mainstage the wax 55 king st. e

125 king st. e

opus

182 king st. w

imbibe

10 king st. w

chrysalids theatre

137 ontario st.

Bobby o'briens

the hive

200 king st. e

The joint

200 king st. e

capers

1 queen st. n

125 king st. e

Cork room Little queen St. @ McBean Commons 417 king st. w 43 queen st. s Cabes 352 king st. w

1:15 1:30 1:45 2:00 2:15 2:30 2:45 3:00 3:15 3:30 3:45 4:00 4:15 4:30 4:45 5:00 5:15 5:30 5:45 6:00 6:15 6:30 6:45 7:00 7:15 7:30 7:45 8:00 8:15 8:30 8:45 9:00 9:15 9:30 9:45 10:00 10:15 10:30 10:45 11:00 11:15 11:30 11:45 12:00 12:15 12:30

Credit Valley Arkham Awaits

Life In Vacuum

Riley O’Donell Sydney Delong

Honour Roll

Grand Format

Burning the Day

The Honeyrunners

Cardinal’s Pride

Zealots Desire

Mimi Cry

Ivy James Lion Under All Systems Stars Go Baptized In Three Blood Crowns The Wooden Sky Vanna

The Planet Smashers

EMMURE

CUTE IS WHAT WE AIM FOR

Mandroid Echostar Crystalyne

The Balconies

Laureate

Lambs Become Lions Candy Hearts Wayfarer

Restorations

Sean Reyes Sharon Nutzati The Good For Naughts Brenden Stephens

Searching for Satellites

Teen Violence

The Bosswich

My Body Sings Electric

Big D & The Kids Table

Exalt

Mouthpeace

Partycat

Ase X Deuce

BAYSIDE The Lucky One’s CLASSIFIED

JoJo Worthingtonl

The Mahones

The Hollow Sea

Justin Credible

Peter Turns Pirate

Foxfight

Raspberry Heaven

The Unreal

Adrian Underhill

The Salads

Just In Story Teller Time

No Bragging Rights

Marcellus Wallace

Gracefield

Rufus

Unlimited

Texas King

Great Lakes Beheading of a King

Sleep When You’re Dead

A Divine Silence

Mute Union The Twin

Amberwood

Sumo Cyco

Ravenscode

Great American Ghost

The Ragged Suits

Auras

Lumberjunk

Knockout Kid Expire

The Socials

Safe To Say

City Wide Panic

Wasted Potential

Greys

Motorleague

Tequila Mocking Bird Rydell

Seaway

Constellations

Skywalker

Curbside

Sleepless

Uplift

Dogbus The Stragglers Jesus Krysler Bathurst Sons of Revelry Brave The Wild In My Coma Chainsaw Lobotomy

J’Nai

July

The Maysides

Permanent Bastards The Anti Queens

40 Sons

KO Hinindar Mushy Callahan

Thunderhawks

Brutal Youth

Royal Creatures

Lambs

Thought Beneath Film Sole Pursuit

Trouble & Daughter

So Much For Subtle Waterbodies

Safe AS Houses

The Bends

Keep the Change

Penske File

Stuck on Planet Earth Aspire

You, Me And the Machine Delhi

Clearpoint Radio Free Universe

Brandon James

Mosely

The Beaches

Dismaj

Prophets

Headshot

The Royal Streets

Two Crown King

Beat Noir

Liam Dagger

New Design

Guide Nevada

Magneta Lane Obey the Brave

The Plugs

Still Life Les Mosquitos Kman & The 45s The Bauldelaires Panama Red Jeremy Day

Darryl McCarthy The Ending To This Story Hustle Rose

22• SEPTEMBER 2013

COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

reviews Film interview

• photo courtesy taylor jackson

Veronica naas CCE Contributor

L

ocal photographer and filmmaker Taylor Jackson is putting the finishing touches on his documentary film, Startup Community, and working to take it to the next level.

Helping him achieve these goals is this year’s Miss Oktoberfest, Lindsay Coulter, who has also worked for the University of Waterloo Research + Technology Park. Jackson took the time to share how far he’s come and how far he hopes to go with this project.

Veronica Naas: What was the inspiration for the film?

Taylor Jackson: I’ve always wanted to travel with a purpose. Last September, while in Shanghai, I interviewed a friend of mine who had completed his degree in architecture there. He decided to go in a completely different career direction and he opened up a bike shop instead. I thought that if this awesome thing is happening over there then it’s probably happening here, too. I wanted to

document what inspiring people were doing here, what enables them to be like they are and like our community is. We want to show the world that this is a great place to raise a family and that exciting things are happening here.

VN: Where did you get the idea to use crowd sourcing for fundraising?

TJ: This is a project about the community, for the community. We wanted to open opportunities to those people who wanted to be involved in the project — the more the better. I didn’t expect things to take off like they have.

People and businesses have been getting on board and pushing things to the next level; it’s been very collaborative. This started as a personal project but now with the funding and support of others, I can make it even better than I anticipated.

VN: Would you say that social media helped advance the project?

TJ: Absolutely! It’s been the absolute number one driver for sure. The media has picked up

Books

Accusation Catherine Bush Canada, 2013

Catherine Bush is a novelist who gets deep into your head.

She’s displayed a talent for international setting, portraits of shifting morality and complex characterization, all while putting together propulsive plots.

After three novels, her breakout book comes in the form of Accusation, a story of the power and speed of rumour as it relates to a Canadian journalist who meets and becomes friends with Raymond, a fellow who has put together a sort of Cirque du Soleil-like children’s circus performing throughout Europe and Africa.

When allegations of abuse from within the circus are levelled at Raymond, personal and professional allegiances and ethics are tested, and Bush adroitly examines the power of accusation and the whole idea of truth in a sped up and hyper connected world.

Good novels ask questions, and Accusation wrestles with questions of professional courtesy, the nature and elasticity of justice, truth and morality and the increasingly destructive power of accusation.

Through her novels Minus Time, Rules of Engagement and her last book Claire’s Head, Bush

has acquired a reputation as a writer’s writer.

With her new novel Accusation, one hopes she’ll get the acclaim she deserves.

-David Worsely is the co-owner of Words Worth Books(96 King St S Waterloo, wordsworthbooks. com). He’s happiest with a drink in one hand and a book in the other. Accusation is available at Words Worth Books now.

on this as well. TechCrunch was the first to pick up our story and it got sent out via Twitter, which gave the project credibility so it was easier for people to get behind it.

VN: You’ve recently returned from San Francisco, what was the result of that trip?

TJ: Talking to start-ups there we learned that to leave Waterloo Region for the [San Francisco area] is great to expand your network and gain experience but there is a pull to get back here where there is access to talent, a supportive community and culture. Here is where things are happening.

VN: In terms of showcasing at film festivals, what’s your goal for the film?

TJ: The goal is to get the film out into the world and in as many places as possible.

There’s also a fun factor to having your film play at a festival and to put Kitchener-Waterloo into that spotlight. In mid-September, we’ll fill out all the applications and go to as many festivals as we can.

VN: Is there a favoured film festival?

TJ: Sundance has always been a kid dream of mine and it’s on the other coast so it’s far enough away that we would be able to raise awareness and maybe bring some back. I’m absolutely going to do everything I can to show at Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) next year. The Tribeca Film Festival would be great as well. Hopefully, we can raise more media attention and gain more traction stateside.

VN: Do you have any pearls of wisdom for other artists or filmmakers that you’d like to share?

TJ: Do something that you love. Do something that’s on the edge of your comfort zone that you’re capable of and push to make it happen. Have someone hold you accountable and for this project. The whole community is holding us accountable so that is definitely a good motivation.

To learn more about this documentary film and follow it’s progress visit startupcommunityfilm.com.

SEPTEMBER 2013 • 23

COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

listings music

Like us ARTS

September 14

September 13

Big Name Actors w.s.g. I Hate Todd Maxwell’s Music House, $5, 8:30 p.m.

Circling the Inverse Square Curator’s tour and opening reception KWAG, 7 p.m.

KOI Music Festival ft. Treble Charger and more Downtown Kitchener, various

September 15 Starlight’s 10th Anniversary Block Party Ft. The Sadies w.s.g. Diamond Rings, Danny Michel, Whitehorse and more Starlight Social Club, $30 ADV, 12 p.m.

September 18 Andrew Sords & Cheryl Duvall The Music Room, $15-$25, 7 p.m.

The Selecter w.s.g. The Pinstripes Starlight Social Club, $32 ADV, 8 p.m.

Lumberjunk w.s.g. Patrons of Science, Silvergun and Sleen Maxwell’s Music House, 8:30 p.m.

September 15 Sam Cash & The Romantic Dogs Maxwell’s Music House, 8:30 p.m

September 20 Steve Parkinson & Stony Lonesome Boathouse, 8 p.m.

Hannah Burge Band The Jazz Room, $15, 6 p.m.

September 21 Nick Fraser Group The Jazz Room, $18, 6 p.m.

The Lost Minutes, Stage One: Shadow of the Platypus Opening reception KWAG, 7 p.m.

September 19 Waiting for Godot Kitchener-Waterloo Little Theatre, kwlt.org, until October 5.

September 22

WAR: Light Within/After the Darkness Opening reception The Clay and Glass gallery

September 24 Impact 13 Various locations in Waterloo and Kitchener, mtspace.ca

community September 19 Martin Short Centre in the Square, tickets @ centreinthesquare.com, 8:00 p.m.

Waterloo Region - Food & Drink Festival Bingemans, 4 p.m.

September 21

September 22

WHOOPI Centre in the Square, tickets @ centreinthesquare.com, 8:00 p.m.

The Dodos w.s.g. COUSINS Starlight Social Club, $15 ADV, 8 p.m.

Royal Medieval Faire Waterloo Park, 11 a.m.

Peter Stoll & Joseph Marcerollo The Music Room, $15- $25, 7:00 p.m.

THEMUSEUM Birthday Party THEMUSEUM, 11:00 a.m.

September 25 Ladies of the Canyon Maxwell’s Music House, 8:30 pm Paul Anka Centre in the Square, tickets @ centreinthesquare.com, 8:00 p.m.

Word on the Street Kitchener City Hall, 11:00 a.m.

Doors Open Waterloo Region Various locations

September 24

September 26

Nerd Nite episode 15: SharkNERDo Rum Runner Pub, 7: 30 p.m.

Hollerado w.s.g. Pup Starlight Social Club, $15 ADV, 8 p.m.

September 26

Navy Skies w.s.g. PAINT Maxwell’s Music House, 8:30 pm

Take Back the Night Downtown Kitchener, sascwr.org

Joan Osborne Centre in the Square, tickets @ centreinthesquare.com, 8:00 p.m.

Hops for Hunger Hacienda Sarria, $75, 6:30 p.m.

September 27

catl Boathouse, $10, 8 p.m.

To feature your event listing in the Cord Community, email your details to culture@thecord.ca

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September 28 Traditional Pow Wow St. Paul’s University College, 10:00 a.m.

September 29 Waterloo Global Science Initiative University of Waterloo, Sept. 29 - Oct. 3

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THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION PRESENTS

THE KITCHENER WATERLOO

TWEED RIDE SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19th A fancily-clad cycling tour of K-W, including stops at local fine dining establishments for drinks, food and merriment

Prizes for best dressed gentleman and gentlewoman, plus raffle entry with registration Leaving Waterloo Park @ 12 p.m.

!"#$%#&$'('!)#$!#$*

(@ the band shell near Westmount Rd.)

Registration begins @ 10 a.m.

Advanced registration $15 @ community.thecord.ca Register @ the door $20

To inquire about volunteering or sponsorship opportunities visit community.thecord.ca or email communityeditor@thecord.ca

SURFACE TENSION brings together work by artists, designers, engineers and scientists to explore the future of water. Through 35 installations, it plays on water’s physical properties, its role in politics and economics and discusses ways it’s harnessed, cleaned and distributed.

Funds are provided by the RBC Foundation

Funds are provided by the RBC Foundation

THEMUSEUM.ca

D OW N TOW N K I TC H E N E R