Cord Community Edition: May 2013

Boston bombings close to home

tri-Pride 2013 guide

Art of the city with Silvia DiDonato

Page 3

Page 19

Page 20

NEWS

URBAN

ARTS

ORD COMMUNITY COMMUNITY.THECORD.CA

MAY 2013

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 8

2

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

MAY 2013

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

3 News The Boston Marathon bombings come close to home, youth get active and the OMB remains up in the air

9 Civic Space Is a biosolids plant right for the region? And why we need to break down stereotypes about the disabled

Volume 1, Issue #8 Next issue: June 7, 2013 Advertising All advertising inquiries should be directed to Angela Endicott at 519-884-0710 x3560 angela.taylor@wlusp.com CONTRIBUTORS Editor-in-Chief H.G. Watson hwatson@thecord.ca Publisher Bryn Ossington Bryn.ossington@wlusp.com Cord Editor-in-Chief Justin Smirlies jsmirlies@thecord.ca

11 Features 10 ideas to change Waterloo: We investigate 10 innovative ideas that are shaping our community

18 Urban Exploring

Ryan Hueglin rhueglin@thecord.ca Photography Manager Heather Davidson hdavidson@thecord.ca Copy Editor Erin O’Neil

Graphic Designer Lena Yang lyang@thecord.ca Amanda Chang Colleen Connolly Carrie Debrone Kevin Delaney Danielle Dmytraszko Bob Egan Justin Fauteux Helen Hall Tanishka Kundu

Lindsay Purchase Mark Shiffer Stephanie Truong Andrew Tutty

Celebrating Tri-Pride WLUSP ADMINISTRATION President Executive Director Advertising Manager Treasurer Vice-Chair Director Director Corporate Secretary Distribution Manager Web Manager

19 Community Conversations With Habitat for Humanity

20 Arts and Culture How Kitchener is building an arts scene and Indie Lit at the Starlight

22 Reviews

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 CanWeb Printing Inc. All content appearing in The Cord Community Edition bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent.

23 Monthly Events

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

MESSAGE BOARD Editor’s note The votes are counted, the photos are taken and everything is set. After months of planning, we can finally introduce the 10 ideas to change Waterloo, as chosen by our distinguished panel of judges — including you, Waterloo! You voted in droves for your favourite ideas. To find out which one was the peoples choice, flip to page 11.

And remember to join the discussion on Twitter under the hastag #10ideas.

Ideas mean change, and that’s something we’ve had a lot of recently here at the CCE. Some of our favourite writers, editors and photographers finished their terms at Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications and are moving on to bigger and undoubtedly brighter things. We wish them all the luck in the world — but they won’t need it since they are so damn talented (Check out “Boston bombings come close to home” on page three for the proof).

We’ve also welcomed a new Board of Directors and a new Cord editorial team. Justin Smirlies will be taking the reins of our sister publication, and we’re pumped for a big year ahead. We’re already planning a lot of great content for both papers, including our summer guide — out June 7th. It will be your one stop shop for everything cool in the hot months ahead.

We want to hear your ideas too. For stories, photos and anything else you can think of. Connect with us on Twitter @cordcommunity and like us on Facebook!

-H.G. Watson

Notes The CCE is always looking for talented writers, artists, designers and photographers. If you’d like to get involved, email us at communityeditor@thecord.ca Got something on your mind?

Want to talk about one of this month’s articles? Submit your letter to the editor to communityeditor@thecord.ca

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

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

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

Campus Plus is The Cord’s national advertising agency.

PREAMBLE TO THE CORD CONSTITUTION The Cord Community Edition will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Cord believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a matter of controversy.

The staff of The Cord shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff.

The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so The Cord will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on the community of Kitchener-Waterloo. Ultimately, The Cord Community Edition will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate.

The Cord has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through The Cord’s contact with the community.

The Cord will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of community press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our magazine.

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

MAY 2013

NEWS

3

IN FOCUS Firefighters work to put out a blaze at a construction site at 339 King St. W in Waterloo on May 2. The cause of the fire is still unknown. • NICK LACHANCE CCE CONTRIBUTOR

NEWS LINE

This month we’re talking about...

Councilors go for ‘Ion’

Ontario releases budget

On Apr. 30, Waterloo Region councilors voted 11-1 in favour of naming the $818-million LRT project ‘Ion.’ The other choices originally debated by the council were ‘Arc’ and ‘Trio.’

An external branding firm that was hired by the region chose the three prospective names and then consulted the public on which name they felt best suited the rapid transit project. But the public wasn’t sold on those three names and suggested others such as “The Wave” and “Connect.”

The minority Ontario government released its budget on May 2, much of which catered to the NDP’s demands. The new budget pledged support for youth employment programs and small businesses. If NDP leader Andrea Horwath rejects the budget, then Ontario will head into its second election in the past two years. PC leader Tim Hudak rejected the budget before it was released.

An ‘inch away from a riot’?

Waterloo Regional Police Services (WRPS) announced on May 1 that the St. Paddy’s celebrations on Ezra Avenue near Wilfrid Laurier University— in which 7,000 students flooded the student neighbourhood — was an “inch away from a riot.”

Despite the fact that no major incidents were reported on March 17, WRPS still warned about the possibility of a riot due to the widespread drinking that occurred.

Police cruisers and officers were monitoring the party throughout the day.

K-W casino debate continues

The city of Kitchener approached its citizens late April to hear their thoughts on the potential casino in Kitchener or another spot in Waterloo Region. Waterloo has done the same but kept the public consultations online. Only six delegations supported a casino while 38 were against after two public consultations in Kitchener in late April, signaling that the public isn’t sold on the idea. Over 900 people who responded to Waterloo’s consultation were also not in favour of a casino.

GRT gets pricier Grand River Transit (GRT) is going to be asking for a bit more come July 1. Approved at the April 30 Waterloo Region council meeting, the overall cost of transit fares will increase by seven per cent.

Adult monthly passes will increase to $72 from $68, and five strips of bus tickets will go from $10.50 to $11.50. The cash fare will be unchanged from the usual price of $3.

4

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

MAY 2013

BOSTON BOMBINGS COME CLOSE TO HOME Local recounts the horror of this year’s Boston Marathon This photo was taken by Laurier student Meagan Suckling near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, about 10 minutes before the explosions that killed three and wounded over 250 went off.

Suckling provided the photo to the FBI. • PHOTO COURTESY MEAGAN SUCKLING

JUSTIN FAUTEUX EDITOR EMERITUS

M

ost people will always remember where they were April 15, 2013 when they heard that two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon. For Meagan Suckling, that memory will be particularly vivid.

Suckling, a masters student at Wilfrid Laurier University, had just watched her dad Peter cross the finish line on Boylston Street.

10 minutes later, she was walking in Copley Square on her way to meet her dad when she heard an explosion, followed quickly by a second.

“My first reaction was I thought it was maybe people setting off cannons because it was Patriot’s Day,” said Suckling. “People didn’t really panic until the second one went off... The second blast, it was really eerie after that. The whole city went quiet and people started to get panicky.”

Suckling and her mother had ran in the 5-kilometre run the day before the marathon.

Her father was one of the thousands of runners taking part in the marathon. Just before the explosions that killed three — including an eight-year-old boy — and injured approximately 264, Suckling and her her mother had spent an hour right across the street from where the second explosion went off.

“We had an estimated time of when he [Suckling’s father] usually finishes and we usually show up about 20 minutes before that, but he was sick the three weeks prior

to the marathon so his time was a lot slower than usual,” said Suckling. “So we were waiting there for a while.”

After hearing the explosions while walking through Copley Square, Suckling and her mother waited in the family meet up area, but her dad never arrived. After about 40 minutes, they realized that the runners were being diverted away from the meet up area.

Her father who, like so many of the runners that day, was without his cell phone during the race eventually called from Boston Common and the family met up at a statue of George Washington.

“It was a very long 40 minutes,” said Suckling. “There were rumours, you could here people talking about what it was. We were just trying to wait to see what it was and not freak ourselves out too much until we heard from him.”

Suckling recalls hearing rumours that there was a shooting at the finish line, or that a portion of the stands had collapsed, or that a speaker had blown. She could tell things were more serious when she started to see runners come to the family meet up area in tears. But it wasn’t until she got a text from her brother, who was still at school at Western University, that she heard there were reports of a terrorist attack.

However, some of the true horror of what happened didn’t really set in until Suckling got back to her hotel room and turned on the news coverage of the bombing.

“I did notice a rather potent smell in the air

as I was walking back to the hotel,” said Suckling, noting how thankful she was that she didn’t have to witness the carnage at the finish line after the bombings.

“It wasn’t until after the reports that I realized it was the smell of burning flesh.”

Suckling and her parents spent a restless night in their hotel room watching news coverage, throwing around the idea of renting a car and getting out of Boston that night.

The thought of what could have happened had Suckling’s father’s marathon time been slightly slower also started to set in.

“It was scary to think that he could have been standing right there when happened or that we could have been there watching him right at that moment,” said Suckling.

The next day, the family left early for the flight, anticipating heavy security at Boston’s Logan Airport. But when they arrived the airport was largely deserted.

“It was eerie. I guess nobody wanted to fly out that day,” said Suckling.

After clearing security, Suckling’s father clad in his Boston Marathon jacket and medal, the family was stopped by the FBI asking for information. Suckling provided the one photo she had of her dad crossing the finish line.

“Now, it almost feels like it didn’t happen,” said Suckling. “I was nervous flying, but I was just really excited to get out of there and get back to Toronto as quickly as I could.

“I wanted to see my boyfriend and my brother and my friends and just give

everybody a big hug.”

Back in the safety of Waterloo, Suckling tried to jump back into her life, immersing herself in research for her impending major research paper proposal, while of course keeping a close watch on the news coverage following the situation as Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev were chased down by authorities.

However, being just over a week removed from what happened in Boston, the events have been understandably tough to put in the past.

“It seems extremely surreal at this point,” said Suckling. “I still get emotional about it sometimes seeing the people that have been so dramatically affected by it and thinking that I could have been one of those people.

“But I almost feel proud of the Boston law enforcement for everything that they’ve done and I kind of feel like I want to stay a part of it.”

After all this, would Suckling be willing to go back to Boston for next year’s marathon?

“Absolutely.”

“Boston’s amazing, the people are amazing and there’s a great sense of community,” she continued. “You can’t let something like this take away from what it truly is, a celebration of the runners.”

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

MAY 2013

5

REGION STILL WAITING ON APPEAL Council goes to divisional court for OMB decision on urban sprawl LINDSAY PURCHASE CCE CONTRIBUTOR

“This is the way we run our society, is that you have the opportunity to go before a court or tribunal and make your case.”

W

aterloo Region is still waiting to find out if its development plans will stand or whether it will have to re-evaluate its urban sprawl plan, according to a decision made earlier this year by the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).

“Where it’s currently at right now is we’ve done two things: we’ve applied to the Board to re-hear the matter; they declined to do that. So we also applied to the divisional court for judicial review of the decision,” explained Regional chair Ken Seiling.

No timeline has been identified to determine when a decision will be reached.

The OMB decision, which came in February, grants that up to 1053 hectares of land could be opened up for development. This is contrary to the Regional Official Plan, which limits the Region’s urban sprawl in favour of internal development.

Significantly, the province has decided to seek standing before the Divisional Court for the appeal.

“We’re pleased that they are, because we’re really implementing provincial legislation in doing this,” said Seiling, referring to Ontario’s Places to Grow Act. The Act, which came into effect in 2005, looks at how and where growth should occur provincially with consideration given to environmental and economic needs.

“The Ontario Municipal Board came out with a ruling that has obviously caused concern for the Region,” added John Milloy, the MPP for Kitchener Centre. “We want to be part of the discussion and we want to be able to bring our concerns forward.”

—John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener Centre

The OMB decision added 1053 hectares for development • GRAPHIC BY STEPHANIE TRUONG

Milloy also acknowledged the importance of the Places to Grow legislation, adding that “It was done after a great deal of consultation. We’re very proud of that legislation.”

Neither Milloy nor Seiling were able to provide details on the cases they intend to put forth if granted the opportunity.

For Kitchener-Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife, the decision put forth by the OMB indicated a need to reform the provincial body.

“The recent decision for me highlighted the fact that you have an unaccountable, unelected body created by the government who is oppositional to the government legislation,” she asserted. “Not only does it undermine the

ten years of planning [by the Region]… it will actually set a very dangerous precedent for the province.”

Fife suggested that incorporating other bodies, such as the environmental review tribunal, could help broaden the OMB’s evaluations. She also believes that the number of cases that come under the jurisdiction of the OMB should be further streamlined.

“The environmental lens is missed when you just make a decision around growth,” she added.

Milloy believes that the OMB has an important role to play in the province as an appeal mechanism.

“This is the way we run our society, is that you have the opportunity to go before a court or tribunal and make your case. The OMB itself, there have been concerns raised, and certainly the government always said they’re open to ways to strengthen the system and address some of these concerns,” Milloy said.

A party on a train in K-W...

June 21 at 7 p.m. the train leaves Waterloo Central Station for parts unknown

Tickets on sale May 23 @ noon $45, 19+ Tickets and more information can be found at community.thecord.ca/steelrails

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

MAY 2013

CITY OF WATERLOO | OUR COMMUNITY w3 WARD 3 COUNCILLOR

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

The bulldozers have arrived and work has started on the NCR lands at the corner of Northfield Drive and Weber Street. The site has been zoned for employment purposes and will have office space, a data centre, restaurants and maybe a hotel. The project has the potential to create about 4,500 jobs.

If you were unable to attend the public information centre back in February, and would like more information about

w7 WARD 7 COUNCILLOR

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

Whether it’s the fabulous shopping, the amazing food or the exciting events and festivals, uptown Waterloo is always bursting with activity. It’s the perfect place for the community to get together and enjoy all our city has to offer. And while I love seeing so many people bustling about uptown, I’d like to encourage everyone to plan ahead.

If you’re going to be out and about enjoying our licensed establishments, remember to Park It and Leave It!

this project, please contact me.

It’s exciting to see this type of development in our ward and I look forward to sharing its progress with all of you. Stay tuned for future updates!

will be available for Apple and Android devices as of April 30. I encourage you to check it out! Municipal information right at your fingertips – what could be better than that?

Have you heard about PingStreet?

This municipal app is the first of its kind and I think it’s pretty incredible.

It’s gaining in popularity too – more and more people every day are downloading it to their BlackBerry 10 device.

This app has it all – you can report a problem, contact your elected officials and access garbage and recycling calendars. There are plans to include information about hospital wait times, school closures, construction detours and more. PingStreet is only available for the Blackberry BB10 device but

For more information, visit www.waterloo.ca

The Park It and Leave It program is brought to you by the City of Waterloo and the UpTown Waterloo Business Improvement Area (BIA). Depending on which lot you choose, you can park overnight for free, or for as little as $6.

• Waterloo Town Square parking lots – free to park until 8 a.m. the next morning if vehicle is registered using the Overnight Parking Registry

The Park It and Leave It program offers these overnight parking options: • The Uptown Parkade - $6 to park until 8 a.m. the next morning • Station Lot – free to park until 8 a.m. the next morning if vehicle is registered using the Overnight Parking Registry • City streets – free to park until 8 a.m. the next morning if vehicle is registered using the Overnight Parking Registry

The Park It and Leave It program was launched to help reduce the occurrence of motorists driving under the influence.

I encourage you to get out and have fun in uptown Waterloo, but please remember that safety is paramount.

For more information about this program and our overnight parking options, visit: waterloo.ca/parking Can’t drive tonight?

Park It and Leave It!

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

Spring has finally sprung in Waterloo!

The past month has been busy and there are many exciting events and activities to look forward to.

Our living environment and everything we do to it impacts our future. A healthy community is essential to its future vitality. It was wonderful to see so many people participate in Earth Day events, especially Waterloo Earth Day. This event was held at the Laurel Creek Conservation Area.

Families helped plant trees, build birdhouses and had fun with other

nature related activities. If you were unable to attend, no worries – everyone can continue to do their part over the summer months by helping to minimize our environmental footprint. As the temperatures warm up, consider walking or riding your bike. And don’t forget to reduce, reuse and recycle. We all have a role to play in keeping our vibrant community green!

There are also many exciting events taking place at the public square and across the community over the summer months. Please visit our website at www.waterloo.ca as well as our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages for up-to-date information on the events taking place in Waterloo.

Visit us online and join in the conversation at

/citywaterloo

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

P. 519.886.1550

E. communications@waterloo.ca

TTY. 1.866.786.3941

www.waterloo.ca

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

MAY 2013

7

ZIGGY’S GETS KITCHENER CYCLING HELEN HALL KITCHENER CITIZEN EDITOR

R

iding on two wheels can change your perspective,” says Marta Generoux, the store manager at Ziggy’s Cycle and Sport on King Street West in Kitchener.

“You have a different outlook on the world on a bicycle.”

Ziggy’s is donating bicycles to the City of Kitchener’s Bike2Work Challenge. Sixteen applicants have been chosen to receive a free bike and accessories, including a helmet and reflectors, if they agree to bike to work for the month of June and chronicle their journeys weekly on a City of Kitchener blog.

But this ain’t no free ride.

Each bicycle includes a small ‘computer’ that tallies mileage, and applicants must have someone from work sponsor them to make sure they are actually biking to work.

“We want to promote cycling in our community,” said Generoux. “It’s good for the very young to the very old, and it’s good for the environment.”

This is the second year the City has held the Bike2Work challenge with Ziggy’s.

It’s just one part of the City of Kitchener’s BikeKitchener strategy, which promotes cycling.

Transportation Demand Management Coordinator Josh Joseph is in charge of organizing the BikeKitchener programs.

This year it will be kick-started with BikeFest on May 26 in front of Kitchener City Hall between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. BikeFest will feature free bicycle tune-ups, a scavenger hunt, bicycle polo tournament, food and live music, and cycling prizes and giveaways.

There will also be cycling skills workshops

and a Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation BigBike team fundraiser, which promotes better cardiovascular health through physical activity such as cycling. Applicants selected for the Bike2Work Challenge will receive their bikes at BikeFest.

Joseph said he is hoping that two other parts of the BikeKitchener programs will be ready in time for BikeFest. One is the installation of ‘sharrows’ on King Street between Francis Street and Madison Avenue, which was recently approved by Kitchener City Council.

Sharrows are markings on the road that show a bicycle with two chevrons above it.

It indicates to drivers and cyclists that they share the lane and cyclists will merge in with traffic. This is done because this section of King Street is not wide enough to add a bicycle lane, and cyclists who try to squeeze in beside traffic are in danger of being hit by doors of cars parked along King.

Also, traffic typically does not move as fast along this section of King Street, so accommodating cyclists in the lane is not difficult.

Sharrows also encourage cyclists to use the road instead of the sidewalks, which is safer for pedestrians. Joseph said they are also working on a bike map that they hope to have completed by BikeFest. The map is geared toward recreational riders who don’t know where bike lanes and trails are located in the city — those who might bike more often if they knew what was available.

Other plans include a cycling e-newsletter and more bike racks downtown.

To learn more about the City of Kitchener cycling initiatives visit www.bikekitchener.ca and follow the Bike2Work bloggers at www. bike2work2013.blogspot.ca.

Ziggy’s is setting up the Bike2Work challenge. • HELEN HALL KITCHENER CITIZEN EDITOR

DISCUSSING THE ISSUES THAT MATTER TANISHKA KUNDU CCE CONTRIBUTOR

T

he wind was acting up and the weather was getting wacky. The short walk from the Charles Street terminal to Queen Street Commons Cafe seemed like a herculean feat. But it was worth it to attend the Kitchener Youth Action Council (KYAC) Unconference — a conference with a goal to change the world, one conversation at a time.

An unconference, the invitation said, “is a discussion with no one expert on an issue.

Instead, it is an event that consists of small groups discussing what each individual is passionate about.”

Roughly twenty people attended the unconference. “I thought, why not? I’m youth myself and I thought, why not have a day to connect with other people my age and just to talk about things that matter, that sometimes get overlooked,” said attendee Adam Knight.

The first half of the evening was spent talking about issues like poverty, youth homelessness and mental health education.

After attending the TEDx Youth Conference, and various other discussion forums, KYAC members found that these were issues that

youth most passionately advocate.

“We came up with the idea for an unconference when the three people running TEDx Waterloo came into one of our meetings and suggested we hold one,” said Aly Pintea, a member of KYAC and a student at Huron Heights Secondary School.

“So, we thought that an unconference would be perfect for us to get used to what youth want, as well as a cool event for people to talk about things they are passionate about.”

Youth are generally not offered the opportunity to voice their opinions.

But over the course of the evening, a buzzing energy could be felt from the young voices arguing, commenting and discussing things like stress management, employment opportunities for the homeless, and the lack of resources and support for the initiatives of young people.

There was also a very interesting debate on the popular casino issue which soon turned into an ideological debate of communism vs. democracy.

“It is an opportunity for people to talk about issues, things that they might not know about, if you’re denied opinions,” said Erin

McKlusky, an attendee. “In high schools people don’t usually have the opportunity to have these sort of discussions.”

Sitting at a nearby table were Nikki Millesh and Karmez, who were sceptical of the event. Both were happy to see young people get involved, but had reservations.

“I guess it’s alright but, look around. Who’s really listening, except the people that are here?” said Karmez.

“I think they should try to live [like a homeless person] for couple of weeks,” said Millesh.

Though the gathering may have been small and the publicity lacking, there is no denying that this was a step forward in giving young people a voice.

This past year, KYAC has been present at Gay Straight Alliance conferences and Kitchener Council meetings, and the group was recently nominated for a Volunteer Action Group award. Their stand on the budget cuts for fire fighters was appreciated by both council and community members.

KYAC have come a long way in enforcing for young adults, aged 14 to 24, the right to be heard in a society where ‘young’ is often a synonym for ‘immaterial’.

“It is an opportunity for people to talk about issues, things that they might now know about, if you’re denied opinions.”

—Erin McKlusky, attendee at the Kitchener Youth Action Council Unconference

8

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

MAY 2013

LEARNING TO CREATE CHANGE Grade 10 students discuss issues directly with municipal government CARRIE DEBRONE KITCHENER CITIZEN EDTIOR

W

hat city issues are important to 15 and 16-year-olds? Rarely does anyone ask them.

But on April 24 at Kitchener city hall a pilot project gave 62 students from Resurrection Catholic Secondary School‘s (RCSS) civics classes the chance to directly speak with councilors and civic leaders about what they consider to be important city issues.

Youth Forum 2013, funded by the Rotary Club of Kitchener and created by volunteers from Compass Kitchener and with the help of Kitchener staff and councilors, is the first event of its kind to be held in the city.

Its goal is to help young people learn how to create change in their community, build positive relationships with members of council, the mayor and city staff.

RCCS’s civics and history teacher Carol Watkins said she believes forums of this kind are really needed and that high school civics courses should be expanded to allow more time for students to learn about municipal

government.

“Young people aged 18 to 25 don’t vote. I think the government is really worried about that,” she said, adding that the reason youth have a low interest in their community is a bit of a ‘chicken and egg’ issue.

“Young people don’t listen to what’s going on in the city and don’t feel involved because they believe no one listens to them. If democracy’s going to work then we have to get people involved in and interested in their community and voting,” she said. “I tell my students that people have died in history to give you the right to vote. Don’t squander it.”

Members of the Compass Kitchener’s Youth Engagement Committee began planning the forum about a year ago based on a similar event held in Ottawa.

James Howe, committee member, said the goal of the day is to help young people feel more connected to municipal issues and that ideally, future forums would be open to a larger group of grade ten students from all area high schools.

Working in groups, students had about an hour to narrow in on an issue they felt is

important in the city and produce a visual display. The displays were then set up around the perimeter of the city hall rotunda and in Dragon’s Den style, city councilors and civic leaders visited each booth to hear the students pitch their ideas, ask questions and give them immediate feedback.

Issues identified included fixing potholes, building an outdoor pool at McLennan Park, providing more job opportunities for youth, creating programs for the treatment of mental illness, adopting trees and pathways in the city, traffic calming measures in neighbourhoods, teaching roundabout safety, installing outdoor information kiosks throughout the city that would list information on bus routes, bike trails and restaurants, and saving the soccer fields at Budd Park.

During the day, students also heard from keynote speakers like blogger and community builder Hilary Abel who works in Kitchener’s economic development department; business development professional, real estate entrepreneur and community evangelist Ramy Nassar; project manager and planner Sarah Brown and Executive Director at

Sustainable Waterloo Region, Mike Morrice.

“Youth should feel included in decisions made at City Hall and we need to hear their voices and their opinions. The Youth Forum was a great opportunity to collaborate with young people to improve our community,” said Mayor Carl Zehr.

“Compass Kitchener understands that there is great value in supporting youth to be civically engaged in the City of Kitchener.

This engagement will not only benefit the city today but in the future,” said Holly Duff, member of Compass Kitchener.

“Rotary has long been involved with youth in our community through programs such as our International Youth Exchange, a youth leadership training course called the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, and Camp Enterprise, a program about business and entrepreneurship. This Youth Forum further extends Rotary’s involvement with youth and our community. The Mayor and Councillors’ tremendous participation illustrates the strong support for this kind of youth-oriented program in Kitchener,” said Rotary Club of Kitchener President-Elect, Martin Jones.

scientology know yourself. know life.

DISCOVER PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO HELP YOU: • Live a happier life • Improve your career

• Be yourself • Improve your relationships

Visit the Church of Scientology of Cambridge

COme iN tOday • all are welCOme tOur Our puBliC iNfOrmatiON CeNter 1305 Bishop Street North, Cambridge, ON (519) 571-9253 Open 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Mon – Fri & 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sat – Sun © 2012 CSI. All Rights Reserved. Scientology is a trademark and service mark owned by Religious Technology Center and is used with its permission.

www.scientology-cambridge.org

Follow us

@cordcommunity

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

MAY 2013

9

civic space

The proposed site for a biosolids plant in Cambridge. The potential project has been receiving criticism for the possibility of unfavourable odours. • MARK SHIFFER CCE CONTRIBUTOR

BEST PLACE FOR A BIOSOLIDS PLANT? Region debates location of a plant in either Cambridge or Waterloo MARK SHIFFER CCE CONTRIBUTOR

While the casino debate continues, new controversy has arisen about our plumbing in Waterloo Region.

The debate is whether to build a biosolids processing facility at all or continue to send our waste elsewhere, and if built, what kind of waste processing should be built and where it should be located.

Biosolids are the material left over after sewage is treated. The Region of Waterloo is considering a proposal that would see treated waste shipped to a new facility to be heated and dried. The process would produce pellets that could be used as fertilizer for farming or to create renewable energy.

There are two potential sites that have been suggested by the Region. One in is Waterloo near the landfill site on Erb Street West

and the other is on Savage Drive in Cambridge. Currently, Cambridge is seen as the preferred city.

Right now most of the waste is being shipped out of the Region. This has worked in the past, but as the population continues to increase steadily, it isn’t a practical long-term solution. As well, ethically it doesn’t seem right to ship our problems elsewhere. A solution will have to be found locally.

A Biosolids Master Plan report written in 2011 indicates that the Region of Waterloo is in favour of a heating and drying process for treated sewage. This has several advantages.

As dried material, it is lighter and smaller, which would reduce the amount of trucks needed for transportation from the facility.

However, it’s also expensive and requires a large amount of energy to operate. It is estimated that the initial cost to build the structure will be $80 million. There is also the

question of potential odours from the process. The Region argues that trucks will deliver the waste pellets into an enclosed space that will be filtrated and won’t emit smells.

People working and living nearby are still worried.

Lystek, a local company that deals with biosolids, offers another potential solution.

Lystek’s proposal is to turn biosolids into a liquid biofertilizer for land use and greener energy. They claim that they can build a processing facility for a much less expensive bill of $10 million that will emit less odours and reduce the volume of biosolids material.

Citizens in Waterloo feel they have enough existing garbage and odours from the Waterloo Region landfill site. They are worried that a biosolids processing plant will add to the problem. As well, there has been significant new commercial and residential development in that area.

While the site picked in Cambridge has less population density, there are still businesses and homes that are relatively close to the proposed site. Residents complain that they were not given enough information or notice by Waterloo Region to protest against the plan.

There are no easy solutions. We will need to build something to deal with our waste instead of continuing to ship it out. The region should take another look at the kind of processing facility it wants to build and consider the cheaper possibility of turning biosolids into liquid.

Finally, while the Cambridge site does seem to offer a better choice than Waterloo, more remote locations should be explored further as possible solutions.

Yeah, for sure. Definitely.

I’m in the construction business.

It’s good for the environment, but it’s hard to find investors.

Dan Moore, Waterloo resident

If it’s good for the environment, then yes.

Vocal Cord Do you think the Region should invest in a biosolids plant?

Leane Watford, works at Hybrid Hair and Detox

Tammy Somerville, works at Manulife Financial

10

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

MAY 2013

DEFEATING DISABILITY STEREOTYPES Andrew Tutty explains why we need to see the person first ANDREW TUTTY CCE CONTRIBUTOR

We are one fall away from a potentially disabling injury. Is this a reasonable statement? Absolutely! One slip on the ice lurking beneath a fresh snowfall, one misplaced step on the stairs or an uncontrolled slide across the lobby on a wet floor could result in temporary or permanent injury.

Most of us have been faced with a temporary disabling injury and have had to adjust to a lack of mobility or the inability to perform previously simple tasks. Remember the extreme effort that many of these tasks suddenly required. Can you recall the level of frustration you experienced?

Keep these personal exposures to temporary disability in mind as you read this article. Use the empathy you’ve gained through the difficulties you faced during these episodes in an effort to understand the issues being faced by millions of your fellow citizens who live with a permanent disability.

When the word “disability” is used, an image of a person in a wheelchair or a person using a white cane is sometimes brought to mind. These images are representative of only a few disabling conditions. A spinal cord injury or disease may be one of many reasons a person may find themselves

navigating a wheelchair. It is more likely a person using a white cane has some usable vision.

Some conditions are not readily apparent or identifiable. They require medications or lifestyle changes to help mitigate symptoms.

Many Canadians face devastating mental health issues such as acquired brain injury, depression, bipolar disorders or other chemical imbalances that affect mood. These nonvisible attributes can result in misunderstandings and misconceptions.

I hope to dispel some of these misunderstandings and misconceptions by encouraging a dialogue about the differences and the commonalities within the disability rights movement. We must endeavour to move out of our comfort zones and seek innovative ways to foster inclusion and accommodation. My hope is that through education and an increased awareness, people will gain insight and become participants in seeking solutions.

A common thread within the disability rights movement is accessibility. We generally think this means access to the built environment, the streets, parks, public buildings, automatic doors, ramps and accessible washrooms. These are vital components, but accessibility encompasses a much broader set of attributes. It’s also about equal access to

Where can I volunteer?

THE VOLUNTEER ACTION CENTRE This local organization can connect you with organizations in need. If you have a particular skillset, or are looking to work with a certain group of people, they can also help you search for that and make sure you make a great match. volunteerkw.ca

KW HABILITATION KW Habilitation assists people with developmental disabilites. They need volunteers to help run their daytime programs at the Kinsmen centre, which include people with skills in computers and technology, art and a whole host of other disciplines. kwhab.ca

CANADIAN NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR THE BLIND CNIB often needs volunteers to assist with their programming or in some cases act as “Vison Mates” who provide companionship to someone with limited of no eyesight.

Sometimes the greatest gift you can give someone is companionship. cnib.ca.

KIDSABILITY This organization rehabilitates children with physical and developmental disabilities.

They work with over 400 volunteers a year. Some of the opportunities include positions fundraising or sitting on boards to assist with programming for the non-profit. kidsability.ca

transit, business and governmental services, written and electronic communications, education, employment, recreation, and housing. More fundamentally, it requires a shift in attitude toward equality and the ability to live, learn, work, and play with dignity and independence.

What can you do? It’s simple: see the person first, not the disability. Help change attitudes. Use your abilities and talents to volunteer within the K-W community. There’s no lack of organizations that would benefit from your skills.

This month on community.thecord.ca...

RE: Best place to live? Don’t look far

We get snail mail too!

RE: Just as scary on the outside, April 2013

RE: All aboard for Steel Rail Sessions 2013

....pssst...check out page five.

On the blog >>

Thank you so very much for your article ‘Just as Scary on the Outside’ focusing on the women in GVI and their difficulties in finding homes and jobs, etc. when they are released from prison. I volunteer as a one on one through chaplaincy and my life has been enriched being with the girls I visit. Your article hopefully will give incentive to and stretch individuals, faith groups and companies to become involved with these dear women, one of which stated “we’re not bad people. Just people who made bad choices” and don’t we all! If you were to visit many of these women you would find gifts and talents hidden, only to have opportunity to blossom one day. I ask you as an editor to continue on the ‘outside’ to represent these women on the ‘inside’ with wonderfully written articles such as yours today in the Cord Community.

With thanks, Jean Witmer Volunteer

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

MAY 2013

FEATURE

I

11

t starts with an idea.

So what happens next? We aren’t giving out a prize here, or ranking the ideas. Consider 10 ideas to change Waterloo a list for your consideration. You may want to help out with an idea.

You may want to find out how to recreate it in your neighbourhood. Perhaps it will get your mind ticking — next year you could be submitting an idea of your very own.

Any project comes from the kernel of something small. It could be from reading a book; listening to music; seeing a need in your community or just from out of the blue. Sometimes we forget about ideas as soon as they appear, and other times they haunt us for years.

10 ideas to change Waterloo is a collection of ideas. Some of these ideas are big. Some are small. Some are just starting — they’re still just a kernel, though they could become something more. Some are already chugging along. We can see the difference they’ve made already.

We cast a wide net looking for our ideas. People submitted all sorts of them and we are sad to say we couldn’t feature them all. Choosing them was equally difficult. We brought together a team of some of the best idea people in the city to help us. Cathy Brothers, Executive Director in Residence for Capacity Waterloo Region; Nicole Neufeld, Director of Public Programs for KWAG; Ken Seiling, Regional Chair; Jim Erb, former Waterloo City Councillor and partner at Erb and Good Funeral Home; David Marskell, CEO of THEMUSEUM; Nabeel Rana, Organizer of the World Religions Conference and H.G. Watson, the Editor-in-Chief of the Cord Community Edition. We debated one morning over coffee which 10 would make the cut.

Luckily we also had our readers to help us out with some of the decision making. We set up an online poll to find out what you thought the best of the 10 ideas was. We received 1,245 votes over seven days. Online traffic to the poll accounted for over 30 per cent of our visitors at community.thecord.ca. That you are all so passionate about the great ideas this community has to offer is a testament to the creative and innovative people who call Waterloo home.

Join the discussion on Twitter

#10ideas

But the conversation does not end here. Online we’re hosting an exclusive web app for 10 ideas where you can explore each one in greater detail. We’re also taking the discussion to you on Twitter. #10ideas can be used to discuss all 10 of the ideas. You can even pitch your own if you want.

On May 29th we’ll be hosting our very own Ideas night at THEMUSEUM in downtown Kitchener. You can come meet all of the people behind our 10 ideas, as well as the people who worked on this special issue.

What we hope more than anything is that people take these ideas and use them to make Waterloo — and the people living here — more fun, more innovative, more creative, more civically engaged and simply put, happier. It doesn’t take all that much.

So — what’s your idea?

Words by Colleen Connolly, Justin Fauteux, Lindsay Purchase, Justin Smirlies and H.G. Watson. Graphics and layout by Lena Yang, with photos by Ryan Hueglin and Nick Lachance.

Continue to page 12 >>

Exclusive web app @ community.thecord.ca/10ideas (Yes, it’s mobile and tablet friendly!)

14

#10ideas

MAY 2013

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

@PEOPLE OF KW Full disclosure: When I got contacted to host @PeopleofKW, I was a little confused.

Ronald Chiu, the curator, had messaged me on Twitter, eager for a new host. He told me that save really offensive tweets, I could talk about anything I want. Anything? I could swear? Or talk about Game of Thrones spoilers? Or shamelessly self promote?

“They have completely uncensored…access to it,” Chiu told me a few weeks later.

The idea is to get a wide spectrum of perspectives — “anyone who lives in K-W,” said Chiu. Chiu points out that he learns new things all the time from the different K-W tweeters. “Eric is one of the co-hosts of KW Nerd Nite — I would have never known that if he had not volunteered himself to curate.”

Curation twitter accounts started in Sweden, where one person a week was given the reigns of a communal Twitter account, @ sweden. The accounts are successful when someone who knows how to engage audiences can start conversations. “Anyone who has a really good footing on Twitter…I’d like to get on board,” said Chiu, though he’s open to giving it to someone who has never used Twitter before.

There are now rotation curation accounts

for almost every country in the world, and countless municipalities. Sweden’s account has become the only account that is actually supported and curated by the national government. A friend of Chiu’s is even starting an account for Calgary.

One of the biggest lessons learned by Chiu? Be careful making fun of Waterloo’s most beloved product — BlackBerry.

“For April Fools we set up the account to look like it was being run by Thorsten Heins, the CEO of BlackBerry,” laughed Chiu. “We just started firing off some really silly tweets.

Some people got legitimately angry at us.”

Mistep aside, Heins is the top of the list of people he would love to take a turn as the voice behind @PeopleofKW. But the best part of it is getting to know a wide group of people. Chiu has taken a turn as the tweeter behind other rotation curation accounts and he relished the experience.

“You see a really wide spectrum of ideas.”

While I didn’t tweet nearly as much as I should have, I did see the point. @PeopleofKW opened me up to a whole new segment of people. Even if I was only meeting them online, I still got to make a few new friends. -@HG_Watson

Watts up: countries making the switch to electric SAN FRANCISCO AND AREA The bay city boasted it wants to be the “Electric Vehicle Capital of the US.” They’re still working on a nine-step plan to support electric vehicles on their roads

GERMANY The Germans have an ambitious plan to have about a million electric vehicles on the road by 2020.

SPAIN Spain looked at Germany’s plan, laughed, and decided they were going to beat the Germans to a million by 2014. Still no word if they’re getting close with only 8 months left.

CHINA Hoping to cut down emissions, China has been heavily subsidizing the purchase and manufacturing of electric vehicles. But in 2011 only a few thousand cars had been sold.

ELECTRIC MOBILITY ECOSYSTEM Ramon “Arcy” Canumay wants to change the way people move in Waterloo — and he wants them to get electric about it.

“The idea is that, why don’t we use electricity — and in the future, cleaner electricity — so that we can move around?” explained Canumay about his idea called the Electric Mobility Ecosystem (EME).

Instead of using gas-powered vehicles, Canumay is encouraging the citizens of Waterloo to adopt electric modes of travel, namely electric powered vehicles and bikes.

While his idea is not particularly new, Canumay noted that there is an “ecosystem” available in Waterloo that makes this idea more feasible in this community than others.

With the two universities, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo, and the numerous start-ups in Waterloo Region, Canumay feels there would be enough talent and interest to develop EME. His vision includes various charging stations around the city as well as the use of environment-friendly modes of transportation.

“For Communitech, that is one of the key reasons why it’s successful because it’s an ecosystem,” he continued, referring to the local tech incubator. “It’s not just one group, one organization, one company, but it’s different groups, many companies. So in a way for the electric mobility to be successful, it has to be like that.”

Canumay started thinking about this idea back in 2010 when his asthma – which he passed down to his children – was becoming increasingly irritable. He started researching about cleaner forms of travel and started working on spreading his EME idea this past year.

One of his accomplishments so far is

bringing an electric vehicle from Nissan over to his children’s school in April for Earth Day. “It was there at the school. The principal and I were driving it around, we were like kids,” Canumay laughed.

But the largest challenge with EME — something that Canumay acknowledges — is that electric cars aren’t necessarily cheap. As well, the current infrastructure of gas-powered vehicles and gas stations doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon.

“The infrastructure — the gas station — is there. [But] if you look around, though, there are ‘gas’ stations all around for the electric car. There’s a power plug here and there’s a power plug there,” he added. He did note that power distribution would have to change since electric vehicles consume a lot of electricity, especially while charging.

“If there are more [electric] cars, it has to be planned in a way that the grid can handle it,” Canumay added.

At the current moment, Canumay’s idea is just an idea, but he hopes that a concrete discussion is in place about EME in Waterloo Region by the end of this year.

“First-year would be just opening it up the discussion,” he explained. “If there is a discussion about it, then there are some concrete steps that can be taken.”

“It’s just about planting a seed; the ‘tree’ won’t come out right away, it takes time,” he said. “If we don’t plant the seed, it will never become a tree.”

So what about the next five or 10 years for Canumay? He’s hoping that other regions and municipalities catch onto this idea.

“If there is some success, why don’t we share it with other communities?”

#10ideas

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

GIRLS ON PURPOSE

MAY 2013

15

A working mother of two young girls, Jen Schrafft understands the challenges that face both parents and children as kids grow up.

And when she recognized a gap in the community where the needs of her seven-yearold daughter weren’t being adequately met, she took action and the idea for “Girls on Purpose” was born.

Girls on Purpose is intended to be an annual conference that would involve different activities and speakers for mothers and daughters, ages seven to 10, with some attended separately and some together.

It would be followed by an event series throughout the year that could include such activities as yoga, or learning about science and technology.

“It’s more about exposing your kids to different things, different ideas, and letting them have a taste of all different kinds of ideas and activities so that they can find their passion,” Schrafft explained, acknowledging that as kids grow older, they tend to narrow their focus on particular activities.

Part of the motivation for the idea came from the recognition that as children begin to reach this age bracket, there is less opportunity for parents to be involved in their activities.

“I wanted to have something that I could do with my daughter and something that’s fun, but I guess also at the same time, is informing me about how to guide her,” Schrafft explained.

In sessions directed toward parents, she identified that issues such as social media

usage could be addressed to help parents help their daughters more effectively.

Schrafft also felt the age group was a prime target for working on issues of self-esteem and community involvement. “There’s such a huge, I think, need for increasing girls’ selfesteem before they reach the teen years.”

“Before it becomes a crisis, you want to start to plant these ideas in their heads of positive and celebrating who they are and supporting each other,” Shrafft continued.

Details for the events are being worked out and Schrafft is currently in the stage of locating sponsors. She hopes that the project will expand to include different types of parenting and caregiver situations.

So far, she said, the response has been positive.

“When I started to talk to people for the purpose of gathering information, I had just about everyone said, ‘well, what can I do to help?’” she said. “Apparently people agree with me that it’s a good idea, which is exciting.”

While the event’s focus is specifically on mothers and daughters, at the heart of Girls on Purpose is involving people within the community and providing an outlet for all the activities it has to offer.

“The whole idea of building community is having people actually care about the community, care about where you are, realizing that it’s not a given right to have a fantastic community – you actually need to give back and you need to understand what the community is giving you and recognize that.”

Riehl wants Open Space to foster organic friendships and relationships with those who have developmental disabilities. Instead of having a volunteer or staff member befriending those with developmental disabilities, it’s community members.

“We hear a lot from people with disabilities and their parents and caregivers is that everyone in their life who isn’t their family is either a paid staff or a volunteer,” continued Riehl. “So what message does that send someone if all their friends and people in their life are sort of either given class credit or being paid to do this?”

He added, “Anyone who is a community member or person without a disability [at

Open Space], we don’t actually call you a volunteer because we think that sends the wrong message to people we support at Extend-aFamily. We see people really come together as equals.”

There are already plans to set up a similar event at the Seven Shores Café in Waterloo.

As well, Riehl and his team hope to bring the idea to Cambridge in the fall.

But Riehl doesn’t want to take all the credit for Open Space. According to him, most of the time the activities and the event are decided by those involved. He just wants people to keep coming out to the events.

“It’s theirs, not mine,” he said.

OPEN SPACE Renting out a part of Queen’s Street Commons Café every Monday night, Extend-AFamily (EAF), a Waterloo-based organization that assists those with developmental disabilities, hosts “Open Space” so that people with disabilities and those without can get to know one another in an inclusive environment.

“Open Space is really a simple concept,” said Matt Riehl, the community development coordinator for Extend-A-Family. “[Queen’s Street Commons Café] just happens to also be a very welcoming place.”

With food, drink, and even board games, members of the community come together at the Kitchener café every Monday for one simple goal: to build relationships. Riehl, who has been working at EAF since 2009, noted that this idea predated him when it originally began in 2008.

What started off small with only about five to ten people participating in the event has grown into an event that now hosts 35 to 40 people every week. Back in 2008, a local woman came up with the idea of the organization hosting an inclusive and welcoming drop-in, and approached EAF about it.

“There was a mother who had a daughter who was a young adult and had a disability.

They were new to the community and they realized that there weren’t many places that felt welcoming to her daughter,” continued Riehl. “It just took time [to get the project started], but it eventually got there.”

EAF has been working with the community, including Wilfrid Laurier University, to set up other friendship-building programs across the region that primarily use students as volunteers. But Riehl felt the approach of only pairing a person with a developmental disability with an able-bodied person wasn’t the most effective.

“Great idea, and the students are wellintended and I’ve met a lot of students who have made significant relationships,” said Riehl. “[But] there is sort of this expectation that they would be best of friends forever, right?”

“With volunteers — and student volunteers — there is a wide range of commitment,” added Riehl, noting that students, or whoever, are busy doing other tasks and sometimes don’t live in the community for a long period of time.

“In the case of Open Space, 30 people come together and just hang out. And the way I see it is that you can choose who you want to be friends with,” he said.

16

MAY 2013

#10ideas

THE CORD COMMUNITY EDITION

LITTLE LIBRARIES Ever since Chris Leishman erected Waterloo’s first Little Library last August, he’s received nothing but positive feedback from the community. Full vans of interested people have stopped to take pictures and sift through his selection, boxes of books have appeared on his doorstep in contribution and many have come by to offer their praise and gratitude.

Leishman credits a movement that started in the United States and has since gone global, catching the attention of both him and Tom Nagy, who stumbled upon littlefreelibrary.org back in March. Since then, Nagy has established his own website at llkw.ca and hopes to spread Little Libraries throughout the Waterloo region over the course of the next few months.

“You’re basically putting part of your bookshelf outside in a weather safe box and sharing it with whoever happens to be coming by,” said Nagy. “You choose what selection of books you want to put out there, what you want to present to your passers by or neighbours about who you are … or you can just leave it empty and say if anyone wants to donate a book then stick it in here.”

Little Libraries resemble a mix between a mailbox and a birdhouse in which books are available to and donated by the community in order to promote literacy and provoke

connections between residents. In Waterloo, Nagy hopes to see 10 Little Libraries up and running by the end of June.

It’s a reasonable goal considering the flood of interest expressed by locals on Nagy’s Facebook group since its establishment. The Facebook group exists as a primary platform for discussion around the project and its growing members are currently designing models and planning building parties for those interested in constructing their own Little Libraries. Nagy hopes to have kits at these events available for purchase, which a carpenter has offered to supply in order for the project to progress with ease.

“The goal of what I’m trying to do is to enable everyone to do their own thing,” said Nagy. “I’m not trying to have a project where we’re putting these things out throughout the city, I’m trying to have a central resource where we’re going to make it easy for anyone who comes across this idea to say ‘oh I’d like one of those’ and then to be immediately able to fulfill that.”

Nagy feels that the more people get involved, the greater impact Little Libraries will have on the community. “I think there is a subconscious effect of seeing these around …

It sinks in that this is a community that really values books and learning and education and sort of the continuity of history that books

provide.”

Leishman has found that even his single library has provided a more simple and subjective benefit for those who engage with it due to having a limited amount of space for materials.

“People picking up a book from there and

reading it and really enjoying it, for me that’s the best influence that it can have,” he said.

“That someone stumbled across a book that they really enjoyed that they never would have thought about purchasing or getting from the public libraries.”

GRAND PORCH PARTY Tenille Bonoguore was looking for a way to meet her neighbours. The freelance writer had just moved from Toronto, where her brother-in-law would often entertain her family by practicing guitar in their kitchen. “I had this idle thought, ‘what if he’ll practice on the porch? That would be pretty neat.’”

From that thought, the idea of the Grand Porch Party sprung — a low-key music festival that takes place on the porches of residents of Uptown West in Waterloo. Now in it’s third year, the event has certainly allowed Bonoguore to get to know her neighbours better.

“I had no idea how it would fly [the first time],” she said. “It was just pure experiment.” Bonoguore had to convince many of her neighbours to give up their porch for an afternoon. While some took some convincing, others jumped at the chance. Now many neighbours get into the spirit of the festival, with some enterprising youngsters even making money by selling lemonade.

Musicians have never been hard to come by, even during the first year when Bonoguore didn’t have the funds to pay them.

“The first year was a little hard at the start but we ended up with more musicians than we could fit in,” she said. “We’ve had a wait list every year now.”

The musical acts are diverse. The Coloured Marshmallow Brigade — a side project of the K-W based rock band Sex Dwarf — will be playing alongside students of the Adrian

Jones Music School and an opera singer, if Bonoguore gets her way. This year the event will feature artists from both the region and Toronto. She also hopes that a slightly bigger name may make an appearance. “I keep hoping Danny Michel will just pop by,” she laughed.

The Grand Porch Party isn’t just about the music. “We have an environmental partner every year,” explained Bonoguore. “It’s not only about the art, but the experiencing your community and your environment in a new way.” The festival is purposely held on Canadian Rivers Day each year, a day to raise awareness about keeping the health and heritage of Canadian rivers safe — a matter that hits close to home for many people in the communities that sit alongside the Grand River.

Bonoguore has no plans to expand the Grand Porch Party to other neighbourhoods, but sees no reason that someone else couldn’t take the idea and run with it.

“We don’t need to control every aspect of it,” Bonoguore said, though she did say she would love to see a Grand Porch Party in each town along the Grand River on Canadian Rivers Day. The 2013 Grand Porch Party is particularly exciting because Bonoguore gets to see one of her favourite musicians play. “Finally my brother-in-law will be here to play it,” she said. “He finally gets to see the event he inspired.”