The Community Edition March 2021 by The Community Edition

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1 • MARCH 2021

FINDING SOLUTIONS TO WR’S HOUSING CRISIS PAGE 4

MALIYAH BERNARD’S DIGITAL ART

SALTED + SOUR PROJECT FOR WILLIBALD CHEF

KPL BIDS FAREWELL TO FINES FOREVER

PAGE 6

PAGE 11

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MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

IN THIS

ISSUE

VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1

MARCH 2021

FEATURE 4

LOCAL EXPERTS PROPOSE SOLUTIONS TO HOUSING CRISIS

BEING A LOCAL JOURNALIST IN 2021

3 3

IN BRIEF EDITOR’S NOTE

WEARING WR

MALIYAH BERNARD’S DIGITAL ART

SEXPLANATIONS: LET’S TALK ABOUT DEATH

EXPLORING WR’S RACIST HISTORY

EDITOR’S PICK INSIDE

8-9 WATERLOO REGION’S TINY ANIMAL STORIES THIS ISSUE OF TCE WAS FUELLED BY MANGO NECTAR, THE EXCITEMENT OF BEING BACK IN OUR OFFICE AND VERY LITTLE SLEEP. THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR NEW CONTRIBUTORS AND OUR INCREDIBLE TEAM AT WLUSP.

ABANDONED INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS

WILLIBALD CHEF LAUNCHES SALTED + SOUR PROJECT

LEARNING NEW HOBBIES AND SKILLS IN PANDEMIC

NEW TUNE REVIEW: DOM VALLIE, BLEEDING LUV

PRESERVING OUR PANDEMIC EXPERIENCE IN HISTORY

THE KPL REMOVES OVERDUE FEES FOREVER

14 HARU NOON: EPISODE 23 14 MARCH EVENT LISTINGS 15

KITCHENER FAMOUS PODCAST

HYPERLOCAL TRAVEL: CREATE WATERLOO’S TRAIL MIX

COSMIC RELIEF

COVER BY NICK STANLEY Volume 9, Issue 1 Next issue: Apr 7, 2021 75 University Ave. W. Waterloo, ON N2L 3C5 519-884-0710 x 3564 THE COMMUNITY EDITION TEAM Editor in Chief Melissa Embury melissa@communityedition.ca Publisher Care Lucas care.lucas@wlusp.com Social Media Coordinator Kaitlyn Severin Staff Writers Rachael MacIntosh Kaitlyn Severin Erin Applebee Staff Photographers Nick Stanley Olivia Reid General Inquiries info@communityedition.ca

All advertising inquiries should be directed to Kurtis Rideout at 519-884-0710 x 3560 kurtis.rideout@wlusp.com WLUSP ADMINISTRATION President Aaron Waitson Executive Director Care Lucas Advertising Manager Kurtis Rideout Directors Arshy Mann Emily Crump Jade Hosick Keegan Gingrich Rosalind Horne Victoria Marshall

CONTRIBUTORS Abbey Steeneveld Alex Kinsella Alyssa Di Sabatino Amelia Mola-Schmidt Brian Douglas Caitlin Mulroney Elise Pipia Jessie Skinner Joe Martz Katie Klebanov Saﬁna Husein

COLUMNISTS

Cara Vandermey Elﬁe Kalfakis Juanita Metzger Kurtis Rideout Stacey Jacobs

The Community Edition is an alternative monthly intended to engage and inform the community. Started in 2012, the Community Edition is an editorially independent newspaper published by Wilfrid Laurier University Student Publications, Waterloo, a corporation without share capital. WLUSP is governed by its board of directors. Opinions expressed within the Community Edition are those of the author and do not necessarily reﬂect those of the editorial board, the Community Edition, WLUSP, WLU or Centra Web. All content appearing in the Community Edition bears the copyright expressly of their creator(s) and may not be used without written consent. The Community Edition is a member of the Ontario Press Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For additional information or to ﬁle a complaint, contact info@ontpress.com or call 416-340-1981. Preamble to the Community Edition Constitution The Community Edition will keep faith with its readers by presenting news and expressions of opinions comprehensively, accurately and fairly. The Community Edition believes in a balanced and impartial presentation of all relevant facts in a news report, and of all substantial opinions in a

matter of controversy. The staff of the Community Edition shall uphold all commonly held ethical conventions of journalism. When an error of omission or of commission has occurred, that error shall be acknowledged promptly. When statements are made that are critical of an individual, or an organization, we shall give those affected the opportunity to reply at the earliest time possible. Ethical journalism requires impartiality, and consequently conflicts of interest and the appearance of conflicts of interest will be avoided by all staff. The only limits of any newspaper are those of the world around it, and so the Community Edition will attempt to cover its world with a special focus on the community of Waterloo Region. Ultimately, the Community Edition will be bound by neither philosophy nor geography in its mandate. The Community Edition has an obligation to foster freedom of the press and freedom of speech. This obligation is best fulfilled when debate and dissent are encouraged, both in the internal workings of the paper, and through the Community Edition’s contact with the community. The Community Edition will always attempt to do what is right, with fear of neither repercussions, nor retaliation. The purpose of community press is to act as an agent of social awareness, and so shall conduct the affairs of our magazine.

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

NEWS IN BRIEF

Kitchener Public Library (KPL) has removed fines forever. NICK STANLEY PHOTO

LACK OF BLACK STAFF AT SCHOOLS

VACCINATION CLINIC LOCATIONS

2ND FATALITY FOR WASTE COMPANY

In a workplace census in 2019, only one per cent of WRDSB staff identified as Black, while 92 per cent said they are white. In an interview with CBC, Chris Ashley, a teacher at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and staff leader of the African Heritage Club at the school said he hopes to see more Black representation in local school boards in the future.

On Feb. 26 the Region of Waterloo announced the location of two major COVID-19 vaccination clinics. The large sites will be located at 435 The Boardwalk, Medical Centre 2 in Waterloo and at RONA, 66 Pinebush Rd. in Cambridge. They will open in early March for priority patients aged 80 or older.

Kitchener saw its second fatality within a year involving a pedestrian and a truck owned by waste management company Miller Waste Systems. On Feb. 18, a 68-year-old woman was struck, following a similar incident last July. Miller Waste Systems has pledged improvements to its vehicle fleet and driver training protocols.

NUIT BLANCHE ART LOCAL TECH EXEC HELPS REFUGEES PURCHASED

CHURCH FINED FOR GATHERING

The Region’s Public Art Advisory Committee has failed to find a new home for a 42-foot high sculpture called Mirrors of Babel. The piece was originally displayed at Toronto’s Nuit Blanche festival, before being bought by a local entrepreneur. Designed to be suspended from an interior ceiling, no suitable indoor location could be found locally.

Local tech company Bonfire Interactive’s chief client and product officer, Omar Salaymeh, has received the Meritorious Service Medal from Canada’s Office of the Governor General. Salaymeh was given the honour for his work helping Syrian refugees find employment with the Jumpstart Refugee Talent initiative, which he co-founded.

Church elders of the Trinity Bible Chapel in Woolwich Township have been ordered to pay $45,000 in legal fees on top of a $38,000 fine after a judge found they “intentionally acted in a manner that was in breach of the [Reopening Ontario act]” by allowing a religious gathering of more than 200 people in January.

HOUSE SELLS FOR WAY OVER ASKING

BAD COP GETS ABE ERB MAY OPEN SLAP ON THE WRIST AGAIN THIS YEAR

The local real estate market is in a housing crisis that keeps getting worse. In a recent sale a semidetached house in Kitchener was bought for $300,000 above its asking price. The local market is being boosted by a growing population coming from larger urban areas, like the GTA. Find out more in our feature article on page 4.

The Special Investigations Unit has cleared WRPS officers of wrongdoing after the takedown and arrest of a man inside a Waterloo apartment building last July resulted in injuries to the man’s forehead and nose. The SIU determined the officer’s actions were justifiable because the victim presented a “formidable physical challenge” in being subdued.

The Abe Erb restaurant and brewery closed its doors amid pandemic woes and mounting debt last October, but may open again by the year’s end. In an initiative led by one of its original investors, Brian Prudham received an asset appraisal, paid off Abe Erb’s hefty bank debt and obtained control of the business.

EDITOR’S NOTE:

WHAT A JOURNEY IT’S BEEN Editor in Chief, Melissa Embury will be leaving her role in a planned departure. THE COMMUNITY EDITION PHOTO

Back in 2017, I was new to KW and whispers of an art party at a secret location were going around town. Little did I know that my first Steel Rails would turn the wheels of motion towards my time as Editor in Chief (EIC) of the Community Edition (TCE). That night, I met the team of volunteers working tirelessly to put on the epic annual event. And, If you don’t know, they are what makes TCE truly magical — the volunteers that make it possible — the writers, photographers, graphic designers, illustrators, copyeditors, production helpers,

artists ... to name just a few. My journey, from volunteering as a staff writer to becoming EIC, was one of the most meaningful times in my life. It also opened doors to the entire community. Made by the people, for the people, TCE highlights the key issues that impact us most, and celebrates all the ways people in this community create art and culture. It gives a platform to anyone who wants to have a voice and it recognizes those advocating for change. Through my role as EIC, I’ve been able to engage with

BY: MELISSA EMBURY community leaders and learn about the key issues that we all need to keep fighting for. When I first took over in late 2019, I had no idea that we were about to embark on a pandemic. It’s been a weird, terrifying, while also amazing journey. My team and I have had to figure out how to pivot many times through printing and production hurdles, while trying to support local business and keep TCE alive. We somehow figured out how to do things remotely together as a team in an industry that thrives on face-to-face interactions.

Like many of us who are going through these times, it’s been tough, but I don’t know what I would have done without the care and support of my organization and the friends I made through my time here with TCE and Wilfrid Laurier Student Publications (WLUSP). I may be moving on to other challenges, but I’ll still be involved with the organization. Once you are part of this place, they fold you in and lift you up no matter where life takes you afterwards. I’ll remain EIC for the coming months until we find the right

candidate, and then help that person get settled in here. If you, or someone you know is interested in the role of EIC for TCE, you can find the job posting on the WLUSP website. The next time you see me, hopefully we’ll all be dancing together at Steel Rails.

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

FINDING THE MISSING MIDDLE

LOCAL EXPERTS ARE PROPOSING SOLUTIONS TO WATERLOO REGION’S HOUSING CRISIS

AMELIA MOLA-SCHMIDT CONTRIBUTOR In early October of 2020, I wrote an article outlining the housing crisis in Waterloo Region. The inspiration came from a Tweet that began circulating in the region a few months prior. A mother of two vocally expressed her dismay at the lack of affordable housing units for herself and her children to live comfortably in. This crisis has persisted into the new year. In fact, just last week a semi-detached home in Kitchener sold for $300,000 over the asking price. This is an issue facing many families and young people trying to find a home in the region. Dr. Dawn Parker, a professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo, has been studying the housing situation in Waterloo for a decade. “I have been here for 11 years now, and initially the downtown’s were much sleepier and quite underdeveloped,” Dr. Parker said. “We didn’t have the huge student housing complexes around the Northdale area.” Today, the skyline’s of both Waterloo and Kitchener are filled by tall skyscrapers. “Initially, the cities were terrified that no one would come to our downtown cores, and that the area would die and that our community wouldn’t be vibrant. We have the opposite problem now,” Dr. Parker said. Dr. Parker’s research has covered many important issues in regards to housing in the region. “We have a rental crisis with rent [prices] skyrocketing,” Dr. Parker said. Not only is there an affordability crisis when it comes to renting and purchasing homes, but there are also key demographics who are missing the opportunity to live in units that are functional and work for them and their families.

“I have been saying it for many years ... the one and two bedroom condo unit is overbuilt,” Dr. Parker explained. Indeed, the market for student housing and smaller apartments is overbuilt, as noted by Yu Huang, a PhD candidate who has been working alongside Dr. Parker. “Right now, there are so many apartments or high-rise apartments that especially target students that are under construction,” Huang said. With the pandemic drastically changing the way students are learning, many of these units lie vacant as remote learning is conducted from students’ family homes. The overbuilding of these smaller high-rise units is leading to what Dr. Parker has identified as “the missing middle.” “‘The missing middle’ is generally defined as low-rise but high density housing that has family sized units,” Parker explained. “Missing middle” homes could come in the form of stacked townhouses, three or four-story walk-up apartments, or three or four-story row houses that are split into four different units. “It’s not a duplex, but it’s also not a mid-rise or a high-rise,” Dr. Parker said. “The point being, that these are family sized units. Three bedroom and one and a half baths or two baths.” Another important development concept that Dr. Parker has outlined in her research is the “urban village.” “This concept came from Seattle’s visioning report where they specifically refer to urban villages,” Dr. Parker said. “Really what I’m talking about is some kind of a centre that has retail. Before the pandemic hit, I went to a conference in Germany and I stayed in the suburbs,” Dr. Parker explained. The centre Dr. Parker stayed in was four or five kilometres from the city, which was a 20-minute ride on the tram. “There was one street that had a produce market, a butcher, a baker, some really nice local restaurants, maybe even a shoe repair shop ... everything you would need to live

your day-to-day life,” Dr. Parker described. Dr. Parker explained how the area was surrounded by low-rise, high density apartment buildings. This ensured that community members had access to the daily essentials they needed, and there was enough population density to keep retail going. This is the urban village Parker is advocating for in KW. So why are these “missing middle” homes and “urban villages” not being considered amongst developers? Dr. Parker explained why in the Urban Growth and Change Research Group Findings and Analysis Report published in January of this year. In the report, Dr. Parker noted that housing markets often work imperfectly towards the public good. Not only that, but developers typically model their new builds based on what has sold previously. Those individuals who did not buy, or were only able to buy their second choice are left out of the data that drives developers’ perception of market demand. “If we have no local urban villages to assess, the product is perceived as risky and uncertain,” the report said. If there is no data that developers can look to, who can we expect to take the leap and advocate for the development of urban villages? In the same report, Dr. Parker described that “an entrepreneurial risk taker needs to be the first mover to supply the product.” Heavily linked to successful urban villages, is the accessibility of transit for citizens. Huang has been studying the importance of transit-oriented development (TOD), in Waterloo Region. “TOD’s have better access to transit, nearby parks, retail stores, housing and jobs,” Huang explained. “It’s basically an integrated development.” In Huang’s recent research, she utilized data from a 2016/2017 Residential Location Choice Survey. “35 per cent of [homebuyers] surveyed had a TOD preference, but they live outside of the TOD area,” Huang explained. Dr. Parker further clarified that

although TOD neighbourhoods are typically concentrated in urban areas, she believes that TOD needs to be moved to the suburbs. “We need to build cool, awesome, great places in the suburbs,” Dr. Parker said. Dr. Parker also noted that suburban areas outside of the downtown core, that have been built, have failed to meet the demands of the community. “The next time places like the Boardwalk or Williamsburg are built, it can’t be built the way it is now. It’s just killing us,” Dr. Parker said. TOD also presents some environmental benefits. “Some people in the suburbs might be stuck driving two cars,” Dr. Parker explained. If TOD neighbourhoods are brought to the suburbs, there would be a reduction in car use as a direct result of providing people accessibility to everyday essentials via transit or the ability to bike and walk. Dr. Parker noted that there are some positive developments being made in terms of housing that fits the needs of the ‘missing middle.’ “The Lancaster corridor is great. Someone built some cool stacked townhome apartments there a few years ago, which I thought was a really good move.” More positive change has been occurring with regards to affordable housing. “Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge have also been putting smaller parcels of municipal held land up for affordable housing over the past six months at a pretty rapid rate,” Dr. Parker said. Dr. Parker explained how the region could take a constructive approach to creating functional housing for all residents in the community. “The cities are in a relative position of power right now. This is the moment where they can really re-envision their development standards, their zoning standards, their design guidelines, and actively advocate.”

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

LGBTQ2+ INCLUSIVE CLOTHING SPACES

WHAT MAKES A SAFE CLOTHING SHOPPING EXPERIENCE FOR OUR TRANSGENDER AND LGBTQ2+ COMMUNITY?

WEARING WR

CAITLIN MULRONEY COLUMNIST Shopping for clothes can be stressful. Between finding your size, sorting through racks, and trying on item after item, it can sometimes feel more like a chore than an enjoyable pastime. But for members of the transgender community, the experience of shopping for clothing may also be a minefield of microaggressions, misgendering and unwanted stares from other customers. “It’s pretty anxiety-inducing to go clothes shopping, especially alone, as a trans person because sometimes people will get kind of nosy about people shopping in the ‘wrong’ section,” Lydia, a local film photographer, shared. She often asks her friends to review the more gendered items like dresses for her. “Anything could happen, and the best-case scenario is that I go through it and no one says anything. The worst-case scenario is that I’m in danger.” Maya, the co-founder of Dyke Bar Takeover, a charity organization that creates safe spaces and events for queer, cis and trans women, said that her experiences while shopping for clothes have largely been positive so far. Before she came out as trans, however, a retail associate made assumptions about her choice of glasses because they looked feminine,

which was extremely frustrating for her. Robyn Hobbs, founder and owner of Le Prix, a pre-loved sustainable fashion store in DTK, strives to combat these feelings of unease and to ensure that her store is a safe space for all — particularly for those in the queer community. Hobbs offers private appointments as a shopping option, lists Le Prix in the Rainbow Pages, SPECTRUM’s directory of resources for the local LGBTQ2+ community, and attends events hosted by the local queer community. “I am open to any kind of explorative, no matter where they are on the spectrum. If they’re trans, I just want people to find clothes that fit them well and feel good,” Hobbs said. Hobbs strives to help folks find clothing that makes them feel most like their true selves, and is grateful when her customers feel comfortable enough to disclose confidential information about themselves. Dani Bazely, the founder of Pride Certified, helps educate local businesses on creating inclusive spaces for the LGBTQ2+ community. Bazely hopes that providing this type of truly inclusive environment for customers will also have the added benefit of attracting employees who are also inclusion-minded. But businesses must be willing to do the work. “[The KW community is] making decisions to shop at places that share those values, and expressing those values as a business owner is absolutely key right now,” Bazely said. Maya is glad that fashion retailers are starting to foster more inclusive environments and take steps toward serving the trans community better,

We promise this photo of a rainbow array of clothing looks way cooler in colour on our website. CAITLIN MULRONEY PHOTO but warns that hanging a Pride flag or symbol without doing the rest of the work is only performative allyship. Maya and Lydia’s tips for creating an inclusive environment include: inclusivity training for employees, refraining from making assumptions

about someone’s needs based on their appearance, offering a wider variety of sizes and ensuring that all dressing rooms are gender-neutral. Maya sums it up best: “Deserve that flag before you do it. It’s super important.”

Lydia and Maya indicated their preference to be addressed by their first names within this article, which TCE has honoured.

BEING A LOCAL JOURNALIST IN 2021

A LOOK INTO WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A JOURNALIST AMIDST A PANDEMIC, FAKE NEWS AND OUR CHAOTIC TIMES

Past issues of WLU’s Waterloo campus newspaper The Cord loom over EIC Alyssa Di Sabatino’s office while she works remotely. CARE LUCAS PHOTO

KAITLYN SEVERIN STAFF WRITER With the spread of misinformation continuing to rise beyond our screens, more journalists are finding it challenging to determine what’s factual and what’s not. While it may be seen as a larger issue in the United States, the rise

of misinformation has also led to a change in how Canadian social media users are finding and sharing their news items online. According to a new study, Canadians are active on up to 6,600 online networks that have been linked to hateful content. Canadians also make up six per cent of all users on the 4chan board “Politically Incorrect”, which is one of the Internet’s largest forums for far-right extremist content. Local journalist Alyssa Di Sabatino, editor in chief of Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus student

newspaper The Cord, thinks the spread of misinformation can be a serious problem for journalists, especially with how fast it can spread online. “It can become a game of who can get their news out the quickest, and that’s not always journalistic,” Di Sabatino said. “They aren’t giving themselves enough time to do their research, and they feel this sense of urgency about doing their work immediately.” Bruce Gillespie is the program coordinator and associate professor

of Digital Media and Journalism at Wilfrid Laurier University. After working in the field of journalism as an award-winning writer and editor, Gillespie has seen a shift in how readers are moving away from the fast world of “social media” journalism and back to traditional news outlets, which may be slower but are seen as more reliable. “They want information they can trust about local lockdown rules, or the kind of masks they should wear, or vaccine safety,” Gillespie said. Misinformation has been on the rise during the pandemic, yet 85 per cent of Canadians still consider access to independent, fact-based journalism “extremely” or “very” important, as evidenced in The Proof Strategies CanTrust Index 2021 report. The spread of nonfactual sourced news may cause more unreliability for journalists, but Gillespie notes that their jobs have always been challenging in one form or another, especially during a pandemic. “[Journalists] are trying to do all the work that’s expected of them, which at the best of times seems like too much, with not enough resources and not enough people, [and] they’re also working, like many of us are, from home,” Gillespie said. Over the past decade, journalists have seen a number of unfortunate changes in the industry, including

major job cuts and more forms of media content, such as online articles, videos, and social media posts. This overload of work can lead many journalists to feel that the job is overwhelming or even daunting, even more so for those with mental health concerns. “I think it’s always tough to be a journalist. The past 10 to 15 years have been increasingly tough because of newsroom cutbacks, small staff, and the amount of work they’re expected to produce,” Gillespie said. These changes include reporting on the pandemic, where many journalists had to investigate stories that have touched upon the topics of illness, death, and grief. While readers have the choice to avoid these types of news stories, journalists and essential workers are required to be involved around the clock. “In previous times, there might have been a balance between really tough awful news then sort of something a little bit lighter to focus on. Whereas, I think for the past year, it’s been all stressful, challenging news all the time. As a journalist, you don’t have an option of stepping away and turning that off.”

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

BREAKING BARRIERS IN DIGITAL ART

MALIYAH BERNARD DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF BLACK CREATORS AND SEEING YOURSELF REPRESENTED

ABBEY STEENEVELD CONTRIBUTOR After Maliyah Bernard found herself working nine to five from home during the pandemic, with more free time than usual, she started the Instagram account @maliyahmadethis to feature her stunning pieces of digital art. Bernard’s artistic passions began with pencil crayons, paint and paper. Now a recent University of Waterloo graduate, with a Master of Arts in English Rhetoric and Communication Design, Bernard is elucidating the importance of diversity in digital art. Using her iPad, Apple Pencil and the digital illustration app Procreate, Bernard has been producing beautiful digital illustrations showcasing a better representation for people in our community. “I have noticed a lot of people picking up digital art, but I have also noticed that there are elements missing … different body types, different hair textures, different skin tones. I don’t find that all groups of people are being equally represented in digital art,” Bernard said. With the pandemic slowing everything and everyone down, people have been spending more time at home with free time to try new things. It’s an opportunity that has encouraged many to pursue different interests and passions they may not have been able to before. “You need something to protect your wellness. That is a big thing for me. This account has been able to open me up to make sure I carve time in my day to be creative,” Bernard said. Bernard grew up in a diverse environment inspired by her parents, both artists as well. Each piece she creates has a personal connection.

Maliyah Bernard and her cute corgi Maple. OLIVIA REID PHOTO “Now is the time to stress the importance of consuming diverse content. A lot of people were following Black creators last year, around the time of the solidarity march, but it is so important to be doing that all the time,” Bernard said. An important first step in her artistic journey was working as a graduate teaching assistant, as well as a graduate research assistant at the University of Waterloo. Bernard studied how inclusive pedagogical practices, popular culture, anti-racism

work and digital media can be used to prioritize inclusivity in all areas of life. “It’s important to be actively antiracist — which means thinking of anti-racism at school, at work and at home,” Bernard said. The June protest in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which brought tens of thousands to downtown Kitchener, sparked her passion to learn more. She was approached by Dr. Jay Dolmage, an English professor at the University of Waterloo, who hired her as an anti-

racism researcher. “Even though we can love and appreciate our communities, we still have a lot of work to do in terms of anti-racism and inclusivity,” Bernard said. New to the workforce, Bernard has been doing freelance podcast writing and blog editing on the side — something that she’ll be tying in with her brand new role as a content writer at Axonify. @maliyahmadethis has allowed Bernard to forge creative connections

Maliyah Made This digital art piece. MALIYAH BERNARD DESIGN with people across the world, including some from the Netherlands, which has led to commissions — something she does not think would have been possible during COVID-19 without her digital art. Bernard hopes to expand her small business by creating and setting up a formal storefront to make her art more accessible. “I think there is an opportunity to diversify this digital art trend … It is important to see yourself represented.”

SEXPLANATIONS: LET’S TALK ABOUT DEATH SEXPLANATIONS

STACEY JACOBS COLUMNIST

Death is a taboo subject for us all, especially when it comes up in a tarot reading. MELISSA EMBURY PHOTO

I used to think sex was the most taboo topic I could talk about. Abortion, masturbation, vulvas, testicles — all topics which made people angry, scared or uncomfortable. Then I started talking about death. I had no idea I would get such strong reactions from people. All types of people. People are scared of death. People don’t want to talk about dying. This was interesting to me because we are all sexual beings, even those who do not partake in the behaviours of sex, and we are all going to die. Why is there such fear and discomfort with two of the most natural things about being human? Things we all have in common. When talking about sex or death, we try to water it down with the

language we use: down there, private parts, doing it, sleeping with someone, passing away, not with us anymore, it was their time, they’re in a better place — no wonder children get confused. Even as an adult I can remember thinking to myself, ‘I think they are talking about having sex’ or ‘did they just say that person died?’ Many of us are uncomfortable, afraid, or even unable to say the words: SEX, DEATH, DIED. It would be much simpler if we were able to be clear, concise and direct. It was not always like this, and I hope it does not remain this way. I would like to die in a world where naked pictures of my old, wrinkled body can be hung at my celebration of life without making people fidget, and the poems I wrote about my vulva can be spoken with gusto and laughter. I would like people to clearly state, ‘she is dead but she planned her death and spoke about it frequently.’ ‘She was prepared, therefore, we were prepared.’ Will this be possible? Could it be the fear of the unknown that makes us cringe?

When we do not talk openly and honestly about something, it becomes mysterious and scary. Children become curious but we scold them for asking. Teens watch porn and Google death and we panic. But what if we didn’t hide from sex and death? What if we discussed it, planned for it, educated everyone about it and learned from people’s differing views? I think our society is moving in this direction — I’m writing about it, you’re reading about it and the Internet is full of it. Could sex and death, once celebrated then forbidden, become common and normalized topics of easy conversation without people sweating and looking for the nearest exit? Will we finally know what to say at a funeral, and learn to talk to our partners about sexual pleasure? I think so, and if I am wrong, well, may I dance naked on my grave for all to see. Stacey Jacobs is a local sex educator and advocate. Jacobs has been a sex educator for almost two decades. For 13 of those years she worked as a sexual health educator at Planned Parenthood.

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

EXPLORING THE RACIST HISTORY OF WR

The current KWAG exhibit Black Drones In The Hive, by artist Deanna Bowen, showcases our deeply racist history and the white supremacists in power who shaped our region. MELISSA EMBURY PHOTO

MELISSA EMBURY EDITOR IN CHIEF It’s no secret that our region has a turbulent history as a hotbed for white supremacy. Waterloo Region remains an area with frequent incidents of racism and hate crimes. But how much do we really know about our racist history? Kitchener Centre MPP Laura Mae Lindo has actively spoken out on anti-racism, on the history of white supremacy in our region and creating equity in our organizations and institutions. “We take for granted that everybody [knows] the history of white supremacy in the area. I don’t know if everybody actually knows that. There has to be public recognition, in a real way, of the history of white supremacists organizing in the Region,” Lindo said. The events listed in the historical timeline of our region are not new to Lindo, and she believes that when we start validating the reality that hate crimes have been happening, we will be able to take action against them. “Racism exists because white supremacy is the way that folks have organized. And when I say organized, I mean, established institutions [who] decided who is deserving of health care, housing, education, good wages, safety, policing and recreation or space to just exist in the world without harassment,” Lindo said. Even more dangerous than neo-

nazis, though, is the prospect that the actions of a few extremists could distract attention from the systemic discrimination and violence that BIPOC and marginalized folks encounter every day. “This is literally par for our everyday discussion. I’ve often said, you know, it’s hard to be Black in an anti-Black world,” Lindo said. Lindo has been fighting throughout her career to establish conversations and policy changes locally, provincially and nationally. Her most recent push for change was to designate the Proud Boys, “a neofascist organization” as a terrorist organization in Canada. Thanks to her petition and others like it, as of Feb. 3, 2021, the federal government now classifies the Proud Boys as a terrorist entity. The main takeaway, according to Lindo, is that white supremacy groups like the Proud Boys do not exist outside of our families, friends and communities and that the best way to reach someone you don’t agree with is to talk to them. “That’s where I say mobilize your privilege. You have access to a Proud Boy, well, go talk to them about why that’s a problem,” Lindo said. But what else can we do as residents and citizens to be actively anti-racist? Lindo believes that once we understand how racism and hate operate, it’s clear that there is only so much work that can be done at the regional level. “There’s a lot more work that can protect and support more people if it’s connected to a provincial strategy,” Lindo said. Provincial legislation can create committees to address issues of racism and equity within less progressive communities

that are not paying attention. “For them, racism doesn’t exist. It would require them to think differently, and use a different kind of lens.” An important area that needs a rewrite, according to Lindo, is our schools’ curriculum. By changing the white, settler colonialism history taught through our education system, we can start to provide the truth of our region’s fraught past. “I think it’s really, really important for us to have a nuanced understanding of our history, and then encourage the people that we’re teaching to keep looking, and keep reading because new things are going to arise,” Lindo said. On a larger scale, Lindo believes Canada has a long way to go in terms of reimagining our nation’s identity. What she thinks is missing from our history curriculums are the Black and Indigenous resistance movements that do not get recognition — the people who fought for human rights. “That sort of stereotypical narrative gets perpetuated again and again. Indigenous peoples should fight harder. They’re lazy. They’re not right. They say that about Black folks, too. We’re all lazy,” Lindo said. “One of the challenges for racialized people when it comes to trying to fight for racial equity is that we are fighting against a national story about Canada — that we are so loving, and we think it’s cool to tolerate others.” Lindo thinks anti-racism work starts early, through advocating for the racialized and marginalized children in our community, and that we need to stop tolerating racism in our schools.

“Listen, if one Black kid experiences racism in school, that’s a problem.” Lindo also stressed that our community shouldn’t need a certain number of people to come forward with their experiences of racism before we start to look at white supremacy as a serious problem here in the region. “Because we care about that one Black child. We care about that one Indigenous staff member. We care about that one racialized health care worker. Right? It shouldn’t be a matter of ‘well until they become a critical mass, we don’t have to actually do any racial equity work,’” Lindo said. Crystal Mowry, senior curator at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery (KWAG) worked to bring the exhibition Black Drones In The Hive by artist Deanna Bowen, which explores our region’s racist history, to our local public. Looking through artifacts from Black Drones in The Hive at KWAG, Bowen draws attention to one of our local and celebrated historical heroes: A. R. Kaufman. “Bowen’s work reveals a myriad of ways in which white supremacy has shaped policy and public record … [Kaufman] was doing sterilizations at the same time that his business [was] being celebrated in local yearbooks,” Mowry said. This is why it’s so important to tell the stories of people in our history that have not been included in the narrative according to Lindo and Mowry. “Let’s not be afraid to ask people to think about who’s not included in the story that you’re being taught,” Lindo said.

Back when our region was forming in the early 20th-century, white wealthy businessmen, like Kaufman, held all the power — but that system of power still exists here today in tight and exclusive social and professional circles. “You have these kinds of empowered, wealthy, older white men figuring out what they want the future of this region to be. It seems wild to me,” Mowry said. “What about all the people that contribute meaningfully, all the people of colour who have come and gone through this community? … I think that it’s a great cruelty of the way that we manage history locally.” The first part of fighting against these groups, being anti-racist and changing the power dynamics in our region is to look at our history and to see that we still have these same problems today. “If you talk about racial justice or racial equity, then you are forced to talk about the foundation of white supremacy, then you’re actually talking about some real stuff happening in our community. It’s hard, but it’s real,” Lindo said. How can people in our community begin to wake up to white supremacy in the region and beyond, and how can we become anti-racist and enact change in our communities? Lindo stressed that it begins with educating yourself. “We need to use real words to describe what’s happening around us. And sometimes that requires folks to do some of their own education to try and figure out what those real words mean.”

TINY ANIMAL STORIES THIS PAST YEAR HAS BEEN MET WITH A LOT OF CHALLENGES. WE WANTED TO SHINE THE SPOTLIGHT ON THE ANIMALS IN OUR LIVES WHO HAVE KEPT OUR MINDS OCCUPIED AND OUR HEARTS FULL DURING ISOLATION. WE ASKED YOU TO SHARE YOUR TINY ANIMAL STORIES WITH US; LOCAL STORIES OF YOUR BELOVED PETS, CREATURES IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD OR AT THE PARK. YOU DELIVERED. HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVOURITE SUBMISSIONS. ILLUSTRATIONS BY CARA VANDERMEY FOR A FULL COLLECTION OF STORIES VISIT COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

Walking down the street in KW when a hawk was sitting on a pole, He kept ﬂying to the next pole as we walked by. He got upset that he had to keep moving, and grabbed a pine cone off a nearby tree and dropped it right in front of us to go away. It was so amazing to have this interaction with such a beautiful bird. - Erika

I arrived at 5:30am to a community path in Kitchener, to photograph a beautiful coyote family that frequented the area. By 6, I had seen the mom, and her me, 10 feet away. This wasn’t the scariest part of my morning. I took several pics and got up to ﬁnd a new angle in hopes of getting the pups coming into the open ﬁeld. Out of nowhere, I hear a high-pitched call and turn just in time to save my head from a redwinged blackbird. Wings touched my ear. Walking with coyotes and I’m afraid of the attacking blackbird. -Michelle Graham

I was sitting on the boardwalk beside Silver Lake watching the geese, when a lady pushing a stroller walked by with her husband. “Isn’t the water beautiful?” he asked her, thinking he knew the answer. “No,” she barked, “all the geese shit in there,” I laughed, to her displeasure, and continued to watch the geese swim, ﬂap, ﬂoat, and yes, shit, in the water. I agreed with the man. Later when I went to the park washrooms, I was curious, and so I examined the signs on the doors. There was no bathroom for the geese. - Anonymous

Ollie-mo, the golden boy, You learned real quick unwilling arms were no toy. From the KWHS to the streets of Mount Hope, You went from being at the end of yours, to dutifully respecting your rope. You taught me patience, you taught me care, You showed me how much concrete collects dog hair. We chased concrete stairs, all around, And basement halls as rains came down. Camping trips and cottage swim, You ﬁll life with love right to the brim. I wish I’d had more chances to give, But I’ll be sending you my love, as long as you live. - Andy

A family of squirrels moved into our walls, broke into the bathroom vanity, and ate most of a tube of toothpaste - maybe they wanted cleaner teeth? - Onion Honey

Curled up against the vent, one paw slung out in the ecstasy of winter slumber. Uneven snores greet me to our cozy uptown Waterloo home. This holiday won’t bring the cat sitter or visits to Ipperwash or Buffalo. I approach. He jerks awake, inquiring green eyes peer out of velvety black fur. I unwrap my purchase. Comforting purrs turn to a low guttural growl. Whiskers ﬂick. This is no catnip treat. He stands attentive at my feet. Click, his collar goes on. I press the button; red, green, and gold lights ﬂicker from his new Christmas tie. Oh the indignity. - Anna Fleet

I never would have guessed that an overlooked senior cat riddled with health issues from the KW Humane Society would take up so much space in my heart. We got to spend seven years with the world’s sweetest cat through highs and lows, milestones and loss. Our little Molly was a source of light and companionship through our time with her, but especially during this pandemic. She made my mental health better on my worst days just by being herself. Following us from room to room, unbothered by everything and loving everyone. I’ll miss your place in our home, dearest girl. - Emily W.

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

ABANDONED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

THE THRILL OF EXPLORING WATERLOO REGION’S ABANDONED INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS AND SPACES

KATIE KLEBANOV CONTRIBUTOR Exploring abandoned buildings and spaces is a thing, and Waterloo Region’s rich industrial past and present have made it home to many industrial buildings. Some are still operating, and some have been converted into condos, renovated offices and shops while others have been given up for collaborative tech spaces. But what about the rest? Many of these relics remain in limbo — they’ve already been boarded up, but are still waiting for someone to come around and make use of them. These spaces and buildings can be spotted even off the main streets across the region, and local heritage enthusiasts dream of seeing the inside of places like Barra Castle in Kitchener or the recently demolished Preston Springs Hotel in Cambridge. “We went through a long period of excess of vacant buildings, but now they’re a little bit harder to come by,” Karl Kessler, a local writer, researcher and coordinator of Doors Open Waterloo Region from 2003 to 2019, said. Though Doors Open Waterloo Region showcased all kinds of buildings, from tiny old churches in the countryside to large, brand-new buildings like the one that houses Google. Kessler shared that most guests were especially fascinated by large-scale vacant factories. Part of this has to do with people’s personal and collective connection to the history of Waterloo Region. Joe Martz, a local photographer and designer who is also drawn to the aesthetic of the disused factories, has done some commissioned photography of buildings such as The Rumpel Felt Co. Limited, Kaufman Lofts and the Electrohome building, with permission to enter and take photographs. “My dad used to work for the AirBoss Rubber factory, so I really have a soft spot for it … the older admin offices are boarded up, and are sort of overtaken by nature now,

Commissioned photos of the exterior of the Kaufman Lofts building in Kitchener. JOE MARTZ PHOTO but I’d love to go on a tour inside,” Martz said. In his work, Martz also got to see some spots that had yet to be cleaned out, where belongings were scattered chaotically, and it seemed as though the occupants had only just left. “It’s like a time capsule, just wasting away. You see trash, paint chipping, kids’ toys scattered. Sometimes you just think, how did it come to this state?” Martz said. When explorers are fortunate enough to learn the story behind a place, it makes urban exploration that much more exciting. According to Kessler, people are interested in hearing about these historic factories that loom in our local landscape. “You get to wondering about being able to go inside,” Kessler explained about the Doors Open tours. “And for someone to really bring you back into what it must have been like … it’s kind of a thrill.” Brian Douglas is a local social worker and photographer, whose installation Work Shifts is featured in the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum’s long-term collection What Makes Us Who We Are? gallery — part of a larger exhibit about local

industry and trades that have since vanished. He describes his work as a “photo-record of KitchenerWaterloo’s heritage,” to show where the buildings are at this point in time. Douglas has come across and captured some odd stories for which he could find no explanation. “One of these things was this piano in the Lang Tannery building, in the loading bay area. I asked around if anyone knew [anything about it] — but no one did. And it just didn’t fit,” Douglas said. Whatever the reason for a piano in a leather factory could be, it’s about the stories, the “lived experience,” as Douglas puts it. He said he likes to think of the people and conversations that took place in these spaces. “Visiting these places is really an opportunity to stop and reflect.” Part of the reason why these spaces are so awe-inspiring is the way we experience the space — especially in large buildings like manufacturing plants. “It’s a response to the space itself. To the way that it’s designed, the way the light comes into it, the way the air hangs, [and] the way the sound travels … When these buildings

are quiet, there’s nothing quieter,” Kessler said. The spatial design of a building can also make one feel uneasy, and urban explorers often talk about feeling a big difference between the times when they’re allowed to be there, and when they aren’t, according to Kessler. Isaac Serif, an artist and photographer born and raised in St. Catharines, currently lives in Waterloo. He gets ideas for his work when wandering around the local urban landscape. Especially lately, after many students have left Waterloo to study remotely, Serif finds the forgotten plazas and spaces between shops to be uncannily empty. “The emptiness creates this aesthetic — it infuses your senses almost, on top of the sort of claustrophobic architecture. You feel like you’re in a dream,” Serif said. His work explores liminal space and projects the feeling of being in a forbidden place. When everything is so empty, “it’s like you’re not supposed to be there,” he said. These places are not really abandoned, but because of the pandemic, residents and workers are not currently going into our local

office buildings. “The grass is overgrown, nature seems to be reclaiming the buildings,” Serif said. As redevelopment rates rise in the region, many urban explorers and heritage advocates stress the importance of restoring these buildings rather than wiping them out. Perhaps part of the solution is simply getting more people interested, passing down the knowledge beyond the relatives of factory workers and building community pride. Kessler hopes the collective effort of his photo book Overtime: Portraits of a Vanishing Canada, with fellow photographer Sunshine Chen, will encourage others to explore local history. The book documents the lives of people in Waterloo Region who practice vanishing trades, professions and cultural traditions. “It’s like a fabric of stories. Anyone can really become a repository for this knowledge, and be the keeper of stories from generation to generation to be passed down within our broader, nuclear family of Waterloo Region,” Kessler said.

Items left behind in abandoned industrial buildings tell a story of the people and life that used to occupy the space, as seen in these photos from the Forlorn Factories photographic series. BRIAN DOUGLAS PHOTO

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

METALHEAD CHEF DELIVERS SOURDOUGH ELISE PIPIA CONTRIBUTOR

Chef Byron rocks out to heavy metal while crafting these artisanal loaves.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Picture this: it’s March 2020, the baking aisle in the grocery store is bare. No flour or yeast in sight. Suddenly everyone is attempting to make sourdough because eating fresh bread undeniably makes us happy. Many of us eventually give up on making bread, proving to be too difficult a task to master. When we were in lockdown 2.0 and completely breadless, a hero emerged! Byron Hallett, the executive chef at Willibald Farm Distillery, Brewery, & Restaurant and he is delivering fresh homemade sourdough loaves (and happiness) to the KW area with his new project Salted and Sour. Being that Willibald is located in Ayr, about a half-hour drive south of Waterloo into the countryside, the owners made the choice to close up shop until the lockdown lifted. “I had been off work for about a week or so, and it was the longest I’d ever gone without having something to do ... and I didn’t like that very much,” Hallett recalled. Hallett was becoming restless and wanted something to occupy his time that would also help pay the bills. “Bread was the first thing I thought of [selling] because I make it at home all the time and in the restaurant as well. I’d like to think I’m pretty good at it,” Hallett said. Ordering from Salted and Sour is

easy: “I do one kind of sourdough bread, just a straight up sourdough. It’s a package deal with some homemade butter, which is topped with sea salt for $15 delivery in KW region,” Hallett said. Hallett has a meticulous process with consistent results. It takes three days from start to finish for a loaf to get to your porch. He also offers three starter feedings per day. What the heck is a sourdough starter you ask? A starter is a living yeast culture (yes, it’s alive, like a pet). “Whether I’m baking that day or not, keeping the starter healthy and fed is the first step to great sourdough,” Hallett said. For those who don’t know, making sourdough bread requires a sourdough starter, which is basically fermented dough/live bacteria that aids the bread in rising and gives it its signature sour flavour. You have to continuously “feed” your (pet) starter with equal parts water and flour to keep it alive. Wild stuff! As for what inspired the branding of Salted and Sour, Hallett explained: “I wanted to combine two things that I really like, heavy metal music and cooking. But I couldn’t go too obscure, because I also have to sell this. There’s not a lot of metalheads around that are super into artisanal bread.” Hallett even started making t-shirts, with the help of Jon Johnson, a local graphic designer, screen printer, and founder of Bearface Design (BRFC). “I wanted [the shirts] to look like a band logo in a way. The more indistinguishable your logo is, the better it is, in terms of a death metal band. If you can’t read it —

awesome,” Hallett said. If you squint closely at the loaf on the shirt, you can even make out some creepy skulls hidden within. The waitlist for Salted and Sour is currently two weeks and Hallett has been delivering every day for just under two weeks. “The response has been very surprising, in a positive way,” Hallett said. “There are people that are preordering loaves two weeks in advance, I don’t think I would even do that! That’s crazy to me. They want it so bad that they’re willing to wait for a couple of weeks for [my] bread, that’s pretty cool.” Hallett’s fiance Shannon Maxwell takes care of responding to all of the messages and orders on social media for him, which he’s incredibly grateful for. “She is a huge help and just horribly underpaid for her services,” he said. “I just add a lot of rock n’ roll emojis to the messages to seem onbrand,” Maxwell said. Hallett recommended that when you receive your loaf you should smear the butter included in the delivery on the bread and eat it right away. He’s selling butter with his loaves because it’s his favourite thing to eat. “Just good bread with butter and salt. For me, it is just the most satisfying thing.” Hallett offered some advice to those trying to make sourdough on their own. “Don’t get discouraged. It takes a while to get it right,” he said.

THE SILVER LINING IN THE PANDEMIC CLOUD

OUR STAFF WRITERS GOT TOGETHER TO SHARE THE HOBBIES AND SKILLS THEY’VE BEEN LEARNING WITH ALL THEIR TIME STUCK AT HOME

RACHAEL MCINTOSH STAFF WRITER Quarantine has given people both too much time and not enough. One second you’re sitting at home trying to pass the time, and the next you’re running out for more toilet paper before the lockdown tightens again. Many local residents have used the extended time spent at home to adopt new hobbies and learn new skills. While we’ve all seen the videos and articles about making bread and learning to knit, two of the Community Edition’s staff writers have picked up their own skills during the pandemic. Amelia Mola-Schmidt, who is also the station manager for Radio Laurier, has been living with her dad since the start of the pandemic. “Obviously there’s a bit of a clash when you move back home with your parents. It’s been really nice in many ways getting to spend time with family and, this is so cliche [to say] ... but cherishing the little things,” Mola-Schmidt said. During quarantine, Mola-Schmidt has been learning to speak Italian. Her mother’s parents are from Berlin, Germany and her father’s parents are from southern Italy. “I grew up with European heritage and all the joys that come from a big

Our staff photographer Olivia Reid is also learning to play the piano during her time at home.

OLIVIA REID PHOTO

Italian family ... but none of us had the opportunity to learn a little bit of the language,” Mola-Schmidt said. Currently, Mola-Schmidt can speak to the family she lives with in Italian. She aims to be able to have a full conversation with her family members who live in Italy and do not speak English. “I think you can put a lot of pressure on yourself when you’re learning a language … if you’re not getting things super quickly. So even just being able to put together: ‘my name is Amelia’ or ‘I like this’ and ‘I like that’ have really been rewarding moments for me.” Like many locals during the pandemic, our other staff writer Erin

Applebee found herself unemployed in May, when her contract at a local municipality ended. Luckily, four months later she found employment as a customer support associate, but Applebee has been living on her own throughout the pandemic. “[Living alone has] probably been one of the most difficult things during a pandemic. Especially during the beginning where they really had those stay-at-home orders, where I couldn’t see my friends or my family or my close contact group,” Applebee said. Applebee has been practicing yoga every day since about a month into her unemployment. She started with “Yoga With Adriene’s online 30 Day

Yoga Journey” video classes but has transitioned to using other classes and mediums as well. “It really has been something to string my days together. Something to look forward to the next day, to find out what the next yoga video was going to be,” Applebee said. “And now I’m at 253 days straight.” Applebee has no plans to end her daily yoga practice, however, she does have some milestones she would like to reach, for example, being able to do crow pose. She didn’t mean for it to turn into over 36 weeks of straight learning — initially she was just looking for something to help her connect with herself.

“I think for people to just take five minutes every day is really important, especially if they’re struggling with what is happening in the world,” Applebee said. “I think that having any kind of habit that you are continuously doing is really beneficial. It has been for me, and I think you’ll probably find with other people that it’s a very similar experience — no matter what the hobby is.” We will all be happy when the pandemic is over, but hopefully, we can learn some new skills or knowledge while we’re still isolating.

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

PRESERVING OUR PANDEMIC HISTORY

RACHAEL MACINTOSH STAFF WRITER When someone mentions the year 2020 in the future, we will likely all have the same thing in mind: unprecedented times. People in the future may be interested in researching this period of history and seeing what people in our region were experiencing. Within KW, there have been several initiatives to collect information, artwork and artifacts related to the pandemic and preserve them. Region of Waterloo Museums, Region of Waterloo Archives and Region of Waterloo Library have come together on these projects. “One of the ﬁrst things that happened when the pandemic started is that everyone was comparing it to the Spanish Flu,” said Stacey McLennan, the collections curator and registrar for the Region of Waterloo Museums. McLellan said there is almost nothing in their collections regarding the historic pandemic of 1918. “As a historian, I kept thinking in my mind [that] we can’t let this pandemic pass us by and not record things for the future.” The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum has started a program called Help Us Make History, where local residents can submit something that

represents their experiences during the pandemic, including written accounts, photos or video/audio ﬁles. For example, the museum has had many people offer to donate their journals once they are ﬁnished with them. The museum has received approximately 150 submissions at this point. Contributors have ranged from children to the elderly.

“

[WITH KIDS] THEIR VIEWPOINT IS VERY TO THE POINT AND VERY HONEST. ‘IT SUCKS’ IS A VERY COMMON PHRASE COMING FROM KIDS,

”

-STACEY MCLENNAN, REGION OF WATERLOO MUSEUMS COLLECTIONS CURATOR “[With kids] their viewpoint is very to the point and very honest. ‘It sucks’ is a very common phrase coming from kids,” McLennan said, adding that it is nice to include the perspective of children when documenting this time. “A lot of the time I don’t think we actually look at kids’ thoughts

and feelings in the same way we would adults when we’re looking at preserving things for the future,” McLennan said. Before the pandemic, McDougall Cottage held a yearly Paint the Grand Exhibit and Silent Auction, where local artists would paint along the Grand River. The paintings would be sold at an auction and proceeds would go towards the museum’s operations. Since McDougall Cottage was not able to hold the outdoor painting event, they moved it online and had artists submit work that expressed their feelings about our current times. The new exhibit The View From Here: An Artist’s Perspective on COVID-19, included paintings, watercolours, photographs and more. “People are very willing to share and are very honest in their submissions. Sometimes the hurt that they’re feeling, especially if it’s a submission about someone who’s passed away, really comes through in what they’ve written,” McLennan said. The artifacts, photos and artwork from Help Us Make History and The View From Here can be found on The Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum and the McDougall Cottage websites, respectively. McLennan said the project has had a positive impact on residents in the region as well. “I think it has been serving as a bit of an outlet for the community as well, which is a really nice beneﬁt, and not something which we had initially thought of.”

Heidi Blom makes and donates masks for the Cambridge Memorial Hospital. ART SUBMISSION BY HEIDI BLOM

NEW TUNE REVIEW

Apollo Shirts

Gift Cards

THIS TRACK SLAPS SONG: Bleeding Luv LINK: https://youtu.be/ViAUlbcz5Mg

Apollo Pins

Popcorn Pick-up

SUPPORT THE APOLLO CINEMA! MERCH & MORE AVAILABLE AT: APOLLOCINEMA.CA

Kitchener’s Dom Vallie formally hit the local music scene pretty hard in 2019 with a high concept video for “Scared of Death”. The video, shot by popular local videographer Iced Out Visuals, has amassed almost 20,000 views since dropping. In the time since dropping his debut project Nights in 2017, Vallie has consistently improved his craft and quality of output through hard work and collaboration with talented producers and artists. While he has yet to drop a track that doesn’t slap, his growth is staggering when you draw a line from Nights through “Scared to Death”, 2020’s

“Welcome to Tartarus”, up to his most recent single, “Bleeding Love”. The R&B drill track interpolates the classic Leona Lewis song and, to say the least, it deﬁnitely does it justice. I look forward to hearing it drop on all platforms, but for now it’s just running numbers up on YouTube. If one thing is for certain at this point, it’s that you can expect big things in Vallie’s future, as the young artist appears hungry for success and determined to stop at nothing short of it. - Kurtis Rideout, local musician, producer and ad manager for WLUSP

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

The KPL is removing fees and overdue fines forever. NICK STANLEY PHOTO

THE KPL SAYS GOODBYE TO LIBRARY FINES SAFINA HUSEIN CONTRIBUTOR

The Kitchener Public Library (KPL) announced they will be removing fines and overdue fees permanently, as a step towards making the library accessible and equitable for those in the community. KPL had paused all fines and overdue fees throughout the pandemic as a safety precaution, eliminating residents having to leave their homes to return items. “Libraries, in general, were meant to be equalizers — for everyone to have the same access to things,” Shirley Luu, digital marketing manager at KPL, said. “We don’t want there to be any barriers, and fines were one of those things that were a barrier. We’re really excited to be able to now announce that fines are gone — forever.”

“

LIBRARIES, IN GENERAL, WERE MEANT TO BE EQUALIZERS— FOR EVERYONE TO HAVE THE SAME ACCESS TO THINGS.

”

-SHIRLEY LUU, DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER AT KPL

In November, KPL began researching the impact that waiving overdue fines would make on the community. At that time, they learned that 11 thousand library cardholders were unable to take out material because they owed fines. Over 15 per cent of those individuals were children. “We were really looking at the people who these policies are affecting. Being able to go fine-free,

we can welcome back people to the library who maybe haven’t been able to visit us in a while,” Luu said. Not only will the removal of fines positively impact low-income families within the region, but it will also affect those who may not have easy access to transportation, as well as many other barriers. Since announcing their decision to go fine-free, KPL has received countless positive feedback from the community. “One person shared with us online, that removing fines is going to make their son much less anxious to check out his books,” Luu said. Although KPL will be removing overdue fines, they are confident this will not impact timely returns. “Historically, fines were introduced as a motivator to return things in a timely manner,” Luu said. “All the studies show that it actually has unintended consequences that affect different populations, but it is also not true that people won’t bring their books back if there are no overdue fines.” According to Luu, the Chicago Public Library saw a 240 per cent increase in returned books after they went fine-free. Although daily fines are gone, missing and replacement fees will still exist for long-overdue books. In addition to waiving fines, KPL has recently launched new initiatives, in order to take some other steps towards making the library more inclusive and equitable, such as free skate rentals. “There’s a new rink behind the library, and not everyone has access to skates … especially now that there aren’t a lot of other things to do, offering skates to the community has been really well received,” Luu said. The library is also offering free wireless printing for those working from home who may not have access to a printer. “A lot of people are discovering they don’t have home printers,” Luu said. “There’s no charging for wireless printing at the moment. You can send something to us to print from home or outside, and pick it up curbside.”

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

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

EVENT LISTINGS

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

FRIDAY, MARCH 5

FRIDAY, MARCH 12

FRIDAY, MARCH 19

RAGE & RELEASE VIRTUAL

TWEEN LET’S GET CREATIVE! VIRTUAL

KITCHENER RV EXPO & SALE THE AUD

Are you feeling a little bit rage-y these days? Join Loyobo Fit for an hour of stretching, breathing and letting it out. This virtual yoga session will encourage you to get loud with lots of yelling and grunting. Your neighbours are going to love you!

Hi parents and guardians. Are you sick of hearing your kid say they’re bored? Give your tween something fun to do with this four-week series of creative projects, taking place virtually every Friday. Register in advance and pick up a kit for your tween at the KPL. Maybe they’ll make you something nice!

Are you looking for something different to do outdoors this summer? Make your way over to The Aud for the 2021 Kitchener RV Expo and Sale. This event runs all weekend. Visitors can pick up daily parts and accessories that help these vehicles run smoothly.

Community• $20 • 6:30pm-7:30pm

Art • Free • 4:00pm

Shopping• $6.50/person • Various times

FRIDAY, MARCH 5

FRIDAY, MARCH 12

SATURDAY, MARCH 20

PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS, DATE VIRTUAL

DRONE SHOW SERIES BINGEMANS

WOMAN’S SELF-DEFENSE COURSE FULL SPECTRUM DEFENSE

Relish Cooking Studio is hosting a virtual date night with a virtual cooking class. Tag along to learn to prepare pan-seared scallops and a Mediterranean arugula salad. Register online in advance. Mmm… we can smell the garlic and butter already.

You’ll feel like you’re on a different planet watching this incredible drone swarming show. And at this point, maybe you wish you were! North Star Drone Shows presents 30-minute shows put together by science and technology (with multiple dates through April). Bring your own snacks!

This four-hour course designed exclusively for women, will train participants to defend themselves against five common statistical attacks. The course is being offered in class and online. Participants will also receive a certificate upon completion.

Workshop • $30-$80 • 5:30pm-7:30pm

Fun• $35-$65 • 7:00pm-7:30pm

Information • $159 •12:00pm-4:00pm

FRIDAY, MARCH 5

SATURDAY, MARCH 13

FRIDAY, MARCH 26

ST MATTHEWS CONCERTS 98.5 CKWR-FM

SEO WEBINAR VIRTUAL

KNIFEMAKING WORKSHOP TWO SMITHS, KITCHENER

CKWR-FM is bringing the music to you. Catch the first of eight weekly broadcasts of concerts from St. Matthews Lutheran Church. The broadcast will feature Alex StrausFausto, a rising organ virtuoso. So crank up the volume on your radio and enjoy an hour filled with Bach, Strauss and Reger!

This webinar will help business owners and entrepreneurs focus on search engine optimization. Join Roger Murphy, an advertising and marketing specialist at “How To Get More Customers Post COVID-19.” Register online ahead of time and start learning how you can boost your business.

Without being too sharp, we’re going to cut to the chase. Bladesmith Jeff Helmes is leading a three-day course that will teach attendees how to forge a chef’s knife. Participants will learn to shape, treat and sharpen the blade — even make a wooden handle!

Music • Free • 7:00pm-8:00pm

Information • Free • 11:00am-12:00pm

Workshop • $674 • 9:00am-5:00pm

SATURDAY, MARCH 6

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17

SATURDAY, MARCH 27

COOKING CLASS, DATE NIGHT VIRTUAL

ST. PATRICK’S DAY LIKELY, AT HOME

WATERING CAN PLANTER CRAFTY CRYSTAL, KITCHENER

Join our friends at TWB Co-operative Brewing and Chef Rob for a twohour virtual cooking class. Prepare Brazilian seafood stew, pesto chicken wrapped in prosciutto with local greens and dessert. Of course, you’ll also get to take part in some beer tasting. Um, yes please! Register online in advance.

For the second year, you’re spending St. Patrick’s Day at home. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have any fun! Crank your favourite tunes and make yourself a big breaky! Day drink with your cat and hope for some luck. We could all use some. Maybe next year we can all share a green pint together!

At last! Spring is around the corner. Make it feel official by painting a wooden watering can planter. This workshop will walk you through the whole thing step-by-step. Register ahead and give your neighbourhood a reason to envy your front porch or balcony.

Beer • $85/Couple • 6:30pm - 8:30pm

Fun • Free • Anytime

Art • $80 • 12:00pm

SATURDAY, MARCH 6

THURSDAY, MARCH 18

MONDAY, MARCH 29

GOOD CO. LIVE AT THE APOLLO VIRTUAL

ADULTS-ONLY JURASSIC TRIVIA VIRTUAL

COMMUNITY BLANKET PROJECT SCHNEIDER HAUS

You might not be able to go to the Apollo right now, but for a $10 addon they’ll put a picture of you in a vacant seat for this concert stream with Good Co. Grab a ticket and pick up your Live at the Apollo Box ahead of time. Live music AND The Apollo? You’ll almost feel like things are “normal” again.

Dustin Growick the @ dinosaurwhisperer and THEMUSEUM will host a night filled with dinosaur content and a sneak peek into THEMUSEUM’s upcoming Dinosaurs exhibition. So, get your herd of 19+ jurassic enthusiasts together remotely and get ready for some fun.

Are you one of those extra talented people who actually knows how to crochet? Artist Johanna Thompson will be collecting crocheted granny squares from March. 29, to April. 2, and combining them into a beautiful community blanket that will be displayed at Schneider Haus. Find more details online.

Music • $30 • 7:00pm

Fun • $10/device • 7:00pm

Community • Free • Anytime

THURSDAY, MARCH 11

THURSDAY, MARCH 18

FRIDAY, APRIL 2

GOLDEN OLDIES MUSIC BINGO VIRTUAL

90S NOSTALGIA NIGHT VIRTUAL

VISIT THE BUTTERFLIES BUTTERFLY CONSERVATORY

Drift back to a simpler time. A time when The Beatles, The Supremes and Little Richard ruled the charts. Put your music knowledge to good use with the KPL’s virtual Golden Oldies Music Bingo Trivia. Register online in advance. This event will have you shouting “RINGO!” or at least “BINGO!”

This party is going to be da bomb! The KPL is hosting a 90s night, with rad beats, 90s bling and a totally awesome party package with drink recipes, a fly playlist and cootiecatcher crafts. Register ahead and pick up your loot bag before the event. Dance like it’s electric circus!

Dive head first into Spring with this fun family day trip! Wear your brightest spring colours and your smiles to the Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory over Easter Weekend for a scavenger hunt, Easter-themed storytime and a chance to meet a bug. How festive!

Fun • Free •2:00pm

Fun • Free • 7:00pm

Fun • $7.50-$15.00 • 10:00am-5:00pm

COMMUNITYEDITION.CA @THECOMMUNITYED

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

KW PODCAST EXPLORES ‘LOCAL FAME’ JESSIE SKINNER CONTRIBUTOR Jay Carraro and Jesse Webber were good friends and familiar faces in the region’s live music scene when they decided to launch a podcast. Kitchener Famous is all about poking fun at the idea of being locally famous, in a conversational, hangout-style format. Local musicians, comedians and venue owners make guest appearances on every episode. “It was a chance for us to unwind together, and get to know the people [whose shows we couldn’t see] because we’d been playing so many ourselves,” Webber said. “A way [for us] to get to know people, but also to shed light for other people as well.” While the tone of the podcast can feel almost aggressively laidback at times, absorbing multiple episodes reveals a strong underlying structure that was intentional from its inception. “Lose, but tight. That’s what Jay and I agreed on from the very beginning,” Webber explained. “We do our homework, but when we [record] we kind of fly by the seat of our pants.” Webber cites one of the most popular radio hosts of all time, Howard Stern, as an influence on

the format of the show. “His show is very produced, but you can tell that everyone is having a good time.” On each episode, guests share their experiences working professionally in the Region. The fact that Carraro and Webber can so frequently and directly relate to those experiences, elevates the theme of ‘local fame’ and how that actually affects a person’s career and attitude. When asked to explain the Kitchener Famous title, Webber laughed. He explained that he and Carraro enjoy making fun of locals with inflated egos. “When the bars were open, Jay and I would put Sundays aside to go to The Boathouse, or Rhapsody, to a jam - Mike’s Monster Jam. We’d come in with our matching, but unplanned flannel shirts, smelling like a Fleetwood Mac concert, grins printed on our faces. And without sounding pompous, people would gravitate toward that. Not only do we sound like we’re having a good time, we look like we’re having a good time. And we are, but we were [also] making fun of the confident idiots in the room … that’s what Kitchener Famous means,” Webber said. “I think everyone wants to be famous, in some small way,” Carraro said. “The ‘confident idiot’ is what we laugh at, but also we want to show it off.” Kitchener Famous guests also share their experiences meeting world-famous celebrities. These hilarious stories often reveal the

Jay Carraro and Jesse Webber host the local podcast Kitchener Famous. NICK STANLEY PHOTO surreal warping effect fame can have on a person’s life. When Webber and Carraro were asked if these segments have given them pause, as to whether they should be shared with the audience, the answer was a resounding, “Oh, yeah!” “We say to our guests that we don’t mind if [they do] a bit of shit-talking. But there’s been a couple episodes where we’ve had to be like ‘yeah, let’s edit that,” Carraro explained. Carraro said Episode 4, featuring interviews with Waterloo’s Western Swing Authority (WSA) band members Shane and Stacey Lee

Guse, and Commercial Tavern owner Paul Weber, is his personal favourite so far. The Commercial Tavern in Maryhill, a historic country venue about 15 minutes east of Kitchener, was where WSA had played regularly to packed crowds. But Webber and the Guse’s hadn’t seen each other for a long time because of the pandemic. “You could tell they were just so excited to see each other again. They brought guitars … played a song, then at the end said ‘Can we do another?’ We’re like ‘You can play here all afternoon if you want!”

Webber said. While Kitchener Famous hasn’t released new episodes since Jan.15, Carraro said the show will return once he and Webber can produce it in their preferred way again. “We’ve taken a bit of a break due to the recent lockdown. We prefer to have our guests in the room with us, with the proper precautions … maybe we’re just not good with technology, but we decided against [recording the podcast] over Zoom.” The Kitchener Famous podcast is on Anchor.fm.

A SOUNDTRACK FOR YOUR WANDERINGS HYPERLOCAL TRAVEL

JUANITA METZGER CONTRIBUTOR I found out about Trail Mix in Waterloo the same way I learn about most community-based initiatives when I travel — by talking to a local! During a conversation last summer with KW artist Tori Dawn, a.k.a Blankie, about murals and her many creative endeavours, she happened to mention that I could find her music by scanning a QR code on the Forwell Trail that winds through north-central Waterloo. An outdoor excursion on a trail I’ve never walked before + the opportunity to track down random arts and culture = my kind of hyperlocal afternoon. On a September afternoon, my neighbour and I hopped on the Spurline Trail just steps from our front doors, then onto the Laurel Trail heading north to where it connects with the Hillside Trail, then the Forwell Trail, which eventually comes to King St. N. beside Manulife. Along our 9.5 km round trip route, we tracked down four green Trail Mix signs, which, after scanning the QR Code, gave us Bandcamp playlists featuring local musicians such as Elsa Jayne, Christa Mercy, Eiyn Sof, Rich Burnett and poet Ashley Hynd. The project, under the Create Waterloo banner, was designed and curated by Lakyn Barton, the festival and events specialist with the City of Waterloo along with her team. In any

Create Waterloo’s Trail Mix project has curated playlists highlighting local artists for Waterloo trails. JUANITA METZGER PHOTO given year, Barton would be planning dozens of arts and culture events, but this year she had the difficult challenge of delivering programming at a time when we can’t gather due to COVID-19 restrictions. “In the early spring of 2020, we were trying to come up with new opportunities that would bring arts and culture to people, [to] where they are already,” Barton said. Since so many people were taking to the trails, she knew that ‘choose your own adventure’ style arts programming in this outdoor space would be a win-win. “We have beautiful trails all throughout the city. I really wanted to highlight those trails, and then also highlight the amazing artists that we have in this community,”

Barton said. “So, we tried to figure out how we would encourage people to listen to different artists, different poetry and music … and we’d curate it to fit the environment that it’s in.” We’re used to seeing visual art in our cities in the form of sculpture, statues, murals and installations, so why not music? And thus, Trail Mix, the city’s first outdoor music playlist, streamed into our walking orbit. Following the success of the first Trail Mix in July, Barton added Uptown Tunes, a playlist with a different set of artists, found near the skating rink in the Waterloo Public Square. Featuring Elsa Jayne, I, The Mountain, Tim Moher, Itamar Danziger, and Natassja Debra, this

list will be changed frequently to keep a fresh collection of tunes in a higher traffic area. In November, another Trail Mix launched along the northernmost section of the Walter Bean Grand River Trail, with tracks from Tragedy Anne, Rufus John, Transstar, Mandippal, Sons of Shanley, STEVEDAVE, Preetam Sengupta, JP SUNGA, Alysha Brilla, and Jenna Kessler. Find five new collections of local music between the trail entrance at Grey Silo Golf Course and Grand River Dr. Barton hopes that people will discover these new artists and connect with their music. She thinks this is a great way to enjoy and support artists virtually until we can gather in person again.

“People are still scanning [the QR codes] every day … [it] is so great to see people still going out in the winter and enjoying their trails,” Barton said. With public health restrictions on gathering anticipated well into 2021, Barton is planning to curate a few more Trail Mix collections on trails in different areas of Waterloo. This winter, walking and outdoor excursions have been our mental release and saving grace. Local friends and acquaintances are swapping trail recommendations virtually, and asking for new trails when familiar routes have become a little too familiar. I always chime in with my suggestions of the Forwell Trail and the Walter Bean Grand River Trail so people can get their arts and culture fix at the same time as their outdoor nature boost. Here’s how to use Trail Mix: Step 1: Select your favourite local Waterloo trail Step 2: Strap on some hiking shoes/boots Step 3: Find the hidden QR codes along the trail Step 4: Use your phone’s camera to scan the QR code Step 5: Put on your headphones and listen to the Trail Mix! Find trail maps and links to artist websites on the events page of the City of Waterloo website. Parking is available at the trailhead to the Walter Bean Grand River Trail, but the Forwell Trail is best accessed by foot or by Grand River Transit (Manulife stop on King St. N.). Happy trails and stay tuned for new mixes dropping soon. Note: Lakyn Barton is the former publisher of the Community Edition.

MARCH 2021 // COMMUNITYEDITION.CA

UNDERSTANDING YOUR INTUITION

COSMIC RELIEF

fuzzy feeling that you want to share with the world. You’ve been spending a lot of time working with others, so this month, take some time to create and share some of your ideas. It’s the perfect time to exchange creative thoughts and enjoy the company of others, which — let’s be honest — is what you live for, right?

ELFIE KALFAKIS COLUMNIST The margin between what happens in our physical being and in our mind is something we’ve only begun to understand as a species. As a person who studies and writes about metaphysical ideas, I can tell you that attempts to understand these ethereal concepts can come with a lot of challenges. Yet, they are also something we are hardwired to understand. They are the ‘gut feelings’ you have about situations, the ‘vibes’ you get when meeting someone for the first time, or the ‘sudden inspiration’ to do something at a specific moment. These are the points in your day where your inner self, your intuition, is trying to get your attention. Your intuition can be a great pool of information to draw from, especially if you develop a deep understanding of its language. You don’t need to be ‘gifted’ to access your intuition. Sure, some people are born into circumstances where they are more easily able to build a strong understanding of their intuition, but it’s a skill we all have access to and something we can all develop further. Start with listening to your gut instincts, and eventually, you’ll recognize the difference between intuitive instinct and fear. Most fields of mysticism and astrology work in this intuitive world, but these industries are often met with stigma and misunderstanding. Psychics and mystics are commonly observed as a form of ‘entertainment’ or thought to simply be doing ‘parlour tricks’. We see images of shadowy tarot readers in the dimly lit corners of pubs, often met with kitschy ornamentation or paired with arcade games. Because of these associations, so many esoteric or mystical practitioners have chosen to work privately. Only in the last decade has there been a resurgence of occult or ‘witchy’ trends and products influencing our mainstream media. After the unprecedented events of 2020, many have turned to alternative spiritual philosophies to help find meaning and guide personal development. Luckily, March 2021 brings us the perfect atmosphere to continue experimenting during this cosmic voyage around the sun. This month’s energy is all about indulging in those unseen and hidden feelings. They feed your soul. We’re met with Venus, Mercury and a New Moon filtering through the ethereal and dream-like Pisces. We’re going to want to talk about all things mystical and surrender to ‘all the feels’ this month — a great time to tap into those intuitive aspects of ourselves. And, as Mars moves into the sociable and impulsive Gemini, we can likely expect a lot of cosmic connections manifested in the flesh. So if you’re hesitating but have a gut feeling that your crush is into you, it’s an opportune time to build on that connection. It may help your wildest dreams come to life. No big deal right? To help send you on a mystical trip

Scorpio Sun // Scorpio Rising You’re feeling really comfortable in your social bubble, Scorpio. The pandemic has asked us all to adjust to new circumstances, and you feel like you’ve finally found a decent groove, even if it’s been exhausting. This month, you’ll likely want to share more space with people. You’ll find yourself reaching out to arrange virtual hangouts, and it’s very unlike you to initiate these things. Ride that wave for a while Scorpio, you’ve been cooped up in a solitary routine for a while, and it’s time to reach out to your people again — they’ve missed you.

Sagittarius Sun // Sagittarius Rising You’re moving forward, Sagittarius, but you’re not entirely sure where. Your instincts have been leading you towards some new ideas and territories, and lately, they’re starting to bear some fruit. As much as you would like to race forward into these new horizons, this month asks you to pause and take some time to focus and realign, before jumping too far ahead of yourself. Slow progress isn’t really your jam, but this month it’s all about easing into your wildest dreams. So stay excited, and try to enjoy the slower pace.

of love, and put a spell on March 2021, here is another cosmic playlist for you, and some horoscopes for your sun and rising signs to boot.

Pisces Sun // Pisces Rising You’re finally getting a moment to breathe, Pisces. Your needs have taken a backseat for a while. It’s been a doozy of a winter for you, but you’re finally starting to feel a little more comfortable. This month, you’re ready to ask for what you want and don’t be surprised how responsive those around you are when giving it to you. Don’t forget to give yourself some tender loving care, Pisces. You deserve it.

Aries Sun // Aries Rising There are a lot of new things going on around you, Aries. You’re feeling the pressure to perform this month, but are having a hard time getting into the limelight to launch your ideas forward. Take this month to navigate your new landscapes. It’s an important time for you to listen. You’ll be up to bat soon.

Taurus Sun // Taurus Rising You have likely been feeling a little annoyed lately, Taurus, and a little lethargic. You’re a creature of habit and stability, and this month everything is up in the clouds. That being said, you are no stranger to indulgence, so take some time

It’s Pisces Season, and the perfect time to dive deep into the waters of your intuitive side. ELFIE KALFAKIS ILLUSTRATION this month to let yourself get lost Leo Sun // Leo Rising in your fantasies. Draw yourself a bubble bath and fade into another You’re a little nervous this dimension. If you’re not feeling like month, Leo. It feels like there is a doing anything, you may as well be lot of energy swirling and things enjoying yourself. Right? happening around you. It’s not like you to shy away from the limelight, but this month, you’re feeling more Gemini Sun // Gemini Rising generous with your energy. The struggle you’ll have is trying to Are you ready to go or what, temper your enthusiasm enough to Gemini? You’ve had all these ideas give others room to shine as well. percolating in your mind for a while, Just remember to stay inside that and you’ve finally found the right impenetrable bubble of optimism fuel to rocket them into fruition. you have at your disposal and you’ll And, even though things seem be golden. to be moving faster than you’re comfortable with, remember: as much as you can be impulsive at Virgo Sun // Virgo Rising times, you are also very capable of reviewing and refining your Well, Virgo, you’ve been saying it decisions thoroughly and efficiently. all along, and you’re finally being Confidence is the only thing holding proven right this time. It’s likely you back now. you’ve been stepping on people’s toes as of late, but this month, you will likely be seeing the benefit of Cancer Sun // Cancer Rising your no-bullshit communication policy. This is going to be a great You are feeling super emotional month to reconnect with your this month, Cancer. You probably feelings and the feelings of those want to give everyone around you around you. Just remember Virgo, a hug, but can’t (because we’re in a a little sympathetic finesse in your global pandemic). You’re missing delivery can help get your point your old friends and feeling across. nostalgic. This month is a good time to find an old yearbook, scrapbook, or Facebook memory and call up a Libra Sun // Libra Rising friend to reminisce. And don’t forget your bonbons and ice cream sundae You’ve been playing peacemaker too. There’s nothing better than a a lot this past year, Libra, and this good chat about warm memories month, you finally get to relax a bit. paired with a little self-indulgence. Things are coming with a little bit more ease for you, and you have a

Capricorn Sun // Capricorn Rising Well, that was fast Capricorn! You’re feeling a little overwhelmed with how much progress is happening in so many facets of your life, and so quickly. You have a pretty slow and steady approach, so you feel a bit like a fish out of water, but if anyone can figure this out, it’s you. Get your good boots on, put on that pump-up track and do what you do best Capricorn — get it done.

Aquarius Sun // Aquarius Rising Well, you have had quite the month, Aquarius. You’ve been in the spotlight lately, and though you have really enjoyed it, you’re happy to be moving back in the wings for the next little while. Although your spotlight has moved, you still have some obligations which you’re actually pretty excited about. Take this month as a bit of a reprieve, and enjoy some of the daily pleasures you’ve been too busy to indulge in as of late.

Elfie Kalfakis, who also goes by her artist moniker, White Owl Mystic, is an artist, author, teacher and mystic. Her work is inspired by social issues and a keen interest in the metaphysical, esoteric and chance. She aspires to break down barriers within popular culture towards esoteric concepts and she’s passionate about female empowerment, mental health advocacy and understanding the collective unconscious.