journalist and co-editor of CKMS News. host AW@L Radio.
grilled cheese chef, anarchist, blockade enthusiast, "best papa ever", systems geographer, he/him. on rex's ignoramus list
https://radiowaterloo.ca/news
https://radiowaterloo.ca/awl-radio/
by: dan kellar
Kitchener – Spectrum, an organization that serves local 2SLGBTQIA+ folks has been busy ahead of Pride 2024, planning many initiatives including participation in Tri-Pride Summerfest on June 1st, Pride Ride on June 7th, and Spectrum’s 3rd annual gala on June 13th.
“Kicking things off” on May 31st, Spectrum’s executive director, Scott Williams will join Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe and others to unveil a new “Rainbow Crosswalk” in uptown. Speaking about the importance of projects like the crosswalk, Williams told CKMS, “we need to be very visible in order to remind people that we have always been here and will always be here.” Mayor McCabe also provided CKMS a statement about the crosswalk.
This show features an interview with Scott Williams on Spectrum’s activities, Pride 2024, and the new rainbow crosswalk. Williams also speaks about ongoing effects and efforts related to the June 28th 2023 hate-motivated attack in a gender studies classroom at the University of Waterloo.
Waterloo – On May 14th Waterloo council unanimously approved a recommendation directing staff to move forward with community engagements over the future of the Eby Farmstead within Waterloo Park. The farmstead consists of an equipment barn and several fenced animal enclosures which house a small herd of farm animals for 5-6 months each year.
Robin Milne, Waterloo’s Director of Parks, Forestry and Cemetery Services told council that they want to have a plan for the Eby Farmstead, whether that be “improved amenities to keep the farmstead, or reimagining the space” by the end of the summer, ahead of the process for the 2025 Waterloo Park Plan. Staff noted they may bring in an outside consultant to help with the engagement process.
Details on the Eby Farmstead public consultation process are available on engagewr.ca.
This show features an interview with Waterloo mayor Dorothy McCabe discussing the Eby Farmstead.
Waterloo – Dozens of people converged at the University of Waterloo’s main campus on Monday morning to launch a Gaza solidarity encampment. The group’s “OccupyUWaterloo” Instagram page calls the encampment “Gaza House”
The group says the university is complicit in the current siege on Palestinians by the Israeli military, which has resulted in over 35,000 people dead, tens of thousands more injured or missing, and the majority destruction of Gazan infrastructure, including all universities and hospitals. The group is calling for divestment from weapons manufacturers and institutions which support the occupation of Palestine, and “an end to UW’s financial and academic ties to the genocidal and apartheid state of Israel.”
These demands share similarities from the demands from encampments set up at over a dozen other universities in Canada.
This show features an interview with Gaza House encampment spokesperson Nick Joseph. Also included is the statement UW provided, and Waterloo mayor Dorothy McCabe reacting to the encampment.
Waterloo – Waterloo’s annual State of the City was delivered on May 2nd by mayor Dorthy McCabe at Wilfrid Laurier University, and was full of celebration of the current work the city is doing, and enthusiasm for the future.
The mayor focused significantly on the work the city is doing on housing, climate action, community building, infrastructure, service delivery, and affordability and she noted the interconnectedness of these topics throughout her speech.
McCabe also celebrated the youth of the city and the students of the region’s high schools, post-secondary institutions throughout the speech, saying of the “council for the day” students “Waterloo’s future looks very very bright”.
The State of the City was organised by the Rotary Club of Waterloo and raised over 15,000$ for Supportive Housing of Waterloo, an organisation which helps people who have experienced long periods homelessness with housing and other support services.
Kitchener – On April 29th, Kitchener city council approved a land donation to a not-for-profit to build affordable housing. Habitat for Humanity will receive the land and have most development fees waived, and in return they will build more than 60 homes, including larger three and four-bedroom units, and smaller studio, one, and two-bedroom units”.
As of January 2024, more than 8000 people remain on the affordable housing waitlist in Waterloo Region alone, waiting years for assistance. However, Kitchener Centre Green Party MPP Aislinn Clancy’s new motion may address waitlists across the province as it calls on the provincial government to use provincial land to build affordable housing.
This show features interviews with Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic and MPP Clancy, who is also a former Kitchener city councilor. Mayor Vrbanovic focuses on how projects like this are helping to meet the city’s housing goals, while MPP Clancy discusses her new motion.
by: dan kellar
Kitchener – Kitchener’s Corporate Climate Action Plan, has been guiding the city’s to transition away from carbon intensive energy sources, with version 2.0 prominently featuring “Pivot Net Zero”. The electrification of cars, light utility vehicles, and hand tools is already well underway, and staff continue to explore new avenues of reducing carbon emissions with larger trucks and equipment.
The city has reported a “payoff” in staff experience due to electrification, citing a reduction in exposure to fumes, noise, and the weight of equipment. Economic savings have also been noticed through maintenance costs and energy efficiency.
This show features interviews with Kitchener’s director of Fleet, Matthew Lynch, and the city’s corporate sustainability officer, Anna Marie Cipriani, who speak about the city’s ongoing efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for both their fleet and buildings. Kitchener city council will vote on April 29th endorse the updated Corporate ClimateActionPlan.
Waterloo – At the April 15th council meeting of the city of Waterloo, the senior policy planner for growth management, Michelle Lee, presented on the city’s housing accelerator program, including potential add-on effects from the recent federal budget.
While funding for the project was approved “in principle” by the federal government last year, the city had to first send their plan to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. With the CHMC’s recent approval of all 8 points in the city’s plan, the work can begin.
According to the city’s webpage the project will accelerate new building construction while increasing the supply of housing, streamline the development approvals and building permit process, and “support long lasting systemic changes”.
This show features Lee’s presentation to council and answers to questions posed by councilors Roe, Bodaly, Vasic, Wright, and Mayor McCabe, who asked about the plan, and how the programs would be implemented.
by: dan kellar Kitchener – Applications for Kitchener’s Racialized and Indigenous Supports for Equity (RISE) Fund are open until May 2nd and the city has already received more applications than in past funding cycles.
Since 2022, the RISE Fund has awarded nearly 250,000$ to 34 organisations. The grants have funded everything from community garden and swim program projects, to film festivals and community feasts, to gendered based violence prevention programs and a project which works to reunite families displaced by conflict in Syria.
CKMS News spoke with Rea Parchment, the senior equity advisor for the City of Kitchener, about the importance of the grant in helping to address inequities, and support opportunities and well-being for Black, Indigenous and racialized community-led organisations.
by: dan kellar Kitchener – On April 9th 2024, an external counsel for the Waterloo Regional police and the former internal legal counsel for the Thunder Bay police, Holly Walbourne was arrested by the OPP and charged for actions which they say took place while she was still working for the police force in the northern Ontario Town.
Walbourne was retained by the WRPS for her legal services in May 2023, however, police spokesperson Cherri Greeno wrote to CKMS News that “As a result of allegations that are currently before the courts, WRPS has discontinued this contractual agreement.”
Walbourne has been charged alongside former Thunder Bay police chief Sylvie Hauth. The two are charged with obstructing a public or peace officer, breach of trust, and multiple counts of obstruction of justice.
This show features an interview with Patrick Watson, an assistant professor of criminology at the University of Toronto, who researches policing and police oversight. He explains how communication works between police forces, and why the hiring of Walbourne may have happened despite the issues in Thunder Bay.
MP Holmes.
Kitchener – For the second time in as many years, Grand River Rocks, a climbing gym in Kitchener, Ontario, is fighting to stay in business due to urban development plans.
At the Kitchener City Council Planning and Strategic Initiatives Committee meeting on Monday April 8, the owners of Grand River Rocks expressed concerns over a lease they signed without knowledge of redevelopment plans. Council has been asked by the developer, the Falco group, to approve the project that would see more than 1000 new residential units on Victoria Street North, and if that approval is granted, the gym would need to relocate.
The Kitchener city councilors questioned the gym’s decisions and proposed collaborating with developers. They deferred the decision to allow more time for debate.
by: dan kellar
Waterloo – Nearly 7,000 secondary school students in Waterloo Region have been told they will be suspended on May 1st for having out-of-date vaccination records. The order, from Region of Waterloo public health was announced on April 8th and follows the suspension of 2969 elementary school students on March 27th for the same issue.
The suspensions are allowed under the Immunization of School Pupils Act which, as the Waterloo Region District School Board told CKMS News “requires families and caregivers to ensure that their children receive specific vaccinations.” Students without a medical or ideological exemption must be up to date on up to 9 vaccines. COVID Immunization is not on the required vaccine list.
David Aoki, the Director of Infectious Disease and Chief Nursing Officer for Region of Waterloo Public Health spoke with CKMS News about the seemingly high number of suspensions, and how students and families can get suspensions lifted.
Since the fall of 2020, LSPIRG and Martin Luther University College have run a project out of the college, called “The Free Weekly Distro“, offering free food and basic home items to anyone who needs them. While the project’s webpage states The Distro started in response to “the serious level of food insecurity that was compounded due to COVID-19 unemployment and existing services being closed”, the mutual aid effort continues weekly as food costs have continued to rise.
This show features an Interview with Tavia Weber, the Distro Program Development and Partnerships Coordinator at Luther. Weber talks about the program’s origin, the effects of the high cost of living on students, and the massive growth in the program’s use.
Kitchener – As “record high rents” has been a recurring headline across the country over the past years, demand for social services such as food banks and housing have continued to rise.
Responding to the high costs of housing, Kitchener-Centre Green Party MPP Aislinn Clancy introduced the “Keeping People Housed Act” on March 6th, which will reintroduce rent and vacancy control on all rental units, create better regulations for renovictions, implement rules for replacing any losses of affordable housing units, and establish a task force to report on Above Guideline Rent Increases.
This show features interviews with Jennifer Breaton, the CEO of YWKW, and MPP Clancy. They discuss the effects of high rental prices on women and gender diverse folks across the region and province, and share ideas to address structural and systemic problems related to housing. Breaton also highlights the work the YWKW does, and MPP Clancy discusses her legislation.
Waterloo – Over 250 delegates are expected in Waterloo at the 15th annual Ontario Bike Summit from April 3rd to 5th. The event is organised by the province-wide cycling advocacy group Share the Road coalition.
The city’s press release stated “municipal staff and leaders from across Canada and internationally, [will] share ideas, best practices and opportunities for progress in cycling.” The statement continues “This year’s Bike Summit theme explores Sustainability and Innovation through Cycling.”
This show features interviews with Patrick Bergsma of Cycle WR and Christopher Hodgson, manager for Active transportation for the City of Waterloo. They each discuss the upcoming bike summit, thoughts on the city’s progress on their active transportation and cycling networks, and ideas and actions to make streets safer for all users. Bergsma also highlights the locally developed Cycling Guide app which according to its website “create routes that prioritize cycling infrastructure or roads with less car traffic”.
Waterloo – The donation of the Schneider family lands in Wilmot township to the rare Charitable Research Reserve, is set to proceed after council unanimously approved changes to zoning rules and the official plan, to allow the properties to be severed and then donated.
While the Schneiders allowed public access to the lands for decades, the township’s insurance company decided that the proposed changes would require safety upgrades to infrastructure, or else risk the cancellation of their policy.
At the March 4th meeting, insurance company vetted road safety upgrades were presented, including speed limit reductions, parking limitations, and a new 3-way stop, and staff recommended moving the project forward.
This show features interviews with the Mayor of Wilmot Township, Natasha Salonen, and the Planning Ecologist for rare, Tom Woodcock. While they focus on some different aspects of the process, both were pleased that the land donation is one step closer to completion.
Waterloo- On March 22nd and 23rd, youth-led teams from South Western Ontario will descend on the University of Waterloo to compete in the Waterloo district FIRST Robotics Competition (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), a qualifying event for the provincial competition in April.
This year, 8 regional teams will join 32 other school and community teams entering their robots in competition with and against each other through a round-robin style tournament.
This show features an interview with Professor Maud Gorbet, director of the Biomedical Engineering Program at the University of Waterloo, a long-term volunteer and member of the steering committee with Waterloo-Wellington FIRST, and a mentor on the KW based robotics team: the 2702 Rebels. She discusses the competition, the importance of applied STEM education, and efforts to address the underrepresentation of women and non-binary folks, as well as Indigenous, Black and other racialized populations in STEM disciplines.
Funding for an HIV self-testing program will not be renewed by the federal government in the 2024 budget despite the positive effects touted by front-line service organisations such as the AIDS Committee of Cambridge, Kitchener, Waterloo and Area (ACCKWA). The Public Health Agency of Canada has confirmed to CKMS News that the funding will cease at the end of March.
The national program supplied self-testing kits and provided funding for workers to assist those seeking and HIV test, including guiding folks through the proper testing process. CATIE, an NGO focused on providing information to front line service providers in Canada called the HIV self-testing program “an important piece in overcoming hurdles and bridging the gaps between diagnosis and treatment”.
This show features an interview with Ruth Cameron, the executive director of ACCKWA, who discusses the importance of the HIV self-testing program and provides some impact data.
The music on today’s show is Daedalus Requiem, the first single from composer Erik Lankin’s, debut work “The Icarus Album”. Check ErikLankinMusic.com for more information about the Canada Council for the Arts funded creation, and @ErikLankinMusic on youtube to watch the video. The song was shared with permission of the artist.
In response to Israel’s allegations that 12 employees of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) approximately 30,000 workers were involved in the attacks on Israelis on October 7th 2023, Canada immediately announced they would end funding to the agency. Canadian officials have since admitted to CBC News that Canada has not seen any of the evidence for the claim. Additionally, Global Affairs did not respond to requests from CKMS News to explain the decision making process for cutting funds to the largest aid agency in Palestine even as Médecins Sans Frontières says the “humanitarian crisis has reached catastrophic levels” for millions of Palestinians.
This show features an Interview with Laurel Russwurm, an Elmira resident who authored a petition on ourcommons.ca calling for Canada to reinstate funding to UNRWA, and Kitchener Center Green Party MP Mike Morrice who supports immediately reinstating funding to the humanitarian agency.
As Canada continues supplying military equipment and components to the Israeli government amidst the attacks on Palestinians, the federal government is coming under increased scrutiny. On February 1st, the Nicaraguan government announced they were initiating action against Canada, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands at the International Court of Justice for supporting the Israeli aggression in Palestine.
This show features Rachel Small of World Beyond War discussing the groups activities, and the new online map which highlights locations and production details of weapons companies involved in arming the Israeli military, including 8 locations in Waterloo Region. CKMS News also discussed accountability and transparency in the Canadian weapons industry with Kitchener-Centre Green Party MP Mike Morrice.
CKMS News asked the ministry of International Development to confirm that the government has received letter from the Nicaraguan government regarding the initiating of actions against Canada at the ICJ for arming Israel. John Babcock, a spokesperson for the ministry told CKMS News that “Global Affairs Canada has seen the Nicaraguan press release.” He concluded “We are not in a position to comment further on this matter”.
On Saturday February 10th, the social and economic justice organisation ACORN is holding a national day of action to “Stop Grocery Giants from Price Gouging”. In Waterloo, the regional chapter of ACORN is organising a demonstration at Sobeys on Bridgeport Ave.
In a press release ACORN claims that consolidation in the grocery industry is driving-up prices and that “Grocery giants in Canada are on their way to set a new record – $6 billion profit in 2023… [they] are now earning more than twice as much profit as they did before the COVID-19 pandemic.”
This show features an interview with Acer Bonaparte of Waterloo Region ACORN, who discusses the day of action and reviews ACORN’s “Menu of fair food for all demands.” While the office of Minister Sudds gave CKMS News an update on the school food program, Sobeys had not responded to requests for comment when this piece first aired.
by: dan kellar A 235 acre donation of farmland and forest in Wilmot to therare Charitable Research Reserve is on hold over a parking lot. The Schneider family has been working on the donation since 2020 and has now reached out to regional residents to pressure township politicians to finalise the deal.
The land sits on Waterloo’s border and the family has allowed light recreational use of the forest for decades, with some trail users parking along nearby roads. Now, citing safety and liability concerns, the township is requesting a parking lot be built to accommodate future land use. However, project proponents say the request will damage sensitive areas while burdening the charity with added maintenance costs.
This show features an interview with Dr. Stephanie Sobek-Swant, the executive director of rare, along with a quote from the Schneider family’s statement, and the short comment a township representative made to CKMS News.
Ongoing disagreements between the regional and provincial government for responsibility in funding the programs which support survivors of sexual assault and gender based violence have left many of those progams chronically underfunded. In Waterloo Region, this underfunding leaves the providers of those programs pleading for donations from local residents.
In November 2023, the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region announced they had received a “transformative” donation of 250,000$ from Waterloo based millionaires Bob and Judy Astley. SASC has said the donation will “go towards a much-needed expansion of SASC’s Individual Counseling Program, which has seen unprecedented service requests in recent years.” There are over 200 survivors on the counseling waiting list.
This show features interviews with Sara Casselman, the executive director of SASCWR, and regional councilor for Cambridge Pam Wolf. The show also includes comments provided to CKMS News by the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community, and Social Services.
In Waterloo’s final open city council session of 2023, site-specific by-law and zoning changes were approved to allow a new residence at the University of Waterloo. The 510 bed, twelve-story building will be constructed on the northern section of the parking lot that sits between University Ave, Seagram Drive, and the Spur Line Trail.
First announced by the university in September of 2023, the new residence is now a collaboration with architect Diamond and Schmitt and will mainly house first year students. The University of Waterloo guarantees housing for all first year students, however, most upper-year students must compete for housing off-campus.
This show features audio from the December 11th meeting where staff presented the project, the architect spoke alongside representatives from the University of Waterloo and consultant GSP group, and delegates proposed even more car parking lots being transformed into human living spaces. Councilors voted unanimously for the motion.
This is a short interview with Cheyanne Thorpe, an Indigenous woman and resident of Waterloo Region, who has been organising protests and public pressure against the placement of the Sir John A MacDonald statue in a public park in Baden Ontario. The statue, part of the “prime ministers walk” project was located in Baden with little support, after residents in Kitchener and Waterloo rejected the idea that the project be built in their cities.
In recent weeks, Cheyanne has organised sit-in protests at the statue and has spoken to town council about the negative impacts of displaying statues which honour unapologetically racist and genocidal leaders like MacDonald (the first prime minister of canada and one who led genocidal projects in an effort to eliminate Indigenous peoples, nations, and cultures). With public support for the statue removal growing, Cheyanne has vowed to continue the protests until the statue is removed and the rest of the project cancelled.
The protests against the statue has also brought out local racists and white-nationalists who have tried to intimidate protest attendees and have posted confederate and nazi imagery in the area. In addition to an old man who started to attack protest participants (before being restrained) and a small group of local teens who have participated in the intimidation attempts, known white nationalist gang “the urban infidels” have also been involved in the confrontations and intimidation. Led by the man who violently attacked Pride events in Hamilton in 2019, chris vanderweide, the infidels also had ben mills, leigh stewart, and rijah martin.
This interview took place June 27th as the sit-in was wrapping up for the day.
More information about the group organising to remove the statue:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3087987161245025/
The petition to have the statue removed and the larger project cancelled.
https://www.change.org/p/township-of-wilmot-council-stop-the-prime-ministers-path-statue-project-4cf22acc-4779-43c3-bf55-af472071f8b9
This interview first aired on AW@L Radio on July 3rd 2020. for more AW@L Radio check: http://grandrivermc.ca
The 5th annual IRL Festival is bringing contemporary and traditional Irish culture to the Waterloo Region during the week of March 7th – 17th 2020.
The Irish Real Life Festival has 35 events happening all over Kitchener and Waterloo. Live Music, Theatre, Family events, Pub Nights, Celtic Music School, Celtic Art School and some Culinary Events.
