Posts from the CKMS Newsroom programs, community shows, and associated news sites.
The CKMS Newsroom works to provide a deeper analysis of the issues that impact our communities, than which the mainstream news sources provide.
The CKMS Newsroom is comprised of volunteers and journalists and is organised by the Newsroom Committee:
dan kellar (@dankellar) is the current lieutenant of news with Bob Jonkman as the technical expert and newsie.
From May 2023 to January 2026 the CKMS Newsroom was receiving funding from the Community Radio Fund of Canada and Heritage Canada through the “Local Journalism Initiative” project. Check out the country-wide LJI content at https://frequencynews.ca/
The journalists for the LJI project were: Leah Gerber, dan kellar
Past newsroom journalists include: Ivan Angelovski, MP Holmes, Shalaka Jadhav, and Namish Modi.
Public hospitals in Ontario have been starved of billions of dollars under the Ford government while private health clinics have received a windfall of taxpayers’ funds, according to a new report by the Ontario Health Coalition.
According to the OHC report, over the last few years, private clinics in Ontario received a 212 per cent increase in funding in one year, rising from approximately $38 million in 2022-23 to over $120 million in 2023-24. At the same time, public hospitals received an increase of 0.5 per cent to their operating budgets. In Kitchener alone, this underfunding has manifested in 140 vacant RN positions due to lack of funding.
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.
Much of the six-hour Kitchener City council meeting on January 29, focused on delegates’ opposition to the City’s proposed Growing Together Plan.
One of the objectives of the plan is to increase affordable housing stock close to the ION stations and major transit areas.
Most of the delegates to Council were in various ways associated with property development and opposed the recommendations in the report.
There were others, not related in a financial capacity to issues of rezoning, who also disagreed with the recommendations.
Some of the objections raised were about the challenges of preserving the integrity of heritage neighbourhoods during a housing crisis in which the city wants intensification.
Gail Pool of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario North Waterloo Region branch was one of the people who presented opposition to the Report’s recommendations for the Victoria Park Heritage District.
Tent fires have become a common occurrence in the winter at the Victoria Street encampment in Kitchener and a local housing advocacy group is helping find solutions.
FightBack KW, thinks it might have found an answer. The organization is building temporary sandbag structures that two people can live in and up to six can congregate in.
Fire is a problem because the tents used at the encampment were not designed for winter use. In order to survive the winter outside, people must insulate or warm their tents, which carries huge risks and can be a difficult balance to achieve.
FightBack KW is looking for community partnerships with relevant businesses to fund and help build the structures. The next build day that individuals are welcome to participate in is February 3, this Saturday from 11-dark.
Wren Wombwell of FightBack KW talked to CKMS News about the situation and the sandbag structures.
Kitchener City Council voted unanimously on Monday to divert city-owned end-of-life computer equipment from the e-waste stream.
Instead, the City will donate this equipment to the Working Centre’s Computer Recycling program, which already accepts technology donations and provides low-cost computer equipment to the community.
The city examined the possibility of running this program in-house, but collaborating with the Working Centre provides benefit to the community and makes sense logistically and financially.
Barbara Spronk of CFUW-KW and Melissa Star Ireland of Indigenous Relations UW join Jenniefer Strong and Bob Jonkman to discuss the Indigenous Film Festival taking place in February.
The interview starts at 3m00s.
Office of Indigenous Relations at University of Waterloo:
Melissa provided us with some additional information on other Indigenous Relations programs:
Conestoga College Indigenous Services
Be-Dah-Bin Gamik, a Place of New Beginnings provides services for Indigenous students at Conestoga College, including those who are First Nations (status and non-status), Métis and Inuit. It is a warm, welcoming and comfortable environment that assists students with a smooth transition to college life by providing ongoing student support. The leader there is Christina Restoule, Manager.
Wilfrid Laurier University
We’ve been working with Bonnie Whitlow of The Office of Indigenous Relations at Laurier which has been working toward the goal of Indigenization, a term that reflects the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge into the daily life of the university.
Invasive Group A Streptococcus (IGAS) – which can cause afflictions from a sore throat to flesh-eating disease – is on the rise in Waterloo.
Chief Medical officer of Health Dr Hsiu-Li Wong presented the respiratory disease update at the Region of Waterloo council meeting on Wednesday evening.
While the overall number of people infected is still low as of early January, the Public Health Agency of Ontario noted that 540 infections were reported in Ontario alone from October 2023 to the end of December. Within this data were 6 children under the age of 9 who succumbed to the disease.
Dr .Wong described symptoms of a severe IGAS infection, which include fever, sore throat, neck pain and rash that continue to worsen.
Epidemiologists do not yet understand why the disease has spiked and recommend taking precautions including proper hand hygiene and staying home when sick.
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.
The debate over the future of the outdoor shelter at 1001 Erb’s Road was reignited at the Region of Waterloo Community and Health Services Committee on January 16.
The Region must either find a solution to the wastewater management problem at the site or move the shelter altogether before April 2025. While some councillors wanted staff to begin to work on a wind down plan, others thought it could wait.
The site, at 1001 Erb’s Rd, sits beside the landfill just west of the Wilmot line, making it primarily a concern for Wilmot Township.
Councillor and Wilmot mayor Natasha Salonen’s motion was a response to the admission at the November 7 Community and Health Services Committee meeting in which regional staff told council there was no plan in place for the shelter to draw to a close. Regardless, Councillor Salonen’s motion was defeated.
The 2023 Christmas Bird Count in Kitchener recorded a decreased number of birds of prey, such as american kestrels and rough legged hawks, compared to previous years, according to Ethan Gosnell, the local coordinator for the international project.
The Christmas Bird Count takes place across North America, allowing for tracking of winter bird populations and distributions. It is organized by Audubon in the USA, and the in Canada by Birds Canada. In 2023, the Christmas Bird Count marked its 90th year in Waterloo Region.
Ethan discussed the rising numbers of some more typical summer birds in the Christmas count, in particular, the green winged teal, and what happens to these warmer weather birds when the seasonal freezing weather sets in.
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 early January, Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) in Kitchener announced through Instagram that 18 out of 30 – or 60% — of fentanyl samples tested also contained the animal sedative, xylazine.
Leigh Wardlaw of CTS talked to CKMS news about xylazine, why it is added to the supply, the health impacts, and the wider problem of adulterating drugs.
Leigh also explains the importance and impact of testing, and how to access the service. Although, that access may be limited as CTS’s current funding ends at the end of March, leaving the service with an uncertain future.
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.
Over 200 people went to Waterloo City Hall on Tuesday December 19 to sing for peace. The ‘Mennonite Day of Action Hymn Sing for a Ceasefire’ was put on by the group Mennonite Action, which says it is a movement of Mennonites who believe they have a responsibility to speak out for peace and justice.
Sam Ramer of Mennonite Action talked about the purpose of the hymn sing and why they are focusing on Palestine.
But Mennonite Action’s event was not only in Waterloo. On December 19, over two thousand people came to sing hymns in 42 cities and towns across North America.
Thank you to A.S. Compton, for permission to play their recording of the hymn sing on the show.
Tensions simmered when the topic of A Better Tent City (ABTC) came up at the last Waterloo Regional Council meeting of 2023. ABTC is tiny home community in Kitchener that currently houses 50 chronic homeless people.
On one side were those who supported the motion from Councillor and Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic which granted $236,390 for the next two years to ABTC. On the other side were those who said the grant was unfair and inequitable.
Several Councillors insisted the wording of Councillor Vrbanovic’s motion be removed as they felt it was insulting to staff. Another criticism arose because six other groups had been denied original funding but did not afterwards ask Council for money, some councillors felt this was unfair and inequitable
Despite the criticism, Council carried Councillor Vrbanovic’s motion granting ABTC $236,390 for the next two years
Cambridge – Joined by 4 city councilors on December 19th, Cambridge mayor Jan Liggett voted against a motion to investigate the plausibility building affordable housing in raised buildings above city owned parking lots.
The motion, brought forward by ward 7 councilor Scott Hamilton was supported by all the delegates who presented at the meeting including resident Matthew Rodgers, the advocacy groups “Citizens for Cambridge”, “For the City”, and “Waterloo Region Yes In My Backyard”, and as stated by councilor Earnshaw, the Cambridge Business Improvement Association was also on board.
Despite strong support for the motion from delegates, and the voting support of councilors Kimpson, Earnshaw, Roberts, and Hamilton, the motion was ultimately defeated, wIth Mayor Liggett suggesting churches should be converting their own parking lots for housing. Before calling the vote, Liggett stated that voting “no” does not mean that a councilor is against building affordable housing.
On October 18 of this year, the House of Commons unanimously passed the right to repair amendment under the Copyright Act (Bill C-244). The bill, originally tabled by Cambridge MP Bryan May, will allow the circumvention of a technological protection measure (TMP) so long as it is for diagnosis, maintenance, or repair purposes.
TPMs are meant to protect proprietary information or software, but they also inhibit an individual’s right and ability to repair any device that they own, and so often devices end up in landfills. Waste diversion concerns are among the key reasons for this amendment, as is the expense that repair places on people.
Murray Zink is the founder of 4RepairKW and the UW Repair Hub and has been promoting repair for many years. CKMS News talked to both Bryan May and Murray Zink.
Waterloo Region residents will know the site of their new hospital by spring, according to the presidents of local hospitals.
The presidents, Ron Gagnon, Hospital President and CEO, Grand River Hospital, and Mark Fam, President, St. Mary’s Hospital, updated Kitchener City Council on the plans for a new hospital and new hospital system in Waterloo Region.
They are waiting for site selection to be finalized and for approval from the Ministry of Health before proceeding to the next phase of planning in spring 2024. The next phase will consist of functional programming, which determines what programs and services will be accommodated in the new facilities, and what resources are required to make that happen.
The main priorities currently are to identify the preferred site for the new hospital and to create a vision for working together in shared facilities.
This year has been another year full of frustration, if not outright despair, for housing in Waterloo Region. But at the all-councils meeting on December 15, Build Now Waterloo Region offered some hope.
Build Now Waterloo Region is a new local collaboration of for-profit and not-for profit groups which was announced back in July. The objective of the coalition is to build 10,000 non-market and perpetually non-profit homes by 2030.
Philip Mills, the chief executive officer of Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region, one of the central players in this initiative, updated the all-council’s meeting on this ground-breaking project.
Of these 10,000 homes, 7,000 will be available for purchase and 3,000 will be available for rent. A one bedroom home is set to sell for $280,000, a two bedroom for $330,000 and a three bedroom for $400,000. This project will specifically prevent ‘flipping,’ investment property acquisition, or other profit-seeking schemes.
Of the three firework celebrations allowed in Kitchener in 2023, Diwali fireworks drew the most complaints, leaving Mayor Berry Vrbanovic to speculate if this reflects less tolerance in the community towards the Hindu festival.
Other councillors believed it was more of a lack of education by both those setting off the fireworks and those calling the bylaw office to complain. To counter this, new fireworks regulations include a comprehensive education campaign to educate residents and an increase in the number of bylaw enforcement officers on duty from two to eight for firework days.
Councillor Ayo Owodunni announced that 184 complaints were made to the bylaw office regarding fireworks in 2023, with Diwali accounting for 63 of these, Victoria Day, 54 and Canada Day, 32. Complaints are likely underreported as email/phone complaints after the fact are not included in these totals.
The motion introducing these new regulations about non-compliance with city’s fireworks regulations was carried.
Waterloo – On December 11th, following discussion, presentations, and legal clarifications, the first stages of a 12-tower development on the former Kraus Flooring factory lands in North Waterloo were approved through a unanimous vote from city councilors. With support for the project and the necessary changes to the site’s zoning and by-laws, the developer can move further into project planning.
This show features clips from the council meeting, focusing on updates to the original 2021 site plan, the status of a pedestrian bridge over the adjacent highway, and questions about promises for affordable and attainable housing in this purpose built rental development which features a proposed total of 5,452 bedrooms in 3,353 residential units.
Delegates included site owner Richard Boyer of 65 Northfield Drive Inc, consultant Chris Pidgeon of GSP Group, and Waterloo resident Ashwin Annamalai. Councilors Hanmer, Bodaly, Roe, Freeman, and Vasic also spoke, as did Mayor McCabe.
Margaret Jackson from Amnesty International‘s local KW chapter Group Nine talks to Bob Jonkman about this year’s Write For Rights campaign, describes some of the cases that are being written about, the petition to BC premier David Eby about the criminalization of the Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders, and gives some info on joining the Group Nine chapter.
Margaret Jackson tells us about Write For Rights, focusing on ten cases for this campaign, sending a blitz of letter to government and other people involved in human rights abuses. This has been quite effective; half-a-million letters for each case can’t be ignored. Margaret tells us the details of some of this year’s cases. In some cases the letters get sent to the individuals directly, sometimes they go to a local Amnesty office and are forwarded to the recipient. These letters are always appreciated.
24m38s
Margaret reads her letter to David Eby, premier of British Columbia and former KW resident, to express her concern over the criminalization of the Wet’suwet’en Land Defenders.
Margaret tells us how the Write For Rights works. It’s at the Kitchener Public Library, downstairs in meeting room D. People can sign pre-printed letters, add an illustration or other artwork on a postcard. The Group Nine chapter will take care of mailing them out.
39m05s
This year Margaret wrote the standard letters, based on ideas of what should go in the letters from the Amnesty International campaign. Margaret adds that these letters come from Kitchener-Waterloo, and adds some information about each case to help the people who come in. The last in-person Write For Rights was in 2019, the past two years it was held as a ten-day e-mail blitz. The letters were printed, signed, and dropped off in a mailbox at a member’s house. This year there’s an e-mail letter sent to the government of Tunisia. Letters don’t have return addresses, but people are encouraged to sign their name, city, country, and postal code.
43m53s
For people who can’t come to the library there are online petitions at https://writeathon.ca, all of the information is available there. You can contact local chapter Group Nine at groupnine9@gmail.com and they can send you a package of case letters. The mailbox is still available at the member”s house until 15 December 2023.
47m32s
Margaret tells us that the letters are generally received well, because Amnesty International has a good reputation world-wide; people trust the information they get from Amnesty. There is nothing Amnesty can do in the way of applying economic pressure or sanctions; but perhaps local chapters can apply pressure to their local governments to act.
50m08s
Group Nine meets regularly on the first Tuesday of the month at Conrad Grebel college. There are speakers, either from Group Nine or from other agencies. Group Nine also participates in local events, like the Multicultural Festival and the Waterloo Pow Wow. Group Nine consists of about twelve core people, another 20 who help out at events, and a large number of people who are signed up for their e-mail list. People can get involved by sending an e-mail to groupnine9@gmail.com to come to the meeting. There is no cost, but people who make a donation become Amnesty International members and get to vote at their annual general meeting. Group Nine was the ninth group in Canada, now there are hundreds of groups. Margaret gives a bit of history of Amnesty International.
56m45s
Margaret recaps the info for Write For Rights and Bob gives the end credits.
CKMS Community Connections Hour One airs on CKMS-FM 102.7 on Monday from 11:00am to Noon, and Hour Two airs alternate Fridays from 3:00pm to 4:00pm.
Waterloo City is moving closer to loosening restrictions on front lawn grass, making way for increased naturalization.
After three years of responding to neighbours’ complaints about the length of her grass to bylaw, Waterloo resident Masha Kuznetsova asked Waterloo City Council on Monday night for changes to Bylaw No. 2011-123, the Lot maintenance bylaw.
She asked the city to increase grass height of up to 40 cm (15.7 inches) and to reduce the requirement for a buffer strip around a naturalized area. Currently in the city of Waterloo, the maximum allowed grass height is 20 cm (8 inches). While the current buffer strip regulation is 1 metre, proposed changes to the by-law would reduce the buffer strip to 30 cm (11.8 inches).
Staff explained they receive about 400-800 long grass complaints per season.
Also in the meeting the city’s transportation services presented new boulevard garden guidelines which will allow for increased naturalization in lawns and on boulevards throughout the City of Waterloo. In addition, the city parks department kicked off the park’s urban forest management strategy by examining rules regarding trees on private property.
The rental housing crisis was on full display in front of Kitchener City Council on Monday night.
A proposed 13-storey mixed-use building at 93-99 Benton Street and 39-43 St. George Street, within the Cedar Hill neighbourhood in Kitchener, would offer 96 new units but would also demolish the 13 current affordable units, evicting the current tenants.
Eric Schneider, Senior Planner at the City of Kitchener laid out what the developer is asking for and the arrangements with the current residents.
The applicant, Ideal Capital Limited from Mississauga, a self-proclaimed ‘premium’ real estate developer, answered Council’s questions and, after their request, indicated he would meet with residents.
Thirteen delegates asked Council to reject this proposal. Delegates included three representatives from a local tenants’ rights group (ACORN WR), several current residents of the townhouses, and neighbours from the Cedar Hill community.
Against several of the delegates’ wishes, City Council chose to defer their decision until the January 22, 2024 meeting.
https://uwaterloo.ca/indigenous
https://www.cfuwkw.org/
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