Category Archives: Newsroom

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-March 2024 the CKMS Newsroom is 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 frequencynews.ca

The journalists for the LJI project are: MP Holmes, dan kellar

Past newsroom journalists include: Ivan Angelovski, Shalaka Jadhav, and Namish Modi.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

CKMS News -2024-04-09- Local climbing gym fights a developer and displacement

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CKMS News -2024-04-09- GRR at City Council

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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom, Shows

CKMS News -2024-04-12- Public Health orders student suspensions over vaccinations records while facilitating adherence to immunization rules

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CKMS News -2024-04-14- Public Health orders student suspensions over vaccinations records while facilitating adherence to immunization rules

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– Nearly 7,000 secondary school students in Waterloo Region have been told they will be suspended on May 1st for having out-of-date vaccination records.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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

Blooming roadsides restore habitats for pollinators

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

A few years ago, it was common for car windshields to be spattered with bugs after a drive in the country. According to Jennifer Leat of the Pollinator Roadsides Project, that’s not happening so much anymore. There are fewer bugs, and fewer bugs equals fewer pollinators.

A community driven project to help pollinators will be happening on Saturday April 13 to restore habitat corridors for pollinators by planting pollinator-friendly native plants along roadsides.

Backed by a grant from the Region of Waterloo’s Community Environment Fund with support from volunteers and sponsors, the Pollinator Roadside Project seeks to increase biodiversity, support pollinator conservation, reduce maintenance costs, and control water runoff. The project also hopes to set a provincial and national precedent for prioritizing sustainability in roadside plantings.

Jennifer Leat, Lead of the Pollinator Roadsides project talks to CKMS about the project and the importance of pollinators.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

The rise of ticks and lyme disease in Waterloo Region

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

 

In 2023, the Ontario government designated Lyme disease a disease of public health significance.

Lyme disease, a combination of skin rashes, fevers, headaches, and fatigue, is contracted from black legged ticks, and if left untreated, can escalate to affect joints, the heart, and nervous system.

Statistics from Public Health Ontario showcase an increase of 300 new Lyme disease cases across the province, From 1, 490 in 2022 to 1, 795 in 2023.  In Waterloo Region, the 2003 data has not been released yet, but by looking at earlier years, a clear upward trend is evident, from 13 cases in 2021 to 22 cases in 2022.

ETick.ca is an online platform where people voluntarily report tick sightings in the environment or when found on humans or animals. Comparing the first three months of 2023 to 2024 shows there has been a threefold increase in blacklegged tick reports for KW on eTick.ca.

The Region of Waterloo’s Public Health Manager for Vector-borne Diseases is Rebecca Piovesan, and she talked to CKMS News about lyme disease  and back-legged ticks.

In addition to resources above:

Canadian Veterinary Medical Association,

 The Ontario government page on Lyme disease and tick removal.

 

 

CKMS Community News, Newsroom, Shows

Stories of Hope: Community-Led Food Assistance Programs in Waterloo Region

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

In the last three months of 2023, food assistance programs in the region marked almost a 50 percent increase in usage compared to the same period in 2022. In those last three months of 2023 alone, almost 15, 000 unique households accessed a food assistance program, a 43 percent increase over that period in 2022.

These numbers are from the Food Bank of Waterloo Region  and they highlight the surge in demand for food and the growing issue of food insecurity within our community.

However, amidst these challenges, there are stories of hope and compassion emerging through community-led initiatives that are making a difference in the lives of those in need.

These initiatives include the Tiny Home Takeout and Food Not Bombs, which are both operating on shoestring budgets with a crew of volunteers and demonstrate the power of grassroots movements in addressing basic human needs.

CKMS has more on this story

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

CKMS News -2024-03-31- The Free Weekly Distro fills a need and “shares the bounty”

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CKMS News -2024-03-31- The Free Weekly Distro fills a need and “shares the bounty”

by: dan kellar

Waterloo – As the cost of living crisis continues and the effects of high housing costs remain at the forefront of many discussions, record high food prices remain an important issue.

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. 

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

Funding cuts, negligence and broken promises have pushed a successful community program to the brink of survival

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

 

The Male Allies program in Kitchener Ontario played an important role in understanding the sexual assault charges levied at Hockey Canada, but now the program is struggling amidst funding cuts and unmet promises.

Run in conjunction with the Sexual Assault Support Centre Waterloo Region, the Male allies group and its sports-focused program remains an important component  in preventing gender-based violence. The program is supported by community foundations, including Rangers Reach, the community foundation of the Kitchener Rangers hockey team, but without stable operational funding, the positive impact of the training sessions on young athletes is in jeopardy.

CKMS talks to Jacob Pries, the  project facilitator of the Male Allies program, and Craig Campbell, the executive director of Rangers Reach.

 

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

CKMS News – 2024-03-22 – Responding to the effects of record high rents on women

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CKMS News – 2024-03-22 – Responding to the effects of record high rents on women
by: dan kellar

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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

House of Commons debate Gaza, while Kitchener families stuck in visa limbo

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

 

As the House of Commons prepares to debate the Israel-Palestine hostilities this week, several families within Kitchener say they are left powerless while their loved ones are trapped in Gaza.

Shatha Mahmoud, an organizer of the Palestinian Youth Movement in Kitchener, says that families are facing pain and terror amid the convoluted and detail-laden application process for emergency visas.

MP for Kitchener Centre, Mike Morrice, details discrepancies in the refugee visa process, the government’s response, and the March 18 parliamentary debate on the emergency visa system.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom, Shows

CKMS News – 2024-03-19 – Waterloo gears up to host the Ontario Bike Summit

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2024-03-19 – Waterloo gears up to host the Ontario Bike Summit

by: dan kellar

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”.

 

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

CKMS News – 2024-03-18 – Main hurdles cleared for land donation to conservation research charity.

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2024-03-18-Conservation land donation clears hurdles at Wilmot Township council.

by: dan kellar

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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

CKMS News – 2024-03-17- FIRST Robotics Competition Bringing Over 1000 Youth To UW For Provincial Qualifier

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2024-03-17- FIRST Robotics Competition Brining Over 1000 Youth To UW For Provincial Qualifier

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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

“No St. Patrick’s Day during Genocide” places focus on Palestine

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

A group of local Irish community members is asking the public to support and advocate for Palestinians this St Patrick’s Day. The group hopes to draw attention to the current deteriorating situation in Palestine.

Justine Rogers Basan, an organizer of the event, explains how the day will highlight the genocide in Gaza and the historical solidarity between the Irish and Palestinian people and draw parallels between the oppression experienced by both communities. The organizers of the event have called for a ceasefire, a Canadian arms embargo, and an end to the occupation in Palestine.

“No St. Patrick’s Day during Genocide” will take place at Waterloo Town Square on March 17 at 11 am.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

Irish Real Live Festival focuses on alternative ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

March 13, 2024

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up — and with it, a whole bunch of stereotypes about Irish culture. The organizers of the Irish Real Life Festival in Kitchener wants to move beyond the usual narrative towards a deeper understanding of Irish culture in the broader world.

The eight-day festival is in its 9th year and celebrates all elements of Irish culture and not just those which, in 2019, led to a party that at its peak saw 33,000 students converge on Ezra St in Waterloo.

The Festival kicked off last weekend in Kitchener amidst local and international tensions. Organizers of the Irish Life Festival spoke with CKMS News about how they are working to expand people’s understanding of the Irish story by, if not detaching it from the association with heavy drinking, at least showcasing another side of Irish culture.

Within this year’s program, various events draw on Irish storytelling, spirituality and history to demonstrate similarities between different cultures and how, even in the face of war, peace is possible.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

Waterloo Region Paramedic Services exceed response time targets, but off-load delays remain a challenge

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

High patient volumes and staffing shortages within local hospital emergency rooms are impacting the ability of local paramedics in the Waterloo Region to respond to critical calls.

The preliminary Paramedic Services Annual Report was presented to the Community and Health Services Committee at Regional Council (item 8.2 on the regular agenda) this week reporting response statistics, off-load delay mitigation, and changes to the categorization of system alerts and patient acuity.

Although call volumes requesting paramedic help increased only by 1% in 2023, in 2022 call volumes increased by 11% over the previous year, and the paramedic service is still adjusting to these high call volumes.

While the local paramedic service exceeded all of their provincial and regional response time targets, the challenges posed by off-load delays, which happen when paramedics are held up in hospital emergency departments waiting for patients to be transferred to the care of a hospital, are a significant factor in response time.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

ACCKWA’s HIV self-testing program at risk due to non-renewal of federal funding

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2024-03-04-ACCKWA’s HIV self-testing program at risk due to non-renewal of federal funding

by: dan kellar

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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

CKMS News – 2024-02-29 – Local petitioner challenges Canada’s UNRWA funding cuts with MP’s support

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CKMS News – 2024-02-29 – Local petitioner challenges Canada’s UNWRA funding cuts with MP’s support

by: dan kellar:

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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

Kitchener demonstrators demand immediate arms embargo on Israel

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

Early Wednesday (Feb. 28), about 50 demonstrators in Kitchener blocked the entrance to local arms manufacturer Colt Canada on Wilson Avenue, demanding that the Canadian government impose an immediate and total arms embargo on Israel.

The demonstration is part of a broader protest across the country which is demanding a Canadian arms embargo on Israel and highlighting military exports from Canada to Israel. It was organized by Labour 4 Palestine, Labour Against the Arms Trade, and World BEYOND War, in response to the call by a coalition of more than 30 Palestinian unions and worker organizations to end all complicity and stop the flow of weapons to Israel.

CKMS has more on the story.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

Protestors demand change after fatal police shooting, some Black community members question demonstration

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MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

About 60 people gathered in front of the Waterloo Region Police Services (WRPS) building in Kitchener on Friday to protest the fatal shooting by police of Nicholas Nembhard, a 31-year-old Black man.

Nembhard was killed in the evening of Feb. 19, the third such fatal shooting in the region since 2007. Police confirmed Feb. 20 that the Special Investigations Unit was investigating the shooting.

The next day, on Feb. 21, the African, Caribbean, and Black Network (ACBN) put out a statement condemning the WRPS’ killing of Nembhard, a “Black man in distress due to a mental health crisis.”

Organizers of the Friday demonstration explained why they felt the gathering was necessary and explained their demands of police, including changes to responses to mental health calls.

But some people felt organizers had not done enough to include the Black community and had used the killing of a Black man to push their own agenda.

CKMS has more on the story.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

New report sounds alarm that Ontario taxpayers’ money is being diverted from public hospitals to private health care

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MP Holmes Kitchener, ON

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.

“Robbing the Public to Build Private: the Ford Government’s Hospital Privatization Scheme” was released by the Waterloo Region Health Coalition, in part with the larger Ontario Health Coalition, at the Waterloo Public Library on Feb. 21.

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.

CKMS has more on the story.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom, Shows

CKMS News -2024-02-14- Arming Israel Brings Increased Risk and Scrutiny To Canada and Waterloo Region

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CKMS News -2024-02-14- Arming Israel Brings Increased Risk and Scrutiny To Canada

by: dan kellar

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.

While the Canadian government has repeated that the equipment sold to Israel is “non-lethal”, anti-war activists have been challenging the claim, holding protests, and along with opposition MPs, they have been calling for an arms embargo.

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”.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

CKMS News – 2024-02-07 – A Waterloo Sobeys will be served ACORN’s “Menu for Fair Food For All” as part of national protests

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CKMS News – 2024-02-07 – ACORN Menu For Fair Food For All

by: dan kellar

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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

Housing or Heritage? Kitchener struggles with tough questions

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February 2, 2024

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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

Sandbag structures may provide a safe and warm refuge for encampment residents this weather

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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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

City of Kitchener votes to repurpose instead of recycle old computers

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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.

The Computer Recycling Program at the Working Centre, at 58 Queen St. in downtown Kitchener, is open two days a week to provide the community with access to affordable technology.