Tag Archives: Cambridge

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CKMS News -2026-08-13- AI Boom Raises Questions as Waterloo Region Studies Data Centre Impacts

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CKMS News -2026-08-13- AI Boom Raises Questions as Waterloo Region Studies Data Centre Impacts

Eren Yoruk

Kitchener, ON — Waterloo Region Council has unanimously passed a motion to study the potential impacts of future data centre development in the Region, following concerns raised by residents about water use, electricity demand and infrastructure.

Regional Councillor Colleen James brought the motion during Tuesday’s Sustainability, Infrastructure and Development Committee meeting. It directs Regional staff to examine the economic, environmental, infrastructure and fiscal implications of data centres, as well as community safeguards and best practices in other jurisdictions.

The council approved the motion with two amendments, including additional consideration of source water protection and impacts on traditional lands. Regional staff will report their findings back to Council by the first quarter of 2027.

The discussion comes as the rapid growth of artificial intelligence drives demand for larger and more energy-intensive data centres across Canada and beyond.

Waterloo Region already hosts data centres, including Ascent’s facility in Cambridge. James says the motion is not intended to approve or reject any specific project, but to help the Region understand how future facilities could affect its infrastructure and environment.

Residents who spoke at the meeting raised particular concerns about water consumption and the Region’s reliance on groundwater.

James says the goal is to gather information now so future councils can make informed decisions about data centre development.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom, Shows

CKMS News -2026-07-24- Tuning into Transit: The Story Behind Cambridge’s Fife-Playing Bus Driver

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CKMS News -2026-07-24- Tuning into Transit: The Story Behind Cambridge’s Fife-Playing Bus Driver

Eren Yoruk

Cambridge, ON – A Cambridge bus driver is bringing a piece of history to local transit terminals through his passion for music. Tracy MacDonnell, a Grand River Transit (GRT) operator, uses his route breaks to step off the bus and play the fife, an 18th-century military instrument similar to a flute, for waiting passengers.

MacDonnell has been playing the fife for 36 years, after first learning the instrument while working at Toronto’s Historic Fort York. What started as a job requirement became a lifelong passion for traditional fife and folk music.

Over the past two decades as a GRT driver in Cambridge, MacDonnell has continued using music as a way to manage the stress of the job and connect with the public. Passengers have often responded positively, with some applauding his performances and sharing their appreciation.

In this CKMS News interview, MacDonnell discusses the history of the fife, how he became a bus driver, and why sharing a brief moment of happiness through music remains meaningful to him.

 

CKMS Community News, Newsroom, Radio Waterloo Production, Shows

CKMS News-2026-07-23-Third Annual Long Dash Festival Celebrates the Creative Intersections between Art & Science at rare Charitable Research Reserve in Cambridge, Ontario

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The Long Dash Festival is a free, two-day event running between July 25 and 26, exploring the creative intersections between art and science. Hosted at rare Charitable Research Reserve in Cambridge, Ontario, and co-presented by Musagetes, the festival takes its name from the Long Dash Skipper, a brown and orange butterfly found in grassy habitats, including at the site of the festival.

In this segment, I’ll be in conversation with Elwood Jimmy, Indigenous Programs Curator at Musagetes, who highlights how Indigenous knowledge systems and ways of relating to the land inform the approach to programming the festival, and how the festival being sited at rare Charitable Research Reserve has helped shape the experience of the festival over the last three years.

In this conversation, Jimmy mentions Elder Peter Schuler, Elder of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation of the Anishnaabek Peoples. His collection of literary works, “The Sound of the Homeland Drum” was launched at the ArtsEverywhere Festival in Guelph in May 2026 through the Indigenous Otherwise Program, and printed by Publication Studio Guelph, both supported by the Musagetes Foundation. Learn more at publicationstudio.biz/books/the-sound-of-the-homeland-drum/.

The Long Dash Festival is free to attend, and listeners can find the full schedule and learn more about the festival at longdashfestival.ca.

Photo Credit: Illustration by Cai Sepulis courtesy of the Long Dash Festival

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This program is a part of the Local Journalism Initiative and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, Heritage Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

You can access archived versions of this program at radiowaterloo.ca/news, and listen to all the Local Journalism Initiative content at frequencynews.ca

If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca

The theme music on today’s show was “Polyvinyl” by Anemoia, courtesy of the Free Music Archive, under the Creative Commons Attribution License. You can find it at the Free Music Archive—freemusicarchive.org

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Provincial Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Marjorie Knight, NDP candidate in Cambridge

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A woman with grey hair wearing headphones, an orange scarf and a grey-and-black sweater sits at a microphone.
Marjorie Knight

Marjorie Knight, NDP candidate for Cambridge, came into the CKMS-FM studio to talk to voters on Wednesday 19 February 2025.

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Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-marjorie-knight-ndp-candidate-for-cambridge.mp3, 22 MBytes.

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YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Marjorie Knight, NDP Candidate for Cambridge

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region were invited by e-mail, the party’s online contact form, or on social media. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded.

The candidate’s presentation, the podcast, and the show notes are Copyright © 2025 by the participants, and released under a CC BYCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to use this material, as long as you provide credit and a link back to this page.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BYCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

Cricket is so popular now in Waterloo Region, the cities are making a strategy to accommodate all the new players

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Host: Leah Gerber

Cricket has exploded in popularity in Waterloo Region in the last few years. So much so, staff with the cities of Cambridge, Waterloo and Kitchener are working together to create a regional cricket strategy so they can accommodate the needs of the booming cricket community. 

Cricket community members have responded saying they need more space to play, indoor facilities and lighting so they can get as many players playing as possible in the area. 

Radio Waterloo spoke with Giridhar Bannaravuri, the president of the Southern Ontario Cricket Association, an organization which facilitates cricket in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Stratford and Guelph, as well as Lisa Collins, the manager of sport development and golf for the city of Kitchener to hear more about the upcoming strategy and the needs of the cricket community. 

Excerpt from “SOCA 2024 Season _ KWC Cricket _ SOCA Gala 2024” used with permission from SOCA.

Meet The Candidate, Meet The Candidate - 2025 Provincial Election, Shows

Meet The Candidate: Rob Deutschmann, Liberal Party candidate for Cambridge

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Rob Deutschmann

Rob Deutschmann, the Liberal Party candidate for Cambridge, came into the CKMS-FM studio on Tuesday 11 February 2025 to speak to the voters.

See all episodes.

Podcast

Download: meet-the-candidate-rob-deutschmann-liberal-party-candidate-for-cambridge.mp3, 24 MBytes.

Subscribe to the podcast!CKMS sunflower logo with wavies coming out the sides

Video

YouTube: Meet The Candidate: Rob Deutschmann, Liberal Party Candidate for Cambridge

The views expressed in this program are not necessarily those of the Radio Waterloo Board of Directors, volunteers, sponsors, or advertisers.

All candidates in Waterloo Region have been invited by e-mail. Some have declined to participate, others have not responded. If you’re a candidate and have missed the e-mail, please contact Bob Jonkman at bob@radiowaterloo.ca with your preferred timeslot from the online calendar (and an alternate).

The candidate’s presentation, the podcast, and the show notes are Copyright © 2025 by the participants, and released under a CC BYCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to use this material, as long as you provide credit and a link back to this page.

The theme music used in Meet The Candidate is Falling Sky by Jason Shaw of AudionautiX.com and used under a CC BYCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

Pining for clarity: Gauging the environmental impact of the Region’s large Christmas trees

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Host: Leah Gerber

In many communities, the Christmas season is kicked off with a city tree-lighting ceremony, where a large bedecked Christmas tree is lit up for all to see – in fact, Waterloo Region’s three cities are all lighting their Christmas trees this coming Friday. But in today’s environmentally tough times, some may be wondering if cutting down 30-foot giants is the best choice for a city’s Christmas tree. Radio Waterloo takes a look.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

CKMS News -2024-07-28- Activate’s homecoming introduces new gaming experience to Waterloo Region

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CKMS News -2024-07-28- Activate’s homecoming introduces new gaming experience to Waterloo Region

dan kellar
Cambridge, ON – A new active entertainment experience is available in Cambridge as Activate Games has opened a new location. The Winnipeg-based company, now with 26 locations across the continent, says it is the world’s first active gaming experience, which “seamlessly blends physical activity with gaming.”

Ahead of the grand opening on July 22nd, CKMS News spoke with Activate Games’ Canadian Director of Marketing and Communications, Tanya Williams who discussed Activate’s origins and operations. 

Originally from Waterloo Region, Activate co-founders Adam and Meghan Scmidt said in a recent press release “This opening is more than just an expansion; it’s a heartfelt return to our hometown”.

This show also features segments from an Interview with Dr. John Edison Muñoz, an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo, and a researcher with the school’s Games Institute. Dr. Muñoz speaks on the state of the research for Exergames and the technology’s use beyond entertainment.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

CKMS News – 2023-12-22- Cambridge council votes against investigating affordable home builds above city parking lots

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CKMSNews-2023-12-22-Cambridge Rejects Affordable Housing in Parking Lots Study

by: dan kellar

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.

CKMS Community News, Newsroom, Shows

CKMS News – 2021-04-22 – Waterloo Region Weekly Roundup 10

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Host: Melissa Bowman

Last week’s episode of the Waterloo Region Weekly Roundup had us hearing updates from across the region. Today’s episode has us planting ourselves in just one location – Cambridge. This is the first of a two part series that focuses on the discussion Cambridge is having on candidate locations for a potential Consumption and Treatment Services (CTS) site in Cambridge. This episode looks at the March 30th meeting which saw over 25 delegations speak to council on the issue of CTS.

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This program is a part of the “Local Journalism Initiative” grant program and is funded by the Community Radio Fund of Canada, the Government of Canada, and the CKMS Newsroom.

Check out the archived versions of  this program and other episodes on radiowaterloo.ca/news., and other stories commissioned under the Local Journalism Initiative at canada-info.ca.

You can  follow us on twitter @RadioWaterloo. If you want to get in touch with comments, or ideas about stories to cover, email us at news@radiowaterloo.ca