Tag Archives: federal government

CKMS Community News, Newsroom

CKMS News -2024-04-22- Waterloo’s housing accelerator program gets CMHC approval

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CKMS News -2024-04-22- Waterloo’s housing accelerator program gets CMHC approval


by: dan kellar

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.

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

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

CKMS News – Food insecurity and the federal grocery rebate.

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CKMS News – 2023-07-16 – Grocery Rebate

By MP Holmes
Kitchener, ON

How has the grocery rebate impacted people in Kitchener-Waterloo, and are there alternatives that can be implemented to address sharply rising costs, including a universal basic income?

Today’s show talks to Kim Wilhelm, interim CEO of the Food bank of Kitchener-Waterloo and MP for London North Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue, Peter Fragiskatos, and listens in to the testimony of Neil Hetherington, the CEO of the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, in front of the the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance about the recently announced grocery rebate as part of the 2023/24 budget.

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The music on today’s show is called “BAIKAL” by @scandinavianz courtesy of by BreakingCopyright on youtube.

 This music is used under a Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) license.

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.

Check out the archived versions of this program on radiowaterloo.ca/news, and listen to all the LJI content at canada-info.ca.

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