by Carrie Debrone

The winner of the 2013 Festi-val of Neighbourhood’s (FON)

main prize of a $10,000 capital grant is the Chandler Mowat Neighbour-hood.

The prize was drawn by Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr during the Festival of Neighbourhood’s 20th anniversary finale held at city hall October 27. All events registered with the festival each year are entered into the draw.

Jacqueline Burke, who accepted the $10,000 cheque on behalf of the Chandler Mowat neighbourhood, said she does not know yet how the money will be spent.

“We will have to have a community meeting before we make any decisions,” she said.

The festival is organized annually by John MacDonald of John Macdonald Architect, one of the founding FON partner organizations, along with the City of Kitchener and the Social Planning Council of Kitchener Waterloo.

This year, more than 19,000 people participated (up from 15,000 last

year) in the 111 activities registered with Festival of Neighbourhoods from across the City of Kitchener. Neighbourhood gatherings ranged in size from five to 2,000 participants.

“The Festival of Neighbourhoods is really about providing resources, encouragement and recognition to Kitchener citizens for taking that small step to bring their neighbours together,” said Janice Ouellette, facilitator of volunteer resources for the City of Kitchener.

“The finale is about sharing what has been done and celebrating these efforts, so important to our quality of life and connection to the greater community.”

This year’s events included community clean ups and barbecues, cultural celebrations, tree plantings, skating parties, pot luck dinners, community gardens and neighbourhood fairs.

More than 100 residents representing many of Kitchener’s neighbourhoods

The Chandler Mowat community wins $10,000grant at Festival of Neighbourhood’s 20th finale

West Edition

KITCHENER’S ORIGINAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

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Visit us atForest Glen Plaza700 Strasburg Rd.

KitchenerStore hours: Monday to Friday 8:00am to 9:00pm

Saturday 8:00am to 8:00pm and Sunday 9:00am to 6:00pm

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SMILE while you save!

Book a complimentary assessment!Call 519-742-7373 or drop by 1170 Fischer-Hallman Rd.

www.kitchenercitizen.com • Thursday, November 7, 2013 • Circulation 32,500

The winner of the 2013 Festival of Neighbourhood’s (FON) main prize of a $10,000 capital grant is the Chandler Mowat Neighbourhood. On behalf of the neighbourhood, Jacqueline Burke accepted the award from Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr during the Festival of Neighbourhoods 20th anniversary finale October 27 at city hall.

519-748-1914 • waterlooregionmuseum.com

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...continued on page 3

Lest We Forget. On Remembrance Day, let us honour the memory of our brave veterans

1770 King Street East, Unit 6C, Kitchener, ON N2G 2P1 | (519) 579-5460 | www.johnmilloy.onmpp.ca

John Milloy, MPPKitchener Centre

More than 100 Kitchener residents gathered at Kitchener City Hall October 27 for the 20th anniversary Festival of Neighbourhoods finale.

5th Annual Charity Wreath Silent AuctionProceeds to the House of Friendship

in MannheimNovember 16-23More info on page 21

by Helen Hall“Don’t wear lederhosen.” That was the first lesson

learned by Kitchener city councillor Berry Vrbanovic after he volunteered to be extracted from a motor vehicle.

Vrbanovic came away with a better understanding of how local emergency services work - and a couple of nicks from broken glass on his legs.

At the Firefighters Family FunFest held October 19 during Oktoberfest, Vrbanovic was asked to participate in the extraction demonstration. The scenario was that Vrbanovic’s car was “t-boned” by a car driven by a drunk driver.

“It was an interesting experi-ence,” Vrbanovic said. “I’ve gone on a ride along (with firefighters) but this was differ-

ent.”Vrbanovic said it was

valuable to see how all three emergency services worked together at the scene.

“They knew it was an exer-cise, but right away they went into professional mode,” he said.

The police were first to arrive and had to evaluate the scene and the condition of the patients. They then called other emergency services with their findings.

Once the firefighters and paramedics arrive, the police concentrate on traffic control, taking statements if possible, and making arrests if necessary.

A Conestoga Pre-Service Firefighting student was the drunk driver and “really played up” his role, Vrbanovic said. He was taken away by a Waterloo

Regional Police officer. As often happens at accidents involving drunk drivers, he was not injured in the crash.

Fire Captain Tim Forsyth, who is the chairman of brigade’s Extraction Committee and was the master of ceremonies at the demonstration, said firefighters take over the scene when they arrive.

“We do the 3 S’s. Stabilize the scene, stabilize the vehicle and stabilize the patient.”

Like the police, firefighters look for dangers at the scene, such as leaking gas or downed hydro wires. Then they stabilize the car by putting “cribbing” pieces under it or shoring it up with poles if it has overturned. This makes sure the car won’t move and it is safe to get the patients out. Once firefighters can get into the vehicle, they

assist the injured.“When the paramedics arrive

we turn over patient care,” Forsyth said. The paramedics help the firefighters decide how to extract the injured from the car based on their injuries.

Forsyth said firefighters do a lot of extraction training using damaged vehicles from Parkway Ford, which also donated the cars for this event. Becker Bros. Towing volunteered to transport them to the demonstration, which was held on Queen Street North, near the Firefighter Memorial.

Forsyth said changes in motor vehicle design mean firefighters have to stay up-to-date on the construction of cars they are cutting.

“They’re building newer cars lighter, so they use less gas,” Forsyth said, adding that this

means they suffer more damage in a collision.

With Vrbanovic inside, firefighters covered the car occupants with blankets, smashed the windows, and then using hydraulic equipment often referred to as the “Jaws of Life” removed the doors and took off the roof.

“I actually thought it was going to be a lot noisier than it was,” Vrbanovic said of having the roof cut off the car. “That surprised me a bit.”

“I hope I never have to go through this in real life,” Vrbanovic said after he was extracted from the car. He said the demonstration made him appreciate the “well-educated” emergency workers who also did their best to make him feel comfortable and safe while they performed their duties.

Page 2 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

GETTING BERRY OUT OF A JAM

Kitchener councillor has inside look at emergency services at work

A firefighter (on the right) breaks the windshield as they prepare to cut the roof off a car so they can extract two mock injured people inside. This demonstration occurred October 19 at the Firefighter FunFest in Kitchener. A “cribbing” piece can be seen by the front tire that is stabilizing the car while the firefighters work on it.

Ward 2 councillor Berry Vrbanovic (behind steering wheel) is attended to in a rescue demonstration October 19. After breaking the car’s windows and removing the roof, firefighters and paramedics are preparing to extract him and the passenger, a Conestoga College Pre-Service Firefighting student, from the car.

A second Conestoga student, at left, portrayed the drunk driver who was not injured in the mock collision. Vrbanovic took this photo through the front windshield from inside his car as the drunk was yelling at him and his injured passenger. The blue on the windshield is paint from the auto wreckers yard marking the car as one to be used for a fire department mock extraction.

Photos submitted by Berry Vrbanovic.

and neighbourhood associ-ations attended the finale.

The afternoon included a community bingo game, the presentation of the Mayor’s Challenge Award, neighbourhood stories, and the completion of a scrapbook page that tells the story of each neighbourhood activity through photos.

In honour of its 20th anniversary, a special award was presented to the six neighbourhoods that registered events at the first Festival of Neighbourhoods and who have participated regularly over the last 20 years. Winners are: Mount Hope-Breithaupt Park neighbourhood; Civic Centre/Olde Berlin Towne neighbourhood, Central Frederick neighbourhood, Caryndale neighbourhood and Doon Pioneer Park neighbourhood.

Also in honour of the 20th year, the mayor issued a challenge to residents to write to him about what their neighbourhood means to them. The winning essay was submitted by Marie Morneau from the Kingsdale neighbourhood who will, as her prize, be giving the mayor a tour of the Kingsdale Community Centre and her neighbourhood.

The awards were selected this year by the festival steering committee and partners. The other 2013 FON award winners are:

Newcomer Award – Sponsored by Happenate -The award is given to a neighbourhood that has registered an event for the first time.

Winner: Ira Needles neighbourhood

Neighbourhood Pillar Award - Sponsored by Julia White, Cooperators Insurance. This award is given to a group

who has registered any activity for five or more consecutive years.

Winner - Topper Woods neighbourhood

Arts & Culture Award - Sponsored by CityWorks

This award is given to a registered activity that has included the arts in its project or activity as a central aspect of the event in order to bring people together. Winner: Central Frederick neighbourhood for its Art Walk, which takes place in November annually

Youth Award – Sponsored by Waterloo Regional Police Service - This award is given to a project or activity in which one or more youth under the age of 21 have taken a leadership role.

Winner: Colin Robinson, 7, who organized, Colin’s Toy Drive for Anselma House

Inclusion Award -Sponsored by the Independent Living Centre of Waterloo Region. This award is given to an activity that was inclusive of diversity in culture, age, ability, economic level and/or identity.

Winner: Auditorium Neigh-bourhood for its Knollwood Park walk-about

Safer Neighbourhood Award - Sponsored by Swansons Home Hardware Building Centre. This award is given to an activity that had the purpose to build a stronger, safer neighbourhood.

Winner: Auditorium Neighbourhood for its annual Waterfest event

Green Neighbourhood Award - Sponsored by Enermodal Engineering

This award is given for an activity that includes or is centered on environmental action such as a community cleanup, conservation or beautification.

Winner: Lakeside neighbourhood for its bird count

Heritage Award - Sponsored by Festival of Neighbourhoods - Given to an activity that has recognized the heritage of a neighbourhood or of the city.

Winner: Mount Hope-Breithaupt Park neighbourhood for the Mt. Hope Cemetery Jane’s Walk

The Ward Challenge- This award goes to the councillor who represents the ward with the most registered neighbourhood events.

Winner: Ward 10 (Councillor Dan Glenn-Graham), with 24 neighbourhood events

Neighbourhood Connec-tions Award –Sponsored by Social Planning Council of Kitchener-Waterloo – Given to a neighbourhood that expresses a desire to do more to improve their neighbourhood or the quality of life for its residents. It is awarded to a group that demonstrates a need and indicates a desire to participate in such a process with the SPCKW.

Winner: Traynor Ave. neighbourhood, for its work to develop an existing park and increase safety in their area

Community Conversations Award – Sponsored by the Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement – Given to a group who came together for a conversation about neighbourhood and building stronger connections.

Winner: Courtland-Shelley neighbourhood

November 7, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 3

Three great community papers

to serve you!

East Kitchener

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South Kitchener

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West Kitchener

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NEXT ISSUE OF THE COMMUNITY NEWS ISJuly 2, 2008.

COMMUNITY NEWS KITCHENER...because good news is news too!

Kingsdale neighbourhood resident Marie Morneau is the winner of the Mayor’s Challenge Award for her letter to the mayor about what her neighbourhood means to her. Read her letter on page 7.

Festival of Neighbourhoods...from page one

ALBRECHTHarold

Member of Parliament, Kitchener-Conestoga

www.HaroldAlbrechtMP.ca

Lest we forgetOh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings; Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there, I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung My eager craft through footless halls of air...

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew - And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

— Officer John G. Magee, Jr. - November, 1941

Colin Robinson, 7, won the Festival of Neighbourhood’s Youth Award for organizing a neighbourhood toy drive to benefit Anselma House. Photos by Carrie Debrone

Page 4 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

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by Carrie Debrone

Lydia Herrle will be the Grand Parade Mar-shall at this year’s K-W Santa Claus Pa-

rade on Saturday, November 16.Herrle, 14, was hit by a truck while getting

off her school bus in front of her home in St. Agatha in May 2012. She was in a coma for several months suffering a brain injury and broken bones.

Her recovery has exceeded expectations as she has had to relearn even the most basic skills like walking, eating, and talking.

“We’re so proud to have her as the parade marshall this year. We wanted to honour her for the great progress she’s made since her accident and we hope people will come out and show their support,” said Vic Bovingdon, Lion’s Club President and the Parade Chair for the last six years.

Final preparations are being made for the 55th annual Lions Club of Kitchener K-W Santa Claus Parade, which begins at King and Erb Streets in Waterloo at 10am. It will travel about two miles along King St. ending at King and Cedar Streets in Kitchener.

“Community support has been great for this parade,” Bovington said This is the ninth year the Lions Club has organized the parade.

“We have several new float entries this year, and there are 11 bands including the Port Dover

Pipe Band that will be leading the parade,” Bovingdon said.

“We were also very fortunate to have the Tian Guo Band this year, ” he said.

Following parade tradition, lots of candy will be handed out along the parade route.

Children are encouraged to bring along their letters to Santa. A team of Canada Post letter carriers will be collecting them to send by “Special Delivery” to the North Pole.

This year’s parade involves the help of over 100 volunteers, many of them local young people who have volunteered to dress up as clowns or animals and will be walking along the parade route.

Rogers Television, Cable 20 will televise the parade live from Kitchener City Hall at 11am on Saturday, November 16. The channel will offer a repeat broadcast of the parade at various times to its cable customers during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Parade onlookers are also encouraged to bring an “unwrapped” toy for the Waterloo Knights of Columbus and the Waterloo Fire Department’s annual New Toys for Needy Kids toy drive.

Volunteers from the Food Bank of Waterloo Region will also be collecting food and cash donations along the parade route.

“We’re hoping for good weather and we’re expecting lots of people along the parade route,” Bovingdon said.

Lydia Herrle named marshall for Lions Club of Kitchener Santa Claus Parade November 16

About 6,000 students who attend We Day Waterloo Region on November 20 at the

Kitchener Memorial Auditorium will get to hear musical sensations Nelly Furtado and Shawn Desman and inspirational speakers Martin Lu-ther King III and Spencer West.

The JUNO and MMVA award-winning recording artist Desman is the host of We Day Waterloo Region, and will lead the crowd through a day full of educational speeches and show-stopping performances.

The list of speakers and performers announced to date include:

· Martin Luther King III – Human rights advocate and eldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

· Nelly Furtado (@NellyFurtado) – GRAMMY® and JUNO award-winner and Free The Children ambassador

· Shawn Desman (@DaRealSD) – Platinum-selling JUNO and MMVA Award-winning recording artist and host of We Day Waterloo Region

· Cast members from the Emmy-nominated TV series DEGRASSI

· Craig and Marc Kielburger (@CraigKielburger) – International activists and co-founders of Free The Children

· Kenyan Boys Choir (@BoysChoirKenya) – Traditional African male choir, who sang at the 2009 inauguration of President Obama

· Youth speakers – Hannah Alper and Vishal Vijay

· Spencer West (@spencer2thewest) – Me to We inspirational speaker, Free The Children ambassador, author and double amputee who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro on his hands and in his wheelchair in June, 2012

· Molly Burke (@mollymetowe) – Visually impaired Me to We motivational speaker who speaks out against bullying and the power of hope

· Chris Tse – Me to We inspirational

speaker, national spoken-word champion and humanitarian

“We Day is the foundation to inspire a year of service and help students from across Waterloo Region find their passion for the causes they care about,” said Craig Kielburger, co-founder of the international charity Free The Children, which started the We Day program. “But it doesn’t stop there. Students are truly making real impact all year round. Last year alone, students involved in the We Act program raised $6 million for over 550 local and global causes and logged more than 1.7 million volunteer hours.”

“I’ve had the amazing opportunity to travel overseas to visit Free The Children’s development projects and see first-hand the impact and real change that youth at home are doing to help their global peers,” said Nelly Furtado, singer and Free The Children ambassador.

“That’s what We Day inspires and celebrates – local and global change all year round; and I am so excited be a part of that and perform at We Day Waterloo Region this year.”

We Day is a stadium-sized educational event and a movement of young people leading local and global change. Youth in attendance can’t buy a ticket to We Day; they earn it through service by committing to take action on at least one local and one global initiative of their choice to better the world as part of Free The Children’s year-long educational program, We Act.

Since 2007, youth involved in the We Act program have raised $37 million for over 1000 local and global causes, and logged more than 9.6 million volunteer hours.

We Day is free of charge to thousands of students and educators in attendance thanks to the generous support in Waterloo Region by Title Sponsor Blackberry and across Canada by National Co-Title sponsors, RBC and Telus.

You can tune in on November 20, 2013 at 9am to watch the live stream of We Day Waterloo Region on the website www.weday.com.

We Day Waterloo Region lineup announced

by Helen Hall

Captain Gerry Jacobs calls the Army Cadet Corps

“Canada’s best kept secret.”Jacobs is the Commanding

Officer of the 1596 Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada Army Cadets.

“Very few people are educated about the Cadet program,” Jacobs said at one of their regular training nights at the Armoury on East Ave. The group meets weekly from June to September.

Cadets must be between 12 and 19 years of age. There is no charge for their uniforms, equipment or training.

Jacobs said sometimes people have a “stigma” about the program and its connection to the military. But while the cadets receive funding from the military and learn some military practices, it is not only for those who would like to pursue a military life.

“The best way to say it is that the Army Cadets promotes an interest in outdoor activities and a sense of comaraderie,” he explains.

Cadets receive training in camping, survival, and fitness and living a healthy lifestyle. They are required to do community work, such as helping to set up for Oktoberfest, selling poppies for the Veterans, and helping out at the Firefighter Memorial Day in Kitchener.

They also receive academic training in the history of Canada, structure of the government and the background of the military.

“In many ways it is similar to Scouting,” Jacobs said. He was

also a Scout leader for seven years.

Cadets also have the opportunity to take part in several special teams offered. These include playing in the band, orienteering team, marksmenship team, the parachute team, the biathalon team (shooting and running) and the drill team.

Jacobs said through these teams, many Cadets find a passion, such as music, and go on to pursue a career in that direction.

Warrant Officer Terri-Lynn Kaufman is 17 years old and is in her 6th year with the Cadets. Her passion is being part of the Marksmenship Team. This year she is the team captain.

“I like the mindset it brings,” she said of the concentration required to hit targets.

The marksmenship team tries to shoot pellets within a certain diameter space on a target. Their coach likes to have accuracy above 90 percent, Kaufman said.

She has placed first at a Zone Competition, and also competed in provincial competition. She is hoping to make it to Nationals this year.

She has also gone to a summer marksmenship camp held at Canadian Forces Base Borden.

In addition to learning new skills, Cadets are surrounded by eight adult officers on staff, who act as instructors and role models for the Cadets. As Cadets move up the ranks, they help with the instruction of the newer

Cadets and also become their role models.

Some youth who join the Cadets are struggling to figure out their lives. Cadets gives them a structure, a peer group, and the skills they learn helps their self-confidence.

Also on hand each week during the almost three hours of training on Wednesday nights is a group of parents, whose job it is to support the cadets through running a canteen, helping with fundraising, driving them to

events and camps, and running special projects such as the Cadet website www.1596armycadets.ca.

“This Corps wouldn’t run without these volunteers,” Jacobs said. “These guys are tops - doing a fantastic job.”

Parent Vicky Girimonte said she enjoys working with the other parents.

“We’re involved in our children’s lives while they are doing good things in the community,” Girimonte said.

November 7, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 5

Army Cadets learn skills that help make them good citizens

519-883-5100TTY 519-575-4608

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Green bin that!

“I feel guilty if I don’t recycle. Green binning is recycling.”

“Amazing how little garbage I have now.”

“We’re more conscious about what we’re buying.”

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Warrant Officer Kaufman

Master Warrant Officer Cassandra Minnis (centre) performs a fitness test. In-class instruction during a regular training night at the Armoury.

Page 6 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

PROVINCIAL ISSUES by John Milloy, MPP for Kitchener-Centre

Season’s GreetingsWishing you a Happy,Healthy New Year

John MilloyMPP - Kitchener Centre(519) 579-5460

John’s Constituency Office1770 King. St. E, Unit 6C

(next door to Red Lobster on King)

For more information call 519-579-5460 or email John at jmilloy.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

December 17, 2009Holiday Open House

4:00pm to 6:00pmat

Drop-in to see Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy and enjoy a few holiday treats!

In this interconnected world, all governments must find new ways to inform and engage

the people they represent.That is why last month, as Minister of

Government Services, I joined Premier Kathleen Wynne to announce that we are opening up our government to new possibilities and will be leading the way through our own Open Government initiative.

Just what is behind this Open Government movement? There are two key drivers.

The first is technology. It is empowering citizens to express themselves, to share ideas and to collaborate on a scale and with a speed that has never been seen before.

The second is our current economic reality. In order for governments to overcome the fiscal challenges that we face, we need to be more efficient, more agile and more responsive to the people we serve. Open Government enables us to do that.

Our approach to Open Government focuses on three key action areas: Open Dialogue, Open Data and Open Information.

Open Dialogue is about reaching out to people and giving them a greater voice in the policies we develop and in the programs and services we deliver. We regularly consult with the public now in a variety of ways, from conducting surveys and reaching out through social media to hosting town halls.

We will also create a central space online where people can find information about government consultations, get engaged in that process, and express their ideas on government policy.

Open Data is about making the data we collect available to the public in a free and accessible way. Through Open Data, we will make the data we collect open by default, only limiting access

when we need to safeguard privacy, security and confidentiality.

Data from all ministries will be added to the government’s online data catalogue and we are going to give people an opportunity to vote on what data they want to see first. By putting data online and giving people and entrepreneurs the opportunity to mash it together in different ways, we can spark innovative discoveries that have the power to grow our economy and improve peoples’ lives.

Open Information is about making government documents, research and information routinely and widely available. Our government shares information now in many different ways – the online posting of public sector salaries being just one example.

We are going to share even more information in accessible formats, making it easier for the public to see and to understand what we are achieving. Creating greater government transparency can go a long way to strengthening citizen engagement and confidence in government.

To help guide us on our Open Government journey, we have assembled an expert team that is consulting with people across the province on their ideas about how we as a government can be more open in everything we do.

The team will report back to us in February next year.

When we give people more opportunities to connect with us in meaningful ways, we can fundamentally change our relationship for the better, and strengthen our democracy.

One way you can get involved right now is by visiting www.ontario.ca/open and filling out our online survey about what Open Government means to you.

Together, we will do government differently.

PARLIAMENTARY REPORTby Stephen Woodworth MP for Kitchener-Centre

Today, with one in five Canadian jobs de-pendent on exports, our prosperity hinges

on opening new markets for Canadian goods, services and investment.

This is why the Government of Canada has delivered the most ambitious trade agenda in Canadian history. We are working to open new markets to create jobs and opportunities for all Canadians. Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced that Canada has reached an agreement on trade with the European Union. I will provide highlights of this trade agreement in this Parliamentary Report.

This is the biggest deal Canada has ever made. Whether you are a fisherman in Atlantic Canada, a forestry worker in Québec, an auto-worker in Ontario, a Prairie farmer, or an engineer from the West – you will benefit from the Canada-European Trade Agreement.

It will open new markets to Canadian exporters throughout Europe and generate significant benefits, jobs and opportunities for all Canadians. The benefits of this agreement are estimated to include almost 80,000 new jobs, equivalent to increasing each Canadian household’s annual income by $1,000.

Canadian families will have greater access to European goods at a lower cost, as 98% of all tariffs, both ways, will be removed. This will significantly boost trade, investment and job

opportunities for all Canadians.anadian businesses will have access to half

a billion affluent customers – the world’s single largest market. With this agreement, the number of countries with which Canada has a free trade agreement will triple from 14 to 42. It is expected to inject $12 billion per year in Canada’s economy. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) applauds the federal government for finalizing a free trade agreement with the European Union. Canadian small business owners support trade arrangements that can open new markets for Canadian goods and services and help.

What’s more, the Government is also keeping the three pillars of Canada’s supply management system intact. This will help ensure Canadian industries are protected, while still gaining access to the world’s largest market.

This historic win for Canadians highlights Canada’s continued leadership on the world’s stage. With the international community marred by ongoing political and economic uncertainty, Canada’s continued political and economic stability is the envy of the world’s largest economies.

The signing of this agreement is an important step for Canada’s continued prosperity. The Government will continue to focus on creating jobs and opportunities for all Canadians.

MarketNEWS

Movember at the MarketSaturday, Nov. 9 from 10 a.m.- 12 p.m.Bring your kids for Movember-themed free, family fun includingcooking, face painting, activities and giveaways.

Santa Claus parade partySaturday, Nov. 16, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.It might be cold outside but it’s warm and toasty in the market!After the parade, warm up with a mug of hot chocolate and visitwith Santa.

Wine & Art workshopThursday, Nov. 7 OR 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Hosted by a certified Art Innovators teacher, this two-hour classwill feature hands-on instruction as you create two pieces ofartwork, accompanied by wine and a platter of gourmet cheese.$55 per person.

Cooking classes in the MarketplaceIt doesn’t matter if you know your way around the kitchen, can’ttell a saucepan from a frying pan, or just want a fun night out -we have a class for you!

Cost: $39 includes a market bag and prepared food.To register: Visit www.kitchenermarket.ca/cookingclasses, call519-741-2287 or email info@kitchenermarket.ca

Slow cooker mealsTuesday, Nov, 12, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Use your slow cooker to create a healthy, delicious meal while you'reat work that can be served as soon as you get home. Get ready to thinkoutside of the box, these won’t be your typical slow cooker recipes!

Dinner party how-toWednesday, Nov. 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m.Have you ever wanted to throw an elegant dinner party, but don'tknow where to start? Let one of our local chefs teach you the foundationsof a fabulous dinner party. Impress guests with your culinary knowledgeand delicious recipes to keep them coming back for more!

French cookingWednesday, Nov. 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.French cooking techniques aren’t as complicated as they seem, with alittle help from the professionals. France is the home of the croissant,crème brulee, fondue, and more! Learn how to make exciting and easyat-home recipes with a French flair.

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November – a time for wine, art,slow food, the moustache and Santa!

We have an event to celebrate them all,this month at the Kitchener Market.

Visit our website for details and to register:www.kitchenermarket.ca

KM_CitizenAdvertorial_Oct13:Layout 1 10/17/13 12:43 PM Page 1

November 7, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 7

20TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF NEIGHBOURHOODS

Kingsdale resident wins Kitchener Mayor’s Challenge

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Kitchener Citizen welcomes Letters to the Editor. All letters must clearly state the writer’s full name, address, phone number and be signed. Names will be published along with the letter, however, addresses and telephone num-bers will be used only for verification purposes and will not be published. Letters should be submitted at least one week before the publication date. This newspaper reserves the right to edit, condense or reject any contribution for brevity or legal purposes. Copyright in letters and other material submitted to the publisher and accepted for publication remains with the author, but the publisher may freely reproduce them in print, electronic or other forms.

(West Edition)1187 Fischer-Hallman Rd.

PO Box 48045Williamsburg RO

Kitchener, ONN2E 4K6

519-394-0335 or email

citizenwest@hotmail.com

Publisher/EditorHelen Redgwell Hall

News ReportersCarrie Debrone

Andrea Hall

ContributingColumnists

Karolyn FournierJennifer Leppek

Scott DaveyBerry Vrbanovic

Yvonne FernandesJohn Gazzola

Kelly Galloway-SealockPaul Singh

Bil IoannidisZyg Janecki

Frank EtheringtonDan Glenn-Graham

Carl Zehr

Graphic DesignHelen Redgwell Hall

Photography/GraphicsSuzy Hall

Serving West Kitchener

Independently ownedand operated since 2005.

Member of theOntario Community

Newspaper Associationand

Canadian CommunityNewspaper Association

Kitchener citizen...YOUR SOURCE FOR COMMUNITY NEWS

4 • APR IL 29 , 2009 • K ITCHENER CIT IZEN

PUBLISHER/EDITORCarrie Debrone

debrone@sympatico.ca

NEWS REPORTERSJennifer LeppekHelen Hall

Charlotte Prong Parkhill

CONTRIBUTINGCOLUMNISTSZoe Avon

Dee ConstantJennifer LeppekMarilyn LincolnTed MartinJohn MilloyJack NahrgangJanet OzarukPeter SchneiderJohn Smola

Berry VrbanovicBruce WhitestoneEverton WIlmot

Stephen Woodworth

GRAPHIC DESIGNAudra NobleHelen Hall

Rosemount HousePublishing

Established 1996

Serving Kitchener East

Independently ownedand operated

Kitchener Citizenis published monthly

by RosemountHouse Publishing

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519-578-8228

As a relatively new arrival in Kitchener I've been exploring thephotographic arts opportunities here and first impressions are veryencouraging. It's just not just in the tech side of quality that the communityshould be judged. A thriving Arts community usually does well. This cannot always be measured in the financial spectrum as the living standardexpectations of artists are remarkably low.

We don't want that two bedroom house within convenient drivingdistance to the golf course or mall. Speaking as one of those underfundedindependent art producers i'll tell you I've lived in some very badconditions just to be close to my working environment. An example beingwhen living in my various illegal Toronto warehouse studios many yearsbefore they were condoized.

There are basically two reasons for artists to be in an area. A slightlycompact arts community with low rents and the availability of galleries orvenues to showcase the art produced. I have noticed that there is a vibranttheatre network here that none the less is going through hard times. Themusic scene is really good with a solid choice of local talent that is wellpublicized by a few local free publications. Radio generally follows thestandard corprock but the University of Waterloo has an outstandingcommunity station.

The huge pool of university students to draw from for a vocal audiencewith some disposable cash helps in keeping the cities vibrant andenthusiastic. The number of professional artists is still small enough so thatthey know one another.

We are quickly seeing astounding growth in the digital imagingindustry. Fortunately, as a photographer who has been working in digital

for years it helps me integrate my own work into video, 3D, web,advertising, etc. So I think, personally, the opportunities in Kitchener arebetter than Toronto. An example being the cable TV (Rogers) that worksvery hard to involve the regions schools and artisians in locally producedprogramming.

Let's not forget that Kitchener/Waterloo was voted the most intelligentcity and speaking as a newcomer it is very evident that the level ofprofessionalism is visibly high here. People waste little time and thewelcome i've received in presenting my own portfolio to various galleriesand companies has been warm and enthusiastic. A very nice event heldin town is the quarterly parties at the KW regional art gallery. Mellowpeople who enjoy art meet each other with cool jazz and some ambientdub from the djs.

With the projected growth of the regions artists in all mediums I havefound there are many dynamic, specifically targeted plans, by themunicipal government in particular, to foster a (relatively) largecommunity investment in development towards artist integration. I was

very impressed by the Arts office at City Hall and with how they providedme with information about what was going on here. Those people in turnhave offered their own advice and contacts, so again two thumbs up forthe level of support they give each other.

Yes, there are already many photographers doing the normalphotographic needs of the region, but the opportunity to work withemerging image companies like web designers, animation houses, softwareproducers, locally based video firms, electronic images for broadcastersetc.is growing as the manufacturing base has declined. The liveentertainment industries, local graphic designers and most especially theemerging gallery system bodes well for business opportunities, even in thisdownturn.

Kitchener is projected to be growing by a conservative estimate of100,000 people over the next 20 years and plans call for a big investmentin conversions of existing warehouse buildings into studio style live workspace. Technically the manufacturing base has down- turned and left a lotof empty buildings.

If out of those numbers there are 10 percent artists in all media thatactually work at their art all of us are going to need some of this space tobuild up our community. Artists, being artists though, do not like to betold how to do things. The local government is working hard to reach thatlevel where they can integrate the needs of the artistic communityseamlessly into their development plans.

Many studies have shown time and again how efficient an Arts basedcommunity can be. A planning group called The Prosperity Councilspecifically calls for a huge investment for artists and art based businessesto encourage them to choose Kitchener as a place to work. This is the firsttime I have found a directed approach to our niche, but very valuablesegment of society. If even fifty percent of the plans get done it is still anattractive place to build a career.

Our image production is now all pixels and with the recentannouncement of a new 5 million dollar Federal grant to establish amassive digital media centre in the downtown core, it offers unexcelledopportunities to work with some of the leading edge image systems in theworld. In fact there are plans to make Kitchener a regionalcommunications hub and that leads into the possibility of thousands of newuses for my photos.

There is a very good internet system here and if you would like moreinfo just go to the net and most community plans are available. The nextthree years will establish this region of one of the "Silicon Valley" inspiredexamples of a thriving gateway of new ideas and I feel very fortunate tobe able to establish myself here with so many other creative artists.

Letter to the editor

Just what makes Kitchener so good at Arts development?

&RANTS ravesTHE KITCHENER CITIZEN OPINION PAGE

Dear Carrie Debrone,I was pleased to get your Kitchener Citizen (east edition) and found it

quite informative and I thank you for it.I just read your short article regarding the natural gas rates going down

for residential customers.You write that Kitchener Utilities have a 2,100 cubic meter average use

annually for its residential customers. I still have an imperial gas meter,which shows the consumption in cubic feet. I have never been able to readthat meter and as for that matter, even the meter readers seem to have aproblem with it as well. Why else would the city issue a bill in the amountof $452?

My January bill had been $222.16. February, $295.79, there I already satup and took notice, but then excused it by, the winter being especially harsh.However, when I received my March bill, I knew that something was verywrong. I called the Utility Office and was asked to take a piece of paperand a pen and read the meter myself. To this request I replied that I did notknow how to read the imperial meter and aside from that, it wasn't my job.The lady I talked to was very nice and agreed to send somebody out to do

another reading and also promised to call me back once this was done. Itwas the very next day that I received her call telling me that the new amountowing was now $200.10, a mere difference of $251.90. I only wonder howoften the meter had been misread in the past.

My neighbours on either side have metric meters and I had previouslyasked if I could get one that I would be able to read. The answer to thatconsisted of a flat NO.

The city had pre-authorized withdrawal privileges for 2004/005 whichthey bungled up so badly that I revoked that privilege. I did ask that officeto please send me a paper trail for my records which I never received nordid I get an answer to my request and, of course, one can forget about anapology.

I realize that it is up to your discretion to publish or not to publish myletter. However if you decide to print it I would like to warn my fellow"Kitchenerites" to be extra "vigilant" every time that Utility Bill arrives.

Respectfully,Ingrid E. Merkel

Heading heading heading heading

Letter to the editor

INVITATION TO BE A GUEST COLUMNIST The Kitchener Citizen invites you to share your experi-ences with the community as a guest columnist. Do you have a rant? A viewpoint about a local event or opinion about an important issue? Or, do you have a personal or funny story? The Kitchener Citizen is looking for writers who are willing to share their views with their neighbours in a guest column. Columns should be 400-500 words long and submissions must include your name and contact information.To submit your column by email or mail, please call editor Helen Hall at 519-394-0335 or email citizenwest@hotmail.com.

Marie Morneau is the winner of the Mayor’s Challenge Award presented at the October 27 Festival of Neighbour-hood’s finale at Kitchener City Hall.

In honour of the festival’s 20th year, Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr issued a challenge to residents to tell him what their neighbourhood means to them.

Morneau, who lives in the Kingsdale neighbourhood of Kitchener, wrote the winning letter and, as a prize, will be spending the afternoon with Zehr on November 15 taking him on a tour of her favourite neighbourhood places.

Festival of Neighbourhoods is an incentive program that builds connections and celebrates neighbourhoods by encouraging community members to organize inclusive activities that bring geographical neighbours together face-to-face to get to know one another better. Festival of Neighbourhoods then invites neighbourhoods who have held activities to a Finale in October to share and celebrate community. One community wins a $10,000 captial grant for an improvement to their neighbourhood.

Through Kitchener’s Festival of Neighbourhoods program - founded by the city, the Social Planning Council of Kitchener-Waterloo and John MacDonald Architect - people are encouraged to plan activities, projects or events in their neighbourhood - ones that bring your geographical neighbours together and are open to everyone.

Here is her winning letter:

My first memory of Kingsdale Area was when I was a young girl growing up in Waterloo. I was eleven years old and we had our first small black and white TV. When it needed fixing my Dad and I brought it down to the area called Centreville. Later

I worked at Deilcraft Furniture (Electrohome) and lived in an apartment on Fifth Ave. After I was married to my husband Denis and we had two children. First we rented a house on Fourth Ave. and then 23 years ago we bought a house on Fifth Ave. Ironically it was beside the apartment I used to reside in years before.

As our children grew they attended Wilson Ave. Public School. I was involved with Parents for Wilson during these years. I helped with fun fairs, reading to the children and made a quilt to teach them how to use material to recycle. We also made bond books for the younger grades out of cardboard, wallpaper and paper to write some of their first stories in. One day after coming home from church our whole family was in devastation as Wilson school burnt. Our son was bused to another school for the remainder of the school term.

Our family became involved with the Kingsdale Community Centre when our daughter started volunteering there when it was only two portables. When the other portables were added (they came from Chandler Mowat), my husband Denis and I started to volunteer for the House of Friendship Food Distribution program for people living in the Kingsdale area, we are still doing this in our 6th year. Eventually I acquired employment as an attendant for 2 ½ years for House of Friendship. During this time I sat in on the Kingsdale Neighbourhood Association.

Then almost 3 years ago the new centre was built (this was the arena where our children learned to skate). Wow what a beautiful building. We have a gym, dance room, several rooms for activities, preschool room, boardroom and offices for Kingsdale Neighbourhood Association, City of Kitchener staff, and House of Friendship. We have a BBQ, Halloween and Christmas parties. We run a variety of programs, and House of Friendship still runs the food program, and a huge Christmas give away for people living in the Kingsdale area. For the last 5 years I have been teaching as a volunteer for one of these programs. It is sewing, one is for parent and child and the other is for adults. I am also on the board for the Kingsdale Neighbourhood Association.

Kingsdale has a lovely splash pad located outside the centre, a swimming pool, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, and a walking and biking trail. It is also located beside a creek where I have seen a heron. We are very fortunate to live in an area that has 3 schools, several churches, several grocery stores nearby, Fairview Park Mall, and tons of businesses along Fairway road.

Kingsdale Community Centre is a GREAT place to come to participate in. We are a diversified area where we meet many people of different nationalities that are calling Kingsdale area their home. This is a great place to come and visit, or when one needs a helping hand, wanting to take a course, celebrate life, play cards or just sit and chat.

Please come and see us sometime and participate.Thank you,Marie Morneau

LETTER TO MAYOR CARL ZEHR

Kingsdale Neighbourhood

Page 8 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

W.R.P.S.

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Take Frederick to Lancaster St E& watch for signs

FREE PARKING & FREE SHUTTLE BUS SERVICETwo-way shuttle service every few minutes f

rom Market Square Parking GaragePlease allow 20 mins. for travel and seating prior to each show

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PRESENTED OUTSIDE IN OUR PARKING LOT

Bleacher Seating - Dress Accordingly Free refreshments to follow

Live animals A cast of 175 Elaborate costumesThousands make this part of their annual Christmas tradition

18TH ANNUAL

Come and enjoy the Christmas Storybeautifully choreographed to music and narration.

It’s a wonderful time for the entire family.More than 125,000 have experienced

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FOOD DONATIONS WELCOMED

Story anD PHotoS by Carrie Debrone

Designated in 1998 as a heritage property, the Woolner family homestead has stood at 748 Zeller Drive in Kitchener since 1830.

The love of the property and the dedication to preserve it for future generations by its current owner Dale Woolner and her late husband, Robert, who passed away November 2012, inspired neighbours in the area to ask the City of Kitchener to rename the section of Zeller Drive that runs in front of the homestead, Woolner Trail.

On Oct. 12, about 45 neighbours, friends and relatives of the Woolners joined Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr and councillor Berry Vrbanovic to officially unveil the new Woolner Trail street sign at the roundabout at Fairway Road and Zeller Drive.

Designated by the City of Kitchener in 1998 as a heritage property, the Woolner family has owned the 6.47-acre property with its Georgian style farmhouse, barn and silo for over 100 years. Backing onto the Grand River, the farmstead was originally purchased by Peter Reesor, one of the first Pennsylvania German Mennonites to settle in Waterloo County, and subsequently owned by Abraham C. Weber, another prominent member of the Mennonite community. The property was bought by John Woolner in 1908 and has remained in the Woolner family since then. It is believed to be the last remaining original farm located in the Natchez neighbourhood of Kitchener.

“My dad would be very proud,” said Emily LaLonde, Dale and Robert’s daughter who spoke on behalf of her family at the street name dedication.

“My dad believed with such fervor in the preservation of local history,” she said recalling that she used to visit the farm on weekends to help her grandparents and then more frequently when her parents took over the farm in 1996.

“This is great tribute. I wish Rob was here to see this,” said Dale Woolner, Robert’s wife.

“This was done in recognition of the history of this area. We need to keep being reminded about our connection with history,” said Zehr, who was Robert Woolner’s high school classmate.

Ilene Woolner, whose husband Gordon grew up on the farm, said in an interview after the ceremony that she believes the renaming of the street is a fitting tribute to the property’s rich history.

“I have lots of good memories from here. I was dating my husband when he lived here,” she said, adding that another member of her family is currently working on a Woolner family history book, ironically titled the ‘Woolner Trail.’

Local street renamed Woolner Trailhonouring family’s heritage farmstead

Don’t waste another day.Use your green bin.

519-883-5100 TTY 519-575-4608

www.regionofwaterloo.ca/waste

Banana lostits apeel?

Green binthat!

Above: Ephraim LaLonde, 4, watches as Kitchener councillor Berry Vrbanovic and his grandmother, Dale Woolner, lift the covering to unveil the new Woolner Trail street sign during a ceremony on October 12. Also in photo, from left: Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr, Annie (being held), Emily and Jeremy LaLonde. At right, the Woolner farm house is a historical Georgian-style building.

Music Alive and the Nith Valley Singers presents

Christmas Is Wise Men to Winter

Dr. Alfred Kunz – Conductor, Soul Sauce – Guests

Music Alive Nith Valley Singers

Sat., Nov. 30, 2013 – 7:30pm Wed., Dec. 4, 2013 – 7:30pm

Benton St. Baptist Church Steinmann Mennonite Church

90 Benton St., Kitchener 1316 Snyders Road West, Baden

Information & Ticket Reservations

519.662.3291, kunzmusc@sentex.net, www.kunzmusic.ca

Adults $20 – Senior/Student $15 – Child $10 – Available at:

Kathie Jordan Design, 87 Peel St. New Hamburg

Next Time Around, Southworks Outlet Mall, Cambridge

November 7, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 9

PARADEFINISHES12 NOON

PARADESTARTS 10:00 A.M.

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Rogers Television, Cable 20,will be televising the parade LIVE

S P O N S O R S

Bring your letters to Santa! Canada Post Carriers will gather them along the parade route.Bring donations for the Food Bank.

Bring new toys for the toy drive by the Waterloo Knights of Columbus and the Waterloo Fire departments.

L I O N S C L U B O F K I T C H E N E R“Celebrating 75 Years Serving Our Community”

Over 100 Floats and Features • Live Bands100s of Costumed Characters

Parade Grand Marshall is Lydia Herrle

Parade starts at KING & BRIDGEPORT, Uptown Waterloo at 10:00 a.m.

66

55th

Come as you are. Everyone is welcome at these Free Events:

Take a break from the busy-ness this Christmas. Take a lunch break at Trinity.

Noon Hour Meditat ion A time for quiet reflection; enjoy a hot cup of soup

every Monday, Wednesday & Friday 12-1 pm beginning December 2nd

Cup of Soup & Carol Sing Tuesdays, 12:15-12:45

beginning December 3rd

Ins trumental Concerts Enjoy beautiful music & a hot cup of soup

Thursdays, 12:15-12:45 beginning December 5th

Trinity United Church 74 Frederick St., Kitchener

website: tuckitchener.org 519-742-3578

For News Tips & Advertising call

519-394-0335

Next edition - December 5

by Carrie Debrone

Stuff In Stockings is hoping to fill about 1,500 stockings for local youth, children, seniors and adults living with disabili-

ties. The charity, which began four years ago, works to make a needy

person’s Christmas a little happier by delivering stuffed stockings.Last year it delivered 1,000 stockings through 15 charities.This year, Carolyn Parks, who came up with the idea for the

charity in 2010, and her committee of dedicated volunteers, is working with 18 regional charities to collect and deliver the donated stockings at Christmas, including Community Care Concepts, Community Support Connections and the Independent Living Centre.

Many local businesses and organizations are already on board for this year’s Stuff In Stockings project. The Lions Club of St. Jacobs provides funding, sorting space and volunteers.

Anyone can donate a stocking – individuals, families, organizations or businesses.

Any size or style of stocking may be stuffed and any amount can be spent on items to fill it. Parks suggests most stockings could be stuffed for about $30.

“We want to allow people the freedom to stuff the stocking with whatever items they want to give,” Parks said, adding the only restrictions are that the items must be unwrapped, and food items must be commercially available and still in their manufacturer/distributor’s wrapping.

Collecting stockings is important, as is receiving corporate donations. Corporate donations allow the charity to purchase stocking stuffers in bulk and put together stockings for groups most in need.

A family event to promote Stuff In Stockings, called Elves at Play, will take place on Saturday, December 7, 1 - 3pm. at The Shops, Uptown Waterloo where families are invited to drop off stockings and visit with Santa, get their faces painted, make crafts, eat treats and see Five the Magician.

For more information about Stuff In Stockings visit www.stuffinstockings.ca

Starting November 22 and running until De-cember 20, the businesses of downtown

Kitchener will be offering free carriage rides every Friday from 5:30pm – 9:30pm throughout the core.

This is the perfect chance to explore your downtown, see the lights, grab a hot drink, and cross some holiday shopping off your list.

In an effort to support the community, non-perishable food items for the Waterloo Region Food Bank will be collected at the Carriage pick up locations.

Carriage Pick up and Drop off Locations:• Coffee Time – 255 King Street West • Coffee Culture - 1 King Street West • The Yeti – 14 Eby Street North • The Boathouse – Victoria Park Also, every Saturday during the month of

November and December, the Downtown Kitchener BIA and City of Kitchener is offering free parking in any of the city owned garages to make shopping downtown during the holiday season that much easier.

Visit one of your favorite participating downtown retail locations any Saturday during the month of November or December and receive a free parking voucher good for that day.

Parking Garages Include:• Kitchener City Hall• Duke and Ontario• Kitchener Market• Charles and Benton• Civic DistrictVisit the website at www.kitchenerdowntown.

com for more information on small business and events listings.

‘ELVES AT PLAY‘ DECEMBER 7THE SHOPS, UPTOWN WATERLOO Stuff In Stockings – fill a stocking and warm a heart

CLARIFICATIONLast month the Kitchener Citizen incorrectly reported that Patti

Lehman is the Opportunity Centre Executive Director, however she is the Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Waterloo-Wellington, which operates its programs out of the Opportunity Centre. In order to attend the Opportunity Center, call Traverse Independence (519) 741-5845 ext 2503.

NOVEMBER 22 TO DECEMBER 20

Free carriage rides and free parking in downtown Kitchener during holiday season

Page 10 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

Dreaming of aWhite Christmas?

Shop at SUNRISE Before the Snow Flies!

www.sunriseshoppingcentre.com1400 Ottawa St. South at Fischer-Hallman Rd.

Cleo • Fairweather • La Vie en Rose • Peggy’s • Reitmans • Ricki’s • Nygard • Jones New York • Trends for Men • International Clothiers Mark’s Work Wearhouse • Old Navy • Le Nails Salon • Walking On A Cloud • Payless Shoe Source • Sears • Hallmark • Dentist - Dr. Pfeiffer

Ardène • First Choice Haircutters • Shoppers Drug Mart • Trade Secrets • Canadian Tire • Benix & Co. • Black’s Photography • Walmart The Home Depot • Bell World • Starbucks Coffee • Pizza Nova • Bowring • Pita Pit • Petcetera • Bulk Barn • The Source • Casey’s Bar & Grill Quiznos Sub • Future Shop

November 7, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 11

9 Years Straight: Canada’s Credit Unions Earn Best Banking Customer Service Award!

For the millions of Canadians who do their personal and business banking at a credit union, it’s no surprise. Based on the annual Ipsos Best Banking Awards, Credit Unions have ranked first in Customer Service Excellence every year since 2005. A big thanks for that goes to our over 27,000 employees. And an even bigger invitation goes to every business owner, family and individual in Canada: Discover the difference customer service excellence can make in your life today.

To find your closest credit union, for business banking, personal banking and all the financial services you deserve, use this easy locator: http://locator.cucentral.com

Ipsos® Best Banking Awards are based on quarterly Customer Service Index (CSI) survey results. The sample size for the total 2013 CSI program year ended with the August 2013 survey wave was 45,875 completed surveys yielding 69,268 financial institution ratings nationally. 1.888.672.6728 | www.mscu.com

Citizen Crossword # 31 by CharonAcross 9 Speaks for itself (4-11)

10 Country walker (7)

12 Casually refers to (7)

13 Brits call it "Noughts and crosses" (3-3-3)

14 Stick to, like ivy. (5)

15 One of the usuals. (7)

18 Gather crops (7)

21 __Chekhov, Russian author. (5)

23 Bans (9)

25 Trumpeted introduction (7)

26 They may be current or foreign (7)

29 Not forgetting this one (4,3,3,5)

Down 1 Russian leader prior 1917

(4)

2 Poor neighbourhood (4)

3 Revealing (8)

4 Medium contact (6)

5 Home of Mary & Joseph (8)

6 Vampire repellent (6)

7 Source of wealth (8)

8 It improves with contacts (8)

11 French farewell (5)

15 One could get hung up on this (8)

16 Devil follower (8)

17 Grotesque imitation (8)

19 Precipitation (8)

20 You might do it up and down (5)

22 Close at hand (6)

24 Person with a public address (6)

27 Persia today (4)

28 Construction locale (4)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9

10 11 12

13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28

29

Citizen Crossword #31by Charon

(answers on page 20)

Kitchener CitizenNext issue: December 5, 2013

Applications are available November 7 for artists who want to take advantage of

grants from the Ontario Music Fund.The Ontario Music Fund is a $45-million

program that the Province of Ontario is offering for three years.

“Music is an integral part of Waterloo Region’s cultural life and an important economic driver. This new investment in our local music scene will be returned by increased jobs and economic growth, increased tax revenue, increased tourism, and not to mention, the creation of new and enhanced music experiences for residents to enjoy,” said Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy.

Helping to position Ontario as a prime destination for live music, the fund is intended to grow the music industry in the province with special attention being paid to live music producers and businesses that link to or use high tech in their production and sales.

The new fund will support Ontario-based music companies and boost music production and distribution through four streams:

Music Company Development – Helps Ontario-based music companies increase recording, production and marketing, which boosts sales of music and supports job creation.

Music Industry Development – Provides support for initiatives such as digital innovation, music training and new approaches to increase home-grown music exports.

Music Futures – Helps leverage Ontario’s diverse and emerging music industry by

supporting small music companies and artist entrepreneurs, for example those who create music and also handle the business and promotion of their music.

Live Music – Helps increase the number of live music events in the province and generates more opportunities for new and emerging local artists — boosting tourism and growing local economies.

In July, Ontario Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan visited Kitchener to tell people about the new fund, and get ideas from local artists about how the Ontario Music Fund should be used. During a panel discussion Chan answered questions from a group of local artists and art supporters who gathered at Kitchener’s Studio Project, a digital media teaching and research centre located in the building at the corner of Gaukel and Charles Streets in downtown Kitchener.

“Kitchener is truly a place where arts and culture thrives,” Chan said during his visit to Kitchener.

According to Statistics Canada, Ontario’s music production accounts for over 80 per cent of the total national revenues. In 2011, it generated more than $429 million. The Ontario Music Fund will be administered by the new Ontario Music Office located within the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

For more information go to the Ontario Media Development Corporation’s website at www.omdc.on.ca and click on the MUSIC tab.

Ontario Music Fund grants available for local artists

Page 12 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

Term Deposit Special

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* Rates are subject to change without notice at any time.

Special rate on 2 year term deposits.

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Socially Responsible Investing“We chose SRI because it

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MSCU members Scott and Katharine Albrecht

Looking for investments that match your values? Your conversation begins with MSCU, where faith and finances meet.

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Ali and Branden are members of the Child Amputee (CHAMP) Program

DRIVESAFE123456789

JESUS THE HOMELESSSt. Jacobs artist Timothy Schmalz will be taking a smaller replica of his life-sized sculpture “Jesus the Homeless” to a weekly general audience with Pope Francis on November 20. The original bronze sculpture sits outside Regis College, at University of Toronto, which is a Jesuit school of theology. Schmalz’s sculpture depicts Jesus, with wounds on his feet, wrapped in a blanket and sleeping on a bench. There is room for a person to sit beside him. On his website, Schmalz says he was “Inspired by Matthew: 25, this sculpture is a representation that suggests Christ is with the most marginalized in our society.” The Firefighter Memorial in the Civic Park in downtown Kitchener is another one of Schmalz’s pieces. Photo courtesy of Timothy Schmalz

FALL POTTERY SALE – the WATERLOO POTTERS’ WORKSHOP (WPW) will hold its annual FALL POTTERY SALE at RIM Park, in the Forbes Room, 2001 University Ave. E., Waterloo on Nov. 15 -17, 2013. The Waterloo Potters’ Workshop is made up of production potters, professional artists and dedicated amateur potters. Founded in 1968, the Workshop provides educational programs as well as studio space for its members. Sale times are: Friday, Nov. 15, 1pm to 9:30pm; Saturday, Nov. 16, 10am to 6pm, Sunday, Nov.17, 12 to 4pm.“WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS” - The Waterloo Regional Police Male Chorus with special guests the Renaissance Singers present “We Need a Little Christmas” on Saturday, November 30, 2013 at 7:00 pm at Grandview Baptist Church 250 Old Chicopee Dr, Kitchener. Partial proceeds to “Food for Children” and “Children of Promise”. Advance Tickets: $13 per adult, $7 for children under 12. Tickets at the door $15. Tickets are available from Waterloo Regional Police Chorus members or by e-mail at chorus@wrps.on.ca FREE ESL PROGRAMS - offered this fall at Historic St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 137 Queen St. S. at Church Street, Kitchener. Free ESL English Café on Tuesdays to December 10, from 7 – 8:30pm. Practice your speaking and listening skills with a native English speaker in a safe, relaxed, fun environment. Refreshments provided. For information: contact Roslyn at hceslprogram@gmail.com or call 519-742-5812 or 519-745-4891. Free ESL Seniors’ Conversation Circle on Mondays to December 16, from 10:30am – 12noon. Seniors, practice your speaking and listening skills with a native English speaker. Meet new friends in a relaxed environment. Enjoy refreshments. Come early to visit the free Community Cupboard for food and clothing.

For information: contact Donna at hceslsenprogram@gmail.com or call 519-742-5812 or 519-745-4891.BRILLIANCE IN MUSIC A FUNDRAISING CONCERT – Picture this….You are sitting enjoying the brilliant sounds of some of Waterloo Region’s finest musicians. Your eyes are closed and you could swear you are listening to a well mixed CD. When you open your eyes you realize that you are experiencing the finest concert you have heard in a long time. The music is a variety of folk, 50’s and 60’s and Reggae. Pretty amazing deal for $20. Buy your tickets and these are the bands you will hear. Errol Blackwood and the Injah Band, Stand Firm, The Opportunities Band and The Lentils. Proceeds go to the Brain Injury Association Waterloo-Wellington. The concert will take place November 9, 2013 from 6:30pm to 11pm at Moose Lodge, 655 Wabanaki Drive, Kitchener. Tickets are $20 per person. BIAWW is a charitable organization formed to provide support, public education, awareness and information sharing for persons with brain injuries and their families. Tickets can be purchased At the door or on line at www.biaww.com or from the Brain Injury Association, 450 Westheights Dr, Unit 18 A Kitchener, 519-579-5300FREDERICK ART WALK – Saturday Nov. 9, 2013 10am – 5pm. The Frederick Art Walk is a 2 km walking tour through one of Kitchener’s oldest neighbourhoods. Participants can enjoy the beauty of a fall day and the pleasure of exquisite artworks, in a setting of grand maple trees and century-old homes. The Art Walk features an amazing array of works including fabric art, paintings, chocolate, photography, pottery, stained glass art, sewing crafts, tile work, and jewellery. We also have rewards for “Art Walkers” via our Passport

Program. The tour begins in the vicinity of Frederick and Chestnut Streets. Visit wwwfrederickwalk.org for more information on the homes and artists.CHRISTMAS TEA & MARKETPLACE - Saturday November 9th, 2013 10:00am to 3:00pm - Foundation Christian School in Winterbourne presents its 8th annual Winterbourne Wonderland Christmas Tea & Marketplace. Enjoy a country Christmas in our Tea room with home-made soups, scones, cookies and baked goods, and visit our famous basket room. 35+ vendors. Free Admission. Door prizes! 28 Katherine St. S. Winterbourne (519) 664-0110. Visit foundationchristianschool.ca . Email: admin@foundationchristianschool.caHANDICRAFT SALE - Saturday November 16th, 9am-2pm, Fairview Mennonite Home, 515 Langs Drive, Cambridge. Lots of Crafts, Decorations, Gift items, Stocking stuffers, Wearables, Wreaths, Woodworking, Baby Quilts and much more! Featuring: Santa’s Sweet Shop, Fresh Baking, Tea Room, Lunch, Preserves and a Used Book Sale. www.fairviewmh.com (519) 653-5719. No Admission Charge, Everyone is Welcome.HOMER WATSON HOUSE & GALLERY’S FALL EXHIBITION – on now until Nov. 17, 2013, at 1754 Old Mill Road, Kitchener, featuring the original and highly gifted artists Nicole Waddick with the exhibition titled Strata based on the rolling grasslands of Southeastern Saskatchewan; Cathy Farwell’s body of work titled Relative Distance inspired by her recent trip to New Zealand; and Kathryn Bemrose courtesy of De Luca Fine Art Gallery, exhibition titled “The Above Series” includes a series of large scale oil paintings that were inspired by the artist having observed car tracks in the snow viewed from her second

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

...continued on page 21

The city’s publication for its residents November-December 2013

It may be Kitchener’s industrial

heritage that laid the foundation for

the culture of caring that exists in

the city today. As the ebb and flow ofmanufacturing output met the needs ofsupply and demand, the city, like manyothers, went through times of plenty andtimes of scarcity.

This region has a strong sense of socialjustice and responsibility, something therecent Kitchener-Waterloo CommunityFoundation’s Vital Signs Report called a “collaborative/barn raising culture.”

“The cooperative nature of life inBerlin/Kitchener shows up in the creationof a community fundraising cookbookpublished in 1906,” said CarolynBlackstock, whose blog, https://366dayswiththeberlincookbook.wordpress.com, garnered much local success. “In researching the women and mencontributing recipes to the Berlin CookBook, I discovered that they came from all sorts of backgrounds. They didn't allbelong to the same church or social

organization. Their economic standingvaried, too. The recipes of a factory workerappear alongside the recipes of the wife ofa factory owner in the same cookbook.”

“Early in the last century, the Williams,Greene and Rome Shirt Company atQueen and Courtland, forerunner of Arrow,had a progressive set-up for employeebenefits; it was one of the first with actualpaid holidays in the summer, a company-created series of educational lectures atnight, and an in-plant library and resourcecentre,” said rych mills, local historian and author. “JM Schneider resisted unionsfor the longest time but set up the JMSAssociation, which had some benefitsavailable to needy employees.”

Today, there are currently more than500 social programs and services offeredin the region. While fewer people aredonating charitably region-wide, thosewho are donating are contributing more –up to almost $350 per tax filer.

Although the region’s overall poverty rate

is low, 25 per cent of our adult populationhad incomes of $14,100 or less in 2010.The wider the gap, the more stress thereis for those who have been left behind.Increased stress leads to poorer health,among other negative factors.

As we move into the season associatedwith giving, you don’t have to look far to see that this community is ready to take care of its residents. There are 16hamper programs in Kitchener alone,administered by social service agenciesand places of worship, that provideemergency food for those who are without.

Did you know last year, 650 volunteersshared the gift of food with needy familiesacross the region through the House ofFriendship Christmas hamper and turkeydrive programs? Volunteers delivered4,250 Christmas hampers alone, anddistributed 3,600 turkeys, 600 hams and200 halal chickens. About 12,000 peoplewere fed through the hamper and turkeydistribution programs.

“Kitchener residents have demonstrated

a culture of caring through the years, since

the 1830s when Joseph Schneider helped

out in the construction of a new church

to present day where 30 volunteer-run

neighbourhood associations serve and

support residents of all ages,” said Janice

Ouellette, facilitator of volunteer resources

and community engagement at the City

of Kitchener. “We have a long history of

engaging volunteers in delivering services

and programs and supporting volunteers

in their service to community residents.

And we are well aware that our wonderful

volunteers play an important role in

creating a community where people feel

cared for, supported and safe.”

Currently the city has almost 2,000

direct volunteers who help make city-run

programs happen.

For the full story, see

www.kitchener.ca/your kitchener n

Your Kitchener is published every other month to keep our

citizens informed on local issues and events. If

you have questions or comments, please contact

us by phone at 519-741-2200 x7383 or by email

at communications@kitchener.ca.

The City of Kitchener is committed to providing

accessible formats and communication supports for persons with disabilities. If

another format would work better for you, please contact the number above.

A cultureof caring

Throwing rocks at the houseLaura Crocker’s psychology degree

from Wilfrid Laurier University has

taught her some things about being a

competitive curler. At 22, she is skip for

Team Crocker out of Edmonton, Alta.,

and will be competing in the Road to

the Roar, coming to The Aud Nov. 5-10.

“My psychology degree has taught me

how powerful the mind is. When you

compete at this level, everyone is a good

curler and everyone can throw a great

rock, and it's things like mental strength

that start making the difference,” Crocker,

who lives and curls in Alberta, said in an

email interview. “We work with a great

sport psychologist who gives us lots of

tips and strategies, but I think that my

background in psychology helps me

realize the importance of those little

things, so I work a little harder to make

sure they're a part of all of my training

and competition.”

Featuring 10 teams from Ontario, the

Road to the Roar pre-trials competition

pits 24 of Canada’s best teams – 12

women’s teams and 12 men’s -- against

each other, each with their sights set on

securing one of the final four berths in

the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings – the

Canadian Curling Trials – where Canada

will decide its men’s and women’s

representatives for the Sochi Olympics.

Crocker, who is from Scarborough

originally, said she’s excited to be a part of

the Road to the Roar; representing

Canada at the Olympics has been her goal

for a long time. She moved to Edmonton,

away from my family and friends, in

September 2012 to pursue curling at a

higher level, putting off a master's degree.

“I've invested a lot over the past couple

of years. To see it starting pay off has

been really rewarding,” she said, adding

that playing the Road to the Roar in

Kitchener-Waterloo is even more special.

“It'll be a ton of fun to play at The Aud. It

means that much more to have those who

have helped me get here in the stands

cheering us on.”

So, at the tender age of 22, Crocker has

already been curling for 17 years, starting

out at the Little Rock program at Scarboro

Golf & Country Club, where she used rocks

about half the weight of a regular rock.

Continued on page 2

New year’slevee at city hall

Ring in the New Year at city hall

with Mayor Zehr and members of

council on Sunday, Jan. 5 from 2-4 p.m.

Bring your skates and family and take a

few spins on the Civic Square skating rink,

and then join the festivities in the rotunda.

There will be refreshments provided by

Bingemans, cookies and hot chocolate,

children’s activities, face painters from

Bre-Creative, and entertainment

appropriate for all ages.

Local artists providing entertainment

include Drew Leith, lead singer of a folk-

rock group, Drew Leith and the Foundation;

Tim Louis on piano; Lorna Heidt on cello,

and the actOUT children’s choir, under the

artistic direction of Deanne Bingleman.

There will also be free door prizes. n

If they call,pick it up

Compass Kitchener is launchingan Environics survey as part of

its update for the city’s 20-yearvision. The telephone survey will beconducted Nov. 28 to Dec. 12.

It will lay the foundation for the nextterm of council by setting the directionof the city for 2015-18. Over the next18 months, four phases to the city’sstrategic planning process will include:

l Community assessment (October2013 – April 2014)

l Environmental scan (January–September 2014)

l Strategic options (September2014 – March 2015)

l Confirm direction: (March–June2015). n

Team Crocker

The praise tells the story. Parents

writing to city staff about their

child’s experience at summer

camp because of the Every Kid Counts

program are happy, and so are their

children.

“(My child) had a great time,” wrote one parent, adding the counselors did “an awesome job with him, working withhis needs and inclusion into the campactivities. He was in several other campsthis summer as well and I believe hisexperience at the city-run camps with hisworker were some of the best. Thanksagain for this great program that is madeavailable to families and children such asour son!”

“Our son was quite sad to leave camp,even cried when he had to say goodbye to (the counselor),” wrote another parent.“I take that as a good thing,”

The City of Kitchener program provideschildren and youth with a disabilityopportunities to access additionalsupports to attend City of Kitchener or City of Waterloo municipal summer andyear-round recreation programs. This pastsummer that amounted to 169 weeks ofsupport to 97 children, up 29 per centfrom summer 2012.

Support is provided for camps for golf, junior lifeguarding, skateboarding,busking, day camps at Waterloo MemorialRecreation Complex, Breithaupt Centreand Kiwanis Park, Summer Playgroundprograms, Summer Fun Centre programs,and youth camp for teens with disabilities.

Year after year, it’s not just the inclusionfacilitators, the children or the parents whomake Every Kid Counts happen.

It’s the donors.

Funding comes from wage subsidies,grants and community business donations.This year, businesses in the communityalone donated more than $9,650, whilecity staff contributed through the civiccontribution committee Dress-DownFridays program, and the City of Kitchenerbuilding division’s golf tournament, totalinganother $5,000 or more.

“Kids are the future and the futurecounts for all of us,” said Martin Rombout,of JDI Cleaning Systems Inc., whichdonated last year.

Ninety-seven children attended campwith support. Everyone who requested helpreceived it, but the city has to find moneyto hire support and meet the increasingsupport requests every year. That’s why

donations to the program are so important.There is a waiting list after the deadline,and when the average age of the childrenwho are supported by the program is sixyears old, and half the children supportedhave autism, more donations means morechildren and youth can attend.

So, when a parent writes, “We were veryfortunate to have the support this summeras my son's accident was obviously notplanned. We were so happy that our sonwas able to participate in normal activities,and we could not have done that withoutthe support of Every Kid Counts program,”we know that donors have responded.

When another says, “Our experience was fabulous. The worker with my son was great. They developed a good rapport.He was able to integrate him into othercamps and activities that he thought myson would enjoy and it really worked. It was a very successful camp experience.Can't wait to do it again. The support wasexceptional!” we know that this goodexperience should be spread around tomore families who need support.

For more information about the Every Kid Counts program, please visitwww.kitchener.ca/everykidcounts n

Ask an Expert

l Tuesday, Nov. 12, 12-1 p.m.on Facebook: snowremoval

l Tuesday, Dec. 3, 12-1 p.m.on Twitter: snow removal

Our manager of maintenance

operations, Scott Berry will be on to

answer all of your questions about

snow removal on Facebook and

Twitter.

l Tuesday, Dec. 17, 12-1 p.m.on Facebook: 2014 budget

Join Ryan Hagey, director of

financial planning, who will answer

all of your 2013 budget questions

on Facebook. n

What’s cooking at theKitchener Market?

Discover your love for cooking at the

Kitchener Market! Classes take place

from 6:30-8:30 p.m. To register, visit

www.kitchenermarket.ca/cookingclasses

or email info@kitchenermarket.ca

l Nov. 12: Slow cooker meals

l Nov. 13: Dinner party how-to

l Nov. 21: Wine & Art workshop

l Nov. 27: French cuisine

l Dec. 19: Ladies’ Night Out: holiday

cocktails and appetizers. n

Events at the market

There’s always something fun

happening at the Kitchener Market.

Events take place on Saturdays. For

details, visit

www.kitchenermarket.ca/events

l Nov. 9, 10 a.m.-noon: Movember

at the Market

l Nov. 16, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: party

after the Santa Claus Parade

l Dec. 7, 10:30-11:30 a.m.:

Suzuki School of Music performance

l Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-noon: Breakfast

with Santa (ticketed event)

l Dec. 7, 10 a.m.-noon: Family

gingerbread house decorating (free

but must register online)

l Dec. 21, 10 a.m.-noon: Kids in

the Kitchen – Santa treats and

reindeer eats. n

Margaret Avenue bridge

Demolition of the Margaret Avenuebridge has begun, and is expected tobe completed by early December.

For updates on the bridge and the proposed schedule, go towww.kitchener.ca , search words“Margaret Street bridge” or watch oursocial media channels. n

Every kid really does count

“I did throw, although I'll admit I wasn't

all that good at take-outs until I grew a

little,” she says, adding both her parents

curl. “When I started at about six years

old, and it didn't take long for me to fall

in love with the game.”

Crocker played third for the Laurier

Golden Hawks, who went to a semi-final

finish at the 2010 CIS/CCA Curling

Championships.

The following season, however, she led

the team to win the 2011 CIS/CCA Curling

Championships, defeating Brock University

in the final. In her final year at Laurier,

Crocker repeated her championship,

winning in the final of the 2012 CIS/CCA

Curling Championships against Brock

once again.

“A big part of it is the friendships I made;

curling is such a great sport for that, and

it became the highlight of my week,” she

said. “The people in this sport are still a

huge part of my love for the game.”

Tickets for Road to the Roar start at $12.

Fans can select games when the Ontario

favourites are in action by checking out

the schedule online at curling.ca. The Old

Classic full-event pass including all 18

draws for $169 and the $109 mini-pack,

guaranteeing the same great seat for the

six draws on championship weekend, are

still on sale. For more information, go to

www.theaud.ca. n

Continued from front page

Road to the Roar

Whose music always reminds the Canadian listener of a raucous down-East

kitchen party? If your answer is Great Big Sea, you must have fond memories

of the ‘90s! For the hundreds of thousands of fans who sang, danced and celebrated

with the band, Great Big Sea is a Canadian staple.

The loveable band is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a new greatest hits and

boxed set album entitled XX. They arrive at The Aud on Saturday, Nov. 30. Show starts

at 8 p.m., and doors open at 7 p.m.

Twenty years is a long time in anyone’s life, and few bands last more than an album

or two — a few tours, a song played on the radio, and then they are quickly forgotten.

Not so with Alan Doyle, Sean McCann and Bob Hallett. The three Newfoundlanders

from Petty Harbour have managed to keep the dysfunctional-family-bar-room-brawl-

student-art-project-musical-pirate-crew known as Great Big Sea going for two decades.

Compiled by the band members themselves, XX is a special two-disc set: one disc

covers the biggest hits from their more pop-oriented repertoire, while the other contains

some of their most loved traditional and folk songs. Plus, there are six new songs and

another disc that contains some of the band’s lesser known excursions and

experiments.

Tickets (incl. HST) are $39.50, $57.50, $84.50. They can be purchased at the

Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Box Office, by phone at 1-800-265-8977, or online

at www.theaud.ca n

When I’m up I can’t get down

YK INsert_Layout 1 13-11-01 12:09 PM Page 1

Winter salt helps keep us safe but it also causes damage to our natural and urban environments including our drinking water sources. When snow melts or when it rains, the salt is washed into our waterways or travels underground. Over time, if salt is not properly managed, chloride levels will increase in the drinking water causing it to taste salty.

It is possible to stay safe this winter and minimize the impact of salt on the

environment. {,tvOIA

1"

Get *smart~salt 1. Shovel the snow. Save the salt for ice.

2. Prevent ice patches. • Ensure eaves don't drip or drain onto walkways and

driveways. • Store snow so the melt water won't go on paved areas.

3. Treat ice patches. • Create traction with kitty litter or sand. • Remove ice with a steel ice chopper. • Melt ice with salt applied according to package instructions. • Give salt time to do its work.

Get a Grip on Snow and Ice 1. Wear sturdy footwear designed for snow and ice.

• Low, wide heels with a solid tread for easy walking. • Tread with cross hatching for extra grip in icy conditions

without clogging full of snow.

2. Put snow tires on your car.

Pass it on Ask your friend,s and family to join the challenge. Tell businesses and 0F~g J .~ ~ons,~bp~fr ~ (~t's i~ortant everyone is smart about saH m1'Jd encoura~ge t~em( tGr be lOyne a Smart About Salt™

f ertified Site. . G {..J f) 0 Un

To learn more, visit www.smartaboutsalt.com~ v ~ U Winter Salt Management Program

Sponsored by:

This Winter Look inside for important information on how the Cities

of Kitchener and Waterloo in co-operation with their

residents, can keep all roads and sidewalks as safe

as possible this winter.

Snow Shoveling TipsWhen you shovel:

• Shovel as soon as possible after a snow fall

• Use a proper sized shovel

• Do not shovel snow onto the road

• Keep snow piles low so as not to obstruct the visibility

of pedestrians and drivers

• Carefully use safety salt only as necessary and/or sand on the ice

• If you are going away during the winter months, please arrange

for your sidewalks to be cleared

• If you suffer heart or other medical problems, do not attempt

to shovel snow

• If you are unable to clear your sidewalks due to health or mobility

restrictions, ask for help or refer to the snow removal services

• Wherever possible, help your neighbour!

Once again this winter we need your help! Thousands of residents living in our communities have mobility

restrictions that are further impacted during the winter months.

Many residents who use wheelchairs, walkers, canes or strollers find

the going gets even tougher when it snows. Snow or ice-covered

sidewalks can be treacherous for all residents, especially those who

already have mobility restrictions. This can force pedestrians to the

roadways where their safety is compromised due to traffic. It can

also result in dangerous falls.

All residents need your cooperation, but especially:

• Seniors

• People using assistive devices (crutches, canes, walkers,

wheelchairs or scooters)

• People with baby carriages or strollers

• People moving heavy or bulky object

• People with disabilities

If you are unable to clear your sidewalks due to health or mobility

restrictions, there are several local agencies that offer help. Fees and

eligibility requirements may apply, so call for details:

Waterloo Home Support Services

(Waterloo Residents only) - 519-579-6930

Community Support Connections/Meals and Wheels

and More - 519-772-8787 (Kitchener)

Working Centre - 519-513-9225

House of Friendship (Kitchener) - 519-742-8327

The Cities of Kitchener and Waterloo are responsible for snow removal on:

• public roadways

• bus stops (City of Waterloo only)

• sidewalks around City facilities

• crosswalks

As a resident of Kitchener or Waterloo you are required by law to clear

the snow and ice from the sidewalks at the front and side of your home

or business within 24 hours after the end of a snowfall. Although it’s

the law, it's also the neighbourly thing to do. You can be sure other

residents will appreciate your efforts.

To report unshoveled sidewalks (reports cannot be made until 24 hours

after the end of a snowfall) in Kitchener, please call 519-741-2330,

and in Waterloo, please call 519-747-6280.

Will you have the snow how?

YK INsert_Layout 1 13-10-31 9:31 AM Page 2

How will streets be plowed?The City of Kitchener is responsible for winter road maintenance includ-

ing plowing, sanding and salting. All roads are classified as per traffic

volumes according to Provincial criteria and the City must achieve qual-

ity standards that are consistent across the province.

City of Kitchener staff acts as soon as a snow event/storm begins.

There are a number of factors including temperature, future forecasts

and precipitation that determine how and when plowing, salting or sand-

ing should take place.

The following is a guide to the level of service you may expect.

SNOW PLOWING PRIORITIES

Each snow plow is assigned a designated area of the City and clearing

is carried out on the basis of the fallowing priorities.

1) Major Arterial Roads

2) Major Collector Roads and Bus Routes

3) Local Residential Streets

What about parking?Roads cannot be properly plowed when they are blocked by parked

cars. As such:

IN KITCHENER There is NO OVERNIGHT PARKING on City of

Kitchener streets between December 1 and March 31, each winter.

Additionally, under the City of Kitchener’s Tag and Tow Bylaw, Parking

is prohibited on all streets at any time a SnOW EvEnT is declared

until such time as the SnOW EvEnT is cancelled. vehicles parked on

the street but not towed will also be ticketed. The amount of a ticket

for parking on-street during a SnOW EvEnT is $80. To report cars

that are illegally parked in Kitchener, please call 519-741-2330

IN WATERLOO During a storm a “Snow Ban” will be issued through

the media requesting that streets be kept clear of parked vehicles in

order to assist clearing of the local streets. The City of Waterloo does

not allow on-street parking between 2:30am and 6:00am, but depending

upon the weather may grant exemptions if there is no snow ban in

place. You must register prior to 1:30 a.m. by doing one of the following:

call 519-747-8559 or register at www.waterloo.ca/bylaw. EXEMPTIOnS

WILL nOT BE ISSUED DURInG A SnOW BAn. To report cars that are

illegally parked in Waterloo please call 519-747-8785.

Why should I shovel my sidewalk?Snow and ice covered sidewalks pose a great danger to all pedestrians,

especially seniors and those who have mobility restrictions.

Kitchener and Waterloo city bylaws require that your sidewalks be

clear of snow and ice within 24 hours of a snow fall. not clearing your

sidewalks can result in city crews clearing them for you. Residents

are then required to reimburse the city for the cost of the service.

Depending on the size of your lot, this will cost you $300-$500. If you

cannot clear your sidewalks because of health or mobility restrictions,

there are several local agencies that can help. Look

inside this brochure for their phone numbers.

To report unshovelled sidewalks:

In Kitchener (wait 24 hours from the end of the snowfall) - 519-741-2330

In Waterloo (wait 24 hours from the end of the snowfall) - 519-747-6280

Additional snow howHelp keep our roads as safe as possible this winter. We are asking

for your cooperation with the following:

• Don’t park on the street during a snowstorm.

• Keep snow away from fire hydrants.

• Remind children not to climb or play on snowbanks or to dig

forts, as it is dangerous.

• Drive smart – give yourself extra time and distance.

• Respect the blue light - when sharing the road with plows always

have your headlights on and give the plow plenty of room.

Oncoming vehicles should stay to the right.

• To reduce the amount of salt used, only downtown, major

arterials, bus routes & hills and curves are salted.

• Remember, passing a snow plow on the right side is dangerous

as the operator may not be able to see you.

For more information:

www.kitchener.ca519-741-2345

(TTY) 1-866-969-9994

www.waterloo.ca519-886-2310

(TTY) 1-866-786-3941

YK INsert_Layout 1 13-10-31 9:32 AM Page 3

A pilot parking project applying only to Ward 5 means parking is permitted on the boulevard portion of the driveway from Dec. 1, 2013 – March 31, 2014.

“Ward 5 is the ward with the largest percentage of smaller residential lots,

therefore the smaller driveways,” said Shayne Turner, director

of bylaw enforcement for the City of Kitchener. “Since this is a pilot,

council is prepared to look at other solutions or maybe extending the

boulevard parking concept after staff reports back to them next year.”

There are some specific conditions to note:

• vehicles must be on the paved, driveway portion of the boulevard,

not the landscaped (or hardscaped) portion of the boulevard;

• all of the vehicle’s tires must be on the paved, hard surface

driveway portion;

• there can be no overhang of any part of the vehicle onto the

sidewalk or roadway;

• boulevard parking will not be permitted within 15 metres of an

intersecting roadway;

• in the case of abutting driveways, vehicles must not overhang

the projection of the property line, and

• drivers must not drive over the grass portion of the boulevard

to park on the driveway.

This change will also allow the plows to get through the streets in the

winter months to clear snow. During a snow event, it will give home

owners a place to park their vehicle (on the driveway portion of the

boulevard) to allow snow plows easier access.

The impact of these temporary changes to the current parking regulations

during this pilot will be assessed, and staff will report back to council in

2014 with recommendations on a long-term solution.

The city introduces a new parking pilot

for Ward 5

Driveway

Sidewalk

boulevard portion

Street

LawnLawn

More information is available at www.kitchener.ca/parking.

YK INsert_Layout 1 13-10-31 9:32 AM Page 4

Look who’s coming to town!

The 2013 Lions K-W Santa Claus

Parade will be held on Saturday, Nov.

16, starting at 10 a.m. at King and

Erb streets in Waterloo and

concludes at Cameron Street in

Kitchener.

Canada Post picks up mail for the

“jolly old man” from the children

during the parade, for delivery at:

Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0.

Food items are collected for the Food

Bank of Waterloo Region. n

Rockin’ the lights! (formerly

called Christmas Fantasy)

On Thursday, Dec. 5, from 4:45-

6:45 p.m., bring your family down to

Victoria Park when it comes alive

with thousands of twinkling lights,

creating a winter wonderland to

enjoy right through into the new year.

This family event features live

Christmas music by Drew Leith and

the Foundation, presented by Dave

FM, with hot chocolate and fun winter

activities, and, of course, the lighting

ceremony. For more information, go

to kitchenerevents.ca n

Christkindl Market

Visit Canada’s original Christkindl

Market Dec. 5-8 and relive a

centuries-old tradition. This festival of

German Christmas is a four-day

celebration full of the sights, sounds

and tastes of Christmas, with more

than 70 vendors and free

entertainment. Visit

www.christkindl.ca for more

information. n

2014 budget

Watch for updates on the 2014

budget deliberations online at

www.kitchener.ca/2014budget. Try

out the online calculator or come to a

budget meeting. Capital budget will

be presented to council on Nov. 21,

and operating budget presented on

Dec. 12. n

New Year’s Eve 2014

The countdown is on for 2014! Join

us Tuesday, Dec. 31 in downtown

Kitchener and ring in the New Year

right!

We have something for everyone at

this year’s New Year’s Eve event. For

more information, please visit

www.kitchenerevents.ca or follow us

on Twitter @citykitchener. n

Extra cautionneeded duringholiday season

The nights arrive a lot earlier as

winter approaches, and as we move

toward the holiday season, that means

more lights, candles, lots of hot stoves,

perhaps lit fireplaces. While these wrap

us in a sense of warmth, they are also

sources of danger.

Now that the heat is on in our houses, it is important to ensure we are safe from carbon monoxide (CO), which is an invisible, odourless, tasteless andpoisonous gas.

City of Kitchener Fire Department urgesresidents to practice fire safety over theholiday season. The winter holidays are

one of the deadliest times of the year forhome fires.

“It doesn’t take a lot for a family’sholiday celebrations to go up in smoke,”said Fire Chief Tim Beckett. “It’s easy toget distracted or forgetful because this issuch a busy time. A pot left on the stove,or an unattended burning candle canbecome a problem very quickly.”

The law requires working smoke alarmson every storey and outside all sleepingareas. Beckett notes smoke alarms aremissing or not working in almost 50 percent of the residential fires the firedepartment gets called to.

Is your home safe for the heatingseason?

Exposure to high levels of CO can kill in just minutes or a few hours. Poormaintenance, damaged or blockedventing, improper use of appliances, orinadequate air flow can cause dangerous

levels of CO to build up inside your home.Avoid high levels of CO by:

l Having a certified fuels technicianinspect and maintain your furnaceannually;

l Keeping all outside vents clear ofblockage;

l Installing a CO alarm on every level.

Know the symptoms of CO poisoning.They are similar to the flu – nausea,headache, burning eyes, confusion anddrowsiness – except there is no fever. If they appear, it is imperative to geteveryone, including pets, outside to fresh air immediately and call 911.

For more home safety tips, call theTechnical Standards & Safety Authority(TSSA) at 1-877-682-8772. For KitchenerUtilities inspections, service and repairs,call 519-741-2529, select option #3. Fornatural gas emergencies, call 911. n

As the regional light rapid transit

(LRT) project proceeds, the

impact on local neighbourhoods

is top of mind for City of Kitchener

planners. Although rapid transit is a

regional project and responsibility, many

of the initiatives require the participation

of the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo and

Cambridge.

One of the projects relating to rapid

transit that is currently underway in

Kitchener is the Planning Around Rapid

Transit Stations (PARTS) project, which

spans 2013-2017, and involves

developing station area plans for the LRT

stops in Kitchener. The goals of the station

area planning exercise are to:

l manage growth and change

l ensure a mix of appropriate land uses

l create high-quality environments to

live and work

l enhance transportation choice and

connectivity

l placemaking and community design,

and

l guiding public and private investment.

Work done under PARTS will protect

stable neighbourhoods, improve

streetscapes and help planners to

understand the implications of LRT to

infrastructure, both from an engineering

and community standpoint.

“We need to ensure that these areas are

developed in a way that is desirable to

those neighbourhoods around the LRT

stations,” said Tina Malone-Wright, senior

planner for the City of Kitchener.

“Decisions we make now could put the city

in a better position to respond to and build

on the changes that rapid transit will bring

to our community.”

City planning staff is working to identify

what could happen in the areas around

the 17 rapid transit station stops in

Kitchener within a 10-minute walking

radius. This will involve understanding the

current situation, developing ideas for

growth, studying potential opportunities,

impacts and implications, and developing

plans for implementation.

Phase 1 of PARTS, underway since

January this year, is the background work

necessary to gear up for the detailed

station area planning work that will occur

in Phase 2.

Phase 1 will culminate in a staff report

to council later this year with a work

program for the completion of station area

plans.

For more information on PARTS, please

see www.kitchener.ca or email

stationareaplanning@kitchener.ca n

Planning around rapid transit stations

Practicingopen government

Why are all orders of

governments increasingly

being held to higher standards of

openness? Their regulators and/ortheir constituents are demanding it.This is evident in legislation such as:

l the Municipal Freedom ofInformation and Protection of PrivacyAct (MFIPPA)

l Public Sector Salary Disclosure Act

l voluntary efforts by governmentsto provide disclosure and data

l grassroots citizen efforts, whichare often enabled by technology, theinternet and social media.

The City of Kitchener is committedto being open, and supports theprinciples of Open Government:transparency, participation andaccountability.

In 2007, the city passed its firstcorporate accountability andtransparency policy. The policyincluded steps to becoming moreaccountable and transparent and the expectation that a review of these steps would happen withineach term of council.

Staff is now reviewing and updatingthe policy and work plan to includecreation of an Open Governmentframework and a four-year action plan of priority actions to support theframework. A stakeholder consultationto identify priorities for action will bepart of the process. More consultationwill take place as the plans areimplemented. n

On Saturday, Dec. 21, between

2 and 4 p.m., a casual Christmas

gathering will be hosted at the Williamsburg

Cemetery Dedication Centre, located at

1541 Fischer Hallman Rd.

In memory of a loved one, guests are

invited to place a personalized ornament,

provided by staff, on the magnificent

18-foot Christmas Tree of Remembrance.

The tree graces the charmingly restored

Mennonite chapel at the dedication centre.

Festive treats will also be available.

If you are unable to attend the gathering

on Dec. 21, please feel free to stop by on

either Dec. 7 or 14 between 2 and 4 p.m.

The Williamsburg Dedication Centre also

features a second Christmas tree that is

ready to be ‘dressed’ with your donations

of new hats, mitts, scarves, socks and

boots. All items are donated to local

charities, such as Anselma House or

Mary’s Place, which provide shelter and

services for abused women and their

children, and St. John’s Kitchen, which

provides support and outreach services

in downtown Kitchener.

“Thank you has many faces. Hundreds

and hundreds of faces,” writes Sheryl

Loeffler, director of philanthropy at Mary’s

Place, in a letter to Williamsburg staff.

“These are people helped by your

generosity. Like Alyssa, four, and her

mother, Amber, 22, who had to flee their

home late one winter night. Or Jamaal,

nine, and his grandmother, Shirin, 47,

who were evicted when she lost her

factory job.”

Donations can be made during regular

office hours. For more information,

call 519-741-2880 or visit

www.kitchenercemeteries.ca/christmas. n

Remember, gather and give

GET YOUR SKATES ON -- Volunteers are always needed to clear the

outdoor rinks in neighbourhoods across the city. Join the more than

350 volunteers who do! For more information, check out

www.kitchener.ca/outdoorrinks

Visit us at www.naturalcomforts.ca

FIND US

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Our website is filled with energy-saving tips, recipes, rebates, onlinebilling options and much more: available 24-hours a day using yourcomputer or mobile device!

We value our customers and want to provide the information theyneed in a format that is convenient for their busy lives!

* “CITY BUCKS” can be used to pay a City of Kitchener bill or to purchasetickets, services or merchandise at city-owned facilities, like The Aud, Rockwayand Doon Valley Golf Courses and many more! Don’t delay! Deadline to enterfor your chance to win $300 “CITY BUCKS” is December 15, 2013.

Enter now to WIN $300 in “CITY BUCKS”!Just complete a brief survey at www.naturalcomforts.ca

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floor window. Admission $5. Members of the public are invited to attend an Artist Talk Event on Saturday, October 19, 2013 from 1-3pm. For more information call 519-748-4377.100th ANNIVERSARY OF ST. ANDREWS PUBLIC SCHOOL - St. Andrew’s Public School in Cambridge is extending an invitation to former staff, alumni, and local history buffs to join in the planning of the school’s 100-year celebration. The school, which first opened its doors in 1914, will be welcoming former students, staff and the public with an Open House and celebration planned for May 10th, 2014. Volunteers are needed to plan, prepare, and promote the celebration. Help is needed to collect and scan old photographs, track down yearbooks and memorabilia, promote the event to alumni, plant a commemorative garden, research and document the history of the school, and coordinate activities for the public celebration. For

more information, check the school website at sta.wrdsb.ca or call the school at (519) 621-7170.LINCOLN SERIES OF LIVE MUSIC RETURNS - The Lincoln Series returns this Fall to treat local music lovers to four acclaimed musical groups that will appear at St. Columba Anglican Church, 250 Lincoln Road, Waterloo. There is seating for just over 100 in this warm, acoustically rich ambience. The Nov. 22 presentation will feature virtuoso trumpeter Larry Larson, united with Glenn Buhr in a concert of jazz designed to get you in the mood for the coming Christmas holiday season. March 4, 2014 will see the return of the acclaimed Royal City Saxophone Quartet, for a Mardi Gras Concert of New Orleans Jazz and Ragtime tunes. Back by popular demand for the fourth and final concert on April 25, 2014 is the Brian Pickell Band. The band includes Brian Pickell (guitar, mandolin, banjo), Pat

O’Gorman (flute, whistle, Irish pipes), Shane Cook (fiddle), James Stephens (fiddle, mandolin, tenor guitar) and Julie Schryer (piano). Single event tickets are $30/Adult and $20/Student. Series tickets are $100Adult /$65Student . Tickets can be purchased by calling 519-886-6395 or by emailing phoroe@uwaterloo.ca. For more information go to www.saintcolumbachurch.com.REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICE - Hope Lutheran Church, 30 Shaftsbury Drive, Kitchener. Special Remembrance Day Service on Sun., Nov. 10 at 11 am.REEP OPEN HOUSE - REEP House for Sustainable Living, 20 Mill Street, Kitchener is open every Saturday from 10am to 2pm. An interactive community resource, this 100-year-old home has been renovated by REEP Green Solutions to exceed modern building standards while maintaining heritage value; working demonstrations of household energy-efficient and water management

technologies; certified energy adviser available to answer your home energy and water savings questions. Contact info@reepgreen.ca or call 519-744-9799.REEP HOUSE WEDNESDAY EVENING TOURS - REEP House for Sustainable Living, 20 Mill Street, Kitchener is open from 6:30 – 8:30pm every other Wednesday. Free. Registration required. Contact: info@reepgreen.ca or call 519-744-9799. Drop in and experience trusted home energy and water management information from a certified energy adviser, who is available to answer your questions. The 100-year-old REEP House has been renovated to exceed modern building standards while maintaining heritage value; working demonstrations of household energy-efficient and water management technologies. SUNNYSIDE SENIORS’ SERVICES NEEDS VOLUNTEERS - Located at 247 Franklin St N., we are looking for Tuck

Shop Clerks (afternoons), Community Alzheimer Program Assistants in both Kitchener and Cambridge, and Sunday Chapel Assistants. If you are interested in any of these positions, contact Janice Klassen, Coordinator, Volunteer Services at 519-893-8494, ext 6372 or email her at jklassen@regionofwaterloo.ca.COFFEE BREAK - is an interdenominational Bible Study for women of all ages and all stages of faith. Nurseries and preschool programs are provided. All programs are free. Wednesdays 9.30-11am, at the Community Christian Reformed Church, 1275 Bleams Rd., Kitchener. Register at www.ccrc.on.ca or come out on a Wednesday morning. Questions? coffeebreak@ccrc.on.caVOLUNTEER WITH SUNBEAM CENTRE - Exciting volunteer opportunities available in the Stanley Park/ Fairview Mall area with Sunbeam Centre! Your commitment of just 2-3 hours per week

will help brighten the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. We are now recruiting Swimming Pool Assistants weekday evenings, Music Performers (vocal, instrumental), and Friendly Visitors (reading, crafts, games, music, etc.) for various times and locations. Training provided. Students welcome! Contact Christine at (519) 893-6200 ext. 253 or c.rushton@sunbeamcentre.com ADULT DAY PROGRAM - Did you know Trinity Village has an Adult Day Program for seniors wishing to socialize with other seniors? The cost is just $8 per day and the program runs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 am to 1 pm, at Trinity Village Care Centre, on Kingsway Drive, near Fairview Park Mall. Self-referrals welcome or contact CCAC, 519-748-2222. For more information call the Day Program Coordinator at 519-893-6320 ext. 235.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR...from page 12

By Carrie Debrone

Sometimes the stars align.It sure seemed that way

as events unfolded in perfect order allowing the House of Friendship to open a new centre for the treatment of women who are struggling with addictions.

The centre opened Oct. 26 at 71 Ann Street in Kitchener and is one of only eight residential addiction treatment centers in Ontario.

For years, the House of Friendship, the main provider

of adult addiction services in Waterloo region, had been looking for a new, permanent location from which to deliver its treatment programs.

Running its Alcontrol program from an old house on King Street for the past 10 years, each year it became more and more evident that a new centre was desperately needed.

The house was in poor repair, had a leaking roof and was small -- so small that women in the program had to often share a bedroom with two others.

Then the stars began to align about five years ago.

“In 2009 we started hearing that Anselma House was going to be moving and we told them we were definitely interested,” said John Neufeld, House of Friendship Executive Director, who was on hand to give tours of the new facility at the opening.

A deal was struck and when the home for abused women and children moved to a new building on Ottawa St. N. in Kitchener in 2011, work began to ready the new House of Friendship’s Women’s Addiction Services.

The House of Friendship purchased the building for $1-million and began a community fundraising campaign called Under

One Roof to raise another $1-million to cover the cost of the 2,500 square foot addition, renovations to the existing 12,000 square foot building, painting and redecorating.

A further stellar alignment took place around fundraising for the project.

“The community raised all of the $2-million we needed and we had over 600 donors to the project,” Neufeld said.

A group of local entrepreneurs donated $1-million to the project that originally was going to help build an addiction centre for youth on Charles Street in Kitchener. That project fell through, and under a new agreement the proceeds from the sale of that land will now go to the Under One Roof campaign.

Neufeld said another thing that helped the project move forward was the fact that the project was a good fit for the neighbourhood.

“The building had been used as a women’s shelter in the past and the neighbourhood was used to having a public facility for women there. The neighbours have been great and very supportive,” he said.

Another plus is that the repurposed building is also close to public transit routes.

Serving about 300 women

Page 22 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

HEALTH & Lifestyle©

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As your Medicine Shoppe pharmacist, I do more than just fill your prescriptions. I help you make sense of the bigger health picture. I take the time to get to know you, understand your health needs, and get actively involved in improving your well-being. Remember, when it matters most, it’s The Medicine Shoppe.

Bryan Hastie, B.Sc. Pharm. Pharmacist/Owner

When you think of the word ‘Wellness’, what comes to mind? Is it your physical

health, the food choices you make, or perhaps the decisions you make about activities with your family?

The National Wellness Institute (www.nationalwellness.org) defines it by saying “Wellness is an active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a healthy and fulfilling life.”

The more we become aware or educate ourselves in all aspects of our lives, the better our chance of achieving the wellness we desire.

In an effort to fulfill their goal to preserve and enhance the quality of life in the Williamsburg community, The Williamsburg Community Association (WCA) has created a ‘Wellness Series’ with the hopes of helping to educate residents on varying wellness topics, helping us all live healthier and happier lives.

Call the centre at 519-741-2240 or email williamsburg.community@gmail.com to book your spot to one (or all) of these free information sessions:

Friday November 8 - 7:00 pmPaul Dyck, RMT - Owner, MassageWorks! Paul will be addressing how massage is good

for all ages and stages of life and not just for pulled muscles or neck pain.

Friday November 15 - 7:00 pmJuliana Leamen, Hon B.Sc., M.Sc., Nutrition

and Wellness Specialist - Owner, FeedRightFrom meal planning techniques to easy and

nutritious recipes for busy families, this seminar will give you tools for successful healthy eating.

Friday November 22 - 7:00 pmSheena Bounsanga, Registered Reflexologist

& Dr. Jessica Gurske, ND - MassageWorks!How to deal with allergies, insomnia, stress

and a variety of other ailments without the use of drugs or surgery.

Friday November 29 - 7:00 pmTara Stratton - Parenting ConsultantTara will discuss healthy sleep habits and how

to get your children and babies to sleep better. All evenings are free thanks to the generosity of

the speakers time and sponsorship from the City of Kitchener and the Williamsburg Community Association.

Williamsburg Community Centre, 1187 Fischer Hallman Rd. Suite 620.

Check out the WCA online at www.williamsburgcommunity.ca or www.facebook.com/williamsburgcommunity

Community wellness starts with education

ymcacambridgekw.ca

Politicians at the provincial and federal levels are usually busy battling each other and their parties at every chance they get.

But the Kitchener-Waterloo riding’s Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal presentation has apparently brought out the cooperative spirit.

In a rare showing that politicians can cooperate and work with each other, Liberal MPP of Kitchener Centre John Milloy, former Conservative MPP of Kitchener Waterloo Elizabeth Witmer and newly elected New Democrat MPP of Kitchener Waterloo Catherine Fife, will all be present at the medal presentation ceremony for the Kitchener Waterloo riding recipients to be held January 16 at Kitchener City Hall.

Milloy was asked to give out the medals on behalf of Elizabeth Witmer after she left provincial politics. He decided instead to wait until after the by-election, allowing the opportunity to whom ever was elected to present the medals in their own riding.

The commemorative medal, created to mark the 2012 celebration of the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada, is in recognition of those who, like Her Majesty, have dedicated themselves to

service to their fellow citizens, their community and their country.

Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medals will be presented January 16 to the following Kitchener-Waterloo riding recipients:

Chandrika AnjariaChandrika Anjaria has been

a tireless volunteer within the community. The focus of her community work has been empathy and compassion for others. An employee for the University of Waterloo’s Information Systems and Technology Department, Chandrika also served as past chair of UW’s United Way Campaign. She has also presided as co-chair of three local hospital walkathons, and is the chair of the Earthquakes, Cyclone and Tsunami relief fund. Chandrika is a member of the India Canada Association, past chair of several cultural festivals and a founding member of Club 55. In 1997, Chandrika was honoured as one of Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest’s Women of the Year.

Ariarani AriaratnamAriarani is the founder and

former Executive Director of Focus for Ethnic Women in KW. Active in supporting women and children, Ariarani served the KW YWCA locally and internationally. She has also served on the Immigration

and Refugee Board of Canada. Ariarani is passionate in helping newcomers understand, integrate and become fully active members of our community. She is a member of the board of the South Asian Seniors Association of Waterloo Region. A recipient of the Citation for Citizenship Award from the Government of Canada, Ariarani also received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 for her outstanding work in promoting the rights of immigrant and visible minority women.

Ronald BeaudreauRonald Beaudreau served as an

Air Cadet, Leading Aircraftman in the reserve Air Force and as a Radar Operator in the regular service. He is a member and past president of the 404 K-W Wing RCAFA of the Air-Force Association of Canada. He also assisted in starting the Out of the Cold program in Kitchener-Waterloo and has been a youth counsellor for boys aged 6-18 for the past 45 years.

Marjorie Carroll-NelsonMarjorie Carroll-Nelson was

elected the first female Mayor of Waterloo in 1977, and remained in this role until 1988. As a nurse and as a public servant, she was an outstanding choice to chair the K-W Hospital Foundation from 1989-1992. A devoted volunteer and fundraiser, Marjorie’s efforts resulted in a remodelled childbirth centre at Grand River Hospital, renamed the Marjorie Carroll Childbirth Centre in her honour.

Connie DeckertConnie Deckert successfully

ran Motivair Canada Ltd., a local auto company for 35 years. The company was sold in 2008 and she changed careers. Connie is now a member of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals, as well as the Canadian Golf Teachers Federation. She is a member of the Canadian Association of Women Executives & Entrepreneurs. Connie is also a recipient of the Women Of Waterloo Region (WOW) Award, as well as a graduate of Leadership Waterloo Region. She is a member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Chapter of Zonta International and the K-W Business Women’s Association. She is a board member of the KW Symphony and Executive Women’s Golf Association.

Jim ErbJim Erb has been associated with

Erb and Good Family Funeral Home for 43 years. He is known for his commitment to serving Waterloo as a city councillor from 1980-1988, and is remembered as getting the most votes of any Waterloo candidate in three consecutive municipal elections. Jim has been a member of the Kitchener Conestoga Rotary Club for 28 years where he has chaired their annual Turkey Drive in support of House of Friendship. Jim has served on the board of directors of Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation, KidsAbility Foundation, Shalom Counselling Services and is a past President of Kitchener Waterloo Council of Churches. He was a founding member of Habitat for Humanity, the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, founding Chair of the Wellesley Apple Butter and Cheese Festival, past chair of the

Ontario Board of Services and was recognized at the Mayor’s Dinner for the Working Centre in 2011. He is a member of Erb Street Mennonite Church in Waterloo and has been active in various inter-faith initiatives in the community

David GrahamIn his contributions to our

community, David Graham has worked diligently as a past Chair of the Board at St. Mary’s General Hospital, the 1990 Ontario Summer Games, Leadership Waterloo Region, K-W United Way, Rotary Club of Kitchener, and the Canadian Red Cross K-W Branch. Currently, David serves on the boards of the St. Joseph’s Health System. In recognition of his service, David was awarded the K-W Citizen of the Year in 1990, the Waterloo Award, the Canada 125th Anniversary medal and the Queen Elizabeth Silver and Golden Jubilee Medals.

Owen LackenbauerOwen Lackenbauer began his

career of service to the community by enlisting in the Canadian Army, serving from 1953-1965 and in the Army Reserve from 1972-1985. In 1969, he co-founded KW’s Oktoberfest which continues to thrive to this day. As a past President of Kitchener Oktoberfest, Lions Club, K-W Untied Way, Kitchener Chamber of Commerce, K-W Community Foundation, and Westmount Golf & Country Club, 1979 K-W Citizen of the Year, and a Paul Harris Fellow (Rotary International in 1995), Owen’s contributions to our community have been profound. He is past Honorary Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, Waterloo Region’s reserve infantry regiment.

John LynchJohn Lynch, a long-time

Rotarian, was 1981-1982 President of the Rotary Club of Waterloo and is a Paul Harris Fellow. His contributing involvement with KidsAbility spans over three decades. He was President 1991-1993 during the raising of $8 million for construction of the current treatment centre. From 1996-2002, he was President of KidsAbility Foundation, which currently raises in excess of $1 million dollars annually. He helped bring the 1986 Brier Canadian Men’s Curling Championship to Kitchener-Waterloo. He was also treasurer for Campaign K-W, which raised $27 million for expanded services at Grand River Hospital. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, he isa retired partner of KPMG, where he initiated the writing of Roots: History of KPMG in Waterloo Region. In 2011, he received the Waterloo Award, the City of Waterloo’s highest civic honour.

Joan McKinnonJoan McKinnon spent twelve

years in public service as City of Waterloo and Region of Waterloo Councillor and Mayor of Waterloo from 1997-2000. She was the founding Chair of Community Safety and Crime Prevention Council and a member of such Boards as Wilfrid Laurier University, University of Waterloo and the AGO. Joan

has demonstrated a lifetime of community service through her involvement volunteering with the Girl Guides of Canada, summer camp for disabled children, the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, the K-W Symphony, the Grand River Conservation Authority and St. Mary’s Hospital. In 1985 she was named Oktoberfest Woman of the Year and she has also received the Ontario Volunteer Service Award for her outstanding work in the Region.

George SimGeorge Sim’s faith, his loyal

dedication to his friends and family, his caring heart and his delight in storytelling are an inspiration. During the Second World War, George was a member of the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers, serving the Ontario Tank Regiment, Oshawa in Europe. His experience during the war inspired him to become ordained in the United Church, and to serve as a Chaplin for the Waterloo Legion for 40 years. George has devoted his life to serving his fellow veterans; listening to their stories and helping to heal their suffering. A kind soul, George is known to offer a hug and story to all and enjoys playing the harmonica.

Rosemary SmithRosemary Smith is a visionary

leader in our community who has served as mentor to many. Since 2001, Rosemary has been the CEO of the Kitchener-Waterloo Community Foundation. She has also had leadership roles with many organizations, such as Chair of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce and has served on many boards such as the K-W YWCA, K-W Big Brothers, and the Prosperity Council of Waterloo Region Resources Task Force. Rosemary has also been a member of the United Way, Cambridge Women in Networking, K-W Women in Networking, Leadership Waterloo Region, Zonta Club of Kitchener-Waterloo, Waterloo Region Immigrant Employment Network and Opportunities Waterloo Region. Rosemary has also had the honour of being recognized as a Woman of Distinction in the area of business by the Cambridge YWCA and named as Kitchener-Waterloo’s Citizen of the Year for 2009.

Lynne WoolstencroftSince moving to Waterloo in

1970 Lynne Woolstencroft’s belief in community-building expressed itself in public service and involvement in many organizations. She held elected positions (City of Waterloo Councillor, Region of Waterloo Councillor, Mayor of Waterloo, Waterloo County Board of Education school trustee, with three years as Chair). She served on numerous boards (K-W Social Planning Council, Waterloo Public Library, Grand River Conservation Authority, and Waterloo Regional Police Service).

She was President of the Association of Large School Boards in Ontario. Her commitment to the environment led Waterloo to receive numerous awards, including the Greenest City in Ontario from TVO.

Page 6 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l January 17, 2013

MPPs from three parties work together to hand out Jubilee medals in KW riding

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...continued on next page

November 7, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 23

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each year, all of the House of Friendship’s women’s addiction services programs - Alcontrol, Moving Forward, Bridges to Health and ASH (Addiction Supportive Housing) - are now under one roof.

The front of the building now functions as the health centre’s day treatment program area with counselling rooms, a common meeting room and program rooms.

The back of the building has nine private residential rooms. The wait time is currently about 12 weeks for the residential program.

The residential area also has a large living room, dining room and kitchen, and the whole building is fully accessible.

The centre also has an indoor playroom and an outdoor playground for children.

“We’re excited to move in and so grateful to the people who made it possible”, said Tricia Lockwood, Addiction Treatment Program Supervisor, Alcontrol and Moving Forward Programs.

“There’s lots of room for the women to be able to visit with their children, and we will also provide childcare for some of the women who are receiving treatment. It’s an environment conducive to healing. We’re not on top of each other,” Lockwood said.

Neufeld said recent research has shown that women’s addiction to alcohol is on the rise.

“Everyone gets that we need these programs. Addiction touches everyone’s lives and it’s a treatable health issue, yet we don’t talk about it. Our hope is that it will be like mental health where it went from people not talking about it to where people are now talking openly about it. We want addiction to be de-stigmatized. Having this new centre might start that conversation,” Neufeld said.

“It is great to be able to offer a facility that will feel so nice to the women coming in,” said Director of Addiction Services Pam McIntosh.

Tricia Lockwood, Addiction Treatment Program Supervisor (Alcontrol and Moving Forward) and Trent Bauman, Chair of the House of Friendship board gave tours of the new House of Friendship addiction treatment centre for women during the grand opening October 26. The centre is located at 71 Ann Street in Kitchener.

...from previous page

Page 24 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

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Page 28 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l September 12, 2013

WANTED 7 HOMES THAT NEED ROOFING7 homes in your area will be given the opportunity of having an INTERLOCK metal roofing system installed on their home at a reasonable cost. This lifetime product is capturing the interest of homeowners across the country who want to know this will be the last time they will have to re-roof their home. Our product is environmentally friendly and comes with a transferable Lifetime Limited Warranty with an excellent choice of colours to complement your home and is going to be introduced to your local market. Your home can be a show place in your neighbourhood and we will make it worth your while if we can use your home.

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Next edition - December 5, 2013Call or email to advertise 519-394-0335

This is a summary of discussion and the major items presented at Regional Council meetings and written and distributed by the Region of Waterloo. It is circulated immediately following each meeting. Please refer to the minutes for an official record of the meeting.

Sunnyside Home to expand convalescent careSunnyside Home will expand its convalescent care program from 10 to 25 beds. This will be

accomplished by converting 15 long-term care beds to convalescent care (short term care that allows people to recover from a serious illness, surgery or injury and return home.) The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care will provide one-time funding of $100,000 to cover the cost of setting up the convalescent beds.

Niagara to GTA Corridor Transportation Development StrategyRegional Council will express its support for the Niagara to GTA Corridor Transportation

Development Strategy (TDS) developed by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO). The Region will encourage the MTO to optimize existing networks and implement new or improved non-road infrastructure in the short term, and well in advance of road-based improvements, to give public transit ridership and supportive land-use patterns the opportunity to develop.

Region provides input into Line 9Council will send a report to the National Energy Board and Enbridge Pipelines Inc. as input into

deliberations related to Enbridge’s Line 9 project application. The Region will emphasize the need to thoroughly consider fiscal responsibilities, the potential risks of flowing different commodities through the pipeline, how the risk of future spills can be mitigated, and how emergency response can occur in the most timely and effective manner.

Regional Council continues to advocate for improved passenger rail serviceInter-city passenger rail service is essential to the citizens in Waterloo Region. Regional Council

approved the following actions to encourage service improvements: Continue to encourage the Province to extend GO Rail service along the Milton Line to Cambridge; Request Metrolinx to include the extension of the planned two-way service between Union Station and Mount Pleasant station on the Kitchener line to the downtown Kitchener Station in its “Next Wave” projects; Encourage Metrolinx to initiate detailed design work on track improvements in the CN North Main Line corridor; encourage the Province to develop a comprehensive intercity passenger rail service strategy for Southern Ontario; encourage VIA Rail to restore trips that were eliminated, and create a trip schedule complementary to GO Rail service; and widely circulate these actions to local Federal Members of Parliament, Members of Provincial Parliament, the Southwest Economic Alliance, Metrolinx and the ministries of Transportation, Infrastructure and Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Council endorses Regional Implementation Guidelines for Cultural Heritage Landscape Conservation

Regional Council voted to endorse the Cultural Heritage Landscape (CHL) Implementation Guidelines. CHL conservation is required by the Province. The Guideline for CHL conservation provides a region-wide framework and will be implemented by Area Municipalities. The final draft of the Guideline is the culmination of several years of work undertaken by Cultural heritage staff in consultation with other Regional, Area Municipal and agency staff and will be made available to Area Municipal staff for use as they begin the implementation of their own local official plan CHL conservation policies.

Region’s TravelWise pilot program extended to 2016Regional Councillors voted to extend the Region of Waterloo TravelWise Transportation program

for an additional two years by approving service agreements with organizations currently participating or interested in joining the TravelWise Transportation Management Association (TMA). TMA was created to work with the community to develop and support Transportation Demand Management strategies that would work with employers to encourage and support active and sustainable transportation. During the first two years, the pilot project grew from 13 partner employers to 20. The growth in TMA membership and uptake in services has reduced the number of employees driving to work alone and has proven that the program is providing valuable services for businesses and commuters. Additionally, in 2014 the Region will enter into a two year collaborative agreement with Sustainable Waterloo Region to assist in the delivery of services to the TMA. This partnership will give TMA members access to transportation emissions reduction expertise, ongoing engagement with businesses, results-based recognition awards and volunteers.

Tenders/Contracts:The following tenders/contracts were approved by Council:• $412,405.32 to Frank Cowan Company Ltd. for the 2013/14 general insurance program for

Waterloo Region Housing.• $353,555 to CSDC Systems Inc. to provide services for implementing the Threats and Policy

System database project in 2013 and 2014.Next Meeting…Wed., November 20, 2013 at 7 p.m.

Waterloo Region Council Briefs from October 30

November 7, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 25

www.colourparadise.cominfo@colourparadise.com

Christmas Open HouseNovember 15-16

Santa visits Saturday 11am - 1pm

House of Friendship Wreath Auction

Ribbon Cutting 10:30 am November 16

Fabulous Festive Fashion Show

with Nygard November 23, 1-3 pm

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BECOMING MORE ENERGY EFFICIENTKitchener-Wilmot Hydro and Kitchener Utilities teamed up to give away prizes and coupons at JL Williamsburg Home Hardware on October 26. There was also a draw for a $200 energy-efficient shopping spree. From left, Michele from Kitchener Utilities, Anya Kondrousseva representing Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro and store customers Max Ferko and Marie Kwan.

FIREFIGHTERS MEMORIAL DAYSelena (left) and Sarah Jutras of Kitchener sit in an antique fire truck at the Annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial and Family FunFest that was held October 19 at the Civic Park near the Centre in the Square. Demonstrations and activities were held in the morning, followed by the Firefighter Memorial in the afternoon.

Photo by Helen Hall

Compass Kitchener launches Environics surveyCompass Kitchener’s mandate

to evaluate and recommend strategic priorities for the City of Kitchener continues with the next update for the city’s 20-year vision. An Environics survey will be conducted Nov. 28 to Dec. 12. It will lay the foundation for the next term of council by engaging the community, city staff and members of council in setting the direction of the city for 2015-18.

The City of Kitchener Strategic Plan: 2011-2014 represents a rolling update of the city’s 20-year vision, with specific actions for the immediate four-year term; this process will update the plan, which was also developed through extensive community consultation. Over the next 18 months, four phases to the City of Kitchener’s strategic planning process will unfold, including:

Community assessment: Understanding community expectations and how they are changing (October 2013 – April 2014)

Environmental scan: Identify-ing what has already been achieved, current commitments and future focus (January – September 2014)

Strategic options: Developing

options for the future and evaluating potential impact, choosing areas of focus (September 2014 – March 2015)

Confirm direction: Reviewing recommendations, gather new insights and build commitment to the Plan (March – June 2015)

There will be numerous

opportunities throughout the 18-month project to engage the public in this process. Compass Kitchener collects the community’s input and participation, monitors and evaluates progress against strategic goals and reports on progress to council and the community.

Page 26 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

notes from city hall

Office: 519-741-2784 Residence: 519-498-9056 scott.davey@kitchener.caBlog: www.scottdavey.info

As Kitchener’s finance chair,I’d like to detail my pride in

staff and council for bringing what Ibelieve to be the best budget thus

far in our term. You probably haven’theard or read much about the 2013budget because, to be frank,“KITCHENER DELIVERSRESPONSIBLE BUDGET” isn’t exactlyheadline news.

I was elected more than two yearsago on a platform of efficiency andfiscal responsibility; borne of therealization of strained taxpayers anda stagnating economy.  

With that in mind, back in May Isuggested we conduct arepresentative survey of residents to

determine affordability ofservices.  Staff implemented thesurvey with expediency and theresults came back as suspected. Itis best summarized as maintenanceof services with tax increases nogreater than inflation.

At the time of the survey, inflationwas projected to be 2-2.5 per cent;little did we know it would dropsharply in the latter half of the yearsettling at 1.4 per cent. 

Still, with significant work fromstaff and council, we managed to

bring in a budget at 1.39 per cent —the lowest increase of the tri-cities,and among the lowest in Ontario.

My pride in reaching this figurestems from the fact that it wasaccomplished without beingregressive. We made a $500,000payment to debt, dedicated$800,000 to major parks (includingKiwanis Park), $1.65 million totrails, and $320,000 to replacetrees affected by the emerald ashborer.  In short, we’re strongerfiscally and still managed to makeKitchener a little bit better. n

Office: 519-741-2779 Residence: 519-895-1569yvonne.fernandes@kitchener.ca

The final budget was ratified inJanuary, setting Kitchener’s

tax rate at 1.39 per cent. Throughpublic input, research surveys and

the interactive website, this is whatcitizens told us they could manage.No significant cuts were made toservices such as community centres,snowplowing, and grass cutting;however, one significant reductionthat council made affected our firedepartment. Their budget wasreduced by $480,000 to account forthe retirement of four firefighters;two fire prevention officers havealready retired. This reduction waspresented by senior staff as a viableoption to limit the potential increaseto the fire budget. Even after the

reduction, the overall budget for thedepartment will still go up in 2013.

I understand how the public mayperceive these cuts; I respect thework our firefighters do. It takes aspecial people to do these jobs and Iknow that the communityappreciates this essential service.The reality of the fire departmentbudget is that it has gone up 31.3per cent over the past six years dueto increases in salary, and theopening of an additional fire station. 

Salaries are often decided througharbitration. These decisions have

caused unsustainable salary levelsat the municipal level and, if theycontinue, cities could experience anunstable financial position. Citiesneed to send a clear message to theprovince that these methods are notsustainable and taxpayers don’thave limitless funds to pay theseincreases through their taxes.

Everywhere we see efforts toreduce spending, we must lead byexample at the city. Please contactme with your questions orconcerns.n

For the first time in 10 years, Ivoted in favour of the tax

budget, which resulted in anincrease of 1.39 per cent; slightlylower than the annual increase inthe inflation rate. This was

accomplished without cutting anyintegral services.

The most contentious issue wasreducing four firefighters in the firedepartment through attrition. Thisresulted in annual savings of$480,000. I supported this,requesting staff investigate ways toprovide this essential service in amanner that we can afford now andin the future. No action will be takenuntil thorough studies are carriedout, which clearly result in nocomprise to the safety of our citizensand risk to our properties.

Although the increase in taxes isat a reasonable level, I wasextremely disappointed in theincrease constituents will be facingthrough other essential services:water and sewer rates areincreasing by 4.75 per cent. I hadput forward a limiting increase ofthree per cent, but received supportfrom only three councillors. Ourutilities are in a strong financialposition and could withstand givingour consumers a slight reprieve. Inthe last 10 years, the inflation ratehas increased by about 20 per cent.

During this same period, water andsewer rates have increased 199 percent and 293 per cent respectively.

Users of our recreational serviceswill again be facing a further threeper cent increase in fees foractivities such as swimming andskating. Hydro rates are alsoincreasing and many will faceincreases over the next four yearsdue to the change in propertyassessment values. The taxincrease was reasonable, but we fellconsiderably short in other essentialservices provided to our citizens. n

The main branch of KitchenerPublic Library on Queen Street

is open during construction, and ifyou have not seen the progression ofthe new 25,000-square-foot

addition, you will be pleased with thenew space and its changes once itopens this spring. Improvements willthen begin on the original building.For more information on programsand services at all the KPL locations,check out their wonderful andinteractive website www.kpl.org.

The new underground parking atthe main branch library is open andconstruction will be completedsometime this spring on the otherparking garage to the east of thelibrary. And yes, a great public spaceis planned above these parking

garages; your input will be requestedsoon.

KW Art GalleryLooking for something creative for

you or your family to do? Take a tripto see the great exhibits at the KWArt Gallery and find out about theircool art programs there for kids,teens and adults at www.kwag.ca.Let the inner artist out to play andcheck out the wonderful art that is inyour very own backyard at Centre InThe Square!

40 km/hour school zonesLastly, I am moving that the City of

Kitchener consider a pilot program todetermine the effectiveness of areduced speed limit of 40 km/h onelementary school frontages in the2013/2014 school year.

A staff report will come to thecommunity and infrastructureservices committee on April 8. Weneed to develop a culture that sayspedestrians first, especially littleones!

Keep in touch with your great ideasor concerns at dan.glenn-graham@kitchener.ca or519-741-2786. n

Office: 519-741-2786 Residence: 519-576-3501 dan.glenn-graham@kitchener.ca

Office: 519-741-2243 Residence: 519-896-7300 berryv@kitchener.ca@berryonline

Office: 519-741-2790Residence: 519-744-0807john.gazzola@kitchener.ca

Office: 519-741-2300mayor@kitchener.ca

Family Day is only a few daysaway, so if you are stilllooking for something fun

to do on Feb. 18, I suggest checkingout Mayor Zehr’s Movie Morning, insupport of the Multiple SclerosisSociety of Canada. Doors open at 8a.m. and movies begin between8:45 and 9:15 a.m., at EmpireTheatre on Gateway Park Drive.

There are great movies to choosefrom this year, including The Lorax;Ice Age: Continental Drift;Madagascar 3: Europe’s MostWanted; Transformers: Dark Sideof the Moon and The HungerGames.

The morning is sure to offersomething for everyone! There willbe Lucky Looney draws, great doorprizes, face painting and visits fromOnkle Hans and Miss Oktoberfest.For more details on this event, visitwww.mayorsmoviemorning.com.

Although March Break is stillweeks away, it’s time to startthinking about what your childrenwill be doing with their newfoundfreedom. Will they be visiting withtheir grandparents, spending theweek at home with family, or visitingfriends?

Another great option is MarchBreak Camp at the BreithauptCentre, running from 9 a.m.-4:30p.m. daily with additional supervisedhours available. Children in JK tograde six will spend the weekplaying games both indoors andoutdoors, making new friends, andgoing for a daily swim. For moredetails and to register, visitwww.kitchener.ca, keyword search“camp.”

On April 12, I will host the annualState of the City Address. Thisbreakfast event provides anopportunity for me to share insightssurrounding the 2013 budget, theprogress and planning of citywideprojects, upcoming initiativesaffecting our community, and manyother issues affecting the citizensand businesses of Kitchener, andour entire region.

This charitable event is open to allmembers of the public, with netproceeds from ticket sales donatedto the Kitchener and WaterlooCommunity Foundation. For moreinformation on this, and past Stateof the City addresses, visitwww.kitchener.ca, keyword search“state of the city.” I hope to see youthere!

ApathyThere’s a growing problem in

politics and government. Trust is ever-diminishing, confidence too;

and corruption is often assumed.Consider the antics of mayors

from Quebec to Toronto and London at the municipal level, cancelled-gas-plants-for-seats at the provincial level, and the blatant disregard for tax dollars by the likes of Bev Oda and Mike Duffy at the highest orders of government. So many politicians have acted so inappropriately that I understand the apathy. It’s practically warranted.

The question is: how do we fix it? Two key methods: policy review, and government transparency.

Oftentimes policies (e.g. expense policies) are put in place with a benevolent spirit or intention, but loop-holes must be better explored. Although unfortunate, I believe it’s time that governments begin reviewing policies asking the question, ‘if one were to act unscrupulously, how could this policy be abused?’ and amend accordingly.

The second method is transparency. I believe in complete government transparency save and except areas where disclosures violate privacy laws or could cause

legal/proprietary harm.Fortunately, modern technology

is making this type of information-sharing financially viable. Kitchener is in the early stages of increasing our transparency, and our Council is extremely supportive. The intention is to publish more information publicly for scrutiny and debate, to ultimately help us make better decisions and hopefully restore a little faith in the process along the way.

Monday will be Remembrance Day. I encourage you to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony in Downtown Kitchener at 10:30am at

the Cenotaph or if your schedule does not permit, I encourage you to take a few minutes at 11am and reflect on the sacrifices made by the men and women who fought for our country so that we can enjoy the democracy, freedoms and quality of life that we do today!

GREAT CANADIAN FOOD FIGHTThank you to everyone in the

community who contributed towards the recent 48 hour Great Canadian Food Fight, and the many other events that were part of the Food Bank of Waterloo region’s Fall Food Drive. It

was great to work with my colleagues and volunteers to see us collect over 118,000 lbs of food this year during the food fight. I also enjoyed teaming up with students from Grand River Collegiate and Councillor Scott Davey for the food sort challenge. While the City of Regina came in first again this year in terms of collections, the real winners are those in our community who need the assistance of the Food Bank and its member agencies!

MOVEMBER KWOnce again this year, I’m pleased

to be helping co-ordinate a City

of Kitchener effort that is part of the local Movember movement to bring awareness to men’s prostate cancer & mental health. Hundreds of MoBros and MoSistas are joining us throughout the city to assist with this important initiative. I’m joined this year by city staff member, Blake Lymburner who last year raised the most on our city team. If you would like to join us and donate, I encourage you to go to: http://moteam.co/city-of-kitchener-kool-kats

There is no “Third Vote” in municipal politics.

Council has spent considerable time discussing additional washrooms

for Victoria Park. The issue finally climaxed when tenders were received for $565,000, 41% more than what had been budgeted. The vote in favour of accepting the tender failed. At a subsequent meeting, a Notice of Reconsideration relating to the previous vote was brought to council and it also failed.

At that point, I had suggested that it was time to go back, review, and re-scope the entire project. Instead, the issue was deferred until the next meeting of council. It was at this meeting that Councillor Janecki and I

walked out of the council chambers to protest the taking of a third vote.

We were upset with the Mayor’s lack of leadership in allowing the rules to be broken. Under current rules and processes, this particular issue could only be raised again with a new term of council in 2014. However, it did not mean that we could not go ahead with providing required additional washrooms at Victoria Park. We could have immediately started rethinking the project, so it would allow us to “live within our economical means.”

We could have remained in the

council chambers and cast our votes. The motion would have carried, as it did, with little if any scrutiny by the public. Because of our actions, I believe we were able to draw attention to the breach in process and, as a result, I am hopeful that some good will come out of the entire matter. I have already spoken with a number of citizens who seem prepared to take the issue to our Integrity Commissioner.

Downtown Incentive Plans

The City of Kitchener has 125 storm water ponds which act as a man-made filtration system for the storm water that runs off our rooftops

and driveways, performing a similar function as the fields, swamps and wetlands that existed before the subdivisions were developed.

Many of these storm water management ponds are enjoyed as neighbourhood natural areas attracting wildlife that can include the Blue Heron and a variety of aquatic life. However, the purpose of these ponds is to collect silt, sand and sediment which settle to the bottom of the pond. On a rotational basis the city removes the silt and sediment, sometimes allowing the ponds to dry out for the removal of the silt and

sediment. This has caused some concern by residents who were not aware that these areas were created to manage storm water.

Recently, the city’s consultant advised me that the public release their goldfish into the city’s storm water ponds, creeks and natural ponds like Wards and Brigadoon ponds. This creates a big problem because goldfish are essentially carp and are bottom feeders that can grow as large as the environment they are in. They devour the plant life in the pond reducing the available oxygen for other viable aquatic life.

Goldfish and other fish released into storm water and natural ponds and our streams are detrimental to these environments. If at the end of the season you wish to dispose of your goldfish, please do not do so in these natural areas, as this is creating a significant problem and a potentially larger one should these fish migrate to the Grand River.

If you are interested in stream cleanups, I would be happy to help organize this with GRCA and our staff. Clean streams and ponds can improve the habitat, allowing natural aquatic species to prosper.

The Margaret Avenue Bridge is coming down.

Council has given approvals for the bridge to be removed, an environmental assessment to be

completed, and the predesign of a new bridge to begin immediately. I understand why I continue to receive your inquiries about this project, and want to stress that we are committed to moving this process forward as quickly as we can, within an 8-12 month construction schedule tabled to start following a request for tenders.

In response to some resident inquiries, I will ask staff to communicate all project milestones as they occur so everyone is kept up-to-date. I have also requested that staff consider the possibility of an advanced left turn from Victoria onto Margaret and

review the pedestrian crossing at Victoria and St. Leger since there is no sidewalk at this location.

The Victoria Park washrooms, to be built at the corner of David and Jubilee Drive, will go ahead now that a tender has been approved by council. It is hoped that $200,000 federal dollars will go towards this quality project which should last for generations in this heritage park. The washroom approvals will move the Boathouse operator discussions forward with the two accepted contenders advancing to stage two of the process.

Well done and congratulations!

Once again Festival of Neighbour-hoods recognized ward 10 as the winner of the Ward Challenge, with 24 neighbourhood events, narrowly beating out other city wards. I also want to make special mention of the Knollwood Park walk-about in the Auditorium neighbourhood, selected to receive the Inclusion Award. Continue to build community by planning and registering your ward events with Festival of Neighbourhoods for next year. Please do let me know how I can help!

As part of the 2014 budget process, council directed staff to bring forward a budget that does not exceed a 1.25 per cent increase and to look for an additional 0.25 per cent reduction through alternate funding sources. Here are the dates you need to know to follow the discussion.

Nov. 18: That’s the day user fees are presented to council.

Nov. 21: That’s the day council is presented the capital budget. The capital budget includes costs related to infrastructure like roads, water and sewer pipes, municipal buildings, etc.

Dec. 12 is operating budget day. The operating budget includes costs related to the day-to-day operations of the city, including materials, supplies, utilities, equipment costs and staffing.

Jan. 13 is the meeting where the public can attend to offer input into the discussion.

Jan. 30 is budget day, where the final budget is approved.

“Public opinion and citizen feedback help council as they work through the process, so it is important for residents to participate in this process,” said Ryan Hagey, director of financial planning for the City of Kitchener. “There are lots of ways to get involved in the process, both in person and online.”

Aside from the January 13 public input meeting listed above, there are a number of ways to provide input and to ask questions including:

• Budget webpage www.kitchener.ca/2014budget

• Responses to upcoming Facebook and Twitter postings

• A convenient online budget calcu-lator allows residents to experience some of the hard decisions council must face – and the financial implications of those decisions. Cit-izens can model different budget scenarios to see what the impact would be on their tax bill. The online calculator tool will also allow residents to provide comments, which will be passed on to council to help them make their decision on Jan. 30, 2014, final budget day.

• Participating in an online discussion with Ryan Hagey, the director of financial planning, as part of the Ask an Expert social media campaign on Facebook on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 1pm.

• A dedicated phone line – 519-741-2200 ext. 7700 – that citizens can call to leave their input.

• Public meeting planned for Jan. 13, 2014 in the council chambers

• Regular mail at: 2014 Budget, c/o Corporate Communications, Kitchener City Hall, PO Box 1118, 200 King St. W. 2nd Floor, Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7

There will be a number of issue papers for the finance and corporate services committee to discuss as part of the operating budget dialogue on Dec. 12 for the 2014 budget.

A few of those issue papers outline strategic initiatives that would enhance existing services, provide new services or help implement recommendations from approved master plans or audit reviews.

The remaining papers recommend alternative sources of revenue that could reduce the tax levy by an additional 0.25 per cent. Issue papers and all presented budget information can be found on the city’s website.

Five dates to know to track the 2014 budget

November 7, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 27

Ihope you have been enjoyingthe summer so far. If you are

looking for an exciting destination to

visit with your family, you may wantto check out the Huron Natural Area(HNA) located at 801 Trillium Dr. Notonly is it Kitchener’s largest park, itis also home to some significantwetlands and species. Withkilometres of trails and boardwalks,there is truly something foreveryone.

The park also offers lots ofeducational experiences, includingan upcoming presentation and walkentitled All About Bats, happeningAug. 24 from 8-10 p.m. You mustregister in advance to participate.

If bats aren’t your thing, you maybe interested in an event calledGanödagwёhda:’ dosgёhgёhö:de’ – village close by thestream, which is a chance to learnabout the rich archaeologicalheritage of the area. This is a drop-inevent on Sept. 21 from 1-4 p.m.Please visit www.kitchener.ca,keyword search “HNA” for moreinformation and to register.

Every year I look forward to theWilliamsburg Community Festival.This year the event will be takingplace on Sunday, Sept. 8 from 11-4

p.m. at Max Becker Commons.While the details are still beingfinalized, you can expect lots ofgreat games, food, activities andentertainment for the whole family.Everyone is invited and I hope to seeyou there!

I want to leave you with a finalthought on fire safety. If you have apropane BBQ, please rememberthat the canisters have a shelf life.Propane cylinders must beinspected and re-certified orreplaced every 10 years. Enjoy therest of your summer! n

notes from city hall

The beautiful weather hasbrought to light someresident concerns regarding

our newest major city park —

McLennan Park. Some key featureslike the large splash pad, dog parkand the walking trail are very wellattended. The number of peopleusing these amenities, plus somevery hot weather, has made itevident that more shaded areas andseating are needed in key areasaround the park. As this is still anewer park, trees have not reachedmaturity to provide sufficient shade,and planting more trees at this timewould not solve the issueimmediately for the same reasons.So, I have been working with our

parks staff, who are investigatingsome options.

Another inconvenience that I’msure has hampered the enjoymentof McLennan Park has been theclosure of the main bathroomfacility. This has been due to somesanitary and structural issues thatare taking longer than anticipated toaddress. As a temporary measure,portable washrooms have beenmade available. Understandably thisis not the desired alternative. I askyou for your patience until theappropriate repairs can be made.

This year, my wife and I took greatpleasure cruising the streets ofWard 6 in order to nominatedeserving properties for theKitchener in Bloom awards to beheld on Sept. 12. Many of you areproud homeowners, taking the timeto beautify your properties. I wantedto make certain that those of youwho go above and beyond would beacknowledged for your efforts inbeautifying your front yards. I amvery happy to say I was able to sendin more than 200 nominations forresidents in Ward 6. n

Iam pleased the city recentlyinstalled sharrows as a pilot

project along King Street fromMadison Avenue to Francis Street in

the downtown core, allowing cycliststo occupy an entire lane, similar to amotorist. Kitchener also has manymarked bike lanes.

In my recent travels to Chicago,Vancouver and Ottawa, I observedone-way and two-way bike lanes ondowntown streets. Some of thesebike lanes are marked with elephantfeet (extra-wide crosswalks, showingthat bikes are permitted to rideacross using the green section astheir travel lane) and are separatedby either planter boxes, collapsibleplastic bollards or raised curbs to

separate the bike riders from themotorists. I also noticed sharrows onthe curb lanes of four lane streets inChicago, which allow motorists topass any cyclists in the passing laneif they are not travelling at the speedlimit.

I have also checked out bike laneson trails and dedicated bike lanes todetermine if there are any gatesbefore approaching a publicroadway. Having biked in StanleyPark and the waterfront inVancouver and Toronto, I have yet todiscover any gates at road crossings.

In fact, Stanley Park has extensiveone-way bike trails and only one gateto separate bicyclists frompedestrians using the local beach.

Well-marked directions, bike speedlimits and separated pedestrian orbike paths are well designed asnoted on numerous park billboards.The Vancouver parks departmentalso provides an extensive BikeVancouver route map and guide.While we have made great strideswith our cycling strategy inKitchener, there is clearly room togrow. n

The summer of 2013 hasbeen terrible for weeds inKitchener. It began when

Region of Waterloo decided to

eliminate the roadside grass cuttingbudget as a cost-saving measure.The region contracts out the serviceto the city but when the moneydisappeared, the city had no choicebut to stop maintaining roadsidegrass.

Wisely, after receiving a lot ofpushback from Kitchener and othermunicipalities, the region reinstatedthe money but unfortunately, amaintenance backlog had beencreated. This backlog, combinedwith an unusually rainy spring andOntario’s pesticide ban, created the

perfect storm for weeds. Recently, I met with city staff to

see how this issue could beaddressed. It is important to notethat grass maintenance iscompleted on a three-week cycle byroutes. The trim crew performs basictrim maintenance on cul-de-sacs,park frontages and aroundplaygrounds and park furniture.Larger mowers cut the main areasof the parks. Staff have alsoinformed me that the maintenancecycles will tighten up as we return tothe drier weather of July and August.

Another solution would be to allowsome areas to be naturalized. Citystaff would work in consultation withresidents to locate appropriateareas that might be beneficial toreturn to a natural state, like valleylands and meadows.

In addition, I am in the process ofdrafting a motion to bring beforecouncil that would seek to increasethe amount of maintenanceperformed on city land. I certainlysympathize with residents who arerightly proud of our community andwant to keep it looking its best.n

Office: 519-741-2783Email:bil.ioannidis@kitchener.caTwitter: @bilioannidis

Office: 519-741-2798Email:frank.etherington@kitchener.

Got a complaint...who yougonna call? Your complaint-

buster councillor, of course.

Lately, in the hot, stickysummertime, I have been hummingthat Ghostbusters ditty whilehandling legitimate beefs aboutbass-thumping music, high weeds,geese droppings and dying trees.

And that’s why — amid complaintcalls — it’s a relief to receive positivecomments from people delightedabout a city-backed program toreintroduce rental boats to VictoriaPark.

As councillor, I have neverexperienced such a refreshing flow

of complimentary responses about acity project. It’s been great to seethe way residents have embracedthe efforts by Canoeing the Grand toreturn boats to the downtown park.

That company is also donating $1from every boat rental to a park-maintenance fund.

Everywhere I go, people tell methey like seeing boats back on thelake after a 20-year hiatus. Many ofthe comments come from residentswho remember spending enjoyablesummer weekends boating on the

lake during past decades.I recently met one resident in a

neighbourhood grocery store who,as a young man, used to rent boatsfrom the city in the park. He lovedseeing the program return andcommented that, years ago, it cost$3 to rent a boat. He’s amazed that,decades later, it’s still possible torent a boat for $5 per half hour foreach person.n

Office: 519-741-2300Email: mayor@kitchener.ca

What does yourneighbourhood mean toyou? This is the

question that is being asked ofresidents as part of the 20thanniversary of Kitchener’s Festivalof Neighbourhoods.

Typically, residents would host acommunity event and register theirevent to be entered into a randomdraw for a $10,000 capitalimprovement grant to be used intheir neighbourhood.

Since this year marks the 20thanniversary of Kitchener’s Festival ofNeighbourhoods, we thought wewould add even more excitement tothis already outstanding event andcreated the Mayor’s Challenge. It’ssimple; all you have to do is tell mewhat your neighbourhood means toyou. Maybe you want to share a storyabout the memories you have ofgrowing up in your neighbourhood,the impact that one specialneighbour made in your life, or thehistory of your entire neighbourhood.There is no right or wrong answer;just share what your communitymeans to YOU!

You can tell me about yourneighbourhood in any way that youchoose. Write a story or essay of 500words or less; draw, paint or create apicture on an 8.5x11 inch page;create an audio recording of fiveminutes or less, or film a video offive minutes or less.

Please submit your entry to SarahFitzPatrick, executive assistant to themayor, via email,sarah.fitzpatrick@kitchener.ca or bymail, 200 King St. W., Kitchener, ONN2G 4G7. Submissions must bereceived no later than 3 p.m. onSept. 30.

But now the big question – whatdo you win? Since this is the Mayor’sChallenge after all, the winner andhis/her neighbours will have theopportunity to take me on a walkingtour of your neighbourhood. You canshow me your favourite spots, chatabout topics that are of interest toyou or share your vision of how yousee your neighbourhood in thefuture.

If you have questions or needmore information, please contactJanice Ouellette at 519-741-2200x7227 orJanice.ouellette@kitchener.ca.

I look forward to reviewing all ofthe entries and will see one luckywinner this fall! n

Office: 519-741-2793 Cell: 226-748-3109 Email: paul.singh@kitchener.caTwitter: @paulsinghward6

Office: 519-741-2796 Residence: 519-57Email: zyg.janecki@kitchener.ca

Office: 519-741-2791 kelly.galloway-sealock@kitchener.caTwitter: @gallowaykelly

Dear Neighbours,I have a favour to ask you. Please

report any and all suspicious activity you see to the police. An incident

may seem insignificant to you, but for police having this information helps to map important trends like where and when even minor criminal activity is occurring. Thank you in advance for acting as the eyes and ears of our community!

On October 17, I was proud to bring the film Girl Rising to the City of Kitchener as part of the UN’s International Day of the Girl Child. Around 100 people came to city hall to learn more about the challenges young women continue to face around the world. If you missed it, you

still have an opportunity to view the film as part of the Zonta Club of KW’s annual film festival on November 13 and 14. Please visit www.zontakw.org for more information.

I can’t believe it’s almost budget time again! I am pleased to share that there are lots of different ways for citizens to get involved in deciding how tax dollars are spent. Are you hooked on social media? You can now provide input on Facebook (City of Kitchener) and Twitter (@CityKitchener). I am also excited about a new online tool that is

scheduled to go live mid-November. The budget calculator will allow you to model different budget scenarios to see what the impact would be on your tax bill.

If you prefer more traditional communication methods, there will also be a public input session sometime in January, check www.kitchener.ca, keyword search “budget2014” later this year. Make your voice heard!

$565,000 – The cost of new washrooms for Victoria Park. A waste of money? Right? Of course, right. I did NOT support spending so much money foolishly.

When this was first considered for tenders on Sept. 16, it was defeated on a tie vote. A notice of motion was then tabled for reconsideration for September 30th. I was Acting Mayor for this Special Council meeting. I had discussed with the city’s clerk at that meeting the procedures for this meeting.

I requested staff to make a presentation and then the two delegations to speak to the matter. I permitted questions to be asked of staff and the delegations. I then clearly stated that there will be no

discussion or debate until we vote to reconsideration on the notice of motion if it is supported. The vote required 2/3 majority votes and it failed.

I then declared that since this reconsideration for tendering was defeated that this matter could not be brought up again until after the next municipal elections and the new slate of elected councillors are in power.

There was further discussion on bringing forward consideration of reopening the entire discussion of where washrooms should be located,

if needed. This was supported with all background reports to come back to council on Oct. 21st.

When a motion was reintroduced on Oct 21st to bring forward the original tender, I along with Councillor John Gazzola argued that because it was defeated the first time as well as the reconsideration motion being defeated, it could not be dealt with until the new term of council after elections. Accordingly, we both walked out. In my opinion, I did not want to participate in a proceeding in violation to council’s policies.

Dear Residents of Ward 7,Recently, many of you have

contacted me about gas rates. There seems to be a lot of confusion and

misinformation circulating about Kitchener Utilities and I would like to set the record straight. Here in Kitchener, we are fortunate enough to be one of only two municipalities in Ontario who have community-owned public utilities. That means you, the taxpayer, have a direct stake in Kitchener Utilities. It is why the city can offer efficient, cost-effective service that is accountable to you. Unfortunately, that level of accountability is not possible with a privately-owned utility company.

Did you know that Kitchener’s natural gas supply program operates

at cost? You heard correctly. Customers on Kitchener’s supply program pay what suppliers are paid, there is no mark-up and all customers pay the same price. Another advantage of being a Kitchener Utilities customer is rate stability. The citizens of Kitchener have identified stable rates as a top priority and this input has guided the Kitchener Utilities purchasing program. Natural gas rates can be volatile but the Kitchener Utilities purchasing program keeps rates predictable. Some people may prefer to pay a fluctuating rate through a private provider which can

be beneficial when rates are low but there is no protection for when rates skyrocket. There is also no surefire way to predict how gas rates will behave.

With the City of Kitchener gas supplier contracts running to 2018, on a yearly declining basis, we are in the early stages of reviewing our gas purchasing policy. Unlike a mortgage, the city is unable to break these contracts simply by paying a penalty. However, I look forward to working with staff to find opportunities to lower costs and deliver continued value for residents.

Childish theatrics performed for an audience of gullible news reporters.

That’s the amateurish stage show council members were obliged to

endure when we recently approved public washrooms for Victoria Park. Those are the toilets that Kitchener residents attending past public meetings agreed were required on a site they selected adjacent to the parking lot at David and Jubilee.

As the final debate took place, Councillor John Gazzola refused to vote and, pandering to the media, stomped out of council. Then, in a huff-puff game of follow-the-leader, Councillor Zyg Janecki refused to vote before coat-tailing his way out of the chamber.

This meant that, in a 10-ward system designed to provide improved and increased representation for Kitchener voters, thousands of constituents were disenfranchised in the Gazzola and Janecki wards. Because the two councillors took their ball and went home, their voters were left without a voice on what has become a hot-button issue.

The issue has become controversial mostly because of the $565,000 cost, a figure that featured prominently in a poorly-researched Waterloo Region Record editorial and

a lazy, copycat opinion column that conveniently ignored the fact that the price compares favorably to similar washrooms built several years ago in Kitchener’s McLennan and Huron parks. Those prices, once inflation is taken into account, would nowadays cost between $550,000 and $586,000.

Meanwhile, back in our council chamber, it should be noted that councillors are elected and paid to represent the people who vote them into office. They can’t perform that function by refusing to vote and leaving meetings.

Dear Residents,On October 27, Festival of

Neighbourhoods celebrated their 20th anniversary. I was pleased that the event was represented by members

from all three Ward 6 neighbourhood associations. Each year a draw is held for a $10,000 grand prize to be used for a capital improvement project within the ward.

It is my pleasure to announce that the Chandler-Mowat neighbourhood won the grand prize. Please join me in congratulating the many volunteers who dedicated countless hours to help organize the neighbourhood events contributing to our first place win. For more information on event qualifications and how to register for the 2013/2014 Festival of Neighbourhood challenge, visit www.kitchener.ca, word search “festival of neighbourhoods.”

Viewpoints on the Victoria Park bathroom project have been well discussed by the community at large and by council over the past few months. I did not support the tender that came in at about 40% over budget because to me, the cost absolutely matters. I don’t disagree that Victoria Park is lacking appropriate bathroom amenities. What I couldn’t agree with was living outside of our means.

During committee and council meetings, I pushed for better judgment by council—the need to bring costs in line with what was budgeted earlier this year. Fiscal prudence is even more necessary in times of economic

uncertainty. Ultimately the tender did get approved. Unfortunately decisions like these erode our ability to manage the various city wide service priorities, while ensuring future property tax increases are within an inflationary target.

The 2014 budget review process will begin on November 18. Please engage yourself in the budget deliberations by providing me with your feedback or simply take part in my ward 6 survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/kitchenerward6 . Your input matters, and is greatly appreciated.

With the help of technology and a global economy we now have data at our fingertips about how other cities, all over the world, are overcoming challenges, growing industry sectors and managing the day-to-day issues that we are all faced with when running a city.

One of the other ways we are able to share this information is by visiting other cities, engaging in dialogue, and learning and sharing our ideas with industry and municipal leaders.

I recently did just that, while on a trade mission with Canada’s Technology Triangle (CTT), visiting companies and cities across Germany and The Netherlands. I, along with Mayor Craig and Mayor Halloran, had the opportunity to engage in conversations with companies and share with them the opportunities available to them in our Region.

However, we often don’t have to travel far for the opportunity to meet with companies and municipal staff from around the world. We are beginning to hear, more and more, that Kitchener is being recognized as a place to learn from and a place that delegations are told they need to visit when they are in the area. To put this in perspective, from January to present, CTT has hosted 42 delegations to the Region. That is roughly one a week, and that number doesn’t include delegations that have met directly with individual cities and the Region.

Last month, we were host to a delegation from Austria, consisting of private companies as well as municipal planning staff. The delegation visited cities across Canada, and we were pleased that they chose Kitchener as one of their stops. Having the opportunity to share – both our successes and our challenges – allows everyone involved to learn from one another and develop new ideas and techniques that they may not have considered in the past.

These meetings are invaluable to the city - providing us with the opportunity to understand how others view our community, as well as allowing us to view our own circumstances in a new light. I look forward to continuing to take part in trade missions and meeting with delegations, right here at home.

ca

Page 28 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

Arts & ENTERTAINMENT

EasyGO’s online trip planner makes it easy to get to my yoga class!

Class presentation? No problem I called EasyGO and found out I had enough time to finish it before I left for the bus stop.

EasyGO’s Text messaging let’s me make it to the movies. If only my buddies were as predictable.

Online www.grt.caText 57555Call 519-585-7555visit www.grt.ca today!

makes taking the bus easy!

by Carrie Debrone

If you describe the singers in a choir as its heart and

lungs, then the director is sure-ly its soul.

That description certainly holds true for the Elora Festival Singers (EFS) and its charismatic founder and artistic director Noel Edison.

Edison, who co-founded the renowned Elora Festival in 1979, began the Elora Festival Singers in 1980 as the professional choir-in-residence for the festival. He has been its director since 1984. The festival merged with the choir in 2005 creating one organization now known as Elora Festival & Singers. The festival attracts capacity crowds to the village during its four-week summer run, and showcases the talents of a variety of musical artists from classical to jazz, cabaret and chamber choral music.

Edison, appointed to the Order of Ontario in 2009, is also the director of the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (130 members) and its chamber choir, and is organist and choirmaster at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Elora. In 1988 he established the Elora Festival

Orchestra, which performs at the festival’s opening night concert.

This year, the Elora Festival Singers was nominated for a Juno Award for its 2012 I Saw Eternity CD, which features the work of 11 composers with strong affiliations to Canada. The recording is the second CD released under Naxos label’s new “Canadian Classics Series”. This is the second Juno nomination for the EFS, which was nominated about ten years ago for it’s The Mystery of Christmas CD. The choir has also been nominated for a Grammy award for its earlier Eric Whitacre CD.

In an event that will mark its 35th anniversary, the EFS recently accepted an invitation to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 2015 as part of the choir’s U.S. tour being planned for that year.

For Edison, choral directing is not so much a profession as it is “a calling.”

“It’s a profession that’s chosen for you. It’s in your DNA,” although he humorously adds that this calling’s many challenges has him wishing some days that he was a stockbroker instead.

The 20 to 24-member EFS choir, of which about half are local singers, is hand picked

by Edison who looks first for “healthy personalities who can work well with others. “

They must also have professional vocal training and a great voice. The choir works on a contractual and intensified rehearsal schedule where rehearsal time lengthens and become more frequent as a concert deadline approaches.

Auditions each January

yield an eager group of already polished, professional singers, which Edison then chisels to create his magnificently sculptured choral sound that has been described over the years as diverse, warm and offering great clarity of texture.

“We’re starting so close to the top with all of these singers. They pick up on my expressions of sound, my tone, my phrasing.

Musically we’re all on the same page so you can quickly get to the essence and polish. They come knowing their notes and then we have to bring a spirit to it. We have to discipline it.” Edison said.

Admitting to being a perfectionist, Edison said one of his top criteria for creating music is that, “If I had to sit in a concert

EFS TO TEACH CHORAL MUSIC AT LOCAL ARTS HIGH SCHOOLSElora Festival Singers to perform at Carnegie Hall in 2015

The Elora Festival Singers with their director Noel Edison

wearing white.Photo by Sophie Hogan

...continued on the next page

November 7, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 29

would I like to listen to this,” he said.“Every director is different. There is no right or

wrong, but any group that has any worth is only as good as the director in front of them. I don’t create music to win awards. I do it because I know we’re going to do a good job of it,” Edison said.

Repertoire selection, one of the main jobs of a director, he describes as an attempt to achieve a balance between what is new and challenging and what older scores can be made challenging through reinterpretation. He often checks the websites of the top choruses around the world to see what they are programming.

As with many arts organizations, funds are limited and Edison must carefully choose future goals for the choir, which include developing its own recording label, doing away with paper sheet music and using only electronic music scores and learning tracts that would be available to his choristers by email, and increasing the number of tours the choir is able to make.

Having an annual operating budget of about $1-million that must support the summer festival, fall and winter concerts, recordings, broadcasts and tours means not all of Edison’s wishes are possible.

“We would love to travel more, but that’s very expensive,” he said.

Helping to ensure the continuation of good choral music in Canada, the Elora Festival Singers was recently granted $30,000 from the TD Bank to deliver a music education program that will take it to arts high schools in the Toronto, Kitchener- Waterloo and Waterloo-Wellington areas.

Edison said he believes the state of choral music in Canada to be “actually quite healthy” with a vast number of especially children’s and youth choirs popping up across the country mainly as the result of the decline of music in Canada’s educational system over the last several years.

“It’s great to be involved with kids in the schools. They love good music and discipline and they love to perform well. It’s a thrill to perform well. It’s something I really enjoy doing,” Edison said.

The Elora Festival Singers has just begun its fall and winter concert series, kicking it off with Nine Lessons and Carols for Harvest on Oct. 27.

The series includes the popular Soup Concert on Jan. 19, one of Edison’s favourite events. The event includes a light lunch and a performance talk by Edison before the singers take on Brahms sacred seven-movement work from the late 1860s, A German Requiem.

“I get the chance to talk about the score and about why Brahms wrote it and the theological

connections. I think people really like learning about what’s behind the music,” he said.

Edison is passionate about the choir continuing to perform Canadian choral music as often as possible with the goal of presenting as many good Canadian scores as he can get his expressive director’s hands on.

“If they are well written then I will continue to do them. It’s something I simply enjoy bringing to people,” Edison said.

FALL AND WINTER SERIES The Elora Festival Singers fall and winter season

series includes: On November 30 at St. John’s Church in Elora,

the one-act opera by Gian Carlo Menotti, Amahl and the Night Visitors. This holiday favourite is a charming opera that “tries to recapture my own childhood” according to Menotti.

With an original English libretto by the composer, this work for soloists, organ and piano is the story of how a young shepherd boy’s life changes forever. This family-friendly performance, which includes pianist James Bourne and organist Michael Bloss, offers a timeless and inspiring message.

Handel’s English-language masterpiece, Messiah, is one of the best-known and most frequently performed choral works in Western music. Edison will bring this 1741 oratorio to life with the Festival Chamber Players and soloists from the Elora Festival Singers in Fergus at St. Joseph’s Church on December 8.

Fast becoming a Christmas tradition itself, Festival of Carols has three performance times just to accommodate the popularity of this communal event filled with wit and good cheer. Wednesday Dec. 18 at 5 and 7:30pm and Friday, Dec. 20 at 7:30pm at St John’s Church, Elora.

The well-loved Soup Concert series is back on January 19, 2014 with a light lunch served at the Elora Legion prior to a performance talk by Noel Edison. The Elora Festival Singers then take on Brahms A German Requiem.

Originally scored for numerous instruments, this performance will be an orchestral reduction for organ with chorus and soloists at St. John’s Church in Elora.

The Elora Festival Singers and the Festival Chamber Players will close the fall and winter series with Johann Sebastian Bach’s St. John Passion on April 6, 2014 at St. Joseph’s Church in Fergus.

Tickets for performances can be purchased by calling 519-846-0331, or visiting the website at www.elorafestival.com

Elora Festival Singers...from previous page

NIGHT/SHIFT 2013The first night time festival of art and culture was held in downtown Kitchener November 2 between 7pm and 3am. It was presented by Alternatives Journal, an environmental magazine. Above, artwork made out of empty water bottles by SWIGS, a graduate student organization located at the University of Waterloo and that is a subsection of The Water Institute. At right, a performance of Vanishing Point by Frog in Hand Productions.

Page 30 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013

THIS MONTH’S READING:The Disciple of Las Vegas:

An Ava Lee Novel

REVIEWED BY:Lesa Balch, Senior Manager,

Service Development

For more great reading ideas, visit www.kpl.org and click on the “Books and More” tab.Want to share your own review of your favourite read? The library’s online catalogue enables library card holders to write a

review for any item in the collection. Simply click on the “Add Review” tab for your selected book, and write away!

WHAT WE’RE READING

Meet the James Bond of Canada. She’s asmart, petite, beautiful, and rich foren-

sic accountant, who occasionally surprisesthe bad guys with her mastery of Bak Mei, apotentially lethal form of marti al arts.

Ava Lee lives in Toronto, but travels theworld to recover stolen money. In the firstbook in the series, The Water Rat of Wanchai,Ava works her way through Hong Kong,Thailand and the Caribbean. In this book,she follows the trail of $50 million dollars tothe Philippines, San Francisco, Vancouver,Victoria, Las Vegas and finally to London,where her investigation culminates in ashowdown with a wealthy politician.

When a wealthy Canadian entrepreneuris the victim of a land fraud deal,Ava is con-tracted to find the missing money. Hermoney chase leads her into the world ofgambling, where professional gamblersstruggle to make a living and thieves are at-tracted to apparently easy wins.We meet theintriguing Disciple of Las Vegas, a legendarygambler who may hold the key to the re-

trieval of the missing money.While Ava is tracking the stolen money, a

former opponent from a previous job istracking her, intent on killing her. This per-sistent threat keeps Ava on her toes in herdesigner shoes, as she doesn’t know who orwhat might be around the next corner as shetravels from city to city.

Ava regularly outsmarts her opponents,but is not hesitant to use physical persuasionwhen verbal persuasion doesn’t work.Whentrying to get information from two perpe-trators that are less than forthcoming, sheunhesitatingly employs an alternative formof persuasion that causes excessive bleedingand ends up destroying a white shag carpet.The important thing to Ava is that she suc-cessfully delivers on her contracts with herclients, regardless of the method to achievethat purpose.

Ian Hamilton has written three morebooks in the Ava Lee series, so you can con-tinue to follow Ava’s adventures in The WildBeasts of Wuhan, The Red Pole of Macau andThe Scottish Banker of Surabaya.

A monthly column featuring great reads as suggested and reviewed bylibrarians from the Kitchener Public Library. Follow along each monthand discover your next great read!

November 7, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 31

WATERLOO

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KITCHENER1170 Fischer Hallman Rd519-570-9955

420 Erb St W519-725-6060

Visit the Libro branch nearest you today. Open an account. Get $50 to Give. Nice!

GetThis offer is unusual so we’ll keep it simple. We’d like you to experience Libro. Hard to do unless you bank here. So we’ll give $50 to any youth group or cause of your choice if you take that step. Join Libro. We’ll get the $50 to the organization you choose. Then we’ll dazzle you with fee-fairness and inspire you with Coaching. Sound fair? That’s what it means to be Libro.

Contact any Libro branch or visit libro.ca/share for details.

Local SPORTS

SIR JOHN A. MACDONALD OFSAA FIELD HOCKEY CHAMPSResurrection Catholic Secondary School grade 11 student Sam Code, right, drives the ball away from Olivia Dale of Sir John A. MacDonald Secondary School during the provincial high school field hockey champion-ship game held at St. David Catholic Secondary School on November 2. Both teams are from Waterloo County and met in the final game, where Sir John A. MacDonald came away with the gold medal beating Resurrection 1-0. Photo by Helen Hall

City of Kitchener to take over the ownership of Budd Park

by Helen Hall

Kitchener just increased its roster of athletic

fields.The approval by the Ontario

Municipal Board (OMB) to an agreement between the owners of the Kitchener Frame property and the City of Kitchener gives ownership of the 40-acre Budd Park to the city at no charge.

“This is great for the community all the way around from a recreational standpoint,” said Kitchener’s Supervisor of Athletics Bob Cheyne.

The park, located on Homer Watson Boulevard near Bleams Road, includes six soccer fields, a building with an indoor field that also houses the Kitchener Soccer Club office, two lit ball diamonds, and tennis courts.

Under the previous owners, the city used 23 acres of the park for a few decades, with then added another 17 acres in the past 10 years, said Kitchener Manager of Business Development Brian Bennett.

No base rent was paid to use the facilities.

When the factory closed, a new owner took over the property and started demolition of the buildings in 2011.

They applied for a rezoning of 28-acres of the 122-acre property to permit retail use for a big-box store development. They also said they would give the city two year’s notice on the use of four of the soccer fields at Budd Park.

In October 2012, city council refused the rezoning application out of concern for losing industrial land. The applicant appealed to the OMB.

This summer, council directed staff to enter into discussions with the applicant to see if they could reach an agreement.

The final agreement that was approved October 15 by the OMB allows the retail zoning on 28-acres, protects 54 acres of industrial and employment lands, and gives ownership of the park to the city.

Page 32 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l November 7, 2013