by Helen Hall

Two pink dots on trees in Ward 4 is a tell-tale sign that they won’t be

around much longer.Last week Lindsay Button, an Urban

Forest Technologist with the City of Kitchener, spent several days marking some of the almost 600 trees that city crews are expecting to start cutting down this week as part of its fight against the emerald ash borer beetle.

Ward 4 includes the Brigadoon, Pioneer Park and Doon neigh-bourhoods.

The city had 125 large healthy ash trees chemically injected in the ward last year to protect them from the beetles. The remaining ash trees are already infected or are expected to be infected and die within the next two years.

“This pest is breaking all the rules,” said David Schmitt, Environmental and Urban Forest Project Manager with the City of Kitchener.

He said his department often sees new kinds of pests introduced into the city’s urban forest, but that the emerald ash borer is much more “aggressive” than pests they have dealt with in the past.

Ward 4 residents who live near trees that are being removed received a letter from the city at the end of January.

The trees account for about eight percent of the trees in Ward 4, and are located on residential streets and city parklands. Because trees of the same kind are often planted in groups, some residents won’t notice the change, but others, such as those who live on Windrush Trail, will see about 100 ash trees removed from their street.

The trees will be cut down by road crews when they are not busy dealing with snow removal.

Button said that most people who spoke with her in Ward 4 are aware

of the ash tree situation, but a few had questions about why she was marking the trees.

Schmitt hopes Ward 4 will be completed by the end of the winter and then the crews will move on to Ward 6, which includes Country Hills and the Laurentian area.

About 5,000 ash trees across the city will need to be removed in the next five years, Schmitt said.

The city has budgeted $4.3-million to remove dead ash trees citywide and inject unaffected ones worth saving.

It will cost an additional $6-million to remove the stumps and replant trees. This amount has not yet been approved by council, Schmitt said. Currently, they are dealing with the “mortality” and removal.

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.

WORK PERFORMED BY ROADS CREWS WHEN AVAILABLE

City of Kitchener begins removal of almost 600 treesin Ward 4 infested with emerald ash borer beetle

www.kitchenercitizen.com • Thursday, February 14, 2013 • Circulation 32,500

Working for YouJohn Milloy MPP - Kitchener Centre

(519) 579-5460 www.johnmilloy.onmpp.ca

www.kitchenercitizen.com • twitter@KitchCitizen

What’s Inside...OMB decision affects Region...Runner gets new lease on life...Blackberry launches Z10...Healthy Lifestyle...Sports...Councillor Columns...Arts & Entertainment...

page 2page 4page 5page 14/15pages16/17pages 18/19pages 20/21

519-748-1914 • waterlooregionmuseum.com

SCIENCE UNDER THE BIG TOP!

Feb. 9 to May 5New Interactive ExhibitEnjoy over 20 activities!Urban Forest

Technologist Lindsay Button

marks trees for removal at

Carlyle Park in Kitchener.

Page 2 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013

The Region of Waterloo invites you to share your feedback on the DRAFT Community Building Strategy. Join us at one of these public open houses anytime from 4 to 7 p.m. to learn more about the opportunities and initiatives in the Central Transit Corridor that are outlined in the Strategy, and provide your feedback:

If you are unable to attend any of the open houses, please visit centraltransitcorridor.ca to review or download the DRAFT Community Building Strategy, and provide your feedback online.

Copies of the DRAFT CBS are available for review at the main branches of the public libraries in Kitchener, Waterloo and the Queen's Square branch in Cambridge until March 31.

You can also send your comments by mail, fax or email to:

Kevin CurtisRegion of Waterloo150 Frederick Street, 8th Floor519-575-4794kcurtis@regionofwaterloo.ca

Join the Conversation!Central Transit Corridor Community Building Strategy

These events are accessible for people with disabilities and are served by Grand River Transit. For route information, visit grt.ca or call 519-585-7555. Accessible parking is available. If you require assistance to attend or participate in these meetings or to access information in alternate formats, please contact us at 519-575-4400, TTY 519-575-4608, or centraltransitcorridor@regionofwaterloo.ca at least five days prior to the meeting.

Open houses will take place from 4-7 p.m. with a presentation at 5 p.m. and roundtable discussions at 5:30 p.m.

Feb. 20, 2013Knox Presbyterian Church

50 Erb Street West, Waterloo

Feb. 21, 2013The Tannery

151 Charles Street West, Kitchener

Feb. 25, 2013Cambridge City Hall Atrium

50 Dickson Street, Cambridge

All comments and information received from individuals, stakeholder groups and agencies regarding this project are being collected to assist the Region of Waterloo in making a decision. Under the Municipal Act, personal information such as name, address, telephone number, and property location that may be included in a submission becomes part of the public record. Questions regarding the collection of this information should be referred to the Community Building Strategy.

by Carrie Debrone

Regional officials are meeting with local developers in an attempt to

resolve their differences over how much agricultural land needs to be set aside for suburban development in the Region of Waterloo in the next 20 years.

The amount and location of land the region thinks will be needed for development was laid out in its Official Plan completed in 2010. That plan was appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) in January 2011 by several groups of local developers.

On Jan. 21, two OMB members sided with the developers who asked for ten times more agricultural land for development than what has been set aside in the Official Plan.

But in case negotiations with the developers do not resolve the dispute, regional council voted unanimously Jan. 29 to proceed with two appeals of the OMB decision.

The region is asking for a rehearing on the grounds that OMB members have misinterpreted the region’s mandate to adhere to the provincial Places to Grow Act.

Councillors also voted to appeal to the Divisional Court for its case to be heard based on the legal interpretations of the decision. Divisional Court is a branch of the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario. It is an appeal court, not a trial court.

It hears appeals and applications for judicial review.

The Ontario Municipal Board ruled in favour of the developers’ request to allow an additional 1,053 hectares (2,593 acres) of agricultural land to be used for development – an amount over and above the 25,000 buildable units of land (mostly infill lots in already developed areas, but also 80 hectares of agricultural land for subdivision housing) set aside in the plan by the region for development.

“The ROP is the region’s primary tool for shaping the community well into the future,” said Rob Horne, the region’s Commissioner of Planning, Housing and Community Services.

“The OMB decision could have far reaching implications to the community’s well defined vision in accommodating growth and change.”

“All of the region’s planning since 1976 has been towards the development of a central transit corridor,” Horne said.

“We don’t want outward expansion that takes up valuable agricultural land.”

Every five years, by law, all Ontario

municipalities must update their official plans (which set out where development will occur for about 20 years). Municipalities in south central Ontario had until 2009 to update their plans and make them comply with the new provincial Places to Grow Act, which was adopted in 2006 -- the first piece of provincial legislation that attempted to curb urban sprawl.

The Act requires that, by 2015, 40 per cent of all new housing be within built up areas.

In keeping with the Act’s requirements, the region developed its Official Plan with an aggressive growth management strategy, adopting intensification and increased housing density as a responsible, environmentally sensitive direction for the future. It encouraged the use of infill lots and upward growth supported by good transit, more sidewalks and cycling lanes, instead of the traditional outward growth of single-family home subdivision development, which consumes the local supply of agricultural land and generally means people must rely on cars for transportation.

Because they did what the province required, regional officials can’t understand why the OMB would have ruled against their Official Plan.

“It’s perplexing, to say the least,” Horne said.

The developers argued that much

more agricultural land than what’s contained in the plan will be needed to serve the region’s forecasted strongly growing population.

The OMB agreed with the developers and noted that the Act does not set out any specific dates by which growth intensification targets have to be completed.

Other municipalities in the province are watching the outcome of the two appeals closely because it could impact the way development occurs in hundreds of municipalities.

Horne said it might be well into next year before any decision is made.

He said he could not estimate how much the region has paid to defend the developer’s appeal at the OMB or how much it will cost for the two new appeals, but he said, “It will be expensive.”

The recent OMB decision also places another appeal by the developers in jeopardy. Waterloo Region has adopted what has been dubbed as ‘countryside line’ boundary in its Official Plan–a line where all development in the region would stop. It is the only municipality in the province to have adopted such a boundary and this, too, has been appealed to the OMB by developers.

Horne said it is now unclear if the ‘countryside line’ appeal can move forward until a decision is made on the region’s request for a rehearing and the divisional court deals with the matter.

DEVELOPERS WIN APPEAL OF REGION OF WATERLOO’S OFFICIAL PLAN

OMB decision threatens 35 years of regional planning

“The OMB decision could have far reaching implications

to the community’s well-defined vision in accommodating

growth and change.”Rob Horne

Region’s Planning Commissioner

February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 3

Three great community papers

to serve you!

East Kitchener

Call Carrie

519.578.8228

South Kitchener

Call Laura

519.897.6889

West Kitchener

Call Helen

519.741.5892

COMMUNITY NEWS - WEST • DECEMBER 10 , 2008 • 3

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NEXT ISSUE OF THE COMMUNITY NEWS ISJuly 2, 2008.

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

Smart About SaltPublication: Kitchener CitizenSize: 6” x 6”

Get Aon snow And iceWhile salt can make winter safer, it’s only part of the answer. Do your part. Protect yourself from slips and falls by wearing sturdy footwear designed for snow and ice.

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Don’t miss out on the fun!March Break Day Camps (Ages 5 – 12)Dates: March 11–15, 2013Times: 8 am – 5 pm; early & late care availableCost: Member $150 Non Member $170

Join us for a fun-filled day of camp—learn new skills, meet new friends, swim, play sports and much more!

A.R. Kaufman Family YMCA 519-743-5201Stork Family YMCA 519-725-8783

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Rotary Club presents $90,000 grant to local charity

City of Kitchener and the Kitchener-Waterloo

Humane Society (KWHS) are working together on the de-velopment of a responsible pet ownership strategy for the city.

This strategy would address challenges the city and KWHS currently face with animal control, such as irresponsible pet owners, banned breeds, disease, unscrupulous breeders and retailers, abandonment and overpopulation.

It is anticipated developing a responsible pet ownership strategy may include encouraging pet owners to:

• licence and/or provide a means of permanent identification for pets

• have pets spayed or neutered• access training on physical

care, socialization and medical attention for pets

• ensure pets do not become a threat or nuisance in the community

“The city’s responsibility in animal control is to ensure public health and safety, improve services to the

community, and control costs to taxpayers,” said Shayne Turner, Kitchener’s Director of Enforcement.

“Responsible pet ownership is about placing the emphasis of responsibility on pet owners and educating them about the health and safety of their pets, with significant benefit for the community at large,” said Turner.

Possible responsible pet ownership initiatives could include:

• reducing services impact on tax base through user-pay programs, licensing and fines

• compliance education and enforcement

• a ban on the sale/adoption of unaltered animals

• licensing breeders and retailers

• improving alignment and efficiency of city animal control bylaws and programs

Should a responsible pet ownership strategy be developed, it would include a consultation process with the public.

City of Kitchener and Humane Societyto work on responsible pet strategy

Over 130 people came together in the City Hall Rotunda to celebrate the Rotary Club

of Kitchener’s 90th anniversary on January 30.The evening was marked with a special

$90,000 grant to House of Friendship, as the successful recipient of the club’s special grant competition.

“In many ways this gift is the perfect embodiment of our last 90 years,” said Tom Mennill, President of the Rotary Club of Kitchener.

“The seeds we have planted over the past nine decades have grown and matured into innovative organizations such as KidsAbility, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery. In the last decade alone, the Club has granted over $1.5 million to projects big and small. Which is why we are especially delighted to be marking our 90th Anniversary by planting another seed with the House of Friendship’s Under One Roof campaign. We are confident that this program will flourish, and help many women and their families from this community for decades to come.”

The House of Friendship’s $2-million Under One Roof campaign is raising funds to renovate 71 Ann Street in Kitchener. The organization currently runs addiction treatment day programs at the location and is making plans to renovate it. The project is on track to have the work completed this summer. When complete, this centre will have overnight accommodations, help increase women’s access to services, enable them to more easily move between different treatment programs, and improve their experience in treatment.

“The Rotary Club of Kitchener and House of Friendship share a legacy of Service to downtown Kitchener,” said John Neufeld, Executive Director of House of Friendship.

“With Rotary’s 90th anniversary grant, we now share a vision of health and hope for women, their families, and our community.”

Rotary International is a volunteer organization

of business and professional leaders who provide humanitarian services. There are approximately 1.2 million Rotary club members belonging to 34,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries around the world.

Rotary clubs exist to improve communities through a range of humanitarian, intercultural and educational activities. Clubs advance international understanding by partnering with clubs in other countries. Rotary also encourages high ethical standards in all vocations.

The Rotary Club of Kitchener is Waterloo Region’s longest standing Rotary Club. Along with fellow Rotarians, the club participates in a broad range of humanitarian, intercultural, and educational activities designed to improve the human condition. In the past decade, it has provided over $1.5-million in grants to local and international projects.

At the cheque presentation January 30, from left: Kitchener Mayor and Rotary Club member Carl Zehr; Rotary Club of Kitchener-Westmount member and MPP John Milloy; Rotary Grants Committee Co-chair Karen Redman; President of the Rotary Club of Kitchener Tom Mennill; Executive Director of the House of Friendship John Neufeld; Rotary Grants Committee Co-Chair Cheryl Ewing; and Regional Chair and Rotary Club member Ken Seiling.

Next Edition: March 14, 2013

NJRC Photo

Page 4 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013

The City of Kitchener would like to remind youthere is no overnight parking on city streets

between December 1 and March 31 each winter.

Parking is not permitted on anyCity of Kitchener street between

2:30 am and 6 am.

NO Exemptions will be granted.

For more information contactCity of Kitchener by-law division at

519-741-2330 or visit www.kitchener.ca

Snow means NO!

When you see snow… remember the ‘tag-and-tow’The City of Kitchener’s tag-and-tow bylaw prohibits parking on all city streets when a “snow event”is declared, to provide safe and easy access for the city’s operations crews to plow the streets.

A snow event will be declared, based on credible weather forecasts, when a significant snowfallis predicted.

During “snow events,” city staff will be on the lookout for parked vehicles that impede snowplows from clearing the street.

If you park on a city street during a snow event:

• Your vehicle will be ticketed;

• Your vehicle may also be relocated to another nearby area or impounded at your expense.The amount of the ticket for on-street parking during a snow event is $80.

Information about snow event declarations will be broadcast on local radio or TV stations –or visit www.kitchener.ca and sign up for e-snow alerts.

Take the easy road – find alternative parking during snow events!

For more information on the city’s tag-and-tow bylaw or to find out where your vehicle has beenrelocated, call 519-741-2330.

Tag-and-towbylaw

Important information about Kitchener’s

by braD CougHlin

It was late 1996 when the disease made its first ap-pearance. Running the Ancaster Mill Race in his

hometown, Ray Jonasson was passed on a big hill; an incline no one had beat him on before.

“I was more exhausted than any marathon I’d run,” said Jonasson, once a highly competitive runner.

“I focused all my efforts on getting to the finish line without doing a face plant.”

Just three days earlier the runner had tested himself at another race, won and run his fastest ever. So, when he collapsed for 45 minutes and missed the final ceremony, Jonasson attributed it to an oncoming cold.

“When your symptoms are being tired, those aren’t symptoms you go to the doctor for,” said Jonasson.

But, his low energy persisted longer than any common cold would and the runner finally went to his physician.

That’s when they found it. Blood work came back, results were off the chart and everything pointed to Jonasson’s liver – he had primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a chronic liver disease.

The only cure was a transplant, so he was put on the transplant list – a wait he’d need more than marathon endurance for.

“You have to get very sick before you even make it, and then you hang on for your dear life and try not to get too sick to fall off,” said Jonasson. “There’s a shortage.”

He lost his marriage and business and completely rearranged his life during the 15-year wait for a new liver, but in July 2011, Jonasson finally received one at the London Health Sciences Centre.

Now, having gotten back to running and completed this year’s Ancaster Mill Race, Jonasson speaks about organ and tissue donation every chance he gets.

“It is literally the difference between life and death,” he said. “If that person’s family had said no, it would have been game over.”

Currently, only 22 percent of all eligible Ontarians are registered for organ and tissue donation through the Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN). However, Kitchener currently has 28 percent registered.

“In the last four years the number of registrations has gone up … but we still have a long way to go,” said Ronnie Gavsie, president and CEO of TGLN.

“Twenty-eight percent leaves a lot of people not registered and so many (patients) on the wait list without hope.”

Gavsie credits some of the increases in donation to the new registration methods. Due to situations when donor cards may have been lost, a registration database was created. Donors can now sign up via www.beadonor.

ca, at a Service Ontario centre, or by downloading a mailing form.

Along with various types of advertising, the TGLN is promoting donating online through their Gift of Eight pages.

“A Gift of Eight page is a personal or organizational page where you can state your commitment to donation and you send that page to others and ask others to register through it,” said Gavsie. “One organ donor can save eight lives.”

The TGLN is also working hard to dispel myths about organ and tissue donation that lower the registration numbers. All major religions support donation, nobody is precluded due to previous illnesses, and no one is too old to be a donor said Gavsie, correcting common myths.

“Medical expertise and technology is improving constantly so transplant has become the life-saving procedure available to us for more and more conditions,” said Gavsie.

“We don’t expect the wait list to go down and we know the number of transplants would go up dramatically if we had enough organs and tissue to meet the demand.”

Jonasson wants his donor family to know how grateful he is for getting a second lease on life. If he wins a medal in a competition, he plans to send it to the donor family through the London Health Sciences Centre.

He has signed up to compete in the 800-metre race at the Ontario Masters Athletic Association indoor race at York University on February 24. He was the 800-metre age group champion in 1995 and 1996

“I may dabble in other things if my body holds up,” he said.

He is considering competing for Canada at the World Transplant Games this July in Durban, South Africa.

* * *Brad Coughlin is a Journalism student at Conestoga

College in Kitchener.

ENCOURAGES EVERYONE TO BE A DONOR

After marathon wait, runner gets new liver and starts competing again

Ray Jonasson of Kitchener received a liver transplant in July 2011. He has taken up running again and is seen here practising in Victoria Park.

February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 5

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by Carrie Debrone

January 30 was a big day for Re-search in Motion (RIM).

The company not only launched the BlackBerry 10, which it hopes will bolster its sagging share of the smart phone market, but it also announced it has changed its name to BlackBerry.

In recent years the company has struggled to hold onto its market share as Apple and Samsung have taken over as the top smart phone providers.

“This is an important day for RIM but also for all of us in this room. It’s our turn to thank RIM,” said Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr as he spoke to an enthusiastic crowd of several hundred local politicians, business leaders, BlackBerry staff and media who had gathered for the launch at The Tannery.

“This company has carved out a phenomenal niche and made this community a better place to live, work and play. This community owes a great deal of debt to RIM,” Zehr said.

Most of the presentation was carried out via a large screen simulcast from New York where Thorsten Heins, CEO of BlackBerry, and several of the company’s top engineers took turns showing off the two new versions of BlackBerry 10, the Z10 with a touch screen keyboard and the Q10 with a physical keyboard, that will be rolled out in all majors markets in the world over the next few months.

The Z10 became available in Canada on February 5 selling for about $149.99 with a three-year contract.

The new smart phone has the largest catalogue of applications ever included in a first generation phone, with over 1,000 of the world’s top apps committed to the Z10.

The presentation also included an appearance by Grammy-award winning singer Alicia Keys, who will work as an ambassador for BlackBerry as its new creative director.

Heins told viewers that the launch is not the finishing line but only the starting line for a host of new advances that will be incorporated into BlackBerry phones in the future, making them multi-

tasking tools capable of connecting people to their cars, their homes and to their health care system, and turning the phones into mobile computers.

“We could either adopt someone else’s platform or we could go it alone. We chose to go it alone. We absolutely knew it was risky to lead the next phase of growth,” Heins said.

The new BlackBerry manages social media apps through BlackBerry Flow. Simply by sliding over the screen, users can access email, for example, without having to turn off one app and open another. Through BlackBerry Balance, the Z10 also provides two screens, one for personal use and one for work. Users can also edit photos on screen, share their screen with others, and can add music and credits to videos.

“What a shot in the arm for our community,” Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy said of the Blackberry 10, adding that he hopes to have one soon as “BlackBerry phones are the only type that Queen’s Park uses.”

BlackBerry currently employs about 12,000 people in 36 countries. There are about 80-million BlackBerry users worldwide.

RIM becomes BlackBerry and launches new BB10 smart phone

Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr at the Blackberry launch at The Tannery.

From left: Carson, Grayson and Madelaine Zeilstra sport their Blackberry toques at a skating party hosted by Blackberry at Kitchener City Hall January 30. Unfortunately, pouring rain kept many (but not the Zeilstras) off the ice.

by alanna Fairey

In these tough economic times, there are a signifi-

cant number of people in Wa-terloo Region who are in need of financial assistance. They are advised to seek local af-fordable housing, but unfortu-nately it isn’t always as easy as it sounds.

Kitchener-Waterloo resident Richard O’Connor is all too familiar with this frustration. After losing his job and being unable to pay his rent, O’Connor found himself applying for affordable housing. He’s cur-rently waiting for a spot to open up.

“I’m trying to be patient, but it’s hard,” O’Connor explained. “I want to get back on my two feet, but in order for me to do that, I need my own place.”

Waterloo Region’s Afford-able Housing Strategy (AHS) addresses the need for sustainable and affordable housing locally. The strategy involves housing providers that receive funding from the Region of Waterloo, including non-profits, co-ops and units that the Region owns and operates through Waterloo Region Housing.

If one needs an affordable housing unit, Deb Schlichter, the director of housing for the

Region of Waterloo, explained that there is a process that must be followed, which involves submitting a form to the housing department.

“The application allows you to choose which housing sites you want and you are put on each of those site wait lists chronologically, by date of application, until a unit becomes vacant,” Schlichter said.

“There are some basic eligibility criteria to meet and you can only apply for units that are appropriate for your household size.”

The wait list fluctuates throughout the year, but it includes 3,000 households on average, a number that has been fairly steady over the past several years. To house people on the wait list, current tenants have to move out or turnover. However, this may cause many conflicts for those waitlisted.

“Right now, turnover is lower than previously, so that limits the number of vacant units for new tenants to move into,” Schlichter revealed.

There is also a limited supply of affordable housing units to meet everyone’s needs, so households can wait for less than a year to sometimes more than six years. The waiting time will vary depending on how many site choices are made, the size of the household and other variables.”

O’Connor is currently staying with a friend and searching for work to help pay rent. At this time, he isn’t sure if he will try finding a cheap apartment or just continue to wait.

“If I wait, I have to stay at my friend’s house and I don’t want to intrude on his home space,” O’Conner explained. “If I go apartment hunting, all I can really afford right now is probably a much too small of an apartment that probably

won’t be in an area that I like. I think it’d be safest if I didn’t take my chances right now.”

Recently, Peter Braid, the MP for Kitchener-Waterloo, along with Kitchener Centre MPP John Milloy, announced the official opening of three new reasonably priced housing projects for low-income households.

“This is very much a partnership approach with various levels of government working to meet in our community,” Braid shared. “We provide safe and affordable housing for vulnerable people in our community.”

Braid also noted that other options exist for people trying to find an affordable home. “There are organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, a charitable organization that has a local chapter that helps to provide affordable housing for low-income families,” he said.

The current strategy plans to create at least 500 new units of affordable housing by the end of 2013.

By the end of December 2012, 476 units were created. There are two priorities for these new units: to have 40 per cent of them targeted to the lowest income households and to have 100 units of supportive housing.

“Despite the fact that we are a relatively prosperous community, there’s still an obvious need to provide affordable housing in our community,” Braid said.

“Providing a safe and affordable housing is a building block for a strong community and it helps to contribute to the economic and social well-being of the entire community.”

* * *Alanna Fairey is a reporter

with the Cord Community Edition in Waterloo.

Page 6 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013

Waterloo Region hopes to create 500 newaffordable housing units by the end of 2013

www.wcdsb . ca  

Elementary Schools:

Blessed Kateri (519) 895‐1716 Blessed Sacrament (519) 745‐5950 Canadian Martyrs (519) 578‐7579 John Sweeney (519) 579‐5212 Monsignor Gleason / St. John (519) 579‐0890 Monsignor Haller (519) 579‐1230 Our Lady of Grace (519) 745‐3961 Pope John Paul II (519) 742‐7378 St. Aloysius (519) 893‐5830 St. Anne (519) 745‐7847 St. Bernade�e (519) 743‐1541 St. Daniel (519) 893‐8801    

St. Dominic Savio (519) 576‐5503 St. Mark (519) 743‐4682 St. Paul (519) 743‐4401 

St. Teresa (519) 743‐2131 St. Timothy (519) 748‐1874        

Secondary Schools:

Resurrec�on Catholic Secondary                                        (519) 741‐1990 

St. Mary's High School                      (519) 745‐6891 

Welcome New Kindergarten & Grade 9 Students...

Your new Catholic school is expecting you!

CALL TO REGISTER TODAY!! All registration information: www.wcdsb.ca/register

Extended Day Learning information: www.wcdsb.ca/extendedday Jane Mitchell has been ac-claimed to a third one-year

term as chair of the Grand Riv-er Conservation Authority.

The election took place at a GRCA board meeting on Friday, Jan. 25.

Mitchell, who represents the Region of Waterloo on the board, was first elected to the position in 2011. Prior to that, she served as first vice-chair from 2007 to 2010.

Also returned by acclamation on Friday were First Vice-chair Vic Prendergast of Brantford and Second Vice-chair Jan D’Ailly of the Region of Waterloo

Mitchell said a number of initiatives in 2013 will help the environment and also put the GRCA on a sound financial footing.

She pointed to the work being done by municipalities to upgrade sewage treatment plants and the ongoing efforts of the Rural Water Quality Program as activities that are helping to improve water quality.

She noted that work on a Water Management Plan, which is addressing water quality, flooding and water supply issues, is nearing completion.

Jane Mitchell returned as GRCA chair

February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 7

~ www.regionofwaterloo.ca/water ~

S E M I N A R S E R I E S

FREE!

Tuesday, March 19 - 99 Regina St. S., Waterloo (Room 508) 7 p.m.“Barefoot and grassless” Soft groundcovers are the perfectalternative to grass and are not only low maintenance but also easyon the eyes... and toes. With Lisa Hunter.

Tuesday, March 26 - RIM Park (Room 207/208), Waterloo 7 p.m.“Happy, healthy grass” Dr. Michael Brownbridge, one of the leadingturf experts in Ontario looks at the troublesome insects that damageyour grass, and how you can win the battle.

Saturday, April 6 - Meadow Acres Garden Centre, Petersburg 10 a.m.“Prescription landscaping” A look at unsuspecting ways yourlandscape can improve the health of you, your family and the planet,while being the envy of your neighbours. With Aileen Barclay.

Saturday, April 13 - St. Jacobs Country Gardens, St. Jacobs 10 a.m.“Create flair in your landscape with form and function” A look atways you can design your landscape with such features as sunkengardens and dry river beds that add beauty and have purpose. WithSabrina Selvaggi.

Sunday, April 14 - Sheridan Nurseries, Kitchener 1 p.m.“Food and water” Using your backyard to grow your own food canbe a very rewarding experience. Phillip Collins explains thewonderful synergies between land and water that can be applied tohome-scale agriculture with a few easy steps and with manybenefits.

Sunday, April 21 - Cambridge Centre for the Arts, (Toyota Room) 1 p.m.“The good, the bad and the ugly” Toronto Star gardening columnistand bestselling author Sonia Day reveals some truly easy plants thatgrow in her country garden, and some of the ones that don’t.

Webinar: Wednesday, April 24 7 pm“Last minute tips to prepare your garden for the summer”

with Aileen Barclay

And for those who want to learn at home!

Please call 519-575-4021 to register or emailwatercycle@regionofwaterloo.ca.

Reserve early as space is limited.

(Attendees must pre-register for all seminars)

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On March 8, the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre, community partners and

sponsors will host the second Annual Interna-tional Women’s Day event designed to Celebrate and Connect Women in Technology.

On March 8, International Women’s Day, over 1,500 events that celebrate the achievements of women are being held worldwide, and 184 of them will be held in Canada.

The centre has partnered with local business women to provide a luncheon featuring keynote speaker Sarah Prevette, 11:30am to 1:30pm at St. George Banquet Hall and Conference Centre, 475 King Street North, Waterloo.

Prevette was named by Inc Magazine as one of the top entrepreneurs in North America, and has captured attention as a futurist and early-supporter of emerging technology.

She is the founder of Sprouter.com, an online platform facilitating knowledge exchange between start-ups and business leaders that was acquired by Postmedia in 2011. Credited with assisting more than 100,000 start-ups world-wide, Prevette is frequently in the media and has been profiled by numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Wired Magazine.

With her unique global vantage point, she built BetaKit to showcase the amazing innovations

that she is privy to, and the key technology trends that are reshaping the future.

Prevette is an in-demand speaker who has delivered keynote speeches and sessions at prestigious events including South by Southwest, Big Omaha, Summit Series and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

An advisor to several start-ups, her advice can be found regularly in the Financial Post and live on BNN’s new show “The Pitch”.

Designed to appeal to students, start-ups, entre-preneurs, professionals and those in business or career paths such as business, marketing, design, digital and social media, the event will also include special guests MPP Catherine Fife, Waterloo Mayor Brenda Halloran, Councillor Jane Mitchell and Elizabeth Witmer.

Sponsored by Diane Matays, Diane Matays Inc.; Stacey Aarssen and Jayne Osborn, Sentry Group; Rosa Lupo, Gowlings, Lafleur and Henderson LLP; and Angelique Mohring, Women Powering Technology, it is hoped the Celebrate and Connect Women in Technology event will provide an opportunity to learn, network and connect with peers.

The cost is $20 per person (plus HST), $10 per student (plus HST) To register visit events.r20.constantcontact.com or call 519-741-2200 ext. 7294 or chris.farell@kitchener.ca

The Kitchener Sports Association Spin 12 Team (2013) From left: back, Laney Marshall, Craig Jackson, Toni Pottier (Captain), Rick Weinstein, Nancy Stayzer, Jean Howitt, Linda Kaytor, middle, Donna Pastway, Megan House, Livia Manica, Sarah Pottier, front, (seated) John Thompson. Absent Bill Pegg and Patty Coady.

PROCEEDS TO ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL300 riders participate in Spin 12 fundraiser for cardiac care

On February 9, the Waterloo Recreation Complex was the site of the 6th annual

Spin 12 Fundraiser for the Cardiac Care Unit at St. Mary’s Hospital.

Over the years the event has raised over $300,000 for a CAT scan unit at St. Mary’s Hospital and close to $100,000 to help local world-class athletes with their training expenses.

Totals raised at this year’s event were not

available at press time, but organizers expect Spin 12 to bring in $45,000 to $50,000 for St. Mary’s through pledges on behalf of the 300 riders representing 24 teams who participated this year.

Rich Donnelle and Blair Gateman, Spin12 co-chairs, are already planning next year’s event and looking for team captains, riders and sponsors. For more information visit www.spin12.ca

International Women’s Day event March 8 toCelebrate and Connect Women in Technology

Page 8 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013

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

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Cleo • Fairweather • La Vie en Rose • Peggy’s • Reitmans • Ricki’s • Laura • Jones New York

Trends for Men • International Clothiers • Mark’s Work Wearhouse • Old Navy • Le Nails Salon Walking On A Cloud • Ardène • Payless Shoe Source • Sears • Hallmark • Dentist - Dr. Pfeiffer

First Choice Haircutters • Shoppers Drug Mart • Trade Secrets • Canadian Tire • Benix & Co. Black’s Photography • The Home Depot • Walmart • Bell World • Starbucks Coffee • Pizza Nova

Bowring • Pita Pit • Petcetera • Bulk Barn • The Source • Casey’s Bar & Grill • Quiznos Sub • Future Shop

GO!To Sunrise with ease.

Fischer-Hallman Rd. construction is DONE!

NO BACKUPS, NO LINEUPS, NO WAITING.

February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 9

by Carrie Debrone

A club started 35 years ago is as relevant today as it was then – maybe even moreso -- at least

that’s the way two-time Past President of Kitchener’s Black Walnut Toastmasters Club Tony Nelson sees it.

“The very fact that they’ve been around this long suggests that there is a good strong, solid core. It shows they’ve been doing a lot of stuff right,” Nelson said.

Toastmasters clubs teach communication and leadership skills through learn-by-doing programs that help people learn to formulate and express their ideas effectively, become more confident when giving presentations, and improve their one-on-one interactions with others.

The local club is part of Toastmasters International, which has a network of more than 270,000 members in over 13,000 clubs in 116 countries.

Based in Kitchener, The Black Walnut Toastmasters Club celebrated its 35th anniversary, Feb.8 with a party at the Walper Hotel.

Started by several members of the former Kitchener-Waterloo Toastmasters Club in 1978, it now has about 25 members.

“Many people leave school not knowing how to speak publicly. You need to have that skill to get and keep a job these days and there are not many places you can go to get it. There are lots of day or weekend courses offered, but public speaking needs feedback. It isn’t something you can do in a day or week. You must build on it and practice,” Nelson said.

In fact, Nelson said, it was Toastmasters that started his teaching career after he was asked to teach teachers about public speaking at a professional development day workshop – a workshop he was asked to deliver because of his Toastmasters training. Nelson later

became an English, History, Geography and Math teacher at Centennial Public School in Waterloo.

Kitchener resident Bud Brown, who was the club’s President in 2007 and is its current web master, joined in 2001.

“This is an educational program like no other. What astounds me is that almost no one knows about it,” Brown said.

A trainer in leadership, sales and business techniques, Brown said the techniques he’s learned as a club member have been invaluable in his job.

“I’ve learned how to make more impact and how to communicate with people better,” he said.

Syd Vanderpool, guest speaker at the club’s 35th anniversary celebration, told the story of his personal rise to fame offering, as he put it, “life lessons on how a 19-year-old Canadian kid from Kitchener, Ontario ends up with the biggest promoter in boxing, Don King, and fighting for the world title on the most prestigious stage in boxing at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.”

He talked about how to become a champion, both in life and work, explaining how champions prepare to reach the goals they have set, how they stay focused, and most importantly how they take action to accomplish the goal.

“These three things are what separate the dreamers from the doers and achievers,” he said.

The celebration also included an opportunity for guests to write comments about what the Toastmasters Club has meant to them.

“When I joined Toastmasters, I didn’t realize that I would get more than just public speaking skills from the organization. I had no idea that I would gain so many friends and wonderful mentors. Many of these people are from Black Walnut,” wrote Dawna Bate, Area 61 Governor.

“Black Walnut Toastmasters – a group that has made a great impact on my own life – not just in public speaking, but in my work and personal life.” wrote Todd Neath, V-P Education, Black Walnut Club.

“Georgina Green gave me her business card on the way to the [Kitchener] Market one day. I looked at the card on my fridge for about six months, finding many excuses not to go to the 7:30am meeting. Then I went one week! I’ve been going most weeks for the four years since. There’s so much to learn!” wrote Heather Landells, Black Walnut Club member.

Former Black Walnut member Doug Brown wrote that the club helps “inspire future leaders.”

“I really appreciate so many members playing mentor roles for me,” wrote newer member Kelvin Garcia.

* * * The Black Walnut Toastmasters Club is open to any

adult who wishes to improve their communication and leadership skills. It meets Wednesday mornings at 7:30am to 8:50am at the Sunlife Building on the border of Kitchener and Waterloo. For more information visit blackwalnut.toastmastersclubs.org

From left: Sophie Houle, Charlie Dopp, Yi Hao and Kelvin Gracia enjoy the Black Walnut Toastmaster’s anniversary celebration at the Walper Hotel.

Black Walnut Toastmasters Club celebrates 35 years

Page 10 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013

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!

Aboriginal AffairsAboriginal culture contributes to

Canada’s value. The challenges faced by First Nations and their relationship with the Government are complex and require attention.

The Government is committed to supporting First Nations, to improve their well-being and prosperity, developing sustainable communities and creating greater opportunities. Through dialogue with First Nations the Government has identified five priority areas: education; reconciliation and governance; economic development; empowering citizens and protecting the vulnerable; and resolving land issues.

Since taking office the Government has built over 230 new schools on reserves and renovated over 230 others. It has built over 10,000 new homes and renovated thousands more. It has increased funding for family services by 25% and has invested billions in safe water systems. The Canadian Government invests approximately $1.7 billion per year to educate 117,500 students on reserves.

The Government introduced the First Nations Financial Transparency Bill to foster strong First Nations governance. It requires First Nations to publicly disclose financial statements and the salaries of the chief and councillors. No framework for accountability presently exists. Lack of healthy housing in Attawapiskat is a particular concern. Since 2005, the Government has

transferred over $54,000 for each man, woman and child in the community. This has not delivered the desired results. A 2011 independent auditor discovered that over 80 percent of the financial transactions of the Attawapiskat First Nation lacked supporting documentation and found no evidence of due diligence. Consequently, Attawapiskat has been placed under Third Party Management. Every year the Government holds over 5000 consultations with First Nations. Eighty land claims have been settled in recent years. I strongly support all forms of dialogue between the Government and First Nations. This approach accounts for the historical legacy which complicates aboriginal issues. It recognizes the role Courts rulings play. It prefers diplomacy over confrontation. Chief Spence’s demand that Canada exchange constitutional limited monarchy for absolutist monarchy by giving the Governor General new powers to intervene in negotiations with First Nations was unacceptable. I am very glad she is no longer jeopardizing her health to pursue that objective.

Happy New Year! Please accept my best wishes for a

healthy and prosperous 2013! I consider it to be a great privilege to represent my friends, neighbours and constituents of Kitchener Centre as your Member of Parliament, and I look forward to working together with you in the New Year

Investing in stronger schools is part of the Ontario government’s plan to help more students succeed and secure a brighter future for all Ontarians. I was pleased to recently announce significant provincial funding for a series of major investments for our two local school boards. The Waterloo District School Board will receive $18.7 million for two permanent additions (Mackenzie King PS and Breslau PS) as well as a new school in South Kitchener. The Waterloo Catholic District School Board will receive $11.5 million for two permanent additions (St. Aloysius and Blessed John Paul II) and a new school in the Maryhill/Breslau area.

These new projects will provide students with improved and modern learning spaces to help them focus on their education while supporting the continued roll out of full-day kindergarten.

Since our election in 2003, our government has continued to make major investments in our schools. This year, work will begin on 39 new schools, with another 48 receiving additions or retrofits to help meet students’ needs. These new projects will provide improved, modern spaces to help students focus on learning while supporting the continued rollout of full-day kindergarten. This is in addition to 400 new schools that have been built since 2003.We remain committed to protecting the gains made in education since 2003, including full-day kindergarten, maintaining smaller class sizes and preserving 20,000 teacher and support staff jobs.

Investing in new and revitalized schools is an important part of our government’s Open Ontario plan to strengthen and improve education. Our education infrastructure investments include:

• Reducing the backlog of renewal needs in schools across Ontario -- over 27,000 school renewal projects that are completed or underway in schools across the province, which include replacing roofs, windows and boilers.

• Helping over 2,600 schools become more energy efficient• Installing 135 projects utilizing renewable energy technologies.• Replacing older schools.• Expanding schools to lower class sizes and implement of Full Day Kindergarten.This investment in education infrastructure is also an investment in Ontario’s

future. With this funding, we have addressed additions to accommodate new classrooms for things like full day kindergarten, renovations in older schools that needed it, and building new schools in areas that have experienced quick growth; like Waterloo Region.

PROVINCIAL ISSUESby John Milloy

MPP for Kitchener-Centre

PARLIAMENTARY REPORTby Stephen Woodworth MP for Kitchener-Centre

February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 11

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.

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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

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PUBLISHER/EDITORCarrie Debrone

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NEWS REPORTERSJennifer LeppekHelen Hall

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CONTRIBUTINGCOLUMNISTSZoe Avon

Dee ConstantJennifer LeppekMarilyn LincolnTed MartinJohn MilloyJack NahrgangJanet OzarukPeter SchneiderJohn Smola

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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

Our region should have the right to make its own decisions – especially when it comes to planning where, when and

how its communities should grow.It’s also about time someone stood up for the preservation of

prime agricultural land in this province, and who better to do that than the Region of Waterloo – located smack dab in the middle of some of the richest farmland in Ontario.

The recent decision made by the two members of the Ontario Municipal Board to allow ten times more local agricultural land to be developed into subdivisions than the region wants, is both disgraceful and shocking. The decision has angered not only the regional planning staff and legal department, who have spent decades working towards a more sustainable urban model with a central transportation corridor, but also local environmentalists, politicians and the general public.

So much for democracy. In a single decision two people, who were not even elected, took away our region’s ability to control its own destiny.

These quasi-judicial board members decided that development should happen, just as it always has in the past 50 years – with cities growing outward instead of upward.

Regional council has since voted unanimously to appeal the decision, and it should be applauded for doing so.

The OMB’s decision not only capsizes democracy, taking away the authority of the region to make its own decisions, but it has also laid to waste the first piece of provincial legislation that would have truly helped protect local farmland.

Canadians are losing the ability to feed themselves. Statistics Canada reports that from 1971 to 2001, Ontario, which holds 56 per cent of Canada’s Class 1 farmland, permanently lost over 14,000

square kilometers of our best agricultural land to urban uses.When the province passed the Places to Grow Act in 2006 asking

municipalities to think into the future, be proactive, and come up with better planning initiatives to curb urban sprawl and protect farmland, it produced a good piece of legislation. Perhaps, some would argue, the best to come out in years.

When our regional planners followed the legal mandate they were given by that legislation, they did it with gusto, producing some of the most aggressive growth management strategy in the province and coming up with a plan to use infill lots in developments that already exist within the region’s cities to meet the housing needs for our expected growing population instead of using up the agricultural land on its geographical outskirts.

But, instead of being rewarded for their ingenuity and initiative, they were punished.

Tragically, the OMB decision is typical of this staid provincial tribunal whose reputation of usually siding with developers precedes it.

The region employs a talented legal department and a forward thinking, professional planning department, and it is not right that with the stroke of a pen the OMB can undo years of their work.

The message the OMB decision sends is—‘Don’t reward forward thinkers, don’t agree with municipalities who follow the law, don’t credit planners who lead with environmentally responsible ideas, and certainly don’t give any credence to the public who was consulted and to regional councilors who supported the Official Plan.’ Apparently all these people know nothing.

The Region of Waterloo should throw every ounce of planning knowledge and legal ingenuity it can muster at the OMB.

We must curb the sprawl of shallow development.

EDITORIAL

Curb the sprawl of shallow development

Every February, Waterloo Region’s heritage groups cel-ebrate everything old as they reminisce about their his-

torical roots, old neighbourhoods, archaeology, rivers, industry, farming and landscapes.

On February 26 , the Heritage Planning Advisory Committee will present to the Region’s Planning and Works Committee a draft implementation guideline for protecting Cultural Heritage Landscapes. A Cultural Heritage Landscape is a geographical area of heritage significance modified by human activities and valued by the community.

It may consist of structures, special spaces, archaeological sites and natural elements.

Why should we conserve Cultural Heritage Landscapes? They tell us about our community’s origins and development. They provide us with scenic, economic, ecological, social, recreational and educational opportunities. They enhance our quality of day to day experiences. They ensure we understand our sense of place.

Keep posted for a Public Meeting about Cultural Heritage Landscapes to be held in April. Cultural Heritage Landscapes define and confirm our regional identity. We need to save these landscapes.

Jean HaalboomKitchener Regional Councillor

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

What are Cultural Heritage Landscapes?

After looking at both sides of the firepit issue in Kitchener, I can only conclude that Kitchener municipal councillors

have to get serious about the environment.Wood smoke is extremely toxic and no one should have to

breathe it. Parents who have fires in their backyards should do some research on the danger of wood smoke.

When many residents have fires at the same time, entire subdivisions can smell smokey. This is ridiculous because it is Kitchener Council sanctioned pollution.

The easy solution is to use gas or propane instead of wood.Even an event like the Ribfest in Kitchener’s Victoria Park

could use propane barbecues. Myself and several others who live

on the edge of Victoria Park have been completely smoked out by the Ribfest in the past. It all depends on the wind. The last time this happened to me my residence smelled like a fire for two months. It was disgusting.

Why is it that residents of Kitchener have to fight for clean air?City councillors are voted in to make informed decisions not to

make a few people who can’t afford to go camping happy while others suffer.

It is time to make the environment and clean air an election issue in Kitchener.

Kevin ScottKitchener

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Firepit ban should be an election issue

Page 12 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013

St. Georges of Forest Hill Anglican Church321 Fischer-Hallman Road, Kitchener 519-744-4751

Sunday Services 8:15am Holy Eucharist10:00am Holy Choral Eucharist with

Sunday School and Nursery1:00pm Sagrada Eucharistia en espanol

Wednesday 10:00am Healing Servicewww.stgeorgesofforesthill.comemail: stgeorgefh@golden.net

Calvin Presbyterian Church248 Westmount Road East, Kitchener

519-744-4061Worship Service: 10:15am

Sunday School for children provided.All are Welcome!

www.calvinchurch.caemail: calvin@calvinchurch.ca

Central Baptist ChurchSundays 11:00am

358 Ottawa Street South, Kitchener (at Mill St.)

Phone: 519-744-0130www.central-baptist.ca

9:30am Sunday School for all ages and German ServiceThe Gathering Church

Sundays 10:30amMeeting at the W.T. Townshend School

245 Activa Ave., Kitchenerwww.gatheringchurch.ca

PH: 519-576-6776 for more informationPrograms for all ages

Warm, engaging, relevant...a new church in your neighbourhood!

St John the Evangelist Anglican Church23 Water Street North, Kitchener (Corner of Duke and Water)

Services: Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.mWednesday at 7:30 a.m. followed by breakfast

Sunday school and youth program at 10am service on SundayAll are welcome to all services and programs.

(519) 743-0228 www.stjohn316.com

CommunityFaith Listings

Citizen Crossword #26By Charon (answers on page 14)

Citizen Crossword # 26 by Charon

Across 8 Kids' summer getaway (4)

9 Against the odds (5)

10 Soon, poetically (4)

11 It moves in a blink (6)

12 Emergency exit (4,4)

13 Three sixty-six days (4,4)

15 The way we word (6)

17 Gain possession by prior right (7)

19 Popular club (3,4)

22 Bad thing to bear (6)

24 Word chunk (8)

26 Contagious skin infection (8)

28 Lady of Lyons (6)

30 Jack Horner's discovery (4)

31 Dispense with (5)

32 Maritime force (4)

Down 1 Averse to activity (4)

2 American symbol (5,3)

3 Hidden in a haystack? (6)

4 Put on a show (7)

5 Enrico's caffeine shot (8)

6 Solidify (6)

7 Daily list or a commotion (2-2)

14 It's a mistake (5)

16 Coral island (5)

18 Shows for critics (8)

20 Not seated (8)

21 Gradual absorption (7)

23 Night visions (6)

25 Construction site stack (6)

27 The ___ of human kindness (4)

29 Change residences (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

30 31 32

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February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 13

519-743-2323

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Jo-Anne Kropf H.I.S.

Family Day weekend seems like the perfect time for a train ride.

The Waterloo Central Railway is offering train rides between Waterloo and Elmira on its recently restored Essex Terminal Railway No. 9 steam locomotive that was built in 1923 at the Montreal Locomotive Works.

The train was restored by the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society (SOLRS) at its St. Jacobs workshop. SOLRS is an all volunteer, not-for-profit registered charity. All funds from its train operations are used for the operation and restoration of its historical railway collection.

This weekend will also feature the 10th Annual Winterloo (formerly known as the Waterloo Ice Dogs Festival) at the Uptown Waterloo Public Square.

Train tickets can be purchased online at www.waterloocentralrailway.com or in person at the Centre In The Square box office located at 101 Queen Street North, Kitchener. An additional

ticket surcharge will apply for box office purchases.

Tickets can be purchased for Saturday, February 16th and Monday, February 18th. The train departs from the Uptown Waterloo Public Square (75 King Street South, Waterloo, between Erb Street and Willis Way) at 1pm with the round trip to Elmira taking approximately 2.5 hours. There will be no photo run pasts or stops on these trips.

Round Trip FaresAdult: $25Child (3-14): $15Family: $75 (Family is 2 Adults & 3 Children)Parking is available at Waterloo Town Square

as well as the nearby City of Waterloo Visitor Information & Heritage Centre (Train Station) at 10 Father David Bauer Drive. Please arrive early as parking is limited. Please note during the winter months the Train Station is closed.

This photo shows the restored No. 9 steam locomotive on a summertime trip.

Waterloo Central Railway offering familyday weekend trips on a steam locomotive

(519) 744-9928OPEN YEAR ROUND

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Page 14 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013

DIGEST THISAdding oomph and nutrition to baked apples

HEALTH & Lifestyle

by JenniFer leppekbsC. nutritionist

It’s cold, it’s snowy, and I’m hankering for some comfort food. I like to update my

methods adding nutrition and oomph to the tried-and-true.

Today the kids and I are making Baked Apples. Yum!

An apple a day…A crisp, juicy apple is always

delicious, but on a cold winter’s

evening something warm is always appreciated.

Eating an apple a day provides vitamins C and A, calcium, iron, thiamin, boron, and potassium all while being low in calories and high in fibre.

Boron is a trace mineral that’s being studied as an estrogen-booster in post-menopausal women.

Tried-and-true Baked Apples

Whether you’re going for the old faithful baked apple or the baked apple with pizazz, start with Ida Red, Empire, McIntosh, Mutsu, or Spartan apples or the Cadillac of baking apples, Northern Spy.

Wash one (or two!) large apple(s) per person and have an adult remove the core.

If it won’t cause a big to-do for your pickier eaters, leave the peel on – it contains 1/3 of the apple’s fibre.

Line a cake pan or lasagna dish (depending on how many apples you’re making) with foil and place the apples inside.

(For 6 apples), in a bowl mix, until crumbly, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup soft butter or margarine, 1 cup rolled oats, and 1 tsp. cinnamon.

Pack the apples with this

mixture, heaping about 1 tsp. on top. Pour a cup of apple juice into the baking pan.

Bake for about 45 minutes.These baked apples will be

delicious as a yummy breakfast, a side for pork, or a nutritious dessert.

Now for some oomph…Nuts & Dried FruitSwap half or all of the rolled

oats for any combination of nuts and/or dried fruit that your family will love. (Or your dinner party guests, for that matter. This can be a lovely dessert to serve to company.)

Nuts are full of vitamin E, folic acid, iron, and zinc - nutrients that are often missing from Canadian diets.

Rich in fibre and one of the best plant sources of protein, nuts also contain selenium, copper, potassium, magnesium, and B vitamins.

We’re going to use walnuts. I think these nuts are a tasty combo with apples and they’re one of the superstars of the nut family. (Plus I have a package in the cupboard that didn’t get used at Christmas!)

Walnuts are the only nut that is a significant source of alpha-linolenic acid, the plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers are studying the effects of walnuts on heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and aging.

Dried fruits are a concentrated source of the nutrients, calories, fibre and natural sugars found in fresh fruit. My mother put raisins in her baked apples.

We’re adding dried cranberries because they’re

more popular at our house and because they’re high in fibre and a source of vitamin C.

Cranberries contain the bioflavonoid anthocyanin, a pigment, which is being studied for its role in the protection of eyesight and in the prevention of cancer.

CheeseI found a fun recipe on the

Dairy Farmers of Canada website www.diarygoodness.ca.

I think that ‘Quick Cheddar Baked Apples’ will be a yummy, nutritious afterschool (or, today, after shovelling!) snack that’s quick and easy to make. It’s reminiscent of having a slice of cheddar with your apple pie.

After coring your apples, cut them in half and place them, cut side up, in a microwave-safe dish.

Sprinkle them with brown sugar and ground cinnamon or ginger (exotic!) and microwave them on medium-high for about 5 minutes or until tender.

Top the apples with grated cheese, (the recipe calls for old cheddar cheese, but I say use your favourite), and return to the microwave for 30-60 seconds to melt the cheese.

Cheese is high in protein and calcium and a good source of niacin, riboflavin, phosphorus, vitamin A, and zinc. That really adds an oomph of nutrition to a snack!

Before, serving, add some nuts and dried fruit (pecans and cranberries are suggested, yum).

Keep warm!

296 Highland Road East at Stirling

519-571-7050

Go FishIf you suffer from dry eyes, up your seafood intake. Salmon, sardines, and mackerel contain omega-3 fatty acids, which the body uses to produce tears, among other things. Research suggests that people who consume higher amounts of these fats are less likely to have dry eyes.

Talk to our pharmacists about how we can help with your healthcare.

Health Tips

Solution to Crossword #26

L1

A2

N3

P4

E5

H6

T7

C8

A M P E9

V E N S A10

N O N

Z P E R P R D

E11

Y E L I D F12

I R E D O O R

E L O E E

L13

E14

A P Y E A R S15

Y N T A16

X

R I M S T

P17

R E E M P18

T H19

O T S20

P O T

O R O21

T L

G22

R U D23

G E S24

Y L25

L A B L E

R V M U N

I26

M27

P E T I G O M28

A D A M29

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P30

L U M W31

A I V E N32

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K S S S R G E

February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 15

How can The Harvard Medical School, my alma mater, be so

backward about heart attack? It’s appar-ent it’s researchers never heard Linus Pauling when he countered critics, with “It’s the dosage idiots”. Fortunately, a new remedy, Medi-C Plus, allows read-ers to benefit from Harvard’s error.

A Harvard study involved 15,000 healthy male doctors. Half were given a multivitamin pill, the others a placebo. Dr. Howard Sesso of Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital reports that after 11 years of study there was no difference between the two groups in rate of heart attacks, strokes, heart failure or chest pain.

What amazes me about the Harvard study is how researchers could waste 11 years studying a project doomed to failure. The multivitamin used contained only 75 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C. This amount is potent enough to prevent scurvy, as only 10 mg is needed to guard against this ancient disease. But prescribing 75 mg of vitamin C to prevent coronary attack is like trying to kill an elephant with a BB gun.

Dr. Linus Pauling reported years ago that it requires several thousand milligrams of vitamin C, along with the amino acid lysine, to prevent coronary attack. Pauling also reminded us that animals produce thousands of mgs of vitamin C daily but humans lost this ability eons ago. This inability to make vitamin sets up humans for heart attack and stroke. Increased vitamin C has been proven to prevent this.

Vitamin C makes coronary arteries strong. As mortar binds bricks together, coronary cells are glued together by collagen. But it requires high doses of vitamin C and lysine to produce strong collagen. And just as steel rods provide extra strength to concrete, lysine increases the power of collagen.

Dr. William Stehbens, Professor of Pathology at Auckland University in New Zealand, reported years ago that Pauling was right. Stehbens emphasized that coronary arteries are under more pressure than any other arteries in the body. After all, they’re situated in the heart’s muscle, not in the big toe. Moreover they’re under constant

pressure while the heart beats 100,000 times every 24 hours, or 37 million times a year, and 2.2 billion times if you live to 70 years of age.

Without sufficient Vitamin C and lysine this constant pounding causes minute cracks in collagen, resulting in blood clots and possible death. Or a weakened artery breaks, causing a stroke.

Dr. Sydney Bush, an English researcher, should be eligible for the Nobel Prize for his finding. Bush took photos of the retina (back part of the eye), then prescribed large doses of vitamin C and lysine. One year later, photos showed that weakened arteries were gradually restored to normal.

This historic finding is ignored by cardiologists and sad to say, even by The Harvard Medical School. But there is no reason medical consumers should not benefit from this research when the scientific facts are so valid. As mentioned in a previous column I bet my own life on vitamin C and lysine following a coronary attack 15 years ago. But I hated swallowing so many pills every day.

A year ago I persuaded Preferred Nutrition, a health food company, to develop a combination powder of vitamin C and lysine. It’s now available at Health Food Stores. A flat scoop of powder contains 2,000 mg of C and 1,300 mg of lysine. It should be taken twice a day with meals, or three times daily if there’s a history of heart disease. If diarrhea occurs, the dose should be reduced.

But since I inherited Scottish blood I hate to see people wasting money. So don’t start Medi-C Plus if it’s your intention to do so for only a few months. It won’t work. Medi-C Plus is a lifetime habit. Its benefit is being alive at 95 without having suffered a heart attack or stroke.

To fight heart disease weight control, a healthy diet, no smoking and moderate drinking also have proven benefit. Also get off the couch! And always check with your doctor before starting or changing medication.

See the web site www.docgiff.com For comments info@docgiff.com and find me @Twitter GiffordJonesMD

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BuildingFor over 40 years, KW Habilitation has been inspiring abilities and enriching the lives of children and adults with developmental disabilities.

NOW WE’RE BUILDING ON THAT SUCCESS!Please help us by supporting our Building AchievAbility Campaign.Your contribution will help us inspire abilities and enrich lives.To learn more, please call 519-744-6307 or visit us on-line at:

www.kwhab.ca

Page 16 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013

Local SPORTS

ymcacambridgekw.ca

by Carrie Debrone

The Kitchener Sports As-sociation (KSA) has

come up with a plan it hopes will allow more local young people to play sports.

The KSA recently informed the members of its 40 local

minor sports groups that it is prepared to collaborate with them and provide money towards their registration fee-assistance programs.

The KSA is also prepared to offer funds to help with fee-assistance programs to groups that are not currently members

of the KSA.It is hoped that the funding

will enable the groups to provide subsidized fees to more children and youth who would otherwise miss out on the opportunity to play.

KSA’s funding is meant to augment “not replace” the sources of assistance already available to individual players.

KSA Past president Gord Dearborn said he expects about 15 KSA sports groups to apply this year to the KSA’s fee assistance fund.

“We have a form for them to fill out that asks them to show us what they’ve provided in the past and how they have reached out to people. If they are only able to help a few children each year because they don’t have enough money to subsidize further, maybe the KSA money will allow them to help more families who need assistance to pay for their children’s sports,” Dearborn said.

The KSA is not the only organization working to improve access to sports

for needy families. Various government agencies, including the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo through Leisure Cards, OutReach, and Family & Children’s Services are working on a standardized system to qualify applicants for financial assistance for registering in minor sports programs.

Another group is working to re-establish a local chapter of KidSport - another source of potential assistance for aspiring young athletes.

Kitchener Sports Association to top up registration fee-assistance programs

by Helen Hall

There will be no mass minor sports registra-tion at Conestoga Mall this year.

In the past, local sports groups have come together at Conestoga Mall in February and invited people to attend and sign up for their spring programs. However, that plan has been changed this year, according to Bob Cheyne, Kitchener’s Supervisor of Athletics.

Cheyne said it was a combination of less space being available at the mall, due to construction, and the realization that most people register their children for sports online now.

Typically, sports volunteers would be at the mall on a Friday evening and most of Saturday.

“We realized this wasn’t the most effective use of volunteer time,” Cheyne said.

If you can’t find a website for your local sport, there is a complete list of telephone number contacts if you search “minor sports” on the City of Kitchener’s website www.kitchener.ca

Baseball registration, which was always held separately in Kitchener, will continue to do a mass registration. Baseball, softball and t-ball organizations will be in the Community Room upstairs at the Zehrs in the Laurention Power Centre on Saturday, March 2 from 9am to 1pm.

Drop-in registration at Zehrs, Laurentian Plaza,Ottawa St., Kitchener Community Room, upstairs,Sat, Mar 2 - 9am-1pm or register anytimeat www.kmgsa.com

Age GroupsLearn to Play: 2007, 2006 ($60 registration)House league program - $125 + $10 fundraising feeMite: 2005, 2004, 2003 Squirt: 2002, 2001Novice: 2000, 1999 Bantam: 1998, 1997Midget: 1996, 1995,1994

www.kmgsa.comSoftball hotline: 519.745.4722 or email info@kmgsa.com

Bring a friend with youto registration that’snever played beforeand you both receive

$25 OFF your fee!

Cari played u12 Squirt rep ballthis year. When the house

league season is over, considertrying out for the rep team.

Details on the website.

Hey girls…play

softball!it’s time to

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

HANSMA AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE INC.PETE HANSMA (519) 748-5533www.HansmaAutomotive.com

88 Shoemaker St., Unit 3 & 4, Kitchener, ON N2E 3G4

Now offering detailing services!

No mass minor sports registration at Conestoga Mall

February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 17

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO WOUNDED WARRIORS

3rd AnnualPte. Tyler William Todd 3-On-3 Co-Ed Hockey TournamentFriday, March 29th– Saturday, March 30th 2013

Registration $60 per player Guaranteed 5 games, lunch provided for players

Ra� e Prizes, Silent Auction, Live Auction and much more!Deadline is Monday, March 25th, 2013

Teams are made up by draft

Please contact one of the following to register:Tree Baer – 519-635-3507

Linda Murray – 519-573-8770Samantha Witzel – 519-539-8757

Plattsville Arena - Friday, March 29th & Saturday, March 30th 2013

To make a donation of any kind, contact Trevor Baer 519 635 3507 treebaer@hotmail.com

by Carrie Debrone

Local professional wrestler “HardKore Hick” Jeff Black will be in the ring February 22 facing WWE superstar Tommy Dreamer, Shawn Michaels, in

the Pure Wrestling Association’s ‘Dreams Become Reality’ event.The family-friendly match will take place at the Alpine Club, 464 Maple

Ave, in Kitchener.“I’ve been waiting for this since I was a teenager,” Kitchener

resident Black, now in his 30s, said of the coming PWA match.

“He was the guy I wanted to be like. He captured my attention and I wanted to emulate him. It’s a dream come true,” Black said.

Black, originally from Goderich, Ontario, weighs in at 325 pounds. A part-time professional wrestler for about eight years, his full-time job as a courier helps him keep fit as he does a lot of heavy lifting.

A severe knee injury in 2006 slowed him down but also gave him the chance to take stock of his place in the sport he loves as he came to realize that he was not destined to become a full-time professional wrestler.

“It’s definitely my passion, but I also do it just because it’s fun. The atmosphere of the events and the other guys competing are great. I’m just an average guy but I’m strong,” he said.

Currently Black wrestles at least once a week at matches throughout Southern Ontario.

“My goal is to win, but whether that’s in the cards

remains to be seen. I’ve got this energy now. A lot of eyes are going to be on this match and I’m likely going to be doing

some things in the fight that will shock the fans. I’m pulling out all the stops,” he said.

“When the fans watch me wrestling that night, no matter what the outcome is, they’ll see a guy having

the time of his life,” Black said.The evening will also feature matches between

Ruffy Silverstein vs. Reggie Marley, Pure Wrestling Association champion Joey Allen

and “Penthouse” Lenny Lilac, Elite Women’s Champion Jewells Malone battling Gabriella

Vanderpool, Ontario Champion Jimmy King, a grudge match with Derek Platinum

vs. Anthony Fiasco, Buck Gunderson and “EZE” Eric Cairnie and more.

Doors open at 7pm, bell time 8pm.Tickets can be purchased at

Combinations Sports - 306 King St W in Kitchener, www.PWACanada.com or by calling 519-998-8799. PWA will deliver tickets in the area. VIP Front Row - $25, VIP General - $20 (VIP gets you in at 6:30pm to meet Tommy Dreamer). Front Row - $20,

General Admission - $15, Kids 10 and Under General - $10.

Help PWA put a Headlock on Hunger and bring a canned food item that will be donated to the Waterloo Regional Food Bank.

Local wrestler’s dream... ...becomes reality

$11,000 raised for Breast Cancer CentreIsabela Webb, who is with her dad Josh, enjoys some cake at the 6th Annual Shoot for a Cure fundraiser, which was held at Shooter’s Choice in Waterloo on January 19. The Canadian Archers for a Cure (CAFAC) hosts the annual tournament which raises money towards breast cancer research. This year it raised a record high of $11,000 for the Waterloo Wellington Breast Centre, which is located at Grand River Hospital’s Freeport site. Both of Isabela’s parents participated in the fundraiser.

Photo by Helen Hall

Page 18 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013

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

After returning home fromMorogoro, Tanzania, as a

delegate in 2011, I initiated acommunity-based partnership

between the City of Kitchener andUrban Council of Morogoro, with thesupport of my fellow councillors, towork towards the betterment of allcitizens in our municipalities.

To promote this partnership, I’mexcited to announce the inauguraldevelopment education tour willtake place from July 6-20,coordinated by GIVE International,and they’re looking for volunteers!

If you have always wanted to makea meaningful impact overseas, thenGIVE International is looking for you!Volunteers will connect with

Morogoro residents to learn aboutthe country’s developmentchallenges through hands-onprojects and cross-cultural dialogue.Opportunities include: assisting withconstruction and refurbishmentprojects at the Morogoro orphanage;distributing “family kits” to familiesin need; coordinating recreationalactivities; supporting the breakfastprogram, and assisting healthprofessionals at the MorogoroHospital and health clinic. Theseopportunities will allow you to makea positive difference by

strengthening their community.Eligible applicants will also have

the opportunity to experience theMikumi Park Widlife Safari and Dares Salaam city tour that is sure to bean exhilarating adventure!

Applications are available atwww.giveintl.org/applynow. Eligibleapplicants must contribute a total of$4,400 to the program, which canbe self-funded or financed throughdonations or fundraising initiatives.For more information, please visitwww.giveintl.org. n

notes from city hall

Office: 519-741-2793 Cell: 226-748-3109 paul.singh@kitchener.ca

On Jan. 17, councilunanimously supported a tax

levy increase of 1.39 per cent. Ibelieve the budget for 2013 is fair

and balanced; the tax rate increasewas below the rate of inflation of 1.4per cent, and did not require anysignificantly reduced service levels.

From the starting point of 2.87 percent, council made furtherreductions of nearly 1.5 per cent,equating to a city budgetary cut of$1.5 million.

My contribution, leading up to andon the final budget day, was mycommitment to ensuring a budgetthat would have the least impact onyou, the tax payer. My suggestion todivert the revenue generated by the

Kitchener Operations Facility solarroof helped lower the tax base by$300,000 of the total $1.5 millionbudget reduction.

I also requested that reserves inthe discontinued LEAF fund be puttowards lowering the city’s debt. Themotion I put forward required$500,000 of the remaining LEAFfund be directed to our debt. It onlyhad a small impact on our overalldebt, but it was still a step in theright direction. Further, I spoke ofdecreasing the three per centincrease to the stormwater utility

(SWM) that staff suggested, andencouraged council to reduce theutility increase for 2013 to only 1.5per cent. I am glad council chose tosupport all of these directions.

This year I will be starting a regulare-newsletter, e-news blasts, and e-community events updates. If youwould like to receive these updateson matters relating to yourneighbourhood, Ward 6 or city-wideissues, please reply with the subjectheading “Update Me.” I will addyour e-mail to my subscription list. n

Office: 519-741-2796 Residence: 519-579-4052zyg.janecki@kitchener.ca

Although it’s been a monthsince we approved the

budget, we kept the increase to1.39 per cent below the inflationrate. The hardest component was

determining which projects anddepartmental requests to support orcut.

I felt council did a remarkable job,although we did not agree on a lot ofitems. Our biggest challenge wasthe fire department, whichcomprises the largest chunk of thetax levy. Unfortunately, you can’tplease everyone or every grouplooking for assistance.

Community garden If you live in the Victoria Hills

neighbourhood, and are interestedin having a garden plot, then this

information will excite you. The interest in community gardens

by our citizens continues to grow,and it is clear by the waiting list atthe Hazelglen Drive/Victoria Streetgarden, there is a need for anotherlocation.

To meet this need in Ward 8, Ihave been working with staff tocreate a second garden plot inGzowski Park on Chopin Drivebehind the Victoria Hills CommunityCentre (VHCC).

You may contact VHCC at 519-741-2717 to be placed on a waiting list,

should this community garden beapproved by council.

BlackBerry launch At a January council meeting I

voted to support placing banners ondowntown light poles, promoting thelaunch of BlackBerry 10.

Although the city has a policy onnot promoting commercialbusinesses with advertising on cityproperty, I felt that because of theglobal exposure of this launch, itwould be an exception that wouldbenefit our municipality in the longrun. n

Areduction to the firedepartment’s budget was put

forward by staff – a reduction whichI did not support – lowering the tax

base through the attrition of fourfirefighters. Yes, the department’sbudget has increased in the last fiveyears and I recognize that this is anissue, but it’s not our battle.

Provincial arbitrators hand downcontract settlements to the city andwe cannot continue to sustain theseincreases year after year.

However, I am not willing tosacrifice public safety to save eachcitizen a few bucks, especially withour expected population increase.We must at least stay the course.

Emerald ash borer (EAB)Much to my disappointment,

council chose not to adequatelysupport the EAB initiative, which isalready extremely underfunded.EAB, an invasive insect that haskilled several hundred thousand ashtrees in Ontario, poses a majorenvironmental and economic threatto our forested areas.

With little support from theprovincial and federal government,municipalities must shoulder thecost of EAB, costing somemunicipalities millions.

During budget deliberations,council chose to put $500,000 fromthe LEAF fund towards the city’sdebt, instead of choosing to furtherfund a program that would be bettersuited to tackle the impendingdestruction of our tree canopy.

It should be noted that theintention of the LEAF fund was toemphasize our commitment toprotecting and conserving theenvironment, not paying down debt.That was not part of the originalspirit of the LEAF fund. n

Office: 519-741-2300Email: mayor@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! n

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

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

Alittle give and take. Thosehave been the results of two

small decisions achieved whencouncil approved two motions Iproposed during many hours of

recent multi-million-dollar budgetsessions.

The “give” came after councillorswho have worked hard on the budgetin order to control spending andtaxes unanimously supported myproposal to increase the city’sLeisure Access subsidy program by$15,000.

Last year the program, which helpslow-income children, seniors, singlemoms and new immigrants, overshotits $107,100 budget by about$38,000 as it provided much-needed assistance to about 1,750

people, many of them hit hard bysudden unemployment.

Fortunately, in recent years, asimilar shortage of dollars wasmostly topped up by the generousCanadian Tire Jump Start program inorder to help disadvantaged familiesparticipate in recreational activities. 

The “take” was a $6,000 cut to theannual $40,425 budgeted for our 10councillors and mayor to coveroperating costs and home-officeexpenses, an expense that I havebeen trying to reduce for the pasttwo years.

After noting ongoing reductions inthe cost of technology equipmentand the fact that about $18,000 ofour annual home-office budget wasnot spent in 2012, yours trulyproposed a $1,250 cut for eachcouncillor (a total $13,750). Instead,councillors opted to reduce thatamount to $545 per councillor (atotal $6,000).

Please feel free to contact meabout any subject at 519-741-2798or emailfrank.etherington@kitchener.ca. n

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!

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!

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!

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!

The decision to designate Rockway Gardens, Rockway Centre and re-

lated buildings as a heritage resource will be delayed until May 27, to allow time for a feasibility study and business case of the Rockway Centre to be completed.

Staff will bring forward the feasibility study and business case, Phase I and II of the Rockway Heritage Impact Assessment and accompanying recommendations to

the community and infrastructure services committee on May 27. This will allow council to consider all the information before making any decision regarding the facility and site.

A public meeting was held February 11 to collect public feedback on the eight options.

Display boards showing conceptual drawings for four of the options will also

be available at Rockway Centre and other community centres around Kitchener for the remainder of February and March for the public to review and provide feedback. Residents can also view the options and provide feedback online at www.kitchener.ca/rockwaystudy.

For more information and background reports, visit the website or call 519-741-2507.

Decision on Rockway Centre’s heritage designation delayed until May

citizens told us they could man-age.

No significant cuts were made to services such as community centres, snowplowing, and grass cutting; however, one significant reduction that council made affected our fire department. Their budget was reduced by $480,000 to account for the retirement of four firefighters; two fire prevention officers have already retired. This reduction was presented by senior staff as a viable option to limit the potential increase to the fire budget. Even after the reduction, the overall budget for

the department will still go up in 2013.

I understand how the public may perceive these cuts; I respect the work our firefighters do. It takes a special people to do these jobs and I know that the community appreciates this essential service.

The reality of the fire department budget is that it has gone up 31.3 per cent over the past six years due to increases in salary, and the opening of an additional fire station.

Salaries are often decided through arbitration. These

decisions have caused unsustainable salary levels at the municipal level and, if they continue, cities could experience an unstable financial position. Cities need to send a clear message to the province that these methods are not sustainable and taxpayers don’t have limitless funds to pay these increases through their taxes.

Everywhere we see efforts to reduce spending, we must lead by example at the city. Please contact me with your questions or concerns.n

The final budget was ratified in January, setting Kitchener’s

tax rate at 1.39 per cent. Through public input, research surveys and the interactive website, this is what

February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 19

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

After returning home fromMorogoro, Tanzania, as a

delegate in 2011, I initiated acommunity-based partnership

between the City of Kitchener andUrban Council of Morogoro, with thesupport of my fellow councillors, towork towards the betterment of allcitizens in our municipalities.

To promote this partnership, I’mexcited to announce the inauguraldevelopment education tour willtake place from July 6-20,coordinated by GIVE International,and they’re looking for volunteers!

If you have always wanted to makea meaningful impact overseas, thenGIVE International is looking for you!Volunteers will connect with

Morogoro residents to learn aboutthe country’s developmentchallenges through hands-onprojects and cross-cultural dialogue.Opportunities include: assisting withconstruction and refurbishmentprojects at the Morogoro orphanage;distributing “family kits” to familiesin need; coordinating recreationalactivities; supporting the breakfastprogram, and assisting healthprofessionals at the MorogoroHospital and health clinic. Theseopportunities will allow you to makea positive difference by

strengthening their community.Eligible applicants will also have

the opportunity to experience theMikumi Park Widlife Safari and Dares Salaam city tour that is sure to bean exhilarating adventure!

Applications are available atwww.giveintl.org/applynow. Eligibleapplicants must contribute a total of$4,400 to the program, which canbe self-funded or financed throughdonations or fundraising initiatives.For more information, please visitwww.giveintl.org. n

notes from city hall

Office: 519-741-2793 Cell: 226-748-3109 paul.singh@kitchener.ca

On Jan. 17, councilunanimously supported a tax

levy increase of 1.39 per cent. Ibelieve the budget for 2013 is fair

and balanced; the tax rate increasewas below the rate of inflation of 1.4per cent, and did not require anysignificantly reduced service levels.

From the starting point of 2.87 percent, council made furtherreductions of nearly 1.5 per cent,equating to a city budgetary cut of$1.5 million.

My contribution, leading up to andon the final budget day, was mycommitment to ensuring a budgetthat would have the least impact onyou, the tax payer. My suggestion todivert the revenue generated by the

Kitchener Operations Facility solarroof helped lower the tax base by$300,000 of the total $1.5 millionbudget reduction.

I also requested that reserves inthe discontinued LEAF fund be puttowards lowering the city’s debt. Themotion I put forward required$500,000 of the remaining LEAFfund be directed to our debt. It onlyhad a small impact on our overalldebt, but it was still a step in theright direction. Further, I spoke ofdecreasing the three per centincrease to the stormwater utility

(SWM) that staff suggested, andencouraged council to reduce theutility increase for 2013 to only 1.5per cent. I am glad council chose tosupport all of these directions.

This year I will be starting a regulare-newsletter, e-news blasts, and e-community events updates. If youwould like to receive these updateson matters relating to yourneighbourhood, Ward 6 or city-wideissues, please reply with the subjectheading “Update Me.” I will addyour e-mail to my subscription list. n

Office: 519-741-2796 Residence: 519-579-4052zyg.janecki@kitchener.ca

Although it’s been a monthsince we approved the

budget, we kept the increase to1.39 per cent below the inflationrate. The hardest component was

determining which projects anddepartmental requests to support orcut.

I felt council did a remarkable job,although we did not agree on a lot ofitems. Our biggest challenge wasthe fire department, whichcomprises the largest chunk of thetax levy. Unfortunately, you can’tplease everyone or every grouplooking for assistance.

Community garden If you live in the Victoria Hills

neighbourhood, and are interestedin having a garden plot, then this

information will excite you. The interest in community gardens

by our citizens continues to grow,and it is clear by the waiting list atthe Hazelglen Drive/Victoria Streetgarden, there is a need for anotherlocation.

To meet this need in Ward 8, Ihave been working with staff tocreate a second garden plot inGzowski Park on Chopin Drivebehind the Victoria Hills CommunityCentre (VHCC).

You may contact VHCC at 519-741-2717 to be placed on a waiting list,

should this community garden beapproved by council.

BlackBerry launch At a January council meeting I

voted to support placing banners ondowntown light poles, promoting thelaunch of BlackBerry 10.

Although the city has a policy onnot promoting commercialbusinesses with advertising on cityproperty, I felt that because of theglobal exposure of this launch, itwould be an exception that wouldbenefit our municipality in the longrun. n

Areduction to the firedepartment’s budget was put

forward by staff – a reduction whichI did not support – lowering the tax

base through the attrition of fourfirefighters. Yes, the department’sbudget has increased in the last fiveyears and I recognize that this is anissue, but it’s not our battle.

Provincial arbitrators hand downcontract settlements to the city andwe cannot continue to sustain theseincreases year after year.

However, I am not willing tosacrifice public safety to save eachcitizen a few bucks, especially withour expected population increase.We must at least stay the course.

Emerald ash borer (EAB)Much to my disappointment,

council chose not to adequatelysupport the EAB initiative, which isalready extremely underfunded.EAB, an invasive insect that haskilled several hundred thousand ashtrees in Ontario, poses a majorenvironmental and economic threatto our forested areas.

With little support from theprovincial and federal government,municipalities must shoulder thecost of EAB, costing somemunicipalities millions.

During budget deliberations,council chose to put $500,000 fromthe LEAF fund towards the city’sdebt, instead of choosing to furtherfund a program that would be bettersuited to tackle the impendingdestruction of our tree canopy.

It should be noted that theintention of the LEAF fund was toemphasize our commitment toprotecting and conserving theenvironment, not paying down debt.That was not part of the originalspirit of the LEAF fund. n

Office: 519-741-2300Email: mayor@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! n

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

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

Alittle give and take. Thosehave been the results of two

small decisions achieved whencouncil approved two motions Iproposed during many hours of

recent multi-million-dollar budgetsessions.

The “give” came after councillorswho have worked hard on the budgetin order to control spending andtaxes unanimously supported myproposal to increase the city’sLeisure Access subsidy program by$15,000.

Last year the program, which helpslow-income children, seniors, singlemoms and new immigrants, overshotits $107,100 budget by about$38,000 as it provided much-needed assistance to about 1,750

people, many of them hit hard bysudden unemployment.

Fortunately, in recent years, asimilar shortage of dollars wasmostly topped up by the generousCanadian Tire Jump Start program inorder to help disadvantaged familiesparticipate in recreational activities. 

The “take” was a $6,000 cut to theannual $40,425 budgeted for our 10councillors and mayor to coveroperating costs and home-officeexpenses, an expense that I havebeen trying to reduce for the pasttwo years.

After noting ongoing reductions inthe cost of technology equipmentand the fact that about $18,000 ofour annual home-office budget wasnot spent in 2012, yours trulyproposed a $1,250 cut for eachcouncillor (a total $13,750). Instead,councillors opted to reduce thatamount to $545 per councillor (atotal $6,000).

Please feel free to contact meabout any subject at 519-741-2798or emailfrank.etherington@kitchener.ca.n

City of Kitchener offers fun, safe, affordable, play-ground programsfor children ages 3 to 12

Need a way to keep yourkids busy this summer,

the City of Kitchener SummerPlaygrounds program offersgames, songs, crafts,sports, special events andoff-site trips open to childrenages 3-12. Playgroundleaders are trained inStandard First Aid and police screened.

For information call 519-741-2200 x7389.

Take a tour ofthe ‘new’ Aud!

Join us on Wednesday,Feb. 13 from 4:30- 6 p.m.

as we open our doors to thepublic to view the new andimproved building followingThe Aud Expansion Project.

There will be tours of thenewly renovated facility,including the KitchenerRangers’ dressing room – a once-in-a-lifetimeopportunity for most. Tours will begin at 4:45 p.m.and run every 15 minutesthereafter. KitchenerRangers’ players will be in attendance andrefreshments and snackswill also be available.

Page 20 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013

Arts & ENTERTAINMENT

Calling all future leaders, decision makers and visionaries – between the ages of 10 and 12 years-old!What makes a city a great place to live? Tell Mayor Zehr and members of council – in 250 words or less – how you would shape Kitchener of the future. Winners will participate in a live,televised council meeting in June to debate a community-related topic and receive a tour of city hall! As well, your essay will be printed in an upcoming issue of the Kitchener Citizen.

Essays are due by March 8, 2013 and can be emailed to council@kitchener.ca or dropped off at the Office of the Mayor and Council in City Hall (after business hours, pleasedrop off at security desk.) A total of 11 essays will be chosen. All entries are the property of the City of Kitchener. Only the winning names and ages will be published. For moreinformation, call 519-741-2300.

by Carrie Debrone

The Multicultural Cinema Club will host a Meet and Mingle on February 16 to allow local film-

makers and theatre actors to meet each other.The event will be held from 1 to 3pm at the Kitchener

City Hall Rotunda and is sponsored by The City of Kitchener. Finger foods and beverages will be on hand.

The Meet and Mingle is the third and final component in a focused discussion series organized by local film and community theatre actor D. Morton, who is the The Multicultural Cinema Club’s Collaboration Host.

“The idea came to me when I was handing out awards at the Local Focus Film Festival,” Morton said.

“When local filmmakers decide to make a film they usually use their friends and family as actors or search the website for semi-professional film actors who they think won’t be too expensive to hire. The film community is totally unaware that experienced actors exist in the many small theatre companies in the area. Many of those actors would be willing to work as film actors,” Morton said, adding that although most may not know much about film acting because they have been performing in live theatre for their whole lives, many are interested and willing to learn about film acting.

“And the theatre actors don’t know that there are a great number of independent filmmakers in our area wondering where to get actors,” Morton said.

“I thought it would be great to bring both groups together.”

Morton first met with local filmmakers who provided insight into the current sources for actors, as well as the qualities that filmmakers are looking for in their actors.

A second meeting, with local actors, provided insight into the barriers and needs that local actors have been experiencing to date.

The Meet and Mingle is meant to provide an opportunity to network and build relationships within and between these two groups, as the foundation for a self-sustaining community of people interested in making films in the Region of Waterloo.

The Multicultural Cinema Club is also working on a few new initiatives that have sprung from these conversations, including a workshop series for actors.

Details will be presented at the meeting. There will be an open microphone for filmmakers

or actors to announce coming projects to those in attendance.

“I also strongly suggest people bring pens, paper (or cell phone) to take names and numbers, along with their business cards,” Morton said.

The Multicultural Cinema Club is a Community Tools Project of The Working Centre. It was established in December 2006 to create a culture of cinema within Waterloo region by screening films, hosting discussions, creating artistic works, and encouraging community filmmaking.

MCC is a non-profit, community artist-run-organization committed to supporting groundbreaking and professional artistic productions, presentation and programming of independent video and media art.

The club is working towards making filmmaking technology more accessible to a wider range of people in the community who would like to gain or build skills in this area.

It provides access to a large inventory of film-making equipment for use by its members, is developing a studio space that includes editing suites, support and advice on film editing, provides workshops and skills sharing sessions on film-making, shares information on topics relevant to local filmmakers, including information on casting calls and local events, has established Good Work Productions – making professional quality films with a social purpose that builds on the skills and resources of staff and members of MCC, runs the Local Focus Film Festival showcasing the work of local filmmakers and screens films on relevant community issues followed by discussions about the film. MCC facilities can be used in a wide range of productions - video art, drama, documentary, multi-media, performance, installation, and community-based projects.

Local filmmaker/actor Meet and Mingle at city hall February 16

Kitchener’s AJ Bridel will play the title role in Peter Pan, scheduled to run Nov. 20 to Dec. 22 during the 2013 holiday season.

Bridel became a household name last fall as a finalist on CBC’s hit reality TV series Over The Rainbow, which saw Canadians vote for a young performer to play Dorothy in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s revival of The Wizard of Oz in Toronto.

The role went to La Salle, Ontario native Danielle Wade, but Bridel, who came in third, was a strong contender.

“AJ is a terrific performer with just the right qualities for this iconic role,” says Alex Mustakas, Artistic Directory of Drayton Entertainment.

“Her youthful energy and great voice make her a natural choice for Peter Pan.”The role of Peter in Peter Pan is historically played by a girl.Bridel, 18, grew up in Kitchener-Waterloo and graduated last spring from the

Integrated Arts Program at Eastwood Collegiate Institute, where Mustakas also attended high school. Bridel was accepted to the Musical Theatre Program at

Sheridan College, but her post-secondary training was put on hold when Andrew Lloyd Webber chose Bridel as a Top Ten finalist for Over The Rainbow. She competed on the show for eight weeks, becoming a fan favourite and winning praise from the judges for her compelling performances and outstanding voice.

“I am beyond excited to play Peter Pan and thrilled to be making my professional theatre debut with Drayton Entertainment,” said Bridel.

“I have grown up attending productions at the Drayton Festival Theatre, St. Jacobs Country Playhouse and Huron Country Playhouse, so getting to perform with this company is a dream come true.”

In addition, Bridel will appear this summer as Bet in Oliver! at the King’s Wharf Theatre in Penetanguishene and the Drayton Festival Theatre in Drayton.

Tickets can be purchased in person at Dunfield Theatre Cambridge, online at www.dunfieldtheatrecabridge.com or by calling the Box Office at (519) 519-621-8000 or toll free at 1-855-drayton (372-9866).

AJ BRIDEL IS PETER PAN

Over The Rainbow finalist to take title role at Drayton’s Cambridge Theatre

D. Morton

The Friends of Joseph Schneider Haus have announced that the 2013 Folk Art-ists in Residence are Woodworkers/Performers, Trevor Ewert and Sarah Gran-

skou of Kitchener. Trevor and Sarah’s year will be officially launched when Joseph Schneider Haus opens for the 2013 season on the weekend of February 16 to 18, 2013.

On that weekend, an exhibition entitled Heartwood: The Arts of Sarah Granskou and Trevor Ewert will showcase the unique artistry that this local couple brings to the Schneider Haus residency. On Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4pm, members of the public are invited to view this new exhibit and to meet the artists at a special reception. Remarks will take place at 1:30 p.m. and for music lovers, at 2pm, Sarah’s and Trevor’s creative talents will converge in a concert, Violin Meets Fiddle, which further demonstrates their shared fascination with wood, music and storytelling.

Trevor Ewert and Sarah Granskou are versatile artists rooted in tradition and sharing a common connection to wood. Both grew up locally amidst wood scraps and shavings, the children of woodworkers, and both play the violin/fiddle. While Trevor creates violin bows and burl bowls, Sarah has a passion for fiddle making and cup carving. Trevor reveals the story of a tree in his workshop; Sarah tells and sings of fiddle makers and forest sprites while carving on stage. Together they gather around the woodstove with their young children, Søren and Solveg.

Trevor’s career as a bow maker began with his personal search in 1996 for a quality baroque bow to play, following a passion for Early Music. Since then, he has crafted bows for an international clientele, orchestras and institutions, all of whom praise his bows both for their fine playing qualities and their workmanship. Though he specializes in reproducing baroque and classical bows, he is also known for his fine modern bows. Recently, Trevor “branched out”, transitioning from working with the strong, straight grain of bowls, to taming knarled, spaulted and burled woods by turning. “Once Upon a Tree” emerged, his business offering unique bowls and serving boards sourced from local fallen trees. Trevor also teaches violin and performs as a member of the Nota Bene Period Orchestra.

Sarah applies her Canadian flair for innovation to Scandinavian oral and folk art tradition and is known for her intricate, yet accessible poetic recitations and lyrics. She integrates folk music, story, craft and puppetry in a fluid narrative, reflecting ancient processes with an altogether contemporary flair. She has developed her artistry living amongst reindeer herders and farmers, and has shared it with hundreds of festival, community and school audiences internationally. Currently, Sarah is in her element delivering oral literacy programmes in schools, gardening, composing songs with her children and building elves with her prolific green peppers.

Trevor and Sarah have planned an exciting year of demonstrations, workshops, and concerts relating to their versatile talents. Their programming begins March 2 when Trevor demonstrates violin bow-making at the Museum from 10am to 3pm, revealing some of secrets that place him among the best of his trade. During March Break, families are invited to enjoy the entertaining stories and songs which Sarah will perform in the Historic Haus on the afternoon of March 14, 2013.

These tempting offerings are but a foretaste of what is to come in 2013 as part of the Granskou/Ewert residency, sponsored by the Museum’s Friends organization. For more information please connect with www.regionofwaterloo.ca/jsh, phone 519-742-7752 for a brochure, or visit the Friends of Joseph Schneider Haus facebook page.

The Joseph Schneider Haus Museum is located at 466 Queen St. S. in Kitchener and is open on Sunday from 1 to 5pm Admission is free!

February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 21

STEPHEN WOODWORTH, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT

INVITES YOU TO HIS 3RD ANNUAL FAMILY DAY

SKATING PARTY

LACE UP YOUR SKATES, MEET YOUR MP AND CELEBRATE FAMILY DAY!

Kitchener City Hall Ice Rink

Monday, February 18th, 2013

From 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM

For further information or if you need help with matters related to the Government of Canada, please contact my office.

300 Victoria St. North Kitchener, ON N2H 6R9

Phone: 519-741-2001 Fax: 519-579-2404

Email: stephen.woodworth@parl.gc.ca

STEPHEN WOODWORTH Member of Parliament

Kitchener Centre

YOUR VOICE IN OTTAWA www.stephenwoodworth.ca

Coffee, Hot Chocolate and Timbits will be provided.

Join us for March Break Camps at Homer Watson House & Gallery! Students will enjoy a week of fun and creation while learning various visual art techniques! From painting and drawing to pottery, sculpture and even animation, children will work on a series of visual art projects. Participants will create a finished piece of art each day. Dates & Times: March 11-15, 8:30 am - 4:30 pmInstructors: Soheila Esfahani, Scott McNichol & Rachel TannerAges: 4-7 and 8-12Daily Cost: $44/members, $49/non-members Weekly Cost: $189/members, $210/non-members Students are required to bring a lunch and snacks. To register please call 519-748-4377 or take advantage of our new online registration system by visiting homerwatson.on.ca.

Proudly Managed by the Homer Watson House FoundationGallery Hours:

Tues. - Sun. 12:00 - 4:30p

Office Hours:Mon. - Fri.

9:30a - 4:30p

For inquiries:T 519.748.4377F 519.748.6808

Register now as space is

limited!

Don’t Forget to Register for Our Popular March Break Art Camps!

The Waterloo Region Museum presents a new storytelling series called Warm

Tales for a Winter Afternoon that takes place in the Christie theatre. The series features professional storytellers on select weekend afternoons over the course of the winter. Tick-ets are $10 (plus HST). For more information and to purchase tickets call 519-748-1914.

Saturday Feb. 23, 2 p.m. Anna Kerz with music by Susanne Farrow, With a Stone in my Pocket

How do you buy chicken soup in Toronto when even your chickens don’t speak English? It takes a little ingenuity and a lot of courage as you will hear. Beginning in an Austrian D.P. camp in the early 50’s, and ending in a skinny, stuck-together rooming house in Toronto, Anna’s lively tales are filled with characters and experiences that will

touch your heart and tickle your funny bone. Accented by Susanne Farrow’s evocative music, these stories have a universal quality that will resonate with anyone who remembers their childhood.

Sunday April 21, 2 p.m. Mary-Eileen McClear, In Her Own Words: The Diaries of Maggie Owen

Meet Maggie Owen, the irrepressible and indomitable Irish girl whose life led her on wild romps across oceans and continents in the early 20th century. Fate took her from cosseted child to fugitive, from child bride to world-weary woman. There’s something for everyone in her true story: laughter, heartbreak, love and war. This concert has been performed at the Toronto Storytelling Festival and at the National Arts Centre’s Fourth Stage in Ottawa.

Friends of Joseph Schneider Haus announce 2013 Folk Artists in Residence

Sarah Granskou and Trevor Ewert Storytelling series at the Waterloo Region Museum

Page 22 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 201322 • FEBRUARY 14, 2013 • KITCHENER CITIZEN (EAST EDITION)

Jael Ealey Richardson, Humber-Guelphlecturer and University of Guelph

graduate, presents a personal andprofound narrative on race, identity, andbelonging in Canada.

Richardson’s family history was a mystery.She knew little about her taciturn father,other than he came to Canada to play profootball in the 1970s and that he later becamea successful businessman who commutedlong hours, played golf on weekends, andwatched sports and old movies.

The sense of a history unknown andforever lost hit home when Richardson was14 years-old and her grandmother died. Thedisorientation caused by the loss of thefamily matriarch was accentuated at highschool. Richardson’s network of high schoolfriends included a number of first generationCarib-Canadians. This group seemed to besteeped in self-awareness and constantlychided Richardson: “But where are youreally from?” they often asked, not believingthat any black person could be just Canadian.

Attending her father’s 40th high schoolreunion in Ohio, Richardson began tounravel the family story her father had beenreticent to reveal. She discovered a story notjust about her family, but a story about 1960sAmerica, the civil rights movement, how herfather and mother’s lives transected thatmovement, and how it resonated for herfamily and others in Canada.

In her account of how we negotiate ourvarious roles, Richardson deftly carries thereader along on her journey of self-discovery.As Richardson slowly unravels her father andhis past, we are left with a better understandingof him and of her and of the personal pathschosen by men and women, of hopes anddreams fulfilled and battles still to finish.

For other titles on race and sports in Canada,see Angela James: the first superstar ofwomen's hockey by Tom Bartsiokas & CoreyLong; or Running Uphill: The Fast, Short Lifeof Harry Jerome by Fil Fraser.

THIS MONTH’S READING:THE STONE THROWER:

A DAUGHTER’S LESSONS,A FATHER’S LIFE

by Jael Ealey Richardson

REVIEWED BY:Seán Fleming, Adult Non-Fiction

Collections Librarian

A monthly column featuring great reads as suggested and reviewed by librarians from theKitchener Public Library. Follow along each month and discover your next great read!

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 clickon the “Add Review” tab for your selected book, and write away!

WHAT WE’RE READING

KitchenerCitizen_FEB13East:CN_Vol10Issue136_May05v4 2/11/13 6:54 AM Page 22

February 14, 2013 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l Page 23

WINTERLOO - THE 10TH ANNUAL ICE DOGS FESTIVAL - Looking to chase off the winter blahs? Head to UpTown Waterloo this Family Day Weekend to enjoy one of the region’s best winter festivals. Winterloo - The 10th Annual Ice Dogs Festival, runs February 16-18, 2013, from 11am - 3pm daily, in UpTown Waterloo. For more information, contact 519.885.1921. For 10 years, the Ice Dogs Festival has delighted families with its great outdoor events. To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we’re keeping a lot from the past, and introducing some new features, including a new name - Winterloo! We’ll still have everyone’s favourites - dog sled rides, ice sculpture carving, great art activities at the Button Factory, free public skating at the Public Square, free family movies, and a great chili cook-off featuring some of Waterloo’s top eateries... there’s something for everyone!

BLACK HISTORY MONTH FUND RAISING CONCERT - featuring Donné Roberts (Juno winning singer/guitarist) at First Mennonite Church, 800 King St. E., Kitchener Arts and Crafts sale on February 22 at 6:30pm. Children under 13 Free. Tickets are $15 and are available at the KW Multicultural Centre Downtown Kitchener or by calling 519-880-9540 or email pamojawaterlooregion.ca Proceeds for the African Canadian Association Homework Program

HAPPY FEET TWO TO SCREEN

FOR FREE - at PRINCESS TWIN during Winterloo! - Princess Cinema will be giving out FREE ICE CUBES at the snack bar, for the FREE screening of a movie about birds that incubate their eggs on solid ice in the middle of winter! Happy Feet Two will screen at 2pm at Princess Twin Cinemas on Feb 17th, 2013. Arrive early to guarantee yourself a seat! First come first served! Princess Twin Cinema. 884-5112

“REFLECTIONS ON THE FRANKLIN EXPEDITION” - The Confederation Club welcomes Jerry Salloum - Dept. of Geography and Environmental Studies, WLU speaking on “Reflections on the Franklin Expedition” In 1845 Sir John Franklin left England in command of two ships in search of the North West Passage. After entering the Arctic he was never heard from again. Numerous search parties have uncovered much evidence of how the expedition fared for the next two years but the final resting place of his two ships and of Franklin and his surviving expedition members has never been found. Why did the expedition fail? Salloum can offer some answers. He taught high school geography in North York for 32 years, is a retired Anglican priest, and, since 1988 has been a lecturer at WLU. He has travelled to the Canadian Artic on six separate trips, doing research on icebergs and the behaviour of ice through the central Canadian Archipelago, specifically in

Victoria Strait, Nunavutt. Thursday, February 21 at the Delta Hotel, King St. E., at Benton, Kitchener. Registration 11:30 - 11:45am.

Luncheon 12 noon - 1:30pm. Reserve your tickets by noon Monday, February 18. Call Jamie at 519-747-3014 or Email: sandy_jamiehill@hotmail.com Members $25 / Non-members $35. Luncheon Includes: appetizer, entrée and dessert. For more information visit http://www.confederationclub.ca

7TH ANNUAL OPEN CLOSET - In recognition of International Women’s Day, the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region is hosting its 7th Annual Open Closet. This year’s event is on Friday, March 8th, 2013 from 11am to 2pm in two locations: at Kitchener (Trinity United Church, 74 Frederick St.) and in Cambridge (in partnership with Langs, 1145 Concession Rd.) SASC invites all women and their children to shop through our fabulous selection of gently-used, free clothing, while enjoying refreshments. We need your help! Community members interested in donating gently used women’s and children’s clothing are encouraged to begin sorting through their closets. Clothing donations can be made on Thursday, March 7th, 2013 from 4 to 8pm at BOTH locations listed above. Due to space restrictions, we’re not able to accept clothing at any time other than these scheduled drop-off times.

TAX PREPARATION SERVICES FOR

LOW-INCOME EARNERS - Each year, hundreds of experienced certified general accountants (CGAs) volunteer to help thousands of lower-income Ontarians by preparing their income tax returns, free of charge. Free services are available to individuals with gross income under $30,000 and families with gross income under $35,000.This year two sessions will be held in our area:

March 9, from 9am - 3pm at KPL Forest Heights on Fischer-Hallman and March 16 9am – 3pm at Rockway Senior Centre on King Street. When you go, you should bring: 2011 Notice of Assessment received from the CRA after filing your 2011 income tax return; Copy of 2011 income tax return filed; All information slips received for employment, pension and investment income (T4s, T5s, T3s, etc.); Receipts for charitable donations, medical expenses, RRSP contributions, child care receipts, tuition fees, etc.; Details of spouse’s and/or dependent’s income.

KITCHENER FIREPIT BAN PETITIONWe are having technical problems

with the petition hosting website for the original petition, and we have launched a new petition that will be added to the total signatures of the first version. Please visit http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/kitchener-on-backyard-campfire-ban/sign.html

COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR (CNOY) - Saturday, Feb. 23, 2013. The

Coldest Night of the Year is a 5/10 KM family-friendly winter fundraising walk supporting the Ray of Hope Community Centre. Registration is at Cameron Heights Collegiate (301 Charles St E) from 4:00-5:00pm, with all walkers finishing their routes at the Ray of Hope Community Centre (659 King St E) where some hot soup awaits! Sign up as a team or individual at www.coldestnightoftheyear.org/location/kitchenerwaterloo For more information contact Scott Brush – KW Location Director - 519-578-8018 ext 220

SUNNYSIDE SENIORS’ SERVICES NEEDS VOLUNTEERS - Community Alzheimer Program Assistants are needed for the Cambridge program (Monday to Friday) and Wednesday (Kitchener program). A bingo caller and treasurer is needed on Tuesday afternoons. A Sandhills Café assistant is needed daily over mealtime. If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, contact Janice Klassen, Coordinator, Volunteers at 519-893-8494, ext 6372 or email jklassen@regionofwaterloo.ca.

KITCHENER WATERLOO ART GALLERY –Walk the Talk tours Feb. 24 and March 31. Admission to the gallery is free. For more information visit www.kwag.ca

KID’S CLUB AT THE KITCHENER MARKET – Every Saturday in January from 9am to 11am. Free family activities, crafts, stories. Kitchener Market upper level, 300 King St. E

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Page 24 l Kitchener Citizen - West Edition l February 14, 2013