The Upside (April 2025)
Let's focus on good things happening in and around Waterloo Region
If you’re like me and have stopped to admire some of the colourful murals in Downtown Kitchener, there’s a chance that you’re enjoying the work of local artist Steph Boutari.
Boutari was particularly interested in public art, and for her master’s thesis at the University of Waterloo, she decided she wanted to paint a mural herself. There was a building near the School of Architecture in Cambridge, so Boutari approached the owner and asked if she could paint it for free.
“I had never painted a mural before — had never even painted with spray paint before,” she said. “But the owner was really nice, and even paid for my paint himself. Painting that mural made me realize I wanted to keep doing this — but I didn’t have the courage yet.”
“The great thing about murals is that they’re often public,” she said, “so you get a lot of work through exposure and word of mouth.” Soon, Boutari was working on more murals in her spare time. Today, she completes 9 to 12 murals a year, often with a specific focus on bringing colour, energy and playfulness to a space.
“I never could have expected that this would be what I get to do every day. It’s such an amazing thing to have a positive impact on a stranger by doing something that I love to do — by making art,” said Boutari.
A professor at the University of Waterloo has developed a blood glucose monitor that resembles a watch, using radar to send signals through the body to detect glucose levels. “The product is completely non-invasive, unlike other glucose monitors which require users to prick their fingers or wear a patch with a needle.”
The breakthrough addresses “the major challenge of creating non-invasive, continuous glucose monitoring, essential for those managing diabetes. The team is currently working with industry partners to introduce the technology to be installed in the next generation of wearables.”
A more effective test for cervical cancer that you need less often - sounds like good news to me! “While Pap tests can detect changes to cells in the cervix, HPV tests can detect the presence of high-risk types of the virus before such changes have occurred. And because the new test is more accurate, individuals will be able to go longer between procedures.”
This test is now available locally, according to this press release from the Waterloo Wellington Regional Cancer Program (WWRCP), at Grand River Regional Cancer Centre. “Early detection gives us the power to take proactive steps, reducing the chances of complications and protecting the future well-being and health outcomes for people. And because it also detects potential cervical abnormalities early, individuals can receive timely and actionable care at the right time and place.”
Conestoga College is joining other culinary programs across Canada in La Tablée des Chefs to prepare meals for distribution to food banks. “Conestoga students will prepare and package 1,000 meals in the Bloom kitchen at the Waterloo campus to help support the Cambridge Food Bank.”
The region has seen improved response times after adding 40 full-time paramedics and six ambulance units last year. “The number of code zero events — instances when there are no paramedics available (formerly known as code red) — decreased from 132 in 2023 to 69 last year.”
The region is adding another 20 paramedics this year along with two more ambulance units.
Lisaard and Innisfree Hospice provide compassionate palliative care for individuals and their loved ones through the end-of-life-journey. They have been supporting residents with terminal illnesses in Waterloo Region, and their families, for a combined 35 years. “The two facilities can support up to 400 people a year, with 16 beds between them, and the need keeps rising due to an aging and growing population.”
“There’s a lot of grief and a lot of sadness, but at the same time, we try and help them celebrate some of the things that they would normally want to celebrate, whether that’s a birthday or an anniversary, and to bring a little bit of happiness into that journey,” said Executive Director Maria Empringham.
The City of Waterloo is seeking input on their urban forest management strategy to help sustain and enhance the current urban tree canopy to 2050.
“The goal is to assess the current state of Waterloo's urban forest and develop ideas for its management. Feedback and suggestions will inform the strategy to help improve the urban forest as the city grows.”
Meanwhile, in Kitchener, the Community Canopy program, which aims to address inequity in how tree canopy is distributed across the city, has expanded to offer free trees to residents of 16 neighbourhoods across Kitchener.
“In many areas, trees and the benefits they provide are inequitably distributed. That means that some neighbourhoods are missing out on the many benefits that trees can provide to help communities thrive, like shade in the summer, climate change resilience, cleaner air and water, a sense of wellbeing, habitat for wildlife, and more.”
To learn more about the City of Kitchener’s Tree Equity Analysis, go to their website.
As well, Kitchener has been recognized as a Tree City of the World by the Arbor Day Foundation and United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. “This designation acknowledges the City of Kitchener's efforts in tree care, policy development, community engagement and maintaining a healthy urban canopy.”
Learn more about the policies, strategies and daily work that helped make Kitchener a Tree City of the World at kitchener.ca/trees.
Next weekend is Jane’s Walk weekend. Take a look at this list of awesome walks happening throughout Waterloo Region - and they’re all free. A great way to learn more about your community!
While I dedicate much of this newsletter to the issues currently facing local councils, it’s still important to reflect on the work that has already been accomplished. Take a look at some of the good news stories in Kitchener throughout 2024.
In 2025, the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region (CCAWR) will celebrate its 50th anniversary with special events and activities.
The association’s scholarship program is now in its 25th year and has awarded more than $100,000 to over 100 university and college students. The LiftOff Black Entrepreneurship Program has graduated over 100 Founders. This program was also recognized with the 2024 Non-Profit/Charitable Award from the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce.
Learn more about the history and advocacy of the Caribbean Canadian Association of Waterloo Region.
The Child Witness Centre supports children who are crime victims and/or witnesses to crimes and are willing to testify. Programs include court supports, advocating for youths and educating children on issues such as bullying, substance abuse, resiliency, risk-taking and healthy dating. “In 2023, a surge in reported crimes against children forced the centre to put young people in need on its first-ever wait-list. That wait-list has now been erased after the annual budget ticked up to $1.6 million with greater government support and more fundraising.”
Well, here’s a tasty way to ‘Buy Canadian’.
Glorious and Free is a Trans-Canada brewery collaboration project conceived and launched by Ottawa’s Dominion City Brewing Co. in partnership with beer makers from coast to coast to coast.
How it works: Each participating brewery will craft its own version of the Glorious & Free IPA, using 100% Canadian-sourced ingredients. A portion of the net proceeds from every beer sold will be donated to a local, provincial, or national not-for-profit or charitable organization.
My favourite little co-operative brewery, Together We’re Bitter, is participating and their Glorious & Free IPA is available now on draught and in cans.
A newly launched newsletter aims to “make it easy for you to connect with your neighbours and find fun events close to home.” Sign up for the Reconnect Waterloo Region newsletter to access a curated list of events and activities near you.
Last year, we learned that the Region surpassed its goal to build 2500 affordable homes in 5 years. Now, “Waterloo Region council has set a new target to create and preserve 3,500 affordable homes during the next five years, with more than 60 per cent dedicated to residents with very low to low income.”
Canstruction, a yearly event held at Conestoga Mall, raises food and money in support of The Food Bank of Waterloo Region and highlights the serious issue of food insecurity in the community. This year, the event collected enough food and money donations to provide 117,543 meals.
This video showcases some of this year’s creations.
New affordable housing on Laurel Street in Cambridge is providing opportunities for underrepresented communities to obtain critical employment skills. Through a partnership with Blue Branch and Now Housing, the “eight week program welcomes new Canadians, women, at-risk youth and people with disabilities to learn about trades such as HVAC, plumbing, electrical, carpentry and welding.”
Six municipal facilities in Waterloo now have backpacks available to borrow for those who experience sensory sensitivities.
"We designed them to serve individuals in the community with different sensory processing disabilities or sensory sensitivities that may benefit from having the backpacks in spaces that can sometimes be really overwhelming," explained Molly Riediger, Waterloo's inclusion services co-ordinator.
The bags contain:
Sunglasses and noise cancelling headphones
A variety of fidget tools and a chair band
Picture exchange communication system (PECS), a timer, and a drawing pad for self-regulation and communication
The backpacks are free of charge and can be signed out by anyone 13 years or older. Anyone younger who needs one can have a parent or guardian sign one out on their behalf.
They can be found at: Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, the community pavilion at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, City of Waterloo Museum, Albert McCormick Community Centre, RIM Park Manulife Sportsplex and Healthy Living Centre, and the Waterloo City Centre.
Upcoming Events:
Learn about Waterloo’s neighbourhood Chalk Challenge - a fun way to brighten up your neighbourhood while connecting with neighbours.
The Brighter Futures Breakfast Appreciation Event, happening May 13th helps provide healthy food packages to vulnerable children on weekends and school breaks to support their development and help them thrive.
“This event is an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, share inspiring stories, and foster new relationships. Together, we can continue to make a difference and create a better tomorrow for chronically hungry children in the Waterloo Region.”
Festival season is just around the corner and this year we can add a new music festival to our calendar! Songscape runs June 20th-21st and headliners include Theory of a Deadman and Mother Mother. Proceeds from this event will go to the Grand River Hospital Foundation and the Awesome Music Project.
Cambridge Moves for Mental Health, Saturday May 10th. Walk, roll, or run in support of Porchlight which has been offering accessible and affordable mental health supports in Cambridge and North Dumfries since 1940. Their services include counselling, group therapy, addiction services, addiction recovery homes, in-school programming for youth, and rural community outreach.
Thanks for reading! If I missed a local good-news story, feel free to share it in the comments below.
An excellent, snappy read!
CFUW's annual book sale is on, at First United uptown, continuing this weekend.
Pricing is $2 today (Friday), and drops as I recall.
Donations closed Thursday so mark your calendar for 2026 to contribute your books/CDs/puzzles.