The Upside (October 2024)
Let's focus on good things happening in and around Waterloo Region
The Region is now home to a new Public Health Clinic at 20 Weber St. in Kitchener. For now, people can access vaccines and sexual health services by appointment. Eventually the clinic will also offer dental screening and baby feeding appointments.
“The new space features six accessible clinic rooms and is located on the second floor of the building. The clinic is located close to the Ion light-rail line and multiple bus routes. Bike racks are available outside the building and multiple parking options are available throughout downtown Kitchener.”
In addition to its new clinic space at 20 Weber St, Kitchener, Public Health operates clinics at 150 Main Street, Cambridge and 99 Regina Street South, Waterloo.
Grand River Transit added three new routes this fall:
Route 62 Speedsville: 30-minute service to the Cambridge Business Park area from Sportsworld Station.
Route 78 Fountain: 30-minute service between Region of Waterloo International Airport and Sportsworld Station for specific periods.
Route 91 Late Night Loop: 30-minute service between Queen Station and University of Waterloo Station, Thursday to Saturday.
And on that last point, here is a lovely reminder that the kids are alright!
In other transportation news, PeopleForBikes ranks the City of Waterloo as #1 in Ontario, and #11 in Canada for bike networks.
According to the press release, “a score of 50 or higher is a significant tipping point to becoming a great place to bike. The City of Waterloo, with a score of 63, is one of the most connected places in Canada, and holds an overall ranking of 154 out of 2579 ranked cities in the program.”
By comparing the best cities for biking, PeopleForBikes aims to encourage local leaders, decision makers and advocates to act on key lessons to build more safe, fun and connected places to ride.
“Our active transportation network provides an affordable, sustainable alternative to vehicle travel for people and families to move throughout our city. We know we need to do more to expand and improve our cycling network, but it’s wonderful to have our connected community recognized as a leader,” said Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe.
Regional Chair, Karen Redman, added, “It takes vision, investment and community support to make real change. Building safe, sustainable and connected corridors builds better communities.”
What better way to complete a bike ride than by swinging by Four All ice cream? You now have an additional location to do exactly that.
This summer, Four All ice cream opened their second ‘scoop shop’ location in Downtown Kitchener at 97 King St W. In addition to scooping out ice cream, “the new facility boasts about 2,500 square feet of production space and an additional 1,500 square feet for storage.”
Supportive Housing Advocacy WR, with encouragement from the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH), recently launched the Waterloo Region Alliance to End Homelessness (WRAEH). This new alliance “celebrates the collective commitment and solidarity of service providers, faith communities, and individuals across our region who are dedicated to housing justice.”
The House of Friendship recently announced that “demolition is now underway at our former Charles Street campus, paving the way for our new supportive and affordable housing community – Friendship Village.”
This new ‘Friendship Village’ will eventually include up to 170 affordable and supportive housing units. It will follow their ‘Shelter Care’ model where residents have their own bed as well as access to numerous supports, including primary and mental health care, substance use supports and harm reduction, as well as recreation therapy, physiotherapy, hearing and vision clinics.
“The people that we’re serving have such complex health and mental health and addictions challenges, that we know they need a health-care approach in order to remain stable in their housing,” said Jennifer Scott, House of Friendship’s housing services director.
Click to learn more about the project.
Here is a lovely update from Beyond Housing: At 544 Bridgeport our 5 garden beds are thriving! Tenants are growing various vegetables and flowers! If a gardener has too much, they often share it with other tenants who did not get a garden this year. We have first-time gardeners to life-long gardeners participating in the garden beds. The gardens bring tenants together. Some participants did not know one another very well prior to having gardens next to one another, and other tenants just enjoy seeing what the gardeners are growing. Many good conversations happen in the garden area, feeding the body and the soul.
Eat, Grow and Give at waterlooregionfood.ca
It’s here! waterlooregionfood.ca is a new, free online directory that lets Waterloo Region residents explore the many farms, markets, and community food organizations that make up their local food system.
Discover ways to Eat Local, from CSAs to local-food focused restaurants.
Learn about places to Grow Local through community gardens and other programs.
Find opportunities to Give Local by donating or volunteering with food-focused organizations.
Drew Davidson, a University of Waterloo graduate student and the son of a former Cambridge firefighter, is exploring alternatives to chemicals used in firefighting turnout gear.
A problem with existing firefighter turnout gear is that the moisture barrier layer which prevents carcinogens from affecting firefighters in burning buildings uses PFAS which have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer.
“It’s kind of a catch-22 for firefighters because they are relying on these suits, and this chemical in particular to protect themselves from the carcinogens that they are going to be running into at fire scenes,” said Davidson. “But, this chemical itself is also carcinogenic when they’re being exposed to it.”
Davidson has made progress on a safer alternative but continues to work through potential impacts of the alternative in real life scenarios.
“Maybe it’s not as easy for the firefighters to wear, or it doesn’t let them shed the heat they’re building up. These are all problems you have to factor in to think about any kind of a replacement,” said Davidson.
Upcoming Events:
This is the weekend of the ‘fest’! Start off your ‘fest-full’ weekend today by attending the official keg tapping at noon in Carl Zehr Square.
The Oktoberfest fun continues all weekend long with some pretty amazing performers, including: Danny Michel, Boo Radley, My Son The Hurricane, and of course, the Walter Ostanek Band. Check out the performance line up.
Bring the kids down to Kidtoberfest (in the City Hall Rotunda) between Oct 11th-13th for crafts, games, and interactive performances designed just for kids. You know there will be at least one performance by the infamous Erick Traplin!
And for those with a doggo or two, you’ll want to bring your pup(s) down to Gaukel Block to celebrate Dogtoberfest where you can take part in trick training advice, pack walks, contests and other furry shenanigans!
The Kitchener-Waterloo Oktoberfest Thanksgiving Day Parade is on Monday, October 14th and starts at Weber St E. and Frederick St at 9:30am. The parade promises to be even bigger this year with more new floats, inflatables, and bands!
Have Your Say:
Kitchener has a growing network of routes that allow residents to walk, roll or bike across the city. To improve these, residents have asked for better signage to make it easier to connect to where they want to go. Share your thoughts on the eight priority routes. Survey closes October 25th.
Kitchener is developing a new Official Plan to guide growth and shape the way that neighbourhoods evolve and change. Fill out the Kitchener 2051 survey before October 31st and help shape the Kitchener of the future.
Municipal budget season is just around the corner. Outside of ‘provincially cost-shared programs’, the police budget makes up the largest portion of the Region’s operating budget.
The Waterloo Region Police Service Board is offering the second of two input sessions on the police budget, on October 28th from 5 - 6pm (online). Developing the annual police budget is a key component of the Police Service Board’s mandate under the Community Safety and Policing Act. If you’d like to weigh in on the proposed police budget, click to register to delegate.
If you are unable to attend one of the sessions, the Police Service Board allows written submissions of up to 2,000 characters. Send submissions in no later than October 28th, to: board@wrps.on.ca
It's great to hear that Kitchener has a Public Heslth Clinic! Is it 20 Weber St E?