September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to honour Survivors of residential schools, remember the children who never returned home, and recognize the ongoing impacts of the residential school system on Indigenous families and communities.

It is also an opportunity to think about what reconciliation asks of us beyond one day. At KW Habilitation, part of that work is creating opportunities to listen, learn and build relationships.

Earlier this month, a group from KW Habilitation travelled to Chiefswood Park at Six Nations of the Grand River for a day of learning, connection and Haudenosaunee culture.

Hosted by Community Living Six Nations, the day brought together between 50 and 60 people from KW Habilitation, Community Living Six Nations, Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region and Parents for Community Living.

Throughout the day, people had opportunities to experience and learn about Haudenosaunee culture in different ways.

They learned about lacrosse and had an opportunity to pick up a stick and give it a try. They made scones or donuts to take home and created their own medicine pouches, choosing beads and helping one another through the process.

Lunch included corn and bean soup, strawberry juice, fruit and desserts, followed by time to enjoy Chiefswood Park together. The day ended with singing and dancing, bringing everyone together to participate, watch and learn.

For the people who attended from KW Hab, there wasn’t one single highlight. From learning how to handle a lacrosse stick and throw the ball, to baking, dancing, learning some of the language and making medicine bags, everyone seemed to take something different from the experience.

Some of the feedback we heard included:

“I really liked learning how to play lacrosse.”

“Making the medicine bags was my favourite part. I was proud of what I made.”

“I had a really good time and would like to go again.”

On the drive home, conversations revolved around everything attendees had learned and enjoyed. For some it was lacrosse. For others, it was learning language or participating in another part of the day, but everyone seemed to be bringing something different home with them.

♦

The connections made throughout the day were just as important as the activities.

People were divided into groups that mixed attendees from each organization. They talked, worked together and helped one another, rather than staying only with the people they arrived with. Those connections also created opportunities for deeper conversations.

Staff from different teams talked to each other about some of the challenges facing people with developmental disabilities in different communities and discovered shared experiences around changing services and supports. What began as an opportunity to learn more about Haudenosaunee culture also became an opportunity to learn from one another.

Attendees also heard about the history of the land along the Grand River and ongoing conversations about the return of land, creating space to listen to perspectives and history that some people attending may not have encountered before.

♦

Reconciliation is not something we can accomplish through one event.

For KW Habilitation, moving reconciliation forward means continuing to learn, creating opportunities for the people we work for to learn alongside us, and building relationships with Indigenous people and organizations. The visit to Chiefswood Park felt like a step forward.

It gave people the chance to experience something new, ask questions, listen, participate and, importantly, spend time together.

On the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we are reminded that learning matters, but what we do with that learning matters too.

We are grateful to Community Living Six Nations for welcoming us, sharing with us and creating an experience that brought people together. We look forward to continuing to learn and finding more opportunities to build relationships that move reconciliation forward.

The post Learning, Connecting and Moving Reconciliation Forward appeared first on KW Habilitation.

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Erica Whyte is an artist working through sound, sculpture, and visual arts. Her practice is shaped by culturally significant objects and folklore that connect her experiences as a Canadian and Caribbean.

While receiving awards by Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council she has participated in residencies with arts groups such as Ukai and X in Residence, over the past year, her work has been shown in several group exhibitions across Canada, including Capsules Studio, It’s Ok Studio, Ukai, Design TO, Vector Festival, InterAccess, Charles Street Video, and Cooper Coles’ X in Residence, as well as internationally at Such As Gallery in Tokyo, Japan.

What song do these vessels remind you of?

If you had to write a song for them, how would it sound? What would it feel like? Where would it be heard?

This body of ceramic work is rooted in sound. Through material, shape, and function, the vessels consider ceramics in relation to sound systems and instrumentation, exploring the ways sound makes us feel, move, remember, and act.

The project is informed by somatic approaches to art-making, which connect creative expression to bodily awareness and internal sensation; cymatics and the visualization of sound through matter; and Pauline Oliveros’ practice of Deep Listening, which proposes listening in every possible way to everything possible to hear.

It also draws from explorations in ambient music, Black experimental sound, and electronic music histories.

This project includes four ceramic vessels, each paired with an original musical composition. The vessels incorporate elements of plant life special to the Caribbean, beading, charms, knots/macramé, and small inset shakers embedded within their lids. Together, they exist somewhere between instrument, sound system, container, and sculpture.

Each accompanying composition moves through soundscapes of light percussion and ambient noise, drawing on musical boxes, and girlhood. Companion objects include a prototype ceramic speaker and additional beaded elements to extend the atmosphere and sonic world of the vessels.

Overall, this project is interested in sound as a site of alternative ways of being and imagining. It reflects on Black experimental and electronic music histories, particularly the ways Black artists have shaped and transformed sonic technologies, improvisation, performance, and the avant-garde.

The work pulls on ideas found in Assembling a Black Counter Culture, which traces Black contributions to techno and adjacent electronic music; as well as Fred Moten’s In the Break: The Aesthetics of the Black Radical Tradition, which considers Black performance, improvisation, and sound.

It is also deeply inspired by Jayna Brown’s Black Utopias: Speculative Life and the Music of Other Worlds, particularly its consideration of utopia as a space for thinking through alternative states of being, doing, and living. Sound then becomes a way of rehearsing or making other possibilities for creative life.

These vessels ask us not only to look but to listen, and perhaps to imagine what kinds of worlds might sound through them.

The post Erica Whyte first appeared on The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery.

♦

As fall weather trundles in, I find myself doing a lot more cooking — and a lot more complicated cooking. I hear periodically that we should “cook our own food from scratch.” That’s true, but it’s not that simple. Cooking fresh food from scratch takes time and money — something that is a luxury for many people. Buying good groceries and cooking ingredients costs hard-earned money: and in these always a lot of money.

I have to thank chef par excellence and Stratford Chefs School instructor (and chef of the wonderful Rundles in Stratford before it closed its doors after a terrific run) for sewing the seed for this post with his comments about the “work” of cooking.

Finding the time the cook is a cost that has to be factored in as well. Let’s start at the beginning: you have to cook a meal. So, what do you do first? Come up with an idea about what to cook. That itself isn’t always easy and might require consulting with family members and seeing to differing dietary needs, seemingly now more complex than ever.

With the idea for a dish, you next have to find a recipe and write out a list. Let’s say that takes 10 minutes.

Next up, get in the car — or on the bus or walk, perhaps kids in tow — and head to the grocery store (if there is one nearby). Make that 40 minutes to an hour-and-a-half depending on distances and traffic, and so on.

That, of course, is only calculating with one store visited, while it’s possible you might have a favourite butcher shop, for instance, that is different from where you buy fresh produce.

When you get back home, you spend some time unpacking and putting away the groceries. That’s a relatively small time investment, but it’s also a somewhat odious one.

Preparing the meal means gathering all of your ingredients — whether that’s three or eight — and chopping, blanching or grating.

You next put it all together and start cooking the dish, promptly then turning around and cleaning the results and detritus of the preparation: asking yourself, “Is this waste? Does that need to be recycled?” As they say in professional kitchens: if you have time to lean, you have time to clean.

Next, you set the table and get the serving dishes out and bung out the food. The family sits down to eat, and in 10 minutes it’s over. You clear the table and do the dishes and pots and pans, whether hand-washing or shoving them in the dishwasher.

Now, I’ve lost track of the time, but the point is that it’s often a matter of hours if you have the inclination and wherewithal — and the money — to cook good healthy and interesting meals.

It’s a wonder people just want to go to a restaurant, if they are able to financially. It may be that the choice has to be cheaper, more easily accessible “lesser quality” ingredients or processed foods when time and money are constraints. That’s a reality that can’t be overlooked.

Many people can’t take the steps and time and costs to eat as healthily as they might otherwise. That’s a difficult thing and something we should think about when we proclaim, “you should take the time to make a proper meal.”

It may not be that easy.

[Banner/unsplash.com/photos/ZMZHcvIVgbg]

Check out my latest post Don’t be fooled: cooking fresh food takes time from AndrewCoppolino.com.

When Anthony graduated from Project SEARCH in June, he was excited about what would come next.

“I am proud of the progress I have made in skill development and job hunting. I am excited to enter the real world after graduation.”

Anthony spent his final year of high school as a Project SEARCH intern at Cambridge Memorial Hospital, gaining hands-on workplace experience while preparing for employment after graduation.

Through internships in information technology, food services, endoscopy and environmental services, Anthony had the opportunity to explore different kinds of work, develop new skills and discover more about his own strengths and interests.

Project SEARCH is a partnership between KW Habilitation, Waterloo Catholic District School Board, Cambridge Memorial Hospital and Waterloo Regional Health Network that helps students in their final year of high school build skills and gain workplace experience as they prepare for the transition from school to employment.

♦For Anthony, graduation wasn’t the end of that journey.

After Project SEARCH, he continued working toward employment with support from KW Career Compass at KW Habilitation. With support from Job Developer Saina Mahali, Anthony strengthened his résumé, searched for opportunities and continued building on the skills he had developed during his internships.

That work helped Anthony secure two paid employment opportunities. He returned to Cambridge Memorial Hospital for a paid contract position in Environmental Services and began working at Thrift on Kent, where he continues to work today.

Anthony says that support has made a difference.

“[KW Career Compass at KW Habilitation has] helped me gain so many skills with building my resume and looking for jobs, and because of their assistance and support, they helped me get, not one but 2 jobs, and I’m forever grateful for all the support.”

And he’s continuing to learn and grow. At Thrift on Kent’s Industrial Rags Social Enterprise, Anthony has found work he enjoys and a team he likes being part of.

“I like working at Thrift on Kent’s Industrial Rags Social Enterprise because I enjoy the people I work with. They are really friendly, easy to get along with, and fun to talk to. I also enjoy cutting the textiles into rags, and I am proud of the work I am doing.”

Anthony’s experience is a reminder that finding a job is only one part of the employment journey. Having the right support along the way can help people develop new skills, build confidence, navigate new experiences and become increasingly independent at work.

When Anthony graduated from Project SEARCH, he said he was excited to enter the working world. Now he’s doing just that, contributing his skills at Thrift on Kent and continuing to discover what’s possible.

As we head into National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) this October, Anthony’s story is also an opportunity to recognize the importance of inclusive employment and the contributions people with disabilities make in workplaces throughout our community.

Because when people have opportunities to contribute their skills and talents, our entire community benefits.

Learn more about employment supports at KW Habilitation

The post From Project SEARCH to Paid Employment and Growing appeared first on KW Habilitation.

For people with developmental disabilities and their families, finding inclusive and accessible opportunities can sometimes mean searching across different websites, organizations and social media accounts.

That’s a challenge the Belonging Collective has been working together to address.

The Belonging Collective brings together organizations in Waterloo Region with a shared interest in creating more opportunities for inclusion, connection and belonging for people with disabilities. As part of that work, several members currently contribute to a shared Community Calendar, including KW Habilitation, Developmental Services Ontario, Extend-A-Family Waterloo Region, Independent Living Waterloo Region, Sunbeam, Our Studio and Waterloo Region Family Network.

The calendar helps people discover inclusive public events, programs and opportunities to connect across Waterloo Region.

But what if we could make finding those opportunities even easier?

This summer, KW Habilitation brought that question to the University of Waterloo Blueprint Impact-A-Thon:

How might we create a single, accessible place where people with disabilities can independently discover meaningful opportunities to connect with their communities?

Blueprint is a student-run University of Waterloo organization that brings together designers, developers and product managers to create technology for social good.

During the Impact-A-Thon, 11 teams of students spent the day exploring our challenge and developing possible solutions. At the end of the event, representatives from KW Habilitation, including a person with lived experience, reviewed the ideas and selected a winning concept.

But that was only the beginning.

♦

Since the Impact-A-Thon, we’ve continued working directly with the winning Blueprint team to turn their idea into a real community resource.

Throughout the summer, the team has met regularly with KW Habilitation and with people with disabilities to develop and test prototypes, hear what works and what doesn’t, and use that feedback to shape the next version.

The idea builds on what we’ve learned from the Belonging Collective’s existing Community Calendar, with a bigger vision for what could come next: a highly visual, easy-to-use platform designed with people with disabilities, rather than simply for them.

The goal is to make it easier for people to independently discover community events, recreation, volunteer opportunities and other ways to get involved in the things that interest them.

This isn’t intended to become a KW Habilitation calendar.

The bigger vision is to create a tool that the Belonging Collective can use together, allowing organizations across our community to continue sharing opportunities while making them easier for people to find and explore in one place.

It’s a great example of what can happen when different perspectives and skills come together. Blueprint brings technology, design and fresh ideas. Community organizations bring knowledge and experience. And people with lived experience are helping shape the platform throughout its development, so we’re not making assumptions about what an accessible and useful tool should look like.

There’s still work ahead, but what started as a one-day challenge is becoming an ongoing partnership, and we’re excited to see where it takes us.

The post From an Idea to an Ongoing Partnership appeared first on KW Habilitation.

The old interpretation was that Uniroyal accepted all blame for NDMA and chlorobenzene contamination despite initially denying it in exchange for a free pass on expensive DNAPL removal and remediation. They knew what a pigsty Varnicolor Chemical was and they certainly knew that their partially funded Elmira Sewage Treatment Plant (1965) had taken five years to be able to handle Borg Textile high strength wastes. They also likely knew that all the ammonia in the aquifers wasn't theirs but the next door neighbour Nutrite.

Now based upon known products and by-products of both the paint industry and the textile industry that there were at least two other major sources of NDMA and chlorobenzene just down the street from them. Finally PCBs had only been banned since the early to mid 1970s and until then those paints would have found their way most likely into McKee Harvestor and Varnicolor Chemical in the 1960s and 70s. All in all our Ontario Ministry of Environment (M.O.E.) certainly were not remotely on top of things in little Elmira, Ontario.

I expect that after the  Ministry (M.O.E.) presented their damaging evidence on Uniroyal Chemical at the Environmental Appeal Board and the hearing was then postponed over the summer that Uniroyal had a little chat with the M.O.E. It might have gone something like this. "You a...holes are going to be publicly destroyed this fall when the hearings resume. We aren't holding anything back. The Creek and the groundwater has been a toxic mess for decades and you've done exactly nothing to stop it. McKee and others have contributed PCBs, Nutrite ammonia, Varnicolor and Borg have contributed NDMA, chlorobenzene and more chlorinated solvents, local gas stations have added benzenes and toluene. Basically we, Uniroyal, have simply added our share on top of an already unregulated, unmonitored environmental mess. Good luck surviving what's coming this fall (1991) unless you play ball with us now."   

At which point a government Ministry maybe with approval from the top decided that neither they nor perhaps even the government would survive the Elmira truth being revealed. So much for the 90s being the turnaround decade. 

There’s something about an older home that makes you wonder what storeis the walls could tell.

Maybe it’s the original hardwood floors that creak when you walk down the hallway. A mysterious little door tucked beneath the stairs. An attic that feels like it belongs in a ghost story. Or a staircase that makes just enough noise at night to have you questioning whether you’re really the only person in the house.

For some buyers, these quirks are part of the charm.

In Kitchener-Waterloo, where character homes and historic neighbourhoods are full of architectural details, you won’t find in a brand-new build, “spooky” features can actually be some of the most memorable and lovable parts of a home.

Here are a few haunted-house-inspired features buyers might secretly love…plus a few that can make them run for the nearest exit.

Charming or concerning? Usually charming.

Original hardwood floors have character that’s hard to replicate. And yes, they may announce your 2 a.m. trip to the kitchen with a very loud creeeeeak.

But those little sounds can be part of the personality of an older home. Well-maintained hardwood can also be a desirable feature for buyers who appreciate historic details.

Buyer verdict: ♦♦♦♦
Adds character. Just maybe not stealth.

A tiny door under the stairs. A narrow passage behind a bookcase. A little room that you almost miss during the showing.

Suddenly, the home has a secret.

While hidden rooms might sound like something from a mystery novel, unusual nooks and storage spaces are often the result of how older homes were designed. And for buyers, they can become everything from a reading nook to a kids’ hideaway to an unexpectedly useful storage area.

Buyer verdict: ♦♦♦♦♦
Instant conversation starter.

There’s something undeniably intriguing about an old attic.

Exposed beams? Love it. Original architectural details? Even better. A little window overlooking the neighbourhood? Dreamy.

But buyers should look beyond the atmosphere. An attic can also raise practical questions about insulation, ventilation, moisture, accessibility and whether the space is actually suitable for living or storage.

Buyer verdict: ♦♦♦
Charming… once you’ve checked what’s going on up there.

Old windows can be beautiful. Wavy glass, original trim and oversized frames can add a level of character that new construction simply doesn’t have.

They can also be drafty.

For buyers considering an older home, original windows are worth inspecting carefully. Replacement windows may be an investment down the road, but preserving original windows can sometimes be an important part of maintaining a character home.

Buyer verdict: ♦♦♦
Beautiful, but check for drafts before you fall in love.

Few things say “character home” quite like a fireplace.

A beautiful original mantel can become the focal point of a living room, especially when paired with other period details like hardwood floors, detailed trim or built-ins.

But before imagining yourself curled up beside the fire with a mug of hot chocolate, make sure you know whether the fireplace is functional, what type it is and whether the chimney has been properly maintained.

Buyer verdict: ♦♦♦♦♦
Spooky? No. Cozy? Absolutely.

Some older homes have hallways that seem to go on forever.

At first, you might think, “Wow, this has so much character.”

Five minutes later: “Why are there three doors I haven’t opened yet?”

Long hallways aren’t necessarily a problem. They can create separation between living spaces and bedrooms and contribute to the feeling of a traditional home. But buyers should consider how the layout works for their lifestyle and whether the space is functional or simply… dramatic.

Buyer verdict: ♦♦♦
Great for character. Potentially questionable for furniture placement.

Every old house seems to have one.

A room that’s too small to be a bedroom. Too big to be a closet. Too oddly shaped to know what to do with.

And yet… you kind of love it.

These spaces can become home offices, craft rooms, reading nooks, pantry space, playrooms or storage. Sometimes the most awkward rooms end up becoming the most useful.

Buyer verdict: ♦♦♦♦
Give it a purpose and embrace the unusual.

This is where the charm can quickly disappear.

An unfinished basement with exposed stone or brick walls can be incredibly cool in a character home. But damp smells, visible moisture, cracks, poor drainage or signs of past water intrusion are a different story.

A little spooky atmosphere? Fine.

A basement that makes you wonder whether it has its own ecosystem? Probably not.

Buyer verdict: ♦
Proceed with caution.

Older homes come with character, but they can also come with surprises.

A sloping floor, unusual wall crack, sagging ceiling or oddly placed support beam might simply be part of an older home’s construction. Or it could indicate something that deserves closer attention.

This is where it’s important to separate quirky from concerning.

Your real estate agent can help you identify questions to ask, while a qualified home inspector can take a much closer look at the condition of the home.

Buyer verdict: ♦♦
Character is great. Structural mysteries? Get them checked out.

The truth is, buying an older home often means accepting a little personality.

You might get floors that creak, doors that stick, a staircase that has seen better days or a room that makes absolutely no sense according to modern floor plans.

But you might also get beautiful woodwork, original trim, stained glass, mature trees, thoughtful craftsmanship and architectural details that give the home a story of its own.

And that’s often the magic of a character home.

The goal isn’t to find a house with zero quirks. It’s to know which quirks are charming, which ones are fixable and which ones deserve a closer look before you make an offer.

Because the right home might have a few ghosts in its past, but hopefully no surprises hiding in the basement.

House hunting in Kitchener-Waterloo? Whether you’re drawn to century homes, modern builds or something somewhere in between, we’re here to help you look beyond the first impression and understand what you’re really buying.

Let’s find a home with the right amount of character and absolutely no scary-movie plot twists.

Check out:

Set the scene for Halloween: Simple ways to make your home the most welcoming on the street
Maximizing natural light in century homes
Viewing a newer home vs. an older home

Halloween is one of those nights when the neighbourhood suddenly feels a little more connected. Driveways become gathering spots, front porches get a spooky makeover, and kids (and plenty of parents) make their way from house to house in search of the best treats.

You don’t need a professional haunted house or a front yard full of inflatable ghosts to make your home a Halloween favourite. A few thoughtful touches can make your home feel festive, welcoming and safe for everyone making their way down the block.

Think back to your childhood. Was there a house you couldn’t wait to visit each year?

Here are some simple ways to get your home ready for Halloween and specific decorations to help you pull it off.

Your front entrance is the star of the show on Halloween night, so start there.

You can create plenty of atmosphere without spending a fortune. Try:

• A few pumpkins or gourds arranged by the front steps
• A fall wreath on the front door
• Battery-powered lanterns or string lights
• A seasonal doormat
• Faux cobwebs, bats or other lightweight decorations
• A few mums or fall planters for a pop of colour

For a classic look, stick with pumpkins, warm lighting and autumn décor. Want something spookier? Add a few skeletons, tombstones or creepy silhouettes.

The key is to keep the walkway clear and make sure decorations don’t become obstacles for little trick-or-treaters.

Halloween is a great excuse to have a little fun with your home’s curb appeal.

Keep your lawn and walkway tidy, rake up leaves where needed, and make sure your entrance is easy to see. A well-lit pathway can be both festive and practical.

Consider using solar or battery-powered lights along the walkway, or add a few lanterns near the driveway and front steps. If you’re decorating the yard, keep larger displays away from the areas where children will be walking.

And remember: spooky doesn’t have to mean scary. If your neighbourhood has lots of younger children, consider keeping the decorations more playful than terrifying.

A simple Halloween rule of thumb: if you’re welcoming trick-or-treaters, make it obvious.

Turn on your porch light and make sure your front entrance is well lit. Check outdoor bulbs before Halloween night and replace any that have burned out.

If your home is not participating this year, turning off your exterior lights is generally the easiest way to let families know that you’re sitting this one out.

Bonus: Good lighting also makes it easier for parents to keep an eye on little ones as they navigate your property.

With excited kids, costumes, candy bags and sometimes questionable visibility, your front walkway needs to be as obstacle-free as possible.

Before the evening begins:

• Clear leaves, sticks and other debris from paths
• Make sure steps and handrails are secure
• Remove garden hoses, toys and outdoor equipment
• Keep extension cords tucked safely out of the way
• Avoid decorations that could trip someone
• Make sure pathways aren’t blocked by cars

If you’ve got a particularly dark side path or uneven section of your property, consider temporarily directing trick-or-treaters toward a safer route.

Halloween can be exciting for people but overwhelming for pets.

Constant doorbell ringing, unfamiliar costumes and a parade of strangers can make even the friendliest dog or cat anxious. Consider keeping pets in a quiet room away from the front entrance during peak trick-or-treating hours.

It’s also a good idea to keep candy, chocolate and other Halloween treats well out of reach of pets.

Your furry family member doesn’t need to help answer the door to be part of the festivities!

If you know you’ll have lots of visitors, make things easy on yourself by setting up a dedicated candy station.

A decorated table or basket near the front door can help keep the evening moving, especially if you’re also trying to manage the doorbell, costumes and your own little trick-or-treaters.

You could even add a little sign inviting kids to “Take One” or choose their favourite treat.

Want to make your house extra memorable? Add a bowl of candy alongside a few non-food options, such as stickers, pencils or small Halloween-themed toys.

The best Halloween decorations are the ones that add to the fun without creating a headache for everyone else.

Keep music and sound effects at a reasonable volume, avoid decorations that spill onto the sidewalk, and be mindful of where you’re placing lights so they don’t shine directly into neighbouring homes.

If you’re planning something bigger like a haunted walkthrough or a gathering in your driveway, consider how it might affect traffic, parking and pedestrian flow.

A little neighbourly consideration goes a long way.

One of the best things about Halloween is that you don’t have to celebrate alone.

If your street tends to have a lot of trick-or-treaters, consider making Halloween a neighbourhood event. A few neighbours could decorate together, set up a shared candy station or simply spend the evening outside chatting while the kids go door to door.

You might even start a friendly tradition. Here are a few ideas:

• A neighbourhood pumpkin-carving afternoon
• A costume contest
• A neighbourhood map of decorated houses
• A vote for the best-decorated house

It’s a simple way to turn Halloween from a night of knocking on doors into a night of connecting with the people who live behind them.

A welcoming Halloween home should also be a safe one.

For homeowners:

• Keep stairs, walkways and entrances well lit.
• Keep candles and open flames away from costumes and decorations.
• Use battery-operated candles wherever possible.
• Keep pets safely inside and away from the front entrance.
• Don’t leave candy or decorations where children could trip.
• Check that cords and outdoor decorations are safely secured.

For families heading out:

• Stick to sidewalks and cross at designated crossings
• Make sure costumes don’t drag or obstruct vision
• Add reflective elements or lights to darker costumes
• Carry a flashlight when trick-or-treating after dark
• Younger children should be accompanied by an adult

And, of course, the traditional Halloween rule still applies: check the candy before digging in!

You don’t need the biggest decorations on the block to make your home stand out.

Sometimes, it’s the house with the glowing pumpkins, the friendly homeowners, the bowl of great candy and the beautifully lit walkway that becomes a favourite stop year after year.

Halloween is really about the neighbourhood. It’s a chance to step outside, meet the families down the street, admire everyone’s creativity and enjoy a little community spirit.

So grab a pumpkin, turn on the porch light and get ready to welcome the neighbourhood.

Happy Halloween from the Cody Cooper Real Estate Team!

Check out:
Spooky home features buyers secretly love
Give your guests a frightful delight with tasteful Halloween decor
Spooky properties: Haunted houses & legends in Waterloo Region
Celebrate the harvest season in Kitchener-Waterloo

This of course was fifteen years after the Elmira Sewage Treatment Plant was finally built. It was also about a decade after direct dumping into the Canagagigue Creek mostly ended. Dioxins were certainly known by Uniroyal Chemical and it's hard to believe that the Ontario Ministry of Environment also did not know about them. PCBs had been banned in Canada, the U.S. and likely Europe around 1972. The Federal government commissioned a study through their Inland Waters Directorate in Burlington, Ontario to examine industrial chemicals in the Canagagiue Creek in 1980. Funny thing though, I don't believe Uniroyal's and the M.O.E.'s favourite two chemicals NDMA and chlorobenzene were mentioned.  The chemicals listed in the title above as well as many others were found in Creek sediments, soils, the benthic community (midges, chironomids etc.) and of course fish .

More than half a century since PCBs were banned and they are still with us. Wow but that really puts the "Persistent"  into POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) doesn't it? What is most discouraging for me is the understanding as to how innocuous they were and for how long. I had always thought that they were most commonly used as electrical insulators in transformers. Nope their biggest use was in heavy duty paints and coatings for maritime use. Initially they were found to increase both durability and elasticity of paint which meant that heavy duty uses whether for ships, tractors, agricultural equipment, dams, buildings in extreme weather locations etc. were all likely to receive these heavy duty paints. The other scary thing is Artificial Intelligence (AI) suggests that eventually they were used by many, many industries as an inexpensive way to improve the long term appearance of many, outdoor manufactured goods. Here in Elmira that would certainly include McKee Harvester (agricultural products) due to both the timing of their manufacture and the outdoor products they made. Also I had been told decades ago that the Woolwich Dam itself based on its timing (1972) likely had some PCB infused paint used on parts of it and in fact that was claimed at one time as the source of PCBs in the downstream  Canagagigue Creek. 

On a different note it is beginning to appear to me that Borg Textiles certainly got out of town in the nick of time (mid 1980s). As I have long suspected chlorobenzene's presence at Varnicolor Chemical it now seems almost certain that they were also used at Borg Textiles. Quoting AI :  "Dyeing synthetic fibres like polyester and acrylic requires chemical swelling agents known as dye carriers to force disperse dyes deep into the synthetic polymer structure."  "Chlorobenzenes were historically the standard industrial chemical used as these carriers." There were other textile industries in town including a Felt manufacturer as well as one on Park Avenue not far from Uniroyal Chemical. Odd isn't it that Jim Bradley's (Ont. M.O.E.) five man team sent to Elmira looking for other sources of NDMA and chlorobenzene never mentioned Borg, Varnicolor Chemical or the others.  

PAHs or Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons can also be solids at ambient temperatures but just like dioxins and DDT cab be readily dissolved in solvents including DNAPL solvents. The former Uniroyal site was blessed with many PAHs which among other locations ended up in the Canagagigue Creek sediments, creekbank soils, fish etc. Hence they have also migrated into groundwater beneath the Uniroyal site and most likely onwards from there into Elmira's groundwater long before the company allegedly fully slammed the gate shut via Pump & Treat (hydraulic containment) in 1992/93.

Further studies of steam flushing have confirmed the early positive results in removing/dissolving the higher solubility compounds in DNAPLS such as chlorobenzene and other solvents but there are later "tailing" effects or dramatic slowdowns in the removal of these relatively higher solubility compounds compared to more recalcitrant to steam flushing and dissolution; dioxins, DDT and PAHs.

It is not just DNAPL that can infiltrate into low permeability zones. Dissolved contaminants in aquifers at the interface between aquifers and aquitards can diffuse from the higher concentration aquifer into the lower to zero contaminant concentration aquitard over time. This diffusion can be a few inches deep or even a few feet into the aquitard. After many years of pump & treat for example as the aquifer concentrations of contaminants decrease significantly then the contaminants held in the aquitards can back diffuse into the aquifers.

The 1% rule referencing a DNAPL chemical's dissolved concentration in an aquifer indicating likely nearby free phase DNAPL must be viewed in the context of all contaminants dissolved in the aquifer including non DNAPL contaminants. Hence for example five contaminants (4 chlorinated solvents & toluene (non DNAPL)) each having a concentration less than 1% of their Solubility can have their cumulative mole fractions sum higher than 1% providing evidence of possible DNAPL presence nearby (Raoult's Law).  The cumulative mole fraction is each compound's concentration in groundwater divided by its' Solubility (i.e. Ci/Si) and then added together. In the example by Bernard Kueper Queen's University Kingston and Kathryn Davies U.S. EPA, Region 3 in their EPA Ground Water Issue titled "Assessment and Delineation of DNAPL Source Zones at Hazardous Waste Sites" these five compounds mole fractions (Ci/Si) total  .034 or 3.4% , well in excess of the 1% criteria.

So apologies fir getting a little technical there but how are we to interpret this information? Firstly any honest evaluation of even a fraction of the multitude (hundreds approx.) of dissolved Uniroyal Chemical contaminants compared to their Solubility in water would show the high probability of DNAPLS nearby. Secondly the single minded focus on NDMA/Chlorobenzene and later Ammonia  has been simply a distraction from the even worse contaminants and by no means am I deprecating NDMA's toxicity. I'm referring to dioxins, DDT and PCBs. Possibly on Monday we'll discuss the PCBs further. Thirdly we are seeing exactly how difficult it would be to fully remediate the Elmira Aquifers honestly and transparently. Any idjit can lie and say they are doing it but it takes truly inspired prevaricators to hold to the same lie after thirty years and failure.              

Four years ago I was writing transfer functions for motor controllers. Today I ship React interfaces for an AI SaaS product. People assume the switch was a clean break, that I threw one toolbox away and picked up another.

It was not. I use the same toolbox. I just stopped calling it control theory.

Here is what I mean.

In a control system you have a setpoint, which is where you want the system to be. You have a sensor that tells you where the system actually is. A controller computes the difference between the two, and an actuator does something about it.

Now describe a form submission. The setpoint is the server state you want. The sensor is your response handler. The controller is your reducer. The actuator is the DOM. The loop runs, the error shrinks, the system settles.

Once you see it this way, an entire class of frontend bugs stops looking like frontend bugs and starts looking like unstable loops. Double submissions are oscillation. An infinite re render is positive feedback with no damping. A spinner that never stops is a sensor that never reported back.

Engineers who come from control systems have one instinct baked in. Never build a loop you cannot prove will settle.

Early on I wrote what everyone writes.

const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false)
const [isError, setIsError] = useState(false)
const [isSuccess, setIsSuccess] = useState(false)

Three booleans give you eight possible states. The feature has four legal ones. The other four are bugs waiting for a slow network to find them. Loading and error at the same time. Success and error at the same time. I have shipped both.

In mechatronics nobody models a system with loose flags. You draw a state machine, you enumerate every state, and you define which transitions are legal. Everything that is not on the diagram cannot happen, by construction.

type RequestState =
  | { status: 'idle' }
  | { status: 'loading' }
  | { status: 'success'; data: Invoice[] }
  | { status: 'error'; message: string }

Four states, no illegal combinations, and the compiler refuses to let you read data before it exists. This single change removed more bugs from my work than any library I have ever installed.

A sensor never gives you a clean number. It gives you a number plus noise, and your first job is to filter that noise before anything downstream is allowed to trust it.

Users are sensors. Someone typing in a search box is a noisy signal firing roughly eight events per second. Someone clicking a submit button is a signal with mechanical bounce, exactly like a physical switch, which is why we borrowed the word debounce from hardware in the first place.

So filter at the boundary, not deep inside your logic.

const debouncedQuery = useDebounce(query, 300)

The rule I carried over is simple. The filter belongs as close to the sensor as possible. Debounce the input, not the network layer. Throttle the scroll handler, not the component that reads it. By the time a signal reaches your business logic it should already be clean, because logic that has to defend itself against noise becomes logic nobody can read.

Pure feedback control is always late. It cannot react until the error already exists. If you want a system that feels fast, you add feedforward, which is a prediction of what the output should be, applied before the measurement comes back.

That is exactly what an optimistic update is. You do not wait for the server to confirm. You apply the predicted state immediately and reconcile when the real measurement arrives.

setLikes(prev => prev + 1)   // feedforward, applied instantly
await api.like(postId)       // feedback, arrives later

The part people get wrong is the reconciliation. Feedforward without correction is just guessing. Every optimistic update needs a rollback path, because a prediction that is never checked against reality is how an interface ends up lying to the person using it.

In hardware, a loop that waits forever on a sensor is not a slow loop, it is a hung machine. So you add a watchdog. If the expected signal does not arrive within a bounded window, the system stops waiting and enters a defined failure state.

Frontends almost never do this. We fire a request and then wait, politely, indefinitely. Somebody ends up sitting in front of a spinner for forty seconds with no idea whether anything is still happening.

const controller = new AbortController()
const watchdog = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), 10000)

Ten seconds, then a defined failure state with a message and a retry. Not a spinner that spins until the person gives up. A system without a watchdog does not fail loudly, it fails silently, and silent failure is the worst kind of failure in any control system.

I am not arguing that every frontend engineer should go and study control theory. I am arguing something narrower and more useful. The discipline you came from is not a detour on your CV. It is a lens nobody else on your team is holding.

The people around me arrived at frontend from design, from computer science, from bootcamps. They see things I do not. I see feedback loops, settling time, noise and failure modes, because I spent years being taught that a system which cannot be proven to settle is not finished, it is just not broken yet.

So if you switched fields, stop apologising for the years before the switch. Go and find the thing your old discipline made obvious that everyone else has to learn the hard way. That is not a gap in your experience. It is the most interesting thing about you.

I am a frontend engineer working with React, Next.js and TypeScript, building AI powered SaaS products. I write about engineering, systems thinking and the strange paths people take into this field.

I Studied Control Systems, Then Became a Frontend Engineer. It Is the Same Job. was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Clearly our ethically and morally deficient authority figures have assessed that question in the title above. Clearly they would have us believe that their lying and deception is for our own good. Perhaps the argument goes like this: People have enough stress with jobs, climate change, housing, raising children etc. Why burden them with more especially when the more is permanent groundwater destruction over which they have no control. This self-serving answer when it comes from the very people who either dumped the toxins and or were charged with protecting us from those very actions; is an attempt to justify the indefensible. If we continue to hide our serious environmental failures then we will never step up and improve our behaviour and responses to polluters and their apologists. We as citizens, if deceived by Lanxess Canada, GHD, MECP, Woolwich Township and others, can not do our civic duty and demand environmental protection as well as proper environmental remediation of either Elmira or other towns and cities.

Steam flushing has been used to remediate deep DNAPL . It can be effective although there are considerations. Firstly there is preferential removal of the more soluble components from the DNAPL long before the lower solubility, more intransigent components are stripped from the DNAPL mass. Furthermore as has previously been written here Dioxins and DDT for example can recrystallize when their solvent carrier such as chlorobenzene has been significantly reduced and or dissolved into groundwater. 

Another issue is the remobilization of free phase DNAPL that can occur under steam flushing. It has been found that dependent upon location, cracks and fissures, the DNAPL pool can spread out further while under steam flushing. A third issue is the fact that the greatest removal rates occur at the start of the process but then are greatly reduced.  Hence just like pump & treat remediation early success breeds complacency and overconfidence, puffery and intransigence .

Landmark performance reflects Centre In The Square’s ambitious programming direction and its growing stature as one of Canada’s leading destinations for live experiences

KITCHENER, ON – Centre In The Square announced today that Itzhak Perlman, violin, accompanied by Rohan De Silva, piano, will perform in the Raffi Armenian Hall on Thursday, November 19, 2026, at 7:00 pm. Tickets go on sale to Priority Plus and above Members on Friday, September 25 at 10 am, to Priority Members on Saturday, September 26 at 10 am, and to the public on Monday, September 28 at 10 am. The engagement is a rare opportunity for audiences across Southwestern Ontario to see one of the world’s most celebrated musicians without travelling to Toronto.

For Kitchener and Waterloo Region, Perlman’s appearance is a significant moment: this marks Itzhak Perlman’s first performance at Centre In The Square. It means audiences across the region can experience an artist of this stature close to home, in the heart of Downtown Kitchener, rather than making the trip to Toronto. Student and youth tickets are priced at $49.50, reflecting the Centre’s commitment to ensuring young people have access to performances of this calibre.

Perlman’s engagement is part of a broader programming direction at Centre In The Square, which has spent the past two years building its reputation as one of Canada’s leading destinations for live experiences. Major international and Canadian artists are increasingly choosing to perform in Kitchener on its own terms, not as a stop on the way to somewhere else. The booking reflects an intentional point of view behind the Centre’s programming, not a one-off engagement, and signals the organization’s growing profile on the national stage.

“Bringing an artist of Itzhak Perlman’s stature to Kitchener is exactly the kind of moment we’ve been building toward,” said Eric Larivière, Executive Director of Centre In The Square. “This is a rare chance for our community, and for the students and new audiences we hope to introduce to a performance like this, to experience one of the great musicians of our time close to home. It reflects the confidence we have in what this city and this region can support.”

The performance will take place in Centre In The Square’s 2,000-seat Raffi Armenian Hall. Acoustics for the hall were designed by Russell Johnson Associates of New York, and the orchestra pit was modelled on the one at Bayreuth, holding up to 100 musicians. Moveable stage towers, curved walls and a system of canopies work together to shape the room’s sound for a wide range of performances. Designed to bring audiences close to the performance, the hall is well suited to a program built around a single, intimate performance.

Undeniably the reigning virtuoso of the violin, Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. Beloved for his charm and humanity as well as his talent, he is treasured by audiences throughout the world who respond not only to his remarkable artistry but also to his irrepressible joy for making music.

Having performed with every major orchestra and at concert halls around the globe, Mr. Perlman was granted a Presidential Medal of Freedom – the Nation’s highest civilian honor – by President Obama in 2015, a National Medal of Arts by President Clinton in 2000 and a Medal of Liberty by President Reagan in 1986. Mr. Perlman has been honored with 16 GRAMMY® Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Genesis Prize.

Tickets for the November 19 performance start at $88.50, with early access for Centre In The Square Priority Plus and above Members on Friday, September 25 at 10 am and for Priority Members on Saturday, September 26 at 10 am, ahead of the public on-sale on Monday, September 28 at 10 am. Youth/Student tickets are available for $49.50. Tickets are available at centreinthesquare.com or by calling the Box Office at 519-578-1570 or 1-800-265-8977. Centre In The Square is a fully accessible venue; for accessibility information or to arrange accommodations, contact the box office. For more information and to become a Member, patrons can visit centreinthesquare.com/members.

Centre In The Square is among Canada’s leading destinations for live experiences. Located in the heart of Downtown Kitchener, the 2,000-seat Raffi Armenian Hall and the Studio Theatre welcome more than 150,000 people a year to a season that spans Broadway, international and Canadian touring artists, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the Grand Philharmonic Choir, and locally produced work including the Kitchener Creates education and community program. Centre In The Square is a not-for-profit registered charity that earns roughly 80 percent of its own revenue.

-30-

Media Contacts

Eric Lariviere
Executive Director, Centre In The Square
416-557-8498
ELariviere@centreinthesquare.com

Jonathan Randall
Director, Marketing & Development
416-735-3347
JRandall@centreinthesquare.com

Last weekend, my social media feeds were filled with discussions about the new Converse sneaker ad that evoked Ku Klux Klan and lynching imagery.

The company has since apologized and pulled the ad, explaining, “This should not have happened and we will do better.”

I hope we can all take something from this situation, regardless of whether we work in marketing or another role.

When creating a presentation, writing a company announcement, designing a team event, or selecting an image for social media, let’s invite someone with a different perspective to review our work before we share it.

Instead of asking, “Does this look good?,” ask questions to help identify unintended messages:

• “Is there anything here that could be interpreted differently than I intended?”
• “What associations or messages might I be missing?”
• “Is there anything that could feel exclusionary or hurtful?”

One last thing: choose reviewers with different lived experiences and perspectives, rather than asking only people likely to agree with you. Also, be aware of the “minority tax” that people from underrepresented groups face when asked to serve on committees to improve representation. There is a demand and supply problem: People from underrepresented groups are in high demand to provide their input on diversity initiatives, but they are often in short supply within any given organization. This leads to a small group of individuals being tapped for service more often than their peers.

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Recently, Merriam-Webster added 1,400 new words to their online dictionary. One stood out for me: DARVO.

Coined by psychologist Jennifer Freyd, PhD, DARVO describes a pattern people may use when confronted about wrongdoing:

• Deny the behavior.
• Attack the person raising the concern.
• Reverse the roles of victim and offender.

I’ve written about this pattern before, and it’s worth repeating how it can show up at work. For example:

• “They’re making a big deal out of nothing. In fact, if they were more of a team player, I’d be better able to meet my quarterly goals.”
• “They think I’m lying to customers? If they’d just stick to the script, we wouldn’t have these customer trust issues, and I’d be able to hit my quota.”
• “This feels like cancel culture. One small mistake and suddenly I’m the villain.”

Notice what happens in each example. Instead of addressing the original concern, the person shifts blame, attacks someone’s character, or portrays themselves as the victim.

That’s when we can disrupt DARVO.

It could be as simple as saying, “Let’s stay focused on the original concern raised.”

Have you heard of “the Billy Graham rule” or “the Mike Pence rule?” It’s a practice where a male leader avoids spending time alone with any woman who isn’t his wife.

Regardless of the motivation, this rule is real, and it has real consequences for women’s careers. When male leaders avoid one-on-one meetings, dinners, or mentoring conversations with women, they limit access to relationships and opportunities that help people advance.

I’ve met some of these men.

A business unit leader once announced during a workshop I was facilitating, “My wife gets jealous when I have a work dinner with a female coworker,” and then asked, “How should I handle that?”

My snarky side wanted to suggest couples’ therapy. Instead, I recommended, “You could always bring along another coworker. Or only meet coworkers of any gender over breakfast.”

No one should be excluded from out-of-the-office activities where colleagues get to know each other, share ideas, and learn from each other. No one should miss out on meetings with influential people because of their gender.

In a recent interview with Business Insider, Sheryl Sandberg mentioned that she still talks to people who won’t take a meeting with a woman alone.

She asked:

“Who’s ever been promoted by someone they’ve never had a meeting with? No one ever. You can have a meeting alone with a woman: Keep the door open.”

I’d take it a step further: Keep the door open for everyone. Meet with colleagues of all genders, using consistent practices for privacy, transparency, and professionalism. Or establish clear meeting guidelines that give everyone equitable access to your time, mentorship, and opportunities.

In 2013, I was convinced the problem would soon be solved.

I remember telling my friend Eric over lunch that I’d quit my corporate job to support women in tech. I was starting a coaching business, but I expected to do it for only a few years. After all, everyone in Silicon Valley was talking about the importance of having more women on the teams solving the world’s most pressing problems.

Fast-forward more than a decade, and I wish my optimism had been justified.

WIRED recently surveyed women in tech and found:

• Almost half of the women surveyed (47%) said the tech sector is unchanged or worse for women compared with five years ago.
• More than a third (36%) said they’d experienced gender-based harassment or bias at work.
• Women reported being sexually harassed by male supervisors, earning less than their male peers, being passed over for promotions, and getting talked over in meetings.

I have a feeling these experiences aren’t limited to tech.

So, when a woman coworker tells you she’s been treated unfairly — or worse, harassed — take her concerns seriously.

Listen without immediately questioning her account, minimizing what happened, or explaining away someone else’s behavior.

Then ask, “What kind of support would be most helpful right now?”

After reading my September 11, 2026 newsletter, where I recommended being aware of religious and cultural commitments in the fall, Mark Vollmers reached out. He explained that he works with a team in India and has learned that essentially September through when Diwali lands (late October through the middle of November) is filled with festivals. Some are national holidays that might appear on global calendar notices, but people also celebrate other days.

While people at his company support teammates taking time off for such events, Vollmers also shared something he personally does: Schedule non-critical messages for the next normal working day.

“Knowing how connected everyone is and the tendency to be willing to log in and do work even when they’re ‘off’, I have to be extra attentive to schedule non-critical emails and IMs to send on the next normal working day. While it may be easy for someone to quickly ‘check something out’, I don’t want people to deal with normal type stuff when they’re off.”

He added, “I’ve learned that just saying in the email ‘for when you get back’ isn’t nearly as effective as I’d like it to be.”

Thank you. 🙏

If you’ve taken a step towards being a better ally, please reply to this email and tell me about it. And mention if I can quote you by name or credit you anonymously in an upcoming newsletter.

That’s all for this week. I’m glad you’re on this journey with me,

Karen Catlin (she/her), Author of the Better Allies® book series

100% written by me. I use AI for researching a personal archive of my books and past newsletters, and for light editing.

Copyright © 2026 Karen Catlin. All rights reserved.

Together, we can make a difference with the Better Allies® approach.

• Say thanks to Karen and buy her a coffee ☕ (Need a receipt for educational reimbursement? Reply to this email, and we’ll take care of it.)
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Invite A Different Perspective, and Other Actions for Allies was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In a few short months, people in our community will leave homelessness behind by moving into Friendship Village – and you can be a part of their journey!♦

Welcome Home: Friendship Village is inviting caring, compassionate community members like you to help provide a warm welcome to every single person who moves into our new supportive housing community by providing the essential items they need to turn their units into homes.

You see, when people move into Friendship Village, many will come with virtually no belongings. Almost nothing from their former life.

When you are homeless and have nowhere else to go, the list of belongings you have gets smaller and smaller as you move from place to place. And when you finally get a place you can call your own, you have the daunting task of starting from scratch.

You can help change that story for our new residents by donating to support key items such as:

• Bedding and curtains for a bedroom;
• Towels, a shower curtain, bathmat for a bathroom;
• Pots and pans to cook meals; and,
• The dishes and cutlery to eat them.

When you give, you are doing more than furnishing a space – you are helping to provide a home where hope and healing will happen for 100 people leaving homelessness behind. Thank you!

You are helping a new story begin.

WELCOME HOME: FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE
To learn more or give today, visit www.houseoffriendship.org/FriendshipVillage, or give us a call at 519-742-8327 x 131.

Thank you for making fresh starts possible and providing a warm welcome today!

The post Welcome Home: Friendship Village appeared first on House Of Friendship.

We’re pleased to share the recording of our recent Hydraulic Mixing Cell (HMC) Training Session in HydroGeoSphere. Presented by Arghavan Tafvizi, HydroGeoSphere Specialist at Aquanty Inc., this practical session provides a comprehensive introduction to the Hydraulic Mixing Cell workflow and its application for analyzing surface water–groundwater interactions in integrated hydrologic models.

The webinar walks through the complete HMC workflow, from preparing model inputs and configuring simulations to interpreting output files and post-processing results. Through a hands-on demonstration, participants gain practical knowledge that can be immediately applied to HydroGeoSphere modelling projects.

Key Highlights:

• Learn how to prepare the required inputs for Hydraulic Mixing Cell simulations.

• Understand HMC configuration, workflow requirements, and best practices.

• Explore Hydraulic Mixing Cell output files and their interpretation.

• Follow a practical demonstration of an HMC simulation and post-processing workflow.

This session is especially valuable for HydroGeoSphere users looking to strengthen their understanding of surface water–groundwater interactions and incorporate Hydraulic Mixing Cells into their modelling workflows.