Maybe they've already decided that there isn't anyone left in Wilmot who supports any of them hence they may as well throw a tiny group, population wise, to the wolves than to even suggest the tiniest cutbacks on water for the tri cities and the rest of the Townships. By throwing to the wolves I am suggesting that the Region really don't care if every single family in Wilmot Township have to remortgage their homes in order to either drill new, deeper wells or simply to extend their current wells to a greater depth. That might at least partially explain their ridiculous stance on well interference claims. This of course only applies to those rural properties on private water systems. 

The recent R.J. Burnside report is an eye opener in that it clearly states that municipal aquifer levels (AFB2) in Wilmot have been declining for the last six years and that this corresponds to climatic effects AND to increased pumping for use in the rest of the Region. In a nutshell the regional councillors are a bunch of cowardly bullies hiding behind the law, lawyers and Wilmot citizens good nature. That is a long term recipe for disaster and I only hope when the payback comes that it is focused on regional politicians.

The Region are also counting on citizens being preoccupied with families, jobs, climate change (heat domes etc.), health (cancer especially) etc. Distracted citizens work best for a perverted democracy such as we have that refuses to look after all their citizens and in fact plays one group off against another. How many of these Wilmot citizens remember the map that the Record published last January showing the various aquifers and aquitards? That Figure or cross-section is a subsurface conceptual geological model of the Wellesley and Waterloo Moraine and more which clearly indicates how wells need to be drilled deeper as the aquifer levels (AFB2) subside. 

Frankly only liars and sociopaths could continue denying the facts. No politician will ever vote in favour of criminal charges for politicians proven to be liars. Guess why.

♦

It’s a traditional Genoese preparation: pesto is simply delicious

The word derives from the Italian for “pounding,” and as such is related to the pestle half of mortar and pestle, the ancient grinding and mashing tool found in many cultures. 
 
As a wonderfully sharp uncooked sauce, the brilliantly verdant green pesto is made with very fresh basil, usually pine nuts, garlic, a piquant cheese such as Pecorino or Parmigiano-Reggiano and olive oil. 
 
With the bounty of basil you can currently find in grocery stores or at farmers’ markets, it’s a classic sauce for pasta that, while it requires getting a pot of water boiling, is a refreshing summer plate if there ever was one. 
 
Pesto has been made with the grinding action of the mortar and pestle for centuries, but today cooks use a food processor – making it an even more simple dish than it already is. 
 
However, the respective actions of grinding and cutting very finely produces a slightly different flavour when the ingredients are exposed to the air and when it becomes a part emulsion with the olive oil. 
 
Any way you slice it, pesto has a rich history. It’s said that Genoese sailors, having left their homes in the capital, located in the mezzaluna-shaped “Italian Riviera” province of Liguria in northwest Italy, wanted a full-bodied and flavourful dish when they returned home. 

And, true to form, pesto from Genoa, if prepared according to original recipes, would be quite sharp and aggressive on the palate. (Its cousin from nearby Provence, pistou, is milder.)    
 
Pesto’s main application is as a rich dollop added to minestrone soup or on pastas such as the traditional string-like trenette al pesto or on gnocchi alla Genovese. 
 
As for aromatic plant itself, basil has dozens and dozens of species in the genus – the original plant likely came from Africa through India.  
 
While it was certainly known to ancient Romans, the plant really got a foothold in Liguria. The varieties there carry with them more of the clove-like aromas, as compared to the anise and liquorice ones that we know in our Thai basil. 
 
It wasn’t until the 1960s and 1970s that pesto appeared in North America.   
 
The food history of the preparation is such that it was thought to be  impossible to chop the basil finely enough, so it needed to be pounded down into the finest possible bits using a pestle.  
 
To make it though, you don’t need a mortar and pestle so a food processor will do. 
 
Tedious though it must have been, chefs who are sticklers for detail and tradition insist that the larger, coarser veins in the basil leaves should be removed. That’s a hard thing to think about doing, so skip the step when you are making pesto. 
 
Otherwise, while pine nuts are the traditional ingredient, walnuts do quite nicely: toast them lightly in large pan, but don’t let them burn. 
 
For serving on pasta, add the pesto (at room temperature) to the warm noodles and toss.    
 
Walnut basil pesto 
Ingredients 
1¼ cups washed and dried basil leaves, lightly packed 
¼ cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted (don’t let them burn) 
1 clove garlic or to taste 
¼ – 1/3 cup of light olive oil  
4-5 tablespoons of grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese 
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice 
A few grates of lemon zest 
A few red pepper flakes 
Salt and pepper to taste 
 
Method 
Whiz together pesto and walnuts in food processor or blender (if you’re not using a mortar and pestle, that is). Add garlic and buzz together; add olive oil and incorporate. Whiz in the cheese stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add remaining seasonings, taste and adjust. Store in sealed container in fridge. Bring to room temperature and add more olive oil if needed before using. Cook your pasta and add the room-temperature pesto and toss.  

Check out my latest post It’s a good time to make basil-walnut pesto from AndrewCoppolino.com.

KITCHENER – If you wanted runs, you got them yet again between Kitchener and Brantford.

But despite being up by 10 at one point, Panthers fans were biting their nails by the end with the tying run coming to the plate for the Red Sox in the ninth.

Luckily, Ben Hewitt shut it down with two men on to clinch an 18-15 Panthers win Friday night at Jack Couch Park.

It is Kitchener's first time winning back to back games since late May.

It came on a night where the Panthers didn't hit a single home run. Of their 15 hits, only one went for extra bases, a double in the fourth by Raffi Gross.

Pete Kiefer went with Owen MacNeil on the mound, who only went two innings, throwing 66 pitches, and striking out one. Red Sox manager Terry Smith sent Colbey Klepper to the hill. 

One of the hottest bats in the CBL came up clutch in Malik Williams, who went four-for-five with four RBIs, fresh off being named a starter in the upcoming CBL All-Star Showdown in Chatham-Kent.

In the fourth inning, the Panthers had 11 batters step up, and posted a five spot to take a 13-3 lead.

On the defensive side, Owen MacNeil had his share of struggles. He gave up a lead off home run to Jakob Cantor and a two-run shot to Brody Black in the second.

MacNeil was yanked after 66 pitches and 2.2 innings of work, giving up three runs on four hits.

Brantford did not go away quietly though. The Red Sox scored seven in the sixth inning, including a three-run homer from Andrew Savage to make it a 13-10 game.

Samuel Quintana gave up seven runs (six earned) in three innings of relief.

Bawin Colon and Ben Hewitt would also make appearances for the Panthers, as the longevity of the Panthers pitching staff was tested in the late stages.

Kitchener added to its lead late, but Brantford again clawed to within three.

Brantford hit four home runs on the night, including a pair of three-run dingers.

Kitchener improves to 9-14 on the season, jumping over Brantford who drops to 7-13.

Through two games in the season series, the two teams have combined to score 70 runs.

And that is just the beginning for these two teams. They'll meet in a rematch Saturday at 2 p.m. at Arnold Anderson Stadium in Brantford. 

They will then meet again back at Jack Couch Park, next Thursday at 7:05 p.m.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and #PackTheJack!

I do not have a Mathematics degree. I did graduate in Economics (B.A. 1974) from the University of Waterloo. Yes I did take a third year Statistics course and passed it with a lot of hard work. That said I can't remember the last time I actually refreshed my memory with Log scales, Logarithmics or for gosh sakes Calculus which I genuinely despised. It's been well over half a century ago approximately. 

Why did I suggest that the vertical scale ( i.e. y axis I believe) was a Logarithmic scale? First of all bear with me if my terminology is incorrect here. Most linear scales for example might be scaled such as 0, 2,4,6,8,10,12 etc. up the y axis. Or they could be 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, etc. 

I believe that I got fooled by the vertical scales in Jen Lyndall's (Integral) report because they were scaled as follows:  .01, .1, 1, 10, 100     Note that each higher number up the vertical scale is TEN times the number preceding it.  Hence the actual numerical difference between spaces of similar length isn't the same as it is with the two linear scales in the preceding paragraph. In this scale presented in this paragraph the numerical difference between marked points is   .1-.01= .09   The next numerical difference between marked points is 10-1= 9    The next numerical difference between marked points is 100-10=90 .

Ms. Lyndall's graphs actually have quite a variety of vertical scales on them including  .1, 10, 1000 as well as .1, 10, 1000, 100,000 and some that I find rather bizarre such as   .03, .1, .3  followed by .03, .1, .3, 1, 3 As weird as these last two are in that they are neither equal difference in values between them like paragraph 2, NOR is each higher up the scale number a similar multiple as in paragraph 3 (i.e. 10 times).

What is my conclusion? Both Log scales (paragraph 3 at first blush) and I hesitate what to call the scales in paragraphs 3 and 4 with either the exact same multiples (i.e. 10) used moving up the vertical scale or as in paragraph 4 the .03, .1, .3 and .03, .1, .3, 1, 3 with different multiples between marked points ( 3.3, 3, ) and (3.3, 3, 3.3, 3) now appear to me to be an aberration. 

To be clear I have been referring to Jen Lyndall's Figures 4-24 up to 4-57. which plot concentrations of DDT and Dioxin/Furans on the vertical y axis and either location as in Reaches 4, 3, 2, 1 downstream or a number of graphs have dates (years) on the horizontal x axis. Now all the graphs have concentrations on the vertical y axis either mg/kg (parts per million) or ng/kg (parts per trillion) depending on which of two contaminants (DDT or Dioxins/Furans) they are looking at.  Regardless these concentrations are marked whereas Logarithmic numerics are not, which has me now believing that these are all linear scales albeit some of them I still believe are bizarrely scaled and labelled.

Is there a purpose to this. Of course there is. All Log scales AND all linear scales using multiples of the previous marked value as they rise up the vertical scale reduce the visual aspect of exactly how high the highest values actually are. If they went up the vertical scale in a linear fashion such as 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18  can you imagine how large the page would have to be to register say a 114 value? Therefore by using a scale such as 2, 10, 50, 250  (multiples of 5) you can readily fit in the 114 value PLUS  visually the 114 value sits much lower on the page and doesn't so drastically appear out of place with all the lower values.

The other advantage for unscrupulous polluters is simple confusion. You can pretend that you are transparent and putting all data on graphs when in fact you are intentionally making the graphs as confusing as possible. 

P.S. Speaking of NOT putting all data in reports shouldn't Table 3-3 of this report under Maximum Detected Concentration for Background (Creeks/Ditches) have a value of  24.4 ng/kg (ppt.) for Dioxins/Furans rather than the 9.0 ng/kg listed? This just happens to be the Stroh Drain which, coincidentally I'm sure, is one of the major coverups Lanxess are involved in.

♦

I realize this will not go anywhere, but I need to say it: it's time for Ontario to have its own flag.

Because, in reality, Ontario doesn't. We didn't have an official flag until 1965, during which we typically flew the British Union Jack. In many ways, since that date, we still haven't flown our own flag because the flag we picked to fly was the Canadian Red Ensign, modified to include the Ontario Coat of Arms on the right half. This was done by premier John Robarts, who preferred the Red Ensign to Canada's brand new Maple Leaf flag, and adopted it for Ontario in order to preserve it.

And isn't it a little presumptuous (and unfortunately rather like Ontario) to appropriate a symbol belonging to all Canadians as their own?

Vexilologists do not rate Ontario's flag highly (see the video to the right). It fails on a number of fronts, of which many velilologists list five. Here's their criteria:

1. Keep it Simple

Look at Ontario's current flag. Just look at it! Flags should be so easy to draw, our schoolchildren could do it. The Union Jack is already a hefty challenge, as is our maple leaf. Then, we add a sea of red and a coat-of-arms with not one stylized maple leaf but three realistic ones? What sick sadist came up with that idea? Somebody who hated schoolkids, clearly.

1. Use Meaningful Symbolism

Now, here the current Ontario flag is all about symbolism, but primarily one piece of symbolism, and is that symbolism truly relevant in this day and age? Has this symbolism aged well? One of Ontario's mottos may be "Loyal she began, loyal she remains" in reference to our first major settler group being United Empire Loyalists fleeing American persecution following the War of Independence, but that's not what Ontario is all about today. Today, we are a multicultural and diverse society, with distinctive regions within the province itself. How relevant is the British flag to the communities of the North? How relevant is it to the generations of immigrant families from other countries who have built up for literal centuries throughout the Greater Toronto Area? How relevant is it to our First Nations peoples?

The thing is, Ontario is actually pretty good with symbols -- which,at their root, rely on simplicity to convey a greater idea. The trillium, Ontario's official flower, has been used to great effect in promoting a united Ontario identity. It's all over our government buildings and many of our transit vehicles. Ontario's official colours are green and gold, which is why our GO trains are green. I prefer the simplified styling of the trillium that arose in the 1960s, during an age of remarkable design ethic that brought us GO Transit's iconic logo. The Franco-Ontarian flag gets this right, conveying their history and identity with two symbols and two colours, which is why I based my proposed flag heavily on their design.

Ontario's trillium is nowhere to be found on Ontario's current flag, and its colours of green and gold are relegated to an insert on the right half of the flag. We can do better than that.

1. Use 2 to 3 basic colours

I'm counting at least four, here, two of which aren't official Ontario colours.

1. No lettering or seals

(Looks at Ontario's coat-of-arms on the right half of the Red Ensign. Clears throat meaningfullly).

1. Be Distinctive or be Related

If our flag is related to anything, it's Britain, and that has the advantage of being a key part of our history, but little else. It's relation to Canada amounts to a fit of pique by John Robarts protesting our highly distinctive and effective Canadian Maple Leaf. And, is our flag distinctive? Have a look at the flag of Manitoba. If you can't easily figure out whether you're in Winnipeg or in Toronto by looking at the provincial flags they are flying, what the heck are we flying?

The flag I propose above is based off the proportions of our current Canadian flag. It uses the major symbol of Ontario, and one of two Ontario's official colours (why not the other one? Well, gold is used less often, and when applied to my proposed flag, this is the result). Best of all, it's simple. It requires the use of one crayon against a blank white page, and it's easily identifiable from a distance. While I know this is unlikely to happen, I strongly feel that Ontario's flag must change, and I strongly suggest that the flag above is what we change it to.

I know that a lot of people will have a knee-jerk reaction against the prospect of change. Our Red Ensign has been flying for 71 years, now, and changing things may be a wrench. But our flag has changed before. If it can change in reaction to the creation of the Canadian Maple Leaf, it can be changed into something that better reflects what Ontario is. It can change to provide a flag that's easier to identify, easier to draw, and easier to appreciate.

♦

There are lots of cross-over words in the culinary world, in which one culture and language borrows from another. Satay (or sate), the southeast Asian dish of marinated and grilled cubes of meat, can be traced to French colonial influence. Think of the French term sauté, the culinary technique of quick frying in oil

An étouffée is a Cajun dish, a thick and spicy stew that features crayfish (or crawdaddies) and some veg served with rice. The dark colour comes from a traditional Cajun and low-country technique using a dark brown roux, the latter, of course, another French culinary term.

The word itself comes from the French word”étouffer,” to smother. The term encapsulates the process of cooking ingredients in a fairly small amount of liquid in a tightly covered cooking vessel over low heat. It’s an ancient technique that produces delicious results.

Banner photo / commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_Famous_Hotboys_-February_2025-_Sarah_Stierch_11.jpg

=

Check out my latest post Cajun étouffée from AndrewCoppolino.com.

Screenshot

Organization: Sabr Safe Living
Role: Board Director and Treasurer
Location: Toronto, ON (remote friendly, meetings mostly virtual)
Time commitment: Approximately 3 to 5 hours per month

Sabr Safe Living is a newly incorporated Ontario nonprofit (June 2026) preparing to apply for charitable registration. Our mission is to provide staffed, community based supportive housing for adults with mental health needs who are leaving hospital with nowhere safe to go or who are at risk of homelessness in Toronto.

We are seeking a director to serve as Treasurer. The ideal candidate is a CPA or has a strong accounting or finance background, with an interest in mental health, housing, or community services. The Treasurer will provide financial oversight, help establish sound financial controls and reporting, and support our charitable registration and early grant applications. This is a ground floor opportunity to shape the governance of a new organization addressing a critical gap in Toronto’s mental health housing system.

To apply or learn more, contact: Akram Ahmed, President, at Akrammahmed08@gmail.com

The post Sabr Safe Living appeared first on Capacity Canada.

In the United States the concept of a "captured" regulator is well understood. Whether this goes so far as to include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency I can not be certain. Up here in Dogpatch (Woolwich Twn.)  it has been readily apparent that for the majority of the decades since 1992 that Uniroyal Chemical and successors have "captured" the public consultation body. This is hardly surprising as even a long term TAG and TRAC member, Sebastian, has written about the deference TAG and TRAC members constantly show to Chemtura and then later Lanxess Canada. Sebastian has also explained in detail how this has occurred including the members simply being overwhelmed with various and numerous technical reports without them having their own technical experts to refute controversial positions and opinions of Lanxess and GHD.

 Regarding victim surveys I expect that Lanxess and the Min. of Environment want to spread the responsibility to include citizens on TRAC. This of course in no way indicates that these citizens have any influence or control whatsoever over the (dirty) polluter and regulator who have thoroughly enjoyed their forever holiday from serious oversight or accountability. By victim surveys I mean TRAC have been asked to come up with questions to presumably ask citizens and residents mostly of Elmira but maybe of Woolwich Township overall. Now here's the rub. There have been all of zero health studies done of human beings in Woolwich or Elmira exposed to Uniroyal's toxic emissions. There has however been testing on fish species in the Creek. Perhaps GHD in their infinite perfection have found a way to survey proven victims of Dioxin and DDT poisoning. Will TRAC therefore be speaking to the fishes?

At first blush I thought that Jen Lyndall (Integral) had carefully ignored tissue residues in fish. That would be understandable considering that they are even more significant than health exceedances found in Creek sediments, creekbank soils, creek waters and floodplain soils of Dioxins/Furans, DDT & metabolutes, PCBs, Mercury , PAHs and more. Fish are living organisms within the Canagagigue Creek and aside from their intrinsic value in the ecosystem they are also in the food chain of bass, the very occasional pike and more likely mink, raccoons, herons, hawks, coyotes etc. Unfortunately these predators up the food chain suffer even more as most of the contaminants mentioned bioaccumulate as they go up the food chain. 

Her two Figures (4-62, 4-63) show Total DDT and Dioxins/Furans concentrations in fish tissue. They do not show the Tissue Residue Guidelines (TRG) for any of the fish species which at least reinforces my negative feelings towards her report (i.e. Data Summary).  Not that I'm considering changing professions from environmental activist to that of a professional, intellectual prostitute, but if I was I too would not include the health criteria in these two Figures leaving as usual the public and TRAC in the dark (& covered in sh*#).  

Written by: Hugh Munro

Drawing on Capacity Canada’s work with nonprofit leaders and organizations across the sector, this article offers a transformation view of the COO role: one that moves beyond internal operations toward stewardship of people, programs, partnerships, and system resilience. Chief Operating Officers and operational leaders are navigating one of the most complex environments in recent history. Charged with translating mission into delivery, they sit at the intersection of strategy, people, funding, and systems. Today, the role is defined less by steady execution and more by continuous adaptation.

Perhaps the most defining challenge facing nonprofit COOs is financial volatility. Fluctuating revenues, rising costs, and growing competition for funding mean operational leaders are no longer simply managing budgets—they are managing risk. Short-term, restricted funding continues to dominate, limiting flexibility and pushing organizations toward reactive rather than strategic decisions.

At the same time, inflation is driving up wages, rent, and program costs while donation levels remain unpredictable. The result is a structural imbalance: organizations are expected to do more with fewer unrestricted resources.

The workforce crisis is not a future risk—it is a current operational constraint. Vacancies, burnout, and wage inequities are reshaping how organizations deliver services. COOs are increasingly responsible for workforce sustainability: caring for the caregivers by protecting staff wellbeing, designing healthier workflows, investing in culture, and rethinking how work gets done.

The challenge is not simply hiring more people; it is creating conditions where staff can continue to do demanding, mission-driven work without being depleted by it.

Nonprofit COOs are also operating in a paradox: demand for services continues to rise while organizational capacity struggles to keep pace. This creates difficult trade-offs about where to invest limited resources without compromising mission integrity. Increasingly, effective COOs are focusing energy and funding on the services that deliver the greatest social value—and being willing to rationalize programs that are no longer mission critical.

This includes the hard but necessary work of letting go of programs or services that may be valued but are better delivered by others. Strategic focus is not about doing less good; it is about directing limited capacity where the organization is uniquely positioned to make the greatest difference.

Traditional notions of sustainability have focused on the survival of individual organizations. But a growing perspective among operational leaders is that sustainability must be reframed at the system level. The question is no longer “How does our organization survive?” but “How does the work continue—regardless of who delivers it?”

This shift requires COOs to think beyond organizational boundaries and ask whether duplication, competition for scarce funding, and fragmented delivery models are truly serving communities. In many cases, they are not.

Collaboration is emerging as a central operational strategy. This includes shared services, strategic partnerships, and, in some cases, organizational mergers. Once viewed as a last resort, mergers are increasingly being reframed as proactive ways to strengthen impact, reduce administrative overhead, and build more resilient service delivery systems.

For COOs, this brings both opportunity and complexity. Collaboration requires alignment of cultures, systems, governance, and funding models. It also demands a mindset shift—from ownership and control toward shared accountability and collective impact.

Governance remains a critical dimension of operational leadership. Board engagement and accountability can either accelerate or stall effectiveness. COOs play a pivotal role in bridging strategy and execution, translating board direction into measurable outcomes while managing compliance and transparency requirements.

A less visible but deeply impactful challenge is the administrative burden associated with funding and compliance. Complex reporting requirements and grant restrictions consume significant capacity, diverting time and energy away from service delivery and innovation.

Technology offers a pathway to greater resilience. Nonprofits are adopting digital tools and AI to improve efficiency and streamline operations. But the challenge is not simply adoption—it is integration. Technology must be embedded into operations, culture, and decision-making.

The nonprofit COO role is undergoing a fundamental shift. No longer confined to internal operations, today’s leaders are stewards of organizational—and increasingly system-level—resilience.

What distinguishes effective operational leadership is adaptability: the ability to prioritize under pressure, align resources to mission, care for staff, and build partnerships beyond organizational walls. The most forward-looking leaders are willing to rethink sustainability itself—embracing collaboration, shared models, and even mergers where they strengthen long-term impact.

COOs are not just keeping organizations running—they are making disciplined choices about people, programs, and system-level resilience.

At Capacity Canada, we see these realities playing out every day in our work with nonprofit leaders across the country. Through our COO Peer Group, operational leaders are creating space to reflect, share hard-earned insights, and navigate complexity together. In a role that is often isolated but critically important, this kind of collective learning is not just valuable, it is essential to building the resilient, collaborative systems our sector needs. Capacity Canada Executives in Residence like Hugh Munro can help your organization navigate these realities. Connect with us today!

♦Hugh Munro is a design-thinking consultant with Capacity Canada’s Capacity by Design Program, a marketing and strategy educator and advisor across sectors, and the Marketing Director on the Board of the Kitchener Blues Festival, with a distinguished academic career as a Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University where he held several leadership roles.

Email: hugh@capacitycanada.ca

The post From Survival to Resilience: The Evolving Role of Nonprofit COOs appeared first on Capacity Canada.

♦

KITCHENER – A nine-run fifth inning was key as the Kitchener Panthers stormed to a 14-7 victory over the Guelph Royals, on a humid Canada Day clash at Jack Couch Park.

It came on a scorching afternoon, weather patterns that flipped on its head throughout the game, going from a blazing 33 degrees at first pitch to strong wind gusts and stormy weather in the eighth.

With the Panthers down 2-0, Malik Williams sent the first pitch of the second inning over the wall in right field.

It was one of two home runs on the afternoon for Williams, who now sits at seven homers on the year, one behind the league leaders. 

Zane Skansi and Yosuke Fujie also went yard for the Panthers in the win.

Those came back-to-back as part of a lengthy fifth inning, where the Panthers sent 12 batters to the plate.

Guelph's Miguel Hiraldo had a two home run day of his own, while Deivis Nadal also put one over the fence.

Evan Elliott would pick up the win on his longest outing of the season, going six innings and striking out three. 

Malik finished three-for-four with two homers and drove in a game-high five runs.

“It was very nice to see the boys out there gelling everything together,” Williams said post-game. "The guys hit the ball really well today, and we capitalized.” 

It is Kitchener's second win in three games, and Williams' mind is on continuing the momentum. 

“We like our odds for sure. Last time out, it was a great game for us, so, we’re just trying to build off that,” he added.

The Panthers will play Brantford for its next three games, starting Friday in Kitchener and Saturday in Brantford.

First pitch on Friday night is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and #PackTheJack!

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Nourish OS. The modern way of using a computer.

Rust 202 Updated Jul 4

I sure hope that Jen Lyndall was well paid for the garbage report that she presented to TRAC on Thursday June 18, 2026  titled "Data Summary Report Canagagigue Creek And Floodplain".  I am not bringing into disrepute Ms. Lyndall's qualifications or credentials. I watched the entire on-line video (Woolwich Website) and was quite impressed with her presentation manner, speaking clarity, thinking on her feet handling questions etc. It is the actual content of her report that I find dishonest, disingenuous and disgusting. I expect that a huge part of that is because her report should be more accurately titled  "Data Summary Report of a Polluter's Talented and Energetic, Decades Long Efforts To Minimize and Coverup Toxic Pollution".

I have spent much of the last thirty-six years debunking all the lies and distortions presented by Elmira's infamous polluter.  Sorry I need to be more specific when Woolwich Township have happily hosted Varnicolor Chemical, Rothsay Concentrates, Breslube/Safety-Kleen and Uniroyal Chemical. I am now referring to Uniroyal/Lanxess. I have spoken at UPAC, CPAC, RAC, TAG, Woolwich Council and even Regional Council. I have written reports to all those semi to fully corrupt bodies plus TRAC. The general rule is minimum to zero questions followed by NOTHING. No followup, no requests for clarification, no discussion and no debate. This is essentially how Uniroyal/Crompton/Chemtura and Lanxess have operated namely by denying occasionally but mostly simply ignoring legitimate, researched opposition. 

This latest report is full of omissions as well as red herrings. DDT breakdown products (DDD, DDE) are not well examined. Numerically lower Reaches (1, 2) in the Creek are given short shrift. Provincial and Federal health criteria are noticeably missing in action. One would think that they have some serious value in a report like this. Logarithmic concentration scales for many of the Figures are a little unusual compared to reports done by CRA/GHD. The charitable view might be that CRA/GHD have more accurately concluded the technical capabilities of most of the public consultation members. The uncharitable view might be that CRA/GHD are simply continuing their amateurish report writing efforts by avoiding logarithmic scales even when they are appropriate and advantageous.

More and better needs to be done with these logarithmic scales. Mostly the vertical scales (concentration) need to be better with more values written on the vertical scale. This would help elucidate the values of the raw data presented by Ms. Lyndall. Also short shrift again seems to have occurred with Lindane in Ms. Lyndall's report. Samples were taken and values determined in some earlier major reports (eg. 2020 GHD) . 

Overall Ms. Lyndall was handed a croc of an assignment. Personally I would be hard pressed to want to put my name on any report that only purports to be legitimate and scientific. Gussying up crap science from those before you is a stinky job with some of the odour bound to transfer your way. All my past objections to these Creek reports continue on here as they have NEVER been honestly or accurately publicly debated. This includes MDLs, shovels versus core samplers and locational sampling biases.

Official code for the paper "Memora: A Harmonic Memory Representation Balancing Abstraction and Specificity"

Python 122 Updated Jun 16

SkillOpt is a text-space optimizer that trains reusable natural-language skills for frozen LLM agents through trajectory-driven edits, validation-g…

Python 10.6k Updated Jul 2

Sale on until August 31, 2026
Month Memberships are Kitchener only (no dual-gym option)
You can book a belay lesson here

The post Summer Deals appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.

During this residency, I explore the fragility and fluidity of glass
juxtaposed with the warmth of nostalgic colour and traditional
design of Türkiye. Pulling inspiration from my childhood home as a
Turkish immigrant and transforming these nostalgic bits of memory
into my contemporary glass style of today.

Growing up, I always loved sitting on the rug, richly decorative and
reminiscent of a home across the world, playing backgammon.
After several prototypes, full and contour fuses, I was able to create
this memorable pastime into a playable glass backgammon board
with reversible checkers.

The kilim rug consists of many firings ranging between
1150-1570°F to take advantage of the different melting points of
glass. CCGG has allowed me time and access to play with various
firings combined into single pieces of art to create this cozy, glass
living room complete with entertainment and lighting.

The post Rumeysa Cosgun first appeared on The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery.

Today's K-W Record has an article by Bill Jackson titled "Woolwich allocates water to Elmira projects". This of course is in relation to the Region of Waterloo Water Crisis which was first announced last December. There are three specific projects in Elmira which can now proceed with the best known likely being the former Trinity United Church on Arthur St.  The other two projects are the infamous Hawk Ridge Homes down on the corner of Union St. and First Ave.  It is infamous due to the lengthy delays occasioned by the presence of Sulco Chemical (CCC) and Lanxess Canada (Uniroyal) across the road.  Woolwich wisely attempted to not approve this subdivision based upon noise and odours at a minimum and toxic air emissions as a possibility. The third project is the residential construction scheduled for 22 Church St. which I believe is the now former Home Hardware site. 

I would suggest that all of these projects should make hay while the sun shines because just like the current power outages happening this morning in Elmira, the water supply is on a shaky foundation. The Region of Waterloo are so desperate that they are squeezing the 20% safety allocation as well as recommissioning both old well fields closed due to contamination and or other likely infrastructure issues. 

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For a long time, our weekly blog posts have been a way to share updates, free activities, and things we thought would be fun, inclusive, and accessible—especially for members of our community with disabilities. As things have grown, we’ve been talking about making a shift, and this is it.

We’re excited to introduce a new monthly podcast, hosted by Simon Garcia. Simon is passionate about staying connected and helping others do the same. Each episode will spotlight what’s happening around Kitchener-Waterloo, bringing you community highlights in a more personal, conversational way.

Welcome to the very first episode of Simon’s Podcast! Each month, Simon will highlight inclusive, social, and fun things happening across Kitchener-Waterloo—perfect for getting involved, meeting new people, and building community.

This month, Simon and Amanda chat about some great things happening in our community including:

• The Bring-along Sing-a-long at Victoria Park on Wednesdays
• The Hangout at KW Habilitation
• Free bread pickup Tuesdays at 8:30am at KW Habilitation
• Open Space with Extend-A-Family
• Buddy Choir with Our Studio
• The Our Studio Karaoke Dance Party
• Crochet and Cookies with Mill Courtland Community Centre
• (dis)ability: An Art Showcase
• Simon’s Social Club

AND MORE!

There’s so much happening in our community every month! Whether you’re looking to socialize, try something new, or just get out of the house, there’s something here for you. Stay tuned for next month’s episode for more local highlights! For information about any of these events or to chat with the team from Out and About Waterloo Region, please email connecting@outandaboutwr.ca

The post What’s Happening In Your Neighbourhood this July – With Simon appeared first on KW Habilitation.

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KITCHENER – With the Kitchener Panthers and Welland Jackfish meeting for the second time in three days, blunders on the defensive side of the ball and three separate five-run innings for Welland cost the Panthers.

The defending Dominico Cup champions dropped the Panthers 19-5, in a rare Monday nighter.

“A bullpen game,” as head coach Pete Kiefer mentioned before first pitch. He went with Samuel Quintana, while Welland went with Eric Pettipiece.

A battle of southpaws on the mound, the Panthers rallied in the third inning after conceding the opening run of the game. Yunior Ibarra and Josh Williams pulled through with clutch RBIs - both with the bases loaded - to give Kitchener an early advantage.

It was their only lead of the night, and it didn't last long.

The defence struggled to convert on the infield, and that would define the night. 

Five errors from the Panthers did not give the pitching staff much support; neither did 12 stolen bases from the Jackfish. The pitching staff had issues finding the strike zone, issuing 17 walks.

Quintana struggled early on against the right-handed portion of Welland’s lineup, but was dealing against their lefties. 

Despite six strikeouts, he was pulled after 3.2 innings, surrendering four hits and three earned runs.

Amidst the noise from the away bats, Mateo Zeppieri hit his fifth homer of the year, a no-doubt moonshot onto Ottawa Street in the fifth inning.

Welland’s bats kept getting hotter. A grand slam in the seventh put the game to bed.

The starters from tonight took the decisions, with Pettipiece picking up the win, Quintana the loss.

The Panthers will return to action on Wednesday afternoon, for a Canada Day clash with the Guelph Royals at 2:05 p.m.

The first 500 fans inside Jack Couch Park will receive a Panthers Canada Day Hawaiian shirt.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and #PackTheJack!

Our Annual General Meeting was held on June 24, 2026. The Board of Directors welcomed guests from KW Habilitation’s IDEA Collective, the Employee Resource Council, the Committee for Excellence, the Experts in Lived Experience Council, the Finance Committee, and the KW Habilitation Leadership Team.

The meeting marked several important leadership transitions. Jeff Collins retired from the Board, and Satish Mistry completed his term as President. Later that evening, Mark Sauvé was elected as the new President. We also welcomed two new members to the board of directors; Alison Sproule and Emily Staub.

Another highlight of the evening was the publication of our Annual Report, Where Belonging Grows.

It highlights the impact we’ve made together over the past year, shares stories from our community, and reflects the progress we’re making toward our vision. It’s a great way to see how our collective efforts make a difference every day.

To read our Annual Report, please click here.

The post Our 2025 Annual Report and Annual General Meeting appeared first on KW Habilitation.

The Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime (CRCVC) is currently seeking passionate and dedicated individuals to join our Board of Directors. These volunteer positions are unpaid. We are particularly seeking candidates with expertise in finance, fundraising, and marketing to support our strategic direction and advance our mission of supporting victims of crime across Canada. CRCVC is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We strongly encourage applications from individuals of diverse backgrounds, including those who identify as women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of racialized communities. If you are interested in contributing to meaningful change and supporting victims’ rights, please send your resume and a brief expression of interest to board@crcvc.ca.

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The post The Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime (CRCVC) appeared first on Capacity Canada.

We’re officially moving into a new Co-Chair model! Previously, one of the two CYPT Co-Chair positions has been the Region of Waterloo Director of Children’s Services. Barb Cardow has been in this seat since the CYPT was formed in 2011. As of June 2026, CYPT Voting Members endorsed a new model not to have a default Co-Chair role for Director of Children’s Services. Under this new model, we will have two Co-Chairs who serve four-year terms and are selected on a rolling two-year basis.

As found in the CYPT Charter (page 14), one of the two CYPT Co-Chair positions has historically been the Region of Waterloo Consolidated Municipal Services Manager (CMSM). The CMSM has an ongoing responsibility for planning for Children’s Services in Waterloo Region and therefore has had the ongoing duty to Co-Chair the Children and Youth Planning Table. The Director of Children’s Services (currently Barb Cardow) has been in this seat since the CYPT was formed in 2011.

In 2017, CYPT Voting Members reviewed the ongoing duty of the CMSM as Co-Chair. At that time they decided the Service System Manager Co-Chair was appropriate and would continue — with intentional review in a couple of years’ time.

On May 4, 2026, Barb shared with Voting Members her recommendation not to have a default Co-Chair role for Director of Children’s Services. Some of the reasoning is as follows:

• The CYPT already has a connection with the Region of Waterloo via Economic Development, where the CYPT is hosted at the Region
• This change would allow for more flexibility to advocate to Region of Waterloo Council
• This change would reflect how the “community ownership” of the CYPT is more prevalent
• Individuals from Region of Waterloo Community and Health Services could apply for the role, but it wouldn’t need to be the Region of Waterloo exclusively in this seat

As of June 2026, CYPT Voting Members endorsed a new model not to have a default Co-Chair role for Director of Children’s Services. Under this new model, we will have two Co-Chairs who serve four-year terms and are selected on a rolling two-year basis.

If you have any questions, please reach out to Alison Pearson, Manager of the CYPT, at APearson@regionofwaterloo.ca.

The post CYPT Moves to New Co-Chair Model appeared first on Children and Youth Planning Table.

My focus today is on the 2020 Canagagigue Creek Sediment and Soil Investigation although most of my comments refer to the bulk of what passes for scientific study and investigation surrounding the Creek over the last fifteen to twenty years. This report is one of those recently examined by Jen Lyndall of Integra Inc.. Keep clearly in mind that I'm not commenting on groundwater or other environmental issues today hence please do not make the mistake of thinking that my silence in any way imparts some kind of tacit approval. It does not!

The 2020 GHD report on Lindane, DDD, DDE, DDT and Dioxins/Furans in the Creek is essentially a whitewash or if you will a greenwash. Above and beyond so many massive deposits of these toxic chemicals found in creek sediments and creekbank soils is the use and abuse of Method Detection Limits in assigning Non Detects throughout this report.  The worst offenders are Non Detects with Sediment samples however there are some doozies with soils as well. Overall the number of non Detects with high to very high Method Detection Limits has ruptured the credibility and accuracy of this entire report. This goes for all four reaches of the Canagagigue Creek as well as of some of the Background sampling. 

  If as I have indicated above massive deposits of various toxic chemicals have been found then how is this report deceptive and deceitful ? Firstly all criteria exceedances are supposed to be highlighted. They simply are not. Too many have been missed and only discerning, competent readers will spot them  on the first time through. Most will not. That in and of itself is deceptive and misleading. Secondly some of the MDLs are out of this world as they are 10, 20 and or 100 times higher than the health criteria presented in the report for various chemicals whether located in sediment or soils. In my opinion some of these MDLs appear to be tailored towards certain reaches for example in order to minimize them and to give the appearance that other reaches are more contaminated.

I have over the years and decades presented this information before. Like everything else that does not follow the narrative put forth to the public; contradictory evidence, opinions and reports are given zero weight by the polluter, fellow travellors and friends. Inconvenient facts and truth are simply dropped and ignored and generally discussion avoided as much as possible.

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The colour and shape of these pattypans are phenomenal. You might start to see them as “Sunburst squash,” and looking at them the description fits perfectly.

I asked a vendor if Sunburst squash and pattypan were the same: she said yes, but that customers seemed to relate better to the term pattypan. Interesting.

Immediately recognizable by its roundish, elliptical shape and lovely scalloped edges, the pattypan squash looks something like a UFO. Just as interesting, to me anyway, the term “pattypan” is likely derived from its French name pâtisson.

They are part of the range of summer squashes that have a variety of interesting shapes, from elongated necks to cute little hats with fluted edges, acorn squash and zucchini. They mostly all have a dense, spongy flesh.

They are great to cook on the grill too: I just cut them to even sizes (with some left whole depending on their diameter), slosh them around in some olive oil, maybe some balsamic and spices, and grill to al dente.

Beautiful to look at. Delicious to eat.

Check out my latest post Pattypan (or UFO!) squash from AndrewCoppolino.com.

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WELLAND - Now, that's a way to make a first impression.

Jorge Minyety struck out five and gave up one run on two hits in five innings, as the Kitchener Panthers went into Welland and sunk the Jackfish 5-1 Saturday night.

Minyety,  Arizona Diamondbacks farm hand for the last three seasons, signed with the Panthers Thursday night.

Yosvani Penalver drove in two runs, despite going 0-for-five. 

Malik Williams extended his hit streak to 13 games with a single in the seventh, which drove in Kitchener's fifth run.

Welland loaded the bases in the ninth with one out, with Brandon Hupe representing the tying run at the plate. But Hupe hit into a game-ending double play.

Teo Ortega was tagged with the loss. He gave up three runs (one earned) on five hits in five innings of work. He struck out five.

Kitchener improves to 7-13 on the season, snapping a four-game losing skid.

Welland drops to 12-8 and falls to fourth in the CBL standings,.

Kitchener has a rare Sunday off before Welland seeks revenge Monday night at Jack Couch Park at 7:05 p.m.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and #PackTheJack!

On a weekend getaway for their true-crime book club, four women retreat to the sole cottage on isolated Snakebite Island. But what was supposed to be a fun weekend of getting trashed on rosé and talking serial killers takes a dark turn when a member of the group is found dead on the shore. Murdered. By one of her supposed friends.

Under the surface, there’s turbulence in the group. Blackmail, affairs and addiction. Financial misconduct. A missing husband. All of the women are hiding dangerous secrets, but how far are they willing to go to keep them?

The murder creates a dilemma for the three surviving book club members: report the death and have their own lives shredded by an investigation or use their true-crime knowledge to stage their friend’s disappearance on the lake.

The consequences of their decision will ripple outwards, creating new risks and threatening to unravel their entire net of lies.

How could it possibly not be? It's a Data Summary of many, repeated, poorly done, amateurish and inaccurate other reports all done by bought and paid for consultants on behalf of their dirty polluting clients be they Uniroyal, Crompton, Chemtura or Lanxess.  I will concede that the level of "dirtiness" may be decreasing as the time distance from the gross daily dumping until now continues to expand. 

Background concentrations are extremely high near the start of the report as comparisons are made for example between Upstream Background concentrations of Dioxins/Furans and Total DDT in various media (soil, sediment, surface water) and further downstream Reaches in the Creek. I did not see any reference to various relevant criteria on any of these Figures and in fact I found it very difficult to find tiny subtly different coloured circles representing concentrations of contaminants relative to alleged Background values. If the Background levels are actually that high then I would suggest that upstream (& downstream) dumping (legal or not) is a significant cause. Like most of the inaccurate information and data concerning this site, inappropriate Background locations have all been properly and publicly presented at public meetings simply to be ignored for evermore if it does not suit the polluter's/regulator's narrative. 

I did not find fish tissue concentrations.in this report.  A skeptic might suggest that that is because the data is strong and very negative concerning the ongoing health threats to both wildlife and human life ingesting contaminated fish (mercury, PCBs, DDT, Dioxins/Furans). A kinder, gentler critic might suggest that Lanxess/MECP simply did not advise Ms. Lyndall that that data existed. This perhaps would be in-line with the nonsense and disingenuous claims of various remediation done around the site. I was there when most of these "remediations" allegedly took place and the Figure showing them is a crock. Further to this I just love it when Uniroyal/Lanxess "fellow travellors" expose their biases and dishonesty. Hadley did it with crap about the on-site pits and ponds being "...remediated thoroughly". Utter bull Hadley. You weren't there and none of them were excavated through the bottom of the pits and lagoons which is where the contaminants went on their way to both the Upper Aquifer and the Municipal Aquifer. Also Susan Bryant made some dumb remark about former municipal landfill M2, on the Uniroyal property, being closed before Uniroyal made Agent Orange. What kind of crap is this Susan? One I think your facts are wrong but even if your timing is on, so what? This landfill is on Uniroyal/Lanxess property and after the municipality quit putting garbage in the landfill it was still right there for more industrial disposal. Also Ken Reger (former employee) testified at the Environmental Appeal Board hearings that he saw Uniroyal drums buried  there and finally both 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T wastes were buried there and once leaking you had Agent Orange with the 2,3,7,8 TCDD probably already in the 2,4,5-T and the 2,4-D having it's own dioxins along for the toxic ride.

I can't help but notice that there has been some "thinning"  of data in Integral's Data Summary. For example including the various government health criteria  for dioxins/Furans and DDT in various media (soil, sediments, fish tissue) would give a far better understanding of the risk involved with the concentrations of these chemicals found in all media from fish tissue to soil, sediment and even surface water which is damn interesting when we've been advised for decades that these chemicals are hydrophobic and essentially insoluble in water. The fact is they are soluble but at a very low concentration plus they are more likely to exist in the Creek as DDT and Dioxins/F attached to particles as suspended sediments in the water. 

All in all a useless report but a fun read nevertheless. I do not blame the author (Lyndall) so much as Hadley and other Lanxess fact deniers and fantasy boosters.

HAMILTON - The Kitchener Panthers could not recover after giving up five runs in the third inning, falling 5-4 to the Hamilton Cardinals Friday night.

Kitchener was off to the races, scoring three runs in the first.

But after the Cardinals posted the single-inning five spot, the Panthers could only muster a single run in the fifth in an attempt to catch up.

Yunior Ibarra and Raffi Gross each had two hits in the loss.

Ibarra how has a hit in five straight games after going hit less in five of his previous six. 

Malik Williams continued his torrid pace, registering a hit in his 12th straight game and remains among the league leaders with a .435 batting average.

Owen MacNeil gave up five runs on five hits in five innings in the loss.

Hector Yan struck out eight in 6.1 innings of work for Hamilton, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits in the win.

Kitchener has lost four straight and 10 of the last 11, and have Welland for a home-and-home beginning Saturday night at The Pond.

On the tail end, Welland visits Kitchener Monday night at 7 p.m. 

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and #PackTheJack!

• ♦ 9d8fa50

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After years and years of projects, deadlines, and meetings that probably could’ve been emails… one thing has become very clear to me. The best project managers aren’t always the loudest in the room.

Most people picture a great PM as someone who’s always talking, always steering the conversation, always “in control” of everything happening in the room. And sometimes… they’re just trying to finish their coffee before it goes cold — or in my case, before the ice gives up completely.

In reality, I feel like the PMs who make things work tend to be much quieter than expected. They listen properly before they jump in. They ask questions instead of assuming things — not to challenge anyone, but to understand what’s actually going on, what’s missing, where they can help unblock… and where they might need to quietly step in and support the team.

They notice who hasn’t spoken in a while and gently bring them into the conversation (usually the same person who drops the actual answer right at the end). And they stay calm when everyone else is slightly rushing, but trying very hard not to show it.

Every delivery environment has plenty of opinions. What it often lacks is clarity. And that’s usually the real job.

When things are running well, it’s rarely luck. It’s usually because someone is quietly doing the invisible work behind the scenes — aligning people, chasing decisions before they stall, flagging risks early, and making sure “we’ll come back to this” doesn’t turn into “why didn’t we decide this earlier?”

You don’t always see it happening… but you definitely feel the difference. The best PMs don’t just manage delivery — they create clarity and reduce friction. They turn messy updates into clear next steps. They keep timelines realistic when pressure is pushing everyone to “just say yes.” They protect the team from unnecessary chaos and make progress feel steady, even when things aren’t.

At some point, you realise something simple. We’re not just managing tasks. We’re managing tension, uncertainty, and expectations — constantly bridging the gap between what people want, what we think is possible, and what’s actually possible.

Meetings are part of it, but they don’t need to be complicated. A good stand-up is just: where are we, what’s blocked, what needs help, and what’s next. No theatre. No overthinking. No 40-minute discussion that becomes a Slack message later anyway.

Then there’s the human side — often underestimated, but for me, it’s at the core of everything. It’s not just about tracking tasks. It’s about tracking people — both within the team and beyond it. Knowing that “I’m fine” doesn’t always mean fine. And that a missed deadline is rarely just about time — it’s usually confusion, overload, or something happening in the background that never makes it into a status update. That’s why one-to-ones matter. That’s why checking in matters — not just to ask what’s happening, but to understand how your team actually feels about the work. Because at the end of the day, delivery isn’t just about what gets done. It’s about how people feel while getting it done.

So if you’re a project manager sitting in self-doubt because you feel like you’re not constantly adding value… just remember this: The less you try to prove you’re the smartest person in the room, the more value you actually create. Because it’s not about always speaking, always stepping in, or always steering everything. It’s about staying consistent. Calm. Clear. Reliable when things aren’t. It’s about trusting your team enough to let specialists do what they do best — and stepping in when it actually matters. You don’t compete with your team. You create the space for them to do their best work and support them when they need it.

You should know what’s going on… but you don’t need to react to everything immediately. Wait until your voice actually adds value… and then speak up when it really counts. Because real influence isn’t about volume or visibility — it’s about timing, clarity, and impact.

The Best Project Managers Aren’t the Loudest in the Room was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

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Boards often worry about their relationship with their single employee, the Executive Director (ED). Many times, when we speak individually with a board chair or an Executive Director, their greatest concern is a fear that they are not aligned and may be heading for trouble. In most cases, board meetings are run well, with the ED providing relevant information, and the personal relationship between the chair and the ED is strong.

So, what is missing?

But why does this matter if the board seems happy and the chair and ED have a good relationship? In many cases, the board chair has been reassuring the ED and frequently noting that everything is going well.

The assumption is that the ED should be satisfied with the chair’s reassurance that they are doing well and that the board is happy with their performance. However, sometimes the chair may not feel comfortable leading an evaluation of an ED with whom they have a positive relationship. There may be a reluctance to identify areas for improvement or uncertainty about assessing a role that differs significantly from their own expertise. Chairs may not know what to say or how to approach the conversation. In addition, there may be no one on the board with HR leadership experience, or the Governance Committee may be unwilling to take on this added responsibility.

In the meantime, an information gap develops between the board and the ED. This gap can lead the ED to consider other opportunities, mistakenly believing they are not meeting board expectations.

A formal evaluation delivers feedback from the entire board—not just the chair. It provides a structured, regular (typically annual) opportunity for the board and ED to engage in meaningful dialogue about expectations, performance, and unmet needs—on both sides.

The evaluation also creates a formal record that remains in the ED’s confidential file, extending beyond the tenure of any single board chair. It documents the board’s expectations for future directors and helps guide the ED in developing a clear plan to meet operational needs and support its governance.

To ensure openness and transparency in a relationship that is critical to organizational success, the formal ED evaluation process is an essential tool for effective communication—and well worth the time it requires.

Exceptional boards understand that strong communication with the ED is fundamental to both board and organizational success.

They schedule an annual ED evaluation process, typically led by the Governance Committee, ensuring input from both the board and the ED. This process creates an opportunity to recognize what is working well and to clarify expectations that have not yet been achieved. It strengthens leadership alignment around strategic goals and identifies how the board can support the ED’s continued growth and success.

What does your organization need to move from performance to practice? Visit this page to see how Capacity Canada can help.

Written By:

♦Don McDermott, Executive in Residence, Capacity Canada

Email: don@capacitycanada.ca 

The post How do boards and the Executive Director ensure they are working well together? appeared first on Capacity Canada.

A week ago yesterday the TRAC meeting was held in Woolwich Council Chambers. For the second time I had to get on the Township to post the video of that meeting on their Woolwich Township website. To their credit they did so quickly after I called.

There are smart people on that committee including Sebastian Seibel-Achenbach.  There are smart and credentialed people on that committee including a hydrogeologist, a municipal planner, a regional water department staffer, possibly even a biologist or an ecologist. There are technical people and some very untechnical and uncredentialed persons with other soft skills such as human psychology, human manipulation and other skills; such as Susan Bryant. There are honest people and blatant liars present. There are a few with knowledge of the site and far too many who know nothing prior to their appointment to the committee. Some have common sense others less. What there is a complete lack of is members with serious Elmira environmental knowledge going back to 1989 combined with honesty, common sense and at least a minimum of  hard, technical skills including maths and sciences.  NOT ONE, and it is  intentional, on that committee has all those requirements. I do which is precisely why mayor Shantz , Lanxess and the Min. of Environment (MECP)  do not want me on that committee nor able to speak to them directly.

I viewed the entire TRAC meeting (June 18/26) on the Woolwich website last evening and it was beyond painful. Misunderstandings, incorrect facts and guesswork were prevalent throughout the meeting and they were NEVER corrected or clarified by the few who did know the facts and the truth. At one point Sebastian (the brightest light of a very dim bunch) conflated numbers of samples taken with number of DETECTIONS of two toxic chemicals. Hence he asked if that particular Table spelled out that more attention should be paid to the upstream reaches of the Creek ( Reaches 3 & 4) closest to the Lanxess site than the further downstream ones of Reaches 2 and 1.  Not only did nobody correct him or clarify his obvious honest mistake but Hadley Stamm (*5 minute wonder) of Lanxess actually had the nerve and the  brass to answer him with "Right but I'm not going to take that jump yet.". She actually agreed with his incorrect conclusion but was careful to delay that conclusion until the next or a later meeting.

Jen Lyndall of Integral Inc. somewhat mystifies me. Apparently she is a former friend or colleague of Hadley Stamm (not good). She presented the first part of a Data Summary to TRAC at the meeting. In my opinion this is just one more in a long litany of Public Relations nonsense issued by the polluter and its' successors for the purpose of green washing. There is way more than enough data available between soil, sediment and fish tissue sampling to know how grossly contaminated the Canagagigue Creek still is, even after allegedly stopping dumping over fifty years ago. It would seem to me that five decades of flushing and flooding of the Creek should have long ago flushed all the mobile and even semi mobile deeper sediments down into the Grand River and further (Lake Erie) by now. Unless of course contaminated groundwater and soils/sediments are still via natural processes (or with help) being released from the grossly contaminated former Uniroyal Chemical site.

My final comment today :  Sebastian pointed out to Jen Lyndall (Integral) that Tables 3.3, 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6 all indicated that dioxins/furans were DETECTED in surface sediments, sub-surface sediments, surface soils and sub-surface soils 100% of the time from a total of well over a thousand different samples. Oops I misspoke! Table 3.4 has the only dioxin/furan detections below 100%  for sub-surface sediments. It was 98%  . Ms. Lyndall responded "Yes even in background locations which is interesting" .   Credit goes to her for being accurate and honest on that point although either Hadley or some other DNAPL/ Dioxin  deniers suggested that dioxins are ubiquitous. They are not thank goodness ubiquitous at the concentrations also indicated in those four Tables.

The scam, the sham and the coverup continues. I still expect some token, tiny cleanup of part of the Creek with everybody's fan favourite Susan Bryant being handed some environmental award for her  acting skills over thirty plus years, aided and abetted by the guilty parties. 

In today’s newsletter, I’m excited to share five ideas from Fair Share: How Men and Women Can Create a More Equitable Workplace Together, a new book from my friends W. Brad Johnson PhD and David G. Smith PhD. I fondly refer to them as “the good guys” because of the title of their previous best-selling book and because they truly walk the talk when it comes to being wonderful allies.

Fair Share explores how outdated work norms undermine careers, caregiving, and gender equity. As Johnson and Smith point out, “The workplace is broken — and it’s holding everyone back.”

I hope that last sentence caught your attention. Let’s dive in and explore some of my favorite ally actions from the book.

–Karen

I love this truth bomb from Chapter 1:

“In too many organizations, leaders fall prey to the ‘emperor’s new clothes phenomenon,’ where they never hear the unvarnished truth. Both because they don’t ask for feedback regarding their gender-inclusive leader performance and because they have a track record of defensiveness and deflection when they get a whiff of unflattering performance feedback, those around them paint bad employee experience data in a favorable light before it arrives on their desk.”

To counteract this phenomenon, Smith and Johnson urge us to seek out non-inclusive behavior we may not personally encounter.

Attend an employee resource group (ERG) meeting for a demographic you’re not a part of (after first asking if you’d be welcome). Ask what’s on their mind. Ask what they wish others knew about situations they’ve encountered that lacked fairness.

And build your awareness so that you can be a better ally.

For a section about supporting flexible work options, Johnson and Smith interviewed Jody Thompson at CultureRx, who mentioned “sludge.” It’s a disparaging comment about someone who is working remotely or has a family obligation. For example, “She’s working from home today? Yeah, right. She’s probably doing laundry and binge watching Hallmark movies.” Or “He has to leave early? Why can’t his spouse pitch in?”

Sludge tends to shift thinking away from productivity and results, and instead focuses on grousing about how someone is structuring their time.

If we hear it, let’s call it out. Personally, I’d recommend something along the lines of, “Actually, research shows that flexible work leads to higher engagement and better performance. Do you have concerns about them getting their work done on time?”

One aspect of traditional workplace cultures that undermine efforts to create more fairness is the masculinity contest. Johnson and Smith describe them as hypercompetitive displays of dominance, strength, stamina and outworking everyone else.

I found myself thinking of things I’ve witnessed. Employees who felt they couldn’t go home before their supervisor. Coworkers who bragged about pulling all-nighters to meet deadlines. Plank challenges to kick off meetings.

I bet you’ve seen some examples, too.

As Johnson and Smith point out, such displays of strength and stamina can become a recipe for stress, burnout, and poorer work quality. And they can influence who is rewarded and advanced.

Look out for masculinity contests in your office, and push back.

Smith and Johnson point out the various reasons career pauses happen, including childcare, eldercare, health needs, military service, retiring-unretiring, and career pivots.

Because pauses are going to happen, they recommend normalizing them to reduce any stigma. For example,

• Show up with care and understanding when someone takes their full leave for the arrival of a child.
• Support colleagues who request an extended leave of absence for personal reasons.
• Offer to brainstorm with a coworker about their reentry plan for returning to work after a pause.

I’ll add one more idea: Update your résumé, CV, or LinkedIn profile to include any breaks you’ve taken over the years.

p.s. Because I try to follow my own advice, I added a pause I took in 2012 to my LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn has an option to list career breaks for full-time parenting, bereavement, career transition, well-being, etc.

Johnson and Smith emphasize the importance of providing equal access to relationships that might lead to career development opportunities. These include mentoring, advocacy, information sharing networks, and other reciprocal connections that can make a difference for those who are historically overlooked or marginalized.

They encourage us all to initiate such connections. One of their suggestions is to use these simple words:

“I wonder if I can get your take on something I’m working on. I’d value your perspective.”

I love it.

That’s all for this week. Many, many thanks to “the good guys” for collaborating with me on this week’s newsletter. I highly recommend you get a copy of their book, Fair Share, which is available starting June 30.

Please note: I’m off next week to celebrate the July 4th holiday and will be back in your inboxes on July 10.

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

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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• Read the Better Allies books
• Tell someone about these resources

Actions to Fix the Broken Workplace from the new book “Fair Share” was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

♦

KITCHENER - Sometimes, you have to tip your cap to the opposing pitcher.

Guelph's Liam Watt struck out seven and gave up two hits in seven innings of work, as he helped the Royals to a 6-3 win over Kitchener Thursday night.

Kitchener's only runs came on a Mateo Zeppieri three-run home run in the ninth inning. 

He was the only Panthers starter not to get dinged with a strikeout.

Evan Elliott gave up five runs (four earned) off 10 hits in 5.2 innings in the loss. Jake Liberta was solid in relief, he gave up one unearned run and two hits in the remaining 3.1 innings, striking out four batters.

Kitchener drops to 6-12 on the year, while Guelph improved to 10-7.

Kitchener is on the road for two games, beginning in Hamilton Friday night at 7:35 p.m. and Welland Saturday at 6:05 p.m.

The Panthers host Welland Monday at 7:05 p.m. for a makeup game of a previous rain out.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and #PackTheJack!