One of the most common questions we hear from sellers is: does home staging actually increase the sale price?

In today’s Waterloo Region market, staging is not just about making a home look better — it’s about positioning it to perform. From attracting more buyers to creating stronger emotional connection, staging plays a measurable role in how your home is perceived and ultimately how it sells.

At The Deutschmann Team, staging is not treated as an extra — it is part of a strategic approach designed to maximize your result.

When evaluating staging, it’s important to look at it in context.

For a typical home in today’s Waterloo Region market, around $1,200,000, a $5,000 staging investment represents approximately 0.42% of the home’s value.

This is a relatively small investment when compared to the role staging plays in influencing buyer perception, demand, and overall performance on the market.

Staging should be considered part of your overall positioning strategy — alongside pricing, marketing, and timing.

The short answer is yes — but not in the way most people think.

Staging does not change the physical value of your home. Instead, it influences how buyers perceive that value.

It helps:

• Highlight the home’s strengths
• Improve flow and functionality
• Create a cohesive, move-in-ready feel
• Allow buyers to visualize themselves living in the space

According to the National Association of Realtors, staging can influence offer prices by 1 to 5 percent, depending on market conditions.
On a $1,200,000 home:

• A 1% improvement represents $12,000
• A 3% improvement represents $36,000

In many cases, even a modest increase more than covers the cost of staging.

Homes that are professionally staged tend to attract more attention, both online and in person.

This leads to:

• Increased showing activity
• More engaged buyers
• Greater likelihood of multiple offers
• Stronger negotiation outcomes

The Real Estate Staging Association reports that staged homes can sell up to 73% faster than unstaged homes.
Momentum matters. The stronger your launch, the better your overall result.

Buying a home is not purely a logical decision — it is emotional.

According to the National Association of Realtors, 81% of buyers say staging helps them visualize a property as their future home.

When buyers can clearly understand a space and feel connected to it, they are more likely to:

• Spend more time in the home
• Return for a second showing
• Submit a stronger offer

Staging is not about decoration. It is about creating clarity, flow, and emotional engagement.

In today’s market, nearly every buyer begins their search online.

Buyers are scrolling through listings, comparing homes side by side, and deciding within seconds which properties are worth seeing.
This makes presentation critical.

In a market where:

• Listings are highly polished
• Digital marketing is competitive
• Buyers have more choice

Your home needs to stand out immediately.

Professional staging ensures your home photographs well, captures attention, and motivates buyers to take action.

In the $1,200,000 and above price range, buyers tend to be more selective and intentional.

These are often long-term purchases, and buyers are looking for a home that feels right — not just one that checks boxes.
When the right home comes to market, there are often buyers who have been waiting for that opportunity.

Staging ensures your home:

• Feels cohesive and well thought out
• Showcases its full potential
• Appeals to buyers who are prepared to act

Staging does not change your home — it changes how your home is experienced.

It is one of the most effective ways to:

• Increase perceived value
• Attract more buyers
• Reduce time on market
• Improve your final sale price

In today’s Waterloo Region market, staging is not just about presentation — it is about performance.

At The Deutschmann Team, staging is part of a comprehensive, strategic approach designed to ensure your home stands out and delivers the strongest possible result.

The post Does Home Staging Increase Your Sale Price in Waterloo Region? appeared first on Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Agent - The Deutschmann Team.

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The sap runs as the rhythm of cold nights and warmer days begins to set in and with it the maple syrup season makes its brief — and beloved — appearance.

It seems fitting, then, to jot down a few thoughts at the March equinox when the important and delicious phenomena known as cabanes à sucre take place: it’s a short-lived gustatory and cultural moment on the calendar that plays a key part of eastern Ontario and Quebec lifestyle.

I was struck by not so much by the numbers of people visiting Sucrerie Lavigne, located in Rigaud, Quebec, but the sense of community and camaraderie that centres on this cultural bond of boiling sap into syrup and the plentiful food that is served in community fashion.

At Lavigne, the all-you-can-eat meals are only offered for about a dozen or so seatings during this time of the year. A couple of large dining halls are bustling with activity and good cheer when I visited for their first weekend. Guests bring their own beverages, if they choose (I spotted a few bottles of wine and had brought my own suds), in order to toast the occasion of family and friends gathering.

More than a meal at communal tables, cabane à sucre is a social focus it seems to me.

There’s no doubt you will find sugar shack activity in many parts of Ontario; however, in eastern Ontario and Quebec cabanes à sucre might be described as lieu de rassemblement: an event in a sugar bush where family and friends commune and celebrate the season and what is, really, the first agricultural harvest that is part of this distinct and close-knit community.

It is a welcoming one. Sucrerie Lavigne has been operating since the late 1950s: that makes it a cultural institution in itself. There are a few buildings made of old barnboard, one of which was emitting plumes of smoke from its tuyau de poêle as the massive amount of sap is being boiled down in the evaporators inside. The blend of smokiness and a slight sweetness in the air is perhaps unique — and intoxicating as it stimulates the appetite.

Inside what I would call a ranch-style commissary, replete with massive logs ablaze in a fireplace, the kitchen loads chafing dishes with a variety of foods. The large menu includes sausages, ham, beans, house ketchup, pickled beets, pancakes, oeufs miroir (a sunnyside-up egg with the slightest glaze of white over top), pork meatballs, cretons (a rustic pork pâté), roasted potatoes, a custardy egg dish that reminded me a dense souffle, grilled bread, crispy bacon that approached pork rinds known as grillades de lard. For dessert, there’s sugar pie.

Much of it was prepared on stoves that look like they were brought from France by Champlain.

You start with a cup of very good pea soup and cup of coffee poured by one of many of Lavigne’s roaming staff. I sat at a long table with other families, a lineup of condiments such as pickles and jellies ready to be shared in the middle of the table. I don’t speak much French, but when the diner next me asked me to pass the sirop d’erable, I became part of a wider table of the community that was gathering over food and, well, this region’s history.

Fireplaces roar with flames both inside and outside, near the latter of which is the booth where especially thick maple taffy — tire sur la neige — is made: poured onto the snow, one rolls a popsicle stick into the sticky goodness and you have a sort of super-rich, super-sweet lollipop. More viscous than regular maple syrup, the hot reduction meets the cold snow and science takes over and you can pick up the little ball of candy.

With thousands of trees tapped and ready to release their luxurious elixir to be given to the maple syrup tradition, the cabane à sucre experience celebrates the end of winter, essentially, as a rite of spring, you might say.

But this isn’t just a local food event that happens to be timed with maple syrup harvest: when you attend, you’ll get the sense that it’s a moment of cultural history and a friendly and welcoming assertion of identity in Franco-Ontario and Quebec. Cabane à sucre is what all great festivals in essence do: bring people together in a sense of community and camaraderie.

Check out my latest post Sucrerie Lavigne for cabane à sucre from AndrewCoppolino.com.

Furthermore to my title above I must inform readers that I am smarter than Bill Gates, stronger than Arnold Schwarzenegger ever was, and better looking than either Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise at their best. In other words my title above employs literary exaggeration to the maximum.

Today's K-W Record carries the following article by Bill Jackson titled "Case being made to give small developments green light amid water shortage". The usual suspects are quoted by the reporter such as Larry Masseo and Ryan Mounsey. The former representing the Waterloo Region Homebuilders' Assoc. stated that his association is not in agreement with the region "in terms of the extent of the seriousness of the issue at this point,".  Nowhere in this article does his position seem to be backed with data supporting his opinion.  Mr. Mounsey also advises in one statement that he only works with developers "...that have small infill, gentle density housing with a modest - the smallest - impact" on water useage. Then he advises that these clients range anywhere from one lot to 1,400 units for a total of 2,500 units in the Region of  Waterloo. In my opinion adding 2,500 units (approx. 5,000 people ?) all requiring water on a daily basis is significantly exacerbating the water shortage. 

At the moment operational resiliency within our water system will not be restored until 2027. Until or unless that determination is changed the ban on new building permits should remain. This coming Wednesday regional council are to revisit staff recommendations to add capacity to the system from wells in Wilmot Township as well as to have regional council ask the province to halt water taking permits for golf courses, gravel pits and other large industrial/commercial enterprises. Depending upon the results of those two recommendations the ban on new building permits might need to be extended even further down the road. It is conceivable that neither Wilmot Township nor the Doug Ford government may be in the mood to comply to the requests.

Project Tiger started in 1973, is a major effort to conserve the tiger and its habitats in India.[15] At the turn of the 20th century, one estimate of the tiger population in India placed the figure at 40,000, yet an Indian tiger census conducted in 1972 revealed the existence of only 1,827 tigers. Various pressures in the latter part of the 20th century led to the progressive decline of wilderness resulting in the disturbance of viable tiger habitats. At the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) General Assembly meeting in Delhi in 1969, serious concern was voiced about the threat to several wildlife species, and the shrinkage of wilderness in India from poaching. In 1970, a national ban on tiger hunting was imposed, and in 1972 the Wildlife Protection Act came into force. The framework was then set to formulate a project for tiger conservation with an ecological approach. @#$%^

The post Tiger conservation appeared first on Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.

At KW Habilitation, supporting wellbeing goes beyond the services we deliver. It includes caring for the health of our employees and the people we support, and building strong partnerships that make wellness information accessible, inclusive, and empowering.

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On March 6, KW Habilitation hosted a wellness session focused on improving access to breast cancer screening. Thirty one people attended, including staff and individuals supported by the organization. The session reflected KW Habilitation’s ongoing commitment to supporting the whole person and ensuring our team has the information and tools they need to stay well.

The session featured Dr. Neil Naik, a Primary Care Physician and member of the Ontario Breast Cancer Advisory Committee. Dr. Naik provided a clear and practical overview of the Ontario Breast Screening Program. He walked attendees through how easy it is to book a mammogram, what to expect during an appointment, and reminded everyone that screening is free for eligible Ontarians.

Dr. Naik also shared information on other important cancer screenings, including colorectal, lung, and cervical cancer screening. He explained when screening is recommended and why early detection plays such a critical role in long term health outcomes. For employees who support others through medical appointments, he offered helpful guidance on how to prepare for a mammogram and how to support someone during the process. Many attendees were encouraged to learn that all breast screening locations in Waterloo Region are wheelchair accessible, and that individuals can request extra time or arrange a visit in advance.

To ensure the impact of the session extended beyond the room, cancer screening resources were shared with all KW Habilitation employees, allowing everyone to access reliable information and continue conversations about preventative care.

As a small but meaningful reminder of the message, each attendee received a packet of forget me not seeds prepared with the support of Our Farm. The gift reinforced the importance of being part of the TEAM by Telling Everyone About Mammograms and supporting one another in taking proactive steps toward health.

This session was made possible through KW Habilitation’s partnership with the KW4 Ontario Health Team and the Regional Cancer Screening Program, with coordination support from Lorraine Stavenow. Together, these partnerships strengthen KW Habilitation’s ability to promote wellness and ensure that employees and the people we support feel informed, supported, and valued.

Resources:

• Check your Cancer IQ, learn your risk and get a personalized action plan!
• Watch a short video about getting a mammogram at the Waterloo Regional Health Network
• Check out the WRHN breast cancer screening webpage

The post Promoting Wellness Through Accessible Breast Cancer Screening Information appeared first on KW Habilitation.

Organization: Armagh House

Location: Mississauga, ON (Meetings in-person and/or virtual)

Position Type: Volunteer, Board of Directors

Armagh House is a second-stage transitional housing offering safe shelter and programming for women and their children fleeing domestic abuse. Our mission is to empower women and children to rebuild safe, independent lives, while advancing community focused solutions for lasting change.

Armagh House is seeking a passionate and committed individual to serve as Vice President of the Board of Directors. This is a volunteer leadership role ideal for someone with strong governance experience, a heart for social justice, and a desire to support women’s safety and empowerment.

• Support the President in fulfilling board leadership duties and assume the President’s responsibilities when required.
• Collaborate with fellow board members to provide strategic direction and oversight of Armagh’s mission, values, and financial sustainability.
• Act as Chair of board meetings in the absence of the President.
• Serve as a member of the Executive Committee and contribute to board development, succession planning, and governance.
• Advocate for Armagh in the community and support fundraising and outreach efforts.
• Ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards and best practices in nonprofit governance.

• Previous board or leadership experience in a not-for-profit organization.
• Strong understanding of governance, strategy, and risk management.
• Passionate about women’s rights, safety, and transitional support.
• Collaborative, ethical, and committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Ability to commit time and energy to regular board meetings, committee work, and events.

• Board meetings are held approximately 6–8 times per year.
• Additional time may be required for committee work and special events.

Please submit a brief letter of interest and résumé outlining your relevant experience and motivation for applying to: jannies@armaghhouse.ca

The post ARMAGH House- Board Vice President appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Armagh empowers women and children to rebuild safe, independent lives, while advancing community-focused solutions for lasting change.

Armagh House is the only supportive, transitional housing program serving the Region of Peel, offering safe shelter and programming for women and their children fleeing domestic abuse. Our mission is to empower women and children to rebuild safe, independent lives, while advancing community-focused solutions for lasting change.

Armagh is currently looking to fill a vacancy on our Board of Directors and is seeking passionate individuals with expertise in legal or fundraising fields. This is a meaningful opportunity to contribute to a vital cause and help shape the future of a community-based organization dedicated to women’s safety and empowerment.

• Provide strategic oversight and governance to support Armagh’s mission and values
• Contribute professional expertise, particularly in legal or fundraising areas
• Participate actively in board meetings, committee work, and special events
• Support fundraising, advocacy, and community outreach efforts
• Ensure compliance with legal and ethical standards in nonprofit governance

• Background in law, fundraising, or related fields
• Previous board or leadership experience in a nonprofit setting is an asset
• Strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Excellent communication, time management, and organizational skills
• Willingness to complete a Police Vulnerable Sector Check

• Board meetings are held approximately 6–8 times per year, virtually and in-person
• Additional time may be required for committee participation and events
• Board term is 3 years, beginning May 25, 2026

• Play a key role in a vital community organization
• Apply and grow your leadership and professional skills
• Gain experience in nonprofit governance
• Expand your network in the Peel region’s volunteer and advocacy sectors
• Help create lasting change for women and children affected by gender-based violence

Please submit a brief letter of interest and résumé outlining your relevant experience and motivation for applying through indeed application portal or email to: jannies@armaghhouse.ca

Job Type: Casual

Work Location: Remote

The post ARMAG House appeared first on Capacity Canada.

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In September of 1899, the Carnation company launched “Carnation Sterlized Cream.” The company eventually changed the name to “Carnation Evaporated Milk.” It was a good branding and marketing move.

The useful, shelf-stable product that you can find in the baking aisle of your grocery store is simply milk that has had 60 percent or so of its moisture content removed.

What remains is a thick, sweetish compound that has many uses in the kitchen – including make-it-yourself dulce de leche.

The Spanish phrase translates to something like “sweet of milk” or “milk candy,” which is a rich, creamy caramel dessert that is popular in Central America. It can be part of the delicious filling you might find in the popular Argentine sweets called “alfajores,” as in the banner photo above.

You can make dulce de leche at home simply with a pot of boiling water and a bit of time.

There is a quaint myth that a mother in South America was warming a can of evaporated milk to feed her children when she heard the cacophony of horses hooves trampling the valley below her home.

She went to investigate and witnessed a battle that was the beginning of one South American revolution or another. Transfixed by the commotion, she forgot about the simmering can and sometime later, when she opened it, she found “sweet of milk.”

Take a can of evaporated milk, whole or two percent. Puncture the top of the can in two places (on opposite sides) with a hammer and a clean disinfected nail.

Set the can in gently boiling water that covers two-thirds up the side of the can. Let it simmer away for a few hours.

What results when you open the can is a thick, creamy and sweet golden custard that you can pour into a bowl and whisk to incorporate any lumps that may exist.

The preparation has many uses and dessert applications, from a cupcake frosting to a donut filling — or, to simply eat off the spoon.


[Image/commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44938309]

Check out my latest post “Sweet of milk:” DIY dulce de leche from AndrewCoppolino.com.

This post today is supposed to be about Susan Koswan's excellent Opinion piece in today's K-W Record titled  "Water and nature need protection from politics".  Essentially the politics she is describing are the politics of our current Conservative government led by Doug Ford. I am of two minds right now. Or maybe even three or four. Yes Doug Ford and his merry band have been awful for the environment and Ms. Koswan  clearly describes his gaffes, errors and plain bad thinking and behaviour on the environment file. 

Meanwhile back on the first page there is Doug Ford blustering about how a homeowner recently shot one of four home invaders. Four on one in the middle of the night is hardly a fair fight especially as at least one of the home invaders was caught on video with a gun in hand. Undaunted the homeowner shot one of them and they all fled. Doug Ford meanwhile was quoted as saying that the homeowner should have shot him a few more times for good measure.

Doug of course is pandering to the public's discomfort with firearms legislation that essentially for decades has stated that citizens may own guns to shoot unarmed animals and or harmless paper targets that have never attacked anybody. But by God any use of a firearm to defend oneself from physical attack is beyond the pale. Under no circumstances are Canadian citizens supposed to have the right to readily and quickly defend themselves from robbery, assault or worse. Being even blunter I expect that our police, prosecutors and courts will cheerfully advise women that mere rape also doesn't justify shooting someone. For our justice officials that would be a case of using disproportionate force to defend oneself. Well! Let me simply suggest that if any of either Harvey Weinstein's or Frank Stronach's alleged victims had been armed, their criminal activities would have been nipped in the bud.

So I like Dougie for standing up to the stupidity of our judicial system and the temerity of all participants within it to expand the legal rights of citizens to defend themselves from unprovoked attacks. At the same time I am appalled at his biased and self-serving environmental behaviour in this province. He is a one man environmental wrecking machine and needs to be cut down (only at the polls please).

The post Community Night at GRR Kitchener appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.

The post Rubble Rebels appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.

When: Friday May 1st, 7:00 – 8:15pm

Where: Riverside Park Memorial Gates, 49 King Street West, Cambridge

Walk Leader: Kevin Swayze

More than a century ago, passenger trains ran down King Street in old Preston, as part of the first electric railway in what’s now Waterloo Region.

It’s not hard to find hints of Preston’s deep railway history – and perhaps its future – on a stroll along the Speed River or Eagle and King streets.

Join journalist Kevin Swayze as he shares how Preston was a busy railway hub in Waterloo County 125 years ago, for both people and freight. Trains connected Preston to Galt, Hespeler, and Kitchener.

And he’ll talk about the future of passenger trains planned for Preston, while walking part of the route proposed for light rail transit between Cambridge and Kitchener.

One of the terms used in past reviews and studies concerning dioxins has been that it is a non threshold contaminant. In other words there simply is no safe level of exposure for human beings. Now that is very concerning particularly when one realizes that human beings throughout the world have already accumulated body burdens of dioxins. Amounts mentioned thirty plus years ago were in the 4 to 6  picograms  range per day exposure for Canadians. At the same time that Canada had a guideline maximum of 10 picograms per day per kilogram of body weight, our American cousins had a guideline of only .006 picograms.  Now it is entirely possible if not probable that either concentrations or body burden guidelines have changed since 1994. Personally I have found the silence in the media on the matter to be nearly deafening.

It is also possible that up to date science may very well have decided that the only safe guideline number is zero especially for vulnerable populations. This would include pregnant women, young children and those with compromised immune systems. Regardless it is next to impossible for citizens to either stop or reduce their exposure to these now ubiquitous contaminants. While the simplest expression of the source of dioxins is chlorinated substances being burned the fact is that they are in our food, water and the air we breathe. Yes polluting industries such as pulp and paper  as well as chemical companies are major contributors but there are many more including hospital and municipal incinerators.  

Instead of studying, monitoring and sometimes ignoring them as we have done for the last thirty-six years here in Woolwich Township (Elmira), what is needed is proper removal. It can be done but for profit industries are willing to sacrifice human life in exchange for millions of dollars and our local, regional and provincial politicians are only too willing to accommodate them. Now lets be clear.  No politician will ever admit to this. It's about them finding ways to weasel word their way around the reality. It's about them finding ways to disparage the science, the data and if necessary the scientists themselves. Isn't it ironic that unqualified, sometimes dyslexic, sometimes illiterate and most times mathematically challenged politicians when pressured to stand up for their own constituents will run and hide behind criticism of those far more qualified than they to come to conclusions and make decisions.     

 Jeff Merriman promised us six litres per second of on-site Municipal Aquifer pumping in order to maintain hydraulic containment and stop off-site migration of Uniroyal's groundwater. For a number of years the total from two or three on-site pumping wells was around 5.3 to 5.5 litres per second. Close although not quite there. In November 2012 after Conestoga Rovers admitted that their off-site pump & treat wasn't going to complete the job by 2028, they and Chemtura promised a TRIPLING of the volume of off-site pumping. Oddly no mention was given of increasing on-site pumping at the same time in order to avoid the increased off-site pumping from dragging on-site contaminated water along with it as the groundwater levels were lowered off-site. That in hindsight should have been our first indication that we were being lied to yet again.

Since about 2017 the on-site municipal aquifer pumping  has been slowly dropping until it's at about 3.3 to 3.6 litres per second. As serious as that is, the problem is only exacerbated as the off-site pumping has indeed been increased. Now that increase certainly never achieved  even a DOUBLING much less a TRIPLING of the off-site volumes from 2012 (around 53 l/sec) as promised.  It did increase however to often achieve 65 l/sec and occasionally as high as 70 or 71 l/sec. This has been going on for years now with nobody including TRAC so much as raising questions directly about increasing off-site pumping while lowering on-site pumping.  This practice we were advised for years while on CPAC absolutely would cause the Uniroyal site to lose hydraulic containment and further increase off-site contamination. 

There has never been an iron clad test to prove to citizens that hydraulic containment was being kept. Promises and assurances from proven liars that groundwater levels here and there "prove" containment aren't worth the paper they are or aren't written on. More, louder and shriller exhortations of integrity and honesty from Lanxess Canada and or the MECP also mean less than nothing. They and their predecessors have never stopped lying to us.  

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Restaurants that feature enormous cylinders of spit-roasted chicken, beef and lamb, some weighing close to 40 kgs, are popular across our dining landscape: I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like some sort of roasted meat shaved from a rotating vertical skewer that cooks and bastes the protein simultaneously.

And how could one not? It’s hot, tender seasoned meat with a few crispy bits wrapped in a warm envelope of bread as a shawarma, gyros or al pastor with a host of garlicky sauces, hummus and vegetables — and a favourite of mine, pickled pink turnip.

Turkish Anatolia in Orleans does a pretty good job of putting together a platter-for-two of said cooked chicken and beef in doner style that arrives at your table — I love hearing the sound of the knife slicing the meat — served on a bed of extremely tasty rice and a satisfying sort of bulgur “pilaf.”

Both meats were perfectly cooked — some tenderness and just the right amount of fattiness alongside those few crispy bits — and the portion of the platter just enough to pack up and take home for lunch the next day.

Ezme (“mashed”) tomato spread/condiment/salad is laced with some sort of red pepper paste and is quite delicious: the presentation, though simple, is beautifully done; one can appreciate the few extra moments of time it took to present it, even in a simple and humble dining room in a commonplace strip plaza.

Yogurt-based minty cacik is garnished with herbs and with the ezme is terrific slathered on the fresh, hot pita-like bread.

A couple of dips accompanied the platter and basket of bread and both were quite good and very garlicky (but a bit too much for my liking). I slurped a bottle of “Legendary” Uludag gazoz, a citrusy Turkish soda pop, perhaps akin to Sprite. The name pays homage to the “great mountain” Uludag in northwest Turkiye.

The restaurant’s specialty is dishes served with a Turkish inflection but there is also a Pakistani menu available. I can say that a distinguishing aspect was the friendliness and attentiveness of the staff, I’m guessing the owners.

A final gesture of hospitality, served in quaint perhaps traditional little vessels, were cups of tea. It appears that with some meals, the gesture is a complimentary and appreciated one.

There’s not much information available on either their website or their Facebook page, so you’ll have to fly solo when you visit Turkish Anatolia.

One thing that struck me, however: next door to the Anatolia was a juice place and sub joint — both of which seemed to generate more traffic than those looking for legit kebabs and doners. That’s a shame.

Check out my latest post Turkish Anatolia Orleans from AndrewCoppolino.com.

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♦YEP Socials Spring Session
Cheese Rollups – Tuesday, March 24
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Trip to the Movie Theatre – Friday, April 24
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
KW Habilitation – 99 Ottawa St. S, Kitchener

Youth Exploring Possibilities Spring Session of YEP Socials is great for anyone 13 to 25 years old looking to do some fun activities with a group. Spend evenings and PD days doing baking, art, swimming or going to the movies. This Tuesday, March 24th, spend time with friends and bake some tasty apple cinnamon flavored cream cheese roll ups. Look forward to your next PD day on Friday, April 24 where you will go to the movie theatres to see the new Super Mario Galaxy Movie. Sign up today to secure your spot!

Click here for more info

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♦Jays Home Opener
Friday, March 27
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
FREE
The Gaslight District – 64 Grand Ave. S, Cambridge

The Toronto Blue Jays are back! Experience all the action of the Home Opener Game, live on The Big Screen! Grab your crew, throw on your Jays gear, and come cheer them on with Jays fans alike. Bring your lawn chairs, some snacks or you can grab game grub from the many restaurants in the district. Experience that feeling of a fandom community you get in the stadiums, right here in town.

Click here for more info

♦Spring Craft Market
Saturday, March 28
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
FREE Admission
Sunnyside Public School – 1042 Weber St. E, Kitchener

Get into the Spring Season with this fabulous Spring Craft Market. Featuring over 40 vendors throughout the schools Gymnasium and Library, there will be plenty unique and handmade items to browse through. This is the second annual Craft Market which helps with fundraising for the Sunnyside Public School which serves students in grades 7 and 8.

Click here for more info

♦Intro to Audio Production Software
Saturday, March 28
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
FREE – Registration Required
Central Library – 85 Queen St. N, Kitchener

Thinking about trying out the recording studios, but not sure where to start? Join us for a beginner-friendly session where we’ll show you how to book studio time, set up microphones and gear, and apply basic recording techniques for music, voice, or podcasts. You’ll also get practice time in the studio to explore and experiment.

Click here for more info

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♦Queen Street Commons Café
43 Queen Street South, Kitchener

Monday to Wednesday: 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Thursday and Friday : 8:30 AM to 8:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Sunday: CLOSED

First opened in 2006, The Queen Street Commons Café has a long history of being an affordable and inclusive meeting place, where people from all walks-of-life gather in common. The café is a not-for-profit project run by The Working Centre and reopened on March 13, 2026 after a brief hiatus due to the pandemic. At a time when public spaces are diminishing, and our feelings of isolation and loneliness are growing, the Commons is needed more than ever. They invite people from all elements of life into the space to find new friendships, create micro-communities, and partnerships.

Volunteers help to make this Café possible. They have kept the prices as affordable as possible to ensure everyone can access delicious vegetarian home-style meals, snacks, desserts, and fresh-roasted coffee. Simple and from the heart. It is the people that make this place come alive. Check out the Queen Street Commons Cafe in Downtown Kitchener today!

Click here for more info

The post March 18, 2026: What’s Happening in Your Neighbourhood? appeared first on KW Habilitation.

Definitely Thriving follows the life of Clemence, a woman whose life is a bit of a mess after she sabotages her own marriage. She returns home to the Roncesvalles neighbourhood in Toronto with plans to find a new life with more substance and without interruptions from romance and other such nonsense. 

With a quirky array of well-drawn secondary characters, a wonderfully flawed main female character in Clemence and an unexpected love interest, readers will enjoy following Clemence’s as she figures out who she is without society (or her family) telling her who she SHOULD be. I’ll admit that I had hoped for a different couple, but the pair who made it in the end was a wonderful surprise.

Peppered with humour and well-turned phrases that made me smile, this is a an Eat Pray Love kind of story … well, except for the love part (and add in a grumpy landlady). What it does have is charm and a relatable character who finds joy in the imperfect and allows herself time to pause, to stumble and make mistakes yet finds herself thriving despite not having it all figured out yet. 

Final Thoughts: quirky, delightfully awkward and endearing

The global trade landscape is shifting rapidly, creating uncertainty and challenges for workers, industries and communities across Canada. In a rapidly changing world, we are focusing on what we can control: building a stronger more resilient Canada. This calls for decisive action from governments at all levels to protect jobs, strengthen local economies, and ensure workers can adapt to changing economic realities.

Workers whose jobs have been directly or indirectly impacted by global tariffs will receive support to help them adapt, retrain, and succeed, through a joint tariff-response initiative announced today by the Honourable Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, and the Honourable David Piccini, Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

Specifically, the Canada–Ontario Workforce Tariff Response will deliver $228.8 million over three years, through the Canada–Ontario Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA), to support workers in the softwood lumber, steel and automotive sectors, as well as other directly and indirectly tariff-affected industries. This new funding will help approximately 27,000 workers in Ontario build new skills and seize emerging opportunities.

Canada–Ontario Workforce Tariff Response supports will be delivered through Ontario’s established network of training programs and employment services, as well as through Skills Advance Ontario (SAO), a tariff‑response initiative designed for employers, workers, and jobseekers, including: unemployed workers seeking to gain new skills for in-demand jobs, workers whose employers are participating in Work-Sharing agreements, so that they may upskill or retrain as these industries adapt; and employed workers seeking new skills to improve their resiliency within companies directly affected by tariffs and global market shifts or their supply chains, or within communities that rely heavily on those companies, such as single-industry communities.

These funds will help workers stay employed, upgrade their skills or retrain as industries adapt. It will also help Ontario employers retain experienced staff during periods of economic uncertainty. In addition, they will also support workforce development in high‑potential sectors such as health care, skilled trades, clean energy and natural resources.

Implementation of the Canada–Ontario Workforce Tariff Response will leverage both existing and new or enhanced mechanisms and will benefit from the input of labour and business representatives. Coordinating directly with impacted businesses to protect jobs will give tariff‑affected workers and those in Work‑Sharing agreements improved opportunities for upskilling or retraining, in a changing economic landscape.

This transformative new approach reflects a shared commitment by the governments of Canada and Ontario to support Canadians through a period of significant economic adjustment, while building a strong, confident workforce—one where workers can navigate global uncertainty and industries can remain competitive in the global marketplace.

Source: Canada.ca 

The post Government of Canada Announces $228M Fund for Ontario Businesses appeared first on Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.

How Smart Cybersecurity Helps Protect Hybrid Workplaces

In the past few years, an increasing number of workplaces have been adopting a hybrid model for their employees, allowing them to split their working hours between the company’s office and their home. Hybrid work has changed how we collaborate and significantly benefited flexibility. However, with more devices and networks coming into play, the door is open for more cyber risks, both in type and frequency.

So, as hybrid work arrangements continue to increase, strengthening cybersecurity is becoming even more of a priority for employers. Here are some of the key details on how to stay protected in a hybrid workplace.

With employees moving between their home and the office, companies must be prepared for a wider range of digital risks. Here are some practical steps every hybrid workplace can take to stay protected.

When working from home, it’s important to keep your devices secure. Companies should ensure that all work laptops and equipment are updated with essential protections. The following are common options for this:

• Firewalls
• Antivirus protection
• Anti-malware software
• Data encryption tools

Employees should also avoid using removable media, such as USBs, wherever possible. This is because removable media can introduce another element of exposure to malware and viruses, among other risks.

When logging into company accounts for work, multi-factor authentication (MFA) requires you to verify your identity a second time after entering your password. In most cases, this involves entering a verification code from an authenticator app or a text message sent to your mobile device.

MFA makes it more difficult for potential attackers to access your accounts. As such, it provides strong protection against common threats, such as phishing.

Although MFA adds more security to your accounts, everyone should still practice good password security. First, this means using strong passwords that contain a mix of both lowercase and uppercase letters, special characters, and numbers.

Changing passwords regularly for accounts such as main computer logins, emails, SEO tools, and platforms storing client data, is also a key component of password security. Many suggest changing passwords every 90 days or immediately if one is suspected to be compromised.

With hybrid workers accessing sensitive company data while they’re at home, network protection is even more crucial. A virtual private network (VPN) allows remote workers to securely connect to the same server they use in the office.

VPNs mask a user’s IP address, hide their location, and encrypt data in transit. All of these help support secure remote access. Companies using VPNs should also confirm their system can handle the number of hybrid workers who rely on it.

Cybersecurity training works best when it’s woven into regular workplace learning. Ongoing training helps individuals feel more confident spotting things like phishing emails, unusual login attempts, or suspicious links. And when employees understand why certain practices matter, such as using strong passwords or locking their devices when stepping away, they’re much more likely to build and maintain those habits.

Cybersecurity isn’t truly complete without the addition of cyber insurance. Also referred to as cyber liability insurance, it’s a type of insurance designed specifically to help organizations manage the financial and reputational risks associated with cyber incidents and data breaches.

When it comes to cyber insurance, the specific coverage varies depending on the policy. However, here are some of the typical elements people will see in cyber insurance coverage:

• Data Breach Response
• Data Restoration and Recovery
• Legal and Regulatory Support
• Business Interruption
• Cyber Extortion and Ransomware
• Third-Party Liability
• Networking Security Liability
• Public Relations and Reputation Management
• Multimedia Liability
• Employee Training and Risk Management

Hybrid work means employees connect to company systems from the office, home, and even public networks. Each connection creates a new potential entry point for a cyber attack. Strong cybersecurity, such as MFA and VPNs, significantly reduce this risk.

However, no security measure is foolproof, which is where cyber insurance comes in. It helps organizations manage the financial impacts of a cyber attack, giving them the time and support needed to recover.

Cyber insurance is meant to complement, not replace, strong cybersecurity. In fact, many policies require businesses to maintain certain protections, such as MFA, to ensure a valid claim.

Even though cyber risks are growing for hybrid workplaces, the tools and strategies available for protecting sensitive data are as well. By leveraging these tools, from strong passwords and multi-factor authentication to promoting ongoing education, organizations can confidently navigate a hybrid work environment while ensuring their systems, data, and employees remain protected. Cyber insurance is an ideal complement to these cybersecurity measures, increasing the resiliency of a hybrid workplace.

At Cowan Insurance Group, we help clients build cyber insurance policies tailored to their risk profile. Speak with one of our experts today to get started.

The post Cowan: How Smart Cybersecurity Helps Protect Hybrid Workplaces appeared first on Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.

Moonshadow Events is a high-concept community-building organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship for “alternative” artisans and diverse creators. From live music experiences to our renowned “creepy” themed markets, we specialize in radical inclusion and whimsical storytelling. We prioritize local art and music creators and maintain strict organizational policies regarding cultural property and ethical vending.

• Status: Volunteer / Part-Time (Eligible for secondary/post-secondary/OW/ODSP community service hours).
• Growth Path: This is a core leadership role with a clear pathway to a paid position as we hit upcoming funding milestones.
• The Experience: As a member of our team, you won’t just manage the “books,” you’ll have the opportunity to join us on floor operations to watch our colorful, inclusive work unfold firsthand!
• Website: www.moonshadowevents.com

OVERVIEW

Manage all financial operations to ensure Moonshadow Events can continue supporting underrated art forms. You will provide the fiscal transparency required by our funding partners and oversee our books, organize receipts, assist with event budgeting, and attend board meetings periodically.

• Reporting: Generate monthly financial statements and budget-to-actual reports.
• CRA Compliance: Manage annual T2 and T1044 filings; oversee Public Service Bodies’ (PSB) rebate applications to maximize our community budget.
• Payroll: Execute all payroll functions (stipends, contractor payments).
• Record Keeping: Digital filing and reconciliation of all financial transactions for various events (Summer and Shade Market, National Archaeology Day, etc.).
• Vendor Integrity: Ensure all contractor payouts and vendor fees align with Moonshadow’s internal ethics and cultural property policies.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance (preferred); upper-year or post-graduate students are welcome to apply.
• Experience: Proven track record in bookkeeping or corporate finance. Familiarity with the Ontario Not-for-Profit Corporations Act (ONCA) is a major asset.
• Designation: Ontario CPA preferred (or currently pursuing a CPA charter).
• Communication: Ability to translate complex numbers into clear insights for the board.
• Bonus: Experience with non-profit fund accounting (tracking restricted grant funds vs. general revenue).

THE FINE PRINT We prioritize internal talent. As Moonshadow Events reaches specific funding milestones, there is a clear pathway for this volunteer role to transition into a paid management position.

The post Moonshadow Events appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Frankly I am impressed. I have very good reason to be angry with the Waterloo Region Record (aka K-W Record) but geez it is difficult to stay mad at the twits when they are currently so fulfilling their mandate of keeping the public informed on serious issues. Take note of that Woolwich Township. Decades of bias towards filthy polluters may never be forgotten but it could be mitigated possibly even to the point of forgiveness. Of course that requires some immediate, heartfelt changes in both attitude and behaviour on your part. 

It appears as if the Record along with others are embracing the over pumping of our groundwater as fact not possibility. The Record once again in today's article titled "52 billion litres of water too much, and not enough" goes through the litany of errors and miscalculations of water supply and demand by the Region's water staff.  It is almost to the point of slapstick comedy if it weren't so serious. Yes both developers and home builders' groups are still on the bandwagon of it's not really a case of too much growth or of water supply. They are all too willing to throw both regional staff and councillors under the bus in calling the crisis a "management issue". 

Personally I can embrace both the idea of a finite water supply as well as to a certain extent management issues.  The particular "management issues" that I find so offensive are the lying and blatant disinformation over a period of decades. Items such as the Inter Urban System (IUS) supposedly allowing water from anywhere in the Region to flow wherever it is needed has turned out to be nonsense. Allegedly that is, because I can no longer trust that the Region are telling us the truth. Also the fact that they have lied to Wilmot Township for years as they've been taking their water surreptitiously for use in the cities while the water table has dropped significantly in parts of Wilmot.

I still would like to see both past and current groundwater elevation data from throughout the various moraines and aquifers to confirm that the Region have been inappropriately  "mining" those aquifers and significantly lowering the water levels.   

Or put differently was there ever a time when anybody in authority seriously believed that they had a viable plan to restore the Elmira aquifers to drinking water standards? By those in authority I'm referring to the Min. of Environment (MOE/MECP), the four companies listed above, Waterloo Region or Woolwich Township. These are not idle or spurious questions. Hindsight being 20/20 gives one an entirely different flavour and view of what has gone on. Certainly over the intervening decades there have been significant changes in the surface water of the Canagagigue Creek, the air over Uniroyal/Lanxess and the groundwater beneath the town.

At one time decades ago the Ontario Ministry of Environment was derided as the Ministry of Lumps and Colours in reference to surface waters in the province. In other words the Ministry were satisfied the moment rivers and streams stopped routinely being discoloured by industry  discharges and even solids and sludges being dumped into them. Yes the Canagagigue has far fewer solvents and dissolved toxins in them than they used to have courtesy of Uniroyal Chemical. Unfortunately there has been an extremely limited reduction in Persistent Organic Pollutants with the likes of DDT and dioxins topping the list. These are present whether as suspended sediments (as Dr. Dick Jackson thundered repeatedly) or even as low concentration dissolved contaminants in the water.

The bad old days even as recently as 1998 to 2000 when air discharges sent the "Duke St. rowdies" out of town in the middle of the night seeking refuge  hopefully are done forever.  To many including myself these air discharges simply reinforced our belief that the company (Crompton) were long on talk and awfully slow on action including spending money and time to remove the biggest and baddest air discharges.

It would appear that both the concentrations of contaminants as well as the volume of the various plumes underneath Elmira have been reduced. To what effect however? If the two most obvious targets, NDMA and chlorobenzene still aren't at drinking water standards do you think any of the dozens to hundreds of others are? 

If one has ready access to the on and off-site pumping records as I do then it is obvious that years ago the various polluting companies began cutting back on their pumping and treating volumes just when  they most needed to increase them and when they had publicly promised to do so. They did no such thing nor did they even seriously try to. It was all a scam simply buying time and wasting time as they and their consultants talked and bamboozled both lay citizens and even educated, credentialed members of RAC, TAG and TRAC into deferential submission. The last gasp chance to turn the ship around died in 2015 under the pathetic and woefully uninformed guidance of Sandy Shantz at the Woolwich Township helm. Frankly success was already in huge jeopardy but her embrace of all pleas and lamentations from Chemtura and the Min. of Environment sealed the deal. Lots more talk and lots more hot air but it's all been window dressing and less. 

• What: Day of Action for Public Health Care ♦
• When: 1:00pm on Monday 16 March 2026
• Where: Outside the Hon. Bardish Chagger’s office
• Location: 100 Regina Street, Waterloo, Ontario Map
• Online: waterloohealthcoalition.org/quality-of-health-care/march-16-day-of-action-for-public-health-care/
• Contact: waterlooregionhealthcoalition@gmail.com
• Phone: Jim Stewart +1‑519‑588‑5841

DAY OF ACTION

Dear Public Health Care defenders:

On Monday, 16 March 2026, people across Canada will rally outside the offices of their local Liberal Members of Parliament. The nationwide Day of Action warns public health care for all in Canada is under unprecedented threat and calls on the federal government to enforce the Canada Health Act. Health Coalitions have invited the Liberal MPs to join the event, speak to participants, support the fightback against privatization, and commit to bring this issue back to their caucus in Ottawa as a priority. The rally is outside the office of the Hon. Bardish Chagger, Liberal MP.

1:00pm on Monday, 16 March 2026 at 100 Regina Street, Waterloo, Ontario

Who: Jim Stewart, Chair, Waterloo Region Health Coalition

Invited Speakers:

• Bardish Chagger MP
• Tim Louis MP
• Aislinn Clancy MPP
• Catherine Fife MPP

Bring highly visible banners and signs!

Alberta’s Danielle Smith government has launched an unprecedented frontal assault on the Canada Health Act to end single tier Public Medicare & bring in U.S. private health care. The law brings in private for-profit health insurance, direct billing of patients, queue jumping for those who can afford it pushing everyone else back in line, workplace private health insurance plans and more. It is not “like” U.S. style health care. It is U.S. private health care, and for-profit health care interests are lined up to cash in.

Closer to home, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford is privatizing public hospitals and is allowing private clinics to charge patients thousands for needed care. By the government’s own numbers, their latest set of private clinics (some of which are essentially hospitals, a number of which are chain owned) aim to redirect 1.2 million patients away from public hospitals. While the government is giving hundreds of millions more to private clinics, it has pushed the majority of public hospitals into deficit in a direct transfer of public resources. Patients are already being charged more than $4,000 per eye in the private cataract surgery clinics that Ford brought in, in violation of our medicare protection laws.

The Health Coalitions are calling on the federal government to:

• Tell Alberta’s Danielle Smith government that its health care privatization scheme contravenes the Canada Health Act and they will face a dollar-for-dollar clawback of federal health care funding if they proceed.
• Require that Ontario stop private clinics from charging patients for medically needed care. The Canada Health Act prohibits user fees and extra-billing of patients, including direct and indirect charges. Thus, no private clinic can require payment for medically unnecessary things (such as extra lenses that do not have anything to do with cataracts) in order to get the medically needed service (such as cataract surgery). Selling queue-jumping for those who have the thousands of dollars available to pay contravenes the requirement that all Canadians have access to health care based on medical need not wealth.
• Ensure that the carve-out of public health care in Canada under trade agreements will protect the rest of the country if Alberta contravenes the Act. Right now, we all risk losing public health care to U.S.for-profit insurance corporations if Alberta persists.

For more information: Jim Stewart +1‑519‑588‑5841 or waterlooregionhealthcoalition@gmail.com

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(Image is of Freya and Skadi, both sitting on the landing of the stairs in the new house, looking up expectantly at me as I head down to feed them)

Apologies for missing last month’s update. I got slammed with what felt like everything all at once—including selling our old house. In theory, once the offer is accepted, that’s supposed to be straightforward and it mostly was. I just ended up having to gently explain how some pieces of the documents we provided worked (the advantage of having been an accountant and worked in the condo business!)

I did manage to get the French translations moving and out into the wild. Unfortunately, my translated-by-an-actual-person books appear to have arrived alongside Amazon rolling out a native AI translate in KDP, so Vivian Faure’s excellent work is being lost amongst what I fear is a deluge of slop.

So, uh, please tell your French-reading friends about the books!

Currently I am 75,000 words into Alien Olympus (Starship’s Mage 19 / Mars Unconquered 1) and have realized that I’m only about halfway through the outline. I have written 150,000 word novels before, but I know that they suffer for it. Plus, I have two weeks to finish the book and I’d rather not write 70,000 words in two weeks!

The outline for Alien Olympus is getting split into two books. Thankfully, there is a reasonable break point I can expand to be a novel ender, clearly leading into book 20, tentatively entitled Project Acropolis.

(This probably means that Starship’s Mage is going to wrap up at least a book later than I had planned. If Mars Unconquered runs five books, then… I think that will bring us to book 23?!)

Overall, the release schedule as fixed for this year is:

March 26 – Broken Prince (House Adamant 5)

April 16 – Le Serment du Chasseur (Sang du Changelin 2)

May 21 – Spirit Blade (Spirit Knight 1 – this is the new urban fantasy)

June 18 – l’Honneur du Noble (Sang du Changelin 3)

July 23 – Alien Olympus (Starship’s Mage 19 / Mars Unconquered 1)

September – Flesh and Steel (working title) Saints of the Void 2

November – Wild Star (working title) (House Adamant 6)

My next project up is the third Aether Spheres book, so once I finish Alien Olympus I’m going to be spending a day or two just reading and refreshing myself on that trilogy. Hopefully, everything will be in place for the last Kickstarter this fall.

The goal keeps being to calm my life down so I can both write the books and have space to breathe, but there always seems to be something!

Keep an eye on this space for Broken Prince ARCs in the next week or so.

Happy reading everyone!

-Glynn Stewart

The post State of the Author, March 2026 appeared first on Glynn Stewart.