The post Easter Island Boulder Night appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.

When: Sunday May 3rd, 11:00 – 11:45 am & 2:00 – 2:45 pm

Meeting Point: 7 Floral Crescent, Kitchener ON N2G 4N9

Walk Leader: Maryanne Weiler-Former Head Gardener and Board Member

Since 1933, the Kitchener Horticultural Society (GardenKitchener) has created, cared for, and continually shaped Rockway Botanical Garden through the dedication of its staff and volunteers.

Join us for a guided walk through this historic garden. We’ll explore original landmarks that have been part of Rockway since its earliest days, along with the beautiful plantings and features added by GardenKitchener and the community over the decades.

♦

More Than A Member is a year-long initiative introduced in March 2026 by the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce. Twice a month, a brief video is shared across all Chamber marketing channels that feature authentic testimonials from Chamber members—spotlighting why they remain engaged with the Chamber, and how GKWCC supports their success.

Being More Than a Member isn’t about the size of your business or how long you’ve been part of the Chamber. It’s about the ways you connect, contribute, and grow through our community.

You’re More Than a Member if you do any of the following, but are not limited to:♦

• Build relationships through networking and collaborations

• Share your expertise or volunteer to strengthen the business community

• Support or participate in Chamber events and initiatives

• Advocate for local business, pay for Chamber advertising/sponsorships, and much more!

If you’re a Chamber member, this is a great way to:

• Share your story with an ever-growing community

• Highlight your business in a professional, polished video — at no cost to you

• Strengthen your visibility across the Chamber’s social media channels (including cross-promotion)

• Show the impact of Chamber membership in a real and relatable way

• Be part of a campaign that inspires others and helps grow our local business community

Absolutely. Any Chamber member can be a part of this campaign.♦

Each participant will receive their very own Chamber Ambassador logo to showcase your involvement. You can add it to your social media bio, event attendee card, website, and even your email signature. It is simple way to show your pride in being part of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo business community.

Want to be featured?
Are you a Chamber member with a story to share? We’d love to hear from you! Send us your pitch for why you should be featured in the campaign.

[contact-form-7]

The post More Than A Member appeared first on Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.

Engineering Beyond Code | Part 1

Because “figure it out” is harder than it sounds

There is a moment in every engineer’s early career that feels quietly unsettling.

You’re given a task. The task does not have a proper explanation. Not a well-defined spec. Just a sentence or two.

A senior comes to you and says, “Can you take a look at this?”
“We need to improve this flow.”
“Something’s off here—fix it.”

You nod, assuming it would have more information lying in some JIRA or ticket somewhere. And then you sit down… and realize you don’t.

You do not find a clear starting point or an obvious definition of “done.”
Just a vague expectation—and a growing discomfort that everyone else seems to understand something you don’t.

This is where many new engineers start to feel lost. This feeling comes not because they lack ability, but because no one really teaches you how to work with ambiguity.

In school or early training, problems are clean.
Inputs are defined. Outputs are expected.

In real systems, problems are rarely like that.

And the engineers who grow fastest are the ones who know how to approach the unknown without panicking.

The first instinct is to start coding.

Resist that.

When a task is unclear, your job is to understand what problem actually exists.

Ask yourself quietly:

• What is the system involved?
• What part of it is being questioned?
• Is this a bug, an improvement, or an investigation?

Even writing a single line like this can help:

“This task seems to be about improving X because Y is not working as expected.”

It may be wrong. That’s fine. Clarity starts with a rough draft.

Unknown feels heavy because it’s large and undefined.

So reduce it.

Break the task into smaller questions:

• What do I already know?
• What is completely unclear?
• What assumptions am I making?

For example:

• “I know this API is slow.”
• “I don’t know where the latency comes from.”
• “I assume it’s database-related.”

Now the problem becomes “verify where latency is coming from.”

The first stone to turn becomes clearer as we hit the right breakup.

There’s a delicate balance here.

If you ask too early, you may seem dependent.
If you wait too long, you risk being seen as laid-back.

A simple rule:

Spend some time exploring, but don’t suffer in silence.

Read code. Run the system. Look at logs.
Even if you understand only 30%, that’s enough to form better questions.

Because the difference between these two is huge:

• “I don’t understand this task.”
• “I traced the flow until X, but I’m unsure how Y connects to it.”

ON your thinking button.

Once you explore a bit, try to frame possibilities.

Not solutions — just directions.

Something like:

• “We could optimize the query.”
• “We could cache the response.”
• “We could reduce payload size.”

You don’t need to be right.
You just need to show that you’re engaging with the problem.

Ambiguity becomes easier when it turns into choices instead of confusion.

One quiet mistake many engineers make:

They work for hours trying to “figure it out” alone…
Only to realize later they were solving the wrong problem.

Instead, check alignment early.

A short message like:

“Here’s how I’m understanding the task and possible approaches — does this direction make sense?”

This does two things:

• Prevents wasted effort
• Signals maturity in handling unclear work

And more importantly, it reduces that internal anxiety of “What if I’m completely off?”

Being patient with the unknown acts as a stepping stone to solving bigger problems, and fast and accurate problem solvers are always in demand. Each learning enables us to solve an unknown problem with ease and confidence. The real confidence lies in making it habitual to dig into the uncertainties effortlessly.

Engineering Beyond Code | Part 1 was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Happy April Fool’s Day, to everyone who gets deceived with data!!

Welcome back to the blog! For those who are new here, I’m Ms. DataByte: your friendly neighborhood IT pro who spends way too much time decoding Python scripts and drinking way too much coffee. I started this blog because I believe data shouldn’t be a mystery; it should be a conversation.

The idea for today’s post actually hit me while I was staring at my Samsung S25 Ultra. I realized that we’ve all become digital detectives, convinced that every time we see a “creepy” ad, it’s because Mark Zuckerberg is secretly eavesdropping on our 2 AM rants about how can the Balenciaga Yellow plastic bag be so costly? Especially when it looks like an ordinary trash bag.

It’s the ultimate modern mystery: “Is my phone listening to me?”

Lately, this “the algorithm is a spy” theory has basically become the background noise of our lives. It’s how we explain our shopping habits and our weirdly specific Instagram feeds. But as someone who lives in SQL and JSON files, I decided to have a little fun this April Fool’s. I stopped guessing, pulled my own data logs, and went on a treasure hunt for the “wiretap.”

Spoiler alert: The truth isn’t a hidden microphone. It’s actually something way more clever, a little bit “math-heavy,” and honestly? Pretty fascinating.

Okay, pop quiz time! How many of you, just this morning, were scrolling through Instagram and saw an ad for something so specific you almost threw your phone?

You didn’t type it in. You barely thought about it. But there it was: that perfect calming sunscreen or a pair of noise-canceling headphones you had just mentioned your roommate.

This is the exact moment the “They are definitely listening” paranoia starts to itch. Because, really, how do they seem to know your deepest product desires? Well, grab your coffee, my friends, because that’s exactly what I wanted to find out.

Let’s look at the actual distribution of “Categories of Ads I See.”

Now, looking at my own data, you can see Makeup, Clothes, and Coding Courses are dominating my feed. This isn’t random; it’s a carefully crafted mathematical mirror of exactly who the algorithm thinks I am. The reason it feels like a wiretap is that the system has analyzed hundreds of tiny, nearly invisible digital clues I’ve left behind. And some mystery passions have been calculated to keep me engaged and on my toes.

What is fascinating is that they know when and where to find you in the lost city of the Internet!

Take a look at my Traffic by Device patterns. My Desktop traffic peaks during the day; that’s when I’m most productive and at work. But notice how the Mobile traffic stays steady and then starts to take over as the sun goes down? The algorithm knows exactly when I’ve closed my laptop and switched to my phone for some “mindless” scrolling.

By tracking these Hourly and Daily Traffic habits, the system learns my routine. It knows that Monday is my peak “Desktop research” day and Saturday is my “Mobile exploration” day. It’s essentially passing a digital baton from one device to the other, ensuring that the ad you ignored on your big screen at 2 PM is exactly what you see on your small screen at 10 PM. So it’s not just listening… it’s just following you from the office to the bedroom.

So, if there’s no secret microphone recording our coffee-time gossip, how on earth did Instagram know I was looking for a new treadmill before I even told my flatmate?

It’s not magic, and it’s definitely not a spy movie plot. It’s what I like to call the “Creepiness Funnel.” Think of it as a digital breadcrumb trail that we leave behind every time we pick up our phones.

I searched ‘treadmill once’ and got treated like I’m training for the Olympics.

Take a look at my own Purchase Intent Funnel. The algorithm isn’t eavesdropping; it’s just really, really good at connecting the dots. It tracked 150 of my “just curious” searches for home gym gear and 95 clicks on budget-friendly treadmills. By the time I saw that “perfect” ad on Instagram, the math already showed a 68% conversion probability. It didn’t need to hear me panting on a run; it just saw my search history and did the math!

Ever notice how you’ll be sitting with your friends discussing skincare, and suddenly you’re all seeing the exact same ad for that Beauty of Joseon Rice + Probiotics sunscreen? You probably think, “Okay, now the phone is definitely listening to our skincare routine.” But here’s the fun part: Your privacy isn’t just about you. It’s a team sport! The Social Life Cycle chart shows how an “Event Intensity” spiked, the moment a friend started sharing hauls of Korean serums on WhatsApp group.

Because we hang out in the same spots in Pune and interact in the same digital circles, the algorithm basically goes, “Hey, if My bestie is obsessed with cooking recipes, there’s a 99% chance she loves that too!” It’s not a wiretap; it’s just a Social Graph.

Now, here’s the part where we pull back the curtain on the “they don’t sell my name” myth. Corporate giants love to say they “protect your privacy” because they don’t give out your name to anyone.

Newsflash: They don’t need your name, they have your Metadata.

While I was working on my laptop, I noticed something fascinating. If I hover over a video for a “Sandwich Recipe” for just 1.2 seconds, not even clicking, just pausing my “Scroll Velocity” … the system registers a tiny spark of interest. Ten minutes later, that exact same recipe is the second ad I see on my phone. They aren’t listening to your words; they are measuring your curiosity in milliseconds!

Apparently, My HP laptop and my Samsung phone are in a better relationship than I am.

We all like to think we’re the captains of our own digital ships, but my Emotional Mood by Time of Day chart is a total reality check. My mood usually peaks at 9 AM with that “Okay, productive morning!” energy, but it takes a serious nose-dive by 3 AM into “Overthinking at 3 AM” territory.

The tech giants have mapped this perfectly. They don’t just see a user; they see a cycle. They know my battery percentage is at 8%, I’m in a “hostel coffee and group talks” vibe, and I’m “scrolling to escape.” They don’t need to hear me say I’m stressed to know that’s the exact moment I’ll click on a “Stress-Relief Skincare” ad or a “Late Night Momo Delivery” coupon. They aren’t listening to your voice; they are watching your heartbeat through your data patterns.

The data shows I’m not just one person named Ms.DataByte ; I’m actually a collection of K-Means Clusters. Depending on the hour and my activity, the algorithm treats me as a totally different personality. Check out my mood clusters below:

• Cluster 1 (Ambitious Tech Girl): This is me at 10 AM: high energy, corporate ready, and celebrating my SQL queries!
• Cluster 2 (Aesthetic Explorer): This is “Café Ms.DataByte,” dreaming of sunsets and searching for the best bachelorette life and food.
• Cluster 3 (Exhausted Engineer): With all the office work, and the noisy neighbour, all this girl needs is some good food, good TV and good sleep.
• Cluster 4 (Late-Night Overthinker): Ah, the 2 AM “scrolling to escape” mode where I’m deep into random memes and “why am I not asleep” thoughts.

The algorithm knows that when I’m in “Cluster 4” mode, my resistance to buying that viral Beauty of Joseon serum is at an all-time low. It waits for my mood to shift before it strikes with the perfect “Add to Cart” suggestion!

But hey, we are humans… We are not just one person. Its more like 4–5 marketing personas fighting for control.

The truth is actually much more impressive (and a little bit cooler) than a secret microphone. A microphone can be muted, but a statistical model based on five years of your digital breadcrumbs? That’s a masterpiece of engineering.

They don’t eavesdrop on your conversations because, thanks to the data we happily provide, they’ve already simulated how our brains work! They aren’t “stealing” your thoughts; they’re just really good at the math of you.

So, Happy April Fool’s Day! The real joke is on all of us for thinking we’re still unpredictable mysteries. But hey, at least the algorithm knows exactly which sunscreen will give us that glow, right?

Stay curious, stay savvy, and don’t forget to clear your cache today (it won’t stop the math, but it’ll make your browser feel brand new!).

— Ms. DataByte

Stop Saying Your Phone is Listening to You. was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In today’s real estate market, we are seeing a noticeable shift in how offers are structured—particularly across Waterloo Region, including Waterloo, Wellesley, Elmira, St. Jacobs, Conestogo, Baden, and New Hamburg.

One condition that is becoming increasingly common is the condition on the sale of the buyer’s property.

For sellers, this can create both opportunity and risk. While these offers can sometimes come with strong pricing, they also introduce a level of uncertainty that needs to be carefully evaluated.

If you are considering selling—or currently reviewing offers—understanding how this condition works is essential.

• This condition is becoming more common in today’s balanced Waterloo Region market
• Your sale depends on the buyer successfully selling their own property
• This introduces risk, timing uncertainty, and potential deal collapse
• Escape clauses provide flexibility, but are not guaranteed protection
• The first buyer has the right of first refusal—but can still be bumped if they do not waive
• Proper evaluation of the buyer’s property and pricing is critical
• Strategy—not just price—determines whether this type of offer makes sense

A condition on the sale of the buyer’s property means: The buyer’s purchase of your home is conditional upon them successfully selling their current home within a specified period of time.

Until that happens, your agreement is not firm.

If the buyer does not sell their home within the agreed timeline—or does not waive the condition—the agreement can become null and void and the buyer’s deposit is returned.

In a strong seller’s market, this condition is relatively rare. However, in today’s more balanced and price-sensitive market, we are seeing it more frequently.

Several factors are contributing to this shift:

• Buyers are more cautious with their financial exposure
• Lending conditions are tighter than in previous years
• Many buyers require proceeds from their current home to complete a purchase
• Homes are taking longer to sell compared to peak market conditions

As a result, buyers are structuring offers in a way that reduces their risk—which often includes this condition.

When you accept an offer with this condition, you are effectively agreeing to wait for another property to sell before your own transaction can proceed.

This means:

• Your home is tied up during the conditional period
• You are accepting uncertainty in your own sale
• You may miss other opportunities while waiting

Even if the buyer is well-qualified, your sale is now dependent on a completely separate transaction—one you have no control over.

1. Lack of Certainty:

Your sale is not guaranteed. If the buyer’s home does not sell, the deal can fall apart.

2. Lost Momentum

Once your home is conditionally sold:

• Showings often slow down
• Buyer urgency can decrease
• Your listing may appear tied up in the market

3. Deal Collapse and Re-listing Risk

If the condition is not fulfilled, you may need to return to market, rebuild momentum, and potentially adjust your pricing or strategy.

While there are risks, there are situations where accepting this condition may be reasonable.

For example:

• The offer price is strong relative to market value
• The buyer’s home is already listed and appears well-positioned
• The property they need to sell is in a high-demand area
• The condition timeline is short
• There is limited competing activity on your home

To help protect sellers, offers with this condition often include an escape clause.

An escape clause allows the seller to continue marketing the property and accept another offer while the first buyer’s condition is still in place.

If a second offer is received, the first buyer is given a set period of time—typically 24 to 48 hours—to remove their condition.

1. You accept an offer with a condition on the buyer’s sale
2. The property remains conditionally sold but may still be shown
3. A second buyer submits a competing offer
4. You notify the first buyer
5. The first buyer must either:
   • Remove their condition and proceed firm, or
   • Decline or fail to waive within the timeframe

If the first buyer does not remove their condition within the specified period, the seller is then free to move forward with the second offer.

Even if a second, stronger offer is received, the first buyer maintains the right of first refusal during the escape clause period.
This means the initial buyer has the opportunity to remove their condition and secure the property before the seller can proceed with the new offer.

Yes—but only if the first buyer does not remove their condition within the required timeframe.

If the first buyer is unable or unwilling to waive their condition, the seller can proceed with the second offer and effectively move forward with the new buyer.

In practice:

• The first buyer has priority—but not guaranteed control
• The second offer creates pressure on the first buyer to perform
• The seller may ultimately end up with the second buyer if the first cannot proceed

While escape clauses provide flexibility, many buyers who include this condition are not in a position to remove it when challenged.
As a result, it is common for the first deal to collapse when a competing offer is introduced.

This is where experience and strategy matter most.

1. Strength of the Buyer’s Property

• Is it listed?
• Is it priced correctly?
• How long has it been on the market?
• Is it likely to sell within the condition timeframe?

This step is critical. Your listing agent should review the buyer’s property in detail and complete their own market analysis to determine whether it is positioned correctly for today’s market.

If the property is overpriced or poorly positioned, the likelihood of your deal collapsing increases significantly. In many cases, this level of due diligence is what separates a smooth transaction from one that ultimately falls apart.

2. Length of the Condition

Shorter timelines reduce risk and help maintain momentum.

3. Offer Price vs. Risk

Is the price strong enough to justify the added uncertainty?

4. Current Market Conditions

In today’s Waterloo Region market—including Waterloo, Wellesley, Elmira, St. Jacobs, Conestogo, Baden, and New Hamburg—these types of offers are becoming more common, but still require careful evaluation.

The decision is not simply whether to accept or reject this condition—it is about how the offer is structured.

A strong strategy may include:

• Tight timelines on the condition
• Inclusion of an escape clause
• Continued marketing of the property
• Clear communication with cooperating agents
• Ongoing pressure on the buyer’s timeline

The goal is to protect your position while keeping your options open.

A condition on the sale of the buyer’s property is one of the most important—and most misunderstood—offer conditions in today’s market.

As we continue to see this condition appear more frequently across Waterloo Region, sellers need to approach it with a clear understanding of:

• The risks involved
• The opportunities it may present
• The strategy required to manage it properly

With the right approach, it can still lead to a successful sale—but it should never be accepted without careful evaluation.

If you are considering selling in Waterloo, Wellesley, Elmira, St. Jacobs, Conestogo, Baden, or New Hamburg, we can help you navigate today’s market with a clear, strategic approach.

At The Deutschmann Team, we help sellers:

• Evaluate offers beyond just price
• Understand real risk versus reward
• Navigate complex conditions
• Structure deals to protect their outcome

The post Condition on Sale of Buyer’s Property: What Sellers Need to Know in Today’s Waterloo Region Market appeared first on Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Agent - The Deutschmann Team.

This letter to the editor (Woolwich Observer) was published over three years ago. As usual exactly zero response or comment from various guilty stakeholders in and around Elmira, Ontario. In one sense that is a good thing. The title put on my Letter To The Editor is "Uniroyal problems persist, but so too does inaction". I view the lack of response, whether verbal or legal, as both an admission as well as  a belated understanding that poorly crafted, weak denials can be worse than admissions sometimes.

My letter to the editor is a broad indictment of the system currently allowing polluters to run their own cleanups with little more than superficial oversight by the Ontario Ministry of Environment (MOE).  Afterall it was the Ministry's shoddy oversight in the first place that got us all into the Elmira Water Crisis and so many more around the province.  Yes certainly the Ministry have been underfunded and understaffed. That has always been an intentional situation by each and every provincial government for many decades ever since Bill Davis first announced the beginnings of that new Ministry. It was simply virtue signaling to the electorate that their government would include environmental preservation among their other poorly managed ministries such as labour and transportation. Make no mistake Mr. Davis most likely had to calm corporate fears of any serious attempt by the government to reverse many decades of corporate and industrial environmental abuse and damage .  

This is the trick of governance. You must appeal to the masses publicly and tell them what they want to hear while at the same time quietly assuring the much, much smaller but powerful elite and wealthy that you will not change the status quo which they love so much. 

My letter focuses on technical reports produced by client driven consultants on behalf of the polluter (Uniroyal/Lanxess).  It also focuses on the Sept. 1, 2022  MOE report titled " Sediment and forage fish monitoring results from September 2020 in Canagagigue Creek".  Finally I focus on the long denied but blatantly obvious conflicts of interest in the entire remediation system here in Elmira. 

♦

♦Happy Birthday to The Hangout!

The Hangout turns 1 year old on April 1! This past year, the space has been busy, filled with connection, learning, and community. It’s become a familiar stop for people in the community who drop in for coffee and conversation, just as intended when the space reopened. From casual visits to shared moments playing games, The Hangout has grown into exactly what it was envisioned to be: a welcoming place where community happens.

Now on Mondays from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM you can drop by The Hangout and play board games, colour or use the gaming table. The café will not be opened for snacks or drinks on Mondays but you can bring your own if you like!

To help celebrate this one‑year milestone, Darien is baking something special this Thursday. She’ll be selling Strawberry Thumbprint cookies, made with jam from Our Farm, a perfect example of how local partnerships and meaningful work come together at The Hangout. Come help us celebrate on Thursday, April 2 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at The Hangout!

Click here for more info

♦♦ ♦

♦Family Sunday – Seed Starting and Spring Sprouts
Sunday, April 12
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
FREE
KW Art Gallery – 101 Queen St. N, Kitchener

Guided by talented Art Instructors, celebrate the arrival of spring by planting seeds that will grow right along with you! Fill a tiny pot with soil, tuck in your seeds, and decorate a special home for your new plant friend. Learn how to care for your sprout, and watch it grow into something beautiful!

Click here for more info

♦Elmira Maple Syrup Festival
Saturday, April 11
7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
FREE Admission
Elmira Town Centre

Make the trip out to Elmira this weekend for the sweetest festival around! Enjoy Live Music, and Maple Taffy demonstrations at Gore Park. Check out the Crafts and Collectibles Show at Elmira District Secondary School. Adventure into the Sugar Bush for a tour costing only $6 per adult. Browse the many mall vendors that will line Arthur St. in downtown or check out the Pancake Flipping Contest at Woolwich Memorial Centre. Don’t forget to visit Lions Hall and fill up on pancakes, sausages and lots and lots of Maple Syrup!

Click here for a the Event Map

Click here for the Event Schedule

♦

Tutti 2026: All Together Now
Sunday, April 12
2:00 PM
FREE
Knox Waterloo – 50 Erb St. W, Waterloo

The Canadian Music Therapy Fund is excited to welcome audience members of all ages and abilities to their second accessible concert, presented in partnership with Knox Presbyterian Church. After the performance, stay for a relaxed instrument meet-and-greet. Get up close, ask questions, and hear the instruments in action! Knox is fully accessible, with parking available on-site or just across the street at the Waterloo Public Library.

Click here for more info

♦

♦Pride in the Park (Summerfest 2026) is coming up on Saturday June 6th. For 30 years, tri-Pride has been an entirely volunteer-imagined and volunteer-mobilized Pride organization serving the tri-cities of Kitchener, Waterloo & Cambridge. The festival always has a fantastic show of performers, fun activities and tons vendors to check out.

Volunteers bring the day to life from set-up, parking, Smart Serve certified bartending, safety & care provision, facilitating programming, supporting entertainers and then, of course, take-down. Want to join the team of volunteer rockstars? Fill out the volunteer registration form and the tri-Pride Director of Volunteers will be in touch with you as opportunities for roles and festival needs become clear.

Click here for more info

Click here to register

The post April 1, 2026: What’s Happening in Your Neighbourhood? appeared first on KW Habilitation.

The best of what we published — and what you might have missed

Here are the best stories from Code Like a Girl this month — selected from everything we’ve published on Medium and Substack.

We use each platform differently.

Medium is where we publish more widely.

Substack is where we concentrate our strongest work — three stories a week, thoughtfully chosen and actively amplified.

Most of our Substack stories come from writers who don’t publish on Medium, so there’s very little overlap between the two.

If you’re only reading us here, you’re missing part of it.

You can find us on Substack here: substack.com/@codelikeagirl

AI agents are different from standard AI tools because they don’t just respond; they set goals, reason through steps, use live tools, and act autonomously on your behalf.
Ileana breaks down how they actually work and what designing for them requires: less about screens and flows, more about managing risk, building trust, and keeping humans in control before irreversible actions happen.

AI deepfake porn went from a Reddit experiment in 2017 to 85,000+ detected videos by 2023, 99% featuring women who never consented, and the legal framework still hasn’t caught up, leaving schools, parents, and victims with almost no recourse.
Meanwhile, OpenAI announced plans to add erotica to ChatGPT while a California family was actively suing them over a teenager’s suicide. Proof that the industry is monetizing the problem rather than solving it.

Anna ran real performance reviews through AI sentiment analysis and found a measurable gap between the score a manager gave and the language they used — proof that vague, hedging language quietly encodes bias and costs women raises.
The fix: build a portfolio of concrete outcomes that forces the conversation onto evidence instead of adjectives.

Technical debt isn’t bad code — it’s yesterday’s shortcuts that you’re paying interest on today. Using the vivid metaphor of renovating an apartment only to find decades of disconnected pipes behind the walls, the author shows how debt doesn’t hurt until you try to change something, and why the only real fix isn’t nuking the system but writing tests so you’re not afraid of what’s in the walls.

Concurrency, parallelism, and async aren’t interchangeable — they solve different problems. Concurrency is about structure (tasks taking turns on one core), parallelism is about execution (tasks running simultaneously on multiple cores), and async is a technique for keeping a single thread productive while waiting on I/O. Most real systems use all three, and knowing which tool belongs where is the difference between a system that scales and one that collapses under load.

Disagreeing well isn’t about being right — it’s about staying curious. Listen before you speak, avoid emotionally charged language, and use questions to guide rather than conclusions to impose. The goal isn’t to change someone’s mind, it’s to influence their thinking — and sometimes the most effective move is knowing when the disagreement isn’t worth your energy at all.

The Best of Code Like a Girl: March 2026 was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

This lot includes the first 6 DVDs; 2 blank journals (the red journal is missing 3 sheets/6pages); enough Harry Potter Trading Cards 2001 by Wizards of the Coast for 4 players (missing player mat and instructions); a brand new game of Trivial Pursuit; a brand new Wizards Chess set; a copy of the short book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (the spin off movies are based on this small book), a heavy and well detailed relief of the Hufflepuff crest (not a 3D print, this is high quality resin); a pack of vinyl stickers (some stickers missing); several assorted pendants, charms, and enamel pins; a Nobel Collection plush Niffler with tags still attached. Asking $562CAD for entire lot. Will not sell any individual items alone, must be purchased at asking price for entire lot. Listing is live March 31st 2026, posted on the Trans Day of Visibility. I will no longer sell Harry Potter items following April 30th. If this lot doesn’t sell by midnight of that day, I will delight in destroying these items. But maybe there’s something here you want and you want to save it from its grizzly fate.
Proceeds will go to my favorite 2SLGBTQ+ charity: Our Spectrum.
Shipping costs are not included, shipping can be arranged at the buyer’s expense.
P.S. Do not watch the new Harry Potter HBO series. Do not give a dime to the author.
You can find this listing by clicking here.

Book 5 of the House Adamant Series, Broken Prince, is now live on Amazon!

♦

The civil war is over. Benjamin Adamant is dead. But the consequences of his actions and choices continue to echo through the Kingdom of Adamant and the surrounding stars—as do those of the actions Lorraine and Nikola Adamant took to stop him.

The war is over. But duty remains.

Get it now:

Ebook

Paperback

Audiobook

Happy reading,

Glynn Stewart

The post Broken Prince out now! appeared first on Glynn Stewart.

In this issue:

• • Reimagining 115 University Avenue as a Community Place for Everyone
  • KW Kinsmen: A Legacy of Community
  • An update on our new build at 878 Frederick Street
  • An Accessible Cancer Screening Event
  • A trip to Cuba
  • an Update from Our Farm

and more!

The post Spring 2026 Newsletter! appeared first on KW Habilitation.

Imagine you’re the only guest at a restaurant. The waiter comes by and you order every item on the menu. Sounds cruel, I know! They go to the kitchen and break the terrible news and the chefs are in a frenzy — tackling multiple dishes at the same time.

Now imagine 10 more guests walk in and start ordering. Like you, they too want to try the entire menu. The chefs are increasingly tired, over-burdened and overwhelmed.

The host walks onto the floor informs the new comers that they will not be taking any more orders for a fixed amount of time or until the backlog of orders is reduced — that is rate limiting.

Rate limiting is controlling the number of requests in order to keep the system from getting overwhelmed/over-burdened.

Thanks to us software engineers who are working round the clock to put everything on the internet, restaurants have online ordering services to tackle as well.

Imagine you’re in charge of handling online orders for your restaurant. Everything’s going smoothly until suddenly, you start seeing a flood of orders — 1,2,3…10….20…orders in the next 5 minutes. You start panicking, until you realize that all the orders are from the same person. This person is placing orders, cancelling them and placing the orders again — disrupting your work. You decide to allow only 1 order every hour from that user until the rush hour is over. This is exactly how IP based rate limiting works.

IP Based Rate Limiting is imposing a limit on the number of requests accepted per IP address for a fixed amount of time.

FYI : An IP address, or Internet Protocol address, is a unique string of numbers assigned to each device connected to the internet, allowing them to communicate and recognize each other.

Let us go back into the kitchen, where a number of chefs are working hard to provide the guests with quality, delicious food. One chef, who’s in charge of a popular dish(whatever’s your favorite) there, is having a bad day — almost every table has ordered at least one serving of the dish. Even though they are sending out 1 plate per minute, there are still too many orders in the backlog. Tired and in desperate need of a break, they inform the head waiter to stop taking orders for that dish, thereby reducing their work load.

In this scenario, the chef is the server. The orders are requests. In server based rate limiting, it doesn’t matter if the client has only made 1 request in the past hour, if the server is busy, the client has to wait.

In Server based rate limiting, the number of requests processed by a particular server for a fixed period of time is controlled.

A restaurant in Georgia also has a branch in Texas. A user ordered food online from their Georgia branch, to be delivered in Texas by mistake. To avoid such a situation from arising again, the manager modified their online ordering service to not accept orders outside a 50 mile radius of the restaurant. This is a classic case of Geography Based Rate Limiting.

Another variation would be to restrict orders to Georgia zip codes — and if you live in Texas and really want to order from Georgia(Why though?), you could still use a VPN to get around the geographical restrictions, but you’re definitely not getting that food hot. Or at all.

Geography based rate limiting is restricting/rejecting requests from a geographical location of IP address. This can also be used to prevent malicious attacks originating from certain areas.

Just like a well-run restaurant needs house rules to keep the kitchen sane and the guests happy, every system on the internet needs guardrails to stay reliable. Rate limiting is one of those guardrails. I’ve kept the tone light so far on purpose, but the real-life consequences exceed far beyond a “tired and overwhelmed staff”.

System outages followed by the cost of restoring them, breach or leakage of sensitive data are some of the truly disastrous consequences of a poorly designed system.

Rate Limiters are not a new concept. There are tons of deep-dive articles out there about them. This is how I learnt to associate technical concepts with my day-to-day experiences to make them stick.

I will be exploring rate limiting algorithms and Rate Limiter placement in systems in an upcoming article. I will post the link here as soon as it becomes available.

Your Favorite Restaurant Runs on Rate Limiting — And So Does the Internet was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

What happens when your whole identity is built around not needing help.

My computer wallpaper has said the same thing for over a year now.

A girl standing alone on a mountain peak. Stars exploding across the sky behind her. And right there, in big white letters: “I’m the best, I can do this alone..”

I chose it on purpose. It felt like me.

Turns out, I only understood half of what it meant.

Let me give you some context.

I did my bachelor’s(bachelor of technology) in Electronics and Communication Engineering. Worked for 6 years. Then I did my Master’s in Business Analytics, majoring in Data Science. Now I’m working again as an AI/ML Engineer.

Three very different worlds, one common thread every single one of them rewards people who can figure things out on their own. Debug the signal. Find the pattern in the data. Tune the model until it works.

I got really good at that. And then I started applying it to everything, including situations where it was completely the wrong approach.

Struggling at work? Figure it out alone. Something hard happening personally? Process it alone. Feeling stuck? Push harder, alone.

I thought that was what being capable looked like.

From the outside, maybe it did.

On the inside, I was running on empty and calling it discipline.

Something I’ve noticed after moving from ECE to analytics to AI.

The further you go in tech, the more the work depends on systems talking to each other. In communications engineering, a signal doesn’t just travel alone. It gets processed, handed off, amplified, corrected. The whole point is how well the parts connect.

In data science, no single model solves everything. You build pipelines. You layer components. You combine outputs from multiple sources to get something that actually works.

In machine learning, even the models themselves learn by taking feedback. That’s literally what training is. The model makes a prediction, gets corrected, adjusts, tries again.

I was surrounded by systems built on feedback loops and collaboration. And I was over here refusing to ask anyone for anything.

The irony is not lost on me.

A few months ago, things got hard in a way my usual approach couldn’t fix.

A project that went sideways. A personal situation that hit at the exact wrong time. I sat at my desk, stared at that wallpaper, at that girl on the mountain, and those words felt completely different.

“I can do this alone” stopped sounding like confidence. It started sounding like fear.

I genuinely wasn’t sure I could.

So I stopped and asked myself something I’d been avoiding: what does “alone” even mean here? Does it mean I never need input? Does it mean I can’t feel lost without it being a failure?

Because if that was the definition, I’d been failing quietly for a long time.

When I slowed down, I realized I’d been misreading my own wallpaper.

“I’m the best” was never about being better than someone else. It’s about knowing what I bring. The way I think across domains, the way I connect technical depth with business context, the way I can sit with a messy problem and not panic.

That’s real. That’s mine. It doesn’t need comparison.

And “I can do this alone” was never about cutting people off. It’s about trusting my own judgment. Knowing that even when I don’t have all the answers, I have the capacity to find them.

That’s the foundation. Not a wall around me.

Think about how a well-designed ML system actually works. It doesn’t ignore external data. It doesn’t refuse new inputs after the first training run. It keeps learning, keeps adjusting, keeps getting better because of what it receives from outside itself.

The most capable systems are also the most open to feedback.

I needed to be more like the systems I was building.

I asked a mentor for feedback on something I’d been sitting on for weeks. Got unstuck in a day.

I talked to someone I trusted about the personal stuff I’d been carrying alone. Felt lighter almost immediately.

I stopped pretending to have all the answers in every meeting and started saying “let me think about that more” instead.

Nothing fell apart. Things actually moved faster.

I realized in data science, you never treat the first output as the final output. You iterate. You validate. You bring in another perspective when your results don’t make sense.

That’s not a sign your first attempt was bad. That’s just how good work gets built.

Life works the same way. The ask isn’t a weakness in the process. It is the process.

If you’re stuck in the same loop as I was, here’s what genuinely worked for me:

Start listening to your first instinct again. Somewhere in all the second-guessing, I stopped trusting signals I was getting early. When I started paying attention to them again, decisions got cleaner and faster.

Document your own wins. Every time something worked, I started writing it down. Not for a resume. Just for myself. To have actual evidence that I can figure things out, even hard things.

Be selective, not closed. “I can do this alone” doesn’t mean you seal yourself off. It means you’re strong enough to choose who you let in and when. That’s a completely different thing.

Normalize the messy middle. In any good data project, there’s a phase where nothing is clean and everything is uncertain. That phase is not a sign something is wrong. It’s just part of the work. Same thing in life.

I Now strongly believe People Needs People

I didn’t change it.

The girl is still on that mountain. The galaxy is still behind her. The words still say what they say.

But when I read them now, I feel something different. Not pressure to prove anything. Not that quiet fear of being seen as less than capable.

Just this steady, calm knowing I have what I need.

And sometimes what I need includes other people. A second pair of eyes. An genuine conversation. Someone who’s been where I’m trying to go.

That’s not weakness. That’s good system design.

And honestly, it took a few things breaking before I understood the difference.

Does any of this sound familiar? I’d love to hear where you’ve been with this. Drop your story in the comments. I read every single one.

Follow me here for more honest writing about AI, data, building a career across multiple fields.

About Myself(author): Electronics and Communication Engineering grad. MS in Business Analytics, Data Science. Currently working as an AI/ML Engineer. I write about the intersection of tech, career, and the things you figure out the hard way.

I Spent Two Years Proving I Didn’t Need Anyone was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In a previous “episode”, we saw together how I dealt with identifying all those “enemies” hiding in a single column… and the shock I went through when I saw the reality (I hope you’re all alright, data fellows 😅). So, if you’ve ever opened a column expecting clean dates and found a mix of formats… You know the feeling.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, you can check out the full story here — but I’ll warn you, you’re entering at your own risk 🙈

The migration exercise knocked on our door sooner than I expected. The business came up with 3 approaches (each one a bit crazier than the previous):

1. Ask the other team to change the column data type to TEXT/STRING, and just send the dates as they are (big NO, NO from my side 🤯)

2. Ask the front-office colleagues to manually correct all the data

3. Or… try to standardize everything on our end using SQL

— At this point, what would you do: fix it manually or automate it? —

Hold that thought, and let’s weigh the pros and cons of each approach first.

At first glance, this sounded like the dream solution:

• The workload is pushed to another team, and just like that… problem solved

Well… theoretically.

Why this works: It’s simple, low effort on your side.
Why it fails: You’re basically ignoring the real problem, and consistency becomes a nightmare later.

2. Manually correct all the data

Sounds tempting, right?

• “They caused the mess, so they should fix it!”

Why this works: Let them deal with the chaos — problem solved (again, theoretically).
Why it fails: Brace yourself for delays. Manual corrections can slow down the project and mess with your team’s regular workflow, especially if customers are involved. 😅

Ah… the rebel option. 💪

• Standardize everything on your side using SQL, and take control of your data destiny.

Why this works: You keep full control, enforce consistency, and get to flex your SQL skills.
Why it fails: It’s more work upfront and requires careful planning — but trust me, it’s worth it.

So, after knowing this, what’s the approach did you pick? (feel free to write it in the comments section, i want to know what you thought of 😊)

As you already guessed, the third approach was my favorite one (it involves SQL after all 😁). And anyway, this gave me full control and a consistent result. But enough talk, and let’s see how I did it:

Step 1: Meet all the impostors

Before fixing, you need to know what you’re up against, so I did a scouting of the battlefield before the attack.

More about this step and how i did it in this 👉article 👈

This gave me a list of all the weird date “flavors” in the column — some looked like 2023-03-23, others like 23/03/2023, and some were even text like 20250216 😱.

Step 2: Align with the business

I had to show the “flavors” to the business… and I got two almost opposite reactions:

“It’s impossible for us to have this data” AND “What can we do?”

Even with some denial, the people wanted a solution. After small debates about data loss, we agreed on a single standard format: YYYY-MM-DD .

Step 3: Convert everything to a standard format

I didn’t convert the data to a new religion 😜, but I made sure it obeyed a single standard format.

I created a SQL CASE strategy to handle all the impostors, plus some rebels that didn’t match any pattern (that’s what rebels do, right? 😎):

1. Detect known formats ✅

CASE
WHEN REGEXP_LIKE(rebel_date_format, '^[0-9]{4}-[0-9]{2}-[0-9]{2}$') THEN 'YYYY-MM-DD'
WHEN REGEXP_LIKE(rebel_date_format, '^[0-9]{2}/[0-9]{2}/[0-9]{4}$') THEN 'DD/MM/YYYY'
...
ELSE 'other format'
END AS detected_format

The rebels were identified -> first fight: Won! (for more, read my previous article here 👈).

2. Isolate unknown ones ✅

SELECT id, TRIM(rebel_date_format) AS raw_date
FROM base
WHERE detected_format = 'other format'

Problematic rows? Detected -> second fight: Won!

3. Break them into components ✅

REGEXP_SUBSTR(raw_date, '[0-9]+', 1, 1) AS part1,
REGEXP_SUBSTR(raw_date, '[0-9]+', 1, 2) AS part2,
REGEXP_SUBSTR(raw_date, '[0-9]+', 1, 3) AS part3

Divide and conquer 🪖 Each part represents the day, month, and year. 3rd fight: Won!

4. Rebuild into a standard format ✅

LPAD(part1,2,'0') || '-' || LPAD(part2,2,'0') || '-' || part3

Unify your territories (pieces), and rebuild the date into a consistent DD-MM-YYYY format. 4th fight: Won!

5. Validate before converting ✅

VALIDATE_CONVERSION(agreed_format AS DATE, 'DD-MM-YYYYStep 4: Validate the results

Before running wild because we tamed all the creativity signs from the table, I ran quick checks:

VALIDATE_CONVERSION(agreed_format AS DATE, 'DD-MM-YYYY')

Step 5: Deliver the Elixir

Finally, after testing everything, I handed my “baby script” to the IT department so they could do the big 💣

Not all values could be safely converted — and that’s okay. Identifying those is part of the solution.

💡 Pro tip for beginners:

When you deal with messy dates:

1. Always inspect and categorize first.
2. Handle each format explicitly and don’t try to be clever too early.
3. Keep a fallback for “weird” cases.

And that’s the story of how I went from

“Oh no, not another date format!” 😱

TO

“Bring it on, messy data, show me what you can!” 💪

By taking control with SQL:

💡 Lesson for my fellow data warriors:

Messy data is scary… but it’s not unbeatable. Take it one format at a time, keep your sense of humor, and remember: SQL is your sword, CASE is your shield, and a good SELECT DISTINCT is your reconnaissance mission. ⚔️

So next time you encounter a column that looks like a date salad 🥗, don’t panic, because you’ve got this.

I Found 9+ Date Formats in One Column… Here’s How I Tamed Them with SQL was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Position: Member, Board of Directors
Website: www.empoweredkidsontario.ca

Empowered Kids Ontario is writing the next chapter in its almost 50-year history.

Our strategic plan is the foundation for the current and next generation of EKO members whose delivery of developmental healthcare means kids with disabilities and developmental needs and their families live their best lives.

Through advocacy and representation, thought leadership, knowledge exchange, and innovation EKO advances developmental healthcare and provides value to our growing membership of publicly supported, community-based health agencies that provide clinical care and programs to more than 200,000 kids with disabilities and developmental needs every year.

We are a founding member of the Children’s Health Coalition, a collective of Ontario’s eight leading children’s health organizations representing the province’s expertise in pediatric health care and research; together we deliver every kind of care a child could need, and we see how the elements of care work together to support kids and families no matter what challenges they are facing.

EKO is a federally incorporated registered charitable member organization.

Follow us: @EmpoweredKidsON facebook.com/ @EmpoweredKidsON  Instagram.com/empoweredkids  LinkedIn.empoweredkidsontario 

Empowered Kids Ontario is seeking dedicated leaders to join our Board of Directors. We’re on a mission to transform children’s health in Ontario by expanding access to the developmental healthcare that is foundational to lifelong health. EKO seeks to leverage the association’s remarkable assets to accelerate progress and maximize impact for our members. Our aspirations are ambitious and our board is pivotal to our goal to significantly influence the way Ontarians understand, value, and invest in developmental healthcare.

We are looking for diverse leaders with expertise in one or more of the following areas:

• Legal & Regulatory Matters
• Government & Government Relations
• Healthcare Leadership

A culture of respect and inclusivity is a cornerstone of our operations. Variety of thought and perspective is essential to achieving our goals. We actively recruit volunteers and staff who represent the diversity of living experiences of the communities our members serve. As a provincial association, EKO is interested in candidate representation across Ontario.

• Mission & Strategy: Advance EKO’s mission, and strategic direction
• Fiduciary Duty: Ensure sound financial management and legal compliance
•  Advocacy: Act as an ambassador for the association
• Term & Time Commitment:
  • Term: New directors serve a three-year term beginning in the fall and may serve one subsequent term
  • Commitment: Directors attend six board meetings per year including at least one meeting that is in-person, may serve on one committee, and consult on matters related to their area of expertise.

• Make an impact for the one in six Ontario kids and families across the province who benefit from the community-based clinical care and programs provided by EKO members that can change the trajectory of a child’s life
• Build your leadership skills and professional network
• Collaborate with a diverse group of passionate professionals
• Network with other influential leaders

With accessibility and inclusivity top of mind, we welcome your expressions of interest via your preferred format e.g., email, telephone, audio recording, or video recording. If you need assistance or have any questions, please contact Caroline Davidson at cdavidson@empoweredkidsontario.ca

Please submit your expression of interest along with a cv, to cdavidson@empoweredkidsontario.ca and include “Board application” in the subject line. Interested candidates are also asked to complete the skills matrix survey.

The deadline for applications is Friday June 12, 2026, 5 pm.

Expressions of interest and resumes will be presented to the EKO Board Nominating & Governance Committee for review. We thank all those who express an interest, however only those chosen for an interview will be contacted. The Committee will recommend a slate to the full Board for approval, and to the EKO membership at the virtual Annual Meeting in November.

The post Empowered Kids Ontario-Enfants Avenir Ontario appeared first on Capacity Canada.

The post Easter Hours appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.

The post Easter Hours appeared first on Grand River Rocks Climbing Gym.

Luisa D'Amato's Opinion column today is titled "Region reveals the purpose of pumping water from Wilmot Centre wellfields".  Well in fact I would suggest that what the Region have done is not so much revealed anything as much as their own stubbornness. At least one local citizen, Samantha Lernout, may have expressed doubts as well when she said "You don't run an experiment and not tell people". If seven years of pumping water from Wilmot to Kitchener-Waterloo is merely a test then I wonder what the last many decades of pumping groundwater from the Waterloo Moraine should be referred to .  

I would also like to see the Region offer copies of these alleged hydrogeological reports claiming lots of available water in the Wilmot Centre wellfield to both individuals and citizen groups. It is conceivable that there is plenty of water at the same time as some residents' and businesses' wells are running dry. Factors include the depth of the wells running dry as well as their proximity to regional pumping wells. A high volume pumping well does produce a large cone of influence whereby water levels within half a mile or so of these wells can be seriously lowered while the rest of the aquifer water levels remain as high as ever. Another term for the resulting cone of influence is drawdown. Again a high volume pumping well can seriously lower nearby water elevations by several metres while having minimal effect or no effect on wells one or two miles away.    

♦

Petit Bill’s Bistro is a bit quirky. And does a good job at what it does. That’s serve some French bistro fare with an overarching Newfoundland orientation — the founders are from Newfoundland and Labrador; the chef from Corner Brook, specifically.

The restaurant in Wellington West has been around for about 20 years and blends a few elegant touches — nice to have a glass of wine in a proper Riedel, if that doesn’t sound too bougy — with a certain amount of kitsch and tchotchke. I’m quite fine with that. It’s fun to look about at the decor.

The restaurant is divided into two rooms, essentially, the bar on one side, and the walls boasting what I assume are the works of local artists. There’s salt shakers and pepper mills on the tables (which have no tablecloths, at least at lunch).

The kitchen says it works towards supporting local produce as much as it can, the menu blending east coast dishes with bistro classics: that means clam strips and creamy seafood chowder are front-and-centre, the latter obviously very popular as I saw three or four bowls served. Lobster poutine is also quite a hit.

But dishes such as those you might enjoy at Montreal’s Restaurant L’Express are right there too. From a lunch menu, the duck confit and tasty beef bourguignon ($24 at lunch) with carrots, mushrooms, pearl onions and quite satisfying chunky mashed potato in a red-wine sauce (just needing a bit of salt) share space with those fish and chips and soup and a salad. Desserts include a Screech-ed Newfoundland pound cake alongside the ubiquitous crème brûlée.

Mussels/Moules to start are very plump, juicy and tender morsels with a simple but flavourful white wine broth. The “Lame Duck” confit for lunch ($27) was cooked perfectly and plated with wilted spinach and salt-vinegar smashed potatoes, which were delicious and just on the very edge of being a bit too crispy. The addition of ginger to the greens adds a pleasant piquancy while partridgeberry gastrique, made from the red berry of an evergreen native to the east coast, popped in some acidity to balance the luscious fat of the duck.

A bottle of Niagara’s Vineland Estates Winery house cab-merlot, labelled for the restaurant, is $44. With service that is casual, friendly and able to read a table, the vibe of the Petit Bill’s dining room is relaxed but with a bit of the buzz that comes from a fairly busy lunch trade, even for a Monday.

Dinner prices are aligned more with the bistro than the casual NF venue that might serve up a Jiggs Dinner: lobster risotto is $66 and classic steak frites with ribeye is $64.

Speaking of that classic Canadian/east coast boiled dinner of corned beef and cabbage, Petit Bill’s Bistro is offering such a “Newfoundland Supper” event on April 12. I’m sure it would make for an entertaining visit for peas puddin’, cod tongues and fisherman’s brewis, the salt cod dish with ship’s biscuit and often a drizzle of molasses. Down home goodness, yes b’y.

Check out my latest post Duck confit at Petit Bill’s Bistro from AndrewCoppolino.com.

For many years, 115 University Avenue served as a lively center for community participation activities. The building supported day activities, horticulture programming, group learning opportunities, and social gatherings for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its well developed garden areas and flexible indoor spaces helped foster connection, routine, and a sense of belonging for many people.

When the COVID 19 pandemic began, everything changed. Public health restrictions, the shift in program models, and the changing needs of the people we support resulted in the building being used far less frequently. Although the structure remained fully accessible, its aging layout and infrastructure no longer aligned with modern needs. As a result, the space became significantly underused. The gap between what the building could offer and what the community needed has grown wider each year.

Today, that story is shifting. KW Habilitation is reimagining 115 University Avenue and bringing new life back into a space that has always held tremendous potential. Essential upgrades like the roof and windows have already been completed, and work on a new and accessible kitchen is about to begin. These early improvements are the starting point of a much larger vision to create a flexible and welcoming community place.♦

The renovated building will support a wide range of opportunities that reflect the diverse areas of need for our community. These include senior drop in opportunities, expanded options for adults with complex needs, horticulture therapy, onsite training opportunities, and community events held in the multipurpose spaces. The renovation will not increase the size of the building, instead, it will transform how the building is used and open the door to meaningful engagement for many more people. Once finished, we believe this will create a stronger sense of connection for people, families, and the broader community.

We’re off to a strong start thanks to a generous family donation and partial funding from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, but to reopen our community space this fall, we need more financial support. Every contribution will help us finish what has begun.

As progress continues, we’ll share updates, stories, and ways to get involved. Together, we can bring this renewed vision to life and create a space where everyone feels welcome and connected.

The post Reimagining 115 University Avenue appeared first on KW Habilitation.

We are pleased to share the following update from Holly Hendershot and Christa Haanstra who have been helping us with the strategic planning process at KW Habilitation.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to take a moment to share an update on our strategic planning work.

Over the past several months, we’ve been engaging across the organization to shape the next chapter for KW Habilitation. Thanks to the time, input, and thought many of you have contributed along the way, we are now nearing the final stages of the plan.

In March, more than 25 staff came together in a workshop to help build our five-year objectives, a meaningful milestone in this process and a reflection of our commitment to shaping this plan together.

We have also refreshed our vision and core values to better reflect who we are today and the future we are working toward. We are in the final stages of defining our 5-year strategic objectives and key outcomes, which will guide our focus over the coming years.

In the weeks ahead, we will be sharing the draft plan with a group of staff representatives and people we support to gather feedback and ensure it reflects a range of perspectives and experiences. This step is an important part of our commitment to building a plan that is both meaningful and grounded in the realities of our work and community.

We look forward to sharing the final plan soon. Thank you again for your continued engagement, care, and commitment to this process.

Holly and Christa

The post A Strategic Planning Update appeared first on KW Habilitation.

The title of the article in the Woolwich Observer is "Community experts say Lanxess is not doing enough  to address contaminated hotspots in Canagagigue Creek". Susan B. and Tiffany Svensson , Chair of TAG (Technical Advisory Group), both are quoted as stating that Lanxess and their hired Risk Assessor (Stantec) are taking shortcuts. First of all this whole thing about "hotspots" has been beaten to death by all parties.  These alleged "hotspots" are basically very convenient locations for consultants, engineers and contractors to access the Creek both for monitoring /sampling purposes as well as for possible remediation. They are magically located right at the intersection (bridges) of New Jerusalem Rd. and the Canagagigue (Gig) , followed by miraculously the next downriver bridge at Northfield Dr. again followed miraculously by the last bridge over the "Gig" at Jigs Hollow Rd. (#46). Of course extensive sampling at those three locations has resulted in more exceedances there than in other less sampled locations.

Now the two TAG reps are not incorrect when they state that there are large exceedances of health criteria at those three spots. But seriously if there are exceedances miles downstream at Northfield Dr. and Jigs Hollow Rd. do you really think that there aren't lots of other exceedances upstream closer to the source namely Uniroyal Chemical? In my opinion TAG members were trying to be accommodating and compromise with Lanxess and the Ministry of Environment by suggesting/agreeing with the three "hot spots" claims. This has been the huge failure of citizens in general and UPAC, CPAC, RAC & TAG (now TRAC) and most definitely Woolwich Township. They have all been terrified of confronting the polluter. It's as if they believe that they can somehow be criminally charged for holding the polluter and his kid gloved regulator to account for their gross negligence which has resulted in both serious health issues and shortened lifespans for some Elmira residents.

Four years later and Lanxess continue to uphold their predecessors skills at perpetual delay. If the locals don't immediately accommodate the polluter's plans then the company's response is to do nothing. Every dollar they put off spending today is less money down the road both due to devaluation of that money as well as due to ongoing discharge to groundwater, air and the Creek. I expect that another one hundred years of delay while costing both downstream human beings and the environment health impairments will greatly reduce Uniroyal on-site contamination. Yes it's merely been shifted including as far as Lake Erie but if we're feeling bad about that we can always put a straw (pipeline) into the lake and suck some of the toxins back up here for consumption. I think that is referred to as political closed loop recycling. 

♦

Join the KWMP Dance Club, a vibrant, bi-weekly dance series designed to foster community, fitness, and fun through beginner-to-advanced level dance instruction.

Plus, we’re excited to announce a special guest teacher for this session: Darren Burkett!

Darren is an award-winning theatre performer and educator with international credits, including tours of Matilda and Angelina Ballerina. With 20 years of global teaching experience, he brings world-class expertise and energy to the dance studio.

Beginner/Intermediate – 7:00pm to 8:00pm
Intermediate/Advanced – 8:00pm to 9:30pm

KWMP Arts Centre (14 Shaftsbury Drive, Kitchener)

Tailored to people who are new to dance or have basic training, this class is perfect for those who want to explore dance and/or hone their skills in a casual and low-pressure environment. Build confidence in movement with slower-paced instruction, a break down of technique and the introduction of basic choreography – and have fun while you’re doing it!

Class Structure: (1 hour total) Approx. 0.5hr Warm/Technique, 0.5hr Choreography

For more experienced dancers who want to challenge themselves, continue to push their skills and are comfortable picking up choreography. This class will be less focused on the basics and more about exploring musicality, style and more complex moves and combinations. It will include faster-paced choreography, transitions and a focus on performance quality. Great for audition training and taking your dance skills to the next level!

Class Structure: (1.5 Hour total) Approx. 0.5hr Warm Up, 1hr Choreography

$20 per class ($15 for KWMP Members). Sign up for a KWMP Membership.

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NO REFUNDS WILL BE PROVIDED DUE TO CANCELLATIONS.

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