The Database Toolkit for Python

Python 12k 4 issues need help Updated Jul 20

A database migrations tool for SQLAlchemy.

Python 4.3k Updated Jul 20

Open-source vector similarity search for Postgres

C 22.3k Updated Jul 11

♦Exciting progress is underway at 115 University Avenue East as construction continues to move forward and new life returns to this important community space.

While renovations are ongoing, the site is already active in meaningful ways. Weekly market pickups and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) pickups are bringing people together and improving access to fresh, local food. At the same time, the urban garden is thriving, continuing its legacy as a place of growth, connection, and hands-on learning.

These early activities offer a glimpse of what’s to come.

Construction at 115 University is progressing well, and we’re excited about the opportunities the renovated space will offer. The vision centers on creating a flexible, inclusive environment that supports a wide range of community needs.

Planned features include:

• Teaching space for skill-building and group learning
• A learning kitchen to support cooking programs, nutrition education, and shared meals
• A calming room, designed as a sensory-friendly space similar to a Snoezelen room

These additions will allow the building to support diverse programming and provide welcoming spaces for people with varying needs and experiences.

There is also strong potential to collaborate with community partners, creating opportunities to host programming that extends the impact of the space even further.

As shared in our previous article, A Community Place for Everyone, 115 University Avenue has played an important role in supporting people for many years. The building has been home to day supports, horticulture activities, and social opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its gardens and flexible indoor spaces helped create opportunities for connection, routine, and meaningful participation.

Significant upgrades are now underway to improve accessibility, functionality, and comfort throughout the building. With the roof and windows already completed and interior work progressing, the space is being thoughtfully updated to better support a wider range of uses. While the building itself is not expanding, the redesigned interior will allow for more flexible programming and greater community use.

Once complete, 115 University will support a wide range of opportunities, including:

• Senior drop-in programs
• Expanded supports for adults with complex needs
• Horticulture and therapeutic programming
• On-site training and skill development
• Community events and gatherings

Thanks to a generous family donation and partial funding from the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, we have made strong progress. However, additional support is still needed to bring the full vision to life.

Monthly giving is a powerful way to help us finish what has begun. Ongoing donations provide reliable support that allows us to plan, build, and open our doors to the community.

♦ Learn more about monthly giving and support the project:
kwhab.ca/monthly-giving/

Every contribution brings us closer to reopening this space!

As construction continues and the gardens grow, we’ll keep sharing updates, stories, and ways to get involved. The momentum is building, and the future of 115 University Avenue East is full of possibility.

Together, we are creating a place where everyone feels welcome, connected, and supported.

The post Progress Continues at 115 University Avenue East appeared first on KW Habilitation.

The Experts in Lived Experience Council is beginning to take shape as a meaningful and empowering part of KW Habilitation’s future.

In its early stages, the Council is bringing together people who draw on their own lived experience to guide conversations, share insights, and build confidence in using their voices. It’s a space where people can grow as leaders, learn from one another, and explore how their perspectives can influence change. Through regular meetings and supportive discussions, members are developing skills in communication, advocacy, and decision-making.

As the Council continues to develop, its role will expand. There will be opportunities for members to contribute to committees, provide input on programs, and help shape the direction of services and supports at KW Habilitation. Their voices will help ensure that decisions reflect real experiences and priorities.

The long-term vision is clear: a strong, confident group of people who are actively involved, respected, and heard—helping to influence not only KW Habilitation, but the broader community as well.

The post Growing Leadership Through Lived Experience appeared first on KW Habilitation.

At KW Habilitation, our new strategic plan didn’t begin in a boardroom. It began with people. The people who live this work every day. The people we support. Their families. Our staff. Our partners. Our community.

We believe that the strongest plans are shaped by real experiences and by listening deeply to the voices that matter most. That belief guided how this plan came to life.

Working with Holly Hendershot and Christa Haanstra, we brought together a wide range of perspectives from across our community. Through conversations, surveys, interviews, and shared planning sessions, we asked important questions:

• What’s working well?

• Where do we need to grow?

• What matters most for the future?

The responses were thoughtful, honest, and incredibly valuable. In total, more than 220 people helped shape this plan, ensuring it reflects not just ideas, but lived experiences, shared priorities, and a collective vision for what comes next. Every voice contributed to a clearer understanding of who we are today and who we want to become.

The plan will reflect the belief that people with developmental disabilities are not simply included, they are active members of our community. People whose ideas, talents, relationships, and perspectives help shape and strengthen the communities we all share. This is the future we are working toward.

Starting this Fall, we’ll be sharing more about our strategic plan; our priorities, our goals, and how we’ll bring this vision to life. The plan will be shared in plain language and available to everyone.

For now, we want to recognize and thank everyone who contributed their voice, their experience, and their perspective. We’ll be sending each of those people an update on the final plan. This plan belongs to all of us.

The post Building Our Strategic Plan—Together appeared first on KW Habilitation.

In early June, KW Habilitation had the opportunity to take part in the Global Leadership Exchange (GLE)—an international gathering that connects leaders across disability, mental health, substance use, and addictions to share ideas, challenges, and solutions.

Our CEO, Ann Bilodeau, along with Jamie Russell, Director of HR, and Cherylyn Sawatzky, Manager of Administration, joined leaders from around the world for a week of learning, collaboration, and dialogue across Toronto and Ottawa.

As part of this experience, we also had the privilege of hosting guests from Scotland—Michael Stewart and Charlie McMillan—for a local conversation that brought global insights directly into our organization.

The first half of the Exchange brought people together for a series of “Matches”; small group sessions where participants explored specific topics, sharing experiences and perspectives from their own countries.

The Developmental Services Workforce Initiative (DSWI) was selected as one of the Match topics, bringing together leaders from the developmental services, disability, mental health, and substance use sectors from five countries. As part of the DSWI, KW Habilitation presented and contributed to conversations about building a strong, sustainable workforce for today and tomorrow. It was a unique opportunity to exchange ideas, learn from different systems, and explore shared challenges.

A key theme throughout the discussions was the importance of lived experience. Families and people with lived experience shared candid insights about what they expect from services and personal supports, reinforcing that meaningful change happens when the voices of those most impacted help shape decisions.

The conversations highlighted an important truth: building stronger systems and a more inclusive workforce requires collaboration, innovation, and a commitment to centering lived experience in everything we do.

♦The Exchange continued in Ottawa, where global leaders gathered for the Network Meeting. Across sessions and keynotes, several themes emerged:

• Collaboration is essential—no single organization or system can solve complex challenges alone

• Inclusion must be intentional and embedded in policy, practice, and culture

• Lived experience must shape decisions, not sit at the margins

• Leadership requires adaptability, shared accountability, and the courage to rethink systems

Speakers and participants shared perspectives on disability reform, system transformation, and the importance of aligning policy with lived realities.

A powerful keynote from Sandra Pronteau highlighted the intersection of disability, identity, and culture—reminding participants that inclusion is deeply connected to belonging, community, and opportunity.

♦During their time in Canada, Michael Stewart and Charlie McMillan joined us at KW Habilitation for a reflective conversation with staff, leadership, Board representation, and people with lived experience.

Together, we explored a central idea that echoed throughout the Exchange:
the importance of listening to “experts by experience.”

Inclusion is not only about being present—it’s about being heard, valued, and able to influence decisions.

Charlie also spoke about the role of allyship, describing it as creating space rather than taking it. He shared a simple but powerful example from a previous Exchange: when given the opportunity to speak with Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, he redirected the conversation to a delegate with lived experience, ensuring their voice was front and centre.

It was a small act, but one that reflected a bigger principle: meaningful inclusion requires intention.

While systems and structures may differ around the world, the GLE reinforced something important:
many of our challenges—and opportunities—are shared.

Being part of this global dialogue strengthens our work locally. It pushes us to think differently, act collaboratively, and continue centering lived experience in everything we do.

This is just one step in a larger journey. As we continue to share more about our strategic direction, the insights from the Global Leadership Exchange, and the voices of those with lived experience, will continue to guide the path forward.♦

♦

The post Centering Lived Experience: Reflections from the Global Leadership Exchange appeared first on KW Habilitation.

I don't know that to be true but I guess I'm hoping it is so because there are at least two people on that committee (Technical Remediation Advisory Committee) that I believe to be inherently honest. Indeed it is likely to be a couple more but I just don't know them well enough to confirm that. Generally speaking I do know the deadbeats etc. well enough and know who they are.

Jen Lyndall of Integral possibly may decide never to work for Lanxess and her old buddy Hadley ever again. Or otherwise if she has no problem sleeping at night by counting sheep jumping over dead animals, livestock and or human beings.   

I'm going to repeat last Saturday's health criteria here for those with a serious bent for eye blurring numbers. These are the health standards for dioxins/furans and for Total DDT both in creekbank soils and in the sediments on the bottom of the Creek (Canagagigue). None of the criteria change based on depth i.e. surface versus subsurface soils and surface and subsurface sediments.

Soils:               DDT      .078 ppm (parts per million)

Sediments:      DDT      .00119 ppm.

. 

Soils:              dioxins/furans      7  ppt. (parts per trillion)

Sediments:     dioxins/furans       .85 ppt

DDT   in   fish     tissues                 14 ppb. (parts per billion)

dioxins/furans in fish tissues             .71 ppt (parts per trillion)

These are the numbers/concentrations that Jen Lyndall of Integral has utterly failed to put on her Tables and Figures.  Likely/possibly they are buried somewhere in her report. Or not. Starting from Figure 4-24 and going to Figure 4-63 the data tells TRAC, the public and most certainly the politicians absolutely nothing worthwhile without the health criteria being clearly marked on each and every Figure.  Is this failure Jen Lyndall's or did Lanxess (Hadley ?) ensure that this vitally important information was not to be found where it should be?

BRANTFORD - An eighth inning RBI single made the difference as the Brantford Red Sox took down Kitchener 3-2 Sunday afternoon at Arnold Anderson Stadium.

Dionys Rodriguez went the distance for Kitchener, striking out six in eight innings of work. He walked three and gave up three runs on eight hits in the loss.

Brantford scored two runs in the first, but Kitchener responded with two runs in the seventh, including an RBI single by Malik Williams to drive in his brother Josh.

Yosvani Penalver and Malik Williams both registered two hits in the loss.

Kitchener drops to 10-16, while Brantford improves to 9-16. 

The Panthers remain half a game up on the Red Sox for sixth in the CBL, but trail Guelph by five games for the final playoff spot.

The Panthers welcome Toronto this Thursday for Oktoberfest Night at Jack Couch Park.

First pitch flies at 7:05 p.m.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW and get ready to #PROSTTheJack!

How does Google search manage to locate a particular web page among billions of other pages within seconds?

How does your contact app manage to find the contact you’re searching for without any delays?

How does Netflix recommend new content to you immediately?

The answer to all the above questions is Data Structures and Algorithms, or DSA.

It shows up when you’re learning programming, preparing for interviews, designing systems, and solving real-world engineering problems. It appears in college lectures, in LinkedIn posts, and in interviews.

With so much attention around it, you would expect every developer to have a solid understanding of DSA. But that’s rarely the case.

And honestly, for most people, DSA feels like a nightmare. The theory is heavy, the problems feel random, and half the time you don’t even know where to begin. If that sounds like you, you’re not alone. Most developers feel exactly this way and just don’t say it out loud.

But here’s something that often gets lost in all the interview preparation advice: DSA is not just an interview topic.

Yes, understanding DSA can help you perform better in technical interviews. But its real value goes far beyond that. Every day, the applications we use rely on data structures and algorithms to store, organize, retrieve, and process information efficiently.

When you search for a contact on your phone, it appears almost instantly. When social media apps load thousands of posts in a smooth, organized feed, there’s a system working behind the scenes to make that possible. These aren’t just product features, they’re practical applications of DSA.

The impact becomes even more obvious when you start building software yourself. Two developers can solve the same problem and get the same result, but the quality of their solutions can be very different. One writes code that continues to perform well as users and data grow. The other writes code that works today but struggles when the application starts to scale.

That’s where DSA makes a difference. It helps you choose the right way to organize data and the right approach to solve problems efficiently.

So this series isn’t about memorizing hundreds of LeetCode solutions. It’s about understanding the ideas behind them, seeing how they apply to real-world software, and building the intuition to recognize when and why a particular approach works.

Let’s break it into two parts:

DataStructure:

A data structure is simply a way of storing and organizing data so that it can be accessed and modified efficiently. Think of it as the container that holds your data.

Algorithm

An algorithm is a set of steps used to solve a problem or accomplish a task. Think of it as the process that operates on the data.

In simple terms:

• Data Structures decide how data is stored.
• Algorithms decide how data is processed.

They two work together. Choosing the right data structure often makes it possible to use a more efficient algorithm.

Still feels a bit hard to picture? here are some things you already use every day that will make it click.

Imagine a spice rack in your kitchen. The spices are arranged in a fixed order, and you look through them one by one until you find the one you need. That’s very similar to how an array works

Now think about your contacts app. You type a name, and the correct contact appears almost instantly without scrolling through every entry. That’s similar to how a hash map works.

And what about a recipe? A recipe gives you a sequence of steps that must be followed in a particular order to achieve a result. That’s essentially an algorithm.

The interesting part is that you’ve already been interacting with concepts like these long before you ever heard the term DSA. Software engineering simply gives them names and uses them to solve problems at scale.

At this point, you might be wondering:

“I’ve already built projects. I write code every day. Things seem to work fine. Why do I need to learn DSA?”

That’s a fair question.

Imagine you need to find a specific user in a database containing one million records. One approach is to check users one by one until you find the right person. In the worst case, that could mean a million comparisons.

Now imagine using a data structure that lets you jump directly to the user you need. Instead of searching through a million records, you find the answer almost instantly.

The result is the same. The experience is completely different.

That’s the difference DSA creates. It’s often the reason one application feels fast and responsive while another feels slow and frustrating.

For people preparing for interviews, DSA is one of the primary ways companies evaluate problem-solving ability. Interviewers aren’t just checking whether your code produces the correct output. They’re looking at how you approach the problem, how efficiently you solve it, and whether you understand the trade-offs behind your decisions.

For developers already working in the industry, the value shows up in the software they build. As applications grow, the choices you make about storing and processing data become increasingly important. A solution that works perfectly for a hundred users can struggle with a million.

Understanding DSA helps you write software that doesn’t just work today, it continues to work when the data grows, the traffic increases, and the complexity of the system expands.

Every data structure exists because it solves a specific kind of problem.

That’s one of the biggest mindset shifts you’ll make while learning DSA. Data structures aren’t arbitrary concepts that someone invented for interviews. Each one was designed to make certain operations faster, easier, or more efficient.

Here’s a quick preview of some of the most common ones:

You don’t need to memorize this table right now. The important takeaway is that every structure has a purpose. As we move through this series, you’ll start recognizing the situations where each one shines.

If data structures are about how you store things, algorithms are about what you do with them. Each type of algorithm is designed to answer a specific kind of question.

• Searching helps you find something efficiently.
• Sorting arranges data into a useful order.
• Recursion solves a problem by breaking it into smaller versions of itself.
• Dynamic Programming avoids repeating work by remembering previous results.
• Greedy Algorithms make the best choice available at each step.
• Backtracking explores multiple possibilities until it finds a valid solution.

At first, these may sound like a collection of unrelated techniques. They’re not. They’re patterns.

And that’s the key idea that makes DSA much easier to learn.

Learning DSA isn’t about memorizing hundreds of algorithms. It’s about recognizing patterns and knowing when to apply them.

Many people approach DSA as a giant list of things to memorize.

That’s usually where the frustration begins.

You don’t need to know every algorithm ever created. You don’t need to memorize solutions to hundreds of problems. What you need is the ability to look at a problem and recognize the pattern hiding underneath it.

Once you start thinking in patterns instead of individual questions, DSA becomes far less intimidating and much more intuitive.

Every chapter in this series will follow the same approach.

We’ll start with a real-world problem instead of a random puzzle.

Then we’ll:

1. Identify the pattern behind the problem.
2. Understand the intuition.
3. Walk through an example step by step.
4. Implement the solution in code.
5. Explore common variations.
6. Learn the signals that tell you when to use that pattern again.

The goal isn’t just to solve one problem. The goal is to train your brain to recognize the same pattern when it appears in a completely different form.

That’s the journey we’re starting together.

Welcome to Episode 0.

Before You Write a Single Line of Code, Let’s Talk About DSA was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Structured Outputs

Python 14.6k 7 issues need help Updated Jul 20

A high-throughput and memory-efficient inference and serving engine for LLMs

Python 86.7k 36 issues need help Updated Jul 20

SGLang is a high-performance serving framework for large language models and multimodal models.

Python 30.5k 15 issues need help Updated Jul 20

Retrying library for Python

Python 8.7k Updated Jul 15

♦

Not that it’s at all new, but I’ve recently discovered piquette, a wine-based beverage that has an ancient and interesting history, if one that flies under the radar.

I picked up a can or two of “P’tit Piquette” at a Quebec-based winery, Little Red Wagon, in Clarendon, which is about 80 kms northeast of Ottawa. But I’ve also noticed it seems to appear in a few other places in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

Though perhaps primarily a French beverage, what adds an interesting layer of meaning is the drink’s historic role in labour culture that goes back a very long time.

For workers in ancient Roman wineries, the drink was essentially a perquisite of their chores and lucubration: workers were permitted to scoop off the remnants of the primary wine-making process, for which they had sweated and toiled but likely couldn’t afford to buy, in order to imbibe in a second batch.

They would collect the used wine skins, the gnarly stems and seeds and the mushed-up grape viscera — the flotsam and jetsam of the process, if you will — add some water and a dose of some source of sugar and give it all a second ferment.

Perhaps that previous labour relationship is akin to talented cooks today who sweat and toil to prepare and serve the finest (and most expensive meals) at premium restaurants but whose wage likely precludes them from eating such costly food themselves? Piquette-style wines were something the labourers could afford — and make themselves.

Today, the drink itself is a low ABV-bevie that is sparkling in nature — and contributes, you might say, to the “upcycling” and reduced waste of a circular economy in that the pomace is rejuvenated and re-hydrated to re-kickstart the fermentation process.

Mild in flavour, piquette has a bit of fizz to it and a low-alcohol hit for those sipping, but it may be something of an acquired taste, I have to say, similar, perhaps, to low-intervention natural wines, which often have just a touch of funk.

Regardless, it might be something interesting to try. There are some piquette producers in Ontario: Traynor and Tawse; in Quebec: Chateau de Cartes, Lieux Communs and Entre Pierre et Terre as well as Little Red Wagon.

Check out my latest post Piquette: wine leftovers for the “labouring class” from AndrewCoppolino.com.

Regarding Tables 3-3 to 3-6 which describe Total DDT and Dioxins/Furans TEQ (toxic equivalency) generally in Creek Reaches 1-4 except for the last Table which oddly only describes Reach 4 (the Lanxess site). These Tables also represent both surface and subsurface Soils and Sediment readings. Sediments of course are in the bottom of the Creek beneath the water and soils refer to creekbank soils above the waterline. 

Previously mentioned by myself is the fact that in four pages of Tables;  Dioxins/Furans over the four Creek Reaches plus Background (below Reach 1/Grand River) and with 889 samples over many years have an average of 99.87% detection rate. This is beyond incredible, is not remotely normal or ubiquitous and speaks to massive past and ongoing releases of Dioxins and Furans downstream from the Uniroyal/Lanxess property. THIS IS BEYOND SHAMEFUL and no wonder TRAC is so tightly controlled by agenda, membership, meeting times, minutes and limited public access and less.

Total DDT detections are also high although not at the same level of Dioxins/Furans.  The lowest detection rate through five locations is 10% and the highest 100% (twice). The average detection rate in the four Reaches plus Background (Grand River) is 57% . Keep in mind this is for DDT only albeit in both Sediments and Soils both surface and subsurface. This also is not "normal" nor ubiquitous.

Regarding concentrations above health criteria the results are startling. Sediment detections are very high for both surface and subsurface DDT and in fact ALL detections from the highest to the lowest EXCEED the health criteria of .00119 ppm. (parts per million) again for Reaches 1-4 and Background (Grand River). Soil detections for DDT on the other hand while ALL maximum concentrations per area (Reach etc.) EXCEED the health criteria of .078 ppm.; minimum concentrations are all below the health criteria.

Dioxins/Furans maximum concentrations in surface Sediments ALL exceed the health criteria of .85 ppt (Parts per trillion) while only two of five areas (4 Reaches & Background Grand River) of the minimum concentrations exceed the health criteria. Subsurface Sediments maximum concentrations for Dioxins/Furans ALL EXCEED the health criteria whereas only one of five of the minimum concentrations for the five areas exceeds the health criteria. 

Dioxin'Furan Soil maximum concentrations ALL exceed the heath criteria of 7 ppt. whereas 0 of the five minimum concentrations exceed the health criteria. This is the same for both surface Soils and subsurface Soils.  

The title above states that TRAC never do necessary followups to ridiculous presentations. Let me add the following. Maybe they do privately but this is a public process and needs to be clarified to the public each and every time a deceptive, dishonest or blatantly foolish and non factual presentation is made.

• ♦ 71bb363

  Nice to have a Windows powershell installer

A more immersive theatre mode for YouTube.

JavaScript 1 Updated Nov 22, 2025

• ♦ 780bc42

  Lint more often and fix diagnostics list missing items on buffer open

• ♦ 3623c9c

  Bumping deps

Silly is a nicer word than deceptive, evasive, phony or corrupt. As I have mentioned it's hard to write an intelligent and honest data Summary of dozens of sad, pathetic and client driven pieces of garbage (GIGO-garbage in, garbage out). Half the battle is won simply by a single presentation to TRAC followed by...nothing. It takes time to read carefully, analyze, understand and form an intelligent response. I've got that time and ability whereas most TRAC members who have the ability simply don't have the time or the incentive ($$$) to do so. They have paying jobs and careers and homes and families to take up their spare time. 

One of the biggest, most nonsensical pieces of crap that she bestowed upon TRAC are a series of Figures as in Figure 4-24 to 4-63. She referred to these Figures as I believe Box and Whiskey Plots. I don't know the origins of that name. These Figures allege to show large (many not all) amounts of data recorded for DDT and dioxin concentrations in Surface Sediments, Subsurface Sediments, Surface Soils, Subsurface Soils, versus either Location (Reach 1-4, Background) or Time (eg. 1996, 1997, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022). 

There are a few issues with these Figures which I have previously mentioned such as the vertical (y) scale for concentrations visually minimizing the extent and amount of extremely high concentration readings of Total DDT and or Dioxin/Furan TEQ (toxic equivalency).There are other problems including large numbers of high Method Detection Limits (MDL) leading to far too many orchestrated Non Detects (N.D.) in the data  however the simplest and most obvious problem is the lack of relevance of the concentrations being shown. Yes you can compare the concentrations with location/distance downstream from Lanxess (Uniroyal) towards the Grand River and even somewhat over time (eg. 1996-2022)  but really and significantly what do they mean and how serious are they? Nobody knows and I think that is intentional.

Ms. Lyndall has failed to include any health criteria whether provincial or federal for either Total DDT or for Dioxins/Furans. The accepted health concentrations (which differ) for these two compounds as well as differing whether for Soils or for Sediments are MIA (missing in action). They need to be written on the Figures as well as most importantly drawn as a horizontal line across the Figures hence immediately showing how many of the data points are above (exceed) the mandated health concentrations.

Doing that exposes the massive and major contamination for five miles downstream from Uniroyal/Lanxess. This report was produced on behalf of Lanxess Canada for the purpose of once more snowing and bulldozing TRAC and the public. Mission mostly accomplished.

♦

Director (volunteer board member)
Greater Toronto/Hamilton Area
3-year term, hybrid

My Oral Village (MOVE) is a Canadian not-for-profit mission founded in 2011. MOVE is dedicated to make formal financial services accessible to people who cannot read, write, or work with numbers in conventional ways. The organization addresses the needs of the 1+ billion adults worldwide with limited literacy and numeracy, living in ‘oral’ cultures, ensuring they are not excluded from safe savings, payments, borrowing, and financial decision making.

At its core, MOVE’s mission is to:

• Design ultra inclusive financial tools: interfaces, forms, mobile apps, and processes that rely on visual and intuitive cues rather than text or complex numbers
• Enable low literacy households to manage money safely, especially in low income environments where financial mistakes can be catastrophic.
• Partner with financial institutions, NGOs, and regulators to embed oral friendly design into real products and systems.
• Advance research and global standards for financial inclusion that recognize literacy & numeracy barriers as a major structural exclusion factor.
• Empower vulnerable populations, especially women, to build financial confidence, autonomy, and resilience.

My Oral Village works to ensure that no one is excluded from the financial system because they cannot read or handle numbers.

For more information, visit www.myoralvillage.org and www.linkedin.com/company/my-oral-village-inc-/posts/?feedView=all

My Oral Village has tested inclusive financial numeracy tools in controlled pilot projects in Ethiopia, Pakistan, Kenya, Bangladesh and Sierra Leone, and completed in 2025 its first full national project in Sierra Leone, proving the effectiveness and relevance of the solutions for very vulnerable populations. The approach developed by MOVE is novel, and is outlined in several research works, including Oral information management tools, Oral financial numeracy and Measuring numeracy for financial inclusion. MOVE is at a pivotal moment in its journey, poised for significant growth in the coming years. To support this growth, MOVE is seeking volunteer directors (board members) who are comfortable wearing both a governance and an advisory hat during this early growth stage to guide the organization through its next phase of growth.

Core responsibilities include:

• Strategy: Setting mission, strategic priorities, and annual plans;
• Governance: Ensuring the mission of the organization is supported by sound practices & proper oversight;
• Financial oversight: Approving budgets, reviewing financial statements, ensuring sound controls;
• Risk oversight: Identifying and mitigating organizational risks (e.g., liability, insurance);
• Hands-on contribution: Directors actively support operations — communications, fundraising, program delivery — alongside governance duties.

MOVE is looking for a board Director with experience in any or several of the following areas:

• Administration and management: Experience supporting small not-for-profit operations, governance, planning and reporting.
• Financial oversight: Ability to review budgets, statements, cash flow, controls, and funding needs for a small not-for-profit.
• Early-stage growth: Experience advising startups or early-stage organizations as they scale strategy, operations, governance, and delivery.
• Technology and fintech: Familiarity with software and digital products in a fintech context.
• Oral-culture communities: Understanding of unschooled or low-literacy populations in developing countries and their financial literacy needs.
• International perspective: Experience working across countries, cultures, or global communities with sensitivity to local context and beneficiary needs.
• Banking or financial services: Knowledge of international banking, payments, savings, lending, compliance, or financial inclusion.
• Advisory contribution: Willingness to contribute expertise, networks, and practical support during MOVE’s growth stage.

Please direct queries, or apply by sending a letter of interest and your CV or resume, to:
Board Chair
My Oral Village
info@myoralvillage.org

Closing date: Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 5:00pm Eastern Daylight Time, however applications will be considered upon receipt.

The post appeared first on Capacity Canada.

♦

Every day, members of the HART Hub Waterloo Region (HHWR) Outreach Team walk alongside community members experiencing homelessness, mental health and substance use challenges, meeting people where they are, and connecting them with trusted providers of care and supports across the Region. 

House of Friendship team members include addiction counsellors and ‘connection coordinators’ who help individuals navigate the complex network of health and social support services across Waterloo Region.

Their shared goal is to make it easier for people to find and access the care and resources they need. 

“When people are struggling, they don’t know where to go, and they don’t know who to talk to,” said Holly, a House of Friendship connection coordinator.

Support may include assistance with paperwork, connections to housing or emergency shelter, or accessing food, clothing, and other essential services. For individuals focused on meeting their most basic needs, even these steps can feel overwhelming. 

“When you get into that survival mode, that hopeless feeling, it’s like you are just stuck,” said Holly. “It’s like you are in quicksand and you just can’t pull yourself out. You need some help.”

The Outreach Team is just one component of the broader HHWR network – a coordinated system of programs and partners working across Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and the rural townships to provide integrated, people-centered care.

As part of this network, House of Friendship recently expanded its services with the opening of a 12-bed Transitional Housing Program this spring. This abstinence-based program provides short-term housing and supportive programming for individuals ready to address their substance use, creating an additional pathway toward greater stability and permanent housing. 

Impact Stat:

11% of chronically homeless people in Waterloo Region struggle with substance use.

♦

The post Providing Support Where it Matters appeared first on House Of Friendship.

We’re pleased to share the recording of our recent webinar, Flee From Parsimony: Escaping the Boundary Condition Paradox in Groundwater Modelling. This session, presented by Dr. Michael Callaghan, Senior Applications Engineer at Aquanty Inc., explores how integrated hydrologic modelling can address the growing complexity of modern groundwater management challenges.

The webinar examines the limitations of traditional groundwater models that rely on prescribed recharge zones and boundary conditions—approaches that can struggle to represent dynamic processes such as climate variability, surface water–groundwater (SW-GW) interactions, and contaminant transport. Using HydroGeoSphere, the session demonstrates how fully coupled surface–subsurface modelling avoids these constraints by treating recharge and system responses as emergent outcomes of physical processes, rather than fixed inputs.

Key Highlights:

• Understand the “boundary condition paradox” and its implications for groundwater modelling.

• Learn why prescribed recharge approaches may fall short under changing climate conditions.

• Explore how fully integrated surface–subsurface modelling improves process representation.

• See how HydroGeoSphere enables more reliable predictions for complex water management questions.

This session is especially valuable for hydrologists, consultants, regulators, and water resource professionals seeking modelling approaches that can support more comprehensive and defensible decision-making.

Watch the recording now to discover how integrated hydrologic modelling helps move beyond simplified assumptions and supports more robust groundwater analysis.

Watch The Recording

Nearly 9 in 10 neurodistinct professionals say they possess unique strengths they rarely see displayed by others.

Perhaps we’re overlooking their abilities?

In a LinkedIn post, my friend Jennifer Brown shared common misperceptions of neurodivergent coworkers, such as:

• The person asking a stream of questions isn’t being difficult. They often see risks three steps ahead that nobody else has spotted yet.
• The employee who turns off their camera isn’t disengaged. They may be listening more intently than anyone else in the room.
• The direct communicator who skips the pleasantries isn’t rude. They’re prioritizing clarity over performance.
• The one who needs to understand the why before they can execute isn’t resistant. They’re someone who, once they have it, will go further than you expected.

Before labeling someone’s behavior as a weakness, ask yourself: What strength might I be missing?

Share this action on Instagram, LinkedIn, or YouTube.

This week’s Better Allies content is sponsored by:

Inclusive leadership starts with communication. The words leaders choose, the stories organizations tell, and the conversations teams have shape culture every day. Double Forte helps organizations communicate with clarity, credibility, and purpose during the moments that matter most. Learn more at double-forte.com.

Here’s some advice I never expected to give: make your captions boring.

In Where Have All the Captions Gone?, actor and writer Franchesca Ramsey sings a compelling public service announcement to the tune of “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?”

Her message for brands and creators everywhere: caption your videos and make those captions accessible. Specifically:

• Always include captions.
• Don’t change the font for every other word.
• Don’t make the words fly around the screen.
• Avoid decorative script fonts.

To learn more, watch this short video by accessibility expert Meryl K. Evans. As Evans wrote in the description of the video, “the best captions are boring.” If you want to add some flash and pizzazz to your reel, she recommends adding on-screen text outside of the captions or pumping up the presentation itself.

Fancy captions may grab attention, but simple captions help more people follow along.

My husband Tim and I recently interviewed a firm to help with some household needs. Even though I had scheduled every meeting, guess who they sent the contract to first to sign? Tim.

I assumed it would come to me.

It wasn’t a big deal — Tim forwarded the document to me for review — but it left me wondering: Why was he automatically the first signer?

At our next meeting, we asked our contact about it.

He took a breath and replied, “What we did was sexist.”

He then apologized and explained that when they work with same-sex couples, they always ask who should be the first signatory. Then he paused and wondered aloud why they didn’t do the same for heterosexual couples.

I suggested making that the standard practice for everyone.

He smiled and agreed.

Speaking of feedback, I received many thoughtful comments on last week’s newsletter, in which I recommended: “Don’t try out a disability.”

People shared examples of when it is okay and good to try out mobility equipment or to simulate a disability. Here are some of them:

• An adaptive sports info session where people can try equipment and determine if they would benefit from using it.
• Training for rock climbing routesetters and guides who use blindfolds or tie back a limb to learn about how to design routes and describe hold positions for paraclimbers (when disabled climbers are not available for the session).
• An inclusive design workshop that replicates barriers that affect people with disabilities.
• A chromatic vision simulator to verify that people with color vision deficiencies can discern your presentation slides or graphic material.
• A screen reader to check if your document or social media post is read aloud correctly.

In other words, if your goal is to learn something that will personally benefit you (such as discovering how you could use adaptive equipment or a mobility device) or give you insight so you can do your job better and more inclusively, then by all means use accessibility equipment, tools, and simulations.

Just don’t assume that means you understand the entire life experience and identity of someone with that disability.

Newsletter subscriber Tamara Glasbergen, who is pregnant with her first child, told me that she and her partner divide their household tasks equally, and that he proactively discusses what else he could do given she’s pregnant.

When she read an article in the Pregnancy+ app by Philips Avent titled, “Feeling supported by your partner during pregnancy,” she was shocked. The article describes tasks that partners can help with, like planning meals, cooking, and food shopping, as well as household tasks like laundry, tidying, and cleaning. She wrote, “To me that sounds like the bare minimum that partners should do and not something to be grateful for.”

Glasbergen decided to send feedback to Philips, pointing out that the article reinforced harmful stereotypes of heterosexual couples where the woman is responsible for the household. And if a man does any of the tasks, he is just “helping.”

She also suggested editing the article to recommend that partners rethink together how household responsibilities should be handled to best support the pregnant person.

The outcome? Philips replied that they’ll revise the content and thanked her for bringing it to their attention.👏

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

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Karen Catlin. All rights reserved.

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

• Say thanks to Karen and buy her a coffee ☕ (Need a receipt for educational reimbursement? Reply to this email, and we’ll take care of it.)
• Sponsor an edition of this newsletter
• Follow @BetterAllies on Instagram, Medium, or YouTube. Or follow Karen Catlin on LinkedIn
• Read the Better Allies books
• Tell someone about these resources

Flip Misperceptions Into Strengths, and Other Actions for Allies was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Excerpt from my paid Substack column, Her Edge.

Nobody is coming to discover you.

The women who get tapped for the biggest roles, stretch assignments, keynote talks, and career-changing introductions are rarely complete unknowns.

Their names are already in the room.

Someone has seen their work, heard them speak, read what they wrote, or watched them contribute. Over time, those moments teach people what to associate with their names.

That is the opportunity visibility creates.

It is also where things can go wrong.

There is the work you do. And there is the work people think you do.

Those two are rarely the same thing, and the gap between them shapes which opportunities reach you.

For years, the work people were most likely to see me doing happened around women in tech and girls in STEM. That was how Kim Tremblay first encountered me.

In early 2015, I gave a talk to a peer-to-peer group for women in tech about how to network inside your company. I had no idea that Kim Tremblay was in the audience. Kim was the VP of Engineering and co-founder of a cybersecurity company called Arctic Wolf. She heard me speak and walked away knowing who I was.

A few months later, we were both invited to a panel at Think About Math, a STEM workshop for Grade 9 girls at the University of Waterloo. When I saw Kim’s job title, I walked up to her and told her I wanted to do her job someday.

I was a Senior Manager at the time. VP felt like a huge leap. I had also never met a woman who held that title. I took the chance and asked if she would meet me for coffee.

What I didn’t know was that the conversation had begun months earlier. She had already seen me speak. She had already watched me contribute. She already had a sense of how I thought and what I cared about.

So when I took the chance and asked, she said yes.

Weeks later, I accepted an offer to join Arctic Wolf as the Director of R&D. Kim hired me.

People often call moments like that networking. But networking alone does not explain what happened. Kim knew my name before I asked her for anything. By the time the job opportunity appeared, I was no longer a stranger asking to be considered.

My name was already in the room.

That reputation kept opening doors. It also created a category around me that was much narrower than the work I was doing.

Outside my company, people knew me as an advocate for women in tech. Far fewer knew that I had a master’s degree in cryptography, had spent eight years working in mobile security at BlackBerry, held more than twenty security-related patents, or was helping build and scale a cybersecurity company.

The work I made visible shaped my reputation.

The work I kept inside my job remained largely invisible.

Once I saw the gap, I began deliberately widening what people associated with my name. Over the next several years, I created a cybersecurity meetup, spoke about ransomware and engineering leadership, appeared regularly on security podcasts, helped organize a cybersecurity conference, and used the opportunities available through my employer.

In 2022, AWS invited me to speak during its Toronto Summit keynote about how Arctic Wolf ran its security operations at scale.

Four thousand people were in the room.

Me on the keynote stage for AWS Summit Toronto 2022.

That stage was the visible result.

The reputation that put me there had been built through years of smaller contributions.

This is how to build that kind of reputation deliberately.

Before deciding what you want to be known for, you need an honest picture of what people currently believe you know.

Your job title will not tell you.

Your LinkedIn profile will not tell you.

The clearest evidence is found in the opportunities people bring you.

Look at the last ten times someone reached out to you professionally.

What did they ask for?

Perhaps they asked you to:

• mentor a new manager
• review a product strategy
• explain a technical problem
• join an interview panel
• speak about inclusion
• rescue a struggling project
• lead a difficult client conversation
• organize a team event

Those requests reveal your existing reputation.

People reach for the person they already associate with the problem in front of them.

That can be affirming. It can also expose a gap.

For years, the invitations coming my way followed a clear pattern. Radio shows, government meetings, podcasts, panels, interviews, and awards were overwhelmingly connected to women in tech.

That work mattered to me. I was proud to be associated with it.

But the pattern showed me what was missing.

Very few invitations were connected to cybersecurity, cryptography, engineering leadership, or scaling technical organizations.

That absence gave me useful information. The public version of my career did not reflect the full body of work I had built.

Do this audit without judging the results.

You are trying to understand what your visible work has already taught people.

Ask yourself:

• What do people consistently seek my help with?
• What topics am I invited to discuss?
• In what role do people introduce me?
• Which parts of my experience rarely appear?
• What do people inside my company know about me that people outside it do not?

The missing pieces matter.

They show you where your reputation may be limiting the opportunities that find you.

You’ve just read how to do this audit yourself. But seeing your own reputation clearly is harder than it sounds. You’re too close to it.

So I built a Claude skill to help you conduct the audit. It researches your public presence, examines what the world can actually see about you, and identifies the gap between the work you do and the work people think you do.

That gap is where the work starts.

On Substack, paid subscribers get the skill plus the eight steps that will help you close the gap.

By the end, you will know exactly what you want people to trust you with, what evidence you need to put in front of them, where to show up so the right people see it, and how to build all of it under your own name so it stays yours when the job ends.

Her Edge: Your Reputation Is Already Choosing Opportunities for You

Her Edge: Your Reputation Is Already Choosing Opportunities for You was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Export all your chats from Gemini Web.

Python Updated Jul 17

♦

They are back in action for the summer of 2026: here is a story about a local farm and farm stand that I wrote last year. It’s good to have their produce available again this summer.

Amid the 100 acres of farm in Saint-Pascal-Baylon, a few minutes outside Rockland, I see and hear a group of farmhands pounding stakes into the ground for a trellis system on which will grow cucamelons.

Also, known as “mouse melons,” the grape-sized fruits look like tiny, cute watermelons and are one of dozens of crops growing at Jardin Boulay Garden, owned by Mary Lynn Boulay.

The work of pounding the stakes is certainly not cute in the blasting sun of the day, however. Atop the ladder, Olivia Romeo wields a heavy maul with sister Sophia Romeo and Jardin Boulay Garden co-farmer Stephane Berube – Boulay’s husband – holding the ladder steady.

What is perhaps unique about the Romeo sisters, who live a only a country-lane or two away from the farm, is that they love the work of farming, though they have real no real interest in becoming farmers: Olivia, 21, is a university psychology student, while Sophia, 22, works at an area grocery store.

Young farm hands working the land
The pair, who have worked the farm for several years, simply love tending to the fields and crops and helping grow food that the community eats. I admire their work ethic in the blasting sun and humidity.

“I like working hard. It’s rewarding,” Olivia says, with Sophia agreeing. “And at the stand selling, there’s the social aspect and getting to see different people from the community. It’s good relationships.”

With small family farms being consolidated into larger corporate entities and with fewer kids wanting to take over the family business of agriculture, it’s encouraging to see young people like the Romeos – essentially Gen Zs – caring about how their food grows and where it comes from.

For her part, Boulay stresses the importance of her farmhands for helping the farm tend the fields and sell the resulting produce at their market stand at the corner of Laurier and Giroux streets in downtown Rockland starting again in a couple of weeks.

“They are very good workers. They’re out here working hard and giving it their all. I depend on them,” Boulay says.

The farm grows blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, tomatoes and just started cherries.

Standing over a field of green spiky leaves, Boulay hands me a fresh garlic scape from a hardneck garlic plant: I snap off a piece and the aroma of garlic released is immediate.

“I’ll be cutting them this weekend,” she says. “All the energy and water then leaves the scapes and goes to the garlic bulbs.”

Near the house, a handful of apple trees will produce the popular Honeycrisp and the venerable McIntosh, among other varieties.

A few metres from the greenhouse, where the season’s crops get their start as tiny sprouts in little plastic trays, is a peach tree with small cucamelon-sized peaches just starting to appear.

“I plant them, water them and transplant them. After that, I have to rely on Mother Nature,” says Boulay.

No farmers means no food
It’s likely that even few customers who shop farmers’ markets and market stands – and know they are buying produce from the farmer – recognize at least somewhat the difficulties and essential hard work in hot conditions that farmers face.

“Most people when they come up to the stand, you know, don’t really know everything that’s gone into what vegetables or fruits we’ve grown,” says Boulay.

Her message, therefore, is a very simple one: support farmers because without them there would be no food.

Check out my latest post Gen Z farmhands work Jardin Boulay Garden from AndrewCoppolino.com.

Written By:
Colleen James, Executive in Residence, Capacity Canada, Regional Councillor for the City of Kitchener and champion for inclusive, community-driven leadership and Scott Williams (he/him), Executive in Residence, Capacity Canada, nonprofit professional, community volunteer, and advocate for inclusive and thriving communities

Over the last year, we had the privilege of facilitating Capacity Canada’s first Equity in Leadership Peer Circle.

When we launched the program, we knew there was a need. We had heard from nonprofit leaders who often felt isolated in their roles and who were navigating the additional realities that can come with being part of Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+, and leaders with disabilities from underrepresented communities. We hoped the Peer Circle would provide a place to learn, connect, and support one another. What we did not fully anticipate was just how meaningful those connections would become.

The need for spaces like the Equity in Leadership Peer Circle is reflected in broader research across Ontario’s nonprofit sector. A 2023 report from CivicAction and Toronto Metropolitan University’s Diversity Institute found that racialized people occupy just 18.2% of nonprofit

leadership roles in Ontario, while Indigenous Peoples represent only 1.6% of nonprofit leaders. The same study found that nearly one-third of racialized leaders and more than 40% of 2SLGBTQ+ leaders reported feeling the need to hide part of their identity in order to fit in at work. These findings highlight why leadership development cannot be separated from belonging, psychological safety, and community.

Our Peer Circle brought together leaders from across Waterloo Region for monthly conversations about some of the most important and challenging aspects of nonprofit leadership. Over ten months, participants explored burnout, advocacy, collaboration, reconciliation and decolonization, navigating systems, financial sustainability, racism and sexism, vicarious trauma, and psychological safety. Guest speakers shared insights and resources, while participants spent time learning from one another through honest conversation and reflection.

As facilitators, we entered sessions with a plan, but some of the most powerful moments emerged from the wisdom, vulnerability, and generosity that participants brought into the room.

At the end of the cohort, we invited participants to reflect on their experience. Their responses reminded us why spaces like this matter.

One participant described the group as “a collective deep breath for 3 hours once a month.”

They wrote:

“We were able to have honest, authentic conversations in a way that felt very natural, and I think that came from everyone being so deeply in need of spaces like this. It’s been incredibly grounding and supportive, and I’m genuinely sad that this particular cohort is coming to an end.”

Another participant highlighted the value of peer connection, describing the group as:

“A place to safely vent. A chance to be vulnerable instead of on.”

Others spoke simply about the opportunity to share openly, freely, and without fear of judgment. One participant told us that the Peer Circle had helped them “survive and thrive” through their first year as an Executive Director.

That theme surfaced throughout the feedback. Participants consistently pointed to trust, psychological safety, and authentic relationships as some of the most valuable aspects of the experience. One participant reflected that trust was not something that could be guaranteed, but something that group members actively built together. They credited the group’s Brave Space Agreement, shared accountability, and thoughtful facilitation with helping create the conditions where honest conversations could happen.

The feedback also confirmed that the Circle’s impact extended beyond any single session topic. While participants identified financial sustainability, reconciliation and decolonization, burnout, advocacy, collaboration, racism and sexism, and other leadership challenges as particularly valuable discussions, what stood out most was the importance of having a community of peers who understood the realities they were facing.

For us, that may be the most important lesson from this pilot. Leadership development is not only about acquiring new knowledge or skills. It is also about belonging. Leaders need opportunities to connect with others who understand their experiences, challenge their thinking, celebrate their successes, and support them through difficult moments.

The Equity in Leadership Peer Circle was designed as a learning opportunity. It became something more. It became a community.

We are deeply grateful to every participant who trusted us, trusted one another, and helped shape this first cohort. Their openness, honesty, and generosity created something special. As one participant put it, they came to rely on the Circle more than they ever expected.

The first cohort may be finished, but the need for spaces like this remains clear. We look forward to continuing the conversation and supporting the next generation of Equity in Leadership Peer Circle participants.

If you are interested in being part of the second cohort beginning September 2026, please complete this expression of interest form and we’ll be in touch soon!

Written by:

Colleen James, Executive in Residence, Capacity Canada

♦

Colleen James is the Regional Councillor for the City of Kitchener and founder of Divonify Incorporated, bringing more than 15 years of experience in municipal government and equity-focused leadership. An award-winning consultant and community advocate, she is committed to building inclusive communities through collaboration, accountability, and meaningful action.

email: colleen@capacitycanada.ca

Scott Williams, Executive in Residence, Capacity Canada

♦Scott Williams (he/him) is a nonprofit leader and community advocate with more than 20 years of experience advancing mental health and 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion through leadership, volunteerism, and community engagement. Most recently, he served as Executive Director of Spectrum Waterloo Region’s Rainbow Community Space and continues to support Waterloo Region through volunteer leadership and community initiatives.

email: scottwilliams@capacitycanada.ca

The post When Leaders Need Community Too: The Equity in Leadership Peer Circle appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Python version of the Playwright testing and automation library.

Python 14.8k Updated Jul 17

Convert HTML to Markdown

Python 2.2k Updated Jun 30

This is based upon multiple lines of evidence. Unfortunately it's also based upon multiple lies by the Region over the years. Also multiple deceptions. Lies, bragging and puffery do not produce healthy, clean water. The Region of Waterloo based upon their own self congratulatory back patting seem to think otherwise.

Looking at lists of wells and wellfields throughout the Region I find it disheartening to see the following words after too many listed wells namely: Standby, Disconnected, Purge, Abandoned. Also looking at the Number of Significant Threat Activities and the Number of  Properties with Significant Threats as listed in the Grand River Source Protection Area 2025 is downright scary.  Looking at the various listed threats including Nitrates, TCE, Chemicals, DNAPLS, Pathogens, Salt, Chloride  etc. does not build confidence. Another issue I find strange is that despite off and on warnings of water shortages and for example water rationing for lawns, again far too many wells throughout the Region are NOT pumping anywhere near their stated capacities and alleged abilities. Why is that?

I also am aware of the disinterest in soil and groundwater remediation to the point of denial of known facts by our authorities if it will reduce costs and enhance development and building. Growth apparently is never to be stymied or stalled either by lack of water or excess of contaminants. Workarounds, engineering "solutions", natural attenuation or whatever verbal manipulations are required to promote progress and growth at all costs, always wins out. This game is not sustainable and we, our children and following generations will be the big losers.

Playwright's API on a Rust CDP engine — Chromium browser automation for Python & Node, no driver subprocess. (Alpha)

Python 688 Updated Jul 20

New Data Reveals a Growing Gap Between Infrastructure Progress and Support for People

The Business and Economic Support Team of Waterloo Region (BESTWR) today released the second update to the Vision 1 Million Scorecard, a tool tracking Waterloo Region’s readiness to grow to one million residents. One year since its launch, the update offers reason for both confidence and concern.

On physical infrastructure, the region is making some progress. Housing starts have reached 32 percent of the 10-year target of 70,000 homes. The King-Victoria Transit Hub is 60 percent through detailed design. The LRT expansion to Cambridge has submitted funding applications. Highway 7 is advancing through engineering approvals. A side-stream filtration system to temporarily relieve the Mannheim water supply constraint is now being installed, with capacity expected by mid-2027 – though the region’s housing targets remain at risk until a long-term water solution is confirmed, given a development freeze that lasted over six months.

“The systems that move people, shelter them, and connect them to opportunity are being built,” said Ian McLean, President & CEO of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce and Chair of BESTWR. “But the Scorecard also makes clear that building infrastructure is not enough. The metrics that measure how people are actually faring tell a more urgent and concerning story.”

The Scorecard also flags four investments to watch closely over the next six months: the new regional hospital, which remains without a funding commitment; housing, where the long-term water solution remains unresolved; the Waterloo Region Megasite; and Two-Way-All-Day GO, which requires additional weekday and weekend service to reach the promise of All-Day service.

On people-centred metrics, the picture is more troubling. Chronic homelessness stands at over 1,000 individuals. Mental health eligibility assessments average over 130 days. Physician retirements are outpacing new entrants to family medicine, putting an estimated 100,000 residents at risk of losing their family doctor. Ontario continues to provide the lowest per-student post-secondary funding in Canada. And the regional unemployment rate has trended upward to 9.1 percent as of April 2026.

“The findings from this second update reinforce that growing communities must invest in people and services alongside physical infrastructure,” said Dr. Leia Minaker, Director of the Future Cities Institute and Professor in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo. “Investment decisions are challenging and require thoughtful tradeoffs to be made. The scorecard compiles useful data to support community decision-making and action in these complex areas.”

The Scorecard is a living document designed not to assign blame, but to align effort, inform advocacy, and focus attention where action is most needed for those living here now and for those who will join our region in the coming years. Community members are encouraged to explore the full findings at bestwr.org.

The Scorecard represents a collaborative effort among BESTWR’s five member organizations: the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, Communitech, the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, Explore Waterloo Region, and the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation.

About BestWR

The Business and Economic Support Team of Waterloo Region (BestWR) is comprised of five leading business organizations working as partners for economic prosperity and community needs. Currently chaired by the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, BestWR includes: Communitech, the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, Explore Waterloo Region, and the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation.

About Future Cities Institute

The Future Cities Institute founded by CAIVAN at the University of Waterloo conducts research, builds tools, and trains future city builders with a focus on data-driven decision making. The institute brings together global thinkers, industry leaders, and researchers to tackle urban challenges across housing, transportation, infrastructure, and beyond, supporting healthy, prosperous cities built for the future.

MEDIA & GENERAL INQUIRIES CONTACT

Ian McLean, Chair of BestWR

IMcLean@greaterkwchamber.com  | 519.897.1029

The post BESTWR Releases Second Update to Vision 1 Million Scorecard appeared first on Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.