WATERLOO, ON, October 28, 2026 — The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery invites the public to celebrate the launch of Remembrance Every Day, a special publication commemorating the sacrifices of soldiers and peacekeepers through the work of Canadian clay and glass artists, on Saturday, November 8, 2026, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The event will take place in the Gallery’s exhibition space. Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served.

Lead authors John Short and Denis Longchamps, the Gallery’s former Executive Director & Chief Curator, will be in attendance to sign copies of the book and participate in a conversation with the Gallery’s current Executive Director & Chief Curator, Sarah Stanners.

Beautifully designed by Christine Goucher, Remembrance Every Day brings together art, personal reflections, and stories that honour the service and sacrifice of those who have served. The publication opens with contributions from notable Waterloo Region public figures, including the Honourable Bardish Chagger, P.C.; MPP Catherine Fife; Chair Karen Redman; and City of Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe.

The book features full-page colour illustrations of works inspired by Remembrance Day, alongside reflections on the contributions of 25 artists who participated in the Gallery’s Remembrance Every Day exhibition in 2025. It also documents artist-led workshops and installations presented across Canada, extending the project’s spirit of remembrance beyond the Gallery and into communities nationwide.

A dedicated chapter, “Veterans’ Stories,” offers a more personal perspective through rare photographs and testimonials from individuals with military and public service backgrounds. Contributors include retired RCMP Staff Sergeant Major John A. Buis, M.O.M., B.G.S.; Owen Lackenbauer, CD, retired Army Major and former Honorary Colonel of the RHFC; Major Kent Griffiths; and retired Canadian Armed Forces Corporal A.J. Mullett, CD.

Together, these contributions make Remembrance Every Day a lasting tribute to the people whose service and sacrifice deserve recognition—not only on Remembrance Day, but every day.

Remembrance Every Day is available in hardcover for $75 and softcover for $55 at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery Shop.

• What: Remembrance Every Day book launch and author conversation
• When: November 8, 2026, 2–3:30 p.m.
• Where: Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, Waterloo, Ontario
• Admission: Free; light refreshments will be served
• Registration: Register your attendance on Eventbrite
• Books: Hardcover $75; softcover $55, available at the Gallery Shop and online

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ABOUT THE CANADIAN CLAY & GLASS GALLERY
The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is an award-winning national institution based in Waterloo Region celebrating the art and craft of clay, glass, and enamel. As a dynamic cultural organization, they continue to amplify diverse stories — opening dialogue and inspiring social change. Through exhibitions that address issues relevant to our times, an impressive selection of works in our Gallery Shop, and public programs that engage, educate, and excite — the Gallery is accessible to all. For more information, visit: www.theclayandglass.ca

CONTACT
To schedule a media interview or for more information, contact Peter Flannery, Senior Curator & Collections Manager, at 519-746-1882 ext. 235 or peter@theclayandglass.ca

The post Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery to Host Book Launch for Remembrance Every Day first appeared on The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery.

Now despite the title above in fact the removal of the mayors of Waterloo, Cambridge, Wilmot, Wellesley will replace four regional councillors as well with the newly elected mayors. Also both the mayors of Woolwich and North Dumfries did not run again hence there are two new regional councillors there as well. Finally if we take the risk of assuming that Regional Chair Karen Redman is toast then seven out of 16 regionl councillors are gone which is good albeit nowhere good enough. 

That insipid, incompetent if not corrupt council needed a whole scale flushing. True I expect that some of the newer regional councillors over the last four years carried less weight and influence than the more experienced ones. Firstly there was and is the Region of Waterloo Water Shortage. Despite the K-W Record hopping on board the bandwagon and agreeing that emergency and interim actions have solved a crisis that has been building for decades; it is not remotely resolved. Secondly there is the 770 acre land acquisition removing productive farmland that we need. Thirdly we just found out this morning that our regional council has managed to seriously upset our major transit partners GrandLinq to the point of a major lawsuit. How utterly convenient for the incumbent twits oops I mean councillors that the Record delayed publishing this story until the day AFTER the election!  

I have serious concerns about the independence and integrity behind the Record these days. Has that paper mostly become a mouthpiece for the status quo or has it always been so? I still see occasional good things from the Record but I also see way too much of the opposite.

There’s something special about the holiday season in Waterloo Region. From twinkling lights and festive markets to cozy cafés, family-friendly traditions, and neighbourhoods that feel a little more magical this time of year, there are so many ways to make the most of the season close to home.

Whether you’re planning a weekend outing with the kids, looking for a festive date night, or hoping to start a few new holiday traditions, Kitchener-Waterloo has plenty to offer. And the best part? You don’t have to travel far to find a little holiday magic.

To help you make the most of the season, we’ve rounded up 15 things to add to your Kitchener-Waterloo holiday bucket list.

Keep reading to get more details about each idea (plus a few extra tips or ways to make the activity even more fun!)

Nothing says the holidays quite like an evening spent admiring sparkling lights. Bundle up, grab a hot chocolate, and explore local light displays throughout Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and the surrounding communities.

Keep an eye out for seasonal displays at local parks, public spaces, and neighbourhood homes. You can even turn it into a family tradition by choosing a new route each year or letter everyone vote on their favourite display.

Make it a little more fun: Bring along a thermos of hot chocolate and create a holiday lights svaenger hunt.

Lights to look out for:

• Wonders of Winter in Waterloo Park (November 28 – January 2)
• Gift of Lights at Bingemans (November 20 – January 2)
• St. Jacobs Sparkles in the Village of St. Jacobs (November 12-15, 19-22)

If you love the atmosphere of a traditional European Christmas market, the annual Christkindl Market is a must-add to your holiday calendar. Isnpirated by German Christmas markets, this festival event brings the downtown core to lfie with seasonal decorations, artisan vendors, holiday treats, and plenty of opportunities to get into the spirit of the season.

Browse the vendor stalls for unique gifts, enjoy something delicious, and soak up the festive atmosphere with freinds or family.

Did you know: This year, the Christkindl Market is celebrating its 30th anniversary by expanding to 10 days of festive fun!

Skip the crowded big-box stores for an afternoon and discover some of the incredible independent shops throughout Waterloo Region.

From handmade ceramics and locally crafted jewellery to specality foods, home decor, and thoughful gifts, shoping local is a great way to find something unique while supporting the businesses that make our community special.

Explore independent shops in Downtown Kitchener, Uptown Waterloo, Belmont Village, and the surrounding neighbourhoods. You might even dsicvoer a new favourite store to visit all year long.

Make it a challenge: Try to find a gift for everyone on your list from a local business this year. You could even turn it into a family-wide rule this year!

Show even more support: One way you can support local businesses for free is by giving them some love on social media. If you find a shop you love, give them a follow and share some of their posts!

We’ve already included it as a holiday lights destination. A short drive from Kitchener-Waterloo, St. Jacobs is a wonderful destination for a festive day trip. With its charming village atmosphere, independent shops, and nearby market, it’s a great place to slow down and enjoy the season.

Pick up seasonal goodies, find great gifts, and enjoy a leisurely afternoon exploring the village. Depending on the timing of your visit, you may also find special holiday events and seasonal activities.

Our tip: Take a look at the St. Jacobs Sparkles event schedule to find out when certain festivities are taking place. That way you won’t miss out on free horse-drawn wagon rides, carollers, or the big man himself.

Few winter activities feel as nostalgic as skating outdoors. WHen weather and ice conditions allow, head to a lcoal outdoor rink for an afternoon or evening on the ice.

Kitchener and Waterloo have a variety of indoor and outdoor skating options, making it easy to find something for beginners, experienced skaters, and families alike.

A few tips:

• Dress in warm layers
• Check municipal rink schedules and outdoor ice conditions before leaving home (Outdoor skting availability depends on the weather).
• Ice skates are available to borrow from the Waterloo Public Library’s Eastside Branch year-round, and seaonally fromt he McCormick Branch.
• Finish your skate with a cozy drink

Sometimes, the best holiday activity is simply getting out and exploring your own community.

Spend an afternoon walking through Downtown Kitchener or Uptown Waterloo to admire seasonal decorations, browse storefronts, and discover local restaurants and cafés. Stop for a coffee, pop into a shop you’ve never visited, or enjoy a meal somewhere new.

It’s an easy, low-cost way to enjoy the season without having to plan an entire day around a major event.

Try this: Pick a neighbourhood, park the car, and see how many local businesses you can discover on foot.

The holidays are made for sweet treats, and Waterloo Region has plenty of bakeries and cafés worth exploring.

Make a morning of it by visiting a local bakery for gingerbread cookies, festive pastries, butter tarts, shortbread, or another seasonal favourite. You could even create your own holiday treat tour and visit a few spots across the region.

Looking for a new family tradition? Pick up a selection of treats to enjoy at home while decorating the tree or watching a favourite holiday movie.

Bonus points: Once you’ve tasted a few treats, support a local bakery by ordering your holiday desserts ahead of time for a big family event.

A trip to the Kitchener Market is a great way to shop for fresh ingredients, discover local vendors, and find inspiration for your holiday table.

Browse seasonal produce, baked goods, specialty foods, and locally made products. It’s also a great place to pick up ingredients for a festive brunch, put together a thoughtful host gift, or find something delicious to bring to a holiday gathering.

If you’re hosting thie year, shopping at the market is a simple way to add a lcoal touch to your celebration.

Our favourite idea: Build a holiday snack board using ingredients sources from local vendors.

When the holiday hustle starts to feel a little overwhelming, a quiet winter walk can be the perfect reset.

Waterloo Region has plenty of trails and natural spaces to explore, including scenic sections along the Grand River. Bundle up and enjoy the peaceful winter scenery, crisp air, and a little time away from busy shopping centres and packed schedules.

Choose a route that suits your group’s comfort level, and remember that snow and ice can make some trails more challenging during the winter months.

Make it a tradition: Take a family photo in the same spot every December and watch how the seasons (and your family) change over the years.

Who says holiday activities have to be all about the kids? The season is also a great excuse to plan a special night out.

Book dinner at a local restaurant, catch a live performance, explore a festive event, or enjoy an evening walk through a decorated downtown. You could also make a night of trying a new restaurant followed by dessert or coffee at a neighbourhood café.

The goal is to step away from the holiday to-do list and spend some quality time together.

Date-night challenge: Plan the entire evening around businesses and activities you haven’t tried before.

If you’re looking for gifts with a little more personality, add a local craft market to your holiday bucket list.

Seasonal artisan markets throughout Waterloo Region often feature handmade goods, artwork, jewellery, home décor, and specialty food products. They’re a great way to discover local makers while finding gifts that feel more personal than something picked up off a shelf.

Keep an eye on community event listings, like the Etsy Waterloo Region Holiday Market, as the holidays approach to find markets happening near you.

Why we love it: You get to support local creators while checking a few names off your shopping list.

Few things capture the excitement of the holiday season quite like a Santa Claus parade! Make it a family tradition to bundle up, find a spot along the parade route, and enjoy the festive floats, marching bands, community groups, and, of course, a special appearance from Santa himself.

The Kitchener-Waterloo area is home to beloved seasonal parade traditions, making this a wonderful way to get out into the community and celebrate with neighbours. Bring the kids, pack some warm drinks, and arrive early to find a good viewing spot.

This year’s parade will take place on November 21.

Don’t forget:

• Bring food donations or money to donate to the Food Bank of Waterloo Region.
• Pack your letters to Santa for Canada Post to deliver.

Waterloo Region offers plenty of opportunities to make the holidays exciting for little ones. Depending on the year’s programming, you may find seasonal workshops, family events, holiday performances, and special activities at local attractions.

Check the event calendars for places such as THEMUSEUM, local libraries, community centres, and nearby family attractions to see what’s happening during the school break.

You can also create your own adventure with a holiday scavenger hunt, a neighbourhood lights tour, or a day spent exploring somewhere new.

Parent tip: Choose one or two activities rather than filling every day. Leaving room for unplanned fun can make the holiday break feel much more relaxing.

Sometimes, a change of scenery is exactly what you need to get into the holiday spirit. Fortunately, Kitchener-Waterloo is surrounded by charming communities and outdoor destinations that make excellent winter day trips.

Consider exploring Elmira, St. Jacobs, Elora, or other nearby towns for independent shopping, scenic walks, local cafés, and seasonal events.

Depending on the weather, you could also plan a winter hike or visit a nearby conservation area for a little outdoor adventure.

Idea: The Elora Santa Claus parade is a great evening parade. The parade travels through the beautifully lit-up downtown. It’s a sight to see!

Planning tip: Check opening hours, event schedules, road conditions, and trail advisories before setting out, especially during the winter months.

Our final bucket-list item is one you can enjoy without buying a ticket, making a reservation, or driving anywhere.

The holidays are a wonderful time to create traditions that make your house feel like home. Whether you bake cookies every December, host an annual holiday brunch, decorate the tree together, or invite friends over for a festive potluck, small rituals can become the memories everyone looks forward to year after year.

If you have children, let them choose one activity to add to the calendar. If you’re hosting friends or extended family, consider starting a tradition that brings everyone together.

And if this is your first holiday season in a new home, it’s the perfect opportunity to make the space your own and create traditions that will grow with you.

From exploring festive markets and discovering local businesses to enjoying winter walks and creating cozy traditions at home, there are so many ways to enjoy the holiday season in Kitchener-Waterloo.

You don’t need to check off all 15 activities to make the most of the holidays. Choose a few that suit your family’s interests, try something new, and leave plenty of room for the little moments that make this time of year special.

After all, one of the best things about living in Waterloo Region is having so many wonderful experiences right in our own backyard.

The holiday season has a funny way of making us feel like we need to bring home more: more decorations, more tableware, more throw pillows, more seasonal everything.

But a festive home doesn’t have to mean a shopping trip.

In fact, some of the best holiday decorating comes from using what you already have, and bringing back the pieces you look forward to seeing every year. Because traditions are often what make a home feel the most festive.

Here are a few ways to make your home feel holiday-ready without buying anything new.

Before you browse the holiday aisles, take a look at what you already have tucked away in storage.

Maybe you have a box of ornaments, a favourite garland, a collection of holiday mugs, or decorations that have been part of your family’s celebrations for years. Bring them back out and give them a fresh spot in your home.

And remember: you don’t have to use everything every year. Choosing a few favourite pieces can make them feel more special and keep your home from feeling overcrowded.

There’s something comforting about seeing the same decorations year after year.

The same wreath on the door. The same ornaments on the tree. The same stockings by the fireplace. Maybe even the same holiday tablecloth that has somehow survived years of Christmas dinners.

We often think of decorating as an opportunity to create something new, but repeating the same decor can be a tradition in itself.

Those familiar pieces become part of the holiday experience and over time, they can carry memories of people, places and celebrations from years past.

So don’t feel like you need a completely different look every December. Sometimes, familiar is festive.

You don’t necessarily need new decor. You may just need a new arrangement.

Move a few existing pieces to a different room. Group decorations together on a console table or bookshelf. Bring a favourite piece into a more visible spot.

A few simple changes can make your home feel different without adding anything to it.

You can also try decorating in unexpected places. A small collection of ornaments in a bowl, a string of lights around a mirror, or a favourite holiday piece on an entryway table can add a seasonal touch without requiring a whole-room makeover.

The pressure to keep up with decor trends stems from a number of things, but you don’t always have to have a fully decorated home each holiday season. If you talk to your friends, they’re probably feeling similar.

Want to switch things up without spending a dollar? Invite a few friends over for a holiday decoration swap.

Everyone can bring a few decorations they’re no longer using, then trade pieces with each other. That wreath you’ve had for years might be exactly what someone else is looking for, and you could discover a “new-to-you” favourite without adding anything new to the shopping cart.

This also comes in handy if you or a friend have recently moved. Someone who has recently downsized may not have the same spaces to decorate, whereas someone looking to buy a house for their growing family may have room for a few more decorations.

Look around your home (and outside it) for simple, seasonal elements you can use.

Waterloo Region has a lot of beautiful nature to offer. Pine branches, evergreen clippings, pinecones, branches and dried flowers can all add texture and a wintery feel to your space. Even a simple arrangement in a vase can make an entryway, dining table or mantel feel festive.

If you have a backyard, garden or nearby green space where gathering natural materials is permitted, you may already have the makings of a beautiful seasonal display.

Sometimes making your home feel festive has less to do with what you put out and more to do with how the space feels.

Turn on the warm lamps instead of overhead lights. Light a candle. Put on your favourite holiday playlist. Bring out the mugs you only use this time of year. Make a batch of your favourite holiday recipe.

These small rituals can completely change the feeling of a room without changing the room itself.

Holiday decor doesn’t have to come from a store.

Display your kids’ handmade ornaments. Bring out old family photos. Use handwritten recipe cards as part of your kitchen decor. Put a collection of well-loved holiday books somewhere everyone can reach them.

The things that have a story behind them often make the best decorations.

And if something has been part of your family’s holiday celebrations for years, that’s a pretty good reason to keep bringing it back out.

There can be a lot of pressure to make your home look perfectly festive during the holidays. But your home doesn’t need to look like a catalogue to feel special.

Maybe the tree has mismatched ornaments. Maybe your decorations have been collected over 15 years. Maybe the same garland comes out every December.

That’s okay.

Before buying something new, take a look around your home and ask: What do I already have that could make this space feel festive?

You might find that you have everything you need.

Because the best holiday traditions aren’t always about what we add. Sometimes, they’re about what we bring back year after year.

Happy decorating!

Check out:

Preparing your home for holiday guests and gatherings
Money-saving tips for the holiday season
Decorate your Christmas tree like a pro

We’re pleased to share the recording of the Ontario Water Consortium’s (OWC) Innovation Showcase Fall 2026 webinar, Forecasting a Changing Climate: AI, Flood Resilience and the Future of Ontario’s Watersheds. This panel discussion, featuring Dr. Andre R. Erler alongside experts from Conservation Ontario, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, and Western University, explores how artificial intelligence, advanced forecasting technologies, and operational expertise can strengthen flood preparedness and watershed resilience across Ontario.

The webinar highlights HydroSphereAI and its ongoing pilot with Conservation Ontario across 10 Ontario watersheds. By integrating machine learning models, weather forecasts, and real-time monitoring data, HydroSphereAI generates daily streamflow forecasts to support water management decisions. The discussion also examines the opportunities and challenges of implementing AI-driven forecasting in operational workflows, emphasizing the importance of combining emerging technologies with physical models and local expertise.

Key Highlights:

• Learn how AI-driven hydrological forecasting can improve flood preparedness and watershed resilience.

• Discover how HydroSphereAI is being piloted across 10 Ontario watersheds in collaboration with Conservation Ontario.

• Understand the challenges of forecasting extreme events, managing weather uncertainty, and adapting to changing climate conditions.

• Explore how AI, physics-based models, and operational expertise can support more informed water management decisions.

This session is especially valuable for conservation authorities, watershed managers, hydrologists, researchers, and water resource professionals interested in applying emerging forecasting technologies to improve flood risk management and climate resilience.

Watch the recording now to learn how HydroSphereAI and collaborative innovation are advancing flood forecasting and supporting more resilient watershed management across Ontario.

Watch The Recording

There is an old joke about a young boy advising his father that when he grows up he wants a career in organized crime. His father then asks him whether he means Private or Government Organized Crime. Oh my but I suspect many of our citizens, especially the younger ones, would not get it. Or would not believe it.

Our governments at all levels are subject to laws just as we individual citizens are. Unfortunately most of the laws governing their actions and behaviours, one appear to have very few personal consequences unlike ours and two seem to be greatly underused. Yes we hear about the odd case of government overreach making it's way through the courts all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Examples would be whether or not the Federal Liberal government invoked the War Measures Act inappropriately or not during the truckers' occupation and strike  in Ottawa a few years back. Another is the upcoming Supreme Court of Canada case to decide the legality and constitutionality of the so called gun Buyback Program in Canada. From a few rifles with some characteristics, but not all, of military assault rifles the (shi#) list of naughty rifles has expanded to about 2,500 makes and models. Again some of these share visual characteristics with real military weapons although many do not.

As a general rule it might be either likely or wishful thinking that some or many of the illegalities that our various levels of government have indulged in are less due to malfeasance or misfeasance versus what organized crime may be involved in. Now of course illegalities such as Watergate, toppling of foreign governments, possible hits on members of foreign governments; all are extremely serious and can and should not be excused. 

Other illegal behaviour however can also be chalked up to politics. Gerrymandering or altering of electoral boundaries in order to artificially change the voting electorate in a particular riding happens at all levels. Failure to properly or honestly fill out election Financial Statements is another one. This has occurred here locally in Woolwich Township and was an embarrassment  to both the individuals involved as well as to the whole Township. Lobbying rules and norms are often under attack along with rules and laws around Party donations, campaign donations etc. 

Political corruption is a more obvious and bigger deal in some third world countries and non democratic locales. If the levers of government are applied unevenly or contrary to law then action may be required. That said there is no reason for smugness either in Canada or the United States as just about every possible form of political and governmental corruption has been undertaken both successfully or otherwise over the history of both countries.

♦

I have had some excellent calamari fritti at various restaurants over many years, as I’m sure you have. When done properly — which is actually quite rarely — the resulting morsel can be exquisite if the light breading is very crisp and the squid rings perfectly cooked with the slightest “toothsomeness” inside. You might also enjoy a mildly spicy aioli and some greens with Asian spicing to accompany.

But when not fried and crispy, a mouthful of squid in a seafood salad is quite unsatisfactory. It got me thinking about the technique to prepare the ingredient and dish and the hoary old myth that I’ve heard, and which literally bobs around, about plopping a wine cork into the pot of boiling water in which the squid is being cooked. Have you heard it?

It has seemed to hold some truth among a number of different kitchens of the world that as they prepare calamari dishes a cork in the water prevents the squid from becoming “rubbery,” the term usually applied to squid that has been overcooked. There is little rationale for the myth other than someone proclaiming, “My Nonna did it in her cucina.”

But just so you know, I have done an experiment to test the myth. Using real and man-made corks, and trying to keep it as “scientific” as possible, I boiled off a few batches of squid.

I then sampled each batch of squid—including one that was cooked sans cork—and found no difference in the tenderness of the calamari at all.

So, here’s what I simply suggest: drink the wine while you’re cooking your squid — toss the cork to recycling. It is, however, a fun so-called kitchen hack and culinary myth to think about. But remember: always, always toss a bit of salt over your left shoulder if you knock over the salt shaker.

Check out my latest post The “cork-in-the-squid-water” myth from AndrewCoppolino.com.

Well I'm wrong. Just like I mentioned here on Thursday that I'm apparently not Presidential material it also seems that I'm neither polluter material nor fit to work for the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Decades ago shortly after I lost my job with that pillar of the community and self-professed protector of the environment, Severin Argenton, owner of Varnicolor Chemical, I thought that I would like to work with the Min. of Environment (M.O.E.) preferably in their enforcement section. I had visions of myself stepping in either undercover or in uniform and enforcing pollution laws prohibiting illegal dumping, discharges and so forth. Instead I slowly realized that the job of their inspectors was to coach, whine, beg and plead recalcitrant, dirty pigs into seeing the light. If that failed then they were to make friends with them such that they would only have good things to say about our impoverished, impotent and incompetent M.O.E..

So what do I mean by expecting to see a "push" from Lanxess and the now named MECP? They've been bragging and touting their pump & treat system for decades now so silly me I expected that they'd up significantly both their off-site pumping and as we've been often told over the decades also their on-site pumping to ensure hydraulic containment of their gross contamination was maintained on their site. Not a chance. Yes their total off-site pumping here in Elmira has the last several years risen from around 53 litres per second to closer to 60 or 63 litres per second. At the same time however they've reduced their on-site pumping both in the Municipal drinking water aquifers as well as in their shallow Upper Aquifer that is supposed to stop contaminated discharge to the Canagagigue Creek. What the hell are they doing?

It appears to me that they've either thrown in the towel or they've gotten permission from our corrupt MECP to go ahead and increase the slow leakage from their site into the rest of Elmira. Can it be as blatant as it appears? Are Lanxess trying to speed up the cleanup of their property via letting their crap accelerate its' off-site mobilization? Meanwhile I never hear a word from TRAC at the public meetings four or five times a year asking any of these questions. Not a peep from them about reduced pumping in the Municipal Upper Aquifer (MU) on-site from pumping wells PW4 and now PW6 compared to the past pumping by PW4 and PW5. Similarly the number of wells allegedly containing the Upper Aquifer (UA) discharge to the "Gig" has been reduced and more importantly the volumes of water.   

Sandy's intervention in public consultation in 2015 has done exactly what was expected of it and  Lanxess and the corrupt MECP thank her for it. Expect laurels and awards down the line rewarding her for her corporate homage and obedience although it will be worded grandly as "Environmental warrior of the decade" or some such drivel. 

The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC), the largest conference for women in tech, was cancelled last week just two weeks before it was scheduled to take place. Individual ticket registrations and corporate sponsorships fell significantly below expectations, to the point that the event was no longer financially viable.

I was surprised and saddened by the news. Since 1994, GHC has been the premier event for women in tech, giving many women the opportunity to deliver technical talks, build connections, and meet recruiters looking for talented engineers.

My first GHC in 2006 changed my life. Seriously. As a senior engineering leader at Adobe, I returned determined to better support women. I founded Adobe’s women’s employee resource group, mentored more women, and advocated for greater gender representation in engineering.

That passion eventually led me to leave tech, become a leadership coach, and write Better Allies.

Now, I hope you’ll be inspired to do something in the wake of this cancellation. Whether you work in tech or another field, give often-underestimated coworkers a platform to share their expertise. Here are a few ideas:

• Share the spotlight. Invite colleagues who are less visible in your organization to deliver project updates at team meetings.
• Create opportunities. Start a lunch-and-learn series and invite them to present.
• Make introductions. Connect them with conference organizers seeking speakers or panelists.
• Pass the mic. When you’re invited to speak at an event, consider recommending a qualified colleague who gets fewer such opportunities.
• Support them as they prepare. Offer to attend a practice run. Ask whether they’d like feedback and what kind would be most useful.

And here’s one more idea specifically about GHC: If a team member was scheduled to speak at this year’s conference, offer to host an event so they can still share their work. Or encourage them to post a video clip or carousel of some key points from their talk online and to tag Reshma Saujani on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Threads. Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, wants to amplify the expertise of the would-be GHC speakers to her hundreds of thousands of followers.

Share this action on Instagram or LinkedIn.

Sponsor 5 Ally Actions and put your brand or business in front of 40,000 caring individuals in business, healthcare, education, and non-profits.

Or, say thanks to Karen and buy her a coffee ☕.

The cancellation of GHC amid a lack of corporate support is a reminder that events promoting greater representation in a field need sponsors willing to invest in them.

Take a look at what your organization is doing to sponsor such events. If support has been scaled back in the last year or two, ask why. And let decision-makers know you’ve noticed and how it affects you and your coworkers.

If the explanation is that events focused on representation constitute “unlawful DEI” under President Trump’s executive orders, consider pointing to a recent example that raises a question about consistency: Melania Trump’s Imperia. It’s an invite-only network and forum for female CEOs, executives, and founders.

After all, if initiatives supporting women in leadership are worth celebrating in one context, why should supporting women in other professional fields be off the table?

Should educators encourage or discourage students to use AI?

Someone asked this question last week during a talk by Paula Goldman about her new book Manage the Machine: How to Harness Human-AI Collaboration at Work.

Goldman made a compelling point: Future employers will be looking for people skilled at working with AI, so educators need to prepare students for that demand. I found myself nodding in agreement.

On my drive home, though, I started thinking about a potential downside. Could celebrating the skills of AI natives inadvertently reinforce ageism at work?

I revisited a 2022 Harvard Business Review article, I Was a Manager in an Ageist Workplace, in which Nicole D. Smith described ageist behaviors that had become normalized in her organization. Older workers resisted collaborating with younger colleagues, while younger employees disparaged older colleagues’ skills and willingness to learn.

These assumptions hurt everyone. As Smith explained, ageism can limit contributions, devalue employees, and undermine job satisfaction and engagement.

One recommendation she offered for disrupting ageism: Equally laud the skills of digital natives and the knowledge of older workers.

For 2026, I’d update that advice to include AI skills. Recognize colleagues who are adept at using AI, regardless of their age. And recognize the experience, judgment, and institutional knowledge that colleagues of all ages bring to their work.

Consider who you endorse publicly. Review the recommendations you make for promotions and awards. Think about the kudos you give casually.

If you haven’t been valuing and praising the skills of both younger and older colleagues, you’ve got some work to do.

After reading last week’s newsletter, Cindy Poore-Pariseau wished I’d included a caveat acknowledging that some people are not ready to disclose their pronouns, are gender-fluid, or may be in the “questioning” category.

I agree. We don’t want to pressure anyone to share their pronouns if they don’t want to.

I bet we’ve all filled out forms that require us to share our pronouns. And participated in icebreakers where the meeting leader says, “Now everyone, introduce yourself and tell us your pronouns.”

As I learned from Jeannie Gainsburg, author of The Savvy Ally, the best way to gather pronouns is to create systems or practices that allow everyone to share them if they want to. This avoids singling anyone out whose pronouns are unknown, while signaling that your workplace or conference is an LGBTQ+ welcoming and inclusive place.

When gathering pronouns on forms, providing pronoun stickers at conferences, creating name tags, or asking about pronouns in any other setting, make sure people know that sharing is optional.

And as Poore-Pariseau pointed out to me, if we don’t know someone’s pronouns, we can simply use their name.

This week’s action from the Better Allies community comes from Melissa Segal.

A few years after moving into her neighborhood, Segal discovered that it had originally been named “__ Plantation.” Although the name had been changed to “__ Manor” before her phase was built, the original name remained attached to some properties and appeared in electronic records and real estate listings.

Segal was appalled. So she got to work.

She gathered information from a neighbor who was a real estate attorney, repeatedly contacted city and county officials, tracked down owners of outdated websites, and worked with local real estate agents to get the old name removed from listings and digital records. She then encouraged neighbors to make sure the updated name would appear on future property deeds, too.

As Segal told me,

“While it was a lot of work, it was worth it to finally have the old name fully gone and ensure that the neighborhood feels inclusive throughout!”

Thank you for your persistence and for reminding us that making a community more inclusive sometimes means tackling the outdated systems and records that keep a harmful legacy alive. ❤️

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

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

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

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

Copyright © 2026 Karen Catlin. All rights reserved.

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

• Say thanks to Karen and buy her a coffee ☕ (Need a receipt for educational reimbursement? Reply to this email, and we’ll take care of it.)
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Give Someone A Platform To Share Their Expertise, 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.

Chemtura several years back as part of the untruthful claim that they were going to triple off-site pumping via adding more wells added wells W8, W9, W6A & W6B. They also shut down pumping well W4 beside the Howard St. Water Tower, likely prematurely, as diffused chlorobenzene from the DNAPL pool at the bottom of OW57-32R is still back diffusing into the aquifer there beside the Water Tower. Well W3 on Industrial Dr. was replaced by pumping well W3R beside it. W5A/B remained just off-site at the south end of the former Uniroyal Chemical and pumping well E7 way down at the south end of town has continued pumping although on an odd schedule in what they call "pulse" pumping. The new wells W6A & W6B along with W8 are pumping at extremely low rates for the purpose of containing and slowly removing off-site sources of chlorobenzene along with accompanying tinier amounts of NDMA. W6A and W6B are located at the south end of the former Borg Textile property along Oriole Parkway. Pumping wells W8 and W9 are both screened in the Municipal Lower Aquifer to the west off-site of Uniroyal/Lanxess where they intercept the known DNAPL that flowed over to the Nutrite/Yara site decades ago. W9 also pumps some NDMA whether from the former textile factory beside it or from Uniroyal Chemical.

So what is the big deal above and beyond Chemtura lying about tripling the volume of off-site pumping back in November 2012? Well it's about the Ontario MECP (Environment, Conservation & Parks) and Lanxess still lying about other sources of NDMA, chlorobenzene and more to the Elmira Aquifers. O.K. we get it! Uniroyal are bad! They took a sweetheart deal from the Ministry of Environment back in 1991 to accept full blame for all contamination in exchange for a lighter sentence (i.e. less cleanup particularly DNAPL $$$$$$$$$). 

Lanxess went so far as to finger some anonymous "other" sources of chlorobenzene along First St. a couple of years ago at a TRAC meeting in order to quell speculation about the "excess" 1,900 kg. of chlorobenzene discovered by Dr. Neil Thompson (U. of Waterloo) around 2018. Lanxess and the MECP were looking stupid after that denying my claims of other sources including Varnicolor Chemical, Borg Textile and westward gravity flowing chlorobenzene DNAPL from Uniroyal Chemical without providing an alternative for the "excess" 1,900 kg.. 

Apparently the last thing they ever want to do is give credit to a citizen scientist who has exposed the many lies that their inadequate and ineffective pump & treat remediation is based upon. They don't want to admit that I, Rich Clausi and Esther Thur were right in 1994 and since about DNAPLS. They don't want to admit  that the Ontario Ministry of Environment makes sweetheart deals with polluters, not in the public interest, but to avoid being exposed as incompetent or worse.  

When I was a kid, I had an old black-and-white CRT TV, with three channels and knobs you had to turn to change channels or adjust the volume. It was already an antique by 1980s standards, but it was the “kids’ TV,” and I was perfectly happy with it. We had a newer one in the living room, with both a remote control and little buttons hidden behind a flap.

But according to my father, “remote controls are for lazy people,” so for a while he kept getting up to turn the volume up or down, which, from the perspective of my five-year-old self, seemed like a rather absurd way to defend the value of effort.

We used to call the remote “la zapette” in France back then (a slightly outdated word that I still quite like). It had already eliminated one particularly painful task: getting off the sofa. My kids grew up with voice assistants, and I’m not sure whether I should be proud or embarrassed about this, but both of them counted “Hey Google, play Netflix” among their first official sentences.

Today, I think back to my button-operated TV with a bit of nostalgia. Not because I reject technology, but because there was something to do. That feeling of fiddling with it, going a little too far, then turning back until the picture was stable and you finally found the right channel. That whole “tinkering” phase was part of the TV time my parents allowed me, and it was a ritual I loved.

Sure, it was less efficient than a voice command. But between wanting to watch TV and finally getting a clear picture, there was a whole little journey. And maybe it’s that little bit of the journey that I miss today.

With AI, I feel like we’re doing the exact opposite: trying to make that journey as short as possible.

I’ve been working in data and AI for about fifteen years. Automating things is literally part of my job. Yesterday with data processing pipelines, today with AI agents. So let’s just say I’m not exactly an enemy of technology.

But for a while now, there’s been a question nagging at me. I feel like we spend a lot of time asking what we can automate, and much less time asking what we should automate.

And the method is more or less always the same. We start with an existing process, look at what could be automated, then estimate what we could gain in time, efficiency or cost. If an agent can write meeting minutes, produce code or carry out several steps for us, why keep doing it manually?

In corporate talk, we systematically hear the same reassuring disclaimer: “Of course, our AI is human-centric. We keep humans in the loop.”

OK, but what exactly are they doing in that loop?

If I exaggerate a little, we often end up with a pretty simple model:

The AI does the work.
The human reads it, checks it, approves it.

Of course, that supervision is essential in many situations. But I still struggle to see how putting a human somewhere in the loop is enough to make a system human-centric, especially if their role is essentially to check what the machine has produced.

AI is supposed to be our tool. We should probably avoid optimizing everything so much that we end up becoming a tool in the chain.

Because if we really want to keep a place for humans in work, I hope we have something more to offer them than quality control.

And more importantly, what happens if checking, correcting and approving eventually becomes the main part of our jobs?

I used to love coding.

Not just having code that worked. Coding.

I loved the hands-on side of it: starting with an idea, writing a few slightly shaky lines of code, running them, seeing that of course they didn’t work on the first try, debugging, and trying again until finally the expected result appeared in the terminal.

There’s a little bit of magic in that. I’ve always loved it.

I also loved learning. Every time I changed jobs, I discovered new languages, new libraries, new frameworks. I dug around forums, tried things out, struggled with completely incomprehensible errors.

Basically, I spent an absurd amount of time searching, trying things and getting things wrong. A beautiful waste of time, by the usual standards of a process optimisation consultant.

When coding assistants arrived, I loved them. I would code, something would break, and I’d copy the error message into the assistant to understand what was wrong.

It was a bit like having a senior colleague looking over my shoulder, always available, but without the sighing, the “did you read the docs?” and the fear of asking a stupid question.

AI removed some of the frustration without removing the pleasure of doing the work.

But the tools kept improving. Today, I can ask them to produce a large part of the code for me. I explain exactly what I want, go and get myself a coffee, and by the time I come back, the code is already there.

All that’s left is to review it. Hard to complain.

At first, you happily delegate the parts you enjoy least (let’s be honest, nobody likes writing unit tests). And then, little by little, automation starts eating into the fun part too.

Congratulations, I’m more productive now. I’ve also become the reviewer of the activity I loved most.

And I have to admit, that leaves me with a strange question: if my work becomes more efficient but I enjoy doing it less, can we really say it has become “better”?

Don’t worry, I’m not planning to start an association for the defence of hand-written code. Not everyone shares my passion for debugging.

But the whole thing did make me realise something: when we decide to automate a task, we spend a lot of time looking at what we’re going to gain. Much less at what we might lose.

Coding literally means “producing code,” sure. But it’s also experimenting, searching, testing, understanding, trying something improbable just to see what happens, learning and sometimes even having fun (Please tell me I’m not the only one ! ).

So yes, if an AI assistant can do in a few minutes what would have taken me a whole day, it seems silly not to use it. But are we sure we haven’t left something interesting behind along the way?

And what if my story about being a nostalgic developer were just one example among many?

OK, by this point, you can probably see where I’m going with this. My brain, raised on a steady diet of science fiction, was never going to stop at a nice little story about code and productivity. If I’m going to think about a problem, I might as well immediately imagine how badly it could go. People who know me know that I can go on about these topics for quite a while.

Dystopias are unbeatable when it comes to existential questions: they take an idea, push it to its most extreme consequences and force us to ask where the line is.

Imagine we just keep happily optimizing, automating and delegating to machines everything they can do for us. Not three months from now. Not next year. Let’s push the slider much further, just to see. What might the worst-case scenario look like?

Fortunately, screenwriters have already imagined quite a few ways for humanity to mess things up. And two of them immediately came to mind.

The first is WALL-E.

You know the humans in their floating chairs? They no longer need to walk, wait, search or even really look around. Everything comes to them, immediately. Their entire daily life is designed to make things easier for them.

From an OKR perspective, “remove all friction from the user experience” can officially be marked green. Mission accomplished. The problem is that apparently nobody thought to add “still want to do anything” to the KPI list.

Let’s just say that if this was supposed to be the ultimate goal of human progress, perhaps we should have defined the success criteria a little better. Because by gradually removing every constraint, they also let a whole bunch of things disappear that are much harder to fit into a dashboard: curiosity, movement, encounters, discovery, wonder.

The most unsettling part is that nobody wakes up one morning and decides to give all of that up. Every small step backwards seems perfectly logical. Why walk when you can be carried? Why search when a machine can search for you? Why do something yourself when you can delegate it?

OK, don’t worry, I don’t think subscribing to ChatGPT Plus is the first step towards the floating chairs in WALL-E. But I like what the film forces us to look at: if we remove all friction, what else do we remove without really noticing?

And then there’s Severance.

And strangely enough, that one speaks to me even more when I think about work. In the show, without spoiling anything, the employees don’t spend their days doing nothing. Quite the opposite. They work. A lot, actually. They process data, follow procedures, check that everything is compliant. They know exactly what they have to do.

The small problem is that their work is so compartmentalised that they have no idea what they are really contributing to, or what happens before or after their part. It’s hard to get more literally “disconnected from your work” than that.

Of course, this is a dystopia, so nobody is suggesting that your next copilot is going to turn the open-plan office into Lumon Industries.

In the show, the distance between the characters and their own work is pushed to the extreme. And maybe that’s what bothers me most. If tomorrow AI produces, builds, searches and experiments while we spend more and more of our time reviewing, controlling and approving what it has done, we are still working.

We are even still “in the loop.” That famous loop.

It’s just that our place in it has changed. By constantly optimizing, we risk eventually reducing the human role to a very specialised one: supervising, checking, approving. Ok, it’s efficient. But how do you keep feeling truly involved in an outcome when you took part in none of the experiments, none of the mistakes, none of the choices that got you there?

Because all those little, not-very-optimized detours have a purpose too: understanding what we’re doing, knowing what we brought to it, sometimes feeling proud of it and, ultimately, putting a little bit of ourselves into it.

And unlike the characters in Severance, we don’t have one part of our brains dedicated to work and another one for the rest of our lives. How we feel at work, how interesting we find it, how much we want to invest ourselves in it, inevitably spills over a little.

In the end, my two dystopias offer two fairly unappealing versions of the future: having almost nothing left to do, or carrying on working without really understanding what we’re contributing to. So naturally, whenever I hear people talking about the “future of work,” I’d quite like us to avoid having to choose between the two.

Now mix them together, add a few AI agents and there you go: my dystopian brain is delighted. Personally, I find it pretty terrifying.

Recently, I was talking with my manager about the future of the Data Scientist profession. His view, in short: “The more senior people will manage agents.”

That sentence bothered me a little.

Not really because I think that future is impossible. Quite the opposite. What surprised me was that it was presented as the natural, even desirable evolution of the profession: you start by doing the work, you become an expert, then one day you gradually stop doing it and start supervising agents that do it for you.

And apparently, that’s supposed to be good news. Maybe I’m just a bit old-fashioned. But I chose this profession because I also enjoy doing it.

So the idea that the ultimate achievement of my career would be to sit back back and watch agents have all the fun instead of me leaves me, let’s say, moderately enthusiastic. I have to admit, I’d quite like to still be doing a little Data Science when I grow up. And finally become that senior colleague who sighs over a junior’s shoulder and asks: “Did you read the docs?” It would be a shame if AI took that away from us too.

I think I want to defend a small form of resistance.

Not against AI. That would be fairly ironic given my job. Not against agents or automation either. But against the idea that just because we can automate something, we necessarily should.

Some tasks are tedious, repetitive and honestly not very interesting. If a machine can take them off our hands, great. But other tasks give us something too: autonomy, mastery, interaction, creativity, sometimes simply the pleasure of doing them. Just because these things are difficult to measure doesn’t mean they don’t matter.

So maybe, alongside the usual questions like “how much time will we save?” or “what’s the ROI?”, we should ask another one: Do we actually want to stop doing this?

And, more importantly, ask the people who actually do the work.

For those of us who work in AI, I think that is also a responsibility. Automation doesn’t just remove a task. It also reshapes the work that remains. We don’t get to decide how work is organised on our own, obviously, but we do have a role to play in bringing something other than productivity into the equation.

Maybe that’s what truly human-centric AI is, in the end. Not simply keeping a human somewhere in the loop to click “Approve,” but asking what place we actually want to leave for them.

I don’t want to go back to three channels and the knobs on my old TV.

I’m not against the remote control.

I just want to make sure that, in our obsession with building the perfect remote, we don’t end up forgetting that sometimes there was something interesting about turning the knob.

What if we stopped automating the things we enjoy? was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Short answer: to find a fractional CMO, start by defining what's actually missing (direction, leadership or execution), then look for someone with experience at your stage and in your business model. Shortlist two or three people through referrals, LinkedIn and specialist networks, and choose the one who asks the sharpest questions about your business, not the one with the slickest deck.

Hiring a fractional CMO is a big decision made with very little information. Titles are loose, everyone has a framework, and it's hard to tell from a website who will actually move your numbers. Here's how I'd approach it if I were in your seat.

Before you talk to anyone, write down the problem in one or two sentences. Most companies fall into one of three situations:

• No clear strategy. Lots of activity, unclear results. You need someone to set priorities and connect marketing to revenue.

• A team without a leader. You have marketers, freelancers or an agency, but nobody owns the plan.

• A moment that matters. A launch, a raise, a new market or a rebrand that needs senior thinking for a defined period.

If what you really need is someone to run ads or post on social every day, you need an execution hire or an agency, not a fractional CMO. I wrote more about the warning signs in red flags that you need strategic marketing leadership.

1. Referrals. Ask founders, investors, advisors and your accountant who they've seen do this well. Warm introductions are still the most reliable source.

2. LinkedIn. Search "fractional CMO" plus your industry, and look at what people actually post. Do they share real thinking, or just announcements?

3. Specialist networks and marketplaces. Fractional executive networks and talent platforms can give you a shortlist quickly.

4. Their own content. Blogs, podcasts and talks show you how someone thinks before you ever get on a call.

• Experience at your stage. Leading marketing at a 20-person company is very different from managing a 200-person department. Ask about companies like yours.

• Experience in your model. SaaS, eCommerce and service businesses grow in different ways. Your fractional CMO should already speak your language.

• Both strategy and execution. The best fractional CMOs can build the plan and stay close enough to execution to make sure it happens.

• A clear way of working. Ask how the first 90 days go, how often you'll meet, and what you'll receive. Here's what the first 90 days look like when I work with a company.

• Focus on revenue, not vanity metrics. Listen for pipeline, customer acquisition cost, retention and margin, not just followers and impressions.

1. What would you want to understand about our business in the first two weeks?

2. Tell me about a company like ours you worked with. What changed, and what didn't work?

3. How do you work with an existing team or agency?

4. How much time will you spend with us each week or month, and how is that structured?

5. Which metrics would you report on, and how often?

6. When would you tell us we don't need you anymore?

Pay attention to the questions they ask you. A good fractional CMO will be curious about your customers, your numbers and your team before they recommend anything.

You don't have to commit to a year on day one. Many engagements start with an audit or a 90-day plan: a clear deliverable that lets you test the fit and the way of working. If it goes well, it rolls into an ongoing retainer.

Agree up front on two or three metrics you'll review every month. Here are the metrics I actually care about.

• A long strategy deck before they understand your business

• Guaranteed results or vague promises of "growth"

• No examples of work at companies like yours

• No interest in your numbers, customers or sales process

• Unclear scope, time commitment or reporting

How long does it take to hire a fractional CMO? Usually a few weeks, compared with several months to recruit a full-time executive.

Should a fractional CMO be local? Not necessarily. Most work is remote, but someone who knows your market and time zone helps, especially for Canadian companies.

Can a fractional CMO work with our agency? Yes. Leading and evaluating agencies is one of the most common parts of the role.

I work with growth-stage SaaS, eCommerce and service-based businesses. If you're weighing whether a fractional CMO makes sense right now, book a strategy call and I'll give you a straight answer.

We’re pleased to share the recording of our recent webinar, The Hidden Role of Geomorphological Change in Watershed-Scale Redistributions of Groundwater and Surface Water. This session, presented by Marcia Achiaa Frempong, PhD candidate at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, explores how changes in watershed geomorphology can influence groundwater–surface water interactions and redistribute water across landscapes over time.

Using HydroGeoSphere, the webinar examines how changes in river morphology can alter groundwater and surface water dynamics at the watershed scale. By simulating different land surface configurations and river morphologies, the study demonstrates how localized geomorphic changes, such as river cutoffs, can influence groundwater levels well beyond the river corridor, with important implications for water availability and natural hazard mitigation.

Key Highlights:

• Learn how geomorphological change can influence groundwater–surface water interactions at the watershed scale.

• Explore how HydroGeoSphere can be used to simulate the hydrologic impacts of changing river morphology.

• Understand how localized changes, such as river cutoffs, can create areas of groundwater enrichment and depletion.

• Discover the broader implications of geomorphic change for water resource management and natural hazard mitigation.

This session is especially valuable for hydrologists, hydrogeologists, researchers, and water resource professionals interested in understanding how evolving landscapes influence coupled surface water and groundwater systems.

Watch the recording now to discover how integrated hydrologic modelling can reveal the often-hidden influence of geomorphological change on water movement and distribution across watersheds.

Watch The Recording

♦

Coolish fall weather demands simple but comforting pasta dishes. And the Roman cacio e pepe is basically pasta with cheese and black pepper. It’s delicious and relatively simple to make as long as you take care of your technique.

Likely a dialect word for cheese, cacio is the primary ingredient and usually takes the form of a hard cheese that can be grated, something like a Pecorino (which accounts for nearly one-seventh of the cheese made in Italy, incidentally). For example, there’s a style called caciatto di Pecorino, from Lazio, which is eaten with broad beans.

Cacio e pepe had its origins as dish for shepherds (it is especially good with the sheep’s milk cheese) and relatively simple to whip up at home on a cool fall evening: pasta, fresh cracked black pepper, grated cheese (and sometimes butter) and the critical pasta water. Make sure not to strain the pasta: transfer it directly into your pan. Grate the cheese very finely, and toast the black pepper a bit before combining with the other ingredients.

Buon appetito!

Check out my latest post Cacio e pepe: cheese and pepper pasta from AndrewCoppolino.com.

I think you know where I'm going with this one. Any comparison with that old, senile and brain addled man to the south of us isn't going to be a happy comparison. Just in case you think I'm sexist or ageist let me reassure you that I am both male and old. O.K. I think Trump is 80 so he's got a few years on me but not much. Also to date I haven't been quoted as saying that I've grabbed random or strange members of either gender by their personal parts. Similarly I've never been known to brag about walking into ladies locker rooms or changing areas in order to check them out. Sadly I guess I'm just not Presidential material.

Then we have former Kitchener alderman Jim Ziegler. Now there might be a case to be made that he's actually an example of a Canadian man in his mid 70s or so but that he's actually got the libido and stamina of a man decades younger. Afterall he not only tried to woo a lady justice of the peace in her office but to prove his endurance and tenacity he stayed on his feet and kept sweet talking her after she said no for another 35 or 40 minutes. Talk about persistence and commitment to the goal at hand. Now that's a real politician still pretty much in the prime of his life.

Then we have Carl Zehr. Oh no you say. It can't be true. Isn't Carl Zehr Square in front of Kitchener City Hall named after him? Doesn't that prove that he's a real good fella? Just like the Kennedy-Trump Centre in the U.S. Just like Lake America and the Gulf of America and the Trump Airport doesn't the right to name stuff in your own image basically mean that you can almost walk on water? Finally as the ultimate proof we have Seiling Drive here in Woolwich Township, the birthplace of our almost revered former Regional Chair. Seiling Dr. is just north of Elmira (Arthur St./#21 ?)  You do know what's on the right side at the end of that road don't you? It's the Woolwich Landfill aka "Dump". 

Hmm that all gives pause for thought. Can I actually find fault with Carl? Well in my opinion and the opinions of others not named Shantz (Sandy), Hahn (Scott) or Bauman (Mark) the answer is yes. Carl came north here to Dogpatch (Woolwich Twn.) and inflicted his good name on the citizenry regarding MECAC which is the Municipal Election Compliance  Audit Committee. Carl similar to his colleagues could find little fault with Sandy's peculiar and amateurish bookeeping regarding her municipal election Financial Statements. I suspect that possibly calling her incompetent was the lesser of two evils in that the alternative was that she knowingly and intentionally lied about her election finances. Touchingly that may have been done out of embarrassment that she had spent triple on her mayoral campaign than her three opponents combined.

So where am I going with all this? Basically at my advanced age I've never been elected to any public post although I tried twice in 1996 and 1999 to be a trustee on the essentially disgusting and corrupt Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB). That description just used is held by many since the WRDSB's exposure to public condemnation over both the Caroline Burjowski  affair/defeat and the bullying of trustee Mike Ramsay. I guess I'm suggesting that a far too large a percentage of our politicians are lying swindlers and scum bags. This is not a news flash to the well informed.  

WATERLOO (ONTARIO) CANADA, October 21, 2026 — The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is proud to present Neon Canada: The Art of Electrified Glass, a landmark exhibition featuring major installations of contemporary Canadian neon artwork. Recognized as arguably the largest exhibition of neon art ever mounted in Canada, Neon Canada illuminates the medium’s historical significance, cultural impact, and contemporary artistic evolution.

Bringing together visionary neon sculptors, glass artists, and master tube benders, Neon Canada transforms the gallery into an immersive landscape of light, color, and form. The exhibition challenges traditional perceptions of neon as strictly commercial signage, elevating it into a fine art form that spans sculpture, conceptual installation, and light-based narrative. Featured artists include Kelly Mark, Roda Medhat, Orest Tataryn, Thrush Holmes, Coley, Robin Clason, Dick Averns, and Will Munro.

“Neon occupies a unique intersection between industrial craft, commercial culture, and fine art,” said Peter Flannery, Senior Curator & Collections Manager at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery. “With Neon Canada, we are thrilled to host an unprecedented selection of hand-bent neon works that celebrate the technical brilliance and artistic depth of this vibrant medium.”

• Unprecedented Scale: Featuring major light-based artworks and installations, making it the most expansive exhibition of neon art in Canadian history.
• Master Craftsmanship: Showcasing rare craftsmanship from pioneering tube benders alongside innovative modern works from contemporary visual artists.
• Interactive & Immersive Spaces: An immersive gallery environment to engage visitors through light, reflection, and architectural space.

• Exhibition Dates: September 18, 2026, to January 11, 2027
• Location: Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery, 25 Caroline St N, Waterloo, ON N2L 2Y5
• Admission: Free

Admission to the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is always free. For more information about exhibitions and programs, please visit www.theclayandglass.ca.

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ABOUT THE CANADIAN CLAY & GLASS GALLERY
The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is an award-winning, national institution based in Waterloo Region celebrating the art and craft of clay, glass, and enamel. As a dynamic cultural organization, they continue to amplify diverse stories — opening dialogue and inspiring social change. Through exhibitions that address issues relevant to our times, an impressive selection of works in our Gallery Shop, and public programs that engage, educate, and excite — the Gallery is accessible to all. For more information, visit: www.theclayandglass.ca

CONTACT
To schedule a media interview or for more information, contact Peter Flannery, Senior Curator & Collections Manager, at 519-746-1882 ext. 235 or peter@theclayandglass.ca

The post CCGG Presents Neon Canada, Largest Exhibition of Neon Art Ever Presented in Canada first appeared on The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery.

SUSAN, PAT & SANDY LIE THEIR WAY INTO CHEMTURA's GOOD GRACES 

In January 2007 Pat Mclean, Chair of CPAC (Chemtura Public Advisory Committee), Susan Bryant and myself, both CPAC members, plus Wilf Ruland alleged independent hydrogeologist attended a meeting at the University of Waterloo with Dr. John Cherry and Dr. Beth Parker. The two doctors were world renowned hydrogeology experts and we were there to learn about DNAPLS (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquids). Wilf Ruland had studied hydrogeology under Dr. Cherry and was of the opinion that leaving DNAPLS in the ground was safer than removing them and possibly remobilizing them further. The four of us drove together and all were in good spirits with possibly some gentle persuasion aimed at myself suggesting that the two doctors knew their stuff and I should pay close attention. No other indications were made as to what they expected from the meeting.

Well both doctors were amazing and informative plus they handed out a set of multiple "briefs" or 8-10 page articles they had written and published  regarding DNAPL presence, effects, and possible remediation. These "briefs" were passed among the four of us and I was a little surprised albeit pleased when my three colleagues suggested that I keep them and read them first. I promised to do so quickly and get them back to Pat, Susan and Wilf who seemed a little non-committal. The doctors then advised the four of us that the old hydrogeological understanding about not disturbing sub-surface DNAPLS had been significantly altered over the decades. Currently the long term damage from DNAPLS was better understood and it was important when at all possible to deal with them via encapsulation, excavation or any other method which separated them from underground aquifers. 

 The return trip home was morgue like. I may even have asked jokingly "Who died?" I really did not understand exactly why the three of them were so despondent. Much, much later things became clearer. I admit that I was naive in the extreme. I really did not, even at that age, believe that people could be so deceptive and manipulative. Regardless I waited patiently for months for Pat (CPAC Chair) to put this incredibly important meeting on the CPAC Agenda. Nothing. I asked Susan as well what was going on. Nothing. Over the summer Pat started getting aggressive asking me if I were "challenging" her. I truly didn't know what the hell her problem was. In late August I wrote a strongly worded  DNAPL report criticizing Uniroyal/Chemtura's lack of DNAPL recognition and remediation. Nothing.

Probably in September the Ammonia Treatment System (ATS) was on the Agenda. As usual I was asked to read it carefully and report my comments to Susan Bryant which I did. I had found a couple of pretty gross errors in the Conestoga Rovers report in which they had picked an inappropriate monitoring well to determine if on-site hydraulic containment was being maintained during a pumping slowdown necessitated by the upcoming ATS work. The pumping well actually was by a "window" through the clay/silt aquitard allowing a direct connection between the Upper Aquifer (UA) and the Municipal Upper Aquifer (MU) . This issue would cause higher groundwater elevation readings from the well making it inappropriate to be used as part of a monitoring pair of wells determining hydraulic containment. Susan seemed taken aback and asked if I would share this information with Wilf Ruland (alleged independent hydrogeologist) to which I readily agreed. He came over to my home and I showed him the data and the stratigraphic Figures demonstrating my concerns. Oddly enough that while he was quite obviously taken aback by what I had found he did not want to commit himself by stating either yes or no to my discovery which I found strange at the time.

To Wilf's credit he did try at a later meeting with Conestoga Rovers (CRA) to convince them to use a different monitoring well.  Without any intelligent reason or rationale they said no and Wilf rolled over like the wimp he is when dealing with authority figures such as apparently CRA and the Ontario M.O.E. My friend and colleague Dr. Henry Regier was present at that meeting and was not impressed by either CRA or particularly Wilf. Susan and Pat supported CRA/Chemtura and to my shock launched an attack upon me suggesting that I was blocking progress of the ATS. Yes I had filed a request for a hearing to the Ontario Environmental Review Board (ERB) albeit I was assured that my review if granted would not inhibit or slow construction progress of the new ATS but merely look at their proposed monitoring well locations and determine if they were appropriate or not. Eventually many months later the ERT advised that indeed the well that I had suggested was inappropriate and should be replaced. This was after the ATS had been completed.

Meanwhile however  Pat and Susan through direct lying and manipulation had managed to get Woolwich Council to remove me from CPAC. That of course was AFTER they had already on their own non-existent authority kicked me off of CPAC. Councillor Ruby Weber intervened and said no way! It had to be a council decision because after all it was Pat Mclean and Susan Bryant back in 2000 who had dragged CPAC into being a committee of council in the first place. I soon learned how deep the disgusting behaviour went as Pat and Susan's complaint morphed from my allegedly inhibiting the building of the Ammonia Treatment System  (ATS) to my being "difficult" and rude to my fellow CPAC members. Well there I am at a private Woolwich council meeting attended by the councillors including first term councillor Sandy Shantz who also sat on CPAC. I figured this would be easy as I asked her in front of her council colleagues if it was accurate that yes I routinely, strongly criticized Chemtura and the Ontario Ministry of Environment but NEVER  ever criticized or disrespected my fellow voting citizen CPAC members. It was an easy and obvious YES answer and Sandy hummed and hawed and refused to commit one way or the other. At that point I took Sandy's measure and knew what she was. She was a lying, go along to get along gutless wonder and she clearly knew that Woolwich council had already decided to get rid of me for whatever reason. Naive as I was it still took me a  while to realize how imbedded Woolwich Council was with Uniroyal Chemical and their successors.   

I was bounced off of CPAC by Woolwich Council in the spring of 2008 but was back on CPAC with a new council by 2011. In 2014 Sandy became Mayor and I haven't been on CPAC or successors since 2015 and wouldn't want to be as I have lost my naivety and realized how corrupt Woolwich Councils have been and how useless that committee is intended to be. Susan and Pat have both moved out of town and Sandy's tenure is ending very shortly (Thank God for all three).

Waterloo Region’s luxury real estate market continues to demonstrate stability in pricing, despite fewer transactions compared to last year. According to the October 2026 Luxury Market Report from the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, both single-family and attached luxury homes remained in balanced market conditions throughout September 2026.

While sales activity has moderated, median selling prices have remained relatively steady, and luxury single-family homes are spending less time on the market than they were a year ago.

For buyers and sellers in Kitchener, Waterloo, and the surrounding communities, these trends highlight the importance of understanding market conditions within each property category.

The latest report provides the following overview of luxury real estate activity in September 2026:

Both property categories fall within the Institute’s balanced market classification, defined by a sales ratio between 12% and 21%.

Waterloo Region’s single-family luxury market recorded 33 sales in September 2026, compared to 43 during the same month last year, representing a 23% year-over-year decline.

Active inventory also decreased, falling 20% from 281 properties in September 2025 to 224 in September 2026.

Despite fewer transactions, luxury home values have remained relatively stable.

The median selling price reached $1,310,000, approximately 1% higher than the $1,300,000 recorded in September 2025.

One of the most notable developments is the reduction in selling times. The median luxury single-family home spent just 19 days on the market, compared to 27 days one year earlier, a 30% decrease.

Properties sold for a median of 97.51% of their asking price, remaining nearly unchanged from the previous year’s 97.44%.

Four-bedroom homes accounted for the largest share of single-family luxury transactions in September, with 16 completed sales.

These properties achieved a median selling price of $1,332,500 and spent a median of just 13 days on the market.

The $1,100,000 to $1,149,999 price range recorded the highest sales ratio at 47%, with 7 sales against 15 active listings.

Although performance varies by price point and individual property characteristics, these figures suggest that appropriately positioned luxury homes can continue to attract buyer interest and achieve relatively efficient sales timelines.

The attached luxury home market also remained balanced in September 2026, although transaction volume declined considerably compared to the previous year.

Just 4 attached luxury properties sold during the month, compared to 26 in September 2025, representing an 85% year-over-year decline.

Inventory decreased from 113 active properties to 28, a reduction of 75%.

Despite this significant contraction in activity, selling prices experienced only a modest change.

The median selling price for luxury attached homes was $762,500, approximately 1% below the $767,500 recorded one year earlier.
Properties achieved a median of 99.75% of their asking price, while median days on market decreased slightly from 25 to 24.

Two-bedroom attached homes recorded a median selling price of $749,250, while three-bedroom properties achieved a median of $852,500.

With only 4 completed transactions across the entire luxury attached market, these results should be interpreted cautiously. A small number of sales can significantly influence monthly statistics.

The October 2026 report highlights an important distinction between declining transaction volume and declining property values.

Although fewer luxury properties are changing hands, median prices have remained relatively stable across both categories.

For single-family luxury sellers, shorter median selling times provide an encouraging indication that qualified buyers remain active in the market.

However, balanced conditions also mean that sellers cannot rely on market momentum alone.

Pricing a luxury property requires more than reviewing recent neighbourhood sales. Property condition, location, lot characteristics, architectural features, and competing inventory all influence how buyers perceive value.

An effective pricing strategy should reflect current market conditions while accounting for the unique features that distinguish a luxury residence.

In a market where buyers can carefully evaluate their options, the way a property is presented can directly influence its ability to attract attention.

Professional photography, cinematic video, thoughtful staging, and comprehensive digital exposure are particularly valuable when marketing distinctive homes.

For luxury sellers in Kitchener-Waterloo, a targeted marketing strategy helps communicate a property’s individual features and reach buyers who are most likely to appreciate them.

Luxury real estate is not a single, uniform market.

A custom-built home in Colonial Acres, an executive residence in Laurelwood, and a luxury property in Carriage Crossing may appeal to different buyer groups and experience different market conditions.

Understanding comparable sales, active competition, and buyer expectations within each neighbourhood and price range is essential when determining the right approach to selling.

For luxury home buyers, balanced market conditions can create opportunities for more deliberate purchasing decisions.

With median single-family properties selling below their asking prices, some buyers may have room to negotiate, depending on the individual property and level of competition.

However, the shorter selling timelines recorded among single-family homes demonstrate that desirable properties can still move quickly.

Buyers should be prepared to act when a property meets their needs while ensuring that their purchasing decisions are supported by current market data.

Waterloo Region’s luxury market continues to offer opportunities for sellers who approach the process with a well-informed strategy.

At The Deutschmann Team, RE/MAX Twin City Realty Inc., Brokerage, we understand that exceptional properties require an approach tailored to their individual characteristics and the buyers they attract.

From strategic pricing and elevated property presentation to comprehensive marketing and skilled negotiation, our focus is on positioning your home for success in today’s market.

Contact The Deutschmann Team for a personalized luxury home evaluation and a strategic approach to selling your property.

Source: The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, Waterloo Region Luxury Market Report, October 2026. Statistics reflect September 2026 market activity. Reported data includes active and sold properties and excludes pending transactions.

The post Waterloo Region Luxury Real Estate Market Update | October 2026 appeared first on Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Agent - The Deutschmann Team.

Are you passionate about giving back to your community and using your professional skills to make a meaningful impact?
The Willow Foundation is seeking volunteer Board Members with experience in bookkeeping/accounting, fundraising, and communications/marketing.

Since 2002, The Willow Foundation has provided funding for programs and initiatives that enrich the lives of older adults served by Halton Region Services for Seniors. As a volunteer-led registered charity, we support residents and clients in Halton Regions owned and operated long-term care homes, adult day programs, and assisted living services by funding opportunities that go beyond traditional care funding.

✨ As a Board Member, you can:

• Help shape the future of a growing local charity
• Apply your skills and expertise to create meaningful impact
• Build connections with community leaders and professionals
• Gain valuable governance, leadership, and strategic planning experience
• Support programs that enhance dignity, connection, wellness, and quality of life for older adults

The Foundation helps fund initiatives such as:

🎵 Music and art therapy
🎨 Therapeutic recreation programs
🥽 Virtual reality and innovative engagement technologies
🎉 Special events and celebrations
🤝 Social connection programs
📚 Education and wellness opportunities for seniors

We are particularly interested in individuals with experience in:

💰 Finance & Bookkeeping
Financial oversight and reporting
Budgeting
Accounting practices
Risk management and governance

🎯 Fundraising & Community Engagement
Donor development
Corporate sponsorships
Grant writing
Event planning
Community partnerships

📣 Communications & Marketing
Social media strategy
Public relations
Content development
Brand awareness
Digital communications

Previous board experience is welcome but not required. We value diverse perspectives, community-minded leaders, and individuals who are passionate about supporting older adults.The Willow Foundation supports seniors living in and accessing services at

🏡 Post Inn Village, Creek Way Village and Allendale Long-Term Care Homes
🤝 Adult Day Programs run by Halton Region
🏘️ Regional Assisted Living Programs in Oakville, Burlington and Milton

If you’re looking for a rewarding volunteer opportunity where your expertise can have a lasting impact, we’d love to hear from you.
To express your interest, please contact: willow.foundation@halton.ca with your resume.

Together, we can create more opportunities for joy, connection, purpose, and enriched living for older adults throughout Halton Region. Learn more about the Foundation at www.willowfoundation.ca.

The post Willow Foundation appeared first on Capacity Canada.

I just learned that some private keys leaked for a widely-trusted certificate authority. This is bad: it makes it possible for attackers to impersonate HTTPS services.

If you’re shipping a mobile app or service that uses OkHttp, you’re exposed to this problem until the host platform’s trusted roots list is patched. For Android and Java environments, that might take a very long time.

As an immediate workaround I’ve posted a gist for ForbiddenCertificatesHostnameVerifier, which blocks the problematic certificates in the application layer. Install it in your OkHttpClient.

val safeClient = client.newBuilder()
  .hostnameVerifier(ForbiddenCertificatesHostnameVerifier())
  .build()

You can use this with all supported versions of OkHttp.

In the next day or two we’ll ship updates to OkHttp that require no additional intervention.

Update: 2026-10-21T02:30Z: I’ve replaced the Interceptor with a HostnameVerifier in the Gist and in the sample above. Suresh pointed out that an interceptor gets the TLS certificates too late in the process, after secrets have been transmitted to an attacker. The updated HostnameVerifier does not suffer this vulnerability!

Update: 2026-10-22T05:30Z: We’ve published OkHttp 4.12.1 and 5.5.1, that blocklist the above certificates. With these OkHttp releases (or newer) the above interventions are not necessary.