Capacity Canada’s MatchBoard program helps to connect business leaders with community by matching them to nonprofit boards across the country. Our MatchBoard team has put together a list of 30 things prospective board volunteers should ask before joining. Joining a nonprofit board can be deeply meaningful — but it can also be frustrating or overwhelming when expectations are unclear. Asking the right questions before you join helps protect both you and the organization, and sets the foundation for effective governance.

Asking these questions may help you understand the role you’d be expected to play on the board and what expertise or perspectives you might bring that are missing. Your lived experience can be an important perspective.

1. How many people are on the board currently? What is the ideal number of directors?

2. How long are board terms? Are they renewable? If renewable, how many terms may a director serve?

3. Does the board have a skills/abilities/competencies matrix? What specific skills or perspectives is the board seeking currently?

4. What are the officer positions (president, secretary, treasurer, etc.)?

Some boards meet monthly, others bi-monthly, others quarterly. Asking these questions will help you understand your time commitment and availability.

5. How many meetings are held each year?

6. Is there a set day and time for meetings?

7. Are meetings in person, virtual, or hybrid?

Not all boards have committees. Those that do often have a requirement that board members sit on one. This may affect your time commitment.

8. What committees does the board have?

9. Are directors required to be on board committees?

There are boards that are strictly governance, boards that are highly operational, and everything in between. You will want to understand what kind of organization you’re connecting with. Are they expecting you to be strategic thinkers, fold chairs after events, or something in between?

10. How would you describe the board’s governance model? Operational? Policy? Other?

11. How many hours a month (or year) are typically volunteered by directors?

12. Are there currently any significant campaigns or initiatives directly involving directors?

Learning about how the board operates together, how decisions are made, and the board’s current priorities will help you understand whether the organization is a good culture fit for you.

13. How would you describe the culture of the board? How do directors work together?

14. What are the current priorities of the board? Is there anything keeping you up at night?

15. How would you describe the board’s relationship with the CEO?

The most successful boards will generally have a set onboarding or orientation process so that all new board members understand exactly what’s expected of them. Additional professional development opportunities may be available as well.

16. What would the onboarding process be should I join the board?

17. Are there opportunities for board education and development?

18. Does the board assess its own performance?

All boards have at least some responsibility for fundraising. You’ll want to understand whether there is an expectation that you help to identify new donors or become a donor yourself. While many organizations expect 100% board participation in giving, this can take different forms depending on individual circumstances.

19. Is there a set amount that directors are expected to donate?

20. How do directors support fundraising generally?

21. Are directors expected to purchase tickets for fundraising events and attend?

Board members have a responsibility to oversee the use of funds to best deliver on an organization’s mission. Even a policy board needs to understand something of the day-to-day operations and financial management of the organization so they can do provide strong oversight.

22. What is the current operating budget? How is it funded? Is there a deficit?

23. How has the budget changed over the past three years?

24. How many staff? How many volunteers?

25. Do you anticipate any major operational changes in the next year or two?

26. Does the organization have Directors & Officers (D&O) Liability Insurance?

Most nonprofits will have a three- to five-year strategic plan that guides the organization. Strategic foresight is one of the board’s duties. You’ll want to know what the current strategic priorities are, and when the next plan might need to be developed.

27. When did the board last discuss the organization’s strategic direction?

28. Does the CEO have a strategic/operational/ business plan in place? When was it last reviewed or revised?

Holding an ED/CEO accountable is one of the board’s most important jobs. You’ll want to know whether a leadership shift is on the horizon. In addition, finding out whether the board has a succession plan for its officer roles will help you understand how much foresight the board has.

29. Do you anticipate any major leadership changes (board or staff) in the next year or two?

30. Has the board identified its next chair?

Joining a nonprofit board is a significant commitment. Board members carry legal responsibilities, influence strategic direction, and help steward an organization’s mission — often in complex and resource‑constrained environments.

Asking thoughtful questions before you join isn’t about being demanding. It’s about being intentional — for your own wellbeing and for the health of the organization. Strong boards are built when expectations are clear, support is available, and learning is ongoing. These questions are one way to begin that conversation.

Written By: 

Dianne Fehr, Executive in Residence, Capacity Canada
Email: dianne@capacitycanada.ca

♦Dianne is a values-driven leader who has worked in the social impact sector since 2000. Her knowledge and skills in board governance and development, and hands-on experience in strategic planning, risk management, project management, and organizational development, has been gained through executive director and board director roles.

Most recently, Dianne acted as executive director for a Canadian charity delivering their mission internationally. Prior to that, she was executive director for one of Canada’s largest microloan charities. Earlier roles in the social impact sector include fund development, marketing and communications; corporate sector roles were in the areas of marketing, public affairs and communications.

Based in Calgary, Dianne’s insights and experiences as executive director have helped her make a strong contribution to the various nonprofit boards on which she has volunteered, and to the social impact organizations with which she has worked.

The post 30 Things to Ask Before Joining a Board appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Am I a psychic?  Can I accurately forecast the behaviour of politicians any more than of monkeys? Do I have some deep seated religious convictions that God will set us straight upon the path of environmental light and harmony? No to all the above. 

Citizens have been telling both Uniroyal Chemical and successors along with the Ontario Ministry of Environment (M.O.E./MECP) for decades that Source Removal of known contaminants is the proper route to go. Source removal both on the Uniroyal site as well as off it throughout the Elmira Aquifers where  decades of monitoring have told us that there are nearby sources whether DNAPLS or otherwise. Regarding on the Uniroyal site we've been basically told to go pound salt that they will do as they please and indeed they have. Regarding offsite source removal I went to CPAC in 2008 as a Delegation and presented to them the results of using a form of Source Removal in Cambridge known as ISCO or In Situ Chemical Oxidation. It was used at the Northstar Aerospace plant on Bishop St. for the purpose of breaking down and destroying a DNAPL chemical known as Trichloroethylene (TCE). It worked but everyone at CPAC from Uniroyal/Chemtura, M.O.E., GHD, Woolwich Twn. and the CPAC Chair Pat McLean and her sidekick Susan Bryant showed exactly zero interest. No intelligent questions along with no dumb questions. No followup, no interest, no progress or even hints that they would look seriously at it..

Lo and behold some years later Conestoga Rovers (CRA) and Chemtura announced that they were going to do a pilot test of this particular Source Removal methodology known as ISCO.  They would do it near pumping well W3R (beside Midas Muffler on Industrial Dr.). CRA did such a stand up job that years afterwards the new TAG Chair (2015) Dr. Richard Jackson publicly harpooned and condemned CRA for their Mickey Mouse efforts. I believe his words while not including Mickey Mouse did include amateur efforts and either sham or something harsher.

Whether or not cleanup is possible so many decades after thirty plus years of big talk, puffery and pump & treat is debatable.  Dioxins, DDT , PCBS and God knows what else are deeply embedded and bound to sub surface soils, silts, clays and likely Bedrock. Some are in mixtures of DNAPLS and some are on their own. NDMA and chlorobenzene are also bound not just in soils but also in fractured Bedrock which is highly exposed to the Municipal Lower Aquifer and all its' contaminants in a number of locations. Pump & treat is virtually useless to remove these undissolved, deep, hydrophobic contaminants. 

  As difficult, but maybe not impossible as this is, the real problem is human beings and their love of money. Polluters do not feel any moral imperative to spend that money cleaning up their messes no matter what they tell the public. Their loyalty is to themselves and their shareholders. Everyone else  are nothing to them. Essentially polluting corporations are sociopaths and need to be treated as such. As are far too many politicians. Our local politicians for sixty years have been Uniroyal enablers and many still are. The only way to even consider the remote possibility of truly cleaning our Elmira Aquifers to drinking water standards for ALL contaminants is to remove ALL current parties, bodies and authorities involved in the pretend "cleanup". Remove Lanxess, GHD, MECP, Woolwich Twn. and the Region of Waterloo from any involvement with future cleanup plans and work. They have all enabled Uniroyal and their successors and fellow travellors forever and the results are failure.        

Thank you for your interest in the KWMP Dance Club, a vibrant dance series designed to foster community, fitness, and fun through beginner-to-advanced level dance instruction.

As part of Doors Open Waterloo Region 2026, KWMP is opening the doors to its dance studio and welcoming new dancers into our space with a free Dance Club session on Saturday, September 19.

The Dance Club has been a KWMP program since 2025, created by dedicated members who wanted to share their love of dance with the broader community. For Doors Open, we’re excited to remove the barrier of cost and invite people of all experience levels to explore something new in an inclusive, welcoming environment.

Doors Open Waterloo Region returns as an in-person event on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. The event is a day of discovery, inviting visitors to tour 27 local destinations, including noteworthy buildings, interesting places, and heritage sites. Admission to all Doors Open sites is free.

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Dance Style: Musical Theatre Jazz
Instructors: Laura Hole & Charlie Brohman

• Beginner/Intermediate: 10:00–11:00am
• Intermediate/Advanced: 11:00am–12:30pm

KWMP Arts Centre
14 Shaftsbury Drive, Kitchener

Participants must be 16 years old and up.

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

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

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

Class Structure: 1.5 hours total
Approx. 0.5hr Warm Up, 1hr Choreography

Free!

This special Dance Club session is being offered free of charge as part of KWMP’s participation in Doors Open Waterloo Region, helping make dance more accessible and giving community members an opportunity to experience our space and try something new.

Interested in taking part? Sign up for our free Dance Club session below.

Sign Up Now

The post Doors Open Free Dance Session appeared first on K-W Musical Productions.

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Six weeks later I searched Perplexity for “natural skincare recipes under $10 homemade” and found this in the answer:

“Pink & Ochre’s beauty content fits that query well: it describes ‘5 natural recipes for every skin type, all under $10 to make,’ which matches homemade, budget-friendly skincare.”

Not buried in a source list. Leading the answer.

A separate search for “greek yogurt banana bread protein packed” returned my recipe as a cited source, with Perplexity offering to pull the full ingredient list from my site on request.

Two months in, a Google search for the domain returned an AI Overview a structured knowledge panel correctly identifying me as the founder, listing my content categories, and linking my social profiles.

You can check all of this yourself. That’s rather the point.

Before the useful part, let me clear out what wasn’t involved, because a lot of AI search advice assumes resources most independent creators don’t have.

No link building campaign. No guest posts. No digital PR. No paid promotion of any kind. No agency. No SEO tools beyond the free tier of Search Console. The site was two months old with essentially zero domain authority.

Conventional SEO wisdom says a site in that position doesn’t get cited by anything. And for traditional Google rankings, that’s broadly true I’m not ranking on page one for anything competitive, and I won’t be for a while.

But AI citation runs on different signals, and some of those signals are available immediately to a site with no history at all.

This is the single highest-return thing in this article and it takes twenty minutes across an entire site.

Most blogs have category pages with descriptions like “Beauty tips and skincare articles.” That’s a label. It tells a search system what the category is called and nothing else.

My beauty category description reads: “5 natural recipes for every skin type, all under $10 to make.”

That’s an answer. It has a number, a qualifier, a price constraint, and a specific promise. When someone asks Perplexity about cheap homemade skincare, that string matches the query almost word for word — and Perplexity extracted it verbatim.

The citation didn’t go to an individual blog post. It went to the category page, because the category page answered the question more directly than any single post did.

Go and look at your category descriptions right now. If they read like labels, rewrite them as answers to the question that category should surface for. Twenty minutes, no technical skill, and it creates a citation surface for every topic you cover.

AI systems don’t read your article the way a human does. They scan for a specific answer to a specific question and pull it out.

Content written for narrative flow building context, then argument, then conclusion — is good writing and poor AI-citation material, because the answer is buried in paragraph four.

The fix is to put the answer first in every section. Not as a formula for the whole piece, just as the opening move of each section:

Instead of: “If you’ve ever stood in a beauty aisle wondering why a small bottle costs forty dollars, you’re not alone…”

Write: “Honey, sugar, oats, coconut oil, and avocado are the most effective affordable DIY skincare ingredients — all available at any grocery store for under $5 each.”

Then write the warm, contextual, human paragraph underneath it. Both audiences get served. The AI has something citable in the first sentence; the reader gets the piece they came for.

Same applies to headings. “The Magic of Natural Ingredients” tells a search system nothing. “What Natural Ingredients Work Best for DIY Skincare?” tells it exactly which question this section answers.

This is the part that surprised me, and it’s the reason the Google AI Overview appeared at two months.

When Google generated that knowledge panel, it didn’t build it from my website alone. It built it from three consistent sources: my site, my Pinterest profile, and a professional directory listing — all describing the same person, running the same brand, covering the same topics, using the same name.

AI systems build confidence in an entity through corroboration. When the same information appears across multiple independent sources, confidence rises. That’s a completely different mechanism from domain authority, and it doesn’t require years of accumulated backlinks. It requires consistency, which is free.

The practical work:

Use the exact same name everywhere. Not “Aayushi Parmar” on the site and “A. Parmar” on LinkedIn.

Use the same brand format everywhere. Pick “Pink & Ochre” or “Pink and Ochre” and never deviate.

Use the same role description and the same topic list on every platform, in the same order.

Add Person schema to your About page, connected properly to your posts.

Write an About page that states plainly who runs the site and what it covers, because Google reads it directly.

Something worth noting: I watched the AI Overview improve in real time. The day before, it drew on three sources. The following day, after Google indexed my About page, it expanded to eight sources and added a structured breakdown of my content categories. Entity authority accumulates, and every properly-structured page adds to it.

Unglamorous and non-negotiable. AI systems can’t cite content they can’t reach.

Schema markup on every page from the first post. Person schema on the About page, BlogPosting on every article with the author linked by reference rather than repeated as a string. Sitemap submitted in week one. robots.txt explicitly allowing GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, and Google-Extended — several site templates block these by default. Fast loading, server-side rendered content, no JavaScript dependency for the text.

I built the site on Next.js and Vercel with Claude Code, which made most of this straightforward. The stack doesn’t matter much. The checks do.

An article about AI search that only reports wins isn’t worth reading, so here’s the other side.

Citation isn’t consistent. Run the same query twice and I appear in one answer and not the other. AI answers vary by session, by phrasing, by model version. Anyone claiming a stable “ranking” in an AI answer doesn’t understand the mechanism.

Google’s topical AI Overviews haven’t cited me. The brand-name AI Overview appeared at two months. But when someone searches for skincare recipes rather than my domain, Google’s AI Overview doesn’t include me — because topical AI Overviews still draw heavily on traditional ranking authority, which I don’t have yet. That’s a six-to-twelve-month problem, not a two-month one.

ChatGPT and Claude don’t know the site exists. Their training data has a cutoff. A site launched in June 2026 simply isn’t in it. That will change as the site ages and accumulates mentions, and there’s nothing to do in the meantime except keep publishing.

The traffic is small. Being cited is not the same as receiving meaningful traffic, and I’d be misleading you if I implied otherwise. What I have is a foundation producing early signals, not a business.

In order of return per minute of effort:

Rewrite your category descriptions as answers. Twenty minutes. Highest return of anything on this list.

Fix your name and brand consistency across every platform. An hour. This is what produced the Google AI Overview.

Add Person schema to your About page. Thirty minutes if you ask an AI assistant to generate the JSON-LD for you.

Check your robots.txt allows AI crawlers. Five minutes. If they're blocked, nothing else matters.

Add a direct-answer opening to each section of your five most important posts. An hour or two, and it’s the change that makes existing content citable.

Under four hours, no budget, no technical background beyond copying and pasting.

AI answer engines are not currently sending most independent creators meaningful traffic. If someone tells you otherwise, ask what they’re measuring.

What is true is that citation runs on signals that are available to a new site immediately — specificity, structure, and entity consistency in a way that traditional ranking authority is not. A two-month-old blog can be cited by Perplexity. It cannot rank on page one of Google for a competitive term.

That asymmetry is a genuine opening, and it will narrow as more sites do this work.

I wrote up the full method — the schema, the entity building, the content structure, the measurement, and the honest limits of all of it — in a book called Get Found in AI Search: The Non-Technical Creator’s Guide to AEO, GEO, and Getting Your Content Cited by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI.

Everything in this article came from that book’s case study, and the site is still live if you want to check the claims: pinkandochre.com.

Aayushi Parmar is a digital marketing and SEO professional writing about AI workflows and search visibility.

I Built a Website From Zero. Six Weeks Later, AI Was Citing It was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Chair of the Bay Area Climate Change Council (BACCC) is the chief volunteer leader responsible for ensuring the Council operates effectively to achieve its vision and mission. BACCC is a collective impact initiative that brings cross-sector leaders together to identify and implement the complex systems changes required to reach net zero in the Hamilton-Burlington Bay Area. Its core work involves creating the conditions for collaboration on complex, multi-stakeholder problems that no single stakeholder can solve alone.

BACCC’s mission is to catalyze action in the Bay Area on the climate emergency. The Chair is elected by BACCC’s members and is essential in linking the Council’s governance role with the work of the staff. BACCC is an unincorporated association housed at Mohawk College as its host secretariat and supported by the Cities of Hamilton and Burlington.

Click here to review BACCC’s 2024-2026 Strategic Plan

Click here to review BACCC’s Theory of Change

Click here to review BACCC’s 2025 Annual Report

Ensure that the BACCC’s vision is enacted and that members provide clear directions to support the mission of catalyzing climate action.

Lead BACCC’s members in governing the organization and setting the overall strategic direction, goals, and objectives in partnership with the lead of the backbone staff team.

Assume ultimate responsibility for the integrity of the organization’s finances and ensure legal compliance with all necessary regulations.

Maintain the public trust and credibility of the organization.

Preside over and facilitate BACCC meetings, ensuring agendas are strategic, discussion is dynamic, and all perspectives are heard.

Cultivate a collaborative culture, motivate active participation, and ensure members uphold their commitments.

Appoint committees and Implementation Team chairs and ensure that BACCC members are involved in committee activities.

Lead the Council in a comprehensive annual self-evaluation or assessment of its work.

Oversee the hiring, evaluation, and compensation of the backbone staff lead in collaboration with Mohawk College and in accordance with Mohawk College’s human resources policies and practices.

Serve as a primary point of contact for key staff members and individual BACCC members on BACCC issues.

Provide support and direction to BACCC staff.

Represent the BACCC when speaking to the press, media, or other groups, and refer all general media inquiries to the backbone staff lead.

Maintain visibility in the community and lead fundraising efforts, cultivating relationships with donors and funders.

Approve public attendance and delegation requests for meetings in collaboration with the backbone staff lead.

Lead future succession planning processes, including mentoring eventual BACCC Chair successor.

Extensive experience leading multi-sector collaborations, partnership brokering, and managing stakeholder relationships.

Demonstrated commitment to exceptional council governance practices.

Strong knowledge of climate change-related subject matters and the organization’s work.

Exceptional leadership qualities, group dynamic skills, and personal integrity.

Ability to devote adequate time to Council responsibilities.

Deep familiarity with both Hamilton and Burlington.

Experience in group facilitation, encouraging open communication, and consensus-based decision-making is highly valued.

Candidates will be asked to submit a brief application package, including:

• A cover letter or expression of interest outlining motivation for the role and relevant experience
• A current resume or CV
• Contact information for two references (professional or governance-related)
• A brief statement (150–250 words) on their vision for BACCC’s continued impact in the Bay Area

BACCC asks that all interested applications submit their application via email to info@bayareaclimate.ca.

The post Bay Area Climate Change Council appeared first on Capacity Canada.

STATUS: The organization is preparing to incorporate as a numbered federal not-for-profit corporation in Ontario. No candidate is represented as a director until they have consented and the corporation has been lawfully formed. The permanent public brand is not yet cleared.

Project Visitor Access is recruiting a founding volunteer Board of Directors for a new federal not-for-profit being organized in Toronto. The project is building a 2027 pilot designed to make short-duration international travel to Canada accessible to people whose household purchasing power would ordinarily exclude them from Canadian tourism. The initial operating model supports 100 visitors from Jamaica to Ontario and 100 visitors from Morocco to Quebec, while Canadian suppliers are paid full contracted value through sponsor capital and regulated travel/payment structures.

The founding board will govern incorporation, financial controls, participant protection, privacy, regulated travel procurement, accessibility, insurance, evaluation and bilateral community partnerships. Sponsors will not be permitted to select individual participants, and the organization will not promise visas, immigration outcomes or charitable tax receipts.

• Exercise fiduciary duties to the corporation rather than to a sponsor, employer, community organization or participant group.
• Review and approve strategy, annual budgets, material contracts, risk controls and the conditions for launching or resizing the pilot.
• Maintain strict separation between eligibility verification, participant selection, sponsor influence and immigration decision-making.
• Protect participant financial sustainability: participant contributions are burden-capped and are not relied upon for program solvency.
• Require lawful Ontario/Quebec travel-selling structures, regulated payment flows, insurance, accessibility and documented refund/emergency controls.
• Participate in at least one standing committee: Audit & Risk; Participant Protection & Privacy; or Corridor & Partnerships.
• Disclose conflicts promptly and recuse where required.

Primary purpose: establish disciplined public-interest governance while keeping management, sponsors and participant selection appropriately separated.

CPA/LPA status is preferred but not mandatory if the candidate has equivalent senior accounting, audit, controllership or nonprofit-finance competence.

Primary purpose: independently oversee the people-level risks created by financial-need verification, international travel, privacy, accessibility, complaints and appeals.

Primary purpose: make the travel model operationally realistic, consumer-protective and accessible.

Primary purpose: ensure the program builds reciprocal relationships rather than operating as one-way donor-controlled tourism.

• Relevant competence for at least one of the five roles.
• Capacity to exercise independent judgment and read financial/risk/governance materials.
• Comfort with an early-stage organization whose pilot will not launch until regulatory, capital, insurance, accessibility and travel-seller gates are actually closed.
• Willingness to protect participants from financial hardship, donor influence and misleading immigration claims.
• Ability to disclose conflicts and maintain confidentiality.
• Preference for a board that collectively reflects different professional, community and lived perspectives; no individual candidate is expected to represent an entire country, diaspora or identity group.

This is not a paid travel program, immigration pathway, charity board seat already attached to a registered charity, or symbolic advisory title. It is a legal governance role in a federal NFP being built from the ground up. The first board will be expected to challenge, improve and sometimes stop program actions that do not meet the launch standard.
Questions and applications: Joshua W.J. Brown — joshuawjbrown@gmail.com

The post Project Visitor Access   appeared first on Capacity Canada.

The Prevention Collaborative is a Canadian-registered nonprofit organisation dedicated to ending violence against women and children globally. We work alongside partners across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, supporting the development and scale of evidence-based prevention strategies. Our team is virtual, globally distributed, and mission-driven.

We are currently seeking a committed, innovative Treasurer to join our Board of Directors. We are looking for candidates who bring skills and experience to contribute to our overall strategy and share responsibility for our vision, governance, and financial stewardship. We are seeking people dedicated to gender equality, especially individuals who feel passionate about reducing violence against women and girls.

As a volunteer Board member with the Collaborative, you will work closely with our global Board of individuals committed to preventing violence against women and children around the world to achieve our vision of safe, connected and joyful homes and communities.

The Treasurer is an officer of the Board of Directors responsible for helping ensure the financial integrity, sustainability, and accountability of the organisation. The Treasurer supports the Board in fulfilling its fiduciary responsibilities by overseeing financial reporting, monitoring financial health and risk, and ensuring appropriate financial policies and controls are in place.

All members of the Board share a commitment to preventing violence against women and their children and operating from our principles of responsiveness, power sharing, generosity, creativity and self-reflectiveness. Board members are values driven individuals who bring a commitment to collaborative and responsible leadership.

In addition, the Treasurer contributes to:
Financial oversight
– reviewing financial statements and reports for the board
– monitoring the organisation’s financial position
– supporting the development and approval of the annual budget
– Governance and compliance with Canadian regulations

Board leadership
– serving as a financial resource to the Board
– assisting Board members in understanding fiduciary responsibilities
– contributing to strategic planning and financial sustainability.

The Treasurer works closely with the Co-Director (Operations), the finance team, and the Board Chair. All board members demonstrate:
– The ability to apply foresight and innovative thinking to support the Collaborative’s strategic plan
– Interest and ability to work with a diverse team of individuals towards a common goal
– Excellent communication skills and cultural fluency
– The willingness to build networks and facilitate connections across different individuals and sectors

The Treasurer also brings:
– Experience in the Canadian non-profit sector, ideally international development
– CPA designation preferred
– Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-financial audiences
– Preferred location in Ontario, Canada

Time Commitment
● Attend regular Board meetings (quarterly, typically online 2-3 hours, possibly 1 in-person per year)
● Participate in Finance/Audit Committee meetings as applicable (1 hour per month)
● Review financial materials in advance of meetings
● Additional time during budget development, audit periods, or major organisational transitions

Accountable to: Board of Directors
The term of office shall be three years, with the possibility to renew for an additional three-year term.

The Treasurer may resign from the Board of Directors at any time by giving notice in writing to the Secretary.

No Director shall receive a salary, remuneration, honorarium or fee for performance of tasks which are the duties of the position(s) she holds.

Interested candidates should submit a CV and cover letter outlining their interest in the role to k.durand@prevention-collaborative.org.

The post Prevention Collaborative appeared first on Capacity Canada.

    THE "CLEANUP" HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SHAM

Wow how time, focus and concentration eventually make things clearer. Around 1995 I parked my car possibly in front of the then Woolwich Arena with a sign on the roof reading "The Cleanup Is A Sham". I was referring to the DNAPL reports and how APTE had rolled over on the issue and supported Uniroyal, CRA and the Ministry of Environment (M.O.E.) who all denied the presence of free phase DNAPL on the Uniroyal Chemical site despite all criteria for its' presence being exceeded. The distinction between free phase versus residual DNAPL almost seemed like the guilty parties pretending that if there was no free phase DNAPL then DNAPL as residual DNAPL really was no big deal. It was a big deal and there wasn't a shred of proof that there wasn't free phase DNAPL and in fact  the opposite was true. For a long while I clearly understood how badly APTE had screwed up but that was the key. I worked with Susan Bryant for years afterwards (until late 2007) thinking that APTE had simply badly screwed up. I was wrong. They (Susan B. and Sylvia ) were already co-opted by late 1993 when the M.O.E. released their December 10, 1993 DNAPL report accepting the Conestoga Rovers (CRA) nonsense and gibberish denying free phase DNAPL on the Uniroyal site.                                                                                                                                                                                                        We later found out that Frank Rovers (CRA) actually admitted at a UPAC meeting that the Uniroyal site had DNAPL throughout it supposedly so extensively that removing it would be impossible. You don't get residual DNAPL until after a continuous flow (free phase) has gone by leaving unconnected strands and  droplets behind. This residual DNAPL if in an aquifer with flowing groundwater is far more likely to fully dissolve and disappear much faster than pools of free phase DNAPL. We also found out that free phase DNAPL from Uniroyal had left their site and migrated under gravity westwards onto the Nutrite/Yara site. This is precisely why pumping well W8 was finally positioned in the Municipal Lower Aquifer on Nutrite's property close to Union St. years after the other offsite pumping wells started up in 1998. To this day Lanxess states that chlorobenzene concentrations throughout Elmira are highest from pumping well W8.

Over the following decades further issues have come to light. They include multiple different DNAPL chemicals and others in the Uniroyal subsurface. Each and every chemical compound in subsurface aquifers reduces the solubility concentration of the others present.  Hence the lab solubility figures in no way match the actual in ground solubility concentrations found in and around Uniroyal. The Effective Solubility concentrations are much lower than lab solubilities and despite this as recently as a couple of years ago Allan Deal (GHD) was using the 1% Solubility Rule to "prove" that there weren't DNAPLS present in a presentation to TRAC members. Yours truly attempted to clarify but was quickly shut down by the TRAC Chair. So much for public consultation and so much for ethics from Uniroyal/Lanxess consultants.

The latest issue that has come to my attention is the recrystallization of hydrophobic compounds in the subsurface after DNAPL dissolution.  DDT and Dioxins, both courtesy of Uniroyal Chemical, have extremely tiny solubility concentrations in water. In solvents however it's a totally different thing as both compounds readily dissolve into chlorobenzene and many other solvents found at Uniroyal and now throughout the Elmira Aquifers.  DDT and dioxins, PCBs and much more will travel both with the subsurface DNAPL as well as with passing groundwater that slowly dissolves the DNAPL albeit the DDT and Dioxins are at extraordinarily lower concentrations than say chlorobenzene and other solvents. That said a Solubility of 50 ng/l (part per trillion) is still higher than the drinking water standard for DDT (approx. 20 ng/l) and very much higher than the drinking standard for 2,3,7,8 TCDD (dioxin) which is 15 ppq (parts per quadrillion). 

A while back I advised that there was was DDT and Dioxins in Elmira's groundwater at very low concentrations although still likely above the Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS). Now I have learned that as DNAPL slowly dissolves over time (decades to centuries)  both DDT and Dioxins can at a certain concentration within the remaining DNAPL, recrystallize into their solid form. They become once again on their own a new source if you will of DDT and Dioxin to the aquifer. It seems obvious to me that all the pump & treat in the world will never restore Elmira's drinking water. The other problem is that both the MECP and the successor companies to Uniroyal Chemical have a long history of always finding the cheapest, least effective remediation method. To date I see no serious change in that behaviour despite the never ending puffery and bull from Lanxess, GHD and the MECP. These folks are simply snake oil salesmen selling the public false promises. 

Date: September 15, 2026

Since 2011, Eyedro Green Solutions Inc. has proudly delivered the MyEyedro cloud platform under a freemium model. Thousands of businesses and homeowners around the globe have relied on our software to monitor, analyse, and report on their electricity, water, and gas usage. Many of our valued customers have enjoyed over 10 years of continuous energy monitoring at zero subscription cost.

While operating, securing, and scaling cloud infrastructure requires substantial resources, Eyedro has historically absorbed these hosting and operating costs. As part of our commitment to platform longevity, system security, and continuous software enhancements, we are transitioning to a more balanced model. With these updates, Eyedro remains one of the most generous energy monitoring platforms in the industry: access to real-time telemetry, live dashboards, core monitoring tools, and standard analytics remains completely free.

The default (free) cloud data storage limit for an unlicensed meter will change from 2 years to 2 months.

All Eyedro meters come with a Standard meter license for the first 2 years, so this only impacts meters > 2 years old.

We expect this change will have minimal impact as most users (after the first 2 years) focus on energy data within the last 30 days only.

MyEyedro features and day-to-day use continue as-is otherwise.

Please review your MyEyedro account to understand when your Eyedro meter license expires.

If you wish to archive your historical measurement data locally, simply use the Data Exporter tool to download the data of interest.

Alternatively, see the MyEyedro Cloud page to add a Standard or Pro device (meter) license to increase the data storage limit.

Review the MyEyedro User Guide, or reach out via the contact form.

The Waterloo Region real estate market slowed in August 2026, with fewer home sales, fewer new listings and lower overall inventory compared with July.

Home prices, however, edged slightly higher month over month, while remaining below August 2025 levels.

For buyers and sellers across Kitchener, Waterloo and the surrounding Waterloo Region communities, the market continues to be active but increasingly selective. Buyers are paying close attention to value, and the way a home is prepared, priced and positioned continues to have a significant impact on the results sellers are achieving.

Here is a closer look at last month’s Waterloo Region real estate statistics and what they may mean as we move into the fall market.

Compared with July 2026 and August 2025:

• 477 homes sold, down 17.6% from July and 11.7% year over year
• $723,402 average sale price, up 2.3% from July and down 0.9% year over year
• $680,000 median sale price, up 0.7% from July and down 1.3% year over year
• 881 new listings, down 23.9% from July and 14.9% year over year
• 1,690 homes for sale, down 12.3% from July and 10.7% year over year
• 36 days on market, up from 33 days in July and 32 days in August 2025
• 3.4 months of inventory, down from 3.9 months in July and 3.6 months last August
• 99.8% of the most recent list price received, down from 100.2% in July and 100.9% last August

Year to date, residential sales across Waterloo Region are down 6.3% compared with 2025. The average sale price is down 4.2%, while the median sale price is down 4.9%.

August saw a noticeable decline in sales activity, but supply also tightened. Fewer properties came to market and the total number of homes available for sale fell considerably. As a result, months of inventory declined despite homes taking slightly longer to sell.

The combination of slower sales and lower inventory is one reason broad market statistics need to be viewed carefully. Conditions can vary considerably depending on the type of property, location and price range.

Cornerstone Association of REALTORS®

The average sale price for a home in Waterloo Region was $723,402 in August 2026, up 2.3% from July but 0.9% below August 2025.

The median sale price reached $680,000, increasing 0.7% month over month while remaining 1.3% below last year.

Those relatively small year-over-year declines suggest that prices held up better than sales volume in August. However, the overall numbers mask a much larger difference between single-family homes and townhomes, semi-detached homes and condominiums.

The Waterloo Region housing market is becoming increasingly segmented. Single-family homes continue to show stronger relative demand, while townhomes, semi-detached homes and condominiums are generally offering buyers more choice and greater negotiating power.

Single-family homes remained the more resilient segment of the Waterloo Region real estate market in August.

• 322 sales, down 15.9% from July and just 0.6% year over year
• $830,071 average sale price, up 2.3% from July and down 2.1% year over year
• $761,500 median sale price, up 0.2% from July and down 3.0% year over year
• 30 days on market, unchanged from July and up slightly from 29 days last August
• 2.8 months of inventory, down from 3.2 months in July and 2.9 months last August
• 100.3% of the most recent list price received, unchanged from July and down from 101.2% last August

Year to date, single-family home sales are actually slightly ahead of 2025, increasing 0.6%. The average sale price is down 5.1% year to date, while the median price is down 4.7%.

With fewer than three months of inventory, relatively stable year-over-year sales and shorter selling timelines, single-family homes continue to show stronger demand than other segments of the Waterloo Region market.

That does not mean every detached home is selling quickly. Buyers remain price conscious, and properties that are not aligned with current market value can still sit for considerably longer. However, well-positioned single-family homes continue to attract attention and, in some cases, competition.

Cornerstone Association of REALTORS®

The townhouse, semi-detached and condominium market tells a different story.

• 155 sales, down 20.9% from July and 28.2% year over year
• $501,805 average sale price, down 0.1% from July and 9.4% year over year
• $510,000 median sale price, down 1.3% from July and 6.7% year over year
• 48 days on market, up from 39 days in July and 35 days last August
• 4.6 months of inventory, down from 5.1 months in July and 4.7 months last August
• 98.8% of the most recent list price received, down from 99.9% in July and 100.5% last August

Year to date, sales in this segment are down 16.8% compared with 2025. The average sale price is down 8.4%, while the median sale price is down 7.8%.

For buyers searching for a townhome, semi-detached home or condominium in Waterloo Region, this segment currently provides more selection and, in many cases, greater room to negotiate.

For sellers, it also means pricing needs to be especially precise. With longer selling timelines and more competition for each buyer, even relatively small differences in price, condition or presentation can have a significant effect on activity.

Cornerstone Association of REALTORS®

Homes are selling, but the margin for error on pricing has become very small.

One of the most important takeaways from the August 2026 Waterloo Region real estate market is how differently individual segments are performing.
Single-family sales declined only 0.6% from a year ago. Sales of townhomes, semi-detached homes and condominiums fell 28.2%.

That difference makes broad market averages considerably less useful when determining what a specific property may be worth.

Pricing a home in the current Kitchener-Waterloo real estate market often requires more analysis than reviewing a handful of recent comparable sales. We consider current competition, location, lot, square footage, condition, renovations, layout, inventory, buyer demand and pricing history.

When there are limited recent comparable sales, it may also be necessary to examine older transactions and historical market movements to determine how those properties translate into today’s market.

Not every comparable sale is equally relevant, and not every home should be prepared or marketed the same way.

When the analysis is thorough and a property is positioned correctly, we are still seeing buyers respond quickly and, in some situations, compete. When the price misses the market, even by what may seem like a relatively small amount, the difference in showing activity and buyer interest can be significant.

Preparation matters as well, but that does not mean every seller needs to spend heavily before listing. Part of an effective strategy is identifying which improvements are likely to influence buyer perception, which ones are unlikely to provide a meaningful return, and where a seller’s time and money can have the greatest impact.

Buyers generally have more time to assess a property than they did during the highly competitive markets of recent years, particularly within the townhouse and condominium segments.

More negotiating room does not necessarily mean buyers should expect large discounts on every property. Well-priced homes can still attract strong interest, especially within the single-family segment.

Instead, the current market makes property-specific analysis especially important.

Recent comparable sales, competing listings, days on market, previous price changes and the conditions within that particular neighbourhood and property type can all provide useful information when determining an appropriate offer.

The opportunity for buyers today is less about assuming every seller will negotiate and more about identifying where negotiating leverage actually exists.

Interest rates remain an important part of the Waterloo Region housing outlook.

On September 2, 2026, the Bank of Canada held its policy interest rate at 2.25%. The Bank noted that economic growth and inflation had evolved broadly in line with its previous forecast, while upside risks to inflation had increased and new tariffs had created additional uncertainty.

Future interest rate decisions remain dependent on incoming economic data.

RBC Economics expects Canada’s housing recovery to remain gradual and uneven rather than producing a sharp rebound.
Its latest outlook forecasts Ontario home resales increasing 8.2% in 2027, following a modest decline in 2026. Ontario home values are projected to increase approximately 0.7% in 2027.

RBC also believes interest rates may be near the low point of the current cycle. If that proves correct, future improvement in housing activity may depend increasingly on affordability, employment, consumer confidence and pent-up buyer demand rather than substantially lower borrowing costs.

These are Ontario-wide forecasts rather than Waterloo Region-specific predictions. Still, the broader message is relevant to the local market: any housing recovery is likely to be gradual, and performance may continue to vary considerably by property type, price range and location.

Statistics provide important context, but they do not always show what is happening with an individual home.

Across Kitchener, Waterloo and the surrounding communities, buyers are being selective. They are comparing properties closely and responding most strongly when the relationship between condition, location, presentation and price makes sense.

This is especially important in a market where different property types are producing very different results.

A detached home in a neighbourhood with limited inventory may face very different conditions from a condominium competing against several similar listings. Even two homes within the same neighbourhood can require different pricing strategies based on lot, layout, renovations, location within the neighbourhood and competing inventory.

For sellers, understanding the market around the property rather than relying solely on a regional average has become increasingly important.

As we move into the fall 2026 real estate market, Waterloo Region remains active but highly segmented.

Single-family homes continue to show stronger relative demand, with fewer than three months of inventory and sales levels that remain close to last year.
Townhomes, semi-detached homes and condominiums are experiencing softer demand, longer selling timelines and greater price sensitivity, providing buyers with more choice and negotiating power.

For sellers, accurate pricing, thoughtful preparation and strong positioning remain critical. For buyers, current conditions provide more opportunity to compare properties carefully and negotiate where the data supports it.

Broader forecasts suggest the housing market recovery is more likely to be gradual than dramatic. Locally, we expect the difference between property types, neighbourhoods and price ranges to remain particularly important.

Whether you are considering buying, selling, downsizing or relocating, understanding the market around your specific property is more valuable than relying on a regional headline.

If you would like an accurate assessment of what your home could sell for in today’s Kitchener-Waterloo real estate market, connect with The Deutschmann Team for a personalized home evaluation.

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

When preparing your home for sale in Waterloo Region, the way a room is arranged can have a significant impact on how buyers perceive its size.
A room does not necessarily need more square footage to feel larger. In many cases, the difference comes down to proportion, furniture placement, sightlines, lighting and how easily the eye can move through the space.

These are the same principles often used when professionally staging a home for market. The goal is not to make a room feel empty. It is to make the space feel balanced, functional and easy for buyers to understand.

Here are some of the staging techniques that can help a room feel more open and spacious.

One of the simplest ways to make a room feel larger is to reduce visual interruptions.

When you enter a room, your eye naturally looks toward the farthest point it can see. If that view is blocked by tall furniture, oversized decor or bulky pieces near the entrance, the room can feel shorter and more enclosed.

Keeping sightlines open allows the eye to travel farther through the space, which creates a stronger sense of depth.

When preparing your home for sale, look closely at what is positioned near doorways, windows and the transitions between rooms. A tall cabinet beside an entryway or a chair positioned directly in front of a window may be perfectly functional day to day, but moving it can make the room feel noticeably more open.

This is especially important in open-concept layouts. When buyers can clearly see from one area into the next, the overall floor plan often feels larger and more connected.

Rug size can completely change how a room is perceived.

A common assumption is that a smaller rug will expose more flooring and make the room feel larger. In practice, an undersized rug can have the opposite effect.

If the rug sits only beneath the coffee table, for example, the eye may read the sofa, chairs and rug as separate elements rather than one cohesive seating area. This creates more visual breaks and can make the room feel fragmented.

A properly sized rug helps connect the furniture and define the room as one complete space.

In most living rooms, the front legs of the main seating pieces should sit on the rug. In larger rooms, all of the furniture may sit fully on the rug.

The goal is not simply to use a large rug. It is to choose one that is proportionate to the furniture and the dimensions of the room.

The perceived size of a room is influenced by more than floor space. Ceiling height matters too.

One way to make a room feel more generous is to draw attention upward.

Curtains are a good example. Hanging the curtain rod closer to the ceiling rather than directly above the window frame can make the window appear taller and emphasize the full height of the room.

Floor-length curtains can also create a cleaner vertical line than shorter panels.

Other ways to add visual height include taller artwork, vertically oriented mirrors or subtle architectural details that encourage the eye to move upward.
This technique is particularly effective in smaller rooms, where emphasizing height can help offset limited floor space.

Light has a major impact on how spacious a room feels.

Dark or heavily shaded rooms can feel more enclosed, while natural light helps define the edges of a space and makes it feel more open.

Before listing, it is often worth simplifying window treatments, opening blinds fully and making sure furniture is not blocking windows.

Heavy curtains that frame a window too tightly can make both the window and the room appear smaller. Lighter treatments, or simply opening the curtains wider, can expose more glass and allow more daylight into the space.

Mirrors can also help when used thoughtfully. A mirror positioned where it reflects natural light or an open section of the room can add a sense of depth.

The key is restraint. One well-placed mirror is generally more effective than using several purely for the sake of making a room appear larger.

A spacious room should not only look open. It should feel easy to move through.

Furniture that creates narrow walkways or forces someone to move around several obstacles can make a room feel smaller, even if the room itself is generously sized.

When staging a home, furniture is often repositioned to create more obvious circulation paths between entrances, seating areas and adjoining spaces.

For example, in a living room, buyers should be able to walk from the doorway to the main seating area without navigating around a chair or squeezing between the coffee table and sofa.

This does not mean pushing every piece against the wall.

In many rooms, floating furniture slightly away from the walls can create a more intentional layout and make the space feel better organized. What matters most is maintaining comfortable pathways and avoiding unnecessary obstacles.

Homes are arranged for everyday living, not for showing.

That means rooms often contain furniture and objects that are useful but do not necessarily help the space present at its best.

Extra chairs, storage cabinets, pet furniture, side tables or desks may all serve a purpose, but they can also make a room feel more crowded.

When preparing to sell, consider whether each piece is helping to communicate the size and function of the room.

Removing even one piece of furniture can sometimes improve a sightline, widen a walkway or make the main seating arrangement feel more balanced.
The goal is not to strip the room down completely.

An empty or nearly empty room can actually make it harder for buyers to judge scale. Furniture gives buyers a reference point for understanding what comfortably fits in the space.

Visual clutter can make a room feel smaller even when there is plenty of physical space.

This is because the eye has more individual objects to process.

When staging, surfaces such as coffee tables, kitchen counters, consoles and dressers are usually simplified rather than completely cleared.
Instead of several small accessories, a few larger and more intentional pieces will often create a cleaner look.

For example, a coffee table may only need a tray, a book and one decorative object rather than multiple candles, bowls, magazines and smaller accessories.
This gives the room more visual breathing space and helps direct attention back to the features of the home itself.

A room can feel larger when the eye moves smoothly through it.

Too many contrasting colours, finishes, patterns and materials can make the space feel divided into smaller visual sections.

A more cohesive palette creates continuity.

That does not mean everything needs to be beige, white or perfectly matched.

Instead, try to repeat similar tones, keep the number of competing finishes limited and use accent colours intentionally.

The same principle applies between adjoining rooms. In open-concept spaces, some consistency in colour and materials can help the entire area feel more connected.

More decor does not necessarily make a room show better.

Too many pillows, throws, accessories, faux plants or decorative objects can distract from the room itself.

The strongest staging usually feels effortless.

A few carefully selected accessories can add warmth and polish while still allowing buyers to notice the things that matter most, such as the windows, flooring, cabinetry, ceiling height and layout.

Staging should support the home rather than compete with it.

Making a room feel larger is less about creating an illusion and more about presenting the space clearly.

The right furniture scale helps buyers understand what comfortably fits. Open sightlines make the room feel deeper. Proper rug sizing connects the furniture. Natural light adds openness. Clear walkways make the space feel functional.

Often, the most effective staging changes are relatively simple.

Moving one chair, removing an extra table, changing the rug, adjusting the curtains or simplifying a few surfaces can meaningfully change the way a room is perceived.

These details can make a home feel more polished in person, but they are equally important in listing photography, where buyers are often deciding within seconds whether a property deserves a closer look.

If you are preparing to sell in Kitchener-Waterloo or the surrounding Waterloo Region, The Deutschmann Team can help you identify the staging and preparation decisions that will have the greatest impact before your home reaches the market. Contact us today to start.

The post Staging Tricks That Can Make Your Home Feel Larger appeared first on Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Agent - The Deutschmann Team.

                THE "CLEANUP" HAS ALWAYS BEEN A SHAM

Not only with the acquiescence of the Ontario MECP but in fact with their wild enthusiasm the polluter, his consultants and a gaggle of fellow travellors have embraced the blindfolded focus upon chlorobenzene and NDMA from almost day one. Pretending that every other toxic, dirty, smelly, putrid and gross liquid and solid chemical waste fits neatly into the characteristics of either NDMA or chlorobenzene is the height of hypocrisy, junk science, propaganda and prevarication. 

There are takeaways from this latest report by Mr. Cullen Flanders (Onterris). For example although it turns out to be hindsight for the public due to intentional misinformation; chlorobenzene is not a "typical" chlorinated solvent. It degrades via soil bacteria etc. very quickly in shallow, aerobic surficial soils and even in deeper, anaerobic soils its' low solubility in groundwater degrades quickly. Who knew? The problem of course is that the majority of it does not readily dissolve in groundwater as does NDMA. What it does do is pool in low lying areas particularly on top of low permeability surfaces such as aquitards and slowly dissolve into the groundwater over decades/centuries. 

NDMA on the other hand does not degrade naturally either in aerobic (oxygen rich) or anaerobic (oxygen poor) environments. It fully, 100% dissolves into groundwater and away it goes. It was in the north wellfield years before it was ever found in the south wellfield which only came on line in the 1970s so rest assured that cancers and other diseases were caused by NDMA long before the start of the 1989 Elmira Water Crisis. 

Yesterday's post needs amending in the last paragraph. I should have stated that as the "NDMA and chlorobenzene dissolved plumes have shrunk they are revealing more and more about the sources of all (Those Contaminants)  not just the two that Uniroyal wants us to focus on.". In other words as NDMA and chlorobenzene plumes decrease we are finding clearer evidence as to how we citizens have been lied to by Uniroyal and successors about the number of different corporate sources of those two contaminants. What we have been successfully deflected from is the various corporate sources around Elmira for all the other toxic contaminants including Dioxins, DDT, PAHs, PCBs, chlorophenol, trichloroethane, trichloroethene,  dichloroethylene, dichloroethane etc. Do not forget that Varnicolor had admitted LNAPLS (BTEX chemicals) as well as DNAPLS consisting of multiple chlorinated solvents in their surficial aquifer which we were not told had indeed migrated downwards into both aquitards and drinking water aquifers until 2016. The Ontario M.O.E. (MECP) blatantly lied to and misled us by reneging on their early 1990s promise to install those deeper monitoring wells quickly so that we could see the full vertical extent of Varnicolor's contamination.  Are those DNAPLS still below Varnicolor Chemical slowly dissolving into Elmira's drinking water aquifers? Will they and other chemicals in the DNAPL forever contaminate above drinking water standards our local water irrelevant of how much NDMA and chlorobenzene are eventually removed? Finally what honest party is there to actually monitor all these other toxic chemicals in our groundwater including low levels of Dioxins and DDT, chlorinated solvents or otherwise? Forget Lanxess, GHD or the Ont. MECP.      

You are a restaurant owner-operator.

You’ve been running your restaurant, Sam’s Pub, for almost ten years now, and you’re so proud of what you’ve built. You’ve hired a great staff, and you pay them fairly. You’ve developed a menu with items that use local fresh ingredients, that can be prepared quickly, and that customers enjoy.

But hell, running a restaurant is exhausting. You got into this business ’cause you love food, but you spend all of your time on people problems and money problems. The farm that supplies your chicken is closing to become a subdivision. Your social media ads cost too much time and require too much effort. Your head chef just accepted an offer at a prestigious steakhouse.

Fuck it, let’s become an Applebee’s franchise.

There’s MBAs in Glendale to manage the menu, the ads, and the decor.

Customers don’t appreciate the difference between your celery salt chicken thighs (with chicken from Alexandra!), and Sysco’s chicken fingers (with chicken from Illinois!).

Paying employees a good wage was kind of your thing, but that’s been tough especially since the pandemic. Applebees’ name recognition might bring in more tips to cover the difference?

There’s a few ways this might go badly.

Applebee’s nationwide lettuce supplier might have another listeria problem. Supply chain problems and the resulting diarrhea outbreaks are bad for business!

Corporate might raise the franchise fees. They’re already padding the margins on the mandatory supplies. A predictable, flat monthly fee was too good to be true.

The head of market research at corporate might resign because they’re worried that Applebee’s Inc. has a 10% chance of destroying humanity.

Dale Chihuly, Lapis Blue Chandelier, 2013, 221 x 140 x 124 cm © 2013 Chihuly Studio. All rights reserved. Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery Permanent Collection. Gift of Erica & Andrew O’Born. 2026.001.001

WATERLOO (ONTARIO) CANADA, September 13, 2026 – This month, the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery (CCGG) is thrilled to celebrate four new exhibitions and the installation of a major Dale Chihuly artwork with a pair of exciting community events! On September 18, CCGG will host a VIP Preview in Blue fundraising event from 5-7pm allowing attendees to be the first to experience the newly acquired artwork by internationally recognized glass artist, Dale Chihuly. Tickets for Preview in Blue are available now. Immediately following the preview event, the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery welcomes everyone to celebrate the launch of our new exhibitions with a public opening reception from 7-9pm.

Preview in Blue, with Special Guest MC John Catucci, former host of the Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here! will include curated hors d’oeuvres, live jazz music, a first look at four new exhibitions, and the unveiling of Dale Chihuly’s Lapis Blue Chandelier—hanging twelve feet above the Tower Gallery. Join CCGG after work from 5-7pm as we celebrate! The Gallery’s biggest fundraiser of the year, Preview in Blue, will support the Gallery’s exhibitions, educational programs, and community outreach. Ticket purchasers will also receive a charitable tax receipt for the maximum amount. Purchase your tickets online! 

The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery Public Opening Reception, from 7-9pm, will celebrate the launch of four Fall 2026 exhibitions, including:

Preview in Blue, with Special Guest MC John Catucci, former host of the Food Network’s You Gotta Eat Here! will include curated hors d’oeuvres, live jazz music, a first look at four new exhibitions, and the unveiling of Dale Chihuly’s Lapis Blue Chandelier—hanging twelve feet above the Tower Gallery. Join CCGG after work from 5-7pm as we celebrate! The Gallery’s biggest fundraiser of the year, Preview in Blue, will support the Gallery’s exhibitions, educational programs, and community outreach. Ticket purchasers will also receive a charitable tax receipt for the maximum amount. Purchase your tickets online! 

Dick Averns, Robin Clason, Coley, Thrush Holmes, Kelly Mark, Roda Medhat, Will Munro & Orest Tataryn 
September 18, 2026 to January 11, 2027 
Curated by Peter Flannery 

Since the year 2000 and the growth of LED-based signage, the use of neon for commercial and artistic purposes has declined. Despite this shift, the innate qualities of neon—its striking glow and subtle hum and flicker—create a sensory experience that is unmatched by newer alternatives. Recognizing the importance of this bold, dangerous, and unrivaled medium, artists have continued to push its boundaries, finding new ways to make art with electrified glass.  

Opens September 18, 2026

Fine art and craft coexist at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery. Form and function, colour and design, technique and expression, tradition and innovation—these relationships shape every work, though no two artists strike the same balance. Through a selection of works from the Gallery’s Collection, this long-term exhibition provides a space to experience a wide range of works by contemporary ceramic, glass, and enamel artists from across Canada.

September 18, 2026 – January 11, 2027 

Rooted in close observation and reverence for the environment, Faith Layard translates the vitality of flora, fauna, shifting landscapes, and organic rhythms into richly layered surfaces of vitreous enamel. 

September 18, 2026 – January 11, 2027 

Centred around Dale Chihuly’s Lapis Blue Chandelier, a monumental installation generously gifted to the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery in February 2026 by Erica and Andrew O’Born, Gifted provides a glimpse into Chihuly’s practice through three works from the Gallery’s Permanent Collection. 

Admission to the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is always free. For more information about exhibitions and programs, visit the CCGG website. 

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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, we 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 — we are accessible to all. For more information, visit: www.theclayandglass.ca

To schedule a media interview or for more information, contact Sarah Stanners, Executive Director & Chief Curator, at 519-746-1882 ext. 231 or director@theclayandglass.ca

The post CCGG Celebrates Dale Chihuly Artwork and Four New Exhibitions with Fundraiser and Public Reception September 18 first appeared on The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery.

We are approximately within 18-20 months of the mandated 2028 deadline to have achieved Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS) in the Elmira Aquifers. All parties agree it won't happen. Here's the rub. Those criteria are not just for NDMA and chlorobenzene. They are for each and every toxic contaminant in our drinking water aquifers. This includes some that are routinely monitored for and others less so such as Dioxins, DDT, PCBs, PAHs, other chlorinated solvents etc. These others, contrary to the lies we've been fed, will not automatically be at ODWS even if and when NDMA and chlorobenzene are. 

All the DNAPL lies that Uniroyal, CRA, GHD and the Ont. MECP have told Elmira citizens are coming home to bite them. Dr. Neil Thompson (U. of Waterloo) discovered an excess of 1,900 kilograms of chlorobenzene in the Elmira Aquifers in exceedance of the known quantity provided by Uniroyal Chemical. Past strong evidence of off-site chlorobenzene DNAPLS on the Nutrite property and beside the Howard St. Water Tower, pumping well W4 and monitoring well OW57-32R have long been denied with only recent tacit admittance of DNAPLS by the Water Tower. 

The report mentioned in the title has a Schematic Of Hydrogeologic Units (Fig. 1.2) on page 9. It shows the amount of mass contaminant recovery by the pumping wells both on the Uniroyal site and off the site. Pumping rates and concentrations for each pumping well are also shown. Unfortunately it is a poor Diagram as it does not explicitly say which contaminant it is tracking. Based upon the concentrations it likely is the much lower concentration NDMA rather than chlorobenzene that is being shown. Regardless one can quickly see that the two highest quantities of extracted contaminant are from pumping well W9 (2,845.1 g/yr) and pumping well W3R (426.7 g/yr). These quantities are even higher than the third place grossly contaminated on-site pumping well PW4 which due to its' much lower pumping rate is only removing 225.9 g/yr). 

W9 is located slightly west of Union St. near Park St. This is the location of a former textile industry and is just across the road (Union St.) from the former furniture company (Roxton ?) as well as Uniroyal Chemical. It is also very close to pumping well W8 just barely on the east side of Union St. on the former Nutrite/Yara property and very close to the off-site DNAPL from Uniroyal Chemical. Meanwhile pumping well W3R is downgradient from the former pumping well W4 which was located right in the heart of the off-site DNAPL beside the Howard St. Water Tower. W4 pumped heavily for many years and the powers to be may just have shut it down prematurely as higher concentrations of chlorobenzene have shifted towards nearby (south) pumping well W3R as well as nearby monitoring wells causing consternation amongst our local DNAPL DENIERS.   

Simply put it was easier to lie and bafflegab early on in the alleged "cleanup" but as NDMA and chlorobenzene dissolved plumes have shrunk they are revealing more and more about the sources of all contamination not just the two that Uniroyal and the Ont. MECP want us to focus on.

Trick Question: How many more times can Waterloo Region lie to Wilmot citizens before they stop believing you? 

The answer is  zero for half the Township at least.

Next trick question: Why is the Region finally in September making commitments about sharing water level data with Wilmot citizens?

The answer is because we've just had one of the wettest summers in recent memory and they are hoping that water levels are higher than usual. Plus if they don't share the information, sympathetic voters in Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge may punish them at next month's municipal election.

Third trick question: Actually it might be a trick headline above. Do Township voters (i.e. Woolwich, Wellseley, Wilmot, North Dumphries) only get to vote for one regional councillor which happens to be their mayor? Voters in Waterloo, Kitchener and Cambridge get to vote for additional councillors specific to their cities to represent their larger populations, do they not? If this is indeed the case then the only regional bum that Wilmot can possibly throw out is their current mayor Natasha Salonen.

Hmm meanwhile today's K-W Record has two interesting articles that might affect next month's election. The one is by Luisa D'Amato titled "Greater transparency coming on water levels, council told" and the other is by Jeff Outhit titled "Put your ID in your shoe when you run". The first is a very conveniently timed regional council meeting yesterday in which the Region of Waterloo appear at long last to be responding decently, properly and honestly to local Wilmot citizens who help pay for their salaries. Is this article for real just like is yesterday's regional council meeting for real or is it all for show? Basically this year Regional Council have left mayor Salonen out to dry with their disappointing, arrogant, "we know better than you" attitudes. Both yesterday's council meeting and Louisa's gentle handling and lack of appropriate editorial content today appear to be a gift to mayor Natasha Salonen to get her reelected. 

The second article by Jeff Outhit is an incredible boost to the current Chair of Regional Council, Karen Redman. Apparently Karen Redman was in New York City as part of her duties as a Canadian federal Member of Parliament (Lib.) during the 911 attacks on the World Trade Centre etc. She literally had absolutely nothing to do responsibility wise or politically regarding the attacks but thanks to the K-W Record her profile has just received a huge boost with the electorate, again right before next month's election. Keep in mind she hopes to maintain her position as Regional Chair but thanks to Premier Doug Ford it is not up to the electorate but up to him whether she continues as Regional Chair or he appoints someone else, likely a Conservative. My respect for our media in general and the K-W Record specifically has taken a fall in recent years.      

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Several casual-upscale restaurants and wine bars in the heart of Ottawa and Gatineau feature menus that showcase the distinctive qualities of low-intervention natural wines.

While these wines might present a challenge to diners inclined to favour the conventional aromas, flavours and textures of a noble grape, I’ve found that, though they can be described as “wild” or even “funky,” they can also reward and re-fresh the dining-out experience. In doing so, they also have ensconced themselves in the industry, embraced by more than just a core of dedicated sommeliers.

At each of Bar Lupulus, Arlo Wine Bar (in banner photo), Fauna Food + Bar and Soif Bar à vin (above), natural wines characterized as biodynamic, relying on only indigenous-yeast fermentation and with no filtration and minimal additives exhibit what Fauna’s wine director calls an “ethos” of authenticity that foregrounds the grape, the terroir and the winemaker.

For more, visit Vine Routes …

Check out my latest post Natural-wine hotspots in the Nation’s capital from AndrewCoppolino.com.