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We used to call the remote “la zapette” in France back then (a slightly outdated word that I still quite like).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.

Two incidents landed in the same week, and they rhyme. In systems engineering, we spend our careers scrutinising application business logic, configuring access control lists, and reviewing pull requests. We operate on the implicit assumption that the ground beneath our feet is solid granite. But every so often, the bedrock fractures.

One incident involves a pair of critical flaws in the core PHP runtime, latent in the codebase since 2012, that permit an unauthenticated HTTP request to execute arbitrary code before your application even boots. The other involves eMudhra, a globally trusted Certificate Authority, which generated eight intermediate signing keys with such pitiful entropy that researchers recovered the private keys from public certificates in less than a second. One private key was literally the single-digit integer 4.

Both failures expose a recurring blind spot in modern infrastructure: we expend enormous effort securing the code we write, while blindly trusting the foundations we inherit.

When security advisories dropped for the PHP vulnerabilities dubbed PHP2Shell, the public conversation immediately drifted toward web servers: WordPress installations, Laravel applications, Drupal portals, and Apache or PHP-FPM daemons running in cloud environments. The official remediation guidance was predictable: upgrade immediately to PHP 8.2.35, 8.3.36, 8.4.27, or 8.5.12.

If your entire estate consists of modern containerised workloads deployed through continuous integration pipelines, patching is straightforward. But having spent decades building network appliances, industrial equipment interfaces, and high-performance routers, I look at these advisories through a very different lens. I know where PHP actually lives.

PHP is not just on web hosts. It powers the embedded web administration console on your branch office router, the configuration interface on a network video recorder, the local diagnostic panel on a building automation controller, and the embedded web server inside plant equipment. These devices run on low-cost flash storage, often using ancient kernels and stripped-down userlands.

The PHP flaws date back to version 5.4, released in 2012. How many embedded devices installed in commercial facilities over the past decade still run PHP 5.6 or 7.0? Nearly all of them. These devices do not possess automated package managers. Many do not even have an active vendor left to issue a firmware update. As Cisco Talos noted in its analysis, roughly half of all observed PHP instances in the wild sit on abandoned, end-of-life releases that will never see an official security patch. The question for your organisation is not whether you run PHP, but whether you have any physical mechanism to update the devices that do.

The technical elegance, and terror, of PHP2Shell lies in its timing. The two flaws, CVE-2026-109618 and CVE-2026-109619, execute long before your application code receives control.

The first flaw, CVE-2026-109618, exploits out-of-memory error handling. When an unauthenticated multipart form submission exhausts memory limits during parsing, the runtime invokes longjmp() to abandon the request. However, internal request structures remain only partially built. Subsequent cleanup routines mistakenly treat this corrupted, half-initialised memory as valid, creating an exploitable heap corruption condition. Triggering this condition requires an oversized POST request, often several megabytes in size.

The second flaw, CVE-2026-109619, is far more dangerous. It leverages PHP’s session upload progress mechanism, a legacy feature enabled by default that tracks file uploads via session variables. When fatal error handling executes, it frees memory regions while leaving global pointers intact. The very next HTTP request processed by that identical worker thread inherits the dangling pointer, resulting in a classic use-after-free scenario. This payload requires no massive transmission: a crafted request of roughly 450 bytes is sufficient to hijack control flow.

Consider the architectural implication: because the attack executes during initial request ingestion, none of your application-level defences matter. Your authentication middleware never runs. Your routing handlers never execute. Your audit logging framework never records the caller. From the perspective of your monitoring systems, the worker process simply crashes, restarts, or returns a routine HTTP 200 or 500 error, while the attacker gains an interactive shell.

While the industry scrambled to inventory PHP runtimes, a second, arguably more alarming failure was unravelling across global trust stores. Mozilla Bugzilla thread 2083449 published details of a catastrophic key-generation failure by eMudhra, a commercial Certificate Authority trusted by every major operating system and browser vendor.

During an audited key ceremony conducted on April 30, 2025, eMudhra engineers were provisioning 24 subordinate Certificate Authorities using hardware security modules. A scripting error during a wrap and unwrap test routine produced a secondary batch of test keys. Because the object labels and filenames mirrored the intended production keys, operators inadvertently selected the test keys to generate official Certificate Signing Requests, which were duly signed by their root authority and cross-signed by Sectigo.

These intermediate certificates were configured to use the P-384 elliptic curve. In standard cryptography, a P-384 private key is a randomly selected 384-bit integer, a number spanning roughly 116 decimal digits, representing a search space larger than the total number of atoms in the observable universe. In eMudhra’s blunder, the entropy collapsed completely. The generated private keys were small integers under 256: values such as 56, 66, 230, and in one case, the literal number 4.

Using elementary baby-step giant-step algorithms, independent researchers and Mozilla engineers calculated the private keys directly from the public certificates in less than a second. For roughly 18 months, eight intermediate Certificate Authorities with publicly recoverable private keys sat in active production, trusted implicitly by devices worldwide. Following the disclosure, Reuters reported that eMudhra has exited the global digital certificate business entirely.

The standard consumer reaction to a Certificate Authority compromise is to assume browsers will fix it. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge pushed rapid updates, leveraging mechanisms like OneCRL and CRLSets to revoke the intermediate certificates almost instantaneously. If web browsing were the sole consumer of public key infrastructure, the crisis would be resolved within 48 hours.

It is not. Of the eight compromised certificates, two were designated for code signing, and six were general-purpose Transport Layer Security issuers. Both categories inflict severe architectural damage far beyond the browser.

A code-signing certificate does not prove software is benign; it asserts that a specific cryptographic identity signed a binary. Windows operating systems translate that signature into administrative trust: SmartScreen reputation, Application Control policies, and AppLocker rules. An attacker holding these intermediate keys could mint arbitrary code-signing certificates for any corporate identity, sign malware, and slip seamlessly past enterprise application allow-lists. Because commercial code signatures employ cryptographic timestamping, those signed payloads remain valid indefinitely, even after the underlying signing certificate expires.

Even more insidious is the role of Transport Layer Security in machine-to-machine authentication. Modern zero trust architectures frequently deploy mutual Transport Layer Security across application programming interface gateways, microservice service meshes, and industrial networks. A client certificate is not merely an encryption mechanism; it is an authorisation passport. If your industrial supervisory control and data acquisition system, Internet of Things ingestion hub, or virtual private network terminates connections using a trust store containing the compromised root or intermediate certificates, an attacker possessing the private key can forge a valid client certificate for any identity they choose. They do not need to intercept your traffic; they authenticate directly as an authorised entity.

When you update your desktop browser, you update exactly one trust store. In an enterprise operational technology or cloud environment, dozens of unmanaged trust stores operate silently in the background:

• The certifi Python package pinned inside hundreds of isolated virtual environments and automated machine learning pipelines.
• The embedded root certificates compiled statically into Go, Rust, and Node.js binaries running in container clusters.
• The Java keystores managing enterprise middleware and message queues.
• The firmware images on operational technology gateways, network switches, and environmental sensors that never contact an Online Certificate Status Protocol responder or download a Certificate Revocation List.

Unlike modern web browsers, non-browser clients rarely check revocation status or enforce Certificate Transparency. As Cloudflare highlighted in its incident guidance, well-meaning engineers attempting to resolve connection failures often make matters worse by disabling certificate verification entirely.

Both the PHP2Shell exploit and the eMudhra collapse demonstrate why conventional perimeter defences inevitably fail. Traditional network architecture relies on two flawed premises: first, that an internal network segment is secure enough to leave legacy HTTP interfaces directly reachable; second, that possessing a cryptographic certificate implies verified authorisation.

When we designed the Agilicus AnyX platform, we explicitly rejected both assumptions. Our philosophy treats identity and authorisation as the primary security boundary, entirely decoupling user access from network topology.

Against flaws like PHP2Shell, network-level firewalls and web application firewalls struggle because they inspect traffic only after a connection is established, and they frequently fail to parse binary or multipart payloads cleanly. AnyX approaches the problem from the outside in: unauthenticated traffic never touches the upstream application runtime. Every inbound request must authenticate against your corporate identity provider and satisfy multi-factor authentication policies before AnyX routes a single byte to the destination service.

Furthermore, AnyX enforces granular path-level and method-level authorisation rules. An external user cannot issue an arbitrary POST request to an undocumented upload endpoint because AnyX restricts actions strictly to authorised roles and explicit HTTP paths. If an unauthenticated attacker cannot deliver their 450-byte payload to the PHP parser, the vulnerability cannot be triggered.

Similarly, against public key infrastructure collapses like eMudhra, AnyX eliminates blind trust in transport certificates. Instead of allowing client certificates to grant blanket network access across a traditional virtual private network, AnyX validates the human identity behind the request, continuously inspecting context, device posture, and role assignments.

To protect your operations against the fallout from these two foundation failures, take the following concrete steps:

• Isolate legacy web consoles: Inventory every operational technology device, router, print server, and network camera. Place them behind authenticated access boundaries so unauthenticated network traffic cannot reach their embedded web runtimes. Review our tactical guide on reducing exposure to the PHP2Shell vulnerability family.
• Audit non-browser trust bundles: Inspect your container base images, Python virtual environments (certifi), and Java runtimes to ensure the eight compromised eMudhra intermediate keys and associated roots are explicitly purged.
• Enforce granular path authorisation: Restrict HTTP POST, PUT, and DELETE methods across all web services to authenticated roles, and eliminate wildcards in your reverse proxy configurations. See our documentation on authorisation rules and web application security.
• Re-evaluate application allow-lists: Audit your Windows Defender Application Control and AppLocker policies to ensure binary execution trust is grounded in cryptographic hashes rather than publisher certificates alone.

We are accustomed to securing the applications we write while taking the foundation for granted. But when the runtime executes attacks before your code runs, and when a global certificate authority signs keys with single-digit entropy, the foundation has failed. The organisations that survive these shifts are not the ones with the fastest patching cycles, but the ones whose architecture never trusted the foundation in the first place.

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.

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Rob McGrath from the Catholic Journey Project to talk about why non-Catholic Christians are becoming Catholic, what to expect for those on the journey, what the Catholic Church means by being the "fullness" of faith, and what a relationship with Jesus looks like in Catholicism. 

Plus, we talk about the game-changing reality of the sacraments, apostolic succession, and what it means to find the Catholic Church versus "finding a church" as an Evangelical Christian. 

It's an awesome conversation!

For more from Rob visit The Catholic Journey Project.

Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.

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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.

Preparing to sell your home often comes with a long list of potential improvements. Should you repaint? Replace the flooring? Update the kitchen? Renovate the bathrooms?

The reality is that not every improvement is worth making before you sell. Some updates can help a property attract buyers and compete more effectively, while others may cost more than the value they add.

So, what should you fix before selling your house? Generally, the best place to start is with necessary repairs, fresh paint where needed, deep cleaning, decluttering, curb appeal, and professional presentation. Major renovations, cosmetic preferences, and functional but dated finishes can often be left alone.

For homeowners in Kitchener-Waterloo, the key is understanding which improvements will make a meaningful difference based on your property’s condition, neighbourhood, price range, and current competition.

When preparing a home for sale, the priority should be improvements that address buyer concerns, create a strong first impression, and enhance the property’s overall presentation.

Before investing in cosmetic improvements, start with anything that is broken, damaged, or not functioning properly.

Buyers pay attention to a home’s general condition. Even relatively minor maintenance issues can create questions about how well a property has been cared for.

Consider addressing:

• Leaky faucets, running toilets, and minor plumbing issues
• Doors, cabinets, and windows that do not open or close properly
• Damaged trim, chipped paint, and holes in walls
• Broken light fixtures or malfunctioning switches
• Loose handles, railings, and other visible deficiencies
• Damaged or missing flooring sections

These improvements do not necessarily require a significant investment, but they can help create a more positive impression during showings.

What about larger repairs?

Issues involving roofing, moisture intrusion, structural concerns, or major mechanical systems require a more individualized approach.

Rather than automatically taking on an expensive project, have the issue properly assessed and discuss your options before listing. Depending on the circumstances, repairing, replacing, or factoring the condition into your pricing strategy may be appropriate. Known material issues must also be handled transparently and in accordance with applicable disclosure obligations.

Fresh paint can be one of the most effective ways to improve a home’s presentation without undertaking a major renovation.

Over time, walls accumulate scuffs, marks, and signs of everyday wear. Dark or highly personalized colours can also make it more difficult for buyers to envision a space as their own.

Consider repainting:

• High-traffic areas with noticeable wear
• Rooms with very bold or inconsistent colours
• Walls with visible patches, stains, or damage
• Spaces that feel dark or visually dated

Neutral, cohesive colours can help create a brighter, more consistent appearance throughout the home.

However, repainting every room is not always necessary. If the existing paint is in good condition and complements the space, it may be better to leave it alone.

Kitchens and bathrooms are important spaces for prospective buyers, but improving them does not always require a complete renovation.

If your kitchen is functional and well-maintained, smaller updates may be enough to improve how it presents.

Consider:

• Refinishing or painting dated cabinetry where appropriate
• Replacing noticeably worn or damaged hardware
• Updating an outdated light fixture
• Repairing damaged cabinet doors or drawers
• Decluttering countertops to emphasize workspace
• Thoroughly cleaning appliances, cabinetry, and surfaces

The same principle applies to bathrooms.

Fresh caulking, clean grout, repaired fixtures, and updated lighting can make a meaningful visual difference without the expense of a complete remodel.

A kitchen or bathroom does not need to be brand new to appeal to buyers. It needs to be clean, functional, and appropriately presented for the home’s price point.

A buyer’s impression begins before they enter the property.

The exterior is often the first thing prospective buyers see in listing photographs or when arriving for a showing. A well-maintained exterior can help establish a positive impression of the home.

Depending on the season and property, worthwhile improvements may include:

• Maintaining lawns, gardens, and landscaping
• Trimming overgrown trees and shrubs
• Cleaning walkways, driveways, and exterior surfaces
• Refreshing worn front-door paint
• Repairing damaged exterior fixtures
• Removing unnecessary items from porches, patios, and yards

You do not necessarily need expensive landscaping or an elaborate outdoor renovation.

Often, the objective is simply to showcase the property’s existing features, whether that is a mature treed lot, an inviting front entrance, or a private backyard.

Knowing what not to renovate before selling your house is just as important as knowing what to improve.

Some projects involve substantial costs, lengthy timelines, or personal design decisions that may not translate into a higher sale price.

Unless a kitchen is significantly damaged, highly compromised in functionality, or notably below the expectations of its market segment, a complete renovation immediately before selling may not make financial sense.

Cabinetry, countertops, appliances, flooring, and installation costs can add up quickly.

While a beautifully renovated kitchen may appeal to buyers, it does not guarantee that the full renovation cost will be recovered in the sale.
In many cases, smaller cosmetic improvements and proper presentation are a more practical approach.

A bathroom with older but well-maintained tile, cabinetry, or fixtures does not automatically need to be renovated.

If the space is clean, functional, and free of significant damage, buyers may be comfortable making their own improvements after purchasing.

Before investing in a full remodel, consider whether targeted repairs, updated lighting, fresh caulking, or professional cleaning could achieve the desired result.

Flooring can influence how a home presents, particularly when there is visible damage, excessive wear, or significant inconsistency between rooms.
However, replacing every floor simply because the finishes are older is not always justified.

For example, original hardwood flooring in an established Waterloo neighbourhood may be a desirable feature, even if it would benefit from refinishing.
Likewise, existing carpet or tile may be perfectly acceptable if it is clean and in good condition.

The decision should depend on the flooring’s actual condition, its impact on the home’s presentation, and the expectations of prospective buyers.

It can be tempting to replace every dated finish before listing, but design preferences are subjective.

Consider holding off on:

• Replacing functional light fixtures throughout the entire home
• Installing trendy backsplashes or statement finishes
• Upgrading every faucet, handle, or cabinet pull
• Adding expensive custom cabinetry or built-ins
• Making significant layout changes purely for aesthetic reasons

These improvements may be worthwhile if you plan to enjoy them for years. They are not automatically worthwhile when preparing to sell.

The goal should be to appeal to a broad range of buyers rather than invest heavily in one particular design style.

There is no universal renovation budget that makes sense for every seller.

The amount worth investing depends on the property’s existing condition, anticipated sale price, buyer expectations, and the improvements already found in competing listings.

Before approving an expense, consider three questions:

1. Will this improvement address a genuine buyer concern?

Necessary repairs and visible maintenance issues often deserve attention before purely cosmetic changes.

2. Will the improvement noticeably change how the home presents?

Fresh paint in a heavily worn main living area may have a greater visual impact than replacing perfectly functional fixtures throughout the house.

3. Is the likely benefit worth the total cost?

Consider materials, labour, timing, and whether comparable properties support the additional investment.

A more expensive improvement is not necessarily a better one.

The priority should be allocating your budget to the projects most likely to support your home’s market position, rather than trying to make everything new.

Not all home improvements carry the same weight across Waterloo Region.

Buyer expectations can differ considerably depending on the neighbourhood, property type, age, and price range.

For example, preparing a family home in Laurelwood or Eastbridge may involve emphasizing functional living spaces, bedroom layouts, storage, and outdoor areas.

An established home in Westmount or Beechwood may benefit from highlighting original character, mature landscaping, and architectural features rather than replacing them with trend-driven updates.

Meanwhile, a condominium in Uptown Waterloo or Downtown Kitchener may require greater attention to efficient furniture placement, storage, and how the available space is presented.

Luxury properties may have additional expectations concerning finish quality, condition, and overall presentation.

These distinctions matter because buyers evaluate a property in relation to its alternatives.

An improvement that helps one property compete may have little effect on another.

Current market conditions also play a role. Our latest Waterloo Region real estate market update explores how market activity and buyer demand differ across property types.

Understanding your specific competition is essential before committing to expensive updates.

One of the most common mistakes homeowners make is beginning renovations before understanding what buyers in their market actually expect.

At The Deutschmann Team, we take a property-specific approach to preparing homes for sale.

Our process begins with understanding your home’s current condition, recent comparable sales, competing listings, and the features most likely to influence buyer interest.

From there, we can help identify which improvements are worth considering, which can be left alone, and how staging and professional marketing can showcase the property effectively.

Our home selling process includes a staging consultation and personalized preparation recommendations to help sellers make informed decisions before bringing their property to market.

The objective is not to spend more than necessary. It is to make strategic decisions that support a successful sale.

The post What to Update Before Selling Your Home (and What to Leave Alone) appeared first on Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Agent - The Deutschmann Team.

There is a peculiar habit of the human mind: it revisits doors that have already closed.

What if I had made a different choice? What if a particular event had never happened? What if a country had followed a different policy, a discovery had arrived a century earlier, or a society had organized itself around entirely different values?

We ask these questions about our own lives, but we also ask them about the world. They live in historical fiction, scientific speculation, political debates, and the stories we tell ourselves about the future. Behind all of them is an old human desire: to look beyond the reality we know and explore possibilities we cannot observe.

For centuries, we have imagined time machines as a way to satisfy that desire. But what if we could explore alternative paths without travelling through time?

Not by pretending that an imagined world is real, and not by asking a chatbot to produce an interesting story, but by examining a scenario through different disciplines, challenging its assumptions, tracing its consequences, and understanding why a particular outcome might be plausible.

That question became the starting point for Anamnesis-AI.

We aimed to build a system that could take a single “what if?” and turn it into a structured exploration of possible worlds.

Imagine asking an ordinary chatbot: What if the world had developed into a society where women held greater social, economic, and political power than men?

You might receive an engaging response about education, employment, family structures, or political leadership. It could be thoughtful and well-written. But a question of this scale reaches far beyond any single discipline.

How might healthcare have developed? Would economic systems have evolved differently? What consequences might emerge for technology, climate policy, governance, or international relations? Which historical conditions would need to change before such a society could emerge? And which of the imagined consequences have a defensible basis, rather than simply sounding convincing?

The challenge is not merely generating more text. It is examining a complex scenario from perspectives that can challenge, complement, and sometimes contradict one another.

A historian may identify a constraint that a political analyst overlooks. An economist may question whether a proposed social change is financially sustainable. A climate specialist may uncover consequences that are invisible in a purely political explanation.

These perspectives do not automatically produce the correct answer. But bringing them into a shared process creates more opportunities to identify assumptions, explore connections, and question conclusions.

That was the distinction we wanted Anamnesis-AI to make.

Instead of treating a hypothetical scenario as a question requiring one answer, we wanted to treat it as a problem requiring multiple perspectives and a connected chain of reasoning.

The idea existed before the development process became concrete. Our curiosity about time travel and alternate histories had already made me wonder whether AI could help people explore such possibilities in a more systematic way.

An opportunity to participate in Microsoft’s AI Agentic AI Hackathon, which I had learned about roughly three months earlier, gave us a reason to push that idea toward a working product.

We were a team of five. Our responsibilities included database development, frontend development, research, concept testing, and the architecture and backend work needed to bring the system together. I took the lead in shaping the product’s direction and coordinating its development, while contributing primarily to the architecture and AI pipeline.

The frontend began taking shape within the first month. The more difficult work, however, was making the intelligence behind it function as intended.

A polished interface can make an idea look complete. A working AI system has to earn that appearance.

We needed agents that could examine the same scenario without simply repeating one another. We needed the output to remain coherent across different domains. We needed evidence to inform the generated conclusions. We needed a way to question weak reasoning, and we needed the entire process to work within the practical limits of a student-built project.

For nearly three months, I spent twelve or more hours a day working on the project.

There were moments when I wondered whether we had made the problem unnecessarily difficult. Could eight specialist agents actually contribute something meaningful? Would they contradict one another? Would the final report become a collection of disconnected opinions? Would the model invent convincing explanations that could not be supported by the available information?

The idea was exciting precisely because it was ambitious. That also made it frightening.

But our team had already invested its time and effort. The frontend was taking shape, our teammates had completed their parts, and the product was beginning to feel tangible. I felt that if the hardest part was the backend and AI pipeline, I needed to keep pushing until we could see whether the idea could work.

The challenge was no longer just imagining a system. It was making the system function.

At the centre of Anamnesis-AI is a multi-agent architecture.

In simple terms, a multi-agent AI system uses multiple AI agents with different responsibilities to work through a problem. Rather than relying on one general-purpose response, the system organizes its work so that specialized perspectives can contribute to the same scenario.

Anamnesis-AI brings together eight specialist domains: economics, technology, society, climate, politics, energy, healthcare, and demographics. Supporting roles, including a Historian, a Critic, and a Narrator, help establish context, examine reasoning, and bring the results together.

Each role contributes a different kind of analysis.

The Historian establishes a historical baseline. The specialist agents examine the scenario through their respective domains. Their conclusions become part of a wider discussion, in which subsequent agents can consider what has already been proposed rather than treating the question as if no analysis has taken place.

An economic conclusion, for example, may influence how a political or social consequence is examined. A technological possibility may require scrutiny of its economic feasibility. A social transformation may depend on historical conditions that cannot simply be ignored.

The aim is to make these perspectives interact, not merely sit beside one another.

The Critic provides another layer of scrutiny by examining the reasoning for weaknesses and gaps. When the system’s evaluation calls for it, the workflow can return for further consideration before the Narrator synthesizes the results into a coherent report.

This is important because multiple agents do not automatically mean better reasoning. Eight agents can still make eight mistakes. They can share assumptions, overlook the same evidence, or generate conclusions that sound plausible without being adequately supported.

The value lies in how their work is connected, reviewed, and presented — not simply in the number of agents involved.

A hypothetical scenario has a special problem: its central premise may never have occurred in reality.

If we ask what would happen if a historical event had unfolded differently, there is no complete record of the world that would have followed. The system must reason from what is known while acknowledging that the proposed future or alternate past is not directly observable.

This is where retrieval-augmented generation, commonly called RAG, becomes important.

A conventional language model generates responses from patterns learned during training and the context provided to it. A RAG-enabled system can also retrieve relevant material from an external knowledge collection and use that material while generating its response.

Anamnesis-AI uses a retrieval pipeline that draws on knowledge sources documented in the project, including resources such as Wikipedia, arXiv, the World Bank, UN Data, NASA, and NOAA.

These sources serve different purposes. Historical material can help establish context. Economic and demographic information can inform assessments of social change. Scientific and environmental sources can provide relevant evidence when a scenario involves technology, energy, or climate.

The important distinction is between using evidence to inform a conclusion and treating evidence as proof of an imagined outcome.

A source might establish that a particular economic condition existed, that a technology had certain limitations, or that a historical event produced a documented consequence. It cannot, by itself, prove exactly what would have happened in a world that never existed.

Anamnesis-AI is designed to explore those possibilities using available evidence and connected reasoning.

The goal is not to turn speculation into certainty. It is to make speculation more structured, more transparent, and easier to examine.

One of the most memorable moments in development came when we explored a question about a world shaped by greater female empowerment rather than the patriarchal structures that have characterized many societies throughout history.

What interested me was not simply the question itself, but the range of perspectives it invited.

The scenario could be examined through healthcare, technology, economics, climate, history, sociology, and other domains. Each perspective could contribute a different line of inquiry, and the combined report could reveal relationships that a single, narrowly focused answer might miss.

That was the moment the project began to feel like more than an interface wrapped around an AI response.

It felt like a way to give curiosity a structure.

Of course, such a scenario cannot tell us with certainty how a radically different society would have developed. Gender, power, institutions, culture, resources, and historical circumstances interact in complicated ways. Any generated account remains a reasoned exploration of possibilities, not a definitive reconstruction of an alternate world.

But the experience demonstrated what we had been working toward: a question could open into a connected examination of many dimensions of human life.

And that is where the idea became exciting — not because the system could answer every question, but because it could help us ask better ones.

Building a multi-agent system introduces a practical problem that is easy to overlook: every additional step can consume time, computation, and API resources.

During development, we relied on free-tier services wherever possible. That meant working within usage limits that could make a full agent workflow difficult to run repeatedly.

A scenario involving several agents, document retrieval, review, and synthesis can generate many model requests. In our experience, the available free-tier limits were sometimes restrictive enough that a single development day could be consumed by testing the pipeline.

We had to think not only about what the system should do, but also about which work was actually necessary.

Consider a question about a proposed change in fuel pricing. The economic, political, and social consequences might be directly relevant. Energy analysis could also matter. A detailed climate analysis, however, may not contribute much to every version of that question.

Conversely, a scenario about a major change in energy infrastructure could require several of those perspectives at once.

Anamnesis-AI therefore incorporates relevance-based agent selection. The system considers the scenario and the availability of relevant retrieved material to determine which specialist agents should participate. Some questions need a broad analysis; others can be handled by a narrower set of relevant perspectives.

This approach helps avoid unnecessary work while keeping the analysis focused on the question being asked.

It is a practical engineering lesson: a system does not become more intelligent simply by doing more work. Sometimes, better orchestration means knowing what not to invoke.

We also had to account for the possibility that an API or model would become unavailable or hit a usage limit. Building fallback and failover paths became part of making the system usable rather than merely demonstrating it under ideal conditions.

For a student team working without a dedicated infrastructure budget, these constraints were not incidental. They shaped the product.

A well-written report can be persuasive even when its reasoning is weak. That is especially dangerous when AI generates a detailed explanation with confident language.

We wanted users to have a way to look beyond the final prose.

Anamnesis-AI includes percentage-based plausibility scoring intended to indicate how plausible the generated report appears within the system’s assessment. The score gives users an additional signal when interpreting the result.

It should not be mistaken for a statistically validated probability that the scenario will happen, or a guarantee that the report is correct. A percentage cannot eliminate uncertainty, and a high score should never replace critical examination.

The more important feature is the ability to inspect individual claims.

Within the divergence graph, users can click on individual timeline events and claims to examine the associated agent’s conclusion and the basis provided for it. Rather than encountering an entirely opaque narrative, they can follow a claim back into the reasoning presented by the system.

This matters because a report is more useful when its conclusions can be questioned.

If an event seems implausible, a user can investigate the explanation behind it. If a claim rests on a questionable assumption, the user has a starting point for examining that assumption. If a source does not adequately support the conclusion, that gap becomes something to evaluate rather than something hidden by fluent writing.

Traceability does not make an AI system infallible. Retrieved documents can be incomplete, interpretations can be mistaken, and evidence can be used to support a conclusion more strongly than it deserves.

But making the basis of a claim inspectable gives users a more meaningful role than simply accepting or rejecting the final answer.

It turns reading into examination.

Anamnesis-AI also presents scenarios through an interactive timeline and divergence graph.

A hypothetical event rarely has only one consequence. One development may influence another, which may alter the conditions for a third. Over time, these relationships can produce a chain of events that is difficult to understand through a long block of text alone.

The timeline helps organize that chain into individual events. The divergence graph provides a way to explore how a scenario might branch from a different point in its development.

Users can also explore alternative paths by selecting a divergence point. The system preserves the events preceding that point and regenerates the subsequent part of the timeline around the changed direction.

The distinction is useful: changing one assumption should not require pretending that everything before it never happened.

Suppose a user is exploring an alternate historical event and wants to understand what might happen if a particular political decision were reversed several years later. The user can examine the preceding timeline, choose the point of divergence, and explore how the consequences might change.

The result is not a recovered timeline from a parallel universe. It is a generated scenario that makes its assumptions and consequences easier to explore.

Alongside the timeline, the platform provides visual ways to examine impacts, relationships, risks, and decisions. Depending on the scenario, these include impact visualizations, causal relationships, decision trees, and geographic views.

These features matter because complex scenarios are not always best understood as essays. Sometimes, a timeline reveals the sequence. Sometimes, a graph reveals the relationships. Sometimes, a map reveals the geographic dimension.

The interface is intended to help users move between these ways of understanding the same problem.

Although alternate history is an intuitive way to experience Anamnesis-AI, the idea extends beyond imagining a different past.

Consider a policymaker or planner examining a proposed increase in fuel prices. The question is not simply whether the decision is good or bad. It is what consequences might follow, which groups might be affected, how economic and social effects could interact, and what risks deserve further investigation.

A structured scenario can help organize these questions.

A user could examine the economic implications, consider political and social responses, investigate energy-related consequences, and explore possible downstream effects. Geographic and demographic context can also be customized to make a scenario more relevant to a particular region; when no region is specified, the system can begin with a global perspective.

The same general approach can be applied to questions about infrastructure, technological adoption, social change, energy transitions, and alternative historical developments.

For everyday users, it offers a way to explore questions that have always fascinated them. For students, it can provide a starting point for investigating relationships across disciplines. For planners and decision-makers, it can help organize possible consequences and identify assumptions that need closer scrutiny.

But there is an important boundary.

Anamnesis-AI is a scenario-exploration and decision-support tool, not an oracle.

Its outputs should not be treated as validated forecasts, and its plausibility score is not a substitute for statistical modelling, expert review, or domain-specific evidence. High-stakes decisions still require qualified people, reliable data, and methods appropriate to the decision being made.

The system’s purpose is to help users explore possibilities, understand relationships, and ask more informed follow-up questions — not to remove the uncertainty inherent in the future.

The most demanding part of this project was not any single model or framework. It was making all the pieces work together in a way that served the original idea.

A frontend can display a report. An AI model can generate a paragraph. A database can store information. But bringing those components together into a system that retrieves information, coordinates specialist agents, evaluates their reasoning, handles failures, and presents a connected scenario requires a different kind of thinking.

It requires considering the entire journey from a user’s question to the conclusion they eventually read.

It also requires accepting that a compelling idea is only the beginning. The real work lies in translating it into a system, discovering where it fails, and improving it without losing sight of why it mattered in the first place.

I spent months worrying that our agents might not agree, that our reasoning pipeline might become too complicated, or that the whole idea might remain something that sounded better in conversation than it worked in practice.

We had limited resources, demanding technical problems, and no guarantee that our original vision would survive contact with implementation.

What kept me going was the thought that people might one day enter their own questions and experience what we had been trying to build: not merely an answer, but a structured exploration of what could follow.

Our team brought together different responsibilities and contributions to make that possible. Anamnesis-AI is the result of that shared effort, sustained through the less visible work behind the interface.

It is not a machine that knows every possible future. It is an attempt to build a better environment for examining possibilities.

And I think that distinction matters.

Humanity has imagined time travel for generations. We have written stories about worlds shaped by different decisions, debated historical turning points, and wondered whether a small change could transform an entire civilization.

Those questions are not going away. If anything, they become more consequential as our choices grow more interconnected.

Artificial intelligence gives us new ways to investigate them, but the important question is not simply how much text a model can generate. It is whether we can build systems that help us examine the reasoning, understand the assumptions, compare perspectives, and remain curious without becoming careless about evidence.

That is the direction we wanted to explore with Anamnesis-AI.

The project began with a fascination for “what if?” It became a working multi-agent system through months of architecture, experimentation, debugging, and persistence. Along the way, it taught me that building something meaningful often means learning how to make an imaginative idea accountable to the real world.

There are still limitations to acknowledge and improvements to make. That is part of building any complex AI product. But the system is available to explore, and I would rather invite people to question it, test it, and discover its possibilities than leave it as an idea that only our team has experienced.

What would you ask if you could explore an alternative path through history — or examine the possible consequences of a decision before it is made?

Visit Anamnesis-AI, enter your own “what if?”, and explore where the scenario leads. Try an alternate-history question, investigate a policy decision, follow the timeline, and inspect the claims behind the generated events.

Then share what you discover. Tell us where the reasoning is useful, where it falls short, and what you would like to explore next.

Because the most interesting part of asking “what if?” has never been the question alone.

It is discovering how many possibilities begin to emerge when we take that question seriously.

Aryama Srivastav

GitHub repo — github.com/Anamnesis-AI-Org/Anamnesis-AI/tree/main (you can visit live URL from the repo)

LinkedIn — www.linkedin.com/in/aryama-srivastav/

What If History Had Taken a Different Turn? was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

A) is of course the cheapest and least expensive. It is always the "GO TO" first response if a citizen or resident has an environmental concern or a complaint. Simply by waiting them out and as much as possible ignoring them you soon find out how serious they are and if they actually have done their homework on the issue.

B) This is both a long and short term solution. Get some company with a few credentials or degrees working for them who are prepared to do at least a tiny bit of background digging but more importantly speak confidently and boldly as if they are the absolute world's best in their fields of expertise. This would include Morrison & Beatty as well as Conestoga Rovers way back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. If they get caught red handed as Brian Beatty did taking out of context some quotes from hydrogeologist Stan Feenstra then simply "consolidate" them as David Ash of Uniroyal Chemical did. Move on to the next, CRA, and see how they do. 

Conestoga Rovers & Assoc. (CRA) did just fine to the point of also being hired by Woolwich Twn. to muddy oops I mean clarify issues around the serious methane problem at the former Bolender Landfill. Yes this is at the north end of Bolender Park where children play including at the splashpad. It was perhaps a little awkward hitting old organics (municipal waste including foodstuffs) while excavating but local residents had indicated that municipal waste was buried behind (west ) their homes earlier on. There had been an active methane gas system drawing out methane gas from the landfill and venting it to the air for years although it was often not working well. 

C) Form a committee. Give it zero power and authority other than moral suasion which rarely works on corporations. Put a few "names" on it and away you go, if necessary for years and decades. Pretending to fix a problem is the next best thing to doing nothing. 

D) Get serious now. This is a one way street into potentially expensive remediation or removal of buried wastes that also by the way include buried industrial wastes from a number of local industries including Uniroyal, Great West Felt, likely Varnicolor Chemical, maybe Borg and who knows how many others. 

With new technology such as that written about in yesterday's K-W Record titled "Waterloo researcher uses microbes to eat methane" which is being studied and researched at the University of Waterloo there are scientific ways to reduce risk and harm caused by explosive methane gas so close to residential homes nearby. All these homes have pilot lights on their gas furnaces, water heaters and other natural gas appliances. If uncontrolled methane enters via the sub-surface through basements or windows then there could be explosions and disasters. Loss of life and resulting culpability however will be mitigated by a Township hiding behind their choice of proven friendly consultants  i.e. B).     

Stautzebach, J., Steidl, J., & Merz, C. (2026). Quantifying the effect of managed aquifer recharge on the hydrologic resilience of coupled surface-groundwater systems in northeast Germany. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 66, 103533. doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2026.103533

“To derive the full degree of interaction among domains, the surface water groundwater modelling software HydroGeoSphere (HGS) (Aquanty, 2025) was used. In contrast to comparable groundwater models (e.g., MODFLOW), this code solves the governing flow equations not only for saturated and unsaturated conditions but also for surface runoff, thereby enabling a fully coupled representation of surface–subsurface hydrodynamics (Fig. 3)”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

Graphical Abstract

We're pleased to highlight this publication by Jan Stautzebach, Jörg Steidl, and Christoph Merz, which investigates how managed aquifer recharge (MAR) can improve the resilience of coupled surface water–groundwater systems under changing climate conditions. Using HydroGeoSphere (HGS), the researchers evaluated how surplus streamflow can be redirected into natural infiltration basins to replenish groundwater, stabilize connected streams, and strengthen regional water resources in northeast Germany.

Declining groundwater levels, prolonged droughts, and increasingly variable precipitation are placing growing pressure on groundwater and surface water resources across many regions. Traditional water management approaches often focus on either groundwater or surface water independently, making it difficult to evaluate the complex interactions between the two systems. Managed aquifer recharge has emerged as a promising climate adaptation strategy, but accurately assessing its long-term impacts requires fully integrated hydrologic models capable of simulating groundwater flow, surface water dynamics, evapotranspiration, and recharge simultaneously. This study addresses that challenge by using HydroGeoSphere to quantify both the local and regional benefits of MAR over a 30-year simulation period.

Fig 3. Conceptual illustration of the MAR simulations with governing eco-hydrologic processes, parameters, and stream and groundwater heads specified as 1. order boundaries of the HGS model (also see Appendix 2, 5, 6).

The researchers developed a fully integrated HydroGeoSphere model representing a 4.5 km² forested and agricultural catchment within Brandenburg's lower Spree basin. The model simulated coupled saturated and unsaturated groundwater flow, surface runoff, stream-aquifer interactions, precipitation, and evapotranspiration while evaluating ten managed aquifer recharge scenarios using between 10% and 100% of available surplus streamflow. Natural topographic depressions were represented as infiltration basins where excess stream discharge could infiltrate into the shallow aquifer, allowing the researchers to track changes in groundwater recharge, groundwater levels, streamflow, and overall water storage throughout the watershed.

The simulations demonstrated that managed aquifer recharge can substantially improve groundwater availability while strengthening connected surface water systems. MAR increased groundwater levels by as much as 2 metres near recharge areas and produced measurable groundwater rises more than 900 metres away. The resulting increase in groundwater storage stabilized baseflow to connected streams, increasing streamflow by up to 15% during low-flow periods while maintaining only minor reductions during recharge events. The study also showed that natural topographic basins efficiently converted surplus streamflow into groundwater recharge, significantly improving recharge efficiency while minimizing evapotranspiration losses.

HydroGeoSphere was central to this research because it provided a fully integrated representation of the coupled surface water–groundwater system. Unlike conventional groundwater models, HGS simultaneously simulated saturated and unsaturated groundwater flow, overland flow, stream interactions, precipitation, evapotranspiration, and groundwater recharge, allowing the researchers to evaluate both the direct effects of managed aquifer recharge and the delayed feedbacks that occur throughout the broader hydrologic system. This integrated approach also enabled the team to identify potential side effects, such as localized groundwater flooding, highlighting the importance of comprehensive modelling when designing MAR projects.

This research demonstrates how HydroGeoSphere can support climate adaptation strategies by helping water managers evaluate the long-term benefits of managed aquifer recharge before implementation. By accurately capturing the complex interactions between groundwater, surface water, and climate, HGS enables practitioners to identify suitable recharge locations, optimize recharge volumes, and improve regional water resilience while protecting connected aquatic ecosystems. As droughts become more frequent and water resources face increasing pressure, integrated modelling approaches such as HydroGeoSphere provide a valuable tool for developing sustainable groundwater management solutions.

Abstract:

Study region

A mixed forested/ agricultural area within Brandenburg’s lower Spree catchment, northeast Germany.

Study focus

This study examines the potential of managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to stabilize groundwater and connected surface water resources affected by climatic and anthropogenic impacts by reducing declines and overall variability. Utilizing an integrated surface water-groundwater model, the suitability of selected topographic basins was assessed in terms of their ability to recharge the underlying aquifer with surplus discharge water from local streams. After analyzing the aquifer’s response to increased groundwater recharge, the feedback of connected surface waters to the rise in groundwater levels was quantified and discussed in the context of regional adaptation strategies.

New hydrological insight

(1) It was determined that MAR operates efficiently with temporal surplus stream-discharge volumes to induce a significant increase in groundwater recharge and a resulting rise in the groundwater table of up to 2 m.

(2) Selected topographic natural small basins were verified as efficient locations to recharge an unconfined aquifer via percolation and may be applied in greater number to strengthen the regional aquifer system.

(3) The increase in groundwater levels over longer distances (> 900 m) enables the stabilization of the base flow of connected surface waters and strengthens water related ecosystems via an increase in flow volume by up to 15%.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the Third Annual Small Business Awards presented by BDC – a new event in Waterloo Region dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the outstanding achievements of small businesses in our community. Scheduled to take place October 27th to wrap up BDC Small Business Month, this prestigious event aims to honor the entrepreneurs and small business owners who drive innovation and contribute significantly to our local economy.

The Small Business Awards will highlight exceptional businesses across 8 award categories. The event will feature a formal awards ceremony and networking opportunities.

Just like last year, the public is invited to cast their votes for the Exceptional Small Business of the Year Award until Sunday, October 4th at 11:59 PM. The winner of the “Exceptional Small Business of the Year Award” is determined entirely by public voting, which can be done daily during the voting period. The business with the most votes will be announced as the winner.

Small businesses are the backbone of our community. The Small Business Awards is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on these hardworking individuals and organizations that make a positive difference every day. We are thrilled to celebrate their achievements and contributions.

Nominees have just been announced across the 8 award categories. Congratulations to the final nominees

Event Impact Award (Sponsored By: Explore Waterloo Region)

• 4M Commercial Group/LUXE Realty
• Altitude Advisors
• Food4Kids Waterloo Region
• Gluten Free Fest
• Handbags for Hospice/Hospice of Waterloo Region
• National Service Dogs
• Vestika’s Oddities & Wellness

Service Excellence Award (Sponsored By: Waterloo Regional Police Service)

• Aion Appraisals & Consulting
• Ambassador Building Maintenance
• The Crack Specialists
• CulturedHR
• FoodZen
• Girls E Mentorship
• Ried Renos
• SURMESUR
• Vestikas Oddities & Wellness
• Worm Wrangler

Skilled Trades Award (Sponsored By: Grand Valley Construction Association)

• Bavarian Window Works
• Cross Heating & Air Conditioning
• Groundline Electric Inc.
• Ried Renos
• Welcome Home Construction

Professional of the Year Award (Sponsored By: Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning)

• Allister Scorgie (Explore WR)
• Chad McIntosh (Great Lakes Helicopter)
• Cheryl McKee (Principal of St. Jude’s)
• Christina Rauchfleisz Shantz (Legacy Builders)
• Christy Bertrand (BIA)
• Fogo Oriowo (A4C)
• Luca Lombardi (Kitchener Rangers)
• Peter Flannery (Clay & Glass)
• Shriaa Sheth (Accelerator Centre)

Family Business of the Year Award (Sponsored by S.G Cunningham Ltd.)

• Arnold Hearing Centres
• Evans Collective
• Fo’Cheezy Food Trucks
• Polocorp
• Shuh Orchards
• Welcome Home Construction

Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Sponsored By: Junior Achievement Waterloo Region)

• Accessibrand
• Ad Ops House
• At Home Co.
• AURA-LA Pastries + Provisions
• B Diversity Group
• Big Wish Marketing
• Blue Skies Bookkeeping
• Breakthrough Counselling
• Huckleberry Way
• I Sky Consulting
• Living Local Magazine
• Maya Moon Books
• Midtown Yoga
• Noteworthy Music Studio
• Puddles Swim School
• Ravenwood Tabletop
• Vanessa’s Cuisine
• Vestikas Oddities & Wellness
• Worm Wrangler

Employer of the Year Award (Sponsored By: Reis Informatica Inc.)

• Centre For Mutual Well-Being for Racialized communities
• Concordia Club
• Dana Shortt Gourmet
• Lyndon Fish Hatcheries
• Pathfinder Staffing

Exceptional Small Business of the Year Award (Sponsored By: Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan)

• AIM Robotics
• ALL Corporate Printing and Branding
• Breakthrough Counselling
• CulturedHR
• F45 Training
• Fo’Cheezy Food Trucks
• Food4Kids Waterloo Region
• Great Lakes Helicopter
• Heffner Cabinetry
• Ried Renos
• Subtly You
• Vanessa’s Cuisine
• Vestikas Oddities & Wellness
• Worm Wrangler

Winners will be announced live at the event on Tuesday October 27, 2026. Winners are never notified ahead of time.

For further information or to purchase tickets for this event please visit www.beagala.ca

To learn more about sponsorship opportunities please email Heather Hutchings, hhutchings@greaterkwchamber.com

The post BDC Small Business Awards 2026 Nominees appeared first on Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.

Radical, holistic, community-connected, silly, entrepreneurial, impact-oriented, committed, anti-oppressive –  does this sound like you,  or someone you know?

Level Up is looking for a Treasurer to help us stewad our finances in support of our mission and the young people in our community. This role blends strategic thinking with hands-on financial management, including financial planning, annual budgets and tracking, grant and program budgets, monthly account reconciliation, tax and regulatory compliance, and payment processing. You’ll help ensure our finances are sound, transparent, and accountable.

Our current Board is a dynamic, caring, and delightful bunch. We can’t wait to welcome someone with new perspectives, skills, and life experiences into our collective!

Time commitment: 1-2 hours per week

Term: 1-2+ years

Interested, or know someone who might be a great fit? Questions, resumes, and cover letters are welcome at weleveluP-info@gmail.com  by December 11, 2026.

Level Up is committed to reflecting the diversity of Waterloo Region. We welcome and encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences. Accommodation is available upon request.

The post Level Up appeared first on Capacity Canada.

♦

When I was a kid, it was a special treat to tuck into the little mini-cereal boxes known as Kellogg’s “Fun Pac” or “Variety Pack.” The ridiculously sweet breakfast “food” was a childhood favourite, that is when our parents allowed us to pick it off the grocery-store shelf from the myriad choices in the infamous cereal aisle.

But when I bought the eight-pack recently — two each of Frosted Flakes, Froot Loops (my favourite), Corn Pops and Rice Krispies (why are those included??) — I discovered that the “H-shaped” perforations were no longer part of the packaging.

THAT was what made the little boxes so cool! Slit open the cuts and you had a “bowl-in-the-box” treat for pouring in the milk, turning on Saturday-morning Looney Tunes and munching on crunchy sugar cereal while Elmer hunted Bugs. Needless to say, I was very disappointed not to be able to share the experience with Enzo.

The silly but fun little treats with the precise perforations for vivisecting Tony or Toucan Sam and surgically opening the box first appeared on the market in 1942, amazingly, and have been discontinued and re-introduced twice. More’s the pity that they are gone now. In our family, we used to bring the beauties camping: the packing genius was perfect for breakfast around a campfire.

This past week, Enzo and I had to use a knife and scissors to mechanically and manually make the H-cut ourselves — sans perforations.

Who knows why the boxes have once again been reduced to tearing open the box top. I imagine you could cite various reasons like food safety or new packaging technology or simply changing times and cereal mores (I refuse to believe that), but in an era of shrinkflation and cost-cutting, I’m guessing it was a craven attempt by dastardly Kellogg’s to shave a few cents off a product where they could in order to shove more money in the Big Cereal coffers and ruin a kid’s fun.

And mine.

Check out my latest post Fun Pac “bowl-in-the-box” cereal let down from AndrewCoppolino.com.

Kitchener, ON – Creativity, collaboration, and community impact took centre stage at Creative Day for Social Good (CD4SG), a two-day event hosted by Capacity Canada at Conestoga College’s Doon campus that brought together Graphic Design students, nonprofit organizations, and industry professionals to help charities address real-world communications and marketing challenges.

Working alongside participating nonprofits, students developed a range of creative and marketing assets, including logos, brand identities, website designs, promotional materials, and communications strategies to help organizations increase their reach, strengthen their brands, and advance their missions. Guided by industry mentors, students gained hands-on experience while organizations received fresh ideas and practical resources to support their work.

♦

“Creative Day for Social Good demonstrates what’s possible when passionate people come together with a shared purpose,” said Cathy Brothers, CEO of Capacity Canada. “By connecting students with nonprofit organizations, we are creating valuable learning experiences while helping strengthen the capacity of organizations working every day to make our communities better. The creativity, energy, and innovation we witnessed these past two days are inspiring.”

Throughout the event, students worked directly with nonprofit organizations to develop practical solutions tailored to each organization’s unique needs. In addition to delivering creative assets and strategic recommendations, the experience helped students strengthen their problem-solving, communication, and collaboration skills while providing nonprofits with valuable creative support.

♦

“In school, students work on a lot of projects, but they don’t always have the opportunity to collaborate with clients and industry professionals or navigate the deadlines that come with professional work,” said Matt Miller, Executive-in-Residence at Capacity Canada. “This experience helps students build teamwork skills, apply their creativity in a professional setting, and develop portfolio pieces while making a meaningful contribution to a nonprofit organization.”

“Many nonprofits have incredible missions but limited resources for design and marketing,” said Leslie Jennings of Overdrive Design, who served as an Account Manager and mentor for the team working with Crow Shield Lodge. “Creative Day for Social Good helps bridge that gap. Over these two days, we built relationships, exchanged ideas, and created opportunities for students and nonprofits to learn from one another. The outcomes demonstrate the power of creativity and collaboration to make a meaningful difference in our communities.”

Creative Day for Social Good reflects Capacity Canada’s commitment to strengthening nonprofit organizations by connecting them with the resources, knowledge, and partnerships they need to thrive. Established in 2010, the program is celebrating its 16th year of empowering charities through creativity and collaboration.

♦

Since its inception, more than 1,400 students have worked alongside 171 nonprofit organizations, generating an estimated $2.4 million worth of pro bono creative services. From marketing campaigns and communications plans to logos, brand development, website design, and promotional materials, the program has helped nonprofits access high-quality creative support while providing students with valuable real-world experience.

Find more information about Creative Day For Social Good here.

Written by: Nasreen, Director of Communications, Capacity Canada

Email: nasreen@capacitycanada.ca 

The post Creative Day for Social Good Connects Students and Nonprofits to Create Meaningful Community Impact appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Community Living Port Colborne-Wainfleet (CLPCW) is seeking an experienced, strategic, and values-driven Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead the organization in advancing its mission, vision, and commitment to quality, person-centred services.

This is an opportunity for a dynamic leader who is passionate about the developmental services sector and committed to empowering individuals with developmental disabilities to live meaningful, inclusive, and fulfilling lives within their communities.

Reporting directly to the Board of Directors, the CEO will provide strategic direction, organizational leadership, and operational oversight to support CLPCW’s long-term sustainability, service excellence, and continued growth. The successful candidate will promote a positive workplace culture that values collaboration, encourages accountability, demonstrates mutual respect, and supports ongoing organizational growth and improvement.

The ideal candidate will bring demonstrated senior leadership experience, strong financial and operational acumen, and the ability to build trusted relationships with employees, families, government representatives, community partners, and other stakeholders.

Strategic Leadership and Organizational Development

• Develop, implement, and evaluate strategic plans that advance CLPCW’s mission, vision, values, and organizational objectives.
• Translate the Board of Directors’ strategic priorities into operational plans, measurable objectives, and organizational outcomes.
• Establish and approve operational plans, policies, and performance standards aligned with the organization’s strategic direction.
• Monitor organizational performance, review reports and financial statements, and adjust priorities and plans in response to emerging needs, risks, and opportunities.

Operational and Financial Management

• Oversee organizational operations to ensure effective service delivery, quality client care, regulatory compliance, and responsible resource management.
• Provide oversight of budgeting, financial performance, and resource allocation to support organizational priorities and long-term financial sustainability.
• Identify and pursue opportunities for organizational growth, service development, and innovation while maintaining alignment with CLPCW’s mission and values.
• Evaluate leadership team performance and ensure accountability for organizational policies, strategic objectives, and operational outcomes.
• Proactively identify organizational challenges, operational barriers, and potential risks, implementing strategies to mitigate concerns and support informed decision-making.

People Leadership and Organizational Culture

• Cultivate a positive, inclusive, and collaborative workplace culture that supports employee engagement, professional development, and organizational effectiveness.
• Promote respectful communication, accountability, and consistency in leadership practices across all levels of the organization.

Board Governance and Accountability

• Report directly to the Board of Directors and support the Board in fulfilling its governance responsibilities.
• Provide timely, accurate, and relevant information to inform Board decision-making and strategic oversight.
• Implement Board-approved strategic priorities, policies, and objectives.

Government Relations, Community Engagement and Fundraising

• Represent CLPCW with professionalism and credibility in dealings with government officials, funding bodies, community organizations, media, and other external stakeholders.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with all funding sources and promote the organization’s priorities and needs to all levels of government.
• Monitor sector developments, government policies, legislative changes, and funding opportunities that may affect the organization.
• Participate in external committees, sector networks, legislative discussions, and community events that advance CLPCW’s strategic objectives.
• Provide leadership and oversight of fundraising initiatives and activities to strengthen community support and diversify revenue opportunities.
• Identify and develop strategic partnerships that enhance organizational visibility, community engagement, and service sustainability.

Family and Stakeholder Relationships

• Promote open, respectful, and ongoing dialogue between CLPCW, individuals supported, family members, and other key stakeholders.
• Champion a person-centred approach that prioritizes dignity, inclusion, choice, and quality of life.

• A Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) is an asset.
• A Master’s Degree in Health Administration, with an undergraduate degree in Business and/or Economics or Social Sciences

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in senior leadership, with demonstrated responsibility for organizational strategy, operations, and performance.
• Demonstrated experience working within a unionized environment
• In-depth knowledge of the developmental services sector, including its operating environment, funding structures, regulatory requirements, and emerging priorities.
• Demonstrated experience in strategic planning, organizational development, and program development.
• Strong financial management skills, including budgeting, financial analysis, and resource allocation.
• Experience working effectively with a Board of Directors and supporting strong governance practices.
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain positive relationships with employees, families, government representatives, funders, and external stakeholders.
• Experience with fundraising, government relations, community engagement, and partnership development is an asset.

Salary Range: $125,000–$140,000 annually, based on a 40-hour work week. The salary will be commensurate with the successful candidate’s qualifications and years of relevant experience.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their cover letter and resume to:  tfoisey@clpcw.com

CLPCW will provide, upon request, accommodation to the materials and processes used in the recruitment process in accordance with the accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Integrated Accessibility Standards.

We thank all applicants for their interest but regret that only those considered for an interview will be contacted.

The post Community Living Port Colborne – Wainfleet appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Nutrition for Learning offers universally accessible, non-stigmatizing student nutrition programs to schools across Waterloo Region. These programs positively impact the physical, cognitive, behavioural, social, and academic needs of children and youth in our community. We are a registered charitable organization first established in 1997, and support nearly 175 student programs in all three school boards. (WRDSB -Waterloo Region District School Board, WCDSB – Waterloo Catholic District School Board and the French Language Public School Board).

Nutrition for Learning is an established charity in Southwestern Ontario dedicated to ensuring children and youth have equitable access to nutritious food. Each school year, they provide over 2-million meals to approximately 100,000 students.

A well-funded organization, our client receives funding from a robust mix of government, corporate, and individual and has an established funding development program. Additionally, Nutrition for Learning has a strong Management Team and Board of Directors.

As a well-established, community-based organization, Nutrition for Learning is seeking to build on a strong history of improving access to nutritious food for children and youth. The Board is recruiting a new CEO.

What you bring to this role:

• Seasoned leadership skills: demonstrated transparent, high integrity leadership approach with developed executive skills; 5-10 years of senior leadership experience, in a not-for-profit organization
• Strong operational skills
• Government Relations & Advocacy experience
• A team builder with a record of overseeing effective and cohesive functional management
• Successful track record in fundraising and revenue diversification, including donor stewardship and relationship-based development as well as building positive relationships with community partners. Track record of fund development with government agencies, School Boards, sector partners, corporations and individual donors
• Strategic thinker who can articulate a vision and build trusted relationships
• Proven financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, audited financial statements, funder reporting, and internal controls.
• Strong relationship builder with organization influencers, funders, partner agencies, including government agencies, and volunteers
• Experience working with a Board of Directors
• Strong work ethic and self-motivated
• Strong oral, written and communication skills including comfortable in public speaking and presenting to large groups
• Must provide a Police Record Check/Vulnerable Sector Screening Check

Assets:

• Private sector experience

Education: University degree in a related discipline

• Compensation range of $150k – $170k commensurate with experience
• Competitive benefits including: health, prescription drugs, dental, optical and vision
• Mileage reimbursement
• A strong management team

This search is being conducted by crawfordconnect, a search firm specializing in recruiting leaders for Canada’s nonprofit sector. For more information about the position, please contact Liz Latimer at liz@crawfordconnect.com.

Qualified applicants are invited to email their cover letter and resume to Liz Latimer, Senior Search Consultant, at liz@crawfordconnect.com.

Although the deadline for applications is November 2, 2026, early applications are encouraged. The posting will be closed early with sufficient applications.

We thank all applicants for applying; however, only qualified candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Please know that crawfordconnect verifies the contents of resumes and conducts background checks. If there is anything we need to know about, we ask you to disclose it as early in the process as possible.

Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of satisfactory professional references and applicable background checks. Background checks will be conducted in accordance with applicable privacy and human rights legislation and will be relevant to the requirements and responsibilities of the position. Candidates will be informed of the nature and scope of any required checks and will be asked to provide consent before they are conducted. AI may be used.

The post Nutrition for Learning appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Isn't it just a son of a gun when you learn basic facts and knowledge about your contaminated water supply 36 years after the event? Only in the town of Elmira in Woolwich Township where municipal and regional politicians instead of standing up for their citizens and constituents would rather back a provincial coverup between the Ministry of Environment, Liberal and Conservative governments and Uniroyal Chemical and successors. If as I've just learned that NDMA does degrade in a reasonable time frame in aerobic environments such as shallow soils and at a slower rate in anaerobic soils then how is it possible to still have it so far above drinking water standards 36 years later? Well!

First of all let me say this: going on 29 years of pump and treat maybe hasn't been doing all the heavy lifting. Likely natural attenuation via biodegradation in the sub-surface has done a lot of that and CRA/GHD/Lanxess are just taking the credit. Not that they would ever deceive us. Hell no!

There are a number of possible reasons why their efforts have been so ineffective despite a quarter century of false promises claiming guaranteed success by 2028. There are most likely other sources of NDMA besides Uniroyal Chemical. The two most likely are Varnicolor Chemical and Borg Textile conveniently right in the middle of the damn plume leaving the Uniroyal site. Sanyo Canada has also been on my radar for a long while albeit with less evidence than the other two long shut down companies. Also interference from the hundred or hundreds of other solvents and chemical compounds both Uniroyal and Varnicolor dumped, spilled and leaked into the natural environment may have slowed the biodegradation of NDMA.

Dissolved chlorobenzene degradation has been slowed down not only due to an excess of nearly 2,000 kg. of it above and beyond allegedly what Uniroyal contributed but also by the fact that being a DNAPL chemical, it dissolves into the groundwater very slowly. Despite that Lanxess are looking at a bioremediation method for chlorobenzene which may or may not produce results. One question I have is whether their recently proposed amendments to stimulate bacterial degradation will work for any other compounds in the groundwater. It does nothing for NDMA  however there is an emerging technology that promotes a particular sub-surface bacteria that breaks down NDMA. This emerging technology uses a compound that most likely will not assist bacteria to break down other sub-surface toxic compounds. 

My understanding is that the emerging NDMA technology needs to be used with caution. It can produce by-products for example such as ammonia which in aquifers already contaminated by ammonia is hardly ideal. Other problems include that its' efficacy can be reduced if the corporate jerks who contaminated the aquifers in the first place were so antisocial and environmentally unwise that they dumped/spilled/buried any and all types and kinds of toxins. In other words because of the variety and sheer volumes of so many contaminants this emerging technology might not work here in Elmira. 

Frankly I still think that Lanxess won't throw good money after bad and actually seriously look at all the poisons in our drinking water courtesy of our local corporate twits and decide to actually go after all of them including dioxins and DDT. It is so much simpler and easier to go through the motions and keep mostly local people attending meetings four or five times a year, chasing shadows.       

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St. Leonard’s Place Peel is a non-profit charitable organization providing transitional and supportive housing for men who have experienced homelessness, mental health and substance use issues and involvement with the justice system.

For over 55 years, we’ve created a safe and healing environment with wrap-around supports where men can thrive and enhance their lives through a person-centered approach that focuses on hope, empowerment, compassion and respect.

As a member of our Board of Directors, you will share in the fulfillment of the organization’s

mission, vision, and values and ensuring SLPP remains responsive to the evolving needs of the community we serve. Board members help shape strategic direction and champion strong governance practices, including oversight of policy development, financial stewardship, risk management, and regulatory compliance. Members typically serve a two-year term for a maximum of three terms.

We welcome applications from community members with expertise in fundraising, policy and governance, healthcare administration, information technology, finance, government relations, and collaborative service delivery. Leadership in these areas strengthens our ability to deliver safe, supportive, and life-enhancing environments for the men who call SLPP home.

Strategic Direction & Planning:

• Participate in setting and monitoring the strategic directions and policies of the organization.
• Participate in the development of long-term plans for the organization.
• Keep up to date on developments in the sectors.
• Be informed about the organization’s mission, services, policies, and programs.

Fiscal Oversight & Risk Management:

• Ensure fiscal responsibility.
• Assist the Board in carrying out its fiduciary responsibilities.
• Exercise reasonable care in all decision making, without placing the organization under unnecessary risk.
• Act as stewards of public trust.

Governance, Ethics & Accountability

• Follow conflict of interest and confidentiality policies.
• Exercise duty to be loyal and honest, act in good faith, and act in the best interest of the organization.
• Actively participate in all evaluations by the board.

Board & Committee Engagement

• Attend and actively participate in Board meetings (approximately (6 per year).
• Serve on a minimum of one committee of the board.
• Stay informed about committee matters, prepare well for meetings, and review/comment on minutes and reports.
• Work collegially with other directors and committee members.

Community Engagement & Organizational Support

• Participate in fund-raising for the organization.
• Represent the organization at community events when needed.
• Mentor new Directors.

Our Board members are stewards of SLPP’s mission, vision, and values, which guide our work and reflect our commitment to client-centered, inclusive, and evidence-informed care.

MISSION: We are dedicated to supporting our clients, building their capacity and enabling the development of key life skills through evidence-informed holistic programs and services that optimize quality of life.

VISION: We will be an innovative leader committed to building safe and healthier communities of inclusion that care for and value each and every individual.

VALUES:

• Client-centered: We believe in the resiliency of our clients, their voice, their right to human dignity and care that is integrated, coordinated and accessible.
• Excellence: We are committed to excellence in all aspects of our work through evidence-informed practice and an unwavering commitment to our mission.
• Collaborative: We take pride in working cooperatively with a broad range of community partners towards the goal of creating a healthy and safe community.
• Innovative: We strive to meet the ever-evolving needs of our clients though new and innovative approaches to client-centered care.
• Accountable: We take seriously our obligation to provide the highest quality of care to our clients, and will be transparent in all areas of work, performance, outcomes and deliverables.

Meetings: ~6 per year, typically the 4th Monday of the month plus committee meetings. Additionally, this role also includes participation in strategic planning days and community events that support the organization.

Location: Brampton, Ontario. Virtual and in-person meetings as scheduled.

Interested candidates are invited to submit their resume and cover letter to HR@slpp.ca by November 15, 2026.

We thank all applicants for their interest in St. Leonard’s Place Peel.

Only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

St. Leonard’s Place Peel welcomes and encourages applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds, identities, and lived experiences. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that reflects and supports the diverse communities we serve.

St. Leonard’s Place Peel is committed to providing accommodations in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Human Rights Code

throughout the recruitment, selection, and employment process. If you require accommodation at any stage of the process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs in a respectful and timely manner.

St. Leonard’s Place Peel is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all.

The post St. Leonard’s Place Peel appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Dissolved concentrations in Elmira's groundwater of NDMA and chlorobenzene are as low right now as they've likely ever been since Uniroyal Chemical graced our town around 1942 and then destroyed our beautiful Creek and poisoned our parents and grandparents. That poisoning was via both air emissions and surface dumping. Dissolved NDMA and chlorobenzene can both be removed via pumping and treating of groundwater. It's the undissolved masses of those chemicals plus the hundred or more conveniently ignored others that is the real problem beneath Elmira. These masses are attached to soils within low permeable aquitards (clay & silt) and as the concentrations within nearby groundwater (sand & gravel aquifers) are reduced these masses slowly back diffuse from the aquitards into the aquifers. It has taken decades for these chemicals to initially diffuse into the aquitards and it will take decades more for them to fully back diffuse into the aquifers. That is part of the problem. Then we have both free phase and residual DNAPL which is an even larger problem. Some of the DNAPL (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid) came from Uniroyal Chemical, some from Varnicolor Chemical and the source of the long proven DNAPL but denied by Uniroyal/M.O.E. at OW57-32R (beside Howard St. Water Tower) until recently (2014), is unknown. It could be from Uniroyal, Varnicolor or even the former Borg Textiles across Howard Ave. from the former Varnicolor Chemical. 

To further complicate matters is the problem of DDT and dioxins. Perhaps PCBs are also a similar part of this problem. These are all known POPS or Persistent Organic Pollutants that are present in Elmira and the downstream Canagagigue Creek courtesy of Uniroyal Chemical mostly, with Varnicolor and other older local manufacturers on the hook for the PCBs. Generally speaking they have been totally ignored in our groundwater under Elmira whereas they have been tested for and found above all health criteria repeatedly downstream in the Canagagigue ("Gig"). They are all mobilized by solvents which both Uniroyal and Varnicolor had and grossly mismanaged for decades. They are also both dissolved and mobilized in free phase DNAPL which both companies had in spades. They are the elephants in the room which our corrupt Ministry of Environment (MECP) and Uniroyal/Lanxess  pretend do not dissolve in groundwater and hence can be ignored. In fact they do dissolve in groundwater at low concentrations which however do exceed the Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS). If they were totally incapable of existing within groundwater and drinking water then why does Ontario have drinking water standards for them?                             

The Canagagigue Creek right now likely has the lowest concentrations of dissolved solvents it has had also since 1942. It has a ton however of DDT, dioxins, PCBs and mercury. While not all of these are  directly due to Uniroyal Chemical; wildlife, fish, the benthic community and human beings have and continue to suffer health effects from them. They have been sampled, tested and talked to death without a single shovel full of them and other Uniroyal contaminants (PAHs) having been removed. However just as with Elmira's groundwater failures there is absolutely no shortage of excuses, magic bullets or other psuedo cleanup remedies suggested mostly to keep idle hands on Woolwich's tightly controlled and phony public consultation body TRAC busy. TRAC is all for public show as they don't have a clue as to what is important and what they should be doing and this is as intended by Woolwich, RMOW, MECP and Lanxess Canada.  

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I’m very glad the Milwaukee Brewers have just swept the bad ol’ Los Angeles Dodgers for the MLB National League pennant, a reversal of last year’s broom. And the Brewers did it with nearly half the payroll (about 43%) of LA! It was a great result for a small-market team.

What’s cool about the Brewers, besides the way they play baseball, is their name and some of the beverage iconography that goes with it (though, granted, the Dodgers have a community-based history in their name that goes back to the team’s days in Brooklyn).

Otherwise, though, look around the league, and other sports leagues, and there are some pretty lame — and meaningless — names. For instance, there aren’t an unusual number of blue jays, orioles or cardinals in Toronto, Baltimore and St. Louis, respectively: those are just dumb names attached to the teams for no real reason. They are cute birds, sure, but that’s it. There is no inherent connection. The Jays, especially given this past season, could just as easily have been named the Toronto Grackles.

The Brewers, however, have a perfect connection with their city: beer. Besides an obvious link in the name itself, their uniform over the years has captured that spirit of suds. (The intertwined “MB” on their cap that forms a glove and ball was designed by a Wisconsin art student.) At one point in the team’s history, the letter “M” appeared overlaid on a barley stalk. And they once had a cartoon character, “barrelman,” swinging a bat — it was goofy, but he was wearing a wooden oak-stave beer barrel.

Currently, depending on the particular uniform, the Brewers’ jerseys might feature an arm patch emblematic of their defining “baseball-and-barley” heritage, with the two literally intertwined: the baseball’s stitched red seams are replaced by what’s known as “two-row barley,” an important grain that is used extensively in brewing and malting and which has two rows of kernels along the length of its stalk.

The blend of baseball and barley immediately links the team to their community in the most relevant way — with a strong, assertive nod to the city’s brewing history and the great historical beer names like Miller, Schlitz, Pabst and the wonderfully fun named, Blatz (Valentin Blatz brought brewing bottom-fermentation knowledge from Bavaria in the 19th century that benefitted the entire U.S. brewing industry). Each of these original beer producers based historically in Wisconsin helped define especially lager brewing in America and the cities in which thousands were employed.

When it’s a question of what’s in a name, a Toronto Blue Jay is, well, meh and says nothing about Canada’s largest city. But in a midwestern city known for its brewing history? What could be more perfect? A beer and a hotdog at the ball park. Go Brewers Go!

Check out my latest post Baseball and barley: Go Brewers Go! from AndrewCoppolino.com.

Firstly there probably is not a one size fits all methodology. There is of course a huge incentive for polluters to want to make friends with and cozy up to citizen leaders. Polluters want the appearance of being reasonable,  open to discussion and debate, professionals. Plain stupidity may swing some people over to the corporate ideology but I really don't believe that Susan Bryant is either stupid or a "true believer" in that sense despite her father's corporate background in Rochester with Kodak. I have for some years felt that she was simply motivated by ego, selfishness and status. Maybe that is too harsh although her behaviour is certainly sociopathic. Literally in decades of knowing her I've only seen her break character a couple of times. That requires tremendous focus and determination.

A more generous interpretation may be that her intelligence combined with her sociopathic tendencies promoted her ability to be ruthless. A true sociopath often is smarter than average and leverages that intelligence to get their way. A sociopath does not question their own behaviour as much as the rest of us do. A sociopath knows where they want to go and honest or decent people in their path must be removed by whatever means possible. Susan has behaved towards a couple of friends and colleagues including myself in an absolutely horrifying way. She did it without warning and without regret. Her behaviour was beyond ruthless and brutal. Frankly until I was on the receiving end I did not think it possible for anyone to so effectively and without remorse approach another person, feign friendship and then wait patiently for years to strike from behind. And not to ever feel bad, look sad, remorseful or guilty. And of course never to apologize even decades later. Why would she apologize if she is a true believer in getting what she wants literally by any means and at any cost?

Again maybe I'm being too understanding or gentle in my interpretation of the horrid things that she has done. Maybe in fact she is solely motivated by self importance and status. Yet she continues into her old age to stay involved albeit at a much less intense and energetic pace. She has long stated her desire to have the downstream Canagagigue Creek cleaned up. In my opinion she has sold the farm, given unnecessary concessions to the polluter and sold her own integrity all for promises from long time proven polluters and liars. Promises that to date and since the 1990s are nothing but corporate bull manure. How smart is that exactly? 

In fact I truly believe that Susan Bryant almost singlehandedly with the exception of two wing women (Sylvia Berg & Pat McLean) has been the major reason that Uniroyal Chemical and successors have succeeded in NOT cleaning our aquifers OR the downstream Canagagigue Creek. She has provided them with cover. She has provided them with the appearance of corporate entities who while reluctant to spend cleanup money at least are sitting down and honestly having decades of dialogue with citizens. Unfortunately just like Sebastian and Linda who are long term TRAC members all this does is give formerly Uniroyal and now Lanxess Canada credibility as if they are honestly looking either for a compromise or some sort of acceptable cleanup solution. In fact the companies have been running out the clock for decades now. Talk is cheap, real cleanup is expensive. Susan has received honours and accolades from various government levels including municipal, regional and likely provincial. Governments are even more securely in bed with corporate polluters than Susan has ever been. Honours from them are hypocritical and worthless and Susan knows that but accepts them anyways. Why?  

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The post Happy Howl-idays: Holiday Portrait Experience 📸🎄❄️ first appeared on Child Witness Centre.

It was also the most difficult and it was literally on  a moment's notice. I loved being a member of APT Environment. I loved both the technical reports and data that I was reading, absorbing and questioning as well as the social events they held. My wife and children were also strongly welcomed by the APTE membership and this made the decision to resign in protest on the spot excruciatingly difficult and painful. Of course the contemptible and dishonest behaviour of Sylvia Berg in hindsight was intended to produce that result. Undoubtedly she received at the minimum a Christmas card full of Xs and Os (love & kisses) from David Ash and Uniroyal Chemical. I have over the decades tended to minimize my personal negative impact on the credibility of Conestoga Rovers (CRA), Uniroyal, M.O.E. and other dishonest parties. According to Wilf Ruland (hydrogeologist & good friend of Susan Bryant) I was a quick study and absorbed more hydrogeological knowledge than any other layperson he had met. This was a direct threat to the now proven substandard and cheapest remediation method focusing on hydraulic containment or pump & treat technology. Oddly enough in the early days it was Susan Bryant of APTE who referred to pump & treat as "pump & dump". 

Susan and husband were in India in the fall of 1993. Sylvia, Glenys McMullen and I worked on responding to Conestoga Rovers latest DNAPL report. It was essentially nonsensical in light of the various professionally accepted technical criteria that had been presented such as soil and groundwater concentrations of DNAPL components. I did most of the technical stuff with Glenys and Sylvia editing and discussing specifics with me about our response. In hindsight I was much too naive and trusting and should have been forewarned when Sylvia insisted that my name alone be put on APTE's response. I later concluded she already knew that APTE would not publicly be challenging CRA's report or the December 10/93 M.O.E. (Min. of Environment) report accepting CRA's perverted conclusions in their latest DNAPL report. 

The "on the spot" resignation was due to Rich Clausi resigning after APTE coordinaters accepted Sylvia's DNAPL position that it just wasn't that big of a deal to protest and Sylvia then announced she could no longer work with me on the UPAC committee hence I was off it. Richard's resignation was a surprise but then he was fully up to date on the DNAPL specifics, the APTE co-ordinaters were not and the vote became essentially a popularity contest. Sylvia just like Susan Bryant publicly was strongly against Uniroyal Chemical at that point plus she had been with APTE longer than I.   

DNAPLS were and are the defining problem both on and off the Uniroyal Chemical site. I knew they were a big deal in the early 1990s as I'd read not only CRA and Morrison-Beatty reports on them but also gone to the University of Waterloo main library and read other professional reports describing the long term pollution issues they caused. That said, in hindsight, they have proven to be an even larger problem locally than I could have imagined. They are why chlorobenzene which if as we were falsely advised by Uniroyal and consultants were fully dissolved and no longer existed in the free phase (i.e. non-aqueous) form would have been easily reduced below drinking water standards both by pump & treat as well as by natural attenuation (sub-surface bacteria (bio-remediation)). This has not occurred and they have focused on NDMA's low drinking water standard of .009 parts per billion as the problem when they can't even get chlorobenzene down to its' drinking water standard of 80 parts per billion.

Personally I hated resigning but I knew the truth was obvious and was shocked at Sylvia's behaviour and attitude. She and her drinking buddy (coke / pepsi ?) Glenys totally reneged on their position and attitudes as shown in our joint DNAPL response under the APTE headline albeit only with my name on  the bottom. 

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Roots, tubers and bulbs – much of what we might refer to as fall or “winter” vegetables – have long sustained most of the earth’s population and were among humankind’s first foods: plant roots were likely what ancient hunter-gatherers grubbed up out of the ground even before they had figured out fishing, hunting and fire. Root vegetables, you could say, are in our culinary DNA.

Yet, beets, turnips and parsnips have gotten short shrift; until now, that is: autumn harvest vegetables have gained a renewed appreciation as a comfort food appearing on more restaurant menus as meat prices rise and dietary choices change.

So when the temperatures dip and a north wind blows, root vegetables like parsnips, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, and beets are what a hot oven is calling out for.

Tips and techniques for cooking
Of course, there’s no avoiding that adding a bit of fat to root vegetables can really boost their richness and flavour profiles. On grills or slow roasting in ovens, getting a bit of char and caramelization on the vegetables brings out added sweetness and flavour.

When you can, add some citrus or other acidity to your vegetable preparation too: a little bit of vinegar, orange zest or lemon juice, for instance, can enhance the flavours and moderate bitterness.

Try them naked as well: raw fall vegetables grated or shaved adds flavour and crunch to your dishes. Open up the spice and herb cabinet and apply liberal seasonings of spices and herbs – both fresh and dried – to seasonal fall vegetables.

Potatoes
Probably North America’s most consumed tuber, the humble potato is, of course, the stuff of French fries, but it is also a source of vitamin C. They don’t need to be prepared in mashed or baked forms only.

Oven-roasted potatoes are a thing of beauty as well: peel them, cut them in half, blanch them in salted water to almost fully cooked, slather them with duck fat or veg oil, season with salt and pepper, and tumble them into a pan and get them roasting at a high temperature until they are crispy and brown.

Sweet potatoes
A nutrition dynamo, sweet potatoes are versatile: honey-roasted, put into pancakes, baked, pureed and served with pecans and goat cheese, made into soup as well as chips and sweet potato fries.

As for local, look no further than the Simcoe area of southern Ontario: that’s where Canada’s largest producer of sweet potatoes is located.

Brussels sprouts
Related to the cabbage, Brussels (always plural!) sprouts are a perfect fall and winter menu addition. Growing along a tall, slender stalk, the sprouts tend to add bitterness to a plate; adjust that by cutting them in half, blanching and pan-frying or roasting them. Adding bacon to the sprouts adds even more appeal, if that is your thing.

Carrots
A swollen taproot, carrots might be harvested well into late fall. Multi-purpose in nature, carrots can take on a rich and warming Middle Eastern or North African character by adding to them hints of wintry spices like cinnamon, cumin and coriander.

And, if you want to know, the “original” carrot wasn’t orange – that colour appeared only in the 17th century. Additionally, the Elizabethans of Shakespeare’s time considered them only as feed for animals.

Celeriac
Not a particularly attractive vegetable, the bulbous celeriac is similar in taste to celery, of which it is a variety. Try it roasted with apples, bacon and maple syrup. Shred or grate it and add it to salads with radicchio, orange and cashews; or, boil and puree it seasoned for an interesting and flavourful plating foundation to a grilled piece of meat.

Black radish
Somewhat similar to its smaller red cousin, the baseball-sized black radish is very hard and can be sliced paper-thin or grated to add flavour and crispness to a salad.

Leeks
Leeks, related to onions and garlic, can tolerate the cold very well and that makes them a great fall vegetable. We are actually close to a major leek producer located in Paris, Ontario: many of the leeks you buy at the supermarket are likely from Canning Produce Inc.

While they do require more careful cleaning between the leaves, they are like two vegetables in one: a white oniony portion and a green “cabbage-tasting” portion. Leeks add terrific flavour to soups and stews but are also excellent roasted, braised, and grilled and tossed with walnuts and herbs. Try them in pasta dishes, frittatas, and in barley preparations.

Parsnips
When roasted, parsnips blend a lovely sweet quality with their tartness. That’s because when “nipped by the frost,” as the saying goes, the large quantity of starch in a parsnip (more than a carrot) converts to sugars. Parsnips pair well with fall apples in making a delicious soup too.

Beets
Red, orange, yellow or “candy cane,” beets have too long been ignored as an excellent earthy and sweet complement to a centre-of-the-plate protein. Try roasting multi-coloured beets or making them into a soup with sour cream.

Use them in a hummus dip or candied with cayenne pepper and cumin seeds. They combine well with other vegetables and legumes such as lentils for a hearty and satisfying vegetarian main dish, and they can even be used with chocolate in a unique cake dessert too. What’s at the opposite end of a beet variety? Swiss chard, in fact.

Turnips and rutabagas
They are not the same thing: the former are the purple and white globes, while the rutabaga is larger and often yellow-fleshed. It is starchier and sweeter than the nicely bitter turnip. Both can be used in stews, vegetable medleys, roasted and pureed.

Cauliflower
Of late, cauliflower has taken off as a hot vegetable dish. A member of the Brassica family, cauliflower comes in a few different colours, all with delicious florets (also interestingly known as “curds”).

It’s a versatile fall veg that can be pureed or simply broken down, seasoned and oiled and roasted to golden brown in the oven. This roasting method even works for a whole cauliflower. Adding a bit of lemon juice or some milk to the water will help prevent discolouration when boiling.

Check out my latest post Fall veg are delicious and versatile from AndrewCoppolino.com.

Hate speech is rising worldwide, amplified by new communication technologies, and I’m concerned it could leak into our workplaces.

When it happens, the most powerful thing you can do is make it clear that you don’t agree.

In a recent interview with Nature, psychologist Mirta Galesic, PhD, who studies hate speech and counterspeech, recommends a surprisingly simple response:

“I disagree.”

She explains,

“Don’t feel pressured to have an elaborate argument. Just express your dissent — not to change the mind of the commenter, but to show people that others have a different opinion.”

Why does that matter? Because when nobody speaks up, silence can make extreme views seem more widely accepted than they actually are.

Share this action on Instagram or LinkedIn.

This week’s Better Allies content is sponsored by:

Inclusion starts with the documents you share. Every inaccessible PDF leaves out a colleague or candidate using a screen reader. Grackle PDF helps you change that easily: drag, drop, done. Start your 14-day free trial, no cost, at app.gracklepdf.com.

In honor of International Pronouns Day on October 21st, here’s a quick reminder to share your pronouns.

When we include our pronouns in our introductions, email signatures, name tags, or video-conference profiles, we help normalize sharing them. This is helpful to genderfluid, transgender, and non-binary people who can face frequent pushback when they share their pronouns or ask others to use them.

My friend Jeannie Gainsburg, author of The Savvy Ally, created a brief video explaining why sharing pronouns matters.

She also offers this suggestion: If you include your pronouns in your email signature, add the word “Why?” with a link to her video.

That way, you’re not only sharing your pronouns. You’re helping others understand why it matters.

After all, knowledge shared is knowledge squared. 💡

Over the weekend, comedian Shane Gillis hosted Saturday Night Live. During his monologue, he joked about seeing women wearing shorts at the gym: “I didn’t know women just dressed like whores now.”

Actor Dan Levy pushed back in a now viral Instagram reel:

“Women wearing shorts at the gym does not make them whores. It makes the men calling them whores misogynists.”

Exactly. Women shouldn’t have to contend with being demeaned for what they wear. And when we stay silent in response to comments like these, we risk normalizing the attitudes behind them.

As I shared in action #1, speaking up doesn’t have to mean launching into a long argument. Sometimes a few words are enough to signal that a comment isn’t okay.

Try one of these phrases the next time you hear someone objectifying women:

• We don’t do that here.
• Ouch.
• I don’t get the joke. Can you explain it to me? (If they’re trying to be funny, like Gillis.)
• I disagree.

I learn from subscribers regularly, and I deeply appreciate every person who takes the time to share feedback.

After last week’s newsletter, where I referenced a white paper, a few people reached out and suggested I use a different term, such as guide, report, thought piece, or case study.

I hadn’t considered that when writing the newsletter. But it got me thinking: Is white paper non-inclusive language?

I explored a similar question in a 2024 newsletter. My guidance, informed by inclusive language expert Suzanne Wertheim, PhD, is to avoid using white to connote something good and black to represent something bad.

For example, in IT, instead of using white list and black list to describe internet domains and services that are good (allowed) or bad (blocked), we can use the terms allow list and block list.

But what about white paper?

I think it’s different. The term doesn’t inherently suggest that the paper is good or that something called a black paper would be bad. One commonly cited explanation is that it refers to the white covers historically used for these documents.

That said, report, guide, or case study could work just as well and avoid any concerns about color-coded language.

Subscriber Billy W. shared this beautiful message with me:

“A principle I try to live by is: ‘Don’t be sorry, be better.’ An apology can be an important first step when we make a mistake, but real growth comes from learning, improving, and making a different choice the next time. To me, that’s what allyship looks like in practice — staying open to feedback and continuously striving to do better.”

Thank you 🙏.

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.

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Challenge Hate Speech, 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.