I had my baby in 2023. Like most new parents, I had a plan. I’d take a year of parental leave, master the art of soothing a tiny human, and then slide back into my Frontend Engineer seat like I’d never left.

It turns out that raising a human is significantly harder than debugging a complex state management issue. My “village” was thousands of miles away, and between the nightmare of tourist visa hurdles and the sheer exhaustion of toddler life, I realized one year wasn’t enough. I needed more time. I extended my leave until my daughter turned two, finally feeling like I had a handle on things.

By November 2025, I was ready. I had the “The Plan” finalized:

1. Kindergarten? Decided.
2. Foreign language classes? Scheduled.
3. Career goals? Set to “Permanent Growth” mode.

I was ready to rejoin the tech world. But instead plans went upside down.

For a few days, I was in shock. While I was focused on developmental milestones and nursery rhymes, the tech world had moved at warp speed. Suddenly, everything was AI-this and AI-that. I felt like I had stepped out of a time machine.

I had a choice: accept that my career gap was a “game over” screen, or treat this like a massive technical debt project that needed a serious refactor. I chose to be a fighter.

If you’re currently staring at a career gap or a sudden layoff, here is how I’m navigating my “relaunch” (because, let’s be honest, it’s a marathon, not a sprint).

• Perform a “Personal Tech Audit”: Tech moves fast. I spent the first few months being brutally honest about what I lacked. I sat down and mapped out the upgrades I needed — diving back into React and Node.js — before I even touched a “Submit Application” button.
• The “Ink it to Think it” Rule: If a goal only exists in your head, it’s just a wish. I started writing everything down. Seeing your progress on paper stops the “What did I even do today?” spiral.
• The 1-Hour Code Sprint: Every single day, I spend at least an hour on coding challenges. It’s like a gym workout for your logic. It’s painful at first, but the “muscle memory” comes back.
• Sweat Out the Stress: Your brain can’t code if your body is falling apart. I’ve made sports a non-negotiable part of my day. Whether it’s badminton, table tennis, or volleyball, moving my body keeps my mind from dwelling on the “unemployed” label.
• Build Something Real: Recruiters want to see code, not just a resume. I started building projects — like a platform for my local volleyball league — and pushed them to GitHub. It’s the best way to prove that my skills didn’t evaporate during maternity leave.
• The LinkedIn Face-Lift: After two years away, my profile looked like a digital ghost town. I had to start from the beginning, updating every skill and project detail. It’s tedious, but it’s your digital storefront.
• Finally:- Feeding the Mind: Upskilling isn’t just about syntax; it’s about mental endurance. When the screen gets too bright, I turn to books. Whether it’s the life lessons in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari or the deep, moving narratives of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, reading has been my anchor. It reminds me that every story has its difficult chapters before the resolution. Even The Art of Being Alone taught me that this “gap” isn’t a void — it’s a space for self-discovery and strength.

To the companies looking at candidates like me: If you see a career gap, please judge us on our technical skills today, not our time away. If we can’t pass the technical bar, fair enough. But don’t reject a “fighter” just because they took time to raise a human.

The determination it takes to relaunch a career after a gap is the same determination you want in an Engineer when the production server goes down at 2 AM.

I am still looking. I haven’t reached the destination yet, but I’ve taken the first steps. To anyone else trying to relaunch: hang on tight. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step — and maybe a few cups of very strong coffee.

We are getting close. I know I am.

Find me on LinkedIn here: bhagya-krishna

The Career Gap Myth: Why a “Fighter” is the Best Engineer You Can Hire. was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I failed my first driving test. I was sitting at a T-junction, completely missed a car crossing the intersection, and nearly T-boned it.

It’s been 20 years, but I remember the hot rush of anger, disappointment and embarrassment vividly. But ever since that day, I have been hyper-vigilant at intersections. That single, glaring failure made me a safe driver for two decades. Was the sting worth it? Absolutely.

Years later, I experienced a very different kind of crash.

As a Product Manager, I led the launch for a new platform. On paper, it was an engineering masterpiece. It worked brilliantly and solved a massive technical headache. The only problem? It required a migration effort from product teams who were already drowning in their own roadmaps. Nobody had the time to adopt it.

It was a classic PM failure. I built a flawless solution for a reality my users didn’t live in.

Failures — whether you’re behind the wheel or driving a product roadmap — are the ultimate forcing function for growth. They provide the brutal, honest data we need to course-correct. But getting the feedback required to actually learn from those failures? That’s where things get complicated.

Negative feedback is just an organization’s way of flagging a bug in your strategy or behavior. Personally, I love it. It’s highly actionable and motivates me to iterate.

But biologically, our brains hate it. We are wired to register criticism as a threat, which is why our default instinct is to avoid it. And if you are a woman in tech, that natural avoidance is heavily amplified by a very real double standard.

You don’t need a research paper to know this, though plenty of studies back it up: when something goes wrong, women tend to internalize the blame, while men often point to external factors. We also know that women in leadership — especially in male-dominated arenas like product and engineering — are penalized more harshly for mistakes.

When the penalty for failure is higher, you naturally become risk-averse. Which is pure poison for innovation.

Here is where the double standard really hurts us. Women are often expected to be “cuddly” rather than assertive. This expectation infects the feedback loop. Managers, terrified of causing offense or dealing with emotions, will default to the “feedback sandwich” or just shield their employees from hard truths entirely.

Let’s be clear: when managers withhold honest feedback, they are actively sabotaging their team’s growth.

This is why I swear by Kim Scott’s concept of Radical Candor. It cuts straight through the corporate nonsense. The framework relies on two simple pillars: Care Personally and Challenge Directly.

The mandate is simple: just be honest. No fluff. If someone is doing something that isn’t working, tell them.

We do this in our personal lives all the time. You probably wouldn’t hesitate to call out a partner or a sibling for a bad decision because they know you care about them. We need to bring that exact same energy to our stand-ups and 1:1s.

When you are navigating the fallout of a failure, here is how to keep the focus on growth:

• Stop avoiding the awkwardness: Don’t let the fear of a tough conversation rob someone of their development. When my platform adoption flatlined, I didn’t need stakeholders politely nodding in meetings; I needed them to tell me my rollout strategy was completely out of touch. Honest friction is the only way to iterate.
• Candor is not cruelty: Directness is never an excuse to be a jerk. Feedback has to be specific, actionable, and delivered with the explicit goal of helping the other person win.
• Make it a two-way street: Fostering a culture of growth means normalizing the fact that PMs, engineers, and executives are all going to drop the ball sometimes. Teams must feel safe giving feedback up the chain, not just receiving it.

Failure isn’t the end of the road. It’s the guardrail that keeps you on the track.

Whether you’re navigating a blind intersection or trying to convince exhausted engineers to migrate to a new tool, the goal was never to be perfect. The goal is to get the radically candid feedback you need so you can drive a little better tomorrow.

Embracing Failure as a Path for Growth was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

An underrated skill that helps you grow faster than you think

Ego in the workplace is often misunderstood.

Most advice reduces it to something simplistic: “stay humble,” “don’t take things personally,” or “leave your ego at the door.” In reality, none of this is practical. Ego is not a switch you can turn off—it's a byproduct of ambition, competence, and self-awareness.

The real challenge is not eliminating ego but managing it in an environment that constantly tests it.

This article breaks down the less obvious realities of ego in corporate settings—and how to handle them without hurting your growth.

In corporate environments, your ego reacts less to what actually happens and more to how you interpret what happens.

For example:

• A colleague interrupts you → “They don’t respect me.”
• Your idea is ignored → “My input isn’t valued.”
• Someone else is praised → “I’m being overlooked.”

These interpretations feel real, but they’re often incomplete.

Corporate environments are noisy:

• People are distracted
• Context is missing
• Decisions are rushed

Not every negative signal is a judgment of your capability.

Practical shift:
Pause before reacting. Ask, "What are 2–3 alternative explanations for this situation?”
This single habit reduces unnecessary ego-driven reactions.

One of the biggest sources of ego friction is the assumption that effort directly leads to recognition.

In reality, recognition depends on

• Visibility
• Stakeholder alignment
• Communication clarity
• Timing

Two people can put in equal effort and receive very different outcomes.

If your ego is tied to effort alone, you will feel consistently undervalued.

Practical shift:
Treat visibility and communication as part of the work—not as self-promotion, but as delivery.

Ego strongly attaches to correctness.

You may find yourself thinking:

• “But technically, I’m right.”
• “This is the better approach.”

However, corporate decisions are rarely made on correctness alone. They involve trade-offs across:

• Time constraints
• Business priorities
• Team alignment

Insisting on being right—without considering context—can slow you down.

Practical shift:
Before pushing a point, evaluate:

Does this materially change the outcome?

Is this the right forum to push this?

What is the cost of insisting vs aligning?

Effectiveness > correctness.

Even neutral feedback can feel like a personal attack:

• “This needs more structure."
• “Your communication can improve."

Ego translates this into

• “You’re not good enough."
• “You’re behind others."

This is where many professionals stagnate—not due to lack of skill, but due to defensiveness.

Practical shift:
Create a separation:

You = long-term capability

Your work = current output

Feedback targets the second, not the first.

Many professionals withdraw when their ego takes a hit:

• After being ignored once
• After being corrected publicly
• After feeling less knowledgeable

But silence has a cost.

In most corporate settings:

• Silence is interpreted as lack of clarity, confidence, or ownership
• Not as thoughtfulness or restraint

Practical shift:
You don’t need to speak often, but you need to speak intentionally:

Summarize key points

Ask clarifying questions

State your position briefly

This maintains presence without overcompensating.

Ego constantly compares:

• Who got promoted
• Who speaks better
• Who gets noticed

The problem is—you don’t see the full picture:

• Their past work
• Their stakeholder relationships
• Their visibility across teams

Comparison without context leads to distorted conclusions.

Practical shift:
Convert comparison into analysis:
Instead of: “Why them?”
Ask: “What are they doing differently that I can learn from?”

Corporate growth is rarely immediate.

There is often a lag between:

• Improved capability
• External recognition

During this lag, ego becomes restless:

• “Is this even worth it?”
• “Am I being ignored?”

Many people change direction too early because they expect instant validation.

Practical shift:
Track internal metrics:

Quality of decisions

Clarity of communication

Complexity of problems handled

These compound—even when recognition doesn’t.

It’s important to make a distinction:

• Weak ego → avoids challenges, fears visibility
• Inflated ego → resists feedback, overestimates contribution
• Managed ego → seeks growth, adapts based on reality

You don’t need less ego.
You need a better-regulated ego.

Ego in corporate environments is not a flaw—it's a signal.

It highlights:

• Where you feel undervalued
• Where you seek recognition
• Where your expectations don’t match reality

Ignoring it doesn’t work. Suppressing it doesn’t last.

The advantage comes from understanding how it operates—and building systems to manage it:

• Reframing interpretations
• Separating identity from work
• Prioritizing effectiveness over correctness
• Playing a long-term game

Because in the end, career growth is not just about skill.

It’s about how well you handle the internal friction that comes with it.

How to Manage Ego in Corporate (That No One Tells You) was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Output the licenses used by dependencies and check if these are compatible with the project license

Python 109 Updated Mar 26, 2025

Oops to err is Uniroyal like, to forgive divine. Gee I hope I haven't offended any Uniroyal lovers still alive in Elmira.  If I have then I guess I'll just have to live with it. By the way I bumped into former councillor Julie-Anne Herteis last evening.  She appears well and did not seem to still be mad at me for unkind things I may have said about her while she was a Woolwich councillor.  That's good because while sitting politicians are fair game, retired or those moving forward in life are not.

The typo is an easy one to make when we are discussing health criteria concentration numbers of toxins along with laboratory Method Detection Limits.  In yesterday's post I started off O.K. in my first paragraph stating that both the authors of a recent report and the Editor of Environmental Science magazine stated in their Summaries that "...analytical limits are far too high for detecting many chemicals, especially pesticides." Then however near the end of my second paragraph darn if I didn't reverse the word higher and use the word lower. Maybe that's not so much a typo as a brain fa*t? 

Here is an example. If you have a chemical with a health criteria concentration of  .5  ug per litre  (.5 ug/l) i.e. half a microgram per litre of water AND a laboratory Method Detection Limit however of 1 ug per litre ( 1 ug/l)  i.e. one microgram per litre then you have a problem because  the laboratory measuring the particular chemical can only measure as low as one microgram of that chemical per litre of water. Therefore the chemical can be above it's health concentration in drinking water (say for example three quarters of a microgram of chemical per litre of water)  however it is assigned a concentration of ND or Non Detect because the lab either don't have the equipment to measure that small or the appropriate process/method to do so. Also sometimes it can also be a matter of cost. Certain labs may charge extra for doing more expensive and difficult very low concentration analyses of a chemical.

Therefore this can be a legitimate limit on determining the toxicity of some chemicals in various mediums whether water, soil air etc. Or on the other hand it can be a very convenient method of weaseling out of showing exceedances of health criteria by toxic chemicals thus reducing expected cleanup costs. Unrepentant polluters lacking in ethics have become adept at this kind of gamesmanship just as regulators and credentialed public advisory committees have learned to look the other way in reports evidencing this kind of data. 

Last year a scholarly article was published in Environmental Science Magazine titled "Limitations of chemical monitoring hinder aquatic risk evaluations on the macroscale". This was a very large study of decades of monitoring data from across the United States.  Both the Editor and the authors included a Summary or Abstract if you will. Each essentially said that despite decades of monitoring, less than 1% of chemicals with possible toxic effects have the proper data required for risk assessment. The second statement from both parties was that analytical limits are far too high for detecting many chemicals, especially pesticides. Thirdly both advised that these limitations have biased risk perceptions and I would add risk assessments.

If none of this rings any bells than you have not been keeping up with the risk assessments done by Uniroyal Chemical/Chemtura and later on by Lanxess Canada who are only too keen not to spend another nickel on cleaning up the Canagagigue Creek after spending millions (?) on lobbying, bribing?, monitoring and persuading politicians and credentialed TAG/TRAC members that all is well.  I have long said that risk assessments are mathematical models filled with assumptions that can be favourably bought by polluter clients for a fraction of real cleanup costs. When as it turns out these monitoring data are also woefully incomplete including laboratory detection limits of toxic chemicals higher than their mandated health criteria; then what you have is not a risk assessment it is actually a get out of jail free card produced by well educated, intellectual prostitutes all pretending to rely on the "professionalism" of others. 

Mention is made of both DDT and Dioxins as are present in the Canagagigue Creek, courtesy of Uniroyal Chemical and Lanxess Canada, accompanied by warnings as to their enhanced toxicity.  

The post 2025 CYPT Annual Report appeared first on Children and Youth Planning Table.

♦

Condé Nast’s Gourmet sadly ceased publication in October 2009, but there is one dish from the magazine that I have tweaked and have made ever since: a sheet pan delight that sees peppers, onions and chunks of chicken thigh broiled to succulence with crispy, charred edges that is sure to please.

The defining feature of the dish, however, is a sort of sauce that forms when you add hummus to the hot mixture: the chickpea condiment evolves into a creamy, rich and luxuriant-tasting component that binds the other ingredients — and adds huge flavour.

I don’t recall the exact ingredients and methods from the magazine, but here is how the dish comes together for me: cut boneless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces; cut onions and your choice of peppers into similar-sized pieces; toss the mixture in salt and pepper, olive oil and seasonings like cumin, coriander, perhaps paprika, and any other spices that inspire a sort of shawarma/kebab taste profile for you.

Distribute the ingredients evenly over a sheet pan and broil on an upper oven rack until cooked. A couple of stirs and re-arrangement of the ingredients ensures that they are cooked evenly.

Pull the pan and spread a generous amount of hummus in the bottom of a bowl and add the chicken-peppers-onion combo on top. Drizzle it with a few glugs of good olive oil and perhaps garnish with some sumac, as I’ve done here. Let the dish rest for just a few moments so the hummus begins to “melt.”

Despite the rising cost of proteins like chicken, I figure with some economical shopping you can cook up this dish for a few bucks a bowl. It’s superb and takes only minutes to prepare and cook.

Enjoy!

Check out my latest post Hummus and broiled chicken ‘n’ peppers from AndrewCoppolino.com.

The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce is currently recruiting for available positions on the 2026-27 Board of Directors. We value a Board comprised of talented and committed individuals with a wide range of experience, knowledge, abilities, backgrounds, and lenses.

It is essential for the Greater KW Chamber to build a Board of Directors that represents the diversity of our membership and community, as well as improving our ability to promote economic growth and add value to our members.

If you believe you would be a strong addition to the Greater KW Chamber’s Board of Directors, we welcome nominations and expressions of interest. Please complete this form by 4:00 PM on Friday, May 1, 2026.

The post Greater KW Chamber: Board of Directors (Expressions of Interest) appeared first on Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.

♦

♦Creative Spark Swag

Stay cozy while supporting creativity! Our Fleece Creative Spark Hoodies are warm, comfortable, and perfect for layering and our Creative Spark T-Shirts are soft, comfortable and full of meaning. All profits go directly toward Creative Spark group projects and future artistic initiatives. Top off your look with purpose! Our Creative Spark cotton twill hats are a stylish way to support the Creative Spark group. This hat is embroidered with the Creative Spark logo!

Creative spark is a group of people with disabilities that love to create! In the past they have written and acted in two movies. Both movies were entered into the Pegasus Incredible Film Festival in Toronto which empowers people with disabilities to create and star in their own movies. Every purchase helps bring new ideas, art, and projects to life. Wear your spark wherever you go!

Click here to get yours!

♦♦ ♦

♦Wadjda Movie Screening
Wednesday, April 1
6:30 PM – 8:15 PM
FREE
Central Library (Theatre) – 85 Queen St. N, Kitchener

This Arab Heritage Month, join us in the Central Library Theatre for a screening of “Wadjda” (2012) directed by Haifaa al-Mansour. The film is presented in partnership with the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre (KWMC). It is rated PG and will be shown in Arabic with English subtitles.

Click here for more info

♦Darts Night at TWB
Thursday, April 2
7:00 PM – 9:30 PM
$12
TWB Brewing – 300 Mill St. Kitchener

Come out for a fun and friendly evening of darts every other Thursday at TWB. Check-in by 6:45 pm as games start promptly at 7:00 pm. Individuals are always welcome and partners will rotate after each game of ‘501’. All ability levels are welcome. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 on the day of and includes your first 12oz beer or non-alcoholic beverage. Winner receives a $20 TWB Gift Card!

Click here for more info

♦Intro to Piano
Registration Opens: Tuesday, March 31
Tuesdays April 21, 28 and May 5
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
FREE
WPL Main Library – 35 Albert St. Waterloo

This beginner‑friendly program is perfect for adults who have never played piano before and want to learn the basics. Explore the piano keys, finger placement, simple scales, and how to play with both hands—plus learn a short song together. The class moves at a steady, structured pace and is designed for adults who enjoy learning new skills step‑by‑step. Each participant will be loaned a WPL keyboard to take home for practice and should bring it to class each week.

Click here for more info

♦

♦Prom of PossABILITIES

The Colleen Cares Foundation is hosting Waterloo Region’s first ever Accessible Prom for Teens age 14 to 21 with disabilities. Get your friends together for music, dancing, photo booth and food. The event is being held in a fully accessible event space and at no cost. That’s right, it’s free! The Prom will be held on June 13, 2026 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM. All youth under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a caregiver.

This event is designed for teens and young adults with disabilities who have accessibility or social barriers to their own school’s events. Everyone deserves to have the chance to experience a Prom Night regardless of ability. For more information, or to register, email Colleen Cares Foundation at colleencaresfdn@gmail.com

Click here for more info

The post March 25, 2026: What’s Happening in Your Neighbourhood? appeared first on KW Habilitation.

OpenShell is the safe, private runtime for autonomous AI agents.

Rust 3.8k Updated Mar 26

The Waterloo Region real estate market is beginning to show clearer signs of stabilization as we move into the spring market. February recorded a total of 339 home sales, representing an 8.1% decrease compared to February 2025, while year-to-date sales are down 13.4%.
Despite the year-over-year decline, activity improved meaningfully compared to January, indicating stronger engagement from buyers following a slower start to the year.

At the same time, 737 new listings came to market in February, down 16.1% year-over-year, contributing to a total of 1,284 active listings at month end, a decrease of 8.4% compared to the same time last year.

While inventory has declined modestly year-over-year, it remains elevated relative to recent market cycles, continuing to provide buyers with more choice and negotiating leverage.

• Total Sales: 339 (down 8.1% year-over-year)
• New Listings: 737 (down 16.1% year-over-year)
• Active Listings: 1,284 (down 8.4% year-over-year)
• Year-to-Date Sales: 609 (down 13.4%)
• Year-to-Date New Listings: 1,489 (down 17.2%)

The sales-to-new listings ratio is approximately 46%, placing the Waterloo Region housing market within a balanced to buyer-leaning range.
Compared to January, sales activity increased while pricing remained relatively stable, reinforcing early signs that the market may be beginning to level out.

We are seeing increased showing activity and more engagement from qualified buyers; however, decision-making remains measured, with conditions and negotiation playing a role in most transactions.

Activity remains highly segmented. Well-priced homes are selling, while overpriced homes are sitting longer on the market.

The overall average sale price in Waterloo Region was $727,440 in February, representing a 5.5% decrease compared to February 2025. Year-to-date, the average price is $731,274, down 4.1%.

The median sale price across all property types was $690,000, down 4.2% year-over-year and 5.6% year-to-date.

From a month-over-month perspective, pricing remained relatively stable, indicating that the rate of decline is beginning to ease.

Single Family Homes

• Average Price: $862,189 (down 4.7% year-over-year)
• Median Price: $790,000 (down 5.7% year-over-year)

Townhomes and Condominiums

• Average Price: $523,819 (down 7.6% year-over-year)
• Median Price: $503,000 (down 9.9% year-over-year)

Price corrections remain more pronounced in the townhouse and condominium segment, while detached homes in Waterloo Region have shown greater stability.

The average days on market increased to 37 days, up 54.2% compared to February 2025. Year-to-date, properties are taking an average of 41 days to sell.

• Single Family Homes: 35 days (up 84.2% year-over-year)
• Townhomes and Condominiums: 41 days (up 32.3% year-over-year)

Buyers are taking more time, completing due diligence, and negotiating more frequently.

The average list-to-sale price ratio was 99.5%, down from 102.3% one year ago.

• Single Family Homes: 99.8%
• Townhomes and Condominiums: 99.1%

This indicates that most homes are selling at or slightly below asking price.

• Total Inventory: 1,284 homes
• Months of Inventory: 2.5 months

By property type:

• Single Family Homes: 1.9 months
• Townhomes and Condominiums: 3.6 months

This reflects a balanced market overall, with more buyer-friendly conditions in the townhouse and condo segment.

The Housing Affordability Index increased to 64, up 10.3% year-over-year, reflecting improved affordability due to lower home prices and stable interest rates.

The Housing Value Index declined:

• Single Family Homes: 149 (down 9.1% year-over-year)
• Townhomes and Condominiums: 142 (down 11.3% year-over-year)

The Bank of Canada held its overnight rate at 2.25%, while inflation eased to approximately 1.8%.

Slower economic growth and a softening labour market are contributing to a more cautious but improving housing market environment.

This is a strategy-driven market.

Homes that are priced correctly and presented well are selling. Homes that are not aligned with market value are sitting and requiring price adjustments.

Buyers are highly value-driven and are quick to move on from overpriced properties.

Buyers currently benefit from:

• Increased inventory and more choice
• Greater negotiating power
• The ability to include conditions

However, well-priced homes in desirable neighbourhoods are still competitive.

The Waterloo Region real estate market is in a transition phase.

Sales activity is improving month-over-month, pricing is stabilizing, and interest rates have remained steady.

As we move into the spring market, continued stability in interest rates and increasing buyer activity will be key indicators of where the market is headed.

This is a balanced to buyer-leaning market where outcomes are driven by pricing, presentation, and execution.

If you are considering buying or selling in Waterloo Region, a data-driven strategy is essential in today’s market.

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

Ontario’s Greenbelt spans nearly 2 million acres across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. It protects prime farmland, forests, wetlands, watersheds, the Niagara Escarpment, and the Oak Ridges Moraine. Established in 2005, it is one of the largest protected greenbelt areas in the world and a global success story.

The Greenbelt is a critical and irreplaceable asset that safeguards water resources, diverse natural ecosystems, rural economies, outdoor recreation and tourism, sustainable agriculture and local food systems. Each year, the Greenbelt contributes more than $12 billion to Ontario’s GDP and supports over 200,000 full-time jobs.

The Greenbelt Foundation is a long-standing provincial partner organization committed to protecting and stewarding Ontario’s Greenbelt and its interconnected natural, water resource and agricultural systems. We work with a diverse range of partners and sectors to maximize the opportunities and benefits of the Greenbelt for Ontario.

The Foundation plays a distinct role. It does not regulate land use. It strengthens implementation of provincial plans. It advances practical solutions through grants, partnerships, applied research, and public engagement.

The Greenbelt underpins Ontario’s long-term prosperity.

• Environmental value: It safeguards drinking water and air quality for millions, protects biodiversity, stores carbon, and reduces flood risk.
• Economic value: It supports a multi-billion-dollar agri-food economy, tourism, and outdoor recreation.
• Social value: It provides access to nature and world-class outdoor recreation, contributes to live-ability and enhances resilient communities in one of North America’s fastest-growing regions.

Current pressures heighten its importance. Climate change is increasing extreme weather and water stress. Trade instability reinforces the need for domestic food production. Urban growth intensifies the importance of effective land-use plans.

Current areas of organizational focus include:

• Strengthening climate-resilient communities and natural infrastructure.
• Advancing water security and watershed health.
• Supporting food sovereignty and farm viability.
• Reinforcing effective implementation of the Greenbelt Plan and related provincial plans.
• Positioning the Greenbelt as a strategic asset for Ontario’s economic resilience.

The Board of Directors provides governance and fiduciary oversight. It stewards mission, strategy, risk, and financial integrity.

The Board:

• Informs and oversees strategic directions
• Approves grants and guides program priorities
• Ensures accountability to funders and the public
• Supports and evaluates the CEO
• Acts as a credible, non-partisan ambassador(s) for the Greenbelt

The Board comprises 12 directors, including Provincial Directors nominated by the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks

Standing committees:

• Finance and Audit Committee: Oversees financial reporting, audit, risk, and investment stewardship.
• Governance Committee: Leads board recruitment, performance, and governance policy.
• Oak Ridges Moraine Committee: Focuses on the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan area and related program oversight.

The Foundation maintains a balanced mix of expertise, lived experience, and regional knowledge. Recruitment priorities are reviewed annually by the Governance Committee and informed by a Board skills matrix

We generally seek experience in one or more of the following areas:

• Environmental science, sustainability, biodiversity, and climate resiliency
• Land use planning, municipal administration, and growth management
• Food systems and agriculture, including specialty crop regions
• Public policy, public administration, and government relations
• Economic development, public finance, or development finance
• Tourism, recreation, and rural economic vitality
• Public health and community well-being
• Grant making, research, or impact evaluation We also value:
• Strong governance judgment and committee experience
• Financial literacy and comfort with audit and oversight
• Non-partisan credibility and constructive public engagement
• Geographic representation across the Greater Golden Horseshoe
• Indigenous, newcomer, youth, and diverse community representation

• Approximately four Board meetings per year
• Generally, serve on at least one committee
• Periodic strategy sessions or special meeting
• Occasional travel within the Greater Golden Horseshoe

Please see our web site at greenbelt.ca for our Annual Reports and Governance and Public Accountability including our Financial Statements

The post Greenbelt Foundation appeared first on Capacity Canada.

In January, Robert and his friend Sean travelled to Cuba for a week. They were joined by Gerry, who has volunteered with Robert for the past three years, and Gerry’s wife, Maryellen. It was a shared trip focused on spending time together and enjoying something new.

They travelled to Varadero and stayed at an all inclusive resort. For Robert, one thing stood out right away. “The swimming pool,” he said when asked about his favourite part of the trip. The pool was warm and relaxing, and he and Sean went swimming every day. Robert also enjoyed the lounge chairs by the pool that reclined at the push of a button.

The group spent most of their time at the resort, but they also went into town. Robert liked seeing the old cars and a horse and buggy. It was his first time in Cuba, though not his first time travelling. He shared that he has been on planes before and enjoys going to different places.

When asked how he felt about the vacation overall, Robert did not hesitate. “It was wonderful.”

Gerry reflected on the experience as well. “The trip was a highlight for my wife Maryellen and I. We know the Robert and Sean had a great time. That made us very happy.”

At KW Habilitation, we believe in relationships that grow from shared interests and real choice. Most importantly, time together matters. Whether it is golfing close to home or swimming in Cuba, these experiences create connection and meaningful memories that last well beyond the trip.

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The post A Week in Cuba, Together appeared first on KW Habilitation.

The new community at 878 Frederick Street is coming together quickly. What started as drawings is now a real building with rooms, hallways, and shared spaces taking shape. Each week brings us closer to welcoming people home later this year.

♦

Construction crews have been busy with the final touches inside the building:

• Painting is nearly finished on Levels 2–4
• Flooring is being installed throughout the building
• Kitchens and bathrooms are coming together
• Lighting and electrical work is being completed
• Drywall and ceiling panels are almost done
• The elevator installation is well underway
• Exterior siding continues as weather allows

The building is really starting to look like a home.

♦

878 Frederick Street is being built for a mix of people who need safe, affordable housing. This includes:

• People supported by KW Habilitation who choose to live in a supported apartment
• Seniors looking for affordable housing
• Individuals from the community who need affordable housing

Interviews for these units have now begun, and many people are excited for the chance to be part of this new community.

♦

A key part of this project is our Neighbour Helping Neighbour approach. It encourages:

• Natural friendships
• Informal support between residents
• Reduced isolation
• A sense of safety and belonging
• Everyday kindness and connection

It’s about creating a community where people look out for one another.

Donations are an essential part of bringing 878 Frederick Street to life. They help us finish the building, keep rents affordable, and make sure the people who move in have a safe, welcoming place to call home.

One‑time gifts make a real difference, and monthly donations go even further. A small amount each month provides steady support we can count on as the project moves toward completion.

Donate here: kwhab.ca/join-us/donate/

The post Building Together: March Update on 878 Frederick Street appeared first on KW Habilitation.

Wei, Q., Brookfield, A., & Layzell, A. (2024). Quantifying the effects of water management decisions on streambank stability. Frontiers in Water, 6. doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2024.1430374

“A streambank stability module was developed in Python to work with output from the integrated hydrologic model, HydroGeoSphere (HGS), which was previously coupled with the surface water operations model, OASIS. The module takes the data output from the coupled HGS/OASIS model, such as surface and subsurface hydrologic conditions (e.g., pore water pressure, groundwater levels), and estimates streambank stability using the simplified factor of safety (Fs) approach, through one-way feedback from HGS/OASIS to the module.”

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

Fig. 5. Map of Lower Republican River Basin study area.

This publication co-authored by Q. Wei, A. Brookfield, and A. Layzell, investigates how water management decisions influence streambank stability by altering subsurface hydrologic conditions. This study leverages HydroGeoSphere (HGS), coupled with the surface water operations model OASIS, to address long-standing challenges in linking reservoir operations, groundwater pumping, and hydrologic dynamics to the physical mechanisms driving streambank failure.

Traditional assessments of streambank stability often focus on hydraulic shear stress or empirical erosion relationships, while treating hydrologic conditions as static or externally prescribed. Such approaches fail to capture how changes in groundwater levels, pore water pressure, and surface–subsurface pressure differentials—often driven by water management decisions—affect bank stability. By using HGS to simulate fully integrated surface and subsurface flow, this research directly links hydrologic state variables to a newly developed streambank stability module based on a factor-of-safety framework.

Fig. 8. Relationship between the factor of safety values under wet (high precipitation and elevated groundwater levels) and dry (low precipitation and reduced groundwater levels) conditions.

The study applied this coupled modelling approach to the Lower Republican River Basin in Kansas, United States, under contrasting wet and dry conditions influenced by reservoir operations. Hydrologic outputs from HGS, including groundwater levels, pore water pressure, and surface water depths, were used to calculate spatially distributed streambank stability along more than 700 river nodes. Results showed that streambanks were consistently less stable under wet conditions than dry conditions, particularly in reaches affected by reservoir releases, due to increased pore water pressures and soil loading.

Key findings demonstrated that water management decisions—such as the timing and magnitude of reservoir releases—can significantly alter streambank stability by changing subsurface pressure regimes and disrupting equilibrium between surface water and groundwater levels. In upstream areas with limited releases during dry periods, streambanks were more stable, while downstream reaches receiving managed flows exhibited increased instability even under similar climatic conditions.

HydroGeoSphere proved essential in enabling this work due to its ability to simulate coupled surface and subsurface hydrologic processes and dynamically represent the effects of water management infrastructure. By providing physically consistent hydrologic inputs to the streambank stability module, HGS allowed the researchers to move beyond simplified erosion metrics and directly assess the mechanisms driving bank failure.

This research provides critical insights for integrated water resources management, demonstrating that advanced, physics-based modelling approaches like HydroGeoSphere are essential for evaluating the unintended geomorphic consequences of water management decisions. By explicitly linking reservoir operations and groundwater dynamics to streambank stability, the study paves the way for more informed and sustainable river basin management strategies.

Abstract:

Both natural processes and human activities alter streamflow conditions, which can significantly affect streambank erosion and stability, leading to consequences such as sedimentation of reservoirs, contamination of streams, loss of productive land, and damage to infrastructure. Hydrological conditions, which are often controlled by water management decisions and infrastructure (e.g., reservoirs and dams), are a major factor affecting streambank erosion and stability. Extensive research has explored the relationships between hydrology, water management, and streambank stability. However, limited studies directly address the impacts of water management decisions, particularly reservoir operations, on the driving mechanisms of streambank stability such as changes in pore water pressure, pressure differentials between the surface and subsurface, and gravitational forces versus shear stress. This study builds upon these existing concepts by integrating them into a model that accounts for both the effects of water management and inherent hydrologic conditions on streambank stability.

The module estimates streambank stability using a factor of safety approach, with hydrologic conditions derived from an established integrated hydrologic model, HydroGeoSphere, coupled with the surface water operations model, OASIS. This module is validated and then demonstrated using simulations from the Lower Republican River Basin in Kansas, United States. Results indicate that several water management decisions, such as groundwater pumping and timing of reservoir releases, may negatively affect streambank stability by changing pore water pressure, the weight of the bank material, and the pressure differential between the surface and the subsurface. Given that most of the rivers and streams of the world are regulated by reservoir operations, this work demonstrates that water management practices need to be considered in simulations of streambank stability.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE.

It was all of once. I have the article on a pile of articles dealing with the recent Waterloo Region Water Crisis.  Ms. D'Amato mentioned out of service wells including the Greenbrook Wellfield, Parkway and Woolner/Pompeii Wellfields. All three have past contamination problems and most likely present ones if they reactivate them. Recently I mentioned the benzene plume emanating from the Ottawa St. Landfill and drawn via pumping towards the Greenbrook Wellfield on Stirling Ave. near Homer Watson Blvd.  I believe that mention was also made years ago of 1,4 Dioxane being in some of those wells. Then Luisa herself had advised of contamination (TCE) at the Parkway wells and finally the river wells from the Woolner and Pompeii Wellfields have lots of solvents and goodies from the Safety-Kleen site formerly known as Breslube and Forsythe. 

Before continuing on about fixing the out-of-service wells listed above I want to mention Luisa's following statement in her Opinion piece in today's K-W Record titled "Why water pipeline to Lake Erie is not a good idea". That statement is "...that underground water supplies in Wilmot have almost been pumped dry in an attempt to keep supplies up." Have I missed something? Yes I understand that various private wells on the west side of Kitchener and or between Petersburg and Baden have been going dry. I had hoped/presumed that these wells water levels were being drawn down by Region of Waterloo and City of Kitchener excessive pumping but that is a whole lot different than suggesting that water supplies in Wilmot have almost been pumped dry. Good Lord if Wilmot Township which is also home to a significant part of the Waterloo Moraine is as a whole going dry then we are all in serious, immediate trouble.

Back to the out-of-service wells.  The Region of Waterloo are masters of the weasel worded descriptions as to why wells were shut down.  Unfortunately they are also masters of protecting and constantly insulating dirty, industrial polluters from the full consequences of their environmental negligence.  This means never pointing out which specific companies and corporations have mostly singlehandedly contaminated regional drinking wells. "Fixing" these wells does not mean new pumps, wellheads, piping etc. Nor does it mean drilling a new well beside the old one or even simply drilling deeper hoping to go by the contaminated sub-surface zones (soils). It would mean costly remediation possibly including excavation that should have been done decades ago and wasn't. 

Now all of this is moot if the Region are desperate enough to mix in solvent contaminated water with cleaner water in order to dilute it.  Oh but wait! They are that desperate. They've been doing that with the TCE (trichloroethylene) at the Middleton Wellfield in Cambridge for many decades. I believe there are also other wells in the Region that are "managed" in similar fashion. 

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Day 80 – Prompt – Lament and Confidence paired with Erase Poem

Excellent sermon at church yesterday, so absorbing that I didn’t even get my notebook out to entertain myself. We had a guest speaker, a woman who co-owns a local cafe (and is also a pastor), and I felt what it would feel like to see myself more often reflected at the pulpit. Also, she fully owned how much she loves preaching, speaking, having a microphone — so refreshing. And her sermon, on lament paired with statements of confidence in the Psalms, was thought-provoking yet spacious. I had time to reflect on my own choices, tendencies, hopes, struggles to communicate.

I thought about how often people are just waiting to be asked about themselves — how good it feels to get to tell your story. I have to believe it’s that power that fuels the X Page Workshop, and will translate in my absence (I’ve bowed out for this season, as I’ve taken on a heavy caregiving role in another part of my life).

It’s hard to confess to my own limitations; how easily I become overwhelmed; how much I don’t do right now, or seem incapable of doing; how very often I go to the gym to escape, by which I mean to glimpse my ability to endure, because my mind, my emotional capacity feels exhausted. It ain’t pretty. This is my lament.

What is my statement of confidence that sits alongside my lament? Truthfully, since “retiring’ in November, I’ve been hyper-disciplined and focused and I’ve finished this next draft of Begin and I think the novel is special, magical, and writing it has brought me so much delight. Talk about escape. Somehow, sharing the joy of reading and books with children these past few years restored my own faith in reading and books. I’d become cynical and bitter, I’d lost my sense of purpose. The library work gave me a path forward. In my statement of confidence, I declare: I’ve thrown myself headlong into writing because stories matter.

I declare gratitude for the gift of creative energy, the gift of another version of escape. And I pray for more belief, more trust that purpose and meaningful expression can be found through writing. I pray for courage. That my steps are guided by what matters. So that my inner life and hopes can meet my outer actions with love and confidence.

♦

Erase Poem (my version = Circle Poem)

 

I felt it would feel reflected, owned, spacious

I had time, tendencies, struggles, your story

I have to believe in my absence, confess

I didn’t simply shut the door

 

This is my lament —

Roles anoint themselves

Bad feelings, self-destructive ways

Disappointment at not being wanted

 

Confidence sits with sharing delight

A prayer for more belief! For courage!

Hopes meet actions

Hope for life ongoing.

 

Stay.

xo, Carrie

I love books and read a lot, always having some waiting for me on the bookshelf. Depending on my emotional state and interests, my choices vary — it could be a deep and emotional novel by Tolstoy, an easy read by Mary Kondo, something adventurous by Bernard Werber, and, of course, plenty of work-related literature. There are many options.

Despite the variety of different books, for me, there is always one that I feel more connected to, the one I choose when I don't know what to read but need a distraction. A few years ago, I discovered the "Atomic Habits "by James Clear, and it immediately became my "that book".

It changed my vision of how to define and achieve goals, helped me discover myself as a mentor, and encouraged me to think about this path more strategically, planning smaller, more precise, and effective steps.

I am still on my mentoring journey, but this book has helped me a lot in getting started, and I want to share how. This article is not about quoting James Clear; you have to read the book yourself to get the right impression. This article is about my interpretation of his words and how to use them in real life.

You've probably heard of this book. It is no mystery that it is extremely popular.

Why do I love it so much?

Firstly, it is very easy to read. This is not one of those heavy books about "becoming a better version of yourself", but a very interesting and inspiring story about how tiny changes can give you impressive results.

It is well-structured, full of personal experience, and delivers information step by step. I have listened to the ebook and then read it twice. So for sure, this book got my attention.

Someone might describe this book as naive because everything in it looks so clear and easy. At one point, you find yourself nodding because you absolutely agree with the author, and you have the feeling that you have always known that, and there is nothing new. Trust me, I've often caught myself thinking: "Yes, I already know that." But the problem is – you don't know how to stick to your new habits or, worse, how to smoothly integrate them into your life, so they don't eventually fade away.

The main theme is about changing your thinking and not just setting goals, but creating a system that helps you achieve them by figuring out who you want to be. A person who already has habits you want. This is the most difficult part. You truly need to understand what you want, no, who you want to become.

The simplest example would not just be to lose weight till September, but to become someone who is healthy, feels good, exercises, and can control his weight. Or you want to read more, not just from time to time, but on a regular basis, so you need to think as an active reader who already does it. But how? By acting like this person, establishing his habits. Slightly different or absolutely different approach?

For me, it has always been about becoming a teacher and mentor in frontend development. At one point, I realised that I was already sharing my knowledge at work, consulting other teams, and trying to help them, but I wanted more. I was organising regular React meetings, but it wasn’t enough; I wanted to give lectures and workshops to provide the right answers or help find them.

I had strong professional skills and knowledge, but I wasn’t a teacher. I struggled with planning lectures, delivering information, and choosing the right format, and I lacked experience in one-to-one mentoring. I had so many questions, to be honest, and plenty to learn.

According to James Clear, once you understand who you want to be, you need to act like this person. The point is to understand what this person does regularly. So I just needed to answer the question: "Inna, what does the mentor, teacher do?" Quite simple, isn't it?

For me, the answer was: "The mentor learns a lot, inspires, identifies problems, and helps to find the perfect solution. He does not give the correct answer, but asks good questions; he navigates, supports, and helps with the ways to achieve the goal."

Ok, good, but the answer was too abstract and didn’t make it clear what to do. I needed to define concrete habits, which wasn’t easy for me because I wanted a combination of a mentor and a teacher, and those aren’t the same. First, I tried to figure out what this person does and how he acts from my perspective. And after that, I would define the precise habits.

So I had to ask myself again: "If I truly want to become a mentor and a teacher, what habits and characteristics does that person have?"

And the picture became clearer. In my vision, the person I wanted to be like:

• Didn't just know things — he was always learning, he didn't have answers to all questions, but he knew how to find them.
• Didn't simply explain — he listened first and tried to guide.
• Didn't just give answers — he helped others find their own by asking the right questions.
• Didn't just teach —he reflected, prepared, and improved.
• Communicated with people from absolutely different backgrounds and found a way to establish contact. Attempted to understand their needs and find the best way to communicate.

Let's be honest, we like dreaming big, have grand plans, think about unrealistic goals, and even set them. However, the problem begins when we try to achieve all that; we often don't know where to start or how to act because the scale feels too large. This is where the idea of atomic habits becomes powerful. You need to break a large identity into tiny, repeatable steps. At this point, the transformation stops being overwhelming and becomes real.

Once I understood the kind of mentor and teacher I wanted to be, the next step was to split that identity into actions.

For me, that meant transforming abstract terms— "learns constantly", "guides instead of instructing", "communicates clearly" — into small, concrete behaviours I could practice every day. I recognised my gaps in expertise and soft skills, which were critical for my case, and included them in my plans.

First, I identified the bigger blocks I needed to work on:

• Subscribe to accounts that share frontend development news — there is always something new.
• Follow channels about soft skills, teaching, mentoring, and communication.
• Decide which themes I want to cover in future lectures and workshops.
• Investigate mentoring opportunities at Riga Tech Girls — a community that supports and empowers everyone to learn, grow and innovate in a safe environment. I have thought about this for a couple of years, but I didn’t feel I could give my mentee as much as I wanted to, and I wasn’t ready for that. I wanted to understand what a mentor must know and be able to do to be selected for a mentorship program.

Then I defined the habits that would support this identity:

• Reading or listening about soft skills or technical literature for future lectures every day.
• Writing short explanations of new concepts to practice clarity.
• Creating a lecture plan for the React course and preparing materials.
• Make notes immediately when I get some useful information or a muse comes to me with a great idea.
• Preparing one small piece of teaching material every month.
• Spending one day a week drafting Medium articles, even without a specific theme.
• Reflecting on what worked, what didn't, and what I want to improve.

The book provides a lot of useful information about the correct way to think about habits, how to make it easier to stick to them, and how to get rid of bad ones. I will not cover that topic here because my focus in this article was on discovering my identity and how it can help you accurately define your needs, actions, and habits.

These actions are almost invisible. But together, they form a system — a structure that supports the identity I was building. And that's exactly what "Atomic Habits" is about. When I started doing these things without doubting, realising that this is part of being a mentor and teacher, there wasn't any wanting to skip something or give up. It all felt so organic and intuitive.

I'm still on this journey, but I can already see the results. I see myself becoming a person who helps others grow in frontend development, someone who listens, guides, and keeps learning.

After some time, I felt brave enough to apply as a mentor in the Riga Tech Girls mentoring program. The main difference was that at work, I worked with teams and organised workshops and lectures for them.

Currently, I'm mentoring one-on-one, which is entirely different, but that's a topic for another article about a new and exciting experience.

I hope you find this article helpful and that it inspires you.

References

Clear, James. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Cornerstone Press, 2022.

One Book, One Big Journey was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Someone published a Substack article listing ten people to follow on AI. The list was thoughtful, well intentioned, widely shared. All ten names were men.

When Karen Smiley, a technologist and writer, messaged the author to point this out, the response was honest, if a little deflating. He simply had not come across any women writing about AI.

Karen had been on the platform for less than a year at that point. In her first few months, she had already found and subscribed to 34 women writing seriously about AI.

That detail stays with me.

Not because it is surprising. Because it is so precisely the shape of the problem. Not a lack of work. Not a lack of expertise. A failure of visibility. And more specifically, a failure of the systems that decide what gets seen.

Karen did not wait to be added to someone else’s list.

In December 2024, she built one. SheWritesAI started as a directory. A simple idea, executed with intent. By March 2026, it had grown into a community of more than 600 women and non-binary writers across 60 countries, all writing seriously about AI and data. No heavy marketing. No growth hacks. No artificial momentum. Just signal finding signal.

The writers were already there. They just were not connected to each other, and not to the readers who would recognise the depth of their work.

We talk about visibility as if it is an individual achievement. A strong post. A moment of attention. A spike in reach.

It is not.

Visibility is infrastructure. It is built through recommendations, citations, invitations, shared references. It compounds quietly over time. If you are outside of it, your work stays local no matter how strong it is. And if enough people are outside of it, the system starts to look like truth.

I see this from inside the work itself.

I am a design consultant with over 20 years working across digital transformation, design strategy, and experience design. Automotive, retail, financial services. Large programmes, complex systems, organisations that rarely move as cleanly as the diagrams suggest.

AI is no longer a topic I step into. It is the air in the room.

It shows up in the products I help design. In the tools I use every day.

It shapes the decisions organisations are making and sits underneath the questions clients are trying to answer, and increasingly, the ones they do not yet know to ask.

You feel it before you name it. A shift in how decisions are made. A quiet redistribution of control. A different kind of dependency forming between people and the systems they rely on.

And this is where visibility becomes something more than representation. Because who is visible shapes who is trusted. And who is trusted shapes what gets built.

Women make up around 22% of the global AI workforce. At senior leadership level, that number drops below 14%. At the same time, over half of women in tech report observing gender bias in generative AI systems.

These numbers are not abstract. They show up in the product.

Not always in ways you can screenshot or easily explain. More often in the moments that feel slightly off. The assumption that does not quite hold. The flow that works in theory but not in life. The friction that feels personal, even when it is structural.

As designers, we talk about edge cases. But this is not about the edge. This is about the centre being defined too narrowly.

When the room is homogeneous, blind spots do not feel like blind spots. They feel like consensus. Diverse perspectives are not about fairness in the abstract. They are about accuracy. They are how you see what would otherwise remain invisible.

This is where SheWritesAI becomes something more than a directory.

Recently, the community published its first book. AI Everywhere, Volume 1: How Women Are Changing The World With Artificial Intelligence. Twenty six authors. Fourteen countries. Five continents.

Each chapter approaches AI from a different angle. Ethics. Education. Creativity. Healthcare. Design. Automotive. Agriculture. Cybersecurity.

The range is deliberate. Because the reality of AI is not singular. It is distributed across contexts, across industries, across lived experience. And yet the mainstream narrative often feels narrow. Repetitive. Confident in ways that flatten the complexity.

This book does the opposite.

I contributed Chapter 15, on power, cost, and care in automotive AI. Writing it forced a kind of clarity. The questions that mattered were not technical. They were structural.

Who holds decision authority when a system makes a choice on your behalf. What it costs when you cannot see how your data is being used. What it would mean to treat care as a technical discipline, something designed into systems rather than added on as reassurance.

These questions do not belong to automotive. They sit underneath almost every AI powered product being built right now.

Being part of a book with 25 other writers, each approaching these questions with rigour and honesty, shifted something for me. It changed the feeling of the room.

If you are reading this, you already know the work is happening.

Women are writing about AI with depth, with technical understanding, with the kind of practical grounding that comes from building, not just observing. That is what this publication has always been built around.

What has been missing is not capability. It is compounding visibility. The lists. The recommendations. The informal networks that determine whose work travels and whose stays contained.

SheWritesAI is part of a different approach. Not asking to be included. Building something that makes the original exclusion less structurally viable.

Because once the infrastructure exists, the dynamic shifts. Discovery becomes intentional. Connection becomes easier. Visibility starts to compound in new directions.

There is a quieter change happening here. One that moves away from inclusion as permission and toward inclusion as infrastructure. It is less visible in the moment. There are no headlines for it. No single point where you can say, this is when it changed.

But over time, it alters the centre of gravity.

The AI conversation is already happening. Women are already in it, writing seriously, building in public, shaping thinking at the edges where the most interesting work tends to emerge.

If you are not seeing that, it is worth asking why. Not as a critique. As a question about the systems you rely on to decide what is visible.

Because once you see the gap for what it is, it becomes harder to accept it as natural. And easier to do something about it.

There is a quieter change happening here. One that moves away from inclusion as permission and toward inclusion as infrastructure.

It is less visible in the moment. There are no headlines for it. No single point where you can say, this is when it changed.

But over time, it alters the centre of gravity.

The AI conversation is already happening. Women are already in it, writing seriously, building in public, shaping thinking at the edges where the most interesting work tends to emerge.

If you are not seeing that, it is worth asking why. Not as a critique. As a question about the systems you rely on to decide what is visible.

Because once you see the gap for what it is, it becomes harder to accept it as natural. And easier to do something about it.

SheWritesAI is at shewritesai.substack.com (you can follow and subscribe there). The book is available via aiEverywhereBooks.com and on Amazon.

If you are a woman or non-binary person writing seriously about AI, both the community and the book are worth knowing about. They are part of the same movement, expressed in different ways.

The infrastructure is being built. You do not have to wait for a list that includes you.

Thank you so much for reading my article. I hope you found it engaging and valuable. If you enjoyed it, a clap would tell me I resonated with you. For more articles like this, consider following me on Medium. You can also subscribe to receive new articles directly in your inbox. Also, connect with me on LinkedIn or on Substack to catch my latest articles in your feed or chat.

The Women Already Writing AI was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

♦

KITCHENER - The Kitchener Panthers are proud to announce the signing of local pitcher Gavin McLean.

The big 6'3" righty is coming off his second year with the Laurier Golden Hawks (OUA), where he had 14 strikeouts in just two appearances last fall.

Previously, he played two seasons as a relief pitcher with Graceland University in Iowa.

It won't be his first foray with the Panthers, as he made a couple appearances with the club in 2024.

"I was able to watch Gavin closely with our U22 team last season, and he definitely put himself on our radar," said general manager Shanif Hirani.

"He's had a strong offseason so far, and I am looking forward to seeing it translate onto the mound with us this year."

2026 SEASON TICKETS AND FLEX PACKS ARE NOW ON SALE! GET YOURS TODAY AND #PackTheJack THIS SUMMER FOR KITCHENER PANTHERS BASEBALL!

============

GAVIN McLEAN

Bats/Pitches: R/R

Hometown: Elmira, ON

Birthdate: September 22, 2003

Pronunciation: GAV-in Muh-KL-ayn

Trio – a friendly Python library for async concurrency and I/O

Python 7.2k Updated Mar 23

High level asynchronous concurrency and networking framework that works on top of either Trio or asyncio

Python 2.4k Updated Mar 25

The little ASGI framework that shines. 🌟

Python 12.1k 1 issue needs help Updated Mar 22

AI observability platform for production LLM and agent systems.

Python 4.1k Updated Mar 25

Editor Code Assistant (ECA) - AI pair programming capabilities agnostic of editor

Clojure 736 1 issue needs help Updated Mar 25

When: Saturday May 2nd, 12:00 – 1:00 pm

Meeting Point: Corner of College & Duke, behind Kitchener City Hall

Walk Leader: Sam Nabi

How is small-scale infill development changing our housing options in Kitchener’s older urban neighbourhoods? From backyard tiny homes to small apartments, we’ll take a tour of the new builds that are mixed in with century homes.

We’ll discuss the various ways that we think about neighbourhood character, what compatible architecture looks like, and what choices we make about how the city should grow.