Canada's Environmental Voice
The people who gather around the Connectivity Table each week represent various health and social service agencies. Some are executives; some are front-line workers. But when they come together, it’s to collaborate and pool expertise. And to take action. The situations brought to the Table involve individuals and families […]
As the Chief Executive Officer of the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network, I spend most of my time working with health-care leaders and front-line health professionals to improve the health care local residents receive. I also spend a significant amount of time with community leaders and residents discussing the […]
Visiting the AR Kaufman Family YMCA in Kitchener, Ontario, is a bit like dropping into an idealized version of the old family homestead. The young and old, quiet and noisy, confident and shy all gather there – many generations under one roof, working together to build for the future. Add […]
As I approached Matt Foster’s house in a Cambridge suburb, I realized that it didn’t look like the house of a political revolutionary.
Imagine standing on a street corner in a Canadian city in the middle of February, and every wall that surrounds you is covered in a bright, colourful painting. Vibrant images reflect our diverse culture and relationships with nature. Imagine walking past these illustrations every morning as you start your day. […]
“I’m allergic to coalitions.” That’s what a prominent Canadian environmental leader once told me. It was 2012, and the organization I was working with at the time had broached the idea of uniting several groups in an effort to disrupt the entrenched “jobs versus nature” narrative.
Is it easier for us to embrace “belonging” if we know who doesn’t belong? Can we respect someone – let them belong – even if we don’t particularly like them?
The words on the back of the business card say so much: Belong & Thrive. For staff at House of Friendship, a social service charity based in Waterloo Region, Ont., these words are much more than an inspirational motto. They are a reminder that helping people in need by providing food, […]
In a world facing many social challenges, it is hard to sort through all the “need” and find the right place to start inciting change. It is understood that poverty, housing and food insecurity (to name but a few) are very real challenges. We see them every day when we go […]
What do small-scale farmers and market gardeners do in the winter? This is a perennial question for growers in temperate climates where the growing season for sustainable, local agriculture is traditionally just half of the year.
