Canada's Environmental Voice
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 […]
Some day, for reasons big or small, everyone ends up using services at a local hospital. With that in mind, Dr. Doug Dittmer, Medical Director of Rehabilitation at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario, began asking, “Why shouldn’t it be the best experience possible?”
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. […]
Like a lot of people, I cried when I saw the photos of three-year-old Alan Kurdi who drowned in the Mediterranean during his family’s attempt to find safe harbour from the horrors of the Syrian civil war. My sorrow, my grief was real, and I was moved to tears … and […]
Humankind is an inherently social species. Not only do positive relationships reduce stress and feelings of loneliness, but they also result in long-term happiness and good health. A sense of belonging plays an important part in this social phenomenon.
“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, […]
