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Ahh the joys of being in charge of the program. You can change it on the fly and keep nosy, inquisitive citizens either at bay or off stride.  A colleague sent me a lovely coloured map  electronically yesterday.  Frankly I hadn't seen that one before and I will say that while it's still a stinker in that it conveniently for Lanxess Canada and the MECP covers up contaminated soils (courtesy of Uniroyal Chemical) on the Stroh and Martin farms, it actually avoids what I felt was a very awkward jog over to and through the Church St. bridge over the Canagagigue Creek.  In other words this route avoids the extreme north end of Union St. that would then need to be extended through the old Home Hardware property.

Likely by the time they are ready to commit to this By-Pass the Region will have anywhere from six to a dozen different routes and names to go with them. We the citizens will be asked to choose between 1a, b, or c,  2a, b, or c,  or 3a, b, or c etc. Do you think whatever the final tally (if there is one) that it will actually reflect what each and every citizen believes they are voting for?

The west side route needs much further explanation and clarification. Note to Region.  The non political definition of explanation and clarification does not equate with manipulation or obfuscation. Try very hard to remember that. For the life of me, at this time, I do not remotely see how the west side can be more expensive than a major bridge across the "Gig" plus major upgrades to keep the roadway above the floodplain levels over there on the east side of town. Unless the Region are unnecessarily adding in multiple roundabouts at every intersection on the west side plus other unneeded bells and whistles, the west side route should be safer and cheaper.

As we move into November, the fall real estate market across Waterloo Region continues to evolve. Cooler temperatures and shorter days haven’t stopped buyers from exploring opportunities — especially as borrowing costs begin to ease and inventory levels remain strong.

It’s a season where strategy and timing make all the difference. Whether you’re buying or selling, understanding the numbers behind today’s market helps you make more confident, informed decisions.

October brought a slower pace to the Waterloo Region housing market, with 569 homes sold through the MLS® System of the Cornerstone Association of REALTORS®. That’s 6.7% fewer sales than in October 2024 and 18.4% below the 10-year average for the month.

While activity remains below historical norms, sales did pick up compared to September. With borrowing costs beginning to ease and more listings available than usual for this time of year, buyers are finding more options across all property types.

• Detached homes: $842,907 (down 4.8% year-over-year, down 1.6% month-over-month)
• Townhomes: $593,652 (down 8.2% year-over-year, down 2.2% month-over-month)
• Condos: $433,746 (down 10.2% year-over-year, down 1.9% month-over-month)
• Semi-detached: $573,332 (down 11.9% year-over-year, down 7.7% month-over-month)
• Overall residential average: $734,928 (down 5.6% year-over-year, down 2.4% month-over-month)

These numbers show that while prices have adjusted slightly, the Waterloo Region remains one of Ontario’s most stable and sought-after real estate markets.

Inventory continues to trend higher, giving buyers more flexibility and breathing room.

• 1,236 new listings were added in October — up 7.2% from last year and 28.7% above the 10-year average
• 2,056 active listings — 23.6% higher than October 2024 and 90% above the 10-year average
  Inventory breakdown:
• Condos: 7.6 months’ supply
• Townhomes: 4.7 months’ supply
• Detached homes: 3.1 months’ supply
• Overall: 3.9 months’ supply (up 30%)

This increase in inventory has created a more balanced market, where buyers have more choice and sellers can still achieve strong results with the right strategy.

Homes took an average of 31 days to sell — one day faster than September, but slower than last year’s 27-day average. The five-year average for days on market remains around 19 days, underscoring a steadier, more deliberate pace of activity.

The Bank of Canada’s recent 0.25% rate cut, part of a broader trend that has now delivered nine reductions since mid-2024, is helping to bring borrowing costs back to more balanced levels.

The key interest rate now sits just below its 30-year average, a range historically viewed as neutral or supportive for the housing market. Mortgage carrying costs are now near their lowest point in five years for many two-income households — a shift that could boost buyer confidence heading into early 2026.

Local fundamentals also remain solid. Detached home completions are at their lowest level in nearly three decades, while construction costs continue to rise faster than inflation. These factors limit new supply and help stabilize home values despite national fluctuations.

Canada’s real estate outlook heading into 2026 will depend on several key factors:

• Population growth and immigration policy, which influence long-term demand
• U.S. trade policy, particularly any future changes to the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA)
• Inflation trends, as core inflation remains above target and could affect future rate cuts

Locally, the fall market in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, and surrounding townships continues to offer balance and opportunity. Buyers benefit from more selection and negotiating power than in recent years, while sellers continue to enjoy stable demand and limited new construction.

Even if prices experience modest adjustments, a significant market correction remains unlikely. Supply remains constrained, and demand is expected to strengthen as affordability gradually improves.

With the right pricing strategy and data-driven approach, this market continues to offer meaningful opportunities — whether you’re upsizing, downsizing, or investing.

If you’re considering selling in the new year, now is the perfect time to capture seasonal photos of your exterior and landscaping before the snow arrives. These images are invaluable for showcasing your home’s curb appeal when listing in winter or early spring.

And if you’re thinking about buying or selling in 2026, or simply want expert real estate advice, we’d love to help. Let’s plan for your next chapter with confidence and clarity.

The Deutschmann Team at RE/MAX Twin City Realty proudly serves Waterloo Region, Wellington County, and surrounding communities, helping families make confident, informed real estate decisions. Our approach is built on precision, presentation, and performance — delivering results that redefine what it means to sell or buy a home with care and strategy.

The post Waterloo Region Real Estate Market Update – November 2025 appeared first on Kitchener Waterloo Real Estate Agent - The Deutschmann Team.

AI might speed up hiring. It shouldn’t also speed up discrimination.

New research from Stanford reveals something troubling yet not surprising: generative AI tools can reinforce age and gender bias, especially against older women.

Douglas Guilbeault and colleagues analyzed millions of online images and videos. They also prompted ChatGPT to generate more than 34,500 resumes and evaluate them. It consistently:

• Portrayed women as younger and less experienced.
• Created work histories that disadvantaged older women.
• Rated older men’s resumes more favorably.

If your organization uses AI to screen resumes or evaluate candidates, don’t let it make decisions unchecked. Advocate for a short pause step in the hiring process:

“Before we finalize candidates, let’s review the AI-generated materials for biased assumptions about age or gender.”

And, as I shared in a previous newsletter, ask the hard questions:

“Is AI necessary here? Is the benefit worth the impact?”

(Thank you to newsletter subscriber Stacy Peña for sending the Stanford research to me.)

Share this action on Bluesky, LinkedIn, Instagram, Threads, or YouTube.

Occasionally, I dip into my almost nine years of newsletter archives to resurface something you might find helpful. Today, I’m resharing Intuit’s Anti-Racist language guide. It’s part of their Content Design guide, which they give to anyone writing for them.

I especially appreciate this guideline:

“We don’t use black, white, dark, or light as metaphors. Language that puts a positive connotation on white/light and a negative or mysterious one on black/dark reinforces anti-Black and colorist stereotypes. We choose more direct language to get our point across. We only use these words as literal visual descriptors, not value judgments.”

So, if you’ve ever wondered if terms such as “dark mode,” “brown bag lunch,” or “white glove” are racist, check out Intuit’s guide.

Speaking of language…

November is National Native American Heritage Month in the U.S., and it’s a good reminder to avoid phrases that diminish or disparage the culture of Native Americans and other Indigenous peoples. Examples include “hold a powwow,” “go off the reservation,” “lowest person on the totem pole,” “too many chiefs, not enough Indians,” and “Indian giver.”

Let’s stay away from all of them.

To understand more about why it matters, check out Use These Culturally Offensive Phrases, Questions at Your Own Risk from Indigenous Corporate Training Inc.

November 13–19 is Transgender Awareness Week, designed to educate the public and build support for combating prejudice, discrimination, and violence that affect transgender people.

One small way to support this community is to use images of transgender people to illustrate any subject matter, not just stories about transgender topics.

The Gender Spectrum Collection encourages content creators to use their photos for any topic — not just gender-related stories. Its usage guidelines explain:

“Consider accessing these photos for stories on topics like beauty, work, education, relationships, or wellness. Including transgender and non-binary people in stories not explicitly about gender identity paints a more accurate depiction of the world we live in today.”

A similar resource, Queer in Tech, features authentic images of queer and gender-nonconforming people in tech roles — a community that is frequently erased or misrepresented in workplace visuals.

Now for a word of caution about using AI-generated images instead of stock photography. Research by Eddie Ugless et al. found that adding gender identity terms like “trans”, “nonbinary,” or “queer” to an image generation prompt created results that were less human-looking, more stereotyped, and more sexualized.

AI doesn’t yet know how to portray this community respectfully, but real photographers and real people do.

This week’s spotlight on an ally action from the Better Allies community comes to you from Skye Tucker, who wrote,

“I work in higher education, and we recently opened a new campus. For context, our floor has standard male/female multi-stall bathrooms for students and faculty to use. We also built out two single-occupant restrooms, non-gender specific.”

However,

“Those single-occupant restrooms were an additional janitorial expense to clean. Our program director decided to essentially shut them down or ask people to use them only in emergency situations. When I found out, I spoke up. I said that I am concerned that the culture of belonging we are working so hard to create and nourish is in direct opposition to not having gender neutral/non gender conforming restrooms available at all times.”

What a great example of advocating for transgender and non-binary individuals. And because Tucker spoke up, the director decided to leave the restrooms open and available despite the additional cost.

If you’ve taken a step towards being a better ally, please reply to this email and tell me about it. Please let me know if I can quote you, either by name or anonymously, in an upcoming newsletter.

That’s all for this week. I wish you strength and safety as we all move forward.

Karen Catlin (she/her), Author of the Better Allies® book series
pronounced KAIR-en KAT-lin, click to hear my name

Copyright © 2025 Karen Catlin. All rights reserved.

Being an ally is a journey. Want to join us?

• NEW — Say thanks to Karen and buy her a coffee
• Follow @BetterAllies on Bluesky, Instagram, Medium, Threads, or YouTube. Or follow Karen Catlin on LinkedIn
• This content originally appeared in our newsletter. Subscribe to “5 Ally Actions” to get it delivered to your inbox every Friday
• Read the Better Allies books
• Form a Better Allies book club
• Tell someone about these resources

Together, we can — and will — make a difference with the Better Allies® approach.

Don’t Let AI Speed Up Discrimination, 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.

I honestly don't know what to think about judges giving convicted offenders a break on sentencing because of harsh to illegal conditions within our jail system. Today's K-W Record has yet another story and reference to an offender showing up in court for sentencing bearing the marks of a jailhouse assault. The jail was Maplehurst and the issue stemmed from authorities putting four men in a cell designed for two as in only two bunks. As Justice Craig Parry said that was "absolutely unconscionable". 

Well if as I have often alluded to here our political systems are rotten to the core then how can we expect much better from the various government bodies that they allegedly run and supervise? Also in today's Record is an article about sports which also are unfortunately if not managed by government they are at least subject to government oversight allegedly. Between last summer's sexual assault trial of five junior hockey players plus so many other sordid highlights over the years we also have an article in today's Record advising of bribes being offered for preferential treatment on hockey teams.

How can Canadians honestly expect morals and ethics in any of our government ministries or departments when those in charge of them are Cabinet ministers playing the political games necessary to succeed. If jails are training grounds for crime then politics is the training ground for lying. Even government supervised arms length institutions such as jails, other correctional facilities etc. soon learn the rules of the game when it's politicians who make the ultimate decisions. It's not about right or wrong with them it's about appearances and political fallout. When your marching orders from above are simply to avoid scandals and crises at all costs then clearly honesty is not the right path for supervisors and managers hoping for promotion within any system whose ultimate authority is in the hands of politicians. 

Quoting an old joke a boy tells his father that when he grows up he wants to work in organized crime. His father sagely asks "Private or government?" Yes money and power are at the root of most evil and unfortunately my old joke about what floats to the surface in a sewage treatment plant is not cream it's turds also applies to politics. 

Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy released the 2025 Ontario Fall Economic Statement on November 6. The provincial fiscal update arrived two days after the first federal budget from the Carney administration.

Expectations and interest from the provincial businesses sector was extraordinarily high as the provincial government was providing their first major economic update following the implementation of American tariffs and other global trade measures.

The Economic Outlook and Fiscal Review, according to a Ministry of Finance news release, supports the government’s plan to protect Ontario by building a more competitive and  self-reliant economy with cutting red tape, investing in infrastructure, supporting workers, improving services, and making life more affordable.

Minister Bethlenfalvy noted that with tariffs taking direct aim at Ontario workers and communities, it has never been more important for the provincial government to protect residents. Historic investments will continue across highways, transit, health care and all other public services which communities are dependent. Prior fiscal management has positioned provincial finances in the strongest place they have been in over a decade.

Significant announcements for Ontario employers include:

• Developing an Ontario Tax Action Plan which will focus on updating personal and corporate income taxes to encourage and attract investment, elevate competitiveness, and provide financial relief. An update on this initiative will be provided in the 2026 Ontario Budget. The provincial and national business sectors have been long-standing advocates for tax system reviews and reform to align with international competitors and global trading;
• An additional $100 million investment into the Ontario Together Trade Fund (OTTF) to assist small and medium enterprises diversify into new markets;
• Proposed legislation to enhance and expand the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit (OMMITC).Eligibility criteria will also be expanded for investments in machinery and equipment for greater business flexibility;
• Sectors affected by American tariffs will be supported through the $5 billion Protecting Ontario Account. In August, the $1 billion Protect Ontario Financing Program was launched to support provincial businesses directly impacted by higher tariffs in the steel, aluminum, copper and auto sectors. The second and third streams will be funded through the remaining $4 billion;
• The provincial capital plan will continue with planned investments totaling over $200 billion across ten years, including $33 billion in 2025-26. The strategy will maintain employment against economic uncertainty around tariffs.

The 2025-26 deficit is estimated at $13.5 billion, an improvement of $1.1 billion from the 2025 budget. Over the medium term , a $7.8 billion deficit is forecast for 2026-27 and a surplus of $0.2 billion for 2027-28.

Since the 2025 budget, job creation projections have decreased from 73,000 to 70,000. Next year, approximately 35,000 positions will be created, an increase of 2,000 from previous forecasts.

The Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce will continue to support our members through advocacy with all levels of government to assist Waterloo Region employers in maintaining and expanding their operations against all trade measures impacting southwestern Ontario. We will ensure that relevant information is provided when available.

Written by: Art Sinclair, Vice President, Public Policy & Advocacy

The post Ontario Fall Economic Statement – Support for Businesses appeared first on Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.

KWSQA is offering this KWality Talk as in-person only, details under Location below!

Register: Online at our KWality Talk Page.

Speaker: Gil Broza

Topic: Why do so many Agile teams struggle to deliver quality — despite doing “all the right things”?

It’s not for lack of testing, automation, or tooling. Nor is it due to schedule pressure, poor planning, or technical debt.

The real issue is a process gap — one that most teams don’t even see, but that quietly undermines quality at every step.

In this interactive session, you’ll learn how to spot this gap in your own team’s process, identify high-impact changes to close it, and leave with practical tools to start improving quality right away — no matter your role, title, or seniority.

Meet our Speaker: 

Gil Broza specializes in helping leaders solve their organization’s product development problems. He also supports their non-software colleagues in creating real business agility in their teams. In the last 20 years, Gil has guided over 100 organizations in improving customer outcomes, team productivity, adaptability, collaboration, and engagement. To make improvements real and sustainable, Gil works with clients’ unique value delivery contexts and focuses on leadership, mindset, and systemic management. Additionally, companies call on him to provide leadership advisory, organizational mindset workshops, and keynotes for internal events. Gil is the author of four highly acclaimed books: Deliver Better Results, The Agile Mind-Set, The Human Side of Agile, and Agile for Non-Software Teams. He lives in Toronto.

Doors will open at 11:45 pm. Announcements and discussion start at 12:00 pm. Meeting ends at approximately 1:00 pm.

As with all in-person KWality Talks lunch will be provided. Please ensure you note any dietary restrictions in the ticket registration process. 

Please follow the instructions on the KWality Talk Page to register for this event.

This months in-person event will be held at the Waterloo Accelerator Centre at 295 Hagey Boulevard, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6R5.

People attending our meetings are expected to adhere to the KWSQA code of conduct.

I'll be attending the Bakka-Phoenix launch of Stephen Kotowych's Year's Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction, taking place at Bakka-Phoenix books at 84 Harbord Street in Toronto tomorrow (Saturday, November 8) at 3 p.m. There will be readings from some of the authors, snacks, and an opportunity to buy books and have them signed. I'm looking forward to bringing my copy over and having other authors sign it. Either way, it sounds like a great event, and I look forward to seeing everyone there.

Stephen has collected some great stories, and you would all do well to buy this collection. You could do it at Bakka-Phoenix, or order it through your local independent bookstore.

I'm proud and honoured to have one of my stories from Tales from the Silence, "After the Apocalypse in Moosonee" included in this collection, and I hope you enjoy it. To help celebrate, I'd like to make one of my other stories from Tales from the Silence available for free. "Big Fish, Little Fish" is sort of a sequel, or at least a continuation of "After the Apocalypse in Moosonee", as we follow one of the characters (Drew McMurtry, who blew his opportunity for peaceful contact with the residents of Moosonee) to Toronto as it's rebuilding from societal collapse.

This is the third time I've used Toronto as a setting for my stories. The first was The Young City which was mostly set in 1884, then there's The Night Girl, which is almost present day. "Big Fish, Little Fish" takes place in the mid-to-late 22nd century, and I had a lot of fun weaving hints of intervening history into the descriptions of post-apocalyptic future Toronto trying to be "Toronto the Good". The story also recalls some of my times visiting my father's office as he worked in the government office blocks around Queen's Park, which is now the seat of the "Toronto District Government".

You can see this story in print or as an eBook along with all the other fine stores of Tales from the Silence by ordering the book from your local independent bookstore, or directly from Shadowpaw Press. Either way, please enjoy this tale.

(The enclosed photograph is entitled Toronto After a Rain Storm and was taken by Andreas Duess. The picture is taken from Wikimedia Commons in accordance with Andreas' Creative Commons License)

=+=+=

♦

Moosonee, James Bay Shore, November 30, 2177

When McMurtry returned to Moosonee, he found it empty.

He jumped off the train onto the platform. Soldiers followed, rifles drawn, sweeping the Meeting Hall and the Main Street before a party headed toward the community centre, but he could tell what their report would be. All the stores were closed. The coffee shop had a sign on its window saying, "Thank you for your patronage." Above the sound of soldiers' shouts and footfalls, he heard only the gulls above the estuary and the rustle of distant dry leaves.

He tightened the collar of his cloak. The first flakes of snow fell around him.

A sergeant ran up from the train station. He saluted. "Mr. McMurtry? Telegram, Senior."

McMurtry took the slip of paper, unfolded it, read it, and folded it again. He sighed.

"Senior?" said the soldier.

"It's okay," McMurtry replied. He headed for the train. "I have to go and make a report."

#

McMurtry sat in silence as his train headed south. He stared out at verdant forests, rutted roads, and ruined towns rebuilding into villages. The further he went, the better repaired the buildings were and the more activity around the stations.

What did I do wrong? he thought. Why did they run away from me?

He thought back to the explosion, the chasm opening up in the trestle, the young woman standing at the other end, rifle in hand, a distant figure of defiance.

And he saw that woman again at Washago Station, just before Lake Simcoe.

He caught it out of the corner of his eye, the figure, her arms by her sides, rifle in hand, the dark, whole-body stare. He blinked and peered out his window at the people on the platform. But he couldn't see the woman now. The train lurched and started forward. McMurtry settled back in his seat and stared ahead.

#

"What did you say to them?"

McMurtry stood before Minister Dinsdale, hands clasped in front of him. "Nothing that I shouldn't have, Minister."

Dinsdale peered at McMurtry over his glasses. "You must have said something that alarmed them. That alerted them."

The crowd-control guns were probably what alerted them. I said we shouldn't bring them, but you overruled me. He swallowed these words. "I said I was with the government and that we were here to help."

Dinsdale grunted. "Well, we have the port lands, at least. That's not nothing. We'll start shipping supplies and personnel ahead of the winter. We'll have a functioning and defendable port by the spring. But if we spooked the locals, we don't know what they're saying to other locals. We don't know what reception we'll get in Attawapiskat or up the Ungava. The Greenlanders could take advantage of this dissension."

Not Greenlanders, Kalaallit Nunat, McMurtry thought, but he kept his head down and said nothing.

Dinsdale tapped at his tablet a moment, then looked up. "What are you still doing here?"

"Um . . ." McMurtry swallowed. "I just wanted to know, Minister . . . I was grateful to be sent into the field. I just . . . When will my next assignment be?"

Dinsdale frowned. "We'll tell you. In the meantime, go to your desk. I'm sure there's paperwork to do."

McMurtry stepped back, fidgeting. "Yes, Minister." He turned away.

"McMurtry?"

He turned, hope rising.

"See your office manager. We've reassigned the desks."

McMurtry nodded and left.

#

"This way, Senior." A young woman holding a clipboard led McMurtry, holding a box of personal effects, between rows of crates, battered chairs, and sheets on ropes, separating desks. At least the light was natural, from windows propped open with sticks, though the air remained musty. McMurtry shuddered. This place will be an oven come summer.

The Whitney Block had been built almost two hundred fifty years before beside Queen's Park, the seat of the old Ontario government that now held Toronto's District Council. Its upper floors had spent most of their life abandoned, unable to be modernized, before being pressed into service as one of the few structurally sound office buildings left in the city. McMurtry stepped around electricians taping wires to the walls and ceiling while the woman led him past others setting up and personalizing their desks.

"We've just opened this floor," the woman continued. "Cleaned out a lot of pigeon droppings, I'm told. Sent them to the farms in Niagara."

"Ah." He dodged a worker hurrying from his desk, report tablets under his arm. He looked at the woman, at her close-cropped dark hair, red lips, and bright blue eyes. "Um . . . Listen, what's your name?"

"Nelissa, Senior." She gave him a bright smile. "Nelissa Stronach, general administrative assistant. I just came aboard."

"Ah." McMurtry smiled back. "Well . . . welcome aboard, Nelissa. I'm Drew McMurtry." He wasn't sure of his current title. "You can call me Drew."

She nodded. "Certainly, Senior." They'd reached the last desk in the row. She gestured at it. "This, I believe, is yours." She stood, hands clasped in front of her, waiting.

McMurtry stared at his box of possessions, then at her. He set the box down. "Um . . . thank you."

She nodded and left.

McMurtry sat at his desk. A young man strode up, dumped a pile of folders in his inbox, and stalked off.

McMurtry looked around a moment, at the room that took up most of the floor, at his office colleagues. He fished inside his box of possessions and pulled out his new nameplate. Apparently, he was a Deputy Adviser, Accounts Administration, whatever that meant.

He thought back to Moosonee. Where had the residents all gone? That girl . . . Baker told me that she'd had an ocular implant that needed replacing. What happened to her? Did she get help? Did she lose the eye?

What could I have done differently?

I could have done something.

Couldn't I?

His gaze fell on the wall beside him. A framed picture was mounted on it, showing a line of fish swimming in the ocean. Well, the smallest, on the left, was swimming. The one behind it had its mouth open to eat it. The one behind the second also had its jaws wide, as did the last one, the biggest of all.

Beneath the picture, in white serif capital letters against a black border, was the word "CONTINUITY." He wondered if it was supposed to be inspirational.

A silly thing. McMurtry stood up. I should be able to find a decent replacement. He grabbed the picture, only to have his fingers slip off. He gripped the frame again, but it refused to move. He couldn't even get his finger behind it. He stepped back, staring at the picture.

The picture let itself be stared at.

Around him, the office buzzed with hushed conversations and the scrabble of pencils.

McMurtry returned to his desk, grabbed the first folder from his tray--Form I-121989, Authorizing the intake of produce from newly acquired lands in the Grey-Bruce District--picked up a pencil, put his head down, and began to work.

#

Form W-583145: Authorization to transfer 10,000 pounds of non-perishable food into the ration pool for distribution among the population.

Form T-68223: Authorization to commit forty tractors and related support equipment to the farms of Haliburton and to coordinate their use by local farmers.

Report C-618: On normalizing relations with the Dominion of Montreal; benefits and points of contention.

#

December 15, 2178

It may not have been a corner office--though McMurtry had never aspired to one--but at least he could see the See-En Tower through the nearest window. The broken spire rose over the city as it had done for two centuries. Some downtown towers remained abandoned, south windows blown in, north windows blown out, their upper floors useless until elevators could be rebuilt, and there was plenty of rebuilding still to be done. This hadn't stopped people from taking up residence in the lower floors. McMurtry wasn't sure if they should do that, but it wasn't his problem, nor his department.

On the sidewalks of Queen's Park Circle, men and women strode to work, cloaks flapping behind them. McMurtry smiled to see them, then frowned as he saw one woman not walking. She stood, people flowing around her, and as McMurtry watched, she looked up.

He couldn't see her face, but he felt their gaze connect. In her silhouette, he thought of the woman standing on the other side of the broken bridge a year ago.

"Catch!" Nelissa shouted.

He looked up as a roll of red-and-green streamer sailed at his head. "Wha--hey!" He batted it out of the air, then caught it. "What was that for?"

"It's time to redecorate your desk, Senior," Nelissa called. "Don't be a fuddy-duddy! You don't want us decorating your desk for you."

"You really don't," said Brian from somewhere beneath a mass of tinsel. Beside him, Agatha pulled tape from its dispenser like a sword from its sheath.

McMurtry sighed. "Fine! Toss me the blue streamer." He caught the bundle Nelissa tossed him. He looked out his window again, but whoever had been standing below, if they had been there, had gone.

The door to the Minister's office opened. Dinsdale poked his head out. "McMurtry? With me, please."

Everybody in the office gave McMurtry a look of sympathy and support, combined with a shrapnel-avoiding half-step back.

"I'm sure it's fine," he muttered. He handed the streamers back to Nelissa. "Keep decorating." He walked to Dinsdale's office.

He closed the door behind him. Dinsdale stood beside his desk, flipping through McMurtry's report. "Good work on the Montrealer report. A lot of valuable insights here. It will be put to good use in the District Governor's office."

McMurtry quietly let out the breath he was holding. "Thank you, Minister."

Dinsdale set down the report and looked directly at McMurtry. "I thought you'd appreciate knowing this: we've repaired the Coast Road up James Bay. Our people have occupied Attawapiskat."

McMurtry blinked. "Minister?" he said at last.

"Port Moosonee is secure," Dinsdale replied. "Our shipments start in earnest this spring, and I expect we'll have our first contact with ports in Siberia this summer. Happy Holly-mass."

"Oh." McMurtry caught a smell of salt air and heard the sound of gulls and the rustle of barren trees.

"I thought you'd be pleased that our James Bay initiative was a success." Dinsdale gave McMurtry a stern look. "In spite of whatever caused our initial misunderstanding last year."

"Yes, Minister."

Dinsdale picked up a tablet and began sorting through the notes. McMurtry turned to go.

He hesitated at Dinsdale's door. "Minister . . .? Were there people in Attawapiskat when we got there?"

Dinsdale looked up. "Hmm?" He glanced at his tablet. "Apparently. This time, they chose not to run."

McMurtry stayed with his hand on the doorknob. "Was there . . . resistance?"

Dinsdale shrugged and set the tablet aside. "Nothing we couldn't handle."

McMurtry opened his mouth to say something but stopped.

"Don't worry about them," said Dinsdale. "They're under our protection, now. They should be grateful." He gave McMurtry a cool smile. "Go back to the party. I hear the Secret Santa's about to start."

Outside, Nasser, sitting at the desk closest to Dinsdale's door, looked up. "Bad news?"

McMurtry jerked back to the present. "What? Oh! Uh . . . no. Not bad news. Good news . . . I guess."

He walked through the Holly-mass preparations to his desk. He thought about looking out the window but decided not to in case the silhouette was there. As he reached his chair, he found himself staring at the motivational picture. "Wait." It was as he'd seen it, every working day of his life this past year, but with a difference. The line of fish with jaws open to eat each other remained, but the smallest fish wasn't there anymore. "Where did the little fish go?" he muttered.

"What little fish?"

He jumped as Nelissa stepped beside him. Before he could think of anything different to say, he blurted, "In the picture?"

"What picture?"

McMurtry's mouth hung open.

But Nelissa gave him a smile and shoved a foil-wrapped box in his hands. "Happy Holly-mass."

He blinked at her. "Isn't it supposed to be a Secret Santa?"

She patted his arm and gave him a chaste kiss on his cheek. "I think we have enough secrets, don't you?" She turned away. "Come on. We don't want to miss out on the cocoa."

He gave the picture one more look before he followed her.

#

Form M-81834: An authorization to send crowd-control equipment and military personnel vehicles to the James Bay shores.

Form M-82337: An authorization to send additional ammunition, fuel, and military rations to the James Bay shores.

Report C-723: The benefits and drawbacks of opening trade with the California-Cascade Federation.

#

McMurtry hesitated after he filed the report in his outbox. He pulled some of the forms from before and looked them over. Behind him, the city disappeared in snow.

We were supposed to help. Why do I feel like we're not helping?

And, from some deeper part of his brain: What did the little fish do to anybody?

What can I do about this? I should do something about this. But what can I do?

What did Sergeant Baker tell me?

He opened his file drawer, sorted through requisition forms, and pulled one free. He grabbed a pencil from its holder.

Form W-338219: Authorization for the transfer of medical supplies, including implants, to the James Bay shores.

#

July 21, 2183

"Oh!" Nelissa covered her face. "This is so embarrassing!"

McMurtry let out a short laugh. "And yet, you agreed to it."

"My patriotic duty," Nelissa shot back. She covered her face in her hands again. "Still embarrassing!"

"It'll be fine," said Brian. There were murmurs of agreement from the rest of the office staff.

Nasser cleared their throat. "It will be fine . . . Senior."

Brian flushed. "Oh, right. Sorry. I'll remember next time." He paused, then added, "Senior."

Nelissa glanced at McMurtry. That's also embarrassing, she mouthed.

He smiled and shrugged.

They stood at the windows, looking down from the Whitney Block at the restored Hepburn Block, an eight-storey-tall glass-and-concrete box. Just forty years younger than this building and so much more work to be done, McMurtry thought. They built things quickly in the 1960s and built things to last in the 1920s.

Across part of the face of the Hepburn Block, tarps came off, sliding to the ground. Behind them, against a blue background with a red maple leaf in the top corner, was a stylized image of Nelissa, cloak billowing, facing the future with determination. Level with her feet in block letters half a storey tall were the words "FORWARD TOGETHER."

Beside him, Nelissa's face was as red as the maple leaf, but as her colleagues clapped and cheered, she smiled.

"The first of a dozen across the government buildings of this city," said Brian. "Senior, you promise you'll remember us when you're off being rich and famous?"

She huffed. "I'm still working here, you know." She gestured out the window. "That's a side job for public morale." She glared and pointed at one of her guffawing colleagues. "Shut up, you!" Then she laughed and went on. "I'm still just a Deputy Adviser, like Drew here. That's what I'll stay for now."

Somewhere in the crowd, McMurtry thought he heard someone mutter, "Not for as long as Drew's been Deputy Adviser, surely."

"Shush," said someone else.

Drew ignored them.

At the next desk, Nathan picked up his tablet. He frowned. "Hey, do you folks think we should be worried about this Federation business?"

McMurtry looked over. "Which one?"

Nathan looked confused. "You mean, 'which business'?"

"No, I mean which Federation," McMurtry replied. "There are five."

"Five?"

"Yeah." Nelissa counted them off on her fingers. "The Federation of Oceana and Micronesia, the Federation of African Nations, the European Federation--which is really getting up everybody's nose in the Arctic--, la Federation des las Americas, and the California-Cascade Federation."

"So," Brian drawled, "FOAM, FAM, EFF, FAS and, er . . . KIFF?"

"It's not really our business," said McMurtry. "We're the Ministry of Northern Affairs, remember? Unless it's the Europeans messing around in the Arctic, the rest are just someone else's department."

"You sure?" Nathan held up his tablet. "It looks like the FAS and the Californians are about to get into it. They've had a naval encounter off the tip of the Baja."

"Which is on the other side of this continent," said McMurtry. "Diagonally."

Nelissa sighed. "Still, you'd think we'd have learned to work together better with everything that's happened since the Manhattan Sea Wall."

In the Minister's office, they heard Dinsdale say, "Thank you, District Governor. I'll check."

Everyone headed for their desks to look busy. Dinsdale emerged, looking preoccupied, and headed for Nasser's desk, whispering to them. Nasser nodded and pulled some folders from their inbox. McMurtry found himself standing by the window with Nelissa. He saw her glance at her eight-storey-tall likeness and smile.

"Congratulations," he said and held out a hand. "On this and the promotion."

She clasped his hand and smiled at him warmly. "Thanks, Drew."

The moment stretched, the two staring at each other. Nelissa raised an eyebrow. McMurtry opened his mouth to form a question about coffee and a place to drink it. If only he could figure out the words.

Behind them, Dinsdale straightened up. "Thank you, Nasser."

McMurtry stepped back. Nelissa's smile turned sad. "We should get back to work," she said.

"Work." He coughed. "Yeah. Uh--" But she was already heading for her desk.

Dinsdale beamed at her as he approached. "There's our face of hope!" Nelissa blushed anew.

McMurtry tucked his head, grabbed a folder from his inbox, and got back to work.

#

Report C-768: The challenges of trading with the European Federation; best approaches for access.

Report C-850: Reforming the United Nations of Earth, Assessment of Possible Initiatives.

Report C-903: The potential threat of the Kalaallit Nation on Toronto and Montreal interests. Is a reassessment in order?

#

September 14, 2188

Nelissa tapped her fingers on McMurtry's desk. He leaned back, frowning at the metal band on her ring finger. Well, he thought. You had your chance.

"What are we looking at?" Nelissa asked.

He snapped back to attention. Beside Nelissa, Minister Dinsdale zoomed the tablet in on a photograph. He sucked his teeth. "I think McMurtry's assessment is accurate. This is Lake Champlain, and these appear to be a massing of amphibious forces. We know Montreal doesn't have this amount of equipment. Besides, these are facing north."

"So, the Free State of Boston," said McMurtry. "And the numbers suggest they're planning an attack."

Dinsdale darkened the tablet. "A fair assessment, McMurtry."

"Why did this end up in my inbox?" Nelissa asked. "And where could Boston have got so much equipment or soldiers?"

"I can only speculate on the first question," Dinsdale replied. "This wouldn't be the first piece of misaddressed mail this or any government has seen. As for the soldiers and equipment . . ." He lowered his voice. "We've been monitoring military buildup along the Atlantic coast, likely supported by the Federation."

"Which one," Nelissa began automatically. "There are five--"

"Four, actually," Dinsdale cut in.

"Four?" McMurtry echoed.

"La Federation des las Americas and the California-Cascade Federation announced a merger yesterday," Dinsdale replied. "By mutual agreement, or so they claim. Troops moved across the Colorado River a couple of hours later."

McMurtry and Nelissa straightened up.

"It may be three shortly," Dinsdale continued. "Reports suggest the Europeans and the Africans may be close to an agreement, and this one might actually be an agreement." He slipped the tablet into a folder. "Good work, you two. I'll get this to the people responsible." He turned away.

"Minister!" McMurtry jumped to his feet, then froze as Dinsdale turned back, eyebrows raised. McMurtry stammered but continued, "What are we going to do about this? Aren't we going to warn the Montrealers?"

Dinsdale pursed his lips. "They probably already know. If not, well, worse for them."

Nelissa gasped. "Shouldn't we do something?"

"Not our department," Dinsdale replied. "Ministry of Northern Affairs, remember? Others in this government are already paying attention, and they may be saying that it does us no good to tie ourselves up in a war the Dominion of Montreal will likely lose." A smile flickered on his lips. "And it's not without its silver lining. This may be a good opportunity to bolster our Arctic defences without interference from the Ungava Peninsula." He raised the folder in a salute. "Thank you again, you two. Keep up the good work."

He walked away, leaving Nelissa and McMurtry staring. They looked at each other, Nelissa's expression a plea. In the end, McMurtry could only shrug.

Nelissa turned away with a huff of disappointment.

McMurtry watched her go, shame rising. He pushed himself out of his seat. But before he could follow, something caught him out of the corner of his eye, and he found himself staring at the CONTINUITY inspirational picture on the wall.

The line of fish eating fish wasn't a line anymore. Instead, the fish formed a circle, chasing each other, jaws wide.

He ran a finger over the top of the frame. It came away grey with dust.

He looked closer at the picture. He could see the texture of the paper behind the glass.

And reflected in the glass . . .

For a moment, he stared into the reflection of the woman at the bridge. She was right beside his desk, glaring. But when he turned around, the space was empty. The office ticked along like Tuesday.

He glanced once more at the picture, wiped the dust from his finger, then grabbed his cloak and headed for the stairs. He needed to walk.

#

Report C-1577, The obligations and benefits of military cooperation with the Free State of Boston.

Report C-1855, Military assessment of the activities of Appalachian piracy on Lake Eerie.

Report C-1900, Military assessment of the cessation of acts of Appalachian piracy on Lake Eerie.

Report C-2072, An assessment of the state of the Appalachian government, given the attacks on its southern borders.

#

March 7, 2190

McMurtry hummed as he hopped over the slush at the curb. The sun warmed his face, though the wind chilled his back. He nodded good morning to familiar strangers in the street. He nodded to the eight-storey image of Nelissa on the Hepburn Block. It had been a good weekend: just himself at home curled up with a good book.

He grabbed the morning order of coffee from the espresso stand in the lobby and hurried up the steps. He stepped into the office and staggered back from the volley of raised voices.

"Listen to yourselves," Nelissa shouted. "You make it sound like they're pontooning across Lake Eerie right now! The Appalachians haven't signalled surrender!"

McMurtry's brow furrowed. "What's going--"

"The Appalachians haven't signalled a thing for a whole day now," said Brian, grim. "Not since--who are they, again? The Federales or the Californians?"

"I don't know!" Nathan moaned. "They've changed their name again! I think they're calling themselves the Federation of Earth Nations." He waved his arms. "Whatever! They're playing this world like a godsdamn game of Risk!"

McMurtry set the coffee down and raised his hands. "What are you--"

"Whoever these people are, they're grouping together and moving in," said Brian. "The rumours I've heard suggest they've got ten thousand troops garrisoned in the ruins of Cleveland, ready to roll."

"They wouldn't!" Nelissa gasped. "They wouldn't dare!"

"Okay, enough!" McMurtry yelled. In the silence that followed, he continued more quietly. "First thing's first: where's Minister Dinsdale?"

"Across the street," said Nasser from their desk. They nodded out the window at Queen's Park. "Meeting with the District Governor."

"That's good," said McMurtry. "Because if he was here, he might have a few choice words about us panicking about--" He frowned. "What are we panicking about?"

"Haven't you seen the news?" Agnes handed over a tablet. "The Appalachian government went silent thirty-six hours ago."

McMurtry flipped through the news headlines.

UNKNOWN INCIDENT AT MISSISSIPPI-OHIO CONFLUENCE.

FEDERATION INVOLVEMENT FROM TEXARKANA BASES?

NO ANSWERS FROM GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS!

McMurtry checked the site address. "These are private media, not official government reports." He handed the tablet back. "If something was on its way, we'd know. You're panicking over a lack of information, over rumours. We need facts."

"Drew's right," said Nelissa. "I'm sure the Minister is being briefed on this right now. We'll ask him when he gets back."

"Um . . . everybody?" Nassar stood, staring out their window at Queen's Park. They beckoned everyone over. "Something's happening at the legislature."

Vehicles were lined up in front of the legislature building. People were running out of the building in them. As soon as each one was full, it peeled off, screeching as it turned a corner, heading north.

"That--" Brian began. But his drawl died in his throat. There was no joke to make of this. No assurance, either.

McMurtry drew a deep breath. "I'm sure that there's a reasonable explanation--"

The stairwell door creaked open. Everybody turned. Minister Dinsdale walked in, hands in his pockets, eyes on the carpet, shoulders slouched. Questions died on everyone's lips. Everyone stared as Dinsdale shuffled past them to his office door.

At his door, he hesitated, then turned and gave them all a tight smile. "I'm proud of you all."

Everybody stared as if they were under a spell.

He nodded. "Now, go home, all of you. Right now. That's the safest place to be."

He stepped back and shut the door.

"What?" The spell broke. They started forward, but Nelissa shouted, "Wait!" They looked at her, and as they did, they became aware of a new sound rising: a rumble to the south. Everybody stepped to the windows and looked out at the city.

People stood on the sidewalks below, staring south. The few vehicles on the street had stopped, people getting out to stare as the rumble rose. It was a clatter, with a whine of motors and gears, backed by a steadily rising buzz.

"Are those tank treads?" Brian whispered.

"No, they're plane engines," said Nelissa.

The answer came to McMurtry. "They're both."

Specks appeared in the southern sky, behind the See-En Tower and the renewing skyscrapers, growing bigger, flattening out to wings with propellers.

Then, triangular specks rushed in above the propeller planes. They burst past in the sky above with a roar.

Everybody staggered back. Brian knocked into McMurtry. He caught his foot on a desk leg and fell to the floor, knocking his head on the edge. Around him, everybody shouted.

"We got to get out of here!"

"Wait!" That was Nelissa.

"They're going to start bombing!"

"We can't stay here!"

"Run!"

McMurtry blinked through the pain in his temple, then rolled to one side to avoid the stampede. "Wait," he gasped. "Nelissa!" He blinked tears. "Everybody!"

The door slammed. The voices faded. The rumble and roar of tank treads and planes did not. McMurtry rolled onto his hands and knees, used the desk to haul himself up, and touched his forehead. It stung, but no blood came away on his fingers. That was a good sign, wasn't it?

He looked around at the empty office, made messy by everybody's hasty departure. For a moment, he didn't know what to do. Then he looked out at the south window again, at the propeller planes. Those are bombers.

He turned for the exit.

And found himself staring at the woman from the rail bridge, standing between him and the exit. She had an eyepatch where her implant had been and a rifle in her hand.

McMurtry blinked at the pain in his head. He struggled to focus. The woman spoke with grim calm. "You pushed us aside. Then you stood aside as your neighbours got overrun. Now, it's just you." She folded her arms. "You are going to learn what it's like to be overrun. You are going to understand what it's like to have no one in your corner. You are going to know how it feels when there's no one to help you now."

McMurtry took a shuddering breath. "Please--"

She stepped aside, clearing the way to the stairwell door. "Run!"

Terror took him, and he ran, clattering down the stairs, staggering at the bottom landing, crashing through the door into reception. The lobby was empty, but it vibrated with the rumble of approaching war machines. He shoved through the revolving door into the front courtyard.

The traffic was gone. The people were gone, fled to their nearest hiding spaces. Only the determined stare of Nelissa on the eight-story face of the Hepburn Block greeted him. The sounds of tank treads pressed closer, and he ran, past government buildings, broken subway entrances, repairing hospitals. At the ancient memorial, The Surrender of Saint Gumby, he staggered to a stop, seeing the woman from the bridge standing at its base, arms folded, head tilted, unpatched eyebrow raised. Then the line of armoured vehicles swung into view at the south end of University Avenue.

He ran again.  The slam of his footfalls echoed off glass and concrete. Every street had emptied, every store closed. Every house had its shutters drawn. He ran past more building-sized images of Nelissa looking calm and carrying on. He heard no gunfire, no explosions, but still, the rumble-clank of tank treads continued. The buzz of propellers became background. The roar of jets punctured his fog of pain and fear and made him run faster. He tripped on streetcar tracks and rolled, swinging back to his feet to run again, barely breaking step.

On the face of an apartment block, Nelissa blew him a kiss.

Finally, he reached his own street, ran to his own house, dashed up his own walkway. He fumbled with the keys at the front door and staggered inside. The sounds of invasion continued. He locked and bolted the door, dragged a bookshelf in front of it, then backed away, down the hallway, down the stairs to his basement.

The sounds followed him into the musty darkness. He looked for something to hide under. In the end, he could only press himself into a corner, hugging his knees to his chest, wishing his friends were here to help. Wishing for Nelissa. Plane propellers and jet engines continued to roar, tank treads to rumble. He put his hands on his ears, buried his face in his knees. Please go away! Just make it go away!

Please!

#

McMurtry could not remember sleeping, but one moment, he blinked, and there was light filtering in through the small windows near the ceiling, and it was silent.

He lifted his head, then stood up unsteadily. No roar. No rumble. For a moment, he wondered if he was deaf, but he heard the scuff of his shoe against the concrete floor and, as he listened harder, the faint sounds of birdsong outside.

He let out his breath and leaned his forehead against a wall.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

He stumbled back, his heart pounding.

The knocking came again. He looked up at the ceiling. It came a third time as he climbed the stairs and a fourth time as he shouldered the bookcase aside and opened the front door.

A soldier stepped back, wearing camo gear and a rifle slung over his shoulder. His armband didn't show Toronto's colours, but a green flag with a gold four-pointed star McMurtry hadn't seen before. A second soldier stood two steps to the first soldier's left. A man with a clipboard stood between them, clean-shaven and wearing a hat, grey pants, and a long, beige cloak.

The man looked up from his clipboard. "Mr. McMurtry?"

McMurtry tried to stare past the man and the soldiers up and down the street. The houses still stood, as did the trees. None of his neighbours were outside. No vehicles rolled. But he did see pairs of soldiers walking up walkways and people with clipboards walking between them.

The man in front of him cleared his throat. "Mr. Drew McMurtry?"

McMurtry jerked to attention. He nodded.

"Mr. Drew McMurtry, Deputy Adviser, Accounts Administration at the Ministry of Northern Affairs in the Whitney Block?"

McMurtry nodded again.

The man flipped the pages of his clipboard, circled something, then nodded. "That's still standing." He looked up at McMurtry again. "Report to your desk for an all-staff meeting, nine o'clock tomorrow."

He nodded at McMurtry, then turned on his heel. The soldiers followed the man down the walkway, then up the street to the next house.

#

Soldiers swept the streets as McMurtry left for work. Guns slung over shoulders, they pushed brooms and carried garbage bags, corralling what remained of the litter. The soldiers didn't look at McMurtry, and McMurtry didn't look at them. None of the people who were suddenly back on the streets, heading to work, looked at the soldiers. They hurried along, their heads down, and so did he.

On the face of the Hepburn Block, soldiers were repainting the inspirational art piece, changing the blue background to green and painting over the maple leaf with the four-pointed star. They seemed to be painting a band on Nelissa's arm.

McMurtry hesitated at the revolving door but entered anyway. He shared a look with Ms. Stacey at reception, but neither said a word. He went upstairs.

He entered his floor and let out a breath of relief to see all his colleagues at their desks. "Thank--" he began, then stopped. Nelissa was jerking her head, gesturing to his seat. The Minister's office door was closed.

That's when he noticed the soldiers standing in the corners of the room. McMurtry took his seat. Silence stretched. The air felt as oppressive as summer.

Finally, the Minister's door jerked open, and a young man stepped out, holding a clipboard. At first, McMurtry thought it was the same man who was at his door the day before, but this man's hair was a little longer and darker, and his clothes were more ornate.

The man beamed at them. "Good morning! I'm delighted to see you've all turned up. I realize these past few hours have been stressful for you all, but that's in the past now. I'm your new supervisor. You may call me Mr. Scranton."

Scranton stepped to the middle of the floor and turned slowly, addressing everyone. "I want to assure you all that, while I may be new to this job, nothing is going to change about your work. Your hours will remain the same, your pay will remain the same, and your duties will remain the same. I expect nothing from you that you haven't already provided in the past. I know you all do exemplary, important work. Where would our governments be without the knowledge and institutional memory of the workers at their desks? We believe in the future, and we believe in moving toward that future. I'm delighted to have you all with me as we embark on that journey."

He nodded at everyone, his smile as bright as the dawn. "I'd like to say that I have an open-door policy. My door may be closed right now, but you're always welcome to knock. As your supervisor, think of me as a resource to help you be the best you can be at your job. So, ask me anything! Anything at all!"

"Where is Minister Dinsdale?" said McMurtry.

Around him, his colleagues tensed, but McMurtry stayed where he was, hands clasped on his desk. Scranton stared at him.

Then Scranton looked down and flipped through his clipboard. He ran a finger down a page, nodded, and then looked up. "That's irrelevant. Any other questions?"

Silence reigned.

"Good!" Scranton beamed. "So, before we return to work, I'd like to invite all of you to come to the meeting room to learn and take the oath of allegiance to the Federation of Earth Nations. This is entirely voluntary. Those who wish to take the oath, please stand up now."

For a moment, no one moved. Everyone glanced at each other, at Scranton, at the soldiers in the corners, at the soldiers' guns. Brian stood up.

He was followed by Agatha, who was followed by Nathan, and then by Nasser. McMurtry felt himself rise to his feet, though he wasn't sure if his brain had given the order. Soon, everyone in the office was standing.

Everyone except Nelissa.

She sat in her chair, back straight, hands clasped across her lap, staring straight ahead.

Behind her, McMurtry saw the woman from the bridge glaring at him.

Brian shifted as if to sit back down, but a soldier reached up and touched the butt of his gun. Brian halted, then slowly stood straight again.

Scranton nodded. "Fair enough. Everybody, let's go."

Scranton led the way. A soldier followed, nudging people forward. McMurtry stood, staring at Nelissa. She looked up at him, her eyes wide, her cheeks pale. For a moment, McMurtry could only stare back.

Then, a soldier was beside McMurtry. "Senior," the young man said, his voice low.

Nelissa's lips tightened. She focused ahead. Beside McMurtry, the soldier waited.

McMurtry looked down. He turned away. He followed the others to the meeting room, feeling the glare of the woman from the bridge on his back. The door closed behind him.

Scranton stood beside a whiteboard at the front of the room. On it, the Federation of Earth Nations's pledge of allegiance was written out in full.

"Everyone . . ." Scranton faced the whiteboard. "Place your right hand over your heart and recite the words before you as we say--"

Voices filled the room. "I, hereby accepting citizenship of the Federation of Earth Nations, voluntarily and consciously swear an oath to observe the Constitution and laws of the Federation of Earth Nations, the rights and freedoms of its citizens; to fulfill the duties of a Federation citizen for the benefit of the state and society; to protect the integrity of the Federation of Earth Nations; to be faithful to its leadership, and to respect its cultures, its history, and traditions."

#

Nelissa was not at her desk when they returned. McMurtry filed in with the others, silent.

At his desk, he stared a moment out his window. They were almost done repainting the eight-storey-tall poster to have a green background. They'd kept Nelissa's face, placed a Federation armband on her, and even kept the "FORWARD TOGETHER" message at her feet. Vehicles drifted along the streets below. People walked carefully. Soldiers swept litter from the sidewalks.

He turned away and found himself staring at the inspirational picture of CONTINUITY.

The line of fish was gone. It was just one fish, now facing the viewer, its mouth open wide.

McMurtry sat down. He pulled a folder from his inbox and grabbed a pencil.

He looked once at Nelissa's empty desk.

Then he put his head down and got back to work.

=+=+=

I mean have they ever lied to the public before on environmental issues? What a silly question. Each and every major industrial case of groundwater contamination has been under reported, minimized and it's length of time for remediation necessary, intentionally understated. Then of course there are also the gross cases such as Breslube in Breslau, Canadian General Tower (CGT), Ciba-Geigy and Northstar Aerospace in Cambridge and Uniroyal Chemical in Elmira. In all of these cases the Region of Waterloo, as the governing body for water supply and quality, have misled the public horribly.  

CGT has free phase TCE DNAPLS in the Bedrock beneath their site. It is possible that there is another source of this TCE (trichloroethylene) nearby as well. All of this results in huge water treatment costs from the Middleton Wellfield literally across the road from CGT.  The Region are back attending the so called Technical Remediation Advisory Committee in Elmira who have no backbone to speak of and are entirely on the wrong cleanup track. The Region attends and says and does little about it. Regarding Breslube, two Regional wells were shut down decades ago due to contamination in the groundwater from Breslube  migrating towards the nearby Grand River where the Region's two river wells (K70 & K71) were located. At least the Region shut them down but of course without pointing any fingers at the irresponsible party. 

Northstar Aerospace was a gross case of vapour intrusion of TCE into homes in the Bishop St. community. Multiple generations suffered ill health and or died prematurely from this company plus another's negligence. The Region assisted in minimizing the crisis and covering up the extent of culpability of  two companies and the Ontario Ministry of Environment. Beyond shameful!

After decades of bragging about their world class, wonderful groundwater expect a turnaround when they decide it's time to build a water pipeline to Lake Erie. Also don't expect honesty for the reason, namely industrial pollution. No it will likely be blamed upon road salt and Round-Up used by weed hating local residents

 So now the Region have claimed in today's Woolwich Observer that their preferred By-Pass route in Elmira is the so called hybrid route up Union St. , through the former Home Hardware on Duke St. and joining up with Church St. (Hwy #86). From there it will go slightly east and then north up to Kenny Place where it will rejoin  Arthur St. north (Hwy #85). Expect a bait and switch in the upcoming years as they and Woolwich, the MECP, Lanxess etc. all want to bury the illegal and embarassing decades long Uniroyal contamination of two active farms producing milk, beef, soybeans, corn and more for public consumption.  

♦

I spent some time in the academic world where I did some research on a little-known Canadian writer Frank Prewett. I think of him always on Remembrance Day.

And in doing so, I think of all veterans who have served us. Thank you to all of them.

Prewett is a minor figure but an interesting one. He was born in Kenilworth, Ontario, on Highway #6 (“the Owen Sound road”) just northwest of Arthur. He went to the University of Toronto and enlisted with the Eaton Motor Machine Gun Brigade in 1915 and saw action in France.

He injured his back when he was blown from his horse by a mortar shell. He suffered crippling pain from the injury and was diagnosed “neurasthenic” and underwent treatment at Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland (dubbed “Dottyville”). It was there he met the writer Siegfried Sassoon.

He also did work with radar development during WWII.

Prewett struggled much of his life — as much with his war experience as with being a writer. He attended Oxford University after the war and dabbled in friendships and relationships with writers like Robert Graves, Sassoon and others.

The food connection is the work he did with the newly formed Oxford Agricultural Economics Research Institute researching and writing about things agrarian, as shown above: such riveting treatises as “Milk Production on Arable Land.”

Prewett died a lonely, cold and troubled death in Inverness, Scotland, in 1962, where he raised cacti and tortoises and scratched out a meagre living doing a bit of farming. And making moonshine.

One of his poems, “Card Game,” was written in 1917 after the battle of the Somme.

Hearing the whine and crash
We hastened out
And found a few poor men
Lying about.

I put my hand in the breast
Of the first met.
His heart thumped, stopped, and I drew
My hand out wet.

Another, he seemed a boy,
Rolled in the mud
Screaming, “my legs, my legs,”
And he poured out his blood.

We bandaged the rest
And went in,
And started again at our cards
Where we had been.

Check out my latest post “Toronto” Prewett: WWI vet and agronomist from AndrewCoppolino.com.

The first time many of us understand the kind of manager we want to be is not during a promotion. It is in the moments we feel unseen. It is that project where our effort was overlooked. It is that feedback that focused on what went wrong instead of what went right.

Those moments stay with us, and whether we know it or not, they shape the kind of leaders we become. They teach us that you can hit every target and still miss your people.

Being the manager we once needed is not about being soft. It is about being present.

It looks like:

• Taking five extra minutes to explain why a change matters.
• Saying “thank you” even when the task was expected.
• Giving feedback that builds instead of breaks.
• Checking in when someone seems quieter than usual.
• Remembering that growth is not linear for everyone, and neither is confidence.

Sometimes, our calmness in chaos teaches more than any instruction ever could.

Every now and then, we recognize a younger version of ourselves on the team: the overthinker, the quiet one, the eager one, the burnt-out one.

That is our cue to pause. Not to project our old story onto them, but to guide them through it better than we were guided. That is what growth in leadership looks like: breaking the cycle of what we once lacked.

Being the manager we needed does not mean lowering standards.
It means raising understanding.

Authentic leadership is not about how well a team performs when everything is smooth. It is about how safe people feel to stumble and still stand beside us.

The manager we once needed would have said,

“Don’t worry, we will figure it out together.”

Now that is what we say to others. And each time we do, we silently thank our younger selves for noticing what was missing and choosing to become the change.

If you are leading a team today, someone is looking at you the way you once looked at your manager.

There is a reason the saying goes, “People leave managers, not jobs.”

So, be the reason they stay curious.
Be the voice that steadies them when doubt creeps in.
Be the manager we all once needed.

Because leadership is not just about managing others.
It is about healing the part of us that once needed better.

Lead How You Wish You Were Led was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

(Not a Medium paid member, no worries… read for free here)

If your deployment pipeline has ever broken just because it was staging, this article is for you!

“It worked in dev. But staging broke again…And prod? Only after someone manually edited the YAML.”

Sound familiar?

It’s the moment when most teams realize that it’s not the app that’s fragile, but rather the pipeline.

As projects grow, you can’t keep pushing from main directly into production. You need environments — dev, staging, and prod — each with its own secrets, gates, and safety rules. But managing those by hand across multiple YAML files? That gets messy fast.

Let’s fix this together 🤝

Every team eventually outgrows its “push to main = deploy to prod” setup.

It’s fast at first, until you add environments!

As each newly added environment now needs its own secrets, its own gates, its own sense of safety.

And suddenly, you’re juggling three different yet similar-looking YAML files and wondering which one actually runs in production.

That’s not automation; that’s chaos with version control. And you are creating is your own technical debt in disguise.

So I decided to flip it: Instead of one workflow per environment, I built one workflow that understood all my environments.

Here’s the folder structure I ended up with:

.github/workflows/
├── build.yml
├── test.yml
└── deploy.yml

Each workflow has a single purpose:

• build.yml → compiles and packages the app
• test.yml → runs tests and validates changes
• deploy.yml → promotes a single artifact across environments

This pattern works for Go, Node.js, Python, or any modern stack.

The key here is separation: So you can fix, test, or reuse each stage independently.

Now, let’s dive into the Stepup, step-by-step!

The build workflow is the backbone.

It should produce something consistent and immutable, an artifact you can confidently promote.

# .github/workflows/build.yml
name: Build
on:
  workflow_call:
    inputs:
      environment:
        required: true
        type: string
    outputs:
      image_tag:
        description: "Docker image tag"
        value: ${{ jobs.build.outputs.image_tag }}
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      image_tag: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.image_tag }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-go@v5
        with:
          go-version: '1.22'
      - name: Build app
        run: go build -o app/main app/main.go
      - name: Set Docker metadata
        id: meta
        run: echo "image_tag=${GITHUB_SHA::7}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
      - name: Upload artifact
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: build-${{ inputs.environment }}
          path: app/main

What this does ⤵️

• Compiles your Go app
• Uploads a reusable artifact
• Exports a tag to track builds downstream

And here’s the magic: Once the build runs, you can promote that same artifact to any environment, no rebuilding, no drift.

Next, the safety net. You want your tests running long before your deploy workflow even wakes up.

# .github/workflows/test.yml
name: Test
on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  pull_request:
jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: actions/setup-go@v5
        with:
          go-version: '1.22'
      - name: Run tests
        run: go test ./... -v

You can level this up by adding a PostgreSQL container for integration tests:

services:
  db:
    image: postgres:15
    env:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret

This ensures your code doesn’t just compile, it works where it lives.

And if it passes here, you can sleep better when your deployment pipeline runs later.

Now the fun part, being able to deploy to multiple environments without duplicating logic.

# .github/workflows/deploy.yml
name: Deploy
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      environment:
        description: "Environment to deploy to"
        required: true
        type: choice
        options: [dev, staging, prod]
jobs:
  deploy:
    uses: ./.github/workflows/build.yml
    with:
      environment: ${{ github.event.inputs.environment }}
  
  release:
    needs: deploy
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    environment: ${{ github.event.inputs.environment }}
    permissions:
      contents: read
      deployments: write
    steps:
      - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
        with:
          name: build-${{ github.event.inputs.environment }}
      - name: Configure environment
        run: echo "Deploying to ${{ github.event.inputs.environment }}"
      - name: Deploy
        run: ./app/main --env ${{ github.event.inputs.environment }}

What’s happening here ⤵️

• You trigger this workflow manually
• GitHub injects secrets based on the selected environment
• The build job produces one artifact
• The release job deploys it using the right configuration

So now you have “One YAML for Three environments with Zero copy-paste”

When you trigger this manually, GitHub automatically injects the right environment secrets.

Now in your repo, navigate to:

Settings → Environments → “New Environment”

Create: dev, staging, prod

Then, for each add:

• Environment-specific secrets (DB_URL, API_KEY, etc.)
• Optional protection rules (like “require approval before deployment”)

This is where GitHub’s built-in environment system shines:

It enforces safety outside the YAML (by separating configuration from workflow logic, enforcing safety at the platform level.)

In your production environment settings, add a required reviewer.

Now, your pipeline behaves like this:

• Dev → auto deploy
• Staging → auto deploy
• Prod → waits for approval

It’s the simplest form of governance with minimal friction, and it prevents “Friday night surprises.”

             +----------+
             |  Commit  |
             +----------+
                  |
           +--------------+
           |   Test Job   |
           +--------------+
                  |
           +--------------+
           |  Build Job   |
           +--------------+
          /       |        \
       (dev)  (staging)  (prod)
         |        |         |
Auto-deploy  Auto-deploy  Manual approval

Simple…Clean…Predictable!

At some point, you’ll have multiple services (API, frontend, workers, possibly a cron job or two), and you’ll want to reuse them all.

To do that, extract your deploy logic into a reusable workflow:

# .github/workflows/reusable-deploy.yml
name: Reusable Deploy
on:
  workflow_call:
    inputs:
      environment:
        required: true
        type: string
jobs:
  call-deploy:
    uses: ./.github/workflows/deploy.yml
    with:
      environment: ${{ inputs.environment }}

Now any microservice can just call it:

jobs:
  deploy-api:
    uses: your-org/your-repo/.github/workflows/reusable-deploy.yml@main
    with:
      environment: staging

And Congratulations 👏

You’ve moved from building workflows to creating a pipeline architecture

One file to define the process, many services that benefit from it.

• Build once, promote everywhere (Same artifact, less drift)
• Separate build and deploy (CI builds, CD promotes, keep them apart)
• Secure secrets per environment (Boundaries create visibility and reduce risk)
• Manual approvals are not bureaucracy (They’re the guardrails that keep Fridays peaceful)

To conclude, I would say:

At the end of this experiment, I realized something simple yet powerful…

CI/CD isn’t just about automation — it’s about communication!

A clear workflow tells your teammates:

• What’s being deployed
• Who’s responsible
• When it’s safe to proceed

When your pipeline becomes predictable, releases stop being less scary

They become boringly reliable. And that’s how you want production to feel.

So go ahead: “Build once, Deploy anywhere” 🚀

But more importantly, design pipelines your future team will thank you for!

Thanks for reading this article, don’t forget to clap and follow ❤️

You can send me an invite @ LinkedIn or GitHub 😎

Looking forward to connecting with you 🤝

Further, you may also like to read:

• The AI-Boosted Developer Workflow: “How to Truly and Correctly Amplify Dev Productivity”
• Embracing the “Vibe” in Vibe Coding: How to work faster without losing control

Build Once, Deploy Anywhere 🚀: How to Create Multi-Environment Workflows in GitHub Actions was originally published in Code Like A Girl on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The next generation Linux workstation, designed for reliability, performance, and sustainability.

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The Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) is the provincial governing body for volleyball in Ontario — a thriving and fast-growing organization representing athletes, coaches, referees, and clubs across the province. With membership numbers at record highs and growing, the OVA continues to expand its reach and impact in community sport, high-performance development, and national leadership.

Volleyball in Ontario is thriving — with participation rates among girls consistently high, increasing and with one of the lowest dropout rates of any sport in Canada. By joining the OVA Board, you will help ensure young athletes, both girls and boys, continue to benefit from safe, inclusive, and empowering sport experiences that build confidence, leadership, and lifelong skills. This work connects directly to community building and leadership development, creating pathways for the next generation of leaders while strengthening Ontario’s sport ecosystem.

The OVA continues to experience year over year growth,  this past year alone was over 15%.  Also the membership make up is over 75% girls, with less than 10% drop-off rate in the 16U-18U age categories, this is impressively lower than the industry average of 33%.  As the sport grows, so too does the OVA’s commitment to excellence in governance, innovation, and inclusion. We are now seeking passionate, skilled leaders to join our Board of Directors and help shape the next phase of our sport’s evolution.

Board Opportunities

At the upcoming 2025 Annual General Meeting, OVA members will elect: 

• Treasurer
• Two (2) Directors at Large

We are especially interested in candidates who bring skills in:

• Finance and Audit / CPA designation (required for the Treasurer role)
  Legal / Governance
  Information Technology, Digital Transformation, and/or AI Strategy

Nomination Deadline: Nov. 24th, 2025 11:59 pm 

Election will be held during the Annual General Meeting of Members on December 14th, 2025.

Please refer to the drop-down sections below for further information.

Any questions can be directed to the Nominations Chair at nominations@ontariovolleyball.org.

We’re looking for individuals who: 

• Have 10+ years of professional experience in a relevant discipline (finance, law, business leadership, or sport governance). 5+ years in AI strategy / implementation (technology, AI, digital transformation)
• Are strategic thinkers who value collaboration, innovation, and diversity in leadership.
• Are committed to advancing safe, inclusive, and sustainable sport across Ontario.
• Can attend 3–4 in-person meetings per year in the Greater Toronto Area, along with periodic virtual sessions.
• Bring both a professional lens and a personal passion for the positive impact of sport.
• Meet all OVA eligibility and good standing criteria for Board candidates.

What You Get

Serving on the OVA Board is a meaningful opportunity to contribute your expertise while advancing your own professional leadership journey.

As a Director, you will: 

• Help shape the future of volleyball in Ontario — guiding a rapidly growing organization that impacts tens of thousands of athletes, coaches, referees, volunteers, families, and communities.
• Strengthen your governance experience, serving on a not-for-profit Board navigating growth, digital transformation, and long-term strategic planning.
• Expand your professional network among leaders in sport, business, and community development.
• Enhance your public profile through visible Board service in one of Ontario’s most dynamic and community-driven provincial sport organizations.
• Contribute to meaningful impact — supporting youth engagement, equity in sport, and the growth of a sport that connects people and communities across the province.
• Support leadership development through sport — Volleyball has one of the strongest youth retention rates in Canada, particularly among girls. Your guidance helps young athletes develop confidence, resilience, and teamwork skills, creating pathways for the next generation of leaders.

This is a volunteer position with an estimated time commitment of:

• 3  year term 
• 3–4 Board meetings per year (in-person in the OVA offices in Toronto, weekday evenings)
• Periodic virtual meetings and committee involvement 
• Preparation and review of materials between meetings

The term begins following the OVA Annual General Meeting on December 14, 2025. 

All candidates must meet the OVA’s official eligibility requirements for Board service.

Eligibility to be a Director of the Ontario Volleyball Association is governed by Articles 4.3, 4.3.1, 4.4, and 4.11 of the OVA by-laws, excerpted below.

Interested candidates should be prepared to submit: 

• A brief expression of interest / cover letter outlining relevant skills, experience, and motivation to serve
• A current CV
• LinkedIn profile link (if available)
• 3 references and if available, letters
• Address the delegates at the AGM prior to voting (or have someone speak on their behalf)
• Background / Screening disclosure form

Upon election the Club Leader Eligibility Policy must be met prior to participation in Board activities.

The post Ontario Volleyball Association (OVA) appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Fighting Blindness Canada is seeking individuals to join our Board of Directors.

Leading the fight against blindness, Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) is the largest charitable funder of vision research in Canada. Over our 50-year history, FBC has contributed critical funding for the development of sight-saving treatments and cures for blinding eye diseases. By raising funds, FBC is helping drive forward research that supports our goal of understanding why vision loss occurs, how it can be slowed and how sight can be restored.

Since Fighting Blindness Canada’s inception in 1974, over $42 million has gone towards over 280 research grants, leading to more than 800 discoveries in areas such as stem cell research, technological developments, pharmaceuticals and gene therapies.

Fighting Blindness Canada is also an invaluable resource for individuals and families impacted by blindness, providing expert eye health information through our website and educational events, as well as engaging with government and other stakeholders to advance better vision health policies.

Over 1.2 million Canadians have a seeing disability that affects their daily life. More than 8 million Canadians have a blinding eye disease that put them at significant risk of losing their sight, this includes risk from inherited retinal diseases (i.e. retinitis pigmentosa), age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetes related vision complications. Together, that’s 1 in 5 Canadians and has a cost of $32.9 billion annually which is expected to grow to $56 billion a year by 2050.

In 2025, we launched a new five-year strategic plan, which included refreshed mission and vision statements and an intentional focus on the four blinding eye-diseases having the greatest impact on Canadians: inherited retinal disease, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

Our Vision is to end vision loss caused by blinding eye disease. Our Mission is to accelerate world-class research and provide expert information, advocacy and connection for everyone impacted by blinding eye disease.

Fighting Blindness Canada (FBC) is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. Our Directors have included vision healthcare professionals, researchers, lawyers, and financial advisors.

FBC is seeking four individuals to join the Board of Directors by June 2026. All new Directors will be expected to contribute seasoned business leadership and governance expertise while demonstrating community-centric values.

As a prospective candidate, you are drawn to the organization’s bold mandate of increasing its impact on the vision loss community and are committed to the mission of Fighting Blindness Canada. You are energized by the notion of leaving your mark in people’s lives and have a knack for seeing opportunities where others might see constraint. You are a recognized Canadian leader and are ready to support FBC and the broader community through facilitation, awareness-raising, and partnership-building.

The new Board Directors will be expected to:

• Support FBC’s mission, purpose, goals, policies, programs and fund development while knowing its strengths and needs.
• Provide oversight of FBC’s strategy and mission through regular review of the strategic plan, Board policies, and quarterly review of the financial statements.
• Attend the quarterly meetings of the Board in person or on Zoom.
• Serve actively on at least one task force and/or committees of the Board as requested by the Board Chair.
• Act as ambassadors of FBC to engage target audiences.
• Attend educational and community-based fundraising events sponsored by FBC whenever possible.
• Suggest possible nominees to the Board who are people of achievement and influence, and who can make significant contributions to the work of the Board and the progress of FBC.
  Responsibilities and Duties

The responsibilities of a Director of the Board include:

• Ensure the integrity, efficiency and effectiveness of the Board at meetings according to the accepted rules of order.
• Encourage all members to participate in discussion and arrive at decisions in an orderly, timely, and democratic manner.
• Fulfill governance responsibilities including compliance with applicable laws and FBC’s by-laws.
• Demonstrate personal accountability at the Board table.
• Ensure the Board decisions and actions are in accordance with FBC’s vision, mission, goals, priorities, and values.
• Monitor and approve the organization’s financial planning, financial reports, the annual budget and work plan.
• Contribute, as appropriate, to the Board’s oversight of the President & CEO
• Ensure that any conflict-of-interest issues and other disputes are observed according to the by-laws and that any conflicts are identified and addressed in advance of any discussions on the matter.
• Play a leading role in fundraising activities, including making a personal donation commensurate with your ability to do so.
• Financially support one fundraising event per year that benefits FBC, which could include a ticket purchase, donation, or sponsorship.
• Ensure the policies and systems are in place for securing resources required by FBC.
• Ensure FBC maintains positive and productive relationships with donors and other organizations.
• Periodically support direct engagement with donors, when requested and appropriate. This activity could include thank-you calls and notes, attending cheque presentations or stewardship events etc. that further support the ongoing fundraising efforts of FBC.
• Maintain an effective working relationship with other Board members and other officers of the Board to ensure the free flow of information among stakeholders.

• Attend meetings held quarterly with agendas pre-circulated.
• Prepare for and participate in FBC’s Board meetings, scheduled committee meetings, and other appropriate activities.
• Ask timely and substantive questions at Board and Committee meetings, consistent with personal conscience, convictions, and ethics, while supporting the majority decision on issues decided by the Board.
• Maintain confidentiality of the Board’s sessions.
• Suggest agenda items for Board and Committee meetings to ensure that significant policy-related matters are addressed.

In order to apply, please submit a comprehensive CV along with a cover letter which sets out your interest in the role and encapsulates the aspects of your experience relevant to the required criteria. The preferred method of application is via email to the President & CEO, Jennifer Jones: jjones@fightingblindness.ca

Fighting Blindness Canada will respect the privacy and the confidentiality of the personal information provided to us.

Fighting Blindness Canada is an equal opportunity organization and welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital or family status, disability, or any other characteristic protected under the human rights legislation.

We believe that a diversity of perspectives strengthens our work and enriches our community. We strive to ensure a respectful, inclusive space where everyone feels valued and supported.

Accommodations are available on request throughout the recruitment process to ensure an accessible experience for all candidates.

The post Fighting Blindness Canada appeared first on Capacity Canada.

The first budget of the Mark Carney administration was tabled on November 4, 2025. The strategy tabled by Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne is structured to attract investment and implement productivity incentives. The major challenge for the Prime Minister and his cabinet will be the actual implementation and execution of numerous new measures.

Success will also be highly dependent upon delivery, speed and public-private partnerships. The federal deficit, estimated at $78 billion and anticipated to decrease to $57 billion in 2029, could also limit overall budget effectiveness.

Specific measures for Canadian and local businesses include:

• A $51 billion (ten years) Build Communities Strong Fund to support critical infrastructure including healthcare, housing and community infrastructure. This measure is particularly significant for the Region of Waterloo as a new hospital proceeds through planning and construction;
• Defence – $81.8 billion over five years to rebuild and reinvest in the Canadian Armed Forces including $9 billion previously announced in June 2025. Also $6.6 billion over five years to strengthen the Canadian industry through a Defence Industrial Strategy. Canada will meet the NATO target of 2 percent of GDP spending on defence by March 2026;
• Four small modular reactors will be constructed next to the Darlington Nuclear Station as part of the nation-building initiative;
• Productivity Super Deductions – a collection of capital cost allowance measures that include immediate expensing for manufacturing and processing machinery, clean energy equipment, and productivity-enhancements such as patents and computers. The budget expands eligibility to include immediate expenses for new buildings acquired after Budget Day and utilized before 2030;
• The Regional Tariff Response will provide $1 billion over three years to Regional Development Agencies to support businesses impacted by tariffs;
• A new reskilling package for up to 50,000 workers, making Employment Insurance more flexible with extended benefits and a new digital jobs and training platform;
• The Accelerated Investment Incentive is extended however not permanent;
• A series of measures directed at consolidating public services with an estimated reduction of 16,000 full-time equivalents or approximately 4.5 percent of the March 2025 workforce. Over the past ten years, Canada’s federal public service has seen significant growth, increasing by 40 percent from 257,000 employees in 2015 to 368,000 in 2025, a rate that has outpaced population growth. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has been a consistent advocate for controlling government expenditures as private sector employment and related activity has decreased from the pandemic and other economic conditions;
• Reduction of temporary resident admissions from 673,650 (2025) to 385,00 (2026) and 370,000 (2027);
• The Comprehensive Expenditure Review (CER) is projected to provide $60 billion in total savings over five years.

No significant general corporate tax cuts are included as the government is directing resources into capital investments.

Our Chamber will be hosting events across the upcoming months with series of federal cabinet ministers where members can forward their perspectives on the future of the local and national economies. Details will be available shortly, but in the meantime, take a look at our current events calendar.

Written by: Art Sinclair, Vice President, Public Policy & Advocacy

The post Federal Budget 2025 – Investments into the National Economy appeared first on Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.

Neither one should have been left off. My apologies.  Both are under direct government supervision and both operate essentially "with impunity." Police literally kill innocent citizens and at most get their hands slapped. Here in Ontario we have the murder of Roger Kotanko by a Toronto police officer. That was about four years ago and the family and legal representatives have yet to even receive a copy of an alleged search warrant allowing police to enter his home and business. The entire (on-line You Tube) story is riddled with incompetence, stupidity, malice and as well arrogance and bravado as the lying, story telling and excuses get higher and deeper while the family literally waits years for even the tiniest scrap of justification for the likely illegal, cowboy shoot first and make excuses later attitudes of some police officers to be seriously examined. Unfortunately this illegal, unnecessary and fatal assault upon a citizen, resident, husband, father and bread winner is far from the only travesty inflicted upon Canadian citizens by our unaccountable, armed gangs (i.e. police).

Next we have the following article in today's Waterloo Region Record titled "How Maplehurst inmate abuse scandal led to the collapse of a murder case". This article refers to the recent abuses inflicted upon mostly unconvicted inmates awaiting trial at the Maplehurst jail near Milton . 200 inmates were subjected to mass assaults and collective punishments for the bad behaviour of a few . The treatment of inmates over two days has been described by Justice Clayton Conlan as "akin to torture". The coverup by jail staff and administration included key missing video evidence, falsified written reports by staff, lying to investigators and further lying in court.  For all of this all of one employee, the jail superintendent, Winston Wong, was fired. There have been years of condemnations by judges about conditions within Maplehurst  which have all been ignored by our governments and appropriate ministries and departments. Neither police nor prosecutors have laid criminal charges to date against staff or guards and based upon history likely won't.

Once again we see our expensive, impotent and corrupt government bodies doing what they do best which is bleed citizens through taxes and deliver crap in exchange.    

♦

♦Jam and Salsa Sale
Thursday, November 20
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
FREE Admission
KW Habilitation (Bullas Hall) – 99 Ottawa St. S, Kitchener

Our Jam and Salsa sale is back again for 2025!  Enjoy in person shopping in Bullas Hall. Jenny and Laura along with numerous volunteers have been working hard all season on Our Farm. They have made a wide variety of preserves made from the organic produce grown on Our Farm. Come and participate in the raffle for some fantastic prizes while getting your Holiday shopping done!

Click here for more info

♦♦ ♦

♦St. Jacobs Sparkles
Thursday, November 13 to Sunday November 16
Various Times
FREE
St. Jacob’s Village

Enjoy this annual festive event amid thousands of twinkling lights in the village – a true holiday experience! Free horse and trolley rides, Waterloo County Carolers and visits with Santa will put you in the holiday spirit. Explore unique shops and eateries throughout the village opened late into the evening. Then enjoy the beauty of the sparkling lights.

Click here for more info

♦Embroidered Christmas Cards
Saturday, December 13
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
$33.00
Colour Paradise – 1209 Bleams Rd, Mannheim

Want to learn some simple embroidery stitches? Then this is the class for you! Make 3 holiday cards (3.5″ x 4.8″)— Christmas tree, star and angel. You’ll receive step by step instructions to help you make your cards from Annita Boer, Instructor from KW Habilitation’s LEG Up!

Click here for more info

♦East African Cuisine with Chef Susan
Mondays, November 10
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
FREE – Registration Required
Southwest Community Library – 100 Rosenberg Way, Kitchener

Join us for a flavourful journey through East African Cuisine in this three-part series, led by Chef Susan, a skilled cook with a deep passion for Sudanese and East African dishes. Participants will be making Puff Puff . Enjoy a visit from special guest, Peggy Plet. Peggy is a researcher and writer on Black history. She is a published author, developer and walking tour leader of Black Presence in Berlin, in downtown Kitchener. Registration is required.

Click here for more info

 ♦

♦Food insecurity means not having enough money for food. Did you know that in 2023, 23% of households in Waterloo Region were food insecure? If you access the Ontario Disability Support Program or the Ontario Works Program, you are almost 3 times more likely to have food insecurity. One unexpected expense can cause someone to not have enough money left over for food. It could be a car repair, a cancellation or late fee, a flooded basement or even a loss of job.

There are many places in the community that you can go to get food at little to no cost. Sometimes people decide not to access food programs because they are embarrassed, they don’t think they are “poor enough”, or they have had a bad experience before at a food program. Most food programs are welcoming and full of friendly people. Accessing a food program is like accessing a doctor for health care. It’s not a failure, it’s a resource to keep you healthy.

These are some important things to know if you decide to access a food program.

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Sometimes you will need to register with photo ID or proof of where you live like a piece of mail. Don’t worry if you don’t have these. Many programs will still help you out anyway.
                        2. Food Programs have certain hours and limits on how many times per week you can access them.
                        3. Some food programs offer delivery for people who have mobility or health concerns.
                        4. Some food banks are only available to people that live in certain areas.
                        5. You will need to bring your own reusable bags or a cart to carry your food in.

Here are some great places to grab some grub!

• • • • • • • • • The Hangout at Grant’s Cafe
                  – 99 Ottawa St. S, Kitchener – Cob’s Bread Pickup Tuesdays, 8:30 AM – 11:30 AM
                • Community Health Caring – KW
                  – 44 Francis St. S, Kitchener – Pay What You Can Market – Mondays 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM and Thursdays 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM and other various programs like Eat Well Spend Less, Breakfast Club and Food Pop-Ups.
                • Tiny Home Takeout
                  – 56 Duke St. W, Kitchener – Tuesday to Saturday 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
                  – 505 Franklin St. N, Kitchener – Wednesday and Friday 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
                  – The Bell Tower (St. Mary’s Church) 56 Duke St. W, Kitchener 5:00 PM – 6:15 PM

Everyone deserves the dignity of a nutritious meal! Click the link to see a map with even more food programs in the Region of Waterloo.

Click here for more info

The post November 5, 2025: What’s Happening in Your Neighbourhood? appeared first on KW Habilitation.

Generalizations can be tricky and dangerous things. There are likely a thousand different reasons that people commit crimes from the most heinous, greedy and self-serving of motives to those of desperation and necessity. I would like to think that our judicial system makes a serious attempt to determine more than who did it to why they did it. We all know the rather sarcastic comments about the judicial system aka the justice system. One of my favourites came from an environmental colleague who refers to it as the "just us " system. In other words it has been subverted into a system designed to keep judges and lawyers fully employed at high rates of pay for their entire lives if they so wish.  One of the other comments is the reference to how wonderfully the justice system treats offenders. It goes something like this : "Our justice system in it's infinite majesty treats the poor man stealing a loaf of bread exactly the same as a rich man doing the same thing." Think about that and chew on it for a while.

So besides desperation and necessity forcing a person to steal food or money to support themselves or their families are their other difficult but understandable reasons why people resort to criminal behaviour? I would certainly think so. "Street justice"  may or may not be  what it claims to be which is a rough and quick way versus the incredibly laborious, slow and expensive route of going through the courts. First of all the police and the courts represented by the Crown often simply refuse to go forward with complaints from citizens. They are almost notorious for their failures in prosecuting sexual assaults for example. Unless the victim is severely beaten or is a nun or ninety years old; far too often police have decided that the case is a "he said, she said" scenario without serious investigation first to so determine. 

Other issues arise such as if you've been harmed by an individual or group and again there is no reasonable recourse to the courts. Having gone through them a couple of times for example trying to enforce the Ontario Municipal Elections Act (MEA) I can advise readers that they are ridiculously slow, complicated and user unfriendly. It's almost as if even the staff are offended if a citizen dares to exercise their rights by attending court offices to either get basic information, forms or advice as to when for example a Justice of the Peace is available for an appointment. Trying to get files or paperwork that you are legally entitled to in a civil or criminal case is equally difficult. Regarding a particular civil servant many years ago I would have been far better off to have broken their leg, been convicted of assault, served time as a first offender then to have gone through a phony complaint process (as so many are) which ended up in court anyways. I might add here that our courts most certainly are biased in so many ways. They bend over backwards for individuals working within the "System" and by that I mean all the government systems including health care, education, municipal, provincial and federal government as well as their various departments. Also no real surprise they are biased against indigenous persons, immigrants, Muslims, blacks and basically anybody else they don't take a shine to. 

Fair warning to our alleged Justice System. Black markets develop both for grossly illegal products as well as for things like cigarettes, lesser harmful drugs such as marijuana and more. This will happen more and more as our justice systems become more and more nothing but a playground for the rich to beat up on each other.  No one objects to proper police procedures in order to maintain the peace and keep honest citizens safe.  If this is followed by more timely and less expensive court appearances and lawyers fees then all will be well. Otherwise once enough people understand that what we now have is the best legal system in the world THAT MONEY CAN BUY , then anarchy will set in.

Dear Chair Redman and Councillors,

The Business and Economic Support Team of Waterloo Region (BESTWR) is in full support of the staff recommended option for the LRT Phase II.

The proposed recommendation fulfills the promise and commitment of an LRT system from north Waterloo to south Cambridge.

The success of the LRT Phase I in terms of transit and building development along the LRT route is impressive and undeniable. This next phase will serve not only the residents of our fast-growing community but will also be an attraction and amenity that the many visitors to our community will enjoy. And we all know that transit projects like this are essential to achieving our climate and environmental sustainability goals as a Region.

As our community continues growing, the completion of the LRT route to Cambridge is an essential and foundational building block for the needs of our community on several levels, including housing, economic development and investment, job growth, and transportation connectivity.

Our respective organizations are all in full support of this Staff report. The time is now to move forward to ensure the expeditious completion of our LRT system. We encourage Council to approve the report and move forward with all due haste. Our organizations will continue to advocate for 100% funding of this phase of the project by the province and federal government.

As always, BESTWR is ready, willing and available to work with Council to ensure that this critical infrastructure project proceeds with speed and certainty.

We remain a partner for prosperity in the Waterloo region and look forward to assisting on this project to ensure it gets funded and built.

Respectfully,

Ian McLean

President and CEO – Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce

Chair – Business and Economic Support Team of Waterloo Region (BESTWR)

The support team is comprised of the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, Explore Waterloo Region, Greater KW Chamber of Commerce and Communitech

President & CEO

Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation Greg Durocher

President & CEO

Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Michele Saran

CEO

Explore Waterloo Region Ian McLean

President & CEO

Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce

  Sheldon McCormick

CEO

Communitech

The post BESTWR Backs LRT Phase II: A Vital Step for Waterloo Region’s Growth appeared first on Greater KW Chamber of Commerce.

Thank you to all of the youth who came out to our Data in Action workshops! After combining data from the 2023 Youth Impact Survey and input from Sense Making Sessions, we had a list of over 600 actions or suggestions that youth wanted to see in Waterloo Region. (That’s from hearing from over 2,500 youth!)

To clarify, narrow down, and prioritize the actions into a shorter list, we held four different workshops with youth to get their input. We also spoke with CYPT Adult members at an all member meeting in June and a voting member meeting in September to get information about feasibility, resourcing, and other details so youth could make informed decisions.

Shout out to all the youth who took part in the three workshops at Communitech on August 20, September 20, and October 18! And special thanks to the Township of Wilmot for hosting the fourth and final workshop – and of course the youth who took part! Thank you for sharing your input and helping shape the future of Waterloo Region.

The post Data in Action Youth Workshops appeared first on Children and Youth Planning Table.

The HydroGeoSphere Revision 2888 (November 2025) is now available for download.

This month’s update includes targeted refinements to post-processing workflows, improved warning message handling, and two new Tecplot export commands to support easier visualization and model interpretation. These changes are designed to reduce clutter during model setup and provide clearer tools for examining initial conditions and porous medium zone geometry.

New and updated commands (see hydrosphere_ref.pdf)

• New command porous medium zone isopach to tecplot
  - Generates an isopach map (zone thickness map) for porous medium zones in Tecplot ASCII format.
  - This provides the same output as the existing hsplot command plot pm zone isopach structure, now accessible directly from grok.

• New command initial head to tecplot
  - Exports initial head and pressure head fields to Tecplot ASCII format for the active model domain.
  - For variably saturated models, initial saturation is also included when applied to the porous medium domain.al head from a user-specified water saturation value across a chosen set of nodes, providing more flexibility when defining starting conditions.

Fix for model prefixes beginning with “o” in hgs2vtu

• Resolved a bug that caused issues when processing output files for models where the model prefix began with the letter “o”.

Reduced unnecessary warning message output

• Removed file overwrite warnings generated during node, face, and segment set creation.

• This helps prevent important warnings from being buried under a large volume of routine messages.

Documentation updates
The HydroGeoSphere Reference Manual (hydrosphere_ref.pdf) has been updated to include these new commands.

You can find details about these new features in the HydroGeoSphere Reference Manual. And as always, we are committed to the continued improvement to the user experience. Do you have suggestions for new commands or improvements to the user experience? Send your ideas to support@aquanty.com!

The latest installers are available on the HGS download page and a full list of changes/updates can be found in the release notes.

Download the November 2025 release of HydroGeoSphere here: www.aquanty.com/hgs-download

Review the release notes here: www.aquanty.com/updates

Progressive Life Centre (PLC) is a nonprofit organization based in Ajax, Ontario, dedicated to empowering growth, wellness, and community through innovation. We support children, youth, and families — particularly those with neurodiverse needs — through evidence-based programs, family coaching, and community partnerships that foster inclusion and connection.

We are currently seeking passionate and committed individuals to join our Board of Directors. This is an exciting opportunity to help guide our strategic direction, strengthen our governance, and make a lasting impact in our community.

We are especially interested in individuals with expertise in:

• Finance, accounting, or legal
• Fundraising, marketing, or communications
• Human resources or nonprofit governance
• Community development and lived experience with neurodiversity or family support services

As a Board Member, you will:

• Attend quarterly Board meetings and actively participate in decision-making.
• Serve on at least one committee or working group.
• Support fundraising, community engagement, and advocacy efforts.
• Act as an ambassador for Progressive Life Centre in your networks and community.
• Commit to a renewable one or two-year term.

Board members can expect a time commitment of approximately 4–6 hours per month, including meeting preparation and committee work.

• Contribute to meaningful, community-driven impact in Ajax and Durham Region.
• Share your expertise and gain valuable experience in nonprofit leadership.
• Collaborate with a dedicated, mission-focused team of volunteers and professionals.
• Help shape the future growth and sustainability of Progressive Life Centre.

If you’re passionate about community development and inclusion, we’d love to hear from you.

Please send:

• A short expression of interest (1–2 paragraphs about your background and why you’d like to join)
• Your resume or LinkedIn profile

to —-@progressivelifecentre.ca by November 15, 2025.

Selected applicants will be contacted for a conversation with our Board Recruitment Committee.

Progressive Life Centre Ajax is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion. We strongly encourage applications from individuals who reflect the diversity of our community, including people with lived experience relevant to our mission.

The post Progressive Life Centre appeared first on Capacity Canada.

Will there be identifiable human health clusters involving diseases such as cancers and others? Will there be identifiable wildlife health clusters? Will our government oversight agencies shut down the use of crops, milk and beef from cattle in and around the downstream Canagagigue Creek? Heaven forbid but will scientific testing improve to the point whereby these Uniroyal specific toxins are found down the Grand River through Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge? Will it be possible some day to look back and say that so many cancers inflicted upon our citizens specifically came from Uniroyal Chemical in Elmira?

Mankind's history of scientific "breakthroughs" is riddled with after effects. Thalidomide, DDT, Dioxin, Parathion, PCBs, road salt, fluoride, TCE, oil based paints, anhydrous ammonia, mustard gas, napalm, 2,4-D, teflon (PFAS, PFOS) chlorine the list goes on and on. These are just a short list from memory of various bad actors that have killed and severely injured human beings. Yes several of them when used properly, correctly and professionally have enhanced life on this planet. However even common, mundane everyday solvents have been misused, abused and caused severe harm such as toluene, benzene, xylenes etc. 

To put it bluntly, for profit corporations have zero business being in charge of old much less new chemical discoveries and technologies. For those persons in positions of authority such as politicians, a serious reassessment of conflicts of interest are in order. Chemical companies as well as everyday manufacturers are trained to take short cuts. Manufacturers tell their staff to cut costs . That may mean cheaper suppliers of raw materials including chemicals. It may mean short cuts in manufacturing processes to save money today and to hell with putting more CO2, SO2,  greenhouse gases or what have you up their chimneys. Right now the air we breathe is crap as is the chemically treated water that we drink from our taps. Foods may have pesticides and preservatives in them that help producers sell more but which are not healthy. 

I don't believe that anyone at Woolwich Township or the Ontario Ministry of Environment actually understand the Precautionary Principle much less adhere to it. They have allowed the corporations making money off that site free rein to do what they want even after decades of alleged environmental cleanup. That "cleanup" has always been the minimum and continues to be so, unabated. That "cleanup" is a failure by all objective standards.  That will continue until half the town of Elmira don't wake up some morning.    

Each year, Fanshawe College honours an apprentice student who embodies the values and core competencies of the developmental services sector through the Sadie Benner Award. This prestigious award recognizes students who demonstrate excellence in fostering independence, advocating for others, showing initiative and resilience, solving problems creatively, and building respectful, collaborative relationships.

This year, the decision was unanimous. As one member of the selection committee put it, “We all just said, Meghan Churchill. There was no doubt.” Meghan’s passion, empathy, and dedication to the field exemplify everything that the award represents.

♦

The award commemorates Sadie Benner (1905–1982), who lived in the London area during a time when supports for people with intellectual disabilities were scarce. Her advocacy and compassion for inclusion and dignity paved the way for the services and attitudes that form the foundation of today’s developmental services sector. Each recipient of the award carries forward her spirit of advocacy and community leadership.

Meghan Churchill’s journey into the developmental services sector began unexpectedly, during one of the most challenging times in recent history—the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially joining KW Habilitation through a staffing agency, she quickly demonstrated her natural ability to connect with and support others. Her compassion and professionalism stood out so clearly that she was soon hired as a part-time, then full-time Developmental Services Worker (DSW).

However, Meghan’s commitment didn’t stop there. To strengthen her qualifications and deepen her understanding of the field, she enrolled in Fanshawe College’s DSW Apprenticeship Program, a three-year program designed to provide hands-on, flexible learning for working professionals.

In a speech Meghan gave at the Provincial Network HR Forum this Fall, Meghan reflected on her experience in the apprenticeship program:

“I entered the sector by chance, with zero experience, during a period of isolation, fear, and uncertainty. What I discovered was a field filled with compassion, purpose, and opportunity.”

She shared how the apprenticeship program allowed her to balance both work and education, with incredible support from her employer and Fanshawe College faculty. Courses were flexible, affordable, and directly applicable to her daily work. She credits professors and mentors such as Holly Duff and Mark Benner for guiding her journey, as well as Director of Human Resources, Jamie Russell, for encouraging her growth.

♦Through Fanshawe’s program, Meghan developed crucial technical and behavioural skills like documentation, advocacy, communication, and collaboration while also learning to recognize and challenge systemic barriers and stereotypes.

“The apprenticeship program has not only made me a stronger student and worker, but also a better person. It has given me the tools to advocate for positive and meaningful change.”

Today, Meghan is completing her final semester in the DSW Bridge Program, expanding on the foundation built through the apprenticeship. Her ongoing professional development reflects her deep commitment to the people and communities she serves.

Meghan’s story embodies the spirit of the Sadie Benner Award. Resilience, initiative, and advocacy in action. From entering the field during a global crisis to becoming a leader and role model within KW Habilitation, she has shown what it means to support people in living the lives they choose with dignity, independence, and belonging.

In honouring Meghan Churchill, Fanshawe College and the developmental services community celebrate not only her individual achievement, but also the enduring legacy of Sadie Benner and the countless advocates who continue to build a more inclusive world. We’re proud to congratulate Meghan and grateful she chose to start her career here, at KW Habilitation.

The post Celebrating Excellence: Meghan Churchill Receives the Sadie Benner Award appeared first on KW Habilitation.

♦

In Spanish, the word antojitos might translate to something like “little whims.” They are appetizer-sized dishes and may have some resemblance to a morsel found in tapas.

As little whims, they certainly pack lots of flavour and satisfaction.

A similar whim, but which is thousands of miles away, is dim sum, which means “heart’s delight” — the little bite that “touches your heart” and gives pleasure as it invigorates.

Check out my latest post Antojitos are “little whims” from AndrewCoppolino.com.