MAPLETON – Two people are dead following a serious three-vehicle crash here on Sunday evening.

Emergency crews were called to the intersection of 12th Line and Sideroad 16 in Mapleton at about 7:30pm on April 14.

Wellington County OPP officials say a white coupe, a silver mini van and a red pickup truck hauling a trailer were involved in the crash.

“The lone occupant of the white coupe, an 18-year-old male from Mount Forest, and a passenger in the pickup truck, a 44-year-old female from Alma, were both pronounced deceased at scene,” states an April 15 press release from the OPP.

“A 13-year-old passenger from the pickup was airlifted to a trauma centre with life-threatening injuries”

Police say three other occupants in the pickup were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries and three occupants in the mini van were not injured.

Anyone with information can call 1-888-310-1122.

The post Mount Forest teen, Alma woman dead after serious three-vehicle crash appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

Members of the UW community will have a new space to appreciate Indigenous knowledge and practises this coming fall term. The outdoor gathering space will act as a classroom setting for Indigenous content, as well as a gathering space for Indigenous-organized events and celebrations. It will also be open for campus community members to gather in when not in use. 

According to Jean Becker, associate vice president of Indigenous relations at the Office of Indigenous Relations (OIR), the idea for the space was conceived out of a desire to “add a tangible and visible connection” to the traditional territory the university sits on, the Haldimand Tract. 

The structure will be located on the BMH Green, near the Student Life Centre.

The design of the structure was led by principal Ryan Gorrie, who is Anishinaabeg and a member of Bingwi Neyaashi Anishinaabek, or Sand Point First Nation on Lake Nipigon, from the Indigenous Design Studio at BrookMcIlroy. Elements of the design stem from nature, including a roof design patterned after a species of trout native to the Grand River, and a roof structure that will “allows for interaction with natural elements” like wind flowing through. Trees and plants with significance to First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures will be featured a few months after completion of the structure.

Becker said that the design process was “highly collaborative and consultative,” including discussions with members of the Indigenous community, students and representatives from the Waterloo Student Indigenous Centre. 

The OIR will be seeking a Haudeonosaunee speaker with the ability to do naming, normally done through a ceremony, to determine a name for the space. 

HARRISTON – There was a large contingent of first responders here on Sunday afternoon searching for the source of what sounded like distressed calls for help from an unidentified woman.

Police want “to confirm the safety of a person who was heard screaming ‘help!’ near the Harriston Greenway Trail,” stated an April 14 press release from the Wellington County OPP.

Officers responded at about 2:45pm in the area of William Street West, in the northwest area of Harriston, police say.

“A witness reported hearing a woman’s voice screaming ‘help’ from off in the distance,” stated the OPP press release.

“Investigators have not been able to identify or locate the person who called out for help.”

Anyone with information can call the Wellington County OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

The post Police looking to identify source of calls for help in Harriston appeared first on Wellington Advertiser.

Health Services will now be offering same-day medical appointments for students. Students can book a same-day appointment by calling Campus Wellness at 519-888-4096 or walking in to make an appointment. Walk-in appointments will be based on same day service availability. 

Health Services provides all medical services through appointments for coughs, colds, illnesses, injuries, allergies, sexual health, STI screening, lumps and bumps, rash, nausea, vomiting, verification of illness form and more. 

If a student needs medical care, direct them to the services available at Campus Wellness. There are many programs and services to help students make their physical and mental well-being a priority.

Conestoga College celebrated the special occasion of International Women’s Day on March 8 in its Kitchener Downtown campus. The institution hosted the event in collaboration with students to promote gender equality and discuss the remarkable contributions of women, trans, and non-binary individuals. Michaela Angemeer, a queer Canadian poet passionate about sharing healing stories with people and inspiring them to embrace their emotions, joined the event as a guest speaker.

From a newfound desire for artistic expression just within the last five years, to blessing the halls of Kitchener City Hall, Chudear Oyual hosted her first-ever solo art exhibition titled “The Proclamation.”

Featuring eye-catching artworks based on South Sudanese Shilluk peoples, the exhibit brings abstract designs and striking portraits to life.

“I’ve gotten comments on the fact that this is sometimes a scary painting because of how real the eyes look as if there really is a soul behind them,” said Oyual. “It’s comforting knowing that in the creation of my art, my ancestors are with me.”

Oyual utilizes a wide variety of tools and styles on the canvas, from acrylic paints, oil, chalk, beads, and even spray paint. “It brings a different dimension to it,” said Oyual.

“My favourite piece is the Shilluk women with face scarification. It’s close to me because this is my mom’s culture that women would pierce their faces with needles to scar in a patterned manner, representing a high standard of strength and beauty.”

Oyual studied fashion and business at Seneca College in Toronto, where, despite limited creative outlets, the program helped rekindle her flame for artistic expression. “Other than that, everything is pretty much self-taught or watching YouTube tutorials,” said Oyual.

Starting out quenching her creative urges, Oyual gradually saw the growing interest in her work and began doing commission work for interested clients. “Money was never really a motivation as much as how happy people would be at experiencing the art,” said Oyual.

Oyual was born in Kenya and raised primarily in Canada, along with her three sisters and a single mother. “We’ve seen struggle and turmoil, but we also had a very strong family unit and great childhoods,” said Oyual.

In addition to her artwork, Oyual braids hair for local clients, helping her make extra money while simultaneously being a creative outlet for her. “It’s a pretty in-demand job. I get clients mostly from word-of-mouth,” said Oyual.

“The Proclamation” exhibition is on display in the Berlin Tower Artspace, inside Kitchener’s City Hall. Karoline Varin, the program administrator in the creative arts division at the City of Kitchener, highlighted the Artspace’s role in supporting emerging artists learning the ropes of the industry.

“[Oyual] is a young artist that shares a very sensitive and thoughtful viewpoint in her art. Her black and white portraits are especially powerful and really hold the viewer captive,” said Varin.

In addition to putting up the displays for free, the Artspace assists with promotion as well as sales with no commission fee. Artists can apply at the Berlin Tower Artspace website and are encouraged to do so at any time throughout the year, as it operates on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Oyual’s gallery is open at the Berlin Tower Artspace until the rest of April, and she’s already receiving great feedback. “Feedback has been supportive and very encouraging,” said Oyual.

“I am more than honoured to be recognized for the work I do, whether it’s a creation or bringing people together. It fulfills my purpose, and this is my joy.”

Guelph beer bus is back with free rides, a DJ, food, activities and brewery tours.

This term’s engineering play, titled The Engineering Student’s Guide to Time Travel, was put on in the Hagey Hall Auditorium last weekend on April 6 and 7. Only playing on Back to the Future ironically, the approximately 120-minute, two-act show was impressively original. It was exceedingly silly, terribly vulgar, and witty in the best of ways. There was even a point where I got goosebumps and watery eyes. In the few instances where it felt unrealistic, or when there was an ever-so-slight stutter over lines, it was overshadowed by laughter and intrigue. Overall, it was a joyous way to spend a Sunday night, and, being tremendously happy to have bought a ticket, I recommend readers attend future engineering plays. 

Following a group of UW engineers from various adversarial departments squabbling over the consequences of time travel, the play used time as a narrative device that put characters in comical situations, while also posing questions relevant to UW students, such as “is it moral to use Chegg?” It principally follows the interdimensional journey of eight students who made up the lead cast, and specifically, the academic failures of December Spankoffski (Stephanie De Pol), who will do anything to pass her physics exam – anything. In spite of extreme hesitation and warnings from her friend Remi (Barton Lu) against using “Valeria,” the name of the time machine built by peers Rowan (Kim Hoang) and Elliot (Senan Gaffori), she nonetheless decides to change the space time continuum, eluding the attention of the others who were too busy condemning Remi to keep watch of the machine. Amidst the chaos of whatever science guides the essence of time travel, December brings along Jamie (Zach Betts), Peyton (Daekun Kim), and the latter’s beloved robot, Sofia (Riya Dhillon). In traveling back to a time before she wrote her exam, in which she received a seven per cent from her doctoral professor, December is able to use her future knowledge of the questions (and Chegg) to pass with a resounding 65.5 per cent. The rest of the cast, however, is much more concerned with returning Valeria to its own timeline, and preserving the universe, than with December’s “f*cking exam.” 

A professional Broadway show cannot be expected from a faculty student association. As engineers, it is somewhat astounding that so many put in such time, effort, focus and passion into an artistic endeavour. But within the engineering society, it is a tradition. The society’s Youtube channel (featuring old videos that everyone should watch) has footage of plays dating back to the fall of 2009, though presumably, the first play dates back far earlier than that. Being in arts, I am somewhat disappointed that we cannot match this level of faculty-coordinated showmanship. But alas, like other experiences in my undergrad, I decided to role play as an engineer. 

Two love stories simultaneously unfolded as the play progressed. Jamie, a SYDE student who embodies the most exaggerated stereotypes of shy, awkward guys in STEM, is head over heels for Andi (Maya Wei), one of the most popular girls in engineering. At first, when Jamie “approaches” her group of friends (with more of a drunken march than a swaggering walk), he is laughed at after not forming a coherent sentence. But after getting shot back in time, he finds much more success with this timelines version of Andi compared to his own, after claiming to have beaten up a pack of Laurier engineers guided by “the dark one.” Peyton, in creating Sofia, quickly falls deeply in love with it in the most sad and dystopian ways, but is consistently rejected by the emotionless nature of her creation. Eventually, the writers allow Sofia to express emotions towards Peyton at the very moment when the group, needing the battery inside to get back to the future, is forced to sacrifice her. What follows is a genuinely sad moment of lost love that made me shed a tear. The rowdy audience, who had spent the last hour heckling and laughing out loud, watched on in relative silence. When they made it back to their own time, crisis was averted (save for December getting caught cheating, or, “chegging”), the emotional pull of chaos and confusion felt relatively resolved – a testament to the strength of the writing and direction. 

The play was written and directed by a trio of engineering students: Cam Barré, Alysha Law, and Jenny Yu. When all was said and done, and the performers took their final bows, these three were greeted with an outpour of applause from the 200 or so audience members, and a bouquet of flowers from the cast. The appreciation was well deserved. The play had excellent narrative progression and character development, seamlessly weaving hilarious archetypes of UW students into the story. For the average writer, it is very difficult to bring to life several characters who have been developed substantially enough for the audience to feel an attachment towards; consequently, productions like these will oftentimes only have three or four lead roles. But in this year’s ENG play, eight lead roles were able to share the stage together in a manner that did not feel forced or condensed, with each character having a function to the plot and something interesting (and funny) to say. 

Every writer knows that their brilliance of thought is nothing without proper execution. It is a good thing that the trio in this year’s ENG play had spirited acting performances that brought words to life and performed with impeccable comedic timing. I am not a huge fan of relying on curse words to arouse laughter, but here, it worked more often than not. De Pol as December was eye-catching; her body language was impossible not to notice whenever on stage, and the way in which she seemed to portray genuine anger immersed me deeply. Gaffori as Elliot was another highlight, playing the “straight man” who often acted as the sane, rational electrical computing engineer in the midst of insanity. His dialogues with December and Jamie were hilarious, providing deadpan responses and a few well-timed fits of frustration. Lastly, a star performance came from Dhillon as Peyton’s robot, Sofia. Moving with impeccable robotic grace, Sofia spoke quickly in monotone, only using speech inflections at the end once her emotions had been unlocked. As Sofia, Dhillon not only memorized hundreds of semantically complex lines, but performed them in a way that was sharp, quick, and without hesitation. There were a couple of instances where words were tripped over, but this was rare and hardly took away from the scene. Her performance made it easy to forget I was looking at a human being. The other five lead roles and background characters, such as Doctor Brown (Ruth McGuire) and the Dark One (Muzammiluddin Syed), also stood out during their time on stage. 

And the music! The complex display of singing and choreography was astounding. There were nine musical numbers in total, all based off of songs in other productions – with a UW engineering spin on each. Similar to Handel’s ‘Giulio Cesare’, the characters break the fourth wall by being conscious of and acknowledging the music itself. When Valeria arrives in the pre-exam era, the four of them are immediately greeted to a festive rendition of “La Dee Dah Dah Day” (from Team StarKid’s The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals), reacting with confusion and fear, never having had a musical number sung at them in their own timeline. Mariah (Amanda Hartwig) stole the show here, showcasing tremendous vocal range, and was at the forefront of a choreographed segment that was hilariously chaotic for the time travellers. But the standout musical act, the performance that had the entire auditorium hollering, was the rendition of “To Be a Man” (from Team StarKid’s Holy Musical B@man). Breaking out into song and dance in the midst of intense confrontation with the spooky Laurier engineers, Jamie stands up to them, going toe to toe with their leader (Acoy Campbell). During the infamous chorus, they moved in perfect rhythm to the music, while threatening, in polite terms, to kick each other’s butt as a myriad of middle fingers were raised. The choreography for this bit was stellar, and added a great deal of comedic value, especially in the dramatic shuffle step motion that each character did in unison to the threat of butt kicking. Other performances, such as Peyton’s “Sofia’s Song” and Jamie’s “Andi,” were more solemn and emotional in tone, heightening the drama of their respective love stories. I was not expecting such melodic flare from the eng play, but was thoroughly pleased with what I heard.

Lastly, the technical production should be commended. The Hagey Hall auditorium, finally seeing the limelight after months of renovation and shut downs, is back and better than ever, and this production took full advantage. Colours and shades evolved seamlessly and gracefully, being used for specific narrative purposes. The lighting (Alexander Hayhoe) controlled the stage with such technical precision that its ability to manipulate time ought to be investigated. In between scenes, the stage management (Emilia Zerbe) was smooth and did not meaningfully remove me from the narrative in such a way that broke the fourth wall to remind me I was watching a play. In times where transitions were lengthy, the entertaining music made up for it. Sound Tech (Christhpher Rzepka and Lucas Delvoye) was flawless, no doubt aided by the auditorium’s new and improved systems. With the play previously being held in the Arts Lecture Hall, Hagey Hall brought bigger and better possibilities that the directors and production managers took near full advantage of.

Overall, it was a very impressive production. I am happy that the engineers have an outlet to express themselves emotionally, as they are clearly anxious about their exams and the morality of breaking the space-time continuum. I rate An Engineering Student’s Guide to Time Travel 4.5 out of 5 stars, and would recommend the ENG play to students of all faculties in future terms.