Glenn Smith Digs the Blues
Glenn Smith shares his memories of ‘the Legion’ at 48 Ontario Street during a live interview with Martin de Groot shot at the Commons Studio. Back in 1986 he began a new venture as a concert promoter, introducing an impressive rotation of blues talent to a receptive local audience. Revisit our walk-about in February HERE
Legendary performances and Sold-Out shows at the Legion Dance Hall animate the story of Kitchener’s love affair with the Blues
48 Ontario Street, an unassuming treasure nestled in Kitchener’s downtown technology cluster is the site of the 5th annual CSC Student Design Competition
Press Release Here
The winners of this year’s Design Challenge will be announced during the annual Grand Valley Chapter Connections Café on Wednesday, May 16th in the Atrium at Catalyst137
Glenn – so appreciate the interview and your endorsement of the competition, but thank you most of all for the many years of gutsy investment in live music. You’re the real deal.
Hope to see those posters someday!
Waterloo Region In The Making
Professor Rick Haldenby delivers an insightful and entertaining address to an audience of real estate enthusiasts at a breakfast event hosted by the KW Association of Realtors on Thursday, April 5th, 2018 at Bingemans Marshall Hall.
It is always a pleasure to hear Professor Haldenby speak. His passion for the industrial architecture of Waterloo Region is infectious, inspired by the wisdom of post war city builders whose economic development strategy enabled significant investment in training and education; building, as if with secret foreknowledge, the urban stage we see today. Act One of the Illustrious Industrious City was only a first draft, with the Second Act well into production with (seemingly) weekly funding announcements and new Scenes crafted in the presence of tech giants, plant expansions, and flourishing start-ups.
The Proverb ” A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children…” comes to mind as I reflect on Rick’s message summoned by the conviction that the “Waterloo Phenomena” has been made possible by inheritance. What really surprises me is that it remains unabashed throughout the panel discussion. We heard from four of the Region’s largest and most progressive developers: Craig Beattie (Perimeter Development Corporation), Scott Higgins (Hip Developments), Mike Maxwell (Momentum Developments), and Anne Marchildon (Andrin Ltd). Each one shared their perspective, back stories and vision with the civic pride and sincerity that comes with a personal commitment to the Region and a lot of skin in the game.
Yep, I’m going to listen to the tape again, to be sure it wasn’t just the chocolate chip pastries, but somehow I know they get inheritance…hmmm…stay tuned.
Brent Davis covers the event at The Record
More from Rick Haldenby…a series of thirteen video shorts recorded in 2016 at CSC & The Case of the Illustrious Industrious City: Act 1 Scene 1
Scott Higgins, President of Hip Developments Inc. expands on the ROI of “getting a little bit crazy” at Waterloo Region In The Making. Scott leads his team to be bold, think big and take action focused on building creativity and culture, a guiding principle of their construction projects.
Memories of prepping for the Riverbank Lofts launch party in Hespeler Village…
Links:
Hip Developments
Launch Waterloo
Waterloo Chronicle
Day In The District
Cambridge Times
Designing the Future
Shout out to Chris Adamkowski who knows a thing or two about future proofing in the age of Artificial Intelligence. He was the keynote speaker at this year’s CSC Building Expo, on Wednesday, February 28th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Chris is the Head of Industry at Google and manages a high performance team dedicated to Government, Travel, and Tourism clients in Canada. He dropped by our display of the 2017 Design Competition winning entries from Conestoga College and was introduced to the unique Maker Space Hub at http://catalyst-137.com/.
We hope to see more of him in Waterloo Region!
cscdesignchallenge.ca
Ground Hog Day in DTK
Students & faculty from the Ryerson School of Interior Design enjoyed a tour of 48 Ontario Street in Kitchener on Friday, February 2nd. This is the school’s fourth visit to Waterloo Region to experience the local culture and study the architectural, economic and demographic forces on significant properties of historical/cultural influence. Their research will inform this year’s case study of the former Bell Telephone Co. building turned Royal Canadian Legion Branch 50, otherwise known as “the Legion”.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value for 48 Ontario Street North
Glenn Smith joined the tour to get reacquainted with the building where back in 1986 he launched an outrageous experiment as a concert promoter and introduced such talented blues artists as Buddy Guy and Mel Brown from (mostly) New Orleans, Detroit and the Chicago area to a new audience in Kitchener-Waterloo. Legendary performances and Sold-Out shows at the Legion Dance Hall begins the story of Kitchener’s love affair with the Blues. Who remembers that Colin James played there when he was just 18?! If the walls could talk…
Watch for more about Glenn and Kitchener’s blues roots starting with the soon-to-be-released live interview with Martin de Groot at the Commons Studio
Sunshine & Frigid temperatures set the stage for a twist on the urban legend of Groundhog Day at Kitchener City Centre. Far from the predictable news from Willie, here is proof that Waterloo Region is not stuck in Groundhog day with this candid snapshot of genuine multi-sectorial collaboration. Shout out to our esteemed community leaders Martin de Groot, Raj Saini MP, Taymoore Balbaa, Cathie Schneider, Tammy Lawrence, Councillor Sarah Marsh, James Howe, and Glenn Smith.
For more about the CSC Student Design Challenge, visit the official website here and facebook page here
In the News…
Official Opening of the FHM
Capturing the warmth and tremendous support from the City of Cambridge and many other visionary community leaders including Waterloo Regional Council during the ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the Fashion History Museum in the village of Hespeler, Cambridge, Ontario
“Stepping Out”
A 8 minute (gorilla) video of the proceedings here
Shot during the ribbon cutting ceremony and official opening of the Fashion History Museum on Thursday, March 10th, 2016. Features the (unedited) opening remarks by Kenn Norman, CEO and an inspiring message delivered by City of Cambridge Mayor, Doug Craig. A demonstration of authentic community building in action. Nicely done!
Kathryn McGarry
Shines!
Museums & Musings in Winnipeg
A mindful and memorable experience
A walking tour of downtown Winnipeg, the Forks and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Fun Night at the historic Metropolitan hosted by the Winnipeg Chapter of Construction Specifications Canada during the 2015 National Conference
Thank you CSC Winnipeg! What will the Atlantic Chapter do for an encore in 2016?
Check out their pitch here
Soundtrack by Dan Walsh recorded live on Beaver Street in Preston
links:
The Forks
The Metropolitan
milling about Hespeler
the illustrious Mill Girls of Hespeler
while employed at Dominion Woollens and Worsteds
Soundtrack recorded at the Hespeler Heritage Centre
11 Tannery St., East in Cambridge, ON
Gramophone playback of Bing Crosby singing "Swinging On A Star" by songwriters Johnny Burke & James Van Heusen
more about the history of Hespeler Village at:
Visit Cambridge Ontario
The Company of Neighbours
Hespeler Heritage Centre facebook page
Jonathan Walford’s blog
The Star Nov 26, 2011
Lary in the News
Talkin’ it up! – The Mill Girls of Hespeler
LYRICS:
Would you like to swing on a star?
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a mule?
A mule is an animal with long funny ears
Kicks up at anything he hears
His back is brawny but his brain is weak
He’s just plain stupid with a stubborn streak
And by the way, if you hate to go to school
You may grow up to be a mule
Or would you like to swing on a star?
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a pig?
A pig is an animal with dirt on his face
His shoes are a terrible disgrace
He has no manners when he eats his food
He’s fat and lazy and extremely rude
But if you don’t care a feather or a fig
You may grow up to be a pig
Or would you like to swing on a star?
Carry moonbeams home in a jar
And be better off than you are
Or would you rather be a fish?
A fish won’t do anything, but swim in a brook
He can’t write his name or read a book
To fool the people is his only thought
And though he’s slippery, he still gets caught
But then if that sort of life is what you wish
You may grow up to be a fish
A new kind of jumped-up slippery fish
And all the monkeys aren’t in the zoo
Every day you meet quite a few
So, you see it’s all up to you
You can be better than you are
You could be swingin’ on a star
Carnivals, Buskers & Beer in Uptown Waterloo
2015 Waterloo Buskerfest
Thanks!
Sponsors, Volunteers & Performers
for your generous hospitality
Thursday evening, August 27th, 2015
Good Times & Great Beer at Abe Erb’s
The Jackets Live at Maxwell’s
good sound and a fun bunch at Maxwell’s Music House
Paul, was that you wiping the tables?
Nice place!
SJU CAMPUS & The Art of Building Backwards
- Breaking Ground in Waterloo Region
A LOOK INSIDE THE BIG ROOM
A Look Inside The Big Room is a link to a Prezi storyboard that captures my experience in the “big room” in February 2014 as an observer and complete newbie to Lean Methodology & IPD as a Project Delivery Method. Thanks to Arthur Winslow for opening the door (again) and for the encouragement to keep asking lots of questions.
“transformative innovation requires the deliberate support of enabling organizational culture, perspectives and processes” Roger Martin
ST. JEROME’S UNIVERSITY IN THE NEWS:
WHAT IS IPD?
WHO ELSE IS USING IT?
CSC Design Challenge to #reimagine🚂 1655 Dupont
Drop in and visit the CSC Student Design Challenge exhibit in the Winner’s Lounge at Expo 2019, live off the floor at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on February 27th. Sample the iGuide virtual tour of 1655 Dupont Street in Toronto, site of the 2019 Design Challenge.
🔗 meet Michael Vervena at iGuide
🔗meet Cathie Schneider, Co-Chair of the Design Competition Committee
🔗 visit cscdesignchallenge.ca 🔗 like us on facebook
🔗Building Design & Construction at George Brown College
21:31:41 CSCeXpo2019
Montage video recap of the 41st annual CSC Building Expo (21:31) shot live off the floor on February 27th, 2019.
I suited up and slew snowmaggedon on the Kitchener line GoTrain to Union Station, complete with all ten poster boards from last year’s design challenge safely in tow.
While frantically rummaging through pockets for my presto card, I caught a glimpse of Regional Councillor/City of Waterloo Mayor David Jaworsky waiting to board the train. Reflecting on his 2018 year-end interview with Craig Norris on The Morning Edition (*1) put a smile on my face despite an undertone of grumpiness for neglecting to make time for morning java.
20 sec mark🔖 “Construction in Today’s Connected World” was the keynote address from Dr. Rick Huijbreigts, the VP of Strategy and Innovation at George Brown College. Dr. Huijbreights expands on the convergence of IoT devices in building automation systems with low-voltage PoE, smart lighting, cloud management and analytics, all protected by emerging cybersecurity operational standards (*2) Yep, caught myself smiling again even before the aroma of coffee reached the table.
It was refreshing to see so many student volunteers from the college engaged at the expo; serving the industry, asking questions and making connections. The train has indeed left the station
2m30s mark🔖 Next stop on the tour we hear from Charles W. Skipper, partner at Foglar, Rubinoff LLP and no stranger to the Toronto Construction Association. The Queen’s University alumni cut his teeth articling with the Ministry of Attorney General before practicing commercial litigation at a major Toronto law firm. At Fogler, Rubinoff LLP since 1996, his expertise in the dynamics of construction and commercial disputes is highly sought after. Charles obtained his Master’s Degree in Law (LL.M) (Civil Litigation and Dispute Resolution) from Osgoode Hall, York University in 1998, specializing in construction litigation. He is a Harvard Law School trained negotiator, a lover of ancient history, and a surprisingly funny guy with a decent throwing arm (not captured in this video) (*3)
⚖ this is justice and I think it’s great, but I must say that I never had any idea in my life that you could ask so many questions for so long about so little ⚖
6m06s mark🔖A sobering overview of changes to the Construction Lien Act including lien registration/perfection, holdback, trust fund obligations, prompt payment rules and interim adjudication (*4)
18m01s mark🔖 CSC Student Design Challenge: the top five entries of the 2018 design competition on display in the winner’s lounge🥂
Cathie Schneider, Co-Chair of the CSC student design competition committee shares her enthusiasm with Michael Vervena as he demonstrates the use of iGuide’s 3D virtual tour of the 2019 Design Challenge site at 1655 Dupont Street in Toronto.
*1) Things that matter to Mayor Dave Jaworsky
*2) US legislation to improve IoT security
*3) Bell Canada v. Olympia & York Developments Ltd., 1994 CanLII 239 (ON CA)
*4) Changes to the Construction Act
IoT Jiggidy Jig
home again home again
for the IoT Mind to Market Seminar
at Catalyst137
Presentations from Steven Fyke, Creative Director at SnapPea Design, Mike Brown, Senior Director, Sales and Business Development at Swift Labs, Joel Dart, Manager of Sales and Business Development for Bell – IoT Solutions, Robert Rodriques for Sigma Point Technologies, Greg Dashwood, Product Lead, Internet of Things & Advanced Analytics at Microsoft and Alexander Fesiak, IoT Business Development Manager at Arrow Global. Opening remarks by Jean-Pierre Bhavnani of Miovision
Links:
snappeadesign.com/
swiftlabs.com/about-2/
iot.bell.ca/en/
sigmapoint.com/about-us/
azure.microsoft.com/en-us/overview/iot/
arrow.com/en/iot
Sue & Ryan & Sam – for the love of
Making Music
The Weber Brothers
For Sue Windover
An unexpected stroll into the heart of an artist to celebrate the release of
Park Your Boots
Discover What I Don’t Know
and
Sample the latest CD from Sue Windover
Special thanks to friend & folk artist Sandy MacDonald – for making the evening complete. Happy to hear we will be seeing more of you in DTK!!
Don’t miss the Weber Brothers live
on Friday June 8th
at the 
Starlight
with special guest
And before you arrive
watch
Before We Arrive
A feature length documentary of the Weber Duo’s musical journey
24 for 48 Ontario
Congratulations Winners!
Awards Night on May 16th held in the Atrium at Catalyst 137 – The site of last year’s design competition. Gorgeous space – thank-you Frank, PM Riley & the Building Team – a pleasure!
Shout out to our esteemed judges who made it possible to narrow down from 24 inspiring and noteworthy entries. Well done students!
Teams from Ryerson University, OCAD, UWaterloo, Conestoga College participated and five challengers rose to the top:
Fifth Place: “Statera” – Conestoga College Team: Mashael Alharbi, Chelsea Hummel & Amber MacPherson
Fourth Place: “Blues & Brews” – UWaterloo Team: Marius Hexan, Alexandra Siu, Hayley Sykes & Emmeily Zhang:
Third Place: “The Dark Room Hotel” – OCAD Team: Tori Wang, Lily Ni & Feeleng Leng:
Second Place: “The Four-Eight” – UWaterloo Team: Teresa Tran, Azadeh Shayanfar, Anisha Sankar & Parisa Hassanzadegan:
First Place: “House of Tech & Blues” – UWaterloo Team: Lauren Kyle, Jeremy Jeong, Justyna Maleszyk, Michelle Piotrowski & Keegan Steeper:
Just AWEsome…for more about the Student Design Competition, visit the official website at cscdesignchallenge.ca
to Trudy with Love
Remembering Trudy Beaulne
Trudy Beaulne passed away suddenly on Friday, January 5, 2018 at the age of 63. She was an activist who genuinely loved her community, her neighbourhood and her mission. She worked tirelessly to advocate for those suffering, especially from the effects of poverty, physical disabilities and mental illness. She was the Executive Director of the Social Development Centre Waterloo Region, formerly known as K-W Social Planning Council. I met her sometime in the mid nineties and she was a big fan of my vision to use primary schools as the central community hub of neighbourhoods. This was a radical idea at the time and met with strong resistance. Her loving heart and strong, tenacious personality set the example that I needed to draw from to navigate through the many obstacles to come. Innovative partnerships were formed with Toastmasters, Katimavik, the Food Bank, Region of Waterloo Public Health & the WCDSB to provide lunch hour and after-school programming at Smithson Public School in Kitchener as part of a pilot project to explore the school/community hub model. The project had a huge positive impact on the children who benefited the most, but was ultimately shot down. The seed was planted, but the ground proved infertile. Trudy’s guidance gave me the courage to plant anyways, no matter what the outcome.
This video is a collection of photos taken during the Festival of Neighbourhoods Celebration & Awards Ceremony at City Hall. Trudy “hired” me as the event photographer from 1997 to 1999. These photos were doubles of my prints uncovered on Valentine’s Day in a shoe box and scanned yesterday afternoon to create this slideshow.
The soundtrack “How I Got to Memphis” is one of my favourite songs by Soulstack, recorded live off the floor at the Boathouse in Kitchener on December 9th, 2017
Like Soulstack on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Soulstack/
Trudy’s signature…
Anti-Poverty Activist – Stood Up For Others
A Glimpse of Patagonia
The Fluffy Beaver returns to K-town!
Discover Patagonia and the delightful aroma of Fresh Ground
February 17th from 11AM to 1PM
Jessica Rose is a French self taught photographer and illustrator and has been for the past 15 years. Depending where she finds herself (her husband moves around a lot and she likes to follow), or where her life’s at, inspiration comes along to animate her camera or pencils. She’s currently working on a comic book and has a few projects up her sleeve.
Check out her work here :
Pictures : https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jessica-rose.html
Blog and Tarot Game (stories on the illustrations and rules) : http://www.thefluffybeaver.com/
Tarot Game shop : http://www.thefluffybeaver.etsy.com/
Instagram : jessikrose
Commissions and information : jessicarose@thefluffybeaver.com
Coming soon! a virtual shop on society6.com
The fluffy beaver returns to K-town in August. Watch for a sighting near you!
music & musings 