A LARGE DONATION
Funds to be used towards professorship
News, page 4
WATERLOO’S HISTORY
What role did Waterloo play in prohibition?
SUMMER EATS
Barley Works in Waterloo reviewed
Features, page 8
Arts & Life, page 11
CARING FOR YOUR SKIN
e importance of using SPF in the summer
Opinion, page 13
ISAIAH ADAMS PROFILE
Ex-Laurier football player sets sights on NFL
Sports, page 15
What is your favourite ice cream avour?
CONTRIBUTORS
PHOTOGRAPHER Message posted on the door of the Uptown Gallery Waterloo.
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Occupy University of Waterloo (OccupyUW) launched their encampment “Gaza House” in front of the Graduate House building on campus to protest the University of Waterloo’s complicity and involvement in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
e encampment was rst set up at 7 a.m. on May 13. is occupation follows a series of encampments and protests enacted by other universities across the United States, Canada and Europe.
e encampment features a low fence, chairs, tents, speakers and Palestinian ags – it also has a variety of posters with messages such as “End Israeli Apartheid” and “Silence is Complicity.”
“We’re all getting really fed up with the complicity of our governments and institutions,” said Nicholas Joseph, OccupyUW’s media liaison. “It doesn’t sit well in my conscience that I’m coming here to study at an academic institution and with my dollars, they’re being sent to bomb children and hospitals.”
Joseph shares the protest’s three speci c demands. He said the university must disclose all of their investments, divest from companies directly contributing to the “most documented genocide of all time” and institute a formal academic boycott of these companies.
Joseph said the encampment is the students’ nal stand in a series of protests against the university.
He said students reached out to the administration continuously over the past three terms, including through senate meetings, petitions, email campaigns, rallies and vigils.
Voices for Palestine, a stu-
dent-run club on campus, hosted the largest protest in the university’s history in November with over 1,200 protesters in attendance.
“ e university’s complicity is far reaching, and it’s happened for a long time,” said Joseph. “We can’t wait any more for bureaucracy and we can’t wait anymore for the university’s apathy and investment interests.”
We are not doing this in isolation, this is a global movement of encampments. We’re sick of complicity, and this demands urgency.
-Nicholas Joseph, media liaison for OccupyUW
In an email to e Cord, Rebecca Elming, UW’s director of media relations and issue management, said the university is committed to considering the issues regarding their investments.
“We have already begun to engage with the group who have established an encampment on Waterloo’s main campus,” said Elming. “We intend to remain in dialogue with the organizers of the protest to ensure that the encampment remains safe for everyone on the campus.”
On June 3, OccupyUW posted a message on their Instagram about meeting with the university administration.
“Last week we met with the UW Admin and yet again they continue to show complete disregard to their complicity,” said OccupyUW. “Our message is clear: marginal concessions will not appease us.”
Elming said the university prioritizes the health and safety of
the community and is focused on ensuring normal operations. She also said that cameras with clear signage were installed to ensure everybody’s safety.
On June 10, the university held a special senate meeting with more than 20 senate members made up of both faculty and students to discuss the encampment’s demands.
“As a result of our collective e orts, our rst demand of disclosure has been fully met,” said a member of the encampment in a video posted to OccupyUW’s Instagram. “ e students of this encampment want commitments, not committees.”
On June 3, the university announced they have disclosed information about its investments and has already started work on two task forces to review their guidelines for future investments.
On June 21, lawyers representing the university served members of the encampment a legal trespass notice
“You have been asked verbally and in writing to leave the premises and have not complied with the request,” reads the notice. “ e University will pursue consequences under University policies, and/or agreements, and the law.”
Student populations across the world have resorted to on-campus encampments for several reasons, including how their universities are using student tuition towards funding interests in the Israel-Hamas war as well as their administration’s general disregard for other forms of student protests.
“We are not doing this in isolation, this is a global movement of encampments. We’re sick of complicity, and this demands urgency,” said Joseph. “It’s time that we, as a community, stand up.”
On June 25, the university led an injunction against the encampment, declaring $1.5 million in damages from a named list of seven students, Jane Doe, John Doe and “persons unknown.”
million
Donation will be used for new endowed professorship in voice and choral music education
Earlier in June, Wilfrid Laurier University announced in a news release that chancellor Eileen Mercier donated $1.4 million dollars to the university’s music program for the new Eileen Mercier Endowed Professorship in Voice and Choral Music Education.
e professorship will involve hiring a faculty member who will work with Voice and Choral Music students in the Faculty of Music.
With her term ending on June 30, Mercier wished to make onenal donation to round o her time at Laurier. e endowed professorship is estimated to begin searching for a candidate in September 2024.
“As my chancellor’s rule was coming to an end, I thought it’s time to make the one big gift,” said Mercier.
Mercier has been involved with the Laurier community since 1985, serving as chair from 1998 to 1990 and member of the Board of Governors until 1991.
NATURE
Following these contributions, Mercier became a member of the President’s Council of Advisors from 2010 to 2017 and obtained the role of chancellor in 2016.
“ e donation itself is very generous, and university music faculties are continually under stress for funding,” said Kimberley Barber, associate dean external relations, partnerships and graduate studies for the faculty of music.
Barber holds a Bachelor of music and opera diploma from the
University of Toronto and has been an instructor at Laurier since 2002. She is currently the opera program coordinator and will serve as a member of the hiring committee for the professorship.
“When it’s an important position like this, you want to get as wide of a reach as you possibly can,” said Barber. “We’re hoping to attract international applicants as well, but also the top applicants in Canada.”
Reminiscing on her conversation with Cynthia Johnson Turner,
the dean of music, Mercier said she began by asking what the most bene cial contribution to the faculty of music would be. She explained that Turner wanted an endowed professorship and they came to an agreement on choosing a professorship that would be involved with choral music or voice, which was Mercier’s primary interest has been at Laurier. is professorship follows Mercier’s many other contributions to Laurier during her time
at the university, including three scholarships – the Eileen Mercier Arts Scholarship, Eileen Mercier Science Scholarship and Hamish P. Mercier Scholarship.
“ e main thing is never give up. Never keep persevering. It’s very easy for the world to tell you no. But somewhere there’s a yes. Somewhere there’s an answer that’s going to be good for you and helpful for you,” said Mercier when asked to give advice to graduating students.
Earlier this year, the turtle nest Protector event organized by the RARE charitable eco-centre in Cambridge hosted an event to raise awareness for the declining Blending turtle population in Ontario, caused by environment-induced threats such as predators and human construction.
Habitat fragmentation and road mortality are taking a toll on the adult turtle population, resulting in e RARE Turtle project started in 2017, when the organization took turtle nests from unsafe environments and incubated the eggs before releasing the hatchlings back into their habitat.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization started making turtle nest protectors, habitats which are created from four wooden planks with mesh holding them together.
According to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre, eight turtle species are currently endangered or threatened across the province. ese include the blanding’s turtle, eastern musk turtle, northern map turtle, painted turtle, snapping turtle, spiny softshell turtle, spotted turtle, and wood turtle.
e nest protectors are to protect unprotected turtle nests from potential environmental-induced threats, which include predators and humans, said Michelle McMillian, an educator at the RARE charitable research reserve.
Turtles require a long, warm
season to reproduce, and south-western Ontario has the most diversity and concentration of amphibians and reptiles across Canada. But the area also has a large human population connected by a network of roads and land manipulation. As turtle popula-
tions become threatened by predators and human activity, McMillian stresses how critical it is to gure out a way to protect the species as they lose their habitat.
Further, populations are especially at-risk during nesting season as they tend to travel and turtle
eggs do not have protection against predators, such as raccoons and external human threats such as construction.
“We need to gure out ways to give them a chance to learn how to survive in the wild without the constant impending danger of their surroundings,” McMillan said, elaborating on how turtles are in immediate threat after their birth and require time and maturation to adapt to their surroundings.
One of the turtles currently at risk in Ontario is the spotted turtle. e species became classi ed as endangered in 2015 by the enacted Endangered Species Act, 2007.
Another invasive species of turtles that the protectors are for is the Blending Turtle eggs. e adult Blanding turtle population su ers the most threat due to its high mortality rate on roads and freeways. Due to the concerning rates, the Blanding turtle population will decrease signi cantly over the next three generations, decreasing from 25,000 to under 5,000 as estimated in a study by David C Seburn and Kari Gunson for the Government of Canada.
Nature reserves across Ontario continue their e ort to protect the natural habitats and domestic species residing across the province. e turtle nest protector event hosted by the reserves is there to encourage individuals to participate in the preservation of endangered animals across the province.
Community groups call for Loblaws to regulate their grocery prices across the country
Many Canadians were committed to boycotting Loblaw Companies Limited stores across the country in May in protest of rising grocery prices. Today, thousands are continuing until their demands are met.
e protest was started by Emily Johnson, a social worker who was fed up with exorbitant grocery prices, decreasing food quality and the grocery chain’s contribution to the cost-of-living crisis faced by Canadians.
“Loblaw, out of the Big 5 grocers, has the largest market share,” said Johnson in an interview with CBC News. “Our community felt that it was not the only problem, but de nitely the biggest one.”
e boycott’s demands are for Loblaw to sign the grocery code of conduct, a voluntary set of guidelines set to improve relationships between big grocers and their suppliers.
e code of conduct is meant to regulate the Big 5 grocers, which are Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro, Costco and Walmart. Other demands are to stop retailer-led price increases and increasing dividends to increase cost transparency, along with to put a price cap on “essential” items to end “price gouging.”
While Loblaw has signed the grocery code of conduct, Johnson said herself and many others will continue their boycott until all the demands are met.
Most recently, Loblaw increased their dividend by 15 per cent, directly contradicting one of the demands of the boycott group.
e boycott almost immediately gained traction online on the “loblawsisoutofcontrol” Reddit forum, where thousands of Canadians took the opportunity to share their issues with the Canadian retail giant.
Loblaw reached out to Johnson in May and set up a time for her to speak with Per Bank, Loblaw’s CEO.
“We talked a lot about our biggest concerns, cost issues, food security issues and about hoping for bigger industry changes,” said Johnson about her meeting
with Bank on CTVNews. “I see Per Bank as a maverick and as a change-maker.”
On campus, students have been feeling the e ects of the rising cost of living since the pandemic.
Karly Rath, the volunteer and community engagement director for the Laurier Students’ Public Interest Research Group (LSPIRG) started the Distro program, a food bank speci cally for Laurier students experiencing any level of food insecurity.
e group is run by LSPIRG and Luther and was established to combat food insecurity in October, 2020.
Today, the Distro serves up to 205 students per week. According to a survey taken this past winter by LSPIRG, one in ve students who accessed the Distro received all the food they eat in a week from
I imagine that it’s over 50 per cent of students that are now food insecure.
the program.
According to Food4Hawks, a study on food insecurity at Wilfrid Laurier University published in 2020, 47 per cent of students were food insecure to some extent at the time and 23 per cent were severely food insecure.
“I imagine that it’s over 50 per cent of students that are now food insecure,” said Rath on the growing number of students experiencing food insecurity today.
e increase is largely attributed to the rising cost of living faced by students.
“Part of challenging the Big 5 grocers should include creating and supporting our alternative food systems and fostering food sovereignty,” said Rath.
“ e incredible exploitation that’s happening in our community locally and beyond is harming our students and greatly impacting their access to food.”
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Dear life is your opportunity to write a letter to life, allowing you to vent your anger with life’s little frustrations in a completely public form. All submissions to Dear Life are anonymous, should be no longer than 100 words and must be addressed to your life. Submissions will be minimally edited for grammar, spelling or punctuation. All submissions must be sent to the QR code below by August 15 to be featured in our September issue.
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
Your summer plans include scheduling far more so- cial events than you can actually attend. Don’t forget to slow down (something you desperately need to do!)
Gemini (May 21 - June 21)
Your summer plans include parties, dancing and fri- volity - don’t forget to make time for self care! Having one night o isn’t a loss.
Leo (July 23 - Aug. 22)
Your summer plans include planning intricate, aesthetically pleasing dinners for your group of friends - don’t forget to let others take the reins once in awhile!
Libra (Sept. 22 - Oct. 23)
Your summer plans include a meticulously outlined summer plan to tackle all of your responsibilities - don’t forget to make time for spontaneity!
Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21)
Your summer plans include an adventurous romp into the many di erent hobbies you’ve planned to try - don’t forget to see these hobbies through the learning phase!
Aquarius (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18)
Your summer plans include contributing to human- itarian causes you believe in. Don’t forget to take some time o to bask in the sun!
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
Your summer plans include spending far more than you should on reinventing your space - don’t forget to keep an eye on your bank account!
Cancer (June 22 - July 22)
Your summer plans include delving deep into your soul and spending time outside journaling - don’t forget to make time for frivolity!
Virgo (Aug. 23- Sept. 22)
Your summer plans include a meticulously outlined summer plan to tackle all of your responsibilities - don’t forget to make time for spontaneity!
Scorpio (Oct. 24 - Nov. 21)
Your summer plans include a list of lovers who you will studiously sort through to nd your match - don’t forget to set down your perfect partner check- list!
Capricorn (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19)
Your summer plans include elevating your status at work - don’t forget to make time for your friends!
Pisces (February 19 - March 20)
Your summer plans include trying to help far too many people and making no time for yourself. Don’t forget that it’s okay to be sel sh sometimes!
Editorial
OPINION EDITOR
ABIGAIL DOMBROVSKY opinion@thecord.ca
EDITORIAL CARTOON
BEHLING
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Canada’s New Democratic Party has proven that it does not have “the courage to do what’s right” which is a slogan on their website after removing the party’s Hamilton MPP Sarah Jama from caucus near the end of October.
This removal follows the snowball effect of Jama’s Oct. 10 statement posted on X calling for the “end all occupation of Palestine land and end apartheid.”
After backlash from Ontario Premier Doug Ford and corrective action by Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles,. Jama said on X on Oct. 11 “I unequivocally condemn terrorism by Hamas on thousands of Israeli civilians. I also believe that Israel’s bombardment and siege on civilians in Gaza, as was also noted by the United Nations, is wrong.
Why, then, was she removed from caucus?
In their statement on the issue, the NDP said Jama had been removed due to taking a “number of unilateral actions that have undermined our collective work and broken the trust of our colleagues.”
However, on their website, the NDP states that if elected, they will be a “force for peace” that do not “fuel conflict and human rights abuses abroad.”
Is this not what Jama was doing? In a follow-up tweet to her apology on Oct. 11, Jama added “I stand by the position of our federal party.”
The outcry and subsequent
removal of Jama from caucus in response to her statement seems like an over-reaction when other Canadian politicians have called for ceasefires themselves.
Kitchener Green MP Mike Morrice called for a ceasefire by signing a petition to the Government of Canada on Feb. 26. Waterloo Liberal MP Bardish Chagger did the same.
On May 31, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself said the country has been “calling for an immediate ceasefire, an urgent increase in unhindered humanitarian assistance, and the release of all hostages” in a post on X.
None of these individuals have been removed from their positions due to their calls for a ceasefire.
The removal of Jama from caucus stands against Canada’s parliamentary privilege itself, where individuals are permitted to speak freely in the “most important of the privileges enjoyed by members of Parliament.” according to the House of Commons’ official website.
Now, it can be argued that Jama took her call to social media. But under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, every Canadian has freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression. This includes freedom of the press and “other media of communication.”
Jama’s removal is unfair and breaks these given rights.
This all leads me to believe that perhaps in forthcoming years, we’ll see even more authoritarian restrictions on what we can and can’t post on social media in this country — sort of like what Bill C-18 has already started. THE CORD IS PUBLISHED BY
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I don’t claim to be an urban planner and my knowledge on this topic does not extend beyond my own research coupled with my binge-watching of Parks and Recreation., but as a life-long citizen of suburbia, I feel that my personal experience resonates with others. At which point did we go from parks that supported natural enrichment to parks that support sanitized ecosystems, redacted of nearly all native species and harmony?
Beyond the aesthetic and organism-based benefits, climate shifts require us to adjust our surroundings. Cities are required to include green spaces.
From canopy covers to infrastructure that encourages pedestrian traffic, yet often the case is that actual use of natural density is an afterthought — second to propping up a couple of trees amidst levelled, manicured lawns.
In my opinion, this approach to a complex of natural elements leads to a disconnect from the well-being benefits nature
provides and supports a bleak suburban experience.
Although there are protected green spaces within Waterloo, such areas often satisfy the park’s criteria by having large areas of land which comprise of Kentucky blue-grass.
Small parkettes and inner city patches host only the occasional bundle of bushes and seasonal plants that are restricted to designated spaces.
On one hand, encouraging nature to refresh cemented city areas may encourage more animals and insects to wander closer to our brick and mortar establishments, but that is not nearly as large of an issue when we are able to control what foliage attracts certain species.
The mindful planting of native flora overall helps elevate public spaces and encourages local gatherings, photography and interactions with nature.
“Heat gaps” in cities demonstrate the differences between low and high income areas, as the number of trees and greenery substantially reduce heat by several degrees Celsius in certain areas within cities.
Native plants are native for a reason – their evolution has adapted accordingly to the region’s climate fluctuations and these
species have demonstrated their use within the ecosystem. On one end of the extreme, in 2022 the Nevada State Legislature outlawed non-functional turf lawns by the end of 2026 as part of their water conservation efforts.
Their goal is to reduce water usage while promoting sustainable landscaping practices.
The ban applies to streetscapes, median strips, parking lots, traffic circles and other areas where foliage is utilized for aesthetics.
Instead, resident businesses are mandated to replace non-functional turf with drought-tolerant landscaping.
This initiative is a large step in the right direction, which should encourage proactive approaches across more densely populated areas to promote water conservation, heat reduction and mindful landscaping amid ongoing concerns.
By constantly prioritizing saving money, building for the now and saving details for later, we deny ourselves the experience to stop and smell the flowers.
With the week of June 17 making headlines for generating a heat wave near record highs in southern Ontario, staying cool is on everyone’s mind. We can (and would) benefit from better green space planning.
Over the years, Wilfrid Laurier University has obtained a reputation as a party school.
Magazines Narcity and Ma- cleans have cited Laurier as one of the best universities in Canada for student nightlife.
Waterloo is home to a plethora of unique breweries, distilleries, bars and nightclubs – speci cally on the city’s King Street strip.
While modern day Waterloo is a vibrant location for students, residents and visitors to visit for a lively night out, this was not always the case.
Today, Laurier students drink in the same places that once ran dry without knowing the history behind the places they frequent.
Prohibition, an act which restricted the importation, manufacturing and transportation of alcohol, was federally en- forced in Canada from March 1918 to December 1919. Unlike the United States of America, Canadian prohibition impacted each province individually –while eastern provinces such as Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia experienced a prohibition that lasted decades, Ontario’s lasted 11 years, spanning from 1916 to 1927.
To explore Waterloo’s prohibition, the City of Waterloo Museum has curated an exhibit paired with a self-guided walking tour that takes participants around the city to di erent historical sites.
Informational stickers are placed in front of historical prohibition sites from May through to October of this year.
“I think there’s a lot out there that we don’t know about our community’s past,” said Jenni- fer Huber, the Museum’s Program and Community Engagement Associate.
Early 20th century Waterloo relied on their brewing and distilling industries, which resulted in a widespread public disapproval of Ontario’s prohi- bition law.
Where there is restriction, there is de ance - through- out the province’s prohibition, those who lived and ran their businesses in Waterloo found creative ways to defy government legislation.
Huber mentioned the creation of a mail order loophole that allowed individuals to obtain alcohol.
“Ontario had prohibition at a time when Quebec didn’t. People could send mail orders to get whiskey from Quebec mailed to them here in Ontario,” she said.
Medicinal alcohol served as another loophole as druggists were permitted to prescribe liquor for medical purposes. S. Snyder’s Druggist in Waterloo, formerly located in a building on King Street near the corner of Erb, was one of the locations that provided citizens with over-the-counter alcohol.
Perhaps the most well-known form of de ance during the prohibition were speakeasies. ese were locations where alcohol was illegally sold and women were permitted to drink.
“ ey would have two taps in some places where you’d have one tap that served the appropriate alcohol content - beer, for example, and the other tap that served the stronger beer,” said Huber. “Or they would have holes where they could discard any sort of evidence and then turn water on and it was cleared up.”
Although there are not any known locations in Waterloo that used to be speakeasies, Huber told a story from the Al- exander House, a former hotel once located on the corner of King and William Street. “ ey sold a beer that was too high of an alcohol percent content during Prohibition and the bartender ran into a little bit of legal trouble as a result of selling it,” she said.
Finding loopholes in federal legislation to continue the sale of alcohol was also explored by those manufacturing and selling alcohol during prohibition in Waterloo. An interesting case is seen with businessman Samuel Bronfman.
Waterloo’s famous Seagram Distillery, established in the 1850s, was originally a our milling business before becoming a manufacturer of whiskey.
Huber explains that it was Joseph Seagram who realized there was more money to be made in distillery. Due to his distribution of whiskey around the globe, Waterloo was recognized internationally.
When prohibition was enacted, the Seagram Distillery was struggling.
Joseph’s sons had taken over the business and did not want to participate in illegal bootleg-
ging of alcohol.
e company faced nancial struggles and was later bought by Samuel Bronfman.
is purchase saw great returns as even after Canadian prohibition was ended in 1927, it continued in America. Due to the complete restriction posed by American prohibition, no alcohol was able to be manufactured in the United States and Bronfman was able to provide Canadian whiskey.
Huber explains that Bronfman was successful through the lack of legal proof that followed the carloads of Seagram goods that would be shipped out.
“[Bronfman] feigned inno- cence when he said, ‘We loaded carloads of goods, got our cash and shipped it. Of course, we knew where it went, but we had no legal proof. And I never went on the other side of the border to count the empty Sea- gram’s bottles, you people were thirsty,’ said Huber.
Waterloo also had its own local alcohol bootlegging headquarters. Where nightclubs t- tingly named “ e Drink” and “ e Prohibition Warehouse” stand today on King Street, there once was the Sehl and Heppler Garage.
Huber explains that Alan Bueller, the doorman for the Sehl and Heppler Garage and author of e Pennsylvania German Dialect and the Life of an Old Order Mennonite Man, would frequently see gangsters at the garage.
“What is believed is there was a store warehouse in Elmira that held all kinds of whiskey,” Huber said.
“Somebody would call and place their order for whiskey. Two guys would leave in a truck, go get it, and whoever was picking it up would pull into the garage.
In less than two minutes, they would swap the whiskey from one vehicle into the other and be back o on their way, never taking the same route, or so they said, to get out of Water- loo.”
Huber also mentioned that underground tunnels were later discovered.She says there is a rumor that these tunnels were used to transfer alcohol from the Huether Hotel to the Seagram Houses.
“Who knows the full truth but
there is thought that it was tied to Al Capone,” she said.
e Ontario Temperance Act was passed in September,1916, outlawing the sale of alcohol but not its manufacture or distribution.
As federal prohibition would not be enacted for two more years, distilleries under federal jurisdiction could remain open. e prohibition of alcohol was not sprung upon Canadians unexpectedly.
It came from a build-up to measures heavily in uenced by the temperance movement, which cited alcohol as the main root of societal issues.
Dan Malleck, the author of Try to Control Yourself: e Regulation of Public Drinking in Post-Prohibition Ontario and a health sciences professor at Brock University, explained that the temperance move- ment resulted from worries surrounding the role alcohol morally plays on the nuclear family and the economy.
“A lot of times it was pitched as drunken husbands taking all the money out of the house to drink, become drunks, beat their family and kill themselves or others,” he said. Huber explained that temperance groups in uenced Waterloo as well.
“ ere were a lot of people who promoted abstaining from alco- hol. Men and women alike were part of temperance movements and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union was the largest,” she said.
With the end of Ontario’s Prohibition in 1927 came the creation of the LCBO.
“When I started researching the LCBO, I expected to be reading about the takeover of government by the temperance movement. I expected the people who were running the LCBO to be parroting the temperance move- ment,” said Malleck. “But what I found was that, in fact, they were the exact opposite. ey were people whose job was to get people drinking, but get people drinking in a legal environment in the proper way.”
For the rst 35 years of the LCBO’s operation, liquor permits were enforced. Stores would ask customers to tally what they bought in order to monitor their purchasing.
“Not everybody knows those little pieces of history as they walk down King Street,” said Huber.
LIZZDREW TAKE ON THE ‘LOO
ARTS & LIFE EDITOR
BAILEY MCINTYRE arts@thecord.ca
ANDREW EATON
ARTS CONTRIBUTOR
ELIZABETH MENDEZ
ARTS CONTRIBUTOR
For this very special summer edition of LizzDrew Take On e ‘Loo, your favorite food reviewing duo took a trip to the classic Barley Works.
Located in the historic Huether Hotel at 59 King St. N., it stands as a convenient place to get a bite, play some billiards or have a quick stop at the café, both of which are located on the ground oor of the hotel.
e historic architecture added to our nal rating of ambiance and atmosphere, as we sat at the top of the restaurant’s trademark elevated patio, which gave us a great view of Uptown Waterloo.
As our readers know, we love to start with an appetizer, but clearly our choice of spinach and artichoke dip must be a smash hit, as
they had sold out the night before. As a result, our hungry stomachs couldn’t take it anymore and we had to jump right in with an entrée.
Lizzie made a split-second decision and ordered the classic barley clubhouse.
e ciabatta bread was, as she puts it, “scrum-diddly-umptious,” but the chicken was dry. However, that is pretty par for the course with this tried-and-true sammy.
(If she knew she didn’t like them, why did she order it? Our readers and Lizzie herself may never know).
Andrew went with the crispy bu alo chicken wrap. While it was nothing to write home about, it hit the spot. e bu alo sauce lacked the kind of kick he was looking for, but the lettuce and tomatoes were great as always and the inclusion of ranch dressing in the wrap was a unique and valued addition. e true standout of the meal was Lizzie’s side order of wa e fries with chipotle sauce. e fries
were incredibly well seasoned and tender and with the added sauce, it would make any Chick- l-A fan nod in approval.
With the food out of the way, we must give special mention to the Barley Works specialty cocktail we had, called the Scooby Snack. Modeled after the Scooby-Doo gummies that were surely a staple of many a lunch box, it was amazing — so much so, that Andrew made sure to drink nearly all of it (even though it was ordered by Lizzie).
Overall, Barley Works is a nice place to spend an afternoon or evening if you’re in Waterloo, with good bites, good vibes and an even better location. If you feel inclined to go enjoy some time in the sun at Barley Works, tell them LizzDrew sent you!
Ratings:
Ambiance: 8 out of 10
Drinks: 7.5 out of 10
Food: 7 out of 10
A ordability: 6.5 out of 10
e Young Woman’s Christian Association Kitchener-Waterloo (YWKW) held their YW Rise Up Breakfast at Bingeman’s Conference Centre with guest speaker Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and interviewer Lisa LaFlamme.
e breakfast took place on May 23, with money raised at the event supporting women, children and gender diverse individuals in the Kitchener-Waterloo community.
Individual tickets cost $250, while tickets for a table of eight cost $1,800.
Guests were seated at round tables throughout the room and were served breakfast by Bingemans sta while listening to a Q&A with local female entrepreneurs Francine Gall from Acapulco Pools, Erin Moraghan from Nutrition for Learning and Jenny De Cicco from Gina Studio Estético.
Following this, Gregoire Trudeau and LaFlamme took the stage.
“We are honored to have Sophie here today to share her personal stories of empowerment, many of which shechronicles in her new book Closer Together: Knowing Ourselves, Loving Each Other,” said Karen Coviello, President of
YWKW.
LaFlamme is a journalist, broadcaster and the rst women to host CTV National News.
A Kitchener local, LaFlamme was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022, following her 2019 role as an o cer to the Order. She was also named a member of the Order of Ontario in 2017 for her role in promoting human rights, including her involvement in improving education for Afghan women.
In an introductory question to Grégoire Trudeau, LaFlamme asked about her mindset since the announcement of her separation, and what coping skills she employs to maintain a healthy state of mind.
Grégoire Trudeau is a speaker, ambassador for youth self-esteem, and the former spouse of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Her rst book, Closer Together, was released on April 23 and leads readers on a “deeply personal journey toward self-knowledge, acceptance, and empowerment, drawing on the expertise of top psychologists, psychiatrists and thought leaders,” according to the title’s Penguin Random House Canada blurb.
For her novel, Grégoire Trudeau interviewed 20 di erent experts in multiple elds from neuroscientists to dehumanization experts.
She explains how traumatic life events can contribute to body and brain stressors that reject the brain from undergoing a full mental
analysis of these traumas after they have taken place.
“Everybody has their own challenges and obstacles in their lives, we all have a story. We’re all one trauma away from each other,” Grégoire Trudeau said. She shares that she wrote the book due to the “unexamined life” that exists within the mind and brain of each individual.
As the former spouse of the prime minister, Grégoire Trudeau has faced widespread criticism across social media due to the actions of the Prime Minister – something that LaFlamme pinpoints when asking how these traumas have impacted not only Grégoire Trudeau, but other members of the Trudeau family.
“You contend with constant judgement and retargeted, hurtful, hateful comments,” said Gregoire Trudeau. ese comments have also impacted Gregoire Trudeau’s children.
Grégoire Trudeau and the prime minister share three children –Xavier, Ella-Grace and Hadrien.
In her response, Grégoire Trudeau spoke on her experience observing how female ministers navigate the similar targeted comments that appear on their social media pages.
“People are moving from an insecure place and hate stems from a deep need for connection,” she said.
When it comes to protecting her children, Grégoire Trudeau said she prioritizes maintaining a close
and loving family that isn’t scared of having awkward conversations –even when it comes to addressing comments directed at the Prime Minister on social media.
“ ey see it. But they also see the quality of the man that he is,” Gregoire Trudeau said. “I can’t shield my kids, and I won’t. I refuse to do that. My kids are going to be freaking ready for the world. Does it mean without rules? No. ey’ve seen a lot. ey’ve heard a lot.”
To close the event, Grégoire Trudeau led the room in a guided meditation before sharing insight into what she wishes for her future having now released her book.
“I do think that I have enough love inside of me to nourish as much as I can. at’s what I intend to do until my last breath, so that when I take my last breath the question, ‘Will I have loved enough?’ will be answered naturally,” she said.
Established in 1905, YWKW was founded by Christian women who aimed to increase community and housing supports for young women in the region. Today, the organization provides programs and services for women that support physical and mental wellbeing and economic independence.
Beatrice O’Connell is a rst-year youth and children’s studies student with a minor in English at Wilfrid Laurier University’s faculty of liberal arts.
is is her rst time returning to school after two years, and she said being a student again immediately opened more doors for her in the job market.
After graduating, O’Connell wants to work with youth or become an early childhood educator for children with disabilities. She is currently on the search for work opportunities at daycares and she said being a youth and children’s studies student has already helped her get more interviews than she normally would have before she was in school.
“A lot of people were very excited to have students on board,” she said, as students bring new perspectives to the workplace.
She added that most employers want to hire younger people
because they know tuition can be expensive.
Hasna Isase is a fourth-year English student with a minor in philosophy. In her rst year at Laurier, Isase said it was di cult to nd a job.
But she knew three languages, French, English and Spanish, so she decided to launch her own tutoring business with a focus on the English language and she’s been running it ever since.
Her students include children who want to excel in school as well as adults and immigrants looking for better job opportunities.
“A lot of it is getting to know people and knowing when to insert yourself in an opportunity when it opens up,” she said. “I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t learn from my professors because a big aspect is just learning from other people and what they tell you.”
roughout her third year at Laurier, Isase was a research assistant for associate English professor Ken Paradis.
She already knew Paradis from one of her classes on American literature and talked to him about looking for a research position. at’s when he gave her this opportunity.
“If you have a good rapport, people are more willing to work with you,” said Isase, adding that the job market is much more connection-based now. “
Not every professor will lend their hand out, but because you have a good rapport with them, because they know you respect the craft, because they know you’re hard-working — they will lend out the hand.”
On top of her classes, Isase is also a member of Laurier’s History Students’ Association (HSA) and English Students’ Association (ESA) since her second year in her program.
She said some jobs look for community building skills, which is where volunteer experiences in student clubs play a part.
O’Connell started her courses in the winter and as a nal assignment for her children’s literacy class, she was asked to create her own children’s book.
at’s when she wrote Lily’s Day at the Grocery Store, a sensory book about a young girl’s experience with autism and her trip to a grocery store, along with how overstimulating that can be.
O’Connell illustrated each picture by hand so children could
feel di erent textures in the book. She used water colour for the backgrounds, oil pastels for the foreground and characters — and sandpaper for an itchy pair of pants to show how certain clothing can bother some children with autism.
Part of the assignment was to read the nished book to children through Laurier for Literacy, a literacy program in partnership with Laurier Brantford and the
Brantford Public Library, where O’Connell was already volunteering to gain experience working with children.
“Being able to creatively express myself in school is something I never thought I’d be able to get,” she said. “I just made a book and I had so much fun doing it.”
She said making the book itself has created a lot more opportunities for her, especially if she wants to go forward with publishing it.
OPINION EDITOR
ABIGAIL DOMBROVSKY
opinion@thecord.ca
With the rise of over 30-degree days on our radars, the Canadian Skincare Foundation estimates that more than 80,000 cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed this year.
Additionally, the Canadian Cancer Society estimates that approximately 11,300 Canadians will be diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer, of which 1,300 Canadians might die.
Melanoma is the most severe type of skin cancer, but not all skin cancers are melanomas.
Skin cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers around the world.
It is also one of the most avoidable and easily treatable if you focus on preventative care and act on early symptoms.
Aside from staying away from direct sunlight, sunscreen is our armor which blocks ultraviolet
radiation.
Studies published by the National Library of Medicine show that sing sunscreen reduces both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer.
e Canadian Dermatology Association and the American Academy of Dermatology recommend its use.
Ultraviolet radiation exposure is also directly harmful and is consistently linked with an 80 to –90 per cent increase in the development of skin cancers.
As a skincare whiz and science student, I took it upon myself to look at what the best sunscreens on the market can provide.
Upon my quest for my personal ideal sun protectant and after reading a Forbes article by Ana Faguy, I found that U.S. sunscreens are regulated as pharmaceuticals, whereas in other countries, they are regulated as cosmetics.
e U.S. claims to regulate sunscreen ingredients more strictly than other countries do however as a result of its proclaimed use of extensive testing standards, the U.S. hasn’t approved a new
sunscreen active ingredient in decades.
With such a substantial lag in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, we see physician groups, consumers and cancer advocates asking governments to permit Americans access to the same sunscreens that are relied upon in other parts of the world.
According to Kelly Dobos, a cosmetic chemist from the University of Toledo, FDA approval for new sunscreen ingredients currently lags over two decades, with just 14 approved lters compared to over 30 in the European Union as reported by Sandra E. Garcia for the New York Times.
Canadians such as myself resort to diverse options abroad for a multitude of reasons blaming FDA delays, though I suggest broader solutions are needed locally regardless of existing sunscreen availability.
After all, sunscreen is just the tip of the iceberg regarding a lack of proper healthcare infrastructure funding in domains such as research and regulations across Canada and the US.
BRONTE BEHLING EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
“It’s the sweetest part, I’m sure for all of the sta here, to put the right book someone’s hands and know it’s going to change their lives,” said previous co-owner of Words Worth Books Chuck Erion during the independent bookstore’s 40th anniversary event for the public on May 11.
As any local from Waterloo will know, Words Worth Books stands as one of the most beloved local bookstores within walking distance of Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo.
As a current publishing certicate student at the Chang School of Continuing Education, I believe that Erion’s words illuminate the importance of local bookstores in the Canadian publishing industry.
In comparison to the United States, Canada’s list of publishing houses is far smaller and harder to break into.
According to Publisher’s Global, Canada has 522 publishing houses while the United States has 2,848.
One of these Canadian publishing houses is Wilfrid Laurier University Press, which runs out of the university’s Waterloo campus.
e house publishes “scholarly monographs and collections, trade
books based on sound scholarship, and textbooks” according to their website.
A search for books published by Wilfrid Laurier University Press on Indigo’s website will bring up only one result – Leadership and Purpose: A History of Wilfrid Laurier University by Andrew ompson.
On the other hand, searching Wilfrid Laurier University Press on the Words Worth Books website
brings up 924 products. is is only one example of the importance of local bookstores in Canada. Without local businesses like Words Worth, smaller publishing houses (such as Wilfrid Laurier University Press) are far less likely to be seen by local readers.
A study conducted by BookNet Canada in 2022 found that browsing is an essential way those who shop at independent bookstores
nd the titles they purchase. Further, 29 per cent of the 1,000 participants in the study said they choose to shop at independent bookstores due to the “good selection of titles on o er.” is “good selection of titles on o er” in my estimation is a result of the extensive knowledge that independent bookstores have of their backlist, or the publisher’s list of books that are still in print.
is sentiment is echoed by Mandy Brouse, the current co-owner of Words Worth Books. “We’re very knowledgeable about not only books that are coming out today, but books that have come out throughout the years. We have a good knowledge of our backlist,” she said.
Support your independent local bookstores, and you’re supporting the Canadian publishing industry.
In an era where presentations must captivate within 10 minutes, speeches lose listeners after 30 seconds, and just eight seconds determine if our attention is hooked, are short-form media content like TikTok’s, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts further eroding our already fragile attention spans?
e claim that short-form media directly causes shortened attention spans, and that Generation Z possesses shorter attention spans than previous generations, lack substantial evidence and should be critically examined.
In exploring the impacts of short-form videos on our attention spans and moods, the study, published at the University of Twente, titled “Caught in e Loop: e E ects of e Addictive Nature of Short-Form Videos On Users’ Perceived Attention Span and Mood” by Torben J. Kohler, a Communication Science (BSc) major, o ers intriguing insights.
e experiment used the Stroop test and fteen interviews, consisting of young people who consume short-form videos at least once a week, ranging from 19 to 24 years old, living either in the Netherlands or Germany.
e Stroop test assesses the ability to inhibit cognitive interference by presenting words that name colors printed in incongruent colored ink (e.g., the word ‘red’ printed in blue ink).
Surprisingly, results did not show signi cant di erences between users with varying levels of short-form video consumption, suggesting less immediate cognitive impact than feared.
However, qualitative interviews revealed that participants found short-form videos addictive and challenging to control.
While immediate attention span e ects were not always noticeable, participants felt less focused in daily life, indicating a potential negative impact over time.
To mitigate these negative effects, Kalpathy Ramaiyer Subramanian, a Mechanical Engineer with an MBA and a Ph.D. in Management, in his academic article “Myth and Mystery of Shrinking Attention Span,” published by inketh Labs in Chennai, India, has collected scienti c studies that may restore focus back in people’s lives.
ese tips include staying hydrated, doing regular exercise and managing interruptions.
A 2012 study published in e Journal of Nutrition found that even mild dehydration can cause you to lose focus.
Men should drink 13 cups of total beverages a day while women should drink nine cups, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Further, a 2013 study in PLOS ONE, a scienti c journal community, found that more physically t individuals responded faster to tasks.
e same study found that o ce workers only get 11 minutes between interruptions, when it takes an average of 25 minutes to return to their original task. Dedicating speci c time slots to focus solely on work and minimizing distractions can help improve focus.
ese platforms continue a historical media trend, re ecting enduring patterns in how content has been consumed since the advent of mass media.
Take Vine, for example. is platform, which ran from 2013 to 2017, opened the gates for creators to showcase their talents in 7-second videos.
Before you get upset, give me a second to explain myself. Of course, the geese on campus are annoying and I hate doing the Dune sandwalk to avoid goose poop as much as anyone.
ere is almost nothing more irritating than dragging yourself out of bed for an 8:30 a.m. class and having to take a di erent route because a gaggle of geese have claimed the quad as their own. Despite the inconveniences and horror that geese cause around Wilfrid Laurier University’s Waterloo campus, it is impossible to deny that they play a vital role in
It allowed creators such as Logan Paul to be spontaneous, King Bach to be comically controversial, and so many others to jumpstart their careers. is was long before TikTok captivated audiences in even less time. Yet Vine does not re ect a pattern of decreasing attention spans over time.
Additionally, the standard length for television advertisements was a minute until it transitioned in the 1970s to 30 seconds. Today, we see ads within Amazon Prime shows and the accursed two unskippable ads on YouTube.
Here’s how these platforms get to you. You probably made a TikTok account, not expecting yourself to touch the app very often. en, you are introduced to the “For You” page which opens you up to new content from creators you do not follow.
You selectively view posts with enticing thumbnails, containing key words, hashtags, notable gures, places, or things that interest you. e algorithm processes the culmination of posts you view and tailors the content to t a pattern based on the data it collects.
mind
Canada’s culture and ecosystem. If you haven’t already noticed, the word “Canada” is literally in their name. is isn’t just because Canadians and Canada geese have a lot in common, especially volume, hunger and driving skill. In fact, Canada geese are native to North America and are deeply ingrained in Canadian culture. While Laurier sees gaggles of geese every year, so do many other universities. at’s another point in favour of Canada geese: A group is called a gaggle. I’ve already said it three times in this article and I can guarantee I’ll use it again. e Canada goose doesn’t just serve cultural purposes, it is also bene cial for the environmentJean-Francois Giroux, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Quebec in Mon-
Personally, I never joined TikTok to avoid this rabbit hole of endless scrolling. Yet, I nd myself wasting an hour of my day on Instagram Reels simply because it is connected to the app I use to message friends.
What was originally my outlet for more intricate content on YouTube has now become more or less the same as the other platforms. Now before you old heads jump to any conclusions, this does not mean short-form content is all that my generation can tolerate.
Contrary to popular belief, I believe students don’t have short attention spans; they can focus for hours on a single project if it feels relevant and meaningful to them, and they have the time and space to accomplish it.
My own experiences re ect a nuanced reality.
While I often decide within the rst few seconds of a song whether to add it to my playlist, I also spend endless hours immersed in a Minecraft world with my friends. is shows that engagement depends on the context and personal interest.
Similarly, while I might struggle to sit through a 40-minute Suits episode unless there’s a constant in ux of new plots, I nd myself absorbed in assignments when I use AI tools to streamline the initial steps, giving me more time to delve into the parts that I nd interesting.
Even watching lectures at double the speed, or skipping dialogue in video games for the sake of convenience, points to a selective attention span rather than a diminished one. When students perceive an activity as meaningful, they can sustain their focus just as e ectively as ever.
While platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts might contribute to a perceived decline in attention spans, the evidence is not de nitive.
Growing up amidst the rapid evolution of social media, I’ve witnessed rst-hand the addictive nature of these platforms and their impact on our daily lives.
However, by understanding how these algorithms work and adopting healthy habits, we can mitigate their negative e ects.
treal, told CTV News that Canada geese eat various seeds that they then spread and fertilize through their feces.
So while we see their droppings as a nuisance, wild plants see them as a crucial part of their lifecycle. Canada geese also play a role in the food chain. ey spread seeds and small organisms such as plankton, and their young and eggs serve as food sources for larger predators like foxes and coyotes.
Now, I know what everyone’s wondering. If Canada geese are so important, why are they so rude?
You could probably make a case that their celebrity status has gone straight to their heads (beaks?), but there’s a simpler answer that’s hard to swallow.
It’s kind of our fault. While geese are aggressive, they still have a lot of natural predators.
As a result, they tend to gravi-
tate towards safe areas where they can avoid being eaten. A lot of the time, these areas end up being man-made and urbanized, as they are free to snack on grass without having to keep looking over their shoulder.
Do geese have shoulders? If they do, can they turn their head that far?
Anyway, naturally, geese end up around humans. We’ve made large areas free of predators where geese can eat until they’re full. Where we see a soccer eld, a goose sees a safe area that doubles as a giant bu et.
Since geese feel so safe in urban areas, they tend to lay their eggs there.
Geese are the most aggressive when they’ve been fed by humans and when they’re protecting their nests.
When a goose hisses at you, it’s
not just to freak you out, they’re protecting their nest.
I understand that Canada geese can be scary and annoying, but they do so much more than we realize.
If I haven’t lost you by now, I hope you look at geese di erently and respect any gaggles you come across.
MEN’S FOOTBALL
SPORTS EDITOR BIRNAVAN VARNACUMAARAN sports@thecord.ca
BIRNAVAN VARNACUMAARAN SPORTS EDITOR
Former Golden Hawk o ensive lineman Isaiah Adams was drafted into the NFL in the third round, seventh overall, on April 26 by the Arizona Cardinals.
e Ajax, Ontario native and Political Science major played for the Golden Hawks during the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Adams played only one game in his rst year, having been redshirted to prepare him schematically and physically.
Adams started into his second year as a boundary tackle, playing in eight games. He lined up alongside other Golden Hawks and future OUA all-stars JD Richardson and Drew Mairleitner, as well as future CFL players Bryce Bell and Braydon Noll.
“As soon as he committed, the rst thing he wanted to know was, ‘How do I get in the playbook?’ and ‘How do I start working out the way you guys work out?’” said o ensive line coach Zach Scotto, who mentored Adams during his two seasons at Laurier.
Prior to attending Laurier, Adams graduated in 2018 from Father Donald MacLellan Catholic
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
Secondary School.
During high school, he played for the esteemed Durham Dolphins Football Club and was selected as an OVFL all-star in 2016,
As soon as he committed, the first thing he wanted to know was, ‘How do I get in the playbook?’”
also playing for Team Ontario.
One of Adams’s iconic games came on October 11, 2019, before the anksgiving weekend, in front of a sold-out crowd against the University of Waterloo.
Michael Faulds, football manager and head coach, recalls Adams being a catalyst in the match that stretched into triple -overtime.
“From our vantage point, it looked like our quarterback was throwing to Isaiah.
But Brentyn Hall, in the back of the end zone, caught it to seal the win. Isaiah would laugh, thinking maybe the ball was going to him,” said Faulds.
Scotto echoed similar thoughts
when re ecting on Adams’ game. “I remember thinking, ‘Holy shit, Isaiah’s going to end this game!’” he said. Despite being o ered a Canadian Athletic scholarship to stay at Laurier for a third year during the COVID-19 pandemic, Isaiah decided to pursue his NFL aspirations through junior college, representing Garden City Community College in 2021. Junior college provides student-athletes with an opportunity to improve their skills and academic standing before transferring to a university program.
“ e decision to go was hard for him,” said Scotto. “He and I spoke on the phone for maybe an hour. It took a very natural conversation with some of the guys that he was training with back in Durham to tell him, ‘Dude, you’re good enough, you can excel in that environment.’” Isaiah garnered the attention of American scouts, leading to o ers from multiple U.S. colleges, ultimately signing with the University of Illinois.
He played exceptionally well, starting all 25 games in two seasons for the team in 2022 and 2023. rough this momentous journey, he reached the biggest showcase of football excellence, with his Laurier a liates rooting for him.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a long professional football career, whether that’s 15 years in the NFL…which is what he’s wanted for a long time,” said Scotto.
Wilfrid Laurier University was a partner of the Special Olympics Ontario Spring Games and hosted swimming and basketball events at the university’s Athletic Complex from May 23 to 26.
e Waterloo Regional Police organized the event, welcoming over 1,000 athletes from across Ontario. ese competitors showcased their prowess in ve sports: basketball, powerlifting, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming and 10-pin bowling. is year, Karen Redman, the regional chair of Waterloo Region, and Mark Crowell, the Waterloo Regional Police chief, were the co-chairs of the event.
e Special Olympics Spring Games were canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and were rescheduled to take this place year.
“Laurier is proud to be a part of supporting an inclusive and thriving community,” said Laurier president and vice-chancellor
Deborah MacLatchy in a spotlight released on May 9.
Opening ceremonies were held at 7:30 p.m. on May 23 at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex and were hosted by Angie Hill and Sarge from Kitchener-Waterloo's 99.5 Bounce Radio.
Elder Myeengun Henry and Special Olympic athlete under led an eagle feather raising ceremony and honour song. is ceremony is one of the highest honours an indigenous individual can bestow upon someone doing something exemplary. ere were performances from
BRONTE BEHLING/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Special Olympics Ontario Spring Games opening ceremony.
In Motion Dance School, the Schwaben Dancers and rock band Disorderly Conduct.
Each co-chair spoke alongside John Bryden, the Special Olympics Ontario board chair, and featured honourary athlete and hockey player Ava Murphy.
e torch was carried by Special Olympics Ontario Waterloo games manager John Burke, Special Olympics athlete Peter Snider, Waterloo Regional Police chief Mark Crowell and special Olympics athlete Cooper Moore.
Twenty-nine basketball teams hit Laurier’s courts on May 25, the
nals seeing teams Durham 2, Burlington 2, Perth 1 and St. omas clinching championship titles in their respective divisions. e Pistons Division saw Kitchener 1 and Brampton 1 dominate, while Guelph 2 excelled in the Suns Division, leading the pack in both scoring and defense. e erce competition re ected the athletes’ dedication and passion for the sport.
Swimming was held at Laurier’s Athletic Complex pool on May 23, with 234 swimmers competed across four challenging distances, from 25-metre sprints to grueling
1500-metre endurance races.
e 200-metre Individual Medley saw Amiera Black, Chantelle Balanowski and Emily Boycott clinching rst places for South Central Ontario, while Jack Fan, Trevor Mains and Tyler Seto led the pack for Eastern Ontario.
Closing ceremonies were held on May 25 at 7:30 p.m. and featured performances by the Waterloo Region Buddy Choir and speeches by Mark Crowell, John Burke, Special Olympics athlete Andreas Heinrich and outgoing president Glen Macdonell.
“Feeling the energy and support around me was unforgettable,” said Heinrich during the closing ceremony.
e organization’s "Draft an Athlete" program o ered a unique way to support these incredible athletes, allowing donors to contribute and receive recognition on the organization’s social media accounts and the event’s website. Exclusive merchandise, including t-shirts, hoodies, crewnecks and caps were available for purchase until June 14, with proceeds supporting the Ontario Special Olympics.
e next Special Olympics will take place next summer, 2025 in Brantford, Ontario.
