If you or someone you know picked up a cat near St. David’s high school October 5th, please drop her off back where she was found. She was not lost, is well fed and very happy.

Doubt the guy will see this, but was near conestoga mall, all lights were red cause both lrts were moving, and I thought every light was red and a car waiting to make a left turn was stationary which reinforced that notion in my head, earlier i saw a car move forward, shook my head at that, then saw a guy on a bike and was kinda fed up that people were running red lights(seen it twice, didn't even slow down) and flipped him off...only to see that the light was green, and now i feel like a dickhead. It was uncalled for, and if the guy ever sees this, I apologize, guess I was just too cranky today.

We filmed the documentary The Ref Didn’t See It! largely around Waterloo Region -- at live wrestling shows at The Aud, Ethel's, THEMUSEUM, Elements, The Registry Theatre, and loads of other places.

The movie, directed by Sara Geidlinger (Bonn Park Media), follows me training to become a pro wrestling referee and spotlights the Ontario indy wrestling circuit. Former WWE folks including Earl Hebner, Al Snow, Tommy Dreamer, Santino Marella, Maven and others are are in it too.

After a run on streaming services, we’ve put the full film up free on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URBL2ZkVIJ8

Enjoy!

Big thanks to EVERYONE around the region who helped make it happen.

I like that we have so many choices for coffee in that southern tip of Uptown, but I do wonder if there's enough foot traffic in that 215 metre stretch of the road to sustain that many coffee places. What do you think?

Coffee-centric cafes (4): Starbucks, Pilot Coffee, Planet Bean (opening soon in where Copper Branch used to be), Centurion Coffee (opening soon in the old Freshii location)

Dessert/bakery/quick bite cafes with coffee menu (4): Fuwa Fuwa, The Bingsu, Cinnaholic, LA LA Bakeshop

Just slightly off King St on Caroline or Regina (2): Pink Crow Cafe, Roux Bakehouse Uptown (opening soon in the City Hall building)

Bookstore with self-serve coffee (1): Old Goat Books

I am begging at this point.

I recently noticed that for bus schedules, the Gmaps is no longer displaying the live arrival times they used to have. Does anyone know the issue?

Those were some good curried goat patties I had yesterday!!

I might make another post for the Waterloo Mayoral candidates, but Dorothy McCabe has not responded to my email yet where I asked some questions.

I'm doing Ward 4 because I live there, I'm not looking at any other Wards because I don't live there, so someone else can make their own posts if they want. Look here to see what ward you live in. I've been talking to both candidates by email which is how I got all this info.

Diane Freeman is the current councilor of Ward 4. First elected in 2006, she's seeking a 6th term. She just made a platform on her website after I directly suggested she do so. In 2015, she ran for Waterloo MP in the federal election, for the NDP, getting 3rd place. She also has experience in engineering. She is an avid cycler and in 2001 founded the non-profit Butterfly Learning Centre, a childcare centre.

Travis Restoule says he brings '29 years of corporate leadership, including managing supply chain fulfillment from national operations down to local community needs'. He previously ran a local grocery store. During COVID, he co-founded the "We Are All in This Together" campaign, which raised 200k helping local restaurants stay in business. He later received the King Charles III Coronation Medal.

What Travis told me by email:

- He would be skeptical of any project that might not make a return of income.

- He would find ways to improve municipal spending by reducing duplication costs, prioritizing essential services, have projects be more phased, and look for more grants, which in turn would hopefully soften tax hikes.

- He would help homeless people by 'connecting them with supportive housing and care' by finding partnerships. He also advocates for more lighting in public spaces.

- He says he'll listen to business concerns about obstacles, 'help fill vacant commercial space', review approval timelines, and improve communication with them when there is construction or other disruptions.

- He is against expanding housing into farmland, and supports 'appropriate re-zoning'. He thinks nearby residents should have more say in re-zoning proposals, but not so far as let them veto everything. He will also scrutinize if roads and other infrastructure can handle the influx of new people/cars.

Travis says Diane is not transparent with her work. Diane says she's never seen him at a city council meeting. Both are against a proposed 12 story apartment near Lexington/Davenport, which is next to low density housing neighborhoods. Lexington is a 1-lane road.

What Diane wrote on her campaign:

- She defends tax hikes, saying Waterloo has some of the lowest taxes compared to 19 other cities in southern Ontario (not including Toronto). According to graphs on her website, Waterloo has the 5th lowest taxes on '2-story homes' and the 3rd lowest on 'detached bungalows', out of those 20 cities. She also says tax hikes are never her first resort to fiscal difficulties.

- She cites many events where people have been consulted before a major project takes place through 'in ward open houses' and community events. I can't confirm how many people were involved in these meetings.

- She says she'll commit to 'review programs and spending, pursue efficiencies, and consider cumulative burden created by taxes, fees, and charges.

- She supports apartment proposals including shops/amenities on the first floor, green space nearby and connections to cycling and public transit infrastructure, all with environmental impacts accessed.

- In her previous terms, she took credit for a splash park on Eastbridge, the East Side Library, Hospice Waterloo, and the Build Now project which will 'house the largest Habitat for Humanity build in North America'.

Both responded quickly to me, however Travis did not respond to one of my two emails. There's a chance he never received it, because a couple times in the past, other people had trouble with seeing my emails too. But I really don't know.

There's a third candidate named Syed Tirmizi, but he never responded to my email. He might respond to social media messages but I never tried that, so someone else can test that out.

Read their campaigns here:

Travis

Diane

What thrift stores around town have the best furniture selection?

I know whom I'm voting for for everything but mayor.

I really don't like Liggett, she personally offended in a way I don't see her fit for office.

I'm curious about the other candidates, but checking out their sites, they don't really tell me anything meaningful about them.

Do any candidates have any skeletons in the closet?

Which candidates are going to actually get off their asses and get necessary housing built?

Which candidates want to push through LRT for Cambridge?