Month: March 2022

Roller derby will bounce back, skates are already hitting the track: Peterborough edition

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

As pandemic-related restrictions loosen, many people across Southern Ontario and beyond are hoping they can lace up their roller skates and hit the roller derby track again. This series of articles will check in with teams as they prepare for some action in 2022. This time, sharing the progress of their league, are Peterborough Area Roller Derby (PARD) Co-presidents Emma Merritt and Chantel Daniels, who some people in the derby community might know as Saul Good and Nancy Drew Blood, respectively.

Politics are D.O.A., Keithley talks elections, housing, homelessness and Harmony for All

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

It’s a two-election year, at least in Ontario, provincial and municipal, and it’s time for people to be considering if they are going to step up to get their name on the ballot. Will it be the usual names people will have the option to vote for, or will there be new faces at the all-candidates meetings?

Joe Keithley has persevered in music for over 40 years as the leader of legendary Canadian punk band D.O.A. He successfully stepped into municipal politics in 2018 as a city councillor in Burnaby, British Columbia, and has proven that the will to keep trying can succeed in elections, even if you might be an outsider.

Stratford Pride Community Centre set to open in June

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

It’s official. The Stratford Pride Community Centre will have a physical location opening June 1. with the help of two significant grants – $30,000 over three years from TD Bank Group and another $20,000 this from United Way Perth-Huron – and its own fundraising efforts.

It will provide a unique service with a wide catchment area because southwestern Ontario does not have any large LGBTQ2S+ groups with consistent year-round services.

Roller derby will bounce back, skates are already hitting the track: Niagara edition

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

As pandemic-related restrictions loosen, many people across Southern Ontario and beyond are hoping they can lace up their roller skates and hit the roller derby track again. This series of articles will check in with teams as they prepare for some action in 2022. First, to share the progress of their league, Niagara Roller Derby is Aimee Casciato, who some people in the derby community might know as Viola D Rolla.

When nothing seems affordable, this $1.22 batch of bread rises to challenge the cost of living

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

All we seem to hear right now is that the cost of living is rising out of control. Inflation is killing us. The gas price is hitting heights we’ve never had to deal with before.

This recipe may not chop down the inflated cost of housing, but we all must eat. Here’s how we get a batch of three delicious loaves of sourdough bread at the Wood-stein.ca headquarters for about $1.22.

Feline Friends Network continues mission to humanely reduce cat homelessness

Posted on by Colin Burrowes

Since Feline Friends Network was founded in 2006 to reduce the problems of cat overpopulation and homelessness humanely, it has helped at least 3,352 cats get spayed and neutered.

“That’s the reason Feline Friends started,” said Sharon Morrice, president of Feline Friends Network. “It was started by someone volunteering at the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shelter at the time. She could see there was a big, big problem with cats – more cats coming in than dogs, so she thought, why aren’t we working on the root cause of this and that is that cats multiply at such a high rate.”