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

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 Kingston Roller Derby’s Brooke Gilmour and Ashley McCallum, who some people in the derby community might know as Pepe Le Puke and Ashteroid, respectively.

Hobo Haven Pet Rescue dedicated to making sure “no dog left behind”

Hobo Haven Pet Rescue, founded in 2003, is dedicated to a mission of “no dog left behind.” Chris Schaefer, founder and president, had been working with other animal rescues, but the inspiration to form the rescue was a dog named Hobo, who was dumped as a stray.

“The shelter that he was taken to euthanized him on day three because he had an ear infection, so they deemed he would not be adoptable, which is unfortunately not true,” she said. “It is possible they were overcrowded at the time, and forever after, I felt like I had killed that dog because I surrendered him to a shelter where he was euthanized.”

That experience inspired Schaefer because she felt people needed to do a better job with stray dogs.

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

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

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

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.