Come Sit On A Neighbour's Porch

Trusted by over 6,000 explorers. Become a Partner.

Happy Wednesday friends,

Beautiful skies to cherish. And Friday at 2pm, the ballot closes for the municipal election so we know the candidates soon.

On a different note, I will see some of you tomorrow at the Dinner Club after party. Come say hi.

Hope you enjoy the rhythm of the region and meet wonderful people this week.

with love,

your friendly neighbourhood goose 🦆

PS: A neighbour forwarded you this? Join here to get the next one in your inbox.

REGION’S RADAR

Cambridge is getting the first new housing co-op in Waterloo Region in over 30 years: 101 below-market homes at 30 Lauris Avenue, on land the Region handed over in exchange for keeping the rents affordable. Shovels go in the ground this fall. Read
Five University of Waterloo students beat more than 1,900 competitors from 60 countries to win the Airbus Fly Your Ideas challenge. Their software, Ariadne, keeps a plane navigating safely even when someone spoofs its GPS. Read
Seven more resident-led projects just picked up Kitchener's LoveMyHood matching grant, pushing this year's total past $120,000 for neighbourhood art, greening and events. The last intake of 2026 closes October 29 if your street has an idea. Read
The new playground at Willard Park in Cambridge is open, and the neighbourhood chose it themselves. The Forest Tree House design won 70 per cent of the public vote, and it comes with barrier-free paths and sensory play features so kids of every ability can join in. Read
Laurier's Faculty of Music opened its 2026-27 season to the public, kicking off September 11 with a free lunchtime concert. Jully Black sings with the Penderecki String Quartet on November 8. Read

RIDDLE ME

Last week’s trivia: Only 27% got it right. Did you get a good sighting like Lisa did from Lake Superior? ✨

This week: That flat, buzzing drone you have been hearing all week is the Northern dog-day cicada. It was the fourth most reported creature in the region this month. Only the males sing.

So how does a male cicada actually make that sound?

RAD & RAW

Look around and you see Monarch butterflies. Fifty-two reported sightings in the last ten days.

What: The monarchs flying over your yard this week are not the ones that hatched here in June. They are a different generation, built to travel. They will fly more than 3,000 km to a handful of mountain forests in central Mexico. Their parents and grandparents each lived about a month. This one lives eight.

Where: Look for them in open, sunny spots with milkweed and late bloomers like Joe Pye weed and goldenrod. Waterloo Park, Huron Natural Area, Laurel Creek and the trails at rare in Cambridge are all good. Mid-morning is best, once the sun has warmed the air. At dusk they cluster on trees to sleep, sometimes dozens on one branch.