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Happy Wednesday friends,
Tomorrow is Dinner #2 and I'm buzzing thinking about seeing y'all at the after-party. There is something special in that vibe when everyone gets together.
A few important days this week. March 26 is Purple Day, the global day of epilepsy awareness. Wear purple if you can. Saturday at 8:30pm is Earth Hour, lights out for one hour across the world. It is a great excuse to sit outside and look up at the sky.
Loving the submissions for Waterloo Region's cutest pet contest that have come in so far. Keep them coming, closing April 4. Get ready to see the adorables soon. Meanwhile, enjoy the rhythm this week.
made with love by,
your neighbourly goose
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RARE & REWARDING
Earth Hour is this week and I asked myself do such collective actions actually work, and look what I found.
Four decades ago, scientists discovered a hole in our atmosphere's ozone layer. It was massive, and kept growing. By 2000 it had expanded to three times the size of the United States. The ozone layer is the invisible shield protecting every living thing on earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet radiation. With a hole that size, the risks of skin cancer, cataracts, and immune system damage were rising fast. The discovery triggered global alarm.
What happened next is rare. The world agreed on something and actually did it. In 1987, 197 countries signed the Montreal Protocol, committing to phase out the chemicals responsible. Nearly 99% of those chemicals are now eliminated. Which brings us to where things stand today. The hole is now the smallest recorded since the early 1990s. Full recovery is projected between 2066 and 2075.
Waterloo Region has an important role in this story. At the University of Waterloo, a satellite mission called the Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment, or ACE, has quietly been doing some of the most important monitoring work in the world for over 20 years. Led by research professor Peter Bernath in the Chemistry department, ACE measures more gases regulated by the Montreal Protocol than any other satellite in operation in the world. More than 2,000 researchers in over 40 countries rely on ACE's data.
Yes, when world leaders make decisions about the ozone layer, University of Waterloo data is in the room.
The answer to my initial question is simple. When people commit to something together, it works. The ozone crisis got solved because millions of people in hundreds of countries made the same choice. Earth Hour feels like a small thing. But a big reminder that small things done together are exactly how big things get fixed. Turn the lights off this Saturday at 8:30pm, step outside, and check out this week's sky section for what to look for.
The world showed up. So did Waterloo. Let's do it again this Saturday.
REGION’S RADAR (ICYMI)
A University of Waterloo AI research group has quietly launched more than 10 spin-off companies, including Miovision and DarwinAI, while tackling real-world challenges from Arctic sea ice monitoring to robot navigation. Read
Wellesley Township and Woolwich Community Health Centre broke ground on a new health centre in Linwood that will offer primary care and a pharmacy when it opens later this year Read
Ayr is becoming a film set. The new Disney/FX miniseries, The System, shoots downtown near the Piper Street bridge on April 8 and 9, with intermittent traffic stoppages expected Read
Conestoga College professor Jane Gravill has been named the 2026 Outstanding Contribution to the Case Method Award winner by The Case Centre, an international recognition of her impact on business education worldwide Read
Six K-W Daytimers hockey players are being inducted into the 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame this Saturday at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex, joining 24 other senior players from across southern Ontario Read
Teen from the region, Miles Checkley of Cambridge, have been named one of two 2026 Provincial Easter Seals Ambassadors, representing kids with disabilities across Ontario Read
Kitchener's Ava Murphy helped Wisconsin win back-to-back NCAA women's hockey championships last Sunday, beating Ohio State 3-2 in the Frozen Four final Read
RAISE YOUR HAND
Waterloo Region Community Foundation Arts Grants for self-led arts projects. Deadline Mar 30. Apply
Celebrate seniors in Kitchener aged 65+ contributing to make Kitchener better. Deadline Mar 31. Nominate
Celebrate youth ages 14–24 in Kitchener-Waterloo making contributions in social action, sports, arts, and more. Deadline Apr 10. Nominate
The City of Kitchener launched its 2026 Heritage Property Grant, offering up to 50% project costs for conserving heritage buildings. Deadline Apr 15. Apply
RAD & RAW
SIGHTING: The red-winged blackbirds are back in full force across Waterloo Region with their distinctive trilling calls. Look for them perched on cattails at Laurel Creek Conservation Area or along the Grand River wetlands.
SKY:
Wednesday, March 25 at 9:30pm, grab binoculars and look at the moon. Sunlight will be hitting three crater rims at just the right angle to form a tiny X on the surface. It peaks at 11pm.
Then on Thursday, March 26 after dark, look high in the southern sky for Jupiter glowing just to the right of the moon, with two bright stars shining above them. Those are Castor and Pollux, the twin stars of Gemini. Both visible from your backyard, no equipment required for Thursday.
Saturday, Mar 28 at 8:30pm aka Earth Hour: moon will be bright and nearly full so it will be impossible to miss. If you have binoculars, point them at the moon and look along the edge where the lit side meets the dark side. You will see a curved mountain range glowing along the rim of a giant ancient crater. It looks like a golden handle like this.
ROLL OUT ROOTS
House of the Week: Newly listed charming mix of old & new c1900
New Work: Staff Software Dev Site Reliability, Google
Home Maintenance, Brokered Work, City of Waterloo
Volunteer: Help provide healthy food packages to children
Adopt a pet: Are you lucky enough to wake up to this face?
RIDDLE ME
Purple Day was founded in 2008 by a nine-year-old girl from which Canadian province?
Last week’s trivia: Wow 84% got it right! If we all go for trivia together it’ll be hard to pick a winner :)
ROAM & RAZZLE
FEATURED EVENTS
After a long winter of indoor-only shopping, the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market is throwing open its outdoor doors for the season. Starting March 26, the outdoor vendors are back with fresh produce, local goods, and that particular kind of morning energy that makes you feel like you actually have your life together. If you've been waiting for a reason to get outside early, this is it.
THU, MAR 26
Improv Workshop and Jam: 90-minute workshop followed by a 30-minute jam, all skill levels welcome, pay what you can, 7pm Kitchener ♿️ tix
Live Music: The New Hires with Antisocial Surf Club and Milhowse on the Talking to the Walls Tour, 7pm, The Union, Kitchener tix
Live Music: Billy Preston and Booker T. Jones tribute featuring Lance Anderson and Matt Weidinger on piano and Hammond organ, 8pm, The Jazz Room, Waterloo ♿️ tix
Magic After Dark: Three magicians bring illusions, mentalism, and wizardry to The Boathouse, 9pm Kitchener ♿️ tix
FRI, MAR 27
Workshop: Pottery Pints and Prosecco at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, create a kiln-fired clay piece with a craft beer or prosecco included (19+), 6pm Waterloo ♿️ tix
Sports: Kitchener Rangers vs Saginaw Spirit, OHL playoff Round 1 Game 1, 7pm, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener ♿️ tix
Live Music: Ron Leary, singer-songwriter known for fiercely honest storytelling, 7pm, TWB Brewing, Kitchener ♿️ tix
Comedy: Rusty Nail Comedy with Rob Bebenek, 7:30pm (19+), TWH Social, Kitchener ♿️ tix
Live Music: Oliver Whitehead's Antler River Project, a Juno-nominated guitarist leading a jazz and world music ensemble, 8pm, The Jazz Room, Waterloo ♿️ tix
SAT, MAR 28
Community: Nith Valley Eco Boosters Repair Cafe, bring broken items to be fixed by volunteer repair experts, 9:30am–12:30pm, Zion United Church, New Hamburg ♿️
Family: Baby Goat Playtime and Snuggles, 30-minute sessions with newborn goats (ages 2+), 4:30pm Woolwich tix
Comedy: Eric Johnston's Son of a Bull Tour, award-winning comedian marking 15 years in comedy, 7pm, Block Three Brewing, St. Jacobs ♿️ tix
Comedy: Rusty Nail Comedy with HL Manolis Zontanos, showtime 7:30pm, Morty's Pub, Waterloo tix
Live Music: Jack De Keyzer, 2x Juno Award winner and 7x Maple Blues Award winner, 8pm, The Registry Theatre, Kitchener ♿️ tix
Cabaret: Pinch Cabaret #48, an eclectic mix of music, breaking, spoken word, and mashups, pay what you can (all ages), 8pm, Button Factory Arts, Waterloo tix
Improv: TriCity Improv presents Wakey-Wakey Hibernation's Over, fast-paced short form improv at KWLT, 8pm, Waterloo ♿️ tix
SUN, MAR 29
Community: BACK THEN Spring Fling Sunday Funday, live band, nostalgic vibes, dancing, and interactive moments (14+), 1pm–6pm, Four Fathers Brewing, Cambridge ♿️ tix
Community: Romance Book Swap at Whoopsie Daisy Drinks, bring a finished romance book and take one home, 1pm–3pm, Kitchener ♿️
Sports: Kitchener Rangers vs Saginaw Spirit, OHL playoff Round 1 Game 2, 7pm, Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener ♿️ tix
MON, MAR 30
Workshop: Spring Has Sprung painting night at The Boathouse, step-by-step acrylic painting on a 16x20 canvas, no experience needed (12+), 6:30pm, Kitchener ♿️ tix
Trivia: Games on Tap Monday Trivia Night, general knowledge, $10 per person, 8pm, Kitchener ♿️ tix
Live Music: Open Mic Night, musicians welcome or just come to listen, 8pm, Prohibition House, Waterloo
TUE, MAR 31
Sports: Drop-in Pickleball at Bill Gies Recreation Centre, Wellesley, 10am tix
Food: Make Your Own Pizza with Chef Giuliano at Pizzeria Motola, Cambridge ♿️ tix
Trivia: Trivia Tuesdays general knowledge, 7pm, Malt and Barley Public House, Kitchener
WED, APR 1
Fitness: Chair Yoga for Healthy Aging and Fall Prevention, free drop-in for 55+, 10am–11am with social time after, Emmanuel United Church, Waterloo ♿️ info
Workshop: Bunny Workshop, paint and decorate a large wooden bunny for indoor or outdoor display, no experience needed (18+), 6pm–8pm, WMRC Community Pavilion, Waterloo ♿️ tix
Trivia: Kitchener Trivia Night at Abe Erb, 8pm, Kitchener ♿️
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