It’s beginning to feel a lot like…well, you know

The lights are up in Victoria Park.  The Christmas market has come and gone.  The snow has finally started falling.  Yup, Christmas is coming.

I finally made it to the Christmas market in Kitchener city hall this year.  My daughter really enjoyed the train room set up in the back.  I’ve got a sweet tooth, so enjoyed the skor fudge they had for sale.  Next year we’ll have to try the gluwine, although my wife said it doesn’t have the same “kick” as the real stuff in Germany.

Some rambling observations:

As you likely know, the David’s Gourmet in downtown Kitchener has been closed for a while.  A visit to the plaza on Northfield that had one of the other David’s Gourmet stores made me realized that it is closed now as well.  This old March/09 Record article has the background on the downtown store closing.  The company’s webpage, www.davidsgourmet.com, confirms that of the former married couple’s empire, the husband, Ehrenworth, has the remaining store open at Victoria and Bruce.  The webpage also announces that a Waterloo store will be opening in 2010.  Looking at all the awards they won for 2009, I don’t see the sense of closing the Northfield store but not having another Waterloo location open until the next year (at least).

I can’t imagine the logistics and emotional weight of having a joint venture (in the sense that they both seem to be keeping the name, David’s Gourmet, if not the physical locations) with an ex-spouse.  And what about the loyal customers that, at least up until the Northfield store closed, would have to choose to do business with  either Quinn or Ehrenworth?  The David’s Gourmet blog seems to give some glimpse into that difficult situation.

Updates about David Street and H1N1 Response

So the David Street apartments could be demolished and rebuilt.
This editorial expresses some well deserved outrage at the prospect of spending money to demolish the building and then rebuild. Whether the damage is due to poor design or poor maintenance, it stinks.

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I’m not sure if this link will show you the same Record article that I’m seeing now, but it isn’t really what you’d call reporting in my books.

“It’s certainly busy this week and we’ll have to wait and see what happens next week,” said regional medical officer of health Dr. Liana Nolan.

Now there’s a quote for you! Is this right after she was chitchatting about the weather and mulling over putting on the snow tires already?
Informative? – Yes, we are told it has been busy.
Inspires confidence in the handling of a pandemic by our region? – Yes, nothing like a good policy of “let’s wait and see.”

Priority groups are getting the vaccine now.
The latest news release has the following dates/locations:

Saturday, November 7^th – St. David Catholic Secondary School
4 High Street, Waterloo,
9-4:00 p.m.

Monday, November 9^th – Southwood Secondary School
30 Southwood Drive, Cambridge
2-8:00 p.m.

H1N1 Immunization Schedule for K-W

You can find the schedule and locations here.

Note these important details:

Individuals are reminded there are two flu vaccines this season — one for seasonal flu and one for the H1N1 flu virus. There will be different clinics for each vaccine. Details (dates, times, locations) of all future seasonal flu and H1N1 flu virus immunization clinics will be released each Thursday. For example, the immunization clinics to be held the week of November 9 will be released on November 5. This information will be posted to Waterloo Region’s pandemic website (www.waterlooregionpandemic.ca) and the Region of Waterloo website (www.region.waterloo.on.ca).

For further information on the rollout of the seasonal and H1N1 flu virus immunization campaigns, please review Public Health’s special information bulletin —http://www.waterlooregionpandemic.ca/en/newsarchives/resources/H1N1SpecialBulletin.pdf

Information and resource materials on the H1N1 flu virus are available at Waterloo Region’s website —www.waterlooregionpandemic.ca. Individuals without internet access are invited to phone 519-883-2289 for more information.

The History behind the Delapidation: Barra Castle

Castle Barra

Because it is in my neighbourhood, I’ve always wondered about the history of Barra Castle by Queen and Courtland in downtown Kitchener.

In an odd coincidence, today’s Record has an article about some of its sad, recent history here.

Googling Barra Castle I also came upon a webpage on the Impulse Development Group website.  The group seem to be involved in the landowner’s dream of fixing up the place.  The three interior photos display some of the character of the rooms, which you would expect from the very unique exterior.

My father spent some of his early years on Peter Street and told me that Barra Castle used to be a monastery.  I can’t find anything on the internets about its history.

Does anybody have some stories or knowledge to share about Barra Castle’s early history?

Waterloo region becoming more of a large, urban centre

Waterloo Region’s Vital Signs released their report today on how the region is doing in 11 areas:

The Gap Between the Rich and Poor, Safety, Health and Wellness, Learning, Housing, Getting Started in Our Community, Arts and Culture, The Environment, Work, Belonging and Leadership, as well as Getting Around.

The report hasn’t been released yet online (as far as I could find), but The Record has an article about some of the findings:

• The number of elderly living in poverty is rising while in most of Canada the rate is decreasing
• We aren’t eating enough fruit and vegetables (did my mother write this survey?)
• We have one of lowest violent crime rates in the country
• 22.2 percent of residents are immigrants
• The gap between the richest and the poorest is increasing
• The unemployment rate in the region jumped from one of the lowest in the country, last year it was 4.8 %, to one of the highest, 9.9%

I wonder if there are any policy discussions to be had from this report.  Certainly the first point, the rising number of elderly living in poverty, would be a worthwhile discussion to have with the local social agencies in the region.

Cory Doctorow coming to town

One of my favourite authors is coming to town and doing a lecture next Saturday at U of W:

Waterloo: Sat, Sept 26, 2:30-4PM, University of Waterloo, Arts Lecture Hall. Free, open to the public. Sponsored by the Independent Studies Programme, where I’m a Scholar in Virtual Residence.

Netizens may know him from his work with Boing Boing and net neutrality.

David Street Apartments

I always wondered what was going on with the apartments facing Victoria Park on David Street.

Now I know:
Repair or demolish—decision looms for housing agency (The Record)

This post at SkyscraperPage Forum has some more background.  It seems like poor maintenance is being blamed for the damage.

Making Market Square Less of a Ghost Town

I saw that the card store in Market Square had closed over the summer. It had one of the few convenient Canada Post locations where we could pick up packages. Hopefully another one will be located close to downtown again soon.

While buying something in the Square I heard that Trios college is moving into there:

TriOS College moving to Market Square

One would think that that having another anchor-type tenant would help boost business for the businesses in the building, but some are more concerned right now with having to negotiate relocating to a different place to make room for TriOS.

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Matter of Taste’s 2nd Annual Latte Art Showdown is on the 19th!  Looking forward to it.

(Sorry for the Facebook link, couldn’t get to their webpage right now)

Kitchener chosen for new regional agency

Harper says Kitchener, Ont. ‘fit the bill’ as best place for new regional agency

KW Now! has footage of the announcement here.

Government webpage here.

Apparently it will be known as FedDev.  One key quote from the government website:

Funding in the first year will be approximately $206 million, including operating costs, focused on three priority areas: Economic development, diversification and community development.

But somehow the construction on Highway 8 gets thrown in there and the webpage has a picture of Harper meeting the construction workers.   I’m not seeing a clear connection between the goals of FedDev and the highway improvement, but if spending money is the key then I guess it works.

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I was driving to Goderich along Highway 7/8 and noticed all the signs and tape in Shakespeare.  Obviously there are some big concerns about the proposal to upgrade the highway and the tape was indicating which trees and buildings would be leveled if it went through.

This article seems to sum up the dilemma for having the highway go through or around Shakespeare.  Seems like there are valid points on both sides.  In the end I’m predicting that the priority of moving more traffic more efficiently in the future will win out over all other concerns.

Speaking of drumming up business for downtown Kitchener…

The blues festival is starting on Thursday.  Let’s hope the rain doesn’t wash it out.

Get all the information about it here.

Here is the Facebook page.

Websites of some of the performers:
Michelle Malone
Tab Benoit
The Jamblasters
Derek Miller
Elvin Bishop
Ellen McIlwaine (music starts when you open page)
Studebaker John and the Hawks
Matt Andersen