u/This_Phase3861

There is a proposal to rezone 160 Blenheim Rd. (currently Natural Open Space) to build 30 townhomes, which would negatively impact Devil's Creek and our local water supply.  While we do need housing, we also need to protect what makes Cambridge special.

The owner, Jim Hallman, has an opportunity to do something incredible, though. Instead of selling for development, he is able to donate this land to the City, and make it a permanent natural space that protects our water and gives families a place to enjoy the outdoors. Imagine the impact of leaving a legacy like that for our future generations.

If you care about this, please reach out to Jim Hallman through this form, and let him know we support a "Legacy Gift" over another subdivision.

https://www.lshallmanfdn.org/Contact.htm

Hey everyone! Just wanted to give you a heads up that there's a regional council meeting this Tuesday to discuss pausing all data centres in Waterloo Region for up to 1 year, and it'd be great if as many of us as possible could show up.

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Meeting agenda link: https://pub-regionofwaterloo.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=62d2743f-d360-45ae-8358-23f073caf2db&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English

Tuesday August 11th, 9:00 AM

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I’m sure most people are already aware, but in case you haven’t heard much about data centres until now, these places use insane amounts of electricity and water - like, one small data centre can use 26 million litres of drinking-quality water per year just for cooling. Granted, closed loop systems do use less water, but also use more electricity in return. They can also raise local temperatures by a couple of degrees by creating "heat islands" that affect surrounding communities, plus there are concerns about noise, light pollution, and even potential chemical spills. What's happening right now is that there are proposals being looked at for major data centre development/expansion in Cambridge, and this Tuesday's meeting is where council will be discussing them.

This is a good chance to show up and make sure they hear from real residents, not just developers and consultants who stand to profit from these projects!! I know 9 AM on a Tuesday isn't super convenient for everyone, but even just showing up and being in the audience (live or virtual) makes a difference and shows them we're watching!

Even better, if you’re concerned about how quickly these decisions are being passed through, you can contact the regional councillors that represent Cambridge (that’s Doug Craig and Pam Wolf) and ask if they will support Councillor James’ motion for an interim county by-law (ICBL) to be passed. This pauses any further action on data centres until we have more information about what we’re agreeing to, which seems like the least anyone could want before big decisions like these are made.

I’ve been avoiding the area because I know they’re doing a lot of construction there this summer (and beyond lol). Just wondering how the traffic flow is these days!

I need to tell you what just happened to me, because I’m depressed, disappointed, and overall just pissed off. And it’s the whole reason I’m posting this.

A few days ago I found a baby raccoon alone in the middle of the day, somewhere she clearly wasn’t safe. I did the right thing and only kept her until nightfall, giving her mom every chance to come back for her. Mom never came. So I started calling wildlife rehabs to find her a real place to go.

Every single one was full. Some didn’t even have a human pick up. The phone would auto-answer with a pre-recorded message saying they weren’t accepting baby raccoons right now, and that was it.

She finally got into a foster for a few days, but she needed medical care that was beyond what they could do even with a rehab’s help. She’d suffered some kind of head trauma that was causing her real pain. She tested negative for distemper and parvo and showed no signs of rabies, so she was never a danger to anyone. She just needed a real shot at help, and the system was too stretched to get it to her in time.

Sadly, she didn’t make it. 😔😭

A baby animal suffered and died for no good reason, and the worst part is that it’s happening every day!

I’ve been stuck on this ever since it happened and here’s what I learned that I think more people should know:

- In Ontario, only licensed “wildlife custodians” are legally allowed to rehab wild animals, and there are only around 70 of them for the entire province.
- They receive zero provincial funding. None. They pay for food, medicine, and enclosures themselves and run entirely on donations.
- A lot of centres have closed over the years, and the ones still standing are constantly at capacity, which is exactly why all those calls dead-ended.

This isn’t the rehabbers failing anyone. They’re doing heroic work with basically no support. It’s a funding and policy gap, and that’s the kind of thing that can actually change if enough people push on it.

So, two things:

If you ever find injured or orphaned wildlife around here: within Guelph (and Centre Wellington or Guelph-Eramosa), you can call the Guelph Humane Society at 519-824-3091 for assessment and guidance. To find an authorized rehabber directly, the Ontario Wildlife Rescue map and the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources list are your best tools. Be ready to drive, and call around, because availability changes hour to hour.

And if this bothers you as much as it bothers me: I’m trying to pull together a small group of locals to push for stable provincial funding for wildlife rehab, the way other provinces and several US states already do it. It doesn’t require any special skills or taking animals into your home, just a bit of time here and there. I’ve already written a letter to my MPP that people can adapt and send themselves. If you’d want in, comment or DM me and I’ll loop you in.

Thanks for reading. She deserved a better shot than she got, and I’d like to help make sure the next one actually has it.

Be careful, everyone! And please check yo’ pets thoroughly. ❤️

It's wild, isn't it? The city can move forward on a $300 million pitch for an OHL team, but somehow the money is never there for things that actually affect people's daily lives? Even more wild when you see that the city's own 2025 Asset Management Plan confirmed a $335.7 million backlog JUST to get roads and infrastructure into a state of good repair. Priorities though, I guess.

We better start eating the rich quick…before they make it impossible to eat anything else

Hmmm..I think this guy still needs to be taught his lesson.

From the description: “We are sending this letter to Minister Paul Calandra to express serious concern over the province’s handling of the Peel District School Board takeover and what it signals about the future of public education in Ontario. The government has framed the issue as financial mismanagement, yet both Peel leadership and Ontario’s Auditor General point to a broader provincial funding failure, especially in special education. This letter demands a clear timeline for restoring elected trustees, proper funding for students with special needs, transparency from unelected supervisors, and accountability for the recent privacy breach involving teachers’ personal information. The public deserves direct answers and real accountability from the Minister responsible.”