Quite simply, most amalgamations don’t work and have been shown, time and time again to result in significantly higher costs, less representation and bloated, less responsive bureaucracies. They seldom achieve the expected efficiencies or cost savings, and many amalgamated municipalities end up investigating ways to de-amalgamate after learning that bigger isn’t always better.
The success of Waterloo Region demonstrates its unique model of seamlessly integrating cities, towns and villages. Waterloo Region’s model of decentralized but integrated political entities should be celebrated as a highpoint in democratic culture.
The opposite of Waterloo Region’s political model is that of centralization, the stringing together of municipalities and towns into one emasculated entity which by its nature dismantles identity, history and culture.
Working at Worth a Second Look, The Working Centre’s second-hand furniture and housewares store located at 97 Victoria St. North, sometimes we are faced with difficult decisions. How do we deal with hagglers, people who consider the price tag more disputable than settled fact? Well, it depends. It depends on the circumstance…
How often do we think about wider implications when we purchase a cup of coffee, groceries, clothing, a book? These transactions are increasingly electronic – separated from the provider of the good or service. How often do we know the person, company or country where goods are made?
In response to current economic development—where the labour market does not accommodate those willing and able to work with full-time permanent positions—we are engaging with people around livelihood and strategies for building a sustainable way of life that includes multiple income streams. In this way, we are expanding on a familiar conversation at The Working Centre – how to engage and maintain meaningful, community involvement – by linking the principals of producerism, living simply, building community and serving others back to income as it supports livelihood.
In 2004 members of the Waterloo chapter of MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Association) met with The Working Centre to identify a way to help people develop the skills needed for starting their own business. A feasibility study identified the need for training for people who may not fit the criteria of government sponsored initiatives. In particular the study noted the importance of training for middle-aged workers, women and New Canadians.
Over the winter months there is time to pause for reflection on the progress made in our first season at the Hacienda Sarria Market Garden. An ever expanding community of volunteers and contributors made this impressive garden possible. We look forward to continued growth of the garden and community in the years to come.
Nyasanda Technical Institute (NYATI) grew out of local ideas for a community that provides accessible education and skills training opportunities to its members.
First, some background. Kenya is divided into seven provinces; these are sub-divided into a total of 69 districts. Ugunja is located in the Siaya District of Nyanza Province, a rural area on the edge of Lake Victoria.
t may be surprising to learn that nearly 1/5 of North American energy consumption is used in conventional food production. This includes fertilizers, pesticides, diesel farm equipment, refrigeration, processing, packaging, and transportation. An astounding surprising amount of food travels up to 2400 km before it reaches your plate. The “food miles” in a typical Canadian diet creates nearly as much carbon dioxide as the typical car! Taking simple steps, such as reducing your meat and dairy consumption, eating organically, and eating more locally-produced food can reduce your personal “food mile” budget by 60-70%! Here’s how.
For over 18 years, The Working Centre has attempted to contrast large-scale bureaucratized work with what we call small, local, personal work. The former is a seductive drain on communities with its philosophy of short-term thinking, de-skilling and Dilbert-like motivational techniques. Local economies are left with a legacy of environmental destruction, waste and top heavy thinking. The more we are dependent as wage earners on large corporations the more our households are dependent on the mass produced commodities they produce. In contrast, daily work that seeks to limit the reach of the “globalized market” in our everyday lives, that fosters creative and useful unemployment while pursuing productive activities, is a recipe for creating communities and neighbourhoods that matter.
The Integrated Circle of Care is a fluid and collaborative approach followed by workers from different agencies weaving through St. John’s Kitchen. Within this approach, staff members from each agency are aware of their specific personal roles. However, the high level of collaboration between workers means that people can approach any worker, without knowing their agency association or specific role, and still receive support – either that worker will support the person directly, or they will introduce the person to another worker who can support the person more appropriately.
This approach makes relationships more natural and support more accessible. Workers from different agencies are easily approachable, meaning that people build relationships with multiple workers. Having relationships with different workers is important to a person’s support – it makes support from a trusted source easy to find, and means that people have a choice of worker to approach in any given situation.
In order to maintain a circle of care around a person, workers from different agencies ask for consent from the person for information to be shared between workers. Continuous communication between workers helps to ensure that people do not fall into gaps between services, and also that services are not duplicated.
